What do you want

Guys I know the building and business at the start is disappointing. Even I think it's childish, but I want to get to the more interesting parts faster and I really will not investigate every detail. This is FF based on licensed original I can't get any money from it so just enjoy the ride.

My mother came into my room and I didn't know how to behave myself. I must've look really stupid to her... Like a Jasper dancing silly in the kings hall...

"Mother..." I said but still couldn't gather enough courage to look her into her eyes. In this life it was the first time that I actually known mothers love. Yes I am a mamma's boy and I am proud of it. Every move I make thinking about the future is with her in my thoughts and house Dustin in my mind.

I don't want to be like these fucked up fan fiction characters who can't be grateful for the family they have treating them like dirt or tools, they would behave different if they never had one.

I am a loyal person. Always were. Always will be.

Unfortunately in my previous life thanks to my introverted personality I was always alone but now... Now I have her to watch over me.

I could hear her and my wolves walking up to my bed, feel their weight on the mattress as they jumped on and she sat down and placed her arms around my neck when she hugged me...

"What is your desire my silly son..." she asked me with her warm voice, it didn't have any hatred, disappointment, dissatisfaction or anger in it... But I felt her worry and unconditional love...

That was the time I decided to be truthful with her for the rest of my life. Who can I lean on if not my own mother...

"I-I... I want our House to be the greatest. I want everyone to fear and respect us. I want an army at my command, I want gold to fill out our coffers for hundreds of years! I want freedom! I want your safety and hapiness! I want to take what I want and do what I want! I want us to be the most powerful force in Westeros and Essos! I... I want to make you proud..." I said every sentence faster then the previous one lifting my head slowly as I finished with my eyes looking into hers with pure determination in them.

She had her mysterious smile on her face.

"So you want to be the King?" She asked me with that confident smirk still present on her beautiful face.

"No mother. Kings are just puppets serving at the pleasure and whim of nobles. I want to be a shadow that lurks everywhere and scares everyone and if the day comes when the light shines on it, I want everyone to tremble before it's might. That's what I want mother!" She smiled brightly.

"Then that's what you shall receive my son. But we will do it my way." She started to look serious. "If you want to defeat your enemies and gain allies in this game you need to know them... You will start your etiquette and politics lesson again but this time I want you to actually put in some effort and learn everything there is to it." Her words made me even more motivated. Enough time was wasted acting like a clown!

"Yes mother." I confirmed, but this time with renewed conviction.

"Rest now my child, every minute of your time will be planned starting tomorrow." She said and got up leaving my room.

There was no sign of the playful woman I knew. In front of me was the real Lady Dustin.

My body dropped down refreshed after talking my heart out. The weight of my ambition was heavier than I ever thought it would be and going for it alone would make me die a young death.

"And son..." she stopped and looked back. "Thank you for finally being honest with me." and she left.

~

It's been two years since that conversation and everyday was spent with me following my mother's every step.

The number of lessons that I had was immeasurable. I can now speak some of Essos languages and the low Valyrian. I was trained in conversation skills, politics and economy. Not my strongest suits as I figured out, I got more from my fathers side of the family with being unable to concentrate on one thing for a long time and feeling the need to move my body.

Dancing, poetry and singing lessons might not come in handy in the north but will be useful in the South.

My lessons with Ser Arthur and Ser Bryce are proceeding well, I picked up archery but I'm not the best at it. I'm 130 cm tall and lean build, but I'm still growing of course.

The playful smiling child was gone. Taking on your shoulders the burdens of being a semi Lord can do that to you.

My mother was still in charge, but I took some of the responsibilities from her.

"Ser Davos how are the preparation going?" I asked one of the men following me while checking the documents on my desk and looking at the two playful wolves playing with each other on the side.

Ser Davos Seaworth our commander of the fleet. Not our merchant fleet but our Navy.

Even if small for now I was betting it can beat the Manderly's on open water. Our ships were sturdy and well build and with the additional Scorpions and other modifications they could inflict a lot of pain.

Ser Davos came not long after the conversation I had with my mother and stayed after accepting our offer and he and his family swore an oath of fealty to my house.

I was really grateful to his wife Marya for putting a good word for us or rather bad word for Lord Stanis after he cut the tips of the man's fingers.

To this day I don't know how inflexible, narrowed minded or simply stupid you have to be to do something like that to someone who saved you, your family and men from starvation.

Well yey to Lord Stanis for that.

He's now with us and I plan to use his talent and advice to it's limits. My mother made him the Lord of Fever bestowing him the title of landed knight of our family.

His Keep is being built at the connection of Fever river and Blazewater bay next to the Neck and his family is living in Barrow Hall with us for now before their place is finished.

We already started to move some small folk there to resettle and farm earning him some coin for which he was grateful. I really liked the man, he knew the world was not black or white and could easy adapt to grey while keeping his morals.

The great thing about his moving was that I finally made friend with his children but most with the eldest son Dale who is a captain of one of my quinquereme, one of the three best command ships we have, the Wrath.

"We received a raven from Winterfell my lord. We can build additional 20 ships to protect the Western shoreline. That would take our Navy to 29 ships in total my lord including your Sea Serpent, my Black Betha and my son's Dale Wrath plus the six dromons my lord." He said keeping his eyes on me as I looked up from the papers on my desk in my Solar.

"Good. I leave you to supervise the building and recruitment process, go do you thing Ser Davos." I finished and he bowed his head before leaving.

"Areo how's the trade going?" I asked while looking at the Essosi man.

"My lord, the spices were delivered the rest of our trade is proceeding as per regular schedule." He flipped his report. "The biggest income is from our Pleasure houses, beauty products as you call them and glass. Hundreds of thousands of golden dragons are floating into our coffers monthly. They are followed by bricks and building supervision and mattresses." I was listening and for now didn't want to introduce new things. Our neighbors were jealous even without that.

Our income was the largest in the seven kingdoms and not thanks to our products but our speed at sea.

We could make multiple trips in one month making us the biggest distributors of goods from Essos in all of Westeros and the same there with products from here.

All my thinking about new products and still the best way is to sell high and buy cheap truth.

"The market for books is satiated so we don't have a lot of copying orders, but thanks to the sales we have a stable income on sufficient level. The silk clothes are well received and the warmer ones market is stable as well." He finished swiftly.

We started the glass manufacturing after testing the Northern soil and rocks and it's perfect. We already have orders gathered for the next decade.

"The greenhouses are constructed all over ours and house Ryswell's lands. The income was deposited in the Iron bank as per Lady Dustin orders after paying the wages, monthly costs and the new investments. The last debt to Iron bank was officially repaid and we have the documents confirming this. Starting now we can keep everything and as Lady Dustin approved your request the firs transport of goods to Castle Black will move out in few weeks and continue every year." I could see him hesitate.

"What of our investments and loans?" I check the paper he gave me.

"The land we got in the Reach was already cleared and reclaimed for farms and herding fields. We will start making our cheese and diary products soon. The meat processing proceeds as planned and the orchards are being set with wine making facilities." I stopped and looked up again.

"What about the loans?" I could see him avoiding my eyes.

"The loans... were not payed back yet." He finished and was waiting for me with lowered head.

"How much do they owe us?" I didn't see this in the report.

"House Ashford 30.000 gold dragons, House Longtable 50.000 Gold dragons, House Vyrwel 20.000, House Massey and Bar Emmon 40.000 each, and there are more. The total would be 1.235.000 with interests."

So they don't want to pay. Alright.

"Send people to visit them, if they don't want to repay then give the word to our men. Burn their ships and raid their merchant fleets if they have them. Burn their granary if they don't. Leave no witnesses. If they still don't want to repay or propose equivalent of double their loan for example in land rent, then kill their trusted people or knights. That should give them the motivation needed to pay us back. If not then kidnap their children and send them to Lys."

He looked at my unchanged face for a moment shocked, hesitating to say more.

"What is it?" I asked while still looking.

"T-There are some problems in Qarth and Volantis. Astapor still tries to raid our ships as does Meereen and Yunkai's fleet doesn't do anything even after we payed for protection. I advise implementing our plans as soon as everyone's ready my lord." I stopped.

"You mean these slavers broke the agreement we payed for?"

"Yes my lord. From our Whisperers we know they never wanted to oblige." He was scared since it was his idea.

The Whisperers are our spy networks all over the land be it Westeros or Essos. Even Red Keep is not an exception.

"Kill them. Every man. Give the better looking women a choice. Our Pleasure houses in Westeros or workshops until they pay back the amount we payed, each and every person. If they don't want to then do as you see fit. The young children that can be train send to our Inns, bakeries or restaurants." I looked at my men but none were moved.

"My lord if I may..." Areo Ormyl said. He's really one of the people with a brilliant mind when it comes to anything related to business.

His family had big financial problems in Qarth loosing their positions in the Thirteen until we helped a bit. Not solving the problem, but we made it contained for now.

"I'm listening." I looked at him.

"Why not take over the Thirteen at the same time. When you are ready we can have majority in the Thirteen and then slowly take over the rest. Then we will be able to protect what's ours." He was a schemer but he was our schemer.

Being with us long enough to know what awaits traitors and I don't mind him pocketing some pennies from time to time.

"Your family is ready?" I asked still not really convinced to his plan.

"On your word we can have silk, iron, spice, copper, wine and cheese princes from the Thirteen in the next five years. My family already arranged everything my lord." Thinking about it for a moment I decided.

"Check everything one last time and proceed. And Areo..." I said in colder tone. "Don't disappoint me, I really would hate to send you back to Qarth to your family... " I could see him shudder knowing what happens when someone does. "Piece by piece." The boy everyone knew is long gone.

I'm now seven years old. We are ready to lead our expedition or more like I'm finally ready.

I still want to continue my lessons with other teachers and will do so even on our trip.

Including my training with Ser Arthur and Ser Bryce especially two swords or sword and shield. I'm not the best but better than children of up to 10 years old.