Olenna Tyrell was a shrewd woman, and every decade of experience showed in her negotiation. At first, she wanted to control the flow of goods coming from ArgentStone, but she quickly gave up. She was used to negotiating with men in positions or statuses lower than hers. But Jaehaerys was neither of those things.
She tried to rattle him, anger him, and take advantage of his vulnerable state. But it didn't work. Jaehaerys wondered how most lords put up with the way the old woman addressed them.
At the end of the day, Jaehaerys left with a trade agreement between ArgentStone and The Reach. The agreement included the creation of a market in the ever-expanding town of ArgentStone. The Tyrells would have something akin to an embassy. Jaehaerys was not entirely happy about having a presence on his lands, but that presence would be minimal and would increase trade after the war.
Currently, merchants came and went frequently, but it was mainly from the capital, where the royal family had a fairly strong presence. The land routes were not exploited. In exchange for that "embassy," the Tyrells would provide men for the creation of roads. Jaehaerys did not want the dirt roads that used to be in the kingdom; he wanted mortar for his soil.
Olenna agreed after some negotiation, and Jaehaerys allowed her to take charge of distributing his products in the Reach. That would mean that only the Tyrells would have the right to trade as intermediaries in their own lands. She wanted to extend that right to the Stormlands and the Riverlands, but Jaehaerys stopped her in her tracks.
The contract was valid for 5 years, with the option to renewal. For Jaehaerys, it was a good deal. The embassy would have no real power beyond monitoring the carriages leaving for the Reach. They would not be near the castle.
The prince also had no fear of spies. Honestly, if Olenna wanted to spy on the town, she would already have people installed there. An embassy with the letters "Tyrell" on it was not the most discreet thing for spying. Besides, Jaehaerys only had loyal servants in his castle. Those servants were loyal, both by word and by magic.
Olenna also proposed a contract between them regarding food. Jaehaerys accepted most of it; he would not buy grain, but he would buy fruit that was only available in the Reach. Most of his town's food would come from purchases in the Riverlands until his lands became self-sufficient again, probably in a year or two. After all, agriculture and fishing had not caught up with the migration he had experienced. He had the magic to help him, but even that will take time to be on a grand scale.
In the end, Jaehaerys would come away with roads connecting his lands, rare foods, and a steady sale of his products. Best of all, it was only for a limited time. In five years, he could tell the Tyrells to go to hell if Olenna still couldn't control her tongue.
Jaehaerys left The Arbor as soon as the sun rose the next day. He had showered and packed food for the trip.
Before departing on the back of his dragon, he checked on it.
Jaehaerys had noticed something when he left ArgentStone. The collar he wore to detect poison was still fully functional.
The amount of magic it held had not changed at all. That was strange, considering that there should have been some loss just from the passage of time. He could only theorize that dragon magic also served the same function as the Weirwoods in providing magic to runes imbued with sap. That meant that as long as Moonfyre was nearby, all the runes Jaehaerys used would be useful.
Based on that, before leaving King's Landing, Jaehaerys had to take precautions against Euron showing up and trying to use the horn on Moonfyre and gaining control of her. So he painted the Algiz rune on the dragon. The rune was not carved into her skin, but embedded into her back. He had marked it with the sap of the Weirwoods, which was quite sticky, and once dry, he covered it with leather and tried to avoid erasing it.
That protection was his best bet.
Under the leather, the sap continued to ooze with magic. The rune was still there, although it would eventually fade away.
"All set!" said Jaehaerys, sitting on the dragon's back.
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"The Ironborn have already been seen returning to the Iron Islands," Jaime said to his brother, Tyrion. "It won't be long before the Redwynes arrive here. Our troops will board the ships and show them that we always pay our debts," he said furiously.
Tyrion just nodded as he drank from a heavy goblet of wine. He was still in his "prison"; after all, he was the prime suspect in Rhaelle's attempted murder. The trial had been postponed because of the war, although there was a chance he would be tried as soon as Jaehaerys returned to Lannisport.
"The Prince of Scrolls... is furious. I really hope there are enough Ironborn for his dragon to burn them all... I mean, there are several islands, thousands of raiders, a dwarf shouldn't be so attractive to watch burning," Tyrion joked, although he meant every word he said.
Jaime looked out the window. Lannisport was being rebuilt quickly, and the harbor was closed.
"The Mad King liked it," he commented absently.
"What?" Tyrion wiped his mouth with his hand; some wine had spilled.
"Burning people... dwarves. I remember once watching a group of dwarves who put on a play. They showed the 'Greatness of Aerys,' a just and kind king. The king was pleased," his expression remained stony as he spoke. "But one dwarf made a mistake. When he bowed before the king, he didn't bow low enough." He closed his eyes for a moment. "The whole troupe was burned. Queen Rhaella suffered greatly that night. Fire to Aerys was like breasts to you," he joked a little at the end.
"You don't usually talk much about the Mad King," Tyrion swallowed hard.
"I've started remembering him recently," Jaime said.
"Because of Jaehaerys?" the dwarf asked.
"Yes," whispered the heir to The Rock.
"You don't think he's like his father, do you?" Tyrion dismissed the idea easily. "He's angry, they almost killed his daughter and his, uh... what is Sansa to him?" he asked rhetorically. "Well, they almost killed his daughter's mother along with her. Have you ever thought about what would happen if someone hurt Myrcella or Tommen?" Tyrion asked.
"He probably wants you dead," Jaime said as his hand unconsciously went to his chin. "But no... I don't think he's like the Mad King," he clarified. "But I think... if he's pushed hard enough, he can be more cruel," he whispered.
"Do you hate him?" Tyrion asked. "Because of... Cersei," he added softly.
The news of his sister's death did not make him happy at all. And Jaime even less so. In the end, Cersei was an idiot, but she was an idiot they had grown up with. She died horribly, without arms or legs, and even her tongue had been cut out. Nothing of her corpse could be recovered.
"No..." Jaime was honest. "I don't have time to hate him. I've hardly thought about Cersei, only about the war. Honestly, every time I think of her, I just want to kill Euron," he confessed for the first time.
"They say he has Valyrian steel armor," Tyrion commented. One of the guards had seen it and said the pattern was beautiful, like that of the Lady Forlon sword, now lost.
"There is no armor without a weakness," said Jaime.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't face him directly. Our parents already have enough with one half-man, it would be bad if you also ended up cut in half," Tyrion took another glass of wine as he approached the window. "Ah, that bird is huge..." he whispered. "Oh... shit, that's not a bird, it's good you don't hate it. The brothels would hate to see me die," he joked, though his legs began to tremble.
"Come on," Jaime's voice had become distant. "We have to receive the prince."