Harald Hardrada, the King of the Northern Mountains and father of Haldor, was unique in his name and the last dragon rider before it was revealed that there was one more, who happened to be Harald's son.
This man was old, having fought many battles that had taken a significant toll over the years. Recently, his children had been victims of unexplained murders, and the last of the sons from Harald's first wife was Haldor, who had managed to stay safe until now.
To summarize the story, Haldor has more siblings, children of other mothers, who would follow in the line of succession if he were to die by some twist of fate. But now, being a dragon rider, his title as the next King of the Northern Mountains was secured, and no one dared to contest it.
In this city, people lived in peace, growing richer through commerce, and thanks to Haldor's implementations, everything was improving by leaps and bounds.
"Inform my father that I want to see him," Haldor said to the royal guard guarding the castle.
"Yes, my prince."
Haldor, as a prince, was by no means weak. He had learned to defend himself, which had given him great advantages over those who had previously wanted to kill him. If anyone dared to come for his life now, what he would do would be a hundred times worse than what would happen to them.
"The Crown Prince is entering."
Haldor's eyes saw the appearance of an old man who was in his last years of life. "I heard you have been away creating an army, and unexpectedly, in no more than a year, you have managed to build a formidable force out of dust. Tell me, do you plan to invade the south?"
"I am only strengthening our defenses. We are a free kingdom, but not a weak one. Anyone with a dragon could violate our borders until they are stopped by my dragon or yours if it is still alive." Haldor did not consider the mages because they were in the central towers of the city.
"You are right; you will be a good king."
Haldor did not seek to be a king. If he was already very bored now, he could not imagine his life as a king sitting on the throne all day.
"What about my brothers?"
"Those who sent assassins after you died mysteriously. I took care of cleaning up anything that might be a nuisance when we visit the King of the Seven Kingdoms." Harald seemed very passive, not at all like the King spoken of in the stories.
"Father, if we use marriage as a peace card, we could avoid shedding blood. The Targaryens are not our most worrisome enemies, and you know that." Haldor was trying to talk about the White Walkers.
"I know. Over the years, we have only been interested in living in a better place without considering exterminating the dragons. We know that they will end up killing each other, so we will watch all that drama from the sidelines."
Haldor remained silent. It was not bad to be used this way to strengthen the crown's ties with very powerful families.
This kingdom had no history of rebellion; it had not been conquered or emerged from wars. Instead, the main houses were powerful tribes that grew in the shadows and now wielded considerable power.
Ambition is born in calm eyes. The new heirs do not remember why they were born serving the crown, and the king's duty is to calm the minds of imprudent rulers.
But certainly, the ideas of rebellion in the face of the weakness of Haldor's family are erased once it is known that he also has an ice dragon, a powerful one that would keep the entire northern territory well-guarded.
"It seems you understand. I will name you my heir, and after everyone recognizes you as the Crown Prince, I will lend you half of my forces. As you mentioned, merging half of my forces with yours would hide our true power." Harald had been informed of everything Haldor did for him; he was not foolish enough to do things behind his father's back.
"Once you bear our family name, we will propose a marriage to the King, who apparently has a beautiful daughter."
"I thought surnames were not inherited."
"Not for those who want to be more than the shadow of their family. You, as you were not the heir, had not obtained my surname until I selected you. It is the heritage of the rulers of the north. Usually, only the royal family aspiring to be rulers does not obtain the surname until they are heirs. The others would receive the surname after knowing they would not be kings or queens."
Frostgard was governed by tribes; these tribes were led by houses, and the houses maintained their surnames. Haldor's confusion was due to not having a surname, but that was usually reserved for certain people.
"When will the ceremony be?"
"In a few days, your younger siblings will accompany you, as will my current wife."
Haldor nodded, moved away from this place, and with a whistle, his enormous dragon, growing at a terrifying rate, landed from afar.
Boom!
The air lifted, the royal guard stepped back, and everyone was intimidated by Haldor's dragon. After having his rider on its back, it flapped its wings and flew away.
This had been their conversation—short, bland, and directly addressing the issues that generated interest for everyone.
Once he was an heir and obtained half of his forces, he would send them north, hiding them in some good territory, and after that, they would wait.