Chapter 11: The Lady of Icefang and the Forging of a People
The voyage back to Skagos was a marked contrast to Aelyx's previous clandestine journeys. Three well-appointed galleys, flying the newly combined sigil of House Volmark – the grey stone wolf's head of Stark super-imposed on the sea-green kraken of Velaryon (a public concession Aelyx made, as the kraken was too Valyrian, while the wolf was essential for Northern acceptance; his true, hidden sigil involving dragons remained for his inner circle) – cut through the choppy grey waves. Lyanna Stark, now Lyanna Volmark, Lady of Skagos, stood on the deck of the flagship, the Northern Star, her Stark cloak pulled tight against the biting wind, her gaze fixed on the increasingly wild and desolate horizon.
Winterfell, with its ancient warmth and familiar faces, was behind her. Ahead lay Skagos, a name that had always been a byword in the North for savagery and desolation. Her husband, Aelyx Velaryon-Volmark, stood beside her, a figure of contained power, his silver-gold hair catching the weak sunlight. He had been… considerate during the voyage, pointing out constellations he claimed were known to Valyrian sailors, explaining the currents of the Shivering Sea with an expert's knowledge, and ensuring her comfort with a quiet efficiency that was almost unnerving. He spoke of Skagos not as a wild rock, but as a land of burgeoning opportunity, a place where they, together, would build a legacy. Lyanna, for all her Stark spirit, felt a tremor of apprehension mixed with a reluctant, undeniable curiosity.
Their arrival at Shadowport was an overwhelming experience for the young Stark. The port city, which Aelyx had described to her father in modest terms as a "defensible settlement," was a formidable, sprawling fortress of black stone, bustling with an energy and a sheer number of people that dwarfed any Northern town save perhaps White Harbor. Ships – far more than the three they had arrived in – filled the harbor, their designs a mix of Northern practicality and a sleeker, more efficient aesthetic Lyanna couldn't place. Thousands of disciplined soldiers in dark grey steel lined the quays and battlements of Icefang Keep, which dominated the skyline, its black towers piercing the mist-laden sky like a dragon's teeth. The sheer scale of organized labor, the vast construction projects underway, the disciplined throngs – it was far beyond anything she had been led to expect.
Aelyx watched her reactions with a calm, analytical gaze. He wanted her impressed, perhaps a little intimidated. It would make her more amenable. As they disembarked, the assembled populace – original Shadow Legionaries, the diverse settlers from the Free Cities, and the newly integrated native Skagosi – fell silent, then erupted into a deep, rumbling cheer: "Lord Volmark! Lady Lyanna!" The display of loyalty was absolute, almost fanatical. Lyanna clutched Aelyx's arm, startled by the intensity.
"They are… devoted," she murmured, her grey eyes wide.
"They know the value of order, and the promise of a secure future, my lady," Aelyx replied smoothly, guiding her towards a waiting honor guard. "Skagos offers them what the outside world denied them. They are grateful."
Icefang Keep was her new home. It was vast, imposing, and undeniably magnificent in its grim, Northern-Valyrian architectural fusion. Rich tapestries (woven on Skagos, depicting scenes of heroic labor and the stark beauty of the island – carefully omitting any hint of dragons or overt magic) adorned the stone walls. The air was warmed by an ingenious system of geothermal vents, a comfort Lyanna appreciated after the drafty halls of Winterfell. Her personal chambers were spacious, opulent in a reserved, functional way, with breathtaking views of the churning sea and the rugged landscape. Yet, there was an underlying sense of watchfulness, of secrets held within its stone heart, that she couldn't quite shake.
A few days after their arrival, once Lyanna had been given time to settle, Aelyx made a public proclamation in the great hall of Icefang Keep, before an assembly of his chief administrators (many of them former Shadow Legion commanders or highly skilled individuals from the Free Cities, their loyalty absolute) and Lyanna herself.
"People of Skagos, trusted stewards of my domain!" Aelyx announced, his voice resonating with authority. "You have welcomed your new Lady, Lyanna of House Volmark, daughter of Stark, with the honor she deserves. She brings with her the strength and wisdom of the North, to enrich our growing nation." He turned to Lyanna, a formal smile on his lips. "My dear wife, your insight and your connection to the noble traditions of your house will be invaluable. Therefore, I entrust to you significant responsibilities in the governance of Skagos. You shall oversee the administration of Shadowport's markets, ensuring fairness and prosperity. You shall have authority over the household of Icefang Keep. Minor disputes among the civilian populace may be brought to you for judgment, guided by the laws we establish. You shall be a patron of our artisans, a voice for the people, and the gracious heart of our court."
Lyanna was taken aback. This was more responsibility than she had anticipated, more than most Northern ladies were typically granted, save in their husbands' prolonged absences. She saw the logic – it gave her a defined role, integrated her visibly into the power structure, and would undoubtedly keep her occupied. She also suspected it was a gilded cage, her authority carefully delineated, overseen by Aelyx's ever-watchful (and unfailingly loyal) subordinates. Yet, a part of her, the Stark part that craved purpose, was intrigued. "I… I will endeavor to serve Skagos and you, my lord, to the best of my ability," she replied, her voice gaining strength.
Aelyx nodded, pleased. "I have no doubt you will. You will have skilled advisors" – he gestured to a stern-faced woman named Myra, formerly a high-ranking officer in the Shadow Legion's logistical corps, now glamoured as a mature, experienced stewardess, and a scholarly man named Loras, one of the Free City acquisitions, whose mind was now subtly bound to Aelyx's will – "to assist you in all matters."
With her public role established, Aelyx turned to the more… private aspects of their marriage. He was, despite his vast age in soul and experience, physically a young man in his early twenties. He needed heirs for House Volmark, children to solidify the Stark alliance and provide the public face for his dynasty. His approach to the marriage bed was much like his approach to everything else: efficient, purposeful, and devoid of unnecessary sentiment. He was not unkind to Lyanna; he was, in his own detached way, considerate of her youth and inexperience. But there was an undeniable distance, a clinical precision to his actions that chilled her even as her body responded to his practiced touch. Voldemort's disdain for physical intimacy warred with a pragmatic understanding of biological necessity, while Flamel's soul held distant, faded memories of marital affection that were now merely academic data points. Lyanna, a daughter of the North, understood duty. She submitted, praying to her Old Gods for strength, and for a swift conception that might grant her some measure of security in this strange, powerful new world.
While Lyanna found her footing as the Lady of Icefang, Aelyx threw himself into the monumental task of forging a truly unified Skagosi people, especially with the imminent arrival of tens of thousands of Northern smallfolk. The first ships, laden with families from the poorer lands of House Cerwyn and House Hornwood, began to arrive within weeks.
His integration policies were sweeping and absolute. The first decree was linguistic. While the Common Tongue of Westeros would be used for official dealings with the mainland and for Lyanna's benefit initially, within Skagos itself, the harsh, guttural Skagosi tongue – Aelyx's own simplified, utilitarian creation – was to be the language of daily life, of the markets, the workshops, the training fields. Schools were established, overseen by Mipsy (glamoured as a stern but patient headmistress named 'Mistress Elspeth'), where children from all backgrounds – former slaves, Free City artisans, Shadow Legion offspring, subjugated natives, and the new Northern arrivals – learned Skagosi, basic literacy, arithmetic, and a heavily sanitized, Aelyx-centric history of Skagos, portraying their Lord as a savior and visionary.
Cultural unification was paramount. Aelyx decreed new Skagosi festivals, timed to coincide with solstices, equinoxes, and harvests. These festivals incorporated elements he deemed useful from various cultures: the discipline and martial displays of the Shadow Legion, the feasting traditions of the North, even some of the more aesthetically pleasing (and harmless) artistic expressions of the Free Cities. All celebrations, however, culminated in pledges of loyalty to the Shadow Lord (a title used more internally among the core populace) and Lord Volmark (his public title). The Old Gods of the Forest, respected due to Lyanna and the Northern contingent, were acknowledged, but Aelyx subtly began to cultivate a mythos around himself, a figure of immense power and providence, the true guardian of Skagos.
Old loyalties were actively dismantled. Factions based on origin were forbidden. Guilds were organized by trade, mixing individuals from diverse backgrounds. Neighborhoods in the expanding Shadowport were deliberately integrated. All were now simply 'Skagosi,' their pasts secondary to their present allegiance and future contributions.
The cornerstone of his demographic engineering was the aggressive promotion of mixed marriages and childbirth. He understood that a shared future was best built through shared bloodlines. Handsome bonuses – grants of larger homes, fertile plots of land in the newly cultivated valleys, extra rations of prized goods from the Glass Gardens (which were already producing a surprising variety under house-elf supervision and geothermal heat), and even small purses of silver coins – were offered to couples who married across previous ethnic or social divides. A Shadow Legion veteran marrying a newly arrived Northern woman, a skilled Myrish weaver wedding a hardy Skagosi fisherman whose ancestors were native to the island, a Pentoshi stonemason taking a wife from the former Free City slave stock – these unions were publicly celebrated, held up as ideals of the new Skagosi way.
Childbirth was even more heavily incentivized. Families with three or more children received significant benefits, including priority for better housing, larger land allocations, and exemption from certain forms of communal labor for the mother for a period. Midwives, trained by Elara (glamoured as 'Healer Elyn'), were well-supplied and respected. Public ceremonies were held to honor mothers and newborn infants, with Aelyx himself, or Lyanna as his representative, often bestowing a small gift upon the child – a silver Skagosi wolf pup charm, a warm fur blanket. The message was clear: Skagos needed children, and those who provided them would be rewarded by their benevolent Lord. The population began to swell, not just from immigration, but from a rising birthrate, a new generation being born that would know no other world, no other loyalty.
While Lord Aelyx Volmark managed these public affairs, charming his Stark bride, overseeing the integration of Northern settlers, and expanding the visible infrastructure of his domain, the Shadow Lord, Aerion Marr, continued his clandestine work. Deep within the hidden sanctuary beneath Mount Skatus, the dragons grew at an astonishing rate, their appetites prodigious, their power becoming more apparent daily. Aelyx spent hours with them, not training them in the Valyrian rider sense yet, but establishing his absolute dominance, communicating with them through a combination of Parseltongue (an unexpected but useful inheritance from Voldemort that resonated with the dragons' serpentine nature), Legilimency, and sheer force of will. He was studying the Valyrian grimoires, cross-referencing them with Potterverse magic, seeking ways to accelerate their growth, enhance their abilities, and bind them irrevocably to his bloodline, ensuring they would accept only his descendants as riders.
The phoenixes, Fawkes and Auriel, were often with him in these subterranean chambers, their fiery presence a counterpoint to the dragons' more elemental magic. Their songs seemed to soothe the growing dragons, and their tears, which Aelyx carefully collected, were already proving to be a miraculous healing agent, far surpassing any mundane medicine.
The Philosopher's Stone, gorged on the souls of Valyria, continued its silent work, producing the Elixir of Life in quantities Flamel could only have dreamed of. Aelyx had begun to partake of it more regularly, not just to enhance his vitality, but to initiate the subtle, alchemical transformation towards true immortality. The first drops were also being administered, in utmost secrecy, to his house-elves, strengthening their already formidable powers and binding them even closer to his extended lifespan. His future, and theirs, was to be eternal.
Lyanna, meanwhile, threw herself into her new duties with a surprising tenacity. She proved to be a fair and pragmatic administrator of the markets, her Stark sense of justice appreciated by the common folk. She organized the running of Icefang Keep with an iron will, bringing a Northern order to its vast halls. She even began to take an interest in the Glass Gardens, fascinated by the impossible bounty they produced. She was still wary of her husband, of the sheer, almost unnatural efficiency with which he governed, and the fervent, almost worshipful devotion he inspired. She saw the surface of Skagos, the thriving port, the loyal people, the growing prosperity. She felt the power of her husband, the Lord Volmark. But she also sensed the vast, hidden depths beneath, the secrets Icefang Keep guarded, the true, terrifying nature of the Shadow Lord she had married. She was bearing his child now, a new life quickening within her, an heir for House Volmark. She prayed to her Old Gods that this child would inherit her Stark resilience, for she suspected it would need it, in the shadow of the Valyrian serpent she had wed.