Chapter 9; Arrivals…
Characters of the chapter
Brandon Stark, also known as the Three Eyed Raven, mage advisor to the court of King Jon
Iledia, Agent of the Inquisition, advisor in matters of the arcane in the court of Queen Daenerys
Kieran, Agent of the Inquisition, mage advisor to the court of King Jon
Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen to Queen Daenerys
Iledia was having another conversation with Lord Brandon in the Fade, this time attended by Kieran as well.
"So the King and the rest of you are safe for the moment?" She asked.
"Yes. We took a few casualties. Lady Mormont's second in command was injured, but should pull through. But the rest of us are alright, heading back to the mainland." Kieran said.
"It could have been a very different story without your intervention, My Lord." He added to Bran.
"We were fortunate that there was a Kraken in the region. Not many of them left in the world." Bran said, then sighed.
Iledia raised an eyebrow. "You do not appear entirely pleased with the situation. Why not? The King is safe, as is the noblewoman you wished to have retrieved. You even landed a blow on the enemy by destroying one of their ships."
"Yes, I got what I was after. But it came at a cost." He said.
"Well… yes. Losses were sustained. And that's very unfortunate. But it was the enemy that killed them. You did what you could to protect them and you saved many. All of those that remain in fact, based on what Kieran said." She said.
"With respect, that was not what I meant." Bran said, an uncharacteristic dryness in his voice.
"Theirs is a species that has long been dwindling in the world. There are several male Krakens in the world, most of them asleep in the darkest reaches of the oceans. But of female Krakens there was only one left in all the world. This one was an ancient, venerable member of its species, blessed with a timeless wisdom no single human mind could hope to have. An awesome mind amongst a species possessing surprising intellect, often wrongfully labeled mere animals. A mind I ruthlessly smashed aside to use her body as an instrument of war. A thousand years had she lived, and might have lived for a thousand more if left in peace. And she was the last hope of her species. If she had found even one of the males that still roam the seas she could have brought a dozen daughters into the world. Enough to give a chance to her kind to endure. It was a hope I snatched away with what I chose to do." He explained.
"Now do you understand? I deliberately doomed their kind to fade away from existence to protect the future of the world. In time they will be just a myth, and only I and the Three Eyed Raven that come after me shall remember them for what they truly were. A fragment of the old world is gone forever." He said.
Iledia and Kieran looked quieted by that. "Maybe… maybe it's better that way. For all the intellect you claim them to have they were still dangerous things. There are countless stories of ships sunk by them. The sailors who will have their lives because of this would doubtless thank you for this if they knew." She finally broke the silence.
"Hmph. Yes, Krakens are dangerous. But so is humanity. There are uncounted wonders that have been destroyed or subjugated by humans, thinking exactly as you do now. Should humanity be destroyed, for this? No, though there are those who have thought so, and some who still do. So you should not be so quick to judge." He replied.
"I wasn't trying to…" She tried to say.
"Perhaps the fate of these creatures means nothing to you. But my role in this world is to preserve such things where possible. To guard the world of old. Doing so matters to me in the same manner as serving and protecting the Imperium matters to you. If Tevinter's existence was at risk I'm certain you would not respond with such ruthless calculus as you did now." He said with an irritated shake of his head.
Iledia was taken aback. She had not expected anger from him. And it appeared this was new to Kieran as well.
"I, uh… it was not my intention to be disrespectful." She said in apology.
"If so, then you seem to have managed to be just that anyway." Bran countered. Then seemed to get ahold of himself. He sighed again. "No. I apologize. This is all still very fresh for me right now. It was an ugly choice to make. I did it out of necessity, but it was a sacrifice. And since it was my decision it is unfair to cast blame on you."
"Let us move on to other matters. Kieran, you need to tell Jon that the fleet Queen Yara commanded has been ambushed and destroyed by the Qunari." He said.
"Not Queen Daenerys?" Kieran asked.
"That would be fine, but it would take too long. And I cannot contact her directly. Trying to do so with a mind that has not undergone a mage's training would be extremely hazardous. Jon will see to it that she knows, of that I have no doubt, but he needs to do something first. He is to prepare warning messages for the other two fleets, to be carried by ravens. Once he has them ready I shall control the ravens directly to ensure they can find the fleets and deliver the messages before it is too late." Bran explained.
"Understood." Kieran said.
"Once you have told him that, speak with captain Isabela. Tell her that Yara Greyjoy requires her aid. Tell her to seek her amongst the ice rafts of the northern seas. Make sure she knows this before she sets off again." Bran told him.
"Will she even believe that?" Kieran asked.
"Belief is not required. Be honest with her about the source of your information and she will not want to leave this uninvestigated. She cannot take the chance you're telling it right." Bran said.
"Very well. Anything else you need me to do?" Kieran asked.
"Not at this time my friend." Bran said.
"Alright then. I'm off." Kieran said and suddenly he was not there anymore. No flash of light or anything, just gone. Iledia imagined in the physical world he just woke up. She had never seen what waking up looked like observed from the Fade. A bit anticlimactic really.
"To you I have no specific instructions at this time. You will meet with Tyrion Lannister soon. Establish a good working relationship with him. That will be very much needed. He and I know each other, so he knowing we are working together should help matters."
"Though while we are here, you have yet to tell Queen Daenerys of the vision I had concerning her." He added.
"I have not forgotten." She reassured. "Our first meeting simply did not feel like the right occasion to so speak of it. I shall attend to it later. Unless of course you feel this is urgent enough to be attended to immediately?"
"I do not think so, so fair enough. Though if looks like you've forgotten about this later I will remind you again." He said.
"I understand you intend to reside in King's Landing for as long as you're here?" He asked next.
"That is my intent, yes." She confirmed. "Should I not?"
"No, no. Feel free to do that. But be prepare to move around quite a bit. Jon and Daenerys are going to spend much of this war on the field and on locations other than the capital. You need to be available to them." He said.
"Without a doubt. I expected this to the case. King's landing is merely where I will be based at when I'm not needed elsewhere. Fortunately I've grown accustomed to managing my network while on the move. It will be no issue." She said.
"That is good to hear. Once your people are in place we should consider how best to make use of them. I will be able to gather a lot of secrets without the need to risk spies, but you can supplement this with your sources. I think the most fruitful focus for you will be to point out matters that require scrutiny to me, so I can focus attention on them. And to act on the information you receive." He said.
Iledia nodded. "A very similar arrangement as the one you have with Kieran. Hmm… yes, that does seem the most useful way to approach this, given our mutual abilities. I shall proceed along those lines. In the meantime I shall see what Lord Tyrion has to say." She said, then started concentrating on waking up.
"Iledia." Bran called out, bringing her focus back to him.
"I realized I may have been unnecessarily harsh earlier…" He began to say.
"No. You were not." She cut in. "I was being an ass without even realizing. It was right of you to call me out on that. I was trying to console, but how I went about it was horribly ignorant. Next time I shall do better."
Bran nodded. "Next time. And I thank you for your intent at least."
"You had it right about us humans, too." She said quietly. "That has been our way of thinking of the strange and frightening, all too often. I know."
"Though… in the interest of fairness… we aren't the only ones. People pay attention to us, because in this era humanity is dominant. But other peoples have had this same fear and hate of the unknown. If they had the strength, who knows that they might do?"
Bran thought about it for a moment. "There is truth in that. It does not excuse the destruction humans have sowed. But it does give the matter perspective." He finally conceded.
"…When you mentioned that some have wanted to destroy us, who did you mean by it?" She asked after a pause.
"The Children of the Forest became fearful of annihilation at one time. On one side the humans who would not relent in their advance. On the other the Elven Empire that refused to permit the Children to flee within their borders. Caught between hammer and anvil they turned to the only means they thought strong enough to destroy their human adversary. And we both know the nightmare that was unleashed as a result." He explained.
"Wait… I had no idea elves were involved in those events." She said.
"This is rare knowledge. Before this moment I was the only one left who knew. The Children of the Forest are gone now from the world, humans have long since forgotten and for the elves of those times this was a minor footnote in their histories, barely recorded. Even the White Walkers were an annoyance that they sealed away before promptly returning to their own affairs, as was their way."
"Well, in that case thank you for sharing this with me." She said.
"You're welcome. But it must be the end of our conversation for now. There is work for you to do."
"There is indeed." She said. After that she woke.
Later that day Iledia was in the cabin on the ship she was travelling on, holding up a crystal glowing with blue light. The ship transporting her was from Kirkwall, one of many ships shuttling goods between Thedas and Westeros. She had been lucky to find this one. A bit less of a culture shock for everyone. And the captain didn't ask too many questions, didn't nose around, as long as she paid in good coin and didn't cause trouble. That was always nice.
The ship had a very new feel to it, being one of a recently built breed of ships made with long sea voyages in mind. Antivans had made them first for their expeditions, but every nation in Thedas was now building their own versions of them. One more symbol of this new age they were living in.
"Nothing of substance to report since our last. Our people are continuing to arrive and are well on their way to settling here in Westeros." A slightly distorted voice emanated from the crystal.
"Very good. Complete your groundwork preparations as soon as you're able. When we are ready our work will commence at once. I suspect our first order of business will be to start countering enemy operatives in this country. That will require cleaning house. Based on what the Orlesians managed to do I anticipate the level of infestation to be… considerable. Because the Twin Kingdoms are actively at war with them I expect the Qunari will be our primary focus for the time being. But spies of other enemy factions are not to be ignored either. This includes any Loyalist Venatori assets that may be present." She replied.
"Very well. We will begin preparations for counterintelligence missions as soon as possible." Said the voice.
"But do not start operations before I give the go ahead. After I have met with the Hand of the Queen I will be able to coordinate matters with him and ensure local authorities will not get in the way of our work. And we need to ensure we don't accidentally eliminate allied assets. To that end gather information, note the existence of potential spy cells and pass it along to me. I'll cross-reference with the Hand and local Inquisition spies so we can tell which ones are true hostile operatives. Do not move to eliminate a hostile cell without clearing it with me first." She continued.
"How soon will your meeting take place with the Hand of the Queen?" The voice asked.
"Within the day if nothing unexpected happens. I'll notify you when I have done so, and I'll give our people more detailed instructions then, when and where that is required. I'll be contacting all my field teams in Westeros one week after the meeting. I'll be expecting a report on their state of readiness and activities at that time. If there are priority tasks that come up in the meeting the relevant groups will be contacted today three hours after sunset at the latest." She directed.
"What of the assets that are to be deployed to Essos?" The voice said.
"I shall return to that later. I'll need to check if the Westerosi have any contacts that will be able to help us on that continent first. Establishing a presence in Essos without being detected will be a difficult endeavor. When we try to do so we will need all the help we can find. Once I have that information I will pass that along, and that we can start their attempts at infiltration. For now keep them on standby." She said.
"Understood." The voice said.
"One last reminders in case they are required: As of today we are working together with the Westerosi governments. I expect you to give them the same level of cooperation as we have given the Inquisition." She said.
"Of course." The voice confirmed.
"But in the process keep in mind our circumstances. As far as the Westerosi know you are here as my personal agents and through me you work for the Inquisition. That is what they must continue to believe. They must be kept in the dark about our other loyalties and affiliations, both past and present. Failure to do so will compromise our ability to work in the Twin Kingdoms and embarrass our allies in the Inquisition. Remember that. And here my name is Iledia. My true name is not to be used under any circumstances until and unless I indicate that it is safe to do so. Even when you are having a private conversation in an environment you believe to be secure you are not to use my real name." She continued.
"We remember, My Lady. And meaning no disrespect, we have been in these circumstances before. We know the drill. What's more you have reminded all of us here of this several times already." The voice remarked dryly.
"I know. And I apologize if it is a bother. But this is important to remember. Can't have our people forgetting it when we start to get comfortable being here, working alongside these people." She said.
"That is all for now. Iledia out." She finished, and the light of the crystal dimmed and disappeared. She placed the crystal back to a pouch on her belt, next to the coin pouch. Next she started to removing the wards she had set to keep anyone from spying on her conversation through either physical or magical means. It never hurt to be careful in this line of work.
Everything appeared to be on schedule. Her work for the Twin Kingdoms could start without delay once this meeting with Lord Tyrion was concluded. The connection with Essos would take the longest to establish, since there she would have to wait until her people were secure and unnoticed by the opposition before she could start receiving information.
She had brought the barest essentials with her for the journey. Spare clothes, her staff and the crystal to communicate with her people. The rest would be shipped to her when she was provided more permanent quarters. Mostly laboratory equipment and other items that you could not purchase in the Twin Kingdoms, additional sets of clothing and books on subjects the locals knew nothing about. Even then there would not be terribly much. Living lean was a habit she exercised even when there was no real reason to do so. She liked nice things as much as anyone, but she had never felt the need to surround herself with more possessions than she needed. She supposed that she was not used to having them, even after all these years. Perhaps she would never be.
She had just removed the last of the wards when she heard a knock at the door. "We're almost at King's Landing, Serah. You ought to get yourself ready." A voice from behind the door said.
"I'll be right up." She replied. She gathered up her belongings, checking that everything important was accounted for, then left the cabin.
Emerging to the open air she was greeted with a drizzle of rain and the sight of the capital. A big city and impressive enough, though she had seen better. The Red Keep was the first structure to catch her attention. At least it would be easy to find, probably visible from anywhere in the city.
She continued to look at the city as the ship sailed approached the mass off shipwrecks near the city. As soon as they were amongst them her face suddenly twisted in pain. She collapsed against the railing, holding her head.
"Whoa, are you alright?" Asked a sailor that had noticed her distress.
"There is… something here." She explained, pained tears in her eyes. "I can see... green fire… ships burning. Ships… and people. Maker, thousands of them! I can hear their thoughts. I can feel their pain! Thousands of them, all in pain, all burning alive and I can feel it all!"
"The Battle of Blackwater Bay?" The sailor gasped, recognizing her description despite his Thedosian origin. "That was years ago. How the fuck are you sensing that?"
"I don't know I… just take me out of here! I don't want to be here anymore!" She told him.
When they left the wrecks behind the painful sensations slowly receded and vanished. Even so she was still very much upset by the experience, shuddering as she stepped onto the pier and headed into the city.
She had heard that there was a landing site somewhere close to the castle, but a merchant ship like this one had no reason to go there. The ship had instead docked in the main harbor of the city. From there it was a rather long walk to the Red Keep. But she didn't mind the trip. I gave her time to think about what had just happened.
Damn. It had felt like she was losing her mind back there. Not surprising, given she had been sharing in the pain of thousands of burning soldiers all at once. Fortunately they were just memories and not as potent a sensation as burning herself for instance. Still, a deeply, deeply unpleasant experience. Nightmare stuff really.
It was obvious that somehow the Veil had been disrupted on the battlefield. Not enough for anything from the other side to come through or for a non-mage to notice that anything was amiss. But enough to leave a lasting impression that a mage could sense. Battles with a lot of deaths could thin the veil, resulting in haunted battlefields plagued by bizarre happenings. She had read of the battles that had happened here and knew there had been heavy losses. But the Veil was much stronger in this part of the world, meaning that it would take a lot more to affect it in any meaningful way. And on no old battlefield she had heard of there being a problem like this. So she was not convinced the answer lay in the deaths themselves.
It had to have something to do with the Wildfire attack Tyrion Lannister had unleashed against Stannis Baratheon's invasion fleet. Why else would what would the anomaly she sensed be focused on such a specific area and events? Which meant the Wildfire had disrupted the Veil when it had been used, preserving the final thoughts and memories of all those touched by the flames in the Fade at the same time.
She began to wonder if Wildfire had some things in common with Veilfire. Earlier she might have thought the notion silly. Both types of flames were green in color, but that could just be a coincidence. And that had seemed to be the extent of the similarities. While Veilfire needed no oil or wood to burn, it could easily put out with water. By comparison Wildfire needed fuel but burned so hot it could only be put out by suffocation. One was a form of magic, the other was a result of an alchemical reaction. And yet… her experience seemed to imply Wildfire had the ability to preserve sensations and emotions, which was something Veilfire could be made to do with the proper techniques. It could be that Wildfire was capable of something similar, in this case preserving the final painful sensations of those it had burned.
No one in Thedas had ever tried to use Veilfire in battle, so no one had any idea what the results might be. And as Westeros for the most part lacked proper mages capable of actually sensing the Fade, they would have remained ignorant of these side effects. Those factors would explain why no one knew of this before her. So all of this was plausible, though she was not yet certain if it was truly so.
"Well, there is another site where wildfire has been used like this if I want to test this theory." She thought. Such an impression this experience had left her that she decided she wanted to look into this at once. With that she changed direction, heading to where the local Chantry Cathedral was, the place where the Sept of Baelor had once stood.
She was able to navigate the streets easily enough. If there was anything in this world she understood fully, it was big cities like this. The crowds, the stalls of merchants, the sights, sounds and scents both pleasant and unpleasant. And of course the homes of the mighty lifted far overhead the masses they required but oft despised. The Red Keep in was foremost among these structures, easily visible from almost anywhere in the city like she had guessed. All of this she knew and understood intimately.
Fairly soon she was approaching the second of this city's prominent landmarks. As she approached the Cathedral she noted the number of guards about increased the closer she got. And not just the city watchmen in their cloaks of gold. There were also several of the elite spearmen she had seen while visiting the King and Queen. Even stranger she noted many Inquisition soldiers about. The Inquisitor had not spoken of his military being mobilized in the city. Though to be fair troop deployments that did not concern her operations were frequently left unmentioned. Still, strange. What was more, private soldiers of several nationalities from Thedas were present. She recognized at least the uniforms of Nevarrans, Anderfelians and those of several of the Marcher cities. Even a couple Orlesian soldiers, which was especially odd considering they had recently been at war with the Twin Kingdoms.
Something else in the crowds caught her attention then. A line of sorts split the street, a zone where soldiers where especially plentiful. On one side of this line were people in crude robes of grey or black. On the other side were people with a white and red cloth on their person. The average citizens were allowed to come and go as they pleased, but these two groups were clearly being kept separated from one another. And for good reason too, for she could sense a fair bit of animosity between these groups.
What on earth was going on in this city? He would have to ask Lord Tyrion for an explanation. He had to know what this was about. Or if he did not, if he was that ignorant of what was happening within the city he resided in, he was not remotely fit for the post he held, in which case she wanted to know it as soon as possible. But right now she was more driven by what had brought her here in the first place.
She was about to cross the line separating the two groups when she recoiled and backed away. She had just felt the same thing as among the shipwrecks. She had gotten a brief glimpse of what must have been the Sept of Balor, consumed in an explosion of green flame, taking people standing nearby with it. It had felt so real for a moment she had thought the flames were about to consume her as well.
"Well, that seems to confirm it then. Using Wildfire to burn people has very nasty long term side effects for mages that happen on the area later." She thought, eyes locked on the Cathedral. What value this information this was she did not yet know, but she would keep this in mind. Her sudden reaction had not gone unnoticed and a number of eyes were now on her. She decided to be on her way, giving wide berth to the area around the cathedral.
She arrived to the Red Keep and after asking some directions of one of the soldiers on guard, headed in the direction of the Tower of the Hand, where she was told Lord Tyrion could be found. She was glad to see that security measures were at a good level, guards at every door and around every corner within the castle. At least it told her that the locals were doing what they could with what they had. Add her own operatives running counterintelligence to that and this place could be made impenetrable.
She finally arrived at the door leading to Lord Tyrion's study, finding even more guards on watch, these ones in armor of red and gold.
"The mage Iledia, to see the Hand of the Queen." She told them.
The guards gave her a long look, apparently not recognizing her name. "I do not think he mentioned anyone by your name among in his expected appointments today." One of the guards said.
"Given my mode of transportation and the fact I only arrived recently there has been no chance for me to reserve an appointment. But I am certain the Queen has sent messages to the lord hand advising him of my arrival. And now that I am here I am sure he would wish to see me at once. I certainly with to see him without delay." She replied.
"I'm sorry, Miss. The Lord Hand's time is very valuable, and his daily schedule is typically planned far in advance. Even if that were not the case for reasons of security we cannot permit unknown individuals that have no prior approval to get close to him. Only ambassadors and other known individuals may do so. So unless you have a written document that confirms an appointment, I'm afraid I can't let you in Miss. I suggest you return to where you reside and write to him, request an audience. If he approves he will see to it that we know about it next time, and will provide you with the necessary papers. It should not take more than a few days to sort matters out." The soldier said, a slight tired irritation in his voice now. Odds were he had had to do this often while standing guard here. But that would not deter her.
She sighed. "I'm here on very important business, which cannot be delayed. I'm finally here, after a long trip and I have no intention to waste more time wading through paperwork to get to the same place."
"Go and speak with the Lord Hand. Tell him my name and that I am here at the direction of the Queen. I'm sure he will make an exception." She told the guard.
"I'm afraid the matter is quite clear, Miss. The Lord Hand has established this protocol himself and expects it to be followed. I will not deviate from it on a whim and I will not bother him with this. You will approach him through the proper channels or not at all. Now, please leave." He said, his irritation growing.
"No." Iledia stated simply.
"If you will not leave voluntarily we will have to escort you from the premises. I advise you not to start anything. It will not end well for you and will not get you any closer to the Lord Hand." He said.
She rolled her eyes. She held out her hand, igniting a small flame on her palm. "Seven hells!" The guards gasped and backed away from her.
"Let me assure you, if it was my intention to cause anything I'd have already done so." She said, then snuffed out the flame. "But I have come to see the Lord Hand, today. I am not about to be turned back at the door merely because of your bullheaded adherence to rules."
"But there is no need for any unpleasantness. Go and speak with him. Tell him who I am. If he sends me away even so, then I will go in peace." She said then.
The guard she had spoken with considered for a moment. "Wait here." He finally said sternly.
"Watch her. If she does anything suspicious…" He told the second guard.
"Got it." The second guard said. The first guard disappeared through the door, while Iledia remained in the hall with the second guard, the two eyeing each other intently.
As she waited she considered how best to start this conversation. She did not really know what to expect with Lord Tyrion. She had been provided a physical description and an account of what was said of him in local histories. The latter part had been surprisingly sparse, as if the locals did not want to acknowledge his impact on history. She had heard that people of short stature like him were stigmatized by some of the locals, maybe that was part of it. Such an odd thing to fixate on. The peoples of Thedas certainly did not have this prejudice. They had others… quite a few others.
What information she did have painted a picture of a diligent administrator that had done some questionable things in earlier in life. Most notably that he had killed his own father after he had been found guilty of regicide. Later Queen Daenerys had pardoned him for the first and declared him innocent of the second. Lord Tyrion was reportedly a loyal servant of the Queen, and quite adept at dealing with civil matters. Somewhat less so in military decisions. He had once successfully led the defense of King's Landing, but she had also been told of a few very serious blunders that had happened when the Queen had been campaigning for the Iron Throne.
Killing one's father was certainly a troubling act. But she was not one to judge him. She had done far worse when she thought she had good enough reason, and would again. All that had changed was what reasons she considered good. She did not know his reasons, and so could not say if he was justified in what he did. Time would tell. That assuming decisions of the past would become relevant in the here and now at all. She would rather that not happen to either of them. There were many things of her past she would rather not go into. Odds were Lord Tyrion felt the same way about himself.
None of that information revealed what he was like as a person. It had not felt right to delve into that for the time being. She would learn all she needed to know soon enough. Before that it was pointless to risk an incident before her work had even begun.
The door opened and the first guard returned. He looked considerably more subdued than moments ago. "Lord Tyrion will see you now, Miss. And… I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He said.
"Thank you. And for what it's worth I do appreciate your diligence in this. You could stand to learn a little bit flexibility when unusual circumstances arrive. But other than that this is exactly the kind of seriousness I would have to give your responsibilities."
"Yes. Than you, Miss." The guard said.
She proceeded inside, finding Tyrion Lannister at his desk. "Ah! Lady Iledia, you're finally here. Excellent." He greeted.
"Please, be seated." He said, motioning to the chair opposite to him.
"I apologize that you were held up at the door." He continued as she sat down. "I had notified the sergeant in charge that you were on your way and that you were not to be interfered with. Apparently that notification did not translate properly to all of the rank and file."
"No harm done, seeing as things were sorted out in short order." She said. "In the future though we need to ensure freedom of movement for myself and those in my service. We can't have impediments like that as we do our work."
"Yes, we will see to that as quickly as possible." He said.
"Before we begin, would you care for a drink?" He asked, offering her a glass of wine.
"No thank you. Not while I'm working." She said.
Tyrion nodded. "Fair enough. Straight to business then."
"From the message given by the Queen I understand you are here to assume the role of Master of Whisperers?" He said.
"That is more or less a spymaster, correct? Then that is one of my tasks. I am also to provide you advice, on magic and the adversaries your Kingdoms are facing. And availing you of the magical expertise that I myself possess. Though I can understand that my services as a spymaster are the most valuable at the moment."
"Indeed. I have done what I can in this capacity, but if you are able to do better in this that will certainly be very much needed." He said. "Like my predecessor in this would say I have many little birds at my command, but the peoples from Thedas have birds of prey to call upon. We have been I'll suited to combat such."
"Then I shall provide what you are missing, give you the capacity to fight such things. Contacts with Inquisition resources and my own personal operatives. Added with your sources I am confident we will be able to improve our situation considerably. No promises yet, but if everything goes well I might even be able to get information from Essos, a place previously closed to our alliance." She said.
"That does sound very promising. How soon will you be able to begin?" He asked.
"It should not take very long. I started moving things along before I even got here. I'd guess we will be ready to start in perhaps a week's time, maybe less. Before that there is some coordination for us to do to ensure we don't step on each other's toes."
"In fact there is some information I can provide right now. Information you most likely don't have yet." She added.
"There is?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed. I'm told you are familiar with Lord Brandon Stark." She said.
"We've conversed a few times. An interesting man with a most fascinating story. As I recall, he has some extraordinary abilities." Tyrion replied.
"Since coming here he and I have been in contact with each other on occasion. We have means to commune that do not require ravens or notes on paper. From him I learned that the fleet commanded by Yara Greyjoy was recently ambushed and largely destroyed by a force of Qunari dreadnoughts. Additional enemy ships and ground troops attacked the King's entourage as they sought to evacuate Lyanna Mormont and her people from Bear Island. They got away, though it was a close call."
"What? Does the Queen know?" He asked, barely believing his ears.
"It's being attended to." She assured. "But what's more I cannot believe these events to have been accidental. The foils to your plans were far too carefully executed for it to be otherwise. Which tells me that the Qunari have a spy in your midst that was able to pass information of your plans to the Oxmen. Finding and killing that spy will be my first effort on your behalf. I'll have my agents begin seeking other spies of all hostile nationalities as well."
"What will you need of me?" Tyrion asked.
"Whatever information you have to give from your *little birds* or other sources. Every bit helps, even if it seems unimportant. Information will naturally be shared between you, Lord Brandon, the Inquisition and me, so we'll all be at our best performance in this. And the freedom for my agents to do their job without interference, as I mentioned before."
"You shall have that." Tyrion said with a nod. Then he narrowed his eyes momentarily. "You mentioned the Inquisition as a separate group?"
"Caught that, did you?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Yes, I and my group are independent from them, though we have been in close cooperation for many years now."
"Might I ask a question now?" She queried.
"Of course." Tyrion said.
"When I was on my way here I stopped by the Grand Cathedral. There seemed to be some… odd tension in the air between groups thereabouts. What's that about?" She asked.
Tyrion sighed. "Oh that? Religious difficulties that have been an issue for some time now. The Chantry has been muscling in, placing their institution here and creating mobs of loyalists, which the local faith of the Seven has reacted with hostility. Had a very bad escalation in those tensions recently. In fact that is another area of investigation I could use your help with.
"Oh? Then let's hear the details." She said.
"Some time ago the High Septon, the head of the Faith of the Seven was assassinated on his way to Oldtown. The followers of the High Septon blame the Chantry people, threatening violence. And the Chantry have organized mobs of their followers to retaliate against any attacks. I have managed to contain the situation with help from the Inquisition and the local ambassadors. But if this keeps up we could end up with a war between the religions. We cannot have that on top of everything else." He explained.
"Have you investigated the murder then?" She asked.
"I have. Unfortunately that investigation turned up material evidence to support Chantry involvement." He said.
"…But even so you do not believe they are responsible?" Iledia guessed.
"Correct. It's… a feeling more than anything. The evidence points to a specific direction. But it's all too clean, too neat, too well thought out to be real. I think there is a possibility that someone else is attempting to implicate the Chantry, to provoke just the kind of fighting I'm worried about. Then again I could just be imagining things, trying to come up with reasons to avoid facing unpleasant truths. I need a fresh pair of eyes on this to determine what is true." He said.
She nodded. "Very well. Send me all the evidence you have at the moment and I'll take a look at it. In the meantime I'll need somewhere to stay."
"Of course. We'll find you quarters within the castle today." Tyrion said. "Now, as to the freedom of movement you want for your spies…"
And so their conversation went on, figuring out what they needed from each other, what the Twin Kingdoms needed from both of them.