Winning Votes
While you don't mind Dany's attentions, it is still too soon for such thoughts. Yes she is of age, but you've only just gotten somewhat settled in a home. Perhaps it would be best to wait and let things settle down before making any betrothal announcements. You should tell her, but save the announcement for a better time, when you can host a ball or other event.
Look for more ventures that you can put coin into. You have some Talons left, investments could multiply that exponentially.
Have Dany train with Matalarr as well. Targaryens have a history of warrior women, and you'll need her to be able to protect herself.
You'll never find any real books on hatching Dragon Eggs. Targaryen kings have searched for generations. Better to experiment yourself.
Determination
First Week of the Fifth Month 297 AC
The last week of the month is in which you have determined how the course of things is going to go. Daenerys' antics have worn at you, and while you aren't certain if you are making this decision out of logical thought, or if your blood has clouded your brain, one thing is certain. You will not see her with anyone other than yourself. If the mere acts of teasing have you this distracted and frustrated, then you also know that seeing her acting so with someone else will have your blood roiling uncontrollably. Even the thought of it has your hackles raising. The last thing the world needs is another jealous, raging Targaryen on the loose. Daenerys will be yours as your draconic natures always intended. You can't help but smirk to yourself ruefully as you know that she's likely thinking the same thing about you.
Over the last few weeks you've been making small withdrawals from the Iron Bank to keep your pocket money up after paying the servants and tutors, and every time "that woman" shows up (as Dany calls her) Dany gets very territorial and jealous. Once you let your eyes linger a little too long on her and Dany treated you like you didn't exist for the rest of the day. You were quite confused until Matalarr took you aside and explained a few things. The main thing being that the "teasing" wasn't really "teasing" at all if Dany's jealousy was anything to go by.
Realizing that she was actually interested and not merely flirting for a bit of sport was a bit of a turning point for you, and your desires for her only soared higher than before. Still, you have to do your best to keep your mind from such things, as even if you have decided to broach the subject with her, any betrothal promise you make now will be unofficial. Betrothals are too important an event to simply waste the opportunity. Once you have made a name for yourself and gained some prestige within the city, then you can make the promise official. No need to sacrifice the political chance to mingle and make allies that such an event could bring.
This does give you new motivation to become successful though. The faster you achieve your goal of gaining prestige in Braavos, the faster you can officially become her betrothed. Is such a thing selfish? Maybe. Is it still true? Absolutely.
...and with that thought you get yet another whack to the ribs in your training. Only this time the one doing the whacking is the same one who has been the cause of nearly all your distractions in the first place. Daenerys took to your suggestion to train with you like a fish to a stream. While you doubt that she has the desire to actually kill anyone, you know that if the situation called for it, to protect herself or those she cares for, she would see those who tried to harm them ended.
Still, you regret the realities that make such training necessary for her. You know deep down that she would be much happier at simply doing good works for others. If you were already sitting the Iron Throne, you have no doubt that she would prefer to open orphanages and visit the children there with gifts and stories, endearing herself to the people with kindness and generosity. "She'll make a wonderful queen," you realize. Able to attend to the affairs of "home" while you were handling matters of foreign policy, be they war or peace or anything in-between.
Rulers who genuinely cared for their common people were a rarity. Most cared in the abstract, as a kingdom without basic levels of living for even the common folk was a poor kingdom indeed; but to truly care about their circumstances and want to bring them joy? Those were far rarer qualities. Having Daenerys as your queen would endear your subjects to you... the better to help you solidify your own power over them. Bonds of love and loyalty willingly given hold like no other after all, the more practical part of your mind realizes. A queen who can earn the love of her subjects can keep a populace loyal to even a tyrant. There is a reason that the carrot and the stick together are useful tools for training, far better than all of one or the other.
You are paying more attention now and you dodge Daenerys' next attack with ease. You see an opening in her left side but do not take it immediately, hesitating before striking out at the weakness in her guard. Before you can strike, another blade finds her opening at the same time as one slaps you in your own ribs.
"I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. When you fail or hesitate to strike her openings and you'll only get struck yourself." Matalarr's voice echos in your ears as you shift slightly to ease the pain of the blow. He seems to be enjoying this, making you strike Dany seems to bring him some twisted pleasure. You're not sure if he's just sick in the head, or if he's enjoying getting to see you squirm while still getting to hit you for not being quick enough on the draw. He claims that it is to get you used to striking a woman on the battlefield. Rare though they are, women do take to the field from time to time.
"Valyrian women aren't the only women in history to take up the sword," he points out over and over again. "And if you don't strike fast enough, hard enough, or at the more deadly openings because your opponent is a woman, you'll be dead twice as fast and with half the difficulty that you would have died against a man." When Dany heard that for the first time she insisted that you stop going easy on her, and start striking her openings just as you would any other. To help encourage this, Matalarr announced that any opening you failed to take advantage of he would instead, and that he'd hit her harder than you would have.
At first you merely touched her with your blade when you saw an opening, but when you fail to hit with enough force to be considered a serious attack Matalarr will strike Dany anyway. So your desire to protect her has become somewhat twisted in that you must hurt her to help her. What was once nearly impossible has been getting easier and easier the longer the lessons go on. For better or worse you are getting somewhat used to striking the woman you intend to take as your wife with the intention of causing pain. You can only swear to yourself that this will remain something that occurs only in the training ring and not elsewhere; all while hoping that your mind never loses it's sanity so that you never make a liar of yourself.
Training has ended, and once again you have failed to get even a single hit on Matalarr. Dany is getting better though, and managed to get some hits on you taking advantage of openings she wouldn't have noticed earlier in the week. It's almost frightening how much she's improved in only three days. 'Did I improve that much, that fast?' you can't help but wonder. 'But then,' you remember 'Matalarr did say that the beginning lessons were where people improved the most.'
You and Daenerys are by the water pump, applying dressings to your bruises. Daenerys hisses lightly as you treat a particularly nasty bruise with a healing salve. Before you realize what you are doing you have kissed the bruise which draws a gasp of surprise more than pain, and a questioning look from Dany. This wouldn't have been even a bit strange before as you had the easygoing unintended intimacy of close friends and family before, but ever since you began noticing her, those once innocent moments became few and far between as they became awkward instead.
Seeing the somewhat hopeful look in her eyes you decide now is as good a time as any to tell her of your decision. "I have decided-" you start before hurriedly changing your verbiage "that is it occurred to me to ask, if you might prefer that I not find you a husband among the Great Houses here or abroad after all."
You see a moments confusion in her eyes, before her eyes widen in understanding. Rather than a simple yes or no, you are surprised with a giant hug, the girliest squeal, and the biggest smile you've seen on Dany in a long while. Then she pulls back eyes searching yours for the slightest hint of deceit. "You mean it? Truly?" she asks, knowing that being given in marriage to another house would be more beneficial to your goals when it comes to building an army with which to storm Westeros.
When you look her directly in the eye and nod she squeals again and peppers your face with butterfly kisses. "When will we be married? Oh, there's so much to plan!"
Feeling quite a bit guilty at having to curb her excitement so soon, you nevertheless tell her the truth. "Dany," you say, getting her attention from whatever place it is women tend to go when they are planning an event of any kind. "I'm afraid it's not quite that simple."
Daenerys looks back at you instantly, her attitude once more doubtful and hesitant. "What do you mean?" she asks uncertainly.
"We shall indeed marry, but as much as I may wish to announce our betrothal here and now, we can't afford to. We need to make connections first, gather wealth and raise our acclaim in this city. Then once we are well known, we can announce a betrothal ball, and invite many influential people. Announcing it now might make us happy, but it would be a waste of an opportunity. We can ill afford such, when we are already sacrificing chances to build alliances among other Great Houses."
Dany's hesitance drops away and steel once more settles into her face. "But we will marry? You give me your oath? By your honor, your blood, and our name? By the 14 flames from which we sprang?"
A thrice sworn oath is given before the gods they say, and she has asked it of you. "Aye," you agree solemnly. "Once fame and fortune are ours, or three years hence, whichever occurs first." You could almost swear that you feel your blood rushing through your veins, heated at twice the normal temperature. The doubt leaves Dany's eyes almost instantly, replaced by an intensity that practically shimmers; a trick of the sun's light no doubt.
She smiles once more, placated by your words and places another light kiss upon your face. "Then I am content," she says once more back to her normal self. "Come then, mine husband-to-be. We still have aught else to do today." And with that you head into the market, searching out information on ventures that you might invest into and thus increase your prosperity.
This is your first time in the markets of Braavos when you are actually just looking around and not headed any one place in particular. There are tents everywhere, with people hawking wares left and right. The stench of travelers mixes with the perfumes of nobles and the sound of coin changing hands.
Pickpockets are known to roam here, but also guards ready to act. Everywhere you look you see relics of lost cities, books of ancient wisdom, and heirlooms thought lost to time. Real, fake, who can tell? What matters is value, not authenticity. The more an object is valued, the more prestige it gains. After all, who says that a fake cannot surpass the original? But you are not here to shop.
Your searches for investment opportunities left no end of options. This is Braavos after all, city of Coin. There are those seeking investors to fund yet another attempt to raid Old Valyria for lost magics and the secrets of forging Valyrian steel and whatever else might be found. There are those who wish to sack Vaes Dothrak, and claim all that might be stored there. There are even those who seek to set up counter raids against the piracy of the step-stones.
While all of these would be profitable should they succeed, they are also foolish ventures. None has managed to enter Old Valyria and return. Vaes Dothrak is sacred to the Dothraki, and any who attacked it would be hunted by the united might of every clan in the Great Grass Sea. The only reason the Dothraki haven't overrun the free cities already is that they fight amongst each other as much as others. Should they be given a reason to unite, they would be a fearsome horde indeed. As for attacking the step-stones, well; best leave piracy to the actual pirates. Although if you had an actual navy, the step-stones would make for an excellent staging ground from which to invade Westeros... something to keep in mind for the future, perhaps.
Still, some of the investments stand out from the rest. These at least have a good chance of succeeding and turning some profit you believe. However you cannot afford to invest in them all, and you are loathe to accept a loan from the iron bank before you have a steady income of your own with which to ensure you will be able to pay them back, so you much choose.
[] Large Investments:
- [] An old man who wants to try growing fruits from the Summer Isles here in Braavos. Some will not take, it is known that certain foods grow only in certain regions and climates; but if even one fruit type is successfully grown here, he can undercut all competition for the sale of that fruit and become the sole provider for it as he won't have to charge enough to cover shipping costs. - Cost 10 Talons - Reward 50 talons/year from sales until competition cuts in. - Braavos Prestige +100 - Odds of success 25/100
- [] A young couple who claim to know where a hidden cache of items from before the last Long Night are located. They are in possession of an ancient map that shows the location. It may have been raided before, or the map might be a fake, but if it is real an undisturbed, the treasures found within would be worth much. Wealthy collectors would pay talons on the copper for such a unique find. - Cost 20 Talons - Reward anywhere from 200-500 Talons in rare historical goods. - Braavos Prestige +200 - Odds of success 10/100
- [] A new sellsword company is seeking to make their name known. If they can get funding for proper armor and weapons, and manage to succeed in defeating a few wandering Dothraki Khals, they'll not only lessen danger to Braavos itself, but also get hired onto more noble houses for other jobs. As a key supporter, you'll gain a percentage of any future contracts. - Cost 35 Talons - Reward 15 Talons/year that the company survives. - Braavos Prestige +300 - Odds of success 20/100
[] Medium Investments:
- [] A horse breeder is trying to design a new breed of horse. Stronger, faster, larger. - Cost 50 Dragons - Reward 200 Dragons/year - Braavos Prestige +50 - Odd of success 45/100
- [] A new tavern is going to open in Braavos. Maybe some extra funding could make the place a high class watering hole instead of a normal hangout for the common folk. - Cost 350 Dragons - Reward 500 Dragons/year - Braavosi Prestige +75 - Odds of success 50/100
[] Small Investments:
- [] Help front a small flower shop. - Cost 2 Dragons - Reward 5 Dragons/year - Braavosi Prestige +15 - Odds of success 75/100
So I rolled for how what kind of investments were available. You passed all three. Then I rolled for how many of each type you heard about, this is what resulted.
Prestige gained is determined both by how much you make should the venture succeed, as well as other factors. For example protecting the city of Braavos increases the prestige gained from the sellsword company. A high class drinking tavern gets more prestige because the wealthy like those who provide them high class wine. Etc, etc, etc.
I'm getting ready to eat dinner and go to sleep though, so experiments on the dragon eggs will have to be included into the next segment. I didn't forget it.
Also, lets try an experiment...
What do you do for the next week?
Choose Three
[] Write-in.
