[Note: A bit of an Info dump in this chapter, since I'll be explaining the roles of the small council.]

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(Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire nor its characters. Those all belong to George R. R. Martin, aside from my OC.)


(Firmridge, the Riverlands)

Erlend watched on as his Grandmaester excitedly spouted off new information coming from the Citadel. The well-traveled Maester nearly gushed about all the improvements that had been introduced to their organisation.

Getting the so-called 'mage' as his Grandmaester hadn't been particularly hard, Leyton had been quite excited to get the man out citadel before he could cause any more accidents with his experiments. Accidents that proved costly to repair.

It was a shame the man had rejected the position of Lord Paramount, Erlend trusted him far more than he did the fat oaf and his grasping mother.

There was a bit of protest against Marwyn's appointment from the more conservative elements, but when the 'Protector of the Citadel' and the ruler of your continent both insisted on it, there wasn't much that could be done.

The title of Grandmaester wasn't the only thing he kept from the old regime, having decided to form his own small council, both named and modeled after its predecessor.


[Small Council]

Hand of the King - Yohn Royce

Grandmaester - Marwyn the Mage

Master of Laws - Eldon Estermont

Master of Coin - Wyman Manderly

Master of Provision - Horton Redfort

Master of Whisperers - Ellar Feld

Grand Admiral (Master of Ships) - Monford Velaryon

Lord Marshal (Master of War) - Lorimas Mudd

Lord Commander of the Royal Guard - Raymond Feld


Many of the small councils served as their predecessors had. Though there were some changes made, The Master of Whisperers for one is only known to the King. No noble scion could be granted that role for the sole fact that their loyalties could be divided between their own family's interests and the king's interest.

Master of Ships still largely retained their position and duties with only a name change. The Lord Marshal was their equivalent on the ground, being able to command and direct Banner-Generals and Lieutenant Generals in times of war.

They would be in charge of making sure the Banner was properly maintained in times of peace. However, Erlend and his successors would still retain the title of Captain-General.

The Lord Commander of the Royal Guard served just as his Kingsguard equivalent had done, though obviously since he had control over a much larger force, his duties were far more complex.

Finally, the newest role would be the Master of Provisions, their duty was to ensure the maintenance of the roads, towns, and fortresses. They worked in tandem with the other Masters to ensure the security of the Kingdoms, especially from bandits and raiders.

It was by far the vaguest of roles, and that was done on purpose as Erlend intended for them to work closely with the Hand. More often than not they had a good chance of becoming Hand, after the previous ones either died or retired.

The small council meetings were held in a specially constructed chamber, surrounded by members of the Royal Guard at all times.

Lorimas sent an annoyed look towards the excited Marwyn, not understanding what he seemed all that worked up about.

"They're just bloody numbers." He said.

"You don't understand Lord Mudd, this is phenomenal, this could change everything we know." Marwyn did his best to explain.

"That's enough Marwyn. We have more important matters at hand." Yohn interrupted the mage before he could annoy his fellows any longer.

He was just glad that Pycelle was no longer alive, that doddering old fool wasn't the least bit trustworthy. In fact since the 'Burning' many suspected him of being a spy for Tywin, having been the one to convince the mad king to open the gates.

The spider for all his scheming was wise enough not to trust the vengeful lion.

Marwyn was a whole lot better and far more trustworthy as far as the rest of the council were concerned, though he tended to give them a headache every time he went on a tangent about some discovery or other.

"The Golden Company has been contracted to the Triarchy," Yohn announced.

"Yes, I heard that a woman calling herself Visenya is leading that particular band of mercenaries," Eldon added. "A Blackfyre perhaps?"

"There hasn't been a Blackfyre since Maely's seizure of the Stepstones."

"The male lines yes. The Female line not so." Marwyn said.

"He has a point, for all we know a Blackfyre daughter must have produced her own line." Horton agreed with Marwyn.

"How exactly was it that a woman was able to raise herself as Captain-General of the company?" Eldon asked.

"There was some opposition to her rise, mainly from that coward Strickland. Last I heard his body was in a ditch somewhere." Raymond spoke up for the first time.

"You're familiar with here I take it."

Raising his hand, Erlend silenced the chambers, "A proud and arrogant woman, yet few were able to match her both in skill and battle. Her position is well-earned you can be sure of that." Erlend said.

"Your Majesty, surely we should be cautious of her. A Blackfyre is no small matter."

"She presents no threat to us. Her kin on the other hand."

"Kin? There are more?" Yohn looked worried.

Erlend nodded towards his hand before Lorimas spoke. "The dickless bald bastard was a Blackfyre pretender."

"Varys?" There were exclamations of shock by most of those present with only Feld looking unbothered by that tidbit.

The most disbelieving was Monford, who had served the mad king alongside Varys.

His appointment as Grand Admiral had been mostly since Erlend had no other candidate who was either trustworthy or capable enough to head the Royal Fleet. That didn't mean the Admirals below didn't watch him clearly and report any movement on his part to Erlend.

It was a decision made mainly out of practicality and would tie the narrow lords close to him. It helped that Rhalla wholeheartedly backed Erlend, hence why House Velaryon and their fellow Crownlanders remained docile despite their slight resistance initially.

"Did he not die in the 'Burning'?" Yohn looked surprised.

"Come on Yohn, do you believe someone like that would have no way to escape?" Lorimas rolled his eyes.

"It makes sense I suppose. The mad king only got worse once he arrived." Horton frowned, "What was his plan anyway?"

"Destabilise the Kingdoms as much as possible to make it easier for his nephew to invade?" Erlend

"There's another?"

"Yes, the son of his youngest sister, the last three Blackfyres."

"I'll tell you this, your Majesty. This spymaster of yours must be good for him to get all of this." Wyman jested.

This earned a nervous chuckle from the rest of the Lords present, who were somewhat leery of this unknown Master of Whisperers.

"Surely we should deal with this Visenya then, she seems to be the biggest threat at the moment," Eldon suggested.

"I disagree, Varys is the bigger threat. For all we know he might be somewhere in Westeros causing trouble." Yohn said.

"Like I said previously, Visenya is not a threat to us. Varys is still recuperating in Essos from the mess that was Kings Landing."

"Can't we send someone after him?"

Erlend shook his head, "He never stays in one place too long, making it difficult to get his precise whereabouts."

"What about this nephew of his?" Lorimas asked.

"His father is keeping him even better hidden than Varys."

"The father is still alive then?"

"Yes, you may know him better as a Magister of Pentos. The Cheesemonger to be more precise."

A look of disgust came over Lorimas's face at that reveal, clearly recalling the times he met the man. "We should've killed that bastard when we had the chance."

"So we can't do anything about them at the moment," Eldon said.

"Aye, we should focus on the Tourney. The Blackfyres can't pose too much of a threat anyways." Lorimas responded.

"The Triarchy should keep them busy for the time being. They have been showing a lot of interest in Pentos lately." Horton said.

Looking towards his Masters of Coin and Provisions "How's preparation for the Tourney going?" Erlend enquired.

"As well as it could be Your Majesty. Making sure everything is in place is proving quite troublesome." Wyman answered.

"There's also the matter of relocating and helping the displaced smallfolk. It's diverting resources from the Tourney. That's the main reason why it's taking longer than expected." Eldon continued.

"50,000 Golden Crowns have been set aside for the joust winner. 30,000 for the Melee Champion and 15,000 for the Archery contest as specified."

"The Tourney grounds are already near completion, we should be done soon enough."

"That's fine, as long as the Tourney does well, I care not for how much resources we use. This has to go well. It will be the first major once since Harrenhal." Erlend said. "As for the displaced Smallfolk, continue as before. We can't just let them be, otherwise, they might become desperate and resort to banditry."

"Of course your Majesty." they both replied simultaneously.

"The Invitations have all been sent I take it?"

"Indeed your Majesty, all the Great Houses and members of the major houses have been sent invitations and the heralds have also spread the word throughout the realm."

"It wouldn't do to unintentionally insult any of them," Eldon said.

"Them prickly lot need to grow some balls and take it like real men," Lorimas grumbled.

Ignoring his friend's antics, "Will you be competing your Majesty?" Yohn asked.

"As host, it would be rude of me to do so, seven knows they'll protest it heavily if I try," Erlend answered.

"Only a fool would choose to do so openly," Raymond said, getting murmurs of agreement from the rest of the council.

It was necessary to hold a tourney, as it played an important role in Westerosi culture. It should also hopefully begin to stabilise Erlend's reign in the eyes of the Realm.

The Tourney was also meant to show off Firmridge's development and the wealth his House boasted.

With that over with, Erlend motioned for Yohn to move on to the next topic.


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