94 Chapter 94: Fishing at the Neck

Harry was quite disappointed to see the restoration works on Moat Cailin had lagged so much that the workers only managed to restore two of the twenty towers in two years. It was to be expected, with the war in the Westerlands taking up most able-bodied men from across the North. The same had happened in Avalon with his planned port expansion. The lack of workers had pushed his plans back a year, and it got further pushed back when he went to war against the Iron Islands. The lack of men directly affected the work as well as the availability of materials and transportation of goods. The only saving grace was that the roads in the North were restored to pristine condition before war broke out in the southern kingdoms.

"It's a shame we allowed Moat Cailin to go to ruin like this," Harry complained, staring at the shoddy state of the massive structure. "The Starks of old must be rolling in their graves at this travesty."

The walls were nonexistent as they had fallen due to disrepair and centuries of neglect after the Targaryen conquest. Only three towers remained standing, and all three were covered in green moss until the workers restored two last year. The Children's Tower and the Gatehouse Tower were restored, as were their walls. However, the Drunkard's Tower remained in disrepair with little to no crenellations remaining on its crown and retained the lean it was famous for.

"Your ancestors can't be blamed for abandoning the Moat. The North had never seen war on its soil after the Conquest. Three centuries of peace can dull the defences of a castle." Howland Reed said noncommittally.

"Peace is the time to prepare for war." said Harry.

"I see. What about war?" Lord Reed asked, keeping a close eye on Harry.

Harry eyed the Lord of Greywater Watch closely out of the corner of his eyes. Howland Redd was the sole survivor other than his father after they confronted Aerys Targaryen's Kingsguard at the Tower of Joy. The man was short and thin like most crannogmen of the Neck, which was a good trait to have for an inhabitant of the Neck. Lord Redd was also a close confidant and friend of his father. Considering the man had a hand in keeping Jon's secret, it was not surprising. Growing up in Winterfell, Harry had heard many tales from his father about the war and Howland Reed was always spoken of fondly in those tales.

However, Harry thought it was impractical for the lord of Greywater Watch to carry around a trident as his primary weapon.

'Impractical but cool.' Harry amended his opinion when Lord Reed shifted the trident to his left hand.

The bronze weapon gleamed in the sunlight, making it look like it was made of gold. For a moment, he wondered why Lord Reed carried around a trident made of bronze in an area filled with swamps.

"War is the time to kill enemies and establish peace." said Harry.

"Is that why you're adamant about restoring Moat Cailin?" Lord Reed asked curiously.

"Enemies to the south, enemies to the north, enemies to the east and enemies to the west. It's because we were ruled by those who were blind to the south and refused to see strength in themselves; this has happened." Harry nodded at the ruins of the once grand fort that guarded the North against multiple invasions from the Andals.

"It's not a good way to live seeing enemies in four directions." Lord Reed commented.

"It'll be a short and insignificant life if one pretends there are no enemies." Harry countered.

"That's true." Lord Reed nodded thoughtfully. "Is that why you are securing the Gift and the Neck with new castles and ancient strongholds restored at a fast pace? What foe are you preparing for, Lord Harrion?"

"To the south lies all the wars that are yet to be fought over the Iron Throne. They'll wage war after war for the possession of the throne, and the North will one day wake up and realise there are no dragons to threaten us. When that day comes, the flames of independence will be lit in the minds of every Northman from the Neck to the Wall." said Harry.

Pointing north, Harry stared at lord Reed.

"I hope I don't need to tell you what lies beyond the Wall. In time, our ancient enemy shall rise, and the dead with it to assault the Wall. To the east and west, the North's natural expansion in maritime trade would ensure conflict with the Three Sisters and the Iron Islands."

"Now, do you see the enemies I see, Lord Reed? Even if all that I said is discarded, you're at least aware that the secret you have so carefully guarded all these years out of your friendship with my aunt and father is enough cause for a war with the Iron Throne."

"You know?" Lord Reed breathed, staring at Harry with surprise.

"Of course. I had my doubts, and when I confronted my father with my suspicions, he told me the truth."

"I see."

There was a moment of silence between them that stretched enough to become awkward.

"Tell me, Lord Reed. What is your opinion on a canal connecting Saltspear and the Bite?" Harry suddenly asked, which surprised Howland Reed.

"A canal connecting Saltspear and the Bite?" Howland asked in shock.

"Yes. There'll come a time in the near future when the North's shipping might get threatened in the Sunset Sea. It'll be advantageous if our western fleet gets access to the Bite and the Narrow Sea. It'll undoubtedly bolster our trade with the Free Cities of Essos." said Harry.

"Where exactly do you plan on building this canal?" Lord Reed asked, keeping his opinions about the idea hidden behind an emotionless mask.

"I was hoping to cut a channel through the Fever River, passing by Moat Cailin into the Bite. It'll be the easiest route to cut a canal through the Neck."

"That'd kill the Neck." said Lord Reed with horror.

"What'd you mean?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Fever River is the lifeblood of the Neck. If you cut a canal through it, it'll kill the river and the entire swamp South of the Moat."

"Hmm. I hadn't considered that." Harry muttered thoughtfully. "Do you think you can take me through the Fever River? I'd like to see the river and its branches."

Fortunately for Harry, Lord Reed happily took him on a rowboat across the Fever River. It took them a few days to travel the entire length of the river across its many branches spread out along the breadth of the Neck. Though he lost a couple of days tracing out the intricate channels of the river, Harry was glad he spent the time to know the river. Not only did he get a better idea of how the swamp worked, but he also had the opportunity to understand better the crannogmen living in the Neck. He also got the opportunity to hunt and camp with Lord Reed and his children, Jojen and Meera Reed. However, their journey came to an end, and they returned to Moat Cailin.

Inside the ruins of the castle, they set up camp for the night. Harry joined Lord Reed in cooking the Sea Trout skewered on a stick in the fire the Lord of Greywater Watch made. For the entirety of the trip, Harry had chosen to go muggle, in parts to get a glimpse into the everyday life of the crannogmen.

"The canal would either drain the swamp or flood the Neck. It also could flood the interior of the Neck with seawater." Harry admitted. "Building the canal through the Fever River would be a disaster."

"I'm heartened that you see the danger a canal would bring. Never mind, it'd take decades to build such a massive canal spanning more than a hundred leagues and the costs such a construction would bear." Lord Reed said with a relieved sigh.

"You misunderstand me, Lord Reed." Harry said, keeping his eyes firmly on the fire preparing his dinner. "I'm not abandoning the merit of building a canal connecting Saltspear and the Bite. I'm merely abandoning the idea of building it through the Fever River."

"What do you mean?" Lord Reed looked at him warily.

"I plan to build the canal around the Fever River and Moat Cailin without ever touching even an ounce of freshwater of the Neck. This way, the Neck can maintain its swamp without flooding and prevent salination from threatening its ecosystem." said Harry, turning the trout so that its other side could get fried adequately by the fire.

"Wouldn't that be lengthy?"

"Oh, yes. Instead of a straight canal, I'm thinking of carving out a canal in a wide arc around the Moat and the Fever River. It'll directly connect Saltspear to the Bite." Harry thought aloud while Howland Reed stared at him with his mouth agape.

"Of course, this means I'll have to get permission from Lady Dustin to complete the canal. Here, have a look." Harry picked the map he had rolled up in his pocket and offered it to Lord Reed.

Harry enjoyed the way Lord Reed's thin eyebrows climbed all the way to his hairline after taking one look at the map.

"This is… certainly ambitious." Howland Reed said with some restraint after seeing the map with his own eyes. "How do you plan to build it? Where will you find the workers to build something like this?"

"Did Brandon the Builder build the Wall using manual labour, Lord Reed?" Harry asked amusedly. "No. I won't be building the canal using men. I'll have it built using magic as soon as White Harbour and Avalon fields the fleets capable of guarding our western and eastern shores."

"I see." Lord Reed muttered after an extended period of thoughtful silence.

"You don't have to worry, Lord Reed." Harry clapped the man on his shoulder. "It'll take time to prepare the magic necessary to carve out the canal. As you said, it's more than a hundred leagues long channel and act as a second line of defence against any invading army from the south."

"Hmm. Has Lord Stark approved of this canal?" Lord Reed asked curiously.

"Not yet. I have mentioned it in passing, but I had not considered the canal seriously until now."

"I'm curious though. How will you carve out a canal longer than the Wall at the Neck?" Lord Reed asked curiously, taking a bite of the fried trout in his hand.

"The same way I built Avalon. Using runes." Harry shrugged, taking the trout out of the fire after seeing it was properly cooked.

After allowing it to cool for a minute, Harry took a heart bite out of the fish. The delicate spices of Dorne exploded in his mouth, adding some flavour to the sweet taste of the Sea Trout. He savoured the fish in his mouth and took another bite, feeling his appetite grow.

"You know, you remind me of someone." Lord Reed said, looking a tad sad.

"Who?" Harry asked, savouring the taste and smell of the fish.

"Your aunt, Lyanna. She also had the same look when she tasted the Sea Trout of the Neck for the first time." Lord Reed said with an amused look.

"Hmm. I suppose it runs in the family." Harry grinned. "Tell you what. I'll pay you a hefty sum of gold if you can provide Avalon with a steady supply of fish from the Neck. You could start several fish farms to breed them aplenty."

"Fish farms?" Lord Reed muttered thoughtfully.

Harry was only too happy to explain the concept to the Lord of Greywater Watch. He could've captured a couple of Sea Trout from the river and farmed them in Avalon. But he felt like the crannogmen of the Neck needed the silver more than he did. Besides, it was unhealthy to horde all the good things in the world in one place. Or maybe he was being nice to the people of the Neck.

'Hmm. They're short and silent folk, aren't they? I like them.' Harry thought.

"Lord Reed. What's your opinion on having Jojen foster at Avalon?"

****

Stannis Baratheon walked the Traitor's Walk, leading to a squat, half-round tower. This particular tower, like almost most places in the Red Keep, was built by Maegor Targaryen to house prisoners. The topmost levels of the tower were reserved for prisoners of higher standing. After all, ransoming knights and lordlings have been part of war since ancient times. Stannis also saw no need to break the tradition as he also had several high-ranking prisoners imprisoned in the upper levels of the tower for ransom. Most of them were Lannisters and their loyalists. House Lannister was required to cough up their weights in gold to have them released. Of course, that might be a little difficult for the lions of the West, seeing as he had looted their treasury.

However, he was confident House Lannister could find the gold in time once they mine more of their precious gold. Or maybe they could borrow from the Iron Bank if they lacked the gold. At least the war also helped wipe out the Iron Throne's debt to House Lannister. As part of the punishment for rebelling, he had declared all outstanding debts owed to House Lannister by the lords of Westeros as null and void. It was one of his most popular royal decrees he issued at the suggestion of Lord Baelish. The Master of Coin not only secured the Iron Throne's finances but also helped him earn goodwill from many lords and knights across the Seven Kingdoms. It was one of the reasons why he was keeping Petyr Baelish as the Master of Coin.

Stannis stopped as he reached the ground floor, and the guards unlocked the doors to the dungeon. The iron doors were dragged open, letting Stannis descend a flight of stairs into a dimly lit corridor. There were four levels to the dungeons built by Maegor the Cruel. The first level was used to imprison common criminals from the Smallfolk. The second level had personal cells without windows for holding highborns. The third level was reserved for the worst enemies of the Crown, and it was called the Black Cells because the entire level was submerged in darkness. The fourth and the last level holds the torture chambers. The third and fourth levels had remained unused since Robert's reign began, but Stannis broke that tradition by chucking Jaime Lannister and Joffrey Waters into the Black Cells.

The guards accompanying him lead the way with oil lamps in their hands to ward off the darkness of the Black Cells.

"Your grace." the guards stopped before a cell.

"Open the cell." he ordered.

The guards unlocked the wooden cell and pushed the door open.

"Were my orders followed to the letter?" Stannis asked coldly to the guard holding the door open for him.

"Yes, your grace. We have fed Ser Jaime but deprived the bastard of water and bread." the guard immediately replied.

"Good. Wait outside." Stannis ordered before taking one of the oil lamps and entering the cell without an escort.

He didn't need an escort because both prisoners were chained to the wall.

"I hope I'm not intruding on your sleep, Kingslayer." said Stannis, poking the former Kingsguard knight with his foot.

Stannis stared dispassionately as Jaime Lannister groaned and tried to shield his eyes from the light of the oil lamp in his hand. He could hear quiet sobbing coming from a dark corner of the cell. But Stannis refused to take his eyes away from the Kingslayer, who eventually adjusted to the light of the lamp in the dark cell.

"Stop this, I beg of you. Joffrey is just a child." Jaime whispered hoarsely.

"You hold the power to alleviate the boy's suffering, Kingslayer. Admit you're the boy's father before the court. Confess to the crimes of your sister to the realm, and I'll have the boy's thirst quenched."

"If I do that, you'll kill us both. I remember you gloating over my uncle Kevan's beheading." Jaime muttered.

"Wrong!" Stannis snapped. "You committed the crime, Kingslayer. I have enough honour to see no fault in your children for your crimes. Unlike Kevan Lannister, who followed your father's command to burn the Reach, your children were not at fault for your incestuous relationship with your sister."

Stannis looked searchingly at Jaime Lannister's face and only found defeat and helplessness on the once arrogant knight's face.

'A year of captivity in Storm's End and watching his son starve to death would break even the proudest of lions.' Stannis mused.

"Then let me give you this assurance, Kingslayer. If you confess to your crimes and that of your sister, I vow to let your son live. He can be inducted into the Faith or the Citadel. The boy can live an anonymous life, away from the eyes of the realm."

Stannis had no intention of honouring such a promise. He had already decided to let the boy Joffrey spend the rest of his miserable life at the Wall. He was confident the Wildlings or the frigid air of the North would do him the service of taking the boy's life.

Seeing the hesitant look on the Kingslayer's face, Stannis knew the Lannister knight was nearly caving in.

"If I capture Cersei, I vow she'll be sent to the Silent Sisters, as will Myrcella. You have dishonoured your family and the Kingsguard, Kingslayer. Confess and save the lives of your son, daughter and sister. Your silence has already claimed the lives of your father, uncles, friends, and many others. Speak the truth and end this bloodshed." Stannis said, and that was the final push needed for Jaime Lannister to break.

The very next day, Stannis held the court and allowed Jaime Lannister to confess his crimes before all the major lords of Westeros. When the Kingslayer finished confessing to his crimes of incest, cuckolding his king and usurping House Baratheon, Stannis felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulder. With Jaime Lannister confessing his incestuous relationship with Cersei and claiming Joffrey and Myrcella as a product of that illicit affair, Stannis felt more secure on the Iron Throne. But he was wise enough to know he had only defeated the foes in House Lannister. If he could not prove himself capable of ruling the Seven Kingdoms, more enemies would crop up to test the weaknesses of the Iron Throne's hold on Westeros.

There was work to be done to restore King's Landing, and then he had to reinsure the loyalties of the Stormlords and his closest allies. There were many enemies to be wary of, which only accelerated the execution of Jaime Lannister and the consequent sentencing of Joffrey Waters to the Night's Watch. He gave the task of escorting Joffrey Waters to the Wall to the Northerners.

At the same time, he offered the post of Master of Ships to Lord Redwyne on Jon Arryn's advice. He had a feeling Lord Redwyne was surprised by the offer as his dislike of Reachmen was well known. The Dornish were further appeased by giving them Amory Lorch and the loot they took from the city of Lannisport remained uncontested by the Iron Throne. The Northerners were happy with their two new islands in the Sunset Sea. The Stormlords were rewarded for their loyalty by admitting them to most of the open positions in the Red Keep and the City Watch.

There was a strong push from almost all corners of Westeros to have Casterly Rock attained from House Lannister. However, he resisted such pressures, heeding the counsel of Lord Jon Arryn. Instead, he attained Lannisport from the Lannisters and sought to appoint a proper house to rule the city instead of House Lannister. For now, a small contingent of the Royal Fleet under the command of Ser Davos was keeping the city together. The succession of Casterly Rock naturally reverted to Tyrion Lannister as the sole living son of Tywin Lannister. The dwarf was an easy choice to make as Stannis hoped the internal strife of House Lannister would keep them busy rather than plot revenge against House Baratheon.

But first, he needed to find the blasted dwarf and Gerion Lannister.