I woke in complete darkness.
A chill was in the air.
I was not alone.
I felt eyes on me, many eyes and at the same time only one set of eyes. I'm not sure how I can explain it, except perhaps that all eyes led to one being, and that one being watched me through multiple eyes, from different angles, from varying perspectives.
Like a prized pet in a glass cage.
"Curious… very curious…"
The voice sent a shiver down my spine, almost like it froze me from the inside. The voice was… I don't know how I can explain it other than it being nightmarish.
The ground below me vanished. It did not crumble or break, it simply vanished from under me.
I was falling freely, cold winds cutting into my bare back. The darkness above shifted and writhed as it followed me, trying to grab hold of me, to pull me back so it might study me once more.
It roared something in a language I did not recognise, a primal language that felt much older than the language I spoke.
And then I woke. My clothes and my sheets were soaked in my sweat, and my breath came in and out in short bursts.
"Jon, are you paying attention?"
I was not. The dream still plagued me, so vivid in my mind. It made my skin crawl and made me want to crawl somewhere and curl up.
"I'm sorry Maester Luwin" I mumbled with my head lowered.
The Maester was silent for a moment, probably watching me, before he continued his lessons. I tried to push the dream aside and focus on the lesson.
A map of the North was carved on the table before us, chess piece like miniature pieces plotted on particular points of the map to denote what houses those castles belonged to. I recognized them all from my studies with the Maester, each a carving of each House that belonged to the North.
"Why do we only have one port?" Robb questioned, playing with the piece that denoted the symbol of House Manderly.
"White Harbour was made many years prior to Aegon's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. If we talk about a Western Port, the Iron Islands made it difficult for merchants to conduct trade. Things are better now of course, but a need for another port never rose.
"That might be a problem for us" I added, poking to where the Iron Islands were drawn on the table. "These people are always raiding our Western shores. If we had a port there that housed naval units, we could thwart the Ironborn and dissuade them from raiding us."
"King Robert put their rebellion down just recently, my boy. They won't do anything of the sort with their heir in Winterfell."
"For now" I looked the man in the eyes. "If the Ironborn were smart, there wouldn't be a rebellion in the first place. The King has a direct connection to the West through his wife, the Vale through his Hand, the North through his best friend and the Stormlands through his heritage. That is four out of seven parts of the Kingdom. Now you have the South who bent the knee and would do anything to show they are loyal to the King, and the Riverlands who are tied to the Vale and the North through their Lord Paramount's daughters. Six Kingdoms out of seven. That is not a broken Kingdom. Chaotic times for sure, but not a broken kingdom."
Maester Luwin eyed me with what looked like a hint of surprise and a hint of pride. It encouraged me to push forward.
"Cape Kraken is the closest to the Iron Islands and probably faces the most raids. Building a Port there might be hard. Sea Dragon Point on the other hand is a good few miles away from the Iron Islands. A Port there might be feasible. There are fishing villages there already so it's not an uninhabitable place to begin with. If we can make a port there, we can export more fish than we do at the moment."
"Not a bad idea, my boy. But the problem with your plan is that those lands are sparsely inhabited. We do not have enough men that live there to run a port town" the Maester said kindly.
"We can get more people" Robb chimed in. "I heard father say that King's Landing has too many people living in it, he saw it after he'd gone there with the King after they put down the rebellion. If we can get the King to send extra people here we could get enough people. The King is father's friend, he'll listen to father if he writes to him."
"It would be difficult for the people to adjust to the North, but with a little help, they'll get used to it and they could even find ways to make a living too. We could get people from White Harbour to come to train them about ships and things and get people from Deepwood Motte to come and help teach them how to properly cut trees. The fishing villages can teach them how to catch fish too. They might survive it."
Maester Luwin looked thoughtfully at the map.
~ The Weirwood Network ~
I winced as the sharp edge of the blade sliced through my arm, crimson splurting out moments after like a miniature fountain.
But just as quickly as the wound was inflicted, it was healed. It looked almost like the wound had never been there to begin with.
"You're distracted" Brynden said in disappointment, the sword in his hand vanishing. "You've been distracted all day today."
"How do you know that?" I asked, letting go of the sword in my hand and watching it vanish as well. "I didn't hear or see any ravens near me all day."
"Winterfell Castle has a rat problem," Brynden said with a smirk.
Of course, it did.
"Why have you been distracted all day?" he asked again.
I answered him by telling him about my dream.
"That is… an odd dream," Brynden said slowly. "Do you remember anything else from it?"
"No, just being watched and the cold darkness."
Something flickered in Brynden's eyes.
Recognition! He knew exactly what I was talking about.
"I'll speak with the Children and see if it's something to worry about."
"So you have an idea of what it is?"
"Perhaps… But I'm not going to worry you about things unless I'm certain about them."
So it was something worrying…
"Your talk with the Maester was an interesting one," the man said suddenly. He was changing the subject before I could question him about his suspecting. "A Western Port to house a naval force."
"To start. Once it's been established, it could be a good place to conduct business as well. The only problem that stops it are the Ironborn."
"You are putting the Ironborn up a pedestal in terms of threats here" Brynden pointed out with a frown. "Does something happen in the future?"
"They are a threat because those idiots want to go back to the old way and don't think before they act. It's becoming an issue for everyone else" I stated calmly. "I question whether we need them at all or not."
"You wish to wipe them out?"
"Would save us a lot of headaches."
Brynden stared at me with cold calculation that made me stand straighter. I knew for a fact that the man would not judge me for wanting to wipe out a problem, not when he did it himself so many years ago.
"And how exactly do you mean to do so?" he asked slowly.
I took a moment to think.
"Cut off the head I suppose" I shrugged. "Balon Greyjoy first so the rest would rush to claim his seat. Theon is with us so they wouldn't want Theon on the Seastone Chair. So a Kingsmoot would be called. And during the Kingsmoot a riot could be incited and they all kill themselves and save us any trouble."
"That is an idea for certain" Brynden chuckled. "But perhaps instead of killing them all, you might kill their leader and plant one of yours there."
"How do you expect to do that? The Ironborn would want only their own to sit the chair and rule them. They would never accept an outsider."
"Who says it has to be from the outside?"
"You think we can find an Ironborn both learned and an opportunist?"
"Perhaps. But that day is far for now, I'm assuming."
"It is" I agreed. "Shelving the thought for now then."
"Shelving?"
"It means to put the thought away for now."
"Strange use of words" Brynden shook his head. "How else would you choose to improve the North?"
I thought for a moment before taking a deep breath in. The world around us shifted to the scene of this morning, of Maester Luwin teaching Robb and me.
That was the norm in the Weirwood Network, we could explore each other's memories.
I led Brynden to the carved map table. "Moat Cailin is in decay. It is our primary defence from the South. I would like for it to be restored enough that it can house a Lord once more and can be manned properly with more men."
"The North lacks that, men. Robb made a good suggestion by asking the King to send citizens" Brynden stated.
"He did. I had that issue in mind as well, but a different solution to it."
"And what was your solution?"
"The Wildlings" I motioned to the lands beyond the wall. "Many already know of the threat of the White Walkers and are rushing to make it on this side of the wall. We target the smaller villages first. Villages that live on hunting and fishing. We give them the opportunity to cross over to this side, but make them swear an oath to follow the laws of the Warden of The North."
"The Warden? Not the King?" Brynden questioned.
"The Warden, not the King" I answered.
The man smirked slightly.
"It won't be easy. The people of the North wouldn't allow the Wildlings to live on their lands."
"They would not" I agreed with a sigh. "If only we could show them the threat of White Walkers. Like an animated corpse or something. If we can make them see it, they'll understand the threat. And if they understand the threat, they'll understand that the more Wildlings live beyond the Wall, the more corpses join the White Walkers."
"But we do not have a corpse."
"We do not have a corpse."
"A thought to shelve?"
I snorted.
"Look at you picking up on my strange use of words."
"I suppose we are both teaching each other things."
We shared a smile as the memory faded and we were back in the whiteness of the network.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Which is?"
"Can you teach me High Valyrian?"
I was just about in bed when there was a knock at my door. Unlike the rest of the doors that led to occupied bedrooms, mie did not have guards. I was, to all eyes and ears, still a bastard after all.
Ned Stark stood on the other side of the door.
I welcomed him immediately.
The man walked in and ran his gaze over my chambers as I closed the door behind him.
"This chamber belonged to your mother, have I ever told you?"
"You have not. It is a little astounding people did not suspect you putting a bastard in your dearly departed sister's chambers."
"People do not look too much into things until someone plants a seed of doubt in their minds. Like you did with Cat."
"She's still mad at you, huh?"
"I believe she's more hurt than angry."
I didn't blame her. Ned wouldn't have told her unless she hadn't come forward with what I told her I suspected and she knew it. That was hurtful.
At least she wasn't being a bitch to me all the time now.
"But that is not what I wanted to speak to you about. Maester Luwin tells me you and Robb had some intriguing ideas during lessons today. I wanted to hear it from you, how you'd like to change things in the North."
Most would look at this and think they'd overstepped their bounds, especially a bastard. But Ned Stark was not like that and I knew. He was being genuine.
So I told him what I told Maester Luwin, made sure to mention what Robb added, and added the bit that I told Brynden. Of course, I left out the Ironborn elimination plan. Ned Stark would not take that kindly. Instead, I added that perhaps Skaagos could be reintegrated into the North.
"Your ideas hold merit," Ned Stark said kindly.
Here came the denial.
"But right now, I don't think the North can afford such a thing."
"Technically you are doing it for the Crown. Perhaps the Crown can fund it."
Ned's eyes squinted.
"The Crown has better places to invest their money."
I held back my snort. I knew exactly where that money would go.
"What's better than helping your Kingdom flourish?" I asked. "Write to the Hand and see what he and the King say. They are your friends, they would consider it."
And knowing Robert he'd definitely send more than what Ned would want.
"Imagine they do send it. How will you convince the minor Lord who currently oversees Sea Dragon Point?"
"Sea Dragon Point does not fall under the jurisdiction of any minor Lords, I checked it" I grinned at the man. "One could argue that The Mormonts and The Glovers might say that land belongs to them. So we give the new Port to them. A second son of either house marrying a daughter of the other could sit as Lord or Master of the Port. It should keep both houses happy."
"Galbart does have a brother… and Lord Jeor a sister who has a young daughter…" Ned murmured thoughtfully.
"I'm certain you can come up with a solution once you sit with Maester Luwin and the respective Lords of those houses," I said with a smile. "Just write the letter first and see what the King and his Hand have to say about this."
I was not certain who the Master of Coin was at this time, but it was not Littlefinger. I was certain about that.
"You've thought well about all of this, Jon."
"Amongst other things."
"What other things?"
"Like possibly betrothing Robb with the daughter of a Northern Bannerman. It would show that you trust and respect them and see them as worthy men and women."
"What gave you that idea?"
"I read a lot."
I did read a lot. The books in this world held so much more information than what I knew in my last life. How could I not lose myself in them?
Ned chuckled.
"Have you thought nothing about yourself?"
"To the world, I am a bastard," I said plainly, "all I have planned is to receive a knighthood someday and stand beside the family and serve them well."
"Perhaps you will. Or perhaps you'll scale greater heights with any added responsibilities."
Ned's eyes twinkled with a knowing look. I knew what he was suggesting, but I did not bring it up.
Better to let him bring it up than me and have people think I put the idea in his mind.
"You never explained why you're even thinking of all of this" Ned asked, the twinkle now replaced with a curious glint.
"I don't want the North to be caught by surprise from any side of the world" I shrugged. "To the North, we have the Wall, to the East we have White Harbour and a few minor ports. But to the West we have nothing. We were lucky that the Iron Islands did not attack us, otherwise, we'd have incurred more losses than the attack on Lannisteport."
That was an exaggeration of course, but one that would make Ned think.
"And the Moat is in a state of disrepair bordering ruin. It's our only defence down South and should a day come where god forbid we have enemies from the South and the Moat falls… The North wouldn't fall but we'd still incur losses. Best avoid losses entirely according to me."
I paused.
"Winter is Coming, right Lord Stark?"
"Winter is Coming" Ned Stark sighed. "Your parents would have been proud, you know that?"
"They better be. My father just jumped and ran off with my mother without a second thought. They better appreciate I did not inherit those genes."
Ned Stark laughed, loud and earnest.
