Ramsgate,
Wylis arrived home, and the first thing he did was throw the wildling in the dungeon and hear a brief report on the town's construction from Chett. Then, he went to the hot spring and soaked in the water. Viserys was there as well, but before long, it turned into a children's pool party as all the women brought their little monkeys for him to clean.
He did clean them all. Adorable Rhaenys was a great assistant as she washed everyone's hair. Well, not Aegon and Viserys, they were both bald. But it was a great way to start the day after traveling. Listening to them play and call him dad, papa, or father easily ended all his fatigue.
He listened to them talk, tell him stories, or their little adventures. Seeing his blood, Magnus, Arthria, Simon, Alric, and Alden, growing so strongly made him proud. They were all taller and wiser for their age. Not to mention very beautiful. Arthria was on the road to becoming the greatest beauty of Westeros, and Magnus… Well, the boy was destined to be a monster in everything; his trueborn buff was too much.
After that, he dressed up and headed to his solar in the tower. It was at the top, and since outside it was just a big drop, it was the best place to discuss anything sensitive. He had called Lyanna to come and speak with him there.
"Chett, don't let anyone enter to hear us," Wylis ordered once Lyanna had arrived, and then locked the door.
"Someone's in the mood."
"..."
Wylis looked at his wife, smugly standing with arms crossed. Gods, she was beautiful. He chuckled and pecked her on the lips.
"I'm always in the mood, Lyanna. But that is not why I called you here. I found something while surveying the lands, and I would have your second thought on it." Wylis drew a small glass vial from his pocket, filled with golden dust. "Have a look."
He watched as Lyanna took hold of the vial and brought it closer to her face. She shook it a few times, then looked at him, and then back at the vial.
"You found gold?"
"No. I found thieves. They were stealing gold from the tributary that runs into the Broken Branch. There's gold in that river, Lyanna."
"Gods be good, that's a blessing. Let's get it out then. You can move the earth, so it should be no trouble for you."
Wylis sighed, took Lyanna by the hands, and led her to the settee at the side. "There is a problem. House Hornwood may try to stir a dispute, and my 'gifts' press me to claim all the gold in the river for myself. If I do, I'll learn goldsmithing, yes. But I would also learn where every natural riches lies across the North. Hidden gold, silver, gems, coal, and precious stones. All of it."
Lyanna stared at his face. He knew it was hard to believe, but she already knew so much. She was the only person in the world he could freely talk about his hidden abilities.
"That… is troublesome. How does this 'gift' of yours work exactly? I know you can command the land itself, and that you must sire children to keep drawing breath. But how does piling up all that gold teach you anything? I believed you had to give up years of your own life to gain such knowledge."
Wylis frowned and quickly realised he hadn't really explained how the quests worked before. And somehow, all this time, his precious wife hadn't bothered to ask either. That made him love her more because she either didn't give a damn or understood the gravity of secrecy.
"Aye, that is true, but only one aspect of it. I can spend years of my life and learn something. But at the same time, sometimes I learn of certain tasks that I must fulfill to receive rewards. If I succeed, the prize can be anything. The resting place of every sunken treasure ship, or even the hidden chest of Rhaegar himself. But if I fail… I failed once in Maidenpool. Lost all my strength and the earth's favor for a time. That was a minor task. This one is major. If I fail now, I fear the cost will be… far worse."
"Was I… a task?"
He flinched and looked at her. "What? No! I hadn't awakened these gifts until a few months before Harrenhal. I was already in love with you by then. But aye, I did receive a reward for bedding you. Every time we make love, I grow stronger ever so slightly."
"..."
Lyanna swung a leg over and settled astride his lap, giggling like a maiden in love. "I make you stronger? Now that's the kind of pretty confession that could turn a wolf's head."
Aye, best not tell her about the others.
He really didn't have the heart to tell her that Rhaella made him even stronger because of her royalty status. Not that he ever cared about it, or made love with that intention. It was just a bonus.
"More than that, you complete me, Lyanna." Wylis threw his arms around her slim figure, grounding her in; his cock sprang to life. "That is why I must see this through. If I learn what lies hidden across the North, I might make it prosper. There could be silver and gold beneath House Stark's lands for all we know. The North is the largest of the kingdoms. Every lord holds wide lands. Hard to believe there's nothing beneath them."
"Aye, my love," Lyanna murmured, brushing kiss after kiss across his cheeks while her fingers played in his beard. "But you're forgetting where we are, Wylis. This isn't the South. I'll grant you not every house keeps honor, yet most do. Hornwood's among the better sort. And you've Brandon and Benjen beside you. They can use my Stark name to avoid any disputes."
He couldn't help himself. His thick fingers found her soft ass and gave it a slow knead, though the talk went on.
"Yet there is another matter. I'm meant to claim all the gold from the river. I cannot tell if that means the tributary alone or the whole Broken Branch. If it is the latter, half the river lies with House Hornwood."
Wylis knew this was a Main Quest. Every time he'd done a Main Quest, it had led him to battles.
Both of them thought deeply about a solution. Their hands didn't stop, however. Feeling each other, sharing warm, soft kisses. It was a strange way of discussing matters, but Wylis didn't complain.
In silence, he summoned Tyrant's Squire and scrolled through all the past quest tabs, completed and incomplete. He went through all the title rewards as well.
"Wait!" Something struck Wylis's thoughts. "Lyanna, what if I gift Lord Hornwood something more precious than gold?"
"More pre… Valyrian sword?" She exclaimed, instantly realising what her husband was hinting at. "Are you sure? I thought you were saving all that steel to forge one for yourself."
"No, I won't give him that," Wylis said, sitting straight. "During the rebellion, I had received three important quests. One was to win the rebellion. Another, to win every battle fought in it. The third was to take no wound deeper than flesh. I saw them all done. For that, I learned the locations of every lost Valyrian steel blade and dragon egg in Westeros and Essos, every treasure ship sunk along the Westerosi shores, and every buried treasure in Westeros since the dawn of men."
"..."
"Lyanna, finding Valyrian steel is no great trial for me. I simply never bothered before, since I had enough to forge my own blade. For this task, and the reward, I'll gladly part with some."
"Then…" Lyanna abruptly got off him and started pacing back and forth. "Wylis, a Valyrian steel sword's value is priceless. The few lesser houses lucky enough to own one would sooner starve in their crumbling keeps than part with it. It's not just a blade, Wylis, it's a sword that gets passed for generations. Ice has been in my family for four hundred years!"
I know that. Tywin would hand me his nutsack for it if I asked.
"I know that, Lyanna. That's why I'm even suggesting it. It holds more value than a hundred times its weight in gold."
"Then make it a grand gesture, something he'd be indebted to! That gold lying in the river means nothing to you since you know where the real treasures hide. You only want the prize that comes from the deed itself. But Lord Halys has no notion of that. So instead of buying his silly river, buy the land. Stretch Ramsgate out, all the way to the source of the Broken Branch!"
"..."
Oh my Lyanna. I wish I could brag about you to the entire realm.
Lyanna was damn right. Wylis quickly fixed his mistake. While his idea of using a Valyrian steel sword was right, his worldview was skewed because he'd found Valyrian steel without much issue. And he knew he could find more. But the truth was, Valyrian steel was far, far more valuable than anything imaginable. True, it wasn't hard to imagine Lord Hornwood willing to sell land for such a sword.
"Lyanna…" He caught her wrist and drew her back onto his lap. His broad hand brushed her cheek. "I won't keep you hidden forever. You have my word."
"Hm? Where did that come from?"
He smiled and kissed her soft lips. "I would gladly brag about my wife. She's beautiful, sharp of mind, and a little fierce at times. I want the whole realm to know the woman I wed."
"And Robert?"
"I'll see that he accepts it. One way or another."
"You'd kill him?"
"That's the worst case. There ought to be other ways. Now, that's settled. I'll buy land from Lord Hornwood. I intend to grow some curious seeds from Essos soon, and I'll use that as my excuse.
"Glad I could help." Lyanna kissed him back fiercely, then swung her leg off him again. "Up now. Ser Wylis Manderly and his lady are arriving any moment with their daughter!"
Wylis sighed, his mood slightly soured. The fat lord Manderly wasn't giving up the plan to marry his granddaughter to Magnus. Now that said granddaughter was being brought over to play with Magnus. The girl was five already, and Magnus was just three. But he did seem five.
"I hope she's not too pretty."
"Why?"
Wylis awkwardly scratched his beard. "The boy's my blood. And… Well, I'm not the strongest when a pretty face comes along."
Lyanna just laughed in front of him.
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Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 12 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 45-50 Webnovel chapters.
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