The Iron Bank
"Sir Davos, 1.63 million Gold Dragon is no small sum. The Iron Throne is now embroiled in war, and the Iron Bank is quite concerned about your ability to repay."
In the Throne Room of the Red Keep, an envoy with a long, thin braided beard and wearing a purple round-necked robe was negotiating with Davos, the Grand Steward of King's Landing.
He was an envoy from the Iron Bank of Braavos, and as he stated, he was there to ascertain the Iron Throne's ability to repay its debts.
Meanwhile, Davos sat on the Iron Throne, never dreaming that someone from a Flea Bottom like himself could sit there.
This is the location of the Targaryen kings: Jon Arryn, Eddard Stark, Robert Baratheon, and Stannis Baratheon.
But this Iron Throne was indeed not very comfortable.
As the weather gets colder, this Iron Throne has become so cold it's freezing to the touch; sitting on it for a long time makes your buttocks feel numb.
To make matters worse, you can't even put a mat on top; that's not allowed.
It seems that Aegon the Conqueror forged the Iron Throne Iron Throne, deliberately made it uncomfortable, perhaps as a reminder to rulers that being the head of a nation is not so easy.
Now it seems that this is indeed the case.
"Could it be that King Robert is too uncomfortable sitting in this Iron Throne, which is why he's so reluctant to deal with state affairs?" Davos wondered to himself, not particularly worried about this debt collector.
"Your Excellency is right. The enemies and challenges facing the Iron Throne are unprecedented—" Davos readily acknowledged the Iron Throne's current predicament and continued, "Jon, son of Eddard Stark, or perhaps his nephew, is a name I think even the Free Cities should have heard of. He is practically a living legend. Leaving aside his past illustrious achievements, just consider the war we are currently facing. Even if the Iron Throne's army wins in the Riverlands, we still have to contend with the Westerlands, which are easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if we conquer the Westerlands to the south, there is the powerful Reach. Even if we disregard the Reach, our enemies still have a powerful fleet, and Casterly Rock remains impregnable. Victory seems a long way off."
Davos spoke eloquently, the phrase "a long way off" being one that Shireen had taught him, but even the messengers below found his words strange.
He had come hoping for a guarantee that the loan would be repaid on time, but Davos's words seemed to suggest that victory was unlikely.
He continued, "On the other hand, Jon's past victories are undeniable. He has a keen eye and acts decisively. Once he wins in the Riverlands, his army will advance straight towards the Crownlands. Coupled with his suspected Targaryen identity, taking King's King's Landing will not be difficult for him."
"Isn't the Lord loyal to His Majesty Stannis? What do you mean by these words?" the purple-robed Iron Bank emissary asked, squinting at Davos, who sat high on the Iron Throne.
"Jon has already annexed the Iron Islands, the Westerlands are his conquered fiefdoms, the Reach are House Tyrell's fiefdoms, and even Winterfell is west of the North. Do you think he will place Westeros's future focus in the east? Will the Free Cities still be able to profit from trade with Westeros at that time? Or does the Iron Bank believe that Jon, this suspected Targaryen, will pay the House Baratheon's debts to the Iron Bank?"
Seeing Davos's increasingly cunning gaze, the Iron Bank's messenger understood his intentions.
If the Iron Bank puts pressure on the Iron Throne due to its debts, causing the Iron Throne to lose, then it will not receive a single Copper Star.
"The Iron Bank does not tolerate delays! The Iron Bank Iron Bank has its own methods." The envoy's face darkened, as if he didn't take the ferocious steel behemoth in front of him seriously at all.
"Your Excellency, the Iron Throne has never intended to delay payment. It's just that the situation we face is quite tense. Although victory is far away, we have the impregnable Vale, the loyal Stormlands, and the rightful Crownlands. You must know that Aemon Targaryen of the Citadel is an undisputed and highly respected Targaryen. Without his approval, Jon will never truly become Targaryen. Although victory is some distance away, we are backed by solid land. We need time, and we need more gold."
After listening to Davos's long explanation, the messenger finally understood that the other party not only did not want to guarantee the repayment time, but also wanted to borrow more money. How could this be allowed!
However, he had already determined that if Stannis's court were truly destroyed, the Iron Throne's debt would most likely be unrecoverable, and increasing pressure at this time was certainly not a wise move.
But this envoy also came with a mission; as the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed, so he must have brought something back with him.
Therefore, a tax deposit was proposed.
Moreover, it involves a ten-year tax deposit from both the Crownlands and Stormlands.
"These ruthless bastards." Davos frowned slightly. The Crownlands and Stormlands were the cornerstone and pillar of the Baratheon court. He was already heartbroken when Salladhor Saan asked for just one Crownlands, how could he possibly mortgage Stormlands as well?
"I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty, but this matter involves too many factors, and I may not be able to make a decision on it. Please wait a few days, and I will certainly consult with the King as soon as possible." Seeing that the other party's expression had darkened again, Davos quickly said, "My Majesty needs gold coins, and if the collateral is suitable, I think he will agree."
Ultimately, Davos dismissed the messenger with an ambiguous answer.
He personally escorted the messenger out of the Throne Room, and as soon as the hall doors opened, the howling wind and snow were like wild beasts unleashed from their cages.
The messenger stretched out his arms to protect his face and head from the biting ice and snow.
As soon as he left, Davos fled the Iron Throne as if he were escaping, and when no one was around, he quietly rubbed his backside.
Having temporarily dealt with the Iron Bank's pressing demands for payment, Davos breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he couldn't shake the unease, constantly thinking about Stannis still in Riverlands, and of course, his youngest son Little Stannis.
Battle of the Blackwater, four of Davos's seven sons died.
Four sons who are now adults.
Later, to compensate Davos, Stannis specially arranged relatively comfortable positions for the two older of his remaining three sons.
Davos ' wife absolutely refused.
For a mother, losing six of her seven sons at once is incredibly cruel.
After some persuasion, they decided to send their youngest son, Little Stannis, to Stannis's side as a servant.
After all, there is nowhere safer than by the king's side.
Finally, Davos ' wife agreed and sent Little Stannis to King's Landing, and his other two sons followed King's Landing.
Although Jon handed the Iron Throne to Stannis Battle of King's Landing, he became even busier.
However, Davos thought it was for the best; by not seeing his wife, he wouldn't think about his four sons who had died in battle.
His wife was also a devout follower of the Seven, especially after the birth of their seventh son, which coincided with the number of gods, making her even more devout.
But the two met and married when they were still commoners, and even after he acquired land and became Mrs. Seaworth, his wife did not pray often.
She often says that working hard and living a good life is the best prayer.
However, in the past year or two, she may have been using constant work to numb the pain of losing her son.
Just as Davos was lost in thought, a silver-haired, blue-eyed boy, no more than six or seven years old, came to his side.
This is Davos's squire; he is the son of Montfort House Velaryon.
The Targaryen and the House Velaryon —it's obvious at a glance that their relationship is extraordinary.
With the war about to begin, Stannis no longer had the energy to keep an eye on Dragonstone, so he brought the sole heir of Driftmark to King's Landing and placed him beside Davos.
"What's wrong, child?" Davos asked, though he couldn't remember the child's name.
"Sir, Pycelle requests your presence; he says he has important news."
"Important news? Okay, I understand."
Although some might occasionally say that a House Velaryon is equal to half Targaryen, Davos felt pity for the boy.
His father died in battle at the Blackwater when he was in his early twenties.
His mother passed away before he could even remember anything.
In short, he was a pitiful child. Although he was Davos's servant, Davos was also his guardian.
Davos walked through the corridor, and the patrolling men in Gold Cloaks stepped aside and bowed when they saw him.
By the Seven, Stannis used to avoid them whenever he was involved in smuggling.
All of this was because he chose to pledge allegiance to Stannis.
In some ways, the fate of the Seven Kingdoms was altered by the choices made by this seemingly insignificant man.
If Davos hadn't smuggled food to Stannis, Storm's End would have fallen due to food shortages.
If Storm's End falls, the Southern Army will march north to the Trident River to support Rhaegar.
With his superior numbers, Rhaegar might be able to defeat Robert —just like he is now.
Davos knew the battle would end in defeat for his king, but Jon's terms were relatively lenient, suggesting he was genuinely worried about the approaching winter and even the legendary Long Night.
Otherwise, Davos couldn't think of any other reason why Jon would be so merciful.
As Davos pondered this, he walked toward the room of Pycelle Grand Maester.
Suddenly, his smuggler instincts sent chills down his spine.
After all, before pledging allegiance to Stannis, he had been smuggling safely for over twenty years, even managing to deliver grain into Storm's End right under the noses of Redwyne Fleet. How could he have been completely unaware of anything amiss?
But what dangers await within the Red Keep?
Davos composed himself and continued walking forward, when suddenly a Raven swooped down on him.
Davos instinctively shielded his face with his arm, but the Raven didn't attack him; instead, it kept circling around him.
When Davos saw the bronze letter tube dangling from the Raven's beak, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
Jon's bird?
The Raven stood on the railing and put down the letter tube, signaling to Davos to check it quickly.
Davos looked around, but no one, whether in their Gold Cloaks or among the maids and servants, passed by.
He gently picked up the letter, but the words he saw made him dizzy: Stannis is dead. The murderers are Petyr and Varys. Run!
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