Robert's Thoughts

"Your terms are quite demanding, to say the least, Lucas," Robert replied after a few moments of stretched silence. "You are asking for too much power and control."

"I know, Your Grace," Lucas responded calmly. His composed demeanour, even after placing such audacious terms on the table, was irritating to more than a few in the room.

"But the responsibility I would be taking upon my shoulders is also demanding and without power and control, I cannot do it flawlessly."

"The work I intend to do, is equally monumental. It will be something worthy of being recorded in the history books," Lucas added.

Robert did not respond to this.

"I will think about the matter, Lucas," he finally said after another long pause.

"Yes, Your Grace," Lucas replied.

The topic then shifted, almost inevitably, and thankfully no one stirred the hornet's nest by raising any other serious issues. Lucas had half expected either Stannis or Renly to bring up the matter of the weapons, but they held back.

Perhaps they first wanted to gauge Robert's intentions on the matter, Lucas thought. Or maybe nudge the king into trying and force his secrets or maybe even a special deal for the crown and the house Baratheon.

Joffrey, too unexpectedly remained quiet. He did not try to hurl insults at Lucas. But Lucas knew that it was all just façade. Joffrey will try to strike back the moment he gets a chance.

The breakfast eventually concluded, and everyone but a few individuals, the members of the small council, the queen, and the two Kingsguard, departed from the hall.

Robert had decided to hold an impromptu small council meeting. Though Jon Arryn had suggested they move to the council chambers, the king had simply waved it off.

The table was cleared, and both Petyr and Varys moved closer to the king. Grand Maester Pycelle, though seemingly unaware that a meeting was to be held, had somehow arrived just in time for the meeting.

He took the seat next to Jon Arryn, while Petyr Baelish and Varys settled beside the Grand Maester.

Jon Arryn gave Pycelle a brief summary of what had transpired during the earlier discussion.

"Seven!" Pycelle exclaimed in surprise. "These are some outrageous terms."

He had been instructed by Tywin to report promptly on whatever transpired, especially the price Lucas would demand.

But Pycelle had not expected the king to bring up this topic over breakfast. Like Lucas, he too had assumed it would be Jon Arryn handling all the negotiations, and that the matter was unlikely to be raised in front of the Tyrells.

And since, because of his old age, Pycelle's diet was limited, he had planned to skip the breakfast altogether. But such was Robert, unpredictable as ever.

"I want to hear your objections, specific objections to whatever conditions and points Lucas placed before us," Robert bellowed.

Jon Arryn's face fell slightly. He had known Robert since childhood, and from the way the king had framed the question, it seemed to him that Robert had already made up his mind. Unless something convincing was said, it was difficult to change his mind.

"He is asking too much," Renly scoffed. "He wants the post of Lord Commander of the City Watch, he wants to keep the taxes, and he wants to bypass the Master of Laws entirely."

"He wants to emerge as an independent centre of power in King's Landing," he added.

"Renly," Robert's voice was soft but firm, "I will only repeat what Lucas said. If not through taxes, then how is he supposed to recover the costs?"

"Maybe we take another debt from the house Lannister and pay it back to another member of the house Lannister," Robert muttered.

"And about the Lord Commander of the City Watch? I would say he used very few polite words. The situation is much worse that he implied."

"The state of crime in this city is pathetic," Robert continued sharply.

"And yes, you are the Master of Laws, but tell me. When was the last time you tried to do anything about it? To improve law and order? When did you last even set foot in slums like Flea Bottom and try to devise any plan for solving the crisis?"

Renly's words died in his throat. He had no answer for Robert.

Cersei sat nearby, an unreadable expression on her face. Usually, the first to comment on such matters, she was unusually quiet.

While she certainly wanted a beautiful, stench free city, her feelings about Lucas rising as a new power centre in King's Landing were far more complicated. Lucas was a Lannister, and she should have been glad to see another Lannister gaining power. But she also knew that, despite his name, Lucas was very much his own man, the only Lannister not under Tywin's complete control.

Though Tywin had never spoken of it outright, she understood that after a certain point, her father had chosen not to try and control Lucas. He tried to maintain good relations and nurture the family bond with Lucas. For now, she decided to remain silent. First time in years, it was hard for her to arrive at a decision.

"Your Grace," Jon Arryn interjected carefully, "if we agree to his terms, Lucas will be centralizing a great deal of power in his own hands. He refuses to answer to anyone but you."

"He would not share his plans or his methods. So how are we to know if he is doing his work properly or not? And while it may not seem outrageous on the surface, allowing him to collect taxes would cause us to lose a great deal of face."

"We can work out some arrangement that saves us from losing face," Robert replied as he took a sip of his wine. "As for him reporting directly to me and not to anyone of you, I do not see any problem with that."

"And I believe, I am still the king," he said firmly. "Like the rest of you, he will answer only to me. I see nothing wrong with that."

"I may not be the best king," Robert went on, his tone growing serious, "but I am no fool."

"For the first time in years, I have an opportunity to do something good, to actually improve the lives of the people in my own city and I would not let it slip away because of petty politics."

"I understand all of your concerns, about losing influence and power to Lucas but that would not stop me from doing something truly worthwhile."

Everyone remained silent, trying to keep their expressions neutral. They recognized this tone from Robert all too well. He was very serious this time.

"You all have until tomorrow evening more or less two days. Bring me something logical, and I will consider it. After that, I will announce my decision to Lucas," Robert said.

With that announcement, the council meeting ended and Robert left the hall.

Despite the number of people present, only three had spoken. Renly, Robert, and Jon Arryn.

*

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