Chapter 35: Part XXXVNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing for a while.
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"Books. Books, roads and plumbing. That's what King Joffrey cares most about. Oh, and he loves his wife and he's also keen on saving the entire human race from a vast army of the undead led by ice-demons, but mostly it's the books, roads and plumbing."
Tyrion Lannister – 304AC
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The Red Keep - King's Landing – 299 AC
"Nearly there" Octavian told Gendry as he led him through the palace grounds, Ser Arys following on behind as bodyguard, keeping a few yards back so they could talk.
"How many miles a day do you walk just getting around your house?" Gendry asked incredulously. Making their way down from the King's Apartments in Maegor's Holdfast and through what seemed like most of the rest of the Red Keep to reach where they were now had seemed to take an age.
"Let me put it this way, there's a reason why the Red Keep has its own cobbler and keeps him and his apprentices busy" Octavian responded wryly. "It's the poor sods that have to run messages around that you should feel pity for. It's a long way from the Black Cells underneath the dungeons to the top of one of the towers if something needs reporting urgently."
Gendry could only imagine, rumour had it that the Black Cells were so deep it would be quicker to tunnel downwards to one of the Seven Hells to try and escape than to tunnel up.
Every so often they passed a guard, servant or highborn, all of whom bowed to the king and most of who regarded Gendry with puzzlement. Octavian doubted it would take long for word to spread of King Robert's bastard, that King Joffrey was on good terms with his illegitimate half-brother, and he wondered what might come of that. Gawkers at Gendry's place of work for a start, most likely, and shortly thereafter others would come hoping that the apprentice blacksmith represented an indirect means by which they could obtain the king's ear.
Octavian decided to advise Gendry to make sure they all bought something, to overcharge the ones that annoyed him in some way, and not to make any promises.
"Here we are. The Godswood" Octavian announced as the bright open gardens gave way to a large patch of trees. "Don't tell your Septon you visited one, he'll brand you a heretic" he advised. "I'm joking of course, it's not a real Godswood, no Weirwood Tree for praying to the Old Gods. It used to have one, but all that's left is a stump now" he told Gendry. "I'm not sure why it was cut down but if I had to guess I'd assume Baelor the Blessed was responsible."
"The people at the Sept I attend mostly complain about the Fire Worshippers, not the Old Gods" Gendry told him. "That Red Priestess, Lady Mellisa, or whatever she's called, they say she's evil."
"Lady Melisandre" Octavian corrected him. "She's not evil so much as she is fanatical about her religion, monotheists are the worst for that in my experience. In any case I've told her that if she ever steps out of line I'll put her on the next boat back to Essos" he told Gendry seriously. "I don't care how many adherents her god R'hllor has in Westeros, on this side of the Narrow Sea the freedom to practice your own religion doesn't mean you get to persecute believers in another" he continued with an edge to his tone. "If they ever tried it I'll do to them what Maegor did to the Faith Militant" he vowed as they neared the trees.
The castle's construction long post-dating the years when worship of the Old Gods was prevalent south of the Neck, the Godswood of the Red Keep was more of a traditionalist anachronism than a place of worship. Clearly meant to mimic those of much older castles its acre or so of trees had once even included a single Weirwood amongst them, perhaps a Targaryen attempt to improve relations with the Northern Houses, but these days it was mostly treated as more an extension of the gardens. It was more somewhere to go for a stroll than it ever was a place of reverence, or at least it had been until Lord Eddard Stark and his retinue of followers of the Old Gods arrived in King's Landing.
Given the lack of a Weirwood to pray under most northerners substituted the large oak tree which towered over the elms surrounding it.
It was also by far the best place to take a direwolf for a walk in the Red Keep which is why Octavian wasn't surprised to run into Arya there, although Gendry's reaction to encountering her and her pet was more dramatic.
"Fucking hell!" the apprentice blacksmith exclaimed as a wolf the size of a pony came tearing out of a grove of elm trees dragging a little girl dressed more like a boy behind it, the child straining fruitlessly on its leash to try and stop it and nearly being tripped up by the thinly bladed sword handing from her belt.
"Don't run Gendry. It'll chase you" Octavian sagely advised while himself outwardly maintaining an air of patrician calm.
Gendry grimaced. "To eat me?"
"Probably just to slobber all over you" Octavian told him. "It's an experience few wish to repeat."
People had been telling tavern tales of the ferocious beasts Eddard Stark had brought with him to King's Landing, each of his children owning a direwolf so it was said, but Gendry had assumed their size was being grossly exaggerated in the telling and had envisioned an oversized hound rather than something a child could saddle and ride.
"Heel Nymeria! Heel godsdammit!" Arya tried to make her pet obey but it ignored her and continued to drag the girl in Octavian's direction.
"Careful, sire" Ser Arys warned, reaching for the sword at his side.
"Hold." Octavian responded immediately, raising a hand to make sure the knight knew not to do anything rash.
"You look strong. Hold this!" Arya exclaimed, thrusting the end of the leash into Gendry's hands as the direwolf swerved to get around them, still intent on going somewhere in a hurry.
Not knowing what else to do in the circumstances Gendry held on as tight as he could whereupon he was nearly yanked off his feet before steading himself again, the animal coming to an abrupt halt much to its apparent surprise judging by its yelp of protest.
"Nymeria!" Arya scolded the direwolf as it rounded on Gendry and growled, bearing teeth that reminded Gendry of a Bravosi stiletto dagger.
The direwolf growled again more quietly and then seemed to sulk. "Sorry. She saw a hare I think" Arya apologised before suddenly realising she was standing before the king. "Your Grace" she greeted him formally, performing a curtsy that would have been more apt if she was wearing a dress instead of pantaloons.
"Lady Arya" Octavian responded with a bow. "Your curtsies are getting better."
Arya pouted. "I was tricked" she said with annoyance. "Father had Syrio teach me the movement saying it was a way to duck under a wild swing" she complained. "By the time I realised it was just a curtsy I'd already learned it."
Octavian smiled. "Lord Stark has adopted the underhanded ways of the south it seems" he observed. "We'll have him backstabbing, conniving and scheming in no time."
"Looks like it" Arya responded with distaste. "Who are you?" she wanted to know, turning to Gendry.
"Gendry may I introduce Lady Arya Stark, youngest daughter of the Lord Regent, Eddard Stark, and my future Good-Sister" Octavian announced. "Lady Arya may I present Gendry Waters, my half-brother."
"Half-brother?" Arya repeated confused.
"Bastard half-brother" Gendry explained. "My father was King Robert, my mother wasn't Queen Cersei" he added with a shrug.
"Oh, I didn't know you had a bastard half-brother" Arya told Octavian before turning back to Gendry. "I've got a bastard half-brother too, Jon, he gave me my sword before he joined the Night's Watch to fight the Wildlings" she told him. "Why haven't I met you before?" she asked quizzically.
"Didn't know who my father was until late last year. King Joffrey found out and told me" Gendry replied.
"That's sad, I grew up with Jon, you should have grown up with Joffrey" Arya opined.
"I don't think my mother would have liked that" Octavian told her, understating the point to an absurd degree.
Arya shrugged. "Mine didn't really like Jon too much either but she still helped raise him with my other brothers" she replied.
"That the sword he gave you?" Gendry asked the girl.
"Yes. Are you good with a sword? Jon is very good with one" Arya replied.
"Not so good at using one but I'm good at making them" Gendry told her. "I'm an apprentice blacksmith by trade."
Arya thought about that then drew her sword to show him. She couldn't hand it over because he was still holding Nymeria's leash and the direwolf occasionally tugged at it still.
"Nice work" Gendry remarked professionally. "Who made it?"
"Mikken, the blacksmith back home in Winterfell" Arya replied. "I call it Needle."
Gendry nodded. "Explains why I don't recognise his maker's mark but I'll remember it now" he said. "The man knows his trade alright. You've got to be careful with the forging with a blade this thin, steel's got to be a mite softer than normal, so it'll parry or impact armour without breaking, but then you've got to carefully harden the blade edge and point or it won't be sharp enough."
"When I'm older I'm going to get a proper Braavosi Rapier like my Dancing Master carries but I'm not tall enough for a proper one yet" Arya told him. Rapiers should be long but to use one properly they were best sized to the owner, ideally reaching from your armpit to the ground when you were stood upright. Unfortunately for Arya her armpits were still far too close to the ground making a smallsword like Needle more practical. "Do you make Rapiers?" she inquired out of interest.
"Not much call for them here, most that want more reach prefer a longsword, better against armour, but the man I'm apprenticed to is from Essos and he's made a few I know" Gendry replied. "Tobho Mott on the Street of Steel. He's the best armourer and bladesmith in town."
Octavian chuckled. "You should charge him for the free advertising" he suggested, only partly in jest.
"It's true" Gendry maintained.
Arya frowned. "Is better than Mikken though?" she asked.
"I'd say yes but I'd have to see more of this Mikken's work to be certain" Gendry replied. "I'm not going to have to hold onto this forever am I?" he asked, holding up the leash.
"No, she's calmed down now, must have lost the hare's scent. I'll take it back" Arya replied, relieving a grateful Gendry of the leash. "I wish she was as well behaved as my sister's direwolf, Lady" she said regretfully. "Father said dogs take after their owners when I told him that which I think was him trying to be funny."
"No, Lady Arya, that was him succeeding in being both funny and inciteful" Octavian told her, earning himself a scowl from the girl though she didn't stick her tongue out at him as well which would have happened before he was crowned king. "Is Lady Shireen still in there?" he checked, indicating the godswood.
"Yes. We were playing but then she wanted to read instead and I needed to walk Nymeria" Arya replied, the direwolfs ears instantly pricking up upon hearing her say it. "I should get on with that or she'll be restless all day. By your leave, Your Grace."
"Granted" Octavian replied, Gendry watching as the girl and the direwolf headed off. This time Arya being the one doing the leading, at least for now.
"Nice to meet you Gendry" Arya called back to him.
"You too, Milady" Gendry called back. "If that thing gets any bigger, and she doesn't, she'll be able to ride it" he remarked.
"I was thinking a buggy pulled by both direwolves myself" Octavian replied, remembering that stupid chariot pulled by lions that Marc Anthony rode around in. Honestly, how Caesar put up with his clownishness was an utter mystery.
They found Shireen, nose buried in a book, sat on a blanket underneath the oak that took the place of a Weirwood as the heart-tree of the Godswood. A bored looking guard stood watch over her leaned against another tree nearby, immediately snapping to attention when he noticed the king's approach. He was awake and still alert at least so Octavian didn't call him up on his slightly slovenly appearance but he made a mental note to have the guards on the less active assignments rotated more often so they didn't fall into stupor.
Still concentrating on her reading Shireen failed to notice their approach until eventually the guard coughed loudly to warn her.
Shireen looked up and putting aside the book scrambled to her feet. "Your Grace" she greeted the king, performing a well-practiced curtsy.
"My Lady" Octavian responded with a bow as per the rules of etiquette before smiling "And I hope the day finds you well cousin?" he asked in what he hoped was as warm and congenial a manner as could be emulated.
"It does, Your Grace" Shireen replied. "I met your uncle Lord Tyrion in the castle library earlier and he recommended some books for me to read" she told him before giggling. "Neither of us could reach some of them on the high shelves so he picked me up" she continued, clearly finding that hilarious. "A Master came in whilst he was holding me up and Lord Tyrion told him we were practicing our acrobatics for tumbling" she told him, giggling again.
Tyrion was good with children Octavian knew, Tommen and Myrcella adored him. Also he was inordinately fond of both books and what he called 'broken things' which likely inclined him to act even more warmly and sympathetic towards the girl than he would otherwise.
"Just so long as he doesn't drop you, I'm not explaining that to your father, or Lord Stark for that matter" Octavian replied evenly. "On the subject of your father there was some brief mention of him in the latest messages from Castle Black, he seems to have settled into the life of a member of the Night's Watch very well" he told the girl.
Shireen's beaming smile seemed to light up the glade. "I'm so glad. I hope it isn't too cold for him there and he's making friends" she said happily.
As for him making friends Octavian considered it more likely to receive a letter borne by an undead raven from beyond the Wall, the missive penned by the Night King himself that requested a peace treaty and to open trade negotiations between the Seven Kingdoms and the White Walkers, but he kept that piece of sarcasm to himself. He also thought it wise not to mention Renly's wry comment that his brother was probably complaining about there being far too many creature-comforts at the Wall, that the clothes were too colourfully flamboyant for his tastes and that he couldn't grind his teeth to a satisfactory degree because they were chattering in the icy winds.
"Also there's someone I'd like to introduce you to cousin" Octavian told Shireen. "Gendry Waters may I present Shireen Baratheon, the Lady of Dragonstone" he addressed him formally. "Lady Shireen I'd like you to meet another of your cousins, Gendry Waters, my half-brother by my father, your uncle, King Robert."
Gendry bowed, she might be family, and only a little girl, but she was a proper Lady with her own lands and castle and he knew how to behave.
Shireen raised her eyebrows, the grayscale on the left side of her face making that look slightly lopsided. "You're Uncle Robert's son as well?" she queried of Gendry.
"Bastard son, he wasn't married to my mother" Gendry explained awkwardly, trying not to stare at her grayscale in case it bothered her.
"Oh" Shireen responded before frowning. "It's a pity you weren't born in the Stormlands or you'd be Gendry Storm instead. Much more exciting, it would make people think about thunder and lightning, not about getting wet" she decided. "It's alright to look at my face" she told him, abruptly changing subject, "everyone stares at first until they get used to it. Arya stared when I first moved in with her and her father, but now she tells me she doesn't even see the greyscale anymore."
Gendry shuffled awkwardly. "I hope I didn't offend Milady" he said honestly.
"No. It's perfectly alright" Shireen told him. "Arya threatened to punch a pageboy in the nose last week for gawking at me."
Octavian rolled his eyes. "Only the Gods know how happy I am that she's not the older sister I'm betrothed to marry. That girl is going to make her future husband's life far too eventful and exciting for my tastes" he observed with a visible grimace. "If the pageboy does it again let me know and I'll threaten to have him thrown in the Black Cells" he told Shireen.
Shireen gasped. "You wouldn't do that would you? He's only my age."
"No, but he wouldn't know I was bluffing would he" Octavian told her with a conspiratorial wink as he imagined Tyrion would do. "Or Gendry could just give him a clip around the ear and tell him not to bother his little cousin" he suggested.
"Maybe if he was a squire not a page" Gendry considered. He couldn't go around giving little kids a slap even if they deserved it, and besides which everyone wanted to hit a fucking squire.
"Are you a squire?" Shireen asked, he didn't look much like one.
"No, I'm an apprentice blacksmith" Gendry replied. "We think my father paid my apprentice fee because he liked the idea of me earning a living by hitting things with a hammer" he joked.
Shireen giggled again, she knew her Uncle Robert liked to carry a warhammer into battle, people told stories and sang songs about it. "You're probably right" she agreed. "Do you like books too?" she asked curiously. "King Joffrey likes books and so do I."
"Never had much opportunity to read any" Gendry told her apologetically.
"But you know how? To read I mean?" Shireen checked.
"I can read better than most in town that aren't Highborn I'd think, the Guild of Blacksmiths expects masters to teach their apprentices enough to get by" Gendry told her. Most of the Guilds did likewise, it helped set their members above the rabble.
Shireen nodded. "I'll find you a book I think you'll like and you can practice" she decided. "I'll start you off with something easy but fun."
"There are fun books?" Gendry responded doubtfully.
Octavian smiled. "Well personally I like books on history, politics and natural philosophy but she's probably thinking about ones with dragons, valiant knights and damsels in distress."
"And poetry, I like books of songs and poetry" Shireen gushed.
Gendry thought about that. "Knights and dragons please" he requested, not realising just how annoyed he was going to get in future with the passages in the books that talked about swords and armour. Didn't these people do any bloody research?
Notes:
Note from the Author:
The Red Keep has a Godswood which is likely a result of the Targaryen's following the traditions of the lands they conquered. In the books it has an Oak as its heart-tree but in House of the Dragon (set many decades earlier) we see it has a Weirwood as per the religion of the Old Gods (which isn't actually followed in that part of Westeros so its an anomaly). When the Andals invaded Westeros thousands of years before they burned most of the Weirwoods south of the Neck and the Faith of the Seven was still hostile enough towards the Old Gods for Baelor the Blessed to have seemingly planned to lead a crusade north to finish the job.
With both Nymeria and Lady still around I thought it amusing to see the direwolves start to resemble their owners in temperament. Nymeria is therefore much harder work than Lady to keep under control.
Literacy wasn't actually as low in medieval Europe as some suppose, it was certainly higher amongst the higher echelons of the low-born such as merchants and guild members especially so it's likely Gendry can read (if not fantastically well perhaps).