The cowardly rat

The cowardly rat

Loras POV

I was shoved and dragged around from the brothel to the carriage to the Red Keep and through its halls. In the darkness of the night, all they saw were my slumped shoulders, long hair, and narrow waist. I had been starving for two weeks, and even before that, I started to lose weight, leaving myself with only skin and bones.

But it was worth it for this moment. As I was led through the countless stairs, makeup and powder hiding my expression, all I could think was of Renly. His soft eyes and hands. And his last moments as the Kingslayer killed him. The image of him never left my mind, not even for a moment. And that kept me going. The love for him and the hatred for the world who took him.

No words were exchanged as I was shoved through the doors of the Grandmaester's chambers. The servants and guards quietly left, probably satisfied with the gold pouches they would receive for their silence. I looked at the disgusting being before me as he stood with a robe barely covering anything.

"Come, come," He beckoned me to come closer in the light of the candles. "Oh, you are a young one. Just like I like it."

As I felt his hands move to push away my hair from my face, I felt sick from the disgust. But I smiled as I imagined what would happen next. I pushed him softly back, closer and closer to his bed and window. He didn't fight back. He moved on his own, excited and quivering like an old man. And just as we reached the window, I stopped.

"Are we alone?" I asked, with a quiet tone to hide my voice.

"Nobody will come, no matter how much you scream," Pycelle replied, showing his rotting teeth.

"Good," I responded by bashing his head through the window. "I have some questions then."

"Who?" I didn't give him time to ask for more as I pushed him further and further through the broken window.

"I will ask the questions," I almost stepped back as I felt his piss at my feet. "For how long have you been the dog of the Lannisters?"

"I don't understand," Pycelle choked as I tightened my grip on his neck.

"Answer me!"

"Always, I always served them," The quivering rat replied with a cry.

"Do you have any records on them?" I asked, pushing him even further until only my strength alone held him from falling to his death.

"No, please," His weak and old hands held on mine for his dear life as he cried. "Tywin wouldn't let me keep anything he has given to me. No letters, no messages or orders. I have nothing. I was too afraid of him to defy his orders. Please believe me."

"Unfortunately to you, I do believe you," I replied and let him go.

With a shriek, he fell until a loud crash silenced him. I could see under the moonlight as his body lay splattered on the ground in a pool of blood. The red shined beautifully under the light of the moon. Too bad, I couldn't admire it for longer, as soon people will come to look at what happened. So, I left, cleaning the makeup and destroying the dress; I walked through the Red Keep with only my breeches.

The cowardly rat has dismissed everyone from the vicinity of his chambers, letting me leave unnoticed. Of course, soon enough, I could hear people running and yelling. So, I made a few detours until I reached the hallways to my chambers. There were more people, servants, and guards running from one place to another. There was no way I would be able to enter my chambers without anyone noticing it.

"What's going on?" But that wasn't a problem. I caught a servant and interrogated her. "What is this commotion?"

"My lord," The girl swallowed in fear as she looked at my eyes. "Someone has fallen to his death. I don't know anything else. Please forgive me."

"Go on then," I let her go and went to ask a few others the same thing.

Nobody even cared to confirm where I came from. All they knew was that I had just woken up and was angry that they had disturbed me. Hiding my satisfied smile, I walked back into my chambers. They were dark, with not a candle lit. The bed was just like I left it, and the string connected the door handle to the wall was still intact when I entered. It didn't look like anyone had entered it while I was gone.

…

The next day, news of Maester Pycelle's death spread far and wide. Of course, nobody saw anything. Who would dare tell anyone that they brought a girl to him last night? They would be accused of lying and slandering Grandmaester's name. And they probably already had received their gold, so they had no reason to come forward. Nobody was that stupid.

Finally, after planning this and working so hard to achieve it, I have killed Pycelle, and nobody could even suspect me. My list was getting finished bit by bit. Now, I only needed to wait for Jaime to return so he could watch what his actions had brought to the people around him. Nothing and nobody was stopping me now.

"Brother," I looked at my sister as we ate our breakfast.

"Yes, sister," It was tiresome how strained our relationship was, but it couldn't be helped. "Are you going to ask me what I thought of Pycelle's death?"

"It is on everyone's mind," Margaery replied. "Even with war so far away, the people are dying left and right. It is hard to feel safe, even in our own homes."

I wanted to ask if she really considered his rat-infested shithole her home now, but I restrained myself. My words would mean nothing. There was little I could say, so I chose to say nothing. It was her decision as much as it was her family's. If she wanted to get some kind of reaction out of me, she would be disappointed.

"You don't have to worry about anything, my dear," I turned to our father as he spoke. "We will find the one responsible soon enough."

"Who said there was only one murdered?" I asked as I admired how stupid my father's confidence was. "We know nothing about them. Their motive nor the means they achieve it. And how did that old rat die anyway?"

"He was pushed out of the window of his chambers," My father explained. "And we do have suspects already. As for a motive, it is a clear one."

"Do enlighten me, father," I could only scoff at him.

"All those who died have testified against Tyrion on trial. It is only reasonable to think that dwarf had hired assassins to get his revenge."

"Or the Lannisters are trying to get rid of loose ends," I replied. "After all, they were dogs serving the Lannisters to begin with. They probably knew too much, and Tywin didn't like it."

Grandmother slammed her block of cheese to the table, warning my father and me not to continue the topic. I only smiled and quickly finished my meal. Everyone probably suspected that it was the work of our family, and that is why Grandmother was quite agitated. After all, the next Grandmaester will probably be someone from our family. I could only wonder how Tywin was feeling right now, accepting my family into his.

…

I was getting worried now as I looked at my brother's defeated host returning to the city. The others probably knew of it, leaving only me in the dark. Well, now everyone knew. Stannis has defeated them once again, with Jaime Lannister dead or captured. I thought that at least they would be able to hold on for longer, but I put too much confidence in them.

Garlan had to kneel before Tommen, the first of his names, as Tywin questioned him in the Throne Room. He explained that the forces were ambushed from behind them, and while Garlan defeated the ambushers, by the time he turned to support Jaime, it was already too late. Jaime Lannister and his men fell in the battle, and it was he who decided to save the rest of the men by retreating from the battle.

I could see Tywin's suspicious eyes, as even I had a hard time believing that somehow most of the Tyrell men were fine while Jaime and the Lannister men were gone. Garlan will be questioned in private later, and even I wanted to know if my gallant brother had gone to such lengths to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives to achieve some kind of goal. I just couldn't believe he would do something like this.

Garlan was the only family member I thought had some dignity and pride left in him. But I guess I haven't seen him for a long time, and people change just like I did. It angered me more that Jaime was now gone. Even if Stannis captured him, I couldn't imagine him being left alive for long. I wanted to kill the Kingslayer myself. I wanted to see his eyes as he finally realized that he shouldn't have killed Renly.

Beric POV

Our thunderous riding stopped at Saltpans, where the river was starting to widen and enter the sea. The men were as tired as the horses, but at least they will have some time to rest now. Boats were already waiting for us, and it was time to cross the river. The question was what was waiting for us on the other side.

Only about three hundred of us could cross at the time with their horses and the boats at our disposal. It would have taken weeks without Maidenpool's help. If we tried to cross where the river was narrower, Lord Tarly's scouts would discover us. So, our only choice was to ask Lord Mooton for help first. The longer we drag this on, the more men Lord Tully will lose.

"Edric, are you ready?"

"Yes, my lord, the boats are ready to depart."

I nodded in appreciation as I climbed on the boat myself. It was good to have Edric able to do everything while I was thinking. And I was thinking way too much of late. It was hard not to when so many things were happening, and I didn't know about most of them. Worrying about King Stannis was killing me.

…

The river current here wasn't as strong as at Ruby's Ford, but it was still hard to control these long boats. Several oars broke in the process of getting through it. Once we were at the shore, we had to drag ourselves out of the river. Pulling the boats to the land, we finally breathed a sigh of relief. But our work wasn't done.

I quickly set up multiple scout groups and sent them out dressed like farmers to look around Maidenpool and see if Tarly's men weren't already there. I knew that one mistake from not being too careful would ruin everything we had worked on so far. Once the coast was clear, we sent the boats back and rode to Maidenpool.

The walled town had its gates closed on us. The castle sat on top of the hill overlooking the town. It might be safer to wait for more of my men to arrive, but if Lord Mooton refused to help, it would be only a waste of time to wait for them. Even with five thousand men, I didn't see how we could break through the walls of the town in a timely manner without losing at least half of our men.

Hundreds of soldiers were on the walls, with bows and even scorpions protecting the town. There were probably more in the town and the castle. Lord Mooton has fortified himself quite well. So, I could only use my words to make him open the gates and let me inside. As long as he hasn't turned to the Lannister's side, I might still have a chance.

"Who goes here?" Familiar words came from the gatekeeper as we rode up to them. Bows were drawn, and men prepared to meet us at the sword's end.

"My name is Beric Dondarrion, Lord of Blackhaven and knight serving King Stannis," I replied, hoping that there weren't any Lannister men among them. "I came here to deliver a message from Lord Tully to Lord Mooton. Let me in."

I already started to slowly turn my horse, just in case they loosened their arrows at us. The silence coming from the gates was killing me like a dagger digging slowly into my heart. The whispers among the soldiers at the gates were lost in the wind. But I was more worried about the arrows aiming at us. The fact that they haven't shot us down immediately gave a bit of hope, but that's all.

"Only five people are permitted to enter," The gatekeeper finally replied. "Without weapons."

I looked at Edric and took the other three men with me. We dismounted our horses and entered through slightly opened wooden gates, with archers watching our every step. We left our swords and knives at the gate and followed a group of guards as they led us to the castle on the hill. They said no word, and neither did I.

…

We were brought to the grand hall of the castle. Sitting on the high chair was a man, nursing a glass of wine in his hands looked down at us. He didn't look like a warrior, with chubby arms and legs and pale skin. He was soft, and his eyes wavered as he looked at me. His sons and daughters surrounded him, and soldiers and knights were abundant.

"My brother was quite a famous knight," Lord William Mooton said after downing the glass of wine. "Received his knighthood from Rhaegar himself. As one of the younger men at court, he remained one of Rhaegar's close companions after having been knighted. Robert Baratheon killed him in the Battle of the Bells."

"My condolences," I didn't understand why he was bringing his up.

"My brother was the bravest of us," Lord Mooton continued. "And yet he died before his time, and for what? To bring the wrath of Baratheons and Tully's at our home because he chose to serve the loser. I know why you came here, Lord Dondarrion. I know of you, King and Lord Tully, fighting Lord Tarly. I know everything."

"And yet you sit here," I replied. "Hiding like a coward and refusing to aid your lord."

"I am a coward, I confess. The idea of going into the battle frightens me, but am I wrong to feel that way?" Lord Mooton glanced at his children and men. "Am I wrong to be afraid of the battle? How many people did you see die by now? Thousands? Tens of thousands? I would probably be among them if I joined this war."

"Will you let the Lannisters win?" I asked. "Will you let the injustice prevail?"

"At least King Stark was more straightforward," Lord Mooton laughed. "He cursed me and told me that if he even hears a rumor that I helped the Lannisters, he will feed me to his wolf. I still shudder, remembering that wolf's maw—the sharp teeth that would rip me apart, the growl that would frighten even the bravest and boldest knights. You have to thank King Stark for frightening me enough not to aid the Iron Throne."

"This war of ours won't end by you refusing them," I replied, not impressed. "By not helping us, you are helping the Iron Throne to burn and kill and take as they wish. No matter how many men they lose, they won't stop until all is theirs."

"War of ours?" Lord Mooton asked as he tried to take another sip of his wine but found his glass empty. "It isn't our war. I may be a craven, but I am no fool. This war has nothing to do with me. So, I will tell you what I told Lord Tarly when he came upon my town. Fuck off! I don't care which bloody king is sitting on that damn throne. They are all the same. Righteous as they murder countless people. Kind as they force the weak to fight each other. Generous as they take everything from others. Brave as they hide behind armies of tens of thousands. Fuck off with your lessons. I will not be part of this shitshow."

"Father," The oldest of the sons tried to calm his father, but Lord Mooton was too drunk.

"Common threaten me!" Lord Mooton stood up from his high chair and threw the empty glass at me. It shattered at my feet. "At least King Stark was honest in his threats. Will you be? Or will you try to buy me with empty promises and foolish ideals?"

"They will come for you even if you refuse to help us," I tried to reason with him. "They will see your actions as treason. So, please help us to stop them from burning the Seven Kingdoms. That is the only way for you to live in peace."

"They will demand me kneel before their feet," Lord Mooton replied. "They will tell me to pledge to their name and then send me back home with a slap on my wrist. Do you know why I think so? Because they know I am a coward. They know I will not backstab them. So, your warning is worthless, Lord Dondarrion."

"We don't need much from you, just ships to bring our men through the river," Now, I could only plead with him. "And you do not inform anyone of this."

"If I do this, then the Lannisters might really kill me," Lord Mooton said. "What excuse can I give them when they come knocking at my door?"

"Father," The oldest son snapped. "We stood and did nothing as Harrenhal was attacked. We stood and did nothing as Lord Tully asked for our support. What is the point of our name and men if we are just going to stand and do nothing with it? We can't just hope that others will leave us alone. We must take action in our hands."

"My brother said the same thing before he rode to fight Robert Baratheon," Lord Mooten replied as he slumped into his chair. "I couldn't stop him. And I regret every day that I didn't ride with him. I was too scared. I am no man, just a coward. Do I have to see my loved one ride to their death once again, son?"

"Father, it is the right thing to do."

"When were the righteous people ever rewarded? They are killed the first. Only people with bloodied hands and those who are ready to sacrifice everyone else's lives prevail in this world. You want to go and die. Then go, I can't stop you as I couldn't stop my brother."

"Father?" Even I wasn't able to follow the drunk lord's thoughts anymore.

"I will give you my ships; I will keep silent about your plans," Lord Mooton said. "Take my oldest with you. But not as a comrade but as a hostage. When you lose, I will tell the Lannisters that I could only listen to you as you had my son by his neck."

"Thank you, my lord," I bowed my head as Lord Mooton looked at his son with saddened eyes.

"Go," Lord Mooton waved me away, "And die for whatever king you serve. Nothing will change. War will always be the same. It never changes, no matter who leads it or what reason it is fought. The weak suffer so the strong can stand proud. Every single king should just burn and leave us alone."

Lord Mooton slumped in his chair. I had heard many things about him, including that he was a cowardly and timid man. But all I could see was a man who thought there was no reason to fight. Nothing would change, no matter what he did. So, he chose to keep his people and family as far away as he could from the hells of the war.