Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Tyrion Lannister was the first dwarf to ever become a professor at the Royal University of Kingslanding, and the fact that a dwarf could reach such a rank in those times speaks volumes of the nature of King Aerys times.

Tyrion Lannister was amongst the first to join the King's ventures and would take full advantage of the grants and funding to travel the world, satisfying his natural curiosity and studying various cultures and religions of the world. The man is a polarizing figure and is often called a heretic in religious circles for his views on Religion and Divinity.

His work, 'An Understanding of Religions throughout the Worlds,' is a documentation of over three hundred religions he studied in his journies. The man is said to idolize King Aerys quite a bit, evidence of which can be found in his works. His greatest contributions are ideological rather than militaristic, especially in the late three hundred during times of religious strife, he was nominated as an arbitrator by the Crown and settled the growing disputes between the various religions, while also crafting regulations to separate religion from the state.

His works are often cited by Secularists and Atheists around the globe to this day and were considered a gold standard for studies of theology, statecraft, and policy-making for years, giving credence to King Aerys's words to the man.

"A very small man can cast a very large shadow."

(King Aerys to Tyrion Lannister)

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JAMIE LANNISTER

Jamie Lannister felt pride as he saw his brother sitting opposite him. The youngest Lannister sibling had been the third and last child of Tywin and Joanna Lannister, his complicated birth leaving their mother barren. Born with an affliction that rendered him to only a fraction of a man's height, his brother had sought to sharpen his other talents.

While Tyrion Lannister would never wield a sword or an axe, or become a knight his brother had been blessed with a sharp mind. And while their father had never truly been able to look beyond their brother's height, their mother had been a whole different story.

Their mother had adored Tyrion and his sharp wit and had encouraged him to carve out his own path. And when their brother had learned about the King's decision to establish another order of learned men, Tyrion had been amongst the first volunteers.

Many had expected that the King would refuse the request. Yet the King had enthusiastically accepted their brother's request and had allowed him to join his so-called university.

"How have you been, brother?" Jamie questioned as he sat down, letting his eyes roam across the room. The room was the private chambers of Tyrion and had been constructed with his height in mind, given the specially constructed furniture and ladder placed at the corner of the massive bookshelf.

"I have been well. What about you?" said Tyrion as he passed him a goblet of Arbor Gold, and Jamie raised his eyes at the offered vintage and looked at his brother, who gave a simple shrug.

"There are always perks to being the King's favorite Professor," remarked Tyrion, given that drinking was frowned upon in the University. And right now, they were in its premises, in the specially allotted rooms to the members of the institution.

Jamie smiled and took the offered glass, and leaned back in his seat as Tyrion sat opposite to him.

"It is good that you returned when you did. The King plans to leave for the Stepstones in a week," Jamie began, and Tyrion nodded.

"Yeah, I am glad as well. It has been quite some time since I last saw you," said Tyrion with a smile, and Jamie nodded. It had been nearly three years, and though they had kept in contact with each other through letters, they had not been able to meet each other owing to the fact that Tyrion had been busy traveling the world.

And he could see that his time in the capital had changed his brother. Tyrion had never truly thought lesser of himself because of his affliction yet it didn't mean that he wasn't affected by it. There had always been a sense of unease to their brother, yet now all hints of it were gone replaced by a sense of self-assuredness and confidence.

"Though, from the rumors o have been hearing, there is a chance that you might become a regular visitor to the capital," suddenly Tyrion added with a smile as he smiled cryptically, making Jamie sigh.

"So, the word has gotten out," he replied, and Tyrion nodded.

"Not yet," replied Tyrion and Jamie frowned as he took another sip of the wine.

"Then how do you know?" Jamie questioned.

"I learned about it from the Princess herself. She wrote to me asking me about you. She wanted to know a bit about the man her family was trying to marry her off to," and Jamie's eyes widened at it.

"You know Daenys," and saw Tyrion smirk.

"Daenys. Ohh, so you are already on a first-name basis. Good, and yes, me and the princess are friends, or at least she finds my company less boring than the bumbling harlots of courts," and Jamie was taken aback by his brother's words, yet stopped when Tyrion suddenly added.

"Her words, not mine," and that made him smile, after all, if he had learned one thing about Daenys, it was that she was no ordinary lady. And as he was lost in thought, a laugh from Tyrion broke him out of his trance.

"Ahh, it seems you are quite smitten with our dear Princess," added Tyrion much to his denial, as he simply continued.

"Though I will warn you, she would main you herself if you were to ever stray from her, let alone what the King and Prince and Aemon would do to you," warned Tyrion.

And Jamie nodded, that had been abundantly clear. Yet he was getting quite tired of this and spoke hurriedly.

"Leave that. Tell me about yourself. How's the life of a so-called 'Professor' and where have you been all these years?" and he saw Tyrion's eyes light up at his words.

"Ahh, it is quite a life. The university is a piece of art, and being a professor is quite adventurous I would say," and though Jamie knew what it meant to be a maester. The term professor still meant little to him.

"What exactly does it mean to be a professor?" questioned Jamie, and saw Tyrion think a bit before he replied.

"I would say it is like obtaining a Master's link, but instead of learning and memorizing aspects of a field, you must make a major discovery or contribution to it, it's a bit complicated to explain since they are still making the regulations but that is essentially it," added Tyrion as he jumped out of his chair.

"Come with me, I will give you a tour. Perhaps we might even catch Qyburn doing one of those operations," and Jamie followed along.

"Operations?" he questioned and saw Tyrion smile cryptically.

"Indeed, it is when he cuts open a man to heal him. It is quite fascinating," and at those words, Jamie paled a bit, thinking that his brother had really changed if he found cutting open a man fascinating.

0000

QYBURN

Qyburn often thought about his time at the citadel and reminisced about the day his whole life had changed. Blessed with rampant curiosity, he had given up his last name to join the order of the learned men to uncover the secrets of life and death. Yet for an order of such renown, he had been let down by their lack of curiosity and complacency.

His quest for answers had led to him experimenting on his own, trying to understand the very concept of death and its implication yet those 'Grey sheep' found his methods too bold and distasteful. To this day, he often found himself questioning how the Maesters had become aware of his experiments so quickly, and a part of him already knew the answer, yet he refused to acknowledge it, for it would taint the respect he held for the man he was sworn in service to.

He had thought that he would die poor after his untimely expulsion, yet just as he was about to depart to Bravos, he had been approached by the King's men with an offer. And with his single nod, his whole life had changed.

He was taken to King's Landing and met his employer, the reformist King Aerys. The man was much more intricate and complex than the bards made him out to be, and yet where the world saw a benevolent and just King, he saw a man burdened with secrets of the world. And what secrets they were.

They had never spoken about them, about how the man knew as much as he did of the world and how it worked on how the King would often give him directions about matters of science and magic, leading to discoveries that had shaken the whole world. Qyburn felt that it wasn't his place to question the man, for though the King may hold the answers to his countless queries, the true art of science lay in discovering the answers rather than simply knowing them.

Over the years, the King had entrusted him with several tasks that often caught him off guard. Yet Qyburn had simply done his duty, holding back the questions, yet the answers would reveal themselves.

Suddenly the door to his chambers was opened, and he hurriedly stood up despite knowing that the guards stationed outside were ordered to allow only a handful of people inside. And it was someone amongst that handful of people that had stepped inside his room.

Prince Aemon entered his chambers, wearing a cloak, his sword strapped to his side. The young Prince's eyes scanned the room before they landed on him, and Qyburn bowed in respect as he walked towards the Prince.

"What brings you here, my prince?" he questioned lightly as the Prince walked beyond his desk towards the massive map of Westeros hanging on the wall.

"Rhaegar has just left the port with the army to push back the Golden Company," began the Prince, his eyes scanning the room once more, this time hanging on to the various objects placed on the shelves. There were various vials placed on eh shelves along with a man's books and texts, many of those written by him.

"May the Gods bless the King, and show him victory in his endeavors," Qybrun commented, despite not entirely believing in those words. The Prince nodded, walked towards the chair, and sat down as he began once more.

"He has left me in charge of matters of the realm and I believe there is a certain matter that we need to take care of urgently," began the Prince as he took out a piece of Parchment and passed it onto him. Qyburn unfurled it and read the two names written on it.

"The Preacher and the High Sparrow?" he questioned and the Prince nodded.

"Indeed, though they hold little influence yet, I believe that if we let them move freely then we would have a major problem on our hands. So, it is time to take them out," spoke the Prince and Qyburn agreed with that assessment.

The two men had yet to cause any major trouble yet. However, there was little doubt that the men had ulterior and hidden motives behind their actions. Especially the one who called himself Preacher, for which pious man made his wealth from the rotten business of flesh.

"As you wish, my prince…" but the Prince's next words made him pause.

"And I had hoped that we could employ the Secret Order for this. I believe it is time for us to learn about the effectiveness of these 'Kingsmen' my father created," spoke the Prince, and now Qyburn understood the reason the Prince had joined him in his chambers.

The Secret Order, or the Kingsmen, was another one of the late King's creations. For as much as the Seven and the Maesters would deny the existence of magic, magic was a reality of their world. A reality that men often feared. Yet King Aerys had been no ordinary man.

"What are your orders, my Prince?" questioned Qyburn, and the Prince sat there impassively as he ordered.

"I want them to keep an eye on this High Sparrow and this Preacher, and be ready to take them out at a moment's notice," ordered the Prince, and Qyburn nodded.

"It will be done, my Prince. Though I believe I have new information in regard to these two men," began Qyburn as he handed the Prince a piece of parchment from his pocket. His informants had been keeping an eye on these two men for some time, and he had just received a report from them early in the morning.

He saw the Prince's eyes skim through the contents of the letter and saw his mind race as he placed it back on the table. Minutes passed as the Prince sat there, simply tapping the table as his mind raced to formulate the plan. Qyburn noticed with fascination as the Prince replicated the late King's tick, for he had often seen the King tap the table as he formulated a plan.

"This could be an opportunity to take them out," the Prince finally broke the silence, and Qyburn nodded, agreeing with the notion.

"Indeed, but it could be risky," cautioned Qyburn, yet the Prince just shrugged.

"Perhaps, but this is an opportunity we cannot miss. See to it that appropriate arrangements are made. Now, why don't you show me these so-called Kingsmen," ordered the Prince as he stood up.

"As you say, my prince," spoke Qyburn as he picked up a whistle from one of the drawers and blew on it gently. Yet surprisingly no sound was produced, at least not one they could hear. However, soon enough the door to his chambers was opened and a man entered the room dressed in light armor, the sigil of the three-headed dragon engraved on his chest plate, and immediately bowed upon seeing the Prince.

"We are yours to command, my prince," said the man in his thick voice. His accent still contained hints of his Northern descent.

This man was Wulfric, a warg the King had rescued and recruited while he had been a simple child. And now he was the leader of the Kingsmen.

0000

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The advancements in science and technology made in the reign of King Aerys resulted in the transformation of the whole world. It set the basis for a whole new way of understanding the way of life. This massive transformation of mankind is often attributed to King Aerys. It is important that we do not forget the man who was at the center of all this.

"Qyburn," the chainless Maester, the mad scientist, the first scientist. There are many names for him, yet none truly do justice to the sheer role played by man in the transformation of science as we know it. For his services, the Royal Family gave him the title of 'The First Professor' a homage to his position as the head of the University in its initial years.

He was said to be a man fascinated by the cycle of life and death, a man born with curiosity, and it is speculated that it was this curiosity that led him to the Citadel, where he sought to learn about the truth of Life and Death. Yet his approach was called too bold by the Order, which chose to expel him, only for King Aerys to intervene and bring the man under his service.

Qyburn would go on to serve the Royal Family with loyalty and would serve as the unofficial Master of Whisperers. Apart from his scientific discoveries, the man would re-establish the order of the Dragon Keepers in secret, on the orders of King Aerys, however, his most controversial achievement would be the creation of the 'Order of the Kingsmen.'

Kingsmen were a secretive order formed under the supervision of King Aerys and was comprised of individuals gifted by the Gods. Men and women who had been gifted with the arcane art of Magic. It was a small order composed of wargs and skin changers. The order would act as the Royal Family's eyes and ears, supplementing the role of Master of Whisperers for some time before getting recognized as a separate entity in the late four hundreds.

The order would remain a secret until the 'Rebellion of the White Lotus' in 887, when the leader of the order at the time would try to rise up against the Royal Family. Her attempt would remain unsuccessful, and she and her allies would be killed by King Rhaeagr III, who would then go on to end the Kingsmen.

Many believe that the order exists to this day and acts as a spy agency for the Royal family ensuring their safety and dominance in the world. The Royal Family has never addressed these concerns.

Many novels and films have taken inspiration from these historical figures and organizations. Qyburn is said to inspire the infamous 'Dr. Frankenstein' and several other cinematic characters.

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Tyrion is a scholar! He was one of the smartest characters in the series, and I think the role of a scholar quite suits him. He was always curious and wanted to see the world, and I think this works well for him. His role in the future would be kind of like an Ambassador/Lawyer with a focus on religion and statecraft.

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