Chapter 7: Truths

I watched as several of the rabble burned away in flameless smoke. My eyes were glowing bright yellow and I held a helpless Septon against the wall of an alleyway. These fools thought to kill me in an ambush as I walked the streets of King's Landing. The Septon had just watched his fanatical followers literally be killed by my sight alone, my unseen grip holding his throat and body tightly to the wall.

"I fucking lifted the Iron Throne and you think some drunkards could kill me?" I said not looking at the struggling Septon. It had been a pleasant walk on the streets of King's Landing, trying to get out among the people and throw a bit of coin around. It was nice to have unlimited funds gifted to you by the King himself, it was even nicer to have him as a puppet every damn time he sat on his throne. But then I sensed this fucking bastard and his little goon squad of religious dumbbells following me. So I turned the corner to an empty alley and let them box me in.

"Sorcerer! You have no power over truly faithful me-" He choked a little harder as I squeezed my Force Choke on his throat. I then let it loose just enough for him to breathe again.

"Seems I have plenty of power to do this." I snapped feeling a little extra irritable today. Lyarra had gotten a letter from Rickard requesting her to begin her way home, while under the guard of the King's men. Lyarra was going to try to stall until our business in King's Landing was done, then she would travel to Harrenhal with me and then journey to the North from there. I wasn't sure if Rickard would listen, the man was faithful and he might be getting a little antsy to have his wife back. Too bad, you got cucked because you didn't put in the effort and you're now going to have to deal with it even if you don't know what's happening behind your back. But that was only part of the reason why I was pissed today.

The biggest part had been the utter amount of bullshitting the Faith of the Seven was doing to my name. Not only that but they were being helped by many of the nobility that didn't see things my way. They couldn't do anything about it since I had the King wrapped around my finger, but they still schemed behind our backs looking to exert some control over the Sith. And the Faith just wanted us gone, period. Ever since it had been announced to the masses about the new Sith Order and my elevation to Lord of Harrenhal the Septons had been crying out for me to burn at the stake. The High Septon and the Most Devote had been silent on the matter in public but I was sure that they were quietly gathering supporters.

And the fact that the King was not raving mad at the Faith of the Seven over this was likely because Tywin was preventing the Master of Whispers from informing the King. Tywin wasn't too happy with me given that it appeared that I manipulated him into suggesting Harrenhal. It was a play that tipped him off to my cunning mind and likely made him weary of why I wanted Harrenhal.

"I swear by the Warrior you shall be struck down by the faithf-" I snapped his neck as he interrupted my thoughts. The Septon's body dropped to the ground and I held out my hand and arcs of Force Lightning shot from my fingertips. The blots of energy fired on the body, causing it to spasm and char. It would be impossible for anyone to identify it. With that annoyance finished I snapped my fingers and Jaesa dropped from the rooftops and immediately came to my side and began not so gently dry humping me.

"That was sooo~ fucking hot master~" Jaesa squealed as she began moving her hands towards my lower robes. I grabbed her hand just before she reached her target, making her give a small pout.

"There's no way I'm screwing around in the filth of this city." I lightly chastised and she looked around and scowled at the alleyway that we were standing in. It was filled with grime, muck and trash… not exactly the best place to fuck. "Come now, we have more important things to deal with." I turned and began walking out of the alley with Jaesa trotting behind me.

Now that I was sure that we weren't going to be further interrupted I began my way down toward Fleabottom. The poorest and dirtiest places in all of King's Landing. A perfect place to find people willing to give away their loyalty to anyone willing to pull them out of that muck. Humans had infinite potential, all one needed to apply that potential was the willingness to play the long game and understand and identify a person's usable traits. Thankfully I had Jaesa and could see exactly who out of this shithole could be properly used to their fullest.

I walked through the streets of the Westeros capital, me and Jaesa continued to draw eyes though now I had quite a few men leering in our direction. Jaesa's robes always were on the lighter side, hah… pun, and today was no exception. She soaked up the attention her revealing clothes garnered, She enjoyed their lustful stares because it just fueled her own lust, both in that she could feed off emotion and she was just a fucking tease at times. This would of course in this setting lead to one of these poor fools to feel brave enough to take a shot at her, they would be dead soon after. Though they might die happy… just depended on how Jaesa was feeling at that moment.

On the other hand, I drew mostly looks of suspicion or scorn. While the Faith couldn't do anything to stop me politically, they could damage my near nothing reputation. Thankfully word was spreading of what I did and people were more scared than bold. Just sensing the ambience of fear and hate was feeding the Dark Side in me and it was a little annoying. I was already still deep in the red when it came to my current alignment and this was not helping. Light Sided actions so rarely made themselves present, as just giving out a ton of gold to the poor wouldn't be a real Light Sided action because I would be doing it for selfish reasons. Mediation slowly chipped away at the Dark Side but that needed me to be calm and peaceful… hard thing to do when I have so much going on.

"Master, we're here." The sound of my darling apprentice's voice and the sudden smell of shit and depression brought me out of my thoughts. I turned and Jaesa stopped giggling at my momentary distraction. "Seems things really are getting to you. I haven't seen you so distracted since the days after you killed your master." Ah… those days. I was trying to grab up as much power while trying to maintain as much of my master's powerbase and spy network as I could. Lots of killing, intrigue, and sex happened in those days. Good times.

"Lots of plots and plans are on the table Jaesa. Our new home in Harrenhal, it needs quite a bit of work. Then there's our ship, our only chance off of this world and back into the galaxy. Then there's all the trouble with the foolish faithful. The courtly intrigue. And then there's the forming of the new Sith Order." I listed off as I watched the various rabble that lived in Fleabottom mull about their day. Children played in the street, completely oblivious to the fact there was an actual river of shit that flowed off to the side of the walkway. They just saw it as normal. This was poverty, this was a wonderful place to find faithful followers. Gratitude was a collar that was stronger than any metal and more impactful than any slaver's whip.

Lyarra moved through the high halls of the Red Keep as she made her way to the Grand Maester's quarters. She had a new letter for her oh so beloved husband, one detailing how she was working on a deal between the Starks and the Lannisters. She simply could not leave her master's side, the very thought of it twisted and turned her stomach. And if she needed to lie to her husband then so be it, if that is what it took to remain with her master.

"Lady Stark." Lyarra stopped as she heard her name be called and turned around. There coming down the hall was Lord and Lady Fossoway. She hadn't spoken to them once and yet this woman was smiling at her like they had been friends for years. But Lyarra knew more than that, she could smell a hint of fear and urgency on both of them. Lyarra was far from simple minded, she could put two and two together and see what had them so frightened.

"Lord and Lady Fossoway, is something the matter? The two of you look a little pale." Lyarra said as dry as a desert and as cold as a tundra. The two lesser nobles stopped in their tracks at hearing her voice; they hadn't expected Lyarra Stark to be as intimidating as Tywin Lannister.

"Pale? Why are we as healthy as we could be. Even in these trying times of winter the Reach's bounty is fruitful and well and goodly eating is affordable to us." Jon Fossoway said and his wife gave an almost unnoticeable glare. But it was too late and Lyarra snapped him in her jaws.

"Ah, good for the Reach. It's nice to know that while Northmen freeze and starve in their homes you southerners are warm and have full bellies." Both Lord and Lady Fossoway gulped at the near growl that Lyarra gave. Thinly veiled rage bled through every word and the image that a very hungry wolf was circling them was imparted in their minds. "Now, if you will excuse me but I have a letter to send to my lord husband informing him of recent developments." Lyarra made to leave the irritating pair but was soon stopped once again by Lady Fossoway's words.

"That is exactly what we wanted to speak to you about." Janna stepped forward and once again stopped Lyarra. "The entire time that we listened to that foreign sorcerer you never said a word. I understand that you felt you couldn't properly speak on your house's behalf given what Rhyhall did for your son, but I can tell that you felt just as disturbed by what will be happening as we are."

And her master had said that Tyrell women were cunning and smart players in the Game of Thrones. Lyarra snidely thought to herself as Janna continued to talk. She was saying little of worth in Lyarra's mind anyway. She had insulted and continued to insult her master. Her beloved master, the one that filled her body, mind and soul with pleasure and purpose.

"Lady Stark?" Lyarra blinked as she snapped out of her daydreams of the nightly activities that she and her master got into. "Do you not agree that we must contain this threat before it gets out of hand?" Lyarra opened her mouth just a bit before actually giving this some thought. While it disgusted her to even think about accepting this offer but then if she did, she could be counted among those that sought to undermine her master. And then she could report back to him on it.

"You seem so sure that I would be on your side. Lord Rhyhall after all did save my eldest son." Lyarra said and she could smell a small sweat begin to form on the two. Fear, they did fear this which meant that maybe this wasn't their idea. That someone put them up to this and they had no choice. "But even if that is the case, there is my gratefulness for that heroic action and my loyalty to the realm." Of which there was none but they didn't need to know that.

"Yes, the realm may indeed benefit from this Sith Order but only if those of proper status and blood handle it." Jon said very sure that he counted among that description. Lyarra fought the urge to roll her eyes while Janna didn't fight it at all. But Lyarra knew she shared the same opinion.

"It is all for the betterment of the realm right." Lyarra said dryly but gave a ghost of a smile that had Lord and Lady Fossoway relieved that they had seemingly succeeded in their mission. "Now, if this business is concluded I have a letter to send." Lyarra returned to her cold demeanor band turned back leaving the Reachmen feeling proud of their politicking, even if it was all for nothing.

"Master, was there any real point in any of that?" Jaesa asked as we returned from our time among the people and walked back into the Red Keep. The guards stiffened as me and my cute apprentice entered the gates, especially since I left alone and returned with a mini female version of myself.

"Yes, we have made useful contacts among the merchants. Trust and familiarity are two valuable things that go far beyond simple coins and goods." I said knowing that the latter duo did go a long way even still. After I had found a few dozen men of the poor and downtrodden to become my new Seekers of the Sith, all of whom Jaesa informed me would be loyal to a fault to the man that saved them from their lives of poverty, we moved to the docks of King's Landing. Now that I was lord of Harrenhal I needed capable stone smiths and the best ones were from Essos. They wouldn't be able to fix Harrenhal yet, that required both scientific and mystical investigation into the dragon fire melted stone. Once I figured out the secrets of what happened to the mighty fortress beyond the legend, I could make a proper plan to bring it back to its former glory. I'm sure that I could handle the mystical side while there were sure to be someone in Essos that knew how to remove Dragon fire melted stone. But for right now I would begin making contact in Essos for the eventual project of fixing Harrenhal.

The talks I had with the various ship captains were productive and I'm sure that they would send back word of a new, and wealthy, faction starting up in Westeros. Will rumors be largely based on what they common folk tell those ships from across the sea? Yes. But that doesn't mean my influence will have no effect.

Me and Jaesa walked through the Red Keep, looks from the poor workers and the nobility all ranged from fear to hidden disgust. It was not surprising and perfectly fine in my plans. Being beloved was not needed, fear would keep them from doing anything to my Seekers and thus my most vital piece of the puzzle was secure. So long as I had my means of procuring Force Sensitives I would not be stopped. An order of well-trained Force Users would be able to take out any army and destroy any nation this world had. Plus, if my longer term plans worked out, all of them would be cheering my name.

We made our way past the guards who scowled behind our backs toward the small training yard where we found two people in the middle of sparring. I smirked under my hood as I got my first look of Rhaegar Targaryen, a young teen but still looking quite handsome and strong. The books did justice to the beauty that this young prince held. He honestly was a fucking pretty boy through and through and it pissed me off. And fighting with him was Jamie, doing decently well but it was clear that the crown prince was going easy on the young lad. Overseeing the two was Ser Barristan Selmy, one of the few Kingsguard that seemed to not instantly fume at the sight of me. Then nearby was Cersei and more importantly her mother.

Joanna seemed to be the only one to notice the two robed figures that stood in the shadowed archways. I could feel a small bit of unease escape her but not enough to where I worried. Moreover, she seemed interested in Jaesa, just who was this woman with me? Could she be another Sith? While the idea of women in fighting or even important roles was somewhat accepted in the North, it was completely foreign to the people of the south. Minus Dorne of course.

"Mmm… she smells nice." Jaesa licked her lips as she eyed Joanna and I raised an eyebrow at that. It was a rare woman that could get my apprentice to so openly react like that.

"See something I don't?" This was why I loved to have Jaesa around. While my sensory abilities were better than most Force Users, and even further enhanced by my master's teachings, only Jaesa could really see who a person really was. She was a true Empath, she could peer into the soul and pull out everything a person was.

"She's in conflict, something in her life is making her question everything." Jaesa said and I could guess just what that was. Lyarra's friendship with the Queen and Lady of the Rock did end up being of great benefit. "She's also been denying a part of herself for decades, and this recent conflict has caused that part to resurface. She wants her child but fears the father, and this makes her vulnerable… to someone." Jaesa looked up to me and in her yellow eyes I saw nothing but lust and cruelty. But here's the thing, I'm not going for it.

The real Naraiz would have in a heartbeat. Ruined a marriage all to further his plots and schemes. I have more scruples than that. Lyarra was a mistake on my part with how far it went but I don't feel bad on it happening at all. She was unhappy from the very beginning of the marriage. Joanna on the other hand was going through a bad time in her marriage and still loved Tywin. As far as I'm concerned she's off limits.

"Down girl… let's not do anything until I know all the facts." I chuckled and Jaesa pouted a bit but stayed silent. We continued to watch the two boys train, Jamie was actually showing his future skill and was able to disarm the prince, surprising everyone. I'm not sure if this event had ever happened in the books… in fact it feels like Joanna and the twins should be in the Rock by now. Cersei and her mother both clapped for Jamie, but then everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard me clapping for the boy. "Promise, you have promise. I can tell you have the making of a world class swordsman." I said simply as I and Jaesa walked out of the shadows and into the training yard. All of the Lannisters tensed up as they each recalled their last interaction with me. Barristan on the other hand just felt a bit weary of my presence. But it was the prince that I was really interested in.

"And just who are you sir to say such things?" Rhaegar accused and all I could feel was an iron solid confidence in himself. The kind that that I recognized from miles away, the kind that every fucking Jedi that felt special about themselves had. It was a confidence born out of a belief in being great because it was preordained. Fuck… the little emo bastard has already got it in his head about prophesies and the Prince that was Promised. This is going to be hard to deal with. But then again this was good as it meant that things should progress as I know them.

"Prince Rhaegar, this is Darth Nagash. The new lord of Harrenhal and grand master of the Sith Order." Barristan explained and Rhaegar's eyes narrowed. I could sense that he recognized what the Kingsguard said, likely he had heard rumors and hearsay about me but I don't think me in real life is amounting to his high expectations. This is a boy that thinks his life is a fairy tale and only those that look and act like characters instead of NPCs will merit note in his mind. That is a poor way to go about things. I can recall the names and faces of every serving girl and chamber boy that I have met, every peasant that I have spoken to I can remember perfectly. And I will use that to gain the loyalty of the common people. If word gets around that a Lord speaks and remembers their subjects, then those subjects will feel that that lord is looking out for their interests.

"Among other titles though those hold little meaning here in the Seven Kingdoms." I added on casually as I looked around the training yard. "I watched your little spar, you should have taken it a bit more seriously my prince. Jamie here is fast enough to even nearly get past my senses, such natural talent shouldn't be taken lightly." I said and all the Lannisters bristled at the small reminder of what I did to Jamie. Though at the same time they were conflicted due to the fact I was praising him and giving the prince a thinly veiled chastisement.

"And just why should I take advice from you?" Rhaegar snarled not liking being talked down to like this. I looked to my dear apprentice and noticed that she had to bite her tongue to prevent saying something stupid.

"A demonstration, Jaesa I think's time to show me you have not gone rusty in my absence." I pulled four training swords from the rack and floated them to us. All of the Westerosi stared in awe, they had heard of my Force Powers and some had seen me lift the Iron Throne but just using so casually still made their jaws drop. But Rhaegar seemed to collect himself as he noticed two of the swords land in Jaesa's hands.

"You truly expect a woman to be a worthy opponent?" Okay… I wasn't expecting Rhaegar to not see the value in women warriors. Or maybe he would learn that lesson later on or he just was really good at hiding his true feelings from Lyanna. Then again we never really get much insight into Rhaegar beyond other people's views on him. "Ser Barristan would be better suited for this."

"Ah, while I have no doubt of his skills where it comes to swordplay in these lands. My apprentice and I will be using Sith style fighting." I said and Rhaegar still seemed dismissive. I looked at Jaesa who had just finished tying together the hilts of the training swords so they would at least be similar to her double sided lightsaber. Both Rhaegar and Jamie left the training yard to give us room and everyone waited as me and Jaesa circled each other. Then it began.

I couched low and jumped into the air, swinging my swords toward Jaesa's head. Only to be blocked, though I kept her blocking as I landed and began slashing with mad fury. This was my element, Form Four was my style of battle. The natives of this world watched with wide eyes as I flipped around, dashed from side to side, and moved with a furious grace that was impossible to achieve by normal means. Jaesa meanwhile maintained her defensive stance until she caught me off guard with a sudden Force Push. There she began a barrage of Juyo, giving me no chance to enter the air and begin harassing her. Changing my stance into Niman, I effortlessly stuck to Jaesa's borders. Making sure to stay just beyond her most deadly range. And soon enough I was able to give a precise riposte and send her back reeling. Pressing my advantage I gave her no time to recover and resumed my Ataru moves. The training match ended with me cutting the combined swords back into two pieces and bring Jaesa down to her knees. Unfortunately we could not do what we normally did when I did this to her but that was fine.

"You did well Jaesa, you still rely too heavily on Juyo, you need to expand your skill set beyond just the aggressive. Learn from me, I specialize in Ataru to attack and Niman to defend but even then I am more than capable in all of the other forms." The lecture came as I paced in front of Jaesa. This was something I have told her many times and it has still not sunk in as much as I would like. Jaesa was wild and uncontrollable and so Juyo came naturally to her, but she needed to be more than a one trick pony. Her insight into people did help in combat as she was able to predict moves better than most but it was limited, it wouldn't save her against a truly experienced fighter. I stopped my pacing and looked back to the stunned looks of the Westerosi that had been watching. All of them I could feel were in awe at the fight between me and another Sith. "Ser Barristan, would you have been able to fight either myself or my apprentice? Now knowing how we fight."

"No my lord, not without seeing it for myself beforehand." Barristan said, picking up on what my message was. He wasn't feeling insulted in the least and I could already tell his warrior's mind was trying to come up with methods of fighting any of the Forms that I had shown here. It was possible to fight a Force User without the Force, plenty have done it before. The biggest problem came from this world's limited tech. Most people that killed Jedi or Sith could only do so using gadgets or have some technological advantage helping them. Going purely on skill alone was an uphill battle, but not impossible.

"Information is a powerful tool, fighting an enemy that uses unfamiliar ways of battle will lead to costly losses." I said looking at Rhaegar who just narrowed his eyes. I could sense he no longer had a complete dismissal of me or Jaesa but he was still far too into himself to truly see the value of what I said.

"Lord Rhyhall." I turned to see Joanna walking toward me. "If I could have a word with you alone." She said and I had a hard time pinpointing where she was at the moment. The awe of what she had just seen masked a good deal of her true emotions. I nodded and looked back to Jaesa, with a wave of my hand she bowed and jumped up and began running the rooftops of the Red Keep back to my room. Again everyone in the training yard looked stunned and Ser Barristan was becoming more and more worried about just how powerful we Sith could be.

"Lady Lannister?" I said and brought Joanna out of her awe at my apprentice's latest show of skill. She quickly regained her composure and began leading me away from the training yard. She led me to what she assumed to be an unoccupied hallway of the keep and stopped. I however could sense a familiar presence and without her notice quietly slammed said presence to the nearest wall, locking them there for the time being. "So what is it that you wished to speak to me about?"

"I… I wanted to apologize. Both for what my son attempted to do and for how I might have been treating you because of it." I could tell that she was being sincere, but at the same time she was forcing this on herself. She didn't wholly want to say this as there was still some anger toward me for hurting her son. But she needed something out of me and she knew that Jamie had been in the wrong when he tried to steal my sword, beyond just what would have happened to him had he succeeded.

"There's no need for that, my response was a little harsh." I said shrugging like this was no big deal. A small twitch of the lips told me that she didn't exactly agree that it was just a little harsh to nearly choke a boy. But she remained silent. "I have been dealing with a great many things, this new land and understanding your ways, preventing my Order's destruction, the loss of my homeland… I have been under quite a bit of stress so I reacted poorly. The fault is entirely mine." Plus there was the fact I have the screaming banshee of Dark Side roaring in my ears, rather than just a small whisper. I really need to fix that before I need to pull any other Darkly minded moves.

"Thank you for your words." She said and then shifted uncomfortably. "Now that that is out of the way, may I ask a favor from you." Joanna said and I could sense a great deal of urgency in her. She needed this… whatever this that she wants from me. It could be a number of things. But first I needed to at least appear apprehensive of the idea. I can't just say yes to everything this woman asks of me.

"And what makes you think I would do a favor for you, I can't be bought with a pretty face and sweet words alone." I said and she blushed, she didn't think of herself as pretty apparently if the sudden feelings of self doubt peeking up were any clue.

"Flattery masking your refusal. But I ask this hoping that you might do this due to your relationship to Lyarra. A mutual friend of ours, helping me with this would make her happy." I raised an eyebrow, publicly me and Lyarra were cordial and only as close as my station would allow. I gave little indication that Lyarra was more than what I saw any woman of nobility.

"My relationship with Lyarra? My lady, our relationship is one based in mutual respect. I adore her family but to an extent." I said with only barely-there conviction in my words. I knew that she could see through it but again… I couldn't play this too easily.

"She speaks of you differently." Joanna had a smile that would make the Cheshire Cat proud. And I frowned while silently checking the halls for any other listening ears. Nope, just the one from earlier. "The look in her eyes says it all, she is a woman in love. With a man that she can not stop speaking praises for. I do not believe she has ever complained about you once. Lyarra…"

"Alright." I said cutting her off but she looked quite pleased with herself.

"She does love you, though you are not her husband." To Lyarra I was everything, the sun could never rise again and so long as she had a candle to see my face she would not care. Love was an understatement. "Do you love her?" That question caused me to pause. I loved Lyarra in a way that was similar to an owner loving their favorite pet… horrible I know but I could not bring myself to go further than that. I loved Jaesa for all her faults but even that felt, not in the same vein as what Joanna was talking about. Satele… I didn't want to think about her right now. Love was something that I as a man back on earth hadn't come close to for a lack of chance. Naraiz had plenty but closed himself off in fear of loss, he had only been able to love two truly and both strained his heart to do so. This new mind of the two hoped and longed for love while still being cautious. I wanted to love Lyarra, I really did but I still needed to pull myself out of my own head to do so.

"No… I do not." I said after my small moment of introspection. "I care for her, I will go to great lengths to make her happy, and I will kill as many as needed to keep her safe. But I don't think I can ever say the words that you want me to say about her. She knows as much, or at least she knows the nature of our relationship and as far as I know she has no intention of changing it." Joanna regarded my words carefully, mostly on that last part. I could feel that she was mostly worried over if I was leading Lyarra on. She must understand that I'm not after anything her position as lady of Winterfell could provide, as I already had Lord Stark's favor. "So how about in exchange for you not speaking of this, I will do you this favor."

"That seems reasonable." She nodded while still being quite skeptical of my relationship to Lyarra. I have no doubt she would be speaking to my pet soon enough. "I want you to prove to my husband that the child growing inside me is his." Ah… that made sense. Tywin is angry over the rumors that Joanna was taken by Ayres. Willing or otherwise.

"I see, you think I have some magical means of knowing the father of an unborn child." I chuckled as that was not a power that the Force could grant. Modern technology could but not the mystic power of the Force. Well… maybe there was some power out there but I certainly didn't know of them. "I'm sorry to say that I cannot wave a wand and form a parchment out of thin air that would give a complete detailed family history of your child. Though I am doubtful that Tywin would believe it even if I could."

"He distrusts you but not your powers." Joanna explained and I raised an eyebrow. That was good, even if the Lion was on his guard it meant more good for me if he was a believer in my powers. Made him less likely to lash out wildly or make moves against me for fear that I might have some magical means of countering him. "Is there truly nothing you could do?" Joanna pleaded and I began thinking about it.

I had no definitive ways to prove the parentage of Tyrion, not without a medical droid. Which I had in storage back at the ship but I wouldn't be showing such a thing in front of Tywin. But I could have Jaesa tell Tywin Joanna's true feelings. That might help… but that would expose Jaesa's talents. And I wasn't sure just how much Tywin would trust words alone. Risks and gambles are plenty when you play the game of thrones. Might frighten him, or it could put him on my side by proving his fears were wrong and his wife does love him and didn't cheat. Then there was also the ripples that this choice could make. Maybe Joanna won't die giving birth if she's not under so much stress. So many possibilities… but at the end of the day the decision was made by look of desperation in Joanna.

"Tonight I will bring my apprentice to the tower of the hand, you shall meet us there and she will use her powers to see your true self. My apprentice is a rare marvel of empathic powers, extremely rare among Force-Users. She will be able to tell if you have ever been with another man other than your husband." Joanna stared at me and I knew why. She had been raised a lion and had her claws, she knew the game of thrones and knew how to play her part in it. The gravity of me even telling her that I had someone like Jaesa in my employ, she understood it well. To know the true self of a person, anyone. That would mean an unrivaled advantage in the great game. And not only was I going to be revealing it to Tywin, a clear rival, but using it to help fix his marriage.

"Y-you have my thanks my lord." Joanna curtsied as much as she could before leaving quickly. I watched her leave and knew that this would be nothing but trouble for me. But… this felt like the right thing to do. Could it get me some points with the Lannisters? Yes but this would be a net loss in the end, Tywin being aware of Jaesa's powers was going to be a huge blow. It would not stay secret, not a snowball's chance in hell would Tywin keep this to himself. He would tell others he trusted but it would spread. As Joanna vanished from the hall I looked toward the listener that I had caught. I walked around the nearby corner and found a rather tall man stuck to the wall.

"I don't like you all too much." I said to the Master of Whispers. I hadn't bothered to learn his name as he was not the Spider and thus an inferior product to the player I could be having fun with. "And you are not suited to King's Landing. I can sense in your heart one that still clings to hope… that is a death sentence in this city. So here is what is going to happen. Within the fortnight I will advise the King that you have done your duty as Master of Whispers adequately for a knight. But now the times are changing and a real spymaster is needed. You will be rewarded with a keep of your own and lands to lord over. Where? I don't know. But that is the sole offer I will be giving you."

"I am…" He began but I held up a hand and caught him by his tongue. His eyes widened at this and I held my disinterested look. That both calmed and scared him all at the same time.

"I know, you are loyal and all that. But understand that you do not have the skill or heart for what it truly takes to play the game. Nor do you have a family name that could act as a buffer until you learn to properly play the game." I said and he stayed quiet. I could sense that he was willing but something was holding him back. "You know I have the king's ear and yet… you think that having his hand's ear is better? No, I don't care what you may think you have, my offer is only going to last so long. And once it is, well… the King has his means to get rid of unneeded trash." I said and then dropped the man to the ground and began on my way.

Lyarra was kneeling in front of the stump that had once been a great Weirwood Tree. While she adored her master and understood the basics of the Force, she still found it lacked answers that only the Gods held. Her master never outright forbade her from keeping to the Old Gods or even discouraging her from her faith. If anything, he was very open to the faith of the North. He had said that the Weirwoods held some place in the Force and that was more evidence of divinity than anything he had seen before. Lyarra wasn't sure if he was humoring her or not but it showed he cared. He wouldn't go out of his way to destroy her faith in the Old Gods.

But the Stark was mostly here because she knew she would be alone. Only a Northerner would come here, anyone else would be wrapped in scandal and scorn by the Faith of the Seven. But for her, it was seen as normal for the northern barbarian to worship a stump of a tree. So she was here by her lonesome while the Gold Cloaks that had come with her stood a distance. Or at least that had been the point.

"Lyarra!" The she-wolf's ears perked up at hearing a familiar voice call out her name. She looked up and saw Joanna making her way toward her. The Gold Cloaks moving back further so to give them some even more privacy. "When you want to be left alone you really do a great job at making it hard to find you." Joanna joked but stopped at the small frown Lyarra was giving her. "But that was the idea wasn't it… sorry."

"Don't be, it's not you that I was trying to get away from." Lyarra simply couldn't stand to be with all those southern ladies who had little but a small breeze going between their ears. All their words were sweet but veiled barbs behind them. They spoke of how remarkable it was that even in the dead of winter Lyarra was able to maintain such a full figure. Lyarra soon had enough of these comments. She had half a mind to bring a woman from Bear Island to King's Landing and watch the carnage. The weight jabs weren't even the worst, that would be any and all disguised mention of the perceived savagery of the North.

"That's good to hear, I would hate for you to be already sick of my company." Joanna quickly joked before she steeled herself for what she really came for. Her conversation with Naraiz had her worried for both the future of House Stark and their place in the Seven Kingdoms along with her friend. "I just spoke with Naraiz… he's agreed to help me with Tywin."

"Oh, that doesn't sound like something he'd do for free." Lyarra knew her master and knew that he didn't like Tywin Lannister very much. Why he would try and save the Lord of the Rock's marriage Lyarra had no idea. "You must have promised something in return… Joanna?" Lyarra saw that her friend was struggling with something. It was plain as day on her face.

"We… we spoke about you and him. I know about the two of you." Lyarra froze and a part of her was screaming at her to shove Joanna off the cliff near them. But she stomped down that voice knowing that Joanna was her friend and she was sure her master would disapprove of this murderous plot. "I don't blame you, you know. Naraiz is handsome and charming and I'm sure that you have your reasons. I don't judge you for it. But… I think you should know that he admitted to me that he doesn't love you-"

"He does." Lyarra interrupted Joanna as she dug her nails deep into her palms, enough so that she drew a small amount of blood. She fought with all her might to not scream this, and to not attack Joanna for suggesting anything like this. "He does… I know he does. He may not say or believe it himself but he loves me in his own way. He cares for me and trusts me… if that isn't love then love is just something bards sing of in songs and nothing more."

"I asked him, I asked him if he loves you. And he said no." Joanna said with a little more venom than she planned on. But what Lyarra said had hurt her, she loved her husband and she knew that he defied his family to marry her for love. But the recent way he was treating her was anything but caring and trusting. So for Lyarra to say that was all she needed to prove that Naraiz loved her struck deep at her heart.

"You just don't understand him, you don't understand how we work." Lyarra knew that Joanna couldn't possibly understand unless she accepted Naraiz's collar herself. Was it some sort of mind control, some influence in her soul that forced her to love her master? She couldn't believe that was the whole truth. The way he held her close when they were in bed, the tender touches he gave when she told him of the days she had dealing with these southerners and the rage he had held in his eyes when he told her of the hell he would bring down on anyone that dared to harm her. She was his… he might not be hers but she didn't need that.

"I understand love, you told me yourself that you couldn't love your husband so what makes you think you know what love really is?" Joanna at this point couldn't stop herself. She couldn't let herself feel that this affair had more love than what she and her husband had. Something outside the grace of the gods and so young couldn't possibly compete with a true marriage born out of years of longing and affection. Joanna waited for Lyarra to respond but minutes passed by and all the Lady Lannister got was a chilly blank stare with a small frown, a Stark look if there ever was one. So she turned and began her way back to the Red Keep but stopped as Lyarra finally spoke again.

"I do hope that Lord Tywin believes Naraiz… because I do wonder what a man like that will do when you bring in a favored ally of the supposed father of your supposed bastard." Joanna froze in her tracks, her face going pale as the song that centered on Tywin's military victories began playing in her mind. What would a man like her husband do indeed? Her hands swooped to her enlarged belly and knew that Tywin would not think twice about doing something extreme if he felt the matter warranted it.

The sound of screaming. It had many different forms and versions and I knew a great deal of them. The sounds of pain and pleasure both. The screams of torment and rapture. What I was hearing was of the former rather than the latter. I was not in the mood to be hearing this. The irritation of what was happening with the Faith and now the growing opposition among the nobility was getting to me. Then there was this latest development with Joanna. I knew it wasn't going to be a cake walk my entire time, but this development was still grating on my nerves. It was times like this that I wanted to take the old Sith way of killing anyone that got in my way.

But I took a breath, I couldn't do that. But right now I needed something to vent on and the sounds of screaming from the royal chambers was what was holding my interest. Walking through the halls of the Red Keep, I first heard these sounds and then remembered the current state of the royal marriage. It wasn't a hard choice to begin toward the source of the screaming. The two Kingsguard at the door to the royal bedroom stiffened and began to move their hands toward their blades. None of them trusted me, it didn't matter… neither of these had the strength of mind to resist me. With a wave of my hand both were in a daze. I knew what I was about to do was risky and foolish in so many ways but I did not care. Anger and frustration was digging their claws in my mind and the Dark Side was slithering around me.

"You disgusting whore! You do not deserve the glory that will be brought to the Targaryen name!" Aerys roared as he beat his wife, in a blind rage over some reason that I did not know. He had not noticed me entering or closing the door behind me as I came into their bed chambers. Just to be safe I placed myself under the shroud of the Force and became unseen to the eye. I knew that Aerys and Rhaella had a horrible sham of a marriage. I knew that he beat her. "What man would want to be with you if not for that hair and eyes? No one! Not even whoever you will bring to you tonight!"

She does always bring in men after he beats her. My eyebrow raised at that. I didn't think much on that little tidbit, but now it was sticking out to me. Focusing more on the woman getting beat in front of me, I was slowly moving closer with the intent of stopping this but I wanted to get a read on both of them in their most open. Aerys was a cocktail of anger, jealousy, and hatred. I have never been able to get a full understanding of him because of the growing madness in his mind. Easy to control, hard to read.

Rhaella on the other hand was much more interesting. She was enjoying the beating… to a degree. She hated Aerys, that could tell easily. It was so blunt and a core of her being that I could feel that just as strongly as Jaesa could read that in another person. My power to read people had been helped with my apprentice teaching me a few tricks but compared to her I was still lacking. But three things I could feel from Rhaella, the strongest was hatred for Aerys. Then came sexual arousal and self-shame for that fact. Oh… the Queen is a masochist eh?

"Maybe I should throw you from the tallest-" It was at that point I revealed myself and held a hand over Aerys' face. His eyes glazed over and was put in a deep trance. Rhaella looked up and I could feel a deep sense of relief and confused dissatisfaction. That's the mystery of the timing of her cheating, Aerys beats her, gets her all hot and bothered from the beating and she vents the sexual frustration and shame on some random man. Likely then bribes them to never speak of it again.

"You made your point, you've seen the sorrow and shame in your sister's eyes. So deeply that you now will only feel pity for her, that she is unworthy of any of your attention." I said and Aerys' head moved back and forth in a dazed sway. The Force ingrained my words into his mind. "Youl shall not beat her, you shall not speak to her unless politically necessary. You will avoid any interaction with her because she is unworthy of it."

"Rhaella… a worthless witch. My hands are too good for her." Aerys said in a monotone voice.

"Yes… you will now leave us. I will discipline her in your stead." I closed my hand and the spell finished spinning into his psyche. He blinked a few times and stared at me before looking to Rhaella and frowned with disgust and turned his nose up at her.

"Harlot, why I ever deemed touching your unworthy body a good use of my time… a gap in my judgment but no more." He then looked at me and smiled cruelly. "But Darth Nagash here will be more than enough to teach you your proper place." With that he stormed out of the room, taking his Kingsguard with him. I clicked my tongue and just from that alone I felt a bit of my frustration leave my body.

"W-what was that you did just now?" Rhaella asked as she stood up. Her body was a little shaky but I could sense that over the years she had adapted. The injuries have built up over those years, taking their toll but it had given her a tolerance for pain.

"Saved you a bit of trouble." I said before I turned back to face her. "Would you rather he finish his little tantrum?" I asked knowing that she both didn't and did want that. Oh, sexual confusion, prime and fertile land for manipulation. I'm a bad man, that should be clear by now.

"But how? You… you can influence the mind." She guarded herself, scuffling a little bit away from me as well as locking down her mind in fear of me doing the same to her.

"To the weak minded." I said, causing her eyes to narrow. "Or in the case of your husband, a corroded one. Someone like you however would most certainly notice my intrusion and fight it. Anyone of strong enough will or mind can. And even then, I can't puppet people constantly. Only influence them in a particular instance." I explained and I could sense that she was wary of trusting me but I had a clincher. "If I could control people as well as you fear, would I have such opposition in the Faith as I do now."

"You… yes. I suppose you are right on that." She weakly chuckled at that as she stood up. Her mind was still guarded but it was no longer actively so. Now just knowing in the knowledge of what I can do and alert for any attempt on her wits. It was generally how many that knew of the Force Mind Arts felt around Jedi and Sith. "But why? Why risk yourself and save me."

"Sex maybe?" I shrugged and she gave an amused smirk. "But mostly I just wanted to vent a little. The Faith and Tywin's attempts at grinding my powerbase to as small as possible have left me quite… irritated." I explained and she gave a small look of understanding. She grew up being taught all the royal family knew of the politics of the court. Walking over to the bed, I leaned back on its edge, floated one of the fruits from a nearby table and began tossing it between my hands. "Fair warning however, what I did will not last. Something like that needs to be weaved back into his mind over and over again, and I am leaving in the next few months." I said before taking a bite out of the apple in hand.

"That is fine, while this will be a nice reprieve his temperament is something I have dealt with all my life." Rhaella said as she stood back up and dusted off her dress. She was still very weary of me, given what she knew I could do but I could tell she knew I wasn't a foe. Or at least a foe to her at the moment. "You must have some plan for me, to keep me from telling your enemies about your powers."

"I plan on having my apprentice reveal something similar to Tywin later tonight. All to help Joanna finally get her husband's head out of his ass." I said and Rhaella chuckled at that and I could tell while she wished me luck in that, she didn't think I would be successful. "So by all means, tell my enemies. That I influence the King and puppet him around."

"It wouldn't do anything would it." She said with a knowing smile. "It has already gotten around that the Faith hates you, and many in the nobility fear what you might do. So someone spreading around that you control the mind of the King will be seen as nothing but baseless rumor." If this news came from her however, there would be much more credence to it but it wasn't like she was going to say anything. She had no reason to. All she wanted in life was to keep her son safe and to have some time alone with her friends, it was simple needs and what went beyond those needs weren't of her concern.

I was walking up the stairs of the Tower of the Hand, Jaesa behind me and she was not in a good mood. While she wasn't the most cunning when it came to the realm of politics and intrigue… or at least she didn't try. She had been taught by her family on Alderaan but I'm pretty sure she had been dumping all that information to make room for more ways to kill and fuck. But the point was while she didn't care for those sorts of things didn't mean she was happy with what I was doing.

"Master… this is a mistake. We shouldn't be showing off what I can do for nothing." Jaesa complained as we continued to trudge up the stairs.

"Shut it, with every step I'm taking, I can feel the Dark Side bleed off." A very unexpected boom to all of this was this counted as a Light Side action. My selfless promise to help Joanna save her marriage was purifying my soul with kindness and honor. And it was only because I wasn't doing this with that in mind. I just saw Joanna looking so scared for her marriage and unborn child and I had to do something. It certainly made me feel better about myself, knowing that I could still perform acts of altruism. Something that had been lacking in my new life up until this point.

"And that's a good thing?" Jaesa grunted but then paled at my stare. She gulped and knew that she had just lost any right to sex or mindless killing for at least a few weeks if not months. I had very strict rules for Jaesa regarding the Dark Side. And what she just said went against many of the core rules I had. "I'm sorry mast-" Jaesa choked as she slowly lifted into the air by my power.

"The Balance is beyond your capabilities Jaesa… I know this. But that does not mean I wish for you to fall to the Dark Side completely." I said as I held Jaesa up by her throat, closing just enough not to be dangerous but enough for there to be pain. "After tonight, you will leave the city and return to Harrenhal. I'm sure you could see the Isle of Faces right?" She nodded with a small look of disgust mixing in with the pain. "Go there, and stay there until I return." Jaesa then looked absolutely horrified confirming my suspicions on just how bathed the island must be in the Light Side. I dropped her down and without another word returned to my climb up the stairs. Jaesa followed behind and was quiet as a mouse, not wanting to get in any further trouble. I knew she was likely happy that she got off so light for the moment, I could be very extreme in my punishments when it came to these sorts of things. But as we approached the end of our journey Jaesa grabbed my hand.

"Wait, I think we might want to stop." She said and I could tell that this wasn't a ploy on her part. That look in her eyes, the kind that said she was feeling something in other people that was even deeper than normal. I looked up to the last few steps and around the corner of the winding stairway was the door to the Hand's chambers. "They're fighting… it's worse than before." She said and I could hear the seriousness in her tone, gone was the playful Jaesa and next to me was a true Sith.

"What are they feeling?" I didn't want to hear the words, plausible deniability.

"He's at his limits, he so firmly believes in what he knows that anything she says against it is a challenge to his very being. When she says one thing that goes against his truth it's like saying he's drowning when he feels like he's burning alive. Painful on both sides but he's chosen his pain and he's sticking by it." Jaesa explained as I heard something break beyond the door.

"And her?"

"She's heartbroken, beaten… crushed. Something's changed, she needed him to believe her this time. Something is making this time different beyond all the other fights, some kind of conflict in her that is holding a blade to the throat of her beliefs." I always did enjoy Jaesa's visualization of how people are feeling. It was hard for her to describe fully what her powers told her, I mostly had her read poetry and literature to help her in that regard. "Oh… it happened." I raised an eyebrow, Jaesa sounded genuinely surprised and a bit saddened. Likely some kind of feedback she was getting from whatever she just felt.

"What?" I looked back but Jaesa was starting to go into one of her trances. My eyes widened, this only happened when Jaesa was sensing something so deep to a person that she could actually not contain her powers to her conscious mind.

"… fear born from tarnished trust… wrath seeded from a broken promise… hatred turned from love…" Jaesa began mumbling and soon went limp. I caught her and held my apprentice as she continued to spot off similarly themed ramblings. If I had to guess… Tywin just did or said something that finally crossed a line. Or at the very least he had done something to break Joanna's heart. I heard the Hand's door slam open and I wrapped me and Jaesa in a vale of the Force. We huddled back into a small alcove and watched as Joanna moved as fast as her pregnant state would let her. Tears streaming down her face and bruise marring her cheek. I looked up and half expected Tywin to be running after her… nope.

"You dumb bastard." I mumbled to myself as I knew that this was certainly not a canon event.

"Master…" Jaesa grumbled as she began to sober up from the trance her powers had put her in. She pulled herself closer, wanting to feel the comfort of my embrace and I allowed her to do so. Despite my current mood toward her she still needed me after what had just happened.

"Leave tonight Jaesa, I think I will be able to handle things by myself from here on out." I told her as I pulled us out of the alcove and set Jaesa on her own feet. She blinked a few times and wasn't sure what was happening but did as ordered anyway. After a moment she jumped out of a nearby window leaving me in the stairwell to the Hand's Chambers. I had half a mind to march up there and castrate Tywin… not like I needed him to have those parts anymore.

But… I thought better of it and made my way back down. There hadn't been a distraught Lady Lannister on my way and I didn't find any servants or guards that would be spreading the news around tomorrow morning. I had made sure that the area around the Tower of the Hand would be bereft of onlookers and wandering eyes and ears but I hadn't expected the need for such measures to play out like this. Still finding no sign of Joanna I chalked this night up as a win-win and began my way back to my room. I was able to get some Light Side points free of charge, as what really matters with the Force is the intent. However… as I was making my way to my chambers I finally did see some maids and servants, all of them looking in quite the panic. Once again I shrouded myself as the next group rounded a corner.

"Of all the nights, it would have to be the night I finally get that old coot to bed early."

"I know what you mean, I made an extra stag the other day and was planning on treating myself quite well with it."

"Shut it all of you, we are to get Lady Lannister ready for her babe and I will not have you two endangering the child with your nonsense." I listened with rapt attention as the group of women made their way past me and once they were gone I stepped back into the middle of the hall with a dumbfounded look on my face.

"The Imp is coming… two months early."

Author's Notes

So Tyrion is coming early and Tywin has done something to break Joanna's heart. Personally I always assumed their relationship during this time should be on the rocks given how things were between the king and Tywin and the rumors going on. Naraiz's presence just caused things to escalate mostly due to Lyarra's words and the extra stress Tywin is under with Naraiz throwing things to chaos.

Other than that Naraiz is setting things up for his order and future plans. As well as getting a feel for other characters.