Drinks at a Wedding

Drinks at a Wedding

“It was a beautiful ceremony.” 

Harry nodded politely. ” It sure was my lady, Catelyn outdid herself with the arrangements.” 

“Oh and Lady Mormont looked wonderful. I must know where she got the material to make her dress. “ 

“I'm afraid I don't know much about fashion, my lady. I can ask for you if you like?” 

“No, No. Don't worry my Lord. I will ask her when I get a chance. I want to ask about what she used to wash her hair to make it so shiny anyway.” 

“As you say my lady.” 

“What about you my Lord? When are you looking to get married? My sister would-” 

“Lord Stark!” Harry looked up across the hall to where the Greatjon called him from where he was sitting with a few other lords. 

Harry was only too happy to take the out when it was given. He bowed his head. ”Apologies my lady. It seems like the Greatjon is drunk and trying to get my attention. I best see what he wants before he causes a scene.” 

She sniffed. “Very well my Lord. Thank you for the conversation. Maybe we can continue this more in depth later?” She finished with a purr. 

Harry smiled weakly. “Perhaps.” 

With that he spun on his heel and marched towards the Greatjon while trying to make it look like he wasn't running away. 

Greatjon laughed when Harry sat at the table. “ Ha Ha. The look on your face lad! You seemed like you wanted to die talking to that lass.” 

Harry grimaced slightly. “She was very...spirited.” 

“Ha!” He took a big gulp from his tankard. “Who is she anyway? I don't recognize her.” 

Harry shrugged and waved for one of the servants to bring him a drink. It was a celebration, he might as well join in. “You wouldn't. She's Lord Blackwoods younger cousin, Sara. She came with the rest of his household that sought sanctuary from the war Blackwood is fighting in the Riverlands. They arrived only a few days ago.” 

Lord Umber grimaced. “Nasty business that. So what's the plan lad, you giving them land in the North?” 

This was something Harry admired about Umber. He was an extremely straightforward person. If he liked you, you would know. If he didn't, you would know. Even now, most Lords would hesitate to question Harry so openly.  

His drink arrived and Harry took a small sip, with only a minor grimace at the taste, before answering. “No, at least I don't plan to right now. Eventually, things will calm down in the South again and they will be able to go home. It might come in useful to have them owe the North a favor.” 

Umber grunted. “And if things don't calm down? Or if they lose their lands?” 

Harry frowned. “Then I highly doubt the Faith will keep their issues to the South. They will attempt to target the North eventually. Then we will need to retaliate. Having some Lords who can take control of portions of the Riverlands will be useful.” 

Then he shrugged. “Worse case scenario is I give them land that needs to be developed. There is a lot of land in the North that would work. But I don't think it is going to come to that.” 

“Do you know what the King is planning?” Wyman asked between bites of his steak. 

Harry spared a glance at the feast in front of the Lord and decided he was feeling slightly hungry himself. “He has finally assembled an army. Crownlanders, Stormlands and Westerlands soldiers are going to march into the Riverlands to put the Faith Militant to the sword. ” He answered while waving for another servant to bring him some food. 

“Finally.” Lord Karstark grunted from his place next to Wyman where he was nursing a jug of ale. 

Harry nodded. “Aye, it would have been better to stamp this out earlier. But at least it's getting done. “ 

“And the North?” Umber asked.  

He shook his head. “Weve been asked not to interfere. Which is alright with me. The Riverlands should be easy to clean up with their numbers, but its going to be a slog. I doubt the Faith is going to meet them as an army. They will attack weak points and disappear into the population. Catching them all is going to be difficult. “ 

There were grimaces all around the table. War was bad enough. A war where your enemy could be literally anybody and there is no way to tell for sure? That's going to be terrible. 

Lord Karstark looked like he swallowed a lemon. “That's going to cause hell. Then there is the Vale. That's going to be even worse.” 

“Much worse.” Harry agreed. The Vale was where all of this started. The Faith Militant has had time to consolidate in the region. It is one of the more faithful kingdoms in Westeros. Many Lords there seem to even be supporting the Faith Militant in some capacity as they hunt for the Mountain clans. Including Lysa Arryn. 

A hunt that is going poorly. Harry estimates that it won't be long before many of the conscripts give up and start heading to the Riverlands to support the Faith there. Which is just going to cause even more chaos.  

It was at times like this that Harry regretted not having Baelish assassinated. He could have ended things before they got to this point. 

But it was too late now. Even if he assassinated Baelish, he would become a martyr. Someone else would take over or the Faith Militant would split up into lots of different groups that would cause chaos all on their own. It was better to have a centralized leader of the movement that he could spy on to make sure there are no moves made against the North. 

Still, its not like Harry helped him. Harry just turned a blind eye. The South wasn't his responsibility. He already spent a lifetime trying to save everyone he could. At the end of the day, he wasn't able to save anyone. He had decided long ago that this life he would look out for those he cares about first. Then he would look to strengthening magic second.  

Everyone in the South wasn't his responsibility. Even if he did feel guilty. 

“How is Lady Catelyn taking things?” Lord Manderlys question brought him out of his musings. 

Harry grimaced and picked up a piece of bread from the plate the servant brought and having a bite before answering. “Poorly. Her brother was brutally murdered. Her home is going through a civil war and her father has fallen dangerously ill.” 

He took a breath. “This wedding was good for her. Arranging everything took her focus away from those problems. And I would say she has done a really good job.” 

It also helped that Harry promised he would try keep her house name alive if her father was to die. He told her that he would see about getting Robb or one of her other children sworn in as the Lord of Riverrun eventually. Harry wasn't sure how he would go about doing that just yet and he sure as hell wasn't going to do it anytime soon. But he would put effort into getting it done. It was the least he owed his uncles wife. 

“Bah! Enough of this depressing shit!” Greatjon slammed his fist on the table. “This is supposed to be a celebration. So we should be celebrating!” 

Harry smiled. “Very well Umber. These problems can wait. “ 

The large lord reached over and gave him a clap on the shoulder. “Hah. That's what I'm talking about.” With that he turned and called to a servant. “You, lad! Yes, you! Bring us fresh drinks for the table and keep them coming.” 

Before he left Harry added a few instructions. “Tell Poole to bring out a bottle of the special drinks I reserved. One for each table for now.” 

The servant bowed. ”Yes my lord.” With that he turned and quickly walked away. 

The lords gave him curious looks.  

Harry just smiled. “You'll see in a bit my lords.” 

Jon grumbled. “Fine keep your secrets. For now, we drink!” 

Wyman lifted his mug. “Aye!” 

Even Lord Karstark, the normally dour man, lifted his mug with a small laugh.  

Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I'm still too young to drink like that. You enjoy yourselves though.” 

Greatjon scoffed. “What are you saying laddie? I was getting drunk off my arse at half your age and I turned out fine!” 

Harry just gave him a skeptical look.  

He released a booming laugh. “You little shit! I'll have you know that I'm plenty smart!” 

Wyman cut in. “Jons delusions aside.” “My what now?” “You should take this opportunity to relax my lord. One night of fun won't cause any harm.” 

Lord Karstark just stared at him. 

Harry grumbled. He didn't think he would be subjected to peer pressure with his position. Never the less actually fall for it, but here he was.  

“Fine!” He huffed. “But I'm not going to try and keep up with you lot.” 

The was another booming laugh. “As if you could. Now lads, I see the servant is coming back. Finish your mugs!” 

Harry lifted his mug up to his face and tried to down it as quickly as he could. The taste wasn't pleasant. He had never been a big fan of alcohol. By the time he finished his mug Harry was practically gagging, and his face was scrunched up into an expression of disgust. 

The others had already finished long before him and were just waiting patiently. 

Once he set his mug down Lord Manderly was quick to catch his attention. “What is this?” He asked holding a clay pot with the lid open. His nose scrunched up as he smelled the contents.  

Harrys lips twitched slightly. “It's a new drink I have been working on. I'm still perfecting it but this batch came out pretty well. Wait, before you pour it, I'm going to call my uncles over. They should also have some.” 

Harry proceeded to do just that. He caught his uncle Neds eye, who was sitting at the high table next to Catelyn, and waved him over. His uncle Benjen was busy dancing with his new wife. Harry decided to leave him be. 

It seemed this wedding had even managed to put his uncle Ned in a good mood. When he sat down at the table he had an uncharacteristically large smile on his face. 

“Ned, glad you could join us. Your nephew was just telling us about this new drink he made.” 

His uncle gave him a disapproving look. Harry just shrugged. “I was just experimenting. This is only one of the recipes i have come up with. The others aren't as close to completion yet though.” 

Ned sighed. “Still, this isn't something you should be spending your time on.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. Which was uncharacteristic. Huh am I tipsy already? 

The Greatjon came to his defense. “Oh lay off the lad Ned. This is a perfectly fine hobby. Why the things I used to get up to when I was his age... “ 

Ned just coughed uncomfortably and moved the conversation along. “So this new drink?”  

The Greatjon was only too happy to comply. He gathered five cups and opened the jar properly. 

Harry interjected before he could pour though. “Don't pour a lot. This stuff is very strong.” 

He just scoffed. “Lad, I can handle my alcohol. Theres no need to worry.” 

With that he began to pour. Quite a generous amount went into his cup and the rest of the adults but Harry was pleased to see that there was only a small portion added to his. 

He didn't even bother hiding his amusement when he noticed that all their cups were half filled. He didn't know how they were going to get through that much vodka but he figured it would be funny to watch. 

Harry took a breath and forced himself to quickly down the entire drink. He hated the taste, so he wanted to get it all down at once. He cringed once he had finished it and placed his cup on the table. Afterwards he had a sip of water to try wash his mouth out. 

“Gods! That is strong!” The Greatjon exclaimed after he slammed his cup down. The rest of the tale murmured their agreement after they placed their cups down. 

His uncle Ned and Lord Manderly both broke into coughs. “Gods, how are you meant to drink this?” Ned exclaimed. 

Harry laughed. “I did warn you it was strong. Your supposed only have small amounts at a time.” 

His uncle shot him a look of disbelief. “It tastes terrible.” 

Umber interjected. “Bah don't be a baby. I think it has potential. A proper mans drink this is!” 

He smiled. “It isn't supposed to taste great. The idea was that it was meant to get you drunk. It's mostly for the smallfolk. They can have a cup or two and easily become drunk. It's cheap to make. So, it can be cheap to sell.” 

While Harry was talking Umber already started pouring more into all their cups. This time, he at least kept it at a much smaller volume. 

Harry refused to have any and just watched with amusement as the rest of the adults forced it down. Except for Umber who looked like he was having the time of his life. 

“That was better than the last time. ”Wyman commented. 

“It was.” Ned agreed. 

“This is the perfect drink to play drinking games with.” Lord Umber commented. Without wasting anymore time he poured them more.  

His uncle looked like he wanted to refuse, but seeing the challenge in the Greatjons eyes when he handed over the cup made him straighten his shoulders and accept it with a grimness that didn't belong in such a setting. 

“The first man that passes out loses!” Umber declared with full seriousness. 

Harry burst into laughter. He couldn't help it. He wasn't sober. Even just the alcohol he had was too much for his young body. 

After downing another cup. Jon turned to Harry his face slightly flushed. ”Say lad, what did you call this drink again?” 

“Vodka.” Harry replied. 

“Vodka. Vodka. That's a terrible name lad. It needs to be more catchy. Firewater. That's a better name.” He said to ayes from around the table. 

Harry just scoffed. “Whatever. I don't really care about the name.” 

They each drank another small cup. 

Wyman turned to him next. “How many barrels of this can you sell my lord. I think-thinks it would do good in some markets.” 

Harry had make a conscious effort to hide his amusement. They were starting to get really drunk now. 

“Not many. I only just figured out how to make it two moons or so ago. I need to first grow the ingredients in large enough batches and set up a whole distillery. It will be moons or even a year or two of work before i can start selling it in even limited amounts.” 

“What ingredients does it need?” 

“Potatoes. It's something that Benjen picked up for me on his voyage. Apparently they can be found in Sothorys ,so they are rare right now. Benjen told me he had a very difficult time finding them. Apparently, there was a trader in Lys who just got back from a trip from there that had a few that he was able to buy, but he wasn't able to find them from anywhere else. It was just luck that we got them at all.” 

It really was pure luck that they got them. Harry wasn't expecting Benjen to find them at all. Especially not with just a description to go by. 

Wyman grimaced. “Aah. So there is only a certain amount of them.” 

Harry nodded. “For now. They aren't that difficult to grow. I'm working on expanding the amount we have as quickly as possible, but it is still going to take a long time. But I want them to eventually become somewhat common. They will really help feed our people. They are remarkable plants.” 

Umber grumbled. “Just going to have to wait then. Pity. This Firewater does more to me than anything else I've ever had.” 

“I can give you each a small barrel when you leave. But that probably it for the next year or so.” 

Truthfully even that would push his stock to nearly empty. 

Jon nodded gratefully. “I appreciate it. Gonna have to make it last.” 

With that he returned his focus back on the drinks. “Drink!” He called. 

Everyone at the table besides Harry drank. After that his uncle stood. “That's it for me. I'm well and truly drunk.”  

Harry could see that from the way he swayed slightly where he stood.  

“Ned! Your still standing! You can't be that drunk.” 

His uncle just waved a hand and started walking off. “No, I'm done.” 

“Tch. I guess he loses then. Who wants to see who comes in second last?” Both Karstark and Manderly groaned. But neither refused to take part either.  

Harry watched the Lords getting increasingly drunk over the next few rounds. By the end of the fifth round, Lord Manderly was balancing his chin on one hand while slurring when he spoke. Lord Karstark had his head resting on the table looking dead the world and Lord Umber was having a conversation on his own that Harry gave up deciphering a while ago. 

“Thens is’ tellsa that this is my horse! You cant take my horse! He don let nobody but me ride im’. Ehs a loyal one my horse.” 

“Bedding!” The shout came echoed loud in the hall. There was a moment of silence before the chant picked up. “Bedding! Bedding! Bedding!” 

Lord Umber shot to his feet, knocking his chair down and stumbled his way past Harry with the chant on his lips. “Beddin’!” 

Harry turned to watch the commotion and saw as Dacey was swarmed by men and stripped down.  

He wasn't sure he agreed with this tradition but his uncle Benjen didn't refuse and Dacey didn't seem to be making a big deal of it, so Harry let it go.  

Harry stuck around the hall for another ten minute after the couple was escorted to their chambers before he left and made his way to his own chambers for the night. Nearly tripping on a snoring Jon Umber who was passed out under the archway just above the stairs entering the main castle.  

He couldn't help but laugh. This was a good night.