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Rory currently sat in a chair across from Cersei, waiting for the Queen to speak. He did not have to wait long.

"Tyrion has removed Janos Slynt from his position as Lord Commander of the City Watch, banished him to The Wall and replace him with that sell sword, Bronn," Cersei sneered angrily.

Rory had only met Slynt once, right after he had led the City Watch in killing Ned's men. A swell of hatred had born in his heard when he saw the pleased, satisfied look on his face when Littlefinger and Cersei had commended him for his 'swift action and bravery'. But of course, Rory wasn't going to say any of that to Cersei.

"He is taking control, as much as you can. Being Hand of the King, there is little you can do to oppose him," Rory pointed out cautiously.

"He is not Hand of the King!" Cersei almost snarled.

"He is until your father comes to King's Landing and claims the position for himself," Rory pointed out. "You may not like it, Your Grace, but those are the facts. What is it you want from me? I cannot execute him without a just cause. Nor will I."

"No, and I would never ask you too," Cersei said, seeming to gain control of herself then. "But I do not trust my brother. You yourself said he is taking control. I do not know what his plans are, but I need you to find out. I need you to befriend him."

"Your Grace, with all due respect…Lord Tyrion and I have gotten off on the front foot. I do not think he and I are likely to become friends," Rory said carefully.

"Then apologize for whatever slight he feels has been done to him, do whatever you have to in order to get him to trust you. Please Rory, I am begging you," Cersei said and Rory could see the desperation in her eyes.

Rory honestly doubted anything he would say would convince Tyrion to trust him. But he had to keep playing the part of Cersei's loyal confidant. OS he would do what he had to.

"I will…see what I can do, Your Grace," Rory said finally, wondering how he was going to do that.

Later that day, Rory was making is way towards the chamber of the Hand. Rory was taken back momentarily to when he had often made these trips to see Ned. But Ned was no longer Hand, he was in the dungeons, waiting for a fate that had yet to be decided. Rory could no longer help him.

But he could help Sansa, by getting her out of this damned city. Which involved making allies, making nice with people he hated, and most of all, keeping Cersei happy. Which is why he found himself here now.

As he neared the door, Rory knocked on it, waiting a moment. After a moment, it opened to reveal Tyrion.

"Lord Centurion," Tyrion said in surprise.

"Lord Tyrion. I was wondering if we might speak?" Rory asked politely.

Tyrion eyed him blankly for a moment, as if considering his options. Then, he shrugged, stepping aside for Rory to enter. Rory did so and, as Tyrion closed the door behind him, Rory looked around, noticing some of the differences since Ned had been ousted.

All Northern artifacts were gone. Tyrion had placed some maps and Lannister colors around the room.

"What is it you wished to speak of, Lord Centurion?" Tyrion finally asked, breaking Rory out of his observations.

"I wished to apologize to you," Rory said as he turned around to face the stunned Tyrion. "I have been confrontational and hostile. I was Ned Stark's friend and confidant before he revealed his true colors; of course you would be suspicious of me. But I am not your enemy; we are on the same side. I promise you this."

Tyrion watched him with a calculating look, no doubt trying to see if he could believe Rory's words. Then, he smiled.

"Of course we are, Lord Centurion. You'll have to forgive me, being back in King's Landing makes me naturally suspicious of anyone. I propose a drink, to no further animosity between us," Tyrion said, walking over and pouring two glasses of red wine for them. "While we drink, I would appreciate your council. But you must not tell the queen."

"If you're keeping secrets from her, it must be important," Rory noted, accepting the glass from Tyrion.

"Oh, it is. Despite what my sister may think, we are losing this war. We need more allies. I may have a way to get them. I'm currently brokering an alliance with House Frey, by marrying Myrcella to his son, Walder Frey," Tyrion explained and Rory frowned in confusion.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Lord Tyrion, but don't the Freys fight with Robb Stark? And I believe Robb Stark is engaged to one of Lord Frey's daughters," Rory pointed out.

"Lord Frey is an ambitious man. With the right promise, he can easily be convinced to switch sides. A Princess as a wife for one of his sons, and a place in court, it's far more than he has now, and much more than what Robb Stark has agreed to," Tyrion explained.

It made sense, Rory mused. From what Jon had told him over the years, it wouldn't take much to convince Lord Frey to change sides. But there just something about this that felt…off.

Tyrion was saying all the right words. But Rory felt there was something more going on here. He just didn't know what yet.

"Raise your sword an inch. Go to the left. That's it."

Rory observed the recruits sparing, feeling a little proud at their progress. They had come far in a very short amount of time. But he also knew he'd be sending them to war soon. And if the reports were true, many would die in battle with Robb Stark's forces. He'd yet to lose a single battle.

What did that make him, Rory wondered? He was training men to die in order to betray their queen.

People who broke the rules were trash, but those who betrayed their comrades were worse than trash. They were scum. Rory wondered for a moment if that meant he was scum before deciding it didn't matter. He would do what he had to do in order to keep his promise to Ned and get Sansa out of this city.

"Lord Centurion? Rory."

Rory and his students stopped everything, turning around to see Cersei standing a few feet away. Rory could immediately see that something was wrong, she appeared distress.

"Your Grace," Rory greeted.

"I apologize for the interruption, but I needed to speak with you and it could not wait," Cersei said and Rory frowned.

"Very well. Continue training, no slacking off," Rory told his students before walking a little bit away with Cersei. "What is it?"

"Tyrion. He has gone too far. He is sending Myrcella to Dorne to marry the Martells," Cersei seethed angrily.

Rory was silent, realizing why it had seemed off when Tyrion had told him of the engagement to Walder Frey. He had been playing Rory. Why, Rory didn't know. But it didn't matter right now, he needed to see where Cersei's head was at.

"You're upset," Rory noted.

"Of course I am. Myrcella is my only daughter!" Cersei hissed and Rory glanced over at his men, seeing them still training before he turned back to Cersei.

"As much as I don't agree with this, I can see the logic in it," Rory said and Cersei stared at him in disbelief. "Your Grace, permission to speak freely?"

"Unable to speak with so much rage, Cersei merely nodded.

"Whether you want to admit it or not, we are losing this war. I'm honestly surprised no one has reached out to the Martells yet, they have every reason to hate you and your family, given what happened to Ella and her children. If the Starks or either of your former good brothers' made them into an ally, it would spell the end of this war. It is smart of Tyrion to try and prevent that," Rory pointed out.

"Myrcella-" Cersei began heatedly.

"Is being used as a political pawn. I don't like it any more than you, but it is the world we live in," Rory said, noting the irony.

After all, was Cersei not doing the same thing with Sansa?

"You can fight him on this, but you will lose. It would be a waste of time," Rory pointed out, noting Cersei's face getting redder. "My advice? Let him do this, and then try to exploit a weakness in him. Once you have control over him, Myrcella can be brought back here, the engagement broken at any time."

It was half a lie, of course. Engagements could rarely be broken without just cause. But it was clearly what Cersei wanted to hear, judging from how most of the anger left her face.

"Yes…yes, you are right. I will make him pay," Cersei said, a vengeful gleam in her eyes. "He will rue the day he dared to use my daughter in his schemes."

As Cersei stalked off, Rory stared after her, knowing he needed to find a way to get Sansa out soon. These games were becoming more and more dangerous.

Later, in his room, Rory was sharpening his sword, his mind working on a way to get Sansa out.

Taking her from her room and hoping to get out of the castle and to a board or horse was a suicide mission. They'd be caught before then and, while Rory knew he could defeat any warrior sent after him, Sansa would be whisked back to the castle before he could get her out.

He needed some kind of distraction. Something to keep everyone occupied while he got Sansa out of the city.

Rory was broken out of his thoughts as someone knocked on the door. Putting his sword down, Rory walked over to his door, opening it to reveal Tyrion.

"Lord Tyrion," Rory said neutrally.

"Lord Centurion. I was wondering if I might come in?" Tyrion asked politely.

Knowing it was more of an order than a request; Rory stepped aside, allowing the Dwarf to come in. Once he was inside, Rory closed the door and turned to the smaller man.

"What can I help you with?"

"I have come to apologize," Tyrion said, surprising Rory. "You came to me in order to make amends and I sued you in a ploy against my sister."

"Why?" Rory asked, crossing his arms as he eyed the small man suspiciously.

"I needed to know something. I told you I was marrying Myrcella to the Freys. I told Lord Baelish I was marrying her to Jon Arryn. I told Lord Varys I was marrying her to Theon Greyjoy. And I told Pycelle that I was sending her to Dorne to secure an alliance with the Martells," Tyrion explained. "I needed to know who was spying for my sister. Now I do."

"So this was what, a test of loyalty?" Rory asked.

"In a way. I needed to know who was in her pocket and who wasn't. You aren't. Which begs the question…why are you really here?" Tyrion said suspiciously and Rory smiled, now understanding why he had done all this.

Since he wasn't in Cersei's pocket, Tyrion had realized that Rory had some other purpose here. He wasn't wrong, Rory mused.

"Tell me, if I brought Cersei your head and told her I did it because you were plotting against her, what do you think she would do?" Rory asked his smile turning into a smirk as Tyrion paled. "I'm not in the Queen's pocket, you're right. But she trusts me. I could kill you at any time and she would believe whatever story I told her about why I did it. So weigh your options very carefully before screwing with me. Now get out of my room before I make good on my threat."

Tyrion stayed only a moment longer before he began making his way out of the room. As he closed the door behind Tyrion, Rory let out a sigh. Were he human still, his heart would be racing.

Rory didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. All he knew for sure was that he needed to find a way to get Sansa out, and fast.

This chapter was mostly just to progress Rory and Tyrion's rivalry, which will continue to be a factor as long as Rory is in King's Landing. But hope you enjoyed it anyway.

And buckle up, because next chapter is where things get intense again.