JON ARRYN
He is titled as Hand of the King, Warden of the East, and Lord of the Eyrie. Jon Arryn is a man of many woes. Mainly due to the fact that as Hand he rules in the King's name. Handling issues of lesser importance while the King was around and ruling when he was not. Problem is that Jon Arryn ruled and handled the day to day issues of the realm that came up. His former Ward and now King would rather drink, eat, and fornicate with every woman in the capital.
Today was no different as he is forced to yet again to handle affairs of state in Robert's name. He holds court and sentences some criminals. They have a choice, die or join the Night's Watch. One man is a rapist and Jon does not give him a choice. He has the man castrated and sent to one of the free cities of Essos. Upon pain of death he cannot return.
After holding court Jon meets with the small council in the council room near the throne room. The other council room is in the tower of the Hand. The council is made up of the Master of Laws, Prince Renly Baratheon, King Robert's youngest brother, Master of Coin Petyr Baelish, Master of Whispers Lord Varys, Master of Ships Prince Stannis Baratheon, who dwells on the Island Castle of Dragonstone. Then there are the Lord Commander of the King's Guard Ser Barristan Selmy. He rarely attends the meetings and then there is the Lord Commander of the City Watch Janos Slynt.
"My Lords shall we begin/" Jon Arryn says.
Petyr starts the meeting off with finances, "Prince Joffrey's name day is coming up. The King wants a tourney."
Jon shakes his head. "Can we afford one?"
"I believe so My Lord Hand. There is eight hundred thousand gold Dragons in the royal treasury."
"Eight hundred thousand gold Dragons. Three of which we owe to Lord Tywin Lannister and the rest to the Iron Bank." Jon says in aggravation. "Alright we throw the dam tourney and try to be as frugal as possible."
"My brother wishes to announce the betrothal of the Prince to Lady Sansa."
"I bet the Queen did not take that news well." Varys says.
"Lord Baelish make the arrangements, but before you spend one Dragon I want to see a budget for the Tourney."
"Yes My Lord."
"Prince Renly."
`As Renly speaks Jon takes a drink, A petition from the Riverland Lords. They wish us to build a bridge up stream away from the twins and off Lord Frey's lands."
"If they can raise the coin for the project I will sanction it."
"We can't my Lord…"
"Why not?"
"This proposal should have been bought to Lord Hoster Tully first." Renly replies.
Varys clears his throat, "Lord Hoster has recently fallen ill. The Lords of the Riverlands do not have much respect for Lord Edmure Tully." As they speak Arya is listening and watching through a rat.
"And Lord Frey pays the crown a monthly bribe to keep any bridges from being built."
"How much?" Jon asks.
"Five thousand."
They discuss other matters before dismissing. Jon has a long day and it will get even longer having to deal with his wife. That night Jon has a dream…
Jon sits up as he hears laughing. One of the voices laughing belongs to his wife Lysa. He gets out of bed and when he opens the door Jon is his wife's childhood home of Riverrun. He sees Edmure as a young boy, along with his elder sister Catelyn, and Lysa. There is a young man there as well. Everything becomes blurry and Jon witnesses as the young boy tries to kiss Cat, but is pushed by Edmure. "Stay away from sister Petyr!" Edmure yells.
Everything goes blurry again and Jon stands in the woods by the river as Petyr takes Lysa's virginity. He hears laughing again and a door opens. He is now in the courtyard at Riverrun and witnesses as Petyr challenges Brynden Stark to a duel. Petyr loses that duel. "I swear! I swear I will get even with you Hoster Tully if it is the last thing I do!" He witnesses as Petyr pays Maester Hawthyn to poison Hoster Tully slowly.
He hears laughing again and turns to find Lysa and Petyr making love in her room. "I swear Petyr…I swear by the seven that Robin is your son. Do you think I would give that old man an heir after what was done to our child…"
"Lysa…What a fool…Soon I will have it all…The Vale, the Riverlands…And no one will ever look down their nose at me again…"
The next morning Jon summons his wife's handmaiden. "Whom do you serve?" Jon Arryn asks.
"Your wife m'lord."
"You serve me…You serve House Arryn. My wife dismissed her last handmaiden…I didn't think anything of it at the time. But now I do. I want you to spy on my wife. Watch her and get some of the other servants to help you." He hands her a bag of gold, "Here to enlist their aid."
"Yes m'lord I will do as you ask."
After meeting with the handmaiden Jon summons the Master of Whispers Varys. They meet in secret at night in the old Dragon Tower. "A clandestine meeting Lord Arryn. This is not like you."
"Perhaps King's Landing is having a negative effect on me."
"What can I do for you My Lord."
"My wife's last handmaiden. Her name was Ethel…Find out what became of her."
"Very well then."
While Varys searched for the handmaiden Jon Arryn had come to a decision about Robin. He summons his wife, "My son is six name days old. And he still feeds at the breast. It is not healthy. So I am sending him to a ward with Lord Stannis."
"By the seven you will not!" She says raising her voice. "He's my son!"
"Our son!"
She falls to her knees, "Jon please…" She begs, "…You know how hard it was for me to have a child. Three still born children. Please…I…I promise to stop breastfeeding him."
"Get up woman!" He picks her up by the arms. "You smother the boy. By his age I could wield a sword and shoot a bow."
"I have heard you say many times, that life is more than just learning to wield a sword or shoot a bow."
"My mind is made up. That is the end of it!" She runs from his Solar in tears. A few days later Jon meets with the Handmaiden.
"After she left you my lord she met in private with Lord Baelish…I could not hear what they were saying, but I did see them share a kiss."
"Where did they meet?"
"In the catacombs beneath the Keep. I have a man following Baelish."
Two days later Lysa brings Jon some tea. It is late in the evening and Jon is going over the finances for the crown. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior. You are right…Robin is the future Lord of the Eyrie and Warden of the East…Warding with Stannis will be good for him."
Jon is about to drink from the tea when the Handmaiden bursts into the solar, "My Lord I have news!" She yells running up to the desk and knocking over the tea.
"Alyne! What in the name of the Seven is wrong with you? You spilled Lord Arryn's tea!"
"Forgive me M'Lady…M'Lord…But they found poor Holland dead in an alley."
"Good gods…I'm going to check on Robin." Lysa nervously says and leaves.
"I'll clean that up M'Lord."
"Alyne…when you are done I need to speak with you."
"Yes M'Lady…" When Lysa is gone and the door closed to a crack. Alyne shoves a note into Jon's hand. It reads; The Tea is poisoned. "Will that be all M'Lord?"
"No actually I need you to do something else before you attend my wife." He goes to the door and shuts it all the way. "How did you know?" He asks in a whispered voice.
"I found this in your wife's jewel box. I searched her room after she left. Myra says she saw a man give your wife that bottle. I was on my way here, when I heard two Gold Cloaks talking about how they found Holland dead. He was following Baelish."
"Addyson!" The Captain of Jon Arryn's House Guard enters. "Fetch Grandmaester Pycell and bring him here without fail."
"Yes My Lord."
Pycell confirms that it is poison. Tears of Lys, then two days later Varys meets with Jon Arryn. "She is working as a whore…Against her will mind you in one of Baelish's brothels here in the city."
"Addyson take twenty men and bring the girl here unharmed."
"Yes My Lord."
He returns with Lysa's former handmaiden Ethel. "Why were you dismissed from my wife's service and how did you wind up working in a brothel?"
She bursts into tears, "It…it…was your wife m'lord. Lady Arryn and Lord Baelish…I caught them being intimate. You had gone hunting with the King. She accused me of stealing. Then Baelish's men took me to the whore house and…" She starts crying unable to finish.
That very moment Jon draws up an arrest warrant for Petyr Baelish and hands the document to Addyson. "Take forty men, find Baelish no matter where he is and bring him to the dungeons. I want him under guard at all times."
"Yes My Lord."
Then Jon Arryn summons the High Septon and has him write up annulment papers and papers disillusion of heirship. "I bought you some tea." Lysa says entering the office. She sets it down in front of Jon and sits, "I think we will have to dismiss Alyne…I believe she is stealing from me." Jon coldly stares at her. He picks the cup up and pretends to bring it to his mouth. Then he dumps the tea on the floor.
"Why did you do that?" Jon answers with a snap of the finger. Both Alyne and Ethel enter the room with six guards. Lysa stares horrified. "I don't know what these women said to you, but they are liars and thieves."
"The only liar around here is you. A lying, plotting, adulteress whore!" He sets the bottle of poison on the desk. Then he shoves the papers across the table, "Sign them."
"What is this?"
"Annulment papers…Papers of disillusion of heirship. I know Robin is Baelish's son." She tries to deny it, "Don't fucking speak…Just do me the courtesy of signing them."
"And if I refuse."
"I will drag your name through the mud. I will bring you before the court and expose you for the lying bitch you are. Then I will have you executed."
"Where is Petyr?"
"In the dungeons…Awaiting execution."
"Did you ever love me?"
Jon does not answer right away. He thinks long and hard about their life together. "I tried to love you…I tried to make you happy."
"Then do me this one kindness…Spare Petyr…For Robin's sake."
"You must be out of your fucking mind! You and Baelish plotted to kill me. It is out of respect for your father that I haven't removed your head. Now sign it!" With a teary face and shaky hand she signs the document. Lysa and Robin are sent to Riverrun, her childhood home. Baelish is shown the evidence of his plot and is executed.
"Damn! I never liked that bitch." King Robert says in his solar drinking with Jon. "How did you figure it out?"
"I had a dream about them truth be told."
"Well I am glad you figured it out before it was too late."
"So am I." Later Jon sends a letter to Riverrun.
Arya pushes Jon's mind away from the Queen's children and now she turns her attention towards Tywin Lannister.