High Valyrian isn't easy to pick up. What is easy to pick up on, however, is that I am terrible in High Valyrian, as my maester had commented multiple times. Thankfully this is my first month of studying the topic, so the setback wasn't a drastic change.
"These things tend to happen, young prince" Maester Rickard explained, "We will start from the beginning and hope you slowly remember what I've taught you."
The graying maester sports a nice thick beard and a stocky build that isn't usually found on bookworms like him. He wears seven links. Seven disciplines he mastered, but I have no clue which ones. The gold one and the copper one stand out to me, though.
From talking with the maester and with Breyna, I found out what Prince Joffrey, owner of the "Brother of the Year" award has done:
After tripping and falling on air that fateful morning, Joffrey had caught Tommen laughing at something completely unrelated and took it as an insult. He started verbally berating him, to which my previous self responded in a tone he didn't like. One thing lead to another and Cersei found her two sons in a struggle, with the older one slamming the younger against a wall while choking him. The little shit, as daddy Robert called him, couldn't explain himself out of that one, even though he tried his hardest. Now that I think about it, I do feel a few bumps and scabs on the back of my head. The serendipity of the situation is not lost on me, since I can play off my personality change as a concussion and only Joffrey can get in trouble if I break character.
Learning the various houses of Westeros would also be a mind numbing experience if it wasn't for maester Rickard's ability to tell an interesting story about each one of the houses to help me remember.
On a brighter note, mathematics and algebra are the same. No base 16 system or cuneiform digits, thank the gods. Considering my engineering background, this will definitely come in handy, even if I fail as a ruler. I will just invite Daenerys to her daddy's crib and see myself out to the Citadel. Optimizing the economy will require some game theory, differential calculus, statistics,… And that's just to the mathematics behind it. Remembering the smaller houses and what they produce, getting them to cooperate with my government and each other, somehow cutting a good deal with them is a whole 'nother world of soft skills.
Those are all endgame questions though, there are far more pressing concerns in my life right now than making sure the economy is good. For example, living long enough to make sure the economy is good, and being in a position of power so I can make sure the economy is good. I will need to get rid of Joffrey, one way or another. Father ruined the economy enough, but having Joffrey ruin our reputation and peace is too much. There's also the concern of my true parents' proclivities being discovered by a Stark kid aiming to be Ezio from Assassin's Creed, and the five-sided war that results from that discovery; An exiled princess with three organically grown attack-bombers, a witch that likely already knows about me through her satanic deity, and is advising a hardened military commander that dislikes my father, the White fucking Walkers...!
"Prince Tommen." Lor-I mean maester Rickard interrupts.
"Huh?", I answer in a not so princelike fashion.
"Pay attention." the stern maester commands. "Now, let's go over multiplying by four again. Like multiplying by two, we will…", were the last things I comprehended before withdrawing my attention yet again. I thought this would be easy, but it seems that teachers notice when a student isn't paying attention more easily in a class of one, than a class of thirty or more. I hoped to go along and pretend as if I'm an eager little schoolboy again, but listening someone explain multiplication in detail is extremely boring to someone who knows advanced algebra. Nevertheless, I endure. I don't really have a choice... Or do I?
"Maester, sir?", I interrupt him just as he begins his essay on the wondrous details of multiplying four by nine.
"Yes, my prince?", maester Rickard replies.
"I think I understand multiplication. Can I get some exercises to solve?" I decide to speed this up. Wasting even a minute of this week or two that I have before the trip to Winterfell is unwise. I have one shot at this and there are far better uses of my time than learning what I already knew.
"Exercises? You mean problems?", I nod at his correction, "Alright... I've prepared a few problems for today's lesson. If you can solve them without my help, I'd be impressed"
To the surprise of no one (except Rickard), he was impressed.
Before I ended today's classes, I asked for a few books from the maester, so as to acquaint myself with this universe a little better. History, geography, politics, whatever seemed relevant. The maester decided to show his witty side by handing me the book on High Valyrian before telling me that he'll have them ready for the next class, and to revisit this in the meantime. Cheeky northener.
Now, time to get some extracurricular activities.