The King

Chapter Two (Edited)

Thirteen years had passed since the birth of Harry Stark, thirteen years where the North had a small increase in military strength and population, it was not an increase that could alarm the Southerners, but some Northerners noticed what was happening, the Stark family was making small moves, to elevate the north.

Only four houses knew perfectly well what was happening in the north, and who was responsible, the House Umber, the Manderly, the Mormont, and the Karstark. Those four houses were the first to realize how little progress the North was making, before the Starks could raise 20,000 soldiers on their own, being the most powerful house by that number.

But now they surpassed that number by many more, they did not have an exact number but without a doubt, they were generating many soldiers.

Another thing that helped this small advance not to expand, was the increased surveillance that the Starks put on the Boltons, not even the lord of house Bolton was realizing that, and all the north knew that they always sold information to the Southerners, practically every time the north was in the process of being what they were before the Dragons came and subdued them, they had to set up a conflict to take the power of the north.

The Lords of those four houses said nothing, but they wanted to know, who was responsible for the activities that the Starks were doing, Brandon and his son in these years were touring the territories of all the northern houses, why were they doing that, were they assessing their loyalty.

So they had their balls in their hands, and they went to Winterfell to find out if the Starks were suspicious of the houses that could be considered the most loyal houses to the Starks. And what they found was impressive, Richard Stark was talking to his three children, Lyanna, Benjen, and Brandon, which was not the weirdest thing in the world, the weird thing came when his grandson was there, and he was talking, while the four Starks were listening.

The boy was a true Stark, his look made you feel respect and caused intimidation, it was the same as the old lion, although they did not want to admit it, Tywin Lannister commanded respect and intimidated with his presence, the boy had not yet reached that, but his eyes showed that it was as if a predator was watching his prey, it was like the old Starks.

In that little encounter they discovered that the Starks were negotiating with Braavos, buying food that could be grown quietly in the cold climate of the north, and the expeditions that Brandon and his son were making, were to know which of all things had the most fertile land.

Though it was not the whole truth, Brandon and his son were looking for mines, the north was full of them, of every mineral that could be considered, gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and many more, but they could not bring them to light, because of the Targaryen. They wished to see the North as weak as possible, for if it were not for the dragons, the North was never going to be conquered, and now that the dragons were no longer a problem, the North could grow and return to what it was before.

But they couldn't, if that happened, not only the crown going to be on them, but the other kingdoms, anyone was going to be able to take advantage of these resources, but they couldn't, it wasn't the time yet, so they had to wait for the Targaryen to be much busier, so they wouldn't realize that the north was growing.

And it happened, something that certainly surprised everyone, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, kidnapped Princess Lyanna Stark. That she was engaged to Robert Baratheon, was a commitment that Brandon and of course, Harry did not like, and they disagreed with the decision of his father and grandfather, but it was already done and nothing could be done, this kidnapping, made the Stark house, lost two valuable men, Richard Stark and Brandon Stark, who went to the capital to ask for the return of Lyanna.