Chapter 42
STEFFON BARATHEON
The attacks on the North had blindsided the entire realm, and now the shadow of war loomed over the Seven Kingdoms once more. Euron Greyjoy had struck hard whilst the rest of the realm was busy fighting amongst itself, and now the one-eyed Pirate hoped to take over the entire North.
Steffon wouldn't be so concerned if there were not other enemies waiting for him, and the sheer danger facing him made him wonder if he had been too late to act.
But he was King now, and so he had to rush to make up for lost time.
"You are being too lenient," and thankfully he had a rather capable Hand to help him through his troubles.
"I am being considerate," he offered, as they sat in the King's solar. It had only been a day since his coronation, and already he had to deal with a war, and an uprising.
Tywin Lannister was not convinced, but it was not his duty to convince him.
"If you look around right now, you will find that we are quite lacking in allies," and Tywin Lannister raised a brow.
"A marriage will make you allies," and he had been trying to make him choose his wife ever since he had woken up, but Steffon had found himself hampered by indecision.
"I am not arguing against that," and he was not.
"I am just nor impressed with the choices available to me," and Tywin Lannister did not rush to counter that, for he shared his opinion.
"You will have to make that decision sooner or later," and he would have to, and the Tyrells had been trying rather hard to seek a meeting with him, probably to offer their daughter as a wife to him.
"Still, the Starks are traitors yet you are being unduly kind to them," and perhaps he was being kind to them, but for good reason.
"Only the Starks can hold the North together," and Tywin Lannister was quick to retort.
"You do not know that," and actually he did know that.
"I do," Steffon countered, and Tywin Lannister may have thought that he could rule for him. But Steffon was not going to let the man do that.
The Old Lion was a great ally to have, and having him as Hand was a blessing. But he was the Hand, and Steffon was the King. The Seven Kingdoms were his to rule, and he would do that in his way.
"The Starks have ruled over those lands for more than three thousand years. They are respected. But more than that, they are loved. By showing them mercy, I can have a share in that love and respect," and Tywin Lannister scoffed.
"It is far better to be feared than loved and respected," and that was his opinion.
"They are afraid, but not of me," and Euron had wreaked havoc across the North, and there were reports of hundreds being killed. The man was a menace and was tearing through the Northern lands like a demon.
"They are afraid of Euron. They are afraid of the Hunger and the Cold waiting for them. As King, it is my duty to save them from both and I intend to do just that," and with that the Old Lion narrowed his eyes.
"Storms' End is ours now," and the castellan had opened the gates a few days ago.
"The castle will go to Shireen," he had decided on that already, but even that was easier said than done.
"Davos could serve as her castellan until she comes of age," and Tywin Lannister did not object to his choice.
"What of the Riverlands," and that was one of his greatest headaches. The war had an unintended consequence of decimating House Tully, and while he had some sympathy and use for the Starks, Steffon had no reason to be kind to the Tullys.
Edmure, and Brynden Tully had been part of the Council of Three who had misled the host assembled at Harrenhall. They were the ones to hold back their armies, even after they had promised the Crown their support.
It was betrayal of the worst kind and he intended on making them suffer for it.
"Emmon Frey," and this time he had chosen to trust his grandfather's plan.
And the second son of Walder Frey was tied to House Lannister through Tywin's sister, Genna. He had little fondness for the Freys, but he could at least trust Genna and her husband to keep the Riverlords in line.
"You were right. He is the most suitable choice," and his Hand nodded in approval.
"I will draft the letters," but he was not quite done yet.
"But I believe a change in maps is in order," and now that piqued Tywin's interests as Steffon rose from his chair and walked up to the map rolled out besides them.
"The Riverlands are notoriously tiring to control because of their infighting. Even the Tullys were barely able to control their lords, and I have no doubt that the situation will only worsen with us appointing Emmon as the Lord Paramount," and so he had to find a way to deal with that.
"We will need a permanent presence in the Riverlands to keep the lords there in line, and given that the war exposed just how weak and vulnerable the Crownlands are, I believe an expansion would serve both purposes," and so he drew a line as he furthered the reach of Crownlands border to include one rather significant castle into its share.
"Harrenhall," Tywin Lannister repeated as he saw the markings.
"That place is a ruin," and it was.
"It is rather useless as a castle," but he had no intention to use it as one.
"But as an outpost for an army. It is perhaps the most ideal place," and Tywin Lannister understood his intentions.
"Armies are expensive," and that may be true, but he had need of it.
"We may have just won a war, but make no mistake several battles still remain ahead," and he intended to win them all.
"We all know that Petyr Baelish plots the return of the Targaryens. Apart from that we still have no idea about the Spider's true identity and intentions. We are not certain if he was working for the Targaryens or for another entity entirely," and then there was the threat way up in the North, but he would not speak of it yet.
"A stronghold at Harrenhall with a small group of well-trained men will help us face the challenges ahead," and the Old Lion could not argue against it.
"The lords will not like it," and changing the maps was a rather great step, and lords small and big would all protest against this in their own ways.
"A Lion does not concern himself with the opinion of Sheep," he threw back his own words at the Old Lion, and there was glint in those green eyes as the Old Lion rose.
"It makes sense," and there was much to discuss even after that. He had yet to name his Full Council, and then there was the matter of hostages and reparations. In the end, they were still not done even after the Sun had set.
"I believe this is it for the day," Tywin Lannister added, and Steffon rubbed his face as he looked out the window.
"Yes," and he cracked his neck, and he had just recovered from his injuries so this was going to take a toll on him.
"I was told that you had the Stark bastard taken out of his cell today," and Tywin Lannister was rather well informed, and he would be rather troubled by this if they were not kin.
"Yes," Steffon had no reason to lie to him.
"Why?" he asked, and it was strange of him to be concerned with a bastard of all people.
"Does it matter?" he asked in return making the Old Lion frown.
"The Red Woman. She was with you as well," and he did not see the question, or at least pretended not to see it.
"I can only hope that she has not managed to beguile you with her tricks," and Steffon scoffed.
"I am not so easily beguiled," and he knew that the Red Woman's presence made many people nervous, but he still had a use for her.
"Don't worry," he assured his grandfather.
"Melisandre is only a tool, and I intend to make use of it to secure my reign. I have no love for her God," and if he doubted his words, he did not say it.
"Then we shall meet tomorrow," and with that, he rose and left his solar, leaving alone to ponder over the days ahead.
The deal with the Starks had been made, and the hostages were headed to the capital already. The armies had turned their backs on Kingslanding already, and the greybeards were rushing to their homeland to push out the Ironborn scum from their lands.
Eddard Stark would join them after he had recovered from the effects of his confinement. Still, Euron's campaign had disrupted his plans, and now he was forced to devote a lot of resources to dealing with him.
Then there was the matter of his marriage and the two possible prospects. By theory, Margaery Tyrell was the better choice, as her House had more to offer. But the Tyrells were simply too ambitious for his taste.
They had betrayed the Crown, only for their ambitions' sake, and to marry her would mean rewarding that ambition. It would set a bad precedent.
But the other choice was no better. Sansa Stark was a naive girl who had her future spoiled by his brother. Months had passed since the incident but no one had set eyes on her since, and even Pycelle had been forced to curse Joffrey for his cruelties.
Given the wars that lay ahead, the North would make for a better ally than the Reach. But Sansa Stark had suffered enough. He did not have it in his heart to force a match upon her.
Well, he would have to make his decision sooner rather than later. With the wars ahead, the presence of an heir would help stabilize his reign.
"Well, I guess the Spider can wait one more day," and with that he rose and walked out his solar to head towards his chambers. Even before his coronation, Joffrey had been removed from the King's chambers and was now being held in a separate room in an isolated part of the castle.
His brother had refused to accept his new position, and even his own mother was not very happy with his proverbial betrayal, but he knew that this would all get better with time, and so as he walked towards the door, the guards seemed rather nervous.
"What is it?" he asked, before the doors were pushed open, and they seemed taken aback by his words.
"You are nervous," he added, and the two of them exchanged glances.
"You have a guest, your grace," and this was not the first time such a thing had happened.
"Tyrell?" he guessed, and to his surprise, the men shook their heads. Still, he pushed open the door, and as he turned his head to the side, he saw the guest they spoke of.
And there she was sitting in a chair beside his bed, clad in a grey dress that highlighted her dark red hair, and blue eyes. She rose as soon as she saw him enter, and this was his first time seeing her.
He had heard tales about her beauty and naivety, and they were true. She was beautiful indeed, but she was not naive. No. Not anymore.
Her eyes were dull and lifeless.
"Lady Sansa," he greeted, and the girl in question bowed her head before she finally spoke.
"Your grace...."
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