A day after Hother found out that Maester Marwyn arrived in the Red Keep and he then also was surprised to have four of his special Ravens back, he was ordered away from his patient and was brought to the King in some small room in a Tower that overlooked the Walls that faced the Blackwater.
The King and his Mother were there, Ser Gerold was there, Ser Barristan was there and Maester Marwyn too. The Targaryens and the Maester were sitting at a table on which numerous books lay, some of them opened and in front of all three of them were standing Cups of wine.
Hother tried to go onto his knees in front of the young King and his Mother but Rhaegar himself bid him to not bother but instead to take a seat at the same table at which the King, the Queen mother and the other Maester already sat. Hother did so.
Marwyn's eyes narrowed at him and he gave back the same look. Rhaella Targaryen looked unhappy and uncomfortable, clearly she wished to be elsewhere but her son looked nearly happy.
It was actually a curious look on the melancholic but otherworldly pretty face of the young King, thought Hother to himself.
Such a happiness was not something that was often found on the features of Targaryens, at least it wasn't so in the mind of others of that family, by the look of Rhaellas face when ever she watched her son.
"In five days time my father's entombment ceremony will take place and the morning after Lord Tywin will have his trial in a combat against Lord Commander Gerold Hightower. I trust you Maester Hother that you will make sure that Lord Lannister is able to stand long enough in front of the people of King's Landing all by himself, till the accusation was made official and till the Lord Commander then slayed him."
"I beg your pardon your Grace but Lord Lannister is not even able to ask for a trial by combat, the Lord Commander had broken Lord Tywins jaw and blackened half the face at his last visit, he also had made the barely healing injuries that came by your fathers command, now worse again.
I really don't think that my patient is..."
"I did not ask you of your opinion, now did i do that Maester?"
"Of course not your Grace but the matter still is that Lord Tywin will not be able to do what you just told me. He simply cannot stand by his own and he also cannot speak and..."
"The people will hear after the accusation was read, that Tywin Lannister asked earlier, when he was still in his Cell, for the trial by combat. The High Septon will confirm it for the population. About Lord Tywins inability to stand by his own, i will charge you to find a way to make it possible, do you understand Maester Hother?"
The Queen started to speak.
"Your Grace, my dear son, surely we can wait for the next moon or two. Tywin Lannister did a great crime but his many years of loyal service should not be forgotten but rewarded in the way that we at least give him enough time to heal, so that the Gods and the people will see a fair combat. He is the Warden of West, don't forget this. The other Wardens and Lord Paramounts would see it as a betrayal of their rights, to treat one of their own like a common criminal without a fair and true trial."
"Beloved Mother, while your gentleness is admirable and your ability to treat the murderer of your own husband is as selfless as the love of the Mother herself, it still does not change my will and since not you are the King but i am, my Word and Will stands."
"My dear son.."
"Ser Barristan, my mother is tired already. Take her back to her rooms and make sure that no one enters them and disturbs her mourning."
The Queenmother looked speechless at her sons words but he already dismissed her from his mind and concentrated on Hother again.
Ser Barristan did as the King commanded him, like he always did. Not even the hint of a question was to see on his face. When Rhaella tried to step to her son, the Kingsguard took her by her arm and tugged her out of the room instead, without even the slightest bit of facial reaction.
The King came before the Queen.
Hother preferred the damn Lord Commander over this tame Kingsguard, Gerold followed the the Kings command even more but at least on his face there was emotion to be seen. Hard to believe that the man that tugged out his own Queen without any remorse on her sons command was once called 'the Bold'. It was unbelievable that this tame White Guard had slain the last Blackfyre. Would the Bold Barristan let himself so easily ordered around by a King that young, Hother wondered to himself.
But the Maester then looked up again to said King and found himself on the end of a piercing gaze from cool dark indigo eyes. Hother looked from the King to the other two men in the room. Hightower was clearly enraged but Marwyn looked like he was enjoying himself immensely. His large hands were folded on the table and he was smirking unashamedly.
Hother turned his eyes back to the young Dragon. Rhaegar Targaryen was taking a drink from his Cup and looked at the Maester with near Sympathy in his eyes.
"You will make sure that my command is fulfilled, won't you Maester Hother? Or i will order you bound to Tywin, after all, weren't you the one that helped him to kill my father? Hmm? I really don't remember, but Ser Gerold told me afterall, that you hadn't helped your King when he was lying bleeding on the floor."
Hother felt himself growing cold inside. Damn King and damn Hightower and damn this smirking Marwyn while he was at it.
"Lord Lannister will be ready your Grace, the population will witness your Grace's fairness to the opponents of the House Targaryen like your Grace wishes it."
"That is good to hear Maester Hother but then i never doubted that you would answer this way. Maester Marwyn told me after all that you are an intelligent and creative man, with an astounding talent to patch up deep lacerations. Or were it knife wounds. Maester Marwyn told me so many interesting things after all, quite a lot of them were about you."
Hother looked over to the now smug looking Marwyn and rued the day that he had been too drunk to gut the bloody bastard, back when they were both younger.
"Maester Marwyn was certainly kind to tell you of my healing talent your Grace but.."
"Ser Gerold will bring you back to your patient, you certainly have to care for him, now don't you Maester Hother?"
"Of course your Grace"
The Lord Commander bowed deeply to his King, while Hother nodded his head only slightly and then they were already outside and he and the White Knight were quickly enough in front of the Tower of the Hand again.
Ser Gerold was ranting angrily that he should stay with his King and not leave him alone with obscure Maesters and not bringing other Maesters to their Patients, there were enough lower Guards for these kind of things around after all but Hother kept quiet.
Marwyn obviously irritated the proud Kingsguard. That was good in Hothers opinion, it was a weakness to show irritation this openly after all.
Ser Gerold really should control himself better but the servant that brought the daily food into the Tower to Hother and his Patient whispered quietly that the Lord Commander was normally way more selfcontrolled, only since the day that the old King died, he showed so much emotion openly.
Hother stepped inside the Tower and then into the room of Tywin Lannister, while the Kingsguard went back to his King.
It was early evening and the wounds needed to be cleaned again.
...
All too soon the night became morning already. Hother looked away from Tywin Lannisters feverish body and out of the window for a minute, then he concentrated again to clean his patient from his waste and to then tug him into his clean sheets.
The Lion Lord looked slightly embarrassed but mostly tired to the Maester, because even though he was mostly sleeping, it did not meant that he was not tired in the short time that he was awake in between. His body was using so much of his strength to heal, that even opening his eyes for the time that the Maester asked him to do that, or to open his mouth when he was feed some broth, was often draining him considerably of what little strength he had and only made him more tired again.
Not that he could open more than the right eye right now for his left eye was swollen shut and his left jaw was broken after Ser Gerolds 'gentle behavior'.
Hother looked contemplating to his patient and Tywin Lannister forced himself to open his good eye a bit more, so that he could return the look.
No noise was to hear, they just looked at each other for a moment, both thinking about the words of the King that Hother had told earlier to Lord Tywin.
The Lion Lord looked nearly resigned. Tired, beaten up and nearly resigned. But there was still a tiny speck of satisfaction to be found in this Hazel eye, the satisfaction and pride that came from the knowledge that he had killed the King that he hated.
Hother could respect that. It was not the main reason though that made him think of a way to escape and to take his patient with him. No, his main reason was that he was done with the new King already and that he knew that he wouldn't survive Tywin for long anyway.
Hother decided that early morning that he would find a way to escape with a thoroughly useless-right-now Tywin Lannister, just to spite the men that he so had grown to dislike.
Umbers break their Chains after all.
