"She is as beautiful as the day I lost her," he said then he looked at me" is she magic as well?"
"The she-wolf of the North," I say, and the portrait starts to move, she gives a smile, not a restrained and small one like the ladies of the south are thought to give, no hers is almost feral and wild, and then she laughs, surprisingly melodic and pleasant.
"Gods, oh Lianna" Robert tears up.
"We will give you some time" I nod to Barristan and we leave the tent, outside I take from my satchel my pipe and put some herbs in it, and smoke some relaxing herbs
"Wanna try" I offer the pipe.
"No, I thank you my lord but I must remain attentive to all." He says seriously.
"Ah, a true knight of the king's guard indeed."
Some minutes pass and I ask if Barristan has any tales to tell, he of course has and we spend a good half an hour just talking, after that the king calls us back inside.
He is inside sitting on one of my chairs in front of the painting his eyes red from crying, none of us mention it, of course, he looks at me and says.
"What you want, a place in the small council, land, gold, a Royal marriage, say your price." Heh, hook sink and liner.
"I want to take the ironborn Thrall's if the Royal fleet can transport them to the north even better, and if is not asking too much an exemption from taxes for a period, just enough to develop my new lands wherever they may be, let's say 10 year's." If I am not wrong he will die 9 years from now and after that, I will make the north independent, so I will never pay taxes to the iron throne, and 10 years is not that long.
"Done" Is almost too easy, knowledge is the most dangerous of weapons.
"I thank you profoundly, your grace, and if you need a new Painting, healing, magic, or counsel I will always be a message away." I bow to him." I will move the painting to your ship, and let us keep this painting between us it would make it awkward if lord Stark found out about it don't you agree?" He cringes a little.
"Aye, it's for the best," he says
After that he leaves with his knight and I transport the painting to his flagship and then I return to my tent and my sword, after I spent that time concentrating on it I feel, a connection you could say with her, it is in the table still, I look at it and pull with telekinesis, it flies to my hand, oh yes now we talking, I pull Her out of the scabbard and look at her, Eldritch night, yeah I have no talent for names, but fuck it I have a flying, indestructible always sharp black sword.
The next day lord Stark send for me, and I put Eldritch night on my hip and follow the squire, as usual, Starchaser is flying around, as I arrived the lord's around looked at me, this time just the northern are there, some of them smile and greet me others make a sour face, I direct myself to lord Stark who is sitting behind a table and bow lightly.
"Lord Stark you sent for me"
"Yes, Lord Palestars we shall decide where in the north you will lord over." He says for all to hear." The decision will be mine but as a decision that will affect the north as a whole, its lords may give their opinion on the matter as well."
"Well, the gift is empty and you were planning to repopulate the area no?" said Lord Karstark.
"Aye, but it also is crawling with fucking wildlings, we would have to patrol the land and protect the small folk of Antares till he trains a force to protect himself, Besides he told us he can make any land give fruit so maybe a land less fertile than the gift would be more beneficial" Umber put his opinion as well.
"Skagos?" Said a Lord in the back.
"The skagosi are probably the worse the north has to offer, cannibals, and let us be fair that island is part of the North in name only, when was the last time any of you received a skagosi lord in your halls, they don't have crows so we can't even message them." Lord Manderly interceded.
"What about the Moat." Said the quiet man beside lord Stark, he has a bronze brochure holding his cape in a form of a lizard lion, must be a Reed.
"It is quite the strategic localization for the north to let in the hands of an unknown is a risk and the southern lords wouldn't like us rebuilding Moat Cailin, it sends the wrong message." Said, lord Bolton
"If you're worried about the Palestars betraying the north the moat is actually the best location, he would be surrounded by the Flint's and the Dustins in the west the Reeds in the South, the Manderlys and Locke in the east and the Cerwyn and Starks on the north." Lord Mormont argued.
"His magic could help the land as well and it would be a lot closer to Winterfell, if the southern lord's get upset about it you could always tell them to fuck themselves, in our lands only the king has a fucking say about it." Lord Glover enters the conversation
I decided to enter the conversation at this moment.
" I broke a deal with the king, he will let me take the ironborn workforce and the Royal fleet will help the transportation, but if they have to travel to the shivering sea to reach Skagos the deal might change, is a long way after all, but it is the Moat, they can take the Saltspear and leave the small folk in the doors of the Moat practically," I said
"You convinced the king to let you take ironborn Thrall's and use the Royal fleet, when the fuck you did that and why didn't I hear about it," Umber said from his chair.
"I did it while you were drunk."
"That doesn't narrow it down and you know it."
Everyone laughed at his response, well Bolton didn't but fuck him.
"Jest aside I broke this agreement last night you were not the only one outside the loop," I say to him.
"Them, I believe it's decided, Moat Cailin will be under the rulership of House Palestars from now onwards." He stands up and points to the map" from Saltspear to the bite, everything west of the White knife and east of Dustin's land is under House Palestars control, its people will be your people from now on, you will be responsible for caring, protecting and feeding your people, you will be responsible for dispatch justice when necessary,do you take this privilege and burden?." He says with authority.
"Yes Lord Warden Stark I accept the privilege the responsibility and the burden, I and my descendants shall treat our people with justice and fairness, we shall feed all, care for them and defend them with our life if necessary"I bow with a hand in my chest.
"Then rise a Lord of the North" he clasps hands with me and smiles, umber comes, slaps my back hard, and says.
"Pretty speech worthy of a princess, did you practice?"
"Pfff, I pull that out of my ass," I say smiling he laughs loudly Other lords come and welcome me into the fold, others don't, but as I said many times today, fuck them, we celebrate for while but we go our separate ways early than usual because tomorrow we end this rebellion.
The armies of the North and the Stormlands are forming in front of the gates of castle Pike it's a very intimidating sight from the walls, I would know, im looking at it from the walls,im on top of one of the towers of the gatehouse as a crow, I see the Greyjoy soldiers running from one side to another in the wall, caring arrows and rocks, some are boiling water, they're getting ready, oh those poor fools.
My mission is to open the gate first then I go to the Greyjoy children and on the way, I suicide Euron down the stairs, sounds good, simple, easy to remember, yeah good plan.
The controls of the gate are inside of the gatehouse(duh) is a room with two doors one on each opposing side, each leading to a side of the wall, there are at least 100 guys on the wall, and more in the area behind the wall, so if my atrocious math is correct 300 here and more on the keep, ok I can do this.
I fly inside the gatehouse, 20 guys are inside boiling water to throw down the murder holes and checking the crossbows and arrows, doing their jobs in general, the doors are open, but I see there are heavy bars to block them in case of the enemy scale the wall, nice.
I go to the back of the room and turn back into my human form, something cool I learned is Eldritch night transforms with me, so she is in my hip, well she was, as soon as I turn back she flies into a guy back and impales him, using my telekinesis a close the doors shut, the bars fall in place and is just me and them.
They, of course, charge me, but I have a spell ready for the situation, a thumb size fire wisp flies into the middle of the room, it implodes and then explodes filling everywhere with fire, I didn't think this through.
As the fire reach my beautiful self I use control flames to hold it at bay, I took some nasty burns on my hands for my stupidity but when I look at these charcoals in front of me, I feel like I got off easy, I need a fucking healing spell, I have to write it down.
After the explosion, the ironborn soldiers might, just might, have noticed something was wrong with the gatehouse, that's why these concerned Reavers started axing down the doors, I cast a wall of fire on one of the doors and have Eldritch night stab though the door the guy on the other side, so the son of whore will stop that for now, and the next guy will think twice before getting close to the door.
So the draw bridge is down leaving the portcullis that im raising now and then the fucking gate, in the movies this shit is a lot faster and I am using fucking magic to raise it, those fucking burns hurt man.
BAM a fucking goat head took down the door on the left, of course, they have a battering ram in here because fuck me that's why, from my hands, another wisp of fire fly's this time out the door, I hear the boom the fire entering the door and the screams, the smell is starting to get overwhelming, two more reavers enter the gatehouse, they don't learn, Eldritch night fly's to the first guy and Slash in a diagonal, he block but it's a normal sword against a valyrian steel one with the strength of telekinesis, the guy gets fruit ninjed, from the shoulder to the hip, clean cut the second one loses his head for his trouble, is starting to get full here, but the fucking portcullis is open.
I leave the gatehouse and see first the ironborn burned by my fireball but further in the wall a lot ironborns are riddled with arrows, I look from the wall and see that the armies have advanced and are skirmishing with the defenders, strong booms are sounding under my feet, a battering ram is on the gate, good I don't have to do everything, I call night back to my scabbard and transform into a crow, time to kill the crow's eye.
I fly through the halls of the ironborn keep, soldiers run to the gates, and Thrall's run away from that direction, but not a sign of my prey anywhere, I look over the great hall where the black throne is and the nobles are united but I don't fucking see him, I see Baelon sitting on his ugly chair what is left of his sons, but no Euron, fuck.
"Aeron, go fetch Theon and Asha, bring them here," Baelon said in a sour tone.
Sigh, that is my cue I guess, he probably going to their quarters, I fly ahead of him to reach them first.
CHANGE OF POV: Asha Greyjoy
"Please, my prince come here, we are not supposed to leave your quarters," said Ilia our milkmaid and caretaker.
"But im a Greyjoy im supposed to be fighting not hiding here, with the womans." He whined
Asha just shakes her head, how someone she's related with could be so whi- a Knock on the door.
"My prince, move away from the door please" as Theon got away from the door, Illia open the door, a tall man was there, taller than her uncle and father, he has fire-red hair and blue eyes that might look green depending the direction you look, he is quite odd, too colorful, I never saw him before either.
"Why, hello there." he smiles "I came to take the prince and princess to their father." He looks at us smiling, I don't trust him.
"And who you are," I ask him
"Oh, my, where are my manners" he gives a mockery bow" I am Antares Palestars Lord of Moat Cailin, druid, healer, and master of the Arcane." Illia tries to close the door in his face but is stopped in the middle like something is blocking it.
"Nononono please leave us alone" Ilia cried ran to us and took us both in an embrace, the door gently closed behind him, fear already took Illia and my brother that can't even make a sound, pale and shaking in Ilia's arms.
"I am no liar, I have the intention to take the children to their father, the gates have been breached and the castle has been invaded, I'm just here to guarantee your safety on the way"
I look at him he only has a sword, no armor and is alone how is he supposed to protect us, I don't know what Arcane is but if I never heard of it can't be that useful, maybe I could get rid of him with my dagger.
"No, you can't young Princess, but I find it adorable that you think you can." My blood freezes he smiles at me, the fear that was absent till now is starting to worm its way into me, but suddenly something hit the door heavily three times.
"Open the door woman I'm here to take the prince and princess to the king." Screamed a voice from the other side, the door opened by itself and uncle Aeron enter enters look around, and find the Northern, he immediately pulled his sword and flew to the ceiling, a sorcerer that is why he is Alone, I start to shake.
CHANGE POV: ANTARES PALESTARS
"Aeron, while you are up there answer me a question, where is Euron" I already have to detect thoughts up, I see him talking with Euron but is fuzzy and the sound is drowned down, he has a confused mind but all I have to do is go deeper, I pull the
Candles change they fire color, flash my eyes, I say"Submit" and delve deep into his mind.
I see a conversation between Balon and Euron, Euron talk about how he dreamed about being burned alive by a red star and only the cold sea water would save him, Balon mock Euron calling him a superstitious idiot, Aeron believe is a sign, and the next day they're informed that Euron jumped off one of the towers into the sea, I leave his mind.
Fuck, fucking piece of shit of course he escaped, I'm not stupid enough to believe he died, sigh, fuck.
I am really tired of the iron islands, what a shitty place.
"Come, we head for the great hall" I turn to them they are Very scared now, looking at uncle, I look back to Aeron, arms wide open, in the ceiling bleeding from the eyes and ears, I look at the children, yep that's trauma, oh well.
"Move or I will make you" that put them on their feet and walking, Aeron float with us, I drop every ironborn on the way easily enough and then we arrive at the great hall.
Inside of it was all that was left of the rebellion a handful of lords and soldiers, let's try the diplomatic approach.
"Lord Baelon the gates have fallen, it's only a question of time for the king's soldiers to arrive here, surrender now and spare us all the time." My voice boomed through the hall a lot louder since I am using thaumaturgy.
"Kill him" yelled Victarion, Eldritch night was already on the face of the first guard that approached, it took six other dead guards for Balon to intervene
"Enough it's clear that we Will not be able to kill him" he looks at me up and down" what is your price, lordship, land whatever the stag is paying you I double it, hell take my daughter to be your rock wife." He offers.
I look at the nine years old girl behind me, what the actual fuck, this guy is not right in the head, I approach.
"I'm fine where I stand, thank you." I disarm Victorian and levitate Balon out of the throne and throw him down the hall but before that, I take the ugly wooden crown, and in front of everyone it burns.
Sometime after soldiers start to pour into the great hall.
"Ah, your Grace, Lord Stark you took the scenic route I see." I smile, I am in front of the black throne, on my right are Asha and Theon with the milkmaid, and on the left are Victorian, Aeron, and Balon with a broken nose, the others ironborn around the hall were on their knees, i used this time to bandage my burned hands as well.
I go to Robert and Ned, "your grace, Lord Warden, Pike is yours" I pull the Greyjoy and force them to kneel.
"Your Rebellion is over Balon." He hit the hammer on the ground.