It was the first day after the Sack, and the first day of Robert Baratheon's reign, when Jon Arryn entered the room where the Small Council was reunited. He knew every one of the men that sat at that table in respectful silence, ready to hear the new King's words.
Eddard Stark sat at Robert's left side, looking at unease, like a fish in the net of the angler, while the chair at the King's right was empty. Jon Arryn moved to sit there, between Robert and Tywin Lannister, knowing fully well that that place was meant for him. A brief look at the table, and the Lord of the Eyrie realized that he could trust half of the men in that room at least. While he would not be foolish enough to trust Tywin Lannister or the Spider sitting at the other side of the table, at least he knew that Ser Barristan Selmy was loyal to the crown, and so was Eddard.
"What do you mean escaped?" Even if he was struggling to keep calm, Jon knew Robert well enough to hear the dangerous edge in the King's voice as he spoke. His right hand was balled into a fist, nails digging into his palm to keep himself from hitting something. Or someone. Lord Varys' voice, however, was mellifluous as always as he spoke.
"My little birds saw them on a ship, Your Grace. Headed to Essos, they believe, perhaps to join the rest of the survivors." No man in the room seemed surprised by the supposition, even if Tywin's brow furrowed in an attempt to hide the displeasure.
"The Others take your damn little birds." The King cursed, his anger rising with every word pronounced at that table. "I want them dead, the whore and her filthy dragon spawn." He added in a hiss, his fist hitting the table to underline his words.
"The woman does not want revenge, and the child is a newborn, Robert." Eddard intervened, and Jon was at least partially grateful to his ward for speaking his mind. If there was one person in the whole Westeros who could calm His Grace's wrath, that person was the Lord of Winterfell. The children have to die, but Robert may do something rushed, Jon thought.
"I did not ask for your opinion!" The King was shouting now, and rose from his chair.
"Robert…" Jon stood as well, placing his hand on Robert's shoulder to invite the King to sit, but his foster son yanked himself free with a strong pull.
"They will die, and if any of you is too shocked by the thought, well then he better leave the room now." The King's eyes skimmed over every man in the room, one by one, as if he was threatening them to leave. Tywin Lannister sat perfectly still in his chair, and so did Varys, unfazed by the King's rage. Barristan Selmy's mouth pressed in a hard line, and it would be clear that he did not cherish the thought of slaughtering children, but did not flinch.
Eddard Stark, however, slowly rose from his seat.
"The Demon of the Trident… afraid of a sick woman and two babes." He hissed, as if the very words he spoke were insults, and turned his back to the table.
"Get your arse back on that chair, Ned." For a moment, Jon thought that Robert would hit his foster brother, but the Lord of Winterfell simply walked towards the door. "I will have you hanged for treason if you don't get back now." Robert's shouted threat did not make Eddard Stark turn back.
"And I will not have the blood of children on my hands." The Lord of Winterfell replied, giving his foster brother a disgusted look before closing the door behind him and leaving the room. Robert hit the table so hard with his fist that Jon was scared the wood would break from the sheer force of the impact.
"Damn the man and his bloody honour!" The words left Robert's lips as they were spit, and the room fell silent, no one daring to make a single sound.
"Away with the whole lot of you." The King gestured, waving his hand in a form of dismissal. Everyone rose from their chairs and left the room, but when Jon Arryn tried to do the same Robert's voice stopped him.
"No. You stay." The Lord of the Eyrie turned back towards his foster son, now his King, still standing behind the table. He waited for what his ward had to say, prepared to listen to him as he had done many times before.
"I had wanted him as my master of laws, but he's already lucky that I did not have his head on a spike." Jon knew Robert well enough to understand that he did not really mean it. He had always been impulsive, even as a boy, quick to anger and even quicker to forgive, and Eddard was like a brother to him. It was not the prospect of Robert doing something harsh that scared the Lord of the Eyrie.
"This time, I have to agree with you." He paused for a moment, pondering what words would need to be said next. "It is a repulsive thought, but Elia and her children must die." It would have been a lie to say that he liked to think about it, but he knew what had to be done, and he had always been a pragmatic man.
"Ah, at least someone with some sense." Robert was already calmer than he had been bare minutes before, and Jon was not surprised.
"Ned is a good man, however. You should make peace with him." The King nodded slightly, being the first to recognize the man's value even when they had different ideas. "But if you want to give him a prize for helping you win this war, let him go back home." Eddard Stark was a man of the North, and had little love for King's Landing and its mild weather. He had even less love for the intrigues of the court, but Robert did not seem pleased with the prospect of separating himself from a man he considered his brother, more so than Stannis and Renly.
"We will be brothers, once we get Lyanna back. I'll not have him talking to me like this in front of the other lords."
"And you never had a fight with Stannis?" The sound of the King's laughter filled the room, and Jon chuckled with him. After a moment, Robert returned serious.
"I will need a man I trust, Jon. Someone who will not put a knife between my shoulders." The older man nodded at the words, agreeing with his foster son.
"Make Tywin Lannister your master of coin. Make his power come from you, and he will be loyal." That was the only way to make sure that the Lannisters would be loyal to the crown, Jon pondered, but Robert did not seem pleased with the answer.
"That damn son of his is a bloody traitor." He protested. "Amory Lorch clearly said that he was with them, when they ran." Jon knew the story. It was on every mouth of the Red Keep… the son of Tywin Lannister slitting King Aerys' throat with his golden sword, and then helping Princess Elia and her children to flee from the city. Not to mention almost killing Ser Amory, who had however managed to tell the tale to master Pycelle. Now the Kingslayer, as people were taking to name him, was nowhere to be found. The thought worried Jon as well, but he tried to be reasonable.
"Varys will find them. Tywin already disowned his son, and it would not be safe to have him as an enemy." Everyone knew just how dangerous of an enemy the Golden Lion could be when offended, and Robert's reign was too young for another war. It was the way Aerys' reign had ended. The King nodded in silence, realizing that was the only choice he had now.
"What do you suggest me, then?" Jon pondered for a few moments the reply to give to the question, wondering what would be the best course of action to secure Robert's reign. Marry Cersei, not Lyanna, and tie the Lannisters to you. You already have the support of the Starks. Yet, he knew that Robert would not take those words kindly.
"You need to reward those who fought for you… the Tullys will want a seat in your council." He replied, cautious in order not to enrage the King without the need to.
"I will send a raven to Lord Hoster. He has to come to King's Landing, and take his place as my master of laws." Jon nodded, approving of the plan. Robert was not stupid, he pondered, but he was impulsive. Giving the Tullys a seat in the Small Council would be an honour they could not refuse, and a way to ensure their loyalty.
"And what about the master of ships?" Jon asked, pondering of who could be a good choice for the deed.
"Stannis. The man likes his ships more than he likes his betrothed, not that I blame him." Jon nodded at the suggestion. "Plus, I'll not have to see him gritting his teeth all the damn time."
There was a moment of silence, in which neither of them knew what to say. It was the King who spoke first.
"And you shall be my Hand of the King." Jon could not say that the news surprised him. His lips curled up in a smile, knowing fully well that it would have been hard to help Robert reign, yet he was glad that he got to make a part in it.
"It will be a great honour, Your Grace." Robert smiled back, the smile reaching his blue eyes, and Jon thought that this man would be a good king. He only needs someone to guide him.
Author notes:
Here is the third chapter of the story! Sorry for the delay, but I believe the website had some problems yesterday (or maybe that was just me?). Anyway, hope you enjoyed the reading! Now I am going to reply to some of the questions/comments I received :)
I use italics to express directly what a character is thinking in that moment. When you read something in italics, it means that those are the words that pass through the character's mind! I used it also for dialogue, but since I got reviews saying that it can get confusing, I decided to change it. From now on, I will use italics only for the character's thoughts, while dialogue will just be between "...", and no italics!
In the last chapter, I said that Elia would be Queen Regent for Viserys, and I meant it, it was not my mistake. Since Rhaegar was never the King of Westeros, the title would pass to Viserys, and only then to Aegon. Viserys is the son of the late King, while Aegon is the son of the Prince, so he would be behind Viserys in the line of succession! Had Rhaegar been King, then Aegon would be heir. Should Viserys die without heirs, though, Aegon would inherit.
Now a couple of notes about this chapter. I mentioned Lyanna Stark being Robert's bethroted because the events of the Tower of Joy did not happen yet. Lyanna is still alive, and they do not know she is going to die, so she is still bethroted to Robert.
And about Stannis, he is not yet married to Selyse. They are just engaged, at the moment being, the marriage did not happen yet.