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Chapter 130: 5



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Waifu Catalog Nightmare Mode by BatRou-Dawg

Misc » Book X-overs Rated: M, English, Supernatural, Words: 294k+, Favs: 159, Follows: 172, Published: Jun 27, 2023 Updated: Jun 29, 2023

16Chapter 5

Melisandre POV

'There is a difference in looking young under a glamour and actually being young. A huge difference.' She thought as she watched her Lord read a story to Shireen who'd finally woken up, an entire week after the ritualistic healing.

Shireen, whose last of the Greyscale had fallen off 'miraculously' one night. Shireen, who now looked like just as cute as any other child her age. Cuter, really. Thanks to Lord Stephen. Though the girl would never know of it.

She felt glad for them. The emotion somehow being more pronounced than she'd felt in a long time.

And that was yet another difference that she felt now that she had become young once again. Her emotions were no longer muted like they were before. In fact, she had not even known that all her emotions have become muted over the years. The only emotion that hadn't been muted was her respect and adoration for R'hollor. Which would in turn explain why she, and so many other priests and priestess of the Red God are so fanatically devoted to him.

Being young and away from R'hollor's influence was… she wasn't sure if there were words to describe how she felt.

Like she'd been living life from behind a muted, milky glass. Like a butterfly who spent her entire life buried inside its cocoon. And now… she felt as if she had finally been set free.

It had taken her new lord 3 more healing sessions to make her completely young once again. Healing sessions that he performed by sneaking into her room at night through the window.

How he did it was beyond her understanding since her room was in an isolated section of the castle with a drop of 30 feet under her window. But she'd learned not to question her lord and his various strange and powerful abilities by this point.

If he was older at that time, then she might have offered him her body in exchange for his boons. But as it was, she merely felt like a burden whenever he healed her. As those healing sessions left him so exhausted that he couldn't do much of anything else for the next few minutes or so.

As she watched the two siblings play with each other, she felt a hint of melancholy that she hadn't felt in a long time as her hand went to her womb.

On the last night of healing her, her lord had tried to heal her womb once again. But despite his prodigious powers, he had failed.

And despite her earlier insistence that she did not want children. Now that she was healed once again and her emotions were no longer muted… she wondered, how it would feel to carry her lord's children in her womb. To give birth to new life instead of simply birthing shadows as she'd learned to do in Asshai.

Though even if she found a way to heal her womb, her lord was yet too young to perform such a deed and it'll be years yet before he's ready for the responsibility that came with being a father. So no point in thinking about it right now.

She felt someone clearing his throat behind her and turned to see Lord Stannis looking at her with his usual stern glare.

"Come. We must talk." He said and gave one last, lingering look to his own children, even sparing a brief glance toward his wife who was sitting on a chair with an indulgent smile on her face, before he strode out of the room.

She followed him and they soon arrived at his solar. Stannis took his seat behind a large ebony desk and gestured her to sit on the other side of it.

She did so. And once she was seated, Stannis gave her a long, searching look before he spoke. "When you came here, I thought you to be yet another charlatan who came here to feast on my misery. I did not believe that you'll know anything of the healing arts. Let alone know how to heal Grayscale. Completely at that. In fact, I don't know of anyone else in the entire world who has succeeded in healing Greyscale."

Well… she hadn't been able to 'completely' heal Shireen's Greyscale. That honour would go to her lord. In fact, she was probably not needed to heal Shireen at all. But she was not going to tell Stannis any of that.

She remained silent instead, curious to what else Stannis would say and a bit giddy about what was to come next.

"Yet, you kept your word. And healed Shireen. You gave her a life when I thought that everything was lost." At that, Stannis' voice shook a bit. The only loss of composure she'd ever seen from him.

But he quickly recovered and continued. "For that, you have my thanks. And just as I promised you, a boon. Go on then. Ask whatever it is you want. If it is within my power to grant you, it's yours."

She could see that Stannis was now a bit wary of her despite his stern gaze never wavering for a moment. He was afraid of what she'll ask of him. His honour would not let him renege of his word even if she asked for something of astronomical value from him.

It was then perhaps a good thing that she did not want any such a thing. In fact, what she wanted would be very simple for Stannis to give.

Still, she remained silent, and let Stannis stew in his worry for a while before she spoke up. "In our religion, there is a legend about an ancient hero. A great warrior, who rose to fight the darkness that spread over the entire world during the Long Night. A man, who wielded the burning sword called Lightbringer and saved the world."

Seeing that Stannis was listening, she continued. "He is called by many names in many different places and religions. In Yi Ti, he's known as Yin Tar. In the Patromany of Hyrkoon, he's revered as Hyrkoon the Hero. While in other places, he's simply known as Neferion, Elric Shadowchaser, or simply, the Son of Fire."

"The followers of R'hollor call him Azor Ahai, the Prince that was Promised." She said "A year ago, while I was serving the lord R'hollor in the temple of Volantis, I received visions in fire. Visions that showed me a great battle at the edge of Westeros, fought for the fate of the world. Visions of great chaos, and wars and death. Visions... of you."

"You came here because of visions… of me?" Stannis asked, not incredulous but certainly skeptical.

"I did my lord. And when I was on my way here, I would admit, I thought that you'll be Azor Ahai, the Prince that was Promised. For why else would lord R'hollor send me visions of you from halfway across the world. But, now that I'm here, I can see that you are not Azor Ahai. I was wrong. This journey of mine, was never about you in the first place."

Stannis frowned at her words. "Speak sense woman. And be clear about what you want."

"I will, my lord. For the reason why I'm so sure that you're not the Prince that was Promised is because I now know with all my heart, just who that person is."

Stannis looked at her with slight confusion for a moment before understanding lit up in his eyes and his expression turned into a frown. "You're talking about my son."

"Yes, ever since I came to Dragonstone, I've had dreams of him. Of him leading armies of men into battle against icy monsters at the edge of Westeros. And I now firmly believe that he is the Prince that was Promised. The saviour of the world. Azor Ahai. The one I'm meant to serve." She said, twisting the truth a bit.

For while it was true that she had seen visions of him in her fire a few times since that day, and he did fight against the wights at the edge of the wall, he did not lead any armies in those battles. For an army would only hinder him and be an obstacle in his path.

No, in all those battles, she saw him fighting the armies of the Great Other on his own. And defeating those armies despite being overwhelmed by such great numbers that the enemy covered the landscape as far as eyes could see.

Stannis stared at her for a moment before he let out a sigh. "My son is special. According to everyone in this castle that is. My Maester, Cressen, says that the boy is as smart and knowledgeable as someone ten times his age. My Master-at-arms proclaims that one day he'll be the greatest warrior in the whole of Westeros. And my lady wife won't stop speaking praises of the boy whenever I'm here."

"Yet, words are winds. And while I would admit that my son is… more mature than most other children, I did not think much of it. Yet…" Stannis trailed off at that as a thoughtful look crossed his face "You believe him to be this hero of yours?"

"With all my heart, my lord." She replied immediately.

A silence fell over the room as Stannis scrutinised her face intensely. She could see that Stannis was still a bit skeptical about her entire claim but in the end he simply nodded.

"Very well. What is the boon that you want?"

She smiled. "It would my greatest honour and pleasure, if you would allow me to serve your son."

"And how do you want to serve him?"

"As a loyal servant. As a maid, a teacher, a confidant, a guide, or a friend. Or however else he needs me to serve him. " 'Hopefully as a mistress.' She thought "I would serve him in any manner possible. And see him protected from anyone who would ever seek to harm him."

"We have guards for that." Stannis said, completely dismissing her words. "But your request is granted. You may start your duty from the morrow. Now, is there anything else?"

She shook her head, her heart beating too fast as she finally got the permission she needed to spend as much time with her lord as possible.

"Then I trust you to see yourself out."

She stood beside her Lord who was holding Shireen in a piggyback and Selyse who stood beside them as they watched the portion of the Royal Fleet that Stannis brought with him, leave the harbour and sail back to Kings Landing.

In the time that she'd spent with Selyse, she'd learned that Stannis spent very little time in Dragonstone. That while the two of them may be husband and wife, Stannis was married to his duty first and foremost. And since his duty as the Master of Ships required him to be at Kings Landing, that's where he remained most of the time. Only coming back once or twice a year to meet his children and perform his 'duty' on his lady wife.

There were only three times since their marriage when Stannis came back to Dragonstone and spent more than a week here.

The first time being when Stephen was born. The second time being when Shireen was born. And the third time being now, when Shireen contracted greyscale and was near death.

Some would call Stannis an uncaring father but she had seen how much he cared for his children in the little time she'd spent with him.

Others would call him an uncaring lord but she also knew that Stannis was not the kind of person who ran from his duty.

More than a few would call him an uncaring husband. And on that, she'll have no objections.

In the end, it did not matter. What mattered was that Stannis remained in Kings Landing for the better part of the year. Meaning that as long as she has influence over Selyse, as well as a few key knights, guards and servants in the castle, she'll practically able to do whatever she want in Dragonstone.

In this case, it meant that she'll be able to serve her lord in whatever manner he wants her to serve him.

And thinking on the tasks that Lord Stephen had given her to complete, she could admit that she'll have to work rather hard to complete them. Or work rather hard in influencing other men to complete those tasks for her and her lord.

Flashback.

"I'm sorry my lord, I think I misheard you… you want me to do what?"

"I want you to build and run a trading empire." Stephen said as if it was not the most absurd thing he'd ever said to her.

Well… it wasn't. But it was still absurd.

"My lord, forgive me, but I'm a priestess, not a merchant. I have no idea how to run a business, let alone a trading empire. Which, is very hard to build."

"Melisandre, you might not know a lot about how to run a business, but you do know how to deal with people. And a good part of running a business requires dealing with people. Add your immense experience to the equation and I believe that you'll do well enough. Or find someone who will." Lord Stephen said. "And as for the trading empire part. True, I might not have any such thing right now. But I have five unique advantages that'll allow me, and you by proxy, to build one in a short time."

"And what are these five advantages my lord?" She asked, knowing that's what he wanted her to ask.

"Well, first of all, I have my power." He said and took out a piece of… wood from his 'Inventory'. She still didn't know what exactly this Inventory was and how it worked. Just that he could put a large amount of items into it for safekeeping. An incredibly useful ability, in her mind.

"A piece of wood?" She asked skeptically as she took the wood from his hand, and understanding dawned on her as she realised just which kind of wood it was. "This is…"

"Yes. It is Goldenheart wood. One of the most exotic and expensive wood in this world. Followed by Weirwood, Ironwood, Ebony, Snakewood, and few other such rare and valuable wood. And I can create as much of these things as I want, as long as I've studied their base structure." He said before he took out another item from his Inventory. A piece of cloth this time.

The golden sheen and silky smoothness of the cloth told her what it was and her breath hitched in her throat as she realised just what it was she was holding. "Golden Silk."

"From Yi Ti. Yes. Except, this one is not from Yi Ti and was made by my own hands instead. And I can make bolts upon bolts of this silk. And other valuable cloths that can be found anywhere in the world. Be it the warmest wool, the softest cotton, the rarest animal leather. Or anything else in that category. But, that's not all."

With that, he took out a box from the Inventory and opened it to show that it was divided into multiple compartments. Each compartment filled with a particular ingredient.

"Spices." She said as she took the box and took a sniff, recognising some of the expensive ones that she'd only had the pleasure to partake in a few times in her life despite how long it has been.

Considering her long life and her position as a High Priestess of R'hollor, it went to show just how valuable and incredibly expensive these spices were.

"Well, you have me convinced. But even if you can create this luxury product, there's a limit to how much of it you can make before you tire yourself out. This much alone, will not be enough for you to create a Trading Empire like you just proclaimed. Not to mention that you selling all this stuff without importing it from outside would look suspicious."

"That is true. Which is where we come to my second advantage. This island."

"Dragonstone?"

"Yes. Dragonstone is the 8th largest Island in Westeros. And while that may not sound very impressive, the truth is that, this is a rather large island. And there is a lot of land under the Dragonmont, just ready to be developed into farm lands. Not to mention other barren lands which I have plans and methods to make fertile."

Her mind ran a mile a minute as she thought on what he meant by that. And she immediately came to what she believed was the right conclusion. "You plan to grow spices in Dragonstone." The idea in and off itself wasn't bad, even if it'll attract the ire of the other spice merchants in Essos, and the curiosity of more than a few lords from Westeros.

"Yes. And not only spices. But trees that gave those rare wood, dry fruits, and fruits like grapes and oranges that I can either sell directly or turn into wine." He said, his eyes lighting up in excitement over this topic before he calmed himself down. "I don't doubt that some of my ideas will fail. Perhaps even most of them. But I also believe that Dragonstone is just a gold mine ready to be mined. For those who know how to do it and have the ability and resources to do it."

"I see." She said, admitting that his words had some truth to it. Without his power, she would not be 100% sure of his boasts. But with his power, completing these plans would be… not easy but possible. "And what is this 3rd advantage you spoke of."

"That, is once again, Dragonstone. Or more importantly, the strategic position that it sits upon."

"You mean, it's position as the gate to Kings Landing?"

"Yup! Not only that but most of the trade ships that cross Narrow Sea and sail up and down the Eastern Coast, have to eventually pass through the Gullet, which is held by Dragonstone. If the Port of Dragonstone as well as its market can be expanded, then I have no doubt that Dragonstone will serve as an excellent Trading Port. Just like how Spice Town had been over 2 centuries ago before it was destroyed by the triarchy during the Dance of Dragons."

She thought on it for a moment and realised that this was indeed possible. There was just one problem though. "It'll be very expensive. Trade ports are not easy to build. And markets don't form out of thin air. We'll have to do a lot of work for this idea of yours to be feasible. And invest a lot of gold into it. Gold that we do not yet have. And even if we did, it'll take years for this project to come to fruitation."

"I know. And that's where we come to our Fourth advantage."

"Which is?"

"Why you of course. Our fourth advantage is you. Or more importantly, the vast network of allies you have in Essos."

"Allies… you mean the Religion of the Red God."

"Yup. R'hollor's religion is the most widespread religion in the entirety of Western Essos. It has presence in each one of the Free Cities. And while a great deal of its power and influence is concentrated in Volentis and its tributaries. It also has deep roots in the other Free cities." He said. "I would ask for you to use these connections to sell my power-created luxury goods. Can you do it?"

She thought on it for a moment before slowly nodding. "I'll have to use a few of my favours. And we'll have to give up a portion of the profits to those temples to act as intermediaries for your goods but yes, this can be done. Though if this is fourth advantage, then what is the fifth one?"

"The fifth one, is me." Stephen said with a smirk. "Or more importantly, my title as a Prince of the Realm. A title like this opens a lot of door for me, and would eventually allow me to make deals that someone else would find harder or downright impossible to make. Not to mention various concessions from the Iron Throne."

He allowed her to digest these words before he continued. "Plus, I'm also the son of the Master of Ships. And while my father is not a corrupt man and would not allow me to use his ships for my own benefit. I'll still be able to get indirect advantages that'll allow me to profit off of him. Like using his shipyards to build my own ships. Or borrowing some of his captains or experienced sailors for my trade ships."

She slowly nodded at his words. "You've put a lot of thought into this my lord."

"I have." Stephen said. "And you don't need to worry. Even if these 5 advantages fail, which is very unlikely, I have other hidden trump cards that I'll be able to use to get a lot of gold."

"May I ask what these hidden trump cards are?" She asked and Stephen smiled before shaking his head.

"I'll tell you when the time comes. But for now." Then he reached inside his Inventory took out a chest the size of a dining plate and put it down on the ground, the clink of numerous coins ringing out from inside it.

Then he opened the chest and her eyes widened upon seeing that it was filled with gold dragons.

"This is not a lot." Stephen said as he closed the chest before handing it to her. "Only about 3000 gold dragons. But it is 1/3rd of my total savings. And should be more than enough for us to hire people and start our business. And if even if you fail in the first try, we'll have two more tries before we run out of money."

She wondered where he got all this gold from. Since Lady Selyse only gives him about 10 gold dragons every moon for his personal spending. But decided against asking. If he wanted to tell her then he'll do so himself.

And while he was right, and 3000 gold dragons was indeed not a large sum in the grand scheme of things, it should be more than enough to get them started.

After all, a peasant in Westeros earns about 1 gold dragon from a year of hard work. Meaning that with this much gold, she could hire 3000 peasant workers for a year. And that… is a lot of manpower for those who're wise enough to know how to use it.

And while she indeed did not know a lot about business or trading. She knew people, and how to influence them and make them do your bidding. Perhaps better than anyone else in the world.

So after a moment's thought, she took the chest with a nod filled with determination.

"I'll not fail you my lord." She promised, both to him and herself.

"I believe you Mel." Stephen said with a confident smile. "Now let's get back before someone notices that I'm missing."

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