Chapter 11 -

I looked down at my bandaged hand. After prying the crumpled gauntlet from my hand, an agony in itself, the maester had informed me that the metal had snapped my pinky and ring finger and they would need to be set and splinted if I ever wanted them to work again properly.

The good news was that no tendons had been severed, it would just hurt like a bitch for a few weeks. There were no painkillers in Westeros other than Milk of the Poppy, a substance I knew to be an opioid and therefore not something to play with.

I turned at the sound of a throat clearing and saw Lord Rogar. He had been kind enough to wait until the Maester was done with my injury before we had our talk.

I followed Rogar back to his solar.

Rogar sat and motioned for me to do the same.

There was a moment of silence before Rogar spoke, "You have caused quite the stir at court with this business Aelon."

I winced, "I apologise that you have had to deal with this, my lord. Yet it was not me who started these troubles."

"I know that and as Lord Paramount it is my duty to make peace between my vassals, however, despite your victory today. I must advise that you stop allowing other lords smallfolk to settle at Eastwood. I know full well they have the right to, but it is nothing but inflammatory to the lords and will cause you no end of troubles. You have already made a lifelong enemy of House Buckler, they are proud folk and will never forget the insults they feel have been thrown at them." Rogar explained.

I bit down my response as I was sure I would only sound petulant.

Rogar took a second and then continued. "Despite that, you have won and Lord Buckler has been deemed guilty in view of the gods and men. Am I right in saying you do not intend to demand his execution?"

I nodded, "If I wanted him dead I would have killed him during the fight. Having him executed would only cause further damage to my reputation amongst the lords. I also don't want to take the chance that his heir would be more competent." I couldn't resist sliding that snub in there.

Rogar smiled, "Indeed, Lord Buckler was never of the same calibre as his late uncle, he lacks the political mind."

"With that in mind, what is your final verdict on the punishment of Lord Buckler?" I asked quietly.

Lord Rogar assumed a firm posture, back straight. "I will give Lord Buckler the option to take the black and forsake all claims to his land. His title will be passed to his son. I am sure he will know not to dismiss this mercy for one's honour remains intact when joining the Night's Watch. As for you, gold will be paid for the workers you lost and a little more for your road." He said nothing more and instead took a piece of parchment and began to scribble on it.

I knew this meant he didn't want to argue over it and I was expected to agree with his decision but the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth nor would my head move to nod.

That's it? Innocent workers under my rule died, several loyal soldiers died and I myself I fought a duel to the death just for some gold? And what of Buckler? His punishment is spending the rest of his life on the wall? That's barely better than death for most people, is that supposed to make the rest of his family hate me less?

"With all due respect, my liege, I don't think that's a fair judgement." I forced myself to say, trying to keep my frustration out of my words

The old stag lifted his eyes to look at me, and a weight seemed to press down on me. This is what I imagined it felt to be under the gaze of Tywin Lannister.

"Why is it not fair?" he said, putting his quill down.

"You said yourself that House Buckler will always be enemies of Eastwood, so I believe simply sending the Lord of their house to the Wall isn't a good enough punishment and I certainly don't believe mere gold is enough to compensate for the damage done to my people nor enough of a reward for winning the trial by combat." I stopped myself and calmed down, rambling would not serve me well here.

"Then what would you propose?" Rogar's mouth twisted.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. I was well aware that I was pushing my luck, well beyond accepted propriety. Such an act could mean death but I had worked too hard to turn back now. I had almost died and doomed my legacy and I will not go home without a just reward.

Calmly, I spoke. "I propose that Lord Buckler should not be sent to the wall or executed, instead house Buckler's punishment should be ceding lands to House Eastwood. This would also serve as my compensation."

"Lord Aelon, while I admit you have proven a competent ruler. You must understand you are very much viewed as an upstart, other lords resent you for it. You weren't a lord even a decade ago, a negligible span of time compared to the thousands of years some houses can boast. What kind of message do you think it sends to my vassals to give such rewards to a bastard lord that wouldn't even have existed had it not been for my generosity?"

"I think the message you would send is that no one is above the law or the King. By giving such harsh punishment to an old and powerful vassal you show that no one regardless of their standing is above the law and by offering an upstart such generous rewards you exemplify that regardless of one's poor start, those who follow are rewarded."

"I can not show favouritism, all my decisions must be made according to not just the law, but also precedents previously set and those I wish to set for the future."

"As I said, this isn't favouritism. It is a rational choice meant to send a message. Our entire work as lords is giving people examples constantly, we are like maesters teaching those beneath us lessons only in a more direct way. The better the examples, the more educated our people are and the fewer mistakes they will make. You know as well as I that highborn's very often use their power and influence to subvert the law and many feel like they can do whatever they want because they are untouchable or even if they can be touched the punishment won't be anything severe. Such behaviour only creates chaos and it is your right as Lord Paramount to quash such arrogance. The realm is at peace and under the rule of a wise king, peace is the best time to consolidate power."

"House Buckler's lands are rather extensive, Bronzegate is a mighty fortress supported by four reasonably sized villages. The smallest of these is not too far to the north of your own lands, along the coast where the village of Greenwell is located. I will allow you these lands, and you will create no further problems for me. Is that understood?"

I vigorously nodded, this was a very generous offer and I had pushed my luck enough for one day.

Rogar nodded, "I will need to officially pass his sentence in front of the court tomorrow. Your presence will be required, now go and rest. I am sure that hand is giving you more trouble than you are showing."

My gaze went to my hand and I felt rather sick.

"I thank you, my lord." With that said I stood, bowed, and exited his office in a hurry. Rogar mumbled something unintelligible behind my retreating form.

The next morning came quickly and I found myself once more in the grand hall of Storm's End. I stood to the left of the raised dais upon which sat Lord Rogar. I flinched as I moved my hand, the beaten extremities throbbing slightly.

Lord Buckler was in chains in the centre of the chamber. His injuries had been treated according to his station, a disgraced lord he may have been, but a lord nonetheless.

"You have caused yourself quite the scandal and disgrace Lord Buckler." Rogar started and the tension in the room was palpable. I wondered if Buckler thought he might actually be executed.

Buckler raised his chin and spoke proudly, "I did what was right."

Rogar chuckled, "Not in the eyes of the gods it seems." Buckler flinched at that. Rogar continued, "You will not be executed, enjoy that mercy. For the crimes you have committed I have decided you will cede lands to Lord Aelon."

Buckler let out a burst of curses and Rogar continued, "This is not negotiable. You have broken the king's peace, the punishment I give must match what the King would expect. With that in mind, you are lucky to remain in possession of your life."

Buckler quieted, it seems he had some sense at least.

"The lands you will cede are around the village of Green Well along the coast. I expect a swift and peaceful handover, failure to comply will result in further and far more stringent sanctions."

Buckler grumbled his agreement and shot a fierce glare in my direction.

"Then this matter is closed." I could almost hear the gavel smack in my mind, maybe I should introduce those to Westeros.

Somehow, I doubted this matter was really closed.

I was filled with a sense of trepidation as I re-entered Eastwood. Edwell and Morden were at my sides, Edwell was in significantly better condition than he had been, his ribs had healed with little trouble.

I had no doubt that Armon would have some strong words for me over the reckless endangerment of my life fighting in a trial by combat, especially considering I did not yet have an heir. Over the trip back from Storm's End, I had grown used to not jolting my broken fingers but I couldn't wait for them to be properly healed.

I continued on horseback through my growing village, now more of a small town. My investment into infrastructure was easily visible, the streets better paved than the vast majority of settlements and cities in Westeros. Proper planning meant the houses and shops were spaced out, limiting the spread of fire should one start. There would be no great fire of London in my town.

I could see the industrial estate outside the bounds of the main settlement and felt an overwhelming sense of pride in my accomplishments. I hoped the progress continued for many more years. There was still much that could be achieved, especially with the Engineering College I hoped Armon had managed to begin in my absence.

We came upon the gates of the main keep quickly and were received by the stablehands, dismounting and handing them the reins.

"I am going to go see how the Century are doing, constant travelling is bloody boring." Announced Edwell before plodding off towards the courtyard, I almost felt sorry for the poor soldiers.

Morden and I made our way within the keep. I took a deep breath, it was good to be home.

Armon accosted me as I sat drinking a mug of water, boiled of course, on the 'throne' in the main hall. Morden stood beside me.

"Lord Aelon, Ser Morden, it is good to see you back. Though I have heard some interesting tales from the guards."

I winced, "Yes, I thought you might be coming to see me after hearing about that."

Armon sighed, "I would be angry if I thought that you hadn't assessed the situation before jumping into combat. I know you too well to think you would have done that if there had been another choice, no show me your hand. I want to see what the Storm's End maester has done."

After a painful examination of the Storm's End Maester's handiwork, no pun intended, Armon was satisfied and rewrapped my fingers with instructions not to use the hand if possible. Apparently damage had been done to the tendons when the gauntlet crushed the fingers, no surprise there.

"So, what was the outcome with Lord Buckler?" Armon levelled a piercing gaze at me.

I pursed my lips and considered my reply, "I have done rather well out of the whole ordeal. Lord Buckler was deemed guilty and as punishment, the village of Green Well and the surrounding lands are now under my control. Lord Buckler has been released, I persuaded Lord Baratheon not to send him to the wall, House Buckler will always be an enemy of mine now but hopefully not as much as it could have been if I caused their lord's death. I did not want to run the risk that his heir would be a more competent ruler or schemer than he."

Armon nodded, "That certainly sounds good, do you think there will be more trouble from House Buckler?"

I snorted, "Of course there will be, but likely not for a long time unless Lord Buckler is really stupid enough to cause another ruckus right after being caught in the act and punished. Regardless there is little to do about it besides continuing to train men and buffering defences."

Armon looked thoughtful. "Whilst you were away I gathered a few men who were previously acolytes of the citadel, they were happy with the terms you described and preparations to build their institution are being made."

I smiled, that was an important part of my plans. A group of innovators to push my designs would be excellent long term. I began to think about the addition of Green Well to my holdings,

"That is excellent news, Armon. I will have to visit Green Well shortly, we need to work out what will be done with it and changes to the infrastructure there will need to be made."

"Yes, oversight will be needed whilst the smallfolk adapt. I admit I am quite surprised by how generous Lord Baratheon was." Said Armon.

Morden coughed out a laugh from beside me.

I winced slightly and Armon sighed, "What did you do?"

"I may have gotten carried away in my anger after the trial by combat. I lost my temper with Lord Rogar and ended up convincing him to allow me land rather than sending Buckler to the wall and forcing him to pay me a sum of gold." I could practically see the gears turning in Armon's head.

Armon all but through his hands into the air, "So, you told your liege lord what punishment to give Lord Buckler? Do you have any idea how badly that could have gone for you? A competent ruler you are Aelon but not infallible and to many of the houses in the Stormlands you are just a young upstart and a bastard at that." I nodded with a grimace, I did indeed know how stupid I had been.

Armon continued his lecture, "And why in the name of the Mother did you have to fight yourself? You, a lad of six and ten against a grown man who's been fighting since before you were born. Morden is called a sworn sword for a reason, why didn't you name him your champion instead of risking everything you have worked so hard to build."

Morden answered for me, "He had to Armon, you know as well as I that reputation means everything. The Stormlord's value strength over all else. If Aelon allowed another to fight in his place he would be seen as weak for the rest of his days. There was no other choice."

I was growing exasperated at being berated like a child.

Armon seemed to sense the tone and sighed before nodding, "Huh, what's done is done no point in arguing for what could have been. At least you got something good out of it."

I nodded, I had gained much, though it would add to the amount of work I needed to get done.

"Well, if you are going to be pulling these stunts often then I suppose we should revisit talks about finding you a bride." Armon smiled with a glint in his eyes.

I coughed, "Uh, yes, I suppose that would be fair."

Truly, I had been considering matches but I still felt so much older than my body it felt quite sleazy to be marrying a young girl.

Armon gave me a big grin before bowing slightly and walking out the hall, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

My marriage would be a very important political move, my lands had just about doubled in size with the addition of Green Well, my industry was going well but trade over land is very slow and bandits causing trouble would be a perpetual risk. The only alternative to land trade was sea trade unless I persuaded a Targaryen to allow me the use of a dragon for haulage purposes. I let out a laugh at the bizarre thought, now wouldn't that be a sight to see.

The failed port had been a setback that I would struggle to overcome, leaving me with two options. Firstly, I could give up and just continue as I was, or secondly, find someone else who could anchor a trade fleet and sort out a deal. The second option sounded much better than the first but left me with very few options in trade partners. The most obvious one would be House Tarth, Storm King's of old had been known to anchor their fleets on the Sapphire Isle and it would be just a matter of funding the building of a small trading fleet. Even with a small setup, gold would flow into my coffers at a far faster rate, Lord Edwyn Tarth would certainly benefit from such an agreement as well. The isle of Tarth might be a beautiful place with a proud and ancient house, but beauty and name, sadly, does not beget gold. It would be entirely possible I could negotiate a bride from Lord Tarth which would benefit us both in equal measure. Allowing my line legitimacy and filling his vaults with gold from exporting my whisky.

I hummed to myself and decided that it was definitely an idea worthy of some significant thought.

Another thing to continue managing would be the road which I could finally finish now the unpleasantness with the blundering Buckler was finished. Ideally, I would have spoken to Lord Rogar about funding for the road, but after most likely thoroughly pissing him off and managing to extract lands out of the deal I figured it would be best to stay quiet and pay for the damn thing myself. I would be the main beneficiary once it was completed anyway.

So much work to be done.