5 Chapter 5 AEMON

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The Wall at Castle Black, one moon before the Maester's arrival at Winterfell.

The newly appointed Lord Commander Qorgyle was in his office as he held a letter in his hands.

«Greetings, Commander Qorgyle.

I am writing to you at this moment due to unfortunate news: the maester serving me has succumbed to the cold, and the Citadel is unable to send his replacement, at least for a season. The evident winter compels me to seek a replacement, at least for the winter. Therefore, I kindly request that you consider sending your maester to serve under Winterfell, at least until the winter ends. I understand it may be excessive to ask the Watch to part with its maester during the winter, so I offer to host members of your guard, those weary and prone to cold due to age, to alleviate their burden. Similarly, upon your return, I offer that the maester carry double the supplies that Winterfell normally provides. My son expressed curiosity about the products traded beyond the Wall; if possible, I would like to trade with them for a fair price, whether in gold or food.

Signed, Lord Rickard Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell»

"So, Maester, what do you think? Would you be willing to go?"

"Hmm, Lord Stark's proposal comes at a good time. It is almost time to seek recruits, and this would allow us to have more recruits better fed. Extra food always helps to attract people. Although we will need to send the caravan a bit earlier; we could fill the carts with goods for trade. Just the shipment alone would give us more food. Also, perhaps we could send young Mance to Winterfell. The Wall is not a place for children to grow up. And I must say, I am quite curious. I will consider it for now. Prepare for the journey; hopefully, you can depart tomorrow. I will take the opportunity to send a recruitment caravan."

Present Day

"My apologies, boy. Excuse this old man, I seem to see the shadow of a great man I once admired."

"I am sure I did not cause any inconvenience to my escort, Maester, but I must admit I am curious to know whom he refers to," Ned spoke.

"Of course, lad. If you have the time, I will tell you later. For now, my old bones would appreciate rest and a hot bath, if it's not too much to ask."

"Of course, Maester. You may settle in the Maester's Tower."

Winterfell's lord's solar, later that same day.

"Thank you for coming, Maester Aemon, and again, thank you for accepting to serve Winterfell and forsaking your duties to the Watch."

"Do not worry, my lord. At this time, the Wall is very quiet. Winter arrives earlier north of the Wall, which prevents the Wildlings from even attempting to cross. Additionally, the Lord Commander is more than happy to exchange my old bones for the provisions that will accompany me upon my return. But setting that aside, it seems you will have administrative matters to attend to. If you don't mind, you should start reviewing them."

"Don't worry about that, Maester. The truth is, there aren't many matters that require your intervention."

"Hmm, lack of trust perhaps? I promise that your secrets will go to the grave with me."

"No, Maester. You should know that it was my son Eddard who recommended you, and since my son trusts you, you have my full trust."

"Oh, so your son, forgive me if I overstepped, Lord Stark, but I don't believe your children are old enough to earn your trust. May I ask the reason for your trust?"

"No problem, Maester. I trust my children because, despite their age, they are quite capable. They are the reason why matters in Winterfell do not overflow onto my desk," he said as he passed two sets of scrolls.

"The first scroll is the work of my son Brandon. It is still a work in progress, but I can see it is on the right track. The second one is from my son Eddard."

Taking a moment to read both scrolls, the Maester replied:

"Oh, you truly have blessed children, Lord Stark. Young Brandon, despite his age, is doing an excellent job with the designation of patrols, war supplies, and guard training. And this idea of rotating the smallfolk of Wintertown to receive training in formations and pikes would allow training of smallfolk without neglecting matters, preparing your levies for war so the lords would suffer fewer casualties. A notable work, indeed."

"As for Young Eddard's administrative work, I must say it surpasses even my capabilities. If this double-entry administration were applied across the administration of the Seven Kingdoms, it could greatly facilitate everything from tax collection, and we could detect frauds or surpluses in resources. Truly exceptional. I can see why you trust your sons so much, Lord Rickard."

"I must say then, I don't understand why I am needed. Perhaps just for the ravens."

"Well, you see, I have some matters that need your expert eye or an honest opinion, at least," Rickard said as he handed him a stack of scrolls.

"And well, what do you say? Is it viable?"

"I have to say it's impressive, Lord Stark. I don't need to see the results of the harvest to tell you it's most likely going to work. I still don't know to what extent, but it's impressive just for the process. Your son managed to prepare twice the projected land and sow it in half the time. Regardless of whether his crop rotation method fails, the fact that fewer animals and people are needed for sowing should exponentially increase the harvests. Although the initial investment seems a bit high."

"That's what concerns me, Maester. Iron plows, tanned leather straps, and these seed drills, they all need not only a lot of material but also skilled workers in smithing and carpentry. If I wanted to apply it to the whole North, undoubtedly I would encounter resistance. Northerners, as you know, rarely change."

"I think we could find a way, Lord Stark. Perhaps, by the time winter ends, we'll have a proposal. Of course, if you permit me."

"Of course, Maester, please continue."

"Lastly, there's one more situation, a somewhat delicate one. You see, after Maester Walys's death, purely by chance, I discovered that the maester's loyalty lay more in the south than in Winterfell."

"Oh, Lord Stark, how serious is it?"

"It seems I will not trust maesters from the south for the rest of my life."

"I understand. I'll reach out to some old friends. There are still people at the Citadel who haven't forgotten me. Maybe I can obtain information from the assigned maester. Would that be all right, Lord Stark?"

"I would greatly appreciate it."

"Hmm, one last thing, Lord Stark. I don't ask you as a maester, but as a man. Maester Walys? He..."

"HYPOTHERMIA, Maester Aemon, before I found out, if I had discovered it, he would spend the rest of his life in the crypts of the Boltons."

"I understand. Have a good night, Lord Stark."

"Good evening, Maester. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all, thank you for visiting this old man despite your busy schedule, Young Lord."

"No problem, Maester Aemon."

"I must say I was quite surprised that you recommended my name to your father. Not many remember this old man in the south."

"Not many care about the Wall in the south, Maester. But I've always enjoyed reading and discovering history."

"It seems you not only read, young man. From what I've heard, you're a natural inventor. Your father and I agree that if your tools were to spread throughout the North, it would help the smallfolk live better."

"Thank you for the trust, Maester Aemon."

"But let's set that aside, it seems others have more important questions," he said as he looked at the giant standing behind the boy. "So, what's your name, lad? Tell me what you know about your history."

"Daniel, Maester. My father was from the north; he was a knight in service to the Starks. My mother, on the other hand, was a servant in the castle."

"And what about your grandparents?"

"I must say, Maester, I don't know."

"Wait a moment. Your name is Daniel?, but everyone in the castle calls you Duncan. My parents do, even Grandma Tata."

"Haha, so I'm not the only one confusing you. It seems I can answer that, Young Lord. It's also the reason why I called your escort that. You see, decades ago, there was a knight like no other. Not because he was the best with the sword or the bow, nor for his many feats.

He was like no other because of his way of life. A Knight with impeccable honor who had the legacy of being the only wandering knight who trained and named a prince of the realm. My brother Egg ascended to the Iron Throne as King Aegon V Targaryen,

Ser Duncan the Tall." Two voices said at once.

"So, Maester, are you saying that Dunca… I mean Daniel resembles Ser Duncan?"

"Oh, lad, I think there's more to that story than you realize. On my journey to the Wall, in the company of Ser Duncan, we arrived at this very castle. He introduced me to three people, but at the time I didn't understand what it was about.

When we were a day away from reaching the Wall, he told me he would stay in these northern lands to live after escorting us. When I asked him why, he said he had a family in Winterfell, a wife and a son, who were under the care of the mother's grandmother. Those were the people I met before. I don't know why he returned to King's Landing. I thought maybe his family had died, but now that I see Daniel, I realize that his lineage was not lost. That answers your question, Ser Daniel."

"Thank you," Daniel said, speaking for the first time in the entire conversation.

"Haha, just old stories, son, nothing to thank me for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to speak with Lord Eddard alone for a moment."

Daniel exited with a bow.

"Now, lad, do you think you can explain to me what other projects you're working on at the moment?"

"Of course, Maester. You see..."

After a few hours of conversation.

"Here, lad, it seems you have quite an impressive gift for languages. During our talk, I switched languages more than once, from High Valyrian, the common tongue, and some phrases in the ancient tongue, and it seems you have no trouble understanding and responding in the same language. From your expression, I can tell you're not even doing it consciously."

"But, Maester, how is that possible?"

"Oh, lad, the world has more magic than you think possible. My ancestors rode dragons while yours could see through the eyes of beasts."

"If what you say is true, Maester, how can I control it?"

"I don't know, lad, but I would recommend that you continue studying these languages. Perhaps with practice, you'll manage to control your gift, much like a warrior controls his bow: by practicing when to aim and when to release."

"Thank you, Maester."

***

Watching the Young Lord leave his solar, Maester Aemon prepared to go to bed.

"Perhaps seeing the Godswood before bed will help me sleep a bit," he said as he exited the Maester's Tower. Standing in front of the imposing Heart Tree, Aemon remembered the last time he was here. "

I still feel like a stranger in these lands. Despite all this time, nothing has changed around here."

"You have no idea how right you are, lad," replied a voice.

"By the Seven, but how is that possible?"

"The Seven have no power in these lands, Little Aemon. After so many years in the north, that should be clear to you."

"I apologize, my lady, but the question persists. How can it be possible?"

"Magic, little dragon."

"But everyone knows that magic died with the dragons."

"It is true that some magic was lost long ago, but some, like the shadow binders in Asshai, the water healers, and the moon mist among others, persist and cling to the dwindling condition of the world."

"And you, my lady?"

"Just as your family is tied to the volcanoes and the steel, there is ancient magic still tied to this old kingdom. Someone as cursed as you should feel it."

***

Six moons after that night.

"Seriously, I apologize for the inconvenience we caused you, Maester."

"I apologize as well for not being able to stay longer. My presence is urgent at the Wall with the arrival of spring. I regret not being here to receive Maester Castos, but according to the patrol, he is less than 2 days' journey away."

"I think we can survive two days without a maester."

"Haha, with capable people like you, I doubt a maester would be of any use or even necessary," Aemon replied.

"Maester, I can only thank you for the help you provided to the Starks. You will always have a place at our table, and if you accept retirement, you will share my roof until your last breath."

"Thank you very much, Lord Stark, but I believe I still have plenty of time left in my watch."

"Now, if you don't mind, allow Young Eddard to accompany me to your carriage. I would like to speak with him one last time."

"Of course."

"You know, Young Ned, I could have been a king once," said the maester, breaking the silence. "As it's written, I was a prince, third in line to the throne, but I decided to join the Citadel to serve the realm. As you must know, many misfortunes befell my house during that time. The death of Daeron, the madness of Aeron, the Blackfyre Rebellions, among other varied misfortunes."

"After Daeron's death, I remained as a maester in the Citadel until my father's death. When he went to King's Landing for the Great Council of 233 C. A. the Iron Throne was offered to me, but I rejected it and chose to join the Night's Watch, passing the crown to my younger brother, King Aegon V. History says it was because of my vows or to prevent any attempt to overthrow the new king, but what history doesn't know is that I did it out of fear."

"But fear of what, Maester? Fear of the crown?"

"Not at all, child. When Daeron and I were young, we got lost in the Red Keep. You know, for such a young fortress, it's filled with ancient powers and secrets. There we met a being, neither man nor beast, born of hatred and repentance. In the brief interaction, the being tortured us, marked us with fire and blood, like the motto of our house."

"He cursed us, cursed the dragon's children with death and madness. Three days later, when they found us, they said we had only dreamed it because we were in perfect condition despite the starvation. I'm sure Daeron's death, Aeron's madness were part of his curse."

"My brother Egg, who didn't participate in that misadventure because he was too young, found out later and became obsessed with saving us. He sought answers during his journey with Ser Duncan, from the North to Dorne. In the last letter I received from him, he assured me he had the answers to end the curse: DRAGONS."

Egg became obsessed with the idea of bringing back the dragons. He had septons praying over the last dragon eggs, and maesters consulting ancient scrolls. He even financed journeys to Asshai, the place where, according to legends, the Valyrians learned to tame dragons. I am sure that the tragedy of Summerhall was his last desperate attempt to save us from the curse. Mad, yes, but not for power, but for love. Love for his house, for his children, and for me, the most cursed of all dragons."

"I will tell you something that you must keep in your heart. This I tell you as Aemon Targaryen and as a representative of my house."

At that moment, Ned's eyes gleamed.

"The being that cursed me said something before ending me. He said that the end of my house would come from the north, with ice and vengeance. So I joined the Night's Watch to confront whatever came from there and seek to end my house.

But I finally understood, Young King. What will end my house is not as far north as I thought. The ice that will pierce the heart of my house will not come from walkers or storms."

"What do you mean, maester?" Sorry for asking say NED

I FORGIVE YOU, Eddard Stark.

I can only tell you one last thing. The same thing I told my brother before taking the throne. When the time comes, kill the boy, Eddard Stark. Winter is coming. Kill the boy and let the man be born.

...

..

"Thank you, my Prince."

AEMON TARGARYEN

THE DAMNED

LEVEL 60 > 52

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Edrick Stark's Diary

Entry number 8

I have summoned all the healers, ice witches, and wizards of the north, and they all come to the same conclusion: we are healthy, healthier than we should even be. But we are sterile. We will never be able to have children. My lordship will not pass to my sons, nor to the sons of my sons. It will pass to my nephews, but they have decided to honor us, even though my sister-in-law is also a daughter of the Barrows.

Her second son will bear the name Dustin when he inherits the lordship. My wife is the last of her name, the last of the Barrows, but her blood will endure. Magic does not extinguish because names change.

He is sad, I can see it. Perhaps letting him stay in the north for a while, perhaps caring for the Stark children, will cheer him up. He could teach the next Lord Dustin.

_________________________________________

HI readers

The country's labor laws require me to undergo continuous checkups to see if I am still fit. Your incapacity, you know, and the healthcare system is inefficient, to say the least. Tomorrow I will go for tests. I don't know if you want me to tell you that I'm already better or not. Haha, a strange feeling, but well. Tomorrow I won't be able to upload a chapter, but if I have time and feel like writing after the doctor's appointment, I will upload a chapter on Tuesday. So, see you until then. Have a good start to the week.