Thoros would like to think of himself as a simple man with simple dreams. An ideal day in his life would be a day that he would be piss poor drunk and he should be able to bash a poor sod's skull in. At least, that's what it used to be when he was serving King Robert. Nowadays, he was suffering through sober days because of orders from the prince. It was not too bad because he did get time to get piss poor drunk but that was only at nights in the manor. The Prince was of the opinion that he had a loose mouth when drunk and the Spider's little birds would be keeping watch on him. Thus Thoros was confined to the manor for his drinking activities with only Asher Forrester as a drinking buddy. Sometimes Dacey Mormont would also join them but never once did the Prince join them. Even if the Prince joined them it was with that insufferable hot black beverage. The only day he had seen Prince Jaehaerys drink a glass of wine was on full-moon nights and that too at a snail's pace. Thoros was not going to complain as that means more wine for himself and he never says no to more wine.

Thoros stepped into the backyard breathing in the fresh air courtesy of the garden adjacent to the manor. Speaking of the garden he noted that the Weirwood saplings have grown to the height of a horse with fresh new red leaves sparkling under the sunlight. He was disappointed to admit that he had not managed to convert Asher or Dacey to the faith of Lord of Light. But that disappointment was overshadowed by the limited success he had with Prince Jaehaerys. Unlike the other two Northerners, the Prince was not outright dismissive of his belief in the Red God. In fact, the Prince was rather open to all religions which were a disaster waiting to happen for the Prince but he was sure the young Prince will eventually come around to the Light of R'hllor.

Ever since Thoros rediscovered his faith because of the visions he received from the flames he was of the belief that he was meant to teach the young dragon prince about the Red God. While the Prince was happy to take him into his service the prince remained sceptical of the Red God. This only lasted until Thoros managed to develop magical abilities when he was presented with an emerald gemstone. Ever since then, the Prince has been learning about the Red God from him and some of the queries the young prince was asking had Thoros flummoxed. He didn't have the foggiest idea why the Red God had powers over shadows when the lord is named Lord of Light. He also had no idea whether the Lord of Light accepted sacrificial burning of food, animal pelts, flowers or something personally handcrafted by the devotee. He could only shake his head in negative when asked about whether it was strictly necessary for living sacrifices. Even though he didn't know the answers to these queries the Prince was still interested to learn all the lore and philosophies behind the faith. Thoros was glad to see the prince was at least interested in his faith and that's why he had sent a message to the Red Temple of Myr and Volantis seeking their help. He was sure the Red priests would be able to divine the reason behind his message on their own. After all, by the prince's command and he was not allowed to mention the true name but rather the name that he was currently known by for security reasons. As per Prince Jaehaerys's request, he had sent the messages to some of the more open-minded Red Priests. He doesn't know what will come off this endeavour but he hoped the results will satisfy the prince.

The sound of footsteps from his back made him turn away from the growing Weirwood tree to face Asher Forrester. Thoros had to admit that the second son of Lord Forrester was a puissant warrior, especially with a battle axe. Although, while Asher did train with a sword the young Forrester preferred the battle axe.

"You are early Ser Thoros. I thought you would still be in your bed drunk out of your mind." said Asher with a light chuckle as he unsheathed his sword and began to take some experimental swings before turning to face him

"So we are starting without the prince?" Thoros asked as he unsheathed his won sword taking a stance

"Jon is preparing for his court session. Last time I checked he is dressing up and practising his little speech in front of the mirror." said Asher as he adjusted his grip on the sword and slowly circled Thoros

"What are you waiting for boy? Let's begin." Thoros barked and at an unseen signal their swords clashed with a ringing sound

Thoros ducked an overextended swipe from Asher and retaliated with a jab to Asher's abdomen. Asher was quick to dodge but that gave Thoros the leverage that he needed to go from defence to offence. While Thoros admitted that Asher had a mean swing the boy has a poor defence.

"You are not using your wrists boy. Don't just use the sword as a club to smash and hack at your opponents. Use your wrists to reposition your sword and keep the opponent guessing of your next move." Thoros advised the young lad even as he continued to rain down blow after blow slowly chipping away at the defence put up by Asher

Thoros noticed out of the corner of his eyes the prince and Dacey Mormont had stepped outside the manor and was observing their bout. Thoros decided to end the fight quickly and gave a counter-clockwise twist with his sword that deflected Asher's sword away and placed the Forrester at his sword point.

"Give me my axe and I will beat the crap out of ya!" Asher huffed in irritation as he once again lost the fight

"The axe is a good melee weapon but you might be facing someone on horseback. Under such situations, it is better to have a sword in your hand rather than an axe which has less reach compared to a sword." said Prince Jaehaerys who was being fussed over by Dacey keeping his attire pristine

Thoros had to admit that the Prince was looking kingly right now. Now that the Prince has thrown out the all-black attire that he usually preferred with a bit of red added he was looking princely. The prince was wearing a black doublet with a red wolf-head stitched just above his left chest. A red cloak was draped over the prince's shoulder fastened by means of a chain sporting wolf effigies. From the waist down, it was all black again except for a red sash at the Prince's waist where the Valyrian Steel blade Dark Sister sat comfortably in its sheath.

"You should have taken my advice and started a sellsword company, Jon. That would have been less of a headache compared to all this politics you are playing." Asher pit forth his opinion as he once again started to take slow swings with his sword

"A King must know how to hold court and make his opinions heard. This will be good practice for the prince." said Thoros as he nodded to the prince who should not have to be second-guessing his own decisions at this point

"He is not the king though. He promised lord Stark he won't go for the throne didn't he?" Asher pointed out

"You never know what might happen in the future boy. Rather than make fun of the prince why don't you try your luck with that sword hmm?" Thoros prodded and he was rewarded with an enraged yell from Asher and the fighting continued once again. They would be needing all the practice they needed because he knew that a war was coming and every sword counts for something in the Long Night.

Jon had to admit that the court of the Sealord was large and the factions within said court was very interesting, to say the least. One faction favoured investment in the slave trade and right now they were being heard quite a lot in the council. While Braavos doesn't engage in slave trade there are no laws forbidding someone from investing in the trade. It was a curious loophole but was most likely left there seeing the world for what it is rather than what it should be. Even with the largest armada Braavos possessed they can't force other cities to abandon the slave trade all on their own. This faction was spearheaded by Jaqaro Orlohrin who have extensive connections in Volantis and other slave cities. The second faction is led by Tychello Hotyr who was very much in favour of expanding Braavos but he preferred expanding against Lorath rather than to Andalos. Even still the man would be a swing vote as will be his cohorts in the council. The next faction would be those who are in favour of further naval expansion and this group was led by Jorero Baerros who is going to support this venture for sure. Then there was the faction that carted to plantations as well as mining operations. It was led by Adareo Saniris and that man was very much a supporter but he would not take a strong position in the court without others backing him up. There are other factions but their votes are few in numbers and not completely dependable either.

Jon's eyes then strayed to the Sealord who was listening to Jaqiros Baerraris make the case before the court. Already, Aneros Froyr had said his piece and Jon had the distinct impression that the majority of the court disliked the man. Jon had no idea why but he was willing to find out especially if his plans would just go down like a sinking ship because of said man. Jaqiros Baerraris, on the other hand, was an eloquent speaker and he was very much respectful and tactful in his approach. He didn't come off as a greedy merchant that wants Braavos to safeguard his holdings but rather a concerned citizen who feared the passive nature of Braavosi influence in the Andalos region which is being taken advantage by Norvos, Lorath and the Dothraki. The guy kept his cool and never strayed from his point and Jon noted that the council appears to agree with a lot of points raised by Jaqiros. Jon had asked around discreetly with some of his contacts in the council and there was some chatter that Jaqiros Baerraris may be nominated to the council next year. Jon was quick to notice that Jaqiros was winding up his speech and Jon was about to have his day in the court of Sealord.

As Jaqiros finished his speech and stepped back the council's crier called for Jon and he stepped forward to the centre of the hall. At the very centre of the hall, a large shield was painted depicting the shield of the Titan of Braavos. Jon took a deep breath and bowed curtly to the Sealord and addressed the council.

"I am honoured to be in the presence of this council and to even be allowed to speak in the highest body of the Free City of Braavos is something that I can't still believe is happening. Yet here I am! I am told that it is customary to present a gift to the Sealord. Alas, I don't know much about the Sealord other than some rumours that he enjoys some word games and puzzles. As such it is my deepest honour to present your eminence with a game board created by myself."

Jon produced a wooden box on which the surface was painted in black and white squares.

"The instructions as well as the accessories to this game is provided in this chamber."

Jon slid a small compartment on the side of the box open to show a scroll of parchment as well as several board pieces.

"The game is designed specifically to test quick decision-making skills, strategies as well as critical thinking. Only someone that field pure logic and a keen intellect can master this game. This is a game that all rulers must master for this is the game of Kings."

Jon handed over the Chess set to an aide who took it straight to the Sealord. The Sealord made a go on gesture and Jon kicked off his speech.

"I will openly admit that I don't believe that anyone in this council thinks that the proposal for expanding the influence of Braavos in Braavosi Coastlands as well as into Andalos is solely proposed for the benefit of Braavos in mind. My two other colleagues as well as all the merchants that have petitioned this court for military intervention acts on self-interest. This is an established fact but this cannot diminish the fact the Braavos is facing a threat. This threat is highly insidious and has been slowly growing within the confines of the Braavosi sphere of influence."

Jon noticed that he had caught the council's attention with this approach and he speared on ahead.

"The Braavosi Coastlands may appear to be under the control of Braavos but nothing could be farther from the truth. Foreign powers have entrenched spies and a network of local allies that cater to their interests. If this council doubts the authenticity of my words then I shall further elaborate."

Here Jon glanced at the Sealord who had stopped reading about the Chess game from the scroll and was looking very much interested in what he was saying.

"While Norvos and Lorath have spread their influence as far as west of the Rhoyne another threat comes from Westeros."

The council started murmuring amongst themselves and the Sealord raised his hand silencing the court.

"Explain." The Sealord ordered and Jon took note that the Council was very much under the full control of the Sealord. This was a man that was not to be trifled with, thought Jon

"The master of whispers of King Robert Baratheon's small council is well known across Essos. Lord Varys is originally an inhabitant of Essos and before he served King Robert he served Aerys Targaryen. While these are impressive achievements it does not come without merit. The Spider as he is known in Westeros has a wide-spanning spy network and he calls them his little birds. What many do not know is that he has two spy networks. One for Westeros which he calls as his little birds and one for Essos which he addresses as his little rats. Both the little rats and little birds are same in all aspects. Varys uses little orphaned children and trains them to read and write. To ensure no information is leaked he cuts off their tongues from a young age and dispose them after a certain maturity is attained. The Braavosi Coastland has become his entry point into Braavos and at this very moment that we discuss this, his spies are everywhere in the city. They are not just spies but they act as assassins and he holds the lives of many at just a few words. Who would suspect children of anything? A small drop of poison is all it takes or maybe a knife to the back and for an innocent-looking child it is too easy."

The council was silent now and Jon could feel the tension in the room from the postures of the council members.

"He is not the only one. The Master of Coin of King Robert's council is an influential and rich man. He owns almost all whorehouses in Westeros and he has significant investments in Essos as well. All these whorehouses serves as an intelligence-gathering network. He identifies each target and uses the whores to lure them into his establishment. If it is information he wants then he obtains it. If it is an enemy that he needs taken care of then that is also done discreetly. The blame will be pushed on to some poor fellow or even perhaps a rival. This spy network is almost as good as the Spider's but much more dangerous."

Jon was glad to note that the bleak picture that he had painted was setting in the psyche of the councilmen. He observed that many of them had creased foreheads, tight grip on their seats and many were sporting outright worrying looks.

"Compared to all of this the Dothraki scourge and the spreading influence of Norvos and Lorath is a silent relief. I don't think I am the only one discovering these network of spies has been operating in the soil of this great city. While I was privy to certain information because of my close relation to Lord Eddard Stark who is the best of friends with King Robert many in this council must have suspected the reach of these individuals."

Jon threw that little tidbit of information out in the open and that made the council trust his word. After all, why would the Council of Braavos take heed of a thirteen-year-old boy unless said boy learned all of this from his father who is the friend of the king? That was what Jon hoped that the Councilmen would think and he accomplished that by the looks now sporting on their faces.

"There comes a point at which a nation must evolve. The Free City of Braavos kept the location of this city during the times of Dragonlords of Valyria to protect themselves from harm. At that point, the best defence was to remain anonymous. Then Doom happened and Braavos expanded her fleet to safeguard the interest of her people. When the Triarchy was formed Braavos crushed them so that another hostile naval power will not rise to challenge Braavos among the waves. When Pentos stretched itself in the seas the armada taught them that Braavos was not going to allow a slave city with conflicting interests to rise in power. All these timely actions have ensured that Braavos remains the most powerful city on this side of the Narrow sea. Braavos has succeeded in establishing her dominance in the seas. Now, the time has come to secure the lands that are crucial for Braavos in the future. To me, if Braavos does not intervene in Andalos my loss would be a small piece of land. I can find an alternate piece of land that suits my needs but for Braavos this opportunity will be the one that propels her to Great Power status far ahead of any other cities in Essos. The decision is yours to make and let it be known that history will be the one to judge you for this moment."

Having said his piece he stepped back from the circle and gave a bow to the council and stood beside his two companions.

"You just ensured a whole lot of investment in our venture Master Snow. Very well done. Very well done indeed!" Jaqiros whispered discreetly and Jon watched on as the council deal with the firestorm he unleashed upon them.

AN:

Lizzes: The pairing is not going to be Dany. Dacey is a shoe-in for a love interest if Jon but it is not going to last. Jon needs to secure his throne and that means he has to marry for political reasons.

Missymissy87: Jon most likely suspects that is the case but he doesn't care all that much.

Dzerx: Agreed. A marriage with Dany is a waste at this point. It won't happen.

Kis0104: What sort of future knowledge do you want Jon to use? Any future knowledge have has in his head is useless so long as it has come to pass. Even Jon Arryn has not died, so what sort of future knowledge should Jon use?

MrBogus: The gems were found in the hot spring beneath Winterfell. That's also where Jon found Lightbringer. It is explained in the first chapter.DirtyCat: Thank you for pointing out that mistake. I have inserted the page breaker.AnimeA55Kicker: Jon gave the oath in a way that would make him interfere in case if anything happens to the Starks. In this case, it was losing the Wardenship of the North. When Robb declares himself King in the North, Jon will be able to act(according to the oath).