Stephen Baratheon POV
He stared at the Island that was his home and smiled as his ship sailed closer and closer to it.
A part of him still wondered if he did the right thing by not going with his father to the see the war to its natural conclusion.
What if something happened to his father while he was out there on the campaign. Sure, nothing happened to Stannis in canon, but this world no longer followed the canon timeline.
This prolonged Greyjoy Rebellion had taught him that if nothing else.
A simple cut on the arm could turn into an infection. A simple cold could get worse and lead to pneumonia. Or a simple fall down the stairs could break his neck.
Humans… were fragile. Especially in a day and age where the concept of medicine was all but alien to the people of this world. Sure the maesters had some herbal remedies to deal with the most basic health problems. But if one has a more advanced disease, then you can only pray to the gods and hope for the best.
In the end though, he had made his decision.
He had stood on the docks of Kings Landing and had watched as the Royal Fleet sailed away into the distance.
His father will survive. He just had to believe in that. The slightly stronger body and an extremely robust immune system that he'd given to his father as a parting gift should be enough.
"Your grace. The boats have been lowered." Ser Lucerys Velaryon, one of his newer knights said to him.
Lucerys was really not much of a knight. He was decent with a sword, barely passable as a horse rider and atrocious with a lance. One top of that, he seemed to hate conflict and tried to remain as far away from fights as possible.
But despite all his adequacies as a knight, the young man was one of the most intelligent man he'd met in this world. Observe skill told him that Lucerys had an Intelligence of 17, which was quite a bit higher than a regular person. And Delegate skill pinged his mind time and time again to hire this talent.
In the end, a few books, the promise of showing him the new agricultural methods in Dragonstone, a few intellectual conversations, and treating the young man with genuine respect and kindness was all it had taken to pull Lucerys to his side.
For despite how much he wanted to uplift Dragonstone, he knew that he was just a single person. He cannot do everything on his own. And he'll eventually leave this world. Not anytime soon, but eventually. Who'll continue his uplift projects then?
The answer was easy enough. He'll have to build a group of intellectuals like the Maesters who'll willing to experiment and create new things instead of just hoarding the knowledge to themselves.
He'll also have to create a place where these individuals will be able to learn anything and everything they want. So a large public library.
And a place where they'll be willing to share their knowledge with young boys and girls so that these kids could eventually continue in their place when they're too old to do so. So a school or a university.
Lucerys would learn under him and serve as his first scientist. He'll have to find a few others and put them in a group. But if does his task well enough, then the group will work on its own, find new talents, and grow on its own without his direct input.
He nodded to Lucerys as he climbed down the rope ladder and landed on the boat.
A few minutes later, they were rowing to the shores.
There, a group of people were already waiting for his arrival.
He jumped on the soft sandy beach and walked forward, a huge grin on his face as he moved toward his beloved family.
"My son." His mom said, giving him a watery smile. "Welcome back hom- eep!"
He pulled her into a hug and spun her around twice before he gently let her down to the ground.
Some of the servants and guards chuckled in amusement. His mom for her part looked both embarrassed and bit amused by his action and shook her head in silent exasperation as she pulled away from his hug so that she could get a better look at him.
She stared deeply into his eyes, her smile turning sad at whatever she found there as she cupped his chin and offered him a sad smile. "You've grown. Grown so much."
"I had to." He said and her lips pursed before she sighed.
"I suppose you did." She said before she pulled him to a hug once again.
She let go of him and he turned to the maid who was holding onto Shireen.
Shireen looked at him with a bright smile, her baby blue eyes wide open in excitement as he gently took her from her nanny and spun her around in a similar manner to his mom.
The little girl shrieked in excitement and a huge smile came onto his face as he pulled her closer to him and tickled her until she was a giggling mess.
Her joyous laughter was a balm to his soul. And he felt as if a huge burden had lifted from his shoulder when he held her. As if everything he'd done, all the Ironborn he'd killed, all the atrocities he'd committed, were worth it.
He didn't realise just how much he needed to hear her laugh until he did.
Shaper activated automatically and scanned her body, finding nothing negative with her health.
He kissed her forehead before he gave her back to her nanny, giving a gentle smile and a nod to the woman before he moved on to the next person in line.
"Mel." He said with a slight smile and the woman merely raised an eyebrow.
"What, no hugs for me?" She asked, almost teasingly and he pulled her in a hug as well. Though one that would be appropriate for this occasion and not the hug he truly wanted to give her.
He had missed her during his time in Kings Landing. He had missed her far more than he ever thought he would.
Melisandre had been a constant shadow by his side ever since she was Stamped. A silent supporter that had been present for all his major decision. A wise advisor who gave good and honest council. A dear friend who didn't shy away from chastising him if he did something wrong, or rolling her eyes at him whenever he did something foolish.
He missed her laugh. He missed her hugs. He missed it when she would sit beside him after a tiring day and pull him into a gentle hug, pressing his face into her bosom and letting him just relax beside the hearth.
And now that he had grown his body until it had reached puberty… he missed her in a more literal sense.
He wanted to hold her in his arm, taste her soft red lips, press her close to him and smell her fragrance. He wanted to bury his face in between her naked breasts, trail kisses down her exposed back, and pull her naked form under him as he showed her the best night of her entire life.
He couldn't do any of that right now though so after a short and proper hug, he stepped away and gave her a smile that'll hopefully convey all his feelings to her.
The longing smile she sent his way told him that he wasn't the only one who missed her, and that felt good to know.
After that, he cordially greeted the rest of the people who had joined the welcoming party, even though most of them were guards and servants who had come to meet their own family members.
He gave his condolences to the ones who'd lost their family in the war. And reminded himself to see that they get all of the 10 gold dragons that he'd extorted from Jon Arryn on that day in the Great Hall.
Once all the meet and greet was done, and his men had mingled along with their families as well, a squire brought him a horse to ride upon and they started riding back to Dragonstone.
On the way back, he got a glimpse of the Port town and saw that it had become fairly active once again.
There were not as many people in the town as there were before the war but now the the Ironborn Fleet has been dealt with and the main danger has passed, trade should start flowing once again.
The same could not be said for the spice farms. The spices he'd grown had died out without the proper care needed for them. Weeds had grown in the fertile soil, the rough water canals he'd created were filled with waste and water was overflowing to the side. He could even see a few places where some animals had broken through the wooden fence and trampled the farm.
More work will have to be done to make those farms useful once again. Some of them even needing to be rebuilt from the ground up.
It was a waste of money, time and resources. But that's what happens when you take all the people working in a fields and send them to war.
Mel also told him about how she managed to sell a good portion of his 'hand-made' goods to the Essossi merchants through her intermediaries in the Red Temples. And despite all the taxes and tributes they'd have to give up, they'd still earned tens of thousands of gold coins in the bargain.
At that point, his mother interrupted the conversation between Mel and him and asked him what hand-made goods they were talking about. He deflected her question and they decided to shelve any further talk about the business for later when they were alone and had more privacy.
They eventually reached Dragonstone castle where a large feast was held for him as well as all the men who'd returned victorious from the Battle of Kings Landing.
His mother barred him from drinking more than a single cup of wine due to his age, even though he was now the victor of a great balle. Not that he truly minded as he never became addicted to any of the beverages due to having utmost control over his own dopamine reward circuit.
A dozen spread of dishes, a few songs, a few dances, an hour or two of merriment, and then he was finally able to step away from the festivities and retire to his room.
The secret entrance to his room opened as soon as he'd sat down on his work table and Melisandre entered the room in all her red glory.
He waited as she walked over to his side and sat on a chair before pulling him into a side hug.
He sighed in contentment at being in her arms and finally being able to relax.
They remained like that for a long moment, simply enjoying each other's presence before he pushed away from her and looked deeply into her eyes.
He wanted to kiss her right then and there… but they had more important things to discuss before that.
"Tell me everything that happened while I was gone." He told her, so she did.
"You sent back most of the levies a few days after the battle ended, so the work in the spice fields have already begun." She told him. "It'll take a moon or two more to undo the damage that has happened to those fields, but by the end, the farms should be as good as new."
He nodded and gestured for her to continue.
She brought out a spreadsheet and put it in front of him, showing their current finances. Where the money came from, where it went. How much they had in their treasury. A rough estimate of how much they'll make in the future. And how much of it will be needed for their projects.
It was all that he needed to know and more.
'Things really are easy, when you can leave all your finances in the hand of a trusted partner who you trust wholeheartedly to look after your interests.' He thought.
"The thousands of men and women you've recruited and brought back with you from Kings Landing should also help increase the spice production. Though creating housing and providing a with a stable of supply of food and water for all of them is going to be a logistical nightmare." Melisandre said before she looked at him curiously. "I also saw about 20 more ships in your fleet. They looked… distinctly Ironborn in origin."
"Not all of them are Ironborn ships." He told her as he leaned back on his chair. "Some of them were pirate and sell sail ships that those men took from merchants and traders. After they've been repaired, they should serve as decent trading vessels."
"And we have the sailors to men those ships?" Melisandre asked, already knowing the answer.
"Hell no." He said with a chuckle. "We're already stretch thin as it is due the 7 new ships we gained during the first battle. I do not have the sailors required to men these newly acquired ships. That's why I've already made deals with House Velaryon, House Celtigar, a few trustworthy merchants in Kings Landing and a few other minor lords in Crownlands."
"I assume we'll be renting out those ships to these people?" Mel asked and he nodded.
"We will. For 30-50 gold dragons a year depending on the size and volume of the ships. And on the condition that they'll save 1/5th of the space in those trading vessels to transports goods created by us in Dragonstone."
"Sounds like a good deal." Mel said, looking almost surprised.
He scoffed. "My Deal making skills have improved massively since when I first started my spice selling business."
And it was the truth. Since the last year, his Negotiation, Haggling, Diplomacy, Trading, Evaluation, and other such merchant related skills has been levelling up at a steady pace. And he was finally at the point where he couldnegotiate with a fairly competent merchant and get the better end of that deal.
It had felt a bit scummy on his part to use those skills on his own father so that he could get those 20 ships for such a cheap price that those ships might as well be free. But he had done it, and now he had yet another source of steady income to his name.
"Not all those ships are trading vessels though." Mel pointed out. "Some of them are longships and war galleys used by the Ironborn during the war. Those ships don't make for effective trading vessels. But since you brought those ships here as well, I assume that you have an idea about what you want to do what them?"
"You would be correct in that assumption." He said with a smile. "I plan to use those ships for fishing."
Mel frowned at his words. "Fishing? My lord, we already have an armada of boats and fishermen in Dragonstone."
"We do. But those boats do not go far into the deep sea. And for a good reason as the chances of those boats capsizing increases the further you go in those deep waters. That's exactly what these ships will be used for."
"Going far into the sea for fishing…" Mel frowned at his words. "Like the whalers of Ibben?"
"Nothing that adventurous. But yes. There are many exotic fish and other sea species that can only be found in the deep waters. Once those fishes have been caught, we'll sell them to Dragonstone, Driftmark, Duskendale, Kings Landing and any other ports in the Crowlands to make a hefty profit. And yes, I've already talked with Lord Jon Arryn about creating a small Fishing Fleet and out hashed the details about the tax and tariff. So it shouldn't be a problem."
Mel smiled at his words and gently ruffled his hair. "Look at you. Making all these deals without even needing my advice. I'm so proud of you."
His cheeks tinged red at her words before he coughed into his hands and continued. "Not all the ships will be used for that express purpose though. I've bought two of the older ships for a different task."
"Oh? And what new business plan do you have in that devious mind of yours?" Mel said, looking curious.
"It is not a business plan. Not truly." He said "Those ships will be used to collect shit from Kings Landing and then bring it to Dragonstone where that shit will he put inside compost pits. And once that shit has been turned to fertiliser, we'll use them on the spice farms."
Mel nodded at his words. "Seems like a good decision. We do have a great deal of fertile soil in Dragonmont but if we continue using that soil year after year ceaselessly, then it'll eventually run out. Having a different source of fertiliser seems like a wise decision."
He raised an eyebrow at his words. "You don't seem surprised by that." He then chuckled. "Oh, you should've seen the look on Jon Arryn's face when I first told him that I wanted to collect shit from Kings Landing. He didn't believe that I was being serious until I explained the entire compost method to him. Even then, it seemed like he was expecting me to pull a fast one on him. It was pretty hilarious."
Mel shrugged at his words. "Using human shit as fertiliser is something that is already done in Volantis. They have this entire group of slaves in the city whose sole job is to gather animal dung of human shit and then take it outside the city where it'll be turned into fertiliser. Those slaves are seen as the lowest of the low and are not given much respect even by the other slaves, but their job is a vital one to the city. Last I heard, Tyrosh and Lys has both adopted this practice as well. And I expect Braavos to do the same in time."
He nodded at her words. He hadn't known that people in this world already knew about composting. But he should've guessed that just because Westerosi people don't know how to do something doesn't mean that the rest of the world won't know either.
"There is another important thing you need to know about." He said and Mel raise a delicate eyebrow in question.
"I killed Varys." He said and Mel blinked for a moment before she nodded.
"I know. I saw it in the fire. How you trailed him through the dark tunnel and stabbed him on the back before hiding his body inside your Inventory." Mel said and it was his turn to blink in surprise.
"Your visions are becoming more and more accurate. Can you control what they show you?"
Mel nodded. "I have a lot more control over them than I had before. But still not as much as I want to have. I still only get visions of important events. So when I 'asked' the fire to show visions of you, it showed me the scenes of you fighting in that battle, you killing Varys… or you drugging and then throat-fucking the Queen."
He winced at that.
Drugging the queen and then fucking her throat until she lost consciousness wasn't his proudest moment.
But Cersei was never going to be his friend or ally. So he wasn't about to started treating her like one.
Still… he wasn't proud of going as far with her as he did. Not that he truly regretted it. But he knew that he could've handled it better.
"Are you angry?" He asked Mel curiously. He wanted to know if Waifu Catalog capture method truly stopped the waifus from being jealous of their men taking other women as their own.
True to his thoughts, Mel merely looked confused at his words. "Why would I be angry my lord? You are a virile young man with needs. It's true that I would've preferred to be your first instead of the queen. But I've always known that you'll have other women than me in your life. So the vision didn't came as much of a surprise to me."
"Is that so." He said as he took her hand and pulled her to his lap, using his Shaper power to learn that she was already a bit wet down there. Probably from remembering that particular 'vision'. "You must be glad to learn that I didn't give my first time to the queen."
"You didn't?"
"No. She fell unconscious when I came inside her throat." He said as he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other trailed his fingers up and down her thigh, making her body temperature rise as her breath started becoming heavy. "No. I want her to look me in the eye when I take her for the first time."
"Cuckolding the King while he's away at war. Well, aren't an ambitious one."
"The King is a serial cheater. And Jaime had already turned him into a cuckold. So there's nothing I'm doing to him that hasn't already been done to him or that he doesn't deserve." He said and then chuckled. "Maybe I'll give him the black haired, blue eyed son he has always wanted."
"Maybe you should." Mel said before she trailed her finger under his doublet and massaged his chest. "Or maybe you should focus on me instead."
His cock hardened as she started to sensually rub her body against his own, her large breast pressing against his arm while her soft ass gyrated against his leg. He licked his dry lips and smiled.
"Maybe I should."