Chapter 79 - The Death of Jon Arryn (I)

"Lies never stay hidden forever, and they usually come out at the most unwanted moment." Varys the Spider.

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The bells of the Great Sept of Baelor echoed with a deep, distant sound, alerting the entire city of King's Landing. Only four occasions justified the ringing of the Sept's bells.

The death of a king, the death of the High Septon or the death of someone of great importance.

In addition, only the royal wedding merited such a ceremony. However, as there was no news of a royal wedding, that left three options.

Inside the Great Sept of Baelor, Robert Baratheon, First of His Name, looked at the body of his adoptive father, cold and lifeless before him, with a surprisingly calm expression. The King of the Seven Kingdoms had slimmed down enough for anyone to notice the difference, a sign of the silent changes that had been taking place.

"Old eagle... you dare to leave me at this moment." muttered Robert, his voice laden with sadness, despite his impassive countenance. Even so, the weight of grief was evident in the most powerful man in Westeros.

How could he not be in mourning? Like Eddard Stark, Robert had grown up under the tutelage of Jon Arryn, Lord of the Vale. His feelings for his adoptive father were strong, and the loss of the figure who had shaped his youth affected him deeply. Jon Arryn had been more than the Hand of the King; he had been a mentor, a moral compass in turbulent times.

Upstairs, watching Robert beside Jon Arryn's body, Cersei wore an expression of grief. However, those who knew the queen knew that she reserved her true sorrow only for her children and, perhaps momentarily, for Jaime, her twin brother. Her green eyes, however, betrayed her façade. The almost visible joy in her gaze was testimony to her true feelings.

"Are you sure no one will notice? Pycelle has been ordered to conduct the investigation into the death of the Hand of the King," Jaime murmured, his voice low as he avoided looking directly at Jon Arryn's body. Once again, the Kingslayer had tarnished the name of the Kingsguard, a burden that, over time, he had come to carry with indifference.

Even so, he regretted giving in to his sister's requests. Jon Arryn was an important ally of the Crown, and his death would weaken the throne and throw the Vale into an uncertain situation. Lysa Arryn, according to the rumors at court, was not in her best mental state.

But there was no turning back. Jon Arryn was dead.

"He won't tell. Pycelle is our father's dog," Cersei replied coolly, while a perverse pleasure spread across her face as she gazed at Jon Arryn's lifeless body. She savored that feeling of power, an ecstasy that made her feel unshakable.

For Cersei, Jon Arryn's death was inevitable. He had investigated her life for over a year, until he finally discovered the true paternity of her children. A man with such knowledge could never stay alive for so long.

What's more, thanks to Jon's investigations, Cersei managed to track down all of Robert's bastards. One by one, she planned to eliminate them, until there was no threat left to Joffrey's throne.

Jaime sighed, observing the expression on his sister's face. Cersei wasn't exactly a master at disguising her emotions, which often caused friction between her and Robert.

As for Joffrey, Jaime didn't consider him worthy of sacrifice. In the eyes of the Kingslayer, Joffrey was nothing more than a jet of semen in Cersei's pussy. Everything Jaime had done had been for Tommen and Myrcella. Only for them.

"Any news of our brother, Tyrion?" asked Jaime, his tone heavy with concern. His younger brother's disappearance made him deeply uncomfortable.

"He's your brother. To me, he's a monster." Upon hearing Tyrion's name, Cersei frowned in disgust and responded harshly. The mere thought of calling that "creature" her brother made her nauseous. She still couldn't understand how her father had allowed that freak to carry the Lannister name for so long.

Jaime felt anger rise in his chest at hearing his sister's words, but he restrained himself. He remained silent, still consumed with worry about Tyrion's fate in Braavos.

However, how could Cersei and Jaime have imagined that the day after Jon Arryn had died, rumors began to circulate the alleys of King's Landing, a rumor that soon became talk for the city's families to discuss obscured by the walls of each house.

The King had no children and his children with the Queen were actually the fruit of incest between the Queen and the Kingslayer.

The Queen allegedly killed the Hand because he had discovered the truth about the incest.

No one knew who had told the rumor, but it soon became common knowledge among the population, which simply could not be covered up or even blocked.

Crack!!!

Another poor vase from Myr was smashed against the wall.

There was only an expression of fury reflected on Cersei's face at that moment. She had no doubt that the source of the rumors was Jon Arryn!

Perhaps the man had discovered that he was in danger and had planned something like this in case something happened to him. Cersei didn't care why, she wanted to tear the old man's corpse to pieces right now and then throw it to the pigs to eat.

"ARHHHHHH!!!" Tearing at the sheets in rage, Cersei let out an angry, hysterical scream. Even if the rumors weren't believed, her son's throne would still be unstable for anyone who wanted it.

Add that to the Targaryen across the sea with a dragon and Cersei could already imagine her son being killed and that made her extremely furious and full of fear, fear that something would happen to the beautiful Joffrey.

Biting her nails nervously, Cersei knew she couldn't wait and had to finish off all of Robert's bastards as soon as possible. Especially those who looked like Robert, who had to die as soon as possible so that no one could follow Jon Arryn's trail.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cersei tidied up her messy hair and flashed a beautiful, elegant smile, transforming herself back into the elegant queen that everyone had the impression of.

On the other side of the Red Keep, in the training field, Robert was sweating profusely as he swung his warhammer with truly skillful movements full of shocking brutality.

Not far from him, Varys, wearing a purple tunic, watched the king with a gentle smile. The man's bald head glistened against the sun as a faint scent of petals wafted around him.

"Who spread the rumors, Eunuch." Sinking his hammer into the chest of a mannequin wearing armor, Robert wiped the sweat on his face with his arm and asked in an angry voice.

He was furious when he found out about the rumors, no man could remain indifferent after hearing about his wife's infidelity, let alone a king like Robert. He wanted to cut out the tongues of the people who were saying his two sons and one daughter were not of his seed.

Although his sons and daughter did look like Cersei and Jaime, Robert firmly believed that all three came from his sack and no other man's.

He didn't care so much about Joffrey, he even wished the monster had died while he was growing up. The thought of handing over the throne to a monster like his son kept Robert from wanting to abandon everything and go to the Free Cities to enjoy the life he had always wanted.

"The rumors started in Flea Bottom, Your Grace. Some of my little birds were killed, perhaps for seeing something they shouldn't have." Varys reported in a slightly lower tone, afraid of angering the king in front of him. He had personally seen what happened to the training dummy.

Robert showed a serious expression, apparently the rumors were orchestrated almost the moment Jon Arryn died and it made him think that someone had killed his adoptive father and spread rumors to cover something up.

Letting out a sigh, Robert really hated King's Landing.

However, for the safety of his children, he couldn't relax, especially with a Targaryen coming at him with an army of fanatics.

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