ASOIAF: Celestial Conqueror - Chapter 2

The Ambition of an Eight-Year-Old

POV: Eddard Stark

Ned despised the endless scrolls and ledgers that covered every inch of his desk. Each parchment seemed to stretch on forever, a tangled web of numbers, names, and reports that demanded attention.

His father had handled it all with a grace that now seemed almost unreal—he had a way of making the dull and meticulous world of trade and governance feel alive, recalling every shipment, every complaint, every detail across the North as if it were second nature. Ned, however, was not his father.

For him, the paperwork was heavy, oppressive, and unyielding, a constant reminder of duties he would rather set aside.

Still, the North would not wait for his reluctance. Responsibility pressed on regardless. The flow of goods, letters, and requests spoke volumes, often more clearly than any written report. Shipments heading toward Bear Island hinted at Mormont unease over the Ironborn, their fear growing with each passing week.

Supplies requested from the Wall told a darker story: the Night’s Watch was stretched thin, facing threats that seemed to grow sharper by the day. Ned made a note for Robert—a quiet reminder to send aid before the next Wildling attack. Complaints from the Dreadfort suggested Roose Bolton was uneasy, while fresh grievances from the Karstarks whispered of budding ambition, of eyes always looking to climb higher.

All of them fretted over their own corners of the North, each holding pieces of a larger puzzle that Ned was tasked with overseeing. He sighed, dipped his quill in ink, and forced himself to press on. Winter was coming, as it always did, with or without their readiness.

And yet, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on the endless reports and ledgers, his mind kept drifting elsewhere. It returned, insistently, to one thought: Jon.

The boy had always been… different. Even as a toddler, he had stood apart from his siblings. Quiet, reserved, observant—there had been something about him that set him apart from other children his age.

Ned could remember only one time when Jon had caused a true scene, and that had been during their travels around King’s Landing after the Rebellion. The stench of the city had been unbearable, and even the smallest frustrations had seemed magnified in Jon’s sensitive nature. No one could argue the point: the boy had a keen sense of discomfort that went far beyond ordinary children.

As Jon grew, the differences became even clearer. While other boys ran to the training yard, swinging swords or wrestling with companions, Jon preferred books, scrolls, and quiet observation. He was patient where others were restless, thoughtful where others were brash. Intelligence and wisdom seemed to arrive early for him, like an inheritance he had taken on along with his Stark blood.

Something, however, had shifted drastically in the past week. Jon’s fascination with the library, always present but mild, had transformed into an obsession. He spent nearly every waking moment there, pouring over papers, calculations, and sketches, as if possessed by a force that Ned could neither understand nor name.

Maester Luwin had observed it, noting the intricate drawings and strange diagrams Jon was producing—machines, the old scholar guessed, unlike anything he had ever seen. Ned could hardly imagine what had sparked this sudden, intense curiosity, what fire had been lit in his nephew’s mind.

Lost in thought, Ned barely noticed the sudden rap at the door. The sharp knock pulled him from his musings, and he quickly straightened in his chair, forcing his expression to the calm mask of a lord at work.

“Come in,” he called, his voice louder than he had intended, steadying himself for whatever interruption had arrived.

In the doorway stood the very subject of Ned’s wandering thoughts. The sight of the boy made him pause, and then a faint warmth softened his face. “Jon,” he greeted, allowing a rare smile to show. “What brings you here?”

Jon stepped into the solar with a confidence that seemed out of place for his usual quiet self. His movements were steady, purposeful, as if he had prepared for this moment. Tucked under one arm was a bundle of folded papers and sketches. On his hand gleamed a golden ring, plain in design yet unfamiliar—Ned could not recall ever seeing it before.

“Lord Stark… I’ve been thinking,” Jon began. His tone was calm, measured, but beneath it was an unmistakable firmness. “Thinking about Moat Cailin. About the North.”

The sudden formality caught Ned off guard. He raised an eyebrow, unsure where the conversation was leading. “There’s no need to call me Lord Stark,” he reminded gently, leaning back in his chair. “You are my blood. Speak freely.”

Jon shook his head. “All the same, I feel it’s right. Right now, I come before you as your subject, not just as your kin. I have a proposal—a way to strengthen the North.”

With that, he carefully spread one of the larger sheets across the desk. The parchment revealed intricate sketches of machines, devices Ned could scarcely identify. Some looked like strange cranes or wheels, while others were nothing more than rows of numbers and calculations.

“Moat Cailin is broken,” Jon explained, his eyes fixed on the drawings as though they were alive. “The fortress is crumbling, the bridge weak and unreliable. To rebuild it in the old way would take years, more men than we can spare, and more gold than the North could ever hope to gather. But…” He lifted his gaze, eyes shining with a rare spark of conviction. “I’ve found another way. A way to make it faster, safer, cheaper. A way that not only strengthens our defenses but also raises the wealth of the North in the long run, making us unshakable against the South.”

Before Ned could respond, Jon unfurled another parchment—this one a map of the North. At first glance, it was ordinary. But as Ned’s eyes traced the lines, his brow furrowed. Something was different.

“What is this?” Ned asked, his voice careful. “And what is that river? There is no such water near Moat Cailin.”

Jon’s expression brightened as if he had been waiting for that very question. “Not yet. Because it isn’t a river—it’s a canal. An artificial channel that would cut straight across the Neck, linking the eastern coast of the North to the western coast. Imagine it: ships no longer forced to sail around the Iron Islands or down past the Stepstones. Trade would flow freely, quickly, safely. Time is money, Lord Stark, and merchants value shorter routes above all else. With this canal, countless vessels would choose to pass through the North. And for every ship, we could charge a toll. Everyone benefits—faster trade for them, wealth for us. Over time, it would make the North richer than ever before.”

Ned leaned forward, studying the bold line Jon had drawn across the map. The boy’s enthusiasm was almost infectious, but years of leadership kept him cautious. “That may sound true,” he admitted slowly, “but only in theory. A canal of that scale would be a monstrous project. The manpower alone would be immense, not to mention the cost. You’d need hundreds, perhaps thousands of men, and at least a hundred thousand gold dragons. The North has no such wealth to spend.”

“I know,” Jon said firmly, meeting Ned’s gaze without flinching. “That’s why the canal isn’t where my plan begins. It’s only Phase Three. Before we can think of that, there must be a first step.”

He tapped the map again, pointing just above Moat Cailin. “Phase One is the foundation: a new town, built just north of the fortress and positioned at the future mouth of the canal. This town will serve as a second stronghold, another defensible point beyond the Moat. It will also gather the necessary manpower over time. Workers, craftsmen, merchants—they’ll move there naturally once the town begins to thrive. And that town will generate revenue, enough to support the later phases. With the machines I’ve designed, construction costs will be far lower than they normally would be.”

Ned crossed his arms, listening intently but not letting himself be carried away by youthful enthusiasm. “And these machines… they’ll do all this for you? You claim they can cut the costs of raising a town to a fraction? Even if so, revenue takes years to grow, and men take time to gather. How would you raise enough coin for the canal? And what of Moat Cailin itself—how do you plan to restore it while chasing this dream of yours?”

The Lord of Winterfell spoke calmly, his doubts plain, but in the back of his mind a strange feeling lingered. Something in Jon’s eyes, in the unshaking way he carried himself, stirred a thought that Ned could not dismiss. Against all reason, part of him believed that the boy just might succeed.

“Rebuilding Moat Cailin comes later. That’s step four,” Jon explained with calm certainty, sliding another sketch across the desk. “Once it’s restored, the fortress will serve as both the front door of the North and the shield for the new town I intend to raise beside it. But before we get there, we need revenue. I’ve considered several different avenues—each one connected to the other. For instance, look here.”

He pointed to one of his carefully drawn diagrams. The sketch showed a tall frame with pulleys, weights, and a long beam. “These are counterweight cranes. With them, two men could lift a slab of stone heavy enough to take ten men normally. Using these, we can clear the basalt slabs and massive boulders that surround Moat Cailin. That land is useless as it stands, but freed up, it becomes farmland or space for a growing settlement.”

Before Ned could comment, Jon laid down another sheet. This one looked stranger still, with curved lines and wooden frames designed to be hitched to horses or oxen. Ned narrowed his eyes at the collection of unfamiliar shapes.

“These are farming tools powered by animals,” Jon explained quickly, his tone gaining speed as excitement built. “Ploughs, harrows, seed drills, weeders—machines to make it easier to break the hard, frozen soil of the North. With them, land that’s always been considered too difficult to till could finally be cultivated. Farming is the first revenue stream in my plans. And the second revenue will come from producing and selling these tools to the lords of the North, and then to their farmers. The South won’t be needed anymore—we’ll be feeding ourselves. The North has struggled against the cold soil for thousands of years. Every harvest is smaller than it should be, every expansion limited by manpower. But if we let animals shoulder the hardest work, the people can farm more land, with less effort, in even this harsh climate.”

Jon’s words carried such conviction that Ned found himself staring at the designs longer than he meant to.

His expression remained schooled, hiding the flicker of amazement that stirred beneath, but he studied the boy’s drawings carefully.

The ideas were sound. A heavy plough to split the stubborn ground, followed by a harrow and weeder to break it down into fertile soil while removing roots and pests. Finally, the seed drill would make planting faster and more uniform.

Even in theory, such tools could transform farming, not just in the North but across the entire realm.

A question pressed against Ned’s thoughts as he looked at his nephew. Had Jon truly created these by himself? He had always known the boy was clever, more thoughtful than his siblings, but this… this went far beyond what he expected of an eight-year-old.

Innovations like these normally came from the Citadel in Oldtown, and even there it could take decades—centuries, even—for a single invention to emerge. And yet here was Jon, a child, producing several machines in different fields within a single week.

“Did you come up with these yourself last week?” Ned asked at last, his voice carrying the disbelief he could not entirely mask.

“Yes,” Jon admitted, then corrected himself. “Though I’ve been thinking about these ideas for years. What you see here are just the initial designs meant for Moat Cailin and the surrounding lands. I already have more concepts for later stages. For example, an animal-powered harvester. That one’s more complicated, though—we need a way for it to cut crops without damaging them. It will also require blacksmiths with experience in more precise work. Still, I’m confident it can be done.” He shrugged lightly, embarrassed by his own confidence. “That’s also why I believe no one will copy my more complex machines easily. Even if they have the actual Machines, copying them properly would take years and a fortune without my instructions. I can build a business out of them before that ever happens.”

Ned could only shake his head. “You’re just eight years old.”

“And yet the proof is right in front of your eyes,” Jon countered without hesitation, his gaze steady.

“It’s still only ink and parchment,” Ned replied, unwilling to be swept away by the boy’s determination. “Until it’s built, there’s no way of knowing if it will work. What else do you have that makes your ideas feasible?”

Jon’s lips curled into a small grin, as if he had been waiting for the question. “How about better construction methods? I’ve discovered a way to fuse ordinary stone into a stronger form. That means we wouldn’t need to transport massive blocks anymore. Builders could carry small, manageable pieces to the site and then fuse them together into one solid wall or foundation.”

Ned froze. His eyes widened despite himself. “You discovered a way to… fuse stone?”

Jon nodded, clearly pleased by his reaction.

But Ned’s thoughts churned.

Fuse stone into a harder form?

That was no simple claim. It sounded like the legendary building techniques of Valyria—the very methods that had allowed their architecture to endure for centuries, unmatched anywhere in the world.

And yet the old tales spoke of dragonfire, of sorcery woven into stone. Could an eight-year-old boy in Winterfell have rediscovered something thought lost to fire and blood?

An idea that shook him to his core.

The Lord of Winterfell had seen Dragonstone with his own eyes before. It was a fortress unlike any other, an island citadel shaped from black stone harder than iron or steel. To gaze upon it was to stand before a wonder of the world.

Walls, towers, and bridges all seemed as if they had been carved from a single colossal rock, molded by some ancient hand. Even now, the memory of it stirred a quiet awe in Ned.

“Show me,” he said at last, his voice calm but edged with doubt.

“Give me a moment, Lord Stark,” Jon replied as he rose from his chair. The boy moved toward the door of the solar and pulled something from the hall. First came a heavy bag, filled with small pebbles that clinked together as he set it down. Then, a wooden bucket half-full of a fine gray powder.

Ned leaned forward slightly, curiosity pulling at him despite his better judgment.

“This is a mixture I managed to recreate,” Jon explained as he slipped on a pair of leather gloves. “I studied old Valyrian records, pieced together what resources they had available, and after much trial and error, I believe I’ve rediscovered the method they used for their fused stone.”

The boy reached into the bucket, took a handful of powder, and sprinkled it over the pile of pebbles. His movements were precise, practiced—as if he had done this more than once before.

Ned’s first instinct was disbelief. It sounded too bold, too impossible. Yet his skepticism wavered as the change unfolded before his eyes.

The loose stones began to soften, edges blurring, their rigid forms turning malleable as if they were clay. Jon pressed them together with steady hands, shaping them into a single mass.

Within moments, the stone hardened again, darker than before, until it looked like a solid block freshly cut from some deep vein in the earth.

The Lord of Winterfell stared at the blackened stone in silence. The sight carried with it an unsettling weight.

“With that mix,” Ned said slowly, unable to mask his thoughts, “construction would become far cheaper.”

“Exactly.” Jon set the fused block on the desk with care, then looked back at him with a grin that was far too confident for an eight-year-old.

“Is it cheap to make?” Ned pressed, his tone sharpening.

“Relatively,” Jon admitted with a shrug, “but I have no intention of sharing the recipe. Not freely. I’ll sell it, though.”

The boy’s casual grin reminded Ned of a merchant making a shrewd bargain rather than a child. He nodded faintly, recognizing the cleverness in that decision. Knowledge this valuable could not be allowed to spread too easily.

“So,” Ned asked, folding his hands together on the desk, “what is it you need from me? If your ideas and plans are truly as effective as you claim, they would be invaluable to the North. What is it, Jon, that makes you speak to me so formally—your own family?”

Jon hesitated only briefly before answering. “You’re aware of my status. You know I don’t have it easy here, nor much of a future. I thought, for a time, that I might become Robb’s right hand when he inherits, but Lady Stark will never allow it. I feel she’d insist I be sent away the moment I come of age.” His words were calm, honest, with no bitterness—only the certainty of someone who had long accepted his position.

Ned’s expression tightened.

He knew better than anyone the truth of that. Countless arguments with Catelyn had ended the same way, with no shift in her stance toward the boy she saw as a daily reminder of betrayal.

No matter what he said or did, she would not change her mind.

Jon’s voice drew him back. “I have no interest in becoming a Maester, bound in chains and books. Nor do I wish to freeze my balls off at the Wall. My talent for arms is nothing exceptional, so I’d never rise as a knight or even a hedge knight worth speaking of. A mercenary’s life doesn’t appeal to me either. And yet, with the education and training you’ve given me, I don’t want to waste it.”

He met Ned’s gaze squarely, his tone steady, almost businesslike. “I still want to serve the North. My proposal is this: grant me the chance to become one of its bannermen, a new cadet branch of House Stark. That should calm Lady Stark’s fears, since in her eyes I would have no reason to threaten Robb or my other siblings.”

Ned inhaled slowly, weighing the words.

“Moat Cailin is abandoned, as are the lands around it,” Jon continued, pressing on with his reasoning. “Technically, the territory belongs to House Reed, but they hardly use it outside of war. Restoring the land north of Moat Cailin would be too costly for them and of no real benefit, since their strength lies in the swamps of the Neck. That is their world, their way of life. I doubt Lord Reed would object if those lands were reassigned, not if it meant the betterment of the North as a whole.”

The boy’s explanation was calm, almost unnervingly so for someone his age. Every point was laid out logically, as if he had thought about it for months, perhaps years.

And all the while, Ned could not shake the feeling that this was no ordinary child sitting across from him, but someone far more dangerous—and far more important—than anyone yet realized.

“So that makes two things already,” Ned said, his tone dry as he leaned back in his chair. “First, you want me to request the Reed lands from Moat Cailin and the stretch north of it. Second, you want legitimization from the King himself, to form a new noble house in the North. Not a small ask, Jon. And you haven’t even requested men and resources yet.”

Jon nodded without flinching. “Yes, Lord Stark, I understand how much I am asking. But the North stands to gain far more than it gives. My plans would secure us against threats from the South, open new trade routes, reduce the gold we spend importing food, and bring wealth to every house in the region. I’ve worked out the details already.”

He pulled two sheets of parchment from his bundle and laid them carefully on the desk. The first was a meticulous list of building materials, tools, and costs. Columns of numbers filled the page, along with a timetable estimating construction time based on the manpower assigned. The second was a map—this one not of the entire North, but a detailed drawing of Moat Cailin and the surrounding terrain. Yet it was not merely a map. A blueprint sprawled across the parchment, outlining something far larger than a simple settlement.

Ned narrowed his eyes, studying the lines carefully. “You said a town,” he remarked dryly. “What I see here looks closer to a city… and not a small one either. Bigger than King’s Landing, if I had to guess.”

Jon’s cheeks colored faintly. “It’s only a rough map, I pursued the maps available in the Library. Not the most detailed, I will have to rely on my own measures once I am there. But it should be good enough. The red zone on the map is the initial town. The other colored zones are for expansion, depending on future need. I… might have gotten a bit carried away.” He scratched his cheek awkwardly before adding, “Didn’t want it to end up as another city reeking of filth like King’s Landing.”

That earned a rare smirk from Ned. “Aye, I remember. You were just a babe and still refused to enter King’s Landing. I doubt anyone blamed you.” His eyes returned to the map and caught a detail marked in blue. “Is that… a harbor?”

“Yes,” Jon replied, confidence returning as he leaned over the parchment. “That’s Phase Two. It starts with digging the first part of the canal, linking the settlement to the Fever River, and then constructing a proper port. That way, we can begin rebuilding a Western Fleet. More ships mean more trade, and the profits from that will help finance both Moat Cailin’s restoration and the canal’s completion.”

“At the very least, you’re ambitious,” Ned muttered, though his gaze lingered on the boy longer than he meant. Jon’s eyes glowed with determination no eight-year-old should have carried.

He tapped the parchment, speaking in a measured tone. “From what I see, you want an initial group of five hundred settlers to start the project, along with a loan of five thousand gold dragons, repayable in fifteen years. Then, a second wave of another five hundred the following year, drawn from volunteers within Stark lands. That gives you a thousand people. A large number, yes, but nowhere near enough for a project of this scale.”

Jon inclined his head, acknowledging the point. “I’m aware. That’s why I plan to expand recruitment later. Once the settlement proves stable, I’ll approach other Northern lords for volunteers—those with no work or no land. Men and women who’d seize the chance for something better. Beyond that, I intend to purchase a trading vessel at White Harbor. With it, I can sell goods directly in King’s Landing, and also recruit more people. Flea Bottom is full of souls with nothing—poor, desperate, with no future. If given the chance at honest work and land, many would jump at it.”

Ned’s brow furrowed. “Be careful with that. Flea Bottom is also crawling with criminals. Not everyone you bring north will be trustworthy.”

Jon met his warning with steady eyes. “I’ll take the risk.” Then, after a short pause, he asked directly, “So what do you think, Lord Stark? Do we have a deal?”

The room fell quiet.

Only the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth filled the solar. Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, found himself staring at the boy before him—his blood, his burden, his unacknowledged son.

The request was beyond bold. It was outrageous, dangerous even. And yet, for reasons he could not explain, he felt the words rising before he could stop them.

Years later, he would still wonder why he had answered that way.

He never noticed, in that moment, the faint blue glow pulsing across the ring on Jon’s finger, strange inscriptions flickering like hidden runes in an unfamiliar tongue.

But in time, he would be grateful for the choice he made that day.

“Yes,” Ned said at last, his voice low but firm. “We do.”

Even if it meant granting an eight-year-old boy land, men, and the chance at a lordship.