RWBY × GoT

Chapter 33: Flare-Up

'Contrary to most laypersons' impression, transportation back in the age of the Ruby Order was quite a convoluted affair. While the fastest way to travel was generally by horse, that was only true in most situations - such as a single rider, or a small group, travelling with either replacement mounts or along a route where horses that had thrown a shoe or suffered an accident could be replaced quickly and when travelling light. Larger groups, or people travelling with a lot of supplies, such as most cavalry formations of the time, took decidedly longer than a similarly sized infantry unit to cover the same distance, although both usually were limited by the speed of their supply train's wagons, which was exceedingly slow, doubly so because of the deplorable state of the roads at the time. Ships were the preferred method of transportation for everyone except those who suffered from sickness at sea. Though this changed in the same year the Ruby Order arrived in Westeros, and in this case, we have sufficient proof that the correlation is causation.'

A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"...and then the Prince told me that he needed a thief. He didn't tell me what for, but… He was the Prince. I wasn't about to question his orders. So I went and got him a thief from Fleabottom."

Unlike Father, Tyrion Lannister didn't openly scowl at Clegane's 'confessions', but he shared the sentiment. Clegane was painting a very unflattering picture of Joffrey. Not a wrong one, of course - Tyrion was well-aware of his oldest nephew's character and temper - but certainly not how a noble and sworn sword would be expected to describe the King he served. Why was he doing this, then?

He glanced at the Regent presiding over the trial. Lord Eddard was listening with a grave expression, and while he didn't seem to be very surprised by the tale Clegane told, neither did he seem to have expected this.

Lord Stannis, of course, was showing an open disdain not merely for the accused but for at least half the people present, or so it seemed. But that was his usual expression when he deigned to appear in Court, so that didn't tell Tyrion either whether he was behind this sudden urge of Clegane to expand on his experiences with the late Prince.

Lord Renly, on the other hand, and Ser Loras couldn't look any smugger if they tried. So, Tyrion's money was on them being behind this barely-veiled attempt to weaken House Lannister even further.

Well, Tyrion might be the smallest Lannister, but he would not forget this. And neither would Father, of course. If things continued, Father would be making plans for feuds with every house and Lady Ruby and her friends. And likely the Faith of the Seven as well.

You didn't have to be as cunning as Lann the Clever to realise that this wouldn't, couldn't end well.

"And what did the Prince order the thief to do?"

"To steal magic powder from the Four Maidens."

The entire hall was filled with whispers at that, even though you'd have had to be a lackwit to have missed - or dismissed - the rumours that had been circulating at Court ever since the night Joffrey had died.

Lord Eddard scowled as he leaned forward. "Did you do anything to stop this?"

Clegane shrugged. "I didn't bother. Those were the Prince's orders, and it wasn't my place to question him." He snorted. "I didn't expect the thief to succeed, anyway. Not against the Maidens."

Tyrion glanced at Lady Weiss, whose cheeks were flushed at that. Tyrion had expected that - it would be embarrassing for a lady of her power and position to have been the victim of a pickpocket from Fleabottom. Any other noblewoman would be suffering some veiled and not-so-veiled comments about this, but Tyrion didn't think anyone would be as foolish as to openly attack her. Not with Cersei serving as the best example of what awaited those who did.

"And when she succeeded, what did you do then?" Lord Eddard went on with the questioning despite the murmurs filling the hall.

"I was with the Prince when she arrived," Clegane replied. "And when she tried to attack him, I struck her down at once."

"Why would she attack the Prince?" Lord Eddard's tone showed a hint of how little he believed this. "Why would she betray him?"

But Clegane shrugged again. "I don't know what the Prince did to her while she was here. But he had a cruel side. Wouldn't surprise me if he hurt her, and she wanted revenge."

It wouldn't surprise Tyrion, either. But it would surprise him if the thief had dared to attempt anything in Clegane's presence. The whole story was riddled with lies, but there was enough truth to it to utterly ruin Joffrey's reputation - and, by extension, damage House Lannister's even further.

"Renly and the Tyrells look awfully pleased," he muttered. Prince Oberyn as well, but that was a given.

Father scoffed. "Don't state the obvious, boy. We will get through this, and we will pay them back," he whispered.

Tyrion nodded, but he couldn't help doubting this. Even with Tommen being completely unlike Joffrey, people would try to paint him with the same brush. And the rumours of his illegitimacy would not die down, either. Not even with Team Ruby's public support for his claim.

No, he thought as Clegane chose the Black before Lord Eddard could call out his sentence, we're in the greatest crisis since Aegon's Conquest. And Father might be too blinded by his pride to realise that his usual measures won't solve this.

Tyrion, on the other hand, knew that the key to saving his family lay with Team Ruby.

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"Nephew. Niece." Tyrion nodded at them, smiling as he looked them over.

"Uncle Tyrion!"

"Uncle Tyrion."

Myrcella seemed happy - Tyrion knew the difference between her putting on a smiling face and being genuine - but Tommen… He wasn't quite sulking, but he seemed moody. "Is something wrong?" Perhaps this was a bit too blunt, but Tyrion was a bit too tired of putting on an act with his family. Or he had been spending a bit too much time with Lady Ruby and her half-sister.

"Ah…" Myrcella glanced at her brother.

"Nothing," Tommen said in an almost sulking tone as he petted one of his cats. Tyrion raised his eyebrows at him, and the boy caved. "I… I don't want to be King."

Tyrion suppressed a sigh. Not that again. "That's not a decision you need or should make today, Tommen. Wait until you're older and understand what it entails. What it means for you." And for their family.

"I won't grow older!" Tommen blurted out, startling the cat on his lap.

"What?" Tyrion frowned at him. What had he said?

Tommen looked down at the cat and started petting it to calm it down. "I'll be dead before I become King. Or after I become King. Like Father. Like J-Joffrey. Like the M-Mad King and his sons."

Tyrion grimaced. Perhaps his history lessons had been, in hindsight, a little inappropriate. But then, surely, King Robert would have told his children the tale of how he took the throne? He loved to talk about the Battle of the Ruby Ford. Or some courtier, trying to flatter their family, would have done so. And all the gossip during the trial of the Mountain, bringing up his past deeds… No, this wasn't Tyrion's fault.

But it was his duty to fix this. "You think that you're in danger because you're to inherit the throne," he said, nodding solemnly.

"Yes! Like everyone else!" Tommen blinked and then sniffled, clutching the cat against himself.

The animal must be used to him since it didn't try to squirm out of his grasp, Tyrion noted before he frowned - he couldn't get distracted! Smiling ruefully, he nodded at his nephew. "Unfortunately, Tommen, you'll be in danger whether you want to become King or not. As King Robert's son, you have a claim on the throne."

Myrcella gasped, but Tyrion ignored her and focused on Tommen.

Who was shaking his head. "But I don't want to become king!"

"Some people won't believe you. And some won't care because they'll expect others to push your claim anyway," Tyrion told him. And some would want to kill him just for being a Baratheon and a Lannister.

"But… That's not fair!" Tommen complained with a wail.

"Life isn't fair." Tyrion shook his head. If it were, his mother would be alive, and he wouldn't be a dwarf.

"That's what Grandfather said," Myrcella cut in.

Tyrion scowled at that. He wasn't like his father! Then he noticed Tommen and Myrcella cringing and leaning away from him.

Fuck!

He smiled again. "The important thing is that whether you're King or not, you'll be in the same danger. But as King, you'll have the Kingsguard protecting you. And Team Ruby." The girls would probably protect him anyway, but that wasn't important right now. Not that they had been able to protect King Robert, anyway. But as the King to be, Tommen was valuable. To Father. As a Maester or a member of the Night's Watch, he'd be an embarrassment.

And Tyrion knew very well how Father treated embarrassments.

"They c-couldn't p-protect F-Father. Or Joffrey," Tommen stammered.

Tyrion swallowed his first answer. Sarcasm or cynicism wouldn't help. Tommen was a little boy. He wouldn't understand. "That doesn't mean they'll fail you."

"B-But…"

Tyrion hesitated a moment. This was low. Very low. But it wasn't… well, it was not quite correct. But neither Tommen nor their family could afford to lose their claim to the throne. "If you don't become King, then Myrcella will have to become Queen." Probably by marrying the next King or his son.

Myrcella gasped and hunched over, her hands clenching around each other.

"But…" Tommen glanced at her, then at Tyrion. "She's a girl!"

"She's a princess. And if you don't become King, she'll have to step up." As a bride, of course - male heirs took precedence. Though with Team Ruby around, even that might change. Father would certainly attempt to make it so if he were left with only Myrcella as a path to the throne.

Myrcella trembled, Tyrion noted, and seemed to bite her lower lip.

He focused on Tommen again. His nephew shook his head.

"Do you want that?" Tyrion leaned forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's your sister."

"I…" Tommen sniffled. "I have to protect her. I'll become King."

"Tommen!"

"I have to! I'm your brother!"

Tyrion smiled even though he felt guilty for manipulating his nephew. But the things you did for family…

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"You have decided to become King?"

Weiss sounded surprised and a bit annoyed - Ruby Rose knew that tone. Her partner always sounded like that when she discovered something wasn't going as she had expected. Weiss was the best partner you could wish for: smart and always composed. Almost always, Ruby amended her thoughts. There had been a few situations when Weiss had lost her cool and had shown her temper. Sometimes because of Ruby, but that was ancient history. But she still didn't like surprises very much. Like surprise training sessions that upset her schedule. Or learning that all the plans you had made because of something were now useless, because something had changed.

Like Tommen suddenly deciding that he wanted to become King. Weiss had worked hard - brainstorming, she had called it - on finding ways how to handle that, what with everyone at Court so interested in the succession, and now everything she had thought of was pointless.

"Why?" Weiss frowned as she leaned forward, hands on her hips. "You were afraid of becoming King!"

And Tommen looked like he was currently very afraid of Weiss, Ruby noted. She glanced to the side, but both the Kingsguard (Ser Preston) and the servants standing at the wall next to the door seemed to ignore the scene - Ser Preston was looking at the window instead! Myrcella was fiddling with her doll and acting like she was ignoring it as well, but Ruby could see she wasn't sneaking glances at her brother and Weiss.

She cleared her throat. "Weiss, you're coming on a bit strongly."

"What? Me?"

Ruby nodded and pointedly glanced at Tommen, who was looking a bit paler than usual.

"Oh!" Weiss flushed a bit. "Sorry, my prince. I didn't intend to scare you!"

"You, ah, didn't. It's OK," Tommen said with a very weak smile.

"It's not OK!" Weiss shook her head. "I can only offer my apologies. I was taken by surprise by your recent change in opinion. What brought this on, if I may ask?"

That was polite Weiss-speak for 'Tell me! Now!' - Ruby was also familiar with that tone.

"Ah…"

"Did your grandfather make you do this?" Weiss narrowed her eyes, and Tommen cringed again.

But then he shook his head. "No! Grandfather didn't say anything!"

"He's doing it for me," Myrcella said.

Ruby blinked. "For you?"

Weiss seemed surprised as well.

Tommen nodded. "If I don't become King, Myrcella will have to, ah, 'step up'. And she would be in danger then. Uncle Tyrion said so."

Myrcella nodded.

"But…" Weiss shook her head. "I read up on the succession laws. Your uncles would ascend to the throne before you, Myrcella. It's very sexist, but you wouldn't be forced to become queen."

But even if she wanted to become a queen, she couldn't. Westeros's laws were really stupid, in Ruby's opinion.

Myrcella nodded. "I would be expected to marry the next king or his heir, though. To reunite the lines."

"And that would put her in danger!" Tommen said. "So, I have to become King to keep her safe."

That sounded a bit… Ruby glanced at Weiss.

Her partner was trying not to scowl. And probably trying not to hit something. Ruby knew that mood of hers as well. "That's… noble of you, Tommen. And brave." She looked like she wanted to add something else, but didn't.

Tommen nodded with a sad smile. Myrcella reached over to squeeze his shoulder.

"Yes, that's really brave of you," Ruby said with a smile. He was looking out for his sister. She could understand that. Siblings had to take care of each other. Especially if their parents couldn't.

"Yes." Weiss nodded. "I am certain that Uncle Tyrion and Lord Tywin are also happy with your decision."

But Weiss wasn't happy, Ruby could tell. Well, at least she hadn't actually talked to anyone else yet about all of this. If she had been talking to Lord Eddard, Lord Stannis or Lord Renly about this, it probably would have been a big mess right now. But what they didn't know would…

Ruby winced and looked at the servants and Ser Preston. Yeah, they probably knew already about this, or would soon. That sort of news always leaked, as Blake had explained.

*****​

Street of Steel, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"A bicycle?" Ruby cocked her head at Gendry. "You want to make a bicycle?"

"If it's possible, my lady."

She frowned a little at the title. Only a little, though. Gendry was a friend, but he was supposed to talk to her as if she were a noblewoman, and those were the rules. Stupid rules, like the stupid laws. But that wasn't any of her business - no one was going to be hurt or suffer for calling her 'my lady'. "How did you hear about Weiss's bicycle?"

"I was told so at the Great Sept, my lady. Was it supposed to remain a secret?"

That had been a private conversation with the children of Lord Eddard and the late King. Of course, everyone would hear about it.

She shook her head. "Naw. It's OK. I was curious."

"So is everyone. It sounded quite marvellous, and, well…" He blushed a little. "I was thinking I might try to build one, but I've never seen one, so…"

"Ah!" She smiled at him. That she could help with. "No worry, I know how bicycles work." Somewhat. She had never built one, but how hard could it be, compared to designing and building and upgrading Crescent Rose? You just needed a frame, wheels - oh, wait, they didn't have rubber here, so… Hm… what could absorb shocks like a tyre? Without that, any ride would be very bumpy. Unless… springs! They'd need springs! That would work. And to save weight, hollow steel pipes. And brakes - two sets, one for emergencies. Gears… five should be enough, and the changer would need some cables - did they have cables here? Rope might replace it, but maybe they could add a different system? And the chain would take some fine work to fit all the gears. Hm… "We'll have to make every piece by hand," she mumbled. That would take a while. But they could do it! "We'll make the best bike ever!"

She beamed at Gendry.

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"So… turns out making a bicycle is harder than I thought, at least with the tools we have here."

Weiss Schnee raised her eyebrows at her partner. Ruby was smiling in that adorable way of hers when she needed help but was embarrassed to ask. "You tried to make a bicycle? Why?" She had no doubt that Ruby was faster running than on a bicycle, certainly one constructed in this world.

"Gendry asked me," Ruby replied. "He had heard about Stardust."

Weiss sighed. Gossip truly travelled faster than anything else in this world and in Remnant. Although, to be fair, anything involving the royal family and Team RWBY was likely not mere gossip, but important news for the local population. Not unlike news about the movers and shakers of Atlas back home.

"So…" Ruby beamed at her with a bit too much effort - she was showing too many teeth.

Weiss sighed. "Yes, I will help you design a workable bicycle, Ruby."

"Thanks, Weiss!"

And there came the hug. Weiss managed to brace herself so her partner and team leader's enthusiastic reaction to what amounted to common courtesy didn't bowl her over. Although she would be lying if she didn't admit that getting hugged was comforting. "It'll be a good distraction from trying to make sense of this latest development," she said.

"Oh!" Ruby drew back and put her hands on Weiss's shoulders. "Is that really that bad? We didn't do anything yet, so there's nothing to undo, right?"

They hadn't talked to anyone about Tommen's now withdrawn wish to abdicate, that was true. But… "The prince changed his opinion once after talking with Lord Tyrion. Who has a quite obvious incentive to support his claim to the throne. What if he changes his opinion again after talking to one of his other uncles?" Both had clear incentives to bar any child of the former queen from ascending to the throne.

"Lord Stannis and Lord Renly?"

Weiss nodded. "Lord Renly, I think - Lord Stannis doesn't seem to consider Prince Tommen his nephew, and I doubt he could hide his opinion well enough to influence the prince." The nobleman was blunter than a polished club. His younger brother, on the other hand, was far more charming. Weiss was familiar with the type - a few had tried their charms on her before she left Atlas for Beacon. She could see Lord Renly changing Prince Tommen's mind again in a comforting and private talk. It would be harder, what with the boy so determined to sacrifice himself to protect his sister, but if Lord Renly offered to protect Princess Myrcella…

"They would do this so they can take the throne?" Ruby scowled.

"Lord Stannis is next in line. And if he has no legitimate son, then Lord Renly would inherit the throne from him." And Weiss had heard enough rumours and gossip to understand that not many at Court expected Lord Stannis to have another child. She clenched her teeth. It was such a sexist, misogynist rule! Par for the course for this realm.

Ruby huffed. "And no one cares about what the children think."

That was, unfortunately, not uncommon in Remnant either, at least in the circles Weiss frequented. "Let's go. Working in a smithy will cheer you up." She checked that she had all her Dust on her - no one would steal a single vial any more if she could help it, and she could! - and gestured towards the door.

"And you!" Ruby flashed a smile at her.

"I'll limit myself mostly to supervising, I believe." Weiss smiled. She could maintain Myrtenaster - her tutors had ensured that she could that since she'd be a poor Huntress if she couldn't keep her weapon working in the field - but she was not the engineer Ruby was. But maybe she could help her partner by curbing her tendency to overengineer everything. No one needed a mechashifting bicycle.

She blinked. "You didn't try to make it shift, did you?"

"No! Well, not really. I did think about it, but only theoretically! But we can't make the components for a shift, and we don't have good designs, though I could probably copy and adapt parts of my baby, if I had a good forge. Which I don't."

She most certainly had tried to create a mechashift bike. Weiss smiled fondly as they walked out of their room while Ruby explained her thoughts about the design. Watching Ruby work on her projects, no matter how outlandish they were, was always enjoyable. She was so passionate about it.

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

The sea beneath her was dark, not very calm, and empty. At least, Blake Belladonna couldn't see anybody caught on the sharp rocks and reefs surrounding the cliff upon which the Red Keep stood. And she hadn't seen or smelled anything that would indicate that someone had disposed of a body recently. No blood stains, no scent of blood or emptied bowels, no fibres caught on sharp angles and edges in the tunnels.

That didn't mean that there hadn't been a body disposed of here, though. Absence of evidence wasn't evidence of absence. She couldn't prove such a negative. Not unless she could prove that the spy she had observed placing a potentially incriminating package in Lord Baelish's office was still alive.

But she hadn't seen the child since that day. Not inside the Red Keep, not in the safehouse the spies used in the city. That didn't mean they were dead, of course - they could have been sent on a longer mission. Or to another city. Instead of being murdered in cold blood to hide the connection to Varys. Surely, children, even if they were young, would notice if their fellow spies disappeared after an important mission? They were trained as spies, and that must include the skill to recognise patterns. Would Varys really risk upsetting his spies - potentially turning them against himself - for a bit of added safety? If he suspected that the child might be observed or might talk to someone, would he have risked sending them out at all? Killing a child could draw attention to the very thing he wanted to be hidden, so it wouldn't be implausible to assume that the child was alive but merely displaced.

Her gut feeling disagreed with that assumption. Varys used mute - mutilated - children as spies. A person who did this was far more likely to see them as disposable tools rather than people. And he was unlikely to trust them - children were manipulated more easily, as Tommen's change of mind proved, and trusted more easily as well compared to adults. Especially spies. No, her gut feeling told her that the spy was dead. Either buried in a shallow grave or swept out to sea.

And it was her fault. If she had prioritised the child… But how could she have kept them safe? She would have had to kidnap them to keep them from returning to Varys. And that would have tipped Varys off. And might have driven him to cut his losses - or remove anything and anyone who could betray him.

And I don't have proof that Varys killed anyone, she reminded herself. It sounded hollow, though. In her gut, she was sure the child was dead.

Of course, her gut feeling had also been certain that Adam was the love of her life and that following him was the best decision of her life.

She hissed a curse at the whole mess and turned away, walking back through the tunnel. Another trip to the safe house, to see if she could spot the missing spy, and then she would be done for tonight.

*****​

"So, find anything?"

As Blake had expected, Yang was still awake when she returned to their room. She shook her head as she started to undress for bed.

"Ah." Yang, stretched out on her back in her usual sleepwear, head turned toward Blake's side of the bed, slowly nodded. She didn't say anything - she didn't have to. Blake was well aware of what the lack of any clues meant.

Sighing, she splashed some cold water on her face and then towelled it dry.

"I didn't see anything in the brothels, either," Yang said.

Blake froze for a moment, right after sitting down on their bed, and then turned to look at her partner. "In the brothels?"

Yang grinned. "Well, I didn't enter. But I was tempted. I can't really see what is going on inside."

"You can watch the back door, though." Blake moved onto the bed and lay down on her side, facing Yang.

"Hm. Watching the backside…." Her partner winked.

Blake snorted. Trust Yang to make a racy and silly joke about it. Then again, they were talking about brothels. "I doubt you'd see anything if you went inside, either. They wouldn't dare anything with you there."

"Well… I would be in disguise, of course," Yang said, flashing her another grin.

"In disguise?" Blake raised her eyebrows. "As a customer?" She better not try that!

"I think they would remember if a girl like me worked there, so it would have to be a customer."

Blake shook her head. "You'd start a riot." Either when some idiot drunkard tried to cop a feeling, or when she revealed herself. And they really couldn't afford the scandal it would cause. One of the 'Four Maidens' in a brothel? There would be another riot at the sept, Blake was certain.

"Why, thank you!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "We can't do much more than keep an eye on the brothels. If they abuse the women there, we will see some evidence sooner or later. Bruises, blackened eyes…"

"I know. And sooner or later, we'll find some evidence about what Varys did." Yang stretched on the bed. "Though we should sleep now. It's almost morning."

"Didn't you say that was the best time to go to bed?" Blake asked with a slight grin.

"That was before I started at Beacon!" But Yang was grinning, reached over and patted Blake's shoulder. "Good night."

"Night," Blake whispered, then curled up.

*****​

The Great Sept of Baelor, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"...and so we need to protect the weakest and most innocent of us all, the children. Our children. We all know how fragile they are - how quickly they can be taken from us, through sickness or calamity. Why, then, should we make their life even harder by doing them harm? Why, then, should we cause them pain when life already is painful? To teach them? What lessons would they learn through being beaten? That violence is the answer to questions? To innocent mistakes? To childish foibles? No, we say to that! We are better than that! Violence towards children is never the answer! The Seven who Are One have taught us better! You should not hit children!"

Blake narrowed her eyes and glanced around while the High Septon spoke. The news about their reaction to Lord Tywin abusing his grandchild - the future King - had spread, it seemed. And, as they should have expected from past experience, the Faith had taken it upon themselves to spread the word. With quite the fervour - Blake had been at White Fang rallies with less passion and drive.

But they needed to know how this had spread, if only to ensure that no one could try to manipulate the Faith using their names. If a noble spread the rumour that a rival had attacked Team RWBY, the consequences would be ugly. Very ugly.

And since the number of potential suspects who had overheard them was far too large to go after, their best bet was to ask the High Septon; the man would want to talk to them after the sermon anyway.

Until then, Blake tried to tune the speech out and study, covertly, how the gathered people took it.

It looked like they took it to heart - she saw no one getting up and leaving, or openly scowling. They were nodding along, mostly - she saw a woman holding a child to her chest and crying, and a man closing his eyes, also crying with what looked like guilt.

This kind of fanaticism was quite concerning. It reminded her of the White Fang. If someone radicalised those people…

*****​

"That was a nice speech, High Septon." Ruby smiled.

"I merely voiced what you said yourself, albeit you did it in a much more poignant way, my lady. You should not hit children."

"Well, you said that as well, didn't you?"

"Of course! I just added a bit more, ah, context so people would understand the spirit and not just the letter of your words, my lady."

The man used so much shameless flattery, Blake was surprised Ruiby was merely blushing furiously instead of stammering with embarrassment. Weiss, of course, kept her polite smile with ease - she would be used to sycophants from her life in Atlas. Blake herself managed to keep smiling, though it took a bit of an effort, and she was positively surprised that Yang didn't openly roll her eyes. Her partner wasn't generally too comfortable in such situations, and too prone to make unsuitable jokes as a result. But, so far, they were doing fine.

"So… I was wondering…" Ruby trailed off.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Where did you hear about our views on violence against children? We didn't exactly, ah, proclaim it."

"Oh! Did you wish to announce it yourself?"

"No, no, we're glad you did - we were pondering how to pass it on. We're just wondering who told you about it. In case someone wonders who overheard what."

Like Lord Tywin, Blake thought.

"Ah, it was your friend, Gendry the Smith. I was under the impression that you talked to him…"

"Gendry? Oh, yes! I told him about it." Ruby nodded and blushed again. "I should have remembered that!"

"Yes, you should have," Blake heard Weiss whisper under her breath.

Well, they could have saved themselves an hour of listening to a sermon, but it wasn't as if there had been any harm done. And some of Blake's suspicions and fears had been laid to rest. Gendry could be handled far more easily than, say, some servants at Court who might be paid as informants by various nobles. So, it had ended quite…

She frowned and took a deeper breath. That smell… It was faint but familiar. Very faint. She had smelled that before. But where had it… Her eyes widened. The Dragonpit! That was the smell of old wildfire!

But here? In the Great Sept of Baelor? It was one thing to use a ruined structure no one used any more as storage for an unstable incendiary weapon, but the heart of the realm's faith?

"Blake?" Yang must have noticed her reaction. "Is something wrong?"

"I fear it is," she replied, taking another deep breath through her nose. Yes, she couldn't mistake this. "Did you smell this as well?" she asked.

"Smell what?"

"High Septon," Blake turned to address him. "Do you know of any jar with wildfire in your sept? Because I just caught a whiff of it."

"Wildfire? Here? Perish the thought! We would never allow it into the sept! It is much too dangerous!" The High Septon shook his head.

Blake nodded. "It might just have been my imagination if no one else smelled it, but if there is a risk that someone brought a jar into the Sept…" She trailed off.

"We will search the entire Sept, my lady!"

"Carefully!" Weiss blurted out. "Very carefully!"

"Of course, my lady!"

"I will help. I've got some experience with the cache under the Dragonpit," Blake said.

And she could literally smell the substance. If it was just one jar, it would have to be close.

*****​

It wasn't just one jar. Blake clenched her teeth as she stared at a few hundred of the jars, hidden behind a walled-off part of the cellar.

"By the Seven!" the High Septon - the man had insisted on following her - gasped behind her. "How… how and why would anyone store them here?"

"This isn't a storage site," Blake said. "There would have been enough room for them under the Dragonpit." Granted, they might have wanted to separate the wildfire to not lose everything in one accident, but to store them under the Great Sept? "This was hidden here to burn the sept down."

The High Septon gasped again. And the septons with him, as well as the workers who had torn the brick wall down on her advice, gasped and whispered something about heretics.

"These are old jars," Blake quickly said. "Placed decades ago, I would say."

"Oh. That means… That fool! That madman!" the High Septon spat. "It must have been the Mad King!"

That sounded likely, but who had done this didn't really matter nearly as much as how they could get rid of this before it ignited and destroyed the Great Sept and probably half the city. Well, not half the city - the Great Sept wasn't that close to…

Blake felt her stomach clench. "If they placed jars here and under the Dragonpit," she said, slowly, "then where else could they have placed such jars?"

The High Septon wasn't the only one to start praying in response.

*****​

The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"So? Found anything?" Yang Xiao Long asked when her partner returned from her latest, and now open and official, venture beneath the Red Keep.

"The smoke from the lanterns and the fresh air from the sea make smelling anything hard," she replied in a low voice. "We have to carefully knock on the walls and listen for the sounds of hollow spaces behind them."

Which Blake could easily do thanks to her ears, Yang knew that. But they didn't want to reveal just how good her senses were - they had already revealed that she had smelled the wildfire, but people would hopefully still not realise just how good her sense of smell was. "And?"

"That takes time. We have to check every tunnel and cellar for walled-off areas."

"And the rock beneath us has more holes than cheese." Yang nodded. "At least everyone realises how dangerous this is."

"Yes." Blake sighed and sat down on the bed. "But that also means I can't take time off to hunt down other leads."

"Them's the breaks." Yang shrugged and looked at the mark on the windowsill. "It's going to be time for dinner soon."

Blake snorted. "The sun's setting, yes."

Yang stuck her tongue at her. "The markings help with tracking time during the day." She suppressed the urge to make a joke about Blake having done survival training in the wilderness, so she was used to tracking the sun. Her partner's past in the White Fang was still a touchy subject. Although… "When we're back home, we'll have to get readjusted to living in a modern society. I almost forgot how to use a scroll!"

Blake chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be back to making selfies and chatting and playing your weird games in five minutes."

"Well, yes," Yang said, grinning. "I'm on withdrawal, after all. But I was serious, actually. When we arrived, I always tried to grab my scroll to check the time or messages or anything. Now? I look at the sky. Or at our improvised sundial. And I stopped looking for the tap."

Blake slowly nodded. "You get used to those amenities quickly enough." After a moment, she added: "We had to stop using scrolls in some spots. Too easy to track. And we rarely had showers or running water in the field. But once you're back in the cities, you just fit in again."

"Not everyone is a trained spy," Yang smiled to take any possible sting out of her comment. "Thanks for doing so much for us, by the way." Without Blake, they would be in a much worse position. Probably dancing to the tune of some noble or the other who was lying to them.

Blake flashed her a smile. "We all do what we can."

Yang shrugged. "You ferret out plots, Weiss does the plotting, Ruby's being Ruby, charming everyone. And I wait until some heads need knocking."

Blake snorted again. "Don't go fishing for compliments. You do a lot."

Not enough, Yang thought. She dabbled with smithing, dabbled with spying, dabbled with trying to make kids feel better. The only thing she was really good at was fighting. And training, of course. "Anyway, did you smell what's for dinner?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "There was no hunt, so it's going to be the usual."

A wide range of good but meat-heavy dishes. At least for them - Yang knew the servants and the smallfolk didn't quite eat as well. At least they had a lot of fish for Blake, thanks to King's Landing set at the coast. So…

Blake suddenly freezing, head jerking to the side, interrupted her thoughts. "No!"

"What?"

Blake didn't answer and rushed to the window, leaning out.

Yang followed her, looking over her partner's shoulder as she pushed Blake forward. What was… She drew a sharp breath.

There was smoke rising from one of the poorer parts of the city. Smoke that seemed to glow greenish more than reddish.

"Damn!"

*****​

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

As Yang and Blake ran through the streets, dodging passers-by looking confused and guard patrols just starting to react, a cloud of red petals appeared next to them, turning into Ruby, who fell in beside them. "What happened?"

"The people looking for wildfire caches in the city must have accidentally set off one," Blake said. "I knew we shouldn't have let them search on their own!"

"They probably would have searched on their own anyway - everyone heard about the wildfire under the Great Sept," Yang pointed out. And even if they hadn't, they would have heard about the search beneath the Red Keep. Couldn't keep a secret at Court.

She passed a heavy-set man on his right side, Ruby whirled around his left side, and Blake jumped over him and then onto the closest roof.

"Good idea!" Yang used a barrel as a springboard and joined her. "Where's Weiss?" she asked as Ruby followed and all three were running on the rooftops.

"I kinda left her behind because I wanted to catch up to you two and find out what's happening. I'll fetch her! We'll need her glyphs!"

And Ruby was gone in another cloud of petals. One almost ended up in Yang's mouth, but vanished right when it reached her.

"We'll have to focus on evacuating people and causing fire breaks," Yang yelled while jumping over a side alley. Their Water Dust reserves wouldn't even dent such a fire - she could see green flames reaching past the roofs now. On the streets below, panicking people were starting to form a mob rushing towards the harbour.

"Yes," Blake said. "The Alchemists' Guild uses sand to smother a wildfire."

"We'll need an entire beach to smother this!" Yang exclaimed as they reached the fire.

Green flames had already reduced one building to ashes - a second collapsed as Yang came to a stop - and were reaching for the neighbouring buildings.

"We can't waste any time!" Yang yelled. "Let's split up, clear the houses and then raze them! Dibs on the right!"

"Alright!"

Yang jumped down, past a gold cloak who staggered back, holding an empty bucket, and rushed to the building that was just catching fire. She broke through the door and yelled: "The house's burning! Get out! Now!"

No answer. But she had to check anyway - she couldn't demolish a house when people were still alive inside.

There was a shop on the ground floor, empty. As was the backroom. She rushed up the stairs. Kitchen and living room or whatever went for that - empty. One more flight of stairs - smoke was starting to fill the house; the fire would soon consume it.

"Shit!" Two kids were huddled in the bedroom upstairs. A little girl and a toddler. And Yang could see green flames through the dusty shutters.

Clenching her teeth, she grabbed both coughing kids and carried them under one arm, then smashed the window on the other side open. "Hold on!" she yelled, then jumped to the roof across the street.

The kids screamed, and Yang glanced over her shoulder. Behind her, green fire filled the room she had just left.

She landed on the roof, one boot breaking through a couple of shingles. A few more were ripped out when she started running to the edge and jumped off. "Get the kids to safety!" she yelled as she landed next to another gold cloak.

"But…"

"Now! Run!" She pushed them into his arms. "We'll form a fire break!"

On the other side, Blake was already busy reducing the building she had cleared to rubble with Gambol Shroud.

But the wind was blowing towards Yang, so the fire was spreading faster on this side. Damn!

"Yang!"

"Yang!"

Ruby and Weiss arrived! Just in time.

"We need firebreaks - but there might be people in the houses here."

Ruby vanished in another cloud, and a red lightning sped through the closest houses. A moment later, she reappeared. "All clear - start tearing them down, Yang! Weiss! Use your glyphs to block the streets!"

Yang jumped down and raced to the closest building, fist drawn back. She smashed into the wall. Repeatedly. After the fourth blow, the entire side of the house crumbled - the walls had been crushed. She jumped over the rubble and through the dust cloud that rose and smashed into the back part. On her side, the neighbouring building was just catching fire. She could feel the heat already. It wouldn't hurt her, not at this distance, but the other people?

Blake reappeared next to her while Yang crushed the next house. "It's spreading through firebreaks! They slow the fire down but won't stop it!"

Shit. What could they do? "We need to smother it," Yang yelled.

"Water won't help!" Ruby yelled back.

"And we don't have enough Earth Dust," Weiss added in a tight voice, creating glyph after glyph.

"We need sand!" Ruby yelled.

Yang knew that. But they weren't on the beach - they couldn't just… "Ruby!"

"Yang?"

"Ruby, Weiss - there's sand in the river." Yang pointed at the river, a few streets over.

"Oh! OH!" Ruby gasped. "Weiss! We need your glyphs!"

"Ruby?"

"Come on! I've got a plan!"

"Rubyyyy…"

Ruby grabbed Weiss and sped off.

"What's she doing?" Blake asked, coming to a stop next to Yang.

"Getting us sand," Yang said, smiling. "Let's break down more buildings so the fire won't spread too far!"

They were halfway through demolishing their fourth and fifth building when the sounds of the fire - and the distant screams of panicking people - were suddenly drowned out.

Yang looked up and grinned.

A giant wind hose was rising over the riverbank, filled with water and sand. A wind hose created by a red flash running in circles.

"Like in the tournament!" Blake snapped.

"Yes!"

And at the top of the waterspout, a glyph appeared, larger than most Yang had seen - angled. Followed by another, also angled. And a third, placed above the fire.

The glyphs redirected the waterspout, forming an arc transporting water and sand over the streets between the fire and the riverbank.

Green flames reaching for the sky vanished beneath a muddy, sandy waterfall. Or landslide.

Yang laughed as the smoke and fire were buried under sand and mud.

Her little sister had come through.