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Being Aerys by Xersin
 Books » A song of Ice and Fire Rated: T, English, Drama & Humor, Aerys T., Rhaella T., OC, Words: 167k+, Favs: 1k+, Follows: 1k+, Published: Jun 14, 2017 Updated: Sep 1, 2017282Chapter 25: 25
xXx
11th Month 261AC
"Now I know you are still too young to be helping your father in his decision making abilities, your mother would vehemently agree that you are still nothing more than a babe...but I really need your opinion on this. So how about it, want to help daddy?" Dany gave me something that resembled a nod of the head and I took that as a 'yes'. I spread out the three papers in front of me. "So which one do you like the most? No need to keep quiet. Do tell."
I waited for a moment for some sort of response but I got nothing as my daughter had lost interest in the papers and was starting to play with the toy that she held in her hands, making those baby sounds. It was at this point in time that I wished I could speak baby, or have the doctor or something on hand to help me out here.
"No?" I shook my head. It was worth a try though. I turned my attention back to the large papers that all held the same content, but the only difference being the large title emblazoned at the front. One read The Royal Herald, the second read, The Dragon's Standard and the last one held the wordsThe Daily Mail. All the titles were in a large enough font to take the attention and if it wasn't for the fact that colour dye was pretty damn expensive, I would have all the titles in red with a black background.
House Targaryen colours.
Since I couldn't have that, I had settled for the dragons motif. And each every one of the newspapers had a dragon border.
Setting up a cult of personality wasn't easy or cheap.
Looking over the titles once more, I decided to throw away The Daily Mail, it didn't suit my needs or what I wanted it to do. For starters, it didn't have enough dragons or not-so-subtle royal imagery unlike the other two.
Now I had to choose between the Herald and the Standard. This was a difficult choice right here. They both sounded nice and catchy enough. The Standard was a little bit more in your face about it than the Heraldwith it's title but the Herald rolled off your tongue easier than the other one.
Man, was this difficult.
Taking a few more moments, I tapped at the one that had The Royal Herald written on it. "This one. This will do."
The recently in-stated editor-in-chief of the now functioning The Royal Herald paper that was to exist as nothing more than a shameless propaganda unit for House Targaryen bowed in front of me. "Excellent choice, Prince Aerys. We will have the very first edition out on the streets as soon as possible."
"And the criers?"
"We've hired men with strong lungs and loud voices. All within hearing and then some will find themselves hearing any and all royal announcements even our most pressing headlines."
Headlines like Ser Barristan Leads Royal Men Against Band Of Outlaws!
I snapped my fingers as I dropped into my chair. I picked up Dany and placed her onto my lap, tugging away at her toy, something she didn't like judging by the sounds she was maing. "You have your first stories out?" The editor nodded his head. "Good man. Thank you, Hugh. I knew you were the right man for the job."
He bowed again. "All I am is a humble servant of the crown, your grace."
After that, Hugh the Editor picked up the sample papers and soon made his exit from my office. Setting up a newspaper was not easy. If it wasn't for the printing press, I don't even think it would have been even possible.
Thankfully, I did have a printing press so I could now cash in on the untapped market of the literate population of King's Landing, Duskendale, the Antlers and all the market towns within the logistical reach of the capital. I intended to also have said newspaper supplied to other towns and cities in Westeros.
From White Harbour and Barrowton in the north, to Gulltown and all those towns that existed in the riverlands, Seagard, Maidenpool, Fairmarket and every other town that existed in that place. Seriously, how many towns were in the riverlands?
Look, I wanted my propaganda machine to exist anywhere and everywhere where anyone could read, so the entire point was that eventually, my newspaper would be supplied all throughout westeros. I'm pretty sure I had the details down of what was going to attract the readers.
I had a news section, which did nothing but regale all what House Targaryen is doing for the realm which at the moment as far as I was concerned, would be the crownlands. I had to make sure my seat of power, at the very least had other centres of economy other than King's Landing and Duskendale.
Then came the gossip section, which, I'm not going to lie, was going to attract people the most. Sort of like how back on Earth, people were somehow interested in the lives and gossip surrounding celebrities, I intended to cash in on that. The nobles were at the top of the pile and since I lived at the centre of the Seven Kingdoms and the hub of all kinds of activity, the gossip that came out of the city was juicier than the gossip that would come out of say, Oldtown or Lannisport or any other place of note.
The nobles were going to like just spreading gossip, even more so now that their gossip would have a larger audience which meant a more people to shame this person for that reason, and that person for this reason, whether it be truth or made up being unimportant. The rich townsfolk will enjoy reading about the lives of the nobles, perhaps even making some of then even more wishful to join the nobility one way or another. And what better way to learn of the nobility than straight from the nobility itself?
And the smallfolk? I'm not going to lie. I doubt any of them knew how to read, so they weren't particularly my target market. But I was sort of positive that the fact that there now existed a medium that told the lives of their betters and the likes, they would at least be interested in education, either for themselves or their children when my schools become more of a standard thing.
At the moment, I was mostly concentrating my education program on orphans with enough pro-Targaryen propaganda that someone could very well accuse me of brainwashing poor innocent children. Which I would probably just nod and say, 'Damn right! That's exactly what I'm doing!'
The program also extended to the children of the Targaryen guardsmen and house hold staff. Nothing builds loyalty than knowing the guy you are supposed to be guarding and who you work for not only cares for your welfare, but for that of your family as well. Not that I really cared, but I was trying to go for the whole 'Father of his men' image, even if I was younger than most of the guardsmen.
Finally, although it had yet to be put into reality, I was hoping to build up a sports section. Sports that included tourneys, cause the people here loved their blood sports, football, rugby, gaelic football and the likes. To be honest, as a football loving Englishman, I didn't have much hope for the sport in Westeros. It wasn't bloody or physical enough.
Rugby and gaelic football on the other hand? The people had taken to that like nobodies business.
But that was still in it's infancy and the only sport that would be reported at the moment would be the various tourneys that would be held by whatever lord that feels to hold a tourney and get his name out there in the paper.
"Daddy's so smart, don't you think?" I asked the baby that was busy bouncing on my knee. She didn't reply as she giggled at the world suddenly going up and down in her eyes. "I know, you don't have to say anything. My brilliance and genius shines more than enough for me to know, but don't tell your mommy I said that."
I think I had this whole parenting thing down. Might as well start a 'Father of the Year Award' cause I was totally balling.
Someone knocked on my door and I called them in.
I raised an eyebrow when I saw my two squires walk in. Yes, not one. Two.
I had two squires now, cause I was important like that.
Ryam Reyne, a boy of twelve years of age, and his fellow squire-slash-page, Harrold 'Harry' Wendwater at a humble eleven years old instead of the twelve.
Ryam was my squire because his dad was a dick and somehow, he had worked out some sort of backroom deal with Egg and him being my squire was part of it. Harry, heir to House Wendwater, was my squire because that's what I had worked out with the Wendwaters to let me use their water.
I also had to give them a share of the profits from my bath houses when they started running. I also had to promise Harry a position in the future of some kind, although that depended if he impressed me enough.
To be honest, I don't think the deal was all that bad. The Wendwaters did alright. They weren't filthy rich but neither were they poor. They could call upon a modest force of levies and they also had a decent size fleet of ships. They had to transport that water somehow to anybody who was willing to buy it from them.
I quirked an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you two be in the training yard?"
Ryam stepped forward in front of Harry. "Ser Lewyn let us go for the day. So we came here to see if you have any tasks for us, ser."
Harry fumbled for something on his persons before bringing out a scroll. "We also ran into one of the king's messengers on our way here. He had a message for you."
"The messenger could have done his job and brought it to yourself personally, but Harry decided to take it of him and bring it here himself." Ryam said with a roll of the eyes as his fellow squire walked past him.
"We were coming this way anyway, it was at the very least that we could do." Harry responded as he passed me the message.
"It wasn't our task or a job set to us."
"Doesn't give us cause to not at least help."
Ryam made a non-committal sound to that as he headed for the wine dispenser and poured himself a cup.
Reading over the message, more of a summons than anything else, I rose from my seat. "I don't think you will have the time to drink that."
The cup was nothing but a few inches form his lips as his gold eyes glanced in my direction. "Hm?"
"I've been summoned by the king, and I need you two," I raised up Dany. "To find this princess' mother and leave her in her care. Then after wards you can..." I tried to think of something for them to do, but got nothing. "Do whatever you want. Do this and you will be done for the day."
Harry nodded and took Dany out of his hands. The youth had experience in handling babies, having two younger siblings himself. I was more confident in leaving Dany in his hands than Ryam's.
"It will be done, your grace." Harry said as he made for the exit.
Ryam quickly quaffed down the cup of wine and set it roughly on the table and followed after his fellow squire. "I am beginning to wonder this is nothing more than a punishment by my lord father for some wrong I've done him. If my family heard of me playing nursemaid, they would surely laugh and never live it down."
"Ryam, I can hear you. Do watch your words. Just because I'm a lenient man does not mean I am not willing to punish any disrespect." I warned the Reyne.
Ryam was a disagreeable sort, proud and did think a little bit too much of himself. Then again, I was more than willingly to blame that on the environment that he had grown up in and having Roger Reyne as a father.
Sometimes, it was amusing to watch and hear him complain about doing things well below his status as he liked to say, but when things got a bit too far, I had to step in and put the metaphorical foot down. Sometimes, literally.
I may have a stupid hand that I couldn't hold a sword with, but that didn't mean I still wasn't faster or stronger than the younger boy, with tons more experience in combat.
The boy stopped, turned quickly and bowed. "Sorry for my language, your grace." He said before running out of the room straight after Harry.
With that done, I began to make my way to my grandfather's offices.
xXx
Archmaester Gormon was someone I had not seen in more than a couple of years. In fact, I did not expect to see the man ever again.
I had a distinct feeling that he was probably involved in the event the locals had come to know as the Great Fire of King's Landing. I felt like punching that mildly handsome face of his, then I would remember that he was a Tyrell, even if he had thrown his last name away when he forged his chain, I liked to think that you just didn't become an archmaester before you reach thirty without a little help.
"Prince Aerys!" The archmaester rose from his seat, a large amiable smile on his face as he saw me enter. "It's been so long."
I returned the amiable smile and feeling as I walked to him. "It has, archmaester. Two, three years?" And in those three years, Gormon had grown a small beard.
A beard that he stroked now in thought. "Just about and much has happened in such a short time. Joyous and dreadful news. It's a horrible shame about what happened to the city."
"Buildings can be repaired, but we can never bring back the thousands of lives that were lost. The Blackfyres will answer for this in time." I more or less promised.
Gormon smiled. "I'm sure they will, your grace."
Egg had been quiet whilst me and Gormon talked, but he eventually let himself known. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other."
I made my way towards the dispenser, because I needed a drink. Because of that, it was Gormon who answered the king's question. "It happened back in Summerhall. Me and the prince shared a lovely talk with each other."
Egg nodded. "I suppose a sense of knowing between the two of you will make the coming talks easier."
Like Ryam before, I had been caught with a cup just a few inches away from my lips. "Hm? What talks?"
Duncan nearly scared me as he suddenly announced his presence when he answered. "The maester's wish to start King's Landing's very own Citadel." Around the prince's neck was a necklace of silver made of entwining hands clasping each other.
His own symbol of office of the Hand of the King.
Duncan rising to the office had been a fool's bet. No-one could rightly say he didn't deserve it as he was one of the most capable men in the kingdoms.
That was all good and all and could congratulate my uncle on him becoming Hand of the King another time. At the moment, I was more taken away by the fact that these bloody assholes wanted to set up shop in the city that they destroyed? The utter nerve.
I wanted to deny them, but I really couldn't think of anything to use as a reason. Like I said, the maester's had more influence than I thought healthy in many households. I wasn't about to let them set up shop in my backyard.
There had to be some kind of way that I could at the very least mess with them.
And I think I had it.
I clapped my hands in anticipation. "A great idea. It's been too long and something I was about to propose."
Gormon leaned forward in his chair slightly, a dark brown eyebrow slightly raised. "Really?"
I bobbed my head up and down eagerly. "Yes. I'm sure by now you know of my efforts to educate the populace."
"Yes. We've reached news of your efforts all the way down in Oldtown and the halls of the Citadel itself. May I just say, your printing press, a marvellous invention. How did you come up with it? The closest thing we've ever heard of such a device is held in old dusty tomes that speak of similar devices in lands as far of as Yi Ti and Leng."
The China expy had a printing press? Of course it had. Why would it not have a printing press? And what the fuck was Leng?
I shamefully gave a laugh that sounded as if I was laughing in embarrassment. "A moment of inspiration in truth."
"One of many." Duncan spoke up from the side. "He has been having a lot of these moments of inspiration. What did the High Septon say? Something about you being touched by the Smith himself? Isn't that so, nephew?"
"Yes uncle. The High Septon said words along them lines, but not to that degree." I side glared my uncle to his laughter. Note, that did not stop me from allowing the man to spread that little declaration of his among his clergy. Got to make it seem I was touched by the divine and their was nothing the commons loved more than someone touched with the divine. I returned my attention back to Gormon. "In truth, the credit has to go the blacksmiths and the artificers that were able to bring my moment of inspiration into reality. They are the ones who deserve the praise."
"Ah, but you are the one who thought of the device. Some would say the vast majority of the credit should lie with you."
I bowed. "Then I defer to whatever those man think of me then. But regarding the capital having it's very own Citadel, my own idea on the matter is slightly different to what I suppose many of you are thinking."
Egg motioned for me to take a seat. "How different?" He enquired.
I took the seat that Egg had offered and began trying to explain. "From my understanding, you are not a full-fledged maester unless you forge an entire chain, correct?"
Gormon nodded. "Aye. Until then, one cannot be considered a full maester."
"What I had in mind was that instead of such a system, the system of the school I had envisioned would at first, teach the students varying subjects. Then when they reach a certain age, pass certain exams, they can go on to forge a single link in any chosen subject of their choosing, mathematics, law, economics, engineering, metallurgy and likes if you understand."
Yes, I was thinking of somewhere along the lines of your primary, secondary, tertiary education system. The Faith was already helping me with the basics of reading, writing and basic mathematics, so the primary portion of the trinity had been seen to. Well, in King's Landing anyway. But the more advanced subjects needed tutors who were well learned in such subjects.
The alchemists' were supposed to make up some of my teachers whilst for the rest in the subjects the alchemists had no clue in, I would have approached the Citadel to supply the necessary maesters. Then they had to go and do what they did to the Alchemists, which destroyed some of my willingness to approach them, even though I know that not all maesters are bad.
Then I had been willing to replace whatever the maesters could supply with foreign teachers. They would do their job simply for the money instead of trying to play some sort of game with me. Even more so when they come to understand that they didn't have much of a leg to stand with if they failed me.
No protections of family. Nothing like that.
Basically, my orphanages were my nursey-slash-primary school-slash-ninja academy, then this school would be high school and university all rolled into one. Even if they didn't forge a link (I.e. get a degree), they would still be vastly knowledgeable than most of the westerosi population.
The Tyrell frowned. "Such a system would not result in an institution such as the Citadel."
I smiled. "No. I suppose not. It would be something completely different. A royal school if you will."
That will be able to constantly supply me with a learned, probably skilled recruitment pool for the vast bureaucracy that was going to pop up to meet the needs of a continent.
"Another one of your little ideas, Aerys?" Egg asked with a weary sigh.
I graced my grandsire with a thousand watt smile. "By now, I would think it obvious."
"I'm starting to believe there maybe some truth to what the High Septon remarked about you."
A sheepish laugh escaped my lips. "I wouldn't take what he says too seriously, grandfather."
He could start calling me all that in the future when everything else was par for the course.
Gormon then spoke up, bringing the talk back to the subject of my school that was not actually, probably the Citadel that he was thinking about. "A maester's chain is a symbol of our order. A single link can't replace that."
"No." I agreed with a nod. I got up and walked to the dispenser and poured Gormon a cup. Manners. They did a whole bunch. "But tell me, archmaester, in the Citadel, how many of your acolytes go on to forge full chains?"
Gormon was quiet for a moment before he spoke up. "Not as much as we would like." He admitted quietly, as if he was admitting some great shame, but then the wind came back to him. "But more than enough for us to do our required duties throughout the Seven Kingdoms."
Now from what I could remember about the Citadel, they had a tendency to favour the sons and spares of the noble houses. If you didn't come from a noble house, then you were pretty much screwed or had to put in a lot of effort to forge your chain. More than likely later than a peer coming from a noble house.
Which results in people like Haldon Half-maester, but I think his situation was different? Probably. I can't remember all the details, except that being a half-maester was supposedly a thing.
I gave him that. At the very least, the maesters seemed to make it a point that every castle was stocked with a maester of some kind. Still though, I had to wonder how effective the maester system was. How much did the maesters know about the subjects they had forged their link in?
Was it high school level? Bachelor level? Masters? Doctoral?
Or perhaps it depended on who you were. And I was cynical enough to think that it happened. A fully chained maester making the test for the acolyte easy for one acolyte because he had an important name or someone was rich enough that it was within their good sense to make him pass.
But for that brat that they had picked off the street? Nah, the effort isn't worth it. It's not like the brat would need to have a full chain to serve in some kind of other role in the Citadel.
And I was pretty positive that the Archmaester title was pretty much the equivalent of a PhD around these parts. Extreme knowledge in one particular field or something like that.
"My school would probably see a higher amount of graduates than the Citadel, but at the same time, they won't be as knowledgeable in as many areas as maesters." So they wouldn't have to worry about the monopoly of knowledge they had. Or was that merely a groundless thing that I had read about the Citadel? At times like this, I missed the Internet. "That alone would serve the realm more than enough. A literate, educated workforce can do wonder for the wealth of the realm. If you don't believe me, look at Braavos." Not that I knew jack shit about how Braavos ran, but I assumed they had a marginally educated workforce, because hey, everyone else is wallowing in the high middle ages and they are busy laughing in the renaissance or as close as possible to that particular era.
I passed him the cup of wine that I had poured for him and Gormon accepted. "And for any of those that wish to forge a chain, they can be directed to the Citadel in Oldtown. Their knowledge would already make it easier for more of the acolytes to become maesters, don't you think?"
Gormon tentatively nodded his head. "I suppose. But this...this is something I would have to talk about with my peers in the conclave."
"And that is your right."
When Gormon had left, probably riding hard for Oldtown or something, I was left alone with Duncan and Egg. Us three royals enjoying each others presence, cause we were close like that.
"You are aware that I could forcefully put an end to your project as of right now?" Egg asked, breaking the silence of the room.
I nodded. "Yes. I'm surprised you just didn't shut me up and give Gormon the go ahead for a Citadel to built in King's Landing." I looked at my grandfather inquisitively. "Why didn't you? It would be well within your rights."
"You are to be king." Egg pushed his chair back and rose from it. "If I stopped you now, you would have merely done so when I finally leave this world."
"Not for a long time I hope."
There was a certain solemnness to the smile he gave me. "I've seen sixty-one name days Aerys. Soon me and your grandmother shall be gone from this world. There is no incentive for me to stop your projects when I shall not be king for much longer."
Duncan moved to Egg's side and put a hand to his shoulder. "Father, you aren't that old. You still got some decades in you."
"One can only wish, Duncan." He said, before his large, kind eyes rounded on me. This time, his smile was a bit more light heartened. "But I beg you, try not to beggar the realm with your projects."
"I'm horrible with money." I admitted before pointing towards Duncan. "It would be up to my uncle and Hand over there to keep me from beggaring the realm."
Duncan quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? You would keep me as your Hand? I'm touched."
"Well, you seem to be doing a good enough job at the moment. That might change if you slack off though." I was quiet for a moment. "Or someone better turns up."
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