Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark was going through the books in his solar of Winterfell. He dipped his quill into a crude glass bottle of ink, and finished the final sentence in his letter.

He returned the quill to the ink bottle, letting it soak for the moment, before rolling up the piece of parchment that carried his words, placing his direwolf seal to bind the scroll, and placing it aside.

He stared about him. His desk was sprawling with letters, records, and books, all pertaining to the extra frivolities that would be expected when the royal family and entourage arrived.

Oh, Robert couldn't have come at a worse time…

Not only was winter undoubtedly coming (it was inevitable that an expansive one should follow such a long summer), but now he had to contend with setting up the guest rooms, procuring food for the grand feast that would undoubtedly take place, and plan the hunts into the Wolf's Wood that the King was no doubt still fond of.

As Ned pinched the bridge of his nose at the thought of it all, a small knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter.", he commanded, somewhat more softly than the people of Winterfell were used to.

Maester Luwin stepped through the now open door, followed closely by his Lady wife, Catelyn. Ned gave the latter a rare smile, while raising an eyebrow at Luwin.

"What is it, my friend?", he said, speaking directly to Luwin, but including Cat all the same. "Not more visitors to Winterfell, I hope.", he continued, half-jokingly.

Luwin and Cat exchanged glances at this, shocking Ned. "We… there are no more people coming to this castle, are there?"

"If I was a lesser man, I would joke that you had inadvertently cursed events with your jape.", said Luwin, looking stone serious.

Ned sighed mightily, then waved a hand for the duo to continue.

"A letter just came from King's Landing, my lord.", said Cat. "Undoubtedly sent right after the last raven heralded the King's journey. Delegates from Fenris' Well is coming along the royal train as well."

Ned's eyes widened. Fenris' Well. The name that had been the subject of furious gossip throughout the seven kingdoms ever since the city had appeared on the Stormlands' doorstep.

"Why are they coming here?", said Ned, re-adopting his lordly demeaner in an instant.

"They say, now that they have officially joined the Seven Kingdoms, they wish to send these 'delegates' to all the major houses of Westeros, to… strengthen the bonds between the City and Westeros."

Ned pondered this. Fenris' Well had bent the knee to King Robert's reign (though, mostly out of necessity), but wasn't having a seat on the Small Council enough?

Although, as Ned thought it through, sending delegates to learn about the Seven Kingdoms first hand did make a lot of sense. Even if they had ulterior motives as well…

Ned nodded his head at his wife and Maester. "Winterfell will endure. We'll just have to get used to the idea of being cramped inside this holdfast."

OK, I know this chapter was short, but think of it as more of a starting point then a first chapter.

Anyway, this idea had been in my mind for a while, but I never had serious intentions of writing a story around it until today.

For those of you wondering, no this will not be an epic, grand story about how this event changes the Game of Thrones. Mostly it will be about interactions between the people of Westeros and the people (and magic) of Fenris' Well.

Speaking of which, Fenris' Well is a rather… um, large city that appeared on the coast of the Stormlands. It extends from the near the borders of the Crownlands, down to the borders of Dorne. Yes, it is that big.

It is mostly contained to the coast, but some areas branch out into the mainland. It is currently ruled by Fenris the 51st of His Name, but, since he is a young and temperamental boy, most of the ruling is done by the Grand Council of the city.

More on the Cities' history and current culture will be explained in greater detail in later chapters.

Like I said in the description, Fenris' Well is a much more fantastical city than Westeros' current state. There are fantasy creatures and magic embedded in the city.