A moon and a fortnight had passed since William had arrived and he had settled in King's Landing very nicely. Ravens had been sent out to all over the 7 Kingdoms informing all the lords and ladies of Prince William Baratheon, First of his Name, Crowned Prince of the 7 Kingdoms and heir to the Iron Throne. The arrival of the half stag and half wolf prince had changed up the game and the future balance of power. With an heir, smart people began to consider their futures and how they could leverage the crown prince for their own uses.
One such man who hadn't taken the news too well was Tywin Lannister, lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. With a legitimate son, the only power that house Lannister could have would be with Queen Cersei and that would change depending on how well Robert and his son got along. He would have to figure something out, either ingratiate himself to the boy prince and pray that William would bring House Lannister into the fold or take him out of the equation.
Cersei Lannister was in her room in the Red Keep, preparing for the ceremony at the Sept of Baelor where she would marry Robert and become Queen. She sat in her room alone, combing her golden hair and looking in the mirror. She looked like a queen. Normally, this would be a day of celebration. She would be Queen and rule the Seven Kingdoms, but she seethed in anger at the one thing that would stand against her in the future. That wolf boy, William. With him alive, her children would never rule and she wouldn't rule through them.
She put her brush down as her brother, Jaime walked in. He was decked in his Kings Guard armor and noticed how angry she was. "You know, most woman would be happy on their wedding day to the King." Jaime joked.
"The good it will do with that boy around. That stupid wolf whore. Why couldn't the boy have died in Dorne as well." Cersei said, spraying herself with some perfume.
"Well, there's still a chance the boy may die. This is a dangerous city and boys have died from illnesses before." Jaime walked in and stood behind her.
"If I told you to kill the boy, would you?" She asked as Jaime looked at her.
"I'd do anything for you, but I'd never get close. Ser Arthur Dayne is guarding him at all hours of the day and even at night. He'd never let me get close. He despises me enough already and even if I could get close, I'd never best him in combat." Jaime told her.
"Then maybe something of a subtler approach." Cersei said as Jaime moved his hands through her hair and to her breasts.
"A topic for another day. For now, relax. It's your wedding day." Jaime said, kissing her neck and moving down.
On the other side of the Red Keep, William was in his private chambers sitting on his bed trying his best at reading a children's book about the history of the 7 Kingdoms. William was cleaned and dressed in the finest clothes his father could get him and watched over always. His hair was trimmed so it was nice and neat, perfectly cut with a little bit of length in the front that could be pushed to the side.
A man named Cedric Angar was helping the prince. He was Grand Maester Pycelle's assistant and was personally requested by Arthur. Cedric wasn't a Maester but had once trained to be one. Unfortunately, circumstances led him to not getting his chain so he used those skills to assist Grande Maester Pycelle however he could. Now he was the Prince's personal tutor.
William was sitting on his bed with Cedric in a chair next to him, helping him through the words. Ser Arthur Dayne was in the room keeping watch over him. The Prince was far too young to be reading but he was getting a grasp on the words which would help his speaking and he was getting better at it. He was a smart boy for his age, something Arthur told Robert and Jon.
"The Wall.... built...by.... Brandon...the Builder." William managed to say his first sentence ever, a rather short sentence but a sentence, nonetheless. He didn't understand the words or even read them. Cedric told him what to say and to repeat it back.
"Well done, my prince. Well done." Cedric applauded him before turning the page in the book that showed new pictures. "Keep this up, and you'll be reading in a year."
"Can I try, sooner?" William asked in all his childhood innocence.
"You can try, my prince. But don't rush it." Cedric assured him as they began going over the words and images. Arthur smiled at the prince, seeing a great amount of innocence in him but a lot of potential as well.
The door opened and Jon Arryn walked in, dressed in his most formal robes. "Lord Hand." Arthur greeted him.
"Ser Dayne." Jon said, looking at the young boy sitting on the bed with a book about the same size as his body. "How's he doing?"
"He's getting better with words. I doubt he knows how to read but Cedric is teaching him to speak much more than I could." Arthur replied.
"The boy is smart. For a boy of only three years, he's pushing himself. Remember when he tried to pick up the practice sword a fortnight ago?" Jon asked which made him chuckle.
"He wants to be strong...to honor his mother." Arthur said.
"He'll make her proud." Jon replied when William noticed him in the doorway and jumped off the bed.
"Hello, Uncle Jon." William's happy face and expression made Jon smile. A boy so young and pure reminded him of good times. Since Jon was like a father to Robert, William called Jon uncle, not that he minded.
"Hello, my prince. It's time to go to the Sept." Jon told him and Will was more than ready to go. "Now remember, this is an important day for your father so try to remain as quiet as possible."
"I will." William said as Jon Arryn and the prince were escorted to the Sept where they witnessed the wedding of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister.
Year 285 AC
Two years have passed since Robert took the throne and became King. The 7 Kingdoms were in reasonable peace since the Mad King's death and luckily, they didn't have to worry about Robert like they did they Mad King. Robert spent most of his time when he wasn't with his son either hunting, whoring, or drinking. It was usually a combination of the three depending on the situation but whenever he was with William, Robert was completely different. Robert was calm, gentle, and caring whenever he and William spent time together, probably because William was his trueborn son with his love Lyanna and spending time with him reminded him of the good old days before everything changed.
Still, Robert was King so he was occasionally dragged to some meetings when Jon Arryn could get him to go or when Jon had the Prince convince him to go to one which worked most of the time. Cersei was Queen and had given birth to a blonde-haired son last year, Joffrey making him Will's younger brother. But Cersei kept him with her all the time and didn't want William interacting with him. William spent his time with either his father, his tutor Cedric, Jon Arryn when he wasn't busy, his uncles Renly and Stannis, Ser Barristan Selmy and always Ser Arthur Dayne.
William was 5 years old, nearly 6 in a moon. He was taller than most boys his age, at about 4 feet in height but he was still growing. Just now he was barely able to hold a light wooden training sword in both hands, but he wasn't able to swing that much. Robert liked to help William train but his expectations were a bit high. No 5-year-old can lift a Warhammer. Where William did exceed was his mind as he was very smart for his age. He mastered speaking when he was four and now, he fully knew how to read and write. He was smart for his age, but obviously, there were things he didn't know or things that flew over his head. He could still understand most conversations people had.
(This is young Will)
Currently, William was in the training courtyard enjoying the sun of summer as he played with a black dog pup his uncle Renly got him for his name day last year. William named him Shadow because of his dark coat. In the courtyard was Ser Barristan who was watching the prince and Ser Arthur Dayne who was keeping his skills sharp with a practice dummy.
William scratched Shadow on the stomach, watching Ser Arthur wield two swords and swing them expertly at the wooden dummies and finished his session by taking off the dummies heads.
"Well done, Ser Arthur." Barristan commented, handing him a water pouch.
"Thank you. Best thing to keep my skills sharp now that it's peace time." Arthur took a sip of water and wiped his face with a towel.
"Aye. It's quiet. I like it but it does get a bit dull." Barristan said and Arthur nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I'd imagine protecting the King and the Queen can't be much fun." Arthur stated.
"No. Most of my time is spent watching over Robert to make sure he doesn't drink himself to death or watching the Prince." Barristan said as they saw William and Shadow walk over to one of the tables near the training targets.
"Well, this is our life now. Better get accustomed to it. I have." Arthur strapped the sword to his waist.
William looked at the table and saw the swords, axes and maces that were blunted for training and grimaced that he couldn't use any of them yet. He did see some small daggers that were smaller than his arms and didn't look heavy, so he picked up two of them. The weight was perfect for him, as he held them in his hands and began swinging them like he had seen Ser Arthur do a minute ago. He then saw a target about 8 feet away and looked at the knife before he threw both and they hit the middle ring of the target.
Arthur and Barristan looked to see William had thrown two daggers into the middle ring of the target. He didn't the bullseye but the middle circle of the target in between the bullseye and the outer ring. William looked at the target, walked over and plucked the knives out before he returned to his previous spot and threw them again.
"Maybe he won't be a swordsman, but he might be a fine archer someday." Barristan suggested.
"Aye." Arthur replied and the two watched the prince train.
William's life fell into a routine. His days would vary depending on if he would spend more time in the library or with Jon Arryn, but he was usually kept busy. But on other days, he liked to explore. He was often found running through the gardens or surrounding green areas of the Red Keep for fun with Shadow by his side. William enjoyed running through the trees and bushes and often made it game to see where he could climb and how fast he could run with Ser Arthur right on his tail.
One day, William made his way out of the city to explore the surrounding woods and forests. He got tired of the gardens and trees of the Red Keep. William was running through the woods with Shadow right behind him and Ser Arthur following. He jumped off a rock and his feet crunched against the tree roots, dirt, and mud. William then ran up to a small tree and managed to grab onto a low branch before pulling himself up. Then he began making his way up the other branches to the top of the tree.
Shadow sat by the base of the tree and wagged his tail while Ser Arthur looked up at the Prince who was about 20 feet off the ground and still going. "William, you shouldn't climb so high! It's dangerous!" Ser Arthur shouted but was ignored. Will grabbed onto a branch to pull himself up and looked out to the wide fields surrounding King's Landing.
"It's beautiful. You should come up, Ser Arthur!" William shouted.
"I prefer my feet on the ground, thank you very much, my prince!" Arthur replied. William looked out to the field and saw some men at work.
"What's that?" William began climbing down the tree with the same ease as he did climbing up.
"What's what, my prince?" Arthur asked and William jumped down next to him.
"Over there." William ran west and Shadow followed him. Ser Arthur sighed in exhaustion and ran after him.
William ran out of the woods to the levels grass plains where farmers were tending to their lands. William walked around as he saw men both young and old using pickaxes, shovels, and pitch forks to work the fields and dig up the ground for the seeds they would plant. The farmers were using these tools and whatever else they could with small donkey's pulling wagons of tools and bags of seeds.
William saw one of the older men having trouble moving a big rock out of the way so he ran over and helped push. Ser Arthur saw this and came over to help and they managed to move the rock onto the wagon and move it away.
"Many thanks, my lord." The farmer thanked Ser Arthur and shook his hand.
"You should thank him." Arthur pointed to William and the prince shook the farmer's hand as well.
"Aye, thank you little lord." The farmer said and William smiled.
"It's William." He introduced himself and the farmer realized he was talking to the prince.
"Prince William, forgive me your grace." The farmer bowed his head in respect.
"It's all right, stand up. What's your name?" William asked.
"Rydan Gower, your grace." Rydan said.
"How long have you been farming?" William asked.
"All my life, your grace. My father did it, and his father before him and so on. It's hard but honest work. Now more than ever, it's tough." Rydan looked at the perfectly clean patches of field that were untouched by them.
"How come you're not over there?" William asked.
"Ah, those areas are too covered in rocks to plow with our tools, your grace. We'd never farm them." Rydan said as William looked at the tools.
"Maybe I can help. I can talk to my father for some better tools." William said, causing the man to chuckle.
"I'm sure the King has better things to worry about." Rydan said.
"Well, can I help at all? I want to." William asked with his usual childhood innocence that made both men smile.
"I suppose you can help the lads smooth out the soil for the seeds." Rydan said. William nodded and ran over to help with Shadow following him. "That boy is something else. I don't think I've ever seen a lord, let alone a prince help the common folk."
"Aye, William is one of a kind. And he'll be a good king. Now, let's get the rest of this field ready." Ser Arthur said, picking up a shovel to help with the digging.
Prince William and Ser Arthur Dayne worked with the farmers for the entire day, plowing the fields to be ready for planting. They worked with the men, ate with the men and for a day weren't the Prince and his protector but just regular people. William enjoyed himself and he learned a lot about farming and helped the best that he could, even Shadow helped. By the end of the day, Rydan had plowed all the fields that he needed and the crops were planted. It was a grueling 12 hours of work, but William was happy. He enjoyed it but was exhausted. Ser Arthur carried him back to the Red Keep to get some much-deserved rest.
The next week after William helped Rydan farm, he went to Cedric for all the information on farming techniques and tools and even asked some of the city's builders, smiths, and masons for advice on new tools that could improve the farming situation. They came up with the design for a new plough that would improve the trenches made, dig deeper into the ground, and remove objects like weeds and rocks out of the way. It would have sturdy iron blades in the front to dig into the ground and have two small wheels to aid in the moving and ideally an oxen or horse would pull it to improve the speed but the wheels made it so that two men could push it through tough ground.
He also asked for improved designs on the old tools to make them and the job easier. He hoped it would help Rydan tend to the area he couldn't get to but Ser Arthur and Cedric pointed out that with the new designs and tools, William could negotiate a deal with the builders and sell them to farmers all over the realm. Farmers in harsh terrain could use new and improved equipment. William liked the idea and asked if Cedric would help and he was more than happy to.
They worked on the idea with masons, smiths, and builders who pointed out other things they could improve on like new building/mining tools to sell to the Westerlands or better wagons and William welcomed all of this. If they could do it, why not? Of course, Ser Arthur pointed out that William would need to talk to his father or Jon Arryn about paying the builders, smiths, and masons for their work in order to start. He couldn't help people without providing coin.
So, a fortnight after William met with the builders about his idea and had all the designs and schematics ready, he was ready to speak to Jon Arryn about finding some coin to build them for a test. William walked to the Hand of the King chambers with rolls of papers in his hands with Shadow right next to him and Ser Arthur accompanying him. William knocked on the door and it was answered by Hugh, Jon Arryn's squire.
"Your grace." Hugh greeted him.
"Hello, I'm here to see Lord Arryn." William greeted and Hugh let him in.
"Lord Hand, Prince William is here." Hugh said as Jon nodded.
"Thank you, Hugh. Leave us." Jon said. Hugh let the prince and Ser Arthur in and left, closing the door. Jon stood up from his desk and hugged the prince. "How are you, my prince?"
"I'm good. You know why I'm here today?" William asked and Jon nodded.
"Yes, I received your message earlier. Well, let's have a look." Jon said as William handed him all the papers he had. Jon looked over the schematics and was impressed by the designs, not that he knew anything about farming or building but they looked impressive. Attached were potential monetary notes about how much they would cost and written notes from the smiths and masons who were going to work on the projects.
The idea was that farmers who could pay for the tools and machines would send it to Prince William or Cedric for commission. Deals could also be arranged where farmers who couldn't afford it would pay back in profits made from their crops by moon or year, depending on the circumstances or in produce harvested. Lords and other people who wanted to buy the tools could set up payment plans or just pay the fees and the taxes to the Prince. It seemed well thought out. Jon smiled as he looked at the young prince. He was already becoming a smart man and a good future ruler by thinking of the people he would be ruling over.
"Everything seems to be in order, my prince. The plans look good and the ideas are well thought out. Cedric did his work." Jon praised causing the boy to smile. "And I'm glad you came to me about this but the Master of Coin deals with any monetary issues."
"That's true but this isn't a royal expense, it's my own." William pointed out. Jon looked at the boy in amusement. He wanted to be his own man at such a young age.
"All right. Well, the royal treasury still has coin that can accommodate the building of your tools for the test trial. And should it succeed, then I'll send out ravens to lords all over about your tools. Well done, my prince." Jon said with a smile.
After the meeting with Jon Arryn, he gave them the coin they needed for the tools and William asked Rydan to test them out and if they worked, he could keep them. Rydan agreed and in 5 days the new equipment was ready. Rydan and his men tested it and the new plough and tools made it easier to dig up the fields. He was finally able to plow the fields that he couldn't before because of the rocks and terrain. The new tools enabled him and his men to work just as hard with less stress and more gain.
Rydan wanted to pay back the Prince but all William wanted was the first chance to buy the new crops when they were ready, something Rydan was more than happy to oblige him with. Despite that, he had another gift in mind for the prince. William told Jon about the success and Jon then sent out ravens to the neighboring lords and towns about Prince William's new tools and they began getting replies about the costs and orders.
Word began to spread about Prince William's business endeavors and it impressed people. A young boy of nearly 6 who began to make a name for himself and a bit of profit as well. Tywin Lannister was impressed as was Olena Tyrell and when Ned Stark heard of his nephew's exploits, he knew Lyanna would be proud and he would have a surprise when he visited his nephew for his name day celebration.
Time skip...
King's Landing was busy with news and celebration as it was the week that Prince William Baratheon was celebrating his name day celebration and would be turning 6. Lords from all over the 7 Kingdoms would come for the festivities and knights and squires for the tourney that King Robert was throwing for his son. Some of the lords had arrived early in the week to ingratiate themselves to the King and his son to earn favor. Tywin Lannister came, of course as well as Lord Hoster Tully and other lords from the Riverlands. Lords from the Vale as well as Lords from the Reach and Ned Stark and his family were coming for his nephew.
Speaking of the Prince, he was in the training courtyard with his father, Ser Arthur, and Ser Barristan. William was training with his daggers once again. He was 10 feet away from a target and threw them as hard as he could. He had thrown the 9th dagger and hit in the general area of the middle ring. He threw the 10th one but still not a bullseye.
William sighed as he walked up and grabbed the knives and daggers off the target and returned to his spot. "Don't rush it, my prince. Throwing knives and archery requires time and skill. You're still young." Ser Barristan told him.
"Don't worry, William. Soon you'll be wielding a Warhammer and cracking skulls." Robert said, causing him to smile and get back to work on his aim. Robert smiled, seeing his son throw the dagger. Granted he'd be even happier if it was a sword or a Warhammer, but a dagger will do for now. Robert then looked at Ser Barristan and motioned him closer. "Did you track down the gift for William?"
"Yes, your grace. It's with Master Mott. He's just adjusting the grips for the Prince." Ser Barristan replied as William threw another knife and hit it close to the center. He threw another one and hit near the center again but wasn't getting closer.
"Any advice, father?" William asked, causing Robert to chuckle as he took a sip of wine and stood up. He walked over to his son and held one of the daggers. It was so tiny in his hands.
"Well, I never was one for daggers. I always preferred my hammer or a long sword." Robert pointed out. "But Jon taught me everything he knew, and he knew a lot about fighting. Do you know the first lesson he taught me?"
"No, father." William replied.
"He told me that a great warrior's most valued attribute is his instincts. Do you know what that is?" Robert asked and William shook his head no. Robert smiled, kneeling down to his son's height. "Your instincts tell you what to do and what not to do. Your instincts drive your body in ways your mind may be too slow to act. It's my instincts that I follow in battle. And my instincts that I followed when I first met your mother. Trust your instincts."
William nodded in response as Robert kissed his head and stood up. William looked at the daggers, then at the target and relaxed. He held one dagger in each hand and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. After a few moments of deep breathing, he loosened his grip on the dagger and threw the first one which hit the center of the target. He threw the other dagger and hit the center again.
Everyone was shocked and William was beyond happy. "YES!" William grabbed his father in a fierce bear hug. He got back to work, and his aim now landed his daggers into the center ring. Robert, Ser Barristan, and Ser Arthur smiled as they saw William continued with his training.
"That's it, William. Keep on practicing and you'll be deadly and feared by the time you pick up a real weapon!" Robert boasted when Jon Arryn walked in.
"Your grace, my prince. The guests have arrived for the feast. You've kept most of them away while you've been here so I think it's time for you to get ready." Jon told him as Robert poured another cup of wine.
"Ah, come on, Jon. William just struck his first bullseye, so drink with me. Share in our celebration!" Robert told him and Jon chuckled in amusement.
"And I'm glad but the feast will be starting soon. Lords have come for days for the tournament tomorrow and tonight marks the start of the celebration." Jon told him. Robert regrettably nodded and finished his wine.
"Aye, all right. Let's go, William. Time to get ready." Robert told him and they left to get ready.
Ser Arthur escorted William to his chamber where a maid had set out some of his fanciest clothes since it was his name day celebration dinner starting tonight. It consisted of a nice tunic, long pants, and boots combination that his father wore everyday but of a better quality and fabric so it appeared shiny and clean. He wore a black tunic with dark gold pants and boots. His top half had streaks of dark blue with the crest of House Stark stitched on the chest. The crest of House Baratheon was stitched on the small flaps at the bottom.
The maids helped him adjust his clothing and made sure it looked clean and smooth with no wrinkles. One of the maids walked over to his dresser and pulled out the box that held the finishing touch. She opened it and pulled out a Winter Rose, the same Winter Rose that William received from his mother before she died. Ser Arthur had the flower pressed to preserve it so William would always have it. The maid took a pin and pinned it to his chest.
William smiled and thanked them as Ser Arthur walked in, dressed in his best clothes with his great sword, Dawn, still on his waist. "Ready, my prince?" Arthur asked and William nodded and they walked out with Shadow next to his master.
Ser Arthur escorted William to the dining hall where the banquet was set up. Jon Arryn had taken charge of preparing the banquet and ball and it was set up in the large dining hall of the Red Keep that could easily house all the visiting guests. They walked through the two large double doors of the dining hall as servants and City Watch greeted and wished Prince William a happy name day. Jon had tasked the servants to make the name day celebration special so the finest silks and tapestries were set up around the hall to decorate it in the sigils of the Crown Stag and the Direwolf. Tables of food ranging from pigeon pie, roast boar, venison, lamb, ham and potatoes, grilled vegetables, breads, and a line of sweets filled the room with a delectable aroma that would make anyone's stomach growl.
There were some performers set up around the hall and a band filled the hall with elegant music as noble lords engaged one another with conversation, dressed in their finest robes and silks trying to show their own elegance and power. Renly was talking to other young boys of the court; Stannis was with his wife and Ser Davos while Robert was talking with Ned when he saw his son enter. Robert rushed over and picked up his son with a hearty laugh as all the lords and ladies looked at them.
"Lords and Ladies, today marks a momentous day for it is my son's name day! Let us rejoice and feast to mark this night!" Robert shouted. The men cheered and the ladies clapped in applause. Robert put his son on his shoulders and carried him in as the lords reached out and shook his small hands. The band began to play music just as Robert brought William over to Ned. William jumped down and ran into his uncle with a hug.
"Uncle Ned!" William plowed into his stomach, nearly knocking him over. Ned laughed, hugging his nephew and was beyond happy to see him again. "It's good to see you. I haven't seen you in so long."
"Aye, I know. But I'm needed up North and your place is down here. But don't worry, I wouldn't have missed this day for anything." Ned told him. William then hugged his aunt, Catelyn Stark.
"Hello, Aunt Catelyn." William said with a smile and Catelyn hugged him back.
"My prince, happy name day." Catelyn gingerly hugged him because she had a small infant in her arms.
"Is this my cousin?" William asked and she nodded.
"This is Sansa." Catelyn introduced the two. Once Sansa saw his face she giggled.
"Where's Robb?" William asked and Ned pointed to Ser Rodrick and the three-year-old boy by his side so William rushed over to play with his cousin.
"By the north, that boy's grown since I last saw him." Ned said. Robert nodded in agreement as he sipped some wine.
"Aye, he's sprouting like a tree and he's smart too, smarter than me when I was his age." Robert said.
"I think he's smarter than you now." Ned joked causing him to laugh.
"Probably and he's on his way to become a great warrior at his rate. You should have seen him training today. He hit his bullseye with a dagger. Ha, even at his age I wasn't that good." Robert said and Ned smiled.
"Daggers?" Ned asked.
"Aye, and Dayne tells me he spends his time running through the gardens or the woods like that damn wolf on your banner. Ha, he's just like Lyanna." Robert said. "Come, Ned! Let's get drunk like the old days!"
William talked and played with his cousin but also talked to Lords and Ladies who wished him a happy name day. He also met their young daughters but most of them were younger and he wasn't that mature enough to care. But he talked to them and enjoyed himself. There weren't other kids his age in the Red Keep all the time so this was a rare chance to play with kids and not old people.
After about an hour of eating and drinking, Jon Arryn got everyone's attention in the hall because he wanted to give the Prince his gift. The Lords and Ladies sent their servants to get their gifts ready as Jon Arryn had his squire Hugh bring over a stack of papers and something covered in a tarp.
"My prince, I felt that considering your recent business ventures, that this would make an excellent gift." Jon Arryn motioned Hugh to place the stack of papers next to William. William looked them over and saw that they had the signature of the Iron Bank of Braavos. "I contacted the lron Bank and an account has been set up in your name to hold your gold and income from your business venture. And since it's with the Iron Bank and I've negotiated a deal, it will continue to grow so long as it remains there. You've shown great promise and I know this will greatly benefit you in your future endeavors."
William smiled and hugged Jon who hugged back. "Thank you, Uncle Jon. This is an excellent gift."
"No thanks necessary, my prince. And speaking of your recent business ventures, your friend Rydan and his friends sent over a gift for your name day." Jon told him as some servants brought over a tarp covered object. When the tarp was removed they saw it was an intricately carved wooden piece of two wovles and a Stag running in the forest. It was like a painting on a wooden plank and had expertly carved trees and foliage that looked real and were painted expertly. The Direwolf looked fierce yet graceful and was painted dark blue while the Stag was proud and powerful. William loved it and imagined it was Shadow running through the forest.
(A general idea of what the carving would look like.)
"It's amazing. I'll have to thank them in person for this." William said as a servant came by and took the gift away.
Next came the gift from Lords of the Vale which included fine made battle axes and weapons for William to use when he gets older. One of the lords heard of Williams keen mind and gave him a book about the history of the Vale. A messenger sent from Prince Doran and Prince Oberyn of Dorne gave William a book on poisons and medicine and an iron snake statue. A possible threat or just a nice gesture, it was hard to tell. Mace Tyrell gave him a beautiful golden goblet studded with gems and other lords from the Reach gave him small assortments of gems, beautiful paintings, ornamental weapons and some even gave him books from the Citadel.
Tywin Lannister was next as he had some servants bring over a small, solid gold Direwolf statue.
"The finest gold mined from the Westerlands, designed after the House Sigil of your late mother, my Prince." Tywin said and William smiled at the statue.
"Thank you for the gift, Lord Tywin." William replied, firmly shaking Tywin's hand and Tywin nodded back. The servants escorted the gift to William's chambers as Tyrion came up and placed a book down on the table.
"I've heard from my brother that you're quite the reader so I thought about getting you something that would be good to read. The Lives of Four King's. Grand Maester Kaeth's history of the reigns of Daeron the Young Dragon, Baelor the Blessed, Aegon the Unworthy, and Daeron the Good. A book every King should read." Tyrion said and could see the smile on the boy. It was one of the books he has wanted to read for a long time but could never find it in the Red Keep's library and it was rumored to have only one copy left.
"I've been wanting to read this for a long time. Thank you, Lord Tyrion. Thank you very much." William shook Tyrion's hand and the little lord smiled back.
"Your welcome, your grace." Tyrion said as the servants took the book to William's chambers.
Ned then came over with Ser Rodrick holding a beautifully made coat with a wolf pelt around the shoulders. "Now, I realize it may be too hot down here in the capital but a Stark isn't a Stark without a coat of Wolf's fur. And should ever come visit us in the North, then you'll fit right in." Ned told him, putting it on his nephew. It was still too big, but the fur felt comfortable. "Lyanna would be so proud to see the boy you've become. Never forget her, William."
"I won't, Uncle. Thank you." William hugged his uncle who rubbed his back. One of the servants took the coat to William's chambers and Robert stood up, still somewhat sober and able to speak clearly.
"William...son, come here." Robert said. He walked over as Robert looked him up and down. "You've made me proud to be a father. You're smart, strong, brave, and will be a great King when you're old enough. Any father would be proud to have you as their son, and I couldn't be prouder. Soon, you will no longer be a boy and you will need to act like a man. So, I have a gift for you to use when you're ready."
Ser Barristan walked up with an item covered in a tarp and removed it causing William to let out a gasp of surprise and excitement. They were two daggers, beautifully made and intricate. One of them was a stiletto dagger while the other was a curved dagger. The curved dagger had a 5-inch handle made of dragon bone and decorated with gold with a large ruby in the hand guard. The 7-inch blade had a straight back side while the front was curved.
The stiletto had a 5-inch handle and a small cross guard. The handle was made of a smoothed wood and steel combination with a dark blue and black leather grip. The 7-inch blade was sharp and thin, yet long enough to easily hit vital organs. Both of the metal in the daggers had an intricate pattern weaved in.
"Be careful with these, my prince. These are not toys or training daggers, these are real and can hurt you." Ser Arthur warned him. William took the dragon bone dagger and removed the sheath.
"That's Valyrian steel, William. The sharpest metal there is and the strongest. It's sturdy but light. You read about it, right?" Robert asked as William nodded.
"It's said to be magical. Ever since the Doom of Valyria, there isn't any more Valyrian steel left. Where did you get them?" William asked.
"The straight dagger I had Barristan track down and we had it re-forge it for you by a master smith in Volantis. The bone dagger Dayne managed to track down." Robert said as William looked at his sworn shield.
"It's a tradition in my house that when a lad is ready, he be given a dagger. I managed to find one." Ser Arthur told him.
"Thank you, Father. It's the best gift ever." William hugged his father with all his strength and Robert smiled, hugging back. Will then hugged Ser Barristan and then Ser Arthur. "Thank you, Ser Arthur."
"It was my pleasure, my prince." Arthur replied. William took both daggers and strapped them around his waist.
Cersei glared at the boy as she coddled Joffrey in her arms. Daggers that precious and rare should belong to her son and not that wolf boy. Robert then stood up and picked up another goblet of wine. "All right, let's get back to the feast!" Robert shouted as he drank his cup of wine in one go and everyone got back to eating and drinking.
289 AC
A lot had changed in King's Landing for the realm and for William. Now a boy of 10, he began to grow and stood 5ft 4 inches and wasn't skinny like most boys his age. His running through the gardens or nearby woods and his training made him stronger than most boys his age, something his father was proud about. William's training enable him to run through the woods all day and not get tired and he was an expert climber, often climbing up trees, swinging from branches or hurtling over walls and hay bales like an acrobat. William said he wanted to move like a wolf on the hunt or a stag running through the forest and trust his instincts should the need arise, so that's what he did.
After he was given his daggers as a gift on his 6th name day, he carried them with him all the time via a leather belt around his waist. His accuracy with daggers improved and he could now hit the center of the target from 30 feet away. When he turned 7, he asked Ser Arthur and Ser Barristan to train him to use a sword. He practiced with a wooden sword and was getting there. He still had a lot to learn but could fight as well as a boy his age should, probably better. Since he focused so much on speed, he trained with Ser Arthur on his fighting style of Dimachaerus, or Valyrian for two knives. It means the fighter used two swords, either two short ones or one long and one short. The style was for close range fighting and meant the fighter could both attack and defend with his weapon rather than a shield and could engage multiple people at once. It wasn't something every person could learn because the two swords of the style meant it required a great deal of skill, patience, and practice but William was a patient student.
Robert was a bit angry that William hadn't taken to the Warhammer like he did. William could lift one but it wasn't his preferred weapon as it felt too clumsy. But when Robert saw William practice with his two daggers on a dummy or swing the practice sword against Ser Barristan, Robert was just happy to see his son fighting like he did when he was younger. Along with his skills with daggers and his growing skill with swords, William was more than on his way to becoming an expert archer. He had moved from the long bow and was now mastering the recurve bow. With another year of training and honing his skills, he'd be an expert marksman.
Along with this physical training, William spent just as much time with his mental training. He spent time with Cedric reading old books on politics, history of houses and families, geography, trading, economics, poisons, wildlife, and ended with warfare and battle strategy. He also began learning other languages as well like Low and High Valyrian along with Dothraki. He absorbed all the information he could and with some help from Grand Maester Pycelle on tracking down the older books for study sessions or medicines and poisons for his studies. William was a very smart lad and that smartness paid off in a big way in terms of his wealth.
Normally, you would think that being the Prince would mean you had all the money in the world but Cedric taught him that gold wasn't endless and unless you could summon it from the ground for the rest of your life, you needed to plan carefully. His farming tool venture sparked William's desire to invent more and help the people of the 7 Kingdoms. The masons and smiths who made the tools and ploughs were given commission from the payment and taxes the lords and farmers paid William for the tools and were happier than they have ever been. William expanded his small venture to include better surplus of building tools, mining tools, and machines which brought in more income. He, Cedric, and Rydan came up with designs for an irrigation system that would help distribute and carry water to arid grass and fields. Taxes and payments were set up so farmers and lords could get easy access to these new techniques and William and his builders still received pay. Prince Doran paid his weight's worth in gold for those irrigation and water systems were always needed in Dorne.
William appointed Cedric to oversee his books since there wasn't anyone he trusted more with something like this. Cedric was more than happy to help and began expanding the prince's money to housing and land purchasing. By now, William owned half of the houses, inns, and taverns in the city and some in the Riverlands. He helped to cover repairs and damages and the renters paid a reasonable tax price for housing. It helped poor families keep a roof over their heads and William was more than happy to discuss terms of payment if the family had trade skills. Cedric had a vast knowledge of trading and economics and began to diversify the Prince's money into trading groups and guilds, markets and merchants and even worked with the builders and masons of the city to set up guilds for large scale jobs. In the 4 years since Jon Arryn had made the account in the Iron Bank for William, Cedric managed to raise a value of nearly 2 million gold dragons that would only increase with time.
William was happy, but that's not to mean he didn't have some complaints. He felt that his father was getting a bit fat, at least his belly was and he spent more time with other ladies and drinking wine. William just didn't get it but when they did spend time together, it was nice. Cersei on the other hand was an entirely different story. William could tell she didn't like him, giving him those hateful stares and glares and when they did speak, she often made comments of his birth or the lack of a mother to make him act like royalty but Ser Arthur told him to not listen. His half-brother, Joffrey, now a four-year-old didn't pay him much attention either, granted he was still young but often acted very rude to him. Myrcella, nearly two years old was just a baby and William liked watching her every now and then but noticed their differences from him. Something he kept to himself for now.
Currently, people were out enjoying themselves and farmers and lords had ordered new farming tools or sent ravens for masons to look over their irrigation networks before farming started which boosted business for William and his constituents. Speaking of the Prince, he was in the open training courtyard/wooded area near the cliffs of the Red Keep for his archery training. He was dressed in a dark blue and gold long sleeve leather jacket and dark brown black pants with boots. He had his daggers strapped to his waist and a quiver full of arrows hanging by his right hip. Ser Arthur was there to watch and protect the prince while Shadow, a full grown black fur hunting dog was lying down in the shade with a clean-picked chicken carcass next to him.
William grabbed the training dummy and tied it to a rope he hung from a tall tree. He then stepped away at about 50 yards and nodded to Ser Arthur who pushed the dummy, causing it to swing back and forth as the Prince took aim. He let loose one arrow and hit in the shoulder and then fired another and hit it in the stomach. He let loose another arrow and struck the other shoulder but missed his targets: the heart and the head. Ser Arthur caught the dummy and was very impressed with the Prince's accuracy.
"Well done, your grace." Arthur praised. He couldn't hit a moving target like this. "I know men my age who can't hit this well on a moving target."
"Well, I didn't get my target. And remember, Ser Arthur, it's Will when we're alone." William said as Arthur smiled.
"Of course, Will. Another go?" Arthur asked and got a nod in response. Arthur pushed the dummy as William let loose another arrow and hit the left lung. He pulled out another arrow and aimed down his sight as he saw the rope holding the dummy up and smirked. He then took a deep breath, watching the dummy swing back and forth. Time slowed down a bit as he took his time and focused. He exhaled and released his arrow hitting the dummy square in the head. He fired one more shot a little higher and shot the rope holding the dummy up, causing it to drop to the ground.
"Ha, how about that? I hit both my targets now." William joked. He went to retrieve his arrows when he heard the noise of something metal hit stone. He looked to see Shadow with his head up and looking around, like he did when they were hunting...something was near.
"Something wrong, my prince?" Arthur asked when he saw Shadow stand on all fours and begin moving his head back and forth like it was hearing something.
"Shadow, what's wrong?" William asked. Shadow then ran into wooded area of the training courtyard. Something spooked him. "Something's wrong."
Ser Arthur had his hand on Dawn and William pulled out another arrow when they heard another clang of steel against stone. Ser Arthur walked to the edge of the courtyard near the cliffs that stood in Blackwater bay and looked down to see two empty long boats at the bottom.
"What in 7 hells?" Arthur said aloud. He turned to William when they heard feet running through the woods and a man dressed in a shambled leather tunic, iron armor with the sigil of a shield of green and black came charging towards the prince with a sword in his hand.
William was in shock, stumbling backwards and tripped as the man reached out to grabbed him when Arthur charged forward and ran through him with his sword. Nine more men ran out of the woods with axes, swords, shields, and maces and were all wearing similar armor but different sigils. "William, run!" Arthur shouted, blocking the first man who attacked him and kicked him away along with taking his sword. Armed with two blades, he blocked and parried his attacker from behind and slashed him in the throat.
William did as he was told and ran with four of the men chasing after him. "William!" Arthur tried to stop them but was blocked off by his own adversaries. Arthur ducked under an axe swing and kneed the man in the groin before slashing him across the leg, sending him to the ground. He spun and parried a swing, following up with a slash to the man's skull and then spun his sword in reverse grip to stab the fourth man in the gut. Arthur was kept busy with the enemies while William ran as fast as his legs could carry him but the 4 men were taller and catching up. William then ran from the stone walkway and into the woods as the men followed.
William ducked under a branch and jumped over a slanted tree as the men who were chasing him had to run out of the way of the tree and this slowed them a bit. William ran through the woods with his feet and body following the instincts that he spent years honing and it was just like walking to him.
(A general idea of how Will moves and runs)
He then vaulted over a rock, jumped through some tree branches, and reached the stairs to the lower courtyard of the Red Keep. William jumped to the second flight of stairs and then jumped down to the lower courtyard and saw two dead City Watch guards. William panicked as he saw the men running down the stair with heavy breaths so he pulled out his bow, nocked an arrow fired it at the first man running down the stairs and hit him in the leg. The man stumbled to the ground and fell down the steps, breaking his neck as his friends just stepped over or on him and kept going causing William to panic so he quickly pulled out another arrow.
He nocked and fired it at the next man and hit him in the throat. The man fell on his back, gasping for air. William pulled out another arrow just as the two men made it down the steps and charged at him. William quickly fired his arrow and nailed one of them in the head, killing him. William tried to load one more but the man was too close and grabbed William by the shirt and threw him on the ground. William groaned in pain as he saw the man sheath his sword and walk to him so he turned around and smacked the man in the head with his bow.
"ARGH!" The man shouted in pain. Will's bow was broken, and the man's face was bleeding. The man punched William to the ground in anger. "You made me bleed, you little shit. Lord Balon said we needed you alive, but he didn't say you had to be whole."
The man pulled out a dagger and grabbed William by his hair, hoisting him up and hellbent on taking an eye out. William quickly grabbed his Valyrian steel dragon bone dagger and stabbed the man in the neck. "AHHH!" He plunged the dagger in the man's throat and pushed him back as they fell on the floor with him on top.
"ARGHH!" William repeatedly stabbed him in the chest as the Valyrian Steel easily penetrated the steel armor like a hot knife through butter. He kept stabbing and the man's stomach and guts were likely a mash with all the injuries when he was pulled off and held from behind.
"William! Stop!" Arthur shouted, holding the prince, and trying to calm him down. Will turned and saw Ser Arthur was alive.
"Ser Arthur, you're alive!" William dropped his dagger and hugged him.
"Of course. I'm not going anywhere. It's ok, William. It's ok. You did well." Arthur said just as Ser Barristan and some Gold Cloaks ran into the courtyard to see several dead men and Ser Arthur holding a bloody William.
Barristan walked up to Ser Arthur and saw the dead men. "Well done, Ser Arthur." Barristan said but Arthur shook his head no.
"The ones I killed are back in the training courtyard. These men are William's kills." Arthur told him as Barristan looked around at the dead men. Three were killed with arrows while the last was killed with a dagger.
"Get him to Pycelle and looked after. I'll contact the King; he needs to know." Barristan said as Arthur nodded. "Any idea who did this?"
"Balon." William muttered making Arthur and Barristan looked at him. "The man said Lord Balon and the sigils on their chests are from the Iron Islands. It was Balon Greyjoy."
Arthur escorted William to his chambers and several Gold Cloaks, Stormlands soldiers and spare Kings Guard were guarding him while Pycelle checked on him. Afterward, Robert called a meeting of the Small Council. Barristan told Robert what happened and he was beyond angry.
"RAGHH!" Robert threw an empty chair against the wall of the Small Council Chambers in anger. "Those squid shits! I'll kill every one of them!"
"Your grace, calm down. William is fine. He did well, his training paid off and now he's protected." Jon assured him.
"It's true. The young prince did quite well considering his young age. How is he?" Varys asked.
"Some bruises but nothing serious, your grace. The Prince will be fine." Pycelle answered and everyone smiled.
"His grace showed great prowess as a warrior but the better question is why it was needed in the first place. How did 10 Iron born make their way into the Red Keep without anyone finding them?" Stannis asked, concerned for his nephew. William always admired Stannis and treated him with respect and the love an uncle should receive and Stannis was proud to have nephew like him.
"11 actually. The Iron born came from long boats near the Red Keep and climbed. My little birds said they saw an Iron Born ship anchored in the bay before it departed. They quietly made their way to Prince's training ground when they made their strike. The City Watch found the Prince's loyal hound dead by the cliff along with one of the Iron Born. It would seem that the Prince's loyal friend was aware of the danger and tried to protect him." Varys explained.
"William won't like that. And are the rumors true, lord Varys?" Jon asked and Varys nodded.
"I'm afraid so, my lord hand. Balon Greyjoy has announced himself King of the Iron Islands and plans to secede from the 7 Kingdoms. The port of Lannisport was burned, the Lannister fleet destroyed and now Iron Born ships are reeving and raiding the western coast." Varys said in a dower tone. "It would seem that Lord Balon sent these men to capture the prince as a hostage to prevent us from retaliating."
"Well that squid shit made a huge mistake. I'll burn those islands down if it's the last thing I do! Jon, call the banners! We're going to war." Robert said in anger and Jon agreed with his actions.