Capítulo 5: Chapter 4

I look at my sister sitting on the bed and say, "Tomorrow morning is the trial of the men who betrayed me. We need to sleep early. After we break our fast, I want to meet with you and the others to start planning what we will do."

Sansa gets up from the bed and heads toward the door. "Then I'll go to bed early and... put on this ring you gave me. I'm curious to know what exactly it will do since you didn't let me wear it earlier, saying I should only put it on when I'm lying down," she says with a small pout.

I give an ironic smile and say, "Then go, and take Ghost with you. I'll feel better knowing you're safe, and with him, I know you'll be completely secure."

She looks at me, worried. "And you?"

I point to the little ones on the bed. "I have them, and maybe you didn't notice, but there's a huge dragon outside. That's a clear sign that no one should try anything against me."

She flashes an amused smile and asks, "By the way, have you thought of names for them?"

"I'm thinking of naming them according to tradition. Dragons have always been named after gods or Valyrian names... The golden one, I'm thinking of Syrax. I'm considering calling him the light blue one... Morghul. As for the last one, I'm thinking of a name tied to the ocean—Seastar. What do you think?"

Sansa looks at the sleepy little dragons and gives a gentle smile. "Those names suit them, especially the last one, Seastar. Her scales do look like the ocean, so the name fits her perfectly... is she a girl?" she asks, her eyes gleaming.

"Yes, dragons don't have a true gender since they can change whenever they want, but some are born with one, and the dragons born female are the ones that lay the most eggs. The others can lay eggs too, but it depends on them in the future," I responded, recalling the books I read in Maester Aemon's chamber.

She nods, agreeing with what I said. "I heard something like that from Lord Tyrion. He's very fond of dragons... maybe out of envy that they never stop growing?"

I raise an eyebrow, amused by her comment, a smile on my face. "Our lady has learned to make jokes? Where did my Lady sister learn that?"

Sansa's cheeks quickly turn red, her wide eyes making her look very cute. "I... I... don't tease me! I've always been fun," she says with a shy tone.

"Arya would say otherwise... I remember her saying, 'Sansa isn't fun at all; a dead branch is funnier than her' once," I say with a playful tone.

Sansa turns and starts to leave the room. "I'll take my leave before my brother, the prince, decides to embarrass me further with my past."

"And no goodbye or hug? That hurts."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure you deserve it... only if you say that I'm fun," she turns back in my direction.

"You're fun... when you're failing to be fun," I say, with even more humor now.

She sticks her tongue out at me and then leaves the room. A gentle smile adorns my face. This is good... it reminds me of when we were kids, and I was her favorite brother.

Sorry, Robb, but I think I'm still the best brother.

Especially seeing how troubled her mind has been, watching her act like this proves that maybe she can step out of the shadow cast over her by everything she's been through.

POV SANSA

After reaching my chambers, I find myself speeding through every action, eager to get to bed as quickly as possible, just like a child receiving a present and wanting to play with it right away.

That's how Sansa feels as she holds the ring in her hand, the one my brother gave me, saying that the gods bestowed it upon him.

After shedding her thick clothes and slipping under the blankets in her assigned room, she looks anxiously at the ring. A part of her is still skeptical about this.

Ever since she can remember, she followed the Faith of the Seven, so yes, she is skeptical about the Old Gods of the North.

But another part of her pushes aside that skepticism, and that part is her wolf side, a side she's never let free, always restraining herself and trying as hard as possible to be a fish, to be her mother's pride.

But in the South... she saw the truth. Everything in the South made her hate it. What once were her daily dreams became her nightmare.

So receiving this from Jon—Maekar—was like a light in a dark cave for her.

Because it means she belongs to the North, she is a Stark, and with the Old Gods giving her something, it means the North accepts her.

And if this is true, Sansa promises that she will honor her Stark blood and never again pretend to be a trout in the river.

Taking a deep breath, I slip the ring onto my finger... and a small disappointment rises when nothing happens.

But it quickly fades because, in the next second, Sansa falls onto her bed, into the land of dreams.

A light emerges from the ring on her finger and begins to cover her entire body. The green light envelops her, and at an impressive speed, Sansa's cheeks, once pale as if she were sick, take on a healthy pallor and even turn rosy. The dark circles under her eyes, showing her exhaustion, also disappear.

But that's not all. Beneath her dress, all the scars and open wounds caused by Ramsay Snow fade away, little by little, leaving clean and healthy skin in its place—immaculate skin.

-In Sansa's Dream-

After falling asleep, Sansa finds herself waking up in Winterfell, standing in front of the weirwood tree in the godswood.

"Hello, child," says a gentle voice behind her.

Sansa turns and sees a tall woman, with long, wavy blonde hair and steel-gray eyes. Her face is heart-shaped, and her body is perfectly proportioned to her height, almost as tall as Maekar.

"Who are you?" Sansa asks.

"My name is Freya, one of the Old Gods, Goddess of Fertility and Love," she says as she walks toward the weirwood tree and sits on one of the thick roots of the great tree.

"So, it's true? Do the Old Gods have plans for me? Is that why I received the ring? Is that why I'm... well, here?"

The goddess lets out a soft laugh. "So many questions, don't we? But, yes, you're right. It's not just you, though. The blood that runs through your veins was chosen by us, the Old Gods. You and your siblings were all chosen by us," she replies.

"And you're here because of the ring. At the moment, we can't do much more. The ring is a relic created using the weirwood as material, so we can channel our presence and manifest through it," Freya explains.

"Why me?" I ask. "I'm not a faithful follower of the Old Gods, and... my family is in ruins right now."

A gentle smile, full of compassion, appears on the Goddess's face. "You and your family carry very ancient and powerful blood, you just don't know it yet. You are the only ones who can become our chosen," the goddess pauses for a moment, then continues:

"And we chose you because of your faith. I chose you so that you could be our voice. You are one of the few humans who has purity in her soul—dedicated, faithful, loving, and with a deep desire to be with your family. These are all the things I saw when I looked at you, and in you, I saw a younger version of myself. I want you to become our voice, to bring back the Old Gods to the North."

"How? I don't know if I'm capable," I say, unsure. "I don't even know how to be a faithful follower of the Old Gods."

"It's not complicated, and today is not the day I will give you that mission. I will wait for you to reclaim your family's castle and unite the North once again. Then, we will speak about all of this. But I hope you will begin to learn more about us. I will bless you in the same way Maekar was blessed by Odin, though he belongs to the group of the Valyrian Gods. Our hope for the faith in us, the Old Gods, to be strengthened again rests with you and your siblings," says the Goddess.

Sansa takes a breath, trying to calm herself. She needs to think clearly.

After her third breath, she speaks. "I will. I will learn to have faith in you, even if it's not easy, but I hope you can guide my way. I don't know what to do."

Freya gives her a comforting smile. "You won't be alone. You will receive help, and that help will teach you about us and how to proceed with our request."

"What is the blessing I will receive? Will it help my family?" I ask.

"My blessing to you will be in magic. To be more precise, ritual magic and healing magic. These magics and rituals are related to fertility, and they will be of great help to the North and your family during this long winter."

Sansa's eyes widen at the mention of "magic." She had only heard that it no longer existed. According to the Maesters, magic is just a myth now.

But her brother brought dragons back to life, walking unharmed from a fire so hot that anyone else would turn to ash within seconds.

"How will I learn magic? Will you teach me?" I ask.

"Yes and no. You will receive help to learn, but you won't learn directly from me. When you wake up, you will find a book on your table. The book is in the Old Tongue or runes, which is the primary language of the First Men. Don't worry about not knowing how to speak either of them—your brother Maekar has always been interested in learning about the North and learned both languages from the woman you know as 'Old Nan.' She taught him," the Goddess replies.

Maekar know how to speak the Old Tongue?

Then Sansa remembers him and Arya speaking in a language she didn't understand when they were much younger. According to Arya, it was their way of keeping secrets with her favorite brother.

He must have taught her the Old Tongue back then. A gentle smile appears on her face as she remembers that time. She only regrets not joining in on their games.

"The part about the runes is the most important because the magic you'll learn is tied to the runes, which form the basis of the First Men's magic. Maekar will also want to learn about it since there are many possibilities with runic magic," the goddess pauses for a moment and then continues. "But that is for another time. Today is just to present our will and our expectations. With our blessings, we hope that the Starks can bring back what the North once was," she says.

Before Sansa can respond, the Goddess speaks again. "Now you may go, child. I have faith in you. The world depends on you."

And with that, Sansa feels herself drifting into sleep.

-END OF DREAM-

Waking up with a deep sigh, which caught Ghost's attention as he lay beside her bed, Sansa found herself trying to calm down after her encounter with one of the Old Gods.

Getting out of bed, she crouched down next to Ghost and spoke to the large wolf, who seemed concerned about her. "I'm fine, Ghost. It was just a dream," I say as my fingers sink into his soft fur, white as snow.

Doing this calmed her, almost as much as it used to when she did it with Lady... her direwolf, who was killed without reason. Even though she had spent little time with her wolf, their bond was... special and unique, as if they were sisters or something. Losing her brought a pain she had only felt when she lost her father, and later her brothers and mother.

Sansa shook her head to clear the sadness and stood up, heading to the bathroom to wash her face, maybe afterward returning to sleep, since it still seemed to be night.

RUUAAARRRHHH!!!

Sansa was startled by the powerful roar, though it was lower than the ones she had heard before when her brother's fierce, giant dragon had arrived. She found herself running out of her room, with Ghost close behind her.

When she got outside, she let out a gasp, her right hand going to her mouth as she watched the blood-red dragon rise into the air with extreme ease, her brother on its back.

"Maekar!!" she shouted, her eyes wide.

-Maekar POV-

I think it's been hours since I woke up. I only managed to sleep for two hours at most, but I've never felt like this... so alive and awake as I do now. From the sounds outside, I know no one else is up at this moment, maybe just the night watchmen.

How could I sleep when all I can think about is flying? I've always loved riding horses, they even called me a half-centaur since I was a child. But now, flying with Urrax...

I didn't even notice how quickly I got dressed, strapped Darksister to my waist along with Longclaw, and made my way outside, leaving the little dragons asleep in the bed.

I made my way outside the castle, only running into one or two drunks wandering around.

I didn't have to walk far to reach Urrax, as he decided to stay very close to the castle to be near me.

It's still incredible to see a dragon of his size. It's hard to believe he was once the size of Syrax, Seastar, and Morghul.

The closer I get to Urrax, the stronger our connection feels. I can sense his emotions more intensely now, maybe because I'm focusing on him instead of avoiding this feeling.

I see his head lift, and he opens his golden eyes, watching me intently, glowing with happiness and irritation at the same time.

'You took your time,' I hear through our mental bond.

"Sorry for the delay, boy, I'm sorry I put this off until now," I say in High Valyrian.

Snort!

A laugh escapes my lips before I realize it, as I run my hand over his scales after reaching his side.

"I know you've waited long, but now we're together, and this time, no one will be able to separate us," I say, looking into his eyes.

'They'd better not. Next time someone dares to separate us, I will burn this world until it crumbles,' says the mighty dragon.

Yes, it was a great surprise to me as well, discovering I could talk to him. When I was taking a bath, I heard his voice in my mind for the first time, and it startled me, but then I felt happy.

Why was I happy? Because I think it's a mutation in my bloodline, due to the magic of the First Men that grants me the power of a warg. I believe a mutation occurred, and now I can communicate with dragons, I think this will become something unique to my lineage.

"I know, and I approve of you doing that. I don't want to be separated from you again, Urrax," I speak sincerely to my new companion.

The great dragon says nothing, simply enjoying the touch of his rider's hand on his scales, feeling the powerful magic that strengthens him even more, sensing that he will grow even stronger now that he is close to him.

Maekar can't help but notice how thick Urrax's scales are, and he even ponders whether they could block any iron bolt from a scorpion, with his eyes being the only way to harm the dragon.

And he is enormous, with a wingspan of nearly 150 meters, almost 45 meters in height, and a length of 130 meters. I'm not sure if those numbers are exact, but it's very likely.

He has grown so much over the years, living free with plenty of food on the island he stayed on, which did wonders for the young dragon's growth.

I also wonder if my magic feeds him. Since I'm the Prince who was Promised or something like that, maybe that strengthened his growth.

From Urrax's memories, I also know his fire is powerful. Even as a young dragon, his fire could melt stone, a flame as red as pure blood, matching his scales.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when the dragon nudges me lightly with his massive head and then turns around, lowering his wings while looking at me eagerly.

A smile spreads across my face as I say, "Alright, let's fly!" I say just as eagerly, practically running as I climb onto his back.

Finding a good position on his back, almost near the end of his neck, where a spine juts out, seeming to say 'This is where you should ride' to me, I sit there and grab onto the spine.

I shout with hesitation in my voice:

"Sōvēs Urrax!"

The mighty dragon wastes no time, taking to the air with extreme ease and letting out an excited, but low, roar, knowing his rider doesn't want to alarm anyone.

But he can't help it, as this wakes everyone in Castle Black, who comes outside to witness the magnificent sight of the dragon soaring into the sky with Maekar on his back.

This... this is incredible, Maekar thinks as he's in the air with Urrax, arms outstretched, head tilted back, feeling the incredible sensation of flying with a dragon.

"This is amazing, riding a horse is good..., but this, this is easily the best place I've ever been, I don't even feel like coming down, this is already the best thing in my life," I say to Urrax, who lets out a small, equally excited roar.

To be one with the dragon and fly with him... it's something I want to do every day. If possible, I'd prefer to spend more time flying on him than being on the ground.

And so, he and Urrax flew for hours before returning to Castle Black, where he was met by a worried and tearful Sansa, thinking he had left or that something had happened to him.

Maekar initially thought it would be difficult, but looking at his dragon as he entered the castle, he realized that if he could fly, everything would become much easier. He had never felt so calm and at peace as he did while on his dragon.

A smile adorned his handsome face as he reached his quarters and was greeted by excited little dragons rushing to him... or trying to, as they tumbled off the bed.

"Fire and blood, winter has come with fire and blood," he thought as he ran his hand over the scales of the little ones now nestled in his arms.