The Young Lion

Act 1 Ch 17 A Visit From A Spider

The following weeks went by without much incident, the import foods were still coming in steadily through the ports. Thwarting the Tyrells supply blockade from the land. Lark, his master of trade, was managing his merchant’s guild quite well and the noisy nobles were starting to quiet down. Joffrey spent his time with his new recruits instructing them and making sure they were provided for.

He broke the training up into three sections: First conditioning would be in the morning, he followed the standard Marine Corps PT for his recruits. First focusing on body weight exercises: push ups, pull ups, squats, planks, and running for cardio. He eventually planned to build them up to free weights, but for now he wanted to push them without breaking them. Second would be individual skill work. They were armed with training weapons: short swords, shields, spears, and crossbows and taught how to move and strike. They would stab the hay dummies and slash at the wooden posts one after the other. Third was the hardest which was formation training. They would learn how to work together from three man squads all the way to a hundred men units. He wanted them to learn to cover each other’s back and build their “family” mentality. 

He broke up the cohort into six individual units with a hundred men per unit. Joffrey had specifically chosen veterans from the small folk who had served in previous wars as levies to act as officers. They had true experience with the horrors of war. After being personally educated in line infantry tactics by Joffrey himself, they had begun to form their own ranks.

His second in command was actually a knight and captain of the mud gate Jacelyn Bywater. He had been knighted by the drunk fool Robert Baratheon for his valor in the Greyjoy rebellion, where he had lost his right hand in the battle. He had essentially lived as a security guard for the last five years protecting the weakest gate to King’s landing. It wasn’t until he saw Joffrey's newly formed cohort did he regain his old warrior spirit. 

He had a good mind and keen eye for tactics and warfare, and unlike the gold cloaks or Lannister soldiers who laughed at the peasant troops. He was intelligent enough to realize that the young king’s cohort would be the future of warfare in the seven kingdoms. Watching their unique formations and battle maneuvers, Jacelyn was awed by the young king’s ingenuity.

The middle-aged grizzly veteran approached the young king during one of his morning training sessions. He offered the young king his beaten worn sword and swore his fealty, Joffrey after hearing the middle aged knight’s story appointed him to his commander and right hand man.

Joffrey had begun spending his nights devising a military treatise on his vision on his future warfare and the necessary strategies,tactics, and logistics to conduct it. Jacelyn had treated this book like it was the new testament of the faith of seven. The more he read of his king’s vision, the more he believed that Joffrey was a military genius.

Though Joffrey was by no means a military genius, as a long-time war veteran of various strategy games set in numerous eras and a graduate of the Naval academy, he could confidently say his skills were at least advanced for the time period.

Jacelyn did not disappoint his expectations; the man in his early-forties had grasped the various formations and tactics that Joffrey taught him. He wouldn’t just follow the book but could also improvise and point out the flaws in the different forms. If anything Jacelyn was the true military genius that no one had recognized.

The pair were watching the recruits drill different formations and responding to voice commands and war horn sounds. They assembled into a tight rectangular formation, the first line of men locked their shields while the second row thrust out their spears. 

“Your grace, what do you call this form?”  He asked curiously.

“It's called the Phalanx formation.” He responded as he watched the men practice.

“It seems powerful from the front but the flanks look vulnerable.” He said after making observations. Joffrey was impressed the knight had spotted the weak spot so quickly.

“Thats why its mostly a defensive formation and we will dig out trenches and set pikes to cover the flanks from any heavy cavalry.” He responded.

“I see that makes sense.” He said rubbing his chin.

They watched as the men practiced disassembling then regaining their lines as quickly as possible. The men were hard at work training everyday from sunrise to sunset on mastering not only themselves but the formations that the king had bestowed them. Not only were they paid quite generously but Joffrey treated his men exceptionally well. They were given fresh meals three times a day, with identifiable ingredients unlike the bowls of brown they were used to in the slums. They had warm beds and soft cots and slept next to the men they would be fighting with every night building the camaraderie that Joffrey had sought.

Joffrey wanted the men to feel as if they were a professional army not a mob of peasants pretending to be soldiers. That's why he joined the training himself whenever he had the time to instill in them the faith that he had in their potential. He was following the teachings of the Theban commander Epaminondas on a professional infantry, following the virtues of constant practice, constant experience, and constant action of its soldiers. While the Lannister soldiers were lazing about drinking and whoring, his cohort was training all day everyday. It was only a matter of time before his cohorts would surpass anything the seven kingdoms had ever seen.

Though for the time the recruits wore their simple white training uniforms. Joffrey was planning on outfitting them with proper armor and arms once his friend Tobho completed the designs he had given him. After guiding the cohorts training for the day, Joffrey departed back to the Red Keep intending to spend the rest of his evening drafting plans for his future industries he had in the works. Time waits for no one and soon he would acquire funds to make his ideas a reality.

Thus he stayed up late at his desk drawing and writing on parchments.  After several hours late into the night, did he hear a knock at his door. Joffrey perked up at the noise, he shuffled and put away all his recent designs and made his way to his chamber’s doors. After arriving in front of the large wooden door he opened it to see who had come to see him at such a late hour, keeping his hand on his hidden dagger at the ready.

As he opened it he found the visage of a person who he had waited for sometime to come speak with him, it was Varys the master of whispers. He was wearing a large purple robe made of fine silk, and soft slippers. He was a rather plump man giving the impression of a very effeminate appearance. It was a smart disguise to mask his true nature of driven, conspiring patriot who cared only for the welfare of the realm and the citizens who lived in it. Joffrey chuckled internally after gazing at the man standing in front of his doorway.

“Bout time.” He thought internally.

“Lord Varys, what brings you here at this hour?” He actually asked, sounding surprised.

“Your grace.” He said his hands in his sleeves bowing to the king. “I was hoping I could speak with you in confidence.”

“Oh?” He said, raising a brow in surprise. “Of course, come in.” He said moving to the side letting Varys enter his room. He looked around outside the door to make sure no one had followed his visitor before shutting the door.

Varys made his way over to his desk and noticed the amount of papers the king had been working on and how the candlestick was nearly burnt out. He gazed at the documents with curious eyes wondering what the young man could be working on at such a late hour. He was tempted to pick one of the parchments up before Joffrey came and covered them with a ledger.

“So what would you like to speak about Lord Varys?”

He was a little disappointed he couldn’t read the documents but he wouldn’t show it on his face.

“I hope my visit hasn’t caused you any distress, your grace.” He said politely.

“Well as a matter of fact Lord Varys if it were anybody but you visiting me at this hour I might have been concerned for my chastity.” He responded with a sarcastic smirk. 

Varys looked a little bewildered by the king's comment.

“Now again why are you here?”

“I’m here to warn you, your grace.” He said calmly.

“Warn me?” He feigned ignorance.

“May I sit?” he asked, making his way to one of Joffrey’s chairs.

“No” He responded, stopping Varys mid way from sitting. “Come I hear you're such a clever man spider, let's skip all the pretentious word games and get to the point shall we.”

Varys was a little surprised but regained his composure quickly.

“If the wrong ears hear what I’m about to say, off comes my head.” He said his face turned serious. “And who would mourn poor old Varys then, north or south no one sings for dead spiders.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“But there are things you must know. There is currently a plot in court to have you ousted from the throne your grace.” 

Joffrey's expression turned serious as well. “What do you know?”

“My little birds tell me that apparently not everyone is happy with the new arrangement your reforms have brought about.”

Joffrey leaned back against his desk as Varys continued.

“Do you know who exactly?”

“Difficult to say.” He said, acting coy. “So many faces at court sometimes it's hard to keep track of them all.”

Joffrey was annoyed at the pink little man’s attitude but wouldn’t let it show on his emotionless face. Which was like a mask hiding all his thoughts and intents.

“How long has this been going on?”

“I’ve heard since the war broke out, but due to your radical policy changes the dissent among the nobles has only grown.”

“I’ve been king for months now, why have you waited so long to tell me this?” He asked with a dead serious expression.

“I didn’t trust you.” He responded with his face and tone equally as serious.

“So you trust me now?”

“Hard to say I would like to think the two of us share common goals and a common enemy.” He responded calmly while standing in the middle of the king’s private chambers.

“Oh do we now?” He asked nodded his head with contemplation.

They both stood silently staring at one another trying to discern the other’s intentions. After a long pause that's when Joffrey chose to speak.

“Well if your little birds happen to sing you any songs regarding this matter, I would appreciate it if you bring it to my attention.” He said politely.

“Of course, your grace.” He responded then slightly bowed.

Joffrey then saw him out and after he was alone poured himself a glass of wine from his cabinet. After having a sip he leaned back into his desk chair pinching the bridge of his nose. Varys was as difficult an opponent to discern as he had expected. Though the fact he came to warn me about the conspiracy means we’re taking a step in the right direction. Joffrey truly wanted Varys on his side, he had useful talents that would make his plans for Westeros much easier to achieve. But at the end of the day if he chose to side against him in support of the Targaryens, it was just one more head to add to a spike. He then put out his desk candle and turned in for the night.