Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Chapter 38

Robb Stark. Winterfell.

Sitting in my father's study at his own desk, I sorted through document after document, with my mother standing beside me to help, sorting them by importance and taking care of anything minor. It had become a new routine for me once my father left Winterfell and I took over his duties.

Every morning, right after breakfast, and every evening, like now, I'd come here and sometimes stay up late into the night. The day was taken up with training, rounds, minor matters, and so on. As a result, I had almost no free time. I couldn't even play with Bran and Rickon, simply because I was busy and my mother was doing it. And then there's this visit, or rather inspection, of the Slates, to Blackwater, because last reports say they're suspiciously quiet and docile.

I must say, once we started producing paper, the work became easier. Whereas earlier versions required more storage space and some careful handling, there are no such problems now. The office had to be expanded a bit to put extra furniture to hold the papers, and a hidden stash behind it for particularly important types of it.

Since there was a chance they could have been stolen or something, where the stash was located was known only by my father as lord, my mother as his right hand, and me as heir. Finding it was almost impossible, as to open the stash one would have to lower a tiny lever inside a certain shelf, and an intruder would need to get information from one of us to find it.

There were many such papers, and most of them were devoted to important information, gleaned from the reports of spies from as far north and south as our men could get. They came every half month through roundabouts: through guards, merchants, ravens, and even prostitutes. In the end there was a lot of work to be done, but it was no less necessary.

After receiving and reviewing the reports for this period, I had an idea. I may not be Lord of the North at this point, but I think it's worth it. Not only are the reports themselves in its favor, but also the new situation in the North.

Lord Solomon has spurred the development of this unfriendly land. A couple of ideas drawn from his stories were able to improve the circulation of money, food, construction, and so on. This is especially thanks to the production of glass, which we used to build greenhouses. They have made it possible to almost completely solve the food issue, and we now buy only one-tenth of what we used to buy.

Really, it's not just them, it's the hunting. From time to time, Father has encouraged the villagers to take up hunting to replenish their supplies, through ransom. Winterfell bought back either parts, like hides and meat, or all of it, which helped stimulate the "economy," as Lord Solomon explained it. Residents spent more money, and the coffers were replenished accordingly. Plus, it allowed for a slight increase in tax, not without improving the lives of the northerners.

The city of Winterfell, located at the walls of Winterfell, is slowly expanding. Before leaving, father gave his approval to the builders and engineers. The city could not be called a full city before, but now the first phase of construction has begun.

The plan is ambitious, but also costly. As it is still winter, raw materials have been procured and, if possible, processed, but it will soon be over, and with spring everything will come into motion.

Because of more money, it has become more favorable. People from all over Westeros who are not happy with the South are flocking here. In theory, this could be considered desertion, but since they are still subject to the Crown, the problem is solved through taxation. Besides, there's plenty of work here.

At the moment we have enough money to rebuild Kailin's Ditch to improve logistics between North and South, but not enough workers. Even though new recruits are coming in steadily, there are still not enough of them, even if we offer them certain incentives, like not having to pay tax for the first three months of their lives. And then there's the matter of the Crown's permission to build a fortress and a small town around it.