Chapter Text
POV Maegor
Maegor walked into the Weirwood garden, noticing the usual presence of his love Sara, she was resting against the tree wearing the coat he gifted her for her birthday not so long ago. He approaches as quietly as he can in hopes of surprising the girl. Once the distance is no more he wraps an arm around her waist and places his lips next to her ear. “I swear you are more comely everytime I set eyes upon you” Maegor whispers. He feels her startle against his chest and quickly turns to face him turning slightly up to look at him placing her hands on his chest chuckling.
“And you more a fool” Sara jokes as she slightly shoves him off with no true strength behind it. Maegor stumbles back jockingly clutching his heart with amusement in his eyes. She walks to sit on a stone bench patting the spot next to her with a glimmer in her eyes ``Come tell me of your day I have been lonely with Cregan gone and you taking up his task in his absensce.”
Maegor quietly walked over and sat himself so close that no wind would pass between their bodies, lazily reaching for her hand in his intertwining their fingers togethor. He felt a small pull but he simply held tighter, turning to look into her eyes `` the hour is late, no one will come” the pulling ceases.
“ Father has been avoiding me as of late, he has sent me to every corner of the keep from dealing with small lords to personally counting our harvest for the winter. It’s as if he intentionally is withdrawing from me.” Every attempt of his to spend time with their father was met with another task for him.
“Hmmm.. that is odd. Could word have reached him?” Maegor pulled their hands to his lips placing a feathered kiss on each of her knuckles. “ I do not believe he would remain silent if he knew. Sara you must know I have all intention of courting you properly? As soon as Cregan returns I will speak with father regarding us.” He and Sara have been pondering on how to present their relationship to their father, he would either be greatly delighted by the idea or be slighted by Maegor pursuing his only daughter.
“I wish to be present when you first speak to Cregan, he will be angered.”
POV Cregan
Cregan marched ahead attempting to focus his eyes into the distance enjoying the talk of his men as they rode through the snow. He knew soon he would spend less time within the walls of Winterfell and more time on the road with his men. His father spoke to him before he left, there are many great lords and very few hold the ability to lead their men and fewer where their men respect them in return. That was not an option for the North.
Maegor knew how to lead men, he slept alongside them and ate with them. He knew their mothers and wives and even the names of their babes. Those who had no families had stories of how Maegor drank them all under and took all their coin from winning foolish bets. Cregan tried to correct him but Maegor would sing and tease “ I am no lord and no noble, for I inherit nothing but my looks and my witt. You Lord Stark will inherit all the land but you cannot drink and fuck as I do.” In the end they would end up wrestling on the ground with a busted lip or bloody nose but always laughing in the end together.
How he hoped for Maegor to be here to help guide him. But that was the point wasn't it? Father knew Maegor was the silent leader from the two but Maegor was not to be warden. So father forced him to stay behind. After this he knows no one would dare question who of the two commanded the men of Winterfell, not after this.
“Riders ahead” yelled one of his banner men. Cregan tightened his hold on his reins and pushed his horse forward.
Winterfell
“Has anyone seen L’Stark?!” ran the messenger boy through Winterfell peeking his head into every room not caring for manners.
“HAS ANYONE SEEN LORD STARK?” shouted the boy into the godswood eyes searching, his eyes jumping when they met with the young man Maegor. “Maegor, please direct me to Lord Stark! A raven was received and noted with urgency for only the Lord's eyes!”
Maegor approached the flustered boy, noticing the sweat dripping down his chin and red tinted cheeks, he must have been searching for quite some time. “Hand it here I will attend to it” Maegor reached for the rolled note when the boy recoiled from his grasp.
“I have been ordered to only give this to Lord Stark” the boy named Griff's voice shook with slight fear and bottom lip began to tremble but his eyes never dropped from his own. Maegor took to memory this moment, a fine northern boy Griff was.
“Very well then. May I inquire whose raven brought the message?”
“It was one of our own m’lord from the group of men sent out with Lord Cregan, it holds his seal!” shouted Griff.
Maegor quickly grabbed the boy's arm pulling him down the hall turning a corner and grabbing the boy by the shoulders ``lower your tone boy, things meant for the lord's eyes also are only for the lord's ear. Follow me and keep up. I have an idea of where he could be '' Maegor quickly turned and began walking down the hall turning, urgency in his steps and fear on the back of his mind. If Cregan needed something, why not ask Maegor? Most importantly why only for fathers eyes? He couldn’t help but tighten his hands around the pommel of his long sword.
He reached for a lighted torch when he pushed the large iron door screeching open. “M’lord where does this go?” Griff squinted attempting to see past the darkness, noticing the change of stone and stairs circling down.
“To the crypts of Winterfell, where past Kings and Lords are laid to rest.” Maegor looked quickly to the side, noticing the boy nod in understanding. “Wait here while I look for Lord Stark. Do not move from here.” Maegor snatched the scroll and turned before the boy could prevent his departure. He began his journey down the narrow stairwell with the torch guiding his way. He walked past the empty archways that would hold future lords. He knew his father would be here, the last days have been full of worry since Cregan's departure. The crypts have always brought peace to father and oftentimes came for guidance.
As he approached he could see the light coming around the corner. At last he could receive answers. He slowly approached his father to not startle him. There he stood with a long sword in hand and covered in furs., “ I do hope I am not interrupting Lord Stark” Maegor stood at a distance until he was told to approach.
A silence took into the air until a sigh was heard from the older man. “No one else is here son.” Lord Rickon Stark was beginning to show his age, a head full of white hair, similar to his in a way but lacking a certain shine. His steps were slower and his posture not as stiff. No man could avoid the passage of growing old, nonetheless it hurt to see. “ You haven’t visited the crips since you were a boy playing with Sara and Cregan. What brings you here?”
“Hardly enough time in the day to play nowadays father, I know you come here for silence but this arrived some time ago from Cregan it is marked for Lord Stark only.” Cregan lifted the small scroll handing it to his father watching as old hands patiently unknot the scroll. He can see eyes crossing the page, a furrowed brow of concentration, and a deep sigh being released before the note is tucked away.
“Follow me”
“What was written? Is he well?” Maegor ranted as his father began making his way back to the hallway that would lead to the stairs.
“I said follow not ask”
POV Cregan
“Lord Cregan we weren’t told you would be visiting, is Lord Stark riding behind?” questioned the guard attempting to peek behind Cregan.
“Only my men and I ride, alert Lord Bolton of my arrival and lead my men to where they can rest” Cregan pushed his horse to walk in between the guards not caring to listen to them as they trip over their words. He assumes one of the guards signaled for the gate to open as he could hear iron chains being pulled, he took a deep breath as he entered. He was now entering enemy territory and he knew he was not welcomed here, no Stark would be. As he grew closer to the main entrance of the keep he stopped his horse and jumped off handing the reins to one of his men passing by “ Do not let them unsaddle the horses, we must be able to leave quickly” he whispered as he began to walk away.
POV Maegor
Father made his way back up the stairs patting Griff on the head dismissing him with a wave and began walking to his chambers. He has walked behind his father a thousand times but this time something felt different, it felt cold. Maegor waited for him to enter and then followed in reaching for a goblet of warm water offering it but being dismissed hearing the scroll being opened once again.
“Come son, read this so you may understand” Maegor walked over lifting the paper from its place on the table, it indeed was Creagans writing.
Lord Stark,
After speaking with the smallfolk and different workers in the area the reports of the scouts are true. All claims are true of Lord Bolton’s nephew Rick Bolton visiting nearby villages claiming lords rights to the first night. He comes with armed men and takes the bride, we have confirmed this has taken place multiple times. The smallfolk have sent complaints to Lord Bolton but have been ignored, we must hold him to justice as this is against the laws of the crown. I am now making my way to Dreadfort to speak to Lord Bolton. Justice will be served.
Your son and heir,
Cregan Stark
Very few times had Maegor felt a rage as he did in this moment “ Why would you send him alone?”
“Because it is his duty. He is not alone, he has men sworn to our House, his men.” His father sat on an old wooden chair facing the fire patting the other chair next to him inviting him to sit.
“ Cregan will have the man's head and the Bolton’s will not react in kind, blood will be spilled for this. WHY WAS I NOT SENT WITH HIM?” Maegor shouted as he clutched the scroll knuckles turning white, his father still not turning to face him.
“ Moons ago I was warned about you being here… I was told I would regret raising a low born bastard alongside my heir. At first I thought they were fools but now I can see there was some truth to it.”
The sound of paper hitting the floor was all that was heard for the first few seconds as Maegor had no words to say.
“ I know of you and Sara. I know you wish for her hand. Believe me when I say I do not believe there is a better man in all of the kingdoms for her my son. But you cannot take her as a wife “
“Then why? Why not grant us this one thing? We have never brought dishonor to House Stark and have never asked for anything that was beyond means.” Maegor pushed the words through gritted teeth attempting to hold back his words.
“ I remember seeing you as a small boy. I looked down and those eyes of yours brought me to a halt, the rest of you was all bone no meat. Small and scrawny, Cregan appeared as a giant next to you. Something in you caught his attention and something must have caught mine as I never found the need to send you away. You have grown son, where bones once poked through muscle has built and I catch myself having to turn upwards for your eyes.”
“ Father I will always be indebt-”
“ Allow me to finish then you may say yours, come sit watch the fire while you listen.” This time the old man turned to look Maegor in the eye, a pleading look in those weathered grays. Maegor moved to sit.
“ Cregan and you have grown into manhood together, you have enjoyed battle, women, and gold together and do not bother denying, I too enjoyed them in my youth. But as I enjoyed seeing you grow, I turned an eye to the others. There have been plots, plots that I should have seen but did not and now I am forced to act quickly. I was unaware of you and Sara until I began to hear the whispers.
Imagine the son of a Stark and Targeryan
Lady Sara and Maegor wish to marry soon.
Would their son not be a better heir? After all it is Maegor who decides things here when the Lord is not.
Lord Cregan is strong but he is indecisive, too caring of a boy to be warden.
“Father I… I would never usur–”
“ I know Maegor, these acts are not of your own but all the same they are here. You must leave the north for some time son. Cregan must be seen as the only leader in my absence and Sara will be wed with someone of my choosing when the time is right. You must forgive me Maegor as I did not see the vipers surrounding our house.”
“By when must I leave?” Maegor turned to his father no longer restraining the tears that rolled from his eyes. Gray no longer looked into his lilac eyes so he returned them back to the fire that had grown with time.
“Before Cregan returns.” He heard the noise of wood creaking as his father stood, felt how his hand ran through his hair before beginning to walk to the door. “You have spoken for some time of wishing to travel, to test your ability against others, you may do so now.”
“I have no urge to see or test my misfortune” Maegor whispered.
“There is no better cure for rage for a man than to clash steel with another, I hear there is a war brewing south, in the Stepstones. The Valyrians are involved, they are known for having many bastards one would not turn in surprise if they suddenly saw white and lilac amongst them. Do not bring honor to this house, earn it for yourself. Perhaps the misfortune that you do not like, leads you to a beautiful destiny that you never dreamed of**.” The door shut behind him.