Chapter 11: Chapter 11
"It is nice to meet you, Lord Stark. My name is Vyn Lunaran, the Lord of the Lunaran Merchant House from Lys."
I bow at them, and when I raise my head, I can see Lady Catelyn look at me with distrust and a little bit of hate. What is her problem? I never stepped inside this place, and she hates me? What the fuck, woman!?
However, I ignore her and continue looking at Lord Stark before me.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, Lord Lunaran. Let me introduce my family to you. This is my wife, Catelyn."
Lady Catelyn gives a graceful bow and says.
"It is nice to meet you, my lord."
Lord Stark then looks at his oldest son and says.
"This is my son and heir, Robb Stark."
The small child bows his head. If I remember correctly, Robb is just a year older than Dany. Speaking of Dany, she is sleeping in Melisandre's arms.
After he is done introducing his family, I smile at him and say.
"It is nice to meet you and your beautiful family, My Lord. You already know my name, but let me introduce you to my companion. This is Melisandre, my trusted advisor and caretaker for my sister. The one in her arms is my sister, Annie. I am sorry, but she fell asleep while on the journey."
Lord Stark nods his head and gives me a small smile.
"Don't worry about it, Lord Lunaran. I understand. Please follow me. You must be tired. I have already prepared a feast for you and your companion. I also already prepared a room for your sister."
I nod and follow Lord Stark and his family inside the castle.
===
After putting my sister inside her room and making sure to leave one of the caretakers we brought with us with Dany, we arrived in front of a long table filled with food. It is not as lavish as the feast I attend in Lys, but it is still a lavish feast full of meat and semi-fresh vegetables and fruits.
The servant takes me to sit on the left side of Lord Stark's seat and his family on the right side of him. This is among the things that I remember Melisandre teaching me. Noble Etiquette. The left side symbolizes a guest who accepted a guest, and the right side symbolizes family or someone close to you whom you think of as family.
Lastly, the center chair is where the highest-ranking person sits. Usually, it is a Lord of a land or a king when he visits his vassal.
"Please enjoy the food."
I nod and watch him eat some of the sausages, signaling that we can eat the food. I picked some sausage, a bowl of stew, and bread. A second later, I eat the food with as much grace as possible from Melisandre's teaching.
The bread is harder and a little bit bland than the bread from Minecraft world. It is still good, but after eating bread from Minecraft World for months, I cannot return to eating regular bread like this.
"How is the food, Lord Lunaran?"
"It is delicious, My Lord. My complement to the cook."
"I will tell them."
Lord Stark nods his head and continues.
"Some of these foods are coming from the goods your house sells to us, you know?"
"Truly? Then I am glad that the foods we sell to your family can create these delicious foods."
"Yes, and that is the reason why I invite you to my land, Lord Lunaran."
"Oh?"
I look at him in interest and say.
"What can my house do for you, Lord Stark?"
"We, the North, want you to sell your goods to us at a cheaper price."
"Cheaper? I already sell you the goods at a cheaper price, Lord Stark. I know that Reach, Vale, and Riverlands did not sell you their food at a price as cheap as ours. That itself is already something that helps you, no?"
Lord Stark nods his head and says.
"I know. However, a harsh winter is getting closer, and we need to prepare for it. We need all the help we can get, and you and your house are the ones who can help us. We did not want to beg, but we also could not pay the full price of food for the next few years of winter."
I look at him for a few seconds before saying.
"I am willing to give you a discount until the winter is over. However, I need something in return for this."
"Tell me."
"Tax. To spread our product across the North, we will be taxed, and some of the holds in the North will tax us with a quite sum of coins per ship. If you can convince your fellow lords to let us go tax-free, we will cut the cost of each product by half."
I drink the juice and say.
"That is fair, no?"
He thinks for a few seconds before saying.
"Seventy percent off. I don't think I can order them to give up their revenue in the harsh winter just like that."
"And we cannot lose more profit from helping you guys. Ninety-five percent off, and we are good."
"And that is still too much. Seventy-five percent, and I think I can convince them to give you that tax discount."
"Eighty percent and a small piece of land for all the people from my house to rest. A piece of land near the dock will do."
Lord Stark thinks for a few seconds before saying.
"I cannot give you a straight answer right away because it is not my land. It is the land my vassal owns."
"Then I shall wait. I decided to stay here for a week or two and explore the land. I also want to visit the famous Wall."
Lord Stark smiles at me and says.
"Of course. I shall send Lord Cerwyn and the other lords a raven telling them about your proposal. For now, let's enjoy the feast."