Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

The first project Eddard assigned to Downs was a warehouse next to the pigsty for storing winter feed.

Architect Downs complained to Eddard, "I came to the North to build castles, and you have me building pigsties and rabbit pens."

"Downs, the warehouse is just an appetizer; there are plenty of big projects ahead."

Eddard then presented the blueprint for the Winter Refuge Town, which included a military camp, stables, a forge, a livestock farm, a large market, a brewery, and many other constructions.

Downs was astonished. "So many projects? Even though there's no castle, these buildings are enough for me to showcase my skills. Lord Eddard, regarding the military camp, I have a preliminary idea. We can place a massive stone statue at the entrance, depicting an ancestor of House Stark wearing the crown of the King in the North. He would be holding 'Ice,' the Valyrian greatsword passed down in House Stark, with a direwolf beside him. As for the direwolf, we can sculpt it from granite and use red garnets for its eyes."

Eddard replied, "Downs, I don't need flashy decorations; I want practicality. Your first project is the warehouse. The stables and brewery have already started their foundations. Complete your work well, and I will entrust you with the other projects in due time."

According to Downs, his previous works were mostly luxurious mansions and brothels across the Narrow Sea. While Eddard was willing to keep Downs, he wanted to evaluate his actual capabilities first.

Downs gathered craftsmen and laborers and began constructing the feed warehouse, while Eddard personally oversaw the simultaneous construction of the military camp, forge, stables, market, and brewery.

Thousands of craftsmen and laborers swarmed through Winter Refuge Town like ants, busily working.

These skilled workers were a mix of craftsmen and stonemasons from the North, the Vale, King's Landing, and some from the Riverlands. Eddard had requested support from his father-in-law, Lord Hoster Tully, the ruler of the Riverlands, and Riverrun sent fifty craftsmen.

Most of the laborers were settlers of Winter Refuge Town. The settlement projects had drawn over thirty thousand people, who were given land and became tenant farmers under Winterfell's protection.

Eddard recruited these people for hauling timber and stone, working under the craftsmen. Their wages were deducted from their land rent. Under Downs' direction, workers began cutting trees from the Wolfswood and transporting them to Winter Refuge Town.

The North had no shortage of wood, as the vast Wolfswood covered a large expanse of land. However, sourcing and transporting stone was not as convenient.

Originally, Eddard planned to quarry stone from the mountainous lands of the Northern Clans, but the roads there were too narrow, mostly winding trails, making transportation costly. The mountain clans also had too few people to assist, so the plan was abandoned.

Hand of the King Jon Arryn sent three ships of stone from the Vale, a generous gift, but it was still far from enough for the grand expansion of Winter Refuge Town.

Eddard had to look elsewhere for stone. He set his sights on Ram's Head Mountain.

Ram's Head Mountain was a large mountainous region between White Harbor, Winterfell, and House Hornwood's lands. Eddard dispatched stonemasons and laborers to extract stone from the area and ordered White Harbor and House Hornwood to conscript workers to assist in the effort.

Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor and Lord Hornwood quickly complied, sending workers to the mountain.

Concerned that the supply of stone still wouldn't be enough, Eddard sent a message to Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort, commanding him to quarry stone from the Lonely Mountain and transport it to Winterfell. This ensured a steady supply of stone from both Ram's Head Mountain and the Lonely Mountain to Winter Refuge Town.

Walking through the settlement, watching the warehouses, barracks, forges, and wooden houses rise, Eddard felt satisfied. However, large-scale construction also meant a massive expenditure of gold.

The salt production from Salt Town had started generating revenue. The salt from the western coast was transported to Winterfell, where it was distributed to lords before being resold in White Harbor. The salt from the eastern coast was sold directly in White Harbor, with Lord Wyman Manderly managing the payments to the eastern lords and deducting them from their taxes to Winterfell.

The salt trade brought considerable income to Winterfell, but it was still not enough to cover the expenses of expanding Winter Refuge Town. Winterfell's financial reserves had already been depleted by ninety percent.

Vayon Poole warned Eddard that if the weather suddenly turned cold and winter arrived, Winterfell wouldn't have enough resources to sustain its own people, let alone the settlers of Winter Refuge Town.

The beekeeping project also generated profits. Honey from Deepwood Motte, the mountain clans, and the Wolfswood tribes was transported to Winterfell, which was itself a honey-producing region. This honey was sold in White Harbor, bringing in real coin.

Financial advisor Klar and Eddard implemented several policies to generate more revenue. They placed officials in every market in Winter Refuge Town to collect management fees, cracked down on the black market, increased taxes on goldsmiths and brewers, and conducted thorough audits of brothels, gambling houses, and taverns. Those caught evading taxes were fined threefold, and within a short time, tax revenue tripled.

Klar and Eddard also turned their attention to the prisoners in Winter Refuge Town's dungeons.

As the town's population surged, crime rates increased. Thieves, poachers, and drunkards caught brawling in taverns and brothels were arrested daily. Initially, Eddard sent them to the Wall to take the black, but he soon realized that was too generous to the Night's Watch. Instead, they were sent to the military farms at the New Lands, shackled and forced into labor as punishment.

Recently, however, Tomard, who managed the military farms, reported that the camps were overcrowded. He had no housing for new prisoners, and food supplies were running low. He requested help from the Night's Watch and House Umber.

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont was eager to take the criminals, and he had already expressed displeasure that Winterfell was sending so few prisoners to the Wall, instead using them for labor at the military farms.

In the study, Klar proposed a suggestion to Eddard.

"Lord Stark, since we are short on funds, and these prisoners still need to be fed, why don't we allow them to buy their freedom?"

Eddard agreed with the idea internally but had to maintain his noble demeanor. "If we do this, won't the kingdom's laws become meaningless? Setting this precedent would allow the rich and powerful to commit crimes without consequence."

Klar chuckled. "Lord Stark, I'm not talking about rapists or murderers. I mean those who were arrested for drunken brawls in taverns and brothels, or gamblers caught cheating. Their crimes are minor; why not let them pay a fine for their release? Also, the poachers."

Eddard replied, "I sympathize with poachers; many are just starving peasants. But their crime cannot be forgiven. If the smallfolk freely hunt in the Wolfswood, farmland will be abandoned on a large scale. Poaching is an infringement on the nobles' property rights. If Winterfell forgives poachers, the Northern lords will protest."

Klar smiled. "I'm not suggesting forgiveness. What is the usual punishment for poaching?"

Eddard sighed. "Either they lose a hand, or they are exiled to the Wall."

Klar smirked. "Harsh penalties! But if they lose a hand, they become crippled and a burden on the North. I have a better idea—why not make them servants of Winterfell? They can hunt for the castle while working to buy back their freedom."

Eddard feigned reluctance. "That sounds too close to slavery. You know slavery is illegal in the Seven Kingdoms."

Klar replied, "Not slavery—more like the thralls of the Iron Islands. Slaves have no choice, but we can give them options: lose a hand, take the black, or serve Winterfell as hunters."

Eddard nodded thoughtfully.

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