Prince Rhaegar's Solar
"A confirmed warlock. Then why didn't you kill him, Ser Barristan?" Rhaegar asked, his voice low.
He was meeting with the White Cloaks: Selmy, Dayne, Whent. Rhaegar had begun securing his own power base within the capital; if he were to launch a coup now, he would have a fair chance of seizing the Iron Throne in a single night.
"He is too dangerous," Barristan replied. "Beyond that, I could not discern his motives. I thought it would be hasty to open hostilities without proper preparation."
"Did you not find a single clue?" Oswell Whent asked, his brow furrowed. "A warlock and a Faceless Man meeting openly in the Great Sept... something isn't right." He found the situation increasingly baffling; Edmure's actions were visible, but the why' s remained ghost.
"Not much," Barristan admitted. "The boy spends his time in the Sept, the Myrish merchant house, or that smithy. If there is a larger Tully ploy at work, I cannot see it. Perhaps an Essosi connection?"
"Then keep monitoring him," Rhaegar ordered. "Intercept his communications from Riverrun. I will see if I can persuade Varys to open his Essosi intelligence channels for us. The eunuch has a particular distaste for the occult from the East; he will fold." Rhaegar sat back, mentally replaying his interactions with the Tully heir, searching for some lost, vital detail.
"Yes, my Prince," Barristan said. "Though our actions will surely draw attention. You should meet with your father and explain the situation before someone else muddies the waters."
"Very well. You shall come with me then," Rhaegar decided. "I will agree to his task of repairing Summerhall, but in return, I shall demand control over the royal navy." Rhaegar had dreams from young age, visions about a future. He knew the turmoil is upon him, but meeting the Tully boy was not something he anticipated.
"I will also join you," Oswell insisted. "I'm good at spotting traps in negotiations."
"Both these Rivermen have muddy water for brains," Jon Connington muttered. His distaste for the Tully heir was no secret. "The stench alone is enough to dissuade a negotiator."
"Stench..." Barristan whispered, the missing detail finally clicking into place. "My Prince, Edmure had a peculiar odor on him. Even old Duncan didn't smell this bad, and he grew up in the depths of Flea Bottom."
"This cannot be," Oswell interjected. "I know my nephew; he is far too fussy about his person. This is no coincidence. He went somewhere foul. What could it be? A gathering place for other warlocks? Right here in the capital?"
"The sewers," Rhaegar answered, his eyes sharpening. "Tully boy. A warlock. Essosi connections. Valyrian books from Queen Alysanne. King's Landing." Rhaegar repeated the words like a mantra, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. He spoke in a chilling tone, the wrath of the dragonlord blood surfacing. "A dragon egg!" he hissed, his face twisting into a grimace. "A vile thief! To dare lay hands on something so precious!"
Barristan watched the Prince, startled. For a moment, he saw a flash of the madness that had claimed Aerys. "Are we certain? Should I take men to kill him? We could strike his family as well; better to kill them by mistake than show mercy to a thief."
Rhaegar sat down and stared into the fireplace, a coin dancing between his fingers. He tossed it again and again. The silence was unbearable. Jon was about to pull his companion out of the trance when Rhaegar suddenly began to laugh. He held the coin up; the face showed a dragon.
"He has a song," Rhaegar spoke cryptically. "He is the Prince That Was Promised, and his is the Song of Ice and Fire. There must be one more. The dragon has three heads." He snapped out of it and smiled gently. "The River has no part in what is to come. Whatever his plans may be, they do not involve the dragons. I saw it—only a Targaryen will awake them, three this time. Everything will stay the same. Yes. Nothing will change. The River won't matter."
"What should we do now?" Arthur Dayne asked.
"Letting him near the Red Keep is out of the question," Rhaegar said. "Take the books to him. Increase the monitoring. I do not think he is working with others, so just keep me informed. Let us leave."
"He promised me armor," Barristan noted as he left with the Prince. "Be sure to collect the payment on my behalf."
The Next Day
Edmure went to the Great Sept of Baelor to meet the High Septon. He donated five thousand gold dragons—a show of sincerity for the divine help he felt he had received. Having received the Valyrian books the night before, he planned to spend the next few weeks buried in study, raising his Learning and Craftsmanship levels.
As Edmure departed, the High Septon beckoned a subordinate. "Nothing is hidden from me in this Sept. Go and tell the Lannisters about young Tully. This will net me a favor. Haha! A naive boy... the politics of the capital are far beyond someone like him."