The lands of the Mountain clans were far from suited for travellers. There was only so long the horses could safely travel. For the rest of the journey, they had to take it on foot. There were no clear roads ahead to the scattered villages of the Mountain clans. The best of the paths were filled with stones, thick vines and whatnot. The thick woods surrounding the path they took were filled with wild boars, shadow cats and other deadly creatures. But, most of all, this trip was getting hampered by bees, leeches and mosquitoes that were giving them a bloody welcome.
Harry was seriously thinking of attempting to make a broom. He was getting tired of moving on his foot or even using horses for long journeys. A broom should solve his problems. Apparition should have been a fantastic solution but Harry was not willing to test it out because of a lack of magical healers. If he managed to splinch himself in the process it will certainly be difficult for him to reverse the effects by his lonesome.
"Are we there yet?" asked Harry, tired and getting frustrated as there seem to be no end to this journey.
"Nearly there milord." Genn answered.
Harry regretted saving the man from the direwolf's jaws. The man somehow managed to convince his uncle that it'd be a great idea to visit the lands controlled by the Burleys. As if a journey to Skagos was not enough his uncle for reason unknown to him readily agreed.
He was not the only one hating this trip.
Harry eyed the black direwolf inside the makeshift cage they had built up. Some careful application of binding magic saw to the direwolf being confined to the cage safely. Harry even applied a feather-light charm on the cage for good measure. This eased the burden on the horse that carried the cage. Although, Harry had to recast the charm daily as the magic would frizzle out by night.
The direwolf growled at Harry showing his displeasure.
"Yeah, you and me both Fenris." Harry muttered while turning to eye Genn accusingly.
The direwolf let out another growl probably hating the name he gave it. But, Harry gave it no mind. If it didn't want to be in this position it should not have charged out of the safety of the woods.
Harry picked up his pace so that he was level with Benjen.
"Why do we have to go meet the Burleys?" Harry asked once he was near his uncle.
"Because we are Starks. According to Genn the Burleys, Knotts and Wulls have been trying to send messengers to Winterfell requesting aid. This winter has been particularly harsh in the mountains. Their people are starving and they seek Winterfell's help." said Benjen.
"Why would their messengers not reach Winterfell?" Harry wondered out loud.
"Most likely because of the wolf. Direwolfs don't travel alone. They hunt in packs. The rest of the pack must have attacked anyone leaving the settlements of the clans."
"If that's the case, shouldn't we have just sent Genn on his way to Winterfell instead of climbing the mountains?" asked Harry.
"The Mountain clans aid the Night's Watch and take care of any stray Wildlings who circumvent the Wall. If they have a problem then it has to be addressed promptly. It is better to take stock of the situation and I can write a message for your father for a speedy resolution." Benjen explained.
"Why don't they just send a raven to Winterfell?" asked Harry, a frown taking over his face.
"The Mountain clans are incredibly picky when it comes to outsiders. They don't allow Maesters of the Citadel into their lands."
Seeing Harry's downtrodden face Benjen clapped him on his shoulder.
"Don't be disappointed nephew. The Clansmen are good hunters and trackers. We can take some of them with us to Skagos to find more Unicorns."
With that settled they continued the journey in earnest.
In the end, it took the better part of the week for them to reach the first settlement. By which time Harry was ready to experiment with another piece of magic he has been working on for quite a while. The Mountain clans just happened to be on the path for Harry.
XXXXXXX
Benjen appreciated the lengths to which Megg Burley went through to welcome him as well as his nephews. It was customary to welcome guests into one's home with bread and salt. However, among the clans, Northern ale and meat tend to be the norm.
Benjen drained a full horn of Northern ale in one go to the applause of the Burleys.
"We welcome the brother of The Ned into our home." Megg Burley declared before pouring a small portion of the ale on the ground.
"For the Old Gods!"
Benjen also joined in enthusiastically before asking for a refill.
"How can you drink this stuff?" asked Harrion looking like he was about to burst after taking a mouthful of the ale.
"The biting cold at the Wall is held at bay by this ale. The first time I drank this ale was with my father. Trust me, I had the same look as you do now. But, over the years I've learned to live with it." said Benjen, patting his nephew on the head.
"I still remember the time when The Rickard visited us. Of course, Lady Lyanna was also present. She even took a liking to one of our steeds. My grandfather used to say Lady Lyanna was half a horse."
Benjen smiled but inside he was pained by the memories of the past. The past often held bitter memories and nothing else for Benjen. His father was a hard man as attested by all who knew him. But, there were times when Lord Rickard would become considerate, warm and loving. Rarely did the people around him get to see this side but Benjen was fortunate enough to see it. The trip to the Northern mountains was one such time when his father behaved much more warmly.
He still remembered his father helping Lyanna onto a troublesome steed. Benjen had of course climbed after his sister and the steed did not like that one bit. He was thrown off the horse while Lyanna held onto the horse. His sister ended up riding the horse while he got injured. It was his father whom everyone called an unforgiving and cold man ended up staying the whole night taking care of him.
Those memories felt like another lifetime away and he felt incredibly fortunate to have lived them. Perhaps, that's why the guilt drove him to take the Black and serve the remainder of his life as a brother of the Night's Watch. If he had spoken the truth then his father wouldn't have died nor would have Brandon.
Benjen eyed Jon who was coughing up a storm after taking a mouthful of Northern ale. He smiled at the sight as Harrion tried to help Jon cope with the cold beverage.
'Perhaps, even Lyanna would have lived if I had spoken the truth. Even the war could have been avoided and Rhaegar would have lived. Jon would've grown up with both his parents.' Benjen thought.
Even Benjen was in the dark of many undercurrents that happened. For example, he could not fathom how Lyanna fell in love with Rhaegar Targaryen of all people. The man was married and had two children!
Then there is the whole mystery of how Rhaegar Targaryen fell for his sister. At least, his sister had heard stories of the Silver Prince who could make maidens cry with the magic he works on his harp. As far as he was aware, his sister should not have been a well-known figure before the events of the Tourney of Harrenhall. So, it stands to reason that Rhaegar only became interested in his sister as the tourney progressed. It's an awfully short period of time for someone like Rhaegar to have developed strong enough feelings to end up eloping with his sister. After all, the man had shamed his wife in front of the Seven Kingdoms and then doubled down by eloping with Lyanna.
So, even Benjen, who knew better than most about the events around Rhaegar and Lyanna, was still stumbling in the dark. The only people that knew the truth unaltered were dead beneath the soil. Even Eddard who managed to have the final word with Lyanna knew little of what truly happened.
In the absence of truth, he could only find comfort in blaming himself and that led him to take the Black despite objections from his elder sibling. In his own way, he could serve the North and protect what generations of Starks have built and preserved.
Just so, Benjen took stock of the issues plaguing the Burleys. The small plots of land with crops planted were destroyed by the harsh winter. The mountains of the North were famed for producing fresh and tasty apples, cabbage, turnips, carrots, pine etc which they used to trade away for wheat, fur, spices and other essential commodities.
However, Benjen could only take stock of the apple trees and pine that has managed to produce enough fruits for the clans to trade away. The rest of their products took a beating and they have barely enough products to be traded away for other essential commodities.
And this was just one of the many settlements of the Mountain clans. If he was to take the word of Megg Barley then the other settlements were not fairing any better.
"That's a lot of loss for a community this far away from any trade ports to easily handle." Harrion commented.
"Aye, you're right." Benjen agreed. "This is far worse than I thought. They'll need more supplies coming in. Of course, we will most likely have to ask for extra grain from the Riverlands or maybe even the Reach."
"Hmm… I have another idea if you're willing to be a little bit patient." said Harrion.
Benjen frowned. "Don't tell me you can magic food out of thin air."
"Not thin air. How good are you at carving runes on a stone?"
Benjen could only look at his nephew with a look of total bewilderment. What does carving on a stone has to do with feeding a whole community?
Apparently, there was a lot of merit in carving squabbled lines. Benjen only learned that when his nephew decided to spend a whole week on the Barley land teaching anyone who'd listen to make perfect copies of a sample runestone. Of course, his nephew sold the whole thing under the pretence this was some fabled gift from the Old Gods and Brandon the Builder. Such ridiculous stories might fly with his elder brother, not Benjen.
Benjen has seen the extent of magic Harrion was willing to show throughout their journey. With what he has seen so far, he could not make any connection between Harrion's magical ability and the Old Gods. In all the time he served at the Wall and the ranging beyond the Wall, he has come across many strange creatures and magic of some form or another. He was not like those southern origin Black brothers who easily dismiss the tales of skinchangers and greenseers as myths or mere stories. But, he has never seen or heard of the things which Harrion can do with his magic anywhere else.
With just a wave of his hand, Harrion had immobilized Benjen. Harrion did the same to the direwolf and even had the wolf floating in the air. Then all this way the wolf could hardly move because Harrion locked up the wolf's limbs with magic. Then there was that magic flask that conjures up warm water. He had tested the flask by holding the flask upside down. Water continued to flow until a large puddle formed right before his eyes. It was as if the flask contained an ocean of water within which was ludicrous to think but Benjen had no other choice but to believe this to be true.
And now, his nephew claims he can do some miracle to alleviate the food shortages.
"So, how's this going to work?" asked Benjen as scores of people carved runes as they speak.
"It's a complicated process but I'll make it simple for you. A portion of the runes will ward off the biting cold ad keep the land warm. This will help in the growth of the crops. Another portion of the runes will pull the needed organic matter for the crops to flourish. Then the magic that I imbue into the runestones shall work to speed up the growth of the crops." said Harry, with the ease of discussing the weather.
Benjen looked at his nephew as if Harrion had grown another head.
"You are telling me that these stones of yours can grow crops because they have some magic in them! How long does it take for the crops to grow if we do this?"
"Two to three days if the magic is strong enough." said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.
Although quite struck by the notion that his nephew could easily alleviate food shortage for the North, Benjen held it in and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The sheer potential behind his nephew was enormous. Harrison could change the North like Garth the Greenhand changed the Reach. If the true depth of Harrion's abilities spread wide Benjen realized his nephew would attract all sorts of attention. Most likely not the good kind as Westeros is filled with vipers ready to strike at anyone trying to shift the careful balance of power.
It's bad enough that Harrion was already famous for spawning out Valyrian steel weapons like a baker making bread. All this attention may also endanger Jon.
More than ever, Benjen became determined to increase the training of his nephews. In Westeros, every advantage should be exploited to the farthest extent if one intends to survive. And these two are going to need a whole lot of luck and skill if they are to face the world.