Chapitre 22: Chapter 22: Plans brewing in the shadows
Eddard was not at all having a good day. In fact, his days were filled with meetings of dividing the lands of what constituted the Gift and the various claims raised by the Northern lords. He had to hold meetings separately as well as collectively with his fellow Northern lords to discuss how to go forward with the Gift.
At present, House Stark owned the Gift by the King's decree. However, House Stark was in no position to oversee the lands of the Gift stretching across 100 leagues south of the Wall. If he included Jon there were only five people with the Stark name able to inherit lands. His children including Jon were just children. They were not ready to inherit anything much less the troublesome lands of the Gift.
This left Eddard to look for other prospective legacies of the Northern lords. House Dustin was extinct and House Ryswell already has control over Barrowlands through Barbrey Dustin. Giving a portion of the Gift to a Ryswell will not be well received. Similarly, giving anything to House Manderly was also out of the question. They already have a city, a fleet, two major castles and very large tracts of land. Though loyal, Eddard realized that elevating the Manderlys any further would be detrimental to the interests of House Stark. Besides, he has other ways of appeasing the Manderlys in mind.
He'd have truly considered giving some portions of land to House Bolton. Roose Bolton remained a capable and loyal man. Bolton horses were crucial in the victory at the Trident. Nonetheless, the state of House Bolton remained far worse in comparison to House Stark. He had heard some good words about Lord Bolton's heir but there are only two Boltons left.
This left him with the options of Houses Mormont, Glover, Karstark and Hornwood. These were the most powerful of his vassal houses. They shall be considered first for any land grants in the Gift.
There were other worthy petty lords with able and loyal family members ready to take up the task of reclaiming the Gift. Perhaps, even some marriage alliances could be formed to settle longtime disputes.
The Glovers have always been at loggerheads with the Mormonts for not patrolling the seas closer to the Wall.
Eddard hoped to install a castle on the western shores of the Gift to settle this problem once and for all. Any Wildling trying to circle the Wall would end up facing the might of this castle nearby the Bay of Ice. If he could attract more smallfolk and petty lords to those shores he could find a solution to the plight of the Glovers. It has been a longstanding grievance of the Glovers to strengthen the brothers of the Shadow Tower. With a castle nearby to the west the Shadow Tower won't be the sole defence against Wildling raiders. The wolfswood would become safe from any Wildling raiding parties.
Similarly, the Umbers in the east could also benefit from having a friendly Northern lord to their east guarding the eastern shores. The brothers of the Eastwatch have done good work compared to the Shadow Tower. But, they were only men. Many mistakes were made in the past and House Umber has suffered greatly.
Not just House Umber. The bulk of the Wildling raids was stopped by the Mountain clans. They had given their blood, sweat and tears so that the rest of the North could stay safe.
With castles rising in the Gift more smallfolk would travel there. With more smallfolk, the land will be tilled and more food will be grown in the North. With more food comes the means to survive winter and that means an increase in population. The people would want to protect what they have built and they'd man the Wall to guard the North. If the Wall was properly manned, the Wildling threat will be over.
It'd also mean the Gift would once more supply more essentials for the North. It'd take years and a lot of gold but once everything settles Eddard envisioned a self-reliant North will not be that far in the future. It was a dream of his father to strengthen the North. Not exactly a self-reliant North but a North that could pull its own weight and contend with the Southern kingdoms.
Looking at the map sprawled out on his desk Eddard marked out three spots for raising new castles. He hesitated for a moment before adding a fourth but this one was not at the Gift. The fourth one was at Sea Dragon Point.
Eddard held no whimsical notion of building all four castles immediately. The one in the Queenscrown would merely require some patchwork. The other would have to be built up from scratch although the two locations on the Gift had castles. They were now just a pile of rubble due to centuries of inactivity.
"Lord Stark."
"Maester Luwin. Is there something that matters?" Eddard asked.
"Forgive me for disturbing you, my lord. There is a visitor from the Iron Bank seeking your audience."
Eddard was taken aback.
"From the Iron Bank?" he asked just to be sure.
"Yes, my lord."
There was no reason for Maester Luwin to be japing. But, he could not fathom why the Iron Bank would send a representative to the North. The Braavosi bankers had little to do with the North save for their dealings with the Manderlys. Northmen generally tend to distrust the Braavosi due to their strange culture and closeness to the South. More importantly, the Braavosi are traders. The Lords of the North tend to have a low opinion about traders especially when they come from the other side of the Narrow Sea.
"Is Lord Wyman accompanying the Iron Bank representative?"
"I'm afraid not, my lord." answered Maester Luwin.
'Hmm…strange. The Manderlys have always been the champion of Braavosi traders. For a Braavosi to meet him without Lord Wyman is unprecedented.' Eddard thought even as he bid Maester Luwin welcome the Iron Bank representative.
Maester Luwin returned with a scrawny-looking man. Eddard would have mistaken the man for a woman if it wasn't for the greying beard on the man's chin. Though covered in thick wool the man was pale and shivering. It always amused him that the outsiders could not handle the cold of the North even when they are inside the warm walls of Winterfell.
"My name is Laro Tottar. On behalf of the Iron Bank, I extend you greetings, Lord Stark."
The Braavosi man gave him a waist-length bow. Eddard eyed the raven-haired man curiously before offering the man a seat. Servants brought some refreshments in the form of wine and some apples.
"Tell me Lord Tottar. What interests the Iron Bank to send you all the way to Winterfell?" Eddard asked, once his guest was suitably treated befitting his station.
"I am no lord, Lord Stark. I am merely an employee of the Iron Bank. I represent the keyholders of the Bank and as for the reason behind my visit, the Iron Bank of Braavos has a business proposition for you."
Eddard remained silent for a time before he addressed his guest.
"A business proposition from the Iron Bank? That's a rarity in itself. You've piqued my curiosity Master Tottar."
"The Iron Bank is aware that your second son has managed to somehow replicate the feats of Valyrians in the forges. Word has reached Braavos of your son's ability to forge weapons of Valyrian Steel. As you can imagine, the demand for Valyrian Steel has always been very high. It is only a matter of time before you are flooded with requests for a weapon made of Valyrian Steel from Westeros as well as Essos. What we propose Lord Stark is to make any financial transactions between House Stark and the many prospective customers as smooth as possible. We can also help you increase the number of buyers as we have extensive contacts among the hinterland cities of Essos."
"What stops House Stark from directly engaging with Essosi customers? We have always done so in the past." Eddard pointed out. The Essosi trade could be hardly anything significant. He was also aware most of the trade was once again handled by White Harbour.
"You are quite capable of doing that, Lord Stark. But do keep in mind those transactions were very rare and of substantially low worth. Valyrian Steel is priceless. The amount of gold involved in the trade is huge and most Free cities of Essos do not have gold as their trade currency. They trade in silver while you require gold. The amount of silver that would flow into the North should you trade directly will undoubtedly diminish the value of your silver stags."
Eddard covertly looked at Maester Luwin who nodded discreetly, tactically agreeing with the banker's assessment. But, Eddard was still suspicious of the Iron Bank.
"If what you say is true then trading in gold with the Iron Bank might also cause the same problem." Eddard said, frowning at his own lack of expertise in the economics of the Seven Kingdoms.
"You'd be right to assume so, Lord Stark. But, the Iron Bank can hold your gold in our vaults and give you a substantial yearly interest rate. That way, you can withdraw the gold you want to spend while we hold the bulk of your wealth in Braavos safely behind our vaults. This way, the Westerosi gold won't lose its value." said Tottar.
Eddard gave some serious thought to the offer. He had not given much thought to the finer points of expanding Harrion's trade to Essos. He had shoved that matter away as he was significantly engaged in other matters. The Gift had taken up most of his time but there was also the transportation of a million gold dragons from King's Landing to consider. The sheer hassle of transporting a million gold dragons was quite unthinkable, especially with most of Westeros focusing on the Iron Islands. While the war has come to an end the bulk of knights and lords being away from their posts has given rise to banditry everywhere.
Suddenly, an idea came to his mind that could solve the issue. Not to mention, he could leverage the situation to his advantage.
"Master Tottar, I don't know you nor do I have any significant interactions with the Iron Bank to put so much trust all so sudden. However, I recognize trust is built through continuous trade. My son has made a Valyrian Steel hammer for King Robert Baratheon. The Iron Throne owes House Stark a million gold dragons." Eddard leaned forward in his seat looking expectantly at the banker. "I suppose, the Iron Bank is capable of securing the funds from King's Landing?"
"The Iron Bank will be more than happy to facilitate such a transaction Lord Stark." said Laro Tottar, immediately pouncing on the opportunity that fell into his lap.
"I suppose the Iron Bank is also willing to take the risk of transporting the gold to the North whenever I require." Eddard looked at the banker curiously for an answer.
While he might be ignorant of most affairs of Essos, he knew about the naval power of Braavos. The Free City of Braavos claims to have the largest and strongest fleet on the other side of the Narrow Sea. If that's the case, then Eddard thought the Braavosi fleet could be a safe way of transporting the gold. And if it proves to be safe, then he could go forward with the arrangement with the Iron Bank on all the future dealings regarding any sale of Valyrian Steel.
"This can be arranged. However, if we are to take the risk of transporting the good then we have a few small conditions of our own."
Eddard was willing to entertain the bank if it was reasonable.
"Name them Master Tottar."
XXXXXXXXX
Laro Tottar was a happy man. Tired but quite happy!
The negotiations has gone extremely well and there it was in his hand the small roll of parchment that outlined the deal with House Stark. Knocking on the doors of the carriage twice, he waited for the door to open. The Northerners claim they are entering autumn. He didn't feel anything but teeth-chattering cold in the North.
So, when the door swung open he rushed inside as the cold was not agreeing with his body.
Letting out a sigh Laro wrapped himself in more wool and snuggled in.
"So, how did it go?"
Laro looked at his fellow traveller assigned by the Iron Bank.
"The negotiations are over. Lord Stark agreed to use the Iron Bank's services."
"What about the inspection?"
"All done and finished. A knight by the name of Ser Rodrick Cassel holds a sword made by the Stark boy. Your expert smith was allowed to carry out an inspection." said Laro.
He had no idea why his superiors in the Bank were using the services of a former Red Priest and dressing up the man as some master smith. But, he was just a negotiator. It was well above his station to question the wisdom of the Keyholders. It'd be suicidal to do so.
So, he just did what he was asked and managed to create the opportunity for the inspection to be carried out without none the wiser.
"And what did the smith say about the sword?"
"A masterpiece of magic without the necessary sacrifices. Those were the exact words."
For a moment, there was silence. Laro felt a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the cold black eyes staring at him inside the carriage.
"Hmm… It'd seem a deal has been made. You'll be summoned to a keyholders' meeting to explain in detail about the negotiations. A ship will be waiting for you at White Harbour."
Saying this the mystery man stepped out of the carriage leaving Laro alone. He didn't even know the man's name. All that he knew was that he was to report everything to the man.
When the carriage finally started to move Laro let out a sigh of relief. While he was excited over the deal struck he was not at all enjoying his stay in the North. The sooner he was under the warm embrace of the eastern sun the better.
XXXXXXX
Tywin stared long and hard at the piece of parchment but it refused to disappear. The words on it didn't disappear and it was certainly Gerion's message. At first, he had thought his younger brother was making a jape. But, his spies were also reporting the same.
King Robert Baratheon was presented with a hammer made of Valyrian Steel at Winterfell. A hammer of great magical power that made it the most powerful weapon ever made. Gerion's description and the rumours painted a bleak picture.
The hammer's cost was also immense. A whole strip of land that's stretched out a hundred leagues along with one million gold dragons was a steep price. But, for Robert Baratheon, giving away that land was as easy as finding a whore to share his bed.
Undoubtedly, when he puts forth an order for a sword the price most certainly would go up. Also, if the boy can make weapons of great power that put the creations of Valyria to shame then the boy just became far more dangerous and valuable as an asset.
"What are you thinking Tywin?" asked Kevan.
Tywin had refused to share any details with the rest of his family, all except Kevan.
"I'm thinking it is fortunate that Cersei gave birth to a daughter. You shall go to King's Landing to deliver the gifts to my daughter and extend my congratulations." said Tywin.
"Of course, Tywin."
"One more thing brother."
Kevan looked curious at his brother.
"Tell her that I've found a suitable match for her daughter."
Kevan was taken aback by Tywin's declaration.
"Isn't that a bit premature brother? The child has not even been named yet."
"It doesn't matter. Just as I promised she'll be queen, I promised my daughter that I will create a dynasty that shall last a thousand years and more. I've found a way to ensure our family remains at the top."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone