7. The Gift

Symeon's POV:

It has been a few weeks since I returned to Winterfell from the war. Queen Rhaella, Princess Elia and Princess Rhaenys was settled in the keep and were treated with respect. Uncle Rodrik apologized to me for throwing a marriage on my face like that, but I forgave him, afterall, if going by Elia, Rhaella and book description of Arianne is anything to go by, she is going to be a damn beauty and she has magic in her bloodline, so it's okay. When Uncle Ned asked to become my regent, I refused him and made my mother, Barbrey and Uncle Rodrik my joint regents. He was very disappointed and sad, maybe because of my question at Moat Cailin before we marched south, but I have seen that having him as regent will hinder me in my efforts. Because while, in this AU Starks have taken much more smart decision rather than being stuck in the status quo but many more things could be achieved which he will hinder in because of his lack of vision.

Reaching on time to save Lyanna also proved a boon as she was able to stop Bemjen from going to join Night's Watch along with grandmother Genna. I don't know his reason, but he was almost hellbent on joining the Watch, I know that some think it was his guilt for helping Lyanna in running away, not telling anyone the truth, indirectly starting war and the reason of the death of half his family but here that is not the case, here Lyanna was really abducted. After Uncle Benjen agreed to stay, I promised to give him the lordship of Sea Dragon Point and the town around its harbor. Uncle Benjen will be later sent to Frosthold to learn under them how to manage a port city, how to sail and lead navy. Talking about Lyanna, only the Stark family, not Catelyn, know the truth about what happened after the abduction and Diana and others are told only that Lyanna was traumatized and is recovering so not to speak with her about it, as was agreed.

I have the workers brought from south and the northern ones start building a canal joining Fever River to the Bite and building a bridge over it. While some may say it is a foolish endeavor but digging less than 150 miles to join the two bodies is the most feasible idea, after all Suez Canal was also made in a similar manner. It took a lot of convincing to make Uncle Rodrik and mother see the profit this will bring. That's why the castle was put on hold in favor of constructing the canal first. After all, Braavos, Pentos, Norvos Qohor, Kingdom of Sarne, Ibben all will come to trade with us because of this canal and now half of the work is almost completed. An agreement is already reached with Uncle Ned that House Stark will get 75% of the profit generated from the canal and his House will get 25% because House Stark is the one to bear the budget of the canal.

I have started my martial training in this world. When Ser Rodrik asked which weapon I wanted to learn, I chose dual axes because every major opponent of mine in this world would be in armor and axes have higher chances of penetrating armor than sword. Also, because I already know how to wield swords, spears and various kind of knives. The only sword I don't know how to wield are big swords like Great swords by european standards, not every sword in the world. So, I will have to learn how to wield a great sword if I want to wield Ice into battle but that can be done later.

As for my efforts of bringing prosperity to North, there are many things I can do. First and foremost, will be implementing four-field crop rotation. And best thing about it is I know pretty much everything about it because what do you think I took as my payment method, yes land. Second would be bringing crops from all over the world that could withstand cold better than the current crops grown here, which are same as Earth. So, I started making a list of all the crops, fruits and vegetables and livestock that I know of and their most probable location according to where they were found on Earth and guessing their location according to this world's geography and kingdoms.

Next would-be improving trade and integrating this new population and the new people that will start coming after some time as I asked King Robert and Jon Arryn to send those willing to change faith and orphans to North. For that I have many building projects in mind, thankfully I don't have to make roads, the only good thing that was done by Targaryens for the North. Their idea of using molten rocks and letting them cool down was truly good as those roads have stood the test of time till now and will stay intact for many centuries if the current condition is anything to go by.

As for my magical practice, it is going great. I have become an expert in mind reading and manipulation and as I expected Starks have a natural affinity for ice element and water by extension, so I have started learning Cryokinesis and Hydrokinesis. Having affinity doesn't mean that you can't learn other elements, but the manipulation of element for which you have an affinity for comes to you way more easily than other elements. I also performed some rituals on myself in godswood to make my body reach peak human condition, improving my senses to superhuman levels and some other rituals. These rituals only needed some animal parts to do them, for which I hired some hunters to bring them.

For now I have been able to dump all my paperwork on my mother, grandmother and Rodrik and spend my time learning farming under the farmers working in Winterfell that manages glass gardens and the lands inside the walls. I use it only as a front to show where my knowledge on the subject came when I will introduce the Four-Field crop rotation to them. Later I will use the same process to introduce much better steel. I have seen Westerosi steel and calling it steel is a joke. It is just well forged iron, not steel, so I will introduce Wootz and Damascus steel to them later.

I have very few things to learn under Maester Luwin as I learned reading and writing within a year and my numbers within 3 months. The only thing he can teach me is Old Tongue, history and some politics which the masters are not exactly good in it. I even taught the Winterfell's accountant, send by Bank of Winterfell and a service only available to Starks, double entry bookkeeping, which was even taught to Bank of Winterfell but was prohibited from telling other lords or the citadel. When they asked why, I told them it is my discovery, and I don't want southerners to profit from it without paying me anything.

For now, I am asked by my mother to be prepared for when Lord Commander Qorgyle will come to Winterfell to discuss the matter of the New Gift and Brandon's Gift and what compensation needs to be given to the Watch for taking away their land, which they were barely using and holds less than 1000 families population wise other than Night's Watch's men, which too less for a land that is almost 2/3 of Riverland and is as fertile as Reach.

Lord Commander will arrive a fortnight later with around an escort of a dozen men to meet with mother and Uncle Rodrik and discuss the deal for the lands of the New Gift and Brandon's Gift. He and his men were provided bread and salt and escorted to rooms in the Guest House. Next day, the discussion was finally held in the Lord's Solar. Those present there for the discussion were my mother, Barbrey Stark, Uncle Rodrik Stark, Lord Commander Qyburn and ofcourse me, Symeon Stark.

The discussion began with my mother starting the conversation. "Lord Commander, firstly I would like to thank you as the regent of House Stark for agreeing to meet with us. But before we get to business, I would like to offer you some wine."

"Aye, I would appreciate that." Lord Commander said. Uncle Rodrik moved to offer him a goblet. Uncle Rodrik passed him the goblet. He drank a few gulps and set the goblet on the table, released a contented sigh and said "I haven't had a good cup of wine since I joined the Night's Watch. A man can forget simple pleasures of life up there. But as much as I like the hospitality of House Stark, I have to return to the Wall, lest some of your Targaryen loyalist or an ambitious brother starts cooking up something too bold for their own good, so can we please get down to business."

"OfCourse Lord Commander. As you know the King has returned the lands of the New Gift along with Brandon's Gift to North and House Stark and while it was not our intention to take your rightful lands, but it is also a truth that Night's Watch struggle to manage lands as many times the Lord Commander are not educated in these matters due to their commoner background. So, we would like to discuss the purchase of the lands of the New Gift and a deal favorable to both sides for the land of Brandon's Gift." 

"New Gift was given to the Night's Watch by Jaehaerys I. King Robert has no right to give away our lands as we are a neutral institution outside the authority of crown." Lord Commander said, slightly angrily.

"True, but it is also true that Jaehaerys illegally took the land from the North. Even the King has no right to take away lands of the lords of the realm without any offences." Mother said.

"Even then, the King had no right to take away Brandon's gift." Lord Commander shouted and banged his fist on the table, but anyone barely reacted to his outburst.

"Lord Commander, control your anger because it is our respect for the order that was once started by House Stark that we are even discussing a deal. We have every right to just send men and claim the territory and the Night's Watch wouldn't be able to do anything but watch. It was not our intention to take away your land, we only wanted our land back, but we are still negotiating so control your anger." Uncle Rodrik said.

"Curse Jaehaerys to Seven Hells, why did he even give the land to the Watch. If he hadn't that, we wouldn't have been in this position." Lord Commander said.

"To weaken the North, to have us rebel so that he can get rid of House Stark and place a more amiable house in our place, to make North dependent on south so that they can defeat us without even fighting a war or maybe to have the faith of the seven finally penetrate in the North." I said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

"What do you mean Symeon" Mother asked me.

"After coming back from south, I started going over some old records here of the time of Jaehaerys reign. Records about North's food import, condition of the Watch and such things. I found that during short summers, we only had to import only 3 quarters of what we now have to import and only half during long summers. By giving away the land he made us dependent on south, he probably wanted us to rebel so that he can place another who will be more amiable as the new house will need crown's support to rule over North, as for why he did this, North and House Stark was the only one to oppose his laws, remember. Or he could have faith easily penetrate into North by having people convert to the faith for food.

After all, despite what he would like to show the rest of the realm, it was after giving the Watch the lands of the Gift that the true downfall of the Watch began. At the time of Jaehaerys reign the Watch had around 7,000 men. Let's assume thousands were stewards and builders. Another thousand were recruiters and rangers. The watch had just gone through an uprising, so another thousand were needed to maintain peace up at the wall as even in normal condition around 500 to 1,000 men are those who chose the Black instead of the block. Leaving only 4,000 men to maintain the land in which they have to govern the land half the size of Crownlands not to mention dispense justice, collect taxes and maintain settlements with a force that is already spread thin. Now many of these men were already rapers and thieves and the smallfolk probably didn't want to judge by such men. This created a rift between its new subject and the Watch. Not to mention as mother said earlier, not every Lord Commander is trained in managing lands due to their commoner background and some mismanagement is sure to happen. The smallfolk started leaving the land due to this and constant wildling raids, leaving the lands barren."

"You are right my lord, but you are forgetting that the Watch was already losing men, as records also say that at the time of conquest the Watch had around 10,000 men." Lord Commander said

"You are right my lord but during the reign of Jaehaeys, the Watch had around 7,000 men but now have somewhat close to 1,200. Why do you think that is." I asked them.

"After Aegon conquered Westeros, the fights between the Kingdoms stopped that stopped the inflow of men we received from these wars." Lord Commander said.

"True, but it was already 50 years before Jaehaerys gave the land and House Stark already wiped out most of the faith militant sent there. It was because your main source of men was not these wars. It certainly provided small boost, but these kingdoms rarely ever bothered to send men North because of the cost. What you are forgetting to take into consideration is from where most of those men came from." I said

"The Gift" Lord Commander said in realization.

"Yes, The Gift. Many second sons joined the Watch due to the proximity and not to burden the family during winter but to secure food for themselves at the only place where food is guaranteed. But as the lands start getting empty it increased the Watch's need for prisoners, which further decreased the population, starting a vicious cycle." I said.

"And the Watch failed in their duty to the people and the realm and failed to effectively guard the realm from dangers in the north." Lord Commander said almost guiltily.

"None of that my lord. The Watch was never mase to hold lands, it was made to guard from what is in the North. But enough history, let's get back to the deal." I said.

"We are willing to buy the land of the New Gift, for the Watch to save face and because of our respect for it, for 3,000 golden dragons." Mother said.

"It is still a lot of fertile land. 10,000 dragons." Lord Commander said.

"True but we will have to invest a lot of money in it. 4,000" Mother said.

"But you will be making a profit, especially with those southern cheap labor you have coming. 8,000"

"It will be years before we see any profit. 5,000 final"

"You have a deal my lady."

"As for the land of Brandon's Gift, we will also have the land habituated, and the Watch will receive 20% of the taxes generated from it. It is non-negotiable my lord, the lords there will also have to earn something, don't they." Mother said. The Lord Commander reluctantly agreed to the deal, and it was signed and stamped.