Perhaps it had all happened too soon. Perhaps they should have bidden more time and made it seem like athorough process had been followed. Regardless of how satisfying it was to see Littlefinger's head roll on the throne room's floor, there were murmurs of the King acting his rash self and executing a good man framed by his enemies. Probably rumors spread by Littlefinger's bootlickers who knew their time was coming to an end as well.
But what happened, had happened, there was not much else that could be done pondering over such things.
"It would have been better if the spider was around to resolve these matters," the Queen of Thorns said sourly. "Where's that man anyways? I have yet to see him since my arrival."
"Lord Varys is off to accomplish an important task for the crown" Jon Arryn explained. "But he's already placed the pieces that would dispel all of these rumors and flush out the people involved with Baelish."
"Convenient. It's almost as if the man could see the future himself" Tyrion mused, then chuckling softly. "But then again, that was probably how the man made the reputation he has, and why he was summoned with the rest of us."
"Yes yes, the spider is a brilliant man" Olenna Tyrell rolled her eyes, "what now? What is our next step?"
"Clean house, train the masses, and prepare for the enemy to cross" Rober grunted. "I think we are two years away from the things to be sighted for the first time."
"By someone from the Watch," Ned pointed out, "the freefolk have probably seen them a lot earlier. Maybe they already have seen them and that's why they are gathering as we speak. Jeor Mormont had nothing much to report on that end, says he thinks it implausible that the freefolk would even think about banding together."
"It was a shame that he was not summoned with the rest of us. It would have done wonders in getting a handle on things up on the wall" Tyrion mused.
"Would it have? Or would the ones that killed the Prince also have killed whoever else was summoned with us? Those imbeciles have shown that even with proof in their faces they did not give two shits because they were South of the Wall" the Queen of Thorns spat in disgust.
The room shifted in uneasy silence, both at the truth in Lady Olenna's words and the way she referred to Jon as 'prince'. It was as if the woman expected the boy to take his rightful place.
Ned was not sure how to feel about that. How would the realm react? How many would outright accept it? Not everybody had been there whenLyanna saw it, or in the hall when the secret was spilled. Unless there was some proof, that road was as good as sealed.
"We need to fix the council as well. Four empty seats to fill" Ned injected with a frown.
"The Citadel will send a Grandmaester. I have already written them, so it is three we need to worry about" Jon Arryn explained.
"Master of Coin, Master of Laws, and Master of Ships" Tyrion mused. "It's a shame Renly stepped back when he did. We could have used someone in the know for the council."
"He feels responsible for all the Lannister and Baelish payroll men in the City Watch and the Household Guards. He is taking responsibility" Robert grunted. Ned knew his friend well enough to know that he thought it was all bullshit and that Renly should have been here. "And it's two seats. I already have a Master of Ships in mind."
"Do you?" by Jon Arryn's tone, Ned knew that Robert had not shared the idea with the older man.
"Stannis' right hand man, Ser Davos. He's a fiercely loyal and good man, been Stannis' moral compass through all we've seen. I want him in this position. A loyal and good man."
"Can he even handle the responsibility?" Olenna asked. "The man's illiterate and has piracy as his only experience with the sea. Would be better to name someone like a Redwyne on the seat instead."
Ned bristled slightly. Olenna Redwyne, that was what the woman was named before she married after all.
"It will be Ser Davos. We need good and loyal men, doesn't matter whether they can read or write" Robert grunted.
"Just to be safe, we'll have someone teach him" Jon Arryn added. The man approved of the idea it seemed.
Lady Olenna shrugged and backed away from the argument. She knew it was a lost cause.
"So all that leaves us are the Master of Coin and the Master of Laws" Tyrion mused. "I'd like to nominate my name to not be selected. Casterly Rock needs me around" the imp said in a playful tone.
"I didn't even think of it, Imp" Robert countered with a grin. Ned did not know if Robert even truly thought about appointing the Imp, but the jest seemed to better Robert's mood even if a little. "I'd name Ned there as Master of Laws if not for the shit he has to handle up North."
Ned sighed at the reminder of his shit that needed to be handled.
"If we are to choose from the people who were with us, then we don't have too many people to choose from" Tyrion added. "You have Prince Doran who is an invalid, Renly who has already abdicated and is on his way back to Storm's End, Jaime who is off to the Wall when he could have been of use here-"
"Jaime is our man on The Wall" Robert grunted. "He can bring Jeor Mormont to heel and make him pay attention, and should any of the rest try to stab him in the back he's skilled and not as trusting as Jon to get stabbed."
Tyrion sighed and nodded. The man saw the merit in the plan, even if he did not like Ned knew that the Imp did not approve of the plan.
"We can always name Oberyn Martell in the council" JonArryn suggested. "Master of Laws might be right up his alley."
"Brilliant. Send a summon to Dorne and tell the man to get his ass down here!"
"As you wish" Jon nodded. "It still leaves one more seat to deal with…"
"The rest who were there, none of them are suitable. Only the gods know what they were thinking bringing the rest while leaving people that could be of use" Olenna muttered.
"It's not our place to question the wills and wishes of the gods" Ned intoned, "the ones chosen had a reason to be chosen, no matter how big or small."
Lady Olenna said nothing to that.
"Since we're already two men not from the summoning in the council, we could hire a third" Jon Aryn mused. "I'll look at them and in the meanwhile also oversee the duties of the Master of Coin."
"I'll help you with choosing them and seeing the list of volunteers for the position of Kingsguard."
"There are candidates already" Tyrion raised a brow at Ned.
"There have been a few since the moment Jaime was imprisoned" Ned answered.
Tyrion rolled his eyes with a 'typical' muttered under his breath.
"Anything else we need to discuss?" Olenna raised a brow.
"The Freys" Ned spoke. It was another house that he needed out of the way. Even with Tywin Lannister gone, they'd do some shit he knew well enough.
"Do we need to?" Tyrion questioned. "With father dead, Lord Walder Frey won't have the balls to do what he did."
"Better to deal with a possible threat before they become a threat" Jon Arryn spoke softly.
"Like your wife?"
Jon did not reply to that jab. All knew that the old man was protecting his wife, even after she'd gone mad with grief when Baelish was killed, screaming bloody murder about how the King and hand were just killing people who were honest and did not conform to their ways. Even Robyn Arryn had been taken from her and sent to Runestone for his 'protection'. The ones in the chamber knew well enough that it was for the good of the boy rather than for his protection against his mad mother.
"If you must deal with them, I suggest targeting only Walder Frey and his son Lothar Frey. The rest are blind followers, some are even good" Tyrion added with a sigh.
"You seem to know a lot about this family,Lord Tyrion" Olenna spoke with a small smirk.
"If none of you remember, my grandfather stupidly married my aunt into that family. She is a Frey, as are her sons. I got my information from her" Tyrion snarked back.
Olenna's smirk grew a tad more.
"Walder and Lothar… Varys was saying something along the same lines" JonArryn mused. "We'll speak on this more once he returns. Till then, we tackle the closest of our issues."
"The Wall" Ned leaned forward.
-x-
Ned would call that a successful meeting if nothing else. There was a plan to look forward to and Robert was focused on it entirely without any form of distraction. The last time he was this focused was during the rebellion, and that was a success. That gave Ned hope that things would progress to something favorable.
The only thing that bothered him now was what the Imp had said when the two left the meeting.
My father was killed because he was ruthless and didn't see anything wrong with using cursed methods to win. Walder Freyand his son will die for things he had yet done but is most likely to do, as would the Boltons. It is odd that we are letting Olenna Tyrell get away with orchestrating a breach of guest rights when she killed Joffrey in our visions. We're punishing others that are likely to do shit but looking away from Olenna Tyrell who is not so far from the same people we are denouncing and condemning to death.
The imp was not wrong… but Olenna Tyrell was necessary. For the realm… and his family.
Ned stopped on the balcony that overlooked the training yard. The Imp was not wrong… yet…
"Good show Jon!"
The Lord of Winterell's eyes fell on his nephew, who had bested another Baratheon man. The boy had been doing so ever since they'd arrived in King's Landing. It was as if watching the visions had hardened something in him like the rebellion had hardened something in Ned. Robb was the same if Ser Rodrick's words were anything to go by.
Both boys were training as if their lives depended on it. Which was true. They both needed to be prepared.
"He's a good fighter once he puts his mind to it" Ned jumped hearing Ser Barristan's voice beside him. When had the man walked up to him? "I remember the first time he'd started training. His mind was clouded by something so his blade was not as sharp. He had skills but that mental block seemed to hold him he's gotten past it now and he's a better warrior for it… he reminds me of someone."
Ned's eyes shifted to the man ni alarm, but the man was watching Jon with a smile.
"He was like that too. Once he'd put his mind to something nothing could divert his attention. Not even women."
Ned followed the man's gaze and saw Margaerys watching from the sidelines.
"You've protected him all this time when I should have, and for that I am grateful."
"He is my son" Ned turned back to Ser Barristan.
"Aye, he is… And if the day ever comes, he has my sword."
With those words spoken the man stepped back and walked away.
Ser Barristan and Rhaegar were close… but Ned had never thought that… the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North sighed, hoping that this did not bring about problems none of them had any time for.