Chapter 37: The Broken Scepter, The Egg's Rise, and Winter's Ancient Runes
The reign of King Maekar I Targaryen, born of martial discipline and a desire to restore his house's flagging prestige, ended as it had lived – in battle. In the two hundred and thirty-third year After the Conquest, Maekar fell leading his forces against a rebellious Storm Lord in the Peake Uprising, a conflict with subtle but undeniable Blackfyre undertones. His death plunged the Seven Kingdoms once more into the precarious uncertainty of a succession crisis, for his own sons had proven a mixed and tragic lot: Daeron the Drunken had succumbed to a pox years earlier; Aerion Brightflame, mad and cruel, had died drinking wildfire; Maester Aemon was sworn to the Citadel and the Night's Watch; leaving only young Aegon "Egg," his youngest, who had squired for a hedge knight and knew the smallfolk far better than any prince.
From their hidden Northern sanctums, the immortal Starks observed these events with their now customary blend of analytical detachment and strategic foresight. Warden Beron Stark the Younger, his public persona that of a Northman in his powerful prime despite his true age now exceeding a century, received the news of Maekar's death and the subsequent summons to a Great Council in King's Landing with stoic calm. The hidden council – Jon, Beron the Elder, Edric, Torrhen, Brandon Sr., Rickard Sr., Cregan Sr., Jonnel Sr., Beron himself, his son Edwyle, and his grandson Willam, now eleven ageless guardians – convened via their obsidian mirrors.
"Another Targaryen king falls to violence," Edric, his true age now nearing two centuries, remarked, his voice a low rumble. "Their dynasty seems cursed by its own fiery nature. This Great Council will be a breeding ground for ambition and intrigue."
"Bloodraven will seek to control it," Jonnel, the previous Warden, added. "He will favor a candidate he can manipulate, or one who will least disrupt his own intricate webs of power."
Jon Stark, his existence now spanning three and a half centuries in his Stark form, his wisdom as deep and cold as the winter stars, offered his counsel. "Aegon, Maekar's youngest, is the unlikely choice, yet perhaps the best for us, and for the realm's brief peace. He has seen the suffering of the common folk, he is unburdened by the arrogance of his elder brothers, and his companion, this Ser Duncan the Tall, seems a man of simple honor. Such a king is less likely to embark on grand follies or pry too deeply into the affairs of a North that offers him no trouble."
Warden Beron the Younger, accompanied by his son Edwyle (the immortal rider of the psychic Umbra, his true age now over sixty, his public guise that of a keen-witted Stark heir in his thirties), journeyed to King's Landing for the Great Council of 233 AC. They found a city tense and divided, the great lords of Westeros each backing different claimants, the shadow of potential civil war looming once more. Bloodraven's influence was indeed pervasive, his agents everywhere, his one crimson eye seemingly observing every whisper. Maester Aemon famously refused the crown, adhering to his vows. After much debate and politicking, young Aegon V, "Egg," was chosen, a decision many saw as a compromise, a hope for a fresh start.
Beron and Edwyle played their part with quiet dignity, their Northern delegation emphasizing stability and the ancient rights of the great houses to choose their king in such circumstances. They offered their support to Aegon V, seeing in him, as Jon had predicted, a monarch less likely to interfere with their long-term plans. The new King, humble and earnest, received their fealty with gratitude, his connection to the common people a stark contrast to the Targaryen lords who had preceded him.
With the succession settled, for now, the Starks returned their focus to their true, eternal concerns. Willam Stark, Edwyle's son and the eleventh immortal, now a man whose true age neared forty but who possessed the unaging vigor of his Elixir-blessed kin, had fully integrated into the council and his role as rider of Lumen, the radiant Pentoshi dragon. His own children, Artos, a keen-eyed boy of ten, and Lyarra the Younger, a thoughtful girl of eight, were now the focus of the Starks' multi-generational nurturing. Their magical potential was already evident – Artos with a disciplined affinity for protective charms and illusions, Lyarra with an intuitive connection to animals and plants. Their subtle education into the family's unique heritage had begun, the weight of their future destiny still a distant secret.
Kratos, the formidable earthen Pentoshi dragon, still awaited an immortal rider. Jon and the council observed young Artos closely, sensing that his steadfast nature and burgeoning talent for defensive magic might one day resonate with the granite-skinned wyrm's stoic power. But that was a choice for decades hence. For now, Kratos served as a powerful, unmounted guardian of Wyvern's Eyrie, his ability to shape stone and trigger localized tremors a key component of the Eyrie's ever-evolving defenses.
The Resonance Dampener network beyond the Wall was now largely complete. A series of seven colossal Heartstone-powered obsidian monoliths, each a masterpiece of arcane engineering, stood silent sentinel at key ley line convergences along the northern fringes of the Frostfangs and the Haunted Forest. Their activation during the previous decade had created a tangible, if subtle, shift in the magical atmosphere of the far North. The Ice Watchers reported a marked decrease in wight activity in the regions closest to the Dampeners, and the oppressive psychic "coldness" that often emanated from the Lands of Always Winter seemed noticeably muted, its reach blunted.
Jon, however, knew this was not a permanent solution, but a powerful deterrent, a way to disrupt the Others' ability to draw upon the full might of the "Heart of Winter" during their peak cycle. He now focused on fine-tuning the Dampeners' resonant frequencies, seeking to create a harmonic shield that could be actively modulated to counter specific manifestations of the Others' magic. This involved perilous experiments, projecting his consciousness through the Stone to the Dampeners during their activation, observing their interaction with the ambient magical energies and the distant, hostile intelligence he could sometimes sense stirring in the ultimate North.
Arya Stark, her spirit now so deeply entwined with the ancient magic of Westeros that she seemed more a force of nature than a woman, achieved a monumental breakthrough in her work with the First Men's runic magic. Guided by the Children's spirits and the lore from the Nightfort, she, alongside Lyanna Sr., Serena, Lyra (Jonnel's daughter), Arsa (Edwyle's sister), and young Lyarra the Younger (Willam's sister, who showed a remarkable aptitude for deciphering the ancient symbols), began the laborious process of reawakening and reinforcing the original runic wards carved by Brandon the Builder into the very foundations of Winterfell.
This was magic of incredible antiquity and power, a magic of true names, of binding elemental spirits, of shaping stone and ice with words of power. For months, the Stark women toiled in the deepest, most forgotten crypts and foundations of the ancient castle, tracing and re-energizing runes that had slumbered for eight thousand years. As the final rune was awakened, a deep, resonant hum vibrated through Winterfell, a pulse of immense, cold, protective energy. The castle itself seemed to settle, its ancient stones glowing with a faint, internal blue light visible only to those with the Sight. Winterfell was no longer just a fortress of stone; it was now a bastion of primeval magic, its wards capable of repelling not just mundane armies, but also the darkest sorceries and the unnatural cold of the Great Other. This same process, they planned, would eventually be extended to Moat Cailin and other key Northern strongholds.
The Stark dragonriders, now a formidable force of eleven immortals and fourteen dragons (including Balerion the Elder and Terrax), honed their skills with relentless dedication. They developed highly specialized squadron tactics. Umbra (Edwyle's psychic mount) often flew with Cinder (Jonnel's) and Shade (Beron the Younger's) on missions requiring stealth, illusion, and psychic reconnaissance. Lumen (Willam's light dragon) formed the core of an anti-shadow squadron with Argent (Torrhen's) and Boreas (Brandon Sr.'s ice-blue dragon), their combined powers designed to combat creatures of darkness and necromancy. Adamas (Rickard Sr.'s) and Obsidian (Cregan Sr.'s) remained their primary heavy assault dragons, their Starksteel armor now nearly complete, their fire and fury unmatched. Veridian (Beron Sr.'s) and Erebus (Edric Sr.'s) provided experienced command and support. The "dragon song" was now a practiced symphony of destructive and defensive harmonics.
In Essos, the Blackfyre threat remained a festering wound. Though Aegon V's early reign was marked by attempts at peace and reform, Bittersteel continued to plot from exile, the Golden Company his ever-ready instrument. Finnan's network reported on new Blackfyre pretenders being groomed, on alliances being sought with disgruntled Free Cities or ambitious warlords. Jon and the council viewed this with grim patience. Each failed Blackfyre rebellion further weakened the Targaryen mythos and drained southern resources, subtly strengthening the North's relative position, though they were ever wary of the chaos spilling too far north. They authorized Finnan to subtly support factions in Essos that opposed Blackfyre resurgence or that might provide valuable intelligence or resources, a delicate game of influencing distant events to their advantage.
The immortal council itself, now a gathering of beings whose collective lifespan encompassed millennia, continued its quiet governance. Jon, as the eldest, the original architect, guided their grand strategy with a perspective that was almost cosmic. Beron the Elder, Edric, Torrhen, Brandon Sr., Rickard Sr., and Cregan Sr., the "deceased" lords, brought the wisdom of their public reigns and their deep understanding of Northern traditions. Warden Beron the Younger, his son Edwyle (the designated public heir), and his grandson Willam (the newest immortal) represented the active, forward-looking edge of their eternal dynasty, their own children the promise of future continuity.
They reflected often on the nature of their existence. They were gods in all but name, yet they lived lives of unending service, their power utterly hidden, their sacrifices unknown. The Great Deception, the cycle of public "deaths" and successions, was a complex, emotionally taxing charade, yet essential for their survival and the continuation of their work. They were the silent, unyielding shield against a horror that most of the world had dismissed as legend.
As Aegon V "Egg" Targaryen began his well-intentioned but often troubled reign, attempting to enact reforms for the smallfolk that would earn him the love of the people but the enmity of many powerful lords, the Starks of Winterfell watched from their Northern bastion. They saw in him a king different from his predecessors, one less concerned with glory and conquest, more with justice and compassion. This, Jon mused, might make him a less predictable factor in Westerosi politics, but ultimately, no less irrelevant to their own ancient, overarching purpose. The true game was not for the Iron Throne, but for the dawn that must follow the Long Night. And for that dawn, the Starks, with their dragons of winter, their ancient magic, and their immortal resolve, continued to prepare with unwavering, chilling patience.