The winner is JON/ REBEKAH pairing however I really want to see the North gain it's independence so I've decided to do two versions of this story, one where Rebekah and Jon will marry and one where they won't. This means that it will probably take longer to update each story, and make them harder to right individually but I like the challenge.
Chapter 2
Ned POV Braavos
Ned waited for the people he would be meeting with to appear as he stood in the headquarters of the Iron Bank, waiting for his meeting. He was going through everything he knew about the Iron Bank in his mind but he honestly didn't know much about them. Ned never had any dealings with the Iron Bank before and therefore only knew them by reputation.
The door opened and three staff members entered and took their seats. When they motioned for him to Ned took a seat opposite them. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me my lords." He said to them.
"We are not lords, Lord Stark." The centre man spoke in a neutral voice.
"A term of respect Ser." Ned replied before getting straight to the point. "I would like to request a loan from the Iron Bank in order to build a harbour on the western side of the North."
"Why are you so sure that this would be a profitable venture for us?" The man sitting on the left asked him.
In response to the question he placed several parchments on the table that were his father's and daughter's reports to the North. "The North if filled with precious metals that can be mined and exported but we have always lacked a harbour to export it, as well as the funds to properly mine it."
"If this is true then why has the North never built a harbour on the western side before?" One of the men questioned suspiciously.
"The Iron Born are one of the major reasons, they always attack every attempts to build a harbour on the western side. But not only have they suffered major loses during their failed rebellion, but I also have Balon Greyjoy's last son as my hostage." He answered them.
"We have already began investing in Westeros," the man on the right said, speaking for the first time since the meeting started. "The Iron Throne is already in dept to us but they have yet to start paying back their debt, how do we know that the North will repay their debt?"
"The crown is in debt?" Ned asked in shock. From several conversations with the Jon Arryn during the Greyjoy rebellion he knew the crown was having some financial difficulties but he hadn't thought that the throne was in actual debt.
"Five hundred thousand gold dragons to house Lannister, two hundred thousand to house Tyrell, and three hundred thousand to the Iron bank." The same banker informed Ned to his dread. "So tell us Lord Stark, how do we know that the North would pay us our debt?"
Ned considered his answer for a few moments before answering. "'The Iron Bank will have it's due' isn't that the saying? If I don't repay the loans then I know the bank would be more then willing to start a war to get your gold back, and a war is the last thing that I want. And that's assuming that you actually start a war, I'm aware that the faceless men work for the Iron Bank." He told them which caused all three bankers to smile.
After several hours of haggling as well as informing as the rest of his daughter's plans to enrich the North they agreed on the size of the loan. The North would borrow 700,000 gold dragons from the bank with a ten percent interest rate and as long as the North began repaying its debt within ten years then the interest rate would remain the same.
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Roose Bolton POV The Dreadfort
Roose Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, sat in his solar looking at the parchment in his hand that bared the crest and signature of his liege Lord. The message honestly unnerved him, and not for the best reason. Eddard Stark, while not suspicious of him, was suspicious of his allies and it was clear to anyone with half a brain that the man was planning something, though what Roose didn't have the faintest idea. He read over the Raven sent to him, and presumably every other Lord in the North.
To all the Lords, houses and tribes of the North,
This is a summons to Winterfell on the night of the new moon to discuss the future of the North. Any Lord who refuses this summon will be considered a traitor to the North and will be punished for it.
Signed Eddard Stark
Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
Roose knew he had no choice but to go to Winterfell, to not would draw suspicion onto him and make many question his loyalties. It was with that thought that he bag an the journey to Winterfell.
Roose was one of the last to arrive and when he headed towards the great hall of Winterfell where the meeting was taking place he was slightly surprised by how full the great hall was with Northerners. Manderly, Mormont, Umber, Karstark, the entire North had shown up. Even Barbrey Dustin, the sister of his late wife, had shown up, her hatred of Ned Stark was not enough to let herself be branded as a traitor. Even the lords of Skagos had shown up, something that truly amazed Roose as they were little better then wildlings and none in the North wanted anything to do with them, and vise versa.
Eddard Stark arrived a second later, with his daughter with him of all people. "My Lords, please be seated." As one all the lords sat down at the long table that was nearly the width of the great hall, with Stark sitting at the head of the table. His daughter however didn't take a seat, instead she walked over to the back of the hall and simply observed them.
"The reason I have gathered you all here is to inform you of my plan for the North," Eddard began, gathering the interest of those gathered. "Bring it in." He ordered the Stark guards standing at the entrance to the great hall. A minute later the guards returned, each carrying a large chest that they carried towards the end of the table. Placing the chests on the table the guards proceeded to open them, revealing that they were filled to brim with gold.
Roose contained his surprise better then most of the lords, many of whom gasped in shock and started cheering but he was wondering where Stark had gotten all this gold from. The Starks may be the richest house in the North but they weren't that rich.
"With this wealth we shall improve our holdfasts and repair our lands. I also wish to build a second harbour on the Stony Shore to further export our resources." Stark exclaimed to the shock of the lords. Roose glanced at Wyman Manderly who looked completely shocked, and even a little angry, something that pleased Roose. If played it right he could turn the Manderlys into his allies and Starks enemies. It was then that he noticed that Stark's daughter Rebekah was watching him with thinly veiled contempt.
"I understand that this would cost you some business Lord Wyman," Eddard addressed the Lord of White Harbour "Which is why I'll be giving a large portion of the gold to you, so not only can you create new trade links with Essos but so White Harbour can build its own fleet. I would also wish to betroth my son Bran with your granddaughter Wylla."
'Smart, if the Manderlys make a fuss now they'll lose face in front of the Northern lords and Wyman would lose his chance of marry his granddaughter to the air of Winterfell,' Roose observed. Stark had clearly thought this meeting through.
"I would be honoured my lord." Lord Manderly spoke with his previous anger gone completely.
Stark smiled at his bannermen before turning towards him. Roose could tell that whatever Stark was going to say he was doing so reluctantly. "Lord Bolton, our families have been enemies in the past, but that is the past." Stark began, gathering the interests of everyone in the hall. "That is why I wish to arrange a betrothal between your son and heir Domeric and my daughter Sansa."
The silence in the hall was unbelievable in that moment, you could even hear a pin drop. Even Roose himself was shocked silent though he hid it better then the rest of the buffoons, the Greatjon was openly gaping. "I would be honoured my lord." Roose replied to his liege Lord in his unusual quiet voice. He would have preferred it if his son was instead married top Stark's eldest daughter instead of his second daughter but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Stark nodded before turning to address all the Northern lords and for some reason Roose couldn't help but feel like this would be the biggest revelation yet. "Due to her involvement and planning of the the new harbour, I Eddard Stark have decided to name my eldest daughter Rebekah the heir of Winterfell."
Again the entire hall was shocked silent by Ned Stark, even the man's daughter's calm and suspicious facade was broken as she stared at her father in shock, clearly not expecting that outcome. It was in that moment that Roose Bolton decided that Stark simply loved to create chaos.
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Rebekah POV Stony Shore
Rebekah smiled as she helped with the construction, feeling an great sense of pride as slowly but surely a fledging town and even a small keep was being raised. Rebekah knew that this was her test, succeed and she would be accepted as the heir of Winterfell, fail and she would never rule the North.
Rebekah wanted to curse her father during that meeting, she had no idea what her father had been planning and she had gaped like a fool along with the rest of the Northern lords, certainly not the best first impressive she could have made. But in the end she couldn't deny that she was happy about what had happened. The Starks had ruled the North for eight thousand years, a fact that had honestly amazed Rebekah when she had first learnt it, but if there had ever been a queen in the North they had been forgotten by history. Rebekah didn't want to be forgotten.
"Lady Stark." A voice she immediately recognised as Jory, the leader of the guards that her father had sent with her from Winterfell. "Our scouts have reported five longships headed our way. Though they bare no signal it's clear that they are Iron Born." He informed her.
Everyone turned to look at her, waiting to see what she would do, Rebekah vowed that she would not disappoint them. "Have the men prepared for their battle positions Jory." Rebekah ordered him, an attack by the iron born was something that Rebekah knew would happen sooner rather then later and she had prepared for it.
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Balon Greyjoy POV Pyke
Balon waited impatiently for the raiders to finally return. The mission he had given them had three purposes. The first was to destroy the foundations for the new harbour in the North, he couldn't risk the Northern lords learning of the source of wood for his iron fleet, it was more then enough reason for the North to wage another war, one Balon knew he couldn't afford.
The second was revenge, he would take Stark's daughter as his salt wife for revenge against the death of his sons Rodrik and Maron, both were dead fighting Stark men, and after he had gotten the girl pregnant he would send her in disgrace back to the North.
The third reason was to get back his son Theon back, exchange the Stark girl for his last remaining son. Theon had always been a disappointment to him, to soft and weak but he was his only remaining son. Balon couldn't let the future of House Greyjoy be placed in the hands of Greenlanders, and Theon was the only male heir to house Greyjoy. None of his brothers had any children, none of them either seeming to possess the desire to have children.
A servant rushed into his hall, disturbing Balon from his thoughts. "Lord Balon," 'Lord,' Balon thought scornfully, 'I should be a king'. "The reavers you sent have returned." The servant told him hesitantly, though he didn't take any notice of it.
Grabbing a horse Balon rode to the port as fast as he could, possibly coming close to near killing his horse to see his prize. When he finally reached the port, Balon was a little confused as to why there was only one longship instead of the five he had sent, but he reasoned that they must have stopped off at one of the other islands.
When he got closer to the ship he saw that it was barely manned by fifty men, all of which appeared greatly injured, and no Stark girl in sight. "What the hell happened?" Balon bellowed at his failed soldiers.
"We're sorry my lord." One of them said, falling of the deck of the ship and onto the floor of the port. Looking closely at the soldier he could see a blood stain on the man's breaches, it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened, they had been un manned.
"My lord, you might want to see this." Another nameless servant yelled as Balon reluctantly walked along the port to where he could view the other side of the ship, and what he saw angered him to no end. There carved into the mast of the ship were the words,
Attack the North again, and the next eunuch I send you will be your son. R.S.
Balon couldn't help but let out a scream of anger upon reading what was written on one of his ships.
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Rebekah POV Mikaelson Compound (four years later)
Rebekah couldn't help but smile as she stood at the top of the Mikaelson compound, or Mikaelson castle as some called it, though it was designed unlike any other castle in Westeros. It was based of the same compound she had lived in when she had been Rebekah Mikaelson and she'd lived in New Orleans, though it was significantly larger.
Four solid walls in the shape of a rectangle that surrounded a massive courtyard. The walls were five stories high, far higher then that of the average keep, and at the corner of every side on the rectangle there was a catapult. There was only on way into the compound and that was the massive archway at the front of the keep facing the sea, that held a massive gate that blocked the entrance, made in a similar style to the gates along the Wall.
Rebekah glanced at the harbour, filled to the brim with ships, as well as the pledging town of New Orleans that stood on the Stony Shore and seemed to grow larger by the day. It had taken four bloody years worth of work but she had built the harbour, as well as earns the respect of the Northern Lords. Though Rebekah was more certain that it was what she had done to the Iron Born that had earned the respect of the lords, and their acceptance of her as the heiress of Winterfell. Bloodthirsty bastards.
The North was thriving, most of lords either mined metals, or exported large quantities of lumber earning quite a bit of gold in the North, and for the first time in history the North had a proper trade route with both the Reach and Dorne. But the gold she and her father had borrowed from the Iron Bank hadn't just been used to create a new harbour. A large portion had gone to the reconstruction of Moat Cailin, and a portion of gold had been given to each of their bannermen to restore their lands and keeps to their peek. A large portion of gold had been given to the Manderlys, allowing them to create trade routes with Essos and build an absolutely massive fleet with over a hundred war ships.
But despite how powerful and wealthy many of the Northern houses had become Rebekah had ensured that the Stark's would remain the most powerful family in the North. Her father had more then tripled the size of Wintertown, along with the revenues it created. Her family also possessed some of the most fertile lands in the North and most of the Northern lords would prefer to purchase crops and food from their liege Lord, as opposed to the ridiculously overpriced food from either the Riverlands or the Reach.
"Lady Stark, you summoned me?" Maester Qyburn asked her as he entered the balcony she was standing on. Qyburn had been sent to the Mikaelson Compound three years ago from the capital, and the man as well as all of Westeros had profited from it.
In exchange to turning a blind eye to the man's experiments and his help, Rebekah had shared her knowledge of modern medicine, as well as other simple things like boiling water and sterilising instruments. Qyburn's discoveries had wiped out his shady reputation and made him one of the most respected maesters in his order.
"Yes Qyburn, in a few days I'll be returning to Winterfell and I'll be leaving you in charge of running the compound in my absence." Rebekah informed her maester who was one of the few people she generally trusted. "Is there anything that you require?" She asked him.
"No my lady," Qyburn answered. "I believe I see the Martell's ship in the distance." Qyburn informed her after a few minutes of silence.
Turning to the direction that Qyburn was facing Rebekah did indeed see a ship in the distance bearing the red sun pierced by a spear in the distance, heading towards the harbour. One very unexpected surprise from her father naming her the heir of Winterfell that it had actually opened communications with the Martells of Dorne. Though she didn't show it Rebekah was a little nervous, she knew exactly who was on that ship, the infamous Red Viper of Dorne along with his eldest bastard daughters, the equally infamous Sand Snakes. 'Well this is certainly going to be interesting,' Rebekah thought as she saw the ship land in the harbour.
End of chapter 2