Merry Christmas Everyone. For the next few days I'll be trying to uploading chapters for all of my fics. Starting with this one.
The final night of the tourney of Harrenhal was by far the most exhausting for the members of house Terra. Lords and ladies from across the realm had made their way up to speak to them where before their size and reputation had been enough to drive many away. Already, the remaining members of the Spartans had received dozens of requests for dances, drinks and dining. Tom had been somewhat spared from the barage of requests by the single nature that he was on lady Cersei's arm the whole night, but the Beta company Spartan had been forced more than once by appearance and propriety to dance with lord Tywin's daughter, something that Kurt knew Tom took little pleasure in.
He saw Jane drag Shane onto the dance floor, trying to get away from the numerous men asking for her had. Robert was left on his own, being plagued by ladies from every kingdom. At the very least he had some company in the forms of Adam and Min who were just as uncomfortable as their older Spartan brother.
Kurt was watching with a hint of amusement before he heard someone clear their throat in front of him. He turned to see a woman with thick, long black hair, pale skin and a smirk on her face.
"Lord Terra, would you care to dance?"
Kurt blinked in surprise, of all the members of his entourage, only he and Mendez had not yet been swarmed with proposals to engage in the feast. Smiling humourously, he rose from his seat, brearing more than two feet taller than the woman before him.
"It would be an honour my lady."
The woman's smile split into a mischievous grin.
"Thank you my lord, but it appears I haven't introduced myself. I am Maege Mormont."
Tom watched as his captain shared a dance with the comparatively tiny Maege Mormont. He and Cersei had just left the dancefloor and he was already tired. Not physically, not in any way physically, but mentally. Cersei Lannister was taking every ounce of his mental energy to stay with. She spoke constantly, and though it was often of inconsequencial things, he had to at least pay cursory attention in order to not upset the girl.
His eyes flickered over to the rest of the Spartans, seeing Jane and Shane dancing in order to escape the now deathly curious masses.
He turned his attention back as Cersei began speaking about living in King's Landing, and about how her brother would now be living there with them. It was going to be a long night for the Spartan.
Rhaegar Targaryen sat beside his wife Elia Martel. The dornish princess was wearing a dainty dress in the colours of his house, meant to show unity even in the face of her husband's defeat. He was glad for his wife's support, though had he won the joust and acomplished his plans, he was unsure whether she would be as concerned with keeping up appearances of contentment in their union.
Their marriage had never been one of love. Elia was dutiful and kind, understanding of the fact that he did not truly love her. They had however managed to build something of a friendship over the last year of marriage, and while it was not the true love of stories, there was a love between them linked by their daughter Rhaenys.
Even as she sat with him, Elia was still focused on two people out amongst the dancing men and women. Eddard Stark and Ashara Dayne had shared more than one dance over the course of the evening, more than Ashara had deigned to give anyone else during the tourney. The northman and dornishwoman made for an odd sight, though not so odd as it could have been. The Daynes had always shared looks closer to their Andal cousins than the Rhoynish immigrants who arrived with Nymeria.
Even with that though, Rhaegar was surprised that Ashara seemed so content to spend the night in the arms of lord Stark's second son.
"They're an interesting pair." Rhaegar whispered to Elia, gesturing to the two with his eyes.
Elia giggled, which brought Rhaegar out of his melancholy.
"I think she likes him."
Rhaegar's face broke into a small smile as he chuckled with his wife.
"I think so too. Do you think lord Eddard had realised it yet."
Elia actually laughed at that.
"Oh, who knows. You know what those northerners are like, they can't see anything past their snows."
"Maybe he needs a little dornish heat?" Rhaegar proposed with a little wiggle of his eyebrows, to which Elia giggled.
"Maybe lord Eddard can cool Ashara's temper. That is if she can realise that she enjoys him."
Rhaegar nodded. He wasn't as close to Ashara as his wife was, so he had no room to pass judgement on whether or not the beautiful dornishwoman could recognise her own seeming interest in the second Stark son.
"I hope he doesn't upset her, I'd hate to see what Arthur might do."
The sword of the morning, while a kingsguard and so forced to forswear any familial loyalty over his vows to the royal family, was still known to be quite protective of his sister, especially considering her proximity as a lady in waiting to Elia. Turning in their seats to watch the Dornish kingsguard they saw that his eyes were quite intently fixed on Ashara and Eddard. Rhaegar and Elia shared a chuckle as Arthur's mouth twitched into a frown when Eddard Stark kiss the back of his sister's hand and Ashara's face darkened into an all too rare blush.
"Oh, I almost wish we could save such a moment in a picture, to see Ashara flustered is such a rare thing." Elia lamented.
"Perhaps Eddard Stark might find reason to visit King's Landing in the future." Rhaegar said. "He and Ashara could find many a reason to collide in the corridors of the Red Keep."
Elia smirked.
"And should she once again be flushed at his flattery, mayhaps a painter or poet will be nearby to capture the crack in her legendary composure."
Rhaegar continued the ridiculous plan.
"Such a dishonour that lady Dayne might endure, to have the court made aware of her feelings. It would of course only be honourable of lord Stark to marry her to make up for such an insult."
Elia laughed and Rhaegar found himself joining in as Arthur let out a growl from behind them. Recovering from their humour, the two passed the rest of the night watching the subjects of their jokes, though Rhaegar's wandered over to his cousin more than once as he made a drunken spectacle of himself. Lyanna also seemed to be watching her betrothed and rolled her eyes as Robert leered over some of the serving girls, though he was not nearly the only one.
The sun rose over the horizon of the final day of the tourney of Harrenhal. The joust had finished the day before and the victor's feast had been a spectacle more grand than any scene in recent memory. The music had been unending, even seeing several odes performed by prince Rhaegar. The food had been the best in the whole of the ten day tourney. The wine was of the finest quality from Dorne and the Arbour.
Most importantly though, the Spartans of house Terra had been forced, more by the expectations of others than their own desire, to participate much more in the evenings celebrations.
Rumours circulated about how even their lord, the ever distant Kurt Ambrose, had been coerced into dancing with lady Maege Mormont, the sister of the lord of Bear Island. Some said that only the warrior women of the north could convince the warrior lord to indulge in the frivolity of dancing, though those complements came mostly from the Northerners. Several Dornish guests, most chiefly prince Oberyn Martell proclaimed in response that if it was warrior women that the lord Kurt Ambrose prefered, he would find no better land to visit than Dorne. At least there, according to the Dornish, the land was not so cold that a man's cock would freeze and break off if he tried to fuck a woman.
Still, the grand event was over, and the lords and ladies of the realm had begun to pack up their belongings and return to their seats of power. The commoners drained back into the fields and towns that surrounded Harrenhal, and the sellswords and hedge-knights disappeared, waiting for the next tourney, melee or minor squable between the lords of Westeros.
In the Westerlands' camp, servants were rushing around the tower, packing up sheets and linens, tidying rooms and folding clothes down in order to pack them away in trunks and other bags. Meanwhile the camp of house Terra had been broken up on the previous night. All but four of their numbers were headed back to Fair Isle, leaving only their lord and his three chosen companions to join him on the road with the Lannister forces headed for King's Landing.
Shane, Robert and Jane stood side by side, only a step behind Kurt as he marched through the halls and into Tywin's chambers. The three were left at the doorway, giving the two men the opportunity to speak.
"Lord Tywin."
"Ambrose, I saw that your camp has been packed up and moved out."
"Of course. Robert, Jane and Shane have packed what the four of us need for the journey to King's Landing, the rest are headed back to the Plataea."
"Good. When we return to Casterly Rock, we will work on the outlines for the mining equipment you will be providing house Marbrand and my own workers. Your request to aid house Fenning has also been reviewed by Kevan. He believes that we should allow it."
Tywin's eyes hardened slightly.
"You have been going to great lengths to ingratiate your house to those close to you. I do not appreciate how much gratitude some of my bannermen might come to owe you for your aid. Especially when you do not ask for much in return for that aid."
Kurt knew this kind of reaction was coming. Most people didn't believe that others helped people less fortunate than them as Kurt's people had out of the kindness of their heart. If Tywin understood just how powerful his new 'suborndinates' were Kurt was sure he would be taking every opportunity to undermine them amongst his followers. As far as the man knew, they were small in number and powerful, but their limited number of warriors could be drowned in the sheer size of the Westerlands' army. The advancements and technology they had already brought were the main thing making them so important to Tywin at the moment, but if they posed a threat to his family's continued dominance over the seven kingdoms at large, much less the control he had within his own homeland, he would not hesitate to take actions which would make advancing the realms much more difficult.
"You can tell House Kenning whatever you wish about the glass greenhouses lord Tywin. We only want to be seen in a positive light by our neighbours. It's far easier to do business when people like you."
Kurt was being completely honest with the old lion. Kurt had no interest in overthrowing the already established power structure, at least not right away. Over time, if they indeed were stuck here without a way to return to the UNSC, hopefully he could coax the seven kingdoms to abandon inherited power, but for the moment, he was fine with remaining a useful outsider.
Tywin regarded his newest bannerman, there was no hint of a lie in his contenance but Tywin wasn't foolish enough to take that to mean Ambrose was completely trustworthy. So far the man and his people had been helpful in every way imaginable, aside from distancing the Farmans. However, the advancements and aid they supplied, combined with their arguably better protection of the west than the current lords of Fair Isle mittigated the problem of distancing such long time servants. The problem was that Tywin couldn't be sure about just how much Ambrose could bring to the Westerlands. The farming practices had been helpful, and the designs for better mining equipment for his house and house Marbrand had been almost revolutionary, which begged the question, why give them away instead of selling them?
No one gave away such innovative ideas as house Terra was, not to mention they had done so multiple times. It made Tywin suspicious about just how advanced they might be. After all, you didn't give away your best ideas, you gave away something inferior and charged for every advancement. Tywin was sure that was what house Terra was doing, but at the same time there wasn't anything he could really do about it. If he wanted the advancements house Terra would likely present, then he would need to deal with them, and just as Kurt had said, it was better to do business when the person liked you.
For now, he would allow Ambrose and his people room to work and room to grow. So long as they continued to aid house Lannister and see them raise up higher than they had before, Tywin was willing to deal with some of their secrecy.
"Very well. Deal with house Kenning as you wish, but the mining equipment for the gold and diamond veins must be delivered before you start working on Kayce's gardens."
Kurt bowed.
"As you wish. Thank you lord Tywin."
"You said that ser Tom was leaving back to the Plataea?"
"Yes. He and his team will be going back before they head north."
"North? What interest do your people have in the North?" Tywin asked.
"Several of our learned men want to study the wall, to understand more about its construction."
Tywin shrugged, it was reasonable enough. Given that Ambrose and his people were new to their lands, the wall and its strange construction was an understandable, even expected fascination for foreigners.
"Very well, I suppose your team wolf pack will be sufficient protection for my son."
"I will ensure that they are kept close to Jamie as he serves Aerys."
With another bow Kurt left Tywin's chambers in order to organise his remaining companions for their trip to the political heart of the seven kingdoms while Tywin himself waited for the last of his servants to finish clearing the tower of their belongings.
It was only shortly after Kurt left that the doors to his chambers slammed open and Cersei stormed in, followed by Kevan.
"Why are you sending me back to Casterly Rock?" She demanded, almost screaming. Tywin didn't deign to rise from the seat he had taken while speaking with lord Ambrose. Instead, he shuffled through a few documents he had been reviewing while waiting for his daughter to calm down and recognise just who she was yelling at.
Cersei eventually did just that, calming down and allowing Kevan to guide her to a seat in front of his desk.
"Aerys has insulted out house once too many times, rejecting you as bride for Rhaegar was already a folly. His words did nothing to disuade the insult, but to take my son and heir and appoint him a a glorified bodyguard. He stole Jamie in order that I would be forced to make Tyrion my heir. I will not serve as hand to a man who so gladly disregards all that I have done to keep his reign from falling apart."
Cersei gritted her teeth.
"But what about Jamie now? If you leave, what will keep him safe?"
Tywin at least gave his daughter what counted as a reasuring look coming from him.
"I have taken steps to ensure my son's safety, Lord Ambrose has been tasked with making sure of Jamie's protection."
Cersei wasn't sure about how to feel about that. Ser Tom had of course managed to unseat Rhaegar, but he must have been the greatest of lord Ambrose's warriors to defeat the silver prince. Against the forces of the Red Keep though, especially with the seven kingsguard to face off against, would any of lord Ambrose's Spartans be enough? She didn't have any more time to ask however, as her uncle Kevan was lifting her from her seat and ushering her to the door.
"Very well father." She said, being led out and to her chambers to help direct the packing of her things.
The journey from the Riverlands to the Crownlands was a long one. Luckily Tywin had sent most of his retinue and his daughter with his brother back to the Westerlands, which lightened the load and quickened their travel. They had long left the royal party behind. With king Aerys refusing to travel in a horse due to exposure and fear of assassination, a wheelhouse was needed in order to move him. The nature of royal progress meant that while the Westerlands party arrived in the capitol in only two weeks, the king's entourage would not arrive for another fortnight.
Even with the reduced travel time compared to the royal party, Kurt found that the two weeks was far too long. He and his Spartans on foot could have made the journey in half the time, less if they had had their mjolnir armour. At least there was a direct road, which meant somewhat smoother travel. Kurt made a note to himself to give Tywin the recipie for concrete and instructions on proper road. Perhaps the kind used by the Roman Empire? Those roads had persisted even into the 26th century, more than two and a half thousand years after they had first been built.
He shelved the idea and instead contemplated leaving blueprints for a better sewer system for the people of King's Landing to use. The smell hit them long before their arrived, and only worsened as they got closer. By the time they arrived at the Dragon's gate at the north of the city Kurt's nose was awash with the smell of what he guessed was a hundred thousand unwashed bodies crammed together far too tightly. His face must have shown his disgust because one of Tywin's guards laughed slightly.
"The smell never really goes away, you just try to get used to it."
"Does anyone?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"No, you just learn to hide it better. The Red Keep doesn't smell as bad, so it's easier there, but it still smells like shit."
"Right. Does Lannisport smell this bad?"
"Not nearly. She's built right up to the ocean Lannisport. She's older too, better planned than the madness of King's Landing."
Kurt nodded.
"Might need to see to it they get a better sewage system."
The guard nodded.
"The god's themselves couldn't make this place smell good, but I welcome you to try my lord. Maybe if you figure out how to work miracles it might be bearable by the time we return."
The guard laughed, joined in by several others who had heard their conversation. Kurt simply shared a look with Jane, Robert and Shane, which they returned with looks that might resemble smugness.
The ride through the Dragon's gate was only the beginning though. Apparently to reach the red keep they would have to pass through an area called Flea Bottom, the worst slums of the city. If kurt had thought that the city itself smelled, then Flea Bottom smelled like a rotting corpse that had passed through a kig yar's digestive track. The road they rode on was littered with beggars, many of whom were children smudged with filth and looking decidedly malnurished. Kurt felt his heart go out to them, twently years of raising children to be Spartans had seen Kurt work through the worst of traumas with many of them. He reached into his saddlebag, pulling out a handful of coins made of silver. The begging children gathered around his horse as he slowed down to a walk. They held out their hands, covered in grime, and Kurt responded by handing out coins. He placed silver stags in the hands of each child before moving on to the next. Jane, Shane and Robert had similar crowds growing around them as they too opened their pouches.
It was minutes before the crowd began to thin, and Kurt was left with only the smallest and youngest children who the older and bigger ones had pushed aside to get ahead. A little girl, likely no older than four years with a tearstained face and a deep scratch on her cheek held up her hands with a pleading look as the last one to get to him. Kurt's hands were empty however, as he had given away all of his silver to the other children. She saw his empty hands and the tears began to run again. Her hands lowered and she fell to her knees sobbing hard. Kurt stopped his horse and dismounted reaching into his saddlebag and pulling out his water cantine and a rag. He knelt down, still towering over the girl, and wet the cloth. He offered it to the girl, letting her wash her face and clean the blood from her cut. Smiling as she returned the now dirtied rag he held out a closed hand, curling away his fingers to show off a gold dragon resting in the center of his palm. The girl's eyes widened to near circles and she stared up at him, as if asking if the coin was for her. Using his other hand he took hers and deposited the little circle of gold into her hand, along with another cloth.
"Run home." He said. "Take this. Don't let anyone see it. Run home and buy some food."
The girl nodded, shaking as he lifted her up. She looked around, but any of the other children who had been nearby had long since run with their new wealth. She wrapped the coin in the new cloth before running off into the slums, clutching it close to her as if the slightest loosening of her grip would take it from her. Kurt watched as he mounted his horse again until she disappeared around a corner. Team wolf pack had finished up with their group of kids as well and were waiting for him. The Lannister group had left them behind, but quickly urging their horses forwards, they managed to catch up further down the road before they reached the main route to the Red Keep.
As the massive structure rose and grew as they got closer, Kurt pondered what might happen if he and his crew really were stuck on this backwater planet. Could they change things for the better? Could he make sure that this world would improve? In the end it didn't matter unless they could find a way to return to UNSC space, if there even was still a UNSC.
And here we see the end of the tourney of Harrenhal and the beginning of the Spartans as they change the course of Westerosi history, at least some of it. How did you guys like my writing. I know I've been bashing Rhaegar a lot in earlier chapters but once again. Rhaegar isn't malicious, his intentions are honestly ultimately good, have the prince who was promised and save the world from the white walkers. The problem becomes that he was idiotic about how he did it and Aerys ruined his plans. I also want to show off some of the interactions between Rhaegar and Elia, and a positive relationship that Rhaegar had at the time.
Honestly my favorite part of the chapter was writing Kurt giving money to the kids. It's a good showing of his humanity and of all the Spartans Kurt has often been portrayed as being the most closely connected with humanity outside the Spartans. Also he's got a soft spot for kids. You don't raise them for twenty years without having one, even if you're raising them to be soldiers and Spartans.