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Ramsgate Castle,
Wylis had finished recruiting ten men-at-arms six days ago, bringing the total number to twelve. He needed more, however. At least thirty.
He wanted men not just to guard his castle but also to make a subdivision to patrol and police the town. Sadly, the quality of men also mattered, and he could only find ten from the town. The rest he hoped to find from villages in his fief.
For the past six days, he worked day and night, bringing the town back on track. The smallfolk had chosen to put their trust in him due to the mere fact that he was a Northerner, once a lowborn, and now a realm-wide famous warrior. They held hope, and he didn't want to let them down.
He gathered the carpenters and shared with them the design for the ship he had in mind. He had many ideas, but he chose to go small and simple at the start. After all, the carpenters were used to making furniture, not ships. It'd take them trial and error to learn everything, something Wylis wanted to avoid by personally supervising them at the start.
The goal was to go from small to the Cogs, which were single-masted ships, great for merchants, decent for wars. Eventually, he wanted to settle on Carracks, which were the real deal, three to four-masted ships, ocean-going, great tonnage, and even better as warships. Eventually, one day, he'd jump to large sailing ships.
For now, he was building a simple Knarr, the ship once used by Vikings. It was small and reliable. He had no plans of using it, however. It relied too much on manpower, and he really didn't want to sail to Dragonstone on it.
Further, he worked on making an inventory list to know all the resources at his disposal. He had yet to start teaching the blacksmiths anything since he had no need for swords, but rather other specialty items such as springs.
One thing he did start right away was setting up a temporary clinic inside his castle. The Medicine to Surgery Package was so vast that he had to start early.
While that was happening, shipments from King's Landing arrived. King Robert had sent a little too much to help him set up his castle. From curtains to candle-holders, lamps, carpets, glass decorations, even barrels of wine, and whatnot. With it also came his full-body armor, cleaned and polished.
"What? Are you sure?"
"My Lord, His Grace says you may keep the cog. He knows you've a mind for trade, and he wishes to aid you."
"..."
Robert fucking Baratheon. Sure knows how to make friends happy.
Honestly, it was a very big deal for Wylis. He seriously needed the ship to start gathering some materials from White Harbor. And since not many merchants visited Ramsgate, it was difficult to hire someone for it.
"Tell His Grace that I'll cherish this ship as much as he does his hammer."
"..."
The captain of the ship, a Stormlander, awkwardly nodded. But he didn't stay; it wasn't his duty. Finding the crew to man the ship was all Wylis's job. The captain boarded the second cog they had brought and left.
As soon as he had the chance, he boarded his new ship to check it out.
It was a simple cog, on the smaller side. A crew of twelve to fifteen men was needed to sail it. Manning it was the hardest part, especially finding a captain. Sure, he knew how to sail it since he knew how to make it. But doing the work himself went against Elia's genuine advice.
Maybe I should teach a few boys?
Pondering over things, he strolled back towards the castle as the sun began to sink. As he walked by the town square, the murmur of people became audible. He'd learned that most people avoided going out after sunset as their lives depended on Brennard's whims. They absolutely never allowed their children to roam outside.
But now, there were plenty of children roaming with their parents. While not rich, the place felt vibrant. It finally felt like a town. Some stalls sold cooked, salted fish; the young blacksmith was closing his shop, and the newly recruited men-at-arms were making a round in pairs. There were only two pairs; the rest guarded the castle.
And I'm their lord.
He smiled, feeling like a kid who had finally fulfilled his dream. A knight, and then a lord. Not a fake one, he really had the full power and authority of a lord.
"M'lord."
"My Lord."
The castle guards saluted him as he walked through the gates into the courtyard. Caliburn was hitched there, happily snacking on something tasty. He was already planning on getting the big boy to breed a few mares.
We ain't much different in that sense, I guess.
"My Lord."
"Chett." Wylis greeted the castle's main keep's guard, the tall man. He had a simple helmet now, but no chainmail. It would take time to fit them all with decent steel.
"My Lord, you have guests. Lady Myra received them."
"Guests?" With a frown, he rushed inside and made his way to the ground-floor solar, which was also the gathering place for them to relax during the evening.
It was decorated, had a table for him to work, many chairs and lounges, a full fireplace, and plenty of toys for the kids to play with. He and Elia usually spent their evenings there. While she would read one of the few available books, he would write plans and letters.
"There are guests—"
He pushed the door open and walked inside, only to freeze. The warmth of the hearth struck him like a wave, but more than that was the flurry of butterflies in his stomach. Elia was there, her son in her arms. Then there were two women, each with a babe in arms, and an old man who was playing with Rhaenys.
"L—Ellyn!" He called for her, his Lyanna, slim as ever, her hair brown and long, eyes grey, though her skin had gained a slight tan. His eyes washed over to Ashara, taller, similarly tanned as Lyanna, though her eyes showed doubt and nervousness.
Fuck! Then he remembered the elephant in the room. He hadn't told Elia that Lyanna was his wife, or that Ashara had his child.
"..."
Was Elia going to blame him for Rhaegar's madness now? The bastard did try to abduct Lyanna, whom he hid.
"Wylis!"
But he could've cared less. Lyanna walked past the seats and rushed towards him, holding a chunky boy in her arms. Being a slender, short woman, the baby boy indeed looked massive.
"Magnus!"
Wylis enveloped both of them in his arms, squeezing them into his chest. He just stood there for some time, letting the emotions wash over him. She was the lady of Ramsgate, after all. Soon to be the wealthiest lady in Westeros.
What followed was a deep, passionate kiss, his large arm wrapped around her delicate waist, his other arm still wrapped under his son to support him. While they held back their tongues, they both felt like lovers stranded in a desert, and each other's lips were the fountains of water.
Once he broke the kiss, he looked at his boy, his heir. A year old and heavy for his age. He quickly dotted the boy with a few kisses before looking away at Ashara.
Lyanna seemed to notice it and looked behind.
Wylis felt nervous, unaware of what the dynamics between them were. Heck, he didn't know if she had run from her house. He had yet to hear anything about it.
"What are you waiting for?" Lyanna raised her voice, eager and nudging. "Bring her here and show him the prettiest girl in the world."
Still unsure, Ashara slowly walked towards them, her violet eyes entirely focused on Wylis. Watery, as if on the verge of tears.
But she didn't have to wait as Wylis moved and wrapped her in his arms. He wasn't sure, but he saw anxiety and fear of rejection in her eyes. Their last memory together was about it, after all. He had refused Aerys' order for him to marry her. It was she who wanted to spend a night with him for the last time. The very night that resulted in her pregnancy.
He didn't know if she blamed herself for it. But he wasn't going to let her feel that way.
But Wylis held himself back from kissing her. He wanted to be sure about Lyanna and Ashara's dynamics first. Though he couldn't stop looking at her gorgeous face, her eyes, those soft lips, and… when he looked at his daughter, he was lost.
Holy Hell! She's… my daughter?
While he knew that she was born with six points in charisma from the get-go, he had underestimated just how beautiful she was. Cute round face, perfect big eyes that were as violet as Ashara's. Her hair was brown, though, like his. And she looked rather strong and…
Wait a fucking second!
Immediately, he summoned the Tyrant's Squire screen and scrolled to Customizer, and there it was. He hadn't even allotted the ten points his daughter had received. And while he held Ashara by the waist and looked at his daughter, he did it right there and then.
[Daughter(Bastard) - Ashara Dayne
Life Points Available - 0]
[Strength - 0+3/10
Dexterity - 1+2/10
Intelligence - 1+2/10
Charisma - 6+1/10
Vitality - 2+2/10]
That looks good! She's going to be… absurdly gorgeous, isn't she?
He couldn't help his protective father instincts from kicking in. It was yet another reason to become strong.
"What did you name her?"
Ashara smiled brightly, and even her eyes were smiling. "I wanted to honor the memory of my brother, so I named her Arthria."
Wylis' jaw tightened. He felt like shit. He had killed that man, and while he had no regrets because they were aiding a rapist prince, he felt wrong not telling Ashara about it.
"She knows, Wylis."
"Hm?" His head snapped towards Lyanna. Then back at Ashara, his heart filled with guilt. "You know?"
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