We made our way to Winterfell Castle and went straight into Stark's solar. I have to say, the structure was even more impressive as I walked through it. It was big, maybe even too big, if I had to say. The only thing I can even compare it to is Hogwarts, but even that doesn't do it justice.
"Before we start, let me offer you bread and salt." Eddard sat down at a big table and bid a servant to bring them food. Which she did with great haste.
"Oh, right, you people follow this custom." I exclaimed and filed this piece of information away. It would come in handy once we were ready to meet new people. Then I took the bread, and to my surprise, it was fresh, crunchy, and very tasty.
"Now then, I'm still the Lord of the North, my Ladies, I was promised answers yesterday, and I would like to get them."
"Sure, ask away, but there are things that I will not divulge."
"I need to know, Benjen said you've fought White Walkers and the Night King beyond the wall. Is that true?"
"Yes, at first it was just White Walkers at first, but then I figured out that somebody was leading them, and… Well, I'm not a fan of necromancy, so Pyra and I hunted them down."
"H–How many?"
"How many did we kill? Roughly one hundred thousand, before I destroyed the Night King. If you want to, I have a way to show you the memory of it." I did acquire a pensieve or two after all.
"A memory?" He asked, slightly confused.
"Yes, a memory, my memory of the fight, to be precise."
"That— That would be greatly appreciated, I believe you and my brother, but proof is always welcome."
"I thought so." I summoned a Pensieve from inside our home, and a tiny thing flew out of my pocket.
"All you have to do is touch the surface." I instructed Stark after I enlarged it and pulled the memory from my mind. Thankfully, the memory was a short one, only about two minutes, so he didn't sit here slumped for long. When he came to, it was with a shuddering breath.
"By the gods… You've done the North a great service…No, you've done a great service to the whole world… "
"Even if I hadn't done it, humanity would have won, in the end. A bit of fire magic, a dragon or two, and a giant army would have been enough to destroy them." That was my honest assessment. While it was true that these humans had little magic, it was enough to learn simple fire spells.
"Then we would have truly lost, Lady Emily. Dragons are long gone from this world."
"No, they're not." "No, they're not." Both Pyra and I exclaimed at the same time. Me, mostly because Pyra said that I could get a dragon here, and her because she must have read it in the Records.
"My lady… the last dragon of the Targaryens perished a hundred and fifty years ago."
"But that just means there are no dragons in Westeros. Lord Stark, the world is incredibly vast, and there are places even you've never heard about. The world stretches far beyond Asshai and the shadow lands after all." Pyra said cryptically.
"But we are not here to discuss the geography of this world. You have more questions, no doubt." I quickly tried to steer the conversation back, before he had the chance to ask me about stuff I knew nothing about.
"Is that where you come from? Beyond the Shadow Lands?" He asked curiously.
"No, Lord Stark, we come from beyond the stars, and let's leave our origins at that." His eyes bulged out at the admission.
"I– yes, of course. You mentioned wanting to settle here in the North. What exactly would that entail? We worship the Old Gods, your presence might be… unwelcome." He said with a slight grimace.
"You seem to be mistaken about what I meant. I don't seek worshippers, nor do I want temples dedicated to me built. Only you and the people you choose to trust should know the truth about me, because to the rest, I will simply be Emily, the strangely powerful merchant lady."
"That might be for the best… but if I may ask, why the North? Surely there are better places for you to settle, no?"
"It's honestly a silly reason. I like the cold, and it helps that I find the nature here incredibly beautiful to look at. Don't sell your land short, Lord Stark." I replied with a shrug.
"I appreciate it, I really do, but do you realize that if I allow you to settle here, I could potentially be inviting a disaster into the North, correct?"
"What disaster do you speak of? Armies from other Kingdoms? Assassins? Trade embargoes?"
"Potentially all of the above. I'm not blind, I can see the boons that allowing you to be here would bring, but I can also imagine the envy it would bring out in others once you and your power become known."
"You fear for your family's safety." I realized what he was trying to get at. If shit hit the fan, they would inevitably be caught in the crossfire. That is, if I ever allowed it to go that far in the first place.
"Aye, I do." He said in a heavy voice.
"Hmm~ I can keep them safe for you. Perhaps craft amulets that would transport them to the safety of my home should something dangerous happen? That should be more than satisfactory. " Crafting portkeys was a simple thing, it cost me nothing at all.
"If you can truly guarantee that, then I have no other qualms about this." He looked like a weight had just dropped from his shoulders. I couldn't blame the man, as this whole situation must have been incredibly stressful.
"Great! Do you have anything else you want to ask about?"
"Many things. If you're amenable, of course."
"If it eases your worries, then I am."
—
It took Eddard three whole hours to finally get his fill and stop asking questions. And while he would classify this whole ordeal as a pleasant conversation overall, it did leave him on edge.
Those women were incredibly dangerous and powerful. He saw it himself. The destruction he witnessed in her memory was more akin to a natural disaster. The first thing that popped into his mind was the myths of the destruction of Valyria, and he did not doubt that she was capable of so much more.
"Bring my wife, Luwin, and my brother here promptly." He said after opening the door leading out of his solar. He needed to talk to his family about this properly. They had to know.
"Ned? Is she gone?" Benjen was the first one to arrive.
"Aye, she is. We had a productive conversation, but let us wait until others arrive. I wish not to repeat myself."
"Very well." They sat in silence and waited for a few minutes until a brief knock broke it.
"Sit, I have some news." He bid both Luwin and Catelyn to sit. Luwin knew, but his wife didn't. It was a difficult topic to broach with her. More so when he had no proof. Cat was a devout woman, but Lady Emily left the strange device he used to view her memory here for him to use, and convince his wife of the validity of what he was about to claim.
"What's this about, Ned?" She asked with a worried expression.
"Before I begin, I must urge you to never speak of anything that is said in this room to anybody."
"Of course." "Aye." "Ned? Has something happened?"
"Aye, it did. But first, we must all see this. Do not worry, Cat. It's perfectly safe, I've done it two times already." Eddard pointed at the ornate bowl standing before him.
"Ned! What are you talking about?! What's safe? What must we see? You're scaring me."
"Touch the liquid in the bowl, Cat. Otherwise, you won't believe a word coming out of my mouth. I'll do it with you. Trust me." He said gently and laid a hand on top of hers. After hesitantly looking at his face, searching for something she seemed to find, Catelyn steeled herself and gave a little nod.
"I'll do it." She touched the liquid along with other and was immediately sucked into the memory of the battle.
"NED?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHERE ARE WE!" She started shouting once she noticed her sudden change of surroundings.
"Shh… I'm right here, Cat. This is what I needed you to see. It's a memory. It has already happened. Nothing is real here."
"...RIGHT NOW!" He heard the now familiar voice of Lady Emily and looked directly to where she was.
"...N–Ned? What sorcery is t-this?! And what are t-they?!"
"This is a work of a god, Cat. A god that saved us all. From them." He whispered and held her trembling shoulders.
"A god, Ned? That fiery woman?"
"Aye, but you need to watch until the end. You need to see what I saw, what Benjen saw, to understand my choice."
"FOUND YOU!" They all heard her excited yell and watched as she stabbed the Night King, seemingly to no effect.
"Why aren't you dead?" She spoke confusedly, only for the Night King to reply and explode into a million pieces.
The memory ended just as the dead started to fall to the ground, and all of them were once again in the solar.
"My lord… What was that?" Luwin got his bearings first.
"A god, Luwin, a god."
"Ned…I–" Cately was at a loss for words.
"I saw her power, with my own two eyes this morning, Cat. Benjen was there when the memory happened."
"Aye, I was. I stumbled upon her on my ranging. I'm in that memory as well. In the trees on the hill to the right."
"I-I need some time to think, Ned. What you're claiming is tantamount to blasphemy!"
"You think I don't know that, Cat?" He growled in frustration.
"Our Gods gave Benjen a warning about her. Even if she is not a god, which I doubt because what else can wield this much power, then she is an immensely powerful individual, like somebody straight from the Age of Heroes."
"A w–warning?!" She shrieked.
"Yes. At least that is how I chose to interpret what they showed me. You saw the dead, correct?" Benjen spoke.
"I–I did…"
"That group had about five hundred of them in it. She killed over a hundred thousand of them in less than a week, Cat. A week. The Gods showed me that. I saw her reduce men to nothingness with her flames, it's terrifying."
"...What does she want from us then? Does she demand worship?! Or sacrifices like those supposed gods from Essos?! Tell me, Ned!" Catelyn was shaking in fear, and nobody at the table blamed her for it.
"Nothing of the sort. You do not need to be scared. She wants a place to live, Cat. A place she and her companion can call home. That's all."
"We talked for hours. She is unnerving to be around, and I do not think that will ever change for me, but she is not an evil person. "
"You—You spoke with her?! When?"
"She left just an hour ago. As I said, she wants a place to call home, and she chose the North. She asked, Cat, she didn't demand, she asked… and I agreed."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It might be a bit long of a setup, but I was having fun writing all the interactions Emily has with the Stark family. So don't worry, in the next chapter, she will finally get a permanent place to live, and the canon will kick off afterward.
That begs the question: How do you play the game of thrones against a god when she doesn't even know she's playing it?