A towering ceiling stretched above, adorned with intricate frescoes depicting scenes from the history of the Faith of the Seven.
Sunlight poured through the windows above the statues, casting a glare of white light in contrast with the dark atmospheric spiritual vibe.
The air was thick with the fragrance of burning candles, their soft glow danced in the sacred space.
Seven statues stood solemnly in that Grand Sept.
The Father, with his stern, bearded face, who bestows judgement, protection, and justice.
The Mother, with her tender loving gaze. She who values life and guides toward mercy.
The Warrior, with his blade drawn and sharpened, ready to anoint seekers of courage.
The Smith, with his mighty hammer, mending the broken and putting the world to right.
The Maiden, with her sweet innocence smiling down on us.
The Crone, with her lamp of wisdom to light the dark of ignorance.
But it was not these statues whom I stood before and lit my candle to. I stood before a faceless statue.
"I should have guessed to pray to The Stranger."
I kept looking up at that empty face of The Stranger, but the sweet scent of gardenia told me that Lady Alicent had joined me, standing by my side.
"I don't pray."
"Never?"
"Maybe for peace and quiet."
"Oh," said Alicent, sheepishly looking to the ground, "Sorry to intrude."
Her sad voice woke me. I turned to her and took hold of her cold, fidgeting hands, "The only thing you intrude on are my dreams, sweet lady."
I led her by the arm through the Grand Sept in a leisurely stroll, "Granted, they're nightmares, but let's not dwell on such details."
Alicent's mother, Lady Hightower, and I exchanged a courteous nod. She smirked in that pleased way that always happened when Alicent and I were together.
"So, who did you pray to?" I said in a tone low enough not to disturb the prayers of others.
"Me?" said Alicent, "I prayed to the Mother for the Queen's good health."
"That's very kind of you," I said, "Her pregnancies aren't getting any easier."
She squeezed my forearm reassuringly, "I'm sure she'll be fine. Father says we have the best maesters at her beck and call."
I sighed as we strolled past the Warrior, "They said the same when Ser Ryam took to fever, not to mention Mother's last pregnancy… Fool me once, shame on thee. Fool me twice, the shame is mine."
"Then how come every time I pretended Rhaenyra was in trouble, you dropped everything and came?"
"Mayhap I'm a sucker for shame?" I said, "I'm glad that silly phase is over."
"Not me, I miss it dearly."
Alicent cast her gaze forward, but to me, it was like she was in a place worlds away. "Rhaenar—"
"Mmm?"
We reached the outside, the sun blared, and the Rhaenari posted outside to straightened their posture at my emergence.
"If you don't pray," said Alicent, "why visit the sept each week?"
I chuckled as I released from our arm-in-arm locked walk. I could hardly tell her I only did it so the smallfolk could see me pay lip service to the Faith.
My gold cape flapped in the wind, and my Rhaenari formed ranks on either side of me.
"Why?" I mused, winking at her before descending the steps, "For the company, of course."
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With more and more people joining my faction, the strain on my finances was becoming evident.
The expenses for projects like the Globe Theatre, or the 501 Rhaenari receiving wages while on standby, were draining my coffers. I had to get creative.
Arland proved to be invaluable in this regard. He used his charm to persuade minor noble ladies to donate their jewelry, the pieces their husbands wouldn't notice missing.
And if they didn't willingly donate, they often provided information about their friends who had jewels they could spare.
Burglaries of the mansions in King's Landing became practice for Weaver and his growing crew of thieves.
Cleave's crew started offering loans to the desperate smallfolk, knowing they wouldn't be able to pay.
This tactic didn't bring immediate monetary gain, but it did give us an excuse to seize property when they couldn't pay up.
It also led to valuable tip-offs. People were willing to betray their neighbors and friends to trade information and avoid paying our fees. Merchants eagerly shared details of profitable hauls from their fellow sailors.
Gambling dens sprouted across the city as we took over properties. These were no ordinary dens but official Gaming Halls, offering a safe and regulated environment for gambling.
Equipped with alcohol, gaming tables, security, and lookouts for the City Watch, these halls attracted patrons seeking entertainment and a chance to win.
We offered a variety of games, including dice games like Hazard, Liars Dice, and Farkel. We even introduced the cup game, where players had to follow the ball and choose the correct cup.
Inspired by the popular board game Cyvasse from the Free Cities, I commissioned masons to carve chess pieces.
I then painted a board and introduced the game of Chess. To further monopolize it, we implemented a ranking system similar to the official ELO system used in Chess, ensuring that if anyone wanted to prove their skills, they had to do it in our Gaming Halls.
I called the official body 'The Rhaenar Chess Federation' (CHESSRHA). For every game played, we took a cut of the gold wagered.
Diving deeper into the underworld of King's Landing, we found that cockfights were popular, so we took them over.
The same could be said about the the fighting pits, where even children whose nails and teeth are filed to greater violent effect could be seen.
Naturally, I started a boxing league. Only boxing, mind you. I didn't want to promote the martial skills of Muay Thai to those who would not commit to me.
Thus, our boxing league used the good old-fashioned Queensbury rules. And of course, we took a cut from every fight.
Even then, our money problem would take a while to solve before Theodore found an ironic solution.
Stupid in its simplicity~