"You can ride in the carriage with Serena; you don't need to ride beside me," they were both on their way to Harrenhal.
Jaehaerys appreciated the change of scenery. In King's Landing, even in his small quarters, he had almost forgotten what fresh air smelled like.
Daenerys had enjoyed it much more, having spent most of her life in the capital, only occasionally venturing out to tournaments and DragonStone. She lived in the RedKeep, yes, but even in the castle, the stench was constant, though less pronounced than in the city. The prince thought he would never allow his city to smell like that.
"Brandon said we're only a few hours away. We should be able to see it soon," she added, feeling her buttocks and thighs bruised from the ride.
She wasn't used to riding horses; her mother hadn't allowed it, for fear that her virginity would be lost. Now that it no longer mattered, she was enjoying the learning process.
"You're stubborn," he complained.
"It's a small sacrifice. I like riding," she said to justify herself.
"You don't have to prove anything to me," he tried to appease her.
Her friendship with Ros had resulted in the redhead telling her about his little romance with Sansa Stark. The girl was a good rider, and Dany didn't want to be left behind. It was a childish competition.
"I'm proving it to myself," she said.
"You used to be so shy when you touched my hand, and now—"
"You prefer me shy and weak, Lord husband?" she asked jokingly.
"Of course not, I like fire," he replied. "That's Harrenhal," he gestured forward.
—---
Daenerys frowned at the imposing structure. Massive black stone walls stood proudly, melted in places by dragon fire, though not as much damaged as she had expected. She saw three tall but broken towers; there were supposed to be five, and she hoped to see the other two when she got closer. The entire structure was made of black stone, which she disliked since the first time she saw it.
The castle was built on a small hill on the shores of the GodsEye, a lake known for its mysticism. The Isle of Faces was in the center. However, it was advised not to enter there, as most people get lost. 'He who dares to enter will never leave,' she looked to her brother-husband, who was looking at the island with great interest.
"I hope you don't plan on going in there. You have duties to fulfill," she warned.
"The island is calling me," Jaehaerys felt a twinge in his head, similar to when he showed his dragon eggs to his now wife. It was as if he had to take a raft and go out onto the island.
"I hope you don't answer," she said. "I don't want to lose you," she blushed as she said it and urged her horse to overtake him.
Silver, that was the name she had decided to call the steed. The name suited him well. He was gentle and docile, but fast and agile. Her husband's knights even said he was a horse ready for war, but she would not allow it.
Coal was what her brother had named his horse. It was a direct mockery of her. She made him change the name to Black Sapphire. He rolled his eyes and agreed.
The last few hours of riding tested her determination. She could feel the castle getting bigger and bigger. But not big enough. Sweat was already pooling in her leather garments.
Finally, they arrived. The gates were open. Inside, there was a crowd of people working, which surprised her.
'Gods,' was all she could think. The walls were monstrous. They must have been over eighty feet high and thirty feet wide.
Finally, she could see the five towers. The outer walls were not as severely ruined as the towers. Aegon the Dragon proved that he didn't need to eliminate the walls to bring down the castle. The towers were broken and bent. The stone masonry was melted in several sections.
The hall of a hundred fireplaces was also enormous. They said that during the great council of Jaehaerys the First to select the heir, it was this hall that welcomed more than a thousand lords and their entourages.
However, it was still disappointing. 'This couldn't be called a castle,' she thought. Perhaps the hall and the outer walls were the only things that turned out to be as she had imagined. The five towers were not. She had expected a fortress, but the five towers were not connected; only two towers had a wall between them. The others were connected by bridges, and some not even that.
Between the five towers was a large expanse of land.
Dany looked to her sides, at buildings that should have been a smithy, an armory, barracks, a hanter hall, and a huge stable. She looked at another building in the distance, but couldn't identify what it was from that distance. There were two other abandoned buildings. Two septs. It seems that even the Seven Gods have abandoned this place.
"Ser Brandon, does my husband know that these people are working here?" The men were cutting the grass and piling bricks close to the damaged walls.
"I am not a Ser, my princess," said the man with a northern accent. "And yes, he sent Maester Qyburn to begin the reconstruction. He didn't want you to arrive at a place in such a state," he clarified for her.
Daenerys liked the man. He didn't look at her with lust. Nor did he idolize her; he protected her, doing his duty without question. Jae had assigned him to watch over her; he was her sworn sword.
The girl looked at a man approaching. He wasn't old enough to be called an elder; he was probably about the same age as her mother. Next to him was an elderly woman with an irascible expression: Lady Shella Whent. The woman had lost her children over the years and was no longer of childbearing age. The king had told her that Jaehaerys would take the castle.
She agreed; there was little she could do to refuse. She only asked for a place to die.
"Princess Daenerys," greeted the maester. She looked for her husband, who was entering the castle walls.
"Maester Qyburn, is that you?" The man was a maester who had fallen from grace, one whom her husband had saved.
"Yes, my princess. According to the prince's orders, I will be your teacher for the next few moons," the maester did not seem enthusiastic.
"You don't like teaching a woman?" In recent days, her personality had undergone a change; she had become bolder.
"Forgive me, princess. It's just that the time I'll spend teaching you could be spent on my research," he clarified, still a little curt. The princess frowned.
-----
"She will be a good student, Qyburn," said Jaehaerys before nodding to the elderly Lady Whent. He dismounted his horse, handed it to a stable boy, and greeted the former lady of the castle.
"The Targaryens are blessed, no doubt," the woman greeted him, saying "blessed" as a joke.
She was a wrinkled woman who seemed constantly bitter. "The castle is yours," she said. "No banners are hanging; you can put yours up anytime." The woman said tactlessly. "My new quarters are much better than the dump I lived in before, at least I'll spend my last days in a comfortable bed, even if it's in someone else's castle," she said before turning around and leaving.
Jaehaerys was not upset. The woman had lost everything, which was why he had ordered that quarters fit for royalty be built for her. He couldn't bring her children back, but he could make her life more comfortable.
"Quite rude," Daenerys whispered after dismounting.
"She reminds me of someone," whispered Jaehaerys.
"You want the reports, my prince?" called Qyburn, saving him from a reprimand.
"I want to know how long it will take to finish everything," he asked quickly.
"How many men did you bring from King's Landing?" asked the maester. There was still a crowd arriving at the castle. For the time being, they would camp outside the walls.
"About ten thousand, mostly young men and women, the more youthful are eight, and the more older, five and ten onomastics," he had brought young people who were not so corrupted by the lifestyle. To Rhaegar, losing one percent of his population was not a problem.
"They're from Flea Bottom," he said, a little worried.
"They're people who are going to work. My men here will keep them under control." Six hundred adult soldiers could maintain order.
"Those who are raised among fleas and filth..." the man began. "It doesn't matter. How many will work?"
"About five thousand. The others will be assistants, doing other jobs like preparing and carrying food and things like that." Several women had decided to leave a city that offered them nothing.
"In that case, it would take us a year or less to repair the walls, especially since it will take them a considerable amount of time to learn the trade. It could take up to three years because of the brick production, where new workers will also have to be trained," he said, making quick calculations. "I wanted to ask if you were sure about building the outer walls out of brick. Although it's faster and neater, it's less resistant to siege weapons," asked the master. "The width of the wall will compensate for the strength of the brick.
"If you want to build quickly, you need to use brick. Extracting the stone would take years and require a significant amount of gold. Luckily, the trident is nearby so that we can get clay from there," he added at the end, causing the master builder to nod. "How far is the nearest quarry? One day? Two?"
He had another reason for using brick, but even he didn't know it yet.
"One and a half. If I may offer some advice, Your Majesty."
"Speak."
"The towers are almost useless. However, the stone from them can be used to repair the outer walls. Using the bricks to create a new structure would be quick and more structured, and would also allow you to modify the design to your liking," explained the maester.
"You want to tear them down to repair the wall," muttered the prince. "What about the great hall? Should it be torn down, too?"
"No, the great hall can be saved. The columns are damaged but stable. Although, if you wish, it can be torn down to expand the walls. This could increase the territory within the walls by twenty or thirty acres, assuming we know the amount of material required for the wall. It will probably be less than expected," he added at the end.
"I need to consider it and do my calculations, Qyburn," he said, not because he didn't trust him, but because any man was capable of making mistakes. "Tell me the territory within the castle."
"There are eighty acres of land inside the walls," he said quickly. "The Godswood is next to the western wall; it should be about a third of the total. However, you won't be able to obtain any wood unless you don't want to keep the peace in your lands. That would leave only four and fifty acres of land to build on, more if you want to expand the outside walls."
"How long would it take to expand the walls and build the castle?"
"About five years, less if we can get more men."
"I'll think about it. Now I'm going to tour the castle. Make sure my men get some rest. Serena Martell is a guest; give her a good room. Dany, are you coming with me?" he asked the girl, who had been silent during their exchange.
"Yes," she replied. She was tired, but also curious about the castle. She had felt suffocated within its enormous walls. It felt like she was inside a cage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harrenhal based on:
Note: ignore the scale