CH 13 Quillbot Edit
Around Wintertown, large tents were seen with different banners next to each tent, and around them were war horses. Each horse was looking strong and fierce, but unlike their outward appearance, they were gentle creatures that allowed curious children to ride them without throwing any tauntrum. Beside the horses, there were carts filled with tied-up sacks and baskets containing fruits and vegetables. There were owls of different colors and sizes who preached on the carts and curiously looked at the hustle and bustle around them. Young women and men of age were coming out of the tents dressed up to impress someone with their charms; grown men were wrestling with each other at any given moment; ladies were watching their husbands wrestle with each other but always losing against a large man standing seven feet tall.
Reagan observed the Lords, who had come to celebrate the coming of age ceremony of his, from the watch tower near the East Gate, and his eyes were glued to the carts that contained fruits, vegetables, and other things that had been harvested in the castles of the Lords all around the North. Shaking his head, he thought, 'When I told those ideas five years ago, my father was skeptical at first, but as I studied at the Citadel and got the link for agriculture, he agreed to do what I had suggested. The ideas I gave were: four crop rotations, compost usage, polycultures, cover crops, soil enrichment, usage of natural pest predators, agroforestry, biodynamic farming, and better water management.
All these methods were tested in Winterfell, and only after two years of successful harvest did Father allow these methods to be shared with the lords of the North. And now, after three years of using the method throughout the North, we have harvested much more than we need to save for the winter season. The farmlands all over the North had been upgraded by me using rune magic. I craved temperature-controlling runes on stones and buried them deep underground in each farm with the help of Fenrir and his pack. The rune magic covers five hundred meters in radius, and thanks to that, farmers are staying near their farms.
The next big thing that happened in the North was that Father created a main road that started from the Moat Catlin to the Black Castle, passing through Winterfell, and named it Royal Road. From the Royal Road, there were branch roads that went to the castles of the Lords, and from there, there was another branch road that connected the villages to it. The road was constructed using the Roman method, and for the construction, we mined lime from the mountain clan area and bought volcanic ash from Bravos. Boy, was that pricey?
The third one is the strengthening of the people of the North and making them all loyal to House Stark with the help of modified vegetables, grass, fruits, and meat. I modified them in a way that gave them all peak human condition as long as they ate those food items, and I made sure that these were cultivated inside the greenhouses. The things that are exported are only mildly modified items that won't die out before harvest season. And it's results are people getting much stronger than their southern counterparts and almost everyone getting the same effect of a Nord from Skyrim. It's due to me trying my best to improve the North, and I unknowingly upgraded the First Men genes. Well, I had informed them that the food grown in greenhouses is only for Northmen; if there are any guests from outside of North, they would serve them the export-quality food.' Shaking his head with a wry smile, he looked inside the castle.
'The fourth improvement was in the weaponry. I taught the master blacksmith in Winterfell how to forge steel using the Valyrian method without blood and sacrificial magic. Even without that, the weapons we forged were stronger, sharper, and more durable than the ones we previously made. It had the ripple design of the Damascus steel, and since it was something made from the idea I gave, they wanted me to name it, so I simply named it Nord Steel. Runes were etched on it as per my request; the runes in the weapons were fire runes, durability runes, and sharpening runes. Thanks to those runes, Nord steel became the second-best steel after Valyrian steel. Nord steel is only available to Northmen, which I was adamant about. I also made sure that there would only be one production site, the Winterfell. Father agreed with me after hearing my reasons, knowing that monopoly over a type of steel will be a boon in future wars.
And lastly, I made my father open a brewery that would produce vodka using potatoes; the production is fully under the control of my family, and I made sure of that. Because of that, gold is flowing into our coffers endlessly. Our merchants have been more than happy to flaunt the specialties of the North in the face of the Southern merchants. The Westeros business of Vodka is under the control of Starks, and distribution in Essos is done by the Iron Bank. We stuck to a deal with them that gave them thirty percent of the profit; they would export Vodka from the North without any fee and wouldn't deal with any of the Westerosii lords.' He was brought out of his musings as he heard the howling of a group of wolves.
"Awooooooooooo" Suddenly, the howl of a group of wolves was heard throughout Wintertown, and everyone stopped what they were doing to look in the direction where they heard the sound. From the distance, they saw five Stark soldiers mounted on wolves the size of a regular horse coming towards them after patrolling around Winterfell territory.
Lord Umber, who saw the wolves, muttered under his breath. "I wish I had something magnificent to ride too."
"Heh, you have your steed, Jon. Be happy about it." A man wearing a black fur coat stood right next to Lord Jon Umber.
"Shut the fuck up, Jeor! I don't want to hear that from you." Mumbling out, Lord Umber went back into his tent, which had the banner of a giant in chains, to change his attire.
Shaking his head, Jeor also went into his tent, which had a handing bear in it. As he entered the tent, he saw five children lazing around, not even changing into the attire that would be needed for a royal celebration. Squinting his eyes, he shouted out, "What are you guys doing?! Change into your dress immediately. We will be entering Winterfell in an hour. I don't want anyone from Bear Island looking like some small folk."
From the tent of Lord Mormont, the other lords heard the shouting match between father and children. The ones who heard the shouting shook their heads with a wry smile and went on with their own work.
Back in the castle, Reagan was hearing the report from the Ranger Wolves, and when their report ended, he said, "Good work. Thanks for keeping our territory safe. Had the other squads returned yet?"
"No, my prince." One man who looked to be the squad captain said and continued, "It will take time for them to return."
"Alright, I was just asking. When they come back, hear their report, and if there is anything important, inform me immediately, even if I am occupied by the guests. The safety of our territory is our priority." Telling the squad captain that, Reagan dismissed the squad and went to the Great Keep.
As he was on his way to the great keep, two shadows jumped on him from his sides and latched on to him. He didn't fall down, thanks to his enhanced body and his workout, which he hadn't stopped at any time. Looking at his sides, he asked, "What is at Artos? Arya?"
"When can we play with Knight and Winter?" Artos, the little boy, latched on to his right side and asked. While the little girl on his right silently nodded at what Artos said,.
Shaking his head, Reagan said, "Guys, they're on your guard duty. After the banquet is over, you play with them as much as you like."
"Promise?" Arya asks him.
Ruffling her long black hair, he answered, "Of course, I promise. But right now we need to find our father and mother so that we will be at the great hall before the lords enter."
""Okay!"" In unison, both of them held his hand and led him to the great house, where the rest of the family was.
As the three entered the great keep, they found Alys staying near the entrance. Looking at the twins, Alys said, "Why did you two run off from the room?"
"To find a big brother." Artos said as he held Reagan's hand tightly, and his twin Arya also held Reagan's hand tightly.
"Sigh.... You guys both know that Reagan will be in the great hall before the feast begins. So why the rush?" Alys asked them as she sighed out in frustration.
"Leave it, Alys; you are talking as if you weren't similar to them. You were always on my tail." Reagan told her as he passed by her with a sly smile.
"I know that. And I want them to be like that towards me too." Alys said as she walked with her siblings while taking Arya's other hand in hers.
"Well, if you weren't always trying to correct them, then they will be." Reagan told her, and from his words, this wasn't the first time.
The four Royal Children walked to the Great Hall, entered it, and saw their parents at the high table, along with eight wolves laying on the floor, looking like large boulders. The twins ran to their bonded wolves and started to scratch behind their ears, which was liked by the wolves. The largest of the wolves looked at the actions of the twins and looked back at their bond, Reagan. Seeing that, Reagan smiled and went towards Fenrir, scratching behind his ear while saying, "Who's a good boy?" Repeatedly.
After doing it with Fenris and Dawn too, he told the wolves, "You guys can go and hunt. No one is going to attack us in our keep."
As he said that, all the wolves eagerly stood up and went out of the Great Hall, led by Fenrir, their alpha.
Shaking his head, Reagan went and sat down on the right side of his father, with his brother Artos sitting on his right side. Alys sat on their mother's left side, followed by Arya, who sat next to Alys. As everyone was seated, Brandon told Reagan, "Thanks to you, our men can live through the winter more easily, and because of that, their loyalty has increased more than before."
'Well, the loyalty part is partially due to modifying those seeds before they started planting them and partially due to the improved lifestyle of the North.' "It's what every ruler has to do. Manage the problems of their citizens." Reagan told his father while thinking differently.
"True that." Brandon agreed and chuckled, then from his left side, Sarra elbowed him and motioned him to Reagan with her eyes. Nodding at her with a sheepish smile, he asked Reagan. "Do you know why we have called all the lords with their families?"
"Isn't it to celebrate my name day and the success of the North?" Reagan asked back with a bit of confusion.
"Yeah, those two are part of it. But the important reason we're conducting this banquet is to find a bride for you." Brandon said this while looking at Reagan.
"I understand." Reagan replied to his father and asked, "Is there anything else?"
From Sarra's side, Alys leaned against the table, and looking at Reagan, she asked with a knowing smile, "Isn't there someone you have in your own mind, brother?"
Squinting his eyes, he told her, "Be mindful of your next words."
Sarra looked between her children and asked, "Who is this person you are talking about?"
"No one." Reagan replied instantly, and Alys started to chuckle out at seeing her brother squirming in his seat. Alys shared a look with Sarra, and they easily communicated with their eyes.
Slowly nodding at her daughter, Sarra looked at her eldest son and said, "Well, we were thinking about Lady Lyanna Karstark, Lady Wylla Manderly, and Lady Barbery Ryswell." With each name, she closely observed her son, with her husband looking at her confusedly. 'I'll have to do something about this dolt.'
"Lady Lyanna Mormont." When that name was Siad, there was a subtle reaction from Reagan. His eyes twitched and the ends of his lips lightly rose, and she also felt her daughter tapping on her back. Understanding the meaning of it, Sarra widened her eyes in surprise and asked Reagan, "Since when?"
"When what?" Reagan asked back, like a confused little boy.
Squinting her eyes, she said, "Reagan Stark."
"Oh! She said his full name." Brandon and Artos muttered in a low voice that only they could hear.
"You will tell your mother when you fell in love with Lady Mormont." Sarra finished while still looking at her son.
Reagan turned his head away from her and contemplated for a few seconds, and after giving out a defeated sigh, he told her, "An year ago."
Breathing out, Sarra said, "You do know that she's older than you by four, right?"
Nodding his head, he replied, "Yes, I know."
"Then you should also know that she doesn't like to be a pretty wife to someone but a warrior of the North." Sarra asked her son, as she had known Lyanna. 'She's a fierce girl.'
"I know, mother." Reagan told her, and before he could continue, Alys spoke up. "She fought tooth and nail. Even though she got defeated, she was fierce. I like her a lot."
Sarra looked at her daughter, then looking back at her son, she asked, "Is she the one you have been praising as the best warrior after your return from Bear Island?"
"Yes. And she's the best female warrior, with Alys coming in second." Reagan said it with a smile.
Sighing, Sarra looked at her husband, who was in his own little world, and asked, "What are you thinking absent-mindedly?"
Smiling at her, Brandon said, "Well, I was thinking about the day I told my father about you. It's almost similar."
That made her blush a little. Shaking his head at his embarrassed wife, Brandon looked at his eldest son and asked, "Does she know that you have fallen for her?"
"Oh, she knows it very well, father." Alys replied from the side, avoiding her brother's eyes. Artos and Arya were silent, but they were enjoying the banter in excitement as they would be getting a new older sister.
"Really?" Looking back at Reagan, Brandon asked, "Does she also like you?"
"She does. His owl, Bokuto, had been flying to Bear Island and back to him for a year." Again, it was Alys who replied instead of Reagan.
"Oh yeah, father, don't we want to find a groom for my dear sister?" Reagan asked his father to make his sister shut up. And that did the work, as she hurriedly surrendered while holding her hands together. 'You're too late, dear sister. You should have thought before opening your mouth and spewing my secrets.'
"It's not time yet. She will be betrothed next year. Don't try to avoid this conversation; so does she like you back?" Sarra came to the rescue of her daughter unknowingly.
Nodding his head, he told her, "She warmed up to me after going for a couple of hunting trips in the Wolfswood."
"Will she reject the idea of betrothal to you?" Brandon asked.
"I don't think so. But it's still best to ask her for an answer." Reagan told his father.
"Alright. During the banquet, you'll be asking her if she's interested in being your wife. Be sure to be away from the eyes of the Lords and Ladys." Sarra told her son, and Reagan nodded at her in agreement.
After that, they started to talk about other things, like the improvement of the North, the reactions from the South, the Wall, how large their wolves will grow, and how long they will live. As the Royal Family was speaking with each other, one by one, each lord and lady with their children entered the Great Hall. There were no guards with them, as all of them had been attending a large barbecue party in the courtyard, which was suggested by Reagan himself.
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