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123 AC, Dragonstone
Harry stepped through the portal and closed it behind him, doing his best to stifle a sigh. He couldn't help but feel drained by what he had just done. It was not because it was hard; it hardly even took any effort to pull off, but he couldn't help but feel weary after killing so many people, despite that they were barely more than monsters.
He didn't really mind fighting, not really; he just didn't enjoy it much. If one knew his history, they'd have thought that he relished in battle. His younger years were riddled with one crisis after another, enough to get an idea. By the end of it, Harry had started to doubt if he really didn't like fighting, and it took years with Daphne to make him certain of that.
However, that didn't mean that sometimes he had to let something loose, and the conversation with Mother Rhoyne just made him feel raw, that he felt like he needed to let something off his chest.
It had been a while since he'd been this riled up, and he probably went a bit overboard, given the situation. He could have just portalled the Warlocks away, or even just left, but he knew their type. It was probably what pushed him into reacting the way he did, other than his feelings being… complicated as they left Chroyane.
The Warlocks wouldn't have ever stopped whatever their ridiculous plan was. He'd seen it a hundred times before, people thinking that they could steal his power or something, as if it were one of those bad comic books that were getting very popular back home. However, they could have been dangerous idiots who could accidentally harm people that Harry was starting to get attached to, and he wouldn't have taken that risk. He had also given them warning after warning, first when they trailed after him in Valyria, then when they tried to scry him, and he wasn't in a habit of giving away third warnings.
They weren't even particularly interesting, either, which made it somehow worse. Most magical users in this realm were, at the very least, different, even if it wasn't always in a significant way. Even the curses, like the one in Harrenhal, gave him enough of a puzzle that could at least force him to think. And if there was anything that Harry liked more than anything, it was solving puzzles.
Alas, the Warlocks of Qarth were boring. He couldn't even think of a worse insult. They were simply boring.
They had to have been the most stereotypical evil magic users he had seen since coming to this world. They were somewhat skilled in illusions, but that was essentially it. Hell, it even worked completely against them since Harry had learned how to deal with illusions by his second year in Hogwarts, which meant that their entire magic was countered in seconds. This had to be very embarrassing for a cult that was thousands of years old, according to what he had read in Dragonstone's library.
The only interesting thing in their headquarters was the black trees around their weird temple, which, after a minute of analysis, turned out to be a mutated form of Weirwood tree that someone alchemically modified to add a hallucinogen in its leaves for some reason.
Well, the reason ended up being revealed by the so-called Undying Ones who had to have drunk too much of this 'Shade of the Evening', since they had essentially tied themselves to one of their giant trees, probably the first one to be created, and making them experience life through anyone who drank the potion made from its leaves, which was essentially just their warlocks. The potion forged a connection between them and the trees, and hence, the Undying Ones, and the hallucinogen weakened the Warlocks' minds enough to allow the parasites in without too much trouble.
It was a really illogical method of immortality, given that it wasn't exactly a secret in this world to extend one's life without tying themselves to a single place and letting their bodies rot in front of a giant tree. Their souls were also slowly merging into this sickening amalgamation of will and personality and would have likely erupted eventually when enough people joined the Undying Ones, taking with it the entire city of Qarth.
And these idiots picked a fight with him because they thought that he was some kind of cosmic form of death, and that by killing his vessel and taking its power, they would be officially immortal and all-powerful or some other nonsense. Honestly, Harry hadn't cared to listen too much. He had heard it hundreds of times back in his universe.
Still, it was funny that they thought that he was this 'Destined Death'. It wasn't their fault. If Harry had to guess, it would be that with how unbalanced the world was and how little power the concept of death had in it, he, someone who truly understood it as the Lord Peverell, would appear like the living embodiment of the End.
Mother Rhoyne had even said it, and if he was honest, it did explain a lot why higher entities kept calling him 'Stranger', a very bad state of affairs.
And all of this was only because the world's balance acted like more of a seesaw than the actual eldritch truth that it was supposed to represent, with Fate, its main enforcer, having to stave off countless devastations from swallowing the world since some outside force was interfering in the material realm.
Still, it did explain a lot about why people could come back from the dead, the sheer scale of necromancy displayed in the Long Night, the unnatural seasons, and the Valyrians even surviving for so long while using half of a continent like cattle in their rituals, without getting themselves killed. Hell, if something like Valyrian Steel had been regularly used, then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they would have been completely wiped out by Fate's hand for violating the natural order.
All in all, every instinct that Harry had told him to leave this universe to its own doom and leave for somewhere else. Unfortunately, it was the fact that this universe was unbalanced that made it so malleable, that made it the perfect place to finish their ritual and for him and Daphne to finally have a child.
Speaking of his wife, she was waiting for him alongside Helaena, all but fussing over the girl to distract herself from her revelation. Daphne turned to greet him, and the moment their eyes met, a fond smile grew on Harry's face, even as she asked, "I'm guessing that you're done."
He nodded, "They shouldn't trouble us again."
Harry had been a bit harsh with the ones who attacked them in Chroyane. To his benefit, he had been in a bit of a sour mood, with Mother Rhoyne giving him and Daphne hope, only to snatch it away, which he couldn't even be mad about since she sacrificed herself for them and their future child.
He had immediately sent Daphne and Helaena back to Dragonstone, mostly for the younger girl's benefit, and finished what he started. Obviously, there were some politics at play. He could almost see the web of manipulation that pushed the Warlocks of Qarth into attacking him, which was probably linked to the Red Priests he had briefly seen when they tried to scry him. But honestly, he didn't care about magical politics. If he had, he would have stayed in his home universe, if the risk of a Time Paradox hadn't forced his hands and got him to fake his death anyway.
He could see other ways of skirting around Time's restrictions that just hadn't occurred to him in his younger days. It truly was a marvel how much his skill in magic grew when he wasn't tied up in some ruinous prophecy, and people didn't bother him so much.
Still, he didn't exactly like talking about the kind of battle that he just had with the Warlocks of Qarth, not that he would call it that. It barely took him a few minutes to wipe out the organisation from existence, destroy their temple, kill the so-called Undying Ones and their servants, wipe out any possible repository of knowledge they had just in case some idiot tried to follow in their footsteps, and leave a small warning to the magic users who tried to take advantage of their demise by raiding the House of the Undying after he was done with it.
He had gotten the confirmation that it was the Red Priests who had done it, and he had to applaud their scheme, despite the audacity of it. He was planning on visiting more Essosi cities anyway, and he did get curious about this R'hllor.
Honestly, even without the opportunity that this provided, this realm would have been interesting enough to explore on its own. The lack of an established history and the fact that the world was unbalanced provided him with enough puzzles that forced him to think outside the boundaries of what he thought was possible, simply because the parameters of its existence were so different from what he was used to. He already had a few ideas from the few months they'd spent on Planetos, plus a greater understanding of the nature of gods and the void than he had before. Mother Rhoyne confirmed a lot of his suspicions about the War in Heaven, which opened a lot of paths for Harry to research.
Daphne simply nodded in acceptance at his response and turned back towards Helaena, "Well, Harry's back. We're assuming that you have a few questions, dear."
The young princess nodded absentmindedly before focusing suddenly. "Where are you really from?"
Well, wasn't that a doozy of a question? Harry had to suppress the urge to smile at his charge's intelligence. The girl was much cleverer than she let on and had one of the best potentials as a seer that he had seen in some time, probably better than his own. Well, not quite. Harry was cheating a bit through his mastery of Space and Time, but in terms of pure divination, the girl was quickly proving herself to be somewhat of a prodigy and quite insightful, given the way that she spoke about a topic that they had somewhat skirted around in the last few months.
And so, Harry gave her a small, proud smile and answered, "We were both born in Great Britain, but if you were familiar with this place, I would be very surprised, and maybe a little afraid."
Daphne gave him a reproachful look since he didn't exactly give the girl a straight answer, but Helaena proved her intelligence was pressing, "And where exactly is this place? In your conversation with Mother Rhoyne, you claimed that you came here and found the world to be unbalanced. How was your home any different?"
Harry took a deep breath, not really knowing how to broach the topic of multiversal travel and parallel realities to a girl with a medieval education. Don't get him wrong, she was intelligent, and quirky in a way that reminded him of Luna Lovegood immensely.
The last Potter always regretted not spending as much time as he had with Luna, not before faking his death. He had just been so distracted with Dumbledore and Grindelwald wanting to destroy the world for an insane reason that he prioritised stopping them over maintaining his few friendships. Of course, Luna obviously knew that something wasn't right with what happened during Ragnarok, but moved on, focusing on becoming a magizoologist, almost going on as many adventures as he had with Daphne. They had even joined her in one, while disguising themselves, in her quest to see a Thunderbird in North America, and she was just as quirky as she always was. Despite the lack of mystery or action, it had been one of Harry's favourite expeditions back home.
And how, Helaena was giving him a very similar look to that of Luna, and it made him want to grimace.
Urgh, why did he have to get attached?
Daphne was supposed to be the reasonable one who kept them straight, but even she was completely taken by the girl, a prospect which was far more dangerous than it should have.
His wife obviously knew of the dangers, given the way that she suddenly stiffened as she realised that she was all but playing with the girl's hair, before leaving without saying a word. Harry watched her depart with a pang in his heart, and even Helaena looked surprised and perhaps even disappointed by her sudden exit.
It might not seem like it for most people, but their time in Chroyane had rattled her, just as it rattled him. Mother Rhoyne's words felt like someone had poked a raw wound, one that Harry had almost forgotten was there for quite some time.
Harry knew his wife just as much as he knew himself. She wouldn't show it actively, but he could see it in the way she fussed over Helaena. She didn't like her mistake being known, nor being reminded of what it had cost them. Harry had reassured her many times that it was fine, but that didn't change the fact that something had felt… missing in their lives ever since they figured out what had happened.
They spent years keeping that detail to themselves, and sharing it was far more draining than he expected. After all, there was a reason why he decided to destroy the Warlocks of Qarth so quickly and completely, aside from his own sour mood.
He would need to speak with Daphne privately and do his best to comfort her. Harry didn't think that the samples from the trees around the temple of the Warlocks of Qarth would be enough to cheer her up, but it was better than a bouquet of flowers. He'd let her have some time alone to think while he answered Helaena's questions. Then he'd confront her.
Speaking of the young girl, Harry motioned her to follow him, and minutes later, they walked out of the manse, strolling alongside Dragonstone's beach in silence, which Harry eventually broke, "I assumed that you know of the Known World?"
What the locals called the 'Known World' was just what little they had discovered of their world. It would serve as a good example in his explanation, even if it would be a very inaccurate one to his taste.
Helaena furrowed her eyebrows but nodded, and he continued, "Well, there stands a reason for there to be an Unknown World, or perhaps even, many Unknown Worlds, ones with different gods, different cultures, different histories. There are more of them than there are stars in the skies, separated by an endless ocean of possibilities."
He raised his hand, and an illusion appeared around him, one of Hogwarts, the forest surrounding it, and the Black Lake glistening in the morning sun. Helaena looked in awe as he explained, "This is where Daphne and I met, where we learned magic, and went on so many little adventures when we were your age, a taste of our origin. I think you deserve to see that much at the very least."
The young girl had an awestruck expression on her face as she murmured breathlessly, "It's beautiful."
"Yes, and dangerous. See that tree near the lake, it used to be mine and Daphne's little spot where we just relaxed in its shade. Of course, I was a bit of a broody brat at the time, focused more on studying magic than speaking with people."
Helaena snorted, "I can't imagine you not talking."
"Believe it or not, that is something that I learned to enjoy after the war, after Ragnarok. Taking things too seriously isn't worth it in the long run. And it's also very freeing to just say your mind than to keep it repressed inside you for so long and be careful that someone might use it against you later, but that's a story for another day."
"You travel them, these Known Worlds," the young girl suddenly realised, "That is why you call yourselves travellers."
"That is the most apt description of what we are. Daphne and I have spent a lot of time just going around seeing interesting places. It's quite fascinating, like a never-ending adventure. After all, there's always something new out there."
The princess seemed to digest this information for a few minutes before she asked her second question, one that deeply surprised him, "But why did Lady Daphne leave?"
Seriously, this girl was like a professional at asking hard questions, and Harry couldn't exactly refuse to answer this one, given the vulnerability in her voice.
He tried to suppress the urge to release a deep sigh, but it came out, nonetheless. Finally, after a small pause, he answered her, "Motherhood is far more than simply giving birth to someone. It's more than blood and colouring; it's a promise. It's a promise of care, of unconditional love, and in many ways, it is far more binding than even the most powerful vow. You, Helaena, remind Daphne of what she was never able to have, and in a day like this one, I suppose that she feels sad."
Well, that was skirting the truth a bit. He couldn't exactly explain that Daphne's curse was conceptual, tied to her very soul, and that motherhood included a bond that she couldn't ever attempt without her curse being dealt with, that it would kill anyone her soul saw at her child, and that she was keeping her distance in fear that Helaena would end up paying the price of her weakness.
Ever since they came to this reality, things had been different. It was truly surprising how much a spark of hope would change things. They would have never gotten attached, not like this, in any of their other travels. They had built a wall around themselves that had crumbled down the moment they realised that the possibility of finally being parents was at arm's reach, after so much time trying to find any solution bar their impossible ritual.
Using the power of a god in a ritual was an easy way to cause a Cataclysm. Every universe was built on rules, on checks and balances, and while there were ways to usurp gods, the energy and purpose had to remain tied to the world, not used to undo a curse or a ritual.
In his younger years, Harry would have recklessly done just that, uncaring of the consequences, all for Daphne's sake. Alas, he had learned his lesson with the World Serpent, and a greater understanding of cosmic powers that ruled universes had unfortunately made him more responsible with his actions.
And so, when they found what they could only describe as a shattered world, one whose rules were more akin to suggestions, they felt like they had hit the jackpot, and that made them let their guards down. Seeing two vulnerable girls in Rhaena and Helaena, who seriously needed help and reassurance, got them attached, so much so that Daphne started to fear accidentally harming them through her curse.
Speaking of the girl, Helaena looked oddly pleased with Harry's reply, and he inwardly smirked at the reaction. Daphne would likely find it funny after he went back to comfort her, "What now?"
Harry snapped his finger, and they appeared in the Godswood in King's Landing. It really was an ugly place, and given how much Helaena flinched, she had finally felt the ugliness with her newfound skill in empathy. "For now, you'll need to learn how to live with your new magic. Empathy can be hard to handle in such large crowds. In the meantime, Daphne and I will start making preparations before our next expedition."
Funnily enough, containing the power of a god was, by itself, a headache. Luckily for Harry, Nicholas Flamel had left enough hints in the book he left him that he managed to replicate his Philosopher's Stone without too much trouble. It only took a couple of years of research and failed attempts. Flamel had used it to house the life force of every person who died in a plague in the Middle Ages, but it could be used for any form of energy. He might have mucked it up, but the principle, the Alchemy, was sound, even if Harry had to take a few liberties to adapt it to the energy of divine realms.
In its core, the Stone was an alchemical material that needed a constant supply of energy to stay crystalised, or else it would collapse on itself. Unfortunately, that meant that they were very quickly perishable without a stable reserve of energy, while also being very tricky to make. This meant that he had to make them one at a time or else it would have been a waste of resources.
"But you'll also leave one day, won't you?" the girl questioned with vulnerability in her voice.
"Everything ends," he replied gravely while looking away in the distance, "And it's always sad. But everything begins again, and that's always happy. Always try to be happy, Helaena. For me, for Daphne, but most of all, for you."
He walked away and turned back to face Helaena, seeing a complicated look on her face, "But that day is not today. So, for now, go spend time with your children, with your family. Don't worry about Daphne and me; we will be fine, and we won't disappear in thin air."
She hesitated for a moment before she asked, "Will… Will I come with you on your next adventure?"
"Of course you are, Helaena," Harry replied while making sure to put as much surety in his voice, "It wouldn't do for me to neglect my little apprentice, would I?"
The girl's vulnerable expression melted away, and a small smile took its place: "I will not disappoint you."
"I know that you won't. Goodbye, Helaena."
"Farewell, Lord Harry," she answered back as a portal came to swallow him.
As he travelled back to the manse, he couldn't help but think of the next step in their quest. It was very unlikely that they would find a goddess like Mother Rhoyne, one who would give herself up so willingly while being so powerful. Despite the lack of followers, she was powerful enough to shift the cosmic balance of Planetos slightly, and that meant that Harry would need to fix a few things aside from that.
His work with the Targaryen had already given him a bit of wiggle room on that front, and averting their civil war had helped him a lot. Fate is a lot different here, and Harry knew that the little mishap with the Drowned God hadn't been an attempt to bind him, but a veritable warning of its battle with this outside force.
He supposed that he could throw it a bone, essentially strengthening it, to help stabilise things a bit more. Now that he thought about it, there was a way that he knew could help even things out a bit.
As he entered the manse, he nodded to himself. After all, it was time to go visit the infamous Wall in the North and maybe see what's beyond it.
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AN: Well, I did promise you that you'd see a Harry POV after Chroyane. It got away from me a bit, and it's also not as eventful as I would have liked for such a chapter, but I think it was important to show the hope that they felt since coming to Planetos, and a bit about why they acted this way with the Targaryens. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.