First of Many

"Robb, Jon, get over here now."

When I leave the book I was reading about the geography of westeros and look back, Jon and Robb are trying to escape their lessons again.

"Guys, if you don't come now, maester Luwin will report you to my uncle."

When they heard my voice, they grumbled and sat back down. Our usual routine these days.

"Thank you Torrhen. I don't know how I would deal with these two without you."

"It doesn't matter, maester."

maester Luwin and the two of them started their own classes, while I was studying geography for my future plans rather than wasting time on what I already knew.

I've made a lot of progress in the last two years. The soap business was very profitable, but offering varieties with different flavors for sale saved us a lot of money. It was easy to add various flavors to soaps, but the yield was great. Here in the North, olive oil soap was the most popular type. I've heard that lavender scent is very popular in Reach in the south. subtracting the raw material, labor and shipping costs, we get 50,000 golden dragons profit each month from the soap business.

I spent most of the income from soap to develop the glass business. Finding soda ash and limestone to use as raw materials was a pain in the ass. The sand was relatively easy, and I ordered a man going to White Harbor each month to bring some from the beach. Starting the experiments was even more difficult. It took me a long time to convince the smithy of Winterfell to let me use his furnace. My first attempts were fiasco. I was just starting something when my uncle came to see what I was doing. Needless to say, he was quite surprised by what he saw.

the construction of workshops and tools necessary for glassmaking in the next few months spended our time. It was about finding reliable workers and training them. Finally, we had a workshop with 200 people working. 100 of the workers had to work much longer to improve their skills. So for the first few months, our products were pretty simple. Now, 1 year after we started this business, we produce almost all kinds of glassware.

Of course, these 2 years did not pass without problems. Over time, the Manderly ships began to feel inadequate for us. Building a strong navy was already part of my plans, but the time has not yet come. For this I need more control and men I can trust. I also need a lot, a lot of gold. I can't get the navy I want with our current wealth. So I managed to persuade my uncle to start a small functional navy. It wasn't hard to convince him. After all, most of the gold we earned was in our safes. It would be a waste not to use that much gold. Also, the merchant fleet was something we needed.

Thus, with the help of the Manderlys, we were able to establish a small fleet of 45 ships within 1 year. But the real problem was Myr's attacks on our ships. Fortunately, we didn't have a big loss. There hasn't been much movement from Myr since then, but we're still on the alert. After this incident, we took the workshops under strict protection for fear of any spy stealing glass and soap making methods. We do not allow anyone other than workers to enter the workshops area in Winter Town. Even small children. I especially recommended it to my uncle because of the variances in the last part. Of course I didn't mention vars or he might wonder how I knew him. I just had to tell my uncle that children can spy very easily and be overlooked.

While I was thinking about this, something Robb said caught my attention.

"I want Torrhen's birthday feast to come soon. I think my father will summon some lords as well."

"Yes, Robb, my uncle is really planning to summon some nobles. I guess nobles need to see their future lord or something."

"I wonder if Uncle Benjen will come too" said Jon.

"It would be nice if it came. whole family together..."

"Anyway guys, I think your lesson is over. Let's go out and play a little." I said and we went out.

After playing for an hour or two, one of the maids came and said that my uncle had called me. I broke up with Jon and Robb and went to my uncle's solar. Inside, he was sitting at his desk, dealing with paperwork and reports.

"Oh Torrhen you have come. Sit down, let's talk a little."

I sat in the chair in front of the table.

"You called me uncle. Is there something I should know?"

"it is not important. I just wanted to talk about your birthday feast in 2 months. As you know, I plan to summon some lords and ladies. I want you to use this banquet to meet them and their heirs. You're also turning 6 in 2 months. I think it's time to take up sword training. Don't worry, it won't be anything too difficult, just the basics of the basics."

"Of course I will do as you say. I was also wondering when I would start sword training."

"Good. I expect you to work hard."

"Uncle, if you don't mind, I have a request from you."

"You can say. If there's something I can do, I'll do it."

"I ask you to allow about 50 orphan boys aged between 6 and 12 to work with me."

He was quite surprised when he heard my request. 'As I guessed'

"Why do you want such a thing?"

"I want this because I want men loyal to myself and to House Stark. I know it's a bit of a request, but we've gotten a lot of attention with what we've done so far and I plan to continue my new discoveries in the future. For that, we need people we can trust. To whom can a man be more loyal than someone he has served and trained with since childhood."

Thought about what I said for a while.

"What you're saying makes sense, young man, but do you already believe you can lead people that way? Also, these are real people. Once you take charge of them, they stay with you until the end."

"I know uncle. I think I can do this. After all, these people will not be adults, they will be uneducated childrens in my age. And I won't be alone, Sir Rodrick and the others will help me."

When I finished my words, my uncle thought for a while.

"Well, Torrhen, you've proven that I can trust you with your actions and attitude so far. I'll find you 50 people. But Ser Rodrik will be with you while you take care of them, and you will be responsible for their everything. If you make a big mistake, we will disperse these 50 people and shelve your plan."

YESS! I really didn't think he would accept it. Finally, I got a little closer to my goals. These fifty will be the first of many.

"Thank you uncle, I will not disappoint you."

"I trust you nephew. You can go now, I'm sure Jon and Robb are waiting for you."

"ok uncle, see you later."

So I left the room. Now I need to create a training plan for these 50 people. It should take my uncle a month to find someone suitable.