Chapter 1

As I stood on the deck of the double-masted Stormsbride, official vessel of House Baratheon, I felt a stronger connection to wind than ever before. Here, at sea, I could channel such strong currents of wind that the crew was stunned by how fast we were progressing.

My magical abilities had grown - or rather I was becoming more experienced at using them. I could pull wind in many novel ways but more than that, I also started using my other abilities. Invisibility was awesome – all I had to do was surround myself in an armour of wind and if I wanted, I would turn invisible, and I had used that to great effect to get a small amount of vengeance on Lady Cassana and Stannis in the few days after my fall during which preparations were made for my departure to King's Landing.

I also started using Telekinesis to move objects. It started with a startling suddenness when I accidentally knocked a jug but as I reached towards it – the jug froze in mid-air, several inches away from my extended finger tips – and I knew I wasn't pulling wind. I had felt a connection with my mind – like I had invisible hands and legs that could move far on their own and I could use them to move objects as I desired.

After that, my last few days in Storm's End were really fun. I had emptied chamber pots on Stannis' bed thrice now and despite Lady Cassana's attempt to keep it quiet, Stannis had developed a reputation as a bed wetter amongst the castle staff. Lady Cassana also found her favourite necklace missing and wanted to fire half the serving staff but when Lord Steffon went to check, it was right where it always had been. So, very quickly, Lady Cassana had lost a lot of goodwill from the servants and they were more than eager to make fun of Stannis behind his back – now that the bastard boy was no longer going to stay in Storm's End. I had my petty little revenge and I quite liked it.

Grandmother slept through most of the journey as she wasn't overly fond of sea travel. Father accompanied grandmother and me but he too stayed inside his cabin much throughout the journey, avoiding me out of guilt or sadness or just apathy, and I was okay with that, I suddenly realised. He cared about me to a point, yes, but not enough to give me his name, and that was okay, I decided. I just had to make my own name.

Upon reaching the harbour at King's Landing, I saw a welcoming party was already waiting for us. Father was smiling broadly and rushed to the man at the head of the party.

"Tywin, my old friend," father clasped arms with the man I now knew to be Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister, the man who had wiped out two noble houses for daring to rebel against his father's dominion over the Westerlands. "How are you holding up? And your family?"

A faint smile came on Tywin Lannister's face but he first turned to grandmother and bowed. "Princess Rhaelle," he said regally. "His Grace sends me in his stead to welcome your return to your ancestral home."

"He does receive my ravens, then?" grandmother noted. "From the lack of any responses, I assumed the ravens just didn't get to him."

Tywin hesitated. "His Grace is occupied with many important matters of state. I am sure if he had the time, he would have –"

"Oh, you know him better than I do," grandmother cut in. "And even I know that isn't Aerys. Even as a lad, he was always fanciful, dreaming big things, and never putting in the hard work needed to make them come true."

Tywin remained silent and I could see an edge to his expression as he turned to father. "Steffon, I could do with having you in the Small Council? Will you not reconsider my earlier offer?"

"To serve as Master of Laws?" asked father.

"Or Master of Coin," Tywin replied back. "Or even in a non-titled capacity. I just need someone who the king will listen to."

Father shook his head. "Alas, my answer remains the same. The best way in which I can serve our King is by keeping the Stormlands strong and faithful. Besides, the King only listens to me because I only see him so rarely – if I were here in King's Landing, our friendship would also suffer like yours has. Besides, you have my mother here – she's his aunt and perhaps the only one he would listen to."

Tywin turned to grandmother but before he could say a word, grandmother cut in, "No, stop right there," she said. "While I might respect you in many ways, Lord Lannister, I cannot out of principle consider an alliance with the man who overturned all of my father's reforms."

"King Aegon V's reforms would have broken his grandson's reign," Tywin protested. "The nobles would not stand for the increased rights given to the Smallfolk. I only did what I had to in order to keep your nephew's kingdom intact. Restoring their rights, and in some instances, giving them greater ones, is what has kept your nephew's rule intact."

"Be that as it may," grandmother noted with a tone of finality, "I was sent away from King's Landing as a child and never been a part of its politics, and I do not intend my return to change that. I will retreat into the quiet shadows and meddle not in affairs of state."

Father changed subjects by looking at me. "My son," he said. "Harren Storm."

The last name stung in my ears but I took that moment to bow to the Hand of the King and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I am aware, as is the rest of King's Landing, about the boy's parentage, including who gave birth to him. Is it wise, Steffon, to bring a descendant of an elder Targaryen bloodline in the Red Keep?"

Father waved aside his concern. "An elder line that abdicated from the throne and besides," he glanced at me apologetically, "he has no claim to family or title."

"Have you not learnt anything from the Blackfyre rebellions?" Tywin muttered.

Father's eyes flashed with fury. "You would dare?" he whispered. "I lost my father in the last Blackfyre rebellion - I held him as he breathed his last."

"Enough, boys," grandmother intervened. "Tywin raises a valid concern despite his insensitive manner of raising it. But Steffon is correct, the line of succession is clear and Harren will be brought up as loyal subject of the ruling line."

That ended conversation as we proceeded towards the Red Keep. As we walked, I could smell a terrible stench, like a privy that hadn't been cleaned in months, and I realised, to my horror, that was the smell of King's Landing, supposedly the greatest city in the world. Sighing, I pulled wind, pushing away the rancid air from the town and drawing towards me the clean and peaceful sea air.

"You get used to it," said father, having seen my expressions. "Besides, once we get halfway up on Aegon's Hill, the smell becomes less bad."

Those were the first words he had said to me since Storm's End and I looked at him in surprise. To his credit, a look of regret came to his face and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "You have had a tough life so far," he said. "And I wish I could say it will only get better… but the truth is, I simply do not know. I apologise, son, that a moment of weakness on my part has led to you facing a lifetime of scorn and ridicule."

"A moment of weakness without which I wouldn't exist," I added.

Father smiled. "In many ways, you remind me of my father."

"Nay," grandmother joined in. "He's much more like your grandfather."

"Grandfather?" father was surprised. "I barely knew Lyonel Baratheon, the Laughing Storm, but I don't see the similarity…"

"Not him," said grandmother. "I meant your other grandfather. Harren very much reminds me of my father."

Father took a sharp breath. "Mother, you heard Tywin. It wouldn't do anyone any good to remind them of Harry's ancestry."

"Pha," sighed grandmother. "The lords called Aegon V 'half a peasant' so it should hardly matter to them if I liken a bastard to a peasant."

As we turned and had our first sight of King's Landing, I was stunned. In my memories of other lives, I had seen giant sprawling cities before the likes of which would King's Landing to shame but in this lifetime, with these eyes and this mind and this heart, I had not seen anything like this. The city stretched as far as the eye could see, with the magnificent Red Keep on Aegon's Hill at one end, and a great road leading from the Red Keep to Baelor's Sept in the middle of the city. It was hardly the size of any modern city but as far as medieval cities went, this was glorious.

"How many people live here?" I asked curiously.

"About half a million," said Tywin Lannister, with a sudden interest towards me. "Mainly, smallfolk, but also a good number of younger sons of nobles, without any holdfast of their own, seeking their fortunes or pursuing a trade of their choice. Perhaps, you might want to consider joining one of the guilds as an apprentice."

Father cut in before I could say anything, "I was hoping Harren would be permitted to receive instruction in the sword by the Kingsguard and in other things by the Grand Maester."

I saw an unspoken war of will between Tywin Lannister and father and I realised that the Hand's suggestion for me to join a guild was an insult. He didn't consider me of noble birth and so not worthy of the usual education given to those of noble birth.

"That would be most unwise," said Tywin, breaking the silence. "The time of the Kingsguard and the Grand Maester is a most valuable resource and as Hand of the King, I cannot allow it to be wasted. Even if you petition the King, I would be compelled to advise him to the contrary and question your intentions with placing a royal bastard in the royal court to receive a royal education."

Once again, grandmother cut the tension between the two. "Harren will not receive a royal education," she declared, and Tywin smiled in triumph. "But that does not mean he cannot receive any education. Steffon, before you leave, you can find an adequate instructor to teach Harren the way of the sword, and pay him in advance for his services. And I daresay I could give him a passable education in the history, geography and politics of Westeros."

As we approached the great bronze gated of the Red Keep, I saw Tywin throw a somewhat resentful look at me.

Great work, I mused to myself, already making powerful enemies.

I was given a chamber in the Maidenvault, which was once used as a prison by King Baelor Targaryen where he kept his sisters captive to prevent them from having carnal thoughts, and since then, it had been in disuse, mainly because it was too lavish on the inside to be used for anyone other than the royal family and yet had a stigma attached to it as it was designed as a prison that made it inappropriate for use for the royal family or any important guests. But as a bastard, they could easily put me there.

In contrast, grandmother was given a chamber in Maegor's Holdfast where the King and the Queen resided and father was given a temporary chamber in the Tower of the Hand. I was informed very early on that Maegor's Holdfast was a strictly forbidden area unless you wanted to get on the King's bad side – Queen Rhaella had undergone far too many miscarriages and stillborn births that the King was now suspicious of some kind of foul play. And so, I decided to avoid that general area altogether.

That didn't mean that I didn't get to see the King. The very first day, father and grandmother went straight to the Great Hall and I followed them. The great gates opened to a grand hall that could easily seat over a thousand people, and was adorned by dragon skulls and tapestries showing platinum-blonde haired warriors on dragons conquering their enemies. And on the far end, stairs led up the Iron Throne, made of the swords of the conquered enemies of Aegon I Targaryen. Although I was there, I wasn't presented before the King nor was I introduced formally in the court – another indicator of my bastardry for everyone there knew exactly who I was but ignoring me was their way of conveying the message that I didn't matter.

I liked my new home. I had a chamber in the first level of the Maidenvault, just above the ground level which was comprised of a large hall with very high ceilings meant for entertaining purposes. The very first night, I decided to explore the Maidenvault more fully. The tower had five storeys, and the higher you went, the less luxurious they were and the ceilings became less high. But it wasn't the upper storeys that interested me but rather what was beneath the Maidenvault. You see, I discovered quite by accident when I felt wind come through a most unusual place – the ground floor hall had carved into the walls shapes of dragons, and through one such dragon's eye, due to my connection with wind, I could feel wind come through that eye. Upon a closer scrutiny, I discovered that was a peephole from a hidden passageway within the walls, and so, I channelled wind through the peephole to get a sense of where it led to, and I found a secret passageway. Following the passage of the wind, I came upon a dragon statue that could be pulled forward to reveal a small gap for a single person to creep within.

Within the walls of the Maidenvault, I discovered, there was a network of secret passageways that led to an underground cavern, and the cavern proceeded in many directions. Excited, I set about exploring.

The first tunnel I took led me to the throne room, which was empty at night. But I found no less than three peepholes and one exit through which one could enter the throne room directly from the hidden passageways. The next tunnel took me to the kitchens, where I could hear gossip amongst the castle staff.

"You don't say!" someone exclaimed, an older woman. "Then what happened?"

"I turned about and left, didn't I?" another voice continued, a young chamber maid. "I wasn't going to stand there and listen to the King talk about dishonouring the Queen. But I tell you, I hear it well and good, the King has commanded the Queen cannot breastfeed the young princeling until he has found a suitable taster to suckle her breasts to test for poison."

"That is mighty ugly for the gentle queen," sighed the older woman. "To have a stranger suckle her breasts just so she can feed her child."

"Can you blame him, though?" a third voice joined the discussion. "After our Prince Rhaegar's birth, there have been two miscarriages, then Princess Shaena was stillborn, Prince Daeron survived only a few months after birth, another stillborn, yet another miscarriage last year, and now, can you blame the King to be so cautious for Prince Aegon, especially given he was born two months premature?"

I gasped in horror. The King and Queen had lost so many children I couldn't help feel for them. But I gathered myself and turning invisible, I crept out of my secret hiding place to enter the kitchens and grabbed a loaf of bread when no one was looking and rushed back in, keeping the wind from carrying any sound I made to reach anyone else.

As I nibbled the freshly baked bread – no doubt for the king's breakfast tomorrow – I kept walking, until I reached yet another part of the catacomb with a new set of tunnels, and these looked newer, as if built more recently than the original network of tunnels and passages, and I realised I was beneath Maegor's Holdfast. There was a passageway that led to the Queen's Ballroom, which was also empty and had an entrance to the secret passages, and as I walked further along, I saw peepholes into the young princes' nursery, a peephole into Prince Rhaegar's chamber, where he was writing something, and another peephole into the queen's chamber, where the Queen was sobbing in the embrace of grandmother.

"Oh, dear child," grandmother said soothingly, as she stroked her niece's hair, which were a complete mirror image of her own. "This is not your fault. None of this."

"That's – that's not how – how – Aerys sees it," the Queen managed to say in between her sobs. "H-He's kept me c-captive here… I cannot even leave the h-holdfast without his permission. And now - now a stranger must lay hands on me…"

"That is outrageous!" said grandmother. "I will speak to him, don't you worry, child."

"H-He won't l-listen," she said. "H-He doesn't listen to anyone."

"He will listen to his father's sister," declared grandmother. "He may ignore what I have to say as is a King's right, but I shall have my say. I will not stand by and let a Targaryen Queen's honour be so tarnished."

I chose that moment to step away from there, feeling slightly bad about having intruded into such a delicate and private moment. I began retracing my steps to leave the catacombs beneath Maegor's Holdfast and took a different route and this time I found myself in a chamber where I could eavesdrop yet another family member.

My father was in the Tower of the Hand with Lord Tywin Lannister and they were talking about King Aerys.

"He rejected my choice for Master-at-Arms at the Red Keep," sighed Tywin. "I am sure Ser Willem Darry is a decent knight but what can I do if the King does not listen to me?"

"To be fair, Tywin, he probably did you a favour there," said father. "If you appointed your brother to an important position, these foolish rumours that the King is just a figurehead while Lord Tywin Lannister runs the Seven Kingdoms would grow even worse."

"I am not sure if those rumours are completely unfounded… I am worried, Steffon," said Tywin. "Aerys is no longer the man you and I remember him to be. He isn't our old friend. Steffon, you must see that."

"Even if that were true, why does it matter?" father asked curiously. "He is my king and I am his subject and his Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. That is all I need to know."

"Come on, Steffon, you were not always this dim-witted," said Tywin. "Aerys will bring the kingdom to ruin. He insisted on giving gold to the Volantenese during their war against Myr and Tyrosh and now we have lost two strong trading partners. The increase in port fees – surely you heard how that hurt our trade relationships – that was all his doing. And he made me take the fall for it."

"You are King's Hand," father shrugged. "He can use you as he pleases and if he wants to use his Hand to stop mud from hitting his face, that is our king's – and no one else's – choice."

"You cannot tell me you support all of this… madness?" Tywin sounded incredulous.

"What can I say," sighed father. "I am a simple man. In my philosophy, I rule the Stormlands at the pleasure of my King. Even if he were to command me to empty the Stormlands and wage war on Myr and Tyrosh, I would do so without hesitation, that is my philosophy, simple as it may be."

"Then, perhaps you should have been Hand," said Tywin, sounding disgruntled.

"We both know that would have been disastrous. You are a good Hand, Tywin, and regardless of our different political views, I have nothing but the utmost of respect for you," said father. There was silence. "Sometimes, I miss those olden days, when you, me and Aerys would spend hours in taverns and set off seeking adventures. What happened to us?"

"Life," said Tywin simply. "You know, that bastard of yours, he cannot stay, of course."

"Harren?" Father was surprised. "Why not?"

"He's a royal bastard," said Tywin simply, as if that explained it. "The longer he stays here, the more established the royalty of his bastardy becomes. If he goes elsewhere, that wouldn't matter and he would be more accustomed to the life he will eventually lead."

"On that, we will disagree," sighed father. "Harren is a good lad. Sometimes, I see in him…"

"What?" asked Tywin. "What do you see?"

Father grinned sheepishly. "You will think me a fool for saying this but I have seen the statues and portraits and sometimes I think Harry bears a certain semblance to Durran the first Storm King. Anyway, enough about my children, what about Joanna? And little Cersei and Jaime?"

"Oh, they aren't so little anymore," said Tywin. "His Grace commanded me to summon Joanna to come to King's Landing with my children. If you were staying here for the tourney to celebrate King Aerys' one full decade of rule, you would be able to see them."

I was about to retreat from there when I felt a sudden pressure on my arm and a hand clasped over my mouth before I could yell in shock. I turned around and saw that standing behind me – and only the Seven knew how long he had been there – was the King, also eavesdropping into the private conversation between his Hand and father.

The King raised a finger to his lips and gestured me to follow him. We walked in silence for several minutes, and I wondered if I should make a run for it, but something held me back. If the King meant me ill, he wouldn't lead me in such a clandestine manner to wherever we were going.

"So," he began, when we reached a vast underground cavern. "You have discovered the secret passages of the Red Keep. I should rightfully have you killed to preserve this secret."

I went to my knees. "I am yours to command, your grace," I said humbly.

"Yes, yes," he muttered. "If Steffon has instilled even an ounce of his loyalty in you, then I would be a fool to let it go to waste. What was your name again, boy? Haran?"

"Harren Storm, your grace," I said.

"Harren, eh… Besides, my Hand doesn't like you," mused Aerys, with a smile growing on his face. "If nothing else, keeping you around will piss off my overmighty servant. Can you pour wine?"

"Your grace?" I asked in surprise.

"If you are to be my cupbearer, you will need to learn how to pour wine without spilling," said the King. "Very well, it's not important - someone can teach you. You will tend to me during lunch and dinner daily. During your free time, you shall retreat to these secret passages as often as you can without arousing suspicion and report to me if you hear or see anything unusual. Do you understand?"

"I think so," I managed to say. "I am not sure how I will know if something is unusual."

The King shrugged. "Just use your brains. In time, you will get the hang of it."

And that was how I became the King's Spy in the Red Keep.

Over a week had passed before father came to see me. I saw him daily during lunch and dinner, as I stood behind the King, always ready to pour him wine when his cup was less than a third full, but we rarely spoke. Once when Tywin Lannister turned to me to refill his wine, the King raised a hand to stop me. "Have you need of a cupbearer of your own, Tywin?" the King asked sharply. "If so, one can be arranged as befitting your status but a royal bastard may only serve the King."

Father was also present but he never spoke to me during mealtimes. But now, he came to visit me in the Maidenvault, for the first time since our arrival. Oh, I had heard servants reporting to him about me but never had he personally stepped foot into the tower that was to become my home for the coming future.

He glanced around the hall and sighed. He saw the new maid assigned to Maidenvault - she was removing some old tattered drapes and replacing them with new ones at that moment - but she was just one person and there was only so much she could do.

Father asked, "How has it been for you? Serving the King."

"His Grace expect complete loyalty and dedication," I said honestly. "Sometimes, it is difficult but he can be fair as well."

I recalled when I informed the King that I overheard Grand Maester Pycelle forced a servant girl to bed, he grabbed me by the collar and warned me not to waste his time with such frivolous things. But when I told him the reason I told him was that servant was the Queen's chambermaid, the King released my collar and became pensive, wondering if there was some wider scheme between his queen and the Grand Maester, using the servant as their intermediary. He left me without another word but the next day, that girl was reassigned from being the Queen's personal chambermaid to the Maidenvault, to make the tower cleaner and more habitable, and Aerys' move had two simultaneous goals – to cut any common conduit between the Queen and the Grand Maester and to give me a reward. And that was how I first came into contact with someone from my memories of my original life for the serving girl was none other than Lily Evans.

"Be careful," said father, and I could see he wanted to say something more but then he decided against it. Sighing, he changed topics. "Several days ago, I sent for a knight from amongst my banners, someone appropriate to train you with the sword. He should arrive at dawn tomorrow and then I shall return to Storm's End." He was waiting for me to say something and when I didn't, he sighed. "I have no excuses for my failings towards you, son, but there is one thing I want to say – I loved your mother very much and I have loved you from the moment I set my eyes on you." He kissed my forehead and then took a deep breath. "Always remember, ours is the fury."

I was surprised by his final words. The way he said it, he almost claimed me as a Baratheon but it was too little too late. There was already a wall between us, and I was on the other side with King Aerys as my new lord and master.

I filed away all thoughts of my father and focused on the maid, who was struggling against the drapes, as I subtly pulled wind to assist her.

"Tell me about your childhood, Lily," I looked at the redhead.

"There's not much to say, Master Harren," she said, using a title that denoted an appropriate difference in status but without giving me the benefit of any royalty. "My father was a Tully soldier and my mother was a cook in Harrenhal. They met and fell in love, my mother started a small bakery in Harroway and gave birth to two daughters. Then, when the War of the Ninepenny Kings started, my father enlisted to serve with Ser Brynden Tully and he never returned – shortly after, my mother died of a broken heart. For a few years, my sister and I worked together to run our mother's bakery and we barely made by, but then one day she sold the bakery without my knowledge and ran away with some fat Pentosi merchant, taking all the gold with her. And now I am here, just another maid in a castle with hundreds of maids."

"If it makes any difference," I noted, "you are the prettiest maid in this castle."

She laughed and I quite liked the sound of her laughter. "You are a sweet boy," she said. "But it pains me that I am no longer allowed to serve my queen." A sad look came on her face. "Sometimes, I felt that despite all the ladies-in-waiting, I was her only friend in her own home."

I didn't say anything. She didn't know I had anything to do with her removal from service to the queen. But part of me was sickened to learn that the old pervert Pycelle had the gall to put his hands on the counterpart of Lily Evans and removing her from his path was worth it - Pycelle was cunning enough to realise the King had something to do with Lily being relocated and continuing his attentions towards her would bring him the ire of Aerys.

The next morning, father introduced me to my intended trainer in the sword. "Ser James," father introduced the man in the prime of his youth. "This is my son, Harren Storm." Again, the emphasis on my bastardry - it was beginning to get tiring but, I mused, perhaps that was my life now and I would never escape it. "He has won the King's favour and serves him as cupbearer so he will be busy during mealtimes but otherwise I leave him in your capable hands." He turned to me. "Harren, listen to Ser James. His uncle Lord Charlus Potter of the Hollow is an important banner to House Baratheon and it is most gracious of Ser James to take a break from his travels to train you."

Ser James winked at me. "Truth be told, the gold I get from House Baratheon for doing this will make my travels more enjoyable. But just to be very clear, I have only agreed to stay six moons before resuming my travels so your progress will determine very much on how much hard work you put into the training regime I set for your after my departure."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir," I said, suddenly struck by the fact that I had James Potter and Lily Evans in the same place – they were the birth parents of the immortal aspect of my spirit from a different life. While they didn't mean anything to me in this life, at least not as yet, I was fascinated by their presence in my life so soon and also that their proximity to each other could lead to the birth of Harry Potter's counterpart in this world. "I will try my best."

Ser James was given a chamber in the Maidenvault as well, and I saw from the outset signs of sparks between him and Lily. But then I realised Ser James was like that with literally every attractive girl who crossed his path and I decided against meddling between them in any manner whatsoever – I had more than enough on my plate as the King's private spy into the affairs at the Red Keep as it was, and I would soon discover the true depths of how justified the King's fears were. But before that, there was yet another secret I was to learn.

"Interesting," said Ser James later that night. "How long have you been able to do that?"

I turned to him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

In response, Ser James flicked his fingers and I felt a sudden sharp spike of wind rustle my hair. My eyes widened in surprise and I instinctively pulled the wind out of his control, and this time he looked surprised. I felt him try to take back control but my power was stronger but then he sent another wind spike straight into my nostrils and I gasped in shock and discomfort, allowing him to seize back the wind, and then he released it with a smile.

"So, House Baratheon did inherit Elenei's gift - the old houses of the stormlands had always wondered," he muttered. "Sit down, Harren, we have much to discuss. I believe your father is not aware of your gift?"

Knowing it was futile to pretend ignorance after our little wind duel, I shook my head. "I woke up one day and I could pull wind," I told him. "I knew it wasn't common and I kept it secret."

"Good," said James. "It is very important that you do keep it secret from everyone. This ability that you have – it marks you as a descendant of Elenei and Durran the first Storm King."

I nodded. "House Baratheon defeated the last Storm King and took his daughter for his wife."

"Yes," said James. "But between the first and last storm kings, many other houses in the Stormlands had intermarried with House Durrendon, and so we all share a common ancestor, Elenei, the daughter of the Wind Goddess. Your family will not know this for you came as conquerors and invaders and the girl taken by the first Baratheon Lord as his wife was but a child, unaware of the legacy of her bloodline, but we, the ancient houses of the Stormlands, remember and pass it down from generation to generation."

He paused to collect his thoughts. "It is well known that Elenei gave up her immortality to live a mortal life with her mortal husband but what is less known is she did not lose all her divine powers and it passed down to her child. When Elenei realised the divine powers she wielded would have overwhelmed her son's mortal shell, she prayed to her divine mother and the Wind Goddess, who had forgiven her daughter's choice to marry a mortal and share in his limited lifespan, came before her. Elenei begged her mother to take away the divinity that threatened her child's mortal life but the Goddess declined for she could not allow her own legacy to be undermined such. But the Wind Goddess would not abandon her daughter's pleas. She decreed that not all of Elenei's descendants would show this gift and for those who did, she would send to them an injured bird, her dearest creatures, during their childhood. Should the child prove his or her worth and tend to the bird and restore it to health on their own, that bird shall leave behind a feather, and whilst that child's skin touches that feather, he or she shall be able to manipulate wind and their mortal shell shall be strengthened with greater strength and durability to wield such power. If the child failed to tend to the bird to full health, their potential to command wind shall disappear and they shall become an ordinary mortal with no such gift or divinity." Ser James unclasped his cloak and unbuttoned the top buttons of his tunic to show a necklace with a feather attached to it against his chest.

I frowned thoughtfully. From memory, I recalled Stannis had once found an injured goshawk and he seemed determined to look after it but upon the ridicule of his great-uncle Ser Harbert Estermont, he abandoned the bird, and probably, from James' tale, his magical potential.

"It is seen as a great honour amongst the Potters and the other ancient houses with this potential for a child to find an injured bird," said James. "Back in the day, House Durrandon's successes and failures were always linked to whether there was a Storm King with the potential to command wind and how many of their banners showed a similar ability. In fact, I truly believe if at the time of Aegon's Conquest, there had been a Storm King with a company of Storm Warriors capable of commanding wind, the face of Westeros would now be completely different, dragons notwithstanding."

"But I didn't find any injured bird," I said. "And I don't need a feather." As if to prove myself, I used Telekinesis to lift a jug of water and gently tilt it to refill our goblets and then floated it back to its original place.

"Incredible!" Ser James breathed in wonder. "With nearly two decades of practice, I cannot even dream of doing something so controlled. Perhaps, the blood of House Durrandon runs stronger in you than others or perhaps your Targaryen blood has made it easier for you to access this ability – after all, the Valyrians were experts in the use of magic."

I nodded. I knew the reason was entirely different but if that is what he wanted to believe, that was good for me. "Father's choice has been most fortuitous," I said. "Would you teach me how to command wind as well, Ser James?"

"Of course," said Ser James. "In return, I wouldn't mind if you turn a blind eye if I bring the odd maiden back to my chamber from time to time."

I grinned at him. "As long as you keep the noise down."

My instruction in sword started at the same time as my instruction in wind manipulation. So far, I had been pulling wind in a manner that was purely instinctive but Ser James helped me see things in a more organised manner. The base ability – to send a gust of wind – was what he called a wind blast. Then, you could have various refined ways of sending wind blasts – such as a wind punch, like a long distance punch using wind in one small concentrated location, or a wind swipe, which affected a larger area and pushed objects or people backwards, or a wind shield, which was held in place and could deflect objects that came in contact with it. More interestingly, and clearly Ser James' personal forte was the wind funnel, where you could create a funnel to move objects along a pre-determined path. For instance, an archer could shoot an arrow while creating a wind funnel to ensure the arrow reached its intended target, even with bends and curves. But according to Ser James, the Storm Warriors of old didn't need arrows for they could send instead a wind blade, a sharp slicing air current that could cut through stone even - a feat that was beyond him.

As he showed me unique applications of wind, I picked them up with considerable ease that often stunned him. I didn't have the heart to tell him that my ability was well beyond his – for I had the full potential of an air elemental and would eventually even unlock abilities with other elements, but for now, I was happy to just learn what all I could from Ser James before he left on his travels.

"But truly, you do not want to use any of those abilities openly," said Ser James. "And therefore, it is the subtle ways of the wind that are more useful."

He showed me how he used wind to direct his movements, making them more agile, using wind to push him faster or jump a bit higher or just pull off an impossible footwork or hand-eye coordination that defied belief when one saw it. Moreover, a more advanced variant of the wind shield was a wind armour, like an invisible armour of air around one's body as one fought with the sword, so that anytime an opponent's weapon or fist came in contact with that armour, it would be deflected, and they would simply think they missed their target.

So, for a while I had fallen into a very specific routine. I would wake up at the crack of dawn and spend a few hours with Ser James. Then, I would have a quick bite and join grandmother and study about the history and customs of the Seven Kingdoms until she tired of me and I would then tend to my spying duty until lunch, when I attended to King Aerys again. The King lunched often with members of the Small Council who wished to discuss matters of importance or with other courtiers who had sought specific appointments. After the King finished lunch, I would have full freedom to go over the leftovers - of which there was always more than enough. Then, I would spend the day spying until dinner time, when I attended to King Aerys again. After dinner, I would give the King a brief update on anything of interest I had found out and then the King would dismiss me and go to his concubines, while I would continue spying or if Ser James was not out drinking, we would continue training with wind or discussing about various applications of wind. For instance, my ability to use wind to hear what people were discussing in a distance was new to him and one that I ended up teaching him.

Soon, I justified my role as the King's spy by discovering several things of importance.

For instance, I discovered that Lord Tywin Lannister had finally tired of the King going against his counsel and decided to deliberately give the opposite advice to what he wanted – so when King Aerys ruled against Tywin's counsel, he would actually be ruling in line with what Tywin desired. When I informed King Aerys that in the matter of the border dispute between House Blackwood and House Bracknell, the Hand was going to suggest House Blackwood but wanted the ruling to go with House Bracknell, to create a precedent that would benefit House Lannister in its own border dispute against House Tully, the King was enraged. In his fury, he flung his jug of wine at me and a sudden wind spike was what kept it from hitting my face although I was completely drenched in wine. He did not say a word to me but later I heard the entire court was stunned when the King welcomed Lord Tywin's counsel to rule in favour of House Blackwood and showered him with praise in his wisdom and made that ruling a binding precedent to be followed on all similar disputes going forward.

Another time, I discovered that the Master of Coin was taking bribes from nobles to award contracts to establish business in King's Landing or to reduce the taxes payable by them. The King was enraged and demanded me to obtain evidence while gripping my arm so tightly that it bruised for days. But I was able to do what he wanted by using my Telekinesis from the secret passage to remove some documents from the Master of Coin's personal files from his locked chamber and used wind to push the window open and floated the documents out. When I handed them to the King, he did not say a word to me but the next day I learnt the Master of Coin was imprisoned for corruption with the King claiming the credit for unearthing it, something that his supposedly capable Hand had either missed or condoned, and a new rule was made that only nobles could take seats as Hand, Master of Coin, Master of Laws or Master of Ships in the Small Council, to remove the temptation of corruption.

But all of those things paled against the great conspiracy I quite accidentally stumbled upon. I wasn't even in the catacombs but just simply wandering around when I saw something unusual – one of the King's favoured concubines was meeting in clandestine with a visiting Septon – I obviously used wind to pull their words to me.

"Do you have anything?" asked the Septon.

"Yes," said the other, revealing something. "The King gave this necklace to me for pleasing all of his abnormal urges last night. We must get this to Simon."

The Septon sighed as he took the necklace. "It pains me, my sweet sister, to hear of what you must endure at the hands of one belonging to that monstrous family… but well done."

"Do not worry about me, dear brother," she said bravely. "I only play my part – as do the rest of you – in bringing down the tyranny of House Targaryen and bringing them to justice for the role they played in the massacre of our family, House Toyne."

The Septon nodded. "With the gold we get from this, the Kingswood Brotherhood will buy weapons, armours and other resources needed to become a truly formidable company. The Targaryens will be punished."

I gasped in shock as I realised I had uncovered a major plot. The Kingswood Brotherhood led by the remnants of House Toyne were instrumental in a plot against the king and had infiltrated his personal chambers. I took that knowledge and waited patiently until after dinner that night but to my dismay a feast had been planned for that night as many guests had arrived and I wasn't sure if I would get the chance to speak to the King later that night. You see, whilst everything else was going on, Lord Tywin Lannister was arranging a grand tourney to celebrate a decade of King Aerys' reign for the period of stability and peace that he had brought to the people, and now his family had just arrived at court together with guests from all over the Seven Kingdoms and so the time was right for a feast.

I stood patiently behind the King, trying to catch his eye each time I went forward to refill his cup, but he only had eyes for one person that night. Lady Joanna Lannister. And to be fair, one couldn't blame him, for she was a stunning lady. But while he couldn't cease staring at her, he also insulted her most viciously, one time, going so far as to asking if nursing her children had ruined her breasts? When Aerys said those words, I saw Tywin Lannister's face turn from an irritated frown to complete expressionless – as if he were made of stone and I knew then that Aerys was doing this the wrong way – Tywin Lannister was not a man he wanted to make an enemy of.

The King finally turned to me with an exasperated voice. "What is it, boy? You have been distracting me all through the feast. Speak freely."

I hesitated, not knowing whether the King truly intended me to speak openly or was this another one of his unpredictable mood swings when he just wanted to lash out at someone.

"I trust everyone here," said Aerys. "After all, everyone I can see here are family and servants." He glanced at Tywin Lannister as he said 'servants' and then he turned to me. "So, in the interest of full disclosure to those who have my absolute trust, this boy has been serving me in a dual capacity. He has been my eyes and ears in the Red Keep, reporting directly to me of things that very few others have deemed important to apprise their King. From unfortunate alliances to secret manipulations to inappropriate dalliances, this boy has proven himself to me, despite my Hand's insistence that I should send him away. Let this be the ultimate test – if what the boy reveals now proves to be useless, then I shall listen to Tywin's counsel and the boy shall be banished from the royal court. However, if what he says proves to be useful and something my Hand ought to have known…" He glanced at Tywin. "I will require House Lannister to pardon half of the gold owed to it by the Iron Throne."

"Your grace," Tywin started to protest but when he saw Aerys' glare, he sighed. "As you command."

The King turned to me with a sharp look that promised punishment if I didn't have something good. But fortunately what I had was of the highest significance. I glanced at the people gathered there. The King was in the high seat with the queen and his heir Prince Rhaegar Targaryen on either side. Grandmother sat next to the Queen while Tywin Lannister sat next to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Tywin's family, a bunch of other nobles, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and a few members of the Kingsguard were all present there.

"Your grace, all I wanted to report was," I swallowed uneasily, "that the Lady Malania is sending treasure from the castle through her brother who is here in the guise of a Septon to their other brother Simon Toyne."

The name Simon Toyne drew sharp breaths for he had already acquired much notoriety in his stand against House Targaryen. At the moment, he had been outlawed for speaking ill of the King's line, for sedition and treason, but there was some talk of him beginning to draw other outlaws to his side.

"What proof do you have?" asked Tywin.

I turned to the King. "I saw her hand a necklace with a large red stone in the middle to the Septon." I knew he didn't need real evidence and describing that necklace would be sufficient for him as he would have gifted her privately. His conviction was sufficient.

The King's eyes widened in shock and it was clear to everyone that he now believed me. "She stole it from me," he said, although no one believed him and realised he had gifted it to her. "Summon that wench. I shall have the truth out of her own mouth."

Ser Harlan Grandison left although I wondered if someone younger should have been sent instead of that old knight. And sure enough he returned after twenty troubled minutes of silence, with a grave expression.

"Your grace, when I asked Lady Malania to follow me, she nodded and said she just needed to wear a more appropriate gown… I had no indication to believe otherwise… but after several minutes of silence, I walked inside her chamber and saw she… she had stabbed herself in the heart with a knife."

The King slammed his fist on the table in fury. "How could this happen?" he yelled. "How could a member of a family that is sworn against House Targaryen get within my chambers?"

"You invited her to your bed," muttered the Queen, and the King turned to her with a murderous glare, and I wondered why would she be so foolish as to tempt his wrath. Did she not know any better? "No, Aerys, I shall have my say. You brought her in and the Seven alone know what evil she has done. I cannot stand this any longer. If you must have your mistresses, then fine, but house them somewhere other than next door to your Queen. And for the Mother's Sake, do not blame me for the loss of our children when it appears the hand that brought their murderer in might have been –" Aerys slapped her.

"Father!" Prince Rhaegar reached out and grabbed his father's arm before he could hit his queen again. "Enough of this madness."

"Mad, am I?" Aerys snapped, turning hateful eyes at his son. "Aerys, the Mad King, am I? Is that what you want me to be called, son, so you can ride as a shining knight to save the realm from the madness of the Mad King?"

"No, father, that is not what I want," Rhaegar sounded tired. "We are not alone here."

Aerys looked around and slowly lowered his hand. He turned to the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Gerold Hightower and barked out, "Find this Toyne Septon… I want the Red Keep cleansed of every potential traitor." He turned to Tywin Lannister. "As my Hand, I name you responsible for this mess. I want it sorted by morning." He then turned around and started leaving, pausing only to turn to me, "You, boy, what are you waiting for? Do you need some kind of special invitation? Follow me."

I didn't hesitate and quickly sprang into action. As I walked, I saw the eyes of Tywin Lannister follow me with an inscrutable expression while his two young children – about my age but with greater innocence – just looked at me in confusion.

The King walked to the Maidenvault, a place he probably hadn't been ever before in his life, but at that time it seemed like he simply had nowhere else to go. "I told them to clean this place," he muttered distastefully as he walked into the hall. "Why have they not replaced these old and crumbling furniture?"

I didn't know how to answer and remained silent and after a few moments, the King sighed, "My list of allies runs thin. It appears I cannot trust my Hand, my Queen or even my son now and I do not know which of my Kingsguard would choose to keep faith with me over one of them. You are a child and yet - I find that I need to be certain of your loyalty to me, boy."

"How can I prove my loyalty, your grace?"

"You cannot," said the King. "But I can." He was silent for a few moments and then he nodded. "They have all told you time and again that as a bastard you will never amount to anything, no?"

I nodded, as my ears turned pink.

"My Hand sees you as an inconvenience that should be gotten rid of," said the King. "My Queen and my Heir probably did not even know of your existence until tonight. Yes, my aunt feels responsible for your future but she too does not see you reach beyond the confines of your birth - same as your own father." Every word he said felt like another nail into my dignity and ego and the thing was, he knew it. "But I am not like any of them, boy, for I am King. And I have dragon dreams in which I can see beyond the veils of reality," he said, and I was surprised by the intensity and gentleness of his voice, "I see your worth perhaps better than even you do."

I drew a sharp breath. Could it be that he knew my abilities?

"For years, I have had the same dream… I see a lion stand watching with glee while hounds butchered dragon cubs… but seven days before your arrival, the dream changed and for seven nights in a row, I saw the same dream… I saw a winged stag push back the hounds."

I gasped in surprise.

"At first, I used to believe Lannister was behind the deaths of my children but then I knew this wasn't a dream about the past but a prophecy for the future," he said. "And I know in my heart that the winged stag is you."

"Your grace," I didn't know how to respond, but he was correct for my elemental form was supposed to be a winged stag.

"So, Harren Storm, I know they are wrong," he began slowly. "And I shall see you rise to your full potential because of this prophecy I have seen in my dreams. You can be certain of my intent due to the dream I just told you and – well – if you now choose to betray me, you will only be hurting yourself."

And so, my loyalty turned towards Aerys, who would one day be known with moniker he had thrown around earlier that night, Aerys, the Mad King.

The tourney was rather anticlimactic, especially when the King refused to make an appearance, and the Hand was left with a crowd of displeased smallfolk who had hoped to cheer their King. I went to see parts of it on the first day when the melee and the archery took place, mainly because Ser James was participating in the archery, and I wanted to place a rather hefty bet on him. Of course, the fact that I knew Ser James had also placed a bet on him to make even more gold for his travels, and we both knew he was going to win using wind manipulation was not strictly speaking ethical, but who cared.

There was one surprise I hadn't expected.

"Harren, over here!" a familiar voice called out and I saw Robert who had grown several inches since I last saw him.

I rushed towards my half-brother. "Robert! I didn't know you were coming."

"I wrote to Storm's End but by the time father's raven arrived, telling me he had sent you here, it was too late as we were already departing," said Robert. "This is Ned Stark. I have told you about him before, no?"

Only a million times, I mused, but I nodded and shook hands with Ned Stark, who looked an unlikely friend for Robert to have, much more serious and the type who wouldn't look so kindly upon unethical things. But I could be wrong.

"Harren's my brother," said Robert. "My half-brother, to be frank, but he's a lot more fun than Stannis and I like him more."

"Don't let your mother hear you compare your trueborn brother to the bastard," I shot back with a smile and Robert nodded in agreement.

"I won't tell her if you don't," he laughed.

"You lads up for a wager? I was going to find the bookmaker."

"I am not sure that is a good idea," began Ned, as I had expected but Robert was grinning from ear to ear.

"Sure, I have three gold dragons," said Robert.

"I have ten," I said, all the gold was given to me by father before his departure. "I am putting it all on my trainer, Ser James Potter."

"Of the Hollow?" Robert seemed surprised. "I have never heard of Ser James participate in archery before. That's a fair amount of gold to put on a rookie."

"This may be his first tourney, Robert, but he's no rookie," I mentioned.

"I will put my gold on old Fletcher Dick," said Robert. "He was likely winning archery tournaments even before Ser James was born."

"Ha!" I grinned, but privately somewhat anxious. Fletcher Dick was actually renowned in all the Stormlands and the Crownlands as the finest bowman in Westeros, having won over a dozen archery tournaments, and I suddenly wondered if he too had some kind of Air Elemental ability. Ah well, the dye was cast, I mused, or more appropriately the arrow was released - I couldn't walk away from my strong words of faith towards Ser James now.

As the three of us wandered around the grounds where the tourney was being held, we saw various stalls set up by merchants from all over Westeros, and in some cases, even beyond Westeros. So, by the time we reached the bookmaker, Robert was already down to one gold dragon, having spent the rest of his gold on food and drinks and to be fair to him, he insisted on buying for all three of us. There was one thing you had to say about Robert – he lived life to the full and he made sure he made his friends do so as well.

"What are the odds on Ser James Potter for the archery?" I asked, asking the first bookmaker I saw.

"Ah, young master," the man looked at the three of us well-dressed young boys and probably thought he had some easy money in the near future, "Welcome to Bagman's, the preferred bookmakers in the tourneys of Westeros since 110 AC. I, Ludovic Bagman, shall ensure the three of you get the best odds on your preferred wagers."

I tried not to look impressed at finding yet another Harry Potter counterpart and feigned an air of impatience. "Ser James Potter for the archery," I repeated.

"James Potter?" Ludovic sounded surprised. He looked at his charts and raised an eyebrow in delight. "I can offer you excellent odds for that. Twelve to one."

I took out my ten gold dragons and Ludovic's eyes widened in shock. I could see that he was suddenly anxious – if I won the wager, he would need to pay me a proper fortune of 120 gold dragons, more gold than what the vast majority of smallfolk would see in their lifetime.

"Are you certain?" he asked circumspectly. "May I suggest a safer bet, like Old Fletcher Dick? If you put your gold behind him, you will still earn a full gold dragon on top."

I shook my head. "Ser James Potter," I repeated. "Otherwise, I can find a different bookmaker."

Robert, meanwhile, was off the idea of a bet. "So, by that accounting, I will stand to win a silver moon but I could lose my gold. I think I'll save my gold for ale and… other things."

But I took my signed receipt with Bagman's stamp and proceeded to the arena where the melee was about to begin. The melee was what got the smallfolk most interested as many of their own number were permitted to participate. Both the melee and the archery had hefty rewards in gold; whereas the only reward for jousting was the opportunity to name a maiden as the Queen of Love and Beauty and to open the dances before the feast with her and the risk of losing was to forfeit your weapons, armour and horse to the one who defeated you – although it was common practice for the victor to name a nominal ransom for the return of the armour, weapons and horse. Therefore, jousting was often seen as a noble's pursuit whereas the smallfolk took their chances at the melee and the archery.

"Who's that?" asked Ned, pointing at a savage looking man.

"Big Belly Ben," said Robert. "He's a legend in the tavern strong man competitions."

"And that's Ser Willem Whent of Harrenhal," said Ned.

"Oh, yes!" said Robert. He explained for my benefit. "We met him briefly in a tourney at Gulltown last year. He fought so well and eliminated half the warriors and continued fighting to the very end despite a broken ankle that Lord Marq Grafton knighted him even though he didn't win the melee."

"Is it normal for noble knights to participate in melees?" I asked curiously.

"Not normal," said Robert. "But the Whents are different. They were only recently ennobled a few generations ago and although Harrenhal is the largest castle in Westeros, the Whents do not have the gold to keep it in good repair. I hear Lord Arthur and Lady Molly Whent have been desperately seeking betrothals for their six sons with wealthy merchants who would be able to offer them a suitable dowry."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Whents were clearly the Weasleys of this world. But how did that work? The counterpart of William Weasley was already in his prime of youth whereas the counterpart of Harry Potter wasn't even born – so, perhaps, I mused, the people have counterparts but they may not be in the same place in the timeline – that was annoying, what if I never got to meet the ones I was most interested in seeing? Such as, Hermione, Fleur, Ginny, Nymphadora and any other attractive girl from that life, to be honest.

The melee was fun and somewhat brutal and although we were fascinated by it, both Robert and I booed in disgust when one man attacked Ser Willem from behind while three others charged at him from the front – clearly, they wanted to take out the nobleman before they fought each other.

"It's in our blood, Harren," explained Robert. "They called great grandfather Lyonel the Laughing Storm for he would laugh as he struck down his opponents. You and I are like him – for ours is the fury and not the coward's trick."

But the melee kept fascinating us as Ser Willem managed to fend off the concentrated attack on him long enough for the others to get bored and start fighting amongst each other until eventually Ser Willem won the melee. I cheered him together with Robert and Ned and half the audience – not because he was a noble – but because he had fought with greater spirit than anyone else in there and everyone knew it.

"It's the archery next!" I was excited.

The archery competition had a dozen participants who had made it through the qualifying round to the main tournament. Over a series of elimination rounds, the archers kept aiming for individual targets at progressively greater distances, with the worst one eliminated each round. Until finally, it was down to Fletcher Dick against Ser James Potter. The final round was one of moving targets – and Ser Barristan fired three arrows up in the air in turn and each of the finalists would take turns to try and hit the moving arrow.

Fletcher Dick missed the first time by a fair distance but he barely missed it by an inch the second time and he hit the moving arrow the third time, bringing the crowd to their feet. But clearly he was not an Air Elemental so I had nothing to be afraid of. When Ser James took aim, the applause was considerably lacklustre but I felt and could just about visualise him channel wind, creating a funnel that would take his arrow along a path that would collide with the moving arrow. But he fired another arrow after that and then a third one, each through different funnels, and each perfectly measuring the change in trajectory by the previous arrow, and the end result was, Ser James hit Ser Barristan's arrow, and then hit his first arrow and then he hit his second arrow. For several moments, there was complete silence and then the crowd erupted like nothing I had heard before.

I ignored the cheers and made my way towards the bookmaker, who was hastily beginning to shut his stall.

"Mr Bagman," I called out. "I would like to collect my winnings."

"Ah, you s-see, about th-that," he stammered. "I am not sure you were allowed to participate by your parents, so let's just call it evens and I'll be off." He tossed me my 10 gold dragons back. "I have to leave now."

I sent a wind swipe, making him trip and fall face first into the mud. "Help!" I cried out. "Is there a guard here?" I yelled. "This man is cheating me of my winnings."

"Shh. Not so loud, you will ruin me."

"Bagman's!" someone spat in disgust, another bookmaker I assumed. "Never trust a Bagman, lad. I would not trust him to honour even a blood debt. Now, do you have a witness?"

"I, Robert of House Baratheon, am a witness as is my friend here, Eddard of House Stark," Robert called out.

Bagman's face turned deathly pale when he realised he had tried to cheat someone who had connections with two great houses.

"But that is beside the point," I said. "I am sure we can take this to the King and explain to him that a bookmaker tried to cheat his cupbearer."

"You win," sighed Ludovic Bagman, now his face was completely drained of all colour. "I am ruined now, I hope you are happy."

I glared back at him. "If one bet could ruin you, I don't think you are particularly good at your job."

Later that night, I resumed my spying duty merely because I was tired of seeing everyone else drunk while I wasn't permitted to drink alcoholic beverages. I was just wandering around when I saw something unusual –

The Hand of the Tower was strangely empty, which was odd given Tywin Lannister and his family had excused themselves from the feast very early. Lord Tywin was easy to locate – he was in the Small Council chamber pouring over some urgent work the King had given him. But the whereabouts of the remaining Lannisters stunned me. I found the twins Cersei and Jaime in the dungeons, like any other children, clearly they were exploring the Red Keep as an adventure. But what shocked me was when I saw them, Jaime's pants were down and Cersei was fondling his little penis while her robes were also undone to reveal her bare chest.

They were barely six year old children and of course, this wasn't going to lead to anything much more than that, but to see them being sexually adventurous was quite troubling. I shuddered and decided to swiftly move on - this was wrong at so many levels and I had to simply get away from this unnaturalness.

But as I made my way back to the Maidenvault, I found their mother, entwined in the arms of the King, in an unused chamber close to mine. They had clearly been engaged in sexual activities and I took a deep breath as I saw the beautiful bosom of Joanna Lannister.

"Do you forgive me for my insensitive words at the feast, my dear?" asked the King.

"Of course, my sweet king, I know you spoke out of jealousy," Lady Joanna whispered into his chest where her head was nestled.

Aerys looked a little mad. "It irks me so much that the woman that has my heart must belong to my servant."

"I know," she said. "But you must let him come home from time to time, my sweet. I need a husband and it isn't fair to me to be alone all the time whilst you make love with the Queen and your many mistresses. In return, I promise," she kissed his cheek, "every time I come to court, I will find a way. I will find you."

Aerys sighed. "Perhaps, you are right. A little distance between myself and my Hand might ease our relationship. Very well, I will give him leave to return to Casterly Rock and tend to affairs of the Westerlands, if he is of such mind. He can dispense with his duties as Hand of the King from there."

"Thank you, your grace," she said.

"Now, you must return to your chambers," said Aerys. "My Hand should soon be finishing up the 'urgent' task I gave him for tonight."

Both Aerys and I watched as Lady Joanna Lannister got up and gracefully slid back into her dress and then turned around and left. I remained very still for I knew I had stumbled upon a secret that could cost me my life and for a moment, Aerys had stilled and turned his gaze towards the general direction where I was standing but then he too got up and grabbed his robes and departed swiftly.

I wasn't sure if he detected my presence and decided to ignore it or if there was nothing more to that look but I sure as hell wasn't going to stay there and find out.

The Red Keep was full of secrets and I was fast becoming privy to many of them.