Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own the collective works of Van Helsing, Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire or anything that may come into the following Fan made piece of fiction. This is meant for enjoyment alone.

"By the words of my house know that I am Never Alone." speech.

'wow, I didn't think stupidity could come in such a small package as that Joffrey cunt.' thought/flashback monologuing.

"█▄▄██▄▄▄██▄▄█" Wolf howl/roar/etc.

XxxXxxXxxX

Previously:

Aerys visage darkened for a moment so brief that none but Lucian noticed it before it was buried underneath the countenance of a magnanimous ruler. "The Lannisters are one of the few houses across my lands that understand the worth and value of a debt. If it is as you say, then I will expect this man to be rewarded as such."

With a bow in understanding at the unspoken order; 'reward him richly', Tywin returned his gaze to the dark haired man and fell silent once more.

"You never told me from which house you hail from Lucian." Aerys stated as he ignored Tywin to address the Savior of Joanna. "I know the faces of every Lord that bends the knee to me and so do not recognise your bearing. Am I correct in the belief that you are either lowborn or not of these lands?"

"That is correct Your Grace." Lucian nodded. "My homeland rests far beyond these shores. One that I can never return to I fear."

"I see. Then perhaps I will, in the future see more of the name you make for yourself Lucian." The King mused. "Yes, I think I will see far more of you in the years ahead."

XxxXxxXxxX

Lucian waited, patiently, outside the door that lead to the personal chambers to the Hand of the King. He had been instructed by Tywin to wait while the man spoke to his Lady-Wife in private. It didn't concern the man all that much so he had easily followed the instruction. He had been able to more or less ignore the constant smell of shit that Kings Landing exuded by this point. It had the side effect of removing his sense of smell completely while in this place but at least he no longer had to feel as if he were head first in a cesspit.

The door opened with a creak, drawing the attention of the grey eyed man and he turned to see the face of Joanna peering out at him. "Thank you for waiting. My Lord- Husband is ready to receive you now."

The door opened wider, allowing the Werewolf entrance and the first thing that Lucian noticed was the sense of modest wealth. There were no gaudy gold decorative pieces, expensive tapestries or portraits hanging from the walls. Only beautifully built and carved wooden furniture and a single hanging flag of the Lannister standard hanging from a wall to the side of the room. Seated behind the only desk in the office, looking at him carefully and with notable focus was Joanna's Husband; Tywin Lannister.

Joanna walked behind the desk and rested a hand on Tywin's shoulder, eliciting a response from the stern looking man as his shoulders relaxed noticeably before she moved over to the side of the room where a comfortable looking chair was positioned by two bassinets holding the Children; Cersei and Jaime.

It was only thanks to barely remembered lessons in etiquette from his time in the Holy Order that had Lucian remain standing before the young Lord and his Lady-Wife until Tywin gestured for him to be seated with a hand.

Lucian did so only after offering a bow of his head before pulling out the wooden chair that had been offered him and eased himself into it, ignoring the groaning as it fought to carry his weight.

When the chair had ceased its groaning, Lucian eased back against the backrest and rested his forearms against the armrests.

"I will repeat myself, I owe you a great debt for what you have done." Tywin began, briefly turning to look up at his beloved wife. "Had you not intervened I fear that this day would have come to bear very different news."

Lucian returned the gratitude with a small smile. "It was my honor to have come to the defence of such a strong Lady. I cannot think of any other that could have shown such courage and strength to retain her wits in a situation like that."

Joanna smiled at the compliment afforded to her while Tywin simply cocked an eyebrow in interest, taking note that not only did this large man know enough to praise his wife in a manner that did not offend him, but did not go too far like the King was known to.

"What I said in the throne room before the King was not empty words." Tywin continued. "i do owe you for your actions, but not simply once over. A debt owed for each Lannister life saved I believe my words were?"

Joanna nodded when Tywin looked up to her for confirmation. Unneeded it may have been but the gesture was recognised for what it was; the desire to include her in the rewarding of the savior of the Lady of Casterly Rock.

"I am afraid that such generosity would be wasted on me My Lord." Lucian admitted with a small frown. "With my current situation my needs are simple. All I have in this world are the clothes on my back and what I carried with me here to King's Landing."

"You said you hail from a distant land?" Joanna spoke up, her expression showing concern for the apparent plight of her savior.

Lucian nodded. "I was born and raised in a land called Romania. Due to unforeseen circumstances I was forced to leave my homeland behind, never to return. I am new to these shores. If anything; I would desire a place to call home."

The man looked down for a moment, staring at his hands and thinking back to his younger days before he had been cursed for the crime of helping his friend; back when he had given his blood and steel to the defence of the realm against the monsters and demons of the unseen world.

"And a reason to keep going." He breathed out in melancholy, he honestly missed those days.

"What was your position before coming to Westeros?" Tywin asked, his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his desk as he clasped his hands together beneath his chin.

"My father was a Smith, my mother a simple Housekeeper." Lucian answered with an honest shrug. "By good fortune my family was in the employ of an Order of Knights that saw me worthy to enter their ranks."

The Hand of the King's mouth twitched upward into a smirk. "I suspected as much. You have far too refined a bearing to truly belong amongst the Small-Folk. And you were made a Knight by this Order? For what reason?"

"My family answered to a local lord and member of this Order; a man by the name of Vladislaus Dragulia of House Tepes. Through him my father forged weaponry and armor. I was learning under my father when I first met him." Lucian smiled at the memory, remembering how so much larger than life his friend had looked in his armor from atop his steed. "Over time he taught me how to hold a sword and to defend myself. From my understanding I must have impressed him with how quickly I took in his lessons and soon enough he took me to be his Squire."

"And this was accepted?" Joanna asked in curiosity. It was nigh unheard of here in Westeros; the very idea of a Knight, Noble or Landed, taking a peasant as their Squire.

"I quickly learned in my early days under his tutelage that one does not simply say 'no' to the Lord of House Tepes." Lucian smiled in amusement. "I trained hard and devoted every drop of blood in my body to making him proud. Something I succeeded in when I was Knighted when I turned eighteen."

"But you are here now." Tywin pointed out shrewdly. "What happened for you to be forced to leave?"

Lucian frowned, his muscles clenching and the chair groaning once again under his weight as his body flexed unconsciously with the power of the Wolf. "I was, cast out from The Order. I committed an unforgivable crime."

"And what was that?"

"I chose to remain loyal to my friend rather than turn on him like the rest of The Order." Lucian said evenly, his grey eyes turning cold with the determination that clearly told the tale that, even now; he did not regret taking the side of his friend.

The look in the mountain of a man caused Joanna to flinch despite herself. It was the look of a man who had suffered more than any other and instead of coming out with regret, he had simply emerge harder and sharper; like tempered steel.

Tywin however, gained a sharper glint in his own eye. Such loyalty toward his former Liege-Lord turned friend. Oh what he could do with but a handful of men like this one before him. "You are wrong."

Lucian blinked, caught by surprise at the words of the young Lord before he felt his hands starting to clench from anger at what was starting to sound like an insult to the path he had taken regarding the early days of Vlad's Fall.

"You are wrong when you say that my desire to reward you would be wasted." Tywin elaborated. "I have decided how I will repay the debts owed to you. In your homeland you threw away your good name for the sake of your friend; your Lord. I will take that name and see it given due recognition."

Joanna's eyes widened and she looked down to her Lord-Husband; truly not expecting this decision.

"You were a Knight in your homeland, here you shall be a Lord." Tywin Lannister continued. "Your Banner will fly in service to the Westerlands as a vassal to the Lannister House. In this you will find the purpose that you wish for. For the life of my son, I will gift to you land upon which to govern; to the north of my home of Casterly Rock resides a castle; the ruin of a broken and destroyed house that turned against mine. You will be given the castle and surrounding lands of Castamere."

"Are you sure Husband?" Joanna spoke up, an expression of concern on her face as she looked between the two men. "Reputation aside, Castamere itself is a flooded ruin. Hardly suitable to stand as proper reward."

"I agree." Tywin nodded to his wife, his gaze softening when he looked up to her with a gentle smile. "Which is why Lannister gold will provide men and material to have Castamere restored to its proper and former glory."

Lucian was more stunned than anything else. He had truthfully expected this younger man to shower him in gold, perhaps gift him a weapon from his personal armory. Maybe even re-Knighted to the laws of this new land he found himself in. He had most certainly not expected to be skipping Knighthood and going directly to Lordship and made a vassal under the dominion of the Lord of Casterly Rock who was so highly positioned that he served as the Right Hand to the King of the Seven Kingdoms in addition to his duties as Warden of the West. The apparent gifting of a ruin to him fell more in line with what he would have expected from a Lord; something that was of no use to the Tywin and would force Lucian to put a great deal of work and effort to fix up himself.

But that had expectation had been swiftly negated by Tywin's almost dismissive gesture of claiming that he would see to this ruin's restoration himself and out of his own treasury.

It seemed that Joanna had not been in jest when she had claimed 'A Lannister Always Pays His Debts.'

"I am, well beyond words My Lord." Lucian confessed, genuinely rendered speechless by the gesture and extend to which the man was determined to see his actions in saving the Lady Lannister and her children from death rewarded. "But I don't know the first thing about managing such an estate, much less the customs and intricacies of Westeros. Do you not risk shame by placing an ignorant foreigner such as myself in such position?"

Tywin nodded, conceding the point that had been raised. "Which is why, as payment for the third debt; the life of my daughter, I will personally see to it that you are properly educated by King's Landing's Grand Maester Pycelle. He will see to it that you are educated in every regard of our world. When it comes to the politics and intricacies of your new station however; I will personally see to it you are capable of fitting in amongst the other bannermen of the Westerlands."

Lucian raised an eyebrow in interest. This was no small thing. Personal instruction from high tier nobility. Tywin Lannister sat under the weight of his duties, not only as the ruling Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of The West, but as Hand of the King. And yet, he was prepared to take on the task of teaching him what it was to be a Lord of Westeros.

Tywin didn't know it at the time. But in truth; this ignited that first spark of loyalty and respect that would come to grow into a raging inferno between the Wolf of the West and the Lion of the Rock.

XxxX

Lucian's entry into Nobility had proven to be a swift ordeal. As per his request; King Aerys had been dutifully informed by Tywin Lannister as to how he had reward with Joanna's Champion. The Targaryen King had been pleased to the point of ecstatic to hear that his Hand had elevated the man to what he considered appropriate standing. When he had been told that this new lord was to be given the land and holdings of Castamere however, the King had demanded that the Crown lend its weight and gold to the efforts of seeing to its restoration.

Tywin had explained to a confused Lucian that King Aerys had long since fostered an unhealthy affection for his Lady-Wife and so such a response was not entirely unexpected. That the Lannister's were set to see to Castamere's restoration would have only served to increase Aerys' resolve to get involved.

In the months following, Lucian had quickly acclimatised himself to the Red Keep of King's Landing. Through some measure of effort he had been able to ignore the potent odor of shit and piss that wafted up from the city itself into the Red Keep by more or less turning off his sense of smell. Joanna had spent some time with her husband; pulling Tywin away from his work so that he could spend time with his newborn children. Lucian had refrained from commenting on it, but he had seen the residual traces of open joy on the man's face when they had met in the Tower of the Hand for lessons before the Lord in question could hide them beneath his more stoic professionalism.

Pycelle was someone that Lucian had quickly grown to dislike. The middle aged man had carried himself like someone decades older and yet moved with the surety of a younger man. Lucian had little trust to offer a man who practised such deceit so easily. Pycelle himself had attempted to convey early on in the lessons to the newly titled Lord a sense of obedience and obligation to the man that had elevated him. Lucian had simply glowered at the man to the point where Pycelle had very nearly soiled himself after which the Grand Maester no longer tried to indoctrinate him into being a lapdog to the Lannister name.

Lucian's loyalty was given to those who earned it. Not for any other reason.

Regardless of the tension between the two, Lucian took to his lessons under Pycelle well enough. Learning the history of Westeros, the First men and the Andals. It had been interesting to learn of the Geography of the land and to learn of its seasons; specifically that Westeros and its neighbor of Essos seemed to have only two of them; Winter and Not-Winter.

Currently Lucian was returning to the Tower of the hand, a roll of parchment tucked under an arm and a small wooden box held in his hands.

The door to Tywin's office was open; the Hand of the King having expected him to arrive at this time which allowed Lucian to enter without delay, pausing only to kick the door closed behind him.

Joanna had departed for Casterly Rock two days ago by this point; under a reinforced guard detail that had comprised of well over two thirds of Tywin's personal knights and men-at-arms. With the absence of wife and children Tywin's mood had taken a drop, but thankfully the gratitude the Lord felt toward his new Bannerman had allowed for Lucian to not be cut off as a result of the shift in temper.

"I take it that Pycelle has finished his work in formalising the details in establishing your House." The golden haired man said when he looked up to see the much taller man enter, arms laden with the evidence of the reward given to the newly minted Lord.

"The Grand Maester would have liked it if I had taken a different choice regarding the details of my House, but I made my point clear in the end." Lucian pointed out as he sat himself down at Tywin's permission.

This time the chair did not creak or groan at the addition of his weight; this one having been custom made for the specific purpose of handling the size of its occupant.

"I am aware." Tywin acknowledged. "Grand Maester Pycelle did attempt to bring my weight to veto many of the decisions you reached regarding the details of your House. He was silent on the matter but I could tell the displeasure he felt when I pointed out my approval in the direction you have taken."

At Tywin's encouragement, Lucian placed the wooden box to the side of the Hand's desk before unrolling the parchment before the two.

"Blood." Tywin commented with a raised eyebrow as he eyed the name that his Bannerman had taken. "I will admit I was curious to learn that you had selected that as the name for your House and future family. Unique."

Lucian nodded in agreement. "In a sense it is. But there is meaning, if only to me that lead me to make such a decision. Everything I am is because of blood. For the most part, all I have left of my mother and father is the blood that flows through my body. The man I became as a Knight was because of the blood I shed and the bond I once had to my friend and master was bound in the blood of brotherhood."

It went unsaid that in addition to what he had just told Tywin, there had also been the fact that the monster that his friend Vlad had become had kept him a prisoner for centuries for no other reason than to make use of his blood in the creation of his 'pets'. His blood had been a big part of his life; for good and bad.

"Lucian Blood." Tywin tested the words aloud before smirking. "It's a powerful name. I like it."

Moving on from the name of the House that was to take ownership of Castamere, Tywin directed his attention to the Heraldry. The skull of a wolf, colored red placed over a white crescent moon with a field of black. It was, fitting. Tywin felt it appropriate considering he was oft left feeling like he was staring at a wolf when Lucian would meet his stare. At first he had thought that Lucian was making an attempt to claim the same symbol as the Lords of the North; House Stark. But Pycelle had informed him that this was no Direwolf.

A small difference, but enough to avoid stepping on the toes of the Great Wolf of Winterfell; Rickard Stark.

"I have always identified with wolves." Lucian said, seeing Tywin's gaze move further down the parchment to the words that had been chosen to connect to his House. "Pack animals; they ally together with the understanding that they are only as strong, as effective as their weakest member."

Never Alone.

"In Romania I was always one of many Knights that travelled the land to ensure the security of those that lived there. I could always trust the safety of my own life in the hands of the man that stood to my left."

It was also a hope. Dracula had enjoyed tormenting him with the singular fact that no-one would ever come to rescue Lucian from the Vampire King. It had been a haunting detail that had very nearly sent him to madness whenever The Monster reminded him; 'you are alone.'

The Lion of Casterly Rock nodded his approval. Powerful words. Simply and not overly grand like House Baratheon's 'Ours is the Fury.' But powerful all the same.

Turning from the parchment that had only what limited information Lucian had been able to provide regarding his family tree; being restricted to his mother and father, Tywin reached for the wooden box and pulled it toward him.

Flicking a finger to remove the delicate latch that secured the box before opening it to see two items nestled on a bed of red velvet. A gold signet ring and a larger stamp; both bearing the same mark that would act as the official seal for House Blood.

"Pycelle has of course sent a record of all of this to be recorded within the King's archives." Tywin commented, not bothering to ask as it had to be a foregone conclusion unless the Grand Maester wished to suffer the displeasure of Tywin Lannister.

Lucian nodded. "That was where he was headed as I came here to you."

Tywin nodded in approval; pleased to hear that Pycelle was still smart enough to know better than to impede the advancement of his new vassal.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted any further discussion between the two. Lucian leaned forward to collect his belongings; rolling up the details of his to-be-formed House as the door to The Hand's office opened and a member of the Kingsguard stepped through.

"Apologies for the intrusion Lord Hand."

Tywin peered over to the man, his fierce eyes narrowing slightly. He did not appreciate the presumption that had been made; that this guard had not even waited for permission before entering his Solar. It spoke of Aerys' influence. Whatever reason the Kingsguard had for intruding was obviously at the Kings behest and, by Aerys' reckoning; important enough to warrant the disregard for decorum.

"I take it, Ser Selmy, you have something important to report for you to interrupt like this?" The Lord Lannister spoke tersely, making it quite clear that he was not impressed.

Barristan Selmy; member of the Kingsguard weathered the glower of the displeased Hand of the King. He might not be as experienced in politics as he was in martial combat, but when you have stared down the likes of Maelys the Monstrous during the war of the Ninepenny Kings, it wasn't all that difficult to meet the gaze of the Lion of Casterly Rock without flinching.

"Lord Hand, His Grace the King requests the presence of yourself and your Vassal; Lord-"

"Blood."

Selmy bowed respectfully to the silently watching Lucian. "-Lord Blood, in the Throne room. A matter of some import had arisen."

Tywin said nothing, simply staring at the Kingsguard as if willing Barristan to blink first, after a moment where the other man simply waited and watched, Tywin abandoned his efforts and calmly rose to his feet; turning his gaze from Barristan to Lucian whom had matched his movement to stand.

"Well then, it would not do to keep His Grace waiting."

XxxX

The Throne room was tense and even without his sense of smell, Lucian could practically taste the fear and anger within the room as he entered.

Entering the room in the wake of his Liege-Lord, Lucian looked over the head of Tywin to see a calm faced Aerys seated on his throne looking down to a pathetic looking man who was being held to the ground in his knees in between two members of his Kingsguard.

Standing to the side in the shadow of that terrible monument of death and steel that was the Iron Throne Lucian spied a young, incredibly attractive woman with long silvery-white hair and rich purple eyes wearing a dress that most likely cost more than most peasants could ever earn across several lifetimes.

He had never met this woman before but given what he had been taught regarding the current setting of Westeros by both Pycelle and Tywin, he could make an accurate enough assumption as to her identity: Rhaella Targaryen, the sister-wife of Aerys.

"Good of you to come down from your tower Tywin!" The King called out with a quiet smile when his eyes turned up to the entering Kingsguard, Hand of the King and the newly positioned Vassal of the Westerlands. "I thought you might enjoy sitting in on this."

"I serve at the pleasure of the King, your Grace." Tywin responded with a bow as he came to stand before the Iron Throne, before turning to the Queen. "My Queen."

The woman offered a tight smile in response before stepping back further into the shadows of her husband-brother's throne.

"I spoke with the Grand Maester earlier, Your new Vassal has chosen a worthy name to take for his House." Aerys commented as he turned his attention over to the Werewolf in question. "I am pleased to see that I was correct in my thinking that you will be someone worth watching Lord Blood."

Lucian bowed in response to the regard, still a standing a few paces behind Tywin. "I am honored to be considered so highly your Grace."

Aerys let out a quiet laugh as he shrugged, as if to say 'of course you are' before returning his attention back to the patiently waiting Hand.

"This man here is, or should I say; was, one of my Kingsguard." The King began with a gesture of a hand toward the man that was forced to kneel before the throne. "My Master of Whispers reported to me that one of my protectors had forsaken his vows. At first I was appalled; such a thing could never happen to my beloved Kingsguard."

The bound man let out a groan as the grip of the two Kingsguard holding him down tightened on his shoulders; the men's anger growing at hearing the saddened words of their king.

"My Kingsguard swore oaths under the sight of The Seven; they forsook their names, their right to father children and even their right to inherit the lands of their forefathers. All for the sacred duty of maintaining the peace of the Realm by ensuring the safety and security of their king." The King continued as he rose from his throne to bring a hand up to clutch at his chest. "It was a sacrifice that filled me with pride and love for my glorious defenders. But this one, has made a mockery of his brothers!"

Aerys face twisted from that picture of grief into an image of savage rage as he spat down at the man in question.

"He took a woman as his bride and if that wasn't enough; fathered a child. He broke the pledge he made to me; his King and spat on the honor of those that he swore to stand with in the defence of the Targaryen name!"

Lucian frowned as he looked down from the irate sovereign and to the oath-breaker. Personally it seemed a bit extreme; to require a vow from these men that required them to forever abandon any thought of taking up their family name or even siring families of their own all for the sake of protecting a single man and perhaps his family. However, it was the spirit of the thing that had been broken. It wasn't the fact that this man had gone against the rules of being Kingsguard to take a wife and sire a child, it was the fact that he broke his oath. In the world of Honor, Oaths and Knighthood; your word was beyond sacred. It was the greatest form of currency one could possess. Amongst the Highborn the word of a Knight was worth more than gold itself. That this man would break it so completely like this. It didn't matter what the details of the oath were; it was still unforgivable.

"What have you determined his punishment to be?" Tywin asked, wondering what he was doing here if this man's crime was so clear cut while also making a mental note to talk to Varys. He did not appreciate being the last one to find out anything in the Red Keep.

"I have not decided yet." Aerys replied, seating himself back down and rubbing at his forehead as if to knead the anger out of his expression. "I will not allow him to take The Black, for an oath-breaker I do not see the point in forcing Lord Stark to kill this man when he inevitably breaks his oath there as well."

"Shall I notify The King's Justice that his axe will be needed then?" Tywin asked almost dismissively. He knew his king well enough to know that there would be no other accepted punishment but the most severe.

"I demand Trail By Combat!" The oath-breaker screamed.

Several eyes turned to the man, many amused by the fear that had been in his voice when he had cried out; rightly fearing the axe of the current King's Justice. The man was known for 'forgetting' to sharpen his axe so it usually took more than one blow to remove the head.

Aerys seemed to be the most amused of all as he leaned forward to sneer down at the man. "Trial By Combat Ser Harlik Bracken? Would you truly be willing to spill the blood of one of your brothers simply to save your own skin?"

Harlik, the Kingsguard that had broken his vow and taken a wife swallowed as he looked up to the stone faced visages of his sworn-brothers that held him in place and over to where the Lord Commander Gerold Hightower was watching impassively. Swallowing and steeling himself he turned to look back up to where the king was waiting, an expression that stood at the halfway point between amusement and annoyance on the king's face.

"T-the Seven will find true justice in this." Harlik responded. "If I must put my blade against that of one of my sworn-brothers so that the gods may prove my honor, so be it."

The room was silent for a heartbeat as each and every occupant looked down to the third son of the current Lord of The Stone Hedge. It was his right as any high-born to demand the right of Trial By Combat, even if it it meant fighting and potentially killing your own sworn-brother. It was a grey area regarding the issue of honor.

Could one hold their head high in honor after going through such a trial that resulted in the death of your brother-in-arms, by your own hand no less?

"I am almost tempted to deny you." Aerys confessed in an almost hissed out whisper. "If only to satisfy my own insult to your crime and spare the grief it would cause my True Kingsguard to cut you down."

Tywin raised an eyebrow silently as he saw Lord Hightower take a half step forward out of the corner of his eye; possibly to speak up in an attempt to dissuade his king of that action.

"However, I will allow it. You will have your Trial By Combat, and it will take place here, right now."

At a gesture from the King, the two Kingsguard holding Harlik in place released him and stepped back, repositioning themselves on either side of the steps of the Iron Throne; hands on their swords should the Oath-Breaker prove foolish and attempt to charge their ruler.

"And which of my sworn-brothers will I stand against Your Grace?" Harlik asked as he stood up, picking up his sword as it was tossed to the floor at his feet.

At this, Aerys simply smiled. "None. I will not sully the honor of my Kingsguard by asking them to cut down one of their own, even one as wretched as you Ser Bracken. No I have a different Champion in mind."

"Then who must I cut down to prove myself in the sight of the gods?" The former Kingsguard asked, clenching his fist on the grip of his sword tightly in preparation.

"Lord Lucian Blood."

Once more silence filled the Throne Room as eyes shifted from the smugly grinning King over to the surprised Lucian.

"M-My King are you sure of this?" Lord Commander Hightower asked, stepping forward as he looked over to the newly minted Lord in question. "He has no armor, no weapon. I would be prepared to stand as your Champion."

Aerys just waved a dismissive hand. "I have heard the reports that my Master of Whispers brought back to me concerning his actions in defending the lovely Lady Lannister. From what my Spider tells me, the corpses that Lord Blood left behind prove him capable to act as my Champion, even without a blade. I wish to see for myself the man that saved the life of the woman I hold most dear."

Several eyes narrowed at this.

Tywin made to speak, forcing his fury at having to endure, once again, Aerys speaking of his wife in such a manner; when Lucian stepped forward.

"I would be honored to act as your Champion in this Your Grace." The Werewolf spoke up, locking his eyes on the Oath-Breaker. "I'm not very agreeable to Oath-Breaker's myself truth be told."

"This is not some bandit Lord Blood. Regardless of the state of his honor, Ser Harlik Bracken is an experienced member of the Kingsguard who fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings." Tywin warned. He was not eager to see the Vassal he was investing in cut down so prematurely.

Lucian smiled as he unbuttoned his jacket and pulled it off before dropping it to the floor at his feet. "I am confidant I can handle myself My Lord. But I find this an opportune moment to show you my usefulness as your Vassal. And to ensure that the King see's his justice met."

Tywin took in a deep breath before nodding his assent. He understood that Lucian pointing out he desire to bring justice to the King was more an afterthought than anything else and that the primary goal was to prove himself to his new Liege-Lord. And truth be told, he didn't blame the man for the thought.

"I can have a sword brought for you. Perhaps even convince the King to have one of the Kingsguard give you theirs." He offered.

Lucian simply shook his head as he rolled the sleeves of his silk tunic up to his elbows as he turned to face the determined disgraced Knight. "This won't go on long enough for me to need one."

With that said, Lucian stepped forward, steadily advancing toward the armed and armored Knight. The King had dictated that the Trial would commence immediately so Lucian decided that he would take the man at his word and start; immediately.

Harlik was, despite his situation and the fact that everyone in the room wanted him dead, furious. That the King would name an unarmed man his Champion who was wearing only the fine clothing of a high-born noble and that said Champion would refuse the opportunity to be given at the very least a sword made him enraged.

This new pet of The Warden of the West may have been as large and imposing as a former member of the Kingsguard that had died with the previous king; Ser Duncan the Tall, but size wasn't everything. Especially when size was put up against a man in leather and plate armor wielding deadly steel.

With a snarl; Harlik raised his sword above his head, aiming to bring it down and cut the arrogant 'Champion' in two and put an end to this Trail. Once he was victorious not even the King could challenge his innocence.

It went wrong before he could even commit to the blow.

The moment Harlik was set in his stance; sword raised above his head, Lucian shot forward. Springing across the space between the two with an agility that belied his size to pass through the striking zone and into the Knight's personal space.

Reaching up Lucian grabbed Harlik's sword hand tightly, pinning his weapon in place and preventing him from swinging it down or even freeing himself to try and take a step back to reset himself.

Instead there was a sickening crack as, under the powerful grip of the man, Harlik's fingers broke and his grip on his sword loosened enough that he dropped his weapon with a hiss of pain.

"Out of consideration for The Queen, I'm going to kill you quickly." The grey eyed man intoned; his voice reaching out to all occupants of the Throne Room.

Harlik tried to headbutt the tall man and even lash out with his free hand. He was stopped when he found himself lifted off the ground and all the air in his lungs forced out when what felt like a battering ram slammed into his chest.

Lucian's fist slammed into the center of Harlik's chest with such force that not only did it partially cave in the steel Cuirass enough to put pressure on his chest so that he was having difficulty drawing in breath, but it lifted him a good foot off the ground where he hung, held aloft for a few seconds before Lucian pulled back his fist and allowed the gasping Knight to drop to the ground with a resounding crash.

Lucian didn't even wait for the man to try to get back up onto his feet. Nor did he pick him up. No, the Werewolf simply walked around the gasping Knight before, with one quick and devastating move; raised his foot and slammed it down on his neck.

There was a crack. A sickening wheeze and gurgle as Harlik tried to breath through his destroyed throat. His body shook for a moment as the Knight tried to catch his breath fingers fumbling at the straps of his armor, but after a brief moment, he stilled.

Lucian was silent as everyone in attendance looked at both him and the corpse of the former Kingsguard in a sense of astonished shock and awe. He just looked down at the man that he had just killed absently; contemplating the fact that he could have killed the man quicker. He could have kicked down on the dented Cuirass and stopped the man's heart. He could have just picked him up and snapped his neck; ending his life in an instant.

Instead, he had forced this man to die slowly from suffocation and in incredible pain from a broken spine and crushed windpipe.

With a shake of his head, Lucian dismissed those thoughts. The man was an Oath-Breaker. Regardless of what had been done to make him so, the fact remained that Lucian would not abide it and so had dealt with the man accordingly.

Walking back to where he had dropped his coat, Lucian slipped it back on before turning back to face a widely grinning Aerys; eyes alight with an expression of mad glee at what he had just witnessed.

"With your permission Your Grace, I would like to retire to my quarters." Lucian spoke up with a bow of his head. "I feel the need to bathe myself."

Aerys nodded; eyes fixed on the corpse of Harlik Bracken as if it was the most wonderful thing he had seen all week.

XxxXxxXxxX

A/N

Alrighty then.

So first of all, regarding the final moments of this chapter: we've never killed anyone before or put in any real thought regarding how it would be for someone to die like this so obviously we have no idea how long it would take for someone like Harlik to choke to death as he did from the injuries Lucien inflicted on him. For the sake of momentum, we went with some relative quickness.

As for the rest of the chapter; there you go!

Lord Lucian Blood of Castamere!

For people that are not on board with the idea of such a powerful werewolf being a 'beta bitch' to a mere human; we would like to remind you that this is a man that at one point in his life served as a Knight for the betterment of all others. It is what he is familiar with and what he would be comfortable returning to.

So...well… GET OVER IT!

Now regarding Lucian's remembering of Vlad in the sense of both friend and monster:

It is the way he chooses to remember the man that made him a Knight and became his friend. Vlad was his friend, Dracula was the monster who murdered his friend and wore his face.

Next week; Zero Chakra Plan….hopefully.

Read, review, favorite, review, follow, review.

(If you don't get our very careful and subtle hinting….we really want reviews for this. We would like to see Never Alone become a popular GoT story as if is the first of this field of Xover.)