CHAPTER 6

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Congratulations my Lord. It seems that our Lady has birthed twins," Mark cried ecstatically by Rickard's side.

Rickard was impatient. He cursed his good-sister for barring him to enter. All he could do was wait. And that was something the wolf-blooded men of the North was incapable of doing. He was filled with emotions that he couldn't reply to Mark's congratulation. He just placed his hand on the boy's shoulder indicating that he as grateful to have him by his side.

After an agonizing length of time the third and final cry that Rickard expected rang out. This was it. His children have finally opened their eyes to the world. He smashed his fist on the door hammering it so that the other party knew of his impatience. Had he had access to the great war hammer that his family had passed through the ages, he would have smashed the door down to enter. Luckily this section of the castle forbade the admittance of any kind of weapon.

Finally he heard the click of the lock being turned and the door opened. He pushed the door with all his might sending the surprised maester flying away and almost ran to the side of his wife's bed.

She was drenched in perspiration and looked extremely tired. But the smile on her face made up for the hardship she went through. Branda and the four midwives had already cleaned his eldest child and it was in its mother's arms. The other two were under the careful attention of the midwives as they were being cleansed and carefully examined for deformations and other problems. Not that they would have it as Rickard knew that his gift from the gods would never be tainted by birth defects.

He knelt by his wife's side as she happily cooed at the baby who was staring intelligently at its mother. It was a girl. His eldest child was a girl.

"Look at her Rickard… isn't she beautiful? Look sweetie… this is your father…," Lyarra showed the girl to him.

He had to agree. She was going to be a devastating beauty. Lyarra was one of the most beautiful women in the realm. She even had courtiers arrived from many major and minor noble houses in the South before her father announced her engagement to him which earned him quite the ire from the southern nobles. Their daughter had her mother's features with some he believed were from her past life. He also could see a touch of him in her here and there which was almost negligible unless you looked for those features specifically.

The usual dark grey eyes of the Starks were replaced by eyes that were light grey with a silvery sheen on them. They glowed silver as light reflected on them. It was enchanting and quite captivating. Those tiny eyes held so much wisdom that it humbled him. He didn't know whether his children remembered their past lives… but he was not going to question about it ever. They had painful lived and he didn't want to bring it up… ever. He would do his utmost to make them at home in this world. Maybe their memories were cleared out by the gods before sending them here but they were extremely intelligent.

"What is her name going to be Rickard? Personally I think Lyanna would match her. But there is something missing…"

"Her name… will be Zoe. Zoe of the House Stark, the first born child of the Lord Paramount of the North, the silver rose of Winterfell," he replied to his wife with emotion as he tried to pry his daughter away from his wife. Lyarra reluctantly handed Zoe to him but lightened up when her sister handed her second born son to her.

He could see some recognition flash in little Zoe's eyes when he proclaimed her name. She raised he tiny hands and gripped his beard as he brought her close. He was filled with parental instincts. No matter whom she was in the past she was his little girl now. And the troubles that were aimed at her would have to pass through him as he would protect her to his dying breath much like he would do for her two little brothers. But secretly he was pleased to have a girl because he knew that it was girls who loved their fathers more, not that he would say it out loud.

The room was filled with action. The six women in the room had clearly discarded etiquette and were flocking around his children. The same went to Mark. He was the only person to accompany his Lord to meet his children for the first time. Rickard noted that Walys was rather subdued ad waited patiently near the door which reminded that there was much to be done for the safety of his kingdom.

He handed Zoe to Branda who promptly made a fuss about her eliciting little giggles from the child.

He took his second born child, the eldest of the two boys from his mother's side and looked at him intently. This child was going to be his heir since the Great Houses required a male to inherit the lands ad rights. Compared to the other two children, he was a bit larger. Grey eyes with a tinge of red stared intently at him. Rickard could tell that this child would be almost identical to him when he grew up almost like his elder sister would look like their mother. Rickard instantly knew who this child was. He was Charles. And he was going to name him Charles because it felt right.

"Charles of the House Stark… my first-born son… the heir of Winterfell… may you lead your people to prosperity and protect your kingdom."

Much like his sister the child reacted to his name.

"Charles? That doesn't sound like a Northern name… and Zoe too," his wife noted. "But for some reason I can't think of another name that would fit him."

"I can't think of the reason as well," lied Rickard seeing that there were many outsiders present in the room. "It just… fits."

Lyarra nodded as she lay down in the bed trying to stay awake during the naming of her children. After all this was a historic moment since it was the first triplet to ever to be born into the Stark family.

"Any you my child, you will be Perseus. You will be the shield which your brother can depend on… the sword which slays your enemies… the guardian of the North and storm of Winterfell," he proclaimed as he took his youngest child from his mother while handing the eldest to one of the midwives.

Perseus had grey eyes that shone with a greenish hue. Mush like in his previous life his hair was unruly and he seemed to have gained features of both him and his wife. He could say that Perseus was the amalgamation of his parents while his siblings represented an extreme.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. And his children proved that. All of what they were in their past life was contained in their eyes. Zoe had silvery eyes depicting her time under the silver eyed goddess she served. Charles had a reddish tint depicting his time as a smith in the forge and his affinity for fire. And Perseus had a greenish hue in his eyes depicting his affinity to the seas and the time he spent controlling it to do his bidding.

"Mark… go tell the kitchens to ready for a feast. Tonight we celebrate!" he exclaimed at Mark who was peering over Charles and tickling him now and then making odd faces earning laughter from the said child.

"Yes sir," he said and raced away to relay the orders. Along the way Rickard could hear the boy yelling the news about the triplets to the soldiers and servant in the hallways. Rickard had to hide a smirk because he knew before soon the entire North would be aware of this historic birth and masses would be flocking to Winterfell to congratulate him. It seemed like the upcoming days would be filled with activity in the huge castle.

"Enter," Rickard Stark commanded after his visitors knocked on his solar door. It had been four weeks since the birth of his children and he couldn't be more euphoric than he was in his entire life. To play with the three cute babies after a long day of managing the lands was like a meditation to him. To see his children look around in wonder and to see his subjects adore them… the feeling was indescribable. He now knew why his father said that his children were what gave reason to his life. He wished his father was here to see the births of his grandchildren.

It had been a busy month. Dignitaries arrived left and right to offer congratulations and well wishes. The Cerwyns were the first to arrive. It wasn't surprising as they were the closest noble family to the Stark holdings. Then the Umbers, Karstarks, Glovers, Ryswells, Dustins, Flints, Tallhearts and the other nobles arrived one after the other. Every day was a celebration since he had to host these guests. The Boltons, Manderlys and the Reeds were the only noble houses that didn't arrive with the other guests. Roose Bolton had sent some of his followers as he had deemed that he was too important to arrive in person by giving a vague excuse. Rickard was seething at this slight and was determined to show the Bolton his place as soon as he got the chance.

The Manderlys were a different story. Wyman's wife had give birth to a daughter and the Lord of the White Harbor was busy with that and apologized for not being there. Rickard sent his gift and congratulations to Wyman. He was one of the guests who were arriving today as he said he wanted to speak about something important with Rickard.

Rowan Reed was also arriving today, stating that he too had something important to discuss and it was better to do it after all the hubbub had calmed down.

The door opened and the portly master of the White Harbor and the short crannogman wearing his iconic green hood entered the solar.

"Congratulations, my Lord. It's not every day you see the birth of three heirs at the same time," said Wyman with a laugh as he strode into the room.

"Wyman," Rickard greeted while standing up and grasping his arm in acknowledgement. The Manderlys were one of his most loyal vassals. Ever since their expulsion from the Reach and gaining sanctuary in the North under the protection of the Starks centuries ago, they had aided and answered all summons without any complaint. Manderlys also knew that they were granted an honor by the Starks since they bestowed them with the lands of the extinct Greystark line after they rose in rebellion. White Harbor was one of the richest ad busiest towns in the North and that was all due to the Starks.

"I hear you have a little girl of your own. Congratulations. From what I've heard she and my eldest boy Charles entered this world at the same time… can't be a coincidence, eh?"

"Thank you, my Lord," Wyman paused. "That coincidence is the same reason that I've decided to meet you like this… but you didn't tell me Rowan was going to be here as well." Wyman glanced at the concealed man with a little suspicion.

"You don't need to worry about that Wyman… the reason you came here is the reason which I came here. I explained to Lord Stark that I wanted to meet you both and he arranged this meeting," came the smooth almost musical reply from Rowan Reed. "Lord Stark… allow me to offer my well wishes as well. I foresee greatness for the House Stark with the auspicious arrival of the three heroes."

Rickard immediately went on full alert. Only he knew of the fact that his children were heroes in their past life. And that was because the Old Gods showed him the vision. He wasn't sure how Rowan got to know about it and he wanted to know how. The Reeds were always a mysterious family. They were loyal to the Starks to fault, but none of the Stark Lords or the ancient winter kings knew what was going on in Greywater Watch. The Reeds were one of the first families to bend knee and give up their crown when Rickon the Great Wolf, the grandson of Brandon the Builder started his campaign to unify the north more than seven millennia ago. The only demand they had was to leave them to their own devices.

Another thing that had been bothering Rickard was the coinciding births of his children and Wyman's child. He often brushed aside that thought as mere coincidence and now that Wyman was here to talk about the same thing that he had dismissed over and over again, he wasn't so sure about it anymore. The Gods worked in mysterious ways. Heroes being birthed into several houses… that was something he wished would never happen. If Mad Aerys or the scoundrel Tywin were granted children like that… the damage caused would be irreparable.

"Since it's just us three in here you don't have to stand ceremony. We are old friends after all, are we not?" Rickard said slowly as he tried to figure out where this conversation was headed. Even Wyman had a slight frown on his face.

Silence reined the room as nobody was willing to speak first.

"I'll start I guess," started Rowan with a sigh since neither of his peers wanted to start. He knew that he was the outsider and he had to ensure that he meant no harm to either of his friends.

"It all happened almost a year ago. You should know that the crannogmen have a deep bond with nature and our ancestors were the infamous Children of the forest. Because of this we can sense subtle changes in the direction the world is tilting. In the past often the old gods spoke with us to guide our people much like they did with your ancestors," Rowan nodded at Rickard who gave him a stiff nod in return and Wyman raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"I know that Rickard's three children and Wyman's girl were gifts from the gods. They were sent here to alter the fate of the world and give them a brand new start."

Rowan's words were like a massive blow on the head to Rickard and Wyman. Both looked at one another in surprise. Though they knew that their children were sent by higher beings they didn't know that they weren't the only ones.

Rickard sighed in relief while Wyman still had a bewildered look while he alternated between Rowan and Rickard.

"At least it's just our children. Imagine the danger if a child similar to this was born to a family like the Lannisters or the Tyrells… there are only four children right?" Rickard questioned Rowan.

"Yes; two boys and two girls. Both of you were shown a vision I believe. It's imperative that you take actions as to not repeat the same mistakes you did in that version of the future. The gods bestowed a boon to your families… don't squander it."

"Rickard… we must join families," blurted Wyman suddenly.

"What?"

"You know what I mean… your eldest son with my daughter. It will be a match made in heavens… because it is a match made by the heavens. I saw that in the past my child Selena was deeply in love with a boy named Charles. I believe that he is you boy. I came here because I was curious of the coincident births and the fact you named your child Charles. That is not a common northern name. In fact none of the other names you bestowed upon your children could be considered northern… 'Perseus' and 'Zoe'… i haven't heard those names even in the south. But now I'm sure. There is no other boy my child would be worthy of being wed. So let's join families."

Rickard considered it as it was actually a great and viable choice. The Manderly's were loyal and they were the second wealthiest family in the North. In the past there had not been any marital connections between the two families and this was a good time to start one because everything was going to change soon. And there was the fact that his child and Wyman's daughter were engaged in their past lives. He still didn't know whether the four heroes retained their memories and if they did, Charles would never go for any other girl than Silena. Denying him that would only cause resentment and conflict inside the family.

"I think it's a great idea," Rowan supplied.

Rickard knew that he had to eventually find spouses to his children. Marrying for love was rare. In this cruel world only benefits mattered. He knew Silena would grow into a beauty seeing that all Manderly's were attractive. Despite Wyman's ball like figure, he was a handsome man in his prime. So he took the obvious choice.

"Fine, let us join families. My eldest son will marry your daughter SIlena once they reach the appropriate age… Ahh… Lyarra will kill me for not talking to her about this."

Rowan and Wyman cracked a smile. They too knew that Rickard was under the thumb of his wife despite his massive frightening stature.

Rickard went to an adjacent cupboard and brought out a bottle of Dornish Red and three glasses. He poured a healthy amount to the three glasses imported from Lys and raised his. "May our families prosper and friendships last. To a better tomorrow."

"Hear, hear," cried Wyman and Rowan.

The three drained their glasses in a single gulp. "Man… that was good. It's been a while since I've had Dornish Red," muttered Rickard setting his glass down.

"There are other things I wanted to talk to you about," began Rowan.

"Yes," acknowledged Rickard.

"What are you going to do about the maesters?"

"What about the maester? What is going on?" Wyman questioned suspiciously.

"Maesters are spying on us. They send news on every single detail of importance to the Citadel. That is how they keep up with the important decisions. And they comply with any order that come from their headquarters, be it poisoning their lord or ruining his keep," replied Rickard slowly. This was a problem he had been searching a way to mitigate. He couldn't sack the maester without gaining suspicion from the Citadel. And even if he did, they would send another to replace him. It was something he couldn't reject as he wanted everything to be kept secret for now.

"What?" thundered Wyman. "Those bastards share our roofs, but give away our secrets… I'm going to impale Yovin when I get back home."

"Don't do anything rash. We must find a way to circumvent this without getting any attention," Rickard warned.

"I may have a solution," replied Rowan. Seeing that he got the attention of his two colleagues he began to elaborate. "All carrier ravens have to fly through the neck if they want to reach the south. Most of them rest in certain areas during their travels. I can simply divert them to one of my places with the help of a little woodland magic and intercept them all."

"Magic? You mean witchcraft still exist?" Wyman questioned.

"Yes, magic still exist thought it was being slowly eroded away for a long time. That was until your children came to this world. Now magic is slowly strengthening itself. Wyman, I know you are a follower of the Seven. But isn't it time for you to embrace the Old Gods. You have seen their power and experienced their existence. What have the Seven done for you? Those priests steal our money to offer blessings while the old gods only demand you to look after their trees. They vilify anything and everything they have no control of. They destroyed our culture, our religion. Ad Rickard... I expect something done about this on your end too."

Wyman looked stunned at Rowan's outburst since it wasn't everyday you saw the leader of the cannogmen raise his voice. in fact this was the first time Rowan was speaking to him like a true friend even though they knew each other for many a year. Wyman suspected his involvement with the Seven was the fact that made Rowan act cool towards him. Since he had grown to appreciate and witness the power of the Old Gods he once dismissed and actively chose to worship them little by little, Rowan was opening up to him. Otherwise he would never have mentioned the existence and strengthening of magic. The fact that he gained favor with the gods that Rowan revered helped too.

Rickard frowned after Rowan's outburst. This was a subject he wanted to address sooner than later. Currently only the Manderlys, Whitehills and two other houses followed the Faith of the Seven. His family had gone to great extent to keep the influence of the Andals from spreading. But it was a stalemate since the only gateway to the North, the White Harbour endorsed the religion. If the Manderlys were to give up the faith of the Seven, he could being to exterminate their influence slowly.

The first step he had to take was to find a fault in the septon of Wintertown and destroy the sept on those charges. The existence of the sept in Wintertown was just a symbolic gesture that his ancestors had to grant to show that the North welcomed all faiths since the annexation of the North by the Targaryens. Vilifying the sept had to be done carefully and now that Rowan demanded it, it was time to begin.

"I understand. I will begin making preparations," Rickard replied.

"I… I…," stammered Wyman torn with indecision. On one hand he would lose a lot of influence in the south and lose some people. It also may lead to a rebellion. But he no longer abided by the ironclad rues of the sept and he actively wanted to do something against the destruction of the properties and culture of the Old Gods.

"Don't give me that Maderly. You were given a chance by the gods. Make use of it or face their wrath. And that is something you want to avoid seeing that their influence is still strong in the North and now they are now actively paying attention to their land unlike in the past," Rowan mocked.

"Fine," growled Wyman. "I will give up on the Faith officially as will my family."

"You won't regret it."

"We'll see."

"See to it that their influence is curbed at White Harbor. Rickard can't take any action if they keep replenishing their numbers from the south."

"Fine," Wyman growled. Curbing the influence of the Seven from his family and holdings would take effort and he was not sure on how to explain it to his wife. His two sons were small enough that they could be influenced without any backlash.

"Alright… what do you plan to do with your woodland magic?" Rickard questioned getting the topic back on track.

"Though magic still exists, it's rather weak. So I can only alter the route the raven take to make a stop at a pre planned location. There my people can intercept those messages. We can keep the sensitive information from reaching the south through this. Also we can sniff out the spies in our holdings."

"Good… good…" muttered Rickard as an answer to his biting problem was discovered. Since Rowan could intercept the messages, he could slow down the amount of information reaching the south and alerting the mad king. He couldn't stop people from visiting the south, so leaks were unavoidable. But since he had already planned to keep things hidden from his own people for as long as he could, they had an opportunity.

"We can use the same method to order around the other spies within the northern holdings… in a way the southerners' spies would work for us," added Rickard.

"But won't the recipients notice that their spies have stopped replying?" Wyman questioned.

"Then we forge messages and send them in place of the originals," Rowan said after being stunned by Rickard's idea. He hadn't thought of using the enemies against themselves.

"Yes… Rowan, I believe I can trust you with this task?"

"Absolutely. My alliance is to the North… the last bastion of the old gods and I will do anything to stop it from declining."

"Good. Gather some of your most loyal men and women for this. I will give you a hundred thousand gold dragons. For now you only have to make a barrier between the north and the south. In time I want to form an organization that brokers all information. Nothing will happen in the Seven Kingdoms without us knowing. Your family and vassals will lead this organization and you can use it to gain profit as you see fit by brokering information."

"My Lord," Rowan stuttered as he was stunned at the revelation. From the time he had told his old friend about his ability to the subsequent plans, it didn't take the Massive Wolf much time to come up with a viable plan that had lasting consequences. Should this organization come into fruition, his family would be one of the most powerful families in the entire continent. Its power would rival even the strongest Great Houses.

There were few other things that Rowan confirmed through his dealings with his friend and liege lord. Rickard was not just a meathead who used brawn to smash his way through his obstacles. No… that was just the side he was showing to his vassals. He was a schemer. A deep schemer who would thrive in King's Landing. Rickard did not stop for short term benefits… no, he planned long term. Rowan had seen the same vision that Rickard saw. Even in that vision he planned for the ultimate expansion of the North by placing his family in a position of power within the Riverlands. Too bad his predictions had turned awry because of his own children, the subsequent rebellion and his demise. Now that Rickard had a new direction, he would work for the sovereignty of the North as the Stark Kings have done in the past.

Another thing was that Rickard had already started to implement his plans. Rowan was not sure what they were as Rickard kept his secrets close to heart. He doubted even Lady Lyarra knew about the plans. He would have to earn his trust little by little to be in on the secrets. It was something he could do slowly. The Reeds had to come out of hiding slowly and finally gain the position his family deserved in the vast North.

The final thing was the fact that Rickard valued loyalty and trustworthiness. Otherwise he would not have given him the money to begin something spectacular… something that was never before seen. Sure there were many spies within the Houses and Red Keep by various parties. But they were used to further their own political agenda. What Rickard suggested was to know these dirty little secrets and sell them to the highest bidder effectively making these secrets available to those who can pay. So secrets that would have circulated in certain circles would come out to light. This would make the 'Game of Thrones' in the capital more intriguing as it would level the playing ground between the Great Houses and the Minor Houses.

Rowan also knew that Rickard only gave him the opportunity because he was a close friend and loyal to the Starks. This friendship was earned by him after the brutal fight against the wildling raiders a few years back in which Rickard lost his father. He also knew that Rickard must have a plan to completely destroy him and this future organization should he prove unworthy. That was how Rickard operated.

"Wyman… I need your help to gather some people from Essos. You have to do this discreetly," Rickard added to the master of the White Harbor.

"Of course. Tell me what you need." Wyman had kept quiet the whole time as plans of Rickard were revealed a little. He too was surprised by the notion of a secret organization that brokered secrets. Adding to the fact that the entire thing was handed to Rowan just cemented the fact that Rickard valued his friends and loyalty to the Starks meant the prosperity of your own family. He couldn't wait to see what Rickard would do next. He may have joined the two families. But earning Rickard's trust was a slow endeavor. He would earn it like Rowan and lead his family to greater heights and leave his name behind as the man who propelled the Mandrlys to prominence.

"This is what we are going to do," Rickard began.

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AN

And that's a wrap. See you soon. Don't forget to review, vote and throw stones.