"This is shaping up to be an interesting story! I do hope you update with due haste. I greatly enjoy the interactions between Harry and the other characters. It is written in a believable and consice manner befitting of an ageless immoral interacting with the citizens of Westeros. Plus you don't just blurt out all the characters back story or motivations in on sitting. Love writers who can feed readers scraps to keep us reading and guessing the mysteries in the story." - Virgina I
A/N: NOT SLASH!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Summary: Harry Potter has thrived in Westeros for almost a millennium and rarely intervenes in the events that shaped the world, but with an invite to King's Landing for the wedding of King Joffrey and Lady Margaery, he might not be able to help it. The Only King of Braavos, has returned and he will change the rules of the game of thrones.
Chapter 4: New Friends
It was early the next day when Lady Olenna had sent a servant to Harry's quarters and invited him to sup with her that evening.
He was nervous of what she wanted to speak of, there was so many things that had changed in the span of twenty four hours. Harry had learned that Oberyn was to be a judge for the trial, along with Lord Tywin and the cunt Mace Tyrell.
Even after a day of not seeing the man, the mere thought of him made Harry fume. Perhaps it was because the man reminded him of Wormtail. They both only sided with the side that they believed would rise up triumphant and they were both willing to use whatever was at their disposal in order to be a part of that side. Peter had used his friends as an offering and Mace had used his daughter and his armies to secure the Lannister reign.
Sighing, Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. One of the first things that he was thankful for when he had first arrived in this new world was his improved eyesight. It was only on truly long days or when he was overly stressed that his eyes felt strain, but it was a blessing to not to have to wear glasses anymore.
After he had left the Queen Regent the day before, it was not much longer that rumors began to circulate that about him and Lord Tyrion. While no one accused him of helping the dwarf kill his nephew, the whispers that seemed to follow him as he walked to the gardens where Lady Olenna wanted to dine got louder and louder.
It seems like he had gone from being a visiting King and wizard, albeit an unusual one, to an enemy of the country.
No doubt the Queen Regent had spread those rumors and lies around court. She probably counted on the fact that Harry had told her the previous day that he did not want to take the throne or seek revenge against her, and while that was still true, he also did not want to be surrounded by enemies.
Immortality or no, Harry knew that there was some things that were worse than death. And while he indeed powerful, there were others in this world with magic and though many were hiding in shadows, waiting to rise in power, the right price may cause them to step into the light and attack.
Perhaps, he should contact the Iron Bank and see how much of his gold was being used by the ruling class here.
At last, Harry arrived in the gardens. A pretty maid came up and curtseyed low to him, her bosom more visible than any of the other servants that he had come across. No doubt she was from High Garden, as her dress was designed with much warmer weather in mind.
Lady Olenna was not dressed in mourning, she wore a light green dress with golden flowers embroidered into the thick material. Her silver hair sparkled in the sunlight and her toothless smile was almost terrifying.
She did not rise to greet him, unlike everyone else he had encountered in King's Landing, but she did bow her hand in a show of formality. Bowing back to her, Harry sat on the chair she pointed to and waited for her to speak.
Turning to a servant, she said, "What are you waiting for? Get us some wine, boy! And some grapes! We will eat after we listen to some riveting music from my fool."
The boy scampered off and quickly returned with the food she had requested.
Turning her gaze to Harry, the lady gave a little chuckle. "The youth of today! Those perhaps I am considered a youth compared to you. I must say, your grace, that you have aged miraculously."
Harry grinned, but before he could speak a man seemed to appear from nowhere, stumbling drunk, and began to sing so loudly that he was almost screaming.
Wincing, Harry said, "I am sorry, but must your fool sing so loud?"
She popped a grape in her mouth and responded, "I am deaf, your grace. He could actually sing louder!"
The fool let out a loud wail of a note and as he did so, Lady Olenna leaned forward and spoke quietly, "There are ears everywhere, King Harry. Little birds that will sing for the right price. I wanted to speak with you privately. My fool will help us with that."
Letting out a chuckle, Harry raised his hands and the noise around them became muffled. For anyone watching them, it merely looked like he had raised his hands in surrender to her explanation about her hearing, but it was a testament to how skilled the Queen of Thorn was at deception that she did not show her surprise besides a slight widening of eyes.
"I hope you do not mind, but I can guarantee that we will not be disturbed just as well as any fool."
Laughing, she replied, "Oh no, your grace! You are far more skilled than any fool I have ever had."
Grinning at her jibe, Harry sat back in his seat. Lady Olenna was unlike most ladies that he had met here. The old woman placed her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand.
"I have heard that you will be testifying for Lord Tyrion," she stated.
"Yes, my lady." She grinned at her use of title.
"Have you gone to see Lord Tyrion?" she asked.
Harry took a sip of wine and responded, "No. I am planning on seeing him sometime later this evening. Hopefully he can shed some light on the crime that he is being accused of."
"So you are testifying for a dwarf that may not be innocent."
Harry reached for the grapes and looked out at the roses surrounding them. Despite the approaching winter, the sun was warm on his face. His eyes slipped shut and it was like he had been transported to a different time, a different world.
When a criminal was brought to a trial he could be administered Veritaserum and whatever truly happened would be revealed, but here no one would believe that such a thing would exist nor would they let him prove the power of the potion.
He opened his eyes, and Lady Olenna stared into his eyes, not with pity, but curiosity. Harry stared back and leaned forward till they were mere inches apart. "I once knew a man who was accused of killing some very important people to me. There was no evidence and no trial and he was sentenced to live in a cell with guards that could literally suck out the soul of a person."
Her eyes narrowed, but she did not speak.
"When I first met him, I wanted to kill him myself. And then I learned the truth. I learned he was framed and that he was innocent."
Harry sat back, and pressed the tips of his fingers together before continuing, "I demanded that he be given a trial. A chance to prove his innocence and he would have been able to because the truth was much easier to prove then. Instead the government used its power to keep him from getting the trial he was due. They did not want to admit their mistake. And I will not let another innocent man be killed for someone else's crime."
Lady Olenna let his words sink in as she twirled her wine in her glass. Eventually she threw back whatever was left and dabbed her lips with a green cloth napkin.
"That is very noble, my grace. If there were more men like you perhaps this world would be a far better place to live."
Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement of her compliment.
However, she leaned forward and pointed at him. "This world is not filled with men like you. What makes you think that you can prove his innocence? The Queen has always hated her brother and so has her father. What can you do to sway them to the truth when they both want to see him dead?"
Harry shrugged. "I have ways of making people speak the truth. If Lord Tyrion is innocent, my magic can force him to say the things he needs to say to be free. And if that does not work, I am sure my vouch of confidence will have some sway over the judges. One, after all, is a dear friend."
"And one hates you. My son is not a smart man, but he is a prideful one. Your actions yesterday will not be easily forgotten by him."
"I do not care for Lord Mace. He deserved my temper and my words."
Lady Olenna let out a lifeless chuckles and took a swig from her glass. Licking her lips, she said, "Yes. He did need to hear that he was making a fool of himself, but it should not be you to tell him so. Do you think that Lord Twin enjoys the simpering nonsense that my son sprouts? Cause I assure you he does not."
"I am not Lord Tywin," he responded.
"Seven hells, of course you are not. But you are a King and you need to begin acting like one."
Harry shook his head. "I do not want to be a King."
The Queen of Thorns set down her glass harshly and said through nearly closed lips, "I am aware of that. I think everyone here is aware of that. But let me be frank with you, your grace. You have made an enemy of the ruling Lannisters. The moment you told the Queen that you were going to testify on behalf of her brother, she wanted you dead. I am sure the only reason you have not had someone try to cut you down in your sleep is because no one would be foolish enough to do so."
"I am sure that is not true -" he began. Only for her to raise her hand to him in a gesture to be quiet.
She took a deep breath and continued, "I have heard of the stories that depict you as a wanderer. I have heard that you once rode with the Dothraki as a common man among their men. I once heard you sold your sword to a merchant that needed help guarding his goods from pirates. I once even heard that you had slept in a little hut beyond the wall, learning from wildlings about their magics and their ways of life."
Harry sat back in his chair and nodded. He had done all of those things at different points in his life. "Your point, Lady Olenna?" he asked.
"My point, your grace, is that you are not living in the forests or out hunting with a horse tribe. You are in King's Landing where only power can help you. It is time for you to stop being a common man with a powerful title, performing feats of magic that have not been seen for hundreds of years. You are the One and True King of Braavos, start acting like it!"
It was two hours later that he left the Queen of Thorns. After her rather harsh demands for him to 'act his age' as she had put it, Harry was ready for something a little stronger than wine.
After sneaking into the kitchens and finding nothing strong enough for his tastes, Harry went to a near by Tavern, right outside the Red Keep.
When he entered the building no one turned to look at him with curiosity, fear or awe. It was exactly what he wanted: to be just another face in the crowd. Sitting at the bar, a maid came over with some bitter rum that burned his throat. Sometimes he would wish for FIrewhiskey, but it had been so long since he had it that he could not remember the taste.
He thought back to the conversation that he just had with the Lady of House Tyrell. She was more than he had expected with her wit and political skills. Harry was not use to people speaking with him like she had. It was refreshing, though at times worrying, especially when she had admitted that it had been her to poison the King.
"I am going to tell you something, your grace, that I will hope not leave our little bubble of confidence."
Harry nodded, still thinking of the words she had spoken earlier about his behavior in court. Glancing up when she did not speak, he could see the worry and excitement in her eyes.
Now that she had his undivided attention, Lady Olenna asked, "Will you search for the person that killed the King? That is if Tyrion did not commit the crime himself?"
"I do not know. It depends on how much time I have before the trial. I know that they are planning on holding it in a week or so, but as you said, now that I am testifying against the Crown they might move up the timetable in hopes of catching me off guard."
She nodded to that and said, "Very good, your grace. You are starting to think a King again. But if you do have the time, would you?"
Shrugging, Harry popped a grape in his mouth and responded once he had swallowed. "I suppose. This is not my kingdom and the crimes here are not my responsibility, but if it helps release an innocent man then I suppose I will."
Lady Olenna leaned back in her seat, folding her hands in her lap and looking out at the garden surrounding her. After several moments of silence, she finally returned her gaze to the wizard. "Have you heard of the two whores that Lord Tyrion gifted the King with on his last name day?" she asked.
"No, I have not."
"Well, Lord Tyrion was trying to temper the boy. He wanted him to take out his aggression in a more primitive nature. He figured that the company of two beautiful whores would satisfy him for a time and protect the Stark girl from more of his - attentions. You have heard of some of the things that he did to his future Queen before he became engaged to my granddaughter, correct?"
Harry inclined his head and said, "Yes, I have. He had her stripped naked and beat after each of her brother's victories, if the rumors are true."
Lady Olenna nodded. "Of they are definitely true, your grace. But back to the whores. Lord Tyrion sent two girls up to his room and the next day they had been dumped outside his door, both tortured and abused. According to one of his guards, one woman had been beaten nearly to death and the other had been raped in every which way one could be. Both women died, of course, one killed herself when the King requested her to be returned to him and the other by the King after he had found out that the other was dead."
Stomach turning, Harry sipped his wine and shook his head. "Merlin," he muttered.
The Queen of Thorns chose to ignore his weird response and continued, "Do you really think that I would let my granddaughter be beaten and raped to satisfy the twisted desires of a mad king, your grace?"
He looked up at her and saw the truth in her eyes, he saw the desire to prevent her granddaughter from suffering, he knew that it had been her that poisoned the King. "No, I suppose not. But why tell me this?"
Lady Olenna gazed into his green eyes. She came off as fearless and strong in that moment, but the way that she was twisting her napkin in her hand gave away the nervousness that she felt at telling him this. "I told you because I do not want you snooping around looking for answers. I do not want you to use magic to prove his innocence when it will condemn me. The Lannisters need the Tyrells and would most likely brush it off as a trick in order to keep our families aligned, but I will not risk my Margaery. So I must ask, and if I must beg I will do so too, but I trust that you will not seek the death of my family for the crime of protecting my granddaughter from a life full of pain and suffering."
Harry did not know how to respond to that, but eventually agreed to not oust her in court. Though he did not know what else he could do to help Tyrion without his magic.
They finished their supper and he left, his thoughts weighing him down as he searched for a tavern.
Before he left, Lady Olenna promised him that if he reported her that she would be hard to bring back, as she was leaving for High Garden as soon as they parted ways. Harry shrugged at her comment and said, "I will not report you though I may miss your rather harsh way of speaking to me. It was - refreshing."
And now he was here, drinking too harsh rum and drowning his thoughts. It would be so hard to prove the dwarf's innocence after all that he had learned, but he still had to try, especially after learning that he was indeed innocent.
The rest of his evening was spent drinking in the little tavern outside the Keep. He listened to the people around him living their normal lives and worrying about their normal problems. Harry never wished more in that moment that he had never come to King's Landing.
The next day after recovering from a stunning hangover, Harry left his suite in search of the dungeons. It did not take long to find out where they were and it did not take long to slip past the guards.
Soon he was outside the cell of Lord Tyrion.
Pressing his palm against the lock, Harry whispered, "Alohomora." The door unlocked with a click and he slipped into the dank dark room.
There was a candle burning in the corner, but the second the door opened Harry could hear the quick shuffle of Tyrion as he tried to put out the candle. Once it did go out, Harry waved his hand and it burst back into flames.
The scars on his face were more pronounced in the shadows of the flames. Lord Tyrion looked better than he had expected, but there still was a new gauntness to his face. He looked tired and stressed, but at least he had not been tortured.
Some of the other wine bearers could be heard, even in this dank and dirty cell. Their cries of anguish and their pleas for mercy echoing throughout the prison.
Tyrion, looked at him, and straightened from his crouched position. He took in Harry before sitting on the rotting cot that he was using as a bed.
"Have you come to release me, oh great king across the sea? Or have you come to kill me because you fear, despite the fact that you are immortal, that I will strike you down with my ugly and monstrous dwarf hands?"
Harry let out a chuckle and waved his hand across the room, causing hidden torches to burst into flames and illuminating the cell in a haze or orangish-red. Tyrion jumped back and winced at the increase in light. The wizard rolled his eyes and flicked his wrist as he crossed his legs and sat on the chair he had just conjured.
Only to fall off as one of the legs on the chair snapped.
Sitting around the pile of broken wood and feathers, Harry looked up at the dwarf only to catch a glimpse of his bewildered expression which caused the wizard to burst into laughter.
Looking confused, Tyrion asked, "A-are you drunk?"
Harry let out an even louder gaffaw and went to respond when he caught his breath; however, his merriment had caused the guards he had so successfully avoided to unlock the cell and burst in. Standing quickly, he raised his hands and both guards freezed.
With a little wiggle of his fingers, the guards turned around with a dazed look on their face and locked Tyrion and Harry back into the cell.
"Are they going to report you?" the imp asked.
Harry shook his head and leaned against the pillar. Pulling a flagon from his bag, he threw it at Tyrion who after a quick whiff and wince at the bitter strong aroma of the rum before he took two large gulps.
"Sorry it is not wine," Harry expanded.
Tyrion waved him off with another swallow before he wiped his lips on the back of his hand. "I should be apologizing. I was out of line and here you are bringing me enough rum to keep me good and drunk till the trial."
Harry gave a little chuckle, but responded, "Well if we want to win this trial then you will have to be sober the night before and the day off."
Looking up at him, Tyrion leaned back and asked softly, "We?"
"Yes. I am surprised that you have not heard, I would have thought that some of your little spies would have reported to you about me."
"What do you mean? And any of my "little spies" would have abandoned me the second that I was thrown in here and if they did not my sweet dear sister will have bribed them with anything they desired."
Spreading his fingers and then clenching his fist, Harry conjured a gold coin and began to twist it between his fingers. Tyrion watched the trick, but did not speak. At last, Harry responded, "What could your sister bribe them with? Gold? The Crown is in debt, according to Prince Oberyn, and I doubt that your father will be letting her get more and more in debt."
"That is where you are wrong, your grace. Tywin will do all that he can to get his way and he will use all of his resources to do so. Lannisters shit gold and my father does love to shit."
Grinning, Harry vanished the coin and said, "Yes, but even the Lannister's owe the Iron Bank and they always get what they are owed."
Tyrion nodded, but looked like he was done speaking of money. Instead, he asked, "Why are you here, your grace?"
"I am here because I know you are innocent."
The dwarf looked up with a dazed expression. "You do?"
Harry nodded, "And because of your innocence, I have decided to testify on your behalf."
Tyrion stood up on shaky legs, but did not respond to the words that he no doubt had been praying to hear from any kindred spirit.
Harry leaned forward and extended his hand. "I know that we have not known eachother for any real amount of time, but I have heard many tales of you. The half-man, the punishment of the gods to Lord Tywin Lannister, the imp, the demon, the monkey. I have heard that you can whore and drink better than any man twice your size. I have heard that you saved this city, that when Stannis Baratheon came to kill your family and sac this city, that you saved them."
Tyrion reached out and grasped his hand. They held on for a moment before Harry took a step back and said, "I will see you free, Lord Tyrion for I will need you to help me complete a prophecy. You are smart and know more about the politics of Westeros then I could ever learn in time. I need you to help me and you need me in order for you to love."
Bowing once more, Harry promised to return and discuss their plans, but in that moment, Harry realized there was only going to be one way to release Tyrion and for the first time in a long time, he knew that a common man could not do what he would have to do. Harry would need to be, as Lady Olenna had said: the King of Braavos.
A/N: Sorry this is a little late! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter :) I just wanted to give a special thanks to Joe Lawyer, your review made me change a couple of things around and it has inspired a few new extra moments and scenes that will really add something to my story.
Next chapter is the trial! After that things will really start to pick up so please be patient!
Once again thank you :) And don't forget to review!