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CHAPTER 26- A request for the Hand
LYSA ARRYN POV
She stood in the Great Hall among with many other nobles and knights and watched as her husband sat on the Iron Throne in his capacity as the Hand of the King and held court.
She had a hard time standing in place due to how sore her pussy was. Not to mention the plug that Stephen had stuffed up her ass this morning. With explicit orders to not remove it as long as he didn't tell her to.
The idea that Stephen was eventually going to fuck her asshole filled her with disgust, shame, and arousal. She was disgusted and ashamed that he would do something so dirty. And also by the fact that she was aroused by it.
It has been a week since he took her the first time. And she could still remember each and every moment of that night with crystal
clarity.
That night, was the worst night of her life, since she betrayed her dear Petyr by taking another man within her. But at the same time, she felt more pleasure that night than she'd ever done in her entire life.
And despite the shame she felt at that act, she could admit (if only to herself) that Stephen Baratheon was a far better lover than either Petyr or Jon had ever been.
Stephen showed her the heights of pleasure that she didn't know that she could even reach. Took her in ways that she didn't knew she could be taken. And took her for longer than she thought was humanely possible, fucking her for hours through the entire night.
And despite all that, she woke up the next morning feeling far better than she'd done in years.
The minor aches that she felt in her entire body were simply gone, her skin looked healthy, her hair more fluffy and beautiful, and she felt as energetic as she'd felt when she was a child.
She was not even the least bit sore despite how long he'd taken her.
All this was what convinced her that Stephen's blessings were real. And she'd met him again the next day, alongside her husband, and had asked him to bless her son.
Stephen did so. And within an hour, her son had not only recovered from all his breathing problems, he was also far more lively. She did not know why the gods favoured someone as immoral and nefarious as Stephen. But she was not going to blame them as long as she and her son benefitted from that.
She looked at her son in great fondness as he stood beside her. Shuffling from foot to foot as he looked all over the Great Hall in order to find something to capture his attention.
Robyn had become far more difficult to handle ever since he was blessed. He liked to run around to explore his surroundings, he wouldn't sit still in his lessons, and her pestered her to take him to the city, but she didn't mind it in the least.
Watching him run around was in fact, like a balm to her soul. And filled a gaping hole in her heart that she didn't even knew was there.
And even though she had to pay for that blessing by meeting Stephen once again that night, And every single night since, she did not mind it in the least.
She could still close her eyes and remember their intense bouts of fucking. How he laid over her on their bed, his handsome face hovering over her, his clear blue eyes looking deeply into her own eyes with lust as his cock slid in and out of her, filling her with deep pleasure with each thrust.
And despite how much she wanted to deny it to herself. She could not lie about it anymore.
She had come to love their long hours of sex. She enjoyed them more than she'd enjoyed anything she'd ever done or felt in her entire life. Their hours of lovemaking made her feel alive in a way that she'd never felt before.
The only thing she could even complain about was that he has stopped blessing her after the third night. Saying that he loved to watch her walk around bowlegged. Taking satisfaction in the fact that it was he who did it to her, and not husband.
She had lied about her strange way of walking to her husband when he asked her about it. Saying that she slipped and hurt her ankle.
Lying to her dear Petyr about it had been harder. She should not have to lie to him about anything. But she did. For what else could she tell. Confess him that she has been taking the seed of another man in her womb?
No, she would not be able to bear it if he came to dislike her due to her actions?
Or that's what she thought at the start of the week.
Now… after having spent an entire week getting stuffed by Stephen… the intense love that she once held for Petyr has diminished.
She still loved him and she still craved his touch. But she'd also started developing… something, for Stephen. Even if that bastard didn't treat her with love and care at all and made use of her however he wanted.
Even if that bastard planned to fuck her in her asshole this night.
A series of harsh coughing brought her out of her thoughts and she turned to see where the sound had come from.
Her eyes fell on the main Dias and she noticed the Queen holding onto the Crown Prince with a worried look on her face. Prince Joffrey recovered from his bout of coughing and gave an annoyed look to his mother for the excessive coddling before he went and stood to the side.
The sight would've been endearing, if she didn't know just what kind of monster Prince Joffrey was.
She had seen him bully around his little siblings more than enough to know to never bring her son anywhere near him.
And the rumours about him splitting open that poor cat and presenting its unborn kittens to his father had reached her ears as well. Telling her just what kind of monster that boy truly was.
Though she now wondered if the boy was alright. She was pretty sure that she saw some red in the handkerchief he'd coughed into. That couldn't be anything good… right?
She was brought out of her thoughts once again when she heard a familiar sound coming from in front of the throne.
She turned and her pussy immediately started gushing at the sight of a well dressed and immaculately groomed Stephen Baratheon standing in front of the Iron Throne.
Her lips went dry as she remembered being bent against over her bed and muffling her moans into her pillows as he took her from behind like a dog takes her bitch.
Over and over. Deeper and deeper. Until she could barely think properly. Her entire body shuddering with pleasure as she finally came.
"-would you ask of the Iron Throne?" Her husband was asking and she crossed her thighs in order to hold back her arousal as she started paying attention to what was going on.
"Lord Arryn…. Over the past few days, I've taken to visiting the various orphanages scattered throughout Kings Landing. And I regret to inform you that those orphanages are in abysmal conditions." Stephen said and she wondered if he'd actually visited those orphanages or if he was merely making all this up for some nefarious purpose that serve his own interests.
"How abysmal are we talking about?" Her husband asked.
"Very, my lord. Due to the recent Ironborn attacks, the
Orphanages are overflowing with children. There is little food to go around, so the children are malnourished and often have to go back to their beds at night without even a single meal in their belly."
She felt a wave of sadness pass over her at his words. A sense of guilt overfilling her consciousness as she realised that she had been living such a cozy life up here in the Red Keep while so many children were sleeping on hungry stomachs down in the city.
She looked around and saw that other nobles had been similarly effected by Stephen's words. Some of the ladies even tearing up as they thought of those poor hungry children.
"Let alone food, those children do not even have access to clean water. The water they drink, is almost yellowish in colour, due to how dirty it is." Stephen said and then with a gesture, a servant brought forward a goblet made of glass.
He showed it to everyone in the court and she could see a yellowish fluid contained within it. The orphans down in Kings Landing have been drinking this?
A wave of revulsion passed through her at the mere thought of even having to drink water like that. And with that came another bout of guilt. For having done nothing while those orphans suffered so horribly down there.
"I would challenge any lord or lady, to come forward and dare to drink this water." Stephen said as he showed the goblet to them. "Anyone. Anyone? No?"
Stephen gave the goblet back to his servant before he faced her husband once again. "If any of you think that I'm lying about the quality of the water that those orphans are drinking, then I assure you that I'm not. And if you're still skeptical, you're free to go down into the city and check it for yourself."
"We get it. The orphanages are badly staffed and badly funded."
The Queen spoke up, looking a bit annoyed at Stephen's aggrandising. "But what of it? The small folk have always lived in squalor. That's how it's been for centuries in the past, and that's how it'll remain for centuries in the future. If you have a point to make Ser Stephen, then do so quickly. The court's time is valuable."
She frowned at the Queen's harsh words, even if she felt that they held a slight kernel of truth to them. Though even the Queen wasn't completely correct with her words.
She has seen numerous small folk in Riverrun as a child. And while they did live in poor conditions compared to the nobles, the conditions of the small folk in this city was far worse.
She'd just never thought about it before this day. And felt a bit guilty for not paying more attention to their suffering.
"Her grace speaks correctly." Stephen said "The orphanages are indeed badly staffed and funded. The situation is so bad in fact, that those orphans have not gotten new clothes in many moons if not years. Not only that, but they also have a great lack of beds and blankets. So those children often have to sleep in great cold in the nights."
"And what do you want the crown to do about this Ser Stephen?" Her husband asked, his face blank though she could see the slight discomfort he felt at those words from his body language. "You must know that this Greyjoy rebellion has already left the crown deep in debt. We cannot afford to open new subsidies for these orphanages." "I know my lord. I know that the crown has suffered greatly from this war." Stephen said."And that is why, instead of asking the crown for gold, I would like to ask the crown to give me the ownership of these orphanages."
"You want… to own these orphanages?" Her husband asked, looking confused.
"Yes my lord. Give me these orphanages, and I promise that not a single child within them will go hungry. I'll provide them with not only food, clothes, and clean water, but also with septons and septas who can teach them about the Seven Pointed Star, so that these children may grow up to have good values and become valuable citizens of our Kingdom."
Her husband looked contemplative for a moment before he spoke up. "This decision is not one that can be taken lightly. I'll think upon it and announce my decision tomorrow morning."
"That's all I ask my lord." Stephen said with a bow before he walked out of the Great Hall.
After his departure, the court continued and lasted well into the evening, at which point it was finally adjourned.
Robyn had already fallen asleep by this point, so she had a maid carry him to his chamber and tucked him to bed before she went to her own chambers.
She started changing out of her formal dress when there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"My lady, it's Lord Baelish." Her guard announced and her heart sank.
She… she hadn't met up with Petyr even a single time in the past week.
She'd dodged all efforts to meet him, evaded all their usual meeting places, and ignored all his invitations.
That he finally came to meet her own his must mean that either he'd run out of patience, or he'd realised just how bad the situation had become.
But… she couldn't meet him. She couldn't bare to face him after what she'd done every single night in the past week. Not after she had betrayed his trust again and again while sleeping with another man. With how perceptive he was, he will definitely realise that something was wrong. And what then?
She couldn't bear to have him look at her with disgust. Something like that would break her. She didn't want to feel that pain, so she hid inside her room.
"I… I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Tell him that I can't meet him right now." She replied, the guilt in her heart increasing at lying to Petyr once again.
How many times would she have to lie to him in order to cover up her great betrayal.
"Lady Arryn." A voice came out from outside, and her heart fell into her stomach upon realising that it was none other than Petyr. "I merely wish to have a few moments of your time. I promise I'll leave quickly afterward."
Tears fell from her eyes and she shook her head.
She couldn't lie to him. Not directly like this. So she stayed quiet.
And hoped that he'll leave.
"Lysa." Petyr called her again and again, she remained silent. Her silent tears turning into sobs.
Her childhood friend and lover called for her a few more times, breaking her heart again and again, with silence being the only thing that he heard.
"Very well. I'll see you on the morrow Lady Arryn." Petyr said before she heard his footsteps leaving the corridor.
She held on for a few more moments before she buried her face into her pillow and burst into tears.
—————
She must've cried for an hour when she felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder.
She turned around and saw that it was Stephen, who managed to sneak inside her room (once again) despite all the closed doors and windows.
"Hey, are you alright?" He asked with concern.
She wasn't sure if his concern for her was real. And she didn't really care at the moment. All she wanted at the moment, was some comfort.
So when he opened his arms for her, she leapt in. She buried her face into his shirt and cried, even though he was the reason why this happened to her in the first place.
It took her a while before she finally calmed down and started to feel a bit better.
She always felt better with Stephen.
"Hmm… mind telling me what you were crying about?" He asked as he picked her up and sat her down on his lap.
She felt his semi-hardened cock resting beneath her ass and started growing hot as she shook her head.
"I would rather keep it to myself." She said before she remembered that there was a guard outside her room. "Should we go down? I don't want to get caught."
Stephen smirked at that. "Don't worry. I already took care of the guard before I came here. He is sleeping soundly right now. So we can do it right here."
"Are you sure."
"Of course." He said before he pushed her onto the bed and turned her around so that her ass was pointed toward his face.
She bit her lip as she realised just what was going to happen to her. "Go easy on me. I've never taken anything up there."
"Oh, don't worry about that." He said before he lifted her nightgown over her back, her panties now clearly visible to him.
She felt him lower her panties and felt his breath on her nether regions before a hand smacked her ass cheeks.
"Aahn" She moaned before she realised that a passing servant could still hear her and buried her face on the pillow.
She turned her face to look at Stephen once again and saw him lift his palm and bring it down with a sharp 'thwakk' on her ass.
Her body tingled with pleasure instead of pain with each her and she hit into the pillow in order to hide her moans even as her pussy gushed out its juices, betraying her arousal to him.
She could never understand why her body reacted to Stephen like it did, and after the first few days of being fucked into a stupor, she'd given up on thinking about it.
It probably had to do with something about how Stephen was favoured by the gods. No point in thinking too deeply on it.
His palm came down on her ass a few more times before she felt him spread her ass cheeks before his mouth descended into her bare shaven pussy.
The next minutes turned into pleasurable torment as Stephen licked and bit, and teased her to his heart's content. Playing her with the ease of a master harpist before he finally flicked her nub, and her entire body shook and shuddered as she squirted out of her pussy.
It was as she was recovering from her orgasm as she felt him remove the plug he'd shoved up her ass after cleaning it this morning.
Her asshole felt momentarily empty as he did so but not for long as she immediately felt something thick and hard resting against her hole.
"Wait." She begged as she wanted to be better prepared before he took her anal virginity. But as always, Stephen didn't listen to her and lined himself up with her before he pushed in.
She hissed in pain as his thick hard cock tore her in half.
"Wait!" She begged with more urgency and Stephen finally stopped for once, his cockhead resting inside her backdoor as he allowed her to recover from the pain before he pushed inside her once again.
She bit into her pillow and cursed his parents for not raising a gentle child as he pushed deeper and deeper inside her, until finally, she felt his balls rest over his cunt.
She felt more full than she'd ever done in her entire life as Stephen sheathed himself inside her completely. Feeling a sense of accomplishment as she lost her anal virginity.
Yes, she still felt that this was dirty, but she'd now experienced something that she could never had if she had remained loyal to Jon Arryn. 'Or Petyr' A part of her thought, though she immediately banished such thought from her mind.
She wasn't cheating on Petyr. Not truly. She was just… paying for the healing of her son. Yes, that's it.
Plus, Petyr should've paid more attention to her if he wanted her to himself. It is all his fault anyway.
"Enjoying yourself down there?" Stephen asked as he caressed her body, his magical hands dancing through her stomach to her breasts. Brief touches that always left her wanting for more.
She nodded and heard him chuckle behind her.
"Then you're going to enjoy this even more." He said as he pulled out of her asshole.
Instead of pain, this time she only felt pleasure as his veiny cock slowly dragged its way out of her asshole. One inch at a time until almost all of him was outside her hole.
Then he took her with by the hips and put her face back into the pillow before he thrusted in. His dick slamming all the way into her asshole.
And she felt her world rocked with pleasure.
CHAPTER 27- Publicity stunt and a surprise.
STEPHEN BARATHEON POV
The stench of this place was overbearing. As if someone had gathered shit from hundreds of thousands of people. And left it in one place to stew and ferment for the next couple of years.
…the worst part about this place was that the earlier description fit this place to a T.
A lot of the shit and piss that flowed out of the half defunct sewers in Kings Landing flowed and gathered in this area.
It was one of the main reasons why no self respecting person would ever want to live her. And consequently, why this area eventually developed into a slum over the decades.
And yet he was here. And for a publicity stunt no less.
"Next." One of the many guards (loaned to him by his father) who'd joined him in place called out and an old decrepit lady walked over to him.
Her spine was crooked to the point where she looked more like a C than an I, as a normal person did. All her teeth were missing. And he wondered what she even planned to accomplish by living for a few more years.
But he was not here to ask question. Only to play as the boy who is favoured by the gods. The benevolent boy who takes care of the poor and unfortunate in the society.
So instead, he put a hand over her head, studying her biology with her power and started healing her even as he outwardly begun a prayer.
"May the crone guide your way and show you the path of the-"
Healing this woman was harder due to all the numerous problems she had in her body. So his prayer was also subsequently longer. But by the end of this prayer…
The woman stood straight instead of being bent over. Her face looked two decades younger. Her teeth had grown back. The arthritis in her joints was gone. As were a dozen other diseases and maladies that wrecked her body.
The woman before and after he'd blessed her might as well have been two completely different women.
Some of the onlookers cheered and hollered at yet another proof that he was favoured by the Faith of the Seven. Otherwise, why would the god answer to his prayers and heal these folks.
Though considering that he has been healing these people for the past few hours by this point, the cheers weren't anywhere as loud as the first few had been.
The old woman for her part looked at her own body in disbelief, announced that she feels decades younger and doesn't feel the old pains she used to feel. Then went on her knees and started thanking him profusely.
"You're clogging the line grandma." One of his guards said and gently took her to the side before his crier called out. "Next"
So the next person came. A 9-10 years old girl. And sensing her biology informed him that she was a regular prostitute.
The damage she'd suffered in her in her nether regions also told him that her clients were extremely rough with her, and that she'll never bear a child even when she grows up.
He didn't knew what was the worst part about all this. That the girl was probably raped the first time she was sold. Or if he had seen a similar thing among so many other girls in Flea Bottom over the past few hours that he'd grown numb to it.
Regardless, he used Observe to note down her name and where she lived.
He did plan to remove all the Orphans from Flea Bottom eventually. To bring them to Dragonstone where they'll be able to get a decent education.
But such a project will take time. Houses would need to be build.
A stable supply of food and clean water would have to be procured. He'll have to find caretakers who'll actually care for them. Tutors who'll teach them. And a dozen other things.
For now… he healed her completely and even upgraded her nether regions so that she'll not suffer or be harmed by her rough clients.
He sighed. He wanted to take her to safety right here and now.
But if he did that, then other people will stop sending their kids to him. And he'll not learn the true extent of the rot that had spread in Flea Bottom.
"Sarah." He said to the girl after she'd been healed, and the girl's eyes widened at his words since she never told him her name.
He took her hand on his own and looked into her eyes. "I'll come back for you. I promise." He told her.
Her eyes opened wide, her jaw dropped open and her lips quivered as she stared at him for a long moment before she lunged forward and hugged him.
He gestured for his guards to stay back and consoled the girl for a few seconds before she was eventually pulled away as well by one of his more gentler guards.
"Next." The crier announced and the next person came in front of him.
—————
"You smell." His father announced as soon as he returned to the Red Keep. Mentally and spiritually exhausted from all he'd witnessed and learned about the people of Flea Bottom.
It is not as if most of the people living there were bad. No, most of the people who lived there only did so because they had no other choice.
But after having witnessed and Observe those people with his own eyes, he could freely admit that some of the worst people in Kings Landing indeed lived in that area.
It was so bad in fact, that he almost wanted to delay his departure back to Dragonstone so that he could play at being Batman and remove the worst dregs of the society from their mortal coil.
"You're observant, father. Is there something you wanted to talk about?" He asked. Usually, he would be a bit more respectful to his father. But today, right now… he just wasn't in the mood.
His father's eyes narrowed at his blunt answer but he gave him a curt nod. "Come and meet me in my solar after you're done bathing. There is something you need to know about."
He nodded and left to his room for a bath.
Half an hour later, he entered his father's solar.
He was still numb and exhausted from hours of healing people and learning about the truth of their situation. But he was feeling slightly better after the bath.
"Take a seat." His father said, gesturing at the seat at the opposite end of the table and he did.
As soon as he did, his father slid a dozen parchments across to him.
He picked up one of the parchments and read through it before he threw it back at the pile.
"A betrothal offer from House Highwatch of Oldtown." He said as he looked at his father for explanation. "It's like, the 200th betrothal offer I've received in the past few months. What of it? Aren't they only a minor branch of House Hightower? What's so important about them?"
"Read the rest." His father informed him.
He held back a sigh and picked up the entire pile before he started going through them.
His high Agility, Intelligence and Speed Reading skill allowed him to go through each of the letter within a mere few seconds. And his eyes were wide open by the time he was done reading through them.
And as he did, a chuckle escaped his lips.
To think that only a month ago, he was thinking about how Jorah Mormont didn't win Lynesse Hightower's heart in the Lannisport. And here is a betrothal offer from House Hightower for the hand of the same woman.
Truly… the world works in mysterious ways.
Though, what was even more baffling to him, was the betrothal offer from House Redwyne. For the hand of one Desmera Redwyne.
He looked at the letter and then as his father who was gazing back at him with a stony expression.
"I thought you hated the Redwynes." He said as he gestured at the letter in his hand. "Why show it to me? Why not just throw it in your hearth."
"I did not hate the Redwynes. Only Lord Pexter Redwyne. And that man is dead. As is half the Fleet that blockaded Storms End. Plus, I'm not so cruel that I'll snatch the right of my own son."
"My right?"
"Yes. Your right to know about all the offers you've received, in case you wanted to pursue a maiden from House Redwyne."
"You think I am interested in House Redwyne."
"You seem to be interested in ships, trade, and making wines." His father said with a scoff. "And House Redwyne is one of best at all three of them in the entirety of Westeros."
"Brandy is not wine. It's distilled wine. It's… never mind." He put the letter back into the pile. "And no, I'm not interested in a betrothal from House Redwyne."
"And what are you interested in. At this point you've received an offer for almost half the young ladies from all over Westeros. Even House Lannister. What else do you want?"
"Lord Lannister offered me the hand of one of his lesser nieces. I almost took it for an insult. How would marrying a lesser niece from House Lannister ever benefit me?" He asked, raising an unamused eyebrow at his father. "Plus, I've yet to receive an offer from any of the Great Houses. It is too early for me to make a decision."
"There are only 4 great houses in Westeros with eligible daughters." His father said "Asha Greyjoy, Sansa Stark, Margaery Tyrell, and Arianne Martell. Which one of these 4 would you prefer?" He stared at his father for a long moment and asked. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my betrothal choices. You've never cared before."
"Because you're my son. And I have a duty to see you married. And these two are one of the oldest and more prestigious houses in all of Westeros. Not to mention one of the richest and most powerful. If not them, then who?"
'Daenerys.' He thought but knew better than to voice that thought.
Though as if reading his mind, his father froze and gave him a deep look. "Tell me the truth son. Is the reason why you're rejecting all these betrothal offers because you have a higher ambition."
His eyes almost widened at those words but he somehow managed to keep his composure. "And what do you mean by that father?"
Instead of replying, his father continued to stare at him with great intensity. Searching for answers in his eyes, and he must not have done a great job of hiding his true feelings because his father's eyes widened and he sat back on his chair, looking defeated.
"You do, don't you?"
"I don't understand what you mean father." He said and Stannis slammed his hand on his table before glaring at him.
"Don't play stupid with me Stephen!! Tell me the truth now. Do you, or do you not…" His father leaned forward and stared at him intently. "…want to marry your royal cousin, Myrcella?"
He blinked at his father's question for a moment, surprised by a name that he hadn't expected.
He thought for sure that his father was going to blame him for chasing after Daenerys but Marcella…
He let out a chuckle at his father's question and rubbed his eyes from exhaustion. "No father. I do not plan to marry Myrcella."
His father continued to stare intently at him, though there was now a confused expression on his face.
"You… do not?" His father asked, skeptical. "Are you telling me that you do not desire to sit on the Iron Throne."
He managed to hide his expression slightly better this time behind his chuckles. "Half the men who sat on that blasted chair either went mad, became cruel, or gluttonous. Your own bother included. No, I think that I'll be fine as long as I stay away from that pointy chair."
He could see that his father didn't completely believe him. But he was done with this conversation so he changed the topic.
"I'm going back to Dragonstone tomorrow morning at dawn." He said "Don't bother coming to see me off. I would rather slip away unnoticed than be crowded by a mob asking for my blessings."
His father looked uncomfortable at the mention of his 'blessings'.
Despite being a few months since his powers were revealed. His father still haven't managed to come to terms with any of it. And looked distinctly uncomfortable whenever such a topic was brought up in his presence.
"Very well. Though I expect you to send a reply to each and every single one of these houses. Informing them about why you've rejected their offer. Don't just ignore those offers. These house-"
"Take offence sometimes. I know, I know. I'll write a letter to all of them. Now, if there's nothing else father." He said as he got up from his chair and turned to leave.
But just as he was about to reach the door, his father shouted from behind him "Wait!"
He turned and looked at his father who now had a serious look on his face.
"Regarding the brothels in Dragonstone." His father spoke softly.
"I'll not ask you to destroy what you've already built. But do something that goes against my express wishes once again and there will be consequences. Do you understand?"
He stared into his father's eyes for a moment before he gave a curt nod and left the room.
—————
He and Lysa lay in their bed, their bodies intertwined with each other, his cock still buried halfway inside her asshole, keeping in the cum that he'd released inside her in what what was going to their last coupling for the next few months.
He has made a lot of discreet changes to Lysa's body over the past week. Mostly superfluous changes that someone can look over at a first glance.
And after an entire week of changes… she'd finally reached the point where she didn't like an ugly duckling.
She still wasn't going to win any beauty awards anytime soon. But fucking her didn't not feel like a chore anymore. Especially now, with how tight her asshole was.
He really should've tried anal earlier with Mel. Who knew that he would come to enjoy it so much.
He'll be sure to rectify this mistake once he goes back to
Dragonstone. But for now… he needed to have some serious talk with with mess of a woman.
"Hey, Lysa. Get up."
She moaned in her sleep and squirmed closer to him but remained asleep.
Seeing that simply calling her out wasn't working, he took hold of one of her nipples and pinched.
She let out a throaty moan and her squirming intensified for a moment before she opened her bleary eyes and looked back at him.
"What is it?" She asked, a bit annoyed at being woken up after she just fell asleep.
"I'm going."
"Then go." She replied in a grouchy manner. "You always leave without telling me."
"No Lysa, I'm going back to Dragonstone."
It took a moment for the words to register in her mind but when they did, she eyes shot wide up and she turned around to face him. Uncaring of how his cock slipped out of her asshole and stained the entire bed with his seed.
"What do you mean you're going back?" She asked, looking at him in quiet desperation.
"It means I'm going back to Dragonstone. And I'll not be back for the next few moons."
"You're going to leave me here?"
"I can't very well take you with me." He said with a shrug. "I assume your husband would have to say something about that."
"Fuck Jon Arryn. Fuck his honour. Fuck is house." Lysa said before she gripped his cock. "Please don't go."
He stared at her silently for a moment before he shook his head. "I can't stay here Lysa. I have work to do back home. Construction work I need to oversee. Trade deals I need to make. And most importantly, I need to set out on a voyage. Remaining here is not an option."
"Can't you stay for just another week?" Lysa asked as she looked at him with pleading eyes.
"No."
"Just a few days. Please." She begged as she tried to hug him. It was pathetic to watch. And he did feel slight pity for the broken woman that was Lysa Arryn. But he couldn't stay here for the sole sake of fucking her.
"No."
"Please. I'll do anything you ask of me. Please don't leave me."
He stared at the woman in silent confusion. Wondering if she had really become attached to her, or if she merely had abandonment issues.
With how her mother died at a young age, how the boy she loved cared for her sister more than her, and with how her own father betrayed her and forced an abortion on her… he wouldn't be surprised if she had abandonment issues.
"I'm not leaving you Lysa. I'll be back in a few moons. And then I'll spend as much time with you as possible." He told her.
The woman stared into his eyes, looking for any hint of deceit before she buried her faced into his chest.
"I still don't want you to leave me."
"It's only a few moons worth of time Lysa." He told her gently even as he held himself back from rolling his eyes.
"You promise?" Lysa asked as she looked up at him.
"I promise." He said before she took his cock in her hand started to stroke it back to hardness.
He tilted his head and gave her a questioning look.
"I want you to fuck me again before you leave. Make love to me one last time before you go." She said as she changed their position and climbed over him despite her apparent exhaustion. "Give me a last memory to remember you with."
Then she slid down his cock, taking his entire length inside her pussy. And he let out a pleased humm before he took her by her hips and started to bounce her up and down on his cock.
They made love for yet another hour before Lysa finally became too exhausted to move and couldn't keep up with him.
He came inside her, made sure that she won't get pregnant from his seed and got up to leave.
As he was wearing his clothes, Lysa weakly reached up for him.
He held her hand and looked into her eyes. "What is it?"
"You'll not forget me, will you?"
"I won't."
"Come back to me, please."
"I will."
Lysa gestured for him to move forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "That's for good luck. Please be safe."
"I will." He replied, amused.
Lysa smiled at him dreamily. "And thank you for the last week Stephen. And for healing my son. I feel so much better now than I ever did before you came into my life."
He remained silent and waited for her to continued. But it seemed as if the exhaustion finally overcame her and her eyes fluttered close. "Goodby Stephen." She managed to say as he turned to leave.
But then she said something else. And though her sleepy voice was too low for even his hyper sensitive ears to catch. He knew the contents of her words.
For in the very moment she murmured those intelligible words… his Company Device pinged.
CHAPTER 28- Red Clergy and profitable deals
STEPHEN BARATHEON POV
'It couldn't have been that easy, right?' He thought to himself in disbelief as he checked his company device while flying back home.
But despite his apparent disbelief at what took place back in the Red Keep, the screen in his Company Device remained unchanged.
For in the Retinue section, below his and Melisandre's name, was now the name of a third person.
Lysa Arryn. Tier 2. Captured.
Capture reward: 2 points.
2 entire points.
It might not seem like much to anyone else. But to him, it was as if he was lost in a dry desert for the longest time, thirsty for water, until a woman suddenly appeared in front of him and handed him a wineskin full of it.
He felt like he was in the seven heavens.
It was an unreal feeling.
Especially since he now only needed 3 more points in order to buy the option that'll allow him to eventually escape this world and go to the next one.
He whooped in joy in the middle of the sky and did a few barrel rolls before he continued flying.
The truth of the matter was that he hadn't expected her to fall for him that quickly. Sure he has been playing around with Oxytocin, and a few other hormones when he was with Lysa. But the capture still came as a huge surprise to him. After all, he's only been in Kings Landing for 10 days or so.
He doubted that Cersei, Margaery, Arianne, or any other girl would've fallen for him this quickly.
Okay, maybe Sansa would've fallen for him that quickly. But he would rather not hold his breath too much.
With that elated feelings, he flew through the night sky until he eventually arrived at Dragonstone.
There, he went to Create ID, broke through his door and entered his room before he used Escape ID and arrived back in his room, with his door still intact.
Only to freeze as he found a completely unexpected sight in front of him.
Because instead of a dark room, his room was filled with candle lights. And instead of an empty bed, his bed had Mel laying on in while wearing a sexy lingerie that wouldn't have looked out of place on a whore from Lys.
Mel noticed his presence turned to look at him with a naughty smile, the rest of her body twisting to give him the best view of her ass and curves.
"I foresaw your arrival my lord." Mel said with a smile. "And thought I might prepare a gift for you."
He smiled as his cock hardened in its confines and moved forward to give her the most passionate kiss of her life.
They would not sleep for hours into the night.
—————
Next Day.
"I knew that this might come to bite me on the ass one day. But this is still unexpected." He said as he walked through the halls of Dragonstone. His destination being the meeting room where his guests were waiting for him.
"They're not here to bite you in the ass my lord." Mel said with a huge, content smile on her face. "They're only here to serve you. Though I suspect that they might want to have proof of your… identity as Azor Ahai."
"I don't want to give them a proof. I don't want even want to talk with them. Do you know how badly the Faith will react if they found out that I'm hosting half a dozen Red Priests in my castle?"
"You fear the Faith?" Mel asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"I fear the influence they have over the Smallfolk. And that if the Faith decided to take a stand against me, then they can do unrepairable damage to my reputation."
"The Faith did unrepairable damage to the Targaryens due King Aenys and King Maegor's reign. And the Targaryens ruled for 250 more years after that."
"Perhaps. But both Aenys, and Maegor's reigns were filled with small wars that erupted across the entire Westeros. It was only when Jaeherys came to power and made peace with the Faith did all the
Smallfolk calmed down." He said as he paused and turned to look at Mel. "You may not like the Faith of the Seven Mel, but do not make the mistake of underestimating them."
Mel frowned but gave a nod before they continued on their way.
Despite having great love and loyalty for him. Mel still retained some of the loyalty that she once held for the Religion of R'hollor. For understandable reason as she'd served that god for over 400 years.
He just hoped that the small bit of loyalty to R'hollor won't cause a problem to him in the future.
They eventually arrived at the meeting room, and as the guard opened the door for him, he was met with the sight of a dozen Red Priests and Priestesses waiting for inside the room, sitting across a large table.
He entered the room with Mel, the guard closing the door behind him and all of them got up to greet him.
"Before we get started on why you're here. May I know your names, as well as the reason why you're here." He said as he took the main seat at the head of the table, gesturing for them to sit as well.
The Red Priest closest to him got up at his question and spoke. "My name is Moqorro, your grace. And I'm here to be of service to you."
While the man was saying those words, he used Observe to study his profile, his brief history and learned that Moqorro was over 200 years old and got visions of fire from his god as well.
Then the next Priest stood up, frail looking man with a fanatic look in his eyes. "My name is Benerro. And I'm here to test your claims of being the Azor Ahai!" The man announced, the flame in the torches flaring up with each of his words as the man glared at him with distrust and slight hostility.
The third one in the seat, a beautiful woman, pushed Benerro down on his seat and gave him a charming smile. "My name is Selori, my lord." The woman spoke in High Velaryon, his Observe telling him that she was only 29 years old, even though she held a high position in the Temple of R'hollor in Tyrosh. "I am here to ascertain the truth behind some of Lady Melisandre's claims."
He side glanced at Mel who remained perfectly composed as he gestured for the next one to continue.
And so they did. Excluding Mel, there were 14 more Red Priests and Priestess under his halls. And they had all came for different, yet similar reasons.
To see if he was really Azor Ahai, and not some imposter.
Only two of them actually believed that he was someone important and had come to serve him with no conditions attached.
"Before we start. Let me assure you that I have never claimed to to be this Azor Ahai. Nor do I believe that I am the champion you're looking for" He said and he could see the surprise and suspicion flare up in some of their eyes. "Just as I've never claimed to be the champion of the Warrior, as the Stepons and Septas have been proclaiming through the Crownlands."
"Let us not bring those false heathens to our talk, your grace." An old priest said with a mocking smile. "After all, at the end of the day, there is only one true god. Only his clergies should have any say in what is true and what is false. The rest of… inconsequential."
Yeah. He'll definitely have to send this guy away from
Dragonstone before he causes any problems. Along with a few others. There was a brief silence as the old man's declaration before one of the Priestesses spoke up. "Is it true that you used a shining sword in the Battle of Kings Landing?"
At her words, he removed the sword belt from around his waist and put it on the table. Then he removed the Valyrian Sword from within and showed it to them.
"As you can see, it is not shining." He said before he put the sword back into its sheath.
"But did it shone when you fought those Ironborn heathens?" The woman asked and he held a back a grimace.
He really didn't want these fanatics in his shores but he did not want to lie either.
"It did." He said with a shrug.
"Lies!" Benerro shouted as he jumped from his seat, the fire in the torches flaring up once again. "Lightbringer's shine cannot be doused and reignited like it was some sort of candle. It burns forever under the power of our god R'hollor. You're lying you barbaric heathen."
A giant shadowy hand rose from the ground and clasped Benerro from his neck before holding up in the air. The man chocked as he kicked and clawed to no avail as the shadowy hand kept up suspended in mid air while the rest of the Priests and Priestess watched in shock.
At the same time, Mel turned to look at the torch fire that been going out of control around the room and they calmed down at once.
She smiled at the rest of the Priests and Priestess as the shadowy hand brought the flailing form of Benerro in front of him and she gently caressed his gasping face.
"Do Not. Ever. Disrespect my Lord. In my Presence." Mel said with a calm and gentle voice before she made a dismissive gesture and the shadowy hand dragged Benerro back to his place and deposited him on his seat.
"Let this serve as a warning." Mel said as she looked at the rest of the Priests and Priestess, some of whom flinched under her gaze. "The next time someone disrespects my lord in his halls. I'll be not be so polite."
With that, she came to his side and stood like she'd done previously.
The rest of the Red Priests and Priestesses looked at her in shock for a long before before the Priest named Moqorro started laughing.
And he laughed, and laughed and laughed for what seemed like an entire minute before he finally calmed down.
"And what is so funny Moqorro?" One of the Priestess asked testily, her nerves still frayed from Melisandre's show of power. "Care to share with the rest of us."
Moqorro looked at his fellow Red Clergy and smiled serenely. "Unlike the rest of you, lord R'hollor was generous with me, and allowed me to get a brief glimpse of the battle that took place in Kings Landing." Then the man turned to look at him with a reverant look in his eyes. "There, I saw a young boy, leading an army of his men against those Ironborn… with a shining blade in his hands."
Commotion broke through the room and he held back a sigh.
Yes, this was going to be a long and tiring meeting. He could just
tell.
—————
He slumped on his chair as the last of the Red clergy finally vacated the room. A thousand yard look on his face as he stared out at the oceanic horizon visible through the balcony of the room.
"You do not need to look so morose my lord. I believe the meeting went as well as it could have." Mel said as she came and sat on his lap, her fingers threading through his hair and she gave him a slow massage.
He sighed and stared at Melisandre. "I do not trust them. Even the ones I allowed to stay in my lands. I don't trust them not to cause or attract troubles."
"You do not need to worry about them my lord. Just give them a task and leave them to it. I'll handle the rest."
"Somehow, your words do not fill me with the confidence that they once did." He said as he caressed her beautiful face. "What did you even tell those priestesses that they came all the way to Dragonstone?"
"Oh." Mel gave a mischievous smile. "I may or may not have revealed that your blessings have turned me back into a young woman once again. Most did not believe me. But the few that did are here."
"I see." He said with a mild chuckle. "So the old ones are here because the want to be young once again, and the young ones are here because they don't want to grow old."
"Yes my lord. I thought that you would appreciate having more Red Priestess under your command. To win over your friends and seduce your enemies."
He thought on her words for a moment before he shook his head. "I'm not happy with this Mel. But I suppose that I should've expected something like this when I used a shining sword in that battle."
"That you should have my lord." Mel smiled as she pressed her breasts closed to him and her hips gyrated over his lap, stimulating his dick. "Now, how about I make you forget this meeting ever happened, my lord?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "Down girl. As much as I would like to bend you over this table right here and now, we do have other things to do. Other guests to meet."
Mel let out a dejected sigh at his words. "As you say my lord." She said before she took out a parchment from in between her cleavage. "The next person you need to meet, is a rich and influential Magister from Myr."
—————
"Greetings, Prince Stephen." The Magister spoke in a bastardised low Valyrian language. The kind that's used in the Triarchy. "Please come. Help my daughter."
He gave the magister a nod as he took a look around the dark room and at the sleeping figure on the bed. A young 15 year old girl.
He walked over to the young woman and touched her feverish face. And his Shaper power immediately told what was wrong with the girl and why this Magister was here.
Her immune system was weak. Very weak. It was weak to the point that he was wondering how she had ever survived up to her adulthood.
Maybe the immune system was stronger when she was young but grew weaker with age?
He could also see where the problem laid. And how easy it'll be for him to heal her…
But he couldn't. Not for free.
"I can indeed help your daughter Magister Torakko. But my blessing with have a price."
"A price?" Magister Torakko asked, looking confused and a bit offended. "But I've heard from your guards and sailors that you give them your blessings for free. Why would I have to pay a price when others are getting it for free?"
"Because they're from Westeros." He said as they moved out of the room in order to not disturb the young woman. "I am a prince of the Kingdom, so I have a duty to my people. But you are not from Westeros, are you?"
"No. But I assure you that if you bless my daughter, then you'll have my goodwill and the goodwill of all of Myr. Come to the city and you'll receive the best hospitality you'll ever receive."
"I'm afraid I can't do that Magister."
"Why?" The Magister asked, getting a bit desperate. "Is your servant, the Red Priestess, not from Essos as well?"
"She is. But as you just said, she is my servant. Plus, she is not a slaver."
"What does my owning slaves have to do with anything?" "Everything." He replied. "Your ownership of slaves of slaves have to do with everything. Blessing a small folk is one thing. Blessing the daughter of a Slaver from Essos, is another thing altogether. If I do what you just asked me to do, and the rumours got out, then it'll do great damage to my reputation."
"Reputation!? My daughter is dying!"
"And I sympathise with that Magister, I truly do. No father should have to see his child die before him. I want to help you. But not at my own expense."
The Magister looked at him with anger for a long moment before he sighed. "It seems that I should have expected this. What is it you want in exchange for blessing my child, your grace."
'Now you're talking in my language' He thought as he hid a smile and told the Magister the price.
—————
"133,333 Lysene gold coins." Mel said as she stared at the promissory note. "That's a lot of gold coins. Do you not fear that you'll bankrupt the good Magister with such a price."
"Not really. Observe gave me a rough estimation of how much that guy earns. And while giving this much gold away will be a huge setback for him, his finances should recover within a year or two."
"And what if the Magister refuses to pay after you've healed his daughter?"
"His daughter will remain in Dragonstone until he can send the necessary gold coins to us." He said with a shrug. "If he fails to pay, then that debt would fall upon his daughter. And she'll serve as a maid in Dragonstone for the rest of her life trying to repay that debt. Though considering how much he loved his daughter, I doubt that he'll renege on this deal"
Mel hummed as she stared at the note.
"Why 133,333 Lysene gold coins though. That seems like a strangely specific number to settle on."
"I'm glad you asked. It is because Lysene gold coin is 3/4th as heavy as a Gold Dragon. So if you convert these Lysese gold coins to the Westerosi currency, then you get 100,000 gold dragons."
"Oh… I see." Mel said with a nod as she looked at him. "I assume that you are going to ask for the same amount of gold for any Essossi
Magister, or noble that comes for your 'blessings' in the future."
"I am."
"It… seems a bit expensive. But with how rich these Essossi magisters are, you shouldn't have too much problem with getting that payment." Mel said "And even if we only gained 1 customer a year, that'll still be 100,000 gold dragons per year."
"You're correct, my dear." He said as he thought about all the projects he could start once he gets this gold.
It's not that he was lacking in gold. In fact, their treasury was practically overflowing with all the hand-made products they were now selling in Essos. But the future projects that he'd planned for Dragonstone were going to be very expensive indeed.
A large hostel to house the hundreds, if not thousands of orphans and abused children from Kings Landing.
A Hospital and the staff that'll need to be trained to run it.
A glass factory.
Steel making factory on industrial scale.
Another factory to turn that steel into steel products.
A paper producing factory.
A printing press house.
A larger Trade Fleet.
Large scale Penicillin production lab.
And a dozen other major and minor projects.
All in all, the future was going to be expensive. But if even half of his investments pan out, then Dragonstone will turn into a giant export hub for Westeros.
Though for now… he'll have to find a way to spread news about his healing to the people in Essos. All in the name of profits.
CHAPTER 29- Plantations, Education and Banter
STEPHEN BARATHEON POV
A FEW DAYS LATER
He in the dining table with a bubbly Shireen on his lap while his mother sat on his side and talked his ears off.
"You're turning just like your father." His mother complained. "Do you hate your family so much that you need to leave time and time again?"
He smiled as he fed some more soup to Shireen and wiped the excess from her cheeks before rolling his eyes at his mother.
"Stop overreacting mom. I'm just leaving for a few moons for trade agreements."
"Those trade agreements can be made via ravens." His mother countered.
"Some of them can be. But going out there and making these deals face to face is far better." He said. And it was true, since his negotiation related skills only worked face and face, and not via letters.
His mother glared at him as she tried not to fidget on her seat.
"Can you not forego the Iron Islands. Just stop and turn around at Lannisport."
"Going to the Iron Islands is one of the main reason why I'm even going on this vogue mother."
"And what if those barbaric savages decided to harm you. Or keep you hostage? What would you do then?" His mother asked, completely forgetting about his exploits in the last war in the face of her worries.
He side glanced at Asha who was doing her best to ignore Selyse's tirade.
After having lived for a few months under the same roof as Selyse, Asha had grown used to her rude remarks tried her best to ignore his mother as often as she could.
"They won't do that mother. His Grace, King Robert, destroyed their fleet and slaugh…" he paused at the word slaughter as he looked at Shireen on his lap and then at Asha who was firmly ignoring their talks "defeated, their army. They know that trying to keep me hostage would not end well for them."
His mother tapped her fingers on the dining table in agitation before she realised what she was doing and paused before she glared at him once again.
"I still don't like it." She declared. "Why are you even going there? They don't grow anything of value."
"I already told you about that mother." He said as he fed some more soup to a reluctant and fussy Shireen. "They produce the largest quantities of Iron Ore in Westeros. Iron Ores that I plan to use on my Bessemer Converters in order to produce vast quantities of Steel."
"And what good would that steel be if something happened to you?"
"Nothing would happen to me mother." He said as Shireen started to squirm more and more on his lap, not wanting to eat her veggies and drink her soup. His baby-sitting Skill helped a lot here. "I'm even taking 3 war galleys as precaution. So you don't need to worry about anything happening to me."
"So you say." His mother grumbled as she sent a glare toward Asha's way. He had a feeling that she was going to say something uncharitable toward Asha or her people so he stepped in.
"Mother. Let's stop arguing in front of Shireen." He said firmly and his mother paused for a moment before she huffed and nodded before she went back to eating her own breakfast.
Though he had a feeling that this was not going to be the last argument.
—————
"I don't get why you're dragging me with you." Asha complained as she rode beside him through the rough dirt roads leading to his various plantations.
"Maybe this is yet another elaborate ploy on my part to seduce you." He said with an easy smile as they arrived at his first plantation.
This one was spread in an 8 acre area. With over a dozen people working on it. Since this plantation consisted of a tree that mostly produced seasonal fruits, it didn't take a lot of people to tend to it.
"Yes. What a wonderful place to seduce me." Asha drawled as she looked around at the blood orange trees with mild curiosity. "Will you woo me with the lovely smell of Horse shit. Or does your plan relies on drowning me on insects."
"Both." He said negligently as the leader of this plantation walked over to him.
He talked with the man for a few minutes but since there were so few people to manage, and the blood orange trees weren't really hard to grow, their talk ended rather quickly before he moved on to studying the trees on his own.
He his hand on their leaves and branches and used his Shaper power to study its biology and general health.
He went through a dozen such trees across the entire plantation before he took out his diary and noted down on it 'Plantation #1:- Needs 30% more fertiliser. Probably even more when the trees start growing fruits.'
"Remind me, how long has it been since you started these plantations?" Asha asked as they left the Blood Orange Plantation and started riding toward the next one.
He made a mental note to increase the size of that plantation by a few more acres before he turned to glance at her.
"About 1 and half years." He replied.
"Are trees supposed to grow that large in that time?"
True to her words, his Blood Oranges grew fast in the past 1 and half years and have already reached the height of 4 meters. Another half a year of growth more and then they'll start producing fruits.
He had used his Shaper power to accelerate the growth of those trees. But not by a large amount as they usually grew to full height within 3-6 years regardless.
He didn't want to have his plants grow 'too quickly' since then they might soak up all the nutrients from the ground and ruin the soil.
"No. These ones grow more quickly than others."
"Why?"
"Because I'm blessed by the gods. Haven't you heard?" He said with a teasing smile and Asha rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, right."
They then rode in a peaceful silence until they arrived at the next plantation.
This one was one of the largest and most valuable plantation he had in his lands. And was thus surrounded by a 3 meter large stone wall that surrounded its entire 15 acre parameter.
They rode to the main and only entrance which was guarded by two men at all times.
After greeting the guards, he entered the plantation and witnessed the rows upon rows of tilted ground interspersed by thin water canals.
"What is that?" Asha asked curiously as she glanced at the small, knee sized plants growing on the ground. Each laden with dozens of violet coloured flowers that held large crimson coloured stigma within them.
"That, my dear Asha. Is the most valuable spice in the world." He said as he climbed down from his horse and started inspecting the various Saffron plants.
The manager of this plantation came running to him and started telling him about how things were going.
The plants were healthy. The workers were relatively happy, though more than a few were complaining about back pains. Water supply was a bit irregular. But otherwise, things were mostly well enough.
As they should be. Since he used his Shaper power to make sure that all his plants will be hardy and will not have trouble growing despite the difficult environment of Dragonstone.
He also made various changes in his biologically modified plants so that they can't be taken from Dragonstone and grown into other places. Since he didn't want Reach folks or Essossi spice merchants to benefit by stealing his hard work.
'Make a water reservoir. Perhaps a lake. And use that for regular supply of water. Plus, send a few more workers.' He wrote down on his dairy as he ended his inspection of this particular plantation. Then added another remark. 'Maybe look into starting a fishery in that lake.'
He plucked one of the flowers and gave it to Asha while she gave him a deadpanned look.
"And what am I supposed to do with it?" She asked, while some of the guards following him chuckled, resulting in them getting a stink eye from her.
"That's particular flower is worth 2 Silver Star." He told her and she paused as she looked at it once again.
True to his words, the flower was indeed that valuable. Mostly because he had used his Shaper power to make sure that each stigma of Saffron was 5 times larger than a normal Saffron flower. And that each flower produced about 5 times more stigmas.
Meaning that each one of his Saffron flower produced about 25 times the Saffron, than a normal Saffron Flower from Yi-Ti produced.
Add to the fact that each biologically modified plant produced about 4 times as many Saffron flowers as a normal plant. And you get a 100 fold yield by the end of the day for each plant.
Meaning that in the 15 acre of plantation, he was producing as much as 1500 acre worth of Saffron grown in Yi-Ti.
Add that to all the other biologically engineered spices, dry fruits, fruits, and vegetables he was growing in his other plantations. And was it any wonder that his coffers were overflowing with gold?
Shaper power was a great cheat for anyone who had the ability and the resources to put it to use.
Over the next few hours, they rode from one plantation to the next. And he used his Shaper power to check on the health of his plants, as well as listened to the plantation managers and the various problems and difficulties they faced.
By the time they were done, they'd covered over a dozen miles on horseback and the sun's harsh rays were beating down upon them.
He himself didn't not feel any exhaustion. Nor did his biologically engineered personal horse. But his guards and their horses were getting tired so he decided to take a break in one of the nearby villages.
Mostly because he also needed to check something in that village.
"Hey… isn't that one of those Red Priests who came to you a few days ago?" Asha asked as she pointed in the distance where he could see Moqorro was sitting under the shade of a large tree, with over a dozen little kids surrounding him.
"He is." He said as the head of his guard went to the village head to arrange for some water and fodder for their horses.
"What is he doing here with those kids?" Asha asked, looking a bit wary and skeptical. Mostly because of the healthy dose of respect she held for Melisandre.
"Teaching them." He said as he decided to observe from this distance, even as he modified his eyesight to that of an eagle in order to get a closer look at the 'class'.
"Teaching them what?"
"Basic alphabets and numbers." He said. "I also wanted to ask the Red Priests and Priestess to teach history, geography, and basic science. But since they're not from Westeros, they won't know a lot about its history or geography. And I doubt they're very well versed in science. So for now, basic alphabets and numbers it is. After that, they'll move on to more difficult things like Grammar, creating proper sentences, basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. But all that is in the future."
Admittedly, he wasn't sure how good of a job these Red Clergy would do of teaching these children. But he had to start with his education program 'somewhere'.
So he had given appropriate funds to these Red Clergy, gave orders to the villagers to send their young kids to be taught by them. And the rest was to wait and observe. And make changes accordingly.
He had given the Red Clergy a lot of freedom in how they'll go about teaching the kids. And the only restrictions he'd put on them was to not to beat the kids, or teach their Red Religion to the kids. With the threat of being kicked out of Dragonstone if they defied his orders.
Asha looked at him confusion and asked. "Why?"
"Why what?" He asked back, wondering what she was confused about.
"Why teach the small folk?" Asha asked in profound confusion. "Like… what is the point? Do you want to make them your personal scribes or something?"
"No."
"Then what's the point of them learning how to read or write? What use could a farmer, a miner, or a housewife have in knowing how to do these things."
"There are many benefits to being educated." He told her. "For one, they'll know how to count and won't be cheated when dealing with savvy merchants or corrupt tax collectors."
Asha raised an eyebrow in skepticism so he continued. "Knowing about the geography of the world around them, and its history, broadens the horizon of a child's mind. It gives them the ability to think on larger and broader terms than an uneducated peasant who knows very little about the world."
"Once again, what's the point. A farmer will still remain a farmer, even if he learns that Braavos has the largest Fleet in the world." "Perhaps. But but an educated peasant has the ability to become more than a peasant. He can choose to be a scribe, a Maester, an assistant to a maester, or be of aid to other uneducated people. Not to mention that I'll value an educated soldier more than I'll value an uneducated soldier."
Asha looked thoughtful at his words before she shook her head.
"Nah, still don't see the benefits of educating the children of the small folk."
He shrugged. "There are probably a dozen other reasons for educating the kids. Like making them better critical thinkers, marking them more aware of their place in the world, giving them the ability to dream of a better future, removing their superstitions, etc. But at the end of the day, it is simply due to a personal belief of mine."
"And what's that belief?" Asha asked, looking even more skeptical than she did when he first started answering her questions.
"My belief is that an educated populace would always be better than an uneducated populace."
"That seems like a stupid belief." Asha scoffed. "Wouldn't it be better to teach these brats something actually useful. Like how to use a weapon, shoot an arrow, or ride a horse. That way, they'll useful during war times at least."
"I would rather they be more useful during peacetime." He said with a shrug even as he started thinking about subjects that'll be more useful to the small folk.
Maybe teaching Herbology could be useful. Giving them an idea of how to make basic healing paste, or antidote, other such stuff would be more useful to them than learning Pythagorean theorem.
At the end of the day though, he realised that this dream to create an educated populace and a school curriculum was going to be more of a trial and error process than anything else.
Especially since the education system from his past world was extremely inefficient. And he wanted his own system to be better than that.
Teaching the students how to set goals, create better habits, benefits of meditation, how to keep your finances and other such stuff would be far more useful than learning extremely complicated maths.
'Maybe specialised classes for those who want to be farmers or sailors.' He thought, wondering what kind of curriculum would be the most useful to these kids. 'And teaching them the basics on how to use a sword and ride a horse might also be useful, since it might give them the chance to become a guard, or even a household knight.'
He noted down any new ideas that came to him regarding his education system while his men drank some water and took their rest before they eventually departed back to Dragonstone Castle.
—————
"Leave everything to me my lord. I'll see to it that the school is fully constructed by the time you return." Mel said with an assuring smile and he sighed.
"I knew I could trust you Mel." He said "Make sure to buy the carpets for the students to sit upon, as well as to procure the slates and a steady supply of chalk for them to use. I don't want them writing on the ground when there are better alternatives."
"More expensive alternatives, you mean." Asha interjected from the side and he nodded.
They were currently in his room. With him and Mel sitting on chairs near the hearth (where he'd kept his two dragon eggs), while Asha lazily lounged on his bed.
"Perhaps. But I'm willing to spend a great deal of gold in order to educate my people." He said. "My only lament is that even if Lucerys succeeded in creating the pulp paper, it'll still not be cheap enough for regular use by the students."
"Chalk and slate should be good enough for low level education my lord." Mel said as she put a hand on his shoulder as a sign of support. "If any of the kids want to have a greater education then they can always go to the Citadel."
He nodded, even though he was inwardly making plans to create a lesser substitute here in Dragonstone for those who didn't want to travel through half a continent for more knowledge.
Though his plans to create a library/university was still a distant dream.
"Make sure to give Lucerys any additional funds he needs." He said, and then added. "Within reason of course. And tell him not to hire anyone while I'm gone. I don't want others learning the secret of making pulp paper through spies."
"It'll be done my lord."
"And start working on this artificial lake once those Ironborn workers finish working on enlarging the port. I want it to be large enough to comfortably water all my plantations for a few moons, in case there is a draught."
Mel nodded as she jutted down his instructions on a dairy of her own. "Anything else, my lord." She asked, looking amused.
"Make sure that the Red Priests and Priestesses aren't causing any trouble." He said. "And if more of them come, then remove the disobedient ones, and use put obedient ones to task of teaching those village kids."
"Got it. Anything else."
"Make sure his whores don't catch a disease." Asha supplied from the side and he sent her a stern look.
"Don't ever say that in public. My reputation would suffer if people learned that I own all the brothels in Dragonstone."
"Of course your grace." Asha said with a simpering smile before she rolled her eyes and muttered 'hypocrite' under her breath.
He ignored Asha and turned to look at Mel instead. "That's about it. Don't let my mother burn the castle to the ground while I'm gone. And things should be fine for the most part."
"Don't worry my lord. I'll make sure your mother behaves herself." Mel said with an amused smile. "Trust me, your domain is in good hands. You should focus more on your upcoming voyage instead." "You do realise that going from Dragonstone to Iron Islands, is not of a voyage, don't you?" Asha snarked from the side and he frowned as he looked at her once again.
"You're being a bit too uppitty today Asha. Do you want Daddy to spank you. Is that it?"
Asha took out her dirk from its sheath at his words. "Try to spank me, and I'll cut your hand off."
He raised an eyebrow at her as a smile formed on his face. "Is that a challenge."
Asha stared into his eyes for a long moment before she scoffed and put her dirk back in its sheath. 'Asshole'. She muttered under her breath and he smiled as he went and sat beside her.
"What's wrong? You're acting strange today." He asked, feigning fake concern. "It's not that time of the month, is it?"
"Eat shit and die." Asha said and he chuckled before he sobered up and looked at her, more seriously this time.
"No seriously Asha. You're acting weird today. What's wrong." Well… he technically had a guess about what was wrong. But he wanted to hear it from her own mouth, in case he turned out to be wrong.
Asha stared in the distance and remained quiet for a long moment before she turned and looked at him, a slightly pleading expression on her face. "Can I join you on this voyage?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You mean the voyage to Iron Island. Of which you used to be a princess until only a few moons age."
Asha gritted her teeth and clenched her fists with suppressed emotions but nodded. "Yes. Can you take me with you."
He pretended to look thoughtful for a moment even as he did a hip-hop dance inside his head. Then he turned to her and smile. "Okay, but I have one condition."
Asha looked hopeful at his words as she sat up on his bed and nodded. "What's your condition?"
"Say, 'please daddy'." He said with a shit eating grin and Asha stared blankly at him for a moment before she picked up his pillow and started beating him with it.
"Okay, I give. I give." He said as he pretended to be wounded from her pillow attacks. Once she stopped, he stared at her. "Seriously though, I thought you would've asked me far earlier than this."
"You expected me to ask to come along with you?" Asha asked and he nodded.
"Of course. Though I definitely didn't expect you to wait till the last moment to spring it up on me. Almost thought that you wouldn't ask." He smiled "Turns out you're more of a pussy than I expected."
Asha growled at him as she came up to his face. "Say that to my face asshole."
He narrowed his eyes and moved forward until they were face to face and smirked. "You're a scared-ass pussy. Now what're you gonna do bitch."
Asha's eyes narrowed and he was sure that she was going to punch him in the balls before Mel clapped her hands in order to get their attention.
"Okay. That's enough fighting from you two." Mel said as she gave them an exasperated look. "My lord, please stop teasing her. And
Asha, please stop falling for his teasing."
Asha snorted and looked away, though there was definitely a smile on her face. A smile that was gone when she looked at him once again. "The King will not have any problem with me going back to the Iron Islands?"
"He entrusted you to House Baratheon of Dragonstone. If he wanted you locked up inside a castle, then he should've sent you to the Red Keep instead." He said with a shrug, though he was aware of how 'well' Selyse would've treated Asha without his presence.
Asha went quiet for a moment before she put a hand on his arm and gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. "I'll probably not say it again, so listen up… Thank you Stephen."
He smiled at her as he hand her hand on his own. "Don't mention it Asha." Then smile turned into a smirk. "After all, you're my bitch. And I take care of my bitches."
"And… you've gone and ruined the moment once again." Asha said as she shook her head in exasperation.
"Are you talking about the moment when you looked a step away from kissing me?"
"I was not going to kiss you."
"You were."
"No I was not."
"Yes you were."
"No. I definitely wasn't."
"You were, you stupid pirate bitch."
"No I wasn't, you milk drinking baby."
"Milk drinking baby. That's the best you can do?" He asked, raising an unimpressed brow.
"Well, you are 5 years older than me."
"That doesn't mean anything. Plus, ask Mel, and you'll learn that I'm a proud milk drinker." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Okay… now you just entered the creepy territory." Asha said with a fake looked of disgust as she back away from him.
He shrugged. "Creepy is still better than a coward."
"I'm not a coward."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are." He said, and they continued their banter well into the evening.