Interlude - Moment in Time VII

9th Moon 139AD

Palace Courtyard, Edmynburgh

"So, this is an elephant?" Torrhen asked as he stroked the rough, leathery skin of the great beast grazing peacefully.

"Yeah," I replied, nodding my head as I grabbed an apple out of a nearby bowl and held it out in front of the trunk of the creature. "Quite the beauty isn't she? I'm proud to say that she recently gave birth and now I'm the proud uncle to another elephant calf."

Nearby, Ronnel studied the creature, giving it a once over, then another until he was satisfied which did not seem to be just yet. Torrhen though came to stand beside me as the handler led it around the court yard for the amusement of the court and its guests.

"Do you mean to have elephants in your army like the armies of the east?" He asked softly.

"No." I replied flatly, trying to let Torrhen feel at ease. "With her and her mate and the calf she just gave birth to, I only have three elephants. I mean to have them serve as nothing more than a part of menagerie for purposes such as this. And anyway, elephants are not exactly easy to raise and feed, especially when it comes to battle. I think other uses of such a creature could be found elsewhere."

The thought had come to my mind. The sheer shock factor of elephants charging into a mass of men would more than likely break them before they even met in combat. Excited as I was at the prospect, I eventually came to learn that it was not easy training an elephant for combat, even with the potions and 'magics' available to the Zabhadians. 

I also did not take into account of the amount of food these creatures ate or the amount of time it would take to order them from the Isle of Elephants as well. Doubly so for battle elephants.

"King Edmyn!" Ronnel called out as he walked towards me and Torrhen, his face and voice full of excitement and wonder. His eyes couldn't seem to be able to stay away from the elephant as it walked around. "I have to say, that is a wonderful creature! I have never seen it's like, even in the drawings and descriptions of Maester Ulstan in his Creatures of the world!"

"Hm, I've come to learn that maesters never truly travel further east than the bone mountains. If they did, we would know about the far east than we do of the near east." I pulled at my beard some as I thought to some of the books about the world that I have read written by maesters. "though no doubt they have a very good understanding of the fauna that can be found in the lands of the freehold and Ghis. Though I'm sure this type of elephant is a rare breed, so I can't fault them for that." 

"The world truly is large," Ronnel said, shaking his head, the long locks of his hair swaying in the spring breeze. "I must admit, you have inspired me to launch my own expedition to the far east. Perhaps even further to the very shores of Ulthos itself. Who knows the wonders that could reside there?"

"Or the horrors." Torrhen replied with a weary old sigh of his age at us. "As you said, the far east is not known to us but we have enough tales of the horrors that lack there." He turned to stare at us both somehow with his grey eyes. "have we all forgotten the tales of Assha'i? The Shadow Lands? Somethings are best not known to man, I think." 

Okay, he had a point there.

Ronnel waved his goodfather's words away thought with a single action. "True, but many of these words must be nothing more than exaggeration and hyperbole. Nothing more than the words of sailors retold over and over with their original meaning lost with each retelling. Truly Assha'i must not be as bad as men say it is."

Oh gods, Ronnel was a tech-priest discovering a tomb world. Dear gods, I hope no such thing actually exists in Westeros or we are fucked if he finds it and demands for it to be open with caution thrown to the wind. 

I might be exaggerating a bit there, but I think the comparison rather apt if I didn't say so myself. I want to say it's nothing more than the spirit of youth or that he was really trying to impress me and Torrhen, but I think he was overplaying this whole young, eager and thoughtful king.

Or maybe I was wrong and this was his entire schtick.

"It must be worse then. Consider how all the tales somehow end with it being nothing more than a place filled with horrors at the end of it."

Ronnel's peppiness dropped some for a moment as he thought about it before he shook his head. "I suppose some rumours have to hold some truths to them. I shall make note to my sailors to avoid Assha'i and the Shadow Lands then when I send them off."

"Word of advice," I grabbed another apple from the bowl and threw it at the elephant. "a lot of coin is a good motivator for the loyalty of some to travel to the other side of the world." 

It never hurts to learn a little more about Planetos but I was of the mind that I was going to keep as far away as possible from Ulthos and Ulos until better information about the far east is known. And anyway, it was more than likely that to the people of the far east, Westeros and western Essos were half as legendary as they were to us.

That's why constant trade missions to Yi Ti and the likes was key to opening up networks on that side of the world and learning more about the people, the culture and the knowledge they held. The official mission to the burgeoning merchant navy/explorer corps that flew the ensign was to broaden our horizons.

The unofficial mission was that I just wanted the shinies they could get their grubby little hands on.

"Not the fame and glory of travelling to places far unknown?" The king in the north asked in wry amusement.

"Well, there's that." The admittance came easy enough. That had been the motivation for some. "but some people like to think about the coin they can spent in the inn, on their whores or for their family. And places unknown tend to sometimes be quite deadly because of the dangers that may lurk there."

King Torrhen Stark nodded his head. "Words of wisdom, your grace. We know of little much in lands beyond the wall, but just as well, we know the danger that lurks there."

Was he talking about the wildlings or the white walkers? He was probably talking about the wildlings. By now, the white walkers should be all but nothing more than a myth, just like the greenseers and the children of the forest.

"You have given me much to think about then of the goals that I want to pursue in the future." Ronnel nodded in my direction. "And the sort of kingdom that I want to build." 

I had a fanboy. Neat. 

Time to give some words of encouragement and a pat on the shoulder at the same time. "It wasn't easy, but I think an intelligent young man like you will be just fine." 

Things had gone rather well over the past two months of talks between the three kings. It would have been four if Lancel had actually been able to arrive but instead, his brother and Hand had instead come in his place. Prince Loreon did not stay long really.

He just stayed long enough to hammer out the details and concessions about the trade between our two kingdoms and the rights of westermen merchants and traders being able to use the Great Canal. Seeing it for himself, he was quite impressed by it, but not impressed enough to stick around and try and build better ties between the west and the center of westeros.

I didn't mind nor did I really care. 

Thought it was nice to know we were able to pledge a decade of peace between our two kingdoms. The closest thing to a non-aggression pact in Westeros I could get my hands on.

And after the little trouble some of his esteemed companions had caused in town, it was simply better for everybody to go their ways, though I admit, I rather enjoyed the look on his face when I told him Loren Sarsfield was going to have to be placed under house arrest for the foreseeable future after the trouble he had caused. 

"The Lannisters are kin to the Gardeners." Zhoe had said once the lions had departed from the capital. "Lancel might very well be open to better ties between us, but it might very well be different with the rest of his family."

"I had somehow forgot that the mother is a Gardener." I had sheepishly admitted. "Do you think Mern would have said nice words about me in his letters to her?" 

"After your humiliation of him and his kingdom? Not for all the gold in Casterly Rock." 

With the trade pacts and concessions, the Lannisters had left with, a little more gold was going to be finding itself into the vaults of their little mountain of gold. Though I do have to wonder which universe I was in.

I remember that in the books, the gold never ran out. In the tv show, the gold did eventually run out some years before the start of the series. 

It was a shame I would never find out. I was of the opinion that it would be hilarious to see the gold run out eventually for a family and kingdom that were used to bribing just about anyone and everyone for everything they wanted.

For a guy that had been nearly facing usurpation by his own brother, Ronnel had a certain cunning to him. He proved to be a hard negotiator, working somewhat in tandem with Torrhen. Sometimes, it felt like I was in a boxing ring facing off against two opponents at once.

I blamed myself for that. Houses Arryn and Stark were allies of a sort considering the marriage between Lyanne and Ronnel. I should have suspected something like that was going to happen, but it never really crossed my mind.

Still though, I rather liked the fact that I was able to get even better mining rights in northern mountains and some in the Vale. I was also quite sure that some betrothals had also been arranged between some my houses along with those of the north or the Vale.

Among the Seven worshipping ones that is. The proper Seven worshipping houses instead of the bastard Faith that had sprouted up in my lands.

Speaking of the falcon king, he was like an excited child as he had his head craned up high. "By the seven!" He near screamed in delirious delight. Honestly, I think he was about ready to hop on his feet by the way he looked. "It's flying! It's actually gods-be-damned flying!"

Lyanne Arryn, Queen of the Vale looked upon her husband with the dignity of a queen though her definitely Stark eyes could hardly keep the surprise and shock hidden away. "Yes husband, we can see that." 

To be honest, I was expecting more in her reaction. I was expecting more from everyone's reaction. For god's sake man, I had just introduced the hot air balloon to fucking Westeros! The place where people thought only dragons and birds and people on top of dragons could fly.

They could be a little bit more excited.

Brandon Wolf, imaginative lot these northerners, squinted his eyes as the balloon was suspended in the air by the dozens of thick ropes staked to the ground and held by teams of men with arms as thick as tree trunks or close enough. "I think I'm starting to understand why you were so insistent that we come down here in person. Did you mean to show this contraption off?" He asked, a wolfish grin directed at me.

I kept my smirk well hidden, but not the amusement I felt. "I'm offended you would accuse me of such my lord. These talks were for better trade and cooperation between our kingdoms nothing more. Everything else is just a happy coincidence." From beside me, I could also feel my wife's amusement, even as she stared at the balloon like everyone else.

Ronnel appeared before me, all excited. "Is it possible for one to ride such a device? It's the only thing I can think off for the reason of the wicker basket." 

"It's possible." I admitted with an incline of the head. "but this is merely nothing more than a prototype. Something of a mockery if you will. There is still more to be developed for it to be safe for others to ride it." 

In other words, I was telling him we had still yet to come up with a way to get people down after it had gone up.

Ronnel was nodding his head, turning his head away from me back to the balloon. "Something like this could be godsend for the endeavour I wish to carry out in the future. With your help of course, your grace."

Why would he need a hot air balloon? Apart from some military applications which was still some time off and possibly that could be subverted if I'm able to work something out with the greenmen of the Isle, the balloons were going to be nothing more than a tourist attraction or something to bring out when you want to show off to the masses of visiting foreign dignitaries.

That was about it really. Anything resembling a zeppelin was years away. Decades. Centuries. So, what did he want a hot air balloon for?

"I think that would be something I would be more than happy to hear about." I replied neutrally.

He nodded and went back to admiring the balloon, speaking happily with his wife, the children running about the entire sight looking at it from all kinds of angles.

"Don't think about it too much." Zhoe spoke so quietly that only I could hear her despite the company that we were in. "You had that look on your face. The face you have when you start thinking about things too much. Whatever he asks, demands of you, it will be his problem and thus, not yours. What you should be worrying about are matters that affect you and your kingdom."

"You know me too well, my lady." 

"I would think so after knowing you for so long." 

Lord Lyam and Lady Ellyn Mallister soon came to join us not long after that little talk from Zhoe. "I must say your grace, this is truly a marvel." The Lady of Seagard praised with a soft smile. "You never cease to surprise." 

"You eventually get used to it." The Lord of Seagard said with a bit of cheek as he grinned some at me. "My dear coz has a habit of defying expectations."

Eh, debatable. "Do you flatter me as much as your lady wife or should she be jealous?" 

The lady giggled whilst Lyam shook his head before taking the back of his wife's hand and kissing it. "My lady wife knows my heart only yearns for her alone for she is the brightest star in the sky as far as these eyes of mine can tell."

Ellyn Mallister made a show of it.

"How poetic," Zhoe commented with a sigh. "If only my husband could do so as well."

"I can do some things, poetry is not one of them. And anyway coz, that was horrible. Perhaps you should take some rudimentary lessons in poetry at the Bard's College. Perhaps you can learn a thing or two." 

"I think my skills are fine enough as it is." He replied with a laugh. "but I think today and the past few weeks have been much of a success as we could have hoped for." 

"On that, I can agree." 

The day passed filled with pleasant talks of things and days to come. Time flew by so fast that before I knew it, I was with Ronnel, Lyam, Jaime and somehow but not really surprising Torrhen and Brandon to talk in the privacy of my office. I had heard what he wanted the balloon for and my only response to his request was to pour myself a cup of wine and down it in one go.

I repeated this particular action two more times. It was the midst of my third pouring that Lyam came over and took away the bottle of wine.

I gave him a glare and he didn't look at all apologetic as he moved the wine away. "You could have at the very least allowed me to finish pouring it." I said.

"I think you had more than enough, sire." He replied smoothly. He then noted the half-filled cup in my hand. "You can finish that though." 

"Thank you, mother." I said with some snide as I downed the drink and wiped some dribble away with the back of my hand. I turned towards my guests that had seen me go through a small panic attack for a very good reason. In fact, I had all my attention on Ronnel. "You are insane." 

My outburst brought some curious reactions from everyone in the room. Torrhen and Brandon had different reactions in the extreme. The king in the north frowned some and Brandon looked just about ready to burst into laughter. Jaime's expression was neutral from where he sat and Lyam was probably going to give me a bollocking later on about what I had just said.

That took him aback some by the way he recoiled. "Excuse me?" He asked with some heat, I should add.

"You are insane." I repeated, shaking my head. "What you are asking of me. What you are planning to do is just sheer insanity."

Ronnel, red faced from me calling him insane probably, slowly rose from his seat. "How is joining forces to drive away slavers insane?" He asked.

Torrhen nodded his head as he joined into the conversation as well. "I would like to know your reasoning as well for such extremes of...words."

"It's insane because what you ask might bring us into conflict with the freehold. Do you think I have not done the maths? No matter how I looked at it, we would lose. Badly." 

For what Ronnel was asking of me and Torrhen was to join him in an alliance of sort to drive away the Celtigars from Crackclaw Point and from there on, the entirety of the Targaryens and their followers from Westeros proper. That also included Dragonstone. 

I was not having any of that nonsense anywhere near me. 

My golden rule in life that I meant to explicitly pass on to my children and the entire House and the rest of the entire kingdom and perhaps the entirety of Westeros was to not fuck with the family that had fire-breathing monstrosities at their beck and call.

That was just not any kind of wise at all. 

I liked living.

For the first time, a look of disgust came over Ronnel's face. "You would allow slavers to enslave good honest Andal folk? Without even fighting?"

Why the focus on the Andals? Well, I suppose the northmen weren't being enslaved so they were fine for now anyway.

"Most of those good, honest Andal folk have already left their borders and come running into my kingdom. I should know, we had a daily stream of them just pouring into my lands when the freehold claimed the Point."

Ronnel paused for a moment, the heat dying away from his cheeks then he spoke up once more. "Still though, slavery is an abomination against everything good and proper. Our ancestors fled to Westeros to escape the Valyrians and the abomination they adopted from the Ghiscari. It would just not be right to just allow it to enter our lands like this!"

"If you have a fine way of killing dragons, I'm all for it." I moved towards my desk and started going through some papers, trying to find that one brief that I could throw in his face. Until then, I just decided to tell him some facts. "Here's the thing, the freehold controls territory larger than all three of our kingdoms combined. Territory that had cities that would dwarf all of our cities combined. You know what that means? They have a shit load of people that they can conscript and throw at our shores. Even if we did not take into account their greatest assets, the dragons into our thinking, the Targaryens have more than enough men to drown us in it."

"Not unless we meet them whilst they are landing." Brandon said, rubbing his bearded chin. "Like Theon did and unlike Theon, we would know where they are most likely to land their forces. Blackwater Bay is more than suitable enough." 

He had a point there, but I would think the Targaryens would have more than enough forces to try a D-Day and land their forces on several fronts. One in the south in the Blackwater, another somewhere else, and another somewhere else. 

They had more than the men for it.

Torrhen took his brother's words into account as he nodded. "But that still does not take into account the Targaryen's dragons."

I could almost kiss the man for recognising the threat the dragons were.

"A good bolt would be more than enough to bring any dragon down." Ronnel claimed waving it all away. 

Brandon snorted at that claim. "Have you ever tried to use a bolt-thrower to hit a moving target? There is a reason for why they are used in sieges, your grace. Their accuracy isn't the most reliable either." He eyed me then. "Though I say sieges, some of us have actually been using them in field battles now I hear."

Oh, thank the seven, actual military men who knew what they were talking about. I can somehow see why Jonos had an easy time bringing lords to him if this was how Ronnel was when it came to this side of state affairs.

Lyam gave the Arryn king a pained look. "Though I understand your feelings on the subject, as a follower of the Seven myself, I know what our holy text says about slavery but if we were to bring the fury of the freehold upon us, we would more than likely die."

"And horrible deaths at that." I said, in my hand, the brief that I had been looking for. I passed it over to Ronnel who took it into hand. "You see, I'm an open individual. Slavery disgusts me and believe me, I would love to do nothing more than march over into the Point and kick some Brune and Celtigar arse, but I won't willingly throw men into a war that I know we would lose."

Ronnel opened the brief and his blue eyes skimmed over the words with surprising speed. He was the bookish king after all, so I guess it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise.

With each line, a look of defeat came across him. "How many dragonriders?" 

"Not as many as the ancient freehold of old, but remember, only three were more than enough to conquer its old lands." 

I had my envoys and spies in the freehold keep track of all the dragonriders that called this new freehold home and let's just say that between Aegon and his two sisters, they had been busy merrymaking and bringing more inbred assholes into the world.

More inbred assholes with god complexes that had bonded with dragons and thus, became dragonriders.

Fun. 

Ronnel bit his lips before he opened them to speak. "We can still-."

"There is nothing to be done, your grace." Jaime eventually said, speaking up for the first time. "War with the freehold would do nothing but bring death and consign many more into slavery. For that is what they do. With their victories, they enslave the defeated. I know it may be hard to hear, but until a time that we can truly be sure of to defeat the dragons, their evil must remain a blight in Westeros." 

He was quiet for a moment before he closed his eyes and snapped the brief shut. Ronnel looked at me dead in the eyes. "Are you advising against this because you peddle in their flesh markets?" 

Brandon rose up some. "What?"

Oh right, that.

"Yes." 

"So, it seems the rumours were true then." Ronnel said with a sigh. "I thought better of you, but you freely admit to buying slaves. I suppose a certain amount of respect should be given for admitting to it."

"You buy slaves?" Brandon growled, baring his teeth like the animal he so aptly named himself after.

Torrhen held him back, eyeing me closely. "I suspect he has his reasons." 

"There's no reason good enough for such a crime. It affronts both the old gods and the new."

I gave him a look. "If you would allow me to explain, I think you would be most pleased with my reasons."

Torrhen made a motion with his hand that told me to try and explain myself. And I did. I told them I did in fact buy slaves from the markets of Volantis, not me personally, but my agents. And when the slaves were bought, they were given a choice to come live in the Trident working for him, and I stressed paid work as freedmen and women, in industries I needed these slaves to work in.

If they refused, they got a large bag of coin to go their own way.

Of course, it had caused something of scandal as the rumours spread but some announcements from the First Devout and some counter-rumours by me and the freedmen fanatically backing me and what House Tully had done for them and how better their life was now compared to what they would expect in the freehold, that scandal had been quickly nipped in the bud.

Sure, I got some whispers here and then, but not enough to bother warrant attention.

"I'm sure it's easy enough to guess but the vast majority of them chose to come live in this strange land in freedom rather than risk being enslaved once more as they run the risk back in the freehold." I finished. "So yes, I buy slaves, then I free them. I have even bought entire families and freed them. I know the few..." I looked at Lyam in confusion. "How many is it now?"

He shrugged himself unsure of the number. It had been a while since the last report. "Some thousands now surely."

I went with that. "Thousands I have bought and freed are living happy lives. Some work for me, others have built themselves new lives here. I do buy slaves but by no inclination do I like the system at all. In fact, the entire system is probably one day going to bite the freehold in the ass. It's a shame I won't be there to see it, but I will drink to that day." 

Ronnel looked at me with a new look in his eyes. This one more evaluating than the accusing one of before. "Despite that... you have damned yourself. The texts are clear."

I sat in my chair. "Then the gods are fickle bastards. Buy a slave's freedom and I'm damned for it? Okay, whatever. I'll deal with it when it comes to it."

I had it on good authority I was safe. 

Ronnel took to his seat once more. "I don't like this. This inaction. Every fibre of my being is telling me to do something."

I wondered how many of those fibres were the lords of his own realm? I dealt with them and surely, he must deal with those kinds of lords as well. 

Wasn't the Vale the second most pious or the most pious out of all the kingdoms? I can't remember, but they put a lot of stock into Andal heritage and that included the Faith.

Jaime cleared his throat, gathering their attention. 

"Perhaps there is something that can be done." He began, ancient eyes drifting over each of us. "slavers have always preyed on westeros. Savage raids on coastal settlements to carry away their slaves to be sold in the flesh markets or merchant ships plying the seas. They care not as long as they take their pound of flesh. In times past, lords, ladies, princes, princesses and even kings and queens have been carried away." 

Torrhen leaned forward some. "Are you implying we prey on these slavers and free the enslaved?" 

He nodded. "I believe as long as its private slavers and not those that fly the banner of the freehold then it should be safe to do so."

I frowned and I wasn't the only one. Lyam crossed his arms. "That still leaves the slavers that would hide behind the banner of the Celtigars, Targaryens, Velayrons and their likes." 

"Perhaps some sort smuggling?" Ronnel offered unsurely. "Of slaves away from the Point and into our own kingdoms?" He frowned for a moment. "Well, into your kingdoms. I don't think my lords would be agreeable enough to settle foreigners and their foreign gods in their lands."

"And the north is harsh enough as it is without extra mouths to feed." Brandon announced. "We wouldn't take them for all the gold in the world."

Oh, fuck you guys.

My smile was somewhat strained. "Fine. It's not like this is new to me anyway." Not that the extra population wouldn't be so bad anyway.

After that, we talked some more about this smuggling thing though every single time I felt it necessary to say so, I had to point out the risk it brought to us. Wars had been started for less, but somehow, I found myself a partner into this little cabal.

International cooperation at work.

Far, far, far too well for my liking.

*****

​AN: This was supposed to be a short little interlude until the final act of Edmyn starts but it sort of ran away from me. I can't keep track of length apparently but this definitely should be the last MiT interlude...probably. Don't trust me on this shit. I have a plan and a story board but the ideas take seed and bloom and I end up diverting from where the story has to go.

Nicely enough, this chapter sets into motion some points of potential conflict when the freehold enters the story proper in the future arcs.

Anyway, speaking of the Targaryen Freehold since I've seen some people talk about it. In this story, I plan the Freehold to last for longer than some expect it to last for. Yes, they will have civil wars, just like Rome had but it still kept chugging on and that is what the Freehold will do.

Just as there are parties that wish for the freehold to just collapse and crumble and let the free cities come back again, their are some that do not wish for that. The century of blood is still within living memory and many people do not want to return to those time and therefore actually support the stability the freehold has brought upon the land. The Dothraki have been culled so the peoples of the western banks of the Rhoyne are positively ecstatic about their Targaryen rulers and would like for them to stick about.

The disputed lands aint the disputed lands anymore for a reason.

By now, everyone knows of my feeling about Aegon since he didn't do jack shit, but has savvy enough to have capable people in his employ like Rhaenys and Orys who have been busy during the freeholds inception. They haven't been idle, trust me on it.

PS - Did you know Torrhen is pronounced Tor-rhen and not Torr-hen? Cause I did not and therefore learned something new.