Howl of the Seawolf (OC/SI)

List of House Seastark members as of late 283 A.C. Hope this helps some people keep track of the Seastarks!

Lord Torrhen Seastark (b. 245 A.C., d. 281 A.C.), Married Brienne Glover (b. 247 A.C., 36)
---> Lord Hugo Seastark (b. 265 A.C., 18), Married Myrra Lannister of Lannisport (b. 266 A.C., 17)
------> Myranda Seastark (b. 283)
------> Torrhen Seastark (b. 283)
---> Edric Seastark (b. 270 A.C., 13), Betrothed to Lorra Wells (b. 272 A.C., 11)
--->Breyna Seastark (b. 276 A.C., 7), Betrothed to Roger Ryswell (b. 273 A.C., 9)

Walton Seastark (b. 247 A.C., d. 281 A.C.), Married to Arsa Bole (b. 248 A.C., d. 277)
---> Wyman Seastark (b. 264 A.C., 19), Married to Elsa Slate (b. 265 A.C., 18)
------> Arsa Seastark (b. 283)
---> Yara Seastark (b. 269 A.C., 14), Betrothed to Leobald Tallhart (b. 265 A.C., 18)
---> Jonnel Seastark (b. 272 A.C., 11), Betrothed to Alysanne Mormont (b. 274 A.C., 9)

Lord Osric Fisher (b. 246 A.C., 37), Married Ellen Seastark (b. 248 A.C. 35)
---> Owen Fisher (b. 266 A.C., 17)
---> Mariah Fisher (b. 269 A.C., 14), Betrothed to Tytos Blackwood (b. 268 A.C., 15)

Edit: Forgot Ellena Seastark (who hasn't appeared yet). She's Torrhen and Walton's younger sister and married to Lord Fisher. It's why he's the SI's uncle and why Owen Fisher is one of his cousins.
Edit 2: Added the kids.

Interlude: Across Westeros

The Hightower, Oldtown, Mid-Ninth Moon, 283 A.C., Ten days later…

Humfrey POV

I nervously walk up the grand marbled stairway that stretches near the height of my home and family namesake, the Hightower. I wonder idly why my father summoned me to his solar. As far as I knew, he didn't know about my older brother Gunthor and I's prank on the kitchen staff.

The servant had interrupted my lesson with the maester, the subject being houses of the North, going over their names, banners, words, and anything notable about them. The maester had finished with House Seastark and was in the middle of teaching me about House Fisher when I was summoned by father.

Near the top of the tower, I turn off to the side, down the hall that lead's to father's solar, my thoughts drifting to that incredibly fast ship that stopped in Oldtown less than two moons ago. I recognized the black direwolf of House Seastark from the trade fleet that made port in Oldtown twice. The first time, they sold ice for my older sister Denyse's wedding and I remembered the adults making a big deal about having their wine cold. Then the trade fleet came back from their trip to the Summer Islands and while they were in port, trading the exotic goods gained from their voyage, the Lord Captains were invited by father to dine with us. Even now, I remain enthralled by their descriptions of both the natural and manmade wonders of the Summer Islands, from waterfalls hundreds of feet tall, massive temples larger than the Starry Sept, and trees taller than the Hightower! It was one thing to hear some of those things from a Summer Islander merchant, it was another to have them confirmed by Westerosi eyes.

I attempt to visualize a tree taller than my eight-hundred-foot-tall home before reaching the mahogany wood doors to my father's solar, richly carved with events from my family's history. I knock on the door three times and wait for my father's permission to enter. When I hear him tell me to come in, I open the door and enter his solar. To my surprise my mother, Lady Rhea Hightower nee Florent, a brunette woman with sky blue eyes that I inherited, standing by my father's desk. She is the fourth wife of my father; Lord Leyton Hightower, a man in his early fourties, purple eyes and silver hair that I inherited from him. Next to them, Lord Martyn Mullendore, Lord of Uplands, a man brown hair and eyes, roughly my father's age and a similar looking knight in his early twenties. The knight wore armor in the Mullendore colors of white and orange, and I notice he carried a black shield on his shield arm. I walk over until I'm about a man's length from his desk and stand at attention, before formally greeting my parents and Lord Mullendore.

"You summoned me, Father?" I stare into his purple eyes while asking him the reason for summoning me.

"Humfrey, you have recently celebrated your ninth nameday, and that means it's time to discuss your fostering." He said in a serious voice and I see my mother frown slightly. I looked at him curiously.

"I understand father, you recently told Gunthor he's fostering at Sunhouse with Lord Cuy, so I knew this was coming. So, who am I fostering with? I see Lord Mullendore is here, so is it in Uplands?" I asked my father eagerly, gesturing to the Lord of Uplands. To my surprise, my mother's frown worsens, while Lord Mullendore and my father shake their heads.

"No, your mother and I originally intended that, but there's been a change in plans. You will foster outside the Reach." He says cryptically to my shock. "Would you like to guess which kingdom?" He asks suddenly, giving me a curious look. I ponder where I will be sent, and after a moment I give my answer.

"Is it the Westerlands?" I give my answer.

My father, Lord Mullendore, and the young knight look at me curiously. "Why do you think it's in the Westerlands?" My father asks in a casual tone, but I know him well enough to see he's testing me.

"I think it's because you want to build better relations with houses in the trade company that showed up a few moons ago." I give my reason and see his eyebrows raise slightly, as if surprised by me answer.

"You are half correct. It's not in the Westerlands but your reasoning is sound. I have arranged to have you foster in Castle Warg, with Lord Seastark." My eyes widen at his words. All the way in Castle Warg? It takes at least six weeks by galley to Wolfsport! I see my mother frown worsen and Lord Mullendore look awkward.

"May I ask why, father?" He nods his head at my request.

"To put it bluntly, it's to get one of those clipper ships Lord Seastark's invented. The very same one you and Gunthor were watching sail by, faster than any ship in the Seven Kingdoms!" My says bluntly.

"Your father is giving away much to get his hands on that ship. Not only are you fostering in Castle Warg, he's paying enough coin to buy at least five dromons, an alliance against the Greyjoys, cutting the price of grain to Wolfsport by a third, and lowering custom duties a full ten percent. On top of that, we're joining the Sunset Trade Company along with our bannermen and House Redwyne. He's practically paying a prince's ransom for a ship he won't receive for two years!" My mother says, frown still marring her face as she glances accusingly at father.

My eyes widen even more. I didn't understand everything father conceded, like the custom duties, but I understood he gave up a lot to get both the ship and me to foster up north.

"Lord Seastark made joining his trade company a requirement to even purchase a clipper! He must have heard about Prince Oberyn traveling the Reach trying to recruit Reachmen for his own trade company. I don't know how my goodson Mace got convinced by the Red Viper into joining his foolishness, especially since his mother pushed for joining the Sunset Trade Company instead!" Father's words surprised me, as I remember Prince Oberyn visiting us a few moons ago and meeting with father. Guess I finally know what they were discussing.

Father continues. "Construction of the ship won't begin until we've formally joined the company during the Seaguard Director's Meeting in ten moons time. A prince's ransom is a fair price to pay for one of those ships, especially when we take it apart and learn to construct our own." He says the last part with determination

"Mayhaps." My mother responds. "But you're giving too many concessions to such a young house! You're even going to convert the Oldtown standard of weights and measurements to this "Common Standard" he's creating for his company! Not to mention sending our boy to the heathen North without a sept in sight! And who's Humfrey supposed to squire for? They don't even believe in knighthoods in their frozen lands besides the Manderlys! The lord's only got one knight, and it's a bastard no less!" My mother continues to rant.

"That's why Lord Mullendore is here." Father gestures to his bannerman. "Not only will Humfrey go North with a septon, but Lord Seastark has agreed to allow him to squire for a knight of my choosing. So, I… renegotiated my agreement with Lord Mullendore." The mentioned lord takes over.

"Instead of fostering in Uplands as originally intended, you will squire for my bastard son, Ser Normund Flowers, Blackshield of Uplands while you foster in Castle Warg. Baseborn he may be, he is a skilled knight, with multiple tourneys under his belt." The Lord of Uplands declares and my father nods at the bastard knight, who thanks his father for the praise. My mother and I look at the man in shock, though for different reasons. My mother looks ill at the thought of me squiring for a bastard while I look at Ser Normund with excitement.

"Ser Normund, I remember you from the tourney in Oldtown, four years ago! You got to the finals, being bested only by Ser Barristan Selmy!" I say excitedly and the knight smiles at me.

"I'm honored you remember me Lord Humfrey, I look forward to having you as my page and squire." Ser Normund says with a formal nod and I'm prevented from asking more by father's voice.

"Humfrey, your fostering will be very important to the future of House Hightower. It will forge closer ties with House Seastark, a house that has risen far in the last two years under its new lord." Father says in a grave tone, staring into my eyes and I feel the weight of father's words on my shoulders.

"Not only will you be learning everything you normally would from Lord Seastark, how to fight, how to rule, and how to conduct yourself as a knight and highborn, but whatever else you can. Word of this quickstone has made its way here, with reports of him building paved roads of all things. There are even whispers of magical farming tools like plows. All for the betterment of our house." My father ignores my mother's faint scoff at the mention of magical plows and continues.

"You will not only be fostering closer ties between our house and House Seastark, but the other houses fostering there as well." He say and my interest piques. My mother looks stunned at the implication that he was fostering more than two boys.

"Who will I be fostering with?" I eagerly ask him.

"Lord Tywin Lannister's second son Tyrion Lannister, Lord Ambrose Mallister's grandson, Patrek Mallister, and Lord Gregor Forrester's second son Asher Forrester." His answer shocks my mother and I.

"The Imp!" My mother exclaims and my father confirms before addressing me.

"Yes the Imp will be there with you Humfrey, so show him some respect. We want to build closer ties to the Lannisters, Mallisters, and Forresters and it will be up to you to do that. Are you capable of that, my son?" Father asks me in a serious voice and I nod.

"I am father. I will foster in Castle Warg, learn what I can, and build closer ties with my fellow fosterlings." I say resolutely and my father smiles.

"Good. You and Ser Normund leave in about a week, when the Swiftwind returns to Oldtown. It'll take you to Wolfsport in roughly three weeks with overnight stops in Lannisport and Seaguard to pick up the others. I suggest you start packing." He says and I'm stunned at how soon I'm leaving. Standing there a moment in shock, before taking his dismissal to begin packing. I leave his solar, giddy at the opportunity I had to sail on one of those clipper ships before Gunthor!...

Lannisport, Early-Tenth Moon, Eighteen days later…

Tyrion POV

The morning sun shines on the Lannisport docks where I walk with my family towards the Swiftwind, fastest ship in the Seven Kingdoms and the ship taking me to my fostering. Jaime, Uncle Gerion, Aunt Keeori, and Uncle Kevan walk to my left while father, Aunt Genna and her husband Ser Emmon Frey to my right. Uncle Kevan's wife Lady Dorna Lannister nee Swyft is back in Casterly Rock, caring for my one nameday old cousin Lancel. Uncle Tygett had left for King's Landing with his wife after recently becoming a justiciar under the Master of Laws Lord Royce, taking his squire, Burton of the Lannisport Lannisters with him.

It's still a surreal that I'm fostering with another lord, one that requested to foster me, no less! No other lord expressed interest in fostering me, not that father tried particularly hard to get me fostered. I look up at father as he walks with us on the docks, his eyes are on the ship that will take me to Wolfsport.

"I'm going to miss you brother." I turn my head to see Jaime wearing a sad smile on his face. I feel a pang of sadness at being away from my brother, one of the few people that never looked down on me for being a dwarf.

"I'm going to miss you too, Jaime." I say sadly. "But it won't be all bad! Lord Seastark's a nice enough lord and he's even letting me have free reign over his library! It's not a particularly big one, but it has books and scrolls on the North that have few if any copies south of the Neck. And I'll get to read them all!" I say excitedly and Jaime laughs.

"It's good that you'll have plenty of books to read, Tyrion. You're already bringing five books with you!" I smile at Jaime's words.

"I hope you won't waste all your time reading. I didn't pay a king's ransom for you to sit in a library reading all day. You are there to represent House Lannister not just to Lord Seastark but to the other houses fostering their sons and will conduct yourself accordingly. You will learn about every invention made by Lord Seastark to be used for the benefit of our house." Father cuts in curtly, sending me a hard look.

"I thought you paid the king's ransom for Lord Seastark to eventually build you a clipper." I snort. Father narrows his eyes but Uncle Gerion speaks first.

"Lord Seastark may be young, but he is a wise lord and not just for his inventions. He is the kind of man who thinks moons if not years ahead time. I have no doubt that even if he can't make you a knight, he will no doubt teach you to become a capable administrator." Uncle Gerion says with a smile.

"When I become Lord of Casterly Rock, you'll be by my side as my castellan. So, learn how to be a good one because I'll be depending on you to rule for me!" My brother japes and we share a laugh when we reach the captain, a tough-looking seadog in his forties with salt and pepper hair and beard. He bows at my father.

"Greetings Lord Lannister! I'm Captain Calon of the Swiftwind! Here to take Lord Tyrion to Wolfsport after a stop in Seaguard." The captain begins to talk to my father and I begin to give my farewells to my family. I nearly tear up when I say goodbye to Jaime, Uncle Gerion and Aunt Keeori, regretting that I won't be there for the birth of their child.

My father's farewell is blunt. "Do not mess this up."

Soon enough, I board the ship, looking at the three masts and many sails it has before I hear a voice call out to me.

"So, you're the Im-, er Tyrion Lannister of Casterly Rock." I turn my head to the source, deciding not to comment on them almost calling me Imp like so many others. My eyes see a boy of eight or nine, hair silver like the Targaryens and blue eyes that look at me not with disgust or derision but with curiosity. Next to him is a knight wearing the colors of white, black, and orange with a pure black shield.

"Indeed, I am Tyrion Lannister. I take it you are Humfrey Hightower?" I venture a guess as to the boy's name. Reasonably confident in my guess due to his looks…and the Hightower sigil on his gray tunic.

The boy smirks. "I am Humfrey Hightower, fourth born son of Lord Leyton Hightower! And this Ser Normund Flowers, the Blackshield of Uplands." He introduces himself and the knight proudly.

I'm interrupted from responding by Captain Calon calling to hoist the anchor and the ship begins to sail away from the docks. I make my way to the stern of the ship, finding a small wooden crate to stand on so I can look over to my family one last time and wave. Jaime, Uncle Gerion, and Aunt Keeori smile and wave while Uncle Kevan and Aunt Genna wave politely. Father neither smiles nor waves, staring a hole into my head with a look that promised dire consequences should I make a fool of myself or House Lannister. When they become small specks in the distance, I step down from the crate and hear my fellow fosterling speak.

"Say, Tyrion… You've met Lord Seastark and travelled to Castle Warg before. What's it like? And what kind of lord is Lord Seastark?" Humfrey's face is passive but I detect a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Well, I've only met and talked to him briefly a few times and I've found him to be an intelligent and kind lord…" I tell him about my brief encounters with the Lord of Sea Dragon Point.

The conversation eventually shifts to books and which ones we've read and our favorites. I tell him about my favorite books on dragons when we passed by Feastfyres, a holdfast on the tip of a peninsula and home to House Prester. I spot a ship with the red bull of the Presters sail out of the harbor near the castle and follow us around the peninsula, heading north. It's destination unknown. The Swiftwind doesn't take long to leave to Prester ship behind going a blistering five-and-ten knots, continuing its voyage to Seaguard and ultimately, Wolfsport.

Halfway to Seaguard, we encountered an Ironborn longship, dark red hull, single-mast with black sails adorned with a golden kraken. From a distance I could see the figurehead is a maiden with outstretched arms as it sailed towards us at full speed. I have no doubt, had we been in a galley or a cog, the longship would have caught us and we've would have been force to fight for our lives. Instead, we were going full speed in the Swiftwind and managed to slip by them unmolested and continue sailing to Seaguard…

Outskirts of Ferngully Keep, Early-Tenth Moon, four days earlier…

Catelyn POV

I feel the baby kick again, reminding me I've entered the fourth moon of this pregnancy. As if in feeling his sibling stir inside my womb, Robb stirs from his nap in my lap. He yawns, before looking up at me and I see my Tully looks in him, red hair, and blue eyes.

"Hello, sweetling. Did you have a good nap?" I whisper softly. Robb gurgles happily as my eyes dart over to the nursemaid sitting across me, holding little Brandon Snow.

I still didn't know how to feel about the bastard named after my former betrothed. The teachings of the Seven say that bastards are a symbol of sin and in a way, he is. Certainly not of my goodsister's sin, but that of the Silver Prince's. The king didn't want his wife's bastard in the Red Keep, both due to the mark of embarrassment for him and Brandon's half-Targaryen blood giving him a claim on the Iron Throne, albeit a weak one. So, he was sent to live with us in Winterfell, growing up alongside his cousins before one day, founding a new Stark cadet branch in the newly restored Queenscrown. While it was uncommon but not unheard of for bastards to found new houses, it was even less common for them to found cadet branches. There is a part of me that believes that the bastard is receiving more than he deserves, as a threat to both Winterfell and the Iron Throne. But there is a part of me relieved for his future lordship, believing my husband's words that it will make him not a threat, but a future loyal bannerman to Robb. I decided to follow my husband's lead, threating him like a trueborn nephew. It made me a bit uncomfortable to treat a bastard this way, but I could indulge Ned because Brandon wasn't a threat to Robb due to being his cousin. I couldn't imagine if he had brought a bastard son to Winterfell, that would have been intolerable!

As if sensing my thoughts, little Brandon opens his gray eyes before letting out a yawn. A moment later, I begin to hear trees being chopped from outside the carriage.

"We must be getting close to Ferngully Keep, Lady Stark." Marna, the nursemaid holding Brandon, says casually.

"Aye. Just like the last two holdfasts in this forest, felling trees to widen the road to be paved and dragging those log contraptions to smoothen the dirt trail. The Wolfswood clans seem to be… eager to go along with this." I say, remember seeing similar projects happening in the Branch and Woods clan lands along the Wolfswood Trail. The clan heads enthusiastically going along with this Wolfswood Road idea spawned from Lord Seastark. It's that very idea and the quickstone he invented to even make such as ambitious project possible that has them traveling to Castle Warg.

"The members of the clans who have seen the quickstone being used and the roads constructed swear by them. The clans of the Wolfswood have always been amongst the poorest houses in the North and a paved road from Wolfsport to Winterfell through their lands would benefit them immensely. Is it any surprise they're eager to see it done?" Marna responds and I nod at her words.

"My husband has certainly noticed. Such a road would benefit the North as a whole…" I say before the carriage suddenly comes to a halt. The wooden slab on the door slides open to the face of Ser Rodrik Cassel, Winterfell's master-at-arms. The Northern knight in his thirties gives us a smile.

"Lady Stark, we've arrived in Ferngully Keep." He says in a professional tone. I nod, hand over Robb to another nursemaid riding with us and open the carriage door. I grasp Ser Rodrik's outstretched as I step down from the carriage onto the grounds of the small wooden keep, the clan's banners of a green fern on black fluttering in the wind. I see my husband already talking with Lord Fern or The Fern as they say in their strange customs, a man in his fifties standing with his younger wife, three sons, and nine grandchildren. I see two of those strange ratdogs walk around the grounds with five pups, remembering the fear I felt when I first saw more than a week ago in the holdfast of the Woods clan. The clans brought them along with monkeys, lemurs, parrots from their trade expedition to the Summer Islands. To my surprise, it turns out the strange creatures are quite docile and seem to only bite when provoked.

I spot another family standing with the Ferns, a lord and lady in their early thirties with a blonde-haired boy of eight or nine namedays, and to my surprise, wearing the sigil of House Forrester. A Northern house I haven't met but heard about due to their prized ironwood and the blonde-haired lady of the house staring at me with her green eyes. Lady Elissa Forrester, the only Southron wife in the North besides Lady Seastark and I, and a woman I am intrigued to meet.

"Lord Stark, good to see you again! Lady Stark, a pleasure to meet you." Lord Forrester greets us as the Forresters walk up to the Ferns and us. I give him a proper curtsy despite my condition.

"Lord Forrester, good to see you as well. Lord Seastark informed me you were coming to Castle Warg but didn't say why." Ned greets the Northern lord.

"We are heading to Castle Warg to drop off little Asher, who will be fostering with Lord Seastark! He and his wife invited us to dine with them, with his wife in particular wishing to meet my wife and Lady Stark." I feel surprise that the Lady of Sea Dragon Point would wish to meet me, but then again, I felt similarly about her. The woman whose betrothal and marriage to House Seastark caused a feud to erupt between them and the Karstarks, one that nearly caused a civil war in the North on the outskirts of the capital. I remind myself while it may be nice to have a fellow Southron lady as a friend, she was still a Lannister, albeit a cadet branch. She is still tied to Lord Tywin Lannister, the ruthless Warden of the West who snuffed out the Reynes and Tarbecks. Ned's description of what happened to Princess Elia and her children on his orders still gives me nightmares. The same ruthless man who was now tied to a fast-growing House Seastark, whose Lord has proven to be something of a brilliant inventor. Castle Warg's deepening ties with Casterly Rock have been watched closely by both her husband and especially his sister, the queen. It heartens me that she's become friends with my sister, Lysa, as I feel they could both could use friends in the capital and it's this new friendship that's started a correspondence between myself and my goodsister.

"Oh? Your second son is fostering in Castle Warg?" Ned asks the Lord of Ironwrath.

"Aye. It's a great opportunity for our house, not just to foster with Lord Seastark, but that he's fostering with a Hightower, a Lannister, and a Mallister!" He responds and my eyes widen.

"Which Mallister?" I ask, struggling to think of one other than Ser Jason's son Patrek. When Lady Forrester confirms that their son is fostering with Patrek Mallister along with Tyrion Lannister and Humfrey Hightower, I feel a knot form in my stomach. My husband briefly grimaces at the Hightower name.

"Lord Mallister was in talks with my father about fostering Patrek in Riverrun! To think he would choose Lord Seastark over his Lord Paramount to foster his son." I say, stunned by the news.

"Lord Seastark wanted to, in his words, 'foster a son from each of the kingdoms in the trade company'." Lord Forrester says and Ned keenly notes the Hightower inclusion and asks whether or not that meant they were joining his trade company.

"Aye, Lord Stark. From what I know, the Hightowers will join at the next Director's Meeting in Seaguard in about nine moons." Lord Forrester informs my husband.

"I see.." Ned says with a slow nod, absorbing the news of his bannerman expanding his trade company.

"Come inside Lord Stark! Lady Stark! Tonight, we're throwing a small feast in honor of your visit. The best venison stew in the Wolfswood and we're even using cinnamon from the Summer Islands in our apple cobblers!" The old lord of Ferngully Keep cuts into the conversation, inviting us into his home.

As we make our way into the small, wooden keep, our host regales us with pride about how his second son and two of his grandsons were part of the voyage to the Summer Islands. He brags about how they doubled the spices in their spice chest, brought exotic animals like the ratdogs to his keep, and made a bit of coin. He mentions his third son staying in Port Malthar to work in the company trading post and how he'll make a good income for himself and help his house. Lord Gregor joins in, explaining that his goodbrother Malcom Branfield is also working at the trading post, serving House Forrester. I look to Lady Forrester with surprise and she leans in and whispers.

"My brother came up North, when our house was attainted in the Crownlands for choosing the wrong side." She delicately mentions her maiden house of Branfield being Targaryen loyalists in the war. "My husband invited him to live with us, both to serve House Forrester, and to be close to his niece and nephews. He'll spend time in Wolfsport and Castle Warg visiting Asher." Lady Forrester explained and I nod as we entered a rustic dining hall full of hunting trophies.

Later…

The venison stew was hearty and the apple cobbler, delicious. Yet by the end of the dinner, I felt a growing knot in my stomach. Not from the baby, but from the conversation around the enigmatic Lord Seastark. Lord Fern mentioned the Slates and Fishers were considering constructing a road through the Stony Shore called the Stony Road, from Fisher Hall north to Blackpool, then Stillport in Seastark lands, where it will turn east to connect to the Wolfswood Trail. If that wasn't enough, Lord Forrester adds that Lord Glover is already in talks with Lord Seastark to help him construct a paved road from Deepwood Motte five leagues north to the fishing village that acts as the castle's port. Lord Fern's heir, a tall, broad-shouldered man with brown hair and green eyes in his thirties, boasts about the two leagues of the trail they've prepared for the future paving by chopping trees and smoothening the dirt trail with road drags and how the Branches and Woods were falling behind.

The conversation left me unsettled, not the words themselves, but from the way they were spoken. The Ferns and Forresters spoke Lord Seastark's name with clear respect, and about how much of a "builder" he was with great admiration. The same respect and admiration I saw the Branch and Woods clans show when they spoke of him and it left me with a distinct and disturbing impression. That the Wolfswood clans, the Glovers, the Forresters, Fishers, Mormonts, and Slates looked to Castle Warg instead of Winterfell…

Outskirts of Wolfsport, four days later…

The Forresters travelled with us to Castle Warg, with Lady Forrester riding with me in the carriage. The older mother of three is an intriguing woman, a Southron lady married to a Northern lord, years before Lady Seastark or I married our Northern lords. We talked about many topics, with her proving to be a wealth of knowledge on the North and their culture. I asked her thoughts on the North and it's politics, about House Forrester and House Seastark and how she's adjusted to living in the North as a Southron lady. When I asked her about the harsh reaction the Seastarks had for his marriage compared to our marriages, she snorted.

"My marriage to my husband didn't go without reaction Lady Stark. The Whitehills threw a fit much like the Karstarks, hurling similar insults about the Forresters 'tainting their blood with Southroners'. Not surprisingly, the feud between the houses worsened. A brawl even broke out between my husband and Lord Whitehill in Deepwood Motte over his insults towards me. It ended with both them punished and chastised by Lord Glover."

I'm brought back to the present by Lady Forrester's voice.

"I must say, while it was a pain to get the carriage around the construction, this paved road is much smoother than normal dirt paths or even the Kingsroad!" She says as she sits across from me, marveling at how smooth the ride is after switching to the newly paved roads while I hold a sleeping Robb and a nursemaid next to me holds Brandon.

"Indeed, I don't feel any bumps in the road!" I say truthfully. After a few moments of silence, the carriage stops. We look around worriedly at each other. Is this some kind of bandit attack? Soon enough the wooden window slab is slid to the left and I see Ser Rodrik's face.

"Apologies Lady Stark, Lady Forrester. Lord Stark has stopped to ask a farmer about the farming equipment he received from Lord Seastark for sending two sons to work on the road." He explains in a friendly tone and steps back. I see my husband talking with a farmer with a strange plow strapped to a harness that's somehow being pulled by two horses instead of four. I lean back from the small window to let Lady Forrester take a gander

"Ah, so those are the farming inventions my husband mentioned!" She says excitedly.

"Farming inventions?" I ask confused. Surely he didn't invent more things! The Lady of Ironwrath proves me wrong by telling me about these fancy plows that till the earth faster, harnesses that require two instead of four horses and something called a seed drill that planted seeds in even spacing. I knew my husband would take a keen interest in anything that improves the North's food security. I look down at Robb still sleeping soundly. Ned wants the recipe of quickstone to improve the North and knows he will have to pay a heavy price to his bannerman for it. If he wants to add these farming inventions on top of that, I shudder to think how heavy the price will be…

Later…

The carriage comes to a halt again, Ser Rodrik announces our arrival at Castle Warg and opens the doors. We exit the carriage into the castle courtyard and I stand next to my husband holding Robb as we're greeted by our hosts.

Lord Hugo Seastark stands proudly next to his wife Lady Myrra Seastark, his Stark looks contrasting with her Lannister looks. A polite smile dons his face, his blueish-gray eyes land on me before lower to my baby bump, the smile becomes a knowing grin.

I see him flanked by his siblings and cousins, most prominently Lord Wyman and his wife Lady Elsa along with an older woman that I assume to be Lord Seastark's mother. In the corner of my eye, I notice two Summer Islanders, a young man, barely at maturity in golden silks and a large red and green feathered cape and a woman in her mid-twenties in captain's clothes of all things. What surprised me is the look of recognition my husband flashes at the Summer Islander woman, who grins at him with familiarity.

"Lord Stark, Lady Stark, welcome to Castle Warg! Lord Forrester, Lady Forrester, I see you've brought little Asher." Lord Seastark greets us with a smile. After we exchange greetings with him and his family, he gestures to the Summer Islanders.

"This is Jalabhar Xho, exiled prince from the Red Flower Vale and courtier at Castle Warg and I'm sure your know who the second one is Lord Stark." Lord Seastark introduces the two foreigners who bow respectfully, his smile turning into a knowing grin when he mentions the woman.

"Captain Nakaya Sho!" My husband finally says the mysterious woman's name. "How's your ship and crew?" He asks.

"It is good to see you again, Lord Stark! My crew is doing well, just arrived yesterday transporting the dozen of my people who've come to set up a trading post in Wolfsport. I visited your sister a few moons ago in the capital, she seems to be in good health all things considered." The captain answers before looking to me and bows.

"Lady Stark, it is an honor to meet you. I am Captain Nakaya of the Sho Clan. I met your husband and his sister in Dorne after she was rescued and travelled with them with Prince Oberyn to the capital." She explains.

"Lord Stark, allow us to escort you and your wife to your guest quarters in the inner keep, where you and the Forresters will be staying. We'll be having a small feast to celebrate your arrival." Lord Seastark says and we follow him deeper into Castle Warg…

King's Landing, Early Eleventh Moon, one moon later…

Lyanna POV

I reread the raven's scroll from my goodsister again with mixed feelings. My brother succeeded in getting Lord Seastark to give him the secret to his quickstone after investigating his roads and buildings constructed in the substance. The price paid for this, however, was steep.

Not only would House Stark pay for half the costs of the construction of the Wolfswood road but Ned even renegotiated his punishment. Lord Seastark had already paid for two of the assigned five years, the rebuilding of the village, and the restoration of the Queenscrown tower with the planned expansion to be built with quickstone and extended from three to four stories tall. Instead of paying the remaining three years for the settlers in the New Gift, Lord Seastark would pay for the construction of a twenty-foot high quickstone wall around the village and a paved road three leagues long to the Kingsroad. House Stark would pay for the remaining three years and probably saving him about a thousand gold in the end.

If that wasn't enough he was giving the Lord Seastark a tax break for five years and reduced taxes for the same period. No taxes to Winterfell for five whole years and half taxes for another five! It's madness! He may be strengthening House Stark with the quickstone but he conceded too much for it. Doesn't he see that he's making the biggest threat to Stark control of the North stronger! The scroll also mentions Ned buying some new plow, a new horse harness, and something called a seed drill to try out in his lands but I'm too focused on the quickstone.

I shake my head and throw the raven scroll in the fireplace and move to leave the room. Tonight, Robert wants to try for an heir again and as I exit the room my thoughts turn to my husband. While it hasn't been a marriage worthy of song, I find myself content with both Robert and the marriage. To my surprise, he has stayed true to his word and not strayed from our bed, although I was quite displeased when I heard he fathered another bastard, Bella Rivers, during the war. When he wanted to bring both his bastard daughters to the Red Keep to be raised as royal bastards, it led to our first argument. I eventually relented but only on the condition that my son Brandon comes to visit the capital in the future, framing it as introducing him to his betrothed, Mya Stone. Robert, despite his dislike for Brandon, allowed it since he'd only be in the Red Keep for a couple of moons before returning North.

As I walk down the halls of the Maegor's Holdfast my thoughts drift again to Lord Seastark. He's kept quiet since leaving for the North, until his trade expedition returned more successful than anyone anticipated, even doing twice as well as the Royal Trade Fleet! He's now invented a new ship that can sail up to four times the speed of the average galley that has the South in a frenzy while the North is clawing for his quickstone. Now farming implements are being added to his growing repertoire of inventions. He's even fostering four sons from the Hightowers, Lannisters, Mallisters, and Forresters, that's created some discussion amongst the courtiers in the Red Keep. Some say that four is too much and that he should have stuck with the traditional one or two fosterlings while others point out there is no limit to how many a lord can foster only that they are able to provide for his charges

I turn down the hall that leads to our bedchambers, still lost in thought. Ned said he would deal with Lord Seastark, that he and Lord Dustin could keep an eye on him, keep him in check, and I believed them. Recent events however are causing me to question his words, leading me to a disturbing thought. That, mayhaps, Ned is simply unable to keep him under control. I refrained from interfering in the North from his insistence that he can keep Lord Seastark contained, but if he truly can't… Then mayhaps I'll have to intervene after all. I debate with myself over whether I should trust Ned or intervene.

Reaching the doors to the bedroom chamber, I take a deep breath and sigh. After deciding to trust my brother and let him handle the Seawolf, I open the door to our bedchambers and enter.

But if the Seawolf grows too powerful, I'll have no other choice but to intervene in the North…

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Work is a pain and I had some writer's block with this chapter. Wanted to try something new with multiple POVs.

We see the clipper make a splash in Westeros and House Seastark makes some big deals. Ned's gets quickstone for House Stark, including how to build it in return for lessening his punishment, helping him pay for his road project and giving him a massive tax break.

Also, Tyrion fostering in Castle Warg means he never meets Tysha.

I'm hoping to do a time skip of a year or two for the next chapter. Enjoy!