Under the warm sun and a soft sea breeze, soldiers in silver-plated armor moved through the streets and alleys of Gulltown, silver spreading across the town in rippling bands.
The city rang with noise. Hooves thundered, armor clashed, swords slid from scabbards, spears struck shields, and curses mixed with barked orders.
The sound of doors being smashed open was especially brutal, and the soldiers' shouts carried far. Perhaps some tried to resist, but the enemies before them were no ordinary men. They were the elite house soldiers of Grafton, Arryn, and Shett, sent to purge the vermin, absolutely loyal to The Eyrie and burning with vengeance. Besides, the men who controlled these places had already been taken in one sweep at the docks. There was no one left to organize any real resistance.
"Those who resist, kill on sight!"
"Those who resist, kill on sight!"
"Anyone who resists is to be treated as Petyr Baelish's accomplice in treason. Kill on sight!"
The heralds shouted at the top of their lungs. Blood splashed across Gulltown, and those who resisted were put down on the spot.
The well-trained soldiers in gleaming armor advanced without obstruction, using the iron fists of crossbows, longswords, and spears to smash apart Littlefinger's years of work.
They formed ranks and shouted their battle cries, striking with preparation against men caught unaware. The enemy's hidden arrangements, taken by surprise, were torn apart like paper.
"Bang!"
Vale soldiers battered a door open with a log, then crossbowmen and Longspearmen rushed into a Sellsword residence near Gulltown's elegant customs house.
"What are you doing? We serve Lord Petyr!"
The Sellsword guards loyal to Petyr grabbed their weapons in a panic, only to be cut down by a volley of bolts. Bodies collapsed in every direction, by the canal, in the courtyard, blood flowing into streams and spreading across the ground before Gulltown's soldiers dragged them out the door.
"Long live the Storm!"
"Those who resist, kill on sight!"
The once-quiet white Gulltown had now become a realm of blood and violence. Violence broke out in many alleys and homes. Citizens, small merchants, farmers, and sailors throughout the streets sensed that something was wrong and quickly hid themselves away.
What reassured Gulltown's citizens and small merchants a little was that, at the very least, the men taking action were their own lord's soldiers. They would not burn, kill, and plunder their own people. It was much like the War of the Usurper, when Lord Arryn and King Robert broke through Gulltown, yet order was still maintained. Some of those hiding in taverns had already begun whispering among themselves.
"Whose soldiers are they?"
"Looks like Ser Uther Shett is leading them. The soldiers are elites from the three great houses, our Vale knights. From the look of it, Lord Grafton and the Golden Eagle are backing him too."
"How is that possible? House Shett has never gotten along well with the other two. Aren't Lord Grafton and the Golden Eagle close to Littlefinger?"
"I don't know. They say the King's son has come. The especially fierce one. The King's eldest son, wild like the King was in his youth."
The people of Gulltown still remembered Robert being the first to climb the city wall and beat Lord Marq to death, as if he had been unstoppable. They had never expected, after so many years, to witness the power of the Storm again.
"You mean that eight-foot-tall smith Gendry, the one who can eat a whole sheep in one sitting, killed the Horselord, slew the Kingslayer, and is built like a small mountain?"
"Bullshit. Lord Gendry is the beautiful, handsome, dashing First Knight. You're talking about The Mountain."
"But isn't Joffrey the king's legitimate son?" someone asked in confusion.
"Shut up. The fat man was fooled. That's the Lion. Joffrey is just a bastard hiding in his mother's arms. Does he look like the True Storm to you?"
Some of the bolder citizens had already noticed the range of the soldiers' movements: Gulltown's customs house, Gulltown's brothel, Gulltown's granary, and several Sellsword stations. That made the target of the purge all too obvious. Littlefinger, who had risen swiftly in Gulltown and stood firm for more than ten years, was truly about to fall.
The soldiers' operation to clear out Littlefinger's claws and teeth spread across all of Gulltown, and it went very smoothly. They fanned out through every street, arresting traitors, seizing wealth, killing those who resisted, and taking control of order.
Overall, there was not much serious resistance. Even when there was, it only brought more Fire and Blood. For anyone who dared resist, the Vale's Longspearmen, crossbowmen, and swordsmen were already eager for action, and they showed no mercy.
Gulltown's soldiers had always looked down on Littlefinger, a treacherous little man who rose by clinging to a lady's skirts. In the past, Littlefinger had always been all smiles and appeared very approachable, courteous, and deceptively convincing. No one had expected him to poison and murder their beloved Lord Arryn. That made him a villain condemned by both gods and men.
The soldiers coldly removed Littlefinger's remaining forces, and the operation was generally orderly. After all, the house soldiers carrying it out were children born and raised in Gulltown, carefully trained by the three great lords. For them to turn around and loot Gulltown would have been absurd.
Elite soldiers were still more disciplined than ordinary farmers, small merchants, and Sellswords. Even a butcher like Tywin would rob others first. He would not poison his own men.
Arrest them. Seize them. Take control of the warehouses and treasuries. Kill those who resist.
The soldiers also wanted to perform well before the Storm. Ser Uther and Lothor had warned them again and again that the Storm had specifically demanded discipline. So there was to be no looting, and no using the operation as an excuse to slip into brothels without paying. The Storm's rewards had always been generous, as long as they did their work well.
The Storm was watching them, and the Vale would become the sword of vengeance in Gendry's hands.
In the corners and alleys of Gulltown, the thick stench of blood drifted up from time to time. Carelessly discarded corpses and smashed doors told plainly of war's cruelty.
Open the history of Westeros, and much of it is Fire and Blood, a history of violence.
…
In the council chamber of Gulltown's city hall, the beautiful white marble gleamed as smooth and fresh as new.
Gendry wore robes of gold, black, and red today, the colors of the stag and the dragon. They made him look even taller and more handsome. Gulltown's tailors, too, were famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Around a long blue round table, Gendry sat upright on the high seat atop the dais. The chair's back was carved in the shape of Gulltown, and it had once been Lord Grafton's favorite chair. Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard and his squire Anguy stood to either side of him. Across the long table sat Lord Gerold and the Golden Eagle Isembard.
"Prince, according to our operation, Petyr's vassals and henchmen have now been completely swept away. The main targets were Littlefinger's private residence, Gulltown's customs house, several major brothels in Gulltown, the granary, the wool factors, the wine factors, the homes of the Purser and others... and a number of Sellsword barracks in Gulltown," Lord Gerold Grafton reported, looking elated.
When a whale falls, all things feed. War was the process of carving up spoils and sweeping away the old to make room for the new. Since Littlefinger had fallen, then those positions of power and influence had to go to someone else. The three great lords were closest to the prize, so naturally they would take the largest share.
Isembard Arryn also nodded. "Prince, those were the main places Littlefinger had infiltrated and entrenched himself."
"Have Littlefinger's tricks been made clear? I would like to see just what sort of game this lord was playing."
"We've mostly figured it out," Gerold replied. "First, falsified figures. Littlefinger's trick was, at its core, a form of financial fraud. Most of the accounts were fabricated and tangled, truth mixed with lies, year after year, until they became extremely complicated. He made the profits look impressive, but the shortfall kept growing. Much of it was reckless abuse. Since the accountants were all his men, no one checked the books. For example, with royal purchases, he would buy goods from merchants at inflated prices or sell them off cheaply, and the merchants would give him a kickback afterward. Once the gold was passed around a few times, the royal treasury took the loss while the wealth in between ended up in his hands. There were also fictitious projects. Money assigned to projects that never existed also fell into his pockets and the merchants' pockets. The royal treasury's massive deficit over the years was partly due to the king's lavish spending, but Littlefinger embezzled no small amount himself.
"Second, control over appointments to key positions. Littlefinger found money for the king, and in return, the number of posts under his influence kept growing. He also used many of them to reward his own subordinates. Plenty of people gave him money and supplies to obtain lucrative posts like Tax Farmer. In short, the realm lost money while he grew rich."
"Third, smuggling. With his connections and authority, he interfered with customs work and allowed smuggling fleets into port. Those smuggling fleets were practically his private property. It was also his smugglers who secretly brought in poisons such as the Tears of Lys, along with intelligence."
"Fourth, his personal businesses. Though Littlefinger was Master of Coin, he had his own enterprises as well, and he ran them very well. Brothels, granaries, and the like brought in fine income..."
"Then the tricks end here." Gendry nodded. It seemed this operation in Gulltown was about to fill his belly. All financial fraud, no matter how carefully wrapped, was still only wrapping. Littlefinger's fraud had relied entirely on his years of unshaken influence and the good fortune of meeting a king who barely paid attention.
Of course, Gendry still recognized Littlefinger's business ability. His foresight in stockpiling grain for autumn and winter alone was something many people lacked the boldness to do.
"Lord, according to my preliminary estimate, Littlefinger's personal savings amount to more than one million golden dragons. That does not include his real estate, fixed assets, debts owed to him, or his properties in King's Landing. This is only what we seized from Littlefinger's household. His henchmen also had a great deal of wealth."
Ser Barristan's heart tightened. It seemed Littlefinger was even greedier than they had imagined.
"Quite the skill." Lord Gerold handed Gendry several preliminary copied lists, and Gendry had his eyes opened a little. He saw large amounts of figures and accounts. Gulltown truly deserved its place among the five great cities. By relying on Gulltown and his authority as Master of Coin, Littlefinger had made a great deal of money.
Fraud, smuggling, selling offices, personal investments. He really had made himself rich, leaving behind a pile of deficits and holes. But now, all this gold would belong to Gendry.
There was no such thing as too many golden dragons. There was always somewhere to spend them.
Perhaps the money could be used to buy grain in small batches over time, in case the days ahead became even harder.
"Millions of golden dragons. These people truly have nerve," Gendry said, his voice heavy with killing intent. Once the estates were confiscated, this money would count as part of the treasury.
When cannons thundered, gold flowed by the tens of thousands. Wealth seized through confiscation was certainly brutal, but it came very quickly.
"Everyone else in Gulltown has already been secured. Only Littlefinger's smuggling fleet remains," Lord Gerold said.
"Put Littlefinger to the question, and be harsh. As for those accomplices of his who have no real value, dispose of them directly. Besides the location of the smuggling fleet, there are also people in the Vale who joined Littlefinger's plot, such as the youngest son of Longbow Hall," Gendry said.
Littlefinger's organization was like an octopus. He himself was the brain, while the customs house, brothels, and smugglers were his tentacles. Since the brain was gone, the rest would soon be dealt with as well. Gendry suspected Littlefinger might still have some foreign connections, so further questioning would be necessary.
"In the name of Robert I of House Baratheon, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Warden of the Realm, I, as the rightful heir of the late king, sentence them to death." Gendry looked at the list Gerold had handed over and stamped the first page directly.
Gerold had arranged it well. All the traitors were listed in proper order. A small portion had been deeply involved in Littlefinger's treason, while most had been deeply involved in his embezzlement and smuggling. All of them were headed for death.
"As you command!"
"Lord Gerold, Lord Isembard, before Littlefinger, who did these positions belong to?" Gendry asked.
"The Harbormaster, Tax Farmer, Customs Sergeants, wool factors, Toll Collectors, Purser, wine factors, and the like should be appointed and dismissed by royal decree, but the Master of Coin has considerable influence over them," Lord Gerold said. With a king like Robert, in truth, they were all recommended by Littlefinger. They were all part of the same chain, which was why they had been so easy to arrest.
"The power of judgment now belongs to you, so these people should also be appointed by you," Isembard Arryn hurriedly said.
"Draft a list between yourselves later. I want to see it," Gendry ordered.
"Yes, Lord," Isembard and Gerold replied cheerfully. They had not embezzled Littlefinger's estate, but these positions had originally included people recommended by them as well. Even without the prominent royal posts, the smaller posts could still be used to place distant relatives known to their houses.
"In my name, promote some small merchants who are weaker in strength but clean and reputable. The market may have collapsed, but the holes must be filled. These people can take on government loans. As for skilled customs personnel, I imagine Gulltown has no shortage of them?" Gendry looked at the two men.
"It can be done," Lord Gerold said with a nod. After all, he was the lord of a port and had a well-trained administrative team. Filling the vacancies now would only mean a little more work.
Beyond the posts themselves, the gaps left in the market also gave weaker small merchants a chance to surge upward. Granaries and brothels were businesses that never stopped changing hands.
"Prince Gendry, my lords." Ser Lothor and Ser Uther Shett entered the hall at that moment, both beaming. Lothor held a wrapped sword in his hands.
"What is this?"
"You'll know once you see it." Lothor stepped forward and handed the longsword to Gendry.
Gendry unwrapped it. Inside was a sword with a ruby-decorated pommel, an elongated, gently wavy hilt, and a blade like black smoke, edged in dark sharpness.
"Valyrian steel."
"Yes, Prince. We found it in the secret chamber of a wealthy merchant who was eliminated. It should be the lost famous sword, Orphan-Maker."
"Orphan-Maker. I didn't expect to come across this one first." Gendry rose and examined the sharp blade. Of course he had thought about famous swords before. He had already felt their value during his battle with Lyn. In narrow terrain, if an Arakh scimitar was difficult to control, a sword was far more suitable.
Several Valyrian steel swords had vanished without a trace. He had not expected this one to appear again. This sword had originally belonged to the now-extinct House Rockton, and later to House Peake.
Orphan-Maker was also a famous sword with a resounding name.
During the Dance of the Dragons, Ser Jon Rockton fought for Aegon II Targaryen and the Greens with this sword in hand. Fearless Jon killed Lord Toyne, then killed Lord Footly by cutting him in half. Afterward, he killed the dragonknight Hugh Shuff, and then was killed by Shuff's men while fighting one against ten.
After Jon's death, this sharp blade eventually ended up in the hands of the great schemer Lord Unwin Peake. Later, House Peake was implicated in treason, became involved in the Blackfyre Rebellion and all manner of other chaos, and Orphan-Maker disappeared without a trace.
"Lord Uther, Lord Lothor, the two of you are truly lucky stars of fate," Gendry said to them. Confiscating households was harsh, but the gains were considerable.
"We have Lord Petyr's generosity to thank for that," the Golden Eagle joked, and everyone burst into laughter.
...
On the third day, beneath a light drizzle, in a stretch of wilderness somewhere in Gulltown, under the banner of House Grafton.
House Grafton's soldiers brought out all of Littlefinger's diehard loyalists, customs officials, brothel owners, and others. Then the slaughter began.
...
On another road, a group of knights escorted several carriages toward The Eyrie, carrying Littlefinger toward his final hour.
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