Chapter 12

Due to the events on Skagos, our tutelage under Manderly had to be put on hold, and throughout the battles on the island, Robb and I stayed at Winterfell. During this time, Lady Stark was not much of a bother to me as her concerns for Lord Stark's safety fully occupied her mind, leaving no time for me. The children too, feeling their mother's anxiety, were on edge, and even the usually restless Arya was quiet during the first few days. To remedy the situation, I had to make a considerable effort, and a week after Lord Stark had marched with his army, I managed to restore some of the joy that existed before the wildling crisis.

Gradually, the children themselves were able to maintain their usual spirits, thus alleviating some of the tension in the castle. Two months after the last battle with Gorn, the Northern lords, led by Eddard Stark, arrived. This moment was one of the most emotional; it was evident that Catelyn Stark loved her husband just as strongly as Eddard loved his wife and family.

At the reunion, many tears were shed, both of relief and sorrow. Lord Stark first ensured his family's safety, and having assured himself of this, he could finally rest. Meanwhile, Lady Stark, evidently reinvigorated with a substantial dose of positive energy, stated:

"My husband, Winterfell is whole and safe, all preparations for the victory feast have been made."

Lord Stark simply smiled and nodded, while the other Northern lords rejoiced at the prospect of the feast. Yet, most of the crowd was merely happy that the fighting had ended.

The feast was held in the finest Northern traditions, with noise and merriment so great that it seemed as if there had been no battles at all. Across the hall, a young man, previously unable to confess his feelings to the hunter's daughter, now emboldened, spoke of his love for her. The girl looked as if she was Hatiko finally waiting for the professor. On this day, many youths managed to drink more wine than usual; Lord Stark usually did not allow more than one cup, but today was special, so he turned a blind eye. Because of this, I watched as Arya, after her second cup, looked as if she might fall asleep at the table. Thus, I had to distract her and escort her to her room, afterward telling a couple of stories, mostly local adaptations of children's fairy tales or other plots from cartoons and various types of animation.

Later, I retreated to my room, grabbing a couple of different meats, and there I called Tun to discuss our rough plans and just catch up on some things. Today I taught him the heraldry of the North so he could get a rough idea of who was who, and also told him about the Wall and the far North.

"So, you're telling me that all hell is about to break loose here?" asked this generator of thunder and lightning in a feathered sack, nodding toward the Wall.

"Yes, there's an army of the dead and ice demons out there who God knows want what."

"I felt the icy chill of magic from there, but who knew such monsters were present..." he said, conveying a fair share of surprise. "So I'm definitely not flying beyond the Wall!"

After looking at him for a few seconds, I said: "I wasn't planning on it, who knows if the Others can sense magic? Not knowing their full strength, venturing there would be outright suicide. Alright, see that red inverted figure that looks like a man?" I asked towards the end, pointing to the sigil of House Bolton.

"I see it, are they our enemies?"

"Exactly, our most immediate goal which we must destroy to ensure our backs are covered in the future."

"I assume you have a plan?" he asked, sensing the confidence in my words.

I nodded and started to explain the plan I had recently devised: "When will you be able to summon thunder?"

"Hmm... In about a year or two."

"Alright, we need to make sure the murder of this family looks as unconnected to us as possible. And if in a year or two you have thunder in your arsenal, we'll need to finish it." I said confidently.

Tun looked at me with a "Is that all you've come up with?" expression, so I had to explain why I had decided this way.

"You see, many people here are believers, so such a stunt could be taken as divine punishment, at least by the common folk for sure, while the noble houses are unlikely to connect it to me until I gain enough strength and power to secure my own safety. After that, I think we'll break through," Tun seemed to understand the train of thought I was following, but still expressed his skepticism.

"Alright, let's put that part aside for now; next are the Umbers..." - with such lessons interspersed with food breaks, my evening passed. Tun took a liking to the spit-roasted boar and venison, and he practically demanded that I procure this provision for him. I also learned that my partner had become practically the sole ruler of the Wolf's Wood, which was expected as I doubted the capabilities of ordinary beasts against a Thunderbird, even a young one.

After Tun flew off to the woods, before sleeping, I checked the surroundings of the castle and saw nothing... I would like to say, but I accidentally noticed how my uncle was actively trying to increase the number of Starks... Trying to dismiss the recent actions from my mind, I went to sleep with thoughts of what would happen next.

The next day

Today's lessons with the maester were canceled, so I spent most of my time training with Ser Rodrik. My increased attributes played their part, and I managed to overcome older opponents. Seeing this, Ser Rodrik was proud, as not everyone my age could achieve such a feat.

After such, I had the opportunity to face Ser Rodrik, and here I was beaten soundly. The experience of this old knight was enough to ensure that the difference in physical abilities played a decisive role. Clearly, after victories over the usual guards, I needed the next level of difficulty, and my series of losses from Ser Rodrik officially began that day.

Lord Stark was present, as usual, on the training grounds watching over us. To strangers, his stoic face would seem cold, but those who knew him could see how proud he was of us. Lady Stark was occupied with other matters and was not nearby her husband, which was good for me as I had no desire to endure her indignant glances. ForTuntely, the lady had no time for me, and I enjoyed the peace and quiet during my free time as I walked around the castle.

Among other news, Bran was found trying to climb the wall... And I realized that Bran's habits needed to be controlled to avoid, let's say, issues.

Thus passed another eight days, and on the ninth day, a council was held to discuss what to do with the island of Skagos. After many hours of discussion, it was decided to bring civilization there so it could be used as another potential trading post. The lands themselves were to pass into the hands of clans and House Manderly.

Overall, it was a good idea as the Manderlys could establish trade on this island. Moreover, a small part of Stark's people would be sent there initially.

Additionally, it was discussed that at least minimal aid should be sent to the Night's Watch as the Northern lords had seen the dire state of this ancient order.

The rest of the topics were not as interesting as these, further discussing who owed what to whom, etc. At the end of the day, Robb and I realized that in two months, we would be able to visit the island of Skagos, as Wyman Manderly decided to go and survey the lands. As his wards, we would have to accompany him.

Afterwards, the days passed in anticipation of the departure, during which time I managed to finally annoy Lady Stark, and she literally wanted to get rid of me. Meanwhile, Tun managed to learn all the sigils of the Northern houses and, after passing a small test, we moved on to the Riverlands. These lessons were fruitful, especially coupled with Tun's successes in understanding languages. He now understood the Common Tongue and the language of the First Men, which was extremely helpful as we received a huge amount of information just by listening. Considering that Tun's hearing was also enhanced, he could even hear the blood being pumped by the heart if he wished, though he could control the sharpness of his hearing. Not to mention his vision, naturally doubled in clarity, was a tremendous improvement.

And so the day of departure arrived, Robb and I were impatient as this island, from my observations, was one of the most interesting places in the North, unlike any other place.

We traveled by sea, so first, we stopped at White Harbor to pick up necessary people and a ship for the journey to Skagos.

After three weeks at sea, we reached the island, what can I say about our first such long journey by ship? I endured it much better than Robb, who was ready to kiss the ground as soon as we disembarked.

"Hahahaha, young wolf, you're indeed no sailor," said Wyman Manderly, smiling.

"Don't remind me, and what does Theon find in them?" asked Robb in despair.

"Perhaps one day you'll understand, hahahaha."

Robb just shook his head muttering, "Not in a lifetime..." And so our expedition around the island began, the first days were interesting as we practically saw the ancient weirwoods, of which many remained even after the cult of Grall. Apparently, even that demon was afraid to touch the Old Gods. We also found sizable herds of unicorns, which did not particularly interest Lord Manderly. He was more concerned with what, besides these animals, could be traded here.

It turned out that the trees were the only magnificent resource on this island, thanks to connections with Braavos practically all were sold. A part would go into the hands of the North itself, starting from the Manderlys to the Ambers. Each of them would surely find a way to use these resources.

With that, the first phase of improving life on Skagos was completed, and we returned to finish our training. Overall, the impressions from Skagos were mixed, upon closer inspection it turned out that it was indeed necessary to bring peace to these places. Already in White Harbor, we received various answers to our questions about Skagos and the approximate plans of the Northern lords for these lands.

It turned out that Lord Manderly had no great hopes for this area as it was very close to the wildling lands, and the edges were rich only in animals and trees with cliffs to boot. But still, an attempt had to be made to improve these places, if everything works out, another major trading point would appear. Most likely, magnificent trade relations were possible with Braavos, with the others already quite questionable.

After we arrived in White Harbor, I was able to calmly consider what I had gained from the whole epic with Skagos.

----Status----

Name: Daeron Targaryen

Level 2

Strength: 40

Agility: 45

Endurance: 35

Magic: 120

HP: 5

Talents: Arsenal, Blood of the Winter Kings, Blood of the Dragonlords, Blessing of War, Icy Mind, Greenseer.

Tasks: 2