The North's White Wolf

Chapter 5


Third Person P.O.V

In the weeks that followed, Nathan put a pause on all his ideas and plans and started to enjoy himself, as Lord Manderly suggested. When he had written to his uncle Ned, even the Quiet Wolf agreed with Lord Manderly and told Nathan to enjoy his time in White Harbor and leave everything to Ned, as he was still acting Lord and was more than ready to take all the responsibility.

So Nathan put his effort into letting his hair down. He still trained and learned, but only a few hours a day before he went exploring White Harbor.

The young Stark saw much of the White Harbor. He went to various taverns and drank his fill while meeting interesting people, saw interesting shops he never even heard of before such as a Pawn Shop and book stories, he saw several plays performed by murmurs, such as the re-enactment of Robert taking King's Landing, or the murmurs making fun of the Mad King, making him seem more like a child throwing a tantrum rather than a ruthless killer. Nathan had never laughed so hard seeing the man who killed his father as nothing more than a whining child who sucked his thumb and was distracted by every pretty fire that crossed his eyes. The young Stark was sure that his father was also laughing from beyond the grave. Nathan had ended up throwing flowers and coins to the murmurs, who looked very happy with Nathan's praise.

Currently, Nathan was walking with his guards escorting him. Lord Manderly always made Nathan walk with an escort of guards when going out, and Nathan understood as he was the heir to House Stark and the North, and many would try to use him for quick riches or to simply kill him to weaken House Stark and the North.

"I always find days like this beautiful," Nathan said with a smile as he looked around.

The day was sunny yet there was a light snow in the air. People were out as always, working, selling, and living life.

"I sometimes wish Winterfell was like this," Nathan said with a smile.

Winterfell was larger than White Harbor, but White Harbor was a city and had a larger population with a massive trade and export. Not to mention with the expansion of the harbor, Lord Manderly was already considering expanding the city after the next winter. Winterfell, with the combination of Winter Town, had a population of about 15,000, give or take, and Winter Town wasn't nearly as grand as White Harbor was.

"So, what should we do today?" Nathan asked while looking at his guards.

"The murmurs you usually visit will not be performing for the week, unfortunately, my Lord," One of the guards said, making Nathan sigh.

"What about visiting the White Rose," One of the other guards suggested with a grin. "They have some damn fine beer and their women are not bad to look at. I seem to remember one of the girls taking a particular interest in you my Lord."

"More like she was interested in my coin bag," Nathan said, remembering the girl the guard was talking about. "We'll go if we can't find anything else to do," Nathan said, getting some smiles out of his guards.

"Perhaps we could go to the market and see if any merchants brought anything interesting," The head guard suggested. "Then once we finish we can go to the White Rose to rest."

Nathan nodded at the guard's words. "That sounds good, and it's about time I send gifts to my family. Sansa has been begging me for some more silk for a new dress-"

"Get her! Don't let her escape!"

Nathan and his guards whipped their heads to the side to see a group of men chasing a person, someone young.

Without saying a word Nathan followed the group of men. The guards were shocked by the sudden action of Nathan, but the young Stark didn't care as the whole thing looked wrong to the young Noble.

A group of shabby-dressed men chasing a young person through White Harbor was very suspicious.

Nathan ran after the group that was chasing the person a distance away, as they didn't notice Nathan and his guards.

Suddenly, the small figure turned a corner, a corner Nathan recognized.

"Dead end," Nathan thought as the group of men turned the corner.

Running faster with his guards Nathan held his hand up as he and his guards slowed down before coming to a stop. Glancing around the corner Nathan saw a girl a few years older than him pounding at a locked door with her hands, but no one answered. She whipped around and looked at the group of men with pure terror. Nathan counted 10 men, all dressed in ragged leather armor and holding various weapons such as swords, maces, and blackjacks. Nathan glanced at his guards and counted 6, all dressed in well-crafted armor.

"That little bitch can run fast," One of the men said, out of breath.

"Not fast enough," The largest man said with a snort as he brought out a rope. "Tie her up, but don't damage her. She's a pretty little thing and the boss said she will fetch for a high price."

That was all Nathan needed to hear as he stepped forward with his guards.

"Enough," Nathan called out as he rested his hand on his longsword, grabbing everyone's attention. "What is going on here?" Nathan asked while his guards drew their swords.

The men in ragged armor looked concerned at Nathan and the guards before the largest cursed under his breath.

"We are just catching a thief little Lord," The large man said as he stepped forward. Nathan could instantly tell the man was hostile with the air around him, trying to intimidate Nathan. "We are just trying to find out where she took our goods."

"Don't insult my intelligence with such a weak lie," Nathan said as he gripped his sword harder while glaring at the men before him. "10 grown men in rugged clothes chasing down a girl is strange enough. However, you weren't very quiet with your intentions with that rope and that girl just now." The Stark said with a fierce glare.

Hearing Nathan the men all drew their swords, making Nathan and his guards raise theirs.

"You picked the wrong time to act like a hero little Noble." One of the men said with a sick grin on his face.

"Maybe we can sell him too, he looks pretty enough," Another one of the thugs said with a laugh.

Nathan glared at the insult, but he could feel his guards seething with anger at the comment.

"Protect Lord Stark and kill these bastards!" Nathan's head guard shouted before they charged.

Nathan then saw the difference between a well-trained and armored guard against a common thug. The thugs had numbers, but Nathan's guards were more skilled and better armored. Not to mention that thanks to the narrow alleyway, the thugs could not gang up on the well-armored guards. Thus, in a matter of minutes, Nathan's guards had cut down half their numbers, while the guards were barely injured.

Seeing his men getting cut down so swiftly the largest thugs started to become worried. Looking up the largest thugs saw Nathan still standing in the back with his swords in hand, and the large thug acted.

With a roar, the large thugs rammed into two guards and threw them to the ground before charging at Nathan.

"Lord Stark!" The Head Guard called and was about to act, but found himself defending himself from a slash.

Nathan narrowed his eyes as the large man charged at him with his axe high in the air with murder in his eyes. Once the thugs were close enough he brought his axe down, aiming for Nathan's head, that's when he acted.

The young Stark knew he didn't have the strength to challenge the large man, but he had the skill, and the large thug was underestimating the young noble.

Stepping to the side at the last moment Nathan parried the axe with his sword, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay on his feet from the intense blow. Nathan managed to keep on his feet and parry the blow, making the thug lose his balance and leave himself wide open.

With his roar, Nathan used all his strength to slash down and cut into the large man, blood spewing out as he roared in pain. Nathan then kicked the man in the knee with all his strength, making him bend the wrong way and causing the man to scream in pain again as he tumbled to the ground on his stomach.

Raising his sword into the air Nathan stabbed the thug in the shoulder while pressing his foot into the man's back, making the man scream in pain a final time before he went limp.

The scene of a young boy taking down their leaders caused all the thugs to hesitate and even look at Nathan with fear.

"Throw down your weapons now and you will keep your lives, refuse, and lose your heads!" Nathan shouted at the thugs while twisting the blade in the large thug's shoulder, making the thug give a bloody scream once again.

Seeing the ruthless action of someone so young made all the thugs throw their weapons down and surrender. The guards swiftly took all their weapons and had all the remaining thugs on their knees with swords aimed at their necks. The large thug Nathan stabbed was also on his knees, though he looked in a lot of pain.

Nathan looked to one of the guards. "You, go find some guards and have them bring these men to New Castle, quietly," Nathan said, and the guard nodded before rushing off.

Giving a small sigh Nathan sheathed his sword before looking down the alleyway at the person.

The girl had been wearing a ragged black clock and dirty clothes, so Nathan didn't get a good look at her until now. She had skin that wasn't quite pale or white but close, her eyes were thin and narrow, but, they looked beautiful with how green they were. Her face was round and her skin was surprisingly flawless, except for dirt and grime on her face. Finally, her hair which was in a dark brown bun on the top of her head but very mangled.

Nathan quickly realized the girl was not from Westeros given her foreign features, and she didn't look like she was from Essos either.

"Are you well?" Nathan asked while stepping forward, and the girl flinched badly, forcing Nathan to stop. "Don't worry, I am Nathan Stark, Heir to Winterfell and The North and I promise no harm will come to you."

The girl seemed to recognize the Stark name as she looked at Nathan and her shoulders relaxed.

"T-Thank you," The girl said, her voice thick with a strange accent. "You saved me."

Nathan nodded as he glanced back and saw guards come in and start to take the men away. Nathan then looked back to the girl as she shivered from the cold.

"Will you come back with us to New Castle?" Nathan asked, grabbing the girl's attention. "I want to find out about what is going on, and I am sure Lord Manderly is curious."

The girl seemed hesitant before her eyes turned fierce. "I... I will go!" She said with a bit of fire.

Seeing the girl who looked ready to fight brought a grin to Nathan's face. "By the way, I never got your name."

The girl gave a small bow, yet Nathan could see elegance in it.

"My name is Yin Song, Lord Stark."


After binding the thugs with a strong rope they were dragged swiftly to New Castle without too much trouble where Nathan and Yin Song followed.

Once they reached the castle Lord Manderly was waiting for them along with his sons, all three Manderly men having hard looks on their faces.

Yin Song seemed scared and grabbed Nathan's arm, while Nathan gave her a reassuring smile.

As they got closer Lord Manderly glared at the men with a look Nathan had never seen before, making the thugs shake with fear.

"Take them to the dungeon," Lord Manderly told the guards in a hard tone, and they did so without hesitation. He then looked at Nathan and Yin Song, his face still serious yet gentler. "I want details, Lord Stark," Lord Manderly said as Nathan nodded. "We shall talk in one of the open rooms with your head guard, please bring your friend," He said, looking at Yin Song.

"And bring her some food," Nathan said to one of the servants, who nodded and rushed off. "She seems quite famished."

Yin gave a small nod as Lord Manderly escorted them into the castle with Wylis and Wendel close behind with Nathan's head guard behind the group. Soon the group was sitting at a large table, with Yin Song scarfing down the food a servant had brought her, clearly showing her hunger.

"Nathan, I need a proper explanation of what happened today," Lord Manderly said with worry. "All I know is you were attacked by some thugs who tried to kill you."

"Well, it happened like this Lord Manderly," Nathan said before he started to explain the events that led up to saving Yin Song from the group of thugs.

"They knew you were a Lord yet they still attacked you," Ser Wendel said with disbelief while shaking his head. "That is beyond foolish."

"Most likely they thought they could get away with it if they killed Lord Nathan and any witnesses," Ser Wylis said in a grim tone.

Lord Manderly shook his head as he looked at Nathan. "Lord Stark, I admire your willingness to help others but you must be more cautious. If you had been injured, or the Old Gods forbid, killed, the North would have taken a serious loss, not to mention your family."

Nathan nodded his head with a grim look on his face. "I understood the risks, but I took a chance. The thugs had poor skill and cheap armor, while my guards and I had steel armor and better skill. I was confident they would win." Nathan said, making Nathan's head guard sit a little straighter with pride. "However, I will make sure to not let such a thing happen again."

Lord Manderly sighed while rubbing his face. Nathan had gotten into similar trouble in the past, stopping injustices and helping those in need when he could, yet this was the first time Nathan's actions had led to his life being put in danger.

"Let us move on," Lord Manderly said as he looked to Yin Song, who stiffened under Lord Manderly's gaze. "May we hear your name my lady?"

The girl was hesitant before she spoke. "I am... Yin Song my Lord."

"Yin Song," Lord Manderly said with a surprised look on his face. "Do you hail from Yi Ti?" Lord Manderly asked and Yin Song nodded.

Nathan was shocked to hear this. Yi Ti was very far away from Westeros and only the most experienced and skilled merchants sailed to the strange land, as the seas were beyond dangerous with pirates, raiders, slavers, and other such dangers. It was not uncommon for most nobles to never even heard of Yi Ti. Nathan himself had never even seen a person from Yi Ti, until now.

"Y-Yes, I hail from Yi Ti my Lord. My father was a trader and he taught me to speak the Common Tongue." Yin Song said, squirming a bit under Lord Manderly's gaze as she moved close to Nathan for protection.

"How did you come here?" Ser Wylis asked what everyone wanted to know.

"My brother... who abandoned me," Yin Song said in a depressed tone as she looked down. "Not long ago my father died, and he left his trading business to me and my brother. My brother is... dim, so my father wanted me to run everything once I was old enough. My brother did not like this, so after father died he took me here for a trading trip after trading in Essos, but he left me behind not long after with only the clothes on my back."

Nathan felt sympathy for Yin Song, being betrayed by an older brother not long after her father's death was painful, but to also be left in a foreign land with no way home was almost too much.

"I had some gold left before I was abandoned and was able to survive... before I was taken," Yin Song said with a shutter and a look of fear on her face, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Who took you, my Lady," Lord Manderly asked in a gentle tone. "Please tell us, we must know."

Yin Song nodded as her eyes turned fierce. "A... a week ago I went to the docs to look for a passage to Essos, and hopefully find a way back to Yi Ti one day. While in the harbor a group of men took me and had me gagged before taking me to the slum of the city. I was soon taken to a Pleasure House, a brothel I believe you call it, where other girls were being kept." A sick look crossed Yin Song's face as she squeezed her hand. "The man in charge wanted to turn me into a pleasure slave for his business or sell me to some slavers. I was taken to a cellar where other girls were being kept. They kept us there for days, I hear men arguing on how much gold to sell us for as if we were cattle."

Nathan was seething in rage as he struggled to keep his composure. Slavery was a disgusting practice that was outlawed in Westeros for good reason. Some in Essos say nobles treat the smallfolk as slaves, yet in Westeros, the smallfolk had the freedom to do what they wanted, be it leave their home for another land or train to become a guard, knight, or a simple butcher. They had the freedom to choose, it was up to them if they had the drive and will to become something more. Some nobles did like to treat their smallfolk as slaves, such as the Lannisters or Ironborn, but the majority of Westeros did not hold the freedom of the smallfolk hostage.

Yet some fucking brothel owner was breaking one of the most sacred laws in Westeros just to line his own pockets, committing a sin that both the Old and New Gods hated.

Nathan was beyond livid.

"I managed to escape when one of the young thugs got careless. He left his back turned and one of the other women held him back after he just opened my cell." Yin Song said as her hands started to shake. "I... I ran away before anyone could stop me, grabbing a black cloak on my way out before I started to run, hoping to find someone to help me." She then looked at Nathan with teary eyes and a grateful smile. "Thank you... thank you for saving me, Lord Stark." Yin Song cried into her hands while Nathan put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Slavers in my city," Lord Manderly said with a calm rage that matched his sons. "They must be working in small numbers, smuggling them out thanks to the expansion of the port." The Fat Lord muttered before looking to Yin Song, who seemed to calm down. "Lady Song, can you remember where this brothel was located, or its name?"

Yin Song sniffed as she nodded her head. "It... it was located in the slums, I remember as I avoided that place since I was abandoned." She said while whipping her eyes. "The name of the brothel... I believe it was called the Horny Mare." She said with a small blush, making Nathan snort. "The owner, I never got his name, but he was a fat man with jewels around his neck and fingers, but wore dirty clothes."

"The Horny Mare, I think I know the place." Nathan's head guard said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I remember a friend in the city guard talking about the place and he took me there one time. It's a shithole with women that are too old to still be whores, and cheap drinks that only taste like piss. The only good thing is that everything was dirt cheap, but even a Wildling wouldn't fuck those whores."

"When was the last time that you were there?" Ser Wylis asked.

"About... four months ago, give or take a few weeks." The head guard said with a nod. "The last time I was there it seemed like any shitty brothel, doomed to fail in a few months or barely survive."

"Which means this kidnapping and selling of slaves must be recent," Nathan said while folding his arms. "The thugs we faced weren't skilled and had cheap armor and weapons. From what I've heard about slavers, they are usually well-equipped and well-trained in subduing people. These men could barely fight and were too obvious in their chaise, telling me they are inexperienced."

"Then we will take care of this problem now before the men can escape." Lord Manderly said while looking at his sons. "You two take 50 men to this Horny Mare and capture everyone who works at the place." The Fat Lord said, getting nods from his sons as he turned to Yin Song. "Lady Song, can you remember where you were held exactly?"

"It was a cellar with cages, that's where we were being held," Yin Song said while wrapping her arms around herself. "The entrance is under a bear-skin rug in the back."

The Manderly brothers nodded as they stood up and made their way out. Nathan wanted nothing more than to follow the men and take down the slaver bastards, but Nathan knew he would only get in the way. With a sigh, he looked to Yin Song with a kind smile.

"We can prepare a bath for you, and more food," Nathan said as he looked at Yin's plate, which was practically licked clean.

Yin blushed as she bowed her head. "I thank you again for showing me favor my lord."

Nathan nodded as he looked at Lord Manderly. "Once the men are captured I want to be there."

Lord Manderly was quiet for a long moment before he nodded his head. He knew Nathan wanted to fight as most young lords do, but the boy was smarter than most and knew when to keep his desires to himself. Lord Manderly had great respect for Nathan Stark and knew how wise the boy was for his age, so he would allow the young Stark to be there for the interrogation.

Nathan smiled at Lord Manderly's nod before he stood up with Yin. "I will escort you to a bath Yin," Nathan said as he exited the room with Yin following close behind, even grabbing Nathan's hand as they walked.


After a quick bath with the help of some of the female servants and some clean clothes, Nathan brought Yin Song to a private room where the girl could rest and eat without worry. However, it wasn't long before the two were greeted by Ser Wylis' daughters, Wynafryd and Wylla.

The two found out what happened from the servants and comforted the girl, Wylla even gave Yin Song a few of her toys and books, much to Yin's amusement.

The four soon sat together and asked Yin Song about herself and Yi Ti.

Nathan was shocked to learn that Yin Song was three years older than him, yet was nearly a head shorter. Yin explained that most people from her homeland were short on average, especially women, with the rare exception of a few. Yin expressed her shock when she learned how large men and women from Westeros grow on average before she calmed herself down.

Yin Song started to talk about her father, who had inherited his fortune from his father before starting his own trading business, eventually owning 30 ships to his name. She talked about how her father took her and her brother to every business meeting as she watched her father meet men from all over the world.

Yin tried to explain Yi Ti as best she could, but she kept talking in her native tongue as she couldn't find the right words. She said the buildings and castles were very different from any in Westeros and even Essos, yet politics in Yi Ti were similar to that in Westeros, with the leader of Yi Ti being known as the God-Emperor, which was the equivalent of a king. There were also nobles and Lords in Yi Ti, just like in Westeros, but the traditions and culture between the two were very different. Yin talked about the Port City she was born and raised in, which was also called Yin. It was seen as good luck for a merchant to name their daughter after such a prosperous city, making Yin a very common name in Yi Ti.

As Yin continued to talk Nathan noticed the girl seemed to smile more and more as Wynafryd and Wylla listened to Yin with wonder.

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Ser Wylis walked in, grabbing everyone's attention.

Nathan instantly stood up and gave Ser Wylis his full attention. "How did everything go?"

"Smoothly," Ser Wylis grunted, making Nathan sigh in relief. "We outnumbered them by 30 people, we caught the owner of the brothel, along with several thugs and mercenaries, and we even caught some Essos slavers that tried to escape." Lord Manderly said with a sigh. "We tracked their ship which was disguised as a trading vessel, and found a secret room on that ship that looked to hold slaves. Father ordered the ship to be burned, not wanting to own such a filthy vessel."

Nathan nodded, agreeing with Lord Manderly's choice to burn the ship, as no respecting lord would willingly own a slaver vessel, even if to turn it into something else.

"It... it is over," Yin asked in a hesitant voice as she looked at Ser Wylis with wide eyes.

Ser Wylis gave a firm nod. "Yes, we have captured the men and freed the victims. Now we find out how long this has been going on and who has helped in this scheme."

Yin started to cry in relief while Wynafryd confronted the girl.

"Papa is the best!" Wylla cheered, making Ser Wylis puff his chest up with pride.

Nathan smiled before giving Ser Wyils a serious look. "Ser Wylis, I would like to go with you as you interrogate these men."

The Nothern Knight was hesitant before nodding to Nathan, knowing the boy was mature and wise enough to come along, and it proved too much Ser Wylis would simply escort the boy out.

Nathan nodded back before looking at the three girls with a kind smile. "I will be back soon, so please wait for my return." He said before looking at Yin. "Yin, you are my guest while in New Castle, so if you need anything, just ask a servant," Nathan said while glancing at one of the said servants, who gave a small bow.

Yin's eyes widened before she bowed deeply to Nathan. "I can not thank you enough, Lord Stark!"

Nathan gave a small smile before he looked to Ser Wyils with a hard look, and the two exited the room.


Nathan soon found himself with Lord Manderly, his sons, and a few guards. The young Stark watched the guards drag several men to the castle dungeons, most were simple thugs and mercenaries, and a few were clearly from Essos and they struggled even as they were being dragged away.

The one person who caught Nathan's attention was a fat man who looked like how Yin described, the brothel owner.

The man was fat, to say the least, with a large gut stretched under his dirty clothes, and a balding head with grease and sweat caked his face as he sobbed through his rotting teeth. Nathan also noticed the gold and jewels wrapped around his fingers and neck as he clung to them greedily even as he cried and was dragged away.

"That is the man who conducted slavery in my city?" Lord Manderly said with a look of disgust and disappointment.

"They have not been doing this long, and from what the victims have said he held them there for weeks," Wendel said with a look of disgust. "Probably held them until his friends from Essos came to pick them up."

"He couldn't have thought his plan would last for long," Nathan said in a confused tone. "He must have known he would have gotten caught eventually."

"You underestimate the stupid and arrogant Lord Stark," Lord Manderly said with a sigh. "With enough arrogance, people will think they are the most brilliant in the land even if the plan is majorly flawed. Many, many noble houses have fallen due to noble arrogance, with many dying because of their actions. In history, you will read dozens of stories of leaders and nobles who led foolish campaigns that were doomed to fail, causing the deaths of hundreds, sometimes thousands due to their arrogance."

"Like the Mad King who killed my father and grandfather," Nathan said with a scowl on his face.

Lord Manderly nodded with a hard look on his face. "Aye, the Mad King was very arrogant. He believed he and his family were invincible, despite no longer having any dragons. He never thought that he would lose the war and die, he never thought that killing two Starks would cause a war because he was both arrogant and mad."

Nathan couldn't help but think of other nobles who were just as arrogant, such as House Fray or House Lannister. With arrogance came a certain amount of cunning and drive that made a person do whatever it took to win, making those who were arrogant dangerous to themselves, their enemies, and others.

"What will you do with those caught?" Nathan asked the Fat Lord as the last man was taken to the dungeon.

"The thugs and mercenaries will be given the option to take The Black or hang," Lord Manderly said, making Nathan nod. "The slavers will be beheaded, as they are from Essos and would most likely try to escape the first chance they got."

"What about the brothel owner?" Nathan asked with a raised brow, doubting if such a man could survive the cold of The Wall.

"We will need to interrogate Fellar, the brothel owner, and find out where he stashed his riches and who's been helping him," Ser Wylis said while gripping his fist. "It wouldn't surprise me if he has paid off a few dock workers to look the other way while bringing those slavers into town in the dead of night."

"So you might have to torture him," Nathan said with a frown.

Torture was a tricky and messy business. It was seen as a last resort only used when necessary, and frowned upon by most Nobles of the North and South. House Bolton was the only noble house that took pride in torturing people, as their sigil was that of a man being Flayed alive. The act of Flaying was outlawed in Westeros and could be punishable by death if needed, but Nathan didn't doubt that the current Lord of House Bolton, Roose Bolton practiced Flaying in secret.

Lord Manderly and his sons grimaced at Nathan's words.

"Perhaps, as Fellar is a stubborn man, struggling even as we dragged him here," Ser Wylis said with a grim look. "Fellar is a coward, but a stubborn coward. He may only tell us the bare minimum out of spite, leaving most of his riches to be taken by someone other than us or let others escape justice."

Nathan nodded with a frown. They already caught the most important men, but they had to at least try to catch everyone involved so something like this would not happen again.

Suddenly, Nathan got an idea and grew a grin on his face.

"Lord Manderly," Nathan said, grabbing the Fat Lord's attention and his sons. "If you are willing to entertain an idea I have, we may be able to make Fellar sing like a bird without laying a finger on him."

All three Manderlys raised a brow, all wondering what the young Lord had planned for the brothel owner.


Feller of White Harbor glared at the door to his cell, cursing House Manderly, Stark, and the girl who ran away and caused all this. Feller's origins were humble, his father was a dockworker and his mother a tavern wench. They took care of him since he was a babe until his father died in a boating accident, and his mother of sickness, forcing Fellar to defend himself.

He had worked hard and stole some gold to open his brothel in the slums. For years he lived a comfortable life, but then just a few years ago he started to lose business. His whores started to grow old, and other brothels opened offering cleaner beds and younger whores with better access to beer and ale. Before long he was barely surviving and may have been forced to sell his business just to survive the coming winter.

But some Essos men gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. Catch some pretty Northern men and women and sell them to them for a fat bag of gold.

At first, Feller was hesitant as slavery was outlawed in all of Westeros, and men had died for less. Yet the prospect of gaining riches and even new, obedient whores for his brothel was too tempting to pass up, so Felllar agreed.

He was given a small chest full of gold to hire men to capture anyone who would go unnoticed, such as orphans, wenches, and people who wouldn't have been missed if they disappeared. So for the next few months, he hired several thugs to take anyone they could in the dead of night without anyone noticing.

When he sold his first batch of slaves Feller made more gold in one day than working a full year. Thus Fellar found his calling, catching anyone who wouldn't be missed and making a small fortune.

"If it wasn't for that little bitch..." Feller growled as he remembered the girl from Yi Ti.

Feller felt like he struck gold when his men brought in the Yi Ti girl, as people from Yi Ti were very rare in Westeros. She was pretty and young, most likely still a virgin, and Feller knew he would make a good amount of gold with such an exotic beauty. So Feller tried to negotiate to get more gold, and his friends from Essos were agreeing, thus Feller was going to make a small fortune off the girl.

But then she escaped, and before Feller's men could catch her she sought help from Lord Stark, which got Lord Manderly's attention. Within less than a day, Feller of White Harbor lost everything as Lord Manderly's men came and dragged him, his friends from Essos, and his men into the dungeons of Manderly's castle.

"I will live," Feller thought with a glare. "I've heard the Stark boy greatly favors sending men to The Wall. I will escape, come back here to reclaim my stashed gold, and go to Essos, perhaps Slaver's Bay." Feller thought with a grin. "I will have to give up some of my gold to satisfy them-"

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Feller jumped hard at the sounds of a man screaming. The wails were then followed by the sound of men arguing, followed by more screaming.

"Hold the fucker down! I can't get a grip on his teeth!"

"Please, please! I'll tell you whatever-AAAHHHHH!"

Feller's eyes widen in horror at what he heard. One of the thugs he hired was being tortured for answers and from the sound of things they weren't holding back.

"They know nothing!" Feller thought while shaking in fear. "They were only told the bare minimum on what to do... but I know everything."

Feller started to turn pale as the bloody screams became louder followed by the sounds of sobbing. He was the one who paid all the thugs to kidnapped people, he had the contacts from Essos and paid off a few guards to look the other way. Once they were done with his men... he would be next.

For the next hour, Feller was forced to listen to various screams, sobs, and begging of men as they were tortured without mercy. With each second that passed, felt more and more fear for his person. He was also forced to listen to the torturer's orders and his helpers on what to do next, such as breaking bones, pulling teeth and fingernails, or slowly cutting into someone's flesh.

The breaking of bones was the worst, as Feller could hear when the bone was snapped from his cell, followed by the wails and cries of grown men who once killed for pure pleasure.

"They'll want to know everything, make sure that I won't hide any secrets," Feller thought as she shook with fear, flinching every time he heard a cry. "They'll keep me here for days, making sure the only thing I say is the truth. I might not even get the chance to go to The Wall, they may kill me as an act of mercy."

Suddenly, all the screams and yelling stopped, leaving Feller with only his thoughts, which he soon regrets.

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

Suddenly, the door to Feller's cell opened, and in walked Lord Manderly, his sons, and a huge man with dark robes and a black hood covering his face.

"Feller of White Harbor, I have some questions-"

"I'LL TALK!" Feller screamed, catching everyone off guard as the chained man began to sob. "I'll tell you everything! Where I hid my riches, who I've paid off, all the crimes I've committed! Just please keep that monster away from me!"

Lord Manderly looked at the sobbing man with a raised brow, before looking at his sons who could only shrug. Giving a small nod Lord Manderly looked back to Feller.

"Alright Feller, I want to know everything."


"Well Lord Nathan, your plan worked brilliantly," Lord Manderly laughed along with his sons as they all sat and drank together in Lord Manderly's study.

"Thank you, but I think credit should go to the brilliant performance of Ser Riler and his merry band of performers," Nathan said as he smiled at the group of three who were standing off to the side.

Nathan's plan was simple, yet cunning. He hired one of the mummer performing groups he frequented to put on a little show in the dungeons of Manderly Castle. The men would scream as if they were being tortured while the other would act as a cruel and sick torture.

The three gave the performance of a lifetime given how scared Feller was by the time Lord Manderly got to Feller's cell.

"We were more than happy to serve my Lord," Riler and his group said with a nod. "To use our talents for justice is an opportunity we could not refuse."

"I have never seen a man so scared without a single finger even touching him," Wendel said with a laugh. "I was confused about why you asked for those chicken and pork bones from the kitchen, but then you started breaking them as if they were a person. I never would have thought of such a thing."

Nathan nodded as he stood up and pulled out a bag of gold. "For your services, gentlemen."

Then men graciously took the gold with smiles as they bowed to Nathan. "Thank you, Lord Stark! We are forever grateful." With that, the mummers were escorted out by the servants, leaving Nathan with the Manderlys.

"So, did everything Feller confessed true?' Nathan asked as he sat back down.

Ser Wylis nodded with a sigh. "The slimy fucker gave us everything. Where he stashed his riches, the guards and dock workers that looked the other way, and how long he's been doing this." Ser Wylis said with a deep frown on his face. "He managed to sell one shipment of Northerners before we caught him, about 10 people."

Wendel growled as he took a big gulp of sweetfire. "Maybe we should torture him anyway. I have half a mind to send him to the Boltons."

"We will send him and those he hired to The Wall, the slavers from Essos will have their heads cut off," Lord Manderly said in a firm tone. "I doubt Feller will survive very long in the cold. He looks to have never held a sword a day in his life." He said, getting a snort from everyone.

Suddenly, Nathan was struck with a thought. "Lord Manderly, how much did you find from Feller's staches?"

"About 1000 gold, why?" Lord Manderly said with a raised brow. "You have an idea of what to do with the gold?"

Nathan nodded at the Fat Lord. "First is to give some compensation to the victims, as some might not be able to return to work right away. Yin Song also claimed that all her coin was stolen and she only has the clothes on her back, so I assume the same thing happened to the others," Nathan said, getting some nods from the Manderly men. "I also think the coin taken should be invested into increasing the guards in the slums, so something like this is likely not to happen."

Lord Manderly nodded. "I completely agree, the slums may be where the poor live, but they are still my people. I will use the gold to increase the guard rotation in the slums and compensate the victims. Five gold stags each should be more than enough."

Nathan agreed to the amount considering that most of the smallfolk only make 1 gold stag every few months if they were lucky. So five gold was more than enough for the victims to get back on their feet.

"By the way, what do you plan to do with Yin Song, Lord Stark?" Wylis asked, grabbing the young Stark's attention.

Nathan gave a small sigh as he looked at his cup of sweetfire. "I plan to help her as best I can. If she's adamant about returning home I'll put her in contact with Noran who may be able to help her. However, I don't think it's likely she can return home anytime soon."

Yi Ti was a very long way from the North. To make a trip would require a large investment and dedication, and while Nathan did want to help Yin Song, he could not simply give the girl thousands of gold dragons to return her home. Her only hope was to go to Essos and hope she could hitch a ride with a merchant from Yi Ti, but the chances of that were slim to none. Not to mention the journey would be dangerous and may result in losing her own life anyway.

"I will talk with her and tell her my opinion, but the choice is ultimately up to her," Nathan said with a firm look as he down the rest of his sweetfire.


Yin Song gave a small shiver as she felt a draft in her room, making the girl wrap a blanket around herself as she sat on her bed with a book in hand.

Lord Stark had been kind in giving her a room and books for entertainment while they gave justice to the ones who kidnapped her. Yin felt great satisfaction seeing the man who wanted to turn her into a slave being dragged away in chains. From what the Lord's granddaughters told her, the men would be sent to a place known as The Wall, a massive wall hundreds of feet high in the coldest parts of Westeros where they would be forced to fight against savages. A worthy punishment for such vial men.

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

"Yin Song, it's Nathan Stark," Nathan called from the other side of the door, making Yin jump. "May I enter?"

"Yes, please enter Lord Stark," Yin couldn't help but squeak as the young lord entered her room. Yin still found it shocking that the lord before her, who was taller than her, was younger by three years. In Yi Ti, a lord the same age as Nathan would be shorter than Yin herself by a good head. "Northern men sure grow large." She thought with a small blush before shaking her head. "What can I do for you, my Lord?"

"I wanted to inform you that the man who kidnapped you, Feller, and his men will be sent to The Wall in a few days," Nathan said while giving Yin a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you for giving me and the others justice," Yin said in a polite tone as she stood up and bowed to Nathan.

Nathan however quickly waved his hand. "There is no need for that, this should not have even happened in the first place," Nathan said with some frustration.

"A lord can not control a person's free will. These men choose the path they walk, now they will pay the price." Yin said in a soft tone, making Nathan smile.

"Still, they are our people, and it's up to the lords to clean up this mess," Nathan said as he pulled out a small sack and placed it in Yin's small hands. "This is compensation for what happened, use it well," Nathan said as he handed Yin the sack of gold, making the older girl go wide-eyed.

"My-my lord, I cannot accept this-"

"You told me your coin was stolen after you were taken. I am simply returning what is yours, and compensating you for what my people did." Nathan said while folding his arms and smiling at Yin. "I won't take no for an answer."

Seeing she couldn't turn the coin down, Yin once again powered her head in gratitude. "I am forever grateful Lord Stark." She said before picking her head up.

Nathan nodded before a serious look crossed his face. "Yin Song, I need to ask you what you plan to do next."

"What I will do next?" Yin asked with some confusion.

Nathan sighed as he knew the next conversation was going to be a hard one.

"Are you still set on returning home?" Nathan asked, getting a stunned look from Yin. "Because... I will be honest Yin Song, the chances of you returning home are slim, very slim."

A hurt looked crossed Yin's face as she looked away from Nathan, not meeting the young Lord's eyes.

"The chances of finding a ship from Yi Ti here in the North are slim to none," Nathan said as his face turned hard and Yin began to shake. As much as the young Lord wanted to tell Yin a sweet lie, she needed the cold truth. "In Essos, you may find a merchant ship going to Yi Ti, or a caravan... but both options are dangerous."

Essos was littered with slavers, bandits, the Dothraki, and other dangers that would take Yin's life, or make her nothing more than a plaything for someone else. Yin knew this as the ship that brought her here was attacked by many slavers and pirates. The only reason she was not taken was that they had superior archers and larger numbers to ward off such threats.

"However," Nathan continued as he took a breath. "If you are adamant about returning, I can offer you safe passage to Braavos with a merchant friend of mine, but that is as far as he can take you."

Yin Song was quiet for a long moment as she turned her back to Nathan. She then turned to the small window that overlooked White Harbor and gazed at the city.

"I know it is foolish to think I can return home." Yin Song said in a quiet voice. "The journey here was dangerous and that was with a small fleet of ships and fifty skilled archers who rained arrows down on any slaver ship. With any less would be dangerous." Yin said with a small shutter, remembering the horrible stories her father told her of Essos, and why he stressed being careful when visiting such a barbaric land.

"And even if I return... what will I have," Yin gave a small laugh that sounded hopeless. "My brother is dim because even if my father gave me control of the business, my brother would have still owned it as it is his birthright. He could have sent me away, married me off, took control for himself, he could have even had me killed, but instead, he leaves me on the other side of the world." Yin laughed, yet Nathan could see tears in her eyes. "Even if I return to Yi Ti, I will have nothing. I have no living family, no one will fight for a simple girl." Yin's head dropped as more tears ran down her face. "What is the point of going back."

Nathan looked at the girl with some pity as he walked forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am truly sorry you have gone through such an ordeal. I truly am... but you still live," Nathan said, grabbing Yin's attention. "You are still alive, you still have your freedom. Perhaps you cannot return to Yi Ti now, but perhaps you can in the future." Nathan said as he gently whipped the tears from Yin's eyes, getting a small gasp. "You said your father trained you on how to be a merchant and run a business?"

Yin sniffed and nodded her head. "Y-yes, my father wanted me and my brother to work together, with me controlling mostly everything." She said with a confused look on her face.

"Then use the skills your father taught you," Nathan said as he gave Yin a grin. "Become a merchant in Westeros, build a fortune, gain ships and skilled men to work under you. Just because you can't return home now doesn't mean you can return one day."

Yin looked at Nathan with wide eyes as she listened to his words. For the first time in weeks, Yin felt something lost, hope.

"Father always said patience was needed to be a good merchant," Yin thought as she whipped the tears from her eyes. "This land may be strange, but trading is the same. Gold is what holds the most value."

Yin then looked at Nathan and an idea struck her.

"Lord Stark, please allow me to work under you!" Yin nearly shouted as she bowed to Nathan, making the young Stark look at the girl with shock.

"W-Work under me, why?" Nathan asked with a baffled look.

"Y-you are the Lord of the North, practically a king of these lands. I would learn much from working under someone like you about these lands. I am also indebted to you for saving my life." Yin said as she picked her head up while looking confident. "As I said I was trained by my father on how to be a merchant, so I have much experience. I also speak several languages and have extensive knowledge of my home that may prove useful."

That made Nathan pause and look down with a thoughtful look. Yi Ti was a mystery to even the Maesters of the Citadel with them only knowing big things, so to have someone with knowledge of Yi Ti was a rare find. Nathan knew Maester Luwin would ask the poor girl a million questions and then some, he may even pay her for any information. The fact that she was a skilled merchant and could speak several languages was also impressive. Nathan himself could only speak the Common Tongue and a bit of High and Low Valyrian.

"Are you sure you want to come to Winterfell, you may be able to convince Lord Manderly to work for him. He's much more skilled with business than I am." Nathan said as he wanted Yin to have the best opinion.

"Then I will go with you," Yin said, making Nathan blink. "If Lord Manderly is more skilled than me then I won't be of much help. If I go with you I will be of greater help and make a fortune much faster. The best course of action is to go to where the least competition is and where my skills can shine."

Nathan threw his head back with a laugh as he smiled at Yin. "Well, the North has the least competition when it comes to merchants. I accept your offer Yin Song, and invite you to Winterfell." Nathan said as he stuck his hand out and gently took her hand before giving it a small kiss, making Yin's cheeks go red. "Get some rest Yin Song, we'll talk more tomorrow," Nathan said before he left Yin's room.


1 Months Later

In the weeks to follow Nathan got to know Yin Song and quickly found the girl to be brilliant. Nathan wouldn't have been surprised if the girl rivaled most Masters in the Citadel in terms of intelligence, though because she was a woman she would never know.

Yin Song had extensive knowledge of the Yi Ti trade items that Nathan had never heard of. One example was something called fireworks, as Yin called it. She tried to explain it as best she could, but it was simply explosions that shot up into the sky before creating pretty colors. However, Yin stressed she had no knowledge of how to make fireworks, and that their only purpose was for entertainment as even if a man was hit by them, they would only have minor burns.

Another bit of useful information Yin told Nathan was about rice. Turns out rice could also be used to create a Rice Wine that Yin called Mijiu and Baijiu, which was the biggest alcoholic drink in Yi Ti. Mijiu was best to drink cool and while being a wine its taste was very strong and got you drunk very fast when compared to normal wine. The process was very similar to how beer was made with grain, such as using yeast and fermentation. With this information, Nathan sent a Raven to Lord Reed about his findings, to which the Lord once again sent his gratitude to Nathan and promised to experiment with any leftover rice to see what would happen.

Nathan informed Lord Reed of having an extra distiller that he would be willing to part with along with all information related to it in exchange for more rice being sent to Winterfell, and for rice to be sold cheaper to Winter Town. Lord Reed easily agreed to Nathan's request and had several soldiers sent to White Harbor to pick up the distiller and all the documents about making a distiller and how to use it.

Thanks to Yin's knowledge and experience with trade the Yi Ti girl soon became Nathan's assistant and even adviser, helping the young lord keep track of his works and giving her insight on how Nathan should proceed with certain plans and ideas. While Nathan had learned a lot under Lord Manderly, the young Stark could see that Yin Song was simply better than Nathan, so Nathan would listen to her advice.

While Nathan conducted his business he was treated to the tales of him taking down a slaver twice his size in single combat to save an excepted slave. Some of the tales were outlandish saying Nathan took six by himself before bedding the girl he saved or cutting a man in half with a single swing of his sword. Nathan was adamant about setting the tale right by saying that he and his guard took 10 men down and that Nathan had defeated the leader himself, the largest among the men. Nathan expected people to be disappointed with such a mundane tale, but they were more impressed with Nathan's honesty and humbleness, and his skill to defeat a man twice his age and height in single combat.

Nathan Stark's days weren't simply spent in work during his last days in White Harbor, as he was treated to something special on his coming 13th-name day.

Lord Manderly told Nathan that he would host a tourney in honor of his name day, as it was the time he was becoming a man. The tourney would host several events such as archery, melee, and jousting, along with other events that surprised Nathan such as Axe Throwing, which was an event where men would throw axes to see who had the most skill, the Hammer Throw, where men would throw an iron ball as far as they could to show their strength, and finally, the Log Clime, where men would try to climb a tall log as high as they could and the highest one would win.

Tourneys were rare in the North as they required a great deal of coin, and they were mostly seen as a Southern thing because of the Faith. As such it was rare for a Northern Lord to host a Tourney unless it was for a truly special occasion.

With the tourney set for Nathan's name day, Ravens were sent to nobles to come to White Harbor for the event. Lord Manderly also informed everyone that there would be gold and prizes to be won for each event, attracting a lot of attention. In the weeks to follow Nathan saw many from the North and even the South come to the White Harbor tourney to the point Lord Manderly had to hire additional guards to keep the peace.

Nathan was worried that Lord Manderly was spending too much on such an event for Nathan's name day. However, that quickly changed when Lord Manderly showed Nathan the numbers and how many coins Lord Manderly was making from the visiting nobles and warriors. White Harbor was already seeing a massive increase in coin and even trade with so many nobles and warriors entering the city for the tourney. Taverns were making the most coins hosting several nobles who spent large amounts on drinks and food. The Brothels were also busy as many warriors needed a good woman to keep them company.

The young Stark had a good laugh as he realized Lord Manderly was using his name-day to attract a good number of nobles to increase the economy of the city. With that Nathan no longer felt any guilt and decided to enjoy the tourney and meet the various Lords and nobles of the North, such as members of House Karstark, Glover, Hornwood, Mormont, Umber, Ryswell, and other such houses. There was some tension with so many nobles in one city, but they knew to keep the peace, or at least fight it out.

Nathan could instantly see all the Lords and nobles in the North were sizing him up, to see if he was worthy leader of House Stark and the North. Nathan could understand as most Lords in the North respected strength and skill more than anything, and would not follow a weak will lord. The Lords and nobles were impressed with Nathan's feats so far with the reconstruction of the Northern fleet and his find of mines in Stark lands, however, Nathan could also see jealousy in their eyes for the advancing wealth of House Stark, Manderly, and Glover.

"Gods, so many nobles today," Nathan sighed while dropping onto his bed. He had just spent the day greeting various Lords and Nobles of the North and even the South, such as some knights from House Fray.

Yin gave a small laugh as she stood next to Nathan's bed. "It is common for a Lord such as yourself to great your people."

"But there were so many of them," Nathan said before a blush crossed his face. "And the girls..."

Several Lords and nobles had brought their daughters who tried to whoo Nathan. The young Stark could easily see the Lords wanted their daughters to be betrothed to Nathan and become Lady of Winterfell and The North. The girls were also persistent, fluttering their eyes and giggling at every other thing Nathan said. They would gently run his hands over his chest and arms, playfully commenting on his muscles while showing off their tits. The young Stark found it maddening, but he didn't hate the attention.

It wasn't just the Northern Houses that tried to have Nathan wed, but also the Southern Houses such as House Fray. One of the Fray Nobles, a Ser Danwell Fray, had made it very clear of Walder Fray's desire for Nathan to wed one of Walder's daughters, granddaughters, or great-granddaughters, practically anyone in House Fray. This gained the glare of various Northern Nobles that made several Fray knights uncomfortable.

Nathan gave the older man an amused smile and asked Danwell which daughter, and asked if she was a beauty and close to Nathan's age. Danwell was caught off guard by the sudden question and said that it would be up to Nathan and Walder Fray to decide who he would marry if they agreed.

"You expect me to take a bride from House Fray and make her Lady of the North, yet you haven't even decided on which lady may interest me, Ser Danwell, or have an idea?" Nathan asked the man with a raised brow and an amused look on his face, making the Fray knight fidget. "I will be honest and say that beauties among House Fray are rare, but I require more than just a beauty. I require someone who understands the harsh life of the North, who can talk equal to me and lead a castle when I am away, and much more." Nathan said as he narrowed his eyes at Danwell, making the older men take a step back. "Tell me Ser Danwell, are there any Ladies in House Fray that fit my needs?" When Ser Danwell opened and closed his mouth no words came out, making Nathan sigh. "Perhaps before you make a marriage proposal, have an actual offer instead of blindly hoping for the best." Was all Nathan said before walking away, leaving an embarrassed Fray behind, much to the amusement of the Nothern Lords.

Ned Stark had talked to Nathan briefly on the subject of marriage during his last visit to White Harbor. Ned was adamant that he would allow Nathan to choose his bride, as long as it was someone of noble birth as he felt Nathan was smart enough to make the choice himself. Ned also had a long talk with Nathan about sleeping with other women for pleasure and relief. Ned told Nathan to be responsible, to make sure he didn't dishonor a noble daughter, to make sure his lovers drink Moon Tea, and to avoid brothel women as they have been known to carry disease.

As much as Ned Stark wanted Nathan to wait for marriage until he lay with a woman, he knew he couldn't hold the boy back, at least not for long. Brandon himself had laid with a girl not long after his 13th name day despite their father's words and often snuck off to various brothels close to Winter Town, and Nathan was a lot like Brandon. Ned could only hope Nathan would be responsible and not bear any Bastards of his own.

Nathan had never given much thought about sex... until now, with various Noble girls showing off their tits and tight clothes and constantly running their hands on his arms and chest. One girl from House Dustin had even grabbed Nathan's cock through his clothes and blatantly told him she wanted him to mount her and fuck her in his room.

It took all of Nathan's will to not simply follow through.

Yin giggled behind her hand at Nathan's words. "You are the heir to the North and are without a betrothed. You must have realized that the noble houses would push their daughters to be with the Stark who is the future lord to House Stark, who re-created the Northern Fleet, and found several mines on Stark Lands." Yin listed off before giving Nathan an amused look. "Lords have given their daughter's hands for less, Lord Stark."

Nathan couldn't help but wince at that, knowing what Yin said was true, as House Stark was quickly becoming one of the richest houses in the North. He would have to take a noblewoman as his bride one day, most likely from the North to make the other Northern Lords happy. If Nathan had to take a Southern bride he would face some backlash if she could not adapt to the Northern lifestyle. However, if push came to shove Nathan could handle a few unhappy lords easily if it was someone Nathan loved.

"I am not looking forward to that," Nathan said with a long sigh as he stared up.

Nathan couldn't even think of marriage at the moment. The thought of marrying someone he barely knew made the young Stark frown. He had heard of many noble marriages failing simply because the couple were a bad match. While his parents' wedding was rushed, they did love each other from what Ned told Nathan. Nathan wanted that, however unlikely it might be, not a bride Nathan couldn't trust with his house, his home, or his life.

"I will get to know my future bride before marrying at the very least," Nathan said before shaking his head. "Let's worry about my marriage another day in the far future. What is left on the list?" Nathan asked while looking at Yin.

Yin pulled up a creation she had made from a blacksmith called a clipboard, a simple wooden plank that was light and smoothed, allowing for a person to write while standing up. It even had a small holder for the ink at the very top.

"You have a feast to attend with Lord Manderly's family with various Lords of the North," Yin said as she lifted the paper. "I have been informed you will be sitting next to Lord Manderly's daughters at the head table, Little Jon will also be attending the feast but will sit with some of the warriors."

Nathan sighed, glad he wouldn't be sitting next to and Lord's daughters and that Jon would be attending.

"Then tomorrow we begin the tourney. The first event will be the Axe Throw, followed by the Log Clime. The next day will involve the Hammer Throw, followed by the Archery event, and finally the Jousting competition to highlight the end of the day. The final event the next day will be the Melee." Yin listed off as she looked over the papers.

"How will the Melee be done?"

The Melee was the biggest event in any tourney, and there were three ways to do a Melee. The first is the mock battle, where two teams of men face off against one another in combat until one team loses, and teams keep fighting until only a few men can fight and face one another in single combat.

The second way to do a melee was a Free-For-All battle. This was done if a tourney could not be dragged out, where all the fighters would fight each other until only one man was last standing. This was the least popular melee as Free-For-All battles usually ended very soon and ended with the most injured.

The final way to do a Melee was by a tournament standard. Similar to Jousting, various fighters would be pitted against one another in single combat. This would continue until only two fighters were left, and the final one standing would be crowned the winner.

"Lord Manderly informed me of a tournament-style melee. There are just enough fighters that it should only take a day or two." Yin explained with a smile.

"Wish I could enter the tourney," Nathan muttered with a pout.

Lord Manderly had made it clear to Nathan that he could not enter the Melee or Jousting, as they were the most dangerous and life-threatening events, however, Nathan had no experience in the other skills, and he wasn't confident in his archery skill.

The only event Nathan wanted to enter was the Melee, as he was most skilled in single combat. While his father was well-known for Jousting, Nathan never saw much need for the skill as the only use for Jousting during war and battles was to unhorse other horse riders, and even then they weren't that useful in a long battle.

"Lord Manderly was clear that you could enter the archery, hammer throw, log claiming, and axe throw," Yin said with a smile.

"All Events I have no experience with," Nathan said before a wide and mischievous grin crossed his face. "Looks like I will have to go through with my plan."

Yin's face suddenly became nervous as she bit her lip. "I like to point out I am against such a plan."

"Don't worry, if anything I will take the blame," Nathan said with a laugh, making Yin sigh as he stood up. "Now leave so I may get dressed, we will talk later."

"Yes, Lord Stark," Yin said with a small bow as she exited the room.

Nathan let out a breath seeing Yin leave before rolling his eyes. "I told her to call me Nathan when we are alone."


"Thank you for joining us tonight Lord Umbra," Nathan said while shaking the large man's large hands as he greeted the Lords that entered the dining hall.

Lord Umbra was easily the largest person Nathan had ever seen, as were most men and women of House Umbra. Lord Greatjon Umber was nearly 7 feet tall and nearly four feet wide. Lord Greatjon was considered to be the strongest man in the North and possibly Westeros thanks to his massive size and strength. He was also one of the few Northern men who could wield a true steel greatsword with ease.

"Lord Manderly throws the best feasts," Lord Umbra said while laughing out loud. "Oh, let me introduce my son, Smalljon."

When Nathan laid eyes on 'Smalljon', there was anything but small when looking at the young man before him.

Smalljon was a large young man, a few years older than Nathan. He wasn't as wide as his father but he was tall and looked to be as tall as his father one day. The second thing Nathan noticed was the wild red hair on his head, in contrast to Greatjon's fading brown hair.

"Lord Stark," Smalljon said as he stuck his massive hand out.

Nathan took the hand and instantly noticed Smalljon adding pressure to it. Giving a small grin Nathan tightens his fist around Smalljon's hand. The two fought for strength for several seconds before Smalljon grinned and pulled his hand back.

"Impressive," Smalljon said with a respectful nod. "Not many can handle my strength, especially someone younger."

"I've been training," Nathan said with a shrug as he shook his hand, trying to hide his pain. "So, will you two be entering the tourney?"

"The both of us will be, but for different events," Greatjon said as he slapped Smalljon's shoulder. "I'll be entering the Hammer Throw while Smalljon will enter the Melee, giving the younger generation a chance to shine." Lord Umbra said with a booming laugh. "Will you be entering the tourney, Lord Stark?"

Nathan sighed at that. "Unfortunately, no, as Lord Manderly feels I am still a bit too young to enter the Melee and Jousting, and I have very little skill in the other events."

That made Lord Umbra sigh. "That's a damn shame, I had hoped to see your skills after hearing you took down a man twice your height."

Nathan let a smile cross his face at Lord Umbra's words. "Don't worry Lord Umbra, I don't doubt you'll see my skills soon." The young Stark said, getting a raised brow from the large Lord. "I must leave, Lord Manderly is calling me over."

With that, Nathan left Lord Umbra and his son and walked over to Lord Manderly, who gave a booming laugh as he talked with a few nobles. When Lord Manderly saw Nathan he bid the nobles well before making his way over to Nathan.

"Enjoying the feast Lord Stark?" Lord Manderly asked with a wide smile as he stood next to Nathan.

Nathan smiled as he looked around the feast hall, watching as the nobles drank their fill of wine, beer, and ale, while bards played instruments and young ladies sang and danced.

"It is very lively, and I quite enjoy it," Nathan said as he looked to the side and laughed when he saw Jon. "Jon seems to be enjoying the event as well."

Off to the side, Jon was play-fighting with a group of younger boys and seemed to be having fun. Even the older nobles were giving them amused looks.

"You will be hosting your events in the future, and with House Stark's new wealth, I can say with confidence they will be quite grand." Lord Manderly said with a wide smile, making Nathan smile. Suddenly, Lord Manderly saw his son Wendel give him a nod, making the Fat Lord's smile widen. "Oh, it seems your present is here Lord Stark."

Nathan raised a brow and was about to question Lord Manderly before the young Stark was quickly cut off.

"Nathan!"

Nathan turned just in time to see three smaller figures run up to him and nearly tackle him to the floor. The young Stark was shocked before he looked down at the ones who tackled him, and who he saw made Nathan's eyes widen before a look of joy crossed his face.

"Robb! Sansa! Arya!" Nathan said with a face of joy as he hugged his cousins, who all giggled with joy as they hugged back as they climbed from the floor.

Looking down at his cousins Nathan was delighted to see how much they had grown. Robb and Sansa still had dark red hair like their mother, yet Robb's hair was curly while Sansa's was straight. Arya had dark brown hair like her father's but was in a long ponytail.

"Jon!" Arya cried out after seeing Jon who was quickly pulled into the group hug. "We missed you too!"

Nathan smiled as he pulled his family into a hug and squeezed them all, getting laughs out of all of them. Looking up Nathan saw his uncle looking at them with a smile before the young Stark looked to Lord Manderly.

"I invited Lord Stark to the tourney along with his children, considering you have not seen them in a long time." Lord Manderly said with a smile, making Nathan nod with a grateful look.

Nathan looked at his uncle as his cousins continued to hang off his body. "Thank you for bringing them uncle," Nathan said in a grateful tone as he rubbed the top of Robb's head, he then laughed when Arya took his other hand and placed it on her head.

"It took a bit of convincing Catylen to allow them to come, she had to stay behind to take care of baby Bran," Ned said with a sigh as Jon hugged his father, making Ned smile down at him. "But it was well worth it."

Lord Manderly stepped forward while shaking Ned's hand. "Glad you can make it Lord Stark, the feast is about to start." Lord Manderly said as he gestured to the main table. "Please sit with my family."

"I thank you for your hospitality Lord Manderly," Ned said in a respectful tone as he made his way over to the feasting table.

With that, the feast came into full swing with servants bringing in a large amount of food. Nathan sat with his cousins and started to explain some of the things he's learned over his fostering.

Nathan found great amusement in seeing his cousins become interested in very specific parts of his fostering. Sansa was stary-eyed at Nathan's talk about the silk and jewels he had purchased over his fostering and was not subtle in asking for such a gift for her next name-day. Robb paid close attention when Nathan talked about what he learned from Lord Manderly about Lordship, as Robb was learning such things from Maester Luwin and his father. Arya practically demanded Nathan talk about how he uncovered a slaver operation in White Harbor, but she looked slightly disappointed when Nathan did very little.

Lord Manderly's granddaughter got along well with Sansa and Arya. Sansa and Wynafryd got along well given that they were both noble ladies trained by their mothers, yet Nathan could see a big difference between them with Wynafryd being blunter and Sansa being more passionate. Arya and Wylla got along amazingly, both girls laughing and talking about what they liked, such as horse riding, archery, and other things. Wylla even told Arya her desire to dye her hair a different color from her blond one, something she had only told Nathan. Arya looked interested, but Ned quickly stopped her as Catylen would lose her head from such a thing, much to Arya's regret.

Near the middle of the feast, Nathan was presented with gifts from his uncle and various Lords for his name day, such as well-crafted weapons, cloaks, wine, and other items. His uncle had gifted Nathan a heavy silver necklace with silver from the Stark mines, the necklace having the Stark sigil on the front and House Velaryon on the back. Lord Manderly presented Nathan with an amazing gift of a Far-Eye, a well-crafted Myrish lens tube from Myr. Lord Manderly explained how he acquired the item as payment for a deal and thought that Nathan would need it at some point. Nathan thanked everyone for the gifts as he proudly wore his new necklace.

"Nathan," Robb suddenly asked, grabbing Nathan's attention. "Do you plan to enter the tourney?"

That grabbed everyone's attention at the table, including Lord Manderly and Ned Stark.

Nathan gave a small sigh as he placed his cup of wine on the table. "Unfortunately, no," The young Stark said, getting pouts from Robb, Jon, and Arya. "Lord Manderly has advised that I avoid entering the Jousting and Melee, as they are the most dangerous. I have little skill in the other events so I see no point in entering." Suddenly Nathan grew a wide smile, something Ned noticed as it looked very similar to his brother's smile. "Don't worry, I have seen a great number of interesting fighters that will enter the Melee. I am sure it will be a sight to remember." Nathan said with a big smile as he drank his wine while Robb, Arya, and even Sansa looked excited about the upcoming tourney.

Ned narrowed his eyes at Nathan as the young Stark continued to smile. A smile that reminded Ned all too much of his brother's smile when he got an idea.

"What are you planning Nathan?" Ned thought with a sigh before gulping his wine.


The White Harbor tourney went into full swing over the next few days.

The Tourney grounds took place in a clearing outside White Harbor with several stalls selling foods, trinkets, and even blacksmiths selling weapons and armor. Nathan saw Tobin and his grandfather working in a makeshift blacksmith stall and from the line of nobles and warriors, they were getting good business.

When Nathan met Tobin's eyes the young Stark gave the young blacksmith a wide grin, while Tobin looked very nervous and gave a shaky nod.

Soon Nathan stood in the observation box with Lord Manderly's family along his Ned and his children, and even Jon. Nathan was allowed a breather from the various noble girls who constantly tried to catch his eye, much to Ned's amusement.

"Your father loved the attention that any woman gave him," Ned said with a small laugh. "He also had a way with words and could make any woman swoon with just a look." The Quiet Wolf had said while shaking his head.

Nathan had heard of his father's reputation with ladies, from noble to even common birth. Aunt Catylen even admitted to having fallen for Brandon's charm when they first met, though she stressed that given Brandon's personality, she could easily see herself pulling her hair out after a few years, and was very happy with being married to Ned.

"Look," Arya said as she pointed down. "The Tourney is starting." She said with excitement.

The first event was the axe-throwing competition. Lord Manderly explained that the event was mostly done in the North and some parts of the Vale. It was a competition to show strength and skill with an axe, as throwing an axe in a fight can be very deadly, but only when done right.

Nathan watched as various Northern men threw their axes at wooden targets in the shape of men. The main targets everyone was aiming for were the chest and head, while everything else was considered a miss. Many Northern men throw their axes into the wooden targets, some managed to hit, while others missed. Some men even timed the throwing of the axe wrong, resulting in the back of the axe bouncing off the target. One man was unlucky enough to have his axe bounce back at him, nearly resulting in his head getting split like a melon.

After a few hours of men throwing their axes, the winner was a nobleman from House Cerwyn. Given their family banners of an axe, Nathan wasn't entirely surprised. The man was rewarded a bag of gold and a pair of well-crafted axes.

The next event was Log Climbing. A giant log standing at least 30 feet tall stood in the middle of the tourney grounds. It was quickly explained that the goal was to reach as high as possible, and the one to reach the highest would win. However, the first one to reach the very top would be crowned the winner. Any method to reach the top was allowed, be it with firsts, daggers, or even teeth, as long as you reached as high as you could before dropping down.

Most men who entered the event used their hands to try to claw their way up, a few of the smart ones used daggers to stab the log to climb up, but most only got about 20 feet before falling into the piles of hay around the log to soften the fall.

The winner came from a member of House Hornwood. A young lad who was able to climb at least 25 feet before falling, yet still had the biggest smile on his face as he was handed his reward of gold, a pair of Dragonglass daggers, and an Ironwood shield.

With that, the tourney came to an end with the winners celebrating their victories. From what Nathan heard the man from House Cerwyn threw a large party in a tavern with the men that followed him and ended up spending half of his winning on beer, wine, and food. As for the young lad from House Hornwood, he went to the most expensive brothel in White Harbor and nearly blew through all his winnings on various girls and fine wine, yet from the smile on his face Nathan only thought he somehow came out richer.

The next day the tourney started with the Hammer Throw. The men were handed heavy balls of iron and were told to throw them as far as they could, and the farthest would be crowned the winner. The crowd seemed to love the event as it showed off men's strength as they all roared with every throw.

The winner of the event was Greatjon Umbra himself, to no one's shock. The large man's hand nearly wrapped around the iron ball as he lifted it as if it were a pillow. The large Umbra then pulled his arm back before giving a mighty roar and launching the iron ball into the air. Everyone watched with amazement as the iron ball whooshed through the air before it slammed into the ground. The man had sent the iron ball a good 60 feet across the field, nearly double what anyone else threw during the entire event.

Lord Umbra laughed as he accepted his prizes, well-crafted Warhammer along with some gold and fine leather gloves, he even took the iron ball as a prize, saying he would throw it at some wildings and see what happens. His men partially roared as they lifted Lord Umbra into the air while shouting his name as they carried him out.

The next event was the Archery competition. While it did not get as many cheers as the other events, Nathan saw a good number of people making bets on who was going to win. Most people were betting on a man from house Karstark who was an experienced huntsman. A few thought a Fray Archer might have a chance given the well-crafted bow he was wielding.

The competition was simple. Groups of men would all fire at a target, and the closest one to the center would win the round, where the winners would move on to the next groups. This would go on until only one man was standing.

Nathan watched as the first group of men moved into place while they prepared. However, someone else grabbed Nathan's attention.

"Is... is that boy also participating?" Nathan said with a shocked look as he pointed down.

Down in the arena was a young boy a few years older the Jon and Robb, but younger than Nathan. He had short, messy black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. He wore dirty clothes and a thick black cloak over his shoulders, his face had dirt and soot, along with a scar on his right cheek.

Nathan saw the bow in the boy's hands. It was small and looked to be worn down, but well crafted. The boy was inspecting his bowstring with a worried look, ignoring the murmurs and stairs he was getting.

"I heard about him," Lord Manderly said as his eyes landed on the boy. The Fat Lord rubbed his chin with thought. "He is from White Harbor, an orphan. He was somehow able to pay the entrance fee for the tourney."

Oftentimes tourneys had entrance fees, meaning if a person wanted to participate in the tourney they would need to pay a price depending on the event. Depending on where the tourney took place the price to enter could range from 2 gold to 20 or even 200 for every event. This was to prevent every smallfolk and noble from entering even when they had no skill but wanted to try their luck.

"He was able to pay the 8 gold?" Ned asked with a raised brow, wondering how an orphan was able to get so much coin.

"He offered up a gold pendant as his buy-in," Lord Manderly said as everyone watched the boy check his bowstring. "We checked to see if it was stolen but found nothing. When the guards asked the boy he explained that his father was given it as a reward for saving a merchant after falling into the sea. His father gave him the pendant just before he died of an injury he gained from the docks."

"But isn't he too young?" Sansa asked with some worry while Arya looked at the boy with interest.

"The boy was warned but he was adamant that he enter," Lord Manderly said with a small chuckle. "I often see many young boys thinking they have the skill to match grown men until they are humbled."

"Noble boys maybe, as they can spar the coin, but an orphan..." Nathan said as he looked at the boy with interest. "Either he is very foolish or very confident in his skill."

"You think he'll win?" Lord Manderly asked with a raised brow before shaking his head. "Even if he has some talent he is only a boy. My money is on the Karstark, huntsmen know how to line up their shots."

"Care to put your gold on this Lord Manderly?" Nathan asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Oh no..." Ned groaned as he rubbed his face, recognizing the face Nathan was making.

Lord Manderly gave a loud laugh as he gave Nathan a challenging look. "I am no stranger to gambling Lord Stark." The Fat Lord said as he pointed at one of the archers. "100 gold says the Karstark huntsman beats the boy this round." He said, getting gasps from all the Starks except for Nathan, who continued to grin.

"And I bet 100 that the boy will beat the huntsman," Nathan said with complete confidence, making Jon, Robb, Sansa, and Arya all gasp again at the large amount while Ned shook his head.

Lord Manderly and Nathan shook hands and watched as the Archery competition started.

The first group consisted of five people, including the Karstark man and the orphan boy. Nathan watched as all the archers pulled their bows back and fired.

Gasps filled the air as all five arrows struck the target, but only two were close to the center.

"Well, I'll be..." Lord Manderly muttered with a surprised look as all the archers left except for the orphan boy and Karstark huntsman. "I guess the boy does have skill." The Fat Lord admitted, making Nathan grin.

The boy grinned as he lined up his next shot and fired, hitting the center once again. The Karstark huntsman followed suit and hit the center himself, getting cheers from the men from House Karstark.

The targets were then pulled farther away from their spot and the archers were ordered once again to fire.

However, gasps were heard in the tourney as the two arrows struck their target. One arrow hit the center while the other had just hit outside the center.

"Winner, Henry of White Harbor!" The announcer called, getting a sigh from the Karstark man and a cheer from the boy.

The crowd cheered, mostly those from White Harbor as the orphan boy Henry gave a bow before scurrying off while the next group of archers stepped forward.

"Damn," Lord Manderly said with a hearty laugh, making his fat cheeks jiggle. "It seems you were right Lord Nathan, I will have the coin delivered later today."

"I appreciated it Lord Manderly," Nathan said with a wide smile as his eyes were still on Henry. "Still, I'm amazed someone so young could make such a shot with an old bow. Even if it is well crafted."

"He is talented," Ned said as he took a sip of water. "I have met many people who were born with amazing talent, be it in swordsmanship or trading. Your father was such a man with his swordsmanship, and that boy seems to have a talent for archery."

Nathan rubbed his chin as his uncle's words rang in his head. "He does have talent..."

The archery competition continued until there were only two archers left. The orphan boy Henry and surprisingly the Frey archer.

Nathan watched as both archers prepared while many in the stands were placing their bets. The boy looked nervous as he continued to check his bow while the Frey archer sneered at the orphan.

The two archers then lined up their shots and fired, both hitting the center of the target.

Everyone in the tourney watched with amazement as both archers fired arrow after arrow at the targets as they were pulled further and further away until both targets reached the end of the tourney grounds. The Frey archer was showing clear frustration while the orphan boy looked to grow more and more nervous with every shot.

The Frey archer gave a low growl before he pulled his next shot and fired, but he let go pre-mature. The arrow had hit the target in the second ring, just outside the center. The Frey archer looked shocked before giving a frustrated growl and glaring at the orphan boy, who looked at the noble with some fear but steeled himself as he stepped forward.

Henry pulled his bow back and lined up his shot, keeping his hand steady as a rock as he ignored all the eyes on him.

*Snap*

Suddenly, without warning Henry's bowstring snapped, getting a cry of shock from the young orphan. Henry looked at his bow with pure shock before a look of defeat crossed his face while his head slumped forward. Murmurs filled the tourney grounds while the Frey archer gained a look of victory.

"Why is he stopping?" Wylla asked with a look of confusion on her face. "Can't someone just give him another bow?"

Lord Manderly sighed while Ned shook his head as Ned started to explain, but was cut off.

"That is a great idea, Wylla," Nathan said with a wide smile as he reached to the side and grabbed a bow on the side. Stepping forward to the edge of the booth. "Henry of White Harbor!" Nathan called out, grabbing the orphan boys along with everyone else. "Catch!"

Throwing the bow the boy was barely able to catch it. Once in his hands, the boy looked at the bow in shock while Nathan grinned and nodded at the boy, who gave a shaky bow before he moved into position. The Frey archer looked shocked by this before an angry look crossed his and all the members of House Frey.

Ned sighed while Lord Manderly laughed. "Must you bring me such a headache, Nathan?" Ned asked, only to get a cheeky grin that looked similar to his brother's. This would be seen as a slight against House Frey, though it would be a minor thing all things considered.

With a new bow in hand, Henry seemed to gain an air of confidence as he tested the string. The boy then pulled out an arrow before slowly lining his shot, everyone in the grounds watching with bated breath. After a few seconds, the boy released the arrow.

The arrow cut through the air and everyone held their breath as the arrow struck the target.

"Yes!" The Frey archer cheered along with the other members of House Frey.

Henry's arrow had hit just next to the Frey archer's arrow on the outside. Still an impressive shot given the distance and for someone so young, but not the winning one.

"Damn," Nathan said with a sigh as the boy dropped his head, a look of defeat on Henry's face as he stood there.

"It was still impressive," Ned said with a solemn nod. "I've known experienced archers who would struggle to hit such a target."

The Frey archer was presented with his prize, which was some gold, a well-crafted bow, and some fine arrows. The smug face on all the members of House Frey made all the Northerners grumble as the archer accepted his prizes.

"Father, Nathan," Robb called out to the two, grabbing their attention. "Why is it so many people don't like the Freys?" Robb asked while tilting his head.

That got a laugh from Lord Manderly and Nathan while Ned coughed into his hand.

"Well, you see Robb, there are a lot of reasons why the Nobles of the North and even the South don't like the Freys," Nathan while folding his hands. "The crowning achievement of House Frey is their bridge at the Twins, which is a strategic location and the only bridge for merchants going into and out of the North can cross for safe passage but they must pay a toll to cross. This has brought House Frey much wealth, but that is all, and many noble houses see House Frey as simple toll collectors out of jealousy and spite." Nathan said as he took a sip of wine.

Jon furrowed his brows at Nathan's answer. "That can't be all," Jon said, not looking convinced. "The way they look at the Frey men... it doesn't look like simple jealousy."

Nathan looked at Jon with a proud smile as he nodded his head. "You are right, there is more to the animosity toward House Frey than that," Nathan said, making Jon's chest puff out a bit while Robb pouted. "For a long time the current Lord of House Frey has managed to expand his wealth, influence, and arms to the point that House Frey is seen as one of the strongest houses in the Riverlands, perhaps even rivaling House Tully," Nathan said, getting shocked looks from all the young Stark children. "Normally this would gain the respect of Lords across Westeros if it wasn't for the methods Lord Frey used to gain his power."

"His methods?" Robb asked as he and Jon paid close attention to Nathan's words.

"Lord Frey is very, very old, about 80 years old," Nathan said, getting shocked looks from all the Stark children. "In that time Walder Frey has sired many, many children with different wives. Last I heard, Walder Frey has at least 30 children to his name." Nathan said, getting a grim and disgusted look from both Ned and even Lord Manderly. Nathan left out the unknown number of bastard children Walder Frey might have as no one knew the number of those.

"Why does he make so many babies?" Sansa asked with an almost scared look on her face, thinking Lord Frey was some kind of monster.

"To expand his influence," Nathan said with a disgusted look himself as he watched the members of House Frey continue to gloat. "Whenever he can, Walder Frey has any of his children marry someone of influence for the sole purpose of expanding his power and wealth, such as other nobles, or wealthy merchants, I've even heard Lord Frey giving one of his daughters to a mercenary leader if the leader works under House Frey."

Arya looked confused at Nathan's words and gave a deep frown. "But why, doesn't Lord Frey care for his children?" Arya asked in an innocent tone.

Ned sighed as gave his daughter a sad but loving smile. "Most nobles love their children greatly, but other nobles and lords often use their children to gain wealth, influence, and power," Ned said with a grim look on his face. He wishes he didn't have to explain politics to his children, at least not while they were young, but Ned knew the future was not set in stone and it was best to learn now rather than later. Sansa and Arya might not fully understand, but Robb was a smart boy, and Jon himself was proving competent in his studies.

Arya frowned even more at her father's words. "But that's wrong." She said in a confident tone, getting smiles from Ned, Nathan, and even Lord Manderly.

"Aye, it is wrong young Stark," Lord Manderly said with a small laugh. "Nobles will make connections and bonds through marriage to strengthen their houses, but it must be done right. Walder Frey puts others in hard positions before forcing marriages onto them. While this does strengthen House Frey, the bonds they have are weak, making House Frey stand alone." Lord Manderly said before he scoffed. "Walder Frey's personality seemed to rub off his children and men, as they think they are one of the strongest Houses in Westeros and deserve the most respect, despite accomplishing nothing."

Nathan nodded along while sipping his wine. One such marriage was the union between Genna Lannister and Emmon Frey. Somehow Walder Frey was able to corner the previous Lord of House Lannister into marrying his daughter to Walder's second son, tying House Frey to House Lannister. This would be considered an impressive feat if not for the fact that Walder Frey had used an underhanded method to achieve the goal and that all of the Westerlands and House Lannister hated the marriage. So while House Frey was tied to House Lannister, House Lannister barely acknowledged House Frey as an ally, and if push came to shove the Lannisters would not hesitate to cut ties with the Freys.

Nathan was pulled from his thoughts as he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. When he turned and saw what grabbed his attention, his eyes narrowed.

"I'll be back," Nathan said in a low tone, grabbing everyone's attention as he stood up and quickly left.

Ned raised a brow and looked to where Nathan was, and what he saw made his eyes widen.

"Shit!" Ned shouted as he quickly chased after Nathan, getting confused looks from everyone else.


"Ah!" Henry cried in pain as he was thrown into a wooden barrel behind some tents.

Looking up Herny saw several Frey men looming over the young boy. Some had smug grins on their faces while others looked at Henry with anger.

"So a little orphan boy thinks he can challenge a noble," The Frey Archer said with an angry look on his face. "You need to learn to never step out of line peasant."

"Consider yourself lucky," A smug Frey Knight said with a laugh as he kicked Henry in the chest, knocking the air out of the poor boy. "If you had somehow won, we would have gutted you for the slight. Instead, we're just going to beat-"

"Enough!"

Everyone jumped at the loud voice as the Frey men whipped around to see Nathan, giving all the older men a fierce glare.

The Frey Knight looked at Nathan with a raised brow before a smug grin crossed his face. "And who might you be, little boy-"

"I am Nathan Stark," Nathan said, cutting the man off as he looked him straight in the eyes. "Son of Brandon Stark, Heir to House Stark and the North." The white hair Stark said before scowling at the young knight. "And who the fuck are you?"

In an instant, all the Frey's became very nervous at the mention of Stark. The Frey knight stepped forward, looking at Nathan with some fear on his face.

"I-I am Ser Walder Frey the 5th. Grandson of Lord Walder Frey, son of..." Nathan ignored the rest of the Frey knight's words as if found them unimportant.

"Okay, 'Ser Frey'," Nathan said in a mocking tone as he stepped up to the knight, who took a step back. "Why are you attacking this boy, Ser knight?"

Ser Frey gave a shaky smile. "M-My lord, this peasant tricked his way into a tourney and cheated his way to the final-"

"Do I look like a fucking idiot?" Nathan cut the knight off, getting the sound of sputtering from the Frey's mouth. "The boy paid his way in, and how the fuck does one cheat in archery? You're just mad he nearly won, but I don't see any of the Northern men beating a poor boy for winning against them, the Northern men congratulated him." Nathan said before he jabbed his finger into the knight's armored chest, making him stumble into the other Frey's. "You are going to walk away 'knight' and maybe remember those vows you took to become a Ser. If I catch any Frey causing trouble in White Harbor, there will be hell to pay, understand?" Nathan asked, getting a shaky nod from all the Frey's. "Go."

Without a word, all the Frey's ran away without looking back.

"Fucking cowards," Nathan said as he checked on young Henry. "Are you okay?" Nathan asked while helping the boy up.

Henry coughed and gave Nathan a look of awe. "I-I am fine my Lord, they did not harm me." Reaching for the bow on his back Henry presented the bow to Nathan. "I thank you for the assistance, my Lord... I am sorry I could not win." Henry said as his head dropped.

Nathan smiled at the boy as he gently pushed the bow back into the boy's hand. "Keep it, it will be put to better use in your hands," Nathan said, getting a shocked but grateful look from Nathan's face. "Tell me, boy, why is it you tried your hand in the tourney?" Nathan asked with a raised brow. "With the gold necklace you used to enter you could have lived a few years off the gold until you became a man. So why risk it all on a tourney?"

Henry looked hesitant as looked to the ground. "I-I am an orphan, my lord, my mother died when I was a babe and my father at the docs. I was going to sell the necklace he left for me until I heard of the tourney." Henry said as he gained a small smile. "Nana, the old lady who took care of me and others, told us stories of great knights and warriors, such as Ser Duncan the Tall, Lord Cregan Stark, Bran the Builder, heroes of Westeros. I... I wanted to be like them." He said before a glum look crossed his face. "I am not good with a sword my Lord, but I am good with a bow!" The boy said, looking very confident. "Nana said I was blessed by the Old Gods with my talent for a bow."

Nathan smiled at the younger boy's enthusiasm. The boy had talent with a bow, more so than most trained archers and huntsman. He might have gotten farther than most in the archery event thanks to luck, but no one could deny he had talent.

Suddenly, Nathan remembered his words with Lord Manderly months ago and the white-haired Stark grew a wide grin on his face.

"I am to agree with your Nana, young Henry, you have an amazing talent with a bow," Nathan said, getting a look of shock and joy on the boy's face. "But you still have much to learn about being an archer and even a warrior." He said as a serious look crossed his face. "Henry of White Harbor, I have an offer for you."

Henry's eyes widen at Nathan's words. "A-an offer my Lord?" Henry asked, hope bubbling in his voice.

"You displayed amazing talent in the tourney, young Henry, more talent than most boys your age can even dream of," Nathan said as he looked Henry in the eyes, his face still serious. "Yet talent can only take one so far. Training and experience separate the talented from true warriors. I am offering you to join me at Winterfell upon my return, there you will be trained and will become one of my men and hone your talent to serve the North. Do you accept, Henry of White Harbor?"

Herny looked blown away by the offer, stunned even as his mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I-I-I thank you, my Lord," Henry said, nearly shouting as a look of pure joy crossed his face. "I promise you, my Lord, I will train hard, and become an amazing warrior!"

Nathan smiled at the enthusiastic boy as Henry bowed to Nathan. The young Stark had a good feeling about Henry, as he was young and eager to become something more.

"There you are," Nathan turned to his uncle Ned, who seemed to be panting for breath. Ned looked around before sighing in relief. "Thank the Old Gods, there are no bodies."

"I have already hidden them away," Nathan said with a shrug, making Ned give Nathan a flat look. "Kidding, they ran away not long ago," Nathan said before gesturing to Herny, who looked at Ned with awe. "Uncle, meet Henry of White Harbor. I've recruited him to join me in Winterfell upon my return upon seeing his talent," Nathan said, making Henry pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.

Ned looked surprised before nodding slowly. "Giving the boys talent, I can understand," Ned said before looking at young Henry with a small smile. "My nephew has an eye for seeing useful things and people, I trust you will become an amazing archer."

"Th-Thank you, Lord Stark," Henry said with a deep bow as Nathan put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Come with me, I will have some guards to help you gather your things before coming into New Castle," Nathan said before he raised a brow. "Do you have any other family or close friends?"

"No my Lord," Henry said as he shook his head. "I have no aunts or uncles, and I am an only child. Nana is the one who took care of me along with some other children." Henry said as a smile crossed his face. "She will be happy for me."

"Good," Nathan nodded as he walked away with Ned and Henry in tow.


After returning to the tourney grounds Nathan got two guards to escort Henry home to gather his belongings before returning to New Castle. Nathan also gave the guards some gold to give to the old woman for taking care of the children as compensation. As the guards left the final event of the day began, the Jousting.

Nathan saw 20 warriors stand on the tourney grounds with lances in their hands, shields on their arms, and strong horses next to them. One of the riders Nathan recognized was Ser Wendle himself, standing next to a brown stallion.

Wendle had told Nathan that he would enter the Jousting competition as it was one of his specialties, as Wendle bragged about being able to take any hit from a lance.

As the Jousting event started the crowd loved every second of it, even Ned found some excitement in watching the Jousting.

Several knights and warriors squared off one another and rammed into each other with their jousts. Men were knocked off their horses and some were even thrown off. Nathan took extra pleasure when Wendle unhorsed a Frey knight, practically sending the man flying.

Robb, Jon, and Arya were loving every second of it, shouting and cheering with glee. They especially cheered for Wendle as they knew the man and the large knight always made a show of passing them with a big smile, making the children cheer.

Sansa did find the event enjoyable, but she flinched every time a man was throwing off his horse. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, bumps, bruises, a broken arm or two, but nothing permanent. Nathan noticed that Sansa seemed to have stars in her eyes whenever one of the more gallant knights, making Nathan snort as he knew it was thanks to the Septem that Sansa had such a look.

As the sun was setting the final bout took place in the tourney.

Ser Wendel proved himself as he was able to knock down everyone he faced. The large knight had even taken a good number of blows, but thanks to his large size and sturdy armor he was able to take the blow and knock his opponent off his horse the next round.

Nathan looked up to see the sun was setting, yet the tourney was still going on with the last round in play, everyone watching with bated breath.

Ser Wendel was currently squaring off against a knight from House Ryswell. In the North House Manderly and House Ryswell had the most horses than any lord, House Manderly had more horses, but House Ryswell had stronger horses.

Back and forth Ser Wendel and the Ryswell knight traded blows. Ser Wendel used his armor and shield to take any attack, while the Ryswell knight used his faster horse to hit Wendel first. The end of the fight came when the Ryswell knight managed to get passed Ser Wendel's shield and struck Wendel in the chest, unhorsing him. Wendel was upset about losing but accepted his loss and shook the Ryswell knight's hand.

The prize for the Jousting event was a hefty bag of gold, an Ironwood lance, and a fine leather saddle. The Ryswell knight did a victory lap before he was given a crown of blue roses and asked to crown a Queen of Beauty. The Ryswell knight crowned a common girl, who blushed bright red as the crown of flowers was placed on her head. The members of House Ryswell roared and cheered with approval, making everyone else cheered.

With that the final event of the day came to an end, leaving only Melee.

Nathan along with the Stark family made their way back to New Castle with Lord Manderly's family. Robb, Jon, and Arya gush about every event in the tourney, with Sansa trying to calm them down and act like proper nobles.

Suddenly, Nathan was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see Yin, who leaned in close.

"Everything is in place, Lord Stark," Yin said as she held back a sigh.

Nathan, however, grows a massive grin. "Good, thank you Yin Song," Nathan said as he walked forward, an almost giddiness in his steps. "Tomorrow is going to be spectacular."


Nathan had a big smile on his face the next day as he sat in the observation box with his and Lord Manderly's family. Everyone in the tourney grounds was looking forward to the Melee, including Robb, Jon, and Arya.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Arya asked while bouncing in her seat, bearly able to contain herself.

Ned had a heart-filled laugh as he patted Arya on the head. "We should see the fighters first before we can guess," Ned said, and no sooner did said knights step forward.

Side by side stood 16 different knights and warriors from various houses, Lord Manderly had made this the most expensive event in the tourney as to get only the most serious of fighters, a whole 50 gold stages was needed to enter. Nathan noticed a few of the fighters such as Smalljon Umbra, a knight from House Karstark, and the Frey knight who tried to hurt young Henry. That young man earned a glare from Nathan.

"Well I'll be damn, it's Kodlak Whitemane," Lord Manderly said with a look of surprise. "I thought it was just someone using his name, but it's the man himself."

Everyone in the observation box looked to where Lord Manderly was looking. They saw an older man standing calmly on the tourney grounds, the oldest warrior standing on the tourney grounds. He was tall and had a head of white hair and a thick white beard to match. His armor was well crafted and wielded a steel longsword to match.

"Who's Kodlak Whitemane?" Robb asked as he looked at the older man.

"A warrior from Bear Island," Ned said, also looking surprised. "He fought in the last war, leading men to weaken the Targaryen armies, he even fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings as a young lad. He is considered one of the current greatest warriors Bear Island has and even the North." Ned explained as he rubbed his chin with an interested look. "Last I heard he became a sellsword, taking up contracts to deal with bandits and dangerous animals."

"Is he a good fighter?" Nathan asked while looking at the old man with critical eyes.

"He is a seasoned warrior with skill, talent, and most of all experience behind him." Lord Manderly said in a serious tone. "While he may lack a youthful body and vigor, he makes up for that with his years of experience." The Fat Lord said with respect in his voice.

"Why is his hair white like Nathan's," Arya asked while tilting her head. "Is it because he is old?"

"Arya!" Sansa said in a hushed tone, yet both Ned and Lord Manderly laughed at Arya's blunt response.

"There is a tale behind his white hair," Lord Mandelry said as he cleared his throat. "Years ago, Kodlak claimed to have been attacked by a wolf on Bear Island, yet this was no ordinary wolf. It stood on its hind legs, had claw-like hands with claws as big as daggers, and fur as black as night. The wolf monster tried to kill Kodlak and was close to succeeding if not for the intervention of a snow-white wolf that tackled the wolf monster into the sea, the waters taking them both. Kodlak was found a day later, somehow surviving, but he was healed, yet his hair was turned white. The Maesters claim it had turned white from fear and pain, yet others claim he was blessed by the North to fight another day."

All the Stark children and even Lord Manderly's grandchildren looked at Kodlak Whitemain in awe, even Nathan was impressed by the tale.

Suddenly, Jon noticed another interesting fighter standing on the tourney grounds.

"Who's that one?" Jon asked while pointing down. "Is he from House Karstark?"

Everyone looked down at another figure that stood on the tourney grounds, yet this one was very different.

The warrior stood in the back away from everyone. He wore full armor tinted black with a silver lining, a longsword at his hip, and a black fur cloak thrown on his shoulders. Yet what was most noticeable was the helmet he wore, which looked like a wolf's head. He had a cheap Ironwood shield in his hands with a crude drawing of a wolf that looked to be smiling or laughing.

"Ah, tourneys always one of these every once in a while." Lord Manderly said in a dismissive tone, yet still looked amused as everyone looked to the Fat Lord. "Every once in a blue moon, a tourney gets a 'masked warrior' who claims to only reveal his identity if they are defeated. Sometimes they don't even reveal their identity to continue the legend." Lord Manderly said with an amused laugh. "From what I was told, he calls himself the Laughing Wolf, and will only reveal his identity if he is defeated or if he wins."

Ned looked a little unsettled by the name, yet kept his composure. He remembers how his sister disguised herself as the Laughing Tree during a tourney that changed her fate for the worse. Shaking his head Ned focused on the tourney, and spending time with his family.

Soon the 16 warriors stood side by side as Lord Manderly gave a quick speech and explained the rules. Everyone would be fighting with dulled weapons, still sharp to cut, but not permanently injured, and killing was to be avoided and not pursued. After that, the first round started between knights from House Dustin and House Flint.

Everyone cheered and shouted as the two knights fought, showing exceptional skills, even Nathan cheered along with his cousins. Lord Manderly threw around the idea of making another bet, clearly wanting to win back the gold he lost. The two threw some banter around before Nathan felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning, Nathan was surprised to see a worried-looking Yin looking at him.

"Yin, what's the problem?" Nathan asked after seeing Yin's look. The girl from Yi-Ti leaned forward and whispered into Nathan's ear, and what Nathan heard made his eyes widen before they narrowed. "Can't you have someone take care of it?" Nathan asked and Yin shook her head and continued to whisper, making Nathan's eyes widen again. "How much was lost?" Nathan asked in a shocked tone.

Nathan and Yin now had everyone's attention, away from the fighting and looking at the two.

"Something wrong Lord Nathan?" Lord Manderly asked what everyone was thinking.

Nathan looked at everyone with some hesitation, before he gave a sigh and spoke. "One of the warehouses holding Northern Spirits had a small fire. The workers were able to put it out but a few horses got free and knocked a bunch of stuff around. Everything in the warehouse is a mess and everyone doesn't know what to do."

"Don't you have a manager for the warehouse?" Lord Manderly said, a serious look crossing his face. Nathan had explained early on that Hard Alcohol was very flammable, nothing like Wildfire but more like oil. Thus both Nathan and Lord Manderly took precautions to prevent massive fires from breaking out, yet accidents were bound to happen.

"I do, but he's passed out drunk," Nathan said with a growl, getting a worried look from his cousin and even Ned. "The damn idiot got drunk after winning a big bet and seems to be in a coma." Nathan then looked at his family with a small frown. "I am sorry, but I need to take care of this."

"No!" Arya said as she grabbed Nathan's hand just as he stood up. "It's your tourney, you can't leave!" She said, getting nods from everyone.

"Can't you take care of this after the tourney?" Ned asked with a small frown. "Or send someone else to handle the problem?"

"This is my business uncle, one I made with my two hands." Nathan sighed as he rubbed the top of Arya's head. "I thought I left competent people in charge, but accidents happen. I will fix this and return as soon as I can." All of Nathan's cousins looked upset, making Nathan feel a little bad. "I promise, you will all enjoy the tourney even with me gone." He said while kissing the top of Arya's head, making the girl smile a bit.

Ned had a grim look on his face but nodded. "Do what you have to do Nathan."

Nathan nodded before leaving in a huff, Yin close behind.

Quickly leaving the tourney grounds Nathan grew a large smile on his face as he glanced back at Yin, who still looked uncomfortable.

"If being the heir to the North doesn't pan out, I can always be a traveling mummer," Nathan said with a cheeky grin.

Yin gave a tired sigh as she continued to follow Nathan. Over the few months of getting to know the young Lord of the North, Yin had a sense of Nathan's personality.

Nathan took any problem head-on and tried to come up with the best solution possible. He was brilliant, able to think of ideas that would seem mad to most but would bear fruit that made many jealous. He had a strong sense of justice, whenever he saw something wrong he would not hesitate to step it, be it saving a noble, smallfolk, or foreigner like her. He was the most loyal young man she had ever met, holding his family and friends close to his heart. Yin had somehow found herself as one of Nathan's friends despite everything, something she greatly enjoyed.

Yin also had the pleasure of seeing Nathan's other habits. The young Stark had a love for murmurs and would spend a bit too much gold on their performances. He sometimes got too absorbed in his work and needed a rather strong hand to bring him out. And once he got an idea he would not stop until he accomplished it, such as now.

Nathan and Yin entered one of the many tents on the tourney grounds together before anyone could see them.

"Ah, if it isn't the Laughing Wolf," Nathan said with a wide smile as he saw the figure before them. "You made quite the impression on the tourney grounds Ser."

Said Laughing Wolf sighing. "I just like to point out that I am against this, Lord Stark." The wolf said as he took off his helmet, revealing a familiar young blacksmith as he handed the helmet to the white-haired Stark.

"Everything will work out Tobin, Yin," Nathan said with a big grin as he placed the helmet on his head. "We're just going to put on a little show."


21N: Winter is Coming sooner or later, hopefully later.

This was a long one, and it was going to be longer but I decided to make a little cliffhanger, sorry not sorry.

Anyway, a lot happened in this new chapter and I am going to cover everything as best I can.

1: Yin Song from Yi-Ti: As some people may know, Yi-Ti is basically the China of the GoT universe. I wanted someone to help Nathan with trade and thought of using someone from Essos. However, I decided to try something different after I read that White Harbor does get trade from Ibben, The Summer Isles, and Yi-Ti, though much less and very rare. If anyone is wondering what Yin Song looks like, just imagine she is played by Brenda Song.

2: The Tourney: I know tourneys are done in many different ways depending on the host, and as such each realm should have a few unique events depending on their culture. I added a few to give tourneys in the North some variety, and I think Northerns might host these events.

3: Talent Seeking: Nathan is slowly realizing that he has a knack for finding talented people, such as Henry of White Harbor, Tobin, and Yin Song. Nathan will continue to seek out talented individuals to help make the North stronger, no matter where they are from or if they are noble or peasant.

4: References: I'm sure everyone noticed the name drop of a familiar character, Kodlak Whitemane from Skyrim. As many people know Skyrim and the North have a good number of similarities given that they have similar lands and people, and face the undead very often. So throughout the story, I will use elements from Skyrim and other medieval games, I am also open to suggestions.

Well, that's all for now, and I hope everyone continues to Follow and Review my story!

Don't forget to follow me on my P-A-T-R-E-O-N, and I like to give a special thanks to all those who support me!