4

285 AC

"Milord, your father, my Lord, asked me to bring you to him." Hm? I looked at the guard, one of my father's most trusted, I think, or how much a man like Roose could trust somebody, Tom his name was, just Tom Winter, if he picked his name himself or not was beyond me.

"I see, sorry, Myri, but I must go." I stood up and cleaned myself from the straws and dirt as much as I could.

"Aliaght, will you come bak?" Myranda still had some problems with some words, but that was normal, I suppose, I just nodded, watching with a satisfied smile how she beamed up from her frown, it was easy to worm my way into her mind, plus I had suspicions that her own father talked her how important was to make me like her, not surprising, with me being the heir and all, still, I paid no mind to these tries to bootlick me, knowing it was for my benefit, I just needed to watch out for snakes, thankfully this was North, and most people there were pretty much blunt or very bad a manipulations, my father not being any of these cases, still, from what I remembered, it was Roose fault to trust even little to that monster Ramsay...

Something I have zero wish to repeat after him...

"Lead the way, Tom." I smiled, making Tom blink at me and then nod his head, hmm was it the respect that I saw in his eyes? Or my imagination, I knew that learning the names of most guards would come in handy, after all, showing you remembering them make them feel important and appreciated.

I followed Tom as he led me through the castle walls, there was a slight change from the previous year, as Roose never truly cared for appearances, not much, at least not in his castle, I was different, and after a short discussion with father, who let me in some restricted capacity change interior of the castle, with Wolkan's supervising, I was able to invite few town's folks with knowledge about painting, slowly transforming most of the walls to black and red, just like our Bolton sigil, I just refused to use pink, still, even if just feeling, I think the castle warmed up little, with these two colors being used, at first I thought it looked too much Targaryen, but then I just shook my head, still, the expenses went from my allowance, yea, my allowance was big enough for me to do something like this, especially when I asked for it last year, and for the entire year I was saving, not that I used all my money, it was wonder how cheap it come, when you think how much castle I had painted...

But that was just me being a child, in truth, I was just weary of these grey stone walls, at least now it had more diversity, as not all walls were painted, just the pillars, doors, and other things, giving the grey stone, and brown wood more diversity, something I overhead was more liked by the castle folks.

When we finally arrived at my father's solar, I waited as Tom knocked and opened the door just as he heard my father's permission, walking into the familiar room, I heard the door closing, making me be alone with my father.

"Father, you wished to see me?" I asked as Roose finally looked from his documents at me, narrowing his eyes.

"You were again with that dog girl." That wasn't a question, so I just nodded, making father look at me for a while.

"You can't marry her." Father simply said, making me almost widen my eyes and shake my head.

"That wasn't my plan, father." Roose looked at me as he slowly nodded his head, "Good, that you know."

I watched as he went back to his papers, and after a while of silence, I saw him move his hand to motion for me to sit on the other side of his desk sitting down I thought about what my father wanted to talk, my visit to castle blacksmith with who I had an interesting conversation, the farming tools I worked with the help of Wolkan and farmers after my visit of farms? Or my request for thirty soldiers, something I knew was a much bigger question than father liked.

I sensed that father wanted to say more but stopped himself, I wondered why, and as I was about to ask why he truly called me in there, father picked up a scroll, one that looked like one the ravens carry, and gave it to me for reading, shrugging, I took the paper from fathers hands and read it, and immediately realized that it was already THAT time...

"Invitation to celebrate first female child of Eddard Stark, the Warden of North..."

I read, but something didn't sit right...

"Normally, we could send just a gift, right, father?" Father nodded his head at my words but said nothing, making me talk.

"They want us there, no, they want me there?" I asked, half dreading the answer.

"Yes, it does sound like an invitation, but do not make a mistake, this is an order from our lord." The way father said lord made me realize how much he honestly thought about it, we never indeed had a normal conversation, especially not about Stark's, I knew there was bad blood there, it was ridiculous how long such feuds could carry, still, I could understand the way my father mind worked, at least for little, as long as Stark's are strong, a father would bow, but once he smells water...

Ahh, that's waths my father's eyes remind me, the fucking shark...

"I see... Can I ask why?" Father looked at me in the way he knew that I knew why, but still, he nodded his head, at least to confirm my thoughts for my sake.

"Your creations, these better plows, pickaxes, mine trolleys, and three-way farming has gotten out, not like we could harness such secret for long without being harassed from all sides for such knowledge that could help to all north, knowing this, I traded your ideas with Stark's," Father explained as he gave me another document, one that, after reading, made my eyes widen.

"Because of your contribution to all North." There my father snorted, actually snorted, "The Bolton family was given a permit to own a limited fleet of twenty vessels and permit to establish a city, something you yourself asked me for." Father told me, making me still wide eyes widen more, as this was more benefits than I could expect, yes these ideas father shared were handy, but the results would be shown just in the future, not now, so why be so generous, especially with the knowledge that other lords will not be so happy about this, no matter what advantages these ideas would bring them...

"Where is the catch? I asked out, making father nod his head.

"Good that you caught up, the catch is you becoming ward in Winterfell." My eyes widened, but before I could say something, father continued. "Of course, such request is just farce, something Eddard Stark doesn't mean seriously, as you are my sole son and thus heir, you being raised away from home where you need to learn lord's duties is unthinkable."

Thank fucking god, I thought as imaginary sweat ran down my neck, or maybe a very real sweat, nothing against Stark's, but I had work there, plus in Winterfell, I couldn't act as I wanted nor bring changes to Bolton lands I wanted, that, and I really didn't want to be close to Seven church, I had a feeling that the septa's or priests in there would get a lot on my nerves, at least faith in Old Gods was more private for each person...

"So what does he want, father?" Father looked at me as he sized me up, "To get to know you, to make you pledge your loyalty even if you have a long time to lordship, to make you see Stark's as friends, to get your hand."

"What?!" There, my father smiled, it wasn't a pleasant smile, just like my own when I looked into the polished silverware or mirror.

"Five years, if in five years Catelyn Stark doesn't birth another daughter, you and this Sansa Stark would marry." Fuck...

"Why, I mean... Why?" I knew that the next daughter of Stark's would be Arya now, I had nothing against she-wolf, but I really didn't want to be played like this.

"Because you are dangerous, because you are Bolton, because you are the next Bolton lord, because like this the Stark's could finally unite our families, give us another chip against rebelling, no matter how small it is, and finally, to gain access to your creations, to your mind, my son." Oh, uh, he said, my son, that happens rarely, like fucking rarely...

"I see..."

"That is good, you will depart in weak time so as to arrive with most of the lord's envoys." Father matter of factly said, no matter how impossible such conversation or request would be to a normal five-year-old, we both knew I was no average five year old, it was actually refreshing to have father speak to me as to adult, even if he sometimes had exact expectations from me, despising me playing with other children...

"Do not embarrass our family, Domeron." I just dumbly nodded, still, my head has gone through all things I could do in Winterfell, not like I could get another chance, maybe when Arya is born, and thus my future fiance, IF something doesn't screw up, hopefully not, Sansa being born birthed good feelings in my that cannon is still very possible, as long as I gather strength and let others fight, all I need is to be patient...

Still, for my father to name me after the man who killed his own father...

I looked at my father as I nodded my head, seeing him back in his documents, thus giving me an order or permission to leave...

Just what shit is expecting me in that place where cannon starts and probably ends...

It was good that my father did not give all my ideas away, ideas like water-powered saws, mills, and hammers, something that could make the Bolton family manufacture armors and weapons much quicker, or the thing I worked with Wolkan, the blasting furnaces, or Damascus steel, that I still don't know how it works, but after speaking with castle blacksmith Ron, just Ron, I can feel we are close to getting it to work...

But all that was for later, now I needed to prepare for my travel...