-Chapter 40-
-POV Cersei-
"So, let's recap, the first phase of the plan is to demonize her," I said, trying to understand why Ronnet was dispatching messengers across the Stormlands, the Reach, the Westerlands, and the Crownlands.
"Yes, we will make sure that everyone imagines her as the perfect demon. But it needs to be subtle. For example, remind them how the dragons terrorized the population, how the Targaryens ruled with madness, causing massacres for pure pleasure. We must exaggerate by recounting how the mad king wanted to sacrifice all of King's Landing."
Ronnet thought for a few seconds before saying:
"We could say that 500,000 souls were the price of the blood magic to reincarnate into a dragon with wildfire, a price the mad king was ready to pay, how she sacrificed the same number of people to awaken her dragons. The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed, because in all stories, there is a grain of truth. And even if the smallfolk think we are lying and that it wasn't 500,000 people, they might think it was maybe 5,000."
I frowned and then said, "And then what will we do?"
Ronnet shrugged and then rested his head against my belly, saying:
"Simple, then we need to win the love of the people. So, we will organize soup kitchens like the ones I have already set up everywhere in the Stormlands since I became its liege lord, and more recently in the capital."
"Is that all?" I asked, thinking it was much too simple.
Ronnet smiled slightly before shaking his head and saying:
"Of course not, but it's a very good start. We will first target the large port cities like Maidenpool, Oldtown, King's Landing, Lannisport, and so on, to reach as many people and merchants as possible, who in turn will spread the word wherever they go."
"But that can't be all we do to defeat her; we will never succeed this way," I asked, skeptical about his plan.
Ronnet smiled and said, "We will not be the ones fighting her."
"Then who?" I asked.
I smiled and then said, "The slavers, of course."
"And may I know why they would lend us a hand?" I asked, still not understanding where he was going with this.
"For the simple reason that we are not their enemies, she is. Whether she stays in Essos or takes the throne of Westeros, she has already shown her disgust and her fight against slavery. She promised her people not to stop until she has freed all the peoples of the world," said Ronnet.
"And her allies in the kingdom?" I asked, not understanding how we would deal with those still fighting on our territory.
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-POV Ronnet-
I caressed her small rounded belly and said, "We have only one mission for now: stabilize the country and its economy, and continue to train as many soldiers as possible, and of course without slowing down in other areas. Speaking of which, my dear, you know how little I appreciate the current land management."
She nodded while running a hand through her long red mane: "So, I have spent weeks refining a method to maximize our gains while keeping the peasants in the palm of our hand."
She said nothing, so I took a deep breath and said, "First of all, instead of leaving these workers without ties, I will bind them to our land with renewable contracts. It's an elegant way to ensure them a home and to guarantee our workforce. They will have clearly defined obligations, but in return, we will offer them an illusory control over their lives."
I saw Cersei frown slightly in discontent, so I added:
"But there will be limits, of course. For example, they will not be able to leave our lands as they please. They will have periods of indulgence, but always with the promise of a return, and before leaving our lands, they will have to speak with their liege lord first."
Her interest seemed piqued, so I continued: "Regarding the harvests, we will take the vast majority, of course. However, I am willing to let them keep a small fixed portion based on the quantity of the harvests, clearly negotiated in the contract we will pass. This will give them the illusion of having some control over their lives while ensuring us the majority of the profits."
Seeing that she seemed more and more delighted as I spoke, I then addressed the issue of legal status:
"They will have a status that will be recognized in the kingdom's charters to avoid legal problems, but this status will be designed to always favor us."
I could see that at this point she was truly impressed, but I didn't stop there:
"I also thought about resources. I will rent them tools as well as mills existing on our lands or that we will build later, but always against payment in kind generally. This means more income for us and therefore, at the same time, more control over how they use our lands."
She smiled, and I knew I was on the right track:
"Flexibility will be our main asset. If circumstances change, we will renegotiate the contracts to our advantage. Moreover, if these workers find ways to improve the land, we will reap the main benefits because we can apply that to all our estates."
I paused for a moment to let my words sink in:
"Naturally, there will be penalties for those who dare to challenge our system, severe consequences. But to balance, I thought of a controlled education to ensure a qualified workforce."
With a radiant smile, she pushed me onto my back before saying with a hungry smile:
"That's exactly why I love you."
I widened my eyes at the revelation but didn't stop her and undressed quickly. That night was destined to be a sleepless night for me.