Chapter Four: The Heir Learns Many Things

Harry spent the trip planning out their mission with the squad of armsmen and flirted with telling his squire about his powers. Ultimately he decided he couldn't risk Willum knowing yet until he had secured his position in the Vale. His squad was comprised of men who had done multiple rotations with Lord Jon in the capital and would thus be familiar with King's Landing. Harry knew that for him to be truly effective he would need to get himself alone to work just as he had on his trip to Essos. So he had plans drawn for all of his squad to be occupied each day. In pairs, ten where to search out the staff Lysa had left behind to question them as well as offer passage back to the Vale on their ship.

Four where to stay on said ship to guard prisoners, as well as barter the goods that had been present in the hold of the ship they took over. The rest where to setup up a presence at an inn on Eel Alley just off Visenya's hill. In the privacy of their rooms information could be passed as well as pairs could filter in and out from searching the Street of Silk for the whereabouts of Paetyr Baelish. Harry and Willum were to ostensibly find and question Grand Maester Pycelle in the Red Keep as they were of noble birth and could more easily gain access. In reality Harry planned to pawn off Willum on his grandfather and uncle Ser Robyr who were staying near the Red Keep entertaining themselves with the king and perhaps searching out a marriage contract for Robyr.

Harry had planned out a letter for Willum to give Bronze Yohn once they had completed their mission, as they would need the powerful lord to return with them for a true council of succession or any war preparations. He had every intention of stalking and capturing Paetyr that first night and then snatching Pycelle after he dropped off Willum. He would work the two over the following evening and then redirect his men to grab up anything useful or relevant before getting out of the capitol before any royal, city watch, or mercenary allies could intervene. The black haired wizard assumed Paetyr would have to have cultivated some allies in court if he truly had the ambition of ruling the Vale as regent over his bastard son masquerading as an Arryn.

The trip by sea was uneventful with no harsh weather to mar the sunny days of the spring season. The only sight worthy of mention was viewing the bulk of the Royal fleet at anchor surrounding Dragonstone. The fertile volcanic isle from which the Targaryen conquerors had emerged was unremarkable from a distance but the countless war ships were another matter. The Royal fleet was said to number over two hundred ships and Harry could well believe it seeing so many in close proximity.

While a large majority of them were the single mast galleys with a sterncastle housing a few cabins as well as a platform for archers or a couple ballista like he was currently traveling on, there were quite a few double masted carracks with fore and sterncastles for scorpions or small catapults. There were even a handful of giant galleons with three masts and much larger towers designed purely for sea combat. With their Arryn colors flying they passed by unchallenged.

A patrol did stop them just before they could enter the Blackwater rush, slowing them for an hour before towing them to the river harbor, but it was only a cursory check with their Vale credentials. The harbor itself was only serviceable compared to what the Free Cities had to offer. He was also already focusing on their mission and didn't pay it much attention. Harry would soon be begging off to rest that evening in the inn while his men dispersed. He would then only have to get past Willum with a Notice-me-not ward around his bed or a stunning hex to begin his hunt.

As soon as the party of eighteen maneuvered through Fish Monger's square onto the Muddy Way, Harry learned of the sarcasm of the capital's denizens for naming it such. Even used to the pungent smells of the harbor from his trips abroad and to Gulltown, the smell of refuse and shit wending it's way down the road like a slow moving river from the juncture of Visenya and Rhaeny's hills made him gag. He was glad the men-at-arms had warned him and distributed the wooden shoe covers required to keep one's boots relatively unsoiled. As he bent down to affix them to his boots he surreptitiously cast the Agnosmia charm to temporarily remove his sense of smell.

An hour and half later he and Willum were ensconced in the largest of six rooms they'd hired from the Falcon's Rest inn, a business that was apparently partly owned by House Arryn from Lord Jon's time in the capital. While he had sent Willum out of the room to bring them supper he withdrew the map of King's Landing that Steward Royce had provided him to aid his mission. His main magical project whilst at sea had been to learn spells helpful for locating and hunting people. He did not have the time to fruitlessly search the populous city, not if he wanted to unravel perhaps multiple plots as well as covertly arrest the guilty and search for evidence of their wrongdoing.

The grimoire first taught him the incredible stalking spell Homonum Revelio which altered one's vision to see human life signs, even through obstructions. Next was the glamour charm which could throw up an illusion over his face and hair to provide a useful disguise. It wouldn't stand up to touch or last more than an hour without needing to be recast, but perfect for missions in the capital where his face could be known and recognized, unlike his escapades in Essos.

The Grimoire then taught him the frustrating art of scrying. Frustrating because it could be blocked if the person is near a magically powerful site or surrounded by wards, required one to already have something that once belonged to the one you were seeking, the fresher the better, and finally even if you did everything right it only worked if the person remained in the same location for the entire duration of the casting chant. So while alone in his cabin and now at the inn he pulled the key component to any scrying spell, the object of focus.

For him it was the now infamous valyrian steel dagger, which a small covetous part of him wanted to keep after this affair reached it's conclusion. Steward Royce and the Blackfish had managed to convince Catelyn to provide the dagger so it's passage from Baelish to the King and beyond could be more accurately determined. Willum returned with their meal before he got a hit. Afterwards as the thoroughly bored squire reviewed his notes from Essos as a test of both his military knowledge and his facility with reading, Harry place his wards and hit his squire with a deafening hex. He then returned to the awkward maneuvering of wand, dagger, and swinging crystal on a string over the map while he chanted. It took another thirty minutes of perseverance before the swinging crystal dropped on the map. He now had a target.

Next he prepared for his adventure. He put on his boiled leather armor and hauberk minus the helmet and gloves. Over his armor he wore a baggy beige long doublet with slighter darker and bulkier sleeves. It served both to cover his armor and make him appear bigger than his already impressive six foot two inches of admittedly slim teenage build. He wore brown leather pants with thick knee high brown boots loose enough in the calf to conceal his greaves. He added a mace and dagger to his belt, thinking a long sword too confrontational for a stealthy kidnapping. Finally he transfigured his pillow briefly into a mirror so he could cast the glamour charm. He chose the face and hair of a non-descript braavosi man he had met with the Windblown sellswords.

Harry somewhat guiltily stunned his squire and positioned him as if he'd nodded off while reading. He swore for perhaps the thirtieth time that he would make up for his lack-luster mentorship of his young charge. He apparated to a shadowed alcove he could see from his room's window and cringed at the crack and pop that rang out into the night. But in the still bustling metropolis his sudden appearance went unnoticed. Noting a dead dog blocking the alley entrance Harry thought this might be a relatively safe place to etch a transportation key. That done, Harry nonchalantly set off to the Street of Silk to find a man he had never met but who he was never-the-less growing to hate immensely.

As he traveled through this brothel rich district he was shocked at the sheer robustness of the industry. If he had ever developed some sort of niche sexual deviancy or taste for rare skin tones or hair color, he now knew where to scratch that hypothetical itch. Harry was also never so glad he had Kara in his life. For the feigned amorous affections on display might have been alluring to him if he had not already sampled the real emotion these sad souls tried to buy and sell. As such he was not too distracted and honed in on the location he was sure corresponded to the scrying he had just completed.

Upon entering the silk draped multi-level building he was inundated with scantily clad and heavily scented whores eager for his silver and gold. After staying firm despite some skillful groping and even more alluring promises he finally convinced a topless woman to take him to the brothel's manager, which he hoped would be Baelish based on Tyrion's characterizations of the man.

As the women dispersed in search of their next clients he saw the many screens and paintings depicting erotic subjects that graced the foyer and common room. He was taken to a study on the second floor and blushed in embarrassment at the many feigned moans of pleasure coming from rooms on this level. Instead of Littlefinger he met a gorgeous but fading dark-skinned beauty of the Summer Isles who asked him what business he had in her brothel while bracketed by two muscular toughs.

Hoping he hadn't missed his target while he made the trip from his inn, he asked the women if she were the purchaser of new whoreflesh, obliquely. Slavery was illegal in Westeros but it was not in Essos. Across the narrow sea almost all whores were slaves, even the high class ones with the notable exception of the courtesans of Braavos. Seeing many familiar foreign ethnicities during his trek he assumed the whore trade was a grey area and that some work around had been created to allow such a healthy marketplace in the capital. Harry hoped that using discrete but vague terms and implying large amounts of gold or "merchandise" he could encourage this Chataya to produce Littlefinger.

He was not disappointed as the short but fit middle aged man arrived fifteen minutes after he began his meandering explanation about accidentally acquiring a ship full of bed-slaves from Lys that he was interested in finding a new home for. For the right price of course. He much more succinctly repeated his story to Paetyr who watched him keenly with his grey-green eyes and benign smile. Littlefinger told him that he was indeed in the right place and asked him to follow him to his private study where they could talk business and allow Chataya to get back to running her brothel.

As he followed Baelish back across the length of the house to a second flight of stairs circling up into a stone turret he realized he had slipped up somehow. He felt pretty confident his slight accent and dress were spot on but it didn't really matter. He read Paetyr as they walked, and he was getting strong flashes of worry, fear, and anticipation. Knowing that he was likely about to be ambushed he casually drew his wand and cast the Homonum Revelio charm as well as silencing his clothing and armor. His left hand also moved to his mace, ready to draw it while appearing to just be lazily resting his hand on the weapon. His wand was lightly palmed, with the angle of his hand hiding it from sight, but ready to be extended for the rapid and precise wand movements of whatever spell he might cast first.

As he circled the stairs he gradually let Baelish rush ahead so he could look through the walls and floor at what he would face. As soon as he saw Paetyr join four others he began to regret not having back up. He didn't want tonight to be the first time his was forced to kill but he steeled himself with the knowledge that he must win, whatever the odds. When he crossed through the large room's archway he saw the weapons these sellswords had arrayed against him and quickly decided on a plan to defeat the ambush.

Paetyr continued to rush to the farthest portion of the room while a large man in boiled leather armor drew a long sword. Directly across from the entrance a man in padded armor targeted him with a crossbow while the final two drew short swords and moved to approach him from either side. Harry readied his wand and dramatically drew his mace to draw attention away from it. As Littlefinger called him a false knight and demanded his surrender Harry shouted one of his few area effect charms, Totum Tenebrae which shot a fountain of darkness from his wand which sought out and covered every light in the vicinity.

Even in the unnatural pitch black the mercenaries tried to grab him. Most worried about the crossbowman that he could still see as a redish-orange glowing life force, Harry threw up a Ferroa Scutum shield while kneeling. The dark grey, opaque extension of magic from his wand was solid only when in contact with metals and it was raised just in time as the crossbow bolt clanged off the upper half of the rectangular construct before lodging in the wall to his side. Knowing the three men further out would be relatively useless in the dark, Harry released his shield so he could cast other spells and maneuvered to take care of the two guards still cautiously moving towards the room's entrance.

With his apparel silenced it seemed an easy matter to split the two men, but one of their flailing short swords clipped his shoulder since his sight augmenting spell only revealed their flailing arms not the length of the blades in their hands. The man that scraped his boiled leather pauldron attempted to follow through by pushing blindly forward while taking larger swings. Harry had already moved behind the other man who cursed when his partner slashed him across his thigh.

Harry used the man's body as a screen and silently cast a Stupefy hex into his back, followed by a light tap with his mace to the back of his head. In his planning for tonight's excursion he decided that would be the method for dropping any bystanders who sought to deny him his target. The bruise when they woke up with would explain much of the situation. He would also hit them with Obliviation curses on the way out. With the man now closest to him still swinging hard Harry moved behind the fumbling crossbowman who had drawn and then dropped his dagger.

As the crossbowman man rose victoriously with his weapon, Harry again stunned then struck his foe and approached his first opponent who was dangerously close to stumbling through the archway and down the stairs. The black haired knight felt it a mercy to promptly render him unconscious. He now focused on the final guard as well as Baelish. Littlefinger was much further back into the room frantically manipulating something in his hands. The guard was yelling to let him in and apparently banging on something wooden, though Harry didn't remember there being another exit to this room.

Harry crossed the room and disposed of the last deterrent to his target who did not even notice his approach. He stepped towards the last glowing orange life form but was thwarted by an obstruction to a new room Baelish had somehow fled to. So Harry cast the counter charm to his darkness spell and the room rapidly returned to its previous state. He now saw a giant wardrobe blocking whatever hidden tunnel Littlefinger had managed to flee to. Worried that a secret passage might allow his target to escape, Harry pointed his wand at the wardrobe and cast the Reducto charm which blew a platter sized hole in the front and back of the heavy furniture sending wooden shrapnel into the hidden room.

It revealed a small lantern lit alcove but the wizard couldn't see Baelish any longer. His revealing spell had lapsed. Harry then made a mistake. In his urgency to pursue Paetyr he did not reapply the charm but sent a second shatter charm into the lower portion of the false wall and burst after the debris into the small room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a crouching Littlefinger spring towards him with his dagger poised to stab down into his neck. He instinctively blocked the downward thrust on his vambrace, but the force of the stab caused the knife to rebound and slide down his arm to cut shallowly into his shoulder, darting below his shifting chain shortsleeve.

"Now you're dead, fool assassin," Paetyr prematurely gloated as Harry was already moving in his drilled combat forms. He struck Baelish in his wrist with his mace, cracking at least one bone and causing the man to drop his knife. By his claim of victory after only one scratch Harry knew he'd been poisoned but continued towards his goal. Despite the burning in his right arm he snapped off an Immobilus Hex followed by smashing his mace horizontally into Littlefinger's gut. It amused him greatly to see Baelish begin to turn blue as he attempted to breath with his bruised diaphragm while the rest of his skeletal muscles were locked in place.

He kicked the paralyzed bastard to the ground then dropped his mace while sheathing his wand. It was a fast acting poison and his body had already started to burn and shake. With fumbling fingers he managed to retrieve his tandem antidotes and downed them in quick succession. He then calmly guided the now empty purgatory vial to his wound and caught the oily poison as it was forced out of his body. He returned the empty single use vials to his potions pouch and drew his dagger. Harry quickly cut strips from the prone poisoner's high quality black doublet and transfigured them into linens to bind his cut.

Intensely focused after his recent brush with death the young wizard roughly turned his enemy over with a few kicks. Bealish had now worked out how to breath with shallow breaths and lost his unnatural pallor. Harry doubted he would have much time before Baelish's employees called in reinforcements or the gold cloaks, so when he delved into the connivers mind he only did a cursory search for any valuables or information hidden at this location. His luck was improving as this entrance to a secret tunnel also held a hidden cache where Paetyr kept a ledger of some of his dealings and a small chest containing a sizable amount of gold dragons and loose jewels. He also noted the trap door that led to a secret passage that could connect with the Red Keep and it was only secured by a number of locks. With transfiguration at his disposal, non-magical locks were no barrier to Harry.

Harry quickly hit the trigger to move aside the hidden panel, revealing the cache which he then shrunk down it's contents to a fifth of their size and placed them in one of two canvas sacks he had brought along for tonight's activities. He cast a Featherweight charm at the shrunken chest since it still retained it's original weight. He also grabbed the few vials and jars from which Paetyr had selected his poison and added them to the sack. Tying that to his belt he then placed the other bag over a now stunned Littlefinger and dragged the man back into the turret room. Since all of the pieces of wardrobe and false wall were in the vicinity Harry was successful in using the Reparo charm to once again hide the secret passage.

He heard a commotion outside the brothel and a quick peak out the window showed a squad of gold-cloaked city watch talking with one of the bouncers. Knowing he was out of time and hearing heavy shod boots at the bottom of the stairs, Harry began casting Obliviation curses at the downed thugs in the room to erase the last half hour from their memories. He then grabbed Baelish upper arm and focused on the teleportation key he had just placed outside the Falcon's Rest. With a crack he and Baelish side-along apparated to the alley where the popping sound of his arrival clashed with the squalling of a cat that had been pushed aside by the clearing mechanism of his transportation key.

The weightlessness of travel followed quickly by the twisting landing and Littlefinger's dead weight sent him crashing to the dirty alley floor. As he lay there sprawled over the unconscious Baelish with rotting animal, muck, and cat piss filling his nostrils, Harry felt exhausted. Even though the entire encounter probably took less than twenty minutes he felt like he had been fighting in a melee for hours. His poisoning, the adrenaline of combat, and the rapid casting of many spells was a new and humbling experience. Apparently he wasn't an invincible demi-god as his magical powers sometimes made him feel.

Knowing he was far from the end of this night Harry grit his teeth in determination and stood on legs shaky from his rough Apparation. After a few deep breaths to steady himself he redrew his wand and set about transfiguring the rest of Baelish's fancy overshirt into a gag and stout bindings for his hands and feet. He hit the man in the temple with a stinging curse to give a visible reason for his unconscious state then transfigured the last scraps of his doublet into a cheap canvas sheet which he draped over the body. Harry hit Littlefinger with an Obliviation curse as well just to be thorough. He finally dispelled his glamour and made his way back to the inn.

Entering the common room he saw a pair of Arryn men-at-arms who had paused in their search to have a meal and some drinks. He motioned for them to follow him and when they reached their rooms commanded them to grab full cloaks and any weapons or armor they could wear discretely. Next Harry entered his room, and looked upon Willum with a smile. He cast an Enervate charm at his squire while quickly sheathing his wand.

"Oy squire, no time to be resting. The Father has blessed our cause in seeking justice by providing us a gift. Not five minutes ago I heard a man call out Baelish's name as he passed below our window. I rushed down to the street and knocked out the snake while you nodded over your reading. He's in an alley for now but we best get him stowed back at the ship. Get a move on, here's enough gold to rent the Inn's cart and a nag to pull it. Make sure you fill the cart with hay so no one will know of our true cargo, yes." Willum had startled quite heavily from the jolt of the spell and Harry's words seemed to hurtle past him only half understood.

Squire Royce articulated a, "Huh?" before Harry was forced to repeat his orders. The youth ran out of the room so fast to follow his instructions he neglected to grab a cloak or dagger for their trip. Harry did so for him and met his men-at-arms in front of the inn. Willum soon arrived and with the four of them working together, it was an easy task to stow Baelish in the cart bed hidden below loose hay. They made it to the River Gate without being stopped but their free ride then came to an end. The watch sergeant was questioning their purpose for using a cart so late into the evening with cloaked faces.

Harry was ready to prevaricate with a story about this being the only time they had access to the cart or to order his men to keep going while he used memory charms to make the whole squad of gold cloaks imagine their presence. But one of the Arryn soldiers who knew a bit more about the corruption rampant in King's Landing merely handed the watch sergeant a pouch of coins while shaking his hand quietly mentioning something about the "price of commerce."

The young knight was sickened by the practiced manner in which the guards took the bribe and waved them through. While it was of aid to them since it didn't reveal their arrest of Littlefinger, it still challenged his sense of honor. He vowed that when he ruled the Vale such transactions would be snuffed out and the greedy and corrupt cleansed from his forces to join the Night's Watch. Hopefully the bitter cold and bonds of brotherhood could force some honor onto them.

As Harry brooded about honor less men and his own knightly vows, his men grew frustrated with their companions on the galley who should have seen their signal by now and sent a row boat. The Harbor authorities tended to require ships to anchor away from the docks so ship traffic could flow more smoothly. Finally they were retrieved and Harry found himself in a cabin with the ship's captain Ser Nerris of the Paps, the first mate, and the four men-at-arms he left on the ship. With Harry's insistence on secrecy they decided to stow Paetyr in bilge until they set sail for Gulltown. His temporarily transfigured rope bindings were also replaced with genuine metal shackles.

He strongly cautioned the men about letting Littlefinger speak to them as he would surely try to barter for his freedom with promises of the moon. And likely pay those promises in poison or daggers to the back. He was sure the captain at least understood that if word got out that the Master of Coin was stashed on his ship they were likely to be

attacked by paid thugs if not arrested by the gold cloaks. They parted with Harry warning his men to keep a better sentry as he was likely to return each night either with new prisoners or to question those they already had. Thankfully this very long night came to an end with an uneventful ride back to the inn, followed by a late bath, a bit of regeneration potion for his cut shoulder, and the uninterrupted sleep of total exhaustion.

HP-aSoIaF

Willum woke Harry a few hours past dawn as the knighted wizard had asked him to. On the cart ride back to the Falcon's Rest, Harry had been forced to re-evaluate his plans in light of the difficulties and mistakes he made. The Arryn's motto: As High as Honor had also been much on his mind before his body gave in to tiredness. Coming down here he had worked himself up into a frenzy of divine vengeance against his House's enemy Lord Baelish. The practiced manner with which Paetyr attempted to ambush him assuaged some of his doubts, but he realized he wasn't operating all that much differently than Catelyn Stark when she arrested the Imp.

He learned something from a single source and then acted rashly on it. Harry was still quite sure he was in the right with arresting Baelish. But thinking on his knightly honor made him question his plan to arrest Grand Maester Pycelle. What if the man was innocent and had just missed the poisoning or Colemon was mistaken that leeching was helping his fatally poisoned lord. Not only might arresting Pycelle be unjust, but even if it turned out Harry was right to do such a thing, there would be repercussions.

Pycelle was the Grandmaester, selected to be the representative from his order for the King. Abducting him for questioning as his earlier plans called for might create enemies for the Vale if Pycelle turned up there to stand trial. Powerful enemies like the King and the Maester's order. As well, as a Grandmaester, he probably had earned his valyrian steel chain link and therefore knew or practiced some form of magic. In light of his near death experience, Harry was now considering the possibility he might fail to capture the man especially since he couldn't know what magical powers were available to the elderly Maester.

He would have to delay. He would also have to plan contingencies for escaping with his identity intact if it should turn out Pycelle wasn't the villain of his imagining. No one must connect Harold Hardyng with investigating the king's advisor. So to give himself some time to think up new plans, Harry and Willum would use Lord Royce to escort them around the Red Keep to scout for opportunities. Harry had Willum dress him as a knight with his hauberk and leather armor over his padded under clothes, topped with a tabard bearing House Hardyng's red and white checkered sigil.

Harry heard progress reports from his men-at-arms and discretely let them know that Littlefinger had already been captured. He wanted them to finish up interviewing and start gathering Lord Jon's abandoned household today so they would be available to follow any lead he got from Baelish. He and Willum then traveled to the small but well appointed town house that past Royce family members had purchased on Aegon's High Hill near the outer wall of the Red Keep. They arrived early enough to catch Lord Yohn and Ser Robyr, slightly hung over, breaking their fast.

Having met the large and bluff Lord of Runestone and his redheaded second son a couple times before, their meal conversation mostly focused on planning out the training Willum was to receive. Harry neglected to mention his possible exile or other goings on in the Vale. Willum's grandfather and uncle convinced Harry that he was a rare individual to have switched his dominant hand and that Willum would train in the traditional manner. Harry managed to get the Bronze Yohn to invite them to spar in the Red Keep bailey with all the other knights and soldiers attached to the royal castle. They were to then take lunch with the royal court. Afterwards Yohn would give them a tour of the Red Keep itself since neither Harry or Willum had ever been to King's Landing before.

The green-eyed wizard was happy with the day's agenda as it would give him a chance to get the layout of the keep as well as disposition of soldiers manning it's grounds. The Royces were content to watch Harry as he got a workout with blunted sword and axe with some of the Royce men-at-arms. Once he felt sufficiently exercised he spent the rest of the morning finally focused on working with Willum under the watchful gaze of his grandfather while Robyr separated to work on jousting with the other assembled knights. Out in the portion of bailey set aside for training Harry began to notice a strange pattern.

There were distinct factions amongst the knights and men-at-arms practicing their martial arts beneath the White Sword Tower of the Kingsguard. The most numerous was a grouping of Lannister knights bearing their individual sigils and red cloaked Lannister men-at-arms. The gold cloaks of the city watch trained alongside their crimson garbed counterparts. And giving that larger contingent dark glares where a smaller grouping of what Harry thought must be Northmen by the amount of grey in their motley garb of heavy plate armor and fur covered cloaks and clothing.

The last group included all those knights and soldiers sworn to other regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Strangely, Harry recognized very few banners hailing from the Crownlands. This segregation was also present at the long tables of Maegor's Holdfast where the assembled knights, lords, and ladies had lunch from the king's larder. Ser Harold felt he should pay for his meal but Lord Royce informed him it was the practice of the King to feast visiting nobility from the common food provided for his Crownland and Westerland knights and men-at-arms.

Harry began eating in silence, taking in the royal court for the first time. His eye was first drawn to Queen Cersei who sat with a fairly large group of ladies in waiting. He almost thought Kara Stone had snuck into King's Landing to see him before he noticed her green eyes, much richer dress, elaborate jewelry, and slightly older features. Clearly physical beauty ran in the Lannister bloodline. There were quite a few other unknown maidens and lady wives present who were also worthy of note in their finery, but none looked his way with his nearly unknown tabard sigil placing him beneath notice to those unfamiliar with the Vale.

At the head table he saw the boisterous king setting to a large meal with frequent wine refills for a midday meal. Judging by his large belly and flushed jowly face such excess was a common practice for the King. Sitting beside the giant man was his equally large younger brother Renly who looked dapper out of the armor Harry had met him in at the Harrenhal tourney. Also present at the head table must be the two princes and the princess judging be their golden hair and green eyes. 'Luckily they take after their mother' Harry thought to himself. While the Baratheons were large men and renowned warriors their thick black hair and coarse features weren't as aesthetically pleasing as those displayed by the royal children or their queenly mother. 'Though that cruel smirk and haughty upturned nose makes the heir Joffrey look a spoilt brat', he thought.

Unfortunately Grand Maester Pycelle was not in attendance. He asked about the small council and the Hand of the King, hoping for Lord Royce to point them out. That was when he learned the cause for the divided factions of soldiers here in the capital. Apparently word of Catelyn Stark's arrest of Tyrion had reached King's Landing. The Kingslayer, Ser Jaime Lannister had then rashly ambushed Lord Stark in the streets with a larger force of red cloaks. In the fighting, one of Jaime's soldiers interfered in their duel, injuring Eddard and the Kingslayer had the rest of his sworn Northmen escort killed. The reckless member of the Kingsguard had then abandoned his post serving the king to lead some three hundred Westerland knights, men-at-arms, and opportunistic hedge knights up the Kingsroad to try and free his brother as he was traveling to Winterfell.

Since there were still more Lannister soldiers here than any other group besides the gold cloaks Harry received an interesting history lesson from the Bronze Yohn. In the aftermath of Robert's Rebellion negotiations between King Robert, Stannis Baratheon, Tywinn Lannister, and Jon Arryn set up limits on the amount of sworn swords hailing from outside the Crownlands that could enter King's Landing. Tywinn managed to secure Cersei the right to bring in five hundred knights and men-at-arms. While the Hand of the King could only garrison two hundred of his soldiers and a visiting Lord Paramount was allowed a hundred. Lesser lords and knights were to limit their supporters to ten, but no one actually paid attention enough to count sigils and colors for the less notable nobility.

When he asked why the King didn't have a comparable force of Baratheon men-at-arms or Crownland supporters he learned a few more disappointing things about his King. In addition to gluttony, and apparently womanizing, the King shirked his duties for governance. Jon Arryn had wrangled for Robert the right to swear Crownland houses to a newly created House Baratheon of the Crownlands, while his designated successor to Storms End, Renly gained the fealty of the Stormlands as its Lord Paramount. As some of the most loyal supporters of the Targaryen dynasty, the Crownland nobility was decimated in the rebellion.

King Robert was to reassign or bolster new sworn houses to the royal Baratheon line and raise up a peerage in the Crownlands that would double the size of the Lannister's red cloaks as well as train and bolster the equally decimated city watch that was destroyed in the Lannister's sacking of King's Landing. Instead he spent his time reveling, traveling the tourney circuit, and hunting. Only those lands sworn to Stannis as Lord of Dragonstone had recovered to the levels of management and military service that had once existed.

The neglected villages, towns, and farmlands that were to be under the direct control of the royal family were only fully utilized in the last decade, managed by powerful merchants that invested in Robert's frequent tourneys to expand their business portfolios. The Master of Coin's excellent relationships with these entrepreneurs was a great part of his continuing position on the small council. The knights and men-at-arms that were to train and provide example to the gold cloaks never materialized, leaving the city watch an inferior fighting force compared to those available to other Lord Paramounts of the Seven Kingdoms.

Lest he leave a harsh criticism as his only comment on the King, Yohn was quick to laud his traits in the hunt, skills as a warrior, and as a supporter of tournaments and the commerce they generated. He was also apparently quite charismatic and a great companion to feast and wench with. The Lord of Runestone considered his visits to King's Landing to be a vacation from his duties to his house and liege lord. There was little ceremony to the meal unlike an official feast so when finished Bronze Yohn offered to show them the sights of the Red Keep, allowing Robyr to get up to his own devices.

As they moved about the historic keep and famous castle towers Harry wondered if the Targaryens, hailing from magic rich Old Valyria had left behind any enchantments here in their seat of power. Every so often he would draw his wand and cast the Reliquum Magica spell he had learned when he was searching the Vale for curses against House Arryn. He would also quickly hit Lord Royce and his squire with Oblivation charms which seemed to work even better now that he had cast the Fidelius charm. Harry expected the first residue of magic to be found within the Iron Throne when they toured the keep's famous Great Hall. But the uncomfortable looking chair forged from the broken blades of the conquered proved entirely mundane.

Is wasn't until Willum begged his grandfather to see the dragon skulls and they descended to a store room accessed through the Traitor's Walk Tower that his search bore fruit. The skulls and other bones were impressive both for their size and how intact they were. The dragon bone handle on the valyrian blade he carried suggested that dragon bones had not always been so revered. After his spell revealed that the bones still carried magic, Harry pried loose a tooth and carved a sliver of bone with the extremely sharp and durable dagger to test them later as potential potions ingredients.

In case these magical bones were important Harry needed to secure for himself the ability to return unobtrusively. So he cast a notice-me-not charm on himself then set to etching a teleportation key in a corner hidden by one of the giant skulls. As he worked he also thought such an access point to the Red Keep might be useful in any plans he might make regarding Maester Pycelle. Harry then conjured a light gust of air to smooth the room's thick layer of dust over the key to prevent its discovery. He chuckled a bit at Lord Royce and his squire's growing panic at his defacing the skulls then ostensibly disappearing. As he finished his task and hit them with more memory charms, Harry wondered if this is what stopping time felt like. Since only he knew of the true events that transpired, it was almost as if they never happened.

Their tour continued in the castle courtyard where other famous buildings and attached towers were noted. They were able to enter the Royal Sept, the Maidenvault, and the Round Room of the White Sword Tower. Stark men-at-arms barred them entrance to the Tower of the Hand, and they were stymied by a locked door at the Rookery, home to the massive unkindness of ravens servicing King's Landing. Harry was also happy to learn the squat tower housed the quarters of the Grandmaester. They finished their exploring with a stroll through the Royal Godswood. Harry checked the oak heart tree for magic but as expected for a non-weirwood he found nothing to suggest it held any significance.

Harry and Willum then bid Lord Royce goodbye with a promise to meet him the following day for more training at the Red Keep. In reading the important Vale Lord throughout the day Harry got the impression that Bronze Yohn was beginning to like him and respect his abilities to shepherd his son during his squireship. He also seemed an honest and astute man who could become a very important ally in the coming days. They returned to Falcon Rest for dinner, eager to hear news of their team's efforts.

Related over their evening meal, they heard a myriad of stories and responses from the close to one hundred Vale smallfolk that had composed the Hand of the King's household. Responses to questioning and the offer to return to the Vale ran the gamut from hostile at being abandoned so callously after years of service to grateful for rescue from the dire straits that had befallen them since losing their position and income. Some had made the best of their situation and found new employment or moved in with long time local significant others. About twenty had found their way back to the Tower of the Hand serving the Starks who were well thought of as Eddard had been fostered in the Vale.

The consensus from the questioning was that none of the servants had any idea Lord Jon had been poisoned. However almost all of them were quite angry with his widow for casting them aside and so quickly volunteered that they witnessed Lady Lysa sneaking away from the Tower for rendezvous with a lover. Some even supplied Lord Baelish as the mystery lover. Harry and some of the sharper men-at-arms realized that these 'witnesses' were probably lying seeing as they all were very loyal to Lord Jon and would have said something long before now if they had truly witnessed anything untoward.

Still, Harry was convinced Robyn was illegitimate and these probably false testimonies would look very damning when considered against Lysa firing them from service. If it required circumstantial evidence to reveal the truth he felt the slight sullying of his honor would be assuaged by a court arriving at the true course of events. He was also firmly committed to the belief that Lysa and Robyn would bring disaster to the Vale if he didn't stop them.

Another interesting and suspicious story was related to multiple Arryn men-at-arms about Jon Arryn's former squire. Squire Hugh did not return to the Vale as he could have but instead stayed in King's Landing to be knighted by King Robert. He then somehow acquired a large amount of silver to commission a brand new suit of armor. Ser Hugh was then killed in his first joust at the Hand's Tourney by known enforcer for the Lannisters, Ser Gregor Clegane. The men-at-arms all agreed the squire was not ready to be a knight, so his sudden rise and income, followed by an equally sudden death was very suspicious if not particularly illuminating.

After dinner Harry left Willum to his chores and took two armsmen as escort back to the Gull's Dinner. It was time to delve into Baelish's mind and hopefully learn a great many things. Harry knew that as clever as the traitorous schemer was, he would never get the information he needed without active legilimency. He was now thinking about how to hide his magic use from both the guards as well as Paetyr himself who would likely be allowed to speak of his treatment, at least during his trail.

This train of thought led him to the other conundrum of his magic. How could he use it in the open and yet keep his name free from the taint that his abilities would give him. If it were known he was a wizard he might be slandered, no one would trust him, and in the worse case scenario the Maesters or the church of the Seven might call for his execution. Despite the danger he longed for the freedom to use all of abilities to their fullest. It was deep in thought, relying on his escort to steer him clear of footpads and pick pockets, that Harry had an epiphany.

He needed to become two people. The first was his known identity. Ser Harold Hardyng, devout knight and heir to House Arryn. He must also develop a second persona, the Wizard of the Vale. A mysterious figure that arrives suddenly, tosses his magics about, and then vanishes just as precipitously. It would take some juggling. He would need not only his squire but a similar build accomplice who could fill in for him when both he and the wizard needed to be present. His thoughts immediately turned to his youngest foster brother Ser Wallace who was naturally left handed, of a similar height and build, and might be able to fill in for him in battle. In conjunction with the Fidelius charm, any magic near him would be attributed to his alter ego.

Overtime the mysterious wizard would grant many boons in peacetime and timely spells in battle and thereby win over the Vale's hierarchy. But during this time of earning the people's trust, he would be seen as an uncontrollable wild card and not connected to Ser Harry in any tangible way. The logistics still needed work, as well as what spells and disguises would be needed to pull off the deception. But he could start the plan now, tonight. It would be the Wizard of the Vale that barges in and interrogates Littlefinger. When his pronouncements of where to find evidence are shown to be true, Harry can reluctantly coax his men into a temporary alliance with the powerful stranger to find justice for their murdered liege.

Thoughts on the appearance and speech of this alternate persona brought him to the obvious person to model himself after: Archmage Potter. It was perfect, the name had a certain ring to it, and he already knew how the man dressed thanks to his interactive sessions with the Grimoire. He would have to alter the appearance slightly but not too much, let people wonder if there was some familial connection in the event his powers were ever revealed. Or if his children inherited his gifts. He supposed once his children started throwing around spells the cat would really be out of the bag. A new title for any daughters he might have was also needed because though the Grimoire stressed the female counterparts of wizards were witches he wouldn't be saddling any daughters of his with that dark moniker.

Harry spent the rest of the journey devising his deception. Thinking through the plan brought him a wonderful feeling of giddy excitement. He was going to use his magic in the open and fool everyone. It reminded him of the Grimoire speaking of Archmage Potter's other obsession besides flying and romance. What the book called the noble art of pranking. Harry was about to start a prank that even his alternate self would have to look on with awe.

HP - aSoIaF

Everything was set. Harry had convinced the Arryn armsmen to leave him alone with Baelish so he could 'soften' him up for questioning. He entered the room and immediately stunned the bound and gagged prisoner. Harry then conjured a mound of Earth to use as a transfiguration medium. He was eager to get to the point where he could just conjure things already formed, but the Grimoire told him it required a great deal more practice than he had achieved. It also required much greater amounts of mana in comparison to conjuring simple elements or 'molecules' whatever those were.

For now he had to be efficient so from the conjured earth he transfigured a likeness of himself, apparently unconscious. His tabard quickly became a thin veneer of black leather scales over his armor, mimicking the dragon hide armor the Grimoire's avatar often wore. He topped it off by transfiguring some more earth and shaping it with his magic into a long black cloak with hood.

He transfigured a floor length mirror from the remaining conjured earth to gauge his appearance. He used a subtle glamour to age his features and alter them slightly. After glancing at the greying Baelish with his finely manicured goatee, he decided to add a short trimmed beard that hugged his face with curly salt and pepper hairs. Next he added the lightning bolt scar in honor of Potter. It was still missing something. He brought the hood up and liked the way it shaded his features. He decided to enhance that with his glamour, adding shadows over his features while adding a subtle glow to his green eyes. He looked very powerful and mysterious. Perfect for the newly created Wizard Potter.

After dispelling the mirror, Harry cast the Enervation charm to revive Baelish then Disapparated within the room with a loud crack then pop. He quickly fired off a Silencing hex at his inert doppelganger to explain away it's seeming unconscious state, as the two men-at-arms that guarded the door threw it open to investigate the strange sound of his teleportation. Harry then turn and fired a weak red Banishing hex at the guards pushing the first into the second and both of them out of the room. They landed in a heap beyond the door, but otherwise unharmed. As they were struggling to their feet and Littlefinger attempted to shout for help through his gag, newly dubbed Wizard Potter cast a barrier Protego shield across the threshold to this section of the bilge.

This spell, a shimmering blue field, was designed to block and rebound most spells, though certain curses could bypass it and it would fail after taking a few heavy mana bolts. The Grimoire had cautioned him to always follow it with a conjured physical barrier to block projectiles, conjurations, and people just walking right through it. In this instance it was needed for none of these features but to be a flashy barrier for the benefit of his men-at-arms.

"Stop! Do not cross the Wall of Destruction! I am here to give you aid but will not allow you to interfere. When I learned this spell it was told to me it would be better to die by dragon fire than to breach its surface." The guards who had drawn weapons and were moving back towards the room immediately stepped back and sent up prayers to the Warrior to protect them.

"Good, you have some intelligence. My name is Wizard Potter and I have been watching your investigation quite keenly. You have done well so far, but I owe a debt to House Arryn from my youth and this young Ser Hatchling has a better chance of giving birth then getting a confession out of this slimy snake. So, gather a scribe or take the quill, ink, and parchment yourselves and record what I will discover. It is possible for me to enter this traitor's mind and ferret out all his secrets and treacheries. I will pass them onto you, and we shall see if it is enough to payback my obligation. Do nothing foolish, it would be a shame if I was forced to injure the Arryn Heir because you want to play hero. Hurry now, I don't intend to stay here all night." His entire speech was orated with crisp enunciation over a gravelly timbre to make Wizard Potter sound both refined and dangerous.

The two men-at-arms conducted a short argument before letting "Wizard Potter" know they would go along with things for now, not that they had much choice when confronted with the 'Wall of Destruction'. One of them rushed off, presumably to grab writing supplies while the other watched the room intensely, unconsciously fiddling with his sword pommel. His fellow guard returned with a lap desk and some scribing supplies as well as the ship's Captain, Ser Nerris of the Paps. Before this new witness could lodge any protest Harry spoke to draw their attention.

"I am now going to delve into this Littlefinger's mind. I may ask him questions to focus his attention on certain things. I will then relate my findings for you to give to Ser Hardyng after I revive him. Do not interfere or break my concentration, for I will be quite cross. The last man to vex me in such a way spent a week as a chamber pot, so I'll let you imagine what your fate will be if you are equally as foolish. Now, to business," he turned to the slightly panicking Baelish and pointed his wand after the few spell motions required before speaking gruffly the Legilimens incantation.

"Let's get right to the heart of the matter first. Did you conspire to kill Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale?" Harry was in luck. Paetyr Baelish had a very organized mind and his question brought the information and memories he sought right to the forefront. As the book had taught him, he could either steal the memories, thoughts, etc. and place them in his magically created 'neural clusters' as the Grimoire called it. These were the places in his mind that his occlumency defenses protected.

Or he could utilize a pre-constructed transition space in his magically rearranged mind where he would possess the memories temporarily, knowing them as if they were his own. From them he could consciously make new additions to his mental construct with the relevant information and allow what was taken to return to its previous location. Not wanting to have any piece of Paetyr remain within his mind he used the second method, and spent a few moments picking through what he "remembered" to consciously select relevant information.

"Well, men of the Vale we have one of the lead conspirators here, but...this is much bigger and more dangerous than I had assumed. My god, I'm not sure I should tell you all that were involved, it could lead to a civil war as widespread as Robert's Rebellion." Harry tried to embraced his recently created all knowing persona as his mind reeled at what he just learned. Lysa Tully wanted her husband dead to prevent him from sending her child away and in the hope she could marry her 'true love' Paetyr.

The queen had wanted the Hand of the King dead because he discovered her children were illegitimate and could not be Robert Baratheons. Littlefinger learned this in the course of managing his vast commercial empire and the tabs he kept on Jon Arryn, both for his own financial gain and to better facilitate his self-serving relationship with his wife. As the Hand unraveled the mystery of the black haired bastards versus the blond haired royals so to did Paetyr. But where the Hand saw betrayal, Littlefinger saw opportunity. In one stroke he could clear the way for his gaining control of the Vale.

By taking care of the Queen's problem he could gain her patronage which would be integral to him gaining a sufficiently lofty title so he could marry his besotted pawn who would ineptly hold the Vale for him. So he encouraged Lysa to do the deed as well as arranged for her to get the poison. When the Hand's ambitious squire Hugh witnessed Lysa messing with her husband's food, it was Baelish who bought his silence all the while whispering into the Queen's ear about the need to tie up loose ends.

When a frantic Cersei came to him in anger because Jon wasn't dying fast enough and might be able to tell someone of his discovery, they worked out that Grand Maester Pycelle could facilitate a quick silencing of the Hand. Littlefinger was growing impatient with Lysa's worsening paranoia over being caught and unhappy with the abrupt and suspicious way she had fled the capital. Harry could sense Lysa didn't have long to live after she married this conniving man.

But what to relate to the Arryn armsmen in his pretense of passing on information to his supposedly unconscious self? Nothing about the Queen. That would take some careful consideration about what was best for the Vale and the realm. But the willingness of Pycelle to do the Queen's bidding in complete disregard for his role as healer put him squarely back in Harry's sights. He was clearly corrupt and did not have armies at his command to further muddy the issue of justice with politics.

"Lysa Arryn nee Tully did the poisoning with this bastard's encouragement as well as providing her with the poison itself. He also bought off Lord Jon's squire, who got what he deserved in my opinion for betraying his liege when he died accidentally," the last word was said with dripping sarcasm.

"Now onto other pressing matters. Are you the father of the child known as Robert 'Robyn' Arryn?" As Harry processed and saved what he got from Baelish's mind he was troubled. "Sorry gentleman, this issue isn't quite so clear cut. The whore monger isn't sure. He knows Lysa drank moon tea for many years after her first few miscarriages in fear of ending up like her mother, dying in child birth. He did get her pregnant before her marriage but her lord father had that child done away with." He paused to process deeper concepts and ideas from Littlefinger.

"To him it apparently doesn't matter because both Maesters Colemon and Pycelle informed him that the child's shaking disease will kill him before he reaches adulthood. Either way he was going to marry Lysa, do away with her, then wait for Robyn to die. With many years as lord regent under his belt he knew he would have enough support by then to stay in power and establish his house as the new lords of Vale. Sickening." Harry shook his head in disgust before resuming the one sided interrogation.

"How were you going to deal with Ser Harold Hardyng over there in this plot to seize power?" Harry was surprised to learn that Paetyr hadn't been plotting his demise as well. He had hopes to either see him married outside the Vale or come to a working relationship. Littlefinger assumed if yet another heir dropped dead he wouldn't be able to play the games of blackmail and financial enticement that would be required for securing power. Only if all the other plans didn't work would he have to remove Harry.

"Hmm...It seems the young Hardyng was destined for a less gruesome fate. Married to some far off nobility in Dorne or the Stormlands. I bet our little investigation has likely changed those plans now," he chuckled gruffly, remembering he needed to sound different from his own voice. He made a mental note to find a voice altering charm before playing Potter again.

"Now, while we're here. You have quite the setup as Master of the Coin. We need evidence of your wrong doing. So are there any records showing your role in the murder of Lord Jon? And are there any other secrets about your rapid rise to power here in the capital other than adultery with the Hand's wife?" Using the questions to focus Littlefinger's mind Harry once again used legilimency to delve for answers.

"Men, let's make precise notes here. I've discovered Paetyr keeps extensive notations of his business transactions as he engages in so many that even he needs assistance to keep track. Quite a shame he's greedy, the traitorous filth, as his enterprises show he is a true genius at finance. In his ledgers he's kindly stipulated his trade in poisons and other banned substances sold through his brothels. He has also been using his position as Master of Coin to fund his own wealth."

"He borrows on behalf of the crown, funnels the money through businesses and intermediaries in quite an impressive network of commerce. The crown ends up holding most of the debt while he gains plenty of profit. None are the wiser because all his maneuvers earn more than anyone else ever did before despite his skimming. It seems to me it was really this man who has been ruling the Crownlands for years. If he had only been content with such wealth and power we wouldn't be forced to drag him back to the Vale and lop off his head." Harry laughed harshly with dark humor.

Wizard Potter then began rattling off the detailed locations of both Paetyr's extensive ledgers tracking all of his business dealings, as well as his hiding places for all of the wealth he had accumulated that he didn't want anyone to know about. In Harry's mind, Littlefinger would soon be dead and rather than leave all his wealth around to be discovered by whatever scavengers showed up to pick at the remains of his mercantile empire, it should return with them.

Baelish had hurt the Vale with his scheming, and he would be paying reparations as well as receiving justice for his crimes. The mismanaged Crownlands were not his concern, and he felt no responsibility to the feckless king and adulterous queen. Maybe if he encountered the new Hand before they left he might consider turning over copies of the ledgers to Lord Stark. But thinking again, with the Lannisters already on the brink of war with the Starks it might be more prudent to urge Eddard to get the hell out of King's Landing before anymore of his retinue or family were killed by a queen who had already successfully conspired the death of one Hand of the King.

"Well good men, I believe my work for tonight is done. Tell Ser Hardyng to leave Pycelle to me. The man might have arcane arts at his disposal that an inexperienced knight would not be able to counter. The capital is much more dangerous right now than any of you realize. Get the ledgers and gold quickly. I'd also have those returning to the Vale on this galley soon. And be ready for a fight, Baelish had a small army of toughs, brigands, and sellswords guarding his affairs. Going out in just pairs is asking for an ambush and a quick death. You've been lucky so far, don't let it fool you into believing you are safe," he cautioned.

With that final admonishment, Harry closed his eyes and set off a strong Lumos Maxima area effect charm temporarily blinding everyone. He apparated within the room again and while the other occupants of the room were rubbing their eyes and trying to cautiously open them Harry cast his strongest Finite Incantatum area dispelling charm. After years of hurriedly stopping multiple simultaneous household charms to avoid discovery he was well used to the large drain on his mana. His conjured earth and what had been transfigured from it dissipated into nothing as his glamour and alterations to his tabard also reverted.

Harry pretended to get to his feet and to his great amusement questioned the captain and guards on what had happened. Their theories and explanations surrounding his wizard alter ego were quite amusing though Harry had to school his features to hide the genuine mirth his successful deception brought him. He appreciated the Captain taking the situation seriously and making preparations for a quick exit as well as possibly being boarded. While the men-at-arms were quite suspicious of gifts from a magic user, Harry succeeded in getting them focused on their duty which was guarding the prisoner and the ship. All agreed to make no mention of the wizard, lest they be thought insane. Knowing tomorrow would be especially long, he quickly gathered his escort and returned to the inn.