6th Month of 282 A.C. King's Landing

Knight Commander Brandon Stark

There was something about King's Landing, something in the walls or the very fabric of the city that just did not sit right with him. Brandon did not know what it was, but there was a part of him that wished to return home to Winterfell, to his wife. He did not even know what was happening outside of King's Landing baring the little snippets of information he was able to get. It seemed someone, or something was keeping all the outside information completely out of King's Landing, or at least from his ears at least. It was a damned frustrated thing and something he was determined to change. Of course, there were things that he had learned in King's Landing itself that were cause for concern, and as he sat down with his companions to discuss them, he wondered who else knew about them.

Brandon looks around the room, the headquarters for the order as it were, the place where they were founded, and he looks at each person in it one by one, and then says. "I think there is something deeper going on here. Prince Rhaegar might have taken my sister, but I doubt that was the only thing that he took with him. Lady Daenys, you were here under King Aegon, what did you observe of his time as king toward the end?"

Lady Daenys fixes her eyes on him, and he is reminded once more of her beauty, though she is old there is no denying that she is still beautiful. "My uncle became most desperate towards the end of his reign. After the crushing of the rat, the hawk and the pig and their little rebellion, we had lost my cousin Daeron," here she pauses for a moment, and Brandon senses an old wound opening again. "The death of one son who was martially minded crushed my uncle, his eldest son Duncan was still there, but he was not in line for the throne and that worried my uncle. I believe, that is when he began looking to bring back the dragons."

Brandon looks at the lady, and then at his friends, Jeffory is holding his mother's hand, his eyes glinting with repressed anger, Elbert looks confused, Ethan is looking at him intently, Kyle is also looking at him intently. Brandon takes a moment to compose himself and then asks. "And did he begin speaking more and more with the wood's witch that Jenny of Oldstones had brought with her to court?"

Lady Daenys snorts. "That old cow? Yes, he did. The fool. She spoke in tongues, words that did not make sense, prophecies, and my uncle drank them in like the fool he had become. I do not know why he was so desperate, but he was. He became convinced the dragons had to be brought back in order to save the house."

Brandon knows his friends are growing restless, wanting to know where he is going with this. But he knows he cannot just rush into something like this, he needs to ensure Lady Daenys is suitably comfortable talking about the issue. And so, taking a moment he composes himself and then asks. "And, what in your opinion made him more inclined to listen to the wood's witch? I know that his hand was arguing against listening to her, and that Prince Duncan grew to resent her presence there."

Lady Daenys snorts again. "Because, by that point my uncle needed something to cling to. His heir had deserted him, Daeron was dead, Prince Jaehaerys was not the heir he thought he would be. He was trying to reclaim the glory that his ancestors had had but he was failing to. And so he turned to dragons and magic. Two things that had never served us well after the dance."

Before he can ask his next question, Jeffory speaks. "What has this got to do with anything Brandon?"

Brandon looks at his friend and says. "It is relevant to what I am going to mention soon. We cannot have the next discussion without this."

Lady Daenys looks at her son then and says. "It is fine Jeffory, I can handle this. Go on Knight Commander ask your questions."

Brandon takes a moment and then asks. "You say that dragons and magic never served House Targaryen well after the dance, why is that my lady?"

Lady Daenys looks at him and then responds. "Because, the dragons were killed off by the maesters. I am sure you know about that from your own queries Knight Commander. They were not pure, not like those who were hatched in the years immediately following the conquest. The more the Targaryens settled into King's Landing the more chance there was of the maesters polluting the eggs. I am not sure how they managed to do it, but they did. As for magic, it was magic that killed my uncle at Summerhall, it was magic that killed my mother, and it was magic that will bring this family to its doom."

At this Jeffory speaks. "What do you mean by that mother? How can magic bring the Targaryens to their doom?"

Lady Daenys sighs then. "Because, Prince Rhaegar is acting on a prophecy something that my uncle thought might be true, and something Jaehaerys definitely thought was true. He is acting on an urge that has plagued the family for years."

"What prophecy?" Elbert asks his voice questioning.

Lady Daenys looks at Brandon then and asks. "Shall I tell him, or will you?"

"My information makes more sense if you tell them, my lady." Brandon responds.

"The prophecy of the prince who was promised. A saviour meant to end the darkness and bring the light. Uncle Aegon became convinced he had to ensure this came into being to bring about the changes he wanted, Jaehaerys wanted his line to have some importance, and so Summerhall happened, Aerys married Rhaella, and Rhaegar was born. And now Rhaegar has acted on it." Daenys says sadly.

"I still do not understand, what does this have to do with anything?" Kyle asks.

Brandon looks at his friend and says. "It is important, because what I have found suggests there is more to all that is happening here than we first thought." he pauses then, takes a moment to compose his thoughts and then speaks. "I have found sufficient information to believe that Prince Rhaegar has taken my sister in an attempt to sire the child he believes to be the prince that was promised. In the journals that I found, he wrote of a song of ice and fire, how Princess Elia's failure to produce a male heir was a sign that Dorne was not worth the risk that had been created by the throne. Furthermore, he seemed to think that by taking my sister he could ensure that my family never rose against him."

There is a long silence and then Elbert speaks. "So he's taken Lady Lyanna to fulfil some prophecy that may or may not be right? Why in the name of the seven hells would he want to do that?"

Brandon looks at the heir to the Vale and responds. "Because, I do believe Prince Rhaegar has gone mad. He thinks he is the one to bring about a golden age in Westeros, and is determined to see that happen. Regardless of the pain he causes, or the suffering he inflicts. And I have reason to believe he might well have forced his father into making the marriage arrangement with Princess Elia."

"What? Why? He was already betrothed to Lady Cersei, why would he deliberately force his father into something that only hampers him?" Elbert asks.

Brandon scratches his beard, and then looks at his friend. "Because he knew that it would give his father great pleasure to make the match. And because, once the match had been made it would mean he could further alienate Tywin from his father. Prince Rhaegar was playing a dangerous game."

Lady Daenys speaks then, and she sounds sad, terribly sad. "I thought it might come to this. Rhaegar always had something over his shoulder about being born in Summerhall, and I do not think his grandmother helped things. She was constantly speaking of the prophecy near him when he was young, and if I remember correctly she guided him to the book that made him change."

"Book? What book?" her son asks.

Brandon nods at the book on the table before them. "This book, the title is lost to age, but the contents it seems are what encouraged the Prince to become a warrior. There is one passage which became more and more crumpled from use, it is about the rise of the Warrior from the Seven, and it mentions how followers of the cult of the warrior thought that this was Daemon Blackfyre, and then thought it was Prince Baelor. Now it seems Rhaegar thinks it is him."

"I have heard of this cult. What are they called?" Elbert asks.

"I do not think they have a name. Not one that I have been able to find." Brandon responds.

Jeffory speaks then. "What does this have to do with the king? We have not been able to find anything regarding what ails the king yet have we? That is worrying, I have heard rumours that he means to bring charges before us."

Brandon stares at Mallister then. "Where did you hear that from?"

Jeffory looks embarrassed then and Brandon knows exactly where he heard it from. "It does not matter where I heard it from, but it matters that the word is there, and people are talking Brandon. The order needs your father now more so than ever."

Brandon sighs then. "Has Mooton been acting out then?"

Mallister nods. "Yes, and it seems Connington and Lonmouth have been as well."

Brandon curses then. "Gods, I knew we should have dealt with them the moment we had a chance." he sighs then. "We cannot afford to have division within the ranks, not now, definitely not now."

"Do you think Prince Rhaegar is the one commanding their strings?" Elbert asks.

"Most definitely." Brandon responds. "They are doing this on his orders, whether he has gotten word to them now or beforehand I do not know, but somehow he is doing it."

"Why would he do this? I do not understand, why would he deliberately do something that would undermine his own position within the order? The order helps keep the dragon secure on the throne. Surely he realises that." Kyle says.

Brandon sighs then. "I think the prince might well be doing this deliberately, the Order is his father's order, not his, and he might well be trying to purge us from the order to make way for his own members. We must make sure that Connington and Mooton are dealt with."

"How? We cannot kill them that goes against the rules of the order and we do not have sufficient enough proof to make a case before the king. Not that he would be likely to hear us, considering his current state. How do we stop them?" Kyle asks.

Brandon sighs then, Kyle speaks the truth there, and yet he is unwilling to accept defeat on such a matter. "I say we strike at where we know there are those who have some connection to Tywin Lannister. Pycelle for one, we all know what he is and who he is." He thinks for a moment and then says. "In fact, I know for a fact that Pycelle has been doing something to the king with Lord Tywin's approval. I saw a letter on his desk, I need to get another look at it, but I know there is something going on there."

His friends look at him for a long time then, and in the silence Brandon swears he can hear their hearts beating, an unnerving thought that. Eventually, Elbert speaks. "What can we do?"

Brandon looks at his friends. "Speak with Connington and Mooton get them talking, or try Lonmouth, we must form a strong case before we go to the king."