Chapter 8: The Price of Power (107-109 AC)
The initial years of King Viserys I's reign, from 103 to 106 AC, had been a period of calculated establishment. His new laws, particularly those regarding dragons and the formation of the Royal Army, were met with a stunned silence that gradually morphed into grudging acceptance, enforced by the chilling sight of Balerion's renewed might. The visible improvements in King's Landing, from cleaner streets to faster communication, quietly built a foundation of support among the smallfolk and a growing awe among the more pragmatic lords. Viserys was proving to be a king unlike any before him, a ruler who blended ancient power with a disconcerting new wisdom.
Yet, Westeros was a land steeped in centuries of tradition, where noble houses guarded their ancient rights with fierce pride. The centralization of power was not merely a theoretical concept; it was a direct challenge to the very identity of the Great Houses, particularly their control over their own levies. While Lord Corlys Velaryon, ever the astute observer, had voiced his concerns, the direct challenge to Viserys's authority inevitably came from a different quarter, one rooted in pride and a misplaced sense of historical prerogative.
The storm began, subtly at first, in the Westerlands. House Lannister, always a power unto themselves, with their vast gold mines and formidable armies, chafed under the new decrees. Lord Gerold Lannister, a man of immense wealth and an even vaster ego, saw Viserys's demand for permanent royal levies as an insult, a degradation of his house's ancient martial traditions. He believed the King, for all his dragon, was still too young, too much of an upstart, to truly break centuries of established order. He relied on the old ways, the unspoken agreements between Crown and vassal.
Word reached the Red Keep that Lord Gerold was dragging his feet on the royal levy quotas, sending fewer men than demanded and providing excuses about ongoing border skirmishes and the need for local defense. His correspondence grew increasingly terse, bordering on insolence. This was precisely the kind of subtle rebellion Viserys had anticipated, and it was precisely the kind he intended to crush with overwhelming force.
He called a meeting of his Small Council, now populated with men he had carefully selected over the years – loyalists he had cultivated, efficient administrators, and sharp minds who understood his vision. Queen Rhaenys, ever present and insightful, sat beside him.
> "Lord Gerold Lannister believes himself exempt from the Crown's law," Viserys stated, his voice calm, devoid of anger, which made it all the more chilling. He held a raven scroll in his hand, its seal broken. "He sends two score men when five score are demanded. He claims his gold is for his own defense, not the Crown's new army."
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Grand Maester Runciter coughed nervously. "Your Grace, perhaps a royal envoy, a personal address to Lord Gerold, might soothe his… concerns. He is a proud man, and the Lannisters are a strong house."
Lord Corlys, ever pragmatic, watched Viserys closely. He recognized the look in the King's eyes. This wasn't about negotiation.
> "His concerns are irrelevant," Viserys replied, his gaze sweeping over the council. "His actions are defiance. And defiance to the Crown is treason. The Lannisters, for all their gold, must learn that gold cannot buy them immunity from the Iron Throne's will." He paused, his voice dropping slightly, filled with an unspoken threat. "A strong house that defies the Crown sets a dangerous precedent for all others."
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Queen Rhaenys, her expression serene, added, "A swift lesson, properly delivered, can prevent a hundred future rebellions." Her support for Viserys's methods was unwavering. She understood the necessity of ruthlessness in establishing absolute authority.
Viserys's decision was made: a public, undeniable demonstration of power. He would not send an army. He would send Balerion.
He dispatched a single, short raven message to Casterly Rock: "Lord Gerold Lannister. Deliver the full levy to King's Landing by the end of the next moon, or face the Dragon's Justice. Viserys Targaryen, First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm."
The message was unambiguous. Lord Gerold, however, interpreted it as a bluff. He scoffed, believing Viserys would never risk a full-scale war over a few score men. He underestimated the new King's resolve, and his willingness to demonstrate ultimate power.
On the appointed day, precisely one moon after the raven was sent, the skies above Casterly Rock darkened. The thunder was not from a storm, but from the immense beating wings of Balerion the Black Dread. He descended upon the ancient, seemingly impregnable fortress, his black scales gleaming, his roar shaking the very foundations of the rock.
Viserys, astride Balerion, did not speak. He did not need to. He commanded Balerion to unleash a focused torrent of black flame upon the Lannister barracks and the outer walls of the castle. The screams of burning men, the smell of scorched stone and flesh, filled the air. He did not touch the main keep, nor the mines, nor the people of Lannisport. His target was precise: the symbols of Lannister military power and defiance. Balerion's fire melted stone, buckled steel, and left behind a smoldering testament to the cost of resistance.
After a terrifying, agonizing hour, Viserys gave a command, and Balerion ascended, leaving Casterly Rock smoking, humbled, and utterly terrified. Viserys then flew to Lannisport, Balerion circling slowly over the harbor, his shadow falling over the bustling city. The docks emptied, the streets cleared, as the common folk gazed up in terrified awe. He did not burn Lannisport. He merely showed them what could be done.
He sent a second raven. This one, addressed to the now terrified and thoroughly cowed Lord Gerold, was even shorter: "The Dragon's Justice has been delivered. Your choice remains: fealty or ash. Send your levies, or be consumed. I require not only your men, but a substantial tribute in gold to rebuild what your defiance destroyed."
Within days, not only did the full quota of Lannister levies arrive in King's Landing, but also a massive procession of gold, far more than Viserys had initially demanded, personally delivered by Lord Gerold himself, his face pale and haggard. He swore fealty, broken and chastened.
The message was clear throughout the Seven Kingdoms: Viserys I was not Jaehaerys. He would not conciliate. He would dominate. The incident with House Lannister became a whispered legend, a cautionary tale. No other Great House dared to openly defy the levy demands, or any other royal decree, for the remainder of Viserys's reign. The Royal Army swelled with men from every corner of the realm, trained to a new standard of discipline and loyalty.
The suppression of open defiance allowed Viserys to accelerate his internal reforms. He understood that a powerful military needed to be sustained by a robust economy and effective administration. Building on his earlier successes, he pushed for greater standardization across the realm.
He introduced uniform weights and measures, a concept radical for a feudal society. Previously, a pound of grain or a length of cloth could vary wildly from one kingdom to another, leading to inefficiencies and opportunities for local lords to cheat. Viserys issued royal decrees, enforced by his new network of Crown agents, establishing official royal standards for all measurements.
> "A bushel of wheat in the Reach shall be the same as a bushel in the North," Viserys declared to the Master of Laws, "and a bolt of wool from the Westerlands shall be measured by the same yardstick as one from the Stormlands. Such discrepancies breed chaos and distrust. Order brings prosperity."
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This move, while seemingly mundane, had profound economic implications. It facilitated fairer trade, streamlined tax collection, and made it easier for the Crown to assess the true wealth and productivity of each region. It also subtly eroded the local authority of lords who had previously profited from manipulating varying standards.
Furthermore, Viserys began to lay the groundwork for a more centralized justice system. While local lords still held sway in their demesnes, Viserys began hearing more cases directly from the Crownlands, and even from disputes between minor lords, bypassing the Great Lords' jurisdiction. He established a system of royal circuit judges, trusted individuals (often younger, ambitious knights or scholarly maesters loyal to the Crown) who would travel throughout the realm, hearing appeals and enforcing royal edicts directly. They reported solely to the Iron Throne, creating a parallel system of justice that chipped away at the judicial autonomy of the regional powers.
> "Justice," Viserys explained to his newly appointed royal judges, "must flow from the Crown, pure and uncorrupted, reaching every corner of the realm. A smallfolk in the Riverlands should know that the King's justice is available to him, not just the whims of his local lord. This binds them to the Throne."
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These changes, implemented gradually over the next few years (107-109 AC), were far-reaching. They were not designed to provoke immediate rebellion, but to slowly, inexorably, tie the entire realm more tightly to the Iron Throne. By strengthening the Crown's administrative reach, unifying its economic standards, and demonstrating the swift, terrible price of defiance, Viserys was systematically dismantling the decentralized power structure of Westeros. The Great Houses still existed, but their power was increasingly dependent on the King's grace, rather than their own inherent strength. The Dragon's Gambit was proceeding exactly as Marco De Luca had envisioned – building an unassailable dynasty, one calculated, ruthless step at a time.
How does this chapter resonate with your vision for Viserys's reign?