Chapter 3: Old and New Aches of the Heart

"And this here is the Godswood," Lyarra said as we entered the walled grove that housed the Weirwood of the Old Gods. It has been about a week since she had begun to teach me all she knew about the North. Quinn had begun to learn all he could about Westeros from the Maester, and while his reports were littered with small biases I really was more or less using it as a cover. There was of course things that I didn't know, things that the books or show never covered. But I'm sure I would learn all of those little details over time as I lived here myself. I just needed an excuse as to why I wasn't totally clueless.

"Peaceful, there is a calm here that is rare anywhere else." I said as we walked toward the very center of the grove. Lyarra said little to my words. Our relationship was cordial, she was no longer purely suspicious about me when it came to me being a stranger. She still was weary of intent toward her but at the same time to my utter delight… she wasn't hostile toward my occasional tepid flirtatious comments.

In the days of me having these little lessons with Lyarra I had asked Jaesa to give me a read of Lady Stark. I had instructed Jaesa to haunt the castle and learn all she could both with rumors and her powers. My darling apprentice gave me a wonderful report that fed into my desires perfectly. Lyarra is a strong woman and slumbering wolf waiting for any sign of danger to her pups. Her love for her children is great and she would go to any lengths to keep them happy and safe. But there was resentment and coldness toward Rickard for the fact he was her cousin and their marriage had been a forced one. She didn't love him but she did respect him. Jaesa had even told me that she was deeply attracted to me along with nearly every other decent looking man in the keep. Lyarra apparently wanted nothing more than to have an affair but couldn't due to all the deep seeded loyalty toward Rickard all the men of Winterfell had. This gave me a perfect In with the woman that I could exploit. Worst case I have sex with her and that's it. Best case… I turn her against her husband and I have a perfect little spy in the North. I am such a bastard.

"You have said that the Force is not divine… so does that mean you have no Gods where you are from." Lyarra asked as she sat down on a small rock that clearly had been the seat of many Lords and Ladies of Winterfell before. I however was slightly mesmerized by the flow of the Light Side around the Weirwood to fully hear her. "Naraiz?" I blinked at hearing my name, even if it was one that I was still getting used to.

"Y-yes… sorry. I was a little distracted by the beauty in front of me." Lyarra smiled as she looked around. It was a very pretty woodland garden, one worthy of praise. "Oh you think I was talking about the trees." I said as I passed by her to approach the face carved onto the Weirwood. I didn't need the Force to know that she was blushing at my compliment. Rickard was a straight forward man and rarely did he flatter his wife as he should, so that left me being able to do it for him. "What was your question again?"

"Oh… nothing important." She said brushing off her previous attempt at serious conversation.

"Now come now, I've already apologized, do not wound me further by denying you." I said and the chosen words had the effect I wanted. Through the Force I could tell that her emotions were flying all over the place. Lust, shame, need, more lust, and conflict. It couldn't be helped as I smirked behind her back as I knew what was on her mind. My hand raised as I was about to give her a small push, a small bit of Force Persuasion to water the seed that had already taken root.

"You're disgusting you know that." Everything however stopped when I heard a voice that should for all accounts be gone from this galaxy. There leaning on the Weirwood was Satele Shan, it was like a punch to the gut. My new mind was flailing about trying to control my reaction while the old one was a storm of emotions. Yes… this woman was someone to Naraiz, and what I was feeling was something that I was finding very difficult to come to terms with. Mostly because of how sudden it was.

"Lyarra, could I have some alone time here? I wish to commune with the Force in such a peaceful place." I said never taking my eyes off the scowling former Grand Master of the Jedi. I could feel a bit of disappointment in Lyarra, both innocent and not as much. She stood up and said her goodbyes for the moment and left me and the Force Ghost. Thankfully it seemed that she could not see the specter. Deciding to swallow the feelings in my stomach I defaulted to wit and being an asshole. "I win… that's all I have to say to you. And to any other Jedi that might want to show up. I. Win." I said bitterly as me and Satele glared at each other.

"That's what you say to me." I heard her grumble to herself and for the first time I felt resistance to the meld between me and Naraiz. That side of me was not happy and was becoming more chaotic with each passing moment. Satele looked back to me and I could tell she was less than pleased by my choice of words. "You killed Vitiate, yes but you did so with the help of the Jedi and the Republic. The Greatest Eight all took him down, half of their number was on our side." She said and looked infuriated by my choice to double down and mock her with a childish hand talking gesture.

"I still killed him. And it is me that survived when all the others did not." I said before circling around the Weirwood with Satele staying where she was. I needed to move to business, and away from whatever it was that was happening between us. "Now why is this tree so attached to the Light Side?"

"Don't know and I wouldn't tell you if I did." She snorted as I walked back around and looked right into the carved face of the Weirwood. I wonder if the Three-Eyed Raven could see me right now… not getting any visions or external minds inhabiting the tree so I assumed no at this moment.

"Then why are you here, Satele? Can't be just to banter with me and call me names. Better yet how are you here? I never took you for one to take the journey to become this attuned with the Force." I turned a bit more serious. Recognizing this, the Jedi's posture changed slightly. Our relationship was as complicated as one could get. Over the course of the Cold War, then the war after that, the False Revan bullshit, and then the Eternal Empire… things happened. Things that I did not want to deal with now. Things that I honestly really wished had played out differently. But in the end they happened and I had to deal with them as a new man.

"I can assume that you've figured out that this is not the time that you know." She said as we both took a meditative pose facing each other. On our knees we sat as equals of the Force, she was grateful for the fact that I at least still had some manners. It was things like this that got me far with certain Jedi, that I could be civil with them at times where it was needed. I had to be, as a follower of Revan I knew that the petty feud between Jedi and Sith was nothing more than that and the sides needed to find true Balance.

"Give or take a few thousand years." I said knowing full well that it was about a half a century before the start of the Clone Wars. Or at least thirty before the Naboo Incident. That was the basic timetable I would need to reform the Empire in the shadows. First fix my ship, get an idea of the state of the Galaxy and figure out where I could find allies. Take over or strike a deal with Kamino for my own Clone Army. Kill all Hutts. And then become Anakin's father. That was my current to-do list but it could change.

"The Jedi of this age have lost their way. As it pains me to say this, but the Order is lost down the path it has chosen. If not by you then the hidden Sith will destroy them." No shit Satele, that's what I'm counting on. This will be a cake walk if I can defang the Republic by taking the Clones out from under Palpy. And with my new order of the Sith, the Jedi won't know what hit them. Bunch of pansy ass pacifists they are. "The Jedi have taken a road of absolute order and have militarized the Republic into an authoritative tyrannical government intent on taking over the galaxy to impose its own twisted form of order and so called freedoms." Fuuuuuuuck… damnit God! When I said throw a few curveballs at me I didn't say give me an AU. Oh I'm going to need a lot more information.

"Uh… that's not what I'd expect out of the Order." I said dumbly and Satele actually snickered at the sight of me dumbfounded. "Anything else you might be able to tell me? You know… for old… never mind." I was panicking at this point but I shut up at the glare she was giving for trying to parley our history in such a way. What the hell was I facing? I was thanking the stupid Rule of Two Sith for their work to shroud the Jedi's Force Sight, if not for that I would have no chance to build up my army. Forget just using Clones… I'm going to make fucking Space Marines Legions and maybe a few fuck damned Titans. Also a Star Forge could be useful… and I know where one should be waiting for me.

"All I have to give you is what I have told you. That is honestly more than you deserve." She smugly was enjoying my new-found distress.

"Wonderful… who's waiting for me at the tower? Marr I'm guessing?" Satele just gave me a blank look that confirmed my guess. It would be nice to see the man after all this time. He was a Sith that understood so much beyond what the Order felt as canon doctrine.

"Before I go, I feel compelled to ask you not to destroy that woman. I can see that look in your eye, you're a wolf circling your prey." She chuckled at the unintentional pun. But then sighed as I felt that I should explain at least part of my thoughts on Lyarra.

"You know me Satele… despite being the Empire's Wrath I rarely destroy anything." I said it was true, I killed many but given the chance I would rather not destroy and slaughter. So much more use out of living subjects than dead ones, prisoners can give me so much more than casualties, and enemies can always be turned no matter how defiant. "I dominate, not destroy." I said darkly with a small lick to my lips as I felt the monster in me grow a little more hungry. "You wonder how I achieved Balance while you did not? It's because I feed both the Dark Side and the Light Side. I spare an enemy here and I break a mind there. I go on a rage fueled genocide and I save an innocent life at the expense of my plot. It's all about equal actions counteracting each other."

"And what will counteract your sick plans for that poor woman starved of real love? Love that you are using as bait." Satele spat but the second she said this she paled as she realized she had no place to talk. The air grew silent between us and the tension grew to the point were only thanks to the calming effects of the Light Side were keeping things civil.

"I'm going to ignore that. I'm going to forget you said that because I did not start this off as I should have. But I don't ever want to hear from you about how I conduct myself in this area." I shot back and she had the decency to flinch at my words. "But to the question, what will counteract it is the fact I am freeing her. Yes… what will happen won't be what most call freedom, but it will be for her. I'm not telling her that I offer love, I'm offering little more than a change." I said feeling that I didn't need to explain myself anymore. It wasn't like I gave much thought to it anyway. Lyarra was a beautiful woman that I wanted, that was all I needed. Lyarra's feelings and her desires were merely the framework by which I would take her. I am a Sith, one that fully admits that I have my vices and dark side. The Light in me along with what few morals I have make sure I won't devolve into little better than those fools that tried to force themselves on my Jaesa. But that still didn't mean I was a nice guy at the end of the day.

"I at least tried, and I know that there are worse fates." She grumbled that last part, but I heard it.

"Careful now… I remember you-"

"Shut up you disgusting pig of a Sith!" Satele raged before snapping out of the material world. Returning back to the Force I could feel her slap me upside the head with a massive Force Vision of the armies of the Republic. What I saw in the final moments of the vision pissed me off to now end.

"FUCK YOU GOD!" I raged as I knew I had my work cut out for me. "Yup… going to make fuck damn sure that I have Astartes. Gonna need them."

Lyarra was waiting outside the Godswood for Naraiz to finish with his business. She really didn't understand much of his Force, but she knew he was not daft. Not when he could lift her up into the air by a simple wave of his hand. Which he had done once as a jest, while she would never admit it she couldn't help but enjoy his little joke. It felt like she was flying like some Targaryen of old riding their dragons. Even if Naraiz had only held her up not even past his shoulders.

She didn't even notice when she started to feel so close to the stranger. It was within the first day of her showing him around Winterfell and telling him about the North that she began to call him by his first name instead of Master Rhyhall as was proper. He just had a charisma about him that made her feel so comfortable around him. Even as she stood there, she began to unconsciously fix her hair in some hope that the man with her would continue to notice her. Lyarra had never felt the joy of being courted, her and her husband's marriage had been arranged since they were little and Rickard never bothered with the pomp and little things that two people in love would do. It was this that had first made her wall herself to him, feeling that if he wasn't going to put in the effort to treat her like something to be desired then why should she act like she desired the arrangement in the first place. But he had broken through that wall and disarmed her like it was nothing.

The fact that her children all adored him also warmed her heart up to the foreigner. Brandon after he was off his punishment constantly followed Naraiz when he could, asking him all about how to become so skilled to where not even an entire village of mountain savages would be a challenge. Naraiz just gave nonsense drops of pretend wisdom to the growing boy, Lyarra found it amusing how seriously Brandon would take his advice. Only for Eddard to later tell Brandon that the wisdom that Naraiz had given him was nothing but a jest. Eddard himself was still very careful around Naraiz and his fellows, the shy boy had told his mother that he just felt like Naraiz reminded him of a Bolton. She lightly admonished her son for his words, Naraiz wasn't anything like those monsters.

The one that had the most impact upon the Imperial's arrival however had been Lyanna. Her little she-wolf could not stop talking about how amazing it could be that there was a place where women could do all that men could do. That was until Naraiz laughed at such a thought. It was one of the times that the man had popped into their family meals, and she had badgered him about the woman that he had worked with in the Empire. Naraiz had given Lyanna what he called a reality check, he told her that yes it was nice to think about the what ifs but that did not help you here and now. He prompted her to look at her home and see how best she could work to change it to what she wanted it to be.

Then there was her youngest, Benjen. Naraiz had the smallest interaction with the young boy. And Lyarra felt that this was done on purpose. She could call a time when Benjen came running to her about a splinter he had gotten when she was showing Naraiz their Glass Gardens. He had been pointing out a few ways to improve them when Benjen showed himself. Naraiz then stiffened upon the sight of the boy and mumbled something in a language that Lyarra could not even begin to understand. From that point on Naraiz had made it a point to avoid Benjen.

"Hey She-Stark." The sound of Naraiz's apprentice and her irritatingly disrespectful name for the Lady of Winterfell snapped Lyarra from her musings. "Where's my master, I've got a little itch that only he can get." Lyarra frowned at her crude attempt at covering up her true intentions along with the intentions themselves. Naraiz was an honorable and handsome man, he shouldn't need to indulge himself in a woman like Jaesa. Sure she was pretty in a certain light but that was ruined by those putrid yellow eyes of hers and the nearly demonic traits that she seemed to possess.

In her own opinion Naraiz should have a lady worthy of him, not this witch whore. Jaesa smirked as she picked up on the woman's true feelings. No one could hide from her eyes. And it made the dark apprentice all tingly knowing just how twisted her master could be. Taking another man's wife was nothing new to Naraiz, Jaesa knew this but what made this really fun for her was how slow he was dragging this out. Her master usually just in one meeting caused any woman to drop to their knees and get to work just with a flare of his power and few sultry looks and words.

"Naraiz is in the Godswood… communing with the Force as you would call it." Lyarra explained, standoffish and quick in her words that only served to do the opposite to Jaesa of their intended effect.

"Tsk… gross. That place is bathed in the Light Side. He's going to come out all peaceful and serene and-"

"FUCK YOU GOD!" They both heard and everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to the Godswood with wide eyes. A ripple of power had been sent out with those words, with it came Naraiz's anger and frustration.

"I stand corrected, he'll be perfect when he comes out." Her master was all pissed off and in need of stress relief, plus that burst of his power, it all got Jaesa terribly wet. She was rubbing her thighs together as she watched her master exit the walled grove.

"Real numbers. Not stupid hollywood numbers." Jaesa heard her master grumble and she would ask about it later. She could see that he was deeply troubled. The kind of deeply troubled that did not lead to sex but plotting and planning. "Jaesa, find Quinn and get him to our room. The Force granted me a vision that we need to discuss." She nodded and bowed to her master knowing that fun time was over. Something had happened to get him serious and she would be ready by his side to assist him in any way.

"Naraiz, is something wrong?" Lyarra asked, concerned for the sudden change in mood the Sith had.

"Lyarra, as much as I would like to spend more time with you I must attend to some private matters." Naraiz said as Jaesa left them. Lyarra was getting increasingly worried as he spoke. From what she could gather he had been granted a vision of sorts that had told him of something he had not expected. Her mind went to the one idea that she knew could set him off like this.

"Is it the Republic? Are they coming after you to Westeros?" She asked and he stopped and turned back with a look of pride that she couldn't help but preen in the moment of approval. It was rare for her to ever have a person look at her like that. Like she had done something above and beyond.

"No, I can say with certainty that the Republic is not coming here." He chuckled as he looked up to the sky for some reason Lyarra couldn't fathom. "But there is a danger to me and my vassals. I thank you for your time and look forward to the next time we see each other." Naraiz before leaving Lyarra without another word. She stood there for a few moments feeling very conflicted. The internal battle in her raged on as adulterous thoughts surrounded her mind.

"Come out Marr! I know you're here." I grumbled as I walked into the burnt-out tower of Winterfell. This would be where Jamie and Cerci would fuck and be caught by the peeping Bran. It made sense that this place would have a twinge of the Dark Side. But why? I had no idea. The Weirwoods had some legs to stand on but this tower… nothing. Probably some horrible murder or a string of them. Perhaps some Stark that didn't fit the goody lawful mold snuck low born folk here and did unspeakable things to them. Or maybe it was whatever reason this place was burnt out, could be anything really.

"Hedgehog." I turned and saw Marr standing on the other side of the room, still in his armor and not showing his face as always. I felt that maybe he should now that he was a Force Ghost. "I still think we should have made that your Darth name." He chuckled to himself as he knew I always wanted a real one. But I was named Emperor's Wrath before ever becoming a Darth. So many on the Dark Council either just called me Wrath or the stupid nickname based on what I looked like without my Mask. "You look saddened… did seeing Satele dead and beyond your grasp do this to you?" He asked and I growled and flared a bit of my power knowing it was pointless.

"No, her vision of the Republic as it is now did this to me." I said and Marr began pacing. "So you better give me some good news." I growled out, his comments had put me in a bad mood and I did not like this smug streak that he had now. All because he was a Force Ghost and I couldn't punch him in the face.

"I do have good news. While it is true that both the Jedi and the Republic are both strong. The Empire is not as dead as they want to believe. And I do not speak of only you." Marr said and I raised an eyebrow. Were some of the contingency plans that had been made in the last days of the Empire successful?

"Keep going, what do you mean that the Empire isn't dead. Considering what I saw in Satele's vision I doubt that the Republic would allow for even a single remnant of the Empire to remain." I said as I tried to unravel what Marr was speaking of and all I can think of is the contingency plans. But even if all of them stood the test of time and survived that wouldn't give me the resources needed to challenge the Republic.

"In the time since you last saw this galaxy, the core worlds of the Empire have been subjugated and brought into the Republic's folds. Dromund Kaas is now a rival to Coruscant in economic importance and has become a city world in of itself. An Imperial population remains there just as they do in all other Imperial Core Worlds." It was then that Marr gave me his vision, and it was glorious. The Sith Empire had hidden itself in the Republic's colors. There was deep seeded resentment toward the Republic and all that was needed was for someone to claim the ancient title of Sith and free them from Republic military control. Dromund Kaas had the numbers, it was no longer a jungle world but instead a city world like the Republic's capital. It wasn't nearly as large or deep as Coruscant but it was what I needed. It hosted the finest Military Academy in the Republic, and while its system and all other former Imperial systems had Republic ships and troops protecting them, Imperial pride and heritage had remained strong.

"All that is missing is a force strong enough to take on the blockades and occupying forces, and kick the Republic out for good." I muttered as the vision ended. Kamino is the vital key here, I could never raise real forces from the Imperial population, the Republic would sniff them out. No, what I needed was a hidden place like Kamino to build my forces and retake Dromund Kaas and the surrounding systems. With them as my Core Worlds, we had the economic and industrial power to fuel a war. And with Imperial Officers, I would have the perfect upper command.

"Caches of old Imperial resources that remain in the galaxy exist. Some of which were not told to you. But seeing as you are the last hope for the Force as far as I can see… I might as well tell you about them." He said and I knew he had a cheeky smile behind that damn mask of his.

"My lord." Quinn said as he closed the door behind him and gave an imperial salute. He stood at attention while Jaesa took her place on my bed. Sprawling herself across the furs making herself look perfectly delectable. Bad horny. Not now.

"At ease Captain." I said as I placed a small holo-transmitter in the middle of the sole table in the room. It then projected a map of the known galaxy, colored in the previous borders that the Republic and the Empire had. "This is what we know." I said before transmitting new orders from my wrist terminal. It now showed an accurate map of the Republic, and to my irritation it was bigger than it should be for this time period. "This is a new reality."

"My word… your theory that we traveled in time is true?" Quinn asked in slight horror at the sight of the Republic so bloated and unchallenged.

"I had a nice long talk with Satele Shan's Force Ghost, she granted me a vision giving me some much needed info." I grumbled as I leaned back in my chair. Jaesa scowled at the mention of the Jedi Grand Master and it was understandable. Jaesa loved me and I… had a complicated relationship with Satele. One that threatened her views as my first. An attitude that I found dangerous due to certain reasons in my past. "The Republic has militarized to a degree that they are actively expanding their borders. Taking in territory by force under the banner of expanding freedom and democracy. I don't give a shit about any of that, what I care about is that they have guns and a lot of them." This was going to be very difficult. God had seen fit to give the Republic their dream navy and kickass army to boot. Stylized in a fusion of Clone Wars era army minus the clones part and the Rebellion Navy, only expanded on with a military budget that was ready to bring a lot of freedom to the galaxy. The Jedi similarly never took the path of peacekeepers and instead are actively involved with the military to a dangerous degree.

"This doesn't look too good for us." Jaesa said as she lazily kicked her feet back and forth while she rested on her stomach. "Maybe this world has its charms, we could take it over and rule as god-kings or something." She half joked as she knew I would never let the Galaxy in the hands of the Jedi. But at the same time this was sounding very hopeless, they had no means to build up a force to combat the Republic.

"Oh ye of little faith." I said with a growing smile on my lips that confused both Quinn and Jaesa. "Because Satele wasn't the only member of the old gang I talked to." I chuckled madly to myself as I focused on the former territories of the Empire, and specifically the core Imperial worlds. "All of these are ready and waiting for a true Sith uprising." I said confidently but at the same time I was a little concerned. Where the fuck was the Rule of Two Sith in all of this. There was no way that I was stealing the Clones out from under Palpy which made me sad. But the fact that the Jedi were this strong, real generals and leaders in a kickass army and navy, made no sense with the original canon plot. I was going to need to find out what the Rule of Two Sith were plotting and fast.

"Just as they should sir, any true children of the Emprise no matter how down the generational line they would be ready to uphold our vows to the Sith." Quinn said and I was a little on the fence about that. The vision showed me a population that hated the Republic more or less for never forgiving or forgetting the Empire rather than because they were still loyal to the Sith. It was the resentment and the promise of a return to the golden age of the Empire that I was really banking on. Time to make the Empire great again!

"So we got a base… but what about big strong dudes to keep that base?" Jaesa asked and I had to give the girl points for that.

"I have a few plans and ideas on that." I said not giving anymore details as I wanted to see if Kamino was even still a functional planet. If not them then I would find other means to create a Clone army. I will have my clones… nothing was going to stop me in that regard. "But for right now we need to focus on this world, and our ship."

"Why this world sir? Once we have our ship fixed, admittedly this might take some years, but couldn't we just leave and return to Imperial Space." Quinn said and I chuckled at him already referring to the Imperial Core Worlds still as Imperial Space.

"Because the Force placed us on this world for a reason. There is something here, I can feel it. I know that is not something you want to hear but I would like your trust in me to carry you through a bit Quinn. And remember what I said, Feudal Worlds always breed such interesting people." I said as I stood up and had a mind to duck into the kitchens to steal a bit of cheese and meat. They watched as I whooshed out the door intent on having a light snack for the day. But Quinn probably thought I was off to do some important manipulation while Jaesa just pouted that we didn't have sex. I needed to find her something to do, she had already killed eight people and was constantly hounding me for sex, my little apprentice was bored and acting out.

My biggest issue right now however was my next move. I can't stay here in Winterfell forever despite how much I was enjoying my stay. The Stark children were very impressionable right now and that was both a good and bad thing. I would prefer things to go along to canon so as to predict events. Learning more and more from the Maester was also very helpful but as time went on I'm beginning to sense that he didn't actually like me. Maybe that theory that the Maesters hate magic was a bit more true. But most importantly… I'm not as well as I should be.

Two souls, one body, one mind. That was the mixture I was facing right now. And it wasn't settling as well as I first thought it would. Perhaps this was part of God's plan and the difficulty he set up for me. Or maybe it was unavoidable. That this fusion between myself and Naraiz Rhyhal wasn't ever going to be clean and while it wasn't like there was another person fighting it, there was certainly friction inside me. I'm not the Naraiz that was perfectly attuned to the Balance of the Force. I'm a nerd who was dumped into a man that would have died if not for divine intervention. Slowly I'm becoming more and more used to feeling the Force and it's tugs and pulls. But it feels like any moment I could slip up in a way that previous Naraiz would have avoided. All I can do is try and meditate and learn for myself the Force, and hope I don't fuck things up.

Nearly a month since we came to Winterfell. Time had moved rather fast for me and my crew that had come down from the mountains. And clearly we were beginning to outstay our welcome. Oh the Starks reamined friendly and insisted that we could stay as long as we needed but others had different opinions. Rumor and gossip was as human as anything could get, even in the North. Plus while myself and Pierce were perfectly content here, Jaesa and Quinn both were getting restless in their own ways. I had a rough plan as to what I should do. But without a doubt our time here in the North was coming to an end. Quinn had already assembled an entire book's worth of reports. Data collected from the Maester and others of this keep. I had my excuse for why I knew what I knew, and I didn't want to stay any longer as I had already begun to attach the wrong kind of attention.

In fact I was in the middle of thinking just how to best begin as I walked into the main dinning hall of Winterfell. THe smell had drawn me in and it had long been accepted by the Stark family that I would join them on occasion. But as I closed the door behind me I saw that there was a single soul in the room, Lyarra Stark.

"Naraiz? What are you doing here?" Lyarra asked quickly after turning in her seat to see just who had come in. At first she had a look of hidden joy that soon turned to disappointment at seeing me. I could sense that it wasn't because she didn't want to see me, more like she wanted someone else to show up. Fine line there. "I thought I had guards outside."

"Oh… you know me. Silver tongue and all that." I said knowing that it was more waving my hand than anything my tongue did. "Comes in handy in places you might not expect." She blushed as she picked up the innuendo. But like a true Stark quickly crushed it and returned her control. "Expecting someone else tonight?"

"I was… though it was all for not. As I should have seen before I did all this." She grumbled as I came up behind her chair and slid to her side.

"Lyarra." I said as I walked up to the sole sitting Stark at the high table in the dining hall. It's a very interesting thing marriage, it's a commitment made by two people to love and stand by each other. At least in most minds it is, but the thing I learned in my two lives was that it was built upon small things. Sure something big can come along and destroy it, but to keep it strong both sides needed to keep doing just a few things to fuel the belief of commitment. "I'm surprised to find you alone, where are the pups?" I asked and she slouched a bit in her seat. "Oh… bit of a romantic dinner between such a happy couple? What's the occasion?"

"Anniversary." She said with just a tiny bit of the flood of bitterness that was being held back in check. She then looked up to me, the man that was here instead of the husband that should be here. Lyarra had been fighting her needs ever since she had laid eyes on me and I had sensed it since that first meeting. She didn't love me, she found me attractive and enjoyed my company. That was it but that was all she needed. For once she wanted to feel a passionate night with a man that she could actually feel attracted to. But she stuffed down those feelings down and likely arranged this night with Rickard in hopes of finding some reason to not go through with her desires.

"I will leave you to this then, enjoy your fight with your husband as I enjoy my night with my apprentice." I said knowing what was going through Lyarra's head. Presenting her with both the near undesirable future she had with Rickard and the enviable time I would be having with Jaesa was just another extra nudge. And just as I knew she would, she grabbed my wrist before I left her side.

"Wait." Lyarra quickly insisted, both anger at her husband and jealousy toward Jaesa clear. She knew what she was going to do, but she needed to be sure. Some semblance of loyalty to Rickard and her vows remained and needed to be tested. "W-where… where is he right now. I know that you know these things."

"Currently…" I reached out into the Force and felt the ebbs and flows of it. "He's with several of his veteran guards all drinking. There are no whores… they're just trading stories of the battles they fought in." While I knew I must have made it not nearly as easy as she would have wanted it, it was enough. Her hand had still not left my sleeve although it was slightly limp now.

"If I were to…" She bit her lip as if to stop herself. She wanted this, she wanted to sully her marriage to her cousin that she had no feelings for. She wanted to step on the farce that was this family. She loved her children, she did, but she only wished that they weren't Rickard's children or that they were some other woman's and she had her own with another man. It was a horrible thing for a mother to think but she couldn't help but feel it. These feelings were so bare for me to see, I guess this is what Jaesa must feel like. I watched as she gathered her wits and tried again. "If I were to ask you to-" This time it was me that stopped her, with a single finger to her lip. She looked up expectedly as if waiting for a lecture on how she was an awful wife she was. But it never came.

"Lyarra… you once asked me if there were any Gods where I came from." Her eyes shined in slight amazement that I had remembered that. "I want you to think of me as the Devil in this moment." A small piece of the Dark Side flowed around me. It tickled and licked at my senses and it was oh so sweet. The Dark Side has both the power of dread and the power to entice. I let both out in equal measure. She flinched but didn't look away, her attention was on me in full. The rest of the building could be burning and she would not notice. And I let my Mask drop.

My eyes turned yellow, a small twinge of crimson red at the very center. Where Jaesa's yellow eyes were a sickening color mine were tinted more golden. The veins in my face turned black as my skin grew ivory pale. My black hair grew sharp and very quill-like and shined in a strange light. My bone structure grew sharper and more akin to True Blood Sith giving me a demonic face to the unknowing human. And out from a small parting of my lips fangs could be seen. For any Sith small physical changes are accumulated over time as your exposure to the Dark Side grows. These were the changes that had been done to me, I thankfully got off very lightly given that I had achieved Balance before ending up a monster like some other Sith.

"N-Naraiz? What is happening to you?" Lyarra asked as I pulled my finger away to let her speak. Her breathing was heavy with both fear and arousal. She had no idea how but this man before her was the most demonic thing she had seen and yet… she could not look away. I have been called both horrifying and beautiful at the same time before and I'm sure that's what she was feeling now.

"I told you… think of me as the Devil." I said, my voice having a small dark echo to it. I reached out and put my fingers under her chin, our eyes locked with each other as she was completely memorized in my power. "I will grant you all that you desire and more. A world of pleasure and fulfillment is just in your grasp. A place in my plans, I would protect you from all and make sure you want for nothing. But the Devil must have his due." I said as I moved my hand to cup her cheek, leaning down close so that she could see every detail of the Devil in front of her.

At this point my mind was fully delving into the Dark Side. More and more of the ensnaring power of the Dark Side leaked out of me, and seeing Lyarra shiver in hungry need for me lowered my guard and allowed the Dark Side a stronger footing in me. This was wrong, I knew better than to let it do this too me. But… I felt good. Never before in my previous life had I felt this powerful. And seeing the way Lyarra was looking at me… I… I didn't want it to end. No one ever looked at me with such awe and longing before.

"And what is the Devil's due?" She asked as she leaned into my grasp, her eyes speaking nothing but long desired longing for more than the life she had. Her pure love of her children was muted by the denied woman that had gone unsatisfied for too long. She wanted to feel something for a change, instead of the Northern cold of her husband. And I was here, ready and willing to provide. Memories of something I had read about came up at her question as well. Of a ritual and object that fitted so nicely with how this was going.

"What the Devil always wants." I said before pulling my hand away from her, causing the woman to nearly whine at its loss. I reached out and pulled with the Force one of the swords that hung on the wall. The second it reached my hand I grasped around it and began infusing my power into it. The Dark Side guided my actions now as I used my unrivaled skills in Sith Alchemy to change the metal into what I desired. Lyarra watched in awe as the sword melted down before her eyes. Arcs of dark energy passed between my arm and the molten metal imbuing it with the magics I and the Dark Side needed from it. This was my first time too, creating an artifact of the Dark Side. "… the Devil wants your soul." I said as I held out my creation. Lyarra stared at the collar in my hand, a band of blackened metal with Sith Runes carved into it lined with dark gold with a small triangle hook in the front.

"My soul?" She asked with trepidation but I could sense that just seeing the collar had her swelling with a perverse excitement. Something dark in her had festered long under her resentment toward her life as Lady Stark, and now both my power and the allure of the Dark Side was feeding into it.

"Put this on, and you will be my slave. Mind, body, and soul. I will be your undisputed master, and my power will forever tie you to my will." The words were not wholly mine but guided by dark whispers from the blackest corners of my mind. Lyarra meanwhile looked at the ornate collar, not in disgust but anticipation. I could only imagine what was going through her mind as she weighed between the cages. That of Lady of Winterfell, wife to a husband she did not love or chose. Or slave to a exotic and exciting forginer, done entirely of her own choosing. But the answer soon came.

There was a small clink sound as Lyarra took the collar and snapped it shut around her neck. She felt nothing at first until the band tightened around her neck, only stopping just as she felt it nearly choking her. She then grasped her neck as she felt the pain now begin to spread across her body starting from the collar. She stood up from her seat and turned around, stumbling back into the table. Then just as she was about to scream… it all changed. Her arms limply fell from clawing at her neck as the pain vanished and was replaced by a numbness that sunk deep into her mind. Then she began to feel warm… then hot as her whole body exploded with arousal. Lyarra fell back on her hands on the dining table, panting as her whole body felt a heat like she never felt before. Her eyes glazed over in pleasure as her tongue draped out of her mouth drooling.

"Master…" She panted as she laid eyes on the man she just instinctively felt subservience to. Her mind twisted as something new pushed itself onto her. Then she felt her body heat up even more as she felt her skin begin mold like hands were sculpting her into something else. But most of the time she felt something deep inside of her being stained by some force, something was tainting her soul as her mind and body changed to what her master desired of her.

I watched it play out before me and with the drop of my hand I used the Force to rip down her dress leaving her body completely exposed. Even her smallclothes had been removed giving me a full view of her impressive bust and dripping womanhood. She never moved to cover herself and if anything having me admire her naked body increased her arousal. I watched as the Dark Side shaped and molded her flesh into impossible beauty, and then with insane fascination as she took one some not so human traits. It wasn't unheard of for Sith to graft changes onto their slaves but only a master of Sith Alchemy like myself could do so as seamlessly as what was happening before my eyes.

"Oh… I really do have quite the sense irony." I laughed as the Dark Side fed off my inner thoughts and changed Lyarra to be what I wanted her to be. Honestly I really doubt how much effect the Sith Naraiz Rhyhall would have on me. The me of Earth would be freaking out and even mildly disgusted by my actions, but this new me just felt excitement at what was happening to Lyarra. I watched as she began to mutate, changing by the power of the Dark Side guided my dark desires.

"M-master please…" She begged as she looked at me, in her eyes was lust and submission. Gone was the mother wolf that only sought to protect her pups, now it was replaced by a bitch that only craved to pleasure and be pleasured by her alpha. I knew that the wolf would come back for anyone other than myself. As that's what I wanted, I had no time for weak willed doormats, even in my pets.

"My pet, did you really think I would leave you wanting?" I said as I came in close, she smiled the most honest smile I had seen on her before I took her lips with my own. Instantly she opened her mouth to let my tongue do as I pleased. Lyarra moaned as she felt one of my hands reach around her head and take a handful of hair, while the other one snaked around her back and gripped ahold of her shapely behind. However, I smirked as I moved both of my hands to her two new additions. One hand slipped off her flesh and caressed the new wolf tail that had grown out of her, while the other soon moved to scratch her new set of wolf ears. Oh Sith Alchemy… bringing a nerd's dreams to reality. While I could sense that there was panic in Lyarra at the sensation of her new features, never did she push me away or move to stop me in anyway. I was her master and I could do with her what I want. Deciding that I should answer for what I have done, I pulled away from my new slave. Though by the slight lean back towards me and open mouth ready to continue I may have overestimated her desire to understand what happened to her body. "My-my-my… aren't you an eager one."

"Please master, use me as you want." She pleaded as her juices ran down her leg, her cunt gushing arousal as her body rippled with pleasure from the transformation and just being in my presence. The collar on her neck looked like it was fused to her flesh, and Lyarra never wanted it to leave her. It was the symbol of her master's ownership of her. She was my property, a bitch to be used at his pleasure. Whatever vestige of independent spirit she once had been consumed by the Dark Side.

"I will pet, I will." I said as I reached out and patted her on the head. A small reward for her acceptance of her new role. Lyarra could not deny the wonderful sensation she felt as her master scratched behind her new wolf ears. "You're not the least bit curious about these new features? Speak honestly." I said knowing that she might not be in hopes of hurrying along to me taking her. I planned to fully, the guards outside were all in a daze and under my power. They would not recall anything but that I arrived tonight and left a few moments later. Beyond that, I had thrown up a bubble around us keeping any sound in the room. I intended to make my bitch howl tonight.

"If this is what my master desires my body to look like then I accept it." Lyarra said as she twitched her ears and moved her tail gently. Testing out the feeling of the new appendages. The ears surprisingly were the most noticeable by her, the tail on the other hand she could barely feel unless she brushed it along the table behind her. She could also feel that her waist was a bit slimmer and her hips wider, not much though. Her chest remained as full as it had been. And the rest of her body had become much more toned and even enhanced beyond what a human's body should be capable of. She should want to, she could punch through the stone walls of the keep and not even feel a thing after breaking right through. "This will be difficult to explain." She said not really understanding it would be impossible, but then again she was in a lust drunk haze.

"After tonight I will make you a Sith Mask, a Force power that I use to conceal my true face." I said as I touched my face, it had been a really long time since I let the Mask drop. Not even Jaesa has seen what I really look like more than once, Vette's actually the only person I let see me when she's tending to me while I go into Force Rest, a meditative slumber where I am the most vulnerable. During it I have to drop the Mask and any other Force powers that are active on my person, I only trust Vette to my body during this time. "But that's for later." I said as I began to take off my upper robes. I had made sure to wear some of the more easy to remove robes. Lyarra gazed longingly as my upper body was exposed, just as my face the rest of my skin had turned ivory pale with black veins contrasting to the white of my skin. I chuckled as Lyarra attentively took my robes and placed them aside. "Do as you want my pet." I said and Lyarra reached to touch my chest, the feeling of her soft hands graze across my real skin felt wonderful. I forgot how much my sense of touch is diluted by the Mask.

"Do my hands please you master?" She asked as she continued to explore my uncovered body. Her eyes at times looking down, I knew what she really wanted but I just wanted to enjoy myself some more. I sighed contently as she traced along a few of my scars, I could sense the sight of which was turning her on even further. "Master? Is there ayh~" She moaned as I cupped her breasts, feeling that she should be rewarded for giving me such joy of another person's touch. "Master is touching me… I've never felt so good." Her hands grasped onto me as I continued to play with her superbly full chest, the look of pure pleasure that she had on her face told me all I needed to know. That Rickard had seriously left this woman wanting in bed, a true crime if there ever was one.

"Such a dirty slave I have, moaning like this just from having your tits groped." I chuckled as kneaded her soft globes of flesh. My fingers grasping and squeezing, and with each movement I made her moans grew louder. And eventually as I twisted one of her hardened nipples I caused her to let out the first howl of the night.

"O-only you master. Only you can… ahh yes… please master, touch me more!" She said as she moved one of her hands from her master's arm to her breast, intent on keeping it there for as long as she could. Lyarra had never had sex like this, it was always was so simple with her husband. He stick her with his cock and thrust into her until he finished, it had been better when they were younger but that faded quickly. Never did he touch her like her master did. "I feel something…" She mewled as she could feel her body heat up once again and unfamiliar build up followed. But then it all stopped as her master removed his hands from her breasts. "Master no~"

"Not just yet my pet." I said as with the snap of my fingers I used the Force to click my lower robes open. The straps that acted as a belt unlatched themselves and let my body be completely free of clothes. Lyarra looked down in awe, she had only ever seen one man's penis before but now that she was seeing mine she knew even deeper what she had been lacking all this time. I loved Sith breeding practices, selecting only the best physical specimens to carry on the Sith lines. Making sure that they were the best in all areas.

"Please master… let me please you as you did me." Lyarra begged as she continued to stare at my already hard member. She never even saw that my right leg was entirely black metal. I moved around her and took the seat that she had been in at the start of all this. With a small gesture of my hand I told her to do as she wished. I watched as she got on her knees and tentatively reached out and began slowly stroking my cock. Her hands feeling even better there than on my chest. She began slowly, not entirely sure on how to please me but she knew that was her purpose here. "I'm sorry master, I don't know how to do this." She said deeply ashamed of herself that she was doing so poorly. I just chuckled at her inexperience.

"Use your mouth." I said as I rested my head on my fist. While it was true that she wasn't as skilled in the bedroom as say Jaesa, she didn't have much chance to become skilled at it by what her surface thoughts of Rickard showed me. But I knew she would take direction well and she did. Without a thought of hesitation she took the tip of my cock into her mouth and began sucking it. Almost like a switch she began to bob her head up and down on my manhood like she had done a thousand times before.

"I need more master… your taste is so delicious." She praised after letting my prick go with a loud pop, her hand stroking it as she now sucked on my balls. I didn't know if it was the collar or the Dark Side but her skill was improving by the seconds. "Please master, I want to be covered in your seed." Lyarra begged with a needy look in her eyes as she returned to sucking my cock, taking half of my length with each bob of her head.

"Keep this up and you'll have your wish." I groaned in pleasure as I rested a hand on her head and began moving her to a better rhythm that I enjoyed. She picked up on this and followed my unsaid directions perfectly. Her small moans vibrating around my dick as I rewarded her by scratching behind her new ears. Her pace slowly increased over time and soon enough I was at my climax. "I'm cumming." I grunted and Lyarra was apparently not ready for the ending of her first blowjob. I shot a rope of cum into her mouth and filled her up. She pulled off my cock, causing me to continue to spray the rest of my load all over her naked body.

"(cough) T-thank y-you master." She coughed a bit more before finally stopping and began savoring the taste of my seed. "So good… it's like nothing I've ever tasted before." She said as she used her fingers to collect what had covered her chest and face. Enjoying my essence so much she began cleaning herself by licking up whatever had landed on her. My cock stood right back up at the sight, I already had good recovery time but damn if that was not sexy as fuck.

"I think it's time that I claimed you properly." I said as I raised my hand in the air and grabbed ahold of a chain that materialized out of the air. The chain connected to the hook on Lyarra's collar and using it I pulled her up and onto my lap. My hardened cock now sliding along her drenched pussy, I rubbed across her clit sending waves of carnal ecstasy through her body. "Do you want this Lyarra, for me to take you forever and reshape your pussy so that no man could please you but me?" I growled as I lightly yanked on her chain, causing a yelp of pleasure as the collar glowed slightly reminding her who she belonged to.

"Yes! I want you master, take me and make your bitch!" She howled as her mind fogged in the euphoria of lust. With a smirk I used the Force to lift her up and grabbed her legs so that I could control the pace to how I wanted. Then without warning I dropped her down onto my length filling her all the way to her womb. She screamed out as she came just from that one thrust, coating my cock in her juices. Her face was priceless, cross-eyed drunk on the pleasure as her tongue stuck out unable to properly voice what she was feeling. But her voice returned to her as I began to move her up and down on my shaft. Seemingly still out of it, she unconsciously wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me as I pounded into her still hungry cunt. "Yes-yes-yes… keep going master! Make forget all about my husband… I want no one else but you!"

"Don't worry, I intend to do just that." I smiled, my sharp fangs on full display as an elongated tongue licked my lips in hunger. I continued to slam in and out of her tight inner walls, I could feel her grip around my cock in a vice like grip with the desire to never let me go. From the sounds she was making it made me think she never had an orgasm in her life let only multiple ones so closely together. Deciding to have a better view of her, with only my mind I used the Force to push everything off the table in front of us before picking Lyarra up and placing her on her back on the now clear table. Her arms left my neck and grabbed ahold of the edges of the table to anchor herself in one spot. I had a wonderful view of her body glistening in sweat as I pumped in and out of her, her beautiful face contorted into a mask of stupidly fucked pleasure, her breasts heaving with every thrust I made, her legs wrapping around me pulling me in further to her hot core.

"I'm cumming again on master cock!" Lyarra screamed and I could feel her constrict around me as she neared her climax. "Master… I want it. I want to feel you filling up with your magnificent seed. Please grace this bitch with everything you have." She begged with eyes full of pleading lust. Smirking, I began to thrust in and out of her faster getting me up to my own climax. The sounds of Lyarra howling filled the hall and could not help but feel a little pride by the volume.

"Your mine Lyarra Stark, mine forever." I growled as I came inside her, sending her over the edge. She lost her voice as her face was stuck gasping as her mind was subsumed in the pleasure. The feeling of my cum filling her womb to the brim was too good for her and her limbs went limp from the sensation. She fell off my cock and the table, landing on her side panting heavy on the stone floor. Her own juices and my cum leaking out of her abused snatch.

"I'm yours master… forever." She said dumbly as she weakly put a hand to the collar that was around her neck. It's dark aura a soothing comfort as it felt as warm and pleasing that settled within her. I however had returned back to the seat and looked on the sight of Lyarra in her fucked stupid state with a frown. My mind had begun to lift the fog of the Dark Side and I was unhappy with what just happened. Both from the perspective of the Sith and even more the man I was before this.

From the Sith I felt nothing but white hot rage at my weakness to allow myself to create that blasted collar. Sure… it was indescribable how turned on it made me seeing it on her. And I was very proud of it in theory but not so much its use on this particular person. It would be difficult to hide this from Rickard. Her personality was changed and he'd likely figure out that something happened. The physical traits would be easy to hide with a Sith Mask, so I only found them ironically amusing and fantastically adorable. On the other side of my mixing personality… I was a little horrified at what I had done. Sure I had the memories of me breaking people to my will but… this was still me doing it now. It was only thanks to my Sith side that I wasn't freaking out over this.

The Dark Side had been fed and I knew it had to be done sooner or later. I was both a master and novice at the Dark Side and a slip up was only a matter of time. However, in the grand scheme of things this was one of the few safer ways I could give into the Dark Side without falling to it. I needed to get better at this, being a Sith. But I did ask for this, with all the fun came the risks and perils that came with this new life.

Author's notes

Yeah... that happened. Let me get this out of the way right now, No... Naraiz did not rape Lyarra. Did he do questionable things to her... yes. However it was all consensual on both sides. Lyarra agreed to this even if Naraiz pulled out several tricks to get her to do this, including striking at a vulnerable time, using the Dark Side to influence her current emotional state, and taking advantage of the fact she was thirsty as fuck and in a loveless marriage. But again, the MC of this story will never ever forcibly rape a woman who does not want any sexual relations with him. There is a line people. I'm not saying that Naraiz will be a saint but he does have a moral code and that is high on it.

Hopefully, most of you already have some idea what we are getting into with this story. But I'm sure there will be snowflakes that will get triggered regardless. For the rest of us let us continue to enjoy the story as it plays out.