92 AC. King's Landing
The solar given over to Corlys within one of the towers of the Red Keep, for the discharge of his duties as Master of Ships, was modest in size but sensibly appointed. A massive table of dark oak took up nearly the entire center of the chamber, its surface heaped with scrolls bearing ship designs, reports from the harbor masters, and lists of timber and other supplies. Morning light spilled in through the narrow, pointed window that looked directly out over the harbor, and Corlys, seated at the table, would from time to time lift his gaze from the papers to look out at the sea and the city beyond. To Corlys this castle had never felt like home, but over the past years it had become the familiar setting of his service.
Today he had woken earlier than usual. All through the night Corlys had turned over in his mind the conversation to come with the king, weighing every word he meant to speak, imagining how Jaehaerys might respond to what he had to say. He understood that he was asking for a great deal - too much, perhaps, for a man who was, in the formal sense, merely the king's daughter's husband. But Corlys had long since learned not to fear asking for what others might deem impossible, so long as he was certain of his own strength.
He set down his quill, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the events of the past year. A year had passed since the birth of his firstborn, Daemon, and that year had proven exceedingly eventful. Holding as he did the office of Master of Ships, Corlys had been obliged to remove himself to the capital, there to oversee the affairs of the royal fleet in person and to attend to the pressing needs of the realm. And so, not long after his son's birth, Corlys had done as he had always meant to and set out for King's Landing, to take up the duties of Master of Ships that the king had laid upon him. Yet he could not bring himself to leave his young wife and newborn son behind at Driftmark. Each morning he issued his orders to the shipyard officials, pored over designs, and sat through the endless sessions of the Small Council, and each evening, the moment dusk gathered beyond the walls of the Red Keep, he would slip from his chambers unseen by way of apparition. He would spend warm, familial evenings at High Tide, watching his son grow, and return to the capital before the first light of dawn, so that none of the court's spies might ever notice his absence.
After a month and a half of these secret returns home, Corlys and Viserra realized that she was again with child. The news delighted them both, though along with the joy came a measure of unease: Corlys understood full well that, should the child be born while he was absent, there would be those all too ready to whisper that Princess Viserra had cuckolded her husband while he supposedly remained bound to the capital without reprieve. Determined to give the envious not the slightest opening to spread such a rumor of infidelity, Corlys hastily devised a pretext - announcing at court that his mother, Lady Alice, had fallen ill, and that he must return to Driftmark at once. Jaehaerys, naturally, could not refuse so reasonable a request, and let him go without further questioning, and Corlys, once home, took care to be seen at his wife's side by as many people as possible during the fortnight he spent at High Tide.
The year 92 AC proved, in truth, the most fruitful and blessed period House Velaryon had yet known. Corlys was not the only one to bring joy to the family. His brothers, it seemed, had not been idle either. While Corlys traveled back and forth between Driftmark and King's Landing, Daeron and Veylor had occupied themselves with far more pleasant domestic matters, and the results were not long in coming. Almost at the same time as Viserra, both Elise and Thea announced that they too were with child. By the year's end, the family had been blessed with three more healthy and beautiful children all at once. Corlys and Viserra were given another son, whom they named Victor. Daeron and Thea were blessed with a lovely daughter, Rhaella, while Veylor and Elise were blessed with a daughter, Elia. High Tide fairly rang with the laughter of children and the happy bustle of a growing household, to Lady Alice's great delight.
As he had done for Daemon, Corlys was determined that Victor too should have his own dragon hatched for him. This time, however, there was no need for any trickery or exchange of eggs - it was, in truth, an egg of Dreamfyre's own laying. During his secret absences from the capital, Corlys and Viserra had often flown by night upon Dreamfyre to the hidden island of Antillia. There, Viserra's beautiful dragon flew freely and spent her time in the company of Neltharion, Corlys's own mighty dragon. These meetings, it seemed, had not gone to waste, and it was not long after that Dreamfyre laid an egg. The dragon that hatched from it for little Victor inherited the coloring of both its parents. Victor's young dragon bore a stunning coloration, in which Dreamfyre's delicate silvery-blue hue intertwined with deep, richly violet and coal-black markings, leaving not the slightest doubt as to the creature's parentage - he was, unmistakably, Neltharion's son.
The news that Corlys and Viserra's second son had also come into possession of his own dragon was met by the crown with surprising restraint, without the earlier murmurs and anxieties that the appearance of Daemon's dragon had once stirred. And yet the king himself, or so it seemed to Corlys at their last meeting on the matter, had appeared noticeably more somber and pensive than one might expect of a man receiving yet another piece of good news about his growing family. Corlys had chosen, at the time, not to dwell upon it. The Targaryens had long been accustomed to regarding dragons as theirs alone by right, and the gradual emergence of a full-fledged family of dragonriders outside their own house could hardly fail to stir some quiet unease in Jaehaerys.
Now, two months after Victor's birth, Corlys had once again brought his family to the capital. Viserra was glad of the chance to spend time again with Princess Rhaenys and with Gael, now grown considerably and only recently turned eleven. While Corlys attended to affairs of state, his wife, their sons, and their attendants had settled into the chambers set aside for them within the Red Keep, and by that very morning she had already sent word to Rhaenys, inviting her to come visit and see little Victor. While the women enjoyed one another's company and walks through the royal gardens, Corlys had before him a far graver and more far-reaching matter to settle.
Corlys had spent the whole of that morning preparing for his audience with the king, at which he intended to raise the matter of the state of affairs on the Stepstones. The situation there, so far as he could tell from the most recent reports, had only worsened over the past year. He looked once more over the notes spread across his table, satisfied himself that he had forgotten nothing, and rolled them carefully into a single scroll, which he tucked away inside his doublet. Then he rose from the table and set his clothing to rights. Waiting for him beyond the door was Ser Adam, his loyal bodyguard and most trusted man-at-arms.
"All is in readiness for the audience, my lord," Ser Adam said, inclining his head slightly and resting his hand upon the hilt of his sword. "The King already awaits you in the Small Council chamber."
"Then let us not keep His Grace waiting," Corlys answered, drawing over his shoulders a dark blue cloak embroidered in silver with the device of a seahorse.
They descended the tower's narrow spiral stair and made their way across the inner yard of the Red Keep toward the council chamber. Ser Adam, as was his custom, kept himself half a step behind and slightly to the side of his lord, keeping a careful watch over the corridors and passageways through which they walked, though there seemed, in truth, little enough to fear at the very heart of the royal seat. Even so, the habit of watchful vigilance had been bred into the knight long ago, back at High Tide.
"And how does Lady Viserra fare?" Ser Adam asked, as they walked down a long corridor hung with tapestries. "I hope the voyage from Driftmark did not tire her overmuch, what with young Lord Daemon and Lord Victor besides."
"My thanks for asking, friend. She is in good health," Corlys answered, without slowing his pace. "And Victor, it would seem, has inherited his elder brother's easy temper - he slept through most of the crossing and scarcely noticed their arrival at all. The Seven be thanked that Daemon, after his first months of fussing, has grown into a quieter child."
"That is good to hear, my lord," Ser Adam said, nodding with a faint smile. "I confess I miss the days when the castle was somewhat quieter, but watching your family grow is a far finer thing than any quiet could be."
Corlys made no answer to this remark, only smiling faintly at the corner of his mouth as he went on turning over the conversation to come in his mind. They passed through the long corridors of the Red Keep. Before the great carved oaken doors leading into the chamber of the Small Council stood two figures clad in snow-white armor. Waiting to receive Corlys were Ser Harrold Westerling and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Ryam Redwyne.
"Lord Corlys," the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard said, stepping forward and greeting the Master of Ships courteously with a nod of his head. "His Grace awaits you within. You may go in."
"My thanks, Ser Ryam, Ser Harrold," Corlys replied, nodding to the white-cloaked knights as they eased open the massive doors before him.
Both knights admitted Corlys within without further question, while Ser Adam remained outside with them, since the private audience called for none but Corlys himself to be present in the chamber. Crossing the threshold, Corlys found himself in a spacious room with a high ceiling, lit by a great many candles set along the length of the Small Council's table. Today, however, that table stood all but empty, only two figures sat there.
King Jaehaerys sat at its head, dressed in a simple but finely made robe of deep red, over which hung a slender golden chain - the mark of his office. To his right sat Queen Alysanne. She wore a modest gown of a deep, velvety hue, and the look in her kind but watchful eyes met Corlys's with warm curiosity.
Corlys came to a halt, bowed his head in a light bow full of dignity, and spoke:
"Your Grace, Queen Alysanne. It is an honor to stand before you, and I thank you for the time you have set aside for me."
"Come and sit, Corlys," King Jaehaerys said, gesturing toward the chair at his left hand. "When you told me you wished to discuss the matter of the Stepstones with me alone, away from other ears, I thought it best that Alysanne be present as well. Her insight into such matters often shows me things that would otherwise escape my notice, and I have come to value her judgment in these affairs no less than my own."
Corlys took the seat indicated, smiled faintly at the queen, and replied with genuine respect:
"Queen Alysanne's wisdom can only serve to improve our discussion," he said, with a sincerity that did not, however, keep him from hastily reordering, in his own mind, the sequence in which he meant to lay out his arguments. "I am glad she has joined us."
The king nodded approvingly, resting his arms upon the carved arms of his chair, and looked the Master of Ships directly in the eye.
"Very well, then," the king said. "Tell us what it is you wished to discuss, Corlys. I am listening closely, as is Alysanne."
"First of all, Your Grace, I am pleased to report officially that the last ship of the royal fleet, whose construction was entrusted to me, was successfully launched two days ago," Corlys began, with a touch of pride, laying upon the table a rolled parchment bearing its seals. "All inspections have been passed, and the entire final complement of warships will soon pass fully into the crown's own keeping."
Unconcealed satisfaction showed upon the king's face, and he nodded approvingly several times before answering.
"That is truly excellent news, Corlys," Jaehaerys said. "I am glad you have brought this task to completion, and brought it to completion, I dare say, far more swiftly than any other Master of Ships before you could have managed. I recall that as recently as three years ago, many in this very chamber doubted that a fleet of such size could be built within such a span of time."
"Corlys has fully justified the trust we placed in him in this matter," Queen Alysanne added, regarding Corlys with an expression of genuine approval. "The royal fleet is now stronger than it has ever been, and a great part of the credit for that belongs to you."
"I thank you for such high praise, Your Grace," Corlys replied, inclining his head slightly. "Within the week, these last ships shall be fully manned and equipped and dispatched from the shipyards of Driftmark to Dragonstone, where they shall join the main fleet."
"That is more than acceptable," Jaehaerys said, nodding, folding his hands upon the table. "I shall see to it this very day that the treasury delivers to you all the gold owed for the work done and the expenses borne by your house."
Corlys allowed a brief pause, straightened his back, and shifted his tone to something more serious and businesslike. The time had come to turn to the true matter of their conversation.
"Now that the matter of the fleet is settled," he said, letting his tone grow somewhat graver, "I believe it is time we turned to the question of what is to be done about the Stepstones. The situation there, so far as I am aware from the most recent reports, has only worsened over this past year."
Queen Alysanne frowned slightly and asked a wholly reasonable question, regarding the young lord with mild bewilderment.
"Ought matters such as this not be discussed before the whole of the Small Council, Corlys, rather than in so small a circle, behind closed doors?" she asked, clear puzzlement in her voice. "The Stepstones concern not only the fleet, but trade, and the defense of the realm as a whole, and it would seem to me only sensible to hear the counsel of all the king's advisors together."
"You are entirely right, Your Grace, and sooner or later this matter must indeed be brought before the full council," Corlys answered, inclining his head slightly in agreement with her words. "However, before that is done, I wished to put a certain proposal to the king personally, since what I am about to say will require his own decision before matters can proceed any further in the presence of the other lords."
Jaehaerys raised an eyebrow slightly, but showed no displeasure at Corlys's caution, only nodding silently to signal that he was prepared to hear more.
"I am listening closely, Corlys," Jaehaerys said, leaning forward and showing genuine interest.
"It is well known to everyone in this chamber," Corlys began, choosing his words with care, "that it is the Triarchy which covertly supports the pirates entrenched upon the Stepstones, supplying them with arms, ships, and, in all likelihood, gold as well. Through these pirates, the Triarchy seeks to establish its own control over one of the most vital strategic points of the Narrow Sea, all without ever having to enter into open war with Westeros in its own name."
"The Triarchy, of course, denies any involvement whatsoever in what occurs upon the Stepstones," the king remarked, leaning back in his chair, "but I daresay there is not a single soul in this chamber who truly believes that denial. Everyone here understands perfectly well who truly stands behind these attacks upon our merchant ships."
"It is precisely for this reason that I am convinced a war upon the Stepstones, should we resolve to wage it in its usual fashion, risks dragging on far longer than any of us might hope," Corlys continued, sensing that the conversation was drawing steadily nearer to the heart of his proposal.
Queen Alysanne shook her head, entering the discussion with a note of doubt in her voice.
"What makes you so certain of that, Corlys?" Queen Alysanne broke in, folding her arms across her chest. "If neither the land forces nor the fleet alone can subdue the pirates, the crown has yet another means at its disposal, one capable of deciding the outcome of such a war almost instantly. Let the princes but take to the air upon their dragons, and the Triarchy would simply have no hope of standing against such power."
Corlys regarded the queen with respect, but began, in gentle contradiction, to explain.
"Matters are far from as simple as they may appear at first glance, Your Grace," Corlys answered, shaking his head slightly. "To begin with, all the larger islands of the Stepstones have long possessed an entire network of underground tunnels and caverns, hewn out in ages long past. The pirates know these passages intimately and no doubt already use them as shelter from dragons. They make use of them even now, and would make far greater use of them still, should a full-scale invasion come to pass."
"And how, precisely, would that prevent the dragons from winning the day?" the queen asked, frowning.
"The trouble is this," Corlys explained, taking care to speak as thoroughly as he could, so as to leave no room for doubt in what he said. "The moment a dragon appears upon the field of battle, the pirates will simply retreat into these caverns, sheltering from the flames within the depths of the rock. Dragonfire holds no power over what lies hidden deep beneath the earth, and as a result, the princes would find themselves burning empty ground again and again, while the enemy waits patiently within the tunnels for the dragon to fly off. Such a tactic could well undo the very advantage that dragons would otherwise seem to grant us in this war."
The king frowned slightly, turning over what he had heard, but did not interrupt, and Corlys, encouraged by his silent attention, continued laying out his reasoning further.
"What is more," he added, "the pirates upon these islands have already amassed considerable stores of provisions and equipment, gathered over long years of plunder. This grants them a serious advantage in a protracted war, since they need not concern themselves with supply in the way that we shall have to. Westeros, for its part, would need to establish an entire chain of supply across the sea, to keep our forces provisioned for months, perhaps even years, and the Triarchy, believe me, will not sit idly by and watch this unfold. In all likelihood, their ships will make constant attempts to intercept our supply convoys, thereby slowly but surely worsening the position of our forces upon the islands."
"You paint a rather grim picture of the war to come, Corlys," Jaehaerys observed, his brow furrowing slightly.
Corlys allowed a brief pause, letting the moment settle, then went on:
"There is one further matter, Your Grace, which troubles me more than all the rest," Corlys said, lowering his voice as though about to impart something of particular weight. "My informants in Tyrosh and Myr have told me that the warships and fortifications of the Triarchy have been fitted with siege scorpions, closely resembling in design that very weapon which once slew Queen Rhaenys and her dragon during King Aegon's Conquest of Westeros."
King Jaehaerys's face changed at once. His brow twitched with a flash of pain, and his fingers curled into a fist.
"That can mean only one thing..." King Jaehaerys said grimly. "The Triarchy is not merely afraid of dragons - they are deliberately preparing to meet them."
"Just so, Your Grace," Corlys confirmed. "Which, in turn, means that using your sons' dragons in this war would be a considerably more perilous course than any of us would wish. The princes, Seven forbid, could be wounded in such a battle, or, in the very worst case, killed outright by a well-placed shot from such a weapon. The fate of Queen Rhaenys makes plain enough that such a danger is by no means an invention or an exaggeration on my part."
Queen Alysanne visibly paled at these words and, for a moment, lowered her gaze to her own hands resting upon the table. The thought of exposing her sons - Aemon and Baelon - to such danger was plainly unbearable to her, and Corlys, noting this change in her countenance, softened his tone somewhat as he continued speaking.
"I am not saying that dragons should not be used at all," he explained. "But I do believe it would be unwise to risk the lives of the princes in a drawn-out campaign, in which the advantage dragons would otherwise offer might be wholly undone by caves and siege engines, when another path exists that could achieve a better outcome at far less cost."
The queen lifted her gaze to Corlys, and in her eyes could be read something between unease and wary curiosity.
"What is it, then, that you propose, Corlys?" she asked at last, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I have come to know you well enough, in the time you have served the crown, to be certain you would not have raised this matter merely to lay out difficulties already familiar to us. You must already have some solution in mind."
Corlys allowed himself the faintest of smiles, appreciating the queen's perceptiveness.
"You are right, Your Grace," he answered. "What I propose is this: I shall personally lead the taking of the Stepstones, using the strength, the arms, and the ships of House Velaryon, while requiring the royal fleet only to supply my men with provisions and reinforcements over the course of the campaign."
The king leaned forward sharply, undisguised doubt crossing his face.
"Wait, Corlys," he said, shaking his head. "Not a moment ago you yourself were telling us that this war risks dragging on, and that the use of dragons carries grave danger with it - and now you claim that your house alone can seize these islands where the full might of the crown might well falter?"
"All that I said before remains entirely true, Your Grace," Corlys answered calmly. "But I will not allow the Triarchy to draw out this war and destroy thousands of Westerosi soldiers in frontal assaults. I mean to employ cunning, unconventional tactics, and the resources of my own house. I guarantee that I shall take the Stepstones within the span of a few months."
Jaehaerys leaned back in his chair, turning over what he had heard, and for a time silence settled over the chamber. At last the king spoke again, and a note of wariness had crept into his voice.
"Let us suppose, Corlys, that we believe you are indeed capable of such a thing," he said slowly, weighing every word. "But I know you far too well to imagine you would offer all this out of sheer loyalty to the crown alone, asking nothing in return. So let me ask you plainly: what does House Velaryon want in exchange for such a service?"
Corlys had expected this question, and so answered without the slightest hesitation, looking the king directly in the eye.
"I wish to be granted lordship over all the islands of the Stepstones that I take, Your Grace," he said, in an even voice. "Not one island, nor a handful of them, but the entire archipelago, whole and entire, as the ancestral seat of House Velaryon."
For several long moments, silence hung over the chamber. Neither the king nor the queen spoke a word, and Corlys waited patiently, giving them time to weigh what they had heard, making no attempt to hurry their answer with empty persuasion.
"Do you understand, Corlys, precisely what it is you are asking?" Jaehaerys said at last, breaking the silence, an unaccustomed hardness in his voice.
"I understand it perfectly well, Your Grace," Corlys answered without the slightest falter. "I am offering a solution to a problem that has plagued the Narrow Sea for decades now, and I propose to settle it once and for all, rather than putting it off to some future day, only to watch the next generation of pirates take up the place of the last. In return, I ask for nothing but what I shall win with my own strength and my own blood. I believe that to be a fair price for such a service to the crown."
"Why should the Stepstones pass to House Velaryon alone," the king broke in, narrowing his eyes slightly, "rather than being divided among several houses, so that none might accuse me of showing excessive favor to a single vassal? Why should House Targaryen itself not lay claim to at least some portion of these islands?"
"Because, Your Grace, to truly secure the Stepstones," Corlys explained patiently, "and to transform them from barren rocks, or merely convenient waypoints for passing ships, into a genuinely thriving region - with ports, garrisons, and trading settlements that pay their taxes regularly - will require money. A very great deal of money, and, believe me, no house in Westeros, save perhaps the crown itself, is prepared to commit such sums to so uncertain an enterprise."
"Perhaps it would fall to the crown itself to undertake such an investment," the queen observed, tilting her head slightly.
Corlys paused briefly, shifting his gaze from king to queen.
"The crown could certainly afford it, Your Grace," Corlys agreed, "but it would then have to set aside, for an uncertain span of time, a great many other important projects, since the treasury simply cannot bear such a burden all at once. It is well known that the building of King's Landing's sewer system and the laying of the Kingsroad are both still underway, and both already demand a steady and considerable flow of funds. Should the crown take on, in addition, the financing of the Stepstones' fortification, it would either have to abandon one of the projects already begun, or freeze a great many other vital matters of state entirely, or else raise taxes upon the lords and the common folk alike - which, I fear, would only bring about discontent throughout the realm."
The king and queen exchanged a swift glance, in which Corlys read a reluctant agreement with his reasoning, though neither of them had yet spoken it aloud.
"And does House Velaryon itself," Jaehaerys said at last, a note of doubt in his voice, "possess sufficient free gold for such an undertaking?"
"I do not, in truth, have so much free gold as that, Your Grace," Corlys said, calling upon all his political skill to sound honest, careful not to embellish the state of his affairs. "However, should the Stepstones be granted to me, I would redirect funds presently invested in other ventures of House Velaryon toward the fortification and development of the islands. By my own reckoning, such an investment would pay for itself within ten years' time, or, should matters not unfold as favorably as hoped, within perhaps fifteen. The truth of the matter is that I am answerable for but a single island, Driftmark, and can therefore afford such a risk, such a long-term outlay of funds, whereas the crown bears direct responsibility for the well-being of the whole of Westeros at once, and cannot afford the same luxury of risking so much for the sake of a single region."
Corlys fell silent for a moment, giving the king and queen time to absorb what he had said, then continued, sensing that the moment had come to move on to the next part of his proposal.
"What is more, Your Grace," he said, "should my family be granted rights over the Stepstones, I pledge not merely to invest in their fortification, but to build proper ports and infrastructure upon the islands, and to strengthen the maritime security of the entire region using the strength of my own fleet. This would markedly improve the safety of trade routes across the Narrow Sea, which, in turn, would benefit the commerce of the whole of Westeros, not Driftmark alone. Furthermore, I pledge to establish, in every port under my authority, uniform and fair tolls for all subjects of the crown, regardless of the house or region from which they hail, while tolls for foreign merchants shall be set somewhat higher - within reasonable bounds, of course - so as to grant Westerosi traders a well-earned advantage over outsiders."
"That is a most generous pledge, Corlys," the queen remarked, raising an eyebrow slightly, though a note of wariness still lingered in her voice.
"That is not all, Your Grace," Corlys continued, inclining his head slightly. "I am also prepared to open a branch of the Bank of Driftmark in King's Landing, and to offer the crown loans at minimal interest for the next fifteen years. Such a bank would grant the crown far greater freedom in the disposition of its funds, should sudden need arise - be it natural disaster, war, or some other unforeseen circumstance - and would, at the same time, help the smaller merchants and craftsmen of the capital itself gain access to loans upon reasonable terms, which, by my reckoning, would do a great deal of good for the city's economy as a whole."
Jaehaerys listened in silence, casting the occasional brief glance toward his wife, as though gauging her reaction before settling upon his own view of what he had heard.
"And finally, Your Grace," Corlys said, sensing that he was approaching the most weighty part of his proposal, "it is well known that House Targaryen presently holds but two blades of Valyrian steel. And so, should I be granted rights over the Stepstones, and should these islands be recognized as the lawful ancestral seat of House Velaryon, I pledge to present House Targaryen with one further blade of Valyrian steel."
At these words, the king's brows shot upward in unfeigned astonishment.
"Do you truly mean to part with one of your own blades, Corlys?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. "Or is it, perhaps, that the Velaryons possess yet another such sword, of which I know nothing?"
"I do not, as yet, have a second blade of Valyrian steel in my keeping, Your Grace," Corlys admitted, "but I know where one might be found."
"There is scarcely a soul in Essos or Westeros," the queen observed, clear skepticism in her voice, "who would willingly part with such a treasure. Blades of Valyrian steel have long since become a rarity, even among the greatest houses, and those who possess such weapons, as a rule, prize them above nearly everything else they own."
"Allow me to see to that part of our bargain myself, Your Grace," Corlys answered, with a faint but confident smile. "And should I, for whatever reason, prove unable to procure a new blade for you, I give you my word that I shall, in that case, deliver to House Targaryen one of my own two swords."
The king fell silent for a time, regarding Corlys closely, then slowly began to speak once more, plainly striving to draw together all that he had heard over the past several minutes.
"So then, if I understand your proposal correctly, Corlys," he said, frowning slightly with the effort of concentration, "you are asking us to grant House Velaryon rights over the Stepstones, and in exchange you pledge to take these islands alone, by the strength of your own house, using the royal fleet solely to supply your forces. Furthermore, the Velaryons intend to finance, at their own expense, the development and fortification of these lands, to open a bank in the capital that will lend money to the crown at low interest, and, on top of all this, to present us with a blade of Valyrian steel worth, in effect, a fortune."
"That is exactly so, Your Grace," Corlys confirmed without the slightest hesitation. "And as the result of such a bargain, the crown shall gain a loyal and steadfast ally, one who will guard the Narrow Sea and the free trade of Westeros in this region for generations to come. And upon my death, all these holdings shall pass to my son Daemon - a man in whose veins, I remind you, runs the very same blood as that of your own future grandson, who shall one day sit upon the Iron Throne."
Queen Alysanne leaned forward slightly, turning over what she had heard with an expression of deep concentration upon her face.
"Should we, in the end, agree to such terms, Corlys," she said at last, "how long, by your own reckoning, would you require to subdue the pirates and bring all the islands of the Stepstones under the full control of House Velaryon?"
"I shall require three months, Your Grace," Corlys answered without hesitation. "Not a single day more. And should I fail, at the end of that time, to fulfill entirely what I have promised, you shall be free to consider our agreement void, and the islands shall remain, accordingly, in the crown's keeping, to dispose of as it sees fit."
The queen fell silent for a moment, weighing what she had heard, then turned to her husband and exchanged with him a long, telling look, one that plainly conveyed her wish to discuss the proposal more thoroughly, without other ears present, before reaching any final decision. Jaehaerys nodded slowly to his own thoughts and said:
"This is a proposal of the utmost gravity, Corlys. Alysanne and I must consider and weigh it all with great care. Once we have reached our final decision, we shall summon you to meet with us again."
"I thank you for the time you have granted me, Your Grace," Corlys said, rising from his seat and bowing.
"Go, Corlys," Queen Alysanne said gently, a faint, warm smile touching her lips. "You should, I think, go and see Viserra and your sons. They must have missed you sorely."
Corlys understood perfectly well the hint concealed within these words, and so did not linger any longer in the chamber.
"You are quite right, Your Grace," he answered, with a faint smile. "With your leave, I shall take my leave of you."
Bowing once more to them both, Corlys turned and made his way toward the doors of the Small Council chamber, feeling the last echoes of the long and tense conversation fade gradually behind him. He pushed open the heavy doors, stepped out into the corridor where Ser Adam already stood waiting for him, and the two great leaves of the door swung shut behind him with a dull thud, sealing the king and queen away from the rest of the castle behind their solid wooden barrier.
The moment the doors had closed, Jaehaerys sank slowly back into his chair and turned to his wife.
"What do you make of Corlys's proposal, Alysanne?" he asked, regarding her thoughtfully.
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A/N
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