Winterhold, Skagos, 8th moon of 278AC
Winterhold was much calmer after the wedding; the prince and the Lords left the island two days after the wedding feast. Ragnar and Dacey saw every single one of them out; the lords of the western part of The North were happy as many of them bought grains for the rest of the winter; Ragnar charged the minimum amount possible, only enough to pay for the farmers' works and the logistics, the grains were almost 600% cheaper than the grains bought from the Reach and Riverlands, which made the lords of The North realize how much they were being taken advantage of. Ragnar began to formulate a plan to give each one of the 15 "great" houses of the north a new form of industry.
Ragnar was walking down the Redwater's riverside with Dacey by his side. Dacey, as the new Lady Dovahkiin, had the duty of listening to the Daily reports of the Island, usually given by Davos; unfortunately, the same was unavailable as he was inspecting Kingshousetown port; the report of the day was being provided by Maester, who looked extremely nervous for some reason.
" The tax reform you applied is proving to be really effective, the smallfolk are happy as they now only pay tax over their income, and the merchants are happy as they only pay 15% of their profit and not a 20% tax over everything. This brought a great influx of merchants, and the trade had a big boom. The amount of gold you will receive from taxes will be 8% more than the amount you got last year… that not counting the new residents from the Boltonlands." The Maester said.
"Good, it's a little less than I expected, but I guess that's because this is the first year since the reforms were made; next year, the growth will be up to 15%. You may proceed with the report," Ragnar said.
" Kingshouse town is getting a large number of Myrish immigrants, that usually would not be a problem, but those immigrants worship the Red God. This is making all residents a little apprehensive about them." The Maester continued
" R'hllor has no power here; only the Old Gods do. They will soon understand that, and they will abandon their Red God. Also, let the steward know that no Red Priest is allowed on my Island. What kind of jobs are the Myrish taking?" Ragnar asked
" They mainly work in the mines; a few are educated enough to help your schools. A select few are working with the shipwrights. None of them tried to work in the glass factory." The maester replied
" Any spies?" Dacey asked seriously, her blue eyes looking tempestuous yet calm; her face had a bright to it; she had her hair braided, something Ragnar thought attractive on her.
" No, my lady. The "Enemy wardstone" set by Lord Dovahkiin let master Davos and a few captains of the Dragonguard know about them. Last moon, we caught 20 spies, seven from the Westerlands, five from the new master of whispers, three from the reach, and five from Dorne." The maester replied.
" Good. Ragnar, my uncle Jeor, asked if we could sell a few Whaler ships to Bear Island; hunting the grey whales of the sunset sea could be a great source of food and income for my homeland." Dacey asked; Ragnar noticed she didn't look nervous or apprehensive she had a hopeful expression and actually looked happy as if she knew Ragnar wouldn't refuse her, her nose was slightly red from the cold, and her raven hair had a few snowflakes on it, which made her look rather cute in Ragnar's eyes.
" When you have time, talk to Davos, ask him about the value of a whaler ship, ask him about the time and cost to build one and how many men it takes to operate one. Take all that into consideration, and if you think it is doable to sell one of those to your uncle, you can do it. You don't need to ask me permission to do anything; the only thing I want is to know about your plans, and if I have anything to say, be it negative or positive, I will let you know." Ragnar said, his eyes showing that he wasn't lying. His black hair, just like Dacey's, looked darker with the snow. His black clothes, which seemed to be Ragnar's favorite color after a specific tone of pink usually found in a wonderful place in Dacey's body, were covered by a red cloak, which had a few snowflakes on it. He looked handsome as he stood tall and proud.
"Thank you, husband! I'll do as you say. My uncle will understand if we are unable to sell him a few ships, he would be disappointed, but he would understand." Dacey said, and Ragnar smiled at her.
" You may proceed, Maester," Ragnar said, and the maester nodded
" The road work in Skane began; it will take longer than usual as the workers don't want to sleep on the Island. The same could be said about the builders working on building houses. The Skagossi of pure Skagossi decent don't want to work there as they feel ashamed of their ancestor's deeds." The maester said with some uneasiness in his voice.
" That was to be expected... I will talk to them. Their ancestors were the ones that destroyed the place, but they will be the ones to rebuild it. You seem rather uneasy, man. What is the problem? Did something happen?" Ragnar asked; his face had a slight frown on it.
"Hum... Well. The Citadel sent a Raven informing me that they will be calling me back and will assign a new maester to be on your service. They say my links are not enough to make me a maester of a Great House such as House Dovahkiin. My lack of report on how you forge Valyrian Steel is also a reason... Although they would never admit it to you, my lord." The maester said he looked offended and sad.
" That's troublesome... The Citadel will most likely send a spy to replace you. They probably want to have the secret to Skyforge steel. They will fail, as will anyone who tries to take this secret from me. Write a letter to the Citadel demanding Archmaester Marwyn or Maester Qyburn either one is acceptable. Other than those two, any maester will be denied here." Ragnar calmly said, " Your order is trying to fight against the world's will. They shall lose. Magic is reborn." He continued; his eyes were distant as if they were looking into magic itself. The maester looked confused, which was natural; he was just an unlucky person who was sent to this once forsaken land; he wasn't important enough to learn about the maester's conspiracy.
" My lord… you cannot demand a specific maester; only the conclave decides who goes where." The maester said, and Ragnar smiled; his eyes showed an unhealthy amount of amusement.
" They will send who I ask… they really want to know about the Skyforge Steel forging method. They'll want to know if magic is involved and if so, they will want to find a way to dispose of my family and me." Ragnar replied, his eyes losing the amusement they previously had; the wind blew against his face making his hair move with it.
" Anything else?" Ragnar asked
" Aye. The Sisterman attacked a whaler ship of ours, the battle-ships were able to stop them, but we lost one of them. The sailors are asking for retaliation. Master Davos compensated the whalemen's families." The Maester said, and Ragnar nodded.
" Send a raven to Jon Arryn, ask him to take care of his vassals; I will even help if he needs but should one more man lose his life due to his neglect, I will declare war on The Three Sisters. Do be polite; he is a war veteran and hero, after all. Anyways tell the sailors to up the intensity of their battle training." Ragnar said.
"If you go to war, I will go with you, husband. You called me a shield-maiden, and now I'm yours shield-maiden," Dacey said, and Ragnar chuckled, which made Dacey get a little mad, and Ragnar wisely chose to explain himself.
" Don't be mad at me, wife. I didn't mean to discourage or mock you. I just find it amusing, not for the reason you might be thinking." Ragnar said, and Dacey slowly and reluctantly nodded.
" Is that all, Maester?" Ragnar asked after a few seconds of silence
" Aye… I fear that the last thing I have to say is the worse one. The man who had his tongue ripped apart in the Boltonlands finally learned how to write. He said that Lord Bolton took his tongue. He claimed that Lord Bolton killed his good-brother and raped his sister beneath her husband's corpse, he saw all happening, and once Lord Bolton learned about his presence, he took the man's tongue." The Maester said, and Ragnar went stiff; he looked at Dacey, who nodded and said.
" Call the banners and prepare my army. Send a Raven to Lord Stark. Once we get his answer, we march on the Dreadfort. Tell the poor man that he will have his justice. Lord Bolton will not see the end of this year alive." Ragnar said, his voice was deep and seemed to hold an exponential amount of hate. Seeing her husband mad was something new to Dacey, but he looked really good when angry. She bit her lips, and Ragnar saw that, he slapped her on the butt, which made her whelp a little.
" Go get your gears ready, Shield-maiden. We march as soon as Lord Stark sends his positive reply. It's time for The Realm to know a fraction of Skagos power." Ragnar said, and Dacey nodded and said
" Aye, Lord Husband. But I'll need your help with something… you see… my shield needs some repairs… I think you are the only person who can help me out," She whispered in Ragnar's ears, and he grinned like a wolf.
" Go, Maester, I and my wife have a few… things to settle. There are some shields and spears to be repaired. We meet again when Lord Stark's answer arrives." Ragnar said as he began to walk back to Frostfall's holdfast, which was one of the few parts of the building ready to be used.
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Winterfell, The North, 8th Moon of 278 AC
General POV
Winterfell was waking up with the roost crow as it always did; the kitchens were full of servants, some getting the breakfast done for the people in the ancient Castle, some cleaning, and some moving things around. The Stark household was slowly getting their morning routines done without issue, as it usually happens. The citizens of Wintertown, just like the servants in Winterfell, were beginning their day, and even in the middle of winter, the small town was functioning relatively well. That was probably the most accessible winter in many years; the taxes paid by House Dovahkiin and the crops they sold at the smallest of prices made it so. With House Dovahkiin's providing food at an accessible price for a significant part of the eastern lands of The North, House Stark had a little bit more gold to spend within its lands; allowing House Stark to invest in sending scouts to search for possible precious metals on the mountains, House Stark knew of at least three silver mines in the mountains, but due to the amount of gold needed to feed the people during winter and the process of getting ready for winter, House Stark couldn't afford any mining ventures, but now things have changed, and they will get even better once the mages got back from their training. The future was bright for the North, more so as House Dovahkiin's gift for House Stark arrived a few moons ago in the form of a large stash of Glass, with enough material to make five glasshouses.
Rickard Stark POV
Rickard Stark woke up alone in his bed. His Lady wife was long gone from this world, he missed her dearly, but he knew he would soon meet her again in the afterlife. Although he missed his wife, life wasn't joyless for him; his children were growing into fine individuals, Brandon was beginning to understand the responsibility of being Lord Stark, Lyanna was becoming a beautiful young woman, and Eddard's honorable nature was known throughout The Vale, and soon it would be known throughout The North and Benjen would be a great lord and a legendary swordsman, according to Lord Dovahkiin, his skill with the Sword would become legendary, like those of Arthur Dayne and Lord Dovahkiin himself. Rickard couldn't help but think that the best decision he had ever made was to make Ragnar Dovahkiin the lord of Skagos. The man was wise, strong, and powerful, but above all else, he was a good man. A man who cared about his subjects and respected them, the man in a few years made more good to the North than most Lords in all their lives. Ragnar Dovahkiin was a man of peace. Peace, fire, Sky, those were his house's words, he tried to find a hidden meaning to those words, but apparently there wasn't. It was as simple as it could be. Peace, Fire, Sky. Peace.
Once Rickard got out of his bed and did his morning rituals, he went straight to the Great Keep, where he would usually have breakfast with his family. The food was good, fresh crops and fresh meat, all bought from Skagos, which in these last years became house Stark's greatest treading partner.
Lyanna, the little bugger hugged him as soon as she saw him; she was highly affectionate that one; ever since her best friend and brother left for Skagos, she's been more clingy than usual, but that was something he could live with.
" Papa, you got to try this potato! It's soooo good! Lord Dovahkiin was right about it!! It's the old god's food!!!" She said she had stars on her eyes, "so cute," Rickard thought, not that he would ever say it out loud; she wouldn't like it a bit.
" You mean potato? Aye, it's perfect; one can do almost everything with it. Ragnar even said it would be good if one baked it with animal fat." Rickard replied as he got some potato on his bow
" Aye, Father, William and I tried it, and it was perfect; we even got some salt on it. It tasted perfect." Brandon said, and Rickard smiled at his eldest.
" Lord Dovahkiin is a resourceful man, sage indeed," Brandon continued as he nodded.
It was at that moment that Maester Willys walked inside the Great Keep with a message on his hand; he looked extremely nervous as if he had received the worses of news
" My lord, I bring grave news! Lord Dovahkiin has called his banners, Houses Stane, Crowl, and Seasworth… he wishes to match on the Dreadfort… He says Lord Bolton has committed grave crimes and needs to be brought to justice," The Maester said, and a small smile appeared on Rickard's face; he knew it was just a matter of time before the benevolent Lord of Skagos and the Leech Lord became enemies.
" What is Ragnar accusing the Boltons of? Flaying someone?" Rickard asked calmly
" My lord… I don't think it's wise to… say such things in the presence of… hum. Children or woman." The Maester said nervously, and Rickard nodded
" Lyanna out… the maids as well. Brandon, you stay and listen; JUST LISTEN!" Rickard said, and no one protested as the finality tone of Rickard's voice showed that he would accept no refusals.
" Right here, my lord." The Maester said as he presented Lord Stark with the message, who took it and read it… he looked disgusted by the contents of the letter, but his stoic face hid much of it
" So it's the wall, or Lord Bolton becomes a eunuch… he wouldn't accept that as he is the last Bolton alive. There will be war. Fuck Ragnar, couldn't you wait for me to summon the man here?" Rickard mused out loud, but then he realized something, Ragnar wasn't asking for help, only permission. While it is true that Skagos could raise a 12.000 strong army, most of it were the sailors of the Dovahkiin's fleet.
" He's not asking for reinforcements… he's just asking for permission, but how will he do it… House Bolton can raise an army of 3 thousand strong… small compared to Skagos, it's a good number to protect a castle on a siege. What will Ragnar do? There's only one way to find out… Maester Willys sent a reply to Lord Dovahkiin, tell him that I allow his march on the Dreadfort, but tell him that if he dies, I will kill him." Rickard said, and the Maester nodded; he then rushed out of the Great Keep
Ragnar POV
Ragnar opened his eyes to see a beautiful face with the bluest of eyes looking at him; the look wasn't that of love but one of admiration or respect. Dacey Mormont was a beautiful woman, a headstrong woman, but a beautiful one nonetheless. She seemed to be looking at him for quite a while, and she also seemed lost in thought, as if she was having a vision of sorts; it took a few moments for her to realize that Ragnar's eyes were open as well, black as obsidian and with intelligence that seemed to not belong to the eyes of a 7'2 tall man. Ragnar was strong; that was an undisputed fact, but his greatest weapon was his mind, at least that's what Dacey thought; little did she know that Ragnar's greatest weapon was a shit ton of strength, capable of holding the sky itself and destroy mountains with ease.
" My husband, how was your sleep? Although we didn't have much of it last night… I must say, marriage does have its perks. Especially the part where I thrash you on the field, and you can't hit me back because I'm your wife." Dacey joked, and Ragnar chuckled a little.
" Aye… some perks it has. My sleep was good; what came before it made it so. Get up, my beautiful wife…let's go and get some breakfast." Ragnar said as he got up, blissfully uncaring about his nakedness. Dacey did the same, although she had some garments on her.
It didn't take long for them to get to the main hall of Frostfall; the food was already being served when they got there, which made Ragnar wish to kiss the servants.
Ragnar and Dacey were having a heated conversation about Morningstars and Battle-axes when the Maester entered the hall with a letter in his hand; he handled the letter to Ragnar, nodded, and walked out of the main hall.
" Lord Stark allowed us to capture Lord Bolton and secure the Dreadfort on House Stark's name. We have been ready for this ever since the ravens flew to Winterfell. Lord Stane and Crowl are In Jorrvaskr; they are just waiting for my command. It shall be given shortly. This siege will be a fast one, or so I hope; unfortunately can't kill Lord Bolton, but the wall and castration will have to work just fine." Ragnar said, and Dacey nodded.