Maelor
King's Landing was in the grip of one of the hottest summers Maelor had ever known, one of the hottest summers in living memory, with some calling it the hottest summer, the long summer come at last. Maelor had mentioned this once to his father whilst Lord Edwyle had been present and both men had laughed, and said that the long summer was a long way away if it ever came. That was the one thing Maelor had never truly understood, how his father could trust a man such as Edwyle Stark. The man never gave away any sign of emotion and his face seemed to be carved of ice, in all the time he had been in the capital, Maelor did not think he had ever seen his uncle smile or laugh or cry, it was very unnerving, and made Maelor wonder just how well his father actually knew Lord Edwyle. Maelor was never able to tell whether Lord Stark was plotting to kill you or to save you from something, but given how much the man hated the south- oh he had never verbalised it, but Maelor could see it in the way that he acted around most of the nobility even some of Maelor's cousins in Prince Duncan and Aelix, but never grandmother or father or even Rhaenys- he had asked his grandmother this question once, and she had merely smiled sadly and patted his hand and told him "They have grown up together the two of them, though Lord Edwyle was past forty when he was made hand and your father thirty, they have grown together in this time, that is how." She would say nothing more and therefore Maelor did not press her about it.
Now, though Maelor watched from a place close by the Iron Throne as his father listened to the pleas of the smallfolk, who wanted more water for their crops, they wished for his father to deal with a small group of bandits that were causing trouble for them in the Kingswood. Maelor listened to all of those who came before his father, and watched as his father calmly and smoothly promised them that justice would be had for them, in fact he sent Ser Lucas Goodbrook of the Kingsguard along with fifty of the Goldcloaks to deal with the outlaws, and on and on it went until eventually the session was called to an end and as he did each time a session ended Maelor followed his father back to his chambers. This time his father seemed to be in much better spirits than the last time, when a man had come from the Vale begging for mercy from the justice uncle Jon was to be giving him for aiding the traitor Ser Loras Arryn, Maelor's father had stared at the man, his face hard as stone as he sentenced him to death. Now though his father had a smile on his face and was cracking jokes with Lord Edwyle. Once they entered the solar and all three of them had sat down, his father turned to him and said "So what did you think of today's session then Maelor?"
Maelor was silent for a moment as he considered how to phrase his words. "Interesting to say the least. These bandits though, they are not the first small group to appear in the Kingswood, there have been at least three other cases, and I know though the other three have been dispatched easily, it is a bit worrying that they keep reappearing is it not?"
Maelor saw his father look at Lord Edwyle then, the smile having gone from his face as he replied "Aye it is Maelor. Hopefully Ser Lucas and the Goldcloaks shall be able to find out what is causing so much unrest. And this issue with Ser Loras Arryn, that man will have to die soon, I will not have him brought to King's Landing where he might try and speak with your mother."
Maelor felt himself tighten in anger at the mention of Ser Loras Arryn, he still remembered when his father and mother had returned from Gulltown, without their sister Aelinor, how shaken his mother had been and how angry father had been. Neither of them spoke of it but, Maelor knew after speaking with Rhaenys that it had been mother's old childhood friend who had been responsible for killing baby Aelinor, and that mother had been heartbroken at that. The man had fled Westeros rather than face the King's Justice, and now he had come back again, or so that was what the rumours that Lord Jarryck told them said. He knew how angry his father was at the sign that the man was back, and he knew why his father did not wish for mother to know, knowing such a thing would destroy any semblance of peace and quiet that mother had found within the last few years looking after Aenar, Maekar, Jaehara and Maelor's own son Aegyl. They could not afford to lose mother not again.
Maelor was about to reply to his father when there was a knock on the door and Ser Gwayne Gaunt of the Kingsguard reluctantly poked his head round the door. "Apologies Your Grace, but there is a boy here who says he has something very important to tell you."
"Let him in." Maelor heard his father say in that iron tone of his that indicated that his father knew what this boy wished to speak of.
Maelor was shocked when the boy entered, he was Baelor's squire, a lean boy of about ten, from some small house in the Crownlands, and he appeared to have ridden hard and fast if the way he was panting and the state of his clothes were any indication. Had something happened to Baelor? Was that why his squire had ridden so hard for King's Landing. It seemed his father wished to know as well. "Has my son sent you ahead because of an emergency lad?"
The squire took a deep breath before replying "No, no Your Grace, not Prince Baelor Your Grace. Ser Oswell Waters Your Grace from the Ivy Inn. There has been an emergency, riders in the woods, darkness, treachery." The boy looked as if he was about to faint.
"What do you mean lad? Speak clearly." Maelor demanded of him.
The boy panted once, took a deep breath before saying in one big go. "We were betrayed Your Grace. Prince Baelor was riding back with his men and Lord Derryck from Harrenhal to King's Landing after having agreed to the betrothal, when the men attacked us. Men who were loyal to House Lothston Your Grace. And Lord Derryck, it was him who plunged the knife into Prince Baelor Your Grace. It was him who said that the whole betrothal had been a ruse. For the Black Dragon Your Grace."
Maelor felt something inside of him go cold at that. His brother, his lively brother who he had always been close to dead? How, how could that be possible? "Are you sure? How do you know this if you are still alive?" He questioned more sharply than perhaps he intended.
"Because my Prince, they never looked twice at me. I managed to get away, the Prince told me to run when he realised what had happened see, and I hid behind the bushes as Lord Derryck said it all." The lad replied.
"Very well. We thank you for this. You may go." Lord Edwyle replied cutting in before Maelor could ask any more questions.
Maelor's father was silent, very silent. Maelor feared something was wrong with him before the King spoke. "Maelor call Ser Gwayne and Ser Oberyn in here would you." Maelor nodded and did as he was bid, there was a cold look in his father's eyes as the king said. "Ser Oberyn, Ser Gwayne find Lord Jarryck and bring him here bound and chained. Brandon go and bring the Queen and my children here, Edwyle send the ravens to each of the Crownlords, and tell them I want them here by the end of the week. And tell Maester Justin to send ravens out to the Vale and Lord Tyrell, tell Tyrell I want his men to meet me on the Kingsroad. We shall be having war again soon."
"Do you mean to march on Harrenhal father?" Maelor asked.
"Aye I do. It is time those traitors were taught what it means to betray the dragon. You and Lord Stark shall hold King's Landing in my absence."
After that Maelor sat and listened as his father told Maelor's siblings about the death of their brother, he watched as his mother cried and cried and beat her hands against father's chest, he watched as Aenar scrunched his hands in anger, and how both Maekar and Jaehara merely cried and cried until grandmother Aelinor embraced them tightly, all the while Rhaenys was gripping his hand tightly. Once that was done, and it was just Maelor and his father, his father turned to him and said "The Blackfyre will invade once he knows I am gone. You must hold your ground, hold King's Landing at all costs. Jon should bring his men to the capital once he learns of what has happened. Under no circumstances are you to ride out and meet Lucereon Blackfyre in open combat. Do you understand me."
"But father, I can take him, I can lead the army and defeat him." Maelor protested hating how much of a boy he sounded when he said that.
"I know that. But still, you shall remain in King's Landing until I return." King Brynden said, and with that the argument was closed. Three days later Maelor watched as his father rode out of the city with 3,000 men from the Crownlands and two knights of the Kingsguard with him, Lord Jarryck had not been found more than likely fled across the narrow sea or to Harrenhal if he had fled before news reached them of Baelor's death. Either way he was like to be dead before long.
The next few days past in a blur for Maelor, as Baelor's body was brought back from the Ivy Inn where he had died, brought back by Ser Oswell Waters the man who owned the inn, a man who had fought many a battle beside Maelor's father. Maelor watched in stone faced silence as his brother's body was burnt upon the funeral pyre as was the Targaryen custom, his ashes sent to Dragonstone where they would rest till the end of time. He took his father's place on the Iron Throne listening to petitions and the business of the small council when it was in session, and he did all of this to the best of his ability, but his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to be out there with his father, fighting to avenge Baelor, his brother, his confidant, his closest friend. He didn't want to be stuck in King's Landing listening to bitter old lords argue about titles and land and coin. And he especially did not wish to be sat listening to Garon Lannister speak about money or the West one more time, he disliked this uncle of his with a passion. The man was a craven, a coward and a bully, the only reason his head had not been mounted on a spike yet was because Maelor's father loved his sister Daenys and knew that killing her husband would upset her deeply, despite the fact that the man beat her and humiliated her. Maelor knew that once he became king, Garon Lannister had better pray that he did nothing stupid, otherwise his head would be mounted on a spike in King's Landing, no one, no one ever beat a member of his family.
Two weeks after his father had left for the capital, they received a raven from Lord Robar Baratheon, the Blackfyre pretender had landed and had captured the castles in the Rainwood. A plea for help was what the letter from Lord Robar was, and despite his father and uncle's warnings, his father was still in Harrenhal and had not been heard from, and Maelor had told his uncle that he would be coming with him, Maelor called the banners and began to march for war. It was time to end the Blackfyre threat once and for all.