Chapter 161: The Lion & The Rose

POV: The Most Powerful Woman in Westeros.

Never Winter Bank.

As the Great Lion prepared to Roar...

The last grain of sand in the hourglass ran out. Time was up.

The Frosty Spice Queen maintained her impassive friendly smile at the arrayed audience, showing no sign of her worries...

Barbrey sensed Duncan's alarmed look from the stands, but the last-second communication between the two would never come in time.

Something had gone wrong, and that had to do with Tycho Nestoris.

Now, it was the Titan Representative who was showing a polite wolfish grin toward her...

The New Director General of the Never Winter Bank approached his employer, whispering:

"My lady, we cannot wait any longer." Ronan was right. Even if she wanted to, the Never Winter Bank had to show that its word was as ironclad and strict as the Iron Bank.

It had to be an hour from the start, not a minute more and not a minute less...

Barbrey peered at him for a few moments with a spark of irritation, then she nodded in reply, "Go ahead, Director Ronan... Let the show begin."

The young man did not repeat himself twice. Finally, Ronan positioned himself in the centre of the archway where a dozen assistants with all the necessary equipment were ready and waiting for him, and, capturing the attention of the room, the auction director said:

"My Lords, My Ladies, I, Ronan of House Atreides, will be the Auction Director who will have the burden and privilege of assisting you! Before the auction begins, let me outline the manner and details of the proceedings, as well as the coveted prizes up for grabs!" The whole room fell silent, paying absolute attention to the presenter.

"Starting from the right, let us introduce our noble contestants, beginning with the honourable representative of Braavos, the Director General of the Iron Bank, Tycho Nestoris!" The Braavosian acted his part with dignity with a polite bow.

"The representative of the Trident and Iron Islands, Lord Hoster Tully!

From the respected lands of the West, the Head in Chief of House Lannister, Lord Tywin Lannister!..."

About two minutes later...

"And last but not least...

The representative of the Yi Ti Empire, spokesman of all lands from the Bone Mountains to the Grey Desert, of all waters from the Jade Sea to the Narrows of the Thousand Islands, as well as the undisputed spokesman and Leader of the Confederation of Wizards, the Archwizard and Lord Supreme of Carcosa, the noble Duq of the Chai Dynasty!" The wizard honoured the representative of the Bank of the North by responding to the label with magnanimity and a bow typical of Yi Ti culture.

"As you can see, Your Graces and my Lords, we have set up demonstration vertical iron rods, each for each representative..." The attendants uncovered the veil on the platform, showing alongside the twelve black iron rods, ten feet high respectively, and a small golden hill divided into large thin gold discs weighing twenty pounds each with a hole in the centre. Each disk was exactly ½ inch thick. Each ten-foot-high black iron rod could hold in its entirety: 240 golden discs (a maximum of 72,000,000 gold dragons).

"Each gold disk that will be placed in the iron rod will take into account the contribution made by each faction in real time! Since each noble city or kingdom holds a characteristic gold coin of different value, the competition will be held on the unit of ounces for the simplicity and proper understanding of us all. One hundred thousand ounces* is the base auction price!

One disc corresponds to one hundred thousand ounces, the minimum unit with which to participate or raise one's contribution bid." Barbrey held back a slight grin of amusement when she noticed both Robert Baratheon and Mace Tyrell covertly asking for clarification from their accounting assistants.

"I remind all of you, my lords, that those who have chosen to participate in this auction have chosen to be Elite clients of the Never Winter Bank... Your gold will be entrusted to our management, obtaining a high corporate interest of 8% per annum (cumulative), which will guarantee you the primacy in sales services of House Stark and House Bolton products, as well as guaranteeing a variety of other benefits here in the Silk Road and throughout the North, 'But' which cannot be withdrawn or returned for a minimum period of 'Three Years'...!" The Director allowed the audience a few seconds for clear assimilation. Then he resumed...

"So weigh carefully on every bid and availability, noble competitors... From the official opening until the closing of the Auction, every pledged bid will be a contractual bond with the Never Winter Bank! The institution that will have as its executive guarantor the illustrious Company of The Rose, House Stark and every noble vassal Household ... and "The North Remembers," my Lords." The warning/threat seemed to be heeded. The cold sweat of poor Hoster Tully, the pale face and agitation of so many other lesser nobles in the rows in the stands, many among whom had promised far more gold to their representative than their Household could afford, was proof of this.

Barbrey knew well that among the many big words uttered by those 'Noble' and 'Honorable' lords and ladies of Westeros and Essos, there lurked snakes anxious to test the reliability of the Never Winter Bank...

'Words are wind, blood is the only ink that ever fades ... mh, mh. Who knows, who knows... Who among these pigs will grunt first?' Sang Barbrey inwardly assessed to herself which Greedy Pig among those present, Cregan Illax Winter himself, would have to open his belly to pull out the promised golden innards...

Ronan elucidated the final details "The Auction will be held in a single session, in which the order of priority on the rights to sell Damascus Steel Armor and Weapons will be determined! The prizes up for grabs will be divided as follows..." The assistants discovered the freshly-inked canvas boards on which the twelve prizes had just been inscribed.

1st) - Sales Rights on Standard Damascus (Weapon only) up to 10,000 Max products per moon; 20% off the base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Fine Quality (Weapon and Armor) up to 1,000 products Max per moon; 15% off the base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Elite (Weapon and Armor): up to 100 total Max works per moon; 10% discount off the base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Royal Quality (Weapon "or" Armor): 1 Max job per moon. "No" resale rights will be allowed on any work by Grand Master Mott. To the Household or the First Individual who will be granted a warranty certificate binding the weapon or armour to its rightful 1st owner and all heirs designated by him.

*Sales rights on Stark-Bolton products will be exclusive to the winning faction for the first 6 moons. After the exclusivity period has expired, the price will no longer be discounted. All production lots will still be guaranteed, but any surplus not purchased will be placed on the market.

2°)- Resale Rights on Standard Damascus (Weapon only): Up to 8,000 total Max jobs per moon; 15% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Fine Quality (Weapon and Armor) up to 800 products Max per moon; 10% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Elite (Weapon and Armor): up to 80 total Max works per moon; 7.5% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Royal Quality (Weapon "or" Armor): 1 Max job every 40 days. "No" resale rights will be allowed on any work of Grand Master Mott. To the Household or the First Individual to whom will be granted a warranty certificate binding the weapon or armour to its rightful 1st owner and all heirs designated by him.

*The sale will begin after the expiration of the first exclusive right (after 6 moons from now). The second winning faction will keep the Discount Bonus and exclusivity on the guaranteed product shares for 5 moons. After the exclusivity period has expired, the price will no longer be discounted. All production batches will still be guaranteed, but any surplus not purchased will be placed on the market.

3°)- Sales Rights on Standard Damascus (Weapon only): Up to 6,000 total Max products per moon; 8% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Fine Quality (Weapon and Armor) up to 600 products Max per moon; 6% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Elite (Weapon and Armor): up to 60 total Max works per moon; 4% discount off the base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Royal Quality (Weapon "or" Armor): 1 Max work per 2 moons. "No" resale rights will be allowed on any work of Grand Master Mott. To the Household or First Individual to whom a certificate of warranty will be granted binding the weapon or armour to its rightful 1st owner and all heirs designated by him.

*The sale will begin after the expiration of the first two exclusive rights (after 11 moons from now). The second winning faction will retain the Discount Bonus and exclusivity on guaranteed product shares for 4 moons. After the exclusivity period has expired, the price will no longer be discounted. All production batches will still be guaranteed, but any surplus not purchased will be placed on the market.

4°)- Resale Rights on Standard Damascus (Weapon only): Up to 4,000 total Max products per moon; 5% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Fine Quality (Weapon and Armor) up to 400 products Max per moon; 3.5% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Elite (Weapon and Armor): up to 40 total Max products per moon; 2% discount on base price and resale rights included.

- Damascus Royal Quality (Weapon "or" Armor): 1 Max work every 75 days. "No" resale rights will be allowed on any work by Grand Master Mott. To the Household or the First Individual to whom a warranty certificate will be granted binding the weapon or armour to its rightful 1st owner and all heirs designated by him.

*The sale will begin after the expiration of the first three exclusive rights (after 15 moons from today). The second winning faction will retain the Discount Bonus and exclusivity on guaranteed product shares for 3 moons. After the exclusivity term expires, the price will no longer be discounted. All production batches will still be guaranteed, but any surplus not purchased will be placed on the market.

****

From fifth place onward, no one benefited from discounts. The quotas would stabilize at 3,000 pieces of Damascus Standard, 300 Fine Quality, 30 Elite Quality per moon, and 1 Mott work for every 3 moons, respectively. The only (crucial) difference was the wait of 3 moons between market openings for the respective positions from the sixth to the twelfth...

Overall, after 36 moons from the start of the Auction (about three years), the entire world market, or at least the good part "friendly" to the North, would have free access to Damascus.

Should Oldtown, Braavos, or other factions that retroactively benefited from the Guardian of Love Guarantee openly declare war on the First Men or the Royal Household Stark, the North could terminate the contracts that bound them to said obligations...

****

About five minutes after Ronan finished communicating and explaining the benefits of the Auction prizes...

"My Lords, my Ladies, Your Graces, I declare the Auction officially open! Starting Base Price 100,000 ounces of gold...!" Thundered the Auction Director.

"100,000 ounces!" The Trident was awarded the first gold disc.

"One hundred for Lord Hoster Tully, who will bid two hundred?" Many hands and voices began to rise while others stood waiting...

"And so it begins," whispered Lady Barbrey as she sat comfortably next to her husband, Jorah, in the grandstand.

Everything that could be done for the Never Winter Bank's debut had been done. So, at least for that night, all that remained for the Most Powerful Woman in Westeros was to make herself comfortable and enjoy the show...

End POV.

------

POV: The Most Powerful Man in Westeros.

Never Winter Bank.

About two minutes later from the start of the Great Golden Spectacle...

The Auction had just entered the thick of the competition--Puglia had just been separated from the wheat. Seven factions had already given up on the competition, raising the white "Last Bid" marker and settling for the positions they had already won.

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In order, from sixth to twelfth and final position:

-6th The Triarch of Volantis, Nyessos Vhassar, the representative of the confederation of the slave cities of Volantis, Meeren, Astapor, Yunkai and New Ghis: 2,000,000 Gold Ounces.

-7th The Magister of Pentos Manolo, Representative of the Pentos, Qohor and Lorath Coalition: 1,700,000 Golden Once.

-8th The Archon Bobhay Bebax of the Hibenese Council: 1,500,000 Golden Once.

-9th The Archon Tofelio Porpat, representative of the Tyrosh, Myr and Lys Triarchy: 1,400,000 Golden Once.

-10th The Mercant Prince Xaro Xhoan Daxos, representative of Qarth and the merchant cities of the Red Desert: 1,200,000 Golden Once.

-11th Lord Hoster Tully, Trident and the Iron Islands representative: 900,000 Golden Once.

And to the dismay of the room, in last and twelfth place...

The Director General of the Iron Bank and Representative of Braavos, Tycho Nestoris: 300,000 Golden Ounces.

Only five representatives were left competing-Robert Baratheon, Doran Martell, Tywin Lannister, Mace Tyrell, and Chai Duq...

Almost all the remaining factions were in equal positions, standing firm at the 2,200,000-ounce mark. On the other hand, Carcosa was in no hurry to win. Undoubtedly the Sorcerer was relaxed and complacent in enjoying the walk to the summit calmly...

By now, no one could stop Chai Duq, not even if the Old Lion had put every single piece of gold left in Casterly Rock on the plate.

Lord Leyton Hightower could not help but cast alarming glances at his potential future ally, trying to communicate to him with his gaze {In the name of All the Thousand Gods you worship, what the heck are you doing, Nestoris?! You know damn well that the Reach and Oldtown don't stand a chance against Carcosa!!! So what the fuck are you retreating for?!!! Are you going to let that fool conquer all of Sothoryos?!} Somehow, the Braavosian seemed to sense part of the gestural message. Still, the Director only responded with neutral, friendly smiles...

*SssDOONGH!!!* Yet another metallic thud jolted Leyton's heart, breaking his concentration. Another disk was inserted in favour of the Dornians, raising the golden column of the Dorne/Norvos/Summer Island coalition to 11 1/2 inches. The Never Winter Bank had just acquired another 300,000 gold dragons of deposit funds...

"Prince Doran offers 2,300,000 Once! 2,300,000! Does anyone bid 2,400,000?" Asked the Auction Director with rapidity and a thundering voice.

"The Noble Household 'Tyrell' bids 2,400,000 Golden Ounces!" Trilled Mace Tyrell shamelessly in a tone that was nothing short of embarrassing. All the representatives spared themselves only in numbers, or at most general nods to the faction such as "The West," "The Crown",... His Son-in-law was the only one who, with each offer, specified high-sounding buzzwords such as "Noble," "The Great," and "The Ancient," always making sure that the name "Tyrell" shone above every other...

Even the haughty and hypocritical Sorcerer of 300 lofty titles seemed to begin to be annoyed by this... A few discs earlier, Leyton heard the Sorcerer ask aloud and to his assistant in the common language of Yin {"But who are these infamous Tyrells, Quaithe? !"} and the Red Witch replied {"A House of attendants in the direct employ of the Gardener Kings, master... For some three centuries now, it is the Tyrells who have ruled the Green Lands."}

{"What?! And since when were Garth's descendants ousted...?! Nha, I've reconsidered. I don't even want to know... Focus on the Auction, Qhaithe! I want the agitation and gastric juices to wear down the False Sorcerer's stomach until he spits blood! Ahahahah!"}

Perhaps Chai Duq did not know that Leyton was fluent in eight languages and that High Yi Tiìn (Most Spoken Language in the Yi Ti Empire) was one among them... Or perhaps, the bastard did know and was openly insulting him on purpose, hiding under a devious veil of false ignorance...

"2,500,000!" Roared the Lion, anticipating the accountant's demand.

"Lord Tywin offers-" The young man was anticipated again.

"The Illustrious Household "Tyrell" offers 2,600,000 Golden Ounces!"

*SssDOONGH!!* *SssDOONGH!!* *SssDOONGH!!* Three disks dropped in robbery succession. Deafening noises to Leyton's ears, but almost certainly as dulcet as jingling coins to Barbrey Mormont and Duncan Tallhart. Every freaking record added meant more power for the North and more trouble for Oldtown--The Reach had already funded the First Men with 7,800,000 gold dragons. And the struggle between the Lion and the Rose had just begun.

Ronan Atreides sensed the likely competition and let the two factions run wild without interruption.

"2,800,000!" Tywin Lannister fired without hesitation, creating murmurs of surprise among the crowd and the participants. It was the first time he had heard himself offered a double raise of the base bet...

His son-in-law's confident smile faltered for a moment. Mace Tyrell instinctively sought his mother's gaze for advice and reassurance on what to do.

"Follow his example and raise 200,000--but don't you dare utter House Tyrell's name in public again, or I will tear your tongue out. Are we clear?" The idiot seemed not to understand...Leyton could not help but support Olenna.

"Lady Olenna is right, my lord... You should not use only the Tyrell name in bidding. The Never Winter Bank and the North might understand your statement as a legal intent that the sum offered be borne entirely by Highgarden and not by the noble coalition of The Reach..." Whispered Leyton, following with a respectful bow to His Lord Paramount.

"G-gulp... I understand! T-thank you for your valuable advice, my dear father-in-law." At least this time, the fool seemed to take the hint.

"The Prosperous and Illustrious "THE R-E-A-C-H" offers 3,000,000 Golden Ounces!!!" So shrieked the clown, accurately sounding out the word that would save His Household from possible financial collapse...

"3,300,000!" Roared the Lion without hesitation or any alteration in tone or look.

"Woow...!" a roar of surprise erupted in the hall.

'That's almost ten million dragoons... The Western Lands should have already come very close to their threshold limit. So why hasn't the Old Lion wavered even a little? Could it just be a bluff to scare the Rose?' Reasoned the Old Man of Oldtown.

Mace Tyrell seemed to hold his breath. The round pink face acquired more and more colour with each second of waiting. However, Olenna's pondering and calculating gaze remained steadfast, studying her wealthy opponent calmly. Then Olenna held up three fingers, nodding covertly at her son's worried look.

"T-The Reach offers 3,600,000 Golden Ounces!!!" Mace blurted out, eating the first word.

"4,000,000!!" The final roar sensitively penetrated even the armour of the richest and most powerful man in Westeros...

'Could it be that the cold, hardened Tywin Lannister was carried away by pride and emotion? Casterly Rock has no more than twenty, max twenty-five million gold coins left in reserve, and House Lannister's share in the coalition of the Lords of the West should be at least four-fifths... Does the Lion want to risk almost half his gold in the Bank of the North just to prove he is richer than the Rose?!' The numbers didn't add up... Something about House Hightower's secret sworn enemy eluded the well-informed Lord of Oldtown.

"What shall we do?" So asked the shocked useless Rose in search of advice.

"I advise caution, my lord, the total fund we have been able to raise from all your noble bannermen is about 3,550,000 ounces of gold... Exceeding that threshold, Highgarden would have to cover the shortfall from its own holdings alone." Warned Lord Paxter Redwine.

"House Lannister should be at the limit as well, Lord Paxter... To give in now, at a stone's throw from the finish line, would mean giving up huge and profitable gains while putting The Reach under serious threat." Lord Hightower interjected, eliciting a symbolic retreat from Lord Redwine.

Leyton had been moving heaven and earth in the last hour, using all his charm and dialectic to recycle more than 3,000,000 gold coins into more than seven lineages, vassal and "non" of The Reach in "Excellent Relations" with Oldtown... Now that the Titan had succumbed, The Hightower and The Reach absolutely had to succeed in getting second place. The Andals militia could not wait for the new weapons and armour for 11 moons.

"I agree with Lord Leyton...Let us make one last decisive attack and see if the Old Lion will falter." Promulgated the Queen of Thorns, raising five fingers. The mama's boy nodded.

"AND THEN!!! THE REACH WILL OFFER 4,500,000 OUNCES OF GOLD!!!" So screamed the Fat Rose at the top of his lungs.

"Wooohh!", "Unbelievable...", "Did you hear that?"... "House Tyrell is so rich,"... "Do you think House Lannister will give it up?"... the murmurs of the spectators began to mutate into complexes of clearly audible voices.

This time the Lion did not retort a counteroffer in the immediate...

"... Lord Mace Tyrell reaches the first position, offering as much as "4,500,000" Once! 4,500,000! No one bids more?" The auction director used seconds of silence to resume the arbitration and encourage any other bids.

But the silence did not last long...

The Old Lion raised his right palm, open at chest level, and then uttered in the same confident and relentless roar, "5,000,000!!"

A roar followed by a roar of applause and invocations flooded the hall. Even the Administrator-in-Chief of the Bank of the North joined in the applause from her throne...

Amid the applause and the metallic rumblings marking the colossal golden tributes, a mighty man was angry to the point of revealing his true dark and powerful nature. Yet, one step away from committing mass genocide, which would have marked his end and that of world peace, but with a commendable effort of will, he restrained those impulses...

'It is as I feared... Someone is supporting House Lannister in the shadows!!! That the Tallharts are behind it! It would mean that the Old Eagle spilt the Lann Taboo to the bratty Heir!...! Even if that were the case, Torrhen's Square should not have such funds at the moment. House Tallhart must have invested millions in the Gauntlgrym and Silk Road projects...

Then who...? The Spider Witch of Pentos, perhaps? And who else? Neutrality and impartiality my mockery, Guardian!!! This is a declaration of war!!!' Leyton tried to remain calm and rational, pondering more carefully.

After a few seconds of deep inspiration, the rational and usually "sober" Lord Protector of the Andal Council also discarded Old Zishua and Chai Duq as possible culprits. The Spider Queen had given him her word of absolute impartial neutrality for the entire period of Carcosa's diplomatic visit, sealing the pact in the name of Love, Beauty and Magic... The Fourth Organization could not have financed the Lannister Royal Family directly or indirectly, and the Wizarding Confederation would not have dared to violate the Treaty of Archwizard Lo Tho.

But if it was not the followers of The Watcher, nor the Magicians nor the First Men, then who?'

Discarding the impossible, what remained, improbable as it was, had to be the solution...

Lord Hightower turned his gaze with dismay toward the smiling, calm official of the Iron Bank.

"M-Mother...? W-what do we have to do?" Asked the whimpering, trembling mama's boy.

"We retire with the dignity and finances of our Household still intact, my dear...This is a battle we cannot win." So sentenced the Queen of Thorns, forcing the foursome to give a deep and respectful bow to the winning faction by raising the surrender marker.

***

End Chapter

***

*Author's Note [I am announcing that an ounce (28.35 g) will be the main unit of measure that all mints or institutions use in reference for minting. This was my narrative choice for the sake of everyone's understanding: writer, reader and characters included...

I give an example, the cities of Braavos, Volantis and Lys have your different gold coins, characteristic of their city. The gold coin of Braavos will weigh ¼ ounce. That of Lys ½ of an ounce and so on for each other...

As mentioned in Cap 154 (The Platinum Bank) notes, a gold dragoon, the coinage used on the continent of Westeros, weighs exactly 1/3 ounce. Ergo 100,000 ounces of gold = 300,000 gold dragons]

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