บท 44: Chapter 44 (Revamped)
(Erlend Mudd, Firmridge)
Erlend looked on at the assembled guests within the Great Hall. Lords and Ladies from all over the realm sat at their assigned seats waiting for him to speak.
Be it fear, respect, or admiration, they all looked up to him one way or another. The heralds had done a good job spreading the word all over the realm.
Knights and squires had shown up in droves, hoping to showcase their talents and attract the eye of a noble house or impress the realm with their skills. Making a name for themselves was after all their primary goal.
He'd been kept busy these past few weeks, while he could have let Horton and Wyman deal with it, considering it fell under their purview, there was no way he could simply stay out of this.
Not if he wanted it to go the way he envisioned it.
This would be the first Grand Tourney since Harrenhal. It had to go perfectly, any other outcome would stain his reign. All the Great Houses were present, including the North, a novelty, seeing that few actually expected them to show up.
They were mainly here to get a measure of Edmund, to see if his son was worthy of being his successor. Erlend wouldn't be surprised if some of the more ambitious nobility attempted to have their daughters seduce his son, never mind the fact that he was only five.
Then again Rhaenys was becoming very protective of Edmund, his daughter in all but blood was always doing her best to keep her perceived 'enemies' away from the little Prince. Poor Jon and Steffon were only 'allowed' to befriend Edmund in exchange for keeping the sycophants away, that girl knew what she was doing.
Erlend felt like this could become troublesome if Rhaenys went too far, but at the same time, it reassured him that she would be receptive to her coming engagement with Edmund. His other adoptive daughter Saera was proving herself to be Arya reborn, the girl got into just as much trouble as her siblings combined.
Be it in appearance or character, his youngest daughter distinctly resembled the wild she-wolf from the canon timeline. Hell, if it weren't for her soul being completely normal, Erlend would have suspected that she was indeed Arya.
Only he and Lyanna could keep her from going too far. What made it worse was that she picked up the curse words Lyanna tended to spout when annoyed, which was another can of worms on its own.
On the other hand, Dany, the most peaceful of the bunch, preferred to stay closer to him most of the time. The little Dragoness could often be seen taking a nap, reading a tome, or just relaxing in his solar as he worked through the god-forsaken paperwork that plagued him.
Sure she was a bit aggressive when it came to his wife and lovers, but for the most part, she kept the peace. A Targaryen quirk that she no doubt kept from her past life he assumed.
Yes, he was fully aware of Dany's special situation, her soul acted far too similarly to his love, for it not to be the case. The question on his mind was why the old man decided to reincarnate the two dragonesses.
It wasn't all that terrible, Visenya for one was a wealth of knowledge and experience that could not be replicated by any tome, not to mention she knew just what incentives he needed to truly get going. Dany, on the other hand, he had no idea why she would be reincarnated. If his suspicions were true then she was the very same one that burned King's Landing to the ground, which was troublesome on its own.
Still, he appreciated it, as it allowed him to meet Visenya, something he would always be thankful for, despite it all.
The kids made the Castle quite lively and kept things interesting. A nice reprieve from the constant scheming and planning that he had quickly become accustomed to. Unlike in the books or the show, Catelyn didn't seem to mind the presence of his natural-born son Arthur, showering his youngest with affection, he was her nephew after all.
The best way to describe his red-headed wife was that she was placid.
Unfazed by anything happening around her, a serene look could always be seen on his face. It was only in bed that her personality shifted as she tended to pounce on him like a fox on a rabbit, much to his amusement.
This made her the peacemaker in his harem, Lysa not caring a wit for anyone else and Rhaella being far too passive in keeping Elia and Lyanna from at each other's throats. Go figure, those two tended to fight the most, it was startling how they were both so similar, yet so different at the same time.
Only Visenya remained indifferent to the rest, while she accepted their presence, it was unlikely that she'd warm up to them any time soon. Though Malora might be able to befriend her, given enough time.
Putting his attention on his most notable guests. There were the Durrandons and the Starks, which were the great houses he trusted the most to have his back, hence why he greeted them warmly once he was out of his workshop.
A pity he wasn't there when either arrived, but there had been a breakthrough in the study of the blackstone and it could not be left lest he lose trace of it. Malora had been instrumental in helping him achieve that breakthrough, earning her quite a hefty reward.
Next to them were the Tyrells and the Lannisters, whose loyalty would last as long as their interests aligned. Interestingly, the imprints left to observe them had noticed some sort of friction between Tyrion and Olenna. Whatever Olenna had schemed this time around must have pissed off the littlest Lion because he looked ready to murder the old hag.
Useful, but not important at the moment.
Alerie was, as usual, ignoring her oaf of a husband who was boasting about something to Paxter. The Hightower was more interested in fussing over her daughter and getting up to speed with his latest lover Janna.
Janna who only ever gave out news to the Tyrells that she knew Erlend didn't care for, thanks to Malora who had made sure that their newest addition understood the meaning of loyalty. For someone who was so often scatterbrained, the eldest Hightower was proving to be the most resourceful of his lovers.
Margaery herself was a sweet angel, though he could see hints of the shrewdness and wit she would be known for in the future. She tended to stick to Arthur the most, almost attached to the hip of his youngest.
All in all, his family got along well enough, they just tended to be too mischievous if left to their own devices. He really had no desire to look at any more paperwork about the latest prank if he had to be honest.
Erlend knew full well he didn't love his lovers equally, only an idiot could spout such bullshit and expect someone to believe it. He had his favorites and the girls seemed fine with it as long as he allowed them their freedom, something he didn't mind as long as they remained loyal.
Sadly, this was to be expected in a world as grim as this, being Erlend's lover ironically gave them freedom most would never find anywhere else, even if they were to wed to a Lord Paramount or another King.
Gazing at his guests with a blinding smile, "My lords and Ladies, I welcome you all to the tourney of Firmridge!'' The guests all cheered at his words.
"For too long has Westeros suffered. Many here have lost loved ones to this war." Murmurs of agreement could be heard all around, yet he pushed on.
"Gone are the treacherous Ironmen who have plagued these lands and for the devastation they have caused."
"Gone are the mad fools who plunged this continent into despair."
"Let this tourney be a sign of better times to come. Let it usher in an era of peace and prosperity so that their sacrifices won't be in vain," he said loud and clear for all to hear.
Lorimas was the first to respond, "PEACE AND PROSPERITY!."
The guests repeated his words with fervent excitement, stoked by his Uncle.
"PEACE AND PROSPERITY!"
"PEACE AND PROSPERITY!"
"PEACE AND PROSPERITY!"
Erlend simply stared at the energetic guests, motioning for their silence.
"Now then, enjoy yourselves, my lords and ladies, for the following days are sure to be exciting."
As if his words were a signal, the doors opened as servants began to pour in, carrying dishes filled with delicacies and tantalizing cuisine.
The guests eyed the food with hunger and anticipation.
Erlend sat back in his seat as he watched everything unfold with satisfaction. This tourney would be the fire to light the flame that was his reign, may it burn bright.
…
Two boys peeked through the corner of a corridor as they awaited their target.
Unaware of the presence looming behind them while they conscriptly smirked at each other.
"What do you two think you're doing?" An imperious voice sounded behind them.
"Hitting Rhaenys with this pie…" One of the boys answered before pausing.
Both boys slowly turned around to see a young girl standing behind them, unimpressed by their little prank. The blue-eyed boy immediately tried to hide the pie behind his back.
A little too late, considering she had already seen it.
They recognized her immediately, the pale, violet-eyed Valyrian girl could be none other than Daenerys Targaryen, one of the three royal wards of Firmridge. A willful girl who cared little for those her age and preferred spending time in the King's office, watching him work.
"How is throwing a pie at her supposed to lighten her up to you." She deadpanned, earning an embarrassed look from both of them.
"It was Jon's idea." The young Stag showed no hesitation and betrayed his former comrade in arms, who sent him an annoyed glare in response.
"A likely tale."
"Why cousin, how could such a dashing young man like me plan something so foul."
Jon stared at his friend with an incredulous look, giving Daenerys all she needed to know who came up with this stupid idea. Then again, she doubted the Stark had the balls to hit the future queen with pie, especially when he was already on her bad side for befriending Edmund without her say so.
Rhaenys could be so possessive sometimes, conveniently ignoring her own behavior regarding the Mudd King.
The only reason she allowed the little shit to call her cousin was due to her King's request. He wanted both Starks and Bara… Durrandons as dependable allies to Edmund, thus she had to play along with this charade.
"So cousin, what do you want to do?"
"Read, preferably away from you mutts."
"Your words don't hurt me, foul beast."
"It's Dragoness you imbecile. If you're going to call me a beast, at least get it right."
The Stag heir gave her a surprised glance, having expected her to become enraged at his words. All she did was look at him in annoyance before ignoring him once more.
"She seems nice..ish." He whispered to his friend.
"I thought she would be worse." was Jon's response.
Said girl could hear them clearly but chose to continue ignoring them, creating an awkward atmosphere.
"So, are you going to tell Rhaenys?" Steffon finally asked.
"I don't care what you idiots do, as long as you don't involve me."
This had the young Durrandon look relieved, he knew it was hardly going to make the tense situation between them and Rhaenys better, but by the Seven did he want to wipe that stupid smirk off the ornish princess's face?
Seven's damn it, how were he and Jon supposed to form a proper team with Edmund if she kept getting in the way.
Jon stopped in his tracks as if coming to a sudden realization.
"You know… we could just swear to keep the other noble girls and ladies from Edmund," Jon suggested hesitatingly.
"Why would we do that?"
"We'd have a justified reason for her to let us hang out with Ed."
"Huh, that's actually a good idea." Steffon thought about it.
It could work, the girl was bound to care more about keeping the hags and girls away from her betrothed.
Also, Edmund would appreciate it. Mother save him, he himself got propositioned by a lady nearly twice as old as his father and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, maybe on Renly, that one needed to get his head out of the clouds.
A shudder went through his spine at that particular horrid memory.
"Listen to the mutt, hoof for brains, his idea might help you."
Steffon gave the princess a surprised look, who rolled her eyes at him.
"You don't like us."
"Obviously."
"But you're willing to help us."
"The more time you spend with Edmund, the less time I have to make sure you idiots aren't doing anything stupid."
"But Edmund is just as bad as us." Jon protested. They had both been pranked by the little prince and it had only been a few days since the tourney started.
Naturally, both he and Steffon had teamed up to get back at him. Unfortunately, Rhaenys stood guard over the crown prince and allowed little chance for either of them to avenge their loss.
There was also the fact that they genuinely wanted to befriend their fellow comrade in arms, but vengeance came first. Only then could they talk about peace.
"I can't be bothered to care, you're all the same," Daenerys looked apathetic to his protest.
Steffon could sense some disgust in her eyes every time she looked at either of them. Like she ate a particularly sour grape.
He suspected it was because of the original rebellion, but the princess never showed any signs that she cared about her mad father or foolhardy brother. It was honestly unnerving.
"The King doesn't seem to mind."
"You should be glad he's so merciful." There was an odd tilt to her tone.
He had a vague idea of what she was thinking of, or rather who she was thinking about. It was an open secret within the fortress that Daenerys, despite being so young, was besotted with the Conqueror.
The only reason he was even aware of this little information was due to overhearing two maids giggle with each other over this information. When he asked Edmund about it, the prince didn't seem to care.
The royal family had long gotten used to these oddities in the young dragoness. She had been far too serious and intense since a young age, and it clearly showed. So her acting like this felt like a breath of fresh air to the family.
Jon for his part was unnerved by her presence and did his best to use him as a shield against her. Gee, it was like she would suddenly turn into a dragon and burn them both.
"I suppose I should congratulate you for your Uncle's victory in the Archery contest," Daenerys said.
Not certain whether she meant it or not, he went with the safe answer. "Ah yeah… thanks I guess."
"Ser Balon promised to teach me archery." Jon voiced.
"Really?"
Jon seemed proud of it. "Yeah, he said I was a natural at it."
Good for him, Steffon wasn't all that good in archery, according to his Uncle, a blind goose could shoot better than him. Tsk, what does he know, a good hammer could bring down an archer any time of the day.
The three youngsters turned as they heard incoming footsteps, it was Rhaenys and Edmund who stared at them in surprise.
Getting an encouraging look from Jon, and a bored one from Daenerys, he casually chucked the pie behind him and proceeded to walk to the royal heirs with a confident look.
'This will work… hopefully'
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