Arianne was certainly dressed for the occasion in a not-so-modest dress that boasted her more alluring features. She held a bottle of wine and two cups, stepping forward with a smile.
"I hope I did not disturb your rest, Your Grace."
"I won't lie and say you didn't," I remarked, glancing at the wine. "What's the occasion?"
"What is there for a princess to do all alone in a little cabin? I would have died from boredom."
"I'm afraid these cabins didn't come with amusing jesters." I shrugged. "They're for sleeping, mainly."
"I have no need for jesters..." Arianne said, placing her bottle and cups on the desk. Her distinct fragrance washed over me as she stood behind my chair. "Only you, Your Grace."
"Is that so?" I questioned, looking forward. "Lamentably, I do not feel the same way."
"And why would that be?" Arianne put her hands on my shoulders, lowering them slightly. "You seemed plenty interested before."
"Not all things are as they seem, Arianne."
"You're going to break my heart, Your Grace," Arianne spoke with a softer voice, massaging my shoulders. "You seem rather tense today. Perhaps a drink might ease you? I prepared a rich Dornish red for this very occasion. You haven't lived until you tried it..."
"I've chosen to stay away from wine," I replied, shaking my head. "Not much good comes out of it, in the end."
"Like your night with the rose of Highgarden?"
"Mhm..." I nodded. "Just like that night."
"Indeed, I would see it as a mistake as well. Reach girls are hardly anything impressive." Arianne chuckled. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"I can't recall."
"Hah... she was so immemorable that you can't even say if she was any good. Isn't that quite telling?"
I shrugged.
"You see..." Arianne leaned in closer to my ear. "If you had come to me instead, you would have remembered... and come for more the next night, and the one after that."
"You think so?" I raised an eyebrow.
"We could put it to the test, Your Grace... here and now."
Before I knew it, she had one ascending hand on my thigh and had already planted a kiss on the side of my face. I grabbed her hand, moving it away, before standing up to face her. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise.
"Must I say it more plainly?"
"Why do you hesitate?" She questioned, raising her other hand to touch the side of my face. "Do you wish to feed others the idea that you are dutiful and honourable? Or convince yourself that you are someone else?"
"You don't know me." I frowned slightly, grabbing her other hand by the wrist and removing it from my face. "Don't pretend that you do."
"Oh, do I like the look in your eyes." She observed, smiling. "Are they... purple?"
"Purple?" I chuckled, letting go of her hands. "Don't change the subject."
"One night of pleasure never hurt anyone, Your Grace. That is all I ask. After that, we can both walk away as if nothing had ever happened. It would be our little secret."
"You are a persistent woman," I remarked, shaking my head. "Alas, I'm not interested in being unfaithful for a second time. You should set your sights on something else."
"Another man..." She scoffed. "There is only one Edric Baratheon."
"Unfortunately for you, he can't be the fling you seek."
"Oh, I don't believe so." Arianne shook her head slowly. "When you realise that duty has left you bleeding in a dull world of your creation... you will turn to me, and I will open your eyes to happiness you never knew before."
"If I were not pleased with my life, a night with you would not change a thing. I seek something more permanent. Something with meaning." I shook my head. "And you can't give me that even if you tried your damnedest."
"How could you be so sure without trying?"
"Because I know precisely what I want in this life... and a long list of women I slept with is not one of them."
"Then what is it that you seek?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You would not understand."
"..." Arianne chuckled. "I will not overstay my welcome, in that case."
I watched her take the wine and cups, leaving my cabin.
"Only for you would I be quite so patient."
I heard her say as she left.
"You knew of me before?" Raiden questioned.
"... Later."
"And when would later be?"
"When I wish."
I replied, going off to sleep.
~
11th Moon of 299 AC, King's Landing.
It didn't take many days to return to King's Landing from Storm's End, with my Storm Magic giving the small fleet a favourable wind. King's Landing was buzzing, crowded inns full to the brink, people scurrying around for accommodations at extortionate prices, and the brothels were no doubt raking in profit.
It all reminded me of the Hand's Tourney...
Before going to the Red Keep, I chose to take a detour around the city. It was one thing to hear reports from Small Council meetings but another to see the state of King's Landing personally. Though... wherever I went, everyone straightened up like I was the head teacher coming to inspect a classroom.
I decided to check up on one of Littlefinger's former brothels, which he had use for anymore. All of his establishments had been seized under the Iron Throne, and managers had been chosen to look after them. Though I wasn't particularly fond of them... they did generate quite a bit of money. Besides that, Littlefinger had placed competent people in charge which made the change in ownership rather simple.
Inside of the brothel, I saw a group of men wearing plate gilded in silver and shrouded in blue capes. They looked like knights... but I did not recognise any of them, nor the sigil they wore. A silver dragon on a blue field?
The Arryns called... they want their colours back.
"Get out of here, you scoundrel. You've wasted more than enough gold."
The person at the head of the group was quite tall and slender with a feminine voice. I couldn't see any features since she wore a full set of plate armour.
She grabbed one of the clients by the ear and dragged him away. He looked to be of valyrian descent, with silver hair and dark blue eyes.
"It's my gold, though." The young man scratched his hair. "Besides, I'm so good at it I don't even have to pay."
"... The tourney will be starting soon. How do you expect to win anything in such a sorry state?" She countered.
"You worry too much, my lady. I'll win it all just for you."
"Are we disturbing anything?" I questioned, stepping forward.
"That's the King, ain't he?" One of the guards remarked.
"No, it's nothing at all." The leader turned to me and didn't look all that startled. "We were just on our way."
"Might I ask... who are you lot? I've not seen that sigil anywhere before."
"It is not a sigil that you'd see in Westeros." The leader replied simply. "We came from Lys after hearing news of this grand tourney celebrating Lord Arryn's marriage. Naturally, we arrived to participate in the spectacle and witness it first-hand."
"From Lys, hm?" That certainly struck my curiosity. Was this some high-ranking noble? No doubt, keeping company of that number of heavily-armoured men wasn't cheap. "Might I have your name?"
"Ask your Spider, and he will most certainly tell you."
"And why would I ask him when you're right here?"
"I'd hate to bore you with all the details, Your Grace."
She walked past me with her company of men. I smiled slightly, glancing back. She had a strong presence... for a woman. That's one added question for Varys.
After that, I chatted with the person overseeing the brothel to see how things were going. The girls wanted to have a go at me, but I kindly rejected them.
"We have a client you might be interested in seeing, Your Grace." The master of the establishment stroked his beard. "A little lion, to be precise. Ugly little thing... but he pays well."
Tyrion... here? Have the Lannisters already made their way back to court?
"One of my Lord Paramounts?"
He nodded.
"Sure. Tell Lord Tyrion to cease his whoring for a short while and see me."
Before long, I watched Tyrion stumble his way to me. His face was not something I could ever get used to, honestly. He made Brienne look like a goddess.
"I never thought I'd see you in the same brothel as I, Your Grace." He made a humble bow. "It is a rather pleasant surprise though, to be sure."
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," I remarked. "You also forget your station, Lord Tyrion. I would expect more from you. You're sullying your House's name... and, by extension, my name as you are one of my Lord Paramounts."
"Is it a crime for a lord to visit a brothel now?" He replied, smiling slightly. "Your Grace, you sound almost like my father."
"..." I chuckled - maybe I did. "My point still stands. You should dedicate more time to finding a wife rather than wasting it here."
"I've never heard a man complain so much for profiting from me." Tyrion remarked. "You do own this establishment, don't you?"
"Indeed."
"I suppose Littlefinger had no need of it dead." Tyrion looked at me, his stare a tiny bit unsettling - in an ugly way. "If you wish me to be wed, perhaps you should find me a suitable bride as you did for Lord Arryn. I have no doubt there is a long line of maidens from great houses just waiting to lay with the Imp of Lannister."
For a moment, the absurd idea of binding Tyrion to Arianne came to mind... which made me laugh.
"You seem to understand." Tyrion cracked a slight smile. "I am not the most charming of prospects."
"Are you telling me that you don't have any offers? A Lord Paramount?" I questioned. "I refuse to believe that."
"I have some... but only from minor houses."
"Does pride matter so much to you?"
"... Not particularly, no." Tyrion shook his head. "I simply wondered if you had better matches in mind, being my liege King."
"I'll think about it." I nodded. "Anyway... I've spent long enough in this brothel. I shall see you next in the great hall."
Honestly, trying to think of a good match for Tyrion was a lot harder than it sounded on paper. His appearance and reputation made him a very hard sell... despite his Lord Paramount status. A daughter of a great house was definitely out of the picture, probably even a major house...
He was better off just marrying for love - which is probably something he might not even be able to find. The women around him would only be in it for the wealth and power.
I didn't envy his position in the slightest.
My next stop was one of the City Watch barracks, where the gold cloaks were training harder than some soldiers would. Dorian had instilled discipline deep into the blood of these men... and loyalty along with that. Due to the added traffic from the tourney, they would no doubt have to work harder than usual.
"Your Grace." Harry, the Lord Commander of the City Watch, solemnly bowed alongside the rest of the gold cloaks. "Welcome back to King's Landing."
"I trust it's not gotten too chaotic?" I smiled slightly.
"No, the men have picked up the slack. We've just had to decrease the number of hours spent training to compensate," Harry replied. "Also, we had an extensive search for any criminals before the guests arrived."
"I see that the streets of King's Landing are in good hands, then." I nodded.
"I am no Dorian Daggerhand, of course... but I seek to continue the path that he paved. He left the Gold Cloaks in a strong position, and I won't allow it to slip again... not while I bear the title of Lord Commander."
"Good man." I pat his shoulder. "Though, your actions will speak far louder than mere words."
"I will act as I speak, Your Grace. I am a man of my word."
"I like you." I smiled, nodding. "Well, I won't keep you from your duties."
I didn't linger around for much longer, deciding to make my way to the Red Keep at last. The great doors were open before I knew it, and the great hall came into view. It had never looked quite as crowded as it did now. It seemed as if a majority of the Realm's houses were present in some form or another. Lords, heirs, ladies, sons, knights...
Indeed, practically the entire Vale court had arrived. There were also representatives for houses from the Riverlands, Crownlands (this one goes without saying), Stormlands, Reach, Dorne, Iron Islands, the North and even the Westerlands. All nine regions...
I had a strong feeling that this tourney would be an even greater spectacle than the Hand's Tourney had been...