Game of Thrones: Paladin of Old Gods

Chapter 162: The Iron Titan & The Golden Imp

POV: The Iron Titan

Never Winter Bank

A minute before the Rose left the game...

Lord Leyton seemed to have begun to smell Nestoris's paw...

The Titan's strategy was articulate and complex to guess, but soon the Protector of the Andal Council would understand. As described by President Ultherro, Leyton Hightower was a brilliant, patient and astute man. A character who was not to be trifled with...

Director Tycho, Vice President Berbo, and the ten keepers of the keys did not know why Oldtown had ancient and irreconcilable grudges against the Royal Lannister Dynasty; no one but Ultherro and the Former Guardian of Love knew about it... But what Tycho did know was that, according to the treaty, made almost a thousand years earlier to seal peace after the devastating Third World War, should the parties keep the peace agreements, none of the Guardians, or the factions subject to them, could directly intercede on behalf of House Lannister or the remaining five Great Royal Families.

Stark, Lannister, Gardener, Harlaw, Nymeros Martell, and Durrandon, six of the Oldest and Most Powerful Royal Families who survived the Long Night, who prevailed in dozens if not hundreds of wars against Rival Dynasties by defeating them and annexing them to their realm, gained their power, and who, most importantly, managed to survive the Great Andal invasion... None of the previous eight Great World Forces that sealed the peace treaty (in times were: the Council of the Archons of Valyria, the Andals of Oldtown, the Magicians, the Rhoynars, the First Men, the Titan, the Great Stallion, and the Harpy) could wage war or even touch a member belonging to the Ancient Dynasty of Winning Kings...

The Confederation of Mages had been founded by the current Guardian of Magic. In fact, as an extended organ of the same, it could not directly intercede on behalf of any Royal family. But nothing and no one prevented the Titan from allying with and supporting any of the aforementioned families.

Although they all had Pro and Con factors, Tycho could have implemented his strategy on three factions: The Confederacy of Slavers, Qarth or House Lannister & The Crown...

Why opt for the Lannisters when he knew Oldtown and the Council of Thirteen would frown upon the latter?

There were three answers: Credibility, Means of Pressure and Chaos...

Only the infamous endless mines of the Golden Lion could credibly disguise the Titan's hand. No one but the chief miners and senior figures of the Lannister Family knew precisely how much gold was crammed into the depths of Casterly Rock. Neither did the Titan nor the High Tower know precisely. Braavos and Oldtown managed to estimate mostly an inaccurate number, currently hovering between thirty and twenty million, and that the golden veins would be depleted at most by the end of the century.

But for the storytellers, lords, merchants, and the smallfolk who were ready to listen to ballads about the disproportionate wealth of the 'Lord Who Shat Gold'? It was easy to raise Ten Million to a Hundred, if not a Thousand. In this way, The Iron Bank could compete against the Confederation of Mages by supporting the Crown without the former being staked on the Titan and avoiding a devastating second run on its lenders.

After the Rogare Bank of Lys disaster a century and a half earlier, during the reign of Aegon III, thousands of cautious merchants were always with their ears to the ground on all potential threats to their own precious gold.

The Never Winter Bank's interests would have already caused a shift in deposit flow between ten and twenty million. Still, if Tycho had not stemmed the breach by subsidizing his own competitor in the shadows, the damage would have been exponentially more devastating...

Tyrion Lannister was not just an abject, lascivious, and deformed creature sent by the gods to punish Father's pride... No, he was a mind.

Now, Nestoris understood why the Old Lion had entrusted Lannisport into the hands of the Imp. The dwarf of Casterly Rock had cunningly exploited every second and every one of his weaknesses, obtaining a deal impossible for House Lannister to refuse.

{-House Lannister would finance the Crown on behalf of the Iron Bank, maintaining absolute secrecy about where the gold would come from.

-House Lannister would be the guarantor of 2/3 of the Damascus Steel of the total share of the Royal Coalition (Crowlands, Stormlands, and The Vale), to be resold to the Iron Bank for a 5% surcharge. Still, transportation and loading costs would be the Bank's burden.

-Transport and security of gold lent to the Crown, up to Casterly Rock, would be the Bank's burden; in return, the interest accumulated in the Never Winter Bank would belong entirely to the Iron Bank.

-House Lannister assumes no responsibility for the Iron Bank's gold deposited in the care of the Never Winter Bank. It will be the responsibility of the Institution of Braavos to reclaim what is due should say Northern Institution violate the agreed upon contractual obligations.

-The Iron Bank shall finance the entire portion of the Auction pledged by the Representative of the Western Lands to the Never Winter Bank without requiring interest or repayment charges for the first six years from the day the loan was granted. All interest and benefits acquired through said financing will belong entirely to House Lannister.

- The Iron Bank guarantees, until the dawn of the new century (10 years), a naval trade route to and from Braavos for all Lannisport merchant ships, ensuring ships bearing the Lannister banner up to 50% of cargo and goods carried.

- The Iron Bank will be the guarantor liaison between Lannisport and the Free City of Braavos for extraordinary collaborative services with the distinguished Braavos Courtesans' Cooperative}.

There was certainly no denying that the Dwarf had properly squeezed the Titan...

According to reports reaching the Iron Bank through spies stationed throughout the West, Casterly Rock was investing an inordinate amount of gold in the restoration and development of Lannisport.

The Old Lion was even moving to replicate a new road network throughout the West that would rival the North...

The more days passed, the more competition for splendour sprouted between Dorne, the North and the West. The Old Lion was shrewd and far-sighted...Tywin Lannister was not about to allow the First Men to dictate the conditions for a possible Northern Independence, nor could he leave the Rhoynars with the prospect of a more affluent and prosperous continent under the figure of the Sand Dragon.

"5,000,000!" Roared the Lion.

'A good counter-offer... Lady Olenna should yield at this point.' Evaluated Nestoris enjoying the show.

The Iron Bank had just granted a loan to Casterly Rock of 15,000,000 gold dragons. If the Never Winter Bank had, in fact, promised the "Elite Investors" 8% annual (compound) interest on the restricted funds, the Lion would have earned about 1,298,600 gold coins of average passive interest per year (over the first three years), without risking a single piece of gold from Casterly Rock or the Lords of the West...

But those coins certainly would not have gone unused.

Tyrion and Tywin Lannister would have had ample liquid funds to invest in the many exorbitant projects of Lannisport and The West ... and would have financed them with the coinage collected from the Vassals of House Lannister.

It was as if the Lion had wrested from the hands of the Lords of the West a colossal tax paid for by his own vassals, with smiles on their faces and confidence in their hearts...

A simply brilliant financial manoeuvre in the eyes of the seasoned banker. If the Dwarf ever chose to open and operate a branch of the Iron Bank, Nestoris would bet his gold on "The Golden Imp".

'The Crimson Gold of the West will have to compete against the Green Silver of the North ... and the Lion will have the full support of the Titan to sharpen and polish fangs and claws.' So Nestoris thought as the Rose had just declared surrender against the Lion.

House Lannister had just kept the first part of the deal, ousting The Reach from the first three positions...

The first piece dropped by Tycho would trigger an irrepressible domino effect that, in turn, would drive the flow of Westeros Political events under the will of the Tide called "The Iron Titan."

The close Alliance between The Imp and the Titan would become the critical glue to forge even more favourable ties for the Iron Bank with the High Tower...

It was now clear why Torrhen's Square was forging agreements with Casterly Rock and Sunspears...

The Tallharts and Mormonts were diabolically cunning. Bloody Snow and the Frosty Spice Queen wanted to use Dorne and the West as a means of pressure against the Andal Council.

In all likelihood, in a few years, the North would take advantage of Aegon VI's return to declare independence. If the First Men had forced the Lion to depend on trade with the Wolf, forcing Tywin's hand not to intervene against the North's betrayal and, at the same time, supporting the Sand Dragon in the shadows, Oldtown would have been surrounded by the Chaos of War, crushed exactly in a pincer grip between Lannisport and Sunspear...

Swelling the ranks of the Lions and Sunspear, gaining the latter's favour, was an excellent move to get rid of a chunk of hostile pressure from the South. In this way, the North, with the support of the Confederation of Mages, could focus on fending off the East's threat and, in turn, on crushing Braavos.

Getting rid of Duncan Tallhart and the new pressing threat called Barbrey Mormont was a priority, sure. But should the Andal and Braavosian Council fail in future assassination attempts?

At the end of the day, should the hearts of Bloody Snow and the Frosty Queen continue to beat, the Titan and the Tower would be slowly worn down by Chaos, and the First Men would climb undisturbed to the summit with barely a few scratches...

The two First World Forces could not allow this to happen. So the Titan had to wrest from the clutches of the North the favour of the Lion, using it in turn as a means of pressure for the First Men.

Braavos would get its hands on weapons and Armor in Damascus before Carcosa and Oldtown. The Titan would have made a massive profit by reselling that vital metal to the High Tower.

The Reach would not have seen an ounce of Damascus before 15 moons. By supporting Lannisport, the Iron Bank would force the Council Andals into a firm partnership where the Titan would have the upper hand and the most significant slice of the pie.

Business was Business... it was nothing personal.

Since numbers were not an opinion, the Ship christened "Oldtown" would follow the flow of the Titan's tide... And in doing so, House Hightower would have to point the rudder toward a course already taken during the Dance of the Dragons... toward the Iron Throne.

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End POV.

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POV: The Golden Imp

A few feet away from a Braavosian.

While a Titan pondered the probable fate of Westeros...

Tyrion did not like the Director of the Iron Bank one bit. He had nothing personal against the polite and always respectful figure of Nestoris... No, it was the Colossal institution he represented that disturbed his thoughts.

Even that night, the Dwarf of Casterly Rock would not find sleep... Or at least, not without the help of his valuable and trusted companion-adventure called "Wine".

'No! No... No more wine. Until I get out of this goddamn ghost-haunted land, I will stay clear-headed and focused.' Thought the 17-year-old afflicted with a more than decent addiction to alcohol...

A part of him was thrilled and fully realized the milestone achieved in the Negotiation. As much as the Old Jerk wanted to hide it, Tyrion had flickered a spark of pride and respect toward him.

'I disgust myself to be proud of it... Tysha... You, piece of fool...! Never, ever forget Tysha!' Tyrion would never forgive the being who dared to call himself "Father" for what he had done to him, for what he was forced to witness and subsequently do...

A few minutes before Nestoris's visit, for a moment, just for insignificant blinks, he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of his wife in the crowd... Slightly taller than he remembered, with too much nobility and too different hair colour and hairstyle, but the face looked just like Tysha's.

"Do you think we will win the auction?" Jaime asked, awakening Tyrion from his imaginary tribulations.

"No... But we will still get a good and respectable Third Place." Replied Tyrion drawing his sister's unsolicited attention.

"Third place? Are you sure you didn't overdo the wine, my beloved brother? And what factions left would be able to shell out more than 15,000,000 gold dragons? Pff, the alleged Sorcerer King of the East, perhaps? The Rose just surrendered, and Dorne could never top our last bid. Victory is the Lion's." Promulgated Cersei in a mixture of pride and frustration.

Probably, even his arrogant sister must have realized-with extreme effort and immense inner conflict-that, the power and influence of the "Queen of the South" paled in the face of the new colossal power gained by the "Queen of the North...

"Astonishing, to say the least, my beloved sister. And you managed to relate the amount between ounces and gold dragons all by yourself? Without even the help of Lord Gyles...? Your Grace may be deficient in subjects like history and the laws of Westeros, but I am glad to know that our Andal Queen excels in Algebra and Finance of all the Known World." Tyrion retorted sarcastically.

"You...!!! How dare you insult the Queen! You will be punished for it-"

"Enough!... Both of you." Thundered their father with a snarl mixed with anger and disappointment. The fire was quelled instantly.

The spark of pride in the Old Lion's eyes toward him withered. But it had still been worth it.

Tyrion had to admit it. This auction was indeed an exciting and delightful pastime, to say the least. The best wedding celebrations ever, without a doubt.

Witnessing in person as her obnoxious sister bit her lips off or tore off a small lock of hair in frustration with each gold disc inserted was priceless. In retrospect, Tyrion would have saved many an exorbitant visit to the brothels of Lannisport or withheld hundreds of expensive barrels of Dorne and Arbor wine from his lips just to personally put a single extra gold disc on those iron rods.

His father's final roar of "Five Million" nearly halved the Lioness Queen's shining golden hair. However, the height of enjoyment had yet to be reached.

'No, it wouldn't be so bad to continue this path... Climbing step after step to the summit and then getting my revenge on the Old Lion and the Golden Witch... Bringing House Lannister to the pinnacle of splendour and then snatching it from his hands, leaving nothing but ashes between his fingers... Not bad.' Thought the vengeful dwarf, remembering all the abuse and nastiness he had suffered during his sad childhood.

But after a few seconds of inner conflict, Tyrion turned his gaze to Jaime...

'I forgot Jaime... Uncle Gerion... Uncle Tygget... Aunt Genna...' The mind and heart brought back many other names, some shining and some "acceptable"... there were not only bad apples in the Lannister family, but more importantly, he still had a family.

He was a dwarf, yes ... but at least he was the richest of the dwarves.

Something still worth fighting for and continuing head-on toward the path...and not looking back. And no matter how the way above chosen by fate had been barren, unpleasant to the eye, painful or perilous, it was his task and his duty to attempt to shower it with gold and beauty... To walk the path and leave behind a brighter path for future generations. So generations would not have to suffer the tribulations and nefariousness of his time.

Yes ... it was not such an unattainable goal for a dwarf.

'Not for a dwarf as rich, handsome and brilliant as me, at least...' Tyrion chuckled.

The Golden Imp refocused his attention toward the path...

The alliance between the Iron Bank and Casterly Rock could not be avoided. But Tyrion did not want to throw straw on the burning principle between the West and the North--his sister was already a fair fuel toward war.

The new ruler of the Golden City did not want House Lannister, House Mormont, and House Tallhart to antagonize each other...

The conflict of interest between the Never Winter Bank and the Iron Bank was inevitable. Lannisport desired neither Barrowton's nor Braavos's grudge.

Tyrion had to find a way to forge bonds of prosperous friendship with both factions, heading as far as possible toward neutrality.

There was also Carcosa and the infamous Confederacy of Mages to consider.

That Chai Duq gave him the creeps-the figure itself seemed amorphous. It was as if under that man's skin, looking like a pale Westerosi nobleman in his 40s, there was a being much wiser and more experienced than Grand Maester Pycelle...

His sister might have belittled and underestimated him, but he would never and ever do that. Even at the exact moment when Tyrion passes by the representative of the Far East during the wedding banquet, every survival instinct of the Little Lion keeps shouting at him ["Don't ever, ever fuck with the Sorcerer King!!!"].

Barbrey Mormont was always at attention in the presence of Chai Duq, and she almost always treated that individual as a menacing and powerful Aegon I riding Balerion...

The final confirmation of his suppositions came from the very Titan of Braavos. The Warden provided valid proof, not made up of words, but instead of numbers and sound currency on the possible threat level of this unknown personage, turning the first instinctive warning into a firm and well-rehearsed "Pillar of Faith."

'A Sorcerer King from a City more mysterious and remote than Asshai, a Khal in the Dothraki Sea with superhuman powers, a Septon in Quiet Isle miraculously blessed by the Seven, and a 12-year-old prodigy blessed by the Old Gods ... What other supernatural voices will tomorrow hold? Giants, Children of Forest, and mole monsters north of the Wall?' At least one thing was sure in Tyrion's head ... The succession of all these paranormal phenomena, political upheavals, and economic revolutions originated with a single individual.

"2,600,000 Once!" As expected, Prince Doran began the final skirmish to wrest at least third place from the hands of the Baratheons. The King of the Seven Kingdoms accepted the challenge, and the Auction resumed. But Tyrion's thoughts and gaze did not leave the Green Knight's side...

'Not a Lord, not a King or a God... So, who or what are you, Duncan Tallhart?' Perhaps even the boy did not have the answer, but Tyrion of House Lannister wished to unravel this great mystery. And to succeed in this monumental discovery, 'The Most Beloved Unlucky Dwarf' had to keep observing.

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End Chapter.

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