283 AC – King's Landing: Ambitions and Arsenal Woes
With my ornately decorated oaken doors firmly shut I could barely hear the hustle and bustle of my staff going about their business. Which was good because it let me focus fully on my visitor. Lord Tywin Lannister, the Old Lion of the West, in all his quietly menacing glory stared around at my office with a detached eye for details. Once his gaze came across the giant map of Essos painted on a wooden slab affixed to the furthest wall I caught the barest whiff of interest.
I lightly cleared my throat and said, "Would you care for some beer, Tywin?"
Despite my best intentions I couldn't quite help twigging at the Lion's tail. I knew damned well he wasn't one for beer but that never entirely stopped me from offering it. His gaze flicked over to me, to the large jug of cold bitter, and accepted it with a quiet nod. The man was even less one for being impolite or ungracious.
The middle aged Lord sipped once, twice, and a third time before he asked, "From your new brewery, Stannis?"
Oh, so he
is keeping an eye on me. Excellent.
"Indeed, its
almost where I want it, but I'm sure my brewers will keep trying."
He stared at me over the rim of his cup and replied, "Might I suggest you make them work harder?"
Auch, my Lord. Right in the chest. I didn't let my smile fade but nodded my head in acknowledgment.
"I shall, but I fear we have more pressing matters."
I firmly returned his gaze when I continued, "Lord Jon has ordained my lack of involvement with the Dornish...return to the fold, so to speak."
Another nod from the Lannister, "I am aware, yes. A fairly straight forward ploy to keep the Dornish sweet, I'm sure."
"And rather more pliant to the Lord Hand's soft and soothing words. Either way, the war is done for, and we've all rather neat won it."
Before I could continue though Tywin offered, "And what about Dragonstone? Or Driftmark."
Yeah, Robert raged for seemingly ever when I delivered the message to him. The Dragon's had taken flight from their ancient refuge and were, already, safely ensconced in the Oligarchy of Pentos. It was more than a little bit frustrating, the whole situation as well as having to weather Robert's fury, but I knew better than to hang around the King for now.
Was it rather unfair of him to blame me?
Yup, without a doubt. And yet what recourse do I have?
"The Velaryons have left everything behind in their blind loyalty and my men have already secured the surrender of the keep of Driftmark. Dragonstone itself is a touch more resilient but my captains assure me it shall surrender soon. Most of their fleets are harbored in Pentos but I did manage to requisition a fair handful."
Again the aged Lord nodded. Briefly I considered why the Velaryons might do so. Did they in canon? All I could think of was an opportunity for them to tie their bloodlines, as they had a few youngsters, with
all of the Dragons.
"As I said, we've won the war. Now, Lord Tywin, I would like to win the peace."
Ah,
now I got his attention. Honestly, I thought he would have simply sat here, unmovable, until I pulled out the Valyrian bastard sword I had made for him. Since Robert wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to me right now...I was lacking in opportunities to ask him for permission to barter the sword. If his anger held some validity I would have simply waited until he inevitably cooled down. Now though...I decided that asking for forgiveness was probably better than asking for permission.
Then again, I wasn't entirely sure that Robert even knows about the sword. Twelve daggers and a few other odds and ends, even though I kept the razor for myself, had yielded far more metal than I'd initially expected. In the end Mott had managed to extract a fair chunk of metal, likely keeping a bit for himself, and both short swords – Argella's Plight and Fury- both were light enough to have plenty of material left.
Which was worked into one Lannister bastard sword, complete with their heraldry, another gladius type short sword. The latter one was sent to Storm's End to collect dust for me. Just in case I lost my own sword in some hellish circumstances. The former, of course, was to be bartered for with the Old Lion.
Tywin gestured for me to continue, "I am ten and eight years old, Tywin, a young man by any account. And yet the Essosi came for us
within my lifetime. You, and many others, fought and bled on the Step Stones to stop them."
I took a deep breath and continued, "I have no doubt they'll come again. I would like to improve the stature of our business interests across that continent in order to attain...more of a grip on their purse strings."
It was difficult to fully express myself when I can't use modern jargon. So much of what I wish to say simply does not have an equivalent word the Westerosi Lords would understand. But I'll simply have to muddle through.
"Of that, too, I am aware, Stannis. Much has been said about your recent, and from what I gather profitable, endeavors."
Hmm, he wasn't pushing for me to get to the point. Was I already losing him?
"Indeed. However, their goals are more than simply fetching coin for me. Each and every one of them represents a change, a tremendous turn in reality, for us as a whole. For uncountable eons gold, silver and raw materials have crossed the Narrow Sea to Essos. For practically ever the Essosi have sold their reworked goods, goods made from
our resources, back to us."
Now I sent a glare of my own at the Lion Lord, "Were it not for the unending gold mines of Casterly Rock and the silver mines of the Manderly's...we would have been devoid of any meaningful wealth long,
long ago."
A slight frown creased the skin over his eyebrows, "Explain further, if you will. I've never quite heard anyone so blatantly refer to that reality."
Oh, was I waddling into some muddy waters?
"All right." I took a deep breath and grabbed for some writing material, "Our economy, the complete accounting of property and trade of worth within our borders, consists of the produce of our land. Minerals from the Westerlands and Iron Islands, harvests from the Vale, Riverlands and Reach, wool and wood from the Stormlands and the North. As well as everything else you can think of that our lands and seas produce for us."
I kept going, "It includes everything from the barest threads on the backs of the meanest peasants to the most exquisite gowns on the ladies of the court or even the cloaks of our men. From the smallest market towns in the Riverlands to the moneylenders in King's landing, to the factors of Lannisport and Old Town."
"All of these things, and services, are bought and sold. The cloaks start off as wool in the Stormlands, are sold to King's Landing and other towns to be worked or sold onward again, until they eventually end up as cloaks. Every last chain of events that must occur for that to happen requires gold and silver."
The Old Lion looked intently focused as he nodded, "Quite right."
Well, that was...short.
"The process of gold and silver exchanging hands...is the force behind it all. Without constantly moving gold and silver...orders don't get filled. If orders don't get filled nothing new can be made. If nothing new is made for too long a period...the particular field of trade withers. This isn't a problem with things like wool, and wood, which can be stored. But what happens if such a situation unfolds in more pressing areas?"
Now Tywin simply impressed me, "In which case the total economy grows smaller. I imagine that if the circulation completely stills we would see a return to smaller scale bartering. The opposite, however, is much worse and rather more difficult to repair."
He must have seen my slightly shocked expression as he continued, "It is a reality the Lords of the Rock have lived with for a long time, Stannis. We've always been aware of the effects of spending too much gold at once. Eventually it starts to lose its...ability to buy similar, or at least predictable, quantities of goods. Sooner or later the value drops as people ask for more and more gold for the same goods. Which never bodes well for our, or those belonging to others, reserves."
Holy shit.
They know.
I mean, this was still
preposterously simplified but it was true nonetheless. I could barely contain my glee.
"Yes, exactly! The flow of gold and silver is too important an issue to allow merely in the hands of the merchants and petty lords. Especially as every last Free City has fully funded financial centers of their own."
Tywin flatly interjected, "You desire a bank and likely my families reputation."
Well, nobody ever claimed the man wasn't perceptive.
"In short, yes. I believe we can benefit from a bank to help foster
economic development in every part of our domains. From the smallest settlements to our largest cities."
Another frown as he replied, "And how do you foresee this helping in your stated goals?"
This was it.
"I've already rounded up most of the money lenders in King's Landing. After some furious negotiations I've found out they, together with my own efforts, can raise a little over one million three hundred thousand dragons. Once the upcoming waves of weddings are done I'll dedicate some considerable effort to setting up several financial services. But that isn't the undertaking I would most like your support in."
Ah,
now I'd surprised him.
"Oh?"
"Even more than I desire a bank, I wish for a proper Merchants Collective that spans the entirety of Westeros. Have you been appraised of my new ships?"
"Your 'clippers'. I've indeed heard some whisperings. Are they truly as fast as men claim?"
That depends on who you've heard talking doesn't it?
"They can travel from King's Landing to Pentos in less than two days. Tyrosh is a full three away and Myr half a day longer. Lys, due to the islands in the way, has now become a five day trip. Volantis, and its
many hinterland towns – each larger than King's Landing -, are roughly a week and a half from our capital."
It was a subtle change that came over him but I caught it. The barest hint of an upturn playing around the edges of lips, a slight tightening of the skin around nose, and the piercing gaze that almost burned into me. I think I have him hooked.
"You're claiming your ships are
three times as fast the current galleys?"
Technically true, but not in the way he thought of it.
"The clippers have no oars and once the sails are set require little fiddling. With staggered shifts of sailors manning the vessel it can keep going long after any rowers would have collapsed in on themselves."
"I see."
Oh, I had him. I could tell from the renewed calculation in his eyes. He wants my ships and perhaps I wouldn't even need to show him the sword to get him on board.
"I've already made moves to break the monopolies of Tyrosh and Myr. Sooner or later I'll come up with solutions to the issue of the others Free Cities. Still, even if I couldn't, the speed of the ships alone would let us dominate the seas. We could easily dodge pirates, even if we do not decide to burn them out of the Step Stones, and now we can trade with even the furthest shores of Essos."
I firmly matched him steely gaze for steely gaze and continued, "The Summer Isles, Qarth, and perhaps even further out beyond the Jade Sea. We can sail to all of those places on our own."
"An appetizing future, I agree, but still I fail to see why you've brought this to me. Do you expect me to pay for a fleet?"
I barely restrained a scoff, "Because of the investments I've already made, Tywin, new ships cost me almost nothing to produce. Once my stores of seasoned wood become ready for use, I would already own every separate chain from the woods for the planks to the rope for the sails. All it would cost me is labor. No, I want your political support."
And another slight surprise for him. I continued immediately, "I wish to set up a company, with merchants from across all our lands, who act in cooperation. I wouldn't dream of forcing unwilling participants into it, even if all would benefit, but there are still some concerns. Such as their safety and possibly....volatile and intractable ports."
Did he see it yet?
He did, "You wish to foster similar relationships the Braavosi Sealord has with his traders? His steel backing their trade?"
Close enough.
"Something along those lines, yes. Can you imagine, a Merchant Navy backed by good steel and better marines. Conquest is expensive and in the end almost always ruinous. Especially if one must content with dislike towards their rule. Instead I suggest we empower the merchants, under careful leadership by our more restless and youthful lords, to wage small scale conflicts on their own."
I knew this was the hardest bit. No noble would look kindly upon losing some of their precious privileges. A monopoly on violence was a major one. Could I swing this as if it wasn't an intrusion Merely an extension as a way for their sons to learn about counting coppers and waging war?
"To which end?"
"To the acquisition of favorable terms, small enclaves as outposts for supply and resupply, and actors in Essos that report to us."
Then the man fell silent for a good long time. The minutes crawled by ever so slowly before he finally quietly responded, "How would it work, in practice?"
Now I was one thinking carefully.
After a few moments I replied, "We have hundreds of thousands of men, armed and dangerous men, that we've taught to take whatever they wanted. The vast majority of those men want nothing more than to go home to their families and regain their lives."
Another short silence, "I want the others. Before they resort to
alternative means of paying their way."
Tywin sighed softly, "I understand that part, Stannis, but I was referring to the merchant navy. In which circumstances would they work best and why?"
"For instance; lets say Tyrosh makes some noise regarding my infringement upon their monopoly of dyes. They still have spices that we want but in retaliation they may decide to increase the prices. Or simply not sell them to us, forcing us to acquire them from Myr or Lys. A merchant fleet could punish such a decision by quietly preying on Tyroshi vessels, blockade their ports at will, and would soon be wealthy enough to independently bribe or otherwise influence policy within Tyrosh to reconsider."
I shrugged, "We'd have a naval force that isn't explicitly tied to, or at least isn't a solid representation of, our Kingdom. We could work our will across Essos, wherever we might need to, with a certain level of distance. If things get...costly we can always point the finger at greedy merchants. If we lose the entire fleet and the men on them...we didn't lose overmuch and the merchants would rebuild."
"A catspaw. All of this for a catspaw that isn't all that convincing?"
I smiled widely, "You'd be surprised how difficult men are to convince about certain truths. Especially if their livelihoods depend on them not grasping those truths."
"You truly believe the profits will be
that vast?"
Another shrug, "One of the larger concerns is ensuring that no single merchant family grows too wealthy. So...yes. I expect returns that would dazzle us all."
Tywin nodded, exceedingly slowly, "I must consider this but I must say I am...intrigued."
That is probably the best I could hope for, at the moment. I didn't doubt I'd gain the Lion's approval sooner or later but until then I could quietly sound out the others. Mace and his Redwyne cousins, of course, and perhaps even Hoster. I sincerely doubted that Jon - high and fucking mighty – Arryn would agree to sully his precious noble hands.
"Excellent!"
Tywin reached for his beer mug again and slowly started sipping it. I wasn't about to be bring up anything else but I was ready for the Lion to do so. Should he bring us the bank I could give him the sword for it. If not...I can slowly build upon my network of money lenders.
Already I had begun to set up several Hawala type offices across the board. Soon I'd have offices in every major settlement and my wealth would legitimately start to build. No longer would merchants, or Lords and sometimes even Septons, have to physically carry around their cash when they travel. Or even accept ruinous short term debts just to satisfy their expenses.
Eventually they could pay with my writs or simply withdraw their cash, upon showing verification – in the shape of letters, seals and a message sent through the semaphore lines- at any of the offices provided they dumped similar funds, minus expenses, at any other office of mine.
It would grow into a fully fledged bank at some point in time.
Fortunately for me the elder Lion Lord
did bring it up, "Might I inquire as to your plans regarding your...financial institution."
Oh, look at that. He's picking up the lingo!
I was careful not to smile as I responded, "It's the other side of the proverbial coin. If too little coin is bad, and too much coin is
worse, then we require an even distribution of wealth. I have plenty of uses for the bank, some more obvious than others, but I refuse to charge outrageous interest rates."
Now Tywin's brow shot through the roof.
"And yet, I was under the impression that was
precisely how banks make such profits. Are you perhaps a touch too kindhearted for such endeavors?"
Was he poking me?
Yes, he was.
What else could I do but laugh uproariously?
It didn't look like the man was taking offense but still I cut it short, "Greedy banks make their money of the banks of their clients. Greedy banks, in the mold of the Rogare's, suck the economic activity out of any given region. They contend with lack of repayment, the seething and unending hatred of their rivals for the limited supply of men in need of loans, as well as the specter of the Iron Bank hanging over their heads. I have...other services in mind."
Again the utter asshole shocked me to my core, "An investment oriented bank then?"
He continued, "I must say, Stannis, I do not enjoy watching the surprise etched into your visage."
With a brittle smile I replied, "My apologies, usually I need to explain
quite a bit before the various Lords grasp my meaning. It appears I have grossly misjudged you."
Tywin still looked a little touchy but I thought it was best to continue, "But you are right, I want an investment bank. Loans, if there will be any of them, will be low interest and conditional on being underwritten by sufficient property."
"How shall you decide that?"
"A tenth of the value will generally do, as land and property will almost always yield more over longer periods of time than gold does. The issue that could come up is one of a difficult to actually recover the underwritten property. But as the brother of the King and a Lord Paramount in my own right...I don't imagine I'll run into overmuch trouble."
"I'm surprised you didn't come to me sooner. I would have thought that the reserves of Casterly Rock would have been first and foremost in your mind?"
I shrugged and replied, "A bank isn't something I can set up in my free days, of which I've had none. All my other endeavors only required my initial supervision but such a financial institute would require a lot more. And now the Stark have returned and I doubt my brother won't be insensate for much longer."
Did it work, was he distracted?
Or could he simply not afford to let this opportunity pass by?
"Ah, of course. But now the war is over, surely your duties would allow you more leeway?"
I smiled widely now, "Which is why I'm meeting with you, now. The Merchant Navy is currently more important to me, but its not too early to bring up the idea of the bank."
Again the elder lord nodded firmly and said, "How much involvement on my part are you expecting?"
"That depends on you, Tywin. I must admit I'm intent on milking you for as much as you're willing to allow."
That brought an actual scoff from the Lion Lord, "Ha! I cannot recall the last time someone simply asked that of me. Even if it comes after a few detours, do you expect me to make this easy for you, Stannis?"
I smiled even wider as I stood up, walked over to the chest behind my desk, and retrieved the dark – almost purple – blue bastard sword from it. I slowly turned around, withdrew the sword from its scabbard, and presented it to the aged Lion Lord.
"Yes, I do, Tywin. I do, indeed."
283 AC – King's Landing: Ambitions and Arsenal Woes
The noises from the feast filled the Great Hall and from the joyous atmosphere you could scarcely tell that someone, who shall remain nameless, has assaulted the regal personage of the King. Robert sported a faint black eye, cut but still thick lips, and a slight lisp as he cheered and toasted. Nobody quite seemed to react, or even mention, the King's state. Nor has anyone mentioned
my black eye, cut lips and the bruises around my throat that faintly resembled Roberts hand prints.
At least I wasn't the one lisping.
Jon leaned in towards, for today I sat in between him and Lyanna Stark, while Robert sat next to her and her brother, Ned.
"You
are aware that he could hang you for your...actions, Stannis?"
Oh, please. Even in the frigid relationship between canon-Robert and canon-Stannis things never quite progressed that far. Then again, I'm pretty sure Stannis never quite jumped Robert.
Softly I replied, "Better to be hanged than falsely bear Robert's fury." A heart beat passed before I continued, "And best to sort things out through fists rather than let it fester until we spar again. I'm pretty sure he'd try to do terrible things to me."
Clearly not soft enough as Robert bellowed, "Thwy! Hah! Thwy he thays!"
Every time. Every time he spoke I couldn't help but laugh.
Jon put a hand on my shoulder when he next said, "Perhaps its best to quiet down now, Stannis."
Fine. The feast had barely begun, and I'd only seen Robert interact with Lyanna for the briefest of moments, but I could already tell that the big man was completely lost. From what I gathered he could barely sit still as Lyanna recovered from her travels and didn't even let Ned get bathed before peppering him with questions.
Now...now I wanted to get a handle on Lyanna. I didn't exactly know what to think of her. Plenty of rumors were swirling around the city and each more outrageous than the last. Some say she's a tragic victim. Others claim she was the one behind everything. Yet others even got, to what I was assuming, was the truth. That she went somewhat willingly in the beginning but quickly grew to regret it. Something rather recurring was her 'heathen'-ness. Few people could truly accept that. Especially since, in the same breath, they sigh with relief that at least one of the King's brothers is a pious man.
Perhaps that was why she kept her distance?
Unfortunately I couldn't exactly figure out the details. Northmen are notoriously tight lipped, especially about their precious Starks, so I would have to hear it from the horses mouth. Somehow I didn't see that happening.
Which wasn't
that big of a deal. I wasn't about to bring it up either but I had acknowledge that Lyanna would be a remarkable influence on Robert. I, absolutely, needed her on my side. Already I working out ploys but the easiest way was to simply charm her into liking me.
To do this right...I needed to establish a few things. One, that I'm trying to be nice to her as she might be my brother's bride. Two, that in the process of doing that I establish that I started to like her as a person in her own right. And finally with three being, bamboozling her into finding a
cause after which I'd 'help' her attain it. Or more likely, waste her time fixating on harmless matters. Maybe I can eventually get her on the literacy boat and get some use out of her?
I turned towards her and said, "I haven't been able to say this yet, but I am truly sorry for your loss, my Lady."
Lyanna looked down, in a mockery of shy-ness, and replied, "Thank you, my Lord Stannis, but I cannot claim to the only one who suffered. I can only pray everyone recovers, my Lord."
Well, that's a point in her favor.
I nodded and said, "The actions of the Dragons have been felt by all, my Lady. Even if what they've taken from me isn't as recent I still feel it."
She looked rather curious when she responded, "I...I wasn't aware-." She firmly cut herself off before she tried again, "I'm sorry you've suffered, my Lord."
Robert looked around her at me, fairly questioning so I elaborated, "When we were little we saw our parents vessel sink, right in sight of Storm's End." Lyanna's eyes slightly widened which left me wonder why she didn't know the story, "Only the fool made it out alive. I could have borne it. My parents perished on an important mission for the King, I believed."
Slightly my voice increased but the residue of Stannis must have made colored my emotions, "I thought that surely, finding a suitable bride for my cousin would have been a high honor. One that the King would have acknowledged, even if he didn't reward its failure."
A small bubble of quiet hung around our end of the table, and more than a few eyes were on me, but I continued on. Establishing
some emotional grounding for Robert's hatred, and my own it appeared, for the Targaryens was rather important. Especially for the woman who might marry him.
"King's Landing is but a two weeks away from Storm's End. I thought that the King, my father's cousin, would have come for the funeral. He...did not."
I looked down on my drink, chugged it in one go, and continued again, "The funeral came and went without a single word from the man who sent my parents off to die for him. Months passed before he brought it up.
Months!"
Again the Lord Hand tried to calm me down but it was in vain, "Then finally I received a raven from King Scab. Robert had gone to the Eyrie by then and I didn't bother sharing it with him, at the time." I turned to Lyanna again, "He told me that my lord father,
his cousin, shouldn't have tarried in Volantis as he tried to get my
mongrel mother with him behind the Black Wall. Perhaps he would have outrun the storms then."
He wasn't
quite that coarse but it was close. Besides, he was dead and couldn't defend himself. Fuck him. Gasps were heard all across, Lyanna's visage softened significantly, and Robert looked like he was ready to start breaking things again.
He looked rather intently at me so I responded to his unasked questioned, "If I told you, Robert, you would have tried to kill the man and I would have helped you. And then we would have died."
Slowly, ever so slowly, Robert nodded. Once.
I fell silent for the next few minutes. I hadn't quite expected the outpouring of emotions. Perhaps I wrongly assumed that I'd already explored most of Stannis' issues but this was apparently an unmarked, and private pain.
Eventually Jon leaned in again, "I didn't know, Stannis."
What?
Of course he doesn't. Why would he?
My surprise must have been obvious as he continued, "I thought you were just...playing things up. I can scarcely believe I was so wrong. Please accept my deepest apologies, Lord Stannis."
Again, what?
I wanted to turn back to Lyanna but I couldn't let this go.
I faced Jon and softly but menacingly bit out, "You thought I was fanning my brother's hatred for my own gain?"
Now his discomforted visage was the one that was obvious. Should I feel bad about pressing this point? Or should I just ruthlessly steam ahead?
Heh.
Fuck 'em.
AN: New chapter, yeey! A small introduction to Lyanna at the end but mostly exploring the founding of a continent wide trading company with its own armies! Feedback and commentary greatly appreciated! Please let me know what you think 
AN2: Is there anyone who is interested in helping me beta the updates? They've gotten longer now and more typos started slipping in
