The Might of Men
A Song of Ice and Fire fanfiction
by Jim Willows
Prologue
Let it hereupon be known that, I, Robert, of House Baratheon, in conjunction with All of the Major Houses of the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms, do declare Aerys II of House Targaryen, who currently holds the title King Regent and Protector of the Realm, to be presently and permanently Unfit to Rule and Protect the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms.
Whereupon, I, Robert, of House Baratheon, in conjunction with All of the Major Houses of the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms, do declare that Aerys II of House Targaryen and his Family, being Fundamentally Unsound and Unfit to Rule and Protect the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms, must needs immediately vacate the Iron Throne and all its Rights and Privileges and the Kingdom of Westeros proper, or face risk of execution for crimes against the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms.
Whereupon, I, Robert, of House Baratheon, in conjunction with All of the Major Houses of the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms, do hereupon assume the title, role and responsibilities of King Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, out of Necessity for the Glory and Continuation of the Realm and All its People.
Robert sat for a moment, pondering the parchment in his hand, then signed it. He turned it over and scribbled something on the back before rolling it and sealing it for the first time with the sigil of the newly crowned stag of House Baratheon. "Gods, Jon, are we doing the right thing here?" He looked up at his mentor and friend with a searching look in his eyes.
Jon Arryn noticed the look. Searching, but by no means lost, he thought to himself. He responded. "Aerys is a danger to the entire existence of the realm. Half of his people are plotting against him and the other half are scared to death of him. Most of his council fled when he raised that barbaric Dothraki-Quarthi bastard to the Kingsguard two months after showing up, claiming long lost Targaryen descent. The man killed Ser Petyr Rowan for daring to challenge him on his story, and Aerys rewarded him for it. I had known Petyr since he was but a lad, jousting a quintain in the Vale. This is only the latest alarming thing. Robert, if we don't act and get the Targaryens out of power, the realm will suffer. They conquered us with fire, but the realm will go down in flames if we don't act now. This must happen, or there is no way that we will survive the next winter. When Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna, it was the last straw, not only for you but for all of us. The Targaryens have taken everything from this kingdom, our love, our loyalties, the very soul of what brings us all together as Westerosi and as men. You question your resolve only because of your personal feelings for her, but to the realm she is but a token of everything that Aerys has failed us in. This must be done, Robert, and you are the best man to do it."
Robert stood, his confidence restored. As always, he knew Jon was right, and after a moment's lapse, he saw that again. The realm was suffering, and the Mad King's reign of terror must come to an end, or there would be nothing left. Once again, the dragons would have succeeded in torching all of Westeros, only this time the dragons were only human. He could not sit back and watch the kingdom, his home, crumble before him. All that remained of the dragons were stories and curses to instill fear and demand loyalty, and he was certainly not going to let fear destroy his home. Robert turned to Jon Arryn, and handed him the sealed parchment. "This one is for Aerys himself," he told him.
"I have just the person to arrange delivery, I think," Jon said. "Ser Jaime has not been the same since Aerys declared his father a traitor and ordered his execution. I'm fairly certain he'd be quite pleased to hand him this himself if it were possible."
Robert eyed him suspiciously. They'd had this conversation before, and he didn't want to start it again now, but he couldn't help but worry about this delicate Lannister alliance. What is it really based on? he wondered. "Any other man I'd say that makes good sense, but I don't know about a Lannister. They probably have their own plans cooked up. Are you sure you can trust him, Jon?"
Jon's eyes were resolute with certainty as he spoke. "Oh yes, Robert. I am well aware that the Lannisters have plans of their own. A fool would believe he was privy to more than a fraction of what goes on in Lord Tywin's mind. However, if there's anything we know about Tywin, it's that he's always focused on the greatest profit. And in this case, the interests of the realm align with his own. I'm certain of it. And I thank you, Robert, for trusting me to keep the nature of this alliance secret from you for now, until the time is right to reveal it."
Robert looked about him, uneasy. Most of the lords in company seemed to share his unease, but none of them were want to question Jon Arryn either. They all understood that there were some plans, arranged on such a grand scale and of such utmost import, that they must remain secret. Robert himself was horrible at keeping secrets, and he hated doing it. He felt it was beneath him to censor himself to anyone. If he was a just and noble lord, respectful of his subjects and peers, there shouldn't be any need to. But he understood that the world did not work the way he would like it to, and if ever there was a man he trusted to have such a secret, it was Jon Arryn. I must not get into the habit of trusting people out of respect for familiarity, he thought to himself. He wished Ned was here with him.
Jon looked down. On the back side of the parchment, opposite the legal document contained on it, Robert had written a personal message, unsigned but clearly Robert's voice. The dragons are dead, and so shall you be, Aerys you mad fool. You deserve all that is coming to you. After he read it, he looked back up at Robert.
The two men met each other's gaze and both noticed a fire burning in the others' eyes. Robert felt the fire awake in his heart and he pounded his fist on the heavy oaken table and bellowed, "For Westeros!" "For Westeros!" everyone around him cheered. He grabbed the flagon of wine from the table, took a huge gulp, sat back in his chair, and looked up at his friend and mentor. "This is happening," he said, for the second time. The first time he'd said it, it was more a question than a statement. This time, he not only believed it, he felt it.
