[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 299 AC.
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"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to fight by your side in the south!" Barristan Selmy knelt before Jon, saying those words.
Jon watched in silence at the entrance of the castle where he had met the old knight.
Jon would even tell him not to kneel, that Arctic does not kneel, but some things would change soon, at least the people of the Seven Kingdoms should kneel before him.
"You have certainly proven your worth in the last moons involving battles and in that final one, the war against the dead," Jon had to admit.
After all, he had arrived in Arctic just a month ago and fought in numerous battles, always seeking to draw the attention of his superiors. He wanted to stand out, and he succeeded: he helped greatly, fighting alongside the common warriors of the kingdom.
So Jon had to make a decision about him.
"As you know, there are vacancies in the Kingsguard now. Some have fallen. So I propose that you follow me south along with Lancelot and the others. If you earn your worth, you may wear the cloak of the Kingsguard of Arctic." He paused as Barristan Selmy looked grateful, but Jon was not finished.
"Furthermore, I know you were a lord commander when Robert Baratheon was king. Are you willing to follow Lancelot's orders? He is the current lord commander of the Kingsguard, overseeing the hundred units of the greatest warriors of the kingdom, who protect my family," Jon asked calmly.
"I would be honored, Your Majesty," he began. "I already beg you to let me go with you, and I would be honored with the opportunity to fight by your side and prove my worth to also become a member of the Kingsguard. Before being commander, I obeyed. I have not lost that habit, despite my age," he spoke, and Jon felt satisfied with the answer.
"Good. Okay, what do you think about this, Lancelot," Jon said, as the kingsguard, who had been behind him the entire time, nodded.
"I admit that this one has skill, he fights very well and is without a doubt one of the strongest swords we would find south of the Wall..." Lancelot commented.
"He can also improve," Jon added. "You can give him some of the potions. That will help improve his body's strength." Lancelot nodded upon hearing this.
"Anyway, you are dismissed. Lancelot, take the rest of the day off. Just take Barristan Selmy to pick up a year's kit of potions," Jon said, as the lord commander felt that his shift was already coming to an end.
Jon went on with other kingsguards to check on a few more matters inside the castle. There would be no official meeting now, especially since Lancelot would not participate and the other ministers should be resting after the past few days. However, he would hold the meeting later today and it would be done in the coming hours.
Barristan Selmy followed the lord commander to another place.
The old knight's eyes did not stop fixing themselves on the back of the warrior ahead of him, remembering very well his skill and that of the other kingsguards. He could not help but acknowledge the combat power that each of those who wore the cloaks of the Kingsguard of Arctic possessed. He had already seen what they were capable of in that naval battle and also in the conflict at Winterfell.
He had observed the training of the kingsguards for many days. It was not very frequented during the war against the dead, but there were always warriors who trained occasionally.
The kingsguard system was also very well structured; with 100 kingsguards, they rotated shifts, never leaving the royal family without a large amount of protection, and no matter how different it might be, they maintained a dynamic similar to that of a kingsguard.
But unlike the Kingsguard of Westeros, the kingsguards of Arctic could form families, and the position was not restricted only to the male sex.
And if someone sought to find fragile women among the kingsguard, they would be completely mistaken. The women of Arctic who wore the armor of the Kingsguard were far stronger than ordinary men. They might not be able to deal easily with most comparable male guards, but they were certainly far superior to a common man, and even knights of Westeros would not be able to face them.
Jaime Lannister was living proof of this: considered the fastest swordsman in Westeros, he lost to a female kingsguard responsible for the safety of Princess Arya, in the courtyard of Winterfell. Jill was her name.
He knew that there was something special in all of this. He had heard that the kingsguards took exclusive potions to improve the body, something the king himself had done since he had received his gifts from the gods, according to what everyone said.
The stories of the Arctican king about his superhuman speed and strength came from that, and Barristan witnessed him fighting that ice monster that had already stabbed him several dozen times without the old knight being able to do anything.
He had plenty of time to talk with the people, with the commanders and leaders, even with members of the Kingsguard, although some did not like him.
And something surprised him in all of this; it was not the power of this kingdom's Kingsguard that surprised him the most, but rather the similarity of the system it had with the Kingsguard of Westeros.
He knew that the Arctican king had never set foot in King's Landing, and he could hardly believe that someone could create such a complex system solely from books, especially upon discovering that there were not many books at the beginning of Arctic, at the time of its construction. Even so, everything was extremely organized, not only the Kingsguard, but the entire kingdom. All of that had already been thought out and implemented from the very beginning of the construction, becoming the main skeleton even before they began recruiting people or raising the structures of the kingdom.
That kingdom had been thought out in its entire chain of systems from the very beginning, and Barristan could not help but be amazed. Even so, the origin of all that knowledge remained a great mystery to him, until he met Brynden Rivers, the Bloodraven.
Brynden Rivers was the name that gave Barristan complex thoughts. He was the Great Bastard made legitimate, son of King Aegon IV Targaryen and Mylessa Blackwood... he may even have been born before the year 200, but his story was part of Barristan Selmy's childhood.
Bloodraven had gone to the Wall in 233 After the Conquest, while Barristan himself had been born in 237. The tales of the Rebellion and its heroes were still very strong during Barristan Selmy's childhood, and just as he himself would later become a hero to many young people, he too had his own. Barristan saw Bloodraven wielding Dark Sister as his own hero at that time.
One of the reasons for entering a tourney at ten namedays and proving his worth. He fell to the lance of Prince Duncan Targaryen, but received his epithet as Barristan Selmy, the Bold.
There were many rumors at that time. Some said that he had tried to take the throne and ended up exiled; others claimed that he might have been turning against the crown, joining the Blackfyres. But Barristan Selmy liked to believe that he had renounced out of honor, so as not to cause problems in the legitimization of his own family.
After all, his name had been feared throughout all of Westeros: the man who could see the entire battlefield, whom nothing took by surprise and who laid traps for his enemies. Daemon Blackfyre fell because of that. By an arrow from Bloodraven himself.
Barristan Selmy noticed that this was the way they dealt with enemies, very similar to the stories about the king himself, who always seemed to know where the enemy was and caught them by surprise. At least, that was what Barristan had been hearing, especially during the war in Yi Ti, after meeting some members of the eastern world who were living in Arctic.
And regarding the systems that Barristan Selmy had always found curious, he believed they had been developed together with Brynden. When he met him for the first time, he thought that, since Brynden Rivers was alive and present in the kingdom, he could pass these systems of implementation directly to the king. However, he soon discovered that it was not just that.
Greensight was something commonly discussed among the people of Arctic. He had already heard that the king could travel to the past with a greenseer in search of knowledge. When he had the opportunity to meet Brynden Rivers, he confirmed everything he had at some point suspected.
The king could gather knowledge from the past and implement it directly in the kingdom, and he had begun doing this early on. And not only knowledge about the Kingsguard. Barristan had heard that Jon had been there to hear Visenya Targaryen speaking with her brother-husband, Aegon the Conqueror, about the founding of the seven white cloaks, as well as of the Seven Kingdoms.
But Jon could also travel through the knowledge of the entire world, retrieving even that which had been lost to time. The forging of Valyrian steel was proof of this.
Such an ability was frightening, but now understandable to Barristan, who could not help but feel curious. Rhaegar's son had gathered a good portion of the good things humanity had produced throughout history and was, basically, implementing everything in that kingdom.
"You seem thoughtful," Lancelot's voice, even with his back to the knight, suddenly brought Barristan out of his reverie, looking toward the kingsguard walking ahead of him.
"Just thinking," he said.
"Well, I hope that, as a kingsguard, you are attentive," Lancelot said, making Barristan form a slight grimace behind him.
"Do not judge my competence by a few thoughts of mine, Lord Commander," he said, taking care not to use incorrect titles such as 'Ser'. There were no knights in Arctic, so the title of "Ser" was not used, not even to refer to the Kingsguard. At least not now, since the king intended to merge Arctic with the other Seven Kingdoms and transform the entire continent of Westeros into eight official kingdoms, with a centralized government directly in that city, which would become the capital.
Barristan Selmy himself had been approached by the king, and he had asked for his opinion a few times about the lords of Westeros; Barristan Selmy had said that they would not be very pleased with a capital so far north.
Jon had said that he had a plan for this. He would place a small government to extend Arctic's rule in King's Landing itself, with his son Jaehaerys taking the Iron Throne in the future, keeping the 'future former' capital of Westeros active. Jaehaerys would be a kind of intermediary. He would have his dragon to travel between Arctic and King's Landing, just as Jon would also travel or send his children.
This would greatly ease the matter of governance, allowing the southern lords to be attended to without needing to travel so far. After all, even Jon could understand that it would not be a pleasant journey to reach Arctic, especially for people from the south. Arctican ships would take about two moons to reach Dorne; with faster ships, the journey normally took three or four moons, while worse vessels could take up to six moons.
Barristan Selmy could even say that it would be easier if His Majesty took the throne directly, but compared to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, Arctic was something that King's Landing would never be.
There was no doubt that, between King's Landing and Arctic, the Arctican capital was dozens of times better. The sewage system worked, the people were educated and well fed, not to mention that practically everyone knew how to read and write. There was an entire kingdom created by that single city; if it were in the south, it would never work.
In any case, the kingdom was magical, there was no doubt. Barristan would be more than satisfied if that meant the chance to serve a worthy king. And without a doubt, Jon Arctic would be better than any other who could arise.
"I know you don't, it was just a provocation." Lancelot spoke again. "I saw you fighting," was what the commander said to him, with a clear smile of someone who was joking.
Barristan merely nodded, and they continued on their way out of the castle. Some other kingsguards were there, and one of them was the same man who had appeared in Winterfell cutting Jaime Lannister's wrist. They did not fail to observe Barristan behind the Lord Commander as they approached.
"Hello. Your shift is about to begin. Stay alert," were the words spoken as they took over the post. Among them, Trinsmy looked at Barristan with disdain. After all, the kingsguard saw that man having been at the side of the fat king in Winterfell when he arrived to take Arya and fought against Jaime Lannister.
He had never liked Barristan since he arrived. Lancelot noticed that he was about to say something unpleasant and intervened.
"Hold your tongue, Trinsmy. If you're going to say something..." Lancelot already knew Trinsmy's sharp tongue.
Trinsmy merely clicked his tongue.
"The king allowed Barristan to stay and is satisfied with his contribution. Respect that at least for His Majesty, understood?" Lancelot concluded.
With that, both continued on their way. They went to the place where the Kingsguard's storage was located, where there was Valyrian steel to spare. Lancelot went to a vault, opened it, and found even rarer items. Among them, vials. He took out a kit with twelve of them.
"Here. You must drink this once a month, for a year," Lancelot said, handing over the box with the twelve vials.
Barristan took it and cast an appraising look before nodding. Whatever that was, it was certainly what lay behind the strength of the Arctican Kingsguard.
The day passed and, finally, Jon scheduled a meeting at night with all the ministers and important people when night fell.
"Let us prepare. Tomorrow, we will inform Arctic about our expedition to the south," he pointed westward. "You will have one day to help them prepare. Summon the entire army to the north, where the plans will be laid out and the news announced," Jon spoke in a serious tone.
The next war was already being prepared, and they needed to act.
No one objected. Quite the opposite, everyone began to plan and discuss among themselves.
The next day, the entire army was summoned. Everyone received the news that they would march south. About twenty thousand men would move west, while the others would attack from the east some time later.
The soldiers had already heard rumors about the war in the south. They knew that the king had an interest in conquering the Seven Kingdoms, and it did not take them by surprise. After all, this had already been widely discussed at the end of the war against the dead.
But, due to the victory against the Night King, there was no dissatisfaction that affected the army. There was always someone who disagreed, but they remained silent. The army was confident, and everyone knew that the Seven Kingdoms were their enemy. It was time to put a final period to it.
Thus, for an entire day, the army spread the news to the rest of the kingdom, while many spent time with their families. Those who could already help on that day began organizing the logistics to begin the march the following day.
Tons and tons of wildfire began to be loaded and placed onto wagons of all kinds of transport. They were to cross the Fist of the First Men and head to the West Coast, which was the home of the ancient small ice-bound tribes, some of which were now part of Arctic.
This led the leadership to summon them and ask that they guide the army, while the giants would open the way, destroying any obstacle that hindered the movement of the wagons and the troops.
Of the twenty-five thousand men organized for the march, many said farewell to their families, and, the next day, all were ready at the North Gate.
"I will leave the march with you. I will be coming to you if you need help," Jon said to Lancelot, who was going along with part of the Kingsguard. As they would not be traveling on dragons, they would go ahead, since the king would also be in this first attack.
The army then began to march out of the walls, accompanied by all the supply wagons. A group of giants went ahead, while Lancelot, as commander, marched alongside Barristan Selmy, who now had Valyrian steel armor and sword, and other officers.
Jon stood there watching the army march, while some dragons flew over the area and descended, landing near him. Rhaenys also watched at Jon's side, and Daenerys came shortly after. Since both had learned to ride, not a single day passed without them wanting to fly.
"You are going to send twenty-five thousand men, Jon? Isn't that a bit little?" Rhaenys asked cautiously, as Jon opened a small smile.
"Calm down, Rhae. Those 25,000 men to the west will already be more than enough to deal with the Iron Islands and the men of the Westerlands. In the east, Ducken will lead more than a hundred thousand Arcticans," Jon explained. Without a doubt, it was a number that would shake their enemies.
But the surprise attack of those more than twenty thousand men would be decisive right at the beginning of the war.
With that, Jon called Strawberry, who was nearby, and made the red female dragon land. Then he accompanied his wives back to the castle.
The army took hours to finally leave Arctic, and when the last contingent departed, the gates were closed. Jon then met with his uncle and other Night's Watchmen who had fought and survived, while only two of them had fallen.
Benjen and the others would need to return to the Wall. They would be taken by ships now that the channel was free, which would make the journey quite pleasant.
"Well, it's not as if you're very far away, is it?" Jon embraced his uncle, who laughed, but soon grew serious.
"Not that close. After all, you're going to be in a war."
"A war that won't last long," Jon replied.
"Just be careful, Jon," Benjen said with a half-smile.
Jon nodded, while Arya also greeted him, saying goodbye to everyone else. Even Jon's children were there, shouting for their uncle, hugging him.
Jon greeted the other Night's Watchmen, thanking them for having joined the fight, even though, for many, it had been practically an obligation after they had been imprisoned.
"No one is going to believe the stories of what happened here," Qhorin Halfhand commented.
"Well, let them think whatever they want. Their eyes should be what they trust, and you know what you saw," Jon said, while the man nodded.
Jon now grew serious, speaking not only to Qhorin, but also to his uncle and the other men.
"I would only ask that you keep the dragons a secret. Someone will probably tell the south about them if they know, and I want to keep this hidden for now," Jon said, knowing the terror that the news would cause—that there were dozens of dragons under Arctic's command, with three riders, one of whom could control most of the nearly thirty dragons.
With that, they began boarding the ships, along with the weapons and armor they had used in the war. Jon gave them these as rewards for their service.
The canal gates had been opened the previous day to remove all the corpses that were trapped there and burn them.
They watched the Night's Watch ships depart, moving past the farmland where thousands of Arcticans were already beginning to work again. The seedlings would be planted, the fields filled, and production distributed for trade, in addition to restocking the depots that had been heavily used during the last eleven moons.
Jon returned to the castle after that, gathering with his family, while his thoughts were already turning to the wars to come. As soon as everything was ready, he would depart for the west with Arya, and then they would finally march south.
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Author's note: A small dynamic to give an excuse to pass a few weeks between this and the next chapter.
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