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Sea Dragon Point
🕑 Added 2023-04-16 13:04:22 +0000 UTCSea Dragon point
289-AC Sea Dragon Point
Sea Dragon Point was located at a peninsula on the Western shore of the North. It was a bit of a journey to reach the coast, made even longer by the fact that he collected what men and woman he could along the way that were eager for paying work. There was a lot to be done at Sea Dragon Point and he would need a lot of people to see it done within a few years. More people than he could reasonably gather now. So he took what he could get.
It took almost two moons to reach the peninsula itself. They were slowed down constantly as he sent groups of people out to small villages and towns looking for others who might be interested in some paying work. It took a few days for some of them to be convinced so his journey was constantly stopped and delayed while he waited for those he had sent out to return with other new people in tow. It slowed them down considerably and was highly irritating but it was necessary as what he had planned would need as many people as necessary. Many of those that joined or met his group on their way seemed to almost be in awe of him and his uncle. When they learned they were Starks most of them were quick to show deference and respect. Kneeling on meeting them and hanging on to almost every word. Hadrian saw many children looking up at him and his uncle with gaping mouths with eyes wide with wonder. Woman and men would sometimes seem almost stunned at being addressed by them.
Harry knew his family was well liked in most of the North. He knew that the smallfolk in Wintertown seemed to love them. Still, he never expected to have such a positive reaction from so far away from Winterfell. That would make things easier.
After they passed Torrhens Square the population started to become sparser. Once they had reached the peninsula itself, there were hardly any people at all. Some scouts reported a few small fishing villages and Jod, his first Huntman, reported a few more that he saw with his eagle. But on the whole peninsula and many leagues south of it along the coast, there weren’t more than a thousand souls. There were even less people to the North.
The landscape consisted of rolling hills and some bogs. There were a few streams, rivers and lakes that fed into the ocean. These generally had a small villages set up around them. The people there were surviving off of the fish, clams, some seals and other wildlife in the area. There was very little farming. The people seemed to mostly be happy that a Stark was taking an interest in the area. When he told them he would be looking to build ships and would need workers some were happy to join the party. There weren’t many villages on the coasts itself due to the number of Ironborn raids and many were wary about moving closer to the coast for work, but with the promise of protection some of them were willing to risk it.
By the time Hadrian got to the peninsula he had a little over seven hundred men who would be willing to work constructing a castle and port for pay. Not including his guards. There were a little over three hundred woman who followed them. Most of them were spouses but there were a few others who were just looking for opportunity. Along with these people came around two hundred children. He would need to make sure they were well protected in the future. They should be fine for now, with two hundred guards and the Ironborn otherwise occupied. Still he sent a few skinchangers to scout around him just in case.
Most of the skinchangers stayed in the Neck but four of the younger ones besides Jod decided to follow him. In the future he would try and train some of them up and depending on their loyalty and skill, he might kame them Huntsmen.
He chose the largest hill overlooking the largest bay on this area of the Sunset Sea for the location to build the castle on. There were ruins of an ancient First Man structure located on the base of the hill that he chose. On the next hill over was an ancient grove of Weirwood Trees with faces carved by the ancient children.
Along the coastline there were countless hidden coves and a few other different natural bays which were perfect for ships to hide in to ambush any enemies. The largest bay had plenty of space to build docks for ships with more space left for a good sized shipyard. There were plenty of trees growing on the hills that would be perfect to use for shipbuilding. He had the twenty Ironborn ships he captured sailed into the bay he was the closest too. It’s too dangerous to send such a small fleet south, he’s sure the King will understand. Those ships made a good start to the new Northern Fleet.
According to history there used to be a strong fleet located on the Norths Western coast hundreds of years ago, until one of Hadrians foolish ancestors decided to burn every ship.
Honestly Harry wanted to cry when he first started to realise how much that single decision of Brandon the Burner has harmed the North. Without a proper fleet on the Western coast keeping the Ironborn in check, having any type of settlement along the coast is akin to suicide. After hundreds of years without having any type of fleet, it is honestly a miracle that there are still any people living on the Western shores at all.
If there was a proper fleet that would mean there would be a proper settlement, which would mean trade. There would have been more gold coming into the North, less people starving or dying to Ironborn raids. The population of the North would be greater than it is now and the North would be many times more powerful with a strong fleet on both of its coasts.
If Brandon the Burner never burnt the fleet, the North would have had much more power throughout its history. Perhaps that would have led to some greater opportunities. Perhaps after a few hundred years his ancestors might have even decided to conquer some of the Iron Islands. With the Western coast more secure it would have been more difficult for the Ironborn to get wood for their ships. They might have targeted the North in more raids, but after a few generations the Ironborns numbers would constantly be whittled down, while the Norths population increases due to trade and fishing providing more food. The Ironborn would destroy some ships but the North has the wood to replace ships far more easily than the Ironborn will ever be able to. The Iron Islands would have been drastically weakened and the North made stronger. It is possible the Ironborn never would have even conquered the Riverlands.
Houses around Sea Dragon point would also have benefited from the increased trade. Torrhens Square and Deepwood Motte would each be slightly richer and have larger populations. There would also be a knock on effect for the entire North. With an extra source of trade, most Houses would feel a slight benefit over the centuries. House Stark would also be able to call more men to war. Other House Stark would have had greater incomes from taxes and would probably be able to call on at least another five to ten thousand men in times of war from the knock on effect it would have on the Northern economy and its population. If not more. As the whole coastline has the potential to be protected and have great population boom.
Harry wanted to sigh at the stupidity of some of his predecessors. There is no reason to keep moaning about the past though, he will just have to fix some of his ancestors stupid mistakes now.
He will have to make sure the foundations are strong though. So all his hard work won’t be undone by an idiotic descendant.
The week after arriving on top of the hill on which Benjens castle will be built, Harry immediately set to work. In the beginning everything will have to be made entirely from wood. There was good places to mine stone along the Stony Shore to the South. The problem is setting up supply lines that can send the mined stone such a distance through the wilds, without any roads. It would be slow going but he is sure he can manage.
Harry decided to send a group of fifty men south in order to set up a quarry. They would mine what stone they could and set it aside for storage. Once Harry had some wagons made he would start sending men to bring the stone up to the building site where it will be stored until there is enough gathered to make a decent start on the castle as he determined that would be the first thing to be built out of stone. He sent another hundred men to start chopping down trees so fifty other men could begin building the port. Once that is done they can begin on some basic walls for protection. He would make sure that those men started planting trees for every one they chopped down. He wanted to try and prevent deforestation if he could.
The castle would have a simple design for now. He would focus on building a few sets of chambers, a solar, granary, great hall, kitchen, stables, a small courtyard and barracks. The castle would be a decent size once finished. It would be small compared to most castles in Westeros but he is leaving plenty of space around before the walls are put up for it to expand in the future.
The town would be built a short distance away from the castle leaving space for walls to be built to surround the castle, keeping the inhabitants safe. The top of the town should start right outside those walls and should start to slowly expand down the hill as it grows in population. Another wall would be built around the town in the future, leaving plenty of space for expansion. These walls would be wood for now and possibly years still.
Harry was making sure that the infrastructure of the town would be built properly. To do this he started designing the sewer system first. The town would hopefully grow in size at a decent pace, so proper infrastructure is incredibly important. Harry would rather no towns or cities under his domain smelled of shit and piss as Kingslanding was said to.
For now all he did was send a hundred men to start digging a main tunnel for sewerage to flow down the hill and into the ocean a distance away from the town itself, where it will be carried away by the current. Other tunnels would be added to expand into the main tunnel underneath where streets will be in the future.
He expected it would take the men many moons before they had completed their job, as the tunnel has to go a great distance. After giving the men a supervisor who he was reasonably confident could lead the men decently, he left them to their task.
He had half of the rest of the men start digging on the top of the hill where the castle would go in order to dig a stable, flat foundation for the castle to be built on. They were to flatten the land up until where the walls of the castle were designated to go. After the walls, the hill would continue its decline giving any archers on the walls better range. It was also a large amount of land to flatten and Hadrian expected that to take the men a few moons. He really needed more men. He would like to start building the actual castle but he decided he would do it properly. A proper foundation would make the castle more stable and stronger. There will be less need for repairs as cracks are less likely to appear than if it was built on a poor foundation. It would be a lot of work but in the end it will be worth it.
The rest of the men were given the task of setting up proper shelters for now. They wouldn’t be anything fancy, just made out of wood for now. It was just to give the smallfolk a place to sleep. As it was they were still staying in tents. He was lucky it was summer.
If only he knew the recipe for cement. All he knew is that the Romans used volcanic ash and some other ingredients to make a version of cement they used on their roads. It would take experimentation to get the recipe right.
The next thing to decide upon was the structure of the town itself. His uncle Benjen didn’t seem very interested in the design of his castle. Only telling Harry to keep it basic whenever he was asked for what he would like. Harry tried to drag him into more discussions regarding the castle and how it should be built but Benjen didn’t seem interested. In fact he seemed to become more and more distant the more Harry tried to get him to participate. When Harry asked him for ideas of how he would like the town to be set out and Benjen told him he didn’t really care as long as it was basic, he decided enough was enough.
Three weeks into their stay at Sea-Dragon Point, Harry invited his uncle to have dinner in his tent in order to find out what was wrong.
Dinner was a simple affair. There wasn’t any proper supply lines to his location yet, so most of the food the workers and guards eat would be salted and dried in order to preserve the food stores. It would be another moon before more food would be delivered and it is incredibly difficult to hunt game for this many people, as most of the men were working, so the smallfolk had to get by with what was available. At least until the first crops came in.
He already had some smallfolk start some farms. There were only about fifty men that did so as he didn’t need many farms just yet as the population was still low. Those men that were chosen all had wives and children though. He figured they would help out around the farms for now. He would see if there were more farmers needed next harvest as he was still going to have more supplies brought to him.
Being Lord Stark came with some perks. While most men were eating dried, salted meat, he and his uncle had better options. He sent some of his men out hunting earlier and they came back with a wild boar and a deer as a prize. They would be having wild boar roasted over a spit for dinner along with wine for his uncle and boiled water for himself. The rest of the boar and the deer that the men killed would be shared among his guards.
Dinner had been a silent affair. The only sounds being from their cutlery as they enjoyed their meal. When the meal was over, one of the women that followed the men came into the tent and cleared the dishes. Officially his uncle hired her as a maid in his household.
That was when Harry took the initiative to begin a conversation he had a feeling would be far from enjoyable.
“So uncle, care to tell me what has been bothering you? “ Harry drawled while playing with his empty goblet.
Benjen tensed for a second before relaxing and letting out a wry smile. “ I should have known you would notice.”
Harry just eyed him with some disbelief. “If that was you trying to make me not notice something was wrong, then you are truly a terrible actor.”
Benjen seemed to sputter. “I didn’t say or do anything! How can I be a terrible actor?”
Harry gave his uncle the most deadpan look he could. “Exactly, you haven’t done or said anything. You’ve offered no advice, given me no idea of what the castle should look like. I have had to choose everything so far. Most men would be excited to design their own castle, especially when Winterfell is funding it until trade opens up and the smallfolk start collecting their first harvests and taxes come in.”
His eyes softened. “Uncle, I know for some reason you were set on joining the Nights Watch but I thought you accepted that wasn’t going to happen. Why do you want nothing to do with your own castle?”
Benjen slumps. “-ult.” He whispered so quietly Harry wasn’t able to hear what he said.
Harry leaned closer. “I’m sorry?”
Benjen squared himself. ”It was my fault.” ´He said probably louder than he intended to judging by his wince.
Harry just sighed. “What was your fault uncle?”
Benjens eyes watered. “Lyanna, Brandon, Father, the war. It was my fault. “
Harry just stared at him. “You aren’t making any sense uncle.“
Benjen slumped. “I helped Lyanna escape from Riverrun. She asked me to and I did. Then everyone died.”
Harry just closed his eyes and banged his head against the table. “Why is everyone in my family such idiots?” He groaned.
When he looked up, Benjen had an expression on his face that looked as if it was an unholy cross between offended and confused.
Harry snorted at his expression. “Uncle, do you really believe that Lyanna needed your help? If you didn’t help her, she would have found some other way. She hated the idea of being married to Robert. She would have done whatever she could to avoid that fate. “
His face sobered. “My father’s death was Aerys fault. Some blame can go to Rhaegar too. But it was also his own foolishness that also got him killed. My father was rash and impulsive and didn’t think about the consequences of his actions and that got him killed. Not you. If he just thought for a moment things would be different. Grandfathers’ death was Aerys fault, Rhaegars fault, my father’s fault and his own fault. The war was Aerys fault and Rhaegars fault. Rhaegar lit the fuse and Aerys doused it in wildfire. You should stop taking the blame for other people’s actions.”
He held up a hand before his uncle could speak. “I have a question before we continue. Did Rhaegar kidnap Lyanna? You are saying she left Riverrun of her own accord?”
His uncle sighed. “I truly don’t know nephew. I knew she had a plan for once she was out of the castle. She said she had plenty of coin and that she knew what she was doing. She refused to tell me her plan but I assumed she would try and run to Braavos or a remote part of the North. Like she always spoke about. She might have met up with Rhaegar outside of Riverrun as part of her plan or Rhaegar might have taken the opportunity to kidnap her. It is a question that often keeps me awake at night. “
Harry frowned at that. He would need to do some greenseeing when he went back to Winterfell to find out what really happened. While on one hand, he would be upset if Lyanna willingly left with Rhaegar without telling anybody, as that lead to the deaths of his father and grandfather and a whole war. On the other hand, if she was kidnapped by Rhaegar that means she was raped to have Jon and that isn’t a fate he would ever wish on someone, especially someone he loved so much. If she left with Rhaegar willingly then there is a chance Jon is a true born Targaryen which could be trouble if discovered. He would need to make sure there are no documents or evidence floating around in the south that could be discovered if that is the case.
Hadrian honestly had no idea what to feel about the situation. The whole thing was one big mess. It’s the reason he tried not to think about it too much before. There was a lot of blame to go around, Rhaegar deserved some blame and the rest goes to Aerys in Harrys opinion. He knew there would be those that would blame Lyanna. But even if she went willingly, Harry couldn’t shake the thought she was just a young girl, barely four and ten name days, and it would be easy for a charming prince to ride along into her life and act as the hero of her story, sweeping her off her feet while saving her from an unwanted marriage. It would be easy for Rhaegar to manipulate her in such a situation.
Regardless, there was no use in theorizing when he can look for himself later. One thing he already knows for sure though, is that none of the blame rests on Benjen. Lyanna would have found a way to leave Riverrun with or without his help. He was just trying to be a good brother. Not that any of them seemed to have planned things out very well if she didn’t leave with Rhaegar willingly. A four and ten name day old girl trying to survive on her own in Essos or a remote part of the North would not have an easy time of it.
Harry looked into his uncles eyes. “Uncle, the war is not your fault. Their deaths are not your fault. There is a lot of blame to go around for the Rebellion but none of it should rest on your shoulders.”
His uncle seemed to choke back a sob. “Thank you, nephew.”
Harry just nodded and gave his uncle a few moments to collect himself. Benjen surprised him by not only doing so quickly but also looking into his eyes with a determination he had never seen from the man before. At least when not concerning the Nights Watch and his goal to join it. “What did you mean when you said Grandfathers death was partly his own fault?”
Harry cringed. “Perhaps not the best choice of words. In truth, my fathers and grandfathers deaths are Aerys fault alone, but we cannot discount the circumstances that would make a man act in such a mad fashion as it completes the picture. Grandfather started to play the Game of Thrones, he played badly and he died.”
Benjens eyes widened. ”What do you mean? “
Harry rolled his eyes. “Come uncle, the North has been isolationist for thousands of years. We were before the dragons landed and we were for hundreds of years after. Then suddenly in a single generation the Warden of the Norths heir was going to be married to the daughter of the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, his second son would be fostering under the Lord Paramount of the Vale with the future Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, who is also in line for the throne and who would be betrothed to the Lord of the Norths only daughter. That’s the North, Stormlands, Vale and Riverlands entered into a pretty deep and strong alliance uncle. It’s no wonder Aerys was so paranoid, over half the kingdoms were actively allying against him. The worst part is that much of this alliance relied on the North as a focal point. My fathers arranged marriage to Catelyn and Lyannas arranged marriage to Robert, as well as the relationship with Lord Arryn uncle Ned formed in his fostering are the glue that seemed to hold the alliance together. Now I’m not sure who among Lord Arryn, Tully or grandfather were the masterminds behind the plot but the alliances were not subtle at all. Worse it seemed to point at House Stark as the leader of this alliance trying to make Robert Baratheon King and Lyanna Stark Queen. It is no wonder Aerys reacted negatively. That’s not to say that his reaction was within the bounds of sanity at all, because it wasn’t, but he might have reacted differently if he had known grandfather wasn’t actively plotting against him.”
Benjen leaned back in his chair. “I never thought about that. It does look suspicious now that you are saying it out loud like that.”
Harry nodded. “So yes, while Aerys was no doubt mad, grandfather didn’t help the situation either. Maybe he made the alliances to keep the North protected from the growing madness of Aerys or maybe there was some other plan. I don’t know. All I know is that grandfather should have left the south alone.”
Benjen chuckled bitterly. “Aye. You are right about that.” He then took a deep breath. “I will be more involved in building the castle and the town. I will start giving my all towards being a lord and forget about the Nights Watch. While I disagree with you when you say I don’t have any blame, I see now that you are correct that others hold far more than me. While I couldn’t protect my family then, I will redeem myself by doing all I can to protect my family now. You have my word nephew. “
Harry smiled. “Excellent. Thank you uncle. The past is best left there. No, matter how painful, it is always better to look towards the future.”
Benjen laughed. “You’re a little boy, you aren’t supposed to sound so wise.”
Harry smirked. “It is just part of my charm.”
After having a laugh for a few seconds in order to wash away the remaining tension from their conversation, Harry studied his uncle.
He definitely looked far more relaxed. It was like a tension in his body he carried around for the last few weeks had suddenly left. Harry was glad Benjen seemed to be making progress over his issues. It would take time until he fully forgave himself. Harry debated for a few moments whether or not to tell Benjen about Jon and his true parentage. After a while he decided not to. Not until he at least had a chance to speak to his uncle Ned.
Still there were other interesting topics that they should speak of now.
Harry smirked. “So uncle, you say you are ready to finally throw your all behind being a Lord? To take the leap. “
Benjen squared his shoulders and took a deep breath before looking into his eyes. “I am.”
Harry smiled. “Excellent then there are some important things for us to discuss. First, let’s talk about who you will marry.”
“HHhrrt.” Benjen choked.
Harry continued ruthlessly. “So I was thinking about…..”
Next chapter Thursday 20 April 2023.
Sorry for such a late update guys. After a late one last week too LI have been sick as a dog these last few days. Literally spent the last three days in bed sleeping, trying to get the willpower to write the last thousand or so words of this chapter. I’m feeling better now though and promise next week Thursdays chapter won’t be late. As always criticism is welcome as long as it’s constructive.
To read ahead of the update schedule: Pat_reon(dot)com(slash) TheLifeandTimes19.
Comments
Josue
It’s been little over three hours but I’m hoping it’s today at least.
TheLifeandTimes
Yeah it will be released in about 3 hours
Omgitsbakon
lol is there a chp today author promised
Eric
One small correction to your timeline you may want to consider is that Brandon the Burner in cannon was thousand of years previously not hundreds. I am getting nit-picky but it helps paint the picture of the extremely long history of the Stark line and shows how damaging the decision truly was that they never recovered even after millennia
Eric
Thanks for the new chapter
