chapter 142 part 1
Chapter 142: Hunter and Prey 3
The Tower of the Hand.
Lord Eddard entrusted the matter of the Squire and the Maester to Glyn, while he himself took charge of investigating the kitchen girl, the stableboy, and the young page mentioned by Varys.
Lord Eddard waited in his study for the results of the investigation from Jory Cassel, Captain of his guard. He casually picked up the book delivered by Pycelle's attendant.
*The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms*, written by Maester Meryn. Lord Eddard sat upright and began to slowly leaf through it.
The book was over a hundred years old. He felt that Pycelle had been uncharacteristically honest for once; the thing truly was dry and tedious.
Lord Eddard patiently read on. He thought that since Jon Arryn had sought out and read this book, there must have been a reason... Amidst these yellowed, fragile pages, an important clue was surely buried. The only question was whether he could find it quickly enough.
But what could it be? Lord Eddard furrowed his brow unconsciously.
He turned to the section on House Lannister.
House Lannister had a long and storied history, traceable back to "Lann the Clever," a master of trickery from the Age of Heroes. Like Bran the Builder of House Stark, he was a figure of legend, but one far more beloved by singers and storytellers.
The Lann of the songs needed no sword; by his wits alone, he drove House Casterly from Casterly Rock and stole gold from the sun itself to brighten his curly hair. Thus, the golden-haired House Lannister was born.
Legend says Lann lived to be 312, siring one hundred brave sons and one hundred clever daughters. The men were handsome, the women beautiful, all of them nimble and quick, with hair as golden and brilliant as the sun.
In time, the descendants of Lann became too numerous for Casterly Rock to hold them all. Members of lesser branches of the House moved to nearby villages, which eventually grew into towns and then a city, becoming Lannisport.
Lord Eddard wished Lann himself were there at his side to help him find the damned secret hidden in the book.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Hearing the knock, Lord Eddard closed the book that was giving him a headache. He knew his Captain of the Guard had brought news.
"Come in."
After Lord Eddard spoke, Jory pushed the door open and strode in, greeting him, "My lord."
Lord Eddard gave a slight nod. "What did you find?"
"I saw everyone and spoke with each of them separately. The first was the stableboy who became one of the Goldcloaks. He said he knew Lord Jon Arryn well, that the two of them 'hit it off'..."
Jory snorted coldly before continuing, "He said that on the lads' namedays, Lord Jon Arryn never forgot to give them a few coins. He also said Lord Jon Arryn knew horses well and never overworked his mounts, and that he would always bring carrots and apples for them to eat, so they all liked him."
"Carrots and apples?"
It sounded to Lord Eddard like the stableboy's knowledge was limited and wouldn't provide any useful information.
"Tell me about the others."
"The second was the kitchen girl. She said Lord Jon Arryn was always reading late into the night during that time. She also said he was constantly worried and distressed over his young son's frail health, and was very harsh with Lady Lysa."
Lord Eddard's grey eyes flickered. He glanced at the book he had just been reading, his tone filled with doubt. "She said Jon was harsh with Lysa?"
Jory nodded. "I'm certain, my lord!"
After a moment of silence, Lord Eddard said, "Continue, Jory."
"The third was the young page. He makes a living pulling a cart now. He never spoke with Lord Jon Arryn, but he overheard a great deal of gossip. For example... Lord Jon Arryn had been arguing with the King often lately, that Lord Jon Arryn complained the food was bad, that Lord Jon Arryn planned to send his young son to Dragonstone as a ward, that Lord Jon Arryn had suddenly taken an interest in raising hunting hounds, and that Lord Jon Arryn had gone to Street of Steel to find a skilled old blacksmith and commissioned him to forge a new suit of armor, completely plated in silver, with a falcon carved from sapphire and a moon of mother-of-pearl on the breast."
Jory paused, then added, "He also said that for a time, Lord Jon Arryn was often riding out."
Lord Eddard's heart stirred. "Did he say where he went?" he asked.
"The lad said Lord Jon Arryn went to the brothels."
Lord Eddard frowned. "Brothels?"
He had heard too much talk of brothels today.
"He swore it was all true. He said he heard it from Lord Jon Arryn's personal guards. When he was holding their horses, he heard the guards joking about it."
Lord Eddard still found it hard to believe. He knew his foster father; he would never do anything to tarnish his honor, unless... unless there was a reason he absolutely had to go.
Furthermore, the Jon Arryn that Lord Eddard knew would never wear some jewel-encrusted silver armor. His foster father had once taught him and Robert that armor was armor; it was for protection, not for show.
Jon had spent over a decade in the Red Keep. It was possible he had changed his mind; there was no way he could be exactly the same as before. Yet this change seemed too drastic. Lord Eddard sensed something was wrong.
Jon's personal guards could surely provide more useful clues, but they had all been taken to the Vale by Lady Lysa. Damn it all!
...
Lord Eddard planned to make a trip to Street of Steel to investigate personally. As for the brothels... He looked at his Captain of the Guard.
"Jory, the investigation of the brothels is yours."
Jory said with a grin, "My lord, what an arduous task that is!"
...
Lord Eddard left his study. As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Petyr Baelish standing before a window in the corridor, his back to him.
Petyr noticed the movement. He turned and gave Lord Eddard a slight bow, the entire motion both elegant and composed.
Petyr's lips curled into a smile. His voice was husky and magnetic. "Lord Eddard, Hand of the King. It seems you are heading out?"
The direwolf did not like the clever cunning that Petyr exuded. He said to his guards, "Go down and prepare the horses."
When the others had left and only Lord Eddard and Lord Baelish remained, he asked directly, "Petyr, why were you looking for me?"
Petyr was impeccably dressed. He stood with his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "My Lord Hand, it seems the topic of whores at the Small Council meeting has left you with some lingering anger."