Chapter 19: Dragonstone's Echoes & The Reach's Reckoning
The execution of Aerys Targaryen, conducted with such calculated brutality in the public square, had the desired effect on King's Landing. A pall of fear, mingled with a grudging respect for the new Lord Protector's decisiveness, settled over the city. The whispers in the taverns and marketplaces were no longer of rebellion or Targaryen loyalism, but of the Black Stag's iron grip and the omnipresent efficiency of Baratheon Consolidated Resources. BCR's propaganda machine, skillfully managed by a terrified but compliant Grand Maester Pycelle, churned out proclamations highlighting the end of tyranny, the restoration of order, and the dawn of a new era of "fiscally sound prosperity." The fact that this prosperity seemed to flow primarily upwards into BCR's coffers was a detail not emphasized in the official narratives.
With Aerys's "account closed," as Robar termed it, his attention immediately pivoted to other outstanding liabilities and potential acquisitions. Viserys Targaryen's defiant proclamation from Dragonstone, while militarily laughable, presented both a minor nuisance and a unique opportunity. Dragonstone itself was a formidable fortress, a historic Targaryen seat, and strategically located. More importantly, Robar knew from his GoT lore that it was the likely refuge of the last Targaryen scions, Daenerys, and potentially, the last dragon eggs. Dragons, Robar mused, were an asset class with almost incalculable future value, should they prove viable.
He wouldn't divert his main Stormblade Cohort or the allied Lannister forces for a direct assault on Dragonstone, not while the far richer prize of the Reach remained unconsolidated. However, ignoring the "Beggar King," as Viserys was already being derisively termed in BCR intelligence reports, was not an option.
"Lord Stannis," Robar addressed his brother in the war room, the great map of Westeros now dotted with new BCR administrative markers. "Dragonstone requires… containment. I am authorizing the formation of a BCR Maritime Blockade Task Force. You will requisition a dozen of our swiftest ships, including the Stormdancer, and supplement them with any captured Targaryen vessels fit for service. Your primary objective is to isolate Dragonstone. No ships in or out. No supplies. No escape for Viserys or his sister."
Stannis, whose grim efficiency had made him Robar's de facto Chief Operations Officer for military logistics, nodded curtly. "A blockade will require significant resources, Robert. And time."
"The resources will be allocated from BCR's naval budget," Robar stated. "As for time, consider it an investment in future asset security. Furthermore, I want Davos Seaworth to lead a covert intelligence unit. His task: infiltrate Dragonstone, if possible. Ascertain the true strength of its garrison, the loyalty of its commanders, and confirm the presence and condition of Daenerys Targaryen and any… unusual assets they might possess." He chose his words carefully, not yet willing to reveal his knowledge of dragon eggs to even his closest commanders. "Offer generous terms to any key personnel willing to defect to BCR. Loyalty is a commodity, Stannis; ensure our price is competitive."
While Stannis departed to implement the Dragonstone containment strategy, Robar turned his attention to the more immediate, and potentially far more lucrative, "acquisition" of the Reach. The ultimatum to Mace Tyrell, drafted by Tywin Lannister with the cold precision of a seasoned corporate lawyer and the veiled menace of a lion, had been dispatched by raven. It offered House Tyrell a stark choice: submit to the new Baratheon-Lannister regime, integrate their vast agricultural wealth into BCR's centrally planned economy, and accept a figurehead role in the new order, or face "summary liquidation."
In the Red Keep, the semblance of a royal court was being meticulously reconstructed, though it operated on principles that would have horrified any previous Westerosi monarch. Lady Cersei Lannister, her initial shock at Robar's cold pragmatism hardening into a wary, ambitious resolve, found herself navigating a gilded cage. Robar, true to his word, treated her with a distant, professional courtesy, like a valued but potentially volatile business partner. He assigned her oversight of the Royal Household, but under the watchful eye of a tight-fisted BCR comptroller who demanded weekly budget reports and scrutinized every expenditure. Cersei, accustomed to luxury and deference, chafed under these restrictions but was intelligent enough to understand that open defiance against her formidable future husband would be… counterproductive. Instead, she began to subtly cultivate her own network of influence within the court, observing the power dynamics, identifying potential allies, and learning the new language of BCR's Westeros. She was playing a long game, her Lannister ambition undimmed.
Robar, for his part, was largely indifferent to Cersei's internal machinations, so long as they didn't interfere with BCR's strategic objectives or negatively impact the quarterly earnings reports he was already mentally compiling for his Westeros Inc. He spent his days in the war room, a whirlwind of activity. His BCR administrators implemented new tax codes across King's Landing and the pacified Crownland territories, streamlined resource collection, and began investing in infrastructure projects – repairing roads, dredging the harbor, even laying the initial plans for a new aqueduct system to improve the city's water supply (a long-term investment in public health and labor force productivity). Maester Vaellyn's wildfire neutralization teams continued their perilous work, each success further cementing Robar's image as the city's pragmatic savior.
The combined Baratheon-Lannister host, nearly forty thousand strong, was a terrifying spectacle of disciplined military might. The Stormblade Cohort, now battle-hardened and fiercely loyal to their Lord Protector (and his promise of regular BCR pay), formed the vanguard. The Lannister forces, equally disciplined and resplendent in their crimson and gold, marched with the pride of the Westerlands. At their head rode Robar Baratheon, a figure of dark, imposing power, and Tywin Lannister, the embodiment of cold, aristocratic authority. It was an army designed not just to conquer, but to intimidate, to make resistance seem like an act of fiscal insanity.
As they crossed the Mander into the Reach, the lush, fertile heartland of Westeros, the response from Highgarden was telling in its silence. Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the South, was a man known more for his girth and his bluster than his military acumen. Robar knew, however, that the true power in Highgarden lay with Mace's mother, Lady Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns, a woman whose sharp intellect and pragmatic cynicism rivaled even Tywin Lannister's.
The Baratheon-Lannister army did not make directly for Highgarden. Instead, Robar, following his strategy of dismantling an opponent's assets before a direct confrontation, targeted several key Tyrell bannermen whose lands lay along their path. Lord Rowan of Goldengrove, a powerful Tyrell vassal, was the first to receive a "BCR restructuring proposal." When he defiantly refused to swear fealty or allow BCR auditors access to his granaries, Robar unleashed his siege engines. The advanced trebuchets, firing with devastating accuracy, breached Goldengrove's walls within a day. The subsequent assault was swift and brutal. Lord Rowan was killed in the fighting, his castle seized, his lands and considerable wealth absorbed into BCR's expanding portfolio. A new BCR-appointed administrator was installed before nightfall.
The fate of Goldengrove sent a chilling message throughout the Reach. Other minor lords, witnessing the ruthless efficiency of the Baratheon-Lannister war machine, began to send messages of submission, offering their allegiance and their resources in exchange for their lives and a measure of their lands. Robar accepted their fealty, his BCR agents immediately descending upon their holdings to conduct "asset valuations" and integrate them into the new economic order.
Still, there was no official word from Highgarden. Mace Tyrell remained silent, barricaded behind his castle walls, presumably dithering while his mother weighed their rapidly diminishing options. Robar, impatient with such prevarication, decided to force the issue. He ordered his main host to continue its advance towards Highgarden, while he himself, with a select contingent of his Stormblade Cohort, Stannis, and Tywin Lannister with his personal guard, made a swift detour. Their target: the prosperous port city of Oldtown, the second-largest city in Westeros, home to the Starry Sept and the Citadel, the center of learning and maesterly training.
Oldtown, while nominally under Tyrell overlordship through House Hightower, was a largely autonomous entity, its wealth built on trade. Its Hightower lords were proud and ancient. Robar knew that if he could secure Oldtown, he would effectively control the mouth of the Honeywine, a vital trade artery, and gain immense leverage over the maesters of the Citadel – a valuable intellectual asset.
As Robar's formidable force appeared before the ancient walls of Oldtown, a raven finally arrived from Highgarden. It was not from Mace Tyrell, but bore the seal of Lady Olenna. It was a terse, pragmatic message: "Lord Protector Baratheon. Your methods are… direct. Your terms for House Tyrell are punitive. However, continued resistance appears to be a fiscally unsound proposition. I propose a personal consultation to discuss a more… mutually agreeable restructuring of our assets. Delay your… auditors… from visiting Highgarden until we have spoken. I will meet you at a neutral location of your choosing between Oldtown and Highgarden."
Robar read the message, a humorless smile touching his lips. The Queen of Thorns was ready to negotiate. The Reach's reckoning was about to move from the battlefield to the bargaining table. This, he knew, was where the real profits were made. He sent a reply: the ancient, now largely disused castle of Ashford, once a significant holding but now little more than a border landmark, would serve as the meeting place. He would meet the Queen of Thorns, and he would dictate the terms of the Reach's integration into Westeros Inc. The acquisition was nearing completion.
Word Count: Approx. 3050 words