Lord Manderly arrived at Argentstone days after Brandon. A merchant group accompanied him, and they traveled slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
Wendel Manderly was the second son of Wyman Manderly, the current lord of White Harbor. He was a fat man, but agile enough to wield a sword.
Wendel was the father of the twins Brandon and Tohrren, although he never saw them during their childhood. Jaehaerys was not surprised that neither of the twins had much affection for their father, and he even felt bad at times asking them to interact with him.
"My prince, Jaehaerys Targaryen," the man said.
The prince welcomed him at the castle entrance. A camp of Unsullied stretched out around the walls. Wendel was not surprised; after all, he was leading the expedition to bring the Unsullied.
"Lord Wendel, I hear you were delayed by business on your way here." Jaehaerys greeted him politely. He then continued with the ritual of presenting bread and salt to his guests.
Jaehaerys did not have to come out to greet him; he could have sent a trusted man to do so. It was a way of showing respect for the Manderlys.
"Uncle!" said a voice beside the prince. Lady Wylla was a rebellious woman who dyed her hair green. She was Lord Wendel's niece, the youngest daughter of Willys Manderly, Wendel's older brother and heir to White Harbor.
The girl had arrived at ArgentStone moons ago, accompanied by Lyanna Mormont. Both northerners had quite impressive personalities.
The uncle and nephew greeted each other, still maintaining their decorum.
"We have prepared rooms for you, Lord Manderly," said Jaehaerys.
"To tell you the truth, I would like to speak with you as soon as possible, if possible now, even better," said the man seriously. Jaehaerys nodded.
"Let's go to my Solar," said the prince, walking accompanied by a guard. Wylla withdrew, accompanying her uncle's servants, a knight who watched what had been Harrenhal moons ago transform into something more majestic.
"You look worried," said Jaehaerys while taking a seat. The man's forehead was sweating profusely.
"I am. I bring discouraging news," the man said, looking around the room.
"Then speak."
"It's about the Greyjoys," the man whispered. "They've been very active lately." The Manderly family was known for its maritime trade; it was part of their responsibility to see the sea and those who sail it.
Jaehaerys nodded, unsurprised. A rebellion should have broken out years ago. But the only news about the Ironborn was about Euron Greyjoy, the man who wanted to marry Queen Rhaella. He was rejected, and in revenge, he tried to burn the royal fleet. He was repelled and believed lost at sea.
No one had seen him since.
"What kind of activity?" the prince asked.
"They steal wood from the north, small raids that may go unnoticed at first, but over time they accumulate enough to be noticed," said the man, then added, "Also, I saw flags with a Kraken when our ships passed through Lys."
"Sailing is not a crime."
"Robert Baratheon fights over the disputed lands."
"Are you afraid of an alliance?" asked the prince.
"I fear war," said the man. "I fear the chaos and death that Robert Baratheon will bring if he gets ships to transport his horsemen to Westeros," he concluded.
Robert did not get along with any of the lords in Westeros. Not even Eddard. It is said that he asked Eddard to flee eastward together, gather men, and return later. Lord Stark refused; he couldn't flee, he had a wife and children. Robert cursed him before leaving.
Robert and the Ironborn were the worst thing that could have happened at that moment. Robert's war hammer was remembered and feared. Furthermore, it is said that he can turn enemies into allies. Jaehaerys was unsure how he would do that, having been rejected by most of the continent.
"Have you discussed your concerns with anyone else?" asked the prince.
"Lord Eddard is aware of them. He ordered the coasts to be watched and for us to be prepared to mobilize our ships if necessary." Jaehaerys nodded.
"I will send a letter to my brother, warning him," said the prince, though he hoped his brother would ignore his letter out of spite. The Targaryens had a rather impressive capacity for drama.
Jaehaerys did not want a war. His castle was being built, and war would delay everything.
"That is good to hear, my prince," said Manderly. "It is not good to let the ironborn run wild," the man seemed to want to say more.
"You may speak freely, Lord Manderly," said the prince, rising and taking a jug of wine. He took two crystal glasses and placed them on his desk. He poured the liquid into each of the glasses.
"I have two questions, my prince," Jaehaerys gestured with his hand, asking him to continue. The sweet aroma of the wine tickled his nose. "In the event of a war against the ironborn, can your dragons fight?"
"I don't know. Suppose war breaks out immediately, no. They are still vulnerable to projectiles," Jaehaerys didn't know how true that was; the dragons' skin was incredibly tough, his dragons were different than the ones of his ancestors. If they weren't his, he might have wanted to create armor from their skin. "What is the other question?"
"My father wanted to buy the method for creating the compass," he said, with a faint trace of hope in his eyes.
"It's not for sale," the prince refused confidently.
The manufacturing method was quite simple, but it would not be easy to figure it out just by taking one of the devices apart. It would take many years to replicate something of that nature. Risking that information becoming public would allow the Ironborn to obtain it.
At that time, pirates were a nuisance, and giving them the ability to improve their navigation would be like giving a knife to a murderer and expecting him to use it to peel an apple.
"My father offers more ships," said the man.
Lord Manderly had asked him to test the compass. If it was as good as the prince promised, then he should make sure to get the means to make it, no matter the price. What could the Manderlys offer, besides ships?
"The answer is unchanged. I wish to keep that secret close to me. Still, I am willing to sell more compasses to your family," the prince refused, but offered to sell compasses.
Lord Manderly remained silent, probably wondering what the right price for the compasses would be. The journey to Astapor took three and a half moons, although it took only two more to go from Astapor to Maidenpool. Part of the time was spent trading; the Manderlys were not only going to help the prince bring an army to Westeros.
That was a total of five and a half moons. A round trip. Previously, they could do it in eight or nine months, but the compasses allowed them to navigate different routes across the open sea.
He remembered hearing that some sailors claimed they could cover the distance in the same amount of time. And Lord Manderly would agree with them; with a good ship, he could sail from White Harbor to Astapor in six moons.
But that was a single ship; a single ship traveled faster than an entire fleet, one that, despite Lord Manderly's efforts, was more disorganized. After all, they were trying out a new method of navigation; not all sailors could travel with the same confidence, doubts, and lack of faith slowed them down. In a fleet, they had to maintain a steady pace so as not to leave any ships behind. In the event of an accident, the fleet would be further delayed.
Lord Manderly believed that the journey could be reduced to three moons with the use of a compass and a better-organized fleet. It was a dream, of course, but he would fight to make it possible.
To go from one side of the world to the other in a few moons is something that not even the Ironborn, who spend more time at sea than on land, could achieve.
"Do you want gold dragons or ships?" asked Lord Manderly.