To others, Rhaenys' little revelation was just childish talk. But Wylis took it very seriously. If Rhaenys was talking to trees, then it was likely the Weirwood tree. And that meant the one behind it was Brynden Rivers, the bastard son of King Aegon IV.
He pondered simply chopping down the tree, or damaging its roots underground, and letting it die a fast death. But he decided against that. Brynden Rivers wasn't his enemy, not yet. And the man was locked in a tree beyond the wall. Moreover, the man wanted the same thing as him, the end of these damn ice-zombies.
But dealing with the Others was something for the future. For now, all he wanted was to grow. And Brynden Rivers trying to influence Rhaenys' mind in any way was unacceptable to him. He wanted to speak to the bastard and warn him against it.
Yet, he didn't try. There was a high chance Brynden knew about his Earthbending abilities. One wrong step could bring him more trouble. If Brynden decided to give vision to every nearby greenseer about his Earthbending, that would be annoying.
So, for the time being, he postponed the matter.
His Earthbending could be a great weapon against the Others. He only hoped Brynden understood that.
At the castle, he spoke with Barbrey and Brandon in private after the feast. He asked for her thoughts and what she would do with what she had learned. The answer was one, the only one allowed. She agreed to take it to her grave if needed.
That was enough. From there, he talked trade with Barrowtown. It was one of the more prominent towns in the North with a population larger than Ramsgate. He offered a trade exchange, but he knew he would be the bigger exporter no matter what.
What he did want from her was something unrelated to House Dustin. Instead, he hoped to use Barbrey as an intermediary between him and House Ryswell. He wanted the best mares for Caliburn to breed and create a breed of strong horses the likes of which people had never seen before.
He had bought a few already, the best ones he could from Ryswell. But they weren't the absolute best House Ryswell had to offer.
By the time night rolled in, trade was settled, work was done, and Brandon was free to take his wife to the bedding. Wylis, however, went to find Qyburn instead.
Recently, a group of maesters had arrived from across Westeros. They were mostly wandering maesters not assigned to a specific lord. They sought knowledge, and he agreed to provide.
"Qyburn, keep this in mind. Their oaths belong to the Citadel. Trust is wasted on them, yet win them if you can with science. Still, I won't have knowledge given freely. Let each sign a lawful pledge of fifteen years to serve the Lord of Ramsgate with paid work, or face monetary penalties," Wylis warned the Maester, who was silently working on the grandfather clock and adjusting it to be more accurate.
"A splendid plan, my lord. By binding them by law to Ramsgate's service, their knowledge will serve the good here in our hands, not stolen off and locked within the worthless Citadel." Qyburn perked up.
Wylis doubted it was because they were going to share knowledge. But rather, Qyburn would soon have minions to order around and unload some of his duties.
"Aye, that's the idea. Until the work is done, use the inns outside. The first school is being built in the administrative quarter, with large classrooms and dorms. You are the headmaster of Ramsgate Hall of Higher Education. Trouble not with food or lodging; that is not your job, but manage what they get to learn and don't."
Instantly, Qyburn's eyes shot towards the large book cabinet nearby.
It was the treasure Wylis had slowly handed over. He had to write them; each book was written in a progressive way, and each volume introduced tougher concepts to learn. Since Qyburn was so fascinated by everything, there were already books on Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and some Mathematics. But Wylis had more in his personal library, waiting to be printed, so the new Maester school he was planning could function.
"See to it, Qyburn. I expect results when next we meet in a few days… And the falcons I requested, what of them?"
"They're on the way, my lord. Took no small effort to round them up, especially in the numbers you demand."
Wylis nodded in satisfaction. Qyburn was very competent.
"Good. Feed them well should they arrive before I'm back. And get some food in you. Those dark rings make you look like a Panda." Wylis patted the maester's shoulder. "You're of no use to me in the grave."
"W-What is a Panda, my lord?"
"A bamboo-eating bear from Yi Ti, covered in black and white fur. Wit is not its strength."
Qyburn didn't even ask how he knew it. The devotion and trust had reached a level where if Wylis revealed he was god incarnate, Qyburn would kneel and ask what sacrifice the noble god desires.
"Wondrous world out there, my lord. One day, perhaps, I would like to travel to the far east."
"I feel the same, my friend." Wylis nodded, imagining the lands east of Qarth. "Focus on the clock now. I have… husband duties to see to."
And it wasn't just aimed at Lyanna. Officially, he was husband only to Lyanna. But he never saw it differently for the others.
But first, he gathered the kids and read them a storybook he'd written. He gave Viserys a little sparring session to remind him how shitty he still was with the blade.
Then finally, he dueled the women one by one. But it was more about striking the sheath… again and again.
####
Dreadfort,
"Nage has not returned," Roose Bolton said, standing with his arms crossed in the dungeon.
"I… don't know… m'lord. I returned once I… gave them the boat–aaaaaah!'
Roose didn't flinch as the man's skin was pulled off from the chest, revealing the muscles intact. Blood was everywhere.
"Nage wasn't a mere guard. He was trained for this. Who did you tell of my plan? Did the men with Nage say anything to you?"
"Nothing, m'lord! No—aaaah!"
Getting no answers, Roose turned annoyedly, walking with his captain. "Walton, Lord Kaiser is planning something. I mean to know what it is. Things are moving quickly; he bought land from Hornwood and found gold in mere days. Now he reaches Winterfell. Find out what happened to Nage."
"I will, my lord." Steelshanks Walton bowed and left.
Roose entered his solar and took a seat. His elbows landed on the table, and his palms rubbed his face as he let out a tired breath.
"You fool. Bernard was never meant for you."
Roose coldly eased into his chair, the sigil of House Bolton before his eyes on the wall.
"But House Bolton does not surrender to a lowly name that found its fame yesterday."
####
Winterfell,
It was a multi-day journey from Ramsgate to Winterfell.
Wylis had picked twenty men to come with him as his guards, and three carriages, two of which were stagecoaches with a roof and windows. Since he had decided to bring Magnus along, he needed a place where the boy could sleep during their travels.
During nights, they rested in small villages or in the open, setting up tents. Caliburn was with him, and the big boy had grown accustomed to standing guard outside his tent at night, using his animal senses to sense any nearby danger.
On one occasion, Caliburn had warned of a bear nearby. Wylis had to wake up and slay the beast. It was a lot of meat to waste, so Wylis allowed the men to cook it. However, as he was aware of the dangers of trichinosis, he oversaw the cooking, ensuring it was thoroughly roasted over high heat for a very long time.
He didn't eat it, however. But Benjen did, the man even enjoyed it.
Over the days, he got to spend time with his son as well. Reaching three years of age, Magnus had started his sword training with practice, wooden swords. It had started ever since that sword incident.
"That's my boy!"
Wylis played, or trained him. While he sat on the grass cross-legged with a wooden sword, he let Magnus attack him from any side. All he did was clash a few times and personally guide Magnus' arms to move in certain ways with those clashes. He aimed to do that so many times that Mangus would instinctively get used to that motion.
"Haaaa! I'll beat you, Dad!"
Wylis, instead of blocking this time, swatted the sword from Mangus' hand, sending it flying. Mangus, without the sword, landed right into his lap. After that, Wylis just attacked with non-stop tickles.
"Baaaahaha… Stop… dad!"
He didn't stop. He tickled the boy breathless, rolling on the ground, kicking his little legs.
"Hah! I can't breathe…"
Finally, once he saw the boy turning red, he stopped. "That, my son, is the 'tickle them to death' trick. You would be surprised how often loose tongues follow."
Panting, Mangus remained on his lap, lazily catching his breath. "It… It works?"
"Of course, it does. Want me to try it on you? I bet you'll tell me where you hide all your secret candies."
"No! Not on me!"
Wylis just laughed and got up, lifting his son under his side like a sack. "Let's move then. They're done resting."
______________________
Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 12 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 45-50 Webnovel chapters.
Check out Solo Dacey Mormont & Wylis X Elia NSFW art, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
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