Ned would have been worrying incessantly about the strain on his grain stores if it were not for the shipments of fruits he had gotten from Dorne and the surplus fish from the Bear Islands.
Ned glanced at Elia and Alysane, smiling to himself, truly grateful for their help. It was the best possible time to welcome more people into the North.
Summer was approaching, and they would be farming, fishing, and hunting to sustain and grow the region's strength before the inevitable winter.
Ned told them that fifty fighting men and one hundred and fifty women and children would be leaving for Bear Island in the next seven days.
He did not send the elderly because they had traveled enough, and forcing them onto another journey would just be cruel.
"Tell me now, how many will be left after the allotted number leaves for Bear Island?" Ned asked Galt.
"One hundred and ninety-seven fighting men and six hundred and three women, children, and elderly," Galt answered after a moment of calculation.
Ned frowned. Based on the letter he had received and the people that were being sent to the Bear Islands, the remaining number should have been smaller.
"He... found some more people on the way," Galt added, gesturing vaguely towards Zeus as he caught the confused expression on Ned's face.
Ned nodded in realization and shrugged after a moment. In the long term, more hands were better for the North.
Ned was not just trusting in Zeus's abilities blindly. He had his own reasoning.
The Vale mountain clansmen were the way they were because they worshiped the Old Gods and clung to the Old Ways, rejecting the Faith of the Seven that dominated the Vale.
Now, they had the chance to serve under the most powerful Lord that serves the Old Gods.
Ned glanced at Ryk and Galt. He knew they would not dare try to betray him as they were in the heart of the North, where even a scent of rebellion would be met with the full, frozen fury of the Stark bannermen.
Meanwhile, Zeus was arguably the happiest man alive. He had his niece and nephew on his lap, personally feeding them food from his hand.
He was in casual clothes, his golden eyes and hair visible and gleaming.
"I am a complete man now..." He muttered contentedly, giving them kisses on their cheeks and spoiling them rotten in front of everyone.
Ra and Elia looked at each other before they chuckled. Ra placed an arm around her shoulder and started feeding from time to time as well.
"Uncle..." Rhaenys whispered, beckoning him towards her.
"Hm?" Zeus hummed and leaned forward, allowing her to whisper in his ear.
"Do you got our Wyverns?" Rhaenys asked with anticipation. Aegon had heard the question as well and looked up at Zeus with wide, hopeful eyes, wanting the answer.
"We will talk about that later," Zeus whispered back to them with a conspiratorial grin and tickled them lightly, getting giggles from the kids.
The other mountain clansmen and the stragglers they had picked up on the way were given temporary lodgings in Wintertown, and they were fed as well.
The feast lasted a bit longer as the Lords of House Branch and House Woods had arrived to coordinate, as they would be primarily helping the new people settle in.
"Welcome to the North, Zeus," Ned said to Zeus after the feast concluded, patting Zeus's back firmly before he left to attend to his duties.
Zeus nodded at Ned before looking down at Aegon and Rhaenys, who were still securely in his arms.
"Are you ready for your gifts?" He asked them, getting excited cheers from the kids.
Zeus chuckled and looked towards Elia. "Would you like to join us, good sister?" Zeus asked her politely.
"I would love to, lead the way," Elia smiled and hugged Ra's arm as they walked with Zeus.
Zeus hummed a tune and laughed with the kids as they walked out of the castle.
"I think you should make some excuses of why all of us will be gone for a little bit and get some horses," Zeus said to Ra quietly.
"I have already sent a stableboy for the horses and told Stark we will be off for a ride for some time," Ra waved his hand dismissively, glancing to the side as Will the stableboy brought him his and Zeus's horses.
"Thank you, Will," Ra thanked Will and pressed a coin into his hand as he helped Elia onto the horse. She sat sideways, and then Ra mounted behind her, securing her.
"Thank you, Will. Children, you both should say thank you as well," Zeus thanked the boy and instructed the kids to do the same.
"Thank you!" Rhaenys and Aegon echoed cheerfully as Zeus placed them on his horse and sat behind them.
Will chuckled and bowed before he left with a skip in his step and a smile on his face, clutching his coin.
Ra and Zeus held the reins of the horses and steered them towards the Wolfswood.
"Hold tight," Zeus told the children, who did as they were told, gripping his arms tight.
Ra also held Elia firmly by the waist and glanced at Zeus.
Zeus nodded and loosened the horse's reins, making a clicking sound with his mouth. The horse started galloping at high speed instantly. Ra did the same.
The children cheered and giggled as the wind rushed past them, while Elia rested her head on Ra's chest for support against the speed.
It did not take them much time to reach the deeper parts of the Wolfswood. They tightened their grips on the reins a little and maneuvered the horses through the forest with extreme skill and precision, weaving through the dense foliage.
They moved through ancient Pine and Oak trees as the children looked around with wide smiles on their faces, taking in the sights of the wild forest.
"This should suffice," Zeus muttered when they reached a secluded cave entrance. He glanced at Ra, who gave a confirming nod.
The Custodians dismounted the horses first and checked the area briefly before turning back to their mounts. Ra helped Elia dismount, holding her by the waist until she was steady. Zeus, naturally, just picked up both children in his arms.
"You are never going to let them walk, are you?" Ra muttered, giving Zeus a side-glance.
"Not on my watch," Zeus answered with a chuckle, swaying the kids in his arms to their delight.
Elia chuckled and shook her head as they moved deeper into the cave, eventually finding a large, empty cavern suitable for their needs.
"Sorry Sweetlings, I'll have to put you down for a moment," Zeus told the kids, making a dramatically sad face.
The kids giggled and poked his face as he put them down. He then brought out an ink container and a brush from the bag he was carrying.
"Will you be drawing a magic circle to connect spaces?" Elia asked Zeus, observing the tools.
"A little different. I have the blood of the Wyverns. I will be making a summoning circle for them with their blood as an anchor," Zeus told her, showing her some scrolls that had the spell detailed.
"May I try?" Elia asked as she glanced at the parchments. Zeus nodded and handed her the parchments and ink the next moment without hesitation.
Elia smiled and glanced over the instructions before she started drawing on the ground Ra had just cleaned with a quick spell.
The children followed her as she worked, fascinated with the intricate patterns Elia was drawing on the stone floor.
Zeus watched the children and Elia with a large, contented smile on his face. Ra glanced at Zeus and chuckled as he stood beside his brother.
Ra understood exactly what Zeus must be feeling. Having more than thirty brothers and suddenly one of them gets married and has children, it was a seismic shift.
Every Custodian of Nightshade would scale mountains, cross oceans, and burn kingdoms for their niece, nephew, and sister-in-law.
"How were you chosen to come here?" Ra asked Zeus with a raised eyebrow.
"Chosen?" Zeus scoffed. "I battled to be here. A whole lot of fighting and even more cheating." Zeus added with a chuckle.
"Did you all hold a battle arena or something?" Ra asked with a tilt of his head.
"That is what we started with... But Father put a stop to that midway through," Zeus started and shrugged. "We came up with 'the falling stick' method to let fate decide." Zeus added with a smirk.
"I guess that is where the cheating came in?" Ra asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Just a subtle enchantment and the stick fell towards me. I think Father noticed, but he was too exasperated to foil my plot," Zeus answered, nudging Ra with an elbow.
"Do you want praise or something?" Ra asked and gave him a light, playful smack on the head.
Zeus shrugged. "I will just ask my niece and nephew for praises then." He said, getting a resigned sigh from Ra.
A/n: Give me your thought on the chapter and reviews on the fic.
And.. you got any power stones? Well, hand em over then.