21

Chapter 21: Ch 12 The Product

Chapter Text

Jon passed through the gates of the Winterfell castle in the early noon after he had completed his daily training in the yard. Today had been an especially brutal day for Jon, as he was already tired because he had been training with his bow till late yesterday with Old Mark, and early in the morning Ser Rodrik made him spar with different older opponents with a sword for an hour, and then the same with a spear.

And while he had been the one to ask for training in both sword and spear, and in his mind, he didn't regret it even once, his sore body disagreed with that vehemently.

Jon greeted the guard before entering the town outside the castle, he moved through the streets and went deeper into the part of the town where most of the craftsmen lived.

Ever since he had been stuck with that brilliant idea when his little sister Arya had asked for a horse of her own, he hadn't been able to sleep due to excitement because if this stuff actually worked out he would have a way of making a huge amount of gold that didn't require him to stir up the pot too much.

So the very next day he started his search for a blacksmith in Wintertown to work on his project, which lasted a lot longer than he expected.

Initially, none of the blacksmiths took him seriously due to his small stature, and while they decided he was legit after he told them he was Lord Stark's bastard, they still shooed him away because they weren't happy with the pay he was giving them for the stuff he wanted them to do.

But in the end, he located a blacksmith who was only a part-time blacksmith but had worked on some stuff during the last war so was proficient enough for his need and he also happened to have a lot of free time on his hands because he wasn't in demand as much after the population of the town decreased after summer arrived.

He had agreed that he would work on his project as long as he wanted him to—provided he was paid his dues regularly.

And of course, the reason he had not gone to the Winterfell's resident Blacksmith Mikken was also quite similar as he was busy most of the time handling stuff for the guards and staff that worked in the castle.

Stuff like repairing broken equipment, adjusting old armor for the new recruits, or creating new ones, etc. So he wasn't able to dedicate as much time, and patience as his project required, as it needed a lot of research and tinkering in its initial phase.

And besides, he was keeping the project a secret from the rest of his family, which was also the reason he hadn't asked Lord Stark to fund it for him, as one of the first things Jon had been taught since he was young was, 'For every penny, we save during the summer, one more soul would survive in the north in winter,'.

And Jon didn't want to ask for Eddard's help in what he would definitely consider a child's whim, without being sure that this would work out in the end.

So this whole project was being funded by Jon, with the initial funds coming from his saving over the years. And he had started making quite a Lump Sum from his hunting activities, partly because he was getting better at it but mostly... because he had frost's help—locating the largest and most profitable prey.

Jon reached the home-cum-workshop of the blacksmith named Bryan, who had been able to look past his childish face, and decide that it didn't matter to him how young his employer was, or how weird the thing he was asked to make was, as long he got paid.

"Hey, Bryan!" Jon shouted from outside the wooden door, "Are you in there?" Jon knew that it was a stupid question as he could see the smoke coming out of the chimney, and as Bryan lived alone, it was quite obvious he was inside, but he asked for the sake of it anyway.

Jon heard footsteps coming from inside after a few moments before the door opened with a bang, "You came at the right time," Bryan said the moment he saw Jon and immediately beckoned him inside his home with an excited look on his face.

"Did you finally make it work?" Jon asked delightedly while following after the blacksmith who was taking two steps at a time in his excitement.

"Yes, I was eventually able to make a model that actually works," Bryan said while rushing toward his workshop, "You know after the tenth time you rejected it and told me to remake it. I had actually thought that it would never work, but it turns out you were right about it all along..." he trailed off and opened the door before stepping aside and showing Jon the thing he had made.

"I-It's perfect," Jon said with a wide grin before moving toward the first successful prototype, and after running his hands along the smooth creation before him he turned back toward the Blacksmith and asked him animatedly, "Did you try to use it,"

"No!No! No," Bryan said while shaking his head, "I don't think I have the flexibility required for me to use this thing, but I can guarantee that it would run smoothly,"

"I believe you," Jon replied with a bright smile, "So how much time would it take for you to create a similar-sized one, one medium-sized, and the last a tiny version of this,"

"Umm..." Bryan thought for a moment, "Considering I could most probably use the leftover materials from the previously failed products... and the smallest one was very easy to make so I already made it... it should not take me more than a week," he finished with confidence.

"Alright then," Jon took one last look at the thing before moving toward the exit, "I will come back a week later for all of them, and will bring the rest of your payment along with me so make sure to complete it on time,"

"I will definitely try my best," Bryan seriously said before a grin appeared on his face, "And don't worry about the payment, I know where you so live so there's no need for me to worry about you running away... Ha Ha,"

Jon laughed along with the blacksmith's unfunny joke as he opened the door, but stopped abruptly as he was on the doorstep because he suddenly came under a large shadow and when he looked up he saw the face of a young teen plastered on a body that wouldn't look out of place among the tallest guards of Winterfell.

"Oh... it's you again," Bryan said in an unfriendly tone when he recognized the man blocking the exit, "I already told you I don't have any work for you. Why do you keep on coming back?"

"Pease just give me one chance," the man in front of Jon begged in a surprisingly young voice, "I would be willing to even work for free— just give me a place to stay and some food and I would work very hard—"

"My answer won't change no matter how much you plead. I don't have an abundance of work as it is, and I would have to starve if I even started sharing that," Bryan briskly said before turning to Jon, "I will have your things ready by the week's end," Jon nodded and Bryan closed the door with a snap.

The large man looked at the closed door with disappointment and after sighing in defeat turned around to leave.

He was wearing clothes that had definitely seen better days and seemed to be carrying all his possessions in the sack on his back, and also carried a heavy hammer on his waist. He also looked as if he hadn't been eating well and his body looked thin and dirty as if he didn't hadn't had a proper meal and rest for quite a while.

"Hey, wait up!" Jon shouted toward the man, who immediately stopped and turned around and found Jon coming up toward him.

"Huh... Do you mean me!" the man asked in confusion while pointing a finger toward his face.

"Of Course, Who else is here on this empty street," Jon said while coming to stop in front of him before he narrowed his eyes and looked intently at the person in front of him for a while before his eyes suddenly gained a triumphant gleam and a small grin appeared on his face.

"I guess..." the teen-man said after looking around and finding no one else, "So do you want something from me,"

"I saw what happened back there," Jon said while pointing behind at the Blacksmith's home, "So I was curious. I haven't seen you around here before, Are you a Blacksmith from out of town?"

"Yes, I am... Um... I mean—I will be, I guess," the teen-man stuttered for a while before he sighed and continued sadly, "An Old Blacksmith in my village taught me some things during the last winter but he wasn't able to teach me everything because... the winter took him away,"

"That would make you a novice blacksmith," Jon said while massaging his neck that had started to hurt from looking at an awkward 70° angle, so he took the teen-man toward a tree stump nearby and made him sit so that they could talk on the same level, "That's better... Now, are you looking for some work, or were you hoping for someone who can take you as an apprentice,"

"I am trying to find some work, but haven't had any luck so far..." the teen-man said with a bitter smile, "And do I look like someone who's got enough money to pay someone for an apprenticeship,"

"Hmm..." Jon stood there for a while with his hand under his chin, his mind churning a mile per second trying to rapidly work on whether the idea that appeared inside his head was feasible.

"Umm...Why are you asking me so many things, anyway," the person in front of Jon hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you know of someone who would have a job for me?"

"Maybe, I do," Jon said with a small smile before asking, "But first tell me, how old are you?"

"Hmm... 12 or maybe...13 I think," he replied unsurely.

"Brilliant!" Jon cheerfully said before he stopped and looked at the teen up and down with some skepticism, "You look so young but you are already traveling? And, Where did you say your village was, again?"

"I am from a village close to the Last Hearth, A-And..."

'So he hails from the land of Umbers, his absurd height completely makes sense now,' Jon thought before nodding encouragingly, "And..."

"Well... I was a fourth son of a farmer and though I learned under a blacksmith when summer arrived my father wanted me to become a farmer just like the rest of my family but I liked being a Blacksmith, so..."

"Go on..."

"But becoming a blacksmith wasn't as lucrative if there wasn't a war around the corner... and nobody wanted to pay a half-learned boy to make even the simplest stuff, and my pa didn't have money for me to complete my training. So one day I heard from an elder that wintertown was thriving and that it would be very easy to find work here..."

"So you ran away from home and arrived here..." Jon completed.

"Um yeah..." the boy agreed while rubbing his head with a silly smile before he suddenly lost his smile and said with a defeated sigh, "But it looks like the elder was wrong... because I wasn't able to find work, even though I have been here for more than two weeks,"

"How about you come with me, then," Jon said with a pure smile while extending his hand, "I'll make sure that you can get the apprenticeship you wanted and you can even get a place to stay,"

"Really..." he said in elation while taking Jon's hand before he suddenly realized something and asked, "Aren't you a bit... Um... young,"

"Don't Worry about that, I just don't look my age," Jon said waving his hands and he wasn't lying as he definitely looked a lot taller than children his age.

There were two reasons Jon decided to help this "boy"... Number 1 he had very good potential and could become a warg in the future if he was trained properly. And of course, Number 2 was it never hurt to have a blacksmith friend in a medieval world.

Ever since Jon got skilled enough at using Mind Sense, he had taken to using the skill very liberally on every person he came across inside Winterfell and in Wintertown too. And most of the time the people he came across were already past their prime age with their minds already being set and not having enough fluidity for them to improve with practice.

So the second he felt this boy's mind he was astonished to find that he had the fluid consciousness of a young one inside the body of a full-grown man, so the moment he asked his age his confusion got cleared.

"I am Jon by the way, What's your name..."

"Oh I am Tom but everyone in my family called me LittleTom..." LittleTom said sheepily.

"Um... Sure," Jon said while looking up at the "Little" tom before he put his hand on the shoulder which he could barely reach, and continued, "Well, then—tell me LittleTom, have you ever been to a castle..."

....

Eddard Stark P.O.V

"—The armors have almost all been repaired while all the unworkable ones have all been melted for reuse, if we go at this steady rate then by the time the week is over we should have all the weapons repaired too," Ser Rodrik said.

Eddard nodded as he listened to his most trusted knight gave him the report while they were leaving the armory of Winterfell, "That is very good. And how about the arrows?"

"They are being made at a steady rate, so we should have enough stock ready in a few weeks," Rodrik said before he asked hesitatingly, "May I ask you something, My Lord?"

"Sure. Go on," Eddard said after they came to stop in front of the smithy where his ears were suddenly assaulted with the constant sound of hammering and clanking while the smell of burning metal filled the air.

"Is there to be a war, My Lord..."

Eddard sighed while looking into the huge open warm smithy before speaking, "I am not sure. The coastal villages have been constantly reporting large tracts of forest being stolen... and almost every month a new letter arrives from the bear islands with the sightings of Ironborn ships so while I am not completely sure the Ironborn will come out into the open to launch a full-scale attack,

"The one thing I know for sure is if they keep on going like this we will have to call our banners to come to the aid of Mormonts sooner or later. And another thing I've learned over the years is it never hurts to be always prepared..."

They had only been standing there for a couple of minutes before Mikken the resident Blacksmith came running out of the smithy.

"Milord, Ser Rodrik," Mikken saluted while wiping sweat from his forehead, "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I was just here to check if the work was coming along well and if the stock is enough," Eddard asked.

"The work is being done at a steady rate and everything is going very smoothly," Mikken said merrily, satisfied with the sudden upsurge in his work, "And the stock of metal should still last us for quite a while,"

"Hmm..." Eddard looked into the smithy before suddenly asking, "How is that boy that Jon brought in last week? Is he any good?"

"Oh he is a hard worker My lord," Mikken said with a smile, "And he is one of the fastest learners I have taught. Of course, he knows half the stuff already, so that helps but still, I don't have to spend that much time teaching him as he picks up things really quickly,"

Eddard looked into the smithy for quite a while but still wasn't able to spot him, "Where is he? I don't see him inside, Is he not working today?"

"Oh yes, he was working till about two hours ago... when Jon came and took him away saying he needed him for something,"

Eddard wondered about where Jon had taken his newest friend when they suddenly heard a voice around the corner, "Have you seen my father," when Eddard turned around, he found his son Robb talking to a guard who immediately pointed toward them.

Robb's eyes lit up with relief and he thanked the guard before running straight toward them, "Father! I finally found you. I was looking for you everywhere. Come on! quick," Ron said excitedly while pulling his father's hand behind him.

"What seems to have happened, Robb," Eddard asked, indulgently letting Robb pull him along while waving at Ser Rodrik and Mikken behind him to let them go back to work, "Where are you taking me?

"You know "the thing" Jon's been talking about for ages and hiding from all of us saying that 'It's a secret,'" Robb said with a smile, "Well... he is finally going to show us, and the rest of them are already there waiting for us, so Come on!"

Eddard did know about "the thing" Robb was talking about, having been receiving reports about Jon's whereabouts in Wintertown regularly, he knew that his son was visiting a Blacksmith for a couple of months now.

Ever since Jon had started earning some money from his regular hunts, he had really started to shine as if he suddenly gained wings. And while Eddard had been a bit worried about Jon being so independent so young, he felt that ultimately it would be a useful thing in the end.

And while Eddard had been anxious about Jon learning to hunt from the Old hunter in Wintertown at the start, after having an in-depth talk with him, he had been assured by Jon's mentor that he will take every precaution and will always prioritize his safety. So even though he was still a little stressed every time Jon was a little late, he started to get used to seeing Jon as more mature.

And the one thing Ned was immensely proud of was that Jon hadn't used his first income on himself, instead like a real Big brother he had spent it on his siblings, like the Far-eye he bought for Robb or the flute for Sansa after she had expressed her interest in music, and now whatever he was having the Blacksmith make for Arya.

They arrived at the courtyard while Eddard was reminiscing, the rest of his family was already gathered there, including Catelyn, which was a bit of a surprise for Ned.

"Cat," Eddard said while coming to a stop beside his wife and putting a hand on her back, "You came too,"

"Oh... that well—Arya didn't want to go without me so I came along to make sure that she didn't miss me," Catelyn said without meeting his eyes.

"Is that so," Ned said with a raised eyebrow and a little smile while looking at his youngest daughter who didn't seem like she was missing her mother at all, entertained as she was by Sansa and Jon.

"Yes, really," Catelyn said lightly blushing, "I am not here because I am curious or something about what he is going to show..." she finished unconvincingly and Eddard just nodded along with his wife.

Over the years, Jon and Catelyn had cultivated a strange bond that was completely bizarre for everyone else. When at the start Catelyn had been so cold toward Jon, Eddard had been a little worried, but instead of becoming self-conscious like a child his age, Jon seemed to have burrowed inside her heart using his cheerful personality and sheer stubbornness.

And while Catelyn had resisted his charms with all her might, she had fallen for his mischievousness before long and stopped looking at Jon negatively.

If Jon had responded to Catelyn's frostiness by sulking and losing his self-confidence, it would have never worked, so Eddard was glad that Jon was so mature and thick-skinned and had never been hurt or ashamed, because people thought of him as a bastard, instead, he seemed to have wholeheartedly accepted it.

"Jon! Horsey! Now Pwease!" Arya's pleas bought Ned out of his musing, and he looked toward Jon who had finally noticed that his audience was finally complete.

"Of course, Now that everyone is here," Jon said before he announced dramatically, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the product unveiling of the century—Everyone! Clap!" Jon said and all the kids started cheerfully clapping, and even Cat got carried away and clapped twice before stopping abruptly, probably hoping no one saw her.

"Now without further ado, Let me present to you the product," Jon said while theatrically waving his hands to the side, "It's a Horse made for the littlest Stark, it's called the—" he paused dramatically before announcing with a flair, "StarkHorse!"

Everyone waited with anticipation and Arya and Sansa even stood up in their excitement but even after a while had passed nothing seemed to happen, so all of them turned back to Jon, who started sweating while standing in that awkward pose.

"That's your clue, TOM!" Jon shouted while blushing after nothing happened for over a minute.

"Sorry! Sorry!" LittleTom apologized while carrying the product on his back which was covered in a white cloth.

"Nevermind, put it here," Jon said with a huff while pointing in front of himself, before turning back toward his audience, "Now where was I—Yes! I present to you, StarkHorse," he said pulling the cloth away.

The thing that appeared before everyone's eyes was a small contraption with three tiny wheels like the one everyone was used to seeing on carriages. There was a small wooden seat in the middle, with paddles on both sides pointing in the opposite direction connected to the front wheel, where the legs were supposed to be.

"Wow," Arya and Sansa said in awe while all three of Jon's siblings started clapping.

"Thank You! Thank You!" Jon bowed while drinking up the praises, "Now come Arya, let's get you on your first ride,"

Jon picked up his little sister from where she was sitting before placing her on the contraption he called StarkHorse, "Now you need to paddle with your legs to move it, Alright," Jon explained and Arya started pecking her little head excitedly like a bird.

"Alright then GO!" Jon pushed the Starkhorse slowly and Arya immediately started paddling using her legs while giggling in elation, "Look! Look! I am riding a horse,"

Jon only had to help Arya for a few minutes, and before long she was riding in circles in the courtyard without anyone's help all while squealing in delight. Jon looked at his little sister's happy face with satisfaction before he turned toward his other sibling, "Don't think I forgot about you two," Jon said teasingly before turning and shouting, "LittleTom!"

This time he appeared within a second while carrying two bigger StarkHorses in both his hands, before placing them in front of them. These ones were a little different, as instead of three tires there were, just two of them, "Now this one's going to need a little practice, so you first—Robb!"

"Yes!" Robb jumped in delight while Sansa pouted.

Robb immediately mounted his Starkhorse, with Jon holding his seat tightly before he started pushing it slowly, "Now Robb, slowly paddle with your legs,"

It took Robb quite a while to get the hang of it but eventually, he was also circling along the courtyard with Arya, both sporting wide grins on their faces.

"It's really something, Huh!" Eddard said in amazement and Catelyn nodded unconsciously while looking at Jon teaching Sansa who seemed to be having the most trouble as she was quite scared, but Jon was patient with her and eventually, she too started to get over her fear and started laughing in surprise.

"Maybe I should ask Jon to have one of these StarkHorses made for me too," Eddard wondered, but before he could think on it any further, he saw from the periphery of his vision the Maester rushing towards him with a grim look on his face.

Eddard immediately turned toward the Maester who came to a stop in front of him, "What happened,"

Maester Luwing silently extended the letter in his hands in the lieu of an answer. Eddard opened the letter nervously, and the moment he read its content a dark look appeared on his face.

"What is it, My love," Catelyn asked, anxiously.

"Lannisport Burns! The Greyjoys have Rebelled"