[Chapter Size: 3300 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Riverlands, 300 AC.
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Jon finally stopped looking at the tree. His eyes blinked as he returned to reality, then turned toward everyone behind him.
"The gods have conveyed a message to me. They asked me to take you north, to my kingdom, where the ancient order of the Green Men may return," Jon said.
Everyone looked at each other as the oldest man stepped forward.
"The Blessed One... You could do that? You could give us a place to stay, where we don't have to hide?" he asked.
It was obvious that their lives were not easy in that place. Hidden on an island said to be cursed, living in a forest far from civilization. One could tell from the dirt on their clothes and bodies that they did not meet with other people. Everything they did to survive came from that island.
"Yes. The gods said that the Children of the Forest may also go north, where we preserve them. And of course, you as well."
"How many Children of the Forest are there?" one of them asked curiously.
Jon displayed a smile. "To tell the truth, there are more than three hundred Children of the Forest at this moment." The Children widened their eyes.
"Three hundred? That's impossible!"
"It would be impossible if, ten years ago, I hadn't managed to fix the way your people bear children. I managed to create a potion to solve your inability to reproduce," he said.
Jon knew that these people were the type who could detect lies. Besides, having received the status of Blessed One among them, as they called him, it was obvious they would not try to challenge him without reason.
In any case, that made them look at one another before turning back to him, their eyes filled with hope.
"Can we really see our people multiplying once again?"
"The Children live in a forest half this size, made up entirely of heart trees, where they take care of one another and play in the sacred grove. Most of those in Arctic are just children born within the last decade. I managed to gather at least a hundred of them, and they all reproduced. It wasn't something simple," Jon explained.
In ten years, they were already ready to reproduce, since the Children had a different biology. They did not possess distinct sexes, and all of them could bear children. It was no wonder they all had feminine bodies and produced offspring through magic used among themselves for fertilization.
The potion Jon had created long ago merely opened a path for them to finally be able to have children. That was why it had been so revolutionary.
Given the near immortality they possessed, their population would increase greatly over the years. Jon hoped that all of Westeros could benefit from the magic of the Children of the Forest and that, once again, the continent would be filled with heart trees. They would also be spread throughout every region and land, just as in ancient times.
Of course, that was a thought for hundreds or even thousands of years from now. But Jon hoped it would all begin through incentives from his government, thanks to the knowledge he would leave behind in this world.
And also...
He looked at the Green Men. They needed dignity. They could revive their religion in Arctic much more easily than there, because there were many believers in Arctic who would be willing to follow such a faith and join them.
There was also another benefit. Even though the Green Men's magic was nothing compared to what they had possessed in ancient times, they could still help in the fields, strengthen the land, and improve the harvests.
In any case, he explained his plan to the oldest man while the others listened in silence. Obviously, he could not do anything at that moment. He needed to return to Arctic and then come back with ships, but that would only happen after the war.
As he explained his plan, the Green Men listened attentively.
"We will follow the Blessed One. The gods sent you here, and if they spoke to you, we believe it. If you have a path for us and for our future, we will follow you," the man said.
Jon observed the reaction of the entire crowd. The children watched curiously from the arms and legs of their mothers. The women looked at Jon with eyes full of adoration, while the men shared that same look, accompanied by deep respect and even a touch of nervousness.
Jon called Caraxes. The eagle followed his summons through the connection between them, flying over the forests shrouded in mist until it reached his position in the middle of the woods before landing.
"I intended to leave right after meeting you, but we'll stay here for a day," he said at last.
In a way, he was interested in those people. It would not hurt to remain there for one more day. And so time passed.
Jon listened to stories about their daily lives, how they prayed, offered devotions, and performed rituals for the Old Gods. They used animal sacrifices, bathing the heart trees in blood. In the past, they had also performed sacrifices using the blood of enemies, although it was not as if the Green Men had many of them.
Jon imagined they had done so many times against invaders. They were extremely skilled with the bow, using flexible branches and strong cords capable of driving away any curious group that tried to enter the island with ill intentions. As long as they did not face heavy cavalry, they always succeeded.
But they did not stop people who merely wished to see the heart trees or meant no harm to the forest. In fact, they sometimes served as guides. This ended up creating rumors about them, with many calling them Forest Spirits, something that caused most people to flee immediately and avoid any contact, fearing that they were supernatural creatures.
Jon could perfectly understand how those rumors had arisen and could not help but smile as he listened to those stories.
At the same time, he also became interested in the daily life of those people and spent the rest of the day observing them.
He saw women gathering fruit, men hunting animals, and groups walking through the forest. They trained their warg abilities. The forest seemed endless and, in an almost mysterious way, never lacked food. There was always meat, fruit, and enough resources to sustain all the inhabitants of that hidden island.
"That is thanks to the sacrifices. We give a portion to the Old Gods as an offering, and they repay us with a forest rich in food, where we can raise our own," said the man named Icarus, the elder who had given a formal introduction some time later.
"Interesting," Jon commented.
Even so, Arctic did not have exactly such a mystical system. They had forests and livestock animals, but reproduction was accelerated through compulsions he placed upon the springs within those forests. The animals drank from that water, and the effects spread quickly, increasing the population.
Because of that, hunting groups could slaughter large numbers of animals every week. Afterward, they were taken to enormous freezing halls, where the food was preserved for months through magic and ice.
When night fell, Jon gathered with the group while they lit a great bonfire. The women danced alongside the men or on their own, with the younger women trying to win over the younger and unmarried ones, while the men also offered their prayers before joining their wives or companions.
"For the Blessed One." A young woman approached carrying a necklace made of leaves and some dried fruits, used to add beauty to the piece.
"Thank you," Jon said, taking the necklace and placing it around his neck so as not to be rude.
The people cheered at the sight, while the girl ran away in embarrassment.
"That is a tradition of our people, Your Majesty," Icarus explained from beside him.
Jon had already insisted that he at least call him king, rather than Blessed One all the time.
"And what does it mean?" Jon asked, looking at the necklace.
"Well... that is usually something women give to men they wish to unite with, that is, marry..."
Jon stared at the elder, then looked again at the necklace and turned his attention toward the girl who had given it to him. She was in the distance, laughing with other young women while they pointed at him.
"I'm sorry, but I already have six wives and a lover," Jon explained.
The man laughed. "It's alright. Even our young ladies know that something like that is a little impossible to happen. They're just having fun."
Jon continued watching the girls laugh. It seemed they had prepared that together and chosen one of the bravest among them to take the initiative.
It did not take long for another one to appear with a shy smile, though she was clearly nervous. Jon was forced to accept yet another necklace. It was not as if he was going to marry all those women dressed in animal-hide clothing.
In any case, he accepted the gift, while the young woman fled shortly afterward.
They continued watching the festival. The people danced, laughed, and celebrated around the bonfire while also offering prayers to the Old Gods.
The Children of the Forest were gathered there as well and eventually joined Jon during dinner. They brought food for him and also for Caraxes, who had become an extremely fascinating attraction for those people.
The children surrounded the enormous eagle, observing it with fascination.
Even the Children of the Forest were curious, asking Jon where such a large eagle had come from. Many of them had never seen a creature of that species, despite having lived for thousands of years.
Jon explained Caraxes's origin. She had been an ordinary eagle that he found injured after falling from her nest because of a predator. Then he genetically modified her so that she could grow.
"You have the power to simply alter the structure of any animal? The gods truly blessed you," Icarus could not help but say in amazement after hearing the explanation.
It was true. Jon could basically alter the size an animal could reach. He would only need time and plenty of food afterward. He could also modify bones. After all, traits such as unbreakable bones could emerge through his alterations.
Jon could apply this to animals. He could change their muscular structure, although that was quite complicated, since he needed to work with hundreds of different muscles. A single mistake could simply destroy the creature's entire ability to move. At the same time, he could change colors and various other characteristics.
He always based his work on other animals when trying to create a perfect specimen.
With Panis, for example, he gathered characteristics from several different horses he had encountered over the years. He modified him to have endurance, speed, and strength superior to any other horse, selecting only the best qualities from each bloodline.
That was how he transformed that old, skinny horse he had found on that farm in Icehill—the one that had saved his life when he faced those bandits—into the greatest steed in the world.
The conversation continued until Icarus brought up a subject that surprised Jon.
"I knew your parents." The statement made Jon look at him in surprise.
"My parents? How did you...?"
"It wasn't difficult to know who they were. From the moment I saw them together, I realized that union would be special. Then you came shortly afterward. I didn't know of your existence exactly, but I knew that on the day I found those two asking for permission to marry, along with the captain from the other region, something would emerge from that union. A child unlike any other."
Jon's eyes widened upon hearing that.
Then he remembered. "Of course..." He sighed.
How could he have forgotten? It was after his mother chose to go with his father instead of going to Riverrun for Brando and Catelyn's wedding. They came directly to the God's Eye.
They came to marry there and finally seal their union.
"They were married beneath that very tree we saw earlier," Icarus explained.
Jon nodded at that. He should not have been surprised. After all, he had seen everything in the green vision. And he was known as a king, heir to the throne. The Green Men also watched the kingdoms through their eyes; of course the news that he was the son of the former Silver Prince had reached them. As the heir to the Iron Throne, the connections were not that difficult to trace.
"I wonder if I'll ever meet them someday," Jon said, looking up at the starry sky above them.
"I'm sure the gods will make you meet them."
Jon heard those words and could not help but sigh once more as he gazed at the stars. He did not expect to die anytime soon. Not at all.
There were still so many things he wanted to do in that world. So many places to explore. Perhaps more wars to fight beyond this one.
To watch his children grow. To watch Arctic grow.
There were simply too many things he still wished to experience to think about leaving so soon.
But one day... One day he wished to meet them.
Jon remained there, lost in thought as he watched the celebration. His neck was adorned with at least twelve necklaces, each one given to him by one of the young women. He kept accepting them all, piling them up while they laughed the entire time.
Jon joined in the fun with a small smile, setting aside the troubles of war and all the ideas piled up in his mind for a moment. He simply enjoyed that instant. He declined the invitations to dance, preferring to stay and continue talking.
When the feast ended, Jon discovered that the entire community slept in huts with beds made of straw and leaves. Jon adapted to those accommodations without any problems and spent the night there.
Early the next morning, he woke before everyone else. He caught a bird in the forest and used it as a means of communication, writing a letter to his group in the north. He informed them of where he was and that he was safe.
He also revealed that Frey groups were approaching the region, but instructed his men to remain closer to the coast. That way, they would not be seen.
Later, Jon met with the group once again as he prepared to leave.
"We will be waiting for you," Icarus said.
"Thank you for all your kindness. It was a pleasure meeting you. The next time we meet, it will be to take you to Arctic."
"We thank you for everything you have done for us. We will be waiting," the Children of the Forest said cheerfully.
Without further delay, Jon began to move away from the place. He mounted Caraxes, and before the eagle could gain speed, the people waved to him.
Then she surged into the sky. His next destination was the north.
He wanted to see the place, the castle, and the loyalists. In addition, the last descendant of House Darry, a boy only ten namedays, was being held in the dungeons after being captured during the collapse of the Northern army.
And the one taking care of the castle was a rather interesting figure. Someone who had left clear scars in Jon's memories.
Thus, he continued flying. But first, he did not go directly to the castle.
There was another place in the same region. A roadside inn.
He landed near it and walked toward the establishment. There were several horses outside, at least six of them standing by the trough.
Jon entered the place, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Several pairs of eyes turned toward him.
He was wearing a cloak, but his face and eyes remained visible. They certainly attracted attention, although no one there seemed to recognize him.
After all, he was alone, dressed in simple clothes. Besides, he had never made many public appearances, and most of his enemies who encountered him ended up dead. So no one recognized him.
In any case, everyone watched him with suspicion. They thought he might be some handsome nobleman who had recently become a beggar, been driven from his lands, or lost everything in the war.
After all, he would not be the first noble to go through such a thing.
Jon simply continued walking deeper into the place.
The man tending the counter was clearly a sellsword. He also had the bearing of a warrior, which indicated that the true owners of the place were probably already dead and that someone had simply taken control of the inn.
All the men at the counter looked at Jon, but he paid them no attention. He went directly to a man wearing a cloak, seated in a corner while eating.
The man immediately watched him approach with suspicion. His expression made it clear that Jon was not welcome.
Jon did not care. He simply pulled out a chair, turned it around, and sat down in front of him.
"So we finally meet." Jon looked at the man's half-burned face.
Sandor Clegane immediately grunted, placing a hand on the hilt of the sword at his side, while several gazes around them turned in their direction.
Jon smiled. "You know that all those men already know who you are, don't you? They're hunting you. You can tell by the way they've been studying you ever since they arrived here," he said calmly.
Jon had seen everything through the eyes of a rat in the inn ever since he found Sandor, someone he had been tracking along the roads for quite some time while the man traveled around killing pursuers.
"And are you with them?" Sandor asked. The words carried a clear threat.
He wanted to know whether this stranger also wished to have his throat cut.
Jon almost laughed. That man would not stand the slightest chance against him.
"I highly doubt you'll do that, but tell me this: are you satisfied with the Hand of the King offering ten silver coins for your death after you fled King's Landing in the middle of the battle against Stannis, nearly five moons ago?" Jon smiled.
Sandor did not answer. He merely stared at him with a look full of hatred, seeming ready to leap across the table and seize Jon by the throat.
"Don't be so angry. Don't misunderstand me," Jon said, maintaining the same calm smile. "I just think it's funny that the Crown can't even offer more than that. You should be worth a few gold coins, don't you agree? It only makes them look as though they're quite desperate in King's Landing." He paused briefly.
"They even put your brother's crippled wretch in charge of castles." Jon carefully observed his reaction before continuing.
"You're here because of him, aren't you? I've heard stories about your hatred for him. You want to go to the seat of House Darry..."
Then his smile widened.
"If you want, I can help you."
Sandor remained silent.
"We can take the seat of House Darry. I want a boy who's being held in their dungeons."
Jon tilted his head.
"And you want your brother."
"..." Sandor's eyes narrowed.
"Your brother, without a cock and without a tongue."
"Who are you?" Sandor finally asked.
For the first time, there was something besides hatred in his voice.
Suspicion.
"And who else would I be? I'm the one who left your brother in that condition," Jon declared.
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