(Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire nor its characters. Those all belong to George R. R. Martin, aside from my OC.)
(Erlend POV, Firmridge - 289AC)
He had been busy these past few years, most of it targeted at improving the Riverlands and on a smaller scale, the Vale.
The Riverlands since the fall of House Justman had been somewhat of a joke within Westeros. The Battlefield of Westeros or the land of the bickering lords.
Many a neighboring Kingdom had conquered it at least once, even the North had tried to do so. In fact, the rise of House Frey could be attributed to the northerners wiping out the previous noble line that ruled their territory before them.
That decision certainly came to bite them in the ass.
The reconstruction of his behemoth of a castle had been completed a year after his wedding, just in time to welcome the birth of his rapscallion of a son Edmund Mudd.
He and Rhaenys were thick as thieves, often dragging Mya into their little bouts of mischief. Something he didn't mind all that much, the closer they were, the easier it would be for them to accept each other.
While Erlend did spoil both of them occasionally, he knew well when to put his foot down. There would be no young masters nor Joffrey's in his home.
A home that was previously known as Harrenhal, a massive behemoth that put every other castle to shame, now known as Firmridge, focusing more on practicality and security. The whole castle had been renovated and many of the unneeded and unused structures were removed such as the Hunters Hall or the bear pit. The barracks were improved to properly house the Banners. The Kitchens were now better maintained and an emphasis on cleanliness had been imposed on the castle as a whole. These were just a portion of what had been changed.
Antiques and prized objects were lined the castles hall, showing off the wealth that had been accumulated throughout its history.
Even his throne had a sense of symbolism to it, being made of stone found within each kingdom and fused to create the impressive seat that was the Realmstone throne.
While it was no longer the imposing behemoth that was its predecessor. Firmridge was still one of the largest and most formidable castles in Westeros.
Construction on the castle itself had been finished, but Erlend doubted it would stop there, his descendants would certainly do their best to expand it.
Many survivors of the 'Burning of King's Landing' who sought shelter and a way to make a living had moved outside of the castle. Crownlanders, Valemen, and Riverlanders also flocked to Firmridge, leading to the beginnings of what many would consider a town being formed outside of the walls of the Fortress.
Not wanting to make the same mistake that was King's Landing, Erlend had set up strict guidelines on the specifications of buildings that could be built around Firmridge.
One had to first gain a building permit to begin construction, secondly, they needed to ensure that the structure complied with given ordinances and covenants. Plans and details were also required.
It was a lengthy process that ensured the structure didn't just fall apart right after construction, to avoid another fire; stone would be the primary material used.
Naturally, for the majority of the smallfolk, this flew right above their head, thus Erlend had his planners draw up several templates from which the commoners could choose the design that suited them the best and they would proceed to construction.
Was it a bit much? probably… Erlend didn't want the cesspool that was King's Landing to repeat itself within his new capital.
…
In preparation for the long winter, he knew would come, Erlend had imported grain that could be grown in harsher climates. While the Riverlands would never lack in food and could probably survive it, he would rather not risk it.
He was vaguely aware of what could be grown in winter, which included wheat, potatoes, peas, onions, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and carrots. There was of course more, but these were the ones he was mostly aware of.
Many of these could also be stored for longer durations, increasing the life expectancy of his people during winters. It would also reduce the reliance on grain, and avoid the occurrence of monoculture which could cause long-term damage to the soil.
Winter in itself helped improve the soil, helping it regenerate in certain ways, the snow insulating the soil and its microbes and invertebrates.
It wasn't that difficult to convince the Riverlords to take on growing these new vegetables. Combined with the large amounts of fishing that could be done due to the geography of the Kingdom and the diet of the average Riverlander suddenly became far more balanced.
These changes had thankfully bore fruit and the Riverlands was starting to export a significant portion of these veggies that weren't stored to Essos, primarily Braavos.
Erlend was well aware that the success could be partly attributed to his passive abilities and that the productivity and vitality of all living beings, including plant life would be enhanced in any territory considered his.
This didn't mean the crop would not have been grown without the passive effects, it's just that they would not have produced as much, nor been as successful as it currently was.
The Riverlands and the Vale were considered part of his territory, being the De Facto 'Lord Paramount' of both. The same could not be said about the other kingdoms, as while he was their 'King', his hold over them was tenuous at best, with the word of their Lord Paramount being considered more important than his.
That was an issue on its own he wanted to tackle but held off, as he aimed to strengthen his hold over his core territories first. His achievements and dragons may have cowed the Lords but it didn't stop them from plotting.
He had no intention of allowing his Empire to become a mirror of the Holy Roman Empire, there would be no Habsburg inbreeding, nor would he allow for another Prussia to rise.
Because he intended for his Riverlands to be that Prussia and woe is the fool that gets in his way.
…
A continuous stream of migrants still came in from outside of the Riverlands, providing Erlend with a seemingly limitless labor force that was used to complete the construction of projects he set out. In exchange for working for him a set amount of time, they would not only be paid for their work but also if shown merit would be granted living accommodations within the growing Capital.
A man worked his best if you give them the proper incentive, especially when he might end up living in one of the buildings he helped make.
Something interesting had popped up three years ago when a raven had been sent by Yohn informing him of iron and coal deposits found among the mountain of the moon. It seemed the mountain clans had known about them, but couldn't utilize them due to not having anyone they could sell them to.
There was also the fact that if his ancestors had been aware of it, they would quite definitely have fallen upon them with a bloody vengeance.
Sure they would probably fail like the past invasions, but the animosity would've been pushed to new limits. God knows that the Valemen were currently cursing the clansmen to their twentieth ancestor.
Still, steel was now easier to produce, since the mountains were directly under Erlend's purview, giving him utter control in equipping his Banners.
The Kingroad was another project he pursued, seeking to improve it, allowing better mobility for his Banners and trade.
There were several projects in progress, the most important ones being the Five Fortresses, Kingsroad, Capital, and the integration of the crownlands back into the Riverlands.
Their success or failure would have a lasting impact on his reign.
…
An interesting tidbit would be the Ironborn.
They had gone quiet for the most part, since the death of Quellon Greyjoy, who had been killed by his son Euron, though only he and Euron were aware of that fact. Anyone else who had been in on it had met their demise.
The Greyjoy siblings were planning and preparing for their silly rebellion, which would give him all the justification he needed to wipe them out.
A good man would have stopped them as soon as he caught wind of their plot. Unfortunately for Westeros, Erlend was not that man.
Robert secured his position as King partly thanks to the Greyjoy Rebellion and Erlend wanted to replicate that. Dragons scared might have them into subservience, but it would not grant him the loyalty he needed to keep the throne in his line.
The conqueror's death proved that even with Dragons, House Targaryen could've been kicked out or at least greatly weakened, had it not been for Maegor.
Sure, he was a cruel son of a bitch and his foolishness was his downfall, but he knew exactly what had to be done and his actions ensured that Jaehaerys reign would be successful.
It's a shame the old geezer fucked it all up in the end, just because he couldn't get over the fact that Rhaenys didn't have a cock.
He'd already put laws in place if such a situation occurred again, a Dance of the Dragons was not something he wanted to be repeated.
Here's to hoping his descendants were smart enough to heed his warnings.
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