"Lord Jon is going to die!" Gendry looked at the map on the desk.
Qyburn's face twisted for a moment, and he spread his hands. "For an old man who has been struggling to hold the country together, Old Jon has lived a long life!"
"Lord Jon's death isn't just due to old age!" Gendry said mysteriously, not revealing too many details. Lord Jon was essentially ruined by that wicked pair, Lady Lysa and Littlefinger.
"The chaos in Westeros might be coming soon!" Qyburn said with certainty. "For so many years, King Robert has been lustful and fond of drink, Queen Cersei arrogant and power-hungry. Only Old Jon has been struggling to hold things together! Once the hand of the king dies, the King will surely be at a loss and will need someone to clean up his mess and provide for his eating, drinking, and entertainment. The King won't have the mind to care about us!"
Frankly, Gendry held no ill will towards Lord Jon. But Jon Arryn, as the architect of the Baratheon Dynasty, did not solve the dynasty's inherent problems; he merely postponed them.
There was no help for it; the new dynasty was not so strong, and the King was a drunkard and a whoremonger. The Lannister queen was venomous and arrogant, expanding her influence in King's Landing. And the King's two brothers could not be trusted.
"I believe the only one King Robert can trust now is Lord Eddard!" The Handsome Man replied with certainty.
"The Wolf Pack is Across the Narrow Sea. Did you also pay attention to the political situation in Westeros before?" Qyburn asked The Handsome Man.
"The Narrow Sea isn't far, and the North is the Wolf Pack's homeland. We've paid more or less attention to news of House Stark.
However, we have already traveled Across the Narrow Sea to make a living. The Wolf Pack, though flowing with the blood of Northmen, is no longer a vassal of House Stark! During the War of the Usurper, when the Northmen marched south for revenge, the Commander-in-Chief of the Wolf Pack Company at the time did not order them to advance."
"Very good!" Gendry prompted The Handsome Man to continue.
"The core of the War of the Usurper was the stag, the eagle, the fish, and the wolf. Lord Eddard and King Robert were Lord Jon's foster sons. Lord Hoster married his two daughters to Lord Jon and Lord Eddard. Later, Lord Jon arranged the marriage between the King and the Lannister.
Now Lord Jon is dead, and Lord Hoster is often ill. Among the qualified candidates, there is also Lord Tywin, but King Robert wouldn't be so foolish as to let House Lannister completely control King's Landing! Oh, and there's the strict Stannis, but unfortunately, the King doesn't trust his brother."
"With Lord Jon's death, it seems the Direwolf is about to enter the game!" Gendry felt the gears of fate turning, and the game of power was about to begin.
"Let them make a mess in Westeros! Otherwise, once we apply pressure, these fragmented forces might unite again!"
"Lord Jon's death is our opportunity!" The Handsome Man replied, but he didn't want the two of them to misunderstand his meaning. "Not to wage war on the iron throne, but to attack Tyrosh!"
"It is indeed a good opportunity. Tyrosh is still counting on support from Lys, Volantis, and the iron throne." The Wolf Pack's fleet stretches from the Stepstones to Myr Bay. Tyrosh, as a large island in the Stepstones, must also be taken.
"Tyrosh must return the fleeing Myr warships and the governor to us! Otherwise, this will be the beginning of war!"
"King's Landing is certainly in chaos due to the hand of the king's death, but will Pentos, Lys, and Volantis still get involved? And there's the strongest Braavos!"
"Braavos opposes slavery, Lys and Volantis are slow to act and decide, and Pentos has money but no people! The window of opportunity will flash by!"
The fleet Across the Narrow Sea would not arrive; Gendry was anticipating the pressure that would come from expanding to Tyrosh.
"We must meet with envoys from all sides and stall them!"
...The Red Keep, Throne Room. Jon Arryn's coffin lay there. The deceased was about eighty years old, perhaps the oldest hand of the king ever.
Four White Knights stood on either side, an honor, though the old man could no longer see it.
Jon had blue eyes, blond hair, and an aquiline nose, but most of his teeth had fallen out; he had lost half his teeth when he married Lysa Tully.
This old man, who had made great contributions to the establishment of the Baratheon Dynasty, his death was a huge blow to the King and to the entire country.
Before Lord Jon passed away, he kept shouting "Robert" and repeatedly told his wife Lysa Tully and King Robert his last words: "The seed is strong." Soon he began to slur his words and passed away the next morning.
"My good foster father, I truly wish you could come back to life! We could chat and drink together; perhaps I should have spent more time with you!" King Robert looked at his foster father's body.
"Robert! Robert! Jon's dying words were about my Robin, Your Majesty!" Lady Lysa said to the King in a neurotic manner. "He will grow up healthy and inherit The Eyrie!"
"My Lady! Your Sweet Robin is to inherit The Eyrie, but I think it would be better for him to go to the Westerlands and become Lord Tywin's foster son!" Robert suggested. "Lord Tywin has never taken a foster son before; you should feel honored."
"Sweet Robin cannot leave me! No one can!" Lysa shrieked, her shouting completely ruining the King's mood. "King's Landing is full of bad people; they killed my Jon."
"Madwoman! Jon died because he couldn't stand her!" King Robert thought to himself.
"The true dragon remnants Across the Narrow Sea, the choice for hand of the king! Oh, how I wish you could come back to life and help your poor foster son!" King Robert looked at Lord Jon's body, feeling distressed.
"Your Majesty, while Lord Jon's death is painful, the most important matter is to choose a hand of the king!" Varys said in a syrupy voice.
"Yes! That is indeed crucial!" King Robert thought. He rarely attended the Small Council, relying on Jon, and had been a hands-off ruler for too long. He still needed to make the choice himself.
But a hand of the king with both authority and reliable loyalty was hard to choose. His relationship with Stannis was average, Hoster was ill. Prince Doran had a blood feud with King's Landing. As for Lord Tywin, he was too arrogant!
"Eddard!" King Robert turned his thoughts, remembering his time at The Eyrie, a person he could trust. Robert intended for Eddard to govern the country and lead armies, while he himself? He would eat, drink, and whore to his heart's content.
"Your Majesty!" Robert saw the blonde woman in red, Queen Cersei. Cersei's relationship with Lord Jon could only be described as average, so her arrival now was rather unusual.
"I have come to mourn the passing of a hand of the king. Now the affairs of state are difficult, and I believe you still need a strong and loyal hand of the king!" Cersei suggested. "Whether in ability or loyalty, my father, Lord Tywin, is perfectly suited!"
"Enough! Woman! I am the King, and I have my own plans!" King Robert roared furiously. "As long as I wield my warhammer, I win everything!"
"Very well! The current troubles are caused by your Bastard and the Targaryen remnants; you must solve them yourself!"
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