Robb IV

They had just written the letter to Lord Manderly, requesting he send lumber and stone to King's Landing as a gift from the North for which he would compensated for, when shouts from outside drew Robb's attention.

"Sounds like someone just arrived," Robb said, moving to the door. "Are we expecting anyone?"

"Not that I'm aware of," his mother answered.

"Perhaps it is Jon, back from Castle Black," Maester Luwin suggested.

His mother scowled at the thought. It had been several weeks since Jon had left with Uncle Benjen and Tyrion Lannister to visit the Night's Watch. While it was always known that Jon would eventually return, Robb was sure his mother had some hope that he would have joined the Night's Watch against their father's wishes.

Robb's curiosity got the best of him and he walked from the Maester's tower into the main courtyard. He didn't see anyone but the blacksmith Mikken, who was exiting the forge holding something wrapped in cloth in his hand.

"Mikken, has someone arrived?"

"Aye m'lord. Your brother Jon is back from Castle Black with Lord Tyrion. They're at the northern gates, where I'm heading now."

Robb grinned, glad that Maester Luwin was correct and Jon was finally back. "Allow me to join you then."

The past several weeks Mikken had been kept busy making weapons and armor for the new house guard recruits. Robb wondered if maybe they should bring in another armorer, or at least an apprentice to work under Mikken. While it wasn't always the case, there could be times when Mikken was at the forge from sunrise to sunset for weeks at a time. Hard work like that couldn't be easy for the man.

"What is that you hold in your hand?" Robb asked as they passed under the bridge between the armory and the Great Keep.

Mikken looked at the item in question. Robb had at first thought it a longsword but it was too short and too thin.

"Something your brother Jon asked me to make before he left."

Mikken didn't elaborate further and Robb didn't pry. He was sure he could get the answer out of Jon shortly.

Winterfell was divided by smaller walls within the much larger outer walls that encircled the entire compound. The path from the courtyard to the north gate was between two of the smaller inner walls, the godswood on one side and a lichyard on the other, before it opened up into a wider space right inside the gates.

It was there that Robb found Jon, Arya, Tyrion Lannister, the Imp's five man escort, Ser Roderick, Hallis Mollen, and a number of the house guard. Those who had just arrived were dismounting from their horses. Jon was immediately jumped on by Arya, who wrapped her favorite brother in a hug.

"You're not in black," Robb said when he was close enough.

Jon grinned at Robb as Arya released him. "No, not yet."

Robb gave his brother a quick hug before he turned to the Imp and his men.

"Welcome back to Winterfell, Lord Tyrion. I know it is a long journey from the Wall to here. You and your men must be starving. Please join us in the Great Hall for dinner, while I have some servants prepare rooms."

"Thank you, Lord Robb," the Imp said, giving a short bow. "It has indeed been a long journey, and I don't know about my men but I am famished."

Robb nodded his head and turned to lead the Imp and his men to the Great Hall. As he did so, he saw Mikken lift the cloth and show Jon what he had made. Jon grinned widely and heartily thanked Mikken, which only raised Robb's curiosity more.

During dinner, Robb had told Jon he wanted to speak with him afterwards. That is why they found themselves in father's solar. Neither of them sat in the chair usually reserved for their father. Jon would never sit in it himself, as he knew it would one day be Robb's, and Robb still felt too weird sitting in his father's chair. Sprawled out by the door, almost on top of each other, were Grey Wind and Ghost. Both direwolves had their eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping off dinner.

Robb informed his brother of what had happened at Winterfell, as well as about the explosion in King's Landing. In turn Jon told of his trip to Castle Black, and the unsettling news that Rangers kept disappearing north of the Wall.

Grey Wind shifted about from his position on the floor, kicking Ghost in the side. Ghost didn't even open his eyes, just rolled in the other direction, away from his larger littermate.

"Have you noticed anything about Ghost?" Robb asked, suddenly.

Jon looked at his direwolf with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it exactly. Grey Wind seems to know when to show up, like when I'm done with lessons or sword training. I don't have to call him or anything, he's just there."

"He does seem attuned to me," Jon said, as Ghost raised his head and looked at him. The direwolf tilted his head to the side before lowering it back to the floor and closing his eyes again.

"I didn't want to bring it up with Arya, and Rickon is too young to understand but perhaps these direwolves really are the work of the old gods."

Jon seemed a little hesitant to believe such a claim. "I guess we'll have to see how they act over the next several months. We can keep an eye on Nymeria and Shaggydog too, and see if they exhibit similar behavior to what Ghost and Grey Wind do. If we have more evidence then your claim that they are more than just your normal direwolves will have some weight to it."

Robb nodded his head in agreement. "Speaking of Arya, I need you to talk with her. She keeps skipping her lessons, and she won't listen to mother anymore."

"You think she'll listen to me?" Jon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're her favorite sibling," Robb said with a shrug. "If she'll listen to anyone, it will be you."

Jon pulled the item he had received from Mikken earlier, which had stayed at his side all through dinner, off the floor and put it on the table. Robb had been planning to ask what it was, but it looked like he had no need to ask, Jon would show it to him on his own initiative.

"I actually have an idea on how to get Arya to stick with her lessons, but your mother isn't going to like it."

"Oh?"

Jon pulled the cloth off of the item, revealing it to be a sword but not any type of sword Robb had seen before, at least in person. It was shorter than a standard longsword by almost a foot and much thinner.

"That's a Braavosi sword. What does that have to do with - oh!" Robb's eyes widened as he realized what Jon was implying.

"I was going to give her the sword anyway, without anyone else knowing, but if we offer her training with it, on the condition that she attends her other lessons without skipping them, she'll stick with them no matter how much she hates it."

"You're right, my mother isn't going to like it. Nor will she agree with it."

"I'll write a letter to father. You start working on your mother. If he gives the okay, and you work her enough, she might agree."

"You give me the harder of the task," Robb pointed out.

"You're right, let me talk with your mother. I'm sure she'll listen to what I say."

Robb rolled his eyes at Jon's words and the tone he said them in. Sometimes he missed who his brother was before he fostered with the Umbers, back when he was mostly quiet and broody.

Robb brought up the idea of Arya training with a sword the next morning. As was suspected, his mother shot the idea down, insulted he would even suggest such a thing. Robb didn't press the issue but mentioned it might be a good incentive to motivate her to attend her other lessons. It would take a week or so at the earliest until they heard any reply from their father on the issue, so he would wait a few days before bringing it up again.

Jon's return, and subsequent attending of the lessons again, gave Robb a few extra moments in the morning as it freed him up from escorting Arya to her lessons with the septa. He took the extra time to work with Theon on improving his use with a bow.

Theon had stopped attending morning lessons after he turned sixteen years old, which was when Robb would be done with them as well. Instead he usually slept in a little later, often because he'd spend his nights at an inn in Wintertown. And while the Greyjoy heir didn't need to attend training in the afternoon, he still did soto keep his skills with a sword sharp.

Robb let the arrow fly and missed the target completely. He scowled in annoyance, which only deepened when Theon hit a few inches from the bullseye.

"Are you even trying?" Theon asked with a laugh. "Even Arya can hit the target!"

"Shut up, or I'll knock your head off," Robb muttered.

Rather than be intimidated, Theon only laughed harder. Robb nocked and let loose a few more arrows at the target but by the time they were joined by the house guards and Jon, he had only hit the target once. Theon had hit every time, and was smiling widely at Robb by the end.

Ser Rodrick had the idea of testing the house guard recruits against Jon, Robb, and Theon, to see how they'd hold up against those who knew how to fight. Robb didn't know what the master-at-arms was expecting but it was not a good showing. None of the recruits held up well as even Theon, who was much more talented with a bow than any melee weapon, put them in the dirt.

Ser Rodrick pointed out the mistakes the recruits were making as they were making them, and even Jon was pointing out what was being done wrong by those he fought against before demonstrating how to do it right as he attacked them. It looked like teaching some of the recruits of the Night's Watch had rubbed off on Jon.

His father took the best of the guard to King's Landing with him - Jory, Alyn, Harwin, and Wyl amongst dozens of others. It would take years before any of these men were on their level, and it still left Winterfell with over 70 guards less than normal. He knew in the south, lords would offer spots in their guard to those who fared well in the tourneys held down there. Maybe it was the time the north held a tourney of their own. Maybe not a grand one that the south were so fond of, but something during the approaching Harvest Feast should be in the realm of possibilities. It was something he would have to think about.

Before dinner he stopped off in the kitchens to check in on the newest addition to the kitchen staff, the wildling Osha. Those first few days after her capture she had been kept in a prison cell, under the watch of two men at all times, but Wynafryd had told him Osha was the only one of the group who didn't want to attack her and Wylla. After discussing the situation with his mother and Maester Luwin, he had offered Osha more freedom as long as she behaved.

He found her kneading dough to make bread, dressed in a roughspun brown dress with shackles around her ankles. She looked up at him as he approached and he could see the disdain on her face.

"I know this must be hard for you," Robb said, indicating the kitchen around them. "Going from a wildl - Free Folk, to working for one of us southern lords."

Osha shrugged her shoulders, but the rest of her body language showed her frustration with the situation; how tense she stood, the amount of force and twisting she used when kneading, the look in her eyes. "Could be worse. Could be dead, or turned into one of the undead."

"Undead?" Robb asked, eyebrows going up.

"Aye. The dead walk beyond the wall. That's why we was running."

Robb nodded his head slowly, not believing a word she said. He didn't say anything in response, and Osha offered up nothing else, so he went to have a word with the head cook, Gage.

"How is she doing?"

Gage blushed a little and Robb wondered if perhaps the cook had a crush on the wildling. "No complaints m'lord. She does her duty when asked and doesn't cause any problems with myself or any of the other staff."

"That's good to hear. Let me know if there's any changes, or she causes any problems."

As Robb left the kitchens he couldn't shake what Osha said about "the dead walk beyond the wall." There was no way that could be true. If it was, the Night's Watch would have known and Jon would have made mention of it when he came back from Castle Black. Right?

The First Keep was in the northeast corner of Winterfell, against a section of the inner surrounding wall and near the Broken Tower. It had been abandoned centuries ago, sometime shortly after the Great Keep had been built, though the exact dates had been lost to history. The courtyard between it and the north gate was a lichyard, filled with the graves of those who served the Kings of Winter hundreds of years ago. The burial of servants in the lichyard had been abandoned before the First Keep had been abandoned, likely do to running out of room to bury the bodies.

Bran used to climb the walls of the First Keep, even though he was told multiple times not to. Robb wasn't sure if anyone had been inside the First Keep in decades. Until today that is. He had decided he wanted to spend some of the money from Wynafryd's dowry into renovating the First Keep and making it habitable again. He got the idea from his father's plans of making the Starks, and the North, stronger.

One of the things his father wanted to do was rebuild the Broken Tower, and Robb figured if they were going to repair the Broken Tower, why not fix the First Keep as well? It was about half the size of the Great Keep, a few stories shorter but wider, and a lot older; its stone walls were much smoother and weathered. It would allow them to host more guests within the castle walls, and even shelter more people during winters.

He walked throughout its rooms and halls with Wynafryd at his side. She was his wife and the future Lady of Winterfell, so having her at his side and getting her input on his idea seemed right. Trailing behind them as they walked was Jonos, a leather bound book and quill in his hand.

Despite being abandoned the rooms were still warm, which was surprising to Robb and something he commented on.

"The piping must still be intact," Wynafryd said, resting her hand against the wall and feeling the warmth seeping through the stone.

"We should probably bring in an expert to check on it though, to be on the safe side."

Jonos made note in the book he carried. He would jot down everything Robb and Wynafryd were saying in regards to repairs. The man wanted to make sure nothing was missed.

"We'll definitely need some stonemasons to repair the gaps and cracks," Robb said, peering through a large crack and seeing the Broken Tower outside.

"We'll need all new furniture," Wynafryd commented, as they entered another room with a rotted wood bedframe. "Beds, wardrobes, trunks, desks, chairs."

"All Local," Robb added. "We'll hire northern carpenters and stonemasons. No one from the south or Essos."

"Of course," Jonos said as he continued to write down notes. "And what of the lichyard? Are you going to leave that outside one of the entrances?"

Robb looked at Wynafryd, who looked as unsure as he felt. To disturb the dead like that, even those who had been gone for hundreds of years, seemed wrong.

"I can not say at the moment," Robb confessed. "While it makes sense to reclaim the courtyard for other purposes, I do not wish to dishonor the dead. Perhaps it would be best if I consult with others before making such a decision."

By others he meant Maester Luwin and anyone who had deep knowledge of the old gods and their worship. It was said that any who disturb the barrows in the Barrowlands would welcome a curse upon themselves. Was that all graves? Or was there something specific about the ones in the Barrowlands?

"Of course m'lord."

There was water damage starting on the second highest floor. The roof over the top floor had partially collapsed, letting in all of the rain and snow, and that had leaked to the rooms below. The top floor itself had mold and moss and mushrooms all growing within it. There would be a lot of work going into fixing up the First Keep.

"I want to expand the glass gardens as well," Robb said, as they descended the stairs, after the tour of the First Keep was over.

The glass gardens provided food every year but were especially vital during winters. Expanding it, even if by only a few extra feet, would allow them to grow more crops, which meant they would be able to feed more people. One of the reasons the North's population was so small compared to its size was because a lack of food during long winters meant many starved to death. If Winterfell was capable of producing more of its own food during the cold winter months that meant less food needed to be collected, and more food in the hands, and stomachs, of the local farmers.

"You'll need to look beyond the north for glass makers," Jonos pointed out. "I do not believe that is a craft any northerner can do."

"Probably not," Robb agreed. "Mikken can make the new frame, if he has the time. Otherwise we'll have to bring in another blacksmith."

"White Harbor has stone masons, carpenters, and blacksmiths a plenty," Wynafryd said. "I'm not sure about glass makers. Jonos may be right, we might have to look beyond the North for that."

"Perhaps it would be best to bring in an expert to get an exact idea of time, labor, and materials both for fixing the First Keep and expanding the gardens. That way you'll have a better idea of how much this is all going to cost."

Robb found himself agreeing with Jonos' suggestion. Neither himself nor Wynafryd were stonemasons, carpenters, builders, or any other number of tradesmen that would have much more knowledge on what needed to be done.

"Good idea. Write a letter to White Harbor for someone, someone who can oversee both projects and will know what is needed and who to hire."

"Of course m'lord."

"I'm sure my father or grandfather have someone they can recommend. I'll write them a letter and we can send our letters together, Jonos."