Howl of the Seawolf (OC/SI)

[kaizerfox]

Howl of the Seawolf

By Kaizerfox​

Chapter 1

Excerpt from Houses of the North by Maester Tommen, Oldtown, 234 A.C.

…have been three cadet branches in the history of House Stark, of which only two continue to exist to this day and both considered among the "Great Houses" of the North.

The older of the two is House Karstark of Karhold, descended from Karlon Stark, a younger son of Winterfell that was founded sometime before 700 B.C. The records of the founding are scarce but it is believed Karlon Stark put down a rebel lord near the Grey Cliffs and was granted the defeated lord's lands. He initially named his newly built castle Karl's Hold, but over the centuries it became Karhold. House Karstark in the current era is one and are known for providing the brides of many Lords of Winterfell.

The younger of the two cadet branches is House Seastark of Castle Warg, descended from Benjen Stark, younger son of Winterfell that was founded around 250 B.C. after defeating an Ironborn invasion at Sea Dragon Point. When building his castle, he decided to build it at the tip of the peninsula on what he claimed were the ruins of the personal holdfast of the Warg King millennia ago. Whether this is true or not is unknown but the name Castle Warg stuck. Over time, an unnamed fishing village nearby to Castle Warg grew into Wolfsport, the largest trade port on the west coast of The North. Wolfsport is also home to a small fleet built by House Seastark to defend against Ironborn and Wildling raids…

The Trident, 281 A.C.

Consciousness came to me slowly, the soreness of my body coming with it. Must've drank too much again... was the stray thought that graced me first. Eyes still closed, I groaned and opened them, squinting to adjust to what I think is the morning light.

The sight that met me when they fully opened was the interior of a small tent and not my bedroom. As I tried to get up, I felt a soreness all over my body like I had gotten into a fight or something. I looked down at my stomach and saw it bandaged What the hell happened last ni-

A sudden, splitting headache assaulted me as I shut my eyes and grit my teeth. My brain felt like it was going to burst out of my skull as a flood of foreign memories washed over me.

Memories of a large castle of stone and wood and a grand hall where he attended feasts hosted by his family.

Memories of a training yard, where he spent countless hours learning the blade under Captain Donnel.

Memories of his family back home, younger brother Edric, his younger sister Breyna and his cousins Wyman, Jonnel and Yara and his mother Brienne nee Glover.

Memories of his father Torrhen Seastark, the tall, proud man raising him to be the future Lord of Castle Warg. The same man the most recent memories shown being cut down by what I think was a Kingsguard at the Battle of the Trident.

I winced at the memory even as the pain in my skull began to lessen. Apparently after watching my father be killed in front of me caused me (or is it him?) to scream in rage and attack the maybe-Kingsguard.

Looking at it objectively, I was damn lucky whoever he was that he was injured and tired before he even fought my father. Even uninjured and fueled by pure, unadulterated rage the bastard still managed to almost run his sword through my gut before I managed to stick him in the neck. I was doubly lucky that he missed. My luck must have promptly ran out because I was unfortunate enough to immediately get hit in the head with a mace and blacked out.

Wait. These aren't my memories. I thought to myself as some of my "normal" memories returned.

Memories of a suburban home in Northern Virginia playing video games but the faces of his family are blurred.

Memories of going to college, graduating with a major in history and working at Colonial Williamsburg, the faces blurred again.

Memories of being drunk with blurred-faced friends, getting behind the wheel, blinding lights, the sound of screeching tires…

I gripped my head as the pain returned with a vengeance. After a long moment, the pain began to recede and I could begin to think clearly again.

Right. I thought to myself as I looked around the tent to see I was alone.

I looked down at myself again and noticed my body seemed different. My body seemed to be younger and fitter than I remember. Instead of the twenty-seven-year-old body with a beer gut that never went away after college, I stared dumbly at a somewhat muscular sixteen-year-old body.

I moved my hands across the six-pack abs wondering if any of this was real, then pinched myself and felt a small sting. Feels real.

I looked around my tent and saw a suit of armor with a dent in the breastplate on a stand with my house sigil on it. A running black direwolf on a field of two horizontal stripes, the top one white, the bottom one cobalt blue. Seeing the sigil made me freeze as a name enter my mind: Hugo Seastark.

The name made me realize two things: The first was that I was in Westeros, specifically after the Battle of the Trident in 281 A.C. according to the "native" memories. The second is that Hugo Seastark and House Seastark should not exist because they didn't exist in the books or show.

What made the realization even more surreal and unbelievable is that despite this non-canonicity, I did know House Seastark. Very well in fact.

House Seastark was a custom house I made as a sub mod for a Crusaders Kings 3: A Game of Thrones Mod. The sub mod basically added House Seastark to Sea Dragon Point as a cadet branch of House Stark sworn directly to them. Complete with a full family tree and history so they could be playable across multiple bookmarks, a restored Warg King ruins renamed to Castle Warg (with premade military buildings) and a nearby port town called Wolfsport (with premade economic buildings).

I was no longer in my world; I was currently playing- No. Playing isn't the right word. I AM Hugo Seastark! I thought.

Hugo Seastark was the first character I created for sub mod. He was created for the 284 A.C. start date after Robert's Rebellion with the backstory him being a new lord in the North after his father dies at Battle of the Trident.

But then why is it 281 A.C. according to my memories from here? Right after the Trident no less? That doesn't match up with the books or the mod.

Footsteps caught my ear as I look to the tent flap being pushed opened by a tall but lean young man with shoulder-length brown hair parted in the middle like mine, and as he entered the tent, I saw his blue-gray eyes zero in on me. He saw me awake and smiled as I recognized him as Wyman Seastark, my cousin and oldest son of Walton Seastark, my uncle and my father's right hand and castellan.

"Hugo"! he cried in a relieved voice and wrapped his arms around me and hugged me close, causing me to let out a hiss of pain as my head began to hurt again. He immediately let go.

"Thank the Gods you're still alive! I thought we lost you too!" He said as the image of my father getting cut down flashes before my eyes.

"Father…" I mumble but my cousin heard me.

"Aye but you got the whoreson who killed him." He paused for a moment. "Do you know who it was and how fortunate you are to be alive?" He continued excitedly.

"A whoreson in pretty white armor?" I reply sarcastically.

"Not just any whoreson in pretty white armor. You killed Ser Jonothor Darry of the Kingsguard!" he exclaimed with a wide smile on his face. That made my eyes widened. So, it was a Kingsguard after all!

"Wyman" I start to say as visions of the battle flash before my mind briefly. "How long was I out?

"In a coma for two days, then briefly went woke up only to get a nasty fever that left you delirious for four days. My father and I were afraid our house was going to lose you too." he replied as my eyes widen.

I process the information. It sounds like the coma and fever was when my soul slipped in and… merged for a lack of a better word with Hugo's soul.

"What happened after the battle?" I ask as I try to recall the aftermath of the Battle of the Trident from what I remember from the books and show.

"After you lost consciousness, I managed to get you out of there. The battle was over at that point after Prince Rhaegar was killed by Lord Robert Baratheon. Lord Stark ordered us to gather our dead so their bones may be taken back to the North, including your father's." He paused briefly. "He and my father gathered the remaining horsemen left of both our houses and rode out two days ago with the Baratheon vanguard to King's Landing. The Lions finally decided to join the war on our side and are also marching to King's Land but for some reason Lord Stark wants to get there first?"

"Probably because they don't want Tywin Lannister getting there first and sacking the city we're supposed to liberating from the Targaryens." I reply absentmindedly as my mind starts to race.

"Hmm. That makes sense I guess." He responds and I'm reminded through memories that despite Wyman being a year older, a great sailor and a talented fighter, was kind of a moron when it came to politics.

Probably why I made him my admiral in my campaign. That and he had the Content trait. I mused before thinking about the upcoming canon events. The Sack of King's Landing, Aerys being killed by Jaime Lannister, the murder of Elia Martell and her children, the death of Lyanna Stark. Fuck, that's a lot of important canon events in a short amount of time and I'm too injured and far away to affect any kind of changes but more importantly,"

"What happens now?" I say the last apart aloud for my cousin to hear.

"Our soon-to-be King Robert was also injured in the battle and has recovered enough to travel so we march for King's Landing in a few hours but I'm going to get a Maester to look you over to see if you're in marching shape." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" I say, stopping him. "While you're at yet, can you get someone to bring me food and water?"

"Aye. Will do." He gives me a lazy wave as he exits the tent.

A few minutes later two servants come in, one bringing a plate of eggs, sausage, bread with a pitcher of water. I thanked them both before proceeding to devour the food in front of me while ignoring the strange look they gave me as they left.

A few minutes after I was done inhaling my food and chugging a pitcher of water, a middle-aged, portly man with salt and pepper colored short hair walked in. I didn't bother to learn his name when he introduced it as I let him give me the Westerosi equivalent of checkup. He gave me a clean bill of health once he was satisfied that my fever had gone but insisted to keep strenuous activities on the march to a minimum due to the head injury. I bid him thanks as he left.

As I started to get dressed to get ready to march all I could think was: What the hell was I gonna do when I got to King's Landing?

A/N: Hey, long time lurker here finally deciding to get off his ass and try to write his own timeline. The only things I'll tell you guys is that this my first story and I'm aiming to not use any AI. I wanted to do an SI fic but wanted to add a twist to the premise and this was the result after playing a CK3:AGOT campaign as House Forrester. Tell me what you guys think of the chapter and premise. Be honest! I'm looking for constructive feedback and criticism to improve my writing. Thanks for reading!
A/N2: I have a few chapters already written on other sites that I'll upload here daily until caught up.

 

[kaizerfox]

Chapter 2

On the Road to King's Landing, 281 A.C.

The march to King's Landing from the newly named Ruby Ford takes roughly 8 days. I now know this because we were starting the fifth day of our march outside of Antlers, seat of the recently surrendered House Buckwell, and halfway point between the Ruby Ford and King's Landing. Four days has given me a lot of time to think while riding on horseback at the pace of the marching levies.

One of my first thoughts in those four days was which version of Westeros was I in, books or show? Judging from the banner colors I guessed it to be a mix of both. The Stark banners (and by extension my house banners) have the running direwolf of the books while the Boltons have the red, white, and dark blue flayed man of the show and the year being 281 means it's following the show's timeline.

This was immediately followed up by Wait. If I'm from a house I made for a CK3 mod, do I have console commands? After testing this out by thinking and speaking out loud (alone) words like "menu" "status" "console command" and nothing happening, I concluded I didn't possess any cheat powers.

I wasn't going to let that stop me from making changes to canon. I was arriving to King's Landing the same time as Robert Baratheon, which means Tywin Lannister will have already sacked the city and killed Elia and her children by the time we get there.

Can't change that. But maybe there are other things I can do, starting with this. I thought to myself as I sat in my tent and fiddled with what looked to be a circular, wooden powder box in my hands. One perk of being a lord is being able to have people do stuff while you're busy, like gathering the materials needed for me to pull a MacGyver. My thoughts were interrupted by my cousin entering the tent nursing a hangover.

"You looked like you had fun last night." I noted, deliberately talking a little loud and laughing at his grimace.

"Yeah, well, you'd have that fun last night too if hadn't left early." He replied before his eyes settled on what I was holding. "What's that?"

"The reason I left early last night, your servant Dagwell finally brought me the last thing I needed to make this." I handed him the box, he removed the saw two small nails, one painted red facing the entrance, tied to a strangle looking metal in the middle.

"Move around the tent and tell if you notice anything about the red nail." He did as I ask and began to slowly walk around the tent. I chuckled when I noticed his pace quicken, eyes widened but fixed solely on the nail.

"It always faces the same direction!" He turned me and sputtered "What magic is this!"

I rolled my eyes "No magic, the secret is the sticky stone." Sticky stone is local name for lodestone, at least in the North. I don't know about the other kingdoms other than the sticky stone Dagwell bought was from a wood witch of all people. From Hugo's memories, sticky stone was vaguely known throughout the North as a metal that makes weak iron and thus isn't mined or looked for. In Sea Dragon Point, sticky stone was more widely known a metal used for toys and knick-knacks thanks to a natural deposit near the village of Flatmire south of Castle Warg.

"The sticky stone causes the red nail to always face North, so you always know which direction you're going!"

Wyman eyes widened even further than I thought possible as he grasped the implications. "Imagine if our sea captains had this! They could sail as please without having worrying about hugging the coast or not being able to see the sun or stars! It could give us an advantage over the Ironfuckers" His voice grew more excited as he talked.

"Aye, that's the plan. Give all the captains of the Sunset Fleet one of those and we'll finally be able to match the squids in open water!" The Sunset Fleet was a fleet of 25 war galleys owned by House Seastark and the biggest butterfly their existence has had on the North. In canon, the west coast of the North is poor, rugged, sparsely populated, and subject to frequent Ironborn raids with the occasional Wildling raid thrown in for flavor. The existence of House Seastark and the Sunset Fleet changes that…somewhat. The fleet is just large enough to protect Sea Dragon Point and the Stony Shore from the usual Ironborn raid and working with the Mormont fleet of 10 war galleys, can protect Bear Island, the lands of House Glover and the Northern Mountain Clans from Wildlings. This has led to these lands being slightly richer and slightly more populated with Sea Dragon Point especially having more people and wealth than canon. Except Cape Kraken, those poor bastards are too far away and the fleet too small for us to effectively protect and get hit with extra raids due to the Ironborn throwing a tantrum they can't reave the rest of the North so if anything, they're worse off than canon.

"We can show this to the King today!" Wyman cut me out of my thoughts.

"The what?" I say caught off guard.

He chuckles. "Oh right. You left before the King announced who was riding with him today." King Robert (he wasn't king yet but everyone has been calling him one since the battle) chooses two houses each from the North, the Riverlands, the Vale and the Stormlands to personally ride with him and Jon Arryn each day with the roster changing to prevent favoritism.

"Who else is with us?" I ask.

"House Bolton and us from the North, Houses Cobray and Grafton from the Vale, Houses Bracken and Blackwood from the Riverlands, and Houses Fell and Buckler from the Stormlands."

"Sounds like an interesting bunch." I say as I start get ready.

A few hours later…

It did turn out to be an interesting bunch. After the greetings and polite courtesies, or in the case of Lord Blackwood and Lord Bracken, starring daggers at one another and quickly muttering greetings, the group rode and chatted before eventually splitting into two groups centered around the future king and future hand. King Robert had the Corbrays, Brackens, Blackwoods and Bucklers along with Wyman roaring with laughter at some jest, while I was in the group with Jon Arryn, Edric "the Silveraxe" Fell, Royce Bolton with his son Roose, and Gwayne Grafton with his son Gerold. We were discussing the politics of the realm and what was happening in the capital now that word had reached the army that the Mad King had been deposed and killed with the city sacked when I finally spotted an opportunity.

"It's deplorable that the head of the Alchemist Guild, a smallfolk no less, was made Hand of the King. Just goes to show how far the Dragons have fallen." Lord Gwayne said in a tone I can only describe as snooty. I saw the other lords nod and murmur in agreement.

"Aye, you speak true Lord Gwayne." I say giving a nod. "Though I admit to being more worried about the wyldfire they've been making than the damage to the prestige of the Iron Throne." The looks and murmurs and confusion were my only answer.

"Think about it. We had a Mad King known for liking wyldfire far too much making the head of the Alchemist Guild, the only people in the realm that knows how to make the stuff, Hand of the King and giving them free reign. If that wasn't bad enough I heard whispers from merchants how the guild was buying up ingredients in bulk, ingredients known or suspected to be used in the production of wyldfire."

"If that's true, then why didn't the Mad King use it against us or Lord Tywin?" Asked Edric Silveraxe and I shrugged.

"Probably didn't get the time to use it. Lord Tywin was let in to the city in the mistaken belief that he was on the Mad King's side only for him to take over before they could use it."

"How do you know about what the merchants of King's Landing are whispering." I hear Jon Arryn ask in a polite, yet skeptical tone.

I keep a calm face while scrambling an excuse in my head. "It's no secret my house trades a lot with the Westerlands and we've built ties with some of their merchants, merchants that also have a presence in the capital. It is through those merchants that I heard those whispers and if I've heard them, then it is possible Lord Tywin has as well."

"You suspect Lord Tywin is attempting to acquire for himself this supposed stash of wyldfire?" Royce Bolton said in a voice barely above a whisper. I ignored his and his son's creepy stares and shrugged.

"I don't claim to know Lord Tywin's objectives but there is a possibility that he knows of the wyldfire and if he does, do you really think he'd pass up the opportunity to seize it for himself." I respond to Royce but glance over to Jon Arryn giving me a calculating look. He opens his mouth to speak-

"WHAT SORCERY IS THIS!" is heard followed by a cacophony of excited and confused yells originating from Robert's group. We look over to see Ser Lyn Cobray pointing at something being held by the king but a small crowd of men blocked us from seeing what. As our group began to make our way over to investigate, we see Robert laugh and wave us over.

"JON! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!" he boomed. As we got closer I could the king was holding a familiar round, wooden box. My eyes widen as I frantically check my saddle bags only to find no DIY compass. My gaze shifts to Wyman as Jon Arryn positions his horse next to Robert's to get a closer look at my invention. Wyman's eyes finally meet mine and he smiled sheepishly when I gave him a hard look that promised a talk later.

"Ah cousin! I was showing them your wayfinder." Wayfinder? I wondered briefly before suppressing a groan and a facepalm. I wanted to call it a "compass" like from Earth but Wyman complained that it was a bad name and that "wayfinder" was better. Looks like he got his way after all.

Before I could berate him for stealing my "wayfinder" I heard Robert call out "Lord Hugo! Did you truly make this with your own hands?" All the lords around him, which I noticed included men from several houses that weren't invited to ride with the king, snapped their heads to me and I was bombarded with a tide of comments and inquires.

"Made with his hands like a commoner!?" "What magic did you use?" "No way a Northerner made this!" "How much gold do you want for it?" "Make me one and you can marry my daughter!"

"Alright, alright, calm down and give him some room to breathe!" Robert raised his voice and quieted the crowd. "Well?" he looked at me questioningly, "Did you?"

"Yes, your grace I did make it with what materials my servant could acquire on the march." I answered.

"How does it work?" He immediately asked. I told him what I know about magnets and how they work (which admittedly isn't that much) and told him the citadel probably knows more than me on the subject. I saw his eyes (and those of several lords) glaze over as some or all my scientific explanation went over their heads.

Jon Arryn cleared his throat when I was done and spoke: "These wayfinders would be most useful for the ship captains in the Royal Navy." "You're right Jon!" Robert exclaimed as life seem to return to eyes. "Lord Hugo, can you make more, not just for me but for the Royal Navy once we deal with those damn dragons?" he asked with intense stare

"Ah... Sure your grace, I'll need a workshop, some hands to train and gold to buy the materials but it can be done." I replied, slightly taken aback and the king beamed.

"Good, Jon will sort out the details with you once we get settled in the Red Keep." He smiled and handed me my wayfinder back and trotting away to leave me with stares of the gathered lords. I spent the rest of the day's march answering questions, working out purchase orders from interested lords, and politely turning down marriage offers. Wyman is definitely getting latrine duty. I thought darkly to myself.

By the time we reached King's Landing, I was pretty damn sure everyone in our army from noble to smallfolk was talking about my "magic box".

A/N: Our SI brings his first invention to Westeros, tries to warn Jon Arryn about the wyldfire and gives some exposition on the North. Not much to say on my end other than wanted House Seastark's existence to have noticeable butterflies in the North while not changing canon too much. The North is overall stronger with House Seastark's existence, but not that much stronger and that new strength is concentrated solely on the North's west coast with the exception of Cape Kraken.
Hope you guys enjoy!

 

[kaizerfox]

Chapter 3

Storm's End, 281 A.C., Two weeks later…

Well, the past two weeks has been interesting. The last three days of the march was dealing with the fallout of my idiot cousin revealing my invention to basically the entire realm. That night I made sure to verbally rip him a new one in a long, unhinged rant that I'm pretty sure hammered words like "confidentiality" and "operational security" into his head. I then put him on latrine duty for the rest of the march, a very humiliating punishment for a noble. If how he's acted lately is any indication, then he seems to have learned his lesson.

Once we got to King's Landing, the army camped outside the city while Robert led all the lords to the Red Keep. I was in the throne room, off to one of the sides with Wyman and the other lords and it was surreal.

The unoccupied Iron Throne loomed over us as I watched a young Sean Bean furiously arguing with a young book-version of Robert over the death of Elia and her children while a young Charles Dance and book versions of Jon Arryn and Jaime looked on. I spotted my uncle, Walton Seastark, across the room when Ned Stark stormed out in anger leaving a red-faced, furious Baratheon behind. Jon Arryn awkwardly called court to an end but not before announcing the Alchemist Guild, for siding with the Targaryens, was to be disbanded with all living members declared outlaws to be brought to the crown for justice.

When the court dispersed, I walked with Wyman toward my uncle but was cut off by Jon Arryn telling me that we would meet to discuss the wayfinders after the siege at Storm's End was lifted. I told him that was fine and suggested looking in the sewers for any surviving pyromancers, he nodded but commented that he would be stretched thin for manpower once the army marches off to Storm's End. I volunteered Wyman and two dozen men to help Jon Arryn search the sewers, ignoring the former's look of dismay. When the lord of the Eyrie accepted Wyman into his temporary service, we parted ways to join up with my uncle.

My uncle Walton Seastark was tall and bulky man in his mid-thirties with the classic Seastark brown hair and blue-gray eyes who could hug with the strength of an Umber. Catching up with my uncle, he talked about his ride with Ned Stark to King's Landing, the sack, finding the Kingslayer on the Iron Throne over a dead Aerys before bragging that he was going to accompany Ned Stark in the search for his sister before asking about the rumors of a magical box and why his son smelled like shit. I laughed and told everything that happened after I woke up including volunteering Wyman for sewer duty and showed him the wayfinder. I felt vindicated when my uncle smacked Wyman upside the head and berated him for giving away a massive advantage for our family.

My and uncle and I marched out with Ned Stark the next, leaving Wyman and the volunteered men behind to search the sewers for pyromancers and wyldfire. The way I saw it, if Wyman fucked up and blew up the city, at least I wouldn't be there.

It took us ten days to march to Storm's End, which gave plenty of time to get to know Ned Stark. Hugo had met Ned only once when he was five about a year before the second-born Stark son left to foster in the Vale so this was the first time formally meeting him. We bonded over the losses of our fathers and how we both became lords due to this war. He asked about the wayfinder he heard murmurs of and I showed him. When I saw he was impressed by it, I told him to keep it, as a gesture of friendship between their houses and when he said he couldn't accept it, I told him at least use it to find his sister.

When we arrived at Storm' End, everything played out like canon, with Mace Tyrell and the Reach army breaking off the siege and bending the knee. I didn't see Ned before he and his group rode off for Dorne, but I did see my uncle before he joined him. I told him the night before; I had a greendream of a pregnant she-wolf being kept in a tower of joy by three Kingsguard in the Red Mountains. Even though I could tell my uncle didn't believe me, I did manage to convince him that picking up a healer or a midwife on the way wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Which brings me to the present, sitting at feast in Storm's End surrounded by Northern lords, wondering if I've done enough to help Ned save Lyanna or deal the wyldfire under King's Landing. The atmosphere of the feast is an odd mix of jubilant, yet subdued for the obvious reason that the castle and it's inhabitants just got done with a grueling months-long siege. As I was in conversation with Lord Slate and Lord Fisher of the Stony Coast about the Sunset Fleet, Stannis calls out to everyone.

"My lords, MY LORDS, we have received dire words from my regal brother and the Hand! Large caches of wyldfire have been found in the sewers beneath King's Landing and after interrogating the pyromancers they uncovered a plot by the Mad King to place barrels of wyldfire beneath the city to detonated when he lost the city…"

I couldn't hear the rest because the hall erupted into noise as I leaned back into my chair. Well, that's one problem taken care of.

 

[kaizerfox]

Chapter 4

Storm's End, 281 A.C., the next morning…

Well I'll be damned, Wyman managed to redeem himself. The details were sparse, but word from King's Landing was that Wyman led a patrol into the sewers and stumbled on a cache of wyldfire under the Sept of Baelor the day after Robert's coronation. There was no news on Jaime or Varys but considering they both knew of the plot, they were probably answering some very awkward questions.

Stannis led a march the next day to King's Landing with the Stormland Houses of Bolin, Fell, Cafferen, Grandison, and Estermont along with all the Northern houses. The Reach houses and Redwyne Fleet left for home after surrendering and bending the knee. I was riding with my two lordly uncles Lord Rogar Glover and Lord Osric Fisher with their sons, and my cousins, Galbert Glover and Owen Fisher.

The Glovers use to control Sea Dragon Point but when the land was gifted to my ancestor Benjen Seastark, the King of Winterfell raised the Glovers from a masterly house to a lordly house to smooth over ruffled feathers. This promotion, along with marriages like that between my father Torrhen Seastark and Rogar's sister Brienne, seemed to work as House Glover carries no grudge for the lost land and instead see us as a vital ally. House Fisher of the Stony Shore, not to be confused with a younger, unrelated House Fisher in the Riverlands, was one of two major lords of the Stony Shore with the other being House Slate of Blackpool. Both houses were once petty kings during the Age of Heroes until they were conquered and vassalized by House Stark. Much like the Glovers, it took a few centuries of marriages and the Sunfleet Fleet's protection from most Ironborn raids for them to warm up to House Seastark. Osric Fisher was married to my father's younger sister Ellena Seastark.

The topic of conversation was, what else, news of the wyldfire in the capital.

"Do you think the Kingslayer and the Master of Whispers, what's his name, Varyon, knew about the Mad King's plot?" Asked my cousin Owen Fisher.

"Varys." I absentmindedly correct him. "I have no doubt they at least knew something; the real question is what punishment are they going to get?" I continue.

"I bet you the King will execute them both!" Declared my other cousin Galbert Glover.

"No way Tywin's gonna let them execute his son. They'll kill the Essosi but send the Kingslayer to the Wall!" Owen countered.

"Wanna wager two silvers on it?" Galbert challenged. "You're on!" replied Owen before turning to me, "Hey Hugo, you wanna get in on this?"

"Sure, I'll put two silvers on the Kingslayer taking the black but Varys escaping to Essos." I reply.

Galbert laughed. "Ha! This will be the easiest bet ever!" Both my uncles merely shook their heads at the exchange.

"Lord Seastark!" I turn to find a young messenger in Baratheon colors. "Prince Stannis requests you're presence immediately!"

I nodded and followed the messenger on horseback until I reached the front of the army where I met Prince Stannis, Prince Renly, Davos Seaworth, and Ser Eldon Estermont. I greeted them, making sure to bow to Stannis and Renly, wondering what he wanted to discuss. Davos and Renly wore smiles, Ser Eldon gave me a calculating look, and Stannis looked like someone pissed in his soup… So basically how Stannis normally looks.

"Is it true that wayfinder always points North?" Renly asks excitedly before being quieted by Stannis.

"Lord Seastark, my brother has made me his new Master of Ships and tasked me with rebuilding the Royal Fleet. He also tasked me to work with you in implementing these so-called wayfinders into the fleet." He said, putting noticeable skepticism into his tone when he mentioned my invention, while giving me a hard look. "Well. Where is this miracle device?"

"Apologies, my prince, I don't have it. I gave it to Lord Stark before he left for Dorne." I replied, trying to keep it short and concise since I know Stannis hates flowery words. Ser Ealon's face didn't change, Renly and Davos looked disappointed, and Stannis grinded his teeth. "How convenient… Does Robert take me for a fool?"

"With all due respect, my prince, I gave it to Lord Stark to aid him in finding his sister, your brother's betrothed." I say, emphasizing the last word. "But if you wish to see a wayfinder, I have enough materials to make one tonight and enough sticky-stone to make…" I pause to calculate based on size and weight of the bag Dagwell gave me while ignoring Stannis quieting Renly's excitement, "Ten more in King's Landing."

"Do so." Stannis curtly replies before continuing "This 'sticky-stone', where does one find it?"

"I don't know about the South but there is a large natural deposit with enough to supply the crown for decades if not generations in Sea Dragon Point…" I began to say .

Stannis narrowed his eyes and cut me off, "And you want to set up a contract with the crown to be the sole supplier?"

"Well, Lord Arryn did put me in charge of making wayfinders for the Crown, and that includes sourcing out the necessary materials, wherever they may be found." I counter.

Stannis considers this for a brief moment, "Make me a wayfinder tonight and I'll decide if they're worth the investment of my brother's coin." He gestures to Ser Ealon. "My uncle, Ser Ealon Estermont has been named the new Master of Whispers and wants to know how you knew about the wyldfire."

"Oh, they executed Varys?" I asked but Stannis grinds his teeth again.

"No, the eunuch disappeared and has been declared an outlaw for his part in the plot."

I nod and absorb the news. Interesting, he's probably headed for Pentos. That's half a bet won. No idea how good a spymaster Estermont is but at least he wont' be plotting against his nephews.

"Erm, I can take over from here nephew." Ser Ealon, a stocky, grey-haired man in his early fifties buts in before I can ask about the Kingslayer. "Come. Ride with me." He gestures away from the group and I follow him.

As we ride, he flashes a disarming grin, "So, you heard that the Alchemist Guild was buying ingredients in bulk from a merchant from the Westerlands, correct?" he asks, studying my face.

"Yes, that's correct. Any word on the Kingslayer's fate since we know what happened to Varys?" I say, noticing the subtle interrogation he's giving.

"No, that has yet to be announced. Do you remember the merchant's name?" He probs.

"No, my father knew him but he was slain at the Trident. How likely do you think the Kingslayer takes the black?" I deflect.

"Not as likely as you'd think. When did you or your father get word from this merchant?" the grin doesn't change.

"Not sure when it came, it was already there when I recovered from the battle." I noticed we were heading towards the Northern banners.

"Before I let you go, just answer me this:" his grin vanishes and he whispers, "Why do you think Lady Lyanna is pregnant?"

"W-what?" I whisper back caught off guard and he pounced.

"You told your uncle to find a midwife, you wouldn't do that unless you thought it a high probability."

I close my eyes and exhale through my nostrils, wondering how anyone heard us when we were alone, before looking Ser Ealon in the eyes. "Yes I do think it's possible she's pregnant and if that's the case, how will the king react?" I whisper.

He contemplates for a moment and whispers. "Knowing my eldest nephew, he'll rage, scream obscenities, and destroy furniture for a day before calming down enough to listen to reason. Whether or not he'd want to continue the betrothal is another question." He turns his horse around to leave as we reach the Northern banners. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lord Seastark." He says in his normal voice with a nod and rides off.

Later that night…

I smile as I watch Renly hold the second DIY compass I've made in this world, bouncing excitedly as he shows it to Ser Davos, who looks at it in astonishment.

I smile when Stannis begrudgingly admits that it isn't a mummer's farce and agrees to support my proposal to be the sole supplier of sticky-stone to the crown.

I smile when my eyes met Ser Ealon's and he flashed a knowing grin, and kept that smile when I wondered: Did I fuck over Jon Snow before he's even born?

 

[kaizerfox]

Chapter 5

King's Landing, 281 A.C., 9 days later…

The rest of the march went by without much happening. I met with Stannis and Ser Ealon a few times to finalize our proposal to the Small Council. The proposal was the creation of the Wayfinders Guild, a new guild controlled directly by the crown tasked with creating wayfinders for the new Royal Fleet. The guild would sell to everyone as a way for the Iron Throne to make money but the Royal Fleet would get priority over everyone else. The exception was the North, where House Seastark would get a monopoly on wayfinder sales on top of being the sole supplier of sticky-stone to the Iron Throne. The first grandmaster of the guild would be chosen by Robert (or more accurately, Jon Arryn) but I would choose his second-in-command, so I chose Dagwell.

Coincidently, Dagwell arrived yesterday after I sent him out to see if he could scrounge up any more sticky-stone. After five days of searching, he brought back enough for an additional six wayfinders, purchasing them from another woods witch. What are woods witches using magnets for? I have no clue and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know.

As we were leaving the Stormlands, I found out where some of the wyldfire was going when we encountered a small caravan guarded by House Buckler transporting several barrels of the stuff. We gave them a wide berth when we marched past them.

I learned later that night from Estermont that Robert was taking sole control of the wyldfire with the priority was getting the stuff out of King's Landing. Some of it was being sent to Storm's End and Summerhall to put pressure on Dorne. Normally ships would be the safest and fastest route but with the Targaryen loyalists still controlling the Narrow Sea islands and blockading the Crownlands with what remains of their navy, that's a no-go for the foreseeable future. When I suggested the Night's Watch would be a great place to send some, he thought about it for moment before agreeing to bring it up with his nephew.

When we arrived, King's Landing was a hive of activity as barrels were moved one at time either towards to docks to be ferried across the Blackwater or out one of the gates. The army was camped outside the city but the highborn rode to the Red Keep because, not surprisingly, it was the first place cleared of wyldfire. Prince Stannis and his uncle left for the Small Council chambers while I roamed the Red Keep until I found Wyman in the courtyard.

"Wyman! Thank the Old Gods you're alright!" I exclaim as I hug him. "I see you've been busy." I break the hug. "What happened after you found the wyldfire?" I ask.

"We marked the location and reported to Lord Arryn immediately, it was chaos after that. A city-wide search was ordered and the next day some Vale knights found a pyromancer named Beris who confessed to the plot and gave the details he knew." He said as we walked around the Red Keep. "The Kingslayer was imprisoned but the eunuch escaped. Tywin, of course, raised hell over it. I obviously wasn't there, I was moving wyldfire, but long-story short: The Kingslayer's on his way back to Casterly Rock!"

"What?! How?" I looked at my cousin in disbelief. He shrugged.

"They didn't want to put him on trial because he'd probably beat anyone in a trial by combat and Tywin saw his chance to get his son out of the Kingsguard, so a deal was made. The Mountain and Amory Lorch in the black cells and a big fat 'loan' to the crown for the Kingslayer, or should I say 'Ser Silence'." He replied.

I chuckle at the Jaime's new nickname. "That can't have been a popular decision."

"Oh, it's definitely not. There's already a lot of whispers that the Lannisters are getting off easy, this is only adding to that. But guess what?" Wyman stops and looks around. My eyes scan the surroundings to find we're alone. Satisfied that we won't be overheard, leans close and whispers with a smile. "I'm being rewarded for finding the wyldfire, the King's giving me a boon! It hasn't been announced yet but I asked for something our family has been seeking for centuries…"

My eyes widened as I whisper back "Wait. You asked for a…"

"City charter for Wolfsport!" he finished with a giddy look on his face and I hug him again.

"Ok. You're forgiven for the wayfinder fuck-up." I laugh as I break the hug. A city charter was a big deal. It meant that Wolfsport would become the sixth and newest city in Westeros and that the owners, House Seastark, would pay half taxes to both liege and crown and have the authority to set their own custom duties and mint their own currency among other benefits. When I told Wyman about the contract I set up with Stannis to be the sole supplier of sticky-stone to the capital, he somehow got even more giddy. We calmed down and continued our walk confident that House Seastark was going to get a massive boost to its income.

The Red Keep, a week later…

I stood proud next to Wyman after he had just received the city charter for Wolfsport to the astonishment of the courtiers in the throne room. I ignored the looks and whispers of confusion, wonder and envy as Dagwell stood with a wooden box containing the first three official wayfinders made by the Wayfinders guild.

With the crown throwing a good amount of coin and artisans my way, setting up the guild was pretty straightforward. I sent a raven to my mother, Brienne Seastark, updating her about the situation in the capital and the new contract with the crown. I ordered that the small quarry of sticky-stone that existed near the castle of Flatmire be expanded as soon as possible and to prepare ships from the Sunset Fleet for escort duty to Seaguard. I then commandeered a workshop and trained only Dagwell and the new Guildmaster, a merchant from Gulltown whose no doubt Jon Arryn's catspaw, on how to make the wayfinder and they'll train future workers.

"Your Grace, as Lord of Castle Warg and Wolfsport, I am most honored by your generosity and I would like to honor you with a gift. The first three wayfinders made by the new Wayfinders Guild for you and your brothers." I smile and gesture to Dagwell to give the box to the King. The King opened the box and took out the wayfinders and before long all three Baratheon brothers were looking at their new wayfinders impressed or in Renly's case, ecstatic.

The wayfinders in question were about the about the size of a fist, painted in the black and yellow Baratheon colors with the house sigil on top, though Robert's stag had a crown. They were made of wood with hinges in the back to flip open, where the holder would see a red needle that pointed North.

"Thank You Lord Seastark!" Renly beamed at me. Stannis gave me a firm nod and I could have sworn the corners of his mouth curled slightly upwards. Robert looked at his and laughed "Ha! Good to see that new guild is already producing results!" Thank you, Lord Seastark for the wayfinders and thank you Lord Wyman for finding the wyldfire and alerting the realm of this dastardly plot by the Dragons!"

Wyman and I went to the sides of the room to spectate the rest of court. Not much happened until a messenger ran into the throne room.

"A raven from Sunspear, your grace, the Martells send word that Lords Eddard Stark, Howland Reed, and William Dustin were captured near the border making their way to Nightsong with a pregnant Lady Lyanna Stark. They were taken to Castle Wyl where she gave birth two days later to a boy. They are being transported to Sunspear as their 'guests'." The throne room exploded into chaos as lords and ladies whispered amongst themselves about the scandal of the most recent developments.

"TELL THE MARTELLS, IF THEY HURT A SINGLE HAIR ON NED OR LYANNA, I'LL USE ALL THE WYLDFIRE THE MAD KING MADE TO BURN SUNSPEAR TO ASHES!" Robert, red-faced, bellowed at the messenger before storming off screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs, mostly aimed at Rhaegar. Jon Arryn signed and awkwardly dismissed court for the day.

As I left the throne room with Wyman, I felt a sense of accomplishment in preventing the death of Lyanna Stark. That feeling evaporated when I looked at my cousin's confused and fearful face and I stiffened in realization. They didn't mention uncle's name!

A/N: Not gonna lie, deciding on Jaime's fate was hard and I'm not sure how realistic this is. Wanna hear your thoughts.