"What, you actually believe these vile lies?" said Joffrey.
"You say one thing, she says another, the dagger was missi-"
"You would believe her? Over your own son"
Eddard Stark cleared his throat and looked to the king "I think it's time you told him, your Grace"
The King sighed, wearily looking at the boy he had once called his son. "You're no prince, you're not my son, you're a bastard born of incest between Jaime and Cersei Lannister!"
"What? This is madness, who told you these stupid lies?"
"They were caught in the act and all but confessed" Clarified Lord Stark
There was a moment of silence, between the gathered men and women who were there to witness the King's justice being done. Joffrey stammered, struggling to find the right words amidst his anger, but as he was about to speak,
"Leave us. All of you. Your king commands it."
"Father, I-"
"Out! All of you, OUT!"
And so, everyone did. Leaving King Robert alone with Lord Eddard.
"To be honest, I'm somewhat relieved. The idea of Joffrey on the throne, with Cersei standing behind him whispering in his ear, was the only thing keeping me on the throne..."
"Your Grace?" Said Ned cautiously, hoping he'd simply misunderstood the king's intent.
"More than once, I've dreamed of giving up the crown and sailing to the free cities. Spend the rest of my days warring and whoring. The sellsword king." He paused, the joy in his expression fading to one as cold as the North.
"It should have been you, Ned, or Jon Arryn. What have you done to me?" He looked down at himself, he'd been drinking again and it was starting to catch up to him.
"You had the better claim to the throne, your Grace."
"Look at me Ned, look upon what's left of Robert Baratheon, look at what kinging has done to me. How did it come to this? Surrounded by traitors. Too fat to fight a proper war."
"Robert… We're already dealing with a succession crisis, if you give up the throne now, it'll be another war for it." Lord Stark said grimly.
"You're right Ned. Besides, the people will miss their good king."
"..."
"Ned, you couldn't lie to save your life. Say I'm better than Aerys and be done with it." He stood and slapped Ned on the back. "I'm still young, Ned, it can be different now. The two of us, ruling together, like it should have been from the start. We'll make this the finest reign in history and put those damn Lannisters in their place." The King spoke proudly.
"I won't let you down, your Grace."
"You better not." The king took another sip before continuing "As for Joffrey, assassination attempt or not, so long as he's around, the Lannisters will want the throne. And he is most unworthy of it."
"Don't tell me you mean to…"
"Easy Ned, I'm just sending him up north with his father. The Night's Watch ought to make a better man out of him. Same for Tommen"
"Tommen's too young. Not to mention Tywin will probably start a war over this, we'll need something to bargain with, him and Tyrion would be safer here in Winterfell, should he attack King's Landing. Best not to put all our eggs in one basket."
"I did well, choosing you as Hand. See it done."
Lord Stark bowed and left the hall, finding Maria standing outside it.
"You're a good man, Lord Stark"
"I can't say I approve of your eavesdropping."
"The King's voice has a most commanding presence, great for addressing whole armies."
Ned sighed, he was too tired to deal with her insanity. "Anything to report?"
"Tyrion is, by all accounts, innocent in all this, spent his days here reading, drinking and at the local brothel, nothing more. I'd advise sending him away tomorrow, far from King's Landing. I think guest's rights are the only thing keeping his head on his shoulders" Both of them began walking. "He said he wanted to see the Wall. He can say goodbye to his brother and nephew at Castle Black."
"You're sure of this?"
"He knows I'll kill Jaime myself, if the Kingslayer decides to shirk his duty."
"I doubt he'd be of use to the Night's watch and I wouldn't put him to death for his brother's crimes. Very well, so be it. By the way, how did you know? About the lack of blonde bastards I mean? "
"Remember my little trick with the plants?"
"I don't see how that's related."
"Nevermind, it doesn't matter. We'll be heading to King's Landing in three days then?"
"Aye. We've delayed the trip long enough."
"I'll go say my goodbyes then."
It pained them both to leave Bran behind, but he still hadn't fully recovered enough for such a voyage and staying with Catelyn and Robb would not be so bad for him.
"So, you'll be leaving for the wall then?"
Jon Snow nodded, "Yes, with some most unpleasant company." Jon couldn't hold back his disgust at the Lannisters, or with some of the vile criminals he'd seen in the prison cart.
"We need every man on the Wall we can get. Unpleasant or not, they'll be your brothers once you've taken the oath."
For the first time, Snow was reconsidering taking the black, a thought that did not go unnoticed.
"I saw what lay beyond those Walls. I'll need someone there, to whip those men into shape and to call for me, when the time comes."
Jon's expression filled with resolve. "Understood"
"You'll be spending the rest of your life with them, do try to make friends. Now, what do you say to one last training spar?"
"Sounds lovely. I'd like to be able to beat Jaime before Winter comes, wipe that smug smile off his face."
Maria studied how Snow moved closely, much more swiftly than when he'd began his lessons with her "Keep practicing and you just might"
"I supposed I have you to thank for not being dead?
"No Lord Tyrion, you have your innocence in all this to thank for it." Maria looked to the gathered party heading North, her eyes Lingering on the two blonds in chains.
"Do me a favor, keep an eye on your dear brother and nephew on the way to the Wall. Make sure they don't do anything unwise."
"Of course. Seeing them be berated by their superiors is sure to be amusing."
"And return that book you borrowed from the Library Tower once you're done with it."
Tyrion looked to the Stark guards in the party and the implication was not lost on him, he would not have to take the black to save his skin from the Stark's wrath, they would keep him as a hostage at Winterfell. Still, perhaps a gift for young Bran would be in order once he returned, to try and make peace with his captors.
Maria reached into her backpack and pulled out a smaller tome "Here, you can keep this one. So you've something to read once you're done with that."
Tyrion inspected it, it was in perfect condition, the paper and writing within the finest and most consistent quality. "A book on swordsmanship? I'm flattered, but most don't take into account the limitations of my stature"
"Chapter 5 and 6" Tyrion opened to chapter 5 titled "Halflings, gnomes and others of small stature" with its accompanying illustrations displaying techniques for just that.
"How about that. You have my thanks"
"Consider it payment for future services. Safe travels to you, Lord Tyrion."
"Safe travels to you too, Ser Maria"
As Maria finished packing her belongings onto her horse's saddle she added to them a few throwing daggers. Normally she relied on magic for her ranged options, but that option would be rather conspicuous here. She turned to the crowd saying their goodbyes.
Robb Stark stood tall that day, real steel tied to him. With his father leaving, he would now be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
"Well, I suppose this is goodbye for now, young Lord, shame this will be the last time I'll get to call you that. My, how you've grown."
"You said I needed to be ready. I am."
"Good, here I was thinking all those lessons I'd beaten into your head would all be for naught." Maria offered her hand. Robb's handshake was firm, confident.
"Do keep my father safe. I heard good men don't last long in King's Landings. Nothing but liars and backstabbers there." He said, a smile on his face.
"You have my word. And one last thing, have you found your answer?"
Robb said nothing, but nodded knowingly, looking at both his family, saying their goodbyes, and at the people surrounding them, the inhabitants of the realm he was now tasked with ruling.
Maria smiled, proud of her student.
The trip to King's landing took some time, especially slow given the hundreds of people the trip had attracted, more and more travelers joining the royal procession for safety. Along the way, Maria gathered herbs, using whatever time she had free to strength train, usually by uprooting trees, and to make Potions of Greater Healing, she would likely have four upon her arrival to King's Landing.
Along the way, during said trip, she always had her familiar keeping a close eye on Cersei Lannister's cart, should any of the guards be stupid enough to attempt to break her free. And while two particular Kingsguards weren't dumb enough for that, they did have more than one conversation that was less private than they'd assumed.
One of the many times when the group had stopped, Maria was giving Arya her sword lessons near a river.
The young Lady fought with skill beyond her years, her tutelage under Maria having served her well. She had gotten quite good at dodging and blocking, at going for gaps in armor.
"You're doing well, but seem troubled, Lady Arya. Is something the matter?"
"It's Sansa, she's been the worst ever since we left and she was already quite unbearable. She whines about every little thing and is set on annoying me every chance she gets."
"When Lady Sansa heard of this journey, she expected she was to become Queen. Now she probably thinks that will fall to you. Most women in Westeros would be far worse after that."
"But I don't want to be Queen! I don't even want to be a Lady! I want to be a knight, like you!"
"Don't worry, I spoke with your father, you won't marry unless you want to marry."
A smile stretched across Arya's face. "Really? Thank you so much" Arya sheathed her sword and hugged Ser Maria tightly.
"I knew how much it mattered to you." Maria gently pat Arya on her head before lowering herself to look her in the eye. "And being Queen mattered just as much to Lady Sansa. So maybe you could spare her some sympathy? Between you and me, I'm no fan of royalty either." She put her finger over mouth, keeping Arya from replying, a smile on both their faces. "But maybe you should try and be nice to your sister when she's upset"
"Alright, I'll do it for you"
"Good, now, let's continue! I'll make you the finest swordmaster in all Seven Kingdoms."
Arya drew her sword again, eager for battle, dodging away from the stick Maria was wielding.
On a pleasant summer day, the King and his hand rode upon their horses, miles south of the main party and then just out of earshot of their respective guards.
There they stood and reminisced about their younger years, but the conversation soon turned to the more serious matters the King had brought Lord Stark there to discuss.
"I need a new Warden of the East."
"Robin Arryn is the rightful heir"
"I will not entrust the East to a sickly child, not while Tywin Lannister is likely readying an army. Can you believe I thought to give it to Jaime? That treasonous rat."
"Stannis then, he has battle experience and if the Vale's men aren't loyal, he'll make them loyal soon enough."
"That leaves a bigger problem" The king handed Eddard a sealed message which he read carefully.
Meanwhile in the trees nearby, a raven kept a close eye on the conversation, which soon became heated.
"She's just a child!" said Lord Stark.
"She's a dragonspawn, who'll soon spread her legs to make more dragonspawn, who'll be in charge of a bloody Dothraki army! Khal Drogo is said to lead forty thousand men!"
"Unless they teach their horses to swim, I'm not scared of them. There could be a million of them, they have no ships!"
"The Free Cities have entire fleets! What then?"
At that moment, Lord Stark did not reply, his gaze spotting a raven hidden among the trees.
"You can come out Ser Maria, I know you're listening"
It took some time, but the Knight rode to their location. Her armor shining in the sun, polished to a mirror sheen as it always seemed to be.
"Apologies my lord, your Grace, I merely feared for your safety. With good reason."
"What's got you so worried?"
"Besides the two murder attempts and single murder success? Call Ser Boros and Ser Meryn, you'll see." She nodded towards their respective blades and both men understood.
Maria left, and sure enough both Kingsguard came accompanied by another guard each.
"You summoned us, your grace?" The two kingsguard asked before surrounding both men. Just as they drew steel to attempt regicide, they found a dagger lodged in Ser Boro's throat. Maria came riding at them, meanwhile both Ned and the King drew their weapons, holding off the 3 remaining men.
The King's strength was nowhere near his prime, yet still it was enough to cave in a Kingsguard's head, Ned slew another man and the last remaining guard was crushed to a fine paste under Maria's hammer.
"Overheard them scheming, they were on the Lannister payroll." Revealing them like this was likely a mistake, it would have been wiser to wait for them to reveal more traitors. But if it got the king to act more cautiously, it would be worth it, she hoped.
"I AM SURROUNDED BY TRAITOROUS SNAKES!" King Robert shouted, at his wit's end. It took him a good long while to calm himself, by then, the ten remaining guards had been drawn closer by the King's booming voice.
"What the Seven hells happened here?"
Lord Stark took charge of the situation, the king still red with anger."They tried to kill the king, we slew them with the help of Ser Maria. Take their bodies back to be dealt with."
"Any other traitors I should know about?" Said King Robert, finally managing to contain his wrath.
"None I know of. But it is safe to assume there are many more."
"We need to start minding what we eat and drink, keep only the most trustworthy guard, and stay in armor when possible." Lord Stark said, choosing "We need" rather than "You should have been" to spare the King's pride.
"We're at war again. Best act like it." Said King Robert, some happiness creeping back into his tone. All three now rested upon their steeds, trying to recover from the fight.
"You heard the conversation." Lord Stark began, "Anything to add?" hoping a second opinion would help sway the King towards reason.
"You called the Targaryen girl dragonspawn, but unless she sprouts wings and starts breathing fire, she is no such thing. She's one woman"
"With a Dothraki army at her command" The king interjected indignantly.
"They'd need ships. Even a hundred warships will still only carry ten thousand men. The Dothraki don't even have armor, let alone naval vessels. Were they to arrive on your shores right now, I can kill 175 a day. I would halve their numbers in less than a month, I trust you army can handle the rest?"
"I didn't know you had an army at your disposal."
"She doesn't." Lord Stark thought deeply for a moment on how to best approach this. He turned to the knight "My son saw what you did to Jaime Lannister, we already know you can warg. I think you should be honest about what you can do."
Maria took a few steps back, slowly, she raised her hands. A cone of flames, taller than a giant, shot out of her hands and into the sky. Slowly the flame faded, embers lingering in the air.
King Robert's mouth slowly stretched into a smile.
"I'd love to see the Targaryen's faces," the King turned to his Hand, the tenacity of his youth returned to him. "when they find out we're the ones with a dragon"
Tyrion sat upon a tree's shade enjoying his book, Jon Snow, or "bastard" as Tyrion took to calling him, was sitting beside him.
"The Starks are giving quite a lot of freedom to their captive"
A white direwolf pounced on Tyrion before he'd even finished the thought, Ghost's red-eyes looking down on him in silence.
"You've made your point." He slowly adjusted himself as the wolf backed off. "So, the rest of your life, spent with murderers, thieves, rapers and the man who tried to kill your half-brother, can't say I envy you. What, did your father get tired of his embarrassment?"
"I was tasked with the protection of the Realm."
"Yes, from grumpkins and snarks and all those creatures your wet nurse warned you about. You really believe that nonsense?"
"Ser Maria told me she saw The Others, that she needed someone to send for her when the time came."
"And you believed her?"
"You saw what she did to Jaime, that wasn't human."
"Who knows what I saw, I was drunk, could have been anything." Tyrion lied
"Why do you care so much? About what I do with my life? Trying to get me away, so you can free your brother?
"With that many Stark guards around them? Unlikely. I just,,, love the many joys of life and think it would be a shame to see another bastard throw them away so young."
Jon Snow said nothing and returned to his tent, merely leaving Ghost to watch the Lannister closely. Tyrion approached the prison cart where his brother was kept in chains.
"Have you come to free me, dear brother?"
"I would much rather keep my head, thank you."
"We could run away, both of us."
"My legs are quite small, brother, they're not the best for running on, especially in this cold."
There was a pause. "Why'd you do it, why even risk it?"
"I fell in love with the wrong woman. I'm sure you can relate, dear brother."
Tyrion's mismatched eyes filled with anger. "You mention her again.." Tyrion picked up a rock
"All this time, spent lying, look where it got me. I might die soon, dear brother, trying to escape. I owe you the truth."
"What are you talking about?"
"Tysha was no whore, she was crofter's daughter."
"IF THIS IS SOME SORT OF JOKE, I'LL-"
"It 's the truth. Father made me lie. Forced her to do all those things in front of you, on threat of death. He just didn't want you marrying a lowborn woman."
Tyrion dropped the rock, tears welled up in his eyes, now both red. "Y-You mean.. to say.. that she.." The words were caught in his throat.
"Tysha loved you"
Tyrion fell on his knees, crying from bittersweet joy, his mind racing to understand just what this meant.
"Where is she?"
"Sorry brother, I don't know. Father might."
"I'll force it out of him" Tyrion's joy turned to anger "Then I'll kill him, slowly, painfully" He could see it now. Oh how he delighted in imagining it.
"Bide your time. Cersei's children are bastards, remember?"
Tyrion quickly understood. "I'm the heir to Casterly Rock."
"The Starks hold you hostage. Endear yourself to them. Let them use you as bait for him. You'll get your revenge. It's only a matter of time."
"Why would he care? Father never cared about me, he always despised me"
"Yes, but he cares about his legacy, more than anything. You're his legacy now."
Tyrion was at a loss for words, he hated his brother, for being accomplice to all this, and yet the only thing he could think to say was. "Thank you. But why? Why now?"
"I finally understood what mattered to me."
Bran Stark gripped his cane tightly, the raven had lied to him. It had told him he would fly, now he struggled to even walk. He would never be a knight, maybe someday he might climb, but never well. He slowly made his way to a seat, his brother Robb was listening to supplicants and since he was now the heir to Winterfell, he needed to learn from him.
"M'lord, our village has suffered attacks from a band of raiders for nearly a fortnight, our humble forces are dwindling, scarcely enough to hold them off."
"How many of them and how well equipped?"
"A score of them, thereabouts. Chainmail and sword."
Robb Stark turned to his mother for a second opinion "We're short on men as is, we can ill afford to send a large force" Catelyn said. The royal visit had taken its toll and not only on their food stores, the higher crop yields would soften that blow at least. Eddard had taken fifty good men with him, it would take some time before Winterfell's garrison was full again, reinforcements already requested from loyal bannermen.
"If we send a small force, it'll be to their deaths. A decisive victory is necessary."
Bran winced, were Ser Maria still here, she would have personally handled the problem. For all the amazing things she'd done, she couldn't be in two places at once.
"We'll send 40. We'll see those raiders brought to justice"
"You have my undying gratitude, M'lord!."
Robb's thoughts lingered on the raiders, they were far too well armored to be wildlings. Ironborn perhaps? a long way from their homes if so, to be attacking a village near Hornwood territory. He would need to send a raven for reinforcements to Winterfell, loyal men from loyal houses. Should those forty men not return, his suspicions would be confirmed.
"M'lord, my farm is short of a few hands…"
Bran Stark's gaze lingered on his brother, he'd adapted well to his new station, carrying himself proudly, speaking as a lord should, but he was tired, running himself ragged. Bran was glad mother was there to help him.
As the procession made its way into the Crownlands, nearing King's Landing, a number of knights, squires and guards with the royal banner approached. Led by two Knights, one wearing a suit of enameled green armor with a helmet adorned with a pair of golden antlers, the other wearing all white armor. Both had white cloaks on their backs, they descended from their horses and knelt before the king, removing their helmets.
Se Barristan the Bold, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, showed his age in his features and white hair, yet moved as a knight decades younger, his agility and strength still preserved. Meanwhile Renly Baratheon was the perfect image of a young Robert, the antlers of his helm completing the look.
"Your Grace, we received news you were short a few Kingsguards, and thought it best to accompany you back to the Red Keep personally."
"Rise, both of you." The King turned to Renly and put a hand on his shoulder "My dear brother, you have served me loyally, and have more than proven your skill as a warrior. I would have you for my Kingsguard" A calculated move, if a risky one.
Renly was fourth in line for the throne, assigning him to the kingsguard would squash any ambition to improve that. Renly had shown little interest in taking a wife, should he refuse such an honored position, it would only confirm any suspicions of where his allegiances lie.
"Your Grace, my brother, you honor me. Though I would recommend fathering new heirs as soon as possible. I'm sure you'll have no difficulties." playful laughter followed, banter about the king's notoriously large sexual appetites following.
"I trust Stannis has been put to the same husbandly duties?"
"Yes. Something which he'll no doubt embrace like a soldier marching off to war. Gods, even in the North that man would be cold."
"Seems to have served him well enough in battle at least- Is that a wolf?" Said Renly, looking at Lady, Sansa's direwolf sitting next to her.
Sansa remained silent for a moment, "Y-Yes, my lord. The Direwolf is our House's sigil, and we were lucky enough to find them. They protect us."
"Is something the matter, my Lady?"
"I was betrothed to Joffrey, and in time, was to become Queen, but now. I-" Sansa was embarrassed to find that tears were streaming down her face.
"You would have made a wonderful queen, whose beauty would be the envy of all Seven Kingdoms." Answered one of the Squires. "Here my lady" He handed her a handkerchief.
"As you can see, my Lady, you will have no difficulties finding better men than false prince Joffrey. Men more deserving of your grace" Answered another squire. A crying Lady might as well have been a war trumpet for young Knights and Knights to be.
The sweet sound of clashing steel rang in Castle Black's training yard. Jon Snow was easily dispatching his opponents, wading through the new recruits, all while giving them far better guidance than their actual master-at-arms.
"You're leaving your right shoulder open." "Bend your knees a bit more" "You're holding your sword like it's a dagger, you'll tire yourself swinging it around like that." "You're running right into my attacks, be more cautious." And so it went, until Ser Alliser Thorne, who'd done little instructing up to that point, interrupted.
"You'll be fighting Jaime next."
Jon gulped, as much as he hated to admit it, the Lannister was better than him.
The fight was fairly quick, Jon disarmed and thrown to the ground. Alliser laughed cruelly at his pupil's defeat.
"Well done Snow, you're the second best I've fought this year" Jaime offered a hand to help him up, which Jon slapped away.
"You forget yourself Lannister. You tried to kill my brother. Be thankful you still have a head on your shoulders.
"I meant it, Snow. It's for more than I can say for my son." He turned, Joffrey had taken his losses very poorly and had been punished with cleaning duties instead.
"If you two ladies are done bickering, go return your fake swords to the armory." Ser Alliser turned to the rest of the recruits "That will be all for today, I've had enough of your ineptitude. If the Wildlings show up, you'll have to fight them with arrows."
Jon Snow turned to Grenn, Halder, Pyp and the rest of the recruits as they all walked back to the armory. "Don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere. You're improving, just be patient." Words that Maria had told his brothers and sister were being echoed by him more often than he'd like.
"Why bother? They're a lost cause." Interjected Jaime Lannister, dismissively.
"We'll need every able-bodied man we can get. No offense, Tyrion." The Lannister dwarf had watched the whole sad display from the comfort of a nearby bench.
"None taken, I rather like not being forced to run towards my death." He said, standing up. "I wonder what's for supper." Tyrion forced himself to be friendly, there was only one thing on his mind.
That night, Tyrion stood atop the Wall, he had boasted that he would piss off the edge of the world. Now, feeling the cold against his face, his heart heavy, he looked out, at the world beyond it.
Jon Snow stood near him. "Changed your mind, dwarf?" he smiled "You know, centuries ago, the Targaryens brought their pets here, yet the dragons refused to simply fly over the Wall. Why do you think that was?"
"Probably found it too cold." Mused Tyrion, this mask was difficult to maintain, all he wanted to do was ride south, find his father and put a dagger through his heart. He pushed the feeling down, hid it away, kept it tightly locked, its time would come soon enough.
Jon looked to the horizon. "Winter is coming. Pray it is a short one."
King's Landing was bigger than Waterdeep with population to match, it was roughly square-shaped and several miles across, the Red Keep smaller than Winterfell but still massive and visible from far beyond the capital's walls.
As Lord Stark and those of his House made their way inside the city, they were approached by a goateed man and his retinue of guards.
"Lord Petyr Baelish. It has been quite some time."
"Indeed it has Lord Stark. You have been summoned as Hand of the King. There is Small Council meeting to attend"
"I've only arrived a moment ago. And besides, the King is currently busy finding new Kingsguard"
"The King rarely attends. He leaves small logistical matters to the small council. As they say, what the King dreams, The Hand builds."
"Were that true, he'd have picked a stonemason" Interjected Maria, thinking to herself that a goatee was a little on the nose even for his type.
"Excuse me, you are?"
"This is Ser Maria Starbrand," Ned explained. "a former hedge knight, now in service of House Stark, and captain of my guard" Maria curtsied.
"Poole, see the girls to the Tower of the Hand along with our belongings" Ordered Stark as he and Maria followed Petyr.
"Who the hell would want to sit on that thing?"
The throne was a mangled mess of half-melted metal, the swords used to make it still mostly intact in the form of jagged spikes. "Looks uncomfortable"
"On that we agree, Ser Maria." Said Lord Stark
"Could the dragons not keep melting it until it was smooth or something?" They were led past the throne to a moderately sized room, which Maria was not permitted to enter, where the small council would be held.
Seizing the opportunity, she took to exploring the castle. Mapping a dungeon, this was what she was trained for, it was almost nostalgic.
She began her normal procedure, checking for drafts or strangely hollow walls. And sure enough after many minutes of searching, a secret passage revealed itself.
Labyrinthine corridors stretched throughout the castle, she made her way through them, creating a mental map of the many entrances and exits.
As she made her way along the tunnels, she found a man keeping his ears next to a gap in a wall. Her armor was noisy, so he heard her and bolted, she gave chase. Not long after, the man found himself pinned to the ground.
"Mercy, my lady, mercy! I needed to feed my family. So many others were doing it, I did not think that it would make a difference."
"You said you needed money?" She took out her coin pouch, coins jingling within it. "Tell me everything you know, you'll have enough to flee."
"You're telling me the crown is three million in debt?"
"I'm telling you it's six million in debt"
Ned Stark rubbed his forehead. He knew Robert could be unruly at times, but this.. He stared out the window for a moment and for only an instant, he could swear he saw some black feathers, fluttering out of sight.
By the time she'd reached the end of the secret corridors, she'd found three more would be spies and her coin purse was significantly lighter, but the knowledge she'd gained had been well worth it.
The tunnel had led her just outside the Red Keep, no doubt one of many escape routes in case of siege. She made her way through the streets, back the long way, to get a better bearing of her new home city. As she neared the Red Keep again, she saw a pair of Gold Cloaks, the City Watch, threatening a young boy, so skinny he was all but bone.
"Are two armored men what is necessary? To reprimand one child?" She put her hand on the men's shoulders, gripping them tightly enough to bend their pauldrons.
"And who the seven hells are you-" The two men froze under her gaze and elected to go find someone more their size to harass.
"Are you quite alright, child?" Her query was met only with silence, although she could see gratitude in the boy's eyes.
"Can't speak? Is something wrong?" The child was acting strangely, his lips kept sealed. It reminded her of when she'd found her little sister eating sweets without permission. Yet…
"If it's a stolen coin you're keeping hidden, you need not worry. I won't report you." Yet, if it was that, the boy would have simply swallowed it by now.
"Open your mouth, please. I swear you won't be harmed"
Maria entered Lord Stark 's solar.
"Six million in debt?"
"Still not a fan of eavesdropping, Ser Starbrand" The meeting and trip had left Ned tired, and Maria was not helping.
"Then I've got bad news." She sat down "I found secret tunnels while you were in that meeting, all remarkably crowded. Based on that biased sample, half the castle's staff is working for the Lannisters and the other half for Lord Baelish. The former paid in gold, the latter in silver. Not enough that their loyalties couldn't be bought by others. Still, rooting out all the spies seems to me an impossible task for anytime soon. It was a worrying trend she was noticing, being surrounded by danger she couldn't do all that much about.
"Any good news?"
"I could enter the tournament, claim the prizes for jousting and melee, but not archery, I'm quite bad at that. Unless just throwing the arrow counts."
"You would give away that much money out of loyalty?"
"Lords and knights of great Houses are a poor investment, they cling to their gold like dragons in hoards and piles. Money that does not circulate is of no use to anyone. It is better spent improving the lives of the smallfolk."
"Giving me that much money would most certainly draw suspicion "
"Claim it is a dowry, for Arya's hand in marriage. Not entirely untrue. I'll keep five hundred to maintain appearances" Maria was reminded of something. "Speaking of Arya, get her a new sword instructor. I'll find myself quite busy, investigating Lord Arryn's murder for Cersei's trial and ensuring you're safe."
The second place and archery prize would still be spent, but saving the crown sixty thousand gold dragons was no small gift. "Your continued loyalty to House Stark is greatly appreciated. Still we need a new source of revenue for the crown, hopefully one that doesn't displease the lords or the smallfolk."
Maria gave it a good bit of thought before replying "A heavy tax on inheritance, combined with a much smaller one on abdicating."
Ned nodded in understanding "I suspect we'll get no complaints, once the Lords start getting much better treatment from their heirs" Finished Lord Stark "And we'll get an influx of abdications from any Lord on their deathbed. Not bad, worth a try, I'll bring it up at the next small council meeting"
"One last thing, Lord Stark. Someone's been cutting the tongues off children. As soon as I find out who, they're going to wish they were dead."
Author's Notes:
Early chapter this week. Hope y'all enjoy