Act I: Chapter 9

Hello everyone,

Enjoy Chapter 9, and let me know what you think! A lot of stuff goes absolutely down this chapter and I'm excited for you all to see it!

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'Greenseeing Lvl 10.

Present: Range of 100 miles.

Gathering!

Healing!'

'Mutation: Petyr the Gatherer

Can grow Weirwood trees

Mutation: Petyr the Healthy.

Ability to heal oneself when in proximity of the weirwood.'

I started at the prompt for a while. I have been doing it a lot recently. It was my saving grace, the only thing that kept me from dying in this life. This new life that just started only a couple of months ago.

I was always aware of the prospect of death. Always have been. Without death, there is no life and all that jazz.

I am perfectly ok with death. In my experience, there is only life after death. The next great adventure as Albus Dumbledore would describe it.

But I was not prepared for this life to end. Not with the advantages I had. I lived in a medieval world that had a looming threat of an apocalypse on the horizon.

And I had the gamer ability, even if it was an extremely weird one.

The things I could do for this world. I am a lord with the ability to build my own city. I can help take down a dynasty, or I can help one prosper. I can become a major player in the Game of Thrones. I could fucking win it and crown myself king. I can birth dragons… well maybe in the future at least. I can conquer to my heart's desire.

I could invent, and propel this world into the Industrial Age. I could guide this world to prosperity and set it on the course to be a space faring civilization.

With my foreknowledge and the gamer ability, it would be a sin not to do these things. The wasted potential for all of humanity would be… astronomical.

I could do none of it if I die.

As Gimli's hooves hit the ground beneath me, I made a vow to see my potential through to it's apex. I will become King, and then perhaps emperor. I will birth dragons. I will see the world prosper under my reign.

I did not have the claim to the throne that Robert would have immediately after the rebellion, but if my plan succeeds it will only be a matter of time before I took the throne for myself.

'The road ahead is sure to be long.'

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We said goodbye to the Stark party when we reached the High Road. They would continue heading north on the Kingsroad until they reached Winerfell. Lord Arryn's party, and ours, would take the High Road to the Eyrie.

I was excited to see the Eyrie. It has to be the most unique castle in the world, if the show was anything to go by. I knew for a fact it had the most amazing view of all of them.

At least to me. I always loved the mountains as opposed to the beaches of the world. Something about being in the sky high above everything else made me feel all jittery inside.

Ned and Robert said goodbye to their family and future family. Lyanna even told me goodbye.

I said goodbye, but I couldn't muster up anything besides pity for her. I believe it showed on my face, because she frowned as she left. Brandon nodded in my direction, but nothing more.

My plan of befriending Brandon hadn't gone as well as planned. But at least I wasn't an enemy of the future heir of Winterfell. He saw me as an equal, or at least slightly below an equal and that was a win in my book.

Ned was a bit reserved after they departed, but he was always reserved.

The knights, and even Robert, eventually stopped being wary around me. Robert never spoke of what he saw that night he almost killed me. I never brought it up to him, and he never brought it up to me.

Maybe he knew that if he did that, he would be viewed in a bad light. Slandering me, to excuse himself for almost murdering me. We continued to spar, as I forced him to most days. In the beginning, he was cautious, but as time faded, he got more and more aggressive.

Ben also sparred with the man. I made a lot of progress because of the game and food buffs, but Ben made miraculous martial improvement for someone without the advantages that I had. He mainly used a sword and shield, as that was his bread and butter, but the way he spun the shield sometimes to create openings was prodigious. Most just held it up to block and that was it. Not Ben.

He sparred with Robert, Ned and I everyday, mainly because of my insistence. See normally knights wouldn't get to do such things with Lords, but I used what little influence I had to allow it. He was good enough to push them too. Most days, he lost to Robert and Ned, but those were coming farther and fewer in between.

I really did like Ben. He was easy to be around with a quick tongue and good humor. He didn't drink that often, preferring water to wine which I really enjoyed. I could only take one person acting drunk all the time, that being Robert of course.

Another source of motivation for me was the words that floated above his head all day. I was eager to unlock the Companion aspect of the game to see what it offered. Although I had guesses, I wasn't sure what it would allow me to do.

I was working on the assumption that it would require another significant bonding moment between the two of us to unlock the rest of it.

For the most part, our journey was uneventful.

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The Eyrie was just as magnificent as one would expect.

I stood on the Falcon Tower at the Gates of the Moon. The Gates of the Moon was a castle of significant size, although it paled in comparison to Harrenhal. It had two towers, the East Tower and the Falcon Tower.

There was a granary, and storehouse. There were dungeons, and a full guard. If everyone was to be believed, it is also larger than the Eyrie that I was looking up at.

"Roland the First decided that the Gates of the Moon wasn't significant enough for a king of his stature. When compared to Casterly Rock, and Hightower, he was right. So he commissioned a castle to be built, impregnable from any army." Jon Arryn said, as if had uttered the words a million times in his life.

"Nothing is impregnable." I retorted, before I could stop myself.

Jon didn't outwardly react to my statement. He might have even agreed with me.

"You are not afraid to speak your mind. Good." Jon replied, his eyes still staring at the Eyrie in front of us. "Do not allow it to become disrespectful, and we will get along Petyr." He continued.

A fair thing to say, I believe.

"Yes, My Lord." I agreed, also staring up at the Eyrie.

"Do you know why I asked you to join me?" Jon asked. I wasn't sure if it was rhetorical or not, so I answered.

"No, my Lord."

"You are not too presumptuous either, another positive trait. Or at least you are smart enough to hide it." Jon said aloud.

I was reminded of just how similar he and Hoster spoke. It was … eerie! Ha!

It was a common tactic as a leader, I suppose. It was a way to reinforce the traits of a subordinate you wanted him to keep throughout his life. Instead of demeaning me with what he didn't like, he enforced what he did. At least, when the relationship began he would. Once we got to know each other more, he would begin correcting traits he didn't like, as a father would to a grown son.

When you are a Lord, everyone else is your children. Didn't Robb Stark say that at some point?

"I expect you to say your oaths while you are here. You will be made Lord of Baelish Keep properly, in the eyes of the Gods, and the rest of the Vale." Jon told me, once he saw that I wasn't going to push him for more of an explanation.

"As you say, My Lord." I answered.

Inside I was jittery and happy. This essentially meant that my fostering under Hoster Tully was complete, and I was free to live my life as I saw fit. It also gave me control over Baelish Keep officially and nobody would be able to take that away from me, at least they would have a harder time of it.

"We will hold court the day after tomorrow in the Eyrie. You will be first on the agenda, to allow you and Ser Brynden freedom to travel to Baelish Keep. I will not keep you, if you wish to see your lands as soon as possible. In fact, I would encourage it." Jon told me.

"Thank you, my Lord." I said with a smile. I did want to get there as soon as possible, as it turns out. I could lay the foundations of my city and get a head start when I return from war.

"You do not have much land, you realize this?" Jon asked.

"I do." I said with a grin. It was something I had already thought about. "But I do have access to the ocean." I hinted.

Jon took his eyes off of the Eyrie and moved them to me. I met them calmly.

"You are ambitious." Jon said unblinkingly.

"More than you know, my Lord." I answered honestly.

"You have plans for the money you won at the tourney then." Jon said. "I would remind you that any significant changes to the Vale, you will have to get permission beforehand."

Well that made sense, but I didn't like it. Might as well try and get permission now.

"Well, I want to turn the keep into a town at first. I plan on finding a shipbuilder, nothing too big, mainly for fishing at first and then for some income into the keep. Major renovations to the old flint tower are in order as well. Maybe I'll turn it into a lighthouse for any wandering ships." I said and took a breathe to keep going, before Jon interrupted me.

"You'll need a port then. Any idea on how to construct one?" Jon asked.

"Riverrun didn't have any books on the subject." I answered truthfully. "But I had a few sent in from the Citadel."

"And how did you manage such a thing? They guard their books viciously." Jon asked with a frown on his face.

"If it is in the main library, and not under lock and key, then it is much easier for it to get… lost. For the right amount of course." I said mischievously. I was obviously lying, but I needed an excuse and the corruptibility of man was an easy one.

"I see." Jon said as he furrowed his eyebrows. I wasn't sure that he believed me so I decided to elaborate.

"There was a boy that traveled through the Riverlands. I will keep his name to myself if you do not mind my Lord. He was the son of a whore from White Harbor. She sent him to the citadel with orders to hop from merchants cart to merchants cart until he arrived. Needless to say this didn't go so well and I found him on the streets of Riverrun. I saw the opportunity to have a loyal man inside the Citadel and I took it. One word with Maester Vyman for a letter of recommendation was all it took." I explained, doing my best to talk clearly and concise. Not too many details, not too little, that was the trick.

"I see. Perhaps I can call upon this man one day?" Jon asked, but was really demanding.

"Of course, my lord." I answered. "I will even pay the fee." I said with a smile.

"Good, good. So you plan on a port, a smaller one at first?" Jon asked.

"Yes." I answered truthfully. I would build as I needed. No need to get carried away and build a port that would never be used. Probably just a few piers at first, and then expand from there.

"You'll need a shipbuilder also. Do you plan on stealing one from White Harbor? Or the Arbor?" Jon continued, putting the pieces together.

"I hadn't gotten that far, truth be told my lord. But I know it wouldn't come from Westeros, I do not want to make enemies so young." I answered. I already knew where he was going with this, but I wanted to see it play out.

"Smart, but you will make enemies regardless." Jon told me quickly. "I'm glad I called you here, this will be fruitful for you."

"It has already been insightful." I agreed as I nodded my head.

"Yes, well here is another lesson. As your Liege Lord, I will provide you with the young son of one of my best carpenters. He will serve as your shipbuilder." Jon announced seemingly out of nowhere.

Immediately I was on edge. Why was he doing this for me? What did he expect to get from it?

"For what price, my lord?" I asked as my voice dropped lower without me thinking about it.

"30% of profits from any ships sold to other houses, as there is no set tax of that in the Eyrie. You will already have to pay the fishing taxes so we will leave that alone." Jon answered quickly. "We'll start there, and should this prove fruitful, we will renegotiate in the future. I might even invest should you ask for it."

While he was saying this, Jon was walking away as if the offer was non-negotiable. It was a simple tactic, and one I was willing to challenge.

"10%." I counter offered quickly, before he could leave.

He stopped in his tracks and although I couldn't see his face, I knew that he was smiling. He thought I would roll over and take it did he? Ha, news for you old man.

"My carpenter, 25%." Jon said without turning around.

"I'd only ever give you 15% and that would be if you provided the smallfolk for workers." I said, throwing another caveat into the mix.

"Preposterous, I am doing everything for you." The Lord of the Eyrie said.

"I have the ship designs, and the port designs. If need be, I'll hire a carpenter from the Riverlands. Brynden is sure to know of someone." I retorted and I couldn't help but let a grin split my face.

"20% I provide the carpenter and the smallfolk." Jon counter offered.

I smiled, knowing that the deal was more than adequate for me.

"Deal." I agreed. "Thank you my lord, you are more than gracious."

"I'll have the paperwork drawn up, you'll sign tomorrow." Jon said as he continued walking away.

"Make two copies my Lord!" I yelled, to make sure that I kept one with me at all times.

'Ping!'

'Skill Level Up!'

'Negotiation Lvl 72

Ability to get a better deal during any negotiations.'

'Manipulation: Lvl 60

Control or influence (A person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.'

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I smiled at everyone in the court and nodded towards them as I made my exit. In my inventory was a copy of the contract signed and sealed with both mine and Lord Arryn's signature.

The carpenter and smallfolk promised to me would be at Baelish Keep within the month. I had until then to successfully draw up some plans for what I would be having them do and build. My greenseeing would be needed to maxed out quickly, because I wasn't sure how far away

Ser Brynden, Ben, and our party were ready to ride immediately. We would ride long and hard at my request.

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Baelish Keep was pitiful.

As soon as we saw the old flint tower attached to the coast, I knew it was our destination. The tower rose about three stories tall, and looked over the surrounding land.

Land that had a thin layer of top soil, and stone jutting up around every few feet. Not land that you would want to try and grow a lot of crops on.

Luckily for me, I was literally at sea level, and it was possible I could one day clear fields of the stone and farm something. It would take me a while to find out what grew best in the climate, but with my greenseeing ability, it shouldn't take too long.

Especially after I power level it.

"That is pitiful." The Blackfish muttered beside me as we looked upon the tower.

The party of knights laughed at the old tower. I couldn't help but join them. I felt Brynden slap my on my back in good humor.

"One day, it won't be."

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I rode at the head of our party, to show that I was important to the people.

Heads began to turn as our party got closer to the Tower. I was happy to see that as we traveled down the road, small homes began popping up next to small plots of farm land. We passed around five of these homes, meaning that while I wouldn't have thousands of people, there were enough farms for it to be considered a town.

Around the last 100 yards or so that led to the old flint tower, homes were built closer together down the main road.

We were arriving in the afternoon, and the sun was still in the sky. Folks were out working still, and small children were playing in the streets while the older children were learning the trades from their parents.

All in all, I had a small town filled with about a hundred and fifty adults and only the gods knew how many children.

As we got closer to the flint tower, I saw a man begin to walk out of it. He was a big fellow, but not as big as Robert. He was built well, and he still had color in his black hair, although it was beginning to get flecks of salt throughout it. He carried himself with an air of authority, so I immediately assumed he was the steward of the city.

Perhaps mayor was a better term.

I rode right up to him, and was about to announce my presence when he shouted.

"What do ye want?"

I was taken aback by the bluntness and accent of the man, and didn't immediately answer.

"Are you daft boy? What do you want?" He said a little more aggressively.

"My name is Petyr Baelish, and when you speak to me you will refer to me as your lord, do you understand?" I said.

I wasn't really sure why I announced myself as a lord immediately. Maybe it was my sense of entitlement, maybe it was because the man was making me angry. Either way, it didn't get the reaction I wanted.

"I don't give a fook who ye are. What do you want?" He asked.

I stared at the man intently for a minute, but I refused to look around for help and look weak. The knights behind me didn't utter a peep either.

After a moment of a stare down, I came to my senses and tried another approach. "I want that right there." I said as I pointed at the flint tower behind him.

"Can't have that, it's mine." The man responded almost immediately.

"No it's not." I said as I swung a leg off of my horse. I landed on steady feet and looked to the man intently.

"Says who?" The man asked.

"Petyr Baelish, Lord of Baelish Keep." I said as I pointed once again at the flint tower behind him.

"A little man, with a little cock." The man said as he crossed his arms.

At this point there was a crowd of the townsfolk, and I looked around to their faces. They were all looking back and forth at me and the man in front of me.

I had a decision to make. On one hand, I could let it go and let the man have the flint tower that was my birth right. This would make me look weak, there was no way around it.

On the other hand, I could beat this fuckers ass in front of me and sleep well in my flint tower.

The choice was easy, but I wanted to make a spectacle of it. After all, most of my townsfolk were descendants of the First Men, and some even followed the old gods. I actually thought that they were more likely to follow the old gods than the faith, and that gave me another idea.

I turned to the crowd that was gathered and pointed at the man. "Is this your leader?" I yelled so that everyone could hear me.

I saw Brynden looking at me curiously then, but I ignored it.

"No!"

I turned to the voice to see a woman striding forward. She was plain compared to the women that I had seen but easily the most attractive in the village. She also had bruises all over her face as if she had been beaten within the last week.

"Shut your fucking mouth woman." The man said as she stepped out of the crowd.

"He is from the mountain clans! They came last week."

'Great, I've got to deal with the clans this early on… maybe it's a good thing…'

I wasn't looking at the woman but at the man now, and he was pissed. He drew the sword on his waist and immediately began stalking towards her.

I mirrored him and drew my own once he got close enough. He saw me and disregarded the weapon, intent on walking past me and dealing with the woman.

"I will cut you down if you take another step." I told him as he drew closer.

The man was overly confident, and an absolute idiot, so he did not heed my words. Instead he changed his trajectory towards me, and swung a heavy blow that would have gone into my shoulder blade halfway into my torso.

It was such a telegraphed move that it was embarrassing on his part. My arm whipped up and deflected the blow. I moved past the man towards his back and sent a simple slash that opened his back.

The man fell to his knees and cried out in pain. His arms moved to his back, as if to keep it in tact.

I saw an opportunity for a great story, so I devised a plan.

Ignoring the dying man, I went over to Gimli, where a bag rested on his side. I stuck a hand in it, digging around for something.

'Inventory.'

I pulled out my hand from my bag, and with it came a weirwood cutting, a parting gift from Raventree Hall. I had been itching to test out my weirwood planting ability for a while now, and this just provided the perfect opportunity.

The man was doing his best to rise to his feet.

"Say aye if you follow the Old Gods." I said as I turned to the crowd.

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

Nearly the entire village answered me, confirming what I thought. Most of these people were probably children and grandchildren of the Mountain Clans of the Vale. They respected strength, and much like the north, they took to the Old Gods. I was about to become revered in their eyes. Perfect for my plans.

I walked towards the man that had obviously tried to enslave my people. He swung wide, once again, and I ducked the blow while walking past him.

I shoved my sword in the ground, and separated some of the soil to allow me to shove the weirwood cutting in. The man once again tried to cut me open. I parried the blow perfectly, and quickly sliced the inside of his thigh open before ducking to the ground and shoving the weirwood cutting into the hole I made.

I had to admit that the man was a warrior, as he absorbed the cut to the thigh and ignored it, sending a stab towards my chest.

I sidestepped, let go of the weirwood with my off hand and grabbed his wrist before spinning behind him.

I paused, holding his sword arm in the air, much like Bronn had done during Tyrion's trial by combat in the Vale. And then quickly I ran my sword across the man's neck. Immediately, blood splattered across the weirwood in front of the man.

I admit that what happened next was not what I expected.

The blood from his neck seemed to redirect itself in mid air to the weirwood beneath me. The blood pooling on the ground from his thigh and back cut flowed uphill in a river towards the weirwoods roots.

It was all very unnatural, and honestly a little disturbing.

You see, I had begun putting the pieces together for how this world worked. In Raventree Hall when I had revived the ancient weirwood, it had stabbed my hand and taken some blood to accomplish the task and mutate my greenseeing ability. When Robert had almost killed me by crushing my left lung, I had coughed blood onto the tree causing my ability to activate.

In the shows the seed of a king, or royal blood was also required for Melisandre's spells. Hell the Targaryen words are Fire and Blood for crying out loud. One could argue that Dany had to use blood and fire to birth the dragons again. We'll forget about the comet for a moment.

It was an easy deduction for me to realize that blood was the key to this world. Hell, the Children of the Forest had managed to break an entire landmass and wipe the arm of Dorne from existence. That was not simply greenseeing, that was magic.

And I bet it cost a whole hell of a lot of blood to accomplish.

The weirwood in front of me began growing. Faster than any tree had any right to grow. Within a few seconds it was as tall as me.

I looked down to the body beneath me to find it desiccating further, as if it was mummifying in front of me. Much like Melisandre had done when she took her necklace off. Blood continued to pour out of it and into the tree.

Soon, white branches began forming above my head and the tree that was no longer than my forearm turned into one that was about as big as the one in Riverrun. It all happened in the span of about thirty seconds.

I looked down once it was done growing to see that the body beneath me had all but disappeared to bone. Previously, the clothes had fit snugly around his body, but now they were loose around the boney frame of the man.

I hadn't really thought that the weirwood tree would have grown to maturity immediately. I was thinking that the blood would feed the tree enough for it to take root and grow gradually. Boy was I wrong.

When I turned around, my fears were confirmed.

Nearly all of the knights I had traveled with for the past month had their swords in their hands and fears in their eyes.

'Fucking hell.'

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End of chapter!

Oh Shit! I told everyone it was about to go down.

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