Chapter 79: Act 2: Chapter 24

Twentieth day, Eleventh Moon, 253 AC (+27 days)

"It is certainly level," mused Rodrik as he scratched his salt-and-pepper hair.

"Quick too," I commented.

"Aye, quick too. How reliable is this machine?"

"Quite; its edge may become warped over time and needs to be readjusted, or a bolt might snap, but it's a simple enough design that not much goes wrong on."

"Can it handle rocks and tree stumps?"

"It depends on the size of the rocks, but the rockier the ground is, the less it can manage – it messes with the edge. Tree stumps are almost always no, so they have to be pulled out ahead of the machine."

"It certainly does hold promise, but even still, managing a road from here to Winterfell will be a task and a half. That stone crushing machine you have there works wonders, I tell you."

"Aye, it certainly makes the building process much simpler. What did you think of the concrete?"

Rodrik laughed. "Oh? You mean your Ragnarock?" He cut off my protest. "Aye, I'm sure you had nothing to do with the naming. At all. Anyway, it seems like an intriguing thing. Weaker than stone, but easily shaped can have many advantages, but I think it a mistake to have built a castle from it. Granted, your castle was done much sooner than if it had used traditional methods – which have already stood the test of time."

"I've planned to make the main streets in Redbridge out of concrete, which will help with water and snow, I think. After I've tested it out, and my people have gotten used to building with it, I might start to extend it out."

Rodrik scratched his chin. "That might work in populous areas, but unfeasible for remote sections."

"I agree."

"I'll recommend to my nephew that he pursue this further."

"And the farming machines?" I asked as we watched the team pulling the Fresno scraper disappeared from view as they continued their work.

"Unlike these machines of construction, I can't see too big a benefit for these machines of farming. Sure – they make things better and more can be harvested. But the cost? Few can afford such a thing, especially enough to make it profitable. They seem overly complex and unnecessary for many areas. Here, in Redbridge and the coast, it works because you lack enough people farming to compare to other noble houses - other areas have enough people to work. I can't imagine how much you've spent on this endeavor. I will still pass on my observances to my nephew, but I don't imagine he will be enamored with the farming machines either."

"Fair enough," I replied. I had kept my agricultural machines out of sight for the most part, and only let him see them standing still in a barn. I wanted to keep control of them for as long as possible. Once everyone had them, the price of food would drop, and I needed to reap what coin I could for as long as I could. Eventually, it would get out, and I could not stop that, but I would make sure that I was positioned as best as I could when it happened.

We nudged our horses back to the direction of the castle and began our trek back. As we did so, we passed through Redbridge proper, and I was happy to see how it was building up. Warehouses began to dominate the area near the docks, and they were being filled just as quickly as they were being built in expectation of the coming merchant fleet. The docks themselves were progressing, and though the docks meant to hold the larger ships were still few in number, we should be able to handle all of the smaller ships.

Out of sight and more inland, was the lumber mill, where we had already begun to store drying wood and stockpile planks for sale and eventual use. The village itself was also growing up and out. Some of the new houses, after being consulted by Tylan and Master Builder Jon, were being built with a second level above the home – especially along the main street. These houses were built right next to each other to help with heating in the winter and were a stark contrast to some of the simpler houses that had previously made up the village. The industrial sector was rapidly growing as well as more people started to come to the village, and even the new arrivals I had brought with me had started up their own shops. The new farms were also rapidly growing as more and more land came under plow, and people adopted our new methods.

As we rode and the castle came back into view, I admired it from afar. I could already see the walls towering above the landscape atop the cliff, with the towers fully constructed and looking awe-inspiring as they dominated the scene. The defensive portions of the castle were complete, as was the main hall and guest area. With the coming merchant fleet that would contain some minor nobility, I had the workers focus on the housing of these people, over the main keep – especially since many of the more expensive decorations for the main keep where my family would live had yet to arrive. The guest quarters were not simple but definitely lacked the expensiveness that the main keep would have.

We also lacked trained servants that other nobles would be used to, but I did not overly care. I had hired some of the villagers to act the part and help around the castle in anticipation of the coming fleet, as well as Rodrik's arrival, but I had no need of them for myself.

Still, the upcoming arrival would be an experience to remember.

I had just finished my lunch, about five weeks after Rodrik had first visited when a messenger had alerted me to ships on the horizon. They were too far out to tell, but the number of them indicated that the merchant fleet had arrived.

By the time Rodrik and I arrived down at the docks, the ships filled the bay before us. Great ships dwarfed smaller cogs, and small boats were dropped from a few of the largest ships and began to make their way to shore.

Rodrik pointed them out to me and said, "Those will likely carry the Captain of the fleet and whatever nobles came along for the voyage."

As we watched, the lead boat hoisted the Manderly banner above, while the others hosted a few banners I didn't recognize.

"Whose banners are those?" I asked.

"Minor lordlings and knights that are sworn to Lord Manderly."

"Ah," I replied as we watched the boats row into shore. As some of them began to dock my people began to orchestrate the process as excitement swept through the watching crowd. The preparations had all been completed, with our warehouses filled to the brim with all the goods we could muster. Alcohol by the barrel, spun wool, garum, planks, whatever we could make we were ready to sell.

As we waited, Nyra and Rodrik's wife, Arya, joined us on the docks. Arya was much younger than Rodrik, being 34 years old compared to Rodrik's 53 and came from House Flint of the mountains. She was an interesting woman and a very proud woman. She carried herself regally without seeming pretentious but was also very quiet but not exactly timid. She was full of contradictions, but she appeared to love her husband and daughters genuinely, and she got along with Nyra much to my relief.

The couple's daughters were also sweet girls if a study of contrasts just like their mother. Both seemed dutiful and obedient and appeared to be the picture-perfect daughters any Lord could ask for – up to a point. Lyarra possessed a competitive streak that she loved to throw herself into, while Branda was happy to follow her sister's lead, she clearly had a love of the outdoors. If given the choice between knitting inside or spending the day outside lazily by the river, she would choose the latter every time. They got along well enough with my kids, though Lyarra was thick as thieves with Dacey, Koryn's eldest daughter, and Branda drifted toward Aline, Zane's middle daughter.

We exchanged pleasantries while we waited, and we were joined shortly by Donovar who received a welcoming smile from Arya. Thanks to Donovar's contributions to the Battle at Long Lake, where Raymun Redbeard's army fought the Northern army under William Stark, Donovar was well-received by Arya since her home had been devastated by the Wildlings before that battle.

When the first party came ashore, I was happy to see that Theomore's other brother, William, who had visited previously, was the first one off the boat.

"Hail, William! It is good to see you again!"

"Michael! The same to you!"

"How was your voyage?" I asked.

"Long," he replied, wryly.

"And who are your companions?" I asked.

William introduced me to his landed party and acted as a guide for introducing the various captains, knights, and lords that had all arrived. I handed them each off to one of my family members who explained to them their accommodations back at the castle with the help of Rodrik and William who let me know who was the most important that merited it with the limited space we had.

The rest would either sleep on their ships or pay to sleep at the lone inn that was operating in Redbridge. Or possibly pay a villager to stay in their home if they were desperate, but I would play no role in that.

Once the most important people had been attended to, and William returned to his own duties aboard his ship, I sought out Donovar. I found him arguing with a merchant at the other end of the docks.

"And I tell you! This was a long way to come, and I have yet to see any wares! The dock fee is outrageous!"

I couldn't see Donovar's face from where I was, but I could picture him rolling his eyes clearly.

"You haven't seen anything yet because you haven't paid. And you have to pay because no one asked you to come here. I can tell you are from the Reach, which means that you tagged along with the fleet."

"The fee is still outrageously high!" complained the merchant.

"Come now; I know it's not – it's very modest. It is not good to lie so much. If you do not pay you must leave – otherwise, you will force me and my men to become most passionate with you."

When I finally approached within arm's reach of the group, the merchant had grudgingly paid and walked back to his ship.

"Trouble?" I asked in lieu of a greeting.

Donovar smiled in greeting. "Michael! Not much trouble, no. A few have been like that – trying to weasel out of paying, but nothing malicious."

"That's good. Are the patrols all set up?"

Donovar waved the guards around him on to continue their patrol before answering, "Aye, it's been done. No issues so far, but some of the haggling did get a bit extreme. The men calmed that right down though."

"Trading started already?"

"Mostly just the ships selling what they already carried or inspecting what we have for sale." He indicated toward the docks where the merchants were already offloading the goods on their ships. "I don't know all of the details, but some of the space in the warehouse has already been rented out."

"Excellent!"

"Aye. I don't know how much longer everyone will keep trading, but I'll have all the guards stay till they start turning in, and then keep a small patrol keeping watch overnight."

"Good work. Well, the sun is starting to set, so I am going to make my way to the castle to see to our guests."

"Good luck," Donovar said, laughing.

My first time hosting a feast was interesting. Everyone was gathered in the main hall of my castle – all my guests, my extended family, and Donovar's family as well. It was a loud affair, but there was excellent food, and the company was good too.

I leaned over to William and asked, "So, how did the first day go?"

William smiled. "Good. The trading was slow to start, but it will pick up tomorrow."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Everyone is still getting their footing in a new market. A few daring merchants have made some trades, but the rest are content with a few smaller trades until the prices become more determined."

I blinked in confusion. "More determined? Aren't they determined when they reach an agreement?"

"Yes."

"Then how would it get more determined?"

"It's determined when it's bought."

"So, they won't buy until the pricing is more determined, but it won't be determined until someone buys it? How does that work?"

William laughed. "That's about the size of it. Truly, people will trade in smaller quantities to test out the market before going big. It's a bit of a balancing act. Waiting can also yield results or leave a person ruined."

I laughed. "That's a bit too weird for me. I think I'll leave the trading to others."

"Oh, don't count yourself out just yet. You've seemed to be doing quite alright yourself so far."

"How was Stonefisk?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Docking was a bit of an issue as none of the larger ships had been able to dock, but the smaller ships managed just fine. Most of the trading had finished within the day as there wasn't too much to trade, but it had been a nice break for the fleet, and it was a charming little town to explore. The Masters say it's the farthest west in Westeros a man can go it was certainly interesting being there even if you can't tell - Though with the way the winds had blown it was easy to tell that you are exposed."

"And how was the rest of the journey?"

"Nothing overly new, except once we past Lannisport. I had never journeyed farther north by ship than that on the west coast. Trading along the way went well enough, and we picked up many goods from across the realm – wool for the Stormlands, fruit from Dorne, wine from the Reach, and animals from the Westerlands and even some spices from King's Landing. We picked up a good number of stragglers as we journeyed northwards as people found out our purpose and decide to join in on the safety of the fleet – as it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of these traders to not only go past the Ironborn but to trade in such a northern place. Especially for those in the Westerlands and the Reach who wouldn't normally journey to White Harbor or other east coast Northern settlements."

"That's wonderful! Was there much trouble on the trip?"

"Nothing major," he replied. "But I didn't concern myself too much about what the ships were doing so long as they kept moving. I just had to keep herding them along," he said, laughing.

I chuckled. "I'm sure it was like herding cats."

William snorted. "Aye, something like that."

"Well, I appreciate everything you've done anyway."

William raised his glass and said, "You're quite welcome, Michael."

The next day had been busy, and as William had guessed the trading had started in earnest – especially after the inn last night had served my alcohol and given the traders a taste. Most of our goods sold well, and while we had not yet sold everything most of the luxury goods had already sold.

Today, I planned to take William out to the new mining settlement so that he could see its progress and a more thorough tour of Redbridge to see the changes from the last time he had visited.

Presently, we were eating a hearty breakfast before we set out for the day. With so much company I opted for more opulent food at Nyra's suggestion in order to impress our guests. Today was bacon, baked beans, cloud eggs, served alongside fresh bread. It was more effort than I would normally put into breakfast, but with the hired help it was no real trouble for me. And, the cloud eggs seemed to be a hit with many of my guests.

I was trying to make connections with as many people as possible, so I would invite a few new people each day to dine with me, Rodrik, and William since I had no intention of slighting them by not eating with them too.

One of the knights down the table from me exclaimed, "With these eggs, I am certain I cannot lose my spar today!"

I chuckled, "I am glad you like them, Ser Kayl. Who are you sparring against today?"

Ser Kayl grinned. "I finally managed to get an agreement out of Master Donovar."

"Then I wish you luck, but I'm afraid I must cheer for your opponent. No hard feelings?"

He laughed. "Aye, no hard feelings. I must say though; your men are quite skilled for such a new force."

"Thank you, Ser Kayl. Master Donovar is an excellent teacher and has done well with them."

"Quite," he agreed. "Pity none of them follow the Faith; a few of the younger ones show a good foundation of a future knight."

"Forgive me for asking, but why is that?" At his confused look I clarified, "Why is there no type of knight equivalent for someone who follows the Old Gods?"

Ser Kayl blinked. "Because to be a knight is to follow the Seven?" he trailed off questioningly.

I looked to William who shrugged and Rodrik who looked intrigued. "Rodrik do you know why?"

Rodrik scratched his chin. "History? What I mean is that when the Andals came with their New Gods and new traditions, like knights, the First Men refused to adopt them in order to stay distinct. The North has always stood on its own and wasn't going to copy the south."

"What of Aegon? Surely when he conquered Westeros, he would have tried to bind the North closer?" I asked.

Rodrik shook his head. "He had other, more important matters to see to first – if he even saw a problem. Truthfully, the North never saw a need and the southerners didn't see a need to force us."

"But surely having a knight that followed the Old Gods would be a good thing, would it not?"

Rodrik chuckled. "We still aren't keen on copying the southerners."

I shrugged. "But aren't we sort of already? A Master like myself is similar to a landed knight, and many young men across the North still squire to experienced men – even though there is no title of 'knight' waiting for them."

William laughed. "Aye, you may have a point there."

"What would this northern knight do then? A knight is a defender of the Faith and fights with them in mind," mused Ser Kayl.

"I'm sure this 'northern knight' can swear to the Old Gods. The Night's Watch does something similar do they not? Besides I have heard tale of some knights who swear to the New Gods, but still, worship the Old," replied William.

Ser Kayl's face tightened. "That is a separate issue I believe. But swearing to the Old Gods could work, but that is outside of my knowledge."

"I think it's just a matter of title that is lacking as everything else seems to be in place."

Rodrik seemed to mull it over before answering. "You have a point," he conceded. "However, I am uncertain how to address it. As just copying knighthood might give offence to those knighted and would cheapen it in the eyes of the rest of the North. But I do like the idea, as the men of the North who follow the Old Gods should not be denied the honor associated with being a knight – even if it ends up being a bit different."

I shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm out of ideas – it was just a thought of mine."

Rodrik waved me off. "I'll bring it up with my nephew – he has a head for these types of things. More than me anyway."

One of the villagers who I had hired to help me for the next few weeks, Davis, approached me and whispered into my ear, "There is an issue. A merchant is demanding to speak to you."

I frowned at the news. "Very well," I whispered back. In a louder voice, I said, "If you would please excuse me, an issue came up that needs tending to. I hope to be back soon, but if I'm not, I will send a messenger to you William about that tour."

Leaving the men behind me, I followed Davis out of the hall, and we made our way to the castle gates where a disgruntled man stood off to the side.

Seeing me, the merchant perked up. "Master Michael?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"That's me. What seems to be the problem?"

"I have no place to stay! I was not told that this place had only one inn!"

I blinked in confusion. After two nights he was only just now complaining?

"I can't quite place your accent. Are you from the Westerlands?" I asked.

"Aye," he confirmed, confused.

"So, it seems to me that you just came along without anyone asking."

The man's face started to redden. "It's still unacceptable!"

"What did you expect? This is a new village."

"And it should have been made clear that there is not enough room for everyone!"

I scratched my chin. I kind of felt bad for him, but he was being an ass. "I haven't had complaints from anyone else," I stated.

"They are just too scared to say anything."

"Well, I don't know what you expect me to do. There is no more room in the castle."

The man's eyes sharpened. "Fine! If I am forced to stay aboard my ship, I expect to be recompensed for my trouble!"

"You want a discount?" I asked in disbelief.

"It's only fair," the man harrumphed as he crossed his arms against his chest.

What an ass. Fine, well, he shouldn't have tried to make me feel bad for him.

I smiled at him reassuringly. "Well, I suppose I could give you a good deal. We have some spun wool that I can give you for under market prices."

I could see him trying to contain his smirk. "I suppose I could make do with that – provided it's well below market prices."

I continued to smile, though not for the reasons he thought. "I can do that. Just wait here a moment, and I will send a man with you to the warehouse to place a special order."

As I turned, I could see the smirk emerge on to the man's face. I walked over to where Davis stood and whispered to him, "Take him to Brise for me. Let her know that he's a shithead and to give him 10% higher than we figured on a good deal."

Davis smirked. "Aye, Master Michael." Davis quickly schooled his face and walked over to the merchant and led him out of the castle.

What a dick. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize what we were selling. With the spinning wheels and carding machines we could significantly undercut any competition, and we had already begun to spin all the wool we had purchased from the fleet and planned to sell it all back to them for a large profit. However, this dick didn't know how cheap we could go so even 10% higher would seem like a good deal to him – at least until we started to sell to the rest of the fleet for even cheaper.

It would take another day or so before we started to sell the wool, and some of the fleet will have already made their way onward to Bear Island – and a few even to Shadow Tower at The Wall – but they would return eventually. And when they did, I would have even more spun wool to sell.

I just wished I could watch this dick's face when he realized what I had done.

Unfortunately, I didn't see the look on his face so I can only imagine how sweet it was. The sales of the spun wool were incredible, and we had completely sold out – even of the wool we had dyed as well. On the bright side, he never did come crawling back to complain - the dick.

Over the past week, some of the ships had begun to move on – either northward or to the south as they completed their trading – but the main core of the fleet had yet to leave. That changed today however as the city was in a flurry of activity.

From my position atop the castle walls looking out to the west I had a commanding view of the surrounding area, and I could see the reason clearly. Fall had arrived.

The first hints of color were racing through the leaves of the trees and last night had been much colder than previous nights – a sure sign that fall had arrived. With the length of the summer, fall would be comfortably long and enable the fleet to arrive safely back at White Harbor and the farmers to harvest all of their crops. Still, the change in seasons was a catalyst of change, and the fleet had no intention of being caught in the sea during winter.

Rodrik joined me on the wall as I thought over what had to be done before winter set in. "Good morning to you, Michael."

"And to you as well, Rodrik."

"A time for change, eh?"

"Aye, but at least it didn't happen a month sooner and send the fleet back without ever coming here."

"True," he conceded. "Were you planning to attend the Lord's Gathering at Winterfell?"

"Yes; I may have missed the previous one, but I really should attend this one."

"I agree. I know I had originally intended to leave in a few days, but perhaps we ought to go together?"

I nodded. "That sounds wise. We will have to push back the departure date though as there are things I need to complete before we leave."

"That will be fine. Hopefully, a messenger from Deepwood Motte will arrive soon from my nephew letting us know when the gathering will take place."

"Perfect. I look forward to the day when I can receive raven's myself and get these messages much quicker."

Rodrik laughed. "Aye, that would be nice. Anyway, I will leave you to your thoughts."

After he left, I looked back out over my land. The trade had been extremely successful, and we had sold almost everything we had intended to and bought everything we had hoped for. My purse was heavy with coin once again, and it was a huge relief not to be cutting it so close to running out.

With so much coin I would also be able to start on Donovar's castle next summer, especially as work on Sunset's Rest started to wind down. Speaking of, I ought to send Donovar to check on Stonefisk immediately so that he can go and return before we leave for Winterfell. It would let his men-at-arms that he recruited from there see their families again before winter set in.

I would also need to finalize the list of people who would go to White Harbor to be trained on the Lady Alice. Lucas, Zane's third son, was very interested in ships and I had it in mind to have him become the captain one day. And at the age of thirteen, he was a good age to start learning as well.

Our stores of food were well stocked, people had plenty of warm clothing, and everyone had a roof over their heads. We were ready for winter.