Disclaimer: This is a story based on ASOIAF Universe and all recognizable characters, plots belong to GRRM. I have no ownership to it.
Chapter 47: The Great Game III
King's Landing
Small council Meeting
Omniscient Pov
Ser Otto remained silent, not out of composure but sheer shock at the king's announcement. It was not that he lacked outrage—he was as furious as the other council members—but the revelation had stunned him into stillness.
The rest of the council erupted, shouting over one another before their king. Such behavior would have been unthinkable only a few years ago when King Jaehaerys was stronger, more decisive, and ruled with firm authority. Yet with age came a growing reluctance to chastise and control his council personally, and over the years he began delegating that responsibility to his heir, Prince Baelon, whose different style of governance only emboldened them. Each member had grown swollen with pride, convinced of their own untouchable status.
Ser Otto almost snorted as he saw even the new Grand Maester Runciter attempting to speak over Lord Redwyne, the Master of Ships; Lord Beesbury, the Master of Coin; and Lord Lyonel Strong, the Master of Laws. Otto knew the position of Grand Maester had long been diminished after the failures of Maester Elysar, all those years ago. Since then, the Grand Maester had become a near nonentity at the council, appearing only occasionally and speaking only when called upon. Allar, who succeeded Elysar, had been so timid that he never spoke a word, even when the king's grip on the council loosened. Now this new Grand Maester had been slowly inserting himself into discussions, and in the king's absence over the past two moons, he had grown bolder, establishing himself as a "learned voice" in the council.
Ser Otto's eyes shifted to the newly legitimized prince. The reason for the lack of power for the maesters and the grand maester position. The bastard's strange eyes—half Stark grey, half violet-black—seemed to pierce the soul as he surveyed the room with an openly mocking grin. Otto gritted his teeth at the disdain etched across the prince's face, a scorn deeper even than the Rogue Prince's famous contempt for anything non-Valyrian. In the Father's name, how had a bastard acquired such arrogance and pride, even with his supposed magical abilities?
Looking at the king, Otto saw a flicker of surprise, as though Jaehaerys were only now realizing his council dared to shout in his presence. Panic lanced through Otto as the king glanced at the bastard and gave a small, approving nod, as though acknowledging that the prince's earlier words had been correct. At once Otto decided to intervene. All the Targaryens sat silent, watching the chaos without protest, and Otto should have noticed far earlier that their silence had a purpose.
"Enough!" Ser Otto roared, slamming his hand onto the table with a resounding crack.
The chamber fell silent at once. Even now, the authority of the Hand could quiet them, though it would not last long.
"Thank you, Otto," the king said with a faint smile. Jaehaerys looked at his Hand expectantly, then sighed inwardly in defeat as he recognized the truth in Otto's eyes.
"Your Grace," Otto began carefully, "though I hold contempt for their manner of voicing protest, I too must raise my objection to your declaration of proclaiming a legitimized ba.. man as your heir. There is already the precedent of the Great Council, where all the lords of the realm chose Prince Viserys as the next king. The lords will not be pleased if that decision and all their hardship in arriving that monumental occasion is rendered a sham mere weeks later."
To Otto's relief, the king did not immediately erupt in anger but seemed thoughtful. The relief was short-lived.
"Daemon," the king called, and both Daemons looked to him curiously. "Both of you were correct when you said calling the great council was a mistake. I should never have indulged my pride and my desire to humiliate Corlys so thoroughly. By calling this Great Council, even here in the Small Council, my own subjects now protest my choice of heir—something they would never have dared before as they have no voice in it, but now they think that they have a voice in the matter of heirship of the kingdom?"
"Ser Otto, you shall write to the entire realm. The Great Council of 101 was an experiment of mine, an attempt to unite the royal family which ultimately failed. I hereby declare it null and void. It is to be struck from my rulings and laws entirely. The lords shall instead be summoned to a Great Tourney in six moons, where they will pledge fealty to my new heir, Prince Daemon Targaryen, the Red Death, rider of Morghul and husband to Princess Gael."
Ser Otto felt as though he had swallowed a lemon but forced himself to speak again.
"My king, I will follow your command to the letter, yet I must still voice my protest. Even if Prince Viserys is deemed ineligible for any reason, Prince Daemon the Younger remains, and then Prince Aegon. Making a legitimized bastard the heir will set a most unfortunate precedent for all the lordships of the realm." Ser Otto tried to speak in a supplicant manner, but he could not keep the anger and frustration from seeping into his voice.
The king's smile vanished, replaced by a harsh frown as he registered that even his usually loyal servant now dared to voice protest against his command.
Ser Otto, Prince Daemon is the firstborn among my grandchildren, and only the king can legitimise anyone in this realm. Moreover, the rules regarding legitimisation have not changed. The legitimised person will always stand after all trueborn heirs in succession in every other case. If this is not clear to someone, I once thought clever—who has turned out to be more foolish than I believed—then let me state it plainly: I have declared him my heir. I will not tolerate any more protests from my own Small Council, when I have ruled this realm wisely for more years than any of you have been alive.
The king's voice was harsh, carrying such weight that it sent chills through all who heard it.
"I only wish to advise you, never protest, my king. That is the duty you entrusted to me when you chose me as Hand of the King," Otto said, bowing his head and in a supplicant tone.
"Advice? Otto?" Daemon the Elder scoffed. "Who are you to advise or protest against the king's decision?" He turned toward the king. "Grandfather, it seems your absence from the Small Council these past few moons has made them arrogant and prideful. They believe they rule the Seven Kingdoms instead of you."
The prince turned back to the council members.
"Otto, and the rest of you, hear me clearly. You, personally, do not rule the Seven Kingdoms. The Small Council does not rule the Seven Kingdoms. The king upon the Iron Throne does. That king, at present, is my grandfather—Jaehaerys Targaryen, rider of Vermithor, the Bronze Fury. His will and wisdom are supreme and above all others in this realm.
The Small Council exists to enforce the king's orders and to give recommendations only when asked. Your purpose is not to give unsolicited advice. A secondary duty is to hear the people's complaints and carry them to the king, since His Grace cannot attend to every matter personally. You are not here to tell him how to rule or to protest against his decrees. You are here to obey them unconditionally and enforce them throughout the realm. In short—you administer the king's laws. You do not make them, unless commanded. In the past, the king may have asked or used the help from his council as needed, but that doesn't mean you have a voice in the actual laws. In this matter, the king didn't ask for any of your opinion or advice and thus you shall remain silent and follow them. Or should the king indulge in looking at all of your bloodlines and see who is the capable heir and starts advising it?"
A panicked denial came from both Lord's Strong and Redwyne as they would never gave up their firstborn's rights.
"What do you know of ruling and governing a kingdom? This is the first time you have even set foot in the South, as far as I know. This is not the North, where you behaved as though it were your personal fief without doing any service or labour." Ser Otto sneered.
"Apparently more than you," Daemon replied coolly, "a second son of a third-rate house like Hightower. A house that once begged my ancestor Brandon the Builder to raise their precious tower. When the Faith came, you abandoned your gods without hesitation. When the Gardeners came, you bent the knee like supplicants. When Aegon came, you gave token aid to your king, and when Balerion landed outside Oldtown, your forebears kissed the ground faster than a whore kisses a cock for a gold coin. How would a son of such a house know more about ruling than I, who learned it at the knee of my grandfather, Lord Stark—a house that conquered half a continent and ruled it for eight thousand years?"
Ser Otto's face reddened with anger at the insults, but he held his tongue by a thread of sanity. Otto don't have a read to how the new Prince of the blood would behave or do if angered.
"I know more than you, at least, for I did not usurp Lord Cregan Stark's position during the last war. It seems to me that second sons are ever power-hungry, eager to misuse a king's authority. Grandfather, it is evident that the education of House Hightower is lacking, for Otto here believes being Hand of the King makes him equal in power to you, making him think he could chastise a Prince of the Blood. Otto, let me explain in simple words that even you could grasp: the king shits, and the Hand wipes. Your task is to do what the king need not soil his hands with. You are not to enforce your own will, only the king's. If, at times, the Hand seems the second-most powerful person in the realm, it is only because of the kinship those men held with their kings—Orys Baratheon, Maegor Targaryen, Rogar Baratheon, Aemon and Baelon Targaryen."
"Daemon, enough," the king thundered and turned towards the council. "It is not my heir's duty to educate this council. My absence has made this council forget their place. I did not ask for your permission or advice regarding my heir. Hear this one last time, and I will forgive your transgressions, assigning it to surprise of hearing the legitimisation and appointment of the new heir:
"The Great Council of 101 is hereby revoked, declared null and void, by new knowledge revealed to me. My firstborn grandson has accomplished the impossible—he has tamed the Cannibal for House Targaryen. He is legitimised as the trueborn son of my firstborn son and heir, Aemon Targaryen, and Lady Lyarra Stark. Henceforth, he has the first claim, and I name him my heir. He is already wed to my youngest daughter, Princess Gael. They shall rule after me. That is the end of it."
"Prince Viserys—what say you? Do you not agree, when the lords chose you over this northern heathen bastard?" Grand Maester Runciter burst out, unable to hold his tongue any longer.
Daemon the Elder snorted and laughed as though the man were the greatest fool he had ever seen.
"Uncle Vaegon," Daemon said, after mastering his mirth and looking at the man in maester robes who was openly sneering at the Grand Maester "I am glad that you at least possess wisdom, unlike these maesters who only have limited intelligence."
"Indeed, my prince, indeed." Maester Vaegon said with a smirk from his seat.
King Jaehaerys's face darkened at this defiance from the new Grand Maester.
"Enough, Maester! You overstep your station. Do not forget what befell the last one who did so, and how he was punished by my son Aemon. I know well that the Citadel has not forgotten our confiscations. House Targaryen will gladly accept even more resources, should you persist this foolishness. My grandson has done more for this realm than all my other grandchildren combined. He enriched the North, made it self-sufficient, defeated the wildling king beyond the Wall, crushed the Skagosi and Bennard's rebellions, and restored the rightful Lord Stark to Winterfell. Moreover, I am most pleased with the taxes flowing from his works—the ships, castles, armies, and trade he has fostered."
"Huh?" the Grand Maester blinked. "Your Grace, forgive me, but you are misinformed. The North's taxes have scarcely changed in twenty years. There has been only the slightest increase. I examined the records of all six great houses upon becoming Grand Maester."
Ser Otto paled as a dreadful thought struck him. He prayed to the Father it was not so.
"No increase?" Daemon the Elder barked. "What nonsense is this? I have personally cursed the crown's heavy levy countless times while ensuring every copper was paid. In this life only two things are certain: death and taxes. Ah… now I see what has happened." His grin turned malicious. "Bring me the northern ledgers, Maester"
"Your Grace—" the Grand Maester hesitated.
"My heir has given you an order," the king said coldly.
At the king's command, a King's guard was dispatched to the Maester's offices to fetch the northern records after receiving the key from the Maester.
"Your grace, I only want to advice against the new heir because the lords will be not happy and it may lead to future problems. They travelled to Harrenhall at your order and decided the ruler they want. The southern houses didn't even know about this man until now. That is the only reason I voiced my thoughts my king, otherwise I would have followed your commands gladly as I have done all my life. I remain a humble servant of House Targaryen and don't have no personal wishes in this matter." Otto tried to save face regarding earlier protests.
"Ah, Otto," the king said. "You do not know of my first grandson because you are young. After his birth, my son Aemon took a man's tongue for calling Lady Lyarra and her child bastards. Since then, none have dared speak of him, and most forgot, for the North keeps to itself. You need not fear strife. But you—are you misinformed of your duties, or are you will-fully committing treason by overstepping them again and again with your cunning words? Whatever it is, It doesn't matter Otto. After this meeting, you are dismissed as my Hand. My heir shall be my Hand, as is proper."
"Your Grace, forgive me. I was misinformed. I am loyal to you and the Iron Throne," Otto pleaded.
The king merely looked at him and did not deign to reply.
"Your Grace, as your Master of Laws, I must voice a concern regarding this matter," said Lord Strong. "When this is announced, many lords will approach me, and I know how to manage them. But, there is another matter."
"Another matter?" The king leaned forward, intrigued.
"Your Grace, the lords have no choice but to accept your decree, bound as they are by their oaths of fealty. Yet the Faith may not be so compliant. They will raise concerns over the prince being unlearned in the Seven and holding to the Old Gods. They may seek to inflame the lords and the smallfolk alike, stirring unrest much as they did in your father's reign." Lord Strong spoke as diplomatically as he could, careful not to provoke his king's displeasure.
"I am King Jaehaerys Targaryen, King of the Andals, the First Men, and the Rhoynar—not King of the Faith." The King said. "House Targaryen does not question the religion or beliefs of my lords, nor do I demand you follow my gods, the Fourteen Flames. Since the Conquest, House Targaryen has never commanded the peoples of Westeros to abandon their faiths, unlike the Andals who sought to force their Seven upon the First Men. The Andals, the First Men, and the Rhoynar must extend the same courtesy to House Targaryen.
The Seven Kingdoms are secular: any man may worship as he chooses, so long as his faith does not infringe upon the rights of others to do the same. Likewise, there is no need for the king or his heir to be followers of the Faith of the Seven."
Otto and the other councillors who followed the Seven sat in stunned silence, astonished by such a proclamation from a king who had long kept a septon as Hand. The general belief throughout the realm was that House Targaryen had aligned itself with the Faith after Maegor's brutal war against it.
"Your Grace, you are a follower of the Faith—you have had a septon for Hand of the King these many years!" cried Lord Redwyne in shock.
The king turned his gaze upon him, cold and cutting, as if regarding a fool. "Lord Redwyne, it seems you labor under a delusion. I have never declared House Targaryen bound to the Faith. A septon served as my Hand because such an appointment was necessary to restore peace after the Faith itself broke the King's Peace. I kept him in office because he was competent—not because I bent my knee to his gods.
"The queen may worship as she will, and if she chooses the Seven, that is her right. My children, too, I have taught to follow whatever gods they desire, so long as it does not hinder their duties and responsibilities to me, their king. Yet it seems many of you have made many assumptions and implied customs as my will and traditions of House Targaryen and the Iron Throne.
"When the Elder Daemon first urged me that we should set down more comprehensive laws, I thought it needless. But after this council, and seeing how you comport yourselves in but two moons' of my absence, I am glad I consented. After long deliberation with my House at Dragonstone, I have resolved upon certain decrees. These shall serve henceforth as the binding charter of House Targaryen and of the Iron Throne. I strongly counsel that any successor of mine think well before seeking to alter them. The charter is here."
The king drew a roll of parchment from within his robes and handed it to his Hand. "Read it aloud, Otto."
Otto took the parchment, his eyes racing down its lines. His face paled as his lips pressed tight, and his surprise was plain to all.
"Otto, will you read it at least by next year." Daemon the younger mocked the man who had turned into an enemy for some reason some years ago. The rogue prince had spent some time tracking down who spread rumors regarding him, and he finally found the culprit: his brother's number-one bootlicking snake. Fortunately for Otto, he had protection under the king, and there was no explicit proof for a trial. But no, Daemon watched his elder namesake and hoped there would be no need for a trial if handled carefully. Clearly, his elder cousin did not like Hightower, and those words disparaging the house were just something else—even his sharp tongue failed at coming up with that level of derisive comments.
Daemon shook his head to clear his thoughts as Otto cleared his throat and began to read. It was a pleasure to watch Otto's expressions as he read the new orders.
The Iron Throne Charter.
· The King's authority and power are absolute, and neither the laws of Gods nor those of Men are above the authority and power of the King. Any future king must think twice before changing any of the laws laid down under this charter by King Jaehaerys Targaryen and his heir Prince Daemon Targaryen in the year 101 AC, following the death of then Crown Prince Baelon Targaryen.
· Henceforth the heir should be present at council meetings from the age of seven. If the heir cannot attend, the king may appoint someone to inform him of the proceedings.
· Henceforth the succession to the Iron Throne is as follows:
Any dragonlord of House Targaryen may be declared heir by the King. If no one is declared heir by the King, then the firstborn child of the King, regardless of gender, shall be the heir provided that he or she is a dragonrider and has kept the name Targaryen. All non dragonriders of House Targaryen shall be automatically pushed to the end of the line of succession by age.
· Henceforth, only members of House Targaryen may sit upon the Iron Throne and when holding court the King, the Queen, and the Heir may sit upon the Throne. The Hand of the King may sit upon the throne only if he or she is a member of House Targaryen.
· Henceforth, the only persons who can sit in the Iron Throne are Members of House Targaryen and held court is The King, The Queen and the heir. the hand of the king can sit in the throne only if they are members of house Targaryen or if the king wills it.
· The Hand of the King does not have the power to make or change laws without the King's verbal and written approval for every single law change. If the King is not available, the heir's approval may be used, to be later ratified by the King when he returns to the throne.
· A regent for the King must be a born member of House Targaryen; if none is available, the spouse of a Targaryen may serve; if none is available, Lord Stark held under an oath before a Heart's Tree shall be the regent; if that is not possible, then the heir and closest kin may choose as the case requires. The regent's authority shall follow the same limits as the Hand's authority.
· The Small Council is to include the following positions permanently: Master of War, Master of Whispers, Master of Constructions, Master of Foreign Affairs, and Master of King's Landing.
· The Small Council is only to enforce the King's orders and to recommend matters based on their titles when asked. The members are also responsible for collecting complaints that fall under their offices and informing the King.
· Only the King may command members of House Targaryen, or those expressly given written and verbal approval before court by the King. Members of House Targaryen must follow commands based on seniority and position within the house. The only authority binding upon the spouses of persons with the surname Targaryen is House Targaryen itself. The King is to oversee the heir's education and appoint tutors and guardians as required. No one other than members of House Targaryen may punish underage members of House Targaryen.
· Only the King, members of House Targaryen, or persons appointed by House Targaryen are allowed to command and punish the household of the Red Keep, the servants of the Red Keep, and the guards of the Red Keep. They are under the protection of House Targaryen. No lords, clergy, or members of the Small Council are allowed to command or punish the household of the Red Keep, the guards of the Red Keep, or the servants of the Red Keep. If those working in the Red Keep are found to be in the employ of others, their entire family will be punished for high treason. Absolute loyalty is demanded for the protection of House Targaryen. Any member of House Targaryen who abuses this rule shall be answerable to the King, the heir, the Queen, and other members of House Targaryen as the case may be.
· Any harm done to members of House Targaryen by anyone else is considered treason. Any attempt to kill a dragon or to steal a dragon egg is high treason and shall be punished by death for the criminal and his entire family. The criminal shall then be gelded and sent to the Night's Watch, where he will remain the lowest member permanently.
· As Westeros follows many religions, House Targaryen is henceforth secular and members may follow their own beliefs. No King shall grant special benefits to a single religion, and any King who wishes to serve a religion in any capacity must abdicate. A King's first priority should be House Targaryen, and anyone under oath to any other institution, belief, or religion is not eligible to be King.
· Members of the Small Council, other than the King, need House Stark's recommendation to make changes to laws concerning the First Men.
· No taxes shall be collected other than those collected by the Lords of the realm. Any other taxes collected by anyone else are hereby banned. No lord shall levy taxes upon a lord of similar standing. Only lords have the power to collect taxes on behalf of the Crown. All Lords Paramount shall then pay taxes to the Crown as the case may be.
· No religion is to collect money from anyone in any form other than the willing donations of followers. Taxes collected or collected without the approval of the Crown are high treason.
· Dragons may be claimed only with the King's approval. Every dragon and every dragon egg belongs to House Targaryen. Taming or taking eggs by anyone not named Targaryen without the King's approval is treason and shall be punished by death by dragonfire.
· Only the King may command the Kingsguard. Any other orders are considered treason.
· The hierarchy of the kingdom is as follows:
The King
The Heir to the Throne
The Queen
Dragonlords of House Targaryen
Princes and Princesses of House Targaryen
Members of House Targaryen
The Hand of the King
Lords Paramount and Wardens
And so on.
· Members of the Small Council have authority only regarding their titles, and such authority is limited to the enforcement of the King's will. Any breach of said authority shall be considered treason and punished accordingly.
· Regarding the safety of members of House Targaryen, the Kingsguard have the highest authority after the Lord Commander and the King himself.
· Only the King and the heir have the authority to change the rules regarding dragons and the dragonskeep. If neither is available, any legal dragonrider may act.
· Any existing lordship that becomes extinct for any reason, including the family being stripped of the lordship, belongs to the Crown and the King will appoint the new lord. Lords Paramount may recommend candidates, which the King may approve.
· Any wilful and illegal harming of subjects of the Iron Throne by outsiders anywhere shall be met with Fire and Blood.
Otto finished reading with mind numbing fear. These new laws were strict, and the powers of bureaucratic outsiders had been severely limited. He had enjoyed the authority of being the Hand very much for the last moons: the lords licking his boots, his measures taking effect, the Hightower who finally lit the way for the continent. But everything was ruined. Every plan the maesters and Lord Hightower had made in recent decades was undermined by their greatest supporter until now.
Otto had thought the councillor a fool for believing that the enmity between the Faith, Citadel and House Targaryen was gone and for thinking they truly supported him. He had thought the King almost a puppet, but powerful. A puppet who could be manipulated if the puppet master was legendary. Septon Barth had taught him many things to manage the Targaryens. If the old king had been dead and it was that weak Viserys, then he was sure they would have already won. But now the game had changed forever.
The old King was not a puppet nor weak in his old age. He had been using them as much as they had used him. Something had happened on Dragonstone. The King had cleaned his house and corralled the dragonriders. Even the erratic rogue prince was silent and following the King's orders. The Rogue Prince had always fought the king and Queen's order's before; now even he was afraid. It was not Cannibal that he feared, Otto was sure of that; had it been, he would not have protested so much against the rider of Bronze Fury before. It was like Daemon was afraid of the old King or perhaps the new heir. Anyway, Otto understood he must keep silent and not question the ludicrous new laws. It was also an opportunity, but the maester had no such patience it seemed.
"Your Grace, these laws are barbaric and the laws of a tyrant. You must be jok…" the grandmaester began to exclaim.
"Shut up, you old fool," Vaegon interrupted for the first time. "If you think that my father is a tyrant, then you are more stupid than I thought for calling him out."
"Ah, uncle, why did you interrupt him? Never interrupt when the enemy is making a mistake, uncle," Daemon the elder said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Enemy," the maester shouted. "My prince, I may voice my objection to your heirship, but I am not an enemy. I am loyal to the Iron Throne."
"Well, that remains to be seen." Daemon said and he glanced at the doors. "The Kingsguard has returned with the required northern records as requested. Let me see whether the maester is an enemy or not."
At that moment the Kingsguard knocked upon the meeting room door to deliver the records. Otto noted that no members of the royal family were bewildered by the prince's power to hear the knight and Maester's assistant approaching from the other side of the closed door. The prince took the record, glanced once at the writing, and turned to the King.
"Your Grace, it seems that high treason has occurred. These northern records are fake. I recommend arresting the Master of Coin for treason for supporting his liege lords the Hightowers, whose patronage the Citadel follows, and who are responsible for maintenance of records and reporting to the Crown. If not for treason, then for sheer incompetence of his position. I also recommend arresting the Grand Maester for collusion, spying on the Crown, and for supporting the fake records. It is impossible for records to be fake for years and for someone to steal thousands of gold dragons from the Crown without his support."
"Lies!" the maester, already on edge during the meeting, shouted.
Otto cursed the foolish maesters and every idiotic maester in Citadel who thought they could get away with such treachery.
"My prince, I can assure you the Hightowers are loyal subjects to the Crown. We have no need to steal the gold. We may support the Citadel, but they do not take orders from my brother or from Lord Hightower. I also want to ask you to please thoroughly check the records. How can you know they are fake when you just glanced through the pages?" Otto asked projecting curiosity and worry.
"Daemon, that is a good question," the King said. "How can you know this?"
"I know they are fake because for the past twenty years, at least seven or eight of those years, I have maintained the accounts and written the records, especially when Cregan just became lord after Bennard's rebellion. Lord Stark only used his seal and sign. I know this is fake because this is not my handwriting," Daemon said with a shrug.
Everyone was astonished that the prince kept the accounts of an entire kingdom.
The old King closed his eyes, taking in the betrayal that had occurred. A cold rage emanated from him and everyone fell silent. The maester and Lord Beesbury were deadly afraid and held their breaths as if the sound would set off the king.
The King opened his eyes and called for the Kingsguard outside the room. They entered at his order.
"Ser, collect the required guards and raid the maesters' quarters. Arrest everyone there and bring them to the first floor of the dungeon. Bring anyone who resists or who destroys even a single page or pours any liquids to the black cells. Confiscate every record and paper there. Turn the rooms inside out for any hidden communications or potions. It has come to my attention that a betrayal of the worst sort has occurred. Close the gates and King's Landing. No one is to leave for three days. No ship is to depart without my permission. No one is to enter the city for three days. Tell any ship to wait for three days or to go to Driftmark. Maintain archers around the keep and shoot down any raven that flies out of the keep for three days or until my order rescinds it. You are not to take orders other than from members of House Targaryen from now on. Vaegon will join you later to go through things and identify everything, and before you go arrest this Grand Maester and put him in the black cells."
The knight bowed and went to carry out the order.
"Your Grace, I am innocent. I do not know anything about these fake records. The Master of Coin is responsible for this," the maester tried to reason.
"Oh, shut up," Daemon the younger said and slapped him. "Ser, you have your orders."
"Yes, ser," the King supported his grandson's words. "Carry it out and gag him. He is not to speak to anyone without us."
Otto watched the events with growing fright. He understood that his life and his house's influence were in danger. They had been trying to be the invisible rulers of Westeros for the past eighty years. Aegon had helped them spread their influence using Faith and Citadel. Now it seemed that influence would be in peril if they did not support the King in his investigation. Otto looked at Lord Beesbury, who was deadly afraid but still calm with the surety of an innocent man, which he was.
"Lord Beesbury," the King addressed the man, "you have served me for years now. I know of your loyalty and I am assured that you have nothing to do with this, but as my heir pointed out, your inability to ferret out falsehood from truth is damning and worth punishment. For penance, you are to check all the accounts of the Crown and the Lords Paramount since Aegon became King and taxes were first collected by the maesters."
Everyone paled at the amount of work that task would require and felt pity for the man.
"Your Grace, I humbly apologise for my mistake and thank you for your belief in my fealty and truthfulness. I will check the records myself when they are brought by the Lords Paramount."
"Yes, you will," the King said. "Now it seems plans have changed regarding summoning the lords. Any raven we send will be a potential leak as it is checked by the maesters first and they may hide the evidence. What do you recommend as methods to verify this?"
Otto understood that this was a way to save whatever they could. He said before anyone else could, "Your Grace, I could send a loyal man to my brother with a message that would confiscate every record of the Citadel itself and produce them before the court. He is loyal and will follow through."
Daemon the younger scoffed and laughed hard. "Otto, do you think we are fools?" he said. "You recommend we send your men to your brother, the Lord Hightower who is accused of treason. That is hilarious. Perhaps you could serve as the official fool of the Night's Watch after the trial."
Otto masked his rage but answered carefully. "Prince Daemon, the elder prince may have accused him because of his northern bias against the Faith and the Citadel. Everyone knows the North only accepted the maesters appointed by the Citadel under the orders of his grace's father. House Hightower has been loyal to House Gardener for millennia and, after their extinction, to House Targaryen. We even surrendered without fighting after the Field of Fire."
"Yes, your silken voice may profess loyalty and fealty like a whore demanding coin after services rendered, but it is entirely foolish to follow your suggestion," the elder Daemon said with enough mockery that even an idiot would recognise it.
Viserys was aghast at the crude language, but the younger Daemon laughed hard.
"Well, it may be good for you to be the heir, cousin. At least the meeting shall be entertaining." Daemon said with a smirk.
Otto gritted his teeth in fury but said nothing more.
"Your Grace," the Heir said, "you need not worry about the North. I have an eagle trained to carry messages to Cregan there. In fact, I was ready to send a message already after this meeting. I will send the message now since the North takes longer to travel. I will also ask him to imprison every maester in the North and banish those who have not betrayed the North, or end those who have."
The King nodded and the council could not protest further. The Council watched as the heir took a parchment from his pockets and walk towards the window.
"My Prince," Lord Beesbury reminded him, "you have not written anything about the summons or to bring the records."
"Oh, it is already in the message, my lord," the Heir replied casually with a warm smile.
"You already have written it, but this just happened now," Lord Beesbury finished in a fearful voice.
Every member of the Small Council felt as if air had been stolen from their lungs, except for the royal family, who saw only foresight or sorcery or whatever other power it might be. The Prince merely smirked as he reached the window. An eagle landed on his outstretched hand. He tied the letter to the bird's leg and let it fly.
=============================
Author's Note: The maesters are officially fucked even not considering the anti-magic group in it that may or may conspired to kill targs or any one showing magic in their blood… they have touched something anyone sane wouldn't touch. Taxes. no king or government allows its tax to be stolen or not to be paid by its subjects…
as for how, the problem of accountant, auditor and assessing officer being the same organisation. for eg. north send 1000 gold coins in taxes in excess to last year.. the 800 is routed to citadel while 200 is recorded as addition in kingslanding.. the northern record received is checked by grand maester who re write some pages adjusting the figure which is submitted to master of coin. master of coin just nods and accept that gold is received and do nothing more....
Read, commend and Recommend !!!!!!!!
To read ahead 4 chapters: My Patreon
My Discord
My Stories: All For Me. MHA AU.
Grim: Last Hope. (HP/DC/Marvel/Invincible)
Feral Dragon(Wolverine in ASOIAF)
What If ?