Chapter 14: Confrontations

298 AC

Eddard

He was looking over his letters again. He had been in King's Landing for a few weeks now and things seemed to have normalized. The North seemed to be doing fine and he was impressed with an account by Lord Medger on how his son seemed to handle his vassals. One of the sons of the stablemaster had also agreed to the proposal and construction workers had already been sent on their way to clear the area and start building the inn and stables.

Robb asked him if he agreed to the proposal he had gotten from an innkeeper along the borders with the Boltons. The man's second son would take the inn in Moat Cailin with his wife, on the condition that his son-in-law and brother would be allowed to settle farms alongside the inn.

He thought long and hard on the proposal. He would be giving the family of the man a fortune. Not only would they get the inn for free, they would also acquire some farmland for nothing. He looked over some detailed maps of the Neck and the areas around Moat Cailin. He had had Luwin copy the ones from Winterfell before he left south.

It seemed that, to the north and east, Moat Cailin had vast amounts of lands that, if cleared, could serve as farmland. He saw that in an area of around four-hundred fifty square miles to the north and west, barely five small farming villages existed, as he cursed his ancestors for neglecting the area. Beyond that point, when you came closer to Dustin and Manderly lands, villages became plentiful again. Plentiful, to the North's standards that is. He couldn't dream of populations like the Reach or Riverlands had.

Learning that the man's brother had multiple sons and knowing the mind of smallfolk, he guessed some cousins and the likes would also be joining them. He set aside one square mile of land to the north, for their family to farm on. They would be divided in four equal lots, so two more families could join them. To his calculations that could offer work to some twenty farmers divided among those four families, so that should be more than enough.

He knew that with his decision, he basically allowed a small village to establish itself in the area. However, when he looked at all the fertile land in the area that wasn't being used, he thought it might be for the better. If he could, he would establish a hundred more between Moat Cailin and Barrowton or White Harbor. Alas, he didn't have the population, time or resources for it.

He wrote back to Robb what he had decided, clearly stating that the clearing of the land and building of the village was to be done by the families themselves. If the man wanted his family to prosper, he would allow him, but not at his cost. Luwin and the builders would have to decide on the best place for the village and define the exact borders of the lots, but his measurements would need to be respected.

After that, he saw that he was through with most of his letters. He then sighed and turned to the book next to him 'The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms' he had gotten from Grandmaester Pycelle a time back. The book was, as Pycelle had warned, completely boring. It contained a family tree for all the Great Houses, including their descriptions. The only interesting thing about it was that it had been the last book Jon Arryn had been reading before he died.

He tried to get everything in his mind in order. He had tried to follow Jon Arryn's footsteps, as he had wanted to all along to try to find his killer. He had met with a bastard boy Gendry, who was a blacksmith apprentice. Jon and Lord Stannis had visited the boy, who was obviously Robert's son. The only problem was that he didn't know why and the only two people he could have asked were dead or had left for Dragonstone without a word.

He mused over all the information he knew, while sitting in his chair, until a knock came on the door. "My lord, can I enter?" Jory's voice sounded from behind the thick oaken door.

"Of course, Jory." As the man entered the room with an angered expression, he asked him what had happened.

"You have tasked me to instruct some of our most loyal men to keep their ears open about what they heard in the city, to find leads on possible cases of corruption or information about the Lannisters." The man said, his jaw clenched the whole time. He nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"Yes, I did. Baelish made me realize that I seem to be the only one in this city who doesn't have spies everywhere. I'm not good with the whole thing, nor do I like it, but I trust our men and it couldn't hurt to try to uncover at least some information." At his words, Jory's jaw clenched even harder, the man almost shaking from anger.

"Well, my lord, I have had a report you would want to know about. Two of our men on their free time were in a pub in civilian clothes yesterday. They told me that a few minor young nobles entered and started drinking. After an hour or two of heavy drinking, they heard the men laugh about the 'new Lord Hand' and how he had managed to throw the Queen into a rage about funding. At this one of their companions answered that 'Lord Stark just wasn't that good with women', because they all knew that Littlefinger had taken his wife's maidenhead. After this, one of the others even said that Littlefinger had boasted of not only taking Lady Catelyn's, but also her sister Lady Lysa Arryn's maidenhead." His most loyal man said, almost shaking of anger and not daring to look him in the eye.

He stared in shock at his friend, before realization of what had been said hit him. Anger flared in him and he stood up so abruptly that his chair flew against the wall. "They said what?" He growled angrily.

At this Jory looked him in the eye, almost begging him not to have to repeat himself. "Are you certain?" He again asked Jory. "Yes, my Lord. Both guardsmen told the same story and swore it on their lives."

"Not that it is anyone's business, but I clearly remember the blood that was spilled on my wedding night. If I remember correctly, Lord Hoster even showed the sheets in his hall the next day, although I did not want to be there." He said angrily.

"I was there, Ned. I saw it all, I know it to be untrue, so do all of our men." Jory said without hesitation.

Looking at his friend, he thought on what he would do now. "Jory, assemble four of our guardsmen, make sure they are some of our bigger and more intimidating men. Make sure the men are armed! Meet me in the courtyard in half an hour, it is time to visit Littlefinger." He said, the anticipation in his voice clear.

His friend nodded and left immediately. He followed and went the other way, straight towards the quarters of Lord Valys. Arriving there, he saw the bald man sitting at his desk with numerous small papers stacked on two piles.

"Ah Lord Hand, what can I do for you today?" The eunuch said as he stood up respectfully.

"I wish to know where Lord Baelish is this very instant." He almost growled.

"And why would you want to know that? There is a council meeting tomorrow, surely you can ask him what is bothering you after that?" The man before him said, the small smile on his face never wavering.

"I'm afraid it cannot wait, Lord Varys. Now I know you keep tabs on everyone's coming and going, so I ask you again. Where may I find Lord Baelish?" He said again, the impatience in his voice clear.

Looking at him for a short time, the man apparently decided it was not a good idea to deny the angry Hand of The King standing before him. He responded calmly. "Littlefinger left the Red Keep about two hours ago towards the city. I imagine he went to one of brothels, I can give you the address of the two most likely candidates."

After he had the two addresses, he immediately left and as he made his way to the courtyard, he got an idea. Robb and Jon had told him one day, when they were small, that they were a little scared of him when he was making ready for an execution. They said that the sight of him, with Ice on his back scared them, although Robb hugged him and said he was happy he was his father, as it would scare others a lot more. He thought back on it fondly but remembering his son's words and the looks the men had given him in the Rebellion and the war on the Iron Isles, he decided it was best to take Ice with him.

He went back to the Tower of the Hand, strapped his ancestral sword on his back and changed belts to one only carrying two daggers. He decided to also change into a tunic of hardboiled leather, as he wanted Baelish to empty his bowels at the sight of him, although he didn't bother with mail or plate, as he wasn't really going in to battle.

He walked into the courtyard and saw Jory and four of his men on horses waiting for him. He walked towards his horse, which Jory had saddled for him. He got on it and they immediately left towards the first location he had gotten from Varys.

When they came upon it, he stayed outside with three of the guards, while Jory went inside with the fourth one. A while later they came out, without Littlefinger. As Jory explained that he clearly wasn't there, they got on their horses again and galloped towards the second location, which was close by.

As they rounded the corner, he saw Baelish talking with an older woman on the doorstep of the brothel. He and his guards, who had been instructed beforehand, immediately got of their horses and walked over to Baelish.

"Ah, Lord Stark, how wonderful to see you! What brings you here?" The man dared to speak with a smile. That was all he got to say though, as he took a dagger from his side and put it on the man's throat.

"I'm here because I heard some things, 'Lord' Baelish." He said as he made sure to stress the word Lord, to show him how little he thought of the man. The woman next to him screamed, but his man quickly got to her and forced her to go inside and lock the door. After that they set up a perimeter in the street, so he could talk to Littlefinger.

"My Lord, there must be a mistake. I'm sure all can be explained." The man said seemingly calm, although he kept looking at the dagger on his throat.

"I'm sure of it too, because you are going to explain everything to me now." He said grimly, before growling. "Why are you spreading rumors that you have slept with my wife, Baelish? False rumors at that, I may add."

At this all color drained from the face of the man. "L-Lord Stark, I can ex-explain?" The man managed to get out as he put a little more force on the dagger.

"Please do" He growled lowly, not pulling away the dagger.

"C-can you, can y-you e-ease the dagger?" Littlefinger said, and it was very clearly how much it hurt him to say it.

He didn't respond but eased the pressure on the dagger, without removing it from his throat.

The man took a few breaths and then started talking. "After my … fight with your brother Brandon, I was wounded and drugged in my room. A woman entered, whom I believed to be lady Catelyn and we slept together. I always believed to have slept with your wife, until years later when it became clear it was someone else. However, by then I had told people and the story was out. I meant no insult Lord Stark. I had never even met you."

He looked at the man and pressed the dagger again deeper on his throat. As he looked at Littlefinger, the man let out a small scream and he didn't see any lies there. He held his knife there for a long time, without breaking eye-contact or saying a word. Afterwards he asked. "And Lady Lysa? What's the story about my sister-in-law?"

At this the eyes of the man went wide for just a split second. If he hadn't been staring at it this closely, he was sure he would have missed it. As it happened, he did not. He knew there was more here, so he pressed on. "What about my sister-in-law"? He asked again, more aggressively, while pushing the dagger a tiny bit deeper.

He could see the pain and the fear on the man's face clearly. After two or three seconds he loosened the dagger while growling but a single word "Speak!". His left hand tried to go to his throat, probably to ease the pain. He didn't take any risk though, as his years of experience had thought him that a man could twist the knife towards his opponent like that. In response, he pressed his right shoulder in the man's left one, as he could now press the man's whole left arm between their bodies with his body weight.

Baelish was now unable to move his left arm. He looked at him with a death warning in his eyes, as he would not hesitate to cut the man's throat if he tried anything, consequences be damned. Baelish immediately stopped the movement of his arm and started speaking. "L-Lysa she … she was the woman that entered my chambers that … night."

He stared into the man's eyes with a deathly glare. "Are you telling me you deflowered Lysa Arryn?"

"Y-yes, although she was still a Tully back then." The man responded, clearly afraid of what he would do.

He looked into the man's eyes with a mix of shock and horror. "Did you sleep with her after that?" He demanded to know

"N-No, I … I would never" Baelish said. He didn't know what to do about that. He didn't see the man obviously lying, but he wasn't sure he was telling the truth either. Standing there for a while, he decided he wouldn't be getting anything else out of him. He loosened his hold on Littlefinger a little.

"If I ever hear you say a word about my wife or her sister again, I will take your head. Do you understand?" He growled.

Baelish nodded profusely. "Good, now be gone, I can't bear to look on your face again before the council meeting tomorrow."

He watched as Littlefinger ran through the street, in the way of his other brothel. Was it stupid to let the man go? His brother Brandon let him go and still he was wreaking havoc on Catelyn's behalf. Well there wouldn't be a third time, he would make sure of that. Looking for a possible replacement for him on the council might be handy, just in case.

He walked up to Jory and put his hand on his shoulder. "Let's go, we're done here." His friend looked into his eyes, before looking at the ground, where he and Baelish had stood. A small drop of red blood had dropped on the stones in front of the brothel's porch. After seeing that, the Cassel nodded and got on his horse while shouting a command for their men to do the same.

Halfway on the way back to the Red Keep, they suddenly came upon a big wheelhouse, with Jaime Lannister riding next to it. He was flanked by four Lannister guards in crimson red colors. Looking at the blond man, he had a bad feeling about this.

The Lannister said something to the person in the wheelhouse and quickly after, the Queen emerged from it. She didn't look pleased at all as she picked up her skirts and strode towards him. "How dare you limit my expenses? I warned you, I would not stand for this." She said, as she stood before him.

He got off from his horse to greet her respectfully, although he didn't know anything he would less like to do at that moment. Immediately Jaime Lannister followed suit, flanking his twin-sister. Seeing that, Jory did the same and went to his side.

"Your Grace" He bowed his head respectfully. "I had notified you beforehand that this would happen. I also already explained that this is necessary and that it comes directly from the King. As such, I'm surprised to get this reaction from you." He tried to say in a diplomatic manner, however he had never been good at that and the annoyance in his voice was clear to hear, he feared.

"You, you notified me? Who do you think you are? I tell you now to scrap all those stupid rules immediately, or you will regret it!" She threatened.

"Your Grace, you know I can't do that. This is in both your husband and your son's rules interests. It is the best for the realm and House Baratheon, as such I must proceed." He stated plainly.

At this he saw she had difficulty controlling her anger. "Do not presume to tell me what is in my son's interest, Lord Stark. I know it better than anyone else!" She almost hissed.

"I would never, Your Grace. I am just trying to explain that I have your family's best interests in mind, that's all. As such, I must continue with these reforms and I will." He said as he looked her in the eyes.

"Do not presume to lecture my family about the Crown's debts, Stark. Most of the debt Robert owes is to my father, it would be a shame if he were to call in all of that debt at once. Do not make me say this again, drop those plans now before it is too late." She said, the threat clear in both her words and tone.

"I would advise you not to do that, Your Grace. Not only would it most likely lead to war, if the other creditors like the Iron Bank see that we can't repay them. A war in which your son could lose his future throne if we would lose it. You are part of the royal House, Your Grace, not House Lannister. If Robert is brought down, you and your children will most likely share in his fate." He warned her, his head filled with stories about Essosi princes and their families who disappeared after refusing to repay the Iron Bank.

"How dare you? You threaten me and my children? You dare? You may have Robert in your pocket, Lord Stark but not all men are that weak. My father will hear about this, and you can be sure that he will never let anything happen to his grandchildren! If you ever dare to insinuate anything like this again, we will have your head for it! If you dare to drag us down with you in your economic ruin, my Lordly father will retaliate tenfold! If necessary, he will weed out your family, just as he did with the Tarbecks and the Reynes." She spat at him.

At this Jory and his guards put their hands on their swords. Jaime Lannister smirked. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." He said, as his fingers gently stroked the hilt of the sword hanging from his belt. At the same time, the Lannister guards got from their horses and took up position behind Ser Jaime. The streets were too narrow to fight on horses, and it seems the Lannister guards acknowledged this fact.

Trying to calm things down, he said "As I have already explained, there is nothing I can do about this without hurting the realm and your family's rule. I do not seek conflict with you or your family. I will however, continue to do my duty."

"If you continue with this and me or my children get into trouble, you can tell that to my father. It will make for nice conversation, when you try to surrender after he has burned down the North." She threatened once again, now openly.

By now he had had it, who did she think she was? There were only so much threats he was able to ignore and threating his family and his people was one step too far. He was one of the most powerful and respected lords in the Seven Kingdoms and besides that Hand of the King, second in command to the King alone. With the King on his side, he easily trumped her authority, queen or not, and he had had enough.

"I will, Your Grace. Maybe while you ask him to gather his armies, you can ask him for extra funding? I only have to limit the Crown's expenses, not those of House Lannister. It seems to me that giving you the funding is a lot cheaper than raising and maintaining armies to conquer a region that has never been conquered from the South in eight-thousand years. I am sure Lord Tywin will agree with me on that. Besides, he has more than enough money to fund everything you desire, or so I heard." He stated, his tone still trying to sound even, with mixed successes, but his words very clear.

At this the queen completely snapped as she screamed at him. "How dare you invoke my father's name to us? You, who were to weak to take the throne for yourself when you had the chance. About my father, the man who restored our house to a power, none can rival with! You had your chance, you forsook it, now step aside!" However, he didn't have time to respond to it as Jaime Lannister put his hand on his sword and pulled it halfway out of its scabbard. Holding it there, he warned. "You don't talk to the Queen like that, Stark. You will apologize now and take those damn rules back or you will regret it. I also advise you to never again talk about a member of House Lannister in that way in my presence, or there will be consequences."

Before he could say anything, Jory took out his sword as his guards leapt of their horses and followed suit. "It seems your men want a fight, Stark. At last some real exercise that presents itself for me. We'll see how your Northern swords do against a lion." Ser Jaime grinned, as he pulled out his sword. Jory, in response, got in front of him, shielding him from the the Kingslayer.

He tried to calm things down. "Ser Jaime, please put away your sword. I will ask my guard to do the same, this isn't necessary."

The man laughed at him. "Already scared, Stark? My sister's guards and I will stand down, but not before you apologise to her and promise to drop these rules. Your words and your men's deeds have doomed your ambitions there once and for all. Do this and I will walk away, otherwise I would quite like a fight. I don't think I've ever had a real battle, outside a tourney, with a Northman before and you have quite the reputation. Not anyone can survive against the Sword of the Morning. You probably stabbed the man in the back, as no man would ever win against Arthur in another way, but I hope you surprise me."

"Ser Jaime, you know I can't do that." He said, annoyed at the man's comment about the horrible day were he had lost his sister and so many of his friends. He was also shocked at his eagerness for a fight. He knew the man to be impulsive but this was something else.

"I grow tired of these talks, Stark. I will not repeat myself again" He said, as he pushed the Queen back behind him. Jory went into a full defensive stand before him and raised his weapon, as he signaled the guards to make a defensive crescent around him. "It seems you're not going to see reason and your men want to fight and raise their swords against the Queen and the Kingsguard, so be it." Ser Jaime said, as his grin grew a little bigger.

Before anything more could be said he slashed with a sideways move towards Jory, and his friend blocked the attack. At this moment his years of battle experience kicked in and he pulled out Ice and went into a battle stance. He looked at his opponent and saw how he sent a flurry of attacks on Jory, after merely a few seconds, he managed to cut Jory's left shoulder.

Jory managed to block the follow-up strike, but he knew his friend needed his help now, or else he would lose him. He turned Ice in his hands to have a good grip and rushed forth, parrying a vicious downward strike aimed at Jory's head. Knowing that his opponent firmly had him beaten in terms of speed, he used his superior strength. He locked swords and pushed the man back. Lannister was stronger than he would have thought, but he still had the edge on him.

Around him, he heard the sounds of battle as he saw how the Lannister guards clashed with his own. He glanced aside trying to find Jory and he saw him run to help one of his guards. The Lannister Queen had backed off and was looking at the fight from a distance behind Jaime.

These small glances were all that his opponent needed to break away his swords and soon he was on the defensive. First, he slashed from the right, then upwards from the left and then downwards at a right angle. He managed to block them all and Ice's superior reach gave him a way to keep the Lannister from easily getting into to his defense.

Now he managed to slash at the man's head, he simply parried though. After this, he was again on the backfoot. All said about the man, but he could fight that much was sure. The fight made him think about the one he had had with Ser Arthur Dayne. The Lannister seemed almost as good as he was, and Howland Reed wasn't anywhere near to help him out this time.

Another flurry of attacks came his way and he blocked or dodged them all out of pure instinct. Left, right, down, back, right, left, above, left, above, right, … the attacks kept coming and he managed to block them all, until a slash connected with his left arm. The cut wasn't too deep, but it still hurt like hell. He fought on though, and managed to hit the man twice on his armor, but he didn't have time to put his whole strength behind the swings. That was another advantage the Lannister had, he wore his Kingsguard armor, while he only had boiled leather to defend him.

Suddenly the Lannister changed arcs and cut down one of his guards to his right with a vicious strike. Enraged about the loss of one of his men, he saw an opportunity and went for it. All can be said about Ser Jaime's skill, but he himself was no pushover in battle either and he had by far the better weapon. Ice cut through the air again and again, as the Lannister knight had to give ground to be able to block all his attacks. Battle fever came over him and he gave it his all. He wasn't thinking about the consequences it would bring anymore, he just wanted to sever the blonde head from its body.

Ser Jaime kept blocking and dodging all his attacks, until one suddenly connected. Ice cut deeply into the man's left cheek. As the only thing of his armor that he wasn't wearing, was his helmet. The Lannister stepped back, fire in his eyes. If you combined his green eyes, filled with hatred and shock, with the cut where blood was now flowing freely then you got a pretty terrifying sight.

Suddenly his opponent charged, it took all of his skill and strength to stop the man from killing him. After a while, he knew he had to do something, or he would die here. His salvation came in the form of Jory, as he suddenly attacked Ser Jaime from the left. He managed to glance around him for the first time since the start of the battle and saw how all the Lannister guards laid dead on the ground with only Jory and Torrhen from his own guard still standing.

The two men attacked Ser Jaime together, giving him a small moment to gather his breath. Just as he threw himself back in the battle, he saw his enemy parry a strike from Jory and then dodge under Torrhen's swing. He then came up behind the latter's back and cut open his throat, as he looked towards him with a savage grin.

He and Jory looked at each other and they attacked as one. Despite his skill, the Lannister had difficulty blocking two very experienced fighters. As Jory cut at the man's side, he went for his head. Jaime managed to block the first attack and then barely dodged Ice, by the skin of his teeth. It went on like that for a while, with only Jory managing to slash harmlessly on the golden armor.

It seemed that Ser Jaime had decided that he was the most threatening opponent, as he never allowed him the openings Jory might have gotten. That all changed, when Jory threw a vicious attack at the man's head. He couldn't do anything except block the attack, thereby allowing him the opening he had been waiting for. He slashed Ice in a downward cut, right towards the man's neck.

Ser Jaime, however, with a true testament to his skill, managed to quickly bring his sword up to deflect the blow. Instead of cutting the man's neck open, Ice slashed on the plate on his left shoulder with force. Although he couldn't see a cut, he knew the slash had hurt by his opponent's reaction and by the dent it had made in the plate. Ser Jaime didn't back down though, no he seemed to again double his efforts.

In a flurry of strikes he pushed Jory back as he dodged under Ice. He then kicked his friend back, giving him enough time to concentrate solely on him for a moment. Before he knew it a whirlwind of attacks was upon him. He managed to block them all, until Jaime surprised him by stepping in his guard. There the man swung the pummel of his sword in his stomach and threw a punch in his face.

He managed to bring up Ice, blocking the coming nearby blow, but he was unable to stop the follow up, aimed towards his left knee. Suddenly an explosion of pain erupted from his leg, as steel connected with bone and flesh. He fell helplessly towards the ground, as the man grinned. From behind him Jory came up charging, almost surprising the Lannister. He quickly turned around however and in a quick flurry of strikes Jory was on the backfoot. He then saw how Ser Jaime got behind him in the same way he had done to Torrhen.

He put his sword on to Jory's neck, as he pulled his head back at his hair and looked at him. "This is what happens when you challenge me, Stark. You're best to remember it." As he cut open Jory's neck. He could hear the man say through Jaime's speech. "Protect the children, Ned". Those would be his friend's last words as he saw the life draining from his eyes. Then Ser Jaime pushed back the body and it fell lifelessly on the ground.

He walked towards him with that cocky vicious smile still on his face. "Sadly, I can't kill you, but I'll make sure this hurt." Ser Jaime Lannister said as he saw the pummel of sword coming down towards him and after that, his whole world went black.

That is all for this chapter!

A lot happens here, as the effects of the story began to gain pace.

Yes, I have researched how much medieval farmers it would take on a square mile of farmland. I'm obsessed with details like that.

Littlefinger is an expert liar, but under pressure with a knife cutting into his throat even he spills some secrets to save his life. Make sure you notice that not all Littlefinger tells Ned here is the truth, but some things are.

The fight here happens a few days sooner than the one in canon, as such Dany hasn't been brought up yet and Ned is still Hand. I am so sorry for building up Jory and his family before killing him off, but this is ASOIAF.

A lot of questions came on Ned's activities/time spend in KL. He has less things to do here than in canon. Arya isn't in KL, so he doesn't have to deal with her or the fights between her and Sansa. He doesn't need to worry about Bran or investigate the blade Catelyn brings. More importantly, the tourney is smaller. As such, he spends a lot less time preparing the tourney. All of this gives him the time to fix the economics AND investigate Jon Arryn's death.

Thank you all for your support, I really appreciate it!

Fannic

Reviews:

- Adventwolf: I'm sorry to say your assessments aren't correct. As explained he still searches for reasons after Jon Arryn's death, that is the number one reason for him to go South. Economics only come second after the death of his mentor and foster-father.

- Kuman: Thanks again! Yeah Tywin will definitely want his three million (!) golden dragons back, whatever his kids say. He might have done that yes, but for now he will be bedridden and I don't think corresponding with Tywin Lannister is something he looks forward to now.

- Osterreicher97: It could be interesting yes, but Ned is out cold now. He will have to recover first and his priorities have suddenly shifted.

Tywin knows about the debt for sure, half of it is owed to him! I think he uses the Crown's debt to force Robert into giving his family new positions (like Lancel as squire and stuff) in exchange for new loans. That is for me the only reason why he wouldn't try to take action

- Angeluszuko-z: He was always loyal to Robert, although he is less permissive and naive yes. Despite that he is still completely out of his element in KL and he has made no friends now.

- Javi30: Thank you so much!

- Poly19hum: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy it.

- Guest1: w0w

- Guest2: Well, spoiling that would kind off defeat the story wouldn't it? Renly would never be in the West with his 30k troops. Either he defends the Stormlands from Stannis or he marches with the Tyrells on KL like in cannon.

I don't know if he comes over as Daeron the Good, he is not really making that many friends. Besides, would Tywin care? He only cares about his own and his families power and legacy. I don't think he would look differently on Ned if he would helps Regions, minor lords or smallfolk.

The gold could be devalued, however I don't know. The creditors wouldn't like that and besides that a lot of the kingdoms economieshaven't been touched in the War of the five Kings such as the Reach, Dorne, Northern Crownlands or Vale. I don't know if it would be that simple or half the country would be close to rebelling if they did so.