Chapter 8 - No Kneeling Required
Harry had Tormund lead them, walking through the Wildling encampment which allowed them passage. The group of men and Ygritte caused waves of chatter throughout the gathered forces of the North, even some calling out to Tormund in the Old Tongue. Their passing had a wake of people following them as they made their way to Mance's tent.
"Having flashbacks are ye, Jon Snow?" Ygritte asked him, finally calm again after the displays of magic that had thrown her off her confident personality.
Jon felt a small smirk cross his lips, "Aye, I suppose I am, though I am not in black furs this time."
"Now you put on some strange brown leathers, but if you think that makes you look like less of a crow, then I say you know nothing, Jon Snow."
He laughed, her jabs had started as an annoyance, a frustration even. But how could he feel anything besides amusement or contentment at her playful tone? After all, she said those words while she was screaming his name in pleasure. The image of her thighs around his head would forever remain burned in his mind.
"I know some things."
She hit his arm lightly, "Aye, I supposed you do, at that."
Tormund turned to Harry, "Hadrian, was it?"
"That's right, are we there?" Harry nodded to a taller tent that stood like a grey-covered circus tent.
"Aye, that's his tent," Tormund said. Harry thought he was going to offer advice, but Tormund didn't say anything else.
They entered the tent, the guards moving back at the presence of Tormund.
Mance was finishing his breakfast with a few other rough northerners around a table. He did a double-take at the sight of Tormund entering.
"It seems you climbed down the wrong side," Mance said, causing a few laughs.
Tormund snorted, "I made it over, but no one else as far as I know."
"The crow?"
Jon stepped from behind the big man, Ygritte following, "Things have changed it seems."
Mance finished his most recent bite as he put a hard roll of bread back down on the table. It was then that the two glowing green eyes met his. Mance gave Harry a once over, noticing the dark green leather armor and billowing black combat robes that moved in some unfelt wind. Behind him was a man in a snarling dog helmet, towering over people, even Tormund.
Mance just turned back to Tormund with an eyebrow raised, "More Crows?"
Tormund shrugged, "He's a magic man. With an offer."
A man dressed in various bones all over his furs snorted but was cut off from talking as Mance clarified.
"An offer? An offer to kneel?"
Tormund turned to Harry.
"Mance Rayder, is it?"
"Who is asking?"
"Hadrian Peverell, Wizard. I do have an offer, but I am not a king and I don't give two shits if you kneel or not," Harry said. It would be weird for him, coming from Earth, where kneeling hadn't been a thing for many, many years.
Mance looked back at Tormund who just stared at him before speaking, "You have an offer, that doesn't involve kneeling...and yet, it involves all of these free folk here?"
"Would you just like me to tell you what I am offering...or do you just want to keep guessing?" Harry said, smirk firmly in place.
The man in bones finally spoke, "Another fool-kneeler from the south then? I should just kill you now and be done with it."
Harry turned and looked at the fat man in bone armor, "You speak for him?"
He stepped up to Harry, "I speak as much as I want to you fucking coward. You are just another pretty crow aren't you, dressed in all black?"
"I am no crow, I don't work for anyone, I am merely here with an offer. And if you don't like it then you can just stay here in the frost and snow, waiting to be devoured by the White Walkers," Harry replied.
"Ah, but you are a coward then? Not denying it?"
"Get out of my face, or I will kill you," Harry said, the tone of the room immediately changed at his words.
The Lord of Bones scoffed poking Harry with his staff, "You won't do shit, you fuckin coward!"
"You don't want to cross him, Lord of Bones, he killed men with just his eyes," Ygritte said.
"Shut up crow fucker," He said, only glancing at Ygritte as he insulted her. "You were a traitor as soon as you opened your legs."
"Get out of my face, this is the last time that I will tell you," Harry said, ignoring the jabs at Jon and Ygritte.
The Lord of Bones squared up to Harry who counted 5 seconds in his head. Harry did a partial Animagus transformation, turning his eyes into those of a basilisk. The Lord of Bones dropped like the pile of bones he was wearing. Harry stepped over his corpse and summoned a chair at the table where Mance still sat.
The silence in the room was potent. Harry sighed casually and had a couple of drinking glasses appear on the table with a wave of his hand. He pulled a bottle of Ogden's Fire Whiskey from his Moleskin Pouch.
He poured a finger for himself and offered the same for Mance. The hardened leader of the Free Folk glanced at the still form of the Lord of Bones but nodded at Harry's offer.
"I suppose it has been a while since I've had southern whiskey," Mance mused.
"It's not from the south," Harry said.
"Everything is south," Mance said.
"0 for 2 now," Harry said taking a sip.
He held back the inevitable flame belch and waited for Mance to have his first sip. The man drank it down and frowned at the crystal glass, "That is something else..." He burped and was shocked to see a small ball of flame leave his mouth.
He turned and stared at Harry, who just smirked and released his ball of fire with a shrug, "Magic whiskey."
Mance had a full-body snort in reply, "Tell me what your offer entails then."
"It's quite simple really, I offer a means of magical transportation for every last man, woman, child, warg, giant, and anyone else that wishes to go, to a different continent. Of course, there will be some conditions upon arrival."
"Like kneeling?"
"Not like kneeling, no. I don't really care about your fixation with kneeling. I am speaking of something more practical."
"Then what is the catch?"
"You and 5 thousand men will act as governor and a garrison of guards to be trained, running a city until the conflict with the White Walkers is at an end. You will do so as a part of the Dragon Queen's future empire, though as I said, I don't give two shits if you kneel or not. 10 thousand others will be turned into an army that will fight for her for the same period of 5 years. You will rule the city I have in mind with respect and honor for its inhabitants, and the rest of your people will be free to go wherever from there," Harry said.
"The Dragon Queen? You are serious?"
"I am. Look at your options, assault the wall, be wiped out by southern armies as they head north, and they are headed north. Jon's brother here has 10,000 heavy cavalry that will be at the wall around the same time as your initial attack, along with another force that is currently headed to the eastern shores, they will ride your people down like grass with 7,500 heavy horsemen. Even with 100 giants, you can't stand against a trained army of horsemen.
"I will also be there to stop your people from joining the undead, with endless amounts of cursed fire. The final option is where I prevent you from joining the White Walkers with the very same cursed fire. Seriously though, you should choose to work as a leader and give a life of peace to almost all of those under you. You won't be a king, but a city leader, under the Dragon Queen."
They all looked at Harry like he was a madman.
"The Dragon Queen is across the Narrow Sea," Mance replied.
"Yes, and?"
"Let me get this straight, I work as a city governor while 15,000 become soldiers and guards?"
Harry nodded, "For five years, with requirements of training and such, of course. They will all be paid, as will you and whoever accepts. Your army currently consists of a little over 100,000, plus another 20-30 thousand children, elderly, and the like, correct?"
Mance nodded.
"So I require only 15% of the people you would wish to send to their deaths against the Wall. The army of undead only gains what doesn't actually make it off of this continent, meaning I will have to put your men down while they are alive, or later when they are dead."
Mance's stoic visage cracked for the first time, his frustration at the helplessness of the situation. He didn't respond for nearly 3 minutes, before finally looking around at the people he was in charge of. The people he promised to help. Representatives from the Thenns, the Hornfoots, the Ice-river clans, and even the cave people all stared back awaiting his decision.
He looked back at this crazy mage and shook his head, "What would you do if you were in my position?"
"I would ensure that the capability was there, first and foremost. Can I deliver on the promise? Then I would ensure that the agreement was held with good faith, checks and balances," Harry said.
"And how should I check that you are being 'good faith,' as you say it?"
"Well, that is why we have a contract, and also why I took your lieutenant here...Mr. Giantsbane I believe, on a little teleportation trip. I proved to one of your top lieutenants that I have the means to do what I say. The second part of that is the contract that I require you and your lieutenants to sign because I will also be signing it along with the Dragon Queen. It doesn't just protect the Queen and me from treachery, it also protects you from me and her...and her dragons. Do you understand?" Harry explained.
Mance looked to Tormund, a question in his gaze.
"He fucking popped us right on top of the Wall...like we hadn't just been climbing for hours a few days before," Tormund shook his head. "Craziest shit I have ever seen."
Some other clan leader spoke up, "What makes you think we need training? That we can't fight?"
Harry burst out laughing, "I didn't mean that you are bad fighters individually, but you are a terrible excuse for an army. That is why we are having this conversation."
The man immediately took offense and grabbed a weapon but Harry just waved his hand and silently cast a Petrificus Totalus, keeping him standing though, he continued, "Look, it's a simple fact, none of you know how to fight as a larger force or me threatening you with 7,500 cavalry, a united and cohesive force, against a mob of 100,000 wouldn't be an actual threat. Are you following?"
The man didn't move as he was petrified, but Harry continued, "Good, so if you want me to save your people, and I mean all of the people of the North that have thrown themselves in under Mance's banner, then 10 thousand will be trained to fight as a cohesive unit while the other 5 thousand learn to become city guards.
"Recruiting you as a force is pointless if those standards aren't met. You will either move forward as a society, or you will become the undead slaves of the White Walkers. I don't care about your feelings, I don't care that you are offended when I say you aren't a real army. The truth is that you are a desperate people looking for someone to save you, or you are willing to send thousands to their deaths on the off chance some of you can make it past the wall. I am offering that chance," Harry said. He stood up and adjusted his robes.
"There really isn't a choice here, if you want to live you will sign the contract and you will follow through because the contract will be magically binding. I will follow through and offer passage back to the North in 5 years time for those who wish to return when the White Walker threat has been defeated," He finished. "Do you have any other questions?"
Mance kept his face stoic but inside he was boiling with frustration at the truths that were dropped, "Can I read it first?"
Harry smiled, "Of course." He summoned and scribed the contract he had in mind, signed in blood.
~~o0o~~
The contract was signed by Mance on behalf of the Free Folk and Harry went to build the first arch of the two-way portal he would connect to Slaver's Bay after he spoke to the Dragon Queen. There were a few reasons that Harry was confident that Daenerys would accept this deal that he was making.
The first reason is that she desperately needs people to fight, people to run things under her, and just more people in her court in general. Whether or not there were people worthy of being an advisor to her among the Free Folk was of secondary concern. It would still be better to have more people on her side, bound by contract or not.
The second was that forming a force out of the Free Folk would be easier than it seems. He could create a set of armor and duplicate it a thousand times for a relatively small amount of his magical pool. In a day Harry could easily arm and armor a few thousand people, enchantments included.
The hardest part would be finding competent people to train them. He could go to any major city to hire some retired soldiers to act as sergeants and drill instructors for the right price, however. That would be a job that many veterans can take pride in while making enough money to retire for only a bit of work.
The final reason is that this can only be a win for Daenerys. She would be saving over a hundred thousand people from a terrible fate, just by accepting them to her side of the world with a single signature. He hadn't known her for long, but he knew that she wanted to do good. She wanted to break the wheel of oppression and usher in a new age of prosperity.
The hardest hurdles to overcome after the transportation will be food supply, clashing cultures, and living space. Harry wasn't too worried about food, with magic he couldn't create meals, but he could duplicate them. He can also turn rocks into grains with a bit of permanent transfiguration, so that will be one of his first tasks upon reaching Slaver's Bay.
Clashing cultures would be dangerous in general but the people that live in Slaver's Bay will be primarily freed slaves who are in need of guidance and support. Harry was hoping that the ideas of freedom and living as they wanted from the Free Folk would bring a new path for those who had been walked all over by a slave society.
Finding enough living space will be a hurdle, but many of the Free Folk have already left their homes or are carrying the tents with them. It would be relatively easy to build enough housing, but the good thing is that sleeping outside would be a vacation for those who had to strive just to stay warm enough to live in the north.
With those things in mind, Harry got together the materials he would need to create the two portal arches. He found this portal spell within the Peverell Library, a series of runes around an arch that essentially builds a bridge across space to connect two points as long as they are on the same plane of existence.
This would mean that the energy for the enchantments wouldn't be focused on sending a hundred thousand people across the world and instead would have its energy focused on just maintaining the dimensional bridge, allowing any and all to cross it.
The portal would be a seamless transition that one just has to walk through to get across with no disorientating transitions like Apparation. He inspected the massive wildling encampment and found a good place against a rock wall to create the first portal arch.
He started by knocking down a couple of trees near a hard stone cliff to the eastern side of the camp, moving them out of the way of the approach. He did a bit of Transfiguration on the cliff and the walk up, creating a large pathway of solid rock capable of allowing the kind of weight giants and mammoths would apply to the ground.
He turned the face of the cliff into a smooth and flat surface, not that it was needed for the portal, but just to make it clean. The cliff was a solid line that went off to the north, wrapping around as it led up into mountains in the distance, but this spot had a nice gradual ramp to the portal, and it was made entirely of stone.
Harry outlined the arch in raised and smoothed stone exactly 20 meters wide. It came up to 30 meters where the arch crested. Pulling a few dozen magically-duplicated Valyrian steel ingots from his Moleskin Pouch, he transfigured them into a band of continuous magical steel that wrapped around the entire frame and the ground as well. This would hold the runes that would turn into the enchantments to build the bridge to the other portal.
It would be difficult to ensure the other portal was precisely the same size...if he didn't have magic. He just summoned a second series of ingots and created the second portal arch, working on both of them simultaneously. The portals didn't have to be the same size, but doing anything else would distort the portal and compromise the stability of the dimensional bridge.
He finished the archways by transfiguring all of the required runes, a slow process that required a central governing node at the central tip of the arch, while the rest designated the parameters of the portal. He had to constantly check the notes he had prepared for this as he double and triple-checked the runes. In the end, it took nearly an hour and a half of work as Jon, Ygritte, and the Hound waited for him to finish.
Eventually, Mance came by to check the work, "This is it then?"
Harry finished the last adjustments and turned to view him and a squad's worth of Lieutenants and guards, "Aye, it is. I will just finish the one on the other side tomorrow, and you will be free to move everyone through. The portal will only stay active for 3 days before running out of power, I am sure you understand as to why I will not leave it open?"
Mance nodded, "Is that enough time?"
"Yes, easily half a million people could make it through here in that time frame, as long as you make a concerted effort to get everyone through."
"And what of those who have creatures that are adjusted to the cold weather? Will they have problems with acclimatization?"
"I have been thinking about that, and I plan on creating enough magical items to help them adjust, or at least feel comfortable in the heat. If you want to help with that, you could provide me a list of creatures that need to be kept cool and ensure that they cross the portal in groups. We have a lot of work to do, but I won't let them die from heat exhaustion or anything of the sort," Harry replied sincerely.
"I think that will earn you more respect than shoving us into the desert," Mance said, a slight smile on his lips showing he was jesting.
Harry laughed a bit, "I can understand that, but it is still better than joining those frozen fuckers, eh?"
Mance fully laughed along with Tormund who was listening behind him.
"What is next then?" Mance asked.
"Next you can start getting people together who want to join the army or the guard, prepare everyone to head through the portal, and be ready for tomorrow when it opens," Harry said. "There will be gates to more or less heard people into the groups of those who want to join either the guard or the army, making it easier to organize that many people."
Mance nodded, "I will get on that for now, as far as leading a city..."
"Don't worry about that for now, let's focus on getting everyone out of the path of the White Walkers. Is there anything else you need to get prepared?"
He shook his head, but held out his hand, "You might be the craziest son of a bitch I have ever seen, but you are saving my people...I can't say more than thank you."
Harry shook the proffered hand, "This benefits all of us, less undead to fight, more people to help the Dragon Queen, and you all get to live instead of being soul slaves to an undead monstrosity...It's a win/win all around."
"I guess we will see."
~~o0o~~
Harry turned to Jon and Ygritte, "Well Jon, you have a choice to make. I have just saved your Night's Watch from the ministrations of the Free Folk, but you have betrayed the oath you took while joining them. Don't get me wrong, the Night's Watch will soon be dismantled in favor of more organized and well-funded forces, but your choice remains. You can both come with me and I will ensure that you can help fight against the White Walkers properly."
Harry let the statement hang for a moment and continued, "Or you can head back to the Night's Watch, but Ygritte can't come with you, and you will likely be executed."
Jon sighed looking at Ygritte, but he saw the writing on the wall, "I will come with you and her, but I still want to fight the White Walkers."
Harry smiled, "Good, you will be more effective with me anyway, and I can pass you along to your brother once we find you some forces of your own to bring back and rebuild the fortifications along the Wall, yeah?"
Jon just raised his eyebrow, but someone was extremely happy he chose her over a bunch of crows.
Ygritte's smile was huge as she embraced Jon. The Hound scoffed at the affection shown and Harry just watched passively.
"Well then, off we go! Shimmer, would you mind taking us south of the Wall for a bit? I have to find someone before we head across the sea," Harry spoke out loud. The group of people with him looked around to see who he was speaking to, before remembering the beautiful phoenix, who once again appeared on Harry's shoulder in a burst of dark flames.
She twirled her way through a few beautiful notes, each one leaving its mark on the listening party. They were covered in flames before suddenly appearing in a grove of trees, a few days south of the wall.
The Hound spoke up, trying to hide his fear of the fire, "Why is it so much more smooth when she does it than you?"
Harry laughed, "She's just that much smoother at magical transportation than I am."
Shimmer chirped in delight at the comment, even showing some amusement.
"Yeah, yeah, you are so amazing you crazy bird," Harry said with a smile.
She huffed and then disappeared into his magic once again.
"I will be back in a few, then we will head across the Narrow Sea, sound good?"
The three people just looked at each other without emotion.
"Right, see ya soon!" Harry spun on his foot and disappeared to the outside of Castle Black. He spoke up, Death listening, "And you said he's in there?"
"Indeed," Death provided an image in his mind.
"Ah, thank you," Harry said, once again Apparating. He ensured that his displacement of air was silent, appearing in a dark room with an old man who was leaning on a table. A cold breeze fell in from the window, but he seemed to enjoy it.
"Good day, Maester Aemon Targaryen," Harry said.
He slightly startled the man, but he was blind so it wasn't surprising.
"Oh, I didn't hear anyone enter," He said.
"I just appeared, though I have an offer for you. If you are interested."
"An offer? For one as old as I? A deal with the deal, perhaps," He laughed at his joke.
"Yes, you see, there is someone out there who is of your blood, well several, but one specifically that could use your guidance," Harry said.
"My guidance you say?"
"Indeed, so to formally state the offer in which I am...well, offering, I would say this: In exchange for your service, I will heal your eyesight, but you will become a loyal advisor to the Dragon Queen, Daenerys Targaryen herself. You will offer your best attempt at guiding her as she comes into her role as a leader. The amount of time I require you to serve her will be up to 5 years," Harry said. "Is that acceptable?"
"I am unsure if I have 5 years remaining," Maester Aemon said, wheezing laughter leaving his lips.
"You will, I promise."
"And you will fix my gaze?"
"Indeed."
The man went silent for a while, pondering the offer, "Before I agree to anything, may I inquire as to who you are and how you intend to fix my old eyesight?"
"Ah, forgive my rudeness, I am Lord Hadrian Peverell, Wizard, and future ally to the Dragon Queen," Harry said, bowing regardless of the Maester's lack of sight.
"Wizard you say? Now that is quite a title."
"That isn't my title, more of an occupation these days."
"I see, and if you had a title, what would it be?"
Harry looked at the old man for a while, "Master of Death."
His blinded eyes opened wide, "Now that is a title I haven't heard before."
"Nor should you have. Also, you should know that the Night's Watch will soon be taken over by Robb Stark."
"I see...have we failed so thoroughly?"
"The Wall hasn't fallen."
He nodded with amusement, "I suppose that is true."
"Have you made a decision then?"
Maester Aemon nodded, gravely enough that Harry expected a no from him despite the nod, "I will do my best to help a fellow Targaryen if she will have me."
Harry smiled, "She will. Take my hand."
The two disappeared, in a soft crack, startling the trio that were waiting for him.
"Maester Aemon!" Jon said, surprised by his appearance.
"Jon Snow?"
"Ahh, you both know you are related, right? Great-great-uncle or something of the sort," Harry said with a smile.
He then let them reacquaint themselves while he slipped into his trunk to cure Maester Aemon's blindness. He was going to go through his medical supplies before Death laughed, "You have a Philosopher's Stone, do you not?"
"Ah, I suppose that would work better than a potions regimen," Harry said. He disappeared from his potions lab and went to his treasure hall, where the stone was kept.
Unlike the one that he hid from Voldemort all those years ago, this one was a perfect sphere, made by some distant Peverell. It had golden bands encasing it, allowing for built-in rituals to access the powers of the stone. He summoned a cup and activated the rune for the Elixir of Life. A golden liquid, looking like a sea of polished liquid gold, filled a shot glass-worth of the liquid into his summoned cup. Just enough for one dose.
Harry appeared next to his party and Maester Aemon, "Alright Maester, drink this, and do not spill a drop."
"What is that?" Jon asked.
Harry smiled, "The Elixir of Life, something I expect none of you to speak of."
A threat made by a wizard wasn't easily ignored.
Maester Aemon took the glass and downed the contents immediately, "Wow, that had to be the best-tasting drink I have ever had, the Elixir of..."
He was cut off as years of cold abuse while sitting at the Wall seemed to fall off of him. He immediately de-aged, back to a man who looked to be in his late 50s. His eyes cleared and he stood up on top of stronger legs than he had had for a long time. His hunch disappeared, arthritis going along with it and finally, his eyesight came back in full.
"Incredible," Jon said.
The Hound and Ygritte stared in shock but didn't speak.
He got a good look at Harry, "I see you are just as magically inclined as you say...I feel thirty years younger!"
Harry smiled, "I suppose you are."
Chapter 9 - The Golden Company
"Thank you Shimmer. Come back for now, I don't want them even trying to shoot at you," Harry said.
"Of course," Shimmer said, appearing with a flash of twilight flames.
She melded into Harry's left hand, her tattoo coming to life as she entered his magical pool.
"Hound, you are with me, Jon, Ygritte, wait here for now," Harry said, walking towards the encampment. The Hound was wearing his all-black armor, but the flame-immunity enchantments also applied to heat, so the scorching sun didn't bother him. After 10 minutes of walking, he wasn't even sweating. If that wasn't magical, then nothing was.
Harry was here to get the last of a few gifts for Daenerys for their first meeting. She had tasked him to prove he wasn't a threat to her and her people, especially her dragons. He found his way here to hire the Golden Company to fight for her cause and the experienced mercenary company would be a massive boon indeed.
According to Death, the Golden Company numbers are sitting at 20,000 ground troops (Both bowmen and infantry), 2,500 heavy horsemen, and 35 War Elephants with 10-man longbowmen squads and 2 drivers that ride each elephant. The elephants on Planetos were nothing like the ones from Earth, looking closer to the oliphants from the Lord of the Rings at approximately 10-15 meters tall for fully grown males. Harry couldn't wait to see one.
The two of them approached the Golden Company, a large walled-in compound that had massive hangar-like tents made from red hides, each one easily 20 meters tall. Literal tree trunks were used to hold up the massive tents. Flags with the red spear holding a bundle of gilded skulls over a maroon background were flying everywhere, the standard of the Golden Company.
The company didn't appear to have any contracts in progress as Harry was feeling well over 20,000 souls currently around this fort.
He looked to the Hound, "Be ready, I have a strange feeling about how this is going to go."
The Hound grunted.
"Who goes there?" A bored guard asked from a watchtower as they approached the large front gates.
"Someone looking to hire the Company," Harry yelled back up to the top of the gate.
The guard snorted, "You don't have the gold."
"I have more gold than you have ever seen, let me in to speak with your leaders."
The guard scoffed as if just making the noise could buy some time to think. He finally looked away from Harry and spoke to someone behind the doors.
"Alright then, rich man. He'll take you to the Captain," The guard said, no less derisively, nodding to one opening the gate at the ground floor.
"Thank you."
They walked through the camp, finding a big enough area to allow a few elephants to roam between the tents freely. Harry got his first look at the massive reddish-gray creatures. Death was right about their size, but even the young elephants were about the size of the ones from Earth, leaving the massive adults to dwarf them.
A single bull elephant was armored and fitted with a pill-box-style platform, providing cover and shooting angles for archers, and also had a large mounted ballista on top. It was currently roaming around with just the two drivers upfront in a sort of cockpit. A series of large wooden structures served as places to 'dock' several elephants at once while boarding and loading supplies, as well as a station used for armoring them. It was well-designed.
"Captain! Some people here looking to hire the Company," The escorting guard yelled into a decorated tent.
"Send them in," Came the casual response from within the command tent. Next to the entrance were no less than 5 golden gilded skulls hanging from a red spear. Death had told him that they were the gilded skulls of the former leaders of the company.
Harry walked into the tent, the Hound on his heels, finding a huge circular table where a blonde-haired man stood to greet him.
"Greetings, Harry Strickland, Captain of the Golden Company," Strickland said.
"Hadrian Peverell, looking to hire your company if you are available," Harry replied.
"We can certainly talk about that, let me introduce the rest of my men here. Starting with my Lieutenants Laswell Peake, Marq Mandrake, and Tristan Rivers."
Harry nodded at each.
"Black Balaq, Commander of the archer company. Lysono Marr, Spymaster, and Gorys Edoryen our paymaster," Strickland finished.
Harry noticed that three men were not introduced but didn't speak about it.
"So tell me, Lord Hadrian. What do you need us for?"
"I am looking to hire you for Daenerys Targaryen and her conquest," Harry said with a smile.
This earned a scoff from the unintroduced men. Harry glanced at them but turned back.
"I have the gold," Harry waved and a pallet with polished golden bars appeared, stacked knee high. 500 golden bars that he prepared beforehand.
Everyone gasped at the obscene amount of gold and Harry spoke again, "Gold for the Golden Company, yes?"
"That is a lot of gold," Strickland said, unable to speak on the magic that just took place.
"Of course," One of the three mystery men said leadingly. "You wouldn't be passing on the original job for a different one, after having accepted already. Would you Captain Strickland?"
Strickland was surprised, but finally looked away from the gold, "Of course not."
"Now, as for you...who are you? And what is your connection to Daenerys?" The man with short blue hair and a strong jaw said. He had a blue cloak over blue leathers and an orange sash. He gazed at Harry with contempt and the early stages of anger.
"I already said who I was. It was you who failed to introduce yourself."
"A jester then," The man growled.
Harry didn't respond.
"Well, the reason the Golden Company isn't available to help that beggar queen," the contempt on his face was only matching the disgust in his tone. "Is that they are already assigned to help me take the Seven Kingdoms back from the usurpers."
Harry's brow furrowed, his anger growing at the slander against Daenerys, "Who are you?"
The pompous young man scoffed, "I am Aegon Targaryen, rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms!"
Harry spoke with his mind to Death, "Is this Aegon Targaryen?"
She laughed, "He is one from the Blackfyre line. Aegon Targaryen is already in your service."
"Huh, I see."
He returned to the conversation at hand, "You are a liar, Aegon Blackfyre. And right now, you and your guards are the only thing stopping me from acquiring the Golden Company for my needs. I, Hadrian Peverell, Master of Death, challenge you to a duel for the right to employ the Company, stand up and fight me, or run and be known as a coward."
The contempt turned to rage on the Blackfyre's face at the sudden turn of events, "You dare!? I accept! But you do need a sword or this is going to overbe rather quickly."
He stood and stormed out of the tent, Harry and the rest of the leaders of the Golden Company followed, the Hound had a rare smile on his face.
In seconds a crowd began to form around the commotion outside the Command Tent. Soon enough men were running out of barracks, only a quarter of which were armed and armored. Many troops from the Golden Company formed around Aegon and Hadrian, the former was currently stretching and moving through sword stances with a Valyrian steel longsword.
Harry summoned Black Mist, still not wanting to name it as such. The comfortable weight of the scimitar entered his hand but he didn't make any movements, he just stared at the Blackfyre boy with blue hair.
When he finally stepped forward Harry laughed, "Ready?"
"What are the rules?" Aegon asked, having taken the time to put on thicker armor.
Harry frowned again, "This is a fight, there are none."
Aegon smirked, "Good!"
He stalked forward only to find himself blocking Harry's first strike, a casual swipe with the force of a sledgehammer behind the scimitar. Aegon stumbled backward, his eyes wide at the speed and power of the wizard. Three more parries left him hanging on for dear life, only for Harry to back off with a shake of his head.
"Is that all you got?" Harry asked casually.
Aegon didn't say anything but snarled as he strode back at Harry.
He let him advance and waited to counter his attacks. A simple combination of basic strikes, marking Aegon as a mediocre swordsman, came at Harry. He easily defended, parrying and deflecting. He held off on the counterattacks to see if Aegon was just bluffing, trying to lull him into lowering his guard.
Speaking of which, Harry had been tracking the three guards wearing the red dragon symbol of House Targaryen, despite being Blackfyre's. A ruse all the way through. When Harry said no rules, Aegon agreed all too easily. It seemed the plan was for Harry to lose no matter what.
Very unfortunate for them that he could sense their souls as they approached, he just notified the Hound who slammed his helmet shut, and the enchantments activated. The snarling helm began to leak black smoke from the mouth while the eyes lit up in a bloody red light.
Harry allowed himself to be drawn into the trap, even letting Aegon lock his blade in a clash. The foolish and aggressive blue lad wasn't prepared, however.
The second Aegon's backup was in range, Harry burst into action, ducking a great sword meant to carve him in two. The disengage was only possible by casting a silent and wandless Protego into Aegon's sword pushing him back a foot. The man who swung the great sword stumbled past and the Hound stalked after him. Harry spun and sliced through the neck of the second guard. The immediate decapitation was followed around with the scimitar cutting through the arm of Aegon.
The man with the great sword turned and his eyes went wide at the sight of the Hound, but it wasn't him who was more surprised. The enchantments on Lamentation, the Hound's new great sword, activated and the Hound felt himself grow stronger and faster as he easily stepped up to the other man who had tried to kill his new boss.
He instinctually knew that the magic imbued in his new blade was the reason for the increased power and speed, but it felt so right to him. He slashed at the man who barely got his great sword up to block. Lamentation cut right through it, scoring a line through his tabard.
Before the man could parry another, the Hound let the momentum of Lamentation spin over the top, and just like he killed Baric Dondarian, the blade dug deep into the shoulder of the man, deep enough to cut into his heart. He was dead in seconds. The Hound kicked him off his blade and turned to help Harry.
Harry didn't need help, spinning his scimitar in a blurred swipe that sliced the lead leg of Aegon, just above the knee. The single piece of armor covering the outside of his leg was completely sheared through. He screamed as he fell forward, only for Harry's blade to cut through his throat, relieving him of his head. The last soldier had turned to the Hound but found no respite.
The Hound found that the soldier was bold enough to think he could parry Lamentation, but it was futile as the blade cut right through his straight sword as well, and the Hound finished him with a stab through the gut, the blade climbing through the chest to find the desperate vitals. He buried the Valyrian steel blade to the hilt as the man died.
After Harry took care of those three, he turned to see 6 men with crossbows all aimed at him. He blocked the first volley with a wandless and silent Protego, stopping 6 bolts in front of his hand, "Fools..."
Harry and the Hound stalked forward. The men panicked after the first shot was blocked by an invisible force. The Hound's helmet had glowing red eyes and smoke falling from the snarling mouth like saliva.
Harry had glowing green eyes and he casually walked forward, leaving a trail of black mist behind his sword.
Three of the men were shaking as they tried to run. The rest pulled shortswords out and sprinted at the two walking towers of death. Lamentation cleaved through the two on the left as Black Mist casually parried and removed its third head for the day.
The three who ran quickly fell to a series of devastating lacerations, so powerful that they were nearly dismembered as Harry made use of one of his favorites, "Sectum Sempra."
The silence after they fell was thick.
"Anyone else?" Harry asked.
After a few seconds, the Golden Company cheered, "Nice fight, lads!" "Well done!" "That'll show 'em to cheat in a duel!"
Harry turned to the Hound who wiped his blade from his kill, then back to the headless Aegon, noticing the blade had beautiful swirls of Valyrian steel, "I claim his sword as my own, by right of combat. Now, Captain Strickland, may we revisit the conversation?"
The captain in his Golden Company armor gulped then nodded, "Indeed, Lord Hadrian."
In the end, he had them sign a contract promising to pick them up in the next day or so for indefinite service for a good price. Captain Strickland was the first to sign, followed by the rest of his lieutenants and leaders on behalf of the entire company.
Harry didn't trust the fat Captain and only got sleazy vibes from him, a used car salesman. He put in a betrayal clause that would curse them should they try and break the contract or plot against him or Daenerys.
Harry just didn't have a good feeling about Strickland and thought that his loyalties might not be where he could trust. He made it clear as well, that betraying the contract, or even planning on betraying the contract would enact the punishment clauses. They were fairly vague in what the punishment was, and while they had just witnessed the magic of a sort, no one in the Golden Company could really know the power of contracts from another world.
Imagine Harry's surprise when he felt the very same clauses he spoke about activate before he had even made the gate. The guards on duty frowned as their eyes all turned gold and nothing but screams could leave their throats as they became cursed to serve him. Patches of their skin turned gold like a necrotic curse. It was clear that Death had her hand in this, the power shouldn't have applied as hard to those who didn't sign it, but it did.
Immediately after they stopped screaming, all the guards were back on their feet, as if they had never been in pain. Their eyes had all turned gold, but they seemed to be able to see still while the patches of golden skin slowed down in their expansion. He wasn't sure if they would fully turn to gold or not, but he sighed at the sight of them.
The Hound stared in shock, "The fuck is happening to them?"
Harry laughed, "They immediately planned on breaking the contract, and I thought they were notorious for NOT breaking contracts. That is literally what they are known for... fucking idiots. I guess they could have planned on reporting that they were hired to serve the Dragon Queen to someone, but I have to admit I am surprised by how effective the contract was."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mostly thought it would affect the leaders, not everyone including the soldiers," He nodded to the nearest gilded guard.
The Hound realized how dangerous Harry was at that point. He wasn't just someone who could kill with looks, but someone who could curse an entire company of elite mercenaries. The Hound spoke up, "They were more known for their reputation for keeping contracts than anything. If they planned to kill you then their reputation wouldn't take a hit, cause you would be dead."
"Fair enough, if only they knew..."
All of the guards saluted Harry, having immediately turned from skeptical to respectful at the activation of the curse. They seemed willing to serve him, regardless of their original dislike for the random person.
The two walked back to the Command tent, finding the same effects as the rest of the guards mirrored on their leader's faces.
"You guys didn't even wait until I left the yard?" Harry asked as he walked into the tent, the atmosphere changed upon his re-arrival.
All of the leaders rushed to kneel before him, begging for forgiveness.
"I mean, you couldn't even wait that long...I WARNED YOU by the way," Harry started ranting, "I warned each and every one of you! I said," Harry put up finger quotes, "I said and I quote: I promise that you won't like what happens should you break the deal!' I promised you that!"
The men all shook with fear, the curse having been seared directly into their skin. Into their souls.
He sighed with a shake of his head as all of them had golden glowing eyes and partially golden skin, "Alright, now that you are all bound to serve me, you will do as ordered. This doesn't mean I will let you perish in some wasted attack, but if you don't do as told from now on, you will just die. That is the Twice-Fold Curse which has affected you."
Harry gave the name of the curse that he imbued as part of the punishments, regardless of how much Death had turned up the effects. It is called the Twice-Fold Curse cause you only get one chance before death, two mistakes. The first transgression activates the curse, the second kills you. While the curse is active, it becomes difficult to resist commands from the contracted caster, and all of this is only activatable by the party that had been wronged.
"From now on you will be known as the Gold Legion, and you will be my personal army. Do not disappoint me," Harry said with finality.
"Yes, Lord!" The leaders spoke together.
He stared at the kneeling men as he mentally spoke to Death, "Why did the soldiers get affected as well?"
She laughed her eerie laugh, "They all signed their rights over to the leadership, using their marks in blood. It just extended the consequences to the entire company, animals excluded."
Harry nodded, turning his attention back to the fools kneeling around him, "Get ready for a war. I will be producing a portal outside of your...eastern gates and when I need you, you walk through."
"Yes, Lord!" They answered, but Harry didn't bother explaining what a portal was, but they would figure it out soon enough. He took most of the golden ingots back with the plan to create another portal set. This time, one side would be portable, so he could deploy the Gold Legion back and forth from their camp here to anywhere he needed them.
Their service was meant to be a gift to Daenerys, but at this point, he would just claim them as his own, hoping the Free Folk's army would be good enough. Harry had to admit that he wanted to see the elephants in action, so it worked out.
The road that pierced the encampment was solid dirt, packed from literal tons of elephants and troops crossing it. The area off to the side of the road was covered with a few meters of thick sand before harder rock could be found underneath. With a bit of transfiguration, he raised a shelf of stone 20 meters into the air.
Harry transfigured a bunch of stone and quite a few gold ingots that he had, creating the two arches next to each other. He spent a good while fixing the runes to match up and he tested it by placing the portable portal arch on the opposite side of the road. When it grew to match the size of the original, he activated the enchantments. The rock wall that had appeared behind the permanent arch was gone, instead, it was an image from the other side of the archway across the street.
"Come on Hound, try it out!" Harry encouraged. The Hound stared at the portals with the same amount of awe and fear the wizard had been able to produce from him from the start. It was disconcerting to be constantly shocked at the actions of one man.
But here he was all the same, walking through a fucking portal.
Harry smiled as the Hound walked through and he finished off the portable arch by making it solid gold. He even summoned a red spear with some transfigured ingots to look like golden skulls, a physical symbol of the newly named Gold Legion that he stuck on top of the arch.
The connection was perfectly stable and there was no lag time or instability between portals, a perfect job done. He turned off the portal and shrunk the portable side. He examined the permanent portal and decided to decorate it a bit more with golden ingots transfigured into the actual archway. It was fitting.
Harry and the Hound made their way back through the camp to the northern love birds who had been patiently waiting. Along the way, he informed a guard that they needed to protect the portal, preferably by putting up large walls around it. He got an affirmative as the guard ran off to do his bidding.
~~o0o~~
"Did you acquire the Golden Company?" Jon asked after the wizard and the Hound came back.
"In a sense, yes. They are now known as the Gold Legion, and will serve as a personal army of sorts."
The Hound snorted but didn't elaborate.
"Well, I have to take you guys in my trunk or you will have to suffer through a bunch of Apparation, which I am sure none of you want. So let me introduce you to my home," Harry said. He tossed the miniature trunk out and let it expand. It opened up to the Archway configuration for easier access.
"Come on then, you too Hound!"
Harry led them through the arch, the cave near the waterfall inside Peverell Manor. Jon and Ygritte stared in pure awe.
"Ygritte..." Jon said, not taking his eyes away from the sunlit lake, being looked over by a huge castle, "That right there, is a castle."
She didn't have the words, staring at the castle in the distance. Strange birds flew across the sky while fish jumped from the lake, capturing a feast of spawning bugs that were drawn to the damp environment. The sky was orange to the west, sporadic clouds emphasized the gradient of colors as the sky went from fiery orange to a deep and darker blue to the east. The waterfall next to them also glowed orange in the sunlight, and the mist looked like particles of fire as they flew out from the torrent of water.
"What is this place?" The Hound asked, marveling at the trunk he had been guarding for so long. It made both more and less sense now. More because he was guarding a home, but less as why the fuck would anyone who could make this need protection?
"I told you, it's my home. Come then, let's get some food and relax for the night. Tomorrow we will go meet the Dragon Queen."
"Is Maester Aemon in here?" Jon asked.
"He is! I had one of my servants give him a room, he will join us for dinner," Harry replied.
"I still can't believe he accepted to leave the Night's Watch," Jon said.
"I told you Jon, the Night's Watch has done its job, it's time for us to get ready for the next step... preparing to fight the undead themselves. Well, one of the next steps at least."
And there were many steps.
Harry introduced the newcomers to his House Elves, and how they could call them from anywhere for questions or concerns, but warned them to treat the little friends with respect.
"Right then Chancey, let's have a couple of rooms made up, one for the love birds and the other for this huge guy you have been delivering meals to."
"Of course Master Harries!" Chancey said.
The Hound, Jon, and Ygritte had been listening to Harry speak about the House Elves, but seeing one in her adorable little dress was a different thing entirely. Jon and Ygritte shared a look, as if saying 'We're really in the deep end now' and Harry chuckled to himself. The castle was nearly as magical as Hogwarts, if less ghosts and moving stairways, yet still worthy enough to shock any muggle.
"And have all of our guests come down to have some dinner in an hour, will you?"
Chancey nodded vigorously.
"Great, I will see you all then."
An hour later Harry was refreshed after a hot bath. He made his way down to the formal dining room, instead of his balcony where he ate most of his meals. Jon and Ygritte were there already, seated next to each other. They were smiling like school girls, they must have broken in the bedroom.
Harry shook his head and looked to the others. Maester Aemon was sitting down and inspecting the large paintings and tapestries that hung throughout the beautiful room.
He seemed content for now, "Maester Aemon, remind me to show you my library after dinner. You would be very interested in some books that we have there if you are as truly as scholarly as you seem."
"I would be delighted, this is an amazing home you have here, Lord Peverell."
"Thank you, I admit to taking a great deal of pride in this place."
Gendry was seated a few chairs down from Jon, cleaned up after working at the forge for the day. According to Willis, his House Elf who is in charge of the armory, Gendry was a deft hand at creating impressively strong and well-crafted weapons. There was nothing flashy or flamboyant about them, just sturdy, straightforward, and competent. That being said, he had an even better eye for armor design.
"Gendry, come, have a seat. How are you today?"
"Lord Hadrian," He nodded. "I am doing well. Your forge is quite impressive, the adjustable heat has been an honest pleasure to work with," Gendry replied.
Harry nodded, "If you don't mind, I would like to work with you a bit tonight in the forge. I have a need to create a set or two of armor that I can reproduce on a large scale. You just need to make me a master version of it, does that sound alright?" Harry was aware of how much he downplayed 'a set' of armor for what he had in mind.
"Just a breastplate? Or what are we working with?"
"Breastplate, shin guards, bracers, and helm. Some basic weapons as well, you can make a few of them, can't you?" Harry asked with a challenging smirk.
Gendry laughed, "That shouldn't be a problem, do you have a design you would like?"
Harry nodded, "We can deal with that later, let's enjoy some food!"
After another delicious dinner that thoroughly blew the minds of those from this world, Harry had Chancey show Maester Aemon to the library. Harry hadn't decided how to breach the topic of their difference in worldly origin, something the Maester would no doubt find out on his own, but he figured the old man would enjoy it regardless. Harry went with Gendry down to the forge, making sure the Hound had a bottle of whiskey for his entertainment after the meal.
Gendry and Harry headed down to the workshop. They were currently leaning over a workbench where he had the supplies to design and plan things out.
"Right, so, I want medium-weight splint mail, with one larger breast piece that I can use for enchanting purposes. It would be nice if it was vaguely t-shaped with scale mail for the rest. Maybe sitting on some leather, but long enough to go to at least mid-thigh," Harry said, drawing out a basic idea of what he wanted.
"Aren't they in the desert?" Gendry asked. They had been talking about their destination over dinner, the harsh desert climate of Slaver's Bay will be a drastic change from the north of the wall.
"They will be, but I plan on enchanting a bit of cooling into the armor." A brilliant idea crossed his mind, "If they are from the north, then they might enjoy a bit of a frosty aura."
"Frosty aura?" Gendry asked.
Harry nodded, summoning a small sheet of metal, he drew a quick runic array with his wand. He spoke to Death in his mind, "Is there a way to access the Dementor aura, but on a smaller scale?"
She laughed, "Not exactly, but one without the Death aspect might be something like this."
Death projected a rune to him. He didn't recognize it but copied it onto the metal sheet all the same. When he activated the rune sequence the metal frosted over and let out a billowing aura of frost.
Gendry's eyes opened wide at that, "What in the Seven?"
"Alright... that was a bit too much, let me adjust it a bit," Harry said. He Transfigured the metal so the runes were erased. It released a pulse of frosty energy as it was cleared.
"I think I just discovered the name for this new army...the Frost Legion," Harry nodded.
"And each soldier is going to be uh, frosty then?" Gendry asked.
Harry nodded, "It would make sense, they are used to the cold."
Gendry nodded, "Before you finish that, let's finish the design so I can start."
"Right," Harry put down the metal piece and picked up the quill once again. He laid out how the splint mail would line up around the central piece, all connected to a medium leather tunic/coat. The tunic would go down to mid-wrist in sleeve length and down to the knee while being covered in splints of metal.
Gendry nodded and went to start forging. Harry went back to the drawing board, designing a pair of leather boots with simple shin guards. The bracers went from just over the wrist joint and up to the forearms. He then worked on the helmet drawing a design for something called a gjermundbu helmet, something that was used by the Vikings on Earth, though this would be made from stronger metals and enchanted.
It covered the top of the head and over the eyes leaving the lower face exposed. The back and sides of the helm would be fit with chainmail that hung down to the shoulders, protecting the neck from slashing attacks.
"Perfect. Gendry, this is the finished concept for each piece, I'll get a leather coat fitting soon, Willis?" Harry asked.
The armory house elf appeared with a light crack, "Yes, Master Harries?"
"I need a leather coat produced to these requirements, it will need to be ready to accept splint mail that will be bound to it as well," Harry said, showing the picture to the curious elf.
"Right away master, from basilisk?"
"Ehh, let's use some basic leather for now, I will save the good stuff for another time," Harry said, then it hit him that he did need a set of basilisk armor for both Jon and Ygritte. He made sure to let Willis know to measure the two of them in the morning. The elf had a real talent for leatherworking.
It would be very difficult to make copies of basilisk armor, as it was filled with magic. Magical metals were easy to copy, but that is something that was meant to be worked on further, designed to be forged into other things. Leather from a magical snake was different.
That also reminded Harry that he needed to enhance the weapons both of them wielded, including a set of runic enchantments for Jon's Long Claw and a new bow for Ygritte.
"Now for the city guard..." Harry went back to the drawing board, this time drawing a lighter chest piece of ring mail with better leather boots for long days of standing. The guard helmets were much more open, taking on a shape that is closer to a helmet called a sallet. The bracers were smaller than the ones for the army, and overall heat would be managed by wearing less thick gear.
As far as weapons for the main force of infantry, he designed spears, 2 meters in length, a short sword for their side weapons, a rondel dagger for armored enemies, and a round shield known as a Rotella to finish things off. He then thought about it and decided to make a few different groups of soldiers, one would have longer 2-handed long pikes instead of spears and shields.
If he were to have 10,000 soldiers in the legion, the breakdown would look like this: 3,000 pikemen, 2,000 archers, and 5,000 standard infantry. Speaking of, he would need to get some kind of wood strong enough for his pikes, spears, and longbows. Harry designed the pikes to be 5 meters long, including a mean tip that was simple enough for mass replication yet retained a fair amount of intimidation.
"Alright, Gendry, I think that is everything," Harry said. He had condensed his plans into four pieces of paper.
The first page was for the standard infantry with the 2-meter spears, Rotella shields, short swords, and rondel daggers along with all of the armor. The second was the pikemen with the 2-handed 5-meter long pikes, side hatchets, and rondel daggers. The third page was the longbowmen, who would still have a short sword along with the arrows needed. The fourth was the lighter setup meant for the future Yunkai guards. They would have short swords, medium-length spears, and lightweight and breathable armor.
Gendry walked back over from preparing what he would need to inspect the finalized designs.
"The armors are all pretty similar, aside from the guard stuff," He noted. "I would make the archers set a bit lighter for full mobility and replace their left bracer with a wrist guard, to protect against the bowstring."
Harry nodded, impressed by the smith's knowledge despite his young age, "Great, let's go with that. I will source some wood, just remember that I need one full set for each of these, if you don't mind."
Gendry laughed, "It is an honor to do so, Lord Hadrian."
Harry laughed and summoned some gold from his pouch, "Don't think you won't be getting paid either, cause I am not one for forced labor."
Gendry's eyes opened wide, "Uhh-"
Harry cut him off, "Just do it right, okay? I will be making copies of them with magic instead of mass production, so any flaws will be copied for every piece. I want perfection instead of production speed."
Gendry nodded gravely, "I will do it right."
"Now, do you know of any good wood out there?"
Gendry thought for a second, "There are the Ironwood trees from Bear Island by the Wall. Incredibly strong stuff, very hard to draw for bows, but they would be fantastic for spears and pikes."
"I'll be back," Harry said, Apparating to his Gold Legion compound. He found a guard on the wall with a long bow.
"Hey lad," Harry started.
"Aye, Ser!" The Guard saluted after recovering from the shock of Harry appearing with a crack of magic.
"Tell me about that long bow you have there," Harry said.
"Of course, Ser! Made of Yew, 2 meters long, heavy draw weight with a hemp string, incredibly sturdy," The guard said, showing the draw length and weight.
Harry nodded, "And the arrows?"
"Yes ser, arrows are best made from ash, medium weight for the right amount of piercing power, range, and accuracy. This is known as a bodkin point, perfect for armor piercing and arrow retrieval."
"And this is better than a barbed point?"
"Well, a broadhead arrow, the barbed ones you are speaking of, does more damage against unarmored flesh or lightly armored troops. The bodkin point is meant to pierce mail and to a lesser degree, most types of armor," The man said.
Harry nodded in thought, "You keep both arrow types on you?"
"Aye, ser, good to have a few options, though in large-scale combat, it's best to understand who and what you are up against so you can prepare the right type of arrows. That can change during a battle, depending on where you are focusing attention. I'd say for most conflicts you want about a 70/30 ratio of bodkin to broadhead arrows, but if you need only 1 type, then I would just go with a broadhead."
"Wait, why the discrepancy?" Harry asked, looking into the cursed golden eyes of the man. He didn't seem to mind the fact that he was being magically compelled or not, almost like archery was just a passion of his.
"Well, broadheads are more effective for hunting, and if you can't feed your troops then you are in trouble. Not that you can't with Bodkin, but they don't do enough cutting damage to properly take down beasts and such. I say 70 percent bodkin for conflicts against armored forces, knowing that you still have the option to switch to broadheads for utility."
Harry made a permanent copy of the bow and one of both types of arrows, "Thanks."
The man nodded and Harry left. He was almost ready to meet with the Dragon Queen.