[Chapter Size: 3900 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Arctic, 298 AC.

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Jon flew toward the city after leaving Vezofēdrur eating, along with the other dragons behind.

There was nothing unusual in the movement: the city went on as always, while Eragon’s shadow appeared over it and people lifted their heads as soon as they noticed.

The people of Mance had adapted to the Kingdom among them. At least, they had not had many problems with them, aside from some breaking rules. Others went to extremes and violated unforgivable laws, but they were only three, while the rest of the tens of thousands of people had managed to remain civilized and respected the rules.

Jon passed the city and went directly to the north, where the Kingdom’s army trained all the time. His arrival was soon noticed when Eragon landed in a corner, not wanting to interfere with the training taking place at that moment.

Ducken was not there, as far as Jon could see. He was probably at the Senate resolving some matters that would later be passed on to him, as had been happening in the last moons, with endless meetings to form and review strategies on how they would deal with the army of the dead. That did not matter now. Jon dismounted from Eragon, and some men of the army quickly approached to greet the king.

“Your Majesty, we did not expect your arrival,” said the high-ranking men, as soon as Jon was far enough from the dragon to be greeted by them, while all lowered their heads.

“Hello, everyone. I have just arrived at the Kingdom. Anyway, I have some matters to deal with someone here. I need you to call Jin Sakai,” Jon requested.

The men looked at each other for a second before nodding. “All right, we will call him immediately.” they said as one of them left, while Jon turned his attention to the tens of thousands of men training formations and their discipline.

“How are things?” Jon asked, as soon as the man left. He addressed another, in command, being one of Ducken’s direct subordinates.

“We are following the schedule, my king. The Arctican army is already disciplined in itself. We are only having a problem trying to concentrate alongside the large number of people who have just entered the Kingdom,” he said, referring to the people of Mance.

It was nothing new. After all, every man of the Free Folk who entered the Kingdom began to receive military training, but had difficulty adapting. It was worse than training a young man who knew nothing, for they had empty minds ready to let the Arctican style enter. Dealing with a man who had lived his whole life fighting undisciplined in the tribes, as they were forced to do outside the gates of Arctic before coming to the Kingdom, was much more complicated.

They were undisciplined, they did not know how to fight together. They were stubborn and arrogant, believed the training was weak and useless to them. However, it was enough to put some of them, as powerful as they were, to fight alongside other men of the Free Folk who thought the same way, against a trained Arctican troop…

They usually gathered a dozen men of the Free Folk against a dozen trained Arctican warriors. What they thought would be a fair fight turned into a shameful chaos for the newly arrived men in Arctican. They were beaten when, for the Arcticans, it was enough to keep their shields raised in formation before pushing the enemy back and crushing him.

This was one of the best examples they had to begin opening the minds of these men, through beating and humiliation. They practically had to be broken in order to start fighting as a group of people.

Everyone north of the Wall had fought their whole lives individually, but there, in Arctic, they had to learn that discipline, to stand firm against the enemy—or better, against the monsters—as one unit. Otherwise, they would never have a chance against the dead if the gates were broken.

“Well, keep it up. We must take advantage of as much time as possible to put them in line. I don’t want a few black sheep compromising the entire army. I’d rather set those men aside and keep only the disciplined ones fighting, enough to hold the position. After all, they are the first line between the people of Arctic, who will not fight, and those monsters,” Jon said.

“Of course, my king,” the man nodded, agreeing with him.

The horses soon returned. Jin Sakai was on one of them, approaching Jon. He dismounted, faced him, and then lowered his head.

“My king,” he said.

“Jin, I need you to come with me. I have a mission for you, but I want to do this at the Senate. I hope you can leave whatever you’re doing at the moment,” Jon said, studying him.

“My king, I am disciplining the same group you asked me to train moons ago. But I can leave, they are sharp enough to continue the training without me,” Jin replied.

Jon nodded. “Very well. I want you to arrange a horse for me and also a cloak. I am going to the city on horseback and I don’t want to draw attention when there are no royal guards with me,” he said.

His men quickly nodded, bringing a horse and a cloak for the king to put over his armor. Jon dressed and raised the hood, looking at Eragon.

“You can go to the castle, I will stay a little in the city and take care of some things, wait for me there.” Jon spoke as he approached on horseback, before turning around and accompanying Jin.

Soon they galloped toward the city. The men did not know what the king wanted, but it would certainly be something important. Jin also covered himself with a hood after getting a cloak for himself, accompanying Jon through the busy streets of the kingdom.

Jon did not fail to appreciate the Kingdom as he rode through those streets. People bought and sold goods, the economy was already taking hold among the people. Some argued in the middle of the street, university students ran, others trained their Warg powers, bringing animals with them, treating them as if they were their own children, holding them with one hand while keeping their books or their bag in the other.

The movement of giants forced everyone to step aside when huge men, mostly soldiers, made their way through the streets—no one would dare not give them space, no one wanted to be crushed. Dwarves walked in groups, laughing after long workdays, whether in the mines, the forges, or construction.

Some murmured about the king. Many had seen the great white dragon flying over the city, some claimed he was mounted on its back, which confirmed the king’s return.

The Senate could already be seen in the distance as they followed the main street. Even hundreds of meters away, the enormous building stood out over the local houses and constructions with its grand structure.

They continued until they saw the street blocked by a crowd. “There seem to be many people up ahead… My king,” Jin said, seeing huge lines of Arcticans.

“It looks like they are occupying the main streets, let’s take other ones,” Jon said as he knew many of Arctican’s paths; even though they were alleys, Arctican was safe in itself.

“The king has returned! The king has returned!” shouted a man on top of a barrel as soon as they entered the side streets after the alley. It was not as busy as the main ones, but there was movement as well.

That caught Jon’s attention, and he stopped with Jin standing at his side, while he stared at the man on the barrel through his hood.

“Do you think he really came back?” asked another man approaching.

“I saw him, he was on his dragon. He went north! I swear!” the man claimed.

“I heard he had advanced with the black dragon outside of Arctic!” exclaimed another person, seeming not to believe the first one’s words.

“Yes, some sources from the Senate informed me that he had gone south to take care of some things. Perhaps he has brought back Princess Arya, who is still south of the Wall,” said the man on the barrel.

“I saw three ships leaving the port to fetch her… Maybe she is finally coming back!” a woman said.

Jon wanted to hear what his people said about him. He did not do that so often, not like before he started his sea voyages, when he always walked through the city talking directly with the people in the early days of the kingdom. Unfortunately, now his duties as king were much more complicated, but he still liked to hear what they had to say.

“Really? That’s great, I remember she had to be away for more than a year. It would be very good to have her again, to see her joy in the arenas,” said another young man, laughing.

“Ah, yes, I’m sure she will have good stories to tell,” commented a dwarf, who also stopped to listen to the discussion.

“You talk as if you were her friend,” mocked another man.

“Of course I know her!” the dwarf exclaimed.

“Then I want to see you greet her personally when she returns to the Kingdom… if she hasn’t already returned with the king, because I also heard from other people who are Warg that he really has come back.” Another man approached, mocking.

“Well, maybe I’ll have to talk to a cousin of a friend of mine,” said the dwarf at the end, while the others mocked him even more, clearly seeing it was a lie.

“Anyway, there is troubling news, my sirs. The war is coming to our gates. The king is preparing, along with the Arctican army, to deal with the sons of winter and the dead, but don’t worry…” the man on the barrel spoke again. “As long as we are behind these walls, we are perfectly fine,” he said.

“Yes, I also trust the king and the Arctican army, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part,” another man retorted. He was not young enough to be a soldier who would fight with the others.

Soon a discussion had begun again about the war, which was no surprise to anyone. Everyone there was united mainly because of surviving the army of the dead trying to kill them. Everyone recognized this; after all, that was the idea of creating Arctic.

“When did Arctic start having open discussions like this?” Jon couldn’t help but comment when he saw several people gathering around the man on the barrel. They debated about him and about how they could help the Kingdom survive, even though they clearly would not be going to battle.

Obviously, Jon would not forbid such gatherings in his Kingdom, but he was a little surprised. Usually, these discussions took place directly inside the university gates. Well, if the people wanted to talk about it, he would let them.

“Discussions like this are happening all the time, my king,” said Jin Sakai, as Jon turned back to him. “It’s a practice adopted not long ago. People gather in the more closed squares and start discussing various subjects. Many times they use what they learn at the university to speak even about the Kingdom’s politics and other even trivial matters.”

Jin, living closer to the centers of Arctic, among the people, had a better understanding of the situation and gathered information himself. Jon, however, with his attention always turned to strengthening Arctic, had barely managed to pay attention inside the Kingdom in the past year. And no one seemed to want to bother him with it. It was not something that needed to be dealt with, after all, they were just people talking—yet, it was curious.

“Maybe one day I will join these discussions too,” Jon said with a smile, before turning to Jin. “Let’s go, we’ve already wasted too much time here.”

Jin only nodded. But as soon as they left the crowd, while the horses trotted calmly, two guards stopped them.

“You look suspicious,” said one of them, trying to get a better look under their hoods. “Remove the hood and identify yourselves. Tell me your name and in which district you live,” ordered the man with spear, shield, and steel and metal armor.

Jon found it ironic to be stopped by the city’s own guards, but he said nothing. He waited for Jin to resolve the situation.

Jin simply reached into his pocket and took out a crest, showing it to the guards, who immediately looked surprised and quickly stepped aside.

“Uh… sir, sorry,” said the guard.

The crest was something Jon and his counselors had decided to spread for identification, precisely to avoid common problems like the one that had just happened. Jin’s crest was meant to identify him as a high rank in the Kingdom’s military intelligence.

Since Jin Sakai had received a direct request from the king to train an entire group in infiltration and stealth attacks, he had been granted one of these crests. All men, soldiers, guards of high rank, both political and military, had received a list with the symbols. The crests were made with gemstones of derived colors, fused until they formed a special metal. Some were of Valyrian steel, while others remained Eldenmetal. Jon had made one for each wife and child, with the crest of the royal family, which was different from the crest of the kingdom. Besides, they had more than two royal guards as their shadows, which in itself said a lot.

“Sorry, my lord. You may pass,” said the guard at last.

Jin only nodded and moved forward, with Jon coming right behind, still hiding his face. The guards said nothing more, and so they continued toward the Senate.

The city was quite busy, and now, as they came out onto another street, he understood why the main one had been so crowded—there was something special going on there that was hard to ignore. Jon could see the number of mothers with children strolling in an internal event within the kingdom, which was also uncommon—to see women with children buying fruit or negotiating goods. Some carried the children in strollers, others in slings, held close to the chest or the belly.

It was a clear demonstration of how the birth rate was exploding in Arctic. Children no longer died of cold or of mild diseases. Arctic now had healers and even some structures like a hospital, gathering all the healers scattered throughout the city, prepared to deal with most problems that could arise, especially with childbirth. Women, once hardened by repeatedly losing their children, could finally breathe in relief. Jon’s role now was to make sure these children lived after this winter.

He was satisfied that the Kingdom would have a future with them. His vision would always go toward the future, so that his descendants could rule with prosperity. They only had to have the wisdom to maintain it.

In any case, they soon arrived at the entrance of the Senate and were stopped again by the guards. Once more, Jin showed the crest.

“All right, you may enter. But we still need to know who the person with you is,” said the guard, staring at Jon with a serious look.

They still had to identify everyone and know the reason for their visits. After all, the Senate was where all the most important figures of the Kingdom gathered to create laws and make important decisions. The king himself attended the place regularly, since it was there that meetings about the fate of the Kingdom took place.

Jin Sakai did not even manage to say anything before Jon stopped him, noticing he was about to give an excuse.

“There’s no need. I have to say that I’m here anyway. The royal guards must already be going crazy now, looking for me in the dragon area, while some must be running after Eragon, who flew through the city. I can imagine the confusion… My men know I should have arrived, while I went to meet you. Now they must be searching for me everywhere.” Jon laughed as he said this lightly and lifted his hood.

Jon then turned his attention to the guards, but more serious. “I want you to inform the royal guards that I am here and prepare an escort so that I may return to my family as soon as I finish my business with Lord Jin Sakai. In the meantime, I will discuss some matters with this man,” Jon said.

The place went silent at the sight of him. The guards, wide-eyed, quickly lowered their heads.

“My king… forgive us for not having identified you sooner. We beg pardon,” said one of them, terrified, recognizing him easily by his unique features.

“No fault was committed, my lord. In any case, allow us entry,” Jon concluded.

The men quickly cleared the way. They left the horses with those men and entered the Senate, while one of the guards ran to alert the royal guards, as Jon had requested.

The place was relatively empty. There were some men, mostly politicians, discussing law projects, resolving bureaucracy here and there, while Jon and Jin Sakai advanced, being greeted by all as king.

Jon was not fond of those projects, and generally rejected them all—the fewer laws and bureaucracy the kingdom had, the easier it was to enforce laws worth keeping. In Arctic, you had the right to your belongings, your life, and your family. Do not kill, do not steal, and do not harm anyone else. Treason was also seen as a crime here. A man could have more than one wife in Arctic and was equally blessed by the gods, but a man must never take a woman who was another man’s wife.

Jon went to one of the rooms he usually used with the ministers. Jin did not know what the king wanted, but it seemed important for him to have been brought there. When he entered, he noticed he had never been in that room before. It had a large balcony open to the city, but what truly stood out was the enormous table in the center: a model.

Jin observed it carefully. Thanks to what he had learned studying tomes and books that Arctic provided—both to understand the common tongue and to expand the knowledge he already possessed as a noble of Yi-Ti in the Sakai clan—he easily identified what he saw. It was a representation of Westeros. As Jon approached, it became clear: it was a model of the entire south, below the Wall.

“Well… we need you to infiltrate a place in Westeros. And it will be nothing easy,” Jon said in a serious tone, while Jin approached the model, observing the details before turning his gaze back to the king.

“And what place would that be, my king?” asked Jin.

Jon walked to the other side of the table and pointed west, in the middle of the continent.

“I need you to take a ship here, along with trusted men. I want you to head south until you reach Lannisport,” Jon said, pointing to the west coast of the area beyond the Wall and down into the realm of the Lannisters, his tone serious.

“Lannisport… the house of the Lannisters, my king?” Jin Sakai asked.

“Yes. Do you remember the Lannister we met in Yi-Ti, the one who gave me the sword to trade for a better future for his daughter? Well, I need you to help me do something for him. Something I had promised, but due to the conditions in the south, I have to act on my own and change the plans.”

“And what would that be?” Sakai murmured, watching the king fall into silence right after.

Jon looked beyond Lannisport, pointing at the map. “I need you to land here and look for a girl named Joy Hill. I want you to go to Casterly Rock, if she is there, and take her out. Put her on a ship and bring her north,” Jon said, while the man before him studied the location.

“A girl… Well, looks like I’ll have to invade another castle,” Sakai said with a smile. He did not seem afraid as he said it.

“I won’t lie about the castle you’ll have to infiltrate. Casterly Rock is known as the impenetrable fortress. Not even a dragon could burn it, since its structure is made of pure rock,” Jon said.

‘Though I doubt it is so resistant as not to yield to the fire of dragons like Eragon… No one has ever tested that,’ Jon thought silently. He believed Casterly Rock would not stand well against the might of a dragon.

“Anyway, that’s what I need, Jin Sakai. An infiltration mission. You go in and out, no one must see you. I want to take the advantage from that old lion. Although the sword in our hand is worth more than the girl, I still want to put him in a difficult situation, to the point of making him think twice before retaliating against the Stark family for what happened in the south. We will discuss more details about it, but I still want to know your opinion, do you think you can do it?”

Jon knew Jin Sakai was in a difficult situation and blindfolded. He had never seen Lannisport or Casterly Rock, and now he was being given a mission that put him before the unknown. Even so, Jin nodded, staring firmly at Jon with that characteristic, hard gaze of an eastern man.

“I don’t know what I will find there or what my problems will be. I need more information, my king.” He began, and he was understanding.

“You will have it. Don’t worry. I’ll prepare it well. I have already been in Lannisport, and I can tell you that I studied the city a lot before docking there years ago. But Casterly Rock will be a bit more difficult. Not to mention that you will not only have to deal with Lannister men, but also with the sea. The ironborn may also be a problem, and you will have to be invisible even on the waters. But I can prepare some sailors perfect for the job,” Jon replied.

“My king, I can do this easily. I only need more details and a day to prepare,” Sakai said.

Jon nodded, satisfied. “Very well, I will entrust this to you. Meanwhile, I will have to prepare the Kingdom, and it is too risky to stray so far from Arctic at this moment. That is why I will leave this mission in your hands,” Jon said at last.

“Great, my king, but I have a question,” said Jin Sakai, scratching his chin.

Jon gestured for him to proceed with a nod. “You said we would come from the west, but there is no Arctic ship in the west…” he commented.

Jon only smiled. “Well… you are right, we don’t have any ship in the western sea. However, I intend to place one there. Let’s just say I have quite an interesting plan for that,” he said at last, still smiling mysteriously.

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