CHAPTER 10; CHANGES
Vaegon's return to King's Landing with the royal troops was greeted with a lavish parade and popular banquet. Three my soldiers filed past amid flower petals and cheers, while Sir Wyman whipped Prince Daemon, who more like a chained lion than a person walked with remarkable stamina, despite having been the recipient of a royal beating. of Dragonstone's new Spanish and have his clothes in tatters. There the face of the scoundrel prince contorted with anger and hatred, being the object of ridicule throughout King's Landing, many spat at him and others threw curses at him, but soon they began to throw excrement and stones at him, for which he had to being protected by a column of soldiers, as they had orders to keep him alive.
Vaegon was observing all this while flying over Vhagar's back, since he had left Daekarys in Dragonstone, mainly because his presence would cause widespread panic in the capital, otherwise he had other plans for the monstrous dragon. At that time by flying on his dragon's back, he was reaffirming his victory and his legitimacy, but he had to take care of his image as a benevolent monarch. Gone was the image of a miserable fighter, after crushing the Valley the rumors that Vaegon was a weak man had disappeared, but after the events of Dragonstone, which had spread like wildfire through the seven kingdoms, all kinds of rumors were heard. terrifying stories about the end of Caraxes, and now Vaegon was being called "The Dragon's Fury" or "the soulless" but he did nothing to stop those rumors. Fear was a necessary factor for any government, ancient or modern, an example of this was Tywin Lannister after crushing the Reynes. And those rumors to a certain extent would help him to reach the tango balance that Machiavelli advocated in El Príncipe.
The procession was heading towards Dragonwell up Rhaenys Hill, when Vaegon landed at the gates of Rhaenys, where Princess Rhaenys on Meleys's back, Prince Laenor on Seasmoke's back, while all the members were waiting inside. of Vaegon's council and assistants.
Then the king descended to the ground beside Vhagar, causing a commotion among the crowd, but they had made sure to leave a free spot for Vhagar outside Dragonpit. Already with his boots touching dry land, Vaegon entered escorted by his royal guard, he was received by the Sea Serpent and Otto Hightower, but he took a moment to greet his niece and his great-nephew who returned the cordiality. But he could tell that Rhaenys was angry at the fate of what had been her father's dragon, although she understood the need for the elimination of the blood wyvern, it had left a very bad taste in her mouth, and she blamed Daemon for that. .
Hundreds of commoners were already inside, when with hundreds of soldiers they entered, and redoubled their ranks, to let the rogue prince walk like a chained beast until he was several paces from the steps of the atrium. There when the drums stopped playing, there was silence for a moment, when they only heard the chains that Daemon dragged to the ground when he stopped. But the rogue prince still remained standing and wore a cold smile but one that oozed hate.
"Daemon Targaryens!" shouted Vaegon, who had dropped his armor and wore only a threadbare black doublet. But he still wore Darkfire and Hellfire's code, along with his father's crown on his head. "Do you know what your crimes are?"
Daemon smiled wryly despite being pointed at by a dozen swords.
"To have trusted you" he accused her with a venomous voice. Which earned him Sir Wyman punched him in the stomach, making him vomit blood, in the midst of widespread insults towards the scoundrel prince by the common people.
"You have committed treason against your kingdom and against my father's legacy," Vaegon continued in a solemn voice. "You have broken the half century of peace my parents worked so hard for, you have betrayed the trust our blood has given you, but I pity Baelon. and Alyssa, my poor siblings didn't deserve to be cursed with a son like you" Vaegon said with anger in every word while Daemon yelled a couple of curses at him for mentioning their parents' names "Who deserves to have a son who betray his own blood? Vaegon asked aloud. "A son I do not doubt would have killed our good Laenor after he had killed me, for the throne!"
No one questioned Vaegon's words, they knew what the fate of the Velaryon house would be if Daemon had gotten away with it, but the rogue prince held Vaegon's gaze, but failed to intimidate him at all.
"Killer!" Daemon accused him "You ordered my father's death, and my brother's too! Are you sure my grandfather died of natural causes?" Daemon exclaimed, earning himself a pair of fractured ribs, amid shouts of outrage.
"My brother died of a common infection, like the one that kills hundreds of good men and women a year, my father died in his bed missing my sister Saera. And my nephew and my niece died victims of one of your scoundrels" Vaegon paused briefly to take a breath "for although we are of the house of the dragon we are as mortal as any other man here present"
Then he kept silent for a moment, they make the most of the power of silence while all eyes were on him, but Vaegon only focused on his niece, the rest could hear what they had to say.
"Daemon, we are not gods," Vaegon began in a tired tone. "Valyria was the greatest empire that ever existed. That's true. But it was an evil nation, one that enslaved and slaughtered countless lives, its devastation still felt on Chroyane today. Dragonlords believed themselves greater than the gods, and blood warlocks performed gruesome experiments, turning gentle souls into monsters devoid of any humanity. We Targaryens were one of the forty families, but we were a lesser family. And it was Daenys the Dreamer who saved our family from disaster, for a decade later the empire of which you are so proud fell victim to damnation... Five millennia of history reduced to nothing in one day. And the damnation still continues in the most fertile place in the world, and there it will continue, as punishment for their sins" And he was silent for a moment to continue "In this land inhabit the first men, the Andals and the Rhoynar. Now they do it in peace because the conqueror subdued six of the seven kingdoms. He knew that the future was not in Westeros, that's why he converted to the faith of the seven. But Maegor brought the country to the brink of disaster. My father was the one who united six kingdoms in peace and harmony, and they prospered like never before. But you broke the harmony" he said pointing to the scoundrel prince "And if you had come to the throne, we would have a new Maegor...I don't hate you nephew...you are just a man with a sick mind and heart, but I can't let you go back to hurt no one else…you are blood of my blood…so the gods prevent me from killing you, but you will pay for your crimes…look well at the chains on your hands! Well, while your heart beats, they will accompany you. I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment in the black cells…take him away"
"Damn bastard!" Daemon yelled "I'll kill you! do you hear me? I'll kill you if it's the last thing I gaga in my fucking life!
Daemon's curses were lost as five dozen guards dragged him into the red keep, amid the insults and jeers of the common people. While Vaegon was applauded and soon began a popular banquet at the foot of the commemoration. The rogue prince was taken to the black cells. They took him to the third underground level, and opened the cell door. There they chained the Daemon, who resisted tooth and nail, and even punched a soldier, but they were robust, and they gave him a superb push.
There in a tiny cell lit only by a torch, Daemon observed how there was barely a bit of straw for bedding, there was not even a bucket for his droppings, and they had made it clear to him that he would only eat once a day, and all his sustenance would be half a loaf of cornbread and a glass of water. Then as the four-inch-thick, iron-studded wooden door closed, the rogue prince was surrounded by utter darkness, but his eyes were bloodshot. To prevent either scenario, Vaego gave the only key to the chains to his niece Rhaenys, who would never let Daemon out of there alive.
But that night in the streets of King's Landing, wine flowed and laughter, while the music played non-stop. Vaegon himself danced very clumsily with the lowborn girls, and even sang a song or two in chorus with the common folk, while most of the nobles slipped off to Silk Street to celebrate their victory. manner. Such was the hangover throughout the capital the next day that Vaegon had to postpone the meeting of the Privy Council for a couple of days.
When it was finally called, Vaegon took a seat, but there were half the empty chairs at the table, which puzzled the councilors, beginning with Otto Hightower.
"He thought there are many councilors missing," Vaegon said innocently, causing many to be surprised.
"Your grace... all the members of the council are here" said Otto Hightower, somewhat surprised by the attitude of his mentor.
And Vaegon smiled affably.
"Not all the advisors the kingdom needs are there" he replied and then made a sign for the page to open the doors. Then entered Princess Rhaneys, Maester Gerardys, Archmaester Benedict, and Zarabelo, fresh from the citadel at Vaegon's own request. There was also a Braavosi merchant by the name of Hergo Antaryon and another foreigner by the name of Magel Nestorys. They took seats in the meeting, although only Princess Rhaenys seemed not to know why that was.
"Uncle, why have you summoned?" Rhaenys asked. To which Vaegon raised an eyebrow.
"My apologies niece, I have been so busy that I forgot to inform you of your appointment as Diplomacy Counselor," Vaegon said, looking somewhat exhausted.
Rhaenys was surprised as were some of the councilors.
"Me, diplomacy adviser?" she asked surprised.
"Exactly," Vaegon said, "but I've already assigned you some assistants. Your role will be to manage the relations of the seven kingdoms with the rest of the nations... especially with the free cities... and who better to manage that position than a dragon rider?"
Rhaneys was silent for a moment, but she would not reject the charge. For the first time she was considered for the government, and that was something she was not going to waste despite the surprised looks from the rest of the council members.
"As for the rest," Vaegon continued, "Maester Gerardys will become Councilor of Healing, Archmaester Benedict is Councilor of Letters and Knowledge, and his partner Archmaester Zarabelo is Councilor of Infrastructure. Mr. Antaryon is the adviser of commerce" he said causing Lord Lannister's curiosity "and Mr. Nestorys is the adviser of agricultural production" said Vaegon "You can consult the necessary information in the parchments enabled to know the new changes"
The councilors read the scrolls, from that moment each position was formally institutionalized, and not only that, but a body with competent personnel was created to help each councilor. Each council would receive its own office for the management of the affairs of the kingdom, and it was communicated that delegations of these would be opened in Oldtown, Lannisport, Puerto Gaviota and Puerto Blanco. But what they mostly focused on was the functions of not just the position one held, but the functions each director held. There were really important changes, such as the delegated command of the city guard becoming the responsibility of Lyonel Strong. The shipping council was in charge of managing the royal fleet, and monitoring the seas against piracy. Something to which the Sea Serpent had no objection. Loreon Lannister was upset to learn that the Ministry of Currency would now only be in charge of taxes and supervision of the internal finances of the seven kingdoms, having to agree with the Ministry of Commerce on taxes on imports, and on the tax policy. The whisper counseling functions remained unchanged to no surprise to Ansel. The ministries of knowledge and knowledge, together with that of healing, were in charge of providing regulated education and health care to the entire population. The Lord Commander of the Royal Guard became the Captain General of the Royal Army. The infrastructure ministry would be in charge of engineering projects in the medium and long term, while the agricultural production ministry would be in charge of issuing the different mandatory guidelines to optimize production through a series of techniques that Vaegon had already devised. As for the position of the king, this remained practically unchanged, except that he was officially given a higher hierarchical position (equivalent to that of prime minister) and he was given the duty to coordinate the efforts of the other ministries towards the common objectives.
Once everyone finished reading the last word to each other, the last session of the last private council of that year began, since there was less than a week left before the last moon ended.
"Good" Vaegon pronounced "First of all I want to thank you for the effort carried out to solve the crisis that occurred in these two turbulent moons, and thank you for your effort for the future of the seven kingdoms"
They all appreciated Vaegon's words.
"First of all," Vaegon said, "I order the return of the Regale lands to House Stark, let the decree be prepared on that," Vaegon told the scribes.
Now the meetings were recorded by several seasoned novices who acted as prompters, to facilitate a better functioning of the nascent bureaucracy. Which was starting almost from scratch, in fact, it had surprised him that Septon Barth had done such a good job for forty years. He wasn't surprised that people thought of him as a witch or something like that.
"This brings me to the second measure, from now on the maintenance of the night watch will be in charge of the crown" Vaegon decreed.
"Your Highness," said Loreon Lannister, still a little annoyed, "the night's watch stands on its own, it doesn't require us to waste our resources in a frozen wasteland."
"I disagree," Vaegon said, "the night watch is not even the shadow of what it was, and it doesn't know how to manage itself, far from it. That is why my mother gave them the Gift, and a generation later none of the problems in question have been resolved, on the contrary, they have increased because the inhabitants of that area are more unprotected than ever before the attacks of the savages. On the other hand, the savages tend to congregate from time to time in front of a king, who attacks the wall, and it is not the first time they have reached Winterfell, so you have to be prepared... by the way, did he send the soldiers of the Valle has already started?
"Yes, your highness" Lyonel Strong spoke, they left ten days ago for the wall, it is estimated that they will pass through Winterfell in a fortnight"
"Good," Vaegon agreed.
But Lord Lannister spoke again.
"Regarding the Valley, have you thought of a replacement for House Arryn?" the lord asked, as he watched out of the corner of his eye as his son Tyland refilled the Sea Serpent's cup.
Vaegon frowned, he had not made it official yet and it was very likely that his words had fallen on deaf ears, or that the lord had conveniently forgotten them. But that was a perfect moment to clarify doubts.
"None" Vaegon replied with a firm voice "The Valley from now on becomes part of the Crown Lands"
In council they seemed surprised, and the Lannister lord was even more annoyed.
"The valley is a kingdom of more than four thousand years...it is not wise to make such a move" said Loreon Lannister.
"On the contrary, my good lord," Vaegon replied in a calm voice, "that will carry a message to all those who think of challenging me or my house again. Just as the eight millennia of the Gardener house ended in one day. The existence of the Valley concludes just like this year… have I expressed myself clearly enough?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Lord Lannister said, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Lord Strong," Vaegon said to his edict counselor, "prepare transitional legislation for the new lands."
"Yes, Your Highness," replied the master of Harrenhall.
"Master Gerardys," Vaegon said to the healing advisor, "what is the state of the capital's health?"
"The situation has gradually improved, we have practically eliminated all infections from the brothels, the sewage system is at full capacity, and the city's cleaning campaign is progressing according to the established guidelines, we are awaiting the construction of the hot springs," said the master Gerardys.
"Well," Vaegon replied, "Archmaester Zarabelo, that will be your first task. It is urgent to complete it before winter arrives. Don't worry, you'll have the two hundred thousand gold dragons to cover the costs."
"Yes, your grace," the archmaester replied.
"Your Excellency, spending is unwise," said Loreon Lannister.
But Vaegon dismissed him.
"We can afford it right?" Vaegon inquired. "Haven't the revenues of the crown increased by a fifth in the last two years?" there was a brief pause "although I recognize that your fears are not unfounded, but take it as a long-term investment, each of the baths will be able to accommodate three thousand people at a time. And the hygiene of the city will improve and with it the risk of epidemics will be reduced"
Lord Lannister nodded.
Then it was the turn of the Sea Serpent. And Vaegon already knew what the subject would be, but it served his own purposes.
"Your Highness, the triarchy has once again blocked the Pedraños de Piedra, I have just been informed that customs fees have been raised again, soon they will be unaffordable, if we do not intervene the kingdom will be seriously affected"
"I agree with you," Vaegon said. "That is why I entrust you with the reform of the royal fleet. Until then we will send a warning to the three daughters."
"Yes Excellency" agreed the Sea Serpent "But you can count on my fleet"
"I took that for granted, but the answer must come from the Iron Throne and the Iron Throne alone," Vaegon replied. "But that's not enough. I hereby announce the creation of a professional and permanent army. The country cannot afford another rebellion like the one in Valle, we need stability and a reaction force. We have dragons that could replicate the Field of Fire massacre, but we need real soldiers, not those peasants that are recruited in the conscription. Sir Rydman charged you with the training of the army."
"Yes, your grace" replied the old gentleman.
"Regarding our economic program, I plan to build new canning factories, especially in Oldtown, Lannisport and Puerto Blanco, in which the Iron Throne will have a third of the participation and associated costs" Vaegon spoke pleasingly. to Lord Lannister slightly "A second medicine factory will be opened in Oldtown, as it is only feasible there thanks to the talent of the maesters, but don't worry Lord Lannister, you have my word that a factory will be built in Lannisport.
"I am very grateful to you," said Loreon Lannister.
"But that's not enough," Vaegon added. "Our economy has been stagnant for several millennia, only increasing with my father's reign, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Volantis or Braavos have triple the wealth of the seven kingdoms combined? And what is that for? To trade, to development, Braavos has the iron side. Instead, our monetary system is outdated. I therefore grant House Velaryon, House Lannister, and House Hightower permission to create their own banks. For its correct development, I also announce the creation of a central bank, which will manage the financial development of the country, independently, and with the five kingdoms represented, the currency counselor will be the representative of the crown. Their headquarters will be in the Nido de Águilas, although they will also be granted the Gate of the Moon, as a refuge for the winter. Any objections?
No one objected to anything.
The following meetings addressed the educational issue, and it was agreed to build ten academies for study in King's Landing. It was then agreed that Princess Rhaenys would travel to Braavos with Antaryon and they would strengthen trade ties with the free city. The rest of the meeting went to discuss the specific needs of the moment, such as compensation for wounded soldiers. Then each lord tried to draw Vaegon's attention to his particular interests. And the meeting lasted for several hours, as there were various discussions on internal trade, and the issue of taxes. When in the end, with Vaegon hardly intervening except when necessary, he adjourned the meeting at sunset, when everyone already had a bad headache.
"My lords, I wish you a prosperous new year," Vaegon told them as he left the council chamber.
