Stannis Baratheon. King's Landing.
I entered Robert's study and saw what I expected to see. My brother was pouring wine down his throat, and his flushed face and wet beard told me he'd had enough.
- "Stannis? Why have you come? Again," he asked as soon as he saw me, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
- "I came to talk."
- "We've talked enough already," Robert said, "Or have you come to pity me as much as Cersei has? Or maybe you're here to remind me again what I can and can't do, hm?"
- "The queen?" I raised an eyebrow, "May I ask what your conversation was about?"
That was a strange thing to say. Considering their relationship was far from ideal, even more so than my own before Solomon's arrival, Cersei was unlikely to approach him about nothing.
Robert had many bastards, and all of the Seven Kingdoms knew exactly what kind of life the king led. The queen didn't like it, which she didn't hide much, and if you remembered the investigation that had slowed down with recent events and concerned her and Robert's children...
What did she want with him?
- "Nothing important," he snorted, "She asked Joffrey to attend a meeting of the Small Council, to which I said let him do as he pleased. And then she had the nerve to tell me she loved the wrong man and that I'd turned into a pig, for which she slapped me and left. I don't care."
- "You hit her?" I was surprised.
- "I don't care. I'm the king, and she let herself go too far by mentioning Lyanna," Robert replied, "So, what's your conversation?"
- "I managed to find gold on Dragonstone," I began, deciding to focus on the matter at hand, "And, if Braavos's official message is delayed, I'll be able to close about a third of the debt to the Iron Bank."
- "Only a third? Better than nothing," he said indifferently.
- "And that's the reason I came to talk. You need to find another two-thirds, that's about six hundred thousand Golden Dragons, and we can avoid a war we can't afford."
- "'Me' need to find?" Robert snorted, "You are my Small Council, you find it."
- "And we have found, but we need your approval and an appeal to the people," I replied, "Lord Stark and Lord Baelish and I have decided that there are only two ways: borrowing from the Great Houses, which is unlikely..."
- "I've heard you say that before," he interrupted me.
- "Or raise taxes and cut spending at the same time," I continued, frowning, "And that would require you to fulfill your royal duties."
- "You've gotten bolder while you've been sitting on your island, Stannis," Robert grinned, to which I didn't respond, "All right, I'll give you a statement, but why did you come to tell me that and not Ned? He would have handled it far better than a stale lump of coal like you."
- "I asked Lord Stark to do it."
- "And why would you do that? To piss me off?"
- "No," I said and took a deep breath, "Robert, things between us have never been warm, and perhaps in some ways that suited us both. But now it's time to change."
- "You frighten me, Stannis. Has your new faith finally driven you mad?" Robert said with some shock, and I could understand why.
- "I never thought I'd be saying this to you, either, and yet here I am," I continued, "Some time ago, a Stark sorcerer came to Dragonstone and cured Shireen. And right after that, Dragonstone was no longer the prison I'd thought it was for years."
Now Robert was listening to me intently, perhaps for the first time since we were children.
- "My marriage to Selyse was beginning to warm again, like the lit embers in an old fireplace, and Shireen's smile inspires us to want to continue in that direction. Things have dramatically started to get better, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I don't want to lose that," I said in an even tone and took another breath, "And to achieve that goal, the Seven Kingdoms must continue to exist... as must its king."
- "...What do you want...?" he asked with a slight pause, as if he still couldn't believe what was happening now.
- "Right now you are but a faded shadow of yourself. Fat and indifferent, drowning in self-pity and alcohol because of the dead Stark sister," I said, "Now is your chance to regain what you've lost."
- "…Can he bring Lyanna back to life…?"
- "I don't know that, but you can find out when you meet him. He will definitely come to you one day, but to live to see that moment, you must return," I paused, remembering the emotions I felt then, "If it's within his power, then you can try to negotiate with him. And if not, then you have nothing to lose."
I looked into his eyes, but unlike past encounters, my gaze was sincere and perhaps even pleading.
What he needed now was a spark that would make him want to live. And if I can ignite it, the kingdom will live longer, at least until I die.
- "You're not the best king, but you're the best we have. Renly's too childish, and I'd be too sharp for what I have now. You, on the other hand, are a different case, and the only thing you need is the will to live long enough until the next worthy king arrives," I said, and turned and headed for the exit, "Please consider my words, Your Majesty, for the sake of all of us."
And with those words, I left the study, heading for my chambers.
I will not tell him about the children that might not be his. Not now, when too much is at stake. Solomon may be powerful, but he doesn't care about the lives of ordinary mortals. And that's why I need time to strengthen my position or prepare countermeasures.
After all, I'm not arrogant enough to rely on outside help. Not in this case...
-0-
Eddard Stark. King's Landing.
It had been two weeks since the mass poisoning in the capital, and now I, like so many other nobles, was on my way to the throne room as Robert had demanded. And the reason for that was the arrival of a Braavos envoy to the capital a couple days ago.
He was Velano Antarion, who had delivered an official message from Tarmo Fregar, the current Sea Lord, to the King and the Small Council. And even though we knew of its contents in advance thanks to Lord Varys's birthers, the blow could not be avoided.
Right there, at the meeting with the envoy, Robert wanted to declare war on Braavos, but fortunately, with our combined efforts, we managed to stop it. Lord Antarion, despite his young age, showed restraint and understanding of our situation, and therefore did not take Robert's impulsive outcry as a final decision.
He was now in the Red Castle waiting for our response on the matter, or rather for us to sign new contracts, promissory notes and money, which we unfortunately did not have at the moment.
There was still no way out of our plight, even after all this time had passed since the last Small Council meeting. There was still no money, not now, and even to me, who disliked war in any of its manifestations, Robert's option seemed the only possible way out.
If there was no money, Braavos was almost guaranteed to send assassins over our heads. And we couldn't go to war with him, certainly not now.
And as if that weren't enough, the circumstances of the poisoning were far from as clear-cut as I'd thought, and the true culprit still hadn't been found.
I couldn't help myself and let out a long, tired sigh.
- "Lord Hand?" I suddenly heard a woman's voice and turned my head.
- "Lady Olenna? It's good to see you in good health."
- "And you too. Though, given the weariness in your sigh, you are in particular need of it," she replied and offered her hand, "Would you help the lady? These steps are killing me more than my age."
- "With pleasure, my lady," I smiled politely and bent my arm at the elbow where she slipped hers in, and then we continued into the throne room, "I apologize for not paying you a visit. I will be sure to make it up to you later."
- "Oh, so much attention for an old woman like me," Lady Olenna grinned, "Don't be. I have heard enough of your endless work. However, as we go, will you satisfy my curiosity?"
- "Of course."
- "Were you able to find out anything about the culprit behind the poisoning? My men were among the victims, and I would like to repay the instigator of this incident."
- "So would mine, Lady Olenna, but unfortunately the case is proceeding very reluctantly," I began, clenching my fingers into a fist and holding back the anger I had reason to feel.
The number of people affected was around two thousand, and that included those who worked for me from the shadows. This was just one tavern on Sisters Street, and for some reason, nearly two-thirds of my men had died, and only those who hadn't worked that day survived. And therein lay the ambiguity of the situation.
For six hundred out of two thousand, the poisoning was fatal. And even I, who didn't know much about hidden and roundabout ways, but had learned something from my time with Solomon and Lady Kinvara, found it extremely suspicious.
Such a coincidence simply could not have happened under any circumstances, for no other affected establishment had suffered so many casualties, only two or three people, but no more. Someone had gotten wind of my men's activities here and was trying to get rid of them.
I asked Harold to try to contact the red men in some way to get at least something, but so far there had been no word. The storm that Solomon had spoken of was coming closer and closer to both my men and me.
And the investigation led nowhere, for the ends had been cut clean. The establishments bought wine from the market, the market traders bought from other traders in both Westeros and Essos. There was absolutely nothing to give away the culprit, for the only coincidence was the market near Flea's End and the wine.
- "Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Lady Olenna said, "Ah, one more thing, Lord Hand. Did you see how the sky was transformed a fortnight ago?"
- "Yes, I think we all did," I said, trying to regain my composure, "What's your point?"
- "Do you think the sorcerer I've heard about did it?" She asked suddenly, and I stopped and looked at her in surprise, "Oh, I see you think so."
- "What are you on about again, Lady Olenna?"
- "What is he like? What should I expect if I were to meet him?" she asked in an unexpectedly blunt manner.
- "Do you want to hear something specific?"
- "I want to hear how you would describe him yourself," she said, "If he's capable of something like that, I'd like to be prepared for anything. Your words about creating weapons out of thin air bring to mind certain thoughts, you know, Lord Hand."
- "You mean whether you should fear for your life, don't you?" I understood her and thought for a moment, "Hm... I would say there is no need. During his time in my castle, he has never once given me the opportunity to doubt him. He's amazingly calm and wise, and also, if he's given his word, he's sure to keep it. I would bet even my life and honor on it, and killing him is the most extreme solution possible. But..."
- "But?" Lady Olenna asked interestedly.
- "Even to this day, I have never been able to understand him. He is still a friend to me and my family, and I respect him immensely, but the feeling he creates is not like a human. He knows things you don't. He sees what you don't see. And that makes him seem to me... sublime, I suppose. Something higher than a mere man like me, or you, if you will."
And those were my honest thoughts. No matter how much I tried to understand him, I couldn't come up with a single clue as to what he was thinking. It was as if I was reaching for the sky, trying to touch the ever-distant clouds.
And only once did I manage to sense something in him, when Solomon made me a promise and called me friend. Not with words, but with his heart. And I knew he would do as he promised me, even if his life depended on it.
- "You really think of him as someone close to you," she said, "Thank you for your candor, Lord Hand."
- "It cost me nothing, Lady Olenna," I smiled, and just then our duo reached the gate to the throne room, guarded by the Golden Cloaks. They gave us a brief nod and opened the doors, where a spacious hall stood before us, at the end of which stood the Iron Throne.
It was tall, seven full grown man's height, shapeless and grim, but it created a sense of grandeur befitting the symbol of supreme power over the Seven Kingdoms.
The throne was created from the fused swords of a thousand lords who had bowed their heads before Aegon the Conqueror in dragon fire. For this reason, only the steps and the seat itself, which ended about halfway down, could be clearly distinguished.
Everything else was chaotically protruding blackened blades and sword hilt, still sharp and dangerous if touched carelessly. Robert had even cut himself on them in front of me once.
The hall itself was almost filled with nobles, apparently awaiting Robert's arrival.
- "How tasteless," Lady Olenna said, "Why make the throne so uncomfortable and unwieldy? Men."
- "Lady Olenna, it is a symbol of royalty," I shook my head, "You shouldn't talk about it in front of so many people."
- "As if they cared about an old woman like me," she grinned, "Thank you for accompanying me, Lord Hand. Your company has been pleasant."
- "And yours, too," I replied, and, leaving Lady Olenna in the crowd, stood at the throne, taking my place as Hand. A short time later, Robert entered the hall, but not as I had seen him before.
He was still fat, and his face was still the same, but the rest of him? His hair and beard were clean and combed, and his eyes... His eyes were clean and clear, as if he hadn't been drinking at all in the last few days. Bright blue eyes without the slightest veil in them.
His gait was sure and steady, and when Robert climbed the ladder of swords and sat on the throne, it really did seem like a different man in front of me. Perhaps a little gaunt, but a king. A real one.
I haven't seen Robert in almost a week, and I haven't noticed a change in him, and the last person to speak to him was Stannis, right? I wonder what the conversation was between them that led to such a drastic change...?
-0-
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