'Okay, so it's not just regular magic,' I thought with a frown as I placed my hand on the ground, grimacing as nothing happened other than me feeling my soul dancing in joy at having nature around me.
It appears that making flowers bloom was the best I could do and even that occurred only once every seven times, meaning that I needed to figure out fast just how to actually control this magic before I accidentally kill myself trying to do so.
'Seven hells, Come on, Torrhen Stark. You've survived being reincarnated, communing with a divine tree and ancient gods, ate paste that tasted like a fever dream of sugar and regret and saw the past, present and future all at once. This can't be where you stall,' I thought as I sat back with a groan, letting the cold of the North cool down my body that was burning hot after the experience that only ended a few seconds ago.
It wasn't even like I couldn't feel my…mana? Aether? Energy? Yeah, let's go with energy. Anyway, my energy felt like it was thrumming under the surface of my skin, ever-patient like a wolf watching from the edge of the woods and waiting for its chance to hunt.
All I needed was some kind of focus or a trigger that was more than just me waving my hand around or waiting for roses to bloom. Turning my gaze to the Heart Tree, I narrowed my eyes as I watched it sway gently in the wind.
'Wait, Bloodraven had his ravens/ crows and Bran had the weirwood. I've already had visions about both…so why not do that?'
"The Roots remember, but the leaves must learn," I blinked as a whisper came from the tree, but not from its lips. No, this sounded as if the whisper had echoed from the branches overhead, carried by the wind that was blowing.
"Water the Seed. Feed the root and the blood will remember."
"Okay, so I'm not imagining getting lessons from the Heart Tree," I murmured as I stood up, sheathing my dagger and taking a deep breath.
As father liked to say, duty binds a man to something great and if that 'something greater' happened to be a sentient ecosystem of all-seeing trees…
'Well, I am a Stark and a Stark always prepares for Winter is Coming, First, water the seed…', Cupping my hands in the pool of black water in front of me, I lifted my hands to my mouth and sucked in the water.
'Feed the root', However, instead of drinking it, I walked back over to the Heart Tree, kneeling in front of it before leaning forward and pushing the water into the mouth of the face.
Immediately, I grunted as I felt its essence connecting to mine, seeing its eyes open ever so slightly before the blood-red past of the tree began to flow..
'And the blood will remember.'
"I don't want to be all-powerful, but I do need to protect my family even if they don't believe in my gifts. So, if you're listening, if you're really out there, show me what I need to do, not what I want to," I whispered, placing my forehead to the forehead of the face before gasping as I felt visions flashing in my mind.
The central courtyard. The pathway to the crypt. A secret entrance. Down the stairs…the statue of Torrhen the Kneeler.
"I have to go to the crypt?", I asked as I inhaled deeply to catch my breath, watching as the blood flowing from the eyes ceased before I smiled in awe as a singular white rose bloomed at the foot of the tree.
"I guess that's a yes," I muttered while standing up, dusting off my pants before bowing my head to the tree and turning around. Making my way back to the gate with a new path in mind, I exhaled softly before palming my face with a groan.
Right, how the hell do I explain the eyes?
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"Torrhen, your eye colour doesn't just change spontaneously from grey to blue. Maester, is it perhaps an infection?", Mother asked with a frown as she, Cregan, Father and I sat in Maester Arwin's study, the man in question simply frowning before shaking his head.
"Torrhen's as healthy as ever. There is nothing wrong with him."
"Considering my son now has blue eyes, I'd say there is something wrong with him," Father spoke with a frown and I simply stayed silent as Maester Arwin looked me over once more before letting out a soft sigh.
"Lord Stark, I have done every test that I could to see what illness ails your son. I have checked for fever, for pressure behind his eyes and for damage to his eyes. He has no swelling, no inflammation and no sign of affliction. By all accounts, Torrhen is healthy."
"Healthy boys do not enter a forest and exit it with different coloured eyes."
"Not unless they were talking to…Old Gods as Torrhen likes to say?", The Maester proposed and Father's frown deepened at his words before the man looked at me as I zipped my lips.
"I am not saying a thing."
"Torrhen, do not play games with me. What did you do in the Godswood?"
"I talked with the Heart Tree. It…Well, it helped me see."
"See what?"
"Do you promise to actually listen and not just ridicule and shame me without listening to my answer?", I asked, watching as the man narrowed his eyes before he looked at Mother as she placed a hand on his arm and nodded.
"Very well, I swear upon my title as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North."
"…Okay, to start it off, I saw greenseers and skinchangers. Then, it shifted to this knight with a flaming sword and an army of direwolves fighting off the Others. After that, it shifted to me being in King's Landings where dragons were fighting against each other while people stormed the Dragonpit. Then, I was in this great tower of black stone and I think Balerion the Black Dread melted it down. After the flames faded away, I was then caught in the middle of a war between a black three-headed dragon and a green three-headed dragon as well as their respective armies and when that ended, I woke up with blue eyes."
'Yep, they don't believe that,' Cregan and Mother looked shocked at my words, Maester Arwin looked doubtful and Father…well, the guy didn't look angry at all. However, he did look like he was restraining himself from saying something to object my words before he let out a sigh.
"Very well, Torrhen. Let us say that we do believe you. Why would you go into the Godswood and do this?"
"…I wanted to find out more."
"So you went and changed your eye colour?"
"No, that happened without my knowing. I simply wanted to see and understand what I am. Greenseers and skinchangers. The Starks have their blood, don't they? That's what all the old tomes say. The blood of the First Men. Perhaps that's why all of this is happening to me," I murmured, sitting there while looking at my hands before looking up to see Father walk over to the Hearth, his arms folded behind his back.
No one said anything as the man just stared into the flames and I waited for the outburst before blinking in surprise as I heard him…sigh?
"Do you understand the weight of what you are saying, Torrhen? Do you understand what these dreams could mean if you said it to the wrong person?"
"Yes, I do. I understand that others will either see this as the behaviour of a child or the makings of a weapon that they could exploit to perceive the fate of themselves, their families and their House."
"This the kind of thing that makes kings look over their shoulders and can turn even the most loyal of allies into the greatest of enemies."
"So, what will you have me do? Ignore it and pretend that the gods didn't show me anything?"
"No. You are my son, Torrhen, and I will not let the realm tear you apart for something you never asked for," He murmured as he walked back to his seat, sitting down and grasping Mother's hand before turning to Maester Arwin who was studying my every move.
"Maester, you will write nothing of this to Oldtown."
"But, my l-"
"Nothing," This time, Father sounded a lot more serious as I could hear the sharp tone in his voice and I watched as the maester nodded before the Lord of Winterfell turned his gaze to me.
"I hope that these visions stop before you are old enough to wed, but if they do continue, you will tell none of us. Not the guards, not any friends you make, not your children, not the other lords that come to visit and not even us, your family. The less anyone of us know of this, the better your chances of survival are. Is that clear?"
"I understand, Father," I nodded and I smiled as I saw the thankful yet tired look in his eyes before he shook his head.
"Now, is there anything else you need to do?"
"I have to go to the crypt. My vision ended in the crypt and the gods told me I would find something there."
"I see. Just you alone?"
"The vision ended with me just being alone down there."
"…Gilliane?", Father asked as he looked at Mother, who looked at me before she walked over and knelt in front of me with a frown.
"Do you promise to be in and out?"
"I promise…I think."
"Torrhen, none of your games now. Do you promise?", She asked, a serious look in her eyes that I caught before nodding.
"I promise, Mother."
'And just like that, I've manipulated my family,' Honestly, I did feel a bit bad for shifting them around, but if I had to choose them or magic...I'm picking magic every day of the week.
"Fine, take a lantern with you. Cregan and I along with a few guards will be waiting at the top of the steps. Should you take too long-"
"I'll come in and rescue your sorry behind," Cregan teased with a grin and I rolled my eyes while Mother cracked a smile and Father shook his head with a chuckle.
"Sure, I'm certain your 'manliness' will be needed for this."
"You're calling me dumb again, aren't you?"
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'A boy walking down the steps with his lantern and a dagger…Oh, how wonderful this is,' I thought with a sigh as I descended down the stairs, each step echoing into the crypt waiting below as I let out another exhale.
Why did I think this was a good idea? Oh right, because becoming a druid/ warlock would be so much better than being just a simple swordsman.
Oh, you got a Valyrian blade? Swallow my exploding acorns. Oh, you can swing faster? Taste my vine slithering down your throat.
…Okay, those examples are a bit wild, but it's the thought that matters. Unfortunately, I forgot that while it is somewhat difficult to master a sword or any sharp weapon, it is downright near-impossible to even learn magic without having the talent for it as well as years of training.
"Well, I've already gotten to this point. I might as well see it through…Urgh, why did it have to be a crypt?", I mumbled with a groan as I continued to descend down the spiralling stairs.
The air grew colder the further I went down and I prayed for the flame of the lantern in my hands as I reached the third lowest floor, pushing open the ironwood door with a strained grunt.
'I should…have probably worked out more,' I thought with gritted teeth as the door finally opened, the lantern in my hand flickering while I frowned as I stared at the twin rows of statues in front of me.
Each was a statue of a Lord of Winter that was seated on a throne of stone, having an iron crown on their heads, an iron sword across their laps and a large stone direwolf curled at their feet.
"I swear, if one of my ancestor's spirit pops out and starts preaching to me about duty and sacrifice, I'm stabbing them even if I can't," I spoke out loud as I entered the room, gripping the dagger tightly in my right hand while holding up the lantern with my left and reading the names on the statues.
'Benjen Stark, Ellard Stark, Edric Stark, Walton, Alaric, Brandon, Roderick, another Brandon. Man, that name really is common in this family, hu-Ah, Torrhen Stark,' I immediately stopped my thought process when I caught sight of the statue I was looking for, stopping in front of it.
"My ancestor that knelt. It's a shame they never realized just how wise your decision was," I spoke softly as I stared at the statue, Torrhen the Kneeler having the same grim look on his face, but his direwolf was different as its maw was opened just ever so slightly, as if growling at something.
It was a shame they called him a coward when one had to take into account that the man he knelt to had three dragons, monsters that could burn down entire cities within seconds.
'Huh...should I...? If the opportunity presents itself, I'll see if it's possible, but if not, I won't pursue that path. I'd rather not have the most powerful family in Westeros after my blood.
"Alright, Torrhen. Show me why the tree sent me to you…and I'm talking to statues. Perhaps, I am just going insane," I chuckled softly as I let my hand hover over the iron sword in his lap, feeling something in the back of my mind wanting to touch it.
Yet, I didn't as I pulled my hands back and knelt down, brushing off some of the layers of the dust at the base of the statue before I narrowed my eyes as I caught faded runes carved in the stone.
Before, it would have been nothing but gibberish and scribbles to me, but as I continued looking at them, I was in awe as I felt the meaning of each rune in my mind.
The Blood Remembers. The eye sees. The kneeler endures.
" 'The Blood Remembers'. That phrase again. It's cryptic, but is it what I need to understand?", I muttered out loud as I placed my fingers against the rune, but I winced as its edges were very sharp and nearly cut deep into my index finger.
A few droplets of blood fell onto the runes and I blinked as Torrhen's statue rumbled, watching as the wall behind the statue split in half and revealed a small passageway that blew out winds colder than the ones on the surface.
"Well, I've either found the path to ancient knowledge or a path to becoming an ancient beast's food. I've made it this far," With newfound determination, I stepped into the passageway, the lantern somehow still burning as bright as ever as I continued walking down the stairs until I reached the end of them.
"…Okay, I see why this was hidden," I said with wide eyes as I placed the lantern down, staring at the glowing lines of light everywhere in the small study I entered.
Everywhere I looked, I saw nothing but books, somehow still preserved against time along with the small desk and chair in the middle of the room. The pot of ink on the table though was as hard as a rock and while the quill inside was in there, I managed to pull it out with a struggle.
"Okay, so a room filled with books. Wonder what this is all about?", I muttered as I went to reach for the first book before hissing as something burned my skin, quickly pulling my hand back and looking at it only to blink as I saw no sign of injury whatsoever.
"What…the fuck…?", I muttered as I looked back at the rack I wanted to take a book from only to frown as I stared at the glyphs floating in the air.
The Desk Contains the Path.
"The desk?", Turning to the object in question, I raised an eyebrow as I saw a small journal on it that was not there before, making myself comfortable as I sat down before opening the journal to the full page
My dearest descendant.
Should you find this book and this room, know that you have found something that no one will ever believe. I must ask that you do not tell any of this as the knowledge in this room is as old as Westeros itself.
This is the knowledge obtained from lifetimes of studies done by the greenseers, skinchangers and warlocks of our families and if this knowledge is to be lost, none shall ever find them.
If you are still reading this and not waking up in a cold sweat, I must congratulate you for you have inherited my gift as I did from the fathers before me.
Know that you are one of the few in the world that can control the Aether of the world and use your form as a conduit for the mystic arts.
I am afraid that I do not have long in this world as my lifespan is being siphoned away to finish the last of the runes on the Wall, but know that I, Brandon the Builder, know that you shall prosper and become a legendary hero for all time just as I did.
'…This is Bran the Builder's journal…and this…this is everything he studied to be able to make the magical miracle known as the Wall,' I thought in awe as I closed the journal, the first page of it already in a daze as I looked at the room.
This is where he learned of his ancestors, where he practised his craft and where he created the idea for the Wall.
"And he used these books to do so. Wait, did he…?", With a thought in mind, I quickly opened the drawers to the desk and searched through them, smiling excitedly as I pulled out my hands along with a pair of rings made out of the white Heart Tree bark.
Putting them both on, I immediately groaned as I felt the rush of energy, watching as the wind in the room whistled loudly before flowers bloomed at my feet.
'These are his foci that he used to cast his magic and now they're mine. Oh, this is about to be a fun time of studying but first, I have to make sure my mother knows I'm alive,' I thought with a sigh as I stood up, having to stop myself from staying as I closed the door and began making my way upstairs.
Oh, this is about to be glorious indeed.
A/N: And the true story is finally kicking off~! Torrhen is now free to do as he pleases and he finds some ancient knowledge.
Next chapter: Time-Skip!
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Ba-Bye~!