Hardhome Harbor
Humans walk the earth pretending to be it's rulers but in truth, they are very weak in the grand scheme of things. Their ability to think has allowed them to own some part of the lands. Olivia doesn't want a lot in life she just wants a home and affection directed at her.
As a child she wished for a mother, as an adult she wished for a home where she is surrounded by people who adore her. She is now in a city that she built herself the people around her care for her and for now she accepts this much because she has two dragons and a lrge snake.
Her dragons can talk to her and comfort her when she is feeling down. Even Lola can wrap herself all over her body in a tight hug to show her love for her. If life may continue like this it will be nice but she needs to get stronger if she wants to keep these loved ones safe from the clever plans of the south, from the violent wildlings outside her gates and from the night king and his ever growing army of the dead.
She had put ther roots in a place with a lot standing in her wayto a peaceful life. The crazy part is that she prefers it to the human suffering across the narrow seas or the politics of the south. Initially she had chosen the cold true North for its isolation from the world, this is just asimple obstacle to remove so she can enjoy the fruits of her labor.
A large bathing pool has been filled with lukewarm medicinal solution. It will help her strengthen her body. It will be painful but she will gladly take the pain. This has been going on for a few couple of months now and she can see the results.
Her skin is beautiful and soft to the touch, but is tougher than iron it you attack it. Olivia's body is very strong now which has also increased her magic pool. This is why she is having subsequent breakthroughs one after another. The size and power of her dragons is now very large.
She entered the pool and as soon as she settled the waves of pain hit her. The skin feels like it is peeling off.
She will harden the tendons, the muscles, blood, bones and skin. Not in that order but the last step is the organs which is the most dangerous part because if she makes a mistake she will die. The process is not pretty but it is necessary if she wants to go up against the night king.
Knowing this and having experienced many others who died from the process she decided to rest after finishing the current process and deal with organs if it is necessary. Olivia doesn't think clensing and strengthening of her internal organs is necessary if she just wants to kill the guy.
That is for gaining semi immortality and to be able to harbor tremendous amount of power. Olivia thinks her battle with the night king is more of a beating than magic spells fight.
Two months later, the royal convoy made it to the neck. The sight of the Moatt alone told the visitors the North is no longer the vast emptiness they have known it to be. They were granted entry but that didn't make them feel safe at all.
It felt like sheep entering a wolf's den. Everyone has their own thoughts, the queen is burning with hate and jealousy. The road alone is a magnificent sight. Then they entered the towns and saw how the people are living in the North.
For a long time no one in the convoy said anything to anyone as they moved and watched the faces of the small folks, the shops and the items offered in these shops. They were horrified to find the soap is three times cheaper here and they have a free clinic in every new town.
The nail in the coffin is when they saw the living standards in the places they called orphanages. Those kids are clean, wearing warm and looking like they eat lavishly. The inns provided luxuries and the beauty of the pale Northen beauties is just icing on the cake.
Ned welcome the convoy with his family as is customary. Olivia is not there and the king had wanted to meet her again and pusnish her for her actions against the Citadel but Ned tells him of her leaving her home.
Sansa heard their conversation but she couldn't hear clearly she heard the king asking for her half bastard sister himself. As the legitimate first born daughter of the warden of the North her place is rocky if the king is even thinking about that bastard.
What if she is legitimized and Sansa is reduced to being the second born daughter of the Starks? She looked to her mother and saw the sadness in her mother's eyes. Mother always said it was that girl's fault that she was being treated poorly in her own house.
Mother also told her not to listen to the teachings of her Northen teacher. As a girl she is to be beautiful and obedient to her husband. She doesn't want to be an abandoned woman like how Deamon Targaryen treated his wife.
Sansa is confused about who is right. She wants to listen to the person brought in with great care by her lord father, but mother tells her that he prefers Olivia to her and if given the chance he will cast her aside for her bastard daughter.
All she has to go into marriage with is her tittle as the first born daughter of the house of Winterfell. If she js stripped of this tittke then she will be passed over for a good marriage. She has to do something before that low born bastard takes whats rightfully hers.
Her eyes roams the descending crowd and lock eyes with the prince. He is so handsome. Her heart beat loudly against her chest, she must be the most noble of the woman in the north of marriageable age to the prince. If he picks her for a bride, her bastard sister doesn't stand a chance against the tittle of princess consort of the seven kingdoms.
Her smile became brighter and overly eager as the prince smiled at her back.
Beyond the wall, Olivia's dragons have grown accustomed to casting a barrier spell in order to isolate Olivia's screams. Today is the last day of the strengthening process or atleast her basic strengthening process. Good thing because she ran out of the main ingredient.
It is a flower that blooms on iron wood trees. She can accelerate the process of it blooming but she found the medical effects are not the same so she has chosen to wait. This much is fine for now.
She went to the roof because she can feel a breakthrough coming. This has happened at least four times since she started the strengthening process.
She and her dragons are very powerful now. She can handle almost four times the amount of magic she could handle before which is about six times what a normal red woman can unleash on a normal Tuesday. Most importantly she can now ride her dragon Morpheus, she is very strong but because of her large size she is not as fast at Aeryn.
Aeryn is very large too but not as large as Morpheus. They have gone out into the sea because she doesn't want to fly them near the territory of the king of the dead.
After her breakthrough she rests then flies on the open skies. This feeling of freedom and lightness is exhilarating.
"How are we doing?" She asked her master at arms.
"We have reached 55 thousand." Caine answers.
"I recommend we stop recruiting for now and focus on training. I go for quality over quantity." The soldiers are also using her meds to get stronger and the ones about poisons and adaptability to any environment.
She can not work so hard to grow an army and then have it poisoned or dying from the cold environment.
"These numbers don't include the 7 thousand guardians of the city that only answer to you. It includes the 20 thousand wildlings who joined because they have old and young at home." Ah yes, Mance Rayder is a compassionate man. He allowed the soldiers with old people who are basically wasting food and the young people who are useless to his course to join the Haunted city.
Two months ago Olivia found Mance Rayder waiting for her when she came back from the south. He was camping dangerously close to her home.
"Are you here to ask for death?" She walked at stood in front of him.
"Come on in. I have tea." She said remembering her going through his things.
"What sort if deal did you make with the crows?" He asked her handing her a cut of tea.
She took the tea and looked at him before she entered the tent. "I won't allay myself with you to go invade the south, they don't start anything with the Haunted city." She drank the awful tasting tea.
"Is this piss?" She frowned.
"It's..."
"Tea. Goodness, young people have such weak stomachs now days." An aged woman entered smiling at her expression.
"That's because we know where to get sugar. From the plants, the sweet plant old lady."
"You say you made a deal with the crows?"
"Yes. It's a truce of some sort."
"Did he tell you yet?"
"Tell me what?" Olivia looked at Mance.
"I also want a truce with you."
"I am not fighting with you." She said trying to blow on her tea. The old woman laughed loudly.
"What I mean to say is we have alot of old and yound people that can not fight. If you take them..."
"No. I am not the savior. Give all your useless men and you are left with all powerful soldiers. It must be my pretty face that makes look stupid." She is about to say more when Mance stops her.
"You get 20 thousand capable soldiers." He said making Olivia smile.
"Good man. Even this pig piss doesn't taste as bad." She said taking another sip.
"Which brings us to the recruitment of other Castles." Olivia looked around the table it is clear they are now integrating into their roles. The way they carry themselves has changed and after making profits from the formulas made them understand the power in they hold and it's significance in this city.
"It is harder to integrate the wildlings than we had originally thought. But after seeing that there is no need for their old life here, the punishment for those who break the rules were harsh and the lives of those quick to adjust become visibly better. It is a slow pace but it will prevail."
It is easy to see that Vince has lost a lot of weight. But he is not alone.
Olivia stood up suddenly because she felt a dark presence of black and sinister magic. Someone is in her city. After finishing her strengthening process she reinforced the magic runes around the city. It has gotten to a point where they will pinpoint a dark magic user to her if they are inside her city even if Olivia is across the world.
She saw that everyone has stopped talking and are now watching her. She coughed lightly and sat back down. "Continue."
When she was coming back from a late lunch she felt the one who came for her is now in the kitchen. She ordered something to drink and when the drink came it is full of poison.
She put it aside. "Come on in." The woman came in but is it really her? Morpheus created a barrier around the room.
"I suppose asking you who sent you will be useless?" The woman just raised her dagger and started attacking Olivia with intention to kill.
The woman is a professional but even her hidden weapons are useless to her as they either bounce off her skin failing to penetrate and cut her or they miss due to Olivia's quick reflexes.
The room bevmcame a mess with the furniture being used as cover.
The assassin realized her target is no ordinary person and decided to give it her all. Olivia realizes this is the real start of the fight. The woman made a scream and her body became shrouded in shadows.
Olivia tilted her head. Shadows? Do shadows burn? She didn't release her destructive flames but the purifying flames and they acted as though they are alive chasing after the sinister aura, they reduced the woman's power to nothing and she had to use her body and weapons like before to continue to fight.
But this is no longer useful against Olivia who has seen through her fighting style. When her poisoned dagger aims at Olivia's neck, her eye is invaded by a long knive and it comes out to the back of her skull.
She didn't want to take chances and incinerated the body throwing away the ashes. "What a thrill. I wonder what's next."
"People wanting you dead amuses you?" Aeryn asks her tilting the small white head.
"Very much." She admitted.
Each castle has a product to sell and people now know of their location.
Olivia didnt have a secure harbor before, but her hard working buiders quickly made a secure harbor at Hardhome. This was brought forth by the council members at a meeting that their products needed a base where buyers will come to get their hands on the unique items the city produces.
At first they asked if the city should open its doors to the outsiders but Olivia was against that Idea. So a harbor was built with the condition that non of the castle masters having any power in the harbor.
The harbor will be designed with this in mind. They are all provided space to sell their products and all of them will rent to the harbor master Olivia. She can not risk having them growing their influence like weeds and then use them to strangle her economy. She still needs to have more money than any of them.
This place has a bad history with Bravos taking away wildlings to sell as slaves so she insisted on a strong secure harbor where everyone will be safe. Just in case, she increased the scope of her runes inadvertently increasing her territory by magic standards.
When her father is busy being foolish and going south, she is having a large wall built in hardhome to make a small city a way from her home. This is where she will make more money through selling her products to the ships.
The city is finally built with the entire place having a pleasant warm feel and a charming atmosphere. Some of the local wildlings have now come over to the city to try and make some living although they still need to survive the haunted forest to return.
Many months later, a wall went up covering hardhome it is not as tall as the haunted city wall but it is magnificent in its own right. There is an open and clear city inside the wall with majestic city gates. It is easy to see this place was built planning for defense against invaders.
There is concrete floor with cobblestone design of white concrete and black obsidian round stones covered in a thick fire proof paste. The snow, and even dust slides off the walls.
There is a clear place for ships to dock and goods to be loaded. Two inns, a few bars and other shops for renting out to aspiring shop owners. The city provide absolute protection all you have to do is follow the rules and pay your rent.
There are North style apartments a small distance from the busy streets. Clear streets light, flushing latrines and morden water systems. The apartments section has other public facilities like a small school for children who do not know how to write and read.
There are play grounds and entertainment places were they watch plays meant for kids. The apartments are separated from the city by walls and gates. Indestructible glass was used for the windows and warm stone for the floors. It is many times smaller than the Haunted city but is beautiful and many times better than other harbors in Westeros including the ones in the North.
The product are now being sold in great quantities. The city makes more money and the locals benefit. It had only been three weeks since the harbor officially opened and the residents rented some shops to sell their own items when the slavers came.
It is obvious they came with the intention to probe her defences. Arkar and Seun have improved the bombs to at least three times their initial damage. Olivia has set up the defense of the harbor to be absolute but she delighted in the fact that when the enemy comes knocking, there is no reason for them to return.
Morpheus flew to the boats at the very back of the line and unleashed her black flames. It is at night but they still realized they are pretty much fucked.
The boats threw attacks at them but Olivia also has knew skills now. She can compress her fire into small balls that will quickly grow stronger and bigger when they hit a target.
Fourty ships are quickly turned into ashes. Olivia can float so she sneaks near the boats and drop a few of her bombs and in the end only twenty ships remained. The ones with foreign slaves captured.
Olivia got in the boat and assassinated the enemy leaving the slaves un harmed but she doesn't want them to stay in her city so she let them drive the ships back.
She and Morpheus lurk in the darkness watching to make sure none of the enemy make it out. Olivia hasn't made the dragons presence known because they can shrink their size and why show all your cards?
The residents saw the 'real' power of the Haunted city and they realized the city let Mance Rayder jump around at that time. Those foreign slavers were not shown the same courtesy.
Olivia knows there are spies living in the places provided in the harbor city for rent pretending to be wildlings so she is aware the Southerners will lust over her things now. She has already solved this kind of potential problem otherwise she would never show her bombs to the public.
She knew of the approaching ships, she would have gotten rid of them before they made it to the light but she had decided she will not be disappointed again. Olivia loves her father that she has accepted but he disappoints her.
This place she made with her own efforts, she will not let the people she chose to keep by her side to disappoint her. Morpheus and Aeryn let her use their magic for a powerful spell.
This spell was used by powerful magicians who worked for kings to make sure that every soldier, cook, squire, are all of one mind. First it discourages you from committing an act of betrayal towards your comrades, if you have willed your heart to do so against all discourses you get a heart attack and die. Unless the one you have wronged in this case her, Olivia Snow forgives you and spares your life.
This magic is so powerful that if you violate one of the stated rules you are punished. A mormal human wouldn't have done this spell even those of the old would perform sacrifice to gain the power to do the spell.
Now that they know what she has, they are going to work hard to steal it from her.