Chapter 7: Chapter 7
Ser Gwayne was looking at me with the most incredulous look that one would give a member of the family that he had sworn to protect his entire life with, could possibly give without seeming impundent. Or something.
"Excuse me, my prince, but you want me to what?" The young knight asked, standing there, still incredulous judging by the look on his face.
I pushed the sack of coins into his hands, "I want you to take this sack of coins and walk about King's Landing, looking as shady as possible whenever you spot a patrol of goldcloaks."
He nodded his head as he followed along with my explanation. He didn't even ask about the meaning of 'shady' by now having pretty much having received an explanation to the slang that I used every now and then, habits I can't find myself removing.
The only other people who could understand without giving me a look of confusion when said slang turned up was Branda, Steffon and Tywin. To be honest, when it came to Tywin, I just don't think he cared all that much about what I said.
"And I should do this why?" He asked, his nodding tapering off.
"I want to test the integrity of the goldcloaks." I stopped for a moment, "Well, not all of them, but some of them."
Ser Gwayne was not only good with a sword but with his head as well, "You want me to see if there are any corrupt goldcloaks."
I nodded my head eagerly, "Yes." To be honest, I had my resevations about the goldcloaks. They seemed far too inclined into serving whoever paid them or whoever they liked and that was something I really didn't like in case I actually needed them for something, you know, required a little bite against someone who probably had more money in the bank than me.
It was a good thing that they were on my list of things to reform. Can't be paying some couple of thousand of armed people with questionable loyalties and all that roaming around my city and powerbase.
No. Just no.
Just like how everything Egg ran seemed to be pretty decent, I was pretty sure that the goldcloaks were full of pretty decent people themselves who worked to uphold the law and order of the capital, but westeros was like what happened when you gave cynicism steroids. It wasn't pretty and you didn't want to particularly know it.
This little idea of mine would be enough to weed out the corrupt elements of the goldcloaks whilst at the same time, with enough time and repetition, force any goldcloaks with the idea of earning some extra cash the healthy fear of something of an Internal Affairs Bureau that was ready to put an end to that very idea.
After all, if they were offered cash to ignore something, how would they know that cash was coming from a legit person that actually wanted to bribe them instead of putting them in shackles and into the black cells for corruption?
I had to admit, I was stealing the idea from a Byzantine emperor that had apparently gone out of his way to reduce the corruption of his city watching by going out at night disguised as a civilian and bribing the corrupt members whilst rewarding the ones that were actually, doing, you know, their jobs.
It would work even better if I was the one doing the catfishing(?) honeytrapping(?) or whatever the term is, but I had a pretty recognisable face and features.
That, and I shall bare say this dares repeating, I was a coward. A bloody coward and a half.
Ser Gwayne pocketed the money, "And when I come across them and they accept my bribe, what then?"
I thought about it for a moment. I had not particularly thought this true. Their were no mini-cams available or cameras or anything of the sort, so how was I going to get the faces of the people that were clearly corrupt?
"Eh, improvise?" I offered as a suggestion.
The young knight just gave me a dullard look before he inclined his upper body in a bow, "As you wish, my prince."
Before he left on this little mission of mine, a quick thought came to my mind, "Oh yes, take some Targaryen guardsmen as back-up just in case things get ugly. But keep them out of sight." Ser Gwayne nodded before he went off to carry out his mission.
No doubt that he would visit Ser Duncan first and inform him of this little task that I had set upon him, but as of late, the tall, tall man had been more than inclined for me to go around following my whims and everything else that included.
I had a feeling, not a particularly strong one, but a feeling nonetheless that King Egg and my Father were also somewhat aware of my extra-curricular activities, but had decided to sit back and see the results of whatever actions that I was taking.
I wasn't dumb.
Just because Egg kept the Red Keep and King's Landing working like clockwork did not mean that other people, like the other Lord Paramounts didn't have their own spies and informants. My actions were of particular note in court lately ever since my return from the north with a wife in tow.
My visit to the Alchemist's Guild. The many and various orphanages that I visited and now benefactor off among other things. I was the talk of the town.
Which was new for me since I was never a subject of gossip or anything. I was rather boring in truth.
So the attention was somewhat something I didn't know how to deal with, so I just took my usual root of ignoring it as if it didn't exist. That was either a good or bad policy.
"Aerys."
I was brought out of my reverie by Prince Duncan. I blinked as I looked at the older man and wondered how he had been able to enter my own personal offices without the slightest sound or alerting me.
He gave me the answer rather unwittingly, "I knocked at your door, no answer. I called out to you twice, no answer. What exactly are you so deep in thought off exactly? I'm rather curious, I admit."
Was I that far gone in my own mind? The thought was horrifying, "Nothing much, uncle."
That didn't seem to be the answer that my dear uncle wanted to hear from me as he continued to press on for more answers, "Is it about the Alchemists?"
I narrowed my eyes, "What about the Alchemists?" The reason why I had chosen them for some of my projects was simply because those guys knew how to keep a secret.
I couldn't really say the same about the Citadel or the maesters.
"Nothing." Duncan replied with a subtle shrug of the shoulders, "Whatever you and the alchemists talked about, I've heard nothing about. Truth be told, you don't hear much about the alchemists, even if you want to. They keep to themselves vast majority of the time."
I was able to hold back a sigh of relief that was just begging to be released, "Good thing it should stay that way of course." Duncan frowned somewhat and that took me back slightly, "What?"
"I hope you know what you are doing, Aerys. As royalty, the people we meet, the people who we know, the things that we do, they will always be scrutinized by the lords and ladies...and perhaps among some of the more affluent commons. Everything we do is always of interest."
I ran a hand through my hair, "You have nothing to worry about uncle. I merely contacted the alchemists for nothing more than a project of mine."
An eyebrow was raised in interest, "A project that you couldn't commission from the Citadel itself?"
I looked around the room and noticed that we were alone, then I remembered that in the Red Keep, the walls had eyes and ears of their own. I think I went the more diplomatic route in my response. Probably, "There are somethings the maesters can do and others that they can't. The same goes for the alchemists. I just think that the alchemists are more suited for the project I commissioned them for."
Duncan slowly nodded his head before speaking up once more, "Then what about the orphanages that you've been visiting of lately? And the artificers and blacksmiths? What about them? What do you have them working on?"
I sunk into my seat slightly and gave an apprehensive look at my uncle, "Have you been following me?"
He gently laughed in amusement, "Aerys, you are a very noticeable young man. You stand out."
Well, I did have silver-gold hair and I was a walking Adonis, so yeah, I suppose I was very noticeable, "I suppose I should come up with new ways to make myself less noticeable then. We can't all have plain, common features like you."
My uncle laughed again, "Plain you say? I'll have you know, many a maiden have swooned and fainted at my so called 'plain, common' features."
"They had low standards. I wouldn't take it to mean much." I said, waving him off. We laughed at my comment before I took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking once more, "So...about the orphanages and the artificers and the blacksmiths, what do you know?"
"I'm more knowledgeable about the blacksmiths and the artificers. You are having them build something for you, what, I don't know. The orphanages though? That's more along the lines of Mother's interests. She's rather curious as to why you are sponsoring orphanages to teach the children how to read, along with numbers and sports?"
Oh yeah, that had complete flown through my head. Queen Betha was a significant political force, but most of her attention was rested on charitable causes like orphanages and soup kitchens dotted throughout the city.
Now I was beginning to understand why she was so loved among the smallfolk. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't think that they though Queen Betha as the second coming of Queen Alysanne.
I shrugged and gave a vague answer, "I have my reasons. Still though, why do you know so much about what I've been doing anyway?"
Duncan smiled, "You stand out. That, and it's sort of my duty to know what actually happens in King's Landing."
I cocked my head to the side, "Last time I checked, you are not the master of whisperers." That little title actually belonged to a lord that I had never heard off before. Some bloke named Ser Joffrey Massey.
Didn't know much about him in truth, but apparently, he must have been good at his job since he had been there since the previous administration.
Black locks of hair swayed as Duncan shook his head, "No. But in my capacity as Chancellor of King's Landing, it's within my purview to know the happenings that happen in the capital."
I stared at my uncle for a moment as I tried to process the information that he had just given me. I just had one question, "Pardon my language uncle, but what in the seven hells is a Chancellor of King's Landing?"
He laughed, "Well, in it's barest form, I'm basically the Steward for King's Landing and the various townships within the direct rule of the king."
I tried to turn that he told me into something that I could understand or comprehend. I think I was able to get a good idea of what he was trying to say. I think, basically, he was in charge of the administrative duties of the king's own holdings.
"...So you like a Steward, but for King's Landing?" And did he say townships? There were towns around King's Landing?
Duncan nodded, "Your Grandfather is in charge of running Seven Kingdoms and two regions. That's more than enough work without needing to add the fact that he has to oversee his own holdings as well."
"...Well, that makes sense." It made a lot of sense. Considering that the Iron Throne ruled over an entire continent, I'm surprised that there wasn't some vast bureaucracy making sure that everything seemed to run smoothly.
Mind you though, if a bureaucracy did exist for an entire continent, it was probably going to make the Byzantium bureaucracy look utterly tame in comparison.
"Shouldn't you be busy overseeing Dragonstone though? I mean, that is your seat."
He waved me off, "That passed to your lord father when I abdicated my right to the throne. I was given this duty by your grandfather to keep me from doing nothing."
"Must be rather good at doing your duty then." I wondered if there was some overlapping conflict of jurisdiction or something when it came to the job. Considering that the goldcloaks where underneath the master of laws and my assuming that the Chancellor was also in judge of law and order in the city, there was room for some kind of conflict there.
Maybe some sort of agreement was in place? Meh, why did I care? It had nothing to do with me.
Prince Duncan rose up from his seat, dusting away imaginary dust from his fine clothing, "Alright, I didn't come here to find you and have a little talk with my nephew."
I raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Then why did you come here?"
My uncle smiled down at me with a glint in those purple eyes of his, "You are my squire and I do believe it's been sometime since I last had you doing things worthy of a squire."
I groaned, "You don't even wear armour. I'm not cleaning any armour that you are not going to wear."
He laughed as he shook his head, "I have the worst squire in the world. Insubordinate and far too pampered for my liking. I suppose I shall have to knock some sense into you."
I retreated slightly into my seat, "Do we have to? I'm no warrior. Can't we just not have me be knocked about senseless?"
Prince Duncan shook his head and tried his best to look at the littlest bit remorseful. He was failing badly at the last part, "Sorry no. It has to happen. Remember, how good you are with a sword also reflects on how good a knight I was to my own squire who happened to be my nephew. Think of my own sacrifices that I put into this."
I rose to my own feet defeated, "What sacrifices? I sometimes think you enjoy beating me senseless." I returned as we made for the exit.
Prince Duncan held the door open for me as we made our way to the training ground, "...Sometimes."
As we walked down the hallway with our white shadows, I released a groan. One of many that were going to be released by the time this came to an end.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone