Chapter 5

Aryan was sitting in his solar at Winterfell, overlooking the reports of projects progressing throughout the North. The changes he had implemented, alongside his uncle and mother, had transformed the North into a powerful kingdom. He felt a rare sense of contentment—he finally had a family to belong to, and not just a small one. News had arrived that his uncle Benjen and Dacey had been blessed with twins, a boy, Torhen, and a girl, Lyarra. He was happy for them; the North was growing stronger in more ways than one.

His thoughts drifted as he reflected on his own journey. Aryan Stark, son of Brandon Stark and Ashara Dayne, had never met his father. But his mother had been a constant in his life and loves him so very much. And if he was being honest, he loves her more than he had loved his previous mother, Lily Potter. She had been the one to nurture his mind, encourage his ambitions, and ensure that he was prepared to rule with wisdom and cunning, and not end up an honor-obsessed fool (her words, not his). Even at that small age, he had sufficient magic as well as the memories of his previous life to aid him. When he was able to walk, he used to sneak into the library of Starfall and learn more about the world. He found that this world was called Planetos. It had three major continents: Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos. Also, the seasons in this world lasted for years. Then he learned about the history of the world, the great houses of Westeros, and important events till now. He had also begun to retrain his mind magic skills and basic wandless magic. His magic had been potent, and with memories of a past life to guide him, he had set about mastering his abilities in secret. He had spent hours in the library of Winterfell, learning about Westeros, Essos, and beyond, preparing himself for the challenges to come.

One day, he found his mother crying and soon came to know that his father and grandfather had been killed by the Mad King. Then the rebellion happened, and after his uncle came to Starfall carrying the body of his uncle, the legendary Arthur Dayne, they learned about the fate of Princess Elia and her children. His mother was burdened by grief, and who could blame her? She had lost so much. But thankfully, nowadays, she was happy; she even had a paramour, a serving girl, but she had to hide her relationship from others. She wouldn't have to if she were in Dorne. She had chosen to carve a new path for herself in the North. It was Ashara who had expanded Aryan's understanding of politics. It was through her that Aryan had learned how to negotiate deals with merchants and forge alliances with Essosi traders, ensuring that the North's economy flourished.

His maternal uncle, Lord Alric Dayne, had never liked him and often used to refer to him as Stark spawn. So he left with his Uncle Eddard and his mother as he had nothing else left at Starfall. From what he had read, the North was the largest Kingdom but its population was less and was not as rich as the other kingdoms, and now he would be the new Lord Paramount of the North. Then, from his uncle's mind, he gleaned that he would like the Moat as his seat. The Moat was very strategic for the defense of the North. Aryan also knew that rebuilding Moat to its former glory would take a huge fortune.

When he was introduced to the King, he took advantage of the King's drunken state and gave him a mental command to give Eddard the money needed to repair the Moat as a reward. One look into the King's mind, and Aryan knew that Robert was a fool and would never be a good king. But he loved Eddard as a brother. He also recognized Tywin Lannister as a possible threat to his plans. What Tywin did to Aegon, Rhaenys, and Elia was cruel and disgusting. Tywin's act had caused so much pain and suffering to his mother, and for that, Aryan would never forgive him. Though Robert and Tywin had not directly wronged him, their actions had made his mother suffer. They owed his mother a very large debt. And he would collect that debt from the Baratheons and Lannisters. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it may not be this month, it may not be this year, but a day will come when he will collect that debt.

He felt great respect towards his uncle when he proclaimed him Lord of Winterfell. If it had been someone else, they would have proclaimed him a bastard. On the way through the war-torn Riverlands, when he saw Harrenhal, he immediately felt the curses on the castle. He decided to look into the place some other time. At Riverrun, he saw that his Aunt Catelyn was a beautiful woman indeed, but he immediately disliked Hoster Tully. The man was a mild version of Lucius Malfoy from his world. Aryan read from his mind that he was furious at Aryan for taking away his chance of having his blood rule the North. He was also thinking about eliminating Aryan. Aryan scoffed at that thought. He suppressed Hoster's idea of killing him. Even his uncle seemed to share his dislike, and they quickly left for Winterfell.

On the way, they halted at a castle called the Twins, where he met Walder Frey. He was astonished that the man bore an eerie resemblance to Argus Filch. The man was an opportunistic swine. From there, they reached the Moat. When his uncle showed them the Moat, Aryan realized that the structure was once a great, formidable castle that had fallen into despair.

From the moment they entered the North, he felt a change in the air. His magic felt more powerful and now came more easily to him, something he would research later. When they reached Winterfell, he met his Uncle Benjen. He was ready to go to the Wall due to grief. But with a few mental commands from Aryan and a request from his mother, he seemed to change his decision and started helping in administration. Eddard Stark was an honorable man, but Aryan knew that in this world, too much honor could get you killed. So his uncle could not be given free rein to rule over the North as the regent. His uncle Benjen and his mother were needed to counter this.

Aryan wanted the North to be powerful enough by the time he came of age and became the official Lord Stark. He also thought a four-year-old boy acting like an adult would attract unwanted attention. So he started using his mother and Uncle Eddard to implement his ideas by giving mental suggestions. Over the years, he made himself look intelligent in front of his uncle and others. He also made sure that his uncle gave him credit for the changes in front of the other lords.

His uncle used to take him across the North to meet other lords as well as to show the North. He committed important places to his memory so that he could apparate there in the future. While visiting the lords, he used to look into their minds to ascertain their loyalty. Except for Roose Bolton, he found that all other lords were loyal to the Starks, though there was some resentment from the Ryswells. Aryan had known that fear and respect were better tools for loyalty than only fear, like Tywin Lannister. While the Boltons were the second most important house after the Starks, Roose Bolton, like his ancestors, was highly desirous of the position of the Lord Paramount of the North. He was just waiting for a chance to take them down. Aryan decided that he would eliminate Roose Bolton at the first chance he had.

Death fulfilled its promise of gifts in the form of a large cache of gold and the earthquake at the Neck, both of which were essential in the upliftment of the North. The North slowly prospered. He could not do much for the military at a young age, so he decided to rebuild the Northern navy slowly. The Manderlys would help in the eastern side. He would have a Stark fleet at the western side, with a base at the Stony Shore, which he would give to his uncle Benjen. He had to question the sanity of 'Brandon the Burner' for burning the Northern fleet at his father's death. Why were so many of his Stark ancestors such dunderheads?

When they went to Braavos for negotiating with the Iron Bank for the loan to build the Northern Canal, he had generously used his mind magic to make the deal in their favor. He had a surprise at Braavos. At night while he was sleeping, he woke when he felt the disruption of his perimeter charms. He found a man standing beside his bed. Aryan disabled the man.

But the man calmly said, "A man has come to the master."

Aryan looked into the man's mind but found only darkness. Surprised, Aryan asked, "Who are you?"

The man said, "A man and other men like him are followers of the Many-Faced God. A man has come to serve his master."

"So you are a Faceless Man. Are you here to kill me?" Aryan asked.

"A servant serves the master. The Many-Faced God commands to serve you, master," the man replied.

With a dawning realization, Aryan concluded in his mind, 'So the Many-Faced God must be Death just like the Stranger. That means I can have the Faceless Men under my command. Thank you, Death.' He smiled at the possibilities. He asked, "So how will you serve me?"

The man replied, "The master's wish is my command."

Aryan asked, "Do you have enough men to set up a better spy network than I have currently for me in Westeros and Essos?"

The assassin replied, "The man can do so in time, master."

So Aryan said, "Then you will come to me at Winterfell. I will give you a suitable position there. What should I call you?"

The man said, "The man is called Jaqen H'ghar, master."

Aryan said, "I rather doubt that. And stop calling me master. You may go."

With an infuriating smile, the man said, "Of course, master," and disappeared.

When they had returned to Winterfell, Jaqen came to him with two other accomplices, a male and a female. He doubted their identities as well as their gender. He appointed Jaqen as the assistant to the steward of Winterfell, Vayon Poole, to take up his position as he would be going to Moat Cailin with his uncle. He appointed the female assassin in the kitchen and the third one as a jewel maker in Wintertown when he claimed to be one. He had already placed basic intent-based wards to prevent any assassination against the Starks in Winterfell, but it was tricky to use the wards against any spies. The Faceless Men would take care of them.

They had captured some spies within the castle and Wintertown. Two servants in the castle were each of Tywin Lannister and Olenna Tyrell. In Wintertown, there was a brothel with the whores as spies belonging to Petyr Baelish. But finally, the most interesting of all were homeless children who knew how to read and write, scattered throughout Wintertown, who belonged to the Spider, Varys. Instead of outright killing them, he manipulated their minds to only report useless mundane things. He would deal with their masters later. His new spy network was coming along slowly.

He lied to his mother about the Faceless Men. He didn't know how to tell his mother the truth of his past. On an intellectual level, he knew that she would accept and love him no matter what, but emotionally, he was not ready to tell her and would never be ready.

Then there were the Martells. He had mixed feelings about them. He didn't like the fact that they wanted a stronger alliance with him because they saw him as a person who could provide them additional strength for their cause, but on the other hand, they would be providing him additional strength against the Baratheons and Lannisters. Then there was their close relationship with his mother. Nowadays, there were more positive feelings, and honestly, they would be helpful to him too. It was like a mutually beneficial alliance. So he didn't mind much. He just had to solve the little situation in the North before strengthening that alliance.

While studying on his own at Winterfell, he also introduced some basic math and science facts he had known in his world, like the Pythagorean theorem, basic geometric formulas, etc. Maester Luwin was highly impressed and sent these findings to the Citadel, and soon they received a delegation from the Citadel to meet him, led by Archmaester Marwyn. He still remembered the meeting...

Flashback

"My Lord, this is Archmaester Marwyn from the Citadel. He has come to meet you, impressed by your findings," introduced Maester Luwin.

Aryan greeted Marwyn.

"Please excuse us, Luwin. I would like to interact with Lord Stark privately," Marwyn said, dismissing Luwin.

Looking at Aryan, Marwyn said, "My Lord, I am deeply honored to finally meet you."

Aryan felt a small amount of magic to the level of a squib coming from Marwyn. He said, "It is strange that an Archmaester comes from the Citadel to meet a lord, and from what you told, you were waiting to meet me for quite some time. I don't understand."

Marwyn placed a long object in front of him and handed it over to Aryan. Its tip immediately lit up in red flames. Aryan looked surprised to see magic for the first time after coming into this world.

"This is a Valyrian candle," Marwyn explained. "It can only be lit with magic, which you just did."

Aryan asked him, "How did you know that I could do this?"

Marwyn explained, "I am the Maester of arcane arts at the Citadel. They call me Marwyn the Mage. I was always fascinated by magic in the world. I'm trying to prove it but could not do so. Then twelve years ago, these candles lit themselves for some time, and I knew that magic had returned to the world. From then, I was trying to find the source. Using wine mixed with essence of nightshade, I had a vision of you. From then on, I was keeping track of you. The changes you brought in the North finally convinced me that you are the source I was searching for. When Luwin sent those reports regarding your findings, I took the opportunity and volunteered myself to visit you here."

Aryan asked Marwyn, "You still did not tell me what you want to do after meeting me?"

Marwyn whispered, "To learn magic from you, of course."

Aryan started thinking—having a Maester, that too an Archmaester, as his confidant could help him in the future, especially in research, as the Maesters were the treasure house of knowledge of this world. And a Maester who believed in magic was too good an opportunity to pass up. Maester Luwin, even though he had a Valyrian steel chain link, never believed in magic.

So, reaching a decision, Aryan said, "Very well. Understand this, I cannot teach you magic because you must be born with magic. It cannot be given."

Marwyn looked deflated at that and was ready to argue, but Aryan interrupted him, "But I can feel a very small amount of magic in you. So I can teach you something that won't require much magic. I can teach you potion-making, runes for enchanting and warding. What do you say?"

After careful consideration, Marwyn agreed. Aryan bound the Maester with secrecy and loyalty oaths, to which he happily agreed in order to learn magic.

Aryan asked Marwyn, "So when can you come back to Winterfell after taking the necessary materials from the Citadel and finishing any formalities there?"

Marwyn replied, "I had a feeling that I would never be returning back to the Citadel. So I had brought all major and important books here along with me. My trusted acolytes could help us."

The books Marwyn referred to were almost two shiploads.

Then, on the recommendation of Aryan, Marwyn agreed to become the official Maester of Winterfell. Maester Luwin was delegated to Moat Cailin.

Flashback ends

He lied to his mother about Marwyn too. Thankfully, she didn't doubt it, and now she trusted them too. He may or may not have used a mental command on her for Marwyn and the Faceless Men.

They had already begun their search for a channel for Aryan to perform powerful magics.

Winterfell had now changed. It had become larger and was totally renovated with more glass gardens. The Wintertown was slowly becoming the industrial hub of the North with increased weapon and armor production as well as vodka production. Also, with diamond jewelry making, with the jewel makers they had brought from Braavos, the Starks had slowly become very rich. He had applied the earth magic he had learned around the farms near Winterfell and had plans to apply it throughout the North. They now had very high yields. He was proud to say Winterfell was now self-sufficient in terms of food. Aryan had plans to use the money saved for the military later on, as the population in the North had increased, now they could increase their levy forces.

A knock at the door pulled him from his musings. "Come in," Aryan called, setting down the parchment.

His mother entered, her violet eyes filled with quiet amusement. "You've been staring at those reports all morning," she said, settling gracefully into the chair across from him. "You'll turn into Maester Luwin if you keep this up."

Aryan smirked. "Someone has to ensure everything runs smoothly."

Ashara tilted her head. "You can delegate some tasks to Marwyn and Jaqen."

He replied "I already have, and they are working a lot."

She sighed, but there was pride in her gaze. "A ruler must learn to delegate, Aryan. Try to find more people who you can trust. Till then, I will help you."

He nodded, knowing she was right, but before he could respond, another knock came.

"May I come in, nephew?" came his uncle's voice.

"Please come in, uncle," he replied. His uncle came with a letter in his hands, whose contents Aryan already guessed. Lady Catelyn and Robb also followed him.

"So Moat Cailin has been completed?" he asked.

"How did you know that?" his uncle asked, surprised.

With a mysterious smile, he replied, "An educated guess, I suppose. So, are you moving out soon?"

"Yes, I was thinking to go there within a moon, so I came to ask your leave to take my place as the Lord of Moat Cailin to guard the North," his uncle replied.

From below the table, Aryan took a rolled-up parchment and gave it to his uncle, who bent in front of him along with Robb.

Aryan declared, "In that case, I, Aryan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, hereby appoint Eddard Stark as the Lord of Moat Cailin and the Shield of the North. He and his descendants will hold and rule Moat Cailin as his seat of power. Do you swear to uphold your loyalty to the Starks of Winterfell?"

"I do, my Lord," his uncle and Robb both replied.

"Then rise, Eddard Stark, Lord of Moat Cailin," finished Aryan in a pompous voice with a smile.

His uncle stood back and thanked him. Aryan brushed it off and asked him, "So, uncle, what are you going to call yourselves?"

With a puzzled look, his uncle asked, "What do you mean, nephew?"

Aryan said, "What I mean, Uncle, is that the previous cadet branches of Starks had names like the Seastarks or the Karstarks. I hope you are not going to call yourself the Moatstarks, because it sounds stupid."

His uncle, with an embarrassed look, replied, "Actually, I didn't even think of that."

'Of course you didn't.' Aryan thought, and then he said to him, "No worries, Uncle. How does Cailstarks sound?"

His uncle smiled at him and said, "As you wish, my lord."

Looking at his mother, Robb, and Catelyn, Aryan asked them, "Please excuse Uncle and me. I wish to speak with him privately."

Robb and Aunt Catelyn immediately left the solar, and reluctantly, his mother followed them. As soon as they went out, Aryan activated the privacy charms in the room with a flick of his hands, unnoticed by Eddard.

Then Aryan asked the question that had been on his mind for quite some time, "Who told father that Aunt Lyanna was kidnapped?"

His uncle looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean, nephew?"

Aryan said, "Mother had told me all about Prince Rhaegar and Aunt Lyanna. Yes, she knows everything. Princess Elia had told her everything, even the fact that she was pregnant. The fact that I never saw a child—I am assuming that there was a stillbirth. Aunt Lyanna went willingly with the Prince. Then who told father that Aunt Lyanna was kidnapped? It seems somebody used the Starks to start a war."

His uncle thought about it and said, "You know, I never thought about that. Now that you say it, I think somebody must have used Brandon to get him killed, knowing that he was very impulsive. Come to think of it, Brandon was at Riverrun when he first heard the news. Do you think the Tullys had a hand in this?"

"It may be Hoster Tully, or it may be someone else. Enemies of House Stark are still out there, Uncle, we can only trust ourselves. But don't worry about them. I will deal with them in time. Why don't you begin your preparations?" Saying this, Aryan dismissed his uncle.

He leaned back in his chair and said to himself, "So the games have already started. Whoever you are, you messed with the wrong family. I will find you sooner or later."