บท 64: Chapter Sixty-four: Absurd Politics.

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~~~Third Person, First Moon, 277 AC~~~

~~~Red Keep, King's Landing~~~

Though the small council chamber bore the name small, it was not appropriate to be called that, for the room was spacious, with delicate Myr decorations and expansive windows that let in the cool, odorless breeze of the city.

In the center of it was a large, long table with seating for ten, though the small council had seven members in honor of the seven gods of Westeros.

King Aerys sat in his chair at the head of the table, excited to start the meeting in the shortest possible time. At the same time, the other members of the small council took their corresponding seats.

This time, King Aerys made Tywin, who had sat in the chair to his right, get up and sit in the next chair, arguing that he wanted General Zoila to sit next to him.

This made the atmosphere a bit tense, especially since the act, however small and disconcerting it seemed, made Tywin look weak, someone who, for all that he was the king's hand, was being brushed aside by strangers from across the narrow sea.

Varys watched the spectacle in lavish detail, watching as the central power that ran and controlled Westeros crumbled from within without him having to act actively, as the king's very attitude and actions would cause things to fracture further and further.

After the little moment with Tywin, he sat next to Zoila, opposite Prince Rhaegar, since even the king's left side was occupied by Varys, something that put several members of the small council in a bad mood, seeing with what level of obeisance the king pampered foreigners.

Almost everyone was there except Grand Maester Pycelle, who, due to his 'advanced' age, walked slower, something that made him linger from the raven tower to the small council chamber.

Two minutes later, the distinctive sound of the old master's chains was heard clinking as Maester Pycelle approached at a weary pace and with an exhausted and frazzled look on his face.

"Hurry up, you damned old man, or do you want me to drag you back to Oldtwon and ask for a younger maester?" The king couldn't stand the wait any longer and shouted at Maester Pycelle, who could only duck his head and hurry up.

"Well, since we are all present, we call this small council meeting to order." Tywin, as the king's hand, took the lead of the meeting once Maester Pycelle took his seat.

"As you know, I had Varys contact his friends in Xandar to arrange a meeting between our two realms." Aerys began to speak, excited that the Xandarians had finally arrived.

"It is well known that Xandar has made a great name for itself throughout Essos; even here in Westeros, we hear stories of its wealth and prosperity; that is something I aspire will also come to our lands with the treaties I hope will be fostered between our two kingdoms. Is that not so, General Zoila?"

Zoila looked at Aerys for a moment, her face indelible and not showing a hint of shallow thought, "Yes, Your Grace, if all goes well and my king's interests are protected, I see no excuse for not creating ties with the kingdoms of Westeros."

"Forgive the same question, but is it true that there are dragons in Xandar?" Prince Rhaegar asked, allowing himself to be fed by his curiosity, though the members did not mind; indeed, for many, it was a vital question, hoping to know more about the kingdom of Essos that boasted of possessing the winged beasts.

"No, Prince Rhaegar, there are no dragons in Xandar," Zoila replied gently and frankly, causing the king to deflate and act like a piece of candy was taken from his forehead.

"But what fallacies do you speak?" Maester Pycelle jumped into the conversation with a haughty tone, wanting to gain the king's approval. "I have been informed of said dragons; do you have the gall to lie to the king? Moreover, those dragons should be given to House Targaryen as they are descendants of ancient Valyria and not remain in a barbarian kingdom."

Tywin's face darkened. He, of all people, knew that Xandar did indeed have dragons or beasts that came closer to such creatures, but the path Pycelle took was not the right one, especially since he was disrespecting an envoy from Xandar, a place that, to believe the rumors, was best not to feud with.

"I beg your pardon," Zoila asked in a low, silky tone, contrary to what they would expect her to do to respond to Pycelle's accusations.

"Ahh?" Pycelle didn't know what to say; he just stood there confused.

"She's an envoy from Xandar, you damned scum!" the king answered Zoila's question and, in passing, explained to Pycelle, who was currently only looking on nervously, that even Tywin, his master, had turned his back on him.

"Exactly, Your Grace, I am an envoy on behalf of the King of Xandar himself, and at the same time, I am a general of the Xandarian Seventh Fleet; to disrespect me is to disrespect Xandar and my King, so I ask you maester, do you wish to disrespect my King?"

At this point, Pycelle was sweating buckets, getting no lifelines from the small council members, who did not want to be on the receiving end of the king's cries.

"Besides, at no time did I lie; in Xandar, there are no dragons; there is only one, and it is my king's dragon; instead, in Xandar inhabit Wyverns, creatures similar to the dragons of old, only smaller, and they do not spit fire, but they are four times more ferocious than one."

Aerys became interested again, wanting to have even one Wyvern in his possession, "And what about them? Can't King Azrael sell me one?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Grace. The Wyvern is a very fierce and untamed beast with a voracious appetite and an almost uncontrollable temper; their riders are skilled people who train day and night to be able to ride them. I'm afraid to give one to you would be to give you a beast that could unleash a massacre on King's Landing."

Aerys clicked his teeth, not liking the idea of not getting his hands on such a creature, a moment which the coin lord Qarlton Chelsted seized upon, wanting to talk about matters important to him. "You spoke of a relationship between our two kingdoms. Can you explain what your goal is with that?"

"Sure, of course, Xandar aspires to open a branch of the Central Bank directly here in King's Landing, at the same time as purchasing possession of land within the city to establish said branch while employing the creation of Xandarian businesses on said plots."

"But the crown already has agreements with the Iron Bank. What improvements does your bank offer?" Qarlton, as the Lord of Coin, was interested in the idea presented by Zoila, hoping for improvements in how the seven kingdoms handled gold and loans.

"The mechanics of the Central Bank, you can best discuss it with one of the bankers who accompanied us to the city if you like, as I am not very familiar with the full workings of the bank and its loans."

"And the land you need?" Tywin asked, with a calculating look as he retook control of the meeting. Apparently, Aerys didn't feel like hearing about it; quite possibly, he was still self-conscious about not having a dragon.

"I understand Dragonpit is uninhabited and abandoned," Zoila said in the air, causing many to frown.

Dragonpit was the fortress where the Targaryens kept their dragons. It was built by Maegor and finished in Jaehaerys' reign. It is located on Rhaenys Hill, north of Flea Bottom and south of Silk Street.

"Dragonpit?" Tywin asked, thinking he had misheard, "Dragonpit is in ruins. I don't see how you would be interested in that place as a site to create a place that will serve as a connection between Xandar and the Seven Kingdoms."

"For the reconstruction of the place, don't worry; the crown of Xandar will take care of the expenses conducive to it; at the same time, the Xandarian crown will pay a sum of ten (10) million gold coins in exchange for the appropriation of the place by Xandar in King's Landing."

That surprised many; such a figure was astronomical, with Lord Qarlton's eyes shining at the thought of all that gold. Instead, Tywin hardened his gaze since he knew that such a sum of gold coins was almost fantastic. He would have to dig in the mines for more than three moons if he wanted to have that much.

"Tywin, do as she asks. Make a document setting out the payment and relegation of the Dragonpit territories to Xandar, where they will build their bank and whatever they need to make our ties stronger," Aerys spoke suddenly, earning a confused look from Tywin, who did not expect Aerys to make such an important decision lightly.

However, as much as he wanted to drag out the decision further, Aerys was adamant, ceding Dragonpit to Xandar and leaving an annoyed Tywin behind.