NOVEL WEB Chapter 65: An Achievement
Daeranyx POV
"What about the Magnars and Crowls? What will be their fate?" asked Lord Stane, curious about his fellow lords who ruled another part of Skagos. I arched my eyebrow at his question because I had read that there was rivalry among the three Skagossi noble houses. But I shouldn't have been surprised, as there were alliances made between all three of them, driven by the ambition to acquire more than what they already possessed.
"Let us be frank, Lord Stane," I said, my voice hardening. Anarion shifted beneath me, a silent echo of my growing impatience. "The Magnars and Crowls will have a choice, just as you do. Bend the knee and join me in building a stronger Skagos, or refuse and face the consequences. I will not treat them as I have with you; my patience for these games is at an end. I have offered you a path to prosperity, a chance to elevate your people. They will receive the same offer, but their refusal will be met with swift and decisive action." I paused, locking eyes with Stane. "I trust you will make your decision with the best interests of Skagos in mind." Beside me, Anarion let out a low growl, a clear indication of my dwindling patience, and a not-so-subtle reminder of the force at my disposal. The Skagosi warriors, though outwardly impassive, could not help but tense, their eyes flickering to their lord, their hands instinctively tightening around the hilts of their weapons.
When a thought passed through my mind that the vision of taking Skagos without any bloodshed was foolish of me, Lord Stane took out his sword, capturing Anarion's complete attention. But what Lord Stane did next brought a joyful smile to my face. The soldiers behind him followed their lord and started to kneel as well. Anarion let out a roar full of victory and pride. I began to walk toward Lord Stane, finally stopping right before him.
"I hope I haven't made the wrong decision of placing my trust and loyalty to a complete foreigner. But make no mistake, my king, if you can't give what you have promised, then you will lose the loyalties of me and mine." Lord Stane spoke that with a serious face. I nodded at him and told him to rise from his kneeling position.
"You won't need to wait longer to see if I am true to my word or not, my lord," I told him with a smile. I was genuinely relieved that he bent his knee without requiring me to command Anarion to showcase what I would do if the others refused. With his support, convincing the other two lords would be much easier than descending upon their keep with a Dragon and insisting they kneel to me, someone they had never even heard of before.
"Let us return to Stonehall, King Daeranyx. I need to have a word with you regarding the other two houses, and it is time for supper as well. I hope you are not too prone to eat 'southern food,' as we don't have that here, 'my king,'" Lord Stane said, his voice brimming with amusement and hearty laughter.
"Oh, you wouldn't find me complaining, my lord," I replied, matching his enthusiasm. With that, he began to lead me toward 'Stonehall.' I mentally instructed Anarion to take a rest in his cave on Skagos; it seemed I wouldn't be visiting another noble house on the island today. During our walk to the Stonehall Lord Stane also told me his name Trygg Stane. It sure does sound like a Northerner or Norse name back in my world.
After a few minutes of walking through the settlement and observing the state of the hall, I realized that I would likely be building more than one castle on Skagos.
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I woke up from the bed with a huge headache and a general feeling of sluggishness as I tried to walk. I sat back down in the bed, searching for my pouch where I kept all the things I needed at a moment's notice. Luckily, all my belongings were close by. I grabbed the pouch and took out a potion I had brewed myself during my time in King's Landing. I chugged it down in one big gulp, grimacing at the taste—it was no better than what I read it tasted in the world of Harry Potter.
After a few minutes, the headache began to ease, and my mind returned to a functioning state. I stood up tentatively; my steps weren't as steady as I preferred, but they were enough to keep me from tripping. The potion was meant to banish headaches, but it took a moment for my coordination to catch up. I slowly made my way toward the hall where we had been drinking yesterday until the hour of the wolf. With no wine available, we had switched to mead, and Lord Stane discovered that my tolerance was greater than he'd expected. When he realized I wasn't even tipsy from the mead, he pulled out a drink he called sour unicorn milk.
I was handed a horn cup filled with a thick, off-white liquid. To be honest, it was strong, but I found myself still standing while Lord Stane had passed out long before I finished my drink. The servants led me to the chambers where I slept. Entering the dining hall, I spotted Lord Stane at the head table with his lady wife. I walked over to them, and despite his state, Lord Stane managed to stand and bow. His lady wife awkwardly followed suit, having clearly never had to do such a thing before I arrived. I sighed, nodded in acknowledgment, and took the empty seat left for me.
"Forgive me my king I do not have tolerance as high as you have. But cold hells of the Others, how can you walk after drinking a whole barrel of Unicorn's milk? I thought I could take my drink better than anyone." He started to laugh jovially after finishing his speech, but a cough from his lady wife made him stop. "Ah yes, King Daeranyx, this is my wife Valda Stane. She is also a sister of the current lord Magnar." Lord Stane introduced his wife, mentioning the previous night that he had sent a person with a word from Valda to his brother, Orell Magnar, lord of Deeprock. He would be coming here today, as it is not a long journey if you're Skagossi and know which route to take.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Valda." I greeted her with a smile. Lord Stane then introduced his two sons, Eldred and Kaelan Stane. Eldred, being the firstborn, is the heir to 'Stonehall'. After everyone was seated, our breakfast was served, and I started to dig in with the others.
After breakfast, I was led to the solar of Lord Stane, where we discussed the current state of his house and whether they have contact with the rest of the North. He revealed much about the island not mentioned in the books, describing how they regularly face raids from wildlings beyond the wall, as well as foreign invaders from Essos who come to Skagos for slaves and other resources like Dragonglass and weirwood, even capturing Unicorns for the Essosi. During these raids, they also take the food that the Skagossi work hard to gather for the winters, as they do not receive much support from the North and the Starks. This dire situation is also why some have resorted to cannibalism; living such a difficult life is not for everyone.
Lord Stane finished telling me everything, though I sensed he left out some brutal details he didn't want to remember, evident in the look on his face. I leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh—there was more work to do. Initially, I had considered warding the entire Skagos to keep the islands hidden, ensuring that if anyone stumbled upon them, the wards would deal with intruders swiftly. But now, I realized I couldn't do that. I need people to come here; if I am to make this island thrive in trade and introduce some unique goods to the world, for that I must make this island safe so people can come here without fear of being looted.
"My Lord, our first step should be to fortify Skagos, ensuring we can protect and retaliate like the Starks of old did against the Andals—striking fear deep enough to make any invader think twice. But for that, we need trained, disciplined soldiers armed with the right equipment. To forge such weapons, we'll require steel—a great deal of it. We can either buy it with gold or search for iron mines on Skagos itself." After some pondering over where could I get so much steel from I believe a visit to the current Lord Lannister is in order, to discuss the trade of weapons and armor.
"There haven't been any iron mines discovered in Skagos until now. The only resource we have in abundance is Dragonglass. However, there are rumors that Skane has an iron mine, which I believe might be true."Lord Stane said. If Lord Stane's claim is accurate and there is indeed an iron mine on Skane, we won't need to import weapons from elsewhere. I could teach local blacksmiths how to produce weapons that are even better than those used throughout the known world, excluding magical weapons, of course.
"What about trained men do we have that?" I asked while taking a sip of mead. I need to make drinks such as mulled wine, whiskey, or brandy if I am to live here for some time.
"King Daeranyx, you need not worry about trained men; one Skagossi could defeat many southern fancy knights. However, our small population means we have fewer men to draw upon compared to other kingdoms," Lord Stane said solemnly. I had anticipated the issue of our limited population given our circumstances, and I already had a plan in mind to address it.
"Very well then, I admit there is more work ahead than I initially thought, but nothing that, with the help of the people of Skagos, we can't solve. So here is what I propose we do first, Lord Stane: we should build keeps and fortify them with trained soldiers to defend our resources. All the food and supplies for the upcoming winter should be stored there. Although my presence here means you wouldn't need to worry much about raiders, having a stronghold would greatly benefit you and your people when I have to leave for some time.
Now, what I need from you is to start training your men with the drills I will demonstrate in the courtyard. Please also provide me with some time and a location where you would like to build your castle." I said, finishing my mead and placing the cup on the table in front of the dumbfounded lord in the solar where we were seated.
"How—" *Knock* Lord Stane looked toward me, and after I nodded, he permitted the person outside to enter. The servant came in with his head lowered, and after bowing, he said, "My lord, Lord Magnar and his men have been spotted and will reach 'Stonehall' shortly." Lord Stane dismissed the servant, and we both stood up to make our way to the courtyard, each lost in our own thoughts—Lord Stane to welcome his wife's brother, and I to see if I would gain another vassal or not.
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