Stannis Baratheon ground his teeth in frustration. Why must all my allies be fools? He sat next to his brothers and the Lord Commander around the table in Robert's solar, which had thankfully been cleared of the remnants of the King's earlier display of rage.
"Robert, for the last time, the trial must be public. That's the whole point of the trial, so that everyone can see the Queen's treason and know the execution is just."
"They'll be able to see their justice when I have her fucking head cut off!" Robert thundered, he grabbed a nearby bottle of wine and drank deeply.
Stannis ground his teeth again, he was getting nowhere.
Renly spoke up cheerily, "Apart from the location, the preparations for the trial are coming along nicely. Lord Varys has been most helpful, turning up more evidence of the Queen's fornication with her brother." Of course, now he can find some evidence. Stannis had once tried to get Robert to replace Varys with someone more trustworthy, but his brother had just laughed and told Stannis that the eunuch was too valuable to replace. Renly would, of course, not worry at all about sharing valuable information with those who were trying to undermine them.
Renly was still talking, "And we are gathering all of your, ah, natural children that we can find to show that the Queen's bastards could not be yours." Doing what I did for years before this mess began. And do I get a thanks from Robert for what I did for him? No, of course not, he just drowns himself in drink and runs for Stark.
"Oh, and one more thing, Robert," Renly's genial smile slipped off, replaced by a look of grim determination. "Myrcella still wants to speak with you."
Robert slammed the bottle down with a crash. "I've told you before. I don't want to see those bastards. I promised they wouldn't come to harm, but that's all I'll do for them. I don't want to see them and I don't want to hear them! That's the end of it! Anything else?"
"Very well, I'll just tell her that the man she called father for eight years doesn't want anything more to do with her." Renly folded his arms and sat back in his chair.
Robert's face reddened behind his beard, but he grit his teeth and growled with thinly veiled menace, "I said that's it, I don't want to hear about that anymore."
Renly sighed. "Fine then, while we're on the subject of the Queen's children, I am sorry to admit that we are no closer to finding where Joffrey has got off to. We know that Ser Preston Greenfield along with six Gold Cloaks and two knights went to apprehend Joffrey three nights ago. But they along with the boy have disappeared with no trace as to their whereabouts."
Stannis ground his teeth. "How do nine men and the former Crown Prince just disappear? There must be some clue as to where they went."
His younger brother threw up his hands in exasperation. "Look Stannis, I don't know if you remember, but it was chaos that night. No one knew what was happening. Fighting in the castle, King and Queen giving contradictory orders; more people probably disappeared, but no one has reported it yet. If you think you can find them be my guest. I've got more than enough to deal with; organizing a trial, sorting out the Gold Cloaks, I can't devote my time to a missing boy!"
"A boy?! Joffrey's not just a boy, Renly! Do you realize what might happen if he falls into the wrong hands?!" Stannis was standing, shouting across the table at his younger brother who had risen as well. Blue eyes stared back at him with cold fury. "I swear if your incompetence costs us-"
"Enough!" Robert bellowed, smashing the bottle onto the table again. This time it shattered spraying all of them with shards. "I will not have my councilors bickering like children! Sit down, both of you!"
Stannis and Renly both took their seats, chastised. Stannis stared at his hands in shame.
In the awkward silence that followed, Ser Barristan spoke up for the first time. "Your Grace, I wish to apologize again for my actions on the night in question, if I hadn't sent Preston, Meryn and Boros…"
"It's fine Barristan, what's done is done." The King's towering rage at the old knight had evaporated as quickly as it had come, "No one blames you for what happened. It's not your fault your sworn brothers turned out to be lying, oathless traitors."
"But, Your Grace I-"
"Not another word about it!" Robert said firmly, "However, you've reminded me, we've got four empty spots on the Kingsguard now, who's going to fill them?"
"No Your Grace, only one. We Kingsguard serve for life; Ser Jaime, Ser Boros, and Ser Preston are still members of the Kingsguard while they draw breath."
"Well, we'll have their heads on spikes soon enough!" Robert laughed, "But who do you want for the other spot?"
Before, Barristan could speak, Renly cut him off. "Ser Loras Tyrell, my former squire and good friend, has long spoken of one day becoming a Kingsguard. He says there is no higher honor for a knight." A lot more than a friend if the rumors I hear are true, Stannis thought.
"Yes, Flower Knight, didn't he help bring in the Queen? Took out four Lannister guards to get her? Give him a white cloak!" Robert laughed again; pouring himself a goblet of wine he toasted Renly. "Oh, if that's fine with you Selmy,"
"I…suppose so, yes."
Renly smiled. "Excellent, Loras will be delighted to hear it. Oh, yes, speaking of Loras, I've just remembered. Loras said his father, Mace Tyrell, will be coming up the Roseroad with a retinue of two hundred swords to pay fealty to you. He's bringing his maiden daughter with him, Margaery I believe her name is. They should be here within a fortnight."
Stannis ground his teeth again. Gods be good, we just freed the court of Lannisters, now we're to be swamped with Tyrells?
"Brilliant!" Robert chortled, "We'll be singing of the Lannisters of Casterly Rock in a moon's time!"