章 2: Dragon Egg
Winterfell, The North, First moon of 92 AC
Ragnar POV
Winterfell was in better shape than the last time Ragnar visited it; the tallest tower in Winterfell wasn't broken as it had been in 280 AC, and the doors and other wooden buildings were better kept. The Starks of Winterfell were also different, as there were fewer of them; Benjen Stark was shorter than Rickard was, and his son Rickon Stark had only recently seen his second nameday; Lady Stark was heavily pregnant with Lord Stark's second child.
Ragnar and the other Skagossi lords were given guest chambers at Winterfell; the giants, however, would be camping outside the walls, something they were fine with.
Ragnar was playing a game of faces and words with Lynara in his chambers when a servant knocked on the door, disturbing their game; Dacey, who was seated on the bed observing the father/daughter interaction, stood up and opened the door.
" My Lady, Lord Stark has summoned Lord Dovahkiin to his solar. He asks Lord Dovahkiin to go to him as soon as possible." The servant girl said, and Dacey nodded
" Aye… My lord husband shall see Lord Stark soon. Would you be escorting him to Lord Stark's solar?" Dacey asked, and the servant girl nodded.
" I shall see Lord Stark now, here, my love; take Lynara," Ragnar said as he stood up and handed Lynara to Dacey.
" Let us go?" Ragnar asked the servant girl
"Aye, my lord," answered the extremely nervous servant.
Lord Stark's solar was exactly as it was in the future; Ragnar couldn't see one little thing different in the room except for the man that sat behind the large ironwood table. Benjen Stark looked at Ragnar and offered him a small smile, which Ragnar returned.
" My Lord, you asked for me?" Ragnar said
" Aye… please sit, my Lord. We have many things to discuss." Benjen said
" Aye…" Ragnar said as he sat in the chair in front of the Ironwood table
" Lord Dovahkiin… your house existence and your dragons gave The North a huge power, and with that power, many responsibilities will come. I need to know precisely how Skagos fares now and how many people live on the Island, how many men you can call upon to make up your levies." Lord Stark said
" Skagos has a population of 600.000 people, 1.000 giants, and a few Children of the Forrest. Skagos can feed itself and feed more than half of the North; we have a fleet of 400 Whalers ships, 350 warships, and 580 merchant ships. We have several industries, such as Glass, alcoholic drinks, gems, and iron. Skagos has trade agreements with Ibben and Braavos. Skagos also has a city, Winterhold, where my Seat of power, Frostfall, is located. Winterhold has 340.000 people living in it. Winterhold's city watch is made of 1.500 well-trained men. Skagos can currently call upon 12.000 levies… but my warships are always manned with 10.000 men." Ragnar said, and with each word, Benjen's eyes widened more
" How is that possible? How did Skagos grow that much without anyone noticing it?" Benjen asked
" Before I conquered the Island, only 40.000 people were living in Skagos. Through my hard work and sheer cunning, I made Skagos prosperous. I seek no more conquest, I seek no fight, and that is why I swore to your House. For 8.000 years, House Stark has ruled and NEVER and not even once a mad Stark led. I asked the Children the reason for such a thing, and they said that Brandon Stark used magic to make his line behave in a certain way… I find your House Worthy of my allegiance. The oath I swore is a magic one; my successors will not be allowed to break it. The North is stronger than ever under House Stark." Ragnar said, and Benjen nodded
" Color me impressed. But magical oath… Do you mean to say you are a sorcerer?" Benjen Stark asked
" Aye… but I prefer the term mage… and I am the greatest mage in the history of the world. There are things we must discuss. Magic must return to the North, my lord. The land needs more mages, I have 50 mages in training at Winterhold, and I plan to create a system similar to the Maester systems, but only to the north. One mage to every major castle in the North. They can heal illnesses the Maesters can't; they can defend your household against magical threats, such as faceless men or shadow binders; they can and will end death by childbirth… to both the mothers and children. All I need is permission." Ragnar said, and Benjen nodded
" I can see the benefits of such a thing. You have my permission. I will summon all Lords of the North; I shall explain to them about your mages system." Benjen said, and Ragnar nodded.
" I will send ravens to Lords Umber, Karstark, Bolton, Hornwood, Locke, and Manderlyn, offering trade agreements for the food I produce in Skagos. Here, my Lord, look at the food Skagos will sell and how much it will cost the Lords." Ragnar said as he handed a scroll he had magically conjured. Benjen looked baffled at the display of magic but said nothing. He grabbed the scroll and began reading
" You are charging almost ten times less than the southerners! Can you keep it that way in winter?" Benjen asked
"Aye… relatively easily, by the way. That price is counting on the delivery. It's actually not that low… the southerners just overcharge by a lot… but we will cripple them… The North Remembers." Ragnar said, and Benjen nodded
" The North Remember, aye," Benjen said
Ragnar and Benjen talked for about an hour about trade and how to improve the North; Ragnar told Benjen about roads and their importance, about reopening the Iron and silver mines in the Northern Mountains. Ragnar told Lord Stark to go to Braavos to break a deal and try to make them finance a canal connecting The Bite to the Fever River. House Dovahkiin would begin paying taxes by the end of the year, which would help House Stark start most of these projects.
" There's one more thing. You probably imagined what it is," Benjen Stark said, and Ragnar nodded
" I have a son, and you have a daughter, let us unite our families by doing that. It would help me prove to the other Lords your house's loyalty." Benjen Stark said, and Ragnar nodded
" Aye… that will be beneficial for both our families… but they will only marry once my daughter is six-and-ten and only if she doesn't say anything against the match when the time comes," Ragnar said, and Benjen Stark nodded
" Good; that's acceptable. I'll draw the contract, my Lord." Benjen said, and Ragnar nodded.
Ragnar and the other Skagossi Lords departed back to Skagos two weeks after Ragnar's talk to Benjen Stark, all completely satisfied with their achievements.
( Time Skip- 4 years)
Winterhold; Skagos, third moon of 96 AC
Ragnar's POV
Ragnar Dovahkiin sat at his solar as he read a report from his sailors about the increase in raids conducted by the pirates coming from the stepstones, something Ragnar actually liked as the stepstones pirates served as a way to get his men more experience at naval fighting, and as his ships outclassed the pirate ships in every way no ship of his was lost and all deliveries were completed timely. Ragnar's coffers were getting bigger with each year that passed; with the Glass trade at all power once again and the Northern lords buying food from him again, everything got back to normal.
Skagos started trading glass, drinks, jewelry, and steel tools with the south once again, and like last time it was a success, specifically with Driftmark serving as an unofficial middleman between Skagos and the rest of the seven kingdoms. Skagos and Driftmark didn't have an official agreement. Still, Corlys Velaryon bought everything Skagos was selling just so he could re-sell it to his trade partners across the world, something Ragnar didn't stop as it was actually bringing more gold than it would've been possible if Skagos were to begin new trade routes.
Skagos didn't see many changes in those four years, but the Northern mainland sure did.
All Northern lords except lords Whitehill and Bolton accepted to have roads constructed in their territories; by the end of 95 AC, all Northen castles were connected to the now-improved Kingsroad. Trade in the North became abundant, mainly with northern Essos and domestic trade with the other Northern lords. This influx of gold, together with the fact that half of the North was buying food for one-tenth of the amount they were used to, caused the northern lords to accept House Dovahkiin as one of their own extremely quickly. The fact that Ragnar had presented all Northern houses with a glasshouse also helped.
Spies from all over Westeros were trying to get inside Skagos and The North to find out more about the sudden prosperity of the North; some could get to the northern mainland, but none to Skagos.
Ragnar put the report about the stepstones away and got another scroll to read; the scroll was detailing the beginning of the Northern canal and the reconstruction of Moat Cailin; the canal would take ten years to get built, as would Moat Cailin, the workers were only beginning to scout the lands and creating camps. Ragnar didn't know how much the Braavos invested in the Canal, but Ragnar invested 2 million gold dragons alone.
Ragnar's reading of scrolls was stopped when euphoric six name-days old Lynara Dovahkiin entered his solar, carrying a white dragon egg in her hands.
" Papa!! My dragon is coming! My dragon is coming! It is hatching!" Lynara said as she showed the large eggs trembling
" Is that so, baby? You must help him with your frost magic… send small waves at the egg." Ragnar said as Lynara nodded with all the seriousness of a six-year-old and began sending small frost waves at the egg.
" It's working, papa! It's working!!" Lynara said as the egg kept shaking
Before Ragnar could say anything, Dacey Dovahkiin entered Ragnar's solar, carrying a baby in her arms, and a woman followed behind, carrying another baby.
" How are the Twins, my love?" Ragnar asked as he walked around his Wairwood desk and kissed Dacey; he then picked the baby in her arms and looked at the Dragon egg again.
The Twins were born on the last moon of 95 AC, Ragnar named the boy Björn, and Dacey named the girl Lyanna; Skagos partied for three days and nights once the twins were born; little did they know that the twins were conceived in Frostfall's Godswood right below the Weirwood three, had they known the party would go for moons as the twins would become "blessed babies" in their eyes.
" They are fine, Ragnar… Marya was a godssend." Dacey said, and Ragnar nodded
" House Seasworth was a godssend… how are Davos and your boys, by the way?" Ragnar asked, and Marya smiled
" Davos is good; he is teaching the boys how to sail a ship; I think he plans to give them ships when they grow; that or he wants to make them captains in your fleet," Marya said, but before Ragnar could say anything, the little Ice Dragon finally hatched
" Look, Papa, mama! My dragon!" Lynara said as her little dragon climbed to her shoulders as if it belonged there. Ragnar knelt to look his daughter in the eye
" See your sister right here and your brother right there? You will have to protect them, and your dragon will help you do it. Having a Dragon demands responsibility, more so when you have magic. Your dragon is too small now, but it will grow, but until then, you will feed it yourself," Ragnar said, his voice deep and final
" Aye, papa," Lynara said seriously, and it took all of Ragnar's willpower not to smile at her cuteness
" Good… what is her name?" Ragnar asked
" What about Odahviing? Like your old Dragon friend?" Lynara asked in dragon tongue, and Ragnar smiled; he had told her about some of his adventures in Skyrim; he told her about her dragon blood and how it would affect her
" No, my child… this dragon is not a Dovah… it wouldn't be proper to give it the name of Dovah," Ragnar responded in dragon tongue. Lynara nodded and began thinking.
" What about Frostwing? It's a good name for an Ice Dragoness!" Lynara said enthusiastically
" Aye… that's a good name!" Ragnar said as he got up.
" All right… go get ready for your lessons. Maester Maester Marwyn told me that you took an interest in Winterfell," Ragnar said, and Lynara nodded.
"That's good. Take Frostwing with you; she must always stay by your side." Ragnar said, " Take Lynara to Maester Marwyn." Ragnar told a guard that was guarding his solar's door.
As Lynara left for her lessons, Ragnar returned to his table and sat down, Lyanna still in his arms.
" My love, Maester Marwyn got a raven from the Citadel… they said House Dovahkiin had become too important for a lowly nameless Maester to be assigned for our House. They said they would send a new Maester to serve our House better." Dacey said; Ragnar looked at her and smiled.
" No spy shall arrive on my shores. I will write a reply to them… I'll talk to Benjen about sending all Maester away and keeping only the mages; it is not like the Maester can do something our Mages can't… their education is already superior to the Maesters… that's not counting the magic." Ragnar said, and that was the truth; as per agreement after their training was done, Ragnar sent all Mages to the important Castles in the North; they all had signed magical contracts preventing them from misusing their magic. Their magical oath to their respective castle ensured no necromancer or rogue mage would appear. They were also instructed to spell the Citadel's ravens so the Maesters couldn't tell about their presence just yet. The mages were a huge success; in the two years they've been active, no noblewoman or child died of childbirth, something that amazed the Northern lords; the Mages were now essential to the North, so Ragnar began training a professor for each magic tree so they could teach magic without needing him.
" Aye, that is true… But there is one more thing… King Jaehaerys offered a boon to whoever cured his daughter Maegelle from her greyscale. This is an excellent opportunity to present ourselves to the south, with Dragons and everything." Dacey said, and Ragnar nodded
" Aye! It is indeed a good opportunity. I'll forge a Skyforge steel sword to present to King Jaehaerys. We shall send the OldGods'Revenge plus 30 Warships and 50 merchant ships filled with jewelry, glass, drinks, and other goods first, and we arrive with our Dragons later… it would be a show of power. They know we have a large fleet and trade exquisite goods, but they don't know how big our fleet is." Ragnar said, and Dacey nodded.
(Time skip three weeks)
Kingslanding, Crownlands, Fourth moon 96 AC
House Dovahkiin's small fleet arrived at Kingslanding with little to no problems; the Royal fleet allowed the large convoy to enter the Blackwater rush with little to no avail. House Dovahkiin's was mysterious to those who lived south of the Neck; only a few things were known about the House, such as they had a large fleet, they produced glass and alcoholic beverages that disputed with Arbor Gold and Dornish Red, exquisite jewelry made of ivory gold or gems as well as Steel/Iron tools and sometimes weapons. It was also known the House Dovahkiin was sworn to House Stark, and that is due to Lord Dovahkiin's mind that the North had begun rising.
As the ships docked, people's attention was immediately drawn to the massive ship leading the fleet. The OldGods' Revenge was the biggest ship Westeros had ever seen, with strange holes coming from its sides and the Silver Dragon of House Dovahkiin decorating its black sails. Many nobles were baffled at such a display of naval power from the dreary north.
As people admired the gigantic ship, two dragon roars were heard in the skies; people looked at the sky expecting to see the King's, Queen's, or princesses' dragons only to see two new dragons never seen before. One as white as snow and the other a greyish white, the Dragons landed near the docks, and from the Dragons' backs, two dark-haired figures dismounted, much to the people's surprise. The dark-haired couple walked closer to the massive ship, and from it, a Lord and 12 soldiers disembarked; the man bowed to the couple, who made for him to rise. The three of them and the soldiers walked to a city watch guard and talked to him. The guard seemed nervous but allowed them entrance as another guard was called to escort them to the Red Keep.
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A/N: Hello my fellows! This is the last rushed chapter, those who know my writing style knows that I don't usually rush my chapter but it was needed. Now we are exactly where I wanted!
Thank you all for your support
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