Chapter 33
As the Night turned Darker, and the lamps of the Black Cella grew dark, Pety Baelish lay in his cell barely clinging to life through the mere thought of exacting his revenge upon all those who had wronged him, when suddenly his mind was startled by a sudden stabbing, and pinching pain.
CLANK!
"AGH!" he grunted, as he turned his head, and yet the darkness offered him no aid as he felt animals biting into his skin.
"CLANK! CLANK!
"Leave me! AGHHH!" "LEAVE ME!" "HELP!" he screamed and screamed, and yet the pain did not stop, as he felt his flesh get torn apart, as he lay there screaming and shouting helplessly.
And yet none would hear his wails, which would all come to a halt sometime later, and the cell would turn silent once more. Silent and lifeless.
.
.
.
As the Capital reeled from the shock of treason by one of its most important and valued Council Members, the air in the isle of Dragonstone just beside it was just as tense as the Maester of the castle came to Council the King's brother once more, bearing a missive from the King himself.
"My lord," the aged Maester Cressen began, and the man had grown so old that he could scarcely walk and had to be helped by an acolyte just to move from one place to another.
Yet it was well known that if there was anyone in the castle who might yet hold a chance of swaying the mind of the Iron-willed Stannis Baratheon, it was him, for he was the man who had in many ways raised the young Lord Stannis after the sea had swallowed his parents.
"This is the third missive that has come from for you from Kings landing in the last two moons," the aged Maester began worriedly, for no matter what one's station may be, it was never truly a wise decision to ignore the summons of a King, especially one such as Robert Baratheon.
"The King has written to you himself seeking reason for your continued absence from the Court. He has asked for an explanation and has threatened to remove you from your seat at the council," and he doubted the King would go so far, yet there was no doubt that the King was rather wroth with his brother and his Council for their mistake in letting the traitor Petyr Baelish beggar the realm.
Yet much to the dismay of the old Maester, the Lord of Dragonstone did not even turn to face him, as Cressen tried to make him see reason once more.
"My lor...."
"Send out the same response as last time." Stannis Baratheon's cold and distant voice cut through the air, and the old Maester's lips thinned.
"My lord, but this time the King himself has writ..."
"I believe the Lord has given you his command," said the voice, sweet and sultry. Even in his old age, it had enough power to mesmerise him, yet it did nothing but boil his blood as his gaze landed on the woman whose lips had churned it out.
She stood beside his lord, dressed in a gown kissed by fire. Her eyes shone in the darkness as if they hid balls of fire in them. She was slim and long, blessed with enough beauty to tempt any man.
"Your council is no longer needed, Maester Cressen," and it irked him to see his own acolyte come up beside him to take him away, as his fist balled up, and yet he held his tongue for he knew that the Lord would hear no word against this witch.
"But, my lord..."
"Leave us..." and he could say no more at those words as he grits his teeth and left the room, yet the Master of Ships was not as unworried and unconcerned as he had shown to his Maester as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the balcony.
"The old man is right. I cannot keep ignoring Robert like this," he gritted out as the woman walked behind him.
"You will not have to, my lord," she assured him as she had many times before, and his heart was swayed, yet his mind spoke to him of oaths, oaths as a leal lord and as a brother.
"You have been saying so for quite some time now," and the Lord of Dragonstone had grown quite frustrated with her over this, more so as he read his brother's continuous praise for Eddard Stark as he humiliated him for his own follies.
"Flawed as he may be, he is my brother, and you have had me abandon him to those wretched Lannisters, yet others continued to serve him and do their duty," and it irked him that he could not do so.
That he sat here, betraying his own kin.
"Perhaps, Cressen is right," he added as he faced the dark waters of the bay infront of him.
"Perhaps I should not ignore his words any longer and go to Kingslanding and speak to him of the crimes of those wretched Lannisters that had surrounded him.
"You cannot do that, my lord," Melisandrei of Asshai added sweetly from the side as she caressed his face.
"The capital is filled with monsters and demons, you must not put your life at risk, for you are the Promised Prince," and her words were assuring and alluring.
"The Lord of the Light will take care of your enemies for you. You just need to put your faith in him," she tried to ease his mind, yet the worry remained, for Stannis Baratheon had only ever put his faith in one thing—duty.
"I have done so, and yet my enemies still live, and my brother still sits the throne, whilst duty calls me to capital," he retorted as he pushed her hand away.
"Your Gods..."
"Our Gods, the Lord of light is your god as much as he is mine," she cut in, correcting him as he narrowed his eyes and ignored the correction.
"...must act, or I might have to," and with those ominous words, he turned away from her and made for the door. The Red Priestess's expression turned terse as she stared at the dark skies and slowly touched the elaborate necklace around her neck.
She turned around and walked up to the fireplace, burning in one side of the room as she stared into the fires, and yet, unlike before, her visions had turned awry and convoluted.
What was once clear was now all obstructed by a cloak of darkness.
"Perhaps my fears were right," she whispered as her eyes widened.
"An agent of darkness has housed itself in the capital and works against us," and as the beacon who was to lead the Promised Prince, it was her job to be rid of this agent who was working against the Lord of the Light.
0000
CREGAN STARK
Cregan's nights had not been filled with ample sleep for many moons now as he tried to think and plan his new course of action under ever-changing and shifting circumstances.
The revenge against Petyr Baelish had been more personal than anything, for the man had tried to kill him, and his cunning made him a dangerous enemy. Though that could be said for all his enemies, and there was no lack of them.
The Lannisters, Varys, the Targaryens, and even the Baratheons, to some extent, were all his enemies in a way, and it was now upto him to deal with them all.
And it was not so difficult to deal with them. He had to be cautious and selective in how he chose to do so, especially now that he could no longer hide in the shadows, for while many in the realm knew that it had been the dutiful, and loyal Eddard Stark who had uncovered the plot of Petyr Balish, those in the capital knew very well who had uncovered this plot.
And it had made them all that much wary and cautious about him.
And so, he had lost much of his anonymity and impunity, though not all of it had been a loss.
The plot had earned him much goodwill from the Crown and his own father, who now put much more value in his word as Cregan helped him navigate the politics and games of the capital to the best of his ability.
Nearly half of the Gold Cloaks had also been put into the cells by his father's men because of Baelish's treason, and the rest were all now much afraid of the new Hand, who many had underestimated.
The man himself had hired their replacements after much vetting, and Cregan had been able to push in a few names of his own, recommended to him by the ever-useful Thoros, who had conducted a rather successful raid at one of Baelishs's more obscure stores.
Janos Slynt had been removed from his post as well and was replaced by none other than Desmond, the very man who had led the men from the North, putting his mind much at ease when it came to the availability of swords.
And with Petyr Baelish done, it was up to him to decide on the next course of action. His father had learned about the truth about the heritage of Cersei's children some time ago, and yet he had kept his mouth shut about them, at least until now.
And unlike before, Cregan agreed with his decision. He had realised that revealing this secret would only cause chaos and war, even if it was done in the best manner possible, for doing so would embroil the Seven Kingdoms in war.
And winter was here, and cold winds rose from the North, and the dead rose with them.
The song was over, and the game had begun, and the burden of it all lay with him. And while for someone like Petyr Baelish, the chaos of war may have been a ladder, it was no ladder for him.
And so, it was in his best interest to control this chaos, limit it as much as he could as he played, and let the Starks consolidate their newly gained power.
And it was not just his father who had gained that power, for as a reward for his role in uncovering Petyr Baelish's schemes, Cregan had been richly rewarded with both Gold and the lordship of the greatest castle in the realm, Harrenhall.
And now it was up to him to make the best use of this opportunity, and so he found himself in the yards after another restless night as he watched the squires and the knights training and sparring with one another.
As per tradition, a cabal of girls stood a few feet away from him, watching these young men train while giggling and blushing and eyeing their sweating bodies while the young boys and men below tried to impress them.
But unlike before when his existence would be ignored by this cabal of spluttering young women, he did not miss how their gaze lingered at him longer than usual, as they eyed him despite his limp, for he was no longer simply a second son.
No, he was the son of the Hand and Lord of Harrenhall, and despite the castle's current condition it was still a prestigious position.
"I can see the word has spread all around the castle," a familiar voice cut in as Cregan turned around and saw the little Lord Tyrion Lannister walking up to him with his usual strut.
"Congratulations are in order, my Lord," he gave a small bow as Cregan chuckled.
"Well, I am no lord yet," and he scoffed.
"The announcement has been made, and the orders have been signed, so I believe you are a lord now, Stark," and then he eyed the cabal of girls giggling beside them.
"And it seems they have come to learn of it as well," he added while smirking as Cregan shrugged.
"Too bad for them, my hand is already spoken for," and he clicked his tongue as he stood beside him.
"Promised, not wed. And believe me, if my sister had her way, she would be rid of this match so quickly." he knew that the Queen had never been in much support of this match, but her anger had become much worse as she saw the expanding Stark influence.
"Well, what can I say about that?" Cregan shrugged, careful not to bad-mouth the Queen in front of her own brother, for they may loathe each other. But they were still siblings, and Cregan knew that blood mattered much more than friendships in this game.
"Still, you must let me treat you tonight. With Littlefinger gone I have found myself quite a few gems in his establishments he had kept hidden away, and I would love to introduce you to them." Cregan knew that in this chaos, the little man in front of him had silently taken over one of Littlefinger's brothels, along with all its girls.
Not that it mattered, for he had done so as well, though in his case, it was a joint partnership with Thoros.
"I am afraid my answer remains the same," Cregan said as he took the offered flagon and downed a sip to ease his headache.
"You have to be joking," and the masks wore off as Tyrion looked him in the eye.
"You have just been made lord of one of the largest castles in the realm and have been given more gold than a boy your age could dream of, and yet you still deny yourself these pleasures," he asked, and Cregan sighed.
"Those girls you speak of, nearly all of them were bought by Baelish, and many of them may still owe their loyalty to him," he explained one of the reasons for his mistrust of such establishments.
"It would be a miracle for me if I walked into a brothel in this city and came out of it alive," and the man's eyes narrowed at his words.
"Is that why you have always been so reluctant to join me in my crusades?" Cregan shrugged.
"That and a slew of other reasons." he did not deny this, for it was one of the reasons, along with fear of disease and much more.
"Well, I can take care of that problem," he suggested as Cregan sighed.
"You do know that I am promised to your nie..."
"Uncle! Cregan!" and he stopped and turned to see the very girl she was about to speak of rushing towards them.
"Princess," he gave a small bow, which the girl ignored as she ran and wrapped her arms around him.
"Father told me that you are a lord now," she asked as she looked at him with those green eyes of hers. He nodded as another pair of such eyes glared down at her, for she had not come alone.
No, the Kingslayer had come with her, as had his wolf, Aurora, who had grown up quite a bit and was nearing the size of an actual wolf.
"Yes, the king has given me the castle of Harrenhall," and her eyes widened.
"Harrenhall, Harrenhall," she muttered as she tried to think of it.
"Is this not the castle that is thought to be cursed," she suddenly asked with a hint of pale.
"Indeed," and it was Lord Tyrion who cut in.
"The castle is cursed, and now you must live in it," and her eyes widened in fear at that.
"There are ghosts and beasts that linger in those halls, and they will ea..."
"Your uncle is just having fun," he cut in before he could traumatize the little girl, as Tyrion clicked his tongue.
"There are rumors, of course, but I would put little stock in such tales," he added, but the damage was already done.
"But what if they are vampires or those ghouls?" It was his mistake filling her head with such tales.
"Ghouls?" Tyrion asked as she nodded.
"Yes, they are humanoid monsters who survive on human flesh..."
"I will have the men do a thorough search of the castle, and even then, you will always have Aurora to defend you," he added, and the wolf brushed her face on her legs, making her laugh as she nodded.
"But she is your wolf," she added, and Cregan shrugged.
"She is as much yours as she is mine..."
"How pathetic!" another voice cut in as Cregan looked up and found Jamie Lannister looking down at him, and there was a hidden rage and frustration in his eyes as he began to taunt him.
"...that you must lean on a beast to protect your intended," Cregan's eyes narrowed as the man scoffed.
"But what am I to expect of a cripple like you," Cregan did not like the tone of the man as the air became still, for even Tyrion Lannister seemed a bit surprised by this sudden outrage.
"Perhaps I should teach you how to defend a la..."
"Cregan! Cregan!" and suddenly another voice cut in, as he turned and saw Jon walking up to him, clad in armor, ready for training.
"Jon," Cregan greeted his half-brother, who remained oblivious to the tension he had just cut into.
"Are you here to train?" Jon asked enthusiastically, and much like him, he had been alone here for quite some time, for Cregan had had little time to spend with him.
And much to the surprise of the people around him, Cregan nodded his head.
"I believe I am....."
0000
And as the three Lannisters stood on the balcony and watched the two brothers spar with one another, Tyrion turned towards his brother in worry as his niece watched the spar with stars in her eyes.
"What was that?" he asked, Jamie and he had noticed his brother growing more and more frustrated over the last few moons.
"I should ask you the same question," Jamie retorted with actual rage much to his surprise.
"What were you doing frolicking away with our enemies?" Jamie asked as Tyrion raised a brow.
"I did not know that the Starks were our enemies. " He considered them allies, valuable allies, much like their King, who had cemented this alliance with a Royal Match.
And the Starks had paid back the King's faith by uncovering and dismantling such a massive plot against the Crown.
"Anyone who is not a Lannister is our enemy," Jamie hissed, and those were dangerous and unwise words. He did not deny them, for he needed to find out the reason behind this outrage.
"You have been rather frustrated for quite some time?" he asked, and he could almost point out the exact moment this had begun.
Cersei's pregnancy, and he had a good enough suspicion about what the cause of this was, yet he did not think his brother to be so naive and self-absorbed.
"Ever since Cersei announced her pregnancy?" he asked as Jamie's head snapped towards him, and their eyes met as Jamie's lips thinned.
"You are not frustrated because of the Starks, are you?" he leaned forward and whispered.
"Tell me why?" he asked, and Jamie hesitated before he continued.
"They know," and it clicked together at once, and as he made to shake his head trying to set his idiotic brother and sister right once more yet Jamie grabbed his hand, making him look at his face.
"This time, we are certain of it," he added, and he was serious as Tyrion swallowed his words, as Jamie continued.
"Eddard Stark knows..."
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patre 0n. Help me write this and other such stories by becoming a Patr 0n. It would be pretty awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.
www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest
Have a nice day!
PS: Happy Birthday to me!