GOT: Harry Stark

Harry raised his gaze and slowed his pace slightly.

The Wall was even more beautiful from the outside, perhaps because of the thousands of years of frost striking against it, but all the ice had a translucent glow that gave it a very magical appearance.

Glancing to the side, he noticed that everyone seemed happy to finally leave that place.

Beyond the Wall, he hadn't found what he expected... but he had found something much more dangerous.

A latent threat that could erupt at any moment.

Gesturing to Theon, he immediately took out the horn they had been given before blowing it.

Standing still in front of the entrance gate, they waited for a couple of minutes until a man on horseback arrived carrying a torch.

His eyes carefully swept over them before he nodded and turned around.

A few minutes later, the gate began to rise as the chains dragged with a loud grinding sound.

"Let's go," Harry said, entering the tunnel first and taking a torch.

"We came back alive," Theon suddenly said, remembering how a few days earlier they had been going through that same tunnel, but in the opposite direction.

"Not only that, we even went from twelve to thirteen," Dacey said, glancing at Val, who was clinging to Harry's waist while hidden beneath a rolled-up tent and some luggage, making her look like part of the baggage.

The last thing they wanted was to be asked why there was one more person.

The group continued until the light from the exit blinded them for a few moments.

When his vision recovered, Harry immediately met his uncle's eyes, who seemed relieved to see him return safely.

In general, he noticed that all the men of the Night's Watch seemed surprised that they had all returned in one piece, but seeing the bloodstains on their armor, they also knew it hadn't been easy.

Unlike when they had left, this time they were warmly welcomed. Anyone who dared venture into the lands beyond the Wall deserved the respect of the Night's Watch.

But Harry didn't have time for that. After sending Val to his room and telling her not to wander around, he went with Dacey directly to see Jeor Mormont.

Dacey walked beside Harry with a somewhat sullen expression. She knew Harry was going to pressure her uncle into complying with his demands.

And she was there to smooth things over.

Reaching the commander's room, Harry knocked on the door, and when he heard Jeor's voice telling him to come in, Harry entered naturally, followed by Dacey.

The room had a faint smell of smoke. A heavy wooden desk half concealed Jeor, while several half-burned candles provided dim light.

The entire place looked worn from decades of use, with almost no consideration for comfort.

"Boy, I'm glad you're back," Jeor said, looking at Harry with a smile before fixing his gaze on Dacey.

"And you, you hid the fact that you were my niece from me. Did you think I wouldn't let you go?" he said with a chuckle as he looked at her, vague memories of a little girl coming to mind.

"Am I wrong?" Dacey said with a smile.

"No. If I had known you were the heir to the House, I never would have let you go," Jeor said with a smile as he sighed upon remembering his son.

Who had completely disgraced the Mormont name.

Harry smiled and sat down in front of Jeor while looking at him.

"Do you need something?" Jeor asked, looking at Harry.

"Tell me, old man, what do you think of the wildlings?" Harry said with a smile, trying to soften the news.

Jeor raised his eyebrows slightly, not only because he had been called an old man, but also because of Harry's senseless question.

"Of course we must keep them all beyond the Wall. Their raids always cause problems, and they complain to me as if I were the one letting them through," the old man ranted with a grimace.

"They commit plenty of atrocities, but there's no need to go into detail. It's better if you're direct, boy. What do you want?" Jeor said, looking at him.

Harry looked at the old man while raising his eyebrows. For the Lord Commander, he didn't seem to feel much hatred toward the wildlings. It almost sounded as though he only did it because it was his duty.

"Forget it. I'll get straight to the point. I need you to allow some wildlings through. I'm not sure how many, perhaps a few tens of thousands," Harry said, feeling somewhat discouraged at losing the arguments he had prepared about why not all wildlings were the same.

"Are you insane, or are you trying to get me killed?" Jeor said with a frown.

"Just listen to him, Uncle, please," Dacey said, approaching the old man and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Jeor looked at his niece before glaring angrily at Harry.

"Fine. I truly want to hear why I should do it," Jeor said through gritted teeth.

Harry exchanged a glance with Dacey before looking at the old man.

"A new King-Beyond-the-Wall has appeared. I was in his camp. There are more than a hundred thousand people and a tribe of giants. They all have one goal: to cross the Wall and settle inside," Harry said, looking at the old man seriously, feeling somewhat satisfied when he saw his disbelief.

Several seconds of silence filled the room, where only the crackling of the burning wood could be heard.

"You were really in their camp?" Jeor asked with a frown, his gaze unable to avoid shifting toward his niece.

"I didn't go," Dacey said upon noticing his gaze.

"A war on such a large scale is something I can't allow, especially if it can be resolved through negotiation," Harry said with a nod.

Jeor's expression turned somber. He had never imagined that such a great threat had gathered without his knowledge.

"But don't think I'm yielding or that I'm afraid. If they don't obey, we won't have any other choice. We'll gather an army and fight them, but until then, I need you to cooperate with me," Harry said, watching him closely.

"Boy, you're going to get me killed," Jeor said with a sigh as he rubbed his temple.

"If this were the Night's Watch from thousands of years ago, it would certainly be difficult, but some of the guards are more savage than the people out there. Let me remind you that not everyone is here by choice," Harry said without flinching.

"People can change... Still, the North is quite peaceful right now. If you let so many people through, that peace could be broken," Jeor said, looking at him.

Harry looked at him silently for a moment. The old man was clearly struggling to make a decision.

"You shouldn't doubt for even a moment that I only want what's best for the North. It's my territory, after all. If you haven't even heard about what I've done, then at least you should have eaten my food."

"I truly question the need for the Night's Watch to remain neutral when they eat my food and use my lands," Harry said as his gaze sharpened.

The old man's eyes widened slightly, surprised by Harry's words and tone.

"You're reasoning with me while holding a sword to my neck?" Jeor said with a bitter smile.

He knew he had few options. Otherwise, the already weakened Night's Watch could be extinguished under his command.

Of course he could complain, but to whom? To all of Westeros, the Wall was merely a way to avoid dying immediately after committing crimes. He could complain to Ned, but he had heard rumors about Harry's status.

Even if he could get Ned to revoke Harry's orders, what would happen when he became Lord Stark?

"I'm still negotiating, so don't get worked up. I'll let you know when I receive an answer from the other side," Harry said, seeing the old man's somewhat distant gaze.

"I'll leave you two to talk. We'll depart for Winterfell tomorrow," Harry said, standing up and relaxing his expression, giving Jeor a smile before leaving.

"He has an imposing presence for a boy," Jeor said with a sigh.

Dacey let out a small laugh before walking around to the other side of the desk and sitting where Harry had been.

"I think he's already a man," Dacey said, curling her lips.

"Treacherous girl. You climb into a man's bed and forget about your family," Jeor said, looking angrily at his niece.

"You speak for the Night's Watch, not for House Mormont. Besides, Harry has already done a great deal for the family. Didn't you see the bear I was riding? He helped our family tame two bears," Dacey said, looking at her uncle.

Jeor remembered the bear Dacey had been riding and fell silent. Although he had technically dedicated everything to the Watch, he still considered himself a Mormont. Harry truly had done his House a favor.

"I'll do everything I can," Jeor said with a sigh.

Dacey set the matter aside and enthusiastically told him about the new things back home, explaining how the bears had grown and how they had trained them to fight.

Despite not having seen each other in more than ten years, the two quickly became familiar with each other again.

....

The next morning.

The group, now consisting of thirteen people, left Castle Black despite their exhaustion.

To continue maintaining the lie, Val rode on Ater behind Harry, clinging to his waist while a rolled-up tent and some luggage concealed her from view.

Once they were outside, she was finally able to remove all the luggage from herself and look around.

Val looked like a curious child as she observed her surroundings, commenting on how "warm" it was south of the Wall.

Harry chatted idly with her, answering her questions.

After an entire day of riding, the group lit a fire and ate.

The fire crackled as everyone sat around it idly.

Harry looked at Smalljon and noticed that he had already calmed down. In fact, he seemed to look at him from time to time, clearly having something he wanted to say.

Smiling faintly, Harry pretended not to notice. He didn't blame him, since that was precisely his personality, impulsive and saying whatever was on his mind.

It was then that he looked at Domeric, who was drinking calmly.

"Domeric, I remember you said you were a page in House Dustin. Lady Dustin is your aunt, right?" Harry said, looking at him.

Domeric choked on his drink and coughed a couple of times as he looked at Harry in surprise. He hadn't expected him to remember, since he had only mentioned it in passing.

Everyone stopped and looked curiously at Domeric's reaction.

"That's right. I was there for a few years before leaving for the Vale," Domeric said with a nod.

"Oh, and tell me, is your aunt in good health?" Harry asked, looking at him.

"As far as I remember, she's always been quite healthy," Domeric said, looking at Harry suspiciously.

"Why do you ask?" Domeric said, looking at him.

"Don't you know? Harry is looking for a wife," Dacey said, barely suppressing her laughter.

Unlike her, the others couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.

"You're joking, right?" Domeric said with a dark look.

"I'm asking because I've wanted to meet with her, but she replied saying that she was indisposed," Harry said, giving Dacey a quick glance before looking at Domeric.

"I see. Perhaps I should go visit her," Domeric said with some concern. He still had a few memories of the kind woman who had cared for him.

"Do you think she's avoiding you?" Dacey asked, raising her eyebrows.

"She only turned me down once. It's just that if she's truly ill, I might be able to help her," Harry said, shaking his head.

"I see. I'll send her a letter to see how she's doing," Domeric said with a nod.

"Hm, once the train crosses the North from one side to the other, you'll be able to visit her more often if you wish," Harry said with a smile as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Domeric simply laughed and nodded.

"So... are we going to Essos?" Daryn asked, changing the subject.

"That's right. Probably in about a year," Harry said with a nod.

"Essos? Where is that?" Val asked curiously.

"It's a vast continent across the sea. It's said to be several times larger than all of Westeros," Dacey said with some anticipation.

Val was surprised to hear that, since all she knew were the lands beyond the Wall, and she had only heard a little about the south.

A place they had originally come from before gradually being driven away by the Andals.

"We'll need a ship. You should speak with House Manderly about that," Daryn said, reminding Harry.

"Does House Stark not have a single ship?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It has ships, but they aren't very good, especially if you want to cross the sea," Daryn said, shaking his head.

Harry frowned deeply, finding it truly ridiculous. With a sigh, Harry quickly calmed down. It wasn't his father's fault, nor that of the previous Lords.

Without magic, Harry wouldn't have been able to change the North either.

"It seems I'll have to meet with them," Harry said with a nod.

After spending the night, the group set out again the next day.

They didn't stop until they reached Steam City, taking two weeks.

It had been more than a month since he had left Winterfell.

Val looked around curiously. She had never been in a city before. Seeing houses, markets, and taverns was all new to her.

People watched their group on horseback, and she noticed how many seemed to recognize Harry and smile when they saw him.

They looked at Harry in a way she had never seen one person look at another.

Her fingers gripped Harry's clothes a little more tightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder and watched the road.

No matter where they went, people followed them with their eyes. She had always thought that southerners had no dignity, kneeling before lords and kings.

But their grateful and hopeful gazes were something she had never seen beyond the Wall.

She felt as though her view of the world had been completely altered.

But her surprise at seeing all of this was nothing compared to what she felt when she saw an enormous metal structure.

Like everyone who saw it for the first time, she found herself asking one question.

How many weapons could be made with that amount of iron?

Her knuckles struck the locomotive curiously as she felt its hardness. She could only think that southerners were as wasteful as she had heard.

Harry prepared everything for the return to Winterfell. He asked everyone whether they wanted to return to their Houses before they departed, but they all shrugged and said they would stay at Winterfell.

If it weren't because grain and meat were abundant, Harry would have kicked out that group of freeloading eaters.

After speaking with Philip, who came to the station to see him, he learned about the progress of the tracks and the mining operations.

Upon hearing that everything was going well, he said goodbye to Philip before boarding the train.

It departed south with a loud whistle.

Val was pressed against the window, watching in astonishment as the landscape outside passed by incredibly quickly.

Opening the window, she couldn't help sticking her head out slightly to confirm it. Her blonde hair whipped wildly as a beautiful smile appeared on her face.

"You've never ridden one before?" Dacey asked, looking at her innocently.

Val merely glanced at her before ignoring her.

Seeing this, Dacey simply smiled.

Five hours later, when the train stopped, Val looked around, feeling as though she had almost traveled to another world. The grass and green trees in the distance were completely different from the landscape beyond the Wall, where green was an almost nonexistent color.

It was then that Val saw Harry's family for the first time: his mother, his father, his sisters, and his brothers.

Seeing his affectionate smile, Val thought she had already seen several sides of Harry.

A hard and uncompromising side, a ruthless side when he killed the scouts, and now an extremely affectionate side with his family.

Without showing even a trace of the imposing presence and dominant gaze he had displayed while negotiating with Mance.

When he introduced her, Harry didn't go into much detail in front of everyone. He simply said that she was one of his guards.

Val merely raised her eyebrows and showed a faint smile, noticing that everyone was curious about why she was there.

Her dazzling face and the long braid falling over her shoulder gave her a charming appearance. Her impressive figure could be seen even beneath the chainmail.

Catelyn immediately suspected her relationship with her son. She couldn't help thinking that all men were the same. The scolding she had given him over Dacey was still fresh, and he had already brought another woman.

Receiving his mother's withering glare, Harry merely rolled his eyes before entering with everyone.

Each of his friends already had their own room in the castle, so Harry took Val to find a room.

Considering that Val was technically his hostage.

He took her to one of the tower floors, two floors below his own room.

Val entered and looked around with some bewilderment. Harry didn't need to read her surface thoughts to know that she had never imagined she would have a room like this.

"You can move around the castle as you please. Just try not to get into trouble," Harry said with a smile.

"Do I look like a troublesome woman to you?" Val said, regaining her composure as she brought her face closer to Harry's.

Her red lips curved as she looked directly at him.

"You are... but I like troublesome women. I think they add some excitement to life," Harry said, holding her jaw and bringing his lips dangerously close before pulling away.

Smiling, Harry left and closed the door, leaving Val frozen.

Harry curled his lips in amusement. It seemed he had won this encounter. Val was a wild cat, a very beautiful one, and he needed to tame her a little or she would soon have his furniture and curtains torn apart.

Inside the room.

Val looked at the door with amused indignation, unable to believe she had really been tricked like that.

For a moment, she had truly thought he was going to kiss her.

Letting out a small laugh, she thought that two could play that game.

Looking around the room once more, Val couldn't help thinking that interesting things were coming.

....

Harry walked downstairs and entered his bathroom. Not particularly surprised, he found Dacey already taking off her clothes.

But Harry quickly stopped her and told her to go find Val and show her the bathroom.

Looking at Harry with dissatisfaction, she put her clothes back on before going to find Val as Harry had instructed.

Without stopping, Harry went to speak with his father, who had, of course, learned that he had gone beyond the Wall. He wouldn't have been surprised if his uncle had already sent a raven with the gossip. After listening to his father's scolding for a while, Harry told him what he had seen.

This made Ned frown deeply as he thought about it. A camp with more than a hundred thousand people, even giants.

"And what do you think?" Ned asked. A war was something he didn't want, and he assumed Harry didn't either, since all of his plans would probably come to a halt.

"They told me the Others had returned. I'm inclined to believe them," Harry said, looking at his father.

"Harry, they haven't appeared in thousands of years," Ned said, looking at his son.

"You know, the fact that they haven't appeared in thousands of years doesn't mean they can't return," Harry said with a smile.

"Our ancestor built the Wall. I don't think he did it for fun," Harry said, looking at his father.

Seeing that his father remained silent, clearly unconvinced, Harry shook his head.

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or false. We'll find out eventually. There's something else I also want to tell you," Harry said with a sigh, knowing his father wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"Val is the sister-in-law of the new King-Beyond-the-Wall. She told me he only united the tribes to escape the Others and find a better place to live."

"I believe her. It's impossible for someone to lie to me if I want to know the truth, Father," Harry said as he saw his father open his mouth to reply.

Ned fell silent, unable to answer his son's words. When it came to magic, he truly didn't know what to say.

"Assuming that's true, what will you do if they don't obey you?" Ned asked.

"I'll give them a piece of land at Sea Dragon Point, a large peninsula where they can farm. There are only a few villages there. We can offer to relocate them closer to Winterfell and give them land to cultivate."

"Those who raid or kill will, of course, be executed, but Mance isn't a fool. He managed to earn recognition as their leader."

"He should know who to bring first and who is more likely to accept my conditions. I've already partially convinced the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch," Harry said, somewhat amused as he remembered the old man's helpless expression.

"So you're only informing me," Ned said, looking at Harry speechlessly.

Harry put on an innocent, childish expression as he looked at his father with a smile.

"You're practically the Lord of Winterfell in everything but name anyway, so go ahead. Just be careful and think about the possible consequences of your actions," Ned said after a moment of silence.

He hadn't given him the title only because he was still too young, but Harry had already possessed the authority to make decisions for quite some time.

"Hm, don't worry, Father. If they honor the agreement, it'll be perfect. The North needs more people, but if they don't, I'll deal with them myself," Harry said seriously.

"Oh, I also wanted to ask you to send a letter to House Manderly. I'd like to invite them to Winterfell."

"I've never spoken with them. Besides, I want to go to Essos. I heard we don't even have a single decent ship, so I'll have to borrow one as well," Harry said, looking at his father reproachfully.

"The ships we had were lost during the Rebellion," Ned said awkwardly, feeling as though he was being accused by his son.

"Oh, and the great King Robert didn't compensate you for your losses in the war?" Harry said mockingly.

"We gained nothing, neither materially nor politically. We only lost many good men, while Robert gained the throne," Harry said, the sarcasm impossible for Ned to ignore.

"Enough, Harry. We marched south to avenge your grandfather and your uncles, and that's exactly what we did. We didn't need to receive anything in return," Ned said with a frown, clearly disturbed by his words.

Harry said nothing more. His father was hopeless. He truly wasn't suited to be a lord. Over the years, they had had several arguments about Robert, who, as far as Harry knew, spent his days drunk and sleeping with prostitutes.

Changing the subject, Harry told him a few things about the progress of the railway before leaving.

Clearly, neither of them was in the mood to continue the conversation.

Walking toward the bathroom to see if it was empty yet, he happened to spot his mother standing there with one hand against the wall, her upper body leaning toward the door.

It was his bathroom, and what his mother was doing there couldn't have been more obvious.

If he wasn't mistaken, Dacey and Val should be inside.

Walking silently until he was only a few steps away, he smiled before speaking.

"Is Lady Stark eavesdropping?" Harry asked softly, watching as his mother stiffened for a moment before turning around to look at him.

"My foot hurts a little. I was walking back to my room," Catelyn said with a stiff smile.

"I see. Then let me carry you, Mother," Harry said with a smile as he picked his mother up in a princess carry.

Catelyn let out a small cry of surprise before looking at him.

"Harry! Put me down this instant," Catelyn said, reaching out with one hand as she tried to push him away.

"If you keep walking on your sore foot, you might make it worse," Harry said, suppressing a smile as he explained seriously.

Once they reached her room, Harry set her down while she glared at him. A faint blush had appeared on her face because they had run into Sansa, who had stared at her mother with her mouth hanging open.

"How am I supposed to face Sansa now?" Catelyn said. Fortunately, it had only been her daughter. If Sansa told anyone, she would have to remind her daughter how important discretion was.

"Do you want me to check how your foot is doing?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Don't go looking for trouble," Catelyn said, somewhere between embarrassed and annoyed, as she prepared to shut the door in Harry's face.

"Mom, don't act like you're an old woman. You're still very young. Smile more, don't be so bitter," Harry said, looking at his mother, who was still incredibly young. After all, she had given birth to him at seventeen.

She was only around thirty-one years old, but having lived a comfortable life with good food, she looked even younger than that.

"I'm Lady Stark. I have to behave with decorum to maintain the dignity of our House," Catelyn said, taking her son's cheek before gently pinching it.

It was no longer so easy now that Harry was much taller. His once boyish face was already beginning to turn into that of a man, a very handsome one in her opinion.

Catelyn smiled faintly as she looked at her son, love overflowing from her eyes.

"What good is all that if you don't enjoy life? Dignity is only achieved through strength. As long as our House is strong, no one will dare whisper, so do whatever you want," Harry said with a smile.

Catelyn simply smiled. The ideas in her son's mind were truly unique. Gently pushing him away, she closed the door behind her.

Harry simply smiled before walking back.

----

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