Infinityreads99
patreon
Chapter 36: Various PoVs
🕑 Added 2024-08-08 06:14:37 +0000 UTCAuthor’s Note: Okay, what the heck! This chapter just kept getting longer and longer to the point where it will count as two for this week, lol. With the extra day I gained from this chapter, I’ll start editing my earlier chapters to begin cross-posting. Wish me luck! Also, thanks to all my patrons. We're a small community, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support—it really means a lot.
Enjoy this chapter! There are plenty of reactions and many changes from the canon timeline.
Maester Luwin PoV
Winterfell
As I went through every parchment for the young lord of Winterfell, I felt for the first time in my life this level of dread. I’ve lived in the North for decades since the Citadel assigned me here, and I’ve endured some rough winters. I was in Winterfell during the bleakest times, such as when the last Lady Stark died giving birth to young Benjen, or when Lord Rickard followed his heir Brandon to King’s Landing and both were slaughtered by the Mad King.
The rebellion was also a rough patch in history, and while it didn’t affect the North that much, the famine that followed was severe. Many people died from the lack of food due to that conflict.
But this? This was probably the worst that could happen to the North. Thanks to Lord Robb’s information, we knew of the Queen’s dalliance with her twin brother. It was easy to see that the Crown Prince was a disturbed individual, and incest might be the reason he acted like that. Maybe that was the reason the Targaryens were mad when they had children with their siblings.
In the long run, it didn’t matter. He would never be King for long, even if he wore the Crown in the future; his rage and frankly horrible attitude would get him killed when he crossed someone he shouldn’t.
But it would mean war. With Lord Eddard going as the hand of the King and knowing him since he was a babe, I knew he would investigate the Lannisters about the death of Jon Arryn. This would get him into trouble, but hopefully, the new Lord Stark would be able to help him out of it.
I shook my head in marvel. Young Robb was truly blessed with his powers, not only in warfare but in everything he left for me. Checking the records of his inventions and the locations he had found in these last years of natural resources, I started planning what we would need to use first.
First of all, he left us the key to a part of the dungeons where he collected a massive amount of the insects that help our land grow and keep our plants prospering. With this, I would be able to send it to every keep and settlement in the North free of charge, to prepare for war and save food so we could avoid the shortages that come with conflict.
Then I would focus on the mineral mines that Robb found in his travels, giving them to each family closest to them to supervise. This was a point of contention between Lady Stark and Young Robb, as Lady Stark felt it would be in our best interest to keep control of all the mines. But Young Robb skillfully convinced her to follow his lead, knowing that even after so many years, Lady Catelyn still thought like a Southerner, and things worked differently in the North.
With all these mines, only possible to locate thanks to his power—which I didn’t believe it wasn't magic, but Lord Robb assured me he didn’t have magic, or at least didn’t know how to use it—the North would be able to prepare faster. The rest of the kingdoms didn’t know what was going to happen soon, and we needed to capitalize while we could.
All these mines were of different metals, and all of them would be useful to the North. The families in charge of the mines would have to pay a percentage to House Stark. This way, both families would benefit since they couldn’t have found them without a stroke of luck, and we wouldn’t need to spend gold and workers to mine the metals.
From iron deposits discovered near the Long Lake, close to the Last Heart, to another one somewhat close to Deepwood Motte, Robb had found a total of five iron deposits in the whole North thanks to his powers. Four of them were major deposits, and one was moderate. All this would enhance the productivity of the blacksmiths in the North and provide coins for workers.
The other deposits Robb found were three moderate deposits of copper, mostly used for weapons when combined with tin to make bronze or to mint money, as it was the “change” in our economy.
There were only two deposits of tin, but it was more than enough to make bronze, since each deposit was really small, and the quantity available on the market made it expensive due to its rarity.
Aside from those, there were only three deposits of other metals found: two of lead and one of silver. All of them were to be mined by the closest lords with territories. Thanks to House Stark’s loyalty from the other lords, this would be done without much problem. Even so, trusted subordinates were going to supervise to ensure no one tried to cheat the Ghost of the North.
Standing up and walking toward my solar, I prepared my hand. Thanks to the large number of letters I would need to pen to different lords, I knew it would hurt for a while. Smiling at the guard posted near the entrance, I walked directly to him.
“Jona, I need you to accomplish some tasks for Lord Stark,” I greeted him calmly.
“Whatever he needs, Maester Luwin,” he answered with zeal in his voice.
I smiled at him. The situation was dire, but knowing that so many people trusted us to work for their benefit and were willing to help was heartwarming.
“You are a good kid, Jona,” I told him before entering the solar with him behind me. “I need you to find Ser Rodrik and ask him to send me thirty of his most trusted men—people who would never betray us,” I continued firmly.
Jona gulped, showing his nervousness. He was barely nine and ten, old enough to understand that something big was happening.
After a moment, he nodded firmly and bolted out of my solar. I had time, as finding thirty loyal and dependable men would take a little bit of time.
---
Varys PoV
Kingsroad.
I vowed to myself never to visit the North again in my life if I could help it. I had never met so many people who were hard to read, and I could not find a single piece of evidence of something happening. I felt it in my bones: something was brewing, and for the life of me, I didn’t know what.
I didn’t know how the Starks were able to instill such loyalty in their subjects and to be honest, the past two kings could learn from them how to govern a kingdom. Aerys was mad, and that didn’t help at all, but even before his madness peaked, he was a bad king. And the less said about Robert, the better.
He only knew how to fuck whores and drink himself to the grave, and with it, he was taking the kingdom to hell with him. Hopefully, the Targaryens were better, but I doubted it. There were already rumors of Viserys madness, and he had his little sister under his thumb. I had heard that he had already sold her to the Dothraki, my good friend told me.
It was a clusterfuck, but I needed to work for the people. They had my allegiance, and I would work with everything I had to make life better for them.
The Queen didn’t help at all. I didn’t know what she was thinking, sleeping with her brother and having his children. Didn’t she know that this would lead to ruin? There was a war on the horizon, and it was probably closer than I could say.
I could see Lord Stark was already suspicious of them. I didn’t know the reason, as he had an amazing poker face, but I inferred that he knew something about them.
The blackout of information from the North was irritating. I wasn’t accustomed to not knowing things, and I couldn’t even set a foothold during my stay in Winterfell. Every servant I tried to buy accepted the money happily, but no one gave me information. After the fifth one, I knew something was happening, and listening to some laugh at me for trying to buy their allegiance was aggravating. I couldn’t do anything against them since they would tell the King when asked, and I couldn’t be seen trying to spy in the ancestral home of the new Hand of the King.
I had no idea if Lord Eddard knew what I tried to do. Ever since leaving Winterfell, he only talked with the King and the people accompanying him from Winterfell. I noticed that he trusted no one, smart of him. But he didn’t show the dislike I would expect if he knew someone had tried to spy on his home.
Feeling a smile on my face, I wondered who the servants had told about my dealings. How curious. It seemed that the last Lord Stark didn’t know about everything that happened in his seat of power.
---
Jon Snow PoV
Outskirts of FrostStorm
As I approached Froststorm with my group, I started to slow down since there were many guards near the entrance of the new town. I couldn’t help but marvel at how life had changed since Robb’s accident.
I couldn’t stop smiling when I thought about my family. It’s been a while since I was away from every single one of them, but I had grown to appreciate even Lady Catelyn in the last few years.
I had always been close to Robb, but after his accident, everything changed for the better. We became closer, like true brothers, and he kept me by his side despite the stigma of my name.
I couldn’t lie to myself and say that I didn’t feel bad when someone called me a bastard, even if they murmured it to themselves. But over the years, thanks to Robb and Father, everyone stopped.
Even though I knew the truth about my parentage, I knew deep down that Eddard Stark loved me and did what he could to protect me. I didn’t agree with all his choices, but I knew he did what he thought was best.
Over the years, I had become Robb’s right hand, following him everywhere and taking his lead. I preferred that. I wasn’t a leader, and I didn’t want to be one.
But right now? He needed me, and I would accomplish what he asked of me.
“Open the gates,” was heard from outside as we got closer.
Galloping to the center of the town, I spotted Smalljon waiting for us with Thorren. I was happy to see my friends after so long.
“Guys!” I exclaimed with a smile as I approached them.
Hugging each of them, they patted my back in greeting. They had been left here to continue supervising and gain experience leading people. They were the heirs of two powerful vassals, so it was a win-win for all of us.
“How have you been, Jon?” asked Smalljon with a booming laugh.
“Everything is good. Have you heard the news?” I asked with a smile.
“About the new Lord Stark? It’s what everyone has been talking about for the past week,” Thorren said.
“Yes, and he sent me here for a while. It’s time we start showing our true colors. The North is strong,” I said with conviction.
Both of them jolted when they heard me use these words. It was something Robb had told us in the weeks after the attack on the Dreadfort, a kind of secret that when we uttered it, it would mean that we needed to stop hiding the production that was done here.
“Did he tell you why?” Thorren asked, even as Smalljon left us to complete his tasks. We needed every blacksmith working full throttle to make weapons, and the metals we hadn’t used since we wanted to be sneaky about it would last only for a month with all of them working all the time.
Thankfully, Robb thought of that. A large amount of metals was going to be mined in the next couple of months. He had already ordered the blacksmiths here to build a large quantity of mining gear for this purpose. We were going to sell it to every house that was in charge of the mines so they could start without losing much time.
“The war is inevitable,” I admitted. Robb had permitted me to clue them in. “He found out that the king’s sons are bastards. There is no heir to the Iron Throne,” I said grimly.
“Fuck… an all-out war will happen. The Lannisters won’t leave without a fight,” Thorren exclaimed.
“Indeed. And we will be in the midst of it,” I said gravely.
“Why would we join this stupid war? It doesn’t concern us,” Thorren asked.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “We don’t have much of a choice,” I shook my head. “Let’s wait for Smalljon so that I can clue you both in without repeating myself later.”
Thorren nodded with a furrowed brow.
Entering the castle, we headed toward the solar of the late Roose Bolton, where Smalljon was already waiting for us, penning some letters for his father that I would take when I passed the Last Heart on my way to the Wall.
---
Tyrion Lannister PoV
Kingsroad
I loved the North. The people and the atmosphere were a godsend. They didn’t treat me like the people in the South, and I found myself longing to stay here.
A shame really; I would love to visit the Wall and take a piss from the top. But I had my duties now. Thanks to my bastard of a father, I was the poorest Lannister. Now he didn’t care about how I besmirched the name. He was done with me, and I was with him. I didn’t need them as they didn’t know they needed me.
Everything changed after my last trip to the North, and Father was not happy with my failure to steal knowledge from them. Well, fuck him. I was done with it too. I met people who didn’t talk badly about me, who respected me, and knew what I had to offer. I wasn’t a fighter, but I was a scholar. What I lacked in physical power, I made up for in wit.
Thankfully, the late hand offered me a job with the wonderful Elyse. Thanks to her word of recommendation, I was able to learn from her, and I did everything I could to help her.
Seeing my sister pampering her son was as distasteful as ever. How no one knew her sons were Jaime’s, I didn’t know. Well, I was pretty sure Varys knew, but he didn’t say anything, and I wouldn’t either. Jaime deserved this from me since he was one of the only people who treated me right, along with Aunt Genna.
But everything would come to light in the future. I had already noted that Ned Stark was after my sister. He knew something, but I wasn’t sure what. I needed to make sure I was ready to escape this clusterfuck that was coming.
Thankfully, Lord Robb Stark had an enlightening conversation with me. I wouldn’t admit it, but the kid scared me more than my father ever could. There was something downright intimidating about his knowing eyes and how he acted like he knew things that shouldn’t be possible.
Flashback
“It’s wonderful to have you back in Winterfell, Tyrion,” I heard the voice of the newly appointed Lord Stark behind me.
I decided I needed fresh air from the banquet, so I left the premises hoping no one would notice. But I was wrong.
Lord Robb Stark was already waiting for me near the stables. How he knew where I was going was a mystery to me, and from his knowing smile, he knew how that made me feel.
“It’s been more than a year since I last saw you, Lord Stark,” I greeted him after I calmed myself down.
“Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s wonderful how life can change so much in such an insignificant amount of time,” Lord Robb laughed.
I got mad at him for making fun of me. I didn’t know how he knew about my situation, but I didn’t think he would turn on me like that.
“What do you want with me, Lord Stark?” I asked impassively.
“Now, now, calm down. Walk with me for a bit. I want you to be sober for this conversation,” he kept joking, but I tagged along as he started walking toward the Wolfswood.
At least he kept the pace slow enough for me to keep up.
“Now, can you tell me what you want with me?” I asked impatiently.
“Just a moment,” he raised his hand, and instantly I felt all the sensations of being drunk disappear from my body.
I looked around with amazed eyes before eyeing the only one who could be responsible for this miracle.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice trembling a little.
“As I told you before, I need you to be sober for this,” he said lightly.
“Now I am sober, Lord Stark,” I repeated impatiently. I didn’t want to be near him. I didn’t know what he did, but it weirded me out.
“Yes, yes. We can start now,” he said. “Are you happy with your life, Tyrion? Being thrown out of the family for a failure in something, not one person in the Seven Kingdoms and beyond could accomplish. It appears to me that the reason your father sent you to steal from us was to get rid of you for your failures.”
That struck a chord within me. They knew I tried to steal from them, and now I was alone with one of them, unable to protect myself. Everyone saw me piss drunk at the banquet; if I disappeared, no one would know or care what happened to me.
I fell to my knees, trembling all over as my meager strength left me.
“Are you going to kill me?” I asked. I wouldn’t beg, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel bad about this as I thought I would.
There was silence after my question, and as the seconds passed, I grew impatient and searched for Robb’s eyes. I saw him with a gobsmacked face, which confused me.
“What? No, Tyrion, what are you talking about? If I wanted to kill you, you would have died with the servant Littlefinger sent, and no one would know it was me,” he explained quickly.
I didn’t know if that was supposed to comfort me, but it only scared me even more. I saw the servant’s death with my own eyes, and it was terrible.
“Now get up. I want to talk to you about something important,” he said firmly.
I tried to stand up, but my legs didn’t move. I heard him sigh and felt his arms grabbing mine, helping me sit down.
“We could have started this better,” he laughed while shaking his head.
“You think?” I asked sarcastically.
“As I asked you before, are you happy with your life, Tyrion?” he asked me again, and I stopped to think.
“No,” I murmured. “I’m pissed. I hate my family. Everyone is so idiotic, and they don’t respect me,” I shouted at him.
He patted my shoulder. “They don’t understand how good of an ally you can be,” he said back.
“War is coming,” he continued, before looking into my eyes while I tried to avert them.
“You know about your sister,” he said with no hesitation.
I trembled. We were screwed. People already knew about Cersei’s idiotic decisions.
“It makes things easy then,” he laughed. “Do you want them to win, use you for that, and then get rid of you when they don’t need you anymore?”
I felt rage bubbling in my head. “NO! They can’t win. I won’t let them!” The hate I had spurred me to keep talking. Life was not fair in Casterly Rock before my failure, but they burned all the bridges after that.
“And do you want to live? To marry in the future, have a family?” he asked rhetorically.
“Of course, I would want to, but what woman would marry me? I’m a dwarf,” I said despondently.
“I’m sure you’ll find someone in the future, Tyrion. But tell me, what will happen to every single Lannister when this comes to light?” Robb asked.
“We will all be killed. Even if I didn’t have anything to do with it, I would be grouped with them,” I said sadly.
“Not if we help each other, Tyrion. I could help you escape when this blows up, but you need to do something for me,” he said with a smile that disturbed me.
I felt like I was making a deal with the devil. But what choice did I have? I couldn’t survive alone.
“What do you need me to do?” I asked desperately.
“I want you to be the Hand,” he smiled.
“The Hand? For whom? For the bastard prince?” I laughed at the stupidity of that. He would rather kill me than make me his Hand.
“No, no… someone much more important,” he said mysteriously.
I felt dread for a moment. This was such a bad idea, but when did I make good ones?
“I want you to help Daenerys Targaryen, as her Hand of the Queen,” Robb said seriously.
Just at that moment, I started laughing hysterically. This was madness, but in the small chance it worked? We would win big, and no one would see me as a lesser anymore.
