The penitence of the wolf - Knowledge for Knowledge (Patreon)

Rhaegar Targaryen, the Red Keep

"They are beautiful," said Elia, looking with wonder and something more at the valuable objects that her husband had recovered from the ruins of Summerhall

Rhaegar nodded with obvious pride

"The castle was destroyed, Arthur and I almost died a couple of times from shattered beams, but they were there, in the basement, where Prince Aemon said they would be, however, we were not able to find anything else, I will talk to my father, I wish to use Sun Strider and tear down the whole place" said the prince with a sigh, obviously annoying 

Elia walked over to her husband and began massaging his shoulders gently, a supportive gesture the prince seemed to appreciate

"Three dragon eggs," whispered the princess, looking reverently at the innocent chest, the three objects in question were cradled in a colored silk

"One for each head," Rhaegar whispered to himself, causing Elia to look at him

"Do you think our princess will be able to make one of these hatch?" Elia asked cautiously, looking at Rhaegar directly 

Rhaegar just stroked his pregnant wife's face gently and said

"I don't think so, I know it my love, our prince will be a Dragon Lord, my father will take care of that, he will fly with us, dance in the sky with Rhaegal and Sun Strider!" Rhaegar promised, quite sure of himself and the magnificent future he was imagining

Elia smiled, pleased with the confidence in her husband's voice, the king was a good and wise man, he treated Elia like a daughter to her obvious relief and pleasure, he always asked about her well-being, he makes sure that her favorite dishes were always available in the castle, small things that show his care about her

Still, a mother's worries didn't end

“Did you review Oberyn's information?” Elia asked with a rather serious tone, the last thing she would allow was a danger to her princess

Rhaegar nodded, his face as cold as Elia's, and he said

"Yes, your Brother was right, they are careful, extremely, but not enough, Septas and Septons meet in secret, they disguise it, in the dark of the night, but it happens, what is really curious is that there are no rumors in the city" confessed Rhaegar with a frown, as he took a seat, and began to massage Elia's feet,  for the evident pleasure and relief of her

And at that moment, a feminine voice interrupted

“The Faith is losing devotees, that is the problem”

Rhaegar and Elia looked in surprise at Cersei, who was entering the room as usual, like she owned the place and they were lucky to be in her presence

Such an action would once have upset Rhaegar and Elia, but since entering in her good father’s service and bed, Cersei had become terrifyingly competent, cunning and ruthless, a proud lioness and an even prouder Dragon consort

And totally loyal to the monarch

"What do you mean, Cersei?" Elia asked with obvious curiosity

The Lioness, who was carrying a glass of wine in her hand, replied

“That's what I'm saying, the city is changing, between the queen's orphanage, the trade school and opportunities in the royal navy and army, prosperity and wealth abound in the city, as well as education, in the last census we noticed that more than half of the smallfolks now know how to read and write,  in short, they are less stupid to believe the manipulations of the Faith, who lose believers at a worrying rate," confessed the young lioness, while handing a scroll to the prince

“A message from the queen, the imbecile Sunderland who attacked our ships was castrated and sent to the Wall, the rumors do not stop spreading, there is even talk that the Queen cooked the balls and forced the imbecile to eat them before his exile, but there is no way to prove it, Rhaella Targaryen's name is now as feared and respected as your father's”

Rhaegar nodded calmly and read the scroll in question, they were the details for the fortification of the Three Sisters, the construction of the new port and the new responsibilities of Lord Sunderland, as well as the penalty he would have to pay, his mother also reported that she would return to Dragonstone on a moon and that she expects to see him in the castle,  apparently, they had important matters to deal with

It wasn't a question, but an order from his queen, Rhaegar thought proudly

However, he forgot about his mother quickly, at least for the moment, there it was much more important things to deal with in the capital

The prince looked at Cersei, who was drinking from her cup with elegance, the young Lannister was intelligent and ruthless, like her father, perhaps she had some idea of how to deal with the Faith

“Lady Cersei, how would you deal with the problem of Faith?” Rhaegar asked, to Elia's approval and the young lioness's surprise

Cersei, who was still moving her cup elegantly, replied

"It is a complicated situation, which must be handled carefully, my prince," confessed the beautiful young woman, to the approval of both Elia and Rhaegar

The Cersei of old would have said something stupid, such as sending the soldiers to finish off all the Septons and Septas, however, since taking on the duties of his father's service, that arrogance and superiority disappeared, while ambition and intelligence were nurtured under her father's firm but loving hand

"Elaborate," Rhaegar ordered curiously, really wanting to have Cersei's opinion, who, to be honest, knew the city's movements much better than he did

"Simple, you must get rid of them, but you must make it look like it is the city that does it" Cersei said calmly and coldly, but with all the sense in the world

Without giving the prince time to respond, Cersei continued

"The Faith sees the commoners as sheep, the more stupid the better, the plans of house Targaryen have threatened their source of gold, you must continue with your labors in the city and at the same time, make the Faith lose all its credibility" said the young lioness, making a dramatic pause and drinking some wine

Elia laughed under her breath and Rhaegar snorted, that was a gesture from his father, a power tactic that kept full attention on the person speaking

A technique that Cersei had learned well, it seemed, the young prince thought with amusement

“Learn from your handsome and manly father and use his own weapons against them, make the people go against the Faith, we all know the kind of crap that some Septons do, as well as what the gold collected really goes for, show the people that, something that the High Septon cannot hide and the same people will burn your enemy for you, my prince” Cersei said calmly

Elia nodded, impressed and agreeing with Cersei's words, while Rhaegar was lost in thought

Upon noticing it, the lion ladies continue

“You can even forge a crime, take some criminal imbecile and dress him up as a Septon, you prosecute him for rape or robbery and execute him in the city, an accurate message, that no one is above the law of the Crown, and when the Faith reacts, you will criticize why they are defending a criminal, there are a thousand ways to tear an enemy apart without him noticing,  you have the advantage my prince, use it” Cersei said with determination

"Sometimes I'm afraid of you Cersei," the prince confessed with amusement on his face, but with a trace of respect in his voice

The lioness nodded softly, pleased with herself

"Anything else you need, my prince? I have a meeting with some merchants from Pentos, apparently, there was a recent significant change in the city government and there are some business opportunities that could be beneficial for us" said the lioness

Rhaegar just shook his head and dismissed Cersei, being left alone with his wife, who quickly sat on his lap

"Cersei's idea has merit," Elia confessed

Rhaegar nodded gently and replied

“Yes, that one of your guards calls your brother, perhaps he has some contact in the underworld to begin planning the fall of the Faith, we will not wait for our enemy to land the first blow to attack, in the meantime, I will use you know what, to try to infiltrate Baelor's Sept and know what those vermin are up to”

Elia nodded gently, they had a lot to do

In the end, all the enemies of the crown would fall, sooner or later 

Aerys Targaryen, Greywater Watch

"It's a beautiful specimen," Aerys confessed sincerely when he saw Lord Reed's lion lizard

The elderly man nodded calmly and said

"He is, he's been with me since his mother disowned him for being too young, he's much bigger than his siblings now," Marek said with obvious pride

"However, I suppose you didn't wish to talk to me to show me such a beautiful being," Aerys said slyly, causing Lord Reed to look at him approvingly

"As sharp as that wonderful sword at your waist your grace, and you're right, there's a lot to talk about, about weasels and about the parasite you eliminated beyond the Wall," Lord Reed said matter-of-factly

Alarms began to sound in the king's head, although on the outside he remained totally impassive

"I don't know what you're talking about, my Lord," Aerys said, with a certain steel in his voice

Lord Reed, noticing this, raised his hands in a gesture of peace

"It's not a complaint my Lord, but we're in tune with the Net, we feel everything, the advance of your troops, the absorption of fertile women with northern blood and the final attack on the parasite's lair, every cut, every stab, was relief for us, without the putrid being and with the dragons back, a new era is coming, the return of the age of Heroes," Marek whispered devoutly

Faced with the emotion shown, the monarch hesitated, and simply asked

"Get to the point My Lord, I don't like to waste time," Aerys ordered

And Lord Reed obeyed

"I wish the best for my people, just as I wish for the return of magic, I promise teaching and knowledge, ancient arts of the First Men of old, arcane arts of the forests, such as singing and for the trees to hear, in exchange for safety, prosperity and respect for my people, I wish for the extermination of the Freys," said Lord Reed with total seriousness,  Looking directly at the monarch 

Aerys, for his part, looked at the Lord impassively, that offer was... Too good to be true

"I understand that the Frey are not particularly skilled in the arts of war, I did not think that they presented a challenge to your skilled warriors," said the king neutrally 

Malek just snorted and responded

"In general, they are not, of course, there are exceptions, few weasels who emerge from mediocrity and become skilled warriors, however, the danger of the Freys lies in two things, in their numbers and in their total and complete contempt for our land," snapped Lord Reed, looking really furious

Something in the Lord's tone and expression set off alarms in the monarch's mind

"Your Lands, my Lord? what do you mean?” Aerys asked

Lord Reed gained a serious look, as he looked out the swamp through the office window

"Hunting parties are not usually successful, but those animals are not interested in hunting, they only want to hurt us, they set fire to the forest, no matter who or who is among the trees, I have lost good men and a lot of animals too, it is a rotten family your grace, all of Westeros would be better off without that dirty lineage" the Lord snapped

Inside, Aerys was pleased, after all, the extermination of the weasels was just matter of time, as well as gifting the castle to Genna

Winning the loyalty of the Reeds would be nice, but he wanted to observe this man's abilities

"You talk about ancient arts, magic and singing to the trees my lord, I ride a dragon and I know very well that magic exists, however, I have never seen or heard of magic similar to the one you mention, if you want a deal, I will need a demonstration" ordered the monarch

Lord Reed looked him approvingly on his face, but he didn't say a word, he just turned around and walked to a log in the middle of the room, brought his hands to his mouth, wrapping his lips around his lips and then

Malek Reed sang…

And the trees responded...

The voice was beautiful, evidently masculine, a low, slow tone of voice, which gave off power and calm

And then... the whole fortress responded, a guttural sound, ancient and powerful, the trees that made up the place creaked among themselves and answered the song of Lord Reed

Aerys felt the ground beneath his feet begin to shake and the entire fortress rise from its resting place in the waters of the Neck

"Shit," whispered the monarch who had never seen similar magic, not even in his past life

Greywater Watch...was walking...

The entire fortress moved through the swampy waters; the pace was slow but steady

"We move every two moons, we leave specific areas of the swamp for them to recover and feed again, moving the castle and our people to another place, it will not be the most luxurious place, but it is our home and we are proud of it," Lord Reed said with superiority, seeing the monarch's stupefied face

Aerys' mind was speeding, looking at and analyzing Lord Reed

“The extermination of the Freys and the total domination of all the swamps under House Reed, even those within the Frey Lands, in return, you will assign your son Howland as Lord of Greywater Watch and take your place as a professor in the imperial academy, in the God’s Eye, teaching these the valuable mystical arts to future generations, with the consent of the Crown, of course," Aerys offered

In his opinion it was a good deal, and seeing the smile of perverse satisfaction on the Lord's face, the monarch had his answer

"Let's fine-tune the details then, I'm sure His grace is eager to visit the Twins," Lord Reed said, taking a seat and taking several scrolls from his desk

All this, while the castle was still moving

Aerys shook his head, but took a seat, before continuing to speak

"Your men's bows, I've seen them, they've shot hundreds of yards and hit the eye of a fucking toad, they're enchanted, aren't they?" asked the monarch rhetorically

Lord Reed looked at him in surprise, before nodding softly

"Yes, Runes of the First Men," said the Lord

Aerys nodded, before saying determinedly

"You will teach me," exclaimed the monarch politely, but making it clear that it was not a question

Lord Reed looked at him silently and asked

“What do you offer in return?” At this time they were not king and vassal, but two sorcerers negotiating

"Knowledge for knowledge," said the king, as he muttered a word in Valyrian, shining a soft flame on his hand, which kissed his skin without burning him

Lord Reed looked at him with interest, totally focused

"Apparently, we have a lot to talk about, your grace," said the Lord

Aerys nodded, after all, Lord Reed was right

He had found something that he had not achieved in his past life, something a thousand times more precious than gold, soldiers or ships

He had found an arcane instructor and wouldn't let him go

The stay in Greywater was just beginning