If one was to look at a map of the North, all they would see would be vast, empty land with a few keeps dotted here and there, most of which were ruins like Moat Cailin or the Stony Keep. The largest kingdom in Westeros that had an abundance of fields, rivers, forests and lakes and yet it all remained unused and undeveloped apart from a few farms. Everything else remained empty.
Of course, those were the maps at the Citadel. The one in the Lord's solar at Winterfell, however, gave quite a different report.
Farmland had quadrupled thanks to the irrigation system the Northerners had adopted from Dorne, allowing the North to harvest enough crops to actually feed their people, though of course they would still need to trade with the South for anything that required a warmer climate to grow, but they had managed to reduce their spending on food by two thirds. A canal now cut across the Neck, further reducing the cost of any trade from the Reach and the Westerlands. New villages and small towns had cropped up near the Bay of Seals and the Bay of Ice and Karhold, Last Hearth and Bear Island had seen a rise in population as more people moved to where the work was. And most importantly, mines had begun to appear all over the kingdom.
The prospectors that had moved North at Prince Oberyn's request had made their sweep of the land and returned within a year as Ned had expected, with reports that told of great wealth beneath their feet. Not as much as one would expect of such a vast and varied land, but it was still there: amber in the caves on Bear Island, emeralds in the rivers of Stony Shore, rubies at Flint Cliffs, marble on Skagos and finally gold in Long Lake and the White Knife. Almost every House in the North had something on their territory that could be mined, making Ned Stark rise in favour with each of his bannermen as all he requested was 5% of the profits they all made. So the mines were built and the men got to work excavating the riches, but nothing was traded yet.
Instead, they waited for the white ravens of the citadel to be dispatched.
Since the leaking of milkshakes by Dorne, every other kingdom in Westeros barring the Iron Islands had requested trade with the North, further increasing their wealth, especially once Ned publicised the many other uses of their ice. Three ships per month were sent to the Reach alone, doubling the monthly revenue of those Northern Houses involved and kickstarting a regular correspondence of ravens between Lord Stark and the Tyrells of High Garden as they considered a deeper alliance. Multiple times had Ned turned down betrothal offers for his son and brother, and even one for Jon! The revenue from this trade went towards expanding the ice cutting villages in the northernmost bays and Lord Stark's many projects. Already, the canal was completed, Moat Cailin was a third of the way done, 30 war galleys had been built at White Harbour and the mines had been set up. Those Lords who received payment from the ice trade, the Starks included, had repaired, renovated and expanded their castles and towns, and Ned did have to admit that some of the money was spent on frivolities: new dresses for Catelyn, statues and paintings to decorate Winterfell, new books for the library and more southern fruits with their meals.
But all of that trade stopped once winter came almost three years after the end of the Rebellion, as the weather turned too cold for the icy desserts the south loved so much. Ice was only needed for preservation and medicinal purposes and surprisingly, this only encompassed a fifth of their usual sales. That was when the Northern Lords began trading their gold and gems, negating any loss of revenue they may have experienced. Once again, trading ships flocked to White Harbour to deliver gold in exchange for jewels, but their greatest hit by far was the marble from Skagos. Once the King demanded a great marble statue of himself holding his hammer, all of the southern Lords needed to emulate him and the beautiful stone was shipped in droves.
That winter was perhaps the least difficult in history. More food in their stores, more gold in their coffers and renovated castles ensured that everyone was kept safe from the cold and starvation that usually plagued the North during winter. Even the smallfolk was safe, as Winterfell had more than enough coin to go around and any struggling peasant was welcome to petition the Starks for aid without worrying about paying it back later.
"What kind of Lord would I be if I allowed my people to die when there is so much I can do to prevent it?" Lord Stark would say.
Yes, Ned Stark was dedicated to his people and his land, but his ultimate goal was the return of the Kings of Winter and the restoration of the Targaryens on the Iron Throne, which was why just a few months into winter, after a whole year of trading ravens with the Tyrells of the Reach, he travelled south to meet with them in person, leaving Benjen as the Stark in Winterfell to look after Robb and Jon.
There had been plenty of deliberation and hesitation, numerous ravens between Ned and the Martells on whether they should include the Tyrells on their plans or not and more ravens between the North and the Reach to sound them out. Considering the number of betrothal offers Mace Tyrell had sent, it was safe to assume that they were willing to enter into an alliance, even if Ned had turned down each offer. So it was agreed with Doran that the sooner the Tyrells were told of their plans the better, lest they grow some loyalty for the new Baratheon dynasty, but it had to be done in person. Prince Oberyn was already a guest of High Garden by the time Ned arrived and had made a few allusions to their plans, but it was agreed that they would wait until all parties were present before exposing the full plan.
High Garden was certainly impressive. Great white walls and shining towers, the castle was one of three that Brandon 'The Builder' Stark had built and it was an absolute beauty. As one of the southernmost kingdoms of Westeros, the Reach was hardly affected by winter and the climate was similar to a Northern summer, allowing crops to continue growing and the famous castle gardens to continue blooming with beautiful flowers. Ned and his party were welcomed warmly and taken through the bountiful orchards and even past a large marble fountain on their way to the castle, where they were each given luxurious rooms and left alone to refresh themselves after a long trip.
Once he had bathed and changed, a servant led Ned to the gardens where he was welcome to explore as he had been advised that he would not be meeting in private with Mace Tyrell until the next day. For over an hour, Ned ambled through the gardens, admiring the wonderfully maintained flower beds and the beautifully carved marble statues and fountains, occasionally taking a seat on the benches to just take in the artwork. He would need to commission some sculptors for Winterfell, he thought, as Catelyn would love some of this artwork in her home.
Suddenly, a small cough brought him out of his reverie.
"Is this seat taken?"
Turning, Ned was surprised to see Olenna Tyrell stood next to him, gesturing to the bench he was sat on with her cane.
"No, of course not. Please take a seat, my Lady." He responded, standing to show respect as the old woman sat herself down.
"Lord Stark, I presume?" Lady Tyrell asked, peering at him intently. Ned nodded once before she continued. "Yes, Mace has been in an absolute tizzy since he received your raven announcing your visit. He has been quite eager to meet you and I must admit to the same."
"You honour me, my Lady."
"Posh!" Olenna scoffed, adjusting her grip on her cane as she frowned. "Don't get all flowery on me, Lord Stark, I have enough of that here. Show me some of that bluntness you Northerners are known for! Now, tell me how you managed to increase the standing and wealth of the North so much when all your ancestors failed."
Ned allowed himself a small smile before he responded. "Even in the North, they know of you, my Lady. The Queen of Thorns they call you."
"Bah! Hardly. I'm just an old woman tired of wasting time with false politeness and too useless to be considered worth punishing if I speak out of turn."
"I would hardly call you useless, Lady Olenna. In fact many see you as the only useful Tyrell there is."
This drew a chuckle from the old woman. "Well, I may agree but all the same, best not to mention that in front of my son. Now answer the question." She ordered.
"There is not much to say, I'm afraid." Ned shrugged. "Many of my forefathers had the same ideas as I and this is not the first time that there is an attempt at rebuilding Moat Cailin, the only thing they lacked was coin."
"Which you have plenty of thanks to a resource you have had in abundance right outside your home for millennia."
"Aye," the Northerner conceded. "but you must understand that in the North, the cold and ice is such a part of life that we often forget that you don't have it in the south. I got the idea of trading ice when I was in the deserts of Dorne and I'm sure my ancestors would have had the same idea as I, alas none of them ever travelled that far south."
"Ah yes. When you were rushing to save the sister Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped and most likely raped. So tell me, why is it that you wish to see a Targaryen Restoration?"
Whipping his head around to look at his companion, Ned had to supress the shiver of rage at the lie. All throughout the realm it was believed that Lyanna had been taken against her will and only the Martells and Starks knew otherwise, something he planned to rectify when the time came to take the throne for his nephew. What concerned him the most however was her knowledge of his plans.
"How do you know that?" he growled, causing his companion to laugh loudly.
"Young man, I am not an idiot, nor am I deaf. Prince Oberyn has been prancing around the place for the last two weeks implying that a Targaryen will once again sit on the throne to any Tyrell he passes! And considering your close relationship with Dorne and the constant stream of ravens between you two, it's safe to assume that whatever plans he is alluding to, you also have a part in."
Damn the man, Ned thought. Sure, Olenna Tyrell was one of the most astute and intelligent women in Westeros, but it wouldn't take much for someone else to come to the same conclusion she had, increasing the chance of their plots being uncovered by Varys and reported back to the King.
"And where might I find Prince Oberyn?" Lord Stark asked, a frown on his face.
"Oh, somewhere in the castle, or perhaps at a brothel. No way to be certain. But there is no need to worry, his allusions and implications were quite obscure. I doubt anyone else will be able to put the pieces together." Lady Olenna responded.
"Good. I don't wish for that to change, so I would ask that you wait until tomorrow's meeting before asking your questions."
The old woman nodded her head once, a slight smirk on her face as Ned's reaction confirmed her theory, though she would have to wait another day to get all of her answers, she at least knew their end game and it was one that she could fully get behind. The Targaryens had done much for the Tyrells in the past, and though there had been quite a few bad eggs in the lot, many of the past Kings had been great. Greater than this Baratheon stag at least. The Northern Lord stood and took his leave with a few words of goodbye, leaving Olenna to her own thoughts and plots.
"Welcome, welcome, my Lords!" Lord Tyrell crowed as he gestured with his arm for Prince Oberyn and Lord Stark to enter the solar, where he and his mother were already waiting with a platter full of sticky honey cakes and a pitcher of Arbour Gold.
The previous evening had been quite uneventful, Ned having chosen to take his meal in his rooms before going straight to bed. That morning however, he and Oberyn had taken a walk in the gardens to go over their plan one last time before the meeting with the Tyrells, and Ned had taken advantage to chastise the slightly older Prince for his less than discreet words during his stay so far. Or at least, he had attempted to chastise the man, but Oberyn did not seem to feel the slightest bit of remorse as evidenced by his great smirk as he strode into the solar and took a seat in one of the offered chairs, pouring himself a cup of wine as he did so.
Ned was slightly more serious, striding over to the desk to shake Lord Tyrell's hand a kiss Lady Olenna's with a grimness to his face that could only be pulled of by a Northerner.
"Lord Stark, how wonderful to meet you finally! And the same to you, of course, Prince Oberyn!" Mace said as he took a seat, a great smile adorning his face.
"Likewise, Lord Tyrell." Ned nodded.
"I must say, I have been most impressed with your work in the North, Lord Stark, most impressed indeed! Though you most likely surmised that in our ravens, did you not?"
"I did indeed, hence our presence here today." The Northerner responded, eager to get to business. Alas, it was not to be.
"Yes, I have been watching quite closely. That canal! Goodness I can't believe no one thought of it before!" Lord Tyrell continued. "It has made life much easier for the Reach, even with that toll of yours the costs of trading with the Eastern kingdoms has greatly reduced. And Prince Oberyn! Oh those milkshakes are absolutely wondrous! You simply must tell me how you managed to create such a thing!"
"I'm afraid I had nothing to do with the matter, my Lord." Prince Oberyn replied, his ever present smirk still adorning his face. "I was in Essos at the time looking into the welfare of some of our allies."
"No matter, no matter!" The Reachman continued, unaware of the others' growing impatience. "And tell me, Lord Stark, is it true that -"
"Oh enough of this nonsense!" Lady Olenna snapped, banging her cane on the ground and bringing a smile to the faces of their guests while her son looked at her in shock. "Tell me about this Targaryen Restoration."
"Mother!" Mace gasped.
"Oh, be quiet boy, we're in a secure area and I've had the entire floor checked for spies and cleared of servants. Our guests didn't travel all this way just to make small talk! Now. Lord Stark pretty much confirmed my theory yesterday but tell me, what is your plan and why should we help you?"
"Mother -"
Lord Mace's horrified speech was cut off before it could even start as Prince Oberyn finally let loose the laugh that had been bubbling in his throat since the Fat Flower began speaking. Even Ned had a small smile on his face at the old woman's antics. Clearly, she was not one to mince words or waste precious time on niceties just as she had said the day before in the gardens. She would do well in the North, Ned thought.
"Lady Olenna is correct, Lord Tyrell." Oberyn began. "We are here to seek an alliance with the Reach with the ultimate goal of declaring the North independent once again and placing a Targaryen on the Iron Throne."
The two Tyrells seemed quite gobsmacked for a moment before their shocked expressions were replace by thoughtful ones.
"An independent North is a surprise." Lady Olenna remarked. "And the Targaryens will never accept it."
"There's not much they can do to prevent it without their dragons, and as you've all noticed the North is quite prepared for an invasion." Ned responded.
"Moat Cailin, the Northern Fleet...?" Mace asked.
"Yes, not to mention the Neck is its own defence and there is now a canal that reinforces that. But it will not come to that. I already know that the Targaryens will not protest this decision."
"Prince Oberyn, you mentioned a moment ago you were on a trip to Essos to visit with some allies. May I assume that these allies you speak of are the exiled Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen and they have agreed to allow this?" The Queen of Thorns questioned, leaning forward on her chair.
"I did indeed visit with the Targaryens across the sea," the Dornishman responded, slowly swirling his wine as his smirk grew. "but they had nothing to do with this. They will have to follow the will of Rhaegar's heir when it comes to the North. And I can confirm that he will see no problem in allowing them their independence. Though just for clarification, we plan on separating the North from the Iron Throne before we put the Targaryens back on it."
"Rhaegar's heir?" Lord Tyrell repeated, a frown on his face as he stared at the Prince. "But -"
Suddenly, he was interrupted by a loud gravelly laugh from his mother. She had thrown her head back and was clutching her cane tightly as Mace looked on in concern and their guests smiled as they realised that she had put the pieces together.
"Eddard Stark, you rascal!"
"Mother!"
"Lyanna Stark!" The old woman choked out, still giggling like a girl.
It took Mace a few moments to understand what she was implying, but once he did his head swivelled back towards Ned with shock on his face.
"Lord Stark, I... to have the future King as your ward is a great thing for your plans, of course but... we all suspected but to have it proved by the birth of a child... Lord Stark, I am so sorry to hear of the trials your sister -"
"Oh shut up, you oaf!" Olenna chastised, finally calming herself enough to take a few deep breaths. "Lord Stark was quite offended yesterday when I mentioned Prince Rhaegar's crimes against his sister. Care to explain?"
Ned took a moment to gather his thoughts and send a quick prayer to the Gods as he convinced himself to speak and once again risk breaking his promise to his dear sister. But he was too far gone now. "Aye, your thoughts are right, Lady Olenna." he confirmed before turning towards Lord Tyrell. "My sister was not kidnapped, nor was she raped. She ran away with the Prince after they fell in love to escape her marriage to King Robert. They married in the eyes of the Old Gods and their son is the true heir to the Iron Throne."
There was silence in the room as the hosts assimilated this new information, Mace opening and closing his mouth in astonishment and Olenna smirking in satisfaction that she had been the first to catch on. Until Lord Tyrell finally took a deep breath to speak.
"Jaehaerys Targaryen, currently known as Jon Snow, bastard son of Brandon Stark." Prince Oberyn answered the unasked question.
"A bastard! You are passing off the rightful King as a bastard?"
"Oh, be quiet Mace, it's a great idea." Olenna scolded. "The boy will be invisible, beyond suspicion. It was well known that Brandon Stark liked chasing skirts and him having a bastard is no surprise. And with all these renovations that Lord Stark is doing, it would be no surprise if he were to one day give his bastard nephew a keep of his own, allowing Jaehaerys to attend the lordly lessons along with the Stark heir without people asking questions. Yes, this will get him the training needed to be King, and the anonymity to live long enough to actually claim the throne."
"That was our thinking." Prince Oberyn commented, throwing a smile the old woman's way.
"Very well." Lord Tyrell ceded. "You have explained your goal, and your plan on how to achieve this goal is quite evident with all of the work going on in the North and with Dorne's new army. Now explain why we should help you? We had hoped to marry our Margaery to the Prince so that she will one day be Queen, why should we change our plans now?"
"Other than the fact that you have referred to Jaehaerys as 'the rightful King' twice now?" Prince Oberyn retorted, raising an eyebrow as Mace blushed. "Well, you say that you wish to marry your daughter to the future King but there is currently no Baratheon Prince since Jasper died when winter came. With our plan, you would have two living Princes to choose from."
"Lord Stark has refused any betrothal offers on the grounds that his children will be the ones to make the decision on their spouses, I doubt it would be any different for his ward and nephew!"
"Yes," the Dornishman agreed. "however he has agreed to foster my niece Arianne in Winterfell when they are older. I am sure a similar agreement can be made for Margaery."
"Indeed." Lord Stark intoned. "I would consider fostering as an alternative to betrothals until the boys are of age to reinforce our alliance."
The Tyrells were going to agree, they all knew it. All that was left was to hash out the details of the alliance, what each member would gain. The meeting was paused for an hour as they went in search of some food as Lady Olenna had dismissed all the servants on that floor before the meeting began, and no mention of any of their discussions were made while they were out of the room. A short walk in the gardens later to digest and allow the servants to clean and tidy the solar and refill the food platter and pitcher of wine, and the group was once again sat around the spacious desk in Lord Tyrell's solar.
After three more hours of talk, it was ultimately decided that Willas Tyrell would foster in Winterfell with Lord Stark for a period of three years and that once Margaery turned twelve, she would foster with the Mormonts on Bear Island for two years, at which point she would return to High Garden with Jon, so that he could begin his fostering of four years. It was argued that the south would never accept a Northern King, especially if the North was going to be a whole separate nation and that Jon needed to spend as much time as possible in the south. Jon would remain at High Garden for two years before going to Dorne for his remaining two years, allowing both Margaery Tyrell and Arianne Martell to get to know him in the hopes that he would choose one of them as his bride.
Additionally, any toll from the canal would be erased for any ships from Dorne and the Reach, and any food coming from the Reach would be cheaper for the other two kingdoms. When the time eventually came, they would have three armies, as well as the impressive Dornish cavalry and the fleets from the North and the Reach to secure their victory.
With a shake of hands, the members of the new alliance sealed their agreement, each satisfied with what the future would hold.
