Interlude: Stannis
Lannisport, Mid Eighth Moon, 285 A.C., Six moons later…
The frigid winter air blows fiercely as the Lannister clipper, the Swift Claw, barrels towards Lannisport at near sixteen knots, the bear-skin cloak wrapped around me shielding me from the worst of it. My head and ears are kept warm by the strange mink furred cap my friend, Lord Hugo Seastark sent me, calling it an ustasha or ushanka or something like that. The earflaps were down, currently cover my ears, but have an ingenious feature where they had straps at the end to either tie together around the chin or to the crown of the cap.
I glance around the ship, spotting my wife in a long brown, otter fur cloak in the Northern style speaking to her goodaunt, Lady Darlessa Lannister, wearing a similar fur cloak. The groom and bride of the upcoming wedding, Ser Burton Lannister of Lannisport, and Lady Dacey Mormont, both wrapped in white, snow bear-skin cloaks, were at the bow of the ship. I couldn't hear what their conversation but the lad hung on his betroth's every word and I see my gooduncle Ser Tygett Lannister chaperoning the couple from a respectful distance. The ship begins to slow as the harbor comes into view, under the shadow of Casterly Rock and sails for the small wharf at the bottom of the massive rock.
Hundreds of ships of each type, from large dromons to tiny fishing boats filled the Lannisport harbor even in the cold of winter. The ships that interested me the most were at the near end of the docks closest to Casterly Rock, ten clippers waving the new Sunset Trade Company banners, a simplified one with only the setting sun. His friend claimed the change was made due to the addition of the Hightowers and Redwynes and that adding their house sigils would make the banner "too crowded". Ten clippers will take part in the trade expedition to Yi-Ti, five from the Seastarks, two from the Lannisters, and one each from the Mallisters, Hightowers, and Redwynes. The sixth Seastark clipper will sail for King's Landing, taking Edric Seastark to join the Royal Trade Company's expedition to Ibben and further east. The fact that it will also take my wife, her uncle and aunt, the Master of Coin, and myself back to the capital makes it apparent that House Baratheon needs to get it's own clippers. It feels unbecoming for a prince and lord paramount to have to beggar a ride from his wife and friend's clippers for faster travel.
"Impressive, aren't they?" Speak of the devil, the Master of Coin, Lord Ambrose Mallister, walks up beside me.
"Aye, this ship sailed from King's Landing to Lannisport in just under a moon, a journey that would've taken a galley at least twice as long. I can see why your trade company is sending a small fleet of them to Yi-Ti, it'll take them what? Three, four moons to sail to Yin from Lannisport." I respond.
"Roughly so, my prince. Such a voyage with galleys would take some seven or eight moons." The Master of Coin informs and I nod, calculating a clipper could sail to Yin or Port of Ibben from King's Landing in two to three moons, an unheard-of feat for any ship until recently.
"How's your grandson Patrek faring in Castle Warg? I take it you are excited to see him again." I ask the old lord, whose smile deepens his wrinkles.
"He recently turned two-and-ten and is faring well. He writes of learning the typical things one learns when they foster, swordplay, archery, politics, and so on. Though he says he also learns strange things such as the pod structure of spotted whales and their behaviors. Even claims the whalers are working withspotted whales to hunt larger whales!" He says, voice dripping in skepticism as I furrow my brow in confusion, unsure I heard him correctly
"Patrek's currently assisting the construction of a sewer system with quickstone, something I intend to have him work on when he finishes his fostering." I hear Lord Mallister say as I squint my eyes and notice a man standing at the bow of one of the clippers waving small flags to another man on another clipper. His arms move with the flags in a strange, coordinated fashion, as if trying to convey some sort of message to the other man.
"What is that man doing with the flags?" I point to the closest clipper where a man could be faintly seen waving two red and yellow flags.
"Ah, that is the semaphore signal flag system created by Lord Seastark being tested for the trade expedition. It provides for better communication at sea between ships. Each pose with the flag represents a letter or number…"
"Allowing the receiving ship to spell out the messages through a far-eye." I finish his sentence, my mind racing with the possibilities of such a system being employed by both the Royal Fleet and Royal Trade Company. Memories of the naval battle of Dragonstone with the remnants of the loyalist fleet flash before my mind and I think of ways such a system could have made winning the battle easier. I make a note to myself to ask him about the signal flags amongst the other inventions the Lord of Sea Dragon Point keeps spewing out.
"Has your grandson learned anything about the metalworks the blacksmiths of the Street of Steel complained about?" I ask him about the Wolfsport metalworks and the rumors that have proliferated in Red Keep after the blacksmiths complained to Robert during court. First it was newer and better blast furnaces making large amounts of iron and now his uncle, the Master of Whispers, has heard whispers of a steel furnace capable of producing large amounts of castle-forged steel.
"No, Lord Seastark has been quite careful with his security. He hasn't taken my grandson or any of the other fosterlings to the metalworks but he writes that they are surrounded by a wall with guards. Only those with permission from Lord Seastark may access the facility." Lord Mallister says with disappointment. I'm cut off from responding by the captain calling out to drop anchor and I suddenly realize we're already at the docks in the lower part of Casterly Rock. The crewmembers begin tying the ship to port and setting up a gangway to the dock as I tie the straps of my earflaps to the crown of the strange cap. Everyone I have asked has told me it looks better with the flaps tied up, especially Cersei.
My wife and I descend the gangplank arm in arm and we walk towards the interior of Casterly Rock. At the entrance we are greeted by the House Lannister of both Casterly Rock and Lannisport and House Mormont. Flanking them were important guests like the Seastarks, Blackwoods, Hightowers, Mallisters, Dustins, and Redwynes. The betrothed couple greets Lord Tywin before moving to speak with their families. I spot my friend Lord Hugo in a matching ushanka, smiling at me next to his wife sporting a small baby bump, and the corners off my mouth twitch into a small smile. I notice all the Seastarks and the fosterlings all wearing Lord Hugo's new furred cap as my goodfather formally welcomes us to Casterly Rock and Lannisport. I exchange greetings with the gathered highborn and when I reach my friend we grasp arms.
"My prince, it's good to see you again! I enjoy our correspondence but I always prefer talking face to face." Lord Hugo greets me with a warm smile. From the corner of my eye I see my wife chatting happily with her twin.
"Lord Seastark, it's good to see you again. You've been busy I hear, building ships and roads among other things." My friend gives a casual shrug.
"Merely improving my lands like any other lord." His nonchalant response causes me to snort at his habit of downplaying his achievements, as if anyone could casually invent a new type of ship or furnace at will.
"Well, you've improved your lands more in three and a half years than most lords do in ten times that! Now Lord Stark writes of building roads in the North and the Street of Steel complains of a massive metalworks luring away young talent to Wolfsport." I say as we move to enter the home of the Lannisters.
"I originally just wanted a paved road from Wolfsport to Winterfell and sought Lord Stark's support. After he saw the roads and buildings constructed by quickstone, he sought the quickstone itself, both to pave the Kingsroad and for the restorations of Queenscrown, Moat Cailin, and the Broken Tower in Winterfell. Gave me a lot of tax breaks for the secret. I'm surprised your brother wants to complete to pave the entirety of the Kingsroad." Lord Hugo explains how Lord Stark obtained the quickstone.
"Lord Stark's letter planted the idea while his wife, the Master of Coin, and the Lord Hand convinced him of the benefits. Framed it as "Showing the superiority of the Baratheons over the dragons through better roads". I snorted at the memory of Robert being won over by the appeal of a tangible symbol of House Baratheon's better rule.
"I understand the queen wanting a better Kingsroad to connect to the North but what are the Master of Coin and Lord Hand getting out of this?" Lord Hugo asks, curiosity flickering in his blueish-gray eyes.
"Lord Arryn included the paving of the High Road to the Eyrie in the plans and Lord Mallister is pushing for an extension from the Kingsroad to Seaguard through the Twins." I see my friend nod his head in understanding as we hear a new voice cut in.
"So, the King is looking to pave the Kingsroad." My goodfather, Lord Tywin walks up besides us, I glance around to see his children walking together with Ser Jaime now in deep conversation with his younger brother, leaving my wife walking with them wearing a face of annoyance at being ignored.
"Aye. We intend to construct quickstone kilns in the capital and Storm's End during winter so we can begin construction once spring arrives." I inform him and he absorbs my words, silent for a moment before speaking.
"And what of the other roads Jaehaerys the Conciliator constructed?" He asks.
"The Kingsroad will take priority, but that doesn't mean other roads can't be worked on simultaneously." I respond.
"Which one were you thinking? There are three roads that lead to Lannisport." The Northman snorts.
Lord Tywin considers the question for a moment. "The Gold Road would be the most…beneficial to our houses". I nod slowly at his words. The Gold Road runs from Lannisport to King's Landing, going through Deep Den, the Field of Fire, near Redgrass Field, before crossing the Blackwater near Chelsted Keep to the capital. A better road between King's Landing and Lannisport would be beneficial to both houses, even if the route the road follows is sparsely populated in the middle part, located in the northern plains of the Reach.
"There is merit to paving the Gold Road…" Lord Tywin, Lord Hugo, and I begin discussing the paving of the Gold Road and the logistics behind it as we delve deeper into the massive rock along with the potential paving of the River and Ocean roads in the future…
Two days later…
I walk across one of the grand halls of Casterly Rock, weaving through the many guests of the wedding reception hearing snippets of conversation as I go.
"I heard you sparred with boys in the capital but is it true the women of Bear Island learn to fight?" I hear Lady Alysanne Ambrose ask the now Lady Dacey Lannister of Lannisport.
"Aye, but not all women. Some become shieldmaidens like myself who train…" The She-Bear's answer to the four Reacher ladies fades away as I catch a snippet of another conversation.
"My house stands to gain much from this voyage to Yi-Ti! You heard Lord Seastark, the YiTish people have a heavier demand for silver than gold! Apparently all their taxes are paid in silver instead of food or gold…" Lord Serrett of Silverhill boasts to his fellow Westerlords. I furrow my brow at the mention of silver, one of the topics of the Director's meeting held yesterday that I wasn't a part of.
I hear Summer Tongue spoken between a pregnant Princess Keeori Lannister and the exiled Summer Islander prince to my left before another conversation catches my right ear.
"Have you heard the terrible news? The High Septon has passed away and now the Most Devout must convene in the capital to elect a new High Septon!" Lord Piper of Pinkmaiden tells Lord Paege of Fairmarket about the news that arrived by raven yesterday.
"Aye, and with it being winter, it'll take weeks for some of the Most Devout to travel to the capital! Not to mention it usually takes them days, sometimes weeks to choose a High Septon. It could take a moon or two before a new one is announced!" I hear Lord Paege's response as I keep walking.
I spot my wife talking to her twin from across the room only for Lady Myrra Seastark, Lady Jeyne Grafton, and Lady Sybell Westerling to approach them and join whatever conversation they were having. Although for some reason my wife looks annoyed rather than pleased with seeing her friends. The various conversations begin to hit my ears faster and faster
"…Hear Lord Seastark invented a furnace that produces large quantities of steel?"
"…Rogue Seahorse just conquered the island of Skullhammer…"
"…Ironborn sailing up the Milkwater!" "Bah! What could the Wildlings have that's even worth stealing?"
"…Seen the portrait of Ser Jaime and Lady Shiera by Lucos of Flea Bottom?" "Aye, I heard Ser Jaime loves it despite complaining how long it took…"
"…Renamed to the Dornish Trade Company now that the Reacher houses pulled out."
"…Attacked a Royal Trade Company convoy off of Sunstone…"
I frown at the reminder of the pirate attack on a convoy of three trade cogs and their three galley escorts on their way back from the Summer Islands. Only one cog managed to escape the ambush of ten galleys flying the flag of the pirate Bloodbeard and it's that very attack that will have Davos leading the retaliation strike. Bloodbeard is holed up on the island of Sunstone, second-largest island in the Stepstones and island closest to Dorne, and the timing of the attack will coincide with us sailing with Edric Seastark in clipper The Thunderbolt in the area. Speaking of Seastarks, I find Lord Seastark in deep conversation with Lord Leyton Hightower and Lord Paxter Redwyne.
"…But the evidence is there! He is building an Iron Fleet from timber acquired from Beyond the Wall and last we checked, it's at least fifty longships. Not normal longships, mind you, but great longships, each the size of a lesser galley and made for battle, not raiding!" Lord Seastark argues passionately.
"But surely Lord Greyjoy knows he can't possibly win against our combined fleets? He would have to be a blind fool to rebel!" Lord Redwyne scoffs.
"Then you more faith in Lord Greyjoy's intelligence than I do, Lord Redwyne." My friends says in a grim tone.
"But when Lord Quellon Greyjoy ruled, the Ironborn traded much more than they reaved. Surely his son can be convinced of the same if they are brought into the trade company!" Lord Hightower argues but Lord Hugo shakes his head.
"Lord Balon is unfortunately not as wise as his father. He is a firm believer of the Ironborn Old Way, of paying the iron price, in contrast to his father's New Way of paying the gold price. It's this dedication to the Old Way that'll push him to rebel." He says but snaps his head to me when he hears me cut into the conversation.
"And what reason would Lord Greyjoy have for rebelling against his rightful king?"
"Ah, Prince Stannis, I'll answer your question with another question. Did Lord Greyjoy ever bend the knee or swear an oath of fealty to your brother after ascending the Seastone Chair?" He inquires. I open my mouth to respond but pause, my mind reviewing the memories of Lord Greyjoy's letter to my brother after he ascended the Seastone Chair.
"No…" I say the word slowly, realizing my friend might be on to something. "…He acknowledged the authority of the Iron Throne and has paid his taxes but neither knelt nor swore an oath of fealty." I grind my teeth realizing that Lord Greyjoy never mentioned my brother by name or title, only vaguely mentioning the Iron Throne.
"That's what I thought. Every house in every kingdom, regardless of what side they fought on…" Lord Hugo gestures to Lord Hightower and Lord Redwyne, who look at me awkwardly when I narrow my eyes at Lord Redwyne, memories of his fleet starving Storm's End briefly flash through my mind before my friend continues. "…Swore an oath to your brother, except the Ironborn! I mean, can the Ironborn be considered part of the realm if they pay the bare minimum in taxes but never bent the knee?" I absorb his words and realize he might have a point.
"I'm still skeptical of Lord Greyjoy being foolish enough to rebel. That being said, you do bring up a good point on the legal ambiguity of him never formally bending the knee. I will write to my brother tomorrow on the matter." I can see my friend wants to argue further, but knows me well enough to know that it won't work once I've made up my mind.
"I hope I'm wrong my prince…" Lord Hugo but is cut off by Ser Tygett's booming voice.
"TIME FOR THE BEDDING!" I watch a crowd of women surround Ser Burton and a crowd of men surround Lady Dacey, holding them aloft and starting to tear pieces of clothing from them. I turn away from the scene and decide to find my wife…
Four days later…
I stand at the docks in the carved-out bottom of Casterly Rock with my wife, who is giving her twin a solemn farewell in the dawn's early light. The trade expedition left two day previously and I look towards the lone clipper, The Thunderbolt, the ship that will take us back to King's Landing, but not before we make two stops. The first, unplanned stop, is to Lordsport in the Iron Islands, in order to receive Lord Greyjoy's oath of fealty on behalf of my brother. The raven scroll from Robert, ordering me to the Iron Islands and giving me to power to accept fealty in his name still in my left hand as I watch dockworkers carry a covered painting into the ship.
Lord Seastark graciously lent out his personal painter, Lucos of Feal Bottom, to paint a portrait of Cersei and I, although for some reason I get the impression that Lucos was taking his time with the portrait, as if wasting time was the goal. But once I saw the quality of his work, I realized the extra time must have been because the artist was ensuring the high quality of his painting.
The second, planned stop is at Storm's End, where we'll unload the new Wolfsport plows, harnesses, and seed drills to be used in the lands of Storm's End and Summerhall as a testing grounds for these new farming implements. Lord Stark wrote highly of them in his letters but the Small Council is determined to test them for themselves to truly see if their worth it. Summerhall was chosen because it is the only part of the Stormlands under direct control of the Iron Throne.
I'm brought out of my thoughts by the captain of the ship calling for the boarding of passengers. My wife breaks away from her twin joins me as we ascend the gangplank on the ship. I glance over my back to see Lord Hugo, his wife, and his fosterlings waving at us, their ship to head out in a few hours. I grin a little and wave back before turning to my wife.
"So then, did you enjoy your time here? I'm sure it was nice to see your brothers again." I ask her and she makes a face that torn between elated and disgusted.
"I did, although I didn't get to spend as much time as with my dear twin as I wanted. The Seastarks and the damn Imp took up much of my time. But even still, I got some personal time with him." She says with a slightly irritated tone before looking at me.
"I heard the queen is with child again…" She changes the subject; I nod hearing the news from the Red Keep the same time she did.
"…And that got me thinking…" Her mouth shifts into a smirk as her eyes meet mine. "…We still need to do our duty and sire an heir." She finishes in a sultry tone and I suppress a shiver of excitement done my spine. Damnit! This woman knows how to get me in the mood.
"We can try tonight, if you don't mind making noise." I respond. Her sultry grin grows wider