Chapter 97: Roose Bolton's Accusation

The next day, Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort arrived at Winterfell with twenty Dreadfort cavalrymen. The people from the Dreadfort brought some fox and deer pelts as gifts for Winterfell.

In the study, Roose Bolton showered his heir, Domeric, with warm concern and presented him with a sword engraved with the Flayed Man sigil as a name-day gift.

Domeric took the sword and said, "I have heard that a Ramsay Snow has come to the Dreadfort; he is Father's bastard and my own flesh and blood, yet I have never met him. Why did Ramsay not accompany Father to Winterfell?"

Roose Bolton's pale, ice-like eyes flicked toward Eddard. "Per Lord Eddard's orders, Ramsay is busy with Reek, Sour Alyn, Ben Bones, and others, occupied with capturing salt smugglers near the Dreadfort. He has no time to come to Winterfell."

After Domeric left, Roose Bolton exchanged a few pleasantries with Eddard, but soon went straight to the point, discussing the Salt Ban.

"Lord Eddard, once Winterfell's Salt Ban was issued, salt prices immediately fell back. Many blackhearted merchants, smugglers, and salt peddlers who hoarded goods, speculated, and drove up salt prices have had their assets stripped and been exiled to the Wall. Many of the common folk are cheering and supporting Lord Eddard's Salt Ban."

"However, where there is joy, there is bound to be sorrow. Lord Eddard, even in the days when House Stark ruled the North as kings, the successive Kings of Winter and Kings in the North never stripped the commoners of their right to produce and sell private salt. Is Winterfell's Salt Ban not perhaps too harsh?"

"It is not harsh at all." Eddard produced the list of captured salt peddlers. "How many commoners have the money to invest in salt pans? The northern coastline is frequently raided by pirates; the common folk don't even dare to go out fishing, let alone go to the seaside to dry salt? Look at the list yourself; these salt smugglers are all merchants. Of course, these merchants have named many nobles."

"Smugglers collude with nobles, using salt depots to defraud Winterfell of its wealth and drive up salt prices. I must take thunderous action, otherwise, the wealth of the common folk and Winterfell will be drained dry by these smugglers. The local lords have already proven they lack the strength to combat salt smuggling; therefore, from now on, the production and management of salt must be controlled by Winterfell."

There was not a shred of emotion in Roose Bolton's dirty-ice eyes as he spoke in a soft, whispering voice: "Lord Eddard, the salt depots are mixed with a large amount of smuggled salt. Do you think this is caused by collusion between merchants and nobles within the North? Those nobles and smugglers among the northern common folk are like fleas on one's body or lice in one's hair; they use salt to suck blood. They are indeed disgusting and must be severely punished."

"However, the smugglers in other parts of the North are merely a drizzle compared to the smugglers in White Harbor under the Lord of the Merman. The smugglers in White Harbor use the customs and the black market to smuggle vast quantities of salt. Lord Wyman colludes with smugglers, sucking the North's wealth dry like a leech. Lord Eddard, forgive my bluntness, but letting White Harbor be responsible for the settlement of the east coast salt depots was a mistake from the start."

Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort had been constantly accusing Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor of using the salt depots to earn dirty money, and now at Winterfell, in front of Eddard, Roose Bolton remained relentless.

Eddard smiled. "You say Lord Wyman colludes with smugglers; what evidence do you have?"

Roose Bolton's right index finger tapped against the table. "Some smugglers I captured can testify that Lord Wyman colludes with smugglers from the Three Sisters to smuggle salt from the Three Sisters, Braavos, and Gulltown into White Harbor, passing it off as salt from the depots to defraud Winterfell of its money. Lord Eddard, White Harbor is the mouth of the North; the salt prices there are driven up by the Sistermen smugglers, and the rest of the North suffers as a result."

"Lord Wyman is greedy; one look at his whale-like physique is enough to tell. His sons, Ser Wylis and Ser Wendel, are also massively obese. They rely on colluding with smugglers to resell salt, earning pots of gold and growing fat and bloated. Lord Eddard, they must be severely punished!"

If the smugglers captured by the Dreadfort were willing to come forward to testify against House Manderly of White Harbor, then they must have been subjected to brutal torture at the Dreadfort; Eddard was well aware of this.

Eddard said cautiously, "Lord Wyman has also written to Winterfell, accusing your bastard, Ramsay Snow, and a servant called Reek of not only colluding with smugglers to resell salt but also going into the lands of White Harbor's vassals to seize salt."

"That is slander." Roose Bolton denied it flatly. "In fact, Ramsay is a simple, honest man. His mother was a miller's woman, and Ramsay has the rustic simplicity of a peasant. In reality, Ramsay and Reek were going to capture smugglers who had fled into the White Harbor fiefdoms. The knights of White Harbor protected the smugglers, which is why Ramsay came into conflict with the White Harbor knights."

Roose Bolton leaned forward. "Lord Eddard, the Lord of the Merman and House Manderly are not worth trusting. They were originally nobles from the Reach; over a thousand years ago, they were exiled by the Gardener House, the Kings of the Reach, due to their greed and disloyalty. House Manderly wandered for hundreds of years, and nobles and kings everywhere were unwilling to take them in."

"Later, House Manderly came to the North, and House Stark, the Kings in the North, took them in and enfeoffed them at the Wolf's Den at the mouth of the White Knife. I have always believed this was a grave mistake. House Manderly are southerners who follow the Seven; they do not worship the Old Gods. How could they occupy such a rich fiefdom as the mouth of the White Knife?"

"Now the mouth of the White Knife has developed into White Harbor, the only city in the North. Not only is the Lord of the Merman ungrateful for House Stark's kindness, but he also colludes with smugglers from the Three Sisters and the Vale to smuggle salt from the Vale and Braavos into the North, draining the North of its wealth. They must be severely punished!"

Eddard did not believe Roose Bolton's accusations. He said, "While there are geographical reasons for White Harbor developing into the only city in the North, do not forget that to build White Harbor, House Manderly spent a vast amount of real gold and silver brought from the Reach. House Manderly expended huge costs and painstakingly managed it for hundreds of years before White Harbor came to be."

"As for your claim that Lord Wyman colludes with smugglers, if it is true, I will certainly not tolerate it."

Roose Bolton nodded slightly. "Lord Eddard, as long as the problem of White Harbor smuggling through customs is solved, I believe salt prices will return to normal, so there is absolutely no need to implement a Salt Ban. Since ancient times, the common folk have had the right to dry salt. I believe Lady Barbrey of Barrowton and Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills will both support my view."

This was the source of the Dreadfort's confidence in protesting against Winterfell; the triangular alliance of the Rills, Barrowton, and the Dreadfort made Eddard feel depressed.

"I believe Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold, Greatjon Umber, and even the Lord of the Merman of White Harbor will not support the Salt Ban either."

At this moment, the steward Vayon Poole pushed open the door.

"Lord Eddard, Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor requests an audience!"

Eddard frowned; the farce of the Salt Ban was becoming increasingly lively.

(End of chapter)