Chapter 13

- King's Landing - Several Moons Later -

Jon Arryn was not happy right now. He just came from a Small Council meeting and it was in that room he heard from Varys the newest piece of information about the dragon children. And it was not good news. The Spider had informed him and the rest of the Small Council how the assassins targeting the Targaryens had failed. Failed! Against two barely surviving children and a fat Magister with only a handful of servants and guards. How do six skilled assassin fail to kill easy marks? It didn't make sense. Even less when only two bodyguards were able to kill six men.

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"Failed? What do you mean they failed? You said your contact could hire six well trained assassins to kill the Targaryen's Spider. Did your contact not hire the best to ensure we would get positive results?

"He did. However, the assassins were stopped by two bodyguards assigned to protect the Targaryen children. Apparently these two men are not to be underestimated. Given they were successful in protecting the Prince and Princess, perhaps we should have spent a far greater amount of coin to hire more men for the task."

"Who are these two men? Maybe we can get them to turn their cloak against the dragon spawn?"

"It is hard to say Lord Renly. One calls himself Dooku of House Tyranus. He wears all black and even has a black mask with helmet hide his face. It is said that the mask has made many men who see him feel hesitant to approach for one reason or another."

"I have never heard a House Tyranus. Is it even a House?"

"Nor have I my Lord Baelish. Nor any of my friends throughout the Seven Kingdoms after I did some additional checking. It must be new or maybe an old House of Westeros that left for Essos and is further East then most have ever gone."

"Look into it further. Who is the second man?"

"Jon Connington my Lord Hand."

"So the Rooster is still alive after all this time. I had hoped someone would have killed him or he had just done the deed himself after Rheagar fell at the Trident. We won't be able to turn him. We will have to wait until an opportunity presents itself where we can send more assassins or possibly turn this Dooku with Connington to our side. Is there anyone else we can possibly employ to get close to the Targaryens and provide us with more information?

"Ser Jorah Mormont of House Mormont my Lord Hand. Recently, he fled to Essos with his wife after being caught selling poachers into slavery in exchange for coin. Naturally, he brought shame to his House and fled before Lord Stark could deliver justice down upon him. I imagine Ser Jorah would be willing to work for us if a Royal Pardon by the King were made available to him."

"I will speak to Robert about it. Get in touch with Ser Jorah and explain the situation to him. Tell the man that he has a chance to come home and redeem himself if he does this for us."

"Yes my Lord Hand."

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That had been the end of that situation by that point. Renly had nothing to offer on the subject. Nor did Stannis. Pycelle was his usual old bumbling mess. Lord Baelish had told them of the financial situation with the Crown getting bigger with each passing Moon. It was another increasingly frustrating situation with more financial loans being requested to House Lannister, thus putting the Lion in a much greater position of power within the Crown. It was bad enough Cersei had her own spending habits over the years, demanding something newer, shinier, and more expense with each passing year. One moment, she saw the most expensive dress ever made one year, wear the garment maybe three times, and throw it away for something twice as expensive, yet practically the same as the past one.

'What am I to do? The Crown is drowning. Robert is allowing it. Those on the Small Council, who should be supporting Robert's rule are secretly undermining it. The Lion has his claws deep into us and there are many who are unhappy with how things have gone since the fall of the Targaryens,' thought Jon Arryn with a sigh before drinking some wine to calm himself.

Only to nearly choke when he saw the figure of Dooku from House Tyranus in front of him.

"Hello Lord Arryn. Surprised to see me?" mocked Aegon with his smugness clear in his tone of voice.

"How did you get in here?" demanded Jon and was tempted to call for his guards while Aegon tilted his head slightly.

"Who said I was here? What you see before your eyes is a projection. Nothing more. The only one who can see my form is you. Don't believe me? Call your guards. Ask them the question that will make them wonder if your age has finally caught up with you," replied Aegon with Jon narrowing his eyes and was half tempted to do just that.

But what if no one else could see this image? What if he did have the guards come in and ask such a question? Word would get out and some would question his ability to stay as Hand of the King. No! He couldn't risk that. He would have to go under the assumption that this Dooku could somehow use magic and project himself all the way from Essos.

"I ask again, why are you here? Why are you here to see me?" asked Jon while Aegon just let out a chuckle.

"To see you of course. To see the mighty Falcon, who conspired, schemed, plotted, and planned the fall of the dragon. Tell me, is Lord Stark ever going to be told of your secret betrayal to him? To his House? To his sister? Or are you going to take what you know to your grave without confessing it to him?" asked Aegon with Jon's face losing some of its color.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Jon with Aegon shaking his head.

"Come now Lord Arryn. Let's not stand on ceremony here with the whole 'I didn't do it and you can't prove I did' defense. Would I ask such a thing, if I didn't know the actual truth? If I didn't have the proof to back up such a accusation?" asked Aegon with Jon sweating now at him.

"I don't know how you know, but I won't allow you to spread it around. And as for Lord Stark, I am his Foster Father. Anything you tell or show him, I can denounce as fake or forgery. He would trust me over a sorcerer like you any day and would sooner have your head on spike," replied Jon with Aegon surprising him with a nod.

"You're right. I suppose he would. At least at first. Until I showed him the unmistakable truth. You see I have way of showing people the truth in a way that no one can dispute it as anything else," said Aegon with Jon scowling.

"You mean your version of the truth," countered Jon with Aegon shrugging.

"One could argue that it is my version...from a certain of view," commented Aegon with Jon not fully understanding him.

"Whatever plans Viserys has been trying to hatch won't work sorcerer. The dragon's will fall and the Stag will rule long after I am dead. The Falcon will claim its revenge in full and not even your magic will stop me from making it happen," said Jon with Aegon once more surprising him by laughing.

"You know nothing Jon Arryn. Even now, you are blind. Blinded by your own arrogance and desire for total revenge against House Targaryen. And for what? A supposed slight made ages ago. The people trusted you and Robert to rule the Seven Kingdoms properly after the Mad King died. In the end, you made things worse. And the only reason people did not rise in rebellion against him was because House Greyjoy did it first. And if there was one thing people hated more then Robert, it was the Iron Born sailing around doing what they pleased," remarked Aegon with Jon Arryn scowling further.

"I am blinded by nothing! Your so called Dragon Prince will meet his end and that whore of a sister for a Princess will join him as well!" stated Jon Arryn with Aegon once more laughing again.

"Again, you see only what appears through your eyes. The problem is...that appearances can be deceiving," said Aegon with his tone getting darker.

Jon stared at him for the longest moment before blinking once, and in that moment, the figure in front of him was gone.

Letting out a sigh, Jon slumped down in his chair and closed his eyes in thought over what just happened. He was seeing things. That was it! He was seeing things. It wasn't magic or some kind of strange mysterious mumbo jumbo. It certainly wasn't guilt over what he did. It was past his fears, his actions, and the stress related to the Crown's current situation currently playing with his mind. That is what it was. The stress. The stress from Roberts inactions in being King, the Small Council's inability to function properly, and the possible future threat still presented by House Targaryen to once more challenge the mighty Falcon for supremacy.

Heavy is the one who wears the Crown and anyone who tried to hold it for him or her.