Link did not sleep that night. He sat in the dark with his back against the stone wall of his chamber. Every scuttle of a rat in the floorboards sounded like the footsteps of an assassin. He knew that Varys and Illyrio were aware of him now. He had disrupted the flow of their grand design just by keeping the Stark children safe.
[Status Alert]
[Observation: You are being watched by the Little Birds]
As the first light of dawn touched the red spires of the castle Link left his room. He needed to find a way to arm himself properly without drawing the attention of the City Watch. A Northman buying a castle forged blade would be reported within the hour.
He made his way down to the Street of Steel. The air here was thick with soot and the rhythmic clanging of hammers against anvils. Most of the smiths were busy with commissions for the royal guard but Link looked for a shop that was smaller and tucked away in an alley.
He found a forge where an old man with a missing eye was working on a set of simple iron hinges.
"I need a blade" Link said while stepping into the heat of the forge. "Nothing pretty. Nothing that catches the light. High carbon steel and a heavy pommel."
The smith looked him up and down. He saw the grey cloak and the empty belt. "You're the one who rode in early. The Stark guard. I heard you gave your sword to the King."
"The King is keeping it safe" Link replied. "I need something for the meantime."
The smith reached under a pile of scrap metal and pulled out a short sword. It was a rugged weapon with a blackened blade and a grip wrapped in rough leather. It was a killer's tool not a knight's ornament.
"Forty silvers" the smith said.
Link reached into the pouch at his belt. He had the gold coins he had taken from the assassin in Winterfell. He placed one heavy gold dragon on the anvil.
The smith's eyes widened. He bit the coin and then nodded. "This is worth more than forty silvers. Take the blade. And take this." He handed Link a leather sheath designed to be worn horizontally across the small of the back. It would be hidden by his cloak.
Link strapped the weapon on and felt the familiar weight return to his body. He felt more like himself but he knew the blade was only half the battle.
As he walked back toward the Red Keep he noticed a group of street urchins following him. They were small and dirty with eyes that were far too old for their faces. These were the Little Birds. Varys's eyes and ears.
Link stopped at a fruit stall and bought a handful of apples. He turned and tossed them to the children. They caught them in silence and vanished into the shadows of the alleyways.
"Tell your master I am not his enemy" Link muttered to the air. "But tell him I am not his friend either."
When he returned to the Tower of the Hand he found Ros waiting for him near the servant entrance. She looked agitated.
"You were followed" she whispered while pulling him into a doorway. "The Gold Cloaks are asking questions about a Northman with a heavy purse. And someone was in your room while you were gone."
Link went still. "Did they take anything?"
"There was nothing to take" Ros said. "But they left something. A gift."
Link hurried to his quarters. He pushed the door open and looked at his small wooden table. Resting in the center was a single dried lily. In the language of the city a lily meant a funeral.
It was a warning from the Spider.
[Crisis Event: The Shadow in the Keep]
Link looked at the flower and then at the hidden dagger in his sleeve. He realized that the Red Keep was not a castle. It was a battlefield where the weapons were whispers and the wounds were silent.
"Load" Link whispered.
The world blurred.
He was back at the fruit stall. He caught the apples before he threw them. This time he did not go back to his room. He turned and headed toward the Great Sept of Baelor.
If Varys wanted to play a game of shadows Link would show him that a man who has lived through a hundred deaths knows exactly where the light ends.
…..
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
15 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!