Weiss

Settling into the Red Keep took less time than Weiss had expected, thanks to the steward who coordinated with the servants of the arriving Houses. By the time Weiss arrived in the room, her luggage filled with all of her belongings were already there, neatly arranged and laid out with the professionalism she would've expected from the Wahl des Gründers staff in Atlas. She carefully inspected each trunk or box filled with her belongings, and did a mental count. If any of her belongings went missing here, then it would be a much bigger hassle to get it back, or find replacements. Clothes and shoes were made according to one's measurements, similar to Weiss' own wardrobe when she was the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and weren't available on short notice. Dresses would be easier to replace than her trousers, and even then that would likely take several days. Weiss narrowed her eyes as she rummaged through each trunk as she moved clothes around, checking to make sure all was in readiness. She released a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Kalimeris' glimmering handle, the rest of the blade hidden by its sheath and wrapped in several trousers.

"Well, everything seems to be in order." Weiss mumbled to no one in particular. The guest room she had been assigned to was a decent size, even if it was much smaller than her own back in Lannisport. It made sense from the point of view of their host, Weiss was a simple Lannister cousin of the Lannisport branch. Quite frankly, between that and the Queen's open hostility, the fact she wasn't just assigned a spot in the stables was a miracle, in her mind at least. The servants she brought from Lannisport would likely be assigned to the serving quarters, while Cedric, Pod and the rest of her guards would be put in the barracks. She didn't envy her help, upsetting the pecking order of who got to sleep where in the servant's quarters would not be ideal, though at least the Guards would have plenty of room, given how many barracks there seemed to be.

Still, that meant she was going to be alone for a few hours if Weiss decided to stay cooped up in her temporary room. Her sapphire eyes gave the room a brief glance, checking for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing here to entertain herself with aside from a few books that sat on a shelf at the far side of her chambers, and Kalimeris which was safely stored in a now locked trunk. Weiss pressed her lips together and turned her attention to the door. She could practice her glyphs and summons, but then again, she was in the Red Keep where eyes and ears were everywhere. The rumors of the walls being filled with a maze of secret passages certainly made her reluctant to try anything too outrageous.

"It would be nice to read again." Weiss said out loud, making her way to the bookshelf. She was going to be in King's Landing until the end of the tourney in two weeks, she had plenty of time to explore. The tips of her delicate fingers ran over the spine of several well-worn books. The previous occupant of the room must've enjoyed reading. She grabbed one at random and scanned the cover.

"Paying her Iron Price." Was this a history of Greyjoy's Rebellion? This belonged in a maester's library, not some random guestroom. Weiss' nostrils flared ever so slightly as she opened the book, roughly in the middle, where the Battle of Fair Isle should've been. She started to read.

"" Her lips pressed hard against his rough face, and her hands roamed his pale body, feeling the scars of a man who had worked hard out on the open ocean."

Weiss immediately slammed the book closed and returned it to its rightful spot on the bookshelf. She quietly wiped her hand on the skirt of her dress with a face of disgust. Her cheeks burning red, she did her best to resist the urge to simply chuck the book into the fireplace.

"The people here have worse taste in porn than Blake."

*

After her failed attempt at finding something to read, Weiss decided to explore the Red Keep before more guests started to arrive. Lords of the Vale, Riverlands, Stormlands and the Reach would start to arrive in greater numbers with each passing day, which would make the Red Keep crowded, and make it much harder to find peace and quiet outside of her chambers. Weiss wore a simple red dress that hid her shoulders, and was decorated with several golden snowflakes with seven points. It was easy to change into without the help of her maids and comfortable.

And she was able to hide a knife in one of the long sleeves, just in case, even if she was able to kill a grown man with her bare hands, Weiss preferred to do it with a blade. Less of a mess that way, and well, even with Aura, sometimes people would be more intimidated by her branding a blade as opposed to her bare hands. Even if she was willing to kill to defend herself, she'd rather not take someone's life if she didn't have to.

The halls of the Red Keep, well the portion she was staying in, at least, were rather empty, aside from a handful of servants that scurried about to prepare rooms for other Lords and Ladies. The size of the Red Keep still amazed her, as it dwarfed the Gold Keep she was used to, and was laid out far differently. Also, it felt unusually drafty in quite a few places, now that she thought about it, probably lending some credence to the theories of secret passages. Weiss allowed her eyes to wander, searching for any possible entrances or something to trigger one, which proved to be the best when a small child nearly ran into her. Dodging at the last second and whipping her dress around, Weiss nearly ended up drenched in dirty floor water from the bucket being carried by the little urchin.

The child stared up at her with wide eyes and ran off, mouthing an apology under his breath. Weiss frowned.

"Well that's strange." She murmured. Smallfolk generally were afraid of the nobility, it was surprising to see the child run off instead of begging for forgiveness, not that Weiss was angry or anything. It was especially odd since this was the Red Keep, if anywhere the servants would be expected to be polite, it'd be here. A simple apology would've worked. Shrugging it off, Weiss stepped around the puddle to hopefully find a courtyard, yet the strange feeling never went away.

Several minutes and an empty hallway later, the feeling still remained. Narrowing her eyes, Weiss looked around as much as she could without actually turning her head to give away that she had caught on. Someone was watching, well, either that or the Red Keep was as haunted as Harrenhal. Both were equally possible, having had quite a bit of bloodshed in them, but at the same time, well, that was just crazy. There was no such thing as ghosts, was there? Then again, she also didn't think magic was real, and then Yang's egg donor went and turned into a corvid in front of her eyes, so there was that.

Time to put it to the test, even if she ended up looking like a mad maid.

"Show yourself." Weiss said simply, yet loud enough to be heard. "I know you're watching me." She allowed herself to take another step, turning her head to the side as if she could see them. "I can see you."

"Most impressive." An unfamiliar voice crawled into her ear from behind, causing her to nearly jump. Thankfully, she had enough self control to stop that. Turning her attention back to the direction she had been facing, Weiss was face to face with a plump man. He smelled like lilac and lavender, with a bald head and round face. His powdered face gave her a kind smile, one that seemed to match his dark eyes. He wore a black and gold gown, with matching velvet slippers. His outfit looked to be more expensive than Weiss' own armor, which she spent a fortune on. "How were you able to do that?"

"I lied." Weiss said dryly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's considered rude to spy upon a lady when she is without her escort." She sincerely doubted Cedric would've been able to sense the fat man. Granted, to be fair, without her aura-senses, she doubted she would've been as well.

"It's considered rude to lie as well, my Lady, but alas, we are at an impasse." The Fat Man giggled. He hid his chubby hands within his wide sleeves. The Man didn't look, nor did he dress like a Westerosi. Yet, at the same time, she got an air of restrained lethality from him. She was able to pick out a few vaugely shaped bulges in his pockets that hinted at weapons, and she noticed how carefully he controlled his body language. Obviously this was no stranger to violence.

Weiss raised a single eyebrow. "It's also considered rude not to introduce yourself before a Lady."

The Fat Man smiled and bowed at the hip ever so slightly. "My apologies, Lady Lannister, I had simply heard so much about you over the years, and had grown excited to meet the White Lion of Lannisport. I am Varys, please, do not worry yourself over my intentions. I am but a simple, overexcited eunuch."

Ah, so this was the infamous Spider that Weiss had heard so much and so little about throughout the years. Keeping her own mask, a polite smile, Weiss made sure to stay on guard. Obviously, he had arranged this meeting, but to what purpose?

"No, I should be the one to apologize, Lord Varys." Weiss bowed her head and gave a polite courtesy. "It is my first time outside of Lannisport without my family, I miss them very much."

Lord Varys removed his hands from his sleeves and shook them with reddening cheeks. "Please! I'm no Lord, just a humble servant of the Crown."

Weiss kept her head bowed as she hid a smirk. It was easy to see through such faux-humility. As the Master-of-Whispers upon King Robert's Small Council, Varys was one of the realm's most powerful men, and he knew that very well. Still, what would he want with her? She was a simple Lannister of Lannisport.

"I am sure my Lady is comforted by the presence of Lord Tywin, as a fellow Lannister under his protection." Lord Varys continued speaking in that soft tone that reminded her of when Winter was around, usually before she verbally eviscerated someone.

"Lord Tywin cares deeply for his family." Weiss agreed outwardly. The old man cared about the Lannister name rather than any specific family member. Still, it was useful, and could be plotted around, if need be.

Lord Varys smiled again in agreement. "My apologies, again, if I startled Lady Weiss. I only wished to ask if you would like to accompany me and stroll through the gardens. The Queen has a fine taste, importing them from the Westerlands and the Reach."

She would prefer not to, yet Weiss also didn't need to make an enemy of the Spider, or get on his wrong side. If he wished, he could frame her for some crime, or look too deeply into Weiss' source of power. On the other hand, she could use an ally within the Red Keep. The Queen didn't seem to like her, so having the Master of Whispers on her side could be useful.

"Of course, my Lord." Weiss bowed her head once more as she hid a glare behind a mask of politeness. "I am glad you are a eunuch, for no onlooker can question my purity, as my sworn knight is not here as my witness." She would use Lord Varys, but she was sure she would never be able to trust him. Nor, she suspected, would he do the same.

After all, she never told him her name.

A/N

Another chapter out quickly, Night-Stalker has been a big help. Wouldn't have made it this far without his help.

Soon it'll be time for Weiss' tourney debut.

Also, the previous chapter was renamed 3-1 to avoid any confusion.