Ned
"- Signed Lady Genna Lannister Regent for Lord Willem Lannister Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West."
Ned placed the parchment down and wondered about the truth of the claims. "The path is clear, my lords. I shall meet with the Lannisters."
The lords gathered around him made their opinions known. He saw Lord Yohn and his son and heir Andar Royce, Ser Wendel Manderly, a tired Ser Balon, Eddard Karstark and his brother Harrion. Jasper Arryn stood beside Ser Brynden. Dozens of others crowded in the pavilion. Each with a voice and an opinion.
"Lies! Lannister tricks! You can't trust a word of those scoundrels!"
"They broke parley!"
"Butchered babes in their cribs!"
Ser Balon spoke with the greatest heat. "They are foul tricksters, my lord. You cannot meet with them. It damned Lord Renly!"
"As if Lord Renly wasn't an ambitious man. He could have broken parley first." Jasper said. "You were not there Ser Balon."
Ser Balon stiffened
"My lord, let us taste Lannister blood!" Eddard Karstark declared. "They are cravens! I already have a lion pelt to boast!"
"I shall meet with them." Ned said. "But I shall not go alone." He twisted around. "Lord Yohn." The man dipped his head respectfully. "You shall remain over this ridge." He pointed at the map. "with two hundred riders. Should it come to blows, sweep them away." Unlike Lord Renly, they would not catch him in a weakened position.
"Gladly Lord Regent."
Ned turned to the gathering. "I shall not pretend this is without risk, but it is my duty Robert gave me and we shall see it done."
"Seems an unneeded risk." Ser Brynden cautioned. "A hostage should be delivered to ensure their cooperation."
Harrion Karstark snorted. "Ah, we don't need a hostage! They shall not dare to try us."
"Lord Renly must have said the same."
Ned shook his head. "I do not think a hostage would do much to stay a Lannister's treachery." A thought crossed his mind. "But a hostage should be returned to us. If they are serious, to submit to the justice of the Iron Throne." He spoke the name they all thought of. "Lord Renly needs to be returned to our custody." It's time Roberts brother was returned from captivity. The room calmed.
"You have our confidence, my lord." Jasper said. "Now and always."
He saw agreement from the Vale Lords who nodded with their lord. Ned had known many of them since boyhood. "See to it, Jory, that the Lannister man returns with our reply." After that, he gave every man his thanks and bade them a good day. He read the words the Lannisters had sent twice more, each time growing more puzzled. It was not in Tywin Lannister's character to abdicate to his nephew. The man was wedded to his lust for power. A viper doesn't change its nature. But what could be gained with such a deception? Did they think he would prance to their meeting without taking precautions? It left his head pounding, thinking of all the possibilities. Whatever clever scheme, Ned couldn't see the truth. A small part of him wondered. Could he have scurried to the Wall after all? It was a mockery of justice were it true. He had much to answer for.
Ned held sympathy for the boy. Ser Kevan did not deserve his end. His murder was , he could not make the boy Lord of the Rock. Lord Tyrion was the rightful heir by the laws of the realm. If Lord Tywin had truly left for the Wall, he would have to have Cat send Lord Tyrion from Winterfell to take up his rightful seat. Another letter to quill. Ned thought. Should he send one to Robert? After he had secured his brother, he would not before.
The Campaign in the Westerlands had gone off without a hitch. Supplies came regularly over the Gold Road and they had faced no resistance. Deep Den surrendered without a soul lost. Some of the younger lords had named this Starks Merry Ride. It was meant as a jape, but it was better than the alternative. Far better. A few rotten apples had engaged in raiding the countryside and he gave them the option of the block or the Wall. Most chose the Wall. The Watch could use more men. And it seems her ranks shall grow by the end of this. War was always good to replenish her ranks.
They were roughly five days from Lannisport. If diplomacy failed, they would have to fight. Ned had prepared extensively for it. A lot of it will prove useless if we meet on the field plans rarely survived contact with a foe. Robert would have lifted his warhammer and pointed toward his enemy. "There Ned! Our enemy is there. Let's go crack their skulls! Only plan I need!" An aggressive style that served him well against an unprepared foe.
Robert should be here leading this host, not halfway around the world, with some red priestess he named crazy eyes. "Ned, I can't explain it. By the Seven she's crazy! Nice ass huge tits the size of melons, but off the rails! Makes Cersei look like a tame house cat! Good in the bedchamber, though! Ha! Please understand, old friend, I do what I do for the love I bear you. I'm going to make things right as they always should have been! You'll understand one day, Ned, unless I take an arrow to the neck! Hope not shit way to go! Crazy eyes speaks of destiny, but there is only one destiny I want." The other letters and tales he heard made his head spin. What was Robert thinking? He didn't have the faintest understanding. If he could leave the host and speak with Robert, he would, but he was regent of the iron throne. Damn you Robert.
Supper was brought to him in his pavilion. A fine meal of steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. Ned took another bite when Jory peered his head through the flaps. "Lord Arryn requests entry."
"Let him in Jory."
The boy inspired some frustration in his chest. He had tried to help him, but he was as stubborn as an ox and fought him every step of the way, clinging to his false notion of the importance of legacy and appearances. It wasn't a stubbornness like Robert who stormed one moment and forgave the next, but like the wind of the Vale. At times, it was calm like the wind in the valleys or as unforgiving as the blistering wind of the mountaintop. Every time he thought he figured him out, he did or said something that left him puzzled.
Even after what happened to Robb, he still stubbornly thought her innocent of other crimes. He's afraid of the truth and if I didn't seek it, would sweep it into obscurity. Even the murder of his own father It made him question his motives.A woman whom by his own admittance tossed his brother out of the Moondoor, to attempting to kill his boy in the godswood. Any excuse or argument he could make, he did and with a great tenacity, like a commander fighting for every inch for an advantage in a battle he could not possibly hope to win. And it seemed to him he was in denial, blinded by the absurd notion Jon cared about legacy and reputation over justice. It was a twisted mockery of honor. He refused to believe the capital changed Jon so much. Something smells rotten. And he imagined Lysa Tully had the answers to the source.
Thankfully, the letters from Lord Baelish proved his nephew wasn't party to any of these conspiracies, otherwise he could believe him complicit in Jons death with his denials. "Treat him gingerly." Cat had told him the last they spoke.
He was trying.
"Lord Stark." He dipped his head politely. "May I?" He gestured to the seat.
Ned nodded.
"My apologies." Jasper said. "If I'm interrupting, but we have matters of the realm that must be discussed."
"And what matters are these?" Ned asked dryly.
His nephew didn't pause and launched himself into it. "Lord Renly needs to be stripped of Storms End and the Paramount of the Stormlands. It needs to be returned to Lord Stannis. It always should have been his. He is the elder of the two, and loyalty needs to be rewarded." He took a breath. "However, traditional structures need to be upheld. Dragonstone should be returned to the rightful heir, Crown Prince Tommen. A castellan would have to be named. You can pick the man until Prince Tommen comes of age."
Ned had thought little of punishment. Granting Storms End to Lord Stannis sounded reasonable. He had done his duty and was the elder of the two. But the rest was disquieting. "Lord Stannis has done nothing ill to warrant stripping him of a title."
"It is for the good of the Baratheon Dynasty." Jasper claimed. " Should you permit Lord Stannis Storms End and Dragonstone, his sons and grandsons would have two great seats of power flowing from the line of Stannis. Not Robert! And we cannot have Renly remain as Lord of Storm End, given his actions. Thus Storms End must be given to Lord Stannis. Dragonstone must go to the heir of the Iron Throne. The historical significance of the seat cannot be forgotten."
Ned sighed. "I understand granting Lord Stannis Storms End." Gods know Robert never should have removed it from him to start with. "But I see no reason to grant Dragonstone to Prince Tommen or a castellan of my choosing." His voice became hard. "Were you attempting to bribe myself with entrapping of power?"
He flinched. "I shall not reply to that, my lord, but I'm being practical in my assessment. Dragonstone and Storms End under another branch is an inherent threat to King Roberts children. It needs to be restored to the Iron Throne."
"I shall not punish a loyal man on the ghost of a chance for a threat that may never come to pass." His eyes narrowed. "You see enemies in the dark where none reside."
"Then why did Lord Stannis not receive Storms End along with Dragonstone at the start?"
Ned paused. He was not in the room when Robert and Jon had made that choice. Jon would never have made such a calculated choice. "It's one thing to determine who inherits a seat, then revoking a title from a loyal lord."
"The balance of power-"
"I shall not concern myself with it." Ned rose from his seat. "Nor should you. This is the last I want to hear of this." Justice, nor Honor were derived from such politics.
Jasper Arryn nodded his head stiffly. "Very well." He voiced flatly. "If that is your will." A sigh escaped him as his shoulder deflated. "I know things are strained between us. That is my fault. I deceived you and mother, she…" Jasper's face twisted with shame. "I don't wish to speak of it, but I'm here to my duty. My duty to the Vale. My duty to my prince. To my king. And see them protected." His voice sharpened. "I shall not have this personal quarrel between us impact the King's realm."
Ned scoffed. "You think I dismiss your dishonorable suggestion out of personal grievance?" It had his blood boiling. "You are lost if you believe that."
"How can I not?" His voice was noticeably more bitter. "It was practical and sensible, and any of my vassals from Runestone to the Three Sisters would have done the same for their wards."
"Practical and sensible?" Ned repeated, growing irate as his frustrations with their lack of progress boiled over. "Those are the words you choose? How you are Jon Arryn's son, I do not know. You have learned nothing these weeks."
Shock shifted to anger as the boy's jaw tightened. However, his voice was quiet. "Then you must take young Bran back into your custody."He sighed. "If I have lost your confidence. He's a good lad, and I know he shall make a fine knight one day. Any lord should be honored to have him. I was honored to have him." He dipped his head. "I'll tell him myself. It should come from my own lip." Jasper Arryn pledged and for the first time he heard some of Jon in his voice. "Is that acceptable?"
The suggestion took Ned aback. Brans education had not suffered in the Vale. His archery had certainly improved, and he had progressed with the sword. He seemed to have struck a good friendship with Prince Tommen. He regaled him with stories that brought a smile to his face. It reminded him of his youth with Robert training and getting into some mischief. And Catelyn would have his hide if he ripped their son from Jons boy. He should have been around his cousins from the start.
"It would impact your reputation." Ned noted.
"I know, I know. But I wish you to feel no dishonor. It would not be proper form."
Ned saw no deception in his eyes. Some of the High minded Arryn honor still existed in his heart and that was enough for him. It could be nurtured over time. "That won't be necessary, nephew."
"Lord Stark?"
"Bran shall stay with you. He is happy where he's at. I'm content with his education as of yet."
His nephew nodded stiffly.
"Is that all?" Ned asked after a slight pause.
Jasper said nothing, merely staring at him mutely for a moment before chuckling. "Oh, I have more I wish to speak on. More heated words, I fear." He brought his hands through his auburn curls. "Sorry if it raises your blood."
It took a moment to realize it was a jape, and Ned chuckled. "Very well." He said, humoring him. "Go on." As they discussed the future of House Lannister in Roberts Realm.
Jasper
A pool of blood formed on the floor, water falling over the edge of the Moondoor in a steady stream. A corpse with red hair and blue eyes gazed with judgement. It was like looking in the mirror. A mockingbird landed and feasted on the flesh. Mother sat on the Weirwood throne of House Arryn. Blood stained mother's dress and her callous smile made him stumble back. "Mother." His voice broke. "What have you done?" Robert sat on her lap, the bloodied dagger kissing his cheek. It froze him with fear.
"Fly! Fly! Fly!" Robert giggled.
"I wanted you. It always should have been you." Her voice cut him down worse than any steel.
"You killed him." His voice was small. "I don't understand." It was then he realized his body was not the only one. It was a field of them. Two with grey eyes. One a child, the other a grown man. Six with blue eyes. Two with green eyes. They tore him the most and shattered his heart.
"And you put me here." Her voice sang. "You put me here. Who do you have to blame but yourself?" Mother laughed. "You could have struck me down, but you showed mercy."
Jasper took one step forward. "Give me Robert, mother. Give him to me now! I shall not ask again!"
"So be it, my lord."
Mother shoved Robert out of the moon door, his screams echoing out forever Jasper missed his hand by a hair.
Jasper woke covered in a coat of sweat, his limbs curled upward as his hands shook. "Mother is sick, very sick. She lies. She lies. She lies." He whispered, trying to calm his shaking hands. He imagined mothers from the songs warm and kind. In the songs, everything was perfect. Jasper wished his mother were like that. He sighed. Cousin Robb almost died for it. My cousin almost died. Guilt gnawed at him. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Mother should be getting better in her ancestral home. No one should have been hurt. Uncle Edmure promised me they would watch after her. And he hoped she would get better. Despite her crimes against him, she was still his mother.
A few deep breaths.
"Robert is my brother. Harry isn't my heir." Jasper said as he put on his boots as he knew what would have to be done. I must sentence my mother to death. Maybe it's what he should have done from the start? Jasper tried to recall a single happy memory with his mother and could think of none. How could not a single memory inspire warmth in his heart? It made it very easy. Too easy. Bile crawled up his throat. What son could kill his own mother? It was dishonorable to even consider it and yet her every action made it harder for him to ignore it.
A thought that filled him with great sadness.
But he still needed to be Lord of the Eyrie despite his sorrow. Sorrow was a private thing, not to be gawked at by others.
Jasper spotted the Lannister banners in the distance, long before he made out the men. Ten men wearing the crimson red of House Lannister rode to them along with a boy and a lady he assumed to be Willem Lannister and Lady Genna. Little specks that grew closer to them. A party of crossbowmen and knights awaited them. A projection of strength on their behalf and behind the ridge, two hundred men on horseback under Yohn Royce were prepared to ride to their salvation. Jasper didn't think the Lannisters would try anything, but it was wise to be cautious. In front of him, Lord Stark stood at the center on a grey warhorse wearing the golden pin of his office. A long serious face that gave little away. To the right of him, Grand Uncle Brynden, who portrayed cool confidence and on his left on a little pony, Prince Tommen shuffled. He's nervous. Jasper knew. "Breathe." Jasper said. He offered him a light wink.
Prince Tommen blushed. "Sorry Lord Jasper." He bit his lip. "Have you ever done a parley?"
"Nope." Jasper replied cheerfully.
"You aren't nervous?"
Jasper almost rolled his eyes. "I promise nothing shall happen to you."
"Lord Arryn speaks true." Ser Arys said. "I swear by my life."
"A kingsguards promise is worth its weight in gold." Jasper said.
Prince Tommen steadied.
"You will be silent. You shall not speak unless spoken to. Am I understood?"
He bobbled his little head solemnly.
"Good. Let Lord Stark handle this. You are too young to concern yourself with the matters of the realm, but you shall learn from observation."
His other wards were back at camp. This was no place for them. Though they had argued fiercely to attend.
"Let us attend!" Bran declared.
"Yeah! Our prince will need us!" Adrian joined in the cry.
"It is no place for any of you." Jasper said sternly. "You shall await our return."
As the Lannisters approached them, Jasper joined Lord Stark at the front. Jasper didn't see Lord Renly among them and immediately tensed. He was hardly the only one. "I do not see Lord Reny among you." Lord Stark spoke about what everyone was thinking. "Where is he?"
The pudgy woman with golden hair answered. "He is close by."
"That was not our arrangement, Lannister."
"Arrangements change, my lord." Lady Genna said.
Lord Stark sighed. "Then I suppose I shall see you on the field. I shall not play games."
"Come now Lord Stark let us be-"
"No! Aunt Genna, that's enough." Lord Willem said. "I wish not to start this with lies. It was a longshot anyhow."
Lord Stark raised his brow as Lord Willem waved his hand. "Lord Renly is with us as you asked." They brought a chest forward. A chest of bones. It was beyond revolting. They murdered the brother of a king. Jasper merely gawked at the chest with the rest. A brother of a king should not have died like some butcher. "He died in our custody. A failed rescue attempt gone awry."
It caused a revolt among them. "You murdered my liege!" Ser Balon shouted.
"Butchers!"
"Murders!"
The boy, to his credit, held his cool as Lady Genna made eye contact with the man he assumed was the captain of their guard. Plotting a hasty withdrawal.
"Convenient then." Grand Uncle Brynden said. "And what should we suspect from Lannisters?"
"It is the truth, ser."
And Jasper couldn't help but to agree. Very convenient. But they had to make peace with them. The Starks had to be kept in; the Lannisters had to be kept down, and the Tyrells had to be kept out. It was the way for a peaceful realm with House Arryn at the center. Still gazing at his banners, it wouldn't be wise to speak such views.
Lord Stark looked like he had the weight of the realm on his shoulders as he replied. "I am sorry for the death of your father." He offered. "I shall not judge you for the actions of Lord Tywin. He is to blame for this. Not yourself." He said. "Here today, we stand at a crossroads. You can return to King Roberts peace as Lord of the Rock. Should you agree to my demands. None are negotiable. Do you understand?" It had taken a night of arguing to see Lord Stark give up his wish to name Lord Tyrion Lord of the Rock.
"He is the rightful heir of the Westerlands!" Lord Stark said as if it were obvious.
"A dwarf cannot hope to rally the Westerlands under his name. Can you recall a single lord who was a dwarf? The Westerlands would become a den of crime and lawlessness."
It made him stumped.
"He is the son of Ser Kevan and has the backing of the Lords of the West, and is the named heir of the previous Lord Paramount. This is a straightforward choice. Besides, we can take close family hostages to assure good behavior. Tyrion Lannister hardly has such."
"And what demands are these?" Lady Genna asked.
"Coin owed to House Lannister from the Iron Throne shall hear bye be void for disturbing the Kings Peace. Tywin Frey and Martyn Lannister shall join myself as wards in the capital. They shall be treated as befit their station." Another argument between them. Jasper had wished for one of the hostages to better incorporate the Lannisters, but Lord Stark insisted they join him in the capital.
"Why should we take Tywin Frey as hostage?" Lord Stark asked, puzzled.
"Lady Genna is regent," Jasper replied dryly. "As their letter states. We need to put her grandson as leverage. It'll help to keep her honest. I shall take Lord Willem's brother as ward and yourself, the Frey boy."
Lord Stark shook his head. "Nay. I shall take them both."
It was irksome, but he had no argument to avoid it. Even though he wanted the boy.
"If that is your wish." He demurred.
"You and your banners shall join my host as I bring the Reach and the Iron Islands under the Kings Peace." Lord Stark said. "In return for dutiful service, we shall levy no taxes against you."
Lord Willem Lannister gazed thoughtfully. "My brother-" However, his regent cut him off with a cool look.
"Such terms are acceptable, Lord Stark."
And that was it. A relatively lenient peace for their actions, Jasper thought. His mind wandered, thinking about how the Tyrells should be treated with the death of Lord Renly. Then kneel and be welcomed into Robert's peace. He could hear the following words before they were even spoken. Jasper almost didn't hear the actual words out of Lord Stark's mouth. "There is another matter. I may not be able to send your grandfather to the Wall myself, but there is another wrong I intend to right." What in the Seven Hells are you doing? Jasper wondered. "In the name of Robert of House Baratheon, I seek justice for the deaths of Princess Elia Martell and her children. You must deliver Ser Amory Lorch to me."
Jasper was awestruck. If he wasn't committed to his lordly façade, his jaw would have lowered. No other man would have sought justice for murdered babes. Not a soul from Sunspear to Winterfell. It was very honorable, and the nobility of the act made him beam with pride. As High as Honor! What was a more noble cause than that? His spirts faded as he realized with some shame he had not even thought of it. Some Arryn I am.
The same nobility did not move the Lannisters. "House Lannister is not responsible for the deaths of Princess Elia, nor her children. I resent the allegation." Lady Genna said sharply. "Innocents are killed during sacks. It's just the way of the world."
"Ser Amory Lorch shall be brought to me." Lord Stark said undaunted. "His involvement is not in doubt."
Lady Gennas' eyes narrowed as tight as arrow slits. "Very well. Have your brute to slay. We shall send him to you." And make sure he didn't talk beforehand of their involvement.
Lord Stark nodded with approval. "Very well. Lord Wilem Lannister arise Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West."
The young lion went to his knees and House Lannister was brought into the Kings Peace once more.
Ned
The man died shamefully as the life he had lived pissing himself when he was dragged before him. It was a pathetic sort of man, the type of men who killed little girls with a perverse pleasure, but cowered before men with authority. It made him cold gazing at such evil. First Ser Amory cursed him and his family. Then he begged and pleaded for a reprieve.
Ice fell with a single slice
Ser Amory claimed to have acted alone.
Ned didn't believe it, but the man who gave the order had departed for the Wall and was beyond his justice. Jory organized for the false knight to be escorted to Sunspear. It was the only justice he could give House Martell. Small comfort. Ned figured. But mayhaps they could rest a little easier knowing justice had been done. No matter how late. It left him in good spirits as he broke his fast with Bran and Jasper Arryn. Prince Tommen thanked him for bringing his kin in without bloodshed. "Aye Prince Tommen, a just peace should always be the goal." Ned smiled as Bran and his friends engaged in childish conversation. Dawn gnawed on a bone. His nephew was speaking quietly with Ser Brynden as Ned thought of Catelyn in Winterfell, Arya with the Mormonts, Sansa in the Eyrie, and Robb, who soon would join them. The pack is scattered, and they would not make it whole for sometime. Though he would be happy to see his eldest once more.
They cleared the plates away. His nephew approached him with a respectful nod of his head. "I think my father would have been proud of what you did. It was very honorable. I don't think any other man would have done so. Not even my father. You are beyond Jon Arryn, I think in character." He admitted. "I should have spoken for them, but it never crossed my mind." He said honestly. "I still have much to learn. I see that."
Ned smiled. "The lost can always find their way back." He shook hands with him. Ned was hopeful his nephew had finally learned his lesson and was turning the corner.
Later that day, he penned a letter for Robert.
Robert, I regret to inform you of Renly's death. Killed by Lord Tywin, who has fled to the Wall. I have seen that we have given your brother an honorable escort to be interned into the crypts of your forefathers in Storms End. Your brother Stannis shall inherit Renlys titles. I have brought the Lannisters back into the peace. I have also seen a wrong finally righted. Robert, it would be wise if you returned to take up your seat on the Iron Throne. We have need of you, Robert. You are our king, no matter the distance you have placed between yourself and the Iron Throne or the titles you place on my head. I await your reply, though I may be halfway to Pyke by then. Give Jon my regards.
Ned
Authors note: Sorry for the belated post haven't had as much time to write and I actually wrote backwards and finished the chapter after this one before I started on this one. So I should be posting a second chapter in a couple of days! Next up we shall see Stanniss the Mannis on the high Seas. Ned inspects some ships and Jasper engages in some northern diplomacy. As always thanks for the reviews! We are getting closer and closer to the end of the act though!
Atp: Proably its Cersei afterall
Guest: No worries, I often have to reread chapters and make sure I'm doing everything correctly! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Guest: Well here ya go! Hope you enjoy it!