The sun had long set. Harry and his retinue had arrived back in Barrow Hall just this morning, Sirius a part of it. It had been decided that Sirius would travel to Barrowlands and stay with Harry under the pretext of studying herb lore and medicine all the while preparing for the voyage across the Sunset Sea. Lord Stark had even consented to fund a part of the voyage.

The day had been very hectic with Harry working through great many matters that had inexorably piled up in the in the absence of the lord of the lands.

All the lords of the North had sent their well wishes to the new Lord Dustin upon his ascension, House Ryswell and House Manderly being the most conspicuous. House Ryswell was conspicuous in its absence. The house of deceased Lady Dustin had, perhaps, not taken well to the ascension of a bastard of their daughter's husband and sent no letter. Harry hoped that they would come around in time.

And House Manderly was conspicuous in its alacrity. While the letters of other lords were nominal and perfunctory, the letter of Lord Manderly was warm and cordial. Denys Dustin had fostered at White Harbour with Wyman Manderly and two had become as close as brothers and had remained close till the end days of Denys. Wyman Manderly, now the Lord of House Manderly, was most accepting of the decision of his dearest friend and hoped to host the new lord in his castle in port city of the North.

This turn of events fit perfectly in the future designs that Harry and Sirius fostered. If House Manderly, the richest and the only house in the North with any strength at sea, could be convinced to be a part of their plans to sail the seas west of Westeros, it would greatly spur their plans on. Harry and Sirius planned to visit the Manderlys soon.

Sirius had left Harry with Maester Landon to maintain the ruse but he hadn't been idle either. He had written a letter to one of his merchant friends in Tyrosh, Moreo Tumitis, asking for ships.

Sirius had first met Moreo when he had been but a helping hand on a Summer Islander ship. He had been gravely injured during a pirate attack and would have perished if not for the healing of Sirius who had been aboard the same ship. The two had forged a strong friendship as Sirius cared for Moreo and the friendship had only grown stronger ever since.

Moreo had worked hard over the years and settled down in Tyrosh as a rich merchant with his own fleet of ten ships. Sirius often visited him during his visits to Essos and Moreo had often expressed his fascination with the Sunset Sea and what may lay beyond.

Sirius was certain that Moreo would assent to spare three ships for the voyage across the Sunset Sea.

Late into the night after all had supped, Harry dismissed Maester Landon for the day and sent for Sirius. There were so much that they had wanted to talk but had stayed their words on the road for the fear of wrong ears. Now, behind the safety of the walls of the lord's solar they talked freely.

Harry told him all about his life from about mundane to about magic. He fell silent as he finished with the story of his plunge into the Dark Lake, his gaze lingering on Sirius.

"If it is the undead that are the true enemies then so be it. We will face them and we will defeat them – together, side by side," Sirius pledged solemnly.

Harry had always known that Sirius won't abandon him but still hearing it aloud made it all the more real and lifted a weight off his chest that he hadn't known he had been carrying. He felt more at ease with a steadfast ally, friend and family by his side than he had ever since his arrival in this world.

Harry smiled brilliantly. "Oh! Sirius, it is only now that I have you by my side that I truly realise how much I had needed someone to stand by me and I could not have asked for someone better. Death had truly been considerate."

Sirius chuckled amusedly. "Only you Harry only you can say that Death had been truly considerate but then again you perhaps more than anyone truly know Death."

"Do I Sirius?" Harry asked equally amused, "Do I who can supposedly never die know more about Death than anyone else?"

"How irony abounds! You may not know Death but you certainly know her favour. You carry one of three most powerful magical artefacts in all of wizarding world across time and across worlds and will soon have the other two. But fret not. I, your roguishly handsome uncle, is not to be outshone so easily. I too have something, something not as cool as the Hallows of course but very rare and with great powers of its own. Brought to the citadel from Valyria a thousand years before the Doom, I give you Glass candles," Sirius finished dramatically with an exaggerated wave of his hand.

"What do these Glass candles do?" Harry asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Historically they burned but they have not been reported to burn in recent memory. It is claimed that when the glass candles burn the sorcerers can see across mountains, seas and deserts, give men visions and dreams and communicate with one another half a world apart," Sirius relayed.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "So, it's all conjectures. No one alive knows for certain."

"As I said the candles have not been reported to burn in recent memory so no, no one alive knows for certain," Sirius mumbled sullenly, "But somehow I know that it will no longer be so. The glass candles will burn for you. Only if I had them. They are the properties of the Citadel and as such remains in the Citadel."

"Oh! Cheer up, Sirius. Where's the marauder in you?" Harry elicited, "The maesters of the Citadel are muggles and they would never be able to tell the original from the replica. Glass candles have lain idle long enough, it is now time to use them. Won't you agree?"

"Now why did I not think of that," Sirius groaned.

"You are getting rusty, old man," Harry chuckled.

The talks lasted late into the night as they conversed about anything and everything, glad to be reunited after so long.

That's how their days passed. In the day Harry would attend to his duties as lord and Sirius would prepare for the voyage across the Sunset Sea and in the night away from the prying eyes they would meet and talk.

Two weeks later, Maester Landon brought a letter to Harry as he was overseeing the last of harvests being stored in the castle granaries. The harvest had been even better than expected and castle granaries were fuller than it had ever been in recent memory. It was from Lord Manderly. A merchant from Tyrosh had arrived in White Harbour and sought a meeting with Lord Dustin and Archmaester Marwyn. He had identified himself as Ontor Tumitis, son of Moreo Tumitis.

Harry was most happy but when he shared this with Sirius, he found little joy in it. Ontor was no more than eight name days old and the fact that he was here instead of his father or some other trusted captain in his employ did not bode well.

Harry immediately wrote back to Lord Manderly of his thanks for hosting his guests and of their imminent arrival.

The next day Harry and Sirius with Bethany and six other men at arms rode for White Harbour. They rode swiftly and made it to the port city in good time.

Lord Manderly and his sons received Harry and Sirius and their men warmly upon their arrival. Such cordiality with a fellow northern house greatly joyed Harry and his men. But all joy turned to ashes after hearing the story that Ontor related.

His father had fallen ill and taking advantage of this weakness, the men who owed him money had sent men to kill him and his entire household. Gyllo Dirrin, the captain of the household guards, had held the men at bay allowing Ontor, Evelina, the house maid who had been Ontor's wet nurse, and her son Callum to escape. Gyllo had later joined the trio at the ports, wounded and bleeding but still alive.

They had boarded his father's ships and set sail for White Harbour having received Archmaester Marwyn's letter just the other day. They had been able to salvage only three of his father's ship as the assassins burnt down the others.

Ontor was willing to commit all three of his ships for the voyage in return for refuge. Harry and Sirius assured him that he will have a place at their table for as long as he liked regardless of whether he committed his ship to the voyage or not.

Ontor was most grateful but insisted to commit his ships to the voyage all the same. He considered this as something his father would have wanted. Harry and Sirius tried to talk him out of it but Ontor was most insistent and in the end they accepted.

Harry and Sirius later talked of the voyage with Lord Manderly. Lord Manderly was most roused and took to the idea like a moth to the flame. He had a great love for sea and was a sailor at heart and a voyage across the Sunset Sea to undiscovered lands greatly heartened him.

Lord Manderly conscripted his best shipwrights to construct three new ships for the voyage in the lands of House Dustin on the western shore itself. The three ships of Ontor was agreed upon as payment. Ontor's men and Lord Manderly's men would captain and crew the ships with Wendel Manderly, the second son of Lord Manderly, himself joining the voyage.

After months of labor, the ships were ready for the voyage. Harry had never been more thankful for the vast wilderness of the North. Endless expanses of emptiness had allowed them to keep the preparations for the voyage hidden.

Harry was here with only two of his most trusted men to see the three ships off on their voyage across the Sunset Sea. All supplies had been loaded and they were ready to set sail. Harry wished Sirius and Wendel success and good fortunes and after a warm hug the two boarded the ship.

Orders were shouted and men rushed to carry them out. Soon, the ships were adrift on the waters of the Sunset Sea on a voyage that would forever morph the fortunes of House Dustin and the rest of the world.