Chapter 45 - Taking Action
We made our way to the room farthest from the great hall. Both Daenerys and Viserys were still asleep and I didn't want to wake either of them.
The room we entered was in terrible condition.
Two of the stone pillars had cracked almost from top to bottom. Several wooden beams had rotted away completely, leaving only broken pieces scattered across the floor. Part of the roof had collapsed and chunks of stone lay mixed with dirt and old leaves that had blown inside over the years.
I looked around and took a slow breath.
"So... where do I start?"
Leaf stepped beside me and guided me.
"Close your eyes first. Don't think about repairing anything yet. First, feel this place."
I closed my eyes and followed her instructions.
"Reach out with your senses," Leaf continued. "Feel the earth beneath your feet. Feel the stone around you. Feel the wood. Feel the life and breath present in everything."
I concentrated and focused on the surroundings.
At first, there was nothing. Then slowly, a familiar feeling returned. It was similar when I connected with the weirwood trees and their network.
But it was not exactly the same as those ancient trees.
This was little different. It felt much smaller and much quieter. But because I already knew how to reach out with my magic, the connection came much faster.
The earth beneath my feet became clear in my mind. Then the air drifting through the broken roof. The walls surrounding us, the cracked pillars, the fallen stones. and even the broken wooden beams scattered across the floor.
"I can feel them," I said quietly.
Leaf smiled.
"Good. Now don't force them to do anything. Simply ask them. Ask the stone to become whole again and let your magic become the force that binds it together."
I nodded and continued. Carefully, I reached toward the nearest broken pillar.
Nothing happened for some time. For several long moments, everything remained completely still.
Then stones trembled and shifted one after the other.
Emma and Val watched silently in awe as tiny fragments began sliding across the floor.
Soon larger pieces followed. Then the broken sections of the pillar slowly lifted into the air. They moved gently, almost as though invisible hands were guiding them home, back to their original positions.
When each piece touched another, I felt my magic flow between them.
It held them together making them whole again. The cracks slowly disappeared and the seams blended until they could barely be seen.
Within a minute, the pillar stood whole again.
I smiled at the success.
"It worked."
Leaf nodded.
"Do it again."
This time it was easier. The second pillar repaired itself almost twice as quickly.
Then the other pillars took much less time. Soon every damaged pillar in the room had restored itself.
Emma walked around one of them, gently touching the stone.
"It looks brand new."
"It is," Leaf replied.
The walls followed next as loose stones slid back into place. Old gaps disappeared. Dust filled tiny spaces between the blocks before my magic fused everything together into solid stone once again.
Leaf then turned toward me again.
"Now comes the wooden beams. Use your magic to help it regenerate the rotten and broken parts."
I focused on the broken beams lying across the floor.
First, the rotten sections crumbled into fine dust. Then fresh wood slowly grew from the healthy parts that remained. The new timber matched the old perfectly.
The beams lifted into the air one after another. Each of them slowly settled back into its original place overhead.
I stared at them as they all fit back themselves in their grooves. I still did not understand how the dead wood can grow and regenerate
Leaf smiled seeing me so confused.
"Magic does not always follow ordinary rules. Accept that first."
"Fair enough."
I looked toward the ceiling. Now comes the difficult part, the roof, as it requires more magic because we have to work against gravity.
I inhaled deeply, then reached forwards with my senses. I could feel every fallen slab, every cracked stone and the missing sections.
Slowly the first stone rose, then another, then the rest of them. The broken roof rebuilt itself piece by piece as stones settled onto stone exactly where it belonged. Every crack was sealed and every missing section was completed.
Several minutes later, everything was done.
For a moment I simply stood there staring at the room. It hardly looked like the same room.
The broken ruin had vanished. The pillars stood perfectly straight while the walls looked as though skilled masons had finished them only days before. Even the beams looked newly cut. The ceiling was complete too.
Val slowly whistled and Emma commented,
"I don't think even castle builders work this fast."
I laughed.
"They certainly could not do it this fast."
Apart from a slight strain, I felt fine. It felt like finishing a workout. It was little tiring but not exhausting.
More importantly, I could already feel my magic slowly recovering on its own.
Leaf looked pleased at my progress.
"Very good. You have understood the basics. From now on, every time you use it, you'll become more skilled."
I nodded.
"I can already feel the difference."
"Exactly, that is how magic is supposed to work where practice makes it easier and faster and stronger." Leaf replied.
She looked toward the doorway.
"I'll take Emma and Val outside. We'll restore the yard, clear the weeds, and repair the outer walls."
I nodded.
"Good. I will finish the interior."
The three of them headed outside and I walked into the next room.
This time the process came naturally.
I reached out without even closing my eyes, felt the stone and the wood. Then I guided them to repair and mend themselves.
What had taken nearly half an hour in the first room now took barely ten minutes.
The third room was even faster.
By the fourth, I hardly needed to think about each step. The magic seemed to know what I wanted.
An unexpected thing soon became obvious. As I repaired the rooms, the dust was gone too. The years of accumulated dust covering the floors did not simply disappear.
Instead, the tiny particles became part of the repairs, filling the cracks between the stones before my magic bound everything together.
It also meant that I spent less magic replacing missing material.
Nothing was wasted as the leaves became part of wood.
By midday, nearly the entire ground floor had been restored. The ruined keep was beginning to look like a home once more.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I could finally have a place to call my own.
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End of Chapter 45 - Taking Action