Eddard GreyStark looked at the soldiers from other kingdoms; they were worried.
The discomfort in each person's eyes when they looked at him was evident. He wasn't going to deny that he felt uncomfortable, but how could he avoid it? Not long ago, they passed through what he would consider a ship graveyard, adorned with floating corpses.
It was obvious that this was the north, but Ned was contemplating who among them could have done this, who had the route where they were going to pass. The Pearl was out of the question since they had pursued Euron, leaving Jack or Jones in this small group.
Another thing that was unsettling people was the weather. Since they departed, the sun had never come out, the sky was covered with black clouds and adorned with lightning. But what was most frightening was that the sea was very calm. With weather like this, anyone would think that a devastating storm was going to hit at any moment, but it was quite the opposite. The sea was calm, which put everyone on edge, including the captains who were navigation experts.
The cold weather was also a problem. The Southerners were not used to this climate. He didn't feel cold because he had endured worse in his time. This breeze was nothing, not even the fog was a problem for him because he was used to it. Maybe it was bad, but his northern side was happy with what he was seeing, very happy.
And then the unexpected happened—a deafening sound was heard, not just once, but several times.
Ned only stood up from where he was. The fog made it difficult to see. On each of the ships, all the men heading to the Iron Island took up their weapons as if that was going to help them.
Ned knew it was the cannons that the North had created. He just heard the shots until a huge curtain of fire became visible.
Pyke, the main island of the Iron Islands, was practically ablaze as if they were arriving in hell itself. All the flanks of the island were being bombarded by cannons. The northern ships were monstrous, and the screams of people could be heard even from this distance.
This was no longer a war; it was a total massacre.
Ned looked over the edge of the ship, where he could see a significant number of floating corpses. It seemed the Greyjoys had concentrated much of their military force, but they were overwhelmed by the fury of the northern military force.
Ned began to search with his eyes until he saw a crowd of people on the island. They were all on their knees, surrounded by Persians. Just by seeing this, he instantly knew these people were innocent. The Persians wouldn't do such things without an order from Harry.
On one hand, he felt relieved that innocents weren't dying on the battlefield. It was inevitable that they would die, he knew that perfectly well. Many wished to defend their home, but at least not killing them all was like showing that they didn't kill for the sake of killing like the Lannisters did when they entered King's Landing and massacred, raped, and committed many atrocities against those who stood in their way.
Not even the boats were prepared to go to the island to see what was happening. Only when the cannons stopped firing did people react and start to act, but Ned didn't take his eyes off the island.
.
Castle Pyke of the Greyjoys.
In all its splendor, Harry Stark was seated on the throne of the Iron Islands. For any islander, this was undoubtedly an insult, and Harry knew it perfectly well.
He only had to look at Balon, the supreme ruler of the Iron Islands, who was on his knees on the floor. Not that Balon could do much, after all; Mya was by his side, waiting for him to stand up to decapitate him.
There was no worse dishonor than what Balon was feeling at this moment. It was a true insult, amusing each of the lords. Who would have thought that the northerners would attack the Iron Islands in this way? The North had never responded to the attacks of the Ironborn.
But even worse was that a northerner was sitting on the throne of the Ironborn as if he were superior to them. It was a much greater blow to their pride. Their fleet was crushed, their army was crushed, their islands were trampled, and of course, their pride.
The Ironborn were extremely proud of everything, but what was their pride at this moment? A pile of trash to Harry, who was sitting on the throne as if it were his own.
- "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." - Harry stood up from the throne and walked toward Balon. He crouched to grab him by his hair and forced him to lift his gaze. - "I sense much fear in you." - Harry had a smile, but Balon's response was expected; he spat in the Stark's face, an act that would have consequences, as the other lords and Mya were ready to teach him a lesson. - "Proud to the end... but it's easy to destroy." - Harry looked at the man; there were many ways to destroy a man, especially one like Balon. - "I will spare your life... but I will take your daughter and son. They will be raised in the north. Don't worry, they will grow up as northerners." - Harry knew this was worse than death for Balon. - "Long live King Balon Greyjoy."
Immediately after, Mya cut off Balon's left hand, causing him to let out a heartbreaking scream that could be heard outside the castle.
Harry's smile disappeared, returning to that cold gaze; there was no need to act this way anymore.
When Mya cut off Balon's hand, all the northerners in the hall followed Harry.
When he opened the castle door, he found that the troops of the other kingdoms had arrived, a little late or very late, depending on the circumstances in which they wished to find the island.
Harry wasn't going to say anything if the islanders surrendered peacefully. But no, Pyke had to show its pride and want to face the northern force. No one who was not part of the military was killed; that's why they were led like sheep to the outskirts of the island so none of them would be hurt in the battle. It was a shame, but it was the punishment they had to receive for their rulers' idiocy and uncontrollable ambition.
Harry saw some looking at him with disdain; he didn't care about those looks at all because what they truly felt was fear.
- "Lord Stark, what does all this mean?" - Jon Arryn, for one, was stunned by everything he saw on his way to the castle—highly armed northern soldiers with high-quality armor and never-before-seen ships surrounding the island, but above all, the corpses of Ironborn soldiers. - "This massacre was unnecessary... you could have asked them to surrender."
- "Robert, Balon Greyjoy is waiting for you." - Harry completely ignored Jon's angry words. Jon was about to say something, but he saw that Robert just started laughing. To the king, Harry had guts. Robert walked into the castle where Balon was, along with his best friend Ned, leaving Jon behind. - "Why don't you surrender, Jon? My patience is not eternal, or do you want the Vale to end this way?"
- "Lord Stark." - Jon was angry. He knew Robert wouldn't say anything, and any word he said now could be considered false since no southerner was with him at this moment, only Harry and the other northern lords who accompanied him. - "Threatening the Hand of the King can be considered treason... so I warn you, you do not want me as an enemy."
- "Sending letters to the Boltons doesn't scare me, Jon." - Harry didn't talk much with his enemies, but he wanted to make an exception with Jon because it was the perfect moment. Why hadn't Jon gone with Robert to see Balon's condition? Why didn't he accompany the king to present his complaints about the ruthless act Lord Stark had committed against the Ironborn? The answer was so simple it could even be frightening. - "I can see every move you make... you couldn't stop the north's advance, and you tried, I can say many times, but you failed, again and again." - Harry felt Jon's anger; it was easily controllable. Not even Jon knew why he remained still; using magic subtly was always fun in its way. - "But I must thank you. Thanks to you, I have enough evidence to eliminate the Boltons... for treason."
At that moment, Jon realized the position he was in; he had fallen into a trap. Harry knew about the letters Jon himself had sent to the Boltons to gather information about the north and if something could be done to affect the north, mainly the Starks.
Jon didn't say a single word and finally began to climb the stairs to see what Ned and Robert were doing in the castle. Harry made no gesture and walked on.
The lords who accompanied him, including his sister Mya, were smiling and surprised.
Harry had said what he was going to do, which was rare because every decision Harry made was practically meticulously analyzed so the enemy couldn't detect his next move. But this time, Harry himself said he was going to kill the Boltons, something that would undoubtedly cause great problems because House Bolton was one of the oldest houses in all of Westeros, and eliminating it would generate discussions throughout the kingdom. They still believed that the Boltons were the second most important house in the north, only after the Starks, something Harry had taken care to change.
The northern force began to withdraw, leaving the southerners behind. They would take care of the rest.
Each lord boarded their respective ship. The only one who didn't want to leave was Ben, who was waiting to see what his nephew was going to do.
Harry looked at a certain point where there was a man visibly complaining; it was his future father-in-law. He wouldn't deny that the man was annoying, even in the war or supposed war. Mace Tyrell was trying everything possible to break the engagement of his beloved daughter and Lord Stark. Since the engagement with Margaery Tyrell became public, Harry had never visited Highgarden to meet her.
Artemisia looked at her brother, not understanding why he didn't put that useless man in his place. It wasn't a big deal; he wasn't in charge at Highgarden. He fancied himself the commander of an army but was a complete fool. And now he was complaining because the north won a war.
Mya, on the other hand, was curious to know what her brother's fiancée was like. The only one who had met her was Artemisia, but she wasn't the best to give details. According to Harry, she had to be careful, something Artemisia accepted because the girl pretended to be an innocent person but was very astute, a snake hidden behind a beautiful rose.
- "Uncle Ben, go to Winterfell, and give the order to capture them." - Harry looked at his uncle, who was waiting to know what Harry was planning. His look suggested he was analyzing his next move, which seemed to target Mace Tyrell. - "I think it's time to meet my fiancée."
.
.
Highgarden (One Week Later)
The massacre of the wolf—that's how the Greyjoy rebellion was referred to throughout Westeros.
Many lords were on edge about what the Northerners had done. Some called for a considerable punishment for Lord Stark for what his men had done. But their complaints were obsolete; the crown was not going to do anything against the Northerners, let alone the Starks. Firstly, because Robert appreciated the Starks, and secondly, and much more importantly, the crown owed a lot of money to the Starks.
One of the most powerful houses in Westeros, House Lannister, came out in support of the Starks. In war, anything goes; the lion got what it wanted in the war. They executed Euron Greyjoy, and his head was hung in Tywin Lannister's office for everyone to see what would happen to those who mess with the great golden lion.
But in Highgarden, there was one person who was more eager to meet Harry Stark. His actions in the Iron Islands had instilled fear to the point that some suitors decided to stop insisting on breaking her engagement to Lord Stark because of what happened in the Iron Islands.
The Iron Islands had 26 houses; previously, of those 26, only 15 remained. Eleven houses were exterminated by the Northern army.
House Greyjoy continued to rule but was crushed by the Starks. The current head of House Greyjoy, Balon Greyjoy, according to rumors, was in a terrible state. All his brothers were killed, his two sons were taken to the North to be raised there, and to complete it, one of his hands was cut off.
Important houses like Blacktyde were eradicated without mercy, their castles burned. The 15 houses that remained standing were forced to kneel before Harry.
That was something that intrigued Margaery. The Ironborn did not kneel before Robert, who was the king of the Seven Kingdoms. They knelt before Harry to save their lives or to show that they would not resist. It was curious because she saw this as a warning to the other kingdoms. It was as if Harry wanted to make it clear that everyone had to be attentive; the wolf was not going to follow a stag for much longer. Maybe Harry wanted to rule Westeros; she liked that. She was going to be queen because she was ambitious too.
- "My Lady, a Northern ship is approaching the port." - One of the many servants of Highgarden came to inform her, something that was undoubtedly surprising since no one had ever seen a ship from the North when they brought some gift from Harry. So this meant that perhaps it was the moment to meet her betrothed.
Olenna Tyrell watched the ship approaching the port, a ship she had never seen before, a gigantic ship with a huge flag bearing the Stark sigil.
Her senses sharpened. They came here right after the war ended, which gave a sense of power to anyone. Harry Stark was demonstrating something, and that something had to do with her granddaughter; she was entirely sure of it. Margaery had turned 18 not long ago, as had Harry.
That's when she realized this detail. Margaery was so consumed by the desire to meet and control Harry Stark that it would be used against her. Harry wasn't just coming here for a visit; he was also coming to take Margaery with him. He was very clever, too clever. She had to recognize that. He never came since the engagement was announced, which caused curiosity.
Even she herself wanted to meet the man behind all this, according to the letter she received a week before this visit from one of her most loyal men who went to the war. The Northern naval force was monstrous, and her son Mace made some claims to break the engagement because of Harry's actions in the war.
Mace was undoubtedly a fool who was not seeing how dangerous his idiocy of wanting to break an engagement that would undoubtedly catapult the Tyrells as an untouchable house in Westeros was.
The Northerners were a gigantic power, and now it was becoming clear why the North had become so mysterious. The North showed in all its splendor what it could do at this moment. Not even the Lannisters or the Tyrells at their best could do so much destruction. The only ones compared to the Northerners currently would be the Targaryens and their dragons.
Olenna had to strip her son of all power so he wouldn't do something stupid. Even her grandchildren understood that, currently, they shouldn't bother the wolf because it wouldn't show its fangs; it would bite your neck without hesitation.
Olenna watched as the ship reached the port and heard her granddaughter's footsteps. She was running, apparently very excited about the small visit. But for Olenna, this day was going to be important. Margaery had in mind to control the wolf, and apparently, the wolf wanted the rose, a battle of who controlled whom.
.
Port
Fury was all that could be seen on Mace Tyrell's face as they stepped onto the port of Highgarden. Although he was happy to return to his beloved home, given the company he had, he couldn't deny Harry Stark coming to Highgarden. He couldn't do anything to stop him. He also couldn't attempt on Harry Stark's life at this moment because he knew his head would be on the line. Not only would the North be after him, but also the crown itself. So he had to guide Harry to where his daughter was.
It was frustrating to know that his daughter had to marry a nobody like Harry. Because to Mace, the Northerners were just that, nobodies who were good for nothing, even knowing that they had recently won a war alone.
What Mace didn't know was that Harry could see every one of his thoughts and was smiling, knowing how his unexpected visit was angering him. Mace thought that Margaery needed a suitable husband, like Cersei's son, who had just been born less than a year ago. Engaging her to a baby—a good way to gain power.
On the Northern side, it was completely different.
Harry had a smile, seeing all that Mace was thinking. For him, it was amusing.
Artemisia was calm; it wasn't the first time she had come to this place. The only new thing was arriving by ship since they always left the Pearl far from this place so no one could see it.
On the other hand, Mya was looking around; it was her first time leaving the North, not counting the Iron Islands, as she went there not to observe but to fight. Highgarden was undoubtedly a beautiful place in Mya's eyes, who kept observing everything that crossed her path like a child.
This undoubtedly only increased Mace's annoyance, who looked at Mya as a savage with no culture. That thought made Harry change his smile to pure seriousness; having his family thought ill of was only to have him as an enemy.
Mace apparently felt that look and hurried his steps. It was very annoying to have Harry Stark's gaze on you, uncomfortable, especially when he had that serious look on his face.
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Highgarden.
Margaery was anxious, she was sitting in the garden with her grandmother, while the servants were preparing the table to receive their guests.
The main door to go out to the garden opened, and her father made an appearance. He did not have that smile that characterized him, he had a huge grimace of displeasure on his face, it was rare to see him angry, he was practically always happy, but it was the first time seeing him that way.
Then two women went out to the garden, one she always saw every time came, her name, she remembered perfectly Artemisia Stark, sister of her fiancé, but the other girl she never saw, and it was a complete contrast of Artemisia, shelooked everywhere as if she were surprised; the beauty of the garden practically hypnotized her, but something they had in common, the two girls was their clothes; it was noticeable that they were war clothes.
But Margaery's gaze was diverted when the third person entered the garden, Harry made an appearance and practically won the gaze of all the people who were in the garden, although he was young his presence was gigantic. Harry's blue eyes looked at the garden in detail.
- "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Stark." - Olenna was the first to speak. All the servants who were in the garden made a small bow and left the place so that these people could enjoy the beautiful garden - "Please, come closer."
- "The pleasure is mine, it is not everyday you meet someone like Olenna Tyrell." - Harry approached the table where Olenna and her granddaughter were sitting and looking at Harry, who, as if it was a chess game, never said anything about her or addressed her as if he was a real manipulator - "Excuse my manners... I am Harry Stark, Lord of House Stark of Winterfell and guardian of the north... I hope my visit is not untimely."
- "Of course not, we have been expecting your visit for a long time." - Margaery finally spoke with a very kind smile, which was reciprocated by Harry with a slight smile. At last, she had met him; from now on, she would finally be able to act; she would be able to win him over and then control him, use him as she wished for her ends, the game of who dominated whom was about to begin.
.
King's Landing
Jon Arryn was in his worst moments, unfortunately, they had to ask again for a loan to the Iron Bank that was denied, and they did not give explanations of why the gold was denied this time.
So Jon had to lend gold again, but he only had two houses to give him the gold as quickly as possible, the Lannisters and the Starks. This gold was to repair the damage done by the Greyjoys in their rebellion. The Lannisters were the only ones who did not say anything, since they were going to repair Lannisport, but the other houses blamed the crown for the attacks.
The Martells mainly blamed the crown for the Greyjoy rebellion, as it did not take action to prevent it. Five million gold dragons were what they had to give the Martells.
There the Starks appeared, with a note from Ned, telling him that Harry is willing to help him with his debts.
Jon could do nothing but give in, the Starks were going to pay the Martells the money they asked the crown for, which put the crown much more in debt since it was not the only house that asked for money. In total, the Starks gave 15 million gold dragons.
Jon now realized what Harry wanted to tell him at that moment, not only the valley was going to be affected by the north, but also the crown itself, and all because of him, anything that made Harry angry, he was going to ask for his gold back, and if they didn't get paid, things were going to be bad for the crown.
The north had those strange weapons; quietly, one of their ships could reach the king's landing shore and destroy the castle with those weapons. The same was going for the valley, they were extremely vulnerable points.
The door of his office opened, and to his bad luck, Tywin Lannister was that person. The golden lion was aware of the debts to the North, but the crown owed not only to the North but also to the Lannisters although a much smaller sum, 10 million gold dragons, which is very little compared to the two gigantic debts that the crown owed to the North, which amounted to 30 million gold dragons in debt, a barbarity that only one house would be able to pay.
Tywin did not show his happiness to see Jon's deplorable state, how many days without sleep, how many glasses of wine wasted as if it were a vital liquid, it was certainly a gratifying image.
- "What do you want, Tywin?" - Jon didn't have enough patience to pretend to show respect to a man like Tywin, who didn't even flinch at the tone of voice. Instead, it only amused him internally, though he didn't want to show it. Jon could see in the golden lion's eyes that he was enjoying this.
- "I came to propose a little help with your great debts." - Tywin looked at these debts as a point in favor of House Lannister. It was obvious that the crown currently had no gold to pay anyone, and they were about to raise taxes due to the lack of gold in the crown's coffers. - "The crown owes me ten million gold dragons. I am willing to waive the debt if I have a seat on the small council."
- "All the council seats are occupied by very capable men." - Jon had incredible internal rage, but that was of no importance to Tywin, who looked at the man as if he had no chance against him. He didn't take the position of Hand of the King because it wasn't the right moment. He would let the position consume Jon. He wasn't worthy of this position; it showed. - "So your request cannot be accepted."
- "Then I think it's time the crown pays its debt to the Lannisters." - Tywin played dirty. He knew the crown didn't have the money to pay its debts. Jon himself knew that. Tywin demanded his gold because he knew they didn't have enough gold to pay him. - "I've waited a long time and never received my gold back. So seeing that my request is not accepted, I hope my gold is ready." - Jon was between a rock and a hard place. Now he was understanding many things, like why his request to the Iron Bank was rejected. Tywin had his hands in the negotiation. - "My seat on the small council, and your debt will be cleared."
.
Highgarden
Margaery and Harry had good chemistry, something Olenna noticed. They shared some ideas, while in others, they were completely different.
Margaery, of course, sought to extract information from Harry. She wanted to know his likes, his weaknesses, how he thought, and how he acted. She needed to understand Harry perfectly in a single conversation to make him understand that she would always support him, and thus manipulate him at her will. But Margaery encountered a Harry who deflected any question and turned it back on her, which sometimes made it obvious that Margaery bit her lips, not out of anger, but because she liked it.
Until now, anyone who touched Highgarden was manipulated by her, because the only thing they saw in her was a beautiful woman and nothing more. They overlooked her intelligence or any other attribute she possessed. Harry was not that type of person; she herself realized that he had discovered what she wanted to do, and without a doubt, she liked that, but she was not going to give up. She was going to win.
Meanwhile, Mace couldn't stand it any longer and left the place, and Harry's expression changed. It seemed he did not particularly like Mace, perhaps due to the assassination attempt or maybe for another reason.
- "How can that man be your son? He's not very intelligent, to say the least." - Harry's friendly attitude vanished, his eyes fixed directly on Olenna Tyrell. The moment for friendly conversation was over; it was time for the heads of each house to speak as they should.
- "It seems my son is not to your liking. I don't blame you; his intelligence is nonexistent. He had the brilliant idea to try to assassinate you." - Olenna wanted to know if that was why Harry had that look towards Mace. Although Mace lacked intelligence, he was her son, and as a mother, she had to protect him from any existing danger. But Harry showed a smile at what was mentioned.
- "It's curious, your spies couldn't get past the defenses; they died instantly, and their heads were sent to you." - Harry threw a dart on the table, which Olenna only gave a small laugh to show she didn't know what he was talking about. - "But an assassin, sent by your son, could get past the Northern defenses and reach Winterfell. Don't you find that curious?"
Olenna opened her eyes, realizing what was happening. The Boltons didn't send that information; it was Harry himself. He wanted to put Mace and the entire Tyrell family in a tight spot.
- "I see, you orchestrated that assassination attempt yourself, perhaps with the purpose that no one could break your engagement with Margaery." - Olenna had to admit this boy was genuinely a genius. She hadn't even seen the move or expected it because she was angry with her son's stupidity, not noticing the small details. Currently, there wasn't any assassin wanting to pass to the North. Her son didn't know that world as well as she did. Those details went unnoticed by her. - "Without a doubt, a Stark like in the old days... What tricks do you have up your sleeve to surprise the world?"
- "Roses are dangerous in a garden; you can prick yourself with their thorns." - Harry stood up and took a small rod from his pocket. Margaery and Olenna watched Harry, who looked at the rod. He was going to show Olenna the greatest fear, what many feared about the Starks. - "Expecto Patronum!" - The two Tyrells couldn't explain it, but from the rod, a bluish wolf emerged and began to run through the garden. Every flower it touched changed color, turning blue, touching on light blue. - "But in winter, roses are fragile... What do you think?"
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