The news from Robb was that he had negotiated for the safety of the Riverlands in exchange for Jamie Lannister's life after the fall of Casterly Rock. Bran knew it would not have been possible if not for the wargs and giant among the reinforcements he sent down, he merely hoped his brother would tell how he sacked Casterly Rock and its riches. Robb wrote that even with the wargs they were unable to fully sack the castle as some towers and keeps merely closeted themselves off. By the terms of the agreement, the Lannisters would forfeit all claim to the North and Riverlands and in exchange, Jamie would be safe. Robb said he was trying to get the Vale Lords to oust Lysa Arryn and declare themselves independent an idea that they were increasingly receptive to after the fall of Tywin Lannister's castle. Stannis Baratheon had returned to the Stormlands and held it with a weak grip, at least till the Lannisters decided to root him out. The War of the Five Kings was at end and House Stark held themselves as the sovereign rulers of the North and four of the Seven Kingdoms looked towards independence from the Iron Throne that harboured neither dragons nor Targaryens and according to Stannis Baratheon, Baratheons.
That last part was true. Bran had to tell Mother about the golden haired man. According to Robb, they would return to Moat Cailin in a fortnight first touring the castles of the North with the Frey Queen he would marry in the Twins. By tomorrow if this letter was rightly dated. Winterfell was awake and already preparing to receive its lord. Bran was heavily occupied with road and granary building. The Vale had agreed to reopen their grain to White Harbor and House Manderly was deftly bringing in grain.
For the first time in three hundred years the North would have to face Winter on its own. The price of independence, Bran thought bitterly. He had to forgo a certain amount of taxes from the Houses in exchange for Grain. The wildlings had brought mostly livestock and Robb had sent no mean amount in plunder. Still if the Winter started immediately, their grain would hold them comfortably for two and a half years. Bran had tried to set trade routes to places in Essos that would be mostly unaffected by Winter. But Lord Wyman Manderly had taken a single look at the proposal and announced that it was unfeasible whilst stuffing himself with pie. The Lannisters would cut off their supply lines whilst denying any responsibility and Robb could hardly call the Banners to march in Winter. To defend the North, yes. But to march south again; never. He was so frustrated that afterwards, Lyanna knocked him to the ground whilst the maids and women of Winterfell cheered her on. The iron that her sister had discovered was strong and had become their main trade on Bear Island. The Vale had little need for iron in their peace but Braavos was a trading city and hungrily swallowed up their ore. The Mormont sisters wrote of their new keep to Lyanna who only smiled in private and confided in Meera that her sisters used to bully her for her size till she left. Then they started missing her. Bran imagined Arya being older than Sansa. He knew Sansa would have been mercilessly ridiculed for her gentle manner. At least when Mother and Robb were not around. He shook his head violently. Sansa was living the life of a princess in White Harbor till Robb returned. The only way they would be reunited with Arya was if she somehow found a way to get a ship and sail to White Harbor. Or come up through Moat Cailin. Rickon was six now and trying hard to be as useful to Bran as he could. Bran had given little thought to how much his continued monologues on being a man would affect the lad. He continually insisted that he be called a man and all too often Bran woke up to finding his table cleared and arranged. Maester Luwin agreed to begin teaching Rickon on managing a household and learning how to use numbers to trade and choose merchants to commit to. What could not be denied was Rickon's prowess with a sword. Even in the training yard he often set Bran on the back foot. Bran loved to spar with him and Lyanna and often they would form teams against each other. Meera was a proper pain with her net and trident and more often than not whatever side she chose ended up winning. Bran felt secure, even safe and it worried him that something would come and take it all away. Nothing he swore to himself would ever put Rickon or Winterfell in danger whilst he lived. Whilst he lived, he felt uncomfortably.
Mance Rayder had agreed to leave the north without title and lands. Bran granted him pardon for his desertion but he was not allowed to stay in the North. He had to go to Essos and return only when permitted to by the Stark in Winterfell. Bran allowed him a ship and a small fortune to settle down. Even that set the Northern lords and heirs to grumbling. Lord Manderly had been reluctant to release even one of his smaller ships and Bran was forced to buy a trader's ship on Rayder's behalf. The Iron ore that the Mormonts held had boosted their coffers and they convinced Lord Manderly to send them pieces of ships that they built up in Bear Island. The Mormonts still felt the occasional raid on their island by Greyjoys. The Thenns and wildlings reportedly took great pleasure taking their fighting men away and allowing their fighting women they called 'Spear wives' to finish them off. Three raids later and the Ironborn stopped dropping by Flint's finger and moved farther North. Lady Glover told him many times their foresters and hunters had come upon Ironborn hacking down trees in the Wolfswood till she begged the help of the wildlings and their warg spies. Then the wildlings always knew where to be.
To compensate for all the wood that had been lost from the Wolfswood, Bran asked the men of the Night's Watch to open one of the many castles and allow foresters to take from the Haunted Forest that creeped on the Wall. The Lord Commander reluctantly agreed to reopen Oakenshield for the Umber and Glover men and a steady lumber trail led from the Kingsroad to Deepwood Motte.
The North grew ever closer as northmen and lords alike pulled together to ensure they survived their first independent winter. And Bran loved it all. He loved the commands and the power. A pity he would only be lord of a small holdfast far away. Still he knew a lot of it was not his own doing. A common threat had driven the wildlings south and scared both Freefolk and northerner enough to join hands. And that the Mormonts had undiscovered iron for so many years was an uncanny blessing. He knew the Crow had something to do with all his good fortune. He hoped that the Crow was merely a kind warg but he knew that few men worked so hard without their own profits in sight. Still the Crow felt angry when Bran tried to reach to him and Jojen said that the Crow would not be rejected and turned to again. Regardless, Bran held much strength and a warg was teaching him and Rickon to enter their wolves. Rickon was far better at it and the warg claimed it was because he was younger and with an open mind. Still Rickon tended to forget himself in his wolf and sometimes Shaggydog would come padding down to breakfast or training. Bran had asked the wargs if they could find his sister and they told him that it was no easy task to enter a bird or even speak to other animals. Many wargs spent their lives connecting with one or two animals. No more; Jojen Reed only said that he knew the pack would be reunited one day. But he could not say how or when.