"I've just received word from the last of the lords that your teams have been received and have begun their work."

Benjen nodded once, eyes still on the enlarged map of the North that was on the desk in his brother's solar. With his new gold, Ned had commissioned a brand new map of his lands that was three times as large as the previous one that their father had decorating his wall when he was still alive, and much more detailed. Not that there was much detail to add for now, but with any luck, that would change. This new map marked every farm, every town and village, every keep and ruin, but the most prominent thing that the map showed at the moment was all the empty flatland that was still unused. The plan was to update the map over the years as they moved to change the North.

"Good, that means we will be ready for the next crop sowing in a few months."

"You've done good work." Ned complimented. "We will be able to at least double our farmland before the crops are sown, and after the harvest we may be able to extend it even further."

"I hope you kept that cartographer nearby." the younger brother joked, finally raising his head to look at Ned. "And what of everything else? You have news?"

This time it was Ned that nodded once, eyes lowering to them map. "Aye. The materials have arrived at Moat Cailin and construction on the canal will commence within the next few weeks."

The canal. The first of Lord Stark's great plans and the cheapest excluding the irrigation network. Master DeLorne had been questioned in detail on the canals of Braavos and he had assured them that though the distance was greater than any of the others he had built, the master architect would be able to cut from Moat Cailin to White Harbour, joining the Fever River to sea. This would allow an increase in trade and naval travel, reducing the time it took for ships carrying precious and perishable food from the Reach to arrive in the North as well as making the North more defendable. Once the canal was complete, strong ironwood gates would be erected to control the use of the canal and a small toll would have to be payed for any non-Northern ships wishing to use it. Enemy ships would be completely trapped with no choice but to turn around and go home, preventing the risk of invasion.

"How many men does DeLorne have?"

"A thousand from Winterfell to start with, and I have petitioned every lord to send at least a hundred each. Hopefully they are on their way and by the time the work starts he will have over 3000 men under his command. He states that he can get it completed in six to eight months."

A whistle sounded from Benjen's mouth and he raised an eyebrow. "He works fast."

"Either that or he overestimates his capabilities, but I doubt it." Ned responded, a smile gracing his lips as he thought of how fast everything was moving.

Already, hundreds of men had come from all over the Known World at Prince Oberyn's request and were now being hosted in Wintertown and provided for by Lord Stark until he had a need of them, though more than a few had already been dispatched across the North. The gold was steadily pouring in from Dorne and financing Ned's projects. The North was in a flurry of movement like never before as irrigation networks were set up, carts of seed and grain arrived at each town in preparation for the crop sowing, materials were being shipped from all over the kingdom to Moat Cailin and the Forresters were chopping down their precious ironwood at a rate they had previously been hesitant to work at, all on the instruction of a second son who had the misfortune of having his elders die before their time.

"The scouts have also been sent out." Lord Stark continued after a short moment of silence.

"Scouts?"

"Aye, the Westerlanders."

And hadn't that been a surprise, when vassals to the man who had ordered the murder of the Dornish Princess had arrived at Winterfell, claiming to be here at the request of their good friend Oberyn. Apparently, the Martells had once hoped to marry Princess Elia to Jaime Lannister and had spent months at Casterly Rock while a betrothal was discussed. Needless to say, it hadn't gone through and the Lannisters were later responsible for Elia's death, but during those few months Oberyn had made some life long friends, it seemed.

A few hundred men, all of them experienced in mining and prospecting for hidden wealth had been welcomed to Winterfell with great enthusiasm until they had been dispatched far and wide to find any hidden caches of wealth that had been missed by the Starks of old. The North had plenty of mines, but apart from the silver mines at White Harbour, these were all iron, copper and tin. Certainly useful, but not much help when it came to trade and wealth building. In a land as vast and diverse as the North, one would expect there to be many more minerals and jewels beneath their feet, but none of Ned's forefathers had found any. Hopefully the Westerlander experts would have better luck.

"Good," Benjen responded. "hopefully they'll find something worthwhile and we'll have something more to trade. Any idea when we can expect them to have completed the scouting?"

Ned hummed for a moment as he thought over that question. "Perhaps a year or so? There were 30 teams each sent in different directions but they have a lot of work ahead of them."

"Well let's hope it doesn't take too much longer than that. Winter is coming."

"Soon." he agreed. "We'd better get going, the guests will arrive soon."

This brought a smile to Ned's face once more. As tradition dictated, the Lords of the North were making their way to Winterfell in honour of the heir's first name day. There would be a feast and gifts and a great celebration in Winterfell over the next few days, and Ned had made sure everyone understood that they would not just be celebrating Robb, but Jon also. After all, if he had anything to say about it, they would both be the future Kings in Westeros, and he would ensure their first name day celebration would be something to be remembered. This was one of the only occasions during which the Starks didn't mind spending precious gold on luxury and frivolities, and he had heard that even the Dornish had included some gifts for the boys in their monthly payment, which would be arriving with the Manderlys later during the day.

The castle had been a flurry of activity as the servants scurried about, getting everything ready for the occasion under the sharp eye of Lady Stark.

She had greatly adapted to her role as the Lady of the castle, Ned thought as he made his way through the corridors. Organising the servants, ordering hunts and overseeing the decoration of the castle; she had been just as busy as he had, and he was extremely pleased that not once had she needed any aid, though of course the steward was still with her constantly, providing advice and knowledge on which servant did what. Their marriage was going well, for all they had been strangers when they first stood at the altar, and not only had he been welcomed back to her bed with eagerness rather than resignation, she had also agreed after some hesitation to have another small wedding ceremony in front of a heart tree, so that they were bound in the eyes of the Old Gods as well as the new. This had endeared her quite a bit to the bannermen and the household servants, and Ned was certain their future would be a happy one.

Long had Winterfell not felt a woman's touch, as Ned's mother Lyarra had died in childbed almost 16 years ago, and in that time the castle had grown gloomy and sad. Now that there was a Lady Stark once more, colourful tapestries hung on the walls, paintings of long dead Starks had been retrieved from the stores where Ned's father had hidden them in a fit of depression and grief, healthy green plants and sweet smelling flowers were at every corner and Winterfell once more looked light, as it had during his childhood. All in place for the name day celebration but Ned hoped most of the changes would remain once the guests had left.

Taking a few hours to bathe and ready themselves for their guests, the Starks were ready just in time for the first of the Lords to arrive. The afternoon passed quickly, with everyone hurrying between welcoming guests in the courtyard and walking them up to their rooms in the castle, exchanging news as they went. One after the other, parties from all over the North arrived, accompanied by small carts and carriages that carried provisions and gifts for the Starks and their boys. Before long, the sky had turned dark and everyone found themselves in the great hall enjoying their meal as they caught up.

It was loud and it was busy, a dozen servants hurried around the room as they fetched food and alcohol and the lords laughed loudly, Lord Umber the first among them as he slammed his mug of ale to the table with a great roar every time Lord Glover spoke. Despite the noise and the slight smell of sweat, Ned wouldn't wish to be anywhere else. Great smiles shone on everyone's face as they dug into their meals with gusto, though the feast would be the next day; tonight the tables were laden with simple stews, platters of sausages, roast potatoes and green vegetables. Just a regular Northern meal, apart from the trays of pitta and garlic bread that the Dornish had provided the recipe for a few months ago. Ned had sent books on the Old Tongue in thanks.

"Ned!" GreatJon Umber roared as he made his way up to the high table where the Starks ate.

"Lord Umber, welcome! How are you?"

"Sloshed as a pig in wine!" the large man stumbled slightly as he raised his head in laughter, spilling some of his ale as he went. "Not everyday our Lord's heir celebrates their first name day! Lady Stark! Love what you've done with the place!"

With a great slap on the shoulder that left his dainty wife coughing, Lord Umber returned to his seat while Ned hurriedly pushed a cup of water towards Catelyn.

Multiple times over the evening, various Lords came to the high table to pay their respects and have a short conversation with their Lord that mainly revolved around the men that were setting up the irrigation network and those that Ned had requested be sent south to Moat Cailin. It was with great relief that he and Catelyn fell into bed that night, too exhausted to even change into their night clothes.

The next day was not very eventful, as most of the men had hangovers from the night before and it wasn't until mid morning that everyone was finally awake and out of their chambers. Some went to the training yard to spar while a few of the Ladies watched, some borrowed a few horses to go for a ride, a few ladies sat on the benches in the courtyard enjoying the sunshine and sewing as they watched young children run around picking flowers and playing games. Little Dacey Mormont at just five years old managed to sneak past the kennel master to see the pups that had been born just a few months ago, accidentally leaving the door open which resulted in a one hour chase around the castle to find the pups and return them to the kennel.

That evening, however, was the celebration, and if Ned thought the previous evening's dinner was loud then he was not prepared for the actual feast. Even before the event actually started the noise was loud enough that one had to shout to be heard by the person sat just next to them. The sun had set once more, the candles had been lit and the drink had been distributed, and Ned finally brought his fingers to his lips to sound out a loud whistle that was heard over the loud cries of the lords.

"My Lords!" he began once everyone had turned their attention to him. "Thank you for coming to celebrate the first name day of my son and nephew. The past few years have been hard, losing both our lord and our heir before going into a bloody war that lost us many other able bodied men. But death gives way to life and in the past year that the war has been over, the North has begun to grow once again. Winter is coming, but us Northerners are not easily cowed. We will rebuild, we will grow and we will endure!"

The speech had the Lords and Ladies in the room screaming with approval as they raised their mugs in toast, clapping each other on the back and shaking each other's shoulders until Ned once more called for attention.

"As tradition dictates," Lord Stark continued. "a feast has been prepared for today's celebration, and believe me my Lords, tonight's feast would have even the pampered southerners salivating with desire! Thanks to the gold earned from our new alliance with Dorne, the North will prosper like never before and the food you will see tonight will be the first evidence of this. But first, in celebration to Robb and Jon, the first of a post-war generation... the gifts!"

A roar sounded throughout the hall once again and Lord Stark took a seat in his intricately carved chair next to his wife who was holding both boys. Mugs were being drained and servants were bringing chests and cloth wrapped gifts to their lords so that they may present them to the Starks. The first to step forward was Jeor Mormont, Lord of Bear Island.

"Lord and Lady Stark," he began, bowing his head to each of them as he stepped forward with his package. "in celebration of the new life that has blessed the Starks, I gift each boy a cloak made from the best bear fur my island has to offer."

The cloth was immediately moved to the side to reveal the thick brown fur of the cloaks. Both Ned and his wife reached out and grabbed a cloak each, marvelling at the quality.

"Not a single hole." Catelyn murmured as she ran her hands through it.

"Aye, my Lady. Our best archers were dispatched and shot the beasts in the eye so as to not compromise the hide." Lord Mormont responded, bowing once more with a proud smile.

"Thank you, Jeor. The gift is greatly appreciated and will be immensely useful in future winters."

Next was Lord Bolton, who stepped forward and presented a pair of leather rolls that each contained a dozen knives of different size and shape, all finely crafted and beautifully designed. Even the leather sheath had patterns decorating it, different for each child: running wolves for Robb and snowflakes for Jon, an allusion to their last names no doubt. Once again, the Starks thanked the man and he stepped down to allow another to take his place. It continued for almost an hour, lords and ladies stepping forward to the high table to deposit their gifts. There were cloaks, riding breeches, weapons; lords Glover and Forrester had clearly coordinated as the first gave a pair of swords with wolf hilts, one black and the other white and the latter gave matching scabbards, Lord Reed gave a crate full of salves and pastes and Lord Ryswell stepped forward empty handed but announced that two of his best bred foals were waiting in the stables for the boys to grow up. There were a few age appropriate gifts such as the wolf plushies that Lady Dustin had made or the rattle toys from one of the Wull girls.

The most surprising gift, however, came from Dorne, as Lord Manderly stepped forward to take his turn.

"My Lord and Lady Stark," he bowed. "I bring the boys rolls of the most delicate silk from the Summer Isles."

The large man leaned forward to pass the rolls on to Ned, who marvelled at the feel of the expensive fabric. Silk was a luxury that could be made only in the hottest of regions, Dorne included, but silk from the Summer Isles was known for its superior quality and durability, it was not cheap at all and here he had just been handed two whole three meter rolls of it, each roll being a different colour of the Stark sigil: grey and white.

"Lord Manderly... thank you! This is a most generous gift!" Ned choked out while his wife was still staring slack jawed at the fabric in her hands.

"Nothing is too much for the heir to the North!" the merman responded, standing straight with pride. "I also bring a gift from the Martell Princes of Dorne: a book on the magics of the First Men for young Robb, and a book on Ancient Valyria for little Jon."

Once again, Lord Manderly leant forward to hand the books over and Ned saw that these were ancient tomes, bound in leather and incredibly well preserved. Looking at the titles, he had never heard of books such as these and it wasn't too far of a stretch to believe that they were the only copies in the world.

"Additionally," the Lord continued. "they sent a crate each of chocolate, strawberries and bananas, along with a recipe for a type of dessert that they have recently discovered with the help of our ice. I hope you do not mind, my Lord, but I have already passed these on to the cooks and requested that they be served at the feast."

"Of course! What better time to try a new delicacy than when all the Lords of the North are gathered together?" Ned answered, finally tearing his eyes away from the ostentatious gifts that he had just been handed. Standing from his chair, he once more addressed the room. "My Lords, on behalf of my boys I thank you for your gifts and generosity today. This week marks the one year anniversary of my sister's death and the end of the war, as well as the birth of a new generation. I hope you will join me in praying that our children know only happiness and prosperity. And now, the feast!"

Suddenly, doors all around the room opened as servants entered, those coming from behind the high table quickly taking possession of the various gifts to move them to another location while on the other end of the room dozens of women came in carrying platters of food as men and women all around them cheered at the sight. And Lord Stark did not lie, with their new found gold, he had allowed himself this one splurge and had gone all out on the feast.

There was honeyed boar, roast venison, chicken stuffed with truffles and cream sauce, spicy jalapeno calamari, stuffed peppers and the best Arbour Gold and Dornish Red. The tables groaned under the weight of all the food and the nobles in the room made sure to try a bit of everything. Over by the far table, the was a concerned cry from Lady Dustin as her father turned red and began spluttering after trying the calamari, before he poured the entire pitcher of Arbour Gold down his throat, much to the amusement of Maege and Jeor Mormont. It would be impossible for everyone to eat the entirety of the food, Ned knew, there was just too much, and he had already arranged for the servants to save the leftovers and take them to feed the poor of Wintertown the next day.

Still, the lords and ladies ate until they were lethargic from overeating, more than a few of them groaning and holding their stomachs. Lady Stark smartly ordered the servants to wait another hour before they brought out desert, to allow everyone a bit of a break from eating. Most took advantage of this to go for a stroll in the courtyard and fill their lungs with outside air to stop themselves from vomiting, and so the party was temporarily relocated.

When the desserts were finally brought out, it was late enough that those in the hall once more had eager expression on their faces, and some had even already taken a hold of their cutlery in anticipation of the delicious sweetness that would come. Once again, Ned did not disappoint as lemon cakes, honey cakes, and sweet sugared waffles were brought out, along with trays upon trays of mugs that contained a very thick and ice cold mixture of either pink, brown or yellow. While the other platters were placed in strategic areas on the table for everyone to reach, the servants served each lord and lady one personal mug of the new desert. At the high table, Ned himself got a pink one, while Catelyn and Benjen got brown and yellow respectively and they each took delicate and wary sips.

The concoction was delightful, a cold and creamy dessert that was thick enough to fill the stomach and with plenty of flavour. Murmurs rang across the hall as each of the guests took their own tastes and also wondered at the new delicacy, clearly the gift from Dorne that Manderly had announced earlier. Calling over the head kitchen servant, Ned asked her to tell everyone what exactly it was:

"It is a milkshake, my Lords." She replied. "Made with milk, ice and either strawberries, melted chocolate or bananas for the flavour, all whisked and shaken until it froths."

Ingenious. Simple, though the ingredients for the flavouring were all grown in the far south and were quite expensive, chocolate especially, but the outcome was quite delicious and would definitely be a hit everywhere in the Known World, bringing Dorne plenty of gold as the foremost traders of chocolate and bananas, as well as the North for the ice of course. They only needed for news of the new dessert to spread and they would be receiving ravens by the hundreds.