Redwyne Keep

Prince Aegon and his companions are escorted swiftly into the great hall of Redwyne Keep, where Lord Paxter Redwyne sits upon the dais. He was a grim man, of quiet cunning. The right side of his face and neck were noticeably red, a result from narrowly avoiding a stream of dragon fire during the Battle of the Redwyne Straits.

"Welcome to the Arbor." he said, his voice gravelly.

Bread and salt were brought out immediately and offered to the envoys.

Lord Redwyne's face was impassive as complimentary glasses of Arbor gold were brought out to himself and his guests. A small table and two chairs were brought out as well, Paxter stepping down from the dais to take one of the seats, motioning for Aegon to do the same.

Upon closer inspection, Aegon could see that it was a cyvasse table, though had clearly been custom made as it resembled none he had seen before. The board itself was blue and green, in order to resemble the sea. Each piece had been replaced with a figure resembling a type of ship: reefs instead of mountains, war galleys instead of heavy horse, carracks instead of elephants, holks instead of trebuchet, and a dromond flagship instead of the king. The only piece that remained familiar was the dragon, though Paxter set a handicap on himself by removing his own from the board. In addition, to the usual pieces, there was one that was unique: a compass with an arrow on it that spun to determine the direction of the wind which was spun every other turn. Ships sailing against the wind had their movement halved, while those sailing with the wind had their movement doubled. Only the dragon was unaffected by the wind.

"Name your terms then." the Bloodwyne said, as the screen was erected so they could place their reefs in secret.

A small smirk appeared upon the Bloodwyne's face as he tossed his own dragon to the Crown Prince, carved of jade.

"I cannot imagine you have many in fighting shape at the moment." Paxter said with confidence, as the screen was taken away. "At least two were not fit to fly after testing my fleet and the refugees that escaped Oldtown to flee here by ship said dragons were falling from the sky there like rain in the Stormlands."

"Your king requires the income of this island more than ever and requires my fleet, else you would not have come to negotiate at all. One who has already slain two old men, does not balk at a third."

"If I had not accustomed myself to the thought of my line extinguished and the Arbor in flames, I would never have been your foe. Piety guided my actions, not coin." Redwyne replied, arranging his pieces in a crescent formation with the heaviest ships in the center and the lightest on the flanks. "A man may require food and air, but a king requires ships and coin. I fear you are at a shortage of both at the moment. If you do not negotiate peace here today, I swear I will see every ship in my fleet sent to the bottom of the sea and every grape on the Arbor reduced to ash before I am beaten."

"My son and heir survived this war, as well as his wife and their three children. The rest...were not so fortunate."

"If you desire a reconciliation, that is a fine start." Redwyne replied tactfully, moving his pieces forward as he spoke. "Though I have stipulations of my own. My second grandson will wed Lady Velaryon, allying Westeros' two largest fleets. In addition, I will fill the vacant position on the Small Council as the Master of Ships, unless you know of another commander capable of fending off four dragons and two fleets. Lastly, the Crown will return the ships from my fleet captured in the Battle of the Redwyne Straits, as well as pay for the repair and refitting of those ships damaged."

"I think it is you that underestimates my importance." Redwyne replied with a calm countenance, sipping from his glass of wine. "The Faith had three figureheads in this war, two of which you made martyrs of. Do the same to me and you will have civil unrest for generations, but if I am seen to willingly bend the knee perhaps that can be avoided. As long as I resist, you will never know peace."

"I have proven once already that I do not need reinforcements from the Faith Militant to defend what is mine from dragonfire." he said, stating it as fact rather than boast. "Keep your coin and my ships if it eases your mind, but I would think that you would more easily part with two eligible marriage candidates and a seat on the small council than you would another dragon."

"You mistake restraint for inability." Redwyne answered, spinning the arrow on the compass, which pointed towards him. "Though it seems the wind is in your favor for now."

"Patience you may have, but you cannot harm a man by taking that which he has already prepared to part with." he intoned. "I have no doubt you will find victory in time, but it will be a hollow one. If the Arbor is reduced to ash, the Crown will have lost one of the few commodities that brings eastern trade to the backwater we call Westeros."

"If you wish for a loan, I will offer it at half the amount with 7% interest." the Bloodwyne countered. "Most would call that generous, considering what a cantankerous creditee the Crown has become. In exchange I will have both marriages and the Small Council position. By law, if an heiress' father is slain, it falls to the King to arrange her betrothal as he sees fit. Do you speak with his authority or not?"

"You Valyrians have queer ways, but very well." Paxter scoffed. "I will accept those terms, all except the loan. If you went back to the Iron Bank requesting more coin, I do not think you would live to see it. I will offer your original requested sum at 5% interest."

"Four, my prince." he countered, adding on the title unused by a Lord of the Arbor for a generation, offering his own hand.

"I thank you for that kindness." Redwyne replied. "I will make for the capitol in short order to bend the knee and take up my post."

Trajan did not seem particularly pleased by the peaceful turn of events, but left it unremarked as he remounted Zyraxes.