Chapter 41: Chapter 41
"This is folly." Branda berated me, just a moment before she took a moment to sigh in relaxation as I worked at her feet. Apparently, Branda liked having her feet massaged, and considering her pregnancy, man did she like not being on her feet for too long.
Betha was in agreement with my queenly wife as she laid down on a couch, idly picking at a cup of grapes nearby. She might have been the picture of an all relaxed queen, but when she spoke, their was a firmness behind it. It meant that you had to listen. "You have capable vassals underneath you. There is no need for you to take the field personally."
And I listened.
I worked my fingers on Branda's feet to get even more into whatever bliss she was currently finding herself in. I genuinely had no idea what I was doing, I was merely working my hands on her feet and that seemed to be working just fine.
The Queen Dowager continued speaking as she picked at the stump of a grape. "If you must have someone represent you on the field, sent Ser Rodrik. He is your general, is he not? If not him, any of your 'Knight-Captains'." Like many, she was still getting used to the new organisation of the Kingsguard.
I was just giving them time to get used to it.
Branda wasn't wholly into it, but she was in agreement all the way. "Yes. Sent Father. He'll see your will be done. There's no need for you to endanger yourself."
"I won't be endangering myself. I can barely fight as it is remember?" I raised up my right arm that wasn't useful, but at the same time, wasn't all that useless. Fine motor skills being a skill that had been taken away from me. Thank you, Old Mother. "Others will be doing the fighting for me."
"All the more reason for you to remain with the Red Keep, to rule over your kingdoms."
I shook my head as I released the leg that was within my lap to move onto the next one. From the corner of my eyes, I could see with some amusement, Ser Gwayne, making a valiant effort to look at anywhere else other than his queen's bare ankles.
Ankles were sexy, apparently.
"The men need to see me. The man they will be fighting." I stopped for a moment. "And the king they will be dying for." After all, in this particular day and age, what was the point of dying for a distant man who you never know?
I doubt many of the men will be able to know me, but the few that I will 'forcefully' ingratiate myself with will be more than willing to spread tales about me. I liked to think I wasn't bad with this whole image making thing.
Betha shook her head. "I swear, you are just as stubborn as your Father."
"It seems to be a trait that runs in the family. Grandfather, you, Duncan...I can go on." I said with a little twinkle in my eyes. And it was less more of me being stubborn and more than me being in the field had a purpose. "And anyway, in the worst case scenario, there's Luc and Theo on hand. The future of the realm is quite secure."
It was all meant in jest, but someone didn't take that statement as much of a jest. In hindsight, I should have taken to note that there was currently a pregnant, somewhat hormonal woman nearby as Branda gave me a quick kick with nearest available foot. "That's not funny." She said with a frown.
My grandmother just seemed more interested in shaking her head at my statement. Had she been shaking her head the moment that I had said it?
I rubbed at my middle. I had barely felt the kick, it being something of a weak thing, but little things like this could do a whole wonder. "Sorry, sorry. It was in bad taste. Won't happen again."
"Why would you say something like that? Do remember that the gods do love their little games."
When she says it like that, what I did say was if anything, a red flag and I was in Westeros. I should probably cut that shit out. I decided to try and change the subject from matters of state to something else entirely.
Something more pressing. Like my wife's pregnancy.
"Is it just me, or are you bigger compared to the times you were pregnant with our current brood."
The expression on Branda's face changed from one of annoyance and worry with me to a thoughtful one rather quickly. She looked at her belly and cocked her head to the side. "Mayhaps? I don't really know." She looked towards her grandmother-in-law. "Am I bigger?"
Betha gave me a look that was just brimming with amusement before she answered. "Well, you are only...five, six months along?" Branda nodded. "Yes. You are certainly bigge-oh."
I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Betha smiled widely then. "I do believe that we shall be expecting two new, little dragons in a few months time."
Two? What the hell was she-. "Oh."
Branda looked between me and Betha, annoyance slowly rising. "What are you two talking about? What does two-oh." She stopped as she looked at her growing belly.
I stopped the magic that I was working to look at her growing belly. "So twins." Or triplets...did Westeros have triplets? I don't remember anything from the books about triplets, but then again, my reading of the books had been on particular view point chapters and that was it.
Could I handle triplets? Well, even if I couldn't handle them, I could just foist them to their nursemaids. Sometimes, it was good to be king.
Branda slowly nodded her head, before frowning in my direction. "This is all your fault."
"Hey, it takes two to tango here. Half of the blame has to rest on your lap as well."
My wife and queen seemed to be in disbelief as she looked at me. "I can't believe you are actually blaming this on me." Whist this was happening, my grandmother was busy smiling to herself.
"Oh do stop it you two. You are missing the most important revelation about this entire situation." We looked at to expound on this supposed revelation. My grandmother's smile couldn't get any wider than it already was. "I now have even more little dragons to spoil. Now if only Steffon and Rhaella would bring their children to the capital, I would be the happiest grandmother in all the world." She finished with a grin that was borderline insufferable.
xXx
I once had dreams of the streets of King's Landing littered with street lights, bring light and the wonders of technology to all. The side benefit of helping lower crime helped as well, but that hadn't really been on my mind at the time.
I just liked the notion of having to walk the streets at night without some sort of lamp at hand.
For this, I had gone the full nine in trying to develop a generator capable of giving enough light for the city. The Blackwater was a fast flowing river and a hydro-electric power plant was on the top of my list. It's just well, I wish I had something more than rudimentary high school level of knowledge. Well, the knowledge that I do remember.
Making an electric motor with some wire and a lodestone? Easy.
A hydro-electric power plant? Easy in theory. I had told myself and Serret when it came to planning it that it was essentially a giant over-sized electric motor...which it sort of was. It just turns out there's more to conducting electricity through the wires than I figured.
I had no idea what though.
I wasn't a scientist and I had a pretty much rudimentary understanding, perhaps even less that rudimentary understanding of electrolysis...I don't even think that is a thing, so fuck it, I had jack shit on anything to do with electricity other than building an electric motor and a home-made light bulb out of stuff. Thank you internet.
So that meant no street lights for King's Landing to make it the beacon of civilisation that would make the rest of Westeros jelly. Perhaps even across the narrow sea from Braavos all the way to Yi Ti...if they came to find out about that shit.
Well, that didn't really stop me from stopping people from studying electricity. Quite a few people were rather interested in harnessing the power of lightning and how it worked. Perhaps something might come out of it.
I doubted it would be in my life time though, but I would work with what I had. And working with what I had, had led to some rather interesting developments. Well, development, but that was something for later.
What I'm trying to say is, I had pretty much run out of things to introduce to Westeros. Things had gone well, others not so much. Artificial fertilizer had been a bust, have to work with the natural stuff until someone picks up on that, more than likely after I'm dead. Cannons were a success, after quiet a period of trial and error, but brass was expensive and I wished it wasn't.
And I was still rather peeved off about the fact that street lights were not going to happen.
So seeing Serret pace outside my office like some sort of excited puppy was all rather surprising especially by the looks of pure amusement that the two Kingsguard knights standing outside my office door were trying to remove when they saw my approach. Me and Gwayne shared a look between the two of us before I called the former pyromancer and now my head science/engineering guy. "Serret, is there something the matter?"
I might have spooked him a little as his eyes widened and he might have jumped a little. "Your Grace!" He was excited, that was for sure. Excited about what though, was the question. He walked quickly towards me and grasped my hands into his own. "We've done it!"
"Done what?" I asked, more than a little confused as I tried to recall anything that I might have given Serret to do. Well, he had the electricity thing, but that was more or less on the back burner because nobody knew how to go about it...there was no way. My eyes might as well have been sparkling. "My street lights!?"
The street lights were very important to me.
Serret gave me a strange look before he shook his head. "No, your grace."
"Oh." Well, there went all of my joy and happiness at this nonsense. I slid my hands out of his. "So what's all this about?"
"We've finally done it, your grace. The engine! It works!"
I looked at Serret for a few good moments before speaking. "You are fucking with me, are you Serret?"
"I would never, your grace." The science/engineering guy replied, shaking his head vigorously. "After so long, we've finally been able to bring those designs to life."
"Does it work though?" I asked and he nodded. "Has it, by any chance, gone boom?" At that, his nodding was a little less sure. I was quick to note this. "That does not fill me with much confidence." I wasn't going to be anywhere near anything that exploded.
"We've had a fill problems, but problems that can be fixed as we get a better understanding of how it works and where we need to improve." Serret told me, sincerely.
I nodded in understanding. "Alright then, come back to me when those problems have been solved." His face dropped a little. I didn't mean to sound like a bastard as Serret had pretty much dedicated his entire life to serving me. His way of atoning for the bullshit wildfire incident that happens several years back. "But well done. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this project considering our success rate."
Serret perked up a little there and here was me hoping that had been enough to bring him back from that down moment I had sent him into. "This one is simple enough." I think he forgot to add 'in theory' somewhere in there. Steam engines sounded simple but I doubted they would have taken as long as they would have been to be developed if they were simple.
For starters, I sincerely doubted the steam engine that Serret and company had been able to develop would be the type that I want. I want one that was small enough, I don't even know if that is a thing, to be used to power a locomotive. I suppose a steam engine used to pump water from mines was useful, but my number one priority was a locomotive, for logistical purposes after all.
But then again, a working one was still progress. I suppose I should have to wait some more until a time comes for a locomotive, or perhaps even a paddle ship of some kind? There was always that.
"...The applications for such a machine is unheard off. This might be amongst the greatest inventions ever made by man. And it's all thanks to you." Apparently, Serret had continued speaking when I had gone off into my head.
I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The credit goes to you and your people, Serret. I'm just the ideas guy. I don't even know how most of the things I've told you to make for me work. Blame the gods for being half-arsed in their designs for me." We laughed then. "Now I shouldn't keep you, I'm sure you have more things to do than waste time with me."
He stood straight then. "It's never a waste of time to be within your presence, your grace."
"You are only saying that because I pay you." I replied jokingly. "But thank you for the update. I look forward to even more wondrous inventions from your labs."
Serret took a step back and placed his right arm across his chest to touch his left shoulder and bowed. "We won't disappoint, your grace."
He left not long afterwards, Gwayne watching him disappear down the only corridor that led to my office. "You have a strange way with people."
"It's my charm." I think. Oh, there was a question of the ages, do I have charm? I was going to need to ask someone that eventually. Someone who wasn't biased in their opinion of me. "For better or for worse." I finished under my breath as I stepped into my office.
There was no rest for the wicked. Even if you were C average at best when it came to running things. Good thing delegation existed, other wise foisting work you didn't want to do to your subordinates.
Gods, sometimes, it was good to be the king.
xXx
Maegor had surprised me, just by how quick he worked. He had only returned from Lys a few weeks ago, accepting my job offer, and he had already nearly finished up the structure for the bank. Mind you though, me and Duncan had done half of the work for him, but his zeal at his new job was quiet worthwhile.
A quick scan over the first page of the papers, I could see a list of names along with numbers that was undoubtedly, quite a lot of zeroes. I wondered if by any chance these lot were money lenders? The closest thing to bankers that were available in the Seven Kingdoms, I guess.
This was quiet the list and I'm sure there were more names to the list than me and Duncan had been able to round up.
"You haven't even settled in yet and already at work." I commented absentmindedly as I idly flicked over to the next page.
Not going to lie, most of the more technical stuff was going straight over my head. I was going to need to find someone who understood what the fuck was going on to explain this shit more clearly to me.
The new President/Governor of the yet to be created Royal Bank of Something said. "I want to get this over and done with as quick as possible. The quicker we settle this matter as soon as possible, the easier it is to move on in the future."
I nodded as I continued to pretend to understand most of the stuff that was in front of me. Some of the proposals flew over my head, but some I could sort of figure out. There was a few worries about the other kingdoms threatening the central bank and proposals to battle this that included laws, royal charters etc etc.
Why this sort of this was important, I had no idea, but I figured since Maegor knew his stuff, it was probably important.
Brilliant. More homework for me to study up on.
Duncan started making small talk. "I hope you are not rushing this. At the very least you could have settled into your new home and the city."
"Your city is underwhelming. Not really much to see or do." Maegor answered blithely enough. "There isn't even a theatre, and even if there was, I fear at the quality of plays on hand."
I was starting to think perhaps that Maegor wasn't at all happy to be in King's Landing or Westeros. Was Lys that good?
Speaking of theatres. "You know, that isn't a half-bad idea."
Maegor stopped to look at me. "What is?"
"A theatre." I said. "A theatre isn't half bad. You know, liven up the culture a little with plays or musicals or whatever else is held in theatres."
Maegor looked somewhat amused with me. "I wasn't aware that 'mummer's farces' were held so high in regard in Westeros. I would have almost missed it with the abundance of playhouses on display."
"I don't really care much for plays or musicals in truth." I admitted, letting the sarcasm roll of my back. It's not like he didn't have a point. "I just figure it would be something fun to have." I snapped my fingers in realisation. "Ooh, concerts as well. And I'm sort of angry that you haven't yet introduced me to your family. Me, you, Duncan, we are family after all."
Duncan had a wry smile on his face as he looked over the top of the papers in his hand. "You have yet to introduce your own family to his. And apart from Daeron, mine is in Oldstones. So the point is moot."
"I'm sure there will be a more formal occasion to introduce our families to each other."
"A dinner then? I'll get straight to sorting out the details."
Maegor sighed. "We are getting rather off-track. Can we please get back to the point of our little meeting?"
"Sure, go on ahead." I said, giving him leave with a flourish of the hand and what followed next was a very long hour where I tried to look as if I understood what was all being said and trying my best to ask intelligent sounding questions.
Throughout this whole thing, it made me realise how right I had been in not choosing Economics or Business Studies or Accounting or whatever as subjects to do at university. I wouldn't have known how to bring myself out of bed.
xXx
Tygett Lannister
There was a few things that Tygett liked in this world. Tywin wasn't one of them.
Tywin had summoned him all the way from Casterly Rock, all apparently for the sake of making him stand in front of him for what seemed to be eternity as he worked away at the papers in front of him. The only words that he had spoken ever since he had made his appearance was for him to enter his office.
That was just typical of Tywin in truth. His sheer arrogance knew no bounds and something that always grated on him. Especially now. How long was he going to make him wait?
"Tywin," Tygett began slowly as Tywin continued to scribble away on the parchment in front of him, green eyes flecked with gold darting to one document at the side every once in a while. "I'm sure you are a very busy man, but you are not the only man with things to do in the Seven Kingdoms."
Tywin didn't even bother to glance in his direction.
Tygett breathed in deeply to remain composed. There was no need to get into one of their arguments here and who knows who maybe listening. Although it would bring him all sort of wonders to embarrass Tywin like that, he had promised Genna and Kevan that he would try to be on the best of his behaviour.
He at the very least, liked his other siblings, even if Kevan is nothing more than a sycophantic yes-man.
Eventually, Tywin Lannister, Lion of the West, Lord of Casterly Rock, in all his glory stopped scribbling his letters and slid them to the side. He clasped his fingers together in front of him, elbows resting on the table and those green eyes flecked with gold finally deigned to look at him.
"Tygett."
Was all that he was going to get in terms of recognition? Fine, if he wanted to play that game.
"Tywin." He returned just as coolly. Now it was a game of who was going to break first. A game that he always lost, yet always played, if nothing more for the sake of pride.
To his surprise, Tywin actually broke first. "I have a task for you. A task that I'm sure you will revel in. Suited to your particular strengths."
Well, he supposed now he was interested. This was going to be at the very least, interesting. "What do you want me to exactly?" He asked.
Tywin moved a hand to the side to drag a piece of paper, not parchment, he noticed to the front of his desk. Tygett picked it up and noticed it was one of those recruiting posters he had seen plastered through out the city and on the gold road.
"I'm sure you have heard that the king is currently building a Royal Army."
"Who hasn't?" The rumours had been quick enough to reach Casterly Rock and they were confirmed on the gold road when he first saw the posters as he made his way down to the capital. "What of it?" He had a feeling of where this was going.
"You shall join the army the king's building."
And his feeling was proven correct. Tygett smiled as he crossed his arms. Well, wasn't this rather interesting. "What are you worried about Tywin? That your beloved friend might very well turn his army on the west?"
"I'm worried about nothing, Tygett." There was a brief flicker of anger in those damned eyes of his. "I would prefer to have you installed as the master-at-arms of the Red Keep or a position of influence in the gold cloaks, but I doubt that is possible. Aerys has plans. Plans that I'm not privy too and from my initial learnings his...army might very well become a powerful force in the future. It would be good for House Lannister if some of our own are within it's ranks."
So it seemed Tywin intended to direct more westermen into positions in the army? Knowing Tywin, he won't just stop there. He was going to wound up trying to have westermen in nearly every position in court.
Still though, Tygett couldn't help but smirk. "I remember you once distinctly stating that Aerys was weak, malleable. Easy enough for you to bend him to your will. What's changed?"
"Nothing has changed." Tywin rebuked him with iron tones. "Most likely, Duncan, the Queen Dowager and his wife have the most influence on him. Aerys has never been one to think fully when it came to his whims...Duncan on the other hand." He stopped as he shook his head. "It matters not, you shall join the army and rise up it's ranks to a suitable rank befitting a Lannister."
Was he telling him to be nothing less than the General of the entire army? It made him feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy to know that his brother held him so high in his regards.
Tywin continued to babble on. "Ser Ilyn will show you the way to the army's camp. Enlist there. You distinguished yourself well enough in the Nine Penny War, that should be more than enough to get you a commission as an officer."
"And if it doesn't?"
Tywin slid his letters back to the front of him. "Then do all in your power to rise up in the ranks."
It was always nice, spending time with your brother and bathing in the warm feelings. It was not really much of a shame that none of that happened with Tywin
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