Lady Barbrey had stirred up a hornet's nest. She was surrounded by the Mountain Clans' chieftain, Countess Maege, the Greatjon, and others, all berating her. Her kin—Lord Ryswell of The Craglands, Roose Bolton, and a gaggle of her brothers—were scrambling to defend her, barely managing to quell the rising anger.
Eddard noticed Dominic Bolton, Lady Barbrey's attendant, quietly comforting her.
Dominic's mother, Lady Bethany, was Barbrey's sister, who had died of a fever many years ago. Since her husband's death, Lady Barbrey Dustin had taken control of the Dustin Family, ruling over vast lands in Barrowton. The Dustin Family was one of the most powerful noble houses in The North. Her father was Lord Ryswell of The Craglands, a land known for producing Warhorses and boasting a formidable cavalry force.
Lady Barbrey's brother-in-law was Lord Roose Bolton of Dreadfort. The Dreadfort, nestled beneath the lonely mountains, had always been a powerful force in The North.
Thousands of years ago, when the Stark Family of Winterfell was still just the King of Winter, they clashed fiercely with the First King of Barrowton. After hundreds of years of war, the King of Winter defeated the First King, who was forced to submit to Winterfell.
The Dustin Family, who now ruled Barrow Hall, claimed descent from the First King. Their family sigil, a rusted crown atop crossed battle axes, bore witness to this.
Even after defeating the First King, the Starks could not immediately claim the title of King in The North. Over the long years that followed, Winterfell faced many more challengers. The most powerful of these was the Bolton Family – the Red King – who at the time also claimed kingship over The North.
The Red King's territory stretched from The Last River in the north to the Sheephead Hills in the south, reaching the Narrow Sea to the east, and pushing westward into the White Knife River valley. The Red King's Bolton Family and the King of Winter's Stark Family played out a "A Song of Ice and Blood" for hundreds of years, during which the Starks were at times on the losing side. Many of the Red King's cloaks were said to be woven from Stark skins.
The power of the King of Winter and the Red King waxed and waned until the Andals' invasion changed the game. Andal pirates crossed the Narrow Sea in droves, harassing the Red King's coastal territories, while Winterfell took the opportunity to constantly nibble away at the Red King's land in The North. Eventually, the Red King was forced to surrender, giving up his crown and becoming a vassal of the King of Winter. It was then that the Stark Family, from the King of Winter, rose to become the King of the North.
Eddard looked at Lady Barbrey before him, his eyes filled with the mists of history.
In those days, the First King, the enemy of Winterfell, had a domain that was roughly the same as Lady Barbrey's fiefdom, Barrowton, and her family's lands, The Craglands.
Now, the Bolton Family's fiefdom had shrunk considerably compared to the Red King's time, but they still controlled the land around the Sheephead Hills and the Last River, their strength was not to be underestimated, and this was always an ambitious family.
The power formed by the Bolton Family, the Ryswell Family and the Dustin Family through marriage, made Eddard wary.
In those days, Eddard and Jon Arryn married Catelyn Tully and Lysa Tully respectively, which laid the foundation for the alliance of The North, Riverlands, Vale, and Stormlands. Four of the Seven Kingdoms turned against the Targaryen Dynasty, helping Robert ascend the Iron Throne.
Eddard looked at Lord Ryswell before him. He was a kind-looking old man with a ruddy complexion, who looked like a rough old soldier, but he was undoubtedly a lord with a political mind.
It was he who married his eldest daughter, Lady Bethany, to Roose Bolton, and his second daughter, Lady Barbrey, to Lord William Dustin, forging an alliance between Dreadfort, The Craglands and Barrow Hall. Now that his eldest daughter, Lady Bethany, had passed away, she had left Lord Ryswell with a grandson, Dominic Bolton, the future heir to Dreadfort, and the alliance of the three families remained stable.
A noble marriage was commonplace, but this was perhaps too much. Was this Lady Barbrey's confidence in offering turnips as a gift?
Powerful vassals were always a lord's biggest headache. The Riverlands had the Frey Family, the Vale had the Royce Family, and the Reach was surrounded by the Hightower Family of Oldtown, the Redwyne Family of Arbor, and the Florent Family of Brightwater Keep, all clustered around the Highgarden Rose.
A lord must be strong to control his vassals, which further solidified Eddard's determination to strengthen Winterfell and develop the economy.
Benjen Stark arrived almost at the last moment. With him came ten black-clad rangers and the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, "Old Bear" Jeor Mormont.
The Old Bear was stout as a great bear. Since his son, Ser Jorah Mormont, was caught selling slaves and chose to flee, Jeor Mormont believed his son had brought shame to the family and hadn't been to Winterfell for many years.
Benjen's appearance excited Eddard's children. Arya, Jon, Robb, and Sansa surrounded their uncle. Bran hugged Benjen's leg, and Benjen kissed Rickon.
Lord Eddard and Catelyn invited the North's nobles into the castle hall. Eddard sat on the throne and, after receiving the oaths of his vassals, the vassals offered their blessings to little Rickon, and the banquet officially began.
The tables were piled high with abundant food: wild boar, lemon cakes, honey-roasted duck, and pigeon pie. The air was filled with delicious aromas.
Catelyn seated the nobles in the high seats, placing Lady Barbrey in a corner. She instructed the steward, Wyman Poole, to serve "turnips" generously to Lady Barbrey's table. "Let that widow choke on them, if possible."
Dominic Bolton took up the harp and began to sing a song called "The First King's Lover" on the high platform in the hall, dedicating it to his aunt, Lady Barbrey. Eddard Stark couldn't tell what Lady Barbrey thought of it, but Sansa, Jeyne Poole, and others were in tears, and even Septa Mordane praised the child's voice as heavenly.
Next, Dominic Bolton performed a song called "Craglands and Warhorses," dedicated to his grandfather, Lord Ryswell, and his uncles. The lyrics mentioned the warriors of The Craglands riding Warhorses to resist the Ironborn. Eddard was surprised by the artistic conception and melodious quality of this original song, and he was curious as to why Roose Bolton could cultivate a son with such musical talent.
Finally, Dominic Bolton sang a song called "Conquering the North," which told the story of the King of Winter, who was the Stark Family, defeating the First King and the Red King, resisting the coming of winter, the lyrics were passionate and stirring.
Maester Luwin praised, "This child has a great artistic talent, and the lyrics clearly corroborate history. He is different from those singers who fabricate and spout nonsense."
Ser Rodrik Cassel, the master-at-arms of Winterfell, tugged at his snow-white beard and scoffed, "What use is it for a boy to sing? Boys should use swords and spears and become warriors."
Lady Barbrey heard this and said, "Old man, don't underestimate my nephew. Dominic is not only good at playing the harp and singing, but also proficient in history, and his spear and sword skills are also very strong. For the past three years, he has been a squire for Lord Redfort in the Vale. Many Vale nobles believe that this child has the potential to become a champion in the tourney. If you don't believe it, you can have the children trained by your subordinates compete with my nephew."
Ser Rodrik Cassel laughed, "My lady, we can have a contest sometime. Robb, Jon, and Theon are all fine young men I've trained."
Dominic Bolton began to sing "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," and the whole audience was in an uproar. Lord Wyman, Lord Cerwyn, Robert Glover, and others began to invite ladies and noble girls to dance. Greatjon approached Barbrey and said something to her. Lady Barbrey poured the wine in her glass all over Greatjon's face, and Greatjon left laughing.
Lady Barbrey, holding a wine glass, was a bit drunk. She walked over to Catelyn and Eddard. In her long black dress, she looked pale, beautiful, and icy cold. Eddard could see she was forcing a smile.
"Lord Eddard, I'm so sorry, my gift was a joke. The Greatjon was just now making fun of me, saying my turnips weren't worth a drop of the wine I drank. You and the Duchess don't mind, do you?"
Catelyn suppressed her anger and forced a smile. "Lady Barbrey, I'm already happy you came. You've always been a rare guest at Winterfell."
Barbrey smiled. "There's nothing I can do. I have tens of thousands of people in Barrowton to manage. I'm a busy woman. Unlike you, Duchess, your life is so peaceful, like a saint. Constantly giving birth to children for the Duke. Even in Barrowton, I've heard about your children. Winterfell's best children, which one is it, I wonder? I remember now, Jon Snow."
Jon Snow had always been Catelyn's taboo. Catelyn was at the end of her patience, about to explode like a she-wolf, but Eddard stopped her.
"Lady Barbrey, you're drunk. You need to rest. I'll have the steward take you to a guest room."
Barbrey smirked. "Lord Eddard, I'm not drunk. Have you seen my nephew? Dominic is my pride. Your old master-at-arms said he wanted to arrange for your son, Jon Snow, to compete with Dominic. I'm looking forward to it!"
Lady Barbrey curtsied to Catelyn and left. Catelyn said angrily, "That widow is clearly pretending to be drunk, deliberately looking for trouble to insult me."
Eddard said softly, "Catelyn, she's a poor woman. You've borne five children. And Lady Barbrey? She's been a widow since her husband died. She's jealous of you, driven mad by it. Forgive her."
Catelyn's mood brightened, hearing this. "I know Lady Barbrey is a sorrowful widow, but must we always yield to her demands?"
Eddard looked at Lady Barbrey in the crowd. "Who says we must yield? I will make Lady Barbrey understand that her recklessness comes at a price."