Chapter - 11

After my declaration in the throne room, a servant showed me to one of the unused kitchens where someone had already brought in all the animal meat I needed to get myself started.

The plan I had uttered in front of everyone in the throne room was utter bullshit. I couldn't help but giggle to myself at the absurdity of setting shit on fire to spread the medicine in the air. I haven't lied so much in a long time. Even if I could make an aerosol version of the cure, the amount I would need to cure an entire city without it being blown away in the wind was not something that was comprehensible.

So why did I lie? You may ask. Well, my best plan to get rid of the chill was very efficient but not very grandiose. So I had to improvise and split it into two parts. The real plan to cure the disease was by using rats. I would make a lot of rats using the biomass I now had access to and use them to spread the cure just like they normally spread diseases. Except my rats would be designed to just spread the cure as much as possible instead of doing it by accident. I also made them able to spread the cure to existing rats in the city. But the cure to the winter chill was only one of the two things I was going to spread using the rats.

You see, over the span of my journey, I was thinking of the best way to leave an impact on Kings Landing, and the most obvious answer that came up was that I had to make the city stop smelling like shit. Now, how would I go about doing that? Very simple, I created a bacteria that literally eats shit and multiplies. Now, while this was actually very simple to make, it was very hard to later put a lot of kill switches on it, in case they somehow end up eating the planet. So I had to balance their lifespans with their multiplication rate and how long they could last without eating shit. I also made sure that they could not survive in an environment close to the normal body temperature of humans.

After I was sure I wasn't unleashing the end of the world, I let my army of rats run free and do their jobs. Now, the other side of my plan. The pyre, I hadn't really given it much thought. I just wanted to make something that looked like a magic ritual. I was going to make a flammable mixture of biomass, containing a lot of magnesium and aluminum, which would burn very hot and slow, and have an ethereal white flame to really just stay in theme of the white mage.

I take the remaining biomass and convert it according to my needs and transfer it into a container. I had enough of it to burn for about two days. I looked outside the window and saw that it was almost time.

Lord Stannis of all people comes in to inform me that the pyre was ready. I nod and tell him to lead the way while I carry the container.

We make our way outside the Red Keep in silence and Fenrir rejoins me, he had gone off somewhere after he got tired of watching me an hour into my prep. Hopefully, he had stayed out of trouble.

We ended up in the marketplace I had passed through when I got here. Although there was a larger crowd gathered along with what looked like the entire court that I had seen earlier.

I notice the king and queen standing near the huge pyre, 'Daim I didn't expect the queen to be here, she definitely thinks all this is beneath her. Well, maybe everyone is just curious to see a magic ritual I guess.'

That's when the King notices me "Healer, I see you made it. Are you done with your preparations?"

"I am, your grace," I replied, trying my best to hide the excitement in my voice.

"Very good," the King said. "When can you begin?"

"We can begin right away," I responded.

With purposeful strides, I made my way towards the unlit pyre and dumped all the fuel I had made. Looking up to the vast expanse of the night sky, I paused for a moment, as if offering a silent prayer to the powers that be - though truthfully, it was more for my own amusement than anything else.

As the sound of the gathered crowd faded into the background, I channeled the bioelectricity within me, illuminating my hand with a bright and crackling energy. With a steady hand, I made contact with the waiting fuel below, and in an instant, an otherworldly white flame erupted with a sudden burst of intense heat and light.

The gathered spectators gasped in awe as the flames rose higher and higher, their faces bathed in the ethereal glow of the blaze. A sense of satisfaction swelled within me as I watched everything unfold before my eyes, my inner smirk hidden behind a facade of calm composure.

We all watch the beautiful flame for a few minutes before the King asks "What now healer?"

"Now we wait, your grace. You should be able to see signs of it working by tomorrow, and it should have done its work by the day after," I say confidently as I can already sense my rats getting to work.

After all that, everyone went their separate ways. I was shown to one of the guest rooms. I fell asleep with a smile as I could already sense the smell decreasing by a small margin.

The next morning I woke up and went out onto the balcony and took a deep breath. It smelled immensely better than what I had to deal with yesterday. The bacteria were doing quite a fast job of getting rid of the shit, and the wind from the bay was doing a good job of blowing away the existing smell. And with most of the shit gone, there was no more foul smell to keep replacing it.

One of the rats comes into my room, I pick it up, and look through the information it has for me. They had done a good job, the cure had been spread to about eighty percent of the sick and they were all on their way to get better. And because most of the rats traveled through the sewers that were filled with shit, the bacteria had thrived and exploded in numbers. 'I probably have to keep an eye on the little buggers, exponential growth is good and all but can get out of hand very fast.'

But I wasn't very worried, I had created quite a few kill switches on them. The main one was I just had to release a command and they would all start killing each other instead of multiplying.

Well, I could worry about that later. I had my fill of sunlight on the balcony and now I just needed something to eat before I got to see everyones reactions. It had been odd that no one other than the King had spoken to me yesterday. Then I realized that a lot of them were still skeptical of me and were waiting for me to succeed or fail to deliver before trying to play their games accordingly. So today will probably be filled with me talking to all the important players in the capital. I couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement at the thought of all the political maneuvering that would happen as a result of my actions.

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In the chamber of the small council, sitting in a high back chair with his head propped up by his hand was King Robert. The King was surprisingly sober for once as he stared down at the rest of the people in attendance.

Barristan Selmy stood silently at the King's back, while the remaining council members - Jon Arryn, Grand Maester Pycelle, Petyr Baelish, and Renly Baratheon - listened intently as Stannis Baratheon took up a report and began to speak.

"I have received confirmation from all the houses that have been collecting the sick in an effort to curb the spread of the disease," Stannis announced, his tone grave but steady. "As the Healer claimed, most of those afflicted have made significant strides towards recovery - or have already made a full recovery - since yesterday."

The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, and for a moment, no one dared to break the somber silence that had descended upon the council chamber.

The heavy silence in the council chamber did not last for long, as King Robert's chuckles soon filled the room.

"Fucking hells," Robert laughed and looked over at Pycelle. "You got anything to add to that report Pycelle"

The Grand Maester kept sputtering excuses "S-surely it's just a coincidence your Grace"

"A hundred thousand people getting better the day after the healer does his ritual, i thought you were more learned than that Pycelle" Stannis says in a dry tone, his expression showing a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Lord Arryn, sat up straighter. "Ignoring the Grand master's incompetence, we have another matter to discuss, a matter you all should have noticed by now".

"Yes, the fact that my city does not smell like shit anymore!" Robert said, looking around the room, most of them had already noticed the matter and didn't know how to bring it up or were just noticing the matter.

"It must have been the healer's doing, it's the only thing that makes sense," Lord Arryn said, looking around the room as the others nodded in agreement.

"What has he been doing this morning?" Robert asked, looking towards Varys for an answer.

"He went to the pyre after breaking his fast, your grace," Varys informed the king. "He is back in his quarters now."

"Well, summon him here then," Robert ordered, his tone firm and commanding. Everyone in the room could sense the king's excitement and anticipation to hear what the healer had to say about the recent developments.

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I made my way to the small council chamber. I had hoped this discussion would have taken place in the throne room but we can't have our way all the time.

As I pushed open the doors, I immediately felt the weight of the council's gaze upon me, each member showing a different emotion: admiration, scrutiny, and fear.

Their expressions only fueled my sense of satisfaction and control, as I made my way towards the King with confident strides.

I approached the King and gave him a small bow. "Your grace," I said, "You summoned me?"

Robert Baratheon looked at me with a mix of admiration and curiosity. "Yes, healer, I did. I have received reports of people suffering from the Winter Chill getting better. You have my thanks for that but all of us have also noticed that the city does not smell like shit anymore. Was that your doing as well?"

I couldn't help but smirk at the King's question. "Of course, your grace. I had heard of that particular problem before I had reached Kings Landing but only after I set foot inside the capital did I see the extent of it. It would have also led to more diseases later down the line. It was an easy problem to solve for me, I just had to add a few more ingredients to the pyre so that it accomplished both the tasks," I said confidently, with a hint of pride in my voice. The council members looked at me with wonder, unsure of how to react to my revelation.

"This is incredible!" Robert exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement. "You have done something that we have been struggling to do for years. You have my thanks, healer."

"No thanks are needed, your grace," I replied, bowing my head humbly. "I am just doing my job."

The King's expression softened, and he let out a small chuckle. "Well, I'll be damned," he exclaimed. "I must admit, I wasn't entirely convinced of your honesty from the start. But you have certainly proven me wrong, and I shall be sure to reward you for your diligent efforts."

"Since you have finished the task you were called for, what other plans do you have in the capital?" the King asked.

"I plan on staying until the job is done completely, your grace," I replied. "The pyre will burn for one more day, and I shall have to go heal anyone still sick after that, as they might have some other ailment along with the chill."

"I also offer my services to anyone in the Red Keep if they have a need for healing," I added.

The meeting ended with the King expressing his gratitude again and promising to discuss my reward later.

Once I got back to my room I just sat on the balcony to enjoy the beautiful view.