Chapter 5: Arrival In King's Landing 1/2

Author's Notes

Seems there was some initial burn off of people from the last chapter. And I honestly don't know why, nothing really happened in the last chapter that was any different than the earlier ones. Oh well... their loss. So Naraiz and compony will arrive in King's Landing this chapter and thus start the Capital Arc. This will last a good deal of time, at least four chapters if my math is right... can't be bothered to check because I'm lazy.

Joran Seral was the master of whispers in King Aerys' Small Council. He was tall willowy man with an unremarkable face. He wasn't a noble but he was the brother of a Knight of the Crownlands. He had made a name for himself by just knowing the exact thing needed at the right time. He was a moderately decent spymaster, the only real reason he was in the position he was in was because he played the Game well enough and knew exactly which secret he needed to know.

"And because I happen to pass along a few choice secrets to the lion first to be vetted before they reach the king's ears." Joran thought to himself as he ducked under another door arch. Really one might think the man a Weirwood with how he was built. Tall to the sky but sturdy in the way of a tree not a mountain. He was not a killer, nor a fighter. He left that to his brother, he kept his mind sharp as any blade though. He stopped as he reached the hall that leads to the bed chambers of the Hand of the King. He knew better than to just walk on in, or even wait outside. Joran then put his head in the right spot down the hall so that voices traveled in just the right way.

"-any love for me you would believe what I say!" He heard Lady Lannister yell, and from what Joran could tell she had just been crying. This hadn't been the first time the master of whispers had caught the lord and lady of Casterly Rock. And it had all started back when the Grand Maester declared that she was with child once more. Apparently that had not been what Tywin Lannister wanted to hear. Arguments began shortly after though few knew about them. Joran knew because… he was invested in knowing these things. The Hand of the King was his shield from the King's growing madness.

"Love? Whatever love I had for you dried up when you spread your legs for that madman of a king." Oh… that sounded like treason to Joran. But the man knew there was a difference between true treason and something said in passion. Perhaps he was too kind and understanding for King's Landing but he was who he was. "Now get out of my sight! If you are not out of the city and on your way to the Rock by sundown I will remove that dragon spawn from your belly myself!" At that Joran melded himself into the shadows of the stonework and let the Lady Lannister storm out of the chambers in tears. She was so beautiful, and Joran had half a mind to try and comfort her. Maybe spark something… but those thoughts were crushed quickly by his survival instinct. She passed by him unnoticing of his presence and he stood in the shadows for what felt like hours. Giving a spearing amount of time to make it seem as if he hadn't heard a single word. One might think twice about approaching a man about something, or anything really, after a fight like that. But Joran knew the type of man Tywin was, the man would likely thank the master of whispers for the distraction.

"My Lord Hand… I bring news from the Riverlands." Joran said as he entered the Hand's chambers. He gave unnoticed glances around the room, there had been a dragon sized fight in this room he could tell. It was the type of fight that ended happy marriages, turning into contests of who could outlive the other in bitterness and hate.

"Seral, good." Tywin said and to Joran's shock… the man looked almost vulnerable. It was quickly steeled away by professionalism but it was there. For a brief moment the man many thought to be the true power in the city looked weak and ready to collapse. "What is it?"

"A rumor has been floating down from the Trident my lord. A Stark rides south." Joran said deciding to play his cards on the side of the Lion. Tywin would remember this meeting for no other reason than Joran saw him such a state. If Joran handled this right, Tywin Lannister would never back stab him. "Lady Stark was seen at the Twins with three men, one of which claims to be the head of an order of warrior monks seeking to reestablish themselves here in Westeros."

"And what would the Kingdoms have use for an Essosi order?" Tywin snorted but at the same time he was intrigued, if the Starks really involved themselves to this degree this man must have something to offer. As barbaric as the northerners are, they hold to their own superstitions and rarely take stock in others. So for a foreigner to convince them meant they could be more that a charlatan

"That's the thing my lord, he claims to be from across the Sunset Sea." That Joran could see got Tywin's blatant interest. No one had ever met a man or woman from across that sea, no venture that had attempt to cross it made it back. "If my contacts are correct, they will be in King's Landing within a month's time." Tywin looked to a hanging map of Westeros, Joran watched as he walked up to the map with his eyes locked on the Kingsroad. From what Joran knew Tywin didn't give the Northern folk much thought as while they had the largest of the seven kingdoms, they were often considered the least present in the Game of Thrones. Even the weakest of the lands, the Riverlands was more respected in the courts of nobility than the North. Yes they were strong and no one would doubt their ability to survive and fight, but there was still a reputation of savagery and simple mindedness that permeated the South concerning the North. Tywin however only gave a single grain of salt to those beliefs. They were based in truth but blown out of proportion.

"What exactly do you know of this order of Warrior Monks?" Tywin asked as he began thinking just how to use this both for the realm and the Lannisters. The kingdoms were relatively stable, even under the growing cracks in their king's sanity. Military order wasn't needed per say but it was always needed should revolts or invasion come in the future.

"News from my contacts is limited, at the moment I know that there is one man that claims to be of this order. He called it the Sith." Joran said with a small mental note to see to put more informants in the North as clearly his current measures there were lacking. "He offered to give a demonstration to Lord Frey but the weasel refused." Joran understood the snort of irritation that came from Tywin. Information was power and for the Frey to just ignore a chance to see a possibly new form of combat was stupid in the highest order.

"One man?" Tywin asked and Joran nodded.

"Yes, one man that claims to be of the order but he has with him two followers. I do not know if they too are these Sith or are in service to the order." Joran explained as best he could, the information given to him by his contact was poor, as expected by a Frey. Much of this was just Joran trying to decipher facts from the stupid mind of a son of the house of the crossing.

"And his relation to Lady Stark?" Tywin said, and Joran was a little surprised at the question but it made sense now that it was brought up.

"Unknown, my contact didn't specify beyond that she traveled with them." Joran said and Tywin looked back up to the North on the hanging map with a calculating look. Honor was held in high regard by the Starks, maybe too high to some. Joran watched as Tywin dismissed the possibility of whatever was on his mind and the Lord of Casterly Rock turned back to the Master of Whispers.

"It was good that you brought this to me first, the king might suspect that the Starks are plotting against him and are bringing assassins disguised as monks." The last thing Tywin needed right now was for Aerys to burn alive a Stark for fear of rebellion or regicide. "For right now see to it to learn all that you can of these foreigners from across the Sunset Sea. We need to know more before they arrive in King's Landing." With that Joran bowed and made his way out of the Hand's chamber.

"It's not a castle but right now it will have to do." I said as I hopped off my horse and then helped Lyarra off. She gave a small smile to the gesture but on the inside she was beaming. Every little thing I did for her just caused her emotions to explode and I found it highly amusing.

"Looks fine enough, better than sleeping out in the open." Pierce said as he led the horses to the small stable that was outside the Crossroads Inn. It had been some time since we had left the Twins, couldn't be fast enough to tell the truth. Walder freaked me out and I hated the way every fucking Frey looked at Lyarra. Thankfully the peasants and travelers here seemed to recognize her nobility instantly and knew their place. Me however, their gazes lingered. My hood was up and my rebreather was covering my lower face, my eye were the only thing of my face they could see while the rest of my body was covered in my Sith Robes. I was both very intimidating and unfamiliar to the people that saw me and they gave me a wide berth because of it.

"Just for the night then we are back on the road. We aren't far off from King's Landing and I wish to reach there as soon as possible." There had been plenty of time for the ravens to reach around the lands telling people of my arrival at the Twins. The King's spymaster whoever he was should have at least noticed. I can't wait to play with the Spider… hopefully I can get him to look past his hatred of magic.

We entered the inn and a few people stopped to take note. But most seemed ready to just ignore the strangers that just came in, the sight of an obvious noble lady like Lyarra told them everything they needed to know. This had nothing to do with them. We paid for a meal and three rooms for the night, buying out someone who already had one of the rooms. I threw the man a dragon and he seemed perfectly content sleeping out in the wilderness after that.

"You know, I'm really starting to get used to this place… food's good." Pierce said as he dug into the provided meals and I just had to chuckle. I really did admire Pierce, he's just a soldier and was content to go along with anything provided he felt he was doing his duty. I suspected that now that the Empire was gone he felt that his duty was to me and me alone. Seeing as we fought together and saved each other's lives more than once, it wasn't hard to see him thinking this way.

"Oh the food's great but the company is even better." Our small meal however was soon interrupted by a local bard putting a stool next to our table, a little too close to Lyarra too for my liking. "What brings such distinguished company like the Lady Stark to our little corner of the world, paraphs I could sing a song of the Kings of Winter of old?" Lyarra and I glared daggers at the man as he dropped just who was in the Inn. He looked to be of Northern descent so there was a chance he simply just recognized Stark features, but there was also the chance someone was setting this up.

"Lady Stark." However that wasn't my first concern. Everyone in the room now had their attention squarely on us. Before we were nameless but clearly of nobility. Now we were much more than that. We were far from the North but the name Stark still was known by many.

"Are you with these men willing my lady, do you need assistance?" A man in the back in knight's armor asked as he moved his hand to his sword's hilt. The men at arms around him also began getting ready for a fight. Deciding to have a little fun I let out a little bit of my power, washing the room in ambient Force power. The women swooned, and the men felt either enraged or cowered. The knight was of the latter surprisingly. Lyarra however was unfazed, she bathed daily in my power and this little taste of it was nothing to her. It did get her a little hungry for the main course but that could be saved for later.

"I thank you Ser, but I am on a mission from my lord husband. I am to escort these men to the King himself. I can give no more reason beyond that." She said elegantly but there was a touch of warning in that last statement. Telling a lord like Walder Frey was one thing, but these people didn't need to know all the facts.

"If you say so my lady." The knight said backing down, I could feel his relief at not having to fight me. Piss poor knightley stock they have around here, a real honorable man would not have buckled at my little trick. I look evil as fuck and have a noble lady by my side and he gives up at the single time she says to not save her? I could be making her say this! There was a little more fanfare about Lady Stark but she eventually shooed away all of them… but the bard that started all this.

"Now wasn't that rude, now how about that song my lady?" The bard asked clearly fishing for more, I could sense in him a desire for more than just our coin. Likely a spy for someone, bards to make for excellent whisper workers and they blend into the background well enough to listen in on people without them noticing. But the little stunt we pulled in the Twins was the extent of what I wanted people to know.

"If I give you something to hand back to your masters would you leave us to eat in peace." I actually hadn't even gotten to eat anything. I loved how the sound of my rebreather filtered voice threw the man off. Plus there was the fact that I just blatantly stated he was a spy. Before he could deny it however I spoke again. "Tell them that I intended to arrive in King's landing soon and that when I do, I will be making the king an offer he can't refuse. I will lift the Iron Throne off the floor of the Red Keep to prove my power." And with that I bounced a dragon off the table and into the man's stupid little hat. "Now leave." I actively flared a small bit of the Dark Side toward the man and he scurried away.

"And that's why you don't solicit Sith." Pierce joked and felt that this had brought back a few memories of time on non-Imperial worlds. Constantly salesmen thinking that rich and powerful Sith would buy their wares. If they had good stuff, then it actually ended very well for them. Sith rarely care for things like fiscal responsibility since they could just demand more money from the Empire. Though… many quickly learned that they had to be productive Sith to keep that trick working. Otherwise the Cipher Core might be asked by the actually responsible Darths to handle the bratty Sith Lord.

"Are you sure that was wise master?" Lyarra whispered so that no one would hear. "Making such a declaration like that to whoever that man worked for." There was also all those others that had overheard the vow to contend with.

"I'm confident in ability to do as I said." It was laying the groundwork for giving an expectation and belief of the extent of my powers. I had already begun to do this with the Maesters. I needed people to think that mind control was out of my reach, and the only thing I could do was move objects. With this seed I've planted in their minds, I will be able to move a little more freely.

"I have no doubt in you to complete this task my lord, but to what end?" Quinn asked and it did remind me to send my little message to Jaesa. She should be in position and if I timed this right we should arrive in King's Landing before anyone could ruin my plan.

Jaesa soaked herself in the deep waters of Harrenhal's ruined bathhouse. It felt wonderful after doing all the work to sneak in the water and then to heat it up without a machine to do it for her. She had to admit that the feeling of darkness and evil in the air added a nice touch to her long awaited bath time. She had been in Harrenhal ever since dropping Vette off at the crash of their ship, it didn't take more than a day on speeder to reach the massive fortress from the North. And since arriving she discovered two things, one… this place was big for a Feudal World. Whoever built this place did things Sith style. Second, she really liked the fact it was cursed by the Dark Side though she supposed that her master would want to get rid of it. It was a curse by a prideful man that would never submit to anyone, or at least that's what the Dark Side told her.

"Maybe he'll do something neat with the curse, turn it into a foci or weapon or something." She sighed contently as her naked body sunk deeper into the steaming waters of her bath. It was an isolated one that couldn't be reached by normal means, the doors had been collapsed in and she found it by sneaking her way through the rafters. "But if he's planning what I think he is…" Jaesa's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of her Holo-transmitter beeping to life. She instinctive groaned at the prospect of getting out but then remembered that there was only one person that would be calling her. Jaesa then scrambled out of her bath and over to her messy pile of robes to grab ahold of her communicator. "Yes master?" She asked as the blue holo projection of her master flickered in front of her.

"-My darling apprentice… always nice to see you greet me as you do.-" Her master chuckled and then Jaesa remembered that she was wet and naked. She wasn't embarrassed at all, in fact she hoped that seeing her like this only made her master want her to return back to his side faster. "-But your current dress state aside I am calling you to tell you to begin my plan. There is a House of Nobles that rule in Harrenhal. Kill them, make it look like the curse got to them in some extra gruesome manner. Something that would make anyone think twice about having hope of taking this place for themselves.-"

"But at the same time make it look like a tragic accident right?" Jaesa smirked as she already began thinking of ways to carry this out. "What's my time table?" She asked knowing that would decide just what type of torment she would inflect.

"-Within a month, I will be arriving at King's Landing soon and the news of this House's demise needs a little time to breathe. Just enough so that much of the king's court knows about it.-" She loved how her master could just manipulated things like this. He truly was a man among monsters.

As we made our way up to the Dragon Gate of King's landing I couldn't help but… feel sick to my stomach. It really smelled of piss here. The first thing I'm doing once I take over the seven kingdoms is install a proper sewer system and clean this shithole up. It ruined any majesty that this city would have upon any that saw it. Even the Free Cities were larger and they didn't stink to high heaven.

"It's just as they told me it would be, I rather hoped they were lying." Lyarra said as we all trotted our way down the road, getting a few glances from the people around us but little else. A few Gold Cloaks lingered on us longer and kept their eyes on my group while one went off. Likely to inform the Hand that Lady Stark and her company were here.

"They call this place a capital… Kaas city makes this look like a hovel." Quinn sniped and I looked back to give him a warning glance. We were in public and there were ears that would not take kindly to that. "Sorry my lord, but you know it to be true." I rolled my eyes and it was very true but he still needed to learn that he can't say things so blatantly like that. We trotted through the street, I did have to admit that King's Landing did have its charm. For a medieval city it had an architecture that just demanded that you take the time to stare and marvel at it. But that was certainly ruined by the horrid smell. The rulers of this city needed to be burned at the stake for this grave crime.

"My lord, exactly how are we playing this. Just walk up to the keep and asking to see the king?" Pierce asked and it was as simple as that. Or at least that was the basic plan but I doubted that we'd have to do that. Given that we sent word ahead both at the Twins and at that Inn, someone should be expecting us. Who that was could be a number of people but I had a feeling that it would either be Tywin or the current Master of Whispers.

"Just wait for it… any moment now…" I said and then just on cue a small group of Gold Cloaks approached our little merry band.

"Lady Stark, you and your companions have been asked to the Red Keep by Queen Rhaella Targaryen." That surprised me. I had expected Tywin or even the King himself to send for us upon our arrival but the queen? A nice little twist, goes to show that I still need to watch myself… especially around the characters that weren't flushed out in either the show or books. And most of all those that never showed.

"Thank you, please escort us to her majesty. It has been a long ride from the North I am unfamiliar with our grand capital." Lyarra said with perfect grace and respect. The lead Gold Cloak nodded and to my surprise, he had nothing but duty and honor on his mind. He was not corrupt nor would be internally willing to be so… or at least as far as I could tell. I wasn't nearly as good at this sort of thing as Jaesa but I knew people's tells and all of these Gold Cloaks were devoted to keeping the peace in an honorable way. It was a far cry to the swamp that was Robert's city guard. Granted… that was after years under Littlefinger's employ and Robert's very lax leadership but I think it started earlier than that. Maybe when Tywin sacked King's Landing he killed all the honorable men left in the city. Certainly something to think on.

The city guards led us through the streets of King's landing and up to the great fortress of the Red Keep. Just like with Winterfell I felt in awe at the sight of the castle. It was as grand as the show made it, maybe even a little bigger and more gothic than in the show but only a little. The Gold Cloaks escorted us up into the main courtyard of the keep and I found waiting for us the Queen and two of the Kingsguard. Both were wearing their helmets, and I could feel a sense of ready for battle from them. The Queen however looked mildly haggard but even then her Valyrian beauty shown through. Long silver hair that was a clear trait of her family, a face that could be beautiful if life would have been a little kinder to her, and the southern dress she wore did well to accent her womanly curves. She wasn't as shapely as Lyarra but she did have a very graceful figure with a respectable bust. I'm sure those flings she had behind her husband's back enjoyed her well.

"Lady Stark, I welcome you to the capital. I hope your ride was fair and without issue." Rhaella said and even her voice sounded like it could have been sweet and lovely but now had a tired and almost rough quality to it. And I recognized it, it came from someone that often times screamed in pain but not often enough to totally destroy their voice. Ah master… you certainly did have your talents.

"Thank you, your majesty." Lyarra said as she was helped off her horse and then bowed to the Queen. I however remained on the horse and kept my gaze solely on the Kingsguard. "Naraiz, you did not need to worry. You have my lord husband's protection." Lyarra said well enough like she was upset with my small slight at not dismounting and bowing to the monarch. I knew these feelings were faked given she thought me high above any king.

"Yes, but I wonder how well that protection will go. These men look ready to run me and my own through at a single slight." I said and again these people were entirely set on edge by my voice filtered through my rebreather. This was why Sith wore them even if they weren't needed for medical reasons.

"It is the duty of the Kingsguard to protect the king and the queen." Lyarra said appearing to try and be the moderator between me and the royals. I could tell that she was confused as to why I was being this way but honestly I was just having a bit of fun. The two Kingsguard were clearly by this point seething and wanting nothing more than to kill me. The queen however… nothing. There was no particular sway toward any direction. Which certainly felt right, this was a woman who had never been treated right by those around her.

"And we will protect them from any threats." The one on the right of the queen said with steel and strength in his voice. This one was looking for a fight while the other was ready for it. I had half a mind to just float them in the air to prove a point but decided against it.

"And I am far from a threat, I have come seeking the king's help in a mission vital to me." I said not taking off my eyes from the two Kingsguard. I could tell they already wrote me off as some sort of evil man by my dress and foreign strangeness. While I'm sure there are some brains in the Kingsguard, it would appear these two are not among them.

"I did not call you here Lady Stark so your charges could clash swords with the Kingsguard." I arched an eyebrow at the slightly annoyed tone that Rhaella took. Even if there was a sea of passive calm inside her, I could hear a genuine sense of irritation in her voice. It seemed that she had developed the talent at forcing her inner self to be perfectly still while still maintaining her personality. It was something Jedi could do when faced with the Dark Side, they would keep their inner thoughts calm while still acting like they weren't really the robots they were. I guessed Rhaella was doing this less as something done on purpose and more as a coping mechanism. "Please ser, dismount and let us speak privately." There was definitely a let's get this over with attitude with her.

"Your majesty, you need not make requests of this foreigner. He should be just grateful that you wish to speak to him." Once again it was the Kingsguard on the right that spoke. If he was trying to get a rise out of me he had another thing coming.

"Lord Rhyhall was the Emperor's Wrath back in our homeland. A position held by the Empire's finest and most deadly warrior, He only answered to the Emperor himself, it is you that should be honored to speak with him." Quinn said apparently not being able to take anymore of this. I was thankful that he was able to keep to the cover story even in his anger, though. But it looked like this was exactly what the belligerent Kingsguard was looking for. As he quickly unsheathed his sword causing all of the surrounding guards to do so as well. The one on the left however did not and simply took a step-in front of the queen. Okay… it looked like this one was at least smart enough to get that much.

"Stand down Ser Gaunt, this is not what I asked for when I invited them here." The Queen said and for the first time I saw a crack form in the clam. Giving me a peek into what she wanted. I couldn't really tell much but she was greatly upset by this turn of events. She wanted something, that was already clear but it went beyond anything that I thought. She desperate… very desperate.

"I cannot allow this my Queen, I cannot allow this foreign scum to think themselves your equal." At that I laughed, deep and full of amusement. Now that I knew who this man was I had no qualms about how I wanted to go about him. Gaunt was useless, not needed to any degree. He would die at Duskendale helping no one in the future plot line in anyway. I could kill him now and nothing would likely change.

"If not her equal, I'm sure I'm yours." I said finally getting off my horse and holding out my hand for Pierce to throw me his sword. Midwan was not something I wanted to show off here. I would carry a second sword but that would cause questions. "I won't even use my own sword, a blade on par with Valyrian Steel." I said and could hear the man protecting the Queen snort at that while Gaunt was too focused on the enemy in front of him.

"Without any armor, you are asking for a quick death aren't you." Gaunt said coming toward me, raising his sword and slashing me down at my shoulder. I blocked with one hand while my other was firmly on my lower back. Gaunt however was struggling to push down on my raised blade with both hands. Eventually I pushed back and a duel of steel began to play out in the courtyard of King's Landing. The sounds of clashing blades rang and sparks flew through the air with each strike. I continued to play with the knight, holding one hand to my back while moving around his swings and blocking where I felt like doing so. My ability with the Force made Gaunt look like he was moving in slow motion, and even if he was to hit my body my armor was in fact better than that heavy plate he wore could ever hope to be. My Sith armor was some of the best the Empire could produce, it could take the breath of a dragon and be perfectly fine. Though, given enough force the armor would be useless. It wasn't Sith Heavy Armor, it was designed for maximum movement and shielding from blaster fire. Ironically it was blunt force and kinetic energy that it was weakest against, but its threshold was far above what a normal human was capable of.

"Is really the height of Westerosi swordsmen? I'm quite disappointed." I said as I parried a swing and knocked the sword out of the Kingsguard's hand. I leveled my blade at eye slit of his helmet, and it was clear that if I wanted all I needed to do was push and he would be dead. "Yield." I said softly but the air around us grew so heavy that he nearly fell to his knees. In the moment he would write it off as his fear playing tricks on him but it was as real as it could be.

"Enough of this." A stern commanding voice came through the courtyard drawing everyone's attention. I looked to see Tywin and a rather tall man walking across length of the courtyard with a deep look of irritation on his face. Just a cursory read on him told me that irritation was more toward Gaunt than me, likely Tywin knew exactly how things played out simply by knowing the Kingsguard member well enough. "Ser Gaunt, do not disgrace yourself any further and leave us." The Lord Lannister growled quietly as he leaned over to the Kingsguard. I could hear a few grumbles before Tywin turned to me and Gaunt bowed to the Queen and left the courtyard. Not even picking up his sword he ran out so fast with his tail between his legs. "I apologize for the rude welcome you received at the hands of what is supposed to be our finest." Tywin said trying to smooth over any damages that had been done. I could tell that he was in no mood to be doing damage control. My question was mostly why? Why was he acting this way to me, it's not like I had done anything to prove my worth yet.

"My welcome was far from rude, being greeted by a Queen could hardly be called such." I said giving a small gesture over to Rhaella who just maintained her passive face while on the inside her inner forced peace was returning. But in the last moments before I could gleam two things, one was anger at Tywin. Curious. Second was interest in me, what kind I could not tell. Romantic… possibly. Interest in my skills, more likely but just as usable. "And it was the lack of tact on my vassal's part that caused things to escalate." I said shooting Quinn a small glare that he at least looked slightly guilty from. "Now who might I be addressing, I know I am the presence of a Queen… but just who else is standing here?" I wanted some little king jab, implying Tywin could be him but that would be a little too much.