Chapter 42: The undying star

White Harbor was the sole city in the North which also made it the largest settlement in the North. It was also home to the largest fleet in the North. The shores of White Harbour were the domain of seagulls. They outnumbered the ships and boats of the city three to one. He breathed in the salty scent of the beach as well as the steady hymn of crashing waves.

Harry planted his feet firmly on the sand as a wave of seawater soaked his feet. When the seawater receded the sand was filled with clams which he was all too happy to collect.

'Sansa would love a necklace made of clams.' he thought.

The Manderlys were accommodating to their presence and sometimes they went overboard to please both Robb and Harry during their stay. The day of their arrival was quite a festive affair with a lavish feast thrown in their honour with too many servings that he lost count. At least, Lord Manderly and his family seem to have enjoyed the feast more than Harry or Robb ever did.

Not that there was anything to complain about the fine spread the Manderlys prepared for their sakes. Robb has always preferred beef and chicken when it comes to meat. So, his twin's appetite took a dive when they were presented with marine delicacies. Robb being the heir to Winterfell didn't want to cause any offence to Lord Manderly. Keeping this in mind, Robb tried his luck with the seafood on the table. There were all kinds of sea dishes on the table and Robb being the courteous kid he tasted everything. So, Harry was not surprised to see Robb bedridden the next morning with a stomach ache. The Maester of White Harbor was currently looking after Robb which left Harry alone to face the difficult task ahead.

Before their journey even began, the two of them were given strict instructions by their father. Harry would say most of his father's instructions were for his benefit rather than for Robb. Anyway, he was not offended nor did he protest against these instructions because there was ample reason for his father to do so. Apparently, his exploits with magic and his unique runic crafts have garnered some scrutiny from the High Septon.

'The High Septon.' Harry scoffed in derision.

The name itself reeks of how much of a pretentious peacocks the Targaryen kings were especially that buffoon Aegon Targaryen. The post of High Septon in King's Landing was a political position created by the Targaryen king to consolidate the political will and power of the Faith in the south. In the old days before the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, the High Septon was merely the 'high septon' of Oldtown. The position of course wielded some influence among those who followed the Seven but it was expressly confined to the Reach. Harry would wager the position was not that powerful even inside the borders of the Reach as he doubted the Gardner kings would hardly tolerate a rival power to flourish in the city of their vassal.

Anyway, the High Septon of King's Landing was Aegon's blunder, a mistake born out of ignorance. Perhaps, Aegon Targaryen thought to consolidate his hold over the Andal-dominated lands by consolidating more political and religious influence on his budding capital of King's Landing. As time would prove, this decision ended up causing more harm than good to the Targaryens until Jaehaerys the Conciliator ascended the Iron Throne. Some of the old records Harry had unearthed from the library of Winterfell suggested that the Starks during Jaehaerys' reign rightly feared the Targaryen king and his queen were intentionally trying to provoke the North into a rebellion. The presence of a Septon being Hand of the King only increased the fears of Alaric Stark which had caused the man to not protest while giving away the New Gift despite the land being controlled by many Northern lords.

Since the Conciliator's time, the High Septon has enjoyed some political power over the Iron Throne. Just as the Targaryens used the Faith the Faith also used the Targaryens to do their bidding. The Faith's increased enthusiasm in sending their septons and septas to the Iron Islands, the North and even the Three sisters was because of the backing of dragons. That was one of the reasons why the Greens lost support in these areas and later became some of the strongest Black supporters while dragons danced in the skies of Westeros.

The Dance was more than a century ago and things have changed. The Faith however wields enormous influence on the Iron Throne, especially now. King Robert's reign while off to a splendid start was still filled with uncertainties. The new Baratheon dynasty could not afford to alienate the Faith and that means the High Septon has certain leeway in acting out his position. And that was exactly what happened in the capital.

'I cannot fathom why the High Septon would call me a heretic. Is the old man under the assumption that I'm a follower of the Faith? Or maybe, the man is an illiterate buffoon who doesn't understand the meaning of the word.' Harry thought.

Despite the poor vocabulary the High Septon has made his stand known to his faithful followers that intended to target Harry and his use of magic. And therefore, his father insisted on certain ground rules before he set forth on this journey. Harry was not allowed his usual 'fiery' attitude when it comes to the Faith and he was supposed to stay far away from any religious matter in White Harbor. That way there would be no further controversy.

At least, that was the advice he got.

So, it came as a surprise when both Robb and Harry were invited to attend the Mother's day celebrations in the sept of White Harbor. He had planned to stay far away from the sept but with Robb bedridden, he'd be forced to go so as not to cause offence to the septons and septas. The Sept of the Snows was the largest sept in the lands belonging to the House Manderly. As he understands it, there were many scattered septs along the coastal regions but they were not as grand as the one inside the city.

His ears picked up the distant sound of thundering hooves from the south. He looked back at the airship where some of the Stark guards were standing guard near the airship. He had been allowed to travel using the airship under strict conditions that he'd be discreet about using it. As a result, he had to land the airship on a deserted coastline away from any curious eyes. He had returned to the airship so that he may prepare a gift for the Sept of Snows. If he was to walk into the sept without Robb, he'd try to be courteous to the sentiments of the faithful and avoid any unnecessary friction. The last thing he wanted was for any religious tension to arise in White Harbor which could prove to be detrimental to the new Baratheon dynasty and his family. The new king seems like a swell man and he didn't want his father's best friend to get into a heap of trouble on his behalf.

As Harry walked back to the airship, Ser Marlon Manderly and a few guards finally caught up with him on their horses.

"Lord Harrion. Lord Wyman awaits you at the Merman's Court."

Harry just nodded at the Manderly knight. It was time to get this over with and then he could focus on the real reason he came here.

XXXXXXX

Harry was sort of impressed with the festival despite his misgivings about the Faith of the Seven. Perhaps, the Northern followers of the Faith were not as conservative as he had imagined. A large wooden effigy of the Mother was being dragged through the streets of the city atop a substantially large wooden wheel cart. The procession was accompanied by a slew of drums encouraging the men to push harder to keep the cart moving. The women of the city threw flowers on the streets welcoming the effigy of the Mother. Similar smaller effigies were accompanying the larger one but they were less aesthetically pleasing to his eyes.

"We scarcity get to celebrate Mother's day. The snow would usually threaten the harvests but this time I suppose we don't have to worry about that, eh?" Lord Wyman said, clapping Harry on his shoulders while the Manderly lord's gigantic belly rippled mirroring his laughter.

"This is certainly an enjoyable event Lord Manderly. It does the people certain good to be in a festive spirit at least once a year." said Harry, noting the festive spirit of the smallfolk regardless of their religious background.

He assumed people who follow the Old Gods were also involved in the festive. While the Manderlys may follow the Seven this was not the case for most of the smallfolk. When the effigy finally reached the doors of the sept the drums died down. For a moment, everything became silent and then the sept began to ring its seven bells. The doors of the sept swung open with many septons stopping out of their sacred sept with liturgical tools in their hands. Harry felt an all too familiar give when he saw the strangely dressed septons with their tools engaged in their work.

"Come along lad. We should greet the septons." Lord Manderly said, conveniently shoving Harry towards his two granddaughters Wynafryd and Wylla.

Harry found himself standing awkwardly in between Wynafryd and Wylla as the septons proceeded to bless them with religious chants and whatnot. Letting out a sigh he resigned himself to a long drawn-out affair.

XXXXXX

"I'm surprised you didn't magic the septons to have bull heads or something." said Robb.

"Trust me, I was tempted. They were taking forever with those stupid prayers." Harry complained.

They were once again inside the airship with White Harbor behind them. Thankfully, Harry was a good guest to the Manderlys and their visit was bereft of any controversies. The septons and septas were rather accommodating and they treated him well. In fact, they thanked him for sending the cure for Spring sickness which ended up saving a lot of people in the port city. What he didn't like was what came after.

The septons unbothered by the High Septon's decree chose to hold a sermon for Harry and his 'gifts' from the Seven. Clearly, Harry had misjudged the unity or the hierarchy in the Andal religion. Whatever the case, he was not at all amused to prostrate himself before a bunch of giant statues and old men in funny robes for nearly an hour. But, for the sake of his house, he did what was expected of him in place of Robb.

"Lord Manderly was quite impressed with your gift to the sept. He was boasting about the undying star that sits atop the Sept of Snows." said Robb, a teasing smirk on his face which made Harry poke him in the eye.

"Ow!" Robb cried, rubbing his eyes.

"Please don't remind me." Harry warned his elder twin.

He had thought to impress the septons with his 'gift' from the Seven. He had even enjoyed placing the seven-pointed star atop the dome sitting atop the sept. While he was against any type of organized religion he has always appreciated the architecture involved. So, it was quite an experience to get access to the famed domed roof where all the statues of the seven were mounted. Harry had placed the 'undying star', as the septons and the smallfolk of White Harbor call it, atop the dome at the very centre of the seven statues.

Of course, Harry had an ulterior motive in gifting this 'undying star' to the sept. He placed a sliver of cheering charm into the glass and powered it by using an ice dragon crystal. He also used a slew of monitoring charms which he had connected to his power ring using a modified protean charm. So, Harry would be getting warnings should any significant attitude shifts occur inside the sept. He also left some provisions for altering the nature of the wards remotely should he find some use for it in the future.

Meanwhile, the smallfolk and the septons thought his gift was some spark of divine light from the seven. In reality, all he had to do was entrap a portion of the Patronus charm inside the glass and power it using the crystal. The 'undying star' of the Sept of Snows should also function as a lighthouse. The Manderlys, the smallfolk and the Faith were definitely happy. So, all in all, Harry thought this trip was quite a success.

"You know Robb, I think Wynafryd Manderly was quite taken with you. Lord Manderly was certainly angling towards that idea." Harry said silkily, freezing Robb who looked like he saw a ghost. "Maybe father would be open to an early betrothal."

"Don't be like that Harry. I swear I won't bring up your…troubles in the sept ever again." Robb offered

"I knew you'd see reason brother." Harry patted Robb's head.

"We should've stayed for a few more days. I really wanted to see Wolf's Den." said Robb.

Harry also wanted to visit the ancient fortress which the Manderlys have turned into a prison of sorts for some odd reason. But, there was a reason he insisted on cutting their stay short.

Harry fished out a gold dragon from his pocket. On the coin, there was a very short message written on the yellow surface of the metal.

"Survey, place found."

This message was more than enough for Harry to insist on leaving without even staying to see the results of his work on the farmlands of House Manderly. He was sure the runestones he planted would do their work and triple the yields and increase the fertility of the lands for the years ahead. Pocketing the coin charmed with the Protean charm, Harry thought of the long journey ahead and what awaited him at the other end.

There was a new castle to build if the spot was to his liking.