Secret Keepers

A/N: First of all, sorry for the delay everyone. Moving was a pain, my job got in the way of writing, and then I had to recover from a nasty injury that made sitting very unpleasant. But here I am with a new chapter.

Still, since things hadn't slowed down on my end yet, I have decided to just post shorter than originally planned chapters for the next batch. Getting them as long as I originally wanted and ready before posting is just taking too long for me currently. At least this way, you can get new content more frequently. Sorry if it feels like the chapters are missing something due to their newfound shortness until we get to the next arc, though. Again, I didn't originally plan the flow of scenes this way.

Regardless, here is our first major set of reveals from the Order of the Emerald Weirwood directly to Jon. And trust me, this is not even 10% of the reveals he will get before all is said and done. But most of them are coming during his actual royal visit to Skagos. Until then though, have fun!

Epigraph:

Use him to get him to release you from your prison if you must but do us all a favor and slay him the first chance you get.

King Jon watched on as the door to the Great Hall of Ironrath opened once more, his curious eyes starting to examine the Skagosi visitor. Like most Skagosi, he was short in stature, not even reaching 5 and a half feet, even though he was both broad-shouldered and broad-chested. However, unlike the last Skagosi sorcerer he met back in White Harbor, his hair and beard were of the more typical dark coloring that he had heard about those islanders. His chest was covered in hardened leather armor and as the man entered the hall, he lowered the hood that had shielded him from the cold winds. His grey eyes looked at him intently for a moment before a smile of delight crossed his feature briefly, and then he bowed his head in reverence.

"King Jon, it is an honor to finally meet you," The Skagosi declared. "And thank you for receiving me on such short notice. I am sure you are busy but I needed to talk to you."

"Well, I am told that you were watching over my brother Rickon as best you could while he was imprisoned so that certainly warrants an audience on its own," Jon replied. "But if what he said is true then you are the second sorcerer from Skagos I have met in as many days. And I am getting increasingly curious about that."

Skrel's eyes widened slightly. "Ah. So, one of our numbers had already made contact with you? And here I thought they weren't going to be able to catch up to you until after your defeat of House Bolton. My mistake, it appears. Was it Enforcer Maenag?"

The King of the North and the Trident raised an eyebrow at the implications of the title. "As a matter of fact, yes. Interesting man, with an impressive command over fire. He asked for a royal visit to Skagos as soon as possible in exchange for rallying the island's bannermen against the seats of my enemies near their coasts. I gave him my word that I would visit. He was accompanied by a Dornish water witch named Nadria and a highborn captain of Valyrian blood pretending to be a bastard," He added, which generated additional whispers among the Vale Lords in attendance. "What little they were willing to share brought more questions than answers, however, so I would appreciate some clarity. Starting with what you were doing so close to Rickon in the first place."

The member of House Magnar paused for a long moment as if measuring the weight of the decisions in front of him. Then he took a deep breath. "I was sent on a mission by some of our leaders. My assignment ended up bringing me to Ironrath. I wasn't actually planning to watch over Rickon Stark but when I saw the opportunity to warn him through my Glass Candle, I thought it might be for the best."

"I see," Jon responded evenly. "And may I ask what was this assignment of yours?"

"You may, your Grace," Skrel conceded. "But there are some explanations that would be best left to my superiors back in Skagos. I am not exactly authorized to share everything I do know."

"Are you trying to say that you are keeping important secrets from your king and would not reveal them even if ordered?" Lyanna Mormont asked, her tone as stony as the rocky shores of Skagos.

"That's exactly what I am saying," The sorcerer confirmed, nodding immediately. "But it wouldn't be because I want to disobey you, my King. Far from it. However, the sorcerers and skinchangers in Skagos are bound by a...very specific kind of magic. Without the direct permission of a member of the Emerald Council, we are physically unable to reveal certain secrets to anyone outside our island, even under pain of ****; either our own or of anyone we care about. The magical oaths prevent our voices from being able to form the words you see."

The silence was thick in the Great Hall for some time after such astonishing revelations. The secret god's eyes widened at the thought, implications flowing inside his mind. He glanced around and noticed he wasn't the only one with a surprised expression on his face. Littlefinger in particular tilted his head as he stared at the Skagosi, clearly intrigued.

"That sounds...interesting," Lord Baelish said slowly, his eyebrows ever so slightly raised. "How can such a thing be done?"

Skrel interlocked his fingers as he turned to look at the Regent of the Eyrie. "With an ancient and inherently magical language that was taught to us Skagosi by the First of the Founders. It's a bit of a long story, but to put it plainly, it's physically impossible for you to lie while using that language."

An even longer silence emerged in the Great Hall at the thought-provoking declaration. Eyes widened all around and whispers echoed from the walls.

"Huh," Jon Stark mused. "Most intriguing. And my father would have loved to know of such a language, that's for sure. So, that's what you meant, then? Since you can't lie in that tongue, making an oath on that language prevents you from violating it?"

The Skagosi shrugged. "For the most part, although, technically, there can be indirect ways around the bonds enforced by that kind of magic. After all, it is a rare man that can think of every possible scenario and variable when trying to prevent someone from doing something with this language, especially if it is against their will. For instance, had Ramsay Bolton threatened my life to make me promise in that language that I would protect him against the Forrester bannermen, I would have been compelled to defend him from an attacker from Ironrath. However, such an oath would have said nothing that would have prevented me from slaying the usurper myself as soon as the opportunity presented itself. So, it depends a lot on how exactly it is that you phrase the sentences with these oaths."

The King of the North and Trident scratched his chin as he considered his words, then nodded slowly. "Sounds fascinating but I feel that we are getting ahead of ourselves. So, why don't you start at the beginning when it comes to what you can physically tell me at the moment?"

"Very well," Skrael said with a nod. "However, while my oaths allow me to reveal some details to the king we have been waiting for now that we know it is you, I am going to need your express permission to explain myself in front of anyone else," He remarked, as he glanced at his allies, friends, family, and bannermen on the Great Hall. "The words will literally stop in my throat otherwise."

Jon paused for a moment, wondering if he should let Littlefinger listen to everything the mysterious sorcerer had to say. But he couldn't tell him to leave without appearing insulting and ungrateful, especially after assuring them that he appreciated the aid of the Knights of the Vale just a few minutes earlier. So, he ultimately nodded.

"Permission granted."

The short wizard took a deep breath and based on his expression, he was clearly in deep thought. But there was a hint of a smile on his lips, which made the secret god think that a part of him relished the idea of being the first of his people to share the secrets that were about to be revealed to him.

"Let's get the biggest thing out of the way first, then: there is a secret order on Skagos dedicated to the accumulation and study of everything related to the arts of magic, and it is called the Order of the Emerald Weirwood," He proclaimed. "Bound by the united will of the Original Founders, our order grew across the centuries as we gathered lore and artifacts from all corners of the known world. And while there were a few incidents that threatened to expose our order to the world at large, for the most part, our old reputation as man-eaters in the distant past of Skagos actually worked to our advantage there. After all, people have a tendency to avoid cannibals if they can help it," Skrel added, chuckling slightly. "But we had actually banned the practice a long, long time ago. We just didn't publicly announce it to the world and that in turn, helped preserve our isolation."

As the silence grew wider, Jon had to admit he was impressed. He wasn't exactly surprised to learn about a larger than usual group of sorcerers had gathered in Skagos ever since his last interactions with his new, mysterious bannermen began but to hide the secrets of their order under the guise of their past reputation by letting the world continue with their own assumptions? He had a feeling most, if not all, previous Masters of Whispers would feel a considerable degree of admiration for the accomplishment of such a feat.

And that in turn, made him feel a bit wary. So, he looked at the sorcerer before him quite carefully before opening his mouth again.

"Most intriguing," The King of the North and the Trident acknowledged. "But why was such secrecy necessary? What drove your people to find it necessary to keep the bloodstained brand of savagery on their reputation?"

"Fair questions," Skrel responded. "There are certain details my oath will prevent me from sharing without the direct authorization of the Emerald Council so those will have to wait until your eventual royal visit, my King. But there were many reasons. Among them, one of the biggest ones is that a series of visions convinced us to start preparing for the next Long Night centuries ago but not so long ago that the threat of the White Walkers hadn't already descended into myth for most of the people of Westeros. And the circumstances that ensured everyone on Skagos became convinced of the truth were...hard to replicate after that," He said slowly. "Especially at first, we thought it better to build up the ranks of our order and magical artifacts under our possession to improve our experience on those matters before unveiling our secrets to the world. And besides, becoming a major center of knowledge involving the Higher Mysteries would have also placed a target on our back, especially involving some of the most zealous and militant septons. It was much easier to grow our collection unhindered if no one thought there was much worth stealing on Skagos. That is especially important when you consider that my order was involved in...well, gathering, many of the Valyrian Steel swords that disappeared from the historical record," He admitted. "After all, our records indicated that those spell-forged weapons could kill White Walkers so they are absolutely invaluable in more ways than one."

There was another bout of silence as those within the Great Hall pondered his words but this one was broken more quickly, since Lord Royce from the Vale of Arryn abruptly started moving forward, his boots stomping on the ironwood floor. Jon glanced at his outraged face.

"Did you steal Lamentation?" He demanded. "Did you steal my family's ancestral blade?!"

Skrel winced slightly. "Technically, my predecessors didn't exactly steal it. That Valyrian Steel blade was lost in the Storming of the Dragonpit during the Dance of Dragons, after all. The way I heard it explained, one of the many smallfolk took the blade after Ser William Royce's **** during the bloody riots. One of our Order's members was in King's Landing at the time trying to...secretly gain the attention of Daemon Targaryen and when the opportunity presented itself, he ended up buying it from him. Regardless, as House Royce has answered the call to support our new King in the North instead of working against him, am sure his Grace will be able to convince the Emerald Council to give Lamentation back to you, my Lord. He needs only say the word."

At that Lord Yohn turned to face him immediately, his expression expectant. Jon still felt a bit baffled by the sudden turn of events but soon nodded. "Well, I wasn't planning to reward your support with the return of your cherished family sword," He admitted. "But of course, you may have your heirloom back."

The ruler Runestone started smiling ever more widely then, as the situation started to properly sink in. "That would be most appreciated indeed, your Grace. And quite frankly, a dream come true. Thank you," He added with a bow of his head.

He gave one last look of distaste to the Skagosi but said nothing else after that. Jon cleared his throat and turned back to the sorcerer.

"Enforcer Maenag told me that Greenseers from Skagos had predicted my coronation centuries ago," He told him. "Was that true?"

More whispers were heard after that comment as Skrel took a deep breath. "Yes, but we didn't actually know for sure that it was going to be you back then. We just had a detailed list of omens that would point us in the right direction. One of them was that the king of our visions would ride an Ice Dragon instead of a Valyrian one. And after realizing that you fulfilled every one of the portents, it came to our attention that the time of Great Prophecy is finally at hand."

Nearby, Jon heard someone inhale sharply at the last sentence. Out of the corner of his eyes, he realized it was the Warg of Ironrath, Josera Snow. Deciding to talk with him about that later, he **** himself to focus on the Skagosi sorcerer.

"And that means?" The secret god pressed.

"That many prophecies across the world, some of them really old, will finally start getting fulfill in this day and age," Skrel responded, his voice dripping with certainty. "I am sure you have probably gotten some indications by now that would make that easy enough to believe, your Grace."

Jon paused but realized that he couldn't disagree. "You most certainly have a point there," He admitted, thinking about the Prophecy of Liberation he was informed about on Braavos, among others.

Then he shook his head. "I have reason to believe that R'hllor, whatever it is he actually is, wants me to go to Skagos. Can you tell me why?" He asked firmly.

At that, Skrel's eyes widened. "So, the Lord of Light was able to contact you directly then?"

The King of the North and the Trident hesitated, unable to stop himself from wondering if he should speak of all these topics involving foreign deities he had reason to think were real in their presence. Then he remembered that Melisandre made a very public spectacle of the might of her god not too long before, so he just sighed.

"Yes," He said simply as the whispers resumed. "But some of the things he said...concerned me," He admitted. "So, I will ask again, do you know why he wants me there?"

The member of House Magnar interlocked his fingers as he meet his eyes. "I have an idea," He said slowly. "Tell me, your Grace, if you were to look at Skagos on a map, what is directly to the west of it, from the center of the island itself?"

Jon didn't have to think hard. "The Wall, of course. About half of the island faces south of Eastwatch-by-the-sea and the other hand would be north of it."

"Indeed," The islander replied. "And, as you know, the Wall was created with some ancient spells designed to halt the advance of the Army of the Dead should the White Walkers rise again, as long as it still stands. But have you ever wondered why is it that the wights and their monstrous masters do not just swim around the Wall and get to the other side? It's not like their dead soldiers need to breathe, after all. And besides, the White Walkers' magic is also useful when it comes to freezing things, like water."

Jon raised an eyebrow. He had wondered about that before but was never able to think of a better answer than the fact that, perhaps, they just couldn't swim. Before he could comment, however, the sorcerer continued.

"The answer, of course, is that there is another **** at work that prevents them from crossing the waters around the Wall," Skrel explained. "And while it took the Keepers and other sorcerers in our order a long time to piece together the events that lead to this more...invisible sea wall, eventually we made some important discoveries: After the Wall was created but before the Andals arrived in Westeros and brought their writing system with them, the White Walkers had started rising again and tried to invade the realms of men once more by crossing the coast. But they were stopped in Skagos, where the island faces the Wall, after an extremely powerful being decided to sacrifice a large part of its power to burn them away. The aftermath of that magical sacrifice still lingers across the Bay of Seals, preventing wights from swimming across."

"But there was a price to pay for this boon that averted that potential Long Night," The sorcerer said solemnly. "And it was the freedom of our savior, for the barrier that kept the Army of the Dead at bay also kept him in a prison of his own making where he would remain until his strength had recovered in full. A prison that, as far as we can tell, still holds him...more than 5,000 years later."

This time, the silence in the Great Hall was as thick and chilly as the Wall itself, realizations springing from the stream of shocking revelations.

And finally, Jon realized what Skrel meant.

"The Lord of Light prison is in Skagos...and that's why he is calling to me...so that I can set him free."

A/N: Well, here it is for now. Hope you enjoyed it, but regardless, I am planning to update more frequently in the weeks to come so there will be more awaited scenes coming soon. Like Ramsay's execution scene for one. I know for a fact that quite a few of you are looking forward to that one, lol. So, stay tuned, for it's happening soon.

And yes, for those that asked me way back when about the implications of Enforcer Maenag having the ancestral Valyrian Steel blade of House Royce during the interlude chapters that he and the Skagosi crew went to test their weapons against the White Walkers and wights, this chapter had a few more direct answers on that front. Much more to come later, especially from the Order's Vaults.

Finally, I am actually wondering about the general preference of my readers regarding my chapter lengths. Personally, I would prefer to update more than once a month but right now my writing time is limited for various reasons. Hence why I ended up splitting the originally much longer chapter into this and the following one. But is a length of 200--3500 words chapter range fine with you guys if it means faster updates or would you rather see more 8000+ words long chapters like the one with my more epic climax to the Battle of the Bastards even if it means waiting a month or so? If you don't mind taking a few moments to comment on that topic, I would appreciate it.

Anyway, I hope you all have had a great time lately and until next time guys, see ya!