8

Chapter 8 Losing the Peace

I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I hope this chapter will not disappoint. In this chapter you will see a little of Hadrian's darker side and the consequences of his actions so far.

One person commented that Hadrian because he is allied with the Reach and Dorne will steamroll over Stannis and Renly in the war. Well I would just like to point out that in fact Hadrian is not allied with the Reach or Dorne. What they had was a public temporary arrangement to join forces for invading the Stepstones to deal with the pirates that is all. Secretly Hadrian is working with Willas, Oberyn & Doran to restore the Targaryens to the throne but as Mace Tyrell is still the Lord of the Reach Willas does not control his family's lands and will have to go where Mace and Olenna lead for now.

Review Response will be posted at the end of the chapter.

Warning – Bad Language and Gore

Chapter 8 – Losing the Peace

As the sun rose Casterly Rock seemed to shine in the early morning sun. Both the castle and the city port Lannisport below started coming to life. Servants rose earlier than most, preparing for the big day. Today was their new lord's official first day as Lord of Casterly Rock and all of the Westerlands and all of the Lannister vassals would be coming to swear loyalty to their new lord. Failure to show up today would be seen as the ultimate sign of disrespect and disloyalty to House Lannister. Something that could well be a deadly mistake.

Hadrian would soon see which lords would remain loyal to him and which could prove to be a future problem. As such he would be watching carefully, while many called him the honourable Lannister because he stayed true to his word and did not harm those who did not deserve it, many had forgotten that he was also the son of Tywin Lannister and was ready to remind them of the fact if he had too.

Everybody in the castle seemed to wake earlier today as the atmosphere became more excited. Most of the lords had already arrived the day before and the final lords were now arriving. Hadrian was waiting in his solar as the lords filed into the main hall of Casterly Rock. He tucked any creases out of his clothes and walked to the main hall accompanied by Raga, any talking ended as he walked in and everyone turned to face him as he made his way up to the top of the hall alongside his fearsome lion companion. He saw the chair that had previously belonged to his father standing tall and proud on a slightly raised platform. For three hundred years the Lords of the Westerlands had sat in that chair and now it was his turn, for real as opposed to as his father's regent. Hadrian squashed any trace of nervousness as he continued on, determined not to show any sign of weakness.

Reaching the far end of the hall Hadrian did not hesitate as the lords looked on to take his seat and Raga sat next to him, the lion's eyes keen for any danger to his master. Hadrian meanwhile was not going to be seen as a weakling who clung to his father's reputation he resolved to himself and sat tall and proud in his new seat. Now he was in place he looked around the hall and saw all the gathered lords in their own best finery all around the sides of the hall. Hadrian then spoke to the lords present.

"My lords, thank you all for coming. We are now in a state of transition with my father's death. I will endeavour to live up to his example and rule as a proper lord should and to not repeat the mistakes of my grandfather Lord Tytos Lannister. I will never forget those who are loyal to me…and those who are not." He added the last part with an edge of threat that was not missed by the people present and Hadrian then removed a lion medallion from around his neck and held it up so they could see. "Who will swear on the symbol of my house their fealty?"

The first to approach was Hadrian's uncle, Lord Kevan Lannister who knelt before his eldest nephew and took the medallion and said his pledge.

"I Lord Kevan Lannister hereby pledge my fealty and that of my house to Lord Hadrian Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and the Westerlands. Warden of the West." Hadrian smiling slightly and said to his uncle who handed the medallion back.

"Thank you my lord you may rise, your loyalty is most appreciated and I will see you later to discuss several pressing matters." Kevan nodded without smiling and rose to his feet, then he looked to the rest of the gathered lords to see who would next give him their allegiance. There was a deathly silence and Hadrian's eyes narrowed and that was enough for Lord Stafford Lannister to step forward and make his vow of fealty followed by his sons and other members of the extended Lannister family including Hadrian's own brother Jaime and half-brother Samuel which did ease the tension in the hall somewhat. Next Raphael and his father Lord Abrax Daniels stepped forward and gave their oath of fealty which Hadrian nodded in response followed by Lord Algood, Lord Drox, Lord Banefort, Lord Ferren, Lord Bettley, Lord Dogget, Lord Brax and Lord Broom.

Just as Lord Crakehall was giving his pledge however a figure stumbled into the room and began slurring loudly although his words were clear enough for everyone to understand.

"Soo…the jumped up prick has become lord of the land. I salute you and all the morons who kneel." The figure said and the lords gasped in astonishment at the words being spoken while Hadrian's eyes narrowed as he looked at the figure. He saw it was Fabien Daniels, the second son of Lord Abrax Daniels. Fabien stumbled into the room with a red face from all the drink and started talking while everyone else looked on in disgust at the man.

"You know I always wondered why we followed the Lannisters, I mean they are the most anal pricks I have ever seen. They shit like the rest of us…so why should we put them on a pedestal. They just sat around in the Rebellion hiding under the rock. Still his wife was tasty." Fabien said as Abrax and Raphael looked on with horror at what was being said while Hadrian's hands gripped the chair he was sitting on tightly enough for his knuckles to go white. Not aware of the danger he was putting himself deeper and deeper into Fabien carried on.

"She had the most fuckable arse I have ever seen, how I would have loved to bend her over a table and screw her brains out. Those children though, her daughters might be good lays when they get older." He said with a leering grin leaving Hadrian glad that his children were being comforted by his aunt Genna while Hadrian's hand tightened its grip around the dagger he had at his side. Fabien however continued his vile assault as Genna quickly moved the children out of the room so they would hear no more of his bile.

"And that Northern girl that his little shit of a son is going to marry, scrawny little thing but maybe she might be like a wolf in bed." Fabien continued but he had already said far too much and Hadrian with a speed that few in the hall could follow leapt to his feet and with a dagger in hand grabbed Fabien's throat and with his dagger cut the younger member of House Daniels from his navel to his collar bone. The smug look on Fabien's face as he felt the blade slit him open disappeared immediately as a scream of pain emerged from his mouth which only seconds ago had been spewing such vile comments.

The other lords in the hall all watched either impassively or with great fear as Hadrian delivered his punishment for Fabien's words personally not hiding behind thugs but carrying out justice by his own hand. Hadrian then as blood covered his jerkin cut Fabien's throat from ear to ear before throwing the dying man to the ground and slipping off his now bloody jerkin and wiped the blood off his hands with it before sitting back on his chair. The lords took their eyes off of the bleeding Fabien and looked on Hadrian as he spoke with a mask of calm on his face despite the brutal act he had just committed.

"I regret that my first act as your new lord was to end the life of one of my vassal lord's sons but I hope that my point is made loud and clear." He said with cold severity. "No insult against me, my dead wife, my children and my family will be tolerated. I will personally gut anyone who says such vile trash again…now does anyone else have anything else to say or should we carry on with the pledging of fealty?" He asked them daring anyone to try and cross him but no-one did and at the back Ser Gregor Clegane came forward looking pleased for some reason and knelt before his lord after taking the lion medallion.

"I Lord Gregor Clegane hereby pledge my fealty and that of my house to Lord Hadrian Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and the Westerlands. Warden of the West." Hadrian nodded slowly and turned to look at the other lords who nearly stampeding forward to give their own oaths. Hadrian listened with satisfaction. He had never planned to have to carry out such brutal acts in his own castle but it had served to remind his lords just what happened when someone crossed House Lannister. He did not enjoy it, but it was necessary or he would find himself faced with another Reyne-Tarbeck style rebellion.

However there was a hidden victory today that would ensure the loyalty of his vassals in the coming war. The lion medallion that he had made the lords hold while they made their pledge of fealty was engraved with runes. He had made it for today specifically because if someone made an oath holding a magical item even if they themselves had no magic, then the magical power in the object made it a binding contract. If any of his lords were to even think of betraying him now then magic itself would take a price for their disloyalty…probably their lives.

As the lords mingled around the castle the great feast was being prepared for tonight. Hadrian however had returned to his father's solar, which of course was now his. Accompanying him was Kevan who accepted a scroll that Hadrian had brought back from the capital.

"The legitimization of your grandson Jasen. Now you can name him your heir properly." Hadrian said as Kevan read the scroll which conveyed the name Lannister onto Jasen Hill, the bastard son of Kevan's own son Lancel. Although the boy was only four years old he would be able to teach him to be a better heir than Lancel could ever be. The boy was an embarrassment to Kevan, too arrogant, impatient and rude to ever take his place, even Lancel's own mother agreed it would be best to past things straight to Jasen.

"Thank you nephew." Kevan said allowing his guard to drop slightly in relief and Hadrian nodded handing his uncle a goblet of wine while taking one for himself in the other. They toasted silently before taking a sip and were about to take another when Genna entered the room accompanied by her second son, Lyonel who had only just returned after spending three years captaining a ship in Hadrian's merchant fleet.

Genna while still cubby was no longer as fat as she had been before Hadrian had put her in charge of caring for the bastard children of their family. Her marriage to Emmon Frey had been a colossal mistake and both Tywin and Hadrian had cursed Tytos for putting her through such a pathetic match just to keep Lord Walder Frey happy. Emmon was so weak and cowardly it beggared belief and his weakness often drove Genna to comfort eat especially since she had little else to occupy her time with. Raising and teaching the bastard children to be proper Lannisters had given her some purpose in life again and allowed her to lose some weight.

It helped too that Emmon and his children except for Lyonel where not allowed anywhere near the illegitimate Lannisters after Cleos, Emmon's eldest son had tried to rape one of the young girls. An act that had nearly seen the cowardly man executed but instead he was sent to the wall where he had deserted within a week and was swiftly killed by House Umber within another. Hadrian had increased the number of men sent to the wall in recent years, the importance of the wall for not just keeping the more dangerous wildlings out but also their best line of defence if the White Walkers should ever return meant it needed to be manned.

But today Hadrian was about to do something that was purely for Genna's sake.

"Aunt Genna." He said making the older blonde woman smile slightly but with confusion as she did not know why she had been summoned to her nephew's rooms. Hadrian poured two more goblets of wine and passed them to Genna and Lyonel who took them with surprise assuming that it must not be something bad or Hadrian would not be offering them wine. "I was hoping to hear your thoughts before I make it official but I have decided that it is high enough time that this ridiculous marriage between Emmon Frey and yourself is brought to an end. I have the King's approval to terminate the marriage if of course you desire it?" Hadrian asked hoping to cut all ties to the house of weasels once and for all. It was not as if they really needed the alliance as news had just arrived that Lord Hoster Tully had agreed to the marriage between his son Edmure and Cerenna Lannister. Stafford had been beside himself with glee at his daughter becoming the future lady of the Riverlands.

Genna was silent for a moment in shock while Kevan and Lyonel looked at Hadrian with surprise, even Tywin although angry at the match had done nothing to end it. Lyonel looked at his mother with a nervous curiosity at what she would do. Genna then smiled and told him simply.

"Now I feel safe again…Tywin may be gone but his son stands in his place watching over all of us." The three men in the room were silent and Hadrian then gave her a small smile before turning to Lyonel who looked very confused at all of this. Hadrian took a moment to study Lyonel before addressing him. He was the only one of Genna's own brood that did not look like a Frey. His face was strong with a prominent jaw and his eyes were the same shade of green as his mother's. But also his hair was a darker blond as opposed to the dull brown of his siblings.

"Lyonel, of all your siblings you are the only one that shows any sign of any Lannister blood. You have done well as captain of one of my merchant ships and have an intelligence that could be helpful to this house. If you wish to return the Twins with you Emmon and your siblings by all means I will not stop you but if you are willing to take the Lannister name I would like to consider you still a part of our family." Hadrian told his cousin who looked surprised that he would be allowed to stay at the Rock and even take their illustrious name instead of being packed off to the Twins along with his weakling father and useless siblings. He and his wife Melesa had enjoyed the years they had spent travelling the world but would now like to settle down due to her recently discovered pregnancy. It would be far better for both of them to be here than at the Twins along with all of Walder Frey's vast brood so he nodded in agreement.

"Actually…Lyonel." Genna said now with a relieved smile that the one son she could be proud of was allowed to stay so she decided to get her little secret out in the open. "Emmon is not you father. I confess that I slept with a Braavosi merchant who came not long after Cleos was born. He is your real father."

Lyonel however did not look surprised in the slightest and deadpanned.

"Given how different I am from my siblings' mother I had figured that out long ago."

On the other side of the world Jon Targaryen was approaching Astapor by ship. His constant companion Ghost was sitting at his side. He looked at the strange city before him. It was nothing like White Harbour or Braavos. The old sandstone buildings were strange to the eye as he had never seen such designs before but he shook himself back to the present and to the business at hand. This was the city where the Unsullied were brutally trained to be the most deadly soldiers in the known world and where he hoped to take his first step towards the Iron Throne which still filled him with a slight nervous dread at the thought.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he looked to see his aunt Daenerys staring at the city with a smile. She was particularly thrilled at what they were planning to do here, she had a real hatred of slavery and was determined to break the chains on every slave she could. For this trip they were both travelling under the assumed name Peverell until it was the right time to reveal their family's true name.

"Are you afraid?" She asked him and Jon said honestly.

"Yes." He had never been more scared in his life. This was his first step towards actual power and Daenerys rather than looking annoyed or angry with him smiled before telling him.

"Good, that means you are not a moron."

Their ship was accompanied by two other ships carrying a thousand soldiers under the command of Ser Jorah Mormont as their protection. Jon had been very surprised to learn that a son of one of his uncle's most loyal vassals was here but had been angered to hear he had once been involved in slavery only for Daenerys to reassure him that Ser Jorah was a good man and would stand at their side. So for now Jon would hold his judgement until he knew the man better.

As they made port in the city's harbour Daenerys took a moment to get him ready.

"Now remember you are a king albeit a secret one so you have to carry yourself like a king. Stand tall and proud, do not hide and do not show weakness. First impressions are always important and they shape how the future discussions will go." Daenerys said taking it upon herself to try and get her nephew up to the mark. She was to act as his advisor while he was on this campaign and teach him all she could about ruling, an art she had learnt from her own mother. And as the ship took the nearest available berth they saw a man standing there. He wore rich robes of Lys silk and was accompanied by two Unsullied who just stood at his side like statues and a young dusky woman dressed in a cotton dress who spoke for the man in the common tongue.

"Greeting traveller." The girl said to them as the man eyed Daenerys with his leering gaze which made Jon and Ser Jorah bristle with anger. The man seemed to notice and turned his attention back to Jon and spoke in the city's Valyrian dialect which the girl translated for him. "Welcome to Astapor. I am an emissary of the Good Masters of this great city. The letter you sent has of course brought great interest as you intend to buy a large number of our prized soldiers."

Jon looked at the girl who was translating and saw from her downcast expression that she was as much a slave as the Unsullied at the slaver's side. He resolved right now that this girl would not remain so for much longer and said back in the common tongue not letting on that both he and Daenerys understood what the slaver was saying.

"I accept your welcome and wish to see more of your great city and the Unsullied before I make any purchase to ensure that they are as capable as I was told." He did his best to keep his back straight and his voice level. His gaze remained as serious as possible without exposing the nervousness that he was feeling.

He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man nod furiously with glee while muttering what a stupid bastard Jon was while the man in question ignored and he told the girl something who swiftly translated.

"I would be more than happy to escort you around our great city and to show the training ground and fighting pits that have made our city famous my lord." He said and went to begin their tour and Daenerys who had studied the translator girl closely asked her quietly.

"What is your name?" The slave girl looked surprised that someone had bothered to ask her for her name and said back quietly so her master would not hear.

"Missandei my lady." Missandei however quickly fell silent at the hissed words of the slaver who told her not to talk to the Peverell whore without his consent. Something that brought a dangerous glint to Daenerys' eyes as she contemplated how to best put the man in his place. She thought for a moment about revealing that she understood what he was saying but decided against it so they could keep that small advantage to themselves for now.

So while most of their men stayed on the ship a tight phalanx of guards moved around Jon and Daenerys while they were shown the city. Missandei of course acted as the slaver's mouth piece when they were shown the gruesome fighting pits where they were just in time to see a pair of young boys covered in honey being forced into the ring with a fully grown bear and no weapons while the roaring crowd of slavers bet on which boy would be eaten first. The sight had made the two Targaryens and their men sick to their stomachs and it was a good thing that the man who was leading them around the city was too busy making a bet to see Jon's eyes narrow in disgust at what he was seeing. Missandei noticed however but kept her observations to herself.

Sometime later they finally arrived at the training grounds where the Unsullied where put through their brutal training regime before being sold on. The yard was vast but what really impressed Jon and Daenerys was the discipline that the Unsullied had as much as it horrified them that men could be turned into near emotionless drones at the same time. They stood in the individual units, completely still like statues. There was no talking, no fidgeting no movement of any kind. The men just stood there without even the slightest sign of life apart from the fact they were standing. When they saw what these poor men had been reduced to by men who sat back and got rich and fat from selling living human beings both Jon and Daenerys were appalled.

The men responsible for this met them on top of a large terrace that over looked the training grounds. The Slave masters were there indeed all wearing their gaudy robes and golden adornments. Jon and Daenerys did their best to keep their faces as calm as possible while all they felt was revulsion at these men. But they thought with dark satisfaction soon they would pay for their arrogance and greed.

"The Good Masters of Astapor welcome Lord Peverell and enquire how many Unsullied he intends to purchase." Missandei translated as what appeared to be the leading master spoke, filtering out many insults sent their way.

"How many have you got?" Missandei then spoke to her masters before replying.

"Eight thousand ready for sale currently with three thousand more in the midst of their intensive training. They are totally obedient taking any order without question, you ask them to kill themselves they will do it. They are the finest soldiers in the world." The slaver boasted and then he shouted out an order to the Unsullied below. "Unsullied, step back one pace, then to the side three paces."

Jon, Daenerys and Jorah watched in surprise as all the Unsullied did just that without any hesitation or deviation. Then Jon had an idea, he looked over to Ser Jorah and tapped his sword quietly and Jorah nodded understanding what Jon was planning before Jon turned to the slaver and asked him trying his best to appear eager and impressed.

"Good Master I am most impressed." He said eagerly and then made his gamble. "I wonder if I might test this obedience myself, just in case that little display was something you had rehearsed for your clients." He said adding the last bit hoping to rile the man enough to get him to make the mistake Jon wanted him to make. And the slaver who dared call himself a 'good' master looked slightly affronted and said quickly.

"Of course it is not rehearsed! I resent that implication most strongly. Very well if you wish to test it…Unsullied." The Slaver said looking slightly angry told the slave soldiers below. "You will obey the next command that this man give you without question." He addressed them and then without missing a beat Jon, Ser Jorah and their own men drew their weapons and cut down the slave masters before they even had a chance to react. Daenerys smiled as she saw the horrible masters get what they deserved while Missandei looked on shocked at the unexpected attack but Daenerys seeing her shock put an arm around her shoulder to comfort the girl. Jon meanwhile turned to the Unsullied who were still standing stock still as if nothing had happened and Jon then gave them his command now that the slave masters could not countermand it.

"Men of the Unsullied." Jon shouted out to them switching to the local dialect that he had been forced to learn before coming here. "Break the chains on every slave within this city and slaughter every slaver. The time for you to claim your freedom is now, seize it."

The Unsullied did not even hesitate to follow his words. They immediately began their attack on the slavers who were completely caught off guard by the sudden assault. Jon and Ser Jorah with their own swords in hand joined the fighting while the rest of their men stayed back to defend Daenerys. Seeing the Unsullied in action was more than enough to convince Jon that freeing them so they would join their cause was the right choice; the Unsullied were unstoppable, moving so quickly and with such deadly efficiency cutting down the slavers and all their regular soldiers with ease so that the entire city was theirs within an hour especially given how unprepared the slavers had been for the attack. The freed slaves in the city including the Unsullied gathered the former training yards where Jon stood ready to address them.

He was so on edge with nervousness that the crowd seemed to triple in number in his mind's eye and doing his best to swallow his nerves he addressed them in as loud and strong a voice as he could manage, surprising himself in how steady his voice was.

"People of Astapor, when I came to this city I came with the purpose of freeing you from bondage. No human being should be forced to endure what you have suffered and I swear to end this most disgusting of practises but I ask you all of you…join me." He said taking a breath before continuing. "This place, Slaver's Bay is an affront to freedom itself. For slavery to be so strong here that it warrants such a name cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. I ask you to be my army, to give me your swords as I take the fight to the slavers of this land and show them all that their days of comfort and luxury built on the backs of people they have bound in chains are over that we are united by something stronger than they can ever dream…the desire and the joy of freedom." Jon said emphasizing the last word with fury and as much passion as he could muster. The effect was immediate as all the freed slaves present began chanting in Valyrian the word freedom over and over again. Jon smiled as he and the rest of his party joined in the chanting.

Later that evening as the people of the city went home to rest after what could be charitably called an eventful day, in the former palace of one of the good masters Jon was still awake with the rest of his inner council as they planned their next move except now they were joined by Grey Worm the leader of the Unsullied, Missandei who Daenerys had decided to name as her companion and captain of their ship Marcus Quinn.

"Right with the Unsullied as far as I understand it we now have an army of thirteen thousand men including the twelve hundred we had with us when we started and the thousand or so volunteers from the city." Jon said as he looked down the map turning to Grey Worm who stood there tall and strong and asked him. "Are your men willing to join me in taking the fight to the slavers?"

Grey Worm did not hesitate to answer and stayed completely calm without a hint of expression.

"I and my men stand ready to serve you my lord."

Jon would have preferred a more detailed answer but the short one he had been given would do so he turned back to the map and said remembering the crash course in ruling and tactics he had been given before coming here and decided his plan of action.

"We also captured thirty former slave galleys and a number of fishing boats as I understand it." Jon said turning the Marcus Quinn who nodded and Jon said.

"I want the fishing boats to act as look outs for any ship entering or leaving Slavers Bay. Then the galleys can intercept and search it for any fresh slaves being sent in or out. It could also help stop any slavers trying to escape the area as we press onwards. We also need to take as much of the wealth of the Good Masters as he can. We can use it to pay the fishermen and hire additional men if we need them but also buy any supplies we need. Ships will come from Braavos but it is better to be as self-sufficient as possible. But until we get this city running properly then this is where we stay. A city watch and decent leadership has to be set up to protect it and we need to make sure that all of the Good Masters have been accounted for or they will just use their wealth or the support of other slavers to come back to retake whatever we liberate." The time would also give Jon time to get his new army organised and provisioned before they headed on to their next target.

Yunkai.

Three weeks later…

Back at Casterly Rock things had settled down and returned to normal after those tense first few days of the new regime. Currently Hadrian was in the main hall listening to the complaints of a septon sent on behalf of the Faith.

"This heresy is spreading faster than it can be contained my lord, I beg of you behalf of the Seven that you stamp out this abomination before it tears down all that we hold dear and casts us into the seven hells." The old fat septon demanded as Hadrian looked on the old man with mirth. The man was referring to the spread of the Old Gods religion in the south. About ten years ago Weirwood trees had started sprouting up in the Westerlands and other southern kingdoms with faces growing naturally as opposed to being carved. Around them the land seemed to become more fertile and crops grew healthier but also the words of the Old Gods were being whispered in the ears of the common folk who saw the increased and better crops as a sign of the Old Gods power and started praying to the Old Gods.

The common folk given a choice, found the Old Gods more to their liking than the Faith of the Seven. There was no need of services or septons/septas or holy texts and no need of monetary donations to keep the Gods happy. You did not have to undergo any sort of rite or service all you had to do was say your prayers to the Weirwood tree and that was it. And that if the gods wished to speak to someone then the wind would rustle the leaves of the tree. Even at a wedding, anyone could perform the ceremony although an official of some sort was better to make things legitimate in the eyes of the law. And in fact several of the things that the Old Gods condemned were things that were already frowned on in Westeros such as; kinslaying, incest and slavery and the Old Gods also upheld the rules of the hospitality.

And it was not just the common folk that were coming around the Old Gods, a lot of nobles had converted to the Old Religion too and it was all sending alarm bells through the Faith as they were losing followers and their power and could not organise in a military sense to stop it due to the law against them having any more than unarmed priests or priestesses. So they complained to the lords of the land to stop it but most lords like Hadrian simply did not care about such things. The Faith did little to actually help either them or the common folk and many septons actually violated the rules of their own church readily when it suited them, the Faith was indeed seeped deep in corruption. Hadrian knew for a fact that the septon right in front of him was one of the biggest clients of the largest brothel in Lannisport and three bastards had been fathered by him and he had extorted money from people for them to be forgiven for their sins.

"Religious freedom is something I support Septon and is allowed with the official law of this country. Why should I violate that on your say so?" Hadrian asked waiting for the man to speak knowing exactly what was coming next. The Septon puffed up in anger and said to him with all the melodrama he could muster.

"Then you and all your family will suffer the wrath of the Seven and you shall all burn the seven hells for all eternity." He said and Hadrian turned to Raphael who like him was bemused at the septon and his words. Hadrian did not even bother getting up as he lounged back in his chair and said calmly.

"So when your arguments fail to convince people you resort immediately to threats. You disappoint me septon. But if my family is already damned then I fail to see why I should pay you anymore attention. The guards will see you out." Hadrian said bringing the discussion to a close and got up from his chair as the objecting Septon yelled for him to listen to his words and return to the one true faith which Hadrian and his people ignored.

Hadrian smiled slightly, no-one as of yet knew that it was he who was responsible for the resurgence of the Old Gods in the south of Westeros. He had created those special Weirwood trees through alchemy that released nutrients into the soil around them and his spies had planted them in the Westerlands, Crownlands, The Reach, Stormlands and Riverlands. He was doing it solely to weaken the Faith, one of the two biggest threats to his magic and that of his children, the other being the maesters.

"What of Tyrosh my lord? They have sent another threatening envoy around all the Stepstone castles." Raphael asked him and Hadrian said simply.

"It will be dealt with, Ser Gregor Clegane will be joining us sometime this afternoon."

"Ser Gregor. Are you sure that is wise my lord?" Raphael asked given the man's terrible reputation and Hadrian gave him a quiet smile.

"For what I have planned, he will be perfect."

With that the two men left the hall and went to the training yard of Casterly Rock where Ser Benedict Broom, the Master of Arms was training Tyler and Richard to handle a sword alongside their cousin Tommen who made up for his lack of skill with enthusiasm and some of the bastards like Bowen Hill who would soon be squiring for Ser Addam Marbrand now he had been legitimised, Garth Hill and Jasen Hill. All the boys were trying their hardest with the wooden training swords while Jaime spared with his own illegitimate daughter Visenya that he had sired by a whore in the Crownlands after a particular nasty fight with Cersei. The sixteen year old girl was so much like Jaime it was scary, she loved all the same things he did, had the same great talent as a knight although she as of yet did not have a title. And strangely she had the same smile that cut like steel, laid back attitude, virtually no interest in politics or other such pursuits and like Arya Stark who was watching eagerly rejected any traditional female activity. They were all broken from this when Jaime disarmed his daughter and she huffed in anger before he tossed the sword back to her.

As his daughter got up to challenge him again Jaime felt a great sense of pride at teaching his daughter to fight regardless of how some would look down on it. He had never been given the opportunity to be a father or even an uncle to his children by Cersei who did not want anyone to guess who their father really was. But here he could happily claim Visenya and his other bastard daughter Sybelle as his children openly.

Arya was fascinated as the older Visenya picked up her lighter version of the long sword wondering if she could get a sword like that but then Visenya with her cocky smile that she had inherited from her father said.

"Aren't you supposed to be in lessons with Aunt Genna?" Arya scowled, she had been hoping to avoid that but seeing his newest ward Hadrian walked over and Visenya returned to sparring with her father while her uncle took charge of Arya.

"Come now remember our deal. To continue your training as a warrior you have to do well in your other lessons."

"I know but it is so boring." Arya said annoyed as Hadrian kept a light hold on her shoulder and gently guided her back into the castle and towards the library where Genna was holding her own lessons for the young ladies of the Lannister family, which Arya was currently skipping. Hadrian smiled, Arya had intelligence but it was more instinctive and unrefined not to mention she tended to be quite impatient and see the world in black and white probably due to her northern upbringing but he had faith that she could learn. So he decided to teach her something that might make her a little more willing to attend her lessons.

"Do you know what a warrior's most important weapon is Arya?" Hadrian asked stopping the middle of the corridor and before the girl had a chance to answer he told her. "It is his or her mind."

Arya looked at him not fully understanding so he enlightened her.

"Any fool can swing a sword, if the fool is lucky then maybe they might even be good at it. But a warrior that learns to sharpen their minds and their senses with knowledge and training can become truly great." He told the girl her interest now peaked. "How will your opponent come at you? What are the weaknesses in his or her form? These are the questions that a warrior must ask themselves. Learn the answers and already you have taken the first step towards defeating them. Being a lord and ruling over a kingdom is much the same. How can you ensure your keep the population in line? How do you enforce your law? Feed your people? Who are your enemies and how can you defeat them? If you want to successfully rule Arya then these are the things you must learn to ask yourself before you make decisions. Those who do not, don't last long. My own grandfather was much like that and he nearly ran House Lannister right into the ground." He warned her and then making sure they were alone summoned a fireball to his hands making it change colour while he told her.

"If not for your mind things like this would not be possible. Focus, knowledge and determination are all required." Arya seemed to take that on board and stretching her own hand out her brow screwed in concentration managed to make a small ball of flame appear although it remained orange rather than change colour. Hadrian smiled and extinguished his own ball of fire and then Arya's before leading her to the library where Genna was standing in front of all the girls including Myrcella and Joy Lannister and her younger sister Beth the bastard daughters of the missing and presumed dead Gerion Lannister amongst of others. Pushing her gently inside Arya felt annoyed and self-conscious as everyone turned to look at her and then slid into her seat and Hadrian nodded to Genna who smiled and continued her lesson.

"Now girls' one thing you must master is appearances." She told them and Arya looked ready to roll her eyes but then Genna said something that made her think twice. "Appearances are like armour, we project the image we want to protect ourselves. Whether that is as a strong and capable lady of the court or even a caring lover, get the right appearance and you can wrap anyone around your finger so chose how you want to present yourself. Women do rule, but instead of with fists and swords like a man we can use words and gestures as our weapons, something that most will never see coming. Use someone's ego, play to their strengths and weaknesses and you can bend nearly anyone to your will." Genna told the girls while Hadrian smiled as they all paid her their full attention including Arya.

In King's Landing things were not going so well for Ned Stark. His investigation into the death of Jon Arryn had become more dangerous than ever with the discovery of Robert's bastards. Two of them to be precise; one boy of five and ten working as a blacksmith's apprentice named Gendry and a baby girl named Barra born to a whore at Robert's favourite whorehouse. Both had very strong Baratheon features and in fact Ned was very what surprised at how much like a younger Robert Baratheon Gendry was in appearance anyway. Although he had yet to discover any more bastards of Robert he was sending the two he did know of north for their own safety given his recent discovery concerning the parentage of Queen Cersei's children. He knew he had to tell Robert but worried if that was the smartest thing to do given that Jon had only just taken the first steps towards building his army over in Essos and was not yet ready to retake his rightful throne. The fact that his nephew was taking such a firm stand against slavery made Ned more proud than he could say. Lyanna he knew would also be immensely proud of her son, taking his first steps towards his destiny. Ned wished he could be there to help Jon but he was needed here for now.

So he decided to wait a while longer before confronting Cersei until he was sure the time was right. He was broken from his thoughts by the sounds of light footsteps that belonged to his daughter Sansa, the only child that remained with him here in the capital.

"Sansa." He called out and saw his daughter walking in through the door and looked confused.

"Father is anything the matter?" His oldest daughter asked. She may look like a Tully rather than Stark but at her core Ned knew that Sansa was a northern girl, persevering and determined even if she did not know it herself yet. He got up from his desk and told her.

"I was hoping we could talk. Just you and me." Sansa looked confused.

"About what father?"

"Anything you want too. Just you and me." Sansa looked uncertain for a moment but allowed herself to be led over to the sitting area where they sat down and just talked. He smiled when one of the first things Sansa told him was that she was missing her siblings even Arya.

Meanwhile in Lannister House, Tyrion was feeling rather pleased with himself. In the last few weeks he had not been idle and established himself as a player in the game that was eternally played here in the capital. He had acquired the necessary money owed by the brothel owners to pay off the crown's debts to the Faith and the Trade Cartels and was already putting into place his financial plan that would allow them to put aside enough money to refill the treasury while slowly repaying the amount owed to the Iron Bank. He had established dirt on different figures throughout the city including; Pycelle, Renly, Lancel and the High Septon that he could make use of at any time.

His campaign against his sister was going well too. He had identified and turned most of her supporters to his own side secretly and many of her spies now reported to him. He knew of nearly every move she made and could counter it before she could even try something against him. Her powerbase had been subverted into his own and she had little to no idea that it had happened.

But that success aside it had not all been plain sailing, Cersei had tried to assassinate him by setting the manor alight but thankfully the fire had been caught early and quickly extinguished. So he had taken steps to increase his own protection to hopefully deter a second attempt. He now had Bronn, a low born and crude but highly skilled and ruthless sellsword as his sworn sword and had hired a sellsword company named the Summer Sons. A group of two hundred and fifty knights from Robert's Rebellion that had found themselves out of work after the war was over and had organised under Ser Gwayne Sunglass. Top notch professional mercenaries that had spent the last five years in Essos fighting the Dothraki and they were known for their keeping to contract as a matter of pride. They not only protected him and any in his retinue but key Lannister assets in the city. He had also made a strong alliance with Ser Jacelyn Bywater and therefore acquired the assistance of the city watch when he required it making his position stronger.

As he sipped his wine Bronn was fooling around with a pair of whores in the corner but Tyrion ignored him as he focused on his next move; eliminating Baelish. The Mockingbird had gone to ground since the failed attempt on Hadrian's and Prince Oberyn's lives during the Tournament of the Hand and while Tyrion would like to think he was still in the city, the youngest son of Tywin Lannister suspected that he might have fled to the Vale where their influence was much less substantial and was worrying what plans the Mockingbird was cooking up now and what trouble he might bring next time he set foot in the capital.

In his solar at Casterly Rock Hadrian sat at his desk working on his paperwork and the notices he had to send out when the door opened with one of the castle stewards telling him.

"Ser Gregor Clegane is here as you requested my lord." The steward said trying but not managing to hide his fear of the disgraceful giant of a knight. Hadrian nodded and the steward jumped to the side as the hulking Ser Gregor walked in. He would appear fearsome to nearly everyone who had the misfortune to come face to face with him; standing at nearly eight feet tall with a garishly muscled body that gave him such strength that he could wield two great swords at once without difficulty. But his appearance was only part of his legend, the other side was his immense cruelty sadistic to the extreme he had brutally scarred his own brother Sandor for just playing with a toy Gregor had wanted. He had murdered his own father, sister and two wives with cruel sadism and was notorious for rape and murder and for the common folk that lived near him, working at his tower Clegane's Keep was so dangerous that people were often forced into it and would disappear after only a short time never to be seen again.

While Tywin had viewed Gregor as a valuable tool and terror weapon, Hadrian thought otherwise. Hadrian knew that in the coming war Gregor might be useful but was it really worth the cost? The devastation the man caused just for the sheer pleasure of it, the disgrace on Hadrian's own name for allowing such a man into his service and also giving him free reign? It was a tricky decision and the solution he had come up with would hopefully solve his current troubles.

"You sent for me my lord?" Ser Gregor said in his deep baritone and Hadrian nodded getting his feet with his arms behind his back.

"Yes Ser Gregor, please help yourself." Hadrian said offering him a pitcher of wine and the largest goblet that they had in the castle. Gregor did not waste any time in grabbing the pitcher and pouring nearly the entire contents into the large goblet which Hadrian ignored as Gregor took a swig of his wine. "Ser Gregor I have a problem, a problem I believe you can solve."

Gregor looked at him expectantly, if Ser Gregor had one plus point it was his apparent loyalty to his liege lord so Hadrian explained in further detail.

"Recently the Island nation of Tyrosh has been threatening our new territories in the Stepstones, the same ones that they claim to own but did nothing about for decades. They have been sending rather aggressive emissaries demanding that we vacate the islands or they will force us to leave." Hadrian said annoyed. The Archon and the rest of the idiotic leadership of the island must really think highly of themselves if they think they can just threaten the Seven Kingdoms into giving up the islands that they had long ignored.

"They should be brought to heel my lord." Gregor said with a low growl and Hadrian smiled coldly, reminding Gregor of Tywin Lannister for a moment before Hadrian spoke again.

"Indeed Ser Gregor and I want you to do it." He said and he explained. "I have arranged for an emissary of my own you, to negotiate with the ruling nobility of Tyrosh." Gregor apparently did not like that idea at all.

"I am no diplomat my lord and we should not give in to those stuck up pricks." Hadrian however held his hand up to stop Gregor so he could continue explaining the mission.

"Hold your fire Ser Gregor I have no intention of listening to a word those idiotic fuckers have to say. But the meeting will be attended by all of their leading nobility." He said hinting at what the real objective of this meeting was. "I want you to take the most 'loyal' men you have and when you enter the hall, do not accept any food or drink so you do not violate the guest rights and wait until they are all in attendance before you eliminate them. But before you can get in you must present a gift so here is what I have for you to present." Hadrian said and Gregor feeling pleased at the orders he had received and was intrigued by the sceptre with a big red crystal made out of white appeared to be silver but Hadrian seeing the greed in his eyes and told him. "It is a fake of course, the crystal is just coloured glass while the metal is iron with silver paint. But it looks realistic enough to get you through the door and when the guests are all assembled you will smash it as a sign that we do not negotiate. If you do as I say and succeed then the island is yours. I will follow a short way behind with the full army." He added the last part as an incentive for Gregor to do exactly as he said, exactly as he had said it and just as he thought the greed in the man's eyes was enough to make him confident that he had made the right choice.

But Hadrian thought to himself quietly Ser Gregor was in for one hell of a surprise.

A couple of weeks later the ship that carried Ser Gregor and his most ruthless reavers arrived in Tyrosh. The tall knight looked upwards from the harbour at the city. Seeing the walls for himself, he could understand why his lord had chosen such a ruse to get him inside the city. The walls much like those of Dragonstone castle were fused blocks of black stone of the same name and would be very difficult to overcome in a direct assault, especially given it would be an amphibious landing as the distance between the shore and the walls was not very great. After all the Valyrians had built this place as a military outpost to control shipping through the Stepstones and it would have remained only that if not for the discovery of different varieties of sea snail that secreted chemicals that could be used to make a wide variety of different coloured dyes for clothing and hair and could not be found anywhere else. Those dyes had helped grow the small military outpost into a city within a couple of generations and soon Gregor thought with anticipation, that wealth would be his alone and a whole city for him to use to live out his most extreme dreams and desires. He would be free to do anything he chose and even the younger Lannister lord who was so foolishly giving him this city would not be able to stop him.

He was brought out of his dreams by their arrival at the city gates which were already open and a party of local nobles had gathered to meet them. They were dressed in such ridiculously coloured clothes and even coloured hair that Gregor scowled at them, this pretentious lot were hurting his eyes with their garish taste in decoration and he would enjoy gutting them he resolved. The gaudiest of all of them dressed in a multi-coloured silk robes with blue coloured hair looking only twenty name days old if that approached them flanked by a trio of slave soldiers that Gregor reckoned he could snap in half easily.

"Welcome to Tyrosh Lord Clegane, we accept you as the servant of Lord Lannister to negotiate the withdrawal of the Westrosi lords from our islands. I am Archon of the Tyrosh, follow us to the palace." The arrogant young ruler said not caring about the fact that he was talking down to the Mountain that rides, a man who was over two and a half foot taller than him. That rankled Gregor more than their presumptuous attitude that they somehow were so strong they could demand such things of a lord without even the slightest consideration of who they were talking too. He would enjoy gutting them and taking his own pleasure from their wives and daughters he thought to himself bringing a disturbing sneer to his face, something which did not go unnoticed by the men escorting them to the palace making them feel very nervous as they remembered the man's fearsome reputation.

The palace was as pretentious as its master, stuffed full of horrendous art and overblown displays of wealth. Gregor had never been much of an art lover, preferring to find his pleasures elsewhere but perhaps it might be worth a bit, he thought already counting his new wealth before he had even reached the main hall yet. The men and women gathered were all dressed in an eye watering collage of ridiculous colours and patterns that made Ser Gregor want to puke. The way they all looked at him when he entered did not endear them to Gregor either, snobs were the same in every society he thought to himself. They looked down on everyone else because they thought themselves better than others, Gregor was glad that he would soon show them the error of their ways.

The Archon and so called ruler of the island walked over to a great throne mounted on a marble plinth and looked down at Ser Gregor Clegane with distain and made his speech to the hall full of Tyrosh nobility.

"We welcome the servant of Lord Lannister, here to ensure the removal of the invaders from Westeros from the islands that are our birth right. If they leave willingly within the next month then we will not harm them when our army comes to claim the islands." The boy looked so sure of himself and the nobles all sneered at Ser Gregor with distaste. Well he would show them, Ser Gregor thought to himself as one of his men handed the sceptre he had been given by Lord Lannister and then said to the hall as his fury mounted.

"It is you that should have left."

With that he brought the sceptre down with all his might before anyone could say or even react to his words. The crystal smashed against the hard stone floor but that was the last thing that Ser Gregor, his men or anyone in the party knew of it.

The moment the crystal shattered a blue inferno erupted from the shards spreading outwards with great force into every space which it was able to reach. Anything organic that it came into contact with living or dead was instantly incinerated into ashes as the flames touched them. Nothing that was inorganic was even singed by the flames as they pushed outwards through the halls, rooms and corridors of the palace spreading as far out from the source of ignition as two hundred feet. Then as suddenly as it had appeared it stopped leaving a large palace completely devoid of life with a city below wondering what had just happened as the blue flames erupted into the open air then vanished.

From the deck of his ship which was leading the Lannister fleet, Hadrian looked through a telescope or Myr glasses as they were known here and saw the blue flames explode outwards from the palace, killing all the city's nobility in the process. He smiled handing the telescope to Lord Arthur Torres who was standing at his side along with the newly renamed Lyonel Lannister and Hadrian's own brother Jaime who were all looking in slightly scared awe.

"There you are Lord Torres that should be the end of any troubles from Tyrosh and shut Myr and Lys up for a while. Your hold on the Stepstones is secure." Hadrian told Arthur who looked impressed despite himself and asked him.

"How did you know that was going to happen my lord?"

Hadrian just smiled knowing a silence was far better as it would allow rumours of this to spread and keep people guessing so he allowed his thoughts to drift back to the weapon he had just used. When he had discovered the fire stone that the Targaryens had used to hatch their three new dragons he had taken the time to study it and with that learned how to replicate it. But he had made several alterations to his own versions with some of the deepest alchemy work he had ever done, requiring immense concentration and a lot of energy. To make just the three crystals had so far had taken him nearly a year's work. But it meant that his fire stones had specific effects rather than just a fire that would consume everything in its path and carry on until there was nothing left to burn, his flames would only damage what they had been designed to damage like in this case it would destroy anything organic but leave anything that was inorganic intact and then burn out once it reached a certain distance from the point of ignition rather than kill everything in the city.

Hadrian turned to Lyonel who had just gotten the telescope to have a look at the city and said to him.

"I will need a new lord of Tyrosh to rule the city once we have gained full control. Given that I asked you to learn the city's dialect before you left to captain one of my ships I hope you are interested in the position?" Hadrian asked Lyonel who looked stunned as did everyone else.

"Why me? Why not Lord Stafford or Lord Kevan?" Lyonel asked confused at why his cousin was giving him such an important responsibility and advantageous position. As ruler as Tyrosh he could become a very wealthy man and his family's future would be secure which he desperately needed now that Melesa was pregnant. Otherwise he would need to rely on his mother's family for help. Now his cousin was offering him a rich city seemingly for nothing over other more likely candidates.

"You have your mother's intelligence and cunning. You are well travelled, you speak the local dialect and more importantly you are family. There is no better candidate. Swear your loyalty and that is all I ask." Hadrian told Lyonel being completely truthful. He had been planning the conquest of Tyrosh since he conceived conquering the Stepstones and knew of all his cousins and extended family Lyonel was the best choice at present. But then they were broken from the small talk by a reminder from Jaime who was now leaning back against the mast.

"That might be brother but if you haven't noticed we still have to conquer the city first before our cousin can claim his new seat." Jaime smirked although he did not like the look of those walls and was worried how hard it would be to assault them even with the siege equipment that they had brought with them, but although Lyonel and Arthur were worried about the same thing Hadrian did not look worried at all. He just smirked as then as if by magic the city's doors opened leaving the city wide open for their army to march right in.

The three other men were completely caught by surprise at the unexpected turn of events. The answer to this little miracle however was simple and completely non-magical, one of the sellsword companies that Tyrosh had hired for their planned attack on the Stepstones was the Bright Banners. Five hundred light infantry and five hundred cavalry of good quality but what the Archon and the nobles of the island city had not known was that it was one of the five sellsword companies owned by Hadrian. Their commander Bloodbeard had been waiting for the right signal, the fire at the palace and quickly had attacked the city's defenders at the gate and caught them by surprise, overwhelming them and throwing open the gates for the Lannister army.

From there it was a simple and quick operation, the Lannister army marched straight into the city meeting virtually no resistance apart from the occasional pockets here and there. The fire at the palace and the sudden opening of the city's doors combined with the sheer size of the Lannister army cowed most instantly into submission. Unlike the sacking of King's Landing nearly two decades before, this time it was no great slaughter and no great pillage. They would only stay long enough for Lyonel to be established as the new ruler and for the city to be secure. With Hadrian's spies in the city keeping an eye out for potential trouble makers it would hopefully not take too long. Breaking the chains on any slave they found meant that many low ranking nobility not invited to the palace that might have challenged the Lannisters were pointed out by their slaves who heard all their former masters had said and would give Lyonel a loyal following he could use to establish himself.

As a further reminder to the population of just who now ruled this city, large lion banners were hung from the palace walls for all to see and their flag raised at the gates of the city.

Days later…

At Old Town in the Reach, the oldest city in all of Westeros the sun was rising over the horizon. It promised to be a lovely day with a good warm temperature and clear skies. The city was slow and lazy to wake but as people rose to begin their day they could not have known that it was going to be one of the most eventful they would ever experience in their lives if they lived to tell about it.

On Hightower the lighthouse of the city which was were the ruling house had gotten their name, the tallest structure in Westeros rising to eight hundred feet above ground a lone guardsman was just coming on duty as the sun rose. He was still wiping the sleep from his eyes when he looked to the mouth of the bay which ships used to enter and exit Old Town and he was stunned senseless by what he saw.

Coming towards the city was a vast fleet of ships, all different types flying the flags of Lys, Myr and worse the black flag of pirates and slavers. The leading ship was painted entirely black with blood red sails and a real corpse rigged to its bow, the sails bore a painted circle of chains with a skull in the centre. The symbol of Horus D'Artegan.