Hi.
Chapter 3: Words are Wind
The echos of a pair of boys running around the halls were heard, both boys wore clothes of silver and red with black linings.
The eldest was ahead, turning and running a hand through his dark brown hair, the same color as the feature the younger one bore, and grinned, "You need to keep up, little brother." Roger Reyne said and laughed as they raced on.
Alastor huffed, "Don't get cocky, Roger!"
The pair made it to Hunter's Hall where the rest of the family was eating breakfast, Roger ran his hand in Alastor's hair and messed it up making the younger brother groan in frustration. Caspian smiled at his son's antics, a strong bond between siblings is a boon to the House of Reyne.
"Racing again? You have to be quicker next time, my sons." He jested with his boys who sat down on the opposite of the table.
Elianna sat patiently as Septa Magret braided her hair in the style of the ladies in King's Landing, the newest trend making her wish for something more fantastic than the usual style she wears her hair. Alys raised her concern, "Not too tight, Magret, we don't wish to pull her greatest feature from her scalp."
Shella disagreed, "Oh, Alys, short or long. Braided up or down, my granddaughter is the gem of the Riverlands." Elianna blushed, Caspian thought it true as his daughter's beauty grows with each passing year.
The forty-year-old Lord of Harrenhal is already getting ravens from various Lords within the domain, betrothal offers and a great many of them are interesting and serve in the way of a good alliance for their House.
One however is one he threw into a hearth the moment he got it, it was an offer from Walder Frey who is a widow once more and even offered a hefty dowry of gold for the wedding.
Walder Frey, Lord of the Crossing is one hundred years old and born in 208 AC. It was a direct insult to even put himself forward as a contender for his daughter's hand, in fact, he wouldn't dare besmirch his bloodline with that of weasels and cravens, especially the Late Lord Frey.
He is friendly with Lord Tytos Blackwood, the Lord of Raventree and apart from his House, the Brackens, and Houses Mallister and Frey are the largest and most influential within the Realm.
Caspian turned to his wife and kissed her hand which was held in his hand, she smiled. "Soon, we should try and enlarge our family by two, maybe even twins." His children let out uncomfortable groans and he bellowed a laugh into the hall.
"It has been a few years, hasn't it?" Alys then turned to her boys and girl, "And children, one day you will ache to forge a family like your father and I have over these many years."
And it wasn't just them, Lorenzio married Willis Wode's niece Matilda nine years ago and bore a son, Coren Greycloak. Lymond found love during a tourney in Maidenpool, marrying Jeyne Darry who is Raymun Darry's youngest sister in that year, and gave birth to a son named Lyonel Vikary who is of age with his own son, Alastor.
Lady Jeyne is pregnant again, he heard just past yesterday.
"Father?" Roger called to him, "Can we go hunting tomorrow?" He smiled and nodded yes which made his heir excited.
"Can I go too?" Alastor asked and before he could say anything, Maester Tothmure spoke for him.
"I think not, young Lord, you have plenty of lessons in the morning with Lyonel and Coren." Caspian offered Alastor a sympathetic stare then cleared his throat.
"I am sure the lessons can wait till we return, Tothmure?" It was less a question but a command, the greying Maester nodded and he took a bite of bacon, "Rest up, my lions, tomorrow we catch ourselves a feast."
Hours later, he was making love with his wife. She moaned, he lifted her in his arms and she wrapped herself tightly around his back as his seed entered her womb. The both of them fell back on the bed, in each other's arms and he faced her.
"This old lion can still give a good fuck, huh?" She rolled her eyes at his joke, then kissed him on the lips tenderly. "I love you."
"As I love you, my dear husband." She said and kept her eyes on him, "Gods, fifteen years we've been married. You've changed Harrenhal for the better, I hope you know this."
He does, Harrenhal looks no more like the dreary and desolate castle but a living and thriving fortress.
It's a place of strength and endurance, his people are some of the most disciplined throughout the Riverlands that even Hoster calls upon to settle disputes between insolent Houses and their petty squabbles.
"Our boys are good and honest too, Harrenhal will be in good hands when I am gone." He said with a saddened tone, Alys looked at him like he had gone mad.
"Please don't bring this up again, I won't have it, Caspian." She said with a stern tone in her voice, he wished he could but he cannot.
Keeping her gaze, he sighed and cupped her cheek. "Tywin murdered my entire family, someday I will return the favor... Or at least just him, for my mother and father, for my uncle and cousins and aunt Ellyn." She looked to argue it again until they heard a knock at the chamber door, "What is it?" He called, getting out of bed and throwing on his trousers.
"It's Tothmure, my Lord. May I come in?" He shared an expression with his wife before Alys said to come inside.
His wife pulled the covers to hider her bodice, Tothmure cleared his throat stepping inside. "What brings you here in the middle of the night, Maester?" He asked the older man who delivered surprising news.
"Word from one of your informants in King's Landing nearly killed his horse to get here, the Hand of the King is dead."
A week later, Roger and Alastor rode out to the Kingsroad, their lands bordering the Crownlands so the King would be heading this way. Lorenzio and Coren stood with them, Lorenzio's squire held up the Reyne banner.
His father said that Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King had died recently and thought that the King would be heading Northwards after grieving for a time.
Alastor rubbed his eyes, "I'm tired too, Alastor." He said to his younger brother, Roger's eyes scanned down the road and they widened when the King's banner was sighted so he turned to the small party gathered on the road.
The heir to Harrenhal stood firm as a fourteen-year-old boy could in the face of the white armored men of the Kingsguard who trotted up to them.
Looking past them was the King, Roger and Alastor were puzzled as the man their father described looked nothing like what was said but they forgot themselves in their thoughts and addressed the King by kneeling in respect to their liege and King.
"Red lion cubs, heh. What brings you out here in my way, for?" Robert asked them with a suspicious tone, wary of the way they waited on this road for more than three hours.
"Your grace, we were sent to offer condolences for the loss of Lord Jon Arryn." He was looked at curiously by his grace, "Words are wind, as my Lord father says, and has thought you would be coming this way and would offer Harrenhal as a place of rest before your continued journey North." Lorenzio put a hand on his shoulder, a way to tell him he did a good job.
Robert looked at Roger and then Alastor and back to the column of almost three hundred people before grunting, "We've been traveling nonstop since yesterday... Very well, lead on, young cubs of Reyne! I haven't seen Harrenhal in many a year."
The great castle of Harrenhal and the citizens of Harrentown welcomed the King and the royal family and their entourage with cheers and praise.
Lord Caspian Reyne, his wife Alys Reyne, and daughter Elianna Reyne welcomed their King at the entrance outside of the Hall of a Hundred Hearths. Behind them was the Lady Shella Whent, Lord Lymond and his wife and son, then Ser Willis Wolde and the other members of the Household, Tothmure, Pia, Septa Magret, and Lorenzio's wife.
Robert was impressed by the sight of the once dreary castle, and the growing weirwood tree that stood in the center of the yard where they entered through the main gate.
Alys held her daughter's hand, "Make a good acquaintance to his graces daughter, she is your age." Elianna nodded, promising to do so.
The Reyne family knelt along with the household and on-duty guardsmen, King Robert bid them to raise and Caspian greeted the man.
"Your hold is quite the sight, Lord Reyne. You've done well for yourself as Lord of Harrenhal." He nodded his head, accepting the praise.
"Thank you, my King. It means a lot to hear you say this, you've met my sons, Roger and Alastor so allow me to introduce my wife, Alys, and our daughter, Elianna." The King kissed his wife's hand, then his daughters.
"I should do the same then," Robert stood aside, Caspian laid eyes on Queen Cersei Baratheon.
"My Queen," Caspian kissed her ring, smiling as charmingly as he can.
Robert then introduces his own family, "This is my eldest, Joffrey. He just turned fourteen just a moon before." The Crown Prince was in awe of his holdings, "Then my only daughter, Myrcella." She was a pretty one, "And our other son, Tommen." He greeted the little six-year-old with a kind smile.
"I have prepared the Hunter's Hall for a feast, my King. You and your people may lodge within the Wailing Tower, the last to be renovated with guest rooms for those of nobility." He paused before continuing, "If your grace would like, we may speak within my solar within Kingspyre?" He suggested and Robert nodded, together with Ser Mandon and Ser Meryn made for the solar.
Alys followed the Queen and her family, getting them settled in and Roger and Joffrey remained.
"I must admit, I thought to see a run-down ruin." Joffrey said and Roger was slightly insulted by it, "But I am surprised, it's like a palace for royalty."
"Then it makes sense that the Royal family would stay here for the night, only lions can make something of worth, no?" Both boys, one bearing the red lion and the other the golden one, sided by a stag laughed together and walked about the keep.
Alastor introduced himself to the Young Lion, Jaime looked at him with curiosity, "What do you want?" Jaime asked him.
"I... I wondered if you could tell me about the Kingswood Brotherhood, I'm an admirer of yours, Ser Jaime and- " Jaime brushed past him and the youngest son of Caspian forced down the upset feelings that began bearing down on him until he heard a voice call out.
"I do apologize for my brother, he isn't the sort to entertain children." It was a small man, not taller than Alastor albeit two feet shorter.
The lion cub huffed, "I'm not a child, I am twelve, almost a man grown." He protested and the small man laughed loudly.
"Oh, I don't doubt it, no... I very much do doubt it." He was getting angry at the dwarf, "Your name is Alastor Reyne? Mine is Tyrion Lannister. Oh, a wonder it is to have Lannisters and Reynes under the same roof again, quite historic considering our bloody pasts, no?" Alastor cracked a smile, agreeing with Lord Tyrion.
Back with the King and Caspian, they seated themselves down and Caspian poured him and Robert some wine.
"Word travels fast, I wonder how you knew I'd go North?" Caspian chuckled and set down his cup.
"I'm a man who likes to make bets, my King. I figured in the event of you losing your Hand, there would be only one man to call upon... And I simply took the initiative thinking that you'd travel by land than boat." He explained, it was a lie but he has his sources and would keep them secret for as long as he can.
"Quite the gamble, almost divine that assumption was." He shrugged, the King bristled in his seat, "The last time I was in Harrenhal was during the Mad King's days... It wasn't full of fond memories."
"The tourney of Harrenhal, I know it." He gulped down some more wine, "I was saving the Triarch of Tyrosh for the second time during that, my old sellsword days gave me much-needed skills."
"Hahaha, I always wanted to sell my sword in the East as a youth, make good honest coin, and lie with Pentoshi whores." Robert's smile died and the King sighed, "You lost only twenty men on Old Wyk, back when the Greyjoys revolted. You had your men trained well, I wish I could say the same for my city watch... "
"Oh? What do you mean, my King? Are they not an effective force?"
The Goldcloaks, Daemon Targaryen had founded them before the Dance of the Dragons, word is on the day they were done being trained the Prince of the City sent all two thousand men into King's Landing and rounded up every known rapist, murderer, and thief while taking limbs and heads and sending survivors to the Wall to serve the Night's Watch.
The King scoffed, "Effective? Gods no, not as they used to be. Now they are all worthless and corrupt, even the officers- I barely trust the Lord Commander." Caspian raised a knuckle to his growing goatee, a twinkle in his eye.
"Sounds to me like you need your own Daemon Targaryen, whip the city watch back into shape, or pluck the weeds as I say." He offered and made it plain, "My King, how might I serve?"
King Robert grinned, "Alright, you're a lion but you can't be as worse as the golden-haired shits I got bothering me most days... Lord Caspian Reyne, I King Robert hereby name you the new Lord Commander of the City Watch." Both men rose to their feet and Robert patted him on the shoulder, "Come, let us feast and speak more when I wake tomorrow, come along Lord Commander."
Caspian smirked and nodded, "Yes, of course, my King." The two left and rejoined their families down at Hunter's Hall.
For the remainder of the night, the Houses of Reyne and Baratheon feasted together under the new roof of Hunter's Hall. Caspian was watching the celebrations and interactions between his children and the royals, especially the budding friendship between his daughter and the Princess who thanks to Alys was able to secure Elianna as one of Myrcella's ladies in waiting and will travel with them come tomorrow.
He spotted the Queen, he must say she is quite lovely to look at and if he were lustful as he used to be then he might have tried to have her seeing as the King was quite preoccupied with Pia, a servant girl under Lady Shella.
"What did the King and you speak about?" Alys asked him, coming from the high table where he seated the royal family.
Caspian sighed, kissing his wife tenderly and sighing. "We spoke on some matters, he has offered me a position at Court as the new Lord Commander of the City Watch." She seemed to dislike the idea of him leaving and he cupped her cheek, "It is good for the family, Alys, trust me."
"Who will you be taking with you? I don't like it, Caspian. Elianna going North with the King, you leaving Harrenhal doesn't bode well in my heart." She said in a whisper, grasping his hand and holding it firmly.
"It will be fine, my love... And I chose to take Alastor, Roger's place is here where he will be made acting Lord of Harrenhal and you, his regent as he is still a young boy." It was hard to split his family up, but the sphere of influence is on their side, he cannot let the momentum stop.
Alys frowned and got up from her seat and left the hall, he wanted to call out to her but he didn't wish to cause a scene.
Later on, he was returning to his chambers and found Jaime leaning against a pillar, starting at him like a lion looking to it's prey. Caspian scoffed and turned his direction to the man ten years his younger, unafraid of what might happen.
Jaime spit at his feet, "Know this, Butcher of Old Wyk, I don't know what you plan but rest assured I'll stop it." Caspian held his head high, leaving himself open for the Kingslayer to kill him.
"Then do it if your allegations are so damning, Ser Kingslayer. I trust you this, anything so much as mars my darling girl in the North and I hear you or your kin are behind it... The consequences will be dire as that wolf of Winterfell."
Morning would come and he and his sons and wife kissed and said goodbye to Elianna, he put hands on his darling girl who was nervous but her face was so calm, her blue eyes being the only things betraying her feelings.
"I can send a guard with you if you wish, Ellie." He offered using his daughters nickname, she shook her head and hugged him tightly before running and joining Princess Myrcella and the Queen and Prince Tommen inside the wheelhouse.
Robert handed him a scroll with his graces sigil on the wax, "Hand this to the Small Council and it will inform everyone on the change of office, I can't wait to see what progress you make on my return, Lord Reyne." Caspian nodded respectfully to his grace.
"Thank you, my King, I promise you I will not fail."
AN: Thanks for reading y'all!