CH 14 Quillbot Edit

"My Lords and Ladies! I welcome you all to celebrate the comingg-ofage ceremony of my son, our Crown Prince." Brandon's voice boomed through the hall, and the crowd cheered loudly while raising their glasses filled with their drinks.

When the cheering died down, Brandon continued, "Along with that, I am glad to announce that the North is free from the clutches of the Southern merchants."

"To the North!!" Lord Umber shouted out as soon as Brandon told the news, and the rest joined him in on it: ""To the North!""

Brandon chuckled at it, and looking at the rowdy bunch, also known as the Lords, he continued, "I won't bore you with a speech and all, so enjoy the banquet to your heart's content! BRING OUT THE BOOZE!"

At his command, a group of men came inside the hall carrying two large barrels that contained vodka from the brewery.

"BOOOZZZEE!" Many Lords shouted out after seeing the large barrels, and the Ladies just chuckled at the childish actions of the Lords.

As the banquet was going on and the guests were having a blast eating the variety of dishes and alcohol, Reagan slowly slipped away from the high table and went outside the great hall without the Lords and Ladies noticing him leaving after having a silent conversation with a woman in the crowd. Exiting the hall, he stopped near a pillar and leaned against it, seemingly waiting for someone.

Within a few minutes, the door to the great hall opened, and a tall, lanky woman came out wearing a brownish lady's garb that wouldn't stop her from her body movement. She was gracefully walking toward where Reagan was standing. When she neared him, she slowed down and started to play with her brown locks, and her brown-black eyes locked contact with the gray eyes of Reagan.

Smiling at her, he started to walk in the direction where Fenrir and Fenris were lounging side by side, seeing them Reagan thought, 'They look like the Yin-Yang symbol.'

Reagan sat down on the ground with his back leaned against Fenrir's body, then tapping on his right side, he told her, "Lyanna, sit here. We have to talk." Then, looking at Fenris opposite them, he said, "Fenris, hide us."

"Woof." Barking at him, Fenris stood up from her position and laid back down in a way that blocked someone from seeing the both of them.

Sitting down next to Reagan and leaning against him, she asked, "What is it? What made you call out from the Great Hall?"

"Sigh... My parents want me to be engaged. And...." He didn't get to finish his words as she interjected, "Yes, I would love to be your wife, but there are some conditions."

Looking at her with a smile, he asked, "What is it?"

"Do not, in any way or form, try to make me a trophy wife." Lyanna told him with a mock glare and continued, "You will be faithful to me and won't touch other women sexually. I don't want to see bastards of yours running around; it'll be a stigma for them and me. Lastly, let me fight in your battles too."

Lifting his left hand, he started to crease her cheek slowly and said, "I agree with all of them. But you have to promise me that you will not go into a battle while you are pregnant or sick."

"I promise." She gave him her promise and held his hand, which was on her cheek.

Smiling at her, he slowly leaned in and tenderly kissed her supple lips, wrapping her hands around his head as she deepened their kiss. After a few seconds of sensual kissing, both of them separated while huffing for more air without breaking eye contact.

Chuckling at each other, we fixed our disheveled hair and clothes. I told her, "Go inside first. I'll come back in a few minutes."

"Alright." Giving Reagan a final kiss, she stood up. Suddenly, Fenris brought her snout towards Lyanna, slightly raising her eyebrow, and she petted Fenris while saying, "Now you know that I'm your bond's mate; you warm up to me, huh?"

"Woof!" Fenris barked at her with her tail wagging. Chuckling at her actions, Lyanna looked at Reagan, and with a sly smile, she walked back to the Great Hall while swaying her hip from side to side.

"Heh." Reagan only chuckled at her actions, and looking at Fenrir, he said, "It looks like you and your mate have to get busy, buddy."

"Woof!" Fenrir raised his head and looked at Reagan, then looked eagerly at Fenris, but Reagan bonked him on the head and said, "No, horny."

"Yip." Fenrir barked out, feeling the pain from the bong, which was unfamiliar to him. As soon as Reagan walked away from them, Fenris moved toward Fenrir and started to lick at the spot where Reagan had bonded with him.

Opening the door of the Great Hall, he was met with the shouts of the lords, the singing of the brad, and the mumblings of the ladies. As he passed through them, some of them greeted him and he would smile at them in return and be on his way towards the high table. When he reached there, he saw his mother was looking at him eagerly, so he answered her unasked question, "The next queen is going to be a warrior queen, mother."

Sarra beamed at him when she heard that and looked at Brandon to take immediate action, but he was immersed in the song and his food, not minding anything. She elbowed him and glared at him, which got his attention. And when he saw her glare, he understood that something important had happened. That's when he saw his son had returned from his little outing, so he asked him, "Is it yes?"

"Yeah, she agreed." Reagan said.

"That's good. I'll announce it right now." Brandon told Reagan, and he was about to stand up for an announcement, but Reagan pulled him down to his seat and said, "First speak with Lord Mormont, then you can announce it to the whole world. But let me make some announcements first."

Raising an eyebrow at the last part, Brandon nodded at him but asked him, "Is it something that will negatively affect the North?"

"No. I wanted to announce it after discussing it with you, but I changed my mind when you told me that this celebration is for finding a wife for me." Reagan told Brandon, and Brandon nodded at him again as a sign of permission to do what he wanted to do.

Standing up from his seat, Reagan looked at the rowdy bunch that are known as the Northern Lords. The lords and ladies saw their crown prince standing up from his seat, and one by one they started to observe him, and Lyanna was looking at him intriguingly and asking, 'Is he going to announce it? Doesn't he need to talk with my father?'

When the sounds in the hall died down and there was a complete silence, he spoke, "Lords and ladies, I have a few announcements to make."

"What is it, my prince?" Is there going to be a war? If there is, I'm riding with you!" Lord Umber asked out loud, and the other lords nodded, and some shouted in agreement.

Shaking his head, Reagan said, "No, Lord Umber. Sadly, there won't be any war."

Disappointed noises were heard from some of the lords, and chuckling at them in amusement, he told them, "But there are going to be two expeditions, led by me."

"To where, my prince?" Lord Mormont asked with curiosity.

"One expedition is to the north, and the other is to the south." Looking at the confused looks of the Lords, Reagan continued, "We will be going beyond the wall to bring the Wildlings." He couldn't continue as the lords started to clamor around and shout at him for putting forth the idea of bringing Wildlings south of the Wall. Even his father, Brandon, looked at Reagan with a questioning eye. Not minding all of the ruckus, he shouted out, "Silence!!!!"

The hall instantly fell sielent after his shout, and it was a large man with graying hair who spoke first, "My Prince. Whatever you say, we won't allow those Wildlings into the North."

Looking at the man dead in the eyes, Reagan said, "I was not finished, Lord Karstark. Speak only after you hear what I have to say."

The man sat down, but his eyes said that he was not going to agree with the prince in any way. Looking at all the Lords, he continued, "We will be bringing willing wildlings to the south of the wall along with the Giants and the Children of the Forest."

At that, everyone gasped, and a stout man asked Reagan, "Aren't they all dead?"

"You are wrong about that, Lord Manderly. Giants and the Children of the Forest still live beyond the Wall. We are going to bring them back to the north, and the children will live in the Wolfswood forest while the giants will live around Winterfell. The Wildlings, who are willing to bend the knee to the King in the North and his descendants, will be allowed to live on the island of Skane, near Skagos. The North will support them for three years until they can farm their own." Reagan explained his plans for the ones beyond the Wall to the Lords.

Some of them looked okay with the idea, some looked repulsed, and some looked like they didn't believe that the plan would work out in any way. Looking at all those lords, Reagan continued, "The expedition will start in six months; if anyone is interested, they can join me. Even if there is no one coming with me, I'll go alone."

They gasped at that, and a man with a large beard and long braided hair told Reagan, "My Prince, the Night's Watch will not allow it even if you want to bring them south of the Wall. They have been protecting the North from the Wildlings for generations; I don't think that they will be inclined to let them pass."

Nodding at the man, Reagan asked, "Lord Norrey, do you know why the Wall was built in the first place?"

"To protect the North." Lord Norrey replied in confusion as to why the prince was asking him that.

"From what?" Reagan asked again, and he got an immediate reply from Lord Norrey: "From the Wildling."

Shaking his head, Reagan started clicking his tongue in disappointment. "Tuk tuk tuk." Looking at Lord Norrey and the other Lords, he asked, "Lord Norrey, do you know the vows taken by the Night's Watch? Well, I do. It goes like this: "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It will not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no land, and father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, and the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch for this night and all the nights to come. "If the North is supposed to be protected by the Night's Watch from the Wildlings, then why does it mention that they should be the shield that guards the realms of men?"

There was no answer from Lord Norrey and the other Lords. Sighing out, he said, "They are guarding the wall to protect human beings from the very thing that made our ancestors build the seven hundred-foot wall. We have heard of them in legends: the Others, the Cold Ones, the Cold Gods, and the White Walkers."

*Gulp*

Everyone heard the sound and saw that it came from the king, who was drinking his alcohol. When everyone was looking at him, Brandon raised his eyebrow and said, "What? I know about that. Who do you think told him this? You continue, son."

"True. My father was the one who told me about this. Now I ask you, my Lords and Ladies, if they come back, which they will in the future, do you want to give them an army that could scale the wall without breaking a sweat? No, right? So let's do this and make sure that the others will not get an army of walking dead." Taking the mug off the table, he gulped down the liquid.

*Bam* Heavily placing the mug on the table with a resounding sound that echoed through the hall, Reagan spoke again. "The second expedition is to the south. We are taking the Twins into the North, and I don't want this news to be leaked to them in any way or form."

"Glory to the North!!" Lord Umber shouted out, and Reagan looked at him weirdly.

"Heh." Chuckling, Reagan spoke up again. "Next, I am going to abolish the practice of First Night Rights."

"Yeah!!!" This time, it was the woman who shouted in excitement.

Nodding at them, he continued, "I know it is a tradition that started from the time the First Men arrived in Westeros. But that custom was used to birth the offspring of heroes so that, in the future, they would be heroes too. Are there any heroes here? No. So, I'm abolishing that tradition and bearing in mind that, if anyone is seen breaking the law, they will be sent to the Wall."

"Thank you, my prince!" Some ladies shouted out.

Nodding at them, he continued, "There is one more thing, the bedding ceremony." Reagan heard some lords and ladies mumbling, "Not that too." but he didn't mind them and continued, "That tradition will stand, but if the couple doesn't want to be groped by the guests, then don't. But do the rest; we do need to know if they consummated or not."

"Thank the gods." Some girls and boys looked relieved, along with their parents.

"That's all there is to be announced." After saying that, he sat down, and the hall went back to what it was before. But now they were discussing the pros and cons of the plans that were put forward by the prince. They were all in for the later two, even though some were reluctant about it. Some lords were excited to take the twins so that they could fight a war with those southern men who dress up and play knights.

Looking at Brandon, Reagan said, "Father, if possible, talk with Lord Mormont. before the banquet is over."

"Alright, I got it." Saying so, he stood up from his seat, left the backroom, and ordered one of the maids to call Lord Mormont into the room. The servant did what she was ordered to, and as it was an invitation from the King, Lord Mormont went into the room swiftly, which was noticed by the lords, but they didn't dwell on it and went back to their drinking.

Nearly an hour later, Lord Mormont came out of the room with a beaming smile, and looking at Reagan, he nodded, then went to where his children were seated. Right behind him, Brandon also came out and sat down in his seat while telling his family. "Lord Mormont agreed to the betrothal. He wants to announce it at the end of the banquet. That's alright with you, right?"

"I'm fine with that. The things I wanted to do before marrying her are finished, and after our marriage, I'll be forming a new elite division for women." Reagan told his father, and Alys perked up at that. When she looked eager to open her mouth, she saw her brother glaring at her, so she started to poke at the stake in front of her.

As the night approached, the banquet was also slowly ending. Before anyone could leave the hall, Brandon stood up, and instantly everyone stopped what they were doing and waited to hear what the King had to say. "Today, my son showed how mature he is by abolishing the First Night rights and watering down the bedding ceremony. I thought hard about why he did it today, and I found out that my son was in love with a woman. He didn't want anyone touching her in any way or form. Talk about obsession, yeesh."

"Hahahahaha" Some lords laughed at that, and the others waited expectantly to know who this woman was.

Chuckling, Brandon continued, "So, I am happy to announce that my son, your Prince Reagan of House Stark, has been betrothed to Lady Lyanna of House Mormon."

"Wooohooo! The She-Bear is marrying the Wolf-Prince!!!" The Lords and Ladies shouted out, with Lord Umber at the forefront.

On that day, Crown Prince Reagan Stark was betrothed to Lady Lyanna Mormont. Historians will write that this day was the day Westeros saw the greatest power couple in its history.