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The Crimson Dragon- chapter 14: Do Better
🕑 Added 2024-04-05 12:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 14: Do Better
Two Days Later
Lilyanna wondered if she would just be wasting her time as she walked through the Red Keep on her way to the small council chamber.
Ser Erryk Cargyll had been sent to retrieve Lilyanna, removing the princess from her shared lesson with Helaena and their Septa.
She knew the second the Kingsguard had said that her father had requested that she join the small council meeting that was currently going on that Orwyle had done it, he had gone to Lord Beesbury and brought forth the idea of a royal bank to the councilors.
Well at least I'll know if the people of this kingdom are willing to do something different. Lilyanna thought.
"Thank you for bringing me, Ser Erryk." Lilyanna told the knight once the doors of the small council chamber came into their eyesight.
"I am Arryk, Your Grace." The Kingsguard told the princess.
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "No, you're not, Erryk. I don't know why you and your brother keep trying to trick me, I can still tell you both apart."
Years ago, Lilyanna had surprised the twin brothers by being able to tell them apart whereas everyone else constantly mistook one for the other.
Since then, Erryk and Arryk had decided to start a playful game of trying to get the princess to slip up and confuse them.
Erryk smiled, "Are you going to tell Arryk and I how you know which is which?"
"And have you two change it just to fool me? Never." Lilyanna replied.
"Ah, so there is something that we have that is different?" Erryk asked, his smile growing as Lilyanna once again rolled her eyes.
"You are both very annoying. Just giving twins everywhere, including my sister and I, a bad name."
Before Erryk could respond, a loud cough ended their conversation. The two looked towards the chamber doors and saw Criston standing there, looking at the pair with a slight frown.
Criston only accepted Erryk being sent to retrieve Lilyanna because he could not leave Alicent alone in the chamber. But he did not like his fellow Kingsguard, especially as he saw how well Erryk got along with men like Harwin Strong, seeing it as an obvious leaning towards Rhaenyra's faction.
"The council is waiting, what took you so long, Erryk?" Criston asked coolly.
"I will give my apologies to the King if he asks for them, Criston." Erryk responded, sensing the coldness in Criston's tone.
The dislike between the two men was evident. Erryk often felt like Criston thought he was better than him and their fellow brothers simply because he was the Queen's sworn protector.
Lilyanna quietly sighed, interrupting the two's standoff. "Am I allowed to enter, Ser Criston?"
"Of course, princess." Criston said as he turned to open the doors, announcing Lilyanna's presence. "Princess Lilyanna, daughter of King Viserys."
Lilyanna glided through the entranceway, Erryk followed a step behind.
"I have brought Princess Lilyanna as you have requested, Your Grace." Erryk said, bowing to the King.
"Thank you for your service, Ser. You are excused." Viserys said with a wave of his hand.
Erryk stood back up, his shoulders squared, "Of course, Your Grace."
As Erryk turned to leave the chamber, he looked at Criston from the corner of his eye for a few seconds before continuing down the hall.
Criston scoffed under his breath as he closed the door behind Erryk, leaving Lilyanna alone with the small council.
~X~
"Father, mother, sister, my lords." Lilyanna said as she curtseyed to the councilors.
"Step forward, daughter." Viserys said, waving the girl over to stand at the open end of the long table.
Lilyanna stepped forward only stopping a hair away from the table.
She then looked at her mother, Alicent smiled at her reassuringly, which made Lilyanna think that this would not end in complete failure.
"I asked you to be brought here because your mother and Grand Maester Orwyle said that you had an idea. A revolutionary one for a royal bank." Viserys stated, his face was passive, but Lilyanna could see a curiosity in his gaze.
He then looked towards Lord Beesbury, "You said that Orwyle had come to you with my daughter's idea before bringing to this council, Lord Beesbury. Tell me, is this a feasible idea?"
The Master of Coin eagerly sat forward, the excitement on his face making him look younger. "The creation of a royal bank will create some animosity to the crown by the existing banking institutions, specifically the Iron Bank, Your Grace. But the ideas that Princess Lilyanna wants to implement more than make up for this possibility."
When Lyman first heard about the princess's idea for a royal bank from Orwyle, he was skeptical, doubting that such an idea would be possible in the political climate of Westeros.
But as the other man kept giving him more details, the more Lyman began to see the genius of it all.
A scoff could be heard from down the table, on the same side as Lyman. Jasper Wylde, the Lord of the Rain House in the Stormlands, and Master of Laws. A man who known as Ironrod due to his unbending attitudes towards matters of law, gave Lyman a condescending look.
Lilyanna immediately remembered Mushroom telling her the tale that Jasper's nickname actually derived from the state of his 'member' as he has sired twenty-nine children on four different wives, each one dying of exhaustion before being replaced by the next.
"You are asking us to increase taxes of the Lords of the realm on a whim. How can we put such a burden on the realm for such an inane cause?" Jasper said, staring directly at Lyman.
Before the Master of Coin could respond, Lilyanna spoke. "I do not believe that you understood fully what I was suggesting for the royal bank, Lord Wylde."
"And what would that be?" Jasper immediately asked, turning his gaze towards the girl.
"Lord Wylde, you forget yourself. That is a princess of the blood you are speaking to." Rhaenyra said calmly, but this clashed with the angry expression on her face.
"Rhaenyra, I am sure that Jasper meant no disrespect. He is just trying to get a better understanding of Lilyanna's idea." Viserys said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.
"I have taken no offense, sister." Lilyanna added, she knew that Jasper had indeed intended to slight her, but Lilyanna knew that getting angry at everyone who look at her funny or said something with clear undertones would be an endless quest that would get her nowhere.
Rhaenyra stared at Lilyanna for a few moments, looking for any sign that her sister was lying, she said nothing as she nodded her head. But she would soon not forget the slight that Jasper had sent at Lilyanna, nor the others that would try to get in her way.
"Lilyanna," Alicent began, looking at Jasper with slight distaste, "You may continue, my dear."
"As I was saying, while there would be a minor increase in taxes from the lords it would be a return in investment rather quickly. This would start by creating a small credit book to use and borrow and keep gold flowing, making us capable of not only issuing gold to other Westeroi but to foreigners as well." Lilyanna explained.
"And when you say 'Westerosi,' am I right to assume you don't just mean the heads of each house, my princess?" Tyland Lannister, Master of Ships spoke up.
The Lannister had already thought of the possibilities that a royal bank could bring, but he also thought of how a royal bank would end any blind trust between the lords and the crown. This proposal would make the spending and taxes of the nobility visible to the crown because they would have more oversight of the flow coin than they already had.
Tyland could already imagine how his twin brother and liege lord, Jason, would react to the increase in taxes and being made to make his dealings more obvious.
I must nip this in the bud before that. He thought.
"You are correct, Lord Tyland. I am also referring to the smallfolk." Lilyanna answered.
It was possible to hear a pin drop with how quite the chamber became after Lilyanna answered Tyland's question.
Right, I'm in a room full of nobles, people whose power and wealth comes from keeping the poor and disenfranchised down. And here I am trying to give these peasants more opportunities. Lilyanna thought to herself as she looked at the faces of the adults before her.
Tyland let out a laugh, "You want to increase the taxes of the lords to create, what, my princess? Give it to the smallfolk? What would they, the uneducated and immoral do with such an undeserving act?"
"The temporary tax increase would be used to build the bank and create different accounts for each house, but the common people of Westeros are more capable than you are giving them, my Lord. As of right now, most of them are only able to pay their taxes through labor, but by allowing them to create their own accounts, businesses could be created through the loans they take out, helping the economy to increase. It would only be a matter of time before the smallfolk will gather their own wealth and use it to in turn increase the wealth of their liege lords and the Seven Kingdoms as a whole."
"How much of an increase would this tax be and for how long?" Lyonel Strong, Hand of the King, asked.
"It would be a three and a half percent increase for one year, my Lord Hand." Lilyanna responded.
"Is this possible, Lyman?" The Hand asked as he turned to face the man.
"Indeed, it is. The Seven Kingdoms can more than handle this tax increase, especially since it is only temporary. And I think the benefits will persuade even the more frugal lords." Lyman added.
"That is not necessarily true, I mean are all lords required to use the bank? A royal bank would lead to more oversight that many would fight against if that is the case." Tyland argued.
Rhaenyra turned to Tyland, "And why would that be such a terrible thing? It would make more financial sense to use a bank in Westeros than in Essos or somewhere. Regardless of that, is it not the responsibility of the crown and this council to know the comings and goings of the realm?"
"I only mean that the lords may not be comfortable with the crown knowing all they do with the coin they work hard to earn, princess." Tyland restated.
Rhaenyra almost rolled her eyes when she heard Tyland say that the lords worked hard to earn their riches. It was not hard as the systems of nobility and commerce that ruled Westeros had been in place for thousands of years, so most lords could just sit back and do nothing for their entire reigns and still have gold in their coffers.
And that is not even mentioning the generational wealth that most houses had, built from the work of previous lords that ruled their lands.
"Lilyanna," Alicent spoke, drawing her daughter's eye. "How would this oversight be accomplished?"
Lilyanna cleared her throat, "Well, to start the royal bank will need to work in conjunction with the royal treasury, so recordkeeping would have to be done differently. We would have to mark coins from all taxation going forward within a ledger when received, making it harder to defraud the treasury. Secondly, depending on where we place the location of the bank, a witness would have to be there for all physical transactions to validate them."
"As if that would be feasible without burdening the entire realm." Tyland muttered under his breath.
Lilyanna continued, acting as if she did not hear the man. "Lastly the lords of the realm would have to keep track of their taxes with similar record keeping, which will be examined by men of the council's choosing."
Tyland laughed outright, tears almost falling from his eyes.
The princess truly is a naïve little girl if she thinks anyone will go along with this!
"Well, I don't think my proposal is that funny." Lilyanna muttered, finding the Master of Ships reaction to be overblown.
Viserys sighed, looking towards the rest of the council, "Lord Tyland has more than clearly given his opinion on the matter. What say the rest of you?"
"I have already said my peace, Your Grace. Princess Lilyanna's royal bank is an ingenious idea that we would be fools not to jump on." Lord Beesbury said aloud.
Jasper spoke next, "I was worried at first about the cost of such an endeavor, but an increase of three and a half for one year is reasonable. I know from my years handling the Rain House's finances that the other lords will be able to handle this temporary increase. And there is the added benefit of this being able to make it harder for criminals to get away with shortchanging the crown, there will be more of them brought to justice."
"Princess Lilyanna's idea has clearly shown merit, Your Grace. I believe you will find no disagreement from the Citadel nor the Faith." Orwyle claimed, appearing more adamant than usual.
"A royal bank like the one our daughter has suggested would be a great boon for both the crown and the realm." Alicent declared, staring at her husband.
"I agree with the Queen." Rhaenyra said and she once again had to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the shocked expression of most of the men at the table. "This would benefit our house greatly, father."
Viserys grinned, happy to see his wife and daughter agreeing on something. He then turned to the only person who had yet to give their opinion, "Lyonel?"
Lyonel cleared his throat, "While I do see the benefits of implementing a bank for Westeros, I still cannot help but think of the negatives, Your Grace."
"The negatives?" Viserys asked.
"I don't believe that the lords of the realm will be much of an issue like Tyland claims, the same cannot be said for Essos." Lyonel explained, "The Iron Bank of Braavos may not see it as just the princess trying to enrich the smallfolk."
Viserys pondered what his hand was telling him; the creation of a royal bank may lead to tensions with the East, that it may lead to war.
Since his reign began, Viserys had been adamant on maintaining the peace and prosperity of the realm that his grandfather, Jaehaerys, had started.
After the tremulous and bloody reigns of Aenys and Maegor before him, Jaehaerys was praised for his accomplishments and temperament during his fifty years on the throne, now being known as one of the greatest Kings throughout the history of Westeros.
With that large of a legacy being held over him, the last thing the Targaryen wanted to be known for was being the King to destroy the culture his grandfather worked so hard to build.
"Father, if I may?" Lilyanna asked.
Viserys nodded his head at his daughter, his thoughts still consumed with the idea of a possible war.
"The leaders of the Iron Bank may be a bit ruffled by a Westerosi bank, but I don't believe that it will lead to war or conflict." Lilyanna said.
"Why?" The King asked.
"Because Westeros is insignificant to the Free Cities."
Everyone in the room looked at the young princess with one of either three emotions; confusion, curiosity, and annoyance.
But they all wondered the same thing; Why would Westeros be seen as insignificant to the Iron Bank and by extension, Essos?
"A royal bank would be to the benefit of Westeros, but the Iron Bank is too large and prolific for us to immediately overtake them. There would be little chance of us overstepping their market. At best, a royal bank could do business with other banks, including the Iron Bank, but it would not gain as many foreign customers as those other banks because of how singular our continent is." Lilyanna explained.
"Untimely the decision is yours, Your Grace." Lyonel stated.
The small council and Lilyanna looked towards their King, waiting to see what he would decide. It was clear to them all that the man was conflicted, not bothering to hide his uncomfortable expression.
Well, I tried. I already know what he's going to say. Lilyanna thought, looking down at the floor.
"We shall implement my daughter's idea for a royal bank." Viserys declared.
Lilyanna stared back at her father with shock. Wait what? Viserys has always been afraid of conflict, so I thought Lyonel had him when he mentioned the Iron Bank. What the hell?
"Yo-ur Grace, you cannot be serious?" Tyland stuttered, too shocked by the King's decision. "What about the lords of the realm, the Iron Bank?"
Viserys turned to the Lannister, "As my eldest daughter has said; it is the responsibility of the crown to know all that goes on within the realm. If the lords are not doing anything treasonous then they have nothing to fear, would they?"
"N-n-no, Your Grace. But-"
"And the Iron Bank cannot wage war by themselves, they would need the rest of Braavos and the other Free Cities to aid their cause if they are truly afraid of a Westeros bank. Highly unlikely after that whole mess my brother and Corlys started in the Stepstones."
Tyland had nothing to say in response, his jaw clenched as he looked away from the King.
Viserys then turned to addressing the council as a whole. "We will plan out the royal bank over the coming meetings, but for now you are all excused."
Tyland was the first to leave, pushing the doors open with a strong shove, shocking Criston who was standing outside. The rest of the council left at a slower pace, each of them looking Lilyanna as they walked past her.
The royal family were now the only ones left in the chamber.
Lilyanna blew a raspberry, "Are all councils meetings that backhanded?"
"Always, sister. It makes for good entertainment." Rhaenyra smirked.
"Rhaenyra." Alicent chided, sending an annoyed and tired look at the woman.
"What? It is the truth, is it not? Lilyanna should know what we get up almost every day." Rhaenyra asked.
Lilyanna snickered at the glare Alicent sent towards Rhaenyra.
"Rhaenyra, Alicent," Viserys spoke drawing their attention to him.
Despite saying their names, Viserys was not staring at Rhaenyra or Alicent but at Lilyanna.
"I need to speak to Lilyanna, alone."
Rhaenyra looked between her father and sister and was about to speak when Alicent interrupted.
"Of course, husband."
Rhaenyra huffed and slowly stood up as she followed the Queen out of the chamber.
For the first time in a long time, Viserys and Lilyanna Targaryen were alone in a room together.
~X~
"Um, father?" Lilyanna asked, standing awkwardly.
"Sit, Lilyanna." Viserys ordered, waving his hand towards Rhaenyra's chair next to him on his right side.
Lilyanna did as she was told, gracefully sliding into the seat.
Neither of them spoke, Viserys avoided his daughter's eye as she blatantly stared at him, waiting for him to say what he wanted.
The King cleared his throat, "I have talked with your siblings, but we have not spoken much to each other."
Lilyanna continued to remain silent, and the King found himself once again unnerved by her penetrating gaze. The two had never been close to each other, so the princess did not know why her father was suddenly mentioning this.
Over the past few weeks, since deciding that Daeron would not be sent to Oldtown, Viserys had been trying to figure out how to connect with his children and see how they were doing in the wake of their tragedy.
So, a few days ago, he had finally cornered four of his children when Rhaenyra had gone on a ride with Syrax and Lilyanna was attending her lesson with Orwyle.
It had been easier with Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron, each had been surprised by their father seeking them out but took to it happily.
Aegon stared at him for a couple grueling minutes when Viserys tried to ask him about his day. And when Viserys tried to break the silence by asking his feelings about Elaera, Aegon glared at him.
"So that's why you are spending time with us, you feel guilty?"
The smiles soon died, as the others started to realize what caused their father to act so differently than usual.
Viserys could only stutter in his response, not able to truthfully deny the accusation that his eldest son had laid at his feet.
Aegon, noticing this, immediately excused himself and left, ignoring the calls of his siblings as he put as much physical distance between himself and their father.
Viserys soon excused himself as well, feeling embarrassed by the way his remaining children were looking at him.
He tried to put the incident behind him but when Orwyle and Lyman had brought forth a proposal for a royal bank that Lilyanna had produced and seeing her standing before him, Viserys had decided to try his luck with Lilyanna.
Will she treat me the same way Aegon did? He thought?
Viserys then cleared his throat, "I wanted to see how you have been doing since Elaera-"
"I do not wish to speak of this." Lilyanna declared, her tone ice cold as she cut into him with her eyes.
Viserys sighed, "Lilyanna, I know this is difficult, it has been for me too, but-"
Lilyanna let out a cruel laugh, "Difficult for you? That is rich, Your Grace, because you did not seem to care much when mother was laboring or during Elaera's funeral."
Viserys' own eyes hardened, "I am still your father, you will not speak to me like that, child."
"Then act like it!" Lilyanna shouted, causing her father to jump, not expecting this from his usually composed and intelligent daughter. "You think I did not hear about this from my siblings? You have never cared about any of us before, the only reason you asked after us was to clear your conscious of your guilt, to make yourself feel better about your choices. And even then, it has been moons since Elaera died."
"Lilyanna-" Viserys tried to speak.
"No!" Lilyanna cried and jumped to her feet, the emotions she had been holding back finally escaping her as she glared at Viserys, "I could have saved her, but you didn't let me! I have been keeping you healthy for years and yet you chose to listen to that idiot Mellos!"
Lilyanna fell back in her seat, bringing her arms to rest on the table and burying her face in her hands. She felt both anger at the man next to her and at herself.
Why did I tell him all that? Why can't I do anything right?!
Lilyanna felt a hand gently grab her shoulder, reluctantly she looked up into Viserys' eyes, and she hated seeing the sadness in them, mostly because she believed that the man had no right to be heartbroken over what happened.
"I should have listened to you, Lilyanna, I know that now. But you have to understand, before you were born, before I even married your mother, when I was married to my first wife, Rhaenyra's mother, Aemma, we lost so many children before their time. I remember the day that Rhaenyra was born, when it was clear that she would live and the maesters handed her to us, she was so small, so beautiful, but just as loud and fiery as she is now." Viserys started to laugh at his joke, but this ended just as quickly it started, his face becoming somber once more.
"Even though I loved your sister, I was young and prideful, having a single daughter was not enough for me. So, I kept having children with Aemma, always holding hope that they would live just as Rhaenyra had. I thought that my prayers, my dreams had finally been fulfilled when Baelon was born... I suppose you, Helaena, Aegon, Daeron, and Aemond made me forget how terrible childbirth is..."
Lilyanna continued to stare at Viserys, seeing the tears that were close to falling, hearing the way his voice cracked as he spoke.
She does not think that she will ever truly forgive him for what he had done; taking Alicent as his child bride, making Rhaenyra his heir originally out of guilt and not because he believed in her, making her siblings feel unwanted because they were not of Aemma Aryyn, sending her away when Alicent was giving birth to Elaera.
But it's hard for her not to see the sad, broken, and dying man that was sitting before her. It honestly made Lilyanna wish that Viserys was more like Ethan, then it would be far easier for her not to care about him like she once swore that she would never do.
"So, is this it?" She asked.
Viserys stared at her, confused by her question.
"Will we have this little heartfelt moment and then go back to ignoring each other?" She clarified.
"I- do- I don't know how to proceed from here." The King admitted.
Lilyanna sighed. I suppose that makes sense, neither of us was expecting to have this conversation.
"Perhaps you can come to small council meetings from now on?" Viserys offered, not wanting to have this moment be forgotten like Lilyanna claimed it would.
"In what capacity?" Lilyanna asked.
"As a cupbearer."
Lilyanna raised her eyebrow, the idea of attending small council meetings as a cupbearer did not excite her; she had just been given a taste of what these meetings were like and did not want any more to do with it.
Not to mention that this whole situation had already proved that the council and her father would listen to her ideas if there was a large enough benefit to be gained, so becoming a cupbearer would thankfully be unnecessary.
But attending the small council meetings her a sign of higher power, and a sign of the King thinking of you as important.
"Can Aegon and Jacaerys go to the meetings instead?" Lilyanna asked.
"Aegon and Jacaerys? But why?" Viserys asked, wondering why Lilyanna would want the opportunity she was giving her to go to her brother and nephew.
"Rhaenyra was once your cupbearer before she became an advisor to the council, it was a learning experience. Jacaerys is your heir's heir, he will be ruling the kingdom after you and Rhaenyra, so it will be better for him to start learning how to early on." Lilyanna answered.
"And Aegon?"
Lilyanna hesitated; she knew how Viserys reacted whenever anyone so much as alluded to how Aegon should be his heir instead of Rhaenyra. So, she needed to find the right way to explain herself without making Viserys ignore her outright.
"Aegon is your firstborn son," Lilyanna said, pushing past the anger that had begun to make its way on to Viserys' face. "He is not your heir, but he will one day get married, possibly to a woman with a title or he may be given holdings of his own. He will need to learn how to manage them well, and even if not for those causes, but to simply be of more use to our house than just as another dragonrider."
"And you think Aegon would want this? Being a cupbearer is a large responsibility, it's not something that can be taken lightly." Viserys asked.
While he may not have spent much time around his eldest son, he was aware from septas and other teachers that Aegon would often make japes of serious situations and not paying attention during his lessons.
Why are you not asking the same of Jace? Lilyanna thought to herself annoyed.
"Father, Aegon just wants approval, he wants to not be looked down on, and to be given the chance to prove himself. We all do..." Lilyanna said as she looked to the side.
"I will speak to your mother and sister about this; it will ultimately be their choice."
"And would you try to spend more time with them? With my brothers and sister?" Lilyanna hesitated before she said this, not sure if the man would see this as her asking too much of him.
"But not you?" Viserys asked.
Lilyanna did not reply as she turned her head towards him, her silence being a loud enough answer.
Viserys looked down at the table, clearing his throat awkwardly, "I will take all you have said into account."
Lilyanna stood and curtseyed to her father, leaving as quickly as she could without looking like she was running away.
That was so fucking awkward! I hope I never have to go through something like this again!
~X~
Two Days Later
Jacaerys followed his mother nervously as they along with her sworn protector and Commander of the Gold Cloaks, Harwin Strong, made their way to the small council chamber.
As they broke their fast that morning, Rhaenyra smiled as she had told him that he would be taking up her old position as cupbearer to the small council alongside Aegon.
At first, he was excited, remembering the times when Viserys would hold court while carrying him on his lap, but as he thought about being in the room with the most important men in the realm, he became scared.
He feared making a fool out of himself and disappointing his mother, but instead of saying this he pretended not to be nervous in front of his parents and brother.
"Are you ready, Jace?" Rhaenyra asked as she looked down at her son.
"Ye-yes, mother." Jacaerys hated that he stuttered.
Rhaenyra stopped, causing Jacaerys and Harwin to pause as well, she then placed her hand on his shoulder. "It is fine to be nervous, but I know you will do great toady."
"Really?" He whispered.
"Of course. This is an opportunity to listen in on the council and learn, but you will not be expected to give input just yet. Just listening, learning, and refilling cups."
Jacaerys chuckled, enjoying how his mother rolled her eyes when she said, 'refilling cups.'
"Your mother is right, Prince Jacaerys. You will do great in your new role." Harwin added, "There is nothing to fear."
Jacaerys grinned, he had always admired the man known as the strongest knight in the realm.
Hearing that a man such as him thought that he was capable, relax the young prince.
As they reached the small council chamber, Criston was standing outside the doors, his expression hardening as he saw them approach.
Rhaenyra barely looked at the wait as they reached the door, not looking back at him as the Kingsguard opened the door.
"You are supposed to announce the princess and the prince's presence, Ser." Harwin stated, glaring at the man.
Criston returned the look, "The council is already waiting for Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Jacaerys. They know who would be entering."
Before Harwin could respond, Rhaenyra raised her hand, stopping him.
"It's fine, Ser Harwin. The council is waiting for us, we should not keep them waiting by making Ser Criston remember his manners. There would not be enough time in the world for it." The princess stated, staring at her former protector as if he were nothing.
Criston's jaw clenched and he moved out of the way to allow the two royals into the chamber room.
"I will call for you when the meeting is over, Ser Harwin, you are excused for now."
"Of course, Your Grace." Harwin bowed, waiting until his charges were inside and the doors closed.
Like Criston said the rest of the small council were already assembled in the chamber.
Jacaerys looked at his mother, waiting until she waved him off before going to the corner of the room and standing next to Aegon.
His uncle was leaning next to a table that had cups and pitchers of wine on top of it. Aegon yawned, rubbing one of his eyes before looking at Jacaerys.
"So, I see you've been forced here to, huh Jace?" Aegon said, whispering in his ear.
"Ye-yes, mother said that grandfather wanted us to learn about how to run the realm." Jacaerys responded.
"Yes, I'm sure we're going to learn so much." Aegon drawled sarcastically.
The elder prince did not know how to feel about the situation.
That morning, Alicent had pulled him aside and told him that he would be the royal cupbearer at the small council meeting from now on.
He asked his mother what had led Viserys to decide such a thing.
"Your father said that Lilyanna told him it would be a promising idea. You should be grateful, Aegon, your sister has given you the opportunity to remind the realm of your importance." Alicent told him, holding onto his shoulders to get her point across.
Viserys did not know he had more than one child most days and yet he listened to the suggestion of his youngest daughter, the daughter who he only listened to when he lost his arm, when it was proven that she could do something for him.
And this was only further shown to Aegon as he heard of the concept of a royal bank of Westeros that his sister had brought forth to the council.
Aegon wanted his father's attention, his respect, his love, and from the outside he was finally getting it, but he was unsure if it was because Viserys genuinely cared or because Lilyanna had done something outstanding and Viserys sought to reward her for it.
Lily could have asked for anything and yet she gave me this. Aegon thought, his feelings growing more complicated.
Viserys smiled as he started the meeting, "Before we begin, I am sure that you have all noticed my son and grandson here today. From now on Prince Aegon and Prince Jacaerys will be taking on my daughter's former position as this council's royal cupbearers."
Each member clapped politely, giving their congratulations to the King, Queen, and princess.
The King sat down, looking towards the two boys.
Aegon noticed and immediately gave Jacaerys a tray of chalices, nodding his head at the table. Jacaerys moved as quickly as he could without dropping the cups, placing them in front of each councilor.
Aegon waited for Jacaerys to finish before going and filling each cup except for his mother's, the Queen placing her hand on top of it.
Viserys turned to Lyman, "Lyman, my wife has told me that you sought out Lilyanna in the last two days."
The Master of Coin had a pile of documents and scrolls with him, he then unraveled the largest scroll in front of him, showing it to the table. "Princess Lilyanna and I have been meeting in my chambers after her lesson with Orwyle, Your Grace. We have been discussing plans for the bank's construction. The princess even drew out a design."
On the scroll were three hand drawn and colored images of the royal bank, showing the interior, exterior, and the vaults that would store the coin and other valuables.
The outside was an imposing snow-white multistoried marble building with a set of white stairs leading up to a set of burnished bronze doors.
Inside the bank was a small entrance hall and another set of doors, and through these doors, was a vast marble hall with long counters stretching along its length and doors leading off to the vault passageways.
The vaults were drawn to extend underground and were accessible through complex and interconnected passageways.
"You cannot say that Princess Lilyanna is not ambitious." Tyland drawled; he could admit that the drawings were beautiful, but he was still not happy that the bank was going forward.
"The princess also suggested that the bank be built in the Great Square." Lyman added, ignoring the Lannister's comment.
"In the center of the city? It would make more sense for the bank to be built closer to the Red Keep, especially since gold will be kept there." Lyonel argued, the closer the bank was to the Keep, the easier it would be to protect.
"I thought so as well and even said as much but the princess was adamant that regardless of where it is built in the city, the bank should be in a place the smallfolk will be able to and feel comfortable going to. Having it near the castle would hinder this in her mind."
"I am still not convinced that this would not cause a security issue. Has Princess Lilyanna suggested any other areas?" Jasper asked.
Lyman nodded his head, "The princess also suggested the Street of Steel, River Row, and The Muddy Way."
"The bank will be built in the Great Square." Viserys said before anyone else could make further arguments. "We have already agreed to have the smallfolk use the bank, so it should be in an accessible place."
"And what security, Your Grace." Tyland asked.
Viserys stared at Tyland blankly, "Do we not have guards sworn to protect the city? Lyonel's son is the Commander of the City, I'm he can spare men to guard the bank. And if not, we have plenty of guards and knights here in the castle that could do the job."
"I will speak to Harwin and make arrangements, Your Grace." Lyonel stated.
Viserys nodded his head in thanks, he then addressed Lyman. "What else have you and my daughter come up with?"
~X~
"Why do you always make flowers when we sow?" Helaena asked her sister.
The twins were once again in their daily lessons with Septa Marlow, sitting next to each other as they practiced their sewing.
Lilyanna had once tried to convince their mother that she did not need to attend these feminine lessons because of her body. The look Alicent gave her in response kept the young girl from asking again; it was the only time Alicent had ever scared her.
In all honesty it was not because she hated the lessons, she saw the importance of knowing how to act in the rigid society they lived in, but with her regular schooling with her siblings and nephews, the lessons with the Grand Maester, sword training with Criston, and her partnership with Mysaria, Lilyanna had wanted to lighten the load and sought to do so by getting out of what she viewed as the least important part of her schedule.
"They're the easiest designs to make, way easier than the insects you always make." Lilyanna answered.
"While I would prefer that Princess Helaena not make bugs, at least doing so is teaching her to make more complex designs for her needlework. You should try and do the same, Princess Lilyanna." The two girls looked up at their septa who spoke over them.
Septa Marlow was not a physically imposing woman; being only a few inches taller than the girls, the hood she wore did not hide the snow-white hair on the front of her head, she was elderly, her wrinkled face, hands, and neck doing nothing but add to her age, and she walked with a cane, necessary after a bad fall shortly before the girls were born.
The only things that gave her any sense of authority were her piercing blue eyes, the perpetual scowl on her lips, and her powerful voice, strong and commanding after years of being a governess to a multitude of noble girls.
"Septa Marlow, my needlework is not that bad." Lilyanna argued.
"It's not good either. With all those lessons with the Grand Maester, one would figure that you would be better with your hands." Septa Marlow scoffed.
Helaena put her hand over mouth to dampen the laughter that escaped her at the septa's comment and her sister's expression in response to said comment.
The elder twin was sure that was that the woman's age and decades of work had left her not caring for how she came across to her charges.
Rhaenyra must have been a menace when she was younger, and Septa Marlow was her governess. Helaena thought, knowing that the septa was trying to make sure they did not end up like their older sister.
"I really am catching shots from everyone."Lilyanna muttered under her breath.
"Do you think the council was finished going over your bank?" Helaena asked her sister.
"It's not my bank, it the royal family's bank. Especially since father is the one letting it be made." Lilyanna clarified.
"But you came up with the idea, and you made the designs. How did you come up with the design anyway, you did not tell me?"
"It came from Harry Potter."
Helaena looked at her sister confused, "Who is Harry Potter?"
Lilyanna looked at Septa Marlow from the corner of her eye before responding, "It's the name of this children's book from Essos I read a while ago. In the book there's this description of a bank that the hero goes to, so I based my design from it."
Helaena noticed the look Lilyanna gave their septa and made a note to ask her sister more about this Harry Potter when they were alone.
The trio fell into silence, the only sounds came from the elderly woman as she corrected any mistakes the princesses had made.
But soon a knock was heard, and the door opened, revealing one of the Cargyll brothers who swiftly entered the room.
"The King has requested the presence of Princess Lilyanna in the small council chamber." The Kingsguard declared.
"I guess this is going to become a common occurrence." Helaena said, looking at her sister.
"This is what I wanted to avoid." Lilyanna muttered as she stood.
She had given all her ideas and suggestions to Lord Beesbury, hoping that it would be enough to get her thought process across, but this appeared to not be the case.
Septa Marlow did not look keen on one of her students being taken out of her lesson early but did not say another word, knowing that she could do nothing against the words of the King.
"Good day sister, Septa Marlow." Lilyanna said, giving a small bow to the two before walking out of the room.
"Did my father say why I was summoned, Ser Arryk?" Lilyanna asked once the man caught up to her and their proceeded towards the small council room.
"No, he did not, Your Grace. Also, I am Erryk, not Arryk." Arryk said to the girl cheekily.
Lilyanna threw her head back and let out a loud groan, growing further annoyed when she heard Arryk, chuckling behind her.
I fucking hate everyone in this goddamn castle...
