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Ned wore a black fur coat, the direwolf of House Stark on his chest, and stood with Catelyn at the edge of the training yard.
Syrio Forel of Braavos was instructing Jon and Robb.
Arya stood nearby, holding a wooden sword as she trained with Bran.
Recently, Arya had formally begun entering the yard for practice.
Before this, Robb and Jon had taught her a few simple sword movements, and Arya had trained in secret.
But Winterfell’s master-at-arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel, had never allowed Arya to spend too long playing in the yard.
These days, the old master-at-arms had gone to Winter Town to train the town watch, and the children’s instruction at Winterfell had been handed to Syrio Forel, the water dancer from Braavos.
Arya seemed to suit Syrio very well, and the Braavosi did not mind training a girl.
In that way, Arya slipped into the yard.
Catelyn frowned.
“How many times have I said it? Arya should follow Septa Mordane and Sansa and learn more needlework and courtesies. She spends every day mixed with boys. What kind of conduct is that?”
Ned smiled.
“She has not missed her daily lessons in courtesy or needlework. If she wants to play, let her play.”
Catelyn said, “Arya is too wild. She often ignores what I say. As her father, you should discipline her. Yesterday, I told Syrio to stop training Arya, and he said some nonsense about Arya having the makings of a water dancer and an assassin. He wants to turn my daughter into an assassin.”
“Syrio was only speaking casually.”
Ned watched Arya knock the wooden sword from Bran’s hand with one blow.
Arya burst into laughter.
Catelyn watched the laughing girl.
“She looks less like a lady every day. If that Braavosi teaches her, Arya will only grow more unruly. Speaking of it, there are far too many Braavosi in our castle. Ned, I still cannot understand why you would hand the children to a Braavosi for training. And you brought in Kral to manage the money. He is a foreigner. What if he steals our coin and runs?”
Ned said, “Do not keep suspecting everyone. Kral is my financial advisor. Managing ledgers and coin is his work.”
Catelyn would not let it go.
“I heard from Vayon Poole that this Kral has taken a great deal of coin from Winterfell’s treasury. We have only one chest of gold dragons left. Do you truly mean to starve us?”
Ned teased, “Winterfell has invested in an eating hall, tavern, and butcher shop in Winter Town. How could we possibly starve?”
Catelyn’s anger rose.
“I have seen the books for the Wolf House Eating Hall, Butcher, and Tavern. Business is good, but the profit is nowhere near enough to pay for houses. Even inside Winterfell, I can hear craftsmen hammering stone. The sound is driving me mad. Those stables, barracks, and forgeworks you are building in Winter Town are madness. I think Winter Town will one day be as abandoned as most of the castles beneath the Wall.”
“My lady, you are too pessimistic,” Ned said with confidence.
“Many castles along the Wall were abandoned because the Night’s Watch takes no wives and fathers no children. The people of Winter Town will continue to have children, generation after generation.” Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
Catelyn kept her patience with effort.
“The higher your projects rise, the poorer we become. So many laborers must eat. Craftsmen need wages. The watch needs wages. Stone and timber cost coin to quarry, harvest, and transport. What happens when our money is gone?”
“Then we can only borrow.” In truth, from the first day Ned began expanding Winter Town, he had known Winterfell would eventually walk the road of debt.
The only difference was how much they would borrow.
“Lord Wyman Manderly is very willing to lend money to Winterfell, but Kral advises that borrowing from the Iron Bank would be better.”
Lord Wyman of White Harbor was likely the richest of all northern bannermen.
Ships from the North, the Seven Kingdoms, and across the narrow sea gathered in White Harbor, bringing the city great tax income every day.
White Harbor was not only a fine ice-free port; Lord Wyman’s own lands were rich in warhorses and fish.
Because House Manderly descended from exiled nobles of the Reach and was the only great northern house that worshiped the Seven, White Harbor had more knights than any other northern power.
More than a hundred landed knights had sworn fealty to House Manderly alone.
When Lord Wyman learned that Winter Town’s expansion had strained Winterfell’s finances, he offered to lend money to Winterfell of his own accord, even without interest.
Ned weighed it carefully and refused.
It was not unusual in the Seven Kingdoms for a liege lord to borrow from his own bannermen.
King Robert owed millions of gold dragons to Casterly Rock.
But Ned did not want to owe money to a bannerman.
Debt came with strings.
Once White Harbor became Winterfell’s creditor, other bannermen would say Winterfell favored White Harbor and could not rule fairly in disputes among lords.
Those lords quarreled almost year-round over border villages, hills, and rivers.
When they could not settle matters themselves, they came to Winterfell and asked Ned to judge.
Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort and Rickard Karstark of Karhold were said to already be complaining that east coast salt had to go to White Harbor for Lord Wyman Manderly to settle accounts.
If they learned Winterfell had taken White Harbor’s money, their dissatisfaction would only deepen.
When Catelyn heard Ned mention borrowing from the Iron Bank, she grew anxious.
“Have you lost your mind? Even when winter raged, we did not borrow from the Iron Bank. Have you forgotten winter is coming? Have you forgotten the North’s cold? We are in summer and already seeking money from the Iron Bank. If the season turns and a long winter lasts for years, the interest will grow like a snowball. Before the next spring arrives, we will be debt slaves to Braavos.”
At that moment, in the distant training yard, Syrio Forel was instructing Bran and Arya in the Common Tongue with his thick Braavosi accent.
Catelyn looked at him with dislike.
“Ned, listen to me for once. Braavosi cannot be trusted. Send Kral away. Better still, send this Syrio Forel away with him. They earn Winterfell’s wages, yet do everything they can to make us borrow from the Iron Bank. That is an enemy inside our walls.”
Vayon Poole approached.
Catelyn looked miserable.
“Has Winterfell become the Sealord’s back garden? Why is there another Braavosi?”
Ned smiled.
“Marlin is the shipwright Lord Wyman of White Harbor recommended. He served for many years in the Arsenal of Braavos and has great experience.”
Catelyn said, “How much benefit did Lord Lamprey take to recommend all these Braavosi? Ned, I truly suspect Lord Lamprey has sold us to the Sealord of Braavos. No wonder Lord Lamprey and the Iron Bank are both rushing to become our creditors.”
Ned sat upon the direwolf throne and received the shipwright Marlin.
Marlin was in his forties, with brown hair and a brown beard that fell to his chest.
He was lean and wore a robe of blue and black.
“Marlin, Lord Wyman tells me you served many years in the Arsenal of Braavos. The Arsenal of Braavos can build a ship in a single day. If one seeks shipbuilding, a Braavosi is the right choice.”
Marlin said, “Lord Eddard, I am Pentoshi. I was honored to serve the Arsenal of Braavos for many years and have lived in Braavos a long time, but I was born in Pentos. When I was young, my family went bankrupt and fell into debt bondage. I had no choice but to flee to Braavos. I grew up there, married, and had children there.”
A Pentoshi who had grown up and settled in Braavos.
Catelyn would love that.
“Marlin, Lord Wyman said the White Harbor shipyard has begun work?”
Marlin nodded.
“Yes. Following Lord Wyman’s instructions, we have built some fishing boats, small galleys, and light merchant ships. At present, however, most of our work is repairing House Manderly’s merchant vessels in White Harbor. Lord Eddard, to speak honestly, I was somewhat disappointed after arriving in White Harbor. In his letter, Lord Wyman told me he had invited me there to build warships and forge a northern fleet.”
Ned said, “We do intend to build warships. Unfortunately, Winterfell does not have enough money. I believe you passed through Winter Town before coming to Winterfell. My people are building there on a grand scale, and all the coin is going into the town’s expansion. At present, I am very poor and have no money to build ships.”
“But I will not be poor forever. Once I have money, and once Winter Town’s expansion has progressed far enough, I will build ships. Of course, that will take a long time. In the future, I will certainly build them. You may prepare first.”
Marlin said, “There is little to prepare. The North does not lack timber. White Harbor can find the materials for shipbuilding, and if anything is missing, we can send ships to Braavos to buy it. What I want to ask Lord Eddard is this: what kind of warship do you want? A purple oared warship of Braavos? A large ship like those of the royal fleet? The quick longships of the ironborn? A great sailing ship?”
Ned drew out a plan and handed it to Marlin.
“This kind.”
Marlin studied the plan, and his eyes widened.
“This kind of warship? Lord Eddard, such a ship will not be cheap.”
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