Chapter 22: Purple Preparations
POV: Geralt
The week that followed my crown sabotage passed in a blur of controlled chaos as King's Landing prepared for the most expensive wedding in the Seven Kingdoms' history. From my position among the expanded servant staff, I watched three separate assassination plots converge on the same target while a fourth player—myself—worked to ensure the aftermath would serve justice rather than mere revenge.
"Too many cooks in the kitchen," I thought, adjusting my grip on the wine pitcher as I moved through the Red Keep's corridors. "Time to make sure the right recipe gets followed."
[Royal Wedding: 3 days until ceremony]
[Active Assassination Plots: 3 confirmed, 1 suspected]
[Sabotage Systems: Crown modifications stable and ready]
[Secondary Objectives: Dornish contact, Mountain humiliation, Tyrion protection]
[Appa Summoning: Available for aerial operations]
The Dornish delegation's arrival had electrified the capital with the kind of tension that preceded either celebration or bloodshed. Prince Oberyn Martell moved through the Red Keep like a predator studying prey, his dark eyes cataloguing enemies and calculating the cost of revenge that had waited decades for its moment.
But revenge was a dish best served with proper seasoning, and I had preparations that would enhance the flavor considerably.
That evening, as the sun set over Blackwater Bay, I made my way to the grove outside the city where Appa waited among ancient trees that had witnessed centuries of human ambition and folly.
"Time for some aerial diplomacy, buddy," I told my massive companion, scratching behind his ears as I climbed onto his broad back. "We're going to introduce ourselves to the Red Viper."
[Mission Parameters: Dornish diplomatic contact]
[Method: Anonymous gift delivery with strategic intelligence]
[Risk Level: Moderate - Dragon recognition factors]
[Objective: Alliance building through shared knowledge]
The flight over King's Landing revealed the city in all its sprawling magnificence and squalor. A million people crowded into spaces designed for half that number, their lives playing out in the narrow streets and towering buildings that stretched from the Red Keep to the harbor.
But tonight, my attention was focused on the Dornish embassy's quarters, where torchlight revealed figures moving with the fluid grace that marked people trained in the deadly arts of the Water Gardens.
Prince Oberyn stood on a balcony overlooking the city, his posture radiating the controlled violence of a viper coiled to strike. Beside him, Ellaria Sand watched the night sky with the kind of awareness that suggested Dornish training included more than just combat with conventional weapons.
Perfect. They would notice my approach and understand that someone with extraordinary capabilities was making contact.
[Target Confirmation: Oberyn Martell location verified]
[Companion Present: Ellaria Sand - Tactical awareness high]
[Approach Vector: Optimal for controlled surprise]
[Gift Package: Symbolic items with strategic intelligence]
The package I'd prepared contained items that would demonstrate impossible knowledge while conveying respect for Dornish culture and Oberyn's personal motivations. The centerpiece was a bouquet of flowers that shouldn't have existed in King's Landing—rare Dornish blooms that had been Elia Martell's favorites, preserved through alchemical techniques that would keep them fresh for days.
But more important than the flowers was the note written in the flowing script of Old Ghis, a language that few people in Westeros could read but that any educated Dornishman would recognize.
Justice wears many faces, but patience is the blade that cuts deepest. Your sister's memory deserves more than simple death—it deserves the destruction of those who ordered her murder and those who carried it out. The Mountain will fall, but his humiliation can precede his doom if you are willing to wait three days for proper preparation.
[Message Content: Strategic patience recommendation]
[Knowledge Demonstration: Personal details only family would know]
[Tactical Advice: Delay for maximum impact]
[Alliance Offer: Mutual interest alignment]
I guided Appa into a shallow dive that brought us within fifty feet of the balcony, close enough for accurate delivery but far enough to avoid immediate retaliation if they mistook our approach for an attack.
The package landed on the balcony's stone railing with perfect precision, the flowers scattering their exotic fragrance into the night air as Oberyn and Ellaria spun toward the unexpected gift.
Their eyes tracked upward, following our flight path as Appa carried us back into the darkness above the city. But instead of alarm or aggression, I caught something else in their expressions—recognition that they were dealing with someone who possessed capabilities beyond normal human limitations.
[Gift Delivery: Successful]
[Recipient Response: Intrigued rather than threatened]
[Strategic Communication: Message received and being analyzed]
[Follow-up: Monitor Dornish behavior for cooperation indicators]
The second phase of my evening's work required a different kind of precision. Ser Gregor Clegane—the Mountain That Rides—was quartered in the Red Keep's lower levels, where his massive presence served as both bodyguard and threat to anyone who might oppose Lannister interests.
But reputations were fragile things, and a reputation built on intimidation could be destroyed through the right application of humiliation.
I'd spent days preparing for this moment, using my access to the castle's service areas to plant the seeds of the Mountain's downfall. Tonight, those seeds would bloom into a garden of embarrassment that would make Oberyn's eventual confrontation even more satisfying.
[Target Two: Gregor Clegane reputation destruction]
[Method: Systematic humiliation through equipment sabotage]
[Objective: Reduce intimidation factor before Dornish confrontation]
[Timeline: 48 hours of progressive degradation]
The Mountain's chambers were heavily guarded, but guards focused on preventing assassination attempts, not detecting the kind of subtle sabotage that required intimate knowledge of armor maintenance and weapon care.
I slipped through service passages I'd mapped weeks earlier, emerging in the storage area where Gregor's equipment was maintained by servants who were too terrified of their master to pay close attention to minor irregularities.
The armor modifications I'd prepared were masterpieces of psychological warfare. Every joint had been treated with compounds that would create increasingly embarrassing sounds when the metal moved—squeaks, groans, and what could only be described as flatulent noises that would make dignified movement impossible.
But the real artistry was in the weapons.
[Armor Sabotage: Audio enhancement compounds applied]
[Effect: Progressive dignity degradation through sound effects]
[Duration: 72 hours of increasing embarrassment]
[Detection: Nearly impossible without chemical analysis]
The Mountain's sword—a massive two-handed blade that served as an extension of his intimidating presence—received special attention. I'd weakened the grip with a substance that would become increasingly slippery when exposed to sweat and body heat, ensuring that his most important weapon would become unreliable at crucial moments.
His shield's straps were treated with a mild irritant that would cause itching without visible inflammation—subtle enough to avoid detection, but persistent enough to distract him during combat.
And his helmet's interior was lined with a compound that would produce an increasingly foul odor when warmed by body heat, making it unpleasant for anyone in close proximity.
[Weapon Sabotage: Reliability compromised across all equipment]
[Psychological Impact: Confidence undermining through equipment failure]
[Timing: Progressive degradation over wedding period]
[Result: Reduced combat effectiveness and public humiliation]
But my most important work that night involved protecting someone who didn't deserve to die for crimes he hadn't committed.
Tyrion Lannister was walking into a trap that would see him framed for his nephew's murder, condemned by a family that had never accepted him, and forced to fight for his life in a trial by combat against overwhelming odds.
The original timeline would see him survive through luck and Oberyn's intervention, but luck was unreliable and Oberyn might choose different tactics if my message convinced him to delay his revenge.
Better to ensure Tyrion had multiple layers of protection.
[Priority Protection: Tyrion Lannister survival protocols]
[Threat: False accusation, family betrayal, trial by combat]
[Counter-Strategy: Multiple alibis and evidence alternatives]
[Method: Pre-positioned witnesses and documentation]
I spent two hours that night planting evidence throughout the Red Keep—witnesses who would remember seeing Tyrion in locations far from the royal wedding at crucial moments, documents that would establish alternative timelines, and most importantly, evidence that would point toward the real conspirators while protecting the innocent.
A servant's testimony about unusual activity in the Tyrell quarters. A gold cloak's report about strangers near the kitchen areas. A maester's record of who had access to which poisons and when.
Nothing conclusive enough to prevent the initial accusation, but sufficient to create reasonable doubt and alternative explanations when the political pressure demanded scapegoats.
[Evidence Network: Protective documentation deployed]
[Witness Preparation: Alternative timeline establishment]
[Documentation Trail: Reasonable doubt creation]
[Political Cover: Multiple suspects to diffuse blame]
The third night brought news that confirmed my suspicions about the scope of the conspiracy surrounding Joffrey's wedding. Three separate groups were planning to eliminate the boy-king, each with their own motives and methods.
The Tyrells wanted to remove an unstable ally before he could damage their family's ambitions. Certain Lannister factions saw Joffrey as a liability who threatened the dynasty's long-term survival. And somewhere in the shadows, other players were moving pieces toward the same goal for reasons I could only guess at.
"Too many assassins," I mused, reviewing the intelligence I'd gathered through careful observation and strategic eavesdropping. "The real trick will be ensuring the right one succeeds while the others remain undetected."
[Assassination Plot Analysis: Three confirmed conspiracies]
[Tyrell Motivation: Political stability through removal of unstable ally]
[Lannister Faction: Dynasty protection from problematic heir]
[Unknown Players: Motives unclear but methods sophisticated]
[Optimal Outcome: Single successful plot, others remain hidden]
The morning of the wedding dawned clear and bright, with the kind of perfect weather that seemed to mock the violence that would unfold before sunset. King's Landing was dressed in its finest decorations, with banners and flowers transforming the usually grim city into something approaching beauty.
But beneath the celebration, I could feel the tension of multiple conspiracies converging on a single moment. Assassins checking their preparations, conspirators reviewing their alibis, and throughout it all, the oblivious targets going about their routines with no idea how dramatically their world was about to change.
I made my final preparations in the servant quarters, ensuring my disguise was perfect and my escape routes were clear. Today would test every skill I'd developed, every alliance I'd built, and every contingency I'd prepared.
[Wedding Day: All systems prepared and operational]
[Crown Sabotage: Fully activated and ready]
[Mountain Humiliation: Progressive degradation ongoing]
[Tyrion Protection: Multiple safety nets deployed]
[Personal Readiness: Maximum alertness protocols engaged]
The Purple Wedding was about to begin, and with it, a demonstration that even the most carefully planned assassinations could be improved with the right kind of creative interference.
Time to see how many people I could save while ensuring the right people paid for their crimes.
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