(Dragonstone: 9/20/298 AC) Cressen II
A little over a month had passed since his meeting with the Lady Mai, and it had gone relatively well. It was slightly past midday when Cressen, the High Educator of the Grand Academy, had gathered the ten remaining head instructors, and the four apprentice instructors, for a brief meeting within the Administration tower.
The main meeting hall within the tower was spacious and styled in Fire Nation colors and architecture. Red wooden pillars, with golden flame motif bases, held up the ceiling, while sumptuous red satin curtains draped over the walls, tied off at the end with a golden rope. Red cushioned benches, with gold trim, lined the walls of the room, nestled between the arches made by the tied curtains. At the center of the room was a lavish black carpet, bordered in red and trimmed in gold, on top of which stood a richly carved blood red wooden table, with eighteen gold trimmed, black cushioned, chairs. Fifteen of which held occupants, and of those occupants, only three held the attentions of the High Educator.
Chang was one-and-fifty, the second senior most member after himself, and he was also the Firebending instructor of the Academy. He walked with a slight limp, after that fateful sparring session with Ursa, and he held a grave look in his eyes, which were suspicious of everything. His stern gaze was accented with harsh Yi-tish features that his three-and-ten-year-old son, Takkar, shared.
Cyvia, the blond red priestess, who looked to be around four-and-twenty, taught fire divination and poison treatments, while Sanro, a short Yi-tish looking man, of two-and-forty with brown eyes, was an apprentice instructor who taught medicine in place of Qyburn. Sanro was Qyburn's student, though in truth they had learned from each other as Sanro had originally been the most senior Fire Nation healer aboard the Ozai. The two of them had apparently gotten along well and were often rumored to be found in the caverns beneath the Administration complex.
Cressen had never been made privy to what occurred down there, but Lord Stannis had, and he had said to pay it no mind. The ability of her people to control fire, notwithstanding, the Lady Azula had done nothing untoward or questionable during her tenure as Lady of Dragonstone, and she had not caused Stannis to lose his way. He remained a just, if harsh, man, who cared deeply for his children. In light of this, he had decided to follow the Lord of Dragonstone's advice and leave the caverns be.
As for the others, all were Fire Nation; Tima, San-Hong, Laan, Chi-Ha, Zonrik, Tarsersa, Timi-Ko, Eme, Zha-Meng, Nong, and Xo-Nin. Tima was the timid, raven-haired, Fire Nation historian, whose eyes, hid a dangerous sort of cunning. She was scarcely older than the Lady Azula, and in spite of this, she held on to the history of her country passionately. She never wished to let it be forgotten, and neither had the Lady of Dragonstone, which was why it was a required area of study made exclusive to the bending portion of the student populace.
A populace of which, as of Luohung's last census, numbered one-thousand-one-hundred-and-twenty-one. The number had surprised Cressen, when the Census Administrator had reported it to the Lady Azula, so much that he had nearly suffered an attack on his aging heart. He had known of the Lady Azula offering lowborn girls and women, the chance to become ladies of note on Dragonstone, as they were married off to her male countrymen, but he had not realized why, until then. More than that, however, he had been made aware of the secret power the Lady Azula's people held when Lord Stannis had vouched for him. He had seen them, 'bend' the very element of fire and harness it as a weapon. They wielded it as easily as one could wield their own fists, and feet. With each fist thrown, a jet of flame would shoot forth, and with each kick came an arc that flattened and burned whatever obstacles, had been placed, down.
Cressen had not been a man who understood war, tactics, and strategy, but he understood how powerful such an individual could be, or appear to be when faced with knights, and cavalry, and assorted smallfolk levies. Had he not gotten to know many of them, such as the stoic, yet honorable Commander Lee, or the insightful Xai Bau, he may have panicked, and revealed them to the order. However, Stannis and his Lady Wife had bid him not to.
"If the Order found out," Stannis had said, "then the world would inevitably follow. You know what will happen, Maester, if they find out now. The Lords may pressure Robert to scatter them, ward them off, and even if Robert chooses to ignore them, and the Lords relent, the world will begin to turn its attention towards us, towards them," He remembered Stannis looking towards his Lady Wife, who carried his infant daughter, and his three-year-old son who stood by his side, as he uttered those last two words. "If the world decided to destroy them, scatter them, or in any way harm them, then I would do my duty, and protect them…or die in the attempt."
"I will not risk the anonymity of my people. Not now. Perhaps, one day, Westeros will learn the truth. But I will decide when that day comes," the Lady Azula warned, "because they are my people."
For better or worse, he chose to let it be. He cared too much, for Stannis, to let his own caution and fear control his actions, and endanger the lives of the boy he knew. Or the good man he had grown to be.
Laan and Tarsersa argued like an old married couple, as each felt themselves smarter than the other. Laan, a balding Yi-Tish man nearing one-and-forty years, was head instructor of Engineering. He bore a trimmed beard and wild look in his eyes. Laan's innovations allowed for the more rapid construction of the Iron ships, as Dragonstone now possessed a total of six, with a far larger one, 'the Azula,' nearing completion. However, from what he had been told, it had been a far cry from what the Fire Nation of the Lady Azula's youth, had been capable of.
Tarsersa, a plain looking woman with flat features, was aged seven-and-thirty. She was apprentice Architect to Merah and was responsible for setting down the plans for the Administration complex. In addition, she personally oversaw the construction of the Lady Azula's royal apartment building.
Beside the 'married couple' sat San-Hong, the metallurgist, and to his left sat Zonrik the mineralogist. The Lady Azula craved, "More iron! More steel!", and those two, eerily quiet, unreadable, plain looking men, of six-and-thirty, were the ones most responsible for feeding her hunger. They were tasked with finding out where iron was located, and how it could be shaped, and developed in a quick, efficient manner. Even with the current surplus, from the Iron Islands, she wanted more.
Seated the farthest away from the Maester of Dragonstone, were Xo-Nin, Zha-Meng, and Chi-Ha. They had all been top of their class in their home country's military Academy, and all three had been against sending Ursa to Winterfell. The trio all bore stern expressions and were rigid in personality.
Xo-Nin was a man of eight-and-fifty, who bore numerous wrinkles on what once may have been a handsome face, with thin slivers of gray creeping into his normally black goatee and top-knot. He taught fleet command at the academy and had studied the subject in his home country, alongside a man that the Lady Azula had called a disaster. She had not uttered the man's name, only that he led an ill-fated attack on her world's northern continent. Xo-Nin had been the man who captained 'the Ozai,' during the attack on Dragonstone, and the subsequent capture of Viserys Targaryen. The Lady Azula had, reportedly, fallen to a sudden pain. 'That was possibly due to being with child,' he thought.
"Fortunately," she had said, "Xo-Nin, does not show such madness."
Zha-Meng was a renowned strategist and tactician on his world, and he enjoyed several victories due to his tactics in the Greyjoy Rebellion, and the Stepstones campaign. His achievements were overshadowed by those of Commander Lee, from who he learned and in whose stead he taught, as the Commander had accompanied the Lady Azula to King's Landing. Even with the large shadow the Commander cast over him, Zha-Meng seemed to hold nothing but the highest praise for the man. Zha-Meng was six-and- forty, with sharp features accenting an otherwise normal face.
The woman, Chi-Ha, was a formidable individual of eight-and-thirty, taller than the Lady Azula, and who held a reputation for brutality in her world. She rarely had the time to utilize her skill, and her weapon, which she called 'the meteor hammer,' but once the Stepstones campaign landed at her feet, she was only too eager to lead men into the fray. A single long scar ran down her otherwise attractive face. Her area of expertise was of infantry command, and she was a harsh teacher, accepting nothing less than perfect discipline. The Lady Azula seemed to appreciate her, and it was clear why. Due to her youth, and area of focus, Ursa had never been exposed to Chi-Ha. Even so, Cressen suspected the Lady Ursa would appreciate Chi-Ha's company as much as her mother does.
The final three, closest to his left, were Timi-Ko, Eme, and Nong. While the previous three had been focused on military matters, these three were the main individuals responsible for Dragonstone's increased revenues, and self-sufficiency. Nong, a plain woman of three-and-fifty, with surprisingly pitch black hair, was the Lady Azula's trade strategist. Timi-Ko was apprentice agriculturalist, and she, alongside Eme, the boisterous horticulturalist, helped to develop the systems necessary for the increased food production. The amount was, by no means, large enough to rival the Reach, but it allowed the population on Dragonstone to eat regularly.
Her people aside, the Lady Azula, seemed to be a positive influence on Lord Stannis, and she was responsible for having put down anything that threatened the stability and incomes of Dragonstone. She had personally taken it upon herself to wipe out all instances of rape, murder, fanaticism, and theft, on the island. In addition, she and Nong had identified the areas within, where the most revenue could come. Together, along with Monford Velaryon, they forged more lucrative trade contracts with the Free Cities, and the port cities of Westeros, increasing the incomes of Dragonstone, and the Driftmark, nearly fifteen-fold. She had even managed to get Monford's son, Monterys, as a student in the academy. Which had likely been in exchange for helping Monford rebuild Spicetown and High Tide.
So confident was she in her work, at crushing brigands and assorted cutthroats, that she had often boasted of being able to leave a purse full of golden dragons at the steps of Dragonstone, for days on end with no one having taken it. Until, one day, someone did. And it had been for the most innocent of reasons.
The youngest daughter of Lord Stannis and Lady Azula, had been worried someone had lost their coin, and she had desperately wished to see it returned to them. He remembered her clambering into the great hall, as Cressen had been holding council with the Lord and Lady of Dragonstone, shouting worriedly, before the Lady Azula calmed her down. It had been sheer coincidence that Lord Stannis had taken some time away from King's Landing, to visit his wife and youngest daughter on Dragonstone, and was one of the few times Cressen had seen Stannis grunt in laughter.
"It appears someone has finally arisen to challenge you, Azula," Stannis had said, while the Lady Azula had lifted the young Ty Lee into her arms.
He remembered the Lady Azula frowning, before she shot back, "Well it is about time someone had the stones to do so." Stannis had frowned his response, and Azula smirked.
Cressen could not help but chuckle, causing those seated around him to cast queer looks his way. No matter how much the Lord and Lady of Dragonstone chose to deny it, and as bizarre as it was to think, the aging Maester had the feeling that both of them seemed to get a small amount of enjoyment from arguing with each other.
Two of the remaining three empty chairs, all situated to his right, were reserved for the Lord and Lady of Dragonstone, and both were more luxuriously designed than the rest, particularly the one for the Lady of Dragonstone. The remaining chair at the far right was reserved for Overseer Mai, who was absent, after having informed him of a prior engagement to tour the Agni Shipyard. As the most senior member of the staff, she had placed him in charge of obtaining more in-depth progress reports, requested by the Lady Azula, of the senior students within the Academy.
'Stannis never cared overmuch for such opulence,' Cressen thought, 'but his Lady Wife insisted, and when she insisted, Stannis would sometimes relent. Especially with something so trivial.'
A large table cloth, bearing the Sigil of the Burning Stag, covered the surface of the ornate table. Lighting the room in a dull red glow were hanging lanterns following Fire Nation designs.
'They are beautiful,' Cressen thought, as his gaze was drawn to the finely carved lanterns. Today was a time of rest, and the students had been allowed to leave their classes early, to help prepare for tomorrow's Festival of Fire. The Festival was a celebration, filled with games and foods, of the culture of the Lady Azula's home country. 'Tomorrow marked the first time the Lady Azula, and her two eldest would not be present to partake in the festivities,' Cressen thought.
"In the areas of Firebending," Instructor Chang began, "our senior students are of the utmost quality and ability."
"I hear your son, Takkar is of exceptional skill," Cressen stated, all the while knowing that Takkar had taken his father's defeat at Ursa's hand personally. Chang's son, desired above all else, to surpass the records that Ursa had set in Firebending. His instructors noted him as studying day and night, learning his stances, increasing his accuracy, and painstakingly perfecting his footwork. He was even rumored to have secret sparring sessions with his father, to assist in his development. So skilled and passionate was he, that he had managed to seize control of large portions of the reds and golds, which had begun to falter in Ursa and Steffon's absence.
Prior to Ursa being sent to Winterfell, she and Steffon had the most intense degree of contention, regarding the future of their house that Cressen had ever seen between siblings. They had divided the students into two rival groups of reds and golds. Both groups were fervently loyal to Lady Azula, but each differed in the thought of how the future of their nation, after the Lady Azula, should unfold. The reds were the smaller of the two groups and were composed of the more martially inclined students. The majority of them were Fire Nation loyalists that wanted to return the Fire Nation to its former glory. They yearned for a strong ruler, a worthy successor to Lady Azula, to lead them there, to secure their futures and those of their descendants. The golds, however, were composed of more diplomatically minded individuals, of mixed ancestry. They sought a steady integration into Westrosi society, as they felt the peace, happiness, and wealth, on Dragonstone should be shared with the rest of the Westeros.
"Possibly rivaling the Fire Lord's eldest daughter," uttered Tima, the Fire Nation historian, before she backtracked, "or so I hear."
Cressen heard several chairs shift and creak, before Chang responded, in a frown. "Not possibly," he said, "but certainly."
The Lady Cyvia, who had remained quiet thus far, finally spoke, staring at the Firebending master, "Is that a challenge to Azor Ahai's heir?" She spoke, with a serene smile lining her flawless, milky white, skin.
"It is not," Chang replied, unmoved by the red priestesses' enigmatic stare, "It is only a statement of fact. It is as unchallenging a statement, as saying the wind blows."
Sensing the rumblings of impending argument, Cressen decided to head it off before it got out of hand. "We are not here to discuss the children of the Lord and Lady of Dragonstone. We are here to discuss the progress of the senior class of the Grand Academy." He turned towards Cyvia, and she locked eyes with him before nodding her head in acknowledgment. Afterward, he glanced towards Chang, who nodded his head in turn. "Good. Now, where were we?"