293AC
"From the Office and hand of Prince Arthur Baratheon, founder, and first executive of the Kingdom of the Stepstones:
Notice of addition to the Grey Gallows civil code, specifically regarding fishing rights in the Harding coast area.
Due to the wealth of fish in the Harding coast region, there have been numerous violent disputes over its specific ownership amongst the surrounding villages.
In accordance with my intention of bringing prosperity and order to the region, and to avoid exhausting the fish therein I decree the creation of the Harding Coast Limited fishing area. Individual fishermen or companies will file for monthly permits to fish in the area north of Bitter-bite and south of Copper Rock. These permits shall be subject to the regulation of the Hunting office in Great Gallows.
All questions regarding this and other legislative actions should be directed to my office.
Signed Prince Arthur Baratheon."
I sighed as I finished writing the order, placing it in the pile with the other ones on my desk. I had six months to add legislation to my new kingdom entirely unopposed by local interests, at least from a legal standpoint. Presuming no major disruptions, like being called into Essos, I thought that I might just pull it off.
I was a fucking moron.
I had thought running an army was hard, but multiplying that out over multiple Islands? All populated by vastly different people who held vastly different preferences, and each of whom was normally fairly divorced from the others, and in a general state of anarchy?
It was like trying to play whack-a-mole on six machines simultaneously. And there wasn't even pre-existing statute to fall back on. Mostly they just killed each other to resolve problems out here, and that, of course, had half of the villages and towns hating each other, a problem I hadn't even foreseen with all my research of the geography and culture of the region.
Even my captains, theoretical future governors some of them, we're constantly asking for clarification, despite the time I had taken educating them of their roles back in Dragonstone.
On top of this, my dreams were full of a very interesting but thus far largely useless undersea city, which seemed to be utterly incapable of holding its shape long enough for me to meaningfully interact with. One which I was extremely interested in but for which I had no method to expand my contact.
And, of course, above it all, my heart still ached dully and unnaturally for Arianne. The memory of her happy words at sea and her cheerful laughter, and undeniably the memory of her wonderful body as well, they all coiled around in my head like a thundercloud, raging at the edges and waiting to burst.
I drained my cup of tea (another thing I had to have imported from Dragonstone) in a series of heavy gulps, downing the bitter liquid in the hope that it would relieve me slightly.
It didn't. I placed it down perhaps a tad too harshly, for Maena nearly jumped out of her skin.
Even now she was terrified of me I could tell, but whether it was loyalty, fear, or awe I saw in her eyes when she looked at me, her quintupled salary seemed to keep her attached, and most importantly, mouth shut.
After a moment of awkward silence, she finally spoke in a small voice.
"Would you like more tea, your Grace..?"
"Ye-no… and I'm sorry if I scared you Maena. It is only that behind a desk is not where I belong, not for thirty-four hours in a row at least. But then, it is my responsibility, my duty, and one that I willingly sought out no less." I chuckled, looking down at my hands before turning to face the meek woman. "And Duty, Responsibility, these things are the greatest good in the world. They are the good that comes from power, and of those who seek to wield its intoxicating majesty and yet remain righteous. I hope dearly that I can stand amongst that number. Would you close the shutters please, I am going to recharge myself."
The woman's eyes went wide, and she hastily nodded, rushing to her task with a rapid fervor.
The greatest benefit in my mind of taking her on as a personal servant was that I didn't have to attend to such things myself. She saved me precious minutes that could be spent building the foundation of future progress instead.
When all was done, I called on that bubbling storm once again, taking its energy to refill myself. Roiling lightning crackling beneath my skin, sparks shuddering out from my form.
Having one who knew that I did this and kept it secret in turn was a great relief on my spirit. And I certainly appreciated Maena's presence in these silly rituals as well, even if the occasional look of worship I got from her eyes was not entirely what I intended.
Or was it?
Would it be so bad to be worshipped, elevated as a god? That would have benefits as well. Though the negatives were obvious as well. It was too easy for a mistake to break a god.
Still, those concerns were for another day, and I had a nation to build.
Even as the last crackles of lightning diminished back into my skin, I rose from where I had sat on my bed, drawing my riding cape over my shoulders and buckling the brooch to my uniform.
Even with my energy resurgent, I needed to leave this small room, and the surveyors had reported some favorable sights for my new capital, especially around some river valleys on the Mountainous north side of the island.
"I am going to go out with a party and survey the potential sites for my future capital. You are obviously on leave from your service to me until I get back."
"A-as you wish, Your Grace."
I felt a little bad for the woman, working with me for eight hours a day and then returning to her apparently large family at home. I might be able to avoid sleep for days at a time, but she rather obviously needed more of it than she was getting, especially since the Stepstones lacked any sort of real weekend.
Hopefully, this would serve as a relieving break for her as well. She couldn't ride anyhow.
I snatched up the new legal codes from my desk. I would need to take them down to the office proper so that my men under Ser Riverham could carry each of the decrees to its appropriate destination, or send it to the printing press I had set up underneath the newly founded Fort Stannis.
The knight was an invaluable asset to me on the logistical front, organizing my internal post-office back on Dragonstone, and here as well. Especially important for getting news from Essos around, now that siege on Myr had intensified.
He was also entirely unsuited to the rank of knighthood, being a man fat enough to crush most horses spines, and greasy as a hog, but when he could get the mail where it needed I couldn't care less about his weight.
Altogether it took about an hour and a half to rustle up the survey riders and Jaerys for a three-day ride around the north side of the island, and we trotted out of the gate of Great Gallows around eleven am, advancing into the wilder inland of Grey Gallows.
Of course, the island was willing to prove itself quite dedicated to its name, and a few hours later clouds began to gather overhead. The bulging belly of the sky popped the seal off of its trillion gallon jug and took to pouring out a diurnal night. It spewed cold and grey and ceaseless rain, right down on our heads, turning our trails to mud and our clothes into sopping messes.
But then, I always did think riding in the sunshine was boring.