"Wars are not always won with swords. Sometimes, all it takes is bringing bread where others have only snow."—Halys Hornwood
A Merchant with the Soul of a Lord
The southern sun shone with a gentle warmth as Halys Hornwood, still young by the standards of Northern lords, dismounted and took in the bustle of Maidenpool's market. It was ordered chaos: carts overflowing with grain, sacks of salt stacked like ingots, fishermen unloading barrels of dried herring, and fruit sellers shouting prices like soldiers in battle.
At his side stood Maester Jeylan, his faithful counselor. A wiry man in a gray robe, ink-stained fingers folded over a carved wooden staff, watching the exchanges as though reading living scrolls.
—"My lord," said Jeylan, pointing his staff toward a cluster of merchants from Claw Isle, "salt is cheaper than ever. Bountiful harvests, and the Reach has no need for preservation. They'll sell at half the usual price. Perhaps less."
Halys nodded. He still remembered the hunger of the North—the look in the eyes of the Hornwood peasants before he departed—and he had lived through worse in his past life.
"In my previous world, those who could not adapt died. Here, those who fail to prepare will perish."
The sale of furs had been a success: 16,000 golden dragons in profit, added to the 5,000 dragons gifted by Walder Frey for his 5% stake in future caravans. He had the capital. Now, it was time to bet on survival.
White Gold: Salt
Halys allocated 11,000 dragons to purchase:
25 tons of coarse salt from Claw Isle and Stonedance
15 tons of cured meats (beef, pork, game) from the Reach
8 tons of dried fish from the Blackwater
4 tons of dried fruit and roots
Crates of travel biscuits, pressed oats, and dried lentils
He negotiated personally with ship captains, quartermasters, and abbots from monasteries that preserved food as alms. By paying in gold and using his own carts, the prices dropped even further.
—"In the North, this will be worth double, maybe triple," Jeylan whispered. "If we store it well, it will be more precious than gold."
But Halys was not thinking only of profit. He thought of saving his people, of strengthening alliances, and of establishing Hornwood as the beating heart of Northern trade—a stronghold not just to survive the winter, but to thrive.
The Road Home and a New Pact with Walder Frey
Four months later, after traversing the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Trident, the caravan crossed once again through the Twins. This time, Walder Frey received him in the great hall.
—"Halys Hornwood," the old man rasped, his sons and granddaughters falling silent at once. "I see you didn't die in a ditch. More than I expected."
Halys smiled politely. At his side, his brother Robert Hornwood—newly betrothed to a Frey girl of... adequate beauty—remained silent.
—"And I see you remember our deal. The caravan passed without toll, as promised."
Walder chuckled dryly.
—"That's because I want to see if you make me rich before death snatches me. Come now, boy, show me if you're worth the five thousand dragons I gave you."
Halys unrolled a scroll listing the southern inventory. Clear numbers. Clean margins. Each trip could yield 10,000 to 16,000 dragons in net profit.
—"At the current pace, you'll recoup your investment in five trips. By the sixth, you're earning freely—without lifting a finger."
Walder laughed more heartily this time, then slammed his cane to the ground.
—"A hundred more Frey riders for you! Light horses, shortbows. Let your people reach the North intact. But mark me: if you die, I keep your caravan."
Halys accepted. Silently, he knew this had only been the first move on the board.
The True Customers: The Hungry North
When the first snows dusted the fields of Hornwood, the caravan crossed through Moat Cailin, pausing only to resupply. The wheels creaked with cold, but the wagons remained intact.
He had to sell fast.
1. Flint of the Flint Cliffs
The first stop was westward, near the icy shores of the Shivering Sea. The Flints were stoic, proud, and self-reliant—but not even they could refuse supplies before an early storm.
Halys met with Lord Harlon Flint, an elder with a frost-rimed beard and hands like forged iron. The transaction was direct:
10 tons of salt
4 tons of dried meat and fish
1 ton of dried fruit
—"What do you expect in return, boy?" asked Lord Flint.
—"Nothing but your friendship. And that the North remembers Hornwood fed its kin while others locked themselves in stone," Halys replied.
The deal closed at 7,000 dragons, paid in metals and precious stones. Harlon Flint clasped his hand in respect. That winter, the Flints did not go hungry.
2. House Clover
Further inland, the humble Clover lands were among the first to suffer the rigors of winter. They had no great stores, no coastline.
Halys sold:
5 tons of dried meat
2 tons of hard biscuits and oats
3 tons of salt
In exchange, he received 3,000 dragons, paid in raw iron and unrefined gold. He also gained access to a small peat bog—fuel for the cold months.
3. House Cerwyn
Finally, to the east of Winterfell, lay House Cerwyn. Loyal to the Starks, but weakened by poor harvests.
Halys sold:
6 tons of salt
4 tons of cured meat and roots
2 tons of dried fruit
Lord Medrick Cerwyn, a shrewd man, agreed to the deal for 6,500 dragons and signed a mutual trade protection pact with Hornwood.
—"You've brought life to my people, Hornwood," said Medrick. "I will not forget it."
By Winter's End, Hornwood Blooms
With over 16,000 dragons recovered, new routes opened, and growing prestige in the North, House Hornwood began to rise in influence—not only as a military holdfast, but as the new commercial heart of the North.
Halys knew the true challenges lay ahead: rival lords seeking to imitate his model, envious traders, and hidden dangers beneath the snow.
But he also knew he had changed his house's fate—with fire, wheels, and salt.