The Wildfire King
Chapter 4: A funeral, Coronation, meetings and dinners
Naruto had hated Joffrey for as long as he could remember. Ever since the first time Joffrey did something to hurt his siblings. For Naruto and Tommen, Joffrey was the personification of cruelty, madness, and stupidity. Naruto and Tommen didn't really care that Joffrey was dead. The two brothers had both nearly killed him on separate occasions, and Naruto had killed him. Part of Tommen wanted to thank the man who killed the insane fool. Westeros would be better off without Joffrey sitting in the most powerful seat in the land. Their mother was silent too but she was sad, it was very evident from her wet cheeks.
"Your brother is dead." came the voice of their grandfather, "Do you know what that means?"
"It means that unless I abdicate and give the throne to Tommen, I'll be king." Naruto jested with a shrug.
"Not funny, brother. You know I don't want to be king." Tommen said to Naruto and Naruto sighed playfully.
"Yes Tommen. Unfortunately, you have made yourself very clear that you only want to be Lord of Storm's End, so I suppose I have to stay here and rule instead of living our father's dream of being a sellsword king in Essos." Naruto said, though he was only jesting. Tywin didn't seemed amused by the joking, so Naruto stopped.
"Yes, and what kind of king do you want to be?" Tywin asked once he decided he let Naruto stew in silence long enough.
"The one whose life ambition is not to outdo Aerys the Mad at being an insane idiot." Naruto said, though he did kind of regret it when he saw his mother's face. "I meant to say a good king." he corrected himself.
"I think you will be. Despite your incomplete education, you seem to have the right temperament for it. But what makes a good king? What is the single most important quality of a good king?" Tywin questioned him.
"This is hardly the place or time." interrupted Cersei but Tywin didn't listen to her.
Naruto looked around the darkened sept and began monologuing. "I never thought I would be king. I was a second son. Before that fateful boat trip where Euron captured me, all I wanted to do was be Lord of Storm's End, marry a pretty girl, have a lot of kids and maybe a few bastards. Then when I became the leader of the Golden Company, I figured I would live out father's dream of being a sellsword, and I did for a while. All the gold, women, wine, and battle that I could want. And it was pretty great too."
Naruto began walking around in a circle around Joffrey's corpse. "There have been a lot of king's in Westeros. Some Great ones, lot of good ones, lot of bad ones, and some really terrible ones. There are lot of qualities that a good king needs. Strength, justice, a certain a certain respect for religion. But not too much of each one. Baelor the Blessed was pious. He built this very sept. He also named a young boy as the High Septon because he thought he could work miracles and tried to replace all the raven's in westeros with doves, both of which were colossal failures. He then fasted himself to death when his sister Daena the Defiant fell pregnant with Daemon Blackfyre." Naruto stopped at the statue of the Father and looked at Tywin. "So, not piety."
"Justice is important for a King to have. Baelor Breakspear, son of Daeron II, was a just man. At the tourney at Ashford Meadow in 209 AC, he rushed to the defense of future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Duncan the Tall when he defended an innocent woman from Aerion Brightflame, who was attacking her. He wasn't necessarily wrong to do so, Duncan was only guilty of defending an innocent woman against a Targaryen Prince who would have given Aerys a run for his money. Baelor took part in the Trial by Seven that Aerion demanded and fought for Duncan. Duncan's defending party won the trial, but Baelor had received a mortal blow to his head from his brother, Prince Maekar, and died in Dunk's arms. So, not justice."
"Strength is another quality that is needed. My father, King Robert, was strong. He won the Rebellion, crushed the Targaryen Dynasty, and claimed the Iron Throne by right of conquest. And a decade later, he crushed the Greyjoy's when they tried to rebel. Yet, without a war to fight, I'm told he ultimately wasted away until he became a shadow of his former self, eating, drinking and hunting, until the last two sent him to an early grave."
"Any decent king needs strength not just of body, but of will as well. Aenys the First had no strength of will to speak of. He was weak, indecisive, and delusional, unable to understand the complexities of governing a young dynasty. Things got so bad under this weakling of a king, that just 5 years into his reign, he was nearly overthrown by the Faith Militant. His brother Maegor, had the strength of their father, Aegon the Conqueror, and was a great warrior. With his strength of will, he waged a war that ultimately crushed the Faith Militant and saved the Targaryen dynasty. But he was too heavy-handed in his approach. His cruelty eventually got so bad that the Kingdoms abandoned him, and either someone assassinated him or he took his own life."
Naruto stopped at the statue of the Crone and continued, "Of all the kings of Westeros, there are two that had the longest reigns. The longest was Garth "the Goldenhand" Gardener, one of the Gardener kings who ruled the Reach before Aegon came to Westeros. He became king of the Reach at twelve and had reigned for 81 years when he died. During the long years of his reign, the Reach was at war for less than ten of them. Generations of boys were born, grew to manhood, and sired children of their own and died without ever having to know what it was to grasp a spear and shield and march away to war. And with this long peace came an unprecedented prosperity for his kingdom."
"Jaehaerys I Targaryen was much the same. He became King of Westeros after Maegor died. He made sure the Faith Militant never reformed, established many laws, and made Westeros into the kingdom we know today. He was the longest reigning Targaryen monarch, sitting on the throne for fifty-five years. Like the Golden Hand, any wars fought in his reign were short and resolved quickly. His reign is remembered as the most prosperous period in the history of the Targaryen monarchy. His rule brought peace, stability, and justice to the Seven Kingdoms. According to the archmaesters, the population of Westeros north of Dorne doubled during Jaehaerys's reign, with the population of King's Landing becoming four times as large."
"Many young lords admire Aegon the Conqueror or Daeron the Young. Really, they should aspire to be more like the Golden Hand and the Old King. Those two men are my personal heroes and they were able to do what they did and accomplish their great feats, because they were wiser than all their peers." Naruto turned around to face Tywin. "Wisdom is the most important quality of any king."
"Yes! A good king must be wise." Tywin acknowledged, while privately being a bit impressed with how his grandson had thought that answer through, "But what is wisdom? A house with fertile lands wants help against a house with a great navy that could one day oppose you. What do you do? Any experience in granaries, treasuries, shipyards or armies?"
"Not of the first and third. Didn't need to know them while running the Golden Company." he replied, knowing he had a lot of making up to do.
"Of course not. A wise king knows what he knows and what he doesn't. That's why a wise king listens to the advice of his counselors until he comes of age but the wisest king's, like the two you mentioned, continue to listen to them long afterward."
Naruto could tell that his grandfather was trying to manipulate him but Naruto also knew that right now, he needed his grandfather. He was a very learned, intelligent, and clever man, and he had basically ran the Kingdoms for Aerys during his long tenure as Hand of the King. Of course, that could change depending on how much Tywin argued and fought with Naruto on his policies, and when the Dornish come into play.
"Your brother was not a wise king. Your brother was not a good king." Tywin said, seeing no harm in saying it as it was true, "If he had been, perhaps he'd still be alive. Now, as the king, you will have to marry. Thankfully, you are well on your way to taking care of that with Lady Margaery. But do you understand why?"
"A king needs a wife to give him heirs to inherit his throne and maybe daughters to help make strategic alliances. For a king of Westeros, the most preferable choice is one from a powerful house with a strong military or economic advantage, like one of the Lord Paramounts, to help secure his families hold over his kingdom. The Tyrell's are the most suitable choice due to the Reach's fertile lands and the Reach having the largest military, 100,000 troops in total, I believe" answered Naruto.
"That is correct." said grandfather while leading him towards the exit, leaving Cersei and Tommen alone. "Do you know how one makes an heir?" Tywin felt the need to ask because he knew next to nothing about this version of his grandson, and was trying to reconcile the brave young boy he had read reports about with the man standing next to him.
"Yes grandfather, you don't have to explain the details. I've had sex more than a few times. And I also accidentally walked in on my father once while he was fucking one of his whores. It was a traumatic experience for a 4 year old." Naruto joked.
"Hehe, I can imagine," Tywin chuckled as the two walked further away and out the Sept.
Night Time
His bedroom
He heard footsteps and he woke up immediately. He pulled out the long dagger he kept under his pillow.
"Who's there?" he asked loudly, not for the attacker but for Ser Balonn outside.
Slowly the figure emerged from the shadows and it showed Margaery Tyrell.
Naruto sighed as he realized he was in no danger, so he resheathed his dagger while he addressed his wife-to-be, "You shouldn't sneak into my room unannounced like that. I thought you were an intruder."
"I apologize for that, your grace, but I wanted to see you," Margaery said sweetly.
"How did you get past the Kingsguard?" Naruto asked, as Ser Balon should still be standing guard.
"Ser Balonn is a devoted knight, your grace, but one man can only do so much. You might consider filling them soon." Margaery playfully said.
"I was not taking any visitors right now. I thought that was clear, considering I was sleeping." Naruto mentioned as he sat up.
"I'm not a visitor, Your Grace. After all, I'm to be your bride." Margaery said as she lit the candles, making her appear mesmerizing in the moonlight.
"I am aware. I did accept the betrothal in front of the court, after all." Naruto said with a small smile.
"Did you know that people in arranged marriages often never meet until their wedding day?" Margaery asked rhetorically as she sat on his bed. "Before we decide to spend our lives together, we ought to get to know one another. Don't you think?"
"That seems fair. We should also be honest with each other, no?" Naruto said as he matched her playful smirk.
"Of course, your grace." She agreed.
"Then tell me, why are you really here? It's not to seduce me, is it? There's no real need for that. We are going to be married within the year anyway." Naruto said.
"No! I came here because I wanted to get to know you better. Have I given you a reason to not to trust me?" Margaery asked, as she actually seemed a bit hurt by that accusation.
"No…No. I'm sorry. I'm being rude. It's been difficult, adjusting to being back home. And then there is all the other stuff, like Renly being killed by Stannis, me executing Stannis, and then becoming King. It's a lot to process all at once." Naruto admitted lamely as he sighed. He was trying to figure this woman out but he wasn't trying to be rude about it.
"I'm sorry, your grace. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be for you." Margaery said with sympathy, though he could not tell if it was real or not.
"It's just…in Essos, everyone was an enemy. At least a potential one. Today's benefactor could be our target tomorrow, we used to say in the company. I always had to figure people out. I also never learned how to court a girl. I was sold into slavery before I could learn. I apologize if I seem terrible at this. I am working on that." Naruto admitted.
"It's alright your grace. I think I understand." Margaery said as she looked at the door. "It's getting late, I should go. May I come and visit you again?"
"I'd like that." Naruto admitted with a genuine smile.
"All right then." she said smiling wider knowing that she did her job of starting to bond with her husband and began to leave.
"Margaery!" Naruto called out to her and she turned back around.
"Yes?" She asked.
"When we are alone, call me Naruto." He said with a light smile.
"Thank you…Naruto," Margaery said with what appeared to be a genuine smile as she left the room.
'That woman is good. The whole time, I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or not. At least this marriage will be interesting.' Naruto thought as he went back to sleep.
Naruto's Coronation
"May the Warrior grant him courage and protect him in these perilous times. May the Smith grant him strength that he might bear this heavy burden. And may the Crone, she that knows the fate of all men, show him the path he must walk and guide him through the dark places that lie ahead. In the light of the Seven, I now proclaim Naruto of the House Baratheon First of His Name, King of the Andals the Rhoynar, and the First Men and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Long may he reign!" announced the high Septon as he placed the crown on his head.
Naruto's crown was a Valyrian Steel circlet that was set with large square-cut golden topaz's, a stag head rested on the circlet, with golden topaz's in its eyes. This actually was Aegon the Conqueror's old crown. Somehow between the time when Daeron the Young Dragon lost the crown in Dorne and when Naruto destroyed Myr, it had ended up in Myr, and he had found it when he destroyed the city for Lys. He had the thing reforged to be more Baratheon.
Naruto had also taken down all of Joffrey's banners. Naruto had always despised Joffrey's banner. It was an insult to House Baratheon. Bad enough that he made the Lion and Stag equal, but then Joffrey took the insult a step further by having the lions tail cross into the stags half of the banner. It was ridiculous, because it implied that the lion was superior to the stag. Which was not true. Robert won 3 battles in a single day. Robert won the war when he killed Rhaeghar. Robert crushed the Ironborn. All Tywin did was attack a city that couldn't actually defend itself from him and let his fleet get sunk.
So, Naruto had Joffrey's banners all taken down and burned. And he had his own personal sigil put up. A golden stag on a black field, with the stag surrounded by a green flame. This banner was the most present. He put up a few banners of House Baratheon, House Lannister, and House Tyrell to show his ties to each house, but his banner was the most numerous.
"Long may he reign!" shouted the crowd.
Throughout the entire ceremony, Naruto greeted various lords and ladies, but the ones he enjoyed the most were his family and Margaery, but his mom blocked his view and went over to Margaery and acted like a bitch. He would make her pay for that later. He may want a relationship with his mother, but he would tolerate no threats to his future wife.
The Next day
Small Council Chambers
Naruto waited patiently in the Small Council chambers inside the Red Keep, not the one in the Tower of the Hand. Tywin had tried to have the Small Council in the chambers in the Tower of the Hand but Naruto made it in no way uncertain that while he was in the City, any Small Council meeting would be held in it's proper setting. It was finally that Tywin, Baelish, Varys, Pycelle, Tyrion, Tommen, and Cersei for some reason, arrived in the chambers.
"You're late." Naruto said in amusement as he sat himself at the head of the table. "Take your seats. I'm told we have much to discuss."
Tywin moved first, taking his seat at Naruto's right side. Tommen sat at Naruto's left. Pycelle, Varys, and Baelish all took their seats, while Tyrion made a show of taking the seat at the end.
Cersei then tried to take a seat but Naruto interjected saying, "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking my seat." Cersei stated, to which Naruto snorted.
"I can see that. Why are you taking a seat? I gave you no permission to sit on this council." Naruto stated.
"I have counsel to offer you." Cersei argued.
"Like what? You couldn't even manage this one city, let alone 7 kingdoms. You let my idiot brother execute Ned Stark, and now the North and the Riverlands are rebelling to gain their independence. Tyrion had to come and basically save you and even then, you fought him at every turn and things got so bad that the people rioted after Myrcella was sent to Dorne. Your past actions have shown that you can't govern, and I won't have you on this Council, or in any position of power, for that matter."
"I am Queen Regent! I-" Naruto shut her up as he slammed his hand on the table as he stood up and silenced her with a glare.
"Let me explain how this works, Mother. You were Queen only because you married my father. The moment Joffrey became King, you stopped being the Queen! You are not Queen, because you are not married to the King! And as for being regent, a King only needs a regent when he is under the age of 16. I'm nearly 20 years old. Joffrey may have been stupid enough to not realize that, but I am not. If there is non-sensitive information that Lord Tywin or Uncle Tyrion wish to share with you, they may do so, but you will not sit on this Council or hold any position of power. Now, leave." Naruto ordered, and Cersei, not willing to push her luck, turned around and stomped out, while hiding the tears running down her cheek at her son's harsh yet true words.
Naruto sighed and sat back down. "My apologies about that unpleasant business, my Lords."
"Don't apologize, nephew. That was very entertaining to watch." Tyrion said enthusiastically.
"You made the right choice, your Grace," Tywin acknowledged, "I have never trusted Cersei. Not because she was a woman, as she always claimed, but because she is not as smart as she thinks she is."
"Her record speaks for itself." Naruto acknowledged. "Now, let's get this meeting started."
Tywin started off by asking, "What news of Jaime?" Baelish, Varys, and Pycelle looked at each other but had nothing to say. "20,000 unwashed Northerners have known about his escape for weeks. Collectively, you three control most of the spies in Westeros. You mean to tell me that none of you have an inkling of where he might be?"
"We are doing everything we can to find him, My Lord Hand," Varys said.
"Do. More." Tywin ordered and Varys nodded, "What do we have then?"
"Robb Stark has returned from the Westerlands and taken his army back to Riverrun for the funeral of his grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully. Roose Bolton has killed the Brave Companions and now holds Harrenhal in Robb Starks name. Which would seem to make him Lord of Harrenhal in practice, if not in name." Varys said as he teased Baelish.
"Well, let him have it." Tywin said, and Naruto was glad he had some guards outside. This was the perfect pretext to get rid of Baelish. "The name suits our purposes far more than that useless pile of rubble. The Lord of Harrenhal will make a worthy suitor for the widow Arryn."
"For which I am extremely grateful to you, my lord, your Grace." Baelish said in false gratitude as he acknowledged both Naruto and Tywin. "Lady Arryn and I have known each other since we were children. She has always been positively predisposed toward me."
"A successful courtship would make Lord Baelish acting Lord of the Vale." Pycelle said.
"Titles do seem to breed titles." Baelish said.
"You'll leave for the Eyrie as soon as possible and bring Lysa Arryn into the fold. Then the young wolf can add his own aunt to the list of people who have taken up arms against him." Tywin said and Naruto saw that now was the best chance.
"No, he will not." Naruto said as the counselor's looked at him.
"No?" asked Petyr with his smile leaving him.
"You will not be leaving King's Landing again, Lord Baelish." commanded Naruto coldly.
"Not to question you, your Grace, but why?" Baelish asked as he tried to figure out how to get around this. Perhaps with a whore or two would suffice? It worked for Robert. Like Father like son!
"Why would I trust the man who betrayed Lord Stark and the last Hand of the King, which started this damn war in the first place? It doesn't set a good precedent," asked Naruto with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"Lord Stark was a fool. An honorable one, but a fool nonetheless. I never side with fools your Grace. Surely a man of your expertise would understand siding with fools is not wise," offered Petyr.
"Ned Stark was hardly a fool. I don't particularly care what he was or wasn't guilty of. The fact remains, had you backed him, a peaceful transition could have ensued, like my father wanted. Instead, I have two wars for independence being waged against us, and both of my uncles are dead, and I'm not entirely sure that isn't what you wanted!" said Naruto angrily while glaring at Petyr Baelish, who looked a tad nervous since this was not going the way he wanted. All the others present felt no need to interfere.
"In my defense your Grace I...," said Baelish, but was stopped when Naruto raised his hand and shot him a glare.
"There is no defense for what you did Lord Baelish. Not only did you betray Ned Stark, you betrayed the final command of my Father. In addition, there's this," said Naruto with as he pulled out the book of all the financial transactions of the Crown. "The Golden Company's paymaster and I already went through this. The details are dreary, but the basic gist of it all is that Baelish here has been stealing and embezzling money from the Crown since he became Master of coin. More than 6 million gold dragons." He showed Tywin, Varys, and Tyrion while men of the Golden Company came in, blocking each exit. Baelish was sweating as he was trapped with nowhere to go and the new King had figured him out. How!? Only he, Petyr Baelish, was supposed to be good with numbers!
As Naruto explained further, including things like how the Crowns spending never really increased and Robert's excesses, as well as his mothers spending and the family's never really changed from the time when Wyman Manderly was Master of Coin, and then suddenly Baelish comes in and the Crown starts losing money.
Varys already knew Baelish had been stealing money, but he had never had a way to prove it. High level math was not really his thing, and he would not have been able to explain it to prove it.
Tywin, meanwhile, as Naruto's explanation connected the dots for him, was kicking himself mentally. How could he have not noticed this duplicity!? He knew Baelish was scum and not trustworthy but to be so brazen as to steal and embezzle money from the Crown, and therefore, from Tywin? He was more angry that he had awarded the little rat. And had his grandson not brought it up, he would have sent Baelish into the most unassailable kingdom after the North!
"Take him down to the torture chambers. I want to know where all the crown's money is. Tell them they have my permission to go all out." Naruto told his men. Naruto sat down after his men dragged the kicking and screaming Baelish away. He looked to Tywin, noticed his look and said, "You disapprove?"
Naruto could see Baelish for what he was. Baelish ingratiated himself with everybody. He's everybodies friend. But he is also willing throw those "Friends" under the wheel carriage, when they no longer serve his interests. Someone like Baelish was meant to be used, and then disposed of. Keeping him around was stupid, and definitely going to bite Naruto in the ass if he did. Naruto wanted a peaceful realm to rule over after he was done with the Ironborn and Robb Stark. Baelish sabotaged peace the last time around. Naruto was not going to risk his efforts being poisoned.
"Only that we have no one to bring the Vale into the fold now. I am pleased that the man who thought he could steal from the Lion and get away with it has been caught and will soon be executed, but that still leaves the Vale." Tywin said.
"We'll leave the Vale alone for now. Lysa wouldn't leave the Vale for her sister and nephew. She likely won't leave it as long as news of what has befallen her childhood lover never reaches her." Naruto said. "Once he tells us were all that stolen money is, he dies."
"Far be it from me to hinder justice, but Lord Baelish's absence would present certain problems. The royal wedding may end up being the most expensive event in living memory. Summer has ended, Winter is a few years away. Not a good time to leave the crown's finances unattended." Tyrion said.
Naruto whispered something quickly to Tywin and they exchange a few whispers and a nod from Naruto before Tywin addressed his youngest son.
"Fully agreed. Which is why His Grace and I have agreed to name you the new Master of Coin." Tywin said.
"Master of Coin?" Tyrion asked.
"It would appear to be a position that best suits your talents." Tywin said.
"I'm quite good at spending money, but a lifetime of outrageous wealth hasn't taught me much about managing it." Tyrion said. 'Besides, Master of Coin is a demotion for a man who was once Hand of the King.'
"You handled this unstable city well enough when Joffrey was doing everything to cause a riot in the streets. I am certain you will do fine with a stable treasury, Tyrion." Naruto said.
"Hear, hear." Pycelle said.
"One last thing, I sent terms for peace to Robb Stark yesterday. I am awaiting his response." Naruto said, causing his advisors to look at him.
"What were the terms?" Tyrion wondered.
"Nothing much. Just that he and I agree to a time and place to meet and discuss his surrender. In exchange for a peaceful surrender and swearing oaths of fealty to the royal house of Baratheon, he must give up his Crown and renounce his claim on the Riverlands. In exchange, he will take up his fathers old position as Warden of the North. If he does so peacefully, the North will not have to pay reparations for damages committed during the War, his families ancestral sword Ice and Ned Stark's corpse will be given back, and all effort will be made to finding Arya. However, as Sansa is marrying my brother and will be Lady of Storm's End, she will not be returned. He also has to give up his mother for kidnapping Tyrion Lannister. She must be put on trial for her crimes. If he refuses, he will be humbled, laid low, and his army will be crushed by Tywin Lannister."
"Your going to let him off for free?" Tywin said, containing his anger that the Starks would not have to pay reparations for the acts and pillaging they committed in the Westerlands.
"I was lying, of course. No disrespect meant, grandfather, but Robb Stark is a far better general than you and has already crushed your forces 7 times. I will be facing him if he doesn't submit, right after I am done wiping out the Ironborn. I also did not mention our 210,000 strong army. He would have known he had no chance if he was facing those numbers. I fully expect him to refuse, which we can use by saying we tried to end this war peacefully and anything that happens afterwards is because he did not want to come to the table." Naruto said, revealing his devious military mind. Tywin grit his teeth at the jab about how easily Robb Stark was beating him.
"You shouldn't face him yourself, nephew. If you die without an heir, Tommen will have no choice but to be king." Tyrion said.
"I didn't get to be leader of the Golden Company by leading from the back or hiding a 1000 miles away. I will face him and that is the end of it." Naruto said as he stood up. "I believe that is all for today, my lords." With that, the meeting drew to a close.
Flea Bottom
Naruto walked through the streets of King's Landing again, getting a better feel for the city. One of the things he intended to get started before he left was fixing the infrastructure of King's Landing.
As Naruto and Ser Balon walked through the streets, they came upon Tyrell guards and saw Margaery and her handmaiden's enter one of the various orphanages. "Wonder what she's doing." Naruto wondered.
"I don't know, Your Grace." Ser Balon said. Naruto walked into the orphanage with Ser Balon behind him.
"He was a soldier," a young girl said to Margaery, talking about her father. "He went to fight on the walls when the ships came into Blackwater Bay. He never came back."
"And your mother?" Margaery asks.
"She died when she had me." The poor girl said.
"Bad men wanted to come into this city and do terrible things, but your father stopped them." Margaery said as Naruto leaned in the doorway and Ser Balonn was behind him, as his wife-to-be handed the kid a toy knight. "Whenever you look at this knight, I want you to remember your father."
"He wasn't a knight. He was just a soldier." The girl said.
"And what do knights swear to do?" Naruto said as he walked in, to the shock and awe of the orphans. "Protect the weak and defend all that is good. Your father did that." Naruto sat down next to the girl. "Be proud of him." The girl smiled.
"Your Grace," Margaery and her handmaiden's gave a light courtesy.
"My lady," Naruto returned it by kissing her hand.
"Was your father a soldier, too?" Naruto asked a boy nearby and he nodded. "You should be proud, too." That made the boy smile, doubly so because he was the King.
"Under King Naruto's leadership, your fathers helped save the city. They saved us all." Margaery said to the kids as her handmaiden's began handing out food. "From now on, we're going to take care of you. All of you."
A few minutes later, the children were out playing in the streets, their bellies fuller, as Margaery was escorted out by several children that were holding her hands. Naruto was led out by two young children himself. "Come to me for whatever you need to feed them, clothe them, or house them." Margaery said to the matron before she added. "Directly to me."
Later that night
Naruto and Cersei walked into a late night dinner with Loras and Margaery. Naruto had just come from a meeting with Lord Rowan, Lord Tarly, and his officers of the Golden Company. The plans for how to deal with Robb Stark had been made. Now, they waited for the response.
"Please, sit, sit," Naruto insists as he walked in. "I do apologize, my lady, Ser Loras. Late night war council meeting. Until Robb Stark and the Ironborn are dealt with, that's going to be a regular occurrence. Yet at some point, it should become treasonous to prevent the king from attending other important matters, like dinner with his bride."
Margaery laughs a bit at Naruto's bad attempt at a joke.
They all took their seats. Naruto at one end, Margaery by his side and his mother on the end. Loras is beside his sister and Cersei. Cersei glares at the Tyrells. Margaery watches her, a slight smirk curling her lips.
"That's a lovely gown, my lady." Naruto complimented, trying not to be super obvious that he is totally checking her out.
"Yes, it suits you perfectly," Cersei insults, calling her a whore without actually saying it, making Naruto annoyed. "But I imagine you might be rather cold." She sips her wine.
"The climate is a bit more forgiving back in Highgarden, your grace." Margaery said, but really she was fine, and pleased that Naruto liked how she looked in the dress. It was a welcome change from Renly, who wasn't interested in her at all.
"Would you like me to have a shawl brought for you, my lady?" Naruto asks.
Margaery takes his hand in hers. "I am touched by your concern, your grace. Luckily for us Tyrells our blood runs quite warm. Doesn't it, Loras?" He nods.
"Loras, isn't the Queen's gown magnificent?" Margaery says, attempting to make some conversation with his betrothed's mother. "The fabric, the embroidery, the metalwork. I've never seen anything like it."
"You might find a bit of armor quite useful once you become queen," Cersei replies, looking at Margaery. "Naruto tells me you stopped at Flea Bottom on your way back from the Sept this morning." She sips her wine.
"Yes." Margaery looks at the king, who is annoyed at his mother's breach of confidence. "I paid a visit to an orphanage the High Septon told me about, and his Grace just happened to be passing by."
"Margaery does a great deal of work with the poor back in Highgarden," Loras tells Cersei. She smiles.
"The lowest among us are no different from the highest if you give them a chance and approach them with an open heart," Lady Tyrell preaches to the table. Naruto honestly agreed with that sentiment. He had lived as a slave for a time. He knew that when it came down to it, people were pretty much the same, with some exceptions. Margaery does seem to be genuine about helping the people, which worked for him.
"Lady Margaery," Cersei says, "I must warn of your travels in this city. An open heart is what you'll get in Flea Bottom if you're not careful, my dear. Not long ago, we were attacked by a mob there. We had a full complement of guards; they didn't stop them. King Joffrey barely escaped with his life." Her eyes held sadness, thinking of her eldest child.
"You were attacked in the streets because Joffrey started a war by killing Ned Stark." Naruto said, making his mother freeze as she was bring the wine to her lips. "And because he couldn't keep his mouth shut when someone threw a cowpie at him and tried to have them all killed."
Margaery and Loras glance at one another. The room is quiet but for Naruto cutting his food.
"Hunger turns men into beasts," Margaery notes. "I'm glad House Tyrell has been able to help in this regard. They tell me a hundred wagons arrive daily from the Reach. Wheat, barley, apples. We've had a blessed harvest and of course it's our duty to assist the capital in times of need."
"Well," Naruto says, "Lady Margaery is known for doing charitable work with the poor. I'm sure she knows what she's doing." Margaery blushes.
"I'm sure she does," Cersei sighs, just letting it rest. There was no point in arguing with her son more than she had already.
Naruto Room
Later
"You didn't tell me you did charity work, Margaery." Naruto teased as he lay in bed with Margaery sitting on his bed.
"Well, there is a lot about me that you still don't know, Naruto." Margaery teased.
"I can see that." Naruto said with a smile. "Still, it makes me happy in a way. We'll have all the time in the world to learn about each other once the war is done." Margaery smiled at him.
"So, I heard there isn't to be too much spending on your brother's wedding. You are saving money for winter?" Margaery asked.
"Something like that, they say Summer is over, so in a few years, winter will be here. Plus Tommen said they don't want too big of a wedding anyway." Naruto chuckled. "I am not exactly one for parties, given my time as a slave and then as a member of the Golden Company. Now though, I don't have a choice, do I?"
"I'm afraid not. It is expected of you. Though, you will need someone who will be at those parties for you." Margaery scooted closer to him. "Someone you can trust."
Naruto smirked at her. "Yes, someone with great social and political skills. I'm guessing you did a lot of that in Highgarden?"
"Grandmother was more or less throwing me at people so I could talk to them." Margaery smiled wryly. "I was terrible at first, but I slowly learned how to talk and smile, even though I didn't feel like it."
"Yeah. First you learn how to lie." Naruto remembered his own experiences learning politics and talking as a kid. "After a while, you don't care whether the person in front of you is lying or telling the truth."
"And you just keep smiling." They both said at the same time and they looked at each other and laughed.
"Perhaps we have more things in common than we knew." Margaery winked at him.
"Perhaps we do." Naruto noted. "So tell me, behind all politics. What do you enjoy?"
Margaery smiled and decided to use her trump card. "I love children."
"Really?" Naruto asked her.
"Back in Highgarden, it is rather imperative that the city is kept clean. And because there were so many orphans in the streets, I helped open orphanages so that they could live there instead of in the streets."
Naruto looked rather bemused. "I wasn't aware that you had such pursuits."
"My father tried to keep a lid on it." Margaery explained. "He said it was not lady-like to help those poor children. But I did the best I could by having people build orphanages and had sent leftover food from parties at Highgarden."
Naruto sat up in wonderment. "So, earlier today. That was genuine."
"Yes, Naruto. It is not their fault that they were born poor. So they just need a little help so that they don't become like the beggars, do you not think so?" Margaery giggled and Naruto smiled.
"I think so." Naruto said.
"It's getting late again. I will see your tomorrow night." Margaery asked and Naruto nodded.
He watched Margaery walked out the door and he looked at the ceiling before he got walked over to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. He thought to himself before he decided to dipped his quill in some ink before he began drawing up plans to fix the infrastructure of King's Landing.
Chapter End
Next Time: Tommen's Wedding and off to War
Game of Thrones, Season 8, at least the last 4 episodes, left me triggered with how they butchered Dany and Jon. If you want to see my little fix-it series, check out my GOT stories on my profile page.