Chapter 108: Act 2: Chapter 44

Twelfth day, Eighth Moon, 260 AC (+1 days)

Ryden POV

My throat was dry as I finished my speech to Prince Duncan and Lord Baratheon. Arthur stood nervously beside me; Rickard was excited.

Prince Duncan was indifferent at the beginning of the meeting, merely listening out of curiosity to Rickard, but his countenance began to change once he saw where we were going. Unfortunately, I could quite make out what he was thinking. He had an amused smile, not condescending, but a lightly amused smile as he listened to our speech.

Lord Ormund Baratheon chuckled after a moment of silence. He was a large, bearish man with short black hair, contrasted by a large bushy beard that was only starting to see a few streaks of grey. His clothing was richly embroidered but seemed ill-suited to such a large man. On the other hand, Prince Duncan was a lean man, though not small, with uncharacteristic black hair, and he seemed comfortable in his rich clothing.

"An interesting plan, eh, Duncan?" rumbled Lord Baratheon.

Prince Duncan chuckled. "Aye, that it is. Tell me, Master Ryden, would you have yourself in charge of this cavalry force?"

I cleared my throat. "I, of course, would defer to yours, or Lord Baratheon's, judgement in the matter, but I would recommend my brother, Arthur, to be a part of such an endeavor, as I had planned to lead my House's men alongside the rest of the North, under Lord Baratheon."

"And your brother is skilled enough to lead such a thing?"

"My brother is young, but he has trained most of his life alongside my father's Rangers and is well-suited to the task."

Lord Baratheon asked, "And will you be able to supply all the men necessary?"

"Unfortunately, I only have twenty such men I could give to this force, though thankfully most have horses."

"How many men would be needed for this force?"

I looked to Arthur, who said, "At least one hundred, my lord. Preferably two or three separate groups of one hundred in order to have some real effect on the war."

Prince Duncan chuckled again. "Well, you will be pleased to know that our own thoughts on the matter echo yours, though your cavalry idea is certainly interesting. A fourth state in the Disputed Lands serve's the Throne's interests, and I have my father's backing in this. Already we have made moves to solidify this politically, but your method may very well aid us in this matter. Your thoughts, Ormund?"

"Destroying the Nine's supply lines is much more important to us, but if freeing the slaves does as he says it will, I can see that being good for us. That's a big if, though."

Prince Duncan nodded. "True, but I don't see how we can find that out other than by trying."

Lord Baratheon cracked his neck as he thought. "Three hundred men won't hurt us too badly – though they would be taken more from your side of things, Duncan."

"Having the new state become a non-slaving state might hamper us in the short-term, though. The Faith would look kindly on it, but it is much more likely to collapse quickly," said Prince Duncan.

"It would ruin whatever markets currently exist, leading to a weaker state," agreed Lord Baratheon.

"But free men do work harder than slaves," replied Rickard.

"True," conceded Lord Baratheon. "However, the state we require is one that is strong to start."

"Aye, Lord Rickard, the new Essosi state needs to buy us time to solidify our hold on the Stepstones before the Three Daughters come looking to kick us out – and do not doubt that they will at some point," said Prince Duncan.

Dad had always said that politics was powerful, and political ideology more so. But it was a sword without a hilt, and one I had no experience in. A new, radical ideology could whip a new nation-state into shape, but who knows where it could lead? Or if the Throne would accept our preaching of it for this new nation. Words are like wind, and once let out of the container, you could not get it all back in.

"Surely, the newly freed men will fight fiercely to stay free?" asked Rickard.

"Mayhaps, but they will be disorganized – like any new state at the start – but they will also have little coin since their entire way of life has been overturned," admitted Prince Duncan.

"A strong man is needed then," concluded Lord Baratheon. "A strong leader to hold the nation together – a proper King."

Prince Duncan grimaced. "It would be nice, but the Essosi do not have the tradition of Kingship, and I fear that trying to force another new thing will only cause everything to collapse even quicker."

"What of that Myrish man?" asked Rickard. "Rex or something?"

"Rex is just their word for King," explained Prince Duncan. "And his name is Vidar Taeniar, and while he is trying to become one, it is over a broken state without a capital. He will fall soon enough. And, he is not trying to overturn slavery on top of his Kingship."

"Something to hearken back to the Valyria of old, perhaps?" asked Lord Baratheon.

Prince Duncan narrowed his eyes in thought. "Possible, very possible. Three consuls are traditional, but perhaps there is something that the Maesters might know of to cede more control to a single person."

"So, a more leader-oriented Valyrian republic? Will there still be magisters and the like to vote for the consuls?"

Prince Duncan shrugged. "We can work out those details later. The issue for me remains: will this work as you claim, young Master Ryden?"

"I believe it will," said Rickard, answering before I could. "People will fight for their families – we have always known this. When mysterious raiders attacked Ryden and Arthur's family, their father rallied the people around him – none of them were fighters. If Arthur can build a movement among the people, and we can keep it alive politically, it can be a big enough of a force to keep a nation together – at least, for as long as we need it to. It may not forge a nation to endure eternity, but by your own words, my Prince, we do not need it to."

"Very well," said Prince Duncan. "I shall take your recommendation to heart." He focused on Arthur, and asked, "What supplies would such a force need?"

Arthur stepped forward to hand him a report that he wrote last night. "Here is a list of what the Ranger's typically have. Everything is made with an eye for self-sufficiency, so no squires or other attendants."

Lord Baratheon let out a booming laugh. "That might drop the number of interested knights from the Reach! Those bunch of flowers are soft."

Prince Duncan looked sharply at his goodbrother. "It might reduce the interest from many knights. However, I have no doubt some of the hedge knights will be interested."

"Sorting out the equipment might take a few days, but that is manageable. The question is: why should young Arthur here be given command?"

Surprisingly, Rickard spoke first. "He may be young, my Prince, but his father has proven to be incredibly resourceful for my own father, and resilient as well. Michael Ragnar has risen to the challenge my father has laid out for him, and I believe that his sons will not be any different."

Prince Duncan raised an eyebrow at the high praise, mirroring Arthur and I's expressions.

"High praise," muttered Prince Duncan. "Very well, he can have overall command, but I will appoint men to captain the two other groups." He looked at Arthur critically. "See that you don't disappoint."

Arthur straightened and said, "I will not disappoint you, my Prince."

"I will have men assembled for you in two days. You two are dismissed. Rickard, you may remain – I wish to talk to you of the North."