After the long, mischievous day with Jeyne, the castle had returned to its usual rhythm. Rodrik sat across from Yobert once more in the solar, a map of the Vale laid between them and diagrams scattered around. The weight of what he was about to say pressed down on him heavier than before.
Rodrik picked up a small wooden model. "This is a pulley-driven winch system. It allows for the lifting of heavy loads using minimal effort. With the right rigging, we can improve mining, construction, and even water-drawing systems across the Vale."
Yobert nodded, intrigued. "You've mentioned crop rotation before too."
Rodrik gave a firm nod. "Yes. If farmers alternate crops like legumes with grain, the soil replenishes itself. Yields improve without needing new fields, and that means more food with less land used."
Yobert leaned back in his chair. "If these work as you claim, they could reshape the economy of the Vale…"
Rodrik took a breath. He had waited for this moment.
"They're the beginning. But if we're to lead the Vale into a better future, there's more. These are the reforms I want to push forward once we have the influence and resources."
He raised one finger.
"First, we remove every maester from our castles."
He said this with no hesitation.
Yobert blinked, frowning—but Rodrik continued.
"Second, we set up a health care system—healers in every major town, trained and equipped, providing free care for the smallfolk. It won't be much at first, but it's a start."
"Third, we either negotiate and assimilate the mountain clans into civilized society… or eradicate them. We cannot have stability while they pillage our people."
"Fourth, we establish a concise set of laws, easy to understand and enforce, and a judiciary to uphold them. Every person in the Vale, high or low, deserves fairness."
"Fifth, we build an education system—not just for lords, but for everyone. Educated people will take the Vale forward."
He paused. "Each one of these will take resources, time, and a mountain of coin. That's why the ships and trade routes come first. But this—this is what I want to build toward."
Yobert had remained silent through the list. At the end, his brow furrowed deeply. "You still haven't answered me. Why do you want to remove every maester?"
Rodrik's face grew serious. He met Yobert's eyes and answered with full conviction. "Because they have too much power."
Yobert folded his arms but didn't interrupt.
"They determine who lives and who dies at birth. They control our letters—every message we send or receive goes through them. They teach our children, shape their minds. They manage our finances, our daily matters… even decide whether we're ill or simply tired. All that influence, resting in the hands of one man in each castle."
He leaned forward, voice sharper now. "And they're not ours. They weren't raised by our laws or among our people. They serve the Citadel in Oldtown. And who controls the Citadel? The Hightowers. A noble house, with ambitions of its own. We've allowed this order to embed itself into every castle and stronghold—an order that forbids family and loyalty outside their institution."
Yobert listened in stunned silence.
"These men aren't neutral. Their loyalty is to their order, not to the Vale. That's not just dangerous—it's madness. I'm not saying we drive them out now. But we build alternatives: our own doctors, our own scholars, our own clerks. And once we can show the other lords how easily that power can be turned against them, we act."
Yobert slowly rose from his chair and walked to the window. He stood there for a moment before turning back.
After some time, he turned to face Rodrik. "You've certainly given this more thought than most lords twice your age."
He sat back down and leaned forward, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"On the matter of removing the maesters…" Yobert began, his voice measured. "The points you make are logical—troubling, but logical. However, you're underestimating the weight of what you're suggesting."
He held up a hand. "Before we can even think about removing them, we need to create alternatives. Healers, stewards, scribes, letter-runners, tutors… all trained and loyal to us. And that's no easy task."
Rodrik nodded grimly.
"Then," Yobert continued, "you'll need to convince every noble family under our banner that their trusted maester—who likely raised them, taught them, held their children—is a threat. That'll be near impossible. They don't see maesters as outsiders; they see them as kin."
He narrowed his eyes. "Unless… there's some very public betrayal. Something undeniable. Without that, they'll never agree."
Rodrik opened his mouth, but Yobert raised a finger.
"And lastly," he said, "you'll need royal approval. You can't remove every maester in the Vale without the king noticing. And all of this must happen without our own maester discovering a whisper of it. You understand how delicate that is?"
Rodrik gave a slow, accepting nod.
"Now, for the healthcare system…" Yobert leaned back. "This one's more feasible. Nobles won't resist—healthy smallfolk means a productive workforce. The Citadel won't care; they don't treat the smallfolk anyway. But…"
He tapped the table. "All the money will come from you. Nobles will praise the idea, maybe support it in words, but when it comes to their coin purses? They'll vanish."
Rodrik chuckled dryly. He expected as much.
"And the real issue," Yobert added, "is manpower. You'll need hundreds of healers, trained and equipped. Where do you find them? The Citadel won't supply them. You'll have to build your own medical school. That's a task of years."
"Third," Yobert continued, "the mountain clans." He sighed. "We've tried. For decades, we've tried. They won't face us in open battle, and they vanish into the hills. If you want to deal with them once and for all, you'll need a massive army and years of campaigning. That too—will require coin."
Rodrik leaned forward, fingers steepled.
"Fourth—the law." Yobert looked directly at him. "Rodrik, this is the one that'll set the whole Vale ablaze."
Rodrik stiffened.
"Creating a universal legal code sounds just, but nobles will see it as a threat to their autonomy. They will call it overreach. They will resist. And if you try to centralize the judiciary—"
"They'll rebel," Rodrik said quietly.
"Yes," Yobert agreed. "The only way this has even a sliver of a chance is if you let each noble hold final authority in their own lands. Let the judiciary handle common cases, but make sure only the nobility can alter rulings or create new laws in their territory. Make it look like a tool to help them, not one to control them. Keep repeating that it reduces their workload. That's how you sell it."
Rodrik clenched his jaw but said nothing.
"And lastly—education."
Yobert's tone darkened.
"This one… is dangerous. Not just for the Vale. For the whole realm."
Rodrik looked up.
"You start educating the smallfolk, Rodrik, and you'll unravel everything the Seven Kingdoms rest on. Why do we rule? Because they believe it's our right. We're above them. That's what keeps the peace. You give them knowledge, and they'll start questioning. Not just the system—but you."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowed.
"You try to educate them en masse, and the Targaryens will see you as a threat. You'll invite a royal response—and not the polite kind."
Rodrik stared into the fire. Yobert's words hit harder than he expected.
"And frankly," Yobert added, softer this time, "I can't let you go through with that. That would be the one reform even I would have to stop."
The fire popped, casting dancing light between them.
Rodrik didn't argue. He sat quietly, processing everything. His vision remained intact, but now it wore the weight of reality on its shoulders.