The study in the Red Keep.
A quill dipped in ink raced across the sheets spread before him, adding annotations and crossing out lines before leaving a concise signature.
Daylight slanted through the high window. Dust motes drifted chaotically within its beam, which fell across Aegon's profile, illuminating his sharp features and composed violet eyes.
He sat upright in a high-backed chair, reviewing the various documents Jon Connington had compiled and submitted.
The progress of clearing the ruins of King's Landing, provisions and pay for newly recruited soldiers, reports on local reorganization, disputes arising from the details of the new tax system...
One decree after another was settled beneath his pen: approved, rejected, or returned for further deliberation.
The nib paused over a line of text.
It was an additional proposal Jon Connington had appended to his routine reports.
While implementing the Crownlands Garrison System and consolidating control over local troops, the veteran commander had conceived a broader plan.
He petitioned for a separate Public Safety Bureau system outside the military framework, with Public Safety Offices established in major towns and cities, and even strategically important villages.
Directly administered by the Small Council in King's Landing, it would station trained, salaried Public Safety Officers throughout the realm to enforce the laws of the realm, rather than leaving justice entirely to the arbitrary private judgments of local lords.
In his view, this would deter troublemakers and stabilize local order.
Aegon's gaze lingered briefly on the words "Public Safety Bureau," his fingertip tapping lightly against the paper.
The idea was sound, aligning perfectly with his intention to dismantle feudal fragmentation and rebuild centralized authority.
Jon Connington was indeed a man who could get things done.
But its precise structure, appointments, salaries, division of responsibilities with local garrisons, and even safeguards against corruption