Chapter 12 King's Landing

Torrhen watched with a smile as the Smallfolk of King's Landing reacted to the Direwolves. The streets were packed with Smallfolk, on the cobblestones, alleys, and the windows and balconies of the buildings, who wanted to watch the two Direwolves of the Starks; Winter and Lady.

 They chattered and pointed and those nearest to the party took a step back in fear when the Direwolves moved past them. He could see the fear in the eyes of both the young and old. A boy started crying when Winter looked at him with curiosity. The crowd became silent as Winter and Lady announced the arrival of the Starks with a loud and long Howl towards the sky as the kids ran away or hid behind their mother's skirts.

 The City Watch of King's Landing, the Gold Cloaks had tightened their hands on their spears and watched with reluctance as they let the Direwolves into the city. They had first tried to deny them entry, but one look from Torrhen and a word from Owen that the King had assured Torrhen that the Direwolves would be allowed into the City.

Winter and Lady were taking it well. Winter was restless and wanted to explore the new place but behaved properly at a warning from Torrhen, as for Lady she behaved like her namesake, almost like Lady. Sansa had trained her well.

He looked back at the carriage carrying Sansa. She was still sad and angry with him for his words to her and taking Lady away from her but Torrhen didn't change his mind after the way she behaved in front of the King, when he asked whether her own Sister had attacked Joffrey. She should have sided with her own family and the truth but her reluctance in telling the truth could have gotten both Winter and Lady killed along with Torrhen himself because he would not let them die in his watch. He found them and it was his responsibility to watch over them.

Torrhen had thought the crowds would make the Direwolves uncomfortable at first but after Torrhen assured the both of them with pats and positive words they seemed to do better. They were hungry by now and Torrhen had a mind to take them hunting game in the Kingswood and afterwards take the Direwolves around King's Landing to accustom the Direwolves to the Smallfolk and start winning their hearts and minds; those that were favored among the Smallfolk tended to wield more influence and for what he had in mind to change King's Landing he would need their support and they would act as a shield against the Southern Nobles and Queen Cersei and her antics to get revenge for Joffrey.

But he had to attend the Small Council meeting first and set the tone of the meeting. After all first impressions matter greatly.

Torrhen's attention was caught by the beautiful women that watched the procession from the balcony of a building. He turned his head towards them and gave a wink as he grinned at them. They burst into giggles.

Owen caught this with his sharp eyes. "Flirting again? How many women do you need Torrhen? Aren't you satisfied with the two you have in Bravos and White Harbor? Do you need to sleep with more women?"

Torrhen kept his attention on the women who started gossiping with each other with smiles on their faces and eyes still focused on him. "I am a man with deep passion Owen. Though I love both of them with all my heart, I do have deep desires that needs to be fulfilled from time to time."

"What will they say when they get to know about each other and your other flings?" Eric, the new member of the pack, said.

"They know about it," Torrhen said as he bought his eyes to Eric. He missed their sweet voices and their warmth beside him, their smart words as they argued with him trying to change his mind on certain things that he was adamant about. "I told them so before things became serious and we fell in love with each other. I told them that my heart and passion is too big for one to fill alone, that I would never be able to stay faithful to a single woman and that I will never get married in my life."

"How did you get them to accept it? How did you get them to love you?" Eric asked with eager curiosity. He was young after all and probably wanted to call a woman as his own. His eyes flickered to Alys for the briefest moment but Torrhen caught it.

And Torrhen smiled. "Do you have any woman in mind, Eric. That you want to profess your love to?"

"No." Eric squeaked. Torrhen's smile went wider and Owen grinned.

Torrhen let him go from the teasing. Torrhen was younger than Eric but it seems that he was more innocent than Torrhen was. "Both of them didn't accept it at first. They wanted men devoted to only themselves alone, men who would be satisfied with only a single woman, men who would eventually marry them since they are from Noble families. I didn't have those qualities that my sweet hearts wanted in their men but once I came to know them deeply, with their heart and mind bared naked to me I couldn't leave them without abandoning a part of my heart with them." Torrhen looked to the deep blue sky and remembered fondly of the past and the efforts it took to make them fall in love with him. "I have a way with women you know, if I set my mind to it I could make them give their hearts to me. So I stole their hearts to replace the parts of my heart that seemed to never want to leave them and they eventually succumbed to my love."

Owen said it with a fake serious tone as he beckoned Eric's attention. "Don't listen to him. He is young and does not know the natural order between a man and a woman. I have much more experience with women and I am telling you, a man can't handle more than a single woman at a time. I know this with experience boy, you would do well to remember this, there is no fury more scarier than a woman's fury that you are in love with. Handling more than one is a nightmare that you dare not wish upon yourself. Now, Torrhen is not a man, he's a beast inside a man's body, that much we know after all the years that we have traveled with him. Do not try to imitate him."

Torrhen and the rest laughed at that but his mind was not laughing along. Though it was meant to be a joke, Torrhen sometimes did wonder if he was a beast in the body of a man. With the rage that storms inside him, the pounding headaches that plague him from time to time, the desire that calls him to hurt others when his mind gets hazy during the headaches and makes him lose himself; his name, his identity and his memories all gets buried deep in him when he gets real angry all that is left is cold husk of a man who kills without a thought or emotion.

That was part of why he left Winterfell, along with the knowledge that he would never inherit from his father, the Castle and his titles and the knowledge that Torrhen would have to kneel to his brother and the King if he stayed in the Seven Kingdoms.

His name was Torrhen Stark, the one Who Never Kneels for Anyone unlike his ancestor with the same name, the King who Knelt to the dragon lords.

Torrhen made an oath to the Old Gods upon his father's honor that he would never kneel, and he would keep his oaths that were sacred even if it means his death, after all it was upon the honor of his father, Ned Stark that he made it.

*****

The moment they rode through the Red Keep's bronze doors, the King's steward called for the Hand, his Father to attend the Small Council meeting convened by Grand Maester Pycelle when he was still ahorse. His father snapped at him but in the end told him that he will see them after he changed into something presentable.

Every small action was a ploy to one-up the other in this snake pit of a city. And his father had nothing to show other than his honor against them. Honor is good but too much honor in a man who has the second most powerful seat of the Seven Kingdoms is more of a detriment than an advantage.

It was best to accompany his Father to the small council meeting. He still had to settle the matter of the Royal Scroll that was in his pocket that he fought and gained, after the butcher's boy Mycah was murdered, from King Robert after telling him that his father would be fighting against everyone alone in the City behalf of him and as compensation for the wrongful murder. So the King signed a scroll with his authority as King and got him a position in the Council meeting to support his Father.

But before he could follow his father, a familiar screech sounded from the air and a hawk flew down from the air. Torrhen raised his hand just in time as the Hawk came to rest upon it. It was Red, the hawk that he had left in Winterfell with Bennard the Septon. A sense of dread filled him as he caressed the bird. They were meant to be sent to him in emergencies only, and he had no business being here this far South without a reason.

Torrhen took the scroll from its leg discreetly and handed Red to Cleyton who stood close by the moment the Hawk appeared. They walked in a hurry to one of the chambers in the Hand's tower and locked the door after the Pack and the Direwolves had gathered together. Cleyton was the one along with Torrhen who maintained his connections and the network that Torrhen had built and he would like to know the words that Red carried from Winterfell.

Torrhen read the scroll. And every word he read made his breath faster and set his heart pounding harder and harder upon his chest threatening to break out.

Attempted assassination on Bran by a Catspaw. Lady Stark hurt but threat neutralized. Against advice the Lady has come to King's Landing to warn your Father. Accompanied her on the sea with Ser Rodrick to keep her safe. The Spider and Littlefinger knew the moment we set foot on land and had us set up in one of Littlefinger's Brothel. Meet me at our usual Tavern. -Bennard

Torrhen handed the scroll to Cleyton. "I want my Mother in our Safe House as soon as you can do it, Cleyton. Alys, the scroll says that she was hurt, I want you beside her. I will come after I attend the small council meeting. I want our things in our safe house, we will set up there, I don't want to stay in the Red Keep a moment longer than I need to."

They started moving the moment he stopped speaking. Owen led them as they left. Cleyton stayed back, and said, "You know what this means right? It was not an accident. The boy knows something he was not supposed to know the day the hunt took place. What do you think he saw that they had to send a catspaw to silence a child?"

Torrhen said with a grim face. "I do not know. But the moment we know who sent the catspaw, he or she will pay for it with their life. An eye for an eye, I won't rest until I take what I am owed and right this wrong they did under the Guest Rights that Father had granted them."

Cleyton gave a nod and put his hand on Torrhen's shoulder. "Be calm, we will find out as soon as possible. And the moment we do, the Pack will be there for you just like you were there for us. Do not give in to your rage Torrhen, it will work against us."

Torrhen nodded. "Feed Red and see to the matter. I have to go. The Small Council meeting must have started." He turned towards the Direwolves as they played with each other in one of their many sibling games. "With me Winter, Lady. Come, let us bare our Fangs and Claws at them. They must get accustomed to the Wolves of The Pack, and the way we do things sooner than later I am afraid."

Torrhen stormed towards the Small Council his rage barely contained within his flesh and threatening to burst out at one more wrong move.