章 37: Chapter Thirty-Seven
Winterfell. The North.
While I'd been intending to visit the capital of this kingdom, this time I didn't turn up without warning or with little in the way of it as I was actually invited. Not directly, instead Robb Stark had requested a meeting with the Inquisitor only he was busy elsewhere, no doubt hunting down some magic-users in a far off land, so I was here in his place. This was for the best as Inquisitors weren't best suited for diplomatic work.
I was far more impressed by Winterfell than I had been the Red Keep as the Stark's seat of power gave me the sense that this place would endure long after my bones had turned to dust. It also had a more lived in feel and despite the cold air this castle possessed more warmth in the sense that it felt like a place people actually lived in.
As I walked into the great hall with Daenerys Targaryen at my side and my all female escort, I got some funny looks from the Starks and their most loyal servants. I'd made sure that everyone in my party was dressed somewhat sombrely since displays of wealth worn as clothes and jewellery would not impress here, yet we still seemed alien to these people despite my efforts. At least they weren't freaking out, mostly they just stared at us.
Robb Stark was sitting on some sort of elevated throne that allowed him to look down at me while remaining sitting. Making it clear that he was the man in charge here. His display of authority amused me because all I had to do was call my First Officer up on the vox and order an orbital strike if I wanted Winterfell, along most The North, to be blasted off the map. Not that I'd do that simply because someone insulted me as I wasn't that petty or cruel.
As I waited for the young lord to speak I tapped one of my rings against the hilt of my new weapon. The very dagger that Arya Stark used in the show to kill the Night King in that rather disappointing climax to the White Walkers storyline, and while it normally wouldn't be wise to carry a magical weapon with an Inquisitor around my rank allowed me to get away with such things. In the unlikely even that the Inquisitor called me out on it I'd feign ignorance and hand over the dagger since it wasn't worth dying over or making the Inquisition suspicious, something that could led to a fate worse than death.
The weapon had changed hands a number of time according to what I'd gotten from the mind of Littlefinger, who still my guest. I'd taken it for myself after finding it recently in one of the stashes recovered by a member of my battle harem. In this timeline it hadn't been used to try to kill Bran Stark as due to the altering of events he'd never seen the Kingslayer and the Queen going at it.
From what I knew the dagger originally belonged to Littlefinger. During the tourney held to celebrate Joffrey Baratheon's twelfth birthday, Littlefinger lost it to Robert Baratheon, not to Tyrion Lannister as he would. Later it was used by the catspaw assassin in an attempt to kill the comatose Bran Stark. When she reaches Kings Landing, Catelyn Stark shows the dagger to Littlefinger and Varys.
Later on in the book Ned examines the dagger while trying to figure why Tyrion or anyone else would want Bran dead. He has a strong (but incorrect) feeling that the dagger and Bran's fall have something to do with Jon Arryn's murder. Actually they didn't as the dagger ended up going north with the king's party and that meant a member of the royal family gave it to the assassin. Joffrey if memory served, he'd be stupid enough to arm an assassin with such a fancy weapon and cruel enough to have a defenceless child killed for whatever reason he saw fit.
I also remembered that during the brawl in the throne room when the Lannister seize power that Littlefinger would use it to show his loyalty to the Lannisters by nearly cutting open Ned Stark's throat. I wondered if something like that would happen in this time line. Would I be there? Would I allow it to happen?
For now I had other matters to concern myself with. Robb Stark still hadn't spoke so I figured that I would get the ball rolling.
"Greetings Lord Stark" I said "I am Rogue Trader Maximinus Thrax, Prince of the Stepstones, Lord Captain of the light cruiser His Glorious Aspirations and reprasentive of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Mankind".
I signalled and soon I had members of my battle harem bring fourth the gifts. Magister Illyrio didn't always pay in gold for guns because merchants don't always have that kind of cash on hand so sometimes he sent me silks, spices, cheeses that sort of thing. I also had some manufactured goods to offer that could be sampled by the Starks in their own time. As such I had a lot of gifts for the Starks to enjoy.
Robb Stark had a good poker face and as such was able to hide his reaction to my display of wealth a shame that the same wasn't true for Theon Greyjoy.
"You're just a merchant" the Stark's ward remarked.
In Essos being a merchant prince, which was one of my titles, was a good thing, in Westeros you were only worthy of respect and fit to rule if you were a warrior, and that was foolish as the ability to swing a sword around did not make a good ruler. King Robert was a great warrior and lousy monarch. Sure the Imperium had the habit of placing conquered worlds under the command of a Lord-General, or some other high ranking military officer, but they were well educated men used to organising entire wars not just someone who'd gotten good at killing.
"This is my betrothed Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen" I went on to say, ignoring the words that stupid boy had just spoken "I trust her presence here will not be an issue".
By now news that I had the last Targaryens (not counting Jon Snow and the old man at The Wall) as my guests and that I'd threated to put Visyers on the throne.
"Bring bread and salt" ordered the acting Lord of The North.
That welcoming ritual serves not only as a Westerosi tradition of hospitality, but also a formal assurance of "guest right", a sacred bond of trust and honour guaranteeing that nobody in attendance, hosts and guests alike, shall be harmed. Violating the guest right is widely considered among the highest moral crimes, an affront worthy of the worst damnation, rivalled only by kinslaying. By offering us bread and salt the young lord was telling me that he'd take no action to seize Daenerys, who I'd instructed to watch and listen to these talks as part of her education, and that was good because if anyone tried I'd have my battle harem shoot our way out. That would not end well for our hosts.
"Now I understand that you wished to speak someone in authority within the Imperium" I was now saying "Or is the Prince of the Stepstones not worthy of your time?".
The Greyjoy boy looked as if he had something to say, but he smartly kept his mouth shut, at least for now.
"I was hoping to speak with the Lord Inquisitor" said Robb Stark.
This amused me and this time I couldn't hide the smile.
"Few people ever want to see an Inquisitor" I told the young lord "They are not diplomats or merchants, they hunt down threats to the Imperium and show no mercy while doing so, or to those who dare to get in the way".
Rogue Traders and Inquisitors were both nobility of the Imperium in some sense and mostly outside of its normal authority. The difference was that Inquisitors normally worked within the Imperium while Rogue Traders spent most of their time outside of its boarders. This meant the the Inquisitor didn't have any true authority in this world it was just that no one wanted to tell him no and it wasn't as if he demanded much from me so I sure wasn't going to get in his way. Not if it risked making the Inquisition as a whole unhappy with me.
"I wanted to discuss why he felt the need to take over The Wall" mentioned Lord Stark.
Again I was amused by this lad's boldness.
"The Inquisitor won't bother to explain himself, he's not answerable to anyone to outside of the Inquisition aside from His Imperial Majesty" I told Robb Stark "But if you're wondering, he's preparing for the possibility that not all of the White Walkers were destroyed when we bombarded the far north. You call it the New Doom".
My words caused some chatter to start up giving me time to look at some familiar faces. I could see Bran Stark who was not a cripple in this time line as well Maester Luwin and Lady Stark who I had no interest in speaking with since nearly everything she got involved with she screwed up.
"The White Walkers are a myth" stated Theon Greyjoy in a tone of voice meant to make me seem foolish "Just a story to scare children with".
I was now wondering if Robb Stark had granted guest rights for his friend's protection rather than as a way of making me feel welcome.
"The people of The North didn't put up nineteen castles and a massive wall of ice to keep out Wildlings" I said "I've travelled the stars and I know what horrors are out there".
I'd not experienced these horrors up close, but I knew they existed.
"Perhaps the White Walkers did exist thousands of year ago" allowed Maester Luwin "But magic has gone from the world along with the Dragonlords and the Children of the Forest".
I had a Dragonlord standing right next to me there just weren't any dragons about for her to ride.
"The Inquisitor wouldn't be fortifying The Wall if that were the case and Inquisitors don't take action unless they see a threat" I stated "You asked what his reasons were, and now you know. Was that all you wanted?".
If so then this had been a real waste of my time.
"No Lord Thrax, I wish to purchase guns from you" Robb Stark tried to causally mention, acting as if it wasn't a big deal "Father believes they will be of use to us".
They'd have to pay more than my allies for the guns since I wasn't yet friends with the Starks, however I could afford to be generous and give them a bit of a discount so as help get them on my side.
"Then let's talk business" I said.
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