~~~Rickard Stark, Winterfell, The North~~~
~~~Twelfth Moon, 277 AC~~~
"My lords, it is a pleasure to have you here. I would have wanted this meeting to be formalized more quickly, but as you know, the Ironborn respect no one, least of all men who seek benefit for their people, rather than serve as heartless pirates." I commented as I looked at the three great Northern lords I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting.
Lady Gabriella, or as she urged her to call her, Minister Gabriella, had been very eager and motivated to have a meeting as soon as possible with the lords of houses Manderly, Reed, and Dustin, houses that would be the promoters of whether or not the Northern Canal project was formed.
Unfortunately, the situation with the Ironborn caused this meeting to be delayed for two full moons, time that I spent exclusively in expelling the Ironborn from my lands, while increasing the vigilance and the presence of more men in the fortresses of the west coast, to stop any attempt of renewed attack from the Ironborn.
Fortunately the attacks had ceased, no more Ironborn ships had been seen again in the period of the last few days, which increased Minister Gabriella's interest in expediting meetings with the lords for decision making around the canal.
"My lord, no doubt circumstances have warranted delays in all indoles of life, those damned Ironborn have done much harm, it is well known that they should have been annihilated years ago," William Dustin, the lord of Barrowton, was the first to express his words, and of course, his displeasure, something shared by all Northerners, with the Ironborn.
Wyman Manderly chuckled dryly, as he glanced to the side where Minister Gabriella was seated in one of the chairs in the place, for this meeting, he had asked to address in my solar, a delicate subject was to be discussed, one that would no doubt affect the economy of the North as never seen before in over eight thousand years of history; "Well, the Gods work without regard for the people, and the royal family now has too many problems to focus on just one."
Yes, he was still very talkative, Lord Manderly, no doubt he had inherited the silver tongue that the southerners so boasted of possessing, which no doubt had caused him altercations among the other Northern lords for the same.
Following Lord Manderly's gaze, I watched as Minister Gabriella appeared impatient, in all the time she had been in Winterfell, I never saw her stop, she was constantly sending those colorful birds to White Harbor, all the while keeping herself for days at a time in her room writing letters and reading reports, no doubt quite a learned woman, too bad the Citadel did not welcome women among its ranks, for no doubt Minister Gabriella could have obtained more than one link.
Shaking off those thoughts, I decided to start the meeting quickly, or Minister Gabriella might decide to start it for me, judging by how she had pursed lips and a stoic countenance, no doubt she was a woman who didn't like to waste time.
"My lords, you must already know why I have called you to my solar, is that correct?" I asked, while they may know the why, they may also know a different one, so gathering their attention on something specific was paramount.
"The Northern canal that Xandar is very interested in building," Howland Reed replied blandly. He was one of the most loyal men in the North, as well as one of the smartest, and seeing Minister Gabriella present, he certainly tied up ends.
"Yes my lord, that's the point, Moat Cailin is already under the power of Xandar, and with it, the safe passage to the south, while that merits a meditative strategy to establish rules with the Xandarians and thus avoid cutting off the passage of northerners to the south, it is also undeniable, that the Xandarian presence in the Neck will be a feat for many, since they will want to mobilize to Moat Cailin, which; according to Minister Gabriella, King Jaesyrian plans to make it the second city of the North, which will attract many people, and with it, gold, bread and opportunity."
That was something that had kept me up several nights, at the time it was more of a quick measure to save Brandon's life, that I did not measure all the consequences of my actions, such as offering a piece of land, along with a fortress, no matter how ruined it was, to a foreign kingdom, without first consulting with King Aerys, however, King Aerys was never in denial with the fact, I did not receive a letter refusing my actions, so I could assume he agreed as well.
With that, for the first time in over ten thousand years, Moat Cailin passed into the ownership of someone other than a Stark, and while that caused me pain, I was not strong enough not to do it again, if it meant the security of having my legacy strong.
"At the same time, I know that King Jaesyrian wishes to create a canal through the North, using the lakes and marshes of the Neck as a conduit to connect the two coasts, which seen from a strategic point, will be a work that catapults the North as one of the richest kingdoms in Westeros at the cost of the trade such a work would attract."
I waited a few moments to firm my words on the plot, looking for all my lords to understand how important something like this could mean for the North as a whole, "I know the fact that some still do not fully understand what the Northern Canal means," during the silence I propagated, Minister Gabriella took the opportunity to raise her voice, smooth, tired but strong, it seemed like listening to Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch speak.
"Firstly, Xandar will take care of all the costs involved in building the canal, from paying any Northerner who wants to work on the construction, as well as the materials, brought from Xandar itself, for the completion of the canal, secondly, the canal will have to use the Saltspear River, which flows into Blazewater Bay on the Sunset Sea. Which will certainly help the speed of the canal around the west coast."
"As for the east coast, there is the Bite, only there is no river that can be used as leverage to speed up the construction of the canal, it is here in this part where most of the construction will be focused," Minister Gabriella explained as she pointed out the important locations on a map that had been brought moments before the meeting began by the maester.
"The engineers and builders of Xandar have come up with a feasible idea, and that is to build an artificial river in this part, capable of being sufficient for enough ships to cross it without fear of being stranded or sunk by the river bed, however, it is here that House Manderly and House Reed must agree to the terms that this contract states."
The moment she said that, I looked at her expectantly, at no point was there any talk of a... Contract, and what this meant, well it looked like a letter, only made with a more... Cleaner and less thick parchment.
"What's a contract?" Howland Reed asked warily, and while the other lords didn't ask, they were unmistakably in the same doubt. Minister Gabriella looked closely at Lord Reed, with an indecipherable look, then explained, "A contract, is an agreement based on law and honor, it obligates related parties to assign a good, provide a service or act in a certain way, currently they are not well known here in Westeros, but so far they have been placed in use in most of the Free Cities as well as Xandar, with the Iron Bank and the Central Bank of Xandar as judges who rule on their veracity and vouch for what is signed here to be enforced."
"Let me and I will read you what it contains, so you will understand a little more of what I am talking about", following her actions, I watched as she opened the so called contract and developed it, to then go on to read its contents; "the current contract, created by Minister Galio, Right Hand of his Majesty, the Khal Azrael, dictates that, Xandar is willing to offer seventy thousand gold dragons to the house Manderly and Dustin respectively, as payment for using specific part of their lands for the creation of the project called.
The Northern Canal, while for house Reed, Xandar is willing to offer one hundred thousand golden dragons, likewise, once the Canal is built and operational, Xandar will pay one thousand golden dragons for the presence of two bastions at the entrance of the canal as a security measure, know also that, Xandar will have no power to use tracts of land beyond that which belongs to it, but at the same time, House Manderly and Reed may not again expropriate the land in question given for the project, and that if Xandar sees its sovereignty threatened, it will use its force to protect its domain."
"Seventy thousand golden dragons," was Howland's whisper, but due to the silence in the solar, it could still be heard, I wasn't much better, you had to know that even with the trade that had flourished thanks to the arrival of the Xandarian ships in White Harbor, Winterfell had only received a certain amount of gold from taxes, and even all of that didn't add up to more than five thousand golden dragons.
So the sum of seventy thousand golden dragons, more money than both houses have had since the time they were created, no doubt left their lords numb. "I accept," quicker than I would have expected, Wyman Manderly agreed, which made me reconsider what I knew of the man.
"Seventy thousand golden dragons, that is more gold than I will be able to spend in ten lifetimes, I will not be known as the first man to turn down such a fortune," were the man's blunt words, and I agreed, such an amount of gold was too much to turn down. "I also accept," said Lord Willam Dustin.
"And you, Lord Reed? You heard what the contract says, and you understand what is being dealt with, so you asked him, do you agree? Know that if you do not, I will simply have to devise another route for the canal, one that passes exclusively through Lord Manderly's lands, instead of splitting with the Reed lands, it will be longer the route, and more gold will be consumed, but it is not impossible to implement."
"No, there is no need to do it, I will accept as well", Howland Reed accepted as well, which made him let out a sigh that he did not know he was holding back, he had talked about the canal with the maester of Winterfell, and the idea of something like that did nothing but represent a promising future for the North, an opportunity that the North had been waiting for millennia to be able to get out of the shadow of the southern kingdoms to which we were forced to remain.
"Very well," Minister Gabriella was equally pleased, though perhaps for different reasons than mine, "what you have to do is sign the contract and the matter will be settled, along with the start of construction when the necessary materials are brought from Xandar."
"Sign? What is that?" Howland Reed asked, not understanding the meaning of the word, something I did know due to the maester's teachings, though considering the Reeds had no maester in their fortress floating around, it no doubt played a part in that misfortune.
"It's a matter of writing your name in the appropriate place, Lord Reed," Minister Gabriella explained serenely, extending the so-called contract and showing where to sign. To which Lord Reed agreed and, using a pen I provided, went on to sign. Followed by Lord Dustin and Lord Manderly.
"Very well, my work here is done, I will be leaving for White Harbor tomorrow itself. I will be heading to Xandar to meet with Minister Galio and the Minister of Civil Affairs. Once preparations are ready, materials will be mobilized to begin the refurbishment of Moat Cailin and the construction of the Canal."
"It was an honor to meet you, my lords." Minister Gabriella took her leave, picked up her copies of the contracts and left my copies with me, while giving a corresponding copy of the contract to each gentleman present.
~~~Azrael Jaesyrian, Red Keep, King's Landing~~~
~~~First Moon, 278 AC~~~
"The hiding places where the Faceless Men kept the rest of the gold they could not take with them were found, three men were wounded trying to open the doors, a mechanism firing poisoned arrows killed two Unsullied, the poison did not kill them, but the arrows struck them in the neck and corresponding eye socket," Valka informed me as we both stood on a balcony of the chamber Aerys offered us.
The Blood Raven's directions had proved very true and appreciated, thanks to his words the witches and my men were able to pinpoint the location where the gold stolen by the Faceless Men was located, when one was posing as the Bank Branch Keeper.
For the past few days I had been in contact with Blood Raven, it was thanks to him that I learned of Rhaegar's fate, and I couldn't help but think of the boy's bad luck, being kidnapped twice in a row, and going through experiences each time more traumatic than the last, like losing a hand and I don't know what else.
"Blood Raven has been helpful. What do you think of him?" I decided to ask Valka about what he thought of Blood Raven. For my part, I knew the fact that I couldn't fully trust him, at least not until I had him under the enchantment of the loyalty book. But I didn't deny that it was good to have him on my side, a man capable of seeing the present, the past... And sometimes the future.
He was certainly a good addition to Xandar, with him, dangers and threats could be averted long before they happened, but Blood Raven's loyalty was a serious issue to deal with, and the only thing keeping me awake.
"He is undoubtedly a dangerous man; any person who can glimpse into the past the present, and future events is a danger. No doubt, he knows at this point many aspects of Xandar, both its strengths and weaknesses. We do not know his intentions or his purpose, beyond not wanting this... Night King to get more members for his army of the dead."
I sighed, looking at the city below, as Valka's words replayed in my mind, "so far he has been cooperative, and we have held up our end of the bargain, the Royal Fleet has just passed The Fingers, in less than a week they will arrive at Hardhome, where the Wildlings or the Free Folk as they call themselves are supposed to gather."
I looked at Valka and nodded, "That's fine, I want them to stay ever vigilant, we don't know if this Night King will be active now that he finds out his loot will be leaving."
"By the way, Aerys left a few hours ago for Duskendale. The city has been taken, though Rhaegar is not there, but for sure on some ship or in the Iron Islands, Aerys will want revenge, though I'm surprised he didn't ask us to go along with him." Valka commented softly, as Endoxes could be seen taking to the skies over Blackwater Bay, no doubt hunting.
"I would have been surprised if the three knights of the Kingsguard had not been able to bring down the city, there were not many forces in it, and most were tired and hungry due to the siege, to face off against three men trained in the art of the sword, added to the effect of the potions, I said with a chuckle, they may not have been able to rescue Rhaegar, but that was no longer my problem, I kept my part of the bargain, and that was to give the tools for Rhaegar to be rescued, but too bad he was kidnapped.
"No doubt vengeance will be great, I would have a thousand ways to torture them before granting them death, and I expect Aerys will be no exception."
"Oh, no doubt he'll have fun getting revenge," I said cheerfully. I was a faithful supporter of vengeance towards those who deserved it, and no doubt the Darklyns were in that group.
~~~Duskendale, Crownlands~~~
Aerys looked ahead, his tent stood on a small hill overlooking the walls and the destroyed gate of the city of Duskendale, the air was full of ash which still blew over with every strong breeze coming from the sea, and the blood stained the walls, the roofs and the streets in such a way, that it would be a struggle to remove all traces of the massacre that the three knights of the Kingsguard provoked in the city.
"Your Grace, they are waiting for you," Ser Barristan's voice brought Aerys out of his self-contemplation, raising his head with effort. Aerys' gaze met the old knight's, and Selmy could see how pain, loss, and anger intertwined in a soul-corroding dance.
"Why?" Aerys' voice, hoarse and broken, as if he had not hydrated his throat in days and still strained it, was heard above the shouts and wails in the distance, "Your Grace?" Ser Barristan asked, uncomprehending.
"Why would a man enjoy the suffering of a father, of a mother, of brothers and family?" Aerys asked, though it well seemed he was asking it of himself, "Someone cruel, my king, a heartless lunatic, a madman." It was Ser Barristan's direct answer.
"Aye, a lunatic... A madman," Aerys's countenance changed completely. Left behind was the contemplation that adorned his face; instead, a haunting serenity took possession of his features, while a cruel and sinister grimace appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Come on, they must need a Madman."
Ser Barristan walked behind Aerys, with a frown and a strong unsettling feeling, as if he was seeing someone else, and not his king.
It did not take them long to reach the city gate, the same one that was split in two, with both sides hanging from the walls as a faithful reminder of what Xandarian potions were capable of.
Inside, they were greeted by the market square, the same place that was now filled with dozens of people in chains, while the presence of armed men prevented chaos from filling the atmosphere, even under the hundreds of wails and cries that filled the place. The same that were increased once they noticed the arrival of Aerys.
"My king, please spare my son's life, he has only four onomastics!"
"I beg you, spare my life! I'll agree to go to the Wall! Anything!"
"Shut them up dammit" Aerys said hatefully, and his order was not long in being executed, as immediately some men slapped hard with their steel-gloved hands those who kept begging for a pardon and reprieve that clearly, would not come to them.
"Your Grace, everyone is here, everyone who had anything to do with Prince Rhaegar's capture, as well as Lord Denys' kin, as you requested, are here." Lord Tywin approached Aerys and informed him of the situation. Tywin wore golden armor, accompanied by a red cloak, which had been stained a deep red at the edges due to the amount of blood that still decorated the streets.
"I want them to die, I want the death of Denys and his ilk of family to die a death, not as punishment, but as clemency, let them suffer, let them plead, let them scream for as long as it takes before their tongues are cut out and their teeth torn out one by one."
Aerys' words came out unmeasured, no sudden changes, no apparent hatred or rancor, just a cold, emotionless voice, but Tywin could see Aerys' lips pucker into a thin line as his Adam's apple twitched steadily.
"Not only that, I want House Hollard defiled and executed, I want Denys' fucking whore defiled, rip out her lady parts, her fucking tongue, her eyes, her nails, everything, I want that whore rendered unrecognizable," Tywin nodded with a solemn look, understanding that he would not rest for the last few hours.
"Who was it that struck Rhaegar? I remember that an arrow hit him in the leg and knocked him to the ground. Who was it?" to Aerys' question, Tywin did not know how to answer, "No... I don't know about that, my king, but I'll have them investigate. As soon as I know who it was, I'll have him in front of you."
"Alright, where is Denys?" Aerys spat on the ground, as he looked around and couldn't see Denys in the crowd. "He is in a private place, my king, awaiting his trial."
"He doesn't deserve that, don't show him a single obeisance, bring him too, put posts in the squa
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