Chapter 13-Failure to Understand
It was late at night within King's Landing as Naruto was in his office given to him by Ned Stark. His Shadow Clones were all over the place looking at the financial ledgers left behind by Littlefinger. Reading, making slight notations, comments, and tracing every transaction the late Master of Coin had made ever since he was granted the title. The minor drainage of the Crown's finances were masked by various "investments" that the late Littlefinger of House Baelish had convinced Jon Arryn were worth the placing of so much money in them short term to gain twice as much in the long term. In theory, the practice was sound for what Petyr Baelish was suggesting, and any normal man would have taken his words at face value.
Unfortunately, all the "investments" made by Petyr were all false ones. Oh they went to where Petyr said, but the places were all fake, and only existed on paper. If anyone were to actually visit these places where these business investments resided, they would see the buildings were run down, and empty if they weren't filled with squatters. In truth, Petyr was (in secret) the owner of these false businesses, and thus all the money he bled from the Crown went to him.
And the loans were done to weaken the Crown on another front. Using his "genius mind", Petyr convinced Jon Arryn, and the King that to keep the kingdom going until the long run paid off, loans had to be made. Namely to the Lannisters who had the gold and the Iron Bank of Braavos to ensure "the Lannisters wouldn't be able to have the final say in Robert's Kingdom" when suggesting the idea to the two.
Naturally, it worked like a charm. Or it did until Naruto ended his life and proceeded to undo everything done to cripple the kingdom financially.
On the plus side, Naruto was hearing good things about Tyrion being temporary Lord of Lannisport in his Father's name. While Naruto disliked a majority of the Lannisters right now, it didn't mean he should hate all of them. Myrcella and Tommen he wouldn't hate. Nor Kevan Lannister. The man was merely following his big brother and since Lancel had gone to take the Black at the Wall, he didn't have to worry about his son being held hostage by the Starks. Tyrion himself was keeping the people of Lannisport from rising up against House Lannister. No thanks to the abuse Joffrey and Cersei had unleashed on the overall populace before the man got there. From what Varys and his little birds told him, the smallfolk were being bled dry by Cersei spending more gold then Lannisport could bring in, and with the war hampering trade (especially the Iron Islands now taking their entire fleet out) it made the means to trade difficult for them all.
Dear Great Sage,
It seems like only yesterday you helped me win my freedom from the crazed ruler of the Vale Lysa Arryn and her dimwitted son Robin. Even now, I hear whispers as I'm sure you do, of the woman having gone even further into madness. Apparently, Lady Lysa is now willing to pay both gold, and give lordship to any assassin capable of killing the one she believes is responsible for Littlefinger's death. Despite what was revealed about the man being involved in Jon Arryn's death. Somehow, she blames you given the accounts of the rumors of his demise circulating around yourself, and the fact you used your magic on him to take his body elsewhere when he was still alive.
While she is crazy, the woman is not stupid, and has clearly put the mere "coincidence" together, and wants you dead. Why she would even want to defend the honor the man who from all messages sent out by raven of Littlefinger being involved in her husband's murder, I do not know What I do know is Lady Lysa will seek out any means to see you dead. If you haven't already been attacked by assassins, I would keep an eye out for them all the same, and possibly watch over House Stark a little more then usual. If this woman is indeed not of sound mind as we both suspect, all associated with your presence will be targeted, and that includes them.
On a less related subject matter not pertaining to crazy women of the Vale, I am actually writing to you to get Ned Stark to somehow get his son to stop his impressive march and advancement on my Father. To at least let the idea of peace be made between all our Houses. Between the Starks, Lannisters, and of course the Baratheons. My sister believes we can win by outspending every other House with the mountain of gold we possess. But I am not so optimistic or blind to the idea that my House not losing to a much larger and clearly better trained army. I know we can lose. I've seen the reports and I know my big brother Jaime is also a prisoner of the North and as such has made my Father's ability to fight become hampered at best.
As such, I was hoping you could convince all the parties fighting against us to consider the idea of peace talks. Even if they eventually say no, at least I can tell my Father I tried, and could do no more on my part. At least I know should worse comes to worse, I might be the only Lannister left of my House, and become the actual Warden of the West.
Provided I don't lose my head when this is all over.
In any case, I hope you can help Ned Stark, Robb Stark, the North, and the Baratheon brothers to stop this war from getting worse. With you convening the peace talks, I know we can find some solution to the problem at hand, and bring about an end to the war.
-Tyrion of House Lannister and Ruler of Lannisport
"Well at least there is one Lannister among their ranks that has a good practical head on his shoulders. Sooner or later, Tywin is going to regret not bringing about Tyrion's full potential. With any luck, they can reconcile their differences before its too late," said Naruto to himself before a knock on his door was made and the door opened to reveal a tired Ned Stark.
"How goes the hunt for the gold Lord Baelish took from the Crown?" asked Ned when he came into the room with a tired, but friendly smile on his face.
"In short? Boring as shit. It is so much easier to simply steal and spend all the money on one's possession then it is to maintain it for proper use. Especially if it involves the Seven Kingdoms," said Naruto while his clones nodded.
"I'm sorry. I know you don't like being here. Robert was right about one thing. I do hate ruling this place. Its not for me. Perhaps that's why I didn't want to sit on the Iron Throne and become King. Deep down I knew it wasn't meant for me," remarked Ned with a tired sigh.
"You aren't ruling it Ned. You are just...getting it ready for its true ruler. Before we came here, King's Landing was a shithole. Don't look at me like that. It was a shithole. Robert did nothing to stop it from becoming one and his negligence actually made things worse. You were lucky a plague didn't spring up prior to becoming Hand of the King and then Lord Regent when I was inspecting the overall stability of the city," said Naruto with Ned nodding while he looked out the window at the sight of Summer showing signs of leaving and replacing itself with a short Autumn before Winter came.
"I have tried so hard to do what was asked of me, but I feel its still not enough. And now my son has become King in the North. If we don't do something fast, the entire Kingdom will fall apart with the others breaking off from the rest to become independent. If they do, each side could potential turn on the other, and cause untold death throughout all of Westeros," said Ned while Naruto nodded in agreement.
"And we will handle it when time allows. Right now, we need to focus on keeping what we have of the Kingdom intact. To do that, we need the people on our side. For the most part, our combined efforts have lessened the burdens of the smallfolk. In doing so, we have been able to gain the loyalty, and support of the people with the risk of them trying to fight off either the Kingsguard or the City Watch being removed," replied Naruto, as he stiffened for a second, and then turned to look outside.
"What is it? What's happened?" asked Ned seeing Naruto's eyes narrowing in anger.
"Stannis just tried to do something extremely stupid," remarked Naruto coldly before he was gone in a flash.
"Stannis, what have you done?" asked Ned to himself while looking off in the distance.
(Renly's Camp-Moments Ago)
Renly was in his tent drinking wine. Brienne of Tarth was in the tent with him watching over her sworn King. Also in the tent was Catelyn Tully Stark. She had been explaining things to Renly about how Robb didn't want to sit on the Iron Throne. Hence why the North was breaking away from the Kingdom as a whole. All her family wanted was the long overdue justice against the Lannisters for their crimes against House Baratheon, and House Stark for their acts of treachery. Renly of course had suspected this since Ned was Regent, yet did not move to either make himself King, or name his son King to rule over the Seven Kingdoms.
"Are you sure this is the truth Lady Stark? I have no problem fighting the Lannisters in an alliance with House Stark and the North. BUT I don't want to be caught unaware of some form of treachery. While I know House Stark would never do such a thing, there are most likely those who would try something in the belief of gaining favor, or ensuring the North stays independent once the war is over," questioned Renly while Catelyn nodded.
"I swear it by the Mother. My son has no interest in the Iron Throne. Neither does Ned. He is only acting as Regent and wants the Seven Kingdoms to be healed with a proper ruler to maintain it," replied Catelyn with Renly accepting it since the woman was big on keeping her word when stating the truth.
"Then I see no reason to have hostility between us Catelyn. If anything, this will make the alliance between us more powerful. Your son doesn't want the Iron Throne, even if he stays King of the North, and your husband certainly doesn't want the seat any longer then he has to sit on it. I have the entire backing of the Reach and the Stormlands so army will crush my brother's tomorrow. Once I deal with him, I will join up with your son and his army, and then we will deal with the Lannisters. I understand you have Jaime Lannister himself as a prisoner?" replied Renly with Catelyn nodding at his question about Tywin Lannister's eldest child.
"Under watchful eyes and is alone from the other prisoners. I need him alive. My son and husband know he could be a useful means to make Tywin Lannister bend the knee if we push for peace," said Catelyn while Renly nodding in agreement.
"A good idea. Jaime Lannister in a cell keeps Tywin Lannister from properly scheming against you in his own devious manner. Your son is every bit the Stark your husband is Lady Catelyn," said Renly while Catelyn smiled since her son was indeed strong.
All of her children were strong in their own way.
Whatever else was meant to be said was interrupted when an unnatural wind blew into the tent and distracted the three people in it. Not surprising since this wind was fierce and was not natural in this part of the region at this late at night. With the one man and two women focusing on where the disturbance came from, none of them saw a shadow in the form of man rise from the ground, and move to grab Renly in order to stab the man in the back.
Only for it to be caught in a prism of light generated from a seal on the tent floor.
The three people looked shocked to see some kind of shadow demon, said to be formed from the darkest of magic, had been put there, and had the face of one Stannis Baratheon. The shadow snarled like an animal, its face clearly showing its rage at being denied its kill, and tried to break the prism looking prison it had been confined to in order to kill its target.
Renly Baratheon.
"I had a feeling something like this would happen," remarked Naruto angrily while he appeared in the tent and soon several others did too.
"Is this what I think it is?" asked Renly in shock, wonder, and horror mixed into one.
"Yeah. A shadow demon. Those Lord of Light Priestesses use their magic to make them by being...intimate with the creature's Father. You can tell it was Stannis because it looks just like him. That's how these magic made demons work. They take on the gender or appearance of their sire after the Red Woman gives birth to them. Meaning Stannis not only tried to have you killed in such a manner, but he is no longer loyal to his own wife. Though something tells me she doesn't care about such things at this point, replied Naruto while the shadow demon now turned to stare at him and looking even more enraged.
"My Mother and Father will kill you heretic. Stannis Baratheon will rule all the world and consume all nonbelievers in a sea of flame! The Lord of Light commands them to burn all of this world's false deities to the ground!" exclaimed the shadow demon while Naruto scowled behind his mask.
And shot chain after chain through the prison to wrap around the shadow demon so it could not escape when he deactivated the seal before forcing the creature to its knees.
"Naruto, what are you doing?!" questioned Catelyn while he raised a hand to tell her to be quiet.
"I know you can hear me Red Woman. You are connected to your little monster child as all of your profession are when they spawn such near mindless creatures. You see what he sees and hears what he hears. You take a great deal of life from the body of the man you choose to fuck to birth these temporary creations. I wonder if Stannis even knows you shortened his lifespan by a decade because of this? Probably not. In any case, I had hoped Stannis would listen to reason, and understand neither himself nor Renly are able sit on the Iron Throne. But you had to whisper poisonous thoughts into his head about the Starks, your brother, and most likely me if the way your demon is snarling is any actual indication. And for this last part I just want to say...thank you," said Naruto while he no doubt sensed the others in the room frowning in confusion about that last part.
Why should he be thanking Melisandre in the first place?
"Why are you thanking her? Or the shadow demon?" demanded Brienne while Naruto just let out an amusing chuckle.
One that made even the shadow demon nervous.
"Because up until now, I have been letting everyone outside of myself deal with these problems with my interference being minimal. I wanted to keep it minimal because I did not want everyone to rely on me to fix their fucking issue when they popped up. I didn't want the world to look to me like I had all the answers and then expect said answers to your problems to be handed over so easily," replied Naruto with his grip on the creature through his chains tightening with the shadow demon crying out in pain.
'If we went to him for everything, no one would learn anything,' thought the people in the room.
"But now I see it was a mistake to hold back after all this time. To let Stannis, Renly, the Starks, and anyone else involved in this whole fucking war sort this out like responsible adults. Do you know what I see when it comes to everyone here in this tent? what I see when I look into the eyes of this shadow demon and see the eyes of the fear Red Woman unable to use her magic to kill the creature she birthed?" questioned Naruto before his hand shot out and grabbed the shadowy Stannis lookalike's face.
"What? What do you see?" asked the shadow demon of Stannis Baratheon.
"I see children. I see nothing, but whiny, pouting, fist banging on the table, and the floor in the middle of a temper tantrum...children. And like all children when they become unruly, they need to be punished by the adult of the group. Namely...me!" stated Naruto before channeling chakra into the hand holding the demon's face.
"Stop! Stop it!" pleaded the demon while feeling itself going through incredible pain.
"Are you still listening through the link you have with your demon you spawned with Stannis a few days ago Melisandre? I hope you are, but if not I suggest you pay attention right fucking now. I'm done sitting on the side, letting you, the Lannisters, and everyone else do what they want when acting like spoiled children being denied something and then trying to get it the wrong way. After I kill your demon, I'm coming for you my dear, and for Stannis too. Don't think for one second your so called Lord of Light for a God or his so called Champion that is Stannis will win against me. Neither of them will ever have the necessary strength needed to defeat me," replied Naruto before he obliterated the shadow demon lookalike of Stannis Baratheon from the world.
When it was all said and done, Renly looked at Naruto in awe at what he had done, and truly understood the ramifications of scoffing his own brother's decision to use the Red Woman's magic. To think, his own brother would go so far to claim the Iron Throne, and remove all obstacles in his path. They had talked a few days ago, at the instances of both Naruto, and Catelyn to reach terms to ensure neither brother killed the other. So that the two Baratheon brothers could slay their common enemy in the form of the Lannisters.
Only for this to happen.
"My brother...Stannis...to go so far? To be a kinslayer!" whispered Renly while moving to his chair and reached for his wine.
"He hasn't killed you yet so technically Stannis isn't a kinslayer until you actually die by his hands. Though the fact he even tried is just as bad," replied Naruto while putting a hand on Renly's shoulder.
"What now?" asked Catelyn with Naruto's eyes narrowing.
"Renly, you will take your army to march against the Lannisters. At the same time, send a raven throughout the Seven Kingdoms about what Stannis just tried to do, and list all the names of the witnesses who saw the failed attempt. With everyone here named as such, no one will dare dispute the claim of what Stannis did as a lie, and no Lord worth their own House's honor will support him afterwards. We will see just how many Lords and Houses will follow Stannis and which ones will leave him. Those that leave him will be spared. Those that don't...I will personally end," replied Naruto with Renly nodding.
"I should have listened to you when I had the chance. I was a fool," said Renly with the Sage patting his shoulder.
"We have all been fools at one point or another. Naive and our heads filled with dreams. You are not the first to be one. Just be glad your life was not ended before learning from your mistakes," replied Naruto with Renly nodding.
"Should we not deal with Stannis now? While we have some measure of surprise?" asked Brienne curiously.
"No. Needless death is not the way to win here. It maybe the fastest way, but not the best way. We need to see who will follow this Red Woman and her Lord of Light after we let news of what Stannis tried to do out into the world. We will use his own words against him when he sent out his own message to the Seven Kingdoms when staking his claim to the Iron Throne. Let no man claim ignorance," stated Naruto with Renly nodding.
"Let no man claim ignorance," repeated Renly, but firmly.
"Lady Stark, tomorrow you need to head back your son's camp. Let him know what has happened and of the alliance made here tonight," replied Naruto with Catelyn nodding.
"I shall. Until tonight, I did not believe such a dishonorable thing could be done before my every eyes," replied Catelyn while she stared at where the shadow demon had once been.
"Could the Red Woman not make more? If she made one with Stannis, could there be more under her command?" questioned Brienne worriedly while glancing around for other possible threats.
"No. I'm familiar with her type of magic she employed here tonight. Fortunately, for all of us here, she can't make another one right away. Plus, when the Red Woman does lay with Stannis, it drains him of his life energy, and it ages him in the process by roughly 10 years. She doesn't dare do it a second time with him now. She would risk making the man extremely old and thus unable to fight on the battlefield as her Lord of Light's 'champion' she portrays him to be to her followers. Chances are, Stannis will have no choice but to make a tactical retreat, but make it seem like he's doing it from a military standpoint. Not because his secret attempt to kill Renly using the Red Woman's magic. Our ravens telling what really happened tonight and how his attempt to kill Renly failed will cause many to abandoned his ranks," replied Naruto knowing he could end any chance of Stannis saving face with this failed attempt on Renly's life.
"This Red Woman needs to be killed before she can try such a move again. Who knows who else could be targeted by her sorcery in the future?" replied Catelyn with Naruto nodding.
"I will handle her myself," said Naruto before he was gone in a flash.
(Stannis's Camp)
Stannis was not pleased. He never looked pleased, but right now his look was murderous to an extent even Melisandre was surprised in seeing to this extent. Though it was no real surprise the man was angry given how her plan to kill Renly so he could gain control of the soldiers of the Stormlands. To have an army capable of marching on King's Landing and taking it by force like his older brother Robert did against the Targaryens years ago.
Only for the plan to fail and no doubt Renly was doubling his camp's defenses to ensure there were no further surprise attacks tonight.
"You assured me your creation could do the job it was born to do. Now I find out that not only has it failed, but the Sage has directed his attention toward us! I've seen that man's power when unleashed on his enemies. And because of your bumbling as well as my blind faith in you, both of us have become his enemy!" stated Stannis angrily while the Red Woman in front of him tried to keep an air of confidence about her.
And only succeeding on a marginal scale.
"I can protect us your Grace. The Lord of Light does not abandon his followers or his champion when chosen to represent his greatness," said Melisandre, but even she knew her words were hollow.
And for good reason since the fire had revealed nothing to her when looking into it for guidance once the shadow demon was destroyed. If anything, the fire seemed to quiver in fear, and the Lord of Light had shown nothing in terms of possible visions. Surely the one true God of this world was not...afraid of the Demon Sage. This enemy of her God. The herald to the Lord of the Shadows? Of the darkness? Surely the Lord of Light was far stronger then this Demon Sage and could empower her to combat him?
And yet, if that was the case...why did the flames tremble? Why did her God stay silent? Why did it not empower her with the means to slay this heretic and enemy of her God?
"Your so called Lord of Light is nothing when compared to me," whispered Naruto from the shadows and appearing out of them with a pissed off look in his three eyes.
"Guards!" called out Stannis, but found none were coming into the room.
"Don't bother. They are stuck in an illusionary realm where all is well to them inside this tent. As far as they all know, you are having a civil conversation with the red bitch here about your plans to take the Iron Throne," replied Naruto while the Red Woman tried to flee the tent.
Only for a barrier to deny her access to the other side.
'Some kind of barrier. I had heard the stories of such complex magic, but to use it in this manner is beyond my skills!' thought Melisandre in shock.
"Don't bother fleeing either. There is a barrier around us that only I can break and only I can remove willingly. Even if you did kill me, this would be where you die. Most likely of starvation if not a blade killing the other out of anger. Whichever comes first," replied Naruto after seeing her shocked look at being denied an escape.
"You should have stayed out of this affair. It doesn't concern you in any way Sage," said Stannis bitterly while Naruto glared at him.
"Perhaps, but then again, I do find the idea of someone killing their own family member using such deplorable means to be wrong on so many levels," replied Naruto with Stannis scowling further.
"You have the nerve to lecture me on what is considered to be wrong? You, who singled handedly killed thousands of men with your magic, swords, and various skills alone when my brother rebelled against House Targaryen? When House Greyjoys went and rebelled against him? How many men died by your hands?" questioned Stannis while Naruto just looked at him with uncaring eyes.
"Thousands. Just like you said Stannis. BUT while that is indeed true, I never once even remotely considered the idea of killing a member of my own family. I'm not you. I'm not a kinslayer!" said Naruto with Stannis's eyes narrowing.
"I didn't succeed so I cannot be labeled one," challenged Stannis with Naruto scoffing at his declaration.
"Hardly the point. You made the attempt. You actually made the attempt, failed, and got caught doing it! You are a kinslayer Stannis. The fact you even tried makes you one. It doesn't matter if you failed or succeeded. You still made the attempt! And soon all of the Seven Kingdoms will know what you did," replied Naruto before turning to look at the now slightly scared and intimidated Melisandre.
"No one will believe you or my brother. I can say your words are those of a liar. There is no proof of the act outside of your words and they aren't enough to sway my men," said Stannis with a hint of smugness in his voice.
"Renly and I weren't the only ones in his tent when your shadow demon spawned son made the attempt. Catelyn Tully Stark was in the tent. As was Brienne of Tarth. Renly's new bodyguard. Add to the fact several of the men from the Stormlands and the Reach came into the room to see your creation restrained and confessing that you and the Red Woman were his parents along with the attempt on your brother's life. So you can deny it all you want, but the fact remains that people of high status, and unquestionable honor were witnesses to the event. By the time this is over, almost every solider not sworn to your new religion will abandon you," countered Naruto with a smile and saw Stannis's eyes were filled with a cold fury.
'Damn it! Catelyn Stark is many things, but a liar is not one of them. Add in Brienne of House Tarth being a no nonsense type woman makes this worse. Even the various men from the Stormlands and the Reach have seen the shadow demon before the Sage killed it,' thought Stannis bitterly.
"You have no right to challenge the Lord of Light's champion! He will lead this world through a time of great darkness and strife! Deserters, nonbelievers, and heretics will not stop us from achieving victory!" exclaimed Melisandre angrily while summoning what power she possessed to her hands.
Only for chains to sprout out of Naruto's body with point tips attacked and they pierced her upper body from chest to arms with one piercing her throat.
"Your Lord of Light is nothing, but a pathetic fire demon from Hell seeking to rise up to the rank of deity by convincing people to sacrifice other people in his name by burning them. I will deal with him soon enough once I've dealt with Stannis here," replied Naruto before stopping the sword Lightbringer that Stannis had picked up and tried to swing at him during that distraction to take off his head with just his finger.
"I am not my brothers or the other Lords of the Seven Kingdoms. I don't fear you Sage. I will cut you down and use your death to rally all the Lords from the Seven Kingdoms to my side," said Stannis while stunned in the belief that his sword had not in fact killed the Sage if it was indeed as powerful as Melisandre claimed.
He couldn't even move it from the masked man's grip when Naruto's fingers held it in place.
"You're right about one thing Stannis. You are not your brothers. You are not worthy of being their brothers. The only good thing that came out of you was your daughter. It is a shame she will have to grow up without you. I had planned to spare your life and have you take the Black, but now I see your mind is too far gone. Twenty years of bitterness, heartache over personal losses, and other things have destroyed your mind," said Naruto before stabbing the man with the Kusanagi with his free hand and watched Stannis fall to the floor dead.
Retracting his charka chains from the Red Woman, the Sage quickly rearranged the scene in front of him so what happened here to tonight would not be revealed to the world. For the sake of peace...a lie was formed through what would later be speculation among those in the camp the next day at seeing Stannis Baratheon dead beside the Red Woman.
No one would ever know or even be able to prove, shot of a confession, that the Great Sage had visited Stannis Baratheon in his war tent with the Red Woman, and killed them both for the horrible crime they committed.
(Lannisport-Sometime Later)
Word soon spread of what Stannis had done in terms of trying kill his brother Renly and take control of the man's army. The specifics were written in great detail. How it was done. How it failed. How there were witnesses to the event. And who the witnesses were to prove it wasn't a lie to smear Stannis's name or House. Of course, Naruto had added in his own lie to the raven messages. About how Stannis had died killing the Red Woman after she proposed another attempt using another shadow demon. How the war hardened Baratheon tried to redeem himself by renouncing the Lord of Light faith from Essos he had embraced earlier on and ended the Red Woman to protect his brother from another attempt.
In truth, it was a horrible lie meant to protect House Baratheon from further shame more then anything. Renly would see the story for the lie it truly was, as would some of the smarter people of the Seven Kingdoms, who knew Stannis well enough. But they would not call that part of the message a lie, as they knew doing so would cause problems in the future no one wanted, and felt the lie was a better option. Stannis was a soldier and good military commander who always fought beside his troops when in a battle.
Those who knew the truth about him felt it was better to let him die keeping what was left of his own personal honor. He deserved that much.
Naturally, his death was meant with mourning while others, namely those on the side of the Lannisters, were cheering since it was one less threat they had to fight. And in their eyes, a dead Stannis Baratheon was a good thing. A man with his military experience with a descent army in hand could crush them if the army from the North didn't.
"Killed? By whom?" asked Cersei while drinking some wine with her brother Tyrion in his office currently reading the message sent to him about the event.
"It would seem that Stannis tried to have his brother killed using a shadow demon of some kind after apparently being intimate with the Red Woman we've been hearing so much about. Ultimately, it failed thanks to the Sage visiting him to try brokering peace between the two brothers. Only it wasn't Renly who died that night, it was Stannis," said Tyrion while reading the message slowly and methodically.
"What? The shadow demon turned on its creator?" asked Cersei curiously at her brother.
"No. Far from it. The shadow demon was caught by the Sage and destroyed. Stannis had a sudden revelation regarding his actions and killed this Melisandre when she offered to make him another one to do the job right. She of course retaliated in defense of herself and killed him with one of the weapons in the tent with the two ultimately killing each other in the process. Her Lord of Light must have been powerful because she survived quite a few stab wounds from Stannis's sword before getting in a lethal hit of her own," said Tyrion while Cersei seemed pleased by this.
"Good. One less Baratheon to threaten us and the only remaining one is not commander material. One less army for our Father to deal with once the North is destroyed. I say well done Renly Baratheon," remarked Cersei while Tyrion was not amused.
"That's not what Father says according to this message here. Even with Stannis gone, the army he assembled in its majority are flocking to Renly Baratheon, and the others are too confused on who to fight for now that their faith in the Lord of Light religion is broken. Some of the men not joining Renly have decided to take the Black to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Seven. Not to mention Renly Baratheon had married Margery Tyrell and had the backing of the Reach under his command. Over 100,000 soldiers, which is far more then what we have right now. Not to mention our army is currently engaging the North with all of its might," commented Tyrion with Cersei not looking worried in the slightest.
"We can still outspend the Northern and the Southern army three to one. Something we should have been doing from the start and paying every sellsword from here to Braavos to fight for us," replied Cersei with Tyrion not looking amused.
"I say Father raised you to have too much respect for money. Dead men can't collect gold sister. No sellsword would fight for us no matter how much gold we throw their way due to the overwhelming odds against us. What good is gold to the sellsword fighting for the losing side?" questioned Tyrion with Cersei not believing him in the slightest.
"Better to serve and die for House Lannister then die one way or another on the receiving end of our swords," countered Cersei with a hint of snobbishness in her tone befitting a person with a pampered lifestyle and rarely didn't get her way.
"Oh grow up sister. We have no way to win this war you helped start. We are now vastly outnumbered on all sides. Jaime is a prisoner of the North. Our Father is losing ground with each passing day with each new battle lost. You sit here in this city along with your bastard for a son Joffrey, thinking you are untouchable. I have news for you Cersei, we are not untouchable, and sooner or later our House will pay the debts owed in this war," said Tyrion with Cersei scowling at him now after making the comment about her son being a bastard.
'Tyrion doesn't know anything. My son should be King. I should still be Queen Regent of King's Landing and watching over my eldest son's control over the Seven Kingdoms. My control over the Seven Kingdoms,' thought Cersei darkly, as she planned to rule over the Seven Kingdoms through her son, and make everyone not a Lannister bow to her whims.
But then the damn Sage got involved. Saving Ned Stark. Revealing the infidelity and the fact her children she had were with Jaime and not Robert.
It was only by Lannister pride and conviction that Tywin Lannister didn't believe a word of it when the ravens were sent throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Her Father didn't want to believe it to be true. Whether due to personal denial or ignorance, it was unknown to Cersei.
Maybe it was a combination of both.
But even she knew, sooner or later in this life, Tywin Lannister would somehow learn the truth, and come to the realization he had fought for his family under false pretenses in the belief Joffrey was the rightful King. She knew her Father well enough to know his wrath and if the truth was believed by him, then he would indeed lash out with all his fury.
If Tywin Lannister did as such, her children would not be safe, and naturally he would be forgiven for the act of kinslaying. Not surprising since those family members in question were his Grandchildren, who by the laws of Gods and Men are all bastards born from the act of incest.
"Fortunately, I have sent a raven to the Great Sage. With any luck, he can convince Ned Stark to convince his son Robb Stark to hold peace talks with our Father. Maybe even get House Baratheon to not kill us all. We can get this ugly business behind us before things get even worse for House Lannister," continued Tyrion while ignoring Cersei's far away look and his words actually bring her back to the conversation at hand.
"You can't be serious?! Peace talks? With the Starks? With the Baratheons? The lion does not bend the knee to inferior animals. Stags get eaten by lions. Wolves bow and whimper in the presence of lions. Not the other way around!" growled Cersei angrily at Tyrion.
"Really? And when the stag and the wolves outnumber the lions 3 to 1? When the stags outnumber the lion 5 to 1? When the stags and the wolves unite their combined armies and have the means to crush the lions to the point where it is laughable for the lions to win?" questioned Tyrion with Cersei getting out of her chair and looking ready to smack him.
"Is that why you made a deal with Dorne and its Prince? To send MY only daughter of all the Lannisters to Dorne?! They have even more reason to hate us!" accused Cersei with Tyrion sighing.
"She was setup in an arranged marriage with Prince Doran's son and Heir. Unlike the rest of Westeros, they do not hurt little girls in Dorne. Not only that, but the Prince assured me that he does not care what Myrcella's questionable status is so long as she doesn't do anything to hurt his son. I gave Prince Doran my word that Myrcella is a good natured girl and his son will adore her. Your daughter is not only going there to ensure she is safe from danger, but to allow her to know the Prince there, and form a bond of sorts before they become married. I have heard much about the boy and know he will not do anything horrid to my niece. Contrary to what you believe about me," replied Tyrion with Cersei scowling.
"My daughter is being married off to a House of snakes! Who hate the lions more then the wolves and stags combined! It is not natural! Lions do not and should not mate with snakes!" countered Cersei while Tyrion looked at her with mixture of amusement and a sense of knowing what she believed in.
"I'm sure it does to you since in your mind, only lions should mate with other lions. Not unlike you and Jaime?" Tyrion shot back with Cersei looking at him with pure hatred.
"You have no right to judge me monster! After the things you have done. You killed our Mother. You have been a blight on our family since the day of your birth. You have been a mockery of everything being a Lannister stands for and I hate you for it just like Father always did!" exclaimed Cersei angrily before storming out.
'I'll admit I have done some bad things, but at least I never committed incest with one of my siblings,' thought Tyrion before he went back to his duties as Lord of Lannisport.
(Qarth-At the Moment)
Daenerys was enjoying herself within the walls of Qarth. The Thirteen had seen her small Khalasar and at first, had not been impressed. But then the guards on the walls had heard the loud cries of the three dragons within their cages and the biggest one of the three that was Drogon, had even shot out a small yet still impressive stream of fire. Alarmed by this turn of events, the Thirteen of Qarth had decided to see Daenerys Targaryen, her small Khalasar, and above all else...the three dragons she had in her possession.
Unknown to the Thirteen or even Daenerys for that matter, the three dragons had gotten much bigger then planned, thanks in part to Naruto's intervention. Namely him offering each of the three flying fire breathing lizards pieces of his flesh to feast on and the energy from said flesh giving them additional strength. It had been his plan from the start since dragons were his little creation back in the days of old before the Seven Kingdoms had even considered answering to one King at what was considered the center of them all in King's Landing. Naruto wanted these dragons to live just as much as Daenerys did, but for different reasons then her, and yet still wanted it to happen all the same.
As for Daenerys, she easily remembered what Naruto told her about Qarth and not to be trusting of those who held sway over the city. With the sudden return of the dragons, it was only natural the Thirteen would be interested in them, and by her since they knew Targaryens were connected to dragons by blood (if the legends were true) so having their handler was necessary.
After much talking outside of the walls of Qarth, she along with her Khalasar had been given entry into the city, and stayed at the resides of one of the Thirteen. A man named Xaro, who was the second richest merchant in all of Qarth swore what was basically an oath of blood that he would help her get what she wanted while in the city. Food, water, clothing, and shelter for as long possible. Or as Jorah had told her discreetly, how long it proved profitable to have the Mother of Dragons as his very own guest with all three of the said dragons living in his house.
In short, Xaro wanted something from her, and was merely waiting for the right time to collect on his investment when the time was right.
As things were going, Daenerys was keeping her Khalasar close to ensure none of them ran off, or someone of high influence targeted them to use for controlling her. Jorah had made it clear that the three dragons were at the moment, the most precious, and rarest of all things in the Seven Kingdoms. More rare then even Valyrian steel. Holding one of these dragons made you wealthier then all the richest men in the Seven Kingdoms. Two made you powerful with a strength greater then the armies of Westeros put together. And all three dragons? Full grown? In one word...unstoppable!
Many people who rule Qarth would aim for that last one.
At the moment, Daenerys was walking through a garden area of sorts along with several of her Khalasar, and Jorah of course keeping a watchful eye from a respectful distance. Not too close that he was hovering over her too protectively and not too far away that he couldn't defend her from a possible attack from an assassin.
"She looks beautiful in the dress," commented Naruto while standing beside Jorah with the man in question nearly jumping in the air from the surprise visit.
"Great Sage, I thought you weren't going to visit Daenerys until much later?" questioned Jorah while wondering why no one was looking at the three eyed masked man.
"I am. Daenerys doesn't even know I am here watching her. No one knows I'm even here except for you. Everyone here is bound in an illusion where no one can see or hear me, but you. Or to be more accurate, they see a simple man speaking to you, but no one can quite make out what our conversation truly is, or if its even good news for you to hear," said Naruto while Jorah was a bit unnerved by that part.
"And why are you here? Surely not to just speak to me in secret about the simple things in life?" asked Jorah with Naruto shaking his head no.
"I'm just passing on some news for you. Stannis Baratheon is dead," replied Naruto like it was a simple thing to discuss.
"I see. One less threat to Daenerys and her return home," remarked Jorah while knowing the few enemies Daenerys had back in Westeros the better.
"Yes. Stannis recently tried to do something I find distasteful and I killed him myself. No one truly knows this except those with half a brain. I suggest you keep it to yourself after letting Daenerys know. It will help the Queen of Dragons know that there is now one less Baratheon out there who wants her dead should she ever make herself known in Westeros to claim the Iron Throne," said Naruto with Jorah nodding.
"How are things in Westeros?" asked Jorah curiously while Naruto shaking his head.
"A lot of fighting. A lot of killing. Treachery. Betrayal. Its a dark place to be right now, even with Ned Stark trying to hold things together as Regent. I'm advising him on my end, but we can only do so much, even with the likes of Ser Barristan, and even Ser Sandor Clegane aiding us with the recruitment of new men. Daenerys will have to be well prepared before sitting on the Iron Throne like she wants," replied Naruto with Jorah nodding.
"She is still too kind right now. Too trusting. Too innocent," commented Jorah with the Sage beside him nodding.
"Sadly, Daenerys needs to see more of how cruel the world is right now if she wants to rule over Seven Kingdoms one day. Places filled with despair, sadness, anger, and other dark things one such as her will have a hard time seeing, but needs to see all the same," remarked Naruto while seeing the woman walking along and smiling at people with two Dothraki bodyguards flanking her.
"You have a place in mind?" asked Jorah with Naruto nodding.
"Aye, I do. When your time here in Qarth is over, suggest the city of Astapor, and seek out those who control the training of the Unsullied," said Naruto before he started to walk away.
"Astapor? The Unsullied? For what reason would Daenerys seek out those men and such a group?" asked Jorah in confusion at the suggestion.
"Because of the future travels throughout Essos Daenerys will get herself a big fat target on her back for what she currently has in her possession," answered Naruto while Jorah's back stiffened when he heard this.
"The dragons," whispered Jorah knowing they were back at Xaro's home and currently not with their Mother.
"Aye, they are the perfect targets right now for someone to steal. They aren't really strong enough to fight against a large force right now and still weak enough to try taming if in the right hands. Even Daenerys herself is considered valuable to some people here in Qarth, who will use this as a chance to sire children with Targaryen blood through her. Whether both parties are willing is still anyone's guess. My point to you Jorah, is to stick close to Daenerys, and get her a ship to Astapor immediately before one if not all of the Thirteen decide to claim what the Mother of Dragons has in her possession," said Naruto before he vanished from sight after walking around a tree.
He had one more place to be right now to help secure the Baratheon name from dying out officially on Stannis's side of the family.
(Dragonstone-Sometime-Later-At Night)
Shireen Baratheon was a simple girl. Young, naive, and innocent in the ways of how the world worked. She had spent her entire childhood up until now being kept out of sight and hidden away in the castle. Never allowed to go outside to meet other people. Never to interact with anyone outside of her Mother or Father. She might on occasion see or speak to Ser Davos Seaworth if she was lucky, but they were rare times.
This of course was due to the fact her face was horribly scarred from the residual disease of grayscale had been inflicted upon the girl when she was only just a child. It happened when a merchant was selling dolls and one caught her Father's eye because the doll was the spitting image of Shireen. Little did Stannis know his own actions in giving his only living child the doll would cause her to be infected with the disease and many calling for her to be sent away to Old Valyria to be with the Stone Men.
Unknown to Shireen given how young she was at the time, her usually cold Father had decided to fight such advice, calling for every Maester in the Seven Kingdoms to come to his home, and combat this vile illness. In the end, the fight to keep the grayscale illness from turning her into one of the Stone Men was successful, it left a mark on her no one could remove.
At the time, Stannis could have asked for the Great Sage to heal his child, but the man was bitter at the time of the three eyed masked man for stopping him from getting to the remaining Targaryen children. Robert had blamed the issue on both the Sage and Stannis, but punished Stannis for it since the Sage could easily throw off any "punishment" Robert made against him.
Hence why Stannis was made ruler over Dragonstone and not the Stormland, which had been given to Renly. The years of bitter resentment had only crippled the second oldest Baratheon more then helped on an emotional level and would not allow him to seek out Naruto for help in curing his only daughter.
As for Shireen, most of her days were spent reading books, and the stories about ancient times surrounding the Kings of old. Of the lost cities and of course her favorite being the dragons that flew through the sky with the Targaryens being able to somehow control the beasts and their greatness.
So it came to a surprise to the girl when another legend written on her books appeared, and she gasped at the sight of the Great Sage himself. She had heard the rumors about him from the servants who knew of her existence, but were all sworn to silence. And of course Ser Davos had been helpful in answering when asked about the Sage with his powers being as grand as the stories say. Shireen's Mother had never approved of such things being told to her about the Sage and even less now that her parents had embraced the Lord of Light religion the strange Red Woman preached about when arriving on the island.
"Hello Shireen Baratheon. You are doing well I see," remarked Naruto in a friendly tone.
"You are the Great Sage!" exclaimed Shireen excitedly with her voice slightly raised.
"Indeed I am the Great Sage my Lady. As to why I am here, the truth is I am came here to see you," replied Naruto while Shireen was shocked, yet happy to know he was here to speak with her personally.
It was like her nameday came early.
"Why did you come to see me?" asked Shireen though it took a moment to collect herself in terms of being a proper lady in front of this powerful person.
"For two reasons my Lady. First, is to unfortunately be the bringer of bad news regarding your Father Stannis Baratheon. I regret to inform you he is...dead," replied Naruto with Shireen looking shocked and saddened by the news.
"D-Dead? You mean he's...gone?!" questioned Shireen, who was now crying tears over the loss of her Father.
He was so strict and cold to others, but deep down the little girl knew her Father still had a caring heart deep inside. It was reserved only for her to see and feel when no one else was around.
"Yes. He had an...altercation with the Red Woman about something she tried and failed to do in order to gain him support of others. It did not go well when they started to argue over it. They ended up killing each other from what I heard. The Red Woman mentioned how your Father should sacrifice you to her Lord of Light, but Stannis wouldn't allow it. I think by that point, he had just enough of her, and tried to kill the Red Woman," replied Naruto with his lie easy rolling off his tongue that even a full grown and intelligent adult would have believed him.
"What will happen to me now?" asked Shireen sadly and knew that without her Father, the position of ruling over Dragonstone, or even living here was brought into question.
"That remains to be seen. Your Mother is by law, the ruler of Dragonstone now. But only until the Heir is ready. Namely you. While I have no problem with that fact, I do have a problem with her embracing the new religion taking hold here," replied Naruto with the little girl nodding.
"Mother has been acting strange lately. She has been talking about burning people alive to appease the Lord of Light. I think my uncle on her side of the family being one of them," remarked Shireen fearfully for what family members she had left.
"Your Mother is sadly not right in the head and hasn't been for years. Its not entirely her fault though since the constant attempts to give your now late Father a son and male Heir has ended in multiple failures," replied Naruto with Shireen nodding while knowing of her stillborn brothers who preceded her.
"And the one child she could have ended up being scarred for life," whispered Shireen while making it sound like it was her fault and nobody else.
"That was not your fault. The merchant who sold your Father the doll he put in your crib is the idiot responsible for your facial disfigurement. In fact, your Father loved you more then you know. You were the one form of happiness and joy he had left in his bitter cold life filled with disappointments. You were the one thing he cherished above all things and kept hidden for fear of your life being targeted by his many enemies," said Naruto in a very serious tone.
"Really? Father always seemed like he wanted to be warm and open with me. But there was hesitation in his eyes when I approached him. I thought...I thought my face being the way it was...I thought he was ashamed of me," said Shireen while Naruto shook his head.
"No. In fact, he was the one ashamed of himself for giving you the doll that caused your the illness responsible for your facial scarring. When all his Advisors told him to send you to Old Valyria to live among the Stone Men, I have it on good authority that your Father told them to go to Hell, and called forth all the Maesters in the Seven Kingdoms to find a ways to save your life," replied Naruto, as he knew this story very well, and knew this girl needed to hear it too.
Just because Stannis had made the wrong choice regarding the attempt to kill Renly didn't mean his daughter had to see him in a bad light after his death. The girl was innocent and thus should keep some form of it in regards to her memory of the man.
"So Father did love me," whispered Shireen happily.
"With all his heart," said Naruto while mentally berating Stannis for being so damn cold when it came to everything else.
Damn hard ass for a Stag.
"What was the second reason you are here?" asked Shireen after a long moment.
"To heal your face. To do what no one else could," replied Naruto with Shireen looking at him in shock.
"But my Father was told by the Maesters that there was no power capable of healing me," said Shireen with Naruto smiling behind his mask, but it showed around his eyes that he was amused.
"Your Maesters were not me. In truth, I had the power to heal you for a long time. But your Father had become bitter and he hated me for my actions during his brother Robert's Rebellion against House Targaryen. King Robert couldn't punish me for my actions for letting the two Targaryens children get away so he punished your Father instead. In doing so, it made the relationship between us very bitter, and his pride wouldn't allow him to even remotely consider asking for my help. Even if I came to offer my services, he would have most likely ordered his men to imprison, or kill me where I stood," replied Naruto with Shireen nodding since that sounded a lot like her Father.
"That does sound like him," whispered Shireen with Naruto nodding.
"Indeed it does. Now hold still my Lady. This won't hurt you, but moving around makes healing you more difficult," replied Naruto before his free hand was covered in a green chakra and went gently over her face.
"Its so warm. Like a gentle Summer breeze," remarked Shireen with Naruto letting out a chuckle.
"That it does. You're fortunate I am here now rather then when you are older. This would not have healed you had I come to Dragonstone in a few years," replied Naruto before he made the entirety of the girl's grayscale vanish from her face.
"Thank you Great Sage. I don't know how I can repay you," said Shireen while Naruto just looked at the girl with joy knowing he had helped her remove such a scar from her person.
"For one, you can move to make peace with Renly. While your Mother is now ruler of Dragonstone, you could have her removed on grounds of mental incompetency. The Lord of Light religion has clearly done damage to her already scarred mind," replied Naruto with the girl in front of him nodding.
"I don't want to fight Uncle Renly. He was always nice to me, even if the times we met were very few," replied Shireen with Naruto nodding.
"Good. Also, I would suggest keeping Ser Davos close by as a good Advisor. He's a man who came from little to nothing and served your Father loyally for years," replied Naruto with Shireen nodding.
"I will. Thank you Great Sage for your help. I will send a raven out immediately to him and Renly before taking control of Dragonstone," replied Shireen with Naruto giving her an approving nod.
"Smart girl. I wish you good luck in all of your future endeavors. Be safe my Lady," said Naruto before he vanished in a ripple.
Shireen smiled at the spot where he once stood before looking in the mirror and finally seeing the grayscale that once covered half of her face was in fact removed. She was of course saddened to hear of her Father's death. All the book, stories, and advice from Maesters could not have truly prepared her for such a thing. But she would endure it. She was Shireen of House Baratheon.
She would not falter.
Shireen knew would show everyone that this little girl was indeed the daughter of Stannis Baratheon!
(In Another Realm)
R'hilor, or as many called him in Essos the Lord of Light was finding himself unusually nervous for a supposed God. Though in truth, he wasn't a God like the Old Ones, or the Seven for that matter. They ruled over Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms there with more then enough strength to repel him if a fight broke out between them and himself. The red demon snarled angrily at how his plans to cripple the Old Gods and the Seven had blown up in his demonic face.
First, his priestess Melisandre had failed to use her gift he gave the woman to offer up proper sacrificial energy to give him power! Oh she burned idols of the Seven and made Stannis Baratheon along with those loyal to him denounce the Seven. It was a start. A good start actually. But there had been no actual sacrifices by the fire. She had used her power to make a shadow demon to kill Stannis's brother. Fairly acceptable since it was being done in his name and thus make the life energy of Renly Baratheon become his own.
Again, he was met with failure by his fanatical priestess. She not only failed to kill Renly and give him his life upon being killed, BUT Melisandre also made an enemy out of the Nidaime Sage of Six Paths himself. The last time R'hilor had clashed with him, the false God had been trounced badly by Naruto, and was only spared on a whim. A whim! It was insulting! Naruto had warned R'hilor to leave his world and realm alone...or else.
At the time, R'hilor had agreed he would, but also decided to wait until the time was right to strike back. To build up his strength in Essos before launching another big attempt at Westeros and the Gods there protecting its people. He could have done it and would have succeeded in time, if not for the damn Sage sticking his nose into his business!
"I told you to stay away from my realm R'hilor. I can't make things anymore clear to you in regards to my command," said Naruto from behind the demon and false God.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance mortal. This is my domain. I am a God here!" replied R'hilor with Naruto not looking amused.
"A mistake I am going to correct here and now. Oh and R'hilor, you are not a God. You are a pretender. A fake. I know humans from the days of chakra and Shinobi who make you look like a chump. So don't go blustering to me about being a God here because we both know you are far from being one...just as I am far beyond you," whispered Naruto with R'hilor snarling at him.
"You dare insult me?! In my own domain?! I will make you burn for this!" exclaimed R'hilor with fire surrounding them and the demon howling in fury.
"No. You won't," replied Naruto before moved faster then the demon could see and landed a solid punch on R'hilor's stomach.
R'hilor coughed up blood. His many eyes widened in shock. How? How could this mere mortal after all these years still be stronger then him? Faster then him? One punch and already R'hilor felt the need to puke. It didn't make sense! He had been gaining sacrifices over in Essos for years. His strength now was three to four times what it had once been the last time he fought Naruto.
'How? How could this mortal keep getting stronger then me? Has he always stronger then me? Did I ever have a chance?' thought R'hilor before feeling the backhanded fist of Naruto hit his face, followed by a double chakra covered punch to the chest, and sent the false God flying back in pain.
"You think because of a few centuries of people sacrificing others by fire to you that your strength is on par with mine? You couldn't beat me back then and you can't beat me now. You could have the strength of our first encounter combined with your power now and you would still lose to me. I spared your pathetic life last time because you were weak and thus not a threat to me. I tolerated your existence because you were not worth the effort to kill. Even now, I find myself disgusted with the idea of flexing so much of my power to wipe your presence from the realms. Its practically beneath me," replied Naruto before he delivered punch after punch and kick after kick against the false God until the red demon was barely conscious on the ground.
"I...will...not...lose," whimpered out R'hilor while Naruto brought out Madara's gunbai and sliced the demon in half at the waist to make the false God scream in pain.
"You lost long before I got here," remarked Naruto to the screaming demon before taking creature's head clean off to silence the screams.
With his task done, the three eyed Sage left the realm R'hilor called his domain, and did not look back.
(A/N: Hope this was a good chapter. It was a little longer then I intended so I had to take some of it out for the next one. Until next time...PEACE!)