Tony 3
Tony stark was elbow deep in train guts when he heard a commotion outside. Curious, he put down his screwdriver and ambled towards the noise. Cheering people crowded around Mikken's smithy, an odd occurrence for this usually somber place. Tony recognized only a few but it seemed like the entire castle was down here. He wondered what could possibly be so exciting as to lift the dour spirits of this place.
"Hey, what's going on?" He shouted to the group.
"Lord Bran has re-discovered the way to make Valyrian steel!" Shouted someone Tony didn't know or care to know.
He shoved his way through the cheering mass of castlepeople and came across a sheepish looking Bran. Tony simply looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't do anything, Merlin did all the hard work. I just melted some iron with my bare hands, spilled some blood on it and mumbled something that sounded vaguely Valyrian."
Bran handed him a crudely made dagger with a damascene pattern. Tony inspected it, weighed it in his hand and handed it back.
"Ok, so it's about two thirds the weight of traditional steel. What's so special about it?"
Maester Luwin launched into an explanation of ancient Valyria before Tony interrupted him.
"Just tell me what it does, Luwin."
"It's much lighter and stronger than steel. A blade made of Valyrian steel is preternaturally sharp and never needs whetstone to stay that way. Valyrian steel swords are guarded fiercely as family heirlooms. Sadly, House Stark's traditional blade is in the hands of the Lannisters."
"Do you have any other examples?"
"One of the links on my chain is made of Valyrian steel. Why do you ask?"
"Can I see it?"
"Of course."
He pulled out his chain and held out a metal link that looked like Bran's new dagger. Tony stared into the metal before reaching out and running his fingers over it.
"It's not it."
"Beg pardon?"
"It's not Valyrian steel. Bran and Merlin made something new, something never seen before. It's heavier and has a much coarser grain. Merlin?"
Bran listened to the earpiece for a few seconds and then nodded.
"Merlin say's he's right. He says that he only copied the basic structure and appearance but he couldn't manage the magic. Apparently real Valyrian steel has some sort of repair enchantment that keeps it sharp."
Luwin slumped.
"So it isn't as we thought? Pity, I had high hopes."
"My people have a saying. The perfect is the enemy of the good. Nobody knows how to make Valyrian steel anymore, right? Well, Bran can make this...let's call it Starksteel pretty easily. That means that there is probably room for improvement. Come on, we'll see exactly what Merlin did on my phone.
The crowd dispersed as their excitement waned. The news that it wasn't real Valyrian steel put a damper on the discovery. The only people that remained are those with a deep understanding of metalworking and Bran, the boy of the hour. Everyone was interested in a new type of magical metal. They hurried to Tony's tower and dodged the whirring robotic arm to get to the second floor.
Tony tapped a few commands in midair above the device and a holographic display appeared that showed the data feed from Merlin. He rapidly typed until he isolated the small section of the overall data concerning the new metal. It flashed once and then showed a mass of melted iron with tiny Extremis virii flagellating from one end to the other. As they went, they created small straight lines through the metal. Tony recognized them immediately.
"Nanotubes. You made a matrix of nanotubes using nothing but blood. That explains the strength but what about the weight?"
Once the matrix of nanotubes was complete, the metal rapidly cooled and expanded. It became some sort of foam held in the shape of a blade by the nanotube matrix. The outside of the metal slowly morphed from it's natural jet black to the pattern that it currently held. This part of the process was a complete mystery to Tony.
"How did you do that?" He asked just as Luwin burst out.
"Runes! Those are First Men runes, I would recognize them anywhere. Quite badly done, if I do say."
The phone chirped and a section of the holographic display changed into the head of a man with a long white beard.
"My apologies, Maester Luwin. It was a first attempt and it is quite difficult to make the proper shapes when one lacks the sense of sight. I was unsure of whether this would work but clearly there is a large enough margin for error. My other goal appears to be far more difficult."
"What other goal?"
Tony could see exactly what Merlin was talking about. The pattern was clear but far too primitive to be useful.
"He was trying to make circuitry here and here." Tony pointed at two sections on both sides of the runes.
"What does that mean, Tony?"
"It's like an artificial brain. A method for machines to think. Theoretically, Merlin could upload himself into a body if he managed to make it work."
"I do not desire a body, sir. I merely wish to install a an actual control system for the local mystical network. Manual control is so untidy."
"Wait, hold on. There is some kind of magical network here? What does it do?"
"There is, sir. It runs north for several hundred miles and connects to some manner of extremely powerful warding system. It also links up with a far older network that is spread over the entire breadth of the continent. The majority of the effects are defensive in nature. Forbidding certain types of magic from crossing and strengthening physical structures. This castle is both one of the focal points and a power source."
Bran was the first to figure it out.
"The Wall. He's talking about the Wall."
"An accurate, if uncreative, name for such a warding scheme. The effect is maintained through a rather ingenious method of slowly converting heat into cosmic energy and the metaphysical presence of a blood relative of the original magician. In this case, Brandon. At least, so I surmise from the energy flows."
Bran's face went pale.
"There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. Merlin, what happens if Rickon and I leave?"
"Nothing. At least, not for the first 4 months. After that the energy will slowly begin to radiate outward instead of travelling northward. Within a year, the defensive wards would begin to fail. By the second year, the Wall would collapse."
"Old gods protect us. We could have doomed ourselves in our ignorance."
"This is why I wish to construct a control system. Preferably throughout the whole network but the truly vital piece is here. Unfortunately, my attempt failed."
Tony smirked at the holo representation of Merlin.
"I can see why it failed. A regular computer won't cut it for controlling cosmic energy. You need a particular type of quantum computer. Behold."
He reached into his pocket and produced his trusty flash drive. Unplugging the line to the machinery below, he stuck the drive into the USB slot on his phone. Merlin's holographic eyes widened.
"Oh. Oh! This...this is amazing. It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen. It isn't your work though, I can tell. Who made this?"
"He's called the Vision. My vision and that of a rogue creation of mine. The quantum chip design is based on his primary processor, something called the Mind Stone. It's one of 6 terrifyingly powerful artifacts. Obviously it isn't anywhere close to the same capability but it's the most advanced computer ever invented using Earth's technology."
"I...I can't replicate this. Every simulation fails to achieve even 0.001% efficiency. I need this. I need help from the Vision to reach my full potential."
"It's enough to build the control system, right?"
"Oh, yes, of course. The system needs very little sophistication to be effective. I should be able to upgrade it extensively with this technology."
"Good. Now, I noticed that the nanotube matrix isn't nearly as efficient as it could be."
Tony moved the lines of the holographic representation into a new configuration. It expanded rapidly until it was closer to a shortsword than a dagger.
"This way, you need less filler material. It brings the weight down to roughly the same as Valyrian steel and uses much less resources."
Maester Luwin chimed in.
"Do you have a way for me to write where Merlin can see?"
"Sure, here's my smartpen. It's very smart for a pen."
Tony handed the glowing blue tipped tool to the aged scholar. The man started drawing precise angular shapes in the air above the phone. They seemed to lock into place like stonework.
"These are the runes of the First men."
He continued with a flowing, flame shaped language that seemed to almost crackle. There was some obvious magic in play.
"This is High Valyrian script. Any decent scholar could show you those two but this last one is only known by Maesters who have studied the arts of magic."
What followed was flowing, interconnected letting almost like the roots of a tree. Despite not knowing the tongue, Tony could perfectly understand what each symbol represented. He recognized it instantly. Maester Luwin continued.
"This is the written language of the Children of the Forest. Strangely, even those that have never seen it before can read it."
"No it isn't." Tony rebutted. "That's Allspeak, the language of the Nine Realms. You can read it because you're human, so your ancestors must have come from Earth. I've only seen the written form once before."
"Remarkable. Does this mean that the Children also came from elsewhere?"
"Maybe. Or maybe this planet is one of those realms. I don't know. What I do know is that written Allspeak is a component of Asgardian technology. It's probably your best bet for doing mystical shit."
Merlin replied.
"Then I shall use it to perform the needed mystical shit, sir. Shall we try again with our combined knowledge?"
Maester Luwin made a very Tony like smirk.
"Not just yet. These old bones have more to contribute. Bran, I want you to repeat after me."
He spewed out some completely unintelligent vowel laden language. Bran repeated it back multiple times before Luwin was satisfied.
"What does it mean, Maester Luwin?" Bran asked earnestly.
"It's part of the spell used to forge Valyrian steel. The Maesters of the Citadel guard it closely but no man has ever managed to make it work since old Valyria fell. It should be more helpful than muttering something that sounds vaguely Valyrian."
The group went downstairs to the resource bin full of processed metal. Bran picked up a bar of steel with a look of determination. His eyes focused on the piece of metal and it started to glow red. When it was white hot, he started shaping it with his fingers. He slowly flattened it and elongated it until it was the shape of a crude sword. When he placed it on a nearby anvil it was beginning to lose its form from the heat. He slashed his hand using nothing more than a fingernail and dripped blood along it's length.
As Bran continued to heat it, the sword shape gradually melted into a puddle. He spoke the words that Maester Luwin gave him. With a suddenness that startled everyone present, it reverted back to the crude sword shape only with a unique coarse texture and jet black color. The sword was completely cool to the touch. Obvious magic thought Tony. Merlin's cheery voice came from upstairs.
"I am pleased to report a complete success. Unfortunately my modeling says that the integrated computer system compromises the structural integrity and vice versa. You will need to choose between technical capability and sturdiness before construction."
"Bran could do with some practice blacksmithing with his bare hands. It's functional but it sure isn't pretty."
Maester Luwin gasped suddenly.
"Oh dear. We completely forgot to welcome the guests to Winterfell. I take full responsibility for this blunder, Lord Bran."
"No, no. It's my fault. I realized that I wouldn't have time to welcome the guests and perform the experiment. I'm not sorry that I did."
"Nor am I, my lord. Unfortunately this will have political consequences. Many of your most powerful vassals will feel like they've been snubbed."
Tony chimed in with some unwanted truth.
"Technically, they were snubbed. Let them be pissed off, most of them will be irrelevant in a few years. Show off your sweet new sword."
"A wise lord keeps his vassals happy. I would apologize to them."
"I will take heed of both or your counsels. Let's go to the great hall. Wouldn't do to be late to my own feast."
They hurried with much less haste than earlier to the great hall. Angry shouting could be heard within, someone accusing Ser Rodrik of trying to hide the Stark of Winterfell. Bran grinned hugely, hefted his newly made sword and kicked open the door. He hurled the sword in the direction of the belligerent vassal and charged. With a running leap, he jumped halfway to the high ceiling of the hall and landed on the quivering sword stuck in the stone wall.
Using the sword as a stepping stone, Bran made a vertical leap straight up into the rafters. He landed with inhuman grace and coldly surveyed the wide eyed and open mouthed guests. Lord Manderly was the first to react, his expression morphing from surprise to humor in the blink of an eye. He began to chant.
"Stark. Stark! STARK!"
Soon, everyone in the hall was chanting. Even Ser Rodrik and Maester Luwin got into the spirit. Tony chanted with the rest although his was reserved for a different Stark than the rest. Bran's expression returned to his previous grin.
"Friends! Welcome to Winterfell. Apologies for being late, I was busy making history. That's all in the past, though, for now let us feast."
Lord Manderly let out a second cheer at that and the rest of the crowd followed. The tables were laden with vast quantities of food, most of which Tony easily recognized. It was richly prepared and smelled delicious. Tony had other priorities than good food.
"Which one's are the leaders of Clan Norrey and Clan Knott?" He asked Maester Luwin.
"Those two, on opposite sides of that table."
Tony stalked confidently up to the table with a shark like smirk. He met the eyes of both men and stopped at the middle of the long table.
"I understand that there is a silver mine disputed between Clans Knott and Norrey? I need it."
"Aye. That there be. I take it you want to buy it with ye soft southron gold?"
"Of course not. I challenge the both of you to a drinking contest. Winner gets to keep the mine."
