Brother

(POV: Corvin Blackwood, 282AC)

Corvin sat in the hallway reading one of the many books he had been assigned to read. This one in particular was an interesting read as it detailed all of the major wars of Westeros, including in depth details about the battles, locations, tactics and more.

If one could become a skilled commander in battle, then 100 men could have the strength of a thousand if used to their fullest..

It was because of this the pages of the book were swallowed by the minute as Corvin excitedly read page after page. It would only be another week or so before he finished the second iteration and moved on to the third one.

He flicked to the next page, but perked his head up as Maester Delvin came into view, covered in sweat.

Their eyes met as Delvin smiled and said, "The procedure was a success, are you ready to meet your sibling?"

He silently nodded, showing no outward display of emotion. His face was cold stone, but on the inside he was quite excited to have a sibling.

When he opened the door, he saw his mother exhausted but happy nonetheless. Her eyes trailed from her baby to her first son.

"Corvin dear, come meet your brother. His name is Lucas Blackwood." She said softly.

Corvin waddled over to her in his small little body and looked at his brother. He held his hand out to which his brother grabbed it with his small chubby fingers.

Corvin had a genuine smile on his face.

"Hello Lucas. My name is Corvin, your brother." Corvin said in a hushed tone. The baby giggled in response and Corvin felt his mood grow.

"He likes you." Alysanne chuckled before looking at Corvin seriously. She cleared her throat as she spoke the next moment.

"Corvin. You have to promise me. Promise me you'll always protect your siblings…no matter what." Her voice carried respect, completely opposite to the soft spoken words Corvin heard a few minutes ago

He met her unblinking stare with one of his own until he left her gaze, looking back at his brother.

He looked back at his mother, meeting her unblinking stare with his own.

"I promise." Corvin said, and Alysanne's mood did a 180 as it lost all the sternness it previously had.

"Corvin, I'm afraid I need you to leave. Alysanne is tired and needs rest. I also need to run through some tests with your brother to see if there are any complications." The Maester said, appearing from behind them with some equipment in his hands.

Corvin nodded, giving his brother a kiss on the forehead before leaving and going to his chambers.

While lying on his led, Corvin couldn't help but think back to his short but important conversation with his mother. Of course he planned to keep his promise, he wouldn't have made it otherwise. From the moment he saw his little brother he made a vow similar to that. All Alysanne did was make him say it out loud.

The thing he picked up on and found strange in particular was that his mother said sibling, and not family.

'Protect your siblings.' Those were her words.

He chuckled to himself, finally realising her meaning. Her mother was extremely smart, something which was often looked over as she was a woman. The words she chose were careful and powerful, meaning she chose them carefully.

She intentionally said 'siblings', and not 'family'.

Corvin wasn't even 3 yet, but Alysanne realised he had many opposing views to his father.

His father valued honour and fairness, while Corvin valued effectiveness and efficiency. They were bipolar opposites, and that was bound to cause issues.

Due to their views, his mother must know that Corvin wouldn't hesitate to kill his father if it benefitted him, while his father wouldn't even let the thought in his mind.

He shivered. His mother was a terrifying woman as she could already predict that Corvin would kill his father one day, so that's why she made him that promise. There was a reason she excluded Tytos from the promise.

With those thoughts at the forefront of his mind, he pulled the thick furs over him, eager to get a good night's rest and see his brother in the morning.

He cleared his racing thoughts and fell into a slumber, where he dreamed of flying through the thick Weirwood trees with a group of Ravens.

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Corvin gave a fake smile and cheer to his father as he was enveloped in a hug. Tytos was everything a father should be, and Corvin believed if they had similar views then Corvin would genuinely enjoy his company.

"Welcome back father." Corvin said, voice muffled in the feathered clothing.

Tytos let out a good hearted laugh and pulled back from the hug. Looking towards his son he asked, "And what a welcome it's been. I heard you now have a brother, how has he been?"

"Good, he inherited your looks." Corvin replied, following Tytos as he walked into the hall.

"Shame, I would rather he inherited Alysanne's looks than my ugly face. Blackwood women are known for their beautiful looks, while the men dont have any distinguishing features. You're the exception as you seemed to have mostly inherited your mothers looks." Tytos explained.

Corvin raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Mhm. Blackwood women are prized for their beauty. Over the years their beauty has even managed to capture the hearts of some important men. Alysanne Blackwood married Cregan Stark shortly after the Dance of Dragons, meaning the entire Stark line has Blackwood blood in them." He explained, surprising Corvin.

"The same with the Targareans before they were wiped out. Mellisa Blackwood was Aegon IV's sixth mistress and the children were all legitimised, carrying on the Targaryen bloodline with Blackwood blood in them."

"I see…" Corvin said, digesting the information. "Did you not feel guilty when fighting against the Targaryen's?" He questioned, genuinely curious.

Tytos shook his head, "They may have Blackwood blood, but it is heavily diluted and they don't carry the Blackwood name. I also have to follow Hoster Tully's orders, and he believed the best side to join would be the rebels. It paid off in the end. Houses that joined Robert in the rebellion have lowered taxes for 5 years, while those that went against him have higher taxes. House Darry for one, after joining Rheagar they had some heavy sanctions placed on them" Tytos explained.

They arrived in front of the room where Lucas was being kept. Tytos looked towards Corvin.

"Are you joining me?" Corvin shook his head.

"I've had enough time playing with my brother unlike you. You should enjoy seeing your son for the first time without me. He likes me alot, so he might not even notice you if I join you." Corvin joked.

Tytos chuckled, walking into the room. "Very well then."

As the door closed, Corvin's face changed into an expression of disgust as he stared daggers at the door.

"My father follows Hoster's orders like a dog…" He said in revulsion. Due to the divided loyalties in the Riverlands, his father could very easily disobey his lord's orders without many repercussions, but instead he follows the Fish around like a lost puppy.

It was an insult to their house itself. House Blackwood used to be kings of the riverlands, but now they were reduced to a simple bannerman of House Tully. They wasted their men and resources fighting for a Fish when they didn't need to.

Feeling his rage grow, Corvin walked off to the Godswood, making sure to notify a guard where he was going.

He arrived at the Godwood, instantly feeling himself calm down. His father once told him how the Godswood always calmed his mood and allowed him to think clearly, and it seemed it was the same for him.

He leaned against the Weirwood tree. He looked at his body, cursing it for being so small and fragile. If only he was older and had more influence, he could execute all of his well thought of plans instantly, but he had to wait.

He needed to wait until he was older, old enough to be treated seriously and given more responsibilities.

The only thing he could do was wait and sharpen his mind. That was a couple months ago, however now he could do something else.

Skinchange.

Shortly after his brother's birth, Corvin discovered he had the ability to skinchange, more specially with Ravens. It was to be expected, Starks could do the same with their direwolves, so why couldn't he with Ravens?

One thing that surprised him greatly was the fact he could do it at such a young age. Corvin believed it was either because he was a transmigated soul or/and that the Raventree hall lands were rich with an abundance of magic.

That was the other reason he was in the Godswood, resting next to the Weirwood tree. He was closer to magic here, meaning he could get in touch with his powers much easier.

He got in a meditative position as he looked towards one of the Raven's perched on the tree. His eyes moved to the back of his head as he moved his consciousness forward, slipping into the Raven's mind.

That was the key to skinchanging. You needed to allow the animal to let you enter its mind and not force it through. Forcing it could lead to many problems and permanent changes that Corvin would prefer not having.

Since Corvin had a connection with Raven's, they had zero problem letting him into their mind, and even helped to guide his mind in.

Corvin's vision changed, and he found himself on top of a tree in a bird's body. He began flying, testing the speed, strength and manoeuvrability of the Raven.

'Too slow…' He thought, skinchanging out of the Raven's body.

With the ability to skinchange into Raven's, the potential of what Corvin could do was endless. Raven's were the primary way of communicating from long distances, and if Corvin had control over that, he could do so much with it.

Spying, Stealing, Selling Information, Blackmail. The possibilities were blinding.

But first, Corvin needed to find the right amount of Ravens. If he wanted to maximise his efficiency and profit, he needed strong ravens that could travel long distances without so much as a sweat.

This was the reason he was in the Godswood, testing the speed and strength of these Ravens. Those who passed his test with good results would then have more time focused on them, taking stamina tests to see how long they could travel in all different types of climates.

Those who passed these tests would be used personally by him for his benefits. They would be fed the best amount of food and treated well so their performance would increase even more.

It was a brilliant plan, and Corvin was glad he discovered it early since right now he had nothing else to do.

He tested a few more Ravens, coming up with mostly adequate results. There was one good Raven who Corvin passed, flying his body into the special cages Corvin had in his room.

After the other tests, he would release those who didn't pass and begin properly training the good ones. The quality of Ravens at Raventree hall were all high quality…for obvious reasons, so those who passed Corvin's test would truly be the best of the best he could ask for.

Combined with his skinchanging ability and his Blackwood blood, it was quite literally broken!