GAME OF THRONES
JON ARRYN LIVES
JON ARRYN
The Book of the Seven-Pointed Star says that Truth is the Path to the freedom of life. Jon Arryn Lord of the Vale, Warden of the East, and Hand of the King did not feel free. He felt trapped by his position, titles, responsibilities and the truth. He felt more in line with the words of Maester Phillip the Wise and Just. A famous Maester who lived two hundred years ago and studied to be a Septon first and then a Maester. His words, "The truth is like a crown…and heavy is the head of him who bears both."
That fit his current predicament. Jon had served the present King, Robert of House Baratheon for the past Seventeen years. Before that Jon mentored Robert as a Ward at the Eyrie. As a boy Robert and Eddard had been like sons to him. It was during the reign of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen; he liked to burn anyone he considered to be an enemy alive with Wild Fire. When Prince Rhaegar kidnapped Robert's betrothed Lady Lyanna Stark of Winterfell and then the Mad King killed Lord Rickard Stark and his son Brandon. Jon fought beside his wards Robert, Eddard and his friend Hoster Tully to free the realm from the madness of Aerys Targaryen.
There are times Jon feels like a failure. Robert always loved to drink and bed women. He tried to steer Robert from his vices, but Robert always did as he pleased. Now as King even more so; he spent gold faster than it came in. "Ned why didn't you take the Iron Throne?" Jon asks sitting at his desk staring at a book which contained all the Great Houses of Westeros and the people born to that House. There is a knock at his door, "Enter…" To Jon's surprise it is his wife Lysa Arryn nee' Tully.
Lysa hadn't spoken to Jon in days. Ever since he told her that he was going to send their son to be a Ward of Stannis Baratheon; she threw a tantrum the likes he had not witnessed since the day they married. Over the years Jon had tried to make Lysa happy. The woman could be irrational at times. He even made her childhood friend Petyr Baelish Master of Coin.
"To what do I owe this visit?"
She is carrying a cup on a saucer, "I thought I would bring you some tea." He stands up to take the cup and waits until she is seated, "I also wanted to apologize for my behavior."
This shocked Jon, she never apologized, "Who are you and what have done with my wife Lysa Arryn."
"I am serios Jon…I have been thinking about it and well…I see the wisdom in sending our son to ward with Stannis…You are my husband and lord and I apologize."
"Thank you…"
"Drink your tea and come to bed…"
He sighs, "In a minute I am almost finished…"
When she leaves Jon raises the cup to his lips, "I would not drink that if I were you." A young boy says.
Jon grabs his chest, "By the gods you scared me." He looks at the boy, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"My name is Thelyn…I have been hiding behind the curtain…" He looks to be eleven name days old. Dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes.
Jon stares at him, "You're one of Varys' little birds, aren't you?"
"I am. Lord Varys had us watching you ever since you visited that boy Gendry on the Street of Steel."
"Why?"
"For your protection…Anyway your wife poisoned your tea…"
"Why would she…"
Thelyn interrupts him, "You need to speak with Lord Varys…I must go now."
"Wait!" Thelyn did not wait but ran for the door and opened it.
"Hey!" The Captain of Jon's House Guard yells, "My Lord are you alright?" Addyson asks.
"I am."
"Who was that? And how did he get in here?"
"Never mind that…Addyson fetch the Maester…"
"At this hour My Lord?"
"Bring him here without fail." A few hours later the broad-shouldered Addyson returns with a grumpy Grand Maester Pycelle, "Well!" Jon Arryn impatiently asks.
Pycelle drops some of the tea into a clear liquid in a glass vile. After explaining what he was told Pycelle sent Addyson to fetch the things he needed to test the tea. "If the liquid turns black then yes my lord there is poison in the tea…" Jon lowers his head as the liquid turns black. "Definitely poison My Lord."
Addyson's hand flies to his sword, "Who would dare try to assassinate My Lord?" He asks in an angry voice.
"Addyson keep your voice down." Jon says, "The walls have ears." He looks at Pycelle, "Would you swear testimony to this when I call on you."
He hesitates, "Of course My Lord…But I must ask…Who do you suspect?"
Jon looks at him and can hear the fear in his voice, "For now I wish to keep this to myself…I must gather more evidence. The culprit may not have been working alone. I must also swear the two of you to secrecy."
After they swear Jon leaves his solar and goes to his own bed. Sleep does not come to him and he sends a message to Varys to meet him in the catacombs beneath the Red Keep; where Robert placed the old Dragon Skulls of the Targaryens. "Were you followed my Lord?" Varys asks. Varys the Master of Whispers. The royal spymaster, he has spy network that goes throughout Westeros and reaches to Essos across the Narrow sea.
"No I followed your instructions carefully…I am in your debt and that of the boy Thelyn."
"The realm would plunge into chaos without you My Lord."
"What reward would you have of me?"
"Nothing!"
"Well I wish to reward the boy at least." He hands Varys a letter, "Can you arrange for him to be sent to Lord Yohn Royce."
"I can, but why may I ask?"
"To be his Ward…That letter instructs Lord Royce to tutor the boy…Teach him to read and write, teach him the sword, the bow and so on…"
"Is there a knighthood in his future?"
"I want to give him a future…Now…tell me was my wife working alone?"
"I think you already know the answer to that question my Lord."
Jon turns away from Varys thinking. Long ago Lysa asked him to make Petyr Baelish Master of Coin. Before that Baelish had deflowered Lysa, Jon out of his friendship to Lord Hoster Tully married Lysa despite the fact she was not a maiden. "Petyr Baelish…" Jon says looking back to Varys.
"The man is ambitious my Lord. He couldn't have the woman he wanted so he settled for her sister."
"What else do you know?"
"Only that with you out of the way…Your wife is free to marry Lord Baelish. After a proper time of mourning."
Many questions are asked in Jon's mind. Questions about love, the future, and what to do now. Then his mind turns to Robin his son. He looks at Varys, "Do you know if they have been intimate, with each other?"
"They have my Lord on several occasions." Jon takes a seat on the stone protruding from the wall. He considers the possibility that Robin may not be his son. "The boy is innocent in all this my Lord…If that is where your mind is going."
He sighs, "Yes innocent." Jon steals himself and stands up, "I need your help Lord Varys."
The next day word is sent to Lysa that Jon had fallen sick. When she comes to his room Jon is lying on the bed. He is sweating, "What is wrong with him?"
"I know not My Lady…" Maester Pycelle says going along with the deception. "I will give him milk of the poppy…"
Jon coughs and she grabs his hand, "I am here Jon…Stay strong."
A few days pass before she is informed that Jon is dead. "Has the King been informed?"
"Yes My Lady…" Addyson replies walking her to Jon's room.
When she enters the room she gasps, because Jon is sitting on the side of the bed, "Jon! You're…you'ree…"
"Alive!"
"I was told you were dead."
"A lie to allow you and Baelish to think your plan was working."
"Plan? I don't know what you are talking about."
She sounds innocent, but Jon's anger enables him to do what must be done to get justice. "Of course you don't…I have had Baelish stripped of his titles…His head would be off his shoulders, but he confessed everything in exchange to be sent to the Night's Watch…Said it was all your idea; to poison me."
She rushes to him falling on her knees, "A lie! Petyr lies…It was all his idea!"
"I don't know who to believe."
She grabs his hands, "Me! Believe me!"
"I'm listening…" She tells him how she went to Petyr and told him of Jon's plan to send Robin to Stannis. Petyr convinced her that if she wanted to be free, then she would have to poison Jon; then they could be together. To keep suspicions away from her; she would have to blame the Lannisters. "Why the Lannisters?"
"Petyr knows that you know about the Queen and her children."
"Robin…Is he my son or Baelish's?"
She lowers her head and then looks at him, "How could you ask me that?"
"The truth woman…If you value your life."
"He's yours I swear by the gods old and new…"
"You will sign a confession of Baelish's crimes." When she is done Jon stands reaches to the night table and removes a document, "Sign it!" He commands.
"What is it?"
"An annulment of our marriage. I will not have your blood on my hands."
"Jon please!"
"Do me this kindness…I would be well within my rights to have you beheaded." Reluctantly she signs the papers, "Take Lady Tully to her room and guard the door." Jon goes to his solar in the tower of the Hand. Then he has his men summon Petyr Baelish.
"You wish to see me my Lord Hand. I am surprised to see you up. Your Lady wife said you had fallen ill." A man had been paid to summon Baelish to one of his brothels to sell the deception.
"Arrest him." Jon coldly commands.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Petyr Baelish…in the name of King Robert of House Baratheon. First of his name, Lord of the seven Kingdoms, Protector of the realm, King of the Andels and the first men…I Lord Jon Arryn Hand of the King, Warden of the East, Lord of the Vale; charge thee with conspiracy to murder and treason…and I sentence thee to die by beheading…"
"Treason! Murder! What proof do you have?"
Jon shows him a signed confession, "Lysa Tully confessed…"
"I demand a trial!"
"This is your trial…But I will send you to the wall if you answer just one question…Robin is he mine or yours…"
"Mine…She would take Moon Tea whenever she became pregnant with your child…"
Jon walks up to Baelish and punches him in the face. "Take him away…" For two days Jon grieves while Baelish languishes in the Black Cells. Robert had gone hunting and is away during all this.
"Jon! Jon what is happening?" Lysa asks when he comes with guards to her room.
"Justice…" He stops in the hallway and takes her hand, "Had you asked me to release you from our marriage I would have…I am not angry at that fact you are in love with someone else. Truth be told I never loved you either…What angers me is that you tried to kill me. What angers me is the fact that you killed my true children and tried to pass off that weakling as my son…"
"He is your son!" Jon smiles and keeps walking. Jon leads Lysa and his men to executioner's block where Petyr Baelish is waiting with Illyn Payne. "You promised me! You promised!"
"I lied." Jon coldly replies and nods at Payne. Lysa tries to rush to Petyr, but Jon's men hold her back. A voiceless scream escapes her mouth as she falls to her knees. "I am sending you back to your father with Robin…You can tell your family why I annulled our marriage…" Jon wasn't a heavy drinker, but after Addyson told him that Lysa was on her way to Riverrun with the escort he got drunk. That day the King returned from his hunt and demanded to see Jon. "Tell his grace…That I am presently drunk and when I am not drunk any more, I shall attend him…"
Addyson bows, "Yes my Lord…"
Many hours later Robert comes to see Jon, "Well I'll be damned…The Great Jon Arryn, drunk as a skunk…"
He looks at Robert, "Eyes am not in the muud for yous at the moment…And in my conduction…I mayz say some things I should not…"
"Well no one should drink alone…Allow me to join you my Hand." Since Jon was already drunk Robert catches up with him. Then they start singing lude songs and making jokes. "Tis iz nawt a sides I've seen of you…I like this Jon!"
He looks at Robert, "I likes thiz Jon too…"
They burst into laughter and Jon passes out. Robert shakes his head, "Can't hold your liquor…"
The next day Maester Pycelle gives Jon something for the headaches. Then Jon cleans up and goes to see Robert. They meet in his solar. "How do you feel?" Robert asks.
"I'll live thanks to Pycelle…"
"Aye he has delivered me from many a hangover…So tell me…Why did you have Baelish executed?"
"He conspired with my wife to poison me…" Jon bluntly says.
"That son of Bitch! Jon I am so sorry. What have you done with Lady Lysa?"
"I annulled our marriage and sent her back to her father…Along with her bastard."
"Bastard?" Jon tells him the rest, "Baelish got off too easy…If it were me, I would have tortured him slowly…" When he says this Jon cringes inside, knowing what he does about the Queen and her children. "…What about the boy Robin?" He asks drawing Jon away from his inner thoughts.
"I sent him with his mother. I can't let him inherit my titles knowing what I do…"
"Well now you can find you a proper wife…A young one to give you plenty of children…"
Jon sighs, "I am too full of hate right now to think about it…"
"Since I have you here…I want to talk about the future of my House."
"What of it?"
"If not for Rhaegar fucking Targaryen; Houses Baratheon and Stark would be allied in blood and marriage, Ned and I would be brothers by law. Well we still can be so to speak…I hear he has a daughter and I have a son…I will invite him and his daughter down to King's Landing and betroth our children. We can host a tourney to celebrate."
All Jon can do is smile as his mind races to stop this from happening. "How did your wife take the news?"
"gods…I haven't told the harpy yet…"
"Good luck with that." After his meeting with the King, Jon writes a letter and summons one of his men. "There is a merchant ship heading for White Harbor…Your passage has already been taken care of. Take this letter to Winterfell in the North and put it in the hands of Lord Eddard Stark…No one else! Do you understand me?"
"Of course my lord…"
"Go now the ship will leave as soon as you board it." The next thing Jon does is sign over all of Baelish's titles, wealth, land, and possessions with the exception of the brothels to Thelyn. Then he summons Tyrion Lannister to his solar.
"My Lord Hand you wished to see me?"
"Yes I did…Please be seated Lord Tyrion. You may have heard that Baelish conspired with my wife to poison me."
"I have heard that I am sorry. You are a good man."
"Thank you I try to be. Anyway I have given all of Baelish's wealth and possessions to the young man Varys used to save my life."
"A just reward."
"Everything that is but the brothels…I am signing them over to you."
"Me!"
"Well I can think of no one else so long as you agree to give fifteen percent portion of the profits to the King's Treasury."
"I say yes."
Jon slides the documents across the table, "Sign these and you will take possession of them."
Tyrion signs the papers, "Tell me Lord Arryn, what will become of Baelish's land and titles?" He asks as he signs the five papers.
"I am signing them over to the young man who saved my life."
"How generous of you."