After the conflict was thoroughly concluded, the delegation of Reach nobles began to depart Starfall.
Before he left, Willas Tyrell expressed a keen interest in Arthur's horses, Violet and Shadow. He believed both were rare steeds of exceptional quality.
He even asked if Arthur would sell him one for breeding purposes, telling Arthur to name his price.
Arthur naturally and categorically refused. Right now, the one thing he didn't lack was money.
With eight hundred thousand gold dragons—enough coin that the chests containing them filled Starfall's treasury to the brim—Arthur was now genuinely wealthy.
Mathis Rowan, for his part, never mentioned the one hundred thousand gold dragons owed to him for the breach of contract. It seemed he was too embarrassed to bring it up in front of his colleagues from the Reach.
Starfall Port, at the dock where the Fury was moored.
Arthur personally saw Stannis off. Having spent these past days traveling from King's Landing to Starfall together, Arthur found that, aside from a slight inflexibility in his adherence to duty, Stannis was very much to his liking.
"With eight hundred thousand gold dragons in your coffers, resume production of the Amber Peach Wine as soon as possible," Stannis reminded him from beneath the Fury's bridge. "There won't be another Redwyne to pay your breach of contract penalties."
"I don't need you to urge me. Restoration of the Peach Orchard began immediately after it was burned down," Arthur laughed, extending his hand.
"Take care, Lord Stannis. And send my regards to the Hand. I will not betray his trust; I will be a proper Governor of the Dornish Marches."
Stannis shook his hand firmly, gazing at the youthful face before him. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of dislocation. Putting aside Arthur's past deeds, simply interacting with him over this period revealed a demeanor and conduct that made Stannis feel... old.
When he first learned Jon Arryn intended to appoint Arthur as Governor of the Dornish Marches, Stannis had thought the old man was going senile. Now, it seemed Jon's eye was as sharp as ever.
"The Dornish Marches are complex in terrain and politics. The responsibility is heavy, the task arduous." Concern flickered in Stannis's eyes. "Be cautious. Take care."
"King's Landing is far more treacherous than the Dornish Marches," Arthur replied, releasing his hand. "Lord Jon Arryn and you bear the weight of the Seven Kingdoms. You take care as well."
Stannis nodded, said no more, and boarded the Fury.
Arthur watched the triple-decked war galley raise its golden sails, emblazoned with the crowned stag of House Baratheon, and fell into a reverie.
In the original story, it was Stannis who first suspected that Robert and Cersei's three children were not legitimate. He shared this suspicion with Jon Arryn, and together they launched a secret investigation into Robert's bastards.
All of Robert's bastards had hair as black as coal, just like Robert, while all three of Cersei's children were golden-haired.
Jon Arryn then consulted The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms and discovered a rule: in every recorded marriage between House Baratheon and other houses, the offspring were always black-haired.
After concluding that none of the three royal children were of Robert's seed, Jon Arryn decided to act. Sticking to his principle of finding allies against strong enemies, he arranged for his son, Robert Arryn, to be fostered by Stannis on Dragonstone to cement their alliance.
However, before he could present the evidence to King Robert and force a confrontation, Jon Arryn was poisoned.
His death marked the official beginning of the Game of Thrones.
And now, with the current year being 297 AC, only a year and a half remained before the story began!
"My Lord, the Royal Fleet is out of sight," Penrose reminded him. "Should we head back?"
"Mm. Let's go." Arthur withdrew his gaze from the distant horizon and turned to walk down the pier.
While in King's Landing, he had considered revealing the secret to Jon Arryn, but in the end, he didn't know how to broach the subject.
At the time, he was already locking horns with Paxter and the Reach. Questioning the legitimacy of the royal bloodline without cause or evidence—and provoking the Lannisters on top of everything else—would have been unwise.
Furthermore, whether Jon Arryn would believe him was another matter entirely. Such an accusation wasn't something someone in his position could simply make.
Just as Stannis hadn't taken his suspicions to Robert directly but went to Jon Arryn instead—because he knew Robert wouldn't believe him, but would listen to Jon—Arthur knew his place.
In the end, Arthur chose not to complicate matters. He remained silent, letting the plot unfold as it would. This way, he retained the advantage of foresight.
Riding back to Starfall, Arthur spurred his horse to a gallop, feeling the wind whip through his hair and against his cheeks. He cast his previous thoughts aside.
Ultimately, the Game of Thrones was a contest of strength. What he needed to do now was expand his power as much as possible.
Whether it was building a fleet, rebuilding the Peach Orchard, expanding influence through trade and sea power...
Or conquering the wildlings of the Red Mountains, extending his influence among the Marcher lords, and becoming the true Governor of the Dornish Marches...
All of this had to be accomplished within a year and a half.
Unity of knowledge and action. Upon returning to Starfall, Arthur convened a meeting with his subordinates in the small hall to discuss the state of the territory.
"I never expected a blessing in disguise like this." Steward Karen's fat face was wreathed in smiles, looking for all the world like a laughing Buddha.
"Starfall's treasury has received eight hundred thousand gold dragons. Adding the gold brought back from Oldtown and our accumulated tax surplus, the treasury now holds a total of one million, one hundred and twenty thousand gold dragons. And that's not counting the jewelry, gems, valuables, or the stockpiled grain and weapons."
Suddenly becoming a millionaire, Arthur found it hard not to laugh out loud.
As the saying goes: A man doesn't get rich without a windfall, and a horse doesn't get fat without night grass.
Arthur wasn't the only one overjoyed; his subordinates were visibly excited, their eyes all fixed on him.
Under their gaze, Arthur announced:
"Gold dragons sitting in a treasury are just shiny rocks with no value. I intend to take out one million gold dragons. Aside from a portion set aside for pensions for the soldiers killed or wounded in the war, the rest will be used entirely for construction and investment in the Starfall domains!"
"Take out one million gold dragons?!" Fat Karen, who had been beaming a moment ago, shrieked.
He hadn't even warmed up the eight hundred thousand yet, and now it was all going out the door?
Plus another two hundred thousand from the reserves?
However, Fat Karen's shriek was quickly drowned out by the cheers of the others.
Arthur raised a hand to quiet them. "Everyone, think about how we should spend this one million gold dragons."
Ser Barton asked, surprised, "Us?"
"Correct," Arthur replied. "You don't need to give suggestions right now. Go back and draw up detailed plans and proposals."
Karl 'Bi', who had come with Arthur from Braavos to establish the smithing district in Starfall, felt a sense of déjà vu hearing Arthur speak.
Sure enough, he then heard Arthur announce:
"If your suggestions are suitable, I will authorize the person who proposed the plan to be responsible for executing it."