A/N: Axel is smug over Tyrion's success.
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"-and as such I immediately got in contact with the Lord Hand and Lord Beric so we could combine our forces and fully explore the depths of Littlefinger's manipulation of the city's sewers. At this point in time, we've uncovered two more caches about the same size as the first, and three that, while much smaller were also far easier to access."
Standing on his slightly modified chair within the new Small Council Chambers, Tyrion Lannister gives a short bow as he finishes speaking before sitting back down. Axel smiles at him and nods.
"Very well done, Tyrion. You've proven yourself an exemplary Master of Coin."
And yeah, maybe Axel's voice is just a little smug as he says that, with his eyes darting over to Stannis in the process. To be fair, his uncle really hadn't believed in Tyrion at first. He'd been convinced that the 'Imp' of House Lannister would amount to nothing at best and be an active detriment to Axel's rule at worst.
Yet, look where they were now. The Small Council is in full attendance at the moment, everyone having shown up to listen to Tyrion's report on what he'd discovered down in the city's sewers. And the best part was, Tyrion had discovered the coin and treasure of the late Petyr Baelish by pure happenstance. He'd originally only been down there to try and solve the sewage problems King's Landing constantly suffered from. Problems that apparently only existed in the first place because of Littlefinger's machinations!
Combine this discovery with the fact that Sansa and Arianne had both been confirmed pregnant just a few days ago, and Axel was feeling rather good about himself. Both of his Queens had wound up experiencing the early signs of pregnancy within days of each other in fact.
At first the news that they weren't feeling well had frightened Axel to no end. After all, sickness was the one thing he could not fight, the one thing he wouldn't be able to save them from. But that fear had turned to excitement when the Grandmaester himself had said it was because his seed had taken root in their wombs at long last!
Still, back to the matter of the smallest member of his Small Council and the dwarf's significant accomplishments. Would anyone else have managed everything Tyrion had so far in the position of Master of Coin? Axel didn't think so. Of course, while Tyrion puffs up with no small amount of pride at his King's praise, he also coughs into his fist.
"I appreciate your complimentary words, my King. Though I also feel like I should temper expectations a bit. It's entirely possible we won't find anymore than we already have down there… and the sum we've uncovered from the alterations made to the city's sewer system so far falls far short of the total amount said to have been stolen by Littlefinger…"
Heh, under different circumstances, Axel might have assumed Tyrion was trying to cover his own ass… even maybe suspected that the dwarf had skimmed some off the top from his discoveries. But he knew that wasn't the case because as Tyrion had explained, he'd made sure to involved Stannis and Beric Dondarrion immediately after finding the first cache.
It was a sensible move on the dwarf's part, for a couple of good reasons. First, it was just good sense for a man who knew his position was on shaky ground at best to immediately involve the Hand of the King. Perhaps if his predecessor wasn't such a thief, there was a world where Tyrion has Master of Coin could have handled things on his own, but they didn't live in that world.
Second, it allowed for a mixture of trustworthy men who served under both the Hand of the King and the Master of Laws to come in and keep everyone else honest. Tyrion might not have wanted to steal the gold, but if the men he was with had decided they could risk bashing him over the head and split the discovery between them… well, he was very smart to immediately call in support before anyone could have such thoughts, needless to say.
Not that the Goldcloaks were that bad these days. In fact, they were far less corrupt than they'd been in the past. So were the men who worked under the Master of Coin. However, even an honorable man could be tempted. Best to remove that temptation by involving so many eyes on things that if anything DID go missing, it would immediately be noticed by too many people to even begin paying them all off.
All in all, Tyrion had done well… extremely well. In the face of his hedging, Axel just chuckles and waves a hand dismissively.
"Do not fret, Tyrion. I wouldn't expect every coin Baelish took to be hidden in the sewers. That we're going to manage to recover ANY of what he stole from Jon Arryn and my father is more than enough for me. As I said before, you've done well. Extremely so."
In fact, Tyrion had really managed to amaze even him. Sure, Axel had been the one who decided to give the dwarf a chance in the first place, but he'd honestly been caught off guard by just how hard Tyrion had worked since arriving in the city. That their last tourney had actually turned a profit instead of just breaking even was one thing. But now Tyrion wanted to fix King's Landing's stench? Yes please!
"You've earned my ear and my trust with this, Tyrion. And since the treasury is already at a surplus… tell me what you would do with this unexpected return of lost funds. How would you use it to improve the city?"
There's a bit of a stir from the others seated at the Small Council Table at that as many of them shift in their seats. Stannis looks like he's swallowed a lemon, while everyone else has expressions ranging from uncomfortable in the case of Lord Beric, to curious for Lord Davos, and then completely blank for Grandmaester Marwyn. None of them actually speak up though, all turning to the dwarf to see what he has to say.
Tyrion, on the other hand, just looks a little bit floored by Axel's question. But to his credit, his shocked stupor only lasts a moment before he recovers and clears his throat.
"A-Ahem. Well sir, first and foremost… I wish to continue my plans to advance the sewer system of King's Landing into the modern age. Even without the purposeful blocks that Littlefinger secretly instituted without anyone knowing, the sewers were still old and outdated from what my research showed."
Here, Tyrion starts to get a little excited.
"I've read about better systems over in the Free Cities that I think can be replicated here… albeit at a greater cost if only because we don't rely on slave labor in Westeros. Still, I think it would be well worth the expense. Not just to get rid of the smell, ser, but also because disease is often linked to uncleanliness and the cleaner we can make King's Landing, the better off the city will be!"
Unasked for, Grandmaester Marwyn grunts and speaks up at that.
"The dwarf is right, at least about that last part. The filthier the environment, the more one invites sickness."
The gruff man, so different from his predecessor, leaves it at that. Tyrion looks surprised by his support but gives him a nod that Marwyn all but ignores in turn. Axel, meanwhile, just chuckles.
"Well then… let's start there. Finish making sure that there are no more of these caches of stolen coin buried in the sewers, and then you can begin your attempts at improving things. You'll still be reporting on your progress to Lord Stannis… but let's make it every month instead of every week for the time being, alright?"
There's a pause as those words hang in the air, before Tyrion swallows and slowly nods.
"Of course, Your Grace. I appreciate the trust."
Indeed, while Axel DID trust Tyrion at this point… he knew better than to close both eyes and make that trust blind. No, better to keep one eye open no matter what. Besides, making sure Tyrion remained on a schedule of reporting to the Hand of the King would go a long way to keeping Stannis mollified as well.
Looking around the table for a long moment, Axel raises a brow.
"If nobody has anything else to bring to my attention, then I think we can end the meeting here. Dismissed."
Everyone begins to file out of the Small Council Chambers at that, save for Stannis who remains seated and Marwyn who stands by his chair for a moment until most of the others are gone. Then, the Grandmaester turns his eyes towards Axel.
"A word of warning, Your Grace."
Frowning, the King sits up, narrowing his eyes in Marwyn's direction. Was this about Sansa and Arianne's pregnancies?
"Yes?"
Far from looking grave or overly somber, the Grandmaester just shrugs. It's actually the most… nonchalant that Axel has ever seen him.
"The air is thinner the higher into the sky you go. We know this from written accounts by dragon riders dating back hundreds of years. If you fly too high, it becomes more and more difficult to breathe, until you can even potentially pass out and die from the lack of air."
Axel blinks at the insinuation behind the short, stocky man's words. He didn't think Marwyn was talking about him after all. Rather, Axel had started taking all of his women on flights a couple months back. It was just Sansa at first, but once the others found out, all of them wanted a turn, even Margaery.
But… how did Marwyn know? Did he actually see Axel fly up into the sky with one of his women? Or did he have others spying on him? At the same time… that advice of his was actually very helpful.
Axel himself didn't think he would have any problems with thin air, truth be told. He hadn't had any issues with holding his breath for hours underwater after all, so he imagined he could do the same no matter how high into the sky he flew. However, his passengers did not share in his inhuman nature.
Which… was precisely why Marwyn was telling him this wasn't it? Especially now that Sansa and Arianne were pregnant. He needed to be doubly careful with them… and that meant no more flights while they were still carrying his children. Oh, they weren't going to like that… but he'd rather they be unhappy and safe on the ground than anything else.
Begrudgingly grateful, Axel inclines his head in the Grandmaester's direction.
"That's certainly an interesting bit of information. Thank you, Grandmaester. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
He half-expects Marwyn to ask him for something in return or more bluntly spell out just who he's talking about, but the Grandmaester just snorts and nods before turning and leaving the room. For a moment, Axel stares after him before putting the strange encounter out of his mind by shaking his head.
Looking over at Stannis, he can't help but grin smugly again as he turns his attention away from Marwyn being Marwyn and back to the reason for today's meeting.
"… Tyrion seems to be working out well as Master of Coin."
The Hand of the King just sighs.
"Indeed, Your Grace."
Chuckling, Axel throws his uncle a bone.
"And Dondarrion has proven to be fairly competent as well. He was an excellent pick on your part."
Stannis doesn't smile, but he does straighten up a little bit. That's pretty much a beaming grin, in 'Stannis Baratheon' terms.
"Thank you my King."
Leaning back in his chair, Axel grins as he laces his fingers together over his stomach.
"And Sansa and Arianne are both pregnant now as well, meaning the line of succession is soon to be secured. Everything is going rather well now isn't it? I suppose knowing that I can reach any of the Seven Kingdoms in under a day is enough to keep everyone in line. Certainly, the Iron Islands were keeping their heads down the last time I visited."
And it wasn't 'under a day' either save for in the most technical of senses. Axel hadn't even really found his fastest speed yet, but he was pretty sure he could reach any part of Westeros from King's Landing in a few hours at this point, if he really, truly pushed himself.
The Iron Islands really did seem to be doing quite well too. They'd turned what boats they had towards fishing, with the former thralls more than happy to take over ownerless vessels or build their own ships if necessary. Asha's long term plans, meanwhile, apparently involved turning the Ironborn from reavers into protectors.
The seas were perilous at the best of times, after all. Much like the Mountain Clans had done over in the Vale, Asha wanted the Ironborn to sell their services as veterans of naval combat to merchants and the like. Instead of stealing from and sinking such vessels, the Ironborn would potentially become known for seeing them safely to their destinations if all went according to plan.
Whether it would actually work out or not, Axel didn't know. But it was certainly better than the way things had been before. As for Asha herself, she too had confirmed that she was pregnant during his last visit. His seed was strong, it would seem. Now that he'd finally started trying, he was knocking up his women left and right…
Stannis hums, inclining his head in agreement before frowning.
"We still don't have a Master of Whispers though, Your Grace. Any information we get from Essos tends hopelessly out of date and not always entirely accurate."
… Yeah, that was true. Axel snorts in amusement.
"Perhaps I should just fly across the Narrow Sea one afternoon and stop over in Pentos or Tyrosh to see what the latest gossip is."
Stannis gives him a deadpan look at that, one that makes Axel snicker. Yeah, it was a pretty ridiculous idea. Unless… but no, he probably shouldn't. Even if it would be easy. He couldn't though, he was needed here in King's Landing, to protect his Queens and his unborn children. Besides…
"Wasn't the latest news we got 'good' news anyways? That Khal Drogo fellow is as dead as Viserys Targaryen, so any possibility of him actually holding to the deal he made with the man is also dead. There won't be any invasion of Westeros by a Dothraki Khalasar any time soon, at least."
Frowning harder, Stannis reluctantly nods.
"Yes, though that news was months old by the time it finally reached our ears. And we still don't know what happened to the Targaryen woman or her dragons either. Maybe they died in the Red Wastes… maybe they didn't."
Axel winces at that part. Honestly, he'd once thought it might be fun to fight Daenerys Targaryen's dragons. No, scratch that, he still did think it would be fun. But it seemed rather unlikely at this point. Khal Drogo's khalasar had supposedly abandoned his wife after he died, and the last mention of her and those who still followed her had them entering the Red Wastes.
Frankly, Axel had been tempted to fly over to Essos just to see if he could find and rescue them from the grisly fate they were reportedly expected to suffer over in that desert. Unfortunately, not only were the Red Wastes even farther from King's Landing than Pentos or Tyrosh would be, but it was also like Stannis had said. The information was months old by the time it reached Axel's ears.
"Well… honestly, I hope they did survive and that Daenerys Targaryen is somewhere out there, still living her best life."
That gets another distinctly unimpressed look from Stannis, which Axel waves off with a laugh.
"I know you have your own problems with the Targaryens, Uncle, but Daenerys was born at the very end of the rebellion. We both know she didn't have anything to do with her father's actions… she certainly shouldn't be blamed for any of her family's crimes. I can only imagine the life she had to live over in Essos, so I can't help but wish her the best."
Especially because if she did still live, Axel might still get a chance to fight those dragons of hers one day…
"And if she does live and has plans of coming here to Westeros to try to reclaim her lost birthright? What then?"
Blinking, Axel can't help but grin, even as he shrugs.
"Well then, I'll just have to do to her dragons what I did to Euron's Kraken, Uncle. Still, she sounded like she was a touch smarter than her brother, at least from what little Varys said about her before his death. If she does still live… I'm sure she's heard all about me by now and knows full well to stay the hell away."
Indeed, Thoros of Myr had been quite clear that R'hllor, the Lord of Light, seemingly had no problem with Axel like the Drowned God apparently did. So Daenerys would have no reason to pick a fight with him, in the end.
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A/N: Axel's women are pregnant, Tyrion is gonna fix the sewers, and everything is going great! Definitely nothing to worry about from Daenerys Targaryen even if she is still alive… right?
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