I do not own any George R. R. Martin articles and or any aforementioned literary articles.
230 After Conquest
Third person pov:
Two months has pasted since planning his northern expansion. In those two months an Iron bank associate docked in Agartha port with a letter of verification from the Iron bank and lord Myke Frey saying the personal accounts, the grey towers, and the sellsword company accounts were in order.
His uncle said in the letter that he named the mercenary company the Red Tridents and that he wished to have a standard and tabards made for the company after winter has passed.
Today was the day that Walder and Alora left for the North. The caravan was made up of carts full of supplies, servants, and guards.
The caravan was close to the border of Reed lands.
Walder Frey rode ahead of the caravan on a black courser with Nymeria and Visenya sitting in front of him. This is the first time they've left the Twins or Agartha.
He stopped riding when he saw a group in the distance at the end of the road. He decided to trot back to the caravan.
"Papa where are we going again?" Nymeria asked, looking up at him.
"We are going to see your mother's family and then take a trip up north." He said, not looking down at her.
"Have you been to Mama's home before?" Visenya asked, smiling up at him.
"I haven't been before; I don't think anyone from the south has." He said, slowing the horse to a walk.
"You my little stars will be the first of the south to see Greywater watch." He said, hugging them.
They giggled at hearing him saying that.
"Is it like the Twins?" Nymeria asked
"No Greywater is unlike any castle in the Seven kingdoms or I think in Essos." He said
He stopped the horse when he spotted the caravan coming up the road. He waited for it to reach him; climbing off his horse he helped Nymeria and Visenya off of it.
The minute they touched the ground they ran to their mother who was waiting on the back of a cart with Octavia. They climbed on to the moving cart sitting with her.
"Where did you two go off to with your father?" She asked looking at them.
"Papa showed us the land on coal." Nymeria said, playing with the hem of her dress.
"Who's Coal?" Alora asked, with a confused look on her face.
"Its papa's horse." Visenya said, standing up on the cart pointing at said horse.
"He also told us about your home." She said smiling.
"Oh, what did he say about it?" She asked, while looking at their father.
"He said it was unlike any other castle in the world." Nymeria said, watching Coal trot along the side of the cart.
"What does your home look like mama?" Visenya asked, laying on her head on her mother's lap.
"Greywater watch is a castle of wood and thatch; built deep within the neck." She said, pausing for a couple seconds.
"But that's not what makes it special, Greywater watch can be here, there, and over there." She said, pointing in different directions.
"What do you mean it can be over there and over there?" Nymeria asked, pointing randomly around the place.
"No one can find Greywater watch for it is always moving never staying in the same place once." She said, looking in the distance.
She could see a group of men in the distance with the house Reed standard in the distance.
"Mama, how did it move?" Nymeria asked, with wide expectant eyes.
"Some say magic, some say by devilry, and some say by the hand of man it moves." She said, rocking Octavia.
As the caravan stopped in front of the Reed party, Alora handed Octavia to a wet nurse climbing off the cart while Walder was climbing down from his horse.
They both moved toward the party in front of the caravan, one man stepped forward.
"We're here to escort you and some of your party to Greywater." He said, bowing lowly to them.
"I brought some gifts for my good uncle." Walder said, pointing to the carts in the caravan.
They started to unload sacks, barrels, and crates off the carts onto small rowboats and on to some raffs.
Some of the party went with Walder and his family to Greywater while the rest of the party headed back to Agartha. The people that went with them were a dozen guards, and Octavia's wet nurse.
Walder planned for them stay week before heading north to the starks with a caravan filled with supplies and gifts.
As they made there way through the swamp noises came from everywhere, noises made by animals or by the movement of animals. The swamp seemed almost alive and it didn't like Walder or the other Frey men at all; he and his men were getting bit by gnats, and mosquitos; hating every minute he and his men were in the humidity of the neck.
He and his men were the only ones the seemed to be bothered by the humidity or the creatures of the neck. The bugs left Alora, his kids, wet nurse and the Reed men alone.
All the adults were quietly waiting; while the children were fast asleep.
"Now I can see why my ancestors hated the neck." Walder said, slapping a gnat on his neck.
"It's not that bad Walder, you just got to get used to it." Alora said, grabbing ahold of his hand.
"Maybe the kids don't have to meet your family." He said, swatting bugs away.
"You're the one who said they should meet my side of the family." She said, laughing at his battle with the bugs.
"The was before I knew your home was a bug infested hellhole." He growled, glaring out at the surrounding swamp.
Time skip:
When Greywater watch came into view it looked like a bunch of inter connected wood thatch homes on an island with a few small towers dotting the structure.
The rowboats pulled up to the dock of Greywater watch people and cargo began to off load on greywater.
A guard approached Walder Frey as he and his family stepped onto the dock.
"Lord Frey, lord Reed would like to speak to you in his solar." He said, motioning for him to follow.
Walder grabbed a small bundle from the boat.
He followed the guard into the main building of Greywater watch, every turn they took looked different then the last turn. Just like the Neck; Greywater watch was a labyrinth of corridors.
The guard stopped at a door with two guards on either side of it; he knocked on the door they heard, "Come in." Someone called
One of the guards on the side of the door opened the door. Walder walked past them in the solar.
The room he walked into was simplistic compared to what Walder was used too. The walls and floor were bare of any kind of decoration.
The only kind of decoration was the chair that lord Reed was sitting in. The chair was light brown with a lacquered reddish hue to it, covered in runes and scenes of men and smaller figures holding hands.
He took a seat across the desk from Lord Reed.
"Welcome lord Frey we have much to discuss." He said, pulling out three pieces of parchment from the desk.
He handed one to Walder Frey.
Walder unfolded and spent a couple minutes reading it.
The piece of parchment was a deal on the constructing a paved road replacing the dirt road of the causeway.
The deal was signed and sealed by House Stark and House Reed. House Stark wished to pay for the cost of the road materials, while house Reed would split the man power costs with house Frey.
"You and House Stark want to contract house Frey to build a road through the Neck." Walder said questioningly
Lord Reed pulled out map of the Neck.
"Yes, the road would extend from your road to the Manderly border through Moat Catlin." Lord Reed said, running his finger along the causeway.
Walder sat there for a couple minutes thinking on it; he didn't say anything just signed and sealed the three copies of the deal.
Walder kept one while Lord Reed took the other two.
"You brought gifts for House Reed?" He asked, placing the other copies in the desk.
"I thought it would be rude not to bring gifts for my host, especial since the host is my wife's family." Walder asked
"I brought crates of steel ingots, sacks of grains, casts of fresh water and wine if the winter grows tiresome." He said, placing the bundle of the desk.
"Also brought this." He said, unwrapping the bundle.
It was dagger; the thin scabbard was made of sun-bleached wood with polished bronze spiral filigree facets at either end.
The cross guard was a small oval shaped made of bronze, the handle was textured sun-bleached bone with a bronze spherical pommel.
Walder drew the dagger from its scabbard; the blade was a double edge needle point blade with wavy black lines running along the blade and a narrow fuller down the middle stopping just before the tip.
"Is that what I think it is?" Lord Reed asked, staring at the blade intently.
"No, but my smiths a started to call it Reykr steel." Walder said, sheathing the blade.
He wrapped up the blade, handing it over to Lord Reed.
"It is a gift from me to you." He said, motioning with his hand.
"Thank you, there will be a feast later." Lord Reed said, getting from his chair.
"Would you like to meet your niece's daughters?" Walder asked, standing from his chair.
"What's their names?" Lord Reed asked
"The twins Visenya, Nymeria, and are baby girl Octavia they take after their mother in looks." Walder said smiling
They left the solar making their way to rooms assigned to the Frey party.
"How long do you intend to stay?" He asked
"Only a week then head back to the twins to form a caravan then head north to Winterfell." Walder said
"The second copy of the contract will be sent to lady stark by courier by tomorrow." Lord Reed said
"Could you pass on a message to her that I will be bringing a gift to her?" He asked
Reaching the rooms, they entered the room that was Walder's and Alora's room; Alora was sitting up on the bed telling the twins and little Octavia a story.
The book she was reading was pieces of parchment sewn together. The pages of the book were filled with the legends and myths from Walders original world.
She started to read new story.
This is the story of mankind's greatest friend and this friend was named Prometheus.
One day the greatest of the gods took fire from mankind. The world of man was plunged into darkness, the beasts and monsters of the darkness came again.
They cried out from the darkness; crying out for any to hear them, to help them, to save them."
Prometheus heard their pleas, saw their despair; answering them he snuck up the mountain of the gods to the top.
Taking from the fire from the gods hearth, he returned to the world of man returning to man the gift of fire.
Man rejoiced at the return of fire, the beasts and monsters of the world were sent back to the edges of the world.
While man rejoiced, the gods raged at being stolen from.
The king of the gods took Prometheus far into the east, far from any who would help him.
Prometheus was chained on a rock at the top of a mountain.
Every day his liver would be torn out by giant eagle, at sunset he would die, at sunrise he would come back.
He was condemned to live on, to suffer for all time, waiting to be freed from his hell.
She closed the book, looking around she saw Walder and her uncle in the door way.
Visenya and Nymeria along with Octavia were fast asleep.
She placed the book to the side, getting up with Octavia placing her in the crib wrapped up.
Walder walked to the bed picking up Visenya and Nymeria. He walked to the room next to their room, placing them into the bed pooling a blanket over them.
He walked back to the room, Alora and Lord Reed were gone left to catch up.
Taking his clothes off, putting out the lights in the room he climbed to bed.