Interlude: Edric 3
Morosh, Mid Twelfth Moon, 285 A.C., A few hours later…
The lords and knights talk amongst themselves, goblets of the local apple brandy in hand, having gathered at the governor's palace for a simple victory feast. The food has been eaten, and now the Westerosi and their Lorathi allies drink brandy and make toasts. After securing the city and posting sentries to ensure no attack from the splintered Dothraki bands, the Westerosi didn't venture outside the walls. All evidence points to the Dothraki having fled the area, the biggest being they left behind half their slaves, the other half dead or taken with the fractured Dothraki.
Five thousand starving, unarmed slaves made their way to the southern gates of Morosh. After discussing it with the Prince of the Streets, Prince Stannis let in the slaves but not before having them searched to ensure no tricks. Feeding them wasn't an issue due to Morosh being supplied by sea throughout the siege but finding them housing was. So far, they're housing in abandoned homes and the guards barracks until they find better lodging.
I take a sip of my Lorathi apple brandy, savoring the crisp, dry taste, reminiscent of the cider my brother imports from Ser Swyft. I spot Arnolf Karstark at the far side of the room talking with Lord Petyr and Hother Umber. His eyes meet mine and we both narrow our eyes at one another. After a moment of establishing an unspoken, mutual "you don't bother me, I won't bother you", I turn back to my conversation partner, Ser Wendel Manderly. The slightly portly Northmen in a particularly celebrative mood for being the one to slay Khal Motho, not just winning glory for himself and his house, but also a large bounty placed on the khal by the Lorathi.
"Ser Wendel, this is your what? Third? Fourth expedition with the Royal Trade Company?" I ask my fellow Northmen.
"Fourth, Lord Edric. I was on the two voyages to the Summer Islands and the previous expedition to Braavos and Lorath. I even took part in both the negotiations with the Braavosi to open up trade in the Shivering Sea and the Lorathi to establish a trading post!" Ser Wendel boasts, the jolly knight takes a sip before continuing. "I'm already a Lord Captain, but now that I've slain a horselord, I'll for certain be considered a potential successor to Ser Estermont or Prince Stannis as Head of the Council or Lord Director!"
"How much has your house prospered as one of the 'Big Four' of your trade company?" I ask, curious as to how the king's trade company has affected White Harbor and the eastern coast of the North. The Manderly knight's eyes light up.
"Wonderfully! Being among the first supporters of the 'king's company' and favored by the queen, we have profited mightily. The expeditions to the Summer Islands were successful, bringing us much in coin and spices. We have increased trade with fellow houses of the company with more merchants travelling from the Gulltown and the Crownlands to White Harbor to sell their wares. The New Royal Standard makes it easier and simpler to conduct trade between merchants and houses. We even get traders from the Summer Islands sailing into White Harbor!" Ser Wendel exclaims.
"Aye, a few Summer Islanders even stopped in Oldcastle! Word is the foreigners set up a trading post in Wolfsport? Is this true, Lord Edric?" A new voice cuts in and I turn to see Ser Donnel Locke, younger brother of Lord Ondrew Locke of Oldcastle, an ancient holdfast southeast of White Harbor, on the northern coast of the Bite.
"Indeed, it is, Ser Donnel. The Xho Clan of Koj established a trading post in Wolfsport and now over a hundred Summer Islanders from his clan and their bannermen live and trade in Wolfsport. The men work as traders while the women work in the brothels, something about prostitutes being seen as a noble profession in their strange culture." I respond and the Locke knight looks surprised.
"And there have been no issues with the foreigners in your city?" He asks.
"Only the typical issues that arise from merchants, things like arguments over prices getting out of hand or accusations of underselling and whatnot. No more than the Southron merchants increasingly trading in our city." I say with a shrug. The Summer Islanders in Wolfsport haven't been much of an issue for my brother due to them mainly sticking to their trading post, the harbor, and the brothels.
"We've had a bigger headache dealing from complaints from brothel owners ever since the Summer Islanders built one in Wolfsport. Now every brothel has been scrambling to employ Summer Islander whores, the demand for them is so high!" I explain. The foreign women were particularly popular in the brothels, both for their exotic looks and prowess in bed. Something I can attest to having lost my virginity to a Summer Islander woman a year ago in a Wolfsport brothel.
"Aye. Some of the brothels in White Harbor have started employing Summer Islander women. Before the trade company, the only foreigners to be found were from the Free Cities." Ser Wendel says before taking a sip of apple brandy.
"Lord Edric, I heard your brother is in talks with Lord Benjen Stark about a paved road from Moat Cailin to the mouth of the White Knife." The knight of House Locke asks me and I see Ser Wendel's eyes flash with interest.
"Indeed, he has been, Ser Donnel. We stopped by Moat Cailin on the way to Lannisport so my brother could advise him on constructing his own quickstone kilns. He brought up the possibility of a road to the White Knife creating a trade connection between the Saltspear and the White Knife!" I tell them about our trip to Moat Cailin went and how the wooden keep is mostly restored to her former glory but no work has begun on the towers due to winter.
"It's funny you should mention a connection between the eastern and western shores of the North. Lord Dustin wrote to my father about how he aims to construct a "Barrow Road" from the seat of the Rhyswells, Grailheart, through Barrowton, Goldglass, and Oldburrow, until it reaches Barlow Keep, seat of House Barley on the Kingsroad. He inquired my father on a possible expansion from Barlow Keep to the White Knife north of White Harbor." The Manderly knight says and my eyes widen.
"If we extend the planned Stony Road from Fisher Hall to Grailheart, one could walk from Wolfsport to the White Knife. And if combined with a Moat Cailin road, will allow greater trade to flow between the two shores of the North!" I respond, my mind racing. Trade between houses of the different shores of the North has always been difficult due to the sheer distances involved. The North is large and takes weeks to travel on foot from one shore to the other but it's still faster than sailing around Westeros from Wolfsport to White Harbor. Even one of the roads being constructed will allow trade to more easily flow between Northern houses, let alone both. I need to tell my brother about this potential "Barrow Road".
"I'm sure my brother will support Lord Dustin in his endeavor. I have no doubts my brother will see the merit in a paved road that runs from Wolfsport to the White Knife." I say before taking another sip of brandy.
"I've seen those quickstone roads of your brother's when my father and I sailed up the White Knife and Wolf's Branch to Castle Cerwyn and rode on one to Winterfell. They were expertly crafted and solidly built, your brother living up to his name "Hugo the Builder". The King has no doubt heard of it's merit from Lord Stark, considering he's planning to pave the Kingsroad from Storm's End to Castle Black." Ser Wendel responds, mentioning my brother's epitaph in the North, as oppose to in the South, where they call him "Hugo the Inventor". I'm prevented from responding by Prince Stannis' voice echoing across the spacious dining room.
"My lords, MY LORDS! We are gathered here tonight to celebrate a great triumph! We have defeated the Dothraki that threatened this city, slain Khal Motho, and now the remnants of their horde flee. Scattered to the winds by Westerosi might and steel!" I cheer along the assembled lords and knights before the prince continues.
"Take pride my lords, for we have fulfilled our oath to see this city safe from Dothraki slavers. The good women and children of Morosh will no longer fear being brutalized and carried off like cattle by savages…" I see lords nod and murmur in agreement at the prince mentioning the Dothraki being slavers. I feel my own pride swell, the desperate and forlorn faces of the people of Morosh during the siege flashing before my mind. How many of those women and children would have been raped and enslaved had we not intervened? I shudder to think of the answer.
"…And will establish a new trading post in Morosh for the Royal Trade Company!" The gathered lords cheered and I tune out the Fisher Prince, being the only Prince of Lorath to speak fluent Common Tongue, thanking us for saving the colony. I raise my goblet when he toasts the new alliance between us and Lorath.
"And now to announce achievements! Ser Jasper Redfort, Ser Cedric Storm, and Lord Perkin of House Follard all slayed Dothraki "kos" or commanders in single combat! Lord Perkin, step forward and kneel." I see a young Crownlander squire around my age step before the prince and receive a knighthood for his achievement to the applause of the crowd. The three named men being congratulated by their peers for their achievements, especially the newly knighted Ser Perkin.
"Lord Edric of House Seastark slayed Jotho, son and heir to Khal Motho in single combat! Lord Edric, step forth and kneel!" I did as commanded and receive a knighthood from the prince. I admit to being surprised at receiving a knighthood, considering a worship the Old Gods. But there are Old Gods worshippers like Ser Martyn Cassel who have been knighted with no issue. It is a surreal experience to kneel, be knighted, and stand up a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I barely acknowledge the congratulations when the prince speaks again.
"And last but not least, Ser Wendel Manderly slayed Khal Motho himself in single combat!" I snap out it and join the crowd in letting out a hearty cheer for our fellow Northmen. The Manderly knight receiving praise and slaps on the shoulders for his achievement. The night soon becomes a blur as I drink a celebrate a siege won and try not to think about the five-and-ten Sea Wolves that didn't make it…
Three days later…
I walk with the Fisher Prince and Vogan towards the city barracks where an intriguing group of now freed slaves were being housed. Nothing about physical about them is intriguing, a mix of peoples whose skin tones range from copper to pale and speak only in the Dothraki tongue. No, what made them intriguing is why they wish to meet with me.
"They want to what?" I ask Vogan if I heard him translate the lead freedmen, a weathered old woman, correctly.
"They wish to settle in the 'lands of the black wolf'." The translator replies.
"I heard you, it's just…do they not know how far Sea Dragon Point is from here?" I exclaim incredulously.
"No. They don't know where that is. Neither do I, now that I think about it. It's in the North, correct? It shouldn't be too far a here." Vogan replies.
"It's on the other side of the North, in the Sunset Sea. A good five moons by galley if you're blessed with favorable winds!" I state matter-of-factly and his eyes widen and translates my words to the representatives of the former slaves. The wizened woman looks surprised, glances at me before talking with several younger freedmen in Dothraki. They have a brief argument in the foreign tongue before the crone speaks to Vogan again.
"They acknowledge the distance is far, but they still wish leave these lands behind and settle in this 'Sea Dragon Point'". He translates and I'm shocked they still wish to come to Sea Dragon Point of all places.
"But why? Why give up a life here in Essos for Sea Dragon Point? And why there? Why not White Harbor that's closer?" I start firing question after question as Vogan struggles to keep up in translating. The weathered old woman smiles and speaks for a long time to Vogan.
"What life do we have here? We are former slaves who, unlike the rest of our compatriots, were born into Dothraki chains or were enslaved at a young age. Unlike them, who remember their peoples' cultures and tongues, know only the harsh tongue and whip of the Dothraki! We heard the khal's screams of anguish and rage at the death of his son by your hand, the black wolf. How he cursed you and seethed in fury, and swore to see your head mounted on his yurt. That made us curious about you. Then after we were freed, we heard rumors about you and your lands, telling of a prosperous city and now wish to live under your rule. We, who have nowhere to go now that we are free, wish to live under the warrior who slayed Jotho, the cruelest of the khal's sons in single combat." Vogan translates her impassioned speech and despite feeling moved by their plight, I still had some practical concerns.
"I am not the lord of those lands, that would be my brother, Lord Hugo Seastark. I can convince him to allow your people to settle, and you may serve under me but you will swear an oath of fealty to him. How many of you wish to settle and what kind of trades do they practice." I ask glancing around the barracks to see mayhaps a hundred people in the barracks. One hundred shouldn't be too difficult to settle in Wolfsport and the surrounding area and Hugo has given me permission to bring back any Essosi who wish to settle in our lands.
"Over one thousand freedmen, mostly herders and pillow slaves for the Dothraki but craftsmen like blacksmiths, carpenters, and tanners are among us." My eyes bug out at the much higher number than expected.
"Over a thousand! But I can only fit mayhaps three dozen on my ship at most. To transport these people over such a vast distance is going to require chartering a good dozen galleys, in the middle of winter no less!" I turn to the Fisher Prince, who smiles.
"We will provide the necessary galleys for transport as part of our thanks for slaying khalakka Jotho and fighting with us for two weeks. They can set sail for your lands within a week." The Fisher Prince says to my immense relief, having taken the burden of finding transport for these people off my shoulders.
"Bounty or not, you have my thanks, Prince Vygaro. I will wait until they leave to sail for the Port of Ibben." I say and the prince nods. Today, Prince Stannis left Morosh, leaving over a thousand men despite scouts finding no Dothraki within ten leagues of the colony, to sail for Saath. The city is southwest of here and it's the last remnant of the Kingdom of Sarnor and the Tall Men. They'll then sail for the Kingdom of Omber before reaching the Port of Ibben in a trip that'll take two to three moons. Meanwhile, I'm going to sail directly to the Port of Ibben and be there in three weeks so by the time the prince and expedition reach the western shores of Omber, I'll be sailing into the capital of Ibben…
One week later…
I watch the small fleet of galleys taking the new settlers of Sea Dragon Point sail west while the Thunderbolt heads east. It'll take them roughly five to six moons to get there, including stops along the way. Ironically, with how fast the clipper is, I'm going to reach Wolfsport before them since they'd only take three to four moons from Ibben to Wolfsport.
I hear the sounds of struggle accompanied by cheering and glance over to see my ten newest passengers forming a circle and spectating a wrestling match between one of them and the crew. A short, squat, hairy man pins one of my sailors to the deck to the cheers of the crowd. Vogan, lent to me by the Princes of Lorath to serve as my translator to the Ibbenese, walks up with one of my guests, a gruff looking Ibbenese man named Shrogg Koth. He says something in his raspy, guttural tongue and Vogan translates.
"This one thanks you for transporting them back to their homeland after years of enslavement and expresses how impressed he is at the speed of this ship."
"You are most welcome. I was heading to the Port of Ibben anyway so it made sense to take you with me." I say, not disclosing the true reason.
The true reason being to make a good impression on the Shadow Council that rules over their lands. They came to power after overthrowing their line of god kings when almost all their mainland holdings were razed by the Dothraki. This pairs with the second part of how the Princes of Lorath thanked me for my valor, an official letter to the Shadow Council signed by all three Princes of Lorath vouching for me and my character. Returning their people and an official letter won't get me the designs for one of their large whaling ships my brother is obsessed with, but it does get me a meeting with some important magisters in the Shadow Council. The kind of magisters who have the authority to trade those kind of secrets.
Hugo gave me full authority to negotiate any kind of deal I can get to obtain those schematics. I might not be able to trade a clipper, but there's a lot we have to offer the Ibbenese…
A/N: This chapter we see the aftermath of the siege with the Dothraki more or less splintering into smaller competing khals migrating away from Morosh. Edric gains a knighthood, settlers for Sea Dragon Point, and a letter from the Princes of Lorath that effectively plants his foot in the door to meeting with the Shadow Council.
Sorry for all the interludes. I realize with this chapter, six of the last seven chapters have been interludes. This is because the Edric saga has kinda blown up on me similar to how the King's Landing saga did. Rest assured, we'll return to Hugo next chapter.
Chapter 22
Sea Dragon Bay, Late Third Moon, 286 A.C., Three moons later…
The driver swims through the kelp, inspecting each stalk carefully before finding some reason to dismiss it and moving to the next stalk. I send him a mental poke asking what he is doing as I've never seen this type of behavior in orcas. Not that I'm an expert in orcas or anything. I receive an image of two orcas placing a kelp stalk between them and rubbing their bodies with together. This piques my curiosity because this is a sign of toolmaking.
The driver finally selects the perfect kelp, using his teeth to rip a four-foot-long stalk and begins swimming towards his mother. He squeaks and clicks to his mother, who seems happy to take him up on his suggestion. The driver places the kelp between his right side and her left side, both orcas facing the same direction, and begin rubbing up against each other. The sensation feels akin to when I use my back scratcher to scratch an irritating, out of reach spot. I sense a mix of physical relief and familial affection through the mental curtain as he continues to rub up with his mother. I quietly observe the strengthening of the social bonds between mother and son, who perform this ritual for a few minutes both sides, the back, and the belly. After they finish, the kelp is discarded as the driver swims to the surface for air. I convince him to spyhop, a behavior in whales and dolphins breach their entire head above water to look around, and he obliges. He positions himself vertically with his pectoral fin in a manner similar to a person treading water, and slowly pokes his head until his eyes are a few inches above the waterline.
It's still dark out at the hour of the redbird or around six in the morning in another world, the lighthouse on a hill north of the city still lit. This far north in winter, the sunrise is still about two hours away in the hour of the robin. With the driver's superior low-light vision, I spot a few fishing ships already in the bay, with most only now setting out from the harbor. A Northern merchant cog sails out of the eastern harbor and a few moments later, a Riverlander merchant cog sails in.
At the north end of the harbor sits ten galleys of the Sunset Fleet, three in the last stages of construction and seven undergoing maintenance. The rest of the fleet, thirty galleys in total, were patrolling Northern waters north of Cape Kraken, split into groups of five galleys to cover a wider area. No reavings have been reported, either in Sea Dragon Point or by other Northern houses.
The quickstone quay lays half finished, the workers soon to arrive to continue its construction, due to be done by the end of the year as newly built scorpions gaze down menacingly from the sea wall.
The driver turns and notices the light of a small fishing boat sailing towards us. The small vessel is piloted by three men with a lantern lit by a whale oil candle, burning brightly in the darkness. When the boat draws near, I see the three fishermen wearing rabbit-fur ushankas, a father, and his sons, one on the cusp of manhood and the other looked to be around Jonnel's age of three-and-ten, point towards us and start talking amongst themselves. The father and his sons then fling three fresh salmon from their first haul towards the driver and my bond with the driver strengthening to the point that I can understand the salty fisherman's words.
"SEA MESSENGER OF THE OLD GODS! WE OFFER THIS TRIBUTE IN HOPES THAT THE OLD GODS WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR NETS FULL OF FISH!" The fisherman shouts and his sons bow their heads as the boat passes by about twenty feet from us. Unfortunately for them, the driver doesn't understand their words and moves to eat the free salmon. I receive a mental poke from him asking why the humans have been throwing fish at him and his pod. I send an images of him saving my brother and the pod hunting and fishing with humans. A picture of a direwolf next to an orca is next to illustrate a connection I am building between them in the eyes of the smallfolk and the driver shows intrigue at the mental image of the direwolf and my explanation of orcas being the "direwolves of the seas".
He's silent for a moment before responding with a series of images of images, the first is humans throwing fish at an orca and the pod eating the tongue of a humpback hunted by whalers, and the second shows his mother commanding the pod to save a drowning man and assisting fishermen and whalers in their hunts. The third image mirrors the first only with no fish being given to the orcas and the fourth mirrors the second only with the pod refusing to save the drowning man or assist in the hunts. I agree to his basic deal, marveling at the intelligence of orcas in being able to conceptualize and agree to deals not only with other pods but humans as well.
The brief interaction between the fishermen and the driver has me thinking about the pod of eight orcas and the reputation they've been unintentionally cultivating amongst the whalers and fishermen of Wolfsport.
Before I started skinchanging, spotted whales were seen as any other whale, game to be hunted when possible, and left alone when not. After a certain milk-eyed spotted whale saved my brother from drowning, I forbid the hunting of spotted whales. While some whalers grumbled, most accepted it since spotted whales were rarely hunted anyways and saving my brother bought a lot of goodwill from the people. Since then, the pod has assisted in the hunt of gray whales on two separate occasions and another humpback, providing Wolfsport with much needed whalebone and oil. The pod recently herded a large school of salmon into the nets of awaiting fishermen in return for a portion of the catch and now the fishermen and whalers have begun to give offerings of fish to the orcas in hopes of receiving the blessing of a sea messenger. The Old Gods of the Forest may dwell on land, but they are gods of nature itself and naturally, the sea falls within their domain. The direwolf was chosen by the Starks for their sigil for a reason, the direwolf has always been revered by the First Men and Children as divine messengers. I used the rescue of my brother to outlaw the hunting of orcas, citing them as the "direwolves of the sea, and thus the messengers of the Old Gods through the sea".
I made it all up, of course. Thanks to the complete lack of any uniform or codified worship of the Old Gods, the smallfolk seem to believe my bullshit divine connection between the spotted whales and the Old Gods.
After eating the salmon, the driver dives back into the depths of the bay and meets up with the gathered pod. They lazily swim around, having some type of debate between themselves on what to do or what to hunt.
Click Click Click Click Click
A string of loud clicks reverberates throughout the bay with the volume of someone screaming in your ear. After a short pause, another series of clicks with long whine that lowered in pitch as it went on finishing it. I recognize the type of beast that makes these noises, having heard them before with the driver, faintly like a whisper.
When I first heard it I asked the driver what kind of animal was making that kind of noise. When it answered with a mental image of a fully grown leviathan, I remember getting excited thinking one was about to swim into Sea Dragon Bay only for my host to amusingly note that the leviathan making the sounds was thousands of miles away communicating with another one of it's kind over vast differences. I knew sperm whales were the loudest animals on earth and could communicate over thousands of miles but it was a completely different thing to faintly hear a leviathan and realize it was a probably off the coast of Lonely Light.
This one, however, sounds much closer. I ask the driver how close the leviathan making the current sounds and he estimates that it's around fifty miles away. If that's how loud they sound from fifty miles away, I shudder to think how loud it'd be next to one. The pod continues to swim along, knowing the massive beast is still a far distance away, though noticeably more tense, like a herd of deer catching the faintest scent of a wolf.
On Earth, orcas are the apex predators of the sea, capable of hunting whales larger than themselves and no natural predators of their own. Here, orcas can still prey on whales larger than them but they aren't apex predators, that title belongs to leviathans. They have no natural predators and are only hunted by the Ibbenese, which is why I'm so determined to get my hands on one of their ship schematics. Not only would it allow us to hunt leviathans, it would allow us to hunt large whales further out at sea by harvesting the whale next to the ship instead of dragging it to the shore.
The pod swims towards the shallower waters of the shoreline and proceeds to hunt seals. The driver dives below a group of seals before charging at one and delivering a devastating smack that launches it high in the air. The rest of the pack scatter and when the unfortunate victim hits the water a moment later, the dazed seal becomes an easy breakfast for the driver. As the orcas chews on his meal I feel a strange sensation, as if someone is shaking me. I check to see if it's the driver trying to communicate when I feel it again.
Suddenly my eyes open and I'm staring at the canopy of our bed. I sit up and glance over to my heavily pregnant who looks at me with a serious look on her face.
"Hugo, my water broke." I stare at her dumbly before the words register in my brain and I immediately call for the wetnurse. In a hectic blur, I escort my wife with a maid to the birthing chambers…
Later…
After several hours labor that ended up requiring the use of forceps to correct a malposition of the babe, I hold little Jeyne Seastark in my arms as Myrra lays on the bed, awake yet resting. Golden blonde hair but with the same greenish-gray eyes of her siblings, she is named after Myrra's friend Jeyne Grafton nee Farman. We agreed to name her Jeyne after her friend's fifth child was born Myrra Grafton.
The Seastarks still in Castle Warg are in the chambers with us, with mother holding a four-and-ten moon old Stannis while Jonnel and Breyna plays with an Asha that recently celebrated her third nameday and the twins, themselves a few moons shy of three, after the toddlers lost interest in their newest sibling. Elsa holds Wyman's eight moon old son Bennard, born a moon before the expedition left and named after our grandfather. The midwife and her assistants leave to wash their hands with soap and clean the forceps with boiled wine.
"I hope Quentyn isn't too upset about my brother becoming House Seastark's second knight." I say with a smile and Myrra softly chuckles at the reference to the royal proclamation of Prince Stannis' victory against the Dothraki in the "Battle of Morosh".
That had come a moon ago and was sparse on details, only that the Dothraki had been defeated, the city saved, the prince sailing for Saath, and a list of knighthoods and achievements. Edric was mentioned twice. The first was that he was knighted for fighting two weeks in the siege with five and twenty Sea Wolves and slaying the heir to Khal Motho. The second is that he was saved by Petyr Baelish of all people
"He'll have to settle for the acclaimed title of 'House Seastark's third knight'". Myrra japes and the adults chuckle. The lad in question is with his father, Ser Normund, the fosterlings, and former prince Jalabhar Xho at the archery range with the Summer Islander leading the lessons. Jalabhar, like most Summer Islander princes, is a skilled archer since his people heavily prize the skill, more than riding or melee combat.
At first, the castle garrison thought his skill was due only to his goldenheart bow, made from the famous wood found only in the Summer Islands. But when given a simple yew bow, the former prince hit a near bulls-eye from one hundred yards, silencing his critics. I gave him the honor of teaching archery to my fosterlings, except Tyrion, who is unable to use a bow and is using a crossbow instead.
For a moment I stand there with my family, holding my newborn daughter and bask in the peace. A knock on the door breaks the peace, opening to reveal Maester Armond with a raven scroll.
"A raven from King's Landing my lord. It's from Dagwell." The maester's words cause the adults and Jonnel to snap their heads at him, knowing a message from Dagwell meant news about Edric and their voyage.
"That it's from the capital is a good sign." I say hopefully as I take the message and unfurl it. My eyes scan the scroll written in a Caesar cipher to make it unreadable to anyone without the key. I hand Jeyne over to Myrra before deciphering the scroll and writing out a translated version on a separate scroll.
As I decipher the phrase "At Hell's heart I stab at thee!" I smile, the phrase being the code for the successful acquisition of the ship schematics. I continue to decipher, unsure if they accidently added a zero when the refugees are mentioned and finish writing out Dagwell's encrypted scroll. I silently read the decrypted message in full and my reactions range from pride, confusion, to frustration at my brother's actions.
"Hugo? Is Edric alright?" My mother asks me and I hand over the decrypted message.
"Edric got the schematics and is safe! He traded the secrets to our farming implements, the rocket stoves, the canning process, the saw mill, and our perfumes to obtain it!" I note he didn't give away the secrets to the wayfinders, backstaffs and my metalworks. The words bring cheer and relief to my family. Arsa and the twins look around at the adults knowing something is going on but not understanding what.
"Edric deflowered a Lorathi princess and she carries his child! Now her father, the Prince of the Streets is demanding compensation!" My mother exclaims upon reading that part of the message and the rest of my family looks scandalized.
"What will happen to the child? Are they asking for compensation?" My goodsister Elsa asks and I shrug.
"There is no mention of what they intend to do with the child. Although I wouldn't be surprised if the Ennarhan family wishes to keep him." I answer to the surprise of the room.
"But wouldn't they be worried about the bastard possibly inheriting the title of prince?" Myrra asks in confusion.
"The title of Prince of Lorath is elected, not inherited. Meaning there's little to no threat of them ever becoming a Prince. They could possibly inherit the family's lands and wealth, but not the title of Prince." I respond.
"As for compensation, the Lorathi prince is demanding we pay for the transport of over a thousand former slaves and a hundred beasts of burden to Wolfsport!" My mother continues to read the decrypted letter. My family reacts with a barrage of questions.
"Are we getting new people?" Little nine namedays old Breyna asks.
"Surely he means over a hundred, right?" Elsa asks.
"Where did Edric find that many people willing to come all the way here?" Jonnel puts in his two cents.
"How much is this going to cost?" My wife inquires and I wince thinking about the expense.
"Dagwell says the transport fleet is chartered five-and-ten galleys for five thousand gold. You wouldn't need that many for a hundred people and some cattle. No, were about to get a large intake of people in the middle of winter. Armond!" I address the maester. "Can we handle taking in a thousand people in a two or three moons?"
"I'm unsure, my lord. Wolfsport already has more people sheltering here than previous winters. Even with the additional housing you ordered constructed outside the walls it'll be difficult to accommodate a thousand people in winter. We may have to settle them elsewhere until spring." The maester answers and I consider his words.
"What about the castle hamlet and Stillport? We can send them there to lessen the burden on Wolfsport." I ask Armond and he mulls over my words.
"We may be able to accommodate a hundred in the castle hamlet and two or three hundred in Stillport. At worse, we can send them to Amber Hill or Flatmire if they're able to make the journeys." I nod and order him to begin preparations for their arrival. The maester acknowledges the order and leaves us.
"Finally, Dagwell reports that Edric presented your gift to the king on his nameday, the rocket stove drawing interest from the courtiers, and the queen is due to give birth in a moon." My mother finishes reading out the letter. The Seastark family begins discussing the latest news about Edric's knighthood, the coming settlers, the whaling ship schematics, and so on. I just stand there, watching my wife hold our newest child and quietly enjoy the moment…
A/N: I was going to type more but decided to cut it off here. Not much in this chapter other than we see Hugo deepening the partnership between orcas and humans. We see a bit of the cultural impact of orcas/spotted whales saving and working with people as they are starting to be seen as sacred animals. Hugo and his family also celebrate the birth of his second and finally get an update from Dagwell and Edric. Next chapter will be the arrival of the refugees and the later arrival of Wyman and the Yi-Ti expedition. Enjoy!