While Neds journey to Stroms End with Robert was an uneventful one, it did give Ned the time he needed to think and examine himself and his decisions these last few years during their sea voyage. His life and his way of thinking changed fundamentally with his mother's death and his promise to her. Before that promise he would have remained the unremarkable second son of Lord Stark, living his days out quietly either as a bannerman for his brother or maybe an aide to Robert at Storms End and Ned thinks he would have been content with such a life. All that has changed now, Now Ned has goals, a drive to achieve those goals and he has put his limited gifts to use and succeeded if some of them. There is much more to do, so much more. Winter is coming. Before he knows it, it will be here and he has to be prepared for it and the Starks have to be prepared for it, The North has to be prepared for it. To be prepared he needs to know, he needs to know how his family is doing, how his allies are doing and how his enemies are doing. He needs to know everything and anything that could be useful. That means he needs to be better than what he is today and better than the day after.
Neds idea of compiling dossiers on every lord of the North and the Realm is well received by his Father and Brother. Brandon has taken up on that duty since it is extension of his duty in maintaining in the spy ring he established in last two years, he promised to start compiling everything he knows about the lords of the North first before starting on the South. And Wargs are an almost perfect spies for this, they can observe anyone on how they behave when they believe they are in private and in public, Ned feels Wargs are an amazing resource they are fortunate to have. Of course cultivating those Wargs hasn't been easy, but the Starks have always been revered and trusted among their people, benefits of having been around for eight millennia and ruling well, I suppose.
Ned has used his time well, Robert is a brother in everything but blood and Elbert Arryn a close friend, so is Rhaegar. And House Stark is in good graces with the Crown, what with the next queen is going to be a Stark. Lord Tywin is going to be off the board soon. That leaves the Riverlands, the Reach, the Dorne and the Iron Islands. Riverlands could be tied to Starks through marriage, Ned has to see whether Lord Hoster changed his mind Ned being a prospect for one of his daughters, after all Neds star has in recent years what with being announced as future lord for an ancient castle such as the Moat Cailin with generous fief and being known as a close friend to two future Lord Paramounts, the Crown Prince and rescuer of The King, while Catelyn Tully is preferable of the two, what with her being trained in duties of heiress before the birth of their brother, Ned can make do with the sister Lysa, but then again the Shadows reported her being infatuated with her father's ward, Ned will need more information before deciding on that particular issue. Rhaegar hinted a possible match with Ashara Dayne to tie Dorne together after Elia Martell was rejected as a bride for Rhaegar when his betrothal with Lya was not widely known. He will have to see, he supposes, the Reach has politely shut down any talk of marriage with House Stark when it became known it was Ned instead of Bran, but that is neither here nor there. The North's relationship with the Reach has always been purely commercial and it will probably remain so for foreseeable future. Any marriages with Iron Islands is never even considered, there is too much bad blood between them. It seems his marriage is a question that will have to wait.
His Father did update him on the progress of various projects that have been undertaken. Repairs on First Keep and Broken Tower would have been started by now. Trade of timber, Ironwood and Wintersteel is flourishing, the repairs on four castles along the Wall being almost complete, there has been a steady flow of recruits from Kings Landing as nearing Winter has enticed many a small folk with the promise of daily food and two gold dragons for their families to weather the coming winter. Foundations has been laid for the Castle at Sea Dragon Point, while no shipbuilding effort has started on the western coast what with the lack of many master shipbuilders, the Manderlys have added two new warships to their fleet named after his mother and deceased brother as the Lady Lyarra and Torrhen.
There hasn't been much of a progress in his attempt at creating partial bonds, he did improve in other skills, he could now warg for an hour with Ironeyes and his gyrfalcon Northwind can recognise every castle she visited accurately and delivery letters to Lord Jon, Elbert, Robert and the Starks, that is an very very useful skill, since she can find Ned anywhere in the World through their bond and identify locations and people she has become the fastest and most reliable messanger he could ever ask for, once she met Rhaegar and learnt enough to identify him then their communication can become more secure. While Warging into Northwind at a distance is difficult and inconsistent, Warging into Ironeyes is the easiest thing in the world and Ned has a feeling that distance is no obstacle it if is with Ironeyes, when he shared this with Berek he was rendered speechless. Nowadays Ned keeps his sense enhancement at lowburn almost always.
After near two weeks of sea voyage they reached Storms End, closer he got to the castle he started to feel that faint pulse of magic he felt from Winterfell causing Ned to think sardonically, and the Maesters say magic has died in the World.