Chapter 19

Olenna Tyrell POV, 291 AC Moon 06

For the past 6 years, she had felt a dread in her bones. Deep dread that would wake her up in the middle of the night. An average noble would have broken down by the feeling but she was a Tyrell nee Redwyne. Being a pragmatic woman, she assessed and reassessed threats to her family and how she could neutralize them.

The Martell, Tully, and Arryn were predictable in their game. One wanted revenge from the Lannisters, another was silent after selling off his daughters to Lord Paramount in Robert's Rebellion. The Arryns were almost extinct but still held onto their honor.

Don't even get her started on the Baratheons. Fools. Renly Baratheon was absconding with her grandson, Loras. She knew what they were doing. Stannis could be described as humorless, dutiful, and a fool. Robert was a whore-mongerer and drunk.

Tywin Lannister was her only real competition. But he was a man and hence a brute nonetheless. The way he ended Princess Elia and her children was not needed. It made a statement, sure but it alienated the Lannister more. A subtle death would have been better digested with the Lords. Say, a poison.

Ha. That's what she did to Lyarra Stark for interfering with her family's income. Poisoning her during childbirth to kill her and the baby. But she powered through and gave birth. And then died in the same bed. Ha. And what did her fool of a child grow up to be? A wastrel, Benjen Stark wasting his life away at the Wall. Ha.

Rickard Stark was so broken after her death that he didn't even notice that the price of grain was steadily rising every year. Walys was a useful pawn. She took nearly all the money Starks had. But she had some respect for them. Whoever thought it was Robert's Rebellion was a fool. Eddard Stark had fought and won a nearly unwinnable war. That's why no one wanted to provoke the North into coming South anymore till Eddard Stark was alive. Even Tywin practiced caution.

The North even grew under Eddard's leadership. Ice trade chalked up as a stroke of luck. The number of Starks grew. The new Starks favored their mother in looks. She knew they would have to prove themselves to be accepted as true Starks.

And what did they do with her generosity to leave them alone in their wasteland? Robb Stark comes to the Citadel to study. Okay, maybe a chance to influence and sow discord among Northerners. She had dismissed the report of 6 year old Stark heir being at Oldtown. She had failed to grasp its meaning until it was too late.

For almost 3 years, the report she got was Robb Stark was a reading fanatic but since he gave no test his knowledge could not be recorded. He had introduced a system at Citadel to read books in the comfort of his manse. It looked like South environment did not agree with him. And he pays Silver to borrow books every day and return those books the next day. Who were they when some wanted to waste their money?

Oh. How wrong she had been. When he left, he had two cartloads filled with books, and every maester whose origin was the North or some First Men smallfolk. Some 50 maester leaving Citadel was not a big deal, they had thousands of maesters so no one stopped them.

When Robb Stark landed in White Harbor, he had gifted the books to House Manderley and left for Winterfell with the 500 maester, 1 Archmaester, a woman, her two children, and 100 guards. Now that was worrisome. The last substantial report she received had her scoffing at it. The report said Robert Stark had established his own Citadel and had all 40,000 books from Oldtown's Citadel.

She was smart enough to know that her spies were either eliminated or turned. The report she received of the North now, gave her chicken shit's worth of information. They can't even petition the King as he is chummy with the Starks and if it gets out that all the books in Citadel were copied, it would open the floodgate of every would-be fledgling Citadel. And Lannisters would pounce on the opportunity like their sigil.

As she investigates the report that Robb Stark has 500 maesters. She found out that within 2 moons of his coming to Oldtown, his only noteworthy meeting was with Archmaester Marwyn after 2 moons of that meeting, almost 200 maester in 3 years left giving the reason of personal research. But it didn't make up the whole number, other 250 maester were those that had already left due to various reasons before his arrival. Maester Qyburn was the noteworthy of those maester and acolytes. He should have been an Archmaester by all rights but due to politics he was driven out of the Citadel.

House Stark now employs a spymaster so skilled that no words of development in the North reached her. This was most worrisome, Stark usually abstained from playing the Great Game but when they did they broke the board it is played upon. Proven in the past by Cregan Stark executing so many Southern Lords and Lordlings and much more recently by Eddard Stark overthrowing 3 centuries old dynasty.

"This is bad, Grandmother." Willas voice broke her out of thought and passed a report to her.

She and her grandchildren were looking through reports from her spies across the seven kingdoms.

As she read the report and then reread it she just couldn't believe it. Eddard Stark had written to the King to grant them the right to negotiate with Lord Commander of Night's Watch to have New Gift and even Old Gift included back in the North. And that North was rebuilding Moat Cailin.

"Grandmother" Margaerary said as she passed the report onto her.

That was the report from her spy in the Bravos. House Stark had gotten a contract with Iron Bank for 5 million gold dragons and would be transporting 40,000 books to them in a moon turn. Now she understood how the Starks had gotten money to rebuild Moat Cailin.

House Manderley had sent out trade missions with 10 dromonds and 40 merchant galleys. This wasn't good. 

'I'll have to arrange for Robb Stark to die." She thought.

Tywin Lannister POV, 291 AC Moon 06

"Brother, you need to see this?" Kevan came into his solar followed by Gerion and Tyrion. He stopped himself from showing his disgust when he saw the dwarf enter into his solar.

Kevan passed a report to him and everybody settled into the seats as he read the reports.

'Interesting', He thought.

5 million gold for 40,000 books. It represented a chance so uniquely suited for us. A chance to establish their own Citadel. No longer House Lannister would kowtow to anybody. This would be his legacy, his children were all dwarfs the twins of mind and his third child of body. 

He had to grasp this opportunity. For that what's it was. This would weaken the Oldtown's hold on knowledge and weaken the Reach economy in one move.

Stark has never looked toward the South, and that is not going to change in the future. They even were Robert Baratheon's biggest supporters which by extension were his grandchildren's biggest supporters.

"I'll send a raven to the Starks, for House Lannister to be given the same contract as Iron Bank. Tyrion, you have 3 years or by winter's end, whichever is shorter to get Lannisport back to full strength." He commanded and dwarf nodded.

"Kevan, Gerion. After winter, you both will sail to White Harbor with 5 million gold. Get the books and get back here post haste."

"Tywin, do you believe the rumors about Robb Stark transcribing 40,000 books by himself?" Kevan asked.

"Don't be a fool, brother. His methods are unknown but these were not transcribed."

"I also heard a rumor. But it's about our beloved grand-nephew, Prince Joffrey." Gerion talks for the first time since entering the room. His face was marked with a smirk that said, 'I am merely saying them as rumor but we both know it's 100% true.'

"Which rumor, Uncle? About cutting a pregnant cat's belly open, or him shooting crossbows from the battlement on the smallfolk." The dwarf ignored his eyes and continued drinking wine."

"Enough. I will deal with those." He roared. "Leave. Kevin, stay."

As Tyrion and Gerion stepped out of his solar. "Send Lancel to King's Landing, I will arrange for him to be Robert's squire."

Kevan nodded and exited his solar.

Petyr Baelish POV, 291 AC Moon 06

'Fucking Starks always causing problems.' They took his Catelyn away from him to their dark tree-worshiping wasteland.

This presents an opportunity too. Now Starks will send more tax to the Crown. More gold which he could steal. He would work hard to make The stags, lions, falcons, kraken, roses, vipers, and wolves fight.

"Chaos is a ladder." He said to himself.

His bastard son had been born last moon. The old falcon couldn't pleasure his wife so he took it to task. A few honeyed words and a good fuck later Lysa was his pawn again with Jon Arryn being none the wiser.

Any more surprises from the North had to be stopped. Robb Stark had to die.

Varys POV, 291 AC Moon 06

He didn't like the report he was hearing from Bravos. Starks would give 40,000 books for 5 million gold. The King had already permitted the Starks to get back the Gift and rebuild Moat Cailin.

It was fun watching Queen Cersei scream that Starks should give Moat Cailin to the Crown. That it would make an excellent seat for Young Tommen. The quarrel between the King and Queen was the most fun to watch.

His little birds from the North were quiet. Some reports arrived but it was not enough. From experience, he could tell that House Stark now had a formidable spymaster. That Robb Stark and the Spymaster came together was worrisome.

It meant that it was the wolf pup who had gained a loyal servant, not the Quiet Wolf. Robb Stark would have to be watched and brought into the fold for the black dragon to reign supreme.