Instead of preparing for my exams, I wrote this . Well might as well post it. Thanks toPreier for beta reading.
The hall was in a joyous mood. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves.
The men were drinking and laughing. Some were groping the maids.
The women were either dancing with someone or gossiping in some corner.
The bride and Groom were sitting on the high dais, whispering and smiling at each other.
I noticed Lord Alyn standing in a quiet corner and took the opportunity to get away from old Lord Turnberry who seemed determined to gain my favor.
Thankfully he didn't notice me sneaking away.
"Congratulations are in order my lord." I said to Lord Alyn once I got close to him.
"Aye, it's good to see both of my children being married to people they love and not stuck in loveless marriage for duty." Lord Marbrand said.
I was kind of flattered as we both looked towards Donnel Marbrand and his now former Stackspear wife.
" I hate to ask you this during festivities but you said in your letter that you found something?" I asked him.
Recently there had been an increase in bandit attacks. Not only in the Westerlands but also in Crown lands, Reach, Riverlands and Stormlands.
These bandits were not only targeting normal smallfolk, they were also targeting nobles. Especially Nobles actually.
If you were even remotely related to any highborn, you were not safe.
Most recently they had abducted Lord Myatt's younger sister. I had sent Aubrey to find out what happened to her.
He had found out that they had taken the fifteen year old girl to a small town in northern westerlands.
While most of them managed to escape, the Marbrand men were still able to capture more than a few men for questioning.
They had also found out young Desmera Myatt's body.
From the scars, marks and bruises, it was evident she did not die peacefully. No fifteen year old deserved what happened to her.
"I wanted to tell you that apparently one of the captured man knew who their leaders are?" the Lord of Ashemark said.
I raised my eyebrows. What was the problem? If we knew their leader, we could easily deal with them.
"Who are they?" I asked.
"The Rat, the Hawk and the Pig." Lord Alyn said in a worried tone.
"I remember reading about them somewhere but I can't recall." I asked confusedly.
"They were three individuals who assaulted Princess Aelora Targaryen during Aerys I reign which led to her killing herself afterwards." Lord Alyn explained.
Yeah now I remembered.
Bloody hell didn't they also lead a smallfolk rebellion.
"Do you think it's the same people?" I questioned Lord Alyn.
"I don't know. But they are using the rejection of the King's laws to incite unrest. Bloody Targaryens." Lord Alyn spat.
I too grimaced. I was beginning to believe that the fire at Summerhall had less to do with the rebirth of dragons and more to do with the Lords trying to get rid of Aegon.
Since last year whenever Aegon tried to enact a new law or implement some reforms, smallfolks would end up hearing about them way before the Lords.
Aegon was most likely hoping this would pressure the Lords to accept those laws and reforms.
But it did not happen. Instead when Lords rejected his ideas their smallfolks began acting out. Refusing to pay taxes, attacking nobility and so on. All of which the Lord used as an excuse to not implement those laws.
Though I could understand his desperation.
I had played with the idea of locating
Jenny of oldstones but I didn't.
Firstly because Jenny was a common name. I did not even know what she looked like.
Secondly Oldstones was deep in the Riverlands. If someone found out I had sent men searching for a lowborn girls, questions would be raised.
So Duncan still ended up being married to Jenny.
Lyonel Baratheon had called his banners in response to this insult and marched on King's Landing, burning all the towns and villages on his way.
He had easily crushed the hastily gathered host assembled by the King outside the walls of the capital.
Knowing he had no chance of taking King's Landing the Lord of Storm's End had agreed to a trial by Combat. If he won Duncan Targaryen would lose his head, if he lost neither he nor his sons would ever rise against Targaryens.
While he did lose and Aegon did try to recompense him by betrothing his daughter to the Laughing Storm's heir, the damage was already done.
All of Aegon's laws were now undone in the Stormlands and he no longer received any support from them.
A year later Jaehaerys and Shaena eloped.
According to rumors Lucas Tully too planned to rebel but gave up the idea once he realized that many of his more powerful bannermen would side with the Crown rather than him.
The Tyrells were a little pacified when King Aegon's youngest son was sent to Highgarden to become Lord Theodore Tyrell's squire.
But both of these house expressed their anger by slowly increasing food prices.
Which made me thankful that Swyfts and Crakehalls grew most of the food for Westerlands.
My father, while more than happy to let me do everything, was firmly against even hearing about the King's ideas and not above using his Warden of the West card on that.
The Starks had never cared for the South
much.
The Martells would rather not deal with King's Landing at all, especially after the First Blackfyre Rebellion.
The ailing Lord of the Eyrie, Jasper Arryn, and his son Jon were satisfied with the status quo.
And with Aegon and his sons having alienated the rest of the great Lords except the Greyjoys ( whose support wouldn't mean much) the Targaryen were perhaps the weakest since the end of Dance of Dragons, maybe even weaker.
It was a good thing I had killed Bittersteel because if the Blackfyres had attacked now, while they might not win, they sure would have gotten the closest to getting the Iron Throne since the Redgrass field.
I sometimes pitied Aegon but then I also got the desire to slap him silly because, due to him, I most likely would have to deal with a smallfolk rebellion.
"Don't worry I have a plan to deal with these bandits." I assured Lord Alyn.
The Lord of Ashemark sighed and said, " I hope you do. Between you and me there are still some Lords who doubt you despite the good work you have done in the past few years. Dealing with these rogues is an excellent opportunity to prove them wrong."
With that he left me alone.
I massaged my head. Lord Alyn had just confirmed what I already knew.
There were a few Lords in the west who did not like me.
Some didn't like the way the Reynes were dealt with. Others, like the previous Lord Farman, thought a young man like me had no right to command them while my father is alive.
It's a realpityLord Farman died and his more complacent and obedient heir became the Lord of Fair Isle.
But all my worries were banished as I felt a tug on my breeches and looked down to see two large green innocent eyes and two chubby arms raised upwards.
" What are you doing here all alone huh? Where is your mother?" I asked as I settled my daughter into my arms.
She pointed towards Jeyne who nodded at me before going back to talking to the ladies beside her.
Little Cerenna Lannister was born a year after the whole Reyne debacle.
It was love at first sight for me. Even at three years she had me and her grandfather wrapped around her little finger.
Just then bard began singing the so called Fires of Castamere.
They blazed through the rains, and they flamed through the nights,
'Til the smoke came to strangle the halls,
They thundered and roared at their dank old stones,
'Til the walls did buckle and fall.
Well might as well give bards some new material about crushing the rat, shooting the hawk and roasting the pig.
A/N- Credit for song goes to Ranchoth. He suggested it at Alternate History and I wanted to use it.
Some people might say why not use Rains itself? That's because in my mind that will always be Tywin's song. People don't think of Lannisters when they hear it, They think of Tywin freaking Lannister who drowned men, women and children who went against him.
As you can see Tytos has become more ruthless under Gerold's tutelage.
I probably won't post next chapter before 15th (I'll probably have to spend most of the night studying now)
Hope you like it.