Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Cost of Magic and Power: A Lesson in History.
Daemon Snow
I woke with a small gasp and felt little pain throughout my body. I was barely cognizant of my surroundings after waking up when the door to the room I was in opened, and my grandfather entered. The room resembled a dungeon with no windows or ventilation, illuminated solely by torchlight. Countless books and maps adorned the walls on shelves. Many shelves contained crowns, as well as numerous knickknacks, leading me to realize that I was in a Stark Family secret room or something of the sort. The room stored many records, and I could believe it might contain ancient history and forgotten magics. I was quite afraid, finding myself alone with my grandfather and no witnesses in sight, although I was almost certain that my grandfather would not harm me since he loved my charming self.
I decided to play the adorable charming child routine. "Papa, where are we? What happened? Why are we here?" I said with as much adorableness as I could muster. Lord Stark looked at my face sternly. His expression was hard, cold, and unreadable, even for me. Fear started to grip me, and it must have shown on my face because then my grandfather sighed, and the sternness vanished from his face.
He replied, "Don't play me for a fool like you do with others, Dameon. I do not want to hear your fake broken speech that you use on servants and the maester now. Do you understand?"
I paled further, but I nodded, realizing I did not have another option. He scrutinized me as if to see how much I would reveal, but seeing the panic in my face he tried to be calm again.
"This is the Stark Vault hidden in my Solar. This place belongs only to those of Stark Blood. In the 8000 years of North's history, not even a spouse of the Starks has entered here. This is where the knowledge and important records are kept. Secrets and knowledge that the ancient Kings of Winter found, conquered, and traded are buried on these shelves. The library outside is just a distraction for the common people and other interested parties. You will be one of the youngest people who know about this vault. The 'what' is that you fainted due to the pain and hitting your head; this is the next night. I brought you here because no one knows about your extensive burns, which were already healing at a speed that I have never even heard about before. I thought that you would value secrecy, as you have been hiding many things. I don't want the realm to know of your powers, so I brought you here and ordered that I will spend a day with you and dismissed everyone else."
I looked at my grandfather and cursed myself wondering about how I should explain this. 'Is this the end of my easy life?'
"Secrets? Powers?" I asked, confused.
Hearing that, soured Lord Stark's mood as his face became cold.
"Do not play the fool with me, Daemon. Whatever intelligence and growth you have, no ordinary 4-year-old will behave like you. I have known you were special for a long time, and you confirmed my instincts yesterday. You are a dragon dreamer like your Valyrian ancestors. Your knowledge and maturity come from the future or the dreams you had. Maybe you also have the Greensight, a potent gift in our line."
I sighed, knowing that any other lie from me would be further disbelieved and to go with the idea my grandfather himself came up with, so I agreed. "Aye, I am a dreamer. The reason for my healing is something that happened because of my powerful ancestry. I have been blessed by both the Old Gods and the 14 Valyrian Gods. My question is, how did you know? What happened yesterday, and how were you aware enough to come to rescue me?"
"The Starks have existed for 8000 years and have collected much knowledge. Do you really think we did not have any contact with the Valyrians? We did not acquire Ice, the largest Valyrian sword, by paying money, but by providing a service. A Dragonlord visited us seeking a solution for his young daughter's uncontrollable dragon dreams, having heard about ancient tales of greensight and warging, mental magic, and came to us. We helped her, and in return, he crafted Ice for us in a special manner. That property was used yesterday to banish the red demon. Ice is not a pure Valyrian steel sword; it is a unique mixture of Other's Ice sword and Valyrian steel, joined together by our blood, both Valyrian and Stark. Only a Stark who has magic in their blood can use its full function of Ice Sword, and yesterday I used the cold infusion to destroy the Red Demon's presence in the fire."
I was stupefied and looked at my grandfather with absolute shock. My grandfather looked at my face and started laughing.
"Well, what? Did you think that you already know everything there is by dreaming, Dameon? No, the truth is that you know nothing, Daemon."
I was lost and didn't know what to say. I never thought that in my life I would be subjected to the famous 'you know nothing, Jon Snow' line. I decided to ask the question: How did my grandfather know? My thoughts went to whether there is a hidden detection system for outside magical interference or something only the Lord Stark knows.
"I knew because the Old Gods warned me. I was meditating in the Godswood when my instincts lurched to find you. I immediately checked on you and saw you taking a knife to your palm, and later, the stupidity you followed it through with. Of course, your powerful blood of the kings attracted the Red Demon like a moth to a flame."
I looked at my grandfather, and I at least understood that. "You are a warg," I said.
"Yes, I am," my grandfather replied. "It has been exhausting for me when you started chasing my cats and rats away from their intended places."
"I apologize, Grandfather. I don't know what else to say," I said. My mind was going at the speed of a truck. 'The Starks of this generation are not too far removed from the King Of Winter that they still have the knowledge and magic. They are not lost to time as in canon. I need to learn whatever my grandfather can teach me, and it is a golden opportunity for me.'
"How did you know to deal with the fire and R'hllor in it? I thought he was the God of Essos."
My grandfather sighed and began to explain, and my world turned upside down with the information dump. It was nothing like the canon I assumed, and finally cemented the fact that this world is truly dangerous in my mind.
"There are records in this vault, and history passed down word for word from father to sons. Just like the cold one came to kill all life in the Seven Kingdoms, the Red God is truly a Fire Demon. According to the records, the Long Night was not only in Westeros; even ancient Valyria experienced snow for the first time. There is a land that connects Essos and Westeros after the Lands of Always Winter that is not shown on any conventional map. The land is unknown to any man, as the land and seas are so cold and infested with ice monsters that nothing warm could survive. The cold ones spread in that direction after almost defeating the First Men, and the entire surviving population fled the Seven Kingdoms to different islands around it: Dragonstone, Skagos, Iron Islands, Three Sisters, Arbor, Stepstones, etc.
It is said that the darkness spread by the cold ones awakened the monster called the Lion of Night. The Lion of Night's origin is unknown even to us at that time, but he controls shadows and monsters. They both attacked Yi Ti. The Five Forts were built after the Long Night to defend them, just like the Wall does for us. The more monsters and corpses the army had, the more powerful the Others and the Lion of Night became, and the more the darkness and coldness spread. The current Grey Waste was once a fertile land and populated beyond belief, but everyone died in the Long Night. The numbers were staggering, and darkness spread across the world."
I gazed at my grandfather in disbelief, pondering the profound devastation wrought by the original Long Night, a calamity so enduring that even 8000 years later, its scars remained unhealed. For the first time since my rebirth, I entertained the unsettling thought of whether I might meet my end in this world, despite the newfound powers at my disposal. It was unfathomable to contemplate the extent of empowerment bestowed upon the Others or the Lion of Night by the Great Enemy of the Being who had sent me here. Struggling to steady my thoughts, I listened as my grandfather continued the history lesson, his words flowing forth as if spoken in a trance.
"At this time, Azor Ahai embarked on a visit to Yi Ti astride his dragon, seeking to uncover the cause behind the spreading darkness. His quest led him to uncover a new threat looming on the horizon. Having traversed every civilization east of Valyria prior to this, he was known by name in every culture. A master of dragon dreams and pyromancy, Azor Ahai employed dragonglass candles to scry into the depths of the unknown. Through his mystical abilities, he traced the origin of the cold ones back to Westeros, unveiling the chilling truth of the first Other's creation by the Children. This involved the insertion of dragonglass and the Black Stone of the Blood Stone Emperor into the heart of Brandon's Grandfather, a Greenseer himself. The Lion of Night, embodiment of the Bloodstone Emperor, had been corrupted by the enigmatic Black Stone, believed to have fallen from the sky. Despite the formidable defences of the ancient mages of Yi Ti, their strength waned in the face of overwhelming numbers within the empire. Each monstrous entity was intricately linked to its leaders, bestowing upon them formidable powers.
Azor Ahai learned this harsh lesson firsthand when he and his colossal dragon launched an assault on the leaders in a bid to decapitate the enemy forces. Though many lesser beings perished and his dragon came perilously close to succumbing to the influence of the Great Other, Azor made the ultimate sacrifice, offering his beloved dragon to gain newfound power before narrowly escaping, vowing vengeance. Returning to the then-isolated and newly formed Valyria, Azor claimed another dragon and sought out the First Men and Children, recognizing them as the architects behind the creation of the Others. Understanding that only a united front of magical prowess could hope to counter the threat posed by the cold ones, Azor, alongside the Children of the Forest and the Builder's father, forged a pact to join forces on the island now known as Dragonstone. The Builder, renowned as one of the most brilliant minds to have ever graced the world, left behind surviving creations that stood as testament to his unparalleled genius. As the leaders of the Pact—The Builder's father, the Children, and Azor—debated the strategies for attack and the harnessing of magical might, it was the Builder who proposed a cunning plan.
He proposed that a direct assault, both magical and physical, would be tantamount to suicide. Instead, he suggested that a mental assault was necessary to fracture the alliance between the Great Other and the Lion of Night. The Builder, renowned as the greatest greenseer of his time, and his father, who bore a direct blood relation to the Great Other, alongside Azor's dragon dreams and dragonglass-induced visions, concurred on a plan. After numerous revisions, they settled on performing a ritual aimed at granting both the Great Other and the Lion of Night a shared dream or greensight, in which they would perceive each other's imminent betrayal. The location for the ritual was meticulously chosen—a place where the magic of the Old Gods held the greatest sway, intricately linked by the weirwoods throughout the Lands of Always Winter and extending all the way to the Mossvy. These weirwoods had been strategically planted by the Great Other himself, enabling him to observe the movements of his First Men adversaries.
The cost of breaking the defences of the monsters without alerting them was immense and only succeeded because of the blessings of the Old Gods. By granting the power, the Old Gods almost faded, and every Weirwood planted by the Great Other was consumed, along with Builder's father himself as he was channelling the power. A Child of the Forest sacrificed itself to power Azor's attack, and he lost his immense Dragon Dreams and Dragonglass viewing power after the assault."
I gaped at the lengths my ancestors have gone to fight the monsters. I was not looking forward to the fight and sacrifices I may be forced to make to fight the second long night and the surviving monsters.
"The armies of the Lion of Night and the Great Other clashed, and the Lion of Night lost. Every death in his monster armies empowered the Great Other, and after many moons, the Lion of Night fled, injured, and weakened so much that it was barely alive. He fled to the now Asshai, the Shadowlands. It was after his growth there that the name Shadowlands was formed.
Despite the significant reduction in the numerical advantage of the monsters, hope for their defeat remained slim. Azor arrived with a summoning ritual intended to call forth one of the Elder Dragons, recognizing dragonfire as a potent weapon against ice and death. While the Builder harboured reservations about the summoning, he ultimately threw his support behind it, seeing no alternative. Even to this day, the nature and significance of the Elder Dragons to Azor and Valyria remain shrouded in mystery. However, the ritual failed, summoning instead a fiery being who introduced itself as the Red God, R'hllor, a deity of fire. Offering assistance in the battle against the Great Other and his army, a new pact was forged—the Pact of Ice, Fire, and Death. The being pledged to fight alongside us, extracting something of value from each of us only after the Great Other's demise, and departing the world only once the enemy was vanquished. While Azor, a fire mage and pyromancer, placed unwavering faith in the Red God, Brandon's instincts proved correct— the being was not a god, but a fire demon masquerading as one, toying with mortal lives.
The Red God followed its words, and the last war of the Long Night occurred. The armies were destroyed, and Azor and the Red Demon fought the Great Other. Their battle broke the lands, forming the current Thousand Islands. At the time of the defeat of the Great Other, the expected betrayal from Red God occurred. The Great Other, the builder's Grandfather, was destroyed, but it left many children behind. The Red Demon allowed one child to escape back to the land of Always Winter and killed Azor's love, Nyssa, consuming her flesh. He took the talent of Greensight from the builder, and The Red God remained in this world as the enemy was not vanquished as per the Pact.
One offspring of the Great Other, born of a union with one of the Children of the Forest, managed to survive. The survival of this Other, coupled with the Red God's treachery, ignited an unparalleled fury within Azor and Brandon. The being continued to torment the populace, assuming the guise of the Red God. When Azor confronted it atop his dragon, Brandon seized the Ice Sword forged by the Great Other, its power bound to his blood. As fire magic erupted amidst the clash between the fire mage, dragon, and Fire Demon, the sea in the vicinity shrunk away, leaving behind the desolate expanse known as the Shrinking Sea, later dubbed the Plains of the Jogos Nhai. Despite their combined might, Azor and his dragon proved insufficient to vanquish the weakened being. Shielded by the Ice magic imbued within the Sword, and concealed from the Red God's sight by the Children's enchantment, Brandon delivered a decisive blow, beheading the Fire Demon from behind as it gloated before Azor, consuming the flesh of his dragon.
Azor perished from his wounds, and Brandon returned to the North. Knowing that the Others are still hidden in the land of Always Winter, he built the Wall using magic and giants. He also built this castle as the seat of House Stark. The magic binding the wall together was anchored to this place and by the vows of the Night's Watch. As long as there is a Stark here, the wall will retain its power."
I looked at my Grandfather in pure disbelief. This was nothing like the small history mentioned in show or books. Fuck my luck that I was sent to this dangerous death world. Lands destroyed, fire demons, shadow monsters, krakens, the only thing missing is Ice Dragons.
"Papa, I always thought that the Great Other was destroyed here, or perhaps trapped beneath the crypts or some such, which would explain why the castle is named Winterfell. Winter fell here, you, see? If not, then why name it Winterfell?"
Grandfather looked at me in shock and began to laugh. "Do you truly believe that a being of such immense power could be defeated merely by slashing or piercing with a sword, Dameon?" he chuckled. "No, if the Great Other were to be vanquished here, this place would have been akin to another Stepstones, with the land splintered by the ensuing battle."
His laughter faded, replaced by a sudden shift to sternness and fury. "This castle, the seat of our power, was named Winterfell after the time of the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. The Night's King," he continued, his tone grave. "It was not because the cold ones fell here, but because the reigning King of Winter succumbed to absolute madness and folly on this very ground. The King of Winter forgot his purpose and fell in love with the Other, the Corpse Queen—paramour of his own brother, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Here, the King of Winter descended to the lowest depths possible for a Stark, committing every sin against the laws of Gods and Men including kinslaying and breaking guest rights."
"What?" I gasped at the sheer surprise. "I thought the starks were beloved and honourable people, grandfather. How else will we have such loyal bannerman except for the Boltons? What happened?"
My grandfather scoffed at my question and retorted, "Honourable? Don't be a fool, Daemon. The ancient Kings of Winter were as cruel and unyielding as the winter itself. We are honourable because we uphold our own words. There's no need for those words to align with the laws of gods and men. Kings are beyond those limitations.The tale begins with two twin brothers accompanying their father beyond the Wall. In those times, there were no wildlings; only First Men traversed the lands beyond the Wall in search of the Only Child of the Great Other, the last link allowing the disembodied Red Demon—now manifesting slowly as the Red God R'hllor in spiritual form—to persist. If the Last Other were to be destroyed, the pact would be enforced, and the Red Demon would be banished automatically, but there were no sightings of the Last Other.
The Stark brothers were equally charismatic and gifted. The heir was unmatched with a blade, while the spare possessed prodigious magical talent. Rivalry simmered between them until they encountered an ethereal woman with cold, blue eyes beyond the Wall. She captivated their hearts, but her affections lay solely with the spare, stoking the heir's fury at the rejection. Her image lingered in both brothers' minds for years.
As time passed, jealousy and rivalry between the brothers festered into hatred within the heir, who eventually ascended the Throne of Winter. Though he had married and fathered many children, his brother, who had shunned marriage and ignored all other women, joined the Night's Watch after his brother's coronation, eventually rising to become Lord Commander.
It was during his tenure as Lord Commander that he encountered the woman again, and took her as his paramour. Thus began a 13-year-long winter, during which the Stark brother and the woman ruled as the Night's King and Corpse Queen, birthing 13 immensely powerful children. These children were sent to the Lands of Always Winter by the queen as winter waned.
As news of his brother's liaison with a woman with blue eyes reached the King of Winter, jealousy consumed him. He summoned his almost sister-in-law under guest rights to Winterfell. Before the order came to Nightsfort at the end of 13-year long Winter the Queen and the Night's King went beyond the wall and the Queen did the same ritual to change the King to an actual Other. The Queen used Dragonglass and the black stone collected from the Lion Of Night to enact this ritual. The Night's King was unconscious when the summons came and knowing the time is limited the Queen decided to do as the Winter King Demanded.
When the Queen reached this castle, the Winter King beheld her ethereal beauty. Memories of his youthful infatuation and lust resurfaced, driving him to declare the woman as his brother's wife and to assert his right of First Night, even over his brother, who had relinquished his noble status by swearing the Night's Watch oath. During the barely legal rape, she fought against the Winter King and She revealed herself as an Other during the fight, sparking a deadly confrontation.
Realising that the cold women was the Corpse Queen searched by the Starks, the King tried to kill the women as his duty. In the ensuing fight the Queen escaped, but she lost her 14th child. The king's sword had pierced her stomach once and his brother's child was murdered. But the Corpse Queen survived enough to reach Nightsfort and inform to the Nights King. The Winter King's heir was enraged beyond belief by his father's doing but was powerless to do anything. The Night's King was already preparing for war when The Winter King knowing that his Brother would seek revenge, erased the Nights King name from records and decalared war on him as an Other Lover and betrayer. The Nights King's hatred towards his brother reached unknown heights when he heard that his brother has erased his Stark name from records and history. The Night's King declared that he would kill every person who called the Stark's their king, destroy everything any Stark ever build, kill every person who have even heard the name Stark and accelerated his preparation for attack on North."
I gasped and looked at my grandfather with open mouth.
I spluttered; "that... that... that is insane. You must kill every living being to achieve that. I mean almost anyone who trade has heard of The Starks."
His grandfather sighed and said, "well for what it's worth, at that time Stark was not as known as now and population was so low that he could achieve it in few years. Now, after 8000 years, you are correct. Also, do you see Daemon? The King followed his words and interpreted it as he deems fit. Only our own records shows that the King was in the wrong. For the World, he was honourable. Anyway, let's continue the history lesson, the army of king of winter met with Night's king little corpse army and the firstmen beyond the wall also attacked the same time. The Night's King and the King of Winter met sword to sword above the wall and the heir was the witness. The King of Winter the elder twin brother was always the best swordsmen, and with Ice was unbeatable. The Nights King was almost defeated when the heir saw some dark essence enter the being and Ice armour formed around the Nights King.
The King of Winter engaged in battle again but soon realized that defeating his brother was impossible with the new armour with Ice as the sword's magic was not working for him. So, the Winter King took the black-blue blood of his brother and mixed it with his own blood to enact the ritual of banishment from the Night's Watch. As the Lord Commander, he could bring the Other to this side of the Wall and pass through its magical protection. During this ritual, Winter King passed Ice to his heir to engage his uncle. Sacrificing his left hand and eye in the fight, the heir finally pierced the heart through the ice armour, proving himself worthy to wield the Ice's magical properties. With a smug grin, the King completed the ritual, believing he had finally eradicated his brother.
However, as the Wall's magic slowly disintegrated him, the Night's King roared in defiance and ran towards the Winter King. His outer armour and skin turned to red ash as he reached the King in a blink, piercing the King's chest with his hand through the steel armour and emerging from his back, holding the still-beating heart of the King. Without stopping his momentum, the Night's King jumped from the Wall to the other side with the corpse of the King. The Hier was stupefied for minutes but he recovered quickly. Despite the heir's efforts to search for them, nothing was found on the other side of the wall. He erased his father's name from history and the old name of the castle, renaming it Winterfell, where the mighty King of Winter Fell to evil as a warning to future Starks. It remains unconfirmed whether the Night's King survived, but his 13 children certainly did. The ancient kings believed that Night's King took considerable time recovering and regathering his strength. However, by the time he did, the Red Demon had become more powerful, and the magic of the Wall had strengthened beyond belief, leaving him waiting as he increased his own strength to match and overcome to enact his vow to eradicate the Stark name."
I was speechless after hearing the ancient history. My thoughts accelerated and it was not good things. I was exasperated that the current threat beyond the wall is now because two brothers' rivalry and jealousy over a woman. 'Is the The Being who sent me here fucking kidding me. The starks being foolish that they allowed to grow two threats beyond their borders without any intervention and whatever the fuck the Lion of night is now. I was quite sure now that the Night's King is powered by the Great Enemy and I dreads my future now. I wondered about what would happen if I find the exit and escaped this death world just before 290AC.'
The moment I thought that a cold dread enveloped me.
You Will Die A Most Painful Death.
The Voice pierced my mind from everywhere and my mind opened for just a pico second to the Beings Dimension and I fainted for a second due to the overload of my mind.
Just like that it was over and I was back in my body and before my grandfather who was looking at my reactions to his lesson and smiling at by flabbergasted and fearful expressions.
"Don't worry, my dear Daemon," Grandfather reassured me with a gentle smile, "they both have not attacked for 8000 years, and they will not attack for the next 8000 years. I am quite sure it is not in our lifetime, so don't be afraid. I believe that both are afraid to attack, as they are not sure of their victory. It's a continuous cycle of Ice and Fire being kept in check by each other, while we mortals are their playthings. As long as it is like that, we have nothing to worry about."
I looked at my Grandfather and cursed my luck.
"Papa, I am afraid because I will be alive for the Long Night," I declared, and the smile vanished from my grandfather's face in an instant. Sensing the gravity of my words, I knew it was time to share certain truths with him, particularly about my future knowledge as dragon dreams and greensight, to garner his support in preparing the North for the wars to come.
My grandfather studied me carefully. "Daemon, you are serious, and you believe it. I can see it in your eyes. I believe this also pertains to your unnatural healing and gifts from Gods?"
I looked at my hands and saw the truth. It was healing faster and I decided that bullshitting was my only option to save myself a world of trouble. I nodded slowly, preparing myself what to say.
"Let me stop you now. This day has been long, and you need rest. Have the food and water I brought, and take rest as you heal. We will talk after you have recovered." My Grandfather interrupted me.
I looked at him gratefully, nodding in agreement. My grandfather's suggestion was excellent, affording me the time to plan exactly what I needed to disclose and how the discussion would unfold.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Blackwolf77
Blackwolf77 Well, that was an information dumb with lot of talking, but this history lesson is important to establish the threat levels and Daemon's choices later.
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