Ch-16: Blunder

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"Aye! It happens, Lord Jorah, especially to us northern houses. No one deems it necessary to send a raven unless there is war and they require our swords and shields. As far as I know, King Baratheon married a Lannister girl, Cersei Lannister. There was a grand tournament, and our Lord Stark returned with his own bastard child."

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Jorah inwardly cursed himself and longed to strike someone to rectify his oversight. Alas, he couldn't determine who deserved the brunt of his frustration.

After the festivities, Jorah immediately interrogated his Maester about all the letters received during his absence, yet not a single missive had been sent to their island.

He then summoned Tory to bring him the rider who had been dispatched to King's Landing. With a sour mood and a tankard of ale in hand, Jorah impatiently awaited the arrival of the fool.

"And who might you be?" Jorah asked upon seeing him.

"Lord, I am Olly."

"Olly, your task was to deliver the Book of Laws to King's Landing and seek approval or modifications from the small council. However, you have returned, and no one bothered to inform me. Now, tell me what transpired. Whom did you meet, and what was said regarding the book?"

Olly, a middle-aged man, grew slightly nervous under the direct questioning, his eyes darting to Stephon. However, the Master-at-Arms, Stephon, remained silent.

"My lord, I embarked on boats and horses for the journey and safely reached King's Landing. However, despite multiple letters and attempts, I was never granted an audience with the king or anyone from the small council.

I only received a note from the Hand of the King, stating that all lords were free to pass judgments as they saw fit on their own lands in the name of the king and that I should not waste time seeking an audience."

A vein throbbed in Jorah's head, and anger welled up within him. If Lord Arryn were before him, he would have struck the old man a hundred times over. The disrespect and disregard shown to the northern houses in King's Landing remained, even after the change in rulers.

Jorah took a long moment to regain his composure, waving his hand to dismiss the boy before indulging in more ale to calm himself.

"It was my mistake. I overestimated our value. I overestimated our significance," Jorah muttered to himself. Realizing how disconnected the North was from King's Landing and how worthless his own house appeared in the eyes of those who ruled there, Jorah resolved to establish his own intelligence network.

He would not, and could not, rely on others for respect or information.

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"Is it necessary Jorah?"

"Aye! I must hurry to Lord Stark to swear fealty before he sends a raven questioning our loyalty."

"I am not asking about that! You know it. Why are you sending all these men to different ports?"

"Aunt, do you know the price of a Bear's fur in King's Landing or Lannisport or even White Harbor? What about the news of King's marriage? Tourney that was held after the marriage?"

Lady Maege was also blinded by these questions.

"So, you want them to check information? How?"

"They are not going to check anything. Their job is to buy shops in these ports and note every whisper and news they can find. I want to know what is happening in the court before a year has passed."

Lady Maege couldn't help but agree to that proposal. However, watching all the furs and pelts along with all the resources they had saved so far loaded on the boats, made her feel heartache.

"We better get enough coppers in exchange for all of this. This is everything we have saved so far."

"We will and more. This time, the main idea is not to earn copper but to lay down a proper foundation for our trade routes and intelligence channels.

From now on, we will sell our own furs at our own prices. We will decide the market price and nobody else."

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Three merchant boats left Bear Island with all the furs and pelts they had saved in the last three years and each one was sent to the major port of Westeros. One to Lannisport, One to King's Landing and the last one to White Harbor.

These men who acted as sailors were also properly trained warriors and had the ability to think quickly on their feet. Jorah had tasked them with buying shops and settling down at these ports.

The Information gathering cannot start right away as it will draw too much attention in the beginning but once these men can find their own footing, Jorah will start working on that aspect.

For now, he was on his way to meet Lord Ned Stark and take the oath of fealty before he is the only one remaining in the entire north to do so. Before the war, his father was the Lord and when he rode with his soldiers for the war, there was never a ceremony held for Lord Stark.

Now, all the Lords must be rushing for it.