Stay Alive - Chapter 5

"Varys." I inclined my head as the bald man entered the room.

It wasn't a council room yet. Unfortunately, as a prince, I didn't have any real authority until Robert decided to have me start training to take over the throne. Considering he was drunk more often than not; it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The best thing to do was to take initiative.

Information was the first step.

The bald man scanned the room to find it was only myself and Jon waiting for him. He raised a manicured eyebrow at me and waited for me to speak. Jon had stuck to dark colors for his clothes, but the fabric was much lighter now that we were in Kings Landing. Thankfully, the air from the sea helped keep the city a little cooler than the surrounding lands.

"Is the Mad Prince still alive or did the Horse Lords kill him yet?" I motioned for him to take a seat.

The table had four seats. Jon and I each sat in one with an open spot for the eunuch. I had left the chair on the side and the one with its back facing the door open.

"I have no idea what you mean, Prince Joffrey." Varys easily lied.

"Come now." I gave him a fake smile. "I don't know if that poor girl has been married off yet, or they're still stuck with that merchant. Unlike some, I mean her no ill-will. She is a very important person. Her brother, not so much. We've had our share of mad dragons for quite a will."

Varys studied me for a long moment. His eyes subtly measured me before flicking to various points in the room. His eyes widened just a touch when he actually looked at Jon. That was interesting. I made note of where he looked. He would know where the hiding spots were.

"I did not realize you had such a vivid imagination, Prince Joffrey." The eunuch gave a practiced smile.

I stared blankly at him for a moment.

"Fine." I sighed. "I would like your assistance."

"How so?" Vary asked.

"I need information." I tapped idly on the table between us. "Hopefully, you've heard of my recent changes. A more dramatic version is that I nearly died and realized that I was a horrible person. The story more rooted in fact was that I ate something bad, nearly shat myself to death, and realized I was on track to be a human shaped pile of shit."

The corner of the eunuch's mouth twitched ever so slightly.

"I have made an oath to myself that I will be a better man." I continued. "Not just a better prince, or eventual king, but a better person. That comes with taking care of my people. To do that, I need information. There will be a few large projects to improve the quality of life for the people here, once I secure the funds. I need to know who I can trust to do a good job, who to avoid, and any potential enemies that my efforts will create."

"A noble goal." Varys nodded.

"Thank you." I returned with a nod of my own. "That way once Daenerys returns, she will find her kingdom thriving."

Varys narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yes, I know her name." I rolled my eyes. "No, I don't plan on sending assassins after her. I'm not the king. I won't judge her for the supposed sins of her family. Don't get me wrong, the king was rabid and needed to be put down, but the slaughter of the Targaryen bloodline was out of line." I paused. "If anything, I would send support, but I doubt she would trust me."

"Interesting thought." Varys stated. "Treasonous some would say."

"Listen." I leaned back in my chair. "I'm not here to trap you, or whatever you think. Better the city through support of the small-folk. Better the kingdom through trade and justice. People need to feel safe enough to travel from hold to hold. There will always be someone making a play for the throne, but the people should not pay the price."

Varys once against studied me.

"I don't expect you to believe me on words alone." I shrugged. "Give it some time. Until then, I still need information and you are the best. You have until I gather the funds for my first project to decide. Thank you for your time."

He stood and left the room, familiar with a dismissal. I waited for the door to close fully before I turned to Jon.

"What do you think?" I asked my friend.

"This isn't something I do." Jon shrugged.

"Pay attention, young squire, for I shall show you the way." I put on the impression of a wise master.

"I'm older than you." Jon shook his head.

"That's not how we're remembering this." I shook my head to copy him.

"He doesn't trust you." Jon stated. "I don't think he trusts anyone."

"Fair assessment." I nodded. "Let's go find Uncle Tyrion."

"Do you think he's made progress?" Jon asked as he approached the door.

"No clue." I shrugged. "Let's go find out."

Clegane fell into steps behind us as we headed down the hall. I had made sure he looked like the part of my personal guard rather than just another merc. Unlike the other thugs that Joffrey had surrounded himself with, Sandor wasn't a horrible person. Deadly and abrasive, yes, but he wasn’t a psycho. He had started training with Jon on the trip from Winterfell, which had developed into the start of a friendship.

Unfortunately, his style did not fit my build. Even after a week or two of solid exercise on the trip to Kingslanding, I didn't gain size in muscle. I took after my father, the real one, and kept my thinner physique. Not that Jamie was a string-bean. He just wasn't a brickhouse of muscle. I focused my training on speed and mobility instead of straight power. Though, I did start sparring with him to make sure I didn't leave myself completely unprepared if I faced a stronger foe. I took the initiative once we arrived and contacted Syrio Forel for training that was a better fit. He was scheduled to arrive next week. I had already approached Lord Stark to offer Arya to join in as well.

"Nephew!" Tyrion called as I stepped into the room. "What brings you here?"

"Curiosity." I replied. "Have you had any luck?"

"It's been two days." Tyrion sighed.

"Is that a no?" I asked.

"No." He smiled broadly. "The information from Winterfell was incredibly helpful. I was able to gather a few craftsmen and alchemists. They were rather impressed with your sketches as well."

"I'm a genius." I shrugged.

"Humble too." Tyrion laughed. "It will be a few days for them to make progress."

"That's great news." I sighed. "Any estimate on the cost?"

"Not yet." Tyrion sighed. "The sewers alone will take multiple crews to see what needs to be repaired. Then there is the cost of developing and implementing the improved piping. The alchemist's guild is already tinkering with your filter idea. They were too distracted by your sketches to mention the cost."

"And the streets will still flow with rivers of piss and shit until then." I groaned. "We need a better way to deal with the filth until we can get things working once more." I stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to think of something. "We'll go with the old reliable."

"And that is?" Tyrion asked.

"Holes." I sighed. "Work crews dig a few dozen deep bastards and start filling them. A safe distance away from drinking water, of course. Maybe in a year or so we'll have usable fertilizer."

"Which would require more gold." Tyrion shook his head.

"I need to talk to grandfather." I winced. "I know the crown owes the old lion more gold than I can count, but I can hope that I don't." I paused. "A plan to bring in some gold would help my cause. The only thing I can think of is bread and circuses."

"I'm partial to whores and circuses." Tyrion laughed.

I cocked my head to the side at his words.

"That's a good idea." I muttered. "Do the whore houses get taxed?"

"Nephew." Tyrion gawked at him. "I don't know if I could support that."

I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

"We're not that desperate." I shook my head. "A few of our own would be a good idea."

"Littlefinger won't like that." Tyrion muttered.

"I forgot about that bastard." I grumbled. "Do you have a man who can take a closer look at him? I want to know how much money he's making, if he's stolen a single piece of gold, and all of his crimes."

"I know a few people." Tyrion nodded.

"Thank you, uncle." I smiled at him.

"Of course, nephew." He patted my arm.

I turned to leave, then paused. There was another idea that tickled that back of my mind. Something from before I became Joffrey that could help bring in money. I happened to know a lot about poker. The old me wasn't particularly good at it, but it was fun, and I never played with money I hadn't already set aside for the sole purpose of chance.

"What about gambling houses?" I asked.

"Pardon?" Tyrion asked in reply.

"An established Gambling House with a variety of games." I continued. "One with actual security so people don't have to worry about getting stabbed. We'd need guards, dealers, and the like. There is bound to be a tourney soon to celebrate Lord Stark becoming the Hand. It's not enough time to purchase and equip a building, but we can set up a tent to get the idea set."

"It could work." Tyrion nodded. "You've given me quite a lot to work on."

"Grab who you need for help." I said quickly. "I trust your judgement."

~~~
NOTE:
Short chapter today. Will post a Poll as well.