"I find myself quite surprised to see you this far north Prince Oberyn. I believe this is the first time a Prince of Dorne has ever visited Winterfell." said Eddard, looking down from his seat at the high table at the small Dornish party assembled inside his hall.
"It seems a lot of interesting happenings are now inside the North. So, I said to my dear daughter here, that we should visit the North and see for ourselves." said Oberyn, nudging his daughter forward who executed a perfect curtsey.
Eddard frowned thoughtfully as he looked at the daughter of the Red Viper. The girl unlike her father and other Dornish people has pale white skin rather than olive skin. But her other traits were similar to the rest of the Dornish party like black hair and dark eyes.
"My daughter Nymeria Sand and my paramour Ellaria Sand." Oberyn introduced.
Now, he had heard of rumours about the famed paramour of the Red Viper. Some rumours he has heard from the south paint her as some sort of foreign witch who has ensnared the Red Viper. But he could not see how this woman was foreign when she looks so much alike to the rest of the Dornish. If there was anyone with foreign looks among the Dornish then it'd be the Red Viper's daughter, Nymeria Sand.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged them both with a respectful nod as they graced him with a curtsey.
"I'd know your intentions in travelling through the North unannounced Prince Oberyn?"
"I was not aware the Seven Kingdoms have a law that prohibits me travel unannounced Lord Stark." Oberyn challenged.
"You speak true but it is considered polite to do so. We could have prepared to receive you properly." Eddard said through gritted teeth.
"I think if one wants to truly know a place it's better to travel unannounced." said Oberyn, a cheeky smile adorning his face.
Eddard felt a headache coming. Although the spies he had found so far seem to have no connection to Dorne he could not help but worry. The Dornish people were not exactly trustworthy, especially those who lived further south. Treachery and subterfuge were in the blood of a Dornishman, especially someone like Oberyn Martell. He could see that in the man's dark eyes. There are also ample reasons for House Martell to hold a grudge against his family. Even if he had nothing to do with it he was still accountable for the deaths of Elia Martell and her children. To this day, their butchered bodies haunted him and he blamed himself for not taking the heads of those monsters with Ice no matter the consequences.
Many moons of planning between Jon, Hoster and himself had gone down the drain that day all because of that monster, Tywin. It was their fervent wish to capture the Mad King alive and put the monster on trial with the whole Seven Kingdoms watching. They could have shown once and for all the sheer madness and raving lunatic that hid behind the skin of the last Targaryen monarch. They could have taken Princess Elia and her children as prisoners and forced an oath of abdication. They could have even repeated the feat with Queen Rhaella paving the way for a legitimate ascension for Robert.
Instead, they were left with the threat of another war in the future when Viserys Targaryen sails across the Narrow Sea to stake his claim on the Iron Throne. It'll be like the Blackfyre rebellions all over again leaving a festering wound that'd bleed Westeros from time to time. No doubt, when Viserys Targaryen gets ready for an invasion there will be lords from the Crownlands, Reach and Dorne to support his claim.
"Give Prince Oberyn and his company bread and salt." Eddard ordered.
He watched the Prince of Dorne accept the Guest rights gracefully followed by others in the Prince's company but he won't be leaving them out of his sight. His eyes strayed to Jory and discreetly signalled for the young knight to come closer.
"My lord?"
"Keep watch on Prince Oberyn and his companions. Wherever they go one of our men must follow. I want to know whom they talk to and if possible, what they are talking about under my roof." he ordered inconspicuously.
"As you will, my lord." Jory nodded.
"Prince Oberyn, the servants will lead you and your companions to the guest quarters. We'll try to make your stay in Winterfell as comfortable as possible given the circumstances." said Eddard.
"Thank you, Lord Stark. Your North is far colder than I imagined but Winterfell is as warm as a new lover. I look forward to meeting you and the rest of your family after a warm bath." said Oberyn before being led away by the servants of Winterfell.
"Call for Maester Luwin. I'm in need of his advice." Eddard ordered, sinking back in his seat as he pondered the reasons for the Red Viper's visit.
XXXXXXXX
Oberyn stared at the tall monolithic structure in awe. The Astronomy tower, the servants of Winterfell called it. He was quite sure Lord Stark had warned his people against him but as always they all underestimated the power of a woman like Ellaria. An offer of some wine and a few sensual looks and touches was all it took for Ellaria to ensnare the servants and guards of Winterfell for their loose tongue. It was safe to say, Ellaria's efforts were not in vain. He came to know that there were a bunch of Archmaesters holed up in this Astronomy tower discussing, studying and verifying some of Harrion Stark's inventions and findings.
The exact nature of those inventions or findings remained a mystery. That's why he was going to find out what those grey-robed old cunts were up to in this magnificent tower.
"There is not even a slight blemish in the structure father. I have only seen this level of smoothness in one place…" Nymeria trailed off running her fingers over the smooth surface of the tower.
"The famed Valyrian architecture method of fusing stone and mortar into one leaving one smooth surface. It seems the Free Cities of Essos and the castle of Dragonstone are not the only places in the world that can boast such architecture." Oberyn mused out loud.
"Maybe we should step inside the tower and find out. I don't think I can take this cold for too long, my love." said Ellaria, shivering like a leaf in the wind despite being wrapped by a thick woollen cloak.
Oberyn was also of the same opinion. The castle and the rooms it offered were warmed warding off the biting cold of the North. But they were no longer inside the warmed halls of the castle. They were standing at the base of the Astronomy tower that was supposedly constructed by Harrion Stark overnight with the might of his magic. It sounded like a tale straight out of the Age of Heroes and Oberyn was quite interested to learn the truth of the matter. He was not the only one. His daughter Nymeria was also interested in learning more about the magic of Harrion Stark that rivals even the feats of Dragonlords of Old Valyria. Her interest in this Harrion Stark was quite understandable. After all, Valyria and its legacies run strong in her blood from her mother's side.
The guards standing guard over the tower did not object to their entry as Oberyn had thought.
'Either Eddard Stark is more of an open person with none of the prejudices against Dorne or the man is a careless fool.' Oberyn thought as he climbed a flight of stairs that led to the many levels of the tower.
There was a total of five levels to the tower. On each level, they'd search for the maesters and Harrion Stark but they found those levels deserted. It was only on the fifth and final level they found their targets. The fifth level was one wide expanse with a lot of open spaces shielded from the outside by large colourful glass panes and curtains. In this large expanse, Oberyn found a small section where the maesters of the Citadel were gathered around a small child. As he crept closer toward the maesters he could hear snippets of the conversation that was going on.
"You mean to tell us that you managed to measure the size of our world with magic?" Oberyn heard one of the maesters ask the Stark boy.
His eyes widened when the boy answered with an emphatic 'yes'.
"How?" Oberyn asked at the same time as the maester did, earning several curious looks from the maesters and a simple raised eyebrow from the Stark boy.
"I didn't know you were an academically inclined man Prince Oberyn." said Harry, eyeing the Prince of Dorne curiously.
"If he wasn't so taken with his less than savoury activities, he'd have made a good maester. Prince Oberyn was a student in the Citadel, a good one as well." said Archmaester Gormon.
"I see. Well, I considered the planet as a perfect circle which it is not. Then I had the length of a sail on a ship at White Harbour measured. When the ship sailed away from the port, I used my magic to measure the distance between my position and the topmost point of the sail as it disappeared on the horizon. Once I had that distance, I merely used simple geometry to construct a right-angled triangle and find the radius of the planet using the sides and the hypotenuse."
Oberyn just stared dumbly at Harrion Stark before he looked at the maesters to see whether they understood all that but he found them similarly lost.
"I'll just show you." said Harrion Stark, a little bit flustered before drawing a circle on the floor.
Oberyn's eyes widened as he watched the Stark boy draw a perfect red circle using a piece of wood while standing! He gaped openly as the Harrion Stark drew a right-angled triangle by extruding a line from one arbitrary point from the circle. One corner of the triangle was at the centre of the circle connected to the arbitrary point in a straight line. The third corner was where the height of the sail was measured. All of these details were written down on the floor and Oberyn noticed the maesters were taking careful notes.
He was not exactly a scholar when it comes to the measures of shapes. He was aware the Citadel taught the subject but his interests lay in the body of men and the substances that kills them and saves them. But, going by the look on the faces of the maesters whatever the Stark boy was showing looked to be authentic. However, one detail did bother him.
"How did you measure the distance from your position to the ship?" asked Oberyn, as measuring that distance seem to be an impossible task. After all, how can someone measure the distance from land to a ship sailing away in the sea?
"Oh, that's quite easy." said Harrion Stark, pointing the stick toward Oberyn.
Oberyn blinked and in the next moment, there was a long green line stretching from the tip of the stick to his heart. There was even a numerical figure written on the far end of the green line denoting the distance.
"It is beautiful." Nymeria whispered reaching out with her hand to touch the green line. Her hand just passed through the green thread as if it was never there.
"For once, the rumours were true after all. You are the Stark whose magic has taken Essos and Westeros by storm. Well met young Stark." Oberyn offered his hand to the young lad who shook it with a grin.
"I'm Oberyn Martell." he introduced himself before pointing to his daughter and paramour, "My daughter Nymeria Sand and my paramour Ellaria Sand."
"Well met. I'm Harrion Stark."
"How old are you?" asked Nymeria, her dark eyes glimmering in a way that Oberyn was quite familiar with.
"Robb and I just celebrated our ninth namesday a few days back." said Harrion, holding a steady gaze with Nymeria.
"You don't sound like or behave like a nine namesdays old child." said Nymeria, a more sensual aura manifesting around her.
"I've been told that many times by most people." Harrion shrugged.
"Really! How about we…"
"Nymeria!" Oberyn warned.
"What?" his daughter pouted for interrupting her fun.
"You are not in Dorne or one of the Free Cities. Keep that in mind." Oberyn warned.
"You are no fun." Nymeria said to her father before turning her dark eyes on Harrion. "Maybe when you gain a few more namesdays you can seek me out in Dorne."
Oberyn's eyebrows rose in surprise as Harrion Stark shook with laughter while his daughter was blushing up a storm.
He looked between the two and wondered to himself, 'Who's the more mature one between the two?'
XXXXXXXXX
The day was pleasant and warm. The usual frigid air of the North was pulling back a little bit or maybe he was also taken in by the weather-changing charms of Winterfell's Godswood. The Unicorns of Skane preferred a warm climate and he provided them with the comfort they needed in return for their cooperation. But now it was time to relocate them from the confines of the Godswood. Winterfell's Godswood has always been a temporary arrangement anyway. The plan has always been for the Unicorns to have a safe haven in Sea Dragon Point where he can easily allot them a larger grazing area without much trouble. Since the area has also not seen large human settlements allotting and warding off a separate plot of land for the Unicorns would be an easy affair.
"These Unicorns, why don't they like men?" asked Oberyn.
Harry eyed the Prince of Dorne out of the corner of his eyes as they watched the Unicorns being led into the airship by the Valkyrie.
"It's not that they dislike men they just prefer the companionship of females. They feel more comfortable in the presence of women." Harry answered.
"Which means they dislike men. Why?" Oberyn pressed on as if the notion that the Unicorns preferred female company somehow offended the man.
"Men are disagreeable creatures while women are more agreeable speaking in a broad sense. These Unicorns are needy babies who want to be pampered and serve their every whim." said Harry, earning some disgruntled sounds from the passing Unicorns. "So, they prefer the company of women."
Harry eyed the Red Viper and the maesters who were busy looking and prodding at the airship. Then he looked at the guards discreetly spying on the activities of these people. His father has ample reasons to distrust these people but the wards have so far not acted against any of them. The maesters have been suitably impressed by the limited amount of magic he has shown them so far and the various discoveries he had made to this day. But those discoveries paled in comparison to his airship. At least, that was the position the maesters of the Citadel were taking. They were adamant to study the airship and that's why he agreed to let them board the airship.
He didn't even mind their insistence on studying the runes he used on the airship. It's not like all the runes he used were visible to the maesters' eyes. The maesters and their interests were understandable but he was far more cautious when it comes to the Red Viper. According to Garlan Tyrell, Prince Oberyn is a dangerous fellow who has crippled Willas Tyrell in a tourney. That particular story was not exactly proof of any hostile intentions from Prince Oberyn as Harry thought tourneys were generally a risky sport.
"Why are you here?" Harry asked, staring hard at the Red Viper cutting straight to the chase instead of dancing around.
"What do you mean?"
"Do not play dumb with me Prince Oberyn. You might think of me as an impressionable child but I'm not naïve. There is a reason why you are here in Winterfell and I'd like to know that reason." Harry said, his eyes gaining a sharpness that took Oberyn back.
"Is that how you treat someone who helped you gain an additional one million gold dragons from the Lannisters?" Oberyn asked silkily.
"Your story of swindling the Lannisters while impressive holds not much value to me. Now, tell me the real reason behind your visit else I'll have to bar you from visiting Avalon in my airship." Harry threatened.
"I seriously doubt that. I took permission from your father for this little trip."
"My father is a good man but a flawed man nonetheless. He tries to see the best in other people which blinds him from the true nature of most men."
"Oh. Then tell me Harrion Stark what virtue is there in choosing the side that has killed an unarmed woman and her two children in cold blood?" Oberyn hissed.
"None." Harry agreed, but he was not easily bowing out when he was getting under the Red Viper's skin. "But I'm sure you'll agree there was also no virtue in fighting for the side of a murderous mad lunatic and a rapist who kept my aunt prisoner in Dorne of all places."
"Agreed. It was not our best moment and we did refuse to send troops to aid the Mad King and Rhaegar until we were threatened with Elia and her children."
"Granted. So, now that it is out of the way, tell me the true reason for your visit Prince Oberyn?" Harry implored.
"Your magic and your wealth can sustain the Lannisters and their hold on the Iron Throne. House Martell cannot let something like that happen. So, I'm here assessing you and your magic to see whether it'd pose a threat."
Harry became thoughtful for a moment. Here was an opportunity that conveniently fell into his lap. He had plans, grand plans that require friendly ports in the south. Not to mention his half-brother was sort of a backup plan if things go sour in King's Landing. For now, the Baratheon dynasty that sits on the Iron Throne was to his advantage. But as the issue with the High Septon has proven that goodwill can come crashing down. Should the secrets behind Jon's parentage be somehow revealed he thought having a friendly ear in Dorne could be advantageous.
"Say that I'm sympathetic to your righteous cause of seeking justice for your sister and her children, what do you expect from me?"
Harry knew his question sort of took the Red Viper by surprise. Even he was a little hesitant to step into this path that'd inevitably lead him to the Great Game as Maester Luwin refers to court politics. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the Game sought him out at some point.
'It is better this way. I'll be seeking out the Great Game and I'll be deciding whom I'm playing against not the other way around.'
XXXXXXXX
Stannis stared into the fire that was burning in the fireplace with his steely blue eyes. His daughter barely survived the greyscale but she was not untouched. The deadly disease has scarred his daughter's cheek with its scales. For now, his daughter survives but all the maesters he had summoned from the Citadel predict that his daughter may not live long enough to enjoy life to the fullest.
He cursed the gods for saddling him with tragedy and insults one after the other.
'Have I not been a dutiful brother always obeying his elder without complaint? Have I not served my king loyally despite the insults he heaps on me? Have I not served the gods and the Seven Kingdoms dutifully by upholding the laws of gods and men? Have I not always acted selflessly and without discrimination? Then why is my daughter suffering?'
These were the questions that were haunting him day and night. He was a hard man and an unamusing man if he took Robert's description. Hard or unamusing he might be but he has always treated others the same way he treated himself. He had done so because he knew the perversions of power and the sin that it incurs on the soul. He had seen how cruel the world can be and he thought it was his solemn duty to be someone who stands for justice above everything else.
'The gods safeguard those who hold justice and duty above all in their hearts.'
Those were the final words of his father before that ill-begotten journey to Essos. Since that day, he had lived by those words. And yet, here he was helplessly watching his poor daughter fight for her life with the most dangerous disease known to man.
He had fallen in love with his child the moment his daughter opened her small blue eyes to look at him. It was a long time since he had felt warmth in his heart and it was because of his daughter. To learn that the cause of that warmth can be snuffed away was unbearable for him.
"Milord. Pardon me if this sounds silly. If the maesters are saying their medicine is not strong enough why not use other methods?"
Stannis pulled his eyes away from the fireplace to stare at his trusted Onion knight.
"Other methods?" he asked with a frown.
"Aye, milord. The Stark boy of Winterfell cured the Spring sickness of White Harbour and Braavosi coastlands with his magical medicine. Sailors of Narrow Sea speaks of an undying star that sits atop the Sept of Snows in White Harbour. Supposedly, it is a gift from Lord Stark's eldest son. The Stark boy is the talk among Braavosi merchants and I'm sure you have heard the rumours in King's Landing as well. The second coming of Brandon the Builder they say. Some say the boy is Garth Greenhand reborn."
"You'd ask me to act on tales of drunken sailors and rumours coming from Smallfolk?" Stannis thundered.
"Milord, you saw the magic of King Robert's Godsgrief. Surely, there is no harm in trying. 'Tis for the good of your daughter is it not? Shouldn't we try all that we can to keep her safe?" asked Ser Davos.
Stannis let out a sigh and tiredly leaned back in his seat. Nonetheless, he took Davos' suggestion to heart. After all, what was the harm in trying?