Days after Axel Baratheon's decrees, Asha Greyjoy stands in the Great Hall of Castle Pyke, staring at the eerily black Seastone Chair. The Kingsmoot had just finished and… she's done it. She's been named ruler of the Iron Islands. The first woman to ever hold the title. The first Lady Reaper of Pyke.
… It'd been a bit closer than she expected it to be too, in no small part because of how the King had decided to pervert and corrupt their ancient traditions for his own ends.
The Kingsmoot in antiquity was only ever supposed to be made up of Ironborn Captains, for it was said that each Captain was a King on his own ship. Only once the vast majority of those assembled Captains called out a candidate's name without fail would the Kingsmoot come to a close.
But of course, it was just as Axel had said. He wasn't going to let her people off easily. Nor was he going to suffer another attempt to return to the Old Ways in another fifteen or twenty years when the next generation grew up and tried to follow in their forefathers' footsteps.
And so he'd done away with thralldom and salt wives. Then, he'd gone a step further by giving every single man and woman on the Iron Islands a voice. Be they captains, sailors, or those laborers who had no choice but to serve until now, everyone got to have a say. Even those Mountain Warriors he'd brought with him from the Vale who had decided they were settling on the Iron Islands got a say.
As a result of this, there were quite a lot of individuals on the Iron Islands who had been born on the mainland and didn't really care that Theon Greyjoy had been raised in the far off stronghold of Winterfell by House Stark. They didn't care that he'd barely sailed a day in his life, or that it had been over a decade since he'd seen his homeland. If anything, for some of them that was a positive rather than a negative.
Asha, meanwhile, had the support of every remaining Ironborn Captain and Sailor right off the bat, because even if she was a woman, at least she was one of them. However, because of just how many Ironborn had died foolishly following Euron Greyjoy to his watery grave, those weren't the overwhelming numbers they should have been in the ensuing Kingsmoot.
… Yet funnily enough, that was actually why Asha had won, in the end. She'd taken a look at the landscape and spent the scant days leading up to the actual vote reaching out to people beyond her fellow Ironborn. She'd held meetings with prominent former thralls and the former salt wives of now-dead Ironborn Lords and listened to what they had to say, lending them her ear.
Meanwhile, her foolish brother Theon had made the mistake of going after the remaining Ironborn who were already going to vote for her, to try and peel them away. He'd spent his time chasing the votes he was never going to get in the first place and ignoring the former thralls and salt wives who could have put him on the Seastone Chair.
Even then, when all was said and done, it had been rather close. The first few shouts of the assembled masses at the Kingsmoot had been rather mixed and it was impossible to tell who would win. But eventually, the tide had turned… and Asha's name had started to sprout from more and more lips, until her brother's name faded to but a whisper beside it.
And so now here she was. Lady of the Iron Islands.
"Congratulations, Lady Greyjoy."
Asha whips around, not too surprised that Axel managed to sneak up on her but still caught off guard by his sudden presence. Then again… she'd been caught off guard by a lot of what she'd seen during the battles against her Uncle.
She understood now where Axel's confidence had stemmed from. As well as that strange remark about how she would have broken her hand if he'd let her punch him back in his tent. His skin, his flesh… it must be impossibly tough for him to go toe to toe with that Kraken as he did.
Not to mention his strength. All anyone could talk about was the fact that he could fly and fly fast at that. But Asha was far more focused on just how strong Axel had to be to lift that massive carcass out of the water like he did… and then fling it so far that it landed here atop her family's Castle, hundreds of miles away.
It all just seemed so impossible. But as they said, seeing was believing. Even still…
"Bastard."
Axel grins, taking the curse good-naturedly, despite his origins.
"How has Theon taken the news? Do you think he'll be a problem? Shall I kill him for you?"
Asha huffs, rolling her eyes at that but ultimately shaking her head.
"He's fine. I think it being somewhat close actually mollified him a bit. He would have been far more upset if he'd lost by a landslide, I imagine. Still, I spoke with him. I told him that he could take an officer's position on my old ship, which I'll be letting my first mate Captain in my stead while I'm busy with my new duties here. Whether Theon can make something of himself or not and earn the respect of our people from there… that will be up to him."
Of course, left unsaid is that if Theon proves incapable of changing or becoming more than he is now, there might just be an 'accident' at sea. Silence falls as Axel contemplates her words for a long moment before finally nodding. Then, he tilts his head to the side, smiling at her more softly.
"I did warn you, Asha. And I even asked if you wanted this. I almost wish you had lost, if only so I could whisk you away back to King's Landing and keep you as my woman for the rest of your days. Maybe once Lord Seaworth got a little older, I'd have had you shadow him and him mentor you until he retired and you'd have become my Mistress of Ships."
Flushing, Asha finds herself imagining it for a moment. Fuck, it sounded nice too. She almost wishes that could have been what happened as well. And yet… and yet, she knew deep down inside that this was where she belonged.
"… I'm needed here. My people need me here."
Stalking forward, the King snorts derisively as he looks down at her.
"Your people are pirate scum, Asha."
She flinches but ultimately stands her ground, straightening up and jutting out her chin even as Axel comes to a stop looming over her.
"They can be more than that. The Ironborn can be more than that."
Asha already has plans, actually. Oh, she has such plans. Of course, it'll be an uphill battle every step of the way… but for all that Axel has made things harder for her, he's also made things easier for her as well.
The King, who can fly and kills massive sea monsters without breaking a sweat, has set forth his decrees. Decrees that Asha herself didn't even necessarily disagree with. But they were his decrees, not hers. And nobody who had seen what he could do would dare move against his words.
Especially since all of the most ornery bastards among the Ironborn were dead at this point. Those that were left, Asha was confident she could control. And if all went according to plan, then the Iron Islands would change. She would change them… in HER image.
Axel just smiles sadly, as if mourning what could have been as he reaches up and brushes his knuckles across her cheek.
"I hope you're right, Asha."
Before he can pull away however, Asha snaps up her hand and grabs him at the thinnest post of his wrist. It's the only part of his arm she can wrap her fingers most of the way around. They look at one another for a moment… and then the new Lady of the Iron Islands all but lunges forward, wrapping her other arm around Axel's neck and hoisting herself up onto her tiptoes so she can kiss him deeply.
He responds by placing his hands at her waist after a moment. Asha kisses Axel Baratheon as hard as she dares… and he kisses her back, their tongues intertwining in seconds. Eventually though, she begins to pull on him, walking herself backwards.
She's actually looking for it now… which is how Asha can tell that Axel is humoring her entirely. If he didn't want to move, he wouldn't. If he didn't want to let her pull on him, she would get nowhere, like trying to tug on a massive stone statue.
But he goes along with her all the same, until eventually they reach their destination and Asha carefully turns them both around before pushing him down to sit upon her new throne.
Axel's massive frame honestly dwarfs the Seastone Chair. The Greyjoy Throne, carved into the shape of a kraken, has an almost oily quality to it and has long been rumored to cause spine-hardening nightmares in those who sit upon it. But when Axel sits in it… it's almost like he's dominating it with his body, making the Seastone Chair an utter joke as it labors beneath him to try to contain his broad frame.
Seeing the way his mere presence seems to make a mockery of her people's most ancient relic probably shouldn't turn Asha on so damn much, but it fucking does. Standing before him, Asha wastes no time in hastily reaching down and pulling at her pants as fast as she can. As soon as she has them off and not a moment later, Asha climbs into Axel's lap while also reaching for his own crotch, eager to fish out his cock.
His hands, meanwhile, go to her top, pulling and tugging at it too. By the time she has his cock out, he has her top off and her breasts, far smaller than those of the women waiting for him back home, in his grasp. Asha nevertheless moans as he begins to fondle her tits and suck at her nipples.
At the same time though, she fucking needs him inside of her… so that's what she does, pulling herself up and then dropping herself down and impaling herself on Axel Baratheon's massive fucking cock.
If her forefathers could see her now, they would be appalled. Not just because a woman dared to claim leadership of the Ironborn, but because she then proceeded to submit, wholly and utterly, to the King who had all but put her on her throne.
And now here she was, bouncing up and down on Axel's cock while he sat upon the Seastone Chair. This right here was the physical embodiment of Axel's conquest of the Iron Islands. In this moment, Asha represents her people's surrender, their submission.
She should be angered by that fact. She should be furious. Instead… she feels amazing. Tossing her head back, Asha lets out a lewd cry as she clenches down upon Axel's cock, climaxing from just a few thrusts.
But of course, he doesn't stop there. Not even as she gets more sensitive from that initial orgasm. Not even as she whimpers and quivers atop him. No, Axel Baratheon doesn't know the meaning of slowing down and Asha… Asha is too prideful to ask for a chance to her recover.
So instead she takes it. She takes his big, fat cock again and again and she marvels at just how good he makes her feel. And then, a stray thought hits her. She's going to miss him when he's gone. But… how… how is she ever supposed to live without this? It's like a jolt of lightning through her body even as Asha screams and arches her back from yet another explosive orgasm in just a few minutes while clenching down around his throbbing shaft.
This is it. He's going to be leaving soon, returning to King's Landing where his other women await him. And Asha… Asha will be stuck here, all alone, bereft of his company. Now don't get her wrong… Asha Greyjoy, Lady Reaper of Pyke, ruler of the Ironborn, needs no man. But Axel… Axel is not a man at all. He's something else entirely… he's a force of fucking nature. Emphasis on the fucking.
Lurching forward, Asha wraps her arms around Axel's shoulders and buries her face in the crook of his neck. She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that no other man can ever compare to him. Truthfully, she doesn't even want to try to fill the void his absence will create.
But what is she to do? Her place is here, making something worthy of her people. And he is the King, far away in King's Landing. So far away that… that there's no way he would visit regularly just for her.
No, she needs to give him another reason to visit the Iron Islands. Another reason to visit what she knew he thought of as nothing but a misbegotten, barren pile of rocks in the ocean. She needed… a child. His child.
The inspiration hits her like a smack to the face and before she can second guess herself, she's pulling her head back to look Axel right in the eye, even as she grinds her cunt down onto his massive cock.
"I-Inside… cum inside of me, Axel. Fill me with your seed… and breed me."
Never mind her previous thoughts about detesting the very idea of being a mother. She would do it if it meant giving Axel Baratheon a reason to visit her. She would let him cum inside of her womb again and again, filling her up until she was fit to burst if it meant she could lure him back for future visits.
Axel though… slows a bit. He looks at her quietly for a long moment.
"… I'm not sure I can do that, Asha. Letting an Ironborn have a claim to the Iron Throne… nasty business."
Asha flushes and scowls. Gritting her teeth, she reaches down and grabs the front of Axel's top, pressing her forehead against his and staring him in the eye. She keeps sliding up and down his cock completely of her own power since he's stopped moving quite as much.
"Then make sure the brat isn't an Ironborn."
He furrows his brow, forcing Asha to elaborate.
"You can bloody fly, can't you? Faster even than a raven. That means you can visit. Knock me up and boy or girl, once the child is born, you can come from time to time to help me raise it. You decide what thoughts get put in its head. And if you want, when it's a little older, say five or so… you can take it back to King's Landing and raise it there alongside your other children. Not as an Ironborn, but as one of your kind."
By the time the first is five, Asha can have extracted more of his seed and given him more children, forcing him to continue his visits to the Iron Islands. She'll keep him coming back for more no matter what it takes… so long as he doesn't abandon her, nor forget about her.
From the surprised look on Axel's face, he clearly hadn't thought of that. For a moment, Asha wonders if she's going to have to debase herself further. She's even willing to beg, if she has to. But then… his hands fall upon her hips and his eyes flash. She knows she has his interest. That doesn't mean he's just going to agree though.
"No child I have with you can ever sit upon the Iron Throne. Do you understand that, Asha Greyjoy? I'll have it put in writing, if my seed takes within your womb. They can inherit whatever you build here, but nothing nowhere else. That's the only way this can ever work."
Asha swallows thickly and nods her agreement. Truth be told, she wouldn't have it any other way. A moment later, her eyes widen as Axel truly begins to fuck her from below. She nearly bites through her own tongue as he slams her down onto his cock, before finally her mouth falls open and her eyes roll back in her skull.
What follows… is everything Asha Greyjoy, Lady Reaper of Pyke, could have wanted. Axel fucks her long and hard, using her as nothing but a toy for his pleasures. And in the end… he cums inside of her, filling her with his seed.
Of course, whether he actually manages to impregnate her or not on that first go remains to be seen. Even as she feels unbelievably slick down betwixt her thighs, Asha leans forward and plants uncharacteristically soft kisses upon the corner of Axel's mouth. She's never felt more like a woman, truth be told. And for the first time in her life… that doesn't seem like such a bad thing.
"You'll have to make time to visit me in the next month or so, just in case your seed doesn't take before you depart."
Axel grunts, but that's not good enough for her needs. She looks him dead in the eye, grinding her cunt down upon his rock hard cock.
"Please. Promise me."
He looks back at her for a long moment… before nodding.
"Alright. I promise."
Asha's smile is bright enough to light up the room, even as she shudders in delight before slowly starting to ride him again. After all, if he wasn't going to go soft… they might as well go for another round.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Tomboy Pirate Queen begging to be bred too tempting for our boy to resist. Luckily she ain't planning anything more nefarious than how to best get more of that Alien D lmfao.
His words to Asha about what came after Euron's defeat being far more complex than the defeat itself had turned out to be downright prophetic. After all, killing Euron and his Kraken and then conquering the Iron Islands had taken less than a day.
But the rest of it? From making sure his edicts were being followed to hosting the Kingsmoot to helping Asha deal with any particularly stubborn holdouts… it was all bringing his stay on the Isle of Pyke up on two weeks now. Axel wished he didn't care as much as he did, because he would have left by now otherwise. Alas, here he was, nearly two weeks later, still helping Asha settle into her new rule.
To be fair, it wouldn't be much longer. Just a couple more days and the last of Axel's boats would be departing from the Iron Islands and returning to Westeros. And there was only one more thing he really wanted to do before he departed himself… aside from a long and protracted 'goodbye' with Asha, that is.
Yes, Axel Baratheon was very much ready to leave the Iron Islands behind for the foreseeable future until the next time he visited Asha. Which is why he was so surprised when he was informed that he had a visitor who had just come in on the latest ship from the mainland.
"Tyrion Lannister. You've certainly come a long way to beg an audience with me."
Being informed of the Lannister Imp's arrival and his request to see him had honestly thrown Axel for a loop… until he realized he shouldn't have been all that surprised. The last time they'd spoke, Tyrion had made it clear that his father sent him to try and see if he could weasel his way into one of the vacancies on Axel's Small Council. Specifically, the position of Master of Coin.
Axel, in turn, had made up an excuse on the spot about how it would be a 'conflict of interest' to have a member of House Lannister in the position when the Crown still owed a considerable sum of gold (nearly a million golden dragons in fact) to the Lannisters. In reality, he just didn't want Tywin Lannister to have any sort of power or influence in King's Landing.
The man had gotten on Axel's bad side with his actions during Renly's Rebellion, and his daughter had left a… mixed impression on him. On the one hand, Cersei Lannister had been a rather enjoyable lover. On the other hand, she'd tried to poison him all throughout his life and then had a mental breakdown and attempted to assassinate him with her own two hands after the Trial by the Seven.
… Yes, mixed was the right word for it.
Regardless, he'd told Tyrion that the only way he would even consider the dwarf for the position of Master of Coin was if House Lannister was willing to forgive the rest of the Crown's debt. This was something Axel had been confident that Tywin Lannister would ultimately never accept.
In fact, he'd been so confident that despite telling Tyrion he would give them until he was 'back with Euron's head' to come to a decision… Axel hadn't actually had any intentions of returning to the mainland via the Westerlands. At least, not over land anyways. Instead, he was planning to fly back to King's Landing without stopping anywhere along the way unless he absolutely had to. He was looking forward to it, in fact.
Yet here Tyrion was all the same. Somehow, Axel doubted that the Imp had come all this way to deliver a rejection to his offer. Then again, given Tywin's purported hatred for his deformed son, maybe he shouldn't put something like that past the Old Lion.
Bowing low at the waist, Tyrion Lannister holds the position for a long moment.
"I have indeed, Your Grace. And I greatly appreciate you allowing me to make my case."
Raising an eyebrow, Axel tilts his head to the side in bemused amusement.
"Is that what I'm doing?"
Tyrion lifts his head, looking a little nervous. No, scratch that. The Imp looks VERY nervous. Even more nervous than he'd been back outside of the Ruins of Lannisport when they'd first spoken in the War Council Tent. Hm… word of his 'exploits' had no doubt already reached Casterly Rock, hadn't they?
Honestly, his newest feats were probably harder to believe than his previous ones. Surviving wildfire for seven days and seven nights? Ridiculous, but one could perhaps lean on one's belief in the Seven to explain it away. But killing a Kraken singlehandedly? Flying through the air and sinking half of the Ironborn Fleet by himself?
It was all patently insane, and yet there were tens of thousands of men who had seen it happen. And they would all be telling the exact same story. On top of that, Axel had no intentions of hiding his true self anymore. So eventually, the inhabitants of King's Landing would see him fly as well. It was going to become a fact of life soon enough. The sky is blue, water is wet, and the King can fly.
For now though, Tyrion seems to believe the tales and that's given him a healthy fear of Axel... as well it should have. But at the same time, Axel holds no particularly deep dislike for the dwarf. If anything, he enjoyed the Imp's sense of humor the first time they spoke. With a sigh, Axel waves his hand.
"Go on then. Make your case, Tyrion Lannister."
"Thank you, my King. I have… a letter signed and sealed by my father here. If you are willing to name me as your Master of Coin, then he will forgive the rest of the Crown's debt to our House effective immediately."
Axel blinks as Tyrion produces the letter and totters over on his stubby legs to hold it out. For a long moment, the King remains still… before finally taking it and cracking it open. The seal does indeed look genuine, given the number of Tywin's letters Axel had been subjected to during Renly's Rebellion. And the contents… it's just as Tyrion said.
Tywin Lannister is indeed giving Axel exactly what he asked for. He's accepting the insane deal that Axel made up at the spur of the moment.
… Why? Surely a million golden dragons in debt was worth more than one Small Council Seat, right? Or… was it? Fuck, now Axel was missing Jon. For all that he knew the man wasn't perfect, this was the kind of thing Jon would have been made for. The kind of thing he would have hopefully seen through and been able to explain to Axel.
What was Tywin hoping to gain from this? More influence in King's Landing, obviously. More influence on the Small Council, of course. But… a million golden dragons worth of influence? Axel's jaw clenches and his nostrils flare as he decides to be brutally honest with the dwarf in front of him.
"… I will confess I do not understand your father's game here, Tyrion. That he so easily agreed to my demand just makes me more suspicious and less inclined to accept this deal."
-x-X-x-
Tyrion grimaces at the King's blunt assessment of things. It was clear that Axel knew just enough to know that Tywin was trying to fuck him over in some way. Its tempting to do and say nothing and let Axel reject the offer and send him packing back to Casterly Rock.
But Tywin's words echo in Tyrion's head as he stands there across from the King.
"You will never be my heir. You will never inherit Casterly Rock. Even if Cersei doesn't give birth to a son, I would sooner name Lancel as my heir than allow you to become Lord of House Lannister. Do I make myself clear?"
What was there left for him in Casterly Rock? He certainly didn't want to stick around to be close to his only remaining sibling. Cersei was… no, best not to go there, not even in the privacy of his own thoughts. Sure, he could return to his father a failure and then try to go traveling again. Maybe make his way back to Oldtown and spend his days between whoring, drinking, and reading books at the Citadel.
Except… Tyrion suspects that this failure would be one failure too many. The King is right, Tywin's willingness to forgive a million golden dragons of debt is a testament to how badly he wants this deal to go through. If Tyrion can't make this work, then it's possible Tywin will finally wash his hands of him completely, maybe even disown him.
No more allowance, no more Lannister name to protect him, nothing but the clothes on his back.
… He needs this deal badly, Tyrion realizes. Not for his House, but for his own sake. So maybe it's time to go about things in his own way…
"You're right, Your Grace. It is suspicious. But when you take a moment to look at it from my father's point of view, it begins to make more sense."
Axel raises a brow, before wordlessly gesturing for Tyrion to continue.
"… The one thing that my father has wanted for longer than I've been alive is to see his blood seated upon the Iron Throne. If not for the accident, it would have been Joffrey Baratheon, his grandson. But we both know how that turned out. And then my sister made an utter fool of herself, not only getting herself expelled from King's Landing in the process but also seeing my niece Myrcella sent off to Storm's End, as far from my father's control as possible."
The King is still listening, Tyrion notes. In fact, it's a little intimidating how focused he is on every word that falls from Tyrion's lips.
"My father's influence over King's Landing and your court has been greatly diminished. And you've already proven just how ruthless you'll be when it comes to clearing out the Crown's debts. Over the next few years, you will no doubt make it a point to clear out the debt to House Lannister first and foremost."
"Try weeks or months, actually."
Tyrion stops at that, his mouth dry as he stares at Axel in confusion. The King grins wickedly in response.
"Since we're being so honest with one another… Euron Greyjoy managed to complete a successful voyage to Old Valyria. It's where he got the magical horn that allowed him to summon and control his Kraken."
His mouth hangs open as Axel just… drops that on him. But the King is far from done.
"He also brought back a ship's hold worth of Valyrian Steel as well. Valyrian Steel Swords, Valyrian Steel Daggers, even a set of Valyrian Steel Armor. Not to mention the jewelry and the cutlery. I've claimed it all for myself, of course. I intend to sell off what I need to in order to get the golden dragons to pay down the Crown's debts, not just to your family but also to every last one of our creditors. The rest, I'll give to loyal subjects and those who prove themselves worthy of it."
An entire ship's hold of Valyrian Steel? That was… that was insane. More than that though…
"… You must know how long my father has been trying to secure a Valyrian Steel Sword for our House, Your Grace. You could sell just one of those Valyrian Steel Swords to him and he would not only forgive the debt, but also pay one or two million more golden dragons in the process. You won't find a better deal in all of Westeros."
Axel chuckles and shakes his head at that.
"I know. And yet I'm not going to. I don't like your father very much, Tyrion, in case it wasn't obvious by this point."
Tyrion licks his lips, suddenly feeling a cold sweat down his back. He'd been afraid of Axel from the moment he stepped in, having heard too many tales of what the man was capable of to be able to discount any of them as untrue. And most telling of all, when Tywin had heard the latest rumors, he'd sent Tyrion here as soon as possible, meaning that even the Old Lion believed the things they were saying about Axel Baratheon these days.
Apparently, the King flew now.
And he didn't just fly either. He also pulled Kraken Corpses too heavy for a thousand men to lift straight out of the water, only to fling them atop Castle Pyke. Needless to say, Tyrion was treading very carefully right now. But this… this was more than that. That much Valyrian Steel was going to settle the Crown's debts AND refill the coffers all at once…
"Why… why would you tell me that, Your Grace?"
Axel smiles, his eyes glittering as he looks down at Tyrion.
"I'll answer your question with a question of my own. Why would you be so honest about your father's thinking with me? You all but laid out that his plan is to give up the short term benefit provided by the debt in order to get more long term benefit out of having you, his son, on my Small Council."
… The King was scarily quick on the uptake sometimes. Tyrion swallows thickly… but in the end, the dwarf finds that once the words start spilling out, they don't stop.
"Because I don't like my father very much either, Your Grace. I despise Tywin Lannister… no, I hate him, in fact. I hate my entire family at this point. The only men who were worthy of the Lannister name, my brother and uncles, are dead now. My father has made it clear that I am never going to inherit whether he still draws breath or not. I need… I need a way out. I need an escape."
For a long moment, Axel just stares at him. Finally, the King tilts his head to the side.
"Your first loyalty would be to me, not your father nor your House."
Tywin would never accept that, but Tyrion found he didn't much care anymore. His father could eat shit. House Lannister… could go and die out for all he cared.
"Of course, Your Grace."
"I won't ask you to publicly denounce your family unless they make it necessary, but I will expect you to tell me everything your father asks of you. And if I tell you to lie to him, you will obey."
Tyrion chances his own grin at that.
"It would be my pleasure, Your Grace."
Axel hums, before chuckling again.
"You will also be under close watch, at least at first. I'll give your father what he wants and name you my Master of Coin, but after Baelish… you won't just be allowed to do whatever you want in the position. Both my Hand and me will be watching closely for any slip ups or fuck ups. The punishment for even the smallest mistake could very well be incredibly severe."
Swallowing hard, Tyrion nevertheless nods. He would be allowed to join Axel's Small Council, but he would be a Master only in name. In actuality, he would be master of nothing until he'd managed to prove himself. Honestly… Tyrion didn't mind that one bit.
"I understand, Your Grace."
"… Very well. Consider yourself my Master of Coin for the time being, Tyrion Lannister. Let's go and find Lord Davos and let him know. You'll be traveling back to King's Landing with him by ship so you'll need a cabin."
Tyrion can hardly believe his ears as he moves to follow the King out of the room. This was actually happening. He was going to be Master of Coin. He was going to escape his father's clutches, once and for all. Though, his stomach drops when Axel suddenly stops and turns around. For a brief heart stopping moment, he fears that the King has second guessed his decision.
… Thankfully that's not the case.
"Oh, and if you're looking for ways to score major points with me, Baelish claimed to have a whole lot of gold stashed away before he was executed for his crimes. I doubt it's in one piece, of course. Find any part of that and you'll be well on your way to truly proving yourself loyal."
Tyrion blinks, before slowly nodding.
"Alright, Your Grace."
The smirk on Axel's face makes it clear he doesn't expect Tyrion to actually find much of anything. To be fair, Baelish would have had to have been an utter fool to hide anything he'd stolen IN King's Landing, right? Then again, the man had to have a way of paying people, right? Hm…
Certainly something to think about. Fortunately, it sounded like more of an afterthought than an actual expectation as part of his new duties. Tyrion would focus on proving he was truly capable of being Master of Coin before he went treasure hunting or anything like that.
This was, in a very real way, his last chance to make something of himself. He wasn't going to screw it up.
-x-X-x-
A/N: And so our new Master of Coin is recruited~
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