Game of Thrones: Reincarnated

Fifteen days had flown by since Lucas had announced the recruitment of new soldiers into the City Watch and had finalised the land for the new city.

For the following week, he had almost holed himself up in the Red Keep, meticulously working out plans and designs for both the construction of the new city and the redevelopment of King's Landing. At times, he had conducted reconnaissance of the city to draw up his plans.

Quite a few things had happened over these past days.

Margaery had been consistently seeking his company, hoping to spend more time with him. She was quite steadfast in her efforts and it was so clear that she was quite purposeful.

While Lucas was very much willing to engage in the game she was playing, he did not want to fall behind on the pressing matters of planning and development. Even so, he managed to entertain her for short stretches of time.

Cersei, on the other hand, had also been actively looking for him. The desire of the flesh he had ignited within her was proving difficult to extinguish.

But merciless as he was, Lucas had been deliberately avoiding her. Even when their paths crossed 'accidentally' within the Red Keep, he restricted their exchanges to small talk and always feigned urgent obligations. As a result, Cersei had begun growing visibly restless, and Lucas was certain it would not be long before she confronted him directly. He wanted her to snap of patience first and be the one who bent to him.

The reforms Lucas had initiated within the City Watch had also begun on a promising note. Ser Gary was doing a remarkable job training the new recruits and educating them on proper conduct with the general populace.

Although it was almost impossible to establish a full written code of conduct in such a short duration, Lucas had been laying the groundwork. He aimed to create a broad framework within a few days, using existing written laws and rules of the realm as a foundation. The later details could be added gradually over time.

The construction expert and the craftsmen team he had summoned from the Westerlands had arrived in King's Landing six days ago, and Lucas had immediately handed over the master plans and blueprints to them.

Construction had already begun, albeit slowly for now. Labourers were being hired. But momentum was building, and the pace would soon pick up. Local masons and other craftsmen were also being picked up. Lucas had also instructed them to select a group of individuals who would till the land.

Tillie, whose body Lucas had completely refined, was proving to be an extremely capable assistant. Having guided her through education and rigorous understanding of various concepts for years, Tillie had already been able an able assistant. And now with her enhanced mind, she was proving herself to be of even greater value. She was absorbing information at an astonishing rate and had taken a considerable load off his shoulders.

Just a day ago, the much anticipated recruitment drive of the soldiers had also concluded. Lucas had successfully inducted 3,000 additional men into the City Watch, causing a massive stir among King's Landing's officials and nobles.

With his previous force of 2,000, he now commanded 5,000 soldiers within the city. A power that many in the court deeply feared.

So, it was no surprise that, the very next day, Lucas received a summons to attend a Small Council meeting. And he did not need to be a genius to guess what the main topic of discussion would be.

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.

"Your Grace," everyone present in the council hall rose to their feet as Robert Baratheon entered.

It was still early morning, so Robert, for once, was mostly sober. He let out a grunt of greeting and took his seat on the large wooden chair at the head of the table. The rest followed suit.

Seated to his immediate right was Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, and to his left, Grand Maester Pycelle. Varys and Petyr Baelish sat beside Arryn, while Stannis and Renly were positioned next to Pycelle. Directly opposite Robert, across the table, sat Lucas Lannister.

"What is it, Jon?" Robert bellowed. "Why did you drag me into a council meeting this early in the morning?"

Attending council meetings was a chore Robert avoided unless absolutely necessary.

"Your Grace," Jon Arryn cleared his throat, "Ser Lucas has recently taken actions which, I believe, fall outside the mandate you granted him."

"Oh?" Robert leaned forward slightly, now mildly interested. "What has he done?"

"He is planning to expand the City Watch," Jon explained. "He has recruited 3,000 additional men, mostly from the smallfolk."

Robert's gaze shifted to Lucas, clearly waiting for his response.

"Your Grace," Lucas said calmly, "unlike the Lord Hand, I believe I have remained well within the mandate you provided me."

"And how is that?" Renly asked with a sneer of arrogance.

"My mandate or rather duty, as I understood it, was to maintain law and order in King's Landing including areas like Flea Bottom, where crime is rampant," Lucas replied, his voice steady. "How am I supposed to achieve that with such a meagre force?"

He paused briefly before continuing. "Tell me, and I ask this to every esteemed member of this council. Are 2,000 men truly sufficient to maintain order in a city this size, with a population of over half a million?"

Silence followed. None could offer a rebuttal. Even those who disliked Lucas could not deny that 2,000 men were woefully insufficient for managing the capital.

Meanwhile, a slight crease had formed on Jon Arryn's forehead. The number 2,000 did not sit right with him. It sounded unfamiliar. On the other hand, Petyr Baelish wore a mildly anxious expression. He silently prayed that the actual number of soldiers would not be brought up in the discussion. If Jon Arryn questioned it, Petyr would be hard pressed to give a convincing answer.

"I do not mean to sound confrontational," Lucas continued, his voice calm and composed, "but the matter of increasing the City Watch has been debated in this very court before. The only reason the plan was shelved was due to the strain it would impose on the treasury."

"And that strain would still exist, Ser Lucas," Stannis pointed out sternly.

"No," Lucas rebutted immediately. "There will be no impact on the treasury. I will pay the salaries of the new recruits. The Crown need not worry. In fact, I am even willing to pay the salaries of those already serving in the City Watch."

"This is outrageous," Jon Arryn nearly shouted.

Lucas offering to pay the soldiers' wages was no minor gesture. It meant their loyalty, both direct and indirect, would lie with him, not the Crown.

"The Crown is free to pay them if it prefers," Lucas said with a light shrug. "I have no objection."

Jon Arryn fell silent. They did not have the coin. Maybe they could ask for another loan?

"But the recruitment must not be stopped," Lucas pressed. "Even with these 3,000 new men, we now have just 5,000 soldiers for a population of 500,000. That is one soldier per hundred people and even that is insufficient."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes locking with Robert's. "And we must also consider that a completely new city is being constructed. You cannot expect to govern both King's Landing and the new city with the same force."

"The numbers," he concluded, "must be raised even further."

A heavy silence settled over the council chamber. Every word Lucas had spoken made perfect sense. None could find a reasonable argument against him, at least, not one that would not expose their fear of losing influence.

"Lucas," Robert finally spoke, breaking the silence, "you may continue what you have started."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Lucas said with a respectful nod.

"But only this once," Robert added firmly. "Any future additions to the City Watch will require my express permission."

"As for their salaries. You will pay the 3,000 men you recruited. The Crown will continue to pay those who were already in service."

Lucas nodded. A balanced decision. While Robert had granted him what he wanted this time, he had also drawn a clear boundary and was clipping Lucas from further expanding his force without royal approval.

The others were also relieved, even if slightly. At least, Lucas had been curbed to increase his influence even further. They could manage things at this point.

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