Chapter 29: The Toy Carpenter

Eddard, accompanied by the financial advisor Klar and under the protection of Winterfell Captain of the Guard Jory Cassel and a squad of guards, arrived at the market outside Winterfell.

Bran was hugging Catelyn's leg, acting spoiled, "Mother, buy this knight!"

Septa Mordane, holding Rickon, stood behind Catelyn. Catelyn scolded, "Bran, you are a big brother now, yet you still want to buy toys? Let's go, quickly!"

Eddard saw the toy Bran wanted; it was a pair of wooden knight puppets in the toy merchant's hands. The merchant was about forty years old, his brown hair already graying, and he wore a blue-gray robe.

The merchant clearly did not want to miss the opportunity to make money. He manipulated the toy knights, and they began to fight; shields and lances collided. Bran watched intently.

"Little young master, look at how fun these toy knights are! Let me tell you, south of the Neck, every noble young master living in a castle has toys like these!"

Bran pleaded with Catelyn, "Mother, look at how fun these knights are! If you buy them, I can play with Rickon, and Robb and Jon can play too if they want."

Upon hearing Jon's name, Catelyn only felt anger. She said, "We have no money."

Eddard and Klar walked over, and Bran immediately rushed toward Eddard, "Father, look at how fun these toy knights are! Do they look like the white knights of the Kingsguard?"

The toy merchant's gaze lingered on the Ice-River Wolf Emblem on Eddard's chest.

"This must be the famous Duke Eddard. Duke Eddard, buy these toy knights! The little young master likes them so much."

Klar, standing to the side, said, "How much for these toy knights?"

The toy merchant smiled, "I made these myself, purely handmade wooden toys. A pair of knights costs only two Silver Stags."

Eddard began to understand why the toy merchant set up his stall at the gates of Winterfell; the children of common folk could never afford such expensive toys.

Klar flashed a fawning smile at Catelyn, "Catelyn Stark, why let Bran be sad? I will pay for this."

Ever since Klar came to Winterfell and took the position of financial advisor, Catelyn had deliberately kept her distance from him and had suggested to Eddard many times that he be driven away. Now, encountering Bran wanting to buy toys, Klar immediately acted generously, hoping to please the Lady of Winterfell with this gesture.

Catelyn said coldly, "You are truly generous." Catelyn took the infant Rickon from Septa Mordane and turned to walk toward the gates of Winterfell.

After Klar paid, Bran took the puppet knights from the toy merchant's hands and began to play with them excitedly.

Eddard saw that there were all kinds of toys on the stall, all made of wood. There were warships carved from pine, large bears of elm, monkeys of linden wood, wooden dogs, wooden fish, and the most numerous were the knight dolls.

"Did you make all these wooden toys yourself?" Eddard picked up a knight doll; it was a handsome silver-haired knight doll, charging with a longsword in hand.

The toy merchant nodded, "Duke Eddard, my name is Douglas. My family has been carpenters for generations. My grandfather made coffins, and starting from my father's generation, we switched to making toys. When I was a child, my father took me wandering everywhere to sell wooden toys; we have been to King's Landing, Oldtown, and Lannisport."

"My father went to so many places back then. He would just set up his stall or toy shop near a castle; farm children couldn't afford our toys. Many famous knights played with my father's toys when they were children, like Prince Rhaegar, Renly Baratheon, and Ser Jaime—back when he played with toys, he wasn't the 'Kingslayer' yet. Oh, and also 'The Mountain' Gregor Clegane."

Eddard looked at the marionette knight in Bran's hands and frowned, "The Mountain Gregor Clegane? I heard that when the Mountain was a child, because of a toy knight, he pressed his younger brother, 'The Hound' Sandor Clegane, into a brazier, burning off half his face. Could it be..."

Douglas nodded, "Indeed, the one who sold the toy to the Mountain back then was my father. The Mountain was just a teenager then, and Sandor was perhaps only seven. Who knew he would do such a terrifying thing over a toy? At the time, our toy shop was opened near Clegane's Keep. As soon as we heard about the incident, my father took the family and fled overnight."

Eddard held the toy knight in his hands, full of thoughts. For the sake of a toy, 'The Hound' Sandor was tragically Fire Kissed; toys truly have an attraction for children.

Looking again at the toy merchant Douglas before him, he wore a black velvet coat and a jade bracelet on his wrist; among peddlers, he was clearly a wealthy man.

Eddard had an idea in his mind, "Douglas, how long do you intend to stay in Winterfell?"

Douglas sighed, "I'm afraid not for long, Lord Eddard. You have too few knights in the North, and the children don't seem to like knights very much. My knight toys don't sell well north of the Neck, even if I set up my stall in front of a lord's gate; the lord might not necessarily buy them."

"When I set out from the Riverlands along the Kingsroad toward the North, I originally targeted Barrowton as my first customer. But when I arrived at Barrowton, I learned that Lady Barbrey was a widow without children, so we had to continue north. We didn't sell many toys in Torrhen's Square or Cerwyn either."

"I plan to go to White Harbor to see. I hear the Manderly family there devoutly worships the Seven, and they have over a hundred landed knights under their command; perhaps I will have good business there."

Eddard said, "Douglas, if I pay you to make toys for me, would you be willing?"

Douglas's eyes lit up, "Of course I would be willing. May I ask what kind of toys Duke Eddard wants to commission? Surely it must be the famous Ice-River Wolf Emblem, or perhaps some King in the North? Or the Wildlings from Beyond the Wall?"

Eddard shook his head, "You misunderstood; it is not a custom toy. We have plenty of timber in the North. I plan to establish a toy workshop, but I have never found a suitable person in charge. I think you are perfectly capable of the task. How about it? Are you interested in collaborating?"

Douglas was a bit stunned, "Duke Eddard, I need to consider this. Such a big matter, I at least need to discuss it with my children."

Eddard met Douglas's three children; the oldest was seventeen, and the youngest was fourteen. Douglas had spent years driving a carriage, taking his three sons to sell toys at castles across the Seven Kingdoms. The wooden toys were all made by him and his sons, and his children were all carpenter apprentices.

Douglas introduced his children to Eddard one by one. Eddard said, "They are all fine lads. Where is the children's mother?"

Mentioning his wife, Douglas felt a bit sad.

"When my youngest son was born, we were in King's Landing. My wife wanted me to buy a house in King's Landing, but I didn't agree, so she wasn't happy. She was tired of the life of constantly moving around. I told her that in a few years, once we saved more money, we would buy a house in Oldtown so the children could study with the Maesters at the Citadel, and maybe even become Maesters themselves."

"After we left King's Landing, we headed north and set up a stall under Harrenhal. Lady Whent of Harrenhal had no children, but many of her landed knights would patronize my business. I earned some money, but my wife ran off with a hired knight from Harrenhal one night."

Eddard said, "Wandering the world for a long time is not a long-term solution; it would be better to stay in my castle. In Winterfell, Maester Luwin can teach your children to read, and my children can teach them too. Although they might not become Maesters, at the very least they won't be illiterate. If you are willing to make toys for me, you will be well paid. You could easily buy a house for your children in Winter Town. Of course, if you are willing to live in Winterfell, there is a place for you in my castle as well."

Douglas looked at his three sons and pondered for a long while, "Very well, Lord Eddard, I am willing to serve you. Who could refuse an invitation from Duke Eddard?"

Bran, standing to the side, was incredibly excited, "Father, now that Douglas is living in Winterfell, can I play with all these toys?"

Douglas laughed, "Little young master, you can play with them for as long as you like."

Bran received a pile of toys, and Eddard gained a skilled toy craftsman. In the future, he could use wood from the Wolfswood to manufacture toys, adding another source of wealth for Winterfell.

(End of chapter)