The flight to Winterfell took two days.
For Daenerys Targaryen it was a revelation. She was used to the raw brutal wind of dragon flight where the cold bit into your bones and the world rushed by in a blur.
But inside the Leviathan it was silent.
She sat in a leather armchair sipping hot tea poured from a silver samovar. Through the glass floor she watched the continent scroll beneath her like a map.
"The Neck," Andar pointed out. "Usually a swamp that swallows armies. From here it is just a wet patch."
Daenerys looked down at the causeway of Moat Cailin. She saw the new rail line cutting through the bog a straight black arrow of progress. She saw a train moving north trailing white steam.
"You have tamed the land," Daenerys whispered. "My ancestors conquered it but they did not tame it."
"Conquest is easy," Andar said checking the altimeter. "Logistics is hard."
As they crossed into the North proper the landscape changed.
It was no longer just snow and trees.
Daenerys saw smoke. Not the smoke of burning villages but the rhythmic plumes of industry. She saw factories in the Wolfswood. She saw lumber mills powered by steam engines. She saw electric lights flickering in the early twilight like fallen stars.
"This is Winterfell?" Tyrion asked stepping up to the glass.
Below them the ancient castle had expanded. It was surrounded by a sprawl of brick buildings warehouses and rail yards. The Great Keep still stood tall but it was dwarfed by the massive cooling towers of the foundry.
"It looks like a city of gears," Tyrion marveled.
The Leviathan docked at the mooring mast.
Daenerys descended the elevator cage. As she stepped onto the snowy ground a roar shook the castle.
Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion landed in the designated clearing outside the walls. They were agitated. They smelled the coal smoke and the oil.
"Control them," Andar warned. "If they eat a steam pipe they will regret it."
Daenerys walked to her children. She calmed them with a touch.
A delegation was waiting at the Hunter's Gate.
Sansa Stark stood at the front. She wore a dress of grey wool and white fur. Her face was a mask of polite porcelain. Beside her stood Arya Stark who was staring at the dragons with open mouthed hunger.
"Lady Sansa," Robb said embracing his sister. "I bring guests."
"I see," Sansa said coolly. Her blue eyes flicked to Daenerys. "The Dragon Queen."
"Queen Daenerys," Robb corrected. "She is our ally against the Night King."
Daenerys stepped forward. She expected a curtsy.
Sansa did not curtsy. She nodded a stiff necked nod.
"Winterfell is yours Your Grace," Sansa said using the traditional greeting. But her tone suggested try not to break anything.
"Thank you Lady Sansa," Daenerys replied equally cold. "Your home is... busy."
"It is a factory," Sansa said. "We work so the South can play at wars."
"I do not play," Daenerys stiffened.
"Enough," Andar cut in. "We can measure pride later. Right now we have work to do."
He gestured to the dragons.
"Your Grace if you would follow me to the heavy workshop. I have a fitting for you."
The workshop was a cavernous brick building usually used for repairing locomotive engines.
Now it contained a massive wooden dummy shaped like a dragon's back.
"What is this?" Daenerys asked looking at the strange harness draped over the dummy.
"A flight suit," Andar said. "And a saddle."
He picked up a helmet. It was made of leather lined with fur. It had built in goggles and a strange metal box on the side.
"Dragons are loud," Andar explained. "Wind noise. Roaring. Engine noise from my planes. You cannot hear orders."
He tapped the metal box.
"Throat microphone. It picks up vibrations directly from your vocal cords. You can whisper and I will hear you in the airship five miles away."
Daenerys picked up the helmet. It felt light.
"And the saddle?"
"Aluminum frame," Andar said. "With hardpoints for luggage."
"Luggage?" Daenerys laughed. "Drogon does not carry cargo."
"He does now," Andar said seriously. "He carries this."
He pointed to a heavy canvas pod painted bright orange.
"Survival kit. Inflatable raft. Flares. Rations. Medical supplies. If you go down north of the Wall Your Grace you will freeze in ten minutes. This kit buys you three days."
Daenerys ran her hand over the orange canvas. She realized Andar was not treating her dragons as mythical beasts. He was treating them as high value aircraft.
"You think of everything," she murmured.
"I try to," Andar said.
He walked to a covered table.
"And one more thing. For the dragons themselves."
He pulled the sheet back.
On the table lay massive plates of steel. They were shaped to fit the chest and belly of a dragon.
"Armor?" Tyrion asked. "For a dragon?"
"Scales are strong," Andar said. "But White Walkers have ice spears that can pierce steel plate. We saw it in the daguerreotypes. They throw with superhuman strength."
He knocked on the metal.
"This is composite armor. Steel layered with ceramic. It will stop a scorpion bolt. It will stop an ice spear."
Daenerys looked at the armor. It was beautifully crafted etched with Valyrian glyphs for protection.
"You made this?" Daenerys asked. "For me?"
"For the war," Andar said. "A dead dragon is a tragedy. A zombie dragon is a nightmare. I intend to prevent both."
[Quest Update: The Last Dragon]
[Tech Unlocked: Dragon Armor (Ceramic Composite)]
[Tech Unlocked: Radio Comms (Throat Mic)]
[Relationship Status: Respectful Distrust]
Suddenly the telegraph operator burst into the workshop.
"My Lord!" The boy gasped. "Message from the Wall! Priority Alpha!"
Andar grabbed the paper.
E-A-S-T-W-A-T-C-H.
B-Y.
T-H-E.
S-E-A.
W-A-T-E-R.
F-R-O-Z-E-N.
Andar looked at Robb.
"The sea," Andar whispered. "The Night King isn't attacking the Wall directly. He is walking around it."
"Walking on the water?" Robb asked horrified.
"He froze the Bay of Seals," Andar said grimly. "He is building an ice bridge around Eastwatch."
He turned to Daenerys.
"Suit up Your Grace. The test flight just became a combat mission."
Daenerys grabbed the helmet. Her eyes burned with violet fire.
"Drogon is hungry," she said.
Andar grabbed his own gear.
"Then let's go feed him some zombies."
....
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'm releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
120 Power Stones: 3 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!