"What the fuck was that?" I asked as my self-control slipped for a moment from annoyance, once the banker or rather the messenger from the Iron Bank had left. The man had interrupted my research to just let us know that we had an appointment.

"You are invited to the Iron Bank, to meet the Bankers." stated Ser Willem, seemingly wary.

"They could not have just sent a note?" I countered disliking the entire charade.

"They cannot just summon a King to their feet like a commoner." countered the Old Man, "There are protocols for the Iron Throne even Essosi respect. They also wanted to get the measure of you first."

"I am blaming Jaehaerys on this," I grumbled as he was the first king to start the conversations with the Iron Bank of Braavos. "How sure are we that it is not some sort of trap by Robert?" I asked though it fit in more to what Tywin would do if I had to be honest.

"We have been making inquiries for a meeting since we arrived as you have commanded. They seemed hesitant since they see you as a child and they did not wish to meet with me at all." countered Ser Willem, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Essosi are peculiar folk. They prefer to deal with men directly and it is better than what I had achieved."

"Gaining recognition and a place in Sealord's court is not nothing, Ser, you have done well." I countered though I was not sure if it was worth much. The place in court was not even a proper one, as the Sealord seemed much more interested in showing us off as part of his court as a power play than anything else and I disliked the attention as it would eventually leak to Robert. When it came to supporting a Targaryen Restoration, Sealord, like any politician excelled at promising everything and committing to nothing. `No wonder he was chosen.` I thought to myself.

"It is in their interest to keep you out of the Usurper's reach and the Sealord would gain nothing from turning you over to the Usurper or his dogs." countered Ser Willem with not so little bitterness. He had lost a brother and four nephews during the Rebellion. While his loyalty was without question, I was not sure whether it was because he was more against Robert than for me but I could at least understand that his bitterness was well deserved. At least now I knew where the vitriol original Viserys had spewed came from.

"What are the chances that the Sorrowful Men had something to do with it?" I asked, whacking my head for ideas.

"It would give the message that we have an enemy that considers us a threat." nodded Ser Willem before frowning. "I dislike it but the opportunity is a rare one... but what would you have us do?"

"We show up, armed and armored," I stated with an understanding forming that we were going for a potential war.

I looked at the building, which was a marble building that occupied its own island, looking closer to a castle on its own than a building if I had to be honest.

Ser Willem stood to my side, his mail hauberk was on, beneath a non-nondescript coat and cloak. While the heraldry of House Darry would be appreciated as a show of support in Westeros, I could not put the one House who still supported me to risk with the rumors that may find it's way back to Robert. I could have also offered my sworn sword a white cloak but I knew it would remind him of the loss of his brother, Ser Jonothor Darry and it would be easy to tell apart a clean white cloak in a crowd, which would mean people we wished to avoid could easily track us.

While I simply wore the enchanted tunic I made. In a fight, it would prevent me from dying, but it was never meant for use in war as it lacked proper head protection. It still prevented casual stabbing however and it did not look out of place in dinner invite or meeting with bankers, which was why I had initially made it as I would eventually outgrow the clothing.

I considered my plan as we walked through the marble stairs to the Bank.

The main problem with Banks in Middle Ages was that they were not the Banks of the Modern World. You could not jaunt into the Iron Bank and drop of a bag of coins for them to keep in an account for you. They would probably laugh at you for it unless your investment was large enough for them to reinvest it in their own ventures.

There were no Secret Targaryen Accounts either. Jaehaerys nearly declared war on Braavos and threatened them with dragons after the whole debacle with the eggs that Elissa Farman had stolen. It had become so bad that Septon Barth had only managed to have the debts that Iron Throne had to the Iron Bank dismissed at the end of the whole mess.

The only time Iron Throne sent money to Iron Bank when not in debt was during the Dance when the Greens had stashed away a third of the Royal Treasury in the Iron Bank while the remaining two-thirds were shared between Lannisters and Hightowers and were never recovered.

I had tasked Ser Willem to find records of it through the Sealord and found some record that Viserys the Second had managed to get that money back, around the same time that Baelor was building that Sept of his. Whether that was true or false did not matter, however, since I had no record of the originals to force the Iron Bank. Given that I was from a male line and Robert was from a female line through his grandmother, I could have even argued that I was on the side of Greens in a way, but that path was closed.

After Viserys the Second, the Iron Throne was in one way or form always in the Red with the Iron Bank until Tywin paid off the remaining debt from all the Blackfyre Rebellions when he was the Hand to Aerys.

With no hidden stash of wealth, I could access, I turned to the main purpose of the Iron Bank. The Banks in Middle Ages were closer to Investment Banks in purpose and structure than modern retail banks in any sense, acting both as loan sharks and middle-man to handle transactions, acting as guarantors for both sides in a deal.

Now, I just needed to convince them that I was worth investing as insurance against Robert's debts... and get some investment in the form of support to develop myself. While money was good, it was only worth what it could buy and the connections that the Iron Bank had were what I was truly after.

"Prince Viserys, I am Tycho Nestoris." said a tall thin man with a long beard that reached his waist. He spoke the Common Tongue well for a Braavosi, though there was that accent unique to Braavos. He was wearing a purple felt robe and no hat, with scrolls underneath one of his arms. The man looked like what I would imagine Dumbledore to look like in his youth, with glasses and a long nose.

"King." corrected Ser Willem with a tone that suggested he would.

"Is he?" asked Tycho Nestoris with a smirk. "Where is his throne then?"

Original Viserys would have drawn a blade at that... I felt like.

"Crown Prince in Exile, if we are to be picky." I quipped instead in Braavosi, knowing that the man would appreciate some measure of humbleness and precision, though I could not show too much of it. "My kingship may be challenged, but none would refuse that I am a Prince of Blood, as none would argue that my father died a King and declared me his heir as Prince of Dragonstone." that shut off the banker and his power-play that I did not have time for. "Lead the way, Banker Nestoris"

I needed to show that I was not some puppet of some disgraced knight in exile, knowing that their investment was for the person than his supporters. If I let Ser Willem deal with the bank, their support would last until the old man had died and the Braavosi was right, all men would eventually die.

"Indeed." said the banker, his gaze gaining a sharper look. "Though I am simply a Clerk." he corrected his eyes sharp and his ambition clear.

`He is inspecting me closely now... seeing if I am worth investing in` I thought to myself. At the cost of stripping Ser Willem of his control, I was showing myself to be a bigger player. It was similar to how Olenna Tyrell used her sharp tongue to dominate a conversation and where her excuse was being an old woman, mine was that I was a child.

"Please, follow me," said Tycho Nestoris, seemingly satisfied.

"No weapons from this point on, I am afraid, though this would help with your worries." said the Clerk, before producing a bowl with a piece of bread and some salt. Ser Willem relaxed... I did not.

"Afraid of a ten-year old and an old man?" I countered with a smirk, taking a piece of the bread and sprinkling some salt over it, before throwing it into my mouth. I had still not tested if Guest Rights had some magical effects or if that was purely symbolic, but I would not break it and I doubted Iron Bank would break it and risk damaging its reputation in such a way.

"Valar Morghulis." responded the man with a smirk, clearly wary of a Faceless Men and aware of a possible connection I had with them.

"Valar Dohaeris..." I responded, with a knowing smirk, grabbing Ser Willem's sleeve before he could reach for the bowl. The old knight stiffened but followed the order.

"Wait here," I commanded, taking out a piece of parchment and tearing one side of it before handing the piece of vellum to the knight.

"If someone attacks you, rip that parchment in two," I said, letting the knight make the association himself. He would probably assume that it was some sort of magic, even though it was for a more mundane purpose. A torn parchment would allow me to know that my sworn shield was replaced by someone else... probably. It was the bird that was watching us from across the street and through the window that I was using as a spy that would provide the true warning against an attack.

It took off my belts, both the one containing my dagger and the wand which the man had been eyeing. I knew that my wand looked like a bone dagger from the outside, with the pommel shaped like a dragon's head. It had not been so when I made it, but I had been noticing how it slowly shifted and changed in shape over the year I have used it, looking like a white Firewyrm with red veins and a black tip for a tail. It had become something pretty enough that it would be considered a ceremonial dagger of sorts and the triangular pointy end was strong enough to double as a shiv if it came down to a more physical fight.

I handed my belts to Ser Willem, not trusting the Iron Bank with my path to power. Ser Willem knew more and protected me from worse, so I could trust him to guard my wand for now. Leaving him by the door and preventing him from being bound to the Guest-Right in case he needed to come barging in to protect me from an attack. It was a trick I knew Kingsguard actually practiced from what Aerys had shown me so it was not so unnatural. He did not seem to like the idea of leaving me alone, though he nodded with a look to question the piece of parchment I handed, knowing that I was not without any form of defense.

While I disliked skinchanging without a wand, as I knew that my mind was more influenced by the animal without a form of insulation in between, I was still pretty decent at it though not to the extent or precision I could do so with a wand.

My mind reached out to one of the other ravens I kept around as spies, emergency ingredients for Shadowbinding and projectiles in a pinch. No one anticipated a raven diving beak first into their eye sockets because such an event was not in line with their normal behavior. I had not tried the last one, but I knew that it was better than not having an option to protect myself.

I also conveniently forgot the existence of the small dagger in my boot... the same dagger that once belonged to the Sorrowful Men who tried to kill me, the poison still on the blade. I mean, who would expect a ten-year old to be that paranoid... right?

In the end, the Guest Right would do more to protect them from me, than to ensure that they would not do me harm.

"Crown Prince in Exile, Viserys of House Targaryen." introduced Tycho Nestoris, before moving to sit down in one of the chairs on the other side of the large desk... which was not what I expected from a clerk. It had a deeper meaning I was sure of it `but what is underneath the underneath?` I thought to myself, using one of my more favored quotes from fiction.

"And you are?" I asked with a curious look. There were five men, with large bound books in front of them, along with a scribe at the edge of the table.

"Our names do not matter. We represent the Iron Bank." said one of the men, motioning to the chair "Please, have a seat."

I nodded in understanding and sat on the bench, making sure to keep my back straight. Viserys had been trained in courtly behavior from birth, which came in handy after I took over as it was a surprisingly uncomfortable posture.

My eyes wandered over the man whom I was looking at. These were probably some of the Keyholders who were not known to anyone but a select few. That also confirmed that Iron Throne was seeking to borrow money if it was their money that was on the line.

"What can the Iron Bank do for you?" asked one of the men whose name was not given to me.

"It is not what the Iron Bank could do for me, but what I can do for the Iron Bank." I countered, turning their offense back towards them. To an unwary person, it would seem I was the one who requested the meeting and owed them something. I disliked the power plays and framing it as the opposite of what they expected, I would have some more control. I was going to be asking them to invest in me after all, and I needed to show that it was not a bad investment compared to the alternative options.

"What can a Crown Prince in Exile do for us?" asked Tycho Nestoris, clearly amused.

"I know that Robert will start borrowing soon," I explained. "He was never the responsible sort when it came to what he called counting coppers and his Hand, Jon Arryn is not going to be of help, his family always looked down on their own members who were more mercantile, like House Arryn of Gulltown."

"So, you would claim that the Stag King is a wastrel?" asked Tycho Nestoris, leaning back. It would seem like he was the one who arranged for this meeting, seeing an opportunity to advance his own career. Now, I just needed to convince the remaining four men in the room and I would have a sponsor who owed his advancement to me.

"The man is a King of Whores and Wine Barrels even if he was a good fighter." I countered, in a way that was not untrue. I needed to show that Robert was a bad investment as a ruler, even if he was a good battle commander. "I pity my father's Realm now that he is the one who is failing at ruling."

"And why should that be of concern for the Iron Bank?" asked the frowning man in the corner, whose name I was not given and cared not for.

"For three years we have been making inquiries to arrange a meeting." I explained "Before, meeting with me was not in your interest, now it is. We are here so you can decide how safe it is to invest into the Iron Throne and how likely you are to have your due?" I asked with a smirk, knowing that I had them in my palm now, not even needing to use magic for it.

"Safer than investing in a man who has nothing." said one of the men who looked as though he wished he was anywhere but here. He was going to be the tough one to crack probably the one who would play the Bad Cop in this meeting. If I got him, the others would fold as well. "The Stag King is married to the daughter of Tywin Lannister. Him, we have done business with."

"I have nothing but my word, that is true for now. And a Lannister always pays his debts... they keep reminding everyone who asks." I stated, looking the man in the eye "Lannisters owe me a debt of blood, for a father... a nephew... a niece and they would refuse to pay that debt if asked for it... why should they pay for any other that would cost them more than they can afford."

"It was Tywin Lannister who paid the debt of your father some years ago." countered the one on the chair with carvings of peacocks. "We know his word is good for."

"Who is his heir?" I asked instead "Is it the one who swore himself to celibacy and killed the king he was sworn to protect, or the dwarf whom none wish to marry as he is known for being a drunken wastrel who may just as likely to be living in a brothel. Yet their word is not worth what once was, is it? Was it not Tywin who came under a banner of peace and turned his cloak at the gates of King's Landing? He used deception to sack the city he lived in. He betrayed the king who was his friend since they were both children... the king he served as a Hand for longer than I have been alive." I said, my voice raising slightly before I brought it under control. Taking a breath, I centered myself, pulling myself back into my skin for a moment and regaining my focus.

Occlumency was tricky for me to master but I had started making some headway in that branch as well. Like Legilimency, my Occlumency was based around Skinchanging, though unlike Legilimency that was the connection of my mind and soul to another body and willing a thought, Occlumency was mostly skinchanging into my own flesh and willing my thoughts to order.

It was funny that in the end, it boiled down to the instruction Snape gave in the form of "Clear your mind" when one thought about Occlumency. Sure, it was essentially Self Legilimency, but the concept still stood and you got home field advantage. While it was tricky to master and much more efficient to do with a wand in hand like any other magic I could pull off, it was probably also the safest Wandless Magic I had access to as there were no negative effects from personality bleed-through from myself like when I took over the body of another being.

Once my mind was in order and my emotions under control, I continued. "Do you think any promise he makes to people he cares nothing for is worth the parchment it is written on?" I asked.

"The Mines of Casterly Rock are known even to us," said Tycho Nestoris.

I smirked, as the man finally took the bait I was laying down. I could not really do anything with the Bank, but lay my cards on the table. It was worth nothing to me in the long run and it would be a thorn in Robert's side, so I might as well go all in.

"Do you know of House Westerling?" I asked, seemingly changing the conversation.

"A House in Westerlands." one of the others answered.

"They mined their silver mines for eight thousand years." I explained, "Three generations ago, they stopped mining."

"One house out of many." countered the man who answered.

"Reynes of Castamere too borrowed heavily from Tywin's father, as did Tarbecks. Lannisters could not afford to not get the gold back. There is a song about it, I am sure you heard." I added. "Neither mined as heavy as Lannisters nor did they dug as greedily."

"What are you implying, Prince Viserys?" asked the Bad Cop, leaning forward.

"I served as cupbearer to my father, listened in on the meetings of Small Council." I explained "I know we had a full treasury despite the Rebellion, and now it remains empty if Robert seeks to borrow from you. I heard whispers that may or may not be true, though I heard that lately, the mines of Casterly Rock produced the same amount, whether in hundreds, thousands... or millions."

"What you are suggesting... what proof do you have?" asked the Bad Cop.

"Any proof I have would be worth nothing to you" I answered, as I truly did not know if what I was saying was true. I knew that the mines drying up was specifically for the Show-verse and there was no mention of it in the books. I was not sure which of those was the truth.

For all I knew, Casterly Rock still had enough gold stored away to break the economy but it would not matter. What I needed was for the Illusion of Tywin's Wealth to be broken enough for me to get what I wanted. I also made a mental note to sack that piece of rock Tywin called home when I was ready and figure out a way to cast Fiendfyre to melt it down like Harrenhall as a warning to others.

Even if it was not a fact, the shadow of a doubt would linger, and it would give me the time needed to prepare. The purpose was never to get the support of the Iron Bank to be made into a puppet king. It was always the resources and the protection the Iron Bank could provide against Robert until I was powerful enough to protect my own.

"So you give us nothing?" said the Bad Cop, though he seemed interested in my words.

"Send men to look for miners who died mysteriously near Lannisport in the last few years, never to speak of their failure to find new veins of gold or how Tywin left his son in charge of the sewers to look for new veins" I countered, framing Tywin as a non-sustainable option in the long run and throwing in some reasonable doubt to what I knew to be true with how Tyrion was given the duty of taking care of the sewers. "Hear the story of the smallfolk who suffer under Tywin's Iron Fist, as though they were slaves. Any word they say would be worth more than what I would say today. The Peace Robert has is built on the backs of dead children... and it will last until they live and no more."

That seemed to have done it, as any Bank knew that a war was both a risk and an opportunity at once. Now I had them... I just needed to take as much as I could, knowing that any investment they made for me would be added to the debt that Iron Throne would start developing, not that Robert would notice it in the first place. That was the trick of these bankers in the end. They would invest in one side if they thought it a good investment. They would invest in both sides if the investment was not secure and collect both debts from the winner.

It took nearly another hour of negotiating, but I was able to make a deal to act as their insurance against Robert's Reign. If Robert failed to pay back the debt, or when eventually Cersei or Joffrey did the stupid thing and refused to pay the debt they owed to the Iron Bank, I would be there to act as a subtle threat and someone willing to pay it back. In exchange, I would gain the resources to build myself as a significant threat that was useful for the Iron Bank... though what those resources would be, I was not sure of for now.

When I came out of the room, I saw that Ser Willem was on the bench in the corner, sitting with a frown on his face. He handed me the parchment I had given... the precaution I had taken was for naught but the paranoia was well deserved given the world I found myself in. As I had to break the connection to the birds for a moment when I used Occlumency, a secondary confirmation helped. I took the belts holding my wand and dagger, inspecting both before placing them back in their sheathes.

We left the bank with a smirk on my face.

Paying back to the Iron Bank in gold would be easy in the long run once I grew in power enough to casually raid the rich and I needed the resources in the short run to grow in power.

It took nearly two weeks before there was a knock on the Red Door.

The man standing was bald with a long beaked nose. He handed a scroll to the servant who answered the door.

"From the Iron Bank... it is a deed." explained Ser Willem, reading it "To a manse outside the city, with a horse ranch it would seem."

"Good enough to train knights?" I asked, with a whisper.

"If gods are good." responded the Master At Arms, his eyes shining with renewed hope.

The man stood at the door, still waiting. A smirk on his face meant he was here for something else.

"And who are you?" I asked, looking at the man who dressed far too nicely for a simple messenger.

"I am Syrio Forel, First Sword of Braavos." responded the man in Braavosi.

"And?" I asked as I inspected the man for the warrior he was.

"I am here to train you in the art of Water Dancing, and to see your mettle, boy." said the man.

I considered it for a moment, before stepping to the side, silently ordering Ser Willem to do the same, letting the First Sword enter through the front gate. I was already training in the knightly arts by Ser Willem, but a second style that was more common in Essos would certainly be welcome, even if I knew that Syrio Forel would report everything to the Sealord or Iron Bank in the end, to make sure that their investment was worth the continued investment.

AN: There Wizerys vs Iron Bank to the one commentor who requested it. No one could really expect a ten year old to make more sense than many nobles of Westeros, but a grown man in the body of a child is cheating according to some, especially one with canon knowledge. I was hoping to be able to have Wizerys to channel Lyanna Mormont there.

This chapter is dedicated to the trope shared by most Targaryen SI in Essos I have read, with some hidden cache of money in the Iron Bank that made them instantly rich. A fully grown Wizerys would either have the ability to casually procure the gold he owes the Bank, or he would already be dead because of some explosion doing Magic. Iron Bank and to a lesser extent, Bank of House Rogare that used to exist are based around the Bank of Medici and other medieval banking systems that were different from the retail banking done today as far as I could understand, though I am not an expert so might me wrong. Given that the books only had them give large scale loans to Lords, Kings and the Night's Watch, figured they would have something of a preference for Nobility or people who can borrow on the larger scale than some peasant.

Horses to raise knights would be the most useful thing in the current setting and it would be something Wizerys would not be able to learn in the long run, hence the whole Barefoot King thing with the Dothraki. It would allow Wizerys to allow being trained more effectively by Ser Willem who for all we know was a competent Master at Arms, having trained Rhaegar who was pretty competent as a warrior if he could wound Robert in their fight, it was just that Robert was essentially a demigod during the Rebellion. Raising a few more knights and have a safe house away from the city also helps in the long run.

I threw in some Introduction to Occlumency in there as well, and yes, the entire thing boils down to "Clear your mind" ironically enough. I will probably develop it more and give it more substance in the long run but that is what Wizerys could do for now.

Head canon for me for Harry Potter wands is that the change of wands from the first movie to the later movies is that wands are alive and they slowly change shape to fit the personality of the wielder, so it might be same in this setting as well. It also explains how Voldemort had an obviously evil looking wand with a bone like handle and no one suspected a thing when he was a child if the wand did not start off looking like that and grew to become what we know it to be as Voldemort became the monster he is in the books and movies.

A Wild First Sword appears, because this is Braavos and of course an SI would track down Syrio Forel in some way... and sometimes, find him as a happy little coincidence.