Tower

With a loud bang, a ball of hard ice shattered on the bed. Raven who had been sleeping in the bed woke up grumbling. This had been a routine already. Bran would attack him at random moments, trying to catch him off guard. Of course, he always failed.

"Why can you dodge even in your sleep?" Bran said with displeasure.

Raven kicked the now twelve name-days old Bran to the side before conjuring a brush and some toothpaste. Although he had long stopped needing to clean, eat, sleep, or do anything that humans needed, he still did those things out of habit.

"When you have enough control over the ambient magic, it becomes a part of your body. Like an extra sensory organ. You can then train it to always sense the surroundings to notice things even when your other senses aren't paying attention." Raven replied with a mouth full of foam.

Bran immediately tried to do what Raven had just said but he could only frown after exerting a lot of effort with no result to show for it.

"You're not even twelve and you already want to create a domain? Keep dreaming! Go and master the skin-changing powers and your magic first." Raven threw the toothbrush at Bran who dodged it in time but he was still sent flying.

Bran stood up while dusting his clothes and muttering under his breath. I already dodged it but he still bullies me with magic. Just wait until I become stronger, I'll send you flying too.

Hahaha. Raven started laughing on the other side as if he heard something very funny. Bran frowned while he practiced his magic.

He was already very proficient and could already create structures as large as an adult man. He had been practicing his control while sculpting people and adding as many finer details as possible.

Although he could already add details like wrinkles in the clothes and skin. Bran wanted to make it so lifelike that one could even see the woven fabric in the clothes and the tiny pores and hair on the skin of his ice sculptures.

When it came to sculpting and building, Bran would fix even the slightest bit of imperfection he could find. And this training was helping all his abilities to grow at a fast pace.

Suddenly Bran heard a strange sound and looked in the direction of Raven. There, Raven was holding a small wooden box with a long handle. He was fiddling with it and making random sounds.

"Brother Raven, what is that?" He asked curiously.

Raven smirked at Brand and didn't answer at first. He still played with the box for a while before he started making pleasant and melodious sounds from that instrument.

"This is a lute, a musical instrument. I'm feeling like becoming a bard. It should be fun. And you're already strong enough to have your own journey." Raven finally answered.

But at this moment, Bran had a strange feeling. He felt like Raven was going to go away and leave him there. He always knew that Raven was someone who wouldn't stay in one place for too long but he had thought he could follow as well.

"Brother Raven, are you leaving me here? Do you not want to take me?" Bran who always acted like someone beyond his age started to tear up.

Raven smiled, "Little dumpling wolf, I can't be with you always. You need to have your own journeys, make friends, start your own wolf pack, and live independently. I want to see you grow up and become a man of your own."

There were many things that Bran wanted to say in reply, but in the end, he only nodded with his head down. Tears slowly streamed down his cheeks.

Raven rubbed Bran's head as if he was consoling a sad puppy. "Don't worry. I will come by every once in a while to check up on your progress. There are still unfinished things I have to do here in the north."

After consoling Bran for a while, Raven disappeared into thin air in his signature style. And after a week after his disappearance in the north, a new profession was born in the western continent. The progenitor of this profession was none other than the bard Jaskier.

After Raven's disappearance, Bran was depressed for a week, but he steeled himself once more. If Raven wouldn't take him with him then Bran would become so strong that he would find Raven by himself.

The doubly motivated Bran focused even more on practicing his techniques and becoming stronger. He would also go around the village and help everyone whenever he could. Bran's fame was slowly spreading throughout the north.

//////////////////////////////

Time passed and Bran had already grown to become a strong youth in his teens. He was a head taller than most of the larger men in the north. With his large build, unbeatable strength, and kind personality, Bran who hadn't even turned eighteen name-days was already a leader in the north.

And although some people were jealous, they couldn't do much about it. After all, almost everyone in the north had heard of Bran and his legends of going against hordes of beasts and coming out unscathed.

He even had a large Direwolf by his side which he used as a mount sometimes. It was very difficult to harm someone like Bran.

On the other hand, Bran himself was also growing and learning a lot. Once or twice every year, Raven would come by to teach new things and test his progress.

"Who is this lion cub you keep talking about? Your new student?" Bran had asked on one of Raven's visits when he felt that Raven was quite close with this person.

Raven had noticed the hint of jealousy in Bran's voice at that time and laughed at him for it.

Then he replied, "Don't be so jealous, little wolf. He is an interesting person. Much smarter than you. You might even be able to become friends. You should go meet him if you can find the time when going to Oldtown to build that tower."

Bran himself wanted to see what kind of person had interested Raven. Especially since that person was supposed to be much smarter than himself. So he replied, "Sure, I'll see if it is possible."

While reminiscing about the past, Bran was walking down south to meet King Ulthor of the Hightower to design a tower for the Hightower house. It was another challenge that Bran wanted to take on. After which there would be another building that would make his name immortal in the history books.

////////////////////////////////

King Ulthor Hightower was an ambitious man. He also had the strength and presence of mind to match those ambitions, which made him a man to be feared by all who dared oppose him.

To fulfill his ambitions, Ulthor needed not just his personal power but also strong political support. And who better to provide political support than the legendary leader of the first men, Garth Greenhand himself?

But gaining the backing of Garth was a tall task. To accomplish it, Ulthor chose an unconventional method. He chose to marry a daughter of Garth and use the identity of Garth's son-in-law to strengthen his House Hightower's foundation.

House Hightower had been in the southern lands of the Western continent long before the first men arrived. On the Battle Isle where the Hightower of the House Hightower was built, pirates, seafarers, and any other travelers used it as a rest stop.

After a long time, the descendants of these seafarers and pirates who stayed on the mysterious Battle Isle and operated the Hightower which worked as a light-house started the House Hightower.

Due to their unusual history, Ulthor wanted to gain some support before expanding and he found the perfect candidate. It was Maris, one of the most beautiful daughters of Garth Greenhand.

She was so beautiful that on the first tourney held in the Western continent, more than fifty men tried to win her favor and become her suitor. Eventually, Argoth Stone-skin, a man who had giant blood in him, won with his superior physical might.

Having lost the tourney, while everyone gave up, Ulthor didn't. Argoth due to his mixed blood of giants might have a larger physique and strength surpassing humans, but he was also ugly.

Before Argoth could claim Maris, Ulthor seduced her and stole her away. Maris, who was a young girl chose the handsome Ulthor in a heartbeat. And thus, Ulthor gained the power he wanted and began to expand his power and influence.

(A/N: Maris might have decided otherwise if she had known what else was giant about Argoth.)

The Hightower at Battle Isle was a seat of power for his house. It was a symbol for them and Ulthor wanted to build a grand structure made of stone instead of the basic wooden lighthouses they kept building there.

It had to be a magnificent tower worthy of a seat of power for a great and noble House.

He had heard about the Storm King Durran and his new castle. So he immediately had someone go and check out the Storm's End castle. It was apparently so magnificent and sturdy that no wind or storm could break it.

Ulthor immediately contacted Durran to find out who designed and built the Storm's End castle. The answer came that it was Bran, a youth from the north. And that was how Bran got commissioned to build a two hundred feet tall stone tower.