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—
Iron Islands
Harlaw
The glowing seed began to suck the kraken up like a really long and thick noodle, leaving behind only the horns and rows of teeth.
The eerie white glow intensified, and the seed burrowed itself into the ground, guided by the magic it was exhibiting, no doubt, and the ground shook.
As the whole crowd jiggled on their feet, trying not to fall down, the earth split open, and a tree taller than Wun Weg grew up in an instant.
Its shimmering green bark and golden leaves definitely gave it a magical appearance.
"Good show, jolly good show." Robert praised, awed, and clapped at the sight of magic.
The men had found it more unsettling than impressive, sending prayers to the Seven.
Leaf approached the tree, kneeling at its base, head touching the trunk, and her sisters joined her soon, gathering around the tree. Robert waited to see what they were doing, but something more interesting happened.
A daisy grew in front of his right foot, and patches of grass began to brighten the dreary and barren land of Harlaw.
Beneath the land, the rocks were crushed to dirt, and the roots of the tree turned the steep, rocky coasts flat, thickening the soil. The tree itself even controlled the air, making it slightly more pleasant.
It all happened too slowly, of course, for the tree had just grown, but in time, the Iron Islands would be a paradise.
—
"It is both unsettling and comforting to watch." Davos touched one of the flower beds, still in disbelief that the brown and gray islands were slowly becoming a verdant green.
The tree responsible for this miracle was there, glowing when you gazed at it for long, with a comforting beauty.
The Children of the Forest were still gathered around the tree, undisturbed by the men.
"If there is an attack on the islands, what will we do? Asgard is too far away."
"Good question." He could station a dragon on the Iron Islands, but keeping the brothers away did not sit well with him.
Training the natives of the island was one idea, but they could not be trusted yet.
Leaf had finally left the tree, looking serene and at peace. "You do not have to worry. The mother tree will protect herself."
That earned her a round of disbelieving looks. "How exactly?"
"Her roots are strong, and the power of the kraken is at her command." Leaf seemed sure, and he would take her word for it.
"Good enough for me." Robert shrugged. He would still deploy men to the island as a precaution, but it saved him the trouble.
Davos cleared his throat. "Shall we send ships to bring farmers here?" Even their words showed that the Ironborn had no knowledge of how to farm.
"Good idea, we'll get families, pay them good gold, give them homes, and have them teach these fools how to farm." Gold was the best incentive to convince anyone to settle in these islands.
—
"The mother tree wishes to speak to you."
"She can speak?" He had heard back on Earth that talking to plants could help them grow better, but nothing about the plants talking back.
This ought to be fun.
Leaf, however, found it insulting.
"Give me a break; how am I supposed to know she was a magical tree that can talk?"
—
Touching Leaf's hand while she touched the bark, it did not take long before Robert found himself floating in a golden space, with only a bright, rainbow-colored orb in front of him.
Putting his right hand over his heart, Robert spoke with an exaggerated tone. "Ooooh, magical tree, what is thy wisdom?"
"What?" The voice was melodious, taken aback by the weirdness of the man.
"Are there any blue alien chicks out there?" Preferably ones that were hot.
"I… don't understand?" What was an alien? Why were they blue? What did the man mean?
Dropping the act now that he had confused the tree spirit, Robert was ready to talk business. "I'll take that as a no. What did you want to speak about?"
The spirit was silent, believing it was for the best to ignore the previous words. "I wished to thank you. My children tell me that it was your deeds that led to my blooming."
"You're welcome."
The mother tree, one without a name because she did not need it in her words, spoke of her own mother, cut down and destroyed by the creatures of cold as a part of their desire to destroy the Children.
Her kind had existed as long as magic had, mostly in the North, but after the pact between the men and the Children was broken and so many of them were dead, there was no way for the last seed to bloom.
Until now.
Now that she had bloomed, the spirit would keep the Iron Islands verdant and fertile, the perfect farm field, in return for the protection Robert would offer the Children.
A simple transaction where both sides won.
She, because Robert was going with that for the sake of avoiding complications, spoke of how her mother had made the frigid and cold North into a heaven for all—the children, the men, and the animals. The coming of the Andals and the war between the Northmen and the Children had reduced the North back to the frozen wasteland it was, and over time, snow had covered everything.
Now, she would make these islands the same, as long as they had peace.
This was history not mentioned anywhere else, and the chances are, none of these existed in the universe of the books he read. This world was becoming more and more fascinating with each day.
Too bad for those dumbasses, it was all left to Robert, and unlike them, he had the common sense to not let religious zealots destroy his hard work.
—
"Enjoy the North, maggots, and do tell Arthur Dayne that I said to go fuck himself with a rusty sword." Robert waved after the first ship heading to the Wall. The Iron Islands were so close to the North, yet the safest way to send the Ironborn to the Wall was to have them sail to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
Forcing thousands to march through the North would definitely end with most escaping without dragons to watch them, and sailing to the western part of the Wall would not be any better.
"I heard that it was actually you whom the Sword of the Morning tried to kill that day." These were rumors, of course, after Arthur Dayne had confessed to killing the king because he was mad and weak.
Most did not care enough to question, but there were some who insisted that Arthur Dayne had been forced to say it to not meet his end at the headsman's block.
Robert grinned. That was always fun to remember. "You heard right; I just turned the tables on them."
Sandor sniggered. "Making a kingslayer out of the greatest knight in the realm? Fucking hilarious." He never liked knighthood to begin with, and seeing someone like Arthur Dayne get humiliated was satisfying.
"Eh, I always preferred Barristan; he didn't need a fancy sword to kill all the people he killed." Then again, he didn't like anyone serving the Targaryens.
"I heard Ser Hasty is a rather experienced knight as well." Davos had heard the deeds of the man, perhaps not as great as Barristan Selmy, Gerold Hightower, or Oswell Whent, but he was pious.
"If Rhaegar didn't bring him to the Kingsguard because Bonifer Hasty and the Dowager Queen Rhaella were in love before, then my name isn't Robert." After a husband like Aerys, Rhaella must be happy to have her old flame back with her.
That startled Davos, whose eyes widened. "Kingsguard are sworn to not take wives or sire children; surely they cannot?" Those kinds of rumors would hurt the Targaryens, especially since Lord Robert was fond of humiliating them.
"Of course not; that doesn't mean they aren't sweethearts."
"What of you, my lord? Who will inherit Asgard when the time comes? Still wish to leave it to a nephew of yours?" Davos asked. Lord Robert flirted with females, sometimes even taking one to bed, but none of the ladies that sought him out had found success.
It left Asgard's future uncertain.
"Eh, I am not dying anytime soon, and the world is a big place. I might just find the kind of woman I seek." If not, he could always marry Rhaella Targaryen, just to make Rhaegar call him good-father.
That would be hilarious, no matter how unlikely.
"My lord, can you hear us?" Robert rubbed his palms together. He was really starting to enjoy having long-range comms in a fantasy world.
Especially when you were the only one with it.
"There you guys are. How is it going back at home?"
"Same as always."
"I need you to find farmers willing to settle in the Iron Islands and teach the shits over here how to farm." He got straight to the point. The sooner these islands were on a track to be Robert's breadbasket, the better.
Another smoky visage appeared next to Tyrion. "Grandson, I assume your plan to make those dreary rocks arable worked?"
"Of course it did."
—
The North
Eastwatch by the Sea
A Month Later
Ser Maron Swann, the youngest son of Lord Swann, who had decided to serve Robert after leaving home, left the ship to speak to the man in charge.
"I am Commander of Eastwatch, Cotter Pyke. You brought men to the Watch?" Cotter looked at the ship, seeing hundreds of men chained with iron balls at their feet.
"That we did. By the orders of Lord Robert Baratheon, I am to have these Ironborn take the black." Cotter blinked, remembering the rumors of how Robert fucking Baratheon had slain a kraken and brought the Iron Islands down.
Hearing about nobles killing each other was Cotter's favorite rumor.
"How many do you have?"
"Over a thousand, with more to come." They were only constrained by the number of ships available, and as the Iron Islands settled, more would be shipped at once.
That was the greatest number of men he had ever seen come to take the black at once. "How many more?"
"Around ten thousand." But that was just too fucking many.
"What? We cannot take that many; we do not have the fucking supplies."
Maron pointed at the vessels at the back, acting as supply ships to keep the crews and the prisoners fed. "Lord Robert has sent goods seized from the Ironborn: food, clothing, fabric, weapons, drinks, and medicine. He has also sent a letter to the Crown for the same purpose."
—
King's Landing
Red Keep
The Small Council Chambers
Tywin put the letter back on the table, trying to reign in the fury swelling up inside him.
"He wants us to fund ten thousand Ironborn bound for the Wall? Is he mad? Why does he think we would agree because of our queen?" To Jon, if Robert wanted to send the Ironborn to the Wall, he should do it himself.
Tywin, already fuming inside due to Robert's outrageous letter, wondered for the thousandth time which part of his body Jon Connington used to think with. "Nay, because "one of you morons is responsible for sending word to the Ironborn, and if you don't want me to kill you all because I am too lazy to find the bastard, begin sending supplies to the Wall. Not that I should have to threaten you for it, because everyone knows I am the only defense line against the Night King and the Others." He read the part of the letter, the only one to see it after the king.
Rhaegar massaged his head, the mere mention of that accursed name setting his blood on fire. "Lord Varys, have you still not discovered who it was?" Whoever had flown word to the Ironborn, he would have him drawn and quartered.
"Unfortunately not, Your Grace." It was satisfying to deceive the Crown and the Small Council so thoroughly.
"Have supplies sent to the Wall. I am sure I can count on your generosity, my lords, to join House Targaryen in this endeavor." Rhaegar's eyes lingered on Tywin Lannister and Mace Tyrell longer than any other. With the gold mines of Casterly Rock and the fields of the Reach, they were the ones that could supply the most.
"House Tyrell will more than do its part in protecting the realm, Your Grace." Mace knew it was not a request but an order veiled as one.
Tywin, not to be outdone, pledged his support as well, spurring the rest of the Council to do the same.
—
The North
Winterfell
"Gods grant me patience." Rickard prayed, whispering to not be heard. The tidings brought by Robert's knight were ones that meant trouble for the North.
Brandon slammed his hand on the table, rising with a vengeance. "Ten thousand more men? If the Ironborn mutiny and take the Wall, we will be defenseless." Those bastards would let the Wildlings pass the Wall out of spite, and the North would be at war.
"Lord Robert has warned that he will burn down every single keep in the Iron Islands, with all the women and children inside, if the Ironborn at the Wall rebel or cause trouble." The knight said,
"That is cold comfort to the North if we have more than ten thousand outlaws." No man would wish to risk his wife and daughters that way, but the Ironborn were mad, and you couldn't predict what madmen would do.
The knight looked uncomfortable. "I have nothing else to say, Lord Stark; I am merely carrying Lord Robert's words."
"You may leave."
"Fucking bastard. I hope he falls off his dragon and dies." Brandon cursed, the only thing he could do against Robert.
"At least he sent supplies." Robert may hate the North, but he still knew that men would need to fill their bellies and keep warm to not rise in mutiny.
—
Stormlands
Asgard
After hearing Robert's orders, Tyrion had spoken to the men of several farmers waiting for housing in Asgard, offering to settle them in the Iron Islands, with homes, gold, and workers, in return for teaching the Ironborn how to farm.
Even the most ignorant of the smallfolk knew that you could not grow crops in the Iron Islands, which was the reason the Ironborn were reavers and pirates.
It took great effort and promises that if they could not grow crops in the Iron Islands after Lord Robert had promised so, they would be given housing in Asgard, all at the cost of the lord's coffers.
Tyrion made the promise, knowing it would be unnecessary.
Several families, desperate for a better life, took the offer, and with Asgard's new ships ready, they were loaded into them with livestock, horses, supplies, and everything needed to turn arable land to farms.
—
In the next chapter:
Robert whistled, enjoying the sight before him.
With hair like fire, a toned body, a lovely but cold face, and deep brown eyes, the woman before him, dressed in a black robe with thick fur around her neck, was definitely one of the most gorgeous ones he had ever seen before.
"Tell me, my lady, what brings a beauty like you to Asgard?" He asked, holding out his hand. Reserved, the red headed beauty gave her hand as well, and Robert pressed a light kiss on her knuckles.
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