Kings Landing
The throneroom had fallen silent as the sacks and chests were brought in, and their contents poured onto the castle floor, it almost looked as if a river of gold had taken form.
There was so much wealth before the eyes of the noblemen, ladies, and servants that everyone knew the crown could pay its debts to the Iron Bank and still have more than enough to pay for whatever the realm needed.
Those who were able to pull their eyes away from the coins noticed the stone-like expression on the king's face.
Unlike his wife and sons who were smiling and whose eyes were full of greed, no doubt wondering about how they would spend their newly gained wealth, the king's expression resembled his father inlaws.
There was no one.
Something about the gold had forced the man to keep himself under control and was now looking at it with calculating eyes, the kind that a soldier would use when he found information about the enemy that he didn't know before.
"Send men to Harrenhal, I want to know what else they're hiding." the king ordered, before turning his head and seeing the empty seat where his hand once sat.
The king looked for the wisdom of his hand, but the man was dead and needed to be replaced.
"Coin tell the bank to come and get their due. Then pay whatever debts the crown has. I will get my new hand." the king says to his Master of Coin before standing up and walking out of the throneroom.
He passes by his cupbearer takes the cup and empties it in one loud gulp.
Harrenhal
Lady Whent could feel the pain in her head grow as the letters from the surrounding lords and even a few distant ones arrived one after another.
They were inviting her to their lands hoping to gain favor with her, however, none of them dared to come to her home as its reputation was enough to keep them away.
Harrenhal's reputation was so frightening, that even the messengers who brought the letters didn't dare cross the gate and instead handed the letters to the guards and waited outside for her answer.
As a result of all of this, she was forced to write letters of apology as she neither had the strength nor the patience for the games of nobles.
"My lady the men are waiting for you." her one and only knight says to her.
The day that she failed to escape he tried to stall the strangers as best as he could, knowing that he wouldn't survive when they realized that he had lied to them.
When she had been forced to return she had expected to find him dead.
To think that the man who once spent his days tending to animals and helping around the castle now spent his days training the men and boys on how to properly hold a sword.
She placed her pen down and followed the man out and found her family's banners, shields, and armor proudly displayed at the entrance of the castle.
As she walked deeper she found the banners and weapons of those who once held her home but no longer existed. It was a reminder of the fate that waited for those who dared to claim Harrenhal for their own.
She reached the council rooms and found the leaders of the knights or better said the heads of the house waiting for her.
The men stood the moment she stepped inside, there was no reason for them to do so, but they did it anyway out of respect for her.
She briefly made eye contact with each of the men and noticed how they all had the same scars in them. The men's souls had been marked by the suffering they had seen and caused.
"Let's begin our first council meeting." she says to them before sitting down. She could feel her head starting to hurt again as she wasn't looking forward to the conversation.
"First is, what are we going to do about the marriage offers from the surrounding lords who wish to have you and your men take one of their daughters in exchange for favors." she says to them.
She could see the men's minds already coming up with excuses, but she didn't give them time to answer.
"If you are worried that the women among you won't have any partners. I'm afraid that offers have been sent for them as well." she says to them as her knight places the letters the messengers brought to her.
She can't help but smile when she sees the guild leaders hold their heads as they share her frustration.
"We also need to talk about the animals you brought with you as they do need to walk and can't be kept inside all of the time." she says to them, but truth be told she wasn't looking forward to the people's reaction when word of the beasts spread.
"Petitions for food from those who don't have fertile lands in exchange for their help in times of war."
"And finally, the sudden interest of smiths, merchants, and tailors who for some reason suddenly noticed the giant castle near the Gods.' she says to them while making no attempt to hide her frustration.
The meeting lasted for hours, not because no one knew what to do, but because they had to write and seal each letter before handing it to the messengers who were still waiting patiently outside.
By the time the gates were closed, the sun had set, and the torches had been lit, but before anyone could relax the sound of someone banging on the gates was heard.
When the guards opened the door and asked who it was they were surprised to find a woman and a girl who were accompanied by several knights whose cloaks displayed a black stag that had a gold crown on its neck.