Let it not be said that I do not take my roles seriously.
In front of me stood 2000 men, all of them in uniform and standing to attention. Most of them wore the same uniform: simple helmet, chainmail under a yellow tunic, greaves to protect their shins, and a sword at their waist for the nastier criminals of Myr. Every single one that held a sword was a free man.
At first I believed that Myr wasn't dumb enough to give their slaves the authority over the streets, I was correct. But slaves did work in the barracks, cleaning armor, bunks, and cooking for the men that didn't have a home in the city. That was most of them, as who would want to pay for a room, or a home, when you could have free bunk and food for free. Myr had them, kept buying them, but they weren't dumb with how they treated them or how they used them. It would be a hard thing to free them, but that was what I would do.
"I am Petyr Baelish." I announced to the men below. My lordship would get me nowhere in this world, apparently, so I was convinced to stop using the title. "Conqueror of Gulltown and Kings Landing. But to you lot, you will refer to me as Leader or Leader Baelish, nothing more, nothing less. Beside me is Ben Rivers, he has commanded men into battle and been by my side for years. You will refer to him as Commander Ben. His word is my word, and he is my second in command. This is just an introduction, I do not plan on making any more changes until I get a more accurate report of how efficient you are, so be on your best behavior because you are being watched, always! Back to your posts, you're dismissed!" I called out.
The men jumped into action, and soon I was met with the
I had no plans on making a speech. I have been making a lot of them recently. The men just needed an introduction as yesterday they had a completely different commander.
Public Speaking lvl 38
The art of speaking to large crowds. Level is proportionate to just how effective the speech is. You will be able to sway 38% of the listeners of your speeches.
I did realize just how valuable this particular skill could be in the future, and I did plan on making more and more of them to level this up. In my past life, great leaders were often tied to great speeches, for that was when they announced very difficult policy changes. Alexander the Great is said to have the greatest military speech of all time at the Opis Mutiny. Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address where he freed the slaves, and then fought a Civil War for it. Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' is another example of how a man made his mark on history through his deeds and a speech. The list could go on and on.
I could even argue how a leader is not as cemented in history, until he has a great speech. Well my reputation is tarnished in Westeros, and almost in Essos. The only way I could see that changing is by controlling the narrative. How best to do that in this world by speeches, and rumors.
"Leader, not Lord Baelish?" Ben asked by my side. We were standing on a raised platform that the shift manager normally used to assign guards to districts during the day. It was so the men could see who was talking to them.
Speaking of Rumors.
"Yes, and you need to begin using it yourself." I told him seriously. "I do not want the men to get any ideas and call me Lord." I continued.
Ben stared at me, confusion written all over his face. "I don't understand my L…eader." Ben said as he almost said Lord but caught himself.
I motioned for him to follow me, and I turned around before heading to my new 'solar' at the top of the Barracks. Sure it was on the fifth floor, with a window, offering a fantastic view, but the table and chair was shit. Gerald hadn't used the room at all besides storage.
When we arrived in my room, I had yet to receive my new desk that Ashara had procured for me. But there was a bigger chair that actually had cushions on it, and for that I was happy. Lena stood beside my desk with a look that told me she had been waiting for a bit.
"I have the payroll here, like you asked My Lord." Lena said as Ben and I walked into my office.
I ignored the look Lena and Ben gave each other, along with the smile. "How bad is it?" I asked as I took a seat. I didn't look down at the book, I didn't need to. Lena had run my household for over a year, she was capable of balancing a budget and finding discrepancies.
"He would have been a rich man if he didn't have debts that would make a Lannister blush." She commented wittily. That was really all I wanted to know, because I would forget exact sums.
"As we expected. Will you compile a list of who he owed money to and how much? Also, I'd like to know if he was shimming enough to give a select few men a raise." I told her as I closed the payroll book in front of me and handed it back to her. "Also, you are now the paymaster for the City Guard. Give me an exact amount, and I'll have it delivered for you come payday."
It was always a pleasure to reward loyalty, and watch the person light up as they were given more responsibility and trust. She did her best to hide the smile on her face but she failed.
"Thank you My…"
"Leader, Lena. I am no longer a Lord, Leader is what you may call me." I corrected her before she could say the title. She looked confused for a moment, but nodded towards me as she turned around and left the room, closing the door as she did.
I looked at Ben then. "What is my biggest weakness Ben?" I asked the man simply, and waited for him to answer.
He looked uncomfortable for a moment, before he finally answered. "Your reputation, My Lor…Leader."
I smirked, trying to get him to lighten up. I knew my weaknesses, and him saying it didn't change a damned thing. "And what determines my reputation?" I asked. I didn't want to just tell him the answer he sought, I wanted him to find the reasoning behind my choice of title.
"Your deeds." He answered quickly and confidently. He stood straighter with that answer. He knew it was correct.
"No, if that was the case, we'd still be in Westeros. I would be a war hero, you would have your own land and hold, and might even have a wife by now. What is it that determines a man's reputation?" I asked again.
Ben's face and entire manner changed when I told him that. He seemed genuinely disappointed that he hadn't gotten what he should have. I agreed with him, I really did. It was a shame he was attached to me and didn't get the praise he deserved.
"Public opinion and the public's perception of him, is what makes a man's reputation. Deeds, as you said, do make up a majority of the public's opinion but it is not the full picture. That is something we have had to learn the hard way." I answered him, when he didn't seem to know the answer I wanted. I had led him all the way to the answer so I didn't feel bad elaborating on it now.
I could see his eyes go from confusion to realization almost immediately.
"But Leader is only a small, subtle manipulation of the public. If everyone refers to me as Leader, what do they think of me?" I asked him, trying to elaborate.
"A leader… You're trying to prepare them for what's to come, get them used to it?" He asked.
"Exactly, now I would ask that you never utter those words where others can hear, and also to send out word that we are hiring one hundred more guards, and will begin examining applicants in two days time here at the barracks. Tell the guards, and have them spread the word around the city." I told him while I reached over and grabbed a scroll and ink.
"Yes Leader."
"Husband."
"Wife." I said as I looked up from putting the finishing touches on a design I was drawing. My other hand reached out to a potted tree and pushed it to the side of the table.
"I didn't know they could grow so small." Ashara said as she looked at what was in the pot on my desk. "I've only ever seen Weirwoods as big as a house." She muttered as she reached down and grabbed the potted weirwood.
"Me either." I told her honestly as I looked at the weirwood that was serving as my personal greenseeing tree. "It is terribly useful though." I muttered as I saw her examining the plant.
"Yes well care to guess as to where I've been this morning?" She asked as she walked around my desk and sat down in my lap.
"You were at the bankers manse meeting with his wife, whose name escapes me, along with many other prominent wives of the Magisters." I told her with a broad smile.
She glared at me, and glanced back at the weirwood. "Very useful indeed." She said with an intense glare. "Yes, I received an invitation, and it was extremely useful. They meet twice a week, at different manses to gossip and plot with their husbands money. Would you like to know the best part?" Ashara asked with a smug grin.
"They liked you?" I asked, finding it hard to care about what she was talking about.
"Enough to invite me to the next meeting." She said with a shit-eating grin.
"Then go to it, we need these people to like us… for now." I whispered the last part, and gave her a look.
Her grin faded a bit, as she realized what I was telling her. I was allowing her to plot and gossip like she wanted, but she needed to realize that they were slavers and history would not be kind to them. Well, future history that is.
"Thank you." She said as her smile turned to a fake and tense one.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about something. Do you know of our Coat of Arms?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, The Head of the Titan of Braavos on a light green field." She answered. For a moment I wondered who told her of that because I never told her, and it was an obscure coat of arms.
"Kind of awful isn't it?" I asked, making a face.
She smiled a true smile again. "Horrible." She corrected.
"Let's change it." I offered with a smile. "Would you like to come up with some options?"
She leaned down and kissed me. "I would love to." She said as she walked to the door, but not before her hand reached down and gently touched the weirwood tree.
To say a leather makers shop smelled good would be nothing but a dirty lie. I had been to Kings Landing and dealt with the shit smell, but it was nothing like a Tanner or a leather makers shop. Whatever oil or treatment they used for the stuff should be outlawed forever.
I walked in the building all the same. Of the four guards that accompanied me everywhere I went, two stayed outside to guard the entrance to the shop, and two entered with me.
It was not very large inside. There were racks with saddles that lined almost every wall. Smaller racks near what looked to be a front desk held belts and ornate scabbards. This particular shop had come with high recommendations from the guards and other Magisters in the city.
"How can I help you, Master…?" A young boy that couldn't have been much older than eleven asked from where he stood behind a desk. In his hands was a piece of lead, and a paper beneath him. I could see numbers and runes scribbled on the page.
Successful enough to procure some paper and lead, and children that can read and write, and knows their numbers. Also smart enough to know that I was someone of importance, possibly by the quality of my clothes? I observed.
"Baelish, I am the Leader of the city watch. I'd like to make a special order." I said as I held up a piece of rolled up parchment.
The boy's eyes widened and he dropped the lead onto the table. "One moment Leader Baelish, I will fetch my father at once." He said with a short and awkward bow before scurrying off through a hallway.
The guards behind me chuckled as they watched the interaction. I gave them a look that they took to mean 'shut the fuck up', which is exactly what they did.
I walked around the shop, looking at the horse saddles. I tugged on them to feel the leather, and I traced the lines etched into them. Whoever made them had artistic talent, to go with the leather making skill.
"Leader Baelish, it's an honor to have you in my shop."
Only a week and the population is already gossiping. Good.
I turned to see a fat man of about 30 years of age. He wore silk that didn't hide his belly and his hands were clean of stain, or any calluses of any nature. It became obvious to me that this man owned slaves, extremely talented slaves that did all of his leather making for him. My respect for him disappeared. His hard working son however, I liked because I knew he could be molded.
"I was looking to put in a custom order." I told the man as I offered him the parchment in my hand.
He accepted it. "Of course my lord. In the meantime, would you like to take one of these, free of cost of course." The leather maker said as he waved his hand around the store. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he said that.
"Unfortunately they will not be up to the task." I said while pointing to the parchment in his hands and gesturing for him to open it and look.
He did so, and I could see his eyes widen as he realized what the drawing was for. I even saw him mouth the word 'Dragon'.
"You should consider it an honor. I am going to need two, just to be clear." I told him as I turned around and walked out the door.
"Leader …Baelish."
The announcer stumbled upon my title, but I walked forward anyway. I was in the mance of the richest man in Myr. The man that owned nearly all of the glassblowing houses in Myr, and whose family had been producing glass for generations. It also happened to be the man that owned 40% of the land in the city, which produced most of his income through rent.
It also happened to be the same silver haired man that I talked to on the walls of the city, the day I arrived in Myr.
"Master Esselar." I greeted as I walked into what could be considered a solar, if you consider the entire top floor of the tallest tower in Myr, a solar. No solar I had ever been in had windows with real glass installed into them. Not in this world, at least. It was an extravagance I had yet to come across. Essos had a different way of doing things, that was certain.
"How can I help you, Leader Baelish." Aeren Esselar asked from his seat, where stacks of paper could be seen. He was obviously a very busy man, at least that's what he wanted everyone to believe. The glassblowing industry was a luxury good, and he didn't have the shipping capabilities to deliver it to anywhere other than the free cities. Nor did he have the means to build or buy a big enough fleet for places like Westeros.
"I have three ships returning from Dorne within the next two weeks with raw materials that I need to turn into a product. I need somewhere to produce this product." I told the man, getting straight down to business.
"How big of a building do you need?" He asked quickly, barely even processing the information.
"Big." I answered with a smile.
He looked up from his paperwork. "I take it is for cement, isn't that what you call it?" The man asked as he placed his chin on his interlocked fingers.
"Yes." I answered. There was no denying it, it had been out for far too long and Lena had begun to shop it around the free cities before we had been driven out of Westeros.
"I would rather buy the recipe from you." He counteroffered immediately.
I was taken off guard for a moment, and I smiled because of it. "Not yet." I told him. "I am not ready to sell it just yet."
"A shame. Meet me by the front gate in the morning and we will visit the applicable buildings for your production. If that will be all…" Esselar said dismissively while going back to his paperwork.
"It's not." I corrected him, my business not being quite finished.
He looked back up to me then, and once again crossed his fingers and laid his head on them. "Oh..?" He asked, wanting me to continue.
"Two more things. I have two ships sitting in port, you have glass to deliver and I can help." I offered, putting my intentions out in the open.
"You have five ships sitting in port." Aeren Esselar corrected, telling me that he was keeping tabs on me. It was nice being around someone so competent.
"Three I am not willing to commit." I countered.
"Are you willing to sell them?" He asked. Obviously this was a man that knew the importance of owning everything he could, instead of paying other people.
"No, I mean to establish a shipping company. And those, you understand, need to own their ships." I answered.
"With 3 Ships?" He asked, mockingly.
"Ah well that is the last topic I want to talk to you about. I need land on the coast to build more ships." I told him, bringing up an entire different conversation that would need bargaining.
The man stared at me for a few moments then, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He looked at me completely differently in that moment than he did when I first met him, and when I first walked into his solar. It was like he was reevaluating his opinion of me. He took his head off of his hands and leaned back in his chair taking a deep breath as he did so.
"Jahar! Clear my day tomorrow!" Aeren yelled to his man at the door.
It was odd having to shop for land. In Westeros, I had just owned everything I needed. I could just give the order and throw money at something and it would get done, as long as I had the right people.
But as I stood there in an empty street, looking at three abandoned storefronts, all I could think about is everything I left behind. And the things that I couldn't allow to fall into someone else's hands.
A memory flashed across the front of my mind's eye. I was standing on a ship and smoke was rising in the distance. Weirña's throat was still warm from the fire she had just breathed over what used to be by my harbor. The piers, destroyed, the building where cement was made, burned to the ground, and finally where my ships had been built, also burned to the ground.
"All that work for nothing." I muttered low enough that nobody could hear me.
"Which one do you like best? We have others available but these are closest to the port." Aeren said as we stood in front of the buildings.
I looked around the street, and opposite of the three buildings were houses for middle class merchants. I didn't have to see the other buildings, these would do. Arton Foler stood by my side, as one of the 100 people to follow me to Myr. He was my builder that had previously oversaw all construction on my lands.
"All of them. I'll take all three." I told Aeren as I waved for my guards to bring me my horse. "How do you feel about it Arton?" I asked my builder.
"With some renovation, they'll do well, Leader Baelish." Arton replied as he eyed the structure. I could see him trying to redesign it in his mind.
Aeren looked at me, but did not say anything immediately. It was obvious that he did not expect me to buy all three.
"I'll be blunt, Leader Baelish. I'm not sure you can afford it." Esselar told me, looking me dead in my eyes. "Especially with your other plans."
I grabbed the reins of the horse my guard offered me, and hoisted myself up onto it making sure my legs were secure before turning back to him. "How does 12,000 Myrish coins for the three sound?" I asked, not caring for that sum at all.
I mentally called up my inventory, to check the amount of money I had inside of it.
1,014,267 Dragons
Another memory of Ben and I standing in the royal treasury, underneath the Red Keep. Across from me, I could see Ben loading money into a chest. I helped him with one hand, and with the other, I shoved money into my inventory.
Jon Arryn didn't realize it, but he paid me my end of the bargain, whether he wanted to or not.
"15,000 coins." Aeren countered.
It was too high, way too high for the property. In fact, 12,000 coins was already way too high for the property. But I needed this man on my side and I was willing to overpay for certain things to establish a good name.
"Deal, shall we go to the other property?" I asked as I turned my horse around and waited for his man to bring him his.
"We most certainly shall." Master Esselar said as he waved for his horse.
I caught Ashara's eye, near the end of the street on her own horse waiting for us to get done with our business. She rode next to Aeren Esselar's wife, who was a dark haired Myrish beauty. Ashara smiled at me, and then gave me a wink as I rode up towards her.
"What crops grow in such a climate?" I asked as we rode along the beaches of Myr. I could see on the other side of the beaches how barren it was.
That was something I would fix with my weirwood trees. When the time was right of course.
"Not a lot, unfortunately. Most of our food is imported from Tyrosh, and Volantis, and farmers on the other side of the mountains." Aeren said. "Just up here is a low spot I was always eyeing for a possible new port. In fact, that was the reason for it's original purchase."
"Why haven't you done anything with it?" I asked the obvious question.
"Myr is growing in the opposite direction, a battle I lost in my younger years when the wall expansion was first introduced." Aeren answered.
I had no way of knowing whether or not this was true, but it seemed legit and I had no way of double checking him without being near a weirwood tree.
He was right about the land being in a low spot. It looked like a river used to run through that area, years ago. It had cut a small canyon into the beach that the water traveled into. It really would be a perfect location for what I wanted.
"I'll take this as well." I told him after barely looking at it for a few moments. "It's perfect."
"I knew you would like it." Aeren said. "But it will be more expensive than the other. The plot of land goes over there to where you can see the hill, all the way over here to where those rocks are, you see?" He pointed at the locations he was mentioning and I followed it with my eyes.
"Even better, this means I can build housing for the employees and guards here." I answered as I mentally tried to picture how I was going to develop the area.
"Brah!"
A short roar of happiness caused everyone to look to the sky. Our horses got spooked for a moment, and I hopped off of my own horse because I knew who it was that caused the sound in the air above us. A shadow descended from the sky and we were all met with the sight of Weirña attempting to land near us.
I began walking towards her to spend time with her before I turned back to Aeren.
"Name your price Master Esselar, and the money will be at your gate tomorrow!"