King's Landing
Market Area
High quality cutlass, wooden toys, good quality wine, silver and gold jewelry and two whole mutton legs.
Robert figured these would make good "I am sorry" gifts for visiting Davos in his home without prior notice.
Finding the man's home was troublesome, as people weren't willing to snitch him to a noble, worried the man might have been in trouble with him, but gold and charisma made them talk eventually.
Finishing his shopping, he made his way to the Flea Bottom, hiding his gifts in an old looking sack to not draw attention. He found the house easily, as it was better looking than most houses in this ward.
Knocking on the door three times, he waited for his first recruit to come - he had checked, Davos was in the city.
Bolts were unlocked and a man of brown hair and eyes with an unassuming face opened the door.
"Davos! Just the man I wanted to see" Robert greeted the man before he could even open his mouth.
"Good morn Ser, have we met before?" Davos was naturally wary of a man he never met before appearing on his doorstep, asking for him.
"No, but we are about to, Robert Baratheon, a pleasure to meet you" Robert held out his hand, his charming smile on full power.
Which did nothing to calm Davos, whose face went ashen white at hearing the name of the Dragonlord.
"M-my Lord, have I done anything to displease you?" Davos couldn't think of anything he had done to earn the ire of the man, but then again why would he be here ?
"Oh, no, nothing of that sort. I am just here to offer you a job, and I'll be gone like the wind if you aren't interested" Robert waved away the smuggler's concerns, trying to ease the man.
"So, are you going to invite me in or are we going to talk out in the open like this?"
"Welcome to my humble abode, my lord" Davos just swallowed and invited him in, not knowing what to do.
Robert clapped the man gently on the shoulder and moved in. The place was cozy, giving a very homey feeling.
It was a nice change from all the splendor and shine of the noble life. He moved to the living room, watching as two boys were playing with toys. Davos ushered them away, sending them to their room.
Robert sat on a chair, putting his sack down while Davos went to the kitchen to his wife, informing her a guest had arrived.
Davos came and sat down, tentatively asking "You said you had a job offer for me, my lord?"
"Yes, but before that, I brought some gifts as an apology for coming in without letting you know beforehand"
"My lord you didn't have to" Davos was hesitant to accept any gifts, especially from a noble, knowing they just didn't hand out gifts without expecting something in return.
"I understand why you don't want to accept my gifts, but I am not giving them to put you in a bad position, and if you truly don't want to I won't insist" Davos was a humble but proud man and Robert didn't want to push him into accepting anything because of fear.
The smuggler considered it, before acquiescing, taking the sack to the kitchen, before coming back and sitting down again.
"So, let's get to business. I intend to build a trade empire that will encompass the Seven Kingdoms, Free Cities, Yi-Ti and beyond. We will trade everything from food to luxury items, weapons and armor to livestock and horses. I also intend to build larger and faster ships, capable of carrying more cargo to increase our profit. What I want to hire you for is to be the Captain of my trading fleets"
Davos' eyes widened, an offer like that would be the opportunity of a lifetime.
"What would my duties be, my lord?"
"You will have several tasks, but you will be paid according to that. First is to recruit any other smuggler that you can trust to join me when the time comes. When we start trading, you will be responsible for leading the fleets, as well as doing market research, basically knowing what could be sold for most at where and when" Robert explained at Davos' confused look at the term market research.
"You will be knighted, of course, and be granted lands of your own, as well as get a cut of the profits as your payment. I will ensure you as the Captain of my First Fleet have the most profitable trading lanes"
Davos was ready to accept the offer, knowing it would ensure a bright future for his family but something gnawed at him.
"My lord, your offer is most generous and I would have to be a fool to not accept it but why me?"
"Have you heard the rumours about my dragon dreams?" Robert asked tentatively. People tended to care more about the dragons than the non-existent dreams.
"I heard bits and pieces my lord" While Davos made sure to not cross the Dragonlord, he still kept his ears open about anything concerning their actions.
"Well, in my dreams you saved my brothers from starving while they were under siege at Storm's End, sneaking past a blockade. I also saw you serve my brother Stannis as a loyal, capable and most importantly, as a good person. That is why I wish to recruit you" Davos was one of the nicest people in the Asoiaf universe, and since Stannis got the Storm's End, he might as well recruit him.
"You… saw me in your dreams?" Davos was surprised at appearing in the dreams of the Father of the Dragons.
Robert scrunched his face at this " It sounds weird when you say it like that but yes"
They talked well into the night, Davos asking about the details, such as where would they be based on, how would they get the ships, how much would the sailors be paid, and most importantly, how much money Robert would invest into this venture.
Three million gold with the possibility of more certainly left Davos speechless.
Robert had his own questions too, such as how many smugglers he could recruit, what could they sell for the best profit when the time came, and where to find the best materials to build a city.
It was well into midnight when Robert left the humble abode of Ser Davos.
Next Day
Red Keep
Baratheon Quarters
Robert's Room
Robert just finished wearing his trousers and was about to put a shirt on, when the sole window of his room rattled. He watched, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms as someone was trying to pry open the window.
He was impressed, the room was two stories high and whoever it was risked it in daylight no less.
The would-be assassin finally opened the window and parted the curtains, his eyes widening when he saw Robert watching him. His hand went to his belt to unsheath a knife, but by the time he pulled it and got up it was too late.
Lady Lyanna Stark, soon to be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, along with Queen Mother Rhaelle were walking to the throne room with a plethora of ladies from all over the Kingdoms following.
It was suffocating.
Though their attention was directed up when they heard glass break, followed by a man falling right in front of them, groaning in pain.
"And his name is Robert Baratheon!"
And it was none but the man himself shouting, as he jumped out of a two stories high window, half naked, slamming his elbow down right into the chest of the assassin groaning on the ground.
There was a sickening crunch, and the man went still with a wet hack, his mask stained.
Robert then just got up as if nothing had happened and dusted himself, only noticing the gathered flock of ladies.
"Yo, what's up?" He acknowledged them with a nod, turning around to leave.
They were too bewildered to say anything.
The screams at seeing a dead man bleeding right in front of them brought them to their senses rather quickly.
Robert was disappointed. Really, couldn't they at least send a professional? That would have been more fun than this second rate poser.
He shook his head, spotting a guard and telling them about the dead body he had left back.
Someone needed to clean that and he wasn't going to do it.
After a short walk he was back in his room, putting on his best outfit.
Today was going to be a busy day, and he needed to make an impression.
As if three dragons flying over the city weren't enough.
He left to find his family at the Great Hall, drawing more than one look from several unmarried ladies, as well as some married ones.
Six and a half feet handsome man muscled like a maiden's fantasy, dressed in a black and gold uniform did cut a rather striking figure after all.
"You dressed up rather nicely" commented his mother, as he drew eyes from all over the Great Hall.
"I got business today, and first impressions matter" Robert sat down on the empty chair between Stannis and his mother.
"What business is it now?" His father was wary, feeling a headache coming.
"Just some negotiations with the merchants in the city, nothing to give you a heart attack I promise" Robert cheekily responded.
"What are you buying?" Considering how much gold he had, Rhaella knew it would shake the price of whatever he was buying.
"Building materials mostly"
"For what?" Stannis asked, curious.
"For Robert's Trade Empire, name pending" Robert looked proud of himself.
"For what!?" Stannis asked again, disbelieving, mirrored by the rest.
"We can talk about the details later if you are so interested, but I am already behind my schedule because of that idiot and need to go now" Robert inhaled whatever was left of his breakfast, and bolted.
Time is money after all.
Robert, along with Ser Davos, spent a week visiting merchants all over the city, securing business deals for his up and coming trade empire.
First, he secured building materials, such as stones, timbers, mortar and everything else needed to build homes, warehouses and working places such as sawmills and forges, for the initial settlement where the workers would stay.
With his natural charisma and charm the deals he made were very favourable.
Second part was finding the said settlers, and Robert wasn't idle.
He recruited artisans and craftsmen down on their luck, were in debt or just wanted a new start. He also sent letters to Braavos, seeing if any of the people he saved over the fiver years were interested in joining.
He made an offer to Tobho Mott, who had arrived in the city a couple years ago, the chance to work with his dragons to see if he could discover the secrets of making Valyrian Steel, as well as giving him some clues on how to make swords with patterns similar to the vaunted steel.
But the man only agreed to join if his tips worked and he could actually turn his city to the capital of a "Trade Empire" as he called it.
Robert counted it a success, even if he couldn't figure how to make Valyrian Steel, he would still be a valuable blacksmith, capable of working with existing Valyrian Steel swords.
Educated people were necessary to build a functional settlement that would evolve into a city over time, so he recruited some old captains who left their sailing days behind unwillingly. While they couldn't work in construction or other menial jobs, they knew how to read and write, as well as keep ledgers and manage supplies, so Robert made a list, putting each person to either logistics, management or finance areas.
Another recruitment pool was noble sons who stood to inherit nothing. Usually they would go and find their own ways in life, either as mercenaries in the Free Cities, Maesters ,join another household as Knights and in rare cases go to the Wall. A lot of them were going to be in King's Landing soon enough.
He also used quite a bit of silver stags to further spread the rumors about Rhaegar.
Even if he didn't get to extort the King for millions of gold dragons, he could still use this opportunity to get a city charter.
Robert was going to build his city anyway, he just didn't want to declare war on Targaryens to do so, unless it was inevitable.
Which brought him to the most important part of the deal, getting the necessary land.
The area he wanted to buy belonged to House Steadmon, who weren't mentioned that much in the books or the show, but memories of the original showed that Lord Alesander Staedmon got along well with Robert, and a man called "Pennylover" should be open to a deal.
Which is why he was finally returning to the Red Keep after a week, as the Lord was going to be there for some other business.
Red Keep
The Day Before King Aerys' Funeral
"An assassin, Robert?! When were you going to tell us?!" his father's face was red, and he looked a second away from going and killing someone.
"It's fine really, the idiot didn't even know what he was doing" Robert shrugged, tired and just wanting to rest.
"You should be more worried about how he jumped out of a two stories high window" His mother's glare was scarier than his father's, Robert thought.
Robert gathered them both in a hug "Thanks for worrying but believe me it is going to take a lot more than an idiot or jumping out of a window to kill me"
They just sighed reluctantly, giving up.
Instead they asked about his "Trade Empire" and he was all too happy to explain.
It was well into the afternoon his parents and grandmother stopped grilling him and he left to find Lord Staedmon.
"Pennylover" was an apt description for the man, as he understood the value of what Robert was building, and wanted to be an even greater part of it.
He proposed to give the land for free if Robert married his daughter, which he refused of course. When Lord Staedmon got insistent, Robert told him " I'll give you half a million gold dragons for the land, which is a lot more than what it is worth. You can refuse it because you want one of the things I am not willing to agree to and I can just go and find somewhere else to build my city"
He finally gave up on the marriage and they negotiated further.
Lord Staedmon also wanted the merchants and peddlers in his lands to be exempt from any tolls and have lower tariffs than the usual. Robert agreed to the exemption of tolls and lower tariffs but only offered three hundred thousand gold dragons in return for the land, which the Lord begrudgingly accepted.
Which was good and well, as Ser Barristan of all the Kingsguard came to inform him that Rhaegar wanted to talk, and off they went.
Red Keep
Small Council Chambers
Ser Barristan opened the door and Robert stepped in, his eyes landing on Rhaegar.
Surrounded by Ser Hightower and Ser Whent, the Targaryen King looked haggard, the stress of the rumours and his impending marriage as well as crowning had tired the man.
Wussy.
The only other occupant of the room was Connington, who was glaring daggers at him the moment he stepped in.
Robert sat down on the opposite side of Rhaegar, while Barristan went to stand behind his King with his brothers in arms.
"So what did you want to talk about again?" Robert clasped his fingers together on the table, smiling.
"Regarding your offer about helping me dispel the rumours" Rhaegar's voice was as cold as Eyrie in the middle of winter.
"Dreadful business, that. I thought Varys would have been able to deal with them by now" Robert had no doubt someone with his capabilities could deal with the rumours rather easily.
"My Lord of Whispers have proven incapable of doing so" Rhaegar admitted, his frosty face not giving away anything.
Robert was confused but didn't show it. Varys, incapable of dealing with rumours, even if they were as widespread as they were?
Improbable.
Unless….
It was on purpose, Robert realized. The man, whether a Blackfyre or a Brightflame, probably let the rumours spread to damage the image of the royal family.
He must believe his position is secure enough to afford failing Rhaegar now.
Robert thought about getting the man a gift.
"Well, as I said I could deal with them but my price has gone up rather substantially"
Something that might have been irritation crossed Rhaegar's face, but it was only for a moment.
"What do you want?"
"Just three million golds and a city charter will do" Robert leaned back.
"That is ridiculous!" Connigton finally decided to open his blasted mouth.
"Not your money Connington"
"Maybe so, but I am a loyal subject of His Grace and I won't let you extort him like that" Connington rushed to the defence of his BFF.
"Connington! How dare you imply the King can be extorted! Do you take him for a fool?" Robert mock gasped indignantly and Connington was taken back.
"What!? Of course not!" the Griffin immediately denied it.
"Then why are you butting in huh? Do you think you know better than him?" Robert pressed Connington further, looking even more indignant in defence of Rhaegar, turning the tables on him.
It was so fun.
"Enough!" The idiot tried to refute again before Rhaegar cut them off.
Connington sat down like a scolded child, glowering.
"You will have your city charter but three million golds is too much, I will offer you one million instead"
Rhaegar was willing to negotiate at least, and Robert knew he could get what he wanted.
"Make it two and a half and I'll do you the favor of giving your father the funeral of a Valyrian"
"Still not enough"
"Allright, I will also save Dayne from execution"
Rhaegar stilled at this. He couldn't do anything to save Arthur without rumours becoming worse, and had to resign himself to ordering the execution of his dear friend.
"How?" he asked tentatively, trying not to sound hopeful, lest Robert takes advantage of it.
"Leave the how to me, do we have a deal or not?"
"Very well, but if you fail, you won't get anything more than a million golds"
They shook hands and Robert left.
He barely made it to his quarters, only for a man with the sigil of the Hightowers to stop before him, greeting him with a bow.
"Greetings Lord Baratheon, I bring a message from Lord and Lady Hightower. They wish to speak to you at your earliest convenience"
Robert was …
Intrigued.
The new medical branch the Hightowers were opening had piqued his interest, but he didn't have the opportunity to go and visit it yet.
"Very well, let's go"
Robert trailed after the man.
Hightower Quarters
As big as the Red Keep was, it wasn't big enough to house every noble house in the Seven Kingdoms, so only the most important ones had their own quarters, with the Hightowers being one.
The messenger knocked on the door, informing the Lord and Lady Hightower he was here, and opened the door, letting Robert in.
There sat Baelor Hightower, the Lord of Oldtown -and while his father Leyton was alive and well, he was more interested in pursuing magic so had left the responsibilities of ruling to his son- dark brown hair and light brown eyes.
Next to him was his wife Elia Hightower nee Martell, who in another life would have been married to Rhaegar by now, with olive skin, curly dark hair and dark eyes.
Really, she was more beautiful than Lyanna, and Rhaegar would have to be an idiot to abandon her.
Of course they weren't the only ones, three ladies, Baelor's sisters, and a Dornish man that looked identical to Elia Hightower, with a woman at his side.
Oberyn Martell and his paramour.
Everyone but Pedro - he was going to call Oberyn that from now on- got up to greet him.
"Welcome Lord Robert! It is my pleasure to finally meet you!" Brightsmile indeed, and Robert couldn't help but return the Lord's enthusiasm.
"Well met Lord Baelor. The pleasure is all mine" He shook the offered hand.
"My wife, Princess Elia" Lord Hightower began to introduce his family,
"My sisters Alysanne, Leyla and Lynesse" and as Brightsmile introduced his sister, they preened at him.
Robert just offered polite smiles to each one.
"And my good brother Oberyn and his paramour" The Red Viper of Dorne just nodded at him.
"Come now Oberyn, don't be shy like Pedro and greet our guest" Elia chided her brother.
Robert turned to Elia, who had a knowing look in her eyes.