The Dread Lord of Essos (Ch. 16)

The Dread Lord of Essos

Chapter 16

Dinner that night was a morose and silent affair. It seemed that they finally came to the same conclusion that he did. Soon the citizens of King’s Landing would revolt if things didn’t change fast. If that wasn’t enough to get them thinking, the fact that the vegetables on their plate that night weren’t particularly fresh was. As it turned out, a merchant ship that was supposed to bring in a fresh load of fruits and vegetables was sunk right off the coast by one of Stannis Baratheon’s warships. Now that they would have to suffer, suddenly everything was becoming very real.

His father knew what it was like to go without. He had been in custody for a decent amount of time and wasn’t treated as well as Harry would have liked. Tywin knew as well. While he personally had never suffered greatly, he was old enough to have seen his men suffer from the consequences of war. Cersei had never experienced this type of thing, and she wasn’t taking it kindly.

Everyone finished their meals faster than normal with very little chatter. Through the open window, they could still hear that the city was livelier than normal. Shouts and screams echoed through the lanes and alleys of the wretched city, keeping Cersei and her children on edge. The one bright spot of the evening was that Joffrey was still sick, and Harry didn’t have to deal with his stupidity. After dinner, each excused themselves without saying much else. Harry went back to his room and took a bath, scrubbing off the stink of the city from his earlier journey through it. Not bothering with clothes since the night was warm, he climbed into bed and picked up a stack of papers that he had retrieved from Missandei earlier in the day. Work stopped for no one … not even him. He was just going over crop yields when the door opened up. He was unsurprised to see Cersei come through the door. She was the only one who never knocked. He watched as she walked over to him. Stopping by the side of the bed, she eyed his shirtless upper body before letting them travel downward. His lower half was covered by very expensive silk sheets made in Myr. He brought luxury with him no matter where he went.

“I need to speak with you,” she said, standing there in her red and gold dress that bared some of her shoulders and a little bit of cleavage.

“I can see that,” he told her, setting his reports on the bedside table. “What about?”

“The situation we find ourselves in,” she said, looking him in the eyes. Harry gave her a slight smile.

“I am not in any situation. I will leave in a few weeks and go home to my beautiful castle where my subjects kiss the ground I walk on,” he replied truthfully. “You, on the other hand, are in a spot of trouble.”

Cersei looked as if she wanted to slap him, which she probably did. However, she was smart enough to not give in to her desires. “So it would seem,” she said with some reluctance.

“Did you speak with grandfather about getting you out of trouble?”

“I did.” She gave a slight nod.

“And …?”

“He has not given me a straight answer,” Cersei confessed.

“That’s because there isn’t a straight answer to give,” Harry explained. “If he gives you the money, the Lannister family will be in serious financial trouble. Possibly too much trouble to get himself out of. But the loan from the Iron Bank is only half of the problem. You’d need much more gold to bring in enough food to quell the tempers of the city. You’d need more time as well. Sadly, time is running out,” Harry said.

“If he doesn’t give you the money, your family will probably lose their claim to the throne … but grandfather will likely survive along with the Lannister family. He’s smart enough that he’ll be able to work a deal with whoever sits on the throne next. He already did it once with Robert and the Targaryens.”

“So father sees leaving us to be slaughtered as the lesser of two evils?” she asked, her hands clenched into fists. Harry nodded.

“Yes. And make no mistake, he will soon give you an excuse as to why he must leave. He’ll claim to be going out to make a deal with the Tyrells or some other family. At that time, you and Joffrey will be on your own. I would not be surprised if he forces father back to the Rock.”

“You’re serious?” she asked, looking shocked by his candidness.

“It’s what I would do in his position. I was also told by a certain spy of mine that the crew of grandfather’s private ship has been staying close to the ship and keeping it stocked with enough food for a several-week journey … as if they are ready to leave at any time. Make of that what you will.”

“I cannot believe this!” she hissed, sitting down next to him on the edge of his bed.

“Why not? He has always been ruthless. It fits his personality perfectly,” Harry chuckled. She sighed.

“And what are we to do? Cower in our castle until the mob batters down the door?” she asked. Harry shrugged.

“Cut grandfather off at the knees. Make your own deals. Contrary to what he believes, he doesn’t rule Westeros. No matter how much gold he is owed.”

Cersei thought about it for a moment. She wanted to ask him to burn their enemies with his dragon, but his dislike for Joffrey was well known by then. Tywin had also already explained that he refused to fight a war in Westeros. He had his own lands to worry about.

“So what we need is a mountain of gold and a lot of food,” she said, sounding as if she was talking to herself. Cersei could be very cooperative when it came to saving her own neck. To be fair to the woman, she legitimately did love her children and wanted the best for them.

“To sum it up,” Harry nodded. It wasn’t long before she turned her sights on him again.

“I’ve heard rumors that you’re doing well for yourself over in Essos. Are they true?”

“Most likely,” he smiled cheekily.

“Then why not loan us the gold?” she said, clearly annoyed. Harry rolled his eyes.

“The Crown owes money to the Iron Bank, the Lannisters, the Faith, and the Tyrells. There are probably a few more that I don’t know about. Loaning money to your son seems like a losing proposition if you ask me … and as I told Grandfather, I have my own kingdom to worry about.”

Cersei snorted. “You keep saying you have a kingdom. How much of a kingdom could you possibly have?” She heard some rumors about his wealth, but she never believed some of the fancier stories.

“It’s a work in progress,” Harry smiled, placing his hands behind his head and threading his fingers together. “But I have more gold than I can spend in a thousand lifetimes. My coffers make the Lannisters look like beggars. I have an entire kingdom of fertile land that will soon be populated. My city is the cleanest and most beautiful that has ever existed, and everyone living there has full bellies. I provide food and lumber to most of Essos at this point. Even now, I’m stockpiling food for the coming winter,” he smirked at her. “When winter hits, I’ll still be growing so much food that every kingdom from the North to Asshai will be begging me for assistance. And they will receive it … for a price.”

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