Chapter 6: Winds of Change
A few months after his return North, Ned and Benjen had gotten used to running Winterfell together. Ned began his lessons with Bloodraven regarding the History of the North. The Lord of the North saw the history of House Stark from its earliest origins from Garth the Greenhand himself. One night Ned asked him, "Why must we do this only on the night of a full moon?"
"House Stark is descended from the blood of the First men. That is known all across the Seven Kingdoms. What is less known is that House Stark also has the blood of the Children of The Forest. Many a Stark have been wargs and greenseers," Bloodraven explained.
"One warg born amongst one thousand men and one greenseer amongst one thousand wargs. Old Nan explained that to me when I was a kid," Ned said.
"There is some truth to that. But that is true only for those with the blood of First Men. Andal blood rarely produces a warg, let alone a greenseer. The Crannogmen of the neck bred the most with the children and have produced the most wargs and greenseers in the North. House Stark tended to befriend Direwolves the easiest even when they were not wargs.", Bloodraven explained, "Your nephew will have many magical abilities due to his bloodline. I was the first child born of the union of Valyrian blood and the blood of First Men. He is the first to be born of First Men, Valyrian and Forest blood. But you are only a Stark. The wolf in you is strongest with the moon."
"I assume he will be trained by you as well when the time comes?" Ned asked.
"Perhaps. It remains to be seen which side his coin falls on," Bloodraven said.
"Can you see the Iron Islands?", Ned asked with curiosity
"Only the present. The future is ever-changing" Bloodraven stated
"The Iron Islands will be a nuisance in the coming years. Lord Quellon Greyjoy fell in the Reach during the Rebellion and his son is a follower of the Old Ways of the Ironborn and in favor of reaving, raping and pillaging. When the canal is made, ships will need safe waters to travel through and the Ironborn will never let that happen" Ned said.
"Very few men are capable of doing what needs to be done for the greater good of the realm. I ignored the Ironborn in favor of the Blackfyres and paid for it with the realm bleeding. I killed my nephew under false pretenses and prevented another Blackfyre rebellion but I was sentenced to the Wall for it. There are some actions that must be taken but some men are too weak to take those steps." Bloodraven paused and asked, "Do you remember the story of Theon the Hungry Wolf?"
"Aye. Theon Stark was a King of Winter who courted war throughout his life. He killed Argos Sevenstar and mounted his body on the prow of his ship and sailed to Andalos. After sacking all their cities, he mounted the heads of the Andals on the beaches as a message to all who would invade the North." Ned said.
"Indeed. He went on to fight a King beyond the Wall and fought off an Ironborn invasion by King Harrag Hoare. Theon Stark was not the one who started these wars but he was the one who finished them. His entire life was spent defending the North and in return 4 generations of Starks enjoyed peace due to his actions. Andals to the south, Wildlings to the North and Ironborn in the West. They all remembered his actions and avoided the North. The Iron price the Ironborn so love is premised upon the suffering of those weaker than them and the North will only be safe when they fear the consequences of attacking them."
"I will do what I must.", Ned said resolutely.
"Then wipe out the Ironborn" Bloodraven said flatly.
"What? No. That is unthinkable! I will not wipe out a house root and stem like Tywin Lannister, let alone an entire kingdom" Ned replied outraged at the suggestion
"The Ironborn seek to pay the 'Iron Price' where they take trophies only from corpses they had slain themselves. They capture men and women and keep them as 'thralls'. A fancy word for slaves. They collect 'saltwifes' and rape them and name all the children as bastards. Only the child from a 'rock wife' is allowed to inherit. This is the Old Way of the Ironborn. This is what the Drowned priests preach", Bloodraven said flatly.
Ned wanted to object, but was unable to find any words. Everything he had been taught in the Vale about honor and justice warred with the decision he was presented with. He could feel the bile build in the back of his throat just thinking about the bloodshed this choice could inflict. But evidently there was no other option. The Ironborn had to be wiped out.
"Very well. I will keep my word. I will wipe out the Ironborn, but I will do so on my terms. No thralls will be harmed. No woman or children will be touched. All boys younger than seven and ten will be spared. The religion of the Drowned God will be wiped out", Ned said nauseously.
"Good." Bloodraven said with a smile
"In exchange, you will act as my Master of Whispers", Ned said with a glint in his eyes.
"What?"
"You are attempting to redeem your actions during the Blackfyre rebellion through me. I just agreed to be your tool. In payment, I want you to act as my eyes and ears throughout the North. If there are any plots being made, I want to know about them. If there is trouble brewing, I want to know about it. And you will swear the Northern Oath over Bronze and Iron and Ice and Fire" Ned declared.
Bloodraven was shocked. He did not expect the young wolf to take this path. This was not a conversation he had seen in any of the futures. This was not something that could be allowed to continue. Acting as a spymaster would be an easy task, however the oath of loyalty rubbed him the wrong way. After a century of freedom, swearing oaths to another house felt like a trap. But with Daenerys marrying into house Stark, he could perhaps consider them part of his family as well.
"To Winterfell I pledge the faith of Brynden Rivers, son of Aenys IV Targaryen and Melissa Blackwood. Whispers and secrets and truths I yield up to you, my lord. My sight and skill and knowledge are yours to command. Grant mercy to my niece, help to my house, and justice to all, and I shall never fail you. I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. I swear it by ice and fire." And so, Brynden Rivers, the man with a thousand eyes and one became a Master of Whispers again after a century.
"May I ask you for a favor?" Ned asked
"I have conveyed your wishes to the Children about the Pact. They are considering it. Do not push them," Bloodraven warned.
"No. I wish to see the events that led to my brother's murder. Specifically, how he found out about Lyanna being kidnapped."
"The weirwoods are sparse below the Neck. I can only see what the weirwoods witnessed. You will have to search for answers of your own. Dawn approaches and duty beckons," Bloodraven said simply.
Olenna Tyrell was not a woman who was used to surprises. She was used to predicting the movement of pieces on the great game but the pieces had moved without her permission and she was annoyed. Ned Stark, by all reports, was supposed to be the heir Jon Arryn had hoped for. Honorable, just, quiet and honest.
That did not sound like a man who would make an agreement with Tywin Lannister. After Elia and her children, it was a wonder Ned Stark even stood in the same room as Tywin without snarling like a wolf, so she had dismissed the idea as a rumor. However, when she heard that the agreement had received royal approval and word spread that Ned Stark had stared down Tywin fucking Lannister, she took notice. Having a bastard clearly showed the young Wolf was not as honorable as Jon Arryn. It was amusing to her how both boys fostered in the Vale, by a man whose house words were as 'High as Honor', had both fathered bastards.
The death of Viserys took her by shock though as it did the Seven Kingdoms. She would never have thought the new king would begin his reign by making a corpse of a child. The people of King's Landing hated their new King and Queen with a passion. The king slew innocent children and the Queen's men raped and plundered. The Baratheon dynasty was set to fall before it began.
Ned Stark became an aberration here as well. There were rumors he fought and killed Ser Arthur Dayne and claimed Dawn for House Stark. Many men doubted that having seen Arthur fight in tourneys. However, when Ned not only took on the Demon of the Trident and managed to knock him out cold for almost 2 days, the possibility of the Sword of the Morning falling in combat turned into fact. Taking away the newborn dragon as a part of the Pact of Ice and Fire was a move she couldn't help but respect. It would settle an old pact and save the child in one fell swoop.
Young Stannis Baratheon was perhaps the worst affected. The young man held Storm's End throughout a year-long siege with no food because it was his duty. However, Ned Stark gave him the duty of keeping Viserys safe and he failed. The poor boy held himself responsible for the young child's murder. He had boarded the first ship out of King's Landing and joined the Night's Watch. Jon Arryn had almost resigned as Hand but had been persuaded by the King to stay on.
Mace had made a fool out of himself numerous times in the past few months. Taking the credit for the Battle of Ashford from Lord Tarly was stupid and unnecessary. Trying to get his sister, Janna to marry the King was even more foolish. The woman was 10 years his elder and had the skills of a septa when it came to seducing men, although she did have a chest that would grab his attention. Olenna had to spread rumors that her youngest had been deflowered by a Fossoway knight. Her utter and complete Oaf of a son had married Janna to Jon Fossoway before the rumors had reached Kings Landing to do their job.
Now that that shrew Cersei had become Queen, all the ill will of the Crownlands went straight to the Lannisters. All she needed to focus on was how to curb the fool sitting in front of her. The Warden of the South had spent the last hour prattling on about nonsense and hadn't noticed nobody was listening to him. She silently gestured for Left and Right to get her some more wine. Maybe it wasn't too late for Mace to have a riding accident. She could already see that her grandson Willas had inherited her wits. The first Lord Tyrell with something other than air between his ears. "Oh Shut up Mace!"
Mace sputtered, but before he could continue his aimless chatter, a maid walked into the room and handed Olenna a piece of parchment. Her eyes widened and for the first time in her life, Olenna Tyrell nee Redwyn was taken by surprise. The Lord of House Stark had taken out a Loan from the Iron Bank to build a canal to join the Sunset sea to the Bite in the East. Dorne was about to lose all trade and the Pirates of the Stepstones would be none too happy with this. Oldtown would also suffer immensely and that would affect the Reach as a whole.
"Mace, go and get Willas. I won't waste what little breath I have left in my body to explain it to you and I need to talk to someone intelligent for a change."
Tywin was a man who was unused to wanting something and not getting it. He sat in his solar at Casterly Rock and pondered the past few months. He had asked Jamie to leave the Kingsguard and be the heir he was supposed to, but the fool boy had refused. Tywin had already seen the state of the Royal treasury after the Sack and knew the Iron Throne would soon come asking for loans. Letting go of Jamie in repayment of said loans could be arranged easily. So it was a matter of time before his heir returned to him.
As for Brightroar, no house was willing to part with their ancestral Valyrian swords and the cost of the swords in Essos were too high for him to afford. He had considered attacking the Reach as they lay siege to Storm's End and get Heartsbane from Randyll Tarly but the numbers were not in the favor of the Westerlands.
But perhaps more than a Valyrian Steel sword or the return of Jamie, Tywin wanted the perfect heir to preserve his legacy. His pride would never let the words pass his lips but in his mind, he could acknowledge that Ned Stark had all the qualities of the perfect heir. The deal he had struck with the Northern Lord made perfect sense. A port in the North would create and increase trade by a significant margin on the Western coast. Lumber and fur from the North could be brought to Lannisport to make goods.
Having Northmen on Lannister ships was something he did not like but he could not deny it made good sense to have their fighting men bleed while the Westerlands made gold through the trade. That was when a page ran into the room with a letter in hand from the Maester. He read it and his mind was wiped clean for a moment. His informant in Braavos had brought him word that House Stark was now in an agreement with the Iron Bank to build a canal a hundred miles long. The project was supposed to cost 10 million gold dragons but the interest rates alone would push the cost to 12 million dragons. Tywin pulled out an old map of the North he hadn't looked at in a while.
"Interesting", Tywin muttered.
Tywin decided to write to the Warden of the North. House Lannister would invest a large chunk of gold into the project in return for reduced prices for using the channel in the future. The Ironborn were certainly going to be a nuisance now. Tywin pulled out a paper where he kept track of most of the Valyrian steel swords in Westeros. Red Rain and Nightfall were both in the Iron Islands. There were rumors Red Rain was stolen from the Reynes in a raid by House Drumm. Nightfall was with Harras Harlaw. A combined assault from the Westerlands and the North should be enough to wipe out the Iron Islands. Tywin knew he made the right decision when the raven came from Winterfell with Ned Stark agreeing to the complete annihilation of the Ironborn. He was surprised although, when Ned Stark put forth the idea of eradicating the Ironborn culture altogether. Tywin was glad there was someone else in the realm who was willing to do what was necessary instead of what was easy and hide behind ideas of civility.
Ned sat at his desk writing down all he had learnt from Brynden Rivers. He was not comfortable with the idea of slaughtering so many men so soon after returning from war. Writing his own journal made him wonder if his father had written any journals. He asked Benjen and the two brothers searched but found Brandon's journals instead.
His brother had extensively catalogued his plan for the North. Brandon and his father had repeatedly clashed and fought over their plans for the North. Rickard kept pushing for Southern Alliances and trade agreements and Brandon advocated self-sufficiency and independence. Brandon had foreseen many complications with having a Tully as Lady Stark. The North was the last bastion left for the Worship of the Old Gods. Marrying into an Andal house would cause the smallfolk to doubt the future Lord of Winterfell and his ability to defend their faith from the foreign religion.
Ned was glad he did not allow for a Sept to be built in Winterfell. Robb already favored the Tully look with his bright red hair and blue eyes. Having religious unrest would not make his rule any easier. Ned played with the idea of teaching the Old tongue to his children. He himself had learned the runes of the First Men from House Royce during his time in the Vale. Perhaps a tutor could be found in the Mountain clans who could teach him, Ben and his children to speak it.
Brandon's diaries taught him more about his brother than he ever knew about him in person. Brandon planned on marrying Barbery Ryswell and had planned a few marriages amongst the bannermen of the North to secure peace for the coming generations. His father disagreed and fought to make marriage alliances with the great houses of the South. From what Brandon wrote of his father's plan, it seemed like Tywin, Aerys, Rickard, Jon, Brynden, Hoster and Steffon had all become friends after the Ninepenny Wars. The heirs of Lannister, Targaryen, Arryn, Tully, Stark and Baratheon had become good friends on the battlefield and laid the foundation of the largest alliance seen in Westeros.
However, after the Tragedy of Summerhall, most of House Targaryen was wiped out and Aerys lost his hold on his sanity after the Defiance at Duskendale. Steffon's death and the estrangement between Tywin and Aerys caused fractures to form between their friendships. The tourney at Harrenhal was where it all went to shit. The lords of all Great houses were planning on meeting to discuss the removal of Aerys and replace him with Rhaegar on the Iron Throne. Instead, Tywin's heir was stolen from him and put in the Kingsguard and Elia Martell was disrespected when Rhaegar crowned Lyanna as his queen of love and beauty.
Lyanna's kidnapping started off a chain of events that could not be stopped. Ned suddenly saw the tapestry of the entire rebellion in its entirety unfold before him. Ned decided Brandon had the right of it and that the North needed to be self-sufficient. The road under construction from the Stoney Shore to White Harbor would allow for faster movement of trade. Lumber from the Wolfswood could be sent by river to White Harbor for making new ships. The fishing village on the Stony Shore was often raided by the Ironborn but had enjoyed an era of peace as the Ironborn were kept on a leash by Quellon Greyjoy. A stone keep raised there could make a good location for a port city on the Western coast. A navy on the West coast would also provide protection to Bear Island from the Ironborn. Ned continued perusing the diaries for a few days before calling Benjen to his solar.
"Ben. I need you to go to White Harbor.", Ned stated
"What? Why?" Benjen asked, confused.
"Because you need to learn naval warfare and administration. You are going to be the lord of a new Port keep I'm building on the Stoney Shore. You will also be given the responsibility of leading the Western part of the Northern Navy," Ned said, his face as stoic as stone.
"Very well brother. How long will I be gone?" Benjen asked.
"As soon as Lord Manderly deems you ready, you will take half the ships and sail around Dorne. When you are in Oldtown, pick up Mark Ryswell and the friends he has collected. They are going to prove invaluable to the North," Ned replied.
"How so brother? We've already got Maester Luwin being trained as a replacement for Walys when he dies. What would you need more Measters for?" Benjen asked curiously.
"They aren't Maesters. They're the gemstones that are being discarded by the fools of the South because they see only pieces of glass in them. You will know what I speak of when the time comes," Ned said mysteriously "Come brother. Let's spar. You need to get used to Dawn. You can think of a name for your city after I knock you on your ass," Ned said as he picked up Ice.
Author's Note:
Suggestions for the name of the port on the Stoney Shore are welcome. As are names for the cadet branch Benjen will start and their House words. The sigil will be a black wolf howling with red eyes on a field of white.