How true this rumor is remains unknown, but the fact is that the Westerlands truly lost their famous gold mines; the local people and nobility have not had their former wealth for a long time."

— From Greendoom and After: The Wolf's March to Power by Maester Vat.

"Please wait here for a while," the servant requested with great respect. "The Sea Lord will meet with you shortly."

Stannis nodded in approval, then sat on the ornate chairs that showed the vast view of Braavos, along with the two men beside him—his most loyal supporter Davos Seaworth and one of the former commanders of the Golden Company, Laswell Peake, who now served Stannis.

The business he would conduct today was especially very important. He had to solve the Faceless Man issue, urgently stop these assassination attempts, and understand why Braavos had formed an alliance with other Essos cities. When Stannis learned about the assassinations of Roose Bolton and Contray Penrose, he was inspecting the fleet at White Harbor, checking the newly built ships. The naval battle with Tyrosh was a great victory, but the majority of the fleet had been lost, so the alliance of the Three Kingdoms had immediately begun building a new navy using the newly acquired fresh money. The sturdiest timber of Westeros—maybe even the world—was found in the North; it was excellent material for building solid ships. Therefore, Stannis had a shipyard built at White Harbor for the construction of new ships and personally oversaw the construction.

He had also gotten married. After returning from war, Robert told Stannis that he had delayed this matter long enough and took away his freedom to choose a wife. "Alara can no longer get pregnant, so the continuity of our bloodline is your duty. May the Seven have mercy on us," he had said, and then arranged a marriage between Stannis and Lady Sybelle Locke. The Lockes were distant kin to the Starks, so Robert was probably reviving in his mind the fantasy of a Stark-Baratheon union. Still, Stannis did not mind; House Locke ruled the lordships on the eastern side of the Manderlys and even had their own port. While not as rich as their neighbors, they definitely had potential. Lady Sybelle was a duty-conscious, pleasant, and patient woman. When Stannis left White Harbor, he left behind his wife and their one-year-old newborn son, Stannislav.

A short while after the assassination news, urgent orders came from King Stark himself, commanding him to go to Braavos immediately and talk to the Sea Lord about the matter. Stannis understood the seriousness and urgency of this issue, but he was not a diplomat—he was a man of war. In this regard, he was ironically similar to his older brother.

Speaking of his brother, according to Davos's claim—which Stannis never believed—Robert had turned into a faithful husband, and Queen Alara was no longer as devout and conservative as before; in fact, she no longer hesitated to dress a bit more openly or be louder in bed. These news had caused Stannis to raise his eyebrows.

He knew that the one who had chosen Queen Alara as Robert's wife was their grandfather and Hand of the King, Eldon Estermont, but the reason behind this choice was not the belief that Queen Alara would make her husband a better man. "Lady Alara is beautiful and also quite devout and very devoted to the holy book," he had explained to Stannis. "Even if her husband cheats on her, she will not lose her loyalty and sense of duty."

After marrying Alara, Robert had continued his old habits without pause. This situation undoubtedly saddened the queen, yet she maintained her sense of duty. This loyalty must have pricked Robert's conscience; even though he continued his acts of cheating, he never did so in public.

The births of Argilac and Argella were a turning point. Stannis was there. He had personally witnessed Queen Alara almost dying during childbirth. Before closing her eyes, the queen had held Robert's hand and made him swear to protect their children. Stannis had never seen his older brother so devastated and destroyed—not even when the news of Lyanna Stark's death came.

Queen Alara did not die during childbirth, yet she had lost her ability to conceive. She had given Robert two healthy children—Argilac was a living copy of his father, and Argella, with her storm-blue eyes, was a true Baratheon beauty. Robert practically worshipped his daughter. Stannis feared his niece would grow up to be a spoiled girl.

After this event, Robert and Alara's relationship had made significant progress. Robert had reduced and hidden his cheating activities—according to Davos, he had stopped them entirely. He now spent more time with his wife, and Queen Alara... well, she was undoubtedly no longer as conservative a woman as before. Their active sex life had become common knowledge to everyone living in Storm's End.

If Queen Alara had not lost her ability to bear children, Stannis would probably have two more nieces or nephews by now. Still, Robert did not seem unhappy with his wife's condition—in fact, he was quite pleased that they could have sex freely without worrying about getting her pregnant.

Actually, thinking about it now, the situation was very ironic. The queen had made Robert a faithful husband, and Robert had made the queen a more immoral woman. The husband and wife had made each other resemble themselves.

Argilac, as his father's living copy, was stirring up storms in the castle. He was a very strong and healthy boy, with a high level of charm that drew people to him like a magnet—he had especially become close friends with Loras and Margaery Tyrell, who were staying at the castle as guests. Argella was undoubtedly a proud Stormland princess—this pride sometimes reached arrogance, yet she was not a spoiled girl; she had a proper sense of duty.

Argella often went hunting with her father. Since Argilac constantly received lessons on succession, Robert spent most of his time with his daughter instead of his son. He was especially determined to marry her off to Robb Stark, telling her about the North and Northern culture.

During his stay at White Harbor, Stannis had been subjected to several assassination attempts, and from what he had heard, similar things had happened to his relatives in Storm's End. Of course, none of these attempts had been carried out by the Faceless Men—they were less famous, professional assassin teams. Stannis had managed to survive the ones that came for him, though he definitely appreciated the skill of these men.

Coming to Braavos was a risk. If Braavos had indeed joined the Valyrian alliance as they suspected, they would surely use this opportunity to take Stannis hostage. However, that was not what happened—Stannis was welcomed and hosted quite pleasantly. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by this attitude. Even if there was a sinister plan behind all the smiles and welcomes, Stannis had no idea about it—he was not a politician.

"The Sea Lord is expecting you, please follow me," said the servant in the same respectful tone. Stannis and his men silently stood up as before and followed the servant through the ornate corridors.

Alright, Stannis thought, this is definitely going to take a while.

"It seems you have a misunderstanding about the workings of the Faceless Men, Lord Stannis," saidor the Ld of the Sea of Braavos. "They are in no way subordinate to the government of Braavos, nor do they take orders from anyone. They worship the Many-Faced God, and they answer to no one except the House of Black and White, which is the center of their religious order."

"Even if what you're saying is true, it does not change the fact that they kill the nobles of Westeros," Stannis said sharply. "They also threaten the lives of many lords and royal families of Westeros. We cannot tolerate the existence of such a sect."

The Lord of the Sea looked at Stannis for a moment, as if uncertain, then stood up from his seat. "Please follow me, but only you may come."

Stannis silenced his men's objections with a single hand gesture. If they wanted to kill us, they could have done so hundreds of times by now... he thought.

He followed the Lord of the Sea for a while, then came across a door that clearly did not match the rest of the palace. It was not decorated in any way, and there was no adornment on it; the only distinguishing feature was the black and white color scheme. Still, it was very close to the Lord of the Sea's office, and that alone made it clear that the room could not be ordinary.

The Lord of the Sea said nothing as he opened the door and invited Stannis inside. The room was small, about the size of a pantry, and could fit no more than five people; it was quite tiny. In fact, it wasn't even really a room—it resembled more of a small cave. The rough, jagged fossilized rocks formed its boundaries, giving it a natural, ancient feel, as though it had been carved out of the earth itself. A hole in the ceiling was the only source of light, and it shone directly onto the single item in the room: a black-and-white book on a small, weathered table. The book seemed almost out of place in such a primitive setting, its smooth, hard cover stark against the raw texture of the stone. It was the largest and thickest book Stannis had ever seen in his life, its pages thick and heavy, as though containing more than just ink, but perhaps secrets too vast to be contained. The stillness of the room made the light flicker in a way that almost made the book seem alive, as though it were waiting for Stannis to come closer.

"You are one of the rare foreigners who has come here. It is a great honor," said the Lord of the Sea, placing his hand on the book. "Lord Stannis, you should know that the history of the House of Black and White is intertwined with that of Braavos. This sect was founded alongside the city when its seeds were first planted, and it has grown alongside it." He gently caressed the book with his hand. "That is why it is true that we have a very good relationship with the House of Black and White, but we do not have any superior-subordinate relationship with them, and we would never dare to give them orders." He looked at Stannis. "The people who worship the Many-Faced God view death as a gift, and the Faceless Men are the same. They never hide this gift from anyone. Not even from the Lord of the Sea of Braavos." He carefully opened the book with his hand. "Still, throughout history, no Braavos Lord of the Sea has ever been assassinated by the Faceless Men. Do you know why?" He turned the book to a specific page and invited Stannis to read.

Stannis glanced at the book, and it didn't take long for him to understand the reason. The book was a list, a list of names with prices next to them. As he flipped through the pages, he noticed a few names of Durrandon ancestors as well. The records were quite old, possibly thousands of years old, but Stannis couldn't help but think that this list was quite audacious. When he checked the names and numbers, it didn't take long before he found the name of the Braavos Lord of the Sea on the list, and the price... 4 million golden dragons. Seven hells, the Iron Throne at its wealthiest period had only 8 million golden dragons.

"Faceless Men do not withhold the gift of death from anyone, but we... hmm, I'm struggling to find the right term, but let's say we convince them to be a bit more greedy," continued the Lord of the Sea. "As you can see, the prices for Braavosi and their allies are rather steep, and even if this price is paid, death is not guaranteed; only a promise is made that a Faceless Man will be sent, and if that assassin fails, the money is completely wasted."

"And what about Lord Bolton and Penrose?" asked Stannis.

The Lord of the Sea flipped through a few pages and pointed to the names with his finger. For Roose Bolton, 250 thousand golden dragons; for Penrose, 125 thousand; and for Strickland, 75 thousand.

"Actually, it wasn't the Valyrian Alliance that paid the money, but the old noble families of Lys. To pay these fees, they had to squeeze their purses quite a bit, I can assure you, no royal family has enough money to have a member killed."

"The Valyrian Alliance, Qohor, Norvos, and Volantis," Stannis defined. "These are quite wealthy cities; they can afford to pay this price."

"Right and wrong," said the Lord of the Sea, continuing to flip the pages. He showed Stannis the names of the kings. For Jon Arryn, 1 million golden dragons; for Ned Stark, one and a half million; and for his brother Robert, nearly 2 million. Stannis saw that his own name was worth 800 thousand golden dragons. "The Valyrian Alliance can afford these prices, but they would have to cut back on their budget for a long time, so they will be very unwilling to pay."

"They'll be unwilling, but they could still do it," Stannis concluded.

The Lord of the Sea shrugged. "Well, death is inevitable for everyone, but its price can be much higher than it seems, especially for Braavos and their allies."

Stannis sighed deeply. Now, the time had come to negotiate.

"The Three Kingdoms Alliance promises to keep 70% of its treasures in the Iron Bank. The North will sell timber to Braavos at a discounted rate, and we will order 100 war galleys from them. Gulltown and White Harbor will receive tax reductions on Braavosian ships, and various capitulations will be granted to them, and..." Laswell Peake read the documents aloud, finishing with, "They fucked us in a marvellous way."

Stannis gave Lord Peak a hard look. He admitted that the terms of the treaty were a little harsh, they were 'fucked' as this arrogant man put it, but the results of the treaty would be generally favourable.

First and foremost, the prices for many of the names in the book had been significantly raised. The prices for the royal families had doubled, and the likelihood that the Valyrian cities would be able to pay this amount was extremely low. Even if they did, the Lord of the Sea had promised to notify the alliance leaders in advance. In light of these developments, the threat of the Faceless Men would largely dissipate.

The 100-ship agreement was a large order and would be a significant cost, yet Braavos was known for its shipbuilding expertise. Stannis' new fleet would be much better equipped than the previous one.

The issue of capitulations was problematic, but it had to be done. The problem was that the Iron Throne owed money to the Iron Bank of Braavos. After Greendoom, the Iron Throne had fallen, and the kingdom was shattered, so no one was left to inherit that debt. The Iron Bank had suffered great losses, and Stannis had to accept that the payment would be made in this manner. However, the capitulations would only be valid for the next ten years.

There was also good news: Thanks to this agreement, the Three Kingdoms Alliance and Braavos had somewhat bound themselves together. The first steps had been taken for an alliance between the two parties. Within the next year, the three kings would hold another major meeting, and the Lord of the Sea of Braavos was highly likely to attend. This move would undoubtedly unsettle the Valyrian cities, who were still busy fighting Khal Barbo.

Stannis was certain he would catch some flak when he returned. Wyman Manderly was making a lot of money with his constantly running shipyard, and losing that would undoubtedly upset him. Selling timber at a low price would certainly anger many Northern lords, and the new Maester of Coin for King Arryn, Petyr Baelish, was said to be an extremely frugal man. When he saw the contents of the agreement, he would undoubtedly lose his temper. Meanwhile, Old Falcon would likely suffer a heart attack. Still, in Stannis' view, the matter had mostly turned out well.

"We have settled our issue with Braavos, and most of our concerns have been resolved," said Stannis. "Now, we must shift our focus to the Westerlands. We need to investigate the claims that the Lannisters have methods of producing wildfire."

"Oh, there's no need to worry, Lord Stannis," a voice behind him said. "The Lannisters definitely don't have anything like that."

Stannis raised an eyebrow at the soft, poetic voice and turned to look at the man who had spoken without permission.

Stannis had never seen this man before in his life, but as soon as he laid eyes on him, he recognized him. His appearance was quite distinct, and anyone who had heard rumors about him would have no trouble identifying him. When he looked around at the others, he realized they had recognized him as well.

"I thought you died in Greendoom," Stannis said, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. "Lord Varys."