"You seem to have a fondness for that story, Larys." Daemon said, glancing over to him. Larys looked up at him, once more Larys had been focused on the story in his hand.
"It is a rather tragic story, my Prince." Larys said, sitting by the window as he read a story that Daemon had written. A small stack of notebooks rested upon a shelf near his desk holding the notes and written work the Prince had done in his spare time. While taking some rest from his new duties, he had picked up one of the books to read, the story of Icarus and his father Daedalus; despite the numerous other stories that Prince had on hand, either written from others or himself, he was fascinated by just this story.
"It is a pretty tragic story, though one that contains a warning to its reader." Daemon said, still reading over the notes and writings that Larys had provided him for their meeting with the Lords Bracken and Blackwood; another dispute between the houses over the rights to a patch of land that was not even one-third the length of a league. A good excuse as any for those families to spill blood and disturb the King's Peace.
"Hubris is a tragic thing." Larys said. "One's need to rise above others can lead them to falling lower than they could have imagined." He placed the book down on his desk, looking out of the window towards the city.
"To think, if only Icarus had but listened to his father, had not tried to fly higher than needed, had he of not flown so close to the sun, then he would have survived and escaped his prison."
"I do not see it that way, my Prince." Larys said "While I do blame Icarus for his fall, I believe the blame for this should be placed upon his father."
"Interesting, how so?"
"Was it not his acts and works that led them to the employ of the king of Crete? Was it not his service and unquestioning need to please Crete's Queen that led to the creation of the abomination known as the minotaur?" Larys questioned "And had Daedalus not murdered his own nephew for fear that he might surpass him then he would never have been exiled from Athens in the first place; his hubris made him see threats and in the end it hurt the person he loved most in this world."
"I had never thought of it that way, Larys." Daemon said, looking at the ground "You are right, you might even say that Icarus was only taking after his own father."
"Had his father been a more humble man, had not distrusted his own family, then not only would his legacy have been secure, his son would have been alive." Larys added "It seems in the end we are no better than the people we look up towards."
"Well I can only hope that I help in moulding you into a great man, Larys." Daemon said with a thoughtful smile.
"I have no doubt that you are doing so, my Prince." Larys replied.
"You can call me 'Daemon' Larys, I shall not hold it against you if you do not address me with my title." Daemon said "In fact I would even encourage it."
"I thank you, my Prince." Larys responded "But I fear that should I develop such a habit then one day I will greet you without your title within the presence of mine own father, whom will be wroth to hear such.
"I understand, such is the way of our world." Daemon said.
"Why are you hesitant with others addressing you with you title, my Prince?" Larys asked.
Daemon was silent for a moment, he chewed his lip "I find that when people address me by my title, it almost separates myself from them, tells them that they should do as I say when what I wish to do is convince them of the course of action than command as such."
"It is far easier to command someone, is it not?" Larys asked.
"Perhaps, but no one likes to be commanded of a large decision, they must believe they have a stake in it." Daemon said.
"Sounds very tedious." Larys said.
"Such is the work of power." Daemon replied.
"My father simple says that lords should obey their liege lords as is commanded of them." Larys commented, knowing the bluntness of his father's thinking.
"Your father is a good man, honest to a fault which I can appreciate." Daemon said "Though he is a very stubborn man, very traditional."
"Of that I agree, my Prince." Larys smiled.
"Now, get on an finish your reading, we have to meet with those two riverlords soon enough, Gods knows I am not looking forward to that." He sigh "Some days I curse my brother for offering me this role."
"It is likely a futile venture, my Prince." Larys said "My father had told me that the Blackwoods and Brackens have been feuding with each other since the age of heroes."
"And how long was that ago?"
"I would say some many centuries ago." Larys said. "If I recall I believe that both the Queen Visenya had once arranged marriages in order to facilitate good relations between both houses."
"And yet they still fight, both families may as well be cousins by the blood shared between the two." Daemon remarked.
"Even family spill each other's blood from time to time." Larys replied.
Daemon sighed "If you learn one thing from me Larys it should be this; some things, be it money, power, crowns or glory, that can stir a man to hate another for Gods know how long, may simple not be worth it."
That is easy for a Prince to say.
Larys quickly flicked through the pages of his book before going back to the piece of parchment he had been writing on; all concerning the dispute between the Blackwoods and Brackens over the changes to the river than had once served as the boundary between their lands near the Mill.
Daemon began to clean up his solar space; clearing the desk and stacking his books and parchments onto the shelves. It had once perplexed Larys as to why the Prince never asked for the servants to perform such a task, though the Prince would always being up his excuses
'Oh I am sure the servants have much better things to do.' Or 'A man must learn to clean up after himself, else he becomes lazy.'
But in truth, Larys suspected that the Prince did not like the idea of others perhaps looking through his notes and writings without permission.
"Do you require assistance, my Prince?" Larys asked, almost placing the book down.
"That will not be necessary, Larys." The Prince smiled as he finished placing some items back into the draws before taking a pot of pens and placing them on the desk.
Larys caught sight of another small stack of parchment wrapped in strings which Daemon was going to carry with him, it was but for a moment however Larys had seen the Houses Redwyne, Manderly and Celtigar written on it.
"My Prince." Larys called to Daemon as he stood from his chair, Larys taking his walking stick and leaning his weight against it "I could not help but notice the other stack of parchment you are taking with you."
Daemon raised his eyebrow "You have a keen eye, Larys." He said "This is for another meeting I am going to attend to later on." He said "Nothing to be too concerned about really."
Larys watched as Daemon quickly shoved the parchments into a leather binder, Daemon grips on it now more guarded than before Larys had mentioned it.
Larys was perhaps glad that the lords Blackwood and Bracken had arrived at different times; had they shown up at the same time then no doubt there would have been a quarrel of over who would enter first, such was the tension between the two lords now as they sat opposite of the Prince at his desk.
"My lords, I am confident that we can come to some agreement over this patch of land." Daemon said.
"That land had been a part of my family for near many generations." Lord Humphrey Bracken said "The change of the river does mean that the Blackwoods can suddenly lay claim to it."
"Was it not agreed that the boundaries of our lands was to be marked by stones and the river?" Lord Edmyn Blackwood questioned "That land is on our side of the river, therefore it belongs to my house."
Larys sat quietly at his own desk watching, he glanced over to the map of the land; how it changed over time, the waters of the Red fork cutting through the land, shrinking one's land while also expanding the other side.
"And this land is valuable to farming I presume?" Daemon asked, his eyes darting between the two of them; both he and Larys knew the answer, the land was mainly mud. It may yet become a patch of fertile land to grow crops or graze cattle on, but for now it was but mud.
No, for these two houses it was a matter of pride; the Tully could not find an agreement between the two and now they have taken it to the Small council.
"The land is valuable, my Prince." Lord Humphrey said "The farmers whom live near the river use to graze their cattle on its grass, no the Lord Blackwoods' cattle grow fat from mine smallfolk's work."
"I see." Daemon said.
"Preposterous, and need I remind this cur that there had been many an instance of how herders wandering from Bracken villages wandered into the lands of the Raventree?" Lord Edmyn spoke.
"Have you no shame in speaking of such lies?" Lord Humphrey spat.
The lord Blackwood looked ready to stand from his chair, the look of fury on his face a near burning inferno. "My lords, can we place aside these childish manners and speak as men."
"I am merely keeping to the agreement that both of ours houses had made, the river marks the boundary of our lands." Edmyn said.
Larys flicked through the pages of his notes; no doubt through out the ages had this argument occurred before, a Bracken may have very well used the same argument as lord Blackwood when it was advantageous.
Daemon rubbed his chin "The land is mainly mud for now but I imagine that it will be soon become part of the fertile land, yes?"
"Yes, my Prince." Lord Humphrey jumped to the answer, eager to prove his point.
"Larys, how much in tax did the lord Blackwood collect from those lands in this quarter?" Daemon asked, not turning his head to him as he kept his eyes on the two river lords in front of him.
Larys quickly flicked through the pages "Lord Blackwood had collected some one hundred and twenty silver stags from taxes, my Prince." He answered quickly.
"Would you agree with that assessment, Lord Blackwood?" Daemon asked.
"Yes, my Prince." He replied, guarded in his tone.
"The land is valuable then, and if this was soil that had once belonged to House Bracken then it would, I suppose, still belong to them." Daemon said, Larys could spot the ever so slight ticks of Lord Bracken's lips, concealing his smile. While on the other side, Lord Blackwood tried to conceal his anger, his lips pressed tightly against each other. "Yet, if I were to make a judgement and say that the land on the other side of the Red Fork now belonged to House Bracken despite being on lands of Raventree, then I would be inviting a hundred other disputes from across the Seven Kingdoms who would seek to claim more land for their houses in spite of settled agreements."
Lord Blackwood did not hide his glee as Lord Bracken had.
"Tell me, and speak true, lord Bracken." Daemon asked "Should I say that the land would belong to your house and Lord Blackwood decides to send his levies to occupy the land, would you respond in kind?"
"It would not be my first course of action, my Prince." Lord Bracken said.
"He speaks untrue." Lord Blackwood remarked.
"Mind your tongue!"
"My Lords, settle yourselves." Daemon told them. "But I would have to agree with Lord Blackwood, given the history between your houses, I would not find it surprising if I were to receive word of clashes between yourselves over the matter, maintaining the King's peace is my priority." Daemon turned to Larys who then handed him a parchment of paper, one that he had written for the meeting to be signed. "In my hands is an arrangement that should settle this matter; firstly the land will belong to House Blackwood as the old agreement had stated, the river shall remain the boundary between your houses." Lord Blackwood puffed out his chest while Lord Bracken's jaw tensed. "However, I shall not let House Bracken leave here emptied handed, the land may in time become valuable which is why I have assigned that a portion of the tax collect from the surrounding lands be allocated to House Bracken, some forty silver stags from it's income would suffice, yes?"
For the next hour or so, the two haggled with the Prince on the amount that would be allocated, in the end an agreement was finally reached and both men left the Prince's solar, the experiencing looking to be thoroughly exhausting for the Prince who slummed into his chair and let out a loud sigh.
"Agh, kill me now." He jested.
"There is still the meeting with the Small council to attend to, my Prince." Larys reminded him, Daemon groaned loudly.
"What if I just say I have succumb to illness, Larys?" he asked "Maybe we can avoid the meeting and instead go to a tavern in the street of silk, I shall pay for the drinks."
Larys smiled "As nice as that sounds, my Prince, I think it best you attend the meeting."
"Oh you are right." Daemon said, he reached over to one of the draws in his desk and pulled out another stack of parchment.
The Prince has a love for writing.
"Let us go over some points for my 'little project'" he said in half jest, tapping on the stack, he picked up the parchments and moved over to Larys' desk, not wanting him to move to Daemon's desk; the Prince had always been very considerate to him. A kind of kindness that he would have be given to by his brother Harwin.
How it irked him.
"I thank you, my Prince." Larys said as Daemon took his seat opposite to him.
"Have a look at some of these proposals." He asked, handing him some of the parchments; Larys quickly read through them, flicking his fingers through each one. Many of the proposals had peaked his interest, far reaching and bold.
"An end to the fighting pits and a mandatory age for those soliciting and working at brothels?" Larys asked "Including additional funds towards orphanages and apprenticeships, and that is just everything involving children."
"Seeing a girl not even as old as Rhaenyra on the streets of Silk, it is enough to feel ill." Daemon said. "I also had plans for expanding certain services and establishments that the smallfolk."
"This is also including your proposed creation of the 'civil service' that you hope the council will approve of." Larys said. "You must know that they will not approve this, my Prince."
"I am aware of this, many of those proposals I would hope to see made law one day, I accept they must be the sacrificial lambs for the creation of the civil service." Daemon said "In it's entirety, that includes allowing both men and women to serve in it's positions, however others in the council are resistant to this."
"Including my own father?" Larys asked, and Daemon said nothing. "The proposal surrounding your position is also interesting; all correspondence between lords, from letters to writings in meetings, should be available to the king and members of the council freely."
That had interested Larys the most.
"I think my seat may have the capability of becoming one of the most powerful in the seven kingdoms; connections to lords and magisters, if anyone wishes to challenge a king then having my seat would give them the power to do so." Daemon said. "Also doesn't hurt to be open and honest with the council of my dealings."
"You have created a prison for yourself." Larys said. "You would keep no secrets within your seat in the council, maybe leave yourself vulnerable to others?"
Daemon was quiet for a moment before speaking "It is only a prison if you have something to hide and I am an open book, well most of the time at least." Daemon began to scribble down more words on the parchment "And it is my belief the others in the council should follow, honest governance is the best kind."
Larys resisted the urge to look onto the stack of parchments, hidden in the leather bind that held the names of certain houses. "Forgive me but I would believe that such sentiment would either be naïve or dishonest in itself." The Prince did not respond, only laughed.
And I know which one you fall under.
Once the meeting was done, The Prince had thanked Larys for his time before departing for the small council meeting. Leaving Larys to go and see his family see off his eldest brother before he left for the Vale.
At the docks of King's Landing, Larys watched as his father delivered his parting words to Harwin, a firm hand placed on his shoulder, behind him both his sisters, Bella and Harra, watched next to him with tearful eyes. The waters were calm and the skies clear, the wind blew against the sails of the galley with his family's banner upon it.
"You shall make your House and myself proud." His father told Harwin. "Follow Lord Gunthor commands and be sure to pay Lady Jeyne the respect that she is warranted as Warden of the East."
"Yes, father." He replied, before being pulled into a tight embrace. Their father pulled back and patted him onto the shoulder. Harwin turned to their sisters, hugging each one tightly.
"You shall behave while I am away." Harwin told them. Both of them tearful agreed to as he placed a kiss on their foreheads.
Then he turned to Larys, the two looking at each other for a moment before Harwin brought him into an embrace, almost knocking Larys off balance. He tried to steady himself and grit his teeth. Even though he knew his brother meant well. He still hated it.
Harwin pulled back "I shall miss you, brother." Larys could see the tears in his eyes, Larys felt strange that he could not feel the same way as him. Yet Larys patted him on the shoulder.
"Be strong for us, brother." Larys told him "You are mightiest among us." Harwin laughed was genuine yet sad. "I shall miss you too, brother." Harwin embraced him one last time before he walked towards the galley, climbing the steps and onto the deck. His sisters waving him goodbye as the ship began to sail away into the Blackwater Bay.
"This is a good opportunity for him." His father said "Hopefully he shall form a bond with the Lord Arnold and by all accounts House Royce has become a growing power in the Vale, he shall bring out House's reach further."
As Larys watched his brother's galley sail away, he could not help but wonder of the Prince's hand in matters; his bonds with those on the small council, his dealings with the Hand and Master of Ships, how he favoured Myles Hightower over Criston Cole.
And now there was Larys' family; taking himself as a page and almost informal advisor, arranging a tutoring for his brother in the Eyrie, the seat of power in the East… was this all just to allow women into the Prince's grand idea of a organisation of scribes, stewards, clerks and administrators?
No.
In Larys mind, in his very heart, and every part of his being he knew that there was something far greater at play. Of which he did not know of.
But one that The Prince Daemon did.