The Great Sept of Baelor sat atop Visenya's Hill like a crown of white marble. Link climbed the marble steps while keeping his hood pulled low. By reloading he had avoided the trap in his room but he knew the "Lily" was still coming. He had to act before the Spider closed the net.
[Status Alert]
[New Strategy: Counter Intelligence]
[Mental Fatigue: Moderate]
Inside the Sept the air was cool and smelled of incense. Link did not go to the statues of the Seven. Instead he moved toward the shadows of the Great Pillars. He knew from his previous loops that the Sept was one of the few places where Varys's Little Birds struggled to listen. The high vaulted ceilings and the chanting of the Septons created a blur of sound that masked whispers.
Link waited for ten minutes until a man in a simple brown robe sat on the bench behind him.
"The Northman seeks a blessing?" the man whispered. It was Varys but he looked like a common laborer. His voice was no longer high and perfumed. It was rough and low.
"I seek a truce" Link said without turning around. "You sent a flower to my room in a future that no longer exists. I am here to tell you that the game you are playing with the Lion and the Wolf is going to burn this city to the ground."
Link felt the air behind him grow cold. Varys did not move but Link could hear the shift in his breathing.
"How could you know about the flower?" Varys asked. His voice was sharp now. "I only gave the order to my bird a moment ago. You have not been to your room."
"I have been many places" Link replied. "I know about the basement in the Tower of the Hand. I know about the man with the beard from across the sea. And I know that you think you are serving the realm but you are only feeding the fire."
Link finally turned his head to look at the Spider. Varys was staring at him with a mixture of fascination and genuine fear. To a man who built his power on knowing secrets a man who knew secrets that hadn't happened yet was a god or a demon.
"Who are you?" Varys whispered. "You are no common guard. You speak like a man who has lived a thousand years."
"I am a man who wants to keep Ned Stark alive" Link said. "If he dies the war starts. If the war starts the White Walkers win. You want a King who is good for the realm? Keep the Hand's head on his shoulders. That is the only way your 'perfect King' will have a realm left to rule."
Varys narrowed his eyes. "The Lion wants the Hand gone. The Queen is already weaving the shroud. What can one man without a sword do against the Iron Throne?"
Link reached into his cloak and pulled out the blackened short sword he had bought from the smith. He laid it on the bench between them.
"I have a blade now" Link said. "And I have the ability to try again until I get it right. Tell the Queen that the Northman is a fool. Tell her I am a drunk or a coward. Keep her eyes off me while I clean the rats out of the Red Keep."
Varys looked at the blade and then back at Link. For the first time the Spider looked uncertain.
"I will watch" Varys said. "I will tell her you are a nonentity. But if you fail Link... there will be no more flowers. Only the silence of the black cells."
Varys stood up and vanished into the crowd of worshippers.
[Quest Updated: The Silent Alliance]
[Status: Vulnerable but Hidden]
Link left the Sept. He felt the weight of the city pressing down on him. He had bought himself some time but he had also revealed his hand to the most dangerous man in King's Landing.
He walked back toward the Red Keep. As he entered the gates he saw the royal banners appearing on the horizon. The caravan had arrived. The King was here. And with him came Ned Stark Sansa and Arya.
Link stood by the gatehouse and watched as the gold and grey column entered the city. He saw Ned Stark riding at the front looking grim and exhausted. He saw Arya looking around with wide eyes.
And then he saw Joffrey. The Prince looked at the gates and then his eyes found Link standing in the crowd. Joffrey's face twisted into a snarl.
Link did not bow. He simply touched the hilt of his hidden sword and waited.
.....
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!