Who: Petyr Baelish What: Forming his crime ring of sell swords, thieves and assholes aptly named Silverwing. Where: Edge of the Vale When: What he's been up to since the fire. Warnings: None
Petyr Baelish could see beauty. A spiriting fog near the cool fingers of a stream was beautiful. The way a woman walked with her hips and not her thighs was beautiful. The thick cloud of smoke at his back in the orange heat of flames was beautiful. But, it did not move him. Nothing could touch his heart since a scar sliced him in two, nothing except a specific breed of woman that could never be his. Not if he followed the path that was determined for him in a book. Things had to change. He had to change.
Yes, Petyr Baelish could see beauty and he knew how to put a price on every leaf, every curve, every sword. Every dragon. It would be madness to continue playing the Dragon Queen's shadow, but Baelish didn't believe in honor or logic. He believed in moving, in taking. The Dragon Queen needed more than just a push. She needed this world to crumble before her dragons could even step foot on the shore. Baelish promised her a land on bent knee, but it wouldn't be out of respect or love. It would be out of necessity. Nothing curled its fingers around the throat of the human spirit than the ties of coin.
It began with knowing how to change his identity. Baelish, going by the name of Shadow for now, found the most level-headed sell swords that were looking for an edge. He banded together his personal favorites and taught them how much more they could get done if they worked together. Suddenly, they were receiving contacts for jobs. Theft, smuggling, kidnapping, killing- anything a pirate could do but with a level of finesse that payed much better. Baelish made it go beyond strong arming for those who could pay, he swayed merchants to do deals with his little fingers in every pie he could find. And, it worked because he forced his sell swords to be professional if they wanted their share. Recruiting was easy that way. "Sell swords gain nothing on their own. A short life with an occasional whore." That was all he had to tell them with a bag of coin for their trouble. And, just like humans do, they began falling into place. Picking ranks based on skill and killing anyone inside of the group that seemed weak.
His group was small, for now, but precise. Their eyes focused on crippling the Vale until it was dependent on their "services". Until the local authorities and royalty had to turn a blind eye if they wanted the benefits of gold.
But, that wasn't enough, was it? The Dragon Queen would want true believers. Followers who worshiped the dragons and believed they would return one day. He needed to stir the pot and there was only one way to do that.
"This world is emptier than you can imagine." Baelish stood near the window of an old Inn that faced towards the borders of the Vale. A woman behind him, a former whore and a current little bird of his brushed her hair and watched him. He still preferred the company of women even if he knew exactly how to control men. They listened better and loved to sing gossip and stories. "Taking the Vale will be easy. Not by force. Never by force." Baelish paused, proud of himself that his secretive band of sell swords weren't just brutes with nice armor. "But through money and wisdom they could never hold."
"They need a name." The woman said, running her fingers through her hair silently.
"A name." Baelish was so clever with names for himself. Mockingbird. Shadow. But, a name for his band of mercenaries needed to sound powerful. Feared. The idea was tantalizing to him in a way that a brothel never could be. "Dragons are long dead, are they not?" He asked, knowing full well that they were beating tiny wings as he spoke. But, the common people didn't seem to hear the roar of winged beasts from the other shore. They only felt the nightmares of stories and long forgotten tales.
"They are ghost stories at best."
"Silverwing, then." Baelish turned to look at her reaction of smirking approval. To some, they'd simply be a band of criminals named after a dragon. But, to him they were men who ignored the established order because they believed in another. The Dragon Queen would see that they believed in her, while the true beauty they held in their hearts was coin.