c15

Inn on the Rose Road, the Reach…

Renly Baratheon was enjoying himself immensely as he downed another cup of a new alcohol from the Far East, he was laughing as a fool performed and drinks flowed. He was on his way to Highgarden meet with Loras and his family to speak more of this plan to put him on the throne when his brother Robert died. Dreams of what could be his when he became king had made him eager to sleep to visit those images again and to wake so it would be closer to being reality.

He was more than a little drunk when he was invited into the back by the inn's owner where several of his wealthier guests had started playing cards. He did not recognise many of them but amongst the six or seven men at the table there was a single woman with a bigger pile than any of them, she was attractive Renly supposed with a slender but hourglass figure, larger than normal teats, reddish blonde hair and heart shaped face. Not his taste of course but he could see why men were all drooling at the sight of her, but her eyes were sharp and she appeared to be taking them for all they were worth but kept them placated by paying for their drinks.

"Perhaps my lord would ensure the game continues? I'm sure you would be a master at this game." The inn keeper said with a hopeful, pleading look. Renly was no card player but was full of drunken confidence so he laughed, drawing the attention of all the people around the table who looked at them expectantly, pulling out a chair for Renly who too it without a second thought.

"A new player gentlemen and lady." The silver haired Inn keeper said with joy as another order of drinks went out, his serving girl who was also silver haired came in balancing a tray precariously loaded with drinks. One, a fine Dornish Red was offered to him and Renly took it with a fool hardy ease that would have made his elder brother proud before he joined the game.

One hour later…

Most of the other players had abandoned the game, having run out of money although free board was given after all the coin the inn keeper had made from the drinks they had bought.

Now only Renly say opposite the woman.

He had been lucky in several rounds, winning a good sized pile of coin and valuables but his winnings were still smaller than his rival and he was more intoxicated than ever.

"You have good luck tonight my lord." The woman said with a charming smile, still perfectly sober herself.

"Aye I do, now…I…I want to raise the bet." Renly said with a drunken smile and pushed a large pile of coin into the middle. She looked at it without concern before saying.

"I too will raise by adding this to the pile." She pulled out a Valyrian steel sword from beneath the table, Renly was shocked as she added it to the pile. It was a rare sight in Westeros these days and he could just see people admiring him as he sat on the Iron Throne with that weapon in his hands and a golden crown on his head. He excitedly went to match the bet only to discover to his horror that he had nowhere near enough coin to match that sword. Valyrian steel swords could sell for upwards of ten thousand gold dragons and he had about half that, the woman looked on expectantly waiting for him to make his move only for Renly to feel crushed. The sword was so easily within reach, he could almost just reach over and touch it, his lips were salivating at how close he was to the sword.

He was about to throw in the towel, feeling angry and dejected when the serving girl whispered in his ear.

"My lord, surely you must have some piece of land or a ruined castle you could offer to equal the sword? You are a Lord Paramount after all." She then disappeared to bring him another drink, but her words stuck in his addled head. A useless ruined castle would surely be worth the sword he thought with glee, he had one in his ownership that would be perfect as it came with a fair bit of land. Feeling his confidence restored by 'his' great idea, he asked for a piece of parchment from the innkeeper before turning to his opponent.

"I bet Summerhall and all its lands." Renly said, hastily taking a piece of parchment that was offered to him by the inn keeper to scribble out a document of ownership and signed it with his own name before looking up to ask.

"Who are you?" He needed a name to put on the document as a show of good faith, he looked at his hand and it was a good one…a straight. He would not lose this but better not let her know that.

"Alys Connington." The woman told him with a smile, had he been more sober Renly would surely have not gone any further with the transaction having heard the woman's name but he did anyway, given her family's history. As for Summerhall although the castle had belonged to the crown even in its ruined state, Robert had wanted nothing to do with it given it was where Rhaegar his nemesis had been born. So as it was in the Stormlands it had come into Renly's possession, and now it would get him a Valyrian sword to show everyone Renly thought with excitement.

-x-

"Honestly I had thought this would be difficult." Jothos said as he finally dropped the act of the kind and normal inn keeper. Harry who had been watching the show play out merely smiled, getting Renly drunk was not difficult, luring him into the game had not been hard either, Aeron (Jothos' son) and Brynden at the sides relaxed now that their parts as two of the gamblers was over. Daena was smirking as she played the part of the serving girl and encouraged Renly towards their end goal, Harry was impressed at her acting.

If she was not so set on being a warrior she would have made one hell of a spy.

The rest of gamblers had been actors hired to play their parts, the game had been rigged so only Alys and Renly were left. They had let him win a few rounds so he would be confident, adding alcohol into the mix made it certain.

Harry and the rest of his people smirked as Renly showed his straight only for Alys to show a royal flush, the best hand possible. Renly's face was a picture, none of them were cruel enough to laugh at how crestfallen he was but they did smile a bit as he finished signing the transfer of ownership. The sword was a basic one with little decoration but they would let him keep all his own money to stop him raising a fuss. They could afford to lose that gold as soon trade and other sources of income would be available.

Stage 1 was now complete, now for Stage 2.

The rebuilding of Summerhall and the destruction then rebirth of House Connington.

Summerhall, a month later…

Stone masons and other workers moved around the ruined castle to make it habitable, towns and villages within its jurisdiction had been made aware of their new lord or rather lady and been brought in line while furnishings were being made for the castle.

Alys was supervising the work and missing her children terribly, they were safely back on Bloodstone under her honorary sister Rhaenys' care but this was the first time she had been away from them since they were born since a tent was no place to raise a baby let alone two she thought. They would join her when the castle was finished.

Summerhall was more a marvellous house than a castle but still it had walls and defences, a must in times of war and would give her a large number troops to call on. There had been grumbles given her sex but a firm rod of justice on lawbreakers and establishing long forgotten order soon made them fall in line. The coin the construction workers brought to the local economy helped make the bitter pill easier to swallow and the reopening of abandoned marble and coal mines closed since Summerhall was burnt down helped too, not to mention the horse ranch they were building to breed the best warhorses.

She had heard nothing from her brother, much to her relief although as word of her rebuilding Summerhall spread that was sure to change. A sinister grin came to her face, after all he had put her and her sister through Alys would love nothing more than to see him crushed.

-x-

Stonehelm, the same time…

Harry meanwhile was making his own contribution to the Stormlands operation aside from paying for the reconstruction of course he thought but given it was his son that would one day rule that castle, it was worth it in his mind.

There were other problems other than getting the smallfolk in line though, many lords were affronted at the thought of a woman ruling a castle without a husband to rule in her stead. Harry had already arranged for several particular 'noisy' septons to be caught in positions that would destroy their credibility but to ensure Alys had a strong ally in the Stormlands, Harry was now sitting across from Lord Gulian Swann. The lord of the strongest house in the Stormlands after the Baratheon's, proud and powerful they had ruled their lands for a long time and had slowly increased their influence over the centuries so that today few would even dare to consider going up against them.

Another reason for their longevity was their caution, unlike his own family though the Swanns would commit to a cause when they had judged it to be the most effective and secure path available, so now it was Harry's job to convince the Swanns to ally themselves with Alys.

Lord Gulian was a white haired old man with a stern and unmoving face, set in a mask of indifference. Harry outlined his concerns regarding Renly and the future of House Baratheon while Lord Swann listened quietly, when he had finished Lord Swann looked at him questioningly and asked.

"You say that House Baratheon is doomed? Well that is hardly a secret Lord Tyrell but I have to ask what do you expect me to do about it?"

Harry would have thought the man was slow in the head had he not seen the sharp glint of his eyes, he had known all of what Harry had told him or at least suspected it already. He was waiting to see what Harry wanted and concealing his true intentions until he knew what Harry's were. So Harry nodded and cut straight to the point of the matter.

"When the end for House Baratheon comes there is going to be a vacuum of power, there are no clear heirs and civil war would surely rage across the Stormlands to determine just who will take the position of Lord Paramount. With each house fighting for themselves it would be a truly bloody spectacle until one family ascends clear above the rest, even your family would bleed heavily in this conflict. So a strong ally would be useful in the coming war, especially as at present you have no connections to other houses. Alys will once her lands are properly established have a strong army of her own, joined with yours it could win you Storm's End." Harry impressed and he was not lying, Alys had no interest in the position of Lord Paramount and would support Lord Swann should he decide to make a bid for the position.

Lord Swann himself was in two minds, while he like many Stormlords hated the Reach and its noble houses for raiding their lands in the Rebellion that had won Robert his crown and before that many centuries of bloodshed he did not let his hate blind him. The relationship between Loras Tyrell and Lord Renly was easily the worst kept secret in Westeros and while both Robert and Stannis had children, none of which would truly be able to keep House Baratheon going, Joffrey was heir to the throne and a monster in human form that would probably meet his end before his twentieth nameday, Tommen although young at the moment gave the appearance of being far too gentle to ever control the marshal culture of the Stormlands, Myrcella was a girl and like her brother at present did not show the strength required and finally Shireen who was cursed with greyscale scars so bad no man would touch her for fear of being struck with the disease hence it would be a miracle if she ever had children of her own.

Having a strong ally would be a good thing indeed the old lord thought, while it would be years yet it would be best to strengthen their position now and prepare.

-x-

Harry could read in his surface thoughts that Lord Swann was deeply considering the offer and Harry could only hope the man decided to accept, the less intervention he had personally in the Stormlands, the better. If he publically supported Alys then Stormlords would dismiss her as a Tyrell stooge at best, hate her and work against her at worst. House Connington had a tarnished reputation due to them fighting for the Targaryens in the last war and other houses looked down on them for this, being supported by a Tyrell would only make things worse.

He had enough to keep him busy with away from the Stormlands any way; he had sent messages to the Whitehelms and the Tourmaline Brotherhood with an offer to use the Stepstones as a base/safe haven for their operations, storing their goods and letting their ships operate from the islands rather than having to transport goods all the way from Braavos and Qarth respectively. Another message had been sent to Jhala offering to trade, after all they had deep iron mines and the Summer Isles had none.

Both deals would generate a good amount of coin for him and his family and gain him strong potential allies in the future Harry thought, hopefully his offers would be accepted after all it helped them as much as him.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Robert Baratheon was grinning like a madman as he lifted the great sword Harry Tyrell had sent him aloft for the entire court to see, a gasp went around the hall as the courtiers all marvelled at the elaborate workmanship and distinctive ripples in the metal. Many had never seen a Valyrian steel sword in their entire lives and this one was magnificent.

Likewise the sword received by Ser Barristan Selmy might have been smaller but no less impressive, its hilt and cross guard had been coloured gold and styled to look like a charging horse. In the centre of the hilt just above the leather grip was a sapphire and inscribed on the dark coloured blade was the word 'Bold' in gold letters.

Robert while wishing somewhat that it was a war hammer was still delighted by the gift and decided immediately to call his new sword Dragon's Bane and signed the documents to legitimize the young rose's bastards, laughing all the way feeling a kindred spirit in the Tyrell. Ser Barristan and his new squire Jasen Waters were not sure what to name this sword yet but nevertheless both admired its quality.

Word of the new swords were spread on the ravens and word of mouth just like Harry had hoped, that he could give anyone a stylised Valyrian steel weapon and many letters were sent to Bloodstone immediately requesting a sword.

-x-

In the more upscale areas of Kings Landing meanwhile Zara had secretly bought a series of buildings to establish her gambling dens, using the recently purchased Jade Spring as a base. A brothel but the largest in Kings Landing and one of the few not owned by Petyr Baelish, she was careful to not tread on any toes, they did not want anyone to know their intentions yet.

A scream from downstairs made her quickly move from her desk and rush to a position where she could see.

And what she saw was appalling.

Janos Slynt, his crony Allar Deem and a pack of their men who looked more like wild dogs then law men were smashing up the place. Her girls cowered as the men laughed at their terror which made Zara nearly steam with rage.

"Next time pay protection or sell to Baelish, if not then we will be back." Slynt said with a cruel laugh that was echoed by his men.

Zara's eyes narrowed as she watched them leave, committing their faces to memory and swearing in her mind that she would make them pay and Baelish too if she could manage it.

But for certain none of Janos Slynt and his thugs would live beyond a month.

Summerhall, the Stormlands…

Alys was supervising the training of her special cavalry, the horse archers while stone masons finished the repairs to Summerhall making her smile at how efficient the men had been, clearing away the debris and then restoring the rest of the castle. In a couple of more weeks it would be ready and already flying from the towers was the banner she had chosen for her new house, a red lightning bolt striking across a white background. Plain but respectable she thought, no words yet though none had really appealed to her.

Her good mood however was spoiled as a messenger arrived bearing a letter with the twin griffin seal of House Connington, knowing full well it could only be from her brother. The same brother that had sold her and her sister into slavery to pay off his debts, she had learned their absence had been explained by them being taken by pirates on their way to negotiate a loan from the Iron Bank and had the world been more surreal, steam might have come from her ears to show her anger.

Instead she frowned and with a glare dismissed the messenger before opening the letter only to visibly snarl at its contents, the bastard had no decency at all she fumed. He was demanding control of Summerhall and all of its lands as head of 'their' house, he completely ignored what he had done to them, the years of misery and captivity they had suffered and even threatened to take their lands by force with the aid of House Trant who he claimed were his allies and arranged for her to marry Lord Trant when they arrived.

She wanted to scream in anger at the situation, her asshole of a brother who cared for nothing but his own comfort and security was now trying to steal the lands and titles that she and those closest to her had worked so hard to gain and improve. Worst he had the gall to buddy up House Trant, a family with a reputation for torturing their prisoners and spouses and taking their sweet time in executing people so they suffered long before they were allowed to died. No other house in the Stormlands would have anything to do with them but they were powerful with a strong army.

She could raise if she drew on all her levies maybe half of theirs she thought with despair to say nothing of quality as she had not enough proper weapons or armour, Alys sat down on a chair with her head in her hands. Worse Harry could not help her because as a Tyrell it would only enflame others to her brother and the Trant's side, her own fate was no less troubling being a wife to a Trant was a fate that could be worse than death and what could happen to her children she thought with fear. She knew she could run but that would only make her brother more powerful, let him win and that she thought with dogged determination was not going to happen.

She would seek allies and hopefully get Renly Baratheon to step in but whether or not that would work she could only guess at.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Cersei Lannister was nearly steaming with rage as she threw the letter from her father into the fire.

Was she the only real Lannister left anymore? She raged, scaring her pathetic maids who fled the room in terror. The only one that actually considered the Lannister name and ensuring its reputation remained intact?

Apparently yes she thought with derision as her father and both her brothers did not.

Her twin, sex toy perhaps was now having the time of his life, hunting pathetic thugs across the country instead of being here when she commanded him. He sent her letters but refused her every order to return. Lancel was a pale imitation of her brother and nowhere near as useful in bed, some nights she had needed her own fingers to finish.

It was Tyrion's fault she thought, screaming as she threw a glass against the wall feeling a slight bit of pleasure as the crystal shattered. The little monster had turned Jaime against her! Just like he had done her father!

It had to be that she thought with rage, his cutting her off from her birth right…their gold made no sense otherwise. All she had done was try and ensure no other house dared think they could slight their house without consequences, the Mountain's death was the fault of the stupid Tyrell not her.

But the loss of that gold had stripped her of most of her power, what she truly treasured most. Without it she had to rely on the meagre allowance she got from Robert, it was only enough to keep her in dresses and wine but no more. She could not afford her own spies and half of them and her supposed allies at court had deserted her already, the thought of it was enough to make her start screaming in anger.

Cursing the Tyrells, cursing her father, cursing Jaime and more than anyone else cursing Tyrion!

That she was responsible for her own situation did not even cross her mind, how could it when she to her mind had done nothing wrong.

Likewise it did not occur to her just why half of her spies were still taking orders from her, many had taken offers from her rivals at court and now passed them information on just what the queen was doing at any given moment.

A few days later, the Stormlands…

Alys wore her own version of battle armour, her bow and arrow in hand as she waited for the battle to start. Around her were the two thousand men she had managed to rally at such short notice, while across the field a force of four and a half thousand faced them. She gritted her teeth as she saw the force against them, not sure if there was anything she could do to stop it but although the enemy force was larger than hers it was mostly light infantry. Seeing the Connington's twin griffins alongside the handing man of House Trant made her snarl at the enemy, her brother visible at Lord Trant's side.

Worst was that Renly the Fanciful fool had ignored her calls for intervention, not even bothered to answer her ravens. None of the other Stormlords would either, thinking her a weak and feeble woman that did not deserve saving after she had ideas above her station, believing her brother's lies like fools. It was however a great relief that no other houses had sided against her, not wanting to be associated with House Trant she supposed.

The enemy cavalry was small though which was a point in her favour she thought, pulling her helm on. The horse archers lined up behind her, all dressed in the same cotton outfits as her. It was an innovation she had discovered in Essos, two layers of cotton with a layer of unprocessed cotton in-between. Surprising it was strong enough to stop an arrow and really light which meant her horse archers could ride faster horses without needed heavy steel armour, they never needed it as the enemy never got close enough to be a threat and the outfit stopped other archers from taking them out. Just for safety though they wore a leather vest for an extra layer of protection.

The enemy appeared cocky, not even reacting to the presence of the horse archers which Alys thought grimly was going to cost them. She only wished that she had been given more time to prepare, her infantry had the barest equipment and some had no proper weapons except whatever they had managed to scrape together, shovels, picks and so on it made a wince come to Alys' face as she thought about how unprepared most of her fighters were there just had not been enough time she thought with anger.

"Horse archers attack their cavalry." Alys ordered turning her thoughts from things she could not change and on to the battle and started her horse forward at a run, followed by her men. Their horses thundered across the field and readied their bows and then notched their arrows, the much heavier Trant cavalry began its own charge but her faster horses enabled her men to stay ahead so they let loose their arrows.

Men wearing heavy armour could do little as they were pelted with arrows, some finding a killing blow or causing the men to fall from their horses but it did nothing to stop them charging, nor their infantry which began to move towards hers but too many arrows were wasted as her archers while highly trained were inexperienced.

Her infantry likewise did as they were taught and put up a shield wall to defend themselves and fiercely held their ground but the overwhelming weight of Trant infantry started to tell as her men were pushed back and causalities mounted, their poor arms little use against the proper swords and spears of House Trant.

Worst she felt how few arrows she had in her quiver, she suddenly cursed having no more time to make more but vowed to make every shot count.

Then just as she was about to launch her last arrow, there was a loud horn and she along with many others looked over to the hill that it had come from.

Heavy horse and infantry came charging down the hill, all wearing the white and black swans of House Swann and for a second Alys' heart sank with despair honestly believing it was the end. She reached subconsciously for the portkey Harry had given her that would take her straight back to Bloodstone. Zara and Myria had one each too but she would rather be thought a coward then be made to marry Trant by her arsehole of a brother when suddenly the Swann heavy infantry and cavalry charged not at her lines but at the Trant's exposed rear.

Her heart then soared as the unprepared Trant's and the few men her brother Ronnet commanded were cut down without mercy caught completely by surprise by the unexpected attack, a small tear ran down her face as she smiled at the rescue especially as the better equipped Swann archers started picking off the cavalry that was chasing her and her horse archers.

Lord Swann came riding up to her with his sons and a man dressed in plain but strong armour, he might have been covered from head to foot but his green eyes were recognisable immediately. She smiled and whispered.

"Thank you Harry."

Lord Swann however stole her attention.

"Lady Connington, I hope you are well. We had hoped to arrive before the battle started." The well-respected older lord was sincere in his words she hoped and his intervention could not have been more welcome.

"Lord Swann, I honestly have nothing but gratitude for you and your family. Rest assured I am quite well." Alys said with a smile which made both of his sons go slightly weak at the knees although she had no interest in either of them. Whatever else might have been said was cut off when Lord Trant and her brother were dragged over, their once pristine armour now covered in mud. Both glared at her but she just froze them with a vicious grin that unsettled all the men present except Harry who grinned along with her.

"They will admit to their crimes, after their executions lands will be distributed between ourselves if that is agreeable with you Lord Swann." Alys said with confidence surprising, when questioning looks were sent her way she said. "Lord Renly Baratheon should have mediated this issue, he didn't and in fact did nothing at all. He will want this situation to go away rather than us making a loud noise about it and spoils his image, he will accept our control or he loses respect."

Lord Swann was slightly doubtful but given how much of an idiot the Lord of Storm's End was he could hardly disagree. Unfortunately Ronnet Connington had to open his big mouth.

"If you think you will ever rule Griffin's Roost then you are delusional whore!" He said spitting at her with a sneer. Alys' expression turned completely calm while Harry in his heavy armour looked ready to go over there and cut his tongue out.

"You really are vermin." Alys addressed her brother like she would a stain on a window or gown. "You sell me and Zara into slavery to pay off your debts and then have the nerve to try and steal the lands I have built up and made something. If you think your death is going to be quick or that you are going to the Wall think again…brother! You are going to admit everything you did and then you are going to know the true meaning of pain and be broken into absolutely nothing before I grant you the mercy of death."

A shiver ran down all of their backs at her words and a look of disgust on the faces of House Swann towards Ronnet who suddenly looked afraid of his younger sister.

Bloodstone, two weeks later…

Harry was looking down at the map of Westeros in his solar before he went to bed, things had finally settled down in the Stormlands and as Alys had predicted Renly had hushed the incident up to keep his reputation intact. Griffin's Roost and its meagre lands and a third of Trant lands had been added to Alys' holdings. The other two thirds now belonged to House Swann, who had more than enough force to keep their new lands in line. Ronnet had admitted to his crime once they had used the same trick that he himself had used against Lord Durwell, an enchanted quill and parchment with truth potion. Officially he was to be executed for selling his sisters into slavery, breaking one of the greatest laws of this country but Alys was taking her sweet time in getting around to it. Every two days she would use a new type of torture on him, according to her it would only end when she and Zara ran out of ideas.

Harry nearly winced at the thought but his sympathy was firmly with Alys and Zara, their brother was a pathetic liar, cheat and slaver. A waste of space that the Stormlands was better off without.

The upside of the confession and the alliance with House Swann for Alys was that other Stormlords were now showing her a great deal more respect. Lady Mary Mertyn, Matriarch of Mistwood in particular had been impressed at her standing up to her brother and now she had triumphed had eagerly secured an alliance between them and the Swanns. They now formed a powerful block that would secure their future especially as the last Trant's except for Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard who had no claim to his family's lands had died on the executioner's block.

A Valyrian sword for House Swann was already being worked on by Brynden as a gift of thank you, Ser Balon Swann had been named the Master at Arms for Summerhall and with that their holdings in the Stormlands was now secure, Alys' children would soon be joining her and it hurt to see them go but he would visit as much as possible just like he would Myria's children at the Tor Harry thought to comfort himself. Soon it would only be Rhaenys' and Zara's children here as it was too dangerous for them to go with her to Kings Landing.

Across from him were the three dragons eggs they would soon hatch, Harry's was the bronze egg he had discovered in the Mander years ago while Rhaenys had chosen two eggs, one coloured red and the other a shade of silver.

Jothos then came in with a wide smile, distracting Harry from his concerns for his children with news of their latest projects.

"My brother Lord Velaryon has agreed to lend/lease some of our ships to expand his own fleet. With the war over in Essos many lords are making a lot of gold from trade and some are even lending fighting men to the Free Cities for coin, he was eager to take advantage of the opportunity." Jothos told him, war was good for business as it left the Free Cities with no choice but to trade with Westeros if they wanted supplies and material.

Harry was troubled at the mention of the war he had inadvertently started in Essos, he could only hope Crixus and the rest of their former comrades were well. He had heard their movement was growing but little else as the Free Cities by large were playing down the slave revolt but rumours did occasionally leak out. Still that war was killing thousands of people, mostly innocent ones and that Harry thought with guilt nagging at him was at least partly his fault.

"Have we received any requests for loans?" Harry asked wondering if any of the noble houses were in need of coin that he was willing to provide if he could get something in return. Jothos pulled a piece of parchment from under his arm and said as he read it.

"Yes. Mostly from minor houses and the occasional knight, many are useless and are not worth the effort but these three might be of interest." Jothos said passing the document to Harry who read it with interest only to be slightly disappointed.

Two smaller houses Barnell and Barthheld wanted some coin for construction projects; Barnell wanted to build a bridge across the Green Fork in the Riverlands, primary to move their troops but such a bridge would threaten the dominance of House Frey as the only house with the means to cross the great river.

House Barthheld however wanted to convert a village they held into a larger town, largely for economic reasons.

The only other request was from Ser Lothor Brune, a talented knight who wanted to establish his own company of free riders.

Harry sighed, hoping these small contracts would lead to bigger ones he agreed, only to notice there was a message waiting in Jothos' hand. It was unopened and when Harry took it and read the contents he was unsettled.

It was from Gunthor, apart from announcing that Talla was pregnant which made Harry smile and made a note to send a gift it told him of an Iron born raid near Blackcrown and while it had not been against his own holdings it was a worrying development.

Worst Harry read on Gunthor had discovered it was not the first time either, raids had been happening at a rate of once every few months going back well over a decade even on territories that Harry now owned. That the Iron born were raiding so soon after their failed rebellion was no great surprise Harry thought with derision, those fuck wits actually thought themselves superior despite the fact they had none of the infrastructure necessary for any true society to function. Apart from some fishing they did not produce any food of their own, instead they stole it and anything else they needed from others, excusing themselves by claiming it was their god's will 'paying the iron price' but if anyone did the same to them it was crime.

Never had Westeros known such a large group of hypocrites apart from the Faith of the Seven perhaps Harry thought but what was really worrying him was the Shield Isles were supposed to stop this kind of thing from happening by sending warnings or intercepting the attacks before they passed the four islands. That was the reason Garth Gardener VII had invested so much in reinforcing the islands so the Iron born could no longer threaten the Reach coast, only it seems they were no longer doing their job, leaving the coast of the Reach exposed.

Harry sighed wearily, could he not have one night without some kind of problem.

-x-

"The Shield Islands? Why in the hell would you want to go there?" Rhaenys asked as she prepared for bed. Looking over from the other side of room Harry stripped off his clothes and put them in the hamper for washing, Rhaenys climbed into bed wearing only her thin shift and he got in next to her as he explained.

"If the Shield Islands is not doing their job then our holdings in the Reach are threatened, reavers and rapists of the worst kind having a merry time all along the coast? That cannot be allowed to stand, all I intend to do is go to the islands and investigate…that is all. Lord Hewitt was one of the first lords to write and request a sword from us so that is a good pretext for going." Harry said as he pulled the covers over them, Rhaenys looking at him incredulously.

"Just investigate? You?" She said not believing a word of it, even if that was what he intended he could not help himself. If something was wrong he had to fix it she thought, loving the man she had married but was honestly exasperated with him at times and as she blew out the candle he could only say in an irritated voice.

"I resent that. I can be careful and not get involved."

Rhaenys just laughed.

Kings Landing, the same night…

Night was an even more dangerous time in Kings Landing than the day, the shadows and dark alleys held any number of hidden dangers and it was not unknown for people to walk down them and never be seen again. Such was the way of the city, having become a far more dangerous place within living memory.

Ser Janos Slynt, the Commander of the Gold Cloaks was busy with a visit to one of his mistresses, a skilled Summer Islander with a talented tongue. His pouch was weighed down with all the coin he had collected in 'protection' money, taken from the shops around the city. Not that it would do anything of course he thought with humour, if they did not pay though it would mean he had their shops and homes burned down. He sneered on his way back to his comfortable set of rooms at the main barracks of the City Watch, confident that the good times for him at least were going to carry on for a long while, especially with the considerable gold he received from Littlefinger for ensuring his operations remained unobserved and that anyone who stuck their noses into his business 'disappeared'.

He was ever so slightly drunk as well, so much so that he did not notice the rough looking thug as he emerged from the dark and shadowy alleyway and grabbed him, Janos had barely a second to realise what was happening before a dagger was drawn along his throat from ear to ear. He immediately began to choke as blood oozed from the wound, he clawed desperately at his attacker who just held him firmly in position until Janos had lost so much blood he could no longer stand and the thug let him fall to the ground, the rough thug smiled and took the pouch of gold from Janos' belt and walked back into the alley vanishing like he had never been there, leaving Janos to bleed to death in the streets.

-x-

The fate that found Allar Deem was no better, he and his men were enjoying themselves with the whores at one of Baelish's brothels. No one inside noticed as a group of men quietly blocked the doors and lower windows, making escape impossible before splashing the windows and the edges of the building with oil, setting it ablaze before quickly making themselves scarce. The fire quickly took hold and engulfed the building, screams from those inside echoing across the night.

Across the city the most corrupt and leading Gold Cloaks were eliminated in what the people of the city would soon call 'The Breaking of the Dirty Gold', the entire upper leadership and the most corrupt lower members were eliminated in a series of ambushes, traps, poisonings and accidents. Most of the bodies would be stripped of everything and left naked in the streets before being found by the homeless or poor of Kings Landing, some even disappeared without trace and stew with meat was being served again in the poorest areas of the city.

Zara smiled as she heard the reports coming in from the spies she had managed to recruit so far, the city had been so corrupt and the Gold Cloaks so hated that is had taken her only a week to put together enough thugs for her plan, none of whom could reveal her as the mastermind behind the assassinations that had taken place tonight, it had taken weeks to identify all the targets and learn their routines but Zara thought with a sip of her wine, it had been well worth the effort.

There were still quite a few bad apples in the barrel but none in a position to take leadership, she was aware of the instability this could cause and the possibility someone more dangerous than Slynt could take over but they had a candidate in the Stormlands who Robert would wholeheartedly agree with to take over command of the Gold Cloaks and clean up the rotten city watch, one Harry would recommend in a letter they would send a couple of days from now.

To act so aggressively, even in shadows was a dangerous action she thought with some trepidation but perhaps if they got their candidate in position, then at last there might be some improvement in the city and it might just become less of a corrupt nightmare. But she still had work to do until then, guarding herself against Baelish and the like, operate the gambling dens while buying up new property not to mention find a sight outside the city for the orphanage Harry wanted to open although why she did not know.