Lord Jon Arryn, Hand of the King

Jon felt tired, for the first time he felt his seventy-one years, he felt the ache in his bones, the desire to sleep and not wake up. He was getting too old for this, for all of it. When the rebellion had been fought, he'd known Robert would name him Hand, and so he'd prepared himself mentally and physically for the demands of the job. Robert had not needed his help as much as Jon had first thought and so he'd developed the opposition to the reforms being implemented, though he was always careful to use other people as the face of the movement. Not even the Spider knew he was the reason why the rebellions against Robert had happened. Then Robert had died, and Jon had thought perhaps he would be allowed to retire to the Vale and spend sometime with his family, but no, the King had asked him to be his hand and so he had accepted, and now here he was. Seventy-one, and trying to compete with a court politics that seemed beyond him. His wife, was not happy either.

"I'm telling you Lysa, as far as we know Minisa is safe. There has been little sign that Euron Greyjoy has done anything to her. Varys's spies have been there ensuring she's been kept well fed and safe." Jon said, not for the first time.

His wife however, was not happy with this. "She should not have been there in the first place. The moment Stannis was ordered out onto the seas, you should have summoned her back to King's Landing. Robert has already returned to the Eyrie, why did you not demand that our daughter be brought back? Is she not worth as much as Robert?"

Jon wanted to say no, he had two daughters, but only one son. Robert was the future of the house, his heir, the most important thing that Jon had in this world, of course Robert was more valuable to him than his daughters. But he knew to say that would to continue this argument beyond its natural duration and so instead he said. "You know that is not true." His wife snorted. His patience was beginning to thin. "Lysa had I asked for Minisa to return home once the King had given the order for Stannis to patrol the ships, the King, Lord Stannis and his wife would have all wondered if I was worried about something. You know how important it is that the Hand of the King support the King in his decisions. Regardless, I did not think Stannis would be beaten so easily. He had destroyed Euron Greyjoy at the Battle of Fair Isle." His wife glared at him and so he said. "I know that was a mistake now, but at the time it seemed reasonable."

"So, what is to happen now? Are we to simply wait as the King hesitates between action and inaction? He seems more concerned with courting that bitch Margaery Tyrell than actually figuring out what to do about Euron Greyjoy. The longer he spends procrastinating the more danger our daughter is in. You yourself told me what sort of man Euron Greyjoy is, how are we to know that he does not suddenly take a liking to Minisa?" His wife demanded.

Jon knew his temper was starting to get out of control. He needed to end this conversation and quickly before he said something that he would regret. "I can tell you this because the eunuch's spies have told him that Euron Greyjoy does not even know who our daughter is. He holds Dragonstone and he enjoys the household, not the other accessories. And our daughter was, despite what we might want to think an accessory. She will not be harmed so long as she remains as such." Jon said, and in that moment he was grateful that Minisa was as weak and as insipid as her mother she would not stand out. And to someone such as Euron Greyjoy if you didn't stand out, you were of no interest.

His wife did not seem so satisfied. "I still think that if you suggested to the King that action was needed, he would step up everything that he was doing. He respects you and has listened to you on other things." That was not true, but Jon saw no reason to correct his wife at that point. "I think you are not doing anything because you are too old and do not care. Your daughter is being held hostage by Euron Greyjoy, you command the support of many in King's Landing, if you wanted to you could arrange an escape for her and nobody would complain."

Jon knew all of that already, he did not need this foolish girl to tell him that. He also knew that doing anything of the sort would jeopardise everything he had worked for, and would ensure the King caught onto his plans. That was something he could not allow, but of course he could not tell his wife that, foolish girl that she was, she would likely tell her friends. Instead he said. "Such a thing would go behind the King's back, and the King does not respond favourably to things being done without his knowledge."

"Then tell him!" Lysa shouted. "You are his elder. You can command him!" Jon could feel the ache in his head getting bigger. He scrunched his eyes shut for a moment to fight the pain, as his stomach flared. "I knew you were too old and weak to do anything. I will talk to Petyr he will sort it out."

Jon stepped forward and lurched. "You will do no such thing." He wheezed.

"And are you truly going to stop me?" His wife sneered, a new side emerging. "You can barely move."

Jon wheezed, his stomach was destroying itself. "What's happening?"

There was fear in his wife's voice then, as she ran out and called. "Help, somebody help!" He wondered if he'd underestimated her then.

King Jon I Baratheon

The heat was unbearable, they were all sweating, and he could feel drops of sweat falling from his brow onto his clothes, he'd need to change soon enough. He'd called this meeting of the small council after receiving word that there had been movement on Dragonstone, of course word had come from the eunuch shortly afterwards, therefore Jon was in two minds as to whether to act on it or not. Still, it would not hurt to discuss it with those meant to advise him. He looked at them and then asked. "The Hand of the King shall not be joining us today?"

"Unfortunately not, Sire, he is still abed with his illness." Pycelle said. Jon Arryn had been arguing with his wife when he'd suffered some form of stomach shut down, what exactly it was Jon did not know, but he wondered if the old man was finally dying.

Deciding to not focus on that he said. "Very well, we shall continue without him. This morning, I received word that there had been movement from Dragonstone, Varys if you would give the council the information."

The eunuch smelled of some sort of exotic perfume, Jon did not want to know where he'd been or why he smelled like that, as long as he did his duty. "My little birds report that thirty ships of Euron Greyjoy's fleet left the harbour at Dragonstone. They did not set sail for somewhere such as Rook's Rest due to the lack of suitable port there. Instead it is believed that they are to make for Saltpans, where they will attempt to take the town and establish a base there. The Dothraki led b Khal Drogo were seen to have left on those ships."

Lord Renly spoke then. "I am surprised that these savages were able to operate effectively on ships. I thought they were terrified of water?"

"It seems that they have gotten over that fear. Either Euron Greyjoy has paid them enough to get over their fear, or they are here not for Greyjoy but for someone else." Jon said. "Varys, did your spies happen to see either of the Targaryens?"

"They saw Daenerys Targaryen, Your Majesty. She is heavily pregnant and it seems that she will give birth soon enough, but they did not see Viserys Targaryen. Either he has died and my spies did not see it, or something else has happened and he is elsewhere." The eunuch said.

"You think he has gone to meet with his father's allies? Would your little birds not have picked up on this had he done so?" Renly asked, Jon had noticed how since their little conversation Renly had been less aggressive and more observant, Jon did not buy the act for a moment and indeed was quite convinced that his uncle was still plotting with that faggot who was his lover and perhaps master as well.

"My little birds see much but they do not see all. If Viserys Targaryen was there, then perhaps he has slipped away through some other means, he did grow up on Dragonstone after all. I would not be surprised if he knew of some way or means with which to get out without being seen." The eunuch said.

Lord Redwyne spoke then. "I would say that once the ships are ready that you launch an attack on Dragonstone, Sire. Take the citadel and free those being held prisoner and you would have won a victory that Euron Greyjoy and whichever Targaryen he is fighting for cannot undo. Already we know that the propaganda that you have ordered spread has done them great harm."

"And when will these ships be ready?" Jon asked, he had ordered the construction of several dozen dromonds and other such ships in preparation for an assault on Dragonstone, he knew such ships would be needed to countermand the strength of the fleet Greyjoy had assembled.

"Within the next moon, Your Majesty." Redwyne said.

"Then I want them combat ready for that point." Jon said.

Renly spoke then. "Sire, if the Greyjoys and Dothraki are heading toward Saltpans even if they do not take the city, they will have access to the forks of the Trident, allowing them to sail up as far as possible, if they have brought lesser boats, which knowing Euron Greyjoy they would have done. The Royal Army at Oldstones, has been prepared for combat since the last moon, perhaps ordering it to be there at the Saltpans would be a good idea."

Ser Barristan who rarely spoke during council meetings spoke then. "The army would need to be stationed within the town itself. The Dothraki are not foolish, they know that they cannot take a city with walls as high as Saltpans has. They will move around it and plunder the land. The Royal Army must be prepared to face such a foe, and as such I do not think the army should be sent to Saltpans. We must first see what sort of tactics these savages use."

Baelish spoke then, Jon had had the man watched since the flaws in the records had been noticed. "Sire, such a thing would mean the land is open to pillaging, that would be bad for the confidence that bankers, investors and the merchants have in the crown. It would also mean that there would be a lack of funds coming into the royal coffers, as your own father, King Robert stated that the pillaging of land would stop the Severed Ordinance from being in effect."

"How much money would we lose?" Jon asked.

Baelish looked at his records then said. "Three hundred and sixty thousand dragons."

An amount of that size was not losing, Jon sighed. "Send word to Ser Brynden tell him to prepare the army, to ride for Saltpans, they shall be there to greet the Dothraki with steel and fire." Jon knew that this would be the first of many engagements and he supposed it needed to be done. He would not let savages hurt his kingdom.