The Queen's Chambers

[Deleted]

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In the queen's chambers, Jeyne was sitting in a cushiony chaise, looking over a sketch with her ladies, while longhaired dogs with jeweled collars lay at the girls' feet. Ser Mychel Lannister stood in attendance. Jeyne had asked to meet the chief builder to discuss her plans.

[The Stranger]

After a long wait, a wrinkled man, perhaps 5 foot even, with a flowing white beard which touches the ground as he walks enters. He is wearing a black gown and a black square cap, a tong with the hammer of the Smith at his neck, a number of scroll cases under his arm. Behind him a team of assistants trail.

"Your Grace, I am Fleuer Turngood, at your service."

[Deleted]

"Master Turngood!" Jeyne's leg had been dangling idly over the side of the chaise, but now she sat straight up and adjusted her gown delicately, smiling. "Thank you for coming to meet me. Please, sit down." Jeyne gently nudged one of the dogs aside, and indicated chairs for the builder and his assistants around the long oval desk.

[The Stranger]

the man looked around, before finally opting to sit in a high backed chair. A dog growled as he took its seat, and the man turned slightly more pale than he was before, a difficult trick though that was.

"Your grace, I wasn't sure exactly the purpose of my visit today? What can I help you with?"

[Deleted]

"I intend to build a city across the river, Master Turngood," Jeyne said, laying out her beloved, laborious sketches out on the table while her maid poured wine for everyone. "Connected by a bridge to the old King's Landing. It is partly to deal with the density of the population in King's Landing right now, partly for increased defense and partly because I love building, and I want to build this city both as an extension of King's Landing and its own separate entity as well."

[The Stranger]

The builder looked confused. "I'm sorry your grace, I thought you said you wanted to build a city?" He said incredulous. "I'm sorry, I'm old and my hearing is weak."

[Deleted]

"A city," Jeyne repeated patiently, in the same tone of voice. "Yes, you heard right. King's Landing was a fishing village when Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys landed here over five hundred years ago. See what they built, Master Turngood. I intend to build a new borough across the Blackwater and opposite the River Gate of King's Landing. A city with another magnificent sept, another palace, a massive library to rival Oldtown's, and hospices and a nearby septry, and large public gardens everywhere. It will have taverns, inns and markets too, especially for selling farm produce from the southwest crownlands, which it will be nearer to.

"The city would be defensive outpost and suburb of King's Landing on the west bank. I suppose I have it all planned in my head, except for the name, but it is a clear picture to me."

[The Stranger]

The builder raised his eyebrow, but did not immediately say anything. Images of lucrative building contracts danced in his head.

"Queenstown, Your Grace, named after its visionary. Yes...why.. I can very nearly see it myself." He grinned widely and pointed, "These are your grace's... preliminary sketches?"

[Deleted]

"Queenstown," Selyse said slowly.

Jeyne blushed a little, both embarrassed and unable to hide her excitement. "I like that name, Master Turngood. Queenstown it shall be, and though I may be the visionary, you will be my builder." She smiled. "And yes, these are the sketches. Some of them are a bit untidy, as I scratched out and redrew some plans, but you can see the layout here. I am deliberating on whether or not I should redirect the river so that it curves around the town's walls. What do you think? I want it to be beautiful, but most of all defensible." She also explained the bridge.

[The Stranger]

"I think it would be best if we left the River in its bed your grace, moving it would add... substantial cost. On which project do you think we should begin? The palace, it would seem to me, would be the starting point of any city."

[Deleted]

Jeyne bowed to the experienced builder's knowledge. "Then we shall let the Blackwater continue its course. As to where to start, I thought it would be best to start by marking the boundaries and constructing the walls?"

[The Stranger]

"Well... yes of course MARKING the walls, but I would construct my palace first to begin drawing small folk to the city. No sense building the walls, finding you've made the dimensions to small, and having half the city outside the walls, I think."

[Deleted]

Jeyne laughed. "Very well, Master Turngood. I agree. And I confess, I actually did start drawing sketches for the palace," she smiled, pulling a sheaf of them out of the pile. "I want to create a lake towards the northwest of Queenstown and have the palace beside it."

[The Stranger]

"Creating a lake shall entail moving quite a bit of earth your grace, but I'm sure it can be done."

[Deleted]

"Of course it can," Jeyne said confidently. "It should be a modest sized lake, not a large one. And I think I shall name the town Queen's Crossing instead, actually. It has a nice symmetry to it." She gazed at the plan, and nodded, with a little smile. "Yes. Queen's Crossing. And here," she marked the spot, "shall be the lake, with the palace beside it." It was a long distance from the river. "I would like the lake to be called the Glassmere - it should reflect the entire front facade of the palace in it."