"Thank you for accompanying me to the North, your Grace."
"No need. You are my soon-to-be son by marriage and it would be rude of me to not see the land that nurtured you," Viserys replied with a smile, to which I chuckled softly before looking to Alicent as she continued.
"And seeing as you will soon be bound to our house, we wish to see the place that shaped you."
"Well, then I hope you enjoy what you see," I spoke with a smile before glancing over at Helaena, who was busy with a white cloth and a needle in hand.
I could make out the beginnings of a tree and some beast of silver thread, but as I tried to get a closer look, I blinked as she quickly covered it while hiding it behind her with a mysterious look.
"Am I not allowed to see?", I asked, amused as she tried her best not to smile even as the corners of her lips twitched.
"Not yet."
"Not yet?"
"Some things are only meant to be seen once they are finished. If you look too soon, you will not see the picture for the message."
"Hahaha~ Apologies, Torrhen, but I must say that I am envious of the relationship you have with my daughter."
"How so, your Grace?"
"Ever since you came to King's Landing all that time ago,"
'Hasn't it only been four to five months at most since I came to the South?'
"-Helaena has been more talkative. Her words are less cryptic than before and yet, when I see and hear the two of you talking with each other, it sounds like a symphony of poems being weaved into a beautiful conversation."
"...I never knew you had such a way with words, your Grace," I spoke and the man chuckled while Alicent gave a smile as he patted her hand with a loving smile.
"How do you think I managed to woo my Queen?"
"With drinks...and your figures."
"Ah, right. I forgot about them."
"Figures?", I interjected, Alicent nodding as the King chuckled before explaining.
"Sculptures I had made, both of King's Landing as well as the many dragons and Houses."
'Right, I forgot about that thing from the House of the Dragon show.'
"Yes, I sat countless hours with stone and clay trying to capture the memory of things that may one day lay forgotten."
"You undersell yourself, my King. Not many kings can leave behind such grand legacies that they forged with their own hands."
"I suppose so, my love," The man spoke with a smile as he kissed the side of her head, Alicent giggling at his gesture before I looked over at Helaena who sat expectantly.
'Wait, does she...?', Deciding to test it out, I leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, watching as she looked pleased before continuing with her work when I sat back upright.
"Ohohoho~ That is very brave to do in front of the father, Torrhen."
"O-Oh, never meant any disresp-"
"Bahahahaha! If I was Otto Hightower, you would be swinging from the rafters!", The man spoke with a hearty laugh and I glanced to Alicent only to be surprised as even she was laughing at his words.
"You expected me to be angry? No, my love speaks the truth. Many a boy have tried to win my heart and most of them were but servants who were then taught a very painful lesson."
"Then, I suppose I am most fortunate that you are as merciful as you are beautiful."
"Careful there, Lord Torrhen. You already have the heart of my daughter."
"Merely a compliment, your Grace," I spoke with a smile, the man chuckling before I looked to Helaena as she spoke.
"Hearts stitched are stronger than those left bare."
"And what does that message mean?"
"Those that know pain can endure more than those who don't, yes?"
"Yes," Helaena nodded, to which I smirked as Viserys chuckled and even Alicent smiled at our interaction.
"See? You two are perfect for one another. Now, I hear that the North have the sweetest drinks. Is that the truth?", He asked and I smirked before nodding.
"Do not worry, your Grace. We shall put that to the test."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"They did a good job capturing his features," I murmured, staring at the newest addition to the statues of the Lords of Winterfell in the crypts of said fortress.
"They did, indeed. Uncle Bennard cried when he first saw it."
"I'd imagine that to be the case. Where's Mother buried?"
"In Deepwood Motte. Grandfather decided to have her buried there in their family crypt," Cregan answered, my hand tracing over the face of Father's statue before I smiled as I saw the dark grey thread connecting it to the many others that belonged to the other statues.
"Have you visited it?"
"No, I wanted to, but then I remembered that you weren't able to attend the funeral as you were still stuck in bed. Therefore, I wanted to wait until you were ready before we went together."
"Really? I wouldn't have mind."
"Yeah, but you're my twin brother. It would be rude of me if I didn't go say one last actual goodbye without you with me," He spoke with a smirk, to which I chuckled as I hugged him from the side and nodded.
"Then, when we go back, you and Uncle Bennard can accompany us to Deepwood Motte. Now, has anyone else been in the crypts?"
"Other than the stonemasons? No, Uncle Bennard doesn't like having anyone not of Stark descent in here. Well, Brandon, Elric and Benjen were in here, but I was with them and I think they were just looking for your 'secret study' that every talks about. Is it even real?"
"Oh, definitely not. Why would there be a hidden room in the crypt?", I asked with a raised eyebrow while glancing behind us, Cregan catching my look as I warged into a mouse behind us.
'Larys? This guy is way too quiet for a guy that has a clubfoot,' I thought with a frown as I stared at the cloaked man hiding in the shadows, switching back to my main body to see Cregan narrowing his eyes at me.
"Are you certain? I faintly remember you always going into the crypts when you were younger."
"Oh, that room? No, I didn't know who would know of the room so I had it destroyed and its contents moved to several hidden rooms around Winterfell."
"Are you going to tell me which rooms?", He asked and I made a show of looking around carefully before smirking.
"Can I really trust you?"
"I'm your twin brother. Who else could you trust if not me?", he asked with a raised eyebrow and I smiled before nodding.
"The watchtower next to the First Keep and right across the entrance of the crypt has a few books. It's on the second floor and under a hidden compartment next to the window that points south."
"Cool~ But, won't anyone find out about it?"
"If they do, I'll know it's you. Besides, no one is here so no one other than us two will know. Now, let's go back up and see if we can't get some extra bacon from the kitchen."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'Yeah, you're not slick, buddy,' I thought with a smirk as I hid in the shadows of the steps to the third floor, watching as a cloaked figure came up the steps and looked directly at the window that I had spoke about.
Not saying anything, the person walked over to said location and began to feel around the window, but a snap of my fingers activated the lighting runes and immediately illuminated the entire room we were on.
"Well, I didn't expect you, your Grace," I spoke with a smile as I walked out of the shadows, staring at Alicent who looked both surprised and miffed as she lowered her hood.
"When?"
"I have runes etched along every wall in the crypt. Any time someone tries to enter it that isn't a Stark or married to one, it informs me. That's how I knew Lord Larys was in the crypts with Cregan and myself. I assume that's how you learned of this supposed hiding place, yes?"
'That's a lie, but there's no way I'm telling anyone about the warging,' I thought with a smirk as Alicent narrowed her eyes at me before she gave a thin smirk.
"It appears that I have correctly estimated you, Torrhen Stark," She responded instead of answering my question, making me smile before I spoke.
"As a threat or as an ally, your Grace?"
"That remains to be seen," A voice spoke from the side and I admit that my heart skipped a beat in panic when Otto Hightower walked onto the second floor.
His gaze flickered to the runes only for a brief moment before he looked back at me with an unreadable stoic expression.
"Father?"
"Please, leave us, daughter. I wish to speak with my granddaughter's betrothed in private."
"Very well. We will continue this discussion when there are less ears to listen in."
"Of course, your Grace," I spoke with a bow, forcing myself to calm down when Alicent walked down and left me alone with arguably the most dangerous man in the Seven Kingdoms.
"Lord Hand."
"Lord Torrhen, you are quite the cautious young man. I have been hoping that you and I may have a simple discussion, but you always seem to avoid the attention of my knights as if you had eyes and ears everywhere."
'One could say that, yeah.'
"The North has taught me that a careless man does not last long in this cold let alone in the cruelty of the South."
"A fair lesson. Yet, I must ask. You made mention of secrets that you do not wish to share. Why is that?"
"Because not all knowledge is meant to be handed out freely, Lord Hand, and because I like to have some of my own cards hidden."
"And what of loyalty?", The man asked, his tone turning a bit cold as he narrowed his eyes.
"Tell me, when the winds turn cold, the blades are drawn and oaths weigh heavier than crowns, where will your loyalty lie? With the dragons of the South or with the wolves of the North?"
"Both, Lord Hand. If the dragon marries the wolf, then their strength is to be shared. I would not betray either, but I will not tear them apart."
"Spoken like a diplomat. I can see why my daughter say that you remind her of me."
"Her Grace said that?", I asked, a bit surprised at the words as Otto hummed and walked over to the window overlooking the courtyard.
"She did. Said that you were as loyal as a Stark yet as cunning as a Lannister and as calculative as one fit to be my son, something she has not said about any of my blood sons."
"Oh, well, if such high praise is rewarded to me, I accept it wholeheartedly."
"Do not think of it as praise, Lord Torrhen. There are many a person who have hate towards my family and I because of how I maneuvered them from power. To be compared to me is to walk a road paved with danger at every turn."
"A path I shall still tread with care," I answered, Otto glancing at me before I blinked as I caught the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Careful response, well calculated to make me feel a form of pride in the choice made by my daughter for a grandson-in-law. Well done. However, would you still say those words if it were my house standing against yours? What if the dragons wish to rain down fire on the north? Which will you choose then?"
"The North," I answered without hesitation, making Otto raise an eyebrow as I smiled.
"Would I feel regret for it happening? Yes. Would I do everything in my power to make sure it never results in battle? Yes. However, the North is where I was born, where I was raised and if need be, it is where I will die, whether that is burning alive by dragon fire or of old age," I answered, Otto's eyes studying me before I was surprised when the man let out a soft chuckle.
"You play the game better than most lords twice your age. Then, a fair warning from the grandfather of your betrothed. This game has no ends and it does not grow weary even if you do. Once you've chosen your side, you cannot unchoose it so once you've made your decision, stick to it. For both your sake and Helaena's."
"I will, Lord Hand," I spoke with a bow, watching as the man hummed before turning and walking back down to the first floor.
Not relaxing until I saw him walking across the courtyard with his hands behind his back and Alicent beside him, I let out a soft sigh as I slumped against the wall next to the window and sat down.
'That...was so dangerous,' I couldn't relax for one moment as it felt as if the man was studying my every movement. Every muscle twitch, blink and breath felt as if Otto had already calculated it and on top of that, the man unpacked my every response like a book he has read before.
That irritated me. While I focused on learning about magic and how to swing a sword, I lost focus of the one thing I needed to learn the most in order to survive the longest in this world.
Politics.
'That's a mistake I'll have to rectify from tomorrow onwards. Right now, I need to finally make that foci I've been wanting to make Harrenhal.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"First, we need a branch from a heart tree that's at least five centuries old, which is the tree in the Winterfell godswood," I muttered with a smirk as I sat under said tree, staring at the wooden branch that had suspiciously fallen off right as I sat down.
'Alright, next, we need a paste made from a mixture of the heart tree sap and my own blood. Place the foci in it and then let your Aether connect the sap to the branch,' I worked as I went through the process in my mind, letting my thread connect to both the sap and the branch before kneading the two together.
'Finally, make a connecting thread from the Aether of the world to the branch while carving the following runes into it: binding, memory, strength and focus,' I thought as I lifted the branch from the paste, taking out the dagger sheathed at my side before beginning the carving process.
MANNAZ, the bond of kin/ Humanity or Binding was the first one, the rune flaring faintly as I finished it before moving onto the second. JERA, the harvest or Memory was the second, a slight frown on my face as the branch felt as if it was forcing the blade away before it stopped when I finished.
The third, ANSUZ, word of the gods or Strength was very hard to do as the branch pulsed with every cut and sweat gathered at my brow, the scent of iron and sap invading my nostrils.
Finally, it was time for the last one. ALGIZ, higher self or Focus was the hardest as my hands trembled with every stroke, the branch shivering like a snake before my eyes widened as all four runes pulsed red when I lifted the dagger.
Waiting a few moments as I could feel the link between myself and the foci rings around my fingers fading away, I watched patiently before grinning as the final rune finished.
Now staring at a snow white branch the length of my forearm in the rough shape of a wand with scarlet red runic markings along its length, I smirked as I connected my thread of Aether to it and watched the runes pulse gold.
The next moment, I was no longer under the heart tree, finding myself standing in front of the gigantic talking weirwood tree that looked at me with a stoic gaze.
"Stark, wolf of two worlds. Why do you carve the runes of men into the wood of gods?"
"If I don't, then everything will be lost to the Long Night and I do not wish to stand aside and watch as everything I love is consumed in darkness for all eternity," I responded, the tree not saying anything for a long while before it spoke.
"ANSUZ grants strength, but it demands truth," Just that one phrase forced me to a knee as I felt voices howling in my ears, making me grit my teeth as I kept a tight grip on my new wand.
"JERA grants memory, but it demands patience. ALGIZ grants focus, but it demands sacrifice. MANNAZ binds, but it demands blood. Are you ready to pay their price?"
"I...I accept."
"Then hear the price, wolf," It rumbled and I felt my head snap back as my thread of Aether forced me to look up at the tree, watching as a tendril of it slithered forward and tapped itself against my forehead.
"May you give and may you endure."
A/N: We finally have a foci! Also, we're ending the chapter here! With this, most of the magical stuff is done for the foreseeable future and next chapter, a somewhat happy chapter with more magic.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!