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Here, I will make an announcement that I should have made a long time ago. To be honest, I thought I had already told you this, but to make the timeline a little more consistent, in my story, it is 1 year and 14 months. Considering the Westerosi obsession with the number 7 and the Valyrian obsession with the number 14, it makes sense. What do you think?
.............................................…284 AC
When the ruined towers of Moat Cailin appeared before me, I sighed with sadness and disappointment. Moat Cailin had always been a disappointment to me. It was once a symbol of the power of the north. Its twenty towers stood majestically. They had shattered, crushed, and crushed the Andal armies coming from the south. Now, nothing remained except two sturdy towers, one crooked tower, and a small wall even worse than the crooked tower. I signaled Ned, who was riding behind me, to come closer.
Artos: "What do you think of Moat Cailin?"
Ned thought for a moment. Then he spoke. "Despite its poor condition, it's an incredibly difficult castle to capture."
Artos "Poor condition, huh? That's putting it mildly. It's barely standing."
Ned "You could say that, but it would still be incredibly difficult to capture from the south."
Artos said, "Moat Cailin was once a symbol of the North's power. Its twenty towers stood impregnable, and if we want to strengthen the North, they must remain so."
Ned said, "It would be a difficult and costly endeavor. Perhaps unnecessarily so. After all, winter is coming."
Artos said, "Yes, winter is coming. Anyway, this is now your problem."
Ned now looked stunned.
Artos "I like that expression on your face. It's a nice departure from your usual quiet wolf. In short, choose a new surname and family motto. Moat Cailin is yours. I'll give you 500,000 gold dragons to start rebuilding it. Maybe more, depending on the situation."
If Ned had looked stunned before, he now looked completely shocked. He had been raised as a commander and a loyal aide, and he understood the military and economic power of Moat Cailin. The castle stood atop the only land route leading north, in addition to its historical and military significance. This meant it held vital importance in the trade routes.
Ned said, "I—I thank you."
Artos said, "Oh, by the way, make sure your new surname is something original that doesn't include Stark or Winter."
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The moment I stepped inside Moat Cailin, I felt a faint flow of ether emanating from the children's tower. The ether flowed toward me, passed over everyone who entered, and then dispersed. This immediately brought to mind the legends surrounding the children's tower. How the children of the forest had left their mark here, breaking Dorne's arm and casting spells to protect these lands. Undoubtedly, when this spell was at full strength, it protected the entire Neck from armies attacking from the north by land. Even in its current weakened state, it likely played a role in making Moat Cailin nearly impregnable.
I turned to Ned behind me and spoke.
"I'll take the gatehouse tower. Make sure no one approaches the Drunkard's Tower. Prepare a feast to celebrate our return to the north tonight."
A feast would be quite good. The lords of the north had been in mourning for a long time, and it wasn't good to let the lords feel depressed all the time.
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I was sitting in a high position reserved for the lord of the castle in the great hall of the gatehouse tower, watching the lords and commanders of the rose mercenary company hold a banquet.
Ned and Catelyn were sitting beside me. Catelyn was giving Ned cold stares and keeping her distance from him. She had been like this ever since she found out about Ned's bastard. Unfortunately, Alyana was not here. After meeting with Ron, we had decided that traveling to Winterfell by land would be too exhausting for her. Although the sea voyage would be rocky, it would be shorter. So she set off with Lord Manderly. They have probably already arrived at the White Harbor. They will assess the situation there and then travel to Winterfell by land.
Below, Lord Umber and Lord Karstark were sitting together, drinking something. As I watched them, Lord Umber burst into a loud laugh and slapped Lord Karstark on the back with his huge hands. A little further away, the chiefs of the mountain clans were gathered together, whispering in the old language. Opposite them, Lord Mormont and Lord Glover were sitting side by side, chatting. Lords Hornwood, Cervyn, and Tallhart. In another group were Lord Ryswell and Lord Dustin. The other lords were either moving between the groups or quietly observing the hall. The company commanders generally stayed together.
I took a deep breath and slammed my goblet on the table. If I delayed the announcement any longer, I feared most of the lords would become too drunk to understand me.
As soon as the sound of my glass hitting the table echoed through the room, all the lords fell silent and turned to me.
I stood up and began to speak.
"My lords, the lords of the north have finally returned home after a long and arduous journey."
"First, I want to thank each of you. You stood by us when my house was wronged and we rose up for justice."
Lord Umber said, "It was an honor to fight for the vengeance of Rickard, Brandon, and Lyanna."
All the lords nodded in agreement.
Artos: "When the southern lords were divided and scattered, the north remained united and strong. I cannot thank you enough for that."
"Still, there is something I can do. I promise you this: the north will grow strong, so strong that no southern king will ever dare to disrespect us again. Our enemies will tremble in fear at the mere mention of the north."
"Change will begin here at Moat Cailin. This castle, once impregnable with its twenty towers, will be so again. My brother Eddard will be named lord of Moat Cailin as a reward for his success in the rebellion and will be allowed to establish his own branch house. The castle's construction will be funded from war booty."
I raised my northern ale in a farewell toast. "To the quiet wolf."
The lords responded in kind. Shouts of "Stark," "Winterfell," "North," and 'quiet wolf' filled the hall for a moment. Once the lords had calmed down, I continued speaking.
"The good news doesn't end there. After meeting with King Robert and his council, I have been given permission to negotiate with the Night's Watch regarding the return of the gift to the North."
Lord Norrey: "My lord, is the gift returning to the North?"
Artos: "If we can reach an agreement with Lord Commander Qorgyle, the gift will return to the North. Given that he is considered a reasonable man, I don't think this will be difficult. Therefore, I request that Lord Umber and the mountain clans send the maps related to the gift in their possession to Winterfell as soon as possible."
These words caused another wave of cheers. It took even longer than before for the lords to calm down. The gift was from the most fertile lands of the north, and taking it from the north was a serious blow. The lords of the north had long wanted to get the gift back.
Artos said, "But that's not all, my lords. As many of you know, before returning to Westeros, I embarked on an expedition to the east. I went to Old Valyria, Yi Ti, Leng, and even the Shadowlands of Ashai."
Now the lords looked confused. They wondered why I was telling them this.
Artos continued, "The main reason I traveled to these distant lands was to seek something that would make the North even stronger. I found it. So I brought gifts to the North."
As the lords began to whisper among themselves, I continued without pause.
Artos said, "My first gift is rice, ducks, and partridges."
It was easy to understand why the lords were curious. Rice and partridges were unknown in Westeros. Although ducks could be found in Westeros, they were mostly wild and migratory birds. Therefore, they were useless except for occasional hunting.
Artos said, "Rice is a grain that grows in swamps. In addition to being able to be stored for a long time, it can be consumed with almost any meal."
This caused louder and more excited discussions in the hall. Especially Lord Reed and Lord Flint, the lord of the Flint Fingers, seemed excited. The neck was almost entirely made up of marshes, which made the land extremely infertile. Flint's fingers were located right next to the neck, and there were also many marshes on its borders. The reason the other lords were excited was that when crops were grown on these lands, the food supply from the north to the south would decrease. This would lower food costs. It was a well-known fact that the Reach was robbing us.
Artos said, "As for the ducks, they are not like the ducks in Westeros. Their wings and size are smaller, so they cannot fly like chickens. Farmers in Yi Ti and Leng have been raising these ducks in rice fields for years. Instead of damaging the rice, the ducks feed on insects and other pests that harm the rice. Not only that, but they also fertilize the fields. Additionally, their meat is delicious, and their eggs are edible. There can be hundreds of ducks in a single field."
Lord Reed and Lord Flint looked as if they might cry at any moment.
Artos said, "Partridges are fed in the same way as ducks. Not just in marshes. They can be raised on any land."
My final words caused another murmur in the hall.
Artos said, "It's not limited to just that. My next gift to the north is fish farms. In the Far East, people build special ponds and arches around rivers to raise large quantities of fish regardless of the season. They are more efficient than fishing and can raise large quantities of fish year-round. I have brought along stonemasons and farmers who specialize in building these ponds and arches. They will travel the north for the next year and identify suitable locations. Half of the cost of establishing fish farms in these locations will be covered by war booty, while the other half will be paid by the relevant lords, but the House Stark will provide interest-free loans to lords in need, to be repaid with the income from these farms.
This caused another wave of cheers in the hall. Many lords in the north had at least a small stream on their lands.
Artos said, "And finally, a new tree-cutting and cultivation method used in Leng; with this method, the trees that are cut and cultivated can be ready for cutting again in half the time it used to take."
This caused another round of excited whispering in the hall. When the whispering stopped, Lord Bolton was the first to speak.
Roose Bolton: "Lord Stark, do all these methods really work? And do they all come from the Far East? More importantly, it must be quite difficult to obtain them."
That damned leech, he could have called me a liar to my face without shame.
Artos: "Lord Bolton, as many here know, I passed through the ruins of Old Valyria on my way to the Far East. Thanks to the wealth I acquired here, I stopped at every port in the Far East and did more than just trade. I explored the unique aspects of those lands. I examined whether the things coming from there could be useful to us and spent a fortune hiring experts. To be honest, I couldn't even mention many of the innovations. This brings us to what I'm about to say. In a year and a half, I will invite each of you to Winterfell for a harvest festival. By then, the experts I brought with me will have finished studying the north, and we will learn which methods can be used. Additionally, by then, the negotiations regarding the gifts will be complete. That is enough talk for now; let the feast continue. I don't want a single sober man left by the end of the night."
My final words were met with a great ovation.
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284 AC
When Castle Cerwyn appeared before us, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Since leaving Moat Cailin, and even before that, I hadn't slept in a proper bed. It reminded me of the comfortable beds I had seen in Thomas's memories. Perhaps I would discover such beds in Westeros.
When I saw the horsemen approaching us from the castle, I gently sped up toward them. The horsemen caught up with us a few minutes later. At about the same time, Lord Cerwyn rode up beside me on his horse.
When the horsemen from Cerwyn Castle reached us, they suddenly stopped.
The man in front of them hurriedly nodded his head in greeting when he saw me and Lord Cerwyn. Lord Cerwyn spoke first.
Lord Cerwyn said, "Harris, is there a problem? What's the rush?"
Although it was customary to send a welcoming committee, the men had come here at full gallop, pushing their horses as hard as they could. They wouldn't do such a thing unless it was important.
Harris said, "Lord Stark, Lord Cerwyn, my lord. Lady Stark is in the castle, giving birth."
I froze for a moment. Then I started giving orders. "Ned, you're in charge of the army. I'm going to the castle."
Without further delay, I started riding at full gallop toward Cerwyn Castle. Lord Cerwyn and my personal guards followed me without question.
Within 20 minutes, I had entered the courtyard of Cerwyn Castle and dismounted my horse. The man who had brought us the news, Harris, began to guide me. Soon, Alyana's screams and curses became so clear that there was no need for guidance. When I entered the delivery room, the first thing I saw was midwives running around like headless ducks and someone arguing with Ron, whom I recognized as a master from his robe and chains. Meanwhile, Alyana was screaming in pain on the bed.
Artos: "What's going on here? What's this argument about?"
Ron said, "This man is trying to tell me what to do and kick me out. Stop screaming, the birth hasn't started yet, these are just preliminary contractions."
Artos said, "Whatever the healer Ron says will happen."
The master looked as if he was going to object, but then he saw the expression on my face and Lord Cerwyn, and fell silent.
I immediately sat down next to Alyana and held her hand.
Alyana: "You damn bastard, I'll castrate you when this is over."
Artos: "You love me and the little one too much to do that."
Alyana screamed even louder before she could speak.
A second later, Ron's voice was heard. "It's starting."
The next few hours were a blur, even for me. Alyana's screams, curses, and the orders of the healers and midwives all mixed together. All I could do was hold Alyana's hand and support her. There was too much blood in the name of the old gods. Finally, Alyana ended it with one last scream.
Shortly after, the sound of a baby crying filled the room. While the midwives attended to the baby, Ron and the master performed their final checks. Finally, I heard Ron's voice, and I had never been so happy to hear it.
Ron said, "Everything is fine; Lady Stark is in good condition."
Alyana was gasping for breath and struggling to stay conscious. At that moment, the midwives brought the child.
One of the midwives, with gray hair and an air of authority about her, placed the child in my and Alyana's arms. "My lord, it's a boy."
Alyana was so exhausted that she could only stare at the baby in silence for a moment. Then, under the influence of the poppy milk, she fell asleep.
I watched the little angel in my arms and Alyana for a while longer, then got up from where I was sitting and walked out of the room with my son in my arms. Ned, Jonnal, William, Lord Cerwyn, and a few others I was close to were there.
Ned asked, "How are they? Are they both okay?"
Artos replied, "They are both fine. Alyana will need some rest, but she is fine." Then I turned to Lord Cerwyn and continued, "Lord Cerwyn, I will need your help. Please hold a huge banquet to celebrate the birth of my son and heir. The expenses will be covered by House Stark."
Lord Cerwyn bowed and spoke. "No need for money. This is an honor for me, my lord." He then left to make the arrangements.
Ned: "Have you decided on a name?"
Artos: "Brandon."
Ned and I locked eyes. There was a moment of silence in the corridor. Then Ned spoke first again. "A good name.
Artos: "It is."
Then we stood there in silence. We silently remembered our departed brother. At the same time, we experienced the joy of the new life that had just begun.