Arya

"I never trusted people who thought they had to make a cage for their gods," Arya muttered.

"What do you mean?" Gendry asked as the two of them stared at the temple of the follows of R'hllor. It was a grand structure, made of black stone with veins of red, yellow, and orange. And not just any stone but polished stone so that when the sun struck it the entire surface flickered and shone like the rocks were trying to hold back flames trapped within them. The building had been cut not in the blocky style of so many structures she'd seen in Westeros but rather round and curved, so that the towers were more like two pieces of an inverted arch; once more to evoke the flames that the Red Priests so loved and worshiped.

"If a god or the gods are so powerful why do you need a sept or a temple to worship them?" Arya asked, remembering an old argument she'd had with her mother and sister years ago. "The Follows of the Seven… they need statues and candles and septs in order to speak with them and ask for their blessings. Why? If the Mother or the Warrior are so powerful they should be able to hear a prayer no matter where they are. And if it's just because they are vain and like the attention… the Seven are just all the painted up fools in King's Landing who have wealth and fame and power but want everyone to always be looking at them. The Old Gods aren't like that. They are in every rock and tree and animal."

"Some would say that such structures allows you to be closer to them," T'Challa said from behind her and Arya turned, blinking in surprise. While his bodyguard, Okoye, looked as she had when Arya had first met her, the dark skinned man had darted away to 'prepare' and now looked completely different. Gone were his decorative coat and other garments and in their place he wore something… else.

It was completely black and unlike the stones of R'Hllor's temple this ebony color sucked up all light and refused to let it shimmer or shine in the slightest. It hugged his body and Arya became very aware that the man had been hiding just how physically fit he was. His arms were thick with muscle, his core powerful, his legs deadly. Gone was the friendly, smiling, charming, somewhat dismissible figure she had met only a few days ago. Now she saw he was a warrior; a mighty one.

"The rains can wash away the dirt and filth… but would you not choose a river over it? Or the lake? Or the sea itself?" He raised a hand, rotating his wrist as he spoke, and Arya saw that the tips of his gloves were metallic points, but in a metal she had never seen before. They were far brighter than any other metal, almost glowing even in the shadowy grove of trees she and the others were standing in as they spied on the temple and its inhabitants. "Such places, they allow people to feel closer to their gods. It is not for the benefit of the gods but rather the worshipers. There are some that need… reminders… that the gods are out there." He raised an eyebrow. "That they are more active than we might ever suspect."

"…are we here to talk about religion or get the prisoner freed?" Gendry complained.

"I was wondering the same thing," Okoye muttered. She took a step forward, narrowing her eyes as she swept her gaze over the temple. "The ground is heavily guarded. The Red Priests aren't fools… they know that their faith will not protect them."

"Right," Toad said, stepping up to join them, having hide their purchases away. "Not a problem for Shadowcat here."

"For her… but can she take another with her?" T'Challa asked.

Arya frowned at that. "No," she admitted. "I'm working on it." She could keep her clothing on, though that had taken a lot trial, error, and embarrassing nude moments. She had finally figured out how to bring weapons along with her when she became like a ghost as well. But other people? Sabertooth had been the one Magneto had deemed to be her testing partner with that and the number of times he'd cursed at her for smacking his nose into the thin wooden board she was trying to get him to phase through was reaching triple digits.

"We don't want her to try," Gendry spoke up. "This Rhodey won't be of any use to any of us if she gets him half stuck in a wall."

Arya grimaced as she remembered a tomato she had tried to pass through a wall with her. Part of it had managed to get through… the other half had mixed with the wall, so that a part of the structure had become half stone and half red pulp, mingled together like it had been mixed by a deranged baker.

Toad slapped Gendry on the back. "Then we just have her get in, give a signal, and Gendry here makes a hole."

"Let me see," T'Challa said and Gendry, after sharing a look with the other members of the Brotherhood, nodded before taking a breath, kicking off his boots. His skin rippled as it turned to steel, his eyes going metallic silver and his ebony hair becoming a single solid piece. He rose up half a foot as his body swelled larger, his baggy shirt becoming so tight the seams threatened to burst. T'Challa began to walk around him, occasionally tapping a knuckle against Gendry's metallic flesh, before giving a nod. "Impressive… and utterly unsuited for this mission."

"Uh, have you seen the guy?" Toad asked. "He can knock down that wall with ease!"

"Yes, and everyone will know who did it," T'Challa said. "Were we fighting champion against champion, seeking to scare the fire worshipers into surrender, he would be my first choice. But we wish to slip in, take Rhodey without any seeing us, and then disappear. I have a plan that will keep them from bothering your Brotherhood… but to do so they must believe that no mortal had a hand in saving the man from the flames. I am sorry-" He placed a hand on Gendry's shoulder, "-but unless we face certain death you will need to remain behind."

"Right," Gendry sad as he reverted back to normal, sitting down to yank on his boats. "Honestly? No problem with that."

"Hey!" Arya complained. "We need you-"

"Not for this," he assured her. "I'm not offended, Arya… you don't need to get upset for me."

She grumbled at that but finally nodded in acceptance. "Alright then… what is the plan?"

T'Challa pointed to the top of the temple. "They guard the ground because nearly all they would face would attack from there. A few foes might attempt to breach on the outer walls and attack from there with arrows but otherwise it would be an assault on the gates and the doorways. Thus they leave the top of the temple unguarded and unprotected. That is how we will get in. Okoye, you will need to draw their eyes downward further still."

"Questions about the temple, like so many other pilgrams?" the warrior woman asked. T'Challa nodded and she gave him a stern look. "It will do me no good to tell you that it is my duty to protect you, will it not?"

"You know me so well," T'Challa said with a teasing smile before turning to Toad. "You are able to climb, correct?"

"Stick to pretty much anything."

"You will be with me," he said. "We will assault the top. Arya. I leave the most dangerous task to you, young one."

"Which is?"

"You will sneak along the grounds and get inside and determine where Rhodey is being held. When you find him you will free him and begin moving towards the top of the temple. Toad and I will clear the way for you." He wagged a finger at her. "We do not want any fights. If we hope for all of us to be never bothered again by these Red Priests you must ensure that. They can not be knocked out, can not be harmed. Can not be killed. You can not be spotted. If you are they will know there was an intruder and they will do all they can to hunt down those that entered their temple."

"Right," Arya said, feeling a flutter of nerves before nodding. "I can do that."

"Good." T'Challa went over to the bundle of clothing he'd been wearing before and pulled out a small bag. "I have prepared this. When you free Rhodey you must open the bag and pour the contents out in a pile where he was. Do not do so until you have him."

"Right… what is it?"

T'Challa shook his head. "You will find out soon enough. Now… we go?"

Arya steeled herself. "We go."

The dark skinned man though reached down and clasped her shoulder. "You will do well. I know it. Bast smiles upon you, little cat. Make her proud." With that he let go before reaching behind him and pulling up a hood-like piece of fabric that stretched and covered his entire face. There were no eyes or mouth visible, save for two spots of silver above his nose where his eyes were, and the entire thing suddenly made him look like some twisted cat demon come from the darkest shadows of the longest nights. "Toad, come." T'Challa said.

Toad nodded the two hurried down the small hill towards the temple. Toad leapt at the wall that surrounded the structure, climbing up it easily. Surprisingly T'Challa was able to match him, easily scaling the wall and leaping over it. Arya watched as they began to quickly move along the grounds, darting this way and that to avoid the guards before making for the temple itself, the two seemingly racing to get to the top first.

"Wait for my signal," Okoye told her. "Then make your move."

"What's the signal?" Arya asked as they left Gendry behind to guard their possessions.

"You'll know it," the bald woman said and then she was gone, joining with the crowd.

Arya made a face at that. "I'll know it," she said, a bit snidely. "That is very helpful." She rolled her eyes and finished making her way down the hill, carefully following the wall the surrounded the temple and its grounds until she was near the main gate but not so close she would be spotted. She couldn't see anything, not even the temple. Crouching down Arya phases through some bushes, making sure that nothing of her body could be seen. If she were to become solid again her skin would have been torn up by the rough branches and sharp thorns that made up the greenery, making the bush, at least in that moment, the perfect place to hide.

As she waited she tried to remember what she had seen of the temple and the gate. The front of the temple was very inviting; wide and tall with priests that stood there and called out the glories of R'hllor to all that passed by. They were the most beautiful of the Priests and Priestess of the God of Flame; they understood that people equated goodness with beauty. Most people simply passed by but occasionally someone would stop to listen to them and their words. Perhaps even have an escort take them into the public part of the temple. But the main body of the temple, the part Arya wanted to get into, was off limits and-

"I do not know though if you will be able to help," Okoye said, drawing Arya out of her thoughts. The woman's voice was different… more fragile sounding. Like someone who had suffered great traumas and now didn't know if the world was truly out to get her and if she could trust those that stood about her.

"The Light of R'hllor can help all. You have merely to ask," a priest told her.

"I have sought help from so many. My daughter… she is an empty headed girl. It is as if her mind has been replaced by air. She is like a cat drunk on wine… I have tried to discover what has caused her to become this way-"

Arya scowled at the veiled insult before pushing through the wall, not even bothering to figure out what else Okoye was going to say.

Around the grounds of the temple within the wall were tall grasses that Arya reasoned the Red Priests used for their sacred fires; after all, the Lord of Light needed something to burn and why pay for kindling when you could merely grow it? It served her purpose as Arya was able to quickly move through it. Sometimes phasing and sometimes going solid, careful to move in the direction of the wind so that no one realized that the grass was moving a bit too much. Her first obstacle was a set of priests doing a patrol; they wore the red robes of the Flame Worshipers but they also had swords at their sides to make it clear that they were more than mere preachers of the word. It took nearly five long, painful minutes for them to finally move on and when they did Arya finally rushed forward, darting through a wall and into the temple itself.

The inside was roughly what she had expected. The walls were the same black stone as the outside but studded with countless torches. What she hadn't expected was the smoke that clung to everything and she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the simple fabric mask she had brought with her so she might remove the more ornate mask, if needed, while she shopped in the market. This she folded before tying it around her mouth and nose, getting a bit of relief though her eyes did sting. Phasing helped but she had to be careful, lest she begin slipping through the floor.

'Or do I want to do that?' she thought to herself, moving to a corner and plunging her head through the floor like she was back in the Godswood of Winterfell and dipping into the calm pond before the heartstree. But rather than another chamber all she saw was stone and earth and darkness and after a moment she pulled back up again. 'Up. Need to go up.'

But rather than take the stairs or find a ladder Arya decided to get a little… creative… when it came to how to move through the temple. Spotting some crates sacked up in a neat pile by a wall Arya leapt onto them before swinging her feet up, stepping on a torch holder that at the moment, thankfully, hadn't been lit. Using that perch she pushed upwards, her head touching the ceiling… and then phasing through it. She saw darkness and then her head was on the next floor and, seeing no one around, she raised her hands up before solidifying them, pulling herself through the floor like one emerging from a bath.

Keeping in a crouch Arya began to make her way along the second story, keeping her ears focused for any sounds. She could hear chanting in the distance, the worship of the Red Priests and Priestesses, but they were far and thus she paid them little heed. In fact it seemed that many were off worshiping the flames, leaving her to quietly move through the temple.

What she found did not leave her impressed with the followers of R'hllor. They might have claimed to only worship the light and the flame and long to do what was best for the world but Arya saw the same decadence in the Faith of the Seven. Gilded doors, windows made of colored glass. Hurrying through room to room in her search she saw more jewelry and gems than she'd seen in her entire time in Winterfell. The Old Gods… they did not need septons or priests in robes of fine silk and necklaces made of gold. They required only the trees and the sky and prayers. The followers of R'Hllor… they loved the flame… and all that came with it. Including the baubles that so dazzled so many other faiths.

Moving inward towards the very heart of the temple she was surprised to find that it was rather hollow. The rooms were all built in rings around a single massive room and as she looked down she wasn't surprised to see a timbers being prepared for a great fire. Oh, there were smaller ones already lit but they were just the start of what was to come. Large thick timbers were being swung into position by a horde of red robed priests, all under the shouted commands of one in finer robes than the others.

"But will it work?" someone said and Arya quickly ducked behind a doorway, peaking out to watch as two Red Priestesses spoke.

"The flames cleanse all, you know this."

"But will it work against him? The metal of his armor… I have seen nothing like it before. It holds the sun within it."

"A blasphemy to the sun and the stars, Terrensada. You must remember that. At most he is a gift from R'Hllor that we can return to him, to show him our devotion. More likely though he is a foul demon who pretends to use the flames properly but in reality takes the gifts of our Lord and twists them to aid the darkness."

"I still wonder if it would not be better to remove him from the armor. What if it prevents him from burning properly. With such a public…"

The voice trailed off and Arya waited till she could only hear the cries of the devote in prayer and the grunts of the workers before finally emerging again.

'Rhodey,' she thought to herself, knowing at once that the armor that was a 'mockery of the sun' had to be the armor that Tony had made and that his friend had last been seen wearing. 'Now… where would they have him?' She crept back towards the lip of the gaping maw that was the main chamber, glancing down again before quickly pulling her head up, blinking her eyes in pain at the smoke that had drifted up to sting them. 'Seven Hells!' she cursed, scrubbing her eyes furiously with her fists and stifling a cough as her nostrils burned from the soot that hung in the air. 'How can any of them stand this?' She glanced up. 'Even the poorest family in the North know how a chimney-'

She paused, tilting her head.

'Of for fuck's sake.'

High above her, supported by four chains, was a slab of wood that dangled above the small fires far below it. And the bundle they were holding was larger than the wood and Arya could see the smoky gray and black armor quite clearly, even if the feet and hands were completely bare and revealed dark skin.

"Seriously?" she muttered to herself before shutting her eyes and setting about getting up to Rhodey and his rather annoying prison.

The climb to the top of the temple actually wasn't the hard part. She was able to easily avoid the Red Priests and make her way quickly up the floors until reaching the top one. Though she did have to climb two stories higher than where Rhodey hung due to the length of the chains causing the slab of wood to hang lower than were the chains were secured but she managed all the same.

"Easy part," she repeated to herself before looking around, trying to work out how to best get Rhodey free. There was a winch where she was standing with a great length of chain pooled in a basket beside it but she knew at once she couldn't use that. Lowering it would only cause one corner to dip and she didn't trust herself to be able to run around and accurately lower each of the four chains one at a time the correct amount and not cause him to dip and slide off the board. It would be a shit rescue if she sent him toppling off the board and to a sticky smeary death below. And even if she did manage to lower them… then what? She doubted that the Red Priests would be so focused on their tasks that they wouldn't notice that she had dropped their prisoner and sacrifice right next to them.

"Have to get him over here… that will be fun," she muttered, looking around before noticing some rope lying nearby. It was a good quality; very thick and strong. It would take her a while to saw through it with a knife. Looking around she spotted another torch holder and carefully reached up, grabbing the metal before slowly pulling her legs up so she dangled off the floor. The metal didn't budge an inch and Arya nodded to herself before knotting the rope several times around it, making sure it was secure before she tied the other end around herself. Not merely around her waist… but rather she looped it around her waist once, then over one shoulder to her opposite hip, then back over the other shoulder to the other hip before once more around her waist. A final few knots and she was feeling a touch better about the insanity she was about to do.

Stepped out to the edge she looked down at the chain before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pair of leather gloves; they were too big for her as she'd meant to give them to Gambit as a gift, but they would protect her hands all the same. Inching her way towards the chain she suddenly stopped before taking out a Braavosi coin and after carefully judging the distance, gave it a toss, thankfully managing to strike Rhodey right on the chest.

The man, whose eyes had been closed, blinked and slowly reached for the coin, looking at it oddly even as he worked to maintain his balance on the board. "What the-"

"Shhh!" Arya hissed. "Up here!" Rhodey twisted his head in her direction and she waved, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Oh no," Rhodey moaned as Arya grabbed onto the chain supporting part of the board and swung down onto it, wrapping her arms and legs around it. "hey! Hey!"

"I said SHHH!" Arya hissed as she began to shimmy towards him.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Rhodey snapped.

"I have a rope if I fall," she pointed out. "And I'm not going to fall anyway. I used to climb along ropes like this growing up."

She failed to mention that normally when she'd done that it had only been a few feet off the ground and all that was awaiting her was a mud puddle and her mother's disapproval.

Rhodey grabbed onto the board as it began to rock thanks to Arya's movements, though she focused on only looking at him occasionally so she didn't get distracted. "Can't you just lower me down?!" he demanded, though thankfully in a quieter voice.

"I lower you down and they get you. I can't fly. Not one of my powers."

"…you're related to Tony, aren't you?"

"Arya," she said as she carefully controlled her descent. "And before you ask yes I am older. It's a long story."

"Tony… Tony was with me," Rhodey said, clearly deciding not to dwell on that 'Long story about how I am older now' thing. "We-"

"I know. My friends and I found him. He's okay… or was before he ran off without telling me. As such I may kill him. Or just kick him really really hard."

"Right," Rhodey grumbled. "That sounds like his family. Now… before you go any further… you do realize they have me a bit tied up here, right?" Arya chanced a glance up and saw Rhodey lifting his legs showed ropes holding his ankles together. "One around my waist too. Do you have something to get me untied?"

"Yeah but I have a better plan."

"You're related to Tony… you don't have a plan."

"Ha ha," Arya said as she finally reached the plank of wood. It was a lot smaller now that she was able to see it but she did her best not to focus on that… or the ground far below… or all the times Maester Luwin had complained about the quality of her knots. "I need you to take a deep breath and close your eyes."

"What?"

"I don't want you to get nervous and fall."

"Saying that is making me nervous!"

"SHH!" Arya hissed. "Now just trust me!"

"…no!"

"Just give me 5 seconds, okay? I promise you won't move."

Rhodey, after a moment, sighed. "Okay, closing my eyes. 1… 2…"

Arya swung one hand up, phasing through the board and Rhodey's body before making just the tips of her fingers solid. She grabbed the rope and focused, phasing her whole hand and the bindings before pulling them instantly away.

"3… whoa." Rhodey tilted his head up. "How did you-"

"Slowly sit up," Arya commanded. "Very slowly. I want to get on the board and we need to counterbalance ourselves."

Now that he was actually free Rhodey was far more willing to go with her suggestions and soon Arya had managed through a combination of core muscles and phasing to get onto the board, sitting on it with Rhodey planted across from her. She phased through the ropes holding his legs, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her powers, before handing him both sets of rope and grabbing the pouch T'Challa had given her.

"What's that?"

"My friends are working on our escape route. This is to keep the priests from realizing we freed you." She looked inside and blinked in confusion. "Dust?"

Rhodey leaned over and shook his head. "Ash."

"Ash?" Arya aid before putting two and two together. "As in-"

"Human remains," Rhodey said, shaking his head. "Clever. They lower the platform and see the rope and the ash and think their lord of light already burned me. Leave us all alone because they got their miracle."

"Huh," Arya said before handing him the bag. "Okay, we need to be careful here…" She undid the rope she'd tied around herself until just the original loop around her waist remained. The rest she passed to Rhodey who tied it around his own middle. "Strong enough to get across?"

"Fear of burning to death is a strong motivator," he stated, tugging on the rope to make sure it was secure.

It honestly went far better than she expected.

The climb was both harder and easier than it had been the first time. When she'd gone down gravity had been pulling on her so her muscles hadn't screamed as much as they did as she moved back to safety. And she hadn't gotten a moment to rest them while helping Rhodey get free so it was more grit than strength that kept her legs locked around the chain as she hurried back to the balcony. On the other hand she didn't have to worry about sending Rhodey toppling down; she didn't know if the ashes they had poured onto the board were all going to stay there but she supposed a smear of them would be perfectly fine. And climbing up meant that she didn't have to worry about that gravity that made it a bit easier to climb down causing her to go to quickly and lose her grip and-

Arya realized she was on her feet for the first time in 15 minutes, helping Rhodey get to safety.

"that went easier than I expected," Arya admitted as she worked to untie Rhodey and then herself. "I thought for sure one of us was going to take a plunge and we'd have to use the rope. Seems like that happens in all the stories of daring adventures."

"This isn't a story," Rhodey commented.

"Feels like it sometimes," Arya muttered… just as a figure flipped down beside them. Rhodey let out a little yelp and raised his hands up only for the new arrival to grab his wrist and shake his head.

"Apologizes," T'Challa said. "Did not mean to startle you."

"…okay, someone mind cluing me in on who the Cat Guy is?"

"T'Challa, ruler of Wakanda," Arya said. "He's helping to get you out of here."

"Indeed," T'Challa said. "Seeing as your friend Tony ran off before realizing that you were captured I agreed to assist."

Rhodey gave the man a flat stare. "Yeah… yeah, that sounds like Tony."

"To be fair," Arya butted in, feeling the need to defend her family, "he found out that Pepper is being held by some guy call the Mandolin and that set him off."

"The Mando… the Mandarin?" Rhodey asked.

"You've heard of him?" T'Challa asked as he motioned for them to follow him. Their path was a twisting one, darting through rooms that shouldn't have connected but did through passages and secret doorways. At one point he led them to a crawl space that looked far too small for Arya to get through, let alone T'Challa, but he had easily shimmied his way in; Rhodey grunted and groaned as he worked wiggle through it and Arya ended up just phasing to save herself the trouble.

"Yes," Rhodey told them finally when he felt it safe enough to talk again, as at one point they'd had to creep through a room where the priests that tended the fires at night were fast asleep, their every footfall sounding like a giant's heartbeat as they snuck around straw-stuffed mattresses. "Years ago. Before Tony. Back when I was just a sellsword trying to make enough money that I could stop being a sellsword. I got hired by a merchant that wanted some protection as he traveled to Yi Ti. He had a good crew and the voyage was smooth… in fact the entire trip went smooth. No fights other than a few pick pockets who thought I wouldn't notice them. But I remember how everyone seemed on edge at certain times, around certain people. I tried to puzzle it out, figure out what it was that made those people such a threat because… yeah, they looked dangerous but nothing to the extent that so many would be openly tip toeing around them. Finally on our last day there though I heard a name whispered: the Mandarin. I don't know who he is… but the people everyone was worried about were connected to him. And if they were nervous about those people… they were terrified of him."

"Something to deal with later," T'Challa said as he motioned them towards a ladder, which they quickly climbed up. "Toad and I have scouted the rest of the building… you were the only prisoner, Rhodey." Up on the highest floor of the temple they found Toad waiting, a smirk on his face as he idly tapped his foot against a bag. "I believe these are yours?"

Rhodey went to the bag and let out a sigh of relief when he saw a set of boots, gauntlets, a helmet, and some large tube-like structure that Arya couldn't identify. "I wondered what happened to these." He stroked the tube lightly. "Half want to don them all and raze this place to the ground."

"Better to flee," Toad said. "I don't feel like sticking around and taking any chances."

"Right… right," Rhodey slung the bag over his shoulder. "So now what do we-OOMPF!"

T'Challa wrapped an arm around his middle, locking Rhodey to his side. "Please don't scream in my ear," the black suited man said before easily leaping through the opening in the roof. Toad and Arya shared a look before the former knelt down, letting Arya onto his back before he to leapt away, leaving the Red Priests behind them.

~MC~MC~MC~

Omake

Robert smiled, placing a hand on Joffrey's shoulder. Recently he'd had some concerns about his heir and his… tastes in companions and as such he had decided to do all he could to make sure Joffrey grew up to be a red blooded Baratheon warrior. Today he had brought his son to one of the biggest and best blacksmiths in King's Landing; he just knew seeing metal being turned into weapons of death would motivate Joffrey to be a man's man.

"Joffrey, I want you to shake hands with-" he paused, "what's your name fella?"

"Tobho Mott," the head blacksmith said.

"Mott here runs this blacksmith!" Robert declared as Joffrey shook the man's gloved hand. "He's gonna show us around and let you get a look at real All-Westeros men doing what they do best!"

Joffrey sneered. "Why in the seven hells would I want to see that?"

Robert dropped his voice and whispered, "You'll thank me on your wedding night."

Mott, for his part, raised his voice, commanding all his apprentices and workers to stop what they were doing. "Hey! Listen up! I want all of you to say hello to King Baratheon and Prince Joffrey!"

"Hello!" all the workers said… with very pronounced lisps.

Robert gasped in horror. "Has the whole world gone insane?!"

He turned to see two blacksmiths talking, one suddenly gasping and pointing at the other. "Stand still, there's a spark in your hair!"

"Get it, get it, get it!" the second whined, dancing in place and flailing his arms.

"uuuuuhhhh," Robert whined.

A muscular young man (who oddly looked a lot like Robert when he was younger) walked by with a glowing sword… and wearing only a pair of VERY tight undergarments that hid nothing. "Hot stuff, comin' through!"

Robert let out a scream.

"Father, why did you bring me to a gay blacksmith?" Joffrey asked in confusion.

"I don't know!" Robert wailed. "This is a nightmare!" He clutched his head before turning towards the workers. "You're all sick!"

"Oh be nice!" one called out.

"Oooooh, my son doesn't stand a chance," Robert whimpered. "The whole world's gone gay!"

Suddenly a whistle filled the air.

"By the Seven what's happening now?" he asked in fear.

Mott smiled, taking off his apron. "We work hard, we play hard."

Suddenly festive music began to play and all the blacksmiths began to dance and grind against each other, Robert forced to cover Joffrey's eyes as he led him away, trembling in horror.

"What was his problem?" one blacksmith asked.

Renly Baratheon just shrugged before going back to dancing.