300 AC, King's Landing…
It had been a moon since the rise of Eddard Stark to the Iron Throne. He was crowned quickly after his ascension and his rise was met with cheers by the residents of the capital but still, there were a small number of people who did not want a Northerner ruling over them. However, their voices were quickly overwhelmed by the others.
The Westerlands were quick to surrender and more then half of the Lannisters were arrested but the other half escaped to the Essos. Though they believed themselves safe in Essos, they were also secretly followed by the men of the Prophet so there was no threat to the rule of Eddard.
Lord Paramountcy of Westerlands, Casterly Rock and Lannisport were awarded to House Brax for their contribution to the war. The debts owed to the Westerlands by the Crown was cancelled due to the previous lord paramount's action and the same thing happened with the Tyrells. Ned sent five thousand men to help them to secure their rule like the Rowans in the Reach. However, House Brax was not given the lands of Castamere as they were awarded to the newly raised nobles by Ned.
Ned was planning to give the Lord Paramountcy of the Stormlands to Edric Storm as he was coming from Robert's line but before he could do that a mutiny took place in Storm's End and Edric was killed by a knife cut on his throat. However, before Ned could decide on another candidate, Lurs came to him with a recommendation.
Argilac who was twenty-five and from House Wensington, a cadet of House Durrandon, was to be raised as the Lord Paramount of Stormlands. He was going to take the name of Durrandon and renounce his claims on the Iron Throne due to his relations with House Baratheon. Apparently, Argilac was one of the fervent believers of the Prophet and he even made a pilgrimage after Greyjoy Rebellion.
Lord Baelish who was found lost and roaming in the secret tunnels of the Red Keep was briefly arrested and executed with the other traitorous lords who helped him when Eddard was trying to bring justice after the death of Robert Baratheon.
Also, ravens were sent to each kingdom calling their lord paramounts to swear their oaths of loyalty. However, he demanded their presence in three moons as he had moves to make while they were moving.
The biggest boon for the beginning of the Stark rule has been the help provided by the Prophet. His ships helped the retreating naval forces of the Starks and together, they liberated Drangonstone after a naval battle in the Blackwater Bay. And to the surprise of many, the gold offered by the Iron Bank was found in Dragonstone and quickly brought back to King's Landing.
According to the agreement made between King Eddard Stark and the Prophet, two million gold dragons were to be spent on the people of King's Landing and the renovation of the Great Temple of Robert which was renamed as the Temple of Prophet.
Things were moving at a very fast pace and kingdoms were slowly shifting away from the influence of the Seven. Bran was being educated by one of them of the Prophet and the nobles of the Riverlands were nearly non-existent after the massacre so, with the right appointments, the believers' place in the Riverlands was sure to be strong.
The same thing that happened to Riverlands also happened to Stormlands as most of their nobility was massacred at the Strangler's Wedding. Similarly, royal lords from cadet houses and those who fought in the rebellion were raised as the new lords. Of course, all of those people who were selected as the new lords were fervent believers like their liege.
The Lord Paramount of Westerlands and the Reach was also a believer so, with time and pressure, it was possible to bring most houses to the true path.
However, the biggest shock to the kingdoms came after a moon, the position of High Septon was abolished by a royal decree and the Great Sept of Baelor was to be turned into a royal orphanage and royal soup house. And instead, a small sept was going to be built in the slums for the faithful.
The news was met by an outrage all across Westeros by most of the nobles, septons and septas. However, there was one thing the nobles, septons and septas ruled out, smallfolk. During the drought and the sickness all over Westeros, most of the smallfolk were converted to the faith of the Prophet so their intentions to raise their levies in the name of Faith was not so successful.
Ned made this move when the lord paramounts were on their way to the capital so there would not be a possibility of them raising their kingdoms in the name of the faith. Though even if they raised their arms against him, Ned was sure that they couldn't do anything as he had both numbers and strength.
Though the unexpected came from the people of the King's Landing as a small group of people who called themselves sparrows, tried to kill the king while he was visiting the new orphanage and the soup house. However, they and their accomplices which were some small nobles were quickly executed.
A few weeks later, an envoy arrived from the Iron Bank and demanded payment for the debts owed by the Iron Throne. Ned welcomed him in the throne room before the other nobles. His answer was shocking to many people as he told the envoy that the debts owed by the previous reigns were no concern to him.
From smallfolk to the great lords, everyone knows to not cross the Iron Bank but the thing they dread was done before their very eyes. Ned wouldn't have done this either if not for the promise made by the Prophet.
The Prophet guaranteed to him that the Braavos would be in their hands and the Iron Bank would be absorbed by the Rogare Bank which would ensure that their debts would be void in return for a few concessions on an official level.
A moon later, the lords began arriving one by one. The first to come was the new lord of Stormlands, Argilac Durrandon who was a young man with black hair and blue eyes. There was a constant smile on his face. He went to the Temple of the Prophet right after arriving at King's Landing and only then did he go to the Red Keep.
After him, came the Lord Paramount of the Reach, Mathis Rowan with two of his daughters. He converted to this new religion due to the sickness he caught during the plague. Though later he became obsessed with the teaching of the Prophet and even clashed with the Hightowers due to religious reasons. His contributions to the war and elevation to the position of the Lord Paramountcy was a big boon for him as he was even given the old lands of House Gardener. Now, the only thing he wanted was a son from his wife and he would have a perfect life.
Then came the new Lord of Casterly Rock, Flement Brax whose father was killed during the war this year. He was accompanied by his son, Robert Brax who was named after the good King Robert. The boy was a lively one as he never stopped in one place and always after a mischievousness.
His son, Bran arrived with the part coming from the Vale. Both Grey Wind and Summer were accompanying him. After the death of Robb Stark, the oldest Stark direwolf was a constant company to Bran.
Though Ned did not sight the young Lord of the Vale, his mother, Lysa Arryn, was with them but in a strange state. She was fawning over Bran and calling him Sweet Robin. Later, he learned that the young lord of the Vale was attacked while he was leaving the Vale by mountain clansmen and was killed in the fighting.
The body of the young lord was returned to the Vale to bury while his mother stayed distraught but continued towards the Riverlands. She met Bran there and thought him her son. Bran was already sad over the loss of his mother and brother at the wedding so when a woman came out who had blood relation to him and looked like his mother, he was hesitant about what to do and let her fawn over him.
The situation of the Vale was dire and Lord Royce requested help. Ned promised them men and intelligence as soon as the oaths were sworn. This situation was good for the cause of the Prophet as he could elevate to the Lord Paramountcy who would be close to their liking and be more inclusive to the true path. Besides, if the Crown help the Vale lords regarding the problem of the mountain clansmen, they would be more loyal to the Crown and appointed lord paramount.
The last to come was the Martells and instead of their lord paramount, it was Oberyn Martell who came with three of his daughters. Indeed, he was not expecting Doran to come personally but he thought at least one of his children would come.
During the days the oaths were sworn, Ned talked with each of the lords. However, the most concerning topic for other lords were the children of King Eddard Stark. None of them had any betrothal and they were open to marriage. Ned had to bind all the kingdoms together so he had to use his cards wisely.
The lord of the Stormlands was still young and unmarried so when he asked for his firstborn girl's hand for marriage, he did not hesitate to accept. Besides, Sansa always had dreams about knights and southern castles and this man, Argilac Durrandon was known for his skills in sword and the perfect facade of knighthood. Though there was still a gap of age between them, ten years was something that could be ignored and he was sure that Sansa would accept him right away.
As for Arya, she was betrothed to the heir of the Westerlands, Robert Brax. Arya was a handful of a young girl and with the death of her mother she was sure to be wilder and Ned didn't want her to do the same things Lyanna did. Thus, he informed his future-in-laws about the swordsmanship his daughter was going to learn and the freedom she was to be granted. Though the Brax Lord wanted to argue, Ned didn't give them that option. He was not going to make the same mistakes his father did before his death.
The easiest betrothal to arrange was Bran's as the boy already took a liking to one of the daughters of Lord Rowan. He was even insisting for the wedding to happen immediately and it was obvious the boy was in love with the girl.
Ned did not arrange a southern betrothal for his youngest son, Rickon. The boy was going to be the Lord of Winterfell and he needed the loyalty of his vassals which were grieving due to the Strangler's Wedding. Currently, the best betrothal he could get from the North was Lyanna Mormont. The girl was ten years and Rickon was five years so the age gap was not too much. And a line like the Mormonts would help Rickon to solidify his rule when the time comes as Mormonts were known for their fertility which was apparent from the deceased Maege Mormont.
Though all these problems created a problem for Ned because his family was going to rule over three kingdoms and he had no spares for either three of them. And this required him to marry again as he had no heir for the Iron Throne and Rickon was too young so if an accident were to happen, he needed to have spares for their positions.
Of course, Ned knew from where he was going to choose his new Queen. He had a hand in every kingdom from North to Reach and every one of them was elevated to their position because of him, except for Vale, Dorne and Iron Islands. He already had a house in mind to elevate in Vale but Dorne was still a problem so he decided to have his new queen from Dorne. When he talked about this with Oberyn and asked him for possible candidates, the answer he received was not something he was expecting.
Oberyn told him that they were searching for a consort for Arianne, his brother's, Doran's daughter. Ned creased his brows when he heard it as Arianne was the heir to Doran. However, the smirk on Oberyn's face was the only answer he needed as he spoke with his trademark smirk on his face and told him that Lord Paramountcy could always be traded with a Queen.
Ned knew the girl was still young in contrast to him but he needed a young woman to birth his heir to the throne so he accepted his offer and sent a raven to Dorne. Everything was going perfect as House Stark had a connection to all except one house in Westeros.
The North was connected to the crown by his son, Rickon. The Riverlands was connected, again, by his son Bran. The Westerlands was connected by a betrothal throughout Arya. The Crownlands were already direct vassals of the Crown so there was no need to mention them. The Stormlands was connected by a betrothal throughout Sansa. The Reach was connected by a betrothal throughout Bran. The Dorne was connected by a betrothal throughout Ned, himself. The Iron Islands were not a kingdom anymore as its lands were divided between the kingdoms and more than half of them were given to the believers after the Greyjoy Rebellion. Thus, only Vale was left and they still have no lord paramount so they could also be connected to the throne after Ned made another child.
It was Stannis who offered his house a great opportunity to be connected to four kingdoms by blood but it was he, Eddard Stark made the impossible happen. Now, his blood was going to be in all the seven kingdoms and more.
The year ended with a man who let his hands hold the ropes of each kingdom. And a new year began with a man who stepped onto the path of divinity.