Chapter 5-A Dragon's Shadow

Maul was pleased with his aunt and how strong she was becoming after he had instructors come to help her learn more than that fool Viserys would ever let Daenerys learn while under his thrall. It was clear the dragons themselves could tell who was worthy of being called Targaryen and who was not. They had a certain sense about them, a sense that allowed his dragons to know if any of his kin had the madness his family was known to possess, or if any from his House were too weak in the blood to bond with any dragon at all.

Maul blamed the madness on multiple factors. Key above all of them was the inbreeding. Keeping the bloodline "pure" as his House would call it, had ultimately been the source of the madness. Not that it didn't have help in such things in being sped along. During his time in the Force, Maul had looked into the past to see the Dance of the Dragons, the various infighting, the decline in the number of dragons and their size, and the inbreeding itself were all manipulated by the Maesters themselves. After Aegon the Conqueror took the Iron Throne, the Maesters had been trying to counter House Targaryen slowly, carefully, painstakingly through trial and error. It had taken centuries for them to bring the dragon low with the help of the Order of Maesters planting their brothers in key locations throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Whispering into the ears of ambitious or stupid Lords of major Houses, planting ideas and schemes, fanning the flames of jealousy and hatred for the royal family and their supporters.

They had much to answer for the crimes they committed against the dragon. Even more when he had learned the truth about other crimes committed against other Houses outside of House Targaryen. It wasn't just the dragon these Maesters had targeted, but multiple Houses who were, even now, being manipulated by the Maesters to further fracture the Seven Kingdoms so they could be in control of it. They had a hand in the madness of Maul's Targaryen grandfather during the Defiance at Duskendale, Grand Maester Pycelle went so far as to whisper into the Kin's ear to use wildfire on his Grandfather Rickard Stark. Calling it the "ultimate Champion of a King that could not lose" when Rickard Stark had called for a Trial by Combat. They had wanted to make the Mad King as ruthless and mad of the mind as possible so his deeds would fan the flame of hatred into the people to support the rebellion.

House Baratheon had also suffered greatly. The Maester currently at Dragonstone was responsible for Stannis Baratheon's sons being denied life. All of them stillborn thanks to the Maester providing Stannis Baratheon's wife with his remedy to help her with the pregnancies. When the woman birthed a girl, the Maesters had used one of their agents to provide a tainted doll for Stannis's daughter to have Greyscale so the girl would be sent away or be killed out of mercy given what would become of her should she fully turn. When Stannis refused to do either and commanded someone find a cure for it, the Maesters did so, but only to the point, and had scars down the right side of her face to make sure no man would marry the girl once she was of age to marry.

Even House Lannister was not immune from their influence. They had instigated the rebellion of two of the Western Houses that made Tywin Lannister so feared. They had influence House Lannister before the rule of Tywin Lannister by using the man's father to make him weak and bringing the lion low. They had helped make Tywin a hard and cruel man while targeting the man's wife when she was pregnant with Tyrion, which resulted in the boy's status as a dwarf, and they even made sure the woman did not survive the birthing process. By making Tywin Lannister ruthless, they had made a man hated as well as feared by all, knowing many would celebrate his death, and seek to abandon the House should the new Head of House Lannister be a lion with fewer teeth.

House Tyrell was currently being targeted through House Tarly with the Maester there trying to make the man slowly become less loyal to his liege lord. Fortunately, Randall Tarly had no love for Maesters and ignored the learned man's advice, but Maul knew the Maester there would keep on trying, and if necessary, would find a way to remove the Lord of Horn Hill so his supposed disappointment for a son would take over.

The Order of Maesters preached unity and knowledge to help make it happen, but Maul saw the truth in all of their plots and plans to bring the Seven Kingdoms under their control. They were learned men who felt they should covet all the knowledge and wisdom of the world so people would come to them for aid in different things. They intended to be the true power of the Seven Kingdoms. Not the King. Not Lords of great Houses. All who needed help would come to them and pay tribute in order to have one of their Maesters help those in need while demanding more and more each time.

And depending on the tribute, the Maester assigned to the task may just fail at his job deliberately in order prove a point of how dangerous the Order were or simply because the Maester could easily do it without anyone being the wiser. Maul would not stand for their existence or those in charge of the Order to carry out their plans further with the plan to weaken the Seven Kingdoms to the point where only they could bring it together, but under their control.

It also wasn't just the Maesters either who had a hand in things. If only it were just them, it would be so much easier. The Seven Faith with their so called pious Septons and Septas also had a hand in things in the fall of the dragon. Denouncing magic and the Targaryens in secret for being the source of it through their dragons. The Faith Militant causing problems for everyone to the point of forcing the King at the time to be open to negotiation with them in order to disband it. Some used the faith for their own way of interpreting things and achieve their own agenda. Some broke their own sacred vows and the laws connected to Gods and men yet hid behind the Seven Faith so they would not be punished.

He would see them brought down and make the Seven Faith bleed!

Even if it was just those two groups, Maul's rage at the injustice done to his House by ambitious liars had flared within him like the Sun itself. Even without the Maesters of the Seven Faith, these ambitious men had plans to challenge the dragon and unknowingly used the events set in motion of the Maesters and Seven Faith to achieve their goals.

Maul would enjoy seeing them brought low.

"You are angry," said Daenerys calmly without fear since she knew him well enough that his anger was not directed at her, but rather those who had hurt their House.

He was not Viserys.

"Our House has many enemies. For too long they have indulged themselves and have become fat on the suffering of the people we once ruled over. They claim the fall of the dragon was meant to bring about a change which benefits the people. And what do they do? The Crown is deep in debt so much the ink in the ledgers might as well be red. The majority of the smallfolk have become poor, starving for food, and whoring themselves out for what little money they can get to feed their families. Powerful Lords horde their coin or spend it stupidly on themselves while laughing or embracing the pleasure given to them by the spending. My anger is aimed at those who would take what our House has built and violate it with all of them having smiles on their faces," said Maul while his fire filled eyes burned with a coldness in them to rival the North.

"We will kill them all nephew. Fire and blood!" declared Daenerys with Maul nodding.

"How are your studies going?" asked Maul curiously.

"They are going well. In a few more moons I should be ready for the trials ahead of us," said Daenerys with Maul nodding.

"When the time comes, you will head to Astapor to obtain our army. The Unsullied are a slave army but they are only slaves until we free them. Once we set in motion the means to free them, I have no doubt most, if not all will stay to fight for a cause worthy of that freedom," replied Maul knowing the Unsullied would fight for the ones who broke their chains and seek to help with the campaign of once more ruling over the Seven Kingdoms.

"They will most likely want one if not all of the dragons as payment," surmised Daenerys since she had been taught about the Masters of Astapor and how they were greedy when it came to the cost of selling their slave army to the highest bidder.

"As if they could with the bonds, we both have them aunt. Speaking of bonds, how is your bond with Rhaenix coming along?" asked Maul since out of all his children, Daenerys was getting along with her the most.

"It is going well. I can sense a connection between us and even sense her feelings. She is eager to head to Westeros. Whether to see more of the world or to help avenge our House is still unknown to me. I do know when the time comes, she will be more than willing to bring her wrath down on our enemies," said Daenerys with Maul smirking.

"I know she does. So do Feralax and Savagix. But we must be patient. Soon, we will be ready. But not before the time is right," said Maul while sensing someone was headed toward the manse.

The Unsullied guarding the manse had their spears at the ready since this hooded stranger wished to see Maul but did not specify how he knew their new master. When the stranger refused to comply and insist on seeing Maul, the Unsullied readied themselves for an attack given the man was armed with a sword sheathed at the hip.

"You are either very brave or very stupid, Ser Jorah Mormont," said Maul while seeing the man he met many years ago before the Greyjoy Rebellion happened.

"You know who I am," said Ser Jorah with a hint of surprise and removed his hood fully while Maul just gave the man a once over to see how much of the man had changed.

"You have the sigil of the bear, which represents your House. Like you, I too am of the North. Like you, I too was forced to leave under certain circumstances," replied Maul and sensed Ser Jorah was now a tad nervous.

"You are from the North," said Ser Jorah with Maul letting out a chuckle.

"Raised there almost since my birth for nearly ten years of my life before I had to leave. I met you once at Winterfell before the Greyjoy Rebellion. You were among the honored guests there to celebrate Lord Stark's son's sixth nameday celebration. I wasn't allowed to be there due to Lady Stark believing it was not proper for Lord Stark's bastard son to attend it," said Maul with Ser Jorah's eyes widening in shock.

"You are Jon Snow," whispered Ser Jorah with Maul smirking further.

"I was Jon Snow. He died in the North at the hand of Lady Stark after stabbing him nine times with a knife to his body," said Maul while his mind traveled to the past and the memory causing the phantom pains of his wounds to pulse at the reminder of that moment.

"I don't understand. I was told two Targaryens were here taking shelter. I had come to pledge my loyalty to their House and be of service," said Ser Jorah while Maul frowned again before smiling.

"And they are here Ser Jorah. Come inside the manse. We have much to discuss," replied Maul while he motioned for the Unsullied to let the large man from the North to pass.

"If I may ask Jon, why are you here in service to House Targaryen?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul looking back at the man with his smirk never leaving him.

"Patience Ser Jorah. In due time, all will be revealed," said Maul while entering his solar and sat down before motioning the man from Bear Island to sit down in the chair across from him.

"I was under the impression a Magister lived here," said Ser Jorah while feeling more and more nervous.

"He did live here, but alas the man's life ended some time ago," replied Maul with a knowing smile.

"I see. And how did you come to lay claim to his home?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul shrugging.

"How do you think?" Maul asked back with Ser Jorah starting to sweat under his gaze.

"Where are the Targaryens?" asked Ser Jorah while Maul's smile widened.

"Why do you ask? Have you come to kill them? Bring their heads back in the name of the Usurper? Or to the North perhaps?" asked Maul while Ser Jorah moved to get up.

"I think I have overstayed my welcome," said Ser Jorah before getting up from his chair.

Only to find himself forced back down by an invisible power.

"Come now Ser Jorah. There is no need to be nervous in my presence. Unless of course, you have done something wrong to deserve it. Have you?" asked Maul with Ser Jorah shaking his head.

"I do not believe so," replied Ser Jorah with Maul smiling at him.

"Good. Now, tell me my friend, why are you here? Aside from seeing the Targaryens," questioned Maul with Ser Jorah still feeling nervous and also wondering how this young man had forced him back into the chair.

"To pledge my loyalty to their House and to serve the future King of the Seven Kingdoms," answered Ser Jorah while Maul gave a small nod.

"Has something happened in the North to warrant your change in loyalty, Ser Jorah? Last I heard, House Mormont was completely loyal to House Stark. Has something happened to change their minds?" asked Maul with Ser Jorah looking more uncomfortable.

"I am no longer Head of House Mormont. I am in self-imposed exile for crimes I committed in the North and my House," said Ser Jorah with Maul's eyes widening in surprise.

"Really? And just what crimes have you committed that would result in escaping the chopping block and fleeing from the North?" asked Maul curiously since he didn't expect someone from House Mormont to leave Bear Island to escape punishment.

"I sold poachers to slavers to obtain extra coin," answered Ser Jorah while Maul nodded.

"Yes, I can see why you would flee from the North and Ned Stark's sword. Slavery is a taboo in the Seven Kingdoms and more importantly in the North itself. You did your House a great disservice Ser Jorah. You dishonored Lord Stark and dishonored the North. The fact you fled instead of facing the chopping block does not help your case," said Maul while Ser Jorah nodding since he was ashamed by it.

"I married a woman with expensive tastes. My House could not afford them for we are not rich like the Lannisters or Tyrells. She wanted more and I was foolishly in love to the point where I would do all that I could to keep it. Only later when I committed my crimes did I realize, the woman I loved did not love me in return. Just the amount of coin I could give her to spend on what she wanted as she felt her station as a Lord's wife demanded," said Ser Jorah while his heart was filled with regret.

"And what about pledging your loyalty to House Targaryen?" asked Maul while Ser Jorah fidgeted in front of him.

"I seek to prove my worth to a House that has lost much at the hands of the stag. When the dragon sits on the Iron Throne, I only ask that his Grace pardon me for my past crimes," said Ser Jorah with Maul nodding before his face now had a scowl on it.

"I find that interesting considering how you were contacted by the fat stag through the various contacts of the late Lord Varys in order to spy on the Targaryens in exchange for that royal pardon awaiting you back home," remarked Maul after he read Ser Jorah's mind and saw him looking surprised about having his secret mission discovered.

"How did you…?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul letting out a chuckle from his throat.

"I know many things Ser Jorah. A great many things. I know where your loyalty lies right now and what the stag is offering you. I know you planned to get in the good graces of Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen in the hopes you would know of the Beggar King's plans for claiming the Iron Throne from the Usurper. I know you were ordered to ensure neither sibling had the means to create an army and one day return to Westeros with that army to reclaim what the stag stole from the dragons," said Maul with Ser Jorah now becoming frightened since the plan was created that way by Varys in the last message, which he received from the eunuch to get close to them.

Neither Viserys nor Daenerys knew anything about House Mormont or that Ser Jorah's House was loyal to House Stark, which was loyal to the current King sitting on the Iron Throne.

"Considering you know all of this, what is to become of me now?" asked Ser Jorah curiously with Maul's smirk getting wider.

"What if I told you Lord Varys is dead? What if I told you that I need someone like you on my side? And what if I told you that if you truly pledged your loyalty to the cause of returning the dragon back to the Iron Throne, you will have that royal pardon?" asked Maul knowing the man wanted redemption for his past crimes.

"I would ask you what the true price is that I must pay?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul smiling now.

"I won't ask you to do anything that would stain your already tarnished honor, Ser Jorah. Not after you came here under the pretense of trying to get it back. If anything, I would ask you to guard and protect my aunt Daenerys," said Maul with Ser Jorah looking confused for a moment.

"Your aunt Daenerys? How is she your aunt?" asked Ser Jorah while Maul let out a small chuckle.

"She is my Father's sister. She is kin," answered Maul while giving Ser Jorah a piercing look.

"Kin? But your father is Lord Stark. He doesn't possess any Targaryen blood," said Ser Jorah with Maul now letting out another chuckle.

"True, but I never said Lord Stark was my father. I do have Stark blood in my veins. Just not from him," said Maul while Ser Jorah was thinking things over in his mind.

"You said Daenerys was your father's sister. She only had two brothers. Viserys and…," said Ser Jorah with his eyes widening in shock.

"And now you see the truth of it. Yes Ser Jorah. I am his son. I am the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and his wife Lyanna Stark. The blood of Kings from two ancient Houses merged into one," said Maul with Ser Jorah looking like he couldn't believe it and was clearly lost.

"Married? I thought…I thought Lyanna Stark was kidnapped. Kidnapped and raped by Rhaegar!" stated Ser Jorah with Maul shaking his head.

"A lie. A lie told by ambitious men who wished to see the dragon fall. Had my mother's message she left behind reached various people, the Usurper's rebellion would have failed. Had various people known of my mother marrying Rhaegar, the North would have marched for the dragon. Not the stag," said Maul with his eyes narrowing since he had traveled back in time through the Force to see events playing out and those secret meetings held to carry out the fall of his House.

"Did Lord Stark know the truth?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul shaking his head.

"Not until the end when my mother told him before her death after giving birth to me and named me Aegon," answered Maul before explaining everything else in detail with Ser Jorah leaning back against the chair taking it all in.

"I had heard you were going by the name Maul," said Ser Jorah with Maul nodding.

"A name I gave myself. Jon Snow was a lie. Aegon Targaryen is my later brother's name. I wished to be my own man with my own name," replied Maul with Ser Jorah nodding in understanding.

"I always wondered why Ser Arthur Dayne was not by Rhaegar's side. Or the other Kingsguard. Had they been with him, I imagine the final outcome during the battle at the Trident would have been different," surmised Ser Jorah and saw Maul growl angrily.

"Had the Usurper and the Falcon not schemed together with the Trout, with the Lion coming in at the last possible moment, many things would be different right now Ser Jorah. Rickon and Brandon Stark would be alive. My mother would be Queen. I would have a whole family instead of a fractured one. I imagine your own situation right now might be different or not even exist," said Maul since the North would have thrived under the rule of Rhaegar and thus allowed the Mormont before him to not make such stupid mistakes with his coin wanting wife.

"I want to redeem myself. Redeem my family. I did come here with the intention of spying on you for King Robert in exchange for the royal pardon. I will not lie about that. It's clear you know the truth of my intentions and denying it would insult us both. But if siding with you will help remove my shame, I will gladly take it," replied Ser Jorah with conviction in his voice.

"And you will have it. I need someone I can trust to protect my aunt. Don't get me wrong, the Unsullied guards in this manse are sworn to my House after I killed the fat Magister. But I need someone who can see things in a way they cannot. To move into action when they cannot. To spot things they do not," said Maul with Ser Jorah thinking things over in his head.

"You're speaking as if appointing me as one of the Kingsguard," remarked Ser Jorah with Maul nodding.

"I am. I wish to appoint you as the Kingsguard assigned to protect my aunt from all things evil and those who wish her harm," replied Maul while Ser Jorah was surprised, honored, yet sightly confused.

"What about Viserys? Who will guard him?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul frowning at the memory of his mad uncle.

"Viserys is dead. He thought himself above his station as King. It didn't end well," replied Maul with Ser Jorah looking shocked.

"You killed him?" asked Ser Jorah though the silent hint of accusation was mixed into it.

"No, I did not. Of course, Viserys had no problem with the idea when he drew his sword against me after I told him the truth about my heritage connecting us. He was indeed his Father's son when it came to the idea of 'blood purity'. If you don't believe me, you can simply ask Daenerys. She was there when it happened," replied Maul knowing his aunt would back him for what happened to her brother.

Ser Jorah didn't look entirely convinced by that statement, but he also doubted Daenerys would lie in order to protect one family member who may have killed the other. At the very least, he could gauge whether or not the Targaryens here were worth following.

"If I may ask a question, your Grace. If I am protecting your aunt, who will be protecting you?" asked Ser Jorah while Maul rose from his seat and beckoned the man from Bear Island to follow.

"I do not need protection Ser Jorah though your question is not without merit. I have trained in different areas of combat, strategy, and obtained skills that would make me an army unto myself if I wished to fight multiple opponents," said Maul while he walked to the stable and showed the man something that would forever be with him until his end.

"Dragons. Three dragons," whispered Ser Jorah in awe with Daenerys standing beside one of them.

"Born of fire and blood. My fire and blood," said Maul while motioning Ser Jorah forward to be judged by the three dragons now looking at the large man with interest.

"The last time a dragon was born, it was said to be the size of a house cat," remarked Ser Jorah while the dragons looked at him now from all side, smelling the man, looking into his eyes, gauging his intentions.

"These three are far from the size of a house cat. If anything, they will grow to be much larger in size long after today," said Maul while the man was being judged by all three dragons.

"What will happen once you become King of the Seven Kingdoms?" asked Ser Jorah while he saw the three dragons look from him to each other and seemed to be talking in their own language.

"I intend to punish the traitorous Houses who sought to bring mine low using a lie while secretly doing it for their own greedy purposes. They, along with anyone else who benefited from the act. I will fix what the Usurper has broken deliberately because it was tied to my House and what he let decay under his own negligence. The man was never fit to rule his own House as a Lord with the way he acts, much less the Seven Kingdoms as a King," said Maul since there was much that he had to fix which the fat stag broke just to spite the dragons.

But first thing was first. He needed to break and kill his enemies. Which meant traveling to Westeros in secret and doing what needed to be done, one piece on the board at a time until Daenerys was ready with the army. When the dragons finished debating, they turned to him and gave what could only be a dragon's version of a nod of approval of the man from Bear Island, and it was clear the man passed their test.

"I, Ser Jorah Mormont of House Mormont, do hereby pledge my loyalty to King Aegon Maul Targaryen as a loyal member of the Kingsguard. To protect him and his family wherever they may go. To provide counsel and advice when needed," said Ser Jorah after drawing his sword and bent his knee before the tattooed Targaryen in front of him.

"I accept your oath of loyalty Ser Jorah of House Mormont. As such, I am personally charging you with the protection of my aunt while she is here in Essos. You have no doubt been here for some time and know a thing or two from your travels," said Maul while not bothering to correct the man about his name being Maul and not Aegon, but rather decided to explain things later to him when time permitted.

"And where will you going while I protect your aunt, your Grace?" asked Ser Jorah with Maul smirking at him with a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"I'm going home Ser Jorah. I'm going home to hunt," replied Maul knowing his battles would not only be on the field, but also through what was arguably attrition.

Personally, Maul didn't care, so long as his enemies died for their crimes.

(The Narrow Sea-Sometime Later)

It wasn't hard for Maul to sail on a ship heading for Westeros. He could have used the dragons, but they were still growing and needed to be protected from outside forces a little bit longer. Besides, they were fond of his aunt, and he wasn't about to deprive his children of the love she had for them. In his cabin, reading a book, the tattooed future King ignored the raging storm outside, despite the panic he sensed outside at the scale of it. While the storm was treacherous, it was nothing he had to fear, and sensed his life was not in jeopardy that day.

Though his curiosity did spike when the fear outside increased significantly and that it wasn't due to the storm outside.

Walking out of his cabin, he sensed the panic increasing on the ship while sensing intense malice coming towards it with the intent of causing evil deeds when boarding. Narrowing his eyes, Maul reached out into the Force and snarled when he sensed what everyone was panicking about.

Iron Born. Iron Born were here and attacking the ship. A single, yet impressive ship riding the storm as if the captain of the vessel owned it. Even now, despite the heavy winds, rain, thunder and lightning, Maul heard the fool's laughter echoing throughout. It was a madman's laugh. A man who loved the chaos, the violence, the suffering of others, and the belief he was invincible.

For some reason, the cruel laughter reminded Maul of someone else, but he could not quite place it. Not that it mattered to him since the laughing fool would soon meet his end in this storm and no one would give a shit about it.

"Take everything you can find! Supplies, women for salt wives, and any other valuable item this shit for a vessel possesses," said the laughing fool after jumping onto the ship with a sword in hand.

"You will take nothing from here fool," said Maul while walking methodically toward the grinning man, who looked over at him and grinned further.

"Hah! I knew this place had something or someone of value. I could sense it. Feel it. Right through the storm I command!" exclaimed the man with his insane grinning stretching across his face.

"You command nothing. This storm came and you went into it like a fool in the belief it was yours to do with as you see fit. You are nothing but a man pretending to be more than you really are in life," said Maul before drawing his weapon and keeping the second blade concealed in the hilt to use should the need for it be required.

"I am not a man. I have become a God! I have sailed to one end of the world and back. I have seen all sorts of things no one else has ever seen before in my lifetime. I went to Valeria and back! I have bathed in magic and all of its greatness!" declared the man while Maul looked bored.

'Fool. He may have traveled the world, but to Valeria? A lie. No doubt meant to intimidate anyone who saw him and think he was a fool up until now. His presence in the Force is higher than others, but not by much. The man's power is but a spark compared to my flame,' thought Maul with the man still grinning and eyeing his weapon.

"I see you have a unique weapon there. Valerian steel and different from other swords I have seen in terms of design. I look forward to ripping it out of your hands and learning how to use it," said the man while drawing his sword, which was a normal looking sword, but Maul knew the man wouldn't come at him without an edge of his own.

And when the lightning flashed over them, Maul saw why the fool was so confident.

"Your armor is Valerian steel," surmised Maul while the grin on the man lessened only slightly at his edge being notice so soon but it returned further a second later.

"And when I take your sword off your fucking corpse, I will have a matching set. I will practically be untouchable in combat," said the man while Maul still looked bored.

"What is your name fool? I prefer to know your name over calling you by your apparent title," replied Maul while the man grinned further both in insanity and anger.

"My name is Euron Greyjoy. The new Drowned God and Master of the sea. What is yours?" questioned Euron Greyjoy while Maul's eyes burned with bloodlust.

"For remainder of your short life, you may call me…Maul!" replied Maul before moving fast toward his target while Euron laughed and attacked the man in front of him with his sword.

While they clashed, Maul had to give the smith of Euron Greyjoy's sword credit. While it was no Valerian steel forged weapon, it wasn't a bad substitute. Still, it was no match for the genuine article like the one he wielded. Still, the armor the Greyjoy had on made it difficult to land a lethal spot on the fools body when getting around his guard. One of the reasons Valerian forged steel was so valuable was it was light in terms of weight and this armor was designed to protect all the spots Maul would usually target.

And the Greyjoy knew it too. Hence why he was grinning like an insane idiot.

"You can't win fucker. I own the sea. I am the superior one between us!" said Euron mockingly toward Maul while blocking the various strikes aimed at him.

"The only thing you own is foolishness and stupidity. Of course, it is to be expected of a Greyjoy. Your House is known to have an abundance of it over everything else," replied Maul in an equally mocking tone while Euron lashed out at him.

"My family are all dumb cunts. I agree with you on that. But I'm different. I'm not like them. I am better than any other Greyjoy before me!" exclaimed Euron with Maul easily blocking the strikes and did a leg sweep that sent fool on his back.

Of course, Euron not being one to stay down long, rolled back and grinned at him.

"So, you don't fight fair like those fucking Greenlander knights back in Westeros. Good! I don't either," said Euron before putting his fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly.

And soon his men had Maul surrounded.

"For a supposed God, you don't handle your own affairs personally. If you were a God as you claim, you wouldn't need them to best me. Looks like your just another mortal man," said Maul while Euron gave him a nasty sneer.

"A God chooses how he wins a fight. I choose to let them kill you while receiving your weapon as tribute for their hard work. I am a Greyjoy after all. 'We do not sow' is our House motto," said Euron with Maul scoffing.

"And that should impress me, Greyjoy? Those are not the words of strong House. They are the words of the stupid, the lazy, and the weak. You take from those who earn what is theirs and claim it as your own. But you do not know how to use what you take from others. I would not be so boastful of those House words when all they do is portray House Greyjoy as a piece of shit no one will care about if it is suddenly wiped out from existence," remarked Maul cruelly with a smile on his face.

"Just for that, I'm going to have you nailed to the front of my ship for all to see when I come into port," said Euron before motioning his men to kill Maul.

Only for Maul show the insane man what happens when you challenge someone like him in combat using cannon fodder. They all died violent gory deaths through Maul's skills with Crimson Death, as he cut through their flesh and bone with ease using Valerian steel weapon. When it was over, only Euron Greyjoy remained for Maul to strike down on the ship's deck.

Unfortunately, Euron didn't play fair in multiple ways. Aside from having his cannon fodder for a crew attack his target, he also liked to sneak up behind people to kill them too. While Maul was ending the lives of his men, Euron snuck up behind his prey in order slice the dark robed man's head off. He didn't believe in honor, guest rights, or fighting fucking fairly like others did in Westeros. As far as Euron was concerned, if you could kill someone better than you by cheating, you were better than them no matter how it was done.

Unfortunately, for Euron, his prey not only sensed the act, but Maul had also anticipated the move, and knew exactly how to strike at the Greyjoy with a lethal hit.

When Euron moved to slice Maul's head off, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen crouched at the last second, angled his sword at just the right angle, and activated the second blade hidden within. The blade shot out, piercing Euron at the throat, and making the Greyjoy choke on his own blood. The man's insane grin had left him, the loss and confusion of the pain from the lethal hit bombarded his mind. Even when the blade twisted slightly to further enhance the pain.

It was clear to Maul that Euron didn't fully understand his situation, even though it was literally staring at the insane Greyjoy in the face when Crimson Death's blade returned to its hidden position. Euron had fallen to his knees, chocking, sputtering, and ultimately dying slowly from the strike delivered to his neck by the weapon. To his credit, Euron looked up at Maul with defiance in his insane eye, as if to say he was a God and as such could not die and tried to say something despite his situation.

"Whaf fis daid mae navr diy!" said Euron before falling over dead.

"Like I care what you had to say Greyjoy. You died a fool all the same," remarked Maul before removing the Valerian steel armor from the man to bring back to his cabin on the ship while easily using the Force to throw the man's body into the water.

Not out of respect, but rather because the man's body, whether it was alive or dead, was an annoyance he would not have on the ship. There was still work to be done here in order to salvage this situation if he were to return to Westeros on his planned schedule.

(King's Landing-Red Keep-Sometime Later)

"DAMN IT TO ALL THE SEVEN FUCKING HELLS!" yelled Robert before smashing the table in front of him and causing it to break under his fading, but no less potent, brute strength.

"Robert, you need to calm down," said Jon Arryn, but the King would not listen to him.

"Calm down? You're seriously asking me to calm the fuck down? My Master of Whispers is dead. A loyal supporter of the dragonspawn killed him. What is worse, we have no idea where those inbred fuckers are located in Essos. And if that wasn't enough, rumors have reached us that they have hatched three dragons, Jon. Not one. Not two. Three! Three fucking dragons. We have no means of getting to them in Essos because those fucking fire worshippers there would never allow anyone to get close enough to kill them!" exclaimed Robert with Jon sighing since it was true.

"We just have to rebuild our spy network. I looked through Varys solar and found notes with names of contacts we can use to gain ground in Essos. We even have Ser Jorah Mormont made available to find and spy on the Targaryens. Once we have their location and status in Essos, we can arrange for their end before they know the blade is at their throat," replied Jon Arryn while trying to make Robert see reason, but the act itself was not easy, and even more difficult to accomplish when the King had stubbornness that rivaled his temper.

"Fine! Use who or whatever you need Jon. I don't care about the cost. Fucking counting coppers is for Littlefinger anyway. Put him to use in this," commanded Robert before he stormed off to find some wine or a good whore to lay with in order to take his mind off of things.

When the King left, Jon Arryn sighed tiredly before making his way to the Tower of the Hand to enter his solar to think things over in his head. It had not been easy to calm Robert down these past few moons. The news of the Targaryens being in Essos made the man rage, even worse was the tale of one of them having actual dragons, and the people in those lands being overjoyed by it. Jon himself was displeased by the news since it meant all the hard work in bringing about the fall of House Targaryen during the rebellion was now in jeopardy. Even more so with the three dragons giving them the edge over Robert and any army they could call upon to counter it.

And given the state of the Seven Kingdoms, Jon doubted anyone would want to fight for Robert or his right to be King given how broken it had become.

That was another thing Jon had been frustrated with after being made Hand of the King by his foster son after things were made official. Everything House Targaryen had created, supported, or liked was hated by Robert to the point where he wanted those things destroyed, cast aside, or broken beyond any hope of repair. As a result, many places within King's Landing, as well as the Seven Kingdoms suffered due to Robert's hatred for everything remotely related to House Targaryen. Perfectly good institutions capable of keeping the Iron Throne strong and his foster son decided to break them all simply because each one was created by the Targaryens.

"My Lord Hand, I am glad you are here," said Petyr Baelish when Jon entered the room.

"Petyr? Why are you here? I wasn't expecting you today and we don't have an appointment for anything related to the crown," remarked Jon in surprise at seeing the Master of Coin here.

"I know my Lord Hand. But I feel we should talk about the situation regarding the Targaryens and how to handle things on our end," said Petyr with Jon frowning.

"Anything related to the Targaryens, or the dragons should be brought up in the Small Council meetings with the King," stated Jon flatly since he didn't want to deal with the issue twice in one day.

"Yes, my Lord Hand. But I feel this issue regarding them should be handled privately before bringing it to the King first since I feel the information, which I have obtained recently, should be addressed here due to the nature of the topic," said Petyr with Jon sighing and poured a goblet of wine.

"And what topic is that Petyr?" asked Jon while sitting in his chair.

"Lyanna Stark, my Lord Hand," answered Petyr, which made Jon pause in drinking more wine.

"What about her?" asked Jon causally while inwardly cursing the woman's name since she made Robert into the broken blubbering violent mess he was now.

"I have heard some disturbing rumors my Lord. Apparently, the supposed Targaryen, the one who was able to hatch three dragons, is claiming to be her son," said Petyr and saw Jon choking on his wine.

"W-What?!" asked/demanded Jon while struggling to get his cough under control with Petyr nodding.

"One of my more skilled whores at the more expensive brothels I own, overheard such a rumor from a merchant from Essos. He apparently met the supposed Targaryen and was told Lyanna Stark was the boy's mother," said Petyr with Jon trying to compose himself.

"That's not possible. Ned would have told me if she was pregnant," said Jon while Petyr looking skeptical about that.

"Perhaps Lord Hand. Or perhaps he wished to prevent Robert from suffering additional heartbreak if told such a thing?" asked Petyr with Jon shaking his head.

"No. Ned wouldn't hide something like this from Robert or myself. Even if some of what you said is true Petyr, the question now is, who had the child all this time? It couldn't be Lord Connington since the man would never have gone after the Spider the way he did. Nor would he allow the boy to strike out on his own without proper protection," said Jon while wondering if this claim of being Lyanna Stark's son was a ruse of some kind to further stir things up in Westeros.

"If I maybe so bold to ask Lord Hand but was there any confirmation Lyanna Stark was kidnapped and raped by Rhaegar Targaryen, much less she had been with child?" asked Petyr with Jon scowling slightly.

"The story of Lyanna being kidnapped and raped is a story known to everyone. No one has right or the means to dispute it Petyr," said Jon while Petyr's smile increased slightly.

"I wouldn't dare to try Lord Hand. But if there was proof of this boy being Lyanna's child, it could spur some of the Targaryen loyalists to act. Even if he were a bastard, there might be an issue of contesting King Robert's rule," replied Petyr with Jon growling angrily now.

"Not even the Tyrells or the other Houses loyal to the Targaryen would go that far to support a bastard for a dragon being their King," countered Jon with Petyr still smiling.

"Of course, my Lord. I am just providing a possible scenario we should prepare for just in case. There is also the possibility this Targaryen might spin the situation of his birth where Lyanna Stark was neither kidnapped nor raped by Rhaegar," added Petyr with Jon frowning even further.

"Fortunately, there is no proof to contradict the story already told by our side. Any and all proof of such documentation that could disprove what was told during Robert's Rebellion was either destroyed or lost in some manner," said Jon with Petyr tilting his head slightly.

"Destroyed? Lost? Not to pry Lord Hand, but are you saying such proof did exist?" asked Petyr with Jon smirking a bit since there were a rare few who knew the truth of things.

"Let's just say, for the good of the Seven Kingdoms and Robert's future rule, things had to be done to get the support of certain Houses and the people to join our side of the war," commented Jon with Petyr now looking intrigued.

"Really my Lord? Do tell," said Petyr with his smile increasing.

"Might as well tell someone I trust. It's not like we have to worry about the Spider finding out through one of his little birds now that he's dead," said Jon while motioning Petyr to sit.

"How did this all happen my Lord?" asked Petyr with Jon sighing.

"It happened during the beginning of the Seven Kingdoms being forged and ruled over by one King, who just happened to be Targaryen. One by one, Aegon the Conqueror claimed each of the Seven Kingdoms under his banner and the Houses that went with it," said Jon Arryn with Petyr smiling further.

"Including the Vale and House Arryn," added Petyr with Jon nodding and scowling now.

"My ancestor from House Arryn bent the knee, but we were never loyal to the dragon. My House hated the Targaryens. We loathed them. Every generation, the Head of House Arryn would try to find a way to bring down the dragon so our House could rise above them. So, we plotted, schemed, and made allies in order to one day bring them down. We tried everything to bring down their inbreeding House. For many years, we hired assassins, ending the lives of their progeny when the opportunity presented itself, even mere babies if possible. My House had hired agents to whisper conspiracies into the ears of their more paranoid members, pitting them against one another, weakening their hold slowly over the years, and striking our hardest during the times when they were in the thrall of madness," answered Jon Arryn with Petyr finding it intriguing House Arryn could be so sneaky in that regard.

"Did your plans involve Rickon and Brandon Stark being killed?" asked Petyr curiously while Jon smirking yet again.

"No, not at first. Fucking Northern heathens. The both of them. Rickon Stark wanted stronger ties to the South and expand in trade per his Maester's suggestion. The Maester also suggested Holster Tully be the House chosen and he should have Brandon Stark marry Catelyn Tully. After Rickon made the offer, I was contacted by Holster and advised him to accept it. By getting Brandon to marry Catelyn, we were all but guaranteed to bring the North into the fold for our planned rebellion against the dragon as well as get the Seven Faith a strong foothold deep into the heart of the kingdom to help cast out the Old Gods. It almost failed when certain events came into play and others were made to help corrected them," said Jon Arryn with Petyr looking slightly confused.

"What do you mean Lord Hand?" asked Petyr curiously and sounding very intrigued.

"While Rickon approve of it, his son, Brandon, did not due to loving another woman and had refused to marry Holster's daughter Catelyn Tully. The incident with you dueling him was merely Brandon trying to defend her honor and prevent the woman from marrying you. Don't take this the wrong way Petyr, but at the time, by everyone's standards, you were below her station and unworthy of marrying into House Tully, much less one of Holster's daughter," said Jon while Petyr nodding.

"It is understandable Lord Hand. But I also get the impression you despise the Starks on, shall we say…a religious level?" asked Petyr with Jon grunting.

"Fucking Northerners and their tree worshiping ways. It's an affront to the Seven. The Old Gods need to die so ours can be in full control over the Seven Kingdoms. Holster and I encouraged Catelyn to use her marriage to Ned to have our faith obtain stronger influence there. We even told her to make sure all of the children she had with Ned followed the Seven Faith and to discourage the Northern traditions. We had hoped to begin the transition of the North's religious preference to ours in a few generations and finally remove the Old Gods entirely from Westeros," said Jon Arryn confidently and he had hoped that Ned would unknowingly help with that in order to make his wife happy.

"Such a thing wouldn't have happened if Brandon Stark was the Warden of the North. In fact, I imagine he wouldn't have allowed the Seven faith to step foot in the North at all. Though I am curious as to how Brandon intended to get out of his arranged marriage with Cat," remarked Petyr in thought.

"Rumor has it, Brandon had married a woman in secret under his heathen Gods so his Father couldn't even annul it in order to honor the betrothal he made with House Tully. Not only that but had the truth about Lyanna marrying Rhaegar been known to Rickon and Brandon, they would have fought for the dragon during the rebellion. Fortunately, Holster's second daughter, Lysa, took the letter meant for Lyanna's family before giving it to her Father," said Jon since he had been told by Holster what the letter said after reading it.

"Such a letter would be damaging if discovered and brought to light Lord Hand? Did Lord Holster destroy it?" asked Petyr curiously while also eager to hear the answer to such damaging information.

"Honestly, I don't know. I told him to destroy it. Whether or not he listened, I am not sure. But I do not believe Holster would hold onto such a damaging document. As you said Petyr, such a letter would be damaging if brought to light. I am confident he burned it, so we have nothing to worry about," said Jon confidently.

"I am glad to hear Lord Hand. But given how the rebellion happened, how did you keep any other letters to your foster son Eddard Stark from reaching him? Surely his sister tried to write to him? And why did Rhaegar not try to parlay with him at the Trident?" asked Petyr curiously.

"My bannermen handled any letters that tried to reach Ned. I destroyed them all. As for the parlay, the Prince did try to parlay with Ned, but I had the messenger sent to my tent discreetly under the pretense of the two meeting there. I had the messenger killed and played it as an assassination attempt on my life to further fan the flames of hatred for Rhaegar in both Ned and Robert when I told the lie. Neither man knew of the messenger's intentions since Ned would want to hear what the Prince had to say and there was also Robert's reasons for rebelling at risk and be considered pointless by the other Lords in our army if they were to learn the truth," replied Jon while feeling smug over the deception he played on so many and fly far higher than the dragon as a result.

"I am most impressed Lord Hand. Truly, you are Master in the arts of deception," remarked Petyr before he went to the wine jug and poured the Hand of the King some wine.

"Thank you, Petyr, for both the compliment and the wine," said Jon before drinking it down and let out a small sigh.

"It was no trouble my Lord. I consider learning such information to be a gift and it is only fitting that I, in turn, give you one as well," replied Petyr with his smile growing.

"Oh? What gift is that Petyr?" asked Jon curiously.

"Why the gift I put in your wine Lord Hand. One you should be feeling right about now," answered Petyr while seeing Jon look at him with confusion, shock, and finally pain before grabbing his chest.

"W-What?! Petyr…why? Why did…did you…you do this?" asked Jon before collapsing onto the floor and grabbing his chest and found himself struggling to breathe as the poison took effect on his body.

"Why? Because the Many Face God demands the Falcon receive a gift for his crimes committed against this dragon's House," replied Petyr before removing his face to reveal Maul behind it.

"You!" exclaimed Jon while coughing some more and blood leaving his mouth.

"You didn't think the Narrow Sea would stop me from getting my revenge on you and everyone else who had played a part in my House's fall, did you Lord Hand?" asked Maul with a grin on his face.

"What…about…Petyr?" asked Jon while Maul giving him a knowing look.

"How do you think I got his face? You shouldn't concern yourself regarding Lord Baelish's life old Falcon. He was secretly sleeping with your wife Lysa and her child is not yours by blood. Not only that, but your dear friend was deliberately stealing from the crown and using his various 'investments' to do it. Is it any wonder the crown is roughly over four million gold dragons in debt? For someone claiming to be better than the dragons, you and the Usurper have left the Seven Kingdoms in a pretty shitty state," remarked Maul while he had recalled everything Petyr Baelish told him about his intentions after being properly questioned.

(Flashback-Several Hours Ago)

Petyr Baelish walked into his solar he had setup in his most profitable brothel. It was here, in this room, where the Master of Coin planned, schemed, and plotted the fall of many so called great Houses. It was here where Baelish was able to place Lords both high and low into his pocket, either through blackmail or bribes using large sums of coin. Those he could not bribe, or blackmail would be handled when the time was right, and Petyr would see those Houses wiped out in order to achieve his ultimate goal.

To be King of the Seven Kingdoms and with his beloved sweet Catelyn Tully by his side as Queen as they were bowed to by those who once looked down on him. To not kneel to others, but make others kneel to him and have their lives dictated by him as the King. To see these so called Lords grovel, bow, kneel, and to tremble in his presence knowing one word from him would make these entitled fools lose their heads.

The man was so much into his fantasy when entering his solar that he didn't notice the shadow in the corner of the room make a small gesture and the door behind Littlefinger shut itself. Turning in shock to the door being shut, Petyr quickly looked around the room before seeing a pair of fire filled eyes that seemed to bore into his soul. Before a word could be said, the Master of Coin was hoisted by the throat into the air by an invisible force and thrown into his desk with a loud "BANG!". Before he could have a chance to catch his breath, the same power slammed into the wall on his right, and again to the wall on the left with the final insult being the ceiling. As his body was about to hit the floor, it was redirect in midair and thrown into his chair.

"The mighty Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish. Master of Coin. Owner of some of the expensive brothels in all of King's Landing. Lord on the Small Council and financial advisor to the King and the Lord Hand. To be honest, I was expecting…so much more," remarked the hooded figure while walking toward the now disoriented Master of Coin.

"Who are you?" asked Petyr while trying to focus his eyes on the man before him.

"You may call me…Maul," replied Maul while removing his hood to reveal his tattooed face to the man.

"You! The Targaryen bastard Robert has been looking for and to personally kill," remarked Petyr before he felt his throat constrict like an invisible hand from the Stranger itself trying to strangle him.

"You are half right about me there, Lord Baelish. I am, indeed, a Targaryen. But a bastard? You couldn't be more further from the truth," said Maul before releasing his hold on the Master of Coin.

"What do you want from me?" asked Petyr while wondering if he had a chance of calling for help from either the whores or some of the guards, who he had hired to protect this brothel.

"What do all men want from those who have it? Knowledge. Information. I know you have it Littlefinger. You use your whores to do more than pleasure the men who enter your establishments for a good time. Your network is almost as impressive as the Spider's own. Almost. If he were still alive, I imagine even the late Master of Whispers would be impressed to some degree," remarked Maul with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I have nothing to give you. Nor would I give it willingly," spat Petyr with Maul narrowing his eyes at him and smirking slightly at the challenge.

"Oh, I know you will resist me, Lord Baelish. I also know that you will fight me when it comes to giving me vital information that might be crucial to my future plans. I also know that in order to get what I want; I need to hurt you in multiple ways to make you talk. And do you know what? I have no problem getting my hands dirty to get what I want," said Maul with an evil smirk spreading further on his face.

"The King will kill you. He is an expert in killing your kind," remarked Petyr with Maul letting out a laugh of amusement.

"First, Robert is a shadow of his former self since the Trident. Second, the only reason the Usurper won that battle was due to throwing dirt in my Father's eyes when bested by him in a last ditch attempt to win. Third, my Father didn't wish to be cursed as a kinslayer. Given how Robert was a distant cousin and he had run things into the ground during his time as King, I would say the man is showing the curse does exist. Married to a bitch of a wife who he hates, the three children the Queen sired who are not his own, the number of bastards sired from his drunken whoring ways, and of course, his body showing more fat over muscle," remarked Maul with Petyr glaring at him despite knowing all those points were true.

"I still won't tell you anything," remarked Petyr while hating this man before him acting so smug.

"You will Lord Baelish. You most certainly will tell me everything. But let's not start off first about what you know. Rather, let's start off about I know about you. You come from a small House located in the Easternlands of the Eerie known as the Fingers. You were small and frail for your age when you were fostered at Riverrun and the Lord's son, Edmure Tully, called you Littlefinger, with the name sticking like a foul stench to your body. You fell in love with Catelyn Tully while there and wanted to marry her, but she was supposed to marry Brandon Stark to help make a powerful alliance between House Tully and House Stark. Holster's second daughter Lysa Tully loved you, still does love you, and was jealous of her sister for having your affection. She wanted to marry you one day, but her Father did not think you were worthy and told her no. At the same time, you challenged Brandon Stark to a duel for Catelyn Tully's hand in marriage, but the duel was lost instantly with you being gravely wounded. The only reason you are not dead by his hands was due to his intended wife intervening on your behalf to spare your weak pathetic life," replied Maul while Petyr gritting his teeth and glaring at him.

"I may have lost the battle, but I am still alive. Which is more than I can say for the Northern heathen who was strangled while watching his fucking father burn. I only wish I were there to see it happen so I could smirk at the sight of seeing fool's face staring back and knowing I outlived him," spat Petyr cruelly toward the tattooed man glaring back at him.

"And yet, your dream of marrying Catelyn Tully was once again denied when Eddard Stark was forced to step in to marry her in his place. Honor bound and all that," countered Maul while Petyr became angry again.

"Fucking Starks and their so called honor. Cat was mine. Not Brandon Stark. Not Eddard Stark. Mine! She would have been mine and I would have raised us up higher than any other could possibly imagine. But what does her father do? He sells her off to the spare of House Stark. For her to be a bargaining tool to obtain an alliance with the North so they can fight the dragons. She married the wolf and has spent her time freezing in that cold savage place filled with barbaric heathens who pray in front of fucking trees with faces on them. All the while giving birth to children that should have been ours together. Not that honorable fool Holster had her marry," remarked Petyr while cursing the fact his chance to marry the woman he loved was taken from him a second time and for years heard how she gave birth to one child after another.

"As such, you planned, schemed, plotted to rise as high as possible. Bribing Lords, learning their secrets to force them to discreetly help you, unless they wanted certain indiscretions to be exposed. Eventually, Lord Arryn made you Master of Coin after hearing about your apparent ability to make two coppers to magically appear after clapping your hands together. After arriving in King's Landing, you have taken control of almost all, if not all, of the brothels, making a large sum of coin whenever the Usurper holds a tourney or feast or some other major event. All the while, you are bleeding said coin from the crown to put it in such debt that it can only recover through your own hands," replied Maul while using the Force to levitate one of Littlefinger's ledgers into the air before dropping it on his desk.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" asked Petyr while seeing one of many of his ledgers now on his desk.

"What other conclusion is there to make, my Lord? For years, you have bled the crown of coin and put it into so much debt the ledgers are practically overflowing in red. The pages of these books might as well look like they were written in blood," remarked Maul casually without any real care since he had an idea of what this man had planned to do given a fraction of what he read in one ledger alone.

"I have done everything in my power to keep the crown financially secure. How is it my fault should the King want a tourney or feast almost every single day when not balls deep in whores?" asked Petyr with Maul scowling at him.

"As the Master of Coin, it was your duty to ensure the finances are properly regulated to bring money into the crown. Not just spend it on whatever the Usurper wanted. In fact, in this one ledger alone, I see so little coming into the coffers and a lot coming out. So, tell me, Lord Baelish, what have you done to help increase the crown's revenue? What have you done to keep the crown in the black instead of the red? What new trades have you opened up? What jobs have you helps fund for the smallfolk to use to find employment so they can feed their families and pay the taxes owed from their jobs? Tell me what you have done to help crown?" asked Maul with Petyr sitting in silence since he could not answer those things unless it was a lie, which would be seen for what it was.

"There is no need to explain myself to you, Targaryen. You clearly know the truth about me and my true intentions for the crown. My ambitions. My dreams and plans for my future. One where all Lords kneel to me and me alone," said Petyr bitterly with Maul nodding.

"It wasn't hard to figure out. You think yourself a clever man. A clever funny man with some wit and a seemingly disarming smirk filled with smugness. When I first heard of you, I heard of all your exploits as a man from so little rising to a position on the Small Council. But after meeting and speaking with you in these small moment in time, I find you wanting. I find myself wishing you were…so much more. I was hoping at least one of my enemies would be a challenge to some degree, yet all I see are weak, lazy, and fat fools who think they can destroy what my family helped forge centuries ago while taking the scraps for themselves," said Maul while Petyr glared at him hatefully.

"Your House is filled with inbreeding, madness embracing fools. They deserved their fate and deserved to die the way they did. They deserve their exile, and they deserve to suffer before the end," remarked Petyr with Maul's eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Says the man who is going to suffer long before his end here today," said Aegon with Petyr spitting on his desk in front of him.

"I will tell you nothing Targaryen. I know you will go after the others, but I don't care about them. What I do care about is denying you what you want," said Petyr while eying the letter opener on his desk and the idea of ending his life, while not something he would normally consider, it would deny his enemy the vital information desired.

"You disappoint me, Lord Baelish. You are constantly under the assumption I want something from you that I don't already know. What I need from you is not what is inside that pathetic little mind of yours. But rather, it is your face and appearance that I require to obtain what I seek," said Maul with Petyr now looking at him in shock and confusion.

"My face?" asked Petyr with a sense of dread.

"Of course, Lord Baelish. Afterall, a man who serves the Many Face God needs to use any face available to him to achieve his objective. You are not the objective. You are simply the means for a man to reach his objective," said Maul with Petyr frowning further and sweat was now dripping down his forehead.

"And what is your objective?" asked Petyr with Maul smiling cruelly at him.

"To give Jon Arryn a gift on behalf of the Many Face God," replied Maul before the letter opener Petyr was eyeing earlier suddenly rose from the desk and stabbed the Master of Coin in the neck.

Naturally, the first impulse Petyr did, which was what anyone else would do in his place, was grab the hilt of the letter opener, and have a solid grip on the weapon. After a moment, life left the man and he slumped over his desk with only the shock of what had suddenly happened to him etched on his face.

A face Maul would need to get close to Jon Arryn.

(Flashback End)

"You…will…be…stopped!" exclaimed Jon while struggling to breathe further.

"No. I don't think I will. No one knows Lord Baelish is dead. Not yet. I sent his guards away and told the whores in his brothel to relocate to some of his other establishments for the day. As for you, no one is expecting to see you for quite some time. Which means I have plenty of time to find several other men here in the Red Keep who must receive a gift from the Many Face God," said Maul while Jon sputtered more blood from his mouth.

"R-Robert! You intend…to kill…Robert," said Jon while his world was getting darker and darker.

"And be a kinslayer? Like him? The Usurper will meet his end. But it will be done right. No, I intend to go for several other people in this place. Those who tried to kill my family over the years. Those who were able to benefit from their deaths. You are but one among many Lord Arryn. One among many who will receive the gift from the Many Face God," replied Maul while Jon Arryn glared at him defiantly before falling over dead.

With his target dead, Maul took the face and hid the body. Petyr Baelish's death wouldn't be known for a long time and the face would soon be at the House of Black And White. Lord Arryn was a much more important person and thus expected to be around one place or another in the Red Keep when not in his solar. As a result, Maul had to hide the body so no one could report it. He placed Jon Arryn's body on his bed and covered it with a blanket. Not the most subtle of hiding spots, but the servants wouldn't be in this area of the tower to clean things up for a while.

Taking on the form of the Hand of the King Jon Arryn, Maul walked through the halls of the Red Keep in order to find and "speak" to another man he intended to receive the gift from the Many Face God. One, who had been instrumental in assisting in the Mad King's mental spiral downward and secretly insuring his wife/sister/Queen lost quite a few children during her many pregnancies. The one among the names who was responsible for convincing the Mad King to let Tywin Lannister into the city, knowing full well the old lion would sack it.

Grand Maester Pycelle.

Maul had seen the visions of the past through the Force. Seen the various concoctions the man brewed for the Queen during her pregnancy while assuring her it would help. The only help it did was cause each child to be stillborn. It had been devastating each time the woman lost a child and it didn't help that the slowly falling into madness for a King was constantly trying to make as many children as possible. When Rhaegar had been born healthy and strong, it had given the woman a reprieve from her "duty" to the King.

Not that Grand Maester Pycelle didn't try multiple times to see the future bard prince killed one way or another. The only reason he wasn't successful with Rhaegar was he wasn't around during the end of the pregnancy nor was he able to give the woman any concoctions during it. The poor Targaryen Queen had wanted to travel to Dragonstone and have her son there stating the magic there would help make their child strong. Naturally, the Mad King wanted a strong heir with magic in their blood and agreed despite Pycelle's protest that she should stay under his experienced care.

Not that she believed the man for one second during his long winded protest over trying to come with her to Dragonstone to be the one in charge of her health. The Queen had long since suspected Pycelle had done something to her from previous pregnancies prior to Rhaegar and didn't want the man near this one. When he tried to press the issue with the King just before her departure, the Targaryen Queen had implied Pycelle was clearly not competent to help with this pregnancy given how the other previous ones were all stillborn under his watch.

When the Queen was pregnant with Viserys, she was caring for him at Dragonstone but had to return to King's Landing per the King's command. He had been convinced by both Pycelle and Varys to have her come back during the end of the pregnancy due Varys having stated that his little birds had discovered a plot to kill her. The Mad King, wanting his spare for a child safe from such a thing, and wanted to make sure the Queen was back at the Capital to be near him as soon as possible.

Giving birth was complicated for the Targaryen Queen, as Pycelle insisted she drink his tonics, which she had refused repeatedly, even throwing it at the man's face a few times. She knew if any of her children drank whatever was in those drinks, it would result in the loss of the child or possibly being deformed. Any attempt by Pycelle to put his mixtures into her food or drink failed, as she made sure the fool was far away from anything she ordered during it. Though Maul was quite certain Pycelle was able to put something it once every so often with the way Viserys turned out.

He was about to find out.

"Lord Hand, I was not expecting you. Come in! Come in! What can I do for you?" asked Grand Maester Pycelle while letting in the man who he believed to be the Hand of the King into his room.

"I have some questions Grand Maester. Questions about Rhaegar that only you can answer given your time here at the Red Keep is the longest among anyone in current history," said "Jon Arryn" while the Grand Master was confused.

"Questions about the dragon prince? I don't mind answering Lord Hand, but what questions could you have about he man after so long?" asked Grand Maester Pycelle with "Jon Arryn" walking beside him.

"Some old papers found in my solar I had not seen before had me curious about a few things in relation to him and I felt my curiosity over them catch my interest," said "Jon Arryn" while the seemingly frail and old man slowly made it to his desk.

"Papers? What kind? Were they incriminating to House Targaryen?" asked Grand Maester curiously.

"No, nothing like that. They were more in line with you," said "Jon Arryn" with the Grand Maester now having a slight look of nervousness upon him.

"Me? What about me, Lord Hand?" asked Pycelle with a small sheen of sweat coming down his forehead and had to run a small rag over it to keep himself dry.

"It remarks about you giving Rhaella Targaryen one of your tonics during her many pregnancies. All of which when taken caused her to have stillborn children," commented "Jon Arryn" and saw Pycelle was getting increasingly nervous.

"Well, it is to be expected for someone like her to have multiple stillborn children. The Mad King was not known for his gentle behavior with her before, during, and after his attempts to impregnate her," said Pycelle, which was true so he could easily say it with a straight and less nervous face.

"True, but I did my research on the tonic you made. It's not designed to help with her when pregnant with child. Unless, of course, you were trying to kill the babe in her womb," countered "Jon Arryn" while giving the Grand Maester a knowing look.

"I don't know what you mean Lord Hand, but whatever you feel those notes imply about my skills as a Maester are unfounded," replied Pycelle while finding his throat was slowly being crushed in a strong grip.

"So, the notes I have about you using your tonics to create stillborn children are false? Even through it is in your handwriting?" asked "Jon Arryn" while Pycelle was getting more nervous.

"No such documents exist. Whatever you saw was clearly a skilled forgery. My tonics have been known to help pregnant women with their births. The fact they caused multiple losses to the Targaryen royal line is merely a coincidence," said Pycelle with his eyes not looking the man in front of him in the eyes.

"And yet, out of all of Queen Rhaella's eight pregnancies, only three children survived. Each time, you were not around or she wasn't given one of your tonics during the pregnancies," countered "Jon Arryn" firmly while Pycelle found it was even harder to breathe.

"She was away from her abusive husband during that time!" said Pycelle while finding the invisible grip getting tighter.

"True, but during the pregnancies of those five stillborn babies, and the three successful ones, the Mad King did not abuse his wife at all. Even he knew the value of keeping his wife healthy to ensure she gave birth to a healthy child. No Grand Maester. For all his faults, the Mad King was not responsible for those five stillborn babies. You were the one who ensured they would never know life outside of the womb and it was all due to your tonics. You are a murderer of innocent babes not yet born and I suspect that Queen Rhaella also made sure you didn't try to kill any of her other children either, but you managed to get around it. Given your track record of successfully killing five her children, you had to put your poison in her food and drink in secret to ensure success," remarked "Jon Arryn" while Pycelle looked ready to explode at the accusation.

"That is not true! Its slander! Such accusations cannot be proven, and I will not be discredited by anyone who is not a properly educated man like myself. Hand or no Hand of the King!" exclaimed Pycelle angrily at the man in front of him.

"My apologies Grand Maester. I meant no disrespect to a man of your profession. As such, I wish to give you a gift as a means of showing my sincerity in my apology over such slander," said "Jon Arryn" while rising from his seat in front of the Grand Maester.

"Oh? A gift? What kind of gift?" asked Pycelle with his nervousness now leaving him since he did enjoy getting such things from people.

"A gift from the Many Face God," said "Jon Arryn" before lightning shot from his hand and hit Pycelle right in the chest along with the rest of his body.

Pycelle couldn't even scream when the intense pain struck him, and the lightning ran through his entire body and couldn't find a means to process what exactly he was feeling. How could he? One moment, the Grand Maester was talking to the Hand of the King. The next, he was being blasted by lightning as if the Storm God himself was doing it.

He was actually fortunate when death claimed him. The Stranger taking pity on the pain inflicted upon him by this man, who was clearly not Jon Arryn, and had used some kind of evil magic to kill him. In his last moments of life, Pycelle saw the face of Jon Arryn being ripped away and the real face of his killer was made known to him. His last moments were gripped in fear, as the tattooed man who killed him was the rumored Targaryen with three hatched dragons.

Like all the Maesters of different ranks and positions before Pycelle, it was his duty to see the removal of actual dragons should they be known or born into existence. The Order of Maesters had spent years in perfecting the art of killing the wretched flying beasts and their connection to the Targaryens to further weaken those with a connection to magic. They had used everything in their disposal to be successful in their attempts from using a variety of poisons put in the food and water the creatures drank to smashing the eggs themselves. Even killing the vile beasts when still young by snapping their neck or crushing their bodies with large rocks while they were small enough to make it possible.

'My brothers of the Order…avenge me. Avenge…me!' thought Pycelle before death claimed him.

'One filthy grey rat down. An entire rodent infestation to go,' thought Maul while relishing the sensation of seeing this old fool die.

Taking Pycelle's face, Maul removed the Grand Maester's chains before preparing to send a message to Dorne for two of its Princes while preparing the faces collected so far to the House of Black and White. They would do well under the care of the Faceless Men and the continued offerings of these faces would help stay in their good graces despite them desiring to see the Prince that was promised bring the dawn as was foretold ages ago.

Maul was not going to rely on his skills as a Faceless Man in taking said faces of his enemies to achieve his goals for revenge. No. Maul wanted his presences known to everyone when the time came. To see him one place, only to disappear a moment later. To be a shadow. To be a wraith. To be the storm. To be the unyielding might of his father's House that showed little to no mercy to his enemies who would spit in the face of such a thing, if offered.

Let his actions stir up the Houses loyal to the Usurper. Let them march in his name, only to know the truth about him, and what the war was really about. Not for love. Not for honor. Not for the greater good of the realms. Only the bitter truth with plain old fashion greed and ambition to rise higher than one should be allowed being the source of it all.

In the meantime, Maul would pay a visit to the late Spider's hideout to see what news the man received when alive and if there was anything useful still there. Given Littlefinger's ambitions, he knew the man had gone personally to where Varys kept his documents and information after getting confirmation of the eunuch's death to obtain the contacts the Master of Whispers acquired over the years to add to his own. Not to mention the valuable information obtained during that time up until his death about all of the other dealings going on throughout Westeros and Essos yet to be addressed.

Sadly, for Lord Baelish, he wouldn't truly be able to obtain such things to their fullest despite looking through the Spider's home. Varys knew knowledge was power, as well as information. He would not let such things be found so easily for anyone to find or use in the event of his death. As such, any and all documents, letters, correspondences, contacts, and other important things were hidden away deep in the Spider's lair. As such, Lord Baelish's attempts to benefit from the Master of Whisper's death was a failed expedition and it showed when Maul entered the room to find it badly trashed.

No doubt Lord Baelish or someone else looking to benefit from the Spider did not believe in discretion or patience when it came to gathering information. Maul could feel the anger in the Force at those who were here hunting for information and leaving unsuccessfully. He could sense it wasn't just Lord Baelish who had been snooping around the Spider's lair, but Jon Arryn did too. Though they clearly did it for the same reason, Maul also suspected they both went behind the other's back.

Walking past the wreckage that was thrown around him, Maul made his way to what was clearly a spot where the hidden compartment was located. The Spider's lingering presence was the strongest against this wall and after giving it a good feel, found the hidden switch before activating it. Inside the hidden compartment was a treasure trove of information filled with documents of all kinds dating back to the time of the Mad King prior to the Usurper's rebellion. There were messages, correspondences, letters, and documents of all kinds were here from all sorts of people. A portion of these documents were not even addressed to the Spider himself, but to other people! The Master of Whispers lived up to his name due to acquiring information through his little birds and anything they found when they were sent on their fact finding missions. They were no doubt instructed to obtain anything related to their targets and bring it to the Spider to determine its value to his cause or plans for the future of the Seven Kingdoms.

And there were quite a few damaging pieces of information the Master of Whispers obtained if brought to light would no doubt cause various Houses to spill quite a bit of blood. Both internally and externally given what was written in some of these letters.

Namely those in relation to the two Princes of Dorne and their lost Princess along with her children.

(Dorne-Sometime Later)

The trip to the most southern part of the Seven Kingdoms had been uneventful for Maul as he entered Sun Spear with the intended purpose of meeting the Princes from House Martell. As he made his way there from King's Landing, the news of Jon Arryn and Petyr Baelish dying spread throughout the lands. He wasn't even halfway to Dorne when it reached him, and the Usurper was up in arms over the death of his foster Father. Blaming the "dragonspawn" that was House Targaryen for the Hand of the King's end and going on a rant about it. No doubt the city was on lockdown in the hopes of capturing the one responsible for the death of Jon Arryn, Lord Baelish, and Grand Maester Pycelle. Though Maul knew Baelish and Pycelle were not as high on the priority list as Jon Arryn. Not surprising, given how one was a flesh peddler and the other was an old man who couldn't even keep his oath of celibacy.

As for Maul, he had business with the Princes of Dorne from House Martell. The letters and documents obtained from the Spider's lair in the secret compartment had revealed some truths about various parts certain Houses or Heads of those Houses played during the Usurper's rebellion. House Tully broke their oath to House Targaryen and House Arryn conspired with them to make the rebellion happen. The two Houses easily used the future Head of House Baratheon to create it and bring the dragon down. House Lannister saw an opportunity to benefit from this when Rhaegar died and exploited it to the fullest with the sacking of King's Landing.

Though what he learned about House Martell, one of them committed a horrible crime which had to be corrected regardless the excuse given. Personally, Maul didn't believe there was a valid excuse for what was done and the betrayal that would no doubt echo throughout Dorne when brought to light. Family was everything, it was precious beyond measure, and anyone who thought otherwise wouldn't know what it meant to love even if it stabbed them in the face.

"I'm here to see the Princes and Rulers of Dorne," said Maul with the two guards narrowing their eyes at him.

"And why would I allow a mere peasant such as yourself to see our beloved Princes?" asked the guard on the right while Maul narrowed his eyes.

"For one, they are expecting me. So, go in there and tell them that a hidden dragon wishes to speak to the Princes of Dorne. If you don't, I will rip out your guts and hang you by them for all to see," said Maul with the guard growling slightly before going to see Prince Doran, if only to have the excuse needed to come back and gut the robed figure.

Only to come back moments later and give the second guard a nod.

"Prince Doran and Prince Oberyn will see you now," said the guard though it was clear he didn't want to say those words.

With a polite nod, Maul walked past both guards at the door and was soon entering a large room where Prince Doran, Prince Oberyn, and the loyal bodyguard Aero Hotah with the later having his spear at the ready. Maul also saw Prince Oberyn was sitting near his brother with his own spear a mere grasp away. Doran himself did not have a weapon, at least one Maul could not see, but he wouldn't be surprised if the ruler of Dorne had a knife tucked away for close encounters. Not surprising since they didn't trust him or what he might be here to speak to them about. Maul had sent a raven in advance, unmarked with any sigil on the seal, but the words written were given to them all the same, thanks to a few of the later Spider's little birds he was able to procure in Dorne.

He also had a few of them in the Reach help infiltrate the Citadel to obtain some other things needed to further prove his words were true. Any attempt to go their himself would be unwise and Maul had not planned things out just to throw everything aside to gain his much desired revenge. He had to be careful in everything he did and precise with his actions to ensure there was little to no blowback from it.

"Welcome Lord Maul to my home. Would you like anything to eat? Drink?" asked Prince Doran politely while Maul shook his head.

"Thank you, Prince Doran, but I must decline. I am not here for those things. I am here on business and there is not time anything else," said Maul while sitting across from the two.

"I must confess, your message to me was intriguing. To think the last male Targaryen is before us," said Doran calmly with his calculating eyes looking Maul over to study him within his mind.

"Yes, considering how the last male Targaryen aside from Viserys was Rhaegar's son Aegon. Sadly, he died at the hands of Tywin's prized monsters when sacking King's Landing. Imagine our surprise when we receive a message claiming you are the Bard Prince's son," said Prince Oberyn while slightly glaring at Maul with the implication in his voice.

"I understand your hesitance to accept what I wrote as truth Prince Doran, Prince Oberyn. Nor am I lying about my claim. I am also aware of the implication of what my existence means regarding Rhaegar and a child not born from his wife Elia Martell, your beloved sister. You no doubt feel my presence is an insult to your sister and her marriage to Rhaegar as a result," said Maul with Prince Oberyn narrowing his eyes slightly and gave small nod.

Prince Doran didn't even blink, but it was clear he made the same conclusion.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to gut you with my spear, Lord Maul," replied Prince Oberyn and saw the man give him a respectful nod for his brutal honesty.

"I understand. You see my existence as an insult. A slight against your House and your sister. What if I told you, I was not? What if I told you, I am not a bastard? What if I told you Elia Martell agreed to have her marriage with Prince Rhaegar annulled?" asked Maul with Prince Oberyn looking livid while Prince Doran's eyes narrowed.

"Lies! If she had annulled the marriage, we would have been told! We would have known!" exclaimed Prince Oberyn while standing up and glaring at Maul while the tattooed man remained calm.

"What if I told you Elia did try to tell you? Both you and your brother? How your sister had sent ravens to Dorne, but they were received by the wrong people who destroyed the messages to keep you in the dark?" asked Maul with Oberyn narrowing his eyes with anger burning in them.

"If what you say is true, name them!" demanded Oberyn while wanting to know who helped cause this travesty which helped start a war that claimed his sister's life along with her children.

"There a many names involved in this conspiracy. I am dealing with most of them myself, but given the issue of your House being targeted, it's only fair you gain some measure of justice. Your two Maesters are among a much larger group of people throughout the Seven Kingdoms currently seeking to control things. These two are mere pawns in the grand scheme of things, but they have also been with you since before Prince Doran's time ruling, correct? Treating your brother's gout, which even now is flaring up as we speak. You have remarkable pain tolerance my Prince. To keep a straight face while your foot throbs as if it had been stabbed by multiple blades is most impressive," said Maul while both Princes were filled with rage since they did not suspect the two Maesters would decide which messages they would receive from family and what would be kept to themselves to handle.

"You can prove this?" asked Doran with Maul smiling before taking out some documents from the satchel pack he was carrying.

"The Maesters may have destroyed your sister's messages, but their own messages to each other about what they did were archived at the Citadel. Pure arrogance on their part," replied Maul while placing the brief messages written by the Maesters on the table and let two Princes read their contents.

(Maester's Message #1)

We intercepted three new messages from the weak snake bitch at King's Landing. The messages are too vague and too cryptic to decipher. She mentions breaking away from the throne but does not say how in the message. We destroyed them all so they would not be found by either brother. War will be upon the Seven Kingdoms soon. Purging of the dragon's blood and weakening their supporters is progressing as planned.

(Maester Message # 2)

Grand Maester Pycelle warns of the snake bitch showing fangs. Hissing threats and spitting venom. She is trying to send out more messages to her brothers and anyone else who would hear her words. Words that once again speak of breaking away from the crown and taking her children back to Dorne. Alert our brothers in all of the key Houses to be on guard for anyone trying to send messages to Dorne. Make sure the ravens used to transfer the messages are the ones sent to the Citadel so these messages can easily be destroyed there.

(Maester Message # 3)

The snake bitch has given up sending messages. Grand Maester Pycelle has been able to use King Scab to keep her from sending any messages or use messengers to reach her brothers. We can now focus on our plans to bring down the dragon further. We will continue make sure House Martell is still kept in the dark and keep the oldest Prince crippled with our poison to mimic gout. Our plan will make him feel bitter and jealous of his younger more adventurous brother to drive them apart.

(Maester Message # 4)

Rejoice brothers! The dragons have finally fallen. All is finally happening as we have planned throughout the centuries. Soon, our Order will be the true power behind the Iron Throne and all the major Houses. We will control everyone and everything within the Seven Kingdoms through our knowledge of the world as we perceive it.

"As you can see my Princes, the various messages here are quite…damaging for the Order of Maesters," remarked Maul while seeing Prince Oberyn and Martell looking increasingly angry.

"Guards! Find and arrest both Maesters. But do it quietly. I want to make sure they are both questioned extensively at a later time on what they know," ordered Prince Doran while several men in the room left to carry out the command.

"While they deal with that issue, there is another that must be addressed Prince Doran," said Maul with his smirk leaving him and became increasingly serious.

"And that would be?" asked Doran while staring at Maul.

"Your own crime against your sister," replied Maul with Doran finally looking surprised while his brother looked even more livid.

"What crime? I have done no such thing? I loved my sister," said Doran while motioning Oberyn to not move for his spear knowing he was very tempted.

Aero himself was gripping his spear tightly and awaiting the order to kill Maul.

"Not enough to save her from what Tywin Lannister had planned for when he ordered the sacking of King's Landing. Come now Prince Doran, you are a smart man with a strategic mind. Are you telling me you didn't anticipate or learn what Tywin Lannister had planned when word of his army marching from the Westernlands following Rhaegar's death? Did you not suspect that the Usurper would seek to harm your sister and her children in some way once he took King's Landing?" asked Maul while Doran's eyes narrowed.

"By the time I could have hired someone to smuggle Elia and her children out of the city, it was too late. The Usurper had taken the city and they were dead," countered Doran while Maul shaking his head.

"And yet your letters to the Spider say otherwise," said Maul with Doran's face now going slightly pale and Oberyn's anger had cooled to the point where he looked at his brother curiously.

"You were in contact with the Spider?" asked Oberyn with Doran not looking him in the eyes while he quickly thought of a way to spin this uncovered information.

"Since the start of the war. When Elia supposedly stopped writing letters to you and your brother, he got suspicious. Prince Doran started communicating with Lord Varys to find out what was happening in King's Landing and with his sister. The Spider didn't reveal too much to Doran but hinted enough that she along with the children were all prisoners in the Red Keep. How she wanted to get out of the city and be safe in Dorne, but the Mad King wouldn't allow it," said Maul with Doran's muscles twitching.

"That still doesn't mean I abandoned her," countered Doran with Maul nodding.

"That is true, at least, at first. But that changed later on when Varys revealed in one of his messages to you of his knowledge of the annulment of Elia's marriage to Rhaegar. He had kept a few copies of Elia's messages meant for you, which the Maesters never intercepted, regarding the annulment. He even sent you one of those messages and what it would mean for Dorne if the annulment were ever brought to light," said Maul while Doran looked more nervous when Oberyn looked between the two of them with his mind racing in multiple directions.

"Elia would no longer be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and her children would be removed from the claim to the Iron Throne," whispered Oberyn and saw Maul nodding.

"Yes. Elia would be a Princess of Dorne once more and her children would claim their own titles here in their mother's girlhood home. But your brother didn't care about her happiness. Not when her actions in agreeing, and even encouraging Rhaegar to annul their marriage effectively cutting House Martell out from being able to have their claim tied to the Iron Throne," replied Maul while Oberyn was feeling his mind being torn apart by this and wanted to deny the truth of it.

"You have no proof of this," countered Doran while making sure the messages from the Spider were all destroyed.

"Actually, I do have the proof. I have several of your messages sent to the Spider. I have the remaining messages Elia planned to send, which he made sure never reached either of you. I even have one letter you sent to Elia after Varys had managed to give one such letter from her back to you asking for your help in smuggling the woman and children out of King's Landing," said Maul while Doran now started to sweat and glanced at his brother looking ready to murder someone after the shock of this news hit him full force.

"It's a lie. I don't believe it. I won't believe it!" exclaimed Oberyn while looking more lost while hearing this.

"Perhaps this will further prove my words are indeed true," offered Maul before passing two letters in his possession across the table, which Oberyn eagerly grabbed and read.

Dearest brothers Doran and Oberyn,

If you are reading this, I am fortunate. If not, I am doomed. Rhaegar has fallen. Robert Baratheon is on the march toward King's Landing. Tywin Lannister is already on the march here and I fear the worst. I hear the whispers. The worries of the servants and handmaidens. Some say the lion will come to the defense of the dragon against the stag. Some say the lion will show his loyalty to the crown and save them from the stag, even if it is a plan to somehow get one of his children to be tied to the Iron Throne.

But there are others who are not so sure.

I am inclined to believe the latter given the lion's reputation for crushing those who scorn him, and the Mad King has wronged Tywin on multiple occasions. As such, I believe if we do not act, this will be my last message to you and to Oberyn. I know my last message reached you about my annulment of my marriage to Rhaegar and I am not naïve to believe you are fully accepting of this. Not fully. But we are blood, Doran, Oberyn. I ask you to trust me when I say it was for the best for all parties despite the war that came from this. Had it not been for various conspiring parties of ambitious greedy men, the war wouldn't be upon us.

I tried to love Rhaegar as duty demanded of me. I tried to love him and do everything I could to appease the Mad King in providing future heirs with Rhaegar as duty demanded. But the man is losing his mind more and more with each passing day. I fear for my daughter's and son's safety here given my slowly weakening condition since arriving in King's Landing following my marriage to Rhaegar. This place is vile and poisonous Doran. I see the schemers and ambitious men seeking to remove the dragon when the time is right, and I know the time is nearly here.

Do not hate Rhaegar for this Doran. Nor should you Oberyn. He was faithful to me even when Lyanna Stark came into our lives. He felt conflicted and confessed his feelings for her to me. The man wanted to protect me from any scandal that could arise from this and was willing to forsake his feeling of love for the Stark woman for his duty to our marriage. But I am a woman of passion despite my frail body, and I knew denying Rhaegar his happiness would be wrong. I was the one to suggest annulling our marriage so he could marry Lyanna Stark without fear of reprisal from Dorne, despite the stag being arranged to marry her.

Both of us knew what Robert was like before the rebellion and knew the man was unfit to be a Lord given his appetites for bedding any woman who caught his interests. Rhaegar and I knew Lyanna would be miserable with Robert should they be joined in marriage. As such, the annulment of our own marriage came up in our conversation where I would gracefully be set aside so I could return to Dorne with our children. Once Lyanna married Rhaegar, the North would be in his corner and our support from the other Lords would allow him to remove his Father to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. The foolish oaf of a stag would rant and protested the act, maybe even start his damn rebellion against the crown regardless. But I know he wouldn't have been able to win it.

At first, Rhaegar was against my idea to annul our marriage. He didn't want me to feel like I was being replaced for a more passionate and fiery woman. But I am, if anything, very persuasive when it came to our arguments. Seeing no other way to make us both happy, we agreed to have our marriage annulled so Rhaegar could be free to marry Lyanna and I could return home to Dorne with my children safe from the vile eyes lurking throughout this horse shit smelling city.

-Elia

"It is her handwriting. Without question it is her handwriting," whispered Oberyn while tears fell down his face before he saw the other letter, supposedly from Doran, on the table for him to read.

Elia,

I have received one of your messages through the Spider. I have heard your plea for help in escaping the city while there is still time before Tywin Lannister's army reaches the Capital. To at least arrange for the children to be smuggled safely to Dorne and protected by the full might of our Kingdoms against Robert Baratheon. If not for your past actions in annulling your marriage to Rhaegar and removing your children from the right to claim the Iron Throne through royal blood, I would have arranged for the safe return of all three of you.

But I will not do what you ask Elia. I will not save you or your children from the horrible fate that will no doubt come when the city is taken by Robert Baratheon or Tywin Lannister.

Alas, you have chosen love for others over your own duty to our House. You have chosen to remove our House's connection to the royal bloodline and the right to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Your actions have brought shame to me, to yourself, and to House Martell. I no longer see you as my sister. I no longer see your children as my niece and nephew. I no longer see you as a member of House Martell. You might as well be a Sand and your children being Sands. The only good thing that come from this, is to use you and your children as martyrs to get our revenge on everyone who had a hand in this war that cost so many Dornish lives. Dornish lives which need not die had you just done your duty as a woman and ensured that Rhaegar was not led astray and not be think of loving another woman.

I will not weep for you Elia. No, the sister I knew died when she betrayed our House. Duty to our House and rising above all others comes before love. Now, you will face the punishment for defying this and the duty you were charged with when marrying Rhaegar.

May the Gods be merciful to you.

-Doran

"You abandoned her. You abandoned Elia. You abandoned our sister. Her children. Our blood. She was hoping for our help, and you left her to die! You left her children there to die! You knew or suspected what would happen when Tywin Lannister marched toward the city, and you left them there to die!" exclaimed Oberyn after reading the letter and saw it was his brother's handwriting.

These were not forgeries. Oberyn knew his sister's handwriting, even now, after all these years, and he knew the letter addressed to Doran was written by Elia. And the response by Doran was no doubt his own words, written by his own hand, and expressing his own personal feelings about Elia's decision to do what she did.

"She failed to do her duty. To do her duty to House Martell. Her duty to all of Dorne. Her duty to me as our sister and to her station as a woman. She abandoned and betrayed us first Oberyn," replied Doran while no longer seeing a need to hide it any longer from his brother.

"Her duty? What about our duty, brother?! Is it not our duty to protect our sister from any harm that might befall her, regardless of what she did? Regardless of her reasons for doing them?" asked Oberyn with Doran frowning.

"You make it sound so simple Oberyn. But it is not. When the responsibility of ruling over a House, much less a Kingdom, is thrust upon you, the life of luxury is a rarity. Elia had a duty to our House. To tie our bloodline to the Iron Throne. To have children that would be able to help bring Dorne into the fold as a major power due to one our own being a member of the royal family. We would have been a House no one could challenge in the years to come. But Elia ruined everything when she annulled her marriage to Rhaegar and removed her children from the line of succession," said Doran coldly while Oberyn glared at him.

"What if she did? The children would still be royalty of Dorne, and alive! Isn't that enough? Isn't having our kin alive and happy more important over having control over a fucking throne like the eye sore in King's Landing?" demanded Oberyn with Doran looking away from him.

"The Iron Throne is a symbol of absolute power. Whoever sits on it commands such power. I wanted my House to wield it and be the new ruling authority alongside the Targaryens. Our sister ruined all of that and as such, had to pay the price for her disobedience," said Doran coldly with Oberyn looking ready to kill him.

"So, blood ties mean nothing to you? If they do not prove themselves to your standards?" asked Maul with Doran clenching his fists tightly in his wheelchair.

"How I do or run things regarding family members within my House is not your concern. I suggest you leave here while I still allow it," replied Doran with Maul not looking the least bit intimidated by him.

"And if I refuse?" asked Maul in a challenging tone.

"Aero will make you," answered Doran while glancing at his loyal servant.

"And does he wish to make me?" asked Maul curiously while Aero glancing from him to Doran.

"He hears my command and obeys," said Doran with Maul not looking the least bit concerned.

"And should I kill him? Will you weep for this man? For your loyal servant? Will you curse me for ending his life? And what of your brother if we clashed? Or his daughters who would no doubt seek to avenge him? Or will you just sit there in your chair and find a way to make a deal in order to possibly save your life should I seek to end it?" asked Maul while Doran narrowing his eyes at him.

"Aero, remove him. Now!" commanded Doran with Aero looking hesitant at first but started to move to throw Maul out of the room.

Only for the man's body to be thrown across the room and hit the wall when an invisible power sent him in that direction with the impact of hitting that wall knocking the loyal servant out cold.

"For being a supposed Prince, you lack the manners of one," replied Maul with both Princes looking at him in shock.

"So, the rumors are true. You wield some kind of magic," remarked Doran calmly, but Maul could hear the brief feeling of fear in his voice.

"I wield more power than you know Prince Doran. Though considering your treachery and betraying your sister the way you did, I find the title of Prince to be somewhat…tainted," replied Maul with Doran now having a look of pure anger on his face.

"You do not have the right to speak to me about what is tainted. Given your birth and the stain it is on my sister's memory. The memory of her children," countered Prince Doran while Maul smirked.

"Oh now, you wish to invoke your sister's name? Her children? Did you not send her a letter denouncing them and felt no guilt over the fate that would befall them once the city was taking by the Usurper? You don't care about your sister's memory or that of her children Prince Doran, remember? The only thing you really do care about when it comes to them, is the power and prestige they would have brought you had Rhaegar not annulled the marriage. You don't care about love or family. You don't care about your sister Elia. You don't care about your brother Oberyn or his children. You don't even care about your own children. You only care about yourself. You would gladly see all of Dorne burn and sacrifice all of its people just so you could obtain unchallenged power. You are willing to sacrifice everyone around you, but never one to commit to sacrificing yourself if called upon. You are no better than Tywin Lannister," Maul shot back and knew he was right when Doran grit his teeth.

Maul also knew Oberyn saw what he did when seeing Doran gritting his teeth at the accusation.

"You would sacrifice me for your ambition. Even my children if you saw an opportunity to advance our House!" accused Oberyn with Doran glaring at him now with anger and hate in his bitter eyes.

"If it means having House Martell as the undisputed power throughout the Seven Kingdoms? Yes! Yes, I would do all of that! I would sacrifice you, all of your bastard children, and even the current woman you love. You are all a means to an end to achieve what needs to be done for our House. If you cannot play your part, do you duty, or simply accept your role in life that I have set for you Oberyn, than you are of no further use to me," replied Doran with his brother glaring back before glancing over at a very calm Maul awaiting to see his next move.

Before surprising Doran and smiling a polite smile at Maul.

"Lord Maul, I feel the need of leaving the room in order to calm myself down. I need to take my spear and spar somewhere far and away. I am taking any nearby guards with me, including Aero. I trust you will be able to stay and continue your…conversation with my brother without issue?" asked Oberyn with Maul's smirk increasing at the implication of the words used.

And so did Doran though his reaction was not one of a smirk or smile.

"Of course, Prince Oberyn. Take as long as you wish. Your brother and I need to talk some more about a many…great…things," replied Maul with predatory eyes looking right at Doran, who now realized he was in a position where being the Head of House Martell, much less a man with a body practically stuck in a wheelchair was not a good thing.

"Oberyn, what are you doing? Oberyn! Come back here! As your brother and Head of House Martell, I order you to come back here!" exclaimed Doran with Oberyn looking back at him when stopping at the door.

"I no longer have brother, Doran. Not anymore. My brother died years ago. Prince Doran died the day he betrayed Elia and her children because she chose to be a loving generous woman who didn't deserve what happened the day King's Landing was sacked," said Oberyn before he walked out of the room with Aero being dragged out with one hand in order to leave the two remaining people in in it alone in the room.

"Oberyn! Oberyn! Come back here!" exclaimed Doran with his voice now becoming desperate before he focused on Maul once more.

"Now, Prince Doran. I believe you and I must have a different type of conversation right now. One not so much spoken with words, but in terms of using our fists. Given your current disadvantage, I was feeling inclined to show some measure of restraint on my part when I speak through them. However, given how you are willingness to sacrifice your own kin along with all of Dorne just so you and you alone are the last one standing while wearing the trappings of power, the feeling has become quite…numb," said Maul coldly at the end before removing his upper robes and shirt so Doran saw just how much of his body was tattooed.

"Wait! Wait! Please Lord Maul. We can work something out. I have a daughter. She is only a few years older than yourself. A true beauty of Dorne. A marriage between you two would be beneficial and would no doubt help redeem my House for what I have done," said Doran while trying to move his chair back as much as possible but found it wouldn't move.

Namely because Maul wouldn't let it move.

"Even now, you try to use your family as some form of currency. Or a bargaining chip. You might as well be selling your daughter to me like she was a whore at a brothel. Whoever your daughter marries will be at her discretion. The man she chooses to love will be her choice, not yours Prince Doran," replied Maul with the growl in his voice and he looked ready to beat the older man to a bloody pulp.

While Maul was born in Dorne and thus had their fiery spirit within his body, he also had the icy blood of the North in his veins. Their way was the old way and Maul was not about to let his sword be stained by this man who dared called himself a Prince. This man was no Prince. He was a bitter ambitious man who was seeking to rise higher than his station allowed and hated the idea of someone from his own family being the source of it being denied to him.

Doran tried to reach for the hidden dagger, but Maul was too quick for him. The tattooed Targaryen saw the look in the Dornish man's eyes and knew the dagger was the last ditch effort a desperate man. Even more so when the dagger was laced with poison to ensure it did some damage in the long term if it did not strike anything vital.

Unfortunate, for Doran, he never got to get it out of the sheathe. It was easy for Maul to grab the arm reaching for the weapon, breaking the Prince's wrist moments later, and punching the chair ridden man right in the face before he could let out a scream. The only noise echoing within the room following the punch was Doran falling out of his wheelchair ono the ground.

Even worse for the Prince of Dorne, the dagger he kept hidden all this time had angled itself during the fall to cut through his clothing and his flesh. The poison laced on the blade now seeping into his blood and it wouldn't be long before it spread throughout Doran's body to end his life slowly.

Or rather it would have ended him, if Maul didn't start the process of beating the man to death before he came to that revelation after feeling the slight sting to his side. Maul had kicked the wheelchair away and threw the dagger out of the hidden area of the man's clothing before he started to smash his fists into Doran's body. Breaking bones, cartilage, and bruising anything else on contact with his fists when connecting with the Prince. Killing the man with a sword, spear, dagger, or any other weapon, laced with poison or not, was too good for this man in Maul's mind. No. This man deserved to be beaten down and destroyed by brutal physical contact and knowing as much pain as possible.

When Maul was done with him, Prince Doran hardly looked like a Prince of an entire Kingdom. He was even alive, if just barely, when his attacker left the room. Maul wanted Doran be breathing, dying slowly after the much deserved beating, and the poison slowly traveling through the Dornish man's body also helping. Maul wanted Doran to know what it felt like for Elia to suffer when she was attacked by the Mountain after losing her son while being violated moments later. Maul wanted Doran to feel helpless like Elia did while Amory Lorch stabbed her daughter fifty times with a knife when the woman was raped by the Gregor Clegane.

In short, Maul wanted Doran to feel weak, helpless, powerless, and slowly losing his life as a result of it all while being abandoned by family you thought was trustworthy.

'This world is on the brink of change now. The ripples will soon become waves. The alliances that put the stag in power will soon be broken. Those who made them will die. The truth of the war will be exposed, and all will see what it has lost over what little it gained from my House's fall through the ambitions of others,' thought Maul knowing he had quite the list to go through.

A very long list. One that was born out of his family's blood. One that would soon be written out of the blood of his enemies. With Maul holding the writing quill and the book they would be written for all to read when the ink was dry.

(A/N: YAY! Another update. Maul has returned to Westeros while Daenerys plans things in Essos to get things ready for their official arrival. Lives will be taken, and blood will be spilled. Soon, we will see who else is struck down by Maul and who will be facing him on the battlefield. I always felt it was weird that neither Varys nor Doran suspected Tywin of treachery when he marched his army from Casterly Rock all the way to King's Landing to sack it. Varys should have known and could have easily smuggled out Elia and her children. Or at least given her a heads up so she could find a way to contact her brothers to find a way out of the city back to Dorne. Until next time…PEACE!)