The Warg Lord (ASOIAF)(SI)

[drshree129]

Good, About time for Jon to let loose... Been waiting for this. Hope u do justice to the next chapter.

 

[oscar e Sampedro Lopez]

Thank for the chapter. Great story as always

 

[LazyWizard]

"Wolf's blood?" Robb asked in a bewildered tone and the massive shadow cat sitting by his side nodded in a humane manner. "You want me to find out about Wolf's blood?"


Robb and Jon were sitting beside the icy pool in the Godswood of Winterfell. Robb was there in person while Jon was there in the mind of Tiger his Shadow Cat.


Now, normally, a conversation between a human and an animal was a mentally exhausting endeavour at best times. And while the animal having a warg inside his head made it a tad bit easier... it was still not a walk in the godswood.

But with years of practice under their belt, Jon and Robb had managed to make this way of communication into something akin to an art... with Jon using Tiger's paws to write in the soil and Robb using his familiarity with his brother to understand what the ugly words crawled into the ground meant.


"That is correct," Jon wrote agonisingly slowly and in a short form that probably only Robb or Sansa could understand, "I want you to search in the library to find any of the old books that mention the Wolf's Blood. It doesn't matter if it just mentions a small incident or even as a joke, I need you to mark those books and those pages so that I can see them when I come back..."


"Did you forget how big our library is?" Robb asked with a raised eyebrow, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "How am I supposed to search through all of them while trying to look for just a few words... Especially since most of the old books are in Old Tongue which I am still not particularly good at."


"Oh, you don't need to read all the books. You can just start with all the personal accounts you can find in there like if any of our ancestors wrote a journal or if there is a Maester's diary in there..."


"But why... Did something happen out there?" he asked with a note of worry in his voice.


"No, nothing," Jon replied shaking his head, keeping silent about his upcoming adventures with the Pirates that he knew Robb wouldn't be too happy about, "Just curious about it... want to know where all those stories and legends about the so-called 'Wolf's Blood' originated from..."


"Fine," Robb said nodding with a slight frown on his face, "I will see when I can find the time..."


"Oh, you don't have to do it all on your own," Jon added after seeing the somewhat miserable look on his brother's face, "You can get some of the Acolytes to help you select the appropriate books and I am sure Sansa or Emily wouldn't mind helping out either once you mention that it's to help me..."


Even though they were just words scrawled on the ground, Robb could almost feel that Jon was standing in front of him with a smirk on his face, bragging about how he was the favourite sibling.


"That would indeed make things a lot easier for me..." Robb said with a hint of relief in his voice.


"That busy, huh?"


"Oh, You can't even imagine," Robb breathed out with an exhausted smile, "And not only me, Father, Maester Luwin, The Steward and even Mother, every single one of them are busy with work from dusk to dawn." he said before looking at Jon with a fake annoyed look, "And most of the work is kind of your fault,"


"What? What did I do?" Jon asked somehow making an indignant expression using the Shadow Cat's eyes.


"Have you been to Wintertown lately? Do you know how large it has gotten now? Do you know that the number of people that live there now, during the peak of Summer, is almost triple the amount of people that came down to live there during Winter? And not mention the amount of people that just pass through there daily..." Robb just shook his head with a sigh, "It is just mind-boggling..."


"Are you sure you are not exaggerating?" Jon asked with a hint of scepticism in his voice.


He had been quite busy in Essos for the past few months so he had kept both Frost and Tweety beside him and since neither his Shadow Cat nor his Kraken Inky was any good for wandering the streets of Wintertown, it indeed had been quite a while since he was able to scout how Winterfell or rather how North as a whole has been doing... but still, he didn't think it has been so long as to have as big a change as Robb insinuating.


"I am really not exaggerating here. In fact, even though not quite to the level of King Landing, I think our small town is well on its way to becoming a small city like White Harbour in a few decades if it goes on like this,"


"Now you are just making things up..."


"I am really not..." Robb said with a wry smile, "You wouldn't doubt me if you actually saw the number of smallfolk and Merchant who stand in line every single day in front of Winterfell to meet us to get permission to open a shop or build a house or do business or a dozen other thing... And not to mention the Lord's and the other vassals... Oh! How I hate the lot of them,"


"What? Why?" Jon asked with an amused look on his face, "What did they do?"


"Oh, they are just the worst." Robb said as he shook his head, "Every time one of them arrives at Winterfell gates, we just need to drop everything we are doing and meet them and then entertain them for the duration of their stay no matter how long (and it is quite long for some of them) and not to forget the feasts at night... Ah! I tell you, Jon, we would have already been bankrupted by the amount of small and big feasts we had to throw in their honour during the last year if we had not already gotten so much richer... And it would have been fine if it was just once or twice but the frequency of visits has just reached ridiculousness.... And there is no sign that it would stop anytime soon as all of them are dying to get a piece of the prosperity that had suddenly fallen into our hands..."


"But why? It can't be all just because of the factory and the new blacksmith street, can it?"


"Oh, no, no," Robb said as he immediately shook his head, "I mean, sure, they could have played some part in it but the most crucial reason for all this sudden fortune (which had even evaded all of us for a while) was our decision with... the roads,"


"What? But that doesn't seem right, we are not actually making new roads, are we? We are just repairing and improving the already laid Kingsroad to make travel faster around North." Jon asked with a confused look on his face, "If the roads were so pivotal then wouldn't North or Wintertown have already flourished far in the past when they were first laid down?"


"And you are right about that." Robb nodded his head with a small smile as he had asked the exact same question to Maester Luwin when he suggested that Roads were the main reason behind this Windfall, "The roads alone would have never been enough for all this to happen... if they hadn't had the help of the other changes that had been made in the North during the last five or so years..."


"Huh?"


"Let me explain. You know that even before, Wintertown or rather Winterfell was somewhat of a trade centre of the North right? Or at least they had that intention when our ancestors first laid down here but unfortunately, even after years and years, the town could never fulfil its potential as North was just too big and Winterfell was not very accessible to utilize its location from the other parts of the kingdom. But now... now it can finally do that."


"Ah..." The shadow cat abruptly got an enlightened expression in his eyes as if he finally understood what Robb was trying to explain.


"That's right Wintertown is finally a place that is the easiest for the people of the North to get to and trade." Robb nodded with a somewhat excited expression, "Even before all this, Winterfell was already somewhat well-connected with White Harbour and the East part of the North because of the river White Knife, and now... travel had only become easier due to the frequent ships running up and down to transport the Starkhorse shipments from our factories. And more importantly, due to the now far more practical roads, we are also much better connected to the western holdfasts, most significant of which are Bear Island and Deepwood Motte which are at the moment brimming with goods from the Westerlands and the Reach which they can now easily bring to Wintertown and ultimately transport to the rest of the kingdom... The North has gotten much smaller,"


"This is all so... unbelievable,"


"I know," Robb nodded his head, "Who would have thought that North would change so much... Trade is booming all over, and no one is going hungry as food prices have never been lower. In fact, a few days ago I even saw some merchants that came all the way from Riverlands to trade with us, which is just... beyond belief." Robb shook his head with a smile, "And to think that we are not even one-fourth of the way through with the roads,"


"... It seems that the golden age of the North has finally come,"


"You're right about that... And North is more than ready for it."


...


There were many big and small islands in the chain of rocky islands that make up the Stepstones. But only a few of them were famous and big enough for people other than pirates to know of their names.


The biggest and most famous one was of course Bloodstone Island having previously been a host for not only half a dozen petty Pirate kings but also the infamous, Daemon Targaryen, self-declared King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, who lived here for a short time during the height of Targaryen power in Westeros.


And now this island came under the rule of the infamous Lysene pirate and sell-sail with the most number of ships in Stepstones, Salladhor Saan.


But the second most famous island was called Grey Gallows and that is where the Ravager Fleet has made their base over the last decade or so.


Even after so many years, the pirates still hadn't made any permanent homes here instead they just used the centuries-old broken-down castles and buildings scattered across the island as shelters because after all their 'jobs' as pirates meant that they spent far more time at sea than at land.


On the top floor of the centermost castle on that Island, the Advisor exited the meeting room with a tired and irritable expression on his face.


The meeting had been a completely useless one just like all the others that had been called for the last week.


Ever since they had arrived back at their base the Pirate King Ravager had begun the long gruelling process of recalling all of his pirates who were scattered across Essos.


It was foolish and wasteful to keep a large number of ships in a single place without them doing anything, so most of Ravager's subordinate pirates had been sprinkled all over Essos in different numbers and they were free to traverse the waters surrounding different free cities looting and killing rich Merchant ships whenever they wanted. And they only came back to the base every few months to share information or sell their loot... both living and non-living kind.


And as for the reasons he was now recalling all his forces, well, there were mainly two of them.


Firstly, to share a very small portion of the massive wealth that he had looted from the Merchants that the Braavosi ships were protecting, which was a must in his position if he wanted to continue using them as cannon fodder in the future.


Secondly, he wanted them present near him and to consolidate his fleet's strength so that in case Braavos was stupid enough to underestimate him and send a weak force as revenge then he could decide at the drop of a hat if it was profitable to stay and fight them off. And if Braavos' retaliation was more fierce than expected he could also make the quick decision of leaving this part of Essos for a while to sail in seas out of Braavos' influence such as the Slaver's Bay.


Because no matter how much he made fun of them in front of his pirates, his actions still showed that he was quite scared of their retaliation.


But this meeting hadn't been about that, no, this meeting had been about the loyal lackeys of Ravager who had been sent to Braavos for that— very important task.


But after sending a short letter two weeks ago that said that they had been successful in their task and had captured a man who could have the information about the whereabouts of Northern Wolf Captain, they had gone completely silent.


So the Ravager had called upon his most trusted and competent pirates to ask them what their opinions were on this situation and what they thought happened to those two.


Most of them decided to go for the ass-licking route and suggested that they were probably on their way back with good news and that the only reason they weren't able to send any letters was that they were on a ship which Ravager somewhat agreed with from the pleased look on his face.


But a few also suggested that maybe they had gotten captured by Braavos while they were on the Island and while the Captain didn't like that he agreed that it was a possibility so he declared that they would only wait for them for four more weeks before deciding on their next course of action.


One of them, a reckless drunk fool, had even dared to suggest while whispering that maybe they had already gotten that secret method of Sea travel from the Northerner but had gotten greedy and decided to keep it a secret for their own use or sell it to the highest bidder...


Obviously, that man didn't survive the meeting for even suggesting something as insulting as Ravager being weak enough to lose control over his own men...


But the Advisor's instincts were telling him something else... that those two were already dead.


After all, the man they were targeting was not a normal human... because if what he had felt back then was right then he may just be a...


"Ah! Advisor! Do you want to partake in some girls? We got some nice goods from those Braavosi Merchants, hehe..." As the former Volantis noble turned pirate was on his way back to his room he was blocked by an ugly pirate with a lewd look on his face. He was one of the smaller pirate captains with barely more than three ships under him.


The screams coming from the nearby room told him that the girls were obviously not very willing in the... partaking.


"No," The advisor replied with a cold expression on his face barely stopping in his path, "Now get your ugly mug out of my face," he continued while looking at the pirate as if he were a cockroach before shoving him aside and moving on.


"You—" The Captain's face flushed in humiliation but just as he was about to do something stupid in his drunkenness, his fellow pirate stopped him.


"Oi! Leave him alone," The man said holding his friend's shoulder back, "You know how much the captain treasures him... Don't you remember what happened to the last Captain who crossed him?"


A hint of fear appeared on his face at the mention of that incident... before he spat on the floor to save his dignity and went back to the room to vent.


Advisor didn't care for what the creatures who were worth less than trash were doing as he was already in the next corridor.


He wanted to get to his room as fast as he could so that he could take a rest... which raised a few questions as the windows he was passing by clearly showed that it was barely noon at the moment which meant that the night had only passed a few hours ago.


But the reason his body was craving so much sleep was very simple... he hadn't slept for more than a few hours over the whole last few weeks.


And the reason for that was the same man that was giving Ravager so many headaches... Jon Snow, The Captain of the Northern Wolf.


Ever since he learned that they were going to target that company only one thing kept revolving around his mind again and again... those dark grey eyes looking straight at him from an impossible distance through the other end of his far-eye...


The way they had lost their last battle against the Northern company had just been bizarre.


The rest of the pirates had thought that it was just a coincidence that their ships had suddenly lost their sails just as they were about to chase enemy ships... That there just happened to be a mad group of seagulls flying around waiting to tear through their sails...


Those stupid pirates were satisfied with that explanation and just decided to drink a few to forget about it.


But Advisor didn't forget... because he couldn't forget about it even if he wanted to.


After all, he wasn't like the others.


He knew things...


He had grown up in Volantis as the third son of one of the highest-ranking nobles before he was forced to become a pirate, so obviously he knew a lot more about magic than an average pirate...


He knew that magic was a real tangible thing...


He had seen a few different forms of magic being performed in front of his very own eyes... he knew what it could be used for, he knew the things it could do...


He knew that it wasn't gone from the world like everyone else believed... instead it was just weakened, in hiding, waiting for a chance to come out...


And he knew that what he saw that day... was magic.


Of course, he had kept this discovery of his to himself, because why would he tell them... why would he try and save those worthless trash from the wrath of a being who was much more than a man...


Because even after so long, he didn't forget that he was just a prisoner and not a real pirate...


So he did not care whether they lived or died... the only thing he cared about was him and his son, his blood... The one person he wouldn't let be killed even if the enemy knew magic...


But on the other hand, if he could somehow use this to his advantage... then maybe...


"Wait! What if..." The Advisor abruptly stopped in the middle of the corridor as his eyes widened in sudden enlightenment and then without waiting a single moment he suddenly turned back and began moving away from his room towards the lower parts of the castle.


He passed by room after room as he went deeper into the castle before finally ten minutes later he stood outside a small blackened room at the very end of the corridor.


"Are you in here?" he asked while knocking on the door.


There was mad scrambling and loud clattering from the other side for a few moments before a sixty-year-old man wearing a blacksmith apron opened the door with a surprised expression on his face, "Ah! Ser Advisor! What can I do for you? Do you need your weapon repaired?"


The advisor didn't care about the man calling him a Ser as he knew that it was something ingrained in his blood as a former smallfolk to call all the people higher than them Ser.


"You're from Westeros right?"


"Eh? Ah! Y-Yes I am— I mean, I was. I lived there in Riverlands for about twenty years before I left for Essos to run away from a petty crime and then felt that it was much easier to make money here as a pirate than anything else, hehe..."


"So you must know about the place called North..."


"Huh? Um, yes, I do know a few things from here and there but not much... because even though we were the closest Kingdom to North, people rarely ever travel out from there," The part-time Blacksmith replied while scratching his head, "Ah! But I had an old man from the North who lived in my village so even though I have never been there I do know a bit..."


"Then do you know about their legends, their folk stories, their myths..." The Advisor asked with a serious look on his face, "Things from their history that people believe are just made up to scare children..."


"Huh? Do you mean like Snarks and Grumpkins... or do you mean legends like Bran the Builder..."


"Everything!" he whispered as his eyes narrowed in intense focus, "I want you to tell me everything..."


///

if you want to read a few chapters ahead and support me, you can go to: patreon.com/lazywizard

 

[oscar e Sampedro Lopez]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[GrimmKenway8646]

"Huh? Do you mean like Snarks and Grumpkins... or do you mean legends like Bran the Builder..."


"Everything!" he whispered as his eyes narrowed in intense focus, "I want you to tell me everything..."

Click to shrink...

Well that's gonna take some time cuz that would be like asking a church friar about Norse mythology just to find out about runes which are a subtle part of the legends, even in Odin's story.

 

[ATP]

Well that's gonna take some time cuz that would be like asking a church friar about Norse mythology just to find out about runes which are a subtle part of the legends, even in Odin's story.

Click to shrink...

Agree.Dude could not knew much,except that wargs exist.But - it should be enough for advisor.