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Chapter 62 - Castle Black

299 AC

Castle Black

"It was my desire to at least visit the Wall once in my life. If one does not, could he truly be called a northern lord?" I finished with a faint smile. Even though the man could not see it, I knew he could feel it in my voice.

"I would say the same of any northern lord," he replied warmly, turning his head slightly toward the sound of my chair. "Knowing one's land and its historical sites is one of the tenets of good lordship."

I nodded at that.

"Tell me, Maester," I continued, "do you believe the wildlings should be counted among men?"

"I see no reason why not," he said after a pause. "The only difference between us and them is that we were fortunate enough to be born on the right side of the Wall."

"I see," I said quietly.

"And answer me this, Maester," I pressed, "if you were to learn more of your kin, what would you say of them? I speak of the second remaining Targaryen alive to this day your grandniece, Daenerys."

"And what do you mean by "second" Targaryen alive?" His voice wavered with age, but there was no mistaking the sudden sharpness beneath it. He was taken aback.

"I will say this only under secrecy," I replied evenly. "My guards outside will allow no ears near this chamber. You must swear not to speak of it to anyone not even to him unless I command it."

"Him who?"

"Swear this to me maester?" I asked again.

There was a long silence.

"I swear," the Maester said at last.

—— —— ——

I told him of Aegon.

Of Jon Snow.

I told him of the Tower of Joy and the promises made there, of Ned Stark's silence and the price he paid to keep it.

I told him that Jon Snow was no Snow at all.

That by blood and by right, he was the true King of Westeros.

And I told him of my intent.

I told him I would bind House Bolton to House Targaryen through his niece. That I would forge a union strong enough to drag this broken realm into a new age. That I would fix what had been rotting for three centuries.

I, Domeric Bolton, would do this.

-————-

The Maester did not speak for a long while after I finished.

The wind outside howled against the ancient stones of Castle Black, carrying with it the distant groan of the Wall itself a sound like some slumbering beast shifting in its sleep. The candles guttered low, casting long shadows that crawled across the shelves of parchment and leather-bound tomes.

At last, he made a low but slow exhale.

"What you speak of is beyond dreaming," he said softly.

"How you came across this information I am still curious but you had told me things that only Rhaegar and I have ever discussed",

"The power of magic is coming back maester and its time is here again" I replied. "The realm may have forgotten its spine or lineage but I have not."

He turned his sightless eyes toward me. "If what you say is true… then the realm stands upon a lie so vast that it has become its foundation."

"Lies can be torn down," I said. "Stone by stone."

The Maester's fingers trembled as he folded his hands atop his lap. "You ask me to accept that the boy I have known who took the black, who forsook all claims was never meant for the Wall at all."

"Fate is cruel," I said. "And vows made in ignorance are chains forged by liars."

He gave a faint, humorless chuckle. "Spoken like a lord who has never worn the black."

"And I would never want to".

Silence returned between us, heavier now.

"You intend to marry my niece for power to the throne, a way to legitimize your dastardly ambitious claim ," he said at last. It was not a question.

"Well it shall work in our favors, your house shall return to its place along the rungs of power."

The Maester shook his head slowly. "You would stand between dragonfire and the North. Between Stark loyalty and Targaryen blood."

"I am the bridge," I said. "The Starks rule has faltered their power and household shattered by the same honor that saw its king and Eddard Stark killed. The Targaryens destroyed by their arrogance and their inability to adapt. The Boltons understand something both houses forget."

"And that is?" he asked.

"To change is power, and those that can bring about the greatest of changes are the strongest"

Outside, a horn sounded once long and low before falling silent again.

"Are we expecting returning rangers?" I asked.

"I know not of that."

"Nevertheless, think on this maester."

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