Chapter 6
hThe wedding is an exciting experience. We feasted for a few days, I talked with each Lord that showed up about development and my new ideas on how to make North better and richer, I have a few ideas that I want to try as soon as this thing is over.
Other than that we had a good time, I ended up in a drinking match with Smalljon and Rickard. Of course with my regeneration, I could not get a drink but they would not know it. They both ended up under the table drunk as pigs, I had a good laugh at them.
The next day when the sun rose I was at sparing with our Master-at-Arms when I noticed a presence coming closer to us, signaling for time out I look over and I see my 2 drinking buddies.
"Finally up you two?" I say with a cocky smirk
"Save it, Robb, how the hell did you manage to outdrink us?" roared Smalljon
"Yeah, you don't even look like you were drinking for fuck sake," declares Rickon
"Well, that is for me to know and for you to found out, doesn't it?" I say jovially "so are going to moan there like whores in brothel or are you going to spar? Cmon I will take both at once" I challenge them.
"Oh, you will get it now!" Threatens Smalljon but I could see his smirk under his beard. "Cmon Rickard we need to beat some humility into a young wolf" He calls for Rickard.
"Right you are Smalljon, his victory yesterday is getting to his head, I would not do for the Stark heir to be arrogant." Rickart declares.
"Well cmon, let's get to fight!" I say with a bloodthirsty smirk.
Soon enough we are opposite each other, they both chose swords and buckled while I took two great swords from the rack.
"What the fuck you are trying Robb?" Rickard asks indicating at my 2 greatswords.
"Don't worry your old bones about it, I will be fine." I try to provoke them.
It didn't work as I wanted because they just look at each other and shook their heads.
Anyway, the spar started. We start to circle each other, one of them is trying to get behind my back so I force the attack by running at Smalljon and swinging my sword, it connects with buckled but the force behind it manages to get Smalljon off balance but before I can capitalize on that I feel Rickard is already swinging at my side, putting my second greatsword in the path of his attack I swing the first one right into the buckled he has on his hand. This hit managed to throw Rickard at the ground and I focus back at Smalljon trying to capitalize on the change of going one vs one until Rickard recovers. Smalljon is trying to charge me with a sword pointed at my abdomen so I just sidestep thank to my superior speed and send him hurling right next to Rickard. Putting each sword at their throats.
"Surrender?" I ask with a cocky smile
"Yeah, lad. What do they feed you for fuck sake?" Complaints Smalljon good-naturally
"I surrender, good fight lad I will gladly fight by your side when the time comes." Comments Rickard.
Pulling them up I hear applause coming from the castle direction. I was so engrossed in the fight I didn't even feel crowd gathering. Looking around I see Lyanna standing there with Arya by her side, father and mother standing with Greatjon who laughing with the father, Jon with a small smirk on his face.
I just smile and shake my head.
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After that little show, I was in a great mood, the preparations for the wedding are all complete and at nightfall, I will be married.
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Standing before Heath Tree I wait for Lyanna to arrive, sure soon enough she is walking accompanied by her mother. Since House Mormont doesn't have a Lord at the moment after Jorah sold some of his people to the slavers, only Maege and Lyanna remained. Anyway, so because of that Maege will be one to give her away.
"Who goes there" Ned starts the ceremony.
"Maege Mormont here to give away Lyanna Mormont, who will take her under his cloak?" Maege continue
"Robb Stark here to take Lyanna Mormont under the protection of House Stark." I declare
Maege let Lyanna walk to me under the Hearth Tree and the father asks
"Will you Lyanna Mormont take this man?"
"I take this man" Lyanna declare smiling. I take her hands in mine, we kneel before the tree and bow our heads. When we stand up I remove the cloak and wrap it around Lyanna symbolizing that she is mine after which I pick her up into my arms, her head resting on my chest, and carry her to a feast.
I like how the North ceremony is so simple, no long speeches or other shenanigans, just two people promising themself to each other and then celebration.
After the feast, I Take Lyanna to my chambers.
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Few weeks in bliss afterward I was finally ready to start making changes in North. I talked with my father and after showing him my plans he agreed to help me set everything up.
The first thing I did was to introduce a blast furnace that was powered by a large overshot waterwheel to pump the bellows. With this and some experimenting with charcoal fires, we were able to figure out how to make a better steel.
The steel can then be used to make better tools for farmers and better armor and weapons for soldiers.
We also started trading with Dragonstone for obsidian or as they call it dragon glass and gave it to the blacksmith to try and integrate it into the weapons, because as we say in House Stark, Winter is Coming.
Next thing was to create Craft Guilds. They were built in Winterfell who thanks to that expanded. With help of money and a safe working environment, this lured Master crafters from all across Westeros, even some from Essos. Thanks to this guild instead of a master taking one or two apprentices at once The Guild provided people and the Masters taught them the craft. Soon enough we had a lot of learned man ranging from Blacksmithing to Carpentry whose soon will start making they own name and taking apprentices.
With the new labor supply, I focus on expanding existing cities and founding new villages. Watertown's population rose from 15 thousand people to whooping 30 thousand. Of course, this means that there was a need to build new housing units, with help of cement that I with help of the crafting guild managed to get together. Every single of ours new technologies were closely watched against spies.
I also commissioned the build of the canal that will go from Deepwood Motte and connect to a White Knife, this would connect our Western and Eastern coasts and enable us to get boats from one side to another. Also, a faster way for merchants to transport goods means more money.
With the cooperation of Houses Tallhart, Dustin, Ryswell, Bolton, and Umber we started big mining operations, what we found was a godsend. I think that thanks to the hard way of life in the North nobody thought of exploiting natural resources but with new technologies and enough food to not only survive but also sell, new possibilities were unlocked.
Anyway, we found a lot of iron and gold deposits that we started mining.
After the foundation of the Craft Guild, the merchants guild soon followed. Trading hubs were build in port cities and major settlements. To help with the trade we also started to build roads, from every major city to another. Thanks to the cement and iron tools this took a lot less time than otherwise would. This was a golden age for the development of the North, everyone was getting richer, the standard of living was increasing for smallfolk and Lords alike. All the changes made me popular and with that popularity, I started to recruit more people for North Wolves.
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Army-wise I proposed for the north to have a standing military of 20 000 men, all trained as professional soldiers with the best equipment we could arm them with. All the lords contributed with Winterfell paying 50% witch thanks to trade and mining was a drop in the bucket.
Bannermen o course had their soldiers own trained in case of war and for defense against banditry, keeping the law, and mount Ironborn heads on pikes, the usual.
Recruitment of North Wolves progressed splendidly, I with help of Jon and Lyanna managed to recruit more than 800 men and women to the addition of 50 we already had all screened by me, and after basic training given a Regeneration, that happened during a few months. It was grueling and I never want to give so many people regeneration at once. In the end, we ended up with
300 [Frontline] 350[Ranged] and 150[Infiltrator] Elite force loyal only to me and those I deem worthy. I commissioned them all the best gear I could find with the best weapons.
The design for their armor I actually stole from a game I played a lot in my previous life, Skyrim.
Armor for [Frontline] looks like a plate with wolf engravings, to the addition of a heavy fur cloak that goes over shoulders and ends on the chest. With massive tower shields made of ironwood and steel with the head of a wolf in the middle, they look fucking badass. They use halberts, 2-3m long ironwood handle at the end which is on one side axe head, on the other spike, and on top are finished with pike.
[Ranged] got the special treatment too. The armor was from hardened Leather with steel plating on critical points as to be light and let them move, they have one of the arms plated in what looks like scales for additional defense and have a fur cloak and cape overhead. Long-Bows were made from ironwood and some steel, the design I stole for them shamelessly is Nordic Bow from Skyrim. Wooden handle that is connected to iron arms of the bow, on the connections are two wolf heads. They also got 2 steel curved shortswords.
And last but not least [Infiltrator] armor design was borrowed from Skyrim too, if I'm going with the whole theme why not, it's not like copyright claims can find me here. Anyway, the armor looks like Nightingale, with Hardened leather all around for great mobility and speed. Over their head cape with a mouthpiece that hides everything except eyes. Creepy fuckers they are. They are equipped with smoke bombs that boys in Craft Guild managed to create, a small crossbow that thanks to steel have enough power to shoot accurately from 50 meters, 2 daggers with poison pouches, and two short swords.
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Thanks to my marriage to Lyanna but not only because of that we managed to build a shipyard at Bear Island, with the help of all the wood we were able to acquire there we started building our fleet. This fleet will then guard the coasts against Ironborn raids and can be quickly mobilized in case of full-out war.
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After long and fruitful not to mention peaceful years full of work and development game must go on and with the massage of Jon Arryn death fat King is riding to Winterfell and Game Of Thrones is starting.