บท 48: Ch.48
AN: Surprise! I felt like double-releasing today. Don't expect this often! Have a good day everyone and thanks for the support!
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(Eddard Stark POV)
After reading my evidence and hearing my statement about the real successor of the throne, Renly freezes up. As it seems his mind is racing to all sorts of conclusions while determining what it is he wishes to do. Then he stands up and walks over to an extremely well-hidden compartment in the room, taking out a book. My curiosity is peaked but I just silently wait for him to speak to me.
"Let me ask you something Lord Eddard, do you really think Stannis would make a good King?" Renly asks me confusing me, then I realize he is going to suggest he be King.
"Renly… it does matter what I think. It is the law and how the world works," I say to him and Renly just snorts hearing my statement.
"Really? What about what is good for the realm? The people?" Renly says and I hesitate for a second since Stannis is a great military leader, but does not really inspire the commoners well. As Renly is loved both by his men and the commoners, he is just not as a good military leader or next in line.
"I can see you agree even if you don't want to admit it," Renly says seeing my hesitation.
"Stannis is a great warrior and one of, if not, the best strategist in the Seven Kingdoms–" I begin to say trying to defend the rightful King.
"I am not disagreeing with you, my brother is a great fighter and leader… when it comes to military matters. Though is that what makes a good King?" Renly asks me as I now notice he has constantly been feeling the ring on his finger, at first I thought it was a nervous tick, but he seems to be doing it on purpose.
"There are a lot of different things that make a good King–" I start to say as I glance at his hands, but he interrupts me again.
"Yes there is, but you still didn't answer the question. Do you think Stannis has what it takes to be this Great King, that the realm needs? Especially since another war will erupt," Renly says as I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Stannis is many things, he may even be a great King. It is not my place to decide that, it is the law!" I say standing up, pushing the pain in my leg aside, as I am frustrated that Renly is going to split the realm even further if he goes against his brother.
"You say you want what is good for the realm? How is splitting it even further, just for you to become King, good for it?!" I ask as my frustration reaches even higher levels.
"You should know as a leader that sometimes you have to make tough choices for the greater good," Renly says trying to justify his reasons to fight for the throne.
"Seems you have made up your mind. I must go and get my daughters out of this city before the fighting begins. Then I will tell Robert the truth," I say walking out of the room to go and speak with my daughter then Robert.
As I leave, I head over to my daughters' rooms to tell them to quickly pack before I have my guards escort them home. I will stay here and try to help the realm as best I can, though I am interrupted as my small group of guards and I are stopped by some of the Kingsguard and Lannister guards. With Jaime Lannister leading them.
"Lord Eddard Stark, you are under arrest for conspiring against the throne. I suggest you come quietly or things might… escalate again," Jaime says while gesturing to my leg as I stare at him with anger and resistance.
"Under who's orders? I doubt Robert authorized this!" I say trying to talk my way out of this.
"Oh, did you not hear? Robert sadly passed away just an hour ago. Joffrey is now acting King, until his official coronation," Jaime says with his usually shit-eating grin.
Hearing about my best friend's death and how quickly Cersei took control, I have a flood of emotions take over. My biggest one is fear and regret, as I did not confess to Robert before he died and save my daughters from becoming hostages. With a defeated sigh I nod my head gesturing for my men to surrender.
"At least let me deliver this letter, which was Robert's final act as King to the rest of the council," I say hoping that this might just be what saves me and my children. Jaime hesitates, as the other Kingsgaurd looks between the letter, me, and Jaime. As Robert may have died, they are honor-bound to carry out his last decree.
"Very well, we will escort you to the council members, then you will have to come with us," Jamie says actually keeping his oath, which surprises me, but I chalk it up to being surrounded by his fellow kingsgaurd, as he is the biggest oath breaker in history. Jaime is called the 'King Slayer' for that very reason.
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(Renly Baratheon POV)
After reading what Eddard Stark showed me, my mind raced with so many different ways this could determine the future of the realm. My final conclusion was that I should finally contact Osmond and see if his promise still holds true. Osmond is our master-at-arms in Storm's End, my family's ancestral keep. I was the only one in the family to ever notice what he really was and because of that, he offered me a one-time deal to help me.
As I tried to convince Eddard to join me since having the North on my side would make this much easier for me, I contacted Osmond through the ring he gave me. Though Eddard is as stubborn as I heard and refused to disobey the laws of the realm, even if it meant placing my brother on the throne. Sure Stannis would probably not be any worse than Robert, but out of all my brothers, I was the one who had the support of both our men and the commoners.
'Little Renly! You finally contacted me, here I thought you forgot about me,' I hear Osmond say to me in my head, through the ring, after Eddard left me with his mind made up to follow my brother instead.
'Yes, seems I have finally found what I want from you,' I say as I stand up and look at the book I pulled out which is a spell book I wrote with Osmond's help.
'Do tell,' Osmond says with his normal overly carefree voice.
'Seems my suspicion about the kids of my brother are true. Eddard Stark just discovered the truth before I did, it seems he has informed my brother. A war is going to break out soon for the Iron Throne–' I start to explain to Osmond who interrupts me.
'So you want me to help your family secure the throne? I always figured you want my favor something bigger than that. I have helped your family ever since they first sailed over here,' Osmond says to me and I sigh, due to being interrupted but can not fault him as he has done more for my family than anyone else in history.
'Yes and no, I want to become King and I doubt my brother would agree. We both know I would make the better King. I want your help to see me gain the Iron Throne. After that I will give you whatever it is you want,' I say to Osmond who goes silent hearing my request and I become nervous thinking he is going to deny me. Then I hear his excited laughter in my head.
'Oh shit! Here I thought you'd follow your brother like a good little boy you are!' Osmond says laughing hard still at my dispense, while I become annoyed and before I can yell at him responds.
'Very well little Renly, I will help you ascend to the Iron Throne. Though for what I want in return after… I will have to think about that. So are you going to leave, I do not suggest you stay there as you will be next on the chopping block. Need me to get you?' Osmond says to me.
'No, I just sent word for my men to leave the city and head to 'Highgarden' as I know they will follow me. Plus I just finished the ritual spell, I will be returning home. I hope you can bring us both to Highgarden from there,' I say to Osmond.
'Ok see you soon,' Osmond says cutting the connection as I finish the teleportation circle Osmond taught me and it sends me to the hidden place I found out the truth about Osmond. It is his underground lair near my family's ancestral keep, Storm's End, and overlooks the ocean below.
After I teleported there, my book and I appeared in the huge magically hidden cave overlooking the ocean a few miles south of my family's Keep. Inside it are hundreds of thousands of gold coins and hundreds of other precious treasures. Shortly after my appearance, I see Osmond teleport in, still in his human form which he changed every few decades to keep up the charade that is a human. Though he always found himself as the master-at-arms in Storm's End.
I found out the truth from reading and socializing with the common people. As the books I read held the history of my family, which Stannis read too, but he didn't connect the dots as I did. I saw this weird pattern of how my family would always hire an outsider as the Master-at-arms and the drawings of these men were always different, except for the eyes which I noticed were a shiny Bronze color.
Feeling something was off I asked around the commoners and heard the ones who lived in the keep for as long as their families remained loyal to mine. They spoke of how each master-at-arms always seemed the same person but different. I finally confronted Osmond about it and he laughed hearing me but then applauded me for being the first Baratheon in centuries to figure out the truth about him.
He then brought me to his lair and showed me his true self, which was a huge Dragon with Bronze colored scales. I was extremely scared at first, as I was just a child but soon realized he didn't mean me harm. He then taught me magic and took me under his wing. Since I was the first person in a long time to figure out who he was and he enjoyed my company, he offered me a one-time favor from him to help me out with whatever it was I needed.
"So little Renly are you ready to fight your brother and many others just to become the King?" Osmond asks me after teleporting inside his home.
"Yes," I say simply and he nods his head.
"Good, then I will help you. But I will not kill the innocents or harm any of your family. That would go against everything I stand for," Osmond says to me with a serious face, which I rarely saw from him. As the last time I saw it, was when he told me to keep his secret which I promised and have kept since.
"I know and I appreciate your help," I say to him and he nods his head, going back to his old jovial self. Shifting into his true form he grabs me and tosses me onto his back before flying out of his home. We then turn invisible as he flies us to Highgarden, where I will raise my army and take what should be rightfully mine.
"This will take a few hours, get comfortable," Osmond says to me and I know he views me as a sort of son to him. I nod my head lying down on his back while enjoying the sights below and planning what I will need to do, to see my ascension to the Iron Throne.
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