Chapter 3
There was a pregnant pause in the small council hall. I found myself staring at the body. The strange thing was that I didn't really feel much at the sight of it. Sure, I had just ordered another person killed, but the man was as close to evil as you get. I thought of tongueless children, and I felt a grim satisfaction at it. Pycelle had gone pale as milk, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jon took a moment to take it in before looking to me. "Robert," He began.
"One moment. Brynden, find a servant and tell them Lord Varys' body needs to be taken away." Ser Brynden nodded. I was impressed; he had followed my orders quickly and efficiently. His footsteps echoed as he exited. Then I turned to Jon. "If there is anyone you should dispose of after taking the throne from another king, it is the spymaster. I asked him for assistance, he proved incapable or unwilling to lend it to me, and so I had a threat removed. Had I offered him a trial he would have fled and I'd never have seen him again. No, this was my only opportunity to see him removed completely." Jon looked at me for several long moments. Finally he sighed, his shoulders slumping. Servants dutifully filed in and removed the corpse. "Best take a seat. We'll need to begin the small council's work in earnest." I turned to Pycelle. "No need to worry yourself, Pycelle. Serve dutifully and competently and you'll have nothing to fear. Now, I need to ask several questions about the status of the small council and anyone they've hired, and you happen to be the only remaining one held over from Aerys' council." I gestured for him to sit, finding my own chair at the head of the table. Pycelle was shaking, but he at least sat down quickly. He was not yet using his doddering old man persona; only the roots of his hair was beginning to gray.
"Robert, I would at least like to be advised before you do things like that," Jon said in his calmest voice, beckoning to the pool of blood that was being quickly wiped up by a servant. "I do not disagree that Varys might have posed a threat, and what's done is done, but Aerys' madness began because he couldn't trust those around him." I nodded, putting up my hands in a placating gesture.
"You're right. It will not happen again, Jon, I promise." I said calmly. "Now, Maester Pycelle, I believe I was asking you about the small council. What sort of men if any did the small councilors hire? How were their records kept?" I asked, leaning back in the chair. I found myself craving wine, and I wasn't sure if it was Robert or me that wanted it.
"W-" He paused, clearing his throat nervously. "Well, Your Grace, I did not know all the inner workings of my fellows - Varys especially - but I believe Lord Chelsted had three men who helped him keep the records before he ascended to the Handship. Many of his log books were burned along with him, but I don't doubt a few can still be found in the Master of Coin's offices. Lord Velaryon did not much take the role seriously, seeing himself more as an admiral than a manager of ships, so he did not have any men under him. Lord Staunton had two men he hired to send out to mediate disputes, but because he was appointed in the middle of the war I do not believe they ever saw use. And the Handship was occupied only briefly of late, so very few men were hired by any of the Hands. In all, save for Lord Varys and his spies, I believe I have the most men working under me, Your Grace." Pycelle sat stiffly, waiting for me to speak.
"That's certainly going to change. I plan to rearrange the small council, add more positions - a few at the top level, but mostly positions below the main councillor to handle certain portions of their duties. I think I shall split the office of Master of Coin - no one man should have all the power over the King's purse, and keeping all those numbers in one man's head can only lead to failure, or corruption." I paused to consider it. "I believe I shall split the Master of Coin into three duties. The Lord Treasurer shall keep accounts of the treasury, ensure bills are paid promptly, and manage records of taxes. The Master of Roads shall work with both the Lord Treasurer and the Master of Laws to ensure that the roads are safe, well patrolled, and duly maintained. Jon, I'm considering an idea for a system of messenger stations all over the kingdom that even common folk can pay for. The more connected we are, the better. Then there shall be the Master of Customs, who will work alongside the Master of Ships to manage customs and duties, ensure the maintenance of ports and the paying of sailors."
Jon nodded slowly. "I can see the sense in that, Your Grace. Although if these positions come into conflict the financial records can become direly confused." I nodded thoughtfully.
"Thankfully I have a diplomatic Hand who is capable of ensuring the fools don't fight. Now, as to the Master of Laws, I plan to expand his power and capabilities greatly. I want to set up courts of law in many places in the various regions where Lords can seek a judgement with the full authority of the King behind it, so we don't get messy little wars between Lords who want a pissing contest. And these courts will have teeth, too. I plan to give the Master of Laws command over a force of cavalry patrols to ensure the roads stay cleared of bandits and the like, and if a Lord defies a judgement from one of these courts or avoids it entirely their lands are forfeit."
Jon seemed surprised. "Your grace, infringing on the noble's lands and titles like this would weaken their support of you. Are you certain of this?" I nodded calmly.
"They need to learn that their disputes will be judged by their king or his intermediary, so they don't kill thousands of smallfolk with their foolishness." I said. "Regardless, this force in conjunction with the messenger network will make the roads safer and easier to communicate on." I tilted my head thoughtfully. I was mostly stealing from various ideas I'd picked up from history books. The pony express, vague ideas about China's meritocratic exams for bureaucratic positions, the like. "As to the Master of Ships, I have some ideas for them that will help increase their ability to sail. I want to create a trade fleet, Jon. Imagine the wealth and riches that could be brought in if an endeavour like that was sponsored. Corlys Velaryon a hundred times over, spices and silks and porcelain." I sighed at the thought. "The captains would receive less than if they were independent voyagers, but they would have the advantage of being part of a fleet, which would mean pirates would be less tempted to pick them off."
Jon nodded at that, considering the thought. I forged ahead. "I have so many plans, Jon. With you by my side helping me put them in place, Westeros will enter a golden age." I stood, walking out to the conveniently placed balcony and beckoning for him to follow. "In addition to the city watch and Kingsguard I would like to raise a force of Royal Guards, the best of the veterans from the war, and well equipped to boot. A king's power is in his swords, and having well regimented, uniformed guards presents a powerful message. Just look at Tywin's red cloaks." I beckoned out to the city. "The Targaryens had the Dragonpit looming over King's Landing, reminding the people of their power. Dragons will never come again, but that building can serve a purpose." A lie, but a believable one - who knew if Daenerys would hatch the dragons with how I was changing things. "I want to create a great place of learning, where young nobles and the sons of merchants and knights can come and learn great things together, and forge bonds of friendship like Ned and I have. I want to sew this kingdom together, to make it one kingdom - Westeros." I turned to Jon. "I know it is not all feasible right now. But I want to grow old and fat, with a court full of philosophers and artists and learned men, and I want the histories to write of me as the greatest King Westeros ever had."
Jon looked at me for a long moment. Perhaps he was trying to figure out if I was mad. Whatever he was thinking, he finally nodded. "I have never seen this side of you, Robert. But if you will have me by your side, I will work with you to build this vision." I reached out and clasped his hand.
"I would have it no other way." I said happily, as we returned to the hall proper. "I would like for you to draft a list of suitable councillors for the council. Preferably one which represents every region. The Royalists need to be chastened, aye, but they also need to be shown that leal service produces rewards. I will speak to you and the master at arms about those guards further later. As to the other ideas, I imagine I'll need a full council before I can begin digging into that properly." I paused and turned to him. "And soon enough I'll need to send you south to treat with the Dornish, of course." I clapped him on the shoulder. "But it is nothing we can't manage, I imagine. You are dismissed to do the tasks I asked of you. Maester Pycelle, I would like to speak to you further about some ideas I have."
Pycelle gulped but nodded his head. I sat down at the head of the table. "As a learned man yourself, Maester, you must know what the issue with books is, yes?" I asked, pouring myself a cup of wine from the pitcher a servant had brought in. Sipping it slowly and calmly, I waited as the old man considered his answer carefully.
"The greatest problem is the cost of copying books over. It leaves us with handfuls of copies of a book, and in the case of some - like Blood and Fire, which is a jealously guarded book kept in the Citadel." Pycelle explained, threading his fingers through his beard.
"Exactly my point, Maester. Imagine how much better the world would be if every Lord was well learned and had a plentiful library full of books!" I said, drawing on my enthusiasm. "And so I have had some ideas. One is for a way to make a form of parchment that is much cheaper, from pressing wet wood pulp together into thin sheets." I thought that was how you made paper, anyway. It was pretty close, I was fairly certain. "And another idea is taking another kind of press like those used by winemakers, with a bunch of blocks of letters that one can rearrange to make copying vastly quicker. Imagine it, Maester - a process that normally takes years taking a few weeks instead!" I said.
Maester Pycelle seemed quite excited by the thought, threading his fingers through his beard. "It would be quite valuable, Your Grace. Why, any Maester would kill to have a library as expansive as the one here or at the Citadel."
"Yes! And so naturally, as the most learned man in my court, I would like you to make inquiries into getting something like this built. I'm sure you can figure it out, of course. I'll make sure the necessary funds are provided for this endeavour. I would also like…" I paused, standing and walking across the way to the view from the balcony. If one turned to the right, they could see the Blackwater. "To look into harnessing the power of the blackwater as much as possible, with wheels that turn when water falls on top of them. It could make much of the busy work of millers, lumbermen and smiths simply vanish, and they could put their pursuits to better uses!" I said. "I would like for you to look into that. These two projects should keep your plate quite full, but I don't doubt you're capable enough for them." I was reasonably confident that Pycelle, like most Maesters, craved recognition and the prestige of serving under a well renowned King or Lord. If I offered him that, perhaps I could wean him off of Tywin's teat. If not, well… Brynden had already proven himself quite capable in that regard.
I dismissed Pycelle, deciding to take a lunch break and the opportunity to draw out my ideas for the guards before my planned meeting with the pyromancers. With Varys dead, I had sent a runner down to inform them that I would meet with them halfway between noon and evening. That should give me plenty of time. After acquiring parchment and ink from a servant and some delicious cherry tarts that I had to force myself to quit eating, I settled in.
I didn't remember the intricacies of them all, but I managed a fair job at drawing a halberd, a short sword and a dagger, all meant to be part of the kit for my guardsmen. I managed a decent enough rendition of a person wearing a salet helmet, a cuirass, and a simple cloth uniform, which I noted should be all dyed the same color. After further consideration, I also added another man with a crossbow. I wanted to make sure the mixed force could stop a cavalry charge, the main crushing force of the medieval period, and deliver heavy casualties to plate wearing foes. From what I remembered, this combination would do me plenty of good. I had considered gunpowder, but even without the concerns that come with it, I simply didn't know how to make it. Sulfur and maybe saltpeter from what I remembered from civilization, but not much else. I finished up what I could and decided any changes that came later would have to be brought up with the master at arms. While it was a bit overboard in terms of grandeur and expense, I wanted an excellent core of men that any levies I raised could rally around, who would not break if I placed them before the enemy cavalry. I noted that I wanted to see how much raising two thousand of them would cost, replacing gold cloaks as necessary. They would be relegated to policing the streets; I was worried the poorly trained men would simply break if the capitol fell under siege, and I didn't have Tyrion Lannister to rally them. In fact, I was pretty sure he was nine or ten at this time.
I ordered a servant to send it along to the master at arms, who I thought might be Aron Santagar. That was who it was in the books, but I honestly didn't know.
It was around that time that another servant notified me of the Pyromancer's arrival. I got up, heading to one of the side rooms rather than doing it in the Great Hall. I made my way through the labyrinthine (but less so as time went on) halls of the Red Keep, finding myself in the proper room. I sent a servant to bring them to me. They came soon enough, three of them. They were different in myriad ways; one old and stooped, another young and thin as a reed with a lively look in his eyes, and one fatter than even canon Robert. "Good afternoon, Your Grace. We are the three wisest and most learned of our order, sent to assist you with your request. I am Eurys, and these are my fellows Ledris and Timmant." I know Westerosi names are fucked up, but what kinds of names were these? What, did you just pick a pretentious sounding name when you became a wisdom? Whatever.
"It is good you are here. I need your assistance in disposing of the wildfire left behind by Aerys' mad schemes. If your guild assists me in destroying it, I shall see to it you are rewarded properly. Block my path, annoy me, or malign my efforts, and you shall meet a quick end at the hands of my pale shadow here," I said, beckoning to Brynden. Barristan was still recovering and had fewer shifts. I really needed to expand the Kingsguard, both to its normal seven and even beyond. Seven is just not enough for anyone but maybe the king alone.
The alchemists looked suitably cowed. "Of course, Your Grace. We shall consult with the acolytes on where their substance was sent and once we have discovered the location we shall ensure it is destroyed swiftly and without harm to others." Said the tall, reedy one. Ledris, I thought.
"Good. See it done before I return from the Great Council or I'll have your heads." I paused, knowing they didn't really have a definitive date. "That's three and a half moons, give or take a few sennights. Though I wouldn't gamble your lives on me being late." I cracked a smile, then stood. "You're dismissed." I said with a wave of my hands. They filed out, considerably more pale than when they had entered.
Never let it be said that I was a soft king, I thought with a snort. "Ser Brynden," I said casually as I walked to my meeting with the Master at Arms and Jon.
"Yes, Your Grace?" He asked, all calm easiness.
"I find myself lacking information about Lord Tully, which is a damn shame since he's the goodfather to my brother in all but blood. And you, well, you are his blood brother, so I doubt you'll give me any of the frills. What position would you give him in my place?" I asked, looking back to him as I strode confidently.
"I would say the master of roads, Your Grace. My brother is a stubborn arse, but he has few ports and plenty of roads running through his lands. If anyone would be invested in seeing them safe and easy to travel on, it would be him." Ser Brynden said, continuing to scan the area with easy grace. I found myself thinking of rivulets of crimson, and was glad he was on my side.
"I had considered something of the sort myself, but it is good to hear that I'm not being foolish about it." I paused. "Thank you, Ser Brynden."
"Think nothing of it, Your Grace." He replied easily.
"That's the damned problem with this job. You never can. Never accept a crown, Ser Brynden, they're a venomous thing, and damned tricky." I snorted. That was an understatement on my part. I had to balance eight different lords, all with different agendas. It was like herding cats. Cats that could cut your head off if you annoyed them too much.
As I neared the yard, I began to consider the looming question of marriage. What if Lyanna died, or was unable to wed again? It seemed a likely option. I would be faced with Cersei, or someone entirely unaccountable. On the one hand, Cersei herself said that she was willing to love Robert, that it had been his blunder on their wedding night that had begun the descent into antipathy. On the other hand, by this point she had murdered her friend. I wondered if I could pull a fast one on her in terms of the valonqar prophecy. It seemed like George was fond of self fulfilling ones in that regard. I could also look to houses below Lord Paramounts with some prestige, like the Hightowers. There were a lot of Hightower daughters, and I was pretty sure some of them would be unmarried.
My thinking was forced to a halt as I found Ser Aron Santagar and Jon waiting for me in the training yard. A few knights were duking it out, swords and mail flashing as they practiced. "Live steel? I thought the war was done," I said with an easy grin. Jon looked up from the papers he was holding - likely the ones I'd sent along, I belatedly realised.
"Yes, well, I would like my guards at utmost preparation heading into a vipers den with the dead body of their beloved sister. I think this business with handing over Gregor may work, but it never pays to be reckless." Jon said, crossing his arms. "Speaking of recklessness, Robert, what is this? I understand the power of having guards, I even understand some of these choices for their weaponry and armor, but two thousand of them? Even Lord Tywin has only five hundred red-cloaks at any time, and he's the wealthiest man this side of Essos."
I raised my hands in a placating gesture. "I need a strong core of guards that can hold the city well or, if I need to bring them forth with my armies, can serve as a strong core that can keep the levies from melting away like snow in the face of their first cavalry charge."
"Robert, a force like this might make sense in wartime, but we are coming close to peace. It would be a major over expenditure that could be used for any of these other ideas you have. A guardsman needs ten dragons a year just in pay. A sergeant twenty five, and a captain a hundred. The equipment for each would likely run you ten dragons per man, and you'd need to house them and feed them, so add at least eight dragons per man plus the dragons necessary to build housing for them. I know your sums aren't excellent, but that comes out to one and forty thousand dragons a year, plus twenty thousand dragons for equipment and another ten thousand to build the necessary housing for the excess guards. It's a very large expenditure, Robert."
I nodded my head. "I have plans to make the collecting and assessing of taxes more efficient, plus the revenues from my other ventures like the trading fleets and increased trade flow with well maintained, safe roads. Not to mention that I have ideas for making steel and cloth cheaper." I explained. "That should make things considerably cheaper."
Jon pinched his nose. "Alright. But we'll need to postpone your grand learning place a year then, in order to get those things done so we actually have the revenues to pay for this year in and out."
"Done," I said easily. A bit of postponement would be just fine. I wouldn't drive the kingdoms into financial insolvency unless the Others posed a major problem. I turned to Aron, who had been waiting patiently. "My apologies, Ser. Can I count on you to begin arranging the necessary provisions and construction for these guards? I will explain to you my hopes for training them once you have those done." The Master-at-Arms nodded calmly. "Excellent. You're dismissed, then." He made his way off to the gates, likely to begin getting things together. I turned back to Jon. "Now, about those methods…"
What followed was a long conversation, mostly with me dubiously trying to explain things I only vaguely remembered. I did know that water wheels worked better with water poured on top of them (thanks, Maester Jon) and I explained how I wanted to maximize our use of the river. Jon agreed to look into it, and presented his list of candidates. I wanted to add the Dornish and Reach to the coalition, though preferably a Reachman vassal; rewarding the Tyrells after they sieged my home for a year was in poor taste and would probably send Stannis stark raving mad. We also agreed on a city charter for the Weeping Town, and that we would discuss one for Fairmarket or another town in the Riverlands with Hoster when he arrived, likely tomorrow or the day after.
It was a productive day, with a smart, capable person to bounce my ideas off of. I found myself melancholy at the idea that Jon would be gone in Dorne soon, not because it would leave him out of my reach for plans or because Robert felt that way but because I felt that way.
God damn it, Bloodraven was right.
A/N So there's the third chapter. I appreciate the response from you all. I would appreciate feedback on marriage possibilities. I am considering a slow burn, faux marriage to real marriage between Lyanna and Robert. Jury's still out on that one. While democracy is not feasible at this time and the SI needs to accrue as much power as possible, he's simply seeding things early on; a larger amount of Burghers from more cities, an increased tendency to call Great Councils, broader literacy that happens as a result of cheaper books.