Chapter 69: Reconciled
Chapter 69: Reconciled
"My father will hear about this," Cercei shouted. Then she tried to go back. But then suddenly found a sword flying just a few centimeters away from her and plunging into a pillar.
"How dare you talk to Robert like that. He calls me Uncle and I very much desire to act the part. You are just a queen. Queen is nothing but a word and holds no power. I would not have gotten so angry at you if you had shown even a bit of sympathy for the little girl. Smallfolks are nothing in your eyes, right?" He angrily said, he was just trying to bring Robert on the right path by showing that he had someone who had his back. Good thing he knew some acting.
He had looked into the mind of Robert Baratheon. The guy had been under immense pressure since the day he became the king. Trying to keep each house happy. Needing money and for that marrying Cercei, only to find what kind of hateful woman she was later. Then there were also the kids. They had no Baratheon features and he had doubts that they were bastards.
But he couldn't say anything. If he did, he'd lose the backing of Tywin, or worse, another war. And he knew that no one would come to support him this time. He missed his old days when he could just relax and do whatever he wanted.
When he heard Alexander's words. He once again felt like he had a family. His parents were dead. Stannis was more of an emotionless plank than a man. Renly was too girly. There was no elder to whom he could turn to in the time of need. Jon was like a father but he was too honorable. On the other hand, Alexander was old, Robert knew him since he was small and considered him his role model since he found out how strong Alexander was.
In Robert's eyes, Alexander was the perfect man. Probably the strongest person in Westeros and also the smartest. Turning your kingdom from poor to the richest in such a small time either required the blessing of a god or extreme intelligence.
"Do you know what you are saying? Do you want to start a war? I can assure you that my father will destroy the North. Did you forget the Rains of Castamere?" Cersei proudly stated.
"Haha... Have you ever been in a war? 1 hour... It will only take me 1 hour to take over Casterly Rock. And you talk about Rains of Castamere like it's a trophy. I don't call overwhelming hundreds of men, with thousands of soldiers, bravery. Your father killed women and children that day. That was not bravery, that was murder. Now, if you really feel like your father will wage war with me for this, then go on and write a raven. I'll be waiting for the reply" He smirked at his last words. Jamie had to drag his angry sister away. Then Alexander looked at Robert.
"My boy, now I know why you took back to your past bad habits. Living with someone this insane can't be easy. You called me uncle and never asked me for help. You seriously went to Tywin?" He calmly said.
The great hall had been emptied by then. After Robert had announced his verdict, all of the people had been sent away, except the council members.Jon also joined in, "I told him to ask you, a lot. But I guess he was too scared of you after that lesson you gave him in the throne room"
"You can't blame me, if it was someone else, they would have already shat their pants. I remember Tywin's scared face back then... Haha," Robert embarrassingly replied.
"Son, If you promise to better yourself. I'll help you. You won't need to depend on Lannister's money. I'll help you organize the city trade in such a way that you'll automatically start making profits. Don't ever forget my words, Robert. Happy smallfolks means happy kingdom." Alexander gave him some wisdom.
"Thank you uncle, I will not disappoint you. I've also gained some weight so I should start with some training too. But uncle, I don't have good men in the city that can help me. Everyone here is trying to play their own game," Robert showed his concern.
"I'll send some old Wolf's Sword members, they'll take over the city management and the city watch. They will work directly under Jon and the King. They are also hardened warriors, trained by me, so they are very strong and loyal too," Alexander offered.
He wasn't really going to send his Wolf's swords. The elves were much more valuable than that. He was just going to send some old looking Godroids.
"That is an amazing offer, Uncle. Please send them here as soon as possible." Robert excitedly replied. He was more excited thinking that he might be able to clash swords with people trained by Alexander.
"You should also prepare for tomorrow's public execution. People are very angry at gold cloaks, you know," Alexander warned.
"Yes, I'll also publically apologize to them tomorrow. I failed them all," Roberts said seriously.
...
The next day, everyone had gathered on the execution platform.
"I know that I have not treated you right, my people. My ignorance has caused you all many hardships. But no more. I promise to be a better King to all of you. Janos and the other 4 City Watch members have been sentenced to death. This is also a warning to other Gold Cloaks. Do what you are hired for, because if any of you are caught doing something illegal, then the punishment will be death.
My uncle here, Lord Stark has also promised that he will send some very capable men to take the command of the City Watch. I will also give some more money to repair the Flea bottom and turn it into a clean and normal part of King's Landing," Robert addressed the crowd.
Then Robert himself took the sword and beheaded the 5 men. The 4 men who had beaten the little girl were also Lannisters. Alexander was waiting to see what Tywin's reply would be.
After that, they proceeded to the small council. There were 2 seats that were empty now. The master of coins and the Grand Maester.
Pycelle had suddenly fallen from stairs and broken his neck some hours ago. No one mourned for him.
"So, what are we going to do about the debt we owe to Lord Tywin?" Jon spoke.
"Simple, just put the blame on his daughter, the Queen. Say that she spent it all on herself. If he asks where Robert got money to spend on wine and women. Just say that it was my money. But how much money are we talking about?" Alexander asked.
"500,000 Gold Dragons," Jon replied.
"Oh, that's fine then. It's not that much. Now, I want to talk about your bastards, Robert. You have to take them in. They are your responsibility. They have your own blood running in their veins. Don't disgrace your family line by disowning them. There's even a little boy who looks exactly like you when you were younger," he seriously said.
"How many are there?" Robert embarrassingly asked.
"Three. One is Mya Stone and lives in Eyrie. Bella Rivers, lives with a prostitute in Peach. Gendry Waters is a small babe in King's Landing. They are your trueborn children Robert." He replied.
"What do you mean by tru..."
"Come on Robert. We all know you have some doubts about Joffrey and Myrcella's birth. To be honest, we all have. They don't even look a tad bit like you. Everything about them speaks Lannister" Alexander scoffed.
"But Pycelle said that Lannister blood was more dominant so they have Lannister features," Jon retorted. He knew it was all bullshit but he wanted to see Alexander's reaction.
"Hah... who said it? the guy who was practically sharing a bed with Tywin? Pycelle would have done anything to keep the Lannisters happy. Still, we should keep our doubts to ourselves. We have no proof yet and we don't want to baselessly accuse someone and start a war. Robert, you should treat the children like you always do. Even if they are not yours, it wasn't their fault that they were born. Just like your bastards." He said to Robert, keeping eye contact with him.
He cast some long-lasting compulsion charms to make him treat children like a normal father would. Get angry when they do something wrong and happy when something good.
"Okay, I'll heed to your advice. I'll also send my bastards to Stormlands and give them a nice life." Robert said.
"I have a better option. Send them to Winterfell. We have many children there and 3 more won't cause a problem. Your eldest, Mya Stone, is nearly the same age as my Rina, they'll become good friends," Alexander offered.
"Then it's decided. I'll send them to Winterfell. I still remember Mya. She was a good girl, I even thought of bringing her to Red Keep after Joffrey was born. But Cercei threatened to hurt her." Robert angrily said.
"Good, now to other matters. Your youngest brother is not qualified enough to either be the Lord of Stormlands or The Master of Law here. He needs more experience and training. He's still 14 namesday old. Send him to some warrior House to get fostered. In the meantime. Make Stannis the Lord of Stormlands. He is a good military man and can rule. You can give the Master of Law position to someone else." Alexander advised. Robert and Stannis didn't have very good relations but Alexander saw them for what they were. He had to use some magic to make Robert agree.
"Alright, Stannis. You're the new Lord of Stormlands. I am sending Renly to that Tower of Knowledge in Wintercity to learn Lording and fighting. Jon, what about Tywin? Did he send a raven? I know Cercei must have told him about yesterday's happenings" Robert looked at his Lord Hand.
"No, we..."
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Jamie Lannister entered, "Your Grace, there's a Raven for Lord Stark"
Alexander stood up and took it parchment. "Thank you."
He opened it, "Haha... It's from Tywin. He said that his daughter's words are not to be taken as his words. He also said that if any more Lannisters break laws then they be sent to Westerlands to face punishment."
"He still wants to save his men," Robert roared.
"He said 'they be sent back', but not how. You can break their arms and legs for their crimes before sending them," Stannis added.
"Damn, good advice Stannis," Robert praised.
"Okay, we should end this meeting. I also need to leave for some work. I'll see you sometime again Robert. If you need to immediately contact me then you should tell my men in the city." He said.
"See you soon, Uncle" Robert hugged him.
"Haha... Lose some weight, boy." Alexander said and laughed.
~Let's hope Robert doesn't spoil things up now.~
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