Eddard liked to think he is a simple man with simple tastes in life. He was never attracted to the extravagance that came with his position as a son of House Stark. Oh, he knew he was afforded many comforts an average Northerner could only dream of. He was born in a warm sturdy castle, one of the largest in the Seven Kingdoms. He was blessed with a lovely family, a lovely wife, beautiful children and the necessary wealth to lead a healthy as well as peaceful life.
What more could a man ask for in this world?
Holding his newborn daughter in his arms he was once again reminded of how fortunate he was.
His daughter's eyes were a deep shade of grey and hair as black as night. A stark in looks and name!
"She has Lya's eyes." said Benjen softly, scratching the underside of the newborn's feet which made her snuggle into Ned's arms.
"I know." said Ned, looking longingly at the grey eyes of his newborn daughter, a mirror to his beloved sister's eyes.
"Have you thought of a name Cat?" asked Benjen.
Eddard also looked at his wife curious to see if his wife has any suggestions.
"I'm afraid not Benjen. My husband was too busy entertaining his friend for the past week rather than thinking of a name for our daughter."
Benjen cracked up beside him making Ned frown. He got the feeling Benjen was about to make fun of him, a favourite pastime of his younger sibling.
"Lyanna would often say that Robert was only interested in her because he pictures her as Eddard with long hair and teats. If the laws would have allowed him, Robert would have married my brother instead of his Lannister wife." Benjen joked, before dissolving into peals of laughter.
Even Cat joined Benjen in laughter at Ned's expense. A feeling that he didn't like at all mostly cause it reminded him of his childhood when Brandon, Lyanna and Benjen made fun of him.
"You come down from the Wall once a year only to insult me in front of my wife. It'd seem even the Wall has failed to temper your character." Ned groused.
"Surely the Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North can appreciate a joke once a year?" Benjen japed, sharing a smile with his good-sister.
"Only if your jokes are not at my or the King's expense especially when the Lord of all Seven Kingdoms is a guest in our home. Wars have been started for less." Ned cautioned, his mind going back to thoughts of an elder brother who brazenly offended powerful people on a fairly regular basis. A habit their father had tried to curb but failed.
"You have no sense of humour brother. Now, let's see whether my niece has more humour than my dour sibling." said Benjen, carefully taking the baby into his arms.
Ned saw his daughter let out a small yawn which put a smile on his face. He watched Benjen pace around the room making cooing sounds and funny faces at his daughter.
Seeing this, Ned shook his head. His brother has always been excited when it comes to babies and yet he chose the Wall. In an ideal world, Benjen should have married a good Northern lady and had started a family of his own. Ned had planned to raise a castle at Sea Dragon Point and assign Benjen the Lordship of the land. A marriage to House Mormont or Tallhart would have helped his little brother govern the long strip of land most ably.
lnstead, his younger brother chose to take the Black.
It was a decision he didn't approve but Benjen was adamant to become a brother of the Night's Watch. The Watch may have fallen to decay at present but many of the First Men houses still considered it an honourable service to their land. After all, the Night's Watch protected the North from Wildling raiders.
Ned took note when Benjen handed the baby to Catelyn before eying him with an uncharacteristic serious look on his face.
"Catelyn, would you excuse us for a moment?"
Catelyn eyed the two of them before she took her leave closing the door behind her.
"How long does the King plan to stay here?" asked Benjen.
"I frankly do not know." Ned answered after brief thought. "Why? What's the matter?"
"Why else? Jon!" Benjen whispered.
Ned became alarmed. "What about Jon?" he asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and it had nothing to do with the warmth provided by the castle.
"You brought Ser Barristan Selmy and other people who knew Rhaegar as a child to our home. They could notice the similarities."
"I've kept Jon far away from any curious eyes brother. Besides, Jon takes after us in looks." Ned reasoned.
"There are people here who have seen Rhaegar since childhood. It wouldn't be a stretch for them to note Jon has a similar skin tone and cheekbones. Just today, I had to carefully lead both Jon and Harrion away before they garnered Ser Barristan's attention." said Benjen.
Ned turned away from his brother to gaze out the window, his face thoughtful and overcome with fear for Jon's safety.
'Promise me, Ned. Promise me.'
Ned could still hear the voice of his sister's last words ring loud and clear in his ears. He could even smell the blood and roses of the room which he found her in her last moments. Oh, how he wished he could save her that day. He had never felt so helpless and useless as he watched the light leave his sister's eyes.
He cursed Rhaegar for what he did to his sister. The Targaryen Prince ruined her life just as he ruined the lives of thousands. If Robert hadn't killed that madman...
"Ned."
He heard Benjen call which snapped Ned out of his musings.
"Ned, we need to move Jon away from Winterfell at least until Robert and the others leave."
"You are right. It is dangerous for Jon to stay here. The risk is too great. But, moving him abruptly may also raise suspicion." Ned thought out loud.
Suddenly, he smashed his fist on a piece of furniture in frustration. "I should have found some way to keep Robert away from Winterfell."
"As a matter of fact, I do have an idea that could see Jon quietly moved from Winterfell without suspicion." said Benjen.
Ned was pleasantly surprised to hear that. "Truly. How?"
"Harrion has been telling me about the Spring Sickness and his cure the other day."
Ned frowned. He was hoping to have a talk with his son regarding that topic but Robert's insistence on going for a hunt had made him postpone.
"I'm aware of it. What's that got to do with Jon?" asked Ned.
"Well, it turns out no one has found a cure for the sickness till Harrion. The medicine that was in excess after curing the people of Winterfell and Wintertown was sent to the White Harbour. However, it's not enough. Also, Braavos is dealing with a small outbreak as well. So, the cure is being sought out by the Braavosi. Harrion tells me that he needs Unicorn horns to make more medicine."
Ned looked at his brother as if he lost his mind understanding where Benjen was going with this.
"Are you mad? You want to take..."
"Yes. I want to take Harrion on a journey to Skagos where we have the clans help us find the Unicorns. Jon can be taken along for the journey and no one would suspect a thing." said Benjen.
"You have clearly gone mad. I will not allow my children anywhere near that Island full of barbarians. Besides, Harrion is needed here to present the King's weapon." Ned argued.
"They will be travelling with me and written orders from you should be enough for the clans to ensure our safety if you are that worried." said Benjen with a shrug. "As for presenting the King's weapon, I think Robb can do that as the heir of Winterfell."
"I don't know Benjen. This comes off as a bad idea." Ned remained unconvinced.
"I may not be as knowledgeable when it comes to Harrion but do you really want him to address the King and the entire court? The lad spews out offences every time he opens his mouth. He could've given a real challenge to Brandon."
"Well, there is that but still... Sending them to Skagos is a bit extreme, don't you think?"
"No. There's no time to waste on overthinking everything. If you have a better idea to move Jon inconspicuously then let me hear it."
Ned had no answer to that and so he agreed to Benjen's plan reluctantly.
"You better find a good name for your daughter to make your wife happy cause she won't be pleased to learn her son is going to Skagos." Benjen said as a parting shot leaving Ned alone in the room.
XXXXXXX
"Careful Master Hardin." Harry cautioned the smith.
"Worry not young lord. I have steady hands." said Master Hardin, a young blacksmith whom Harry charged with a crucial task.
Harry kept a keen eye on the liquid metal pouring into the mould. As the last drop was emptied into the mould by the steady hands of Master Hardin Harry began humming chants in Parseltongue.
He flicked his wand, silently casting the summoning charm. A small cup flew into his waiting hand. Inside the cup lay powdered Weirwood leaves treated with the sap from the Heart Tree. It was also thoroughly blessed by the unique magic of the resident Druids of this planet thanks to Spring. The powder was a strong mix just oozing with nature magic or Old Magic as wizards of his world called it.
Harry poured the powder into the mould. It quickly caught fire but that wasn't the point. The magic contained in the powder seeped into the molten metal under the careful application of Parseltongue. After this was done, Harry used the spellforging method to bind metal and magic together layer by layer.
A few minutes later, Harry observed Master Hardin carefully removing the mould.
And there it was! A perfectly strong magical foci in the form of a Valyrian Steel ring, perfectly capable of performing magic and storing away his magical power.
A magical battery of sorts.
At first look, it looked like a gold ring with a small dragonhead as a headpiece. But, it was no ordinary ring. It was a ring filled with enormous power.
'Or at least, it will be when I fill it with magical power.' Harry mused.
Harry took the ring into his left hand. Flipping the ring on its side, he looked at the small pentagram on the inside surface of the ring. He pricked his finger to get a drop of blood and pressed the blood to the pentagram. The runes that run along the ring's surface lit up with magic ensuring his sole ownership of the ring.
Harry put the ring on his index finger. The ring was unsurprisingly a bit loose but that was not an issue. The ring let out a small shiver before it shrunk down in size to fit his finger perfectly. Reaching out with his magic Harry was relieved to find the ring welcomed his magic in. It felt like the first time he was holding his wand. There was a euphoric warmth that spread out from the tip of his fingers to all ends of his body.
"Nice." Harry said, looking at his new magical foci.
The Elder Wand is undoubtedly a powerful magical foci but it was certainly not having a good time in this world. The Elder Wand's greatest advantage is that it holds impressions of powerful wizards from ages past. So, any spell he performs using the wand gets a boost from these age-old impressions gathered by the Deathstick. However, the magic-drain happening in this world has the potential to wipe the slate clean so to speak and leave the Elder Wand as just an ordinary wand.
So, an idea came to him to make a new magical foci. Hence, the ring!
Of course, using magic rings is not exactly a new idea.
Ancient Aryan wizards used spellforged rings as conduits for spells. Although, rings are not exactly preferred for sophisticated magic. They were best used for wide-area affecting spells.
"There you are, nephew."
Harry stopped admiring his new magical foci in favour of looking at his uncle, Benjen Stark.
"Ah, I was hoping to find you." said Harry, nodding at Master Hardin to present the gift he had prepared for his uncle.
The young blacksmith picked up a wooden box from a nearby table and presented it to Benjen.
"What's in here?"
Opening the box Ben was left speechless as his eyes took in a beautifully casted longsword having distinct ripple patterns all over the blade's surface.
"You made this for me?" Ben asked, taking the blade out of the case and appreciating it with a few swings.
"I know you just had your 22nd namesday. Consider this a gift." said Harry.
"Have I ever told you just how weird you talk? No six-year-old talks like you do." said Benjen, still marvelling at his new sword.
"There are no six-year-olds like me." said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.
"I've noticed." Benjen said, sardonically. "Well, this is a fine gift, Harry. In fact, I have a gift of sorts for you as well."
"Oh. I'm curious to see what you have for me uncle Benjen."
Benjen gave him a crooked smile.
"How do you feel about a trip to find some Unicorns in Skagos?"
Harry stared at his uncle to see whether the man was joking. Seeing as that is not the case a smile blossomed on Harry's face.
"When do we leave?" he asked eagerly.
"Now." said Benjen before picking Harry up in a scoop despite his protests before leaving the smoke-filled shop of the smith.
The next half an hour was sort of a blur for Harry. He was quite confused at the pace by which everything was happening but he was not complaining. A trip to the secluded island of Skagos where he could examine Unicorns and other magical beasts of this planet is the most exciting thing that's ever been about to happen in the last six years.
So, he was very happy to start this journey. The downside, however...
"You alright Harrion?" asked the newly knighted Jory Cassel.
Harry was sitting on Jory's horse with the newly appointed knight holding the reins. In his excitement about the journey, he had almost forgotten just how slow the journey was going to be. This would not be an easy journey where he could cut out travel time with portkeys, brooms and apparation.
"Can I at least have my own horse?" Harry whined.
"Not possible nephew. As it is, your mother is just about ready to eat me alive. So, count yourself lucky you are even having this journey." said Benjen, who was holding Jon close to his chest on his horse.
"Hiyah!"
Benjen and Jon took the lead while Jory and Harry followed them. Ten guards accompanied them on horses and they were out of the north gate before long. Harry watched the castle disappear behind him with his father and mother looking at them from the distance. He couldn't help but wonder why they'd agree to let him go.
Either way, he was quite happy he does not have to present the warhammer to the King. He was hardly one for ceremonies and his father plans to hand over the weapon to the King in a formal setting. That kind of thing was reserved for Robb as he is the heir to the seat of Winterfell. However, Harry was the one to make the weapon so it is his prerogative to put a price on it. He just hoped Robb is successful in presenting the price he was asking for the weapon to the King. Moreover, he hoped the King would oblige especially after the trouble he went through to add some extra spells on the weapon.
'I suppose I'll find out if everything went according to plan when I return.' Harry mused, looking towards the road ahead.
AN:
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