King's Landing – Dragonpit Perimeter Worksite
The next morning, the massive, slightly menacing black silhouette of the Dragonpit was already buzzing with activity.
The main structure hadn't broken ground yet, but the outer perimeter was packed with tents and temporary sheds for the workers and overseers.
The air smelled of dust, fresh timber, and newly cut wood.
Inside a spacious tent flying the Celtigar golden-crab banner, Pierce Celtigar met with Willas Tyrell.
Willas still leaned on his cane. His uncle, a maester named Lyster, stood beside him—an older man with graying hair and a stern face. According to Willas, this uncle had overseen the construction of many new castles across the Reach in recent years.
"Ser Willas, welcome!" Pierce skipped the small talk and pointed straight at the large roll of plans spread across the rough wooden table. "Time is money, so let's get right to it. This is my preliminary design and layout for the Dragonpit renovation."
Willas and Maester Lyster stepped closer immediately. The second they saw the detailed drawings on the thick parchment, their eyes widened in genuine shock.
The plans were incredibly precise. Every major load-bearing pillar, wall outline, and entrance was marked, with clear lines showing exactly how the interior would be divided after renovation.
When Pierce noticed Willas's gaze lingering on some of the 3D structural diagrams, he tapped the vertical cross-section views drawn from multiple angles. "I had them add four-layer vertical layouts for easier reading. Makes each floor's layout much clearer."
He kept explaining. "The Dragonpit's original materials are outstanding. After nearly two centuries, most of the main pillars and outer walls are still solid with no major collapse risks. My plan is to reinforce and repair those core pillars and key walls first, then build directly onto the existing skeleton."
Willas and Maester Lyster were stunned by the level of detail.
Maester Lyster couldn't help pushing up his spectacles and leaning in closer. "Such precise measurements… these symbols and notations… I've never seen anything like it. This is far more detailed than any architectural drawing preserved at the Citadel."
Pierce ignored their amazement and laid out his core proposal. "My idea is simple: we split the entire interior space of the Dragonpit—half and half."
He drew an imaginary line down the center of the plans with his finger. "I'll let House Tyrell choose first. Whichever half you want, it's yours. The remaining half I'll build and operate myself. Whatever you decide to do with your half—design, management, anything—is completely up to you. I won't interfere at all."
The offer caught Willas completely off guard. He froze, mouth opening and closing, momentarily speechless.
He had come prepared with pages of arguments, ready for long, drawn-out negotiations over land ratios, funding shares, future profit splits—the works.
He had expected every kind of haggling and compromise… but he had never imagined Pierce would simply wave half the site and full autonomy in his face like it was nothing.
"L-Lord Celtigar," Willas stammered, "you mean… we just pick whichever half we want, then… build and run it however we like? No further discussion on any details?"
"Of course!" Pierce answered casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "The choice is yours. Once you decide, we sign a simple agreement and each start work without bothering the other. Time is gold—if the crown hadn't ordered us to wait for you to jointly survey and confirm, my crews would've already started reinforcing the pillars!"
Willas felt dizzy from Pierce's almost reckless generosity and speed. At the same time, a flicker of irritation rose—he felt subtly looked down on. The man clearly couldn't be bothered to haggle over details.
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and whispered briefly with Maester Lyster.
The maester's face was equally grave and hesitant. This sudden, overly generous offer had left them both suspicious—wondering what trap might be hidden beneath it.
Finally Willas turned back to Pierce with an apologetic look. "Lord Celtigar, your… generosity is astonishing. But this is a major matter. Could you give us a few days? About seven—no, five days will do. I need to send these plans and your proposal back to Highgarden so my father can review them before we decide which section to take."
Pierce raised an eyebrow, letting open surprise and mild exasperation show on his face. "Ser Willas, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the heir of Highgarden and the fully authorized representative for this partnership? Choosing left or right side of a single site… does that really require writing home to Lord Mace for approval?"
Willas's face flushed with embarrassment. His fingers tightened on his cane. Pierce's words struck straight at the sensitive spot created by his crippled leg and years of living in his father's shadow.
Seeing Willas's discomfort, Pierce sighed and waved a hand. "Fine, five days it is. I hope after five days we can actually start moving. After all, His Grace and the whole city are watching!"
Willas looked relieved, thanked him quickly, and—leaning on Maester Lyster—practically fled the tent.
Once they were gone, Pierce turned to Rosco Blount, who had stood silently behind him like a shadow the whole time, and shook his head with a snort. "Seven hells, is this what passes for Highgarden's rose? So cautious, so indecisive. It's just picking a piece of land, not deciding whether to go to war with Dorne. No wonder Lord Tywin has never respected Mace Tyrell."
Rosco grinned but said nothing. The look in his eyes showed he completely agreed.
…
…
Red Keep – Tyrell Guest Chambers
That evening, Margaery—still disguised as the squire "Matt"—returned from "familiarizing herself with King's Landing."
When she heard the full story of Willas's meeting with Pierce and the shocking "split it down the middle, you choose first" offer, her lively eyes filled with disbelief.
"He… he really just handed over half the control and let us pick first?" Margaery repeated, as if making sure she hadn't misheard.
"Yes, Margaery!" Willas looked worried. "It's too unusual. I suspect there's some trap we haven't seen, so I think we should write back to Highgarden and let Grandmother and Father decide."
"No! Absolutely not!" Margaery shot back instantly, voice firm as steel.
Both Willas and Loras (who was polishing his armor nearby) turned to stare at her. Loras frowned. "Why? Margaery, caution is never a bad thing. Who knows what that Celtigar is really planning? Maybe he's deliberately being generous to lower our guard while hiding something sinister."
Margaery gave her famous "Knight of Flowers" brother a look that was almost pitying and asked:
"Loras, let me ask you this—if a ridiculously charming knight suddenly appeared beside Lord Renly, won his complete trust and favor, and even wanted to split time with him equally with you, what would you do?"
Loras answered without hesitation, a flash of ferocity crossing his face. "No one would dare! I'd defeat him fairly in the lists or a duel and show Lord Renly exactly who deserves his trust!"
Margaery sighed softly, her disappointment in her brother's political instincts now complete.
She turned to Willas, voice serious and urgent. "Willas, don't you see? Right now we are that 'later knight'! The Dragonpit renovation rights originally belonged to Pierce Celtigar. We Tyrells used our connection to Lord Renly and past contributions to force our way in and take half the cake! In everyone's eyes, we're the intruders!"
She stepped right in front of Willas, eyes blazing. "In that situation, Pierce Celtigar showed shocking 'generosity' and 'efficiency' by simply handing us half the site and letting us choose first. That's a statement—a show of confidence! If we hesitate now, even needing to write home for permission on something as simple as choosing which half, what will the realm think of House Tyrell?"
The two handsome Tyrell brothers finally saw the problem. Margaery kept going.
"They'll say the roses of Highgarden have ambition but no matching boldness or decisiveness! They'll look small and petty next to Celtigar's 'largesse'! It will damage our family's reputation and hurt your standing as heir!"
Margaery's words hit Willas like hammers. He had only considered risks and traps; he had completely missed the political symbolism and public perception.
His face paled. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Margaery is right…" Willas murmured, voice thick with regret. "I… I overthought it and lost courage and resolve. Grandmother always said I lacked… boldness."
Seeing her eldest brother finally understand, Margaery softened her tone but stayed firm. "It's not too late! Tomorrow morning, go find Pierce Celtigar and tell him your choice. Not only choose—pick the worse half on purpose. Show the world that House Tyrell has the wealth, vision, and confidence to make our section better than anyone else's!"
She paused, a spark of genuine curiosity lighting her eyes for the man she had never met. "This Pierce Celtigar… he's far more than just an upstart. With one simple move he put us completely on the defensive. If he had haggled over every detail, we could have handled it calmly. But this near-indifferent 'generosity'… he's very clever. Extremely clever."
Willas drew a deep breath and straightened his spine. Though the old wound in his leg still ached, his eyes had grown steady.
"I understand, Margaery! First thing tomorrow, I'll make the choice."
Margaery nodded, satisfied. At least her eldest brother could still listen to good advice.
She was starting to feel real interest in that unpredictable lord from Crackclaw Point who lived on Silk Street.
…
…
King's Landing – Silk Street, "Eden"
Late that night, in Pierce's luxurious top-floor suite at Eden, Petyr Baelish was once again absent from the brothel.
Shae slipped in like a shadow. She expertly poured Pierce a glass of chilled Dornish red, then knelt on the carpet at his feet and began gently massaging his calves.
"Master," she whispered, starting her report, "I found out more about Lord Baelish. His relationship with Lady Lysa Arryn of the Vale is… very unusual. He's not here tonight because he's meeting her privately in the Red Keep."
Pierce took a sip of wine, not surprised at all. "I know. Littlefinger's rise to his current position owes a lot to Lysa Arryn's obsession and the control she gives him. Old news."
Shae nodded and continued. "The brothel business is expanding fast. In King's Landing now, any decent establishment is either partially owned by Baelish or squeezed out and swallowed by him. He's smart—he runs high-end places like Eden and controls the cheap brothels and street whores. He wants the smallfolk's coppers and the nobles' and merchants' gold."
"He's using your 'Tomorrow's Star' idea brilliantly," Shae said with a hint of admiration. "The whole city is talking about the Golden Tassel girls—especially Nia. Her performance fees are already sky-high. They say even King Robert has heard her name and wants to 'inspect' her personally."
Shae's tone carried a faint edge of mockery.
"Baelish seems to want to wait a little longer, build her fame even higher, then… maybe sell her 'first time' for a fortune. Ideally to the king himself."
Pierce swirled his wine, the red liquid catching the candlelight. "Keep watching! Focus on finding his most trusted inner circle—who they are, what they like, what their weaknesses are. We need to be able to… influence them when the time is right."
"Yes, Master!" Shae answered, then hesitated. "Also… that bed-slave I like, Daisy… Baelish did send her to get close to me to watch me."
Pierce glanced at her. "You handled it well."
Shae smiled. "I've already… 'persuaded' her. She's far more willing to work for me now!"
"Good." Pierce set down his glass and lightly drummed his fingers on the armrest. "Keep accelerating, Shae! Don't move too fast and raise suspicion, but steadily, piece by piece, take control of the key nodes in Littlefinger's network. Money is no object. When necessary, use… unconventional methods."
"I understand, Master!" Shae lowered her head, eyes shining with a mix of loyalty and ambition. "I'll carry out your orders as quickly as possible!"