chapter 13 the liqour giant

After two long months confined in the Red Keep, I finally returned to my lands, the king's decree ringing in my ears: I was to create new types of alcohol. His blessing was a precious gift, one my grandfather resented. I had not let him into my burgeoning business, but his discontent was of little consequence. The king's word held weight, even after his Hand had discovered that the king gave me free reign to build my own literal army and construct ships for trade. The king had no intention of reversing his orders, especially with so many witnesses to his promise.

Upon my return, I surveyed my warehouses, filled to the brim with barrels of vodka and various meads. Each barrel would sell for ten gold dragons—a bargain in a world where nothing like it existed. I envisioned bars sprouting across the kingdoms, each adorned with my emblem, a mark of quality and exclusivity. Should anyone attempt to steal my formula or trademark, I would not hesitate to add their skulls to my growing collection, a grim warning to those who dared challenge me.

My father embraced his new responsibilities with fervor, investing the 165,000 gold dragons we had earned during the tournament wisely. After repaying my grandfather, I set my sights on my next venture: merchant ships. Each vessel would cost between one to five thousand gold dragons but i wanted the best and larger ones, and I intended to have them outfitted with copper hulls for speed and durability, a further investment of 500 gold dragons per ship. I hired skilled blacksmiths to undertake the task, bringing their families to my little village—a place that was quickly becoming a hub of activity, thanks to the addition of a bar and a brothel to cater to my workers.

I ordered twenty merchant ships, each costing 5,500 gold dragons, totaling 110,000 gold. The remainder would transform my little village into a thriving trading town, a nexus for transporting my liquor to regions inaccessible by sea.

Six Months Later

After a lengthy wait, my twenty merchant vessels finally arrived, crafted by the finest artisans in the Iron Bank. My men were ready, and I couldn't help but smirk as I recalled the day I first gathered my army.

Flashback: Five Months Ago

Standing before fifteen thousand young men—bastards, lordless knights, and commoners, all eager to serve—I surveyed my recruits. Most were aged between fifteen and twenty, impressionable and eager for direction all from diffrent parts of the seven kingdoms hearing of my epic tales and glory wanting a part in my next story.

"Listen up!" I boomed, my voice echoing across the makeshift training grounds. "You will follow my orders without question. You will eat when I tell you, sleep when I tell you, and you will fight when I tell you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" they thundered in unison.

They were costly to feed and house, but I had the gold and more on the way. I put them through rigorous training, from sunrise to sunset, teaching them hand-to-hand combat alongside my two trusted generals, Tom and David. Both had proven their worth during our month of training; they were fierce and loyal warriors, handpicked for their potential.

Three months later, we set out across the realm, hunting down bandits, thieves, murderers, rapists, and slavers. Each victory was marked by the skulls we collected, a macabre tribute to our successes, which fed my growing mountain of skulls in our city. We traversed the Seven Kingdoms, aside from the Iron Islands and Dorne, whose merchants refused to trade with Lannisters, for obvious reasons hell the iron islands dont even have merchents just pirates.

Returning home, I was greeted by the sight of my ships ready for their maiden voyages. I trained my men in sailing under the tutelage of the realm's finest, ensuring our investment would remain safe. With 200 men assigned to each ship, I retained 11,000 men under my command at all times, eager to seize the opportunities ahead.

My father took charge of the shipping logistics, filling the boats with my products for distribution. It took three months for the vessels to return, not with alcohol but with chests overflowing with gold. We had sent out 10,000 barrels of vodka, each sold for ten gold dragons, bringing back 100,000 gold dragons. The mead was slower to make, yielding only 40,000 gold dragons, but with that influx, my coffers swelled to 140,000 gold dragons.

"Son," my father called one day as I counted the coins, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes, Father?"

"Happy name day," he said, handing me a drink of watered-down ale.

I took a sip, grimacing at the taste. "It's terrible, but we can make it better."

My father chuckled, sharing my vision. The road ahead was fraught with ambition and peril, but with my army and my growing wealth, I was determined to carve my name into the annals of history. I would not just be a merchant; I would become a conqueror.