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~~~Tywin Lannister, Eighth Moon, 277 AC~~~
~~~Hunting camp, Crakehall~~~
Great was the pride of a Lannister, our pride could become as high as the foolish honor of the Arryn, as dangerous as the Winter of the Stark, poisonous as the snakes of Dorne, and volatile and destructive as the storms of the Baratheon.
Luckily we did not have the weakness or frailty of the Tyrells, the seven have protected my progeny from it. And if they turned out to be weak, then it would have to be my job to set them on the right path, but luckily I would no longer be alone in that, Janna had turned out to be more important than I expected.
She was not only intelligent, but she was strong and determined, and although she tried to hide it, there was also pride and ambition hidden in her look, I liked that, she had been the one in charge of most of the organization of the tournament, and everything had turned out wonderfully, the distribution of the rooms in the Rock, the kings' quarters, the security of Lannisport for those lords who would stay in the city.
Everything came out perfect, worthy of a Lannister, and I could not be prouder than that, for the pride of my house was first and foremost. And now the pride of House Lannister was higher than ever, as I watched Ser Gregor arrive before us with the basilisk in tow.
I enjoyed every damn minute of watching as all the lords, servants, and even Aerys stared in shock at the dead beast, his still bleeding body demonstrating the power of my house, conveyed by the strength and fear many held for Ser Gregor.
The Mountain That Rides, as many dared to call him, was the face of my house at various times, strong, reckless, invincible, he demonstrated what House Lannister stood for, what I had always wanted it to stand for after my father's death and the Rains of Castamere.
And if I could see, the Xandarians were much stronger than I thought, because if killing such a beast was difficult, seeing Ser Gregor's arm, who struggled to hide his ugly wounds, but his pallor gave him away, then capturing it alive, and then releasing it into the forest and coming out of it unscathed was a much more difficult task. And no doubt one or another servant must have lost his life.
But Ser Gregor did not measure his words, and in a more haughty tone than I expected, he laid the basilisk carcass at King Jaesyrian's feet, the act did not go unnoticed by all as a show of disrespect, and Janna instantly reminded me of it; "Control your rabid dog, or I will."
"Ser Gregor," I said his name, and as if on a switch, the big man knelt, " My lord, as you commanded, I have brought you the carcass of the beast." Ser Gregor said to me, and noticing how his pallor became more evident, I ordered him to rise, "Get up, Ser Gregor, and go to the maesters to have those wounds attended to."
What came next, was a complete sight full of shock and awe, in a display of the power of Xandarian steel, or Netherite as it was called, two of the king's Blood Riders wielded swords of forged steel, Valyrian steel and Netherite steel, and the result was what Janna said would happen.
The breaking of the steel sword at the hands of the Valyrian steel sword, and the breaking of the Valyrian steel sword at the hands of the netherite steel sword, only made my longing for a sword of said caliber in my house increase.
As much as I resented the fact that Jaime was more interested in swordsmanship and combat, rather than taking his studies more seriously to be the new Lord of the Rock after my death, I saw my son's rapid advancement with the sword, and I was proud of him.
Jaime was a prodigy with the sword, the best at his job, and he would grow up to become a great duelist and knight, that sword would be in no better hands than Jaime's, I could already imagine the sword in his hands, arousing envy and jealousy from everyone else. Hahaha, a complete joy for this old heart.
'Joanna, how I wish you were here so you could see what our children would become.' I thought, and looked at Janna beside me, so far she was filling the void that my wife's death, that Jaime and Cersei's mother's death had caused them, and I trusted that it would continue because the Lannisters were meant to be together. Together we were stronger.
"It is my pleasure, to name Ser Gregor Clegane as the victor of the first hunt!" King Jaesyrian, like a good announcer and handler of the masses, addressed everyone. Causing them all to clap in support of Ser Gregor's victory, though he was sure they were only clapping to get on Azrael's good side, bootlickers all.
He was someone dangerous, getting his hands on what he had at such a young age made him a dangerous player, very dangerous, and now that his reach was extending to Westeros as well, it made him a player in the game, even if he didn't know it yet.
The clues were there, the conversation my spies had overheard, about the creation of the North Channel, plus the very close rapprochement with Prince Oberyn, so much so that he even came on the back of one of the wyverns along with one of his Blood Riders.
His closeness with the Sealord, the Iron Bank, and now with the creation of the branch of the Central Bank of Xandar at King's Landing, all indicated that his plans were far deeper and more extensive than he let on, but what was it? He already had half of Essos in his possession, perhaps the largest army the world had ever seen, and enough gold to cover an entire kingdom. So what was it? And it was that that made him all the more dangerous.
With no clear intentions, he would make his movements into sudden swipes, leaving only the wake for the slower ones to see where it had happened. Not to mention the dragon resting in the Dothraki camp several yards from Casterly Rock.
"Now, before we engage in an afternoon and evening full of celebrations, liquor, and food, I have an important announcement!" That got me interested, as did everyone listening, "The hunt, while it was a free sport and under the responsibility of each person who set out to participate, turned out to be a scene of injury... And death for some, so for those who were injured, the Xandarian medics will personally take care of treating them!"
Yes, very dangerous, he had just won the love of everyone who participated, no swords, no money, just his word, that was much more dangerous than I assumed at first, someone able to win the affection of the people, to show himself noble and kind, made him a lethal and biting adversary, because he was able to win people for his plans, and weak minds would be attracted by sweet words and paltry rewards.
"Not only that, my men at this moment are combing the forest for those who died, and their bodies have not been found, they will be given a dignified procedure with the silent sisters, and... If they had families, they would be sought out and given fifty gold coins a head!"
Well, with money involved yes, but that didn't fail to show the danger, if before the people were happy for the kind treatment, now they were brimming with joy and gratitude, with that he had just won the love of those who participated the hunt, and it would make even with the danger involved, many would sign up to join in the hunts because even if they died, that meant a certain amount of gold enough for their families to live comfortably for at least a decade.
Once the crowd quieted down, King Jaesyrian gave some orders in his Valyrian language, a language which, along with Dothraki, I had made a point of learning with Janna's help, since it would be of much use when I traveled to Xandar.
A group of ten huge and strong men, the size of Ser Gregor, pulled with the help of chains a large box covered under a black cloth... The next beast would be shown.
King Jaesyrian approached the box and grabbed the cloth, then pulled it and it fell and revealed the inside. The sight filled me with pure amazement, another dangerous beast, and one close to those species more intelligent than the basilisk, this time, there would be more dead than before.
"This is a Great Ape of Leng, and as the name implies, they are native to Leng Island!" As he had said, this was a huge ape with black fur, and large black eyes, even hunched over, it appeared to be three or four in height, and its arms were the thickness of a tree trunk. "And this will be your next obstacle for the second sword!"
(image)
Unlike what many would expect, instead of being frightened by the prospect of hunting a beast of such caliber, the men were excited, raised their jugs of wine, and toasted to a good hunt.
'What a fine gambler you are, Azrael Jaesyrian.'