Chapter 24: Airship P1

Benjen wrapped the cloak around his body tightly as he looked down from one of the watchtowers of Eastwatch. The storm was not showing any sign of settling down and the snow was also proving to be far thicker than he imagined. Day after day, the snow was piling up to his knees on the pathways. The Black Brothers had to toil in the frigid air to remove the snow so that they could properly patrol the easternmost post of the Wall.

The shores were altogether another problem.

The southeastern parts of the shores were flooded. There were only a few villages there but they were isolated because of the rain and the snow. As if that was not enough, almost all small roads were blocked either by fallen trees or by knee-high snow.

Benjen thought it was lucky that they managed to arrive at Eastwatch before the roads were cut off by the flooding, snow or trees. While this state of affairs was a concern, the real problem was the ships of the Night's Watch.

There were very few functional ships under the control of the Night's Watch. Due to low manpower, the brothers of Eastwatch tend to leave the upkeep of the ships in the hands of a small fishing village near the castle. As the galleys tend to patrol the Bay of Seals, it was deemed safe and practical to anchor the ships near the village. The fisherman tends to pass on any information about any smugglers to the ship's captains and they could quickly sail into the sea and intercept or even capture the smugglers who trade with the Wildlings.

"I don't think 'yer trip to Skane Island can happen Stark." said Cotter Pyke, the Commander of Eastwatch garrison.

The Ironborn has small squinty eyes with greying hair that looked like snow. Most battle scars could be seen hidden beneath the man's beard except for the one across the nose. That one stuck out

"Aren't there any ship we can take?" asked Benjen, as he stood beside the Commander of Eastwatch watching the blizzard getting strong outside.

"I think not Stark. If Skane island is yer destination then ye need one of the larger galleys. Blackburn and Storm Crown cannot move as they are surrounded by ice. And Talon needs repairs as the storm has taken its toll on her." said Commander Cotter gruffly, none too pleased to have his ships moored at shores.

"Can't you have the ice removed?" asked Benjen only to get a glare from Commander Pyke.

"In this storm, Stark?" Commander Pyke asked sardonically. "What do you think will happen if we somehow manage to dislodge the ships from ice? It might even sink when it crashes into the ice because of the wind."

Benjen rubbed his face and cursed the timing of their arrival. If only they had arrived a few days early they could have sailed to Skagos. In hindsight, wasting so much time in the Northern Mountains was looking like a bad decision.

"So, there are no boats?" he asked one more time out of his desperation.

"No boats that can safely transport ye to the Skane Island. Ye need the big galleys for that Stark. And they're all indisposed at the moment." said Commander Pyke, after giving him a long dirty look.

"Then how about sending a raven to White Harbour? The Manderlys could send a ship if I ask." said Benjen.

Commander Pyke didn't say anything for a time but only looked at the third man for an opinion.

"What say you Maester Harmune?"

Benjen looked at the Maester Eastwatch. Maester Harmune was a man of few words. Word is that the maester had racked up quite a sizeable debt at the south and decided to escape his creditors by taking the black. If Benjen were to guess, he'd say the maester drank himself to debt. The bloodshot eyes and the scent of Northern ale could be seen and felt even from this distance. The maester has soft brown eyes and equally brown hair with a comely face.

"I could send a raven as brother Benjen suggests and the Manderlys may well send a ship. But, is this wise?"

"What'd you mean Maester?" asked Benjen.

"Look around you brother Benjen. Even with calm seas and sky, a journey to Skane Island is ripe with peril. And you want to take a ship and sail to the island with this storm wreaking havoc in the seas?" Maester Harmune asked incredulously. 'I'd say, you are suicidal to do so brother Benjen."

'The Maester is right. It'd be suicide to sail in this storm.' Benjen thought before letting out a disappointed sigh.

It'd seem he'd be forced to bunker at Eastwatch and wait out the storm. Then the trip may happen depending on quick repairs to the ship or having a new one sent from White Harbour.

"I suppose we have no choice but to wait out the storm if we are to journey to the island." Benjen muttered.

"And that brings us to another problem brother Stark. We are low on supplies. I'm afraid we will be struggling to accommodate your travelling party." said Maester Harmune.

"We have more than enough supplies to see us through the days of our stay." Benjen waved away those concerns thinking about the enormous pile of supplies safely stored in his nephew's magic crates.

"I see." Commander Pyke grunted, looking like he didn't believe Benjen.

Benjen cared not whether the commander of Eastwatch believed him or not. If he was being honest, his nephew holds far better edible supplies than anything Eastwatch could supply them.

"Well, if yer not worried about food then we have to discuss lodgings. We have the west tower but it'll need to be cleaned…"

"You need not worry about our lodgings or food Commander." Benjen smoothly cut in. "We are well equipped to handle both on our own."

Benjen smiled as he received only strange looks from Maester Harmune and Commander Pyke. They were in for quite a surprise when they see his nephew's magic in the work. It should certainly lighten up the mood in Eastwatch.

XXXXXXX

"I knew something like this would happen." Harry groused after listening to his uncle about the sordid state of ships moored at Eastwatch.

It was not like Harry was expecting anything else after he saw the state of the sea. The waves were violent and the weather looked like it would be a bad idea for sailing into the sea. Besides, from everything he learned Skane island has always been a difficult destination to reach. Either the route was filled with smugglers or the storms were having their merry way.

This was why he was quietly working on a boat. Not just any boat, but a boat that worked along the lines of one used by Durmstrang during the Triwizard tournament.

Harry had thought long and hard about the transportation issue and building an airship is what he came up with. A ship could hold a lot of people and with his magic, he could increase that number to whatever he wished. While spatial magic using runes is a difficult task it was not an impossible task as evident by his latest constructs. The real challenge is in the rhythmic threading of runes to maintain and guide the flight of the ship.

"So, what will we do now?" asked Jon.

"Now, we wait nephew. We wait for the storm to die out." Benjen answered.

"But… but it's already been so long." Jon whimpered.

"You don't have to worry Jon. We will be back in Winterfell in no time. We just have to wait for the storm to pass and we will be on our way to Skagos. We find a few Unicorns and then we sail right back." said Benjen.

Harry scoffed at his uncle's vain attempts at pacifying Jon. His little brother has been missing Winterfell lately despite his initial enthusiasm for this journey.

"We will be stuck here for a long time if we are to wait out the storm. Fortunately, I have a plan. I just need some good builders." said Harry, earning two curious looks from his uncle and brother.

"What do you mean?" asked Benjen.

"Can you find me some builders experienced in building boats?" asked Harry.

It looked like his uncle was going to ask for more details but Harry saw the man deflate at the last moment.

"How many do you need and of what trade?" asked Benjen, a curious look on his face.

"I'd prefer people who have worked the ships. Or maybe, anyone who has worked around wood is welcome. I'd appreciate it if you can find these workers by tomorrow morning." said Harry.

"I can try." said Benjen after letting out a sigh. "I hope you are not planning to do anything outrageous Harry."

"Oh, no. Not at all uncle. All I'm going to do is to make a boat fly." said Harry before withdrawing from the tent and leaving behind two sputtering family members.

Walking outside the tent, he sought out Anya who has been exploring the castle with the runestone he had gifted her. At Castle Black, he had found the secret chamber by accident. So, he had tasked Anya to search for any signs of other such installation.

"Any luck?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid not, my lord. The stone did not glow red so far." said Anya, handing over the runestone to Harry.

"Hmm… Did you place all the other runestones as I said?"

"Of course, my lord." Anya nodded enthusiastically. "All the four runestones are placed at four corners in each of the four directions around the castle."

"Good. Now, let's see what secrets you hold here Eastwatch-by-the sea." Harry muttered before tapping the runestone with his power ring injecting a fresh wave of magic into the runes.

The effect was instantaneous. There was a burst of magical energy as the four runestones Anya planted around the castle synced with the control stone. The wards kicked in and Harry could feel the magic he poured into the runestone bleed back into his skin, expanding his senses over the castle.

Harry opened his eyes and greeted the world from a short trance as his senses had expanded beyond the limits of his physical boundaries.

"Did you find anything my lord?" asked Anya, barely holding down her excitement.

Harry smiled.

"Yes, I did. Come, Anya. We have work to do."

A few minutes later Harry and Anya were beneath the castle. This time there was no secret door and they literally had to carve out a small tunnel to reach their destination. Nonetheless, they were beneath the castle and Harry took in the reason for the magical signature he felt.

"It is a tomb." Anya whispered, her ring glowing with white light.

It was. safe to say, he was immensely proud of his student who managed to master the Lumos spell. He was giddy to teach more complex magic in the days ahead.

"Indeed." Harry agreed as he looked around at the frozen remains of giants and mammoths.

Their gigantic bodies were preserved behind the icy exterior, frozen in time. Harry summoned the Elder Wand into his hand and he pressed the tip of the Deathstick against the icy tomb. Channelling a pint of magic he let a detection charm slither into the ice.

"Dead." Harry pronounced before pulling back his wand.

"What do you think happened my lord?" asked Anya, her voice echoing out in the tomb despite the tenderness of her tone.

"The tomb is likely from the time when the Wall was under construction. The castle must have been built over the tomb later on." Harry mused out loud.

"What do you plan to do my lord?" asked Anya.

Harry could hear the trepidation in her tone perhaps thinking that he'd find interest in the tomb's contents. Harry fired off a few more detection charms but nothing else pinged on his senses.

"We leave the dead to their sleep. May they sleep for another thousand years." said Harry, turning to take his leave.

He could hear an audible sigh of relief from his disciple. He was quite interested in the remains of the giants and mammoths he found in the tomb. But, he could find more tombs or even the real living remnants of their species beyond the Wall.

So, he could afford to wait and study the creatures at his leisure.

Coming out of the underground tomb Harry made sure to fill the pathway with ice and rocks.

"I've heard there are giants in Skagos. Maybe, we'll find them there." said Anya, dusting off the snow from her clothes.

Harry thought it unlikely for Skagos to have any giants. But, he'd bet there are scattered tribes beyond the Wall. He wondered why they'd have sealed themselves on the other side of the Wall. The Giants he knew preferred to live in the mountains, not in snow-covered wastelands.

'Maybe, the Giants of this world are different in some way.' Harry thought.

Keeping that aside Harry was free of any commitments for the day. Until his uncle finds him a bunch of workers capable of building a boat he was a free bird.

'Now, how should I spend my free time? Should I pass time by reading some old scrolls to better get a grip on First Men runes?' Harry mused absently while his eyes strayed to Anya.

"How about we train with the bow?"

Harry's suggestion was met with an emphatic nod from Anya. While he was Anya's teacher when it comes to magic, he was her student when it comes to the bow. And she was one tough taskmaster but he was not going to complain as he has no leg to stand on considering his own methods.

When the sun rose the next day Harry was presented with almost twenty workers by his uncle. The workforce came from the black brothers of the Eastwatch and the fishing village. Heavy rain was pouring down on them and so was the snow.

"Nephew, I hope you know what you are doing." Benjen muttered.

Harry just shrugged and addressed the gathered workers. His uncle lured the builders with the promise of good food and ale which Harry was fortunate enough to have in abundance.

"My warm welcome to every one of you. You are all going to help me build an airship." Harry declared, garnering confused looks.

He smiled and led the men to the workstation he had prepared beforehand inside the tent. These people were already quite overwhelmed by the snippets of magic around them. He wondered what they'd think once he launched his airship. It was certainly going to be an entertaining one.