-Chapter 142-
-2nd day of the 1st moon of the year 299 AC-
-POV Bellegere Otherys-
"My lady, it is a great honor for House Manderly to welcome you to White Arbor," said the lord of House Manderly.
I smiled as I watched the aging lord of House Manderly come forward to kiss my hand, and I said, extending my hand: "It is an honor for me to meet you, esteemed Count Manderly."
He smiled then showed me the way to go, and following his lead, I asked: "Is the king here?"
A sorry look crept over his face and he said, "Unfortunately no, he has gone to the Wall to permanently settle the issue concerning the wildlings."
He must have noticed the disappointed look on my face because he quickly added: "But do not worry, for he has charged me with escorting you to the Dreadfort, his new secondary residence in the North."
I frowned and asked, "Forgive my ignorance, but isn't the Dreadfort the fiefdom of House Bolton?"
"House Bolton no longer exists; those traitors are all dead and it's just as well, I have always hated that serpent Roose Bolton," said Lord Wyman Manderly, his tone shifting from his usual cheerfulness to that of a grumpy one.
I refrained from making further remarks and this time followed him in silence.
'I am eager to meet you, Aegon Targaryen, the second conqueror,' I thought.
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-POV MC-
'Feel the cold... Feel the cold... Feel the cold... Feel the cold'
I let out a deep sigh of annoyance before giving up and opening my eyes, coming out of my meditation state finally understanding why I couldn't handle ice magic as well as fire magic.
'It's that damn ritual, I knew I should have waited but I rushed as usual and my lack of patience has now deprived me and my future lineage of the talent to wield ice magic.'
Ever since I arrived in the north, I felt a powerful feeling telling me I was out of place.
At first, I simply thought it was my subconscious reacting to the conflicting emotions I felt for the members of my mother's family.
But as the days went by, that feeling never left me.
I eventually realized that this feeling did not come from me but from Rhaegal.
The fire magic in the north was significantly weakened due to the environment and affected the latter's growth speed.
On the other hand, the environment here was perfect for learning and feeling ice magic, but I quickly realized that by performing a blood bond ritual with my dragon, I had inherited its weakness against ice magic.
Although I could feel fire magic and blood magic instinctively, I was unable to feel ice magic.
I even tried to perform ice magic by reciting incantations specially designed by me in High Valyrian but to no avail, I was completely incapable and I knew instinctively that it was because of that cursed ritual.
"Your Majesty."
My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard Walton call me. I turned to him and then said, "You wanted to see me?"
Walton straightened slightly and said, "I don't know what you have planned for me, your majesty, but I wanted to express my total loyalty, I..."
I raised an arm to stop him from continuing and then said, "Walton, I didn't take your family hostage just so you could betray Roose Bolton, I did it because you are loyal to your master and you are not afraid to do the dirty work in his stead."
"Thank you, your majesty," he said without a trace of emotion.
"In the letter I sent you, I promised you the Dreadfort as compensation, but that was a lie, I need to keep the Dreadfort as a symbol of my victory over the Boltons. However, I intend to appoint you as the Guardian of the Royal Northern Estate, and since you are the one who knows the lands formerly belonging to House Bolton best, I wanted to test your loyalty," I said.
"Have I met your expectations, your majesty?" asked Walton in a calm tone.
I nodded and then said, "You have perfectly met my expectations, so that's why, from today, I officially make you the Guardian of the Royal Northern Estate, your role will be very simple, you will be my arms and legs, you will act as my spokesperson, and in return, I will elevate you to the rank of Baron."
Walton immediately knelt down and then said, "I thank you wholeheartedly for making me this generous gift, your majesty, I will strive to prove myself worthy of your trust."
I nodded and then said, "Sit across from me."
Without waiting, Walton sat with me in the snow and then I said, "After the rebellion of House Bolton and that of House Greyjoy, the northern houses have suffered severe blows. For at least 5 years, all the northern houses will have to repair the damages this war has caused."
"Do you want to help them?"
I smiled disdainfully and then said, "Not at all, I want to take advantage of this moment for us to quickly take control of the North: economy, military strength, influence. The royal domain must surpass House Stark and all the territories of the North within 5 years at the latest."
"Very well, but we do not own as much land as the other northern houses nor even as many villages, we will not be able to compete with the number of soldiers."
"Don't worry about the soldiers, I have found enough soldiers for the future Northern Legion north of the wall," I said, getting up with a small smile.
"Do you want to subdue the wildlings?" said Walton.
I smiled, I did not answer and continued on my way.
'It's either that or death. I'm sure and certain they will make the right choice.'