Author's Note: I just want to remind all you beautiful readers that I am not exactly knowledgeable of Game of Thrones so don't be afraid to PM if something is wrong, either it be a certain aspect of Game of Thrones or even the way they speak. If you have anything to say, PM me because I don't read reviews. Too much negativity :p
Enjoy.
xXx
( King's Landing - Thieves Guild Headquarters )
Ever since Aela's and Teldryn's victory at the Hand's Tourney, everyone has been keeping a low profile, especially after they found a squire trying to follow them back to the hideout. Vex hasn't been able to find out who had sent him, but knows for certain that it wasn't Varys, since she would have been directly informed by one of his birds if it was him. That doesn't mean there aren't any suspects as the squire could have been sent by either the Lannisters, Littlefinger or even a random Lord or Lady who had been in the audience during the Hand's Tourney.
While they may have kept to themselves ever since the Hand's Tourney a week ago, Jon had Vex's spies keep an eye on the Starks, just in case anything were to happen to them. Those same spies have only recently sent word to them about the Starks which Vex shares with Jon while in her quarters. The news the thief shares with the Dragonborn is more than a little worrying.
"My father is no longer Hand of the King?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?" snipped Vex who glares at Jon in annoyance. She doesn't like to repeat herself. "Lord Stark gave up his position as Hand after a recent argument with the King."
"And pray tell, what argument could divide my father and Robert so fiercely?" Jon asked, curious over what the two could have argued about that it led to his father giving up his position as Hand of the King. Everyone knows that Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon are the best of friends so what could have led them to have such a falling out?
"Daenarys Targaryen is pregnant and King Robert is afraid that if it's a son, he'll lead an army of Dothraki to take back the Iron Throne. From what I hear about the Dothraki, I wouldn't blame him for being afraid" remarked Vex, having heard quite a few unpleasant things about the horselords from across the Narrow Sea. "So, the King wants to send assassins to kill the Targaryen princess and her brother. Not only will it ruin any chance of a male offspring fighting for the Iron Throne, but it will also rid the Targaryen bloodline entirely."
"And father obviously refused to support such a heinous plot" finished Jon, realizing the reason for why his father decided to abandon his post. Lord Stark is widely known as the most honourable man in Westeros, so sending assassins to kill the two remaining Targaryens obviously wouldn't sit well with him.
"That's right. I hear that he's preparing to leave King's Landing by the morrow" said Vex, having heard from one of Vary's birds that Lord Stark is preparing his household to leave for the North in the morning.
"Then I best prepare to follow after them once they depart. I'll send word to the others and have them prepare their belongings. No doubt, Teldryn will be wanting to bring along his winnings" stated Jon who has seen the sellsword practically sitting on his chest of gold dragons so to make sure it doesn't leave his sight. To be fair, Jon can't blame the Dark Elf for being wary at the thought of his gold being stolen, since he is in the headquarters of the Thieves Guild after all. Jon's sure that there's a few thieves around that are probably biding their time to get at Teldryn's winnings, not that the Dunmer will give them the opportunity.
Vex smirks at the Dragonborn. "Such a large amount of dragons will only wear the man down. I could always keep the gold in the vault, for safe keeping, obviously."
"Obviously" deadpanned Jon, knowing that Vex has been trying to get her own greedy little hands on Teldryn's twenty thousand gold dragons, either through coercion or thievery. The last few days had been spent with Teldryn keeping the thief away from his chest, much to everyone else's amusement.
"Before you go, I have something that I must show you. If war is coming like I know it will, you might find it useful in the upcoming battles" said Vex, but she's interrupted when one of Vary's birds walks into her quarters.
The child walks over to Vex and silently hands the Thieves Guild Master a letter before running off. Once the child leaves, Vex opens the letter and reads its contents to its fullest before looking at Jon with a hardened gaze. "Jon, you need to go after your father, now!"
"What is it? What's the matter?"
"Lord Stark is at one of Littlefinger's whorehouses to continue his investigation on Lord Arryn's death. Jamie Lannister has been spotted leading soldiers to that same whorehouse and I don't think it's for a friendly chat" answered Vex, knowingly. No one leads nearly two dozen soldiers through the streets of King's Landing unless they are looking for a fight. With the recent actions made by Catelyn Stark, she can make a very good guess as to why Jamie Lannister is leading his men towards Eddard Stark.
Figuring out the reason, Jon clenches his fists in rage. Without a second to lose, Jon turns around and leaves Vex's quarter's in a hurry.
"Vex, watch the girls. Everyone else with me! We've a Lion to hunt!"
( King's Landing - Littlefinger's Whorehouse )
After speaking with the woman who Jon Arryn last spoke with before dying, Ned Stark has come to learn that Lord Arryn had been looking into Robert's Bastard children. For what reason, Ned still doesn't know, but at least he now has a lead.
Unfortunately, Ned soon finds himself in trouble, for when he steps out of Littlefinger's brothel, he finds himself and his men surrounded by two dozen Lannister soldiers who are all wielding spears and have swords sheathed to their sides. As if that isn't enough, the Kingslayer himself gallops into the fray on a white horse, the usual smug smile plastered onto his handsome face.
"What a small pack of Wolves" mocked a smirking Jamie who jumps off his horse and allows one of his men to take the animal away to a safe distance. Some smallfolk watch the interaction at a distance, including Littlefinger's whores who watch from the safety of the brothel's balcony.
"Stay back, Ser. This is the Hand of the King" warned Jory Cassel, threateningly. Even though they are outnumbered by the Lannister guards, five to one, he is prepared to defend his Lord to his final breath.
"Was the Hand of the King" corrected the Kingslayer. "Now I'm not sure what he is. A Lord of somewhere very far away" said Jamie and the implied threat is obvious to everyone.
"What is the meaning of this, Lannister?" demanded a worried Littlefinger who steps out of his whorehouse.
"Get back inside where it's safe" ordered Jamie who quickly dismisses the Master of Coin before focusing his attention back on the Warden of the North. "I'm looking for my brother. You remember my brother, don't you Lord Stark? Blonde hair, sharp tongue... short man" asked the Kingslayer with a condescending smirk.
"I remember him well" answered Lord Stark, knowing the reason for the Lannister ambush. Word of how his wife took Tyrion Lannister as a hostage has likely spread all across the Seven Kingdoms by now and it's obvious the Kingslayer wants him back.
"Seems he had some trouble on the road. You wouldn't know what happened to him, would you?" asked Jamie Lannister.
Not someone to put his wife in danger, Ned answers the Kingslayer's question with a lie. "He was taken at my command to answer for his crime."
Jamie doesn't like Lord Stark's answer for he unsheathes his sword while the Lannister soldiers all point their spears at Lord Stark and his three men. The aggression from the Lannister soldiers has Jory unsheathe his own sword while the other two Stark soldiers place their hands on the hilts of their swords.
"My Lords!" exclaimed Littlefinger who steps forward, but Ned blocks him with his arm. "I'll bring the City Watch" said the Master of Coin who runs off, leaving the Lannisters and Starks.
Jamie doesn't try to stop him while he glares at Ned. "Come, Stark. Rather you die sword in hand" remarked the Kingslayer who waits for Lord Stark to unsheathe his own blade.
A glaring Jory Cassel takes a step forward towards the Lannister. "If you threaten my Lord agai-"
"Threaten?" repeated Jamie, interrupting the Captain of the Guards. "As in, I'm going to open your Lord from balls to brain and see what Starks are made of" threatened the Kingslayer who uses his sword to point at Lord Stark's crotch before pointing to his head.
Ned Stark glares at the Kingslayer. "If you kill me, your brother is a dead man" he stated. The North would be up in arms if he were to be killed by the Lannisters and in revenge, they would seek to take Tyrion Lannister's head off his own shoulders.
The same annoying grin on the Kingslayer's face doesn't drop. Instead, it only seems to get larger. "You're right" he answered before turning to his soldiers. "Take him alive. Kill his men" he ordered while stepping back, allowing his men to advance towards the Starks.
Two Lannister soldiers move to throw their spears at Lord Stark's guards, but they are instead killed when a crossbow bolt pierces one of them in the eye and a steel arrow hits the other in their throat, courtesy of Jon Snow and Aela who have arrived.
Both Lannisters and Starks are caught off guard by the surprise attack on the two Lannister soldiers, but Lord Stark and his men recover from their surprise faster than the Lannisters and attack the Lions. Lord Stark unsheathes his House's ancestral Valyrian Steel sword, Ice, and quickly kills two of the many Lannister men.
While the Lannisters and Starks clash, Jon Snow leads Aela, Farkas, Teldryn and Serana into the fight from the opposite side. J'zargo would have joined as well, if not for Jon tasking him with following after Littlefinger. Vex has mentioned that she doesn't trust Petyr Baelish, so Jon will be weary around the Master of Coin until he knows the man's true loyalties. Jon has sent J'zargo to chase after Baelish so to see if he actually calls for the City Watch or if it was all just a mummery.
While larger in numbers, the Lannister soldiers didn't expect to be fighting on two sides. Jamie Lannister is especially perplexed, but he remains confident, even after he watches his men begin to dwindle in number.
Remaining at a distance, Aela takes out another steel arrow from her quiver and is quick to fire it at a Lannister soldier who collapses when the arrow pierces through a gap in his heavy plate armour. Aela continues to fire steel arrows at the Lannisters while specifically aiming at the soldiers fighting Lord Stark and his men. More than once, she has saved one of the two Stark guards from getting pierced by one of the Lannister spears with a well timed arrow.
With a grin on his face and a loud battle cry, Farkas swings his greatsword down on a Lannister soldier who thought he could block the Companion's Skyforge Steel Greatsword with the wooden pole of his spear. The greatsword cuts through the wooden spear like a hot knife to butter and then cuts into the Lannister soldier's left shoulder. After pulling his blade out of the corpse's shoulder, Farkas tilts his body to the side to avoid having a soldier puncture his chest with another spear before responding by stabbing his blade through the Lannister soldier's throat.
Teldryn knocks aside a thrusting spear before he pushes the edge of his Elven Sword into the soldier's throat and slices it open. The Dunmer then kicks up the soldier's dropped spear and catches it in his free hand before tossing it at another Lannister guard who has his back turned to the Dark Elf, fighting Jory. The Lannister soldier cries out in pain as the spear pierces through his back and comes out of his chest. As the soldier collapses, the Captain of Lord Stark's Guards offers a quick nod of appreciation to Teldryn before returning to the fight.
Two Lannister soldiers charge at Serana with their spears poised to run through her, seeing the woman as an easy kill for them. That's why neither expect Serana to swing her mace with inhuman speed, nor with the necessary strength to crush the first soldier's helm and skull with one swift blow. The second soldier panics and trusts his spear at Serana, but the Vampire parries the weapon with ease and swings her mace into the soldier's heavy plate armour. The armour plates bend from the combined might of Serana's vampiric strength and her Daedric artifact, crushing the soldier's chest in the process.
Jon isn't idle either as he cuts his way through the Lannister guards while making his way towards Jamie Lannister who notices the oncoming threat. After cutting the throat of another Lannister soldier, Jon then charges at Jamie who brings up his sword to block Jon's Nightingale Blade.
"And who the fuck are you?" asked Jamie while using one hand to barely hold off his attacker so he can reach for his hidden dagger in his shirt. The Lannister remembers seeing three of the attackers from the Hand's Tourney, but he doesn't recognize the beautiful pale woman who's making mince meat out of his men, nor his own opponent who's shrouded in armour that looks as black as night. He can't even see the man's face as he wears a hood to cover his hair and a mask to hide his face.
"Does it matter, Kingslayer?" Jon asked, pressing more strength down on Jamie's sword which is beginning to shake from the strain.
Jamie offers the Dragonborn a shaky smug grin. "I guess not." Pulling out his dagger, the Lannister thrusts the small blade towards his opponent's eyes.
If it was anyone else, they might have fallen to the Kingslayer right then and there. Most would not expect him to pull out a hidden knife like that, but Jon was actually expecting such dirty tricks. In his time in Tamriel, Jon has fought many men and women who attempted such dirty tricks on him before. The first to do so had given him one of his many scars, but Jon was lucky to use the Flame spell to kill the man before he could capitalize on Jon's injury. Since then, Jon has made sure to watch out for any tricks when fighting, so he is none surprised when he sees Jamie Lannister pull out a hidden dagger.
When Jamie thrusts the dagger towards Jon's eyes, the Dragonborn tilts his head to the side so the dagger only scrapes along the side of his mask. Taking a note from Teldryn's book, Jon reels his head back and throws it forward, headbutting the Kingslayer in the face. The satisfying sound of cartilage breaking nearly brings a smile to Jon's face as he watches the Kingslayer step back while holding a hand to his now broken and bleeding nose.
"You little shit" growled Jamie, glaring daggers at the masked man who just broke his nose. He holds his sword out to continue the fight, but he looks around and sees that of his twenty men, only six remain and they are dropping like flies, due to the combined might of the Starks and the strangers. "Tch, we'll settle this for another time" promised the Kingslayer who unsheathes his blade before running to his nearby horse. Without any time to waste, Jamie gallops away.
"Run away little Lion Cub! Run back to your father!" Jon shouted after the Kingslayer before he turns to watch the last of the Lannister soldiers drops dead after Lord Stark cuts him across his chest. "Are you well, Lord Stark?" he asked, speaking to his father for the first time in ten years. It's surprisingly not as hard as he thought it would be, but that might be because his father doesn't know it's him yet.
With the final Lannister soldier dead and the Kingslayer having fled, Ned returns Ice to its sheath. "I am, thanks to you, Ser?"
Jon shakes his head. "No Ser, Lord Stark. Just an honest man who saw the Hand of the King in trouble."
Lord Stark doesn't miss how the man in black armour diverts the topic away from his name, but he ignores it, for now. "Not many would come to fight against such large numbers, especially against the Lannisters" pointed out the Warden of the North. Very few would dare make an enemy out of the Lannisters, specifically Tywin Lannister who is still feared today for what he did in the Reyne Rebellion.
"Bah! Numbers mean nothing if they don't have any skill" scoffed Farkas who walks over while sheathing his greatsword, having just finished cleaning it of blood.
Ned looks at the Companion in recognition. "I remember you. You were in the melee. You fought well."
"Not well enough" remarked Teldryn who ducks to avoid Farkas's swinging fist.
Ned is more than curious as to why the victor and runner-up of the melee, as well as the victor of the archery competition are together to help him against the Lannisters, but he instead turns to Jory. "Jory, how are the men?"
"Hewitt and I are fine, my Lord, but Will got his arm cut up by one of the Lannister spears" answered the Captain of the Guards who looks back at Will who, with the help of Hewitt, is trying to stop the blood from flowing out of his arm.
"Find him a Maester to get that arm looked at" ordered Lord Stark before turning back to his rescuers. "You all have my thanks. If there is anything you desire that is in my power to give, then I shall grant it."
Jon waves his hands to deter the Lord of Winterfell. "All I ask is that you keep our involvement a secret, Lord Stark."
Ned looks around at the group of dead Lannister soldiers before looking back up. "I don't think that will be possible, I'm afraid. I'm sure those in the Red Keep already know of your involvement" he said, knowing that spies belonging to Varys and the Lannisters likely have already told them about the fight. Surely, the Queen will be angry and Robert will just laugh about how Jamie fled in defeat, if he isn't still in a bad mood at least. There's also Littlefinger's whores who are still watching them from the balcony so Littlefinger will definitely know when he returns with the City Watch.
Jon looks around at all the curious smallfolk before nodding in acceptance. "I'm afraid you are correct, Lord Stark. Therefore, me and my friends shall leave you and be on our way. So long." Jon spins around and walks off, being followed by Serana, Farkas, Aela and Teldryn.
As much as Ned wants answers to his questions, he allows the group to leave. It's the least he can do for saving the lives of himself and his men.
Serana walks to Jon's side and looks at him a bit worried. "Are you sure about just walking away from him, Jon?"
"Now is not the time to show myself to him. Not with so many eyes and ears everywhere" Jon answered. "Gather your things. I don't think we'll be staying in King's Landing for much longer."
( King's Landing - Thieves Guild Headquarters )
"Do we have to go?" asked a pouting Lucia while sitting on a bed.
"We have a lot of friends here" said Sofie in disappointment.
Crouching down to their level, Jon frowns as he can understand his daughters disappointment. While there are a lot of children that live in Solitude, Lucia and Sofie have found it difficult to make friends with any of them, because of their status as the daughters of the Hero of Tamriel. Many people are often intimidated by Jon's many titles, as well as his... reputation so they make sure to keep their children away from his own. Luckily, the children in Solitude's orphanage are more than happy to play with the daughters of the man who provides the orphanage with a lot of gold to keep them all warm and fed.
"I'm sorry, but we will need to leave. Your grandfather and aunties will be leaving King's Landing soon and they aren't safe on their own. I'm sure you'll like them. Arya is around your ages so I'm sure you'll become fast friends with her" said Jon, trying to be encouraging.
While the thought of meeting their grandfather and aunties do excite the girls, they are still disappointed about having to leave behind the friends they made in King's Landing.
Vex enters the girls quarters and without so much as a glance towards Jon's daughters, she nods her head towards the Dragonborn. "Jon, we need to talk."
Nodding back, Jon turns back to his girls and offers them a comforting hug. "You've got some time to play with your friends and to say your goodbyes before we leave, so make sure that you do that."
Once Sofie and Lucia run off to do just that, Jon follows Vex out of the room. For a few minutes, Jon walks after Vex who leads him through the underground tunnels and away from the Thieves Guild Headquarters.
Tired of the silence, Jon begins to ask questions. "So what's this about, Vex?"
"Before we were interrupted by the Kingslayer, I was going to show you something which might help in the upcoming war" answered Vex while turning around a corner.
"Show me what?" asked Jon who turns the corner, only to stop when he finds himself in a large room with shelves and cabinets that are filled with jars of a strange green liquid. "What is this?" he asked while taking a closer look at one of the jars. Jon doesn't dare touch them, having learned long ago that one shouldn't be rash when picking up unknown potion bottles.
"This is nearly thirty crates worth of Wildfire" answered Vex who spreads her arms out to show off the dozens of jars filled with Wildfire.
"Wildfire?"
"Think of it as Dragon fire, only in a jar" remarked Vex who picks up a jar from a shelf to show it to Jon. "Burns so hot that not even water can quench it."
"Sounds like a very dangerous weapon" said Jon who is well acquainted with how hot Dragon fire can be. "Where did you get all of this?"
"After arriving in King's Landing, I spent a few weeks beneath the city to find a suitable location for the headquarters of the Thieves Guild. During my search, I came across caches of this stuff, hidden under key locations in King's Landing. Beneath houses, taverns, around Flea Bottom and even found a few caches beneath the Great Sept. Obviously, I couldn't just leave this stuff alone where anyone can find it so I took all the caches I could find and hid them here" explained Vex.
"Do you know who placed the Wildfire beneath the city?" Jon asked, wondering who could be mad enough to place the dangerous substance beneath the city.
"My guess? The Mad King, Aerys Targaryen. The caches were all covered in mold and dust, suggesting that they were kept underground for years, maybe before Robert's Rebellion. Who else would be mad enough to possibly incinerate all of King's Landing?" answered Vex who read up on Westeros, including the last Targaryen who sat on the Iron Throne. From what she has read about Aerys, he was a good King, even though he had a bit of a temper on him. That temper grew after the Defiance of Duskendale which lead to Aerys succumbing to madness.
Jon looks around the room that is filled with a highly flammable and explosive substance, making Jon realize why Vex is showing this to him. "You want me to use Wildfire for the war with the Lannisters?"
Vex shrugs her shoulders in an almost uncaring manner. "Just giving you options. You're going to need every advantage you can get and it'll save you from having to resort to calling your Dragon. Do what you will with it."
Jon picks up a jar and gazes at the emerald green liquid that fills it. As someone who has seen enough bloodshed to last several lifetimes, Jon hates the thought of using such a dangerous and powerful weapon on anyone, but the part of Jon who's an experienced war veteran sees the advantages of using Wildfire.
In war, the enemy will attempt to get any advantage they can over their enemy, even if they have to fight unfairly. Someone of Tywin Lannister's reputation tells a man who isn't afraid to use dirty tricks if it gives him an advantage. After all, during Robert's Rebellion, Tywin sent his army to King's Landing in a guise to protect it from the rebels, but once Aerys opened the city's gates, Tywin's soldiers sacked the city, betraying his King and killed many innocents in the process.
Tywin has likely gathered his bannermen already and is on his way to planting a foothold in the Riverlands. Vex's spies have also informed him that Jamie Lannister fled King's Landing with his tail between his legs, heading to regroup with his father's army. Once they regroup, Tywin and Jamie are likely to cause destruction across the Riverlands so to weaken their strength before the North arrives to help.
Jon knows that's what they'll do, because it's what he would do.
Vex is also right in that using Wildfire may be the advantage they need to defeat the Lannisters without needing to call Odahviing. True, Jon can save a lot of time and bloodshed if he just set the Dragon onto the Lannisters, but in the aftermath, many will believe him to be some sort of hidden Targaryen. Targaryen loyalists would want him on the Iron Throne, especially since it'll be empty once the Lannisters are forcefully removed from it. Just the thought alone has Jon suffer from a headache. Odahviing will have to be left as a last precaution, in case the upcoming war starts to strongly favour the Lannisters.
However, Jon will need to use his full set of skills to help bring the Lannisters down and he won't be afraid to call upon his magical skills in order to do so. "I couldn't hide my magical abilities forever, but I didn't expect to use them so soon."
"I want you to send twenty caches to my ship. If those Lions want a war, I'll give them a fucking war" told Jon with a dangerous air surrounding him. It even makes Vex take a step back and she's not one who's easily startled.
"R-Right. I'll send my men to collect the caches and transport the Wildfire to your ship. We'll do it at night so to attract less attention and to make sure the stuff doesn't light up all of a sudden" said Vex who leaves to get the men. She won't admit that it's also because she doesn't want to be around Jon who's bloodlust is getting near out of control.
"For someone who claims they don't like violence, he's awfully quick to fall back into it" thought Vex who nearly feels sorry for the poor fools who are unknowingly the target of an angry Dragonborn. Tywin Lannister is a dangerous man to make an enemy of, but none in Westeros realize how much more dangerous Jon Snow really is.
The last time Jon Snow unleashed his wrath, nearly one hundred thousand soldiers were burnt to ash and the surrounding land was forever scarred by the scorching flames of Dragon fire.
That day was forever immortalized and is widely known as the Dragonborn's Wrath.
( King's Landing - Red Keep )
Varys isn't one to partake in wine often, but recent events have required the Master of Whisperers to find a way to ease his mind of stress. Sitting behind the desk in his quarters, which he has made sure to be without any listening ears, Varys takes a sip of his glass of wine. Sighing, Varys lowers the glass and closes his eyes so he can think about the recent events which have taken place in King's Landing.
Lord Eddard Stark has been named Hand of the King and Varys will happily admit that it was one of Robert's best decisions, although that's not saying much. Lord Stark is a honest and fair Lord who would see the realm thrive for everyone, no matter if they are a powerful Lord or a poor peasant. Unfortunately, Lord Stark is too honest for his own good and is willing to trust the wrong people, specifically Littlefinger. Varys has already warned the Warden of the North about trusting the scheming Lord Baelish, but it looks like Lord Stark has payed his warning no heed.
Time will only tell if Lord Stark survives the Game of Thrones or not.
Varys takes a deep gulp of his wine so to sooth his rising headache. The torture and murder of the Grand Maester, Pycelle still has the Master of Whisperers curious over how no one managed to see the person who did the deed. Pycelle was a conniving old fool so Varys won't shed tears for him, but for someone to sneak into the highly defended Red Keep, murder the Grand Maester and leave without anyone spotting them, it would require them to be incredibly stealthy and there are only two organizations that Varys knows who trains people to have such skill.
The Thieves Guild and the Faceless Men.
The Thieves Guild is a relatively new guild which is made up of a band of thieves who are infamous for stealing valuables from various Lords and Ladys across Westeros. Varys only knows little of the group and that alone has the Master of Whisperers nervous, for his spies are spread out across Westeros and Essos, yet he can't find anything on the Thieves Guild, nor the possible whereabouts of their headquarters. The thieves of the Thieves Guild have sneaked into several Keeps over the past two years and did so with most failing to get caught. Those few who do end up captured are quick to kill themselves before they can be tortured for information. Varys doesn't know what inspires the thieves to be so quick to kill themselves upon capture, but whatever the reason, it must be serious.
The thieves from the Thieves Guild are likely suspects in Pycelle's murder, although Varys doubts that it's actually them. True, the Thieves Guild are a guild of criminals, but within the two years that they've been operating in Westeros, none of the thieves have ever assassinated anyone. If caught, the thieves do defend themselves, but they have never specifically targeted someone to kill.
The Faceless Men, on the other hand are the more obvious suspects. They are a guild of assassins from Braavos who charge exorbitant fees for their services, but their success rate is unmatched. Varys has heard rumors that the assassins use magic to change their faces, disguising themselves to be anyone, hence the name, Faceless Men. Unlike the Thieves Guild, the location of the headquarters for the Faceless Men is known to be the House of Black and White in Braavos.
The Faceless Men are the more obvious suspects, but Varys finds it hard to believe that someone would spend so much coin on killing Pycelle of all people. Even if someone wanted the Grand Maester dead for whatever reason, there aren't a lot of people who can provide the required coin to pay the Faceless Men's exorbitant charges.
Then of course, there is the recent incident which occurred outside one of Littlefinger's establishments.
Jamie Lannister and twenty of his men encountered Lord Stark at one of Littlefinger's whorehouses, looking for answers on the sudden arrest of Tyrion Lannister by Lord Stark's wife, Catelyn Stark. The answers Eddard Stark provided didn't satisfy the Kingslayer which then ended with a fight between the Wolves and Lions. The overwhelming numbers of the Lannister soldiers should have led to a quick and decisive victory for the Lions, but a surprise attack by a group of unknown assailants led to the death of all twenty Lannister soldiers and Jamie Lannister fleeing King's Landing.
Word from his little birds have told Varys that those who aided Lord Stark were none other than the surprise winners and runner up in the Hand's Tourney, Aela, Farkas and Teldryn. It wouldn't be so surprising, due to the obvious Northern heritage of two of the assailants, but the pale woman crushing skulls with a deadly ebony mace and the man shrouded in armour as dark as night defeating the Kingslayer in battle has the Spider suspicious, especially since none of his birds can find any sign of them in King's Landing. Such unique armour and weaponry should have made it simple for his birds to find them, but it's as if the group disappeared into thin air.
Varys knows that he isn't the only one looking for the group either. Queen Cersei has Lannister men and Gold Cloaks sesrching the city for them, Littlefinger has his informants and whores keeping an eye out and even Renly Baratheon has some of his men searching for the group, for whatever reason. However, the group's recent actions, as well as their disappearing act in the middle of King's Landing can only lead to one conclusion and it's one that Varys doesn't like.
Another player has entered the Game of Thrones.
( King's Landing - Thieves Guild Headquarters )
"So much for leaving" stated Farkas who is leaning against a wall with his arms folded. Everyone has once again gathered in Vex's quarters to discuss their next step.
"As long as the Starks remain, we must stay as well" stated Teldryn who stands to Aela's right.
"If there is no more fighting, then why do we stay?" asked Farkas who turns to Jon who is leaning against Vex's table, studying a map of Westeros.
"Because the Lannisters will make their move at any moment now. They have already begun setting the Riverlands on fire. With the Seven Kingdoms in disarray, now would be the perfect opportunity for them to take control over the Iron Throne" told Jon, having marked the villages in the Riverlands that the Lannister bannermen have been reaping. A week has passed by ever since the fight with the Kingslayer and since then, chaos has erupted in the Riverlands, courtesy of Tywin Lannister.
As expected, the Lannisters were quick to invade the Riverlands, destroying villages and attacking Keeps, weakening the Riverlands as the Houses try to unite and fend off their invaders. If Robert Baratheon was a good King, he might have attempted to stop the erupting war, but instead, he assigned Eddard Stark as his Hand of the King once again, just so he can go on a hunting trip with his younger brother, Renly. With King Robert gone, Lord Stark now runs the realm as Lord Regent of the Seven Kingdoms. One of Lord Stark's first tasks as Lord Regent was to speak with the smallfolk, with some coming from the Riverlands to ask for aid. The smallfolk gave a description of the man leading the attacks on the villages in the Riverlands and it could be none other than Tywin Lannister's mad dog, Ser Gregor Clegane.
To Jon's pride, his father uses his power as Lord Regent to denounce Gregor of all his titles and land while also assigning Lord Beric Dondarrion to bring the Mountain to justice. What good that'll do, they will have to wait and see, but Jon is happy nonetheless that his father is actually doing something about the war, unlike King Robert who prefers to go off hunting.
However, Jon will admit that his father can be very frustrating at times, specifically with how he handled discovering the truth about Cersei's children not being King Robert's. Just recently did Lord Stark discover the truth, but instead of playing it smart and waiting for the right moment to reveal that knowledge, he revealed to the Queen that he knew the truth and even warns her to leave for Casterly Rock before he informs Robert.
Jon can see why honour can sometimes be mistaken as stupidity. Now that Queen Cersei knows that Ned Stark has figured out that she cucked her husband, she will want to keep him silent, either by having him swearing fealty, which is very unlikely, or by silencing him, permanently. At this point, she has nothing to lose, because if Lord Stark reveals the truth to the King, his rage will have no limit and he will most likely kill Cersei, her household and maybe even the children themselves, Tywin Lannister be damned. In order to gain the upperhand, she will need to either kill Robert, Eddard or maybe both in order to keep herself in power.
Jon is worried for the safety of his father who has not only foolishly shown his hand to the enemy, but is also allying himself with the snake, Petyr Baelish. After returning to the Thieves Guild after saving Lord Stark from the Lannisters, J'zargo arrived with news of Littlefinger. As Jon ordered, the Khajiit followed Littlefinger who claimed to be getting the City Watch so to stop the confrontation between the Starks and Lannisters. While the Master of Coin did come true with his task, J'zargo did point out that he was quick to slow down his pace once he was out of sight of the Lannisters and Starks. That means Littlefinger isn't lying when he says he went for the City Watch, but he did take his time getting them so when they did eventually arrive to intervene, it would be far too late.
That is more than enough proof for Jon to know that Littlefinger is working a different angle than Ned Stark and so, he cannot be trusted.
As Jon thinks about his next moves, Vex walks into the quarters in a rush. "I've got bad news and worse news. Which do you want first?"
"Everything has been bad news ever since we arrived in this stinking city" stated Teldryn, rolling his eyes from beneath his Chitin Helmet.
Jon ignores the Dunmer and looks up at the thief. "What's the bad news?"
"King Robert has been fatally injured in his hunting trip. A boar gored him good. He'll be lucky to live pass the day. My spy has also told me that the dying King has named Lord Stark as the Lord Protector of the Seven Kingdoms until his son, Joffrey, is old enough to take the crown."
Jon widens his eyes over the shocking news, as well as the repercussions of what that means. "Shit!"
Serana narrows her eyes. "What a coincidence that just as the Queen is being backed into a corner, her husband suddenly becomes fatally injured."
"What's the worse news?" asked an annoyed Aela.
"Word from my spies in the Red Keep have told me that Lord Stark plans to confront the Queen and reveal the truth of her children's birth."
"Come on, even I know that's a stupid play!" scoffed Farkas in disbelief. "What's to stop the Queen from just killing Stark and his men?"
"Nothing. That's why Lord Stark enlisted the help of Lord Baelish who promises him the Gold Cloaks" answered Vex.
"Lord Stark will get stabbed in the back and won't even realize it until it's too late" remarked a tense Teldryn. The Wolf is surrounded by enemies on all sides and he's completely unaware of them!
"We can't think about that right now. Once Robert dies, the Lannisters will take full control over the Iron Throne, even if father has been named Lord Regent and since he revealed to the Queen that he knows the truth about the birth of her children, she will move to silence him, one way or another" stated Jon, knowing that he will need to move, now. The lives and freedom of his family literally depends on it. The Dragonborn turns to Vex who waits for her orders. "Has the Wildfire been transported to the ship?"
Vex nods her head. "All crates have been safely moved into the ship. As long as you keep the jars away from any flame or direct sunlight, they should be safe to travel across the sea."
"Good. Once we leave the Red Keep with the Starks, we will be heading straight towards the Dragon Slayer. I want you to take Lucia and Sofie there now and tell the captain to be ready to set sail the moment we are all onboard."
"Got it" agreed Vex.
Jon turns to Aela, Teldryn, Farkas and J'zargo who straighten their backs once Jon's eyes land on them. "Once the King dies, the Lannisters will make their move. If Littlefinger has betrayed father like I believe him to, he has probably told the Lannisters what's coming. That means they will likely send men to capture Arya and Sansa to make them political prisoners. I want you four to find them before they do."
Without waiting to hear their response, Jon turns to Serana. "While they find my sisters, we will collect father and as much of his household that we can."
"Do tell, how are we suppose to do that?" asked Serana, quirking a lone brow. "If Littlefinger has betrayed your father, then that means we've got both the White Cloaks and Gold Cloaks to worry about, as well as the Lannister soldiers."
Jon answers with a knowing grin and a deadly glint in his eye.
"Because this time, we won't be holding back."
( Red Keep - Throne Room )
While saddened to hear of Robert's death, Eddard knows that he has no time to mourn his friend. Not when the incestious Bastard child of Cersei Lannister claims the Iron Throne for himself.
So, with thirty of his household guards and Jory by his side, Eddard Stark marches into the throne room which he sees is filled with Gold Cloaks, much to his relief. While disappointed that Renly fled King's Landing instead of helping him force Joffrey off the Iron Throne, Ned is relieved to know that Baelish's promise to get the help of the City Watch has come true, having been confirmed by the Commander of the City Watch himself, Janos Slynt, just before they entered the throne room to confront the Lannisters.
Ned and his men stop before the line of Kingsguard that separates them from Joffrey who is sitting on the Iron Throne and Cersei who is sitting by his right. To Joffrey's left stands the Hound in full plate armour and his hound-shaped helmet on display. Standing behind the Iron Throne are eight Lannister soldiers, each watching the Stark guardsmen. Out of all the men in the throne room, it's the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy, who worries Eddard the most for very few can match his skill and experience.
It's there that Ned offers Ser Barristan the Will of King Robert who reads it out loud for everyone to hear, telling how Robert names Eddard Stark as Lord Regent. Ned isn't surprised when Queen Cersei asks to see the Will, but he is shocked to watch the Queen rip it up like as if it's a common letter. Afterwards, she demands him to swear fealty to her son, ignoring the last decree made by her deceased husband.
Obviously, Ned Stark disagrees and proclaims to the entire throne room that Joffrey has no right to the Iron Throne, angering said boy. Cersei then orders Ser Barristan to arrest Ned which leads to a tense confrontation between the Stark men and the Kingsguard. Joffrey shouting at the Kingsguard to kill Ned and his men doesn't help matters. Ned then orders the Commander of the City Watch to take Cersei and Joffrey prisoner.
Unknown to Lord Stark, Janos Slynt and Cersei share a passing glance.
The City Watch brandish their spears, looking to confront the Lannister soldiers and Kingsguard. A shout from Janos has the men of the City Watch turn their spears to the Stark guardsmen who are unprepared for the sudden betrayal. Much to Ned Stark's horror, the City Watch attack his own men with four quickly falling to the spears that are now protruding out of their chests and backs.
Ned Stark turns around to see his guardsmen being attacked by the Gold Cloaks who were suppose to be fighting for him. Realizing that he has been betrayed, Ned reaches for Ice, only to stop when he feels a knife around his throat, courtesy of Littlefinger.
"I did warn you not to trust me" told a smirking Littlefinger, whispering the words into Ned's ear, making the Warden of the North come to terms with the terrible position he has found himself in.
Now a captive to Littlefinger, Ned can only stand there and watch as his guardsmen fight the Gold Cloaks who vastly outnumber them. Unlike the last time when Ned and his men were outnumbered, they don't have the good will of strangers to save them this time.
At least, that's what he thought.
"S-Stop! I said stop this at once!" ordered Cersei Lannister, much to the surprise of everyone in the throne room.
All the Gold Cloaks and White Cloaks stop fighting the Stark guardsmen once they hear the Queen's command. The remaining Stark guardsmen all stand close to each other, back-to-back so they can no longer get attacked from behind again. Everyone, except for the Northerners, all widen their eyes in surprise and horror when they see Cersei Lannister with a dagger to her neck, courtesy of a beautiful, pale-skinned woman who is standing behind her and holding said dagger. King Joffrey isn't any better for a man in the blackest armour they've ever seen is standing beside him with a knife to his throat.
"I would listen to what she says. I'm sure none of you want to see your Queen choking on her own blood" smirked Serana, enjoying how the arrogant blonde-haired woman whimpers when she presses her sharp dagger just ever so slightly deeper so that it leaves a small cut on Cersei's neck, spilling a little blood that trickles down her neck. It's barely a scratch, but the message is clear to everyone, that with the slightest of movement, Serana can End Cersei's life.
"Fuckers!" cursed Sandor Clegane who steps forward to kill them, but Jon points a finger at the Hound.
"Take another step and the little shit dies. You wouldn't want that, would you?" asked Jon with a very serious expression hidden underneath his mask. Sandor growls, but he makes no move to interfere.
"How dare you! I am the King! I'll have you gutted and paraded through the stre-" yelled Joffrey who is quick to shut his mouth once Jon presses his Dragonbone Dagger closer to his throat.
"Quiet, boy. The men are talking" warned Jon who is in no mood for the insane boy's ramblings.
Littlefinger with his knife still to Eddard's throat nearly loses his self control to gape at the sudden intrusion. The Master of Coin didn't predict something like this to happen, having expected his betrayal of Eddard Stark to be quick and efficient. Now, an unknown player has entered the game and he isn't entirely sure what to do now. Eddard Stark is his prisoner and the Northerners are completely surrounded by the City Watch, but that doesn't matter, now that Cersei and Joffrey have been taken prisoner.
"They're the same two who helped Eddard fight off the Kingslayer. How did they manage to get behind Joffrey and the Queen?" wondered Lord Baelish who glances behind the Iron Throne to see the eight Lannister soldiers who were standing guard behind Joffrey and Cersei, dead on the floor. During the chaos, the two somehow managed to sneak around the Iron Throne, kill the Lannister guards and take the Queen and her son hostage without anyone seeing them do so. Baelish feels a chill crawl up his spine when he sees the man in black armour turn his attention onto himself.
"Lord Baelish, I'm so glad to see you reveal your true colours for everyone to witness. Now, release Lord Stark, if you will" ordered Jon, making sure to press his Dragonbone Dagger tighter to Joffrey's throat, making it difficult for the boy to swallow without getting a cut from the sharp blade. Jon isn't a fan of hurting a young boy, but Vex has already informed him about what kind of person Joffrey is like. From what he has heard, Jon believes that Sheogorath would very much like to meet Joffrey, since they got so much in common.
Figuring that the man in black armour is here to protect Eddard like he did before, Baelish presses his own dagger even closer to his captive's neck, finding pleasure in how the once strong Lord Stark is now weak under his hold. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Unless you want to see Lord Stark bleeding crimson, you shall release the King and Queen, Ser...?"
"Lord Baelish" said Barristan in a warning tone. The knight doesn't like how much bloodshed has been spilled already, but he won't risk the lives of the Queen and her son, just because Baelish thinks he's still in control. The moment Cersei and Joffrey were taken hostage, they had lost all control of the situation.
The hooded and masked man tilts his head while staring at Littlefinger, like as if he's curious as to why Baelish thinks he can not only give him orders, but also try to get a name out of him. "You are mistaken, Lord Baelish. You seem to believe that you are allowed to make demands. Your Queen and supposed King are my prisoners and you think you can barter?"
Baelish smirks at the man in black armour. "It's obvious you want Lord Stark unharmed. Why else would you command me to release him?"
"Baelish, release Lord Stark, now!" ordered a shaking Cersei who pulls her head back to try and lessen the contact with her neck to the captor's knife. True, she wants to silence the Northern Lord one way or another so he can't speak about the true birth of her children, but she won't risk her life and the life of her son, because of the foolish actions of one man.
Jon shakes his head. "Lord Baelish, I think it's time I teach you a lesson about how to handle a hostage situation." Without any warning, Jon pulls his Dragonbone Dagger from Joffrey's throat and stabs it into his left hand, to the surprise of everyone watching and the horror of Cersei Lannister.
"Joffrey!" screamed Cersei who tries to run towards her injured son, only for Serana's strong grip and the knife to her neck to keep her in place.
Joffrey's screams echo along the walls of the throne room, making Sandor and some Kingsguard take a step forward to try and protect their King, but when Jon pulls the bloody dagger out of Joffrey's hand and places it back to the now whimpering boy's neck, it stops everyone in their tracks.
"When attempting to barter, you must have something of equal value to trade. In this instance, I have two hostages and you only have one. Mine also happens to be the Queen and her son while yours is the Warden of the North. Not only do I have more hostages, but they are far more important than your own" told Jon, enjoying the sight of Littlefinger coming to grips with the fact that he holds very little power over the current situation. It might be a different story if Baelish knew that the man he has the knife to is his father, but that's what the mask and hood is for. "If you want, I can kill one of the hostages to make things fair." Jon presses his bloody dagger closer to Joffrey's neck, making to boy squirm in his throne. "What do you think?"
"By the Seven, if you don't release Lord Stark now, I will gut you myself, Baelish!" threatened Barristan who now knows that the captors aren't afraid to injure, if not kill the Queen and her son. They are up against professional killers, not incompetent sellswords.
With little leverage, Baelish has no choice but to release Eddard, much to his chagrin. Very reluctantly, Baelish pulls his knife away from Eddard Stark's throat and takes a step back. Baelish makes the mistake of focusing his attention on the captors and not on Ned who turns around and punches him across his jaw, bringing the Master of Coin to the floor.
Ned Stark doesn't appreciate being betrayed.
"As entertaining as this is, I think it's about time we make our leave. Lord Stark, you and your men should make your escape while you can" said Jon, watching as his father gathers what remains of his guardsmen and make their way to the doors. When Gold Cloaks move to block them, Jon roughly pulls Joffrey off the Iron Throne by his hair with his dagger still close to his throat, ignoring how the blonde-haired boy cries in protest and pain. This stops the Gold Cloaks who then step away from Lord Stark and his guardsmen to allow them passage out of the throne room.
Jon follows after Lord Stark while keeping a hold on his prisoner so to discourage anyone from attacking him. No one is stupid enough to try anything, in fear that Jon will cut open Joffrey's throat.
Serana forgos with using Cersei as a hostage and throws her aside while walking close to Jon so to watch his back. Once Cersei is thrown aside, Ser Barristan and two other Kingsguard run to her side to make sure she's alright.
While the White Cloaks and Gold Cloaks give the Dragonborn and Vampire their space, in fear that Jon might cut open the throat of their King if they try anything, they also make sure to keep a close enough distance to them so they might be able to quickly attack if given the right opportunity.
After a tense walk through the throne room, Jon and Serana make it to the open doors where Ned Stark and his guardsmen are waiting for them. Jon turns so to keep his eyes on all the enemies in the room and he walks backwards till he passes the open doors and is now standing alongside Lord Stark and his guardsmen outside the throne room.
Jon surveys the Gold Cloaks, White Cloaks, Ser Barristan, the Hound, Littlefinger and the glaring Queen. Jon then looks down at the floor where he sees the corpses of the Stark guardsmen who were caught off guard by the Gold Cloak betrayel and paid for it with their lives.
Jon can't offer the men their lives back, but he can offer them some form of justice.
Jon slowly pulls his knife away from Joffrey's throat, much to the relief of the whimpering King. Jon then lowers himself so he can whisper into Joffrey's right ear, saying five words that makes the boy widen his eyes in horror.
"The Starks send their regards."
The Dragonbone Dagger is brought to Joffrey's right cheek and the King's screams echo throughout the Red Keep.
xXx
Jon's Skill Levels:
One-Handed (100) - You know what's better than a sword?
Two-Handed (100) - An even bigger sword!
Archery (40) - Load, point and shoot a crossbow. It isn't that hard.
Block (30) - Why use a shield when you can just use another sword?
Light Armour (100) - The winner is always the one who moves the fastest.
Heavy Armour (85) - Heavy, but safe.
Smithing (100) - Eorlund Grey-Mane would be proud.
Sneak (100) - By the time you hear me, you'll already be dead.
Lockpicking (60) - Won't be opening any steel doors anytime soon.
Pickpocket (40) - Does it count if I pickpocket a corpse?
Speech (90) - Why fight when we can just talk?
Alchemy (75) - Potions and Poisons for any circumstance.
Enchanting (50) - Probably better to just pay for the enchantment.
Alteration (100) - Reality is my plaything.
Restoration (80) - Can heal all, but the most fatal of injuries.
Destruction (75) - BOOM!
Conjuration (35) - Does Westeros really need anymore zombies?
Illusion (60) - Want to see a magic trick?