"Keep your guard up!" Ser William of House, uncle to Larys, barked out with a frown and I nodded, my arms shaking as I held the greatsword while my opponent kept their shield up and their sword at the ready.
The squire I was fighting and I stared at each other as we began to circle the battlefield, my eyes focused on his while his gaze sometimes flickered down to my feet.
The second he looked down again for a brief moment, I lunged forward, surprising him as I swung and smacked his shield. He quickly raised his shield as I raised my greatsword, but I stopped my attack halfway.
Finishing the attack with a sideways swipe, the squire grunted as I hit his side, grunting before moving back as I continued with a thrust. Using his shield to push my thrusts to the side, I frowned as I moved back.
Unfortunately, he quickly used that opportunity to rush in, using his tower shield to push my slash downwards before I gagged as he thrust the tip of his training sword dead-centre into my chest.
"And Lyon wins the bout. That's 12 to 10 in Lyon's favour, which means he wins."
"Hah, fuck."
"No cursing," Lyon spoke with a smirk as he held a hand out, a smile on my face as I took it and let him help me to my feet while Ser William walked closer.
"Lyon, you have the basics down, but you're still too scared to capitalize on an opportunity."
"Right, ser."
"As for you, you're too aggressive. Apply the patience you have for shooting with the bow to fighting with the sword and you might become a good knight."
"Not one of the bests?"
"No. Now, Lyon, give me laps around the training ground. Lord Torrhen, I believe Lord Larys informed me to make sure you do not forget your meeting later today."
"I know, ser. Thank you for the training. It was excellent as usual."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," the man spoke with a smirk and I grinned as I handed the training greatsword to him, turning and making my way away from the training ground to the castle of Harrenhal.
All around me, the squires were training intensely as knights and the house guards corrected their stances or gave them tips, bowing their heads and smiling as I walked past which I returned with my own.
'And here I thought they would be more scared of me after they saw my magic,' I thought as I walked out of the training yard, waving at the servants who bowed their heads. I had expected glares, scorn of fear, but instead of any of those three, the people were instead happier than they were before to have me in their home.
It might be because I was marrying a princess and they needed to keep me in their good graces while insulting me behind my back, but even when I warged into the bodies of the odd mice now and again to train that, they were still talking good things about me.
Torrhen the Blessed, the Seven's blessed son, He Who Is Blessed.
It was always some iteration of blessed that they used whenever talking about me and I'd like to think that even though they might adore my magic, there were some…manipulations made here and there to make them see if in a good night.
'Considering I haven't seen that Alys Rivers since our meeting two months ago, I'd say that she could potentially be the one that's been twisting the story to suit my narrative,' Still, I don't understand why she would go that far to do that…unless she has plans for me.
They were also probably plans that she most likely made through after seeing some sort of prophecy or the other, because that is usually why most people in this world do what they do. Prophecy or ambition…or both.
'Hah, I think the boredom of being stuck in Harrenhal for two months is starting to get to me. When exactly am I allowed to leave?', After the whole show of showing Larys one of my many abilities, the man has been only speaking to me whenever we have breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and/ or our quick little chats when I'm in the library.
It wasn't like I was a hostage either as I was free to send ravens back to Winterfall. On top of that, I was allowed to leave the grounds of Harrenhal, which I did when I went to see the Isle of Faces. Unfortunately, the vision I saw there was identical to the one I saw in the godswood, which didn't help me much.
There was one thing that I figured out, a thing that I now wish I just didn't try to learn.
"Bah! You are a fool to trust Aegon's descendants and their servants. The thought of marrying a princess made you blind to their schemes and now, they will wring you dry," Harren the Black, the last King of the Isles and Rivers, spoke with a scoff and I just ignored him like usual.
After I had figured out from Alys that I needed to 'see' without looking and after I had visited the godswood, I had found myself with a new sense of sight. I could see the aether of the world, the strands that connected each occupant to said world and the spirits that dwell in the realm after life.
I can faintly remember Jon Snow and Beric Dondarrion speaking of nothing but darkness after life from the series, but if the spirit of Harren is to believed, there actually is an afterlife after death.
Well, there are many according to the religion that they followed, but for Harren, it was nothing more than being seated at a vast table underwater while some sort of tentacle-faced god feasted with them.
'Sounds a lot like Cthulhu to me.'
"Torrhen of House Stark," I blinked as a voice spoke up, turning my head to see a smiling Alys walking out of Harrenhal. Her gaze flickered to Harren who was floating beside me for a brief moment before her smile widened as she looked back.
"I see you have learned to see."
"Yes, but I regret it now. I'd rather not deal with this one."
"Oh, you can be angry now, but I will drill into you my Targaryen hating ways and you shall be my suc-Ooh~ Yes! You shall sleep with Aegon's descendant and we shall have an army of Aegon-hating shitheads."
"He has quite the creative mind, does he not?"
"If only he doesn't bother me. I assume those two do the same to you?", I asked while looking at the two flaming spirits floating beside her, their forms being nothing more than humanoid fire given form.
"Unfortunately, yes, though I do admit that the sons do not speak much. Instead, they comfort me with the sound of their fires. Harren used to be the same, but I believe-"
"He's come to like me so he's taken a physical form to talk to me. How can I banish him?"
"Bah! I'd rather not deal with that at all!", The spirit snorted as he vanished, making me raise an eyebrow as his sons vanished as well while Alys looked amused.
"He may act like a ruthless, arrogant monster, but even Harren himself has developed a form of longing for the physical world after I had pulled them from the afterlife."
"You…you can do that?"
"Necromancy and Bloodmagic, Torrhen Stark. Who knows? Perhaps, I may teach you how to do so," She ended her statement with a mysterious smile before walking away, to which I watched her walk away before shaking my head.
"Does she usually like to act this mysterious?", I asked, looking at the two guards at the front entrance. The two looked at each other before the one on the left sighed as the one on the right nodded.
"Indeed, she does. Now, please. Our lord is waiting for you, Lord Torrhen."
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"Read this, please," Larys spoke the very second I sat down in front of his desk, making me raise an eyebrow as I took the small letter from him and rolled it open.
To Lord Larys Strong, Lord of Harrenhal and Lord Confessor of the Small Council.
You, as well as your guest Lord Torrhen II Stark of House Stark, are hereby invited to King's Landing by his Grace the King to travel with us to Driftmark for the funeral of the late Lady Laena Targaryen.
Signed,
Queen Alicent Targaryen of House Targaryen.
"…So, we're finally leaving?", I've been wanting to ask for the past two months when I would be going to King's Landing as I had thought that I would have gone immediately, but it appears my wait is over.
"Yes, I have expected the message to come a bit sooner, but it appears that with Lady Laena's unfortunate passing, the family has been mourning it before the funeral."
'If that's the case, I think I have the chance to alter the universe drastically,' Aemond is supposed to get Vhagar on the evening of Laena's funeral and then lose his eye when he gets back. I could potentially stop him from doing so, which could also potentially result in my death.
'Or…what if I didn't stop him, but instead save him?', If I stop him from losing an eye and stop Lucerys from pulling his knife, that would result in Rhaenyra and Alicent not being as angry at each other anymore.
That could result in them not leaving King's Landing and in Viserys crowning her as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms a lot earlier, which means that Aegon could not be crowned King!
'Then again, all of this depends on what the universe tries to pull with me when I get there and the success of the plan. Hah, I've had better odds, but I suppose it's time to find out if I'm truly lucky or not.'
"I have already asked of Alys and the other maids to get your clothing ready, though I don't think you will need it considering that you will be staying in your own room in the Red Keep that is already packed to the brim with the finest clothing, if Queen Alicent's words are to be believed."
"Well, then, I suppose I'll go and meditate in the godswood. If you would excuse me," I spoke with a bow, Larys nodding as I turned and walked out of the room, hiding my excitement as I walked through the hallways that were packed with servants.
It was only until I stopped in front of the weirwood that I let out a soft cheer, sitting down and leaning back against it with a relieved smile.
'Okay, okay! Enough celebrating! I've done enough scheming so it's time to finish with this,' I thought as I placed my hands on the ground, watching as the grass below me began to grow.
Yet, I frowned as there was no other changes, grimacing as I lifted my hand and watched the grass recede back into the ground. Doing the same thing again yielded the same results, but there was a slight addition in flowers blooming with it.
'Yeah, still the same. Warging is fairly easy to use now, but anything other than that is also hard to use. Bran the Builder's foci does help me use the aether around me, but it's stops at a certain point because I'm not the one who made it.'
"Hah, I suppose it's time, then," I muttered, standing up before taking out a dagger and picking up one of the thicker branches lying on the floor.
Time to make my own foci from scratch.
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'Yep, you can most definitely smell King's Landing from miles away,' I thought with a grimace as I sat beside Larys in the carriage, a handkerchief that had been dipped in perfumes held over my nose to try and fight the stench of filth and excrement in the air.
You know, it's times like this that I am grateful for having become a noble son of a Greater House in this shitstain of a world. If I had to be a peasant or a beggar on the street, especially with how incompetent I am in terms of labour work, I'd be going hungry within the first hour.
'Thankfully, my luck was good enough to make me a Stark and that's more than enough for me.'
"Not quite the welcoming scent, is it?"
"No, it is not, my lord. Does one get used to it?"
"No, I'm afraid you simply learn to focus on other things that may take away your attention from the stench."
"I see," I murmured, looking out the window of the carriage to see the looks of awe on the common folk when we rode past.
'Damn, this…I thought I would feel bad, but I just feel nothing but happy at the fact that I'm more privilege than they are. Is…is this what it means to be a politician?'
"Now, I'm sure your lord father and lady mother have already informed you, but I must ask that you are as respectful as you can be. While I do enjoy your quick quips and remarks, the royal family and their closest loved ones might not be as…entertained by them as I am."
"I understand, my lord, and you are correct. Mother and Father did inform me to be more respectful and act less of how I am and more of how I should be."
"I could not put it any other way. Also, I will have to ask that you keep your…abilities to yourself. While I am sure that most would be entertained to see them…"
"There might be others who do not like being in the same room as a magic practitioner."
"Correct. Also, a quick lesson. Any child of anyone in the royal family are princes and princesses whereas anyone that married into the family that is not married to the King or Queen is a Lord or Lady depending on the gender. If you are to refer to the Queen, you will do so by saying Your Grace as you would with the King or you are to say My Queen. The correct terminology is my Lady Queen Consort, but doing so reminds her of her lower status as queen, she will most definitely have your tongue removed for not using the proper terminology."
"So, be respectful, use the right titles with everyone, do not be energetic, keep my abilities to myself and, uh…do not show off? Did you say that as well, my lord?"
"No, but I like that. Yes, do not show off and try to make the princes or princesses look back. Well, I do believe you are educated enough and I do believe…that we are here."
"Halt!", A voice barked out from the outside and I blinked, turning my head to the door as it opened before looking to Larys as he stood up and made his way to the door.
"One last thing: Kneel when I bow my head. That shows that you do not see yourself as an equal to them yet."
'Right, got it.'
"Will do, my lord," I nodded, following the man out of the carriage and stopping myself from gawking as I followed the man closely.
The Red Keep was a beautiful and intimidating sight as it stood tall, earning its name from the redstone bricks that were used to built it as several buildings were interconnected with each other.
Standing in front of us as Larys stopped, I stared at the trio of knights, one being a rather tall man with no hair and a thick beard while the other two looked to be carbon copies of the other.
The only way I could tell the two apart was because of their beards, the one on the left also having a thicker, more full beard while the other had less of a full beard and more of a beard and twirly moustache combo.
'Huh, Erryk, Arryk and the Lord Commander Westerling, right? Man, it's been a year so one can't blame me for forgetting.'
"Lord Commander, pleased to have you meet us."
"It is our pleasure, Lord Strong. You must be Lord Torrhen II Stark, yes?"
"I am, indeed, Lord Commander. I must say that it is truly a pleasure to meet not one but three of the greatest and bravest Knights in Westeros."
"Hmm, from the tales we've heard of your unique capabilities, it is our pleasure to meet you," Lord Commander Westerling spoke with a slight bow, an amused Erryk and Arryk doing the same before I glanced at Larys as he spoke.
"Now then, I assume that his Grace is already waiting for our arrival?"
"You would be correct. Please, follow," Lord Commander spoke as he turned and began walking, Larys and I following after him with Arryk and Erryk taking up the rear.
Well, time to meet a King.
A/N: Sorry for the late upload, but I was struggling whether or not to end the chapter here or with him meeting Viserys, but I've decided to keep the meeting for the next chapter as I've got something special planned for that.
Next chapter: A funeral and…Oh, Fate loves tempting me?
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Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!