Chapter 9: Chapter 9 : The South and The Grudges
Helios (POV) :
Time moved far too incoviniently.
That was the thought that ran through my mind as I waited for dawn to finally show up. Travel to the kingdom of The Reach, the bread basket of westeros where everyone was lazier, more of a schemer and marbelled. It was by all means the most powerful kingdom of the seven kingdoms... Well it should’ve been.
The full military strength of the Reach was hundred thousand soldiers. The greatest single army in all the seven kingdoms and they also had the advantage of having full stomach’s. The Reach produced more grain than they knew what to do with. They also had a large fleet, one of the three great fleets with the Redwynes. By all means all neighbouring kingdoms should have been a part of the Reach by now,.
But the Reachmen were also the most unimpressive people in the continent, right beside the Riverlander’s. Straight bums.
Aegon the Conquerer was clever when he made the Tyrells it’s lord and not the Hightowers. Without the dragons present, there would be a monopoly.
Aegon had done the same with the Riverlands, the tully’s were given power. These two families were young and not much significant until the conqueror. Resulting in the older houses of the same lands looking down on their lord paramounts. It was clever.
But still the Sheer lack of presence they had in terms of military power was just sad. They called their men, no their soldiers flowers ! Such a bottom name for soldiers. No wonder so many were pillow biters.
And yet the Reach now is strong, under The Queen Of Thorns. The major reach houses were united through marriage and Lady Olenna was a schemer, clever and cunning and more importantly discreet.
Had I been Robert Baratheon I would get them under me through marraige to Joffrey so fast. Though it would have come to bite me back as Joffrey was a bastard.
Now, back to the present. I had stolen the cloths of some random mercent in the Hightower lands, I knew the place because there is a tall ass tower here.
I had nowhere to carry my gold so I decided to just dump it in the sea, it would stay there until I got a Ship which I was going to buy right about today. I had flown in to the hightower keep or what ever they called it. The fools never even had an idea, what happened.
I entered the place where there could have been gold, I knocked the men out before they could even comprehend what was happening. To anyone seeing, the men had just fallen unconsious.
The gold was easy to find, It was in Lord Hightower’s room. I took a few bag of gold dragons before flying out to outside the damn city.
Then I counted my loot. 1000 gold dragons, in modern currency roughly 5 million American dollars. All in a few bundles I doubt the rich and pompous Hightower would care about. A lump of bread here was 3 copper pennies!. 1...just 1 gold dragon was worth about 11,760 copper pennies.
This only pissed me off more. A thousand dragons alone could feed all of the starving beggars of King’s Landing, quite easily too.
" I need a ship, and a proper fucking armor, something that represented the hero I am meant to be, A GOD, their saviour and liberator" I could only speak as the sun finally appeared in the horizon. Soon....Very soon, It shall all be mine and the people will rejoice as I will give them a land of Milk and Honey.
------------------------------------------------------------
King’s Landing, day after the Sun rose at night :
"Y....Yo....Your grace, we assure you.....the alchemist guild had nothing to do with It." Wisdom Rosart wimpered before the court.
Soon after Jaime Lannister’s jaw drooping confession. The entire alchemist guild was brought in chains before the court.
"Then WHO else was it, who else could create an explosion like that in my city! " Robert asked, a loud booming voice that demanded absolute submission.
He was more of a king now then he had ever been since the Greyjoy Rebellion nine years ago. The entire city was on lockdown, as the Gold cloaks tried their best to control the terrified mases. But worse still was the fact that, there was wildfire hidden beneath the city all this time. A single mishap and they would all be green dust.
The Gold Cloaks, now under Jaime Lannister were trying to remove the wildfire. The panic had only made everything worse.
"You’re grace It was not us...The only thing we make that explodes in wildfire....And it burns green. Not red...Y...youre grace....Please why....why would we blow up our own city you’re grace" Rossart weeped and begged. Much to the secret amusement of Grandmaestar Pycele.
The Alchamist Guild was despised by the Citadel for the guild practised dark arts and was the only institute to ever compete with the citadel.
But Rossart’s words had made sense and Varys knew it was not them, he would have known. His position as Master of Whispers was a volatile one, he had to be useful. He had to know what was happening in the world. Especially the city. He had to say something.
"You’re grace, I believe he speaks truth" He spoke certain "The Alchemist Guild had no real power since the mad king, their most important chemists were dead. They could not possibly have been building a secret weapon for the past fifteen years without none of us knowing"
"Then WHAT WAS THE EXPLOSION!" Roberts fury made everyone flinch. Even The queen Cercei could not dare maintain her hate for him. She too was scared.
He was the king now, The demon of the trident in flesh. A side of him nobody had seen in a long time. Cercei had not seen this side of his. Andd with the strange look in her eyes, it looked as though she desired more.
Varys had to save his skin. His brain working faster than ever before in his life. He thought of something, anything that would be of use.
Then it clicked.
"You’re grace. I believe It had something to do with the Red priests of the Lord of Light" Varys spoke.
"WHAT" Robert’s words were strangely devioid of emotions.
"You’re grace I had informed the council yesterday, about the arrival of over a dozen red priests in King’s Landing. They are socerers who follow dark arts and burn the worshippers of other faiths for their Lord" Varys proclaimed. He had no evidence but he hated magic and he hated the red priests. A terrible memory of his past resurfacing as he spoke.
"Do you say such thing’s with legitimate evidence, spider?" Thoros of Myr countered. He had reason to be worried. He was a believer of that cursed religion after all.
"No I do not" Varys spoke, clear and confident. He continued before the KIng could speak. "But. Is it not suspicious that once the witched show up by the dozen on our shore, a few hours later the a section blows up in red flames in the deads of night"
The court gasped. Fear seeped throught he noble ladies present. "That proves nothing!" Thoros countered " Just speculation"
"The followers of the lord of light do have the most association with fire. They burn infidels, like all the people of westeros are in their eyes. They are also known to partake in dark magic rituals in Ashai, it would be completely reasonable to assume that they had come here to sacrifice as many infidels to their evil god" The entire court had gone dead silent. Even Thoros looked hesitant further sealing his fate.
"You’re grace I believe that after they burnt the docks, they have either left, or..." Varys trailed of sounding and looking scared.
"Or what" Baelish spoke trying to sound confident but failing.
"Or they have gone into hiding, biding their time to repeat the same attrocity again" Varys spoke terror visible in his face. He believed what he said though he had no evidence.
That was a bomb going off as panic and fear erupted across the entire court. Even Renly and Cercei could not help but be shaken at he revalation.
Robert got up, "guards seize Thoros NOW!"
