4th Month of 298 A.C. King's Landing
Grand Maester Pycelle
For forty years he had lived and served in King's Landing, under four kings he had lived and served in his role as Grand Maester, and the four kings he had served could not have been more different from one another. King Aegon, had been a kind man, charitable and good natured, but by the time Pycelle had come to serve him, the king had been old and tired, the years of dealing with disobedient vassals having taken most of his good will from him. Pycelle knew what Summerhall had been, some thought it had been the last gasps of a desperate man, but Pycelle knew that the king had organised Summerhall as a show of strength, he knew that those things would have been brought to life, and of course the fools at the citadel had decided to get involved and so the king and his eldest son and heir had died in those flames. That had left the king's weak second son Jaehaerys to come to the throne, now Jaehaerys did not seem to share his father's enthusiasm for change, and indeed seemed to want to revert back to the old ways, his insistence on marrying his son to his daughter was something that Pycelle found odd and disturbing. That king was ruled by his wife, as much as by his own leanings toward the books. That the Blackfyres had chosen his reign to come and invade one last time, had spared the king the dishonour of being removed from the throne. He had died and then Aerys had come to the throne. Aerys, had had a lot of promise in the beginning but then the loss of children had slowly eaten away at his mind and his sanity, and then the rebellion had happened. King Robert was a lazy king who did nothing but eat and drink it was not a good thing.
Eddard Stark had come to King's Landing because his friend had asked him to come, and yet Pycelle was beginning to suspect that Stark was wanting to head off home, that there was nothing here that he could really do. That was the feeling that Pycelle had gotten from the man during the council meetings, and it was quite the surprise. Pycelle remembered Rickard Stark, and that man had not been a coward, he had had stood his ground on any matter that he thought worth fighting for. His son did not have the spine for that, and Pycelle wondered if that was because of Jon Arryn. Arryn had had a hand in undermining the king as well, that much Pycelle knew. He was not that sad to see Arryn gone, but Stark, Stark could be useful for what he and the Queen were planning that much he knew. Of course the fact that Stark was asking questions was somewhat worrying. As he looks at the Queen now, he sees her worry etched clearly onto her face, she thinks she is her father without the bits below, but really she is not, she never has been and never will be. She was just a girl who was trying to play a game that had been going on for far longer than she had been alive, but she would never win at it, because she could not.
"He asked you about Arryn and his maester?" the queen asks.
"Yes my queen. He wanted to know how sudden Arryn's illness came about, and whether or not there might have been anything suspicious about it." Pycelle responds.
"And what did you tell him?" the queen asks.
"I told him the truth my queen. Or the truth as I know it. Arryn fell ill suddenly, but once he did fall ill, he did not recover. I tried all I could to save him, but nothing I tried did anything of use for him." Pycelle responds.
The Queen looks at him then, her eyes narrowed. Pycelle knows she thinks him a dithering old fool, and that is where she fails, her father let alone her mother would never think to underestimate him like this. "And he actually bought that? He truly believes that Arryn's death was natural?"
Stark is not as great a fool as you are my queen. Pycelle thinks to himself, aloud he merely says. "I do not think he was entirely convinced of that my Queen. He asked me about Arryn's maester Coleman, and whether or not that man had anything to do with helping Arryn."
"And?" The Queen asks. "What did you tell him? Did you say what we agreed upon?"
There is desperation in her voice, and Pycelle wonders at that, but then pushes that thought from his mind responding. "Aye I did. Coleman was ailing anyway, there is not a chance he could have helped Arryn. That I know Stark believes, because he wants something rational to use for why Arryn died."
"So he will not think to go looking for the things we have hidden?" The queen asks.
Pycelle shakes his head. "He has no reason to go looking for them, therefore he will not know what to look for anyway. He is walking down the alleyway that we have set for him, as well as the one that his goodsister has set for him."
"Do you think he will come to realise that?" The queen asks.
"He might do in time, but when he does come to realise it, it will be too late. There will not be a chance for him to continue growing unless he wishes to grow shorter by a head." Pycelle responds.
"Good, that is good." The Queen responds. "What of the council, what have they been telling him?"
"That he should remove Slynt from the commander's role in the city watch." Pycelle says.
"And who did you suggest as a replacement?" The Queen asks.
"Jacelyn Bywater." Pycelle responds.
"Next time he asks, you shall suggest Donnel do you understand?" The queen asks.
Why so you can fuck him as well? Pycelle wonders to himself, before nodding. "Yes my queen."
There is a moment's silence and then the Queen speaks once more. "Stark is straying too close to things he should not know about. How has he come to know about them?"
Pycelle thinks on this a moment and then responds. "Baelish is most likely aiding him, after all the man has always had a sweet spot for Stark's wife."
The Queen looks at him then and asks. "Do you think Baelish is trying to undermine our position? That he seeks to gain more power through leveraging us?"
Pycelle looks at the Queen and then responds. "He might well be trying, the man has no qualms about doing such a thing, however, and I do not think he will be successful."
"Why do you think that?" The Queen asks sharply.
You really are slow aren't you my queen? Pycelle thinks to himself, aloud he merely says. "Baelish has a tendency to over exert himself when there is something he desperately wants. Look at how he exerted himself to get the position of customs master from old Velaryon before the year was out. Look how he exposed himself to Arryn's scrutiny when he first came here. He has something to prove to himself and thus to us all as well, and as he tries, he leaves openings for others to exploit him. Stark is not one who will trust him, but there are things Baelish can say to Stark that might well make him think about it."
"And what are those things?" The Queen asks.
"The fact he was friends with Stark's wife, and that she undoubtedly trusts him still." Pycelle responds.
"Then she is a fool as is he. Baelish is a snake, and he will soon run out of use for us, and when the time comes he shall fall, far and fast." The Queen says emphatically.
Pycelle looks at the queen, sees the expression on her face as one of determination and he remembers her mother then, and the same words that she had said before she had gone. He sighs quietly and then aloud says. "You might want to tread carefully there my queen. You have spies, but so does Baelish, and he has had time to play the game which we do not know about."
The Queen looks at him sceptically. "It cannot be an unknown game if you know about it now can it?"
Pycelle bows his head. "As you say my queen."
The Queen looks at him and then says. "You may leave now. And say not a word of this to anyone."
"Of course my Queen." Pycelle responds, he bows and then turns and walks out of the room. As he walks, he thinks to himself, the Queen is so confident in her ability to emerge from this thing unscathed, of course she thinks that, she has never found a foe she has not been able to defeat, either because of her name, who her father was or because Pycelle had them removed. Stark will be more difficult, he thinks, he fears it. Stark has too much honour and not enough sense, he will go looking toward something that he should not, and then they might all be in trouble. A troubling thought that, and one that keeps him occupied as he walks back to his own rooms in the rookery, he thinks of all the places that Stark could go looking and he decides he will send men out to deal with those who might talk. He eventually gets to his own bed chamber, panting slightly, and opens the door, to find a hooded figure there waiting.
Pycelle looks at the figure and then asks. "What have you come for? I told you it would take some time, before things were in order."
The figure is silent a moment and then it speaks. "You are running out of time Pycelle. The time is coming for action to be taken, the waiting is almost over. Deliver or you shall suffer."
"Yes, yes I know about that. I know what the master might well do if I do not deliver. And I tell you, I need more time." Pycelle responds.
The figure sounds angry then, though Pycelle cannot see their face. "You have had more than enough time for this to be prepared and ready. How much more time do you need?"
"I need another moon, no more. I promise you it will be ready by then, and then the master might do what needs to be done." Pycelle responds.
The figure moves toward him then, and Pycelle finds himself quivering a little. "Do not play me for a fool Pycelle. Remember, I know all that there is to know about you, and the master knows more. Make a false move and you shall be shamed in a fate worse than death."
Pycelle stiffens then and responds. "I do not take well to threats. The master knows that, after what happened to the last fool who tried to threaten me."
The figure laughs then, a great booming sound. "I am no fool Pycelle, and neither are you. I can make things happen that would make what happened to your father look tame. Do not try my patience, make it happen. You have one moon, no more, no less."
"Very well." Pycelle responds, and then in a blink of an eye the figure is gone. Pycelle is left feeling shaken. Things must be getting quite desperate if the master had to send that figure here. Pycelle sighs, cursing his younger self for making that agreement, it seems it might well come back to haunt him. He has already lost so much to the cause, he is not sure how much more he might be able to take.
There is a knock on the door, and as he opens it, he finds himself looking at Ros and he asks her. "What have you found?"
"Stark is meeting with his wife." Ros responds.
"Where?" Pycelle asks.
"Baelish's brothel." She responds.
