Not a very long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
On the training field, Rory stood silently, watching the group of men, who were likewise watching him nervously. It had been a few weeks since Ned's conversation with Rory and a few things had happened that had surprised Rory.
Renly had married Margery Tyrell and had since declared himself King of Highgarden. Rory had known Renly had his sights set on the Iron Throne, but he hadn't expected him to go so far in his pursuit of it. What surprised him more was that so many were willing to back him. But when the alternative was Stannis or the Lannisters, Rory supposed it made sense.
Robb Stark had refused to bend to the Knee, which didn't surprise Rory. The boy was apparently more like Ned than Rory had thought, because he was doing well on the battlefield. Another Rebellion was shaping up. Rory feared this time next year; it would be Rob Stark sitting on the Iron Throne.
There were rumors that Stannis had allied himself with some kind of Priestess. Whether this was Lannister propaganda or the truth, Rory really didn't know.
But the thing that had surprised him the most was the reason he was here today, the meeting with Cersei the night before.
Rory was let into Cersei's chambers, surprised that he had been summoned there. So far he had been cooperating with the Lannisters as a ploy to figure out how to get Sansa out, but so far he'd had no luck.
He saw Cersei sitting at a table, eating dinner. Seeing a second plate and goblet across from Cersei, Rory began to understand where this was going.
"Rory, thank you for coming," Cersei said, gesturing for the chair on the other side of the table. "Won't you join me?"
"Thank you, Your Grace, but I already ate," Rory politely declined and saw Cersei's smile slip slightly before she replaced it.
"Then won't you have a drink with me? I'm afraid I need to discuss something with you," Cersei said and Rory nodded.
"Of course," Rory said as he took a seat. "What is so important that the Queen Regent would summon me to her chambers? People will talk, Your Grace."
"I know, and I apologize for the situation I have put you in. But I have a favor to ask," Cersei said, taking a sip of wine before she continued. "As you know, we are at war. Young men are currently being drafted. I need you to train the new recruits."
Rory blinked, not sure he had heard her right. He…had not been expecting that.
"Me, Your Grace? You want me to train your new recruits?" Rory inquired, wanting to clarify.
"Yes. You are the Last Centurion, perhaps the greatest warrior to ever roam Westeros. I need someone of your…reputation to prepare our men for war. Keep the men in line and turn them into warriors," Cersei explained, carefully watching Rory for his reaction.
It was a test, Rory quickly realized. She wanted to see if he was truly on their side. And if he wanted to get Sansa out of this city, he needed to make sure she believed he was a Lannister man now.
"It would be my honor, Your Grace. When do I start?"
Rory took a moment longer to assess the group before drawing his sword.
"You," Rory said, pointing to a young man who looked to be about 17 with dark hair and eyes. "Show me what you've got."
The boy walked up to him and Rory raised his sword, waiting for him to strike. After a moment's hesitation, he rushed Rory, attempting to strike him with his own sword. Rory easily blocked the strike before stepping back.
"Raise your arm higher when you strike. And widen your stance. That's it," Rory said as the boy followed his instructions, the two parrying their swords against each other.
A short distance away, Cersei watched the scene, smirking. While she wasn't absolutely sure that the Centurion was loyal to them, she was now certain that he was loyal to the Lannister cause.
Rory had one fatal weakness, the same weakness that Ned Stark had: he was a good man. But while she hadn't been able to manipulate Ned Stark, she was clearly able to fool Rory just enough to make him doubt his friend.
And with the Centurion loyal to their cause, they would win this war. Perhaps he would even be able to talk sense into the young Wolf and make him bend the knee.
After a few hours of training the recruits, Rory was headed to his chambers, which he had been thankfully able to keep after Ned was imprisoned. Cersei wanted to stay on his good side, it seemed.
He had a lot of work to do, and training a bunch of soldiers who had clearly never seen battle outside tourneys had just added to it.
While he hadn't been able to figure out a plan to get out of King's Landing just yet, he had taken to walking the halls of the castle, the courtyard, trying to see if there was a way out of the castle. Remembering Ned telling him of Arya's journey below the castle and finding a way out, Rory had done his best to retrace her steps. While there was a hole below that would allow a child to get out, it wasn't wide enough for him or someone Sansa's size.
Rory could easily flee in the night, cutting down anyone who tried to stop him. The problem was that Sansa was under heavy guard. Even if he could get her out, they would never leave King's landing before being caught. And that would leave Sansa alone, without anyone to protect her.
As much as he didn't want to leave Ned behind, he had made a promise. Sansa's safety took priority. And he had to hope they would keep Ned alive long enough for someone else to storm the castle, preferably Stannis or Robb. And if he could just get Sansa out, that would leave only Ned as their prisoner, which could mean all the difference.
"Centurion."
Broken out of his thoughts, Rory turned his head, seeing Littlefinger approaching him. Rory fought very hard to keep his face neutral. While he'd love nothing more than to run his sword through Littlefinger and keep his promise to the man, that wouldn't help him get Sansa cut this city, or away from Littlefinger.
Rory had seen Littlefinger gazing at Sansa with a look he didn't like. It reminded him too much of looks certain teachers had given Amy as she grew more beautiful. Mels had disliked them to, and mysteriously, they stopped after a teacher came in with a broken leg, shooting Mels a fearful look as she smiled innocently.
"Lord Baelish," Rory said his voice devoid of all emotion as Littlefinger reached him. "May I help you?"
"I hear the Queen has put you in charge of training our young men for battle," Littlefinger noted and Rory raised an eyebrow.
"Was there a question in there somewhere? We are at war, in case you haven't noticed," Rory pointed out.
"We. Bold words from someone who threatened to kill me should I ever betray the Starks," Littlefinger noted.
"That was before I knew Ned Stark was a traitor to the Iron Throne. Obviously, Ned Stark was not the man I thought he was," Rory lied smoothly. "I apologize for having misjudged you."
"Mistrusting me was the wisest thing you could have done. No one can trust anyone here. Everyone is out for themselves. Even the honorable Lord Stark," Littlefinger told him.
It may be half a lie, but Littlefinger wasn't far off, Rory mused. Everyone had their own agenda; even Rory was now after his own interest in protecting Sansa. Part of Rory regretted ever answering Ned's letter, finding himself trapped in this cutthroat game of politics. But he had, and now his bed was made.
"Promise me, Rory. Promise me."
"Indeed, Lord Baelish," Rory said softly, remembering his last conversation with Ned before putting on a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to report to the Queen. She wants to know the status of the recruits."
"Of course, Lord Centurion," Littlefinger said with a slight bow.
As Rory walked away, Littlefinger's polite smile vanished, replaced by an uneasy look.
He didn't buy for one second that Rory was convinced of Ned's guilt or that he was now loyal to the new king. Rory had his own agenda, he was playing the game. But it would do him no good to go to Cersei with his suspicions when she was so convinced of her ability to manipulate Rory. Especially since he hadn't yet figured out what Rory was after. It couldn't be to break out Ned Stark, as Rory had spent little time since his last visit to Ned trying to see Ned. Occasionally, he'd ask about Ned's condition from the guards, but he seemed sorely disinterested in seeing Ned.
But Rory had an agenda, a reason he was still in King's Landing. And he would figure it out, one way or another.
Mostly a filler chapter to sort of bridge the gap of what goes on with Rory between the first and second seasons, but hope you enjoyed it anyway.
Preview for next chapter: Tyrion arrives and we get to see Rory interact with Joffrey.
