Loras once again crashed to the ground, prompting a groan from Willas on the balcony railing, while Margery anxiously observed the fight from outside the ring.
Loras, of course, hadn't accepted his defeat at Dacey's hand and immediately after getting rid of the dizziness as well as wiping the blood from his nose, he had jumped up and challenged her to a fight again saying that he only lost because he was distracted. And Dacey, who was in the ring for some entertainment to begin with, immediately complied and so began the beat down of the youngest Tyrell while the other three members of his family watched from afar.
While it was easy to see that Loras had all his fundamentals down and knew how to slash or stab flawlessly, his stance was stable too and he also utilized his footwork perfectly but the problem was that he was too rigid... his adherence to what he had been taught rendered his style somewhat flowery and predictable and Dacey exploited this flaw with relentless precision. His lack of experience in real-life-and-death battles became apparent, especially in contrast to Dacey, who had already shed all unnecessary elements from her skillset.
Punches to the gut, strikes to his hand holding the sword, trips, and so on, Dacey defeated him in a unique way every single time. And she didn't show him an ounce of mercy and even kicked him in the nuts once, which had kept him down for quite a while. Unlike Loras, who primarily relied on swinging and dodging, Dacey utilized every part of her body as a weapon. If Jon were to compare her fighting style to anyone, it would be to the Hound.
"He is tenacious, I'll give him that," Jon remarked, impressed by Loras's resilience. Willas emitted a hollow laugh beside him before turning to his grandmother. "Don't you think we should intervene? Isn't this enough?"
"No," Olenna retorted, ruthlessly turning away from the fight. "As Jon here said, the boy is still green. He needs to learn that there are better fighters out there, sooner or later." With her declaration made, she returned to her seat. Jon offered Willas a sympathetic pat before following Olenna's lead and reclaiming his own seat.
"How much?" Olenna asked abruptly.
"Hmm! How much?"
Jon feigned puzzlement, though he knew precisely what she was referring to.
"How much for the route?" Olenna asked, her patience forced, as she had made no secret of her desire for it. She had wagered against him twice, initially believing that Loras had lost to Dacey due to a fluke. However, she stopped after losing two galleys as she wasn't blind enough to not see that her grandson simply wasn't the better fighter.
"Ah, that!" Jon exclaimed, raising his eyebrows before shaking his head ruefully. "I'm sorry to say that it's not for sale."
"Do you even understand what 'How much?' means, boy?"
"I do, actually," Jon replied, his gaze unwavering. "I'm aware that your house is one of the wealthiest in Westeros, second only to the Lannisters. But I also understand the value of this route. It would connect two kingdoms that have never engaged in substantial trade in history, two kingdoms with vast disparities—one rich in food, the other abundant in natural resources. This route has the potential to generate wealth not only once or twice, but for generations to come..."
Unspoken but understood between them was the security risk with the fact that the route would provide the Reach with a direct path into the North. Not that there was any such 'Route' to begin with unless you count the one you can only find with a warg. But Jon didn't have to tell that to Tyrell Martriach before him.
"You don't think you can keep it hidden for long, do you?" Olenna's tone remained neutral, lacking any hint of menace, but the underlying threat was unmistakable.
Jon chuckled softly. "Oh, I don't just think it—I know it. In fact, nobles and merchants from the Westerlands have been trying to find it for months now, but not a single one has succeeded. They've sent ship after ship to follow us, but each time, they either got lost at sea or had to turn back halfway because they couldn't keep up with us at night." He turned to Olenna with a smile. "I'm sure Tara has already informed you that we can travel during the night. So if you believe you can outdo them during the Hour of the Wolf, then by all means, try your hand at the open sea on a dark night..."
Olenna had already gleaned all the details from Tara upon her arrival, which is also why she was so desperate to get the route as she knew that it would definitely give the Tyrells a large advantage over their powerful vessels. Moreover, she was aware that Jon had not only sold those Stark horses but also a variety of other Northern products that were highly sought after in the region. Thus, she could already envision the future profits that awaited her house.
"I heard that you've been seeking to purchase crops in bulk," Olenna abruptly changed the topic.
Jon wasn't surprised by her knowledge and responded innocently, "Yes, I am. Why do you ask? Are you looking to sell some?"
"I want you to exclusively buy from us, now and in the future..."
"That could be challenging," Jon replied with a thoughtful expression. "You see, I've already made promises to several suppliers that I will purchase from them. And you know how much a Stark's word means..."
When Olenna raised an eyebrow, essentially conveying the message, 'What do you want then?' Jon continued with a grin, "However, I am not exactly a Stark but a Snow, so I can agree to your proposal... with a few conditions, of course..."
"Go on," Olenna said, intrigued.
"You will always sell to us at twenty per cent less than the market price," Jon proposed.
It seems to her that boy's done a good amount of research as he quoted the exact amount which wasn't outrageous enough to not leave her with enough profits while not getting taken advantage of, so she agreed without any bargaining, "Fine,"
"You will provide us with as many trade galleons as we want on an interest-free loan—"
"What? Interest-free? Are you out of your mind, boy?" Olenna interrupted, her face displaying disbelief. "Do you take us for a charity? Why in the seven hells would I give you anything interest-free? And what do you mean by 'as many as you want'? Do you think we are the Bravoos, churning out a new ship every other day?"
"Don't worry about that. We will only acquire the ships that we can afford, so you will have ample time. Besides, the most crucial resource needed is wood, which we can easily supply," Jon explained patiently. "Doesn't it make sense to you? The more ships we have, the more prosperous we become. And the more prosperous we become, the more we buy from you. In the end, it's a win-win situation where everyone benefits."
Olenna didn't reveal it on her face, but she had to admit that she was genuinely impressed. She understood better and better how he achieved such success at such a young age. However, she was no pushover herself. "You know, I like the way you think. That's why I'll agree to your condition, but only if I have the first priority to purchase any number of Starkhorses you bring to the Reach for us to sell."
"You want to tie us even further... Huh," Jon responded, raising an eyebrow.
"As you said, it's a win-win," Olenna stated. She had already heard that every merchant who had bought those Stark horses was selling them like hotcakes, so it didn't take her long to calculate that she would make significant profits for a long time. She wanted to get in on that action too.
"Half... You can have the priority of buying half the stocks," Jon negotiated, anticipating Olenna's potential objection, "AND you'll get a ten per cent discount for being our Business Partner,"
"Fine...then—"
"Let's get to Condition number three then..." Jon interjected with a wide smile.
"Oh, you're a greedy little bastard, aren't you?" Olenna remarked, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"I am, indeed," Jon replied cheekily, as he had resolved from the beginning to squeeze as much as he could from these wealthy Southerners.
...
"...Oh, don't glare at me like that, pretty boy," Dacey said with a smirk, addressing Loras, who had finally exhausted his stamina and lay on the ground, breathing heavily. "You do know that I was going easy on you."
Loras glared even harder, and Dacey raised her hand in surrender, saying with a cheeky smile, "I really was! See, I didn't go for your pretty face even once."
She was telling the truth, but every other part of Loras's body was filled with bruises and ached more than anything. Loras had always believed he was a skilled fighter, and he had imagined himself surpassing the likes of Ser Barristan or Ser Jaime with time, confident that he would eventually defeat them.
But today he learned that he didn't amount to much if he couldn't even beat an ordinary girl from the North. Perhaps he wasn't the prodigy he thought himself to be, and maybe everyone had been taking it easy on him.
As Loras grappled with his internal conflict, Jon called out to Dacey from the base of the stairs, "Dacey! Come on, we're leaving."
"Oh, right," she nodded at Jon before turning back to Loras, who was getting up. She placed the Morning Star on the ground and said, "It was nice playing knight with you, pretty boy, but I have to go now. Maybe we'll have another bout the next time we meet."
"I-I'll definitely beat you next time," Loras declared with determination, looking straight into her eyes.
"Uh... sure," Dacey responded with an amused smile before running toward Jon, who was impatiently waiting. "So, are you done with your talks?"
"I am," Jon replied, immediately heading towards the exit.
"And..." Dacey asked, struggling to keep up with him. "How did it go?"
"We got more than I had hoped for, so it was perfect," Jon answered before turning to her with an accusing glare. "No thanks to you! I specifically told you to take it easy on the kid."
"Hehe... I just couldn't help it. He was so naive and overconfident that I wanted to teach him a lesson," Dacey admitted with a sadistic chuckle, but she stopped herself upon seeing Jon's glare. "Besides, he was the one who kept coming back for more. It wasn't my fault... Is that why we're leaving so early? Is the old crone angry that I hurt her precious grandson too much and is kicking us out?"
"No, nothing like that," Jon clarified.
"Then why?"
"Because that foolish wildling somehow slipped past the guards and is now roaming the streets of Highgarden," Jon said through gritted teeth.
"Oh... Yeah, that would be a disaster waiting to happen..." Dacey responded, realizing the potential consequences.