A Wandering Melody

Chapter 182: Trident’s Watch

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125 AC, White Harbour

Desmond Manderly liked to think that he was an intelligent man, or at least, not a foolish one. And yet, it seemed strange that the world did not know how much the world had changed. Of course, most cared for the politics, and it was no secret that the governance of the Seven Kingdoms had changed greatly since the Great Council of 123 AC took place, perhaps even before such a thing.

After all, it was not often that the King's prized daughter was disinherited for attempting to slay her own kin, her own half-sister no less, after succeeding in killing the Queen's father and former Hand of the King. Though in the North, the former was far more severe than the latter. It was also unusual to see the King, a man who, by all accounts, should be quite ill, walk healthily without a trace of sickness, and be on good terms with the Rogue Prince, who had not committed some reckless act of rebellion for some time.

The Capital had also been suspiciously quiet. Desmond still had some friends in the Capital, remnants of his own grandfather's friendship with the Conciliator, and while he had not truly invested in it, it was still useful to keep an eye on the Targaryens, or at least, King's Landing in general.

It was how he knew that many of the… distasteful elements were being located and disposed of discreetly, that there seemed to be the beginnings of plans that would see the city thrive, including a few projects involving children, which Desmond had begun copying in White Harbour. It all showed that House Targaryen had finally gotten a suitable spymaster with them and was actively working towards earning the love of their people, a rather different approach to their previous one, which was to terrify people with their dragons, something that he approved of.

So, yes, the House of the Dragon had changed, standing united after the strange resolution that none had expected, yet everyone had, with young Aegon Targaryen becoming the heir to the throne, after marrying young Jaehaera Targaryen. However, these changes in politics paled compared to the ones in the world itself.

Things had changed in the world. They had changed since Cregan Stark walked out of the North and defeated Winter itself. He knew the stories, just as everyone had in the North, and had seen the young Lord's might as he slew the dark horrors that attacked the Capital and knew that the tales were likely watered down. The seasons themselves changed, as was proven in the last two years, where winter lasted moons, not years. Winter was also less… biting, if he were to describe it.

White Harbour had benefited much without entire years of rationing to stave off winter, as well as the unrestful seas that often accompanied it, and while Desmond was grateful, he knew deep down that such changes rarely came without consequences, or without anything else for that matter.

There were also other… things. Their harvests were more plentiful every year and grew faster, since the Death of Winter. It almost felt like a dream sometimes, for the North to exist without the hardships of winter, and perhaps, this was the true reason why every soul in this Kingdom worshipped Cregan Stark, the man who ventured beyond the war and brought back prosperity, without needing to utter a single word. Desmond was not a godly man, not truly, and yet, it was hard not to feel swept by it all.

A voice brought him from his thoughts, "Lord Manderly!"

Desmond blinked, remembering the fact that he had been walking near the docks, liking to see the fruits of his labour and the people he governed, without them noticing. He looked up to see who it was and realised that it was one of his household guards, who had a panicked look on his face, "There was an incident with Lady Donella."

Desmond's eyes widened at that and he did not even bother continuing to listen to the guard's words, and instead ran towards the sections of the docks where he knew his daughter went, specifically the garden that he had made her after he returned from the Great Council two years ago.

He had likely spent more gold than was reasonable for a nameday gift to a child, but he had done it gladly. While Desmond knew that he should not have favourites amongst his children, he knew that Donella would always have a precious place in his heart.

After all, she had been born to his second wife, a marriage borne of love, instead of duty. He had his heirs, worked towards the prosperity of his House and Smallfolk, and decided to indulge himself in this selfish act and married Kyra Reed. Little Donella had been the product of this union, one that sadly saw his wife die in the birthing bed, but he could not hate their daughter for it, for she was a treasure, and every gaze he took reminded him of his lost love.

The Reeds always were a strange lot, and his wife was no different. She was always strangely perceptive and spent far too much time near the lone Heart Tree in White Harbour. His daughter was much the same, something that would have unsettled most fathers, but not Desmond. Perhaps the fact that when she requested a garden, she had done it because she did not want the Heart Tree to be lonely was something that Kyra would have said long ago.

The idea of his treasure, his little Donella, being unwell or in some kind of accident, made his heart tighten. He entered the garden and saw the Heart Tree in the middle of it, with the small oaks that he had ordered being planted there, as well as the winter roses and assortment of flowers spread across the garden.

He paled as he saw his daughter on her knees, staring in horror at the Heart Tree, shaking and trembling with every moment, while continuously muttering, "No, no, no, no…"

Desmond practically ran to hold her, and yet she did not seem to even notice his presence and instead continued to mumble under her breath. It was then that he saw her eyes, almost milky white, with crimson tears and blood, streaming down her terrified face.

His first instinct was to look at one of the guards and yell out, "Get the Maester here! Now!"

He did not care that he was harsh, a lot harsher than he needed to be towards guards that likely had very little to do with the… unnaturalness of his daughter's condition, but Donella was in pain, and suffering greatly, and that made thinking rationally quite difficult.

Still, getting the Maester was a good first decision, and the guards practically ran to get him, letting him focus on his daughter. He gently brought her closer to him, turned her away from the Heart Tree, and asked, "Donella, sweetling…"

She did not answer. In fact, she did not even seem to realise that he was there or had spoken to her. She continued muttering denials, without a care in the world. He turned towards the Septa, Willow, whom he had entrusted with his daughter's education and care. Of course, a faithful woman of the Seven would not like to stand near Heart Trees, and yet, Septa Willow had done it because Donella wanted her to. Still, she had always been uncomfortable in the garden, even though she pushed past it and performed her duty well. At least, she had until today.

The woman looked pale, terrified, likely from his wrath, or whatever had befallen his daughter. He suppressed his rage, as this woman had likely failed greatly in her duties, and gritted out, "What happened?"

The Septa trembled, "I do not know, my Lord. I swear it by the Mother herself. We were in the gardens as we had many times, and Donella simply fell to the ground and her eyes… gods, her eyes… I tried speaking with her, but she would not listen. I… I have never seen the like before, and I asked the guards to tell you, my Lord… Little Donella…"

The woman was almost in tears, and while that softened Desmond's heart, as he knew that the woman cared for Donella and was worried for her well-being, that did not stop the possibility that she held a hand in whatever had occurred. It would be better for her to be there as the Maester for questioning her, and so he asked her to remain outside and be ready for his arrival.

With the Septa gone, he looked at her daughter, looking lost and afraid. And could not help but embrace her, wish that his presence would reassure her somehow, if she could not see or hear him, "Sweetling… please…"

A voice spoke up behind him, "Well, isn't that an unfortunate situation? I can help you, if you would like."

The voice was that of a stranger, and as he turned, he found that he did not recognise the silhouette of the man. He immediately came to a single conclusion. Someone had done this to Donella to extort him somehow, likely some kind of poison, and now would likely dangle the cure for some sort of favour.

Without even thinking, the Lord of House Manderly turned up and unsheathed his sword. He had not used it for some time, but that would not stop him from skewering the man who had hurt his Donella.

Alas, the man did not wait for an answer or any sort of acknowledgement from Desmond's part, and simply walked forward, while also ignoring the sword pointed at him. It was then that he saw the man's features finally. He had messy, black hair and green eyes, which were somehow overlaid with some strange thing that resembled Myrish far-eyes. He wore strange garments, but obviously well-made.

One thing that he noticed was that the man seemed familiar… Desmond was sure that he had seen him before, but had some trouble trying to remember him.

The intruder raised an eyebrow at the raised sword and gently pushed it aside, completely ignoring Desmond, and instead knelt down towards Donella. He tensed, for a moment, up until the man raised another eyebrow, this time in surprise, "Well, I'll be. I didn't expect that, at least not so soon…"

Before Desmond could react, the man patted his daughter's head, and to his surprise, the girl stopped trembling for a moment. The man spoke up softly, "Well, hello there."

To his surprise, his daughter stiffened as if hearing him, "Hello. Who are you?"

"I'm Harry. What is your name, little one?"

"I am not little," Donella answered with a pout, "I am Donella Manderly."

"What a pretty name you have, little Donella," the man retorted, making his daughter pout further. He then continued, this time, his tone being far more serious, "I need you to come back. Can you do that for me, Donella?"

The warm expression on his daughter's face disappeared, and was once more replaced by the panic, "I don't know where I am… I'm scared."

The last part was what almost mumbled in fear, and Desmond felt his heart tighten in his chest at such a thing. The man, though, smiled at her, "Oh, it's alright to be scared? Everyone gets scared, you know? And didn't anyone ever tell you? Being scared can make you stronger, faster, and cleverer. And now, since you're very, very afraid, I need you to be very clever and tell me everything about your home. Tell me, what is it that you would do when you come back?"

"I would hug Father," Donella answered with certainty.

The man hummed in approval. "Your father would certainly benefit from a hug, wouldn't he? Now, what else would you do?"

"I would go to the docks and watch the ships. Sometimes I like to watch the young boys play in the streets. I'd also go to the garden. I always liked the garden. The Heart Tree is very pretty."

"That is very interesting. Do you see it, all then, the world around you?" At his daughter's nod, he continued, "Now, I need you to go towards the Heart Tree. Can you do that?"

His daughter scrunched her nose in concentration, and suddenly, her eyes turned back to normal, and she smiled widely as she saw Desmond, "Father!"

Donella practically ran and embraced him, and he couldn't help but do the same, damn any sense of propriety. After some time, they stayed like this; at least, they remained until he saw the man who had helped his daughter move away. Instead, he spoke up, "I would see you rewarded, my good man."

The man shook his head, "I would rather not. I came mostly out of curiosity when I felt her gaze clumsily trying to see me."

Even if Desmond's pride wanted to insist that the man would get… something in return for his help, his main concern was Donella, "What was that? What happened?"

"A rather clumsy attempt at Greensight, probably an accidental one too. To be honest, I didn't expect a Greenseer to be born, not anytime soon. Then again, magic is becoming more orderly and powerful…"

A Greenseer… Desmond was familiar with the legends of the North. Greenseers were legends, ones that had likely not existed in the Age of Heroes. Their magic was said to resemble the Children of the Forest somehow, though that does not clarify things, not at all.

No one could know of this. The Maesters liked to say that magic was dead, and that's aside from the Faith, which decried all forms of magic. His apprehension must have shown on his face, as the man waved his hand, "Don't worry. Soon, magic will be a lot more common across the world. It has already spread far and wide."

Desmond tried not to think about what that meant, and instead asked, "What if Donella suffers from this… condition once more?"

The man smiled gently and looked down towards Desmond's daughter, who seemed uncharacteristically shy, before gently pressing his finger to her nose, making her giggle, "Oh, I am sure that little Donella is smart enough to remember how to get home, if she gets lost once more, doesn't she?"

His daughter nodded, much to Desmond's relief, but then she asked with hopeful eyes, "Could you teach me?"

The man froze for a moment, something that was uncharacteristic of his actions previously, before his smile morphed into a strange, sad smile, "Oh, those were the days… Perhaps, if things had been different, I would have loved to have taught you, Donella Manderly. But alas, my time here is coming to a close. I think I made the best of my time here, saw new things, met new and wonderful people… I must say that I will miss all of this… But everything ends, doesn't it? All that remains are the memories, the stories… I wonder what stories would be in the future, but then again, don't we all?"

Desmond was both curious and surprised by this strange bout of melancholy, before the man brightened up, "Though, if it is a teacher that you require, then in a few years, when you are older and wiser, a very pretty princess will come see you, and teach you; she shall. But for now, I suppose that this necklace shall suffice as a consolation prize, should it not?"

Desmond's eyes widened as he looked at his daughter's neck. He saw a golden necklace with a blue-green pearl, almost like the sea, in the middle of it, encircled by small tridents and shells made of gold. His daughter gasped in shock and marvelled at its beauty and presence, before enveloping the man, Harry, in an embrace. The man gently returned it, and he looked up at Desmond, "The necklace should help for now, at least, stop her from hurting herself, until she begins to learn."

Desmond approached to take a closer look at the necklace around his daughter's neck and then prepared to turn towards the man to thank him and ensure that he would be rewarded for this priceless gift, only to find… nothing there. The man, Harry, had simply disappeared, as if he had never existed, leaving only a story and a necklace, one that he swore to himself that his daughter would never remove.

It would be days later when he remembered why the man felt so familiar, for he had seen him briefly in King's Landing, after the Shadowbinders' attack. Harry Potter, if he remembered correctly, was a man whom people were curious about as the King had asked for him personally in the middle of Court once, though he seemed to slip most people's minds.

The encounter would certainly not slip Desmond's mind, though, for the man had shown himself to be some kind of knowledgeable sorcerer, likely even the one who had healed the King from his ailments and had also helped his daughter.

Years later, when Princess Helaena had flown personally to White Harbour, asking to take Donella as her handmaid, Desmond remembered the promise that Harry Potter had made to his daughter. He knew then that he needed to accept, for as much as he loved her, he knew that this would be the true beginning of the tale of Donella Manderly, the jewel of White Harbour.

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Of Greensight and its Legends in the Seven Kingdoms

By Archmaester Luwin of Winterfell

With the spread of magic across the Known World, especially in the Seven Kingdoms, many old abilities from ancient songs and legends had resurfaced. At this moment, every noble family in the North has succeeded in marrying a Skinchanger into their families to gain the skill, showing its usefulness. And yet, at this time, there had been very little mention of Greensight, which had remained stuck in legend.

It was not without reason, of course, for the Citadel of Winterfell kept detailed records of all magic users that learned within its halls, and so far, no one had shown themselves to have the talent in such a way. Of course, these talents themselves are quite debated depending on the historical source. It was said that Greenseers could sprout Weirwoods with barely more than a thought and move the earth with a wave of their hands. They could see the past, present, and future through the Weirwoods. Some ambitious disciples who tried to perform this feat, using divination to peer through the Weirwoods, had ended in failure, with them describing it as if they were trying to peer through the sun itself for answers. And it is often considered the mark of a Greenseer to be someone that was capable of such a feat.

It was said that only one in a thousand Skinchangers was born a Greenseer, but that is likely an understatement of the rarity of this magic, as there exist more than a thousand Skinchangers currently in the North alone. Nevertheless, it seemed that over the years, Greensight should have manifested itself, and yet it had not. And yet, this humble author's theory, though likely to be mocked by his peers, was that Greenseers roam amongst us.

In my search for old journals that existed during the year of Calamities or 123 AC, I found the diary of a Septa that spoke of an incident regarding a young girl, specifically Donella Manderly, involving the Heart Tree in White Harbour. While she had feared it to be some kind of devilry, we can now conclude that it was likely to be magic, one involving the Heart Tree in question. Given that Donella Manderly would then serve as the handmaiden to Princess Helaena Targaryen for a few years, before going to Winterfell to advise Cregan Stark after his baseborn sister's marriage.

Donella Manderly was known to be a greatly influential force on the White Wolf and the North in general, enough that many thought her to be his mistress, but given this incident, and the likelihood that this young woman held some form of magic involving Weirwoods in some way, the possibility that she had learned how to hone her magic in King's Landing, before serving the North as a Greenseer, is certainly a possibility. A Greenseer serving House Stark would explain much of their grip on the North and the progress in the kingdom that surpassed that of the South after the Death of Winter.

Another is quite simply the fact that a Greenseer could peer through the past meant that they could learn what they needed from their predecessors, despite being decades, and perhaps even centuries, apart, and thus, evading detection entirely.

Alas, it is unlikely that House Stark would even confirm the existence of a Greenseer in their service, nor would any independent Greenseer reveal themselves, in fear of being targeted. And so, true or not, it seems as if the existence of Greenseers would remain a mystery in the coming future, and perhaps we are better for it.

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AN: To be completely honest, this chapter ended up being very different from what I tried writing at first, and I'm not sure about it. It was meant to be an outsider's perspective on the effects of Harry's actions on the North, but also a bit of reflection from Harry's side, the realisation that he would leave soon, hence why he didn't teach Donella. There was a lot of lore in the North that I didn't get to do, but none of them fit with the theme that I wanted to go with.

As most of you probably noticed, we're nearing the end of the story, so if you want to see some other loose ends being tied up or any particular chapters for this story, please let me know in the comments. I already started working on a sequel, which will take place in the Star Wars universe, which I'm very excited about. 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.