I was in no hurry, and if Lord Stark is anxious about my arrival, he can wait a little longer. I have a lot of work to complete before I can go to him.
The first thing was the inauguration of the harbor, which we named, Iron Harbor. Nothing original, but just a way to provoke the ironborn. Since this port would be responsible for the fall of the house soon. I have a surprise waiting for them.
Anyway, after putting the carracks to work, some would be used for deep sea fishing, while others were for the safety of the coast, I went to check the patrols, which to no one's surprise, were going perfectly.
A series of rules had been created, and the soldiers were following them to the letter. The weight of the punishments was too high for any of them to try to break them. To be caught was the end for that person. Here, there was no choice of taking the black or death, here death would come on horseback and run you down in one go.
My uncle looked like a child, seeing how big, organized and strong our army was. It was common, when there were no soldiers around, to see him enjoy a good drink of vodka, and have that silly happy smile stamped on his face.
The healer's house, a facility that I didn't call a hospital just because it wouldn't make sense here, was working well. After discovering so many medicinal plants and buying them not only from the Reed, but from the Karstarks, Mountain Clan, and Mormont, people were well and happy.
It took a while, but now people have a way to heal themselves of almost everything, from their colds to cuts that could get infected because of the previous conditions.
I also launched, over the years, soap for bathing. It was different from the laundry soap people used to use, causing dry, cracked skin. Now women were taking much better care of themselves, so much so that it was not difficult to see more and more pregnant women here and there.
Before the pursuit of pleasure was something that the men here always sought, a way to get their thoughts and problems away, spending a lot on leisure houses, but now, their women looked stunning, so coming home was a welcome pleasure.
Life was better, and people were grateful for that. Especially now that there was no longer a Maester of the Citadel in town. I also slowly closed the brothels, as I knew that a certain Southerner loved to get news through them.
As for the little birds, there were few now, as many of the ones I found, I presented an opportunity to be someone in life, and that was important to them. Now it is very easy to find ex-birds among the soldiers, builders, farmers, blacksmiths.
The dickless bald man called Varys the Spider still gets his information, but it is not always what he expects. Since there are none of his little birds near the castle.
Speaking of him, the improvement and restoration is over. Now, although it was still a wooden castle, it was much stronger and more presentable, simple, but with a charm that only it has. It went from being a castle itself, to being a mansion, but it was still very elegant and special.
The last thing to check was whether my mother and sister would accompany me on the trip. If so, I could test the shock absorber wagon we had developed, if not, I would unfortunately leave it for next time.
Not that we hadn't tested it before, but it was only for short trips, and the streets of Deepwood are in better condition than the roads outside of it. It was something I would fix, but I needed to talk to Lord Stark first.
----
I always have a brake when I look at my mother and sister. They look very similar, long raven dark hair, straight tied up in a bun or a long ponytail. Bright brown eyes, light wood skin, thin, light lips, small, tapered nose, looking like a spearhead.
They are not tall, my mother is 5'7" tall, and my sister has not yet reached 5'9" tall, but she will grow into it if she pulls at her father. Speaking of him, I am pretty much his copy, but with some slight alterations.
I am currently 1.77cm tall, slim but with a fit body, like a middleweight boxer, raven black hair like my mother's, and my eyes are the same as hers. But my lips are thicker, my chin is square, and my face is more elongated than theirs, pulling my father.
I already have a respectable beard, which makes my mother say that if she were a few years younger, she would be chasing me around looking for marriage. It was her way of saying that I was handsome, I guess.
"Mom, how's your day?" I ask, approaching the most beautiful and important woman in my life. Of course, my sister is standing next to her, which leaves me with two number 1s on my list.
"Oh, did my baby come to see mommy? I'm fine, come, sit next to me." she says, pulling me into a seat.
"You will never stop calling me your baby right? But please don't do that in front of the others, my soldiers call me baby now." I tell her, feigning frustration.
"Don't worry, I'll teach them a lesson later." she makes that face like she's about to do something, and seeing that, I feel sorry for those poor souls. "But tell me, why are you visiting?" she looks at me curiously.
"I'm going to Winterfell to swear an oath to House Stark, so I came to find out if you want to come along, with my sister.
"You want to use me to test those carriage springs right?" she corners me.
"Mom, I would never do that if it wasn't completely safe, and I can say with all my heart, you will have such a comfortable trip, you won't even know you are traveling. It will only be a three-day trip," I explain.
"All right, I'll go, but only if I take my Valkyries with us," she says.
"10 Valkyries, 10 Spectres and 50 arms, is that a good number?" I ask, knowing I was over counting.
"A little too much I believe. Let your uncle decide that for you. I know you want to keep me and your sister safe, but overdoing it is not good for you." she teases, and I just grimace, jokingly.
"Speaking of which, where's the pin?" I ask, and see my mother trying to hold in her laughter.
"Don't call her that, she doesn't like it and you know it." she says, but still laughing.
"But you can't deny it, she looks like a pin, she's so thin," I tease, knowing she was listening.
"I heard that, potato, now you'll see," I hear a voice coming from the side, where the changing room was. Out comes my little sister, who runs towards me, and jumps on my neck, trying to knock me down.
"Did you call me a potato? I'll bend you over, you little pinhead!" I retort, welcoming her with open arms, and letting myself be thrown to the floor, as we 'fight' like two Neanderthals, rolling around on the floor.