298 AC, King's Landing…
The crowd's cheers were resounding throughout the field as the king and the nobles sat in their seats watching the games. Ned and his daughters were sitting just below the king, with Littlefinger sitting beside the girls. Many rode to in the joust and many were unhorsed. Great warhorses were pounding the tourney grounds with their shoes.
The Kingslayer's jousts were a feast to the eyes of the crowd and he unhorsed many with his lance. However, the first death was by the hands of Ser Gregor Cleagane and with it came the screams of the crowd.
The young Valeman's neck was broken in an instant and his blood flowed out like a river. His clothes and armour were pristine and blue like the sky of the Vale but with the blood, it was dyed to the red. However, his death did not stop the games for long as the body was carried away and the blood was covered with sand.
Soon, the finalists were decided; the Hound and his monstrous brother Gregor, Jaime Lannister, Ser Loras Tyrell. Each of them was one of the best knights Seven Kingdoms could offer and each of them was a candidate for the championship.
However, the finals did not happen as the moon was over the sky and the crowd was tired so the king decreed that the last three matches would be fought the next morning, just before the melee.
As the smallfolk went back to the city, nobles and the king went to the lakeside to feast upon the aurochs and wines. Nobles and ladies alike were having a great time at the feast but behind it, the wheels of the realms were crossing with each other.
Septon Tyrek, the representative of the Seven on the small council, was whispering with some lords from the court while Bishop Rickard, representative of the believers on the small council, was watching people with eyes of a hawk. However, Bishop Rickard's wait did not take long as his target rose from his seat beside the king and went to relieve himself.
Rickard followed him behind and when they were a good distance away he called for him. "Lord Stark!"
Ned turned around to see Rickard walking towards him with a big smile on his face like the ones merchants wore when they were doing business. "Bishop Rickard, it is a good night to feast."
"Aye, my lord." Rickard continued. "However, the matters of the realm is heavier than of such distractions."
Ned was a bit light-headed as he drank some wine because of the king so his patience was limited this night. "How may I help you, Bishop?"
"I do not need help, my lord." Rickard smiled deviously, "However, you may need my help as from what I see, you still did not find yourself a reliable informant to survive the game."
Even before the man uttered his first word, Ned was sure he was going to offer a deal. Though he believed in honour, he was not as stupid as people thought. A Northman sent to represent the new religion in the council he was ruling was not something to miss easily.
Ned always believed everything had a purpose in its making and it was obvious that this man's goal was connected to him. "Let me guess, you are going to help me? In return, you will want some concessions regarding your dealings?"
"Ahaha…" Rickard awkwardly laughed. "I think you are mistaken, my lord. I am a Northman, though I don't like these southron games, I have to play it to stay alive so I was just planning to offer some advice to you."
"Hmm…" Despite all he knew about the man, Ned's interest was still piqued. "What may this advice be?"
"Nothing important…" Rickard said. "Just a tunnel beside your bedchamber."
"A tunnel?" Ned creased his eyebrows and asked.
"Yes," Rickard said. "There is a small door at the heart of the room. It opens to the secret passages built by Maegor I. From your chambers to the king's chambers and to outside the city, all of the tunnels are connected to each other. A few men sent to explore them could be a great benefit to you during your stay here."
"How do you know of these tunnels?" Ned asked.
Rickard smiled sinisterly, "Like I said, to stay alive we all need to play the game, my lord. However, you should tell your men to be careful about spider's little birds, my lord. They roam the tunnels all day."
"Varys' children, no wonder no secret was slipping from his eyes," Ned said while pressing his lips together. "Nevertheless, I thank you for your advice, Rickard."
"You should be careful in the capital, my lord. We are in a pit of a viper, my lord." Rickard nodded his head and turned around to go back to the feast but stopped at the last moment. "One last advice, my lord. There are rumours from the Riverlands that your wife has kidnapped the Imp of Casterly Rock. The coming days will surely be hectic."
Rickard went back to the feast while Ned relieved himself and returned later. He did not see his daughter, Sansa so he took Arya with him and informed his friend, the king, of his retiring back to his chambers.
His steps were quick as he was full of curiosity regarding the tunnel and he wanted to find its entrance immediately to prevent any more ears from listening to him. They met Sansa and the Hound, on the way so the Hound excused himself after giving the girl to him.
As soon as they arrived at the tower, Ned sent the girls to their chambers and he himself retired to his chambers. He searched throughout the entire room for three hours and at last found the entrance to the room. It was hidden under a table and wide enough for an adult man to fit. He turned over the table so no one could open it while he was sleeping.
By the next morning, Ned called upon some of his trusted men and sent them down to the tunnels and ordered them to map it out simply and warned them of the children they may encounter while inside.
After that, he went to find the king and to his surprise, he found him trying to wear his armour for the joust. It took a long time to deter him from this decision but still the king listened to his friend and decided to just watch the games. The riders were waiting for the king to escort him for his fast and then later to start the games but Ned stopped him from leaving the tent and said that he had something to talk with him.
After everyone left the tent, Ned spoke his concerns. "Robert, I found some tunnels underneath the castle, they are all connected to each other. One of them even opens to your chambers. I think we should seal…"
Robert waved his hand and cut his words short. "Aye, aye, I know that tunnels. Littlefinger brings whores to my chamber from those tunnels. Besides, what is with that sealing? Where will my whore come from, ha? Am I going to take them inside from the front gate?"
Seeing his friend incensed, Ned decided to let the matter rest, "Okay then but I need to put some men inside them, in case some assassin decides to use them for his job. So I will need an extra man to explore them. However, we need trusty men so no one should learn about the tunnels."
Robert nodded his head. ��Okay, I will send word to the Stormslands to send some men to the capital. Now, I wish to start my day with some good bacon!"
Ned greenly laughed, "Let's go then." he said.
They broke their fast on black bread and boiled goose eggs and fish fried up with onions and bacon by the river's edge. Their fast has been joyous and it did not take long for them to sit on their seats for the games. The joust was boring as usual and the only excitement and gore came from the Mountain beheading his own horse and attacking to Ser Loras Tyrell with his blade. However, his attack was blocked by his own brother and their fight ended with the king's yelling.
That afternoon a boy named Anguy, from Dornish Marches, won the archery competition and the melee went on for three hours. Near forty men took part, from freeriders to new squires in search of glory. Amid the chaos, the victor was an Essosi with hair of blue and teeth of yellow, a crude man surely but still better swordsman than the most.
Ned returned to his solar to take care of some paperwork but his mind was altogether in other matters. The attempted assassination on his son, his wife's mishap in Riverlands, the tunnels, the Lannisters, matters of the Realm and many more. He had to reorganize each of his plans as they all mixed together like a ball of wool. He quickly wrote a letter for Winterfell to send 200 archers to Moat Caitlin and ordering all of his direct vassals to raise at least 200 men in secret.
He also wrote a letter for his father-in-law so he could better protect his lands. Tywin Lannister was not a man that would take something like the kidnapping of his son as lightly. In case the matter got hot, they needed to be prepared for the worst.
He sealed letters with his sigil and called one of his guards. He gave letters to him and ordered him to give them to the Maester in rookery but to stay there until they are sent by a raven.
Ned delved into his thoughts again as the guard left. He needed to position his men in better positions. First of all, the golden cloaks needed a strict cleansing. The city was full of corruption and he needed to cleanse it. Of course, the head of the snake was in a higher position so he could not touch her, for now. However, he could still take out the small ones.
…
A day later…
The king was touring the streets as his kingly duty. Of course, this was Ned's idea as he wished for him to play a more active role in his rule. Jon would have let Robert do whatever he wanted but Ned would not take it so Robert, albeit unwillingly, agreed to it.
On the other hand, Ned was busy at his solar as he needed to handle the paperwork. However, his mind was on his daughter. Arya was missing since the morning and none were able to find her. When he heard that they found her, he was overcome with joy. They were marching her to his room but he hid all that joy behind his stern mask as he needed to discipline her.
"You realize I had men out searching for you?" Ned said when they were alone. "You were never to go beyond the castle gates without my leave."
"I didn't go out the gates," she blurted. "I was down in the dungeons but as I walked they turned into a tunnel. I couldn't go back because there were two men back on the way. Father, they were talking about forcing you to go back to the Winterfell!"
Ned creased his eyebrows and leaned to the front. "You said, you met them in tunnels?"
"Yes!" She yelled but Ned indicated for her to lower her voice. "I heard them, they said you were prying into wrong places and it was not the right time. The fat one said that wolves and lions were going to eat each other and it was all a mummer's farce."
"Did you see their faces?" Ned asked.
Arya knit her brows and looked to the ground like she was focusing on something. "I only saw the fat one, he had a long gash from his nose down to his chin. He also said that they were short on gold because of... some sort of worshippers."
Ned rose from his seat and went before Arya and knelt. He held her from her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Arya, the things you heard were very important. You can't tell these to anyone, okay?"
Arya quickly shook her head and said: "I won't".
"Now, off you go."
Just as Arya left, another knocked on the door. Ned called him inside. The guard was one of the explorers sent to the tunnels to map it out. "Any progress?"
The guard was a bit nervous as he spoke, "My lord, we stumbled upon something outrageous."
Ned has got a bit impatient and said. "Speak quickly, Marvin. I have tons of paperwork to do."
Marvin took a deep breath and said. "We stumbled a hole in one of the walls of the tunnels. When I looked into it, I saw queen with his brother having sex."
A silence took over the room for a good two minutes. His eyes widened like an owl and the quill he was sinking to ink fell to the table with the ink bottle. He quickly rose and went to the door to check whether there was anyone there. Then, he turned to look at him.
"Are you sure about this?"
Marvin nodded his head with a serious face. "Yes, my lord. I told no other and immediately came here."
The dots connected in Ned's mind and he came to a realization. The green-eyed and blonde man Bran saw in the Broken Tower was Jaime Lannister and they pushed him because what he saw were the Queen and her brother. And the assassin was for them to be sure that he did not rise to his foot and tell the tale.
"Go and seal that hole but be quick, don't let others see that and if there is someone who saw it, bring him here, immediately," Ned said.
"I already sealed the hole, my lord." Marvin quickly answered.
Ned nodded his head, "Good, continue to explore like nothing happened and do not tell anyone about this, do you understand me?"
"Yes, my lord."
"You can leave," Ned said and went back to his paperwork after Marvin left. Soon, another knock sounded from the door.
Ned sighed and put down his quill, "Who is it?" he said.
"My lord, his grace called for an emergency meeting in the small council." said the man from the other side of the door.
Ned knit his brows as Robert needed to be on the streets until the evening so he did not know the reason. He quickly raised himself from the table and opened the door. The guard that brought the news bowed his head and escorted him to the small council chambers.
All the members of the council were already there and the king was on his feet with a red face and roaring with all his might. "The whore is pregnant!" He slammed his fist down the table and when he caught the sight of Ned, his voice unexpectedly rose higher, "I told you this would happen, Ned. But you did care to hear it."
"I want them dead." he roared. "That fucking dragonspawn is pregnant and she will die!"
All the people in the room were doing their best to pretend that they were somewhere else. No doubt they were wiser than him was because he was quick to object. "You will dishonour yourself forever if you do this."
"Honor? Honour does not keep these kingdoms together, it is the fear and blood!" Robert humphed, "Besides, what do you think will happen if they don't die? Millions will die because we didn't send some fuckin assassins! MILLIONS!"
Ned shook his head, "It is not right, Robert. Let them come, we would face them like we did, in the past. A baby won't become Aegon the Conqueror without dragons. The kingdoms are united, even if they have a hundred thousand horsemen, they will not be able to do anything."
"Gods! You are stubborn as an aurochs, Stark." The king looked around the council table. "Have the rest of you mislaid your tongues? Will no one talk sense to this merciful fool?"
At that moment, a coughing sound came from Bishop Rickard as he looked around the table. "I may have a solution for your troubles, your grace."
Robert waved his hand and said, "Let's hear."
Septon Tyrek directly cut in before Rickard could speak, "Blasphemy! What can these heathens do?!"
"Shut your fucking mouth!!" Robert roared with fire spewing out of his eyes while Rickard smirked.
Rickard caressed his beard and said, "My lord as you know, our beloved Prophet recently liberated Pentos so we were able to recover some documents from the previous Magister." Rickard slyly looked to Varys and saw him go white like snow in the winter. "Apparently, the Magister sold the girl and her brother to the Dothraki Lord for some coin but the catch is, he was planning to have them killed and that brings another question to minds… but he disappeared so we could not find anything."
"And what does this have to do with our dealing?" Ned asked.
Rodrick smiled and said, "The Prophet always suggested that you should know your enemies before engaging in a fight so let me talk about these Dothraki people."
Robert slammed his fist to the table, "We don't have time for stories!"
Ned put his hand to Robert's shoulder, "Let him talk." Robert grunted but still stayed silent.
Rickard nodded towards Ned and continued. "In a Dothraki horde, if the Khal dies then the widow is sent to their ancestral lands and they are not allowed to leave there ever. Of course, there is also the baby…. Even if the baby is born he would at most become a slave and at worst, he would be killed as the rival khals would not allow him to live, lest he becomes a Khal."
"What about the boy, Viserys?" Littlefinger asked with obvious curiosity.
Rickard grinned, "Well, with a small favour from the king, our beloved Prophet could send his best warrior to challenge the Khal for the ownership of Viserys Targaryen and in the process, kill the Khal."
"And that makes everything legal so no word of dishonourable actions…" Littlefinger mused to himself.
"Hahaha, send word to your Prophet. Here you go Ned, no dishonour!" Robert laughed with a good mood.
"Wait a minute." Ned frowned, "You talked about a small favour, what is it?"
Rickard smiled sweetly, "Nothing big, we just want the full control of the islands we control in the Iron Islands and the right to bear arms in said places."
"No," Ned said, decisively.
However, Robert was quick to agree. "YES! No word, Ned. those fuckin' islands need new management. They are the bane to everyone!"
While all of this was happening, Septon Tyrek was fuming on his seat and glaring hatefully to King Robert and the Bishop.