Secrets and rumors

today I will be on standby to answer questions as I will be writing the next chapters today.

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-third person pov seventh moon 286 AC

The Finn had completed his missions, securing favorable terms for his king. He intended to return to the Prussian capital as soon as possible to finally catch up on what had happened during his absence in the north and his brief trip south to negotiate with the Dornish.

Aleksanteri traveled day and night, nearly exhausting the poor horses provided at the messenger posts in The Reach, to return as quickly as possible. In just three days, he had covered hundreds of kilometers, sleeping only the last night to be in condition to give orders if necessary.

Passing through Highgarden, Aleksanteri noticed that a new city had been built and that the other cities had grown considerably. But what was truly remarkable was the large number of tents around the city, near Highgarden Castle, as well as the many towers that soared many meters high.

Aleksanteri didn't spend much time observing everything and decided to continue his journey, knowing that after catching up on information, he would have all the time in the world to see the changes with his own eyes.

Ignoring Highgarden, the Finn arrived near the bridge that connected the Prussian fortress with the other side of the Mander, where from afar, he could see the enormous line of merchants, peasants, and nobles waiting to schedule a meeting with the king in Prussia, and if lucky, obtain an immediate audience with the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms.

The Finn just took a glance and dismounted his horse to walk towards the guarded bridge.

Everyone waiting their turn frowned at him.

Aleksanteri didn't care about the stares of strangers and continued towards the bridge guards when one of the beggars asking for alms stood up and began walking beside him.

A knight of the Teutonic Order, wearing the Hohenzollern heraldry on his cloak, indicating that he was one of the personal guards of the King of the Prussians, pointed at Aleksanteri's companion.

Aleksanteri simply signaled with his hand to step aside, and the knight nodded, indicating the entrance to the fortress to the astonished eyes of all those who had been waiting for hours for a response.

"Report," Aleksanteri said to his subordinate.

"There is much news to report... anything specific?" the Finn asked while adjusting his tattered clothes from his disguise.

"We have many problems... we are being overwhelmed... we have spies everywhere," the Finn responded to Aleksanteri.

"When I left, everything was running perfectly. What happened that we now have spies? Do we at least have them identified?" Aleksanteri asked while walking towards his king's quarters.

"No... we have quite a bit of information, but there are too many... Besides, Aleksanteri, the king has been absent the past few days, you won't find him there," the spy told Aleksanteri.

"Explain," Aleksanteri said, a bit intrigued.

"The king finishes his work and quickly goes to another part of the castle, guarded by his personal guards, not by regular knights of the Teutonic Order. They allow no one to enter, only a small group who have been seen entering but never leaving. We don't even know what's there, it seems he used his knights to build whatever is in that area," the spy told Aleksanteri.

"The king keeping secrets from us? This will be interesting... I assume the king is aware of everything you're going to tell me, so save your breath and go inform everyone that I have returned and that I want all available officers organized for tonight," Aleksanteri said, heading to the area where the King of the Prussians was supposedly located while the spy ran off to obey his new orders.

Aleksanteri walked towards the fortified area, noting that it was guarded by dozens of the personal Teutonic guard, who stopped him.

"Aleksanteri, so you've returned... I assume you already know about the problems... Go with your men and start organizing the fight against the spies, it is said there are thousands, and they have your people running back and forth," the guard said, crossing his halberd with his companion.

"Yes... that's exactly why I'm here. I need to speak with the king immediately," Aleksanteri said, placing one of his hands on his waist.

"You'll have to wait, Finn. The king wishes not to be disturbed. You'll have to wait until he finishes his duties down there," said the other guard.

"Down? Interesting... Not in the rooms of the area, and supposedly there are no cellars or storerooms here... Well, but wouldn't there be an exception for the king's close friend? I've returned from a long journey and wish to speak with my friend," said the Finn, looking at the guard who had given some information while his companion also stared intently.

The guards looked at each other for a while.

"We'd just waste time going to ask," said one of the guards.

"The king trusts him, remember what he went to do on his behalf," said the other guard, using his keys to open the door.

"Aleksanteri... first of all, what you see here stays here... If I find out you told anyone, pray that the poison you carry on your neck works, because I will tear you apart," said the other guard with a severe tone.

"Sure, sure, save your breath for someone you can scare with a half-baked threat," said Aleksanteri without much concern.

As the guards let him through, the Finn entered the heavily guarded area.

The first thing he saw were several greenhouses where a considerable group of workers were conducting experiments with plants, mainly grafts and plantings in optimal conditions to select the best for the next harvests.

This did not catch Aleksanteri's attention, as he knew these experiments were conducted outside the walls. What did catch his attention were the new ways the engineers had devised to process steel. In one of the buildings, there was a complete large furnace made of steel, processing enormous amounts of steel, with large steel beams stored, and when asked, the workers confirmed they had all been produced that same day.

After observing all the important things, Aleksanteri quickly set his eyes on a group of guards guarding a passage to the lower levels.

Again, he was recognized by the guards and was let through without any questions, simply letting him pass.

In the lower level, it was lit by torches, but what caught the Finn's attention was a piece of glass that shone brightly, sparking his curiosity. He tapped it several times with his finger to try to decipher how the enigmatic object shone.

Aleksanteri followed the small cable it was connected to, finding several workers shoveling coal into a furnace that heated water, and the steam turned a turbine.

Aleksanteri pondered for a few minutes, but not having the slightest idea what it was all about, he preferred to continue his path, knowing the owner of that place would be more than willing to explain everything to him.

On the next two floors, he found several workers constructing and inspecting various furnaces and boilers, as well as the barracks for all the workers who had been employed, as no one had left since they accepted to work in this facility.

On the fourth floor, Aleksanteri encountered several cells, all empty, and finally, on the fifth floor, he came across a room where several doctors were working under the watchful eyes of multiple guards.

The Finn's eyes focused on a young Prussian with blond hair and blue eyes who had a rather frustrated expression. It didn't take long for the young Prussian monarch to notice his visitor.

"Aleksanteri, my good friend, you have returned much sooner than I expected. I hope everything went well in the negotiations," said the Prussian king, adjusting his hair.

"I wasn't going to waste time resting along the way. Well, about my negotiations with the Dornish, everything went 'well.' That idiot Doran Martell couldn't negotiate; he had to wait for his sister's permission for everything... How pathetic! But if at any point you switch sides, the Targaryens will welcome you with open arms," Aleksanteri said mockingly.

"It's good to have many options available... What did you see in the north?" asked the young Prussian.

"Everything... giants... wargs... the dead rising..." Aleksanteri tried to say.

"Were you able to bring me...?" the Prussian interrupted only to be interrupted himself.

"No... when I cut them with my steel, those things stopped moving, and the rest were turned to dust by the brutes who accompanied me... literally smashed them to the last bone," the Finn responded.

"What a pity. I would have liked to study them," said the Prussian.

"You know how to kill them Valyrian steel works just like obsidian. That's all that matters. By the way, what is this place, and since when do you keep secrets from us?" asked the Finn, removing his helmet and mask.

"I wanted to implement an idea that occurred to me to bless certain people, hence the secrecy. The facilities were built to have everything needed close by... but it hasn't been possible. I need certain minerals that are rarer than a virgin in a brothel. I have only been able to get some from foreign merchants who sell them as health objects or magic stones... So now we are working on vaccines, only... the damn voltaic piles failed... again," said the Prussian when suddenly the room's light went out, leaving everything in total darkness.

"He, he, he... well... Now that you have time, what happened? Why are there so many spies?" asked the Finn.

"All because of the mess of my marriage and the tournaments. Because of the prizes, people are arriving from various parts of Westeros and Essos, too many, which has put a lot of pressure on customs and the police, who couldn't detect if they were spies or not... Also, it seems Varys pulled out hundreds of spies he was training somewhere and brought them as Robert's servants, making it difficult to eliminate them," said the Prussian king, looking at the ceiling.

"You seem very calm at the possibility of something being stolen from you," said the Finn.

"We don't know where they are, but I know they seek to reinforce security in vital places like the forges, shipyards, and distilleries. However, they could obtain something if they manage to listen to or kidnap workers. Now that you've arrived, you could reorganize everything for the current circumstances," said the Prussian with a smile as the room's light returned.

"Yes, I've already given the order for all available officers to come. Anything else I should know about the spies?" said Aleksanteri.

"Yes... there are also new missions once all this is over. Dorne is quiet, or rather, the same as always. The Stormlands are in frequent contact with the Faith of the Seven, angry about the servant escapes, as recently many have escaped from there. The Riverlands are the same, many servants escaping. The Arryns are expanding their farms where the clans used to live. In the North, there was a massacre against company members courtesy of the Boltons forty guards dead, including two Prussians and a Finn. When you have time, we'll pay a visit to the Boltons."

"The capital is full of snakes conspiring against them and us, and in the Lannister domains, there's a small scandal it seems Lord Tywin had his son's wife raped because she was a commoner," said the Prussian monarch.

Aleksanteri looked displeased upon hearing the last two pieces of news.

"We'll send a 'friendly' delegation to the Boltons where you will have the freedom to spend on it," said the Prussian monarch.

"And Lannister? Are you going to do anything about him?" asked the Finn, very interested.

"Well, he'll just get a slap on the wrist and be told 'don't do it again.' But the spies who discovered this, while escaping, managed to bring many of the men Tywin wants dead... If Tywin falls into a trap, we could have the lion's head. If we place these men in exposed places and they are murdered, and we manage to make them believe it was Tywin who sent them, we could judge him under our laws. Tywin will end up in the mines with his head cut off or on the Wall," said the Prussian monarch with a smile.

"Good plan... but the reaction of the Westerosi will be terrible... you'll unite them against you out of fear... If the powerful Tywin is executed for something they consider minor, even Arryn won't be able to protect you. And if I recall correctly, time is on our side; starting a war when we should be waiting for the Westerosi to bleed each other dry," said Aleksanteri.

"I'm clear on that... What I'll do is simply to repay Tywin for the insult he gave me a few years ago. I rarely forget, but I never forgive. When we have Tywin with his men captured and confessed, I'll make him humiliate himself before me in private with the threat that his dynasty will end by my hand. And if he manages to resist or his pride is stronger, we'll simply deescalate and give Lord Arryn jurisdiction to resolve it... it's a win-win," said the Prussian monarch with a big smile.

"He, he, he, I will enjoy watching this... Well, I'll leave you to whatever you're doing... I'm going to deal with the spy issue," said Aleksanteri, putting on his mask and helmet.

"Yes, go do that... I must continue with these penicillin cultures to kill bacteria and make the vaccines," said the Prussian, returning to what he was doing.

Finally, the Finn left the facility, ready to eliminate the thousands of spies who had infiltrated, where they would take their last breath.

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Give me your power stones

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Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.

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I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.

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