Chapter 2

Paying debts and new coin manager

I don't own anything, just playing in someone else's sandbox.

This will be shorter than the first so I can move on to the next player in the great game.

Jon Arryn

After searching the remaining whore houses, which took a full sennight, recovering more of the Crown's possessions. Upon returning to the Red Keep, Jon was immediately summoned to King Robert's solar. Once the kingsguard that's guarding the door allowed him entry, Jon sees a sight that he had been expecting Robert was already deep into his cups. Red cheeked and blood shot eyes and empty decanters scattered around the room.

"Jon, where have you been?" King Robert boomed in his overtly loud voice.

"I've been figuring out some important things, your grace." Jon replies without pause.

"What's been so important that you have been out of the Red Keep for the past two sennight?" the king says slurring half his words.

"At first I was searching for the crown's ledgers, your grace. Then I was trying to find where the thieving magpie of a master of coin was hiding all the gold. Gold that he had stolen from the treasury." Jon says watching as King Robert's face went even more red with every word.

"HE WHAT!" Robert roars out, spit flying from the man's mouth as he stands in his rage knocking over the table that was in front of him.

"You heard me correctly, your grace."

"Enough with that your grace shit Jon. You are my foster father, if you can't call me Robert then who can? How much did that magpie get away with?" Robert says, slightly calming down.

"Enough that the Iron Bank is confiscating his family vault to help pay back the debt he had been accruing with them." Jon says straightening up the table before taking a seat at one of the chairs, indicating to the king's chair for him to do the same.

"What's the Iron Bank got to do with this Jon?" Robert says retaking his seat.

"I sent them a message just after Baelish died asking them to send a representative to negotiate with the Iron Bank acting as master of coin. The representative showed up not long after I had found out about the theft." Robert leans back in his seat as Jon says that, rubbing his bearded chin in thought.

"What was their response to that request? It's a good one Jon. I approve."

"He said the negotiations would continue once the Bank gets back to him about my two conditions."

"What conditions?" Robert asks beckoning his squire forward to refill his now empty glass.

"I told the representative that my conditions were that the representative would act in the best interests of the Seven Kingdoms. If it was ever proved that an action the representative proposed from the start of the action was against the best interests of the Seven Kingdoms the Iron Bank would be responsible for the fall out be that economic or not. That the representative would argue for favourable terms with any party that they sought loans from including the Iron Bank." King Robert has an impressed look on his face as he hears what Jon wants from the iron bank.

"Do you think that they will take it?"

"Honestly Robert, I think that they will. The Iron Bank has been looking for a way into Westeros legally." Robert nods at this, draining his glass again.

"Keep me updated on this Jon." On hearing this Jon knows his time with his once foster son was over. Leaving the king's solar, Jon makes his way back to the Tower of the Hand. along the way his squire Hugh walks up to him.

"Lord Hand, Tycho Nestoris is waiting outside your solar." he says, falling in step with Jon. Jon nods and continues to his solar. Once there he invites Tycho inside. While indicating to Hugh to stay outside, this was not a meeting for others ears at least not yet.

"Take a seat Tycho." Jon says after he takes his own seat. After taking his seat Tycho pulls out some papers and hands them over to Jon.

"This is what my bosses have sent back, my Lord. If it is acceptable, I have been chosen to be the Bank's representative." the documents where an acceptance of the previous terms on the conditions some more of the debt was paid off. It also started just how much more money was owed. Of the original two million debt, three hundred thousand had been recovered from the Baelish vault. The iron bank was looking for at a minimum seven hundred thousand back, if not more. That would be easy as the total collected from all of Baelish's whore houses has finally been counted to just over two million seven hundred and fifty thousand gold dragons, this was without counting how much the jewels were valued at. The businesses were also up for sale or rather the buildings, as they were empty.

"I agree to paying off one million of the debt, and ask that the Iron Bank arrange an auction of Targaryen Jewels. Seventeen crowns, and sixteen necklaces, along with other items yet to be catalogued. With half of the money to go toward the debt and the other half to go into the Royal Treasury" Jon says, pulling out a parchment with the details of some of the items retrieved from the dead traitor. Tycho proving once again that he was a fast reader by reading the full document in less time than five minutes. Nodding and placing the document back into his pocket Tycho pulled out another document, a very official looking document. Jon sat and read everything that the Iron Bank was proposing as the contract for them to act as master of coin. Everything that Jon had wanted was accepted. The Iron Bank had a few conditions of their own as well, namely that the Representative was able to leave once every three moons to go back to the Iron Bank and report any nonsensitive information back only to the Key Holders of the Iron Bank. There was even a clause that the Iron Throne and small council was able to tell the Representative what was sensitive, that all small council meetings were held and sensitive. Jon liked that the Iron Bank was not only protecting themselves but also the Seven Kingdoms. The clause that Jon liked the most was that no representative could hold the position for longer than five years.

"I find this most acceptable Tycho. Will you be starting now as Master of Coin?" Jon says while getting up to get them both drinks. "Drink Tycho?" with a nod from Tycho he pours both of them glasses and returns to his desk.

"Yes, as soon as the contract is signed I will commence work. I would like access to all of the parchment and ledgers from the former Master of Coin. Does the office come with an apartment in the Red Keep or will I have to find lodgings in the city?" Tycho says while taking a sip from his glass of Arbor Gold. Jon inks his quill then signs the contract then handing it over to Tycho to sign. Once he had given the contract back to Jon, he answers Tycho's questions

"The parchment and ledgers will be placed in your office at the end of this meeting. The office of the Master of coin has an attached apartment behind it. All though you may need to search it for anything that Baelish left behind. He never occupied the quarters as he had already brought his first whore house by the time he was appointed to Master of Coin. you are also allowed to have up to six personal guards as a part of your household. I would suggest that you get them as soon as possible. This place is not as safe as it appears. The Master of coin is also allowed to have two scribes and one squire." Jon said to make sure the man knows just what he is allowed.

"I thank you for informing me about how many guards I can have. Rest assured that I know that Kings Landing is full of snakes. The Iron Bank sent me with ten members of the Iron Legion, our foremost security forces. I will of course send back the remaining four unless you as Hand have the power to allow me the extra, say as extra security for the safety of the Iron Banks member. Surely they would not gain say that." Tycho said with a smile on his face. Jon thought it was a good thing that he knows how to play the game. He would be less likely to run afoul of any of the major players this way.

"I think I can see myself allowing that. Of course your safety is of utmost importance to keep good relations with the Bank. I think we should arrange for the flotilla to depart in the next few days. Wouldn't do for the Iron Bank not to get their due after all. After that we are going to have to plan on how to lower the debt owed to everyone else."

"My Lord, do you know how much in total is owed to each person?" Tycho asks, getting serious once again.

"Tywin Lannister is owed one million two hundred and seven thousand dragons. Olenna Tyrell is owed three hundred and fifty seven thousand. The Faith of the Seven is owed one hundred and sixty eight thousand. As far as I could tell that's all we owe, however I don't know if Baelish took out any other loans and filled them somewhere else in the mess of papers. There are five crates of papers for you to look through." Tycho's shocked look was the same one that Jon had when he worked out just how much in debt the crown was.

"Lord Hand, that's a lot of dragons the crown owes. That's taking away what you have offered to pay the Iron Bank two million four hundred and thirty two thousand dragons. I'm sure that's more than what is in the royal vault."

"Taking out what I have agreed to send to the Iron Bank, there's two million three hundred and seventy eight thousand in the royal vault. Most of which was received from Baelish. Hes been taking out loads and diverting most of the money into his own coffers. The rest of the money comes from taxes." For the rest of the night they talked out strategies for paying off the money that was owed while also keeping to what Jon had planned for isolating the royal family so that they could no longer spend to excess.

Three days later saw Jon, Stannis and Tycho standing at the docks. In those three days Jon had told Stannis just how bad things had gotten with the debt, as well as the plan Jon and Tycho had come up with for paying off their debts. Stannis had met with Tycho and found that he was someone that he could respect. Jon watches as the flotilla sails away to Braavos. There were three treasure ships surrounded by two dozen men of war. The coin reclaimed from Baelish's various properties in King's Landing, as well as the jewels that were to be auctioned off would make it safely to the Iron Bank. This might not be enough to settle things between the Crown and Braavos, but it had reduced how much they owed by a great amount. There would be a caravan leaving tomorrow for Casterly Rock containing three hundred and fifty seven thousand dragons, and the deeds to three businesses that were valued at sixty eight thousand in total. Business that formerly belonged to Baelish and since seized by the crown. A smaller one leaving in a week for Highgarden containing ninety seven thousand and two deeds valued at thirty nine thousand. King Robert is repaying his debts or Jon and Tycho were doing so on his behalf. If King Robert had anything to say about that, it had been shouted down by Stannis within moments of Robert opening his mouth. All would soon be right in the Seven Kingdoms, so Jon thought. Jon was not happy. He was actually furious about the things he'd discovered. First, about the gold. Where did it come from? It could not have all come from the loans as King Robert had spent huge amounts on tourneys and feasts. Jon found that it had long been available, though Jon hadn't known it. Jon and Tycho puzzled over the documents for an entire day. They realised the answer was this: When Jon became Hand, the Seven Kingdoms were in dire trouble recovering from the battle, the deaths of the small folk, ruined farms and villages. Jon never noticed, but things improved. Ruined farms rebuilt. The economy strengthened during the spring and summer weather and the long peace before the Greyjoy rebellion. Even during said rebellion it wasnt many of the small folk that had suffered, it was only Lannisport that had burnt, Seaguard that had been under siege, and the Hightower and Lannister fleets that had been sunk. No where near bad enough to bring down the economy again. Petyr Baelish noticed. He came into his role as Master of Coins and reported the same bad news about the economy that Jon and King Robert were expecting. Baelish let the debts pile up and repaid them slowly, if at all. All the extra gold went into buying things, bribing people or much into the stockpiles he controlled, or to the people he paid to help him. Many people had their necks shortened in the last few weeks, Baelish's helpers. Men that had been trusted to help keep the kingdoms in good shape. Men in all places, even the royal fleet as paymasters. Stannis had been ropeable when he learnt that. Stannis had to replace eighty percent of his top men. Now the Treasury was fuller than it had been in decades, even with these payments outbound. With a much healthier one million nine hundred and eighty nine thousand nine hundred and three dragons and sixty five thousand eight hundred and seventy nine stags with more coming in with every hunt, and more dragons as the bows were completed, as well as the taxes. The Seven Kingdoms weren't poor by any means, even with Robert spending as much as he could think to. Jon though is trying everything he can to keep the King from spending more than a hundred dragons a sennight. Which was a lot as one gold dragon could feed a small folk family for one year. Jon was furious at what he hadn't seen. He was furious that Robert's messes had kept him so busy that he just didn't know, didn't have the time to do his own job as well as the kings, since for the most part it fell to Jon to sit in judgement for all the matters the small folk and noble brought to court. The Kingdoms were in good shape for the most part, if not for thieving magpies like Baelish or gluttons like King Robert. And wights like Jon assuming they were doing something necessary, useful, for the betterment of the realm. Jon was getting more and more annoyed with how he had let things slip in his dotage. Jon walked back through the Red Keep to his tower. He had blocked off the rest of the morning what little was left of it, to spend with his son, or Lysa's son, at the least. He was trying to make up his mind about a few things, mostly the legitimacy of young Robert. First, was young Robert his actual son? Or would the House of Arryn devolve to his cousin? When Jon first met Harold Hardyng he wasn't impressed the boy had reminded Jon too much or Robert to be comfortable leaving the Vale in his hands. The report he was getting about the boy showed he spent too much time chasing skirts and too little time learning to run his keep. He spoke with the young Robert, who was still whiny and a bit deluded. He tries to talk with the strange child over lunch. It did not go well. Young Robert was not as smart as other children his age, he was also argumentative and doesn't like to hear that he was in the wrong. Young Robert also keeps asking when Lysa would return which Jon didn't know how to answer. Jon finally dismissed the child, not his child, rather the child. Looking at just how sickly he look and how he look to much like Baelish at that age made Jons mind up for him. Almost dying at the hand of his once beloved wife had clarified things for Jon. He hadn't been himself in a long time. He'd just walked around like a wight out of a nurse's fable, a wight ordered about by an ogre with a crown, only slightly better than a White Walker as his ogre never ordered him to slaughter innocents by the thousands like the White walkers of fable. Jon hadn't thought, he hadn't felt, he'd just done like a good puppet. Now Jon saw through the blinders he had willingly put on. He didn't like what he was seeing. He let Baelish do all that he had with no checks in place. He'd let King Robert do anything he wanted, not standing up to him like a proper Hand of the King was meant to do. This room of poison Baelish had hidden in his brothel was a metaphor for many things, that is the true heart of Kings Landing, that room of poison. Jon only hoped that the rest of the Seven Kingdoms wasn't as bad as Kings Landing. Jon knew that the smallfolk had recovered from the rebellions, but everything else was in worse shape now than when the Mad King was on the throne. When the mad king was in control no one would have dared to steal from him. Of course, Robert wasn't burning anyone, which was a good thing, but the safety of the realm is in a doubtful situation. King Robert didn't care what he did, so long and his needs were taken care of. He didn't care to notice his children weren't even his children. Whatever King Robert looked at, he broke. Sometimes like a child throwing a tantrum, sometimes through neglect, like his marriage, if King Robert made and effort with his wife the situation with the children wouldn't have been the same, but no he had to moon after a girl that didn't love him. Jon had consoled Robert many times about the letter Lyanna Stark would send Robert telling him that she hated him and never wanted to marry him. Robert however fooled himself into thinking that he was in love with the girl and that she loved him back.

Robert is the same Robert that he had been during the rebellion. Buy me an army, Jon. So he and Ned Stark had done their duties and paid what Hoster Tully had demanded. Run my kingdoms for me, Jon. Don't bother me with details, Jon. Jon could fix much. He saw clearly now. He had all of these resources. What would he do with them? He hadn't realised just how much Lysa's attempt on his life had affected him. Jon Arryn was imagining the most horrible things at this moment. Most of them happening to his now hated wife. He couldn't wait. He couldn't continue to dither. He writes out a letter to Tywin more an order for him to come to Kings Landing with all haste to talk about how best to govern the realms and how to pay off the debts the Iron Throne owed. Also for the celebration that Jon would organise for the anniversary of the fall of the Targaryens.