- 279 AC -
(Brandon POV)
"So it is finally that time, huh? My baby brother, a man grown. I never thought I'd see the day."
The day passed very quickly. After we stopped wrestling in the mud and embarrassing Father, we had dinner. I must say, I do like Ned's friend, Robert. Who would have thought that I'd ever find a Southerner pleasing to be around? Ned told me that Robert was a Stormlord through and through, and his temper was indeed like that. Rash, prideful, humerous, and uninterested in politics - I like it. Apparently, Robert used to have even fewer table manners than he does now, and if he starts going on wine, he falls back into place, but he made a good first impression. However, I can see problems arising.
"I never doubted myself."
"Haha, of course you didn't. But to think that you're already this tall and barely ten and six is quite remarkable. You might even surpass me in height."
"I'm certain I will."
"Bah! But you'll never reach me when it comes to rugged good looks. I'll always have the upper hand there."
"Heh, you wish. You might fool the ladies, but I know that you're compensating for something when you're sharpening your sword all the time."
"Oooh, that one hurt, little brother. Say what did you do at the Eyrie? Any more ideas?"
"A few. I was wondering whether you would come to talk to Father at some point. Now that I'm allowed to divide my time between the Eyrie and Winterfell, I will make the most of it, and as the next Lord of Winterfell, you should also be present."
"What were you thinking about? The roads?"
"Aye, the roads. I have been going over the designs in the last years and I managed to reduce the price we would have to pay for it considerably. Also, I managed to create a small business, which has earned me some gold we can use."
"You did? How did you manage that?"
"It was quite simple. I asked Jon for a small run-down cabin and then spent my free time restoring it and creating something out of it. I went over the cooking recipes I knew and then improved them. Add some alcohol into the mix, and we arrive at a functioning inn."
"That simple? And you make a profit?"
"Aye, quite a bit."
"..."
"What?"
"Something is fishy. What is the true purpose of that inn? You won't tell me that you just wanted to earn some money for roads, do you?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you."
"..."
"Alright, there may be other things I combined with it, but money was a major part in doing it."
"What did you change from your last design? I thought it sounded great, even though it was too complex for me."
"I changed it to have multiple layers. First, we would have to dig parts of the earth up. The bottom layer would be native earth. The layer on top would be the foundation of flat stones. I thought of a special material that, according to my calculations, should function as a stabiliser. This would then support the additional layers. A small layer of coarse concrete, which is a name I came up with, then a layer of fine concrete and then the pavement. There are more things, but it is better if I just show it to you."
"Aha, I didn't understand any of that. But as long as you believe it works, I'm all for it."
A comfortable silence settled between us. I am glad that Ned grew up to be this reliable. He is smart and skilled at fighting. I admit he would be the perfect Lord of Winterfell, but that won't happen, sadly, no matter how much I would like that. Not only would Father not allow it, but Ned shows no interest in taking the position. He honours his family and me as the heir too much. At least I know I'll have someone whom I can trust wholeheartedly.
"So Ned, tell me. Any girls you had some fun with?"
"No."
"Hmm? No? Come on, I'm sure you at least experimented."
"No. Not everyone is as rash as you are, Brandon."
"What do you mean?"
"I heard the rumours."
"What rumours do you mean?" I ask, confused.
"I heard that Lord Rodrik of the Rills desired to wed his daughter to you. He asked Father about it, didn't he?"
"... how would you know that?"
"It's not hard to find out, Brother."
"So what are you talking about then?"
"I asked myself why Lord Rodrik would think that he had a chance wedding his daughter to you, the heir to Winterfell. And after thinking about it for ... no time at all, I came to a conclusion."
"..."
I don't like the sound of this.
"..."
*Sigh*
"And what conclusion did you arrive at, pray tell?"
"You were fostered at Barrowton by Lord Dustin and spent most of your time riding in the Rills. And Lord Rodrik Ryswell of the Rills wishes to marry his daughter to you? Quite strange, I thought. I guess that you took the maidenhead of Barbrey Ryswell."
*Sigh*
"You are truly clever, Ned. You're correct. Barb and I grew very close. I hoped to marry her."
"Father didn't agree, did he?"
"No. You know how he is; he has plans for House Stark. He betrothed me to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun. Daughter of Lord Hoster Tully."
"Congratulations, Brother. I wasn't aware of that."
"Father chose to keep it a secret for now."
I think about Barbrey and get sad. I guess I do love her, and she loves me as well. Why do I have to marry a Fish of Riverrun? Why me? Barbrey is the daughter of a northern bannerman and the one I like. The Tully girl will bring her beliefs up here and bother me with them. Ned was right, the Faith of the Seven is shit.
"Did you talk to Barbrey?"
"Aye. I did. She wasn't happy about it and cried. As did I. Can you imagine? Brandon Stark, heir to Winterfell, the Wild Wolf, crying in the arms of the girl he took the maidenhead from and brought great dishonour?"
"I can feel your pain, Brandon. We'll make sure Barbrey is taken care of. I'll see to it personally. As for the Tully girl ... we will simply indoctrinate her into the North and get rid of all her Southern education. There are ways for this."
I look at Ned and smile. Hard to believe that he is the younger brother.
"I'm thankful to have you as my brother, Ned. Are you certain you don't want-"
"Stop. You are Heir to Winterfell. I can make use of my talents differently, and as long as you are more open-minded than Father, we will see the North prosper, I guarantee it."
"Very well. We shall do it your way."
"Ned! What are you two doing here? We were looking for you all over."
I look up to see Lyanna and Benjen arriving. They have been sticking to Ned since he arrived, asking him to spend time with them.
"What's wrong, Lyanna?" Ned asks.
"Hehe, Lyanna is trying to flee from the lessons Father and Mother have arranged for her," Benjen laughs and gets a punch in the arm as a reward from Lyanna.
"Ugh, I'm trying to get away from the lessons. They started a while ago, but at the start of this year, Mother told me Father is thinking about ... marriage."
"Marriage? Already? Is there someone he has in mind?" Ned asks.
"I see. So that's what's going on. It seems Father was truly impressed with your friend, Ned. So he has set his eyes on the Stormlord, eh?" I say understanding the way Father thinks, since I went through the same thing.
"NO! I will not marry Robert Baratheon! No chance!" Lyanna is angry for some reason. I assume that's her reaction to marriage, no matter who it is.
"It seems Robert is bothering Lyanna. Can't get enough of her apparently."
"What do you mean, Benjen?"
"Ever since Ned and he arrived here, he has been showing interest in Lyanna. Like she was the treasure he was looking for all along. I don't know; seems weird to me."
"It's like you told me, Ned," Lyanna says.
I look at Ned, who is deep in thought. Why would Robert Baratheon follow Lyanna like that? Is he an idiot or ... or ...
"Ned? What is she talking about?"
Ned looks at me and then nods his head.
"Robert Baratheon is strong, proud and brave, but also headstrong, rash, and impatient. Robert is a man of huge appetites who knows how to take his pleasures. He is quite promiscuous. And all that, at barely ten and seven name-days. During our time at the Eyrie, I came to understand Robert better, and while it didn't change much, my opinion of him improved slightly. He has great charisma and leadership qualities, as long as it concerns battle and not politics. He not only despises politics but is bad at it. He isn't a simpleton though, on the contrary. He is rather observant, and I am certain a skilled strategist when it comes to fighting."
I let Ned's words sink in. He is a brilliant man already at this age, and I trust his judgment. He has the skill to stay objective and not judge someone by letting his emotions get the better of him. A valuable skill indeed.
"The reason I warned Lyanna about him, is that Robert has already lost his virginity."
"So? That's not unheard of with young nobles. In fact, it would be unusual if he hadn't."
"Correct. Another example of the double standards the Faith allows and ignores. But let us forget that. The reason I am saying this is that he lost his maidenhead two years three years ago."
"What? That's ... rather early."
"It's not that special, actually. But again, that's not what I mean. The reason I tell you this is because it proves my point. He is a very lustern man, and when we left the Eyrie, he has already impregnated a woman."
"WHAT?!" Lyanna shouts.
I am also surprised, but not as much as her. Again, that isn't unusual, and it happens far more often than anyone is willing to admit. But I understand Ned's view on the matter and why he told Lyanna to keep her respectable distance. She would never accept someone like him.
"Why didn't you tell me that?! I wouldn't have talked to him!"
"Calm down, Lyanna. Ned surely has his reasoning. Right Ned?"
"You can't ignore or insult the heir to Storm's End while he is a guest at Winterfell, Lyanna. I hoped that you would keep your distance but stay respectful and that he would lose interest if he realised that you were uninterested. But it would seem my predictions proved to be incorrect."
"You couldn't have known, Ned. Robert might be a Lord, but no one can force ... oh." I stopped speaking after I realised what the problem was.
"Father."
"Father, yes. After what you told me, there is no chance that Robert wouldn't get what he wants and be betrothed to Lyanna."
"Should he ask," Benjen says.
"Aye, should he ask. But with what you tell me, that will be but a matter of time. It seems your disinterest has only spurned Robert on to 'pursue and conquer' you. And with Father seeing his chance to forge a strong bond with the future Warden of the Stormlands, he won't think about it. He will agree."
"I don't want that! Ned, please, is there anything you can do?" Lyanna pleads with Ned. She is unsuited for this life. If only she could live her life however she wished. I would be all for it.
"I will think of something, Lyanna. But right now, Father is set on his ways. I will try to reach him slowly. For that, I will need your help, Brandon. If I can convince Father that his ideas shouldn't be set in stone and prove to him that my projects are good, he will slowly start to see my ideas differently. I'll do what I can."
One of the servants approaches and interrupts our talk. He bows and hands Ned a small letter. He opens it and reads it for a moment, then he puts the letter back and stands up.
"I need to go. We'll see each other later."
We watch Ned walk away. It seems like that was important news he received there.