Chapter sixty-three: Setting Precedents.
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~~Varys, first moon, 277 AC~~~
~~~Red Keep, King's Landing~~~
The session began without delay, with small skirmishes from small lords of the crown lands who wanted more than what belonged to them. Some raised issues of bandits on the king's highway, high taxes, and even lost buying and selling of goods due to the refusal of several free cities to sell their wares with Westeros.
However, one of the things that caught the most attention was when Leo Tyrell, apparently the son of Ser Victor Tyrell, a distant cousin of Lord Mace, interrupted the session by speaking loudly when he came in.
"Enough of this fallacy!" he spoke practically, shouting, his tone red from exertion and somewhat irate, "The Reach is drowning because it cannot sell its products, and you are still here enjoying the comfort while you plunge the Reach and House Tyrell into ruin from your high taxes."
While his words had truth in them, that was not the method of showing it, especially in front of the court and, if that was not enough, in front of the king, who, while being calm and particularly 'happy' today, perhaps due to the visit of my Xandarian compatriots and the slim and fleeting chance of getting a dragon, made it a singularly appetizing day for him.
However, after getting to know him during the several moons I had stayed in his court and after winning him over with sweet and tale-filled words, I came to know his mood swings very well, which I saw when, even from the height where he stood on his hideous throne, I could see his eyes become erratic as he thundered his fingers on his hands.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THINKING COMING TO MY COURT TO REVEAL YOUR DAMNED DESIRES!!!?" Exploded the king from on high, his gaze angry and full of contempt for the Tyrell man.
"I apologize if I failed to control myself," said Leo Tyrell once he came to his senses and realized his mistake, only to make the situation worse, "still, the damn Xandarians, those backward, long-haired, horse-fucking foreigners are stealing trade from the Reach, I implore His Grace to do something."
Immediately, I looked at Zoila and her guards, the latter being held back by a hard look Zoila gave them. She herself was wearing a frighteningly serious countenance and a clenched jaw as she fought the urge to draw her sword and kill the man.
Despite that, the most negative reaction of all was from the king, who wasted no time and started down the stairs of the iron lathe while cursing the poor man who didn't know what situation he had entered: "I'll have your damn life for that! You come to my court, disrespectfully present yourself, call me a thief for asking for what is rightfully mine as your king, and in passing, dare to insult my distinguished guests."
Leo Tyrell looked and managed to see Zoila's group, who bore the coat of arms of Xandar: the purple dragon on an amber field, four-legged and with a golden crown on its neck. He widened his eyes comically upon learning that he had insulted the Xandarians while some of them were present.
On the other hand, Ser Gerold and Ser Barristan were approaching Leo to subdue him, only to be stopped by someone other than the king when Zoila spoke for the first time amid the court.
"Your Grace," Zoila commented with a cruel smile, catching the king's attention, as did everyone else. "If I may, I would like to wipe away the disgrace this man has just done to my kingdom and king."
This pleased Aerys, who stared at Zoila for a few minutes, thinking about the request, "Yes," he finally spoke, his gaze lowering to the floor as he nodded, "Yes, you will. You have my permission."
"And you," Aerys said, referring to Leo, "get a sword."
For my part, I glanced at Zoila, who glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and gave a slight, sly nod. This gave me peace of mind, knowing that at least I wouldn't do anything to damage relations with the king.
Soon enough, Leo Tyrell was in the middle of the great hall, bearing a fine sword. The king had not returned to the throne, instead sitting on the steps and watching the spectacle that was to unfold in a few moments.
As for Zoila, she was talking to her guards; apparently, they wanted the pleasure of killing the Tyrell man.
However, I knew that wouldn't be Zoila's decision, and I confirmed it when she got to where Leo was.
Aerys smiled, being quite at ease with the bloodshed. On the other hand, many court nobles were skeptical that a woman would fight a man of the realm, partly because Zoila was a foreigner.
Tywin, on the other hand, kept a calculating gaze and analyzed Zoila's every move. He came to where Leo stood and waited for the king's approval.
"And here we are! Facing the trial of Leo Tyrell, who committed verbal offenses against the crown, calling it a thief and at the same time insulting important members of a foreign kingdom who came to me at my call," Aerys spoke eloquently and sensibly, even showing traces of a good orator, demonstrating how his reign had stood.
For while peace had been achieved for reasons outside of himself, it was also necessary to acclaim the effort made by him and his hand, for Tywin controlled and led the realm while Aerys controlled the court. They are a fantastic duo.
"Alright, Zoila, get this over with so we can meet to talk business," Aerys said to Zoila with a maniacal grin, earning a nod from Zoila and thus beginning the fight.
Leo wasted no time. ' Taking advantage' of Zoila' being 'off guard' still looking in Aery's direction, he ran up to Zoila while raising his right arm upwards, making a horizontal parabola from the outside in, gaining momentum and speed.
Leo, expecting to hurt Zoila with his strike, was in for several surprises as Zoila turned around, grabbed a whip she had kept attached to her waist, and lashed it against Leo's right arm. Holding his arm, she then yanked on the whip, causing Leo to lose his balance and fall face forward.
"Even children fight more than you," Zoila said to Leo with the utmost contempt, not bothering to be heard by the members of the great hall. Who had been silent once the fight had begun?
Zoila, still holding her whip with her left hand and keeping Leo on the ground with the help of her boot, looked at Leo as he begged for mercy and pleaded to be let go, only to receive a refusal from Zoila, who, with her right hand took a pointed dagger from her corset and, without blinking or hesitation, made a fluid motion with her hand and drove the dagger into Leo's temple, killing him and starting a solid precedent for everyone in the hall.
Zoila killing the damn man was not my concern; hell, if he didn't get a punishment myself, I would have the dogs 'attack' him by accident; however, the fact that Zoila, an envoy of the king and Xandar had killed a noble, no matter how insignificant it had been, created a precedent for everyone.
Especially for the other nobles, who would begin to believe that they had no protection, not even from Aerys himself 'protector of the realm'. That could trigger a rebellion, especially given the fact that it would be the Reach, who are under the command of the Tyrells, who would be the ones most involved in fomenting reprimands for the fact that it was one of their kinsmen who was killed today.
"Take his remains back to his cursed home from whence he came." However, Aerys didn't care about that, judging how he treated the corpse of Ser Leo Tyrell, who stepped over the body and faced Zoila, "Today's session is over! Begone all of you, and you, Zoila, come with me to the small council. There are many things to discuss."
With Aerys' words, all those who had not yet had an audience were forced to leave while Aerys began to make his way to the small council chamber, a room behind the throne room, which had been fitted out for such meetings after Aerys decided that he would not climb stairs in the keep for such appointments.