The food was certainly better than what I was used to since I came here. What a shame that I couldn't enjoy it due to my nervousness. It was true that Luwin was impressed with what I had "made", but was it even enough? My end goal was to avert the doom that lay in front of this world and the best place to prepare for that was certainly at Winterfell. But how exactly I would do that, I wasn't sure. Ideally, I could try to be the person that Ned Stark listened to before making his decisions. But, that was not something I could be in a day, or even in just a year. That role would take time to achieve. I was already set on the path to becoming the mad inventor so, no problems there. But, even my "inventions" needed to be thought out in accordance to what lay ahead and sustainability. I wasn't very keen on setting this world on the path of global warming and pollution too which is why I had decided not to go down the road of making steam engines. It would have been beneficial, but I knew what could happen and I honestly wasn't sure if Westeros was even ready for that.

In what seemed like no time at all, my food was finished, and a servant asked me to follow him. I would have probably made some small talk with him, but I was feeling too nervous. What exactly was I going to do next? I had planned till here in meticulous detail but had forgotten to prepare for the ultimate goal.

Honestly? Not surprising.

Soon, I was knocking on a wooden door to the chambers where my hopefully future friends sat.

"Come in."

I entered the room to see Luwin standing behind Eddard. His hands were hidden in the sleeves of his grey robes, and his eyes still held the excitement from the last time we had talked. The Lord himself was sitting on a chair with a desk in front of it. It was a bare room. Nothing even indicated that it was a room where a Lord Paramount would conduct his business. Probably because it wasn't. I refused to believe that they would grant me that privilege easily. It was probably a room they reserved for talking to traders and other non-important people in private. It was a good practice.

"My Lord. Maester." I bowed, panicking because I couldn't recall if I had bowed to them in the Great Hall or not.

"Rise. Have a seat... George, was it?" Stark ended his sentence with a questioning note.

"Yes! Yes, my lord." I said hurriedly while sitting down in the chair placed on the other side of the desk. Great! I was back to acting like a maniac. Calm down, Georgie. Deep Breaths. In and out.

"Are you feeling well, lad?" I heard the Maester ask.

"Yes. Just overcome with nerves, my lord."

"Then perhaps, we should get straight to the heart of the matter then?" Eddard Stark liked to charge ahead with gusto, didn't he? "Maester Luwin has told me that what you have created, this... pen, is indeed a great tool. I'll admit I tried it myself and the ease to write is indeed much. If you would like to have the coin to set up a trade for this, House Stark will be glad to provide you aid. We would certainly like some profits in exchange. But, that, of course, is secondary. I would request that you establish your trade in the North, itself. If Maester Luwin is correct, this venture will become quite successful, and I would like to see the Northerners benefit from this."

I looked at both their faces alternatively, pretty sure that my shock was evident in my face. Luwin's encouraging nod and smile prompted me to open my mouth.

"My Lord," I cleared my throat, "My Lord, I am highly obliged that you would think of providing me with such aid. However, I don't think that would be for the best."

The Lord raised his eyebrows. Luwin looked at me shocked.

"Young man, this is a huge opportunity for you. Surely you don't mean to waste what you have made?"

"I don't Maester. I would be glad if every person in the known world could be benefitted from what I have made. But trading is not my strongest suit. I have no brains for business. Neither can I make what I think of. I barely know how to lift a hammer in the forge, my lord. Had it not been for Farlan, I would not have been here. I could not possibly do it on my own. I have ideas. Many of them. Some might bring a huge change while others might just be forgotten. But that is the only thing I know. Even, the pen that Maester holds is but a crude idea my lord. I know my words, but I am not educated enough for that my lord. I am sure that if the Maester and your Forgemaster were to look at my designs, they could improve it, even more, my lord. "

There! That was probably not that bad. Perhaps even confident.

"Then what do you want from us?" Eddard Stark looked like he was carved out of stone now. I would have been scared had his eyes not been belying his curiosity.

"An exchange, my lord. I have many ideas But, not the patience to own a trade. I am a simple man and do not need a lot of coin to live. The trade that you mentioned, my lord, should be in your name. I would be glad to provide my brain. I would be glad to be able to ask the Maester for suggestions and to be able to pester some workers to go along with my strange requests my lord. I would have House Stark own and benefit from these ideas my lord. You have the means to employ many and to transport goods. I would like it if all the things that I thought were made under your name and your power. I would have all of the North benefit from this, my lord. Not just me and a fair few."

I finally, finally got to speak what I had wanted to say for so long. I wondered what if this had impressed them even a bit or not.

"You would have House Stark be a House of Merchants?" Oh no!

"No, my lord. I would have House Stark be known as the House of Change. Everything that would be sold under your name would be as unique as the blue roses of the North."

I know. I know. Low Blow. Judging from the way that he let the pain be visible across his stony features, maybe I should not have said that.

"My Lord," the Maester interrupted his lord's musings, "I do find some merit in this idea. It might not be the most conventional thing to do but if successful, it would bring a lot of prosperity for the North. The Hightowers had sheltered the seekers of knowledge and had gained much for it."

"I cannot provide my coin, and my name easily to something." Lord Stark snapped before sighing. I guess he felt guilty. Not that I blamed him. He continued after almost five minutes of silence.

"Tell me, George. Do you have some more ideas in your head? Whether big or small?"

"I have some, my lord."

"I see. I am sure you have heard that over a moon ago, Crown Prince Joffrey was born. King Robert invited me to celebrate the passing of one moon since his birth, but I had declined given that Lady Stark is pregnant. However, the King is never to be refused without platitudes. I have to go to the celebrations that will be held for the first nameday of the Prince. If by the end of the tenth moon from now, you will prove to me and everyone that what you propose is indeed beneficial. That you indeed have many ideas that should not be constrained in the name of a business, then, I will make the journey to King's Landing with you at my side and all your items under the banner of Stark. If and only if you prove your worth."

Had I instead landed in the "Tom and Jerry" world, my eyes would have been out of my sockets in shock. It was surreal. Not just the fact that this proposal made complete sense but also that it had come from Eddard Stark. I had him pegged wrong. Even Maester Luwin was looking at him in shock mixed with a high amount of appreciation. Then again, the Maester too barely knew him, I think. Hadn't he tagged along with Catelyn Stark? I didn't remember.

"I... that is too generous of you, my lord. Thank You."

"Do not thank me yet. If you do believe that this pen can be improved by the help of the Maester and Mikken then I give you three full leave to work upon to present it to me as soon as you can. Luwin?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Tell Mikken about the arrangement. Tell him he has full leave to use any material in this endeavor as long as it is not unreasonably expensive."

"I will at once, my lord." Luwin bowed and left the chambers. I was pretty sure he was skipping, but what do I know?

"George," I tore my gaze away from the door, "tell me something."

"Anything, my lord."

"Why the North? You are not from here. Your coloring and voice betray you. Yet, I cannot place where you are from. I would rather know your reasons and identity before allowing you to roam about in my home."

I gulped audibly. Well, time for the story.

"It's not a big tale, my lord. But it has made me travel enough. I couldn't tell you how old I am or where I am from for the simple fact that I do not know myself. I do not know a lot of it forgive me, my lord. But I'll tell you all I know."

He nodded his head at me and motioned his head towards a glass in front of me. I drank the water in it mercifully while thinking whether I was ready for this or not. Well, now or never.

"I was born in a small village, my lord. Not much of a settlement if you ask me. There was a small lake around our houses were. I remember we had some livestock. I never had any siblings for my mother had passed away while giving birth to me, my lord. My father was a hard man. Not cruel, but not very loving. But he did love me. But I did not live for long in the village. I wish I could tell you how it happened. I wish I could tell you that I saw it all. But I didn't, my lord. I woke up to noises and smoke one night. My father was not in the house. We had, but one room, and he had barred it from outside. The smoke was filling the hut and all I could hear were noises. I do not remember much after that, for I had passed out, my lord. Next time I woke up, I was in a big room with many other children. I did not know any of them, my lord. They all, along with me were tied by chains to the wall. Some were silent, others cried, and I joined them in their crying. I do not know how long I stayed there. Maybe a moon, maybe just a few days. We were given enough to eat so that we wouldn't die but never to satisfy that hunger. A pair of men would come every two days and took some children with them to Gods know where. I was scared. I did not know what had happened to my father. I did not know where I was. All-day I would cry and live in the fear of what would happen next. One day, those men took me and five other children. We were handed off to some other man who then took us to a stage to be sold. Lot Eighteen. That was me and another boy my age. I do not know what we were sold off as. Just that a wealthy, fat man bought us and took us to his house. We were given to other servants in the house who bathed us and then started teaching us everything we needed to know. Only, I couldn't, my lord. The boy who came with me learned things faster, and I was left at the mercy of my brain. I couldn't live that life. Every day they tried to teach me something, I would do it a different way and get beaten. I always feared that they would whip me. But they never did. It went on for a long time. My minders were tired of me. They would finger their whips but never use them and I always lived in the fear of the day that they might use it. I never learned anything. Mayhap, my life would have been different if I could learn how to cook a duck or churn the milk or haul the clothes or point the spear. They tried everything. But I was a lost cause. Yet, they thought of doing something else never came to my mind until one day."

I had to pause there. It was a big tale. But I had tried to cover many of my bases through this. I took another gulp of water before continuing.

"My minders, they had never used whips on me for I would have been marked. I heard them mutter that I was of no use. The man who bought me was wealthy. So much so that he would not notice a small slave child go missing. They planned on selling me off to a passing ship that was making its way to Lys. After all, I could always just lie on my back. I was terrified. And yet, I knew nothing of this place. So, when they came to take me away, I went with them willingly. They took me to the docks but this I had planned. When one of my minders went ahead to check the ship, I bit other's hand and ran. I couldn't possibly outrun them so instead; I hid in a wooden crate nearby. I was exhausted and scared. I once again passed out. When I woke up again, the top of the crate was removed, and people were talking loudly above me. The sunlight was starting to hurt my eyes, so I peeked out from the top of the crate and the people around me fell silent. Before I knew what, I was doing, I had started to bawl my eyes out. I requested them to not send me back to slavers. The captain, later on, said that I had cried for so long that he was pretty sure there was no water left in me. It was a northern ship, my lord. They couldn't tell me where I had come abroad the ship for, they had picked up cargo at three different ports and were making their way to Bravos. They fed me, gave me one of the beds to sleep on and told me that they would never sell me to slavery again. For four years, I stayed on that ship, my lord. The Captain had taken me under his wings, and I was happy enough to be with him. They taught me everything. How to read, how to cook and how to write. They loved the North, my lord. But, whenever we came back to White Harbor, they would hide me away. I wasn't allowed, was I? A little Essosi child on a northern vessel was not something the merchants would have like. That is until four years ago, my lord. They had left me in Bravos. The officers in White Harbor were stricter due to the war. Besides, they wanted to fight. They could not stand what had happened to your Lord father. They told me that if after two years of the war, they did not come back. I was to consider them dead. For four years, I waited in Bravos. But, one day, I saw 'Betha' docked in the harbor. I ran to see what had happened to everyone. But..."

I couldn't continue after that. Yes, it was a story out of a fairy tale but hey, this is a magical land, is it not? Plus, I had done my research on this one. 'Betha' was the ship that I had woken up on and I know almost everything about that damned ship due to Lann. He loved that ship.

"War always comes at a terrible price. Some higher than others." Eddard Stark murmured. His eyes closed for a moment as if to collect himself, but then when he opened his eyes again, I couldn't help but lower my head. Here I was, creating the biggest sob story of history, making myself a victim of almost every sort of cruelty known to men, and this man who had actually suffered was trying to steel himself for me. I wanted to crawl somewhere in shame. I promised myself that I will make up for this deceit by helping them as much as I could. I know I had already planned to do that. But that was a logical plan, born out of knowledge. I was determined to fulfill it though.

"It isn't much of a tale after that, my lord. I did not know what to do with myself. In the last eight years, I had learned a lot. But my brain was full of many things that I wanted to make, to achieve. So, I traveled to the North on the ship that was my home to the place that the people once dearest to me called home. One of the members of the crew got me a job at a warehouse in White Harbor. I loved those people like my own, my lord, and they held your family in the highest regard. When I made this pen when I thought of finally doing what I wanted to do for so long, I knew I had to come to you. I request you, my lord, please do not turn me away."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that. I have already asked Luwin to talk to Mikken, have I not? Rest assured lad, you will have the chance you want with me. I only hope no one comes to regret it." He got up, his chair scraping the floor. "I will ask the servants to arrange you a room near Mikken's quarters. A servant will come to fetch you soon and take you to your rooms. I would like it if you sat beside me at the time of dinner today, George."

"It would be my pleasure, my lord."

He nodded his head and walked out of the room before stopping in the doorway.

"You are too well-spoken for a boy who was taught by sailors."

"They taught me how to read, my lord. My former companions taught me how to speak."

He exited the room and I let out a huge breath. My identity was set in stone now. A former slave who ran away to sail on a ship and then worked in an alehouse. I had seen less dramatic TV shows.

I was not sure what to make of the whole situation. Ned Stark was more than what I had bargained for. Maybe he always had brains just didn't use them during the last year of his life. Maybe he did, but politics was not his strongest suit. I knew he was a good judge of character though. He may be loyal, but he wasn't blind to people's fault. Hadn't he warned Cersei to run away because he knew Robert would kill them? Hadn't he disliked Littlefinger before Catelyn decided to convince him otherwise? Hell, hadn't he hidden the truth of his nephew's existence from both his King and wife? Whatever the reason may be, Ned Stark had made some stupid colossal mistakes in the future, and I was determined to make his life better. If nothing then for the betterment of the North and Westeros. I felt like I was in a story, and didn't the stories always end when the goal is achieved? Maybe I'll be able to go home after I had made sure that Westeros survived. Who knew?

The ten-month deadline was more than enough to come up with more "inventions". I had to think like a person living in Westeros if I ever wanted to make something else. As I stared out the window and looked at the afternoon Sun, I almost wanted to smack my head. Of course. Huh, looks like I knew what I was going to "invent" next. Who knew? Maybe I would be a part of the history books of Westeros. Maybe I would also earn different titles and riches, and heralds would call out my name too.

"All hail George, the Slave!"

I snorted. What a life.

A/N: Working on this is just amazing. I'm sure you can guess what the next invention will be. Thank you for all the reviews. :D As always, suggestions and comments are welcome in the review section. Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)