This marks a time skip of six years, from when Daveth is ten years old in the year 1,390 to when he is sixteen years old in the year 1,384. Further details of these intervening years will be revealed in the next chapter.
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The implementation of the innovative four-field crop rotation method in the small village, and the results had been nothing short of transformative. The once struggling farms had flourished, and it was clear that the land, now replenished and more productive than ever, had reaped the rewards of Willem's foresight. So impressed by the newfound abundance, King Willem had decided that the practice would be extended to all the lands under House Blackwood's rule.
Thanks to the prospering fields of grain, Willem encourage the breeding of farm animals such as pigs, cows, sheep, goat and chicken and and other animals such as horses. Because of the better breeding techniques Daveth introduced, animals were getting healthier and stronger. Death caused by neglect, food shortages or improper handling became increasingly rare. This in turn caused the number of animal farms to soar, with many popping up all around the Blackwood Vale, producing much better quality of furs, leather, meat, wool and eggs.
Another thing King Wilem ordered was to construct and establish more and more fishing villages along the coast of the Ironman's bay or along the Blue Fork , leading to a steady supply of fish even in the cold winters. Privatly, Daveth using his own authority established large bee farms which produced much more honey with better quality than even Houses renowned from their honey production, such as House Beesbury of Honeyholt. Thanks to better beekeeping techniques such as the Langstroth Hive which is a box-shaped beehive with removable frames that let bees build honeycombs in an organized way. It makes it far easier for beekeepers to check the hive and collect honey without harming the bees. A village was built to home all the people that worked on these farms, which would later on be called the village of Honetree.
The lands of House Blackwood were thriving like never before. The fields that once seemed barren now flourished with life, and the people, who had long struggled against the harsh winters, now found their tables fuller, their bellies satisfied. The surplus of food such as meat, eggs, grain and fish meant that every village with the domain of House Blackwood no longer feared the lean months of winter, where hunger and scarcity had once been a constant threat. No longer would children go to bed with empty stomachs or families huddle around meager fires, waiting for the season to turn.
All thanks to their rulers, of which everyone was gratefull. From the smallfolk due to no longer needing to go hungry for days and getting more jobs so that they can get paid and feed their families and to keep a roof over their head. From their vassals, Lords Ryger and Blanetree who both sent letters thanking both Willem and Daveth for their widsom and kindness. The newfound prosperity within their lands meant they could feed more people and earn more gold so that they could either repair their keeps and arm their men for better protection. Which Willem sent a letter back stating that he was merely doing his duty as King.
Thanks to the census, Daveth had a better knowledge of where exactly every single valuable resource of House Blackwood lay and in what measure, especially the vast deposits of unmined iron and coal mines located in the hills a couple miles away from Raventree Hall.
Daveth, together with Maester Cyrwin, devised a far better method to extract iron from their mines, producing it faster and at a much higher quality. Even better than castle forged steel found in in the lands of other Houses. As a result, the price of iron tools dropped significantly, greatly benefiting the smallfolk. No longer forced to rely on wooden tools that broke easily, they could now use sturdy iron implements, allowing them to farm far more efficiently.
The changes did not end there. With the growing abundance of food, smallfolk began arriving in great numbers from the lands of other Houses when hearing about the prosperity. Their lords were far too busy with either hunting or warring over some mill, or showed clear disdain for people they considered "lesser" than themselves. Some lords were even thankful that they had one less mouth to feed with the coming winters. With no hindrance from other lords, the smallfolk were eager to settle and work the fields or in the new mines, animal farms and fishing villages, causing the population of the Blackwood Vale to soar, reaching nearly 1,420,000 souls from the earlier 860,000.
The population especially around Raventree Hall rose swiftly, though not all consequences were positive. Because of this rapid growth, Daveth and Maester Cyrwin advised King Willem to establish planned settlements. Daveth was determined that any future city or town within their lands would not resemble King's Landing—overcrowded, filthy, and lacking proper order or security.
The place chosen for the resettlement of all the newly arriving smallfolk was, ironically, where it had all begun. The village where Daveth first implemented the new way of farming. Not for any sentimental reason, but because of its prime location. The village stood near a large river, one branching of the Blue Fork. It was also close to the new iron and coal mines, with the huge new grain and animal farms used to feed the population and lastly Raventree Hall itself. With the growing population, Daveth, with the consent of his grandfather, decided to name the up-and-coming city, Ravenna.
Its name coming from the vast number of ravens dwelling in the Blackwood Vale and Raventree Hall itself. Some old legends even tell of how the ravens themselves guided the exiled members of House Blackwood from the north to settle and establish their new home in the Riverlands.
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For Daveth, the newfound progress of his House wasn't enough. As he stood on the well-worn path leading into the the future city, his eyes swept over the homes and the surrounding landscape. The four-field crop rotation method had been a great success, but the growing city itself still bore the marks of neglect. The roads were uneven and rutted, the homes poorly constructed, and the market square was little more than a patch of dirt, trampled by the feet of the smallfolk. Though food was plentiful and rich, there was still so much to be done to improve the quality of life for the people under his care. He couldn't rest on his laurels, not yet.
As he walked deeper into the village, the sound of hammering echoed from one of the houses as a man worked on the roof. The sight of the struggling infrastructure only fueled his determination. The land had been the first step, but it was time to build something more lasting. Daveth had learned that prosperity wasn't just about abundance—it was about stability, and for that, the village needed a foundation that would endure the test of time.
His mind, always working, began to race with ideas. And then, like a spark lighting a darkened room, the solution came to him.
"Cement" he whispered to himself.
During his time studying the ways of the world beyond Westeros, he had heard whispers of something similar—a process used in far-off lands to strengthen buildings. About how the Valyrians used a similar thing to create the Demon Road.
What he needed, he realized, was a form of stone that could be molded and poured into molds like clay, but once it hardened, it would be as strong as any wall of solid rock.
Daveth had always been a thinker, a dreamer, but this invention could change everything for the Blackwoods. If he could make it work—if he could create cement it would give the people of House Blackwood more than just sturdy homes. It would give them roads that didn't wash away with the first heavy rain, bridges that could span the widest rivers, and walls that would stand firm against any attack, whether from man or nature.
He had read about it in books in his past life, about how the romans were among the first civilizations to use cement on a large scale, and their innovation revolutionized construction in the ancient world. Roman cement, often called opus caementicium, was made from a mixture of lime, volcanic ash, water, and small stones. This combination created a material that was not only strong but also incredibly durable, even when exposed to water.
One of the greatest advantages of Roman cement was its ability to harden underwater, which allowed the Romans to build harbors, bridges, and aqueducts that have survived for centuries. Structures such as the Pantheon, Roman baths, and massive amphitheaters were made possible by this material. The Pantheon's dome, still standing today, remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
Roman cement allowed builders to move away from simple stone blocks and experiment with arches, vaults, and domes, giving Roman architecture its distinctive and enduring style. Although the exact formula was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire, modern scientists have rediscovered that the secret to its strength lay in the chemical reaction between volcanic ash and seawater, making Roman cement even more durable than many modern concretes.
The only problem? Daveth had no true master of the craft at hand. The villages around him had skilled stonemasons, but none of them had ever worked with anything quite like this.
"I'll have to make it myself," he muttered, determination creeping into his voice. "I'll need time. I'll need resources."
And so, as the days passed, Daveth poured himself into the work. He sought out the rarest of minerals, experimented with different mixtures, and studied ancient texts, some even older than the histories of House Blackwood itself. It took months of trial and error, of long nights filled with failure and frustration, but at last, Daveth found the formula. He had created a mixture—a liquid stone—that could be poured into molds and, when cooled, would form a material far stronger than wood, more durable than brick, and lighter than solid stone.
The first test was small—a stone pillar in the courtyard of Raventree Hall—but it was enough to prove the concept. It hardened into a solid form overnight, and when Daveth struck it with a hammer, it didn't crack. It didn't even dent. He had done it.
Now, with his discovery in hand, he set his sights on the up-and-coming city. It was time to begin the work. Over the next several months, Daveth used his newfound invention to begin transforming Raventree Hall's surroundings. He laid down roads of liquid rock, hardened into smooth, level surfaces that could withstand years of traffic. He built sturdy walls for the homes, walls that wouldn't rot or crumble with time. Soon, thbecame a model of what could be achieved with the right ingenuity and foresight.
And though Daveth's invention, which came to be known as Liquid Rock, it was still in its infancy, he could already see the changes it was making. The people of House Blackwood would no longer have to worry about the cold biting into their homes or the floods destroying their roads. The foundations of their prosperity, both literally and figuratively, were being laid.
And so, thanks to the discovery of the new substance called Liquid Rock, the people of House Blackwood began building massive paved roads that stretched across the entire realm, connecting every village, hamlet, and stronghold. Local legends tell that every road was laid with care, blessed by ravens that circled above, guiding travelers safely along their journeys. Even remote hamlets felt the change, as the once-isolated folk found themselves linked to the heart of Blackwood power, sharing in the wealth, security, and prosperity that these roads brought.
Merchants, travelers, and messengers could now cross the lands in days rather than weeks, and trade flourished like never before. Inspired by the ease of movement, artisans and builders constructed new and impoved stone houses with roof tiles, warehouses, workshops, roads and a proper sewer system in Ravenna. While stone masons erected towering walls with watchtowers to protect the growing city. The population of Ravenna had surged but with carefull managment it had stabilized at 80,000, with Tytos Blackwood acting as the mayor, to govern and ensure that the city and it's citizens prospers.
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Infrastructure and agriculture were not the only things that had improved. A few months ago, a report reached Benjen about a shopkeeper in the growing city, a man named Albert, who was selling strange beverages—vodka, whiskey, rum, and apple brandy. Curious, Benjen visited the shop with a few guards and sampled the drinks. They were excellent and surprisingly strong; some burned as they slid down his throat, leaving him warm and pleasantly surprised.
When Benjen asked how they were made, Albert explained that it was his own son, Daveth, who produced them. The shopkeeper said that the prince had established distilleries and used them to create this so-called "alcohol." But Daveth's innovations did not stop there: he had also founded bee farms, producing far more honey than usual—and with a richer, sweeter flavor, surpassing even the famed honey of the Reach. Later that day, Benjen and Daveth spoke at length about expanding production, following Benjen's advice, so that both the drinks and honey could reach more of the city.
Before long, a small industry devoted to spirits and honey flourished in Ravenna, operating under the protection and authority of House Blackwood. It was an immediate success. The drinks were potent, the honey exquisite, yet both were affordable enough that even the smallfolk could enjoy them, bringing new wealth and vibrancy to the city.
Over the years, the demand and production of vodka steadily grew, particularly in the North, prized for its low cost and its ability to warm a man on even the coldest nights. Other spirits, such as rum and whiskey, found favor among the lords of the Trident, the West, the South, and even the distant East, spreading the fame of Blackwood craftsmanship far and wide.
Thanks to this prosperity, traveling merchants poured through the lands of House Blackwood, converging on Ravenna to buy, sell, or trade. Markets bustled with every imaginable good: grain, tools, iron, coal, meat, leather, fish, fur, honey, and the now-famous spirits. The streets echoed with the clatter of carts, the shouts of merchants, and the jingling of gold. The coffers of House Blackwood overflowed, making them the wealthiest house in the region, their fortune rivaling even the great houses of Durrandon and Gardener. Ravenna had become a hub of trade, wealth, and influence, its fame spreading across Westeros.
Encouraged by his grandson, Willem decided to establish a spy network, giving gold to merchants in exchange for information, or using their newfound trading influence to place trained agents in positions near rival lords throughout the Riverlands such as the Brackens and the Charltons, and even in the major courts of King Tyland Lannister, Hugo Arryn, Alaric Durrandon, and Harald Gardener.
The man responsible for overseeing this new spy network was a loyal figure, who was also the king's own brother-in-law: Lord Preston, head of House Blanetree, a vassal of the Blackwoods, and the brother of Willem's deceased wife, making him uncle to Benjen and Tytos. Lord Preston was grateful for his new position and astounded to learn that the idea for the network and the prosperity and wealth had all come from the young Prince, Daveth Blackwood.
With the help of Maester Cyrwin, his elders and many more wise men and scribes, Daveth had created an revolytionary tax system, and withing this system was a metod called the Double-entry book-keeping. Double-entry bookkeeping is a way to keep track of money. Every transaction is recorded in two accounts. One account shows where the money came from. The other account shows where the money went. This keeps the books balanced. It helps prevent mistakes. It also shows exactly how money is being used. This helped prevent corruption, stopping vassals from lying or withholding part of their tribute.
The tax laws were not the only laws that were reformed. Daveth also revised older laws that were either unfair, outdated, or not efficient enough. In their place, he reformed the laws to make them more fair and efficient, addressing long-standing inequalities and reducing unnecessary complexity in the legal system. These changes helped ensure that justice was applied more consistently and effectively.
With these new laws he taught men how to write and read and sent them through out the lands of House Blackwood to different "courts" of law. A "low" court handled everyday problems for the common people, like theft or disputes over property.. A "high" court dealt with the disputes of the lords, making sure even their vassals followed the law, which there is only one of currently, at Raventree Hall.
Thanks to the new reforms and booming trade, House Blackwood had grown rich and powerful, but this drew the envious eyes of others. Bandits began targeting trade caravans and villages full of grain and gold. Each time, they were driven off by the men-at-arms of House Blackwood and their vassals—but not without cost, as some brave soldiers lost their lives defending the lands.
With the consent of his elders, Daveth proposed another bold solution to their problem: a standing army loyal only to House Blackwood, paid for by the overflowing gold from their thriving trade
Drawing inspiration from many cultures, both in Westeros and on Earth, he created a fierce fighting force. In the first year, Daveth introduced compulsory training for all men and boys over the age of thirteen. Upon reaching thirteen, they received their first bow, and at seventeen, they were assigned to a division of the army in which they would serve should war arise.
The officers, captains, and generals who would lead such an army came either from trained men-at-arms, such as the Master-at-Arms of Raventree Hall ,Kevan, or from the vassals of House Blackwood, such as House Ryger, with Lord Tristan Ryger, older brother to Daveth's aunt Ellys. Their vassals worried at first that the new army would encroach upon their rights and power, but with promises and compromises from their king, they accepted.
The most prominent of the soldiers were, of course, the infantry. The infantry were divided inte the heavy and light and like all troops, they wore black boiled leather armor with mail and padded cloth beneath, and black banded nasal helmets modeled after the Normans. The rest of their armor and equipment varied by division. The infantry carried long spears, kite shields, and short swords, with steel pauldrons on their shoulders and greaves on their arms. The archers—House Blackwood's elite force—wielded high-quality longbows and carried axes for melee protection.
His cavalry was more diverse: some wore heavy armor, while light scouts wore only mail and leather and carried a light lance and sabre, and heavy horsemen bore heart-shaped shields, lances, infantry-style armor, and a mix of melee weapons. The military reforms and expansion had been expensive, but the increased revenue from House Blackwood's trade made them possible. Which is
Their army could now field six thousand men: three thousand five hundred infantry, one thousand five hundred archers, and one thousand cavalry, which is almost dubble than before when they could only field three thousand four houndred men, with is considerbly less with less trained and poorly armored. Daveth constantly measured his force against the Brackens, his most likely enemy, who could muster only three thousand two hundred men.
A smaller unit of men was established, called the Raven's Teeth—an elite order of warriors sworn to protect and fight for House Blackwood.
With the new and disciplined army, bandits and raiders were swiftly eradicated, hunted relentlessly by soldiers who left no escape. Those caught were not spared, much to their horror; their heads were lopped off and displayed on pikes along the roads, a grim warning to anyone daring to steal. The lands of House Blackwood soon knew a peace unlike any before. Smallfolk would say that a man riding with a pouch full of gold could travel from the easternmost villages to the western borders without losing a single coin to thieves or marauders.
Daveth's grandfather, King Willem, with his years of experience in ruling and hard-earned wisdom, understood that strength alone invited envy, and that a swelling army, openly displayed, would stir fear amongst the other river houses and rival lords such as the Brackens. To avoid drawing their eyes and provoking war before the time was right, he chose a subtler path.
Throughout the Blackwood domain, Willem ordered vast works of construction. Roads were laid where muddy tracks once wound through forests and hills. Bridges rose over rivers long thought impassable, and stone storehouses were built near market towns. To all who watched from afar, it seemed the Blackwoods had simply turned their wealth toward prosperity and trade.
The Blackwood army appeared not as soldiers, but as builders—masons, laborers, and engineers toiling beneath the sun. Yet beneath the dust and the sound of hammer on stone, discipline was quietly forged.
Each gang of laborers was organized as a company, each overseer a captain in disguise. The men marched to their work at dawn and returned at dusk in ordered ranks, their tools doubling as weights to strengthen arms and backs. Beyond the sight of travelers and merchants, they trained with spear and shield, learning formations under the guise of drills meant to improve efficiency in labor.
The roads they built hardened their legs. The stones they lifted hardened their bodies. The long hours of work and three meals a day filled with meat and nutritious fare bred endurance, obedience, and unity—qualities no less vital than steel.
By the time other lords learned the truth, they would find not a realm of simple builders, but a network of strong roads leading straight to their borders, and an army already seasoned by toil, discipline, and silent preparation.
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During the years House Blackwood was growing, Daveth had become increasingly popular. By the age of 14, he was considered one of the best fighters in the Riverlands. His journey had begun at a tourney in Lannisport held by King Tyland Lannister, after they had finally fought back the gold raiders and Torrence Teague. The tourney was held to commemorate their victory and to display the might of the West. Though some lords whispered among themselves that Torrence Teague had acquired enough gold and simply set sail east, though no one spoke aloud, fearing King Tylands fury and ire.
Daveth had entered the tourney as a mystery knight, calling himself "The Knight of the Silver Tree." He fought his way all the way to the finals, defeating some of the finest knights of the West—sometimes in jousting, other times in melee when the joust proved insufficient. People wondered who the man capable of such skill could be. The smallfolk adored him for bringing excitement to their otherwise dull lives, while the lords placed bets on his identity and how far he would go.
In the finals, he faced Prince Joffrey Lannister, the younger of King Tyland Lannister's two sons. Prince Joffrey was a renowned fighter, feared and respected for his skill, and nicknamed "the Bloody Lion" for the cruelty he showed to his enemies. Personally, Daveth thought him much like his descendant in the show—cruel and conceited, but with the skill to back it up.
In the finals, he narrowly defeated Prince Joffrey in the joust on the fourteenth tilt. Later, they faced each other in a duel, a battle said to be one for the ages. Both fighters were visibly exhausted, their armor dented and bodies aching from hours of combat, yet neither yielded. In the end, Daveth used his smaller size to his advantage and disarmed the prince, claiming victory amid the gasps and cheers of the crowd.
It caused quite a storm of whispers when the mystery knight who had defeated some of the greatest knights in the West was revealed to be only twelve years old. From his size alone, many lords had assumed he was at least sixteen. An even bigger stir followed when Daveth refused a knighthood from King Tyland Lannister, despite winning both the joust and the archery competition—a feat that spread his reputation throughout the Kingdom of the Rock and along the rivers of his homeland.
Rather than taking offense, King Tyland Lannister simply asked him why. Daveth replied that it was against his religion—which was true. Since arriving in Westeros, he had found great comfort in the Old Gods, coming to view them as real and responsible for his new life, and he was deeply grateful to them. The Lannister king accepted this answer and, instead of the knighthood, offered him an even larger sum of gold on top of the winnings he had earned from the joust and archery.
He then spent the next few moons traveling throughout the Kingdom of the Rock, the Riverlands, and even the Kingdom of the Storm, participating in tourneys, spreading his reputation far and wide, and winning many competitions.
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All was not well, however, for tragedy had already taken root within Raventree Hall. Daveth's mother, Lady Alys Blackwood, née Mallister, had been taken by the bloody flux. The sickness came swiftly and without mercy, reducing a woman once known for her strength, warmth, and quiet authority to a frail shadow in a matter of days. The Maester did all he could—poultices, boiled wine, prayers whispered over her bedside—but nothing stayed the sickness. She died before her time, and many said the gods had been cruel to take her so young.
Her death shattered the household, but none more so than her husband and son.
Daveth felt the loss like a wound that would not close. His mother had been his steady presence, the voice that tempered his ambition and praised his discipline. With her gone, the halls of Raventree felt colder, emptier, as though the great weirwood itself mourned alongside him. Yet even in his grief, Daveth endured, retreating inward, burying himself in duty and preparation, refusing to let sorrow unmake him.
His father was not so strong.
Benjen, once a respected man and warrior for his bearing and judgment, he collapsed beneath the weight of his grief. He abandoned his duties as hier with petitions unanswered and councils unattended. Wine became his constant companion, the cup rarely leaving his hand from dusk till dawn. When the wine no longer dulled the ache, he sought comfort in whores brought quietly into the castle under cover of night, their laughter echoing too loudly through halls once governed by dignity and restraint.
The worst moment came when Daveth returned unexpectedly to his father's chambers and found one of the women standing before a polished bronze mirror, fastening herself into his late mother's gown. The fabric, once worn with grace and modest pride, hung awkwardly on her frame. For a heartbeat, Daveth thought his mother had returned to him, risen from the grave in some cruel jest of the gods. Then the illusion shattered.
Rage, grief, and revulsion crashed over him all at once. He tore the dress from the woman's hands and ordered her out, his voice trembling with a fury far older than his years. The gown he burned that very night, unable to bear the sight of it sullied, the smoke rising into the dark as though carrying his mother's memory with it.
From that day on, Daveth understood a bitter truth: loss could destroy a man as surely as any blade. Where his father had been broken by grief, Daveth hardened himself against it. He swore never to allow sorrow to rule him, never to let weakness hollow him out as it had done to the man who had once been his example.
The boy lost his mother that year—but the lord he would become was forged in her absence.
Grief did not remain silent within Raventree Hall; it festered, and in time it turned its voice upon itself.
The first true argument between Daveth and his father came late one night, the air thick with wine and bitterness. Daveth had sought his father out to speak of matters of the household—of unanswered petitions, of neglected duties—but the words curdled almost as soon as they left his mouth. His father, bleary-eyed and unsteady, took the concern as accusation. What began as a plea for order became a shouting match, old wounds torn open and new ones carved with careless tongues.
Daveth accused his father of abandoning his responsibilities, of shaming his mother's memory with drink and whores. His father struck back just as cruelly, calling Daveth cold, unfeeling, more lord than son, accusing him of valuing duty above love. Words were spoken that neither could ever fully take back, each sentence sharpening the next until the room itself seemed to recoil from the venom between them.
The shouting drew others from their chambers, and before the argument could turn to blows, King Willem himself entered the hall.
Age had bent Willem's back but not his authority. His voice cut through the chaos like a blade drawn clean from its sheath. He listened only long enough to grasp the heart of the matter before ordering the servants away and fixing his son with a gaze that had once cowed rival Kings and rebellious bannermen alike.
When Benjen tried to speak—slurring excuses, wrapping grief in self-pity—Willem struck him.
The sound of the slap echoed through the hall, sharp and final. Benjen staggered back, more shocked than hurt, staring at his father as though he had been struck by a ghost. Willem did not raise his voice. He did not need to.
He spoke of duty. Of the dead who deserved remembrance, not desecration. Of a son who still lived and needed a father, not a drunkard hiding from pain. He reminded Benjen that grief was not a shield against responsibility, nor an excuse to abandon those who depended upon him.
Then Willem turned to Daveth, his tone softer but no less firm. He warned him that anger, even righteous anger, could wound as deeply as neglect, and that some words, once spoken, could never be fully mended.
That night ended without reconciliation, but with understanding forced into place by an old king's hand. Benjen was left shaken and silent. Daveth left the hall with his jaw clenched, knowing that while the rift between father and son remained, it had at last been named.