Reactions

""284 AC. Kingslanding""

---Cercei's Pov---

I woke up to the nasty smell of a shithole called kingslanding, like every morning. After a while, three maids came in. One helps me get up while the other prepares my bath. The last one is holding a glass decanter of wine and a glass goblet.

Yes, glass. Two brilliant masterpieces with beautiful lion decorations on them. Also these products are not like the simple looking and rather fragile ones like the come from Myr. On the contrary, they are shiny as if they were made of jewellery.

The prices of these custom-made products are quite high. Even nobles can only get it from the upper class. Of course it's easier to get the ones with the simpler design.

When I got out of bed, my maid immediately poured a glass and gave it to me. I sit on my sofa and sip my wine while they prepare my bath. When the wine in the glass is finished, I examine the glass more carefully. There is a stamp at the bottom of the glass.

"Stark... "

They have to stamp their goddamn sigils on everything they do.

Damn Northern barbarians. Soaps, glass and trade caravans/ships. Every year they come up with something new. No one knows how much gold they've earned after all they've done. What they've done in the last 2 years has taken them from the bottom of Westeros to the top. Worst of all, they say it's all the work of a 5-year-old kid.

I admit that the innovations they bring satisfy my tastes. Their fragrant soaps make me feel cleaner than ever before. Glassworks are completely in line with my noble tastes. But no matter what, that goddamn bitch Lyanna Stark's family could burn in hell!

Hmm anyway, what is my sweet joffrey doing? I have to get ready and go to his room right now. Whatever those damn northerners do, in the end my little lion will rule them.

""White Harbor""

---Wyman Manderly Pov---

Today is a beautiful day. In fact, every day has been a good day for the past 2 years for North and House Manderly. It all started 2 years ago when I received a letter from Lord Regent Ned Stark. In the letter he said that he wanted to use our ships to take the new soap they had started selling a few months ago to the south.

Soaps came to us when they first came out. A really popular product in White Harbor. When Ned Stark came up with such an offer, of course I saw the opportunity and accepted it. There have been many new developments since then. They started to produce soaps in many new scents. Of course, the new ones were also in great demand, but the real event started with the sale of the glass.

As every month last year, I was quite surprised when the caravans from Winterfell said they were bringing a new product with them. Torrhen Stark, the genius who made it all happen, had found something new.

The boy is only 5 years old, but he has helped the North more than most lords. I knew his father. Brandon was smart, yes, but not that much. He was also quite easily angered and impetuous. He was a good man. It's sad that it ended like this. But the boy shows intelligence and skill that Brandon never showed. He must have taken his mother. If it continues like this, North will develop in this boy's hands like never before. Our future looks bright.

When I saw glasses, jugs, candlesticks and many other products made of glass, I knew that this would bring us much more than soap. That's how it happened. The demand for the products was so high that our fleet was insufficient for transportation. The Manderly fleet of 25 ships was too small for that. That's when I got a new letter from the Starks. The Starks wanted to build a new merchant fleet of 30 ships and a defense fleet of 15 galleys to secure trade roat. In the letter it was written that the navy formed would be stationed in White Harbor and that House Stark would pay us some rent for this. They were also asking us for help in forming the crew.

All this happened 1 year ago. This was the first time a Stark navy had been formed since Brandon The Burner in one year. With the collaboration of Manderly and the Stark navy, Stark goods were distributed throughout Westeros and Essos. Since we nearly took the glass business out of his hands, the Myrians tried to attack the ships several times and declared that any Northern ships were not welcome in Myr. Nothing happened except that one ship was heavily damaged during these attacks. Since then, we've been sending ships in large groups and staying as far away from Myr territorial waters as possible.

In short, it was a pretty eventful 2 years. While I was thinking this, my doorbell rang and my son Wylis came in.

"Dad, this month's caravans have come from Winterfell. They have a letter with them from Regent Stark."

"Hmm.. a letter. So let's see what the surprise is this time."

We got off my solar and headed for the caravans.

""Kingslanding""

---Varys Pov---

There has been a lot of news from the north in recent years. But I don't know which one to trust. It's too far and rough to form my northern network. However, the news is not so bad. If my senses are correct, young Torrhen Stark is good for the realm. Maybe I should work harder to expand my network north.

'No, I can't linger for this. Not when there's so much more to the south and east to watch out for. Maybe later...'

""Casterly Rock""

---Tywin's Pov---

North... It's been getting stronger lately. Maybe they will become a new player on the board.

'No it will not happen. Not with the stupid honorable Ned Stark at their head.'

Maybe when their new heir inherits the North. They are harmless for now. But we can make a few deals with our greedy friend Bolton. The Starks must not be allowed to become too powerful.