"Impossible, that land be cursed with ghouls and ghosts, lass!" The old man said back with fear.
"I can assure you it is not. Our people have been on that land for many moons and not one incident has occured, well besides the usual things that occur when many Free Folk gather. You can see for yourself, if you don't like it, none will force you to stay, however I would suggest you stay at least till those creatures are dealt with." Val responded back confidently.
"Do you also live there regularly?" One of the younger men asked, his intention evident on his face as he asked.
"Aye, however I am already claimed, so if I find you near my tent, you will find your manhood seperated from you." Val responded back coldly.
She wanted this man to not get any bright ideas on his journey. The man then turned to Ygritte, they both were rare beauties, so he figured since one was taken the other should be available.
Seeing the man look towards herself, Ygritte quickly responded, "I too have already been claimed. But need not worry, there is plenty unclaimed women within the city we are building, so if you need a wife I'm sure you can easily find one."
The man's face dropped as he looked at Aiden with jealousy as Angela and the two were standing very close to him, signaling to everyone just who they were claimed by. This had gave Aiden a bit of a headache since he could sense the jealousy and hate coming from many of the men.
It wasn't uncommon for Free Folk to have multiple wives, especially if they were strong since life in the true north was harsh and extremely dangerous, even without the undead running around. So many women preferred to be with someone strong so that they and any children they had would be well protected and fed.
"Al just finished off the army of undead, so we will need to get going soon, there are a few other villages in the area that we will need to stop by to get as many out of danger as possible." Aiden stated as he was getting tired of the looks he was getting.
After giving the villagers directions to ensure they all knew exactly where to go in case something happened to the elderly on the way, to the villagers shock Aiden and the three women began to float up into the air and left in a flash.
They repeated this act several times as Spawn took out the undead, each battle improved his proficiency in utilizing his powers. He also noticed that his energy cost was reducing due to the quality of his necroplasm improving and condensing due to absorbing the energy from the wights and White Walkers.
Not only did they inform various settlements, they also located several cave people and mountain clans. Not all of them were willing to move unfortunately, mainly the clans that rarely ever ventured out of their caves. They didn't believe in the undead, thinking they were just myths and stories told to children at night.
They also had the thought that they were safe in their caves, they felt they were easily defensible, which they were, but they had a major flaw. If those defenses were ever broken, they would be trapped with nowhere to go. Even if there were other exits from the caves, they were small natural vents, not ideal for mass evacuations.
As Aiden's group travelled the true north, gathering as many clans so they could limit the undead that was coming from the lands further north from increasing their numbers too much, Catelyn Stark was dealing with troubles of her own.
Word from Kings Landing had reached the Eyrie regarding the attack on the Sept of Baelor, the High Septon had been murdered by the mob along with many of the other Septons and Septas. This had shattered her hope of getting their assistance in rooting out Aiden and the Targaryens from her home any time soon.
As she prayed in the Sept of the Seven that was built in the Eyrie, Petyr Baelish was eyeing her with lust in his eyes. He was brewing a plan of his own, he saw an opportunity in all this chaos to accomplish his goal.
After clearing his thoughts and putting on the mask of a caring friend on his face, hiding his lust for her completely, Petyr approached her from behind and knelt down on the prayer station in front of the statue of the Mother where Catelyn was currently praying.
"I hope I'm not desturbing you Cat, if you have time I may have an idea that can help your situation." Petyr said with a calm and caring tone.
"You aren't disturbing me at all Petyr, I just finished my prayers. I can only hope God hears them and protects my children from those devils." Catelyn replied back emotionally.
She worried for her children greatly, she knew that they were falling for the tricks of Aiden and Lyanna. Especially Sansa, she had the most change out of all her children before she left. Once upon a time, Sansa was the most faithful of her children, she would always join her in prayers and listened to what her mother told her.
But ever since Aiden arrived, everything changed, she had began to sneak off with Arya to go to the city in the sky, preferring to take classes within Kandor rather than learning from her. She had taken over teaching the girls ever since Ned had removed Septa Mordain from Winterfell, which worked for a time, but soon they both preferred to learn from the Children of the Forest and the robots that lived in Aiden's city.
She had to admit that the city was the most beautiful she had ever seen, but that is what made it far more scarier. It was filled with magic, the whole city was a slap to the face to her gods.
Petyr rubbed her back in comfort, enjoying taking advantage of Catelyn's weakened state, "I have heard of a man who calls himself the High Sparrow, he is said to be a devout follower of the Seven. He has been openly preaching about the corruption of the High Septon and how it was his followers who killed the evil that had grown within the Sept of Baelor." Petyr explained what he had heard from his spies.
"That can't be." Catelyn's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Tis true, they have even brought forth plenty of evidence against those within the Sept in Kings Landing. I have heard many things such as the High Septon being involved in prostitution not only personally, but also gifting young believers to nobles in exchange for coin, the King included. It is also said that he is bringing back the Faith Militant to cleanse the land, to bring back pure worship to the Seven." Petyr explained after releasing a sigh.
"That's a good thing Petyr, if that is the case then they can help me get rid of that devil that is corrupting my family." Catelyn responded happily.
Petyr put on a conflicted expression on his face which caused Catelyn to scunch her brows and ask, "What troubles you my friend, tell me, you have given me shelter, its the least I can do." She said as she held his hands in hers.
"Well, I'm not sure if using him is a good idea or not. His little army has been going into brothels and beating the prostitutes, going into taverns and destroying the ale and wine caskets, beating those who they find are drunk. Several of my own establishments in Kings Landing have been raided. So if you do request their help, it may turn out worse than it is already." Petyr said with fake worry in his voice, but really he was hoping that she would follow thru with it.
He knew that if the Faith Militant did go north, that most likely they would kill many of the Stark children, including Lord Eddard Stark himself. The Faith Militant was known for their extremist behavior, it was why they were forcibly disbanded and outlawed by the Targaryens long ago.
But now the Lannisters were weak, they couldn't afford to anger the Faith of the Seven in any way. They were desperate for alliances, as was Stannis and Renly Baratheon, what worried him the most was the North. He knew he wouldn't be able to get Catelyn unless he removed her current family completely.
"What do you mean Petyr? You know those are sinful businesses, you shouldn't be involved in such things anyway, you are a Lord and dealing in brothels is below your station." Catelyn replied back, she had known he owned quite a few brothels and taverns in Kings Landing, which she didn't like, but she had no right to tell him to stop those businesses.
"What I mean is if you involve them, they are known to go above and beyond in their cleansing work, your children and husband could be harmed during their attack, especially if they don't renounce their faith in the Old Gods. The choice is yours in the end, I can pass on your request to this High Sparrow for you." Petyr explained showing a bit of hesitation.
"I trust our God Petyr, he will protect my children, tho I don't hold faith that they would spare Ned, especially after what he had done to the Sept he built in Winterfell. I can only hope he sees the error of his ways and repents. The Seven are merciful to those who show repentance. I shall write the letter tonight, thank you Petyr. You are truly a godsend." Catelyn replied excitedly, then quickly left the Sept to write another letter to be sent to Kings Landing.
As she left Petyr couldn't keep the smile from forming on his face, everything was going according to plan. 'Now all I need to do is weaken the Baratheon brothers, I have sent an assassin to the Stormlands to make an attempt at assassinating one of Renly's advisers and make it look like it was Stannis' doing. That boy is refusing to involve himself in attacks, I would've preferred to put him against the Reach but I hear him and Loras Tyrell are close. Luckily I have an agent still in the City Watch that will release Robert from the dungeons, that will create many problems for not only the Lannisters, but will involve Dorne too, the more chaos the better.' Petyr thought to himself as he watched Catelyn leave.
Meanwhile back at Lannisport, the acting regent Stafford Lannister, was dealing with troubles of his own. Jaime Lannister had showed up out of the blue, when he ordered for his arrest, none of the guards listened to his order.
Not only was it because they knew they stood no chance against Jaime should he resist, but it was widely known that he was Tywins favored son. They knew eventually they could overwhelm him, but the risk of seriously injuring him was just too great should they do so.
If they were to accidentally cripple or kill Jaime, they and their family would suffer fates worse than death by the hands of Tywin himself. So they didn't listen to his orders in the least, they knew Stafford was mearly a stand in for now and had no real power to protect them.
This was a wake up call to Stafford, he now realized that he held no real power within Casterly Rock, he was more of a figurehead for the city than anything. Jaime, upon learning of what his sister, brother, and cousin had done, he quickly left to go to his room to contact Barristan thru the bracelet given to them by Aiden to ensure he was safe. He feared that his fellow brother may have been killed when they retook Kings Landing.
"Ser Barristan, this is Jaime, are you ok?" Jaime called once he had entered his room and locked the door.
Soon the bracelet connected, showing a holographic display of Barristan's upper body, "Aye, it is good to see you my brother, hope all is well with you."
Releasing a sigh of relief, Jaime answered back, "Aye, all is good. I was worried that you had been killed or captured after what happened in Kings Landing."
Seeing the confusion on Barristan's face, Jamie continued, "Are you not in Kings Landing? Where are you?"
"Nay, King Robert sent me to the Vale to check on the status of Littlefinger, I am currently in the Crossroads Inn, what happened in Kings Landing?" Barristan explained with a serious tone and asked curiously.
"Robert is no longer King, I heard my sister and brother, along with or cousin Daven had taken some men and took back the throne. The current Kingsguard led by Ser Boris had betrayed Robert and now serve my nephew and father. I was sent by Lord Commander Gerold to come assist you in destabilizing the throne further. I am currently in Casterly Rock, awaiting my uncle Gerion's return along with Oberyn." Jaime explained.
Barristan's face hardened, although he wasn't loyal to Robert himself, he was loyal to the Targaryens, but hearing that the other Kingsguard had so easily turned on the king they did swear their loyalty too angered him greatly.
"I knew those men were trash the moment I saw them. Oath breakers, the whole lot of them. Is Robert still alive?" Barristan asked with a dissappointed tone.
"I am unsure, but knowing my family I would have to say that if he is, that wouldn't last very long. They wouldn't risk someone in the castle freeing him to then be able to cause them trouble down the road. Most likely they will hold a trial, then poison him so that he dies during his trial by combat that he will definitely request." Jaime responded after some thought.
"Aye, sounds about right. Are you planning to continue on to Kings Landing, or will you remain in Lannisport?" Barristan asked as he thought on what he should do.
"I will rest up for a few days, then continue on to Kings Landing after I help Gerion retake Casterly Rock from my Uncle Stafford, he is nothing but a bumbling fool, my cousin Daven would've been a better choice for my father to put as regent. I wouldn't suggest going into the Vale, from what Aiden said, that Littlefinger is scheming against the whole realm. You may find yourself dead should you go into that mans territory, once you're in the Eyrie, getting back out will be impossible." Jaime suggested.
"Aye, no point now in going. I will make my way towards you then, we will return to Kings Landing together. Should make your return more believable. I can be there in about a week if I take a boat and move thru the river systems." Barristan answered.
He knew now that Robert was no longer in power that going to the Vale would be suicide, Petyr would definitely want to remove one of the best commanders for the crown from the field. Bringing Jaime back would win him favor for Tywin which would allow him to keep his position and privy to Tywin's future plans.
"Sounds good. You should arrive just about when Gerion will, if not a few days later which is perfect. That will give us plenty of time to coordinate our efforts. We will need to play this safe, my father can't know that he has lost Casterly Rock, otherwise getting the other houses in the Westerlands to support Gerion will be much harder. Make sure you keep in touch and let me know if you run into any issues." Jaime responded then closed the communication after receiving confirmation from Barristan.
Exiting the room, Jaime began to gather men he knew could be trusted, he gathered the reports from them on what was happening in Lannisport and easily took control of the city and castle. No guard wanted to go against Jaime, not only due to fear of his father, but also because he was well respected by the people of Lannisport.
Time passed by quickly, Aiden and his group had varied success at convincing multiple clans to relocate. Seeing that Spawn and the others were able to handle things without him, Spawn had grown in strength himself and was able to fly Val and Ygritte around with ease, Aiden left them to it.
Aiden returned to Bear Island to spend time with Dacey, their wedding was coming up and Aiden wanted to ensure the defenses were in place for the island. He was receiving regular updates on the situation in the south.
Jaime, as predicted, had been made a general of Tywin's army along with Barristan, so they were able to direct Tywin's focus towards the Vale to hinder Petyr's plans as much as possible.
Varys had also began to enact his own plans towards the throne. He had convinced Tywin to hire the Golden Company, who was in Essos, to bolster his army. Tywin had eventually agreed after seeing that it wasn't so easy to move his own navy around thanks to the Greyjoy fleet.
The Golden Company had a extremely good reputation, it was one of the best and largest mercenary groups in Essos. They always completed their contracts and never backed out no matter what happened, even if the contract ended up being more difficult than what was originally thought, they never abandoned the task.
However, what most people didn't know was that the Golden Company was created by what remained of the Blackfyre line. After losing to the Targaryens during their rebellion they were exiled to Essos. So Varys planned to use the current war to get the Blackfyres back onto the board.
Once they had earned Tywin's trust, they could easily do away with him and the rest of the Lannisters. Varys knew that once they revealed their true identity that the south would easily be able to be brought back together, at least the Vale, Crownlands, and Stormlands.
The reason for this was that many houses in those region were Blackfyre loyalists, in fact the Baratheons were descendants of the Blackfyre line of the Targaryens. There were also a few houses in the Riverlands, Westerlands, and the Reach that had sided with the Blackfyres during the Blackfyre Rebellion, so Varys knew it could turn the tide against the Targaryens.
Gerion Lannister was making moves as well, he was able to coordinate with the Reach and Riverlands to ensure that they knew what lords would cause the most issues when he openly took power over the Westerlands. This allowed them to begin making excursions into the Westerlands to remove these pieces from the board.
Doran Martell had sided with Stannis, coming to an agreement that Dorne would assist him against the Lannisters. Doran wanted Joffrey's and Cersei's heads for the death of his two children. Part of the agreement for their helping Stannis was that Dorne would maintain its independence, much like how it did when the Targaryens ruled the realm.
Euron Greyjoy too had changed tactics, he sailed much of his fleet to Essos, he needed to capture more Thralls and Salt Wives for his men to keep up moral, he was also after an alliance with the Golden Company. The Drowned God had came to him in his dreams and told him of the Golden Companies true identity, so he saw an opportunity to gain power.
In the Vale, Petyr Baelish had also began to slowly poison Lysa Arryn, he wanted her gone so that he could control Robin Arryn much more than he could currently. Petyr was also slowly beginning to manipulate Catelyn, feeding her false information on what was happening in the north.
The High Sparrow too had began to grow the Faith Militant with the aid of Petyr Baelish, many of the people in the Vale were devout follows of the Seven, including the houses located on the islands of the Three Sisters, so the High Sparrow did make a trip into the Vale.
The Citadel had remained quiet, after learning of not only the failure of the Warlocks but also the complete destruction of the House of the Undying, they began to make preparations to ensure the survival of their order by leaving the Citadel on research missions. They didn't want to all be in one place, in case the Targaryens decided to deal with them.
As Aiden flew over Bear Island he could see the festive atmosphere of the people. Their economic situation was taking a turn for the better as of late thanks to Aiden, it wasn't just them but all the north was seeing vast improvements.
They were taught new farming techniques as well as receiving genetically modified seeds from Aiden which allowed them to increase their food output all over the north. Bear Island especially since Aiden had shown them how to create fertilizer using the various fish carcasses and other waste.
This allowed them to begin to sell this fertilizer to not only the north, but even Essos was interested in this magical ingredient that drastically improved a crops quality and quantity greatly.
Landing within the courtyard of Mormont Keep, Aiden was welcomed by the sight of the Mormonts all training along with many of their warriors. He couldn't help but observe Dacey's figure as she lead the group in exercises that Aiden had taught her which would improve their speed and endurance in battle.
"Aiden! Your back!" Dacey's youger sister, Jorelle Mormont or Jory for short, shouted as she ran over to greet him. As soon as she got near Aiden she lept onto him and latched on like a Kuala bear and began climbing up to his shoulders.
Aiden couldn't help but chuckle at the excitable and energetic girl. Jory was five years old and was already training with her older sisters Dacey, Alysane, and Lyra. Aiden could tell she was going to be a handful wether on or off the battlefield when she got older.
"Yes, yes I am back little bear cub. You would think I have honey in my hair the way you always climb onto my shoulders." Aiden chuckled as he responded.
He was amazed by how she was able to climb up his body with such ease, he liked the little girl, she was full of life and bit mischievous, she reminded him of his aunt Daenerys. Like all the other Mormont girls, she dressed like a boy, hardly ever wearing dresses except when the situation called for it.
"I want to go flying! Take me flying around the island." Jory stated as she took up her position on top of his shoulders.
Just as Aiden was about to agree Alysane shouted, "Don't even think about it Jory! You haven't completed your training, had you not messed around all morning with your pranks on the guards, you would've already been done."
Hearing this Aiden shook his head and picked Jory off his shoulders and placed her on the ground then replied, "After you finish what your supposed to do I can take you flying, ok." Aiden ruffled her hair as he spoke to her.
Puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, Jory let out a sigh, "Fine, but you have to take me to see a shark and a whale when we go."
"As you wish my Lady." Aiden said with a playful bow.
Jory pumped her fist in excitement then ran off to quickly complete her training. Alysane just shook her head at her sisters antics and gave Aiden a nod hello before following after her sister to ensure she completed her daily routine.
"About time you showed up, thought maybe you were getting cold feet." Dacey walked over with a smile.
Aiden couldn't help but admire her beauty, she was all sweaty from her training but that only highlighted her toned body even more as the sweat glistened in the suns light.
"Never, just been busy handling a few things is all. Been trying to limit the Others ability to increase their numbers too much, or at least thru killing the living. Its actually quite shocking how many bodies are under the ground but I have been cremating them as I go." Aiden replied with a sigh.
Beyond the wall the temperature was so cold it basically mummified and preserved the corpses of the dead much longer than anywhere else. So even with what Spawn and the others were doing the White Walkers still had access to a formidable army.
The White Walkers were special existences and were just below the Night King himself, originally their were only twelve in total, that was how many the Night Queen had birthed for the Night King back during the age of the Long Night.
However now there were many more thanks to Craster, when providing his newborn sons as an offering to the Others, more were able to be created. This is what became of the babes left out in the woods by Craster, a White Walker would receive the baby boy and it would convert the child into a White Walker, then the babe would be brought into the domain of the Night King.
Craster pumped out more and more babies each year, as he had more daughters and they came of age, he would have three to five pregnant all at once. He basically was a White Walker factory for the Others.
He wasn't the only one to make such a deal with the Others, he was just the more perverse one. Generally those that did make the same deal didn't begin to impregnate their own daughters like Craster did.
Instead they just gave up one son per year that was born from their tribe to keep the undead at bay, some even attacked other villages and captured baby boys to be offered rather than giving up their own.
Rather than being killed then resurrected like the Wights, these babes were transformed into magical creatures themselves. They didn't remain children, they could grow up and become adults, in fact due to this process they actually grew much faster than a normal human child.
"I understand, it's hard to believe that those stories are all true. I used to think that they were all destroyed by King Brandon Stark, but now that I look back at the stories, I noticed that it was I who had changed the wording. It doesn't say they were destroyed, it only says that they were defeated." Dacey said with a complicated look on her face.
The story of the Night King was very well known in the North, although much of the story had been lost to time, which was purposely done. The reason for this was because of the identity of the Night King, after Brandon the Breaker, son of Brandon the Builder who was the first King of the North, defeated the Night King he stripped all records of who he was.
The Night Kings real name was Bran Stark, younger brother to Brandon the Breaker, and was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and Lord of Nightfort Castle on the Wall which is the oldest of the nineteen castles that make up the Wall.
You see the Night King wasn't the first of the Others like many believed him to be. He came later, and became much more powerful than the original that was created by the Children of the Forest. The first Other created by Leaf had been defeated by the allied forces of First Men, Giants, and the Children of the Forest.
The story goes that Bran Stark, while out on the Wall had saw a beautiful maiden on the other side of the wall. It was said she had skin as white as the moon and as cold as ice to the touch, her eyes were like blue stars, Bran instantly fell in love with her the moment he first laid eyes on her.
So he went beyond the wall and brought her back to his castle, the Nightfort, and then proceeded to name himself the Night's King and the woman his Night's Queen. When he made love to her, not only did she take his seed, she also took his soul, making him just like herself.
After that night Bran gained a boon in sorcery and ice magic in particular thanks to his heritage as a Stark. He then proceeded to use sorcery to bend his fellow Night's Watch brothers to his will, using his newfound powers. He then proceeded to rule the Wall and the area around the Gift as his own, having the Night's Watch begin to make offerings to the Others in the form of human sacrifices, and he too began to create White Walkers with the woman he had named his Queen.
She birthed him many White Walkers herself, since she was a magical entity and not human, she didn't have to wait nine months to give birth to Bran's children, and she didn't have to wait a few months to get pregnant again. Every few months she would birth a White Walker using Bran's seed as well as the Heart Tree to create more thru human sacrifices.
Eventually King Brandon the Breaker teamed up with Joraman, the King Beyond the Wall to defeat his brother the Night King and his Queen, breaking the sorcery which enslaved the Night's Watch to their will. They had thought that they killed the Night King and the woman who became known as the Corpse Queen but they didn't, they mearly injured them both severly.
After their loss, the Corpse Queen brought the Night King to the Land of Always Winter where the original King of the Others was recuperating from his war, that was when the Night King subverted his rule and killed the original with ease, he was much more powerful since he was descended directly from Brandon the Builder.
After taking over as King of the Others, the Night King had used the help of the Corpse Queen to build a barrier at the entrance to the Land of Always Winter and began to recuperate from his injuries.
This is why the Night King hated the Starks the most, he felt it was his right to rule over the North since he was more powerful than his brother. But for a long time he left the lands south of him alone, content with the large swath of land that he took over from the original King of the Others.
It wasn't until Bryden Rivers began to invade into his mind, showing him visions of his and his wife's end within his own lands that he began to start sending his forces south to build up a large army. He thought that the living would invade no matter what, so he decided to strike first.
Unlike him and his wife the Corpse Queen, who didn't have the weakness towards the Wall's magic or to salt water, his White Walkers and Wights were vulnerable to both so he knew he would need an extremely large army to bring down the Wall his father built all those years ago.
This was also why in the original timeline he was able to bring down the Wall so easily, it wasn't just because he had the use of an undead dragon. He had intimate knowledge of the Wall, where its magic was weakest, he was there when his father built it.
"Well like I've said to you before, many stories that are thought to be just that, have an inkling of truth to them, though over time they have been exaggerated enough times that they actually become mythical and almost unbelievable. But if you get rid of many of the exaggerated parts to those stories you can usually find the truth. Most stories that are passed down thru the ages are warnings, whether it be to warn you of what can happen after performing certain acts, or of natural disasters that could repeat itself in the future." Aiden explained to Dacey as he shared a moment alone with her.
"That makes since. So you do plan on sticking around now that our wedding is set to be within the next moon, right?" Dacey said while giving him a look that told him he better say yes.
With a chuckle Aiden replied, "Absolutely, as long as nothing crazy happens, I'm all yours."