Chapter 2607 - Ch: 17-18

Chapter 17 - Hold the Door

The Small Council of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros now took place within the Tower of the Hand, Lord Tywin's quarters just down the hall from the chamber. Queen Regent Cersei Lannister paced to the side of the table where Oberyn Martell lounged back, the drink from the night before making itself known.

"These meetings aren't always going to be this early, are they?" The Viper asked. "I was up late last night."

The Lord of Highgarden, Mace Tyrell sat across from the Viper, along with Maester Pycell and Lord Varys as the Viper spoke.

"So... Does this mean I am a Master of something now? Coins...Ships?"

"Lord Tywin and I already determined that I shall be Master of Ships. Long before you-" Mace Tyrell was interrupted by the heavy boots of Lord Tywin echoing through the chamber. Lord Varys, Maester Pycell, and Mace Tyrell stood as the Hand entered the room, while Cersei finally took her seat. The lounging Viper hadn't moved at all.

The foolish oaf, Tyrell, continued to speak, "Lord Tywin, it's a great honor to be granted a seat on this council, I -"

He was interrupted yet again, this time by Tywin's words, "The trial begins this afternoon. We only have this morning to decide matters of state. Let us begin."

Lord Varys started, "It seems things have escalated to an alarming degree across the sea, My Lord. Rumors of a multifaceted army are in full effect."

"The Targaryen girl?"

Varys nodded, "She has taken up residence in Meereen, renaming Slaver's Bay to the Bay of Dragons. She has conquered the entire Southern and Western reaches of the bay and now rules as Queen. She is supposedly in command of several forces thanks to an odd benefactor."

"What forces?" Cersei asked with disdain.

"A force of some fifteen thousand Unsullied, My Lady. She has also acquired the renowned Golden Company into her service, as well as a force of sell swords, both the Second Son's and the Windblown, led by Ned Stark's Bastard. She has two knights advising her, Ser Jorah Mormont and Ser Barristan Selmy. Not to mention her three dragons," Varys continued.

"Baby dragons," Cersei countered.

"Yet large enough for her to ride, it would seem, Your Grace. And that isn't the strangest part. Apparently, she plans to wed someone who calls himself Master of Death. A man so powerful that he single-handedly sacked the city of Yunkai and had the entire force of Unsullied surrender to Daenerys herself."

"Master of Death?" The Viper asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Who is he?" Tywin asked.

Varys sighed, "I believe he is the one who saved the young wolf to the north, as well as sacked the Twins. Rumor has it that he is currently in the company with the Hound. The two of them appear in places all over Essos, storming in like the wind and leaving naught but corpses in their wake. They say he has magic about him, but there are no confirmations, only that he single-handedly entered Yunkai, and had the Wise Masters, as they call themselves, personally surrender."

"I am afraid I have to agree with Lord Varys. I have been to Essos. The Unsullied are extremely talented fighters," The Viper said as his eyes roamed over Cersei's figure, "Not so much as far as lovers go though."

Tywin was scowling but Varys cleared his throat, "There is another force as well. One that is just forming. The rumors are hard to believe though."

"On with it Lord Varys," Tywin said, his frustration growing.

"Of course my lord. If rumors are to be believed, then this same Master of Death, as he calls himself, somehow transported something close to a hundred and fifty thousand Free Folk from beyond the Wall, to just outside of Yunkai. There are no clear rumors as to how they made it there, no ships or anything of the sort from my sources. From that group of people, he has created another army...one that includes giants."

Oberyn's interest grew at the last part of Varys' statement, "Giants...seriously?"

Varys bowed, "If the rumors are to be believed. They are going by the moniker, 'The Frost Legion.' They have yet to engage anyone-"

He was interrupted by Cersei, "Foolish tales, just like these stories of people riding dragons. It is ridiculous."

"Is that everything, Lord Varys?" Tywin asked, his patience fully tested.

"Unfortunately not my Lord. Another force, this one now going by the title Ghost Legion, has reinforced Astapor, and is made up of those sell sword companies."

"More mercenary companies?" Oberyn asked.

"The Windblown and the Second Son's as well as a large contingent of former troops belonging to the Blackfyre House. Totaling out at around fifteen thousand. It's quite disturbing the amount of forces that have pledged themselves to the Dragon Queen and her future husband," Lord Varys said. His source within the Queen's court has been constant in his information.

Tywin grumbled, "They have four armies...how many ships?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they have an entire fleet of ships that were sacked from all three of the Slaver's cities. Though there appears to be some other means of travel that they used to send their forces around."

"What kind of means?" Cersei asked, her tongue still sharp.

"The way it was described to me was and I quote: "A mysterious archway that opens to another location. One for each army."

"And this magic man, Master of Death, can move wherever he wants?" Oberyn asked the contemplative room.

"It seems so my lord."

Tywin spoke up, "Well, if he comes here, he must be ready to face our forces. Lord Varys, I believe it is time for you to contact your assassins in Braavos. I will put a million gold dragons on both the Targaryen Girl's head and this Master of Death. Let us see how he handles death."

He continued to speak, "Moving forward, Tommen's Coronation will be at the end of the week. Tyrion's trial will be the following week. Both Lord Oberyn and Lord Tyrell have agreed to be judges for the coming trial. Now, if that is everything...I have work to do."

~~o0o~~

"I am not handing over the control of Castle Black," Ser Alliser Thorne yelled from the top of the gate. "The last thing I thought we would have to deal with is an attack from our side of the wall. FROM THE PEOPLE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING!"

"Open your gates, or we will break them down. The Night's Watch has served its purpose, we are taking it in hand," King Robb Stark said. His face was grim and resolute.

"Many of us have been sent here by your father, boy! Don't think that you can just take over now!"

Robb was silent for a few moments as his resolve built, then he looked over to his men, "Start the attack."

~~o0o~~

"You know me?" Harry asked.

The broken man known as the Bloodraven laughed again, "I have seen you wandering in the Dream, causing chaos in the real, and overall using magic with abandon."

"And you allowed me to come this close to you?" Harry challenged.

He scoffed, "You might be stronger than that fool Euron, but you have no power against one such as me! I have been binding and siphoning power from the Old Gods. You are nothing but a foolish-"

The Bloodraven was cut off as Harry unleashed his magical power. The tight control he held over it kept fools like this from understanding how much strength he truly had.

The Deathly Hallows manifested fully.

Wand, sword, and cloak all came together to show what the Master of Death truly was.

"You old and petty man...you have no fucking idea what true power is. You sat here on your broken throne as this tree consumes you, thinking that you have a fucking clue as to what power is. You bound a few planetary gods, but I represent a FORCE! You even called me the Son of Death, which isn't entirely true, but I can see how you got there."

The Bloodraven was unable to speak as Harry's presence locked him down, and he wasn't the only one. The Children of the Forest, who were all watching the exchange from hidden hallways and distant windows, were all struck with fear like they had never felt before. Death was nothing new to them, especially as they watched many of their friends and family die, but to feel it breathing down their necks as if the very idea of life was fleeting was a different feeling altogether.

The only people the aura didn't touch were the Stark boy and his party. Harry had such perfect magical control that he shielded them from his presence.

With that, Harry began to stalk forward, each step like a judge's hammer as he approached the Bloodraven.

"I have been running around this world, doing as I please. And why wouldn't I? You have no idea the true power of one like me. I have fought people of your level of power when I barely knew what magic was. Honestly, I didn't even plan on saving this lot, but the timing just worked out like that. But now that I am here, what was your plan for them?"

Harry released the pressure enough for him to speak, the fear allowing for no lie to come through.

"I need...a successor. Not in mind, but body."

Harry looked back at Bran, realizing what the fool was saying. He wanted a new body. He was going to take over Bran's and use it for himself.

"I see..." Harry grabbed the handle of the Valyrian steel rapier that was stuck through his leg and twisted.

The Bloodraven grimaced and tried to speak again, but found no words.

Harry silently cast a single spell, "Legilimens."

The Bloodraven found himself in some sort of dream-like world. One where his inner thoughts and feelings were all laid bare. A terrifying whispered voice echoed through everything, "Now...let's see what we have here."

"What is this!?" The Bloodraven's voice was harsh yet vulnerable.

Harry's laugh, empowered by magic, rang throughout the strange place. It wasn't the Dream and the Bloodraven's powers were distant and uncooperative. Images began to flash like a slide show.

"Well, that is interesting, where did you learn a blood ritual?" Harry asked, noticing the means as to how he bound the Old Gods.

"No, no, no!"

"What? You didn't think they were permanent, did you?" Harry laughed, undoing the ritual work that bound Quaithe's magic.

"How can this be?!"

"What else do we have...what about...Ahhh dear Shiera, that is her name. You loved her and my god did you do terrible things to her... Binding nearly her entire magical core like that...I can't wait to return the favor..."

The Bloodraven began to scream as Harry tore through his mind, searching for memories of himself, trying to find out exactly what he knew. The old man began to slip away, and Harry thought it was almost like going into a coma, his consciousness closing off. He felt an attack incoming and briefly released the Legilimens spell to block.

Holding up a hand and not even opening his eyes, Harry stopped a strange fireball that was incoming from one of the Children of the Forest. It was very apparent, even just at a glance, that they weren't in control of themselves.

Harry felt the connection between them and the Bloodraven and spoke in Enochian, "Shimmer, keep them off of me, but try not to hurt them. The Bloodraven is controlling them."

Shimmer gave a mental nod and appeared in the flesh, a wave of silvery flames spread out and billowed up, creating an impassible barrier of flame. The group of weary travelers shuffled backward, now that the fight between them had become a physical thing. The Children of the Forest had backed off and it seemed the few that were being controlled had lost that connection.

Harry was about to cast another Legilimens but he felt something changing and instead went for the kill. Summoning Black Mist, Harry removed the Bloodraven's head and felt for his soul.

"It's gone?" Harry was dumbfounded. He quickly reached out with his soul sight and peered at the Children, but they had turned and ran in fear. Harry reached out to Death and asked, "He actually escaped?"

Death didn't appear, perhaps knowing the situation, and chose to only laugh in his ear.

With frustration, he unsummoned his scimitar, pulled the rapier from the Bloodraven's thigh, and searched for the ritual circle that connected the old man to Quaithe, ensuring that it was fully dispelled. It was directly under the leg, pierced by the blade causing the disgusting necrosis, and his efforts had indeed removed it.

He quickly put a temporary isolation barrier around the corpse and root throne. He borrowed Shimmer's flames and turned the corpse to ash.

There was no soul connected to it as if the Bloodraven had somehow sent his soul out across space. No matter how hard he searched for it, Harry couldn't feel it.

He turned to where the Children were hiding and appeared in front of them. There were only 20 or so remaining and they huddled closely like prisoners waiting to be attacked. Harry sighed as Shimmer landed on his shoulder.

"You were his prisoners?"

One of them seemed braver than the rest and stood up to speak to him, "We are all that remain...and have been held here under his...power."

Harry nodded, "What's your name?"

She gulped, fear radiating off of her, "Leaf."

"It is nice to meet you Leaf, I am Hadrian Peverell. I hold no hostility to any of you, so put your fear at ease."

Leaf gulped and nodded, "We didn't mean to attack you, he..."

"I know, he controlled you. I could sense it."

She seemed relieved.

"Tell me, is there a place that you would like to go? Somewhere with less snow perhaps? I don't mind transporting all of you to a safer place."

Her demeanor fell once again, "We have nowhere left to go. The realms of man just keep expanding and no forest remains untouched, leaving no room for us to call home."

"You wish for a forest? One untouched by man?"

That seemed to interest her, "I wouldn't want to ask so much from someone so powerful..."

Harry held up a hand, "Please, it's fine. I am sure I can find a place on this planet for you, but I have another idea I would like to run by you. I have a realm within my home, a place I like to call the Infinite Forest that keeps growing the farther one searches into it. There are, of course, many other magical beings within, but there are no humans aside from those I bring within my home."

He quickly cast an illusory spell and projected an image of Peverell Manor and the forest that grew to the North. The Children gasped and began to gather around the floating image.

"There are threats, dangerous beings within the forest that you would have to be wary of. But I am sure that if you searched for it, then you could find a place worth calling your own. Or I could try and find a hidden forest somewhere..."

"This place...it is within your realm?"

Harry nodded, "It is within a pocket dimension and only accessible to those I bring. Under my protection."

Leaf went back and gathered all the Children together, speaking for nearly a minute. They seemed to come to an agreement, but before they accepted, Leaf had one more question, "We accept your offer. However, what will happen with the Night King? Do you plan on fighting him?"

Harry was surprised by the offer, but Death whispered in his ear, "They created the Night King to defend themselves from men. It cost them nearly everything. These are all that remain."

He nodded, "I am already gathering forces, we have a couple of years before they make it to the Wall."

Leaf seemed sad, "It was our fault he exists...Our fault that he plagues the world. He has nearly killed all of us, and we are all that remain of the Children."

Harry sighed, "I understand, don't worry, it is now the problem of man. We will defeat the Night King."

He was surprised at how easily they accepted, but perhaps defeating their captors, showing them strange magic, and holding no hostility toward them was a factor, even after being attacked by them while under the Bloodraven's influence.

Harry wasn't even sure why he offered, other than the fact that his home was not just a home for him and his family, but also the very few creatures that were already endangered back on Earth. Now that he was on a different planet, in some instances there was only a single individual for some species. Seeing the remains of a species that lived within a forest felt like a natural fit.

The Infinite Forest within the Peverell Manor had been a fascinating thing to explore for Harry. He had often gone out and done just that over the 10 or so years after defeating Voldemort. He would run into all sorts of species and just observe them from under the Invisibility Cloak, feeling like a sort of protector to some degree as he was the only one who could allow people into the realm.

"We are putting our trust in you, but we have nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. My sisters and I are all alone in this world. Please, don't do what he did," Leaf nodded to where the corpse of the Bloodraven was turned to ash.

Harry nodded and spoke on how his realm doubled as a reserve for species and how they live in a sort of respectful harmony. He told them how they would have to find a place within the forest to live peacefully and how dangerous some species could be. In the end, they fully accepted and Harry called Chancey to give them a lift.

It was time to worry about Bran's party.

~~o0o~~

For the first time in his life, Jojen Reed had seen something that didn't come to pass. He had fully embraced the visions, the strange ability that had guided him and his sister their whole lives. His Greensight wasn't just an ability, the more he thought about it, but a path. He had seen the end of it, and how he wasn't supposed to make it as far as he had.

How his chest would be pierced while he stared up at his destination, only making it far enough to see it. Close enough to know that Bran would make it the rest of the way and that his sister would live on with Bran as a protector. He had cried himself to sleep a thousand nights over and had only come to terms with it in the last few years. He would never find love beyond his sister. He would never find peace except in death.

Jojen only found solace in the fact that he would be saving the realm by delivering Bran Stark to the location he needed to be. He would give his life to that cause and the world would be a brighter place because of it.

But for the first time in his life...the visions were wrong.

It was that man in that ragged and terrible cloak. He seemed to manifest from the very ether of the world around him, like a phantom. His black blade left trails of smoke and his magic was so potent that he was hard to look at. He could feel himself on the edge of new visions as he stared at the cloaked being. His shock was so complete that it was almost difficult to take that next step. The one that would take him beyond the point of his death.

Jojen walked as if in a daze, following a path he had never seen before. He couldn't be sure if it was a good thing or not, but as he walked forward he both felt blind and like he could see for the first time. His exhaustion was only one part of the shock and his emotions were all over the place. His sister had helped him into the cave system underneath the massive Weirwood tree.

He watched the confrontation between the corpse of a man who felt...wrong. At the same time though, the man on the throne had a strange connection to the tree, beyond just growing through his desiccated corpse. Was he the Three-eyed Raven?

The one in the deathly cloak confronted the other man, and he was too confused and addled to listen to the conversation.

A fight seemed to break out, the strange green people were throwing things at him, and up until that point, everything was muffled like he was in a haze. It wasn't until he heard the purest sound in the world that his focus came back in.

A black bird with silver highlights appeared in a matching torrent of flame. A single note from her beautiful beak sent chills down his spine, taking all of his vision and sound. It was enlightenment beyond anything he had felt. Greater than any vision he had witnessed, more profound than anything he had seen or heard.

The song of the bird coursed through his body like flame burning away filth from his soul.

He nearly fell asleep as the song finished and he closed his eyes to do his best to remember everything. He was only stirred from his revelry when the man in the cloak, now revealed to be a strong-jawed man with black hair and glowing green eyes.

"Alright, you lot. You all ready for a good rest?" Harry asked.

Jojen looked to Bran, then to his sister. Finally, Bran spoke up, "Sorry, but who are you? What has happened here?"

Harry looked back to the throne and shook his head, "I am Hadrian Peverell, Wizard and Master of Death. As far as what has happened here...well, we can discuss that after you have all eaten, rested, and bathed. You have been journeying through a harsh and brutal environment with little to no food and water. I know you had a destiny with this tree, and that the man I killed was part of it. But that doesn't mean that I can't help you fulfill some aspect of that."

Jojen stared at the man, almost willing his Greensight to activate, but he could see nothing. It was like whatever enabled the visions recognized that there was much more to this man, yet he couldn't activate it.

"This whole journey couldn't have been a waste..." Meera said.

"A waste? Absolutely not, but events move forward and I will make sure there is purpose for all of you. That I promise."

Meera didn't seem convinced but didn't have the energy to argue.

"Right then," Hadrian said. He mumbled something that Jojen couldn't quite make out and a large rope appeared. Hadrian used the small stick in his hand to cause the rope to float up and tied itself in a circle, low enough for Bran to grab onto. "Grab onto this, and I will take all of us away from here."

Jojen was helped up by his sister and the rope floated over to Bran. They both grabbed onto it as Bran spoke up, "Grab on, Hodor."

The big man was scared on account of the Hadrian's magic but still held his shaky hand out to grab it.

"All on? This might be a bit jarring but you'll survive."

Before Jojen could even grab a breath, he felt like the world was squeezing in on him. The sensation of falling and flying combined and he could just barely make out the myriad of colors flash by him. His hand felt like it was frozen to the rope, unable to move in the slightest.

In a few seconds, it seemed to be over as they gracefully floated down to the ground. All of them were out of breath as another force stopped them from slamming down. They were in a room, a solar of some sort. Jojen began to look around as the feeling behind his Greensight activated. His, and everyone else's gaze snapped to Hodor, who began shaking.

"Hodor. Hodor. Hodor," The big man's voice became urgent as if ramping up into a panic attack.

Jojen watched in worried silence as Bran tried to calm him. It wasn't working.

"HODOR. HOLDOR. HOLDOR!" HE screamed, tears began running down his face, making his white beard wet.

"What is happening here?" Hadrian asked but received no answer. The Wizard walked over and pulled his wand out again. He did something that drew Hodor's attention, but it didn't calm him down. Jojens Greensight senses were going insane, as if he was deep within a vision, yet he only saw the panicked man in front of him.

"HOLDOR! HOLIDOR! HOLIDOR!"

Hadrian grabbed the man and forced him down onto the ground as he began to stumble around, "Just breathe, mate! Just breathe!"

"HOLDIDOR! HOLDIDOR! HOLDIDOOR!"

Hodor stared into Hadrian's eyes as he convulsed on the ground. He shook as if being struck multiple times with great force. The longer the big man stared, the less he saw, apparently receiving a vision of his own.

"Let it out, lad," Hadrian's calm voice was a contrast to the increasingly intense Hodor.

"HOLDIDOOR! HOLDIDOOR! HOLD THE DOOR!"

Jojen frowned in confusion, continuing to watch.

"HOLD THE DOOR! HOLD THE DOOR! HOLD THE DOOR!" Hodor's voice became ragged as he watched something, his vision fully manifesting into his actions as he writhed on the ground.

"Uhhhhh, hold the door..." Hodor's voice hit a peak then he groaned and his breathing steadied as he stopped screaming.

Hadrian was leaning over him as if searching his mind beyond the clouded windows of the soul. Hodor's eyes had slowly cleared up as the vision ended, and he stared up at he kneeling Hadrian.

"Your name isn't Hodor at all, is it?"

Hodor shook his head, "M-mm-mmm-my n-nn-name is Wy-Wyyl-Wylis."

Jojen didn't understand until Hodor spoke. At some point in his life, someone overwhelmed him to the point where all he could say, was 'hodor.' Hadrian had changed fate for the big man, just as he had for Jojen. Their paths were supposed to end at that tree. They were supposed to have been cut off from the world as their souls were cast back into the primordial muck of creation.

But Hadrian changed that. Hadrian saved them. Jojen could only stare at the wizard in shock.

He had changed fate itself.

~~o0o~~

Sansa's dreams were filled with dark and twisted versions of events that had taken place. Each time they stormed through her mind, they left a trail of confusion and frustration, all encompassed by fear and uncertainty. She woke up in her lone cabin, the small sailing ship was large enough to give her separate quarters, allowing for some privacy. Allowing her to ruminate on everything that had happened to her.

Her father's death was only the start, being forced to endure torture and humiliation at the hands of Joffrey. She was forced to marry the dwarf, who had somehow shown her more respect than others. Then the horrible yet deserving death of the king, how he screamed and bled to death as his psychotic mother raged and blamed Tyrion. The events were bricks that weighed her down as she struggled to breathe, to not drown.

She could picture every detail of the former knight, Dontos, as he requested 10,000 gold dragons to bring her to Baelish. The feeling of betrayal coursed through her as his care turned to greed. Baelish's snapped fingers rang through her ears like a gong, signifying the death of Dontos. She watched the bolt pierce right through the man, ending his life instantly.

Footsteps drew her from her revelry and she turned to see an almost sheepish-looking Petyr Baelish enter the room.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

"I'm getting married to your Aunt Lysa, she's waiting for us at the Eyrie. You will be safe there," He stared at her as if reading every emotion.

Sansa looked away, her brain turning as she paced. She settled her eyes on Baelish, "Did you kill Joffrey?"

Baelish's self-assured smirk landed on his face, "Did I kill Joffrey? I've been in the Vale for weeks."

"I know it was you."

"And who helped me, with this conspiracy?"

"Well there was Ser Dontos, you used him to get me out of King's Landing, but..." She shook her head, "You would never trust him to kill the king."

"Why not?" Baelish prodded.

"Because you're too smart to trust a drunk," Her words became more steady as she rode the waves of fear like a dragon in the night.

"Then perhaps it was your husband?"

She wasn't phased, Tyrion was no husband of hers, "No."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"You're right. He wasn't involved in Joffrey's death...but you were."

Her mind's eye activated as she ran through events once again.

"You remember that lovely necklace that Dontos gave you? I don't suppose you noticed that a stone was missing, after the feast."

"The poison?" It didn't make sense to her, "I-I don't understand, the Lannisters gave you wealth, power. Joffrey made you the Lord of Harrenhal."

"A man with no motive is a man no one suspects. Always keep your foes confused. If they don't know who you are or what you want, they don't know what you plan to do next."

Sansa couldn't help but feel confused, feeling the irony in that, "I don't believe you. If they catch you, they'll put your head on a spike, just like my father. You'd risk that just to confuse them?"

Baelish walked closer to her, "So many men, they risk so little. They spend their lives avoiding danger. Then they die... I'd risk everything to get what I want." He stared into her eyes as he said that, placing an almost comforting hand on her shoulder.

"And what do you want?"

Baelish let his gaze follow his hand down her arm before looking back into her eyes, "Everything."

~~o0o~~

The cruel competence of the Butcher was making itself known as he stared down his former loyal soldier.

"B-butcher, I told no one! I swear it!"

"You told no one...yet I only told you that this is where I would be going. Another test, sure, but I put my trust in you. I put the fate of our men, our cause, our FUTURE on the line! AND YOU BETRAYED ALL OF IT!"

The man cringed in fear, only just overtaking his confusion, "I-I told not a soul! I haven't even left the compound!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" The Butcher raged. "I told three of my closest lieutenants that we would be going to different locations. Both Kraz Mo Nalos and Gez Mo Ullhonr were told different locations that we would fall back to. Different ways that we might be betrayed. There is no other way that we have been removed from Astapor like perfect cuts from a pig! IT HAS TO BE A TRAITOR!"

The lieutenant was quivering in fear as he saw the writing on the wall.

Over the past few days, the hidden forces of the Butcher and his cause have been systematically removed from Astapoor like removing excess fat from a cut of meat. They had been discovered, and these mysterious coated men have been appearing everywhere. Like ghosts, they would appear from nothing, kill everyone, and be gone without a trace.

The Butcher had to make a move, he had to retaliate or be exterminated. That is where his plan came together. If he could trust his lieutenants then they would be able to retaliate at the council. He was so close! And yet, he was losing men faster than they could respond. They had fallen back to the place he told his most trusted lieutenant and only his most trusted lieutenant, yet the retreat had been met with an attack. They had lost nearly 10 guards as the carriage sped through the streets and they made it to the compound with less than half the guards they had set out with.

Before the Butcher could continue, a messenger came into the room, "BUTCHER! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

"What?! Who are they?"

"I don't know sir! They are like ghosts!"

"Ghosts!?" He gave a murderous look to his lieutenant and strode out to the courtyard. It was well past sunset and his men were already fighting. It was hard to see what they were fighting, however. All along the courtyard wall, the guards of the Butcher fell from unseen archers. The gates blasted open and men on horses charged into the courtyard.

The strangest part was that he knew there were people on those horses, but they were difficult to see like his eyes slid off before being able to focus on them. In just a few seconds combat had stopped and his men were either kneeling or dead.

"Damnit! Show yourselves! If I am to lose, then fight me straight!"

He heard a growl from a beast he had never heard before. It sent chills down his spine and he turned to see a white wolf with blood-red eyes. Blood dripped from his muzzle, having reaped it from his men.

"I will fight you straight then," a man's voice said. He seemed to come from the shadows, his strange jacket making it difficult to see him.

The Butcher towered over the hidden man and he pulled his huge cleaver from his belt. It was something he had ordered to be made after needing a weapon for combat instead of a tool for his trade. In return, he saw the man pull a longsword with swirling ripples all along the blade.

A Valyrian Steel sword.

The Butcher's fury only grew as the man walked at him, seemingly unafraid. "I don't know how you have found us so fast, but this won't be easy!"

He charged, but the man ducked and sliced once, drawing first blood. The Butcher winced but quickly turned and unleashed a combination of brutal swipes.

Each strike was parried with a practiced and surprisingly powerful deflection. The Butcher's continued assault was halted when he went too far forward and his deflected cleaver left him open. Pain burst from his face as an elbow found purchase on his nose. He reflexively swiped the massive cleaver, and yet again its edge was pierced by the strength of the Valyrian Steel Longsword.

The clashes continued for a few more engagements, leaving several more slashes that tore through the Butcher's leather armor. No matter what he did, the hidden man was as slippery as can be, dodging or parrying every strike. The Butcher's breath began to come slower and heavier, the blood loss was beginning to catch up.

He had to put it all behind one massive attack. The Butcher kicked out hitting his opponent in the hip, then he charged forward again hoping to swipe through the man with a huge sideswipe as he stumbled. To the Butcher's surprise, the man fully spun underneath the swipe, the longsword flashed upward, and quickly finished across.

The Butcher's vision spun as his head left his shoulders.

~~o0o~~

Harry appeared back outside the cave system around the Weirwood tree. Something was immediately different as he was surrounded by the undead.

"Well, that's something," Harry said. He didn't have his cloak on and every skeleton within 20 meters turned to face him. In the distance, standing on a hill was a single being with pale skin and hair, wearing strange frosty black armor. They had glowing blue eyes that snapped down to Harry the moment he arrived.

"Ah, well, what do we have here?" Harry said. "Shimmer, let's give them a thank you for such an auspicious welcoming party."

Shimmer appeared and unleashed a cry of fury. It echoed throughout the icy realm as a wave of fiery silver blades and black flames cascaded away from Harry. Skeletons, wights, zombies, whatever they are called...they all burst into ash and dust regardless. The wave of flame continued as Harry calmly stepped towards the White Walker Lieutenant.

Harry spoke out, despite the distance between him and the White Walker, his voice carried, "You know, I have been wondering when I would encounter some of you fools. I can feel your aura, thinking that death and frost are some sort of higher concept. But you have no idea what you are dealing with..."

The White Walker screeched as it started towards Harry. It pulled an icy spear from its back and made a single throwing motion.

Harry scoffed and Black Mist appeared in his hand. He spun and swiped upward, causing an obscuring veil. The dark misty wall absorbed the incoming ice spear and when it dissolved into air, Harry was gone.

The White Walker barely had time to turn as a sword of ice appeared it's hand. The creature stumbled back as it absorbed Harry's strike on its blade.

"Well now, you actually blocked that. I am surprised...especially seeing how slow you move. Come on then, chap, I don't have all day."

The White Walker screeched again and walked forward, telegraphing a slow yet powerful strike.

Harry had time to raise an eyebrow as he deflected the blow, "Really? That is all you got?"

The fight continued, not because it should have, but because Harry allowed it to. Finally, he locked the frosty Walker in place with magic, not even a standard spell, but just a will for his aura to immobilize the being.

Harry sighed, "Well, this is quite disappointing, to say the least. But I hope you will be able to at least send a message for me, yeah?"

"Tell the Night King that his soul will no longer be his if and when he comes south...for that will be my territory. You see, all of you fools up here think you understand what death is. But I can feel your shivering soul within you," Harry thrust his open hand forward, piercing through the White Walker's chest. It grabbed onto something beyond the physical, something immaterial.

The White Walker's glowing blue eyes were wide with something it had never felt before...Fear.

Harry pulled the tattered and corrupted soul from the being and it screamed in pain when its power was stripped from it. "That's what I thought..."

He released the soul to Death only to look back at the empty vessel. There was only one way for the message to get across if he wanted the Night King to see this. Transfiguring a bunch of snow, he crucified the leftover corpse, and he was surprised to note that it didn't burst into ice. The former glowing blue eyes now were dull and black, soulless things Harry looked down and noticed the icy sword was still there, he shrugged and cast a stasis spell on it before putting it in his pouch.

Harry turned back and inspected the failing wards around the Weirwood Tree. The crumbling remains of the wards would work well enough for Harry's purposes. But first, he had to interact with the Old Gods. To see if they are real if nothing else.

Harry walked into the caves once again and placed his hands on the roots where the throne was. It took a second, but images began to flash across his mind's eye. There were no words behind the images, but there were emotions. The feeling of absolute freedom was prominent amongst the others.

Hatred at the Bloodraven, disgust at the White Walkers, frustration at their years of captivity...so much was condensed down into images of nature and life, somehow perfectly conveyed through Harry's mind. The more he watched, the more he learned about their nature. The trees were individual spirits that were connected through nature. They saw everything, felt everything.

When the Bloodraven took over, he bound them to his will and kept them as slaves. They did everything they could to cry for help, giving out blessings of Greensight, creating Wargs, and more. But all it amounted to was tears of blood on their faces.

Harry promised to save this tree, the oldest of them all, and did just that.

He quickly cast a large-scale Transmutation spell, anchoring a sphere of land large enough to encompass the entire tree and cave system beneath it. The next step involved him summoning one of his House Elves to bring an extra and empty trunk from the Manor.

It took around 10 minutes to set up and activate the ritual to take the land and tree and place it within the new pocket dimension. This was different than the space he made within the pyramid in Meereen, as he wanted the environment to be secure and safe, instead of creating a new one with raw materials. The ritual was a success and he ensured the tree had all it needed to survive while going through a traumatic transferrence like this.

He would find a proper home for this majestic tree.

Chapter 18 - The Third Rider

Euron and the Silence had made port in a city on the edge of the Shivering Sea. The Port of Ibben had been a target of Iron Born before, but it wasn't until Euron gave the Ibbenese Leadership a Valyrian Steel Sword that the Silence was permitted to dock there.

If only they knew what Euron was up to.

One of his favorite pastimes was convincing a woman to fall in love with him. He could be very charming if he wished, and this woman had done just that. A simple generous gesture, a decently constructed set of circumstances to convince her of his good nature. All that is coupled with a proposal for a fantastic walk down the beach. He was just a handsome rogue, after all. A gentleman, even.

How could a young woman not resist that powerful charm and care?

Often times they couldn't. He could always discover the ones that were desperate. They would always be desperate, for love, money, or protection. He would always swoop in and provide that unrelenting presence that provided her with that love or protection. He would show her things she had never seen before, treat her to food and dates that were beyond extravagant, showing her the top of whatever local society he could.

The endearment was just another hook he could set in her soul. Another devastating lever that he would wait to gently pull.

This was what he called the 'long game' and couldn't be bothered to pull that lever until the opportune moment. The preparations were always important and couldn't be looked over. They couldn't be skipped or the whole process would be ruined.

He would impregnate her, take care of her, love her, and just before she would give birth...maybe a week or two before she would go into labor...he took everything from her. That is when the betrayal was so sweet that it would fill him with power and pleasure that would eclipse all emotions.

He smiled at her as she slept, eventually drifting off to sleep himself. When he entered the Dream that night, things were different.

The silence that he expected was...present, but it wasn't right. It was oppressive and...

Before he could react further, what felt like a knife stabbed into his forehead. The Anger stirred and both of them screamed in pain as a third presence entered them.

Euron felt his mind fracture a third time, his forehead split further and a fathomless black eye appeared as the skin tore and began bleeding.

The dual scream from Euron and the Anger was met by a frustrated and raspy voice of the Bloodraven, "Be silent you blithering fool! We have work to do!"

The Bloodraven knew about the broken nature of Euron and the Anger, making the amalgamation a prime target for him to control. When the Bloodraven warged into him, however, he didn't realize that the fool had been drinking a certain drug known as Shade of the Evening. Euron had been drinking it non-stop for days on end and it caused his presence in the Dream to become stronger.

The Anger was just as strong and when the Bloodraven joined them in their broken mindscape, the three of them began to merge fully, instead of the domination that the Bloodraven wanted. In the real world, Euron's body went into a coma as seizures rampaged through him.

He bled from his eyes...all three of them.

~~o0o~~

"You know, there is something interesting happening in Castle Black right now," Death said leadingly.

Shimmer was just about to teleport the both of them back to Meereen.

"And it's more important than what is happening in the infirmary? More important than saving Quaithe from the magical backlash?" Harry asked.

Death laughed, "Is she not in stasis? Is she not safe? You have already released her from the ritual circle that bound her. You should have the knowledge to save her upon your arrival, whenever that may be."

Harry sighed, getting tired of dealing with this mess. It had been quite the merry goose chase all to relieve a dragon of depression. "And what is happening in Castle Black?"

Death appeared in front of him, his mother's face smiling the empty smile he had grown used to, "Go find out."

"Shimmer...If you wouldn't mind. It seems we have a new destination," Harry said dryly, staring at Death.

Shimmer chirped from his shoulder then covered them both in flame as they disappeared.

Death's smile turned to the frozen and soulless corpse of the White Walker. She had his soul in her realm and gleefully sent her minions to work.

~~o0o~~

"My King! A force of nearly ten thousand heavy cavalry are at the gate!"

Robb Stark was in the makeshift planning room as the renovations to Castle Black had begun. He looked to his advisors in confusion, "At the southern gate?"

"No, my lord! North of the Wall! They are flying Baratheon Banners!"

"Baratheon Banners?"

"Aye!"

Ser Rodrik Cassel, Greatjon Umber, and Rickard Karstark all joined Robb as they took the elevator up the wall. Greatjon and Rickard had just arrived with their men from securing their lands from the remnants of the Greyjoys.

Greatjon spoke up, voicing his thoughts, "The fuck are Baratheon's doing here? Aren't they loyal to the Lannisters? Or..."

"They are now that Robert and my father are dead. At least, we can't expect anything good to come of this." Robb replied.

"And how the fuck did they get ten thousand men and horses here?"

"Boats," Rickard Karstark said. "Gotta be a shite-lot of boats!"

"What was their goal? If they wanted to attack the north, why land north of the Wall?" Robb asked.

"Seems like a foolish thing to be sure. They would have had to land at Eastgate, as there are only cliffs beyond the wall from there for as far as the eye can see. They had to have crossed the Wall," Ser Rodrik said with confusion.

"What do we know of Stannis? What are his goals?" Robb said as they stepped off the elevator on the top of the Wall.

Looking over the edge, the thousands of cavalry were lined up a good distance away. They were within range of the long bow, but they had sent a small group forward with a banner signaling that they wished to parlay.

"This is interesting, isn't it?" A new and familiar voice appeared just next to him. Robb felt the arrival this time as the burst of flames that signaled the return of the elusive wizard held off the cold, if only for a moment.

"Ah, Lord Hadrian, impeccable timing, as always," Robb said, unable to keep all the sarcasm out of his tone.

Harry smiled in return, "As always indeed. So! Stannis Baratheon and his two advisors. A Red Priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light." Harry had a bit of sarcasm in his tone at that as well. "And the Onion Knight, Ser Davos Seaworth. If I am correct, then they came North of the Wall to eliminate the Free Folk," Harry finished.

The wind was picking up, but Robb couldn't help but notice that Lord Hadrian seemed unaffected by it, his clothes unruffled and his hair calm. He also seemed to fully ignore the cold as if it wasn't there.

"And what happened to the Free Folk?" Greatjon asked gruffly.

"Oh, I took them away, over a hundred and thirty thousand of them, relocated to the budding Draconic Empire in the East," Harry replied casually.

Robb ignored the comment for a moment, "Well, as you can see, I took over the Knights Watch here at Castle black, but I have yet to send forces to take the Shadow Tower or Eastwatch."

Harry nodded, "Good, very good. Shouldn't be more than 2 years before the army of the dead reaches this place. Even with your forces...it won't be enough. I am gathering as much as I can for now."

"Do you have any advice for what we should do with these people?" Robb asked.

Harry sighed, "We put them to work. A contract can easily ensure that they don't go on a rampage through the north. Have them take over one of the other parts of the Wall. If my thoughts are correct, they came to prepare for the long night...same as us."

"What's your end goal here? What are you trying to do!?" Rickard Karstark asked with no small amount of hostility.

"Lord Karstark..." Robb warned.

"No! This man has openly supported the Dragon Queen!"

Harry interrupted, "I have done more than support her, I'm going to make her my queen...or Empress I guess. We are starting an Empire, you see."

"And why should we allow you to leave?" He pushed.

Harry laughed, "Allow me? You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of. I assure you that no mortal weapon, even your Valyrian Steel great sword, would be able to kill me."

Robb spoke up, trying to ease the question that had plagued him for so long, "But he does have a point, Lord Hadrian. What are your intentions with the North?"

Harry sighed as he glanced down at the incoming Stannis, then back to Robb. "I will eventually take over much of this world, including Westeros. You will remain a King if you want, a provincial Lord at least. Like I told the Free Folk, I don't care whether or not you kneel, I don't care what you call yourself. But you will sign a contract and follow the rules that entails. We don't need to discuss this right now, however..."

"The North will never stand for that again," Karstark said.

"The North won't have a choice. Now, enough of this talk. We have more important things to discuss."

Flames encompassed all of them, and they were down in the courtyard of Castle Black. "Go to your meeting room and I will escort Stannis and his party."

Robb took a settling breath, trying to regain his wits as the others with him spluttered and staggered.

~~o0o~~

Harry appeared near the trio of Stannis, Melisandre, and Davos, fully invisible with his cloak on and active. He listened in on their conversation.

"..And your visions have led us up here beyond the Wall, yet we found nothing that you were looking for."

"Do not question my sight, Davos Seaworth. I have viewed deep into the flames provided by the Lord of Light, I have seen things you cannot imagine."

"Including an army of wildlings?"

"Enough!" Stannis said, diligently walking forward.

Harry shook his head and appeared in front of them, "So, we meet again..."

He watched the Red Priestess flinch in fear at his presence. Stannis just stared at him but Davos looked on warily.

"Still scared of me old hag?" He said looking directly at Melisandre. "I suppose you would be a fool to not be. Don't worry, your ugly little secret is safe with me." Harry could see right through her transfiguration like it wasn't even there.

Melisandre had fully lost her charm, but bowed all the same, "Please, would you grace us with your name...Lord?"

"Ah, you may call me Lord Hadrian Peverell, Master of Death."

She fully bowed which made Stannis growl in frustration. Davos nodded and introduced both him and Stannis formally.

"Then it was you who hid the Wildlings," Stannis said after introductions.

It wasn't a question.

"Hid them? I moved them across the world. Can't be building the White Walker army more than necessary, wouldn't you agree?"

"You stand against the dead?"

Harry laughed, his eyes flared a bright green, "I represent Death here...no one else."

The wind and snow around them seemed to stop moving as if time had frozen. No wind, no sound. Just Harry's oppressive magical aura. Only Melisandre could feel how much power he was releasing, a tidal wave of Deathly magic. To the other two muggles, it just felt like the pressure was pushing down on them. Davos stumbled and fell to his knees, but Stannis remained standing.

Then it was gone, and Harry's hood disappeared, leaving his handsome smiling face unaffected by the cold, "Now then, you are here to fight the true enemy, the White Walkers, are you not?"

Stannis nodded, "We are."

"Good, then come with me."

They appeared in front of the gate in a flash of flames and were let through. He felt the Red Priestess gasp as the unfamiliar phoenix fire transported her. Shimmer felt gross near the Red Priestess so she remained within Harry's magical tattoo.

"What was that?!" Stannis said, surprised by the teleportation.

"Lord Hadrian, was it?" Davos asked.

"It is," Harry said, while they waited for the gate to open.

"And forgive me for asking, but what are your goals here? As far as I know, you are associated with the Dragon Queen."

Harry chuckled, "I am going to marry her, but I guess you could call it associated. And for my goal here, well...why don't we just wait for King Robb of the North."

"The Usurper, Robb Stark?" Stannis asked.

Harry smiled at him, "Pot calling the kettle black isn't it?"

Stannis was about to respond but Harry interrupted him.

"Look, we are both here for a reason, are we not? You are here to fight the armies of the White Walkers or there won't be a Westeros to fight after. I am doing the same but cultivating this meeting between you are Robb Stark, who I saved from death at the hands of the Frey's. The reason that is important, is that we are disbanding the Knight's Watch in favor of more...direct means of protection."

At that moment the gate began to lift.

"Ah, here we are. On we go."

They were quickly shuffled into a meeting room where Harry summoned a more comfortable chair for himself and he sat back to watch the negotiations.

Accusations of usurpation and foolish attempts to take the seven kingdoms, and things quickly started to fall apart. Both sides had retainers that were adamant on their stances, unwilling to budge in the slightest. But then Davos spoke up again, "Your Grace, if you don't mind, it seems that while we have differences outside of this current conflict, we are all aligned against the forces of the dead. Are we not?"

He looked at Robb who nodded, then to Stannis who gave not much more than a frustrated glare.

Before he could continue, Harry spoke up, "Would you like to see it? The forces of the White Walkers, that is?"

Robb spoke up, "Does it involve you taking us to them? Cause if that's the case then no."

Harry laughed, "Not at all, just give me a minute."

Harry summoned his Pensieve from Peverell Manor. It wasn't like the one in the Dream, a manifestation of the runic array that projects the runes, instead, it was just a bowl with an omnidirectional projection screen above it, looking like a field of mist. Harry dropped a memory of looking over the endless hoards of the undead. He also showed how the White Walkers themselves still have their corrupted souls within them.

The memory continued as Harry looked around the room, finding shocked and horrified faces as their eyes were glued to the images. They couldn't look away from the terrible sights. Harry spoke, "There is no threat, no kingdom, no plague greater than what we face from beyond the wall. An army of over a million dead humans, beasts, and giants. They are legion. This is the trial of our lifetime, and if we fail...everything dies. The world plunges into darkness. The ocean's freeze over, no crop or tree will grow, no fresh water will flow, and eventually, the Walker's will be all that's left on this world."

The memory ended with the crucified remains of the soulless Walker that Harry killed as it froze over. Eyes black and empty.

Returning the Pensieve to his home, "Things aren't hopeless however, the enemy has quite a few weaknesses that can be exploited. The first one is flame, obviously. The more magical the more devastating. I plan to help with that as I have the means to create some flames of my own, though I am not sure about getting them to stabilize long enough to turn them into weapons that can be distributed. There are other problems with creating Cursed Fiendfyre as it targets magic. That includes the Wall itself."

"Fiendfyre? Do you mean Wildfire?" Davos asked.

"Wildfire?" Harry questioned.

"Aye, the Alchemist's Guild of King's Landing created much of it. I know it well, unfortunately, it burned most of my men, my ships, and my son alive, the entire Blackwater Bay along with 'em. That cursed green flame..." He shook his head. "If there was a way it could be used for a better cause, then I would love to know that it has been repurposed."

Harry tilted his head and sent a question to Death, "The Alchemists Guild? In King's Landing?"

He just got laughter in return.

"Hmm, that has potential."

Melisandre spoke up, "I have some ability to spread fire as well, Lord Hadrian."

"Oh? Cursed magical fire?" He asked. Summoning a small gout of it from his hand. A tiny dragon roared up as if it wanted to attack, and the heat was potent enough to make everyone start sweating in the room.

Melisandre looked absolutely transfixed by the flames as if they called to her. The comparatively small amount of magic she had stirred at the display. "This is your cursed flames? What about what you used to transport us?"

Harry laughed, "That was my familiar, Shimmer. Do you wish to say hello, Shimmer?"

Another burst of flames and she appeared on his shoulder. She leaned down and inhaled the Fiendfyre like it was the sweetest treat she had tasted. Harry raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you enjoyed that..."

She let out a few notes of pure Enochian song, causing shivers of euphoria to rush down the spines of everyone in the room.

"This is a twilight phoenix, the only one that exists in this world. She will be quite helpful during the coming fights."

Melisandre stood and bowed to her with the utmost reverence, "It is an honor to meet you Shimmer. You are surely one of my Lord's chosen creatures."

Shimmer scoffed but Harry felt her enjoy any sort of praise.

"Anyway, there are a few more weaknesses we can exploit including obsidian and Valyrian steel blades."

"Obsidian?" Robb asked.

"Dragonglass, you might know it as," Melisandre said, exchanging glances with the King of the North.

"And what about Valyrian Steel makes it so that it is effective against the dead?" Greatjon asked.

"The magical nature of dragon fire, same with Dragonglass, makes it anathema to the White Walkers and their thralls," Harry said. "Of course...My dragon will help as well."

Glances were exchanged as the tension immediately spiked.

Davos once again had the composure to continue speaking, "Forgive me once again, Lord Hadrian, when you say...your dragon, you are not referring to that creature there?"

"This is a phoenix, absolutely not. My dragon is much larger, don't worry about that for now," Harry said, barely keeping his humor at bay.

Harry led the meeting around to how Stannis could be put in a place of usefulness. What it came down to was if they should station their forces which came down to two options: the Shadowtower or Eastwatch by the sea.

The reasons for each side's arguments were fairly straightforward. Stannis wanted to be near the sea so that they could escape if the worst should happen. Robb Stark didn't like that, because they would have no reason to fight to protect the North if they were losing and would rather them be at Shadowtower where their fates would be tied to the rest of the North.

Harry alleviated the problem by requiring a magical contract to be signed. It let Stannis remain at Eastwatch, but they had specific requirements that they had to follow or the contract would bind them to Harry. That is, every knight, soldier, and squire that Stannis had would be forced to serve Harry until the threat of the Night King was finished. The restrictions for Robb were just as potent, and in the end, they were only mollified when it was agreed that they would not be able to work against one another.

At the end of the day, Stannis and Robb agreed. Stannis' forces moved to Eastwatch and replaced the remaining Nights Watch.

~~o0o~~

"The Trial by Combat for Tyrion is taking place in just a few days," Death whispered in Harry's ear.

He had made that incredible spear which he intended to give to the Viper and it seemed like making a quick stop would be in order. Shimmer received an image of King's Landing and she quickly complied, teleporting Harry from his meeting at the Wall down to the festering pit of corruption and greed.

Even in the night, the poorly lit city was disgusting to the point that even a torrent of rain would not be enough to clean the cesspool.

Harry appeared and his cloak manifested, making anyone unable to see him or even detect his presence. A quick Point Me spell and Harry had a rough location of the Prince of Dorne. Unfortunately for him, he appeared inside the greeting room of a brothel, the sounds of ladies of the night and their clients, along with the smell of cheap incense met his nose.

Harry sighed and appeared in the Prince's room. He had a seat as the Prince stood with his lady. Two whores were going at it on the bed and Harry quickly froze them in a stasis spell, knocking them out at the same time.

"What is this?" Prince Oberyn asked the room, noticing the unconscious whores.

"Sorry about that..." Harry said.

Oberyn turned to face him, curious as Harry was just sitting in a comfortable chair that wasn't there before. Oberyn probably should have been afraid or intimidated, but instead, he was just curious as he inspected Harry's handsome face. "Well, what do we have here? A man in black with glowing green eyes, like emeralds in the night. A strange cloak and dark green armor. It seems as though the man known as the Master of Death has appeared in my room."

"Your room? And here I thought Prince's would be offered a place in the castle."

"Stifling the Red Keep is these days. I prefer to see the city from the streets, to see the beauty and pain those of its denizens stride through every day. I have heard quite a few stories of your workings all over the world, it seems, but before that, allow me to introduce myself formally," Oberyn stood and formally bowed, "I am Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne. This is my paramour Ellaria Sand."

Ellaria curtsied and greeted him properly.

Harry also stood, "I am Hadrian Peverell, Master of Death. The future ruler of the Dragon Empire."

Oberyn's eyes sparkled as Harry spoke, curiosity bursting from the seams. "Fascinating indeed, Lord Hadrian. I will have to come visit...Meereen was it?"

Harry nodded, "You would be most welcome, especially when we turn out sights on Westeros."

"So you do intend to invade Westeros?"

"Eventually, maybe just before the Armies of the Dead attack the Wall."

Oberyn's curiosity didn't fade, but allowed a frown of serious concern to enter the equation, "It is true then? There is an army of the dead?"

"There is, I am putting forces together to combat that, but we have some time yet before they attack."

"That is concerning...But is that why you have come here today?"

"No, actually it's more about your upcoming fight against the Mountain."

Any sort of welcoming fell from the Prince's face, "You are here to stop me from killing the Mountain?"

Harry laughed, "Hardly, instead, I made you something to...increase the pain as you engage in combat."

He waved and the spear he made floated up from nothing and remained floating.

"This spear is incredibly dangerous, and likely the single most powerful weapon I have ever created. Just a single touch will cause unbelievable pain and paralyzation. It will ensure that anyone who is cut by the blade will die, no chances, no antitoxins...just death."

Oberyn couldn't contain his awe at the magnificent snake-like spear. The Valyrian steel was stained a devastating greenish-black and was incredibly detailed with a myriad of runes and inscriptions.

"To claim it as your own...you must put a drop of blood on the grip...just there."

His shaking hands reached out and grabbed the weapon, "You...made this...for me?"

Harry nodded.

Oberyn closed his eyes and even in the small room he began to flow into a practiced series of movements.

He didn't hit anything and never let the spear quit moving.

"Just wait until you fully bind it to you. You will find that it has much more to offer than just a plain spear with poison on it."

Oberyn opened his eyes and slashed his thumb on the blade before placing it on the handle. The runes lit up and immediately bound to him. Harry raised an eyebrow, knowing that the blade wouldn't kill its owner, but it took some serious balls to do that without knowing. Perhaps though, he did know.

The spear had so much magic about it, that perhaps Oberyn could sense its desire to some degree.

He went back into the practiced movements, a kata perhaps. To Oberyn's surprise, the spear did much more than just swipe at the air. With one devastating thrust, the blade snapped out like a striking viper and pierced right through the wall with no effort whatsoever. In just a second, the blade was back to normal, as if it hadn't just lengthened by 10 feet.

A smile grew on Harry's face, matching the one on Oberyn's.

"This is incredible. I have never seen anything like it!"

"There isn't anything like it. And if you concentrate on 'storing' the weapon, it should find a dimensional pocket until you need it. Allowing you to always have the spear on you."

Oberyn concentrated and after a few seconds, the spear disappeared. Three heartbeats later it flowed into his movements, directly into combat with the weapon.

Harry eventually broke the revelry, "Now then. Would you like me to tell you how I earned the title Master of Death? And what it means?"

Oberyn nodded, pulling a chair out for Ellaria and having a seat himself. Harry summoned some of Ogden's best, enjoying the flames as they left his mouth. Harry went on to describe the cliff notes of how he became Master of Death. He went on to describe what his current role looked like, "As of right now, I act as a sort of champion of Death. A hand of Death."

"Death...like the Stranger?"

"No, the Stranger is a God. Death is a force. The difference is magnitude. Death exists everywhere, while the Stranger only exists while those still offer him worship."

"So those beyond the Wall are truly your enemy then?" Oberyn guessed.

"Indeed they are."

"And what will happen to the Mountain, once I send him to your Mistress? Lady Death herself?"

Harry smiled, "He will suffer greatly for as long as time continues to tick."

Oberyn smiled back, "Magnificent."

"Now then, before I fully leave, I have one last gift for you," Harry said as he swiped his hand. The stuff that he had brought, including the chair and whiskey, disappeared. In his hand, Black Mist manifested and he spun it three times.

"This will be your only opportunity to say goodbye to her and her children. Three hours. No more, no less. Understand?" Harry asked rhetorically as he would recall the spirits automatically at three hours. With a single graceful slice from his scimitar, a wall of black shadow appeared and became a gateway to the realm of Death.

A beautiful woman and her two little children came through the gate.

"Elia!?"

"Brother!"

"Uncle!"

Harry left with a smile at the scene as Oberyn and Ellaria wept at seeing her once again. Harry couldn't offer much besides closure, as Death is final.

~~o0o~~

Harry appeared within the infirmary, as Milly and Tilly continued to keep Quaithe under the stasis spell, preventing the magical backlash of breaking the ritual that bound her, from impacting her. Delaying the pain and devastation of the backlash was a temporary thing.

He walked over to Daenerys, who gracefully sat on the side of the bed next to her, holding a delicate hand in her lap.

Her worried face noticed his arrival and she smiled, "Did it go well?"

"It did. Though we are not quite ready to release her from her stasis," Harry said.

"Why not?"

She leaned into him as he hugged her, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"I see you brought some others as well," Daenerys prompted.

Harry nodded, "More victims of the Blood Raven it seems. We can talk about it later though. For now, I want to administer some treatment to our paraplegic friend there. Brandon Stark is his name. I also just came from a meeting with the Starks and the foolish King Stannis Baratheon up by the Wall, by the way. You will be interested in hearing about that."

She smiled, "Did you slay them where they stood?"

Harry smiled, "No, though I did terrify them enough that they are more focused on defending the Wall than anything else. A memory which I will also need to show you soon. As I said, I have no intention of letting Westeros fall to the forces of the White Walkers, and once we decide to make our move, we will likely have the North and Dorne on our side."

She began to grow frustrated with Harry's uncaring feelings for the politics of Westeros, but he held up a hand, "I understand that we have much to do over there, and many that need punishment, but we did agree to secure ourselves here first. We are following the plan that we already have. By the time we decide to show up to Westeros, they will be ready to hand leadership over to us without any sort of resistance whatsoever."

"If you say so, Lord Hadrian..."

"Oh don't be like that! You know we have the upper hand, and of course, if things go wrong I can always step in more seriously."

She scowled at him but he just raised an eyebrow, causing her to shake her head with a smile. "Go on then, help them and we can get to helping her."

Harry smirked at her and assured Milly and Tilly he would be right back.

"Alright you lot, how are you? Did you get some food?" Harry asked Bran's group, who was on the other side of the infirmary, behind their own privacy screen.

Nod all around, "Good, good. Then I suppose it's time for the next question, one that all of you should answer truthfully. Do you wish to work for me and the Dragon Queen? And as a note, Bran, I will never force you to ever work against your family and I can take you to them should you wish to visit. Though, I should mention that Robb is at the Wall now that the Night's Watch has been disbanded."

"What of Jon?"

"Oh, Jon is in Astapor right now, having taken his Ghost Legion through the city to eliminate the remnants of a resistance that tried to retake the city after Daenerys and her Unsullied conquered it. He is a Commander in the forces of the Dragon Empire now," Harry said. "Oh, just one more thing, last one I promise, I will heal your legs regardless of whether or not you join us, Bran."

"Meaning that Bran can walk again?" Meera asked.

Harry nodded.

"I am in," Jojen said. Meera's gaze snapped to him, only for him to shrug, "He changed my fate, Meera. I told you I was supposed to die on that mission. I knew I was going to die. I had seen it many times."

She looked exhausted beyond the physical and tears nearly fell. She hugged her brother and then looked at Bran.

Wylis was the next to speak though, "I go...with Bran."

He had a huge smile on his face and nodded happily.

Harry smiled back with a nod, "Of course."

He then looked back to Bran, who seemed to be the fulcrum on whether or not Meera stayed.

Bran finally looked up, "You will let me see my family?"

"You aren't a prisoner, Bran. I will take you there as soon as you can walk again if you wish. Imagine the surprise they will feel when they see you waltz on in there with your Dire Wolf on one side Meera here on the other."

Harry shook his head and like the teenager he was, Bran immediately flushed a bright crimson. Meera seemed too shocked to listen coherently at the moment.

"And if I stay with you, you will teach me how to use my Greensight? My warging?"

Harry nodded, "I will. Not only that, but I will conduct a Familiar Binding Ritual with you and your pup there, what was his name?"

"Summer."

"Just like I did with Jon then, I will give you the pleasure of having a connection to Summer. Not only that, but you will be guests at our Palace Pyramid in Meereen, with the tools needed to transport back and forth between here and where I set up that tree."

"What do you mean set up?"

"I took the tree with me of course," Harry said.

Wylis seemed confused, but Jojen laughed.

"Don't worry about it for now, all will be explained after you guys take a good week off from your adventuring."

"Alright, I accept," Bran said.

Meera quickly agreed after that.

Harry then cast a few spells to identify and analyze the damage done to Bran's spine. It only took a few moments but the damage was severe enough for him to offer to put Bran to sleep for the night. "It will take about 8 to 10 hours before you are healed, and it will be painful if you are awake. I recommend sleeping it off."

"You are like a Maester but with magic?"

"Something like that."

"I leave it to you then."

Harry put Bran to sleep and began his work. Disappearing destroyed and crushed vertebrae, leaving the segments they covered in stasis, then administering Skele-Gro and nerve-rehabilitation tonics. Harry assured everyone that it would be alright and told them to find their rooms. Chancey popped into the room and led them away. Meera refused at first, but Harry threatened to put her to sleep and teleport her to her rooms before she left. The entire group needed to sleep.

~~o0o~~

"Alright then, release the Stasis for a moment please," Harry said, his wand out and ready to go to work.

Milly and Tilly agreed, "Releasing!" They snapped together and released the stasis.

Harry watched the magical energy from the broken ritual filter back to Quaithe. Her red-lacquered mask was trying to remove as much as it could, but the magic had to flow. Harry quickly disenchanted the mask, and removed it, noting the runic sequence before setting it off to the side.

She had a beautiful face that was clearly supported by Shadow magic to help keep her younger. Despite being as old as the Bloodraven was, she only looked to be in her 60s. He could tell that she had been incredibly beautiful when she was younger, and even now she had a gracious regality to her. Her eyes never opened, but the magic that the ritual stole was already returning and sending her into convulsions.

Harry assessed the situation and decided that a few things needed to happen if they were going to save her from the potentially lethal backlash.

"What is happening?" Daenerys asked, worry striking her beautiful features with a frown.

"The backlash of the ritual that bound her magic, it has been active for so long that returning the amount of magic she used would be deadly."

"What can you do?"

"First we need to strengthen her body. The Elixir of Life should be just fine for that," Harry said. Chancey appeared with the Philosopher's Stone and he poured a single dose into a floating glass.

"Will that be enough?" Daenerys asked.

"No, she has to have her mana pool strengthened and boosted. We need to put her through the ritual to bind her to Viserion."

"Alright, let's go now then!"

Harry shook his head, "We need her consent first, or it won't work."

"What do you mean?"

"The ritual is a mutual desire for both parties. If we do it against her will it could fail or go wrong somehow. That is incredibly dangerous. We need to speak with her, but I can't risk waking her up just yet," Harry said.

Daenerys looked frustrated and Harry smiled at her, "Give me your hand. We will enter her mind and ask her there. Hopefully that will be enough."

She nodded and grabbed Harry's offered hand.

He covered her in his aura and cast Legilimens, entering Quaithe's mindscape.

The two appeared in forms reminiscent of the shape they took within the Dream. Daenerys was made up of bloody flames and burning amethyst eyes. Harry's deathly green aura held back silver and black flames with two devastatingly burning green eyes.

Harry recognized the location, as distorted as it was. The distorted image of the Red Keep in King's Landing appeared before them. Nothing about it was red as the walls, floors, and pretty much every surface looked to be made out of shadows and flame. To make things worse, flames fell from the sky like balls of red and black shadows.

"What is this horror-scape?" Daenerys asked.

"It is her mental image of her magic returning. It has been gone for so long that it is killing her. We must find her quickly."

"The throne room?"

Harry nodded, but that didn't feel right. The further they traveled into the castle, the more it was apparent that they were being led in a certain direction. They eventually ended up in a place that was probably beautiful at one time, a study of sorts with books lining the walls, open windows with plants, and even a small fountain of water in the center of the room. On the far side of the room, was Quaithe, with no mask.

In this realm, she appeared to be manifest fully, like a true projection of her material form. She had her eyes closed, her hair black and flowing around her like a shadowy veil. Black tears ran down her porcelain face, and she quietly moaned in pain as the realm around them was overflowing with the return of magic.

"I don't understand, should magic returning be a good thing?"

Harry nodded, understanding what she meant, "This is different than growing your power. Instead of doing that, her pathways are like long disused canals, dry and painful. Every bit of mana she had is sapped away by that dark ritual the Bloodraven bound her to. That is part of the reason I need her consent. That ritual devastated her magical being, and now that she is no longer bound, the magic floods back through those canals, bursting the shriveled pathways and causing unimaginable pain. We need to heal them first, then we need to expand her pool with the ritual."

Her eyes never opened, they just were open, like time skipped the process of opening. Unimaginable sadness was behind her heterochromatic eyes.

She inspected both Harry and Daenerys curiously.

"Quaithe?"

"Shiera," She rasped as if she hadn't had anything to drink for a long time.

"Shiera," Harry nodded. "Do you remember me? From Qarth?"

She reinspected him, "Your magic is familiar, deathly."

Staring harder at him, an ounce of recognition came to her eyes. "Hadrian...Hadrian Peverell. I have dreamt about you often, but have not seen you in the Dream."

Harry nodded, "I told you to trust me, in that I would remove you from the ritual that binds your magic."

She nodded.

"I have done so. But the next part, I need your consent as well."

"For what?"

"Your magic is coming in on unused pathways and it is essentially deadly to you right now. I can fix it and save you, but I need your consent."

"To do what?"

"First I will give you the Elixir of Life, which will do a number of things...Including giving you a much longer-lasting life."

She raised an eyebrow, "Much longer?"

"Well...as far as I know...there isn't really an end to it. No one has lived long enough to die for old age with it just yet."

Shiera appeared unable to comprehend that.

"The second thing is that we, Daenerys and myself here, will put you into a Ritual of Mount Bonding with her dragon Viserion. This will turn the burning pain from your healing wounds into a cycle of growth. The amount of effort you have put into your magic over the years will cause expansive growth. If you agree, then connecting your magic to the Dragon will only exponentially grow your power. In a week or so time you will be stronger than you have ever been, but there is a condition on acceptance."

"Acceptance...a contract?" Her brow furrowed.

"Yes, Shiera. Neither of us fully knows you-"

"Yet you find yourselves within my mind and magic. Deep within my person. How can this breed trust between us when you ask me for a contract? Something to bind me, just as the Bloodraven did so?"

Her tears increased and she closed her eyes.

Harry sighed.

Daenerys walked around her desk and kneeled next to her, "I am currently holding your hand in the real world. I have been doing so for well over a day, as Harry here went up to fight for you."

"Harry?"

Daenerys smirked, "His special name that only I can call him that. Would you like to be part of that also?"

The tension dropped in the room as Harry looked shocked at Daenerys.

Shiera smiled through her tears, "I would like that."

"Do I not get a say in this?"

"No Harry, you do not," Shiera said.

"I have to admit that I am not just doing this for you, Shiera. I am doing it for my child that you will bond with. Viserion has refused to eat, refused to grow, and no longer wishes to live. I don't think you need to sign a contract, as we are both getting things out of this and forever is a long time. However, I need your word that you will not treat my child poorly."

"You are giving me a dragon, and in exchange, you wish for me to join you."

Harry nodded, "Exactly. If she doesn't want to force a contract, I will respect that. But know that if you do try and turn against us in the future-"

Shiera interrupted, "If everything you are saying is true, then you have no reason to fear me. Worse things have been done to me than anyone can do."

Harry sighed, "I wish that was true."

Daenerys broke the building tension between them, "Please, will you accept to become the third rider of the Dragon Empire? Would you join us?"

Shiera looked back and forth, weighing her options, limited as they were. Her eyes closed again, looking peaceful like she was asleep. When they snapped open, she had made her decision, "I will join you."

Harry and Daenerys smiled, exchanging glances.

"Right then, you will notice when the ritual starts. Do not resist the pull of magic, I don't think waking you up will be possible until after the bond is complete," He explained.

Shiera nodded, "Alright."

Harry held his hand out to Daenerys, but she leaned in and hugged Shiera, "Trust him, he will save you."

Shiera smiled, "I know."

Harry and Daenerys appeared in their bodies and Harry didn't hesitate to get to work. He quickly administered the Elixer of Life and then witnessed the healing de-aging of her body. Her hair turned from black to silver, vitality rampaging through her. Her features, which were admittedly youthful for her age, became truly younger, now looking like she was in her late 20s or early 30s by the human standard.

"She's beautiful," Daenerys said.

Harry looked at her with an eyebrow raised but nodded all the same.

"Let's get moving to the Citadel," Harry said.

"Still haven't come up with a name yet?"

"No...but it's fine. Citadel gets the point across."

"And why are we going there instead of the ritual room here in the Manor?"

"I set one up the other day within the Citadel. It will be the place we bond dragons and their riders from now on."

"From now on?"

Harry smiled at her, "When we have children, of course."

Something crossed her eyes, and it was a powerful emotion, one of immense pleasure and excitement for the future.

"Well then, let's go to the Citadel," She said.

Harry immediately picked up Shiera in a princess carry and Daenerys put her hand on his shoulder, "Shimmer if you would please."

They burst into flames and appeared on one of the highest floors within the citadel, where everything was made of diamond and gold, and had incredible views of the entire realm around.

They made it to the new ritual room and Harry and Shimmer left to grab Viserion to join them. This drew the curiosity of Rhaegal and Drogon, who stomped into the room curiously.

Drogon went up and touched Daenerys with his massive snout.

Rhaegal, who was now passing Drogon in size, came up to Harry who said, "Good to see ya lad, anything happens while I was gone?"

The massive dragon shook his head, and in his deep draconic voice replied, "Not at all! Drogon and I are loving this new realm you have created...it is quite nice. Lot's of life to hunt."

Harry smiled, "Good! Well, we have a rider for Viserion now. Give us a minute to bind them, will you?"

Rhaegal nodded his mighty head, "Of course. Our sibling is dying without such a bond."

Harry nodded in return and began to set up the ritual. Both of the other dragons stood back, enjoying what appeared to be viewing platforms for other dragons and riders.

When Viserion entered the room, he ran over to Daenerys, trying his best to ignore the other massive dragons. He had grown a little bit but wasn't larger than a dire wolf just yet. Magic was extremely important to their growth, just as important as food and water.

The ritual was laid out in a mixture of Goblin Silver and gold, causing a beautiful metallic iridescence when magic was applied. Daenerys let Viserion sniff his new bond mate and the little guy looked worried when she wouldn't wake up.

"It's alright lad, she just needs to bind with you and you will both be fine!"

Viserion huffed but followed Daenerys back to his part of the ritual circle. Harry ensured that Shiera was in the circle in as comfortable a position as he could manage. "Alright, sit right over there, you are going to help me fuel the ritual."

"I am? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Daenerys said.

"Of course it is, you are just as much a part of this as I am."

She gulped but nodded and sat across from him within the circle.

Without another word, both of them began to push magic into the ritual circle. Viserion watched with excitement and nervousness, even more so than what his mother was feeling.

Harry and Daenerys felt their magic mix together, easily melding despite the differences in high-end attunement. It was another language that only those who have touched and manipulated the sweet feeling of magic flowing would know. After the ritual began, Viserion and Shiera's magic flowed just as easily.

Both Harry and Daenerys were nearly shocked to feel how nice her magic felt, how easily it blended, and how beautiful it was. There was darkness about it, but there was just as much darkness in Harry's magic. It was Shadow magic, her time as a Shadow Binder in Asshai was clear.

Golden draconic flame-magic then entered as well, these came from Viserion. He also had a surprisingly potent level of magic, despite being so young and unbonded. The effects of soaking in magic from the Citadel perhaps?

Either way, the ritual fully activated and Harry let his magic fade from the circles. After a quick clash and the completion of the ritual, Viserion and Shiera were bonded. The beautiful woman woke up and directly peered across the surface of the diamond room to see her new mount.

Viserion walked over curiously and it was apparent that they were inspecting each other.

Harry got a good look at Shiera now, gorgeous silver hair like Daenerys. Her eyes opened, revealing one purple orb mixed with ribbons of silver and one black as if it directly controlled her shadowy magic. She was taller than Daenerys, and slightly more shapely in the chest. Both were absolutely stunning women.

Harry looked between her and Daenerys and a huge smile, he wanted both of them.