'Know our Fury'

[Greywall]

A chilling breeze cut threw White Harbor as a raven arrived at the Wolf's Den, Maester Donnis took the small slip of paper into the main chamber of the aging castle where Mavon Blackburn and his closest officials discussed petty affairs of state. "A raven from Winterfell my lord, they've killed the men who slayed Lord Brandon Stark" the Maester handed the slip to Captain of the Guard Jargen Freewater before he passed it onto Mavon, Mavon let out a horrendous cough before replying "So...they finally gut the bastards, good, any harm that comes to the Starks harms the North. RENGLY!" A small blonde boy stepped up and only showed a nod in response, "Wine! and some of that damn tea for my cough go boy!" the young lad raced off without a second thought. 

 

"Is that all? Donnis?"

"Yes sir, oh there is one more thing"

"Always is"

 

The Maester produced another roll of paper from his cloak and handed it to Jargen, "The nightswatch wants us to send some men from our dungeons and possibly petition some of the local men in our militia to take the black" Mavon shook his head, "Fine I'll see what rapists, murdering, bastards want to be spared judgement for duty on the wall, now go my wine is here" the young boy arrived with a large flagon and a small cup with tea in it. Mavon hacked up and spat a little blood into the revolting bowl, "may the old gods help me, where's my damn strength!? when I slayed a dozen wildlings aside lord Stark? or when I led the counter attack north of the wall beside the father of the queen? damn! damn it all" he took the tea and gulped it down bitterly before turning on his wine to forget the horrid taste the tea had. 

[Greywall]

Mavon

 

He looked down at the Night's Watchmen gather them up, vile wicked men being given a second chance but it was a second chance on the wall and many would rather take their chances with the life sentence handed to them. Mavon never had much respect for the Night's Watch, he still remembered being young and riding out with almost every major house to save the wall from the wildling invaders. His hair flowed long and black, his beard thick and his blade a longsword some of his comrades had come to envy as it bathed in wildling blood for the next week while men of White Harbor and Westeros fought for the wall and beyond to bring an end to the invasion. Now his hair was sickly looking, all but fallen out, his beard long cut off due to it being stained in vomit and blood, the years had been cruel to this Northern warrior.

 

Maester Donnis entered the room with a tray of herbs and more the tea that was supposed to help Mavon's cough, as he set the tray down Mavon began ranting over the recent events concerning his sons. "Damn Starks, taking my boys to King's Landing" he began coughing up before the Maester sat him down in a chair and handed him the tea, "oh more of this....damn shit?" the Maester ignored him and began mixing the herbs into a bowl, Mavon continued his rant.

 

"The Southrons...pfft they continue to live in such comforts, that queen? she knows nothing of hardship, nothing of the cruel winter that is to come by the old gods I bet you every stag she has never even stepped foot out of the red keep." The Maester gave his lord an odd look and stopped what he was doing, "my lord if you didn't want your sons to go to king's landing you can send out a raven for them and..." Mavon wouldn't let the old man continue, "NO! it's too late now, Jory a damn fool to be sure but Alwin? he needs to see the Southrons the real Southrons not these poppy drinking fools coming into harbor complaining of the cold and lack of wine." Alwin was his second son, he looked just like Mavon in his youth and was his favorite to succed him, the Maester knew that was the case but reminded him of Ramsey, "your son Ramsey is returning from a tourney in the Riverlands, he came in second..." 

Mavon snapped, "he lost...agian? damn that boy and damn him for taking up knighthood, it's unnatural for a Northman to be a knight" his sons Ramsey and Jory took to the seven because their mother did, and in her death Ramsey the first born was anointed in the seven oils and became one of the few knights of the North. The Maester defended Ramsey quickly, "he has won five thousand stags my lord, he rides back to the Den, he will want you to be proud of him and you should. His lance while failable compared to southern ones, pails in comparison to his blade" even Mavon knew it, hell half the north knew it, Ramsey was one of the best swordsmen in the North. 

"Well when he gets here, we'll celebrate, until then I want to know about my youngest sons being in that pit of vipers, and where are my girls!?" the Maester raised an eyebrow "girls girls...ah yes they're in the west wing, with the sept" Mavon's face turned to a curdled display, "damn the sept, damn the seven they're going to convert my youngest children? pfft" Mavon left the room for the weirwood and left the Maester working on his herbs in content now that it was finally quiet. 

[Greywall]

Mavon

 

Several days had passed since Mavon at last overcame his illness, he was walking throughout the Wolf's Den like he was ten years ago, whatever the Maester gave him worked. Ramsey Blackburn had returned at last in a long convoy of riders flying banners of the wolf and the swordfish, he didn't look like his younger brothers and sisters who bared Mavon's black hair, Ramsey had his mothers blonde hair and always reminded Mavon of her roots in the South. But Ramsey was anything but a Southern man, he was like Alywin and Mavon, cold and meticulous but always fair. As Ramsey and his group dismounted, Mavon approached his face expressionless as the Septs and his daughters ran past him to greet the only knight in White Harbor.

 

 

Ramsey opened his arms with a warm smile, "Killy! Tara!" the two were quickly wrapped up by their older brother both exclaiming how they missed him, Ramsey got on one knee and began looking over his sisters "Now then, let me look at you it's been so long, Killy you're getting so big and Tara you better have been keeping them lordlings away" the three of them began laughing even Mavon felt like laughing, for a split second it was as if his wife Rena was still here the family was whole, but he still remembered and kept his cold resolve. Killy was just a child but Tara was old enough to be married off, something Mavon couldn't stomach it was all going through his head at once in one single thought, 'I'm about to lose my family', he thought bitterly. Soon his sons would be lords in other lands, his daughters married off and he would live alone in White Harbor till Ramsey was old enough to rule. By that moment, Ramsey finally came to his lord father, "Father...." a cold silence now filled the courtyard of White Harbor, Mavon ended with one word, "....Ramsey".

 

Tara showed her frustration, she hated how distant the two had become, so she simply excused herself and took off with the Septs and her younger sister in tow. Ramsey and Mavon were all but alone in the courtyard save some guards, "I hear you lost boy" Mavon said breaking the silence, 

Ramsey let a small smile out shaking his head in anger, "all you can think of? old man?" 

 

The two began walking back into the keep of Wolf's Den, Mavon began rambling off on the current events filling Ramsey in on where his brothers were. "So Jory and Alwin are in King Landing meeting this new queen, Gods help them both, Jory always had the spirit of the South in him and Alwin...hope the old gods can keep the city from pissing him off" Mavon grunted at the thought, "Too long, too damn long, I want them here. But lord Stark was summoned to swear his vows to the crown and now this monarch takes the iron throne because of the deeds of her father? pfft" Mavon was bitter about the Trastamari becoming the head house of Westeros. He had rode with Vitale driving out the Wildlings who had invaded and crossed over the wall in the counter attack where he became surrounded by death and horrors no man should endure, Vitale sent him and five thousand men north of the wall and only fifty came back it ended the war and Vitale rode onto King's Landing becoming the first King in years. Mavon went back to White Harbor and raised his family hoping to escape the war.

 

Now the name brought forth images of the war, Trastamari, it was all he could think of. "I'm sending a raven for your brothers, they need to come home" at that moment Ramsey stopped and grabbed his father's arm, "You do that and our house looks craven" Mavon was emotionless to Ramsey's comment but affected, his son was right the sons needed to finish what they were sent to do, escort lord Stark to King's Landing and back to Winterfell. A simple duty, but one that had to be done White Harbor never turned away from serving Winterfell. "At times, I think you should just lead this house, I'm tired of it all so tired." 

Ramsey tried responding but Mavon began walking down the corridor alone, bitter, and resentful. 

 

As he entered his chambers Jargen Freewater was there, "You wanted to see me my lord?" Freewater said standing near the fireplace as its embers slowly glowed in the darkened room. Mavon walked over to the fireplace and grabbed the poker leaning against the stone and began stirring the embers "I want you to take five men, go our tower near the coast on the bite, and pay 'him' a visit" he began ferociously stabbing the embers angrily. Jargon knew who he was talking of, and without a second thought without a word left the room, Mavon yelled out at him "FREEWATER!!!...make him cry, make hurt, make...him regret".