Alaric ran past all obstacles in the dark like a bat on steroids without realising he doesn't have a torch; unbeknownst to Alaric, his eyes turned pale blue from silver-grey from time to time. Their footsteps kept echoing throughout the dark Crypt, with Robb and Jon behind Alaric. After coming out of the Crypts, Alaric tripped on the last step of stairs; gone was the pale blue colour. Thanks to him, both Robb and Jon too fell on top of him. Three boys found themselves surrounded by Winterfell guards Accompanying; Their Father, Lord Eddard Stark. Their footsteps were probably too loud when they ran compared to when they silently went inside the crypts.
Ned was amused with a gleeful smile on his face when he saw his sons tumble upon each other. He quickly hid his smile, replaced by a stern expression when his sons looked up, and he saw their childish faces. He asked them what happened and what were they doing down in the crypts? "Hide and seek." Alaric had replied in a dazed expression with a nose like a red rose. "Whose idea was it?' Ned asked again. "Lord Stark, it was my idea." Jon stood up before his half-siblings, Alaric and Robb, to Stood up " It was me," both siblings said. Ned dismissed them and Increased their Study time with maester Luwin and warned them not to be naughty and cause trouble in the Crypts, something all three siblings hate in one way or another because it involves them studying letters, sigils, House words.
After being dismissed by their father, all three boys went their separate ways. Alaric manoeuvred his way towards his room, or it's his study where he sleeps. a room big enough to place an elephant. When he opened the door, the first thing to greet his eyes were with papers, scrolls and books strewn everywhere, and his table covered in books and notebooks, and the bed placed on the far left side of the room brushed against the grey wall.
He lurched towards the table and sat on his chair, placed his hand on his head and started pondering about the future and next plans.
His loss in the early morning during the spar with Robb and Jon; he was unable to manoeuvre his swords quickly in time resulting, in his loss again and again.
He hissed in pain as he touched his nose as his brows creased. He would get both of them one day in a spar. His hands balled fists as he slammed the table and swore loudly.
Today's events also reminded him about too little time yet too much to do. If he had thirty or maybe twenty or maybe fifteen years, Alaric is confident in making North from a backwater shithole into an Economic, technological, cultural, and military powerhouse. But time is a luxury he does not have.
To balance things, Alaric decided to do modern exercises along with a healthy diet. For a second, he had an urge to go beyond the wall, climb on a female giant and drink a giants milk; maybe, he will become strong, as Tormund Giantsbane claimed.
Since his business is running smoothly, he decided to leave some instructions for his stewards, which includes the purchase of food, Ironwood for shields, limestone, and stones for building a refractory for manufacturing refractory bricks because he needs them to build a blast furnace south of the Winterfell along the White Knife river. There are enough Iron and Coal deposits in the mountains South of Winterfell.
Industrialisation and Shipbuilding is an important prerequisite for a healthy economy, peace, civil services and Competent armed forces. To do all that, he needs money; when you think of money, you think of Iron bank and the loans. The corners of his mouth would always turn up when he thought of the events that will transpire a decade later for a bankrupt throne. The delicate savages of the south always ready to kick another shit storm. The amount of stupid shit that had happened because Southerns could not keep their brains to themselves is endless enough for Alaric to Write a dozen books.
He had blacksmiths forge weighty bracelets weighing 2 kg each to wear on his legs and hands.
Every day he would run a small lap in Winterfell, performing lateral polymetric jumps, Forward Running, High-Knee Drills, Shuttle Run, along with pushups.
As straining as it is on the body of a kid aged six and a half, the rewards are equally bountiful as long as he takes a proper diet.
For the next two months, Alaric went with his Spartan training Regime as he did not have much to do on his hand. With apparent progress, he could now hold himself against his elder brothers as long as he does not use a second long sword.
During these two months, whenever Robb met Alaric, he would scoff and call the latter as 'the Stark who ran' when two are alone.
The Soldiers sent by mountain clans finally assembled a total of fourteen hundred men, a Hundred of them from far Sakagos. When he inquired about the situation, he got to know that most of them were disgruntled with the way things were back in Sakagos, and so when they heard Winterfell was hiring soldiers for ten years on regular pay, they decided to gamble on fate. Now the problem was where to house these men? for training and organising them; he already had a clear Idea: Spanish square. Six spearmen with roman shields, four swordsmen with roman shields, two crossbowmen and two Archers lead by a sergeant (Man at Arms).
After repeatedly persuading his father for days did he receive one hundred forty men at arms from his father on the condition that he will pay their salaries regularly.
Wills also arrived with a New guest and bad news. Maester Qyburn agreed to come north with him, while Tobho Mott refused and kicked him out of his shop. At first, Qyburn refused to come, but when Wills told him about his illegal live human experiments, The maester Qyburn readily agreed in return; after some haggling and negotiations, both parties concluded an agreement. Alaric will have to provide him with a living human body every month.
Poor Wills got Another task without resting from Alaric that Involves dabbling in Slavery. Poor Steward had already turned white when he heard it from Aalaric's mouth.