The Eminence in GOT-Chapter 20: Interlude. The peddler of curiosities

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P.O.V. Tiggett Lannister.

12.01.276

Westlands, Lannisport

«Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. We finally broke out of this underground tomb! Fresh wind, sea breeze and the smell of a living city! What could be better?

Of course. All the color of the "lion family"-me, the ever-laughing Geryon, the beautiful twins Cersei and Jaime, and little Tyrion, who'd decided to take to the city for the first time-had come out of their castle on the cliff. Though Cersei was furious, threatening to throw him into the sea at the first opportunity, the intercession of her twin brother, Geryon, and me managed to placate the lioness.

Our whole family, accompanied by a retinue of young ladies-in-waiting, squires, a few stewards for shopping, and Red Cloaks, were walking toward the four ships that contrasted sharply against the morning blue sky with their maroon sails.

Things were not going well in the capital. More and more Aerys Targaryen was clashing with my older brother, trying to do things his way and against his Hand. And sometimes those decisions have backfired on the crown, such as the recent construction of the giant dromedary Dragon's Pride at the Royal Harbor shipyards, which sank after going to the open sea. The shipbuilders and engineers who built and designed the vessel were naturally executed, but the resources and time spent on that foolish project can never be recovered. I don't blame the king, though - no one would want to live in Tywin Lannister's shadow.

My only hope was for Queen Reila, who is five months pregnant. The birth of a strong and powerful child should help Aerys come to his senses and rid himself of the incipient Targaryen madness. After all, he was incredibly happy two years ago when his wife gave birth to a son, Prince Jaheiris. But the prince died that same year, according to Kivan, shocking the entire royal court. His death caused the king to fall into despair. He went to the Great Sept of Baylor and had a long talk with the High Septon. It was later announced that he would stop cheating on his wife (once again dropping the royal family's reputation in the mud), and become a good husband. Hopefully Mother Mother will bless him and all of the Seven Kingdoms. If Aerys goes completely mad, times will be very hard.

Anyway, things were not going well for the Lannisters at Castle Red. And that had a direct effect on the mood of Casterly Rock - long ago, Tywin's failures and successes had become the failures and successes of House Lannister. So the arrival of ships rumored to bring goods from the legendary Golden Empire of I-Ti itself came in handy. It would dispel the decadent mood that reigned in the castle, and at the same time buy curiosities that not even Tywin had seen before.

Soon we came to the largest ship on the dock, where we were met. A young and very tall man, with short black hair and green eyes, was not the last man on the ship, judging by his clothes. Maybe an accountant, or a navigator... I don't know about those things.

«Greetings aboard the King of Beasts. - He said as we approached, bowing slightly with a hand to his heart. - I am honored that I, a humble merchant, have been visited by the descendants of the kings of the West. Lord Tiggett, Lord Geryon.

The fact that he unmistakably called us by name told me at once that our visit was not a surprise to him, and he had time to prepare. And he's too young to own four not-so-cheap ships. A member of a merchant dynasty?

«It's mutual, merchant. - I answered, stepping forward as the eldest and introducing everyone else. Even Geryon stopped making jokes left and right - whoever this merchant was, if he had such goods, he was very rich. And it's just better not to ruin relations with him. The Lannisters may be the richest house in all of Westeros, but there are always bigger fish to fry. - We came to see it because we've heard of ships full of rare curiosities you can't find in the whole of the West.

«I will not disappoint you. - The merchant smiled, pointing to the gangway. We were led through the upper deck straight to the ship's main cabin. On the way we could see how many wealthy merchants were gathered here. How they haggled, shouted, sometimes threatened, but as soon as they faced the tall warriors, dressed in polished armor and armed with two-handed axes, all their fervor disappeared. And most of the crew were from Westeros - Westerners, Northerners, Ironborn, a few Spaniards. I even spotted a Dornish sleeping on one of the upper masts. The only thing that distinguished them from the rest of the sailors was their clothing. Even here in the gold-bearing West, not every merchant could afford to wear clothes of such brightly colored and high quality fabric. Of course, if you believe the stories of the maesters, in the far East all this cost a mere penny, but until today I did not really believe it.

But soon I forgot about these thoughts - when we entered the captain's cabin all thoughts left my head.

«Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." The twins shouted loudly, instantly rushing in different directions. While Cersei ran toward the racks of dozens of fabrics and pedestals of jewelry and ornaments, Jaime ran in the opposite direction-the entire left wall of the cabin was occupied by swords and blades of the finest craftsmanship that could be given to the king. Most of the maidens and squires rushed after them, leaving me, Geryon holding Tyrion in his arms, the scorekeepers, whose faces had already turned pale with the realization that their fiefdoms were going to lose a lot of gold today, and the merchant, looking on with the smile of a cat who'd eaten too much sour cream.

"He's already smelling the profits, the merchant," I thought, as I watched Geryon and his nephew walk between the tables and look around, occasionally chuckling.

«Your niece has a problem. Let's go to her. - Finally said the merchant, whose name I never bothered to learn.

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Meanwhile, Cersei was glowing. Surrounded by girls her own age and two older ladies, she flitted from one skein of cloth to the next, looking, touching, and stroking each one, not knowing which to choose first.

«Young lady, can I help you? - The peddler addressed her, once again smiling his "trademark" smile. And if most peddlers, because of their fat faces and little piggy eyes, they came out disgusting, then this one had it... disposable or something....

«Where did you get these fabrics? I've never seen anything like it. - Almost shouted her niece, literally shoving into the hands of the merchant a skein of thin, like a butterfly's wing, silk the color of lush green grass.

«This... Hmm... - Said the owner of the room, barely thinking and almost immediately answering. - Young lady, what do you know about the Golden Empire of I-Ti?

«It's a rich state in the east, ruled by the emp... impet... - Herion's laughter was heard not far away, amused by his niece forgetting the title of the ruler of the distant lands the maester had spoken about just a few hours ago. Poor Cersei even blushed with shame, but her look promised to sizzle her younger uncle on the spot.

«Emperors, young lady. - Once again the merchant smiled, grabbing the skein more comfortably and stretching a bit of fabric. - The I-Ti Empire is ruled by two emperors, a hundred princes and a thousand commanders. This silk is made in the principality of Ailei, deep in the Long Shi jungle that covers most of the empire's territory. There grows a unique plant - a thread-like flower - Ua Shuo, from whose petals are created threads for this silk. Thanks to this, clothes made of these fabrics are very pleasant to wear, and the skin, thanks to its special properties, can easily breathe, much longer preserving its beauty and youth.

What a clever peddler - even I could see how the eyes of all the women who were standing still lit up. I don't want a fight to break out.

«And you're not lying? - Cersei asked, making a thoughtful face. Her father's lessons, and mine, have not gone to waste-she already possesses one of the most important qualities any queen needs. Suspiciousness.

«Of course not, young lady. - I think he was born with that smile-it hasn't left his face since we arrived. Moving as close as propriety would allow, the merchant began to show something on the cloth. - Look closely at the pattern. Does it remind you of anything?

«It's petals! - The niece shouted in surprise, after a minute of looking at the piece.

«That's right. - The master of the ship nodded in agreement. - This cloth is made from whole petals of Wua Shuo, without unraveling them into threads. This is how you can tell the Ailean silk from the fake.

«Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - All the ladies looked at him at once, not hiding the slight admiration in their eyes. I understand them - usually merchants are not very interested in their goods and mostly praise the buyers and how the purchased will look on them. And here they immediately learned about the unique features of the purchase and an interesting story about distant lands. In my distant childhood, my older brother used to read out books to us in a similar way, because of which we later surprised the maesters and father, overtaking the other children of lords in development. Should we revive the custom? Where would one find such a good storyteller?

«What about this one? - Cersei grabbed the yellow bundle without looking and slipped it into the hands of the merchant who had magically lost the last one.

«Oh, you have a good eye, young lady. This silk is produced by the Tang Clan of the Five Fortresses Province. It is renowned for its-- - And so began the cycle of stories. Each time, the niece would slip the merchant more and more items, asking for their specialties and where they were purchased. Silks, jewelry, mirrors, even a few books plucked from little Tyrion's hands..... their entire history and meaning was told. I even wondered how his tongue didn't fall out from such a long story.

«What should I buy? - My niece's question made me dumbfounded. I was well aware that every time she visited an overseas merchant, she bought everything without regard for quality or price. "Lannister prestige obliges you to be better than others at everything," she used to say. This is new.

«Hmm..." The peddler looked thoughtful, even bringing his hand to his chin. He'd probably offer to buy everything for Cersei now, making every trinket worth more than it was worth. - That's a difficult question, young lady. I'm going to need some help answering it. Sigrid, my dear, come here!

Almost immediately, a girl who looked Cersei's age (or slightly younger) and looked a lot like her entered the cabin. Hair the color of white gold, blue eyes like the sapphire waters of Tarth, and skin as white as the bark of a chartreuse tree. Already everyone is saying that my niece will be one of the first beauties in the Seven Kingdoms. And this girl, even without exquisite hair and jewelry, dressed only in one simple white dress with blue ribbons and two cheap jewelry from the same ribbons, was not inferior to her.

My niece pouted at once - she saw a rival. I even grinned, attracting a little attention to myself, although I was sitting at the table with wine and appetizers almost all the time, playing the role of an observer rather than a buyer.

«This is my pupil Sigrid. - The merchant introduced the girl, who was blushing at the attention. - Now she will be my assistant.

After his words, the girl tried to make a small bow, but she overstretched her back and almost fell down, causing a few laughs. So a commoner with the beginnings of an aristocratic upbringing.

«Young lady, do you know why people need beautiful clothes? - Meanwhile, the merchant continued, going around the stands and picking up all kinds of jewelry.

«Beautiful clothes should make a person even more beautiful! - Cersei answered without hesitation, copying the words of Lady Marbrand, the leading fashion spender in the Western Lands.

«Then if you dress an ugly woman in the most expensive silks in the world, she will become beautiful? - The merchant innocently clarified, taking out a screen and covering the blond girl with it.

«No. - Immediately answered the niece.

«But you yourself said that beautiful clothes make a man more beautiful? - The peddler's sly smile became almost to the ears, and some of the ladies even burst out a few laughs.

«I... I... I... I didn't mean that! - The niece shouted, pouting like a little hamster and stomping her foot childishly.

"Ay, ay, peddler, ay, son of a bitch" - I thought, trying to hide a smile. - "Quickly he got Cersei to drop her mask. My brother's purse will be emptied of a couple thousand gold today."

«I understand, young lady. - Abruptly losing his mirth and becoming completely serious, the merchant said. - Let me tell you an interesting fact. Each person has his own "aura". A kind of complex of features that create the first and subsequent impression of a person. And clothing is one of the most important things in this case. Lord Tiggett, what did my apprentice look like when she walked in?

"Okay, leave me out of this feminine stuff! I'm too young for this de*yment" - I thought, but seeing the expectant look on my niece's face, I couldn't keep silent. - She looked like a full moon in a cloudy sky.

«That's a good comparison. - The merchant replied, turning sharply to Cersei. - What do you think would happen if she was dressed up a little and given some jewelry, would she still look like the moon?

«Yes." her niece replied thoughtfully, looking expectantly at the screen standing not far away.

«Look again. - Saying that, he very quickly pushed the screen away.

"Wow, I didn't realize clothes could change a person so much" - I thought.

«Still the same white dress, but with a pink border and a few flowers. But they perfectly accentuated the slight blush and whiteness of the rest of my skin. - The merchant told me, proudly crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the girl as if she were an artist at his best creation. And she did change. There was something that could not be explained. It seemed to be on the tip of my tongue, but it kept slipping away. - Together with a small tiara, with yellow sapphire inlays, and loose hair, my pupil becomes like....

«A princess. - Cersei whispered, looking at the girl with disbelieving eyes. If memory serves, she'd always wanted to look like something other than a proud Lannister lioness or an exact copy of her brother when she dressed in men's clothes and secretly (though everyone in the family knew about it except Kivan and Tywin) went to class with the Maester instead of him. I'd always thought it was a girl's fancy, but now, seeing the secret delight my niece was in, I could see how hard it was on her heart. The burden of being a proud lioness of the West, which Jenna and then Joanna had borne before, had begun to weigh too heavily on her fragile shoulders too soon.

«Do you believe me now, young lady? - The merchant finally asked, escorting his apprentice out one of the secret doors and back in.

«Yes... - Seri said, still recovering from the shock, even looking at the merchant again with some respect. - And what would work for me?

«It all depends on the image you want to create. If memory serves me correctly, the Lannister family symbol is the western light-blond lion. Is that correct? - The ship's master clarified, looking thoughtfully at one of the rolls of burgundy silk.

"As if I didn't know that," I thought, remembering the number of lions on the Lannisters' clothes, the city standards, and the cloaks of the city guards.

«Surely most of your clothes are generic burgundy and gold? - He looked thoughtfully at a subdued Cersei, dressed in a dress the color of pale gold, with red inserts. - Those colors do suit you, but they give you too wild and commanding a disposition. I suggest you express another trait common to all Lannisters but often forgotten.

«Which is? - My niece asked interestedly.

«Eyes. - The merchant said with a smile, pointing a finger at his own eye. It turned out to be a bright Lannister green. - Eyes, the color of the purest emerald, are one of the most recognizable traits of the Guardian of the West family.

"How did I not notice that." - I thought, like everyone else, in mild shock at this little discovery.

«You'll look good in a sea-wave-colored dress, with white shoes, and white gold jewels with emeralds. - The merchant continued, pacing back and forth. - You can also add a hem of white tulle, with patterned embroidery. Young lady, would you mind being measured? I have a good seamstress on my ship from Meereen. She's very good with these fabrics and will make you the best dress possible.

«Very well. - The niece answered quickly, walking to the screen. Soon an unremarkable woman with dark skin and stiff, curly hair entered the cabin, and it turned out to be the seamstress. She quickly said something to the merchant in a language the others did not understand (which turned out to be a dialect of Giscarian Valyrian, which I recognized because of the frequent swearing in it by one of my mercenaries) and showed two fingers.

«Your order will be ready in two days, young lady. It will be delivered directly to the castle. - Said the merchant, making a few notes in a large and thick book. - Unfortunately, we have to start preparing for sailing tomorrow, so if you like something else, tell us right away.

Hearing that, Cersei was upset that she wouldn't be able to shop here anymore. After another five minutes of perusing the tables of silks and jewelry, she finally reached the verdict I had long ago predicted.

«That's it.

«Excuse me, young lady? - The merchant didn't quite understand her.

«I'll take everything here. - Said our little princess, much to the shock of the young peddler. - Name the amount to our accountant and it will be delivered to you as soon as possible.

«Very well, young lady. As you wish. - The merchant said, quickly regaining his composure, and gave a few orders to the sailors and loaders who had come in and went to another part of the cabin, where the other Lannisters were still wandering around.

Eventually the same story repeated itself with Jaime buying up all the blades on the ship, Tyrion buying every book in existence, and most surprisingly (or not) Herion, whose cellars were soon replenished with several dozen barrels of wine.

Jaime was impressed with his skills as a swordsman when he practiced wielding every blade hanging on the wall, easily disarming the red cloaks accompanying us, and decided to learn to fight with different weapons as well. And the merchant had an interesting conversation with Tyrion about the advantages and disadvantages of being a dwarf, at the end of which the merchant told him that "one clever dwarf can sometimes do much more than the most skillful knight in Westeros". So his nephew's bodyguards left the ship cursing everything in the world, laden with huge stacks of books, scrolls, and other writing. And Geryon... The merchant simply drank and laughed with him for two hours, finally playing a card game that resulted in the purchase of the merchant's entire wine supply.

The Pride of Lions left the merchant, whose name I never learned, almost past midnight, accompanied by the joyful laughter of his nephews and the howling of the sad treasurers, who had been fucked today. By the way, I need to correct that omission.

«It's a little late for me to ask this, but what's your name? You remind me of someone, but I can't remember who. Have we met before, by any chance? - I asked the merchant, shaking his hand. He did look familiar, and I couldn't understand why.

«Lord Tiggett, we met almost four years ago. Here at the tournament in Lannisport, during a general fight. You were defeated mid-fight by Prince Leaven, and I was on the sidelines. With a big two-handed axe. I used it on Lord Geryon back then. Remember? - The more he talked, the more my eyes widened. That's the same Grey Knight who broke Barristan Selmy's nose and defeated Leven Martell. But rumor has it he went to the Citadel for training immediately after his victory and even forged a few links.

«You are Felix Cold, son of Alexander Cold. - I was finally able to speak. - But you wanted to be a Maester, not a merchant... albeit a successful one.

«Just Felix. I'm not a knight, and I'm not yet eligible to inherit the family name. And as for the merchant. The Gods do not know what they will do, Lord Tiggett. There's no telling what we'll become in the future. I've become a good merchant. - With a smile, the merchant... Kold replied. Suddenly he approached me and said:

«And if you don't mind, I have a little proposition for you.

Which turned out to be a very good one.

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