The rain had lessened, but the skies above Bogwater still hung heavy with threat. Mist rolled over the marsh in the early morning, hiding the edges of the path and soaking through boots. The fires burned lower now, not for lack of fuel but because every scrap of dry wood was precious.
Inside his half-finished ho stone foundation set, walls standing firm, roof still waiting for its final layer, Levi sat cross-legged, a crude map and a leather-bound ledger spread across the floor. A quill dipped in half-dried ink hovered above a list he had written and rewritten a dozen tis.
"I'm not a lord, for now but my ambitions for my Land, House and Sigil. " he muttered. "But if I don't act like a lord or at least one with capabilities… this place may fall apart."
The house and storage shed were nearly done. Workers or should I say neighbors had helped lift the final beams. Mae had called it a miracle. Harwin called it a risk. And Levi… he just called it tiring.
The first order of business was knowledge.
He found the old Maester huddled under a sloped roof, his parchnt scrolls bound in oiled wraps to keep off the damp.
"Old Maester," Levi said, crouching down beside him, "how does soone… get a Maester? Or beco one?"
The Old Maester chuckled, the sound more breath than voice. "You don't get a Maester, boy. They're sent. Chosen by the Citadel, sworn to a lord."
"And what if there's no lord?"
"Then there's no reason for a man with a chain on his neck to co." Nollin narrowed his eyes. "But there are children here. Bright ones. Curious. Give ti, parchnt, and peace… and I can teach."
That was enough for now.
Second plans co next. Safety.
Levi had no guards. No trained fighters. Just Harwin, whose back hurt when he moved too quick, and Jory, who thought wrestling pigs counted as combat. Along with so Old guards who stayed behind in caravans when we went north.
At night, he stared at the dark ceiling and imagined the worst: bandits from the east, slavers from the Iron Islands, rogue sellswords looking for soft targets. Bogwater wasn't ready.
He needed weapons. He needed watchers. He needed a plan.
Third. The problem. The rumors.
The stranger's return had stirred sothing Levi couldn't put out. If stories of his rise reached the wrong ears, a noble might ride down from the Twins or White Harbor demanding answers or worse, fealty to a Lord he does not know in character.
Only one person might help him navigate that: Mae.
"Lord Stark won't see you," she told him flatly. "You've no na. No banner."
"I don't want a banner," Levi said. "I just want… breathing room. Permission to do what I'm doing."
She looked at him for a long ti before answering. "Then maybe it's not a big noble house you should talk to first. Try the bannern those who serve the their house. House Tallhart. House Reed. They know the swamps."
"And if they say no?"
"Then you keep looking while u build. But keep your blade close."
Fourth. His Unlimited wares.
Swampberries. Hard cheese. Lizard at. Hard Bread. So dried fish. So cured hides. Stone slabs. Wood. Ale, when the barrels held. It wasn't much, and it wasn't special.
"No one crosses the Neck for berries," Levi muttered, staring at his ledger. "I need spice. Luxury. Sothing."
Ideas stirred. Salt. Tar. Clay for pottery. Herbs from the deeper bogs. All dangerous to collect, but all useful. Maybe even tradeable.
Fifth. He needs more people.
He called a eting. Not in a hall they had none as of yet, but in the square between houses, beside the fire pit that never died.
Levi stood before the dozen or so villagers, heart pounding in his chest. Faces stared up at him: tired, wary, hopeful.
"I'm not a lord," he said, voice rough. "I'm not a knight. I can't promise you gold or banners or glory."
A pause. Wind stirred smoke into his eyes.
"But I've got work. I've got food. And if we work together, if we protect what we've built… maybe this place can be more than just a place where people can go no where else. Maybe it can be ours."
Silence followed. Then, one nod. Another. Jory clapped once. Mae said nothing, but her folded arms loosened slightly.
Levi exhaled. Hoping his speech is enough to go to their hearts and minds.
They all now go back to what they were ant to do.
This wasn't his holand. It never would be. But it could be his starting from now on.
And that was enough to try.
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