Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

Great news! I've launched a free trial period on Patreon, where you can now access advanced chapters for free for a limited time!

Don't miss this chance—join now and enjoy exclusive content before the offer ends!

[Join my Patreon here] (http://patreon.com/Wintersbard )

________________________________________________

The pigsty in Winter Refuge Town was finally completed. It was ten times larger than the one in Winterfell. Givon, the pigsty overseer, squatted on the ground, assisting a sow in giving birth.

Catelyn held Rickon in her arms as she watched the pigsty.

"Such a large pigsty is simply a waste! There are countless wild boars in the Wolfswood. Building a pigsty to raise pigs? Eddard, I don't understand what you're thinking!"

Eddard smiled. "My lady, the people of Winter Refuge Town need food. Do you want to open the Wolfswood to hunting? If that happens, the wild boars in the forest will soon be hunted to extinction. A pigsty will provide a steady food supply for the people."

Of course, Eddard had other plans for the pigs, but he wasn't ready to share them with Catelyn just yet.

Givon had been recommended by Greatjon to serve in Winterfell. He was in his fifties, balding with a short beard, a round beer belly, and a kind face. He was not only skilled at treating pigs but also proficient in caring for small animals like rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese.

The sow squealed as she brought new life into the world. Bran and Arya watched with wide eyes as Givon held up the piglet.

"How long does it take for a piglet to grow up?" Bran asked, reaching out to touch the tiny creature.

Givon placed the piglet on the ground, where it stumbled forward unsteadily.

"About ten months," he replied.

"That fast?" Bran was surprised. "Pigs grow really quickly!"

Givon shrugged. "In ten months, it will be on someone's dinner table, having lived its short life."

Arya frowned. "Do we have to kill them? They're so cute."

"Some pigs will be kept for breeding," Givon explained. "But only a few."

In the distance, carts from the riverlands arrived carrying three loads of salt. Eddard's salt works project had begun to bear fruit. One after another, the salt works along the coast were sending their harvest to Winterfell, and much of it was already stored in the castle's warehouses.

The vassals had agreed to invest in Eddard's salt works, spending money to build watchtowers along the coast, station soldiers, and establish saltworks, because Eddard had promised that Winterfell would purchase the salt at market prices.

Vayon Poole, the steward of Winterfell, counted the salt sacks and began distributing silver stags to the carters as payment. The carters repeatedly expressed their gratitude, then approached Eddard and Catelyn to give their thanks.

"Lord Eddard, my two sons are soldiers at the riverlands' salt works. They receive wages every day. The salt works' profits have improved our lives, and they help protect us from the ironborn. This is Winterfell's blessing."

Catelyn smiled as she watched the carters leave, but her smile soon faded.

"All this salt is filling up the warehouses. Are you planning to eat salt all winter? Or do you want us to starve and preserve our own bodies in salt?"

Eddard replied, "I remember last winter, you were complaining that salt was too expensive."

"Yes, because at that time, salt was too costly, even though Winterfell had chests full of gold dragons and silver stags. Now, you're spending real money to buy all this salt. It's absolutely foolish!"

Rickon started crying, and Catelyn quickly comforted him.

"You and that Braavosi, Klar, will bankrupt us. Winter is coming, but I fear we will starve long before it arrives."

Eddard calmly said, "You don't have to worry. If necessary, we can sell this salt in White Harbor at a profit. Everyone needs salt."

Givon chimed in, "My lady, Lord Eddard is right. It's not just people who need salt—animals do too. Without salt, the pigs in the pigsty will get sick, the warhorses will fall ill, and livestock in general cannot thrive."

Catelyn sighed. "If that's true, then sell the excess quickly! I feel sick just looking at all this salt." Holding Rickon, she walked away, with Bran and Arya following behind.

Eddard turned to Givon. "Besides pigs, what other livestock can be raised with a short growth cycle?"

Givon thought for a moment. "The shortest cycle is chickens. Rabbits are also a good option—they reproduce quickly. However, if you want to raise rabbits, you need to harden the ground, or they'll dig tunnels and escape."

"No matter what we raise, I suggest preparing a supply of fodder. When winter comes and the land is frozen, there won't be any grass or leaves for livestock. Without proper feed storage, we'll just watch them starve. When I worked for House Umber, most of the pigs I raised starved in winter. Of course, starved pigs still provide meat, but it's a waste."

Eddard suddenly realized the importance of fodder storage. With green grass and leaves abundant now, it was the perfect time to gather supplies.

Upon returning to Winterfell, Eddard summoned Klar to his study.

"Klar, I plan to build pigsties, cattle pens, and, most importantly, stables in Winter Refuge Town. These all require fodder. I want you to allocate funds and send people to collect grass and leaves. Once gathered, they should be chopped and stored in warehouses."

Klar smiled. "That's a great plan. Farmers will be pleased—after all, when clearing land, their first task is removing weeds. But there's a problem: Winterfell's storage space is already tight. Many warehouses are filled with salt."

Eddard said, "Then sell the salt in White Harbor. More will keep arriving from the King's Road. Also, inform Maester Luwin to send letters to the lords of the eastern coast, telling them to send their salt directly to White Harbor. They can settle accounts with Lord Wyman Manderly, and we will deduct the cost from next month's taxes."

With the western saltworks producing enough for Eddard's needs, receiving additional salt from White Harbor, Oldtown, Widow's Watch, and Dreadfort would only increase transport costs unnecessarily.

Klar hesitated. "Lord Eddard, your salt works plan is excellent, but there is a flaw. What if some vassals collude with merchants, buying cheap salt from commoners and mixing it with the salt works' output to earn the price difference? The salt works could become an endless loophole for profit."

Eddard frowned. "The salt works were established to protect against the ironborn. I trust my vassals not to tamper with them."

Klar smirked. "There is no supervision over salt production. Who knows how much salt each works actually produces? If I were a lord, I would exploit this loophole. If there's easy money to be made, why wouldn't someone take advantage of it? Sooner or later, some of your vassals will find ways to profit from this."

Eddard remained thoughtful. "I'll keep an eye on it."

Klar added, "Even if we move the salt, there still won't be enough space for fodder storage."

Eddard replied, "Don't worry about that—the masons are already building new warehouses."

And so, Winterfell continued its preparations for the long winter ahead.

-*Thanks to venkat for subscribing in warden of the Realm*

"Help the story climb the rankings! Don't forget to leave a Power Stone and share your thoughts in the comments if you enjoyed this chapter!"