"Careful, girl."
I threw the strap over her massive scaled body and did my best to avoid the horns that seemed to sprout out of every bone she had. Weirña stilled her body for a moment but her head was still trying to see what we were putting on her back.
"Got it." I heard Ben say on the other side, signaling that he had caught the leather strap that I threw to him.
"Good, now back under to me." I told him as I recited the same lines as Aegon the Conqueror did to his sisters when mounting Balerion. It was one of the many things I had been looking at in the past. A dragon's saddle was no simple thing, that was for sure.
I grabbed the leather strap and pulled it tight against the breast of Weirña, who grumbled in annoyance. Then I looped it back through the hole it was supposed to be in and latched it on the other side. Then, with everything done, I yanked on the saddle to make sure that it was never coming off. The last thing I needed was to fall from a thousand feet up in the sky. What an end to a Gamer that was just crowned King.
"That wasn't so bad." I heard Ben say as he walked out from underneath Weirña and towards where his dragon sat watching. "Was it Anogar?" He asked.
Anogar, who was laying about thirty yards away, waiting for his turn looked away from Ben and stood up before spreading his arms wide. It was obvious to everyone around that he was about to take off.
"Don't you dare!" Ben yelled to the massive beast before he could have the opportunity to push off of the ground.
"Hahahahaha!"
I turned to see Ashara and Vorian sitting horseback some ways away. Vorian was laughing and pointed at Ben and Anogar. His laughter had already spread to Ashara and they were both laughing at the situation.
"Not so bad at all, Ben!" I cracked as I leaned down and hoisted the second saddle on my shoulder and started walking towards Anogar.
The dragon saddle was something perfected over a long time, and a marvelous piece of simple leather work. One thing to note was that the dragon masters of old actually had dragon scale and dragon skin saddles, materials that were significantly more sturdy than our current saddles.
These will have to do.
I raised a foot and planted it in the first 'stirrup', using that to hoist myself up and put my other foot in another stirrup. Three steps later, I swung my leg over the saddle and sat down. I took a moment then to reach down and rub the scales on Weirña before patting her. It was an odd point of view to be much higher in the air than a horse, but still on the ground. No spear that any man could wield was long enough to reach me dragonback.
Weirña stirred, and I could feel her anxiousness through our bond.
"Woah girl, let me get strapped in." I told her as I reached down to my leg and pulled three straps. One at my ankles, one at my knee, and another one that was to stay relatively loose near my thigh so that I could have some movement in the saddle. Then I reached down and did the same on the other side.
I looked back to Ashara and blew her a kiss. My eyes stayed on the round swelling in her abdomen. Something stirred behind my heart at the thought of my child. Maybe it was love, maybe it was protectiveness. I put it out of my mind and patted Weirña twice on the back.
"I'm ready!" I told her with a smile.
I was not ready.
Weirña's legs crouched and her winged arms spread out wide. And then she jumped, and I was not prepared for the G-forces it would produce. Like on a rollercoaster, but without something to brace myself on, my head and neck plummeted towards her scales.
I only barely managed to put my hands up and stop myself from head butting her spine. Luckily, there was nothing to impale myself on there, or I would have with at least my hands.
Then she flapped her wings once, and since I was now paying attention, I was able to keep back straight and my head up. That's when I looked down, and saw that we were already fifty feet in the air.
'Thump'
'Thump'
'Thump'
With each flap of her wing, my chest rumbled as we gained altitude.
At one hundred feet in the air, I fell in love with the feeling of flying. And soon, we were so high up that I could barely make out any human shapes. I did, however, notice the other dragon rising in the air behind us. As I twisted and looked back at Ben and Anogar, I saw the terrified look on Ben's face and the way he gripped his dragon beneath him.
I couldn't help the smile that split my face.
I raised my arms off of Weirña's back and spread them wide as the wind bit into my clothes and pulled my hair back.
"AAAAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
The landing was just as bad as the take-off. But I was prepared this time and braced myself. I wasted no time in reaching down and unstrapping myself before climbing down. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I buckled and almost fell over. I only managed to catch myself and use the saddle for leverage for a moment as I stood still.
"Petyr! Are you alright?" I heard Ashara's voice call out in worry.
"Yes I'm fine." I placated with a smile. "But it seems I was latching on to her the whole time, like it was my first time on a mount."
Her worried look turned into a playful one. "I thought you would be used to mounting by now…" She retorted, in a seductive tone with a smirk that promised pleasure.
I laughed as I set my feet and wobbled over to her and my horse.
"Donyllo High Priest of the Red Temple of Myr."
I sat there quietly while the priest entered into my line of sight. He looked just as I expected him to. He wore robes of blood red that were surprisingly stylish. An amulet, almost exactly as Melisandre's had been, was hanging around his neck. His robes fit to his frame snugly, and it was a frame he was obviously proud of. He was fit, although not overly so. He had a swimmers build, which I found odd for a fire priest.
But the most impressive thing was the silver hair that fell down to his mid back, and the dark violet eyes that stared at me. Had I been a woman, or into men, I would have recognized his otherworldly beauty. But as it stood, he was someone to watch as he would no doubt try to convert me to the Lord of Light.
"Your Grace." The man bowed slightly before approaching.
"High Priest." I greeted. "Have a seat if you like." I told him while gesturing to the chair in front of me.
"The meeting should be quick, I hope you don't mind if I stand." Donyllo retorted with a perfectly fluent High Valyrian.
He is Valyrian, through and through.
"No problem at all." I responded in High Valyrian. "How can I help you?" I asked. I did not have a lot of time nowadays, and I did not like to waste any.
"I had heard rumors from across the sea. Rumors that you take to the false gods of the weirwood, old demons that ruled Westeros in times long ago. I cared not for these rumors. Then I received word of fully matured weirwood trees growing overnight in the lands surrounding Myr."
Ah I see what this is. He isn't here to convert me, he's here to demand something.
"Let me guess." I said, before he had the chance to continue. "You would like me to make them stop?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
Donyllo smiled and clasped his hands in front of him. "Oh no your grace. The Lord of Light demands much more than that." He told me in a matter-of-fact type of tone.
"Do go on." I told him while cocking my head so that my good ear was towards him. "Demand something of me, Donyllo." I continued, letting venom seep into my voice.
"It is not I, Your Grace, but the Lord of Light that demands this. I am but his priest. I look into flame and discern his will." Donyllo said, much more amicably than earlier. He sensed that he was about to piss me off, and he was obviously not willing to venture into those waters yet.
"The Lord of Light demands they be cut down, and burned for the travesty." Donyllo told me, all the while keeping a smirk on his face and looking me directly into the eyes.
You've got to be fucking me. Not months into my rule and I'm about to start a holy war.
I sat back in my chair and sighed. My hands came to my face and I couldn't help but rub my eyes for a moment. When I stopped I sat back up and gave him my full attention.
"Surely we can compromise on this, Donyllo. In this city, my people can worship any gods they choose…" I told him, beginning what I thought was going to be a long answer to his demand.
"Unacceptable." Donyllo interrupted as his smile turned to a frown. "The Lord of Light…"
No he didn't… I thought as aggravation crept into my veins. I was trying to be understanding, but why did this fucking priest think he could just walk in and make demands on what he interpreted?
"Can go fuck himself, along with you." I told him while pointing a finger right at him, interrupting what he was about to say in the same manner that he did me.
"I care about this city, and the people within it. The people's best interest would be to worship whatever gods they wish. Should any choose the old gods of North Westeros then so be it. You may continue to worship the Lord of Light in any manner you see fit. But I will not have one religion burning what is effectively an altar or symbol for another's religion! Do you understand me?" I was talking very aggressively by the time I asked that last question and it was obviously rhetorical.
Donyllo didn't allow his anger to show on his face. It turned to stone before me, and I realized that he was allowing me to see the emotions he wanted me to see earlier. He was done with that it seemed. I would bet money that I saw the exact moment that he denounced me as a heathen in his mind.
And I thought this conversation would end with him proclaiming me as Azor Ahai or Prince that was Promised or some other title.
"What gods do you follow, Your Grace?" The priest asked me, in an almost condescending and dismissive tone.
"I believe there is only one god, that encompasses everything. I believe that you and countless other religions mistake magic for divinity. I believe that you can look into flames and receive prophetic visions, or even communication from somewhere else but I do not believe it is the Lord of Light delivering it. I believe that the weirwoods you hate allow certain people to view into the past and travel the world without ever moving their body. I do not believe this is a gift from the old gods. Shall I continue with the other religions, or magic?" I asked, equally as condescending.
Donyllo smiled an obviously fake smile towards me. "The Lord of Light denounces you." Donyllo said before turning around and walking out of the room.
Before he could leave the room, I left him with something to think on, and a threat I was more than capable of delivering.
"Should you or any of your followers burn down a single weirwood, I will bathe you, your temple, and your priests in dragon fire and you will meet your god of flames screaming!"
"It will come as no surprise that the Red Priests are denouncing you publicly, and spreading rumors that should not be mentioned in your presence."
Davos was being particularly cordial today, despite his normal protests at his new position on land and not at sea. The change was a welcome one, but unexpected.
"Yes. I've been thinking on how to solve that problem." I answered while looking around the table. "Any ideas?" I asked, leaving it open ended.
"You did threaten Dragon Fire…" Ben answered with a smirk. It terrified me. For one, that was a threat I was willing to deliver and that terrified me. For two, Ben also thought it apt punishment, which led me to question his newfound leadership position.
"Only if they begin burning weirwood, which they haven't. Truth be told, I shouldn't have said that. My temper got the best of me." I retorted while looking at him out of the corner of my eye. His smile faded from his mouth as he realized I did not take that decision lightly.
"Relocation? Outside of the city." Arton presented.
"That is brash, and should be considered only as a last resort." Ashara responded. "Need I remind the council that this is the dominant religion in the Free Cities? It would not do well to alienate ourselves from them in matters of religion. Historically, it hasn't gone well for us." She said while looking at me with a 'or have you forgotten' look.
"That's true." I said as I rubbed my eyes, a habit that I would have to kick. "We can't do anything to affect them directly." I decided as I pondered what Ashara said. "Not yet at least."
"I think that the separation of church and government is fundamental." I said, almost randomly to the council. "It is none of our business what the citizens of this city decide to worship. Only when it comes to the safety of our people, will we ever step in."
"Then what do you propose we do about this issue, your grace?" Ser Davos asked, in a knowing type of tone.
He's catching on.
I had a habit of keeping the council on matters that I decided were worth talking about. As this was only our fourth one, to anyone who was paying attention, it would become obvious that I had a decent answer to almost every solution I brought up. But I did want to hear other ideas from people I respected. Recently, things had been going my way, though.
"Lena, why did we take control of the bank, instead of giving it to another family as we did with the other industries?" I asked, trying to lead everyone to the conclusion. I couldn't just give them the answer without making them think through it first.
"To control the money supply, and to keep an eye on the Myrish Coin." She answered after a moment of contemplation.
"Yes, exactly. How can we get control over the information our people consume?" I asked, getting down to the question at hand. That caused everyone to pause in consideration. It was a pause that I allowed to go on for a time, until Ashara answered.
"You could use someone to deliver daily messages to the people. Some Lords of Westeros do this to deliver news of war, or the coronation of new rulers." Ashara said, throwing out a simple answer.
"A good solution and probably the best one. For a city this big, there could be multiple people spread throughout the districts, delivering the same message." I latched onto the idea and talked my way through it. I was thinking of a newspaper system with a printing press but this idea was better in the short term. "This can also evolve. We could deliver a daily letter to the people of the city. Sell it for cheap and people can read it for themselves in the future."
"Not everyone can read your grace." Ser Davos said, almost exactly as I expected him to.
"And we could not employ enough people to write that many letters. We would not be able to meet the supply needs." Lena also threw in her two cents, cutting into my idea immediately.
Naturally I already had these reservations of my own. "It's just a thought for the future." I said in a placating manner. "I'll write the messages myself, since it seems that is all I do nowadays." I told them as I realized more just got dumped onto my plate.
"That reminds me, any word of the documents you've been hiding from us?" Ben asked, latching on to the topic. He had been bringing it up ever since I had delivered the news that I would eventually free the slaves in the city.
"They are done, Ben, which reminds me. We are about to go through a massive reformation period, and it will begin with what I call the Judicial system." I said as I reached down beside me and grabbed a stack of parchment before placing it on the desk.
"What is the ju… judicial system?" Davos asked as he stumbled on the word.
Immediately I began passing out copies of what I wanted them to read and study before the next council meeting. A groan could be heard from at least two of them.
"We'll discuss this more thoroughly in the next meeting."
POV Belar Bahin
When my father made me go apply for the position of Public Speaker on behalf of the Crown, I was not excited. I wanted to become a merchant like him, not read off a piece of paper for the rest of my life.
I had never expected to be chosen for the position either. But at the young age of 17, I gave my first speech. It was easy too, I just read the paper that was given to me by the King's servant. It was not a short roll of parchment, nor was it as long as the ledgers my father kept.
I never expected people to stop and stare at me as I read it. I was told to read it 4 times a day at minimum, but after the first day I found myself reading it no less than 20 times. The merchants of the city loved the information that was provided to them, and the first day was simply an introduction to my position.
The second day, I read the paper 30 times, but only 15 of it was aloud.
"People of Myr!
The King has good news today! Shipments of grain, food, and seedlings have been delivered from Bravos! We WILL settle the disputed lands, and we WILL make it fertile. The current shipments will be distributed to the current farms and merchants of the city at below market rate to help our people. We are STILL recovering from the Betrayal after all!
That brings me to the promise that I gave atop the walls the day you named me King. The Disputed Lands require work and bravery from our people! The seedlings need to be planted, and worked for them to grow into food for our people. BUT before we farm the land, before we develop land, we must settle it.
Starting today, should you travel outside of the city east to the nearest town, a mere half day ride, there will be surveyors waiting on you. They will be Myrish men paid by the Crown. Approach these men, and they will take you to YOUR NEW LAND for free! Land owned and worked by you.
King Petyr will not charge you for the land that is already yours. All you must do is ride east to the surveyors and you will be given 10 Acres to grow animals, or crops to your liking. You will not pay for the land, but you will pay for the lumber to build your houses, or you will cut the trees down yourself. You will pay for the seedlings to plant. You will buy the pigs, chickens, and cows. But the land is yours!
These lands are under Myrish Law and you will remember that! This will be on a first come first serve basis! You will take the land given to you and you will be happy. You will NOT take another mans land through violence, and you will not SELL that land for the foreseeable future. Any violations of this edict, or Myrish law, will be met with swift and brutal punishment, similar to how we dealt with the Golden Company!
So go forth people of Myr! Go forth!
Signed King Petyr Baelish of Myr."
I was breathing heavily by the time that I finished reading off of the paper. It was exhilarating in a way that I couldn't imagine. Part of it was the content of the paper. Free land? That was unimaginable in years past and something only given to the richest of families. Now anyone that showed up could claim the land?
Belar decided that he liked his new position, and that the new King of Myr couldn't be as bad as the red priests claimed him to be.
Petyr POV
Ping! Skill level up!
Public Speaking Lvl 74
I smiled as I read the notification. It had only been a week since we had implemented Ashara's idea of having public speakers address the city. Every day I wrote a letter to the people, no matter how mundane. And every day I had different people delivering my speech.
Somehow, I was getting experience from this. The Gamer power had somehow applied them speaking on my behalf as experience.
That is so broken. I thought as I tried to come up with other ideas to break the game.
I focused on the martial aspect of the game the entire time, when I should have thought of it as the ultimate governing tool. I could have stayed in my lands, instead of marching to war and losing everything. But then again, I wouldn't have taken Myr or learned my lesson of Westeros if I'd done that.
"Your grace."
I looked up to see my servant there. "Commander Ben is here on urgent business." The man said before walking away.
Normally I would tell him to let Ben in, but it seemed that Ben had just walked on by my guards by the sound of boots hitting my floor at a hurried pace.
"How bad is it?" I called out to Ben as he stalked into my solar with purpose.
"For the first hour, my men had to draw their weapons no less than 10 times to calm the crowd. There is a line from Myr all the way to Zir, you'll have to put constraints on it. Call the people back." Ben nearly commanded as he walked up and put his hands on the desk in front of me.
"No." I told him. "Once they experience the banditry, and the difficulty of settling new land, they'll police themselves. Have Anogar fly over the road, reminding people not to step out of line. Make examples of wrongdoers. I never told you it would be easy." I explained as I gave him my full attention.
"Then hire more surveyors. We have to do something." Ben pleaded as he put his hands on my desk.
I nodded to him. "I'll send out word that anybody with any surveying experience will be needed on the new lands."
"Thank you. Now I must get back, but this time I'll do as you say and take Anogar." Ben said as he turned around and stalked out of my solar.
I smiled despite the chaos that must be going on in the lands. It would all work itself out in the end.
Ping! Skill level up!
Oh yes, this was how I capitalized on the Gamer. I couldn't help but smile diabolically with how much change I could accomplish just by writing daily letters to my people and having a delegate deliver the news.
Is this how the Gamer was supposed to be used the entire time?