The railway did not stop at the coal mine.
Once the workers understood the method Andar pushed them further. The forest was cleared. The track bed was laid toward the east.
Toward the Dreadfort.
It was a provocative move. Building a road into another Lord's territory without permission was technically an act of aggression. Building a railway—a permanent iron road—was an invasion.
But Andar did not care. He was the Minister of Industry. He had the King's writ.
Two weeks later the rails reached the edge of the Weeping Water just five miles from the Bolton stronghold.
Andar decided it was time for a diplomatic visit.
"Prepare the train," Andar ordered.
This was not the small coal train. This was the War Train.
The locomotive pushed two flatbed cars in front of it. On the first car sat a 12 pounder cannon protected by sandbags. On the second car stood fifty musketeers of the elite Guard huddled in heavy furs. Behind the engine was a luxury carriage which was a converted wagon with glass windows and a wood stove.
"We are going to visit our neighbor," Andar said.
The Dreadfort was a grim castle. It was built of black volcanic stone sharp and jagged. It looked like a claw rising from the snow.
Roose Bolton stood on the battlements.
He had heard the reports. His scouts told him of the "Iron Snake" that the Stark boy was building in the woods. Roose dismissed it as madness. A road made of iron? It was a waste of metal.
Then he heard the whistle.
WHOOOO OOOOOO!
It was a lonely haunting sound that echoed off the valley walls.
"What is that?" Ramsay Snow who was Roose's bastard asked. He was cleaning a knife looking bored. "Is it a horn?"
"Look," Roose pointed.
Out of the tree line a black monster emerged. It moved without horses. It moved without sails. It breathed white smoke that trailed behind it like a banner.
It glided over the snow unstoppable.
The Bolton guards on the walls drew their bows. They were terrified.
"Hold fire," Roose ordered. His voice was calm but his pale eyes were calculating.
The train hissed to a halt three hundred yards from the gate.
A ramp was lowered from the carriage. Andar walked down. He was followed by Jory and four guards.
They walked to the gate.
"Lord Bolton!" Andar shouted. "Open the gate! The Minister of Industry wishes to speak with you!"
Ramsay laughed. "He brings five men? I should go down there and flay him for his insolence."
"Look closer," Roose whispered.
He pointed to the flatbed car. The canvas was pulled back to reveal the black cannon. The muzzle was pointed directly at the main gate.
"Open the gate," Roose said.
The meeting took place in the main hall of the Dreadfort.
It was a dark room. The skins of flayed men hung on the walls dry and yellow like parchment. It was designed to intimidate.
Andar ignored them. He sat at the table and placed a heavy iron ingot on the wood.
"Lord Roose," Andar began. "I bring greetings from King Robb."
"King Robb is in Riverrun," Roose said softly. "Fighting a war. While you play with toys in the woods."
"My toys keep the King warm," Andar said. "And they keep him fed."
He pushed a map across the table.
"I am extending the railway. The line will pass through your lands. It will cross the Weeping Water and connect to the Kingsroad."
"You ask for permission?" Roose asked.
"I am informing you of the route," Andar corrected. "The King has granted me authority over all infrastructure. The railway will bring trade. It will allow you to sell your timber and furs to White Harbor in hours not weeks."
"And if I refuse?" Ramsay interrupted. "If I burn your wooden ties?"
Andar looked at the bastard. He saw the madness in Ramsay's eyes.
"Then I will treat you like a bandit," Andar said calmly.
"You threaten us?" Ramsay snarled. He reached for his dagger.
Click.
Jory and the four guards raised their revolvers.
These were the new weapons. Colt Paterson Revolvers. Primitive five shot percussion cap pistols. They were complex to make but Andar had built ten of them for his personal guard.
Ramsay froze. He looked at the five small barrels pointed at his chest.
"Sit down Ramsay," Roose said. His voice did not change pitch.
Roose looked at the revolvers. He looked at Andar. He realized that the balance of power had shifted. The Boltons relied on terror. But Andar relied on mechanical superiority.
"Trade," Roose mused. "You say this... train... can carry timber?"
"Fifty tons at a time," Andar said. "I will buy your timber. I need wood for the sleepers and charcoal for the powder. I will pay you in gold. Or..."
Andar paused.
"...I will pay you in rifles."
Roose's eyes flickered.
"Rifles?"
"Muskets," Andar corrected. "The Type 1 models. The ones we used at the Stony Shore. I have a surplus now that my men are using Type 2s. I can sell you five hundred muskets."
It was a bribe. A dangerous bribe. Giving guns to the Boltons was risky. But Andar knew that Type 1 muskets were slow inaccurate smoothbores. His own troops had rifles and cannons.
And if Roose was armed he would be more useful against the Lannisters. And less likely to betray the North if he felt he was profiting from the alliance.
"Five hundred," Roose whispered. He imagined five hundred men who could kill knights.
"And ammunition?"
"Supplied monthly," Andar said. "As long as the railway remains open. And safe."
It was the leash. If the Boltons rebelled the ammo supply dried up and the guns became useless clubs.
Roose smiled. It was a thin bloodless smile.
"We have a deal Lord Andar. The railway may pass."
"Good," Andar stood up. "Construction begins tomorrow. Do not let your bastard play on the tracks. The train does not stop for flesh."
As the train chugged away from the Dreadfort Jory exhaled.
"You gave him guns," Jory said nervously. "Roose Bolton. You gave him guns."
"I gave him old guns," Andar said watching the castle disappear into the snow. "And I made him dependent on us for powder."
He checked the boiler pressure.
"Besides," Andar added. "I need him to feel strong. Strong enough to march South again. Because soon the Ironborn won't be the only threat."
He looked at the grey sky.
"The real enemy is still gathering strength."
[Quest Complete: The Traitor's Leash]
[Alliance Secured: House Bolton (Temporary)]
[Trade Route: Dreadfort Line Established]
[Risk Factor: High]
The train picked up speed its whistle screaming a challenge to the silent North.
The Industrial Revolution was spreading. And it was dragging the medieval world kicking and screaming into the future.
.…..
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'm releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
25 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!