The Great Hall of Winterfell smelled of roasted venison, spilled ale, and wet dog. It was a smell of ancient power, heavy and suffocating.
Ronan walked down the center aisle, flanked by Robb Stark. The noise in the hall—the boisterous laughter of the Karstarks, the shouting of the Umbers—died down as he passed.
They weren't looking at him because he was tall or handsome. They were looking at him because he was different.
While the other Northern lords wore heavy furs, tarnished chainmail, and wool cloaks stained with travel, Ronan wore a tunic of dark grey wool, cut sharply and fitted perfectly. He wore no jewelry, only a simple belt with a steel buckle that caught the firelight. He looked clean. In a room full of rough men, cleanliness was a statement.
At the High Table sat the Warden of the North.
Eddard Stark looked older than his years. His face was long and solemn, etched with the stress of keeping a kingdom together that was too large and too empty. Beside him sat Lady Catelyn, her red hair shining in the torchlight, her blue eyes sharp and assessing.
"Lord Ronan," Ned Stark said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried instantly to the back of the hall. "My son tells me you paved the Kingsroad."
"Only twenty miles of it, Lord Stark," Ronan replied, bowing low. "The rest is still... rustic."
A booming laugh echoed from the side tables. The Greatjon—Jon Umber—slammed his tankard down. He was a giant of a man, nearly seven feet tall. "Rustic! He calls the King's mud 'rustic'! I like this boy. He has a tongue of iron."
"Iron is useful," Ronan said, turning to acknowledge the giant. "Mud is not."
He turned back to Ned. "I bring the harvest tithe from the Wolfswood. And the back taxes owed to the Crown."
Varrick stepped forward nervously, placing a heavy chest on the table. He opened it. It wasn't filled with grain. It was filled with silver bars. Not coins—bars. Cast in the blast furnace from melted-down currency and trade ore.
Lady Catelyn leaned forward. "Silver bars? Where did a timber lord find silver mines?"
"We didn't mine the silver, my Lady," Ronan explained. "We mined efficiency. We sold glass to White Harbor. We sold steel to the Glovers. This is the profit."
The hall murmured. Profit was a Southron word. Northern lords spoke of survival, not profit.
Ronan activated [The Architect's Eye].
He didn't want to scan the room for structural weaknesses in the walls. He wanted to scan the people.
He looked at Ned Stark.
• Structural Integrity: Critical.
• Stress Load: 95%.
• Analysis: A load-bearing pillar carrying too much weight. One crack, and the roof comes down.
He looked at Catelyn Stark.
• Defense: High.
• Perception: High.
• Analysis: She sees you as a threat to her children's inheritance. Handle with care.
Then, Ronan's gaze drifted to the shadows at the edge of the High Table.
A man sat there, sipping water while others drank ale. He had a pale, ageless face and eyes the color of dirty ice. He wore pink—the color of House Bolton.
Roose Bolton.
Ronan focused the Eye.
Usually, the Eye showed Ronan heat, stress, and pulse. Living things glowed with warmth.
Roose Bolton was... Grey.
• Thermal Output: Negligible.
• Heart Rate: 45 BPM (Resting).
• Stress Lines: None.
• Threat Level: Extreme.
The text overlay in Ronan's vision flashed red.
[Warning: Sociopathic Architecture Detected. No emotional leverage points found.]
Roose Bolton noticed Ronan staring. He didn't blink. He just raised his cup in a silent, mocking toast.
"You have been busy, Lord Ronan," Roose said softly. His voice was like dry leaves skittering on stone. "My scouts report large fires in your woods. Smoke that turns the day into night. And walls that appear from nowhere."
The hall went quiet. The Boltons scared everyone, even the Umbers.
"Industry is messy, Lord Bolton," Ronan replied, keeping his face neutral. "But the results are clean."
"Are they?" Roose asked. "Some say you practice sorcery. Turning mud to stone. Making fire pump water."
"A man who doesn't understand a lever calls it magic," Ronan said. "A man who understands it calls it a machine. I am an engineer, not a wizard."
"An engineer," Roose tasted the word. "A new word for the North. I wonder... if we were to peel back your layers, would we find wheels and gears inside? Or just meat like the rest of us?"
It was a threat, veiled in curiosity. I could flay you to find out.
Ronan felt a chill, but he let his [Sovereign's Aura] flare.
"You would find iron," Ronan said coldly. "And you would break your knife."
The Greatjon roared with laughter again, breaking the tension. "Hah! The boy has teeth! Leave him be, Roose. If he can make the roads smooth so my arse doesn't hurt when I ride to Winterfell, he can be a wizard for all I care."
Ned Stark stood up. The room silenced.
"We will not speak of flaying at my table," Ned said, casting a stern look at Bolton. He turned to Ronan. "You have paid your debts, Lord Blackwood. And you have improved your lands. The North is stronger for it. Sit. Eat. Tomorrow, we will discuss this... glass."
Ronan sat. He ate the venison. But he didn't taste it.
He could feel Roose Bolton's eyes on him. The Leech Lord wasn't intimidated by the silver or the roads. He was analyzing Ronan, just as Ronan had analyzed him.
He knows, Ronan thought. He knows I am a threat to the status quo.
As the feast wound down, Robb leaned over. "You handled the Leech well. Most men stutter when he looks at them."
"He is just a man," Ronan said. "Men bleed."
"Tomorrow," Robb whispered, "Theon wants to challenge you. He saw your grey soldiers. He thinks they are mummers in costumes. He wants to prove the longbow is superior to your... cranks."
"Let him try," Ronan said, taking a sip of wine. "I didn't bring mummers, Robb. I brought the future."
Status Update:
• Ned Stark: Cautiously approving.
• Roose Bolton: Identified as Primary Nemesis.
• Greatjon Umber: Amused/Neutral.
....
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapter
80 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
125 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support and Reaching the Goal!