Oldtown, the Reach,
Years had passed since Lord Septon left the city. Yet, it was as if the Lord Septon's name and fame had only grown larger. It was the first city to have the House of Seven Blessings. It was the first place to witness the Lord Septon's miracles.
And amidst all that was Helen, once a nobody, just a pretty face wedded to the half-witted son of a wealthy family. Lord Septon had blessed her with the most beautiful son, and as years went by and her son grew, she learned of other blessings. Her son was wise, strong, and spoke so well.
The more her son grew, the greater her belief in Lord Septon became.
If one were to ask who was the richest person in Oldtown. Most would say Lord Hightower. But they were wrong, as the richest was Helen herself, well, her family, but she controlled and ran the family.
Over the years, she had taken care of anyone who opposed her. Using her half-witted husband as a proxy, she retired everyone, pushed her husband's mother, uncles, and sisters out of the family. They were an old merchant family, after all, and decisions were made in a council of multiple members.
But now, Helen stood alone as the sole decision maker.
She enriched the cult as well as herself, more for the cult, however. She was the mastermind behind the complete takeover of Oldtown by the faction of septons who believed in Bronn the Blessed more.
There were three factions in the Faith of the Seven. Those who opposed Bronn the Blessed, those who followed him, and finally those who were neutral. And because of the High Septon's incompetence, it was easy for her to conquer Oldtown. The Starry Sept was completely under Bronn the Blessed.
Even the Citadel was supportive, as her merchant family ran a lot of trade for the goods created by the Angel's Peak. From Firewhiskey to medicines. The Citadel loved those medicines, as they helped the old members live a better life.
The Reach was, in a way, completely conquered, and nobody knew.
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Casterly Rock, Westerlands,
Eddard had never been to Casterly Rock. But this time, circumstances forced him. After he met with Robert and saw the state his friend was in, he had to do something. For the North, more than anyone else.
Every moment wasted meant Bronn grew stronger. Every month past was Westeros growing weaker. The Faith of the Seven had already splintered, and the largest faction belonged to the Lord Septon.
It had been so easy to do, Eddard thought, now that he saw the events at a larger scale. The way Lord Septon healed, helped, and fed the poor. It was all an excuse, a slow game to move the hearts of the smallfolk. After all, the smallfolk numbered millions, and the nobles were a few thousand.
The Tyrells and Hightowers were lost. Lady Olenna was wise, but she was bedridden. Dorne, for some reason, had openly declared its support for Lord Septon, allowing the cult to build a grand sept in many Dornish towns and Sunspear.
That only left Lord Tywin, a man Eddard believed could see the game that was being played.
After rough, hasty travels, he was finally led inside the grand, stony castle that was carved into the rock itself. He didn't care about all the gold shamelessly on display, all the carpets, all the decorations. None of it mattered.
He followed the Steward and soon entered Lord Tywin's solar. Inside, other than Lord Tywin, was Ser Kevan, the trusted advisor of the old lion.
"I can't remember the last time a Stark set foot in Casterly Rock."
Eddard noticed how Tywin remained in his seat, and only Kevan greeted him after standing up. He didn't hold it against them. "Aye, I don't think any Stark has ever been here."
Finally, late, Tywin rose to his feet and offered a hand.
Eddard greeted the sharp man. But then he noticed a smile, and wise eyes that seemed to hold many plans. He could guess them already. He had two sons, and Queen Cersei had a few daughters as well.
"Welcome to Casterly Rock, Lord Stark. Sit. The road from the north is long, and I imagine it has worn you. We would usually dine, but given your haste, I assume words matter more to you than bread."
"Aye, my lord." Eddard sat down in the chair. "I rode from King's Landing to meet only you."
"Pay Ser Kevan no mind. He hears all that I hear. Now tell me, what matter could Lord Stark of Winterfell find so urgent that you came here to speak of it. I fail to see the connectio—"
"Lord Septon." Eddard bluntly cut in. "I know you wish to see your grandson sit on the Iron Throne one day. But I fear the throne is already slipping from the King's hands... and from the realm's as well."
They know.
Eddard saw the two Lannisters exchange silent glances.
"As I sit here, a dozen smallfolk in the North take up the Faith of the Seven each day. I didn't come to weep over it. What now happens in the North has long since happened in the South. The Faith of the Seven is no longer the people's faith. It has become the Lord Septon's game. His word is treated as the word of the Gods, and the realm bends to his will. The Reach is already lost, Dorne obeys him, and it's only a matter of time before the Crown is reduced to an ornament and the true ruler stands at the head of a faith."
"Is that what King Robert had said?" Tywin asked.
"That is what I witnessed, my lord," Eddard said. "This war in Essos. It was his will, was it not? And yet the whole realm is made to bear its cost."
"To its own advantage," Ser Kevan cut in calmly. "The Lord Septon has taken city after city without committing himself to any great battle. Nearly all of eastern Essos now lies under his hand. Because of that, Westerosi ships pay fewer port fees, and our captains are received with greater favor, as Westeros is regarded as the seat of the Faith.
"Lord Stark, we understand what troubles you. But the Lord Septon is not the only one who benefits from this."
Eddard frowned at their answer. "So this is the end of it? For coin, you would let the realm slip into his hands?"
"Lord Sta—"
Ser Kevan had barely started when Lord Tywin raised his hand and silenced him without effort. "You mistake the situation, Lord Stark. You think there remains a battle to be fought. There is not. Nothing remains to be won. Tell him, Kevan."
Ser Kevan looked at Tywin, as if asking again. Only after getting a nod did Ser Kevan speak.
"Lord Stark, the danger you are only now beginning to see was plain to us years ago, when Lord Septon first went to Highgarden. We understood then that Lady Olenna's fall was his doing. From that moment, House Lannister spent every coin we could spare to see him dead. Faceless Men, Sorrowful Men, alchemists, seductresses, poisoners. For years we hunted him, and for years we failed. His magic is no trick, my lord. We poisoned him once, and he woke the next morning as though nothing had touched him. After that… our own began to fall.
"It started with our men, loyal swords like the Mountain, then my children, my wife, and soon nearly everyone in Casterly Rock. We lay helpless, unable to rise from our beds. The maesters could do nothing. Only Lord Tywin remained standing.
"Then, Lord Septon's raven arrived. He wrote that he had cursed House Lannister for sending killers after the Seven's Angel. Tywin was forced to go himself and beg him for Casterly Rock. Only by Lord Septon's mercy did we rise again, and only so does House Lannister still stand."
Eyes wide, Eddard looked at Lord Tywin, who was silently nodding.
"That was how close House Lannister came to extinction, Lord Stark," Lord Tywin said, his jaw set, his anger contained rather than shown. "One man accomplished it, and to this day, we do not know what he did to us. When that curse was lifted, Lord Septon and House Lannister reached an understanding. We will not oppose him, and he will see that my grandson and his line sit on the Iron Throne."
Why tell me all this?
"I say this only because there is nothing else for you to do. Stand against Lord Septon and the realm will come for your blood, every last drop of it. House Stark will not survive that."
Eddard felt a little unsettled. He had no idea something like this had occurred. Perhaps nobody but the Lannisters knew.
"We have men. We can man an army." Eddard said. A futile effort, he knew.
"And he has magic that we cannot even see."
He silently agreed with Lord Tywin. But still, just sitting and watching the North get taken over was too much.
Pat!
He felt Ser Kevan's hand on his shoulder.
"Lord Stark, for as long as the High Septon draws breath, the Seven Kingdoms will watch the Faith swell beyond anything our histories record. This is a wave no man can halt. You either move with it, or you drown."
"Lord Stark must be tired. Ser Kevan, guide him to the prepared chambers."
Eddard didn't bother responding to Tywin and just stood up. He was lost in thought. What to do? The Northern Lords would rebel against him if he allowed the faith to rise there. Then, would Lord Septon erase those houses as well?
Gods, give me wisdom to stand this storm.
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