Winter of Lions
I – Arthur
Rain. Lord Arthur Reyne thought as he watched the flames flickered in front of his eyes. The sound of thunder could be heard from far away, along the smell of the thick clouds. It will be good for the crops. Arthur thought as he fed the flame with another log. The pyre shined brighter, with fire sparks flying up with the thin smoke.
The heat of the burning wood warmed Arthur at that chilly morning. He felt peaceful at last, too peaceful for his own liking. Yet he could not be wrong with this feelings, things have never been better for him since he become the Lord of both the Castamere and Taberck Hall. The summer had been good, the fields were filled with tall golden wheat and barley. And the scars of war that the Lannister brothers had left behind were slowly disappearing with each passing season.
Arthur saw how the peasant began another day harvesting their crops or tending their cattle. He could hear the routine morning of his own keep, from the hammer hits of the local smiths to the early sermon of the septon. It seem almost like that there had never been a war just four years ago. A war which left Castamere scorched and drowned. Arthur reflected.
Not far away up on the mountains, Arthur could see from his room at the large drum tower how the final marble stones were still been brought up upon his new castle, high up the western mountains. He watched calmly from his room as groups of men, guided by stone mason, slowly pulled up stone by stone, from platform to platform. It was an impressive sight of how slowly his new castle turned beautiful, something which Arthur ever love to gaze on those days. It took out his mind of his bitter memories of the horror that he and his fellow knight found at Castamere upon the end of his dead father's rebellion. Arthur remember how he wept until his eyes were dry, as he unburied and reburied the dead, only thanking the Gods that his brothers were not there to see that horrible scene, especially when he found his father and mother.
Those days were horrible yet there was hope in the end. King Jaehaerys made sure that the Reynes still outside Castamere would survive. The King wrote a boom of safety that even Tywin Lannister could not ignore. Even the lands of both Castamere and Tarbeck Hall were secure by the decree. Arthur two daughters running with other children just inside the new curtain walls were the testimony to that decree.
Arthur did some thought of his brothers, both of them so far away, both of them living their own lives. The last time he tried to contact both of them, he did not receive any answer yet he knew they lived. Even thought it sadden him to know that they did never visited him once, even to say their final goodbye to their parents.
As he thought, Arthur notice as a fat man entered his room. He walked in carrying various scrolls and books along his large bag, in which Arthur knew that was filled with goose feathers, squid ink and wax candles. He walked passed Arthur and went directly to the table besides him.
"Good morning Maester Gunther, how are you feeling today?" Arthur asked with a smirk in his face as he lean against the side of the window. The maester looked at him calmly and raised an eyebrow.
"Much better my Lord Arthur, it took some time for me to recover yet the sweet reds did help." The maester answered, as he organize firmly the various scrolls and letters over the table.
"You know, one should never trust old imported sausages. Especially one brought from Essos, don't you think Gunther?" Arthur asked with a mischievous tone, as he went over the table and started to read the new letters.
"Nonsense, it was the cook's dirty hands that made my bows turn loose!" The maester answered confidently. Both looked at each other and gave a small laughs.
"So what news does the tiding brings?" Arthur asked, as he continue to read letter after letter.
"Not many, yet few important ones." The maester said in a noticeable alarm in his voice. The maester stretch out his hand and gave the open scroll at Arthur's hand.
Arthur took the letter and quietly read it.
"Is this some kind of bloody joke?" Arthur said with bitterness in his voice.
"No my Lord. It arrived from Casterly Rock just this morning." The maester answered quietly.
Arthur looked at the sudden invitation from Lord Tytos Lannister. He was inviting them to be present at the Feast of Lannisport that would happen in the next moon's turn. Arthur knew very well that all the lords of the Westerlands would be present and so would Tyto's miserable children.
Arthur did not have anything personal against Lord Tyto's, but dreaded the man anyway for letting his son kill his parents and close kins.
Yet this time Arthur could not make his excuse as he would the years before. Rebuilding his feud had been a good excuse for the last few years, yet now he knew that the Lannister's spies would know of his good progress. Arthur dread the excuse for another feud to start between both houses over a pitiful insult to the Lord Paramount, even though he was weaker than rag doll.
"Maester Gunther how are we progressing on our projects?" Arthur asked coldly.
The maester stop for a few minutes and took out another scroll out of his bag.
"The New Castamere my lord is almost done. The masons are now fitting in the marble stones into the new great hall and the garden, by two moon's turn you will be ready to move in."
"And Tarbeck Hall?" Arthur asked.
"We clear most of the sight and the head mason is already raising the inner halls and towers. The main wall has already been repair along with the gate and the keep." The maester answered.
"And the.." Arthur began to say.
"The gold mines are functioning with good progress. The gold is been stored by our trusted servants. We are still in progress of reopening the silver mines yet by the end of the year it will be open as you have planned my lord."
The maester answered not waiting for Arthur's question.
Arthur seem amaze for an instant, thanking the Gods that the Citadel send him someone with brains, than he took a long breath.
"Send a letter to Casterly Rock confirming my presence for the feast. Remind them to prepare a room for me and thirty of my knights along their squires." Arthur said as he held the very message and burned over the lit candle.
"My lord" Gunther said with a stronger voice. "May I remind you that when you are at the feast for you not to forget your manners and your pending duty."
Arthur stood for a few seconds looking at the maester's face trying to figure out what he meant by the second command. "What duty Gunther?"
"You know my lord." Maester Gunther said looking at Arthur with an eyebrow raised. Arthur took a few seconds and he understood.
Marriage. Arthur thought.
It was true that it was past time he found a suitable wife, he was three and twenty already and he need an heir better than his lost brothers.
"I will Maester Gunther, I shall do my duty."