Capítulo 164: The north will remember I
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-Pov of Eddard Stark fifth-seventh moon 286 AC
This summer seemed like everything was going to go extremely well. The economic income of most northern houses had increased significantly within a few moons, a clear indication that the common folk were also prospering, as the greatest increase of all had been the revenue from taxes generated by the population.
Trade with the south had increased like never before. The north had all the resources that The Reach needed, which was hungry for these resources due to its multiple construction projects that seemed never-ending.
Moreover, for the first time in many years, the north enjoyed an unprecedented tranquility. It is true that the Ironborn had significantly increased their presence to steal logs from the forests near the sea, and their raids had become quite bold. However, there were no longer any problems on the roads with bandits, raiders, wild animals, or the wildlings from north of the Wall, thanks to the numerous hunters and, above all, the Prussian company that took on the role of protecting commerce. Almost all the lords had increased their vigilance towards the north, avoiding that small nuisance that plagued the region.
The only problem with the Prussian company was its power and control in the areas where they had their resource processing centers. According to their latest report, their numbers continued to grow steadily, and it was expected that in the future they would protect the seas from both the slavers of Essos and the Ironborn who ravaged our waters, as no one could compete against them.
Many merchants from Essos who had arrived with the Manderly tried to imitate the functioning of the Prussian company, only in economic matters. However, there were few lords who wished to sell villages, as that directly strengthened another noble house, and they could not spend fortunes on long-term investments. This was very different from what usually happened with the Prussians, as Lord Erich only had to clap his hands a few times and, almost like magic, he had hundreds of chests filled with gold ready to spend on infrastructure.
The Reed house was the most benefited from all those investments. Two ports had been built, which received Prussian ships and other merchants every day, bringing tools or processed products for the construction of the canal and the reclamation of lands happening in the swamps. The hunting of lizard lions had reached its peak, with hundreds of specimens hunted every day, giving way to the tasks of turning the Neck into a granary that would feed the north in future winters. Besides the canal, two future cities were expected to enrich any house that controlled them.
In our annual meeting, with more gold and silver than in past years, we filled our granaries as much as possible, knowing that sooner or later, winter would come. This time, no matter how long the winter was, no one would have to make the sacrifice of leaving their home to feed the rest.
This led us to have good relations with our "friendly" ally to the south, and with his wedding to which we were invited, our presence was not optional, it was mandatory. No one knew how the Prussian might react to an affront, for I have learned well that he is a person who knows how to act patiently until he can stab his victim when they are most vulnerable.
Almost all the noble houses of the north joined our entourage to the south; only the Boltons decided not to attend, making them the only ones to miss the wedding of the century, as Lord Erich referred to this event.
The rest gathered at Winterfell or joined us on the way south on the Kingsroad, where the journey was peaceful, observing the numerous and well-armed patrols of the company guarding the multiple and constant carts of goods coming from the south.
After a few days, we arrived at Moat Cailin, or the new fortress under construction, as almost the entire previous structure had been demolished because it was considered a "miracle" that none of the engineers knew how it was possible that the structure had not collapsed. Now they are building from the foundations and taking advantage of the area to construct part of the canal and make the fortress a control point.
When we rested in the area, I took the opportunity to review the construction, observing how the new Moat Cailin and the canal were progressing, which supposedly would fill the coffers of the north with the toll payment to cross from east to west.
Everything seemed to be going well, and the canal works were progressing better than expected, as most of the swamps had enough depth to be navigable, making the work of the builders much easier, as they only had to build dikes to connect the bodies of water.
Our journey continued south, and we met Howland, who was with his entourage waiting to join us. It was very noticeable that many of the swamps in the area had already been drained, and they had even begun the work of planting grains on the recovered lands.
The sight of dozens of skinned lizard lions did not go unnoticed, but what caught more attention were the beasts that had been captured alive by the same hunters, who adorned their clothes with their new trophies.
"Hello, Ned... quite a sight, isn't it?" said Howland, looking at several Finnish hunting groups emerging from the swampy forests carrying more of their prey.
"Hello, Howland, how is the drainage of the swamps progressing?" I said with a smile.
"By the end of this year, there should be no more lizard lions up to the maximum limit of the swamps that could be drained... they have the entire area full of traps made to catch and attract the lizards... a kind of triple hook on which they place bloody pork meat that attracts them like crazy and keeps them trapped for their patrols that go by boat to finish the job," said Howland with a clear tone of respect in his voice.
"Quite skilled, our guests, it seems," I said, dismounting from my horse.
"That's an understatement... they are professional hunters. At first, they weren't so lucky with their hunts, but they always improved their traps and studied their prey and its behavior... to the point that their most daring hunters try to capture them alive to sell or show them," said Howland, giving me a few taps on the arm.
"I just hope all this is for the better... come on, let's go, we have a long way to go," I said, pointing to the long group of horses and carriages coming from the north.
"Sure... then, by the Kingsroad to Tumbleton?" asked Howland, taking his horse by the reins and following me on foot.
"Kingsroad to the Twins and then to Riverrun. We will meet Lord Hoster to travel south," I said to Howland.
"The Freys will fleece us with the toll to cross their bridge. Wouldn't it be better to meet somewhere else?" Howland presented his objection.
"Lord Hoster insisted that we go together to a specific bridge to show us something... so the fastest way is by the Twins," I said, grimacing.
"Fine, let's go, the sooner the better," said Howland, mounting his horse and riding with his lords.
I returned to my entourage, and finally, we all began the journey south.
The entire journey was calm. Howland was absolutely right about the Freys. In addition to charging us the weight of a horse in silver, during our stay at the Frey castle, Lord Walder insisted at every moment on betrothing my son Robb and my daughter Sansa to one of his many sons and daughters. It became so bothersome that every interaction I had with Walder ended in negotiating a marriage.
Fortunately, we stayed only one day. Unfortunately, the Freys joined our entourage, so Lord Frey was in my ear at least once a day.
The journey to Riverrun, like most of the trip, was calm, except for a few wolves that were quickly hunted down by Lord Erich's small escort.
Our arrival at Riverrun was met with a small banquet by Lord Hoster, where almost all his bannermen were waiting to join us. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a show of courtesy, as we set off for our final destination the next day.
On our way south, we often encountered abandoned or semi-vacant villages, where it was evident that the common folk living in the villages were quite emaciated. This varied considerably among the territories of the Tully bannermen, as some lords had empty villages while others were full of people dedicated to dyeing clothes.
Our journey through these lands was slower than expected, as the mud hindered our progress. But after a few days, we finally reached the border of The Reach, and Lord Hoster began to show me why we were there.
It was because, apparently, Lord Hoster had managed to gain enormous benefits at the expense of the Prussians. Between the lords of The Reach and the Riverlands, some territories had been exchanged to establish the border at the Blackwater Rush, where the Prussians had ceded territories to control the other side of the river and finally establish fixed borders.
Lord Hoster considered it a victory, as he had gained more lands than he had ceded, which he could have simply stated, but who am I to judge my father-in-law?
It was quite easy to define which side the Prussians governed, as there was a small fortress on the other side of the bridge and a large wooden palisade covering the entire river, while the side of the river lords was full of merchants and common folk wanting to cross to the other side.
We didn't have to wait long, as when we presented ourselves, we were quickly directed to a secondary bridge reserved for important merchants and nobility to expedite the process.
The Reach was just as I had imagined, as described by the Prussians who constantly traveled from the north to the south. There were vast stretches of crops with irrigation canals and a large number of workers in all the fields preparing for the next harvest.
Our journey was very peaceful, as here there were no wild animals like wolves or bears. The previous rulers of The Reach had made sure that the nuisances to their livestock or crops disappeared many years ago.
But something shattered our peaceful journey. When we climbed a small hill among the wide plains, we encountered several people hanging from small platforms, high enough that their feet didn't touch the ground, while a strap did the work.
To the horror of all the southern lords accompanying us, all the hanged had bags covering their heads with the star of the Seven. Among them, a septon was clearly distinguishable by his clothes, and all had a piece of wood on their chest where the word "traitor" was written in three languages, as I recognized the word in the common tongue and in German.
"Those brute Prussians… how dare they," said Lord Hoster with a face full of anger.
"This cannot go unpunished, how dare they hang a septon… those damn pagans?" said Lord Piper.
"It was quite evident the type of people the Prussians are at the Battle of the Trident," said Lord Mallister, shaking his head while looking at the long line of hanged.
"We must take them down and bury them, we can't let them rot and be food for the birds," said Lord Bracken.
While everyone was observing the situation, a Finn approached us.
"Don't even think about it… taking them down without authorization is a crime. If you try to take them down, you will become enemies of the State of Prussia and will not leave here alive," said the Finn in a dry and somber tone.
All the southern lords' hatred focused on the Finn.
"You, brute… who do you think you are to threaten us…?" Lord Piper tried to say, but a shout of multiple voices caught everyone's attention:
"Hakkaa päälle, pohjan poika."
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