Eddard III
"I depart at dawn, so excuse me if I don't want to waste more time than I need to think of that girl, Lord Stark," Stannis Baratheon said without even looking up to look at him.
"Robert plans to murder a girl. The girl isn't even fifteen, Robert will be dishonored forever!" cried Ned, trying to get Stannis to react.
"You say it as if my opinion is going to do any good, Lord Stark. If Robert didn't even listen to you this morning, I doubt I'd have better luck."
"This morning you didn't even protest the follies Robert said. You were quiet like the rest of the council when Varys proposed sending an assassin to kill her."
"And what did you expect me to do? When my brother ordered me to take Dragonstone almost fifteen years ago, I knew full well that his intention was not to take the surviving Targaryen as prisoners. You saw how Rhaenys and Aegon ended up."
"So, do you agree with what Robert intends to do? Do you defend infanticide?"
"No!" sighed Stannis when he finally looked up to look Ned eye to eye. "But I've been serving my brother all my life and I know when it's impossible to change his mind. Supporting you before the rest of the council would only have brought me trouble."
"I still can't believe Robert's going to commit this madness" Ned said resignedly. "You know him better than anyone. Has so much changed since he ascended the throne?"
"I don't think so. In any case, it has only amplified his worst flaws. Besides, if you're so bothered by my brother's decision, then perhaps you should leave the position of Hand of the King."
"I've been about to do it, believe me. But how could I do it after what you told me about the Queen and the Kingslayer?"
"Do you believe me then?"
"I've been seeing the bastards you told me about. The blacksmith's assistant, Gendry, I think he was called, and also many of those he has fathered in the city's brothels. It is undeniable that they are the children of your brother. Gendry is exactly like Robert when he was young. And they all had your brother's black hair..."
"Do you understand now? Neither Joffrey nor Tommen nor Myrcella are my brother's children. You must tell Robert as soon as possible."
It's Princess Arianne who speaks through him. Pycelle, Littlefinger, Varys and even his brother Renly had warned him the same thing. Ned couldn't get those words out of his head, but it still didn't look like Stannis was lying about this. His suspicions about Robert's children seemed to have a solid foundation and his concern seemed sincere, but he continued to struggle to fully trust him or his wife. Despite everything, he trusted them much more than the Lannisters.
It wasn't the only issue he was worried about. Yoren, the man of the Night's Watch, had informed him the night before of the matter of Catelyn and the Imp. No doubt the news would soon reach the ears of Robert and the Queen, and only the gods knew what they could do. Robert is angry and will feel hurt in pride, even if he cares the least about Tyrion Lannister. And Cersei and the Kingslayer will want revenge for that affront against their family. Without Stannis in the capital, all the responsibility to prevent this incident from escalating into a civil war rested in him. He couldn't trust Renly, Varys or Littlefinger to be able to stop Robert if he decided to commit another madness.
"Not for now, I need more proof. Despite all I know at the moment, they may still be Robert's children and we'll making a big mistake. Maybe the Lannister blood weighs as much as the Baratheon in one person. I have to know what Jon Arryn found in that book. Besides, with how much Robert got mad at me today, we should wait for his anger to pass before telling him anything."
"As you wish." Stannis shrugged. "I won't be back for several weeks. I think you should tell him before my return, but I leave it up to you. I intend to take much of the fleet with me, so if you need any particular ship to stay in port, I beg you to tell me now."
"No, I don't think I'm going to need any ships in the next few days. How many ships do you plan to take with you?" asked Ned curiously.
"Half of those who are docked in the city and in the shipyards of Dragonstone. Along with the part of the fleet already in Dorne should be more than enough to deal with that trash."
"So many? That's more than half the royal fleet!" said Ned in amazement.
"I'm not going to take any kind of risk. My father-in-law has informed me that these pirates and outlaws have settled in the Stepstones and their number grows every day that passes. The more ships I have, the faster I'll deal with them and the less loss I'll have. If I'm lucky, they might even run away without even presenting battle. In addition, my intention is to leave garrisons in the Steptones and incorporate them into the kingdom so that this does not happen again. It's something that should have been done decades ago, in the war of the Ninepenny Kings."
"Still..."
"The crews are ready and it's too late to change plans. If you think it's too much, you should have told me a few days ago. Anyway, there's still a good part of the fleet left in the capital, so you don't need to worry, although I doubt that any fleet is going to attack it in my absence."
Eddard intended to continue the conversation, as he found the number of ships Stannis intended to use to deal with simple pirates truly excessive, however numerous these were. In addition, his intention to incorporate the Stepstones into the kingdom could cause a conflict with the free cities of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh. However, their argument was interrupted when Princess Arianne stormed surprisingly into the room. She was soaked, causing the silk dress she was wearing to become transparent, practically leaving her naked, causing Ned to blush slightly.
"Stannis you have to go down to the yard, right now!" said the visibly worried princess, not concerned about her semi-nudity.
"Don't you see that I am in a meeting with the Hand of the King right now, Arianne? I'm sure that can wait a few minutes, right?" said Stannis annoyed.
"If thirty armed Lannister soldiers can wait a few minutes, then yes. But I doubt patience is one of the virtues of our unexpected guests."
"What?!" said Stannis startled as he got up and headed to the door at full speed. "What does all this mean?"
"I don't know, but they don't seem to be looking for any of us. I think they are here for something the Hand of the King has done" she said looking at Ned. "I don't think you should leave this room until things calm down, Lord Stark."
"No, it's because of me that you're here, I'm not going to hide. I'll try to do my best to calm the spirits, although if it's for what I imagine, there may be blood flowing in the Red Keep today. Let's hope we don't get to that."
"What do you mean, Lord Stark? What are you supposed to have done?" asked Stannis frowning.
"My wife took Tyrion Lannister prisoner in the Riverlands a few days ago. Although I didn't expect the news to reach the Lannisters' ears for at least a couple of days."
"The Seven know that I have no appreciation for the Lannisters, let alone the Imp, but what your wife has done is madness, Lord Stark. You can count on our swords to protect you today Lord Hand, but you must be very careful in the coming days" said Arianne Martell. Ned and Stannis left her in the room and went down the stairs to the yard.
When they went out into the yard, it had already darkened and the warm summer rain fell on their heads, into his eyes and drummed against the ground. Before them, it seemed about to begin a skirmish of terrible consequences. Ned spotted chainmails, gauntlets and steel helmets with golden lions on the crest. He did not have time to count them, but they would be around thirty, as Princess Arianne had told them. They were on foot and were armed with swords and spears. In front of them, a similar number of Dornish guards blocked the entry to the princess and Lord Stannis' quarters. He also spotted Wyl and Jory, who had accompanied him and were now among the orange-coated guards trying to prevent the Lannister soldiers from passing through.
"Back, all of you!" he heard Jory scream. "Scatter immediately!"
However, the Lannister soldiers ignored his warnings, and some dared to draw their swords from the sheath. This in turn provoked a reaction in the Dornish guards, who did the same with their own.
"The wolves howl" commented the leader of the Lannister guards. The rain was running down his face, but Ned immediately identified Jaime Lannister dressed in his golden armor. "But they are very few and have to take refuge among the spears of the desert."
"What does this mean?" said Stannis as he advanced towards him step by step, full of anger. "I am the king's brother and Master of Ships; what do you think you are doing?"
"Yes, I suppose those titles haven't been taken from you yet. Don't worry, I'm not here for you, but for the Hand of the King, back there" he said, pointing to Ned with a smile.
"You really are more stupid than I imagined if you think you could threaten the Hand of the King inside the walls of the Red Keep. Get out of here before my brother finds out about all this."
"I'm looking for my brother" Jaime Lannister said ignoring Stannis' warnings. "You remember him, don't you, Lord Stark? He was with us in Winterfell. Blonde hair, sharp tongue, a little short..."
"I remember him perfectly" retorted Ned.
"Apparently he's had trouble along the way. My lord father feels insulted, just like me. You don't know what could have happened to my brother, do you?"
"Tyrion Lannister has been arrested on my orders. He has crimes to answer for" Eddard Stark said. Stannis looked at him with a frown, as if trying to keep him quiet.
The Kingslayer drew his sword. Stannis recoiled and a wall of Dornish spears prevented Jaime Lannister from moving further towards them.
"Get out of your refuge, Lord Stark, and fight steel against steel with me. I wouldn't want to pour any more blood than I need to get to you." He cast Stannis a cold look of disdain. "Withdraw your guards if you do not want this to become a massacre, Lord Stannis. Don't think a few spears can stop me."
Many eyes had stopped to see what was happening, and a considerable crowd was beginning to form around the yard, but no one was willing to intervene. The Martell guards were as numerous as the Lannisters, so Ned didn't know which way the battle would go, if it finally happened. However, Ned was still confident that this matter could be resolved without reaching such extremes.
"If you ever kill me, Catelyn won't hesitate to kill Tyrion in retaliation. And I doubt that Prince Doran will find it very funny that Dornish blood is poured under the protection of the king."
Suddenly, the crowd watching the events dispersed and several guards dressed in gray appeared. Ned saw that it was the rest of his personal guard, the one he had left stationed in the Hand's Tower before coming to talk to Stannis. Ned wondered how they had learned so quickly about what was going on, but their doubts were resolved when he saw that Tyene and Obara Sand were among them. He also recognized his daughter Arya, next to the imposing woman.
"I made sure Tyene went to warn your guard as soon as I saw what was going on. I'm glad she hurried up" a voice said behind him. Arianne Martell had ended up coming down to the yard as well, though she had put on a cloak to cover herself for the rain.
"Prince Doran did not take revenge for what happened to Princess Elia, so I doubt he will do it for a dozen unnamed soldiers. And I don't think the honorable Catelyn Tully is going to murder a helpless hostage either." Jaime Lannister looked around and let out a sigh. "But I will not risk my brother's life by trusting in the honor of your wife. And I'm not going to risk my men's lives like this either." Jaime shed his sword and turned around. When he was behind the men's line, he looked back at Ned. "Go tell Robert the little scare I've given you, though I don't think he will care much. I'd be very careful around the Red Keep for the next days, Lord Stark. Those Dornish spears won't always be here to protect you or your family. An unfortunate accident could unexpectedly happen any day."
The soldiers dispersed and Ned sighed relieved, though not without some concern for the last words the Kingslayer had said.
"I'm going to go inform Robert of what happened right now. These threats can't go unpunished. I'll leave some of my men with you if you need it before I leave tomorrow" Stannis said worried.
"I thank you for that, Lord Stannis. Although I'd like you and your wife to do me a little favor, if it's not too much trouble."