16 16

287 AC

Arya was born, that's what I heard from the message Wolkan read to me, on the one hand, I was happy that cannon wasn't so in shit, on the other, I quite enjoyed the idea of having Sansa for myself...

Or could I...

No, let's not go in there, at least not now...

This news made me actually think, I knew that in two or more or fewer years before the Greyjoy rebellion began, something I was already prepared, just not in the way most would think so, as rather than building a fleet for what Bolton still didn't have the money nor wood, I called the most villages that were on the Bolton' shore's, at least the one's on ocean shores, those near river could stay, but those near oceans were forcefully called off...

Such a decision wasn't made by simple fear of losing any more of my manpower or subjects, I actually had plans, or at least an idea of what I wanted, and these people's relocation would help me in that idea, the idea of building the harbor city, a city I foresee lying on the start of the weeping water river, an excellent place that could secure river travel to Dreadfort, and be used as easy transport from port city to Dreadfort on the river, but, but that was for later, for now, I'm just lying fundaments, and not to forget, it is very close Last River, a river that's going all the way to the middle of the North and goes around Last Heart, the ancestral home of Umber's...

For now, all I have done was to prepare the Bolton's land for the possible heightened attacks from the Greyjoys and those they paid to, I didn't know who all they attacked outside of their sacking of Lannisport, but because of our proximity for Essos, I dare not to risk some Greyjoy who was in Essos stop for visiting some of Bolton villages as desert for their pillaging...

And at the same time, I gained an opportunity to curry favor with the Manderly, someone I was wary of, as no matter how funny the lord of Manderly, the Wyman Manderly acted, from all things I remember, he was and is a vicious and very patient man, who even from the rumors ate the Frey's who visited his lands after killing one of his sons on the Red wedding...

I didn't know if all that was just a hoax and Wyman was as stupid as he acted, or if it all was a facade, both were bad, stupid for stupidity alone, and hidden and patient manipulators too, it could be said, that both were equally bad as in first you never know how stupid person could react, and you never could guess with certainty what patient manipulator had in store for you...

Ultimately, having lord of White harbor, the biggest and strongest sea power in North, in-depth to you was just too good a chance to let go...

Fortunately for me, now that Arya is born, I'm bound to marry her once she flowers, and thus no longer is my status as a possible Stark ally questionable, at least to those who know, I didn't know who all Eddard Stark told about this arrangement, but I could guess that at least the most important lords in North knew as, after my visit to Stark lands, there were zero of marriage proposals for me, even as Bolton whose reputation was jack shit, this would be strange if I didn't know that I'm to marry Arya...

Of course, Stark's with all their family is important moto would see me as one of their's once married to them, which don't count for all houses, in that way, Stark's are truly too honor-bound and innocent, not even thinking that their own family could betray them, well, minus Sansa, but that is a mistake on Catelyn's side who made and completely brainwashed Sansa into South lady, with all the dreaming of knights and glory, fully willing to sell secrets of her own family to become queen, both Catelyn and Septa were in fault of that behavior...

Should I change this? And even if I could, how? I had no power in Winterfell, nor do I want to use the few favors I earned from Stark's in this questionable request...

Maybe make Eddard give his daughters more of his time? Make them, how they say it, a more wolf blooded?

But back to the Manderly dilemma, with Manderly being one of the most South's oriented North houses, they even had their own knights, something that in North was almost unheard of, as most houses had just men-at-arms, guards, and soldiers, the Manderly posed an interesting contrast to more simply oriented North living...

I needed to make Manderly see me more favorably if I ever wanted my port city that would be positioned between Weeping Water river and Last River river to prosper and be more secure and not seen as competition to the Manderly absolute fleet monopoly they had in North.

Ultimately, I reached my decision, writing a short message to Eddard Stark and Wyman Manderly, telling them both of the un-existing and already dead captive who, upon being tortured, told me that Greyjoys are preparing for raids on the Northern shore in two years, not telling them about rebellion, just an increased attacks that could make more sea bound noble houses increase their vigilance and defenses, but not showing more knowledge than I should have, I gave the messages to Estrid who in bowing flashed me her big jugs of meat she calls tits if it was intentional or not was beyond me, at the same time, if could be just her habit from serving as tavern wench for her entire life, which such gesture she could earn few more coins, thus this could be just her habit...

Still, once Estrid was on her way with both my messages to Eddard and Wyman she would give to Wolkan to deliver it by raven to them, I looked back at my journal...

For a moment, I went through all the steps, the Bolton lands were changing in a pretty fast manner, maybe too fast, already I could guess that these developments alarmed a few neighboring lords who should or already tried to guess why exactly these changes were happening, as all it was too sudden, too, unnatural...

One of the bigger changes was farms, as some parts of the mostly barren Bolton lands were slowly changing into potato farms after the success of my previous work, even if previously mostly barren, the potatoes were a good way to how to say it? A wake up the land, fertilize it to the possibility to plant more winter resistant crops, making the crop rotation in motion, with such abundance of food so suddenly, came problems, of how exactly how we should store them, the underground ice cellars were mostly full, and even if more were being built, as they were a simple and very cheaply to dig out and build, Bolton's, my father suddenly found himself in a problem he probably never thought of encountering...

And that was an abundance of food, something that in the North was almost unheard of, and thus made my father quite busy, and me more freedom to do as I wished as my father sold and traded food for favors with others, all the while telling me to work on continuing in my work to make Bolton's into one of the bread baskets of North...

A job I was willing to do, one particular means of using an abundance of food was building a simple building that would serve as a soup kitchen, a free soups for everybody twice a day, on launch and dinner free potato soup, something that would be easily made with a new abundance of potatoes, and something that will earn me quite a lot of free positive thankfulness from the smallfolk...

PR for the win...

That was just one change that came with potatoes, now that we have more of them, it made my progress in making vodka more pressing, as just as maple syrup, but more, I see vodka being one of the main ingredients, not just as a drink, even if a drink was already good enough, no, from sterilizing of treatments and injuries to creating Molotov, I didn't exactly know how much I fucked up the possibility of Night King dying in Arya's hands, but I didn't want to risk, and Molotov's were good even on living beings, doubly so on wights I bet...

Just imagination of the trebuchet and catapult throwing entire batches of Molotov jugs into an army of death made me smile, who needed dragons when I could fire the fire from the skies just as much or more, at least like this, I wouldn't risk dragon becoming undead...

Dragons were already a problematic conundrum for me, no need to meddle with walking dead dragons, no thank you...

Now that I think of it, would Danny be as domineering without dragons? Should I meddle in that particular affair?

Knowing I would clash with spider's plans...

Well, I had time, if I remember correctly, Illyrio invited them into his manse around 297, ten years from now on, that is plenty of time for a lot of changes...

There was knocking on the doors as I turned around, Fiera, who was with me in the room, looked at me as I nodded, letting her open the doors.

"Milord." Ah, how wonderful...

"Yes, Benn?" I asked, Benn, is one of my men, one of those thirty men I have training in becoming Bolton's future elite force...

I hope that this year, with the results I show to my father, I could train more, as even now, my men look more professional not just in their walking, which is more precise and unnecessary movement free, but even in their behavior, as even if they do still enjoy the tavern ale drinking, there is more of control in their behavior than of those normal Bolton guards...

No need to speak about their tactics, even if somehow inferior in single combat, they are more proficient in team combat, after all, I didn't train knights or warriors, but soldiers that will march by the side of their fellow soldiers...

That and talent play a big role in swordsmanship, something I learned, as I lack the talent in it, so why make me men try in the thing that a talented knight could kill them even with their years of practice when I can give them shields and spears, and always send them in number against these knights...

It was a risk, but one I was willing to take on...

"The men returned from the mission with lady Hilda and her grandmother, the rest of the family stayed in the village per your orders." Good...

"I see, thank you, Benn, return to your duties." I watched as the man saluted and left, a salute I reached them, with one hand banging in a fist on his chest, and one behind, it was a salute I saw somewhere, I don't remember where, but I think it had something with titans and children flying between buildings with ropes?

It was saddening that more and more of my personal memories of my past lives were replaced with new ones, but in the end, it was the way of life, old giving its place to new...

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