Chapter 48: The Kinslayer
'For a scholar, it's often very discouraging to see how many laypeople have romanticised or even utterly wrong notions about the past based on myth and mummers' tales. While they are perfectly aware that their own customs are not as binding as some might claim, and even laws are broken often enough - sometimes without repercussions - they are far too ready to assume that in the past, things were different, and that the people of old upheld customs and laws even at the cost of their lives. The number of novels about nobles caught in situations where their own honour traps them in an almost fatal quandary is staggering, but not nearly as bad as their impact on the public. Even some scholars do not seem to grasp the fact that customs and laws were only binding as long as they could be enforced, and not too rarely, such enforcement was lacking when it concerned the powerful in the realm. Few crimes were so abhorrent that even the mightiest would suffer for it. Kinslaying probably comes closest to that ideal - after killing his brother Baelor, Prince Maekar Targaryen was marked as a kinslayer even though most sources agree that it was an accident. One has to note, though, that the taboo in this case only covered personal actions; if an ally or even a subordinate of a noble killed that noble's kin, this was not considered a violation, a view which was abused several times during the history of Westeros.'
The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
I am a kinslayer.
Tyrion Lannister had killed, murdered, his father. He had violated a fundamental taboo of Westeros. And yet, he didn't feel as much shame or guilt as he had expected. Nor as much regret, much less remorse - the slightly queasy feeling in his stomach was the lingering effect of the antidote he had taken.
Yes, he had killed his own father, but the man had done all he could to get Tyrion killed - and his entire family with him. Tywin's own words had confirmed that he had to be stopped before his actions were revealed and everyone suffered for them. And Tyrion had been the best choice, the only choice, to do it. He was the heir - now the new Lord Lannister, Warden of the West. Or would be, once the Lord Regent got around to formalising it. And, he bared his teeth at the thought, I wouldn't let anyone else kill Father.
How did it feel, Father, he thought, to see me put your cruel lessons to work? To die knowing I was responsible - and I would inherit your power, wealth and position? After all you did to deny me my right?
He leaned back in the seat - his seat, now - and gently turned the cup in his hand, setting the wine inside in soft motion. He used poison to do it. A coward's weapon. But Tyrion hadn't had any choice; he was too weak, too small, to fight honestly. And in order to lay the blame for his deed on the Faceless Men - or Prince Oberyn, Tyrion didn't care overly much - he had to use poison. He couldn't convincingly fake an assassination with a blade, not even if he managed to surprise Father with a backstabbing. Poison, though? After all the poisonings that had happened during the last few months, everyone would be quick to blame the mysterious assassins instead of him. He was, after all, a dwarf. And if not, Tyrion shouldn't have too much trouble deflecting suspicion onto someone else. The only one who knew the truth was Pycelle, after all, and the Grand Maester knew he would be revealed as responsible for Varys's death should he decide to cut ties with Tyrion, much less betray him.
He took a sip, savouring the taste. The last bottle of that vintage he'd drunk had its taste affected by the antidote. This was just perfect.
As was his situation. He had it all. The power. The wealth. The influence. Everything his father had was now his. Unfortunately, that included his father's enemies, but as long as Tyrion didn't alienate the Ruby Order and kept on Lancel's good side, few of his enemies would dare to make a move against him.
He had it all, and all it had taken was killing his father.
He snorted and took another sip. A Lannister always paid his debts - another lesson Father had taught him - and Tyrion had owed a lot to Father. All the curses, all the scorn, all the humiliation Father had heaped on him, for no fault of his own. All paid in full now.
He grinned as he raised the cup in a mocking salute to where he had put up Father's armour - useless to him, of course. "To your legacy, Father. I will take care of it." And his father would loathe it more than anything else.
He downed the wine and refilled the cup. It had been a risk, but it had paid off. And Father had paid for what he had done, and not done, to Tyrion. The only drawback was that Tyrion couldn't leverage his deed to make peace with the Martells. But that could be handled - not even the Red Viper would dare to strike at him with the Ruby Order watching.
He smiled as he took another sip. The most powerful people in the world, and he was their friend. A friendly acquaintance, at least - they were one of the few people he had ever met who were not just acting friendly toward him because they expected a reward in one way or the other. And they owed him for the manse he had graciously gifted them for their demonstration.
He took another swallow of wine. Now he only had to get a grip on Father's many businesses - facilitated since Father had kept meticulous notes - and his future was assured.
Would you simmer with hate, Father, if you could see this? Grind your teeth worse than Lord Stannis, seeing as I have proven to be your son, beating you at your own game?
He took another sip, it was excellent wine, and kept smiling as he studied Father's books - his books, now.
Though he put on an appropriately serious expression when a servant entered, of course. It wouldn't do to act recklessly and give away his true feelings about Father's death. Whatever they were. "Yes?"
"Err, Lord Lannister… Lady Ruby and her friends request a meeting."
"Her friends?"
"All of them, my lord."
Oh. He hadn't expected all of them, nor so soon. Lady Weiss to express their condolences, but all of them? They left Lancel and the others without protection? Did they value him so much? As the new Head of House Lannister? As a friend?
It is possible, he told himself. They liked him. And they would think that for all the things Father had done, he was still kin to Tyrion. And yet…
He emptied his cup, but the hollow feeling in his stomach remained.
"Show them in," he said.
"Yes, my lord."
He refilled his cup once more. He needed it.
He couldn't refuse them - he couldn't act suspiciously. Not now. Not ever. Kinslayers were cursed.
"Lord Tyrion." Lady Ruby greeted him as they entered his solar.
"Lady Ruby. Lady Weiss. Lady Blake. Lady Yang." He bowed his head without getting up from his seat. It was more polite to greet them like this, in his opinion. It certainly was more dignified.
They returned his greetings with nods. None of them was smiling, though that was to be expected when visiting a grieving son, so it didn't have to mean anything. That they were wearing their 'hunting clothes' and carrying their terrifying weapons was not unusual, either, of course - they had not gone out without either since they had heard about the threat of the Faceless Men, at least.
"Thank you for meeting with us so quickly," Lady Ruby said after they had taken their seat.
He saw her glance at his bottle and suppressed a wry grin. "Politeness forces me to offer you food and drink, though, in light of what happened, I could not fault you for refusing." He briefly considered offering them bread and salt, but that would look suspicious and, also, more than a bit pretentious since the Red Keep was not Tyrion's but Tommen's.
"Oh, a snack and a beer wouldn't go amiss!" Lady Yang said, grinning widely. "I'll volunteer to serve as a food taster."
"Far be it from me to turn down such a generous offer," he replied, signalling a servant. He had half expected - hoped - for this, whether it was meant seriously or not. After all, just because he had poisoned Father didn't mean someone else might not achieve the same with him.
"Our condolences for your loss," Lady Weiss said as politely as ever after the servant he had called had left again.
"Yes. Losing your father must be a heavy blow," Lady Ruby nodded. "No matter what he might have done, he was still your father."
That was quite surprisingly judgemental for the girl. Although Father had had a peerless gift to make enemies with his arrogance, and his past deeds had all but ensured that Team Ruby wasn't well-disposed towards him from the start. So, this might not be a hint that they knew what he had done, but merely Lady Ruby trying to be polite and empathic about the death of a person she wouldn't miss.
He nodded. "Thank you. He will be missed." By those who had hoped to convince Father to replace him. But unless Father remarried - and he was far too stubborn and, as astonishing as it was, far too sentimental for that - he was stuck with Tyrion. Especially after Jaime and Joffrey's deaths.
Lady Yang made a scoffing noise at that, but the girl was very fond of dark humour and awful puns, so she had probably thought of some jape that was both.
The servant returned with water, milk, beer, wine and sweet bread - and Lady Ruby's favourite cakes. Tyrion had prepared for this visit, even as he had hoped it wouldn't happen for a while yet.
The girls served themselves, and while they didn't hesitate to eat and drink, Lady Ruby didn't comment on the cakes. Or the milk.
And that was a bad sign. Tyrion took a large swallow from his cup. "So, I don't think you merely visited to offer me your condolences." He wanted to scowl at his own words right after he said them - that sounded a bit suspicious, didn't it? "Have you found a clue that would lead us to the assassin who did this?" He made a point of rubbing his belly with a grimace. "They killed Father and almost killed me in the same attempt; I plan to ensure that they do not get the opportunity to make a second attempt." He used his cup to mask his tension and drank another mouthful.
The girls exchanged glances. Lady Blake spoke up. "We have found clues but no proof yet."
Lady Blake was their spy. She had revealed Jaime and Cersei's oath-breaking. If anyone had found proof of his deed, it would be her. He forced himself not to clench his hand around the cup and raise his eyebrows with apparent interest instead of sudden dread. "I'm listening."
Lady Blake deferred to Lady Weiss, though - was that a sign? And for what? Tyrion was close to the Maidens, but he still didn't understand them as well as he needed.
"You must have been very quick to identify the poison in the wine you and your father drank," Lady Weiss said. "You managed to save your life without suffering any lingering wounds, yet your father succumbed to it before he could stand up from his seat and try to get the antidote from you. One would expect your stomach lining to have suffered debilitating damage." She narrowed her eyes at the bottle on his desk. "One wouldn't expect you to be able to stomach wine, much less in the quantities you imbibed, without suffering significant pain." She leaned forward. "Just based on the sequence of events, and on the evidence we found when we arrived, it seems that the only way an antidote could have prevented you from suffering such damage was if you had taken it before you drank the poison."
Tyrion felt the blood in his veins freeze for a moment as his stomach tried to send the wine he had drunk up again. He fought the urge down and slowly exhaled. "I considered that as well," he lied. "I think that drinking far more wine than water must have toughened my guts, so the poison was resisted until I took the antidote."
"I think you're lying," Lady Ruby said with a scowl that matched Lady Weiss's and would have earned her a slightly approving nod from Tyrion's father.
Tyrion smiled wryly. They knew, then. So, proclaiming his innocence would be pointless - and counterproductive. Well, he had thought about what he would have to do in this exact situation. More than he had thought about Father, to be honest. They didn't have proof. Not the kind of proof that they had required from others. Time to roll the dice. "Are you angry that he died before you could kill him, my lady?"
She blinked, but quickly recovered. "Oh. You think we would have killed him for hiring the Faceless Men to come after us?"
She had known about that? And Father had yet lived until Tyrion had killed him? He scoffed at his own thoughts. Those were the girls who had known about Jaime and Cersei for months without exposing them! He should have anticipated that. Still, he could work with this. "Would you have left him alive, free to keep trying to punish you for supposed slights to soothe his wounded pride? So he could go after your friends when he could not hurt you?"
That made them scowl. Hopefully, at Father and not himself.
*****
"We would have had him arrested!" Ruby Rose said. What did Lord Tyrion think they would do, murder someone? They wouldn't have killed Lord Tywin when they could've easily arrested him instead! And they could have!
"Ah. So you could kill him in the trial by combat he'd demand?" Lord Tyrion took a sip - or a swallow from his cup.
She scowled harder at him. That was a low blow! "We would have followed the law! And he could have gone to the Wall!"
Lord Tyrion chuckled. "Father, going to the Wall? You didn't know him as I did. He would have rather died than admit any guilt - or any fault." He raised his cup. "His pride was more important to him than anything else, even his own life. If he could have swallowed his pride, bent his knee… But he didn't. And someone killed him."
Ruby tilted her head slightly to the side as she narrowed her eyes. "'Someone'?"
"Someone." Lord Tyrion drank from his cup again - emptying it, or so it seemed; he refilled it right away. "Someone I and my family owe a lot to, I am ashamed to say."
"Sounds a bit egotistical, you know, since you're talking about yourself," Yang said.
Ruby nodded. He had all but admitted it - he had given them the reason for killing his father!
"Am I?" He smiled, in a twisted way, and took another sip.
"The circumstances line up perfectly," Weiss told him. "Motive, means, opportunity."
"You spin a convincing tale indeed, my lady." Lord Tyrion nodded at them. "And I have no doubt that, should you present it to the Lord Regent, I would be found guilty." He snorted, then drank more wine. "But you could simply accuse me and claim you saw or heard me doing it, or that I confessed it to you, and I would be found guilty as well."
Ruby frowned. That would be lying, even if he had killed his father.
"You aren't making a case for sparing you, my lord," Weiss said.
Ruby glanced at her friends. All of them were as tense as she was. Lord Tyrion wasn't a fool; he must have prepared for this.
"I don't have to make a case - I just have to ask you this: Do you have proof beyond doubt that I killed my father? Or are you merely 'certain', just as the Baratheons are certain about my nephew and niece's parentage?" Tyrion smiled and emptied his cup once more.
That was… Ruby opened her mouth before closing it again. They had proof! Didn't they? She glanced at her friends.
Weiss was scowling. Blake was frowning. And Yang was glaring.
"We know you did it…" Ruby trailed off and grimaced.
"If you wish to see me destroyed, you can easily arrange that. Whether I killed a man who wanted to harm you and your friends or not does not matter. But how is that different from yesterday or the day before? Everyone at court is living at your sufferance. If you wish to break your own rules, no one can stop you." Lord Tyrion nodded and refilled his cup, then frowned at the now-empty bottle.
Break their own rules? They had… Ruby clenched her teeth and turned to look at her partner. "Do we have proof? Real proof, not just our word?"
Weiss winced, which was answer enough. Of course, she still replied: "We have circumstantial evidence. The sequence of events, as described by Lord Tyrion, doesn't fit the facts."
"I was poisoned and struggling for my life; I might not have recalled what exactly happened while I was drinking the antidote," Lord Tyrion cut in.
Ruby didn't like his tone.
Neither did Weiss, since she scowled at him. "As much as I loathe to admit, we currently have no actual proof. Although I would bet my allowance on being right about his culpability."
Lord Tyrion blinked, apparently surprised. "Your allowance?"
"Her father is about as rich as your father was, comparatively," Ruby explained. And about as bad.
"Ah. A strong argument indeed. Who would dare to doubt a conviction like this, from the Blessed by the Seven? Who, but for the Maidens themselves?" Lord Tyrion nodded again. "My life - and the lives of all those who would follow my successor into a no doubt doomed rebellion - depend on the answer to that question." He leaned forward and stared at Ruby. "The question I asked before: Do you have proof beyond doubt?"
That was a stupid and unfair question. Ruby pressed her lips together so she didn't say that out loud. But it was a good question anyway. She looked at her team, but none of them seemed to have an answer. They were just angry at Lord Tyrion.
Damn it! Why did every noble here have to be such a jerk? Murderous jerk, she corrected herself.
"We don't have proof beyond doubt," she said, then bit into another piece of cake to get rid of the sour taste in her mouth at having to say this.
"Not according to our standards," Weiss added. She sounded as frustrated as Ruby felt.
Lord Tyrion beamed at all of them and raised his cup again. "I'll drink to that… Or not," he finished, glaring at his apparently empty cup.
Ruby snorted. Served him right. "That doesn't mean that we'll forget this," she told him.
"I don't expect you to forget this, my lady. Although I hope you will remember what my father had done, and was doing, when he died." Lord Tyrion grimaced a little. "Whoever killed him saved a great many lives, my own included."
"Yeah, right." Yang scoffed. "We wouldn't have attacked your family over this."
"You may not have, but your friends? Your Order's members? Your followers? All the enemies Father had made in his life?" Lord Tyrion shook his head. "They are already celebrating his death in the streets. The people of King's Landing have never forgotten how Father had the city sacked during the Rebellion because the mad King had slighted him."
People were celebrating Lord Tywin's death? They would have to check that.
Lord Tyrion went on: "My uncle Kevan was loyal to my brother. Had you arrested him, he would have dismissed the accusations as a plot and called our banners. And yes," he went on before anyone else could say anything, "He would have done so even if he were aware - and he should have been - that they stood no chance. If he had a house of his own, 'loyal to death' would be their words. If Father had not been killed with, in hindsight, such fortunate timing, the Westerlands would have been ravaged by war, as everyone would have used the opportunity to destroy us. Even if you stepped in, many people would have died already by the time you reached the area."
Ruby glared at him again. "Your uncle wouldn't have been in charge! You are, were, the heir."
"Oh, but I would be a prisoner. At least, I would be seen as one. Uncle Kevan wouldn't listen to orders given under duress - certainly not from me. And it would take me too long to reach him in person to stop things. And so, everyone would be forced to fight, which would have been very convenient for a great number of people. Not so for you. And, of course, neither for my family, my smallfolk and myself."
Ruby didn't want to hear it. The man had murdered his father. They knew it, he knew it. But they had no proof, and they weren't hypocrites. So, they couldn't arrest him. Not without breaking their own rules.
But that didn't mean they had to like it, or him. Or treat him as some hero. "Well, we know where we stand, then," she said.
"I believe so, my lady," he replied, sounding almost sad.
Whatever. "Bye then." She stood, nodded and marched to the door, her team following her.
*****
King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
The people were celebrating in the streets. Weiss Schnee could hardly miss it as Team RWBY walked towards the Order's headquarters. They weren't singing and dancing in the streets, but taverns were full and most street vendors were busy, and she could hear far more laughter than normal.
She didn't doubt that most Faunus would react the same to news of her own father's death. Similarly subdued in Mantle, behind closed doors in Atlas, of course, but they would probably not hold back a lot in other kingdoms, and Menagerie might declare it an official holiday… No, they wouldn't, she corrected herself. Such a display might harm their international relations.
But she had known that before. What she wondered now, when they were going through one of the not-so-affluent parts of the city, was whether Mantle's human citizens would react the same. She knew that there were tensions between Atlas and Mantle, and for better or worse, after the Atlesian Military, the SDC, and, through it, the Schnee family, was the face of Atlas. If people thought of Atlesian society, they would think of Weiss's family.
And, definitely for worse, Father represented her family. And she was aware of just how much his business practices differed from Grandfather's policies.
Yes, she had to admit it, many people would celebrate his death. And just as the smallfolk here, they would do it with an eye out for the police, respectively the gold cloaks.
"And doesn't that say something about home?" she muttered.
"Hm, Weiss?" Ruby asked, turning her head to look at her.
"Nothing. Just thinking about home," Weiss replied. Technically correct.
"Oh!" Before Weiss could react, Ruby was hugging her - had she used her Semblance? "Don't worry! We'll get home! I promise! All of us will see our friends and families again!"
"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss managed to say - Ruby had grown stronger, and Weiss felt it. Not that that was a surprise; Weiss felt fitter and stronger as well. Of course, in the absence of most entertainment that they were used to, her team spent a bit more time training per day than at Beacon.
"Yeah!" Yang chimed in. "We will find a way home. Even if we have to punch our way through whoever got us here in the first place!"
It was bravado, of course. They still had no solid lead, and Archmaester Marwyn, the Grand Maester and Septon Hernis were almost done with the books covering magic - even tangentially, as Weiss understood. Of course, they had yet to search through the library of the Citadel. The archives there went back thousands of years, according to both Maesters. Still, even though Weiss couldn't help feeling pessimistic about their chances, she appreciated her friends' support very much as she returned the hug. She was all but certain that Ruby was not as cheerful or optimistic as she acted, either - her partner often tried to carry too much weight on her shoulders, feeling responsible for the entire team.
But that wasn't something they should be talking about on the street. Not that Weiss had any intention to discuss it any time soon, anyway. Not with the current problem hanging over their heads. "Thank you." She meant it. "But let's continue. We need to brief the Order."
"Yes."
*****
RWBY Order Headquarters, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
"Tyrion murdered Lord Tywin? Cousin Tyrion? For hiring the Faceless Men to assassinate you?"
"That's what we suspect," Weiss told Lancel. "We do not have any proof, however. Merely suspicious circumstances. Which, to be fair, could have other explanations than him murdering his father."
"I can't believe Tyrion would be a kinslayer!" Lancel exclaimed. "I mean… Lord Tywin was hard on him, but he's a hard man, anyway, hard on everyone, and he is kin!"
Weiss would have made a comment about family ties not being a bar to murder, statistics about domestic abuse, which she had looked up for reasons that weren't important right now, proving the contrary, but held her tongue. Instead, she said: "While he didn't admit the deed, he did say that, in his opinion, his father's actions put the entire House Lannister in lethal danger."
"He would be right about that, my lady," Gendry said. "If the people heard about this… Half the city would be in arms and marching against him."
And many of the other half would probably riot as well, Weiss thought.
"We'd stop them," Ruby said. "We'd have arrested Lord Tywin."
"But can you trust the Faceless Man who told you that, my lady?" Jon asked. "They are assassins working for a foreign god."
"They actually worship the Stranger, as they see it," Blake cut in.
"I don't think the Stranger would agree, my lady. The Seven condemn murder," Gendry objected.
"But… what will you do? If Tyrion murdered his father, we can't let that stand!" Lancel exclaimed suddenly.
"We don't have proof," Weiss repeated herself. "And while we could easily get him convicted on our word alone, as he pointed out quite deliberately, we would be breaking our own rules and those of the Order if we did so."
"Yes," Ruby said with a deep scowl. "We need proof before acting. Innocent until proven guilty."
"And we have to keep quiet about this - if rumours about our suspicion spread, the consequences could be grave," Blake added.
Brienne nodded. "Of course, my lady. As you taught us, so we shall do."
And, Weiss thought, so we have to. Anything else would make us hypocrites - and likely destabilise the realm.
"Can we find proof?" Jon asked, patting Ghost's flank.
"We'll try," Blake replied. "But knowing Lord Tyrion, he will have ensured that any proof was destroyed as soon as possible."
Weiss agreed. Lord Tyron was smart and knew them well - he wouldn't have dared to challenge their conviction if he were not certain that there was no way to prove that he was a murderer. Of course, he could be wrong about that - no one was perfect - but the odds of finding proof weren't good.
And the odds of Lord Tyrion getting away with murder were good.
It felt bad. Very bad. But, at least, Weiss could console herself that they were not letting Tyrion go because Lord Tywin's death saved a lot of lives, or because he deserved death, but because they lacked sufficient proof. It wasn't pragmatism, realism or whatever buzzword politicians back home used when they were breaking the spirit of a law, if not the law itself. It was idealism.
This was the right thing, even if it felt wrong. But abusing their power and influence to get the result they wanted would be much, much worse.
"Anyway, that's about Lord Tywin and Lord Tyrion. Now, we still have one Faceless Man after us, so we have to stay on our toes!" Ruby went on. "And, as the Seer told us, they see this as a contest to prove who among them is right about us. Sort of. It's complicated."
"There are, according to what the assassin known as 'the Seer' told us, two factions in their organisation. One thinks we're messengers of their god - or the Stranger," Weiss took over explaining with a wry smile. "The others think we're impostors. And, once again, according to the Seer, who is part of the first faction, we are supposed to prove the second faction wrong if we want to stop their assassins coming for us and endangering others in the process."
"So, if we can stop the next assassin, we hope to convince them to let us be." Ruby smiled grimly.
It said something about Westeros, Weiss couldn't help feeling, that the assembled Order members, their friends, nodded to that as if that made sense to them.
*****
The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
Blake Belladonna looked around once more, even though she had already searched the room. But you always double-checked. And triple-checked when you were stalling. But she saw nothing suspicious, no clue that would lead her to a secret compartment where incriminating notes and other proof of Lord Tyrion's crime might be stashed.
Which she had expected - they already knew that the Grand Maester was not nearly as much of a doddering old man as he liked to pretend; his efficacy in searching the royal library for them proved that. And the fact that someone clearly in the pay of a hated House to survive for so long at court also proved that he was not the sort of reckless or overconfident fool who would leave incriminating evidence behind when he could help it. She had hoped that he might have kept some proof as insurance against being betrayed or eliminated by his co-conspirator, but it seemed the man trusted Lord Tyrion not to do that.
Whether or not that trust was justified remained to be seen; Lord Tyrion had certainly proven that he was willing to commit murder to protect himself and his family, and Pycelle was the only one who could implicate Lord Tyrion in the murder. That Pycelle was involved was clear, at least; he had already confirmed that Lord Tyrion had received the antidotes from him.
But without any proof, it was useless.
She gritted her teeth, then slipped out of the window and scaled the wall. The guards were still out in force - as far as the Court knew, Faceless Men had poisoned Lord Tywin, and the Lannisters must be concerned about others using the opportunity to further hurt their house; the celebrations in the city hadn't gone unnoticed, nor had Prince Oberyn's wide smile and cheerful toasts - but they were only so many, and looking for humans, not a Huntress who could see in the dark as well or better than they could during the day.
A few long jumps and a quick scaling of a part of the Keep's inner walls got her clear and to a still mostly unknown entrance to the network of tunnels that ran under the Red Keep.
She used the opportunity for a quick patrol of sorts - checking if any of the markers near their quarters that she had left had been disturbed. All of them were where they should be, though. Since a human, even with a lamp, much less a candle, would have a hard time spotting them, that was a sign that no one had tried to sneak into their room.
Unlike other times, not just Yang but also Ruby and Weiss were awake when she returned to their quarters.
"Blake! Did you find anything?" Ruby looked hopeful, but her face fell when Blake shook her head.
"We expected that," Weiss said.
"We could still put pressure on Pycelle," Yang suggested. "See if he cracks."
"That would be too close to torture for my comfort," Weiss said.
Blake had to agree. And she didn't think the man would crack, anyway. And if he did testify against Lord Tyrion, they would have to protect him against revenge, and they were already stretched thin. "There was no sign of the Faceless Man, either," she said.
"Is that supposed to be good or bad news?" Yang asked with a grin.
"Bad news. It would be great if we could stop the Faceless Men from coming after us and our friends as soon as possible," Ruby said.
"I would rather not have to deal with an imminent attack while we still struggle to deal with the repercussions of Lord Tywin's death," Weiss disagreed.
There was no need to ask Yang what she thought; Blake's partner was not always eager for a fight, as some thought, but she preferred to be proactive rather than waiting for others to act. "I would prefer to have some idea what the assassin is planning," Blake said as her friends and her partner looked at her.
"Yes!" Ruby smiled, and Weiss rolled her eyes.
"That said, what can he do?" Yang asked. "We can withstand poison, fire… he'd have to catch us asleep to hurt us, and we're not going to be caught asleep."
Not on Blake's watch. But there were other ways. "We can still suffocate - he could try to drown us, or trap us underground until the air runs out."
"We can punch our way out. Or break anything that weighs us down," Yang countered. "And he would know about that since he saw us demolish that manse."
That was true, of course. But would that stop an assassin from trying? One dedicated to proving that they were impostors and no messengers of the god of death that he was worshipping?
Blake doubted it. "We should be on our guard," she said. "Any ploy that would see us trapped like that would likely endanger a great number of people. For example, if he tries to lure us on a ship to sink it…"
"Could that be the plan?" Weiss asked. "The Seer could try to gain our trust, then send us to Braavos to sink the ship in the middle of the ocean?"
That was… possible, Blake found.
"You think he's told us a lie about the two factions?" Ruby asked.
"I am not certain, but the possibility exists. We shouldn't trust him," Weiss said.
"He's an assassin; of course, we can't trust him!" Ruby replied. "And he's creepy."
That was true. Blake nodded.
"Very creepy. Something's not right with him. He acts more like a robot than a person," Yang said, and she had been alone with the man and tried to chat with him.
"Something has to be wrong with you anyway to kill people for money," Ruby said. "Or for your god."
Blake nodded at that. It was one thing to kill people to protect others, and she knew some who were a bit too eager and quick to do so, but to kill for money? Of course, the White Fang had financed itself partially through robberies, which might explain why they were working with Roman Torchwick, a notorious thief and racist, but they had not assassinated people for money. How callous did you have to be to do that?
What about them?
She pressed her lips together as she remembered Adam's answer to her question about the train's crew. But Adam wasn't an assassin for hire.
"Well, so we don't go on a ship," Yang said.
"What if we need to travel by ship to get home?" Ruby pointed out.
"Then we travel carefully by ship." Yang shrugged. "We just need to stay alert during the trip."
That was true.
"I still want to catch the second assassin," Ruby said. "Before he kills someone else."
"We all do. But they have the initiative." Weiss frowned. "Which is deeply unsatisfying but cannot be changed; we do not have enough information to become proactive."
That was true as well, although… "Actually," Blake said. "We suspect enough to be able to do something: We can bait them into making an attempt."
Ruby blinked, and Yang grinned. "You want to make a boat trip?"
Blake nodded. "Under controlled conditions."
"But where would we travel? It cannot be too far, or we could not protect our friends in case of need," Weiss said.
"Dragonstone?" Yang suggested. "They might have books about magic as well, right? And it's not too far."
Blake nodded. A week or so to sail there and back, if she remembered the average travel time correctly. Less, of course, if the assassin fell for it and made a move.
"Right. Let's do it. If we can do it without being obvious about it. We need a good excuse," Ruby said.
"Getting more books isn't good enough?" Yang grinned.
"We would have to stay there for some time searching the libraries. And since that's Lord Stannis's seat, we would have to ask him for permission first," Weiss pointed out.
"Right. Forgot that they don't let you travel freely here," Ruby grumbled. "Do you think he'll grant us permission?"
"He'd better do!" Yang said, flashing her teeth.
"If he doesn't, we can still find another destination," Blake said. "It's just a ruse, anyway. But we need to sell it well." You couldn't easily fool a Faceless Man.
"And we need a direwolf with us," Weiss said. "Smuggled in so the assassin won't be aware."
Blake glared at her, but Ruby and Yang, the traitor, nodded in obvious agreement.
*****
The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
Arya was moping. If she were older, it would be brooding. Yang Xiao Long couldn't help smiling fondly when she saw the girl sitting on a small bench near the entrance of the Tower of the Hand, with two guards nearby but not too close. She was so much like Jon when she was like that, just much cuter. And Nymeria, lying next to her, was looking as sad as Zwei when he couldn't get a fourth treat - but only until she noticed Yang, at which point she jumped to her feet and barked, startling Arya and a raven that had been sitting on the small roof overhead.
"Hey!" Yang waved, then patted Nymeria's head when the direwolf rushed to circle around her. "Why are you looking so glum?"
Arya opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly trying to find a convincing lie. Like Ruby, when she had been an adorable preteen after another cookie raid.
"Found out that your father won't let you travel with us?" Yang asked before the girl could come up with an answer.
Arya gasped at her for a moment, then pouted. "How did you know that?"
"Jon talked."
Another gasp.
"Did you expect him not to tell us about letting slip that we'd be taking a ship to Dragonstone?" Yang shook her head. "He's far too responsible not to tell us - it was supposed to be a secret." That was a lie, of course - they wanted to let the Faceless Man find out, but also to make it look like they were trying to keep it a secret. Couldn't let the assassin grow suspicious, after all.
Arya looked guilty for a moment but quickly doubled down. "I could come with you! Nymeria can watch for Faceless Men! That would make up for my mistake!"
Yang laughed at that. "Nice try, Arya. But your dad was very clear about you staying here."
"Father's being unfair!" Arya pouted again. "I could help you!"
"Nymeria could help us, yes," Yang said, ruffling the wolf's back and top of her head. "But you'd have to come along, and having to protect you would make things harder for us." And Jon would be going spare trying to keep her safe.
"But…" Arya pleaded. "I want to help! I knew Murch! He was always nice to me! I want to help bring down his murderers!"
Yang raised her eyebrows. "You are doing your part by protecting the rest of your family and people."
"But all I am doing is sitting around with Nymeria!"
"That is helping everyone. Thanks to you and your siblings, the entire tower is safe." Yang suppressed a sigh. Of course, that wasn't enough for Arya - the girl wanted action. Yang could understand the sentiment, but she also knew how dangerous that could be for a little girl, whether she had a direwolf as a bodyguard or not.
"I should be doing more." Arya sighed. Loudly. "I want to hunt those murderers down! I know I can do it! I dream of hunting them, you know? I know how they smell."
"You know how they smell?" Yang half-snorted. That must have been a freaky dream.
"Yes! It's the smell of stale blood and death!" Arya nodded firmly.
That sounded gross. And weird. "What's that?" Yang asked. And how would you know how that smelt? she thought.
"It's how they smell. Unnatural. I would recognise it!" Arya looked at her. "Please, let me help!"
Yang patted her head, then Nymeria's again when the wolf pushed against her hip. "Sorry, Arya, but you wouldn't be safe on the ship. And your father would never allow it."
"He would if you asked him! He can't refuse you!"
"You really think he would let us put you in danger?" Yang chuckled.
Arya sighed and hunched over, and Nymeria went and put her head into Arya's lap. "It's unfair!"
Yang shrugged. "Life's not fair. That's why we're working to make it fairer. Once we're old enough," she quickly added when Arya perked up.
"And when will I be old enough?" Arya frowned at her again.
"Once you're old enough to join the Order," Yang told her. "And graduate."
"Graduate?" Arya asked.
Right. No schools here. "When you get knighted and trusted to go out and do good." Yang smiled again.
"But… That will be years!" Arya protested. "I'll be old by then!"
"Are you calling me old?" Yang narrowed her eyes at her with a smirk, and Arya grimaced.
"I'm sorry! I'm just…" She sighed again and hunched over, petting Nymeria's fur. "
"I know the feeling," Yang told her. Ruby had gone through similar phases. Hell, Yang had done the same, just not as often - she was the older sister, after all. She hadn't had to watch an older sister doing things she wasn't allowed to do yet. "But trust me, if you rush into danger at your age, things could go really badly for you and your family." Arya didn't look like she believed her, so Yang added: "I almost got Ruby and myself killed when I did that. You aren't old enough yet. You need more training."
Arya pouted for a few more seconds before suddenly smiling. "Will you train me? Now?"
Yang blinked. She had been planning to check on the Starks, but she could do that while asking Lord Eddard if Arya could come train for a bit. It wasn't as if there was much else to do here than training. "Sure. As long as someone else takes over your post here."
Arya blinked. "Sansa can do it! She likes guarding people! Let's go tell her!"
Yang wasn't so sure about that, but if Sansa didn't want to take over, she'd probably say something. "Alright. Let's go."
"Yes!" Arya jumped off the bench, Nymeria barked, and both were off to ask Lord Eddard.
Yang snorted and followed them at a slower pace. Shortly before entering the tower, she looked over her shoulder and saw the raven take off as well. The bird probably had hoped that either of them would drop some food.
***** Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:marius117, Hologram, ATP and 11 othersStarfox5Yesterday at 5:10 PMReader modeNewAdd bookmark ThreadmarksStarfox5Experienced.Yesterday at 5:11 PMNewAdd bookmark#350Tager Joseph said:Tyrion being the smartest member of his family as usual... and probably soon to be the only member of his family at this rate.
I guess this means Tyrion is finally heir to Casterly Rock. He's gotten some valuable lessons from his family; his grandfather almost sunk the house by being too nice, his father almost sunk the house by being too much of a dick, and his siblings almost sunk the house by being complete morons. It's too bad those lessons come at the cost of his house being pretty much universally despised, and he's going to inherit all that hatred on top of the general disdain he already gets being a dwarf...
...Yeah, I don't see the Lannisters getting out of the hole Tywin and the dumbass twins dug them into for a good few generations if ever, even with Tyrion's leadership and Tommen's kingship. The sheer political damage their name has taken is staggering.Click to expand...
Well, Tyrion can now prove everyone wrong and save his family (and himself)!
eager slacker said:Yeah Tywin is vindictive and petty to the point of self sabotage. He was constantly deluding himself with the idea that the team was playing some kind of angle and thought that somehow killing one of them would make them play straight as opposed to getting serious and possibly killing the Lannister family line.
It's a very contradictory frame of mind where he is incapable of perceiving that others have a different point of view than him while at the same time believing that putting them into a life or death scenario will somehow get them to think and act like him while ignoring that he would just kill everyone he perceived as slighting him if he had the same capabilities.Click to expand...
Tywin's greatest weakness was his pride. He could never let any slight, no matter how small, go. And he couldn't admit having made a mistake, either, imho.
ATP said:You are right.Tywin lived in his own world,and belived that everybody must act according to his rules.If not for GRRM plotschield,he would die long ago in any real world.
But - we should blame GRRM for turning medieval Lord into Machiavelli for poor people.
But here,there was not plotschield for him,and his only smart child killed him to save family.
P.S thanks for chapter,and somebody in future would probably try to drow them in some tunnel.Maybe then they become monsters.....Click to expand...
Drowning, or other ways. Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:ATP, AAAustinYu, Relyt33 and 1 other personATPWell worn.Today at 12:49 AMNewAdd bookmark#351Thanks for chapter.They knew that Tyrion did it - but,do they really need to punish him? all he said was true.If Tywin lived,there would be war lost by Lannisters,and here GRRM plotschield would not save him,like in book.
No way home found in books - i expected that .I hope,that children would found sometching.
P.S another way to kill them - bury them underground,they would die becouse lack of air.Or in burned building,fire would not kil them,but lack of air....