Chapter 231: Jon Goes South, Element Power

Jon Snow, Ygritte, Bran, Rickon, and Sam, along with the Crannogman Jojen Reed and Meera, sat together in a tower atop a mammoth, gazing at the giant city of Harrenhal emerging by the lake in the distance.

Bran's direwolf Summer, Rickon's direwolf Shaggydog, and Jon Snow's direwolf Ghost cleared the path ahead.

Back then, Jon and Ygritte had led this party south, riding along the Kingsroad until they reached the Neck, where they visited the moving castle of Greywater Watch; there, the Crannogman lord Howland Reed dispatched lizard-lions to carry them south, crossing the Neck.

After arriving in the Riverlands, Jon and the others continued on horseback, and upon reaching the Crossroads at the Ruby Ford, they crossed the Trident by boat, where they mounted mammoths ridden by giants to continue their advance toward Harrenhal.

Now, the giant city of Harrenhal on the shores of the Gods Eye finally appeared in everyone's field of vision; whether it was Sam from the Reach, the wildling Ygritte, the Crannogmen Meera and Jojen, or Jon, Bran, and Rickon from Winterfell, it was the first time any of them had seen Harrenhal.

The five towers of Harrenhal pierced the belly of the heavens like black daggers.

Kissed by Fire Ygritte, with her head of fiery red hair, stared at Harrenhal, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"How can there be such a magnificent castle in the world? Harrenhal is much bigger than Winterfell."

The fat Sam licked his lips, "This is the great castle built by 'Blackheart' Harren back in the day, exhausting the manpower and wealth of the entire Riverlands; it is said that to build Harrenhal, countless laborers were worked to death, and their corpses were piled up like mountains."

Bran said uneasily, "In Old Nan's stories, Harrenhal is a particularly terrifying castle. The mad Danelle Lothston would send out bats at night to abduct children; she would bathe in the children's blood and hold feasts using human flesh."

Ygritte frowned, "I heard that giant bats appear in the Riverlands."

Bran made a face, "Not just giant bats, but ice dragons too."

During his days in Winterfell, Bran's warg abilities grew increasingly powerful; at first, the Crannog boy Jojen Reed was his teacher, and subsequently, the Green Seer Three-Eyed Crow would appear in Bran's dreams almost every night to impart magical arts, allowing Bran to easily control the birds and beasts of the wild.

Ygritte worried, "Can Harrenhal withstand an ice dragon?"

Jon Snow placed his hand on Ygritte's shoulder, "Don't worry, Harrenhal possesses cannons, magic dragons, giant bats, and even more, my father the Wolf King and Queen Daenerys are personally presiding here; Harrenhal will be very safe."

Jojen, who had moss-colored eyes, took a deep breath.

"I smell the scent of weirwood; the Isle of Faces on the Gods Eye possesses the largest weirwood forest in Westeros, and the Wood Dancers and Green Men still guard the Isle of Faces to this day; this is the holy land of the Old Gods, and the power of the Old Gods is mighty in this place."

Meera said happily, "With the protection of the Old Gods, we will surely be able to defeat the undead at Harrenhal."

The Wolf King Eddard, accompanied by Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Robb, Theon, Domeric, and others, came out to welcome the arrival of Jon, Bran, and the others.

Catelyn embraced Bran and Rickon excitedly, Sansa and Arya kissed their brothers, and Robb and Eddard embraced Jon.

Eddard stroked Jon Snow's head of black hair, "Jon, how is the situation in the North?"

Jon Snow said happily, "Every wolf castle on the Wall is packed with cod, sardines, herring, salmon, saury, crabs, giant shrimp, and more; the Bay of Ice fishery, the Shivering Sea fishery, and the Seal Bay fishery have provided us with abundant food."

"Winter is coming soon, and the North is currently undergoing its final autumn harvest; granaries and castles everywhere are piled high with grain and fodder, so even if we face a cruel ten-year winter, we have the confidence to survive it."

"Wolf castles throughout the North have all been equipped with gun emplacements; Winterfell, White Harbor, and Eastwatch on the Wall have all begun building cannons, and some of the large ships of the Northern East Coast Fleet and the West Coast Fleet have been equipped with cannons."

"Coastal defense forces have been upgraded; the Blacksmith City at Sea Dragon Point, the Stony City on the Stony Shore, the Warhorse City in the Rills, the Dawn Watch in the Barrowlands, the Sea Dragon City at Sea Dragon Point, the Glovers' Deepwood Motte, and the Mormont Clan's Bear Island have all built gun emplacements."

"If the new king of the Iron Islands, Euron Greyjoy, dares to lead the Iron Fleet to attack the North, they will pay a heavy price."

Eddard said, "Jon, Euron is a troublesome character; he has resurrected Nagga and can summon sea monsters from the seabed. Fortunately, Euron's target is the Reach; the Red Priest Thoros of Myr, the Black Flame Moqorro, and Quaithe of the Red Lacquer Mask have all seen the movements of Euron's army in the holy fire, and the Iron Fleet is currently attacking Oldtown in the Reach."

"In this age of spiritual energy recovery, magic will determine the direction of the war."

Jon Snow nodded, and he handed Eddard a black bag.

"Father, the things you wanted, I have collected them all in the bag."

The Wolf King Eddard led his family into Harrenhal, the gates of Harrenhal closed immediately, and the Wolf King Eddard's family arrived on the second floor of the Kingspyre Tower.

The guest rooms in the Kingspyre Tower were simply too large, so Rickon, Bran, Sam, and Jon all moved into the room belonging to Jon and Theon.

Meera and Ygritte moved into the room belonging to Brienne and Osha.

Catelyn clamored for the kitchen to prepare delicacies for the children. Eddard returned to his bedroom and closed the door; he poured out the contents of the bag.

Inside the bag were wood blocks from Deepwood Motte, horsehair from the Rills, stones from Skagos, ice from the Wall, Widow's Blood from Widow's Watch, silver from White Harbor, grave grass from the Barrowlands, silt from the Neck, aged human skin from the Dreadfort, bear fur from Bear Island, ashes from Last Hearth, and frozen soil from Beyond the Wall.

The essence of the entire North.

The North and Beyond the Wall are the regions where the power of the Old Gods is strongest, with the most weirwoods and the most powerful magical energy.

The Wolf King Eddard had long ago written to Jon Snow, asking him to collect these items in the North and bring them to Harrenhal.

Now, Eddard was cultivating Element Power, and these essences from various regions of the North would assist in elevating Eddard's magical power.

The Deepwood Motte wood blocks represented the wood element power of the Wolfswood. The grave grass from the Barrowlands represented the wood element power of the Barrowlands. The branches from the Haunted Forest represented the wood element power of Beyond the Wall.

The silver from White Harbor and the refined iron from Cerwyn represented the gold element power of the White Knife basin.

The ice from the Wall kept in an ice bag, and the seawater from the Bay of Ice and Seal Bay in a water bag, represented the water element power.

The ashes from Last Hearth represented the fire element power.

The silt from the Neck and the frozen soil from Beyond the Wall represented the earth element power.

Eddard stroked the weirwood bracelet on his right wrist; the weirwood bracelet emitted bursts of red light, shining upon these metals, branches, seawater, ashes, and soil.

The ancient Old Gods whispered beside Eddard, and the Element Power within the memories of the Northern weirwoods was absorbed entirely into Eddard's body; Eddard felt his strength increase significantly.

The ghost of Jenny of High Heart, the Red Priest Thoros, and Quaithe all warned Eddard that the necromancer Ogbeta had resurrected multiple ice dragons in King's Landing, the most threatening of which was Balerion the Black Dread.

Is Element Power enough to defeat Balerion the Black Dread? Back then, Aegon the Conqueror rode Balerion and easily destroyed the towers of Harrenhal with scorching dragonfire.

What names Blackheart Harren gave the towers of Harrenhal back then has long been forgotten; the current names of Harrenhal were all given after Balerion the Black Dread burned Harrenhal with fire.

These terrifying names—Kingspyre Tower, Ghost Tower, Wailing Tower, Terror Tower, Widow's Tower—all speak to the horror of the magic dragon.

Only, the Balerion the Black Dread of the past was a creation of blood and fire, a monster that spewed scorching dragonfire; the current Balerion the Black Dread is a creation of ice and bone, and what spews from its mouth is no longer scorching dragonfire, but bone-chilling ice.

Eddard was calculating how to deal with Balerion the Black Dread when Catelyn returned to the bedroom she shared with Eddard, interrupting Eddard's train of thought.

Catelyn said, "Jon Snow is not suited to be the Warden of the North; you were right to transfer him to the south."

"The North is the base of House Stark; a bastard like Jon Snow holding such a high position for a long time might harbor ambitions and attempt to seize Robb's position as Heir."

All along, Catelyn had harbored deep hostility and resentment toward Jon, fearing that Jon Snow would compete with her children for the inheritance of Winterfell and the North.

Now that the Wolf King Eddard occupied the territories of the North, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and the Vale throughout Westeros, House Stark stood alone in its power, and crowning himself king was only a matter of time; Catelyn was even less willing to see Jon Snow snatch away Robb's inheritance.

Eddard said, "Catelyn, for so many years, you have been asking me who Jon Snow's birth mother is."

Catelyn said gloomily, "Yes, but you have always refused to tell me the truth."

Eddard said gently, "Who do you guess Jon Snow's mother is?"

Catelyn said, "I have no desire to pry, but I have still heard some rumors. The biggest suspect, of course, is Ashara, the sister of the Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne; many people say that back then, after Ashara saw you for the last time and received her brother's sword, Dawn, she began to weep in sorrow, and a few days later, she jumped into the sea and died."

"However, your foster son, the squire to the Lightning Lord, Edric, Lord of Starfall, mentioned in the hall of Harrenhal that Jon Snow's mother was a maid named Wella. Wella served as Edric's wet nurse, and according to the customs of Dorne, Edric is Jon Snow's milk brother."

"A few days ago, I heard Lysa Arryn say that in the Vale, it is rumored that Jon Snow's birth mother is actually the daughter of a fisherman. Back then, the Mad King Aerys wanted Jon Arryn to hand over your and Robert Baratheon's heads, but Jon Arryn flatly refused, preferring to raise the banner of rebellion rather than betray his foster sons."

"It is a pity that Jon Arryn did not receive the support of all the nobles in the Vale. Back then, House Grafton of Gulltown blockaded the port, so you had to pass through the Five Fingers and take a boat to the Three Sisters. That fisherman's daughter sent you to the Three Sisters, but you left her with a child, and that child is Jon Snow."

Eddard said calmly: "These rumors are all false. In fact, Jon's birth mother is my sister Lyanna Stark."

Catelyn was shocked beyond measure, "Could it be that you and Lyanna, like Jaime and Cersei, like the Targaryen family?"

Eddard said gloomily: "How is that possible? Lyanna is indeed Jon Snow's birth mother, but I am not his father. Jon Snow's true father is Rhaegar Targaryen."

Catelyn pondered for a long time and instantly understood everything.

"Back then, Rhaegar Targaryen abducted Lyanna, defiled her, and left her with a child. You brought this boy back from the Tower of Joy in Dorne. To protect Lyanna's reputation, and even more for Jon Snow's safety, you lied to the world and claimed he was your bastard, didn't you?"

Eddard said: "You only got part of it right."

"Back then, Lyanna was already betrothed to Robert Baratheon, and she followed Rhaegar Targaryen of her own volition. In Dorne, Rhaegar Targaryen ended his marriage with Elia Martell and secretly married Lyanna."

"That is to say, before she became pregnant and gave birth, Lyanna's status was always that of Rhaegar Targaryen's wife. It is precisely because of this that Rhaegar Targaryen dispatched the Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne, Oswell Whent, and the White Bull Gerold Hightower—three members of the Kingsguard—to protect Lyanna. The Kingsguard swear to protect members of the royal family; they would never dispatch three Kingsguard to protect Rhaegar Targaryen's mistress."

Catelyn widened her eyes and stroked her chest.

"Therefore, Jon Snow is no bastard; he is Jon Targaryen! Rhaegar Targaryen's Heir and Queen Daenerys's nephew."

Eddard said happily: "Therefore, you can rest easy. Jon will not seize Robb's inheritance at all; he is not my son."

Catelyn raised an eyebrow.

"That may be so, but since this Jon Snow is Rhaegar Targaryen's son, he is a true-blooded Targaryen."

"Will he use his status as a Targaryen Prince to seize the Iron Throne? I do not wish to seize that hideous iron chair, but now that House Stark rules the Westerlands, the Vale, the North, and the Riverlands, logically speaking, House Stark is the undisputed king of the Iron Throne."

Eddard took Catelyn's slender, soft hand.

"Rest assured, the Iron Throne will be mine sooner or later, and Robb is my Heir."

"Jon is the nephew I raised, and I know Jon best. He is half True Dragon and half Direwolf. I will have him marry Daenerys, grant him lands, and make him my Vassal."

Catelyn was skeptical.

"Daenerys is a widow; she is peerless in beauty, and her late husband was the Horse Lord Drogo. Can this young lad Jon win Daenerys's favor? Moreover, Jon has always been in love with the Wildling Ygritte."

Eddard said: "According to the customs of the Wildlings, Ygritte may not mind Jon marrying Daenerys. Of course, Daenerys has too many suitors, and Jon faces fierce competition."

Daenerys was in the courtyard, watching the Magic Dragons Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon eat beef.

Jon Snow walked over, and Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon immediately gathered around, acting very affectionate toward Jon and his Direwolf Ghost.

Prince Aegon, standing to the side, said with disgust: "Who is this flea-ridden northern savage? Daring to approach the dragons—be careful not to get eaten by the wolf."

Arya heard this, and Arya said angrily: "Prince Aegon, watch your tongue; this is my brother Jon Snow."

Prince Aegon asked curiously: "So he is that bastard of the Wolf King! He looks like a northerner at a glance."

Daenerys looked at Jon, "You are Jon Snow?"

Jon met Daenerys's gaze, "Your beauty is so soul-stirring; you must be the Mother of Dragons, Stormborn Daenerys."

Daenerys and Jon stood shoulder to shoulder between the dragons and the Direwolf, their hands clasped together.

Thanks to Wen Chenzi and Dr. Lecter for the monthly tickets! Thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)