The Rise Of The North

by Ray Bastion

Ever since Torrhen Stark bent the knee, the North has been preparing and planning it's revenge. The North may have bent the knee to the dragons, but south in it's ignorance didn't realise that all they have done is to awoken a giant, that has sleeping for more than 8000 years, a filled him with a terrible resolve.

2. Rise Of The North: Part 1

Chapter 2: Rise Of The North

The Reign Of Torrhen Stark, The King Who Knelt.

The North, a harsh cold barren wasteland that bred equally harsh and ferocious people.

The Starks of Winterfell, the rulers of this harsh lands had always been a powerful house, but they had never been known for being exceedingly rich. That was until 3 AC when mines of iron and lead deposits were discovered in the Northern Mountains by the mountain clans of the North. The largest deposits were discovered in the southern tip of the Northern Mountains just north of Winterfell itself.

Torrhen Stark immediately ordered the excavation of the deposits. He even hired masters from Braavos and Volantis to do a entire survey of the north to find any more of this deposits.

Torrhen's dream has always been to make the North great again after it's fall to the Targaryen. He wanted to make the North powerful both economically and militarily so that it can save it from the southern machinations.

It took more than a decade to complete the entire survey of North due to it's enormous size compared to the other kingdoms. After the survey it is found out while the North doesn't have many gold mines like the westerlands, it posses huge deposits of other untapped raw minerals like iron ore, silver, aluminium, Coal and other raw resources, resources which are in heavy demand from westeros to the Free-Cities of Essos.

This deposits will make the Starks and the North the second richest Kingdom of Westeros, second only to the Westerlands and House lannister with there enormous gold mines, who always had a rivalry with House Stark which only increased after the North's sudden spike of wealth.

With this wealth Torrhen planned his next ambitious project to make the North great. His second plan is to make North self sufficient during the winter.

The North mainly buys it's food from the Riverlands and the Reach at a very costly price, a price which only increases during winter.

So Torrhen ordered all his Bannermen to make sure that every major town, city and keep, in the North, should at least have one Glass Garden, which can produce food even during winter and with the new influx of wealth and trade it will be easy to buy the Glass from Myr to make this enormous Glass Gardens.

The project was a success, as the Glass Gardens began to produce plenty of food even during winter, improving the living conditions of the North exponentially and reducing the rates of deaths due to starvation during winter.

Torrhen also hired farmers from the Reach and Riverlands so they can teach the Northern Lords how to increase the yield and quality of their crops.

It was later discovered the areas near the Neck is very fertile and crops such as potato and Onion can be grown there.

Next Torrhen diverted his attention to improve the overall infrastructure of the North. He started it by ordering the building of the most extensive road system in the North's long history. The Winter Roads, as Torrhen named it will not only aid in the moment of trade goods and supplies from white harbour to various parts of the north but it will also made the gathering of the troops much easier and faster during times of war.

Torrhen also laid the foundation of turning Winter Town from a Town, which is only fully occupied by it's inhabitants during harsh winters, to Winter City, which will be a permanent settlement for people of the North. It will also be the unofficial capital of the North and while Winterfell will always be the Heart of the North, Winter City will be it's economical and Trading center.

Torrhen's vision was to create a city in the heart of North that will rival Old Town, Lannisport, and the new city of Kings Landing, the capital of westeros, in both wealth and magnificence.

Alas, Torrhen shall not live to see the day as he died of a illness in 49 AC.

Torrhen's only son and Heir Brandon'The Boisterous'Stark named after his half brother Brandon Snow who is living in exile in Essos, shall complete the legacy that his father started.

While Brandon will not earn the same reputation in the North as his father before him had, he will still make sure to improve his father's work and prepare the North for the coming challanges.

And done!Now this is a very short chapter I confess but just as I had said earlier, don't expect to see any interaction between character as the first part of the series will only cover the history of the North from Aegon's Conquest to Robert's Rebellion and another time skip to the start of 'A game of Thrones'.If you like it please leave a comment as you know reviews are food for a writer's soul.