Chapter Sixteen

Harry was attentively watching the recruits, it was always good to know if the jobs were done as said, that's why he had to keep an eye on everything.

Even if he was 17 years old and had such high pressure, as being the Head of the Stark House and Ruler of the North, nobody could say anything about what this boy was doing, and even if he could repeat it countless times, not even people three times his age could understand how Harry had so much control over what was happening in the North and outside of it.

In that thought his sister was approaching, Artemisia came to visit him, as a week ago she had a small encounter, with his betrothed, he didn't know how it went. But Margaery sent him a letter thanking him for his gift and hoped that next time he could go and deliver it to her personally, which was not in his thoughts at present. He knew Margaery was interested in meeting him, but Harry was someone who did not have it in his thoughts to meet her, not at the moment, he wished to do a few more things before meeting her, such as winning a war. He hoped that the Greyjoys would only take one more year to declare rebellion.

Artemisia looked at her brother, he was tall no doubt, at 17 years old, he was tall and had a good physique very different from many guys the same age as her and her brother, she also knew that many girls came on to him, that was why Mya preferred to stay in Winterfell since Harry was going to have to need protection in that sense, because after all he was a man and sometimes men stopped thinking with their heads and thought with their balls.

The two of them loved Harry like a brother, and let's just say that the girl who wanted something with Harry had to go through several points, Artemisia, Mya, and of course Ashara who was Harry's mother. None so far could overcome Artemisia, as many women were afraid of her, but like Harry, she was curious about Margaery. That woman was dangerous, she didn't have the presence that Harry had from afar you knew you didn't have to play with him because he wouldn't hesitate to do something to you, Margaery was the complete opposite, you didn't see her as a danger, you saw her as someone you could trust, that was the dangerous thing about her.

- "You couldn't have chosen a worse fiancée brother" - Artemisia said what she thought, which made Harry laugh, he expected from the beginning that Artemisia would say that, it was very natural for her to be so direct - "The people who were in that place, were puppets for her" - Artemisia's face showed neutrality, Ashara taught her that it was not good to show so many emotions, because they could be used against her, in several points - "I still think it would be much better, to find you another wife."

- "Margaery can be a great ally, for us, that's why we still don't know each other in person" - Harry knew that Artemisia would understand his way of acting, it was natural, from the beginning he gave her the understanding that Margaery was a very dangerous woman, her beauty was only something to make people fall in a deadly trap, since long time ago he knew about that - "When the North shows its true power, I will go to meet her, and we will see what can happen."

- "I heard that Jones is very impatient" - Artemisia heard that David Jones, a Bravos' cargo port, a very rare thing, and by Harry's calm look, he implied that he was the person who ordered that attack since Harry was not going to give free will to Jones, who would be able to attack at any moment the Iron Islands - "Why did you order that attack?"

- "To teach the Iron Bank a lesson, they were providing gold for the Greyjoys to attack the North" - That made Harry be feared, that he would not tremble to launch an attack, even if there were children in that place, they attacked his kingdom, he was going to be the same, it was only a warning, although the men who commanded the Iron Bank did not know who were responsible for the attack - "Winter may even reach Braavos."

Dorne

Ashara and Elia went to visit their relatives, although Ashara preferred that her father and siblings come to the old Palace where they were not going to argue since they were going to be under the watchful eye of Oberyn, who was a good host.

Oberyn was very happy with the visit of his sister and nephews, for his sister was someone he had to protect at all costs, she was his family along with his daughters, and Ashara was like a sister to him, so she was always will be welcome in this castle.

Although this time Ashara's father didn't want to come to see his daughter, he didn't find it strange at all since the Dayne's were behaving very strangely, like, for example, receiving a visit from Varys, the Master of Whispers whose presence was not to his sister's liking, since he was hiding something, and Oberyn knew that his sister when she was distrusted by someone, it was for something, her sense had never failed her, so he had to have a high vigilance to the Dayne house, even if it is one of the most loyal houses to the Martell, it did not mean that they would not be able to betray them.

- "Your little girl is beautiful Ashara, I will never get tired of saying it, many men will want to have her" - Oberyn had in his arms the little Lyanna who was sleeping peacefully, he loved children, they were the most tender thing in the world, they were creatures that were not corrupted by the world in that state, it also helped that Oberyn had several adopted daughters, who were raised with the affection of a father by Oberyn - "She has your eyes, but the skin looks pale, perhaps because of the northern climate."

- "Her skin is white as snow, and you are right, brother, many men will want to have the she-wolf, if she is like her brother, she will not be easy to conquer" - Elia laughed, along with her brother, who received a not very happy look from Ashara, who was very overprotective, just imagining that many will see her daughter as a prize made her want to eliminate all those who set foot in Winterfell for that purpose - "Although I do not think it will be easy."

- "Lyanna is very dear, her uncle Ned will not allow them to pass Moat Cailin, and if they pass, Harry will castrate them" - Ashara said it so naturally that it only made the two Martells laugh, since little Lyanna was going to be safer than the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms herself, until her reign ends of course - "Several in the Dominion are there for the presence that the North had in Margaery's birthday."

- "Harry managed to captivate the girl, without even being present, jewels and dresses are something common among nobles, it is normal knowing what he gave her" - Oberyn was aware of the exotic gifts that the moment Harry gave Margaery, a necklace with a black ruby that was difficult to get, and an owl, which was an extremely beautiful animal that nobody would think it could be given - "But the beauty of that girl can also captivate Harry."

- "I doubt that Harry is the type that only thinks with his penis, I have seen how many girls come on to him, and maybe he had an affair with some, but he is very discreet and extremely focused on what he does" - Elia was not going to deny that Harry could have had his affairs, with some girl, he was young and everyone had an affair at that age, but nobody knew anything about it, and nothing was rumored in the North either, something that showed respect - "In other castles, I heard, how the Lord slept with one of his servants or things like that, the same people who lived there commented it, but in the North, there is nothing that could dirty Harry's name."

- "The loyalty of the North with the Lord of House Stark, is unique, of course, there are some, who break that" - Ashara was referring to the Boltons and the Whitehills, who were a small nuisance, a fly that should be exterminated at any time, but there had to be a recent reason for that to happen, they could not eliminate those houses just because there had to be something that determines why to execute them - "Although let's not talk about that, we are here to talk about our time of youth, let's leave aside our external affairs."

King's Landing.

The presence of Tywin Lannister certainly did not please Jon Arryn, although he came to spend time with his daughter, in his words, the truth was different, in the corridors several servants heard how he ordered Cersei to get pregnant by Robert, to consolidate the power of the Lannisters. Something that even he was going to do, he was not going to deny such a thing, Jon was also ambitious, and that his daughter who is the queen no longer has an heir was something to be enraged about since it was Robert, the guy was even capable of fucking a sow if he found her attractive.

But he had to admit that his presence did stop Robert from visiting the brothels, it was a good thing because he could meet the king at the castle and try to strike up a conversation to see how to deal with the kingdom. Robert was not a very intelligent person, but he had a head when he wanted to use it, he knew the things he had to do, and for that reason, he was respected by his vassals when he was the ruler of the Stormlands. Quite unlike his younger brother, Renly was not at all respected by the other Lords in the Stormlands, as he seemed to have strange tastes, which had nothing to do with a Baratheon.

- "Robert brings you a lot of trouble I see" - Tywin then went to Jon, who was sitting at the king's table, a place that was his, and was going to be his sooner or later because from that point he would be able to control the kingdom much better, it was so easy for him to take Jon from this place, but he was going to let him enjoy what little power he had - "Well not only Robert, his brothers as well."

- "Robert is strong as a bull, brave in battle, a man who loves, nay craves war more than anything in the world" - Jon knew that if it was up to Robert, he would not be in the crown and would be fighting anywhere, showing that he was invincible, that no one could beat him, that was his pupil - "Not being able to fight, it is like taking a part of his soul away."

- "Robert, is the real steel, Stannis is pure iron, black, strong and hard, yes, but also breakable, like iron itself. It never bends, it breaks first" - Tywin knew that the closest to Robert was his brother Stannis, a fine warrior and a most dangerous naval commander, he was among the best in the seven kingdoms, which proved his ability, but he was not loved like Robert, that was a point against Stannis against his brother, they did not have as many men loyal to him - "And as for Renly.... Renly is copper, polished and shiny, very pretty, but in the long run not worth much."

- "What do you mean by that" - Jon, though trying to have a calm conversation, was not comfortable with the presence of this man, who looked like he wanted to crush you at any moment, and he was not an easy person to read his expressions as his look was always neutral.

- "If you don't know what I've told you, you can't be the King's Hand." - Tywin ended the conversation and left the place, leaving Jon alone, who was no doubt irritated, his presence was much greater than Jon's in the castle, his lack of control made his job easier, because he noticed Jon's lack of power in giving orders, but when he arrived, everything went as he wished, not even Stannis or Renly said when they met, unlike Jon, that was what brought power.

When Tywin came out of the tower hand in hand with the king, he met his youngest son Tyrion and his betrothed Tysha, the two of them accompanied him because he asked them to, he had to have his son think of ways to take control of the castle in this time, Though he didn't need it much, it was better to be cautious and Tysha was no exception, the child was intelligent and Cersei felt good with the child's presence, though Tyrion didn't trust his sister's attitude, as she could be a great manipulator when she wanted to be. Though his son's younger betrothed was no less of a submissive, that submissive attitude was not what it seemed.

Instead, Tyrion and Tysha just watched as Tywin walked out of the tower happy as it seemed the golden lion's presence, as expected, was more than just the gull's small presence, it was good more than anything. Because between the Lannisters and the Starks, they had already plotted for Tywin to be the King's Hand, in exchange for certain freedoms, which Tywin was going to accept, because if anything happened to Jon, Robert was going to ask his great friend Eddard Greystark to be the King's Hand, which he was going to refuse, so Tywin will take that position.

Highgarden

Margaery Tyrell was with her beautiful owl in her beautiful garden, it was amazing how such a precious animal would fly off and then come back to her, and stay on her shoulder or wherever she was. She wasn't fearful either, because anyone could be near her, and she wouldn't fly away out of fear, she would just stare at the person and nothing else.

Olenna watched her granddaughter as she was captivated by her gift, as she approached her, as Harry had answered her letter, which she sent to him after receiving her gift. Which was the one that caused the most controversy on her granddaughter's birthday, because several lords made fun of the gift, but Margaery's face wanted something else, it was very different when she pretended to receive the same gifts as always, clothes, jewels, or whatever else the nobles gave each other, it was the same to her. She liked the exotic, so anything rare she received was something she was going to miss for a long time, though she was worried about her daughter, the North was not the same as before, the Stark boy made a resounding change, that girl was a sign of that, the man who gave her the gift as well, their presences were intimidating.

- "I see my child that you are pleased with your gift, and you just got a letter from the North" - Olenna saw how Margaery got up instantly and went to see the letter, apparently The wolf captivated the rose, although it may be appearances, as Margaery wished to meet Harry to know how to act, she was a person who liked to be with the unknown.

Olenna knew her granddaughter, Margaery could connect with anyone, as she employed various strategies not only to get close to a person but also to control them absolutely, and that happened with all the Lords or Princes who came to the Highgarden because they wanted to see how beautiful Margaery was, beauty was like something that led you into a trap, many with the rumors ran desperate to meet her and some fell so much for her beauty and kindness that they wished to marry her. But there was one exception, Harry Stark, the boy was aware of how beautiful she was, he made it clear in his letters, of the rumors spreading through the realm, but unlike other Princes or Lords, who wished to meet her as quickly as possible, the Wolf didn't seem to care much about that and took his time. Letting Margaery become more interested in getting to know him which so far never happened, as Margaery knew she was beautiful, she grew up knowing that, and knowing that someone wasn't dying to meet her was something she liked. Olenna already knew from that point on that her granddaughter had it hard, Margaery used many ways, the first was to let you know she was on your side through her body language.

It was her most powerful weapon of all that she had, to approach a person without them feeling that she was invading their personal space, without realizing her true intentions were actually to use them. That was the real Margaery Tyrell hiding beneath the beauty she possessed, she understood how to use that language. Putting yourself directly in front of the person, for a fearful or long period can intimidate or make them uncomfortable with your presence as Tywin Lannister, who wants to make it clear that he is superior to you at all times. Instead, Margaery stands shoulder to shoulder with the person, making them feel much more comfortable at least while they are getting to know you, and once she does. She starts getting people to talk about their interests, to know how to manipulate them, to use their likes and dislikes, and to know how to tie them down.

Olenna had to admit it, her granddaughter was a lot smarter than her in that sense, at her age she doesn't mind being that good anymore, she likes to throw comments that might make people angry, but for the status, they can't do anything about, because they know they can't mess with her.

Port Kart.

Jack and Jones were drinking while watching their respective, they didn't always have to be at sea, sometimes it was good to come into port and let their men de-stress, as the work at sea was a very tough one. Many of his crew already had a family to visit and spend time with from time to time, so it was the time when there was no competition between them. Where they could talk quietly, with no need to fight, and where they could share a few good bottles of rum, which was the drink they both liked.

Jack looked at Jon, it wasn't unusual for him to be the most serious of all the captains in the North, but lately, his lack of mercy was much worse than it used to be, he knew that Harry gave him the order to destroy one of the ports that belonged to the owners of the Iron Bank, and he knew what kind of attack he received. Although Harry only ordered to cannonade the harbor and destroy as many ships as possible, not only did they do that, but they also killed several men navigating the ships and stole a large cargo of silver and gold.

- "I came so close, so close to avenging my family, but I held back the urge to attack his ship" - Jones on one of his many journeys encountered Victarion, the main man responsible for the death of his family, Jones swore he would not rest until he died, he would not have any children or marry before avenging his brothers, mother, and father - "I was left wondering why I didn't attack him... why I let him go."

Those were the Greyjoys, the fleet with the most ships in the world, that ranked it as the most powerful, which could be debatable since the North did not have numerous ships like the Greyjoys who were making a thousand ships to attack the West. The North had a much smaller number, but much more powerful than a longship, which was cockroaches in front of ships like the Pearl, Dutch, or Revenge not to mention the Silent Mary which was the most armed and largest ship in the North. The only ship in the North that was still in port, waiting to be used by Lord Harry Stark, they knew that the ship would be commanded by Artemisia, and they were not at all angry about it, the girl had character. She was being trained by Barbossa just to be the superior of all, since Silent Mary gave you that power, it was going to be the ship with the most crew of all, since at least 220 sailors could enter, ready to fight. Although there were also very strong ships in the North that didn't have a captain, so for the moment it was better to leave them there and wait for the right moment to use them.

- "Let no cheerful voice be heard, let no one look to the sky with hope" - Jones muttered looking at his ship, the Dutchman, the ship that was to bring death to Victarion Greyjoy and all his crew, the ship that was to send his beloved little ship to the bottom of the sea until that dream was not fulfilled, he was not going to allow himself to die until he saw it dead - "And let winter, come with the howl of the wolf."

- "Close your eyes and imagine it's a bad dream, I do it all the time" - Jack stood up to leave Jones to his thoughts, Jack wasn't the voice of reason, but sometimes he said things that left you wondering what your future holds - "Your revenge will come.... but what will you do when you get your revenge."

Winterfell

Qyburn was working on new projects, the new medicines they were creating, and the poisons were far more effective than any other, he didn't know how Harry was able to get the poison from a basilisk far more potent than he could have known, not even the smartest maester in medicine was going to be able to find an antidote for this kind of poison that kills you slowly causing you to go through hell in life, then die. He didn't understand exactly why Harry wanted this kind of poison, but he wasn't going to refuse, as it was another branch he could learn and show the citadel what he was capable of. But his greatest creation was a gas, not one that could destroy entire plantations, its creation required extremely delicate work for which he was in charge, for first a liquid had to be created, and then that liquid had to be boiled with a fire that need not be too intense or too weak. The smoke that is produced has to be collected in glass containers. Because once it is launched, the container breaks, and releases the component that does its thing.

People, animals, or plants that come into contact with such material would die, more so the plant, as Harry wished the Riverlands to suffer as they did in his time. Not being able to supply themselves, forcing them to have to buy food, and going out of business, would do two things, either they seek to buy food from the Tyrells which can be quietly stopped at any time along the way. Or they buy food from the North, they only had two options, and Harry was going to force them to choose the second option. And since the Riverlands supplied the Valley and the West, they were going to do that, but Harry wasn't going to do that for long. He was going to do that for three years, three years when they would have to pay an immense amount of gold, both the Valley and the Riverlands were going to go through that as they did with the North in his time, he was only going to do it for three bloody years. Then he would let the rivers recover their production for a while, and then attack them again, making them fall back into the hands of the North. But now they were only going to have the support of the Valley because the West needed an excuse to buy food from the North and strengthen their alliance.

- "I see your production is going very well" - Harry saw several containers, with the poison that Qyburn was creating with the help of his knowledge, he gave him that, so he could make it, when the war against the Greyjoys breaks out, which was less than a year away, with the information he had, the fields of crops in the land of the rivers, were going to be attacked with this, they will believe it will be a simple mist - "It is going better than I thought."

- "I have to make an effort, my Lord, I can't waste so much knowledge." - Qyburn admired Harry, not only for what he did, but because death appointed him, he was touched by death itself, his greatest longing was to have knowledge of it, but to have it he had to be embraced by it, and Harry was going to give him that luxury, to be embraced by death, when his time came, death itself would tell him what he wished to now and then take his soul.

- "To do all this, to die at the end you want that" - Harry could enter Qyburn's mind, to know why he wanted to know death's secrets so badly, Marwyn had respect for this man and his way of thinking, but he was not going to do the same, his goals were different.

- "But I will be the only maester who can know the truth" - Qyburn was going to surpass all the masters, he was not going to be able to bring to light everything he was going to know, but he was going to be the only one who knows what death hides, his secrets, his truth, everything was going to be his alone, that ambition, was very well-used by Harry, he wanted to know death, he was going to give it to him when his time comes - "And you, My Lord, what will you do when your time comes."

- "I already died once, I saw death himself in the face, and he brought me here to set things right" - Harry didn't remember his past, he didn't remember if he had parents, if he had friends, only the important things, information and nothing more than that, if he had that, it was enough to do what he had to do, besides it helped to connect with his new family - "Seeing him twice won't be anything special for me."