When was the last time I slept?
I struggled to find the answer as I stood on the walls of Myr. My hands felt glued to the stone in front of me, and I leaned on them for support. Why had I never realized how gritty and natural they felt? A chalky substance remained on my hands as I pulled them off of the wall and straightened my posture.
My hands went to my helmet and I took it off. . In the hysteria of the last few days, I had forgotten to take care of the basic needs of myself. I still wore the armor, caked in blood and dust from the battle. Once I confirmed the safety of Ashara and the children, I had been working non-stop. I had already addressed the local population 6 times in different parts throughout the city. In those small speeches, I kept it simple and told them to be calm and go about their daily life while I figured out the details of The Golden Company's betrayal. In every single speech, I sowed the seed of doubt against the masters of the city. A subtle hint here and there, and I knew the local population was getting antsy.
I knew all the answers already, of course. At least I knew the answers that I would tell the city. And with the forged proof in my hand, I would turn the city against the people that had led them on a prosperous route for their entire lives. After the people below me demanded blood, I would give it to them and completely rearrange the government system in place, with me at the top.
And it all starts now.
I looked over the wall, into the massive crowd below me. There were at least a thousand souls packed onto the streets that were within range to hear my speech. Behind them, close to four thousand more flooded the main streets of Myr. After today, word of mouth would spread like wildfire.
I raised a hand in the air, signaling that I was about to begin.
An eerie hush ran throughout the crowd below me, and everyone's eyes looked towards me. I paused for a moment, and dropped my hand, preparing myself for what I was about to do.
"It is with a heavy heart that I address you today." I yelled nearly at the top of my lungs.
"The past few days have been hard for all of us! When I caught wind of the treachery of the Golden Company, we began preparing! But nothing could prepare us for the betrayal inside of our city! WE FOUGHT BACK AND DEFEATED THE GOLDEN COMPANY!"
I screamed the last part, and I was rewarded for my enthusiasm by the people below me.
"AHHHH!" The crowd screamed back.
I let them roar and celebrate for a moment. When I decided it had gone on long enough, I raised a hand again, in the same manner as before. Once again the crowd quieted, although it was a bit rowdier than when I first began.
I held out my right hand, and felt someone behind me place the piece of parchment inside of it. I raised it to the crowd to show them.
"Before I reveal the mastermind behind the betrayal, I want to remind you that this is our city! This person wants us to be divided! He wants us to fight each other! But we will not fight amongst ourselves because we know that together we can take down anyone, even the mighty Golden Company!"
Another roar sounded out through the crowd. I raised my hand almost immediately, not letting them get out of hand again.
I snapped my finger, and a guard behind me grabbed a man that was laying on the ground beside him. A man with a black hood over his face, covering any defining features that may give away the surprise.
"In my hands lay proof of a vote that was cast nearly 3 moons ago! In this vote, 10 Magisters decided to betray Myr and it's people. In this vote, they decided to receive money from Lys and Tyrosh to pay the Golden Company to sack Myr and it's people!"
The guard beside me brought forward the man in a black hood and stood him beside me.
The crowd was not quiet. In fact, they were livid! Boos, and screams and food began to be thrown up to the wall, although none of it reached us. The people reacted to the news exactly how I wanted them to and exactly as I predicted they would.
They were murderous, and I would capitalize on it.
I reached forward and yanked the black hood off of the man beside me, revealing it to be Aeren Esselar, the man that had been suspicious of me the past week. The man that had sold me the property I needed to start my industries in Myr again. The man that controlled the glass blowing industry.
The crowd went even more wild, once they saw the face of the esteemed magister that seemed untouchable to them. A man that had worked his whole life to have the people on his side. A man that handed out food to the poor because he had such massive profits from slave labor. Had he just paid the men instead of slaving them, I would have allowed him to live.
At least I think I would have allowed him to live. He would have become a powerful enemy very soon.
"You should have trusted your instincts, Aeren." I told the man as he stood beside me looking down at a crowd that wanted his head on a spike.
"I did. I was just too slow to act." Aeren replied, completely calm, as if he was sure that he would find a way out of this situation. That set me on edge slightly. This was not a panicking man like I expected him to be.
I looked down at his hands out of instinct.
That was when he acted. His hands were freed, from a guard he paid off, no doubt. He jerked forwards towards me with a dagger in his hands, and he swung it at my neck.
"Die!" He yelled.
I reacted to his swing and I raised my arm to deflect the blade. My forearm connected with his, and halted his hands movement towards my neck. I didn't allow him any time to continue his attack, so I grabbed the arm with both hands, turned and tossed him over my shoulder…
…off of the wall, and into the crowd below.
The crowd, having seen the entire altercation, moved out of the way for him to impact the ground back first. From the height that we were at, and the way his body still upon impact, told me that he died immediately. But the immediate crowd that was around him did not leave it to chance.
When I called them murderous, I meant it. Immediately they converged upon his body and began beating, kicking, and stabbing it. I looked away, towards the guards behind me. The betrayal had to have just happened, and the guards would have either tried to make sure I was dead, or run away.
When I looked behind me, I saw Ben standing over two bodies, with blood pooling out around them on the floor. One of them didn't even have his head attached, and the other had a wound in his chest that killed him immediately.
He turned to me, as he wiped his blade off on their clothing. We shared a nod, and I reminded myself to give him something worth having soon. Maybe an industry, or land of his own. I pushed it to the back of my mind and turned around to address the crowd.
"TRAITORS!" I roared, and waved a hand to the rest of the guards on the walls.
9 more magisters were stood up and pushed to the edge of the wall.
"I SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH!" I continued to scream as I pointed to them.
The guards behind them didn't waste any time. Spears pierced all 9 of their hearts almost in unison, killing them swiftly. In a couple of moments, I had rid the city of their government.
The crowd had yet to settle down from Aeren's attempt on my life. They were still beating his body, they were still screaming in rage at him and the others. They were in a perfect place for me to instill a new government. I raised a hand, and it took significantly longer for the crowd to quiet down, minutes until I could speak again.
"Justice!" I called out. "Justice has been dealt for the traitors in this city! But what of the Lys? What of Tyrosh?! What justice is to be had from them?" I asked the crowd.
"As of this moment, I declare them traitors, and I can only think of one just punishment!"
I paused, and kept my hand up towards them for I didn't want it to get too wild before my next announcement.
"No longer do they hold claim over these lands! No longer shall they be called the Disputed Lands! From this time, until the end of time, the Disputed Lands are ours! I staked our claim on the lands, and I will defend them! Go forth, people of Myr! Claim the Disputed Lands for they are ours! No Khalasar will survive my wrath! No army will march upon you without my own to meet them!"
The crowd was roaring as I finished speaking, and they were beginning to chant something. It started small, but slowly it spread throughout the crowd. The word was clear, and chanted over and over again.
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
With each chant, my heart soared. My plan was finally coming to fruition.
Had I cheated? Yes.
Had I betrayed? Yes.
Had I killed? Yes.
Had I planted agents in the crowd, and paid them off to begin the chants of 'King'? You bet your ass I did, and the results spoke for themselves.
I would seize the moment.
I would seize Myr.
I would seize Tyrosh, Volantis, Lys.
I would seize the Disputed Lands.
Everything was mine for the taking now. Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon had taught me something extremely valuable in the time I spent with them. If you want something in this world, you do not earn it, you take it. Anyone who gets in your way is to be ruined at any expense.
I learned that lesson well.
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
I raised a hand to the crowd.
"King!"
"King!"
"King!"
Finally the chants began to die down, and I waited until the very last one to address the crowd again.
"The Magisters failed you! I will not fail you!"
I drew my sword.
"I accept Kingship, but I do it for you!" I said as I pointed my sword out at the crowd below.
"I will protect you from enemies within and without! I will not ask you to do anything I am not willing to do myself!"
"I WILL BE YOUR KING, AND WE WILL MAKE MYR GREATER THAN EVER!"
The crowd roared, and another chant began to sound out throughout the city.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
Long live the Mother Fucking King!
I kneeled on one knee, with my head bowed to the ground. The white marble on the ground beneath me was colder than I expected. Ashara kneeled beside me on one side, and Vorian on the other.
"I do." We repeated in unison, to the question the Red Priest had just asked us. We had been practicing the past few nights for this moment, so the words came easily out of our mouths.
"Then rise, Petyr Baelish, King of Myr." The Priest said as he placed a crown made from silver and forged with small branches that rose two inches off of the band onto my head.
"Rise, Ashara Baelish, Queen of Myr." The Priest said as he placed a simpler crown on Ashara's head.
"Rise, Vorian Baelish, Prince of Myr." The Priest finished without placing a crown on Vorian's head. We opted out of having him wear one until he was ready.
"All hail the King!" Ben called out!
"All hail the King!" The crowd of what nobles were left called out.
Ping!
Title mutation: Greenseer King!
Petyr Baelish
Title: Greenseer King - Increased reputation with those in the North and beyond the wall. Increased reputation with the Children of the Forest. When equipped, a 15% experience buff is applied to the skill: Greenseeing. Nature accepts you, and welcomes you into its arms, leading to bountiful harvests and increase in wildlife population. Healing increased by 50% while sleeping in the vicinity of a Weirwood. During your rule, Weirwood will grow naturally in the wild.
Infant mortality reduced by 25%. .01% chance that newborn children will inherit the ability of Warging. 1% chance that a warg will develop the ability of Greensight.
100% chance of children sired by you to become a warg. 50% chance of children sired by you to become a Greenseer.
I nearly fainted as I read all of the improvements I just gained by my coronation as King. Immediately ideas and policy changes that would boost the population popped up in my head. Discounts on land for families with 4 or more children, or maybe tax cuts. Or promises of jobs once adulthood is reached.
I'll have to think on this a little more. I concluded as I stood up and began to talk with the various nobles around the bottom floor of my new tower, and the place where I would rule from.
"You called for me Your Grace."
I looked up from my desk to see that Lena had finally arrived. She continued to prove herself a more than capable administrator, and I had need of her.
"Yes of course, come in and take a seat." I told her, and waited for her to obey. It took her a few moments to walk the full length of my 'business floor', as I had taken to calling it. She passed a total of twenty armed guards that stood there with spears in their hands, before taking a seat on the other side of my desk.
She sat in the same spot that I had sat in, on this very floor that Aeren Esselar had used to entertain me. His was the highest tower in the city, and it was only right for me to claim it for myself, along with the four total acres of grounds that surrounded the tower.
"You have been very loyal, Lena. I have always double checked all the numbers you brought to me, and not once have you been wrong, nor deceptive towards me." I said, starting off the conversation in a good and light mood.
She smiled and nodded at me. "You have always paid me well, your grace." She joked in response to my praise.
I laughed for a moment. "It's about to get better." I told her. I took great joy in the confused and hopeful look on her face.
"I am putting together a council of advisors. People I trust to tell me the information I need to know, without deceit. There will be other duties of course but we can get into specifics later. I would like you to be my economic advisor on this council, if you so choose."
Her jaw lowered and her eyebrows furrowed. She had only just become acquainted with her job as the paymaster for the City Guard. That was a prominent position, for sure. But I was offering her a position as advisor to the King, which was a position that people would kill for, and had killed for in the past.
"Well, do you accept?" I asked, curiously, since she hadn't said anything after a few moments.
"Yes. Yes, Your Grace. It is an honor that I'm not sure I'm worthy of." She stuttered out when she realized she was quiet.
"You are." I told her quickly. "Now, as an Economic advisor to the King, which will oversee the money supply and taxation of my new kingdom, there are some things to discuss."
"Alright, when should we meet?" She asked quickly.
"Now." I told her without pause. "As an Economic advisor to my kingdom, we need to gain control of the money supply. To do that means to control the bank are you following?" I asked, to make sure she was keeping up.
"Of course. Which family owns the bank?" Lena asked.
"The family was massacred during the attack on the city. It was the most brutal execution that Aeren Esselar and Myles Toyne planned, because Aeren wanted the bank for himself. Congratulations Lena, you and your family, as long as it lasts, own 25% of a bank."
Once I finished with my grand reveal, I leaned over to a side of my desk and pulled out three fairly large books. One by one, I laid them on the desk in front of her. Once again her jaw was on the floor as she processed what I told her, and she barely registered the three books in front of her.
"Those are the books for the last three years. Study them. In 3 days, you will present your findings to the council. We will meet on the fifth floor." I told her, in an obvious dismissal.
When she finally got up to leave, I remembered a crucial detail.
"Oh and Lena. You'll take no less than 10 guards with you wherever you go. I have already chosen the ten, but should you find them lacking, tell Ben and he will take care of it." I told her before burying my head in the letter that I was writing.
"Yes, Your Grace."
Damn that sounds good doesn't it. I've gotta learn to watch my ego.
"You called for me Your Grace."
I was beginning to love and hate that saying. Anytime anyone walked into my room, after I summoned them, they led with that. On one hand, it gave me a much needed distraction from other matters. On the other hand, it distracted me from matters that needed my attention.
"Arton, have a seat." I said as I pushed away the document I was working on.
I just casually pushed away a document that will be the equivalent of the Constitution of the United States. I thought as I gave Arton my attention.
"What have you got cooked up now, Your Grace?" Arton asked as he sat down in front of me. I smiled at the casual way he addressed me. He was one of the few with the stones to crack jokes around me. Everyone else seemed to put me on a pedestal and act so uptight around me.
"You have no idea, Arton. But that's not why I called you here." I said, getting down to business. "You followed me across the sea, to a new land when most didn't. You have been more loyal to me than men that I fought and bled with. It is time you are rewarded for your service." I told him, as I folded my hands together.
"You pay well, and you have allowed me to build projects my father, and his father could only dream of. I follow you, because I know that is only the beginning." Arton replied, in his normal truthful manner of speaking.
"Yes well we are going to have a lot more projects in the future. As of this moment, you own 25% of the concrete production and shipbuilding business. You will operate these businesses as if they are your own, or you can hire someone capable to do so. You will also serve as my advisor of infrastructure for my new Kingdom." I told him and reached on my desk for a single piece of paper before I handed it to him.
"That is too much Your Grace." He retorted as he reached out and took the piece of paper from me.
"It's not enough." I corrected him with a stern look. "You will be busy for a while, so I would recommend finding capable men and delegating as much as you can. Never get lazy enough for them to fuck you over though, understand?"
"Yes, Your Grace." Arton nodded.
"Good, now take that piece of paper to Ashara downstairs. She'll have the city layout, and documents delivered to your office. You'll be assigned 10 guards, and you won't go anywhere without them." I told him as I looked back down to the document I pushed aside earlier.
Just a few finishing touches and it's done. Then I just have to consider how to deliver the news to my people.
It was refreshing, having a bit of downtime before the council meeting. I had been busy for what felt like two weeks straight, since my coronation. Quickly it became clear that I would need to install a Judicial system to take care of the petty matters like holding court.
The decision to copy most of the U.S. legal system was an easy one, although it needed to be tweaked to my own liking.
And then there is the issue of freeing the slaves. Would it be best just to rip the bandaid off?
"Your grace."
I looked up to see that Lena had just arrived, and was in the process of sitting down at the table. A guard followed her holding the books I had given her earlier, before she gestured for him to put them on the table. He obeyed and she sat down.
"Well, they are not nearly as effi…"
"We should wait for the others." I told her. "It's going to be a long meeting."
I leaned back in my chair, and closed my eyes, waiting for everyone to show up.
"…My love."
I opened my eyes as I heard Ashara's voice. Her hand was on my shoulder when I looked over to her. As I did so, I realized that I must have dozed off for a few minutes, because everyone was sitting in their seats. Most of them had rolled parchment before them.
Ben sat at my left, wearing a new pair of armor and a new sword. Beside him, Davos Seaworth sat uncomfortably in his seat. Arton sat beside him and Lena beside Arton. Ashara took a seat to my right, signaling the start to the meeting.
"Sorry about that everyone. Sleep has been fleeting recently." I told them as I leaned forward on the large desk in front of us.
"I know the feeling." Davos replied grouchily.
"How did the studying go?" I asked, addressing whoever decided to speak first.
"I cannot read." Davos said to me, almost immediately after I asked the question.
"You'll have to learn, and you'll have to get damned good at it Davos." I told him. He was beginning to become a nuisance as of late.
"I am a sailor, that is what I know, Your Grace. I do not belong here." He objected, almost pleadingly.
"You are capable and trustworthy. That is more than I can say for nearly every lord I have ever met. That is all I need of you." I told him. I did my best to use a tone that told him I wasn't asking anymore. He got the memo and didn't press the issue.
I looked around at the rest of the table, eager to hear everyone else's thoughts. Nobody said anything for a few moments, so I took it upon myself to single them out. "How goes enlistment in the city guard?" I asked Ben. That would be the easiest conversation of the day.
"We have 200 new recruits, not nearly enough to replace our ranks from the attack." Ben responded neutrally.
"With the dragons, I don't even see the point of more guards…" Davos commented, sneakily.
Is that why he's being so snarky and confrontational?
"They are not invincible, Ser Davos. Nor should our people look to them to solve every problem." I retorted. I was doing my best to keep calm against his snarky attitude but it was wearing on me.
"Arton, how goes the repair of the wall?" I asked, jumping to the next issue.
In reality, these conversations I didn't need to have. I knew how everything was progressing in my kingdom, I was a Greenseer after all. In a couple of moments I could be at the wall looking over the construction, or I could be at the guards outpost, or I could be flying over the landscape tracking the Golden Company. But I needed these conversations to warm everyone up for what was coming at the end of the meeting.
"Very well, actually. The decision to substitute concrete where we can has been very beneficial. We should be done, gate and all, within the week." Arton reported, as he looked down at the paper in his hands.
"Good. After that is finished we can move on to the fort I've been meaning to talk to you about." I said, breaking some minor news to the council.
"When you say Fort, your grace. I assume you mean for military use?" Arton asked, catching on quickly.
"Yes. I need it to accomodate 10,000 soldiers at a moments notice. It does not need to have that many beds, don't misunderstand. I need it to accommodate that many. Soldiers are used to sleeping in tents anyway. It will be our base of military operations in the Disputed Lands." I explained. "Have some surveyors sent out, choose a location to your liking, and present some options to me."
"How far from the city, your grace?" Arton asked, as he dipped his pen into some ink beside him and began taking notes.
"No more than half a day's march. I don't want too much military activity in the city unless we have to. This will be our base of operations for the military, so spare no expense, I want a fortress." I continued, trying to get him to understand his assignment.
"Yes your grace, I'll have options drawn up." He answered as he continued to write down on the parchment in front of him.
"How much will this cost, your grace?" Lena asked, cutting into the conversation.
I looked to her, with a pleased look on my face. Finally, someone who understands their role and isn't afraid to speak up on the topic.
"I'm glad you asked, Lena. I'm sure Arton will have an estimate, once everything is drawn up?" I asked, towards Arton's direction.
"Yes, Your Grace." He responded quickly.
"Now, Lena. I assume you took a look at the Banking records. Any thoughts on the matter?" I asked, leaving the question open ended, intentionally.
"Too many, I'm afraid. When we discussed the Bank in Siñon, we estimated hundreds of loans the first year. But in a city of nearly 400,000 the bank only approved…" She looked down to the paper in front of her. "…84 loans."
"Why do you think that is?" I asked, testing her and the rest of my council.
"Well the average interest rate was close to 15%. I thought this was abnormally high, compared to our plans in Siñon." Lena responded quickly, as if she had thought the process over the past few days.
"I do think that has a lot to do with it, but there is a deeper cultural issue that is harder to see." I said as I turned to the rest of the council and held a hand up to them, letting them have the floor.
"Most industries were run by wealthy men. They didn't need to borrow coin they already had." Davos offered, finally giving some good input.
"Once again, that does have something to do with it, but it is not the full picture." I responded, once again waiting for input.
Nobody responded, not even my wife who I thought would be the one to get it right. After a few moments I decided to answer.
"While Myr does boast a large population of nearly 400,000 like Lena mentioned, we are forgetting one crucial fact. two/thirds of that population is slaves, leaving just over 130,000 free men and women even capable of taking out a loan. The rest of our population have no rights. They can own no land, they can draw no wages, and some aren't even allowed to breed."
I paused for a moment, to let that information sink in. Nearly everyone frowned slightly as they pondered the information.
"So in conclusion, as far as we're concerned, we only have 130,000 men and women in Myr. That is why we are having trouble filling positions in the City Guard. That is why our tax numbers are so low." I said pointing to Lena for confirmation on the last bit of information.
"This was a city of Merchants who got fat and rich off of the work of slaves. Imagine if, tomorrow let's say, we could have access to all 400,000 of the population. Imagine if, within a year, our tax numbers doubled, maybe tripled with the population." I told them, revealing my hand.
"You mean to free them?" Ashara asked, surprised.
"Yes." I answered.
"There would be a civil war." Davos said as he leaned on the table, with a hard look on his face.
"Even if there wasn't, it would collapse the economy." Lena commented, frowning at the numbers in front of her.
"Riots, food and labor shortages. The list can go on and on."
"Short term problems that can be mitigated and fixed within a year." I dismissed their concerns with a wave of a hand. "This city has some of the most ridiculous taxes I've ever seen. We are going to get rid of ALL taxes except two: A property tax, and a sales tax. What will this accomplish?" I asked the council, eager to hear their thoughts.
"Financial ruin." Ashara answered quickly as she turned her full body and anger towards me.
"I have to agree with the Queen your grace." Davos answered. "You would immediately become the most hated man in Essos." He commented.
"Not true. Bravos has denounced slavery, has bad relations with nearly all of the other free cities because of it, and they are the most prosperous. They can provide any trade avenues that we lose. And as far as I'm concerned, only a third of my population will hate me. Which is a far lower percentage than almost any King I've ever read of." I retorted.
"The most influential of your population will hate us, they will fight us, and they will ruin us." Ashara scoffed at the idea.
I sighed, a long sigh. I knew it would be a hard conversation, and I was right.
"At least wait until we have recovered from the attack." Ashara pleaded.
"No, the attack is the perfect reason to do it. I need people to settle the lands that I have claimed. They know that I can protect them, I've proven that. I cannot settle on lands the size of the Vale, with a population of 130,000. There is an untapped workforce, and tax potential just sitting there." I said, getting aggressive in the way I talked to them.
"Not to mention it is the right thing to do!" I snarled as my hand slapped the table beneath us. "Perhaps none of you have seen the conditions that slaves live in. Perhaps no one of you realize how at any moment your master can come down and rape your daughter in the night while you listen and can do nothing to stop it! How dare you defend the 'influential' population! I don't give a fuck what it costs! What is an economy to a man that dreams of freedom like you and I have? What price is too high for such a dream? Because if i was in their shoes, the price would be my life and I would be willing to pay that twice over to accomplish it!"
By the end of my speech, I was practically spitting at them. I tried to be reasonable at the beginning of the conversation and lay out the governmental benefits of having a higher population. I thought that would get to them more than anything. But seeing them even defend the slavers got to me more than it should.
I put my head in my hands, as I realized I might have taken it too far.
"This is not how I wanted the first council meeting to go, but I knew it would be a hard one. I appreciate everyone at this table's input, but the decision has been made. I will deliver the news to the city personally." I told them.
Davos and Ashara did look at me with shame in their eyes. I knew they were just thinking about the good of the city. I wouldn't hold it against them.
"Now we need to think of incentives to get the newly freed population out of the city and on the land. I'm thinking we can kill two birds with one stone." I commented, going to the next portion of the conversation.
"What did you have in mind?" Ben asked, seeing as the rest of his council members were too skittish to comment after my tirade.
"In exchange for military service, free land for a family to settle, and education to operate it properly." I said, bringing up a topic for discussion and debate.
"How much land?" Lena asked.
"How long of a military service, and in what capacity?" Davos asked at the same time.
I smiled as they asked the right questions. This is what I needed them to do. Discuss pros and cons. I needed a sounding board.
"Now you're talking like a council."