ASOIAF- A Stranger in the North

In the aftermath of Robert’s Rebellion, as the Seven Kingdoms struggle to rebuild under a new king, quiet changes take root in the frostbitten halls of Winterfell. Eddard Stark prepares to return north with gold promised for the North’s sacrifices. Yet even as he mourns what was lost, strange prosperity begins to bloom across his homeland—roads rebuilt, mills improved, food more plentiful than ever. The North grows stronger, richer... but not by chance. Benjen Stark, left behind to oversee Winterfell’s rising fortune, follows a trail that leads him to a quiet room beside the old solar—home to a man who hasn’t aged in two decades. He wears no sigil, holds no title, and speaks like no one else in Westeros. His name is Nhilux, a foreign merchant—or something more—who has spent years guiding the North from the shadows. Who is this stranger with a hand in every ledger, a plan for every coin, and knowledge that shouldn’t belong in this world? And why does he care so deeply for the fate of the North? As winter looms and old powers stir in the dark, one thing is certain: the North is no longer alone.