####
King's Landing, Red Keep,
Robert Baratheon, crown on his head, paced back and forth in front of his throne. His eyes red in fury, his fists clenched. He rambled every now and then, cursing the Targaryens, their ancestors.
"Everything. They ripped it all from me! Gods, what sin have I done to deserve this? Lyanna… sweet Lyanna… gone. They burned her, didn't they?" Robert cried, surprisingly revealing genuine pain. "Wildfire, that's what they used, isn't it? Wylis told me, that the Mad King wanted to sacrifice him for some ritual. They did the same to her, I know it. Just as they did to Elia, to her babes."
Not far from Robert, Eddard and Brandon stood, heads low. But while Eddard's eyes were genuinely moist, Brandon was finding it hard to gather the damn tears in his eyes. After all, he knew what kind of bastard Wylis was. Like hell that man would let Lyanna die. And after learning that Eddard only found a burnt, destroyed castle with Lyanna's bones, Brandon knew Wylis was behind it. Just as Elia and her kids.
He kept his mouth shut. One, as much as he liked Robert, he didn't want Lyanna to end up with him. Second, he had no reason to hate Wylis or his actions. The man had already avenged his father and House Stark. If anything, he was grateful.
Heck, he was more troubled by the thought of discussing the matters about his future with Eddard, the new Lord of Winterfell.
"Seven hells!" Robert bellowed, his voice cracking. "I need a drink!"
With that, the King left, stomping his feet as he went.
That left Eddard and Brandon alone.
Brandon turned to look at his younger brother curiously. Everything depended on Eddard's reaction to his survival.
"It is good to see you, Brother." Eddard suddenly hugged him.
Brandon was speechless for a moment. As far as he could tell, Eddard was the silent type who never revealed his emotions. But he wasn't one to push him away. He hugged back, patting Eddard's back.
"We've bled enough, Ned," Brandon said, sighing. "Finish what you must, then go back to Winterfell."
Eddard broke the embrace and looked up at Brandon's face. "I never sought this lordship. Now that you've returned, it belongs with you."
Brandon chuckled wryly, shaking his head. He grabbed his younger brother by the shoulders. "Father's gone, Ned, but what he set in motion is not so easily undone. Lordship is tied to the woman who bore you a son. If you give up Winterfell, House Stark loses Tully's support. Catelyn won't thank you for it, nor will I. I'll not bring grief to you or her. I've spoken with Robert. In time, I'll carve out a Stark branch of my own somewhere else. Till then, I'll drink and laugh with our giant Kingmaker."
With a frown, Eddard tried to read his brother's face. To see if the words were genuine. They were.
"Catelyn's a fine woman, Ned. Too fine for the likes of me. I'd have given her grief, and she'd have endured it. But you, you're steady, you're honorable. A good match. Let her be happy as Lady of Winterfell." Brandon gave a half-smile as he turned away. "I'll come around often enough, see my nephew and the litter you're sure to give her."
"Winterfell will always be your home," Eddard said sharply. "You don't have to stay away."
"But I mean to. Strange, is it not, to live under the same roof with the woman once promised to me? To watch her give my brother sons that might have been mine." Brandon snorted when he said that, not liking the idea. "Come on then. Let's find our brooding King. Mourning a girl who gave him nothing but a glance, nor spent a day at his side."
Eddard frowned there for a moment, finding it strange how his brother was so calm, despite being the more doting one on Lyanna than he ever was.
####
The Three Sisters,
The ship was passing the islands known as the Three Sisters, just a few hours away from reaching White Harbor. The voyage had lasted a whole ten days, three more than expected due to a storm they had to wait out.
It was night, and Wylis found himself facing an awkward situation. While he'd broken some ice with Elia through regular talks, exchanging stories with Rhaenys, and a general show of respect. It was far from something that should have led to this moment.
Perhaps it was a mere mistake, but… he was only a human, after all. He could control his mind with absolute perfection, but his… groin? That had a mind of its own.
Probably a mistake.
He told himself that. But the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. There was no reason for him to be sleeping in the middle while Rhaenys and Aegon slept to his left and Elia on his right. She rested her head on his arm near the shoulder, almost hugging his frame from that side. Her breath was audible from that close. Her tender bust was smushed against him, so noticeable that he could feel the firm tips on his skin.
And her leg… was folded over his now stone-hard, throbbing cock.
Mentally, he thought of nothing. Didn't even hope for something to happen. But the erection was a natural reaction of a twenty-year-old, horny, battle-hardened man's body.
It's nothing.
In the end, he closed his eyes. With baby Aegon throwing tantrums during the day, he imagined the struggle must be draining. He let the woman rest if she found it in that position.
In the meantime, he started to plan for his future. He had hours to kill and started to scroll through the shop tab in Tyrant's squire. He once again looked at the Fire Immunity, Dragon Whisperer skills, costing sixty and one hundred twenty years.
Sighing, he moved on. He had years to decide on that. If Rhaenys and Aegon grew up to be truly trustworthy and loving, he'd think about it. Or maybe… He could have a kid with Rhaella, which would at least guarantee loyalty.
Gotta build the damn foundation first though.
Ting!
He did a bit of shopping to prepare for his future.
Ting!
[Civil Engineering - 3 Years]
Ting!
[Shipbuilding Mastery - 1 Year]
After that, he pondered deeply about a few more skills. One was a package of medical knowledge, from medicine to surgery. However, to truly benefit from it, he'd need extremely specialized tools, and that'll require blacksmith mastery. And to truly benefit from medicine, it'd require chemistry mastery. He didn't find any pharmacy skills, so he hoped it was included in medicine.
Making a safe place for all the women to give birth is a priority.
Ting!
[Medicine To Surgery Package - 5 Years]
[Blacksmith Mastery - 1 Year]
[Chemistry Mastery - 1 Year]
Ugh… Fuck! Forgot to… do it slowly!
He gritted his teeth as the stinging pain coursed through his brain. All the knowledge started appearing as if he always possessed it. It wasn't just knowledge but mastery of it. He felt he could transplant a whole heart if he had all the instruments. He could make the finest sword in existence. He could make chemicals.
It was a fucking cheat.
But Wylis ignored that imposter syndrome, reminding himself that he did work hard for this.
But he didn't stop there and continued to spend his lifespan. He had fourteen children on the way. Soon, he'd have more with his castle taking its final form. With Lyanna, Ashara, and Wenda moving in.
Ting!
[Economics Mastery - 1 Year]
He bought it even though he ran a pharmaceutical empire in his past life. He was the boss there and had a whole ass building full of analysts, accountants, and business experts to work for him. Here, he was alone, and he needed the in-depth knowledge.
Ting!
[Plumbing Mastery - 6 Months]
Ting!
[Mechanical Engineering - 3 Years]
He bought it for the final purchase. It seemed like an excessive purchase, but Wylis believed he'd be able to invent things with it. Better carriages, better tools, and features for his home. Ease of life things. Even add some advanced features to the ships he wanted to build. Everything was connected.
The list was truly endless. There were other types of mastery as well. Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. But they were useless to him. Still, there were other skills like 'Ultimate Language Pack' worth five years of lifespan. It was convenient for when he'd travel to Essos to trade. But for now, it wasn't needed. There was also 'Political Mastery' for five years. Also 'Naval Warfare Mastery', 'Land Warfare Mastery'. But they were meant for modern navies and armies.
Still, there were designs for very specific items, one of which caught his eye.
[Ships of the Line First Rate to Fourth Rate Design - 10 Years]
That was mouthwatering. The Shipbuilding skill he had bought was basic. He'd be able to make simple Westeros-style merchant ships with ease. But this… this was something grand.
He had seen the Westerosi ships. Heck, he'd seen the so-called Greatships that were used to carry soldiers, and they were just carracks. Even a third-rate ship of the line was bigger than Westeros' largest, fastest ships. And while the First Rate, Ship-of-the-line, were exciting, they were too big and expensive to maintain. Though Wylis wanted one, his own HMS Victory, but he needed fat pockets and a thriving business first.
For now, he had no desire to build gun-wielding warships. He wasn't sure about introducing cannons to Westeros. Gunpowder was a slippery slope. Besides, Gunsmithing mastery required ten years.
Currently, all he wanted was a decent merchant fleet. Maybe five or ten ships.
Brushing all thoughts aside, he looked at the remaining lifespan left.
[Remaining Lifespan - 53 Years 6 Months]
Not good, not bad. Enough to play around in case of emergencies.
Knock! Knock!
"My Lord, the harbor's in sight."
______________________
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