Anticipated Negotiations

A/N: Just wanted to take a moment to say that this is my 100th chapter on Chyoa. So, thank you all for the support thus far. I hope you enjoy my plans for the future. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!

By the time all the Ironborn ships docked on the coast, Jon had made sure his suddenly wary troops understood that this was a merchant fleet from the most trade-oriented, and populous region of the Iron Islands and that he personally invited the Lord of its most prosperous island, Lord Rodrick Harlaw, with a raven a week earlier.

Eventually, the concern made way to curiosity. There were many in the North were aware that Lord Harlow was one of the few major Lords of the Ironborn that disliked fights, especially unnecessary ones. Moreover, he made no secret that he had tried to talk Baelon Greyjoy out of starting a rebellion against the Iron Throne in the first decade of Robert Baratheon's rule. His pleas to focus on trade instead of returning to their so-called glory days of raiding fell on deaf ears, of course, but at least he had tried. So, the warriors in general and the people from Bear island, in particular, were curious to see what sort of deal had their military leader made with the wealthiest merchant Lord of the Iron Islands.

Eventually, the ramp from the flagship was lowered and an average-looking man that was probably pushing 50 years old, with brown hair and eyes and a short, neat grey beard walked down the coastline.

Jon approached him slowly, to give enough time for his escort to realize he wasn't looking for trouble. When he was finally before him, the new god gave him a respectful nod.

"Lord Rodrik Harlaw, I am pleased to see you have accepted my offer," He said as he extended his hand.

The man moved his own and they shock on it, a mild smile on his lips. "To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first," He admitted. "The North and the Iron Islands have recently been caught in an unfortunate conflict started by an idiotic king, that never seemed to learn his lessons, after all. But the seal of approval from an Iron Bank representative is hard to ignore, even if it comes by raven instead of personally delivered. So, here are the weapons and supplies you requested. With it, your army will be far better equipped than it is now."

Some soldiers that were close enough to hear that proclamation actually gasped at that, then started to grin. They had started to run low on food these last couple of days after all and, on top of that, most of the Free Folk lacked proper steel weapons, to say nothing about their armor. Additional supplies would be very welcomed indeed.

And so, Jon delivered the huge chest full of gold loaned by the Iron Bank representative, Tycho Nestoris, right into the merchant Lord's hands. He opened it and quickly scanned the amount of gold he saw, making quick calculations in his mind. Seemingly satisfied at what he saw, he made a motion at one of his guards, which was his cue to raise a torch above his head. Suddenly, all the ramps from the remaining ships started to get lowered and Ironborn started carrying large crates full of food, weapons, and pieces of armor. Jon was also pleased to see that Lord Harlaw also managed to fulfill the more complicated request to bring additional horses for his army.

The man saw him stare at the pack animals heading down the ships and tilted his head. "I only managed to gather 125 horses because it wasn't safe to carry more than 5 per ship on top of all the other cargo. But it's better than nothing, as I am sure you know."

"That I do," Jon replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what news of the Iron Islands? Last I heard was that Balon Greyjoy fell to his **** but I have been too busy since then to find out more."

Lord Harlow sighed heavily. "He didn't fell to his ****, he was pushed by his own brother, Euron, and now that he sent his nephews on the run, he ended up winning the Kings Moot. As such, he is our newly appointed king now."

Jon raised an eyebrow at that. "He committed king AND kinslaying, was open about it and he still managed to get enough support to win that crown?"

The tired man scratched his beard. "My countrymen can be...as stubborn as the seas and as shortsighted as a starving shark, to put it mildly. As you can imagine, that can be a dangerous combination. Especially when he promised them to seduce the Dragon Queen with a brand new Iron fleet, that is currently under construction, in exchange for her hand in marriage and access to her dragons on future battles."

Jon had a sudden urge to turn back and see if his Ice Dragon was visible among the nearby mountain peak, but decided not to mention anything in case he didn't notice. Mentally deciding to focus his thoughts on how to deal with Daenerys Targaryen eventual arrival at a later date, he lowered his tone a bit.

"I would assume you are not particularly interested in your society getting involved in another major war so soon after the last one," He said slowly.

"No, and I have made no secret about it," He said firmly. "Which is one of the other reasons I am helping you. I intend to keep the island of Harlaw out of the coming conflicts as much as I can aside from trading and supply runs to the navy if it comes to that but the military decisions of the Iron Fleet are out of my hands. So, when Euron finally faces the consequences of his folly, I hope the North remembers that I choose to help House Stark on their quest to retake Winterfell."

"Believe me, My Lord, the North always remembers its true allies one way or anotjer, and I can assure you I won't forget your aid at our time of need," The former Lord Commander assured him. "And because I thought you might say that, I brought a special gift for you as a gesture of good faith."

With that, Jon handed him over the smaller item covered by the piece of cloth he requested Lord Commander Edd would let him take from the Night's Watch library at Castle Black. The merchant Lord's face brightened considerably when he read the title of the book within.

"Hardhome: An Account of Three Years Spent Beyond-the-Wall among Savages, Raiders, and Woods-witches," He said excitedly. "Oh, I have been meaning to get my hands on this tome from Maester Wyllis for years but it is so hard to find a copy these days. Thank you, my friend."

Jon sighed in relief. "I was half expecting you already had it, given that I have heard you also the most well-read man of the Iron Islands. So, I am glad you like it. And besides, since this is one of the rare few written accounts of a Maester spending a considerable amount of time among the Free Folk, it seemed like a relevant gift regarding current events, given that a large chunk of my army is made of Free Folk themselves."

"Indeed," Lord Harlaw stated. "Books like this can be excellent sources of understanding. I am sure I will cherish it. But for now, I better go oversee the delivery of our cargo. It has been a pleasure to do business with you, Jon Snow. May we never be unfortunate enough to meet in battle."

He nodded in agreement and watched him leave. Then he took a deep breath and went to organize some of the men to receive the supplies. On the way, he smirked lightly. It would take him a couple of hours to finish overseeing everything.

But then...he had a surprise for Sansa.

A/N: For those that are not aware, Lord Rodrick Harlaw is from the books. Most of what I wrote about him is pretty much canon to the series, from being an avid, if unusual, reader to liking the idea of the Iron Islands shifting their society from pillaging to maritime trade. And yes, he also doesn't like Euron. That said, he never did show up in the show so I had Jon use his new powers to verify who would be likely allies to supply his troops near Bear Island once his army regrouped and once he had his answer, he sent him a raven from Castle Black after the off-screen deal with the Iron Bank was finished several chapters ago.

Anyway, I know it has been a while since there was sex in one of these chapters so that is getting rectified soon. As for the details of the surprise itself...read to find out XD

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did please leave a comment. Until next time!