Loren Lannister (299 Fifth Moon)
Red Keep – Loren's Chamber
He chewed his pork chop, roasted and crispy, when a knock came at the door. "Enter," he ordered. One of his sergeants stepped inside and bowed low. "My lord, there has been trouble in the city." The man began, but faltered; a bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"Continue," Loren said, voice calm but iron-hard.
"The gold cloaks have been going around the city and killing children. The order that's gone out is to kill King Robert's bastards, even the rumored ones," the man confessed.
Loren's fork stilled. He set it down with care, his eyes fixed on the sergeant. "Children," he repeated quietly. The man nodded.
He closed his eyes a moment, mastering himself, and when he opened them the gold burned sharper. "Thank you, sergeant. Leave."
The man bowed again and all but fled, glad to be gone from that gaze.
Bennard entered soon after, stopping short when he saw Loren's expression.
"Loren, how's your morning? Any news before the council comes together?" Bennard asked carefully.
Then he saw his look, "Ah, you were told what happened in the city."
"Yes, thanks we now sister has done something monstrous," Loren said, his tone flat, restrained yet beneath it, anger pulsed like a river beneath ice. "She always was rash, I surprised me she hadn't had Robert killed early, yet she did, and let Renly, Loras, and other high-ranking nobles of the Stromlands and the Reach. Now they march against us. She always wanted to emulate my father, she thinks the plays of power is butcher's work. Kill your enemies and you win, yet what happens after wars. Without regonsaltion, there is no peace, nor time to grow. Now with these killings, we lost the support of the people. Also it's gives credit to Stannis his accusations."
Bennard nodded slowly. "There's already talk among the recruits. Luckily, none of them lost a child to that barbarity."
"That is some small mercy," Loren replied, as shook his head.
He looked at Bennard then. "You have your escort ready to depart in the moring?" He asked. "I do, I only require your letter with your seal and intent."
He stood and moved to the map, his hand resting upon it with deliberate calm. "When we begin rallying the Crownland houses, we'll see how many men we can muster. Perhaps we'll have them lie in wait when Stannis or Renly come, and crush them in the rear."
"It's optional, Loren. Yet what of their loyalty? They might well betray us once the battle starts," Bennard warned.
Loren looked at him, lips pressing into a thin line. "Then we take their sons. Their daughters. Wards, hostages, call them what you will. Better they sit safe in our halls than risk treachery in the field. They will behave, or they will bleed." A faint smile curved his mouth.
Bennard gave a slow nod.
Small Council Room
Loren allowed himself a thin smile when Cersei ripped the parchment in two, her nails biting into the vellum as if she meant to tear the very North apart with her fingers.
"Forever and ever we will be a free and independent kingdom of the North and Trident," she mocked, her voice dripping with venom.
She tossed the fragments aside as if they were no more than kindling.
Loren's golden eyes moved to their cousin Clement, one of Lord Emmon Frey's brood. The man looked ill at ease, shifting in his seat like a boy summoned before a stern master. His brother still rotted in a cell at Riverrun, if the reports were true.
"Well," Loren said smoothly, "perhaps if we return the bones of his father, we might gain some goodwill."
Cersei shot him a look of disdain, I don't care written plain upon her face.
"Cousin, I expect you'll give the Starks our reply upon your return," she said curtly.
Clement bowed his head. "As you command, Your Grace."
"How is our brother?" she pressed, her tone tightening at the word brother.
"He still holds strong. From what I saw, they haven't broken his spirit," Clement answered.
Cersei's face remained stiff, only her jaw tightening. "Tell him, if you speak with him, that he has not been forgotten."
"I shall, Your Grace," Clement said, bowing again.
"Cousin, safe travels. You shall depart on the morrow with the bones of Lord Stark and a sizeable escort under a banner of peace," Loren added, his voice calm but edged. Goodwill costs little and buys much, if one knows how to play the game.
"Of course, Lord Hand," Clement replied, before the guards ushered him from the chamber.
The doors closed, and silence lingered for a breath.
"What else is there to be discussed?" Cersei demanded.
"A message from the Wall," Pycelle croaked, lifting a parchment with his spotted hand.
Tyrion plucked it deftly from the old man's grasp. "I heard rumors even before Lord Stark's Handship, troubles with the wildlings," Varys said in his silken voice.
"Indeed," Loren said, his tone clipped. "Tyrion and I both heard as much. A king-beyond-the-Wall, the Watch losing more men each year, wild tribes banding together." He flicked a glance at the Spider, who nodded knowingly.
"Another king?" Cersei scoffed. "How many is that now? Five? Six? I've lost count."
Her laugh was sharp, but Loren's irritation spiked. If you had given Robert a trueborn heir instead of playing at games and whores, we might have had only one king to concern ourselves with. His teeth ground together behind a cool mask.
Tyrion broke the seal and began to read, his brows drawing together. "The Lord Commander asks that we send more men to man the Wall."
Cersei snorted. "Did they forget we are fighting a war?"
Tyrion frowned deeper, reading on. "The cold winds are rising… and the dead rise with them."
Loren's brows knit. "What in seven hells does that mean?"
"The Northerners are a superstitious people, Lord Hand," Pycelle said with a dismissive scoff.
"It also says," Tyrion added, ignoring the maester, "that one of these dead men attacked him in the night."
"The Old Bear is a hard man," Loren said, his voice low. "And not one given to lies." Tyrion gave a sharp nod in agreement.
"How do you kill a dead man?" Varys asked softly, a smile curling at his lips.
"By burning," Tyrion replied. "Ned Stark's bastard threw a lantern at the creature. Only when it caught fire did it stop moving."
"Brave from the boy," Loren admitted, though his tone was skeptical. "Still, more likely a wildling trick. Disguised as a corpse to slip past their guards. Killing Mormont would have thrown the Watch into chaos."
"Perhaps," Tyrion said, "but as you said, brother, Mormont does not lie."
Cersei let out a peal of laughter, rising from her chair. "Two of you go north, and now you believe in grumkins and snarks. Shall I expect tales of dragons next?" She swept from the room, her laughter echoing after her.
The others began to rise, but Loren remained seated, his fingers drumming once against the table. Tyrion lingered beside him.
The Hand leaned back in his chair, staring at the broken seal of the letter. Seven hells, if only we could spare the men… He thought of the boy Snow, grim-faced, stubborn, a bastard who yet carried himself with more honor than most lords. He thought of Mormont, the hard bear of the Watch, and even Benjen Stark, whom he admired for living in that place.
"I see that look," Tyrion said. "You wish we could send help."
"I do," Loren admitted. "But it's not in our current interests because of dear sister and nephew. The wilding army gives the Notherners another force to face. Yet, if we have men to spare after the wars. It would showcase the realm we protect; a good image is something we currently lack. Yet the Wall, and wildlings aren't our greatest concerns."
"Food… and the baby killing?" Tyrion said dryly.
"Yes." Loren rubbed his temple. "I am sending Bennard into the Crownlands to rally men and gather supplies. We must increase the food flowing into the city, or the smallfolk will riot. And you remember what happened the last time King's Landing truly rioted."
"I do," Tyrion said grimly. "A queen fled, a prince was butchered, and dragons were torn apart."
"As for the baby killing," Tyrion added, "I'll leave that to you to fix. Cersei will listen to you sooner than she ever would to me."
"Oh, she listens to me, does she?" Loren let out a low, humorless laugh. "Strange, considering she hates me for killing our mother, and you for being a dwarf. What a wonderful family we have."
"To misfits," Tyrion said, lifting his cup.
"To us," Loren replied, raising his own glass. They drank, the shared jest softening the chamber's weight.
After a moment, Loren sighed and turned to his twin. "What of the other councillors? Do you have any idea who we can trust, or at least who is less likely to sell us to Cersei?"
"You've always been the soldier and future lord of the Rock, brother," Tyrion said with a crooked smile. "Leave the thinking to me."
"And?"
"Give them bait," Tyrion said simply, swirling his wine. "Let us see which fish bites."
"What kind of bait?" Loren asked, a cold spark of interest in his eyes.
Tyrion's smile grew wicked. "One of her children. Nothing brings the lioness roaring like a threat to her cubs."
Loren's lips curved, but his eyes remained cold. "Good one, brother."
"Thank you. Yet what will you do about Janos Slynt? The man has proven he can be paid off," Tyrion replied.
"You can't have a man like that as commander of the City Watch. The men already speak of his corruption, being paid to look the other way. He said he killed more than one babe that day," Loren said.
"As for his replacement, I already have a candidate in mind. I will speak with him on the morrow," Loren added.
"I hope he isn't so easily bought. During a siege, we can't have a man who can be bribed in charge of the City Watch," Tyrion said.
"Speaking of the City Watch: I want you to bring the ones who killed the children and babes to trial, have them executed, and hang them upon the Stormroad as a welcoming committee for Stannis and Renly," Loren said with a smile.
"Very well. My tribesmen would love to do that. Brother, would it be strategically sound to send the tribes of the Moon into the King's Wood in the future? To harry Renly or Stannis they march toward us. It's something they have done since the Falcon Knight defeated the Bronze King," Tyrion suggested.
Loren smiled. "Indeed, it would. When we hear they march toward us, we will send them out. Good idea, brother."
Gate of the Father
He watched Bennard ride out of King's Landing with a retinue of a hundred men. As he looked at his right arm, which was riding away, Bennard had been closest to him, besides his two brothers.
Still, with the state of affairs as they were, he needed the men and the food the Crownlands could bring to bear. He sighed and walked down the gatehouse. He mounted his horse and noticed some angry stares from passing citizens as he rode toward the Mud Gate.
Soon enough, he arrived at the Mud Gate. "Bring me the captain, please," he ordered.
"I was summoned." The man's eyes widened, and he dipped into a quick bow. "Lord Hand."
Good, the man knew proper manners. "Walk with me."
After they were a couple of paces away from the nearest goldcloak, Loren spoke low. "I have an offer for you: the command of the city watch. I plan to replace Janos Slynt and to bring to justice the men who butchered those children."
Jacelyn's mouth curved into a hard smile. "It was an outrage. My men refused. Some were even demoted by Janos. He sent riders after another bastard who was traveling to the Wall."
Wonderful, going after the Night's Watch. More of their reputation was being dragged through the mud. "Well. I have a first task for you: send out riders to stop them and bring them back. As for Janos, I expect you to join us at supper tonight. I will inform Janos then, and I have some further things to discuss with you about the city watch."
"As you say, Lord Hand. I will not disappoint you," Jacelyn said.
"Make sure you do not," he noted.
Loren's solar
How that man had ever become Commander of the City Watch, Loren did not know. Janos Slynt was fat, balding, and the son of a butcher. Perhaps the slaughtering of animals made a man fit to slaughter children. It surprised Loren that a man such as this had held the post in the years when the honorable Jon Arryn held sway in the Vale.
"More wine?" Loren asked, forcing a smile that did not reach his eyes. The ma ought to refuse; this was to be his fifth cup.
"Mmm, wonderful. Dornish, no?" Janos purred, swaying slightly in his chair. "Indeed, you know your wines," Loren noted.
"That I do," Jason agreed, looking at him smuckly. He set the decanter down and stared at the man across the table. How did a captain of the City Watch come to know wines well enough to name them? Loren kept that thought. He folded his hands. "Tell me, Lord Janos, who appointed you commander of the Watch?"
"Lord Arryn," Janos said at once. Then, in a boastful afterthought, "though Lord Baelish put my name forward. The Master of Coin and I are friends, you see. I've worked with him a few times and earned his trust." He lifted his cup and took another swallow.
The wine had made him careless. "Ah. A good appointment, then, one who carries out the orders of the Crown, without the Hand's knowledge," Loren said lightly.
"They were the Crown's orders, brought by Ser Meryn. I followed them without delay." Janos said, puffing his chest.
"Horrible orders indeed, killing babes and children," Loren said.
"Indeed, my lord. But they had to be done," Janos replied, shrugging. "Yet you did it. The Queen must have high trust in you. Shame she is losing you to your new seat." Loren suppressed a laugh; it rose bitter and small in his throat.
"I never said they were the Queen's orders," Janos snapped, offended.
"Yet who else would wish to kill King Robert's bastards?" Janos added, raising a brow.
"I was given an order, and I followed it," Janos repeated stiffly. "A loyal man, indeed." Lored added.
"Loyal to the King," Janos said, raising his cup and draining another swallow. "If you want another loyal man when I leave for my seat, send for Allard Deem, my right hand."
"Ah," Loren paused. "I was thinking of Ser Jacelyn Bywater. He has been captain of the Mud Gate for three years and fought with valor during the Greyjoy rebellion. Our good King Robert knighted him for it."
Janos laughed, took a long draught, and set his cup down with a thump. "Hmm. I don't want him, my lord. The man is rigid, hard, brave, but a cripple, which is why he was knighted. Men do not like him much. Also, he does not follow orders: his men refused the Crown's commands. They were punished, of course, a few high-ranking men replaced by those true to the King."
Loren nodded once. "Your pick, Deem, is little loved by the streets."
"Streets gossip, my lord. Deem is a fine man for the job. Feared, and fear is good in these times, with all these traitors to our King in the realm." Janos's eyes slid toward the wine jar with intent. "Ah, more wine, my lord?" Loren asked.
Loren obliged, filling his cup again. Janos accepted eagerly.
"Speaking of traitors," Loren said casually, "what happened with Lord Stark? I know your men slaughtered his men in the throne room."
"Traitorous dogs," Janos scoffed. "Tried to bribe me to betray the King." He spat the words like bile. Loren bit back another laugh, keeping his face schooled.
"A shame for Lord Stark. He had no idea you were already bought," Loren said, smiling faintly.
"What! My lord, I wasn't; I'm loyal to the King. I'm an honorable man," Janos protested, outraged.
"Lord Janos, I am not denying your honor; I am questioning its existence." Loren's stare was icy, controlled, the sort of cold that made men squirm. A trick well learned from his father, Janos wanted to rage, but he kept his composure.
"My lord Hand, I was given orders by the Crown and the Master of Coin to stop Lord Stark and Lord Stannis from seizing the throne for themselves. They sought to make claims on King Joffrey." Janos's words tumbled, his face reddening.
"And yet I cannot have a Lord Commander who can be bought," Loren said softly. "Taking bribes for criminals, following the commands of a King not yet of age without question, that will be the ruin of us."
"The King is the King," Janos insisted. "But we have a Queen-Regent who made a bargain with Lord Stark, to swear him to the Wall in return for his support of Joffrey's claim. Instead, his head was cut off by the King, with the help of your men. You had the man; you could have stopped it. I recall my sister calling for Joffrey to stop it."
"You were ordered to follow the King's commands," Janos stammered. Loren's frown deepened. "By whom?"
Panic slid through Janos's eyes. He looked around the solar as if help might come from the rafters. For a flash, he reached, clumsy, wine-dulled, for a knife at his belt. Loren's own hand moved faster, as he crabbed a knife in front of him.
The knife found Janos's hand and went through it; the man screamed, teeth bared. Pain tore across his face as he clutched at the blade impaling him to the table.
"Fool," Loren said, voice low and hard. He twisted the blade, and Janos howled. "Now tell me, Lord Janos, who paid you to follow the King's commands."
"L-Lord, " Janos cried through clenched teeth. "Lord Baelish," he spat, the name coming like a curse.
"Ah." Loren's expression did not change, but the motion of satisfaction in his shoulders was small and cold. "Thought as much."
He tapped the table once. "Ser Jacelyn enter."
The door opened and Ser Jacelyn stepped in, steady as ever.
"Have this man brought to the Black Cells," Loren ordered, his voice surgical. "Take his hand. Yet keep him alive; he has valuable knowledge. Send him to the same cell Lord Stark was in."
"For what charge, my lord Hand?" Ser Jacelyn asked in a clipped tone.
Loren's mouth curved in a brief, merciless smirk. "Treason, bribery, and attempted assault upon the Hand of the King."
"I have powerful friends, I will be free, and you both will pay for this!" Janos screeched, rage and terror braiding his voice as men seized him.
"See him to the cells," Loren said, gesturing to the guards. "And Ser Jacelyn, please take a seat. We have much to discuss about the City Watch."
Notes: Well, Joffery has ordered the killings of the babes and children. Although, as of now, Tyrion and Loren both think it was Cersei. As for Jason, Loren, and Tyrion, they do not trust Littlefinger, and the death of Ned stank, and now they know who did it. I would think Janos would act with fear instead of pride and anger at what he did with Tyrion. Loren has a reputation as a warrior and is the heir to the West.
Thanks for the read.