Chapter 1.4 Barbrey Dustin Thoughts

Lady Barbrey Dustin, formerly Barbrey Ryswell, looked with a smile at the city; now much larger than how she knew it when she first came to the place, for her marriage to Willam Dustin, and seeing how everything had changed so much, all thanks to her son of course, she couldn't help but sigh wearily as she remembered the man whose bones she didn't even have.

His son was already nine years old, but only one of those he was able to spend with his father; he was born a few months before Willam Dustin left with Eddard Stark to fight the so-called "Robert's Rebellion", the year 281 AD; born 280 AD.

Even though so much time had passed, being already the year 289 AD, she still missed her man, and was full of hatred against those who deprived her son of growing up with his father.

He had long brown hair, usually messy, and a bushy beard along with a neat mustache; the only neat thing about his appearance. Barbrey gave a sad little laugh as he remembered how he fussed over his mustache.

His body was quite forceful and muscular, despite his age, and that was because he was quite a bit older than Barbrey herself at the time of the marriage, but that no longer mattered to the woman, she wouldn't blame her father for that; it wasn't his fault of course, but it was because of the same blood that made his son, Wolfgang, not know his father.

Barbrey hated them, those stupid, arrogant wolves, and she wanted revenge. They had humiliated and disrespected her too many times.

Brandon Stark, the eldest son of Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, often rode the Rills while being raised at Barrowton with old Lord Dustin. In love with the heir to Winterfell, young Barbrey had an affair with Brandon, who took her virginity. Lord Rodrik hoped to marry his daughter to a Stark, but Lord Rickard betrothed his heiress to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun.

At first Barbrey did not blame Brandon, but blamed what she called the "gray rats", the Maesters of the Citadel, accusing them of influencing the young wolf's decision, but in time she came to her senses. She did not lessen her distaste for the Maesters, which is why the Maester in her land was strictly guarded; while all her ravens were accounted for and supervised, but she also turned her hatred towards the Starks; that would not be the only slight the wolf's family would do to her.

Prince Rhaegar Targaryen's abduction of Lyanna Stark led to the executions of Brandon and Lord Rickard Stark by King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King, in King's Landing. Now Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark returned north to summon his banners for Robert's Rebellion. 

Two years had not yet passed since they were married, and his Willam had to leave for the war, despite all the objections the woman had made to him, trying to avoid the situation as much as possible; she did not want her son to lose his father. 

Barbrey gave her a fine red steed, the pride of his father's herd, as a dowry when she married Willam, and Willam swore that he would return with her mounted on the horse. However, after the war ended, Lord Stark only returned Willam's steed to Barbrey, without William himself on it.

Her husband, and the father of her child, had died in this accursed Stark rebellion, and, to make matters worse, Barbrey Dustin did not even receive his bones. Eddard Stark had abandoned her husband's body; supposedly in Dorne, though the woman didn't know exactly where; even that she didn't know.

The woman was going to wait patiently for an opportunity to cause as much damage as possible to that pack of wolves, but with the child blessed by the Old Gods born from her womb, it seemed she would have more chances than she thought.

Barbrey could see it in his son's eyes; a boundless ambition, a hunger for conquest, probably similar to that of the Conqueror 300 years ago, perhaps greater. Sure, Wolfgang didn't have dragons, but he had his wits about him, and Barbrey was confident that would be enough to start playing the Game of Thrones.

Barbrey gave a sigh, and looked out the window. Ser Morrent, one of the knights serving House Dustin, was training a young man a few years older than Wolfgang; it was already his last year here, and Barbrey would certainly miss him, he was his nephew after all, the son of his sister Bethany, no longer Ryswell, but Bethany Bolton.

It was not fencing training, but rather horsemanship, and it was that the young man was extraordinarily talented at it.

His skin was pale, just like his father's, and his hair was long dark; despite having a rather cold appearance, his attitude was quite different from his father's. He was a cheerful boy, though shy, and liked to read about the history of the North, and Westeros in general, and to play the harp. He was a cheerful, if shy, boy, and loved to read about the history of the North, and of Westeros in general, and to play the harp. His son, Wolfgang, was quite good at it too, and had taught the bratty Bolton a little.

Barbrey decided to go out and talk to the duo.

"You're doing well with your training, you're getting better every day, Domeric."

"Auntie!" the little boy said cheerfully, and a small boyish grin peeked on his face.

"Nephew. I understand there are only a few months left to finish your training as a Page" she commented to him, and the little boy's smile gradually faded.

"Yes... and I'm afraid my father has already decided on my new destination to continue my training, where I would be Squire."

"Oh, I suppose I'll send you a letter, and where would that be?"

"At Redfort House."

"Oh, it's a great house. One of the largest in the Vale of Arryn. I suppose you'll feel strange so far from home, in such a... warm climate. But you have to look on it kindly, being a squire is a once in a lifetime opportunity boy, a valuable experience for young lads like you."

"But Aunt... Why is it that Cousin Wolfgang has never left Barrowton? Or so I understand - no application for a page boy has ever come to him?"

"Well, that's not really true. There have been a few letters requesting him as a Page, even some as a Squire, skipping one of the formal steps of this tour of knighthood."

"Then why hasn't he accepted?" the young man asked naively. Ser Morrent watched everything from the side, mounted on his horse. He was an expert horseman, and led the group of knights serving House Dustin, but there were not too many of them. Besides, because of budget issues, House Dustin's forces had hardly any cavalry; it was all infantry practically.

"Well, that's because your cousin is too busy. He has too many things to do in his territory" he replied, and Domeric didn't ask any more questions. Just like any young man his age, something else had crossed his mind, and he started talking about it; forgetting the conversation of a few minutes ago. Not all kids were like Wolfgang.

Barbrey didn't say everything of course. Most who applied for him as a Page really wanted to use him to manage their territory rather than teach him anything. Rumors were already flying around the north, of little Dustin's excellent stewardship, which was causing many people to migrate to his land.

Crop rotation as such had not yet reached the ears of the other lords, nor had the occasional improvement in plowing, but soon it would. Before that, however, Wolfgang hoped to curry favor with his allies by sharing these techniques earlier. His targets were primarily two; allies of House Dustin, and who precisely did not have a perfect relationship with the Starks, those were House Ryswell and House Bolton.

Wolfgang Dustin was planning a Civil War in the North, and a way to get rid of the millenarian House Stark.