288 AC
"Another tariff," Ned grumbled near the end of the snow season. Scowling, he held the letter out to me.
I took it and read through it quickly. Two parts in ten of the sale of luxury goods would go to the Crown. My soaps and creams would be affected, as would my felt hats, but the profit margins on those goods were large enough that I wouldn't have to raise the prices too much. Sure, some of the smallfolk down south wouldn't have access to my soaps anymore, but those in the North would be fine.
"The King is desperate for money, isn't he?" I commented.
"So it would seem," Ned said with a shrug. "And he and the Small Council seem to think they can squeeze it out of the North."
"Oh, they'll get some of it out of us," I said, folding the letter and setting it on the table. "But we'll be fine. Either we'll find a way around it or make up for it in other areas."
"Aye, we will," he said, looking me in the eyes with a wry smile on his face.
"And yet, I can't help but feel like these tariffs are targeted at us," I mused. "The North has been near destitute for centuries, but the moment we start seeing some prosperity, they attempt to stifle it? It seems… purposeful."
"Who would do such a thing?" Ned asked, brows furrowed.
"Could be any number of people," I shrugged. "The Tyrells certainly grew rich by selling grain to the North. Now that we don't have to buy from them, they may be looking to impoverish us once more."
"But the Tyrells have no one on the Small Council," Ned pointed out. "And they are not well-liked by the King either."
"True," I admitted. "Perhaps the Lannisters want to break up the North, Riverlands, Vale alliance?"
"For what purpose?" Ned asked. "That alliance put Robert on the throne."
"To secure greater control over the Crown, of course," I replied. "If they cause a rift between you and Robert, and if Jon Arryn sides with the King, then the alliance is essentially split in two."
"Perhaps," Ned conceded. "Or perhaps Robert is merely scrambling for any coin he can get his hands on. With the North's recent prosperity, he may just see us as an easy mark."
"Perhaps you're right," I replied with a shrug. "Still, if this continues, the pressure will eventually drain all of our prosperity. I know Robert is your friend, dear, but something must be done!"
Ned was silent for a long moment. He tapped his fingers on the table and stared at a nice tapestry hanging from the wall. I could see the worry warring with anger on his face, and I wondered what exactly he was thinking.
"I will write a letter to the King," Ned eventually replied. "If he is aware of my displeasure, he may forbid any further moves against us."
"Oh yes, because a strongly worded letter will definitely make him change his mind," I said with a dismissive snort.
"There is little else we could do that wouldn't be seen as an outright act of rebellion," Ned said, his face growing stern.
"Of course there is," I countered, feeling my ire rise. "Simply state that any further tariffs would force the North to cut trade with the South and seek trade with the Free Cities instead. They need our iron and steel, Ned; if we subtly imply it might stop being sold to the South, given the price of iron, they'll have no choice but to concede to your demands!"
"And what demands are those, Cat?" he growled. "Should I demand Robert's head? Perhaps I should demand Northern independence?! The Gods know many of my bannermen would welcome such development!"
"Simply demand a relaxation of the tariff on cloth," I retorted. "A tariff of no more than one part in ten would make it cheaper to sell it directly to the South rather than ship it across the Narrow Sea to Braavos. Plus, seeing as we don't directly sell any cloth to the South anymore, at least that way they'll actually get some use out of it!"
Ned frowned and leaned back in his chair. Again, he tapped at the table as he thought. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "No. A letter won't do. For something like this, I need to speak with Robert in person."
"You can't mean-"
"I will sail for King's Landing as soon as the snows permit," he continued, his voice stern. "For the sake of my friendship with Robert and my fostering by Jon, I will go speak to them face to face."
I could see the stubborn set to his jaw, and I sighed, knowing I'd never change his mind.
"Fine," I told him. "But you won't go alone; I'll go with you."
"No, Cat," he replied, shaking his head. "I need you to stay here and take care of the children. They're too young to leave behind on their own, and there must always be a Stark in Winterfell."
"Ned-"
"No, Cat," he implored, silently begging me with his eyes. "I have to go alone."
I pressed my lips together. "Will you… will you at least take a sufficient guard with you?"
"I'll take… say, fifty men."
"You'll take five hundred," I countered. "Most can stay on the ships, but if something happens-"
"Do you expect Robert to imprison me?" He asked incredulously. "For the Gods' sake, Cat, he's my friend! He wouldn't do that!"
"And what if he does?" I countered. "Like the last time a Stark went to visit a King in the Red Keep?"
"Robert is no Aerys."
"Perhaps," I conceded. "But I'd rather not risk anything happening to you."
"If Robert has gone mad and imprisons me, five hundred men couldn't storm the Red Keep to rescue me," he countered. "They'd either die or have to escape by sea themselves."
I closed my eyes and deeply sighed. I had a bad feeling about this visit, and I didn't like it one bit.
"As you wish," I conceded. "But if anyone so much as harms a hair on your head, I'm calling the banners, your friend or not."
"If Robert imprisons me over this," Ned replied, his voice dark, "Then he's no friend of mine."
"Maester Luwin, do you have a moment?" I asked as I walked into the Maester's study. It and his quarters were in their own tower near the Library tower, and the ravenry was in the highest room of the Maester's turret. The tower was across the courtyard from the Great Hall, near the stables and the kennels, and the Bell Tower wasn't far off.
"I suppose I could spare some time," He replied, carefully marking his position in the book he had been reading and closing it. "What do you have for me today?"
"I was wondering," I began. "Winterfell was built on a hot spring, right?"
"It was."
"And the walls, keeps, towers, and the glasshouse are kept warm via pipes that connect to the hot springs, right?"
"They are," he nodded.
"So, in that case," I said, a glint in my eyes. "How would I go about tapping into the hot water from the hot springs?"
"I…" Luwin paused and considered the question for a minute. "You know, I'm not sure."
"Well, perhaps we should study Winterfell's plans," I replied. "I'd like to know if I could get access to that hot water."
"Why would you need to?" Luwin asked, mildly puzzled.
"Why, to make a bath, of course!"
"Ah! I found it!" Luwin called out.
"Where?" I asked, setting down my book and rushing over to his side.
"Here, a plan of Winterfell from before the coming of the Andals," Luwin said, gesturing at an old, brittle scroll rolled out on the table in front of him. "See here? These are Old Tongue runes that read 'hot spring'."
"Fantastic!" I said, eyes bright, as I looked at the layout. "Oh, that looks like the First Keep. And that must be the Godswood. So then this…"
"Is the Stark family crypts," Luwin confirmed. "It would seem that the hot springs are somewhere underground near the crypts, my lady."
"... I see…" I murmured.
It was a bit of an unspoken rule, but only Starks were supposed to enter the crypts. It wasn't a hard and fast rule, since there were exceptions, but I wasn't sure if I counted. Sure, I married into the Stark family, but…
"I suppose I will have to talk to Ned," I said. "In the meantime, would you mind finding anything you can about the pipes in the walls?"
"I will, my lady," he replied with a nod.