Problems of snow and gold
Eddard POV
Watching my son and heir training in the courtyard with Jory is the only distraction I have nowadays. Catelyn and the rest of the children have left a couple of days ago and only Robb was left in the Winterfell, as his training has intensified after my return from the capital. Even at my age I have learned things from King's landing, and can only hope that my son will be a better lord than I could ever be.
Maester Luwin came to me as I watched Robb disarm Jory, he has more talent in swordsmanship than I did at his age. Giving me a letter he explains it was from the Wall, I opened the sealed massage and read it, then read it again. With a tired voice I called for Robb to meet me in my solar, the bad news just keeps coming and coming. After few moments after I sat at the table in my solar Robb enters.
"Father, you called for me, what happened?" He asks and sits in front of me.
"News from the Wall," I say and give him the letter, that explains how the great expedition had failed and Lord Commander had perished beyond the Wall, but the worst news was that Jon has been lost beyond the Wall.
"Father, we have to go to the Wall, we can't just leave Jon alone." He exclaims with an angry voice.
"No, we can't, but you not going anywhere," I replied him with a cold voice.
"But father…" Before he finished his sentence I raise my hand to quiet him down.
"No, there always has to be a Stark in the Winterfell," I tell him. "I will go, Umber, Karstark, and Mormont will join me, while I am gone, you will call for the rest of lords of the North to the Winterfell."
"Understood father, but what about lord Bolton? he refused to leave Dreadford and his bastard Ramsay is still terrorizing villages near Wolfswood." My son asks.
"We will use his situation to force Bolton's hand, if he doesn't come to the Winterfell, you will take men from other lords and hunt the bastard down," I explain to him of my plan. "Once the bastard is in your hands, you will call for Roose Bolton to answer for his son, if even then he doesn't come you will rally the North and besiege the Dreadfort and proclaim the Bolton a traitor.
"What if he comes to the Winterfell?" He asks.
"If he comes, then you will keep him close to yourself, watch him like a hawk if he refuses your order of does something suspicious you will confront him, but even if he is traitor don't kill him but imprison him," I explain.
"Very well, what should I tell other lords?" After few moments of thinking, he again asks me.
"Nothing, I will send a letter to other lords explaining the situation, and that there will probably be a war with the Wildling army so their will come prepared," I tell him. "You will have all authority in the castle as Lord Stark, I trust you, you're going to be fine."
"I will do my best father, I will not betray your trust." He stands up and tells me with his most serious voice.
"I know," I reply to him with a pat on his shoulder.
…
At the Last Hearth I met with Lord Umber, he had managed to get more than a thousand men-in-arms to his keep, with my two thousand we await for lords Mormont and Karstark. The Greatjon Umber seemed to already be aware of the Wilding problem. As it is expected of the Lord closest to the Wall, he will understand most about what we will face beyond the Wall.
"The Wildlings had become more of the problem in the past few years than they were in my lifetime." He tells me as I sit with him in the dining room taking small sips of the ale.
"What do you know of the Others? In the report, it was said it was the Others who have attacked the expedition forces." I ask for his opinion.
"It was probably some wildlings armed with ice spears or something, they planned to scare the rangers." He says. "Even with the new recruits in the past few years, most of them are green as grass, they would be scared of the shadows between the trees, how do you think they reacted to a horde of the wildlings attacking them in the middle of the night?"
"Maybe, maybe you're right, we will find out once we are at the Wall," I answer him.
We continued this conversation until late evening when Maege Mormont has arrived with her men and women. Lord Rickard Karstark comes in the early morning with his two sons and about two thousand men. Together we amounted to more than six thousand men-in-arms and then we prepared to go to the Wall.
Lyonel POV
Holding my shield above my head I block the sword coming for me, letting the sword slide from my shield, I sidestepped to right and dodge the sword coming from behind. As the knight readies his sword I stab my sword to his chest, but he manages to dodge it at the last moment. With the failed attack I get back from the two men and ready my sword and shield again as they come toward me.
Ser Loras swings at me with his longsword, I dodge it by leaning backward and then bash my shield against him, throwing him to the ground. Bending down I let Ser Robar longsword pass me overhead and getting to his right side, I kick at his back knee, as he kneels I put my sword to his neck.
"Do you yield?" I ask.
"I yield." He answers.
Letting him stand up and leave the courtyard, I look at ser Loras who just stood up and raised his sword. This time it is me who attacks him, firstly I stab him to the stomach, he managed to deflect it but he was not prepared for my round shield which was going to his face, knocking him to the ground again.
"The king wins again." Says ser Barristan. "Both of you still have to learn a lot, you were attacking his majesty individually, if you have moved together you would have easily won, for rest of the day both of you will hold this log to learn camaraderie."
"It was a good fight, your grace, ser Loras, ser Robar, ser Barristan." Tyrion comes after ser Barristans instructions and greets us. "I apologize, but I have to borrow the King for a few moments."
"Ser Barristan I want to spar with you in the evening, but for now take some rest," I tell my kingsguard commander.
"Very well." He replies.
"What it is?" I ask Tyrion after cleaning myself a bit.
"A representative of the Iron Bank has arrived, he is Noho Dimittis and he wants to speak with you." He informs me.
"Very well, tell him to come to my solar and prepare the item, that I was working on," I tell him and go back to my rooms to dress in something formal.
…
In my solar, I was taking a last look at the finances of the kingdom to prepare the talks with the Iron bank, when my steward comes to the solar and informs me of Noho's arrival. Sighing I tell him to let Noho in, taking a fine wine bottle from the cabinet and two cups I set them on the table, then Noho Dimittis comes in, he is a dour Braavosi man.
"Your Grace, I am Noho Dimittis and have come as representative of the Iron Bank." He greets me with a bow.
"Yes, I know, come take a seat," I reply. "It was a long journey from bravos why don't we have a drink first before the talks begin."
"I would appreciate it." He agrees and takes his cup with wine.
"I am sorry, but I have to confess I don't know much about Braavosi culture, how should I address? you as a lord?" I ask.
"Noho, just Noho is fine, your grace." He answers me.
"Very well, then Noho, you have come such a long way, I presume it is, because of the debt the crown owns the Iron bank," I say to him.
"Yes, you're are right, your master of the coin had borrowed a great number of gold dragons." He informs me.
"The same master of the coin that has killed the King and then fled the capital?" I ask and take a sip of my wine.
"It doesn't matter who he was or what he has done, he has borrowed the gold for the crown and with the late King's authority." He replies smoothly.
"Hmm, is that so?" I ask. "Well that might be true, but tell me how I can't find any ledgers of the coin that you have lent?"
"I would not know, it isn't the Iron bank's job to check how your kingdom works." He answers me.
"No, it isn't, still I will need proof that every time you lent the coin to the previous master of the coin was in the King's name," I tell him.
"What? It will take enormous time to find and then present every contract made." He informs me with an agitated voice.
"Well, how else could I know what is owned by the crown, and what is owned by Lord Baelish?" I ask with a calm voice.
"Are you questioning the integrity of the Iron bank?" He asks me with a raised voice.
"Of course not, but to pay your bank back, I would need you to present all legal documents that confirm what the crown owns, until such time I can't help you," I answer him, I know that my father had signed all the papers, Littlefinger gave to him, without reading them. "Well, I know that it would be disappointing for you to go back to the Bravos without anything accomplished, so how a deal that proves our sincerity to the Iron Bank."
"What kind of deal?" He asks intrigued.
"Podrick come and bring the item," I yell at the door where I know my steward Podrick Payne is behind.
Opening the door and then entering he set a small box on my table, with a bow to me and Noho he leaves to his station behind the door of my solar. Getting up I open the box within it is a round object with one pointer colored red.
"What is it?" Noho asks after looking at the object within the box.
"I call it, compass, take it, shake, turn it," I tell him and he does it. "Do you see the red needle? No matter what you do the red needle will always point in one direction."
"What magic is it?" He asks fascinated.
"A magic metal probably, you see the needle is created from a special metal, that originated from Yi-Ti," I inform him. "The needle will always point to the North, you probably realize what it means for the sailors."
"How many you have of it?" He asks instantly.
"The needle is made of special metal, that is very hard to find, so I only can offer you a score or two depending on if the Iron bank is ready to pay the price," I tell him, it is true that a natural magnetic metal is rare, but the needle is small so I can make as many as I need.
"How much do you want? A thousand gold dragons for each one?" He asks.
"Don't take me for a fool, I know how much it is worth it, with it you could travel the open seas and you will not get lost in the deserts of the Essos," I tell him.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"It is said that Braavos shipyard can make a warship a day, I want two scores of them for the three scores of the compasses," I tell him.
"That too much, I can only offer one score of warships and that is without a Sealord's objection." He replies to me.
"That too little for me, I wonder how much Volantis could offer me," I tell him with a relaxed tone.
"They couldn't offer you more." He says.
"That would be for them to decide, I think they would offer as much as I ask, to become more powerful at the seafaring than the Braavos," I reply to him.
"Two scores that as much as the Sealord can give you." He gives me his offer.
"Two scores and a service of the faceless man, and I will promise that I will inform you first when I get a new batch of special metal," I tell him.
"You could tell me what kind of metal it is, and we could find it for you, the Iron banks information organization is the best in the world." He offers me.
"If you take me for a fool one more time I will throw you out of the Westeros," I tell him with a loud voice. "You take my offer or you can get out, oh, and don't try to find the information on how to create it, only I know what is needed for them to work."
"Fine, how fast you want the faceless man services?" After my outburst, he changes his tone to more respectful.
"I give you the name, if he is not dead, you won't get any more of the compasses from me," I tell him.
"I understand, I will hire the faceless man in your name, who it is that should die?" He nods and asks me.
"Euron Greyjoy, if he causes me any problem in my Kingdom, you can forget about my deal," I answer, Euron is the only person in the world that I don't wish to fight.
Jon POV
Going through the snow with bound hands and next to Qhorin next to him, the one who leads them is someone called the Rattleshirt, the lord of bones, is wearing a boiled leather and loosely tied bones on top of it. They have said we will be brought to the leader of the Wildlings Mance Rayder, it is a good thing I have left Ghost behind otherwise they would have skinned my loyal companion.
"Move it crow, you don't want to make Mance Rayder waiting." One of the Wildlings says.
"Jon, if they offer for you to join, you have to kill me, to prove your loyalty to them." Qhorin tells me in a low voice that only I can hear.
Today was the first time I thought about home, about Winterfell, I had decided to take the Wall as my new home, and its members as my new family, how could I kill a family member. No matter where you are, always remember who you are, the rings in my head, now I am Jon Snow, brother of the Night's watch I have to do my duty. With those conflicting thoughts, I followed the wildings into the snow-covered lands.
"Why are we even bringing them to Mance, they are crows, and a good crow is a dead crow." Says one of the wildlings under Rattleshirt.
"It is for Mance to decide, not for you." Rattleshirt answers.
…
After a day of traveling, we are brought to the camp of the Wildlings, in every direction I look all I see are wildlings and their tents. After going through the camp, I realize it isn't just men in there, but children, old men, and women, this isn't an army it is a community. After going to the middle of the camp we are brought to the tent and shoved inside.
"So those are the crows that to you managed to capture? Oh isn't it the Halfhand?" Asks the man with mostly grey hair, he has broad shoulders and strong built. "We will make a show of your execution, the boy will give all the information we need."
"The boy is the bastard of the Winterfell," Ygritte informs the man.
"It's that so?" He asks me.
"Yes, I am, I am a son of the Lord of the Winterfell, the Warden of the North." Always remember who you are. "My name is Jon Snow, and you won't kill anyone."
"And why is that boy?" The man asks.
"Because you don't the army to cross the Wall, and if you kill me, my father will never forgive you, he will hunt you down, to the last of you," I answer.
"He will try and he will fail, we are not afraid of anyone," Rattleshirt says.
"Then why are you running, all I see is of your army is children and a feeble old, that not an army marching towards the Wall, it is a refuge who run from a greater danger," I reply to him. "I know from what you run, I have seen it."
"Have you now? So you know that it doesn't matter who stands against us, we must cross the Wall." The man tells me.
"You will fail, more than ten thousand men are guarding the Wall, trained men, with steel swords and armor," I tell him, with a half-truth.
"Lies, couple years ago there were barely a thousand men." One of the Wildlings says.
"What the boy says is true, the prince of the seven kingdoms is a staunch supporter of the wall, and sends constant men and supplies to us, over the last few years, the Walls strength has become tenfold of what it was before." Qhorin tells them too.
"It doesn't matter, Mance has the Horn of the Winter, with we are not let through the Wall, we simply destroy it." Another man tells and looks at the man who now I know is the King beyond the Wall.
"What will that accomplish? You need the Walls protection just like everyone else, without the wall there is nothing that will protect you." I reply.
"We will have a chance at least, we will run south." Says Rattleshirt. "Why are we even talking to them let's just kill them and get over it.'
"Because I can offer you a meeting with the Warden of the North, I can convince my father to let you through the Wall," I tell them.
"We are the Free=Folk, we will not knee to anyone." Replies Rattleshirt.
"Even the children? Even the feeble old? Are you going to let them die because of your pride? Will they agree to that?" I ask them looking at the eyes of the King in front of me.
"Chain them, I need to think," Mance tells his men.
It seems that I survived for today, now I only need to wait for tomorrow.