Ever since Stannis' attack on King's Landing the men of the sea were in dire straits. With no royal fleet to enlist, dockyards were empty and idle. Even trade died down because of war, because of pirates that sprung up everywhere.
And so, young people who trained their whole lives to be sailors were left jobless and now drunk away their lives at cheapest taverns in the city. This is where I come in. New royal fleet and I are the only hope for these men. That is why I will have their loyalty. I could of course recruit veterans, of the Blackwater Bay or even older men who remembered Greyjoy's rebellion. But I would have neither their respect nor loyalty. It was their sons I was after.
I sat in the middle of brightly lit tavern at a small wooden table, Praekar sat beside me and one by one volunteers approached us to sign a list. Some of them did it themselves, some asked to do it for they were illiterate. There were men from King's Landing like Petyr with strong Flea Bottom accent.
And there were multiple people from different parts of Westeros. Like Orys Storm, bastard son of lord of Griffin's Roost, Brynden from Maidenpool whose ship sunk near the Claw and only he managed to swim to the shore. There was even Wendyl of White Harbour, who got red at japes about him worshipping trees to which he angrily replied that he believes in the Seven.
At least, they were all done, I rolled up the list and hid it in my leather clothing. I jumped on the table to deliver a speech. I always prefered talking to the crowd.
"My Friends! Today you start your voyage for glory..."
I got a cheer for that
"...GOLD..."
The roar of the crowd threatened to rip the inn apart
"...AND KING TOMMEN!"
At that, there was silence.
"If anything" said Orys Storm "I am going for the gold"
My new crew got drunk, and I got drunk with them. After midnight I sat with Praekar in the corner and observed inkeeper trying (and failing) to break up fourth fight this evening.
"It went quite well" I observed
"Yeah, quite smoothly" It was obvious that there is something completely diffent on his mind.
"Problems with Mya?" I asked "Does the baker still send chaperon with you every time?"
He winced at that. "That old crone is right behind us all the time"
I laughed and took another sip of wine "I think I have a solution to your problem. Take her to a stage play"
"And how is it going to help?"
"I don't mean one of those mummer's farces in the Fish Market, a real one where you have to pay to enter. My friend stages one of them tommorow. It is really good and there is a surprise at the very end. That way you can go, just the two of you. Perhaps you can convince the baker." I just couldn't remember what the surprise was.
After that I bade Praekar goodbye and went home. As I was ascending the Visenya's hill I couldn't help but shiver. The winds were already quite cold and it was supposed to get even colder in the next moons. I need to go south. My golden guards – Donnel and Hugor, now permanently guarding me, were walking few steps behind.
I lived in a manor of old and rich knight Ser Harlyn, my father's old friend. The only payment I had to make for staying there was listening to his stories from the War of Ninepenny Kings and he had lots of them.
The construction of ships was going smoothly. The keels were laid and the work went on without interruption. Two weeks after recruitment in "Bard's Whore" (which bared me from entering for the damage done by the crew) I was ready to report to the queen. The red walls of the Keep never ceased to amaze me. Inside nobles went about in a constant dance of meaningless intrigue. From amount of requests, invitations and the like it was clear that they really overestimated my position at the court. The whole illusion of my personal power was cast by the queen.
To get to Cersei I had to pass through the entire keep. Passing the keep's Sept. Passing the Maidenvault constructed by Baelor the Mad to imprison his sisters for a horrible crime of being women. Eh.
"Tommen! Where are you?" A voice called
A fat child in incrousted doublet suddenly ran at me from behind the corner.
"Your Grace" I greeted him
"Who are you?" he asked, bending his neck to the side
"I am Aurane Waters, your grand admiral"
"What does it mean, are you a knight?"
In this moment king's wife Margaery Tyrell finally caught up to the king.
"Tommen you shouldn't bother lord Waters. He is building you ships to crush your enemies"
"But I don't want to crush enemies, I want to be like Je- Ja- Jaygeris?"
"An honorable goal, Your Grace, by your leave..." I began turning and Tommen simply nodded few times. I bowed, more so to Margaery than Tommen and went on my way to Queen's chamber.
"Could I get a cat?" I heard Tommen asking as I was leaving.
The queen was... happy to see me. Perhaps overtly so. She sat close to me as I explained the projects of big dromonds that would dominate the Narrow Sea.
"With such ships Myr, Tyrosh and Pentos would stand no chance against us, Your Grace" She was only half listening. I could not deny a certain allure that her green eyes bore. She frowned when she looked at my beard. Well, I guess a visit to barber will be neccesary.
"Have you thought about names?" she asked after I explained the advantages of three-decked ships
"Your Grace, let it be a surprise" she smiles at that.
We moved to the balcony from which one could see the most beatiful view in the world – sea. For me sea meant freedom ever since my childhood. Stepping on a deck I ceased to be lord's bastard and became a sailor. Below us I could see the dockyard in which workers hurried about to complete their task.
"Admiral can't wait to go to the sea?" she asked "You should be gazing in this direction" she pointed to the east.
"Dragonstone" I said
"That's where your will go, when your fleet is ready, to finish off Stannis. Let him freeze in the North but in the south we have to tidy up this mess" When she was standing there by the railing golden hair waving in the wind, red dress in contrast with white-blue background, I could almost forget terrible deeds commited on her orders. Almost.
I left soon after and trailed along the Traitor's Walk, still looking at the sea. Caught up in a day dream I almost didn't notice Qyburn approaching
"Lord Waters" he started "Could I steal a moment of your time?"
I smirked "What does the infamous necromancer want from me?"
"I am sorry to say that, my lord, but one of your men was caught attending a traitorous stage play. His name is Praekar, I believe"
"Traitorous? How can a stage play be traitorous?"
"My lord, you must remember what happens to the mysterious dragon egg from the first act, no?
I raised my hands to my brows and pinched my forehead. How could I be so stupid.
"It hatches" I replied.
"And..."
"The dragonling swallows both stags and lions. Not very subtle"
"Indeed, our queen is not very keen of such plays and she asked me to check if any people of note are attending them. Of course, she doesn't have to know"
"What do you want?"
"Hands" I raise my brows at that anwer
"Surely you mean a hand, like a helping one?"
"No, my lord, I require hands, strong hands"
Walking through Keep's inner courtyard I was still shaken by Qyburn's request. I knew this city was a snake pit but this... His reputation proved to be well earned. Where would I find strong hands? And why couldn't he do it himself?
"Lord Waters!" My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knight in training armour. Gods, how I hate this moniker
"Ser Loras" I greeted him "I see you are hard at work" I pointed to Redwyne twins who sat in a corner and looked as if none of their limbs were left uninjured.
He laughs at that "Hardly an achievement. Maybe grand admiral would prove to be bigger challenge?"
It is now my turn to laugh "Nothing like being beaten up by finest knight of the Kingdom, I am worse than Horror and Slobber here" They snort at me, do they think their father Lord Redwyne should have my position? Probably. I think the same.
Maybe taking some blows is exactly what I need to clear my head off the constantly swirling images of hands. I was no knight even though as a child I trained with my trueborn brother Monford in Driftmark. He was always stronger where I was quicker. His strength didn't help him when he drowned in Blackwater Bay. And my speed wouldn't help me in this training armour, fighting against a knight whose abilities where to mine like elephant is to ant.
My biggest mistake when we finally cross swords as Loras' admirers gaze at us from the sides, is trying to use tactics which I would have used on a deck. Dodging doesn't work against unimaginably fast Loras. I try and fail to block his onslaught, hitting him two times only. In the end I fall on my back to delighted screams of the audience.
Loras takes off his helmet, his face decorated with a smile. He extends his hand to me and I eagerly accept it as I rise from the ground.
"You really are out of your element, here on land" he laughs
"True" I reply "On a ship only an imbecile or a man with a death wish would wear heavy armour"
"I hear some of the Ironborn do this, IF they can get their hands on a real piece"
After cleaning myself in a bath attached to the training yard I bade Loras and the sore twins goodbye. I go down yet again, down the hill to the docks.
New headquarters of the Royal Navy were located in a repurposed warehouse by the Blackwater Rush. Even outside I could hear Praekar's and Orys' loud screams as they tried to bring order to chaos around them.
My friend was unusualy happy for few days now. Well, at least one of us was. I didn't say anything to him about Qyburn's request. After all, how do you tell anyone that you are looking for hands. Even though ten ships were already under construction, it still wasn't enough. I-the Kingdom needed a lot more than that. Perhaps during the next Small Council meeting Rosby will cough out some more money. I spend rest of the day arguing about the masts and the rigging to be used in ships.
When sun finally nears the horizon I am back at Ser Harlyn's house. It was still quite early so Ser Harlyn sat before the fireplace and hummed some old warrior song. He beamed at my approach.
"Aurane, my boy! Come, come closer! How is the fleet coming about?" he asks
"Just great, in few months we will sail the sea"
"Ahh, across the sea, just like we did during the war..." OH NO "Have I told you how I saw Maelys the Monstrous being slain by Ser Barristan Selmy?" Only a thousand times
"Maelys was like a pile of muscles, he circled around on his steed taking down our soldiers with his enormous morgenstern. I could swear that I heard his second head – you now the one which grew on his neck- laughing at us" he takes a sip of medication and continues "Then Ser Barristan sprung from a cloud of ash and charged Maelys the Mounstrous. Such grace and such speed I have never seen prior to that or later in life. Soon Maelys' body laid lifeless on the ground"
"And so Blackfyres ended" I said
"Yes" he responds "They are all gone"
After a moment he adds "I wonder where Ser Barristan is now"
I excused myself and in a short time I fell asleep reading account of Elissa Farman's last voyage preparations.
I dreamt of things I would often dream about. Of a man who lived in a city of lighted spires.