Okay," Ranma said agreeably, "Like what?"
"The power to make war for certain. The power to make new laws is a possibility, so long as they affect all of Westeros rather than groups of individuals or different nations within it. The powers of the central government needs to be larger than each of the disparate parts, or perhaps all the Lord's Paramount tied into the power of the whole, rather than just one or two through blood and honor. I am uncertain how that could be done right now, but it's something to think about."
Ranma nodded thoughtfully. This discussion had started when Ranma described the work his father had been doing as Hand, and Daenerys had simply said that much of that was unimportant work that the king didn't need to spend time dealing with, which Ranma had disagreed with. His arguments had carried the day for the most, but Daenerys had argued him down on several points. This made Ranma realize that someone was forcing his father to do work that one of the other small council member's should've been doing.
For now there was nothing he could do about that, so he simply concentrated on the current discussion. "I understand your point about needing to centralize more power and how the dragon's disappearance had damaged the power structure. For the rest though, you're talking about sitting down and creating some kind of charter. I don't think that's ever actually been done, not in Westeros anyway. That would take a lot of work."
"Have I ever said or done anything over the past few days to indicate that I am scared of hard work?" Daenerys asked, smacking him lightly on the shoulder with a smile.
It was a week and a half since they had left three city behind them, and the two young people had grown close over that time, bonding over the draklings' training, and simply being two young people with no one but themselves to talk to. Domeric spent most of his time either watching the dragons with them, or sleeping. His shoulder wound had almost gone bad, saved only because Fenris had noticed the smell. Ranma cleaned it out, but Domeric was still weak from the procedure, though he would eventually regain full use of that arm.
Unfortunately, the weather had been against them. They were only just now reaching what the captain, an experienced man who had plied this route for most of his life, could tell was the halfway point between Pentos and the start of the Blackwater Bay. They had been becalmed three times, and hit heavy storms twice. Several of the sailors had been muttering about it. A few of them had even mentioned that it was because they had the Targaryen princess aboard, that the Seven weren't in favor of her returning to Westeros.
Ranma's presence stopped them from even attempting to do anything about it, but their fellow crewmen would have stopped them in any event. Besides the draklings, Daenerys possessed the ability to draw others to her, charisma on a level few could match, and a caring nature that shown through to everyone who interacted with her. While Ranma had not been in the right mind for this entire mission to bother, she had charmed nearly the entire crew, turning them all into Targaryen loyalists.
To one side Domeric sat watching the two young people, a faint smile one on his face. He wondered if the two of them realized how obvious their attraction was to anyone who saw them. It wasn't just lust, he could tell that simply by the amount of time they spent talking rather than simply looking out of the corners of their eyes at one another and sighing like star-crossed lovers from some of his songs. No, their attraction was built on how alike they were in many ways rather than anything physical. Though, he laughed to himself quietly as Daenerys flushed watching Ranma stretch, his shirt riding up to reveal a chiseled stomach. The physical obviously doesn't hurt.
Domeric was worried about the future however. He was worried what about what would happen when they returned to King's Landing, he knew it would not go as well as Ranma hoped. Oh, Ranma would certainly keep his word, but how much could he do in the face of royal displeasure? It was an area Domeric was deeply concerned about. But right now, as he watched Daenerys laughing while Ranma used one of his hands to wrestle with Rhaegon, while the other drakling looked on from his seat on Fenris' back, Domeric couldn't hold onto his concerns. With these two allied to one another, they might just be able to do anything…
OOOOOOO
Five days after Alayaya's rescue Ned sat once again in his chair in his office, rolling a small message tube in his fingers. Part of him had been anticipating what it could contain for weeks, the rest of him was dreading it. "Thank you Adam. Could you find a messenger to send to Brynden, I want to speak to him immediately. Are my daughter and the princess in the tower at present?"
"I believe so my Lord, they are down in the dining hall with Alayaya working on some tapestry or other." Ser Willowtree shrugged, smiling slightly at his lord's use of his first name. He doubted very many lords would know let alone be willing to use their guardsmen's first names, but the Starks had always been closer to their men than most.
Ned smiled faintly despite his present concerns. Alayaya had fit in well in the tower, joining Jeyne in waiting on his daughter and Myrcella when she was in the tower. Alayaya's mother had protested the girl being in the tower rather than working for her, but it was only a token one. She knew that if the brothel was attacked she could not protect her daughter, and it would be disloyal to her other girls to even try.
Knowing what his wife would to do him if she ever found out, Ned had refused to pay for the girl's services from his own pocket as if she were still working as a courtesan, instead putting her on the tower's payroll as an actual servant. She had some problem with a few of the guards, but Eddard had made it known that she was no longer a 'working woman', and that if she wanted to sleep with someone it was now her choice.
Half an hour after Willowtree left Brynden arrived. He was wearing the armor of a common Riverrun man-at-arms, and was wearing a cloak with a hood on his back. He also seemed to be somewhat soot-stained as he came in and when he dropped the cloak on to a nearby chair it puffed slightly as the ash covering it dissipated in the air.
"There was a fire in the city, a very suspicious fire one that almost spread to the Mountain Honey. Thankfully we were able to stop it. We still lost four men though, one informer and three of my men from Riverrun after the fire began. Someone thought it a good idea to hurl bricks at us when we began to fight the fire. We caught about ten of them and the crowd tore them to pieces. This 'game' is becoming increasingly deadly." Brynden growled.
Ned frowned a little, but really didn't have much of a problem with that. Yes it would've been better if they had gone to trial, where he could have tried to get them to confess to who was giving them orders. But if they had been caught in the act of attacking someone who was putting out a fire in the city, they would've been tortured beforehand by the Gold cloaks in any event unless he put his own men to guard them and there was no way he was going to spread his forces even more thinly. A fear of out of control fires was the one thing that every person living in King's Landing had in common.
"I see." He said simply, before holding up the message. "This arrived a few hours ago, so this conflict might be about to get even worse."
Brynden moved swiftly back to the door, opening it to find Sir Jory already taking position there. He nodded at the man before returning closing and locking the door behind him. "I take it that's not from Winterfell, it's a reply to your message that you sent with Lord Mallister? You took a risk there, I hope it paid off."
"I trust Jason enough not to let his curiosity get the better of him." Ned replied dryly. "And I assume that its presence here and wearing the mark of Winterfell rather than the Citadel is a sign that it has, for better or worse."
Brynden pulled up a chair as Ned opened the container at last, pulling out the message which was written in an unfamiliar hand. Yet the writing was small and very detailed, citing births and some other information to back up the writer's answer. That answer was exactly what Ned had long feared. "Baratheon colors are almost always dominant when they marry other lines. Four times Lannister and Baratheon have married, and in over a dozen children not one has been golden haired. The seed is strong indeed." Ned murmured, remembering what the last words of John Aryn had been according to Robert. "This coupled with all of Robert's bastards looking so much like him, you know what this means."
"I would not have thought it of the Queen." Brynden replied honestly. "That there is little love between her and the king is obvious, but to actually break her own marriage vows, despite the way he has? To pass off her own bastards as legitimate? This has the potential to rip Westeros apart."
He cocked his head, looking at Ned. "If Tommen was still alive, what would you do?"
Ned winced. "You do not ask a simple question. The boy had potential whoever his real father might have been, and who knows, he could have been the first trueborn without Baratheon features…" He said before falling silent.
The fact was Eddard really didn't know what he would've done. This had the potential plunge Westeros into civil war again. Would he have felt duty force his hand anyway, even if Tommen had been named heir, or would he have kept silent, knowing Tommen would make a good king and the tremendous amount of damage to the country coming out about it would have done. "And even now it might well be disastrous, especially to Myrcella."
He said that last aloud, and it was Brynden's turn to wince. While he hadn't become nearly as close to the girl as Ranma, both the older men had come to like the young princess, seeing in her many of the good qualities Cersei possessed, with none of the bad. Of course she was young yet, she could develop those bad qualities, but there was no sight of them yet. "I do not envy you having to tell her," he said honestly. "Would you be open to suggestions?"
"Of course." Ned replied looking a little lost. Despite his concerns about Joffrey, he hadn't truly anticipated that all three of the queen's children might not be legitimate. Stop that he ordered himself sternly. They are illegitimate. The records do not lie, nor does the fact that Robert's bastards all have the same features as he does, while none of Cersei's children have anything physicallyto show they are related to him. Just because the truth is unpalatable does not change it.
"I suggest that you consult with Renly. He might have some good ideas, and certainly would help to break it to the king in such a way that he will believe it more than coming from just you." The fact Ned and Robert were no longer close was well known. Robert's desire to send an assassin after the young Targaryen girl, his agreeing to force Ranma to go instead, his refusal to do the work of a king, the travesty of justice that was Tyene's death, it had all added up. "We should also prepare our forces for open combat."
Ned glanced at him in surprise and Brynden shook his head. "Think about it man! Whatever else once we confront her, Cersei will no longer be the Queen! Robert will have no choice but to set her aside with cause, something that neither she nor the other Lannister supporters in the city may be willing to tolerate, even discounting Tywin's eventual reaction. I don't have any idea how she will react, if we guarantee her children's safety Cersei might actually concede gracefully, I don't know."
The Blackfish wouldn't have bet on that before actually coming to the city and interacting with Cersei, but one thing that had he had come to respect about her was that Cersei cared deeply for her children. If proof was needed the grief she had shown since Tommen's passing was more than proof enough.
"You and I both know we wouldn't be able to guarantee any such thing." Ned said harshly. "Roberts temper is chancy at the best of times, this will throw him over the edge and you know it. Moreover, the law will be on his side, adultery is a hanging offense at the noble level, at the royal…" Ned shook his head.
"Possibly, but we could try. And I notice you're not saying no about preparing our troops for battle?"
"No that just makes good sense. I'll have a word with Jory this very afternoon and devise some emergency plans, in particular for the children, some we'll be adding to their daily routine. In particular I want them to be out of the Red Keep at least once daily. On the martial side, have Edmure start to gather the Riverrun men that are scattered throughout the city, and I will pass on a message to the captain of the Fish's Scales. As far as we know no one knows about him and his men just yet, they can be our hidden blade in case of conflict."
Brynden nodded grimly, and left to begin the process.
Ned was about to stand up and follow him but he stopped to smile slightly at his daughter and Myrcella who were playing some kind of board game using both chess pieces and checker pieces, while Alayaya walked them through the rules. The sight stabbed him through the heart, knowing that come what may Myrcella at least would be deeply affected by the coming days. No longer a princess, a trueborn, or a Baratheon, what will be left for you, child?
OOOOOOO
Ned found Renly in his solar sitting and chatting with Loras while they shared a bottle of wine and some little delicacies of some kind while Renly made notes on a parchment scroll. The Northern Lord Paramount had been stopped at the door by one of the men from High Garden, which had allowed Renly and Loras to move apart from their embrace quickly rearranging themselves to look as if they had simply been talking.
Renly waved one hand airily. "Lord Stark, to what do I owe the honor? If you're here to ask for that survey of merchant houses from the Stormlands that are still using outdated letters of accreditation, I'm nearly done it. Give me another day and…"
"I am not here about that." Ned said grimly then flicked his gaze to Loras. "I would speak with you alone, Ser Renly."
"I have no secrets from Loras, whatever you want to say you may say in front of him." Renly replied still not taking Ned seriously.
"Even if it about something that constitutes treason to the crown?" Ned said softly.
That finally woke Renly up, and he nodded at Loras. "Guard the door, and see that we are not disturbed." The handsome knight nodded sending a surreptitious wink his lover's way as he went.
That nearly caused Renly to laugh aloud, but he refrained, seeing Ned's expression. The full on Stone Face of the Starks was on show at present, those dark eyes boring into Renly's, causing him to shiver a little. He gestured at the seat across from him and said formally. "What is this about Lord Stark?"
Anyone else might've come to the point slowly in a roundabout manner. But Eddard was a Northerner, who preferred blunt speech, so he simply came to the heart of the matter quickly.
He first went into what Jon Arryn's last words were, then his and Robert's growing concern about Joffrey, about how they were days from declaring Tommen the heir before he was killed. He told Renly about his investigation into Jon's death, the evidence Ned had found pointing to how Jon had been researching the House Baratheon and Robert's bastards in the city and elsewhere, all of whom shared the same dark hair and facial structure of Robert.
Renly began to see where this was going, and he gnawed on one fingernail worriedly. Part of Renly wanted to speak up and stop Eddard from continuing, but he couldn't get out the words before Lord Stark finally finished by summarizing the missive he had received, and the confirmation that in all the former marriages between the Baratheons and the Lannisters, not one child had been born with the golden hair of the lions rather than the brown hair of the stags.
"So you see, the Queen has broken her marriage vows, and has passed three bastards as legitimate children of the crown." Ned finished. "A treasonous act, and one that we must address."
Renly rubbed both of his hands across his face. "This is a nightmare. "What do you intend to do Lord Stark?"
"I intend to tell the King of course." Eddard replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "If you would go with me to offset Robert's and my current estrangement, if both of us present this plus the evidence, Robert will have to take it seriously. Then we will move against Cersei with an ultimatum: if she steps aside, both she and her children will not be harmed. They will be removed from the royal family of course, but they will all be allowed to return to Casterly Rock."
"She'll never go for it!" Renly exclaimed looking askance at the northern Lord. "How can you be that naïve?"
"Not naïve." Ned said shaking his head. "Cersei loves her children, it's one of her best qualities. To ensure their continued health she may step aside, and with Robert confronting her, she will lose a large amount of her power base. Nor is it as if I do not have other plans in place just in case she doesn't."
Renly paused for a moment then nodded. "She might," he conceded. The woman's grief since Tommen's death had been something to see. It was obvious to all that Cersei cared deeply for her children. "And if we guarantee that the truth of the matter will not come out, we can say that she was raped and refused to name her rapist for some reason or something, that will save her from further issue. We can even say that Tommen was a natural born, that will save further face for her."
Ned frowned at the duplicitous idea, but nodded. He was already feeling guilty about what this would do to Myrcella, he would not besmirch Tommen's memory as well. "Let Tommen be known as a new true born heir then," he said smiling faintly. "We owe the lad's memory that much considering that it might've been Robert and I being ready to name him heir that got Tommy killed."
"Of course," Renly said moving on. "That means that Robert will need a new queen quickly. One that brings a sufficient power to bolster the throne when the Lannisters withdraw their support."
"And I suppose you have a suggestion? We should also recall Lord Stannis. As the eldest of the two of you he is Robert's heir until Robert begets a true born child."
"That would be a nightmare." Renly retorted coldly. "My middle brother is a hard, cold man Lord Stark, he's not changed overmuch last time you and he spoke, only becoming more demanding and set in his ways, more taciturn and unfeeling. If he was named heir and something happened to Robert before he could beget a child, it would be a disaster. No, the moment the Queen is removed, I will send for Margaery Tyrell. House Tyrell and the power of The Reach will more than make up the loss of Lannister support. With them on our side, Lord Lannister will have no choice but to accept his daughter's removal."
"You realize you are speaking of my son's possible fiancée?" Ned replied coolly.
"Margaery was recalled, and that relationship never made official." Renly said calmly. "And I have no doubts that Lord Tyrell will jump at the chance to put a queen's crown on his daughter's head. I'm sorry if you think your son had feelings for her, but this is politics at its most basic form."
"Which is why my gorge is rising right now." Ned said, his voice still wintry. "Very well, if you think that is a good idea, then we will do so, but for now we need to concentrate on current events rather than the future, we need to make plans and ready our men as much as we can without being obvious about it, just in case. Robert isn't in the city right now, we can send a message to him, but I don't doubt any messenger we send will be ignored."
"Truly my brother does love his little pleasures." Renly said, a smile on his face despite Ned's disapproving gaze. "You're right there, we'll have to wait until Robert returns, and we can use the time to our advantage."
Lord Stark was suddenly very tired of this southern lord, King's Landing, the 'game' of politics, all of it. All I wish, he thought to himself sadly, is to return home to my lady wife and my children, to spend my days overseeing my land with Cat at my side and my family around me. Is that too much to ask?
He shook that thought off quickly, the stern demands of duty settling around his shoulders like a mountain. "Very well, the moment Robert returns we will front him together. Agreed?"
"Agreed. Renly said nodding his head formally. "I will gather what supporters I have, and tell them to be ready, will you do the same?"
"I have already begun so." With that Ned bowed and left, leaving Renly to call Loras back in.
OOOOOOO
In a hidden alcove set directly under Renly's apartments, Petyr moved his ear away from the small hole he had been listening at. He replaced the piece of rock that normally obscured it from view in the far corner, nearly covered by the rug Renly had brought in to liven up the suite. The sound had still carried through thankfully. The keep was riddled with such small alcoves, and he, and Varys, that miserable gelding, knew most of them, though Petyr thought he might know more than the eunuch.
While Petyr no longer had even a single agent inside the Hand's Tower, that didn't mean he couldn't post people to note who came and went from the Tower. One of his watchers among the staff had warned him that Lord Stark was heading towards Renly's apartment, and Petyr had gotten there just in time to listen in on what the two were saying.
Petyr sighed faintly, smiling viciously. At last the conflicts he had envisioned seemed about to commence. "And so it begins. I think the Queen should be warned that someone is on to her, though of course I won't do it myself. I will instead pass this on to the grandmaster, he can pass it on to her in turn, couched however he will. But how to position myself to protect sweet Sansa is the real question. A pity that Ned proved to be so untrusting of me, yet I can still position myself to protect the girl, and then be rewarded later, when Joffrey is forced to set her aside."
Over the past few months, Petyr's hatred of Lord Stark and his entire house had not abated, indeed it had deepened. Every time he heard about Cat's monthly messages to her husband, saw the love he and Ranma bore her, had been a dagger in his heart. Yet at the same time, he had seen Sansa, sweet, unsullied Sansa, so like her mother it was astonishing, move around the Keep her manner and bearing a delight to watch. If Catelyn was so happy to bed with wolves, then she was not the woman Petyr had loved for so long. Her daughter however, was everything Catelyn had been in her youth, yet untainted by the touch of the northern barbarians, so Petyr's obsession with Catelyn had slowly begun to change to Sansa. The thought of the young girl, so innocent and so ripe, caused his smile to widen. Petyr moved off through the hidden passageways of the Red Keep, whistling a jaunty tune.
OOOOOOO
Clenching her teeth, Cersei took a moment to compose herself before she nodded her head thankfully to Pyrcelle. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Maester Pyrcelle," she said her voice barely a whisper as her heart pounded. The time had come, and she found that she wasn't nearly as ready for it as she had hoped to be in her own mind.
So many plans can no longer work, she thought to herself, so many ideas and hopes. I had hoped to possibly defend myself and Joffrey alone from this accusation, I even had the scapegoat ready and waiting for when Stark approached me. But with Tommen dead… That thought once again stopped all others, and she had to force her grief down and away.
The Queen was a Lannister in all things, she loved fiercely, dearly and possessively. Burying one of her children was the hardest thing she had ever done, made worse by the memory of that old-wise woman's prophecy about her. Yet the promised younger, more beautiful Queen hadn't appeared to overthrow her, unless Margaery had really been that Queen, but that made no sense.
Enough, she thought shaking her head of out of that thought. With my little cub dead and without his growing 'Baratheon' attributes to offset things, I can no longer assume I can protect myself or my children from this accusation without violence. That changes my plans dramatically, but I can still deal with it.
She reached over to a table, pulling writing tools toward her before looking up at the Grandmaster. "Send a servant for my brother, I believe he is still training at this time of day. Then send a runner in, I want to send a message to my cousin…"
Jaime arrived first, his tunic over one shoulder as he wiped the sweat from his body. He smirked, hoping is sister had sent for him to take advantage of the king being out of the city, but the look in her eyes killed that idea, and he sobered somewhat. "Is there a problem sister dear?"
Cersei explained what was going on, and then what they would need to do to protect themselves and their children. Ned still hadn't found any evidence to suggest Jaime was the father of Cersei's children, but he didn't have to, the idea they were illegitimate alone would be enough to see Cersei executed and her children disgraced utterly. Jaime sighed, then shrugged his shoulders, and agreed to do whatever he had to protect his sister.
OOOOOOO
"Can I ask you a question?" Daenerys asked, watching as the two draklings were roughhousing on an open area of the deck marked out by several small crates. She sat on one, dangling her feet below her into the play area, and half of her mind was making certain that the two of them didn't injure one another accidentally. But such playing was necessary for any young predator. Whatever they looked like now, however ungainly they sometimes seem to be, dragons were predators and they needed this.
"You could always ask, I reserve the right to not answer though." Ranma said laughing lightly as he looked up from where he was hauling in a net that the crew had flung over the side. They were trying to augment their food supplies since they had been becalmed again and couldn't make any headway. Several dozen wriggling fish indicated that the trawl net had actually worked this time, unlike the first three times they had tried this.
Daenerys smiled, leaning back slightly as she enjoyed the sun on her face, then nodded politely at several of the seamen who moved by her touching their forelocks respectfully toward her. "How did you get so good? I mean I've seen you work out with Domeric, and he was known as a decent swordsman, one of the best in the city, but you handle him like he's well…" she glanced at Domeric apologetically "a bumbling child."
The bard waved his hand airily. "I don't take offense. After all, I saw him in action up close and personal years before, and it's obvious he only has gotten better since. Still she's right, your skills are astonishing. How did you come by them?"
Ranma was silent for a moment as he continued to haul in the net doing alone what would take ten men to do normally. Daenerys watched him frowning slightly despite the fact he was shirtless at present, giving her a magnificent view of his chest. She had gotten to know Ranma well over the past few weeks, so much so that she could read him quite easily. Right now she could tell he was carefully thinking what he wanted to say. But Daenerys was patient, she knew eventually Ranma would bring her into his confidence, it would just take time for him to get used to the idea, as it had her.
"I have been training since I was around three." he said after a moment. "And by training I mean real training, not just playing or trying to swing a sword or anything like that. Leg exercises, muscle exercises, endurance exercises, then actual training later."
Again Daenerys frowned slightly, knowing that wasn't even a quarter of the answer. Ranma really was hiding something there, but she hadn't really asked the question to probe his secrets. "How long would it take you to train me? I know I won't ever be as good as you, but could you at least train me well enough to defend myself against someone well, normal?" she quipped, a smile on her face.
Ranma paused in his work to look at her head cocked to one side. He wasn't about to question her desire to be trained, he felt everyone should have some training, and had always been rather irritated with Sansa that she refused any such. It would be a vast relief to him if Daenerys could handle herself in at least a one-on-one situation, such as an assassin or someone trying to assault her.
He looked over her body, not sexually, simply trying to figure out how good a fighter she could be with her body type and what sort. After a moment he shrugged. "I could teach you some tricks I suppose, and of course I can teach you exercises to get your strength and endurance up. But really you're a little too old to become as good as you could be."
"No offense," he hastened to say at her upraised eyebrow. "But to get the most out of my training you really do need to start young or at least with a lot of martial training already under your belt... Speed exercises would be your best bet. You don't have the body type to really build up heavy muscles, and it will take months maybe even a year before you build up enough strength to match even a normal warrior. Still, we can do something. I'd certainly feel better if you knew how to protect yourself. But it will take away from time training with the draklings," he warned.
That caused Daenerys to pause in her response. Priorities she thought to herself, my bonding with my babes is going exceptionally well, but is that because of how much time I'm putting into it, or because of my warging with them?
In the end however she shook her head. "That'll be okay I suppose. My draklings won't be up to actually protecting me from much for at least a year, until then I might have to protect myself at times."
"And you'll have me and Domeric of course." Ranma said smiling slightly.
Daenerys nodded her head at them both, but then smiled eagerly. "So when do we begin?"
OOOOOOO
Stannis stared across the dining table at the woman that the small folk had begun to call the Red Witch. It certainly fit her clothing, and that hair. The Tully women were supposed to all be auburn-haired beauties, or at least Catelyn was, her younger sister never amounted to much in the looks department. But Catelyn couldn't hold a candle either in looks or in sheer redness of their hair to Melisandre. Her body was one that could stand up even to Cersei in beauty, and her face, when it wasn't twisted into a sneer or alight with religious fervor, was among the most gorgeous he had ever seen.
Yet all of that was simply the trappings, it didn't matter to him at all. What did matter was what she could do, but right now Stannis was doubting even that. "What did you just say?"
"I have seen it in the fires." Melisandre said sternly. She didn't like repeating yourself. "The Dragon Queen is approaching on a ship from Essos. She must be captured and sacrificed, her blood will give us powers beyond your imagining."
Not reacting to her tone, Stannis calmly poured himself some wine. At this point Melisandre had proven that she did have certain powers, but not enough to make Stannis take her word for everything, and certainly not enough for him to convert yet to the religion of R'hllor. "Precisely why is she there, and why should I stop her? House Targaryen cannot call upon enough men to matter in the coming struggle alone. All Stormborn has is a name, and there are very few even in Dorne despite their posturing, that will go to war for such."
"She comes bearing two dragons, guarded by a Wolf who stands like a man. He brings her to King's Landing, and from thence he wishes to take her up to the North." That Wolf had often appeared in her scrying, and she knew he was a prominent figure in the future.
Both him and the Dragon Queen now, who had at first been obscured to her sight was now even as prominent as the Wolf, a power rising to shape the future. Yet the power of her visions had been growing of late, and now she was able to see her at last, and knew how important she was to the future. Their alliance would stave off the True Enemy, and would have an effect on the coming war against the rest of the unbelievers.
But neither was Azor Ahai, and as such all of their efforts would fail. It was predestined that only the Chosen of R'hllor could stand against the forces of winter, could lay claim to the throne of swords. And that was Lord Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone.
How else to explain who much more powerful her spells were these days? No longer did she need to augment her magics to appear more spectacular. Her fires were hotter, her visions clearer, she could now control her shadows to a degree she had never even dreamed. Her ability to dominate those around her was far higher as well. Lady Florent, Stannis' wife, was now nearly a mindless puppet, as was her daughter, and several others in the court, though Stannis, as Azor Ahai, was seemingly immune to it.
Stannis frowned wishing; not for the first time, that he could get up to date news on what was going on in King's landing, but he had few agents there. He had lost many of them when he retreated to Dragonstone after helping Jon Aryn discover Cersei's perfidy. The ones he still had could only pass messages over land, and even then rarely, the five navy galleys ostensibly under his command stationed there unable to leave their posts save under orders of the king. Stannis was lucky to get a single message from them every month.
He had heard what had occurred in the tourney. Stannis had actually smiled with grudging respect at the Mountain's death. But he hadn't heard yet that Ranma Stark had been sent on a mission to find the two Targaryen siblings so was at a loss as to explain what was going on there.
Still, the wolf was easy to connect to House Stark, and if agents of that house had somehow captured or coerced the Targaryen girl to return with them it could strengthen the Stark position. Yet what can I do about it? As long as my brother is sitting on the throne, my ability to act is limited at best, lest I appear to be raising arms against the crown. No one will rally to me then, I have to wait. Still, I might be able to do something.
"I can send a lone ship out into the bay to see if we can find this ship of yours, but if it isn't marked in some manner, finding one ship out there is a difficult proposition at best, Melisandre. The bay is large even at the nearest point with Dragonstone." Stannis was an accomplished naval commander, and knew how easy it was to hide a single ship out in the vastness of the ocean. Even in Blackwater Bay it was extremely tough to find a single ship, especially if it was unmarked.
"Send me," Melisandre replied, leaning forward. "I can deliver the Dragon Queen to you, and I can deal with the Wolf. That one will never join you, will never see your right to rule, and the older Wolf will be dead shortly." That, Melisandre wasn't actually certain about, but she knew for a fact that the younger Wolf would take power from the old one. If the old one died before that she couldn't see, her visions of late were becoming more and more disjointed even as they became clearer to actually see, but her belief in them was unchanging.
Most seers distrusted their visions, simply because most were self-fulfilling. Melisandre trusted hers wholeheartedly, she saw them as proof of her devotion to R'hllor, and as such never questioned them. It was only her interpretation that was faulty, not the visions themselves, for she was human and thus fallible despite her faith. Only in proving her faith by burning his enemies would she retain R'hllor's favor.
But she didn't have enough influence over him yet to convince Stannis to just let her go. "No," Stannis said coldly. "You have convinced me your magic is real, you have convinced me that your visions are accurate at times, but you have not convinced me that I am this chosen champion. You promised to do so, and you cannot do that if I simply let you go off on this errand. Besides as I said, finding a ship would be much tougher unless I send the entire fleet out, which I can't do unless we have some proof for my captains to see. And even if this Dragon Queen, the Stormborn, is aboard, if she's being returned to King's Landing as a prisoner there is little I can do to lawfully detain it."
"Your brother will be dead within the week." Melisandre said smiling, her eyes alight. "The hidden fang of the lion will bring down the stag as the stag hunts the boar. Even now the wolves and lions circle one another waiting to strike."
Stannis looked at her sharply, not trusting the curious timing of that statement but all he saw in Melisandre's face was sincere belief. "Very well, I will send a ship to apprehend this Queen and to kill the Wolf you see with her. But I still will not send you lady. Again. prove I am this chosen one of yours, and I will convert my faith to that of your God."
Melisandre smiled victoriously, even though she would've preferred to go with Stannis's ship. Still, it should be sufficient. An unfamiliar feeling went through her at that, but she ignored it, not understanding what it was. It was a tiny shiver of doubt, something Melisandre had never felt before.
Instead she simply stood, smiling thinly. "Then let us go to the Hall of the Seven, and I will show you my power and the power of my God."
OOOOOOO
"We've startled a boar out my lord!" said the huntsman, grinning up at the King where he perched on his horse. He wore Lannister colors, but the news made Roberts customary scowl at those colors disappear. "The boar is at least sixty stone my Lord! The largest I've ever seen in this area of the Kingswood!"
"HA!" the King slurred. He had been drinking steadily since waking up that morning, since this was the last day of his hunting expedition that he could get away with before Ned, damn his honorable heart, sent runners out to drag him back by force if necessary. Their relationship wasn't so solid now that Robert could ignore that. In point of fact he was deathly afraid that Ned was going to desert him and head back to Winterfell any day now.
But dammit, he was the king! He could do what he wanted! And his grief over Tommen's death was real, making his bad habits even worse. Moreover, and in a sign of understanding that would surprise most, Robert knew he couldn't be around Cersei in her grief. Soon enough the blame game would start, which neither of them would win, both of them accusing the other of having done something or not done something that led to Tommen's death.
"My Lord." Ser Barristan said from where he rode behind the king, looking at the other man worriedly. "Perhaps we should let someone else take the glory of this one? After all, I thought you wanted to take a stag this trip."
Robert belched then bellowed, "Nonsense! We've had no sport yet on this trip, I'll be damned if I let anyone else bring the first game we've seen down! My spear boy!" He shouted looking contemptuously over at another Lannister, only this one was his squire, apparently. Cersei had foisted her cousin off on him, and the king had agreed. It wasn't worth it, it wasn't as if he was doing all that much knightly crap these days after all. The boy was useful for lugging his gear, mostly his drink and weapons along, anyway.
The mealy mouthed boy nodded, holding out a spear.
Robert took the spear from him, almost missing the shaft of it he was so drunk. For just a moment the thought occurred to Robert that maybe Barristan had been insinuating he was too drunk to do this, but then he shook it off.
"Now, let's go find that boar!" he roared, spurring his horse forward into the woods. Behind him the other in the king's hunting party followed. None of them spotted the look on Lancel Lannister's face. For just a moment his face showed a mix of apprehension, delight, fear and anticipation.
OOOOOOO
Ranma frowned, standing next to the captain as they both watched a sail coming nearer over the horizon. Blackwater Bay was despite its size still a bay, so it wasn't that unusual, especially near the entrance like they were now, to see another sail. But this one seemed to be coming towards them, which was unusual. "Your orders Sir?" the captain asked looking at Ranma.
"Keep going." Ranma replied, frowning. "Add more sail or whatever the term is, do it slowly so this guy doesn't realize that were tryin' to run away from him. But we have an appointment in King's Landing, and we're late enough as it is."
The trip to this point had taken three and a half weeks, far more time then had taken Ranma to get to Pentos in the first place. Going to Pentos the weather had helped them every day on their journey, coming back, well, if Ranma was a superstitious sort he would've thought that the gods were against his returning. He knew for a fact however that at least one group of gods didn't have any reason to do that, so put it down to bad luck.
The captain nodded, though added a clarifier. "That's a galley out there, even from here I can tell that by the shape of their sails. If they're willing to put themselves under oars for long enough though, they'll catch us anyway."
"Just make them work for it captain," Ranma said, still frowning. "I have no idea what these guys want, but I doubt it's good."
The ship kept going, with their pursuer still following them, closing the distance slowly. He was being much too persistent for Ranma's peace of mind. Several hours after the approaching ship had been sighted, Ranma was once again standing next to the captain. "How long until we can see what colors he's flying?"
"It'll about another three hours I think, unless we slow down to let him catch us sooner."
"No, keep going for now." Ranma ordered. "I'm going to go below for a moment." Entering his room he found Daenerys and Domeric both looking anxious.
Daenerys had both dragons on her shoulders, tense and ready. It was a martial picture, but it didn't match the reality at all. In a fight the little dragons would be a major distraction, not an aid. If they could control their little spurts of flame maybe, but they couldn't, not yet. And while they were strong for their size, that wasn't saying much, and they couldn't exactly bite through chain mail or anything like that. Still it showed willing at least.
Domeric on the other hand was a slightly more serious proposition. His shoulder had almost healed, but it hadn't been on his dominant arm in any case, and he had honed his skills through sparring with Ranma many times over the past few weeks once he recovered. He also wore Ranma's armor. It didn't fit well, he was a bit, well more than a bit broader in the waist than Ranma, and slightly thinner in the shoulders, but it was still armor.
"Still following us." Ranma reported shrugging his shoulders. He looked over at Fenris, who stood up at his silent command padding over to the doorway. Ranma pulled out his katana, and the belt with his katars on it. "We'll try to talk our way out of this whatever it is, but if we can't you two need to stay here." He sighed faintly. "Fenris and I have done this dance before, don't worry."
Daenerys winced. She and Ranma had talked once about the battle with the Ironborn that Ranma had before arriving in the free city, and she knew that he was actually quite guilty about that one sided slaughter. She thought it was ridiculous, the Ironborn had been the attackers after all, but Ranma likened it to battling so many children. The Ironborn just hadn't really had a chance, and so many deaths had weighed on his mind.
"I hope it does not come to that." She said, moving over to him and touching his arm gently after he finished up buckling on his belt.
Ranma nodded, taking her hand in his squeezing it lightly before exiting the room. Daenerys watched him go, worry in her eyes, and then looked over at Domeric who shrugged. "If anyone can see us through this, that young man can."
That did not make Daenerys any less worried. When she heard the shouting being outside, she steeled herself, then marched out, pushing Domeric's arm aside when he tried to stop her. Even if Rhaegon and Sunfyre weren't ready to fight, there was still something she could do.
Ranma moved back up onto the deck, taking up position by the wheel next to the captain staring at the oncoming ship.
The captain now was nervously pulling at his beard. "They're the Royal Navy colors, though the marks underneath the flag indicates its out of Dragonstone. That means it might be answering personally to Lord Stannis, Master of Ships."
Ranma frowned at that, unable to think up a reason why a Royal navy ship would be approaching them, unless it was just bad luck and this was some random inspection or something. He asked the captain if that could be what this was, but the captain shook his head at that, looking astonished at the very idea.
At that, Ranma shrugged. "I have no idea what this ship captain wants, but we're for damn sure not answerable to him or to Lord Stannis of Dragonstone. Unless they come on orders of the King I'm not going to let them board."
"Are you sure you can stop them?" the captain said. "I'm not going to order the crew to fight them, this isn't like the Ironborn, these are actual royal authorities. I could be banned from the ports of the Bay for not obeying them."
"I'll try not to let that happen." Ranma said with a sigh.
Soon enough the boat was close enough, and a man with a blow horn at the front shouted. "Heave to and prepare to boarded!"
Ranma cupped his hands, needing no foghorn. "On whose authority!"
"Lord Stannis Baratheon, the lord of Dragonstone and Master of Ships!"
"I am Ranma Stark, heir to House Stark." Ranma bellowed back frowning as the ship kept coming closer, now making to pull alongside, the oarsmen in view now. "And I'm returning from a task for the king to King's Landing! Unless you've got royal authority we won't heave to and if you try to board us you'll be delayinga royal mission!"
The man was silent for a moment, before shouting back. "I have my orders! If you will not heave to and prepare for inspection, then I will be forced to board you."
By this point the ship was close enough, and Ranma looked over at Fenris for a second, sending orders down their link before launching himself into the air. The men aboard the galley gasped as he cleared over four dozen yards of open water in a leap that none of them would ever have imagined possible.
One man, a youngster who had been fiddling with his bow and arrow nervous about what could be his first battle hastily raised it and fired before anyone else could stop him.
Ranma saw the arrow coming. Swiftly raising a hand he smacked it to one side using the momentum of that to flip himself in midair, still moving forward. The move however had dampened enough of his forward momentum forcing him to land lightly on the stern railing of the ship.
He stared down at the men gathered to board the merchant vessel, while behind him Fenris made the same leap to land on his four feet heavily in front of him to one side. Ranma stared around at them all, his eyes narrowed. "Who is in charge here?"
The captain quickly forced his way through his troops to stand in front of Ranma. He was an experienced man, who had served with Ser Davos Seaworth at one point. The onion knight had been a good teacher, and he was a fair captain and decent leader. He had also met Lord Stark during the Ironborn rebellion, and could recognize the features of the family in Ranma, so nodded his head cordially, but firmly. "Lord Stark, as I said I am under orders. Could you have your captain heave to please?"
"Captain, I'm under orders from the King himself. Last time I checked Lord Stannis is his Master of Ships, not the other way around." Ranma said looking sternly at the man.
"There are rumors that the King is dead Sir. Your orders then would fall to the heir who is Lord Stannis."
"Joffrey, is the heir." Much as I loathe the little prick. "Why is Stannis declaring himself the heir, and where did this rumor of the king's death come from?" Ranma asked quizzically.
"Joffrey's not legitimate, Lord Stannis has proof of that, though I haven't heard it myself, and the rumors have been flying for days. Sir please, I am to return to Dragonstone with the Stormborn."
Ranma's eyes narrowed. How the hell did Stannis learn that Daenerys is aboard? I'm getting that 'I'm dealing with magic feeling', damn haven't felt that in this lifetime outside of dealin' with the White Walkers. No way would Stannis work with them though, so who?
He shook that thought off, hands twitching as he stared hard at the man. "Until I return to King's Landing with my charge, I don't recognize Lord Stannis's authority over me." Ranma said formally his eyes narrowing. "So if you want to board my ship, you're going to have to do it by force in which case we might as well start the party right here."
His hand flashed faster than any of the men around him could follow. One hand his hand was empty, the next his katana's point was pressed against the captain's jugular. "Are we going to have trouble captain?"
Ranma didn't really like doing this. The captain was just doing his job, and if Stannis had proof that Joffrey was illegitimate, that changed things immensely. But the King being dead was just a rumor apparently, so in his mind Ranma was in the right here. And there was the fact Stannis shouldn't have known he had Daenerys aboard at all, which made himself suspicious
And he would've hesitated even if he wasn't to turn Daenerys over to Lord Stannis. Ranma had given his word that he would've been protected, and he would see to it that she was. The fact that he had come to like the girl, even possibly in a romantic way, was wrapped up in that of course.
The man gulped, blustering. "I have over two hundred men aboard!"
"Yeah, but that's not the point, the point is pressing into your throat right now." Ranma chuckled grimly, the katana not moving even as the men behind the captain began to reach for their own weapons. "Let's face facts captain, I'm in the right here. As far as I know, the King is still alive, you haven't given me any proof of his death, there has been no official notification that came in to Dragonstone about it or you'd have said that. It's only Stannis's word about that, and that Joffrey is illegitimate, as much as I'd like to believe that. Until I return to King's Landing, my authority supersedes yours."
The man gulped again, feeling the tip of the odd looking sword against his throat. "I-I can understand your position Lord Stark, I will let your ship go."
"I'm glad we could be reasonable." Ranma said, sheathing his blade. Fenris however remained ready for anything, and if the people watching him thought Ranma was relaxed they weren't looking close enough.