Benjen Stark
The King was beginning to fray around the edges, one could see it in his eyes and his appearance. The red woman was having an adverse effect on him, yet the man did not seem to care. It was as if, preparing for the fight against the Targaryens was all he cared for, and all he was living for right now. The rest of Westeros was burning and there was nothing this King cared for that. It was sad, but more worrying was the rumours Benjen had heard, the talk that was coming, the civil strife brewing in the streets that no one had been able to repair. He looks at Renly and asks. "You are certain of this?" The words are strange, and he cannot be sure, nothing is certain anymore.
"Yes, ever since the Onion Knight's body washed up on the shore, he's been talking of doing this thing nonstop. The red woman has done her bit to convince him as well. I think he is lost." Renly replies urgently.
Benjen runs a hand through his hair. "What madness could be prompting this? Has he finally broken down then? Lost what little sense we thought he had?"
Renly shrugs. "I do not know, and frankly I am not sure I care anymore. I have never liked my brother, and this just confirms everything I have ever thought about him. We cannot allow him to go through with this."
Benjen nods. "I know, but how? That is the question that I find most pressing, how are we to go about doing this? Baelish whispers in his ear about gold, and retribution, and the red woman whispers about him being some sort of saviour. How are we to get away with this before he breaks us? You saw what he did to Lord Florent and to Lord Estermont." The sight of their burning bodies was etched into his mind.
"I know what he did, Ben, that is why I am being so insistent on this. We cannot allow him to make this madness continue. We have to stop him." Renly says insistently.
"Are the lords of the Stormlands still yours?" Benjen asks, his mind moving quickly.
"Of course." Renly replies confidently.
"Good. We shall need to make use of them. Stannis's little fire display is far too similar to that of Aerys Targaryen's, the lords the Stormlands will not like that. We can use that to make them see that removing him is the only course we have now." Benjen says.
"They will want to know who we replace him with. Shireen is a girl and cannot inherit the throne." Renly points out.
"How close are the Tyrells to mobilising?" Benjen asks thinking quickly.
"They are about two days away from striking." Renly replies.
"Good, once they have gotten my nephew out, we shall have our candidate for the throne." Benjen says.
"What of Stannis himself? And his wife and their followers, they will not go quietly." Renly says.
Benjen thinks quickly then. "Stannis will need to die, a conflict between the faith and the red knights should ensure that. As for his wife and their other followers, they can die during the struggle. The red woman is the issue. Most likely she knows something of what we are planning. She must be killed before she can tell Stannis."
Renly nods. "I quite agree. I think Thoros would be the right man to do that deed. He does not like her and her sanctimonious ways."
"Tell him to do it then, and to do it quickly." Benjen replies.
"What of your other nephew? He is in the west still is he not, how will we get word to him?" Renly asks.
Benjen sighs, there had been no word from Robb for some time, last Benjen had heard he'd struck off near the Crag or some other god forsaken place, and met some Volanteene woman and married her. The Freys had complained, but they were dying off in huge numbers as it were, and had not the means to do anything about it. He sighs. "I think word can reach him, we shall have his support, as well as that of the Riverlords. And once we have them and the Tyrells, the Lannisters will be finished."
Renly nods, seemingly pleased with that. "Now if only Baelish would tell us what was happening in the Vale."
Benjen nods. "I think there is more to this than meets the eye. I do definitely think that we need to investigate Baelish more thoroughly. But the question is how, he knows how to play the game, better than most others of his standing."
"I think that is what can be used to bring him down." Renly states. "His overconfidence will make him do something and then he will get stuck into hot water. And eventually, he will freeze over, we need something to make him freeze though."
Benjen runs a hand through his hair, momentarily thinking over how much shit he would get if his brother knew exactly what it was he was doing, and then deciding he doesn't care, Ned's foolishness got them into this mess. Now he will get them out of it. "I think the time has come for our allies in the north to move off of their stated goals and change paths. And if things go accordingly some of them will be removed in the process."
"And make him think his beloved Catelyn is in danger, he will most definitely crack." Renly says enthusiastically.
Benjen nods, and then says. "We must act quickly, there is little time to spare. We must go now."
Renly nods, but before he leaves, he asks. "What of the offer Tyrion made you?"
Benjen grabs the piece of paper from the table, he looks at it once, reading the words his friend had written, and scoffs at them once more. He shows the letter to Renly and says. "This letter is a joke, and I refuse to be made a fool." He tears the paper up and throws it into the flames of the fire.