Nearly a month passed after the arrival of the final ship before Harry finally decided it was time to leave once more.
Although the migration had ended, his work had not. There remained one final duty that only he could accomplish.
One evening, after the day's council meeting had concluded, Harry stood upon one of the palace balconies overlooking the Bay of Tusk. Hundreds of lanterns shimmered across the harbor below, reflecting upon the calm waters like scattered stars. Merchant ships rocked gently at their moorings, while fishermen prepared their boats for another early departure.
Behind him, the doors to the balcony opened softly.
Lyanna stepped outside.
The moment she saw Harry standing there in thoughtful silence, she understood something weighed upon his mind.
"You've decided."
Harry turned toward her and smiled faintly.
"I have."
She crossed the balcony and rested beside him, following his gaze toward the sleeping city.
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Lyanna was quiet for a long moment. Harry reached for her hand.
"I won't be gone long."
"I know."
Her fingers intertwined with his.
"But I still won't enjoy watching you leave."
Harry smiled apologetically.
"Neither will I."
She rested her head against his shoulder.
"The ward stones?"
Harry nodded.
"They've done their job."
For years, the enchanted ward stones buried beneath every Narnian settlement beyond the Wall had protected the kingdom. They softened the brutal climate, concealed cities from wandering eyes, diverted unwanted travelers, and strengthened the defenses of every village.
"The North won't stay empty forever," Harry said quietly.
"Not now that the White Walkers are gone."
Lyanna nodded slowly.
"Eventually someone will cross beyond the Wall."
"They will."
"And when they do..."
Harry's expression grew thoughtful.
"I want them to find nothing."
The following morning dawned bright and clear.
L
By the time Harry reached the palace courtyard, Winter already waited there.
The great white dragon rested comfortably upon the stone paving, his immense wings folded neatly against his body. Thin wisps of frost escaped his nostrils each time he breathed.
Despite having lived beside the dragon for years, servants still gave him a respectful distance.
Only Sirius approached without hesitation.
The young prince ran across the courtyard and wrapped both arms around Harry.
"Do you really have to go?"
Harry smiled, kneeling before his son.
"I do."
Sirius frowned.
"Can't someone else remove the ward stones?"
Harry gently shook his head.
"They're tied to my magic."
The boy looked disappointed.
Harry ruffled his hair.
"I'll be back before you know it."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Sirius looked thoughtful.
"I'll protect Mother while you're gone."
Harry smiled warmly.
"I know you will."
The boy puffed out his chest proudly.
"I'll make sure she doesn't climb too many stairs."
Lyanna laughed from behind them.
"I wasn't aware I needed permission."
"You do now."
Harry couldn't help laughing.
"It seems I've been replaced."
When Harry finally embraced Lyanna, neither of them spoke for several moments.
She rested one hand over his heart.
"Be careful."
"I always am."
She raised an eyebrow.
Harry smiled sheepishly.
"I try to be."
"That's slightly more believable."
She kissed him gently.
"Come home soon."
"I will."
Winter lowered his massive head.
Harry climbed smoothly onto the dragon's neck before securing himself comfortably in the saddle.
He looked down one final time.
His family stood together in the palace courtyard.
Harry smiled.
"See you soon."
Winter answered with a deep rumbling growl.
Then the dragon spread his wings. The force sent leaves swirling across the courtyard. One powerful leap carried them into the sky. Another beat of those enormous wings lifted them above the palace towers.
Within moments, Caer Peverell stretched beneath them like a magnificent painting.
The harbor.
The palace.
The temples.
The schools.
The farms surrounding the capital.
Everything looked peaceful.
Winter flew northwest for several days. The farther they traveled, the colder the air became.
Finally...
Snow.
Harry watched silently as the familiar landscape returned.
Frozen rivers. Jagged mountains.
The Lands Beyond the Wall.
His first home in this world.
He remembered arriving here with nothing.
Now he returned as a king.
Winter landed upon a windswept hill overlooking what had once been Telmar. Harry stepped onto the snow-covered ground and remained perfectly still.
Silence greeted him.
Once...
This valley had echoed with life. Children racing through the streets. Blacksmiths hammering iron. Builders shouting instructions. Temple bells ringing every morning. Smoke rising from hundreds of chimneys.
Now...
Nothing.
Only the wind.
Harry slowly walked forward.
Snow crunched beneath his boots.
He reached the center of what had once been the marketplace.
Nothing remained except faint outlines beneath fresh snowfall.
Nature had already begun reclaiming the city.
Winter released a soft rumble behind him.
Harry smiled sadly.
The dragon lowered his head beside him.
Harry rested one hand against the familiar white scales.
"I suppose that's how kingdoms survive."
They don't cling to places. They carry their people forward.
He soon reached the first ward stone.
To anyone else, the location appeared completely ordinary. Just another patch of frozen ground.
Closing his eyes, he allowed his senses to spread outward.
Immediately he felt it. Powerful magic flowed beneath the earth like invisible rivers.
The ward stone remained exactly where he had buried it years earlier, still pouring gentle warmth into the surrounding valley, still bending storms away from Telmar... despite the city no longer existing.
Harry waved his wand, muttering various spells to remove all the enchantments from the wardstone, before it backfired.
Then he placed both hands upon the snow.
Ancient runes shimmered faintly beneath the surface.
The earth trembled.
Very slowly...
A crystal larger than a man's forearm emerged from beneath the frozen soil.
Its pale blue light pulsed softly.
Harry caught it carefully.
The moment the stone left the ground. The invisible warmth vanished. A freezing wind swept across the valley. Snow began falling almost immediately. Within minutes frost spread rapidly across the exposed earth.
The land remembered what it had once been.
Winter watched silently.
Harry looked toward the growing storm.
"It did its duty."
He carefully stored the ward stone inside an enchanted case.
"Now..."
"...it can protect another home."
The work proved far more difficult than Harry had first imagined. Removing an entire kingdom from history was not something that could be accomplished in a few days.
It demanded patience.
Precision.
And countless hours of magic.
For nearly a month, Harry and Winter travelled across the frozen wilderness of the Lands Beyond the Wall.
From the air, the land appeared empty.
Untouched.
Only Harry knew that beneath the snow lay the remnants of a kingdom that had once changed the world.
Every settlement required careful attention.
Harry had never built Narnia carelessly. Each major settlement had been protected by an intricate network of magical wards.
More than thirty ward stones surrounded every city and village. Some maintained warmth throughout the harsh winters. Others diverted blizzards away from homes. Many concealed entire settlements from unwanted eyes, making them impossible to locate unless one already knew where they stood. Others strengthened walls, purified water, enriched soil, or warned Harry whenever strangers approached.
Each ward stone represented months of painstaking work.
They were priceless.
Harry refused to abandon even one.
Winter landed upon a lonely hill overlooking what had once been Frostfang Village.
Nothing remained except uneven ground and fresh snow.
Harry walked to a place that appeared entirely ordinary. Closing his eyes, he pressed one hand against the frozen earth. Immediately, faint blue lines spread outward beneath the snow.
Ancient runes slowly revealed themselves.
"There you are."
Winter watched silently while Harry began undoing the enchantments.
It was a delicate process. Simply pulling the ward stone free would destroy years of magical craftsmanship. Instead, Harry slowly unwove each layer of protection.
Only after every spell had been safely removed did the stone finally loosen.
With a wave of his wand, the earth opened.
A crystal-covered stone nearly the size of a barrel rose gently from beneath the ground.
Harry smiled.
"One more."
He carefully placed it inside his magically expanded trunk.
Winter released a satisfied rumble.
Harry chuckled.
"I know."
"Still a long way to go."
The process repeated itself countless times. Some ward stones lay buried beneath six feet of ice. Others had become encased inside solid rock over the years.
Harry spent entire afternoons carefully excavating them without causing damage.
By the end of each day he was mentally exhausted.
Yet every recovered stone filled him with satisfaction.
These stones would protect future generations.
As more wards disappeared...
The frozen wilderness reclaimed itself. Snowstorms became harsher. The winds stronger. Several rivers froze completely within days.
Without Harry's enchantments, the Lands Beyond the Wall slowly returned to the realm remembered in ancient legends.
Cold.
Merciless.
Untamed.
Exactly as nature intended.
One afternoon, Harry stood upon a ridge overlooking the ruins of an old quarry.
Winter sniffed the air and raised his head.
Harry followed his gaze.
Far in the distance...
Tiny black figures moved across the snow.
Harry narrowed his eyes.
"The Night's Watch."
Harry quickly cast several concealment charms around them.
From their hidden position he quietly observed.
A patrol of six black-cloaked rangers slowly crossed the frozen landscape.
They stopped repeatedly.
One ranger crouched beside an area where Telmar's outer roads had once stood.
"It looks disturbed."
Another shook his head.
"Probably an avalanche."
The older ranger disagreed.
"No."
"This was shaped."
"But by what?"
None of them knew.
Harry watched silently.
The patrols seemed to come farther north.
Not because they searched for anything particular.
Rather...
Because they had nothing else to do.
The White Walkers were gone.
The wildlings had vanished.
The great threat that had defined the Night's Watch for thousands of years no longer existed.
Men still arrived from the south.
Criminals.
Poachers.
Murderers.
Thieves.
Political prisoners.
They swore their vows beneath the Wall exactly as generations before them had done.
Only now...
There was little purpose beyond routine patrols.
Harry quietly followed the rangers from the air the next morning.
They eventually returned toward Castle Black.
As he watched, one younger brother spoke with obvious frustration.
"I don't understand."
"What?"
"We've marched for two weeks."
"Found nothing."
The older ranger shrugged.
"That means we're doing our job."
"No."
"It means there's no job left."
Several men laughed quietly.
One grey-bearded veteran turned around.
"You boys complain too much."
The younger man sighed.
"What exactly are we guarding?"
The veteran looked toward the slowly melting Wall.
"The realm."
The younger ranger looked unconvinced.
"From what?"
No one answered.
Harry felt genuine sympathy for them.
The Night's Watch had become victims of their own success.
Or perhaps...
Of someone else's.
By the final week...
The last ward stone remained.
It protected an isolated observation tower high among the mountains. Harry carefully dismantled the enchantments.
The crystal slowly floated upward.
He caught it gently and placed it inside his trunk.
The moment it disappeared...
The mountain shuddered.
Snow cascaded down surrounding cliffs.
The illusion hiding the ancient tower dissolved completely.
Harry lowered his wand.
"It's done."
Winter rubbed his great head affectionately against Harry's shoulder.
Harry smiled.
"For good."
The following morning they flew south one final time.
Harry deliberately circled the entire region.
Harry felt strangely emotional.
"So many memories."
Winter answered with a soft rumble.
"I know."
"But memories don't disappear simply because buildings do."
Satisfied, Harry turned Winter eastward.
The dragon spread his enormous wings.
Together they crossed the Wall one final time.
Harry never looked back again.
Several days later, the blue waters of the Bay of Tusk appeared beneath them.
The sight immediately lifted Harry's spirits.
Caer Peverell stretched proudly along the coastline.
The harbor was even busier than before.
Dozens of ships entered and departed every hour.
Smoke rose from smithies.
Temple bells echoed across the streets.
Fields surrounding the capital had turned a vibrant green.
Home.
Winter descended toward the royal landing ground.
The moment Harry stepped onto the stone pavement, Lyanna embraced him tightly.
"You took far too long."
Harry laughed softly.
"I know."
"Father!"
"Did you really remove everything?"
Harry nodded.
"Everything."
"Nobody will ever find old Narnia."
Sirius smiled proudly.
"We're really starting over."
"We are."
Harry glanced toward the palace.
Later that evening he summoned the Royal Council.
The senior commanders.
Several ministers.
Everyone gathered.
Harry spread a map of the known world across the table.
His finger rested upon the Iron Islands.
"Jorund has remained there long enough."
The commanders exchanged glances.
"The conquest is over."
"Order has been established."
"It is time our soldiers see what they fought to protect."
Ragnar smiled knowingly.
"You wish to rotate the garrison."
Harry nodded.
"Fresh troops will relieve those stationed on the islands."
"They deserve to see Caer Paverell."
"They deserve to bring stories home."
"And..."
Harry smiled slightly.
"I suspect Jorund has waited long enough."
The old Skagosi laughed.
"He'll complain."
"He always does."
"But the moment he sees this city..."
Harry looked toward the palace windows overlooking the magnificent capital.
"...he'll understand why every sacrifice was worth making."
Around the council table, every man and woman smiled.
Soon...
The soldiers would return to find not merely another city.
But a capital worthy of an empire.