Cregan Stark - Late 131 AC

It was unfair and a complete betrayal of the pact. He grounded his teeth in anger at the thought of it as he walked. He agreed to fight for Rhaenyra if they gave him a princess for Rickon, had he not done his part of the agreement? And instead of being given what was due he was given pretty words by a boy-king instead.

A boy-king that wouldn't even be sitting on the Iron Throne if not Roderick Dustin and good men like him had fought and died. He thought of their widowed wives and fatherless sons. He thought of his newborn Rickon, and the war he had fought to get him a princess for a wife.

He would demand more than just pretty words from the child king. He had planned to further expand ties between the north and the rest of Westeros but that plan was obviously a dead end.

He now planned to take the route of his forefathers and planned to improve the north to a standard and level never thought before. And keep the southerners as far away from their affairs as possible. He needed a lot of money though to start it off though and he had some ideas of where to get it...

With that thought, he decided on his next course of action. As of now, he was Hand of the King, a position that he knew he couldn't and wouldn't hold for more than month and so he had been using it to kill the remnants of the greens that had been left over after the war He had also sent a fair number of them to Wall for a slow death.

Larys Strong and Corlys Velaryon, a crippled craven and a rich old bastard. He knew they were the ones that had poisoned the previous Aegon and for that alone they needed to die. He had respected Aegon the Elder as he was being called, for simply being an honorable opponent. He knocked on the door before him and waited for it to open.

"My Lord Hand, what brings you to the chambers of the King?" Aegon looked at me curiously, the boy probably thought that he wanted to kill more people. The fool. The northern lord looked at boy with a neutral expression, "your grace, I have decided on the compensation that would be most agreeable for House Stark and the north as a whole."

The sad creature they called king sighed as if the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders, "My lord, once more I must apologize for the breaking the pact that my brother had agreed upon without my consent I must add." The wolf-lord smiled coldly "All the same a payment is due." "Payment?" Aegon frowned.

"Aye, I have been looking the various keeps and whatnot, and seeing just how backwards and far behind the north is compared to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms." Saying those words was like acid to him but they served a greater purpose.

Seeing the boys pondering of those words he continued, the sweet words flowing from him with ease "-of course, the knowing that the our new King is not only generous to those who are loyal to him but also wanting to better the lives of all of his people." The boy was hooked to his every word "-I also believed that this would be a good start of a relationship between the north and the Iron Throne, your majesty."

Aegon's eyes seem to light up at the praise and with that Cregan knows that he'll get what he wants. The boy's words confirm it "You're right, take as much as you need. A stronger north means a stronger Westeros." Aegon looks proud as if he had just thought of it alone. Cregan bows deeply and leaves the room quickly.

As he walk to his chambers to meet with his bannermen; Torrhen Manderly and Jonos Cassel. He thinks on what to do, they had the King's permission but if they were caught by any of the other lords then it would be over before it truly started. He began to think on the plan of action and how to ensure that they got as much gold as possible. By the time he entered his chambers he thought up a solid plan of action.

"My lords I must thank you for waiting, the conversation I've just had with the King has been most interesting." Torrhen spoke first, he was youngest of those assembled only two and twenty. He hadn't picked up the fat that Manderlys usually got quite yet but he definitely had their cunning and intelligence. "It's alright my lord, has the King decided to change his mind and fulfill the pact?"

Cassel smirked and said "Of course not, else we'd already be on the way to Winterfell with the princess in tow." Jonos was a soldier loyal to House Stark, and had saved his life more than once. We all shared a chuckle at that. "No, instead we got all the gold in the Crown's coffers." Torrhen looked at me interested his eyes widened slightly, "How did you get that?"

"Don't worry about that lad, I have jobs for you. Torrhen prepare a fleet to transport our men and the gold out of the capital. Tell them it's a direct order from the King if they make a fuss. Jonos get all of our men, have them begin transporting the all gold they can out of the coffers use whatever you can to move as much gold from the coffers to the boats. Be quiet as you can about this, should the wrong people find out we could be completely fucked. We have only days to get this done."

Torrhen Manderly

It had taken three days till they were ready to leave the shit-hole of city but when they were they had left immediately. The loot had filled the cargo holds of five large transports and was far more than they had thought. "Say what you want about the Targaryens, they knew how to collect money" he remembered his lord saying at the time.

Torrhen had ordered the fleet to keep as close to land as possible all as not only ensure that they could beach the ships should any kind of hull rupture occur but also to not tempt any pirates or raiders. He snorted at the thought being attacked, as they not only had to five armed transports filled with the loot, but also two transports more with their remaining men whom had marched south with them and ten warships who's captains he had persuaded, threatened and bribed to come with them. He had estimated that the entire journey would take little over a month if no delays were made.

They had already made it past the shit-stained Gulltown, and docked at the Arryn port, to restock on foods and supplies. He had preferred Gulltown to Kingslanding simply due to the smells, but nothing short of the Seven Heavens could beat White Harbour. He had sent a raven to his pale home, telling them to prepare the docks for their arrival while they were there. He thought of his home,his family and his friends. He thought of his betrothed Jeyne Hornwood; a small fragile thing, wide enough hips to hear him good sons and pretty enough that he wouldn't feel the need to stab his eyes out before the bedding.

He thought of the other betrothed woman on the ship with him, Black Alys. He smiled at the name, remembering back to only weeks ago to the battle of the Kingswood. His smile died, as he remembered the screams, the blood and the deaths.

He was grateful to the woman for without her archers, hundreds men more would have died at the swords and lances of the Baratheon's knights. The woman had proven herself deadly and her beauty was no small thing, he was almost jealous of his lord for getting himself a such beauty with fine curves, a beautiful face and not-so-modest bosom.

Torrhen consciously stopped thinking about the soon to be wife of his liege for he knew nothing good would come out of it. He went back to thinking of what else life had in store for him, he knew that Stark had plans for the entirety of the north, great plans that he hoped would have a role for him. He looked around, trying to see if they were any landmarks that could easily discern their position. He spotted an some distant islands, that could have been only one thing.

He went to chambers of Stark, knocked and entered "My lord, the Three Sisters lay just ahead. I believe that we should be within sight of White Harbour before the week's end." "Good, when we get to land cart the gold to Winterfell and keep the ships."

Torrhen frowned, "Why my lord? White Harbour has no fleet. It'd be cheaper to scuttle these ships and spare the cost." "Not anymore lad, now I'm planning great fleets for the north on both the Shivering and Sunset Sea." the glint in the man's eyes scared and excited him.

This was news to Torrhen not terrible news mind you, but it was still a scary prospect as the Starks or Manderlys for that matter hadn't been a naval power since Bran the Burner. But he still accepted it all the same. Although that last part didn't sit well with him as he didn't know of any houses on the western shore that were powerful enough to hold a fleet.

Still he gave his support as he was a loyal bannerman "Aye, my lord such changes can only be good for the north", Torrhen agreed with his lord and dismissed himself from the Stark's chambers. The man left once more to think on his lonesome, but now he thought of himself as an admiral of a mighty armada; a shining silver trident at his side and his sons as captains of their own ships. He wondered if such a future would come to pass and how far the north would change under a man such as Cregan Stark.