Chapter 21: The Fool's Crown
POV: Geralt
King's Landing stank of sewage, ambition, and the particular desperation that marked a city preparing for a royal wedding it couldn't afford. From my position among the servant crews hired to supplement the Red Keep's staff, I had a perfect view of the controlled chaos that preceded Joffrey's marriage to Margaery Tyrell.
"From the Red Wedding to the Purple Wedding," I thought, adjusting the wine pitcher in my hands as I moved through corridors that hummed with nervous energy. "One massacre prevented, one murder to... observe."
[Royal Wedding Preparation: King Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell]
[Timeline Status: Approximately 3 weeks post-Red Wedding]
[Cover Identity: Temporary catering staff from Riverlands]
[Access Level: General castle service areas]
[Primary Objective: Entertainment and strategic positioning]
The aftermath of the Red Wedding had sent ripples throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but not the ripples Tywin Lannister had expected. Instead of the collapse of Northern resistance, word had spread of a failed massacre, a conspiracy exposed, and Northern lords who'd escaped to fight another day.
The political implications were still unfolding, but Joffrey's wedding would proceed as planned. The crown needed to project strength, the Tyrells required their political alliance, and the realm demanded the bread and circuses that distracted from deeper problems.
Perfect cover for the kind of entertainment I had in mind.
[Political Climate: Uncertain following Red Wedding complications]
[Royal Authority: Requiring demonstration of strength and stability]
[Tyrell Alliance: Critical for maintaining Lannister power]
[Intervention Opportunity: Maximum chaos potential during celebrations]
I'd spent three days establishing myself as a competent but unremarkable servant, the kind of reliable worker who appeared during major events and disappeared afterward without leaving memorable impressions. My background story was simple—a man displaced by the war, seeking temporary employment with the only house wealthy enough to hire additional staff.
The Red Keep's steward had accepted my credentials without question. After all, what possible threat could one more wine server pose during a celebration that would host half the nobility of Westeros?
"If only they knew," I mused, making my way toward the throne room where Joffrey was holding court while final wedding preparations continued around him.
The boy-king sat on the Iron Throne like a child playing dress-up in his father's clothes, his golden crown slightly askew and his expression shifting between boredom and petulance. Around him, courtiers offered congratulations and gifts with the kind of forced enthusiasm that marked people who understood the consequences of disappointing their ruler.
But it was the crown that held my attention—that beautiful symbol of authority that would make the perfect target for the kind of sabotage that turned dignity into farce.
[Target Assessment: Joffrey's Crown]
[Material: Gold with embedded gems]
[Symbolic Value: Maximum political authority]
[Sabotage Potential: Excellent for psychological warfare]
[Access Opportunity: Daily cleaning and maintenance routines]
The plan I'd developed was elegant in its simplicity. Royal crowns required regular cleaning and polishing to maintain their luster, a task performed by trusted servants under careful supervision. But supervision focused on preventing theft, not detecting the kind of subtle modifications that would transform a symbol of power into a source of humiliation.
I'd prepared three different compounds, each designed to create specific effects when applied to gold and activated by body heat.
The first would cause the crown to emit soft musical tones when the wearer moved—not dramatically, but noticeably. The kind of sound that would make courtiers suppress smiles and enemies question their king's dignity.
[Compound One: Audio Enhancement]
[Effect: Pressure-sensitive tonal emission]
[Trigger: Movement and body heat]
[Volume: Subtle but audible in quiet rooms]
[Duration: Approximately 6-8 hours per application]
The second compound was more sophisticated—a weight-responsive mixture that would make the crown heavier when the wearer lied and lighter when he told the truth. Not enough to be immediately obvious, but sufficient to create unconscious behavioral changes that observant courtiers would notice.
[Compound Two: Truth Detection System]
[Effect: Weight variation based on stress indicators]
[Mechanism: Responds to micro-expressions and vocal patterns]
[Result: Subconscious honesty enforcement]
[Political Impact: Undermines royal authority through involuntary truth-telling]
But the third compound was the masterpiece—a binding agent that would make the crown impossible to remove during important ceremonies. Not permanently, but long enough to prevent Joffrey from escaping the embarrassment when the other effects became noticeable.
[Compound Three: Temporary Adhesion]
[Effect: Crown becomes temporarily unremovable]
[Duration: 4-6 hours when fully activated]
[Trigger: Sustained contact with skin oils]
[Reversal: Natural degradation over time]
The opportunity to implement my sabotage came during the morning cleaning routine, when a team of servants was responsible for polishing the crown jewels in preparation for the wedding ceremony. I'd positioned myself as part of this team, carrying the credentials and recommendations that made me appear trustworthy.
"Just another servant," I reminded myself as I approached the vault where the crown was stored. "Invisible, reliable, completely beneath notice."
The crown chamber was everything I'd expected—heavily guarded, elaborately secured, filled with enough wealth to buy several kingdoms. But guards focused on preventing armed robbery, not detecting the kind of chemical modification that required specialized knowledge to even recognize.
I worked alongside three other servants, each of us responsible for specific pieces of royal regalia. My assignment was Joffrey's personal crown—the one he'd worn during his coronation and would wear again during tomorrow's wedding.
[Target Access: Confirmed]
[Security Status: Standard theft prevention, no sabotage protocols]
[Work Environment: Supervised but routine]
[Application Window: 20-30 minutes of direct contact]
The polishing process provided perfect cover for my modifications. While appearing to clean the crown's surface, I applied each compound with the precision of a master craftsman, ensuring even distribution across the gold surface and proper penetration into the metal's microscopic structure.
The audio enhancement went on first, invisible to the naked eye but designed to activate when the crown's temperature rose above normal room levels. The weight-response compound followed, carefully calibrated to react to the stress indicators that accompanied deliberate deception. Finally, the adhesion agent, applied to the crown's inner band where it would contact Joffrey's skin.
[Sabotage Application: All compounds successfully deployed]
[Visual Detection: Zero - Appears normally polished]
[Activation Timeline: 2-4 hours after contact with body heat]
[Effect Duration: 6-8 hours maximum impact]
But as I worked, I became aware that I wasn't the only one in the Red Keep who was paying attention to details that others missed.
Lady Olenna Tyrell—the Queen of Thorns—had been watching me with the kind of focused attention that spoke of intelligence honed by decades of political survival. Not obviously, not threateningly, but with the persistent observation of someone who noticed patterns that didn't quite fit.
[Threat Assessment: Olenna Tyrell surveillance detected]
[Intelligence Level: Extremely high - Pattern recognition specialist]
[Suspicion Trigger: Unknown but active]
[Counter-Strategy: Enhanced invisibility protocols required]
I'd finished my work on the crown and was preparing to leave when she approached, moving with the careful grace of someone whose age had enhanced rather than diminished her dangerous capabilities.
"You're new," she observed, her voice carrying the kind of casual authority that made statements feel like gentle interrogations.
"Yes, my lady. Came from the Riverlands seeking work."
"The Riverlands." Her pale eyes studied my face with uncomfortable intensity. "Troubling times in that region, I hear. Wedding celebrations that turned into something quite different than expected."
The reference to the Red Wedding was deliberate, but I couldn't tell whether it was simple conversation or a more pointed inquiry.
"Troubled times everywhere, my lady. Makes a man grateful for honest work."
"Indeed." She smiled, and the expression was both beautiful and terrifying. "I find it fascinating how certain patterns emerge during times of crisis. Convenient coincidences. Helpful accidents. The way some people seem to appear exactly where and when they're needed most."
"She knows. Not specifically, but she knows something's wrong with my presence here."
[Olenna Analysis: High probability of intelligence gathering]
[Knowledge Level: Suspicious but not conclusive]
[Response Strategy: Deflection without denial]
[Risk Assessment: Moderate - Watching but not acting]
"Fortune favors those who work hard and pay attention, my lady."
"Oh, I quite agree. Attention to detail is so important, don't you think? The small things that make the difference between success and failure. Between life and death."
She moved past me with fluid grace, but I caught the subtle gesture she made—fingers touching a hidden pocket where something small and deadly might be concealed. Not a threat, exactly, but a reminder that the Queen of Thorns had survived decades of King's Landing politics by being prepared for any contingency.
[Warning Received: Olenna capabilities acknowledged]
[Mutual Recognition: Professional courtesy established]
[Status: Observed but not interfered with]
I completed my duties and began moving through the castle with enhanced caution, but also with the satisfaction of knowing that my sabotage was in place and activating. By tomorrow's wedding ceremony, Joffrey's crown would transform him from a symbol of royal authority into a source of barely concealed amusement.
But my work in the Red Keep wasn't finished yet.
I'd prepared a second set of interventions, this one focused on someone who deserved help rather than humiliation. Sansa Stark—the wolf among lions, trapped in the capital and surrounded by people who viewed her as either a hostage or a breeding mare.
[Secondary Objective: Sansa Stark psychological support]
[Method: Anonymous gifts and hope reinforcement]
[Approach: Subtle reminders of Northern identity and potential escape]
[Risk Level: Moderate - Requires access to heavily watched individual]
I'd prepared a series of small gifts that would remind Sansa of her Northern heritage while providing practical assistance for potential future escape. A comb carved from weirwood, small enough to be hidden but distinctive enough to evoke memories of home. Maps of the Red Keep sewn into dress linings, disguised as decorative elements but showing routes that could be used by someone who needed to move unseen. And most importantly, a letter written in a hand that mimicked her father's, containing words of encouragement and love that she desperately needed to hear.
[Gift Package: Northern heritage reinforcement items]
[Practical Assistance: Hidden maps and tools]
[Psychological Support: Paternal love simulation]
[Delivery Method: Anonymous placement in personal chambers]
The opportunity came during the evening meal preparation, when I was assigned to serve wine in the chambers where highborn guests were dining privately. Sansa's quarters were on my route, and the brief window when she was attending dinner would give me access to her personal space.
Her chambers were exactly what I'd expected—luxurious but controlled, filled with beautiful things that couldn't disguise the essential fact that she was a prisoner in silk and gold. But they were also monitored, watched by guards who understood that Sansa Stark was far too valuable to be allowed any real freedom.
I worked quickly, placing the gifts where she would find them but where casual observers wouldn't notice anything unusual. The comb went into her jewelry box, hidden among other hair ornaments. The modified dress was hung in her wardrobe, indistinguishable from dozens of others except for the maps sewn into the lining. The letter was placed beneath other correspondence, positioned to be discovered naturally.
[Gift Deployment: Successful placement achieved]
[Detection Risk: Minimal - Appears naturally occurring]
[Discovery Timeline: 24-48 hours estimated]
[Psychological Impact: Hope and identity reinforcement]
But as I prepared to leave, I heard voices in the corridor—Sansa returning earlier than expected, accompanied by someone whose voice made my blood freeze.
Cersei Lannister. The Queen Regent herself, speaking with the kind of venomous sweetness that marked her most dangerous moods.
"—such a lovely dress for tomorrow's ceremony," Cersei was saying. "I'm sure you'll look quite beautiful. Perhaps beautiful enough to catch the attention of someone more suitable than my dwarf brother."
I pressed myself against the wall behind a tapestry, using enhanced reflexes to control my breathing and heartbeat while they entered the chamber.
"I'm content with my marriage, Your Grace," Sansa replied with the careful neutrality that marked someone who'd learned to navigate dangerous conversations.
"Content. Such a modest aspiration." Cersei's laugh held no warmth. "Still, I suppose there are worse fates than being wed to a Lannister, even if he is rather... diminutive."
[Unexpected Encounter: Cersei and Sansa present]
[Concealment Status: Undetected but precarious]
[Intelligence Opportunity: High-value conversation monitoring]
[Risk Level: Catastrophic if discovered]
I remained motionless as Cersei continued her psychological torment, using the kind of subtle cruelty that was her particular specialty. But what interested me more was Sansa's responses—careful, controlled, but carrying undertones that suggested she was stronger than her captors realized.
The girl who'd left Winterfell as a naive romantic was becoming something harder, more dangerous, more capable of survival in a world that viewed kindness as weakness.
"She's learning. Good. She'll need those skills for what's coming."
They continued their conversation for several more minutes before Cersei departed, leaving Sansa alone in chambers that now contained the tools and encouragement she would need to remember who she really was.
I slipped away through the same route I'd used to enter, my work in the Red Keep complete for the night. Tomorrow would bring Joffrey's wedding, and with it, the activation of sabotage that would transform a royal ceremony into a demonstration of why dignity mattered more than crowns.
[Mission Status: All objectives achieved]
[Crown Sabotage: Deployed and activating]
[Sansa Support: Psychological reinforcement provided]
[Olenna Awareness: Acknowledged but not problematic]
[Tomorrow: Purple Wedding observation and potential intervention]
As I made my way back to the servant quarters, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of tomorrow's ceremony. Joffrey would attempt to project royal authority while his crown betrayed him with musical accompaniment, weight fluctuations, and the inability to remove his symbol of power when it became a source of embarrassment.
The boy-king who'd ordered Ned Stark's execution was about to learn that sometimes, the crown was heavier than the head that wore it.
[Anticipation Level: Significant entertainment value expected]
[Strategic Position: Optimal for observation and documentation]
[Personal Satisfaction: Revenge served with style and subtlety]
[Next Phase: Purple Wedding attendance and selective intervention]
Winter was coming, but first, there would be laughter at the expense of those who'd forgotten that power without wisdom was just tyranny wearing prettier clothes.
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