Stormlands
Asgard
Robert's Temporary Headquarters
"I am curious about something, my lord" Tyrion asked while reading over some documents.
"Go ahead" he responded, reading documents just like the Director of Finances was doing.
"You have the power, you come from the lines of Kings, have you ever considered just taking the Seven Kingdoms for yourself?" The young director put down his quill, watching his lord's reaction.
His question earned him raised eyebrows from Princess Rhaelle and Ser Davos, who were also busy in the room.
Robert put down the papers and turned to the dwarf, regarding him.
"If having power meant I could do whatever I wanted, then I would be no different from the likes of Aerys or Tywin and I don't really feel like dealing with the problems of seven different kingdoms" he responded after a minute of silence.
"Most people would consider them, or at least Tywin, as great people" Tyrion said, refusing to address Tywin as father after everything.
"If most people consider someone who orders the death of innocents and children as great, then there is something wrong with them, not me"
"If only everyone thought like you, this world would be a better place" Rhaelle shook her head, sighing.
She had lived long enough to see just how right the young Lannister was.
"Asgard will not be just a trade empire, but a place where law and rules matter and people will not be able to run amok as they wished" Robert declared.
"Lofty goal, my lord, even more so than a trade empire" Davos commented, wondering if he could actually do it.
"It won't be easy, and none of us may live long enough to see it, but not trying at all would be worse than simply failing" Robert sounded resolute in this, knowing change, especially in a society that rarely faced it in 8,000 thousand years, would take time.
"How will you do it then, when even the rules and laws of gods could not?" Rhaelle asked, curious about how her grandson would change the very nature of humans?
"Through education to bring people together and make them understand we are stronger when we stand together as brothers, not when we stab each other in the back for selfish gains" Modern education systems of Earth had varying degrees of success, depending on several factors, but if Asgard could gain the wealth Robert envisioned, it would solve one of the biggest hurdles in the face of education.
Lack of financing.
There were other factors as well, but solving the problem of money would make solving the others much easier.
"I hope you can succeed Robert" Rhaelle said with sincerity, knowing if anyone can it would be him.
"Onto less serious matters then" Tyrion said, changing the subject to ships.
Ships of Westeros used oars when the wind blew in the opposite direction. This took space, meant more men for the crew, which led to an increase in costs and was slow and while Swan Ships of the Summer Isles were known to sail without oars, they also became helpless when the winds died.
Robert's solution to this was the pre-industrial ships of Earth, which rather than have oars, used friction and angled sails to zig-zag towards the wind even when it was blowing against them, as well as special rigging to catch even the slightest breeze to sail the ship.
Which he was going to describe to the shipwrights as best as he can and let them handle the rest.
As they were technically experimental ships, Robert was going to start small and go big when they succeeded.
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The shipwrights were reluctant to stray from their proven practices but Robert was insistent, as well as charming.
Their job for now was to start designing the ships, using Robert's descriptions and their knowledge to create a ship that could sail long ranges without oars.
But for now, they would have to do with the traditional ships.
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While Asgard was small, that did not mean there wasn't any trouble requiring Robert's attention, so here he was, holding court in the lodge he took for himself, listening to two families petition over one family's cow eating the other's crops.
How fun.
His verdict was they would build a fence and the one with the cow would cover half plus the price of the crop while the other family would cover the rest.
Next was a man accusing a peddler for scamming him, saying the tonic he bought for a sore throat gave him the runs.
The gurgling of his belly and the smell of the tonic made the decision fast.
Robert had banned the sales of tonics, elixirs and other remedies without having a permit from him, and ordered the man's coin to be returned.
He would have to get a Maester or two to see who sold something actually useful and who did not.
Then he had to deal with several livestock farmers and the grazing rights, each one requesting they be given the rights.
Robert created a timetable for each of them to graze their animals at certain times, with penalties if they broke it.
"There is a woman outside who wishes to speak to you, though she hasn't given her name. She claims to have important news for you" Tyrion said, checking the list he had.
"Any description of this woman?" Robert asked.
"One with red hair and eyes my lord" Tyrion said, which made Robert think.
That sounded familiar but he couldn't remember exactly.
Ladies couldn't resist him and it was not like he could remember them all.
She was let inside and Robert's face dropped at seeing who it was.
Red hair, red eyes, pale skin, way taller than the average woman, she was a beauty to behold.
"Greetings, Azor Ahai. I am" she began and Robert rose with a vengeance.
"Melisandre of Asshai, I know who you are" Robert seethed, which took the Red Woman back.
"Get the hell out of my city, and never set foot here again, no matter the reason" Robert's voice was cold enough to freeze the very flames she commanded.
Robert's hatred earned curious glances from around the room, while Sandor went to throw her out.
Stumped at Robert's flat out refusal and clear hatred of her, the Red Woman left without saying anything.
"That sounded personal" His grandmother commented, wondering what just happened.
"You don't want to know, or you might just go and kill her yourself" Robert said, indicating for a wine, a rare indulgence these days.
"Tyrion, Davos, new decree. Red Priests are banned from entering Asgard, and anyone who gives them passage knowingly will face a fine of one hundred gold dragons" Robert ordered, taking a sip from the wine to cool his nerves.
Killing Renly at Stanis' behalf, and then burning poor Shireen?
The only reason he did not kill her then and there was because she technically did not do these things.
"Yes my lord" both said at the same time.
"Next" he ordered and Sandor opened the door, letting the next petitioner in.
It was about two men fighting over a woman.
Robert held up his sigh, not wanting to look as if he did not care.
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Petitioners were done and Robert found himself doing something fun now. He and his grandmother had gone to tend to their dragons. Robert commented on how big Ormund was getting, as the black dragon was growing way faster than Obelisk, Ra and Slifer.
She said soon enough Ormund would be bigger and it led to back and forth about what made a dragon better, size, speed, agility, or intelligence, and here they were, testing which dragon was faster, Ra, the fastest amongst his trio or Ormund.
They would race from the city to a hill about 20 miles away and return back with the first dragon back as the winner.
Davos was the referee, standing in front of the spectators, ready to start the race while Robert checked his flight suit and Rhaelle her riding leathers.
News had gone out quickly, and there was a crowd now, ready to watch who would win.
Davos took a piece of cloth and held it high.
"You may start when the cloth hits the ground" he said and threw it up.
Both riders locked eyes on the fabric, waiting.
"Volā!" and "Sōvēs!" they shouted as the cloth hit the ground, both dragons responding to the languages they were taught.
With flaps of their mighty wings, both dragons took off, racing towards the hill at full speed.
"Get ready to lose, grandma" Robert shouted over the sound of the wind rushing his face.
"Hah, the folly of youth" she shouted back, trailing slightly behind him.
"Aderī!" Rhaelle shouted, urging her mount forward and the black dragon began to gain on the golden one.
The riders locked eyes as Ormund almost gained on Ra.
"Now!" ordered Robert, and this time Ra sped up and began to widen the distance.
Rhaelle scoffed and Ormund growled in defiance, pushing himself as fast as he could to gain on his opponent.
"Halfway there grandma!" Robert said and Ra was the first one to reach the hill and began to turn back.
"I'll see you at the finish Robert!" his grandma said, turning back before she reached the hill.
So that's how it was going to be.
Two can play that game, grandma.
Ra rose, heading above the clouds and disappearing from Rhaelle's sight.
She narrowed her eyes, knowing Robert was definitely up to something crazy.
After a while, Ra descended, somehow pulling in front of her, racing full speed towards the city, Rhaelle and Ormund right behind him.
"Too late grandma!" Rhaelle turned right, seeing Robert flying with that flight suit of his.
Her shock was gone quickly as she turned back to the race, Ormund pushing with all his strength.
Rhaelle and Ormund landed a second after Ra did, almost slamming to the ground with how fast they were.
Couple minutes later, Robert landed on the square too, the crowd cheering at seeing the Winged Knight of Stormlands.
Robert took his helmet off, basking in the adoration of the crowd.
"Thank you, thank you, I know I am great, thank you so much" he waved to the still cheering mass.
"You know grandma I'll admit, I didn't expect you to play dirty like that" Robert admitted, leaning on Ra.
"Well, it didn't work on you now, did it?" she crossed her arms, smiling in exhilaration, her heart still racing.
"Of course not, but anyone else and you might have just won" Robert conceded, grinning.
It has been sometime since he had fun like this.
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All too soon though, it was time for Rhaelle to go back to Storm's End.
Grandson and grandmother were hugging, saying their goodbyes but Robert also had a request.
"Can you see if you can convince the Florents to send me some grown mulberry trees?" he requested, as getting a message from Storm's End to Brightwater Keep would be much easier.
"At this rate, they would give you their whole orchard if you asked. Why do you need them though?" She asked, knowing her grandson preferred grapes.
"If it works, it will be a nice little surprise, if not then I'll just have some fruit trees" Robert said, not giving anything away.
"Hmm, you can keep your secrets, I suppose, but I'll see what I can do" she agreed as Robert helped her mount her dragon.
"Take care of yourself, and do visit sometimes" she ordered as Ormund took off, waving goodbye to her grandson.
"As you wish Princess" Robert teased, waving back.
He watched until the dragon turned to a mere dot in the sky and went back to his inn.
His workload had decreased with his grandmother's help, but there was still much to do.
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Two weeks after his grandmother had left, the shipwrights came with a rough drawing of a schooner with three masts, just as Robert had described. He had them start the work immediately to build a trial ship to see what worked, what didn't and what needed adjustments.
Robert liked it now that the things were underway, but he still had to secure large amounts of wood.
Perhaps it was time for a visit to Lord Manderly.
King's Landing
Robert could have gone to other places to get the necessary timber but the thing was he didn't want to deforest Stormlands, mostly Asgard, and with the lands lacking infrastructure, mainly a large enough port or roads, and the workforce, getting that much wood would be more trouble than it was worth.
So until he could see to the development of the Stormlands and Asgard, he was going to have to buy them.
North, as the largest and the most underdeveloped of the kingdoms, had untouched forests larger than some of the kingdoms and White Harbour already had a fleet and the necessary workforce to build more from scratch.
It cost around five thousand gold dragons and took one to two thousand trees to build a galley, but Robert wanted bigger and faster ships which meant higher costs and the vast amount of forests in the North meant it was the prime place to buy cheap high quality timber.
His other options were Lannisport, Redwynes, or the King's Landing but this was a long term contract he did not want to give to any of them, especially after the whole debacle with the merchants.
So here he was, at the Red Keep.
Usually, when one wanted to visit the royal resident of the Targaryens , there would be steps to follow. Send a letter first to inform the royals of your reason for visiting, wait for an audience with the King and then see to your personal business.
Robert had a special pass in the form of three fire breathing flying lizards capable of burning the said keep to the ground, so he was an exception and could head straight to speak with Lord Manderly.
Wyman, as far as he bothered to remember the Lord-Too-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse, was a shrewd, calculating and intelligent man with a vengeance streak a mile long, if the theories about him killing three Freys and having them baked into a pie was true.
But he was lord of the only trade port in the North and good enough to be made the Master of Coin so they should have no problem making a deal.
They didn't, but by no means was it easy.
Under all that fat was a calculating but fair businessman who would do pretty good in the 21st century Earth as a high level executive.
For now the timber would be delivered by the fleet of White Harbour and it would be more expensive, but as soon as Robert had his large cargo ships the costs would go down even further.
Both sides had left that day satisfied with the deal.
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It wasn't all smooth sailing of course. He had been hoping to leave the Red Keep without bumping into anyone, but came across the Starks of all people.
"I read your letter" Lyanna Stark opened her mouth just as he was about to pass them by.
"What letter? I didn't send you anything" Robert replied after a moment of cursing in his head.
"The one you sent to the King" She clarified, almost causing a misunderstanding amongst her retinue.
"That sounds like his problem, not mine" He said, about to push past her guards.
"You threatened him. I want to know what exactly were you going to do" She demanded as if she had any power over him.
Robert sighed, about to tell her to fuck off, but had a better idea.
"Did the little girl get scared when the grown ups were fighting? "He said with a mock childish tone, crouching down a bit and coming down to her eyesight.
The future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms' nose flared in anger, she gritted her teeth to not lose control.
"Remember who you are talking to my lord" The sole Kingsguard escorting her warned, though Robert couldn't put a name to the face.
"I was just going to walk past without saying anything but she had to open her mouth. Now, get out of my way, so we don't have to see each other anymore" Robert said, shooing them away.
"No, not that easy. I want to know what you meant by that letter. Were you going to kill us if he didn't bow down to your demands?" She kept running her mouth off.
"And why would I want to kill you, when you are already dead?" Robert asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Lyanna was taken back by Robert's comment, confusion etched on her face.
"What are you talking about?"
"Simple really. Lyanna Stark, who spent more time riding horses, practicing sword and jousting as a mystery knight, is dead. Becoming the Queen, you will have to spend your time making connections and engaging in politics when you are not having children, and if you try to go back to your old ways, the court will eat you alive. So let me ask you again, why would I wish to kill you, when you are walking to your death with a smile on your face anyway?" Robert said, stunning the whole retinue, including the dear old Ned.
He pushed past the frozen guards and left.
Really, she just had to open her mouth.
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He was leaving the Red Keep when his ears caught something interesting. Rhaegar, his younger brother Aegon and Jaime Lannister were getting married in two months in a single ceremony at King's Landing.
Rhaegar and Lyanna would tie the North and the Riverlands via Brandon and Catelyn to the crown, while Aegon's marriage to Janna Tyrell would bring the Reach into fold and Tywin Lannister would finally have his dream of marrying into the Royal Family partially fulfilled with Jaime and Shaena.
The weddings would have happened by now, but Queen Rhaella was severely weakened with the birth of her daughter Daenerys, born in King's Landing amidst a storm last year.
She actually should have been born at 284 AC but with all the children Rhaella and Aerys had she was late, so to speak.
His claims about her being the one to bring the dragons back if he had not done so already made some of the common sense lacking lords try to offer a betrothal to the newborn.
Rhaegar, in his infinite wisdom, decided to marry his sister to the son he will eventually have with Lyanna.
Which didn't concern him at all, as he wasn't going to be there anyway.
If they didn't try anything, neither would Robert.
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"What a pleasant day, is it not, my lord?" a man, with a cowl hiding his face, sat on Robert's table at the inn.
You couldn't tell who he was with how much of his face was covered, but you could tell with the smell.
"Varys" he simply said after swallowing his food, wondering what the Spider wanted that brought him here.
"Imagine my shock at learning who the man that stole the dragon eggs of my good friend Illyrio and then threatened him for Blackfyre was" The Master of Whispers raised his cowl a bit, revealing his face to Robert, with a grandfatherly smile hiding his true nature.
People might call Dornish snakes, but in his opinion none could match to the bald eunuch in front of him.
"Good friend? I thought you two were family, good-brothers in fact. I mean his wife was definitely Valyrian, and with what I have seen of you, I assumed she was your sister" Robert came clean, wiping the smile from his face.
"So tell me, are you two Blackfyres or Brightflames? That part wasn't really clear in my dreams" He raised the stakes even higher, watching the eunuch but he didn't react at all.
"Quite the powerful thing, dragon dreams. They saved House Targaryen from the doom which led to Aegon eventually conquering the Seven Kingdoms, and now they seem to have made you all knowing" The Spider said, no doubt everything he said regarding his dreams had made it to his ears.
"So what brings you here?" Robert asked, not commenting on the whole dragon dreams thing.
"I wanted to ask you a question. You and the Targaryens harbor no good feelings towards each other, and I was wondering why you simply did not destroy them?" Varys wondered, knowing he was the greater threat to his plans.
"You know, you are the second person to ask me that. As for why, beyond my personal views on power and how it should be used, I simply have no desire to rule the Seven Kingdoms and solve the problems they present. I mean, if someone repeated what Tywin did to the Tarbecks and Reynes in the lands I rule, they would face the same fate as their victims" Robert shrugged, though he couldn't help but be curious about what the Spider was playing at.
"How righteous and just of you my lord" Varys sounded amused, but didn't dare mock him.
"In a land where the rules of the jungle apply, progress would be non-existent because of the constant fighting and lack of appreciation for scholarly matters due to what people perceive as their lack of application in warfare. That is why Oldtown is bigger and better than King's Landing, even though it doesn't have the population and is not the capital. But Asgard? It will be even greater and when I am long dead and gone, the city I built will tame this world and then the stars. By then the Seven Kingdoms and the rest of this world will be on their knees, begging to be a part of my legacy. Do you know what will make Asgard the greatest to ever exist, Varys?" Robert asked, taking a deep breath.
"I assume you are about to tell me, my lord?" The eunuch was subdued now, listening to Robert's greater plan.
"Law, rules and justice and the desire to be better, to push ever forward. That is why I don't care about conquering the Seven Kingdoms, because I play the longest game anyone ever has, and when it's finished, everything you ever do will be a mere footnote in history" Robert took another bite of the chicken, watching.
"Curious, why explain your plan to me and risk something happening?"
"Easy, because I don't care about your schemes or who rules the Seven Kingdoms, whether it be a Targaryen, a Blackfyre, or a wilding, as long as they don't cross me or my family"
"Message well received my lord" Varys said after contemplating it qiuckly.
Robert got up and left after paying for the lunch.
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After his unexpected meeting with the spy master, Robert called Obelisk down with a whistle and left.
He had much to do.
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Asgard
First thing Robert did after returning home was to inform the shipwrights they would get their timber.
Next was a meeting with Davos to tell him they were going to pick up the artisans from Braavos while he had a meeting with the Sea Lord. The journey would be longer than what he has been going on for a while so he gave them ample time to prepare for it.
The city was left to Tyrion to manage in their absence with Sandor in charge of security and he sent a letter to his grandmother to act as a deterrent. He didn't want to call her back so soon after her visit but with him gone for a while, who knows what could happen?
The Black Betha and the Prize wouldn't be enough to transport all those people and their luggage, so they were going to hire ships in Braavos while Robert collected the interest his account had accumulated.
Davos had also opened the matter about bringing his wife and children to Asgard, and Robert had been open to the idea but they would have to get a Maester first and that would have to wait until they returned.
Of course, sailing wasn't going to be easy because compasses did not exist here, and he had no idea how to make one. On Earth, the compass was first invented by a Chinese Dynasty but it was used as a tool for fortune telling at first, so perhaps they had a compass analogue in Yi-Ti?
He would have to get some scholars ASAP, and have them start finding ways to bring his knowledge to practice.
It was like having a mountain of gold dragons, but no way to use it.
He should actually start writing down what he remembers before forgetting things like Elia.
Dropping down another crate on the ship, Robert wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. He stopped for a while, watching the horizon, suddenly feeling the weight of his plans for the future and just how heavy it was.
But the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and he already took it.
He would finish it one way or another.
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The ships set sail the next under the shadow of three dragons, taking another step on Asgard's journey to the top of the world.
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Note: No idea how much a ship costs goldwise so I tried to numbers that sounded logical to me. I also confused Davos' ship with something else so I fixed it to Black Betha.
Narrow Sea
Evening
A week into their journey, the ships had set anchor as the sun was setting down and the cloudy nights made sailing a risk. Robert had landed on Black Betha to rest, while the dragons went fishing thanks to their night vision.
Robert was below the deck, eating whatever preserved food they had when he heard shouting above.
Davos went to check out but came down quickly.
"Pirates my lord, five ships approaching off the Starboard Bow" He said, nonplussed.
He had a dragon rider on the ship, the pirates were going to regret coming anywhere Black Betha and Prize so he had nothing to worry about.
Robert sighed in irritation, and went up to call the dragons back. They were going to pay for interrupting his dinner.
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Raiding became harder the less light there was but tended to be rewarding when you catch ships that set anchors to wait the night, giving them less time to get ready and escape.
That's why Captain Jala and his crew were excited at seeing not one but two ships waiting out there. Perhaps they were overconfident due to being in the middle of the Narrow Sea, but no Captain worth his salt would ever let his guard down in here like that.
He watched from his far seeing eye, seeing their target ship's Captain do the same. They weren't attempting to escape, even after seeing them approach. He narrowed his eyes, searching around the ships to see if they had reinforcements. Seeing nothing he turned to his crew, who cheered at his nod.
They would eat well tonight.
At least until someone shouted "Dragons!"
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Captain Jabal ordered the ships to turn around with dread in his voice. Of all the ships in the sea, he had to come across the one protected by the Father of the Dragons.
He knew deep down, however, they had no chance of escaping, but what else could they do, surrender and hope for mercy?
They were caught before ships were even halfway to turning back.
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Robert circled around the ships, his dragons surrounding the pirates and halting them from escaping.
As soon as they saw the dragons the pirates attempted to turn around and leave but they couldn't outsail a dragon.
"Do any of you know Westerosi?" he asked, as Free Cities spoke dialects of Valyrian.
He should get to learn the damn language sometimes, especially with plans to establish trade routes with them.
One of the pirates, a man with tanned skin, a couple of missing teeth, messy hair and beard, and dirty clothes, raised his hands slowly.
"Good, tell your captain he disturbed my dinner and ask him how he intends to make amends" Robert told the pirate and he turned to his captain, translating and after a small conversation turned back to Robert.
"W-we have loot and s-slaves. C-captain says you can have whatever you want if you s-spare us" the translating pirate said, stuttering every now and then.
Robert narrowed his eyes.
Slaves huh?
He would kill them all now if it wasn't that the slaves would die too.
"Does your captain think my time is so cheap? If he wants me to spare your lives, I'll need more" Robert demanded, like a thug harassing people for money, though he wasn't a thug and the people in question were pirates.
"H-he'll give you whatever you want, please just spare us" was the answer after another short conversation between the crewman and the captain.
"Whatever I want? That's awfully generous of him. In that case I'll take four of your ships, and leave you with one to sail away" Robert clapped his hands, quite happy with their offer.
This ignited a heated argument in the ship, but Robert cut it off before it got out of control.
"What is the matter? Has your captain changed his mind?"
"N-no, its just we can't all fit and sail on that ship"
"Well, you either take your chances with the ship, or with me" Robert patted Obelisk on the head and the dragon growled at the crew, who collectively took a couple of steps back.
Robert watched the crew slowly descend into chaos, shouting over who would board the ship and who would not, but of course no one wanted to be left behind. Tensions kept rising, shouts and pushes were getting more frequent before someone had enough and ran the captain through with his sword and threw the body overboard.
The sole mutineer shouted something and the crew cheered.
"We'll take the ship"
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Slowly and painstakingly, the pirates emptied four of the ships, leaving behind their loot and the slaves, with only whatever food they had in the small and beat up ship remaining.
They reminded him of those overcrowded trains from India.
He was letting them go so they could carry a message.
Robert Baratheon's ships were off limits.
That is if they didn't kill each other fighting over what food they had.
Either way, good riddance.
"Thank you for your contributions to the Asgard Trading Company!" he couldn't help but shout as they set sail even though only one of them would understand.
Loot wise, there was almost nothing, meaning they probably didn't find much in their last raid, as they still had the slaves.
Which were a problem. Not them exactly, but their conditions. Composed of a dozen men and women in total along with a child, they were tired, and starved.
They were lucky the pirates crossed him before they managed to sell them off.
Scared as they were, they let Robert approach after he landed on the ship. They were tied with ropes and he made quick work of them with his knife.
Davos approached with Black Betha and Prize, boarding the ship, though he stopped upon seeing the slaves.
Without even asking for orders, he had food brought over to the starving people, and had them checked for any wounds. They were mostly fine, other than bruises of varying colours.
Women weren't touched thankfully, as damaged merchandise wouldn't sell well at the market.
None of them spoke Westerosi Common nor did Davos had anyone who knew Valyrian, so communication was mostly through gestures.
"Will we leave them at Braavos, my lord?" Davos asked, coming to stand behind him.
"We'll see if they have a place to go, if not we'll see if they are interested in settling in Asgard" Robert said, and while trying to help everyone would not be possible, he would help those he can.
"Yes, my lord"
"So, four more ships" Robert gestured to the other pirate vessels.
"Yes, at this rate we won't have to build any ships my lord" Davos sounded amused. While the Pirate ships were more beat up than the Prize when it was seized, it would still be cheaper than building one from scratch.
"They are bound to understand that targeting my ships won't end well for them. I don't think we'll be lucky like this again" He muttered, after all even if the entirety of the pirate existence were idiots, they would still understand poking a dragon with stick was a terrible idea.
"If we take all four, sailing to Braavos might take even longer because of the barebones crews, depending on the winds"
"We can afford to be a bit late" Robert waved away his concerns, after all acquiring four ships would be well worth it, especially if they didn't have to hire any from Braavos.
"As you say. There is one more thing my lord. Are you going to use the words and sigil of your house or make new ones? At the least, we need to paint the sails with something so people know who protects those ships" Davos asked, after all even if the news spread, pirates couldn't be expected to know who they were simply from the ships.
"I'll get back to you on that" Robert said, he honestly hadn't thought much about it. Using house Baratheon's words could be done, seeing as Storm's End didn't have a fleet but he wanted something that represented Asgard's spirit.
Perhaps a Yggdrasil tree with words about progress and knowledge?
He would think about it later back at Asgard.
Now that they had six ships, he would see about finding a less crowded place to sleep.
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Braavos
Sailing to Braavos did indeed take longer just as Davos had warned, so much so Robert almost decided to fly ahead. They had nowhere near enough crew to effectively sail the ships, even with the former slaves helping wherever they could.
But finally they saw the Titan of Braavos in the distance two weeks after they sailed out and the crews cheered.
Standing 400 feet tall, it gleamed in the sunlight as if a warrior from the heavens sent to protect the city.
Robert flew ahead to meet Ferrego Antaryon to avoid any misunderstandings due to the pirate ships.
He was circling over the Sea Lord's Palace, waiting for the man to come out and invite him down.
Never let it be said Robert wasn't courteous to the people that he got along with. Naturally the Targaryens weren't on that list.
Most Braavosi considered Westerosi to be barbarians, but he was good friends with the Sea Lord - at least as far as that mattered when it came to the nobility- and none would dare say something like that to the face of the Father of the Dragons.
The man, young and far away from being the sickly and frail man he was mentioned in the books, had come out to greet him with his protector, Qarro Valentin the First Sword of Braavos and a ceremony of Water Dancers.
Draped in purples and blues, with brown skin, and a clean shaved round face from perhaps one too many deserts, Ferrego was a perfect example of a wealthy Braavosi.
Obelisk, Ra and Slifer landed as gently as they could and Robert dismounted, approached the man in question and removed his helmet greeting the smiling ruler of Braavos the same way.
"My friend! Welcome to Braavos once more." The Sea Lord greeted, with pearly white teeth that could blind someone, and held out his arm.
"Much appreciated my friend, though before we go in, I made some ship acquisitions on the way here and they bear pirate flags. Could you ensure they are not sunk?" Robert took the offered arm, gesturing towards the port.
"Ship acquisition? I believe you have a story to tell me" Ferrego turned to one of the Water Dancers and muttered something in Braavosi and the man left with a salute and then gestured Robert inside.
"Weirdest of things. Five pirate ships just sailed towards us and decided to donate four of their ships to me"
"Really? Perhaps your dragons had something to do with it?" The Sea Lord gave him an amused smile.
"Maybe, or it was just because of my charming demeanor. At any rate, they had slaves we freed and I was wondering if they had anywhere to go here? If not I'll offer them a place back at Asgard" Robert asked, after all Braavos was created by slaves who fled from the Freehold and as they detested slavery, they also helped escaped slaves whenever they could.
"Of course, we are always happy to help those who escaped from the wretched grasp of slavery"
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They were seated on the Sea Lord's study after Robert was given a room to change into something comfier.
"I heard about that dreadful business with Storm's End" Ferrego commented as a servant poured wine into two clear glasses, watching for Robert's reaction.
"It was their way of protecting me from Aerys, I am sure you have heard about him" Robert shrugged, while a part of him was angry, the other part had seen an opportunity.
"Most would be displeased about losing their legacy"
"Most people wouldn't see an opportunity as I do. Storm's End represents the past, Asgard will be the future"
A moment of silence took place as the Sea Lord contemplated, as if he wanted to gaze into Robert's soul to see how serious he was.
"Well then, let us raise our glasses to the future and talk business, shall we?" Ferrego held out his glass and Robert obliged.
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Davos approached the port with the ships, exhaustion clear on his face. The last weeks had been hard, with unfavourable winds and having to sail six ships with the crew of two. But at the least they were promised triple pay for this month and the loot from the ships, even though it wasn't much, making it worth their sweat.
He had a lot to do now, even more than what they had planned before sailing. New sails, new crews , at least temporary ones until they can find ones that spoke Westerosi Common, and repairs for the new ships.
After he slept of course, he was no use looking like a corpse.
Braavos
Sea Lord's Palace
The Sea Lord was a master of negotiation, as one who was elected to this position had to be, and just like all their previous negotiations this one was hard and tiring.
Not to mention the shipwrights he had sent over.
But they did reach a deal after two very tiring weeks.
Both Braavos and Asgard would waive any tolls and fees for the ships and traders of the other, and lower the tariffs significantly enough, with the option to fully remove them when Asgard grew big enough to handle more trade.
They also agreed on cooperation against piracy and slavery to ensure the safety of the Narrow Sea for both sides' benefit.
Ferrego also insisted on the involvement of the Iron Bank -probably requested by the bankers, knowing they were friends, as Robert refused to have much to do with them beyond the interest they gave to his gold- both in investing in Asgard as well as offers of lower interest rates for any loan he might take, but Robert only agreed to allow small amounts of investment, knowing even as wealthy as he was, he couldn't match the Iron Banks financial strength and any investment they make would give the bankers influence in Asgard. He agreed to the loans, but would try not to take any, unless it became absolutely necessary.
Free lodging for up to a week would be provided for the traders to support the flow of commerce, and they also agreed any long term trade deals would be discussed with each other first as a courtesy, and only then with others if a deal could not be reached. This would be implemented later when Asgard started to export in greater amounts.
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Braavos
Docks
So here he was, taking a stroll around the city with a translator and Davos who had had the ships repaired and refurbished, and filled their holds with trade items of value, such as pearls, gems, and accessories, as well as weapons, spice, dyes and silk. Not to mention the four hundred thousand gold interest he had collected from the Iron Bank.
Being a smuggler, he knew the most profitable items of trade, as well as their prices and where to sell them.
He also visited the artisans, especially the glassmakers, and their luggage would be loaded when the Asgard contingency was ready to return home.
They were talking about gaining access to other ports in Westeros, and with Robert antagonizing the wealthiest of the kingdoms, they had to come up with a clever solution.
As they reached the market area, Robert couldn't help but notice how alive it was. Merchants everywhere, peddling their wares, from basic necessities to luxury items, and everything else one could imagine.
He decided to explore the market, see if anything caught his eye. Food section was something even the Reach would be envious of. Exotic fruits, gleaming vegetables, various kinds of bread, dried meats, cheese and a lot more. He bought a little bit of everything to taste, and was about to move to the part that contained arms sellers before his eyes fell on something.
Yellow-green, elongated pods on the ground next to a merchant selling exotic fruits. He approached the merchant, inspecting them closer.
Cocoa pods.
They were cocoa pods of all things, put on a rag as if they were not worthy of standing next to the fruits.
"How much for them?" Robert pointed to the pods, turning to his translator.
The young man and the vendor had a brief conversation before he translated back.
"He says they are too bitter to eat, but are good for health if you can stomach them. It's one iron coin for all"
Right, claim something is good for health when you don't have any other way of selling it.
There were easily twenty or so of those pods and Robert saw no issue with that. When he was done with them they would be worth a lot more than an iron coin.
Robert handed the coin and took the pods along with the rag, until he found something for them.
"Let's go Davos, I'll return to the palace after dropping these off"
"Yes my lord" Davos wondered why his lord wanted to buy them, but then again he didn't seem to do things without a good reason.
Nonetheless the trio made their way to Black Betha but the translator stayed out when Robert and Davos boarded the ship.
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"What are we to do with these, my lord, medicine?" Davos asked, after all lord Robert was as healthy as a horse, as far as he knew.
"Hah, no. That merchant didn't know what he was selling. We are going into chocolate business with these"
Who knew making his own chocolate would come in handy like this one day?
"Chocolate, my lord? What is that?" Davos said, the word sounding foreign to his tongue.
"Just one of the best things mankind has ever created, and believe me, we are going to make enough coin with that to put most businesses to shame" Robert sounded so sure of it, Davos already wondered what this chocolate tasted like.
"Now we just need sugar, we did buy some right?"
"Yes, my lord"
"Excellent" Robert stopped, remembering something.
"Damn it, I was so excited I forgot to ask where he bought them, find that out, will you?"
Davos just nodded.
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Another thing Braavos was really famous for, was its courtesans. Robert had no interest in them but they did have interest in the Father of the Dragons, if the barges berthed around them and the really beautiful ladies making eyes at Robert was anything to go by.
The crew, though, was very interested, acting like lovesick maidens, but Davos knew how to run his ship so they didn't do anything but oggle.
He was out in the port, and saw a small crowd gathering to watch one of the barges. Robert just shook his head and went to see if he could find some lodestones. He may not know how to make a compass out of it, but maybe he could find someone that could.
The crowd had turned into an agitated beehive, two men shouting at each other before they pulled out swords and the crowd parted, giving the duelists a small venue to fight.
The Braavos Water Dance was a fighting style that focused on speed, balance and grace, similar to fencing.
It was interesting to watch but Robert wondered why they were fighting in the first place.
"They are fighting over Nightingale" his translator supplied, probably having noticed the confusion on his face.
"Nightingale?" Both sides of him had chased women, though Robert was more successful on that front, Matt had never gone as far as to fight for someone not interested in him.
The translator simply pointed out to one of the barges where a beautiful woman of light brown skin, full lips, dark wavy hair, sapphire blue eyes and a heart shaped face, dressed in dark purple silken attire that left nothing to imagination was standing on the deck, watching the fight, pleased.
She blew him a kiss upon noticing him looking, though Robert just turned to the fight, ignoring her, more interested in the fight.
The two men had similar builds, lean and agile, the Water Dance preferred accurate strikes to target the weak points in the body.
He could see why it was called a dance, but was over all too soon. One of the duelists, the one with longer hair kept going for the other man's face and when he overextended himself, stabbed him in the throat, leaving the man on the ground to gurgle and choke on his own blood.
Seeing no need to drag his opponent's death, the victorious duelist stabbed him in the heart, putting an end to his suffering.
The man then turned around to face the crowd, Robert didn't understand the language but could guess he was asking for challengers from his demeanor and they way he brandished his sword.
When none came forward, - though Robert considered doing it just to annoy the attention seeker- the man got on one knee, holding out his hand towards the most famous courtesan of Braavos.
The woman smiled, amused by the men fighting over her and threw a rose at the man, drawing out a cheer from the crowd.
Corny.
"Come on Davos, we are burning daylight for no reason"
Davos followed with an affirmative mutter, but lady luck was not on Robert's side today.
The duelist's voice rose and the audience slowly turned, stopping him in his tracks. He looked back to see the crowd had parted and the duelist was pointing his sword at Robert, making a "come" sign with it.
Robert pointed at himself to ask if he actually meant him and the man nodded.
"What's his problem?" He turned to the interpreter, not understanding.
"He claims you insulted Nightingale and challenges you to a duel" He pointed at the courtesan again, who was smiling with a devious grin.
"He has no idea who I am, does he?" Robert smiled, feeling giddy all of a sudden.
Robert approached the challenger when he shook his head.
"Tell him I'll fight bare handed" Robert muttered, stretching to get ready.
"He says" Robert stopped him with a hand " I get it"
The Water Dancer probably said something along the lines of " your funeral" from the way he was posturing and the cocky grin on his face.
Robert walked into the manmade ring, his eyes locked on the brown orbs of his opponent. He raised his fists in a defensive gesture, and waited. The Water Dancer was watching him for an opening, and initiated the fight with a feint stab. Robert didn't react, still waiting. The Water Dancer tried a couple more feints to no avail.
He tensed, coiled like a cobra ready to strike, and stabbed at Robert's chest with the grace and swiftness of a jaguar. Robert, with a quickness that belied his size, dodged and his opponent overextended himself, falling into the same fatal mistake the dead duelist did.
Robert's arm coiled around the sword arm of the Water Dancer like a snake and slammed his palm right into the man's throat, causing him to choke.
Next, Robert kicked him in the knee and when he was on the ground slammed the Braavosi duelist's arm to his knee with such force that the arm broke and the bone stuck out. The crowd gasped at the brutality of it, with some emptying their stomachs and the Water Dancer let out a wail of agony.
It didn't last long before Robert jammed the bone straight into the man's throat and killed him.
The onslaught happened fast enough for the crowd to take a couple of seconds to register the death of the Water Dancer.
Robert let the corpse drop and dusted his hands, throwing a look at the instigator of it, who did seem disturbed by the violent kill.
"Anyone else?" Robert challenged, but the crowd dispersed, understanding what he meant, while some of them dragged the body away.
"That was…" Davos searched for the right word before Robert stepped in.
"Brutal?"
"But well done, my lord"
"Yeah, let's see if any of these idiots ever challenge me again"
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Turns out that duelist he killed was kind of a big deal in Braavos, enough that people began to challenge him, either to test themselves against the man that killed one of the foremost Water Dancers of Braavos so quickly and efficiently, or to avenge him.
At any rate, Robert had enough and decided that to challenge him they would have to pay a hundred gold dragons or equivalent as a fee, which cut the number of challengers sharply. But he still did make close to a thousand gold dragons, and made sure to not kill anyone else.
No need to gain infamy in the city.
Robert didn't really care about the duels that much due to something else.
The cocoa pods.
Turns out they were from the Summer Isles, used as medicine and somehow made their way here. They weren't known much outside of the isles due to the bitter taste as people didn't know how to process them.
He would visit Summer Isles with a fleet to buy as much coca as he could after getting grinders and ovens specifically for chocolate making and he would have to get regular sugar shipments to Asgard. Reach was closer but since they were in the Targaryen camp making a deal might not be easy but shipping sugar from Braavos would increase the price of chocolate. He would make his choice based on Highgarden's - Olenna Tyrel's in actual- answer.
Workers would also be needed, but perhaps Tyrion's wife would be interested? In fact, he could employ widows and women that are looking for a new life other than selling their bodies, killing two birds with one stone.
Braavos
Docks
"Do visit again my friend, I am sure we both can stand to profit from further cooperation" Ferrego shook Robert's hand as the dragonrider was getting ready to leave, having concluded their talks.
"I'll be sure to, but you know how busy our jobs are. Stay well" Robert gave his good wishes and mounted Obelisk, the ships already were sailing.
They would head to King's Landing first to sell their wares and then make it to Asgard to receive the first shipment of wood from White Harbour.
Work on the prototype for the newly dubbed Merchant Class ships had already begun a month ago and would take around three months by the estimates.
By this time next year they hopefully would start constructing about a hundred ships per year with the amount of gold and time he was going to invest in it. It was a stretch, but he was going to build bigger shipyards than ever seen in this world and basically build a school to train more shipwrights.
Expensive, but invaluable in the long run.
The winds were favourable to the ships in their voyage back to Westeros.
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King's Landing
Red Keep
"She confronted Robert and none of you thought to do something about it?" King Rhaegar Targaryen questioned the Small Council and the King's Guard he had left behind, as well as his family.
He had left for Summerhall shortly after Robert's letter arrived, to see if any new insights could be gained from the diary, as the vagueness of the writings has been driving him up the walls and he wanted to clear his mind to not cause any problems during the triple wedding they would be having.
He did not find anything new, but the journey had cleared his mind, but now he had to deal with his wife's impulsiveness.
They were all silent, avoiding eye contact with him, besides his brothers.
"We did counsel her to not do it, but your wife isn't one to back down when she sets her mind on something" Aegon tried to placate his elder brother. They had truly tried, but she-wolf wasn't exactly the compliment most people thought it was.
"Everyone but my wife out, now" He ordered, looking at his wife who held a defiant look in her eyes.
They were quick to leave to avoid their King's ire.
"What were you thinking, Lyanna? Better yet, were you even thinking?" Rhaegar scolded his wife, and for all that she had been educated by his mother, the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms still acted like a child sometimes.
"He threatened you and you did nothing" She retorted back, icy cold to his scorching fire.
"I did nothing because he has three dragons, Lyanna, in case you forget. He can just burn down the Red Keep and we would be powerless to stop it. So yes, we will do our best to avoid any confrontation with him, until we are in a situation to deal with his dragons" The irony of what he just said wasn't lost on Rhaegar.
They, the House of the Dragon, were preparing defenses against the dragons.
Their ancestors must be rolling in their graves.
"You don't have to like it, my love, but you have to accept it" Rhaegar tried to make her understand with a gentle tone, as she would get more confrontational if they continued to bicker.
"Promise me you won't do something like this again" He knew how effective his melancholic smile was on her and didn't hesitate to use it.
"I.." Lyanna hesitated, not knowing if she could keep it.
"Please?"
"Fine. I won't confront him again" She caved in, incapable of resisting him.
"Thank you, my dear"
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Docks
A Week Later
Davos had already begun to offload the wares and receive payments. His smuggling contacts, merchants mostly, were lining up to buy silk, spices and accessories, while Knights from all over the Seven Kingdoms who were visiting the city were interested in armour and weapons.
It felt good to actually trade without having to look over his shoulder everytime to watch out for the Gold Cloaks.
Lord Robert had already returned to Asgard and they would join him as soon as they sold the goods and loaded up with construction material. He also arranged for passages of the crews they temporarily hired at Braavos in addition to their pay as it was discussed, and was looking to hire new crews to man the four other ships.
Luckily, in a city of half a million people finding crews out of work was easy, ensuring they were good sailors, less so, but not impossible.
He would never imagine himself in a position like this, where crates of gold and silver poured into the ships under his command, with him earning one tenth of the coin brought by the wares shipped by Black Betha.
A single trade voyage and he had more gold than he earned in a year as a smuggler. Not to mention Black Betha was repaired free of charge at the docks of Asgard, reducing the amount he had to spend.
But perhaps the most important part was that his wife and children wouldn't have to worry about him falling afoul of the law and end up in a cell, or worse.
Fortune had come knocking on his door and Davos never felt more grateful for it.
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Asgard
"My lord" Tyrion greeted him as he landed on the solid ground after a while, stretching his leg to get the blood circulation going.
They never mentioned in the books how numb your legs could become while riding a dragon.
"Tyrion, how are you doing?" Robert could see the bags under his mismatched eyes.
"Well enough my lord. You'll be happy to know there was nothing out of the ordinary to report"
"Where is my grandmother?"
"She left for Storm's End yesterday, my lord, to assist in preparations for the marriages of King Rhaegar, Prince Aegon and Princess Shaena" Robert raised an eyebrow at this.
His grandmother going to King's Landing to attend their wedding?
Weird.
"Ah well. How is Tysha, still bored?"
"Yes my lord, but she makes do. I have been teaching her how to read and she has been taken with it" Tyrion was happy to have a wife who shared his passion for reading, even if she was still learning.
"You know I just happen to have a new business idea and require a trustworthy person"
"Perhaps we should discuss it inside then?"
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Inside his temporary house and workplace, Robert finally sat down and put his feet up. He had changed out of his armor, cleaned himself up and finally could relax.
After finishing his business of course.
"So what groundbreaking business idea do you have, my lord?" Tyrion asked, putting the report papers he had.
Robert held out the sack he had brought and pulled out a cocoa pod.
"This is a cocoa pod. Eaten by itself, it is bitter, but if it is processed correctly and mixed with sugar and milk you have a sweet unlike any this world has ever seen. One that we can sell to the nobility at exorbitant prices, claiming it is very expensive and hard to produce"
"Is it, my lord?" Tyrion asked, wondering if he was actually going to scam the highborn?
"Maybe the sugar part, but the rest? Not at all, hence the need for a trustworthy person to oversee it"
"And since Tysha is usually bored at home and we are both grateful to you, you want her to take part in it to help you rob the wealthy?" The Dwarf of Asgard asked with a tone one might consider as offended.
"Exactly"
"When do we begin?"
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Tysha was quick to agree, especially since the offer came from Robert, and they began to plan.
A warehouse had been cleaned after a second floor was built to let the cocoa beans ferment in a clean and dry area and to avoid rodents. Manual grinders had been brought to the first floor along with large ovens outside to roast the beans.
Robert, as the only one with the knowledge of how to make chocolate, basically trained Tysha in it. She was quick witted and did not take long to get the hang of it, though practice would have to wait until the beans fermented for a week and Davos came with the sugar.
That week was tough for Robert. He didn't really think of chocolate before finding the cocoa pods, but now that he had after not eating any for more than six years, he was craving it.
Smell of fermented cocoa beans was strong to say the least, enough to give Tysha doubts in whether it would work. They had roasted them in the ovens after that and separated the shells.
Grinding it up with some vegetable oil and sugar, they let them harden in the basement in steel molds.
So here they were, as Tysha carefully peeled off the chocolate from the mold. They had buttered it so it wouldn't stick and now was the moment of truth.
She cut the bar into five pieces, and served it on a platter.
They all examined the brown pieces for a while, before Robert took a piece and popped it into his mouth, slowly chewing and enjoying the taste.
Seeing how he had closed his eyes to fully immerse himself, the others hesitantly took their pieces too.
They all had their own way of expressing their emotions, but Robert could confidently say they enjoyed it.
"I had my doubts, especially with how it smelled after fermenting, but I'll admit we can gouge the nobility with this" Tyrion admitted.
Nobles gouging each other for coin was nothing new, gods knew Reach did it when winter was approaching if they were left unchecked and Tyrion was sure they could succeed.
"And we are going to. We just need to promote it as a sign of wealth and prestige, and they would line up with their coffers open just to earn the right to boast" Robert already had an idea how to do that.
"We need a place where the nobles will gather and make chocolate known to as many of them as possible" Davos offered, a bit disappointed they didn't have more. He was sure Marya and the children would love it.
"And it just so happens the Targaryens are getting married and most of the realm will be there" Sandor joined in, grinning. He might not have the interest in business as they did, but he still could see the oppurtunity.
"Exactly. Now Tyrion, Tysha, find workers, make sure they won't talk about this business and start making chocolate. The ceremony is in a week, and we need to hurry" They already had some made, but more would be needed to send to the wedding.
Targaryens were proving to be useful to Robert, again.
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After the chocolate bars were ready Robert had taken it upon himself to go and deliver them to his friends and family in King's Landing. By friends, he meant the Stormlords and Arryn's as other bridges were burnt.
Dressed in his black and gold outfit, he landed on the courtyard at the noon of the wedding day, as the feast was going full speed.
Robert headed inside, greeting the lords he was familiar with on the way, and stood before the door to the Great Hall. The guards, upon seeing him unarmed and carrying gifts, let him in.
"Lord Robert Baratheon, Lord of Asgard" The court herald called out loudly upon seeing him.
Cheers and merriment slowly died as people expected a commotion. Robert was going to have to disappoint them this time, but what can you do?
"Get the hell out here if you are going to cause trouble" His least favourite Targaryen, Daeron, rose from his chair, with fire in his eyes.
"Trouble? I am hurt, cousin. Here I went into the trouble of inventing a new dessert as a gift to the couples, but you are accusing me of foul play" Robert gently shook one of the chocolate boxes he was holding to emphasize his point.
"How generous of you my lord, but we already had dessert" Rhaegar said, a half eaten apple pie in front of him.
"Really? Well then, I'll just pass these along and be on my way before you even know it" Robert smiled cheerfully, heading to where his family was seated.
"Here grandmother, I believe you will like this" He passed a box to her and to each member of his remaining family, hugging and making small talk all the while.
"We can talk later, I still need to pass the remaining boxes" This time he headed to where the Arryn's, including Denys and his family, were to spread his gift.
"You brute, you couldn't even send a letter to me?" Denys, Darling of the Vale, said, getting up to hug him. Light brown hair, brown eyes, a square face and a fair complexion did make him rather handsome to ladies everywhere.
"Why didn't you come yourself? Not like you are busy" He rebuked, gathering him in a bone crushing hug.
"So you decided to be a chef now?" He asked as Robert let him go.
"I am a man of many talents, Denys" He joked, before hugging Jon and Elbert and giving the future Lady Arryn a kiss on the knuckles.
"Anyway, I don't want to hold up the wedding too much. Drop by Asgard if you want to talk" He patted the old man and the man he saw as another brother on the back.
A couple more boxes were passed to the Stormlords, before he spotted Elia and Baelor and approached them, offering greetings and giving out more chocolate.
Elia opened the box immediately, curious as to what he made, before her eyes widened and she shouted.
"You made chocolate?!" She had a sweet tooth before, and the simple desserts of Westeros did not exactly cut it for her.
"Yep"
Elia took a huge bite from the bar with a clear snap, and began to chew, and before they knew it was gone, and she had her eyes on her husband's box.
"Are you going to eat that?" She asked, looking as if it was the last drop of water in the world.
Baelor, taken back by his usually calm and collected wife's actions, opened the box and slowly took a bite. His mouth was overwhelmed with the taste at first, but he got used to the taste very quickly and nodded.
"I must say this is good. Rich sweet and smooth, it melts in my mouth"
Elia and Baelor's reactions spurred the rest of them into action and they slowly bit into the sweet bar. Their reactions were more or less the same.
He passed the remaining couple of boxes to the wealthiest of houses, including the Tyrells and headed to the exit.
"Anyway, I'll be going now to not disrupt the wedding any longer, but remember my lords and ladies. You were some of the first people in this whole world to taste such an exquisite and expensive delicacy. If you want to buy, please send your requests to Asgard. A box of it, due to how rare the ingredients are, costs a hundred gold dragons. Oh, and I wish the couples here a good and happy marriage" Robert left, shutting the doors and leaving without explaining himself further.
"Baelor, we are buying at least ten boxes of this every month" Elia turned to her husband, challenging him to say no.
"Yes, my darling" Bealor knew that the key to a happy life was a happy wife.