Chapter 129. Problematic people.

Chapter 129: Chapter 129. Problematic people.

Daenerys watched a woman cling to a young man. The boy looked uncomfortable, his ears red, his expression showing how much he wished he were anywhere else. The princess looked at the boy’s leg, or rather, the lack of it.

"They are not going to separate me from my boy," the woman said furiously. Looking at her more closely, Daenerys saw her gray hair and wrinkled skin. For a woman with such a young son, she seemed rather old.

"He was assigned to the carpenters’ district. You to the district for ordinary residents," a man said in a despotic tone. "It says so here." He struck a board holding sheets of paper.

The woman did not even look at the letters. She probably could not read. Daenerys stepped closer. She was the lady of this castle; any dispute among its inhabitants could be settled by her. It was her duty to make sure the people lived in peace upon her lands.

"Princess." Everyone recognized her at once. There were few silver-haired women in the city, and none of them wore the brooch of intertwined dragons that Daenerys did.

She greeted them with a smile. She felt kindness was the first step. If someone chose to abuse her kindness, that was on them. "I heard you were going to separate this woman from her son." She looked at the one-legged young man. "Are you a carpenter?" she asked, only to make him speak.

"Yes, my princess. I can work sitting down." The boy looked away from the woman. Daenerys smiled even more. He was a good lad, trying not to embarrass her.

"The boy will live in the carpenters’ district, my princess. But his mother is not a carpenter," the man from before, bald and potbellied, said again. His look was not as respectful as the young man’s.

"She is not a carpenter? She is his family. That should be enough." The woman seemed to release all the tension in her body when the princess spoke in her favor.

"Those are the prince’s orders. People who know a trade go to their districts. Those who do not go to ordinary residential areas." Daenerys narrowed her eyes at his stubbornness.

"The princess’s orders are that families are not to be separated. I will speak with Jaehaerys about this misunderstanding. I am certain my husband did not intend for his orders to be carried out this way." The man looked at her, his eyes irritated, as though she were taking authority away from him.

"Princess, the orders—"

"Do you know how to obey orders, my lord?" Dany asked sharply, her patience spent. "If you do not, you will learn, and if you cannot learn, then I will find someone who can." The man looked away. He no longer seemed admiring. Now he looked like a scolded child on the verge of a tantrum.

"The prince’s orders were clear." The fat man just went on and on.

"By what right do you contradict me? I am the lady of these lands. I am the wife of the man you claim to obey. I know him better than you ever will, I know how he thinks, and I know the last thing he would want is to put that mother far from her son." Daenerys came close enough to catch some of the man’s stench. Completely unpleasant.

"I would rather wait for the prince’s confirmation," he said, trying to sound proud.

"You would do better to obey the princess," Tohrren said behind Daenerys.

"Just find someone new to do his job," Daenerys said. "What is your name?" she asked the woman.

"Myra, my princess. My son is called Pate," the woman said with a curtsy.

"Myra, Pate," the princess repeated with a smile. She wanted to show that she cared about them. "Has a house already been assigned to Pate?"

"Only to him," the potbellied man said again. "Princess, I was appointed resettlement overseer. You cannot simply—"

"Less kindly nobles would have torn out your tongue for the way you address me," the princess said. "Then you will be reassigned. You will build houses now. I am not finished speaking," she said when the man’s jaw opened to interrupt her. "You will build, or you will leave the city."

"Princess." He looked more frightened now.

Daenerys thought of making Blackfyre roar, but that might frighten the smallfolk.

"If I have to ask again, you will be punished for insubordination." The man clenched his teeth as he walked away. "Do you know who chose him for this job?" the princess asked Tohrren. The man shook his head.

"I’ll go find out the chain of command," he said before approaching another group of men.

"Thank you, Princess," Myra said.

"You may go to the house assigned in the carpenters’ district." The princess smiled at her.

A small crowd had formed around them to watch the argument. Daenerys tried not to show that she felt a little embarrassed. She felt she had lost her temper, though she had come nowhere near ordering Blackfyre to burn the man as he had burned the Ironborn ships.

"Back to your work," the princess said. Everyone bowed before returning to their tasks.

"Thank you, Princess." A little girl approached her, only for guards to block her path. Daenerys smiled and knelt so they were at the same height. "Master Gabe separated my parents. Can they be together again?" The girl held out a white flower, as though offering something in exchange for the princess considering her request.

Dany took it. It was pure white and beautiful, though spotted with mud. It was clear the girl had tried to clean it, but had not managed to remove all of it.

"Nothing will separate them again," Dany told her.

"Meg!" a woman shouted as she hurried over. "My princess, forgive me. She does not know, she does not know. Forgive her. If someone must be punished, punish me." The woman threw herself around the little girl.

"How could I punish someone who gave me such a beautiful gift?" Dany said, showing the flower. "I heard you were separated from your husband?" the princess asked.

"Yes, my princess. My husband is a blacksmith. I... I have no trade. They said I could not stay with him." Daenerys sighed heavily and looked down at the flower to temper her anger.

"You will be reassigned," the princess said. "I will make certain of it." She comforted them, then went to look for Tohrren. She saw him coming to find her.

Tohrren had obtained the information he needed about the chain of command. It seemed the man had a friend among the castle guards. Daenerys would have to prune a few posts. Before that, however, she was going to straighten out the entire reassignment problem.

The problem was finding someone trustworthy. There could be many good-hearted people, but that did not mean they were good at the work. They might be too soft, or perhaps unable to read or interpret maps. She needed someone capable, kind, firm, and loyal. But where could she find such a person?

"What do you think, Val?" the princess finally asked the Free Folk woman.

Val seemed to think for a long while. The princess said nothing more. There was no need to rush an answer. She herself was trying to think of someone for the post.

"You southerners control your people too much. Even to the point of deciding where they will spend the night," the woman said after a long silence. Daenerys looked at her without offense. Deep down, she was a little relieved by the honesty.

"You think so?" Dany said thoughtfully. "We decided to assign districts according to people’s trades so they would live closer to their work. Besides, the houses are built for them. Solid and safe. You can ask them. I do not think anyone will complain about receiving a house and living closer to their work." Val gave a heavy nod.

"Even so, it is as if they were puppets for you to move as you please," the wildling woman said. "Your word is law. They cannot say no."

"They can... and when they do, I will listen. But this is not work I can do every day. I have other duties. So I need someone trustworthy for it." The princess looked at Val. "You were a leader among the Free Folk, were you not?" she asked.

The idea in her mind was beginning to seem more sensible. It would be a way for Val to grow closer to the people of ArgentStone, and for the people of ArgentStone to grow closer to Val. Daenerys had watched her. She knew Gabe, the resettlement overseer, separating families had bothered Val almost as much as it had bothered her.

"I was close to the leaders," Val said, narrowing her eyes. She could already smell the princess’s request coming. "I can’t read."

"Oh, you’ll learn quickly," Dany said with a smile.

Give me stones... I’ll give you a virtual cookie

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