[Chapter Size: 4000 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Karhold, 300 AC.
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Karhold was the next fortress to receive the raven. The Wall and Last Hearth were the first to receive them. Then the next was the seat of House Karstark.
The raven with the report of the order of the maesters was received by the castle's maester, while Maester Halren of Karhold, in question, did not deliver it to the current lord of Karhold, Arnolf Karstark, much less to Lady Alys, the current heir of her father, who had been executed by Robb Stark, while her brothers had been captured or killed by the Lannisters, Boltons and Freys, with no one knowing whether they were alive or dead.
However, the situation in the castle ended up becoming chaotic, because Alys's uncle had ended up taking complete control of the castle, something he had already been doing while his brother was fighting for the north in the south.
He took power this time, completely ignoring his niece's rights, while she ended up imprisoned in a tower by his order, with no more access to almost anyone who used to be loyal to her, removing all of Alys's trusted people from the castle.
She was like a bird in a cage at that moment.
Now in the current situation of Karhold, Maester Halren did not deliver Arctic's papers and documents... He hid everything. No, more than that, he burned part of the papers a few days later, after thinking about what he should do with them.
The order of maesters had been weakened for years. The Citadel had lost most of its books, looted by that wild king — as they called him among themselves at that time, with an order to monitor all information about Arctic and all rumors from beyond the Wall.
The greatest minds of the time were murdered in cold blood inside a room while they were unarmed, by the young king of Arctic. A maester does not take up arms; the only thing of steel he possesses are the chains forged by themselves, a symbol of their status of knowledge. They use the mind as strength, not the brutality of hands and blades to kill — as happened with the king of Arctic.
And even so, they were massacred in cold blood...
Many people did not know exactly what had happened in that room. Jon had sent a report to the king, saying that he would be looting the Citadel after feeling threatened, but the version that there had been a conspiracy, with that room full of men with crossbows and swords pointed at them, with many men and even knights outside the room as well, ready to assassinate the king of Arctic inside the Citadel, was suppressed even by the king's council.
Everyone believed that Jon Arctic had simply killed the maesters and the High Septon of the time. At least, the order saw it that way, as a cruelty of evil men and women attacking a peaceful city of Oldtown, cradle of faith and knowledge.
They say Arctic still has Lord Hightower's brother in their kingdom as their prisoner... Lady Arya Stark had said he was there when she visited Karhold with her father and was questioned by Maester Halren himself. But she did not know what the king intended with a Hightower prisoner kept there for years.
This made Maester Halren remember Arya's visit; he had always thought it absurd that Arya was welcomed again with open arms by the North. She was involved with that dangerous and savage kingdom.
Despite the attack on Oldtown, which is an affront against the Seven Kingdoms, and the annihilation of entire fleets with wildfire... all the lords of the North welcomed her and never spared praise for the woman who had become the new She-Wolf, as they nicknamed her.
The maester tried to speak with Rickard Karstark about it before Lord Stark's visit, making subtle remarks to Lord Karstark, but he was always ignored, even questioned.
'What are you talking about, maester? She is Ned's daughter. She is of the North. And she did not return as a savage. Quite the opposite. They say even southern ladies are withered flowers next to her. She has the ferocity and the charm of the North. I see no reason to portray her badly. Isn't it obvious she is Ned's favorite?!', the man snarled at the maester when he grew tired of his subtle suggestions.
He, like many, said that the years beyond the Wall, with the wildlings they hated so much, had done the girl a lot of good.
When she came to Karhold, even the maester could not help but be impressed. The girl always walked flanked by her Arctican guards, who displayed the symbol of the kingdom on their armor, which always stirred anger in the maester whenever he saw it, after all, he remembered what had happened in Oldtown.
But she was always protected by them, never leaving her side. They always interfered with anyone who tried to cross the limits.
Whether it was some man insisting on courting her, just as Rickard Karstark's own sons tried when they saw her for the first time, or even other lords who tried to present her to their sons, they were stopped by that man and woman, and the girl was always inaccessible.
At the same time, Maester Halren could not deny that she was charming, displaying a beauty that left no doubt: she was the greatest beauty of the North, perhaps even of the Seven Kingdoms.
Intelligence and ferocity like a true wolf. Any lord dreamed of having a woman like her at his side... It is no wonder that at this moment the nickname "She-Wolf," just as Lyanna Stark had once received, began to be given to her.
The maester was even more surprised when the letter from Arctic reached him without any warning. That surprised him.
Maester Halren already knew part of what was happening at the Wall: about the arrival of Benjen Stark and others, and also about the fall of Stannis Baratheon.
It seemed that the kingdom beyond the Wall had returned to activity.
That worried him a little.
After Arya's declaration about returning for a war, and later the news of Lord Stark's death announcing that his nephew was the heir to the throne, the maester wondered when he would see them act again. And now they had made a decision.
They were interfering in the Seven Kingdoms at last. And they began with the order of the maesters. There was no doubt that this was meant to destabilize the system the Citadel maintained with all the nobles of the realm, and Halren knew the damage would be unimaginable in the coming moons.
Not to mention that the already divided kingdoms were still divided... Arctic was simply with the doors wide open to conquer everything.
The order of maesters in the Citadel had fallen into panic since the War of the Five Kings began, precisely because, with the realm so divided into five claims... they would never have the capacity to face the technology and military power that Arctic had already demonstrated, traveling across the sea.
The Order itself sent many men to gather information about what they had done in Essos, and the results themselves were terrifying...
They may never have appeared in Westeros again after what happened in Oldtown, but the wars Arctic fought in the East are certainly all known today. None of them showed any defeat for that young king — from the aid against the invasion of Yi-Ti, the attack against Meereen and all the cities in Slaver's Bay, to the military campaign in the Dothraki Sea. Not to mention the rumors of small conflicts and even adventures that also occurred during that time.
And now, a war against the dead — as they called it.
It seems to join the list.
The Night's Watch firmly believed that Arctic had faced such a war, which would explain his absence for so long.
And now the Seven Kingdoms were at their mercy.
That was why the maester made a decision. He knew those letters were true. Those documents had been signed by colleagues of the Order long ago. He burned part of them — those that directly accused the Order — but left most of the documents intact, because he did not know what would happen now.
If Arctic truly invaded the North, the Wall would be the first to see them, and Karhold would most likely be the second castle to be impacted by their arrival.
What they would do was still difficult to say, but certainly the maester did not want to die because of it. He still kept the letters to preserve his own life in case they took Karhold.
Then the second letter came... They said they had arrived at Bear Island and were exterminating the ironborn.
Arnolf Karstark became extremely nervous about this, because the maester had no way to hide the arrival of the news, and he had already made many agreements by parchment with the Boltons... declaring Karhold for their cause as the new overlords of the North.
Everyone was certainly surprised when they realized that Arctic's army had not come from the east as everyone expected. In fact, they had come from the west, not the north.
And there was also an order. Bran Stark would be coming to the North again, now as the lord of Winterfell, regardless of whether Robb was alive or dead in the south.
He declared himself the rightful heir of Winterfell.
Now Jon Arctic seemed to be in the game with other players for the throne, and Stannis had been the first king to fall by his hands.
The Seven Kingdoms were about to enter a new phase of war, just as things were beginning to calm down after the War of the Five Kings.
And an even more powerful player had arrived.
The maester wondered how the North would react.
Certainly Arnolf was nervous, because if they intervened, they could very well give the power of Karhold to Alys Karstark, and not to her uncle.
The Boltons were supposed to be in command of the North, and Arnolf Karstark himself had announced his support. They would see this as an excuse to kill him.
It seemed to be a road with no return.
There were also the rumors. Men who governed the smaller regions within Karstark territory, such as the minor nobles, were receiving information by ravens. Many immediately wanted to support the Starks again, as had always happened. They might hate Robb for executing their lord, but Bran would be a new perspective.
Arnolf Karstark even went so far as to imprison some who insulted him when they said this before him, and Alys's name began to circulate throughout the region, that she should be leading Karhold, not her uncle.
Halren knew that Arnolf needed to choose a side. On one side were the Boltons, to whom he had already declared support, but who were far weaker than an army of Arctic ships — especially with the Wall certainly supporting them.
It seemed there was nothing left between Arctic and the North. With the support of the Night's Watch, they could easily enter through the gates of Castle Black.
On the other hand, the Arcticans would certainly not support Arnolf's claim, but they could also defeat practically any army the North could raise.
The maester himself now spent more time looking at the birds than performing any other duty, seeking news about the Arcticans in the North. He even began sending ravens to other maesters, trying to find out what they were doing about the order of maesters having been denounced in such a way.
The maester of Last Hearth did not respond. The one from the Dreadfort, who was in Winterfell, said he had hidden the information from the bastard. But there were some in the North who simply burned all the letters, making extremely radical decisions.
Maester Halren himself was surprised by this. He wondered if those maesters knew the danger they were dealing with, because those documents would certainly be demanded by King Arctic, and now they would probably find a blade at their throats.
It was obvious that their loyalty was to the Citadel, but that did not mean all maesters wanted to die for it.
Even so, they seemed quite firm in their decisions. Even in the face of death itself, they seemed willing to sacrifice their lives trying to protect the reputation of the Citadel.
This also made him question whether they had sent documents to all the castles of the North. That meant they might gather at some point to talk about it.
This action would end up declaring that Jon Arctic was right about the order the moment the maesters began burning the documents so as not to stain their reputation.
Halren was also waiting for some news from the Citadel. Obviously, his raven had not even arrived there yet to report the events of the North. He could not fail to inform the order.
But he hoped that some raven would come with instructions. The Citadel always knew everything, always sending guidance about what they should do. However, this time, they did not even know about the arrival of the Arcticans either...
In the midst of that war, they wanted to keep the realm united. The Citadel itself wanted to keep the Seven Kingdoms united, and the maesters were trying to do that in the ear of every lord.
Because if they were not united, as the last Grand Maesters of the order were trying to ensure, Westeros would collapse and a new power — a power the order would have no way to fight, because it was already their declared enemy, when not even Aegon the Conqueror had been seen as such — was arriving.
If Jon Arctic took power over the Seven Kingdoms, the maesters and the order would be in trouble...
And now, with kingdoms devastated by war and lords still fighting for the Iron Throne, others seeking vengeance... a conquest by Arctic would almost be like a ride on horseback, marching calmly until reaching his objective. The ground was perfect for them to exterminate resistance... Even if it took moons, it would still be conquered easily.
Meanwhile, on one side of the castle, a girl with red hair and blue eyes could not stop sighing as she looked at the ridges and forests around the tower of Karhold with a light northern mist. This was Alys Karstark, the "bird in the cage," as many were beginning to call her.
Her uncle had placed her there under guard. She no longer had access to anyone she trusted and could not leave either. She only received her meals, while the servants her own uncle had placed there took care of the hygiene of her bath and her chamber pot in the very room.
She looked ahead with a sad expression, while her lips whispered a small sorrowful melody.
The war that came with the capture of Lord Stark had simply destroyed her entire concept of family. She might be the last Karstark alive of the main line of her house.
And now her uncle wanted to take everything from her.
As temporary lord of Karhold, with Alys's father and her brothers having gone to war, he decided that he should be the next lord as soon as he learned of her father's death.
Alys continued singing her melody...
She was sad, but she also felt anger and hatred growing in her heart.
Robb Stark for having killed her father. Arnolf Karstark, her damned uncle, who wanted to steal her birthright. And even the Boltons, who supported her uncle.
She had no allies. She had no one who could help her in the North.
She had some guards and servants loyal to her, but all of them had already been removed.
Now she was alone.
She needed a powerful military force.
The days had become as long as they once were, and because of that she hoped that that kingdom of the North would come to her rescue when there was no one else who could do it.
She had met Arya Stark and had been enchanted by the girl.
Alys looked at her with a dazzled gleam. A northerner like no other, leaving even the daughters of the other lords of the North with much to be desired compared to what Arya was.
Alys wanted to be like her: fierce, beautiful, and decisive. There was no one like Arya in the North.
But she realized that she could not be as brave and fierce as her. She wondered if Arya had gained all of that in the north of the Wall, seeing that not even her own brothers were as intelligent or capable as she was.
She had even asked her father, a year ago, if she could also go to Arctic and learn there.
Her father looked a little embarrassed. He had been one of the men who declared Jon Snow a damned wildling when he took Arya beyond the Wall years ago, more than 8 years earlier...
Arya herself showed that she did not like him and said in the middle of their hall, 'If you insult the king of Arctic, Jon, in front of me, I will leave and never set foot in this place again.' She said that in front of everyone.
She was very fierce in protecting the one whom everyone believed at the time to be her bastard brother.
In the end, Lord Stark had revealed that Jon Snow, or Jon Arctic, was not Arya's brother... that he was not simply Jon Snow, the bastard of Winterfell, who had become a king and transformed the wasteland beyond the Wall into a powerful kingdom. In truth, he was the true heir to the Iron Throne, son of Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark herself.
It sounded like a story from a book to Alys. The boy who came from nothing, but conquered everything, won wars, and went on adventures she could never have dreamed of.
In truth, he was a hidden prince.
She wished she had heard what her father had to say about it, but he was already in the south fighting for Lord Stark before his death.
But then, instead of declaring for the Iron Throne, the North created its own crown, and Robb Stark was crowned king.
Alys was very worried about her father and her brothers.
If everything already seemed tense, it only grew worse. The news that two of her brothers had been killed by Kevan Lannister... Then her father was executed for treason... Then, while her brother was bringing the men back north after leaving Robb Stark, the betrayal of the Freys came when they passed through the Twins, at the same time the Boltons created a scene of mutiny in the middle of the army.
They said her brother was captured, but alive... Her uncle said he was dead...
She cried a lot... And everything had become silent in the last moons... they spoke of the ironborn... of whispers about the Wall... She did not understand very well what was happening, but she heard some of the guards saying that now everyone waited to see what would come from the north of the Wall.
The war continued.
She wondered if Arya was still alive. If the kingdom beyond the Wall still existed.
She heard a few things. They said that Benjen Stark had returned and that they had won a war beyond the Wall against shadowy creatures.
But she could not hear much more. Her uncle limited the information that reached her greatly.
The maester only told her a few vague things, nothing important.
Her uncle basically wanted her to remain in the dark.
When she finished the song, she sighed.
She tried to force a few tears from her eyes, but it seemed they were already dry. She had already cried too much.
She went to a corner of the room and lay down on the bed to try to sleep.
But something caught her attention at that moment.
The beating of wings.
She quickly lifted her gaze and saw a raven standing on the window, staring directly at her.
The raven flapped its wings and flew to the headboard near the bed, startling Alys a little, and she let out a small scream.
The door opened immediately, with a guard placed there by her uncle. "Any problem, milady?" he asked.
Alys looked at him and then discreetly at the raven, which was standing in a blind spot from the guard, and she shook her head.
"I just almost fell from the bed, nothing to worry about..." she replied, and the man nodded carefully and closed the door.
She looked back at the raven and approached carefully.
There was a letter at its feet. Alys removed it, opening the seal of that kingdom.
Her hands almost trembled automatically.
The raven flapped its wings and soon after flew away.
She found that quite strange, but soon the first lines of the letter began to explain what was happening.
['Lady Alys Karstark...'] The name was addressed to her, only to her.
['I come to inform you that I, Jon Arctic and king of Arctic, know very well of your situation, my lady. I know a little of what happened, but not everything, about the war in the south. I know your father was executed by Robb and I know that you have rights over your house, should we confirm the death of your brother...
I am investigating your uncle quite thoroughly. He plans to marry you to his son so that he may have full claim over Karhold.
We are finishing our work here on Bear Island, eliminating the ironborn, and I personally executed Victarion Greyjoy, and now we are leaving for Pyke. But while I am here in the west of the Seven Kingdoms, a new army will come directly from the north and invade the realm.
My intention is clear: to unite the North, pacify it, eliminating the traitors and any Bolton and Lannister root embedded in acts of treason. Just as I also intend to conquer the realm as the true king and punish those who raised a crown.
That is why I cannot wait for Robb Stark. I also know that he assumed something that should be mine by right. My uncle died for this, and neither he nor the lords who supported him as king respected the last will of Lord Stark.
That is why I strip Robb of all rights, even if he is alive. Winterfell will pass to Bran Stark, who will now assume, together with the army, the mission of uniting the entire North.
All houses will be visited as the army advances toward Winterfell. A simple question will be asked of all of them: if they truly wish to renew their oaths with House Stark.
I left Bran with this duty, and he will have allies from Arctic together with the army.
That is why I ask you, Lady Alys Karstark, as the heir, to have patience. We intend to remove you from this situation, bring your uncle to justice, and make you the lady of Karhold, if your eldest brother is dead in the south.
We will remove you from this situation.
So I hope you will wait a little longer. We also count on you to support Bran Stark.
Westeros is about to see Arctic in action, no longer through attacks at sea, but through an attack coming from the north that will conquer all the Seven Kingdoms without mercy.
There will be those who stand with the losers and those who stand with the winners. But I am certain that, after we remove you from this situation, you will choose the winning side.']
The letter ended there.
It was a warning. They planned to help her, but she would have to swear an oath.
'Bran Stark was alive, just like the rumors...' she quickly realized, and it came from Arctic according to what the letter said...
There was also no certainty that she would be the lady of Karhold if they managed to rescue one of her brothers. That was fair.
But as long as she could put her damned uncle in his place, she would swear the oath without thinking twice.
After many days of crying and sorrow, she finally let a smile escape.
Her hopes were not completely dead.
And help would finally begin to appear.
She remembered very well Arya's words describing the king's army. She also remembered how frustrated she had been when Jon left for Essos to fight the Dothraki, while Arya was traveling through the North and visiting each of the castles.
"Come soon, Lord Bran Stark," was all she managed to murmur, looking back out the window.
But now there was no more melancholy in her gaze.
There was hope beginning to grow in her heart.
Returning to the maester, a new letter arrived in his hands.
'I know what you did with the documents... You will pay for it, just like all the maesters who are trying to hide the truth of the Citadel and your order. I have already sent a raven to each of the lords...' The letter trembled in his hand...
'How does he know this?' Maester Halren trembled.
"Maester! Maester!" Then Arnolf's voice came as he approached the rookery tower.
"I received a letter from Jon Arctic! What does all of this mean?!" the man declared, entering the room.
Once again, Jon Arctic seemed to be one step ahead of everything that was happening in Arctic, even while traveling to the south.
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Raccoon here:
Sorry for the delay, I have been sick these last few days... When I have a fever, I cannot write much, even if I take medicine... it is torture. Anyway, I will make another chapter.
I want to make another one about the Manderlys in White Harbor and also about the visit of Aurores Waters on behalf of House Velaryon that happened in the middle of the Battle of the Blackwater, of Stannis against King's Landing.
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