章節 25: Chapter Twenty-Five
The gates of Winterfell opened to let Harry Stark enter after his visit to Highgarden. During his absence, rumors had spread about why he had gone to Highgarden, and now they were being confirmed. Beside Harry's black horse was a beautiful girl on a stunning white horse, contrasting sharply with Harry. She was so beautiful that people immediately recognized her as his betrothed. It was no secret that Harry Stark was engaged by royal decree to Margaery Tyrell. Not everyone was pleased with this arrangement, as some believed that someone like Harry should have a Northern wife. Southern women were not well-liked in these parts since Northern women were not as ladylike as their Southern counterparts. For example, Lady Mormont was only addressed as "a Lady" out of courtesy; she could command entire armies and fight to the death against anyone. The Mormont women epitomized what Northern women represented, starkly different from Southern women.
Margaery had a tough road ahead. Only three women had ever been accepted by the Northerners, both by the heads of each Northern house and by the populace. The first was Ashara Stark, Harry's mother and the second-in-command of the North, acting as the political shield of the North. She was always by her son's side whenever he was in Winterfell. The second was Elia Martell, who had impressive charisma and was the former princess of the Targaryens. She had always been fascinated by the North, and everyone knew she would have loved to be a Northerner. She wasn't a warrior but enjoyed helping politically. The third was Catelyn GreyStark, wife of Eddard GreyStark, who was the first to see through her father's plans for the North and positioned herself to counteract his ambitions.
The small caravan arrived at the center of Winterfell, where the Stark castle was located. All the lords were waiting for their lord, and when he dismounted, they all knelt in respect. Margaery saw something she hadn't expected: Harry sighed in annoyance. Everyone knew he hated this show of respect, but they did it nonetheless as a sign of their regard for him. They considered him a king. Artemisia and Mya just watched their brother, with Mya barely stifling a laugh at Harry's expression. The lords stood up and shifted their gaze to Margaery, who was beside Harry observing everything. They knew who she was, and some made less than subtle faces, which Margaery noticed but was prepared for, so she remained firm and observant.
Ashara made her entrance along with Benjamin BlackStark and Eddard GreyStark. They were the only ones not waiting with the other lords because Ashara had to leave her daughter in her room, which was always a challenging task. Ben and Ned were practically her bodyguards whenever Harry wasn't around, ensuring her safety even though the security was already high.
-"Welcome home."- Ashara said as she went to hug her son and daughters. First was her biological son and then her adoptive daughters. She had always wanted more children but couldn't have them, which made her very attached to Lyanna, who was almost four years old and growing up fast. -"And you must be Margaery Tyrell. It's a pleasure to meet my son's future wife."- Ashara said, bowing slightly out of respect to Margaery, practically the second-in-command of the North. -"My apologies, but we can speak more calmly later."-
-"I heard about how well you handled things with Roose Bolton."- Harry said, stepping forward and looking at each lord, who was fully exposed by Harry's words. -"Uncle Ben, you couldn't wait for me to see it?"- What seemed like it would be a reprimand turned out to be a light-hearted comment. Harry wanted to see the humor in the situation. -"But now it's time to focus on our future projects."-
With that, Harry headed to the meeting room, and everyone followed. It wasn't yet time to focus on Roose Bolton's execution; that would happen sooner or later now that Harry was back. When they arrived at the meeting room, Margaery was surprised. The room was large, with a map of Westeros in the center, made of different materials, with each kingdom having its own color. Each seat had the emblem of the house it belonged to, and Margaery didn't realize her seat was already there, to the left of Harry, while his mother sat on his right. Everyone took their respective seats, including the captains. Artemisia was surprised to see her own captain's chair, granted by Ashara at Barbossa's request. Mya was also a captain in the Persian army, so she had no issues.
-"We didn't have time to celebrate our victory over the Greyjoys."- Harry said, standing up from what was essentially a throne and moving to the map, where a wolf piece still marked the Iron Islands. -"I want to congratulate each of you on your work, especially my sister Artemisia, who is now captain of the Silent Mary."- Harry and the others applauded Artemisia, who smiled and blushed, clearly happy. Barbossa, her mentor, was equally pleased. -"Now, let's focus on the future. Any news during my absence?"-
-"As we planned, my brother Oberyn asked the crown to cover the costs of the ports attacked by the Greyjoys."- Elia Martell said, arriving a bit late but still on time. She took her seat next to Ashara, who smiled at her. -"They don't have money, so they turned to us, and we loaned the crown fifteen million gold dragons, making the crown owe us thirty million."-
-"That's a lot of gold, and now that we've helped the lion get a council seat, we won't be able to collect the money."- Harry said, moving the lion piece to King's Landing. -"We made a deal: the crown won't bother us for seven years."- Harry moved some ship pieces, changing their direction. -"Seven years that we must use to our advantage... by eliminating our small problems."-
-"My Lord, by problems, do you mean Essos?"- Rickard Karstark asked. In the last three months, some people from Essos had caused minor issues for their trade with that continent, especially affecting House Dustin, which sold food and drinks there. -"How do we eliminate the problem?"-
-"Our only problem is in Braavos."- Harry said, looking at the map, which only showed Westeros but required his full attention. Some organizations saw them as a threat because of the money they were making in Essos, especially in Braavos. -"The Iron Bank has sent many letters demanding our business in Braavos and Essos."- Harry said, annoyed, knowing those letters never reached Westeros. -"So, I think we need to teach them a lesson... any loan the Iron Bank wishes to make will be seized by us."-
-"My Lord, with all due respect, don't you think they might discover us? We already prevented the crown's loans by blaming the Greyjoys."- Wyman Manderly asked a valid question. Blaming the Ironborn for lost loans worked before, but doing it again was risky. -"We have no cover, and they'll surely recognize our ships."-
Margaery was surprised. She had heard about the Greyjoys' attacks on the crown's borrowed gold, which sparked the war. But the Greyjoys had nothing to do with those attacks; it was the Starks who intercepted those shipments. She realized this wasn't just a Northern move but Harry's orchestration, showing her his power and planning. For a brief second, her and Harry's eyes met, and he smiled, seemingly understanding her thoughts but saying nothing, returning to the map.
-"A ship can go anywhere and be lost in a simple storm. No request from Westeros will reach the bank, and they can't blame us if no loan is made."- Harry was right. A ship could disappear without a trace. -"After seven years, we will invade Essos."-
-"Harry, Jon, and Daenerys are still children; they'll barely be twelve when the time comes." Ned practically jumped from his seat, knowing what his nephew planned: sending two twelve-year-olds to an unknown continent. -"They won't be able to do anything. How do you expect them to conquer an entire continent?"-
-"I took control of the North at thirteen. Did you hear me complain, even when my father died? I put the North first. So don't tell me they can't. Never underestimate anyone."- Harry said seriously, making his uncle sit back down. Maybe Ned was overprotecting Jon and Daenerys, but Harry didn't agree. -"They won't go alone. When the time comes, the North will triple its military strength. When Essos is fully conquered, they will return with an even greater force, and the wolf rebellion will begin."-
Harry had an ambitious plan. With Daenerys's royal blood, he intended for her to rule Essos alongside Jon. The Stark family would control that land while Harry ruled Westeros. It was a good plan. He played the role of a brother to Daenerys, but that didn't mean he wouldn't use her. He saved her not just because he couldn't let a child die but also because he saw the potential benefits. Sacrifices and manipulations were necessary, and he was willing to do whatever it took. Jon and Daenerys would not be sent alone; they would be well-accompanied by trusted, competent personnel. His uncle Ned was not part of those plans.
-"You're too kind, Uncle. That's why I'm doing you a favor by keeping you away from the royal council. A man of your kindness can't be there; they'll mock you."- Harry said, looking at Ned, who, though it hurt, had to agree. He knew he couldn't stand on the council, but that didn't mean he had to like it. -"While Jon and Daenerys train, we'll strengthen our defenses and prepare for the rebellion."- Harry continued, shifting the wolf piece towards the Crownlands. -"This way, we'll be prepared for any move the crown makes. Any more questions?"-
Everyone shook their heads, and with that, the meeting ended. Some stayed behind to discuss Harry's plans further. Margaery observed everything, particularly Harry, whom she barely knew. She had heard about him and was warned by her grandmother about his ambitions, but witnessing him in action was different. He was more intelligent and dangerous than she had imagined.
As everyone left the meeting room, Harry turned to Margaery, who was still deep in thought. -"What do you think?"- he asked, curious about her perspective.
Margaery looked up, meeting his gaze. -"I think you're as formidable as they say."- she replied honestly. -"But I also think there's more to you than meets the eye."-
Harry smiled a glint of amusement in his eyes. -"You're not wrong."- he said, stepping closer. -"But remember, Margaery, in this game, everyone has a role to play. And together, we can achieve great things."-
Margaery nodded, understanding the unspoken message. She was not just a pawn in his game but a key player. And she was determined to prove her worth.
Winterfell Forest
After the meeting with the northern lords, they proceeded to the end of a house. Roose Bolton was on his knees in front of Winterfell's heart tree, the oldest of all the trees in this small forest. All the other lords were present, seated in their respective places, waiting for the arrival of the one who would pronounce the sentence on the man accused of treason. Roose Bolton's mouth was covered, so he couldn't speak, but his face clearly showed the anger that had been growing over time. All these people had mocked him while he was captive. But the person who had earned his pure hatred was Harry. He despised the boy. Since Harry's arrival, everything had changed. Roose believed he was the one destined to lead the North to power, but then this brat appeared, the child touched by the Old Gods, and everything changed. The other lords began to believe in the Starks again, everything started to change, and with that, the North became stronger. Roose hated seeing this, but the worst was that Harry had proven the Bolton house was not necessary for the supremacy of the North.
Roose realized he was surrounded by enemies, so he allied with the Southerners and helped the Greyjoys. He planned to use their rebellion to take Winterfell, to take the North, and to eliminate the cursed Stark house. But everything turned out contrary to his expectations. Before he knew it, his entire castle was surrounded. The Dreadfort was attacked, all his men killed, and worst of all, he was betrayed by his own servants who drugged and handed him over. Harry arrived, wielding the Valyrian steel sword of House Stark. Everyone could see the serious look on Harry's face, but Roose saw a smile. Harry had awaited this moment. Roose tried to stand but couldn't; his hands and feet were bound, which made him even angrier as he felt weak before a brat who deserved nothing. Harry was not only looking at Roose but also at his mind. It seemed Roose had a bastard son. That child would be very useful in seven years or so. Apparently, the mother didn't care for him much since he was the product of a rape. Harry would find him and assign him a new place to live, where he would be made to hate, and manipulated until he became an example for the other kingdoms.
-"A traitor does not deserve to give his last words."- Harry said, drawing the legendary Stark sword with one hand to behead Roose Bolton without a shred of mercy before all the northern lords, who had wide smiles. The traitor was dead.
-"Long live the king..."-
BOOK 02 - COMING SOON
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