Chapter 8: Harrenhal Preparations
Three days after the triumph at Whispering Wood, I stood in Appa's shadow beneath a star-filled sky, preparing for the most dangerous infiltration of my new life. Ahead lay Harrenhal—cursed castle of the god's eye, where Tywin Lannister gathered his strength and Arya Stark would soon face horrors no child should endure.
Time to make that horror a little more bearable.
"Ready for another flight, buddy?" I whispered, scratching behind Appa's massive ears. The flying bison made a soft rumbling sound that might have been enthusiasm or concern. Even he could sense the malevolence radiating from the distant castle.
Harrenhal rose from the shores of the God's Eye like a fever dream made of melted stone. Five twisted towers reached toward the sky like accusing fingers, their walls fused and warped by dragonfire. Even from miles away, I could feel something wrong about the place—an aura of old suffering and fresh cruelty that made my skin crawl.
The flight south took two hours, Appa moving through the night sky like a ghost made of cloud and moonlight. Below us, the Riverlands spread out in a patchwork of forests and fields, dotted with the lights of settlements that would soon become battlefields.
But it was the massive encampment around Harrenhal that drew my attention.
Thirty thousand men. Maybe more. The Lannister host spread across the countryside like a cancer, their cook fires creating a constellation of war that stretched to the horizon. I could see the ordered formations of Westerlands infantry, the horse lines where cavalry mounts stood ready for battle, the supply trains that kept this massive army fed and equipped.
And at the center of it all, Harrenhal squatted like a diseased spider.
[Aerial Reconnaissance: Harrenhal]
[Enemy Force Strength: 32,000+ soldiers]
[Command Structure: Tywin Lannister, Gregor Clegane, Kevan Lannister]
[Castle Status: Heavily garrisoned, multiple defensive layers]
[Infiltration Difficulty: Extreme]
I had Appa land in a grove several miles from the castle, where ancient weirwoods created natural cover. The heart trees watched me with their carved faces, red sap weeping from eyes that had witnessed centuries of human folly.
"Stay hidden," I told Appa. "I'll be back before dawn."
The massive bison settled into the shadows between the trees, his white fur almost invisible against pale bark and moonlight. He would wait, patient as stone, until I returned.
I made my way toward Harrenhal on foot, using every stealth skill I'd developed to avoid the patrols that swept the countryside. Enhanced reflexes made navigation effortless—I could anticipate where guards would look, predict their patrol patterns, stay invisible in shadows that shouldn't have provided adequate cover.
The castle's outer defenses were impressive but focused on preventing armies from approaching, not lone infiltrators. I found a postern gate used by servants and camp followers, where a few copper coins and a convincing story about seeking work got me past guards who saw dozens of new faces every day.
"Kitchen staff's always changing," the guard explained as he waved me through. "Cooks don't last long when they have to feed the Mountain's men. You might want to find work elsewhere, friend."
But I wasn't here to avoid Gregor Clegane—I was here to prepare for his arrival.
[Infiltration: Successful]
[Cover Identity: Kitchen Servant seeking employment]
[Access Level: General castle areas, servant quarters]
[Threat Assessment: High but manageable]
Harrenhal's interior was even more disturbing than its exterior. Corridors twisted in ways that defied architectural logic, chambers opened onto unexpected views, and everywhere the walls bore scorch marks from the dragonfire that had melted stone like candle wax.
But beneath the obvious layout, I could see the hidden structure—servant passages, forgotten stairways, chambers that no longer appeared on any map. The castle was honeycomb with secrets, and those secrets would be crucial for what was coming.
I spent hours mapping every corridor, every hidden door, every passage that might provide escape routes or concealment. The system helped, highlighting architectural features that human eyes might miss, marking structural weaknesses and defensive positions.
[Skill Unlocked: Architecture Analysis]
[Castle Knowledge: Harrenhal Complete Layout]
[Hidden Passages: 47 identified and mapped]
[Escape Routes: 12 viable paths catalogued]
[Strategic Positions: Optimal locations for cache placement]
The real work began in the areas where Arya would need help.
I knew from the show that she would eventually work in the kitchens, serve at high table, and be forced into close contact with some of the most dangerous people in Westeros. Every one of those situations would be a potential death trap—unless someone had prepared the ground in advance.
I started with the kitchens, where massive ovens and preparation areas served hundreds of people daily. The staff was already overwhelmed and exhausted, which made them perfect targets for subtle recruitment.
"New helper?" asked the head cook, a massive woman named Umma whose arms were thick as ham hocks. "Good. We lost three yesterday—one to fever, two ran off rather than serve the Mountain's dinner."
"The Mountain?" I asked, playing the role of a naive newcomer.
"Ser Gregor Clegane. Eight feet tall and twice as mean. Kills people for fun and eats children who don't serve his food hot enough." Umma shuddered. "You'll want to stay away from him if you value your life."
I nodded sagely while making mental notes. Gregor wasn clegane was exactly as horrible as I remembered from the show, but he was also predictable. His rages followed patterns, his violence had triggers, and both could be manipulated by someone who understood psychological warfare.
[Social Link Established: Umma (Head Cook)]
[Kitchen Access: Unlimited during work hours]
[Intelligence Network: Foundation laid]
[Mountain Analysis: Behavioral patterns identified]
Over the following hours, I moved through the castle like a ghost, establishing contacts and planting subtle suggestions. I befriended the stable master who would eventually care for important horses, the quartermaster who controlled supply distribution, the servants who cleaned chambers where crucial conversations would take place.
None of them knew they were being recruited into a resistance network. They just knew that the new kitchen helper was friendly, helpful, and had a talent for making their lives easier.
"Funny thing," I mentioned to Wat the Spit Boy while helping him carry firewood. "I heard some of the older servants talking about the old days, when Lord Whent held this place. They knew tricks for making work easier—like which passages stayed cool in summer, where to hide when lords were in foul tempers."
"Really?" Wat's eyes lit up with interest. "My grandfather might know some of those stories. He worked here before the war."
Perfect. Within a day, I had elderly servants sharing their knowledge of hidden passages and secret chambers, information that would be crucial for protecting vulnerable people when violence erupted.
[Network Expansion: Senior Staff Recruited]
[Historical Knowledge: Hidden passage systems revealed]
[Resistance Infrastructure: 65% established]
[Information Flow: Bidirectional intelligence gathering active]
But my most important work involved preparing cache sites.
I identified twelve locations throughout the castle where supplies could be hidden—forgotten chambers behind loose stones, spaces beneath floor-boards in unused rooms, alcoves behind tapestries that hadn't been moved in years. In each location, I stored carefully selected items.
Food that wouldn't spoil. Clean water in sealed containers. Medical supplies for treating wounds. Weapons—nothing elaborate, just good steel knives and small crossbows that could be concealed easily. Most importantly, I left detailed maps showing escape routes, guard schedules, and safe rooms where someone could hide if the castle became too dangerous.
[Cache Network: 12 sites established]
[Supply Distribution: Survival kit basics at each location]
[Emergency Protocols: Escape plans and safe house locations]
[Target Audience: Vulnerable individuals requiring protection]
I was completing my final cache when I felt it—a presence watching me with intensity that went beyond normal human observation. Not hostile, exactly, but ancient and calculating, like being studied by something that saw far more than it revealed.
I turned slowly, my enhanced reflexes ready for anything, and found myself face to face with a man who shouldn't have been there.
He was unremarkable at first glance—medium height, brown hair, the kind of face that was instantly forgettable. But his eyes held depths that spoke of knowledge beyond his apparent years, and there was something in his posture that suggested capabilities hidden beneath a servant's disguise.
"A man works late," he said in an accent I recognized from Braavos. "A man prepares for things that have not yet come to pass."
Jaqen H'ghar. The Faceless Man. One of the most dangerous people in Westeros, and he had been watching me work.
"Just trying to be helpful," I replied carefully, keeping my voice steady despite the ice-water in my veins. "New servants have to prove their worth."
"Indeed," Jaqen smiled, and the expression was more unsettling than reassuring. "A man knows many ways to prove worth. Some honest, some... creative."
He stepped closer, moving with liquid grace that reminded me of a cat stalking prey. Up close, I could see the quality of his disguise—not magical transformation but perfect mundane impersonation, the kind of skill that required years of training and natural talent.
"Tell me," he continued conversationally, "what does a servant hope to accomplish with such... thorough preparation?"
The question hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall. This was a test, and how I answered would determine whether I walked away from this encounter or disappeared permanently.
"A wise man once told me that fortune favors the prepared," I said. "Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes a little preparation is the difference between life and death."
"Wise words," Jaqen nodded slowly. "A man wonders... does this preparation serve only good people? Or does it serve those who serve good people?"
Another test. He was probing to understand my motivations, trying to determine whether I was a threat to his own plans or a potential ally.
"I don't see much difference," I answered honestly. "In a place like this, anyone who isn't a monster probably qualifies as good enough."
For a long moment, Jaqen studied me with those ancient eyes. I could feel him weighing options, calculating probabilities, deciding whether to kill me or let me live.
Finally, he smiled again. "A man thinks this conversation has been... educational. Perhaps we will speak again when the castle becomes more interesting."
He turned to go, then paused as if remembering something. "A man offers advice. There are those who watch more carefully than others. The quiet ones. The pale ones. A servant would do well to remember that some masters have very long memories."
And then he was gone, vanishing into shadows like he had never been there at all.
[Supernatural Encounter: Jaqen H'ghar]
[Threat Assessment: Unknown but significant]
[Status: Observed but not hostile]
[Warning Received: Advanced surveillance detected]
[Future Interaction: Highly probable]
I stood alone in the hidden chamber, my heart hammering against my ribs. The Faceless Man had found me, tested me, and apparently decided I wasn't an immediate threat. But he would be watching, and if my actions endangered his own mission, he would act without hesitation.
More concerning was his warning about "quiet ones" and "pale ones." Roose Bolton's network was already extending into Harrenhal, which meant my activities here might not stay secret for long.
Time to finish my work and get out.
I completed the final cache and began my withdrawal, retracing my steps through servant passages and hidden corridors. The castle was settling into its nighttime routine—guards walking their rounds, servants finishing final tasks, the usual activity of a military stronghold.
But I was no longer alone in the shadows.
As I made my way toward the postern gate, I caught glimpses of movement that suggested other infiltrators were moving through Harrenhal. Figures that stayed to shadows, people who walked like they belonged but carried themselves like they were hunting.
Bolton's advance scouts. They were already here, preparing for the transition that would see northern forces replace Lannister garrison. The Leech Lord was positioning his pieces for the games to come.
[Intelligence Gathering: Bolton Advance Team Detected]
[Timeline Acceleration: Northern takeover imminent]
[Security Risk: Significantly elevated]
[Extraction: Immediately required]
I slipped out of the castle the same way I'd entered, but with new knowledge that made every shadow potentially hostile. The network I'd established would help Arya survive what was coming, but it would also need to operate under increased scrutiny from some of the most dangerous people in Westeros.
The flight back to Appa was a blur of adrenaline and relief. My massive companion was exactly where I'd left him, waiting patiently among the heart trees. He made a soft questioning sound as I approached.
"Mission accomplished," I told him, climbing onto his broad back. "But we've got problems coming. Big ones."
Appa launched into the night sky with his usual silent grace, carrying us north toward Robb's army and relative safety. But as Harrenhal fell away behind us, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched by eyes that saw too much and forgot too little.
[Mission Complete: Harrenhal Preparation Phase]
[Network Established: 12 contacts, 12 cache sites]
[Arya Protection: Infrastructure ready for deployment]
[Threat Assessment: Multiple hostile factors identified]
[Strategic Position: Prepared but precarious]
The War of Five Kings was accelerating, and every move I made created ripples that affected everything else. I'd given Arya the tools she would need to survive Harrenhal, but I'd also attracted the attention of some of the most dangerous people in Westeros.
Time would tell whether I'd helped or simply painted a larger target on my back.
But as we flew north through the star-filled darkness, I felt a grim satisfaction. The game was getting more complex, the stakes were rising, and winter was coming for everyone.
Let them watch. Let them hunt. I had advantages they couldn't imagine and allies they'd never suspect.
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ In Game Of Thrones With Avatar System ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ In Game Of Thrones With Avatar System ] with exclusive access to 25+ chapters on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!