Hello everyone, I'm the author of this story. I've never published anything on this site before, and I've only just noticed some serious formatting errors in the text.
Please comment, so that something like this doesn't happen again, and I'd also like to know what you think of the story.
Orryn
"So honor dictates, Orryn, and following honor is the right thing to do." Lord Stark told me as we walked out of the hand tower.
"The law Lord Stark, it is the right thing to do. The law is written, the law should leave no doubt, the law is what makes us more than mere savages. Honor, it's nothing like that, it follows the morals of a specific person." I remained silent for a while before speaking again. "In the North, he who passes sentence brandishes the sword, doesn't he?".
"Yes. If you can't look the man you're going to kill in the eye, then maybe he doesn't deserve to die. That's the old way and I miss it around here."
"Have you ever executed someone you thought was innocent?". I asked Lord Stark. He continued walking, giving me his famous expressionless look before answering me.
"I've killed men I felt in my heart were innocent, I have. But I did it because I followed the law, the same law that defends Orryn at all costs."
"So did you make the law prevail over honor, or did you choose the option you thought was less dishonorable? Killing a supposed innocent or breaking the law?".
"These are not simple questions, Orryn. And when you have to make them, you should always keep in mind what's really right, what's more important than anything else. Don't run away from it and face your decisions to the end, often what is right is not the easiest path."
"I know very well what it's like to have to make decisions...". I spoke and remained silent, thinking about that day in the harbor, wondering whether or not I should speak to Lord Stark like that, wondering whether or not I should open up like that.
"My father made me take charge of a naval trial... I followed the law as it dictated. But it was a minor mistake, nothing major, just a captain trying to escape his own stupidity."
"And you condemned the man as the law commands?".
"Yes... but when I received the lash in my hands, I doubted my decision... but I applied it anyway, even though I didn't want to."
"For that is the law, and to abide by the law as it stands is the most honorable attitude one can have." Lord Stark said, patting me on the shoulder. "Now go, the training yard awaits you boy. Leave that talk for when you're a real lord and the fun dies down." Lord Stark joked with what looked like a smile on his face.
I smiled back and went to my quarters to put on my training armor. My arm was feeling better and well, I liked wearing the armor I got from my uncle, even if it was just the chain mail.
Ser Hugh helped me, I put on his armor and he put on mine. "I think I'm almost ready Orryn, ready for a tournament." Hugh said excitedly before going to his fair practice. I checked that everything was in place to avoid an accident, why, honestly? Hugh was terrible at putting on armor, probably a mistake from being an old lord's squire.
"I'll leave it to Ser Borys to decide, Hugh, if he allows it you'll have my permission."
"The old man will never accept it!" Hugh said with frustration. "As if he hadn't won a tournament when he was young."
"I think that makes him more than qualified to say whether you can compete or not." I said smiling and Hugh scowled at me before leaving for his training session.
I walked to the sword training yard and met up with my newest training partner, Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers. After spending some time in the Reach, Ser Loras returned to the capital quickly and we faced each other in the courtyard soon after.
He was a good challenge for me, beating me most of the time, but unlike Ser Barristan, I saw a chance of being better than Loras one day, at least with the sword, with the spear there was no chance. So I started training with him all the time.
"I see you've joined me once again, looking forward to another defeat Orryn?". Ser Loras said, playing with his sword and giving me a condescending smile.
"I can't wait to get that smile off your face". I answered simply and got into position.
We exchanged four blows in a row, Loras tricked me with his footwork and I tried to kick him. Unfortunately, he managed to escape and get an opening.
I expected a strong blow to the head, but Loras only hit my forehead lightly with the flat of his sword.
"Have you ever been told that if you always try to punch or kick, you'll never really trust your own sword?" Loras said amused.
"I should have landed the blow...". I mumbled, a little embarrassed.
Loras laughed and went to the corner, looking for a towel to dry his sweat. "If I hit you in the head too much, you'll certainly get stupid and then you'll fight worse and worse."
"I think I fight well enough".
"You can never fight well enough." Loras said as we formed up to fight once more. "And what I said is true, about the way you fight."
"I know, I've heard that before. It's not gentlemanly. I replied dismissively".
"It's nothing to do with that, but as I said, trusting your own sword. You don't see it as an
extension of yourself, you don't trust your sword and your swordplay."
We fought once more. I hit Loras with a strong blow to the arm, around the seventh time we exchanged blows, this time he whirled around trying to get close to me.
I would have punched him, to send him away, but I didn't, he was right when he said that I didn't trust my sword and I had to start doing that.
Loras seized this chance, looped his sword through mine and disarmed me. With his training sword around my neck, he smiled once more.
"I told you to trust your sword more, not to start hesitating in the middle of a fight."
"You've been saying a lot of things." I grumbled and went to drink some water from the bucket.
Before I could even bring the ladle to my lips, I felt the icy water falling on my head and heard Loras' laughter. "Maybe that'll cool your head down." He shouted, running away.
"Come on, you!" I said angrily and ran up to him to fight one more time.
Already in my room, I was looking out of the window at the city when there was a knock on the door.
"It's me". Ser Borys' voice called out and I agreed to let him in.
"What do you want at this hour, Ser Borys?".
"Make sure you haven't dragged any Reach chickens into your room." He said in a
serious voice.
"You know I'm not that stupid...".
"You're close to the Tyrell boy, you train with him every day and talk to him for hours afterwards."
"I'm just being cordial, nothing more and nothing less." I replied without turning around and a little impatiently.
"You're changing Orryn, you're being influenced by other men with other goals." Ser Borys said harshly and I turned to face him.
"I know what I'm doing, Ser Borys, and I didn't know it was your place to give me such instructions." I said sharply.
"It's not, but I'm here to stop you from doing something stupid." He looked at me with hard eyes before pulling a letter out of his coat. "Here, it's from your father, given to me by Ser
Davos himself."
"He's asking me to return to Dragonstone, to leave the capital even against my uncle's orders. It doesn't sound like my father...".
"It's his handwriting, isn't it?".
"Yes...".
"Then return, as your father orders, and that's that."
"He orders but won't tell me why, he knows about a crime but won't tell me anything. No Ser Borys, I will not return, not now. Lord Stark is investigating too and I feel I can help him, someone has to do it if my father refuses to help."
"I hope you know what Orryn is doing, in every sense, and I hope you can bear the consequences."
"Honestly, Ser Borys, I hope so too."
I threw myself on my back in the field and looked up at the blue sky, it was a long summer, one of the longest I've read about.
I had a silly smile on my face today. This had been my third victory in a row against Loras
and nothing seemed to spoil this feeling of satisfaction.
The knight of the flowers threw himself down next to me and gave me a smile. "I told you was getting better, maybe now I should really take our fights seriously."
"You're serious Loras, I know you don't like to lose, ever". I replied and he laughed a little.
"How did you do that here?". He said, running his hand over the bridge of my nose, the place where I had a discreet but present scar.
"A fight in the north".
"Was it that story about Lady Arya's wolf and the butcher boy? Did you catch them?" Loras said mockingly.
"No." I replied, rolling my eyes. "It was before that, in the courtyard of Winterfell".
"Was it the Stark heir or the Greyjoy?".
"The bastard, Snow. And frankly, Loras, he's a better swordsman than you." I returned the mockery.
Loras continued to lie on his side looking at me and smiling, until he finally reached out and pulled the gorget from around my neck. "You've got to fix your gorget better, you're leaving a gap and so a serious accident could happen."
"I don't have a squire, in fact I'm still one, so it's Ser Hugh who helps me dress."
"Then teach Ser Hugh how to wear armor, I wouldn't want you to get hurt, kid." He smiled before ruffling my hair.
"You're only two years older than me Loras, you have no right to call me a boy." I snorted in displeasure.
"Yes, but you still have my little sister's age, and everyone in her age is just a child to me."
I rolled my eyes and stood up. I held out my hand to Loras and he accepted it. Today's training was coming to an end and it had been very productive.
"She's very pretty, you know? My sister..." Loras said and I nodded, Lady Margaery's fame reached even the capital.
"There's no doubt about it Loras."
"You should come and visit us in High Garden, your uncle is a friend of mine and I feel you should be closer, like family should be. What do you think Orryn?".
"My father wouldn't approve and Uncle Renly despises me, so I can't say I feel any desire to be close to him either." I replied with a sour expression.
"Is it about those jokes he plays, Orryn? They are what they are, just jokes, you should learn to get over it. He's just doing what men do."
"Uncle Renly knows where to hit, he always knows how to say what hurts the most." I said in an icy voice. "He likes to tease me about my mother, and even though I know my mother isn't as beautiful as your Loras, even though she has a difficult temper, she is my mother."
Loras opened his mouth to say more, but I didn't let him and kept talking. "He mocks my father every chance he gets. My father, a man like any other, with faults and virtues, but of him, they always remember his faults and always forget what a great man he is."
Loras remained silent and I walked beside him for a while before speaking. "But I'm not going to let all this get me down. My father and mother, they can defend themselves… Shireen cannot. She's shy, she's small and I know she'll never be beautiful like your sister or the princess, but she doesn't need to be reminded of that all the time. She doesn't need to cry in her room when our idiot uncle makes fun of her ears or her 'plain' face, or whispers about her, loud enough for the whole hall to hear. No one ever praises her for her intelligence, for the stories she tells me and invents, no one really knows her or cares to get to know her."
"Orryn… I...I." Loras said, swallowing dryly as words seemed to fail him.
"You're a good friend Loras, but don't ask me to be friends with my uncle, not for me. He's the one who closed this door and he's the one who kept slamming it in my face." I spoke sadly and said goodbye to Loras right there, I had to bathe before going to the tower of the hand.
I showered quickly, not wanting to be late any longer. After the small council meetings, I always kept my tutelage with Lord Stark. This time the tower of the hand looked like a mess of servants.
No one stopped me, all the guards already knew me and when I arrived at Lord Stark's solar he was in the process of packing his things.
"Lord Stark, what's going on?" I asked confused.
"I've been fired and I intend never to set a foot in this damn city again." He answered me with disgust in his voice.
"Uncle Robert will forgive you before dinner, I'm sure of it." I spoke and a somewhat mocking voice was heard from the door.
"I want his head on a pike, weren't those His Grace's words after the meeting, ex-Lord
Hand?". I turned and saw Littlefinger standing there with his smug smile.
"I don't have time for you Baelish, and for you Orryn... Robert may forgive me, but I won't accept that decision, the blood won't be on my hands."
"I don't think the boy needs to hear about the council's affairs and about... the other matters I bring."
"I don't care anymore Baelish." Lord Stark said harshly. "I am preparing to leave the capital and intend to take the first ship to White Harbor."
"It wouldn't take more than an hour, I'm sure of it."
I saw the indecision forming on Lord Stark's face and knew I had to act. "Lord Stark, before you go, could you give me a few final words? I'm sure it will take less than five minutes." I interrupted the conversation and cast a provocative glance at the master of the coin.
"I'll be right with you Baelish, let me talk to young Orryn first." Lord Stark said in a voice that made no exceptions and Baelish bowed before leaving.
"Lord Stark, I don't know what happened at the meeting, but it must have been serious. Whatever it was, Littlefinger showed up right after that with some urgent information...".
"It won't take long, Orryn, and soon I'll be gone." Lord Stark said simply.
"Lord Stark... may I?". I said in a slightly pleading voice.
He looked at me with his gray eyes, judging me, evaluating me before nodding.
"You deal the cards here, not Baelish. He wants you to hurry, he's going to take you somewhere and with few guards, because in this situation, how many men could you take?".
"Baelish is a member of the council, he wouldn't try anything so openly."
"Use your head, my lord, keep the man here, don't let him leave. Summon the new captain of the city guard and take him with you. Your men are needed here to protect the tower, all of them. Take charge of the situation and don't be led."
"And what kind of danger would I be exposing myself to by following Lord Baelish?".
"I don't know, but in a city full of Lannisters and with the situation of your wife and Lord Tyrion...".
"I didn't order it, and I'll have this matter cleared up as soon as I get back to the North."
"But it was Littlefinger who brought you this information, wasn't it? The same Littlefinger who wants you running around the city with a less than adequate guard. The same Littlefinger who only cares about gold, gold that the Lannisters have in large quantities."
"Caution... caution towards everyone in fact and trust no one." Lord Stark said in a low voice.
Lord Stark acted cautiously at that moment, did as I said and took the captain of the golden cloaks himself, Ser Jacelyn Bywater, plus a small troop.
When a company of Lannister men arrived at the door of the brothel where they had gone, led by Ser Jaime Lannister himself, a fight was narrowly avoided.
Uncle Robert ran away from his problems, as he always did. He revoked Lord Stark's resignation and left on a hunting trip without having to explain himself, hoping that the weather would cool down and honor would dictate the man from the North to stay.
Unfortunately, that was the last time he acted as cautiously as he should... less than a moon later, Lord Stark was arrested for treason, shortly after King Robert's death, and chaos ensued in the capital.