8th Month of 283 A.C. King's Landing
Grand Maester Pycelle
There had been a lot of change in King's Landing and the kingdom as a whole over the past few moons. The Targaryen dynasty had been replaced by the Baratheons, with Robert Baratheon having taken the throne, by virtue of his war hammer and the fact that he conveniently had a claim to the throne through his grandmother Princess Rhaelle. The king was a young man, strong and active, there was something of an impatience to him and his every action, it seemed as if he needed to constantly be doing something otherwise he would grow board. And as such it had been something to see the man attend council meetings, how long such a thing would last though he was not sure. For there was one thing that could be said of Robert Baratheon, he was a man of great appetites but also a man of short patience.
The king was the man speaking right now though and as such Pycelle thought he might as well listen to see what the man had to say. "There has been much going on as of late. With my coronation having taken place but a moon ago. I was quite happy with how it had gone, and I am grateful that the coffers were so generous with their money going. But there are many things that continue be of an issue to me. First of all is the fact that there are Targaryens still alive, Varys what news is there for Dragonstone?"
The eunuch, a man Pycelle has never trusted speaks then his voice soft. "It would appear that Rhaella Targaryen has given birth Your Grace. She has given birth to a baby girl, it seems the stress of all the recent events caused the premature birth and as such Rhaella Targaryen died during the birth. Leaving both the baby girl and her brother Viserys alone and stranded on Dragonstone."
The king laughs then. "Good so the dragonspawn are limited in who can fight for them now. No one will want a child on my throne. It is time we sealed the clinching blow. But there has been no word from Stannis as to how progress on the ships is going. Sooner or later the Velaryons will try to break their oaths that much I know. Pycelle I want a raven sent out to the Driftmark demanding Velaryon bring himself and his fleet to King's Landing. I will watch him like a hawk."
Pycelle nods and then Varys continues. "There is more information from the free cities Your Grace. It would appear that Myr and Lys are going at one another's throats. It appears they are not fighting over the disputed land this time but over the Stepstones. It seems the former allies are now wanting to gain hold of the islands and begin imposing their own taxes on the islands and trade that goes through there."
The king nods but Pycelle can tell he is not really listening. "Tell me, what is there to stop the dragonspawn leaving Dragonstone the first chance they get? What is there to prevent Velaryon betraying me and sailing off to aid them?"
At this Pycelle speaks. "Surely Your Grace has heard as well as seen the storms that have been raging along the coast of the city during the past few months? They are worse in the narrow sea, it seems the gods themselves are trying to prevent the Targaryens from breaking away. As such, it would appear as though their ships are going to be little to no use to them until the storms stop, and supposedly the storms will not stop for another moon."
"And has there been word from my brother yet as to how he is doing with building the new royal fleet?" the king asks interested.
Pycelle looks through his notes and then says. "Lord Stannis writes that he has some 20 ships ready for use, though with some more time he should be able to get more. It would not be enough to completely take on the fleet at Dragonstone, but of course with the storms that are raging it is very likely that they have lost a fair number of ships. It would take just one ship to get onto land and for the men on that ship to storm the island before the castle surrenders. Though Ser Willam Darry is brave and loyal to the Targaryens I do not think he is a fool."
The king nods and says. "Well considering all the ship wrights and equipment has come from here I expect that soon enough there will be progress. For the time being perhaps it might be best to have the Redwynes move onto them. Lord Redwyne has been dying for a chance to prove himself, this could be his chance, and if he dies then so be it."
A surprisingly cunning move by the king, the hand though speaks up. "It would be too risky sending Redwyne Your Grace. He has just recently bent the knee and done fealty, along with his goodbrother and the other reacherlords. Sending him now whilst suggesting confidence leaves you open to suspect motives on his part. Better to wait for Lord Stannis to have completed the building of the ships before moving onto attack the island."
The king reluctantly nods and then turns his attention to Pycelle once more and asks. "And what other word did Lord Stark bring with him? Other than the Reacherlords bending the knee as they should do. There must be more to it than that."
Pycelle looks at the letter in question and says. "He writes that he has offered something of a job for the onion knight that Lord Stannis knighted. Something to do with looking towards the North's future. He also writes that he would, with your blessing like to begin laying the ground works down for a port town on the western coast of the north."
The king's eyes narrow then. "Why would he wish for there to be a town on the western coast of the north? From what Ned always said it was nothing more than fields and villages. There was no chance for anything other than that. Something is wrong here."
Simon Staunton speaks then. "It could be good Your Grace. The north has often been lacking in trying to get up there with the west and other places with port access, whilst White Harbour is good, it is not nearly enough for a place like the north. If you want to truly heal the realm allowing this to come to pass, would be one of the smartest things you could do."
The man is clearly in Stark's pocket it is quite a shame really, Pycelle remembers when Staunton was full of himself and confidence, years at court has broken him it seems. "Does Lord Stark mention developing a fleet as well?" Lord Arryn asks.
Pycelle looks down at the letter once more and then nods. "Yes he does my lord hand. He writes that having a town on the coast without ships is like having a castle with no defences. Utterly pointless. He does make some good arguments for it, especially with there being reports of a land beyond the Sunset Sea, and with the Iron Islands seemingly developing in trade as well, it could also allow for closer ties between the north and the westerlands. However, one must wonder if such a thing is necessary. The north is already quite strong, this could make them a legitimate concern."
"What, you believe the Starks would cross me? By the gods man, they were the ones who aided me in winning this crown I now wear. If Lord Rickard wants his town, then I see no reason to go against him. Tell him I approve."
Pycelle takes a note of this and Arryn speaks then. "You might want to review the proposal much more thoroughly than in just one council meeting Your Grace. This is a serious thing, and whilst it would be good for the north and the realm, it is something that has not been done for a long time, and as such Lord Rickard should be given the chance to justify it himself in person to you."
The king snorts then and says. "What is the harm in one town? Pycelle tell Lord Stark I am more than happy to sign off on this. He can have his port town and when Lyanna comes back I shall help lay the stones for it."
Pycelle nods and then when it becomes clear that there is not much more left for them to discuss, the king dismisses them and Pycelle ends up walking back to his rooms, along the way though he sees a man with yellow hair and a forked beard, he looks distinctly foreign and this is the first time Pycelle has seen him here. His face reminds Pycelle of someone he knew once long ago, there is a hardness to it, and that the man looks as though he is carved from stone himself, makes Pycelle think he is some sort of warrior. Shrugging he moves on past the man and into his own rooms, where he finds Lord Tywin waiting for him. "So Pycelle, what was discussed in the meeting?" the man asks.
Pycelle takes a moment to compose himself, Tywin Lannister the man who should've been king, who should be hand now, is a tall man he is bald, but he is still proud and a more than capable man. Blinking, Pycelle speaks. "The king wished to know more about the situation in Dragonstone and how soon the royal fleet would be built. With the storms raging it is highly likely that the Targaryens might escape. Whilst the king also wants Monford Velaryon to come to court once more to endanger himself. Stark has also written to say of the Tyrells bending the knee and of his desire for a town on the coast of the western north."
The Lord of Casterly Rock looks somewhat taken aback by this but his voice is calm when he asks. "And what did the king have to say about that?"
"He agreed to give Stark the rights to begin building the town. He seems more than eager to please the man, after all he is deeply wanting to marry Lyanna Stark. I have done my best to persuade him otherwise, and my men have tried the same, but to no avail. The whores do no better, but they do say he is having doubts." Pycelle responds.
The Lord of the Rock looks interested at this. "What sort of doubts?"
"It seems the king, voices his doubts about whether or not he could truly be wed to Lady Lyanna knowing whom she has been with before him. There is something of a feeling that Rhaegar Targaryen soiled even this for him. And that he wants to end the betrothal, but he keeps it going out of his love for Eddard Stark. Even if Stark does not follow him anymore." Pycelle responds.
Tywin seems to consider this for a long moment before speaking. "Good, this is very good. With there being a divide between the two, a chance to make Baratheon see the virtues of wedding Cersei can easily come into it. Good, I want the people working for you to continue to weaken his resolve, sooner or later he will need to see sense. And with the Starks gone it is time for us to begin moving in. I will push for the issue of Jaime being released from the Kingsguard. Now tell me Pycelle, could a woman as young as Lady Lyanna survive giving birth to a child and have the child be healthy?"
Pycelle considers this for a moment and then says. "I believe the child surviving is much more likely. After all we know that the Lady Lyanna was quite active at Harrenhal. But being wherever she might be is something that might have limited her movement and affected her health. It is very likely she and the babe might die."
Tywin nods and then says. "Very well. Well considering Stark has gone off to Dorne with Arel Dayne, it should not be too hard to find out where the girl is. Perhaps it is time to send someone to deal with the girl and whoever it is who is protecting her. And it is time for our sources at Dragonstone to begin work. The sooner we remove the Targaryens the better our chances of seeing to it that Robert marries Cersei."
Pycelle nods and says. "I will get to work straight away my lord." And with that Tywin leaves, leaving Pycelle to his books and his worries and concerns.