บท 12: Rising Power
White Harbor, The North
The blonde haired Maester was walking back to his room in the castle, after having those regular discussions with his current Lord. He was born to a noble family, a family which was the ruling house of that kingdom. But he was never going to inherit anything, so being intelligent and pragmatic he immediately joined the Citadel to become a Maester. After forging his chains and also being of noble birth he was immediately assigned here when a vacancy came. Normally when one becomes a Maester drops his last name and must become loyal to only his current lord. But he was still loyal to his family and used to pass on sensitive information whenever he could. But for the last few years his current Lord was not much forthcoming with information. Still he used to pass on any tid bits of information he gathered from reading the letters.
His room was above the Library and the whole place was empty as usual. He was going to drink some wine and relax.
'Good quality Arbour Gold has always been my weakness' he thought.
As he climbed the stairs, he saw a guard coming down the steps. 'Guards do not come here usually' he wondered and then dismissed it. The guard nodded to him and soon crossed him. Soon the Maester reached the top of the stairs. Suddenly he felt a punch to his gut. He doubled in pain. It was followed by more punches to his gut. His eyes started to water and vision became blurry. His assailant then forced some wine down him, which he drank due to pain while spilling some on his robes. When his vision returned he looked up and saw that his assailant was the same guard who just passed.
"Why?" he croaked out.
The guard suddenly peeled out his face and the Maester saw another face below it. Immediately he paled and begged, "No."
"Valar Morgulis," the assassin said, the last the words he would ever hear and kicked him down from the top. As he rolled down somewhere he broke his neck and by the time he reached below he was dead.
~
Winterfell, The North
The creaking of a bed and sound of flesh slapping flesh resonated in the room.
"Gods, harder my lord," moaned the dark red haired girl to the dark haired man who was thrusting into her.
With a smirk Aryan squeezed her budding breasts and increased his speed which made Ros squeal in pleasure.
Aryan felt his cock swell and knowing he was reaching his limits he grabbed her by her hips and started to pull her towards him roughly.
"Fuck,"Aryan grunted giving a last thrust and releasing his seed inside her womb. Pulling his spent cock out of her cunt Aryan feel on his back into the bed panting heavily after the sex session.
"Thanks for the wake up fuck Ros," he said. The girl in blushed in response and started to wash Aryan's body removing all signs of their activity. When she was finished Aryan started to dress up. Ros's delectable ass called for him, so he gave it a good slap and then sent her away.
Ros was his whore, mistress or personal servant whichever he preferred. He had bought her from the local brothel.
It had been three years after the Ironborn rebellion. Once he returned back to Winterfell, the first thing he did was to go to the brothel in Wintertown (which no longer belonged to Littlefinger) and lose his virginity in this world. He used to visit the brothel often and had sampled all the whores there. Last year the Madame of the brothel had introduced his to Ros, a new arrival telling him that she was a virgin and was a gift to him. Aryan had taken her virginity that day and was rather pleased with her performance. He also found that she was surprisingly literate. So Aryan bought Ros from the brothel, she was now his bed warmer. The brothel owner had told him that the best courtesans came from Lys. Also the women from Summer Islands were also in high demand in Westeros. Aryan had promised her he would look into procuring some in the near future.
Thing have changed a lot across the North. The long term projects Aryan had implemented had borne fruit. The Ryswell were now the finest horse breeders in the seven kingdoms be it the steeds, destriers, ponies etc. The horses raised in the North were very hardy and so were preferred by many. Many lords used to come to the Rills for buying horses for them. The Umbers focused on coal mining, Glovers on timber, Boltons on meat and leather. The remaining Lords concentrated on agriculture. As of now, the North was self sufficient, with the remaining food they required bought cheep from the Riverlands.
Benjen's Wolfbay Port as well as the Stark fleet was now completed. The extra food they bought from the Riverlords were now to Asshai and Yi Ti for high profits. The North now had a strong fleet on both sides. On Aryan's orders all the castles on the Western Coast were fortified and the same would soon start on the eastern coast. The boat system in all the rivers were completed for faster transport of goods and supplies as well as for transportation purposes. This also generated employment for many people.
Wintertown was now a full fledged city with a population of four hundred thousand which Aryan had capped to prevent overcrowding. Also there was enough housing ready for the hill tribes to occupy when they retreated to Wintertown during winter. New migrants were now diverted to other places in North. One thing Aryan had ensured was that almost all the people in Wintertown were employed in some or other kind of work. Those who did not know any work were taught a new one as per requirement.
The Old Gods were the favored religion of North. Except the Manderly family no one followed the faith of the seven and even the two daughters of Wylis Manderly are said to worship the Old Gods. Unlike the faith where the septons used to extort money from the poor smallfolk, the old gods never demanded such things, which attracted the new small folk to this religion. Most of the other lords had followed the example of Aryan and had banned the septons from coming to their places. This resulted in the High Septon writing to Aryan demanding actions to protect the faith or face the wrath of the seven. Aryan politely replied him to fuck off.
With the help of Marwyn, Aryan had finally solved the problem of making crystal clear glass. So now Wintertown had started to make glass products and mirrors. While glass was very cheap in his old world, but in this world glass it was highly expensive and was considered a luxury. The Lords of Westeros were paying through their nose to buy the glass products from the North, which was still cheaper compared to that the price they had to pay the glassmakers of Myr. The wine glass, plates, showpieces and the more expensive Northern chandeliers were on high demand from the Southern kingdoms. The citadel also were now a regular customer for procuring glass items for their studies. Slowly Aryan was expanding the glass market to Essos too. Thus glass prodution was bringing very high revenue to Winterfell and slowly now Starks of Winterfell were becoming almost as rich as the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Aryan had also given away enough glass to the Northern lords to set up large glass gardens all through the North.
But glass making also brought an unexpected problem. As glass making was a closely guarded secret by the glass makers of Myr, they did not take kindly to this new found glass production by the North. So they had hired assassins to deal with Aryan. They had first approached the faceless men who did not take the contract by asking for an amount which was beyond the guild. The faceless men then alerted Aryan. From then on Aryan was alert for possible assassinations and in the next many months with the help of Jaquen killed dozens of assassins who came for him. Fed up with the constant threat from the assassins Aryan had retaliated through the faceless men. This resulted in the near extinction of glassmakers in Myr, who in turn stopped their attempts to kill him. So now Winterfell had monopoly over the sale of glass products over the Planetos.
An unexpected situation arose immediately after the Ironborn rebellion. Tywin Lannister had conducted a tourney at Lannisport in honour of King Robert Baratheon to commemorate their victory. As usual there were very few participants from the North. But surprisingly Jorah Mormont won the tourney defeating Jaimie Lannister in the final tilt. The King himself knighted Jorah. Jorah had crowned Lynesse Hightower as his Queen of Beauty. He then brought her to the Bear Islands to marry her. But Maege Mormont objected to their union. Thus the issue was brought to him.
(Flashback)
Aryan was sitting in the newly crafted seat of the Lord of Winterfell made from Weirwood and ivory, with two snarling wolves made of glass with ruby red eyes on its both sides. Maege Mormont had brought Jorah and Lynesse to Winterfell. Lynesse Hightower was a beautiful woman with blonde hair.
'Well at least Jorah has good tastes' Aryan thought.
Lord Leyton Hightower had also accompanied them.
"Lord Stark, my kin has objection to my marriage to Lady Lynesse Hightower," Jorah petitioned.
Looking at Maege, Aryan asked her, "Well Lady Mormont, why do you object to their union. As I see Lady Lynesse is very beautiful. Jorah has won the tourney bringing honours to your house, crowned her the Queen of Beauty and also Lord Hightower has clearly given his blessings. Do tell what your objections are."
Maege said, "Lord Stark, I want my nephew to live a happy life. But this girl cannot provide him that. I don't think she can adapt to our ways of living in the North. The people of Bear Islands live a hard life. Though with your assistance we are now more prosperous. Her southern way of living, especially from an affluent house like the Hightower cannot be provided in the Bear Islands. My nephew is so entranced by her beauty that he is not thinking properly."
That was what Aryan liked about Maege Mormont. She was never afraid to speak her mind. Also she used to speak bluntly instead of speaking in riddles like many other lords.
Lord Leyton Hightower said suddenly, "Lord Stark, Jorah Mormont is the Lord of Bear Islands. While I respect Lady Mormont I don't think she has any say in who he marries. Though my daughter had lived a comfortable life in Oldtown, I am confident that she can easily adapt to her new life in the North. Your own Aunt, Lady Catelyn Stark is a fine example of a Southern lady living comfortably in the North. I am also giving a very good dowry for her, as well as increased trade with the Bear Islands."
'The man is shrewd' Aryan decided. During the whole conversation Aryan was looking at Lynesse's surface thoughts and found that Maege was right. She clearly didn't like the tough and militaristic lifestyle at the Bear Islands in the few days she lived there. She could not back out as her father had agreed to the match in front of many other Lords.
"Do you want to say anything in this matter Lady Lynesse as this concerns your future," asked Aryan.
She looked at him and said, "I love Lord Mormont with all my heart Lord Stark and cannot imagine a life separated from him."
Maege made a disgusted sound on hearing that. Aryan also felt a twitch in his lips.
'She is like a parrot' Aryan thought. 'Her attitude could be a problem in their future as a married couple but not if I have a say in it. But there is no reason for Jorah to enjoy having a beautiful wife. So Aryan started to place mental commands in Lynesse's mind to mold her to a Northern life style.'
When he finished doing that he addressed everyone, "I have come to the conclusion that both your concerns are valid. But I cannot outright deny a marriage of people who do not belong to my house. This is a internal matter of House Mormont. But I have a solution to this problem. Let Lady Lynesse stay at Bear Islands for a couple of moons. If she can adapt to the lifestyle of Mormonts, then let Joran marry her. If she fails to do so let her go back to Oldtown. Besides I think that Lord Hightower's offer will be beneficial to Bear Islands in the long run. What do you say?"
Everyone accepted the suggestion though Jorah Mormont looked disheartened on hearing it.
Aryan assured him. Don't worry Lord Mormont. I think Lady Lynesse would surely impress Lady Maege in this time that she would soon consent for your marriage. She clearly has your best interests in her heart."
(Flashback Ends)
Aryan's mental commands had worked and Lynesse Hightower had adapted to her new life. Maege had also given consent to their marriage. Jorah had then immediately married Lyneese and were now blessed with a son. Lord Hightower had kept his word, and using the dowry amount as well as with the increased trade with Oldtown, Bear Islands were now richer than ever. Jorah was able to provide Lyneese a comfortable life.
A year after the Ironborn rebellion the Lords had gathered at Winterfell for the Spring Harvest Festival. The gathering was also used for taking important decisions and settling disputes between lords. Many Lords had brought their heirs to befriend Aryan and daughters to woo him even though these girls were bearly ten years old. Almost all of them were younger than him with the exception of Smalljon, who was a year older than Aryan. All of them had grown up hearing about the achievements of The Bloody Wolf so they were all in awe of him. Aryan had interacted with them and established good relations with them. As they would be the next generation of rulers along with him, he took the advantage of their impressionable minds by placing mental suggestions in their minds which would slowly over the time make them completely loyal to him.
His meeting with the Lords was a success and they had finally decided on setting up of a standing military in the North.
(Flashback)
All the lords were sitting in the hall after the feast was over. Most of them were very impressed by the new delicacies of Winterfell.
"Lord Stark, your hospitality clearly beats every other feast I have ever attended. And considering that there is a feast at White Harbour every week, which is saying something. The treacle tart is the most delicious dish I have ever had. And the pizza is also very wonderful. I don't suppose you would send your cook, with me My Lord," Wyman jokingly asked.
"I am sorry Lord Manderly. If she goes away who will then make those dishes here. But you are always welcome here to have your heart's fill." Aryan replied with a smirk.
After the small talk, Aryan called out for everyone's attention, "My Lords, the last time we were gathered at the Moat Cailin we had agreed on setting up of a standing military for the North. I have decided on the final plans on how to implement this."
Eddard Stark asked, "How much strong military are we talking about nephew?"
Aryan replied, "Thirty thousand strong."
"That is a very large force we are talking about, My Lord. But how do we finance it?" Rickard Karstark asked.
Aryan replied, "Winterfell alone will finance half of the expenditure. The rest of the amount will be provided by you which we will discuss upon soon." Rickard nodded at that.
Aryan continued, "This army is necessary firstly, because the bandits are causing problems along the kingsroad and many times our merchants are getting looted, which has to be stopped. And secondly, there are pirate attacks near the White Harbor and Ramsgate, and these pirates are mainly targeting the ships coming to the North. From my sources I have come to conclusion that they are from the Three Sisters."
Benjen asked, "Pirates from the Three Sister nephew? We can attack the Three Sisters, and show them their place. They belonged to the North once. If the Vale cannot reign them in, then they do not deserve to hold on to those islands."
Eddard said firmly, "No Benjen. We have good relations with the Vale. We cannot outright damage them. Perhaps we could write to Jon Arryn nephew."
"A year ago when I first received this complaint from Lord Manderly about the pirate attacks on our merchant ships in the Narrow Sea, I had written to the Lord Hand, to resolve this issue telling him about the pirates were from the Three Sisters. But he has not deemed to reply till now. So in order to protect our interests as well as to maintain the goods relations with the Vale, we will increase the Navy patrol in that area. Like always the southerners don't care about the plight when it comes from north of the Neck." Aryan responded.
Eddard told them, "It is unlike Jon to ignore a message like that. Perhaps he must be busy with holding the kingdom together while Robert skips his duties."
William Dustin snorted, "More like he does not want the others to know about their lack of control on the Three Sisters. Admit it Eddard, Lord Jon Arryn has changed over the years. He may have mentored you during your fostering at the Eyrie and honourable, but his attitude towards the North and your nephew is not good. How many men will each house provide?"
Aryan replied, "I was just getting to that Lord Dustin. At present we have a military capacity of almost eighty-five thousand with an additional sixty thousand levies if needed. Out of that we have almost sixty-five thousand infantry while the rest comprising the cavalry and archers. So each house will provide enough men, only infantry till we have forty thousand men. We will deploy them in a rotational basis for a period of six moons after which they can go to their own work till their next turn comes. By this time we assemble the second group to replace the first and so on. In this way we will have a fully trained army while only having to pay for forty thousand men at a time. This will help in future if some war arises and we can easily assemble a fully trained army."
"That is a very good idea Lord Stark. We will have a fully trained army while also having our enough people for other works. I have calculated on the money which we have to spend, and it will not be much," Wyman Manderly the unofficial economist of the North told everyone. On hearing that all the Lords were convinced of the idea.
Seeing the positive response Aryan continued, "First of all I want a supreme commander to this army in peace time. I am going to recommend Lord William Dustin to that post as he is very experienced and had fought against the Targaryens as well as the Ironborn. Will you accept the post Lord Dustin?"
"I am deeply honoured Your Grace. I will serve to the best of my abilities," the said Lord replied with gratitude.
Aryan nodded at that. Initially he had intended to give that position to his uncle Eddard. But giving too much power to his relatives will cause discontent among the other Lords. So he gave it to William Dustin thinking politically. This ensured two things. First William was an experienced commander and loyal to the Starks. Second, his relation to the Bolton's and the Ryswell's through his wife Barbery will make them more loyal to Winterfell.
Aryan continued, "I have developed this military scheme after referring to the once powerful military of the Ghiscari Empire. This military force will comprise of ten, three thousand strong legions comprising of only infantry. Each legion will be further divided into three hundred men strong battalions. We will place these legions in the Gift, the western shores, the eastern shores, the North in general, the Moat and at the place of the new bridge a the Green Fork. Many of you have battle hardened relatives who can lead the legions or battalions. This is also a good opportunity for your heirs to get an experience of leading men in the future."
"You seemed to research a great deal for implementing this military my Lord. Pardon me, I am not much familiar with anything beyond the seven Kindoms. But why the Ghiscari?," asked Lord Glover wide eyed at such a detailed planning.
"Before the Valyrians came, the Ghiscari Empire was the greatest empire on Planetos, My Lords. Without having any dragons to help them, they were still great conquerors. Even though their army was made of slaves they fought as a single unit which made them an unstoppable force. Today the famed Unsullied also use this scheme to fight as a single unit. The Ghiscari army with their lockstep legions along with their tall shields and three spears, were the first to fight as disciplined bodies. I want to bring that discipline and sense of unity in our army. I have seen the attack of the Westeros army against the ironborn. Most of the men lack discipline and just charge wildly which may cause heavy casualties on our side too. So implementing these ideas will make our army very powerful. A small disciplined army can take even the larger undisciplined enemies. Archmaester Marwin, I would like to explain them more about this idea."
Marwin began, "Of course My Lord. First of all let me tell you a about a incident. Four hundred years ago, when a Dothraki khal named Temmo rode out of the east with fifty thousand savage horsemen at his back, three thousand Unsullied turned him back at the gates of Qohor, withstanding no fewer than eighteen charges before Khal Temmo died and his successor bid his men cut off their braids and toss them at the feet of the surviving eunuchs. From that time to this, the Qohorik have relied upon the Unsullied to protect their city. This is what Lord Stark wants to achieve." Then he proceeded to explain in detail about the military composition and strategies of the Ghiscari.
By the end of the explanations all the Lords had agreed to the idea. Aryan was sure some parts of Marwin's technical explanation went over their heads but they were all too proud to admit that.
(Flashback Ends)
Aryan walked towards the great hall to have his breakfast. While eating he looked over at the ongoing renovations. Aryan had commissioned the glassmakers to cover the walls, the ceilings and the pillars everything with mirrors. All the existing candelabra made of iron would be replaced with that of glass and beautiful chandeliers were to be hanged in many parts of the castle. Once the whole work was completed he would brand the hall as the 'Hall of Mirrors' which would be unique in the whole Westeros and possibly the Essos too. The workers were currently smoothing the walls for aligning the mirrors. Once the work was finished and he had made a wand, Aryan had planned to give his own finishing touches. Like to make all the mirrors and the glass in the hall unbreakable as well as ever clean.
After eating his food he walked back towards his solar. Winterfell now had three towers. The first was the Library Towers, which was the library as well as the archive of Winterfell. It has been expanded to accommodate the Housing of Archmaster Marwin and his acolytes. The tower had six floors, two floors were for storing books and records. The middle one was for housing. The upper two floors were for Marwin's experiments and his office. The highest one was very small for housing the Ravens. The second was the First Keep which was repaired and enlarged. All the lowers levels were used for storage. The topmost floor was the office of the steward/spymaster/assassin Jaquen Hagar, as well his base of operations. The third was the Great Keep which was rebuilt, was now the largest and the highest tower. The tower had three floors with winding stairs in between. The bottom one was for keeping Aryan's armor, weapons, clothes, trophies etc. The second once was his personal solar with glass windows on all sides to give a view of the whole castle within the walls. He had modeled the the solar like the Gryffindor common room of his old word. The solar was very warm and cosy with silk curtains from Yi Ti, carpets from Tyrosh, cushioned sofas etc. A rug made from the skin of a great bear, a gift from Jorah Mormont lay on the floor. All his secret plans with his inner circle i.e Marwin and Jaquen took place here. The topmost floor was the Lord's bedroom which offered view beyond the castle walls to the Wintertown. Only Ros could come there to clean the room as well as to share his bed. Aryan had made enough changes in her mind, that Ros was loyal to him and her purpose was to serve him any possible way.
Aryan went to his solar waiting for Jaquen to come with his reports who was away for a week on an assignment. After some time Jaquen arrived. Immediately Aryan asked without any preamble, "Is it done?"
"It is done" Jaquen replied without any emotion.
"Good. How did he die?" Aryan replied.
Jaquen replied,"He was drunk and fell down the stairs breaking his neck."
"Perfectly executed Jaquen," Aryan praised him.
"The man lives to serve the master's command," Jaquen replied.
A few weeks ago Jaquen had reported to him that Tywin Lannister was getting information about several of his schemes which was not to be known outside the North. After following the leads they came to know that the leak was through the Maester of White Harbor. As the Maester was well connected, Aryan had sent Jaquen himself to deal with him in a professional manner.
So now the Maester was killed but everyone thought that the drunk Maester fell down the stairs.
"Any new information for me?" Aryan asked. By then Marwin had also arrived. Aryan did not tell him about Jaquen's latest assignment.
"Bethany Bolton is dead due to fever. Stannis Baratheon's daughter has been afflicted with Greyscale and her face is half scarred for rest of their life." Jaquen told him.
"Well, I think Lady Bolton would be more happy wherever she is. But Stannis's daughter's condition can be cured by my new medicines. I will offer him aid in the future. Perhaps it will help in establishing good relations with him." Aryan said looking at Marwin who agreed with him.
Jaquen told him, "I have another important information which is highly sensitive. One of my sources in Westerlands was able to intercept a miner who told him that the gold mines of the Lannisters were going dry. Shortly after that many miners including the one from who we got the information were all dead in some way or another."
Aryan looked at Marwyn and Jaquen, "That is a very sensitive information. No wonder Tywin is so jealously taking steps to guard it. If it becomes known the Lannisters will start losing their influence. Though it will be some years till the Lannisters will feel its effects."
"I have always wondered when the Lannister's will run out of gold. They had been mining for thousands of years. Guess the time had finally come." Marwin said.
"Jaquen I want Tywin on his heels. Start rumours that the Lannister mines are running out. Tywin will be busy in quashing that." Aryan told Jaquen who nodded and went out to see to his duties as the steward of Winterfell.
"I have finally concluded that there are only two magical creatures in this world that can be used to craft your wand. One is dragons which are extinct and their bones are devoid of any magic which I have studied thoroughly. The only other options are the Children of the Forest. While many consider them a myth, I went through the old records of Winterfell and found that they really existed. Many of the old records were in Old tongue which you are now proficient in. In several records there were sightings of these children beyond the Wall. So our best option is go beyond the wall to find them." Marwin told him.
"That is too vague information Marwin. I cannot apparate without a wand. So going beyond the wall and searching for them will take years." Aryan replied disheartened.
" The gods the children worshipped were the nameless ones that would one day become the gods of the First Men—the innumerable gods of the streams and forests and stones which the Northerners worship as the Old Gods. It was the children who carved the weirwoods with faces, perhaps to give eyes to their gods so that they might watch their worshippers at their devotions. The first men and children fought against each other at first. Tired of fighting for long, they had a Pact. Following the Pact both of them coexisted for a long time. Then came the long night. Though there is no definite proof about how it ended, the Children of the Forest were never seen after that south of the Wall. The Children of the Forest were always found near the Weirwood trees in ancient times. So your best option would be to go near the Godswood. Perhaps you may stumble on something. There are no recorded facts about the Lands of Always Winter. It is possible that those Children are now hiding there from the human race." Marwin told him.
Aryan nodded at that. Marwin then went away leaving Aryan to his thoughts.
Night had fallen. Aryan was walking through the Godswood towards the ancient Weirwood grove. One interesting thing about the Godswood was that it was always quiet. While like the rest of the Northerners he followed the Old Gods, he never believed in them. Soon he reached the Weirwoods. His magic started to sing and he felt powerful. He knelt before the the tree and looked at the carved face. Like a presence was guiding him, he touched the carved face and closed his eyes.
Immediately he felt a presence in his mind. He tried to raised his shields but the effort proved to be fruitless. The presence now filled his mind.
"Aryan Stark or Harry Potter which ever you prefer, I have waited long to speak with you" the presence talked in his mind.
"What? Who are you? How did you get into my mind?" Aryan asked panicking. He held great pride his mind magic skills that when it was failing for him for the first time he felt fear.
"You can call me Bloodraven. I am a greenseer. I am able to see into the past, the present and sometime about the possible future. You are searching for a source to channel your magic and know what they are. I can provide you those materials if you want." Bloodraven said.
Aryan calmed down and replied, "Suppose I believe you, are you telling me that you can help me find the Children of the Forest."
"I can do better than that, if you come here." Bloodraven replied.
Aryan started to think for sometime. He was stepping into the unknown, but if could get a wand the trip was worth the risks. So using his Gryffindor courage and recklessness he replied,"Very well I shall come. But where and how?"
A vision filled in his mind of an underground cave with green light and big Weirwood roots. "You may channel your magic through the tree, and apparate here like you did it in your old world." Bloodraven said.
Aryan followed Bloodraven's advice and started to channel his magic through the tree and soon felt a familiar tingling sensation of apparation. With a 'pop' he dissappeared from Winterfell unknown to any of its residents.
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