Iron Bank, 325th day of the Year 778, Braavosi Calendar
" As you can see Lord Lannister, there is quite enough gold in your Vault to hire those you had inquired about into your service. More than thrice so, to pay for two years of their service even. Though, if you are also interested in calming down the slight uproar among the more adventurous of the free-sailing Captains of Braavos, those who would be most likely interested in ferrying your interests for you, then I would ask you to consider of paying at least an fifth of the original sum that Captain Degarro and his helpers asked of you. This would ensure that the free Captains see you as the honorable man that you are Lord Lannister."
The Lion Lord looked up from the ledgers which had been given to him a few hours ago and stared at Keyholder Nestoris with a scowl after hearing those words. The honorable Keyholder, who was sitting opposite of Lord Lannister, looked calmly back into the Hazel eyes of the Westerlander.
The Warden of the West forced himself to stay calm in words and manners for his answer, for he knew that the Iron Bankers disliked proud and impulsive behavior and Tywin knew, even though he hated the fact, that he needed the Iron Bank on his Side for what was to come.
"Keyholder Nestoris, you and all other honorable members of the Iron Bank are of course welcome to give your wise advice and I am thankful that your are so concerned that my name and thus the name of my House is well liked among the people of Braavos and that I am known as an honorable name. Nonetheless though, I have to say that I take offense against this suggestion of yours. Captain Degarro and his people were shamelessly using my Situation against me and blackmailed me."
The Keyholder still looked calmly at the bristling Westerosi and then his mouth angles lifted just the slightest amount.
"I have to say, honorable Lord Lannister, that the honor of your person, name and House has not been even slightly diminished among nearly all people of Braavos, only among the free Captains there is an unhappiness about your unwillingness to pay anything to Degarro and his people."
Tywin's scowling got more testy and his eyes narrowed while he fixed his gaze on the way too unconcerned looking Keyholder.
"You are telling me that I have to pay a still quite large sum to the man who is in your own prison for breaking Braavosi law, for being someone who wanted to enslave my Maester, who wanted to sell me back to my own torturer, who blackmailed me thus? You are telling me, that I should do that because of a couple of unruly Captains, who all are beholden to your Laws, Laws which Degarro had broken, are unhappy that I am unwilling to pay a lawbreaker?"
The middleaged Official of the Bank who was sitting next to Keyholder Nestoris twitched slightly at the angrily asked questions or the Lion Lord but the Keyholder himself and the older Official sitting at his other side, showed no real emotions nor that they were uncomfortable with the Westerosi Lords anger.
Before anyone would answer the Lion Lord though, a door opened behind the three Iron Bank representatives and another Official of the Bank came inside and he was followed by Maester Hother. The Official paid his respects to all inside of the room and then left again, while the Westerosi Maester bowed first slightly to the men of the Iron Bank and then stepped to the side of Lord Lannister and bowed there slightly too.
Tywin finally turned his eyes away from the Braavosi men and instead looked to his Maester. His scowl became less fierce and he became real curious instead as he could see that the Maester himself looked rather satisfied and smug. The Lion Lord just wanted to ask his Maester about the reason for this smugness but Keyholder Nestoris asked the Maester ahead of him.
Hother took his time to answer though, for before he told the reason, he first looked to the honorable Keyholder and to the older Official beside him for a while. Both the men of the Iron Bank looked calmly, near observing back to him. Finally, after a couple of moments, the Maester then nodded as if he found an answer for himself and bowed his head once more to both men. They recognized the respect shown to them and gave back their own, accordingly to their status.
Then though, the Westerosi Maester fixed his gaze on the middle aged representative and both Lord Lannister and the other two Officials followed the Maester's gaze. The middle aged man of the Iron Bank was squirming and sweating and he gulped nervously now that he was in the Center of attention from everyone in the room.
"Imagine my surprise, honorable representatives and honored Lord Lannister, imagine my surprise when my dear, poor, addicted former friend Captain Degarro told me some interesting things about a few, just a few mind you, spys which the Slaveholding magisters of the other Free Cities themselves, had managed to implant into the honorable institution of the Iron Bank. He was all too happy to answer any questions which I asked him, for as long as I was willing to attend to his addiction. Dear Omarro had interesting things to tell about a couple of inside men in the most honorable Iron Bank, inside men also near the most honorable Sealord and these inside men were always only too happy to give certain Captains a few hints about persons of interest, even to those who were not unwilling to enslave these free persons."
The tone of the Maester's voice was near pleasant while he told this but his eyes, his entire mien looked predatory at the same time . Then he tugged two rolled up papers from his wide sleeves and handed them over to Nestoris and the older man beside him. Both unrolled their papers and whatever they read in there then, turned their faces red with anger. Both looked with blazing eyes towards the middle aged Official, who looked like he was about to pass out and his face had turned pale. Keyholder Nestoris and the old Official beside him had lost their calm and pleasant facade completely now and both stood up abruptly.
The middle aged Official seemed like he desperately trying to calm himself down but his heavy sweating and breathing and his pale face showed clearly how the Maester's word had hit him completely unprepared.
The old representative hurried over to a corner and pushed a relief there and then a hidden door opened two foot by his left side. He uttered a few words and just a moment later, four serious looking bravos entered and quickly went over to the middle aged man near the Keyholder.
Maester Hother looked away from the stammering and sweating man when he dragged away by the four armed men and turned instead to Lord Lannister. Both Westerosi men looked into each others eyes and then the Lion Lord nodded with clear satisfaction in his eyes to be seen. And while the Lord then turned back to the now clearly angry looking Keyholder and the still unanswered question about the usefulness about paying Degarro a fifth of the original sum, the Maester stepped away from the men around the table and turned towards the Windows on the East Side.
He closed his eyes while he stood there in the morning sun and thought about the last couple of days.
... Neither he, Hother himself nor Lord Tywin had been happy about their forced participation in Degarro's feast but their unhappiness soon had turned to relief when they had found a way to escape the captor. As luck would have it, the Sealord of Braavos and three Keyholders had been among the guests and young Ser Wylis Manderly, son of the Lord of White Harbour of Westeros too. The Merman on the Sails had been the whole focus of Hother back then And then it been easier than the Maester could ever have been hoped for, with Wylis Manderly as Degarros guest and with the Sealord too. And the night had ended so entirely different than Omarro had ever hoped for, with him imprisoned after Hother had managed to alarm Manderly to his plight and with Lord Lannister then speaking with the Sealord and the accompanying Keyholders.
Eight days ago, he and Tywin Lannister were brought into Degarros great Manse by Omarro himself. They were given new and nearly good fitting clothes and at the same night then, they were dining reluctantly with Degarro and a hundred guests, to celebrate his newest child and his altogether wellgoing business.
...
And now, thought Hother to himself, now Lord Lannister was going over the Lannister Vaults in the Iron Bank and is using the Officials of the Bank to negotiate with Sellswords and he, Hother himself, was using his many creative ways to extract all of his old friend's secrets and knowledge and names of spys and contacts.
...
Dragonstone, around the same time
The young fisherman was running as fast as he could all the while tugging the young girl behind him and at the same time gripping the one leg of the Old Man which he was carrying on his back ever more tightly. The Old Man himself tightened his grip around the neck and shoulders of the young man, his grandson, also.
The young fisherman's boat was not that far away anymore, just a few moments more and they will be there.
Behind them, they heard screaming and the gruesome noise of crumbling Stone.
Finally, the young fisherman reached his boat and he forced the last bit of his strength to jump on it, with his grandfather on his back. Then, he carefully let the old man down on the deck, turned to his young sister and tugged her onto his small boat. Then he simply cut the rope which had secured his boat and pushed away from the landing stage.
Finally safe. His Grandfather and his little sister had been the last two of his family who had wanted to remain on Dragonstone, even though the Seven Hells had opened their Gates and suddenly the people vanished in smoking and glowing craters.
But he, the young fisherman, he had now saved the last of his family. They were safe now.