The King & Lord Redwyne

"My lord Redwyne," Maekar replied. He'd not met the man, merely heard of his reputation, but he knew Lord Redwyne's fleet and skills would be crucial to the coming conflict.

"I intended to speak with you yesterday, before confronting the Queen, but circumstance prevented me from doing so; I hope you do not take it as a slight," he said. "I know well how important the Arbor Fleet is to this kingdom's security, and I will do what I must to ensure the continued loyal ervice of you and your men to the crown."

"Trust is something of a strong word," Maekar replied dryly, waving a servant forward with a decanter of Arbor gold, one that Lord Redwyne was likely recognize as a particularly fine vintage from ten years ago.

"In truth I find it hard to fault you for seizing the opportunities you did. What man wishes to take orders from another, when he knows his own borders are impenetrable? The terms you struck with my brother were fair indeed, but the deal was struck with my brother rather than my lord father though he did put is seal and name to it. It strikes me, however, that a man of your ability and stature deserves more than what had been offered, and it is my intent to see that leal service is rewarded at an appropriate degree."

"Overlordship of the Reach," Maekar replied simply. "I cannot imagine that House Redwyne is the only House in the Reach that cannot trace their ancestry to Garth Greenhand. It must chafe, kneeling to the Tyrells, mere stewards upjumped above men like yourself who are descended from Kings. The fealty of Highgarden and every lordship currently sworn to their banner, is what I offer you, my lord."

"For every Lord who stayed true to the crown, there was another who made us all but beg for their men, when I conscripted the King's army to seize Oldtown," the King replied. "Lord Tyrell and his sons do not care for me and I suspect that they will raise their banners against me regardless. Apart from your fleet, however, the Reach is broken; no Reachlord can muster even a fraction of what he ought, excepting the Arbor Fleet, of course," he added with a small smile.

"The Lord of Oldtown will do fealty to you, if I order it of him, and the southern lords will follow Oldtown's lead I expect. The Northern Reachlords may cause trouble, but the resources of Oldtown and Lord Maelys' dragon will do much to quell their more rebellious tendencies, I suspect."

"For now, nothing, my lord, but when Driftmark declares for Aegon, and I'm almost certain that it will, I'll need you to smash their fleet to splinters," the King replied. "How many ships do you have in the capital, and how many remain at the Arbor? How many of Velaryons's ships are docked here, and how many are on Driftmark?"

"The dragon riders who fought in the Straits spoke of iron-banded bolts fired from your ships' ballistae, presumably designed to weigh down a dragon and pull it to the water; I want you to send one of your men to teach my smiths how to build them, and then outfit the royal fleet with the necessary ballistae to fire them," the King replied. "You crippled my father's fleet, I well know, but now they're what you have to work with. I will eventually send you to the Stepstones to clear them of pirates, but the time for that will come later."

"Yes, hopefully. If my brother Trajan is the one leading these pirates, as the rumors say, I may have to go deal with him myself," Maekar replied.

"Write to your son at the Arbor, and instruct him, or your appointed commander, to sail with fifty ships for Tarth; I will seal put my seal to a letter to the Lord telling him to be prepared to restock them when they arrive. I assume he knows what to do with any pirates he encounters on the way, and they'll be able to defend against a lone dragon easily enough, if you meet Trajan," Maekar replied.

"Aegon and his dragon riders, will be another story. Eventually they will arrive at Dragonstone and seal the Gullet, nothing will get into or out of Blackwater Bay regardless of pirates in the Narrow Sea," he said, pulling a finely drawn map of the Narrow Sea that showed the eastern coastline of Westeros, and several of the Free Cities as well. "There are no ports south of Dragonstone that are suitable for steady deliveries of grainships," he said, studying the map, thinking idly that a city could be built in the Stormlands, in one of the coves south of Massey's Hook, to serve as a secondary port outside the Blackwater Bay.

"The Bay of Crabs, might suffice, though your fleet will be needed to escort the convoys, my lord," Maekar said, eyeing the Master of Ships. "Do you think it is viable? To sail wide around Dragonstone and Caracklaw Point, to dock at Maidenpool and transport overland?" He did not explicitly acknowledge the fact that Lord Redwyne's knowledge of all things naval considerably dwarfed his own, but it was clear that the King understood the value of Redywne's counsel. "It is roundabout if the Blackwater Bay is closed to us, I do not see another option."