29 A Talk with Rickard Stark

Winterfell, The North, 12th moon of 277 AC

Ragnar was seated at the Winterfell's Godswood, it was a peaceful place to be, and it's calmness helped Ragnar to organize his thoughts. The Godswoods was a beautiful place; the red leaves of the massive Wairwood three contrasted with the snow so marvelously that Ragnar felt breathless. Few things could compare to this. Gods had this fantastic tendency to like beautiful things, and the wairwoods trees were indeed beautiful.

" I didn't think I would find you here. I didn't know you believed in the Old Gods. I thought you had different gods in your homeland," said Rickard Stark, who had newly arrived; his voice sounded calm. Ragnar looked at him and saw that his face held a small smile.

" The old gods are strong here; they look after you and your family… my lord. I admire you Lord Stark. The whole north respect you and your family, from the poorest of the small folks to the wealthiest of the Lords. You are a good leader. I hope your successor turns out to be even better." Ragnar said; he turned his eyes to the dark pond by the heart-tree roots.

" You are the wealthiest of my lords; should I feel honored that you both admire and respect me? You, the greatest warrior in the realm!? Defeater of Ser Barristan the Bold and the legendary sword of the morning?" Rickard joked, and Ragnar laughed.

" You should; few men had ever had my respect, fewer my admiration, and only one had both. You remind me of him. You are pretty similar." Ragnar replied, and Rickard smiled.

" How old are you, my friend. You don't look older than two and twenty name days. Although your beard makes you look older." Rickard asked; Ragnar smiled a sad smile and looked at Rickard

" Old. Probably older than you but not older than Walder Frey. I'm a master of the arcane. I studied under master Neloth of House Telvanni, a mage who has seen past his 1000th name day. I learned his methods." Ragnar said as he shot an ice spike at a nearby tree. Rickard didn't seem afraid, just surprised.

" Can anyone learn your magic? Do you have to sacrifice blood to be able to use magic?" Rickard asked

"I believe all can learn. You see, people of this land can't use magic. It's as if something is blocking the magic of this land from going inside a person's body, but if I were to infuse my magic into a person's body, then the block would cease to exist. And no, I don't need blood or sacrifices to use my magic." Ragnar replied.

" Impressive. What can you do with this magic? Can you bring the dead back?" Rickard asked with hope in his eyes.

"My magic can't bring the dead back to life. It can reanimate bodies to fight for the caster, similar to the other's magic, but it's not my field of expertise. You should let your wife rest, Lord Stark. Death is not something to be feared but something to be welcomed. I know it sounds hypocritical coming from a man who will live hundreds of years, but once death comes for me, I shall embrace it as the old friend it is." Ragnar said with a sad smile, which Rickard mirrored.

" I understand, Lord Dovahkiin. Do you plan on teaching this magic to anyone, or will you keep it exclusive to your bloodline?" Rickard asked

" No, I will teach it to all who want to learn. I plan on having a system similar to those of the Maester. One court mage for each lord of the north. They could help so much, healing magic would make death by childbirth vanish. The mages would be able to make the farmlands more prosperous and the winter more bearable. They could help to defend the realm of men of what is beyond the wall. It would also strengthen the north to a level never seen before. 20 expert mages or less could bring down a Valyrian dragon easily while defending the troops from its flames." Ragnar said; he had already convinced Rickard on "healing magic." the rest just made the idea better in Rickard's mind.

" Aye. I like your idea. If you need anything from Winterfell or House Stark you should just say. This idea of yours will be implemented as soon as possible. It will be really beneficial for all if what you say is true." Rickard said.

"It would take me five years to train one mage for each of the 44 major Lords of the North. A class of 50 mages, although big, is manageable. It would be better if they were young—no older than five and ten." Ragnar said and Rickard nodded.

" Would you teach women as well?" Asked Rickard

" I was about to talk to you about that, my lord. I want my class to have 25 men and 25 women. Although men usually have more magic, women often show more control over their magic, which is better than raw power." Ragnar said, and Rickard smiled

" That's good; it will not offend House Mormont and their she-bears. The only demand I have is for you to take only nobles for this first class of yours. I would also like to foster Benjen under you. I plan on building a fortress for him on Sea Dragon point and making him the warden of our western shores. Your experience in managing an island would help him a lot." Rickard said

"Aye, it would be good if you announce your decision to the Lords at the final meeting tomorrow. And it would be an honor to foster little Brenjen. I will teach him many things, from magic to sword and axemenship." Ragnar replied

" Good, one more thing, although you are a Northman through and through, you were still not born in the north, and as such, you marry into the north. You can choose which Lady you want to marry. It needs to be done before the end of the following year." Rickard said and Ragnar's face went sour

" Aye. I understand your reasoning. The only Lady I know is Lady Dacey and truthfully, she's extremely attractive to me, but I would like to court her first. I would ask Lord Mormont to send her to Skagos with whoever else he chooses from his family to study magic under me so I can court her. If it works out, I'll marry her. If not, I'll let you choose another lady on my behalf. Just as long as the lady in question is older than eight and ten." Ragnar said.

" I'm sorry, my friend. I wish there were another way, but unfortunately, that's how it has always been. If it makes you feel better, I wouldn't force you to do that; if you were already in love with someone else, I would not be that cruel." Rickard said and Ragnar gave him a small smile.

Rickard and Ragnar spent most of the day talking about small matters; Ragnar and Rickard ended up becoming good friends; Rickard would speak about the history of House Stark, and Ragnar would listen and offer him a reflection from time to time.

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A/N: Hey guys, here's today's chapter. There will be a time skip on the next chapter.

Thank you for your support.

If you have any interesting suggestions about the plot other than the rebellion, you are welcome to share. The Rebellion will happen but with some differences.

If you haven't read the books, please do so. Euron Greyjoy's plot will be REALLY explored in this fanfic on the future.

Once again Thank You for your support. 🙏