Moat Cailin- 288 AC
Strength In Unity
There had been many moments in the last few years that made Ned Stark feel proud of his nephew's accomplishments. There were times when Hadrian's ideas and ways of doing things had sometimes given Ned a headache, but generally when he heard his nephew's plans he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at Harry's intelligence and excitement for what the North would one day become, if all goes well. Now sitting before the Lords of the North at Moat Cailin, Ned was feeling trepidation. Uncertainty.
When he first received the raven from Winterfell from Harry, speaking of the Ironborn at Moat Cailin he was filled with worry. He managed to calm himself and fulfil his nephews instructions to first gather two thousand men for marching, another thousand for defence of Winterfell and another thousand to defend the coasts. He knew Hadrian wasn't like Brandon. He wouldn't do anything reckless.
Ned thought that his nephew would remain hidden in the swamps of the neck. Safe away from any Ironborn. He thought that by the time the army he raised got to the Moat, the Ironborn would have left already or he would have to start preparing for a siege while waiting for more reinforcements. He didn't expect Hadrian to try do anything against the Ironborn. Not when he was so outnumbered.
He should have known better.
His nephew seems to always try and do the impossible. Even when he fails he never seems to think his goals are out of reach. Hadrian wasn't one to cower down and wait for others to solve his problems.
When Ned first arrived at the Moat a few weeks after he first learned of the Ironborns presence he was slightly relieved when he found it empty of both men and bodies. He expected that the Ironborn had left and he just had to wait for Hadrian to leave the Neck and join him.
When his men found the burned longboats and the corpses he was worried about what happened and what his nephew was doing. He knew Hadrian wasn't as reckless as Brandon but he worried regardless. After a few days when one of his scouts returned from the south of the causeway bringing news about his nephew marching North up the Kingsroad with a few hundred men, he felt relieved. When he saw the men Hadrian was with, he could immediately tell they had been in battles. Some men had wounds and others were transporting the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The proceeding few hours were a storm of different emotions for Ned. He was upset with his nephew for risking his life in a battle that wasn't necessary. Hadrian could have stayed safe at Greywater Watch and not done anything about the Ironborn. They would have left on their own. Then Ned would deal with them later in the war.
He made sure to let Hadrian know of his displeasure but he couldn't truly be mad at his nephew for long. Not when he was so proud of his accomplishments.
Destroying an army of four thousand Ironborn and losing less than two hundred men was a feat worthy of songs. Hadrian definitely proved himself as an able commander in the war so far, even if he didn't personally fight in any of the skirmishes he's had.
Once his nephew had updated him about everything that had happened and the reason for some of his decisions and tactics, he asked him to send ravens to his bannermen telling them to bring fewer men than originally intended. Stating that the North has already contributed to winning this war and that the length of the rest of the war would be determined at sea where the North couldn't really do anything.
Ned did what Hadrian asked and wrote to certain bannermen telling them not to bring any men but a few guards for themselves, others to bring only half their army and still others to only bring a majority. At the end of everything there should be a muster of eight thousand men. Ned originally thought it was too few but Hadrian made a compelling argument when he said the Ironborn would be destroyed at sea and then the Lannister army on its own could finish the war. Anything over that was overkill.
He had to agree. So far the war wasn't going very well for Balon Greyjoy. He lost his heir and a decent portion of his fleet when he sent them to attack the North. He lost more ships when he attacked the Redwyn Fleet who listened to the warnings but only took them half as seriously as they should have. The end result was that the Redwyn Fleet was destroyed and only another thirty or so Ironborn longships were destroyed.
By now Balon Greyjoy had lost over sixty ships and thousands of men. He still had to contend with the Royal fleet, Lannister Fleet, Hightower Fleet as well as the Mallister Fleet. Each of which will be prepared for him. Yes, Ned understands what Hadrian means when he says sending too many men would be pointless.
At least he didn't have to try and talk Hadrian out of coming with him when they march. His nephew proved surprisingly wise and didn't even try and change his mind.
The thing that filled Ned with the most conflicting emotions about the stories Hadrian told him was when he spoke of magic. Ned was a Northerner. He believed magic used to exist. He believed in many of the older tales. But he thought that was all they were. Tales. Legends. He thought magic had died out with the Children of the Forest and the Dragons. But no, according to his nephew, all Starks have magic in their blood and the potential to learn how to use it.
When he learnt his nephew was now a skinchanger and greenseer he didn't know how to feel. On the one hand he was awed, he learnt about the old tales of his ancestors. Learning that House Stark still retains those gifts was a blessing he couldn't ignore. Once his nephew showed him some of what he could do he couldn't deny there was a lot of potential in those gifts.
There was also a lot of danger. Hadrian explained it was easy to lose yourself if you didn't know what you were doing. Hadrian explained he learnt how to do it safely from a Greenseer who lives in The Neck.
At learning this Ned could only sigh. He should have known his nephew had other reasons for going to Greywater Watch than just visiting his bannerman. Hadrian never seems to do anything unless it serves more than one purpose. Learning of his teacher inTthe Neck also gave Ned another problem.
If magic isn't dead and there are still dozens of skinchangers alive in the Neck alone, then that means there are others who could learn the art. Others who could abuse it to spy on and manipulate lords from all over Westeros without any of them knowing.
Of course his nephew already had a solution to that problem. His Order of Huntsmen. Ned isn't sure he likes the idea of having an army of spies much better than the idea of using magic that makes spying so easy. He didn't really see many other options to combat rogue skinchangers though.
When he started hearing tales of how his nephew destroyed the Ironborn using an army of snakes he was both shocked and a little fearful of the magic that his nephew could now wield. At first he didn't really believe that his nephew summoned a whole army of snakes, he thought that it was just tall tales told by the men, and his nephew summoned a few snakes at most. But later, upon seeing how the men who marched with Hadrian spoke of him and looked at him, it was getting harder to deny. They spoke as if his nephew was the champion of the Old Gods themselves.
When Hadrian started insisting that he would teach his cousins when they were older, he once more had mixed feelings. Yes, this would be a great boon to his children. It would be a useful skill to help keep them safe. At the same time though. He doesn't understand magic. He doesn't want his children to learn something that could harm them. So he accepted Hadrian's offer of teaching him and Benjen first. Even if it would be harder for them as they are older.
He knows Catelyn is just going to react terribly to this. Not only that, but tales of this are sure to spread South. How they will react is a mystery, but Ned will do whatever he has to do to protect his family. Based on the reaction from the Manderly men who arrived shortly after him, he was hopeful the south wouldn't react that negatively. There was some concern from the Seven worshippers amongst those men, but overall most of them were Northerners now and were more accepting than not. It helped that Hadrian was a Stark and the Manderlys had always been one of their strongest supporters.
They spent the next few weeks before the rest of their bannermen arrived going over plans. Hadrian was predicting how the war might end and giving Ned scenarios of what decisions the king could make for the Iron Islands that would be the most beneficial for the North. He wanted Ned to try and influence the King towards these actions. Ned refused to try and manipulate Robert but he did agree that he would see what happens and if the opportunity presented itself he would speak to Robert.
It wasn't like what his nephew wanted from the outcome of this war was unreasonable. His main goals were to see Balon Greyjoy dead and have the Iron Islands either weakened or put onto the path of trading instead of raiding. He wanted the surviving Greyjoy children to be given as wards to either Stannis Baratheon or the Hightowers.
Ned had no problem with giving his opinion to Robert if he asks for it.
Overall, Ned wasn't very worried about this war. Yes, there would be death as there is in every war, but this war would be nothing like The Rebellion. Balon Greyjoy is already on the back foot and the war has only just started. He has no doubt that Balon will be beaten with few casualties for the North.
No, Ned was more worried about what plans his nephew would start to put into motion with his absence.
Ned knows Hadrian is brilliant. He knows he has the potential to change the North for the better. To make the North greater than ever. The problem is, Hadrian is still often impatient. He is still very ambitious. While that ambition to make the North strong is a good thing, Hadrian doesn't always pay attention to what others around him might think of the changes he's making. Or perhaps he just doesn't care.
Ned knows that Hadrian is making the North strong. He can see that in another few years they would already be stronger than they had been in a long time. The problem is that to Hadrian, the words good enough, don't exist. While generally this is an attitude he can approve of, things become more complicated when Hadrian's newest ambitions involve around increasing the military power of the North.
When Ned first heard his nephew say that he wanted to increase the effectiveness of the Norths military he was of two minds. On one hand, a stronger military would mean the North is that much stronger and that much safer. On the other hand, he isn't sure how the Southern Kingdoms would take this move from the North. While Robert may not have an issue with it and while Hadrian might not use the strengthened military to rebel against Robert, the same cannot be said for Roberts children. There are bound to be many lords who will whisper in the kings ear and the princes ear, about how they should be wary of the new military power of the North.
Once his nephew had actually shown him those plans, Ned couldn't help but be amazed at first. His nephew had only been in one battle and had already come up with plans to rebuild the military from the very bottom. When he started looking at those plans more deeply and contemplating them fully he realised that his nephew planned to build possibly the most dangerous army in the world.
He really didn't know how to feel about that. Other than nervousness and trepidation for the future. Hadrian never does anything without a reason. That much Ned knew. So why was he going to spend so much time and effort to raise an army?
It was times like this that Ned feared Harrys plans. While they would drive the North towards prosperity, they would also drive a wedge between the North and the South. If not handled properly there is always a chance for war.
While Robert would prevent a war from starting. When he dies it would be a different story. If the North is strong enough by then, many lords might just demand that Hadrian declare independence regardless of any actions from the South.
Hadrian had gathered all the Lords today to inform them about what he has determined about the war and his plans to reform the Northern army.
At least he wasn't starting too big. According to his plans, Hadrian only wants to build it up to five thousand men for now. Even that would take years to achieve if they are to be as effective as Hadrian wants.
Ned was sitting on Hadrians right at the head of the table all the lords of the North were sitting around. Most of them were feasting and drinking, enjoying their last day of peace in the North before they started marching.
Most lords were in a good mood. They were drinking, cheering and laughing with each other. Every now or then one would try and bring himself, Benjen or Hadrian in on a conversation, but most of the time they were content to leave them to talk amongst themselves.
Ned could see a clear difference in how certain lords of the North treat his nephew now. While they respected Hadrian and his ideas before and loved him for all the prosperity he has brought, they always used to look to Ned first at feasts like these. Hadrian was always well loved and well respected by the bannermen but the lords knew Ned was still in charge and as such would always unconsciously look to him first.
Now that is no longer the case. The lords seemed to almost be hanging off of every word that Hadrian said. They definitely respect him more now that he has lead an army to such a great victory. In no other can that be seen more clearly than the Umbers. The Greatjon had been singing his nephews praises all evening for 'showing the squids their place'. Constantly going on about how fierce Hadrian is, and that when he is an adult he will be even more impressive.
The only lords who don't really look pleased with his nephews actions against the Ironborn are Lords Bolton and Whitehill. Lord Bolton could be explained away, the man always has that look on his face. He never looks happy and if Ned were to ever see the lord smile he would be sure to check his back to make sure there is no knife in it.
Lord Bolton had recently sent his heir south to the Vale to foster. When Hadrian first learnt about it a few weeks ago, he was angry. Domeric was his cousin and he was going to offer to foster him in Winterfell. According to Hadrian, Lord Bolton should have suspected he was going to offer to foster Domeric. While he believed that Lord Bolton is just trying to foster some relations with the south as his father did, Hadrian insists it is probably something much more sinister. According to Hadrian the best reason for Lord Bolton to send Domeric so far away was so that Domeric would be separated from any actions he takes. According to Hadrian, Lord Bolton knows that Harry values family and he might be trying to take advantage of that. If Roose Bolton commits treason and tries to overthrow the Starks, Roose Bolton would believe Domeric would be safe to carry on the Bolton name if he fails.
After having some time to think about it, he decided that there was some merit to his nephews thinking. Roose Bolton had always been an untrustworthy man and Ned would make sure to keep a close eye on him. That would be all he would do though. As while there was some merit to what his nephew said, there were also a thousand other explanations and no proof. Roose Bolton was cautious and clever anyway. Ned highly doubted he would do anything anytime soon.
No, he was far more worried about the Whitehills for now. Ludd Whitehill has always been a man with a big ego and a large mouth. He has never been afraid to share his opinions and even occasionally force those opinions on others. He is also the most devout Seven worshipper in the North.
While the Manderlys worship The Seven, they have never been as devout as most southerners. The religion has even changed in White Harbour and isn't as strict as the south and even has some different laws and customs.
Ludd Whitehill in comparison, is more devout than most southerners and has been known to have even insulted the Manderlys for 'bastardising the Faith'. He isn't a very smart man or a very patient one. It is no wonder then that he doesn't even try to hide his displeasure when he heard about his nephews use of magic.
Hadrian never confirmed he used magic to any of the lords but he never did deny it either. Ned had seen some Lords take that as proof of his nephews abilities while others were adamant there was some trick or pure luck involved.
Ned decided that he would need to watch Ludd Whitehill closely. The man was bound to do something stupid sooner or later. He could only hope he wouldn't do something reckless in the south. While like Lord Bolton, he didn't have any evidence of wrongdoings from Lord Whitehill, he would be a fool to not keep an eye on both of them at the very least.
He was brought out of his musings by the sound of his nephews chair scraping back. Hadrian stood and the Lords in the tent quieted down almost immediately. Ned had to admit it was impressive and amusing seeing grown Lords, who have seen and fought in wars, show immediate deference to an eight year old.
"My Lords!" His nephew began in as strong a voice as he could muster. "The Ironborn have rebelled and King Robert has called the banners do deal with the pirates. This won't be a long war my lords, and the North will play little part in the outcome. The length of the war will be decided at sea. I predict it will be an easy war and that the Ironborn should provide little problem for the combined fleets of the Kingdoms. The Iron Islands are weak and Balon Greyjoy has greatly overestimated himself. But this is not why I wanted to talk to you today, my lords."
Hadrian started pacing up and down along the table. " My problem is why did the Ironborn think it was a good idea to attack us in the first place? Why did a foreign army would think they could get such foothold in the North? The answer I have come to my lords? They think us weak."
The lords started muttering amongst themselves.
Before the noise could grow too loud Hadrian continued. "In some ways, they're right."
Ned winced at the noise the Lords made at that proclamation. Before he could call for quiet, Hadrians dog Padfoot, who had travelled with him from Winterfell, let out a howl.
"Arooooooo!"
The lords quieted down again and Hadrian continued. "We do not have the population of the Reach. We don't have the gold of the Westerlands or the fleets of the Iron Islands and the other Southern Kingdoms. In those ways we are weaker than some Kingdoms. "
He paused for a moment. "But in other ways, we are so much stronger!"
Ned could see some lords visibly relax now that they knew Hadrian wasn't just insulting the North. He even saw one or two start to nod along.
"We have the strongest men and the greatest fighters in The Seven Kingdoms. We are a kingdom that cannot be conquered by a conventional army. We come from a long line of men and woman who have struggled through the harshest winters and survived! But our greatest strength, is our unity."
After taking a breath Hadrian started to explain. "While the southern lords and kingdoms are constantly squabbling amongst themselves for even the slightest scraps of power, the North has always stood united against common enemies. While southerners worry about their pretty silks and gold swords we have always looked to more important things. The North may not be perfect, there may be some lords who do not like each other or who have rivalries with others. Compared to the South though, the North is united! "
"Aye."
"Aye." Aye."
"Aye!"
Most lords started to agree with his nephews words. Ned could see them becoming more animated the longer the speech went on. Ned knew Hadrian would use the positive reaction to his benefit.
His nephew didn't disappoint. "We have to use that unity for our benefit though. Our population will rise on its own now that we are growing more food. Gold can be made and ships can be built. If we use the opportunity given to us to build now, then in the future the North could match any of the kingdoms and even surpass them in gold, in ships and in population!"
"Aye!" Most of the lords cheered.
Hadrian continued. "We need to take advantage now so that we can build for the future. Many things will be changing over the next few years. The North will only become stronger and more prosperous as long as we are wise. Unfortunately there will always be those who will seek to challenge us. As we grow in wealth, others will grow in jealousy. It isn't enough just to build for the future. We need to protect what we have built. We need the other Kingdoms to look to the North and not even think of attacking us, as that would be suicide!"
"Aye!" Many of the lords were banging their cups or fists on the table.
Harry stopped pacing. "I will begin building a fleet on our Western shore now that the Ironborn are about to be dealt with for at least a few years. Moat Cailin will also start undergoing repairs. This will take time to do right my lords but it will be done. Once the Western Fleet is on its way to being built, I will begin building more roads and fixing the ones we have. The ships and fleet mean trade is going to open up with more of the South alongside the Western shore, bringing more gold North. The roads mean men and armies can travel faster, increasing trade in the North itself. This will lower the price of food and make it so our populations can grow more easily. Allowing for greater prosperity. None of this will be easy, it will cost a lot of gold to start and it will take a lot of work but I will find a way my lords. Those are my problems to deal with."
Ned could see the lords were hanging off of his nephews words. One or two of them looked dismissive, but he could see that a most of them were actually taking his nephew seriously. After Hadrian found a way to grow more food and defeated an army many times larger than his own, most of the lords seemed to have much more faith in him.
Hadrian continued. "Increased prosperity will unfortunately bring problems of its own. I intend to take care of those problems before they have a chance to grow out of control. Increased trade means increased banditry and piracy. There will always be those who seek to profit off of others. Increased prosperity and trade for us means less trade for many lords of the south who we were reliant on before now. They will not be happy we no longer give them our hard earned gold. While the North has some of the greatest fighters in the world we do not have men dedicated to keeping piracy and banditry low. We have our men at arms and a few knights, but with the population increase they will not be enough for long. In order to address some of these problems and to properly secure the North from any other kingdoms, I will be designing and building an army from the bottom up."
Before any of the lords had a chance to speak Hadrian continued. "The army will not be very large for now. It will be no more than five thousand men. Even then, it will take years of hard work in order to get to a number that high. I plan on making it the most advanced and well trained army in the world and that type of training takes time. It will be solely under the command of House Stark during times of war but during times of peace or when a member of House Stark is not present, it will fall under the command of a general chosen from among the Lords of the North. "
Hadrian walked back to his chair and sat down. "Ask your questions my lords."
Lord Manderly was the quickest. " My lord, you said the purpose of this army is to combat piracy. So will the army be split into two, one part for the Navy and one part for on land?"
Ned was honestly surprised that none of the Lords had spoken up yet, going against the idea of an army solely in control of House Stark. It made sense though. Many of the Houses in the North are already incredibly loyal to House Stark. Others who were probably undecided might have been swayed by his nephews words or intrigued by the possibility of being chosen as the General of the Northern army. Others who were probably against the idea such as Lord Bolton and Lord Whitehill either knew that going against the idea now would be pointless and only risk exposing themselves as a potential enemy or they were too cowardly to say anything in Hadrian's presence.
Hadrian smiled. "An excellent question my lord. My original plan was to have the men alternate. So that they get experience in many different environments my lord. Although I can admit that I am no expert when it comes to all manners of warfare. So I will be taking suggestions from the rest of the lords on the best ways to structure and build the army once the war with the Ironborn is over. It is my hope that between all of us we can come up with something great."
Eddard could see that many of the lords looked more enthused with the idea of the army now. Hadrian was right. Giving them a say in how the army was structured seems to have made them much more interested in the idea instead of outright rejecting it.
Hadrian decided to continue while the lords were feeling generally positive. "In a few years the army will be used to attempt a conquest beyond The Wall. We will see how it does and decide a further course of action based on its performance then.'
Ned could see Hadrian gather a breath for this next part. This was always going to be the tricky part to get right with the Lords. "House Stark will be paying for this army from the taxes that we get from the lords. I believe we will be able to afford it comfortably in a few years once trade has increased enough. However, this army will cost a lot to run and to train. In order to do that, there will need to be a few changes to the tax system."
Grumbling rose up amongst the lords at his words. None of the Lords looked happy with that development. "My lords!" Hadrian interrupted them. "The percent you pay in tax will not be changing." Many of the lords started relaxing slightly at this.
Hadrian continued when he saw they had calmed down. "Only the way that the taxes are collected will be changing. House Stark will be training tax collectors over the next few years. They will be taught to evaluate lands, businesses and farms in order to work out what lords should be getting as taxes from their smallfolk. They will also be taught how to record taxes from any imports and exports. From there they will write a report to the lords telling them what they should be getting as taxes. They will also write a report to any of those lords superiors. Landed knights will have their reports sent to the minor lords and major lords they answer to as well as to House Stark. The same will happen for every other group of lords. This makes sure that you aren't being cheated my lords and it makes sure that House Stark gets a steady revenue that can counted and relied upon to fund the army."
When the Lords heard what Hadrian had in mind most of them seemed to calm down. It was difficult for them to truly be upset when Hadrian wasn't changing how much they were meant to be paying but rather making sure that everyone was actually paying what they were supposed to.
When he saw that the lords had calmed down and seemed to be accepting his words, Hadrian smiled. "Thank you all for the support my lords. Please enjoy the remainder of your night. Don't forget to think of ideas for the army and navy while you are in the south my lords. I know with the experience of the people in this room, we will be able to come up with something truly amazing."
Next chapter Thursday 20 April 2023.
Sorry for such a late update guys. As always criticism is welcome as long as it's constructive.
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