"My nephew was quite surprised when he learned of his new position," Otto remarked as he stood by his desk. "Not that I had no hand in given him the position of course, but that position had ultimately come from you. He asked why it was the young Princess who proposed this toll authority in the first place, when the king had so many experinced lords advising him?"
You had wondered that yourself a bit. It seemed a fairly simple idea when really thought about it. A lot of roads had tolls, straits were about as close to the idea of a road of the sea as you could get, so it made sense to have an organized toll effort.
"Perhaps I was just lucky enough to be the first to suggest it," you said with a hint of modesty.
Rhaenyra's high Learning stat is so fun to bonk people over the head with out of the blue. oh, you thought she was just a dumb jock with nothing in her head but fairytales and tourneys?
wrong, she's actually very intelligent and more well read than most Lords 😤
(i'm aware it was technically Azel that first came up with the RTA idea in-thread, but in-story it does look like a random spark of brilliance)
"I never asked your father to even consider such a match," Otto replied. Honest, but still deceptive.
i'm glad she's taking note of how he likes to operate on half-truths and subtle manipulations, hopefuly it wil help Rhaenyra keep an eye out for Otto's machinations going forward. i do want Lord Strong as Hand in the future, but Otto isn't going anywhere right now.
"Even Daemon seemed to have noticed. I heard him complaining to your father he was surprised you didn't dress in green now."
🙄 good lord, get over yourself dude. she's cultivating and empowering allies; even without the Alicent romance, having the noble family in control of one of the major nodes for the Faith in her pocket is a solid political maneuver. onlookers might even assume it's an extension of Rhaenyra's efforts in the Vale, another major center of the Seven.
...Rhaenyra also has a path to get the Manderly's onboard, which is a third big node of the Seven. huh.
"I take it you've become aware of my daughter's particular affection for you?" Otto said, shifting slightly in his seat.
"You know?" you found yourself quite surprised.
"My wife expressed concern about it not long before she passed," Otto explained. "And since then, I've come to notice how Alicent speaks of you in private. As has her brother I suspect, though, as you can imagine, we don't talk about such things."
"Hmm," Otto replied uneasily. "Well. That's all well and good for you, but I don't quite understand why you felt the need to inform me directly about this.... development."
You expected more of a reaction, but it seemed he didn't particularly wish to speak of the matter.
awkwards avoidance of the topic definetly wasn't what i expected with Otto. wonder why, this can't be more weird than trying to manipulate said daughter into marrying your "best friend" who is also the King.
I've certainly been a better friend to House Hightower than the Westerlings will ever be."
Perhaps it was stupid to give away so much power to help a relationship, but you didn't care.
Your words provoked a curious look from Otto as sat there for a moment.
does he know soemthing abt the Westerlings we don't? i wonder if it has anything to do with what Johanna wanted to talk about.
"You can write a letter to your father explaining how Gwayne has performed his duties in the city watch excellently though," Otto insisted. "And that you believe he would make an excellent fit for commanding the Gold Cloaks. Daemon's not going to allow such a thing of course, but your letter will help prevent Gwayne from being pushed out and ideally keep my son in your father's thoughts when Daemon's pick inevitably screws up."
i consider this a win, we wanted something along those lines anyway. although the last part i colored red worries me. is he banking on Daemon's pick being so terrible they immediately whiff the opportunity, or is he going to deliberately sabotage Daemon's pick?
You knew well the rumors that Meagor had filled the keep with numerous secret passages and hidden alcoves, but actually finding them took a fair bit of effort. After weeks of poking around hallways and some of the empty rooms, you eventually discovered one of these hidden paths. In your own apartment no less.
once Rhaenyra is Queen, it would be a good idea to get the tunnels mapped out and sealed off/altered to our specifications.
[X] [Otto] Stick with the Septa Plan, Agree to Write the Letter.
[X] [Otto] Express fear that writing down a letter could put a target on Gwaynes back. You know Daemon would be reckless enough to go after him in order to keep control of the city watch. Offer to speak to Viserys expressing the same sentiments, and offer Gwayne a place at your side for the interim as a show of good faith.
i'd like to speak with Gwayne again next time we have the opportunity, it would be good to touch base.
edit: i competely missed that writing a letter would put Gwayne in Daemon's crosshairs, good catch!
[X] [The City] Investigate the Screams
trap? lure in a naive good samaritan passing by into a concealed area, then jump them for valuables. repeat, moving around as needed. if they pull this scheme often enough in a specific neighborhood, permanent residents will know to ignore the screams.
or this could be an actual person in need 🤷♂️ who knows with KL.
[X] [The City] Relax in a Bar
let me see that sweet, sweet rumor mill. i'm oddly nervous 😆
