Eddard Stark, clad in a black fur coat with the House Stark's direwolf sigil emblazoned on his chest, stood with Catelyn at the edge of the training yard.
Syrio Forel, a Braavosi, was instructing Jon and Robb. Arya was also present, wielding a wooden sword and training with Bran.
Arya had recently begun training in the yard officially. Previously, Robb and Jon would teach her some basic swordplay moves, which Arya would secretly practice. However, Ser Rodrik Cassel, Winterfell's master-at-arms, didn't allow Arya to spend too much time in the yard.
The old master-at-arms had gone to Winter Town to train the Winter Town guard. The training of Winterfell's children had been entrusted to Syrio Forel, the Water Dancer from Braavos. Arya seemed to get along well with Syrio, and the Braavosi didn't mind training girls, so Arya had joined the yard's activities.
Catelyn frowned. "How many times have I told you? Arya should be with Septa Mordane, like Sansa, learning needlework and etiquette. What kind of behavior is it, running around with boys all day?"
Eddard smiled. "She attends her etiquette lessons and needlework classes every day. Let her have some fun!"
Catelyn said, "Arya is too wild. She often disobeys me. You, as her father, don't care about her. Yesterday, I told Syrio to stop training Arya, and he actually said that Arya had the potential to become a Water Dancer and an assassin. He wants to train my daughter to be an assassin!"
"Syrio was just saying that."
Eddard Stark watched Arya knock the wooden sword from Bran's grasp with a single strike, and Arya burst into laughter.
Catelyn Stark observed Arya's laughter. "This child is becoming less and less ladylike. Letting the Braavosi teach her, Arya will only get more mischievous. And there are far too many Braavosi in our castle, aren't there? Eddard, I still don't understand why you're entrusting the children to the Braavosi for training. And you've put that Klar in charge of the money. He's a foreigner; what if he steals our money and runs?"
Eddard said, "Don't be so suspicious. Klar is my financial advisor; managing the accounts and money is his job."
Catelyn persisted, "I heard from Wyman Poole that this Klar has taken a considerable amount of money from Winterfell's treasury. We only have a chest of Gold Dragons left. Are you really going to let us starve?"
Eddard teased, "We've invested in the Wolf's Hall, taverns, and butcher shops in Winter Town. How could we possibly starve?"
Catelyn retorted with displeasure. "I looked at the accounts for the Wolf's Hall, butcher shop, and tavern. Business is good, but the profits aren't nearly enough to cover the cost of construction. I can hear the sound of the stonemasons hammering even here in Winterfell, and it's driving me mad. Those stables, barracks, and forges you're building in Winter Town are sheer madness. I expect it will end up like most of the keeps beneath The Wall, abandoned."
"My lady, you are too pessimistic," Eddard said confidently. "Many of the keeps under The Wall are abandoned because the Night's Watch doesn't marry or have children. The people of Winter Town will continue to multiply, generation after generation."
Catelyn patiently said, "The higher you build your projects, the poorer we become. So many laborers need to eat, and then there are the wages for the craftsmen, the guards, and the expenses for transporting and quarrying stone and timber... What will we do when our money runs out?"
"Then we'll have to borrow." In fact, from the first day Eddard began to expand Winter Town, he knew Winterfell would inevitably fall into debt; the only question was how much.
"Lord Wyman Manderly is willing to lend money to Winterfell, but Klar suggests it's better to borrow from the Iron Bank."
Lord Wyman of White Harbor was the wealthiest of the North's vassals. Ships from all over the Seven Kingdoms and across the Narrow Sea converged in White Harbor, bringing in a large sum of taxes daily. White Harbor was not only a high-quality, ice-free port, but Lord Wyman's territory was also rich in warhorses and fish.
As the Manderly family were exiled nobles from the Reach, and the only great house in the North that firmly believed in the Seven Gods, White Harbor had the most knights under its banner. There were over 100 landed knights alone who had sworn allegiance to the Manderly family.
When Lord Wyman learned that the expansion of Winter Town had put Winterfell in a financial bind, he offered to lend money to Winterfell, even without interest. Eddard weighed the options carefully but still refused.
It wasn't uncommon for lords of the Seven Kingdoms to borrow from their vassals. King Robert owed Casterly Rock millions of gold dragons, but Eddard didn't want to owe his vassals money.
Taking someone's money put you at a disadvantage. Once White Harbor became Winterfell's creditor, other vassals would claim Winterfell favored White Harbor and couldn't be impartial when handling disputes. These lords were almost constantly quarreling over the boundaries of villages, hills, and rivers, and when they couldn't resolve it, they would come to Winterfell for Eddard's judgment.
It was said that Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort and Rickard Karstark of Karhold had long complained about having to transport goods from Saltpans on the eastern coast to White Harbor for settlement. If they knew Winterfell had taken money from White Harbor, it would only deepen their discontent.
Hearing that Eddard wanted to borrow from the Iron Bank, Catelyn became a little anxious.
"Are you mad? Even during the worst winters, we never borrowed from the Iron Bank. Have you forgotten that winter is coming? Have you forgotten the harsh winters of the North? To borrow from the Iron Bank now, in the summer? If the seasons change, and we face a winter that lasts for years, the interest will snowball. We'll be slaves to the Braavosi before the next spring arrives."
At that moment, Syrio Forel, on the training grounds in the distance, was instructing Bran and Arya in the Common Tongue, with a heavy Braavosi accent. Catelyn watched him with distaste.
"Eddard, heed my words. The Braavosi are not to be trusted. Send Klar away! It would be best to get rid of this Syrio Forel as well. They are earning their wages from Winterfell, yet they're trying to get us to borrow from the Iron Bank. They are spies!"
The steward, Wyman Poole, approached.
"My lord, the Braavosi shipwright, Marin, has arrived and is waiting in the hall to see you."
Catelyn sighed, "Has Winterfell become the Sea Lord's garden? Why another Braavosi?"
Eddard smiled, "Marin was recommended by Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor. He served in the Braavosi shipyards for many years and is very experienced."
Catelyn said, "How much did the Lord of Mermen receive for recommending these Braavosi? Eddard, I truly suspect that the Lord of Mermen has sold us out to the Sea Lord of Braavos. No wonder the Lord of Mermen and the Iron Bank are both eager to be our creditors."
Eddard Stark sat upon the Direwolf Throne, receiving the shipwright Marin. Marin was in his forties, with brown hair and a beard that reached his chest. He was slender and wore a blue and black robe.
"Marin, I understand from Lord Wyman that you served in the Braavosi shipyards for many years. They can build a ship a day there. When it comes to shipbuilding, the Braavosi are the best."
Marin replied, "Eddard Stark, I am from Pentos. Although I was fortunate enough to work for the Braavosi shipyards for many years and lived in Braavos for a long time, I was born in Pentos. However, my family went bankrupt when I was a child, and I was forced to become a debt-slave. I had to escape to Braavos, where I grew up, married, and had children."
A Pentoshi who grew up and settled in Braavos... Catelyn would like that.
"Marin, Lord Wyman said that the shipyards in White Harbor have already begun operations?"
Marin nodded. "Yes, as Lord Wyman instructed, we have built some fishing boats, skiffs, and small merchant ships. But currently, we are mainly repairing some merchant ships for House Manderly of White Harbor. To be honest, Eddard Stark, I was somewhat disappointed when I arrived in White Harbor. Lord Wyman told me in his letter that he invited me to White Harbor to build warships and create a Northern fleet."
Eddard Stark said, "We do intend to build warships, but unfortunately, Winterfell doesn't have enough financial resources. I believe you must have passed through Winter Town before you came to Winterfell. My people are working on a large construction project there. The money is all spent on expanding the town. I am currently very poor and have no money to build ships."
"But I won't be poor forever. When I have money, and when the expansion of Winter Town is almost complete, I will build ships. This will, of course, take a long time. I will definitely build ships in the future, and you can prepare in advance."
Marin said, "There's really not much to prepare. The North has no shortage of wood, and the materials for shipbuilding can all be found in White Harbor. If we're missing something, we can just send ships to Braavos to buy it. I'd like to ask Lord Eddard, what kind of warship do you want? The Purple-sailed Galley type from Braavos? The big ships of the Royal Fleet? Or the convenient Longships of the Ironborn? Great Sailships?"
Eddard pulled out a blueprint and handed it to Marin. "I want this kind."
Marin looked at the blueprint, his eyes widening.
"This kind of warship, my lord? The cost of building a ship like this is not low."
....
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Patreon.com/AniFic