Ned Stark had spent the last few days of his life in much dilemma. Though it was not a grave or even a very major matter, he was still finding the issue occupying his mind far too often.
It had been a few weeks since he had received a raven from King's Landing.
Ravens from the capital were almost a rare affair. Most of the few that did arrive were for his wife, Catelyn Stark, from her sister. Only a small number meant for him, from Jon Arryn.
Jon Arryn's ravens usually inquired after the wellbeing of Ned, his family, Winterfell, and the North as a whole. Contained within those rare letters were also important news and details of significant happenings in King's Landing or Westeros at large. It was the only communication that Ned had with King's Landing.
Robert Baratheon, the king of the empire, was his best friend and more than a brother. He had not spoken with Robert, at least on a personal level, since the Greyjoy Rebellion and before that since their own rebellion.
When Robert had taken the throne, the relationship between them had turned frosty, all because of what Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, had done to Elia Martell and her children. Ned had wanted the perpetrators punished.
If not Tywin Lannister himself, then at the very least Gregor Clegane. Letting the man go after the horrendous act he had committed was hard for Ned to accept. If Elia and children had only been killed, Ned might have come to terms with it, even if begrudgingly.
It was impossible for him to come to terms with what had been done to Elia and, especially, her little ones. The images of the mangled body of Aegon, the ruined face of Rhaenys and Elia's assaulted body were still fresh in his mind.
But Jon Arryn had counselled otherwise. Though he agreed with Ned's sentiments, he had urged him to be more practical and more cunning. He had argued that they needed Tywin's support, and especially his gold. Tywin's forces were already in the city, and if conflict had broken out, the devastation would have been immense. Their forces would likely have won, but it would have been almost impossible to hold the realm together afterward. Robert had sided with Jon Arryn and even married Tywin's daughter, Cersei Lannister, afterwards. In great distaste, Ned had left King's Landing. To search for his sister.
Still, when the Greyjoy Rebellion came, he and Robert had met like brothers again. The frostiness between them had melted, and even Ned had come to terms with what had passed. He could not really do anything otherwise and it did not probably matter to him. He was not to go to King's Landing again.
Even so, they did not exchange personal letters anymore. Ned was uncertain if he would ever see Robert again in this lifetime. But he was certain that if they did, they would meet with the same warmth as before. Robert was a man he could trust with his back.
But weeks ago, he had received a letter from King's Landing. Not from Jon Arryn, nor from Lysa, but from Lucas Lannister, son of Kevan Lannister. Even before Lucas' letter, Ned had already been aware of the things and changes being made in King's Landing.
And that letter from Lucas Lannister had put him in a dilemma. The content of the letter had been nothing complex. Lucas Lannister had simply stated that he wished to meet Ned and would be departing for Winterfell in a few days.
The general motive of his visit had also been mentioned. To expand trade and develop new business opportunities. Lucas had written about how such a partnership could ease many of the worries of both the North and himself. The letter, however, was short and did not specify what kind of business opportunities Lucas Lannister had in mind.
And so came the dilemma for Ned Stark. The first was the uncertainty of Lucas Lannister's true motive. Did he intend to sell his metal equipment and weapons to the North? Ned had seen a few specimens of these tools, and he had to admit they were impressive.
If the smallfolk used them, food production in the North might improve drastically. Though there were many other benefits, this had been the most enticing point for Ned.
The tools would have made it easier for the small folk to till the land, sow seeds and even clear forest easily for some requirements. But this was something Ned could only dream of, at least until the next winter had passed.
The North could not afford such expenses at the moment. They simply did not have the funds. It has been summer for the past five years, and winter might arrive at any moment.
With the long winter knocking permanently at his doors, Ned could not allow himself to expend coins. The treasury had to be reserved for emergencies, for buying food when the harsh cold inevitably struck. How long will the winter remain, Ned had no idea.
Moreover, Ned was certain Lucas was already overwhelmed with orders from other realms. He had heard that while delivery of tools and equipment was steady, the delivery of weapons was proceeding at a snail's pace. Lucas did not seem to lack markets for his products. So, Ned could not fathom why he would be interested in selling them to the North.
Apart from the business matter, Ned had to admit that relations between the Starks and the Lannisters were far from warm. There was no open conflict between the two houses, but a sense of hostility lingered, especially after what had happened in King's Landing. Ned had been very open and harsh in his criticisms for the actions of Tywin's Lannister.
And Ned could not bring himself to respect a Lannister. He had heard much about Lucas Lannister and, though there was no negative report about the man, the name Lannister itself made him uneasy. He was unsure of the true intentions behind the man's journey to his castle.
Even so, his honour and tradition dictated that he could not refuse Lucas' request. The man had achieved much on his own and, in all probability, might soon become the next Warden of the West and Lord of House Lannister.
There was also a small spark of curiosity in Ned himself. What exactly would Lucas propose? Surely, the Lannister boy had a good head over his shoulder and should know that none of the houses in the North were in a position to spend large sums of coin on weapons, tools, or equipment.
He was still lost in his thoughts when a knock on the door of his solar snapped his thoughts.
"Enter," he bellowed and a moment later, an old aged man stepped inside the room. Maester Luwin.
"Lord Stark," the old Maester bowed slowly to his liege lord.
"Maester Luwin," Ned replied back with a nod of his head in acknowledgement.
"A party has been spotted approaching towards the walls of Winterfell," he informed. "They are most probably Lucas Lannister and his convoy."
"Most probably?" Ned asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, my lord," Luwin said. "The convoy has no banners flying with them."
This came as a little surprise for Ned. Lucas Lannister with no banners. Convoys of lordly houses certainly flew their banners with great pride. Not only did it inform other people of their identity, it also provided them with safety. Bandits generally did not dare to attack a convoy from a lordly house. Certainly not, if the house in question was Lannister. But it seemed that Lucas Lannister had no such qualms of being attacked by bandits.
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