Chapter 5

I'm going to stick with the names used in the show rather than the books. I'm sorry if this upsets you but as far as I'm aware it will be a small change overall. In this instance I just prefer the name Yara over Asha. This time I'm also going to introduce several of the POV's I plan on maintaining throughout the story. Lets see how I do. Again apologies for the many mistakes I believe I will make when writing from a woman's POV.

Still looking for BETA I repeat a BETA is needed. Especially if female.

Chapter 5

In the office of the Master of Coin a small man with slightly greying hair and a pointed grey beard sat pouring over document after document. Most people would think the man, who had been given the high office of Master of Coin on the Small Council, would be hard at work attempting to fix the issues related to the Kingdom's massive debt. They would be wrong. This man was Petyr Baelish the head of his house and a schemer of the first degree. Currently he was trying to find a way to get the resources he needed into the city around Prince Hadrian's latest security reforms. Many of his clients at his various establishments had very specific desires. In order to supply these men with these desires Baelish had to be very careful to not let the 'acquisitions' be seen by the guards.

This had become much more difficult due to Hadrian plugging many of the holes in the Gold Cloaks patrol and search procedures. As he cursed the Prince's name and the day of his birth, Baelish decided to just cut his losses and take greater care of the resources he already had within the city. Thinking ahead he also made several decisions on better security around these resources to keep the Guards regular searches from finding them. Finishing up with his current load of paperwork he leaned back with a sigh and tried to figure out where the future would go. He had been able to slip many things past Jon Arryn, because the man was too honorable to think of the many loopholes Baelish had put into the laws and knew how to exploit. Especially since that fool Renly hardly ever did his job and was quite easy to influence.

The King's quick and willing abdication of the throne to his eldest son was not something he had been planning on. He had intended for Robert to remain King for a year or more. Where Baelish would then have time to remove Hadrian as an obstacle and let his younger brother Joffery become the King. Joffrey showed all the signs of being yet another Mad King which is exactly the type of King Baelish had wanted to be put on the throne. He wanted chaos and war for it was during these times that a clever man could gain power, and Baeilish considered himself a very clever man.

Oh well new plans had to be made. The Vale was an area of strength for himself. Lysa Arryn was firmly his supporter. The foolish woman thought that he loved her and for this had even killed her own husband. There were multiple reasons Baelish had wanted this done. The most important was to hopefully influence who the new Hand of the King would be. He had hoped to sway Robert to pick his friend Ned Stark. The man was much too honorable to survive in King's Landing and would provide ample opportunity for Baelish to cause even more chaos. He had also wanted Catelyn Stark here in the capitol where Baeloish would have access to her once again and hopefully put her under his power. This of course would no longer happen with Hadrian's inevitable coronation. Belish was sure the boy would choose a much more competent Hand. He was truly worried that it would be Tywin Lannister. Though he was nominally the Lannisters bought man he knew none of them trusted him and he was sure Hadrian hated him. Tywin Lannistera as hand would be a great barrier against his own efforts. The man had been in the capitol ever since Hadrian had returned and showed no signs of leaving. There was also the fact that if he was in Hadrian's place Tywin was also the man he himself would choose for the position. Tywin was known to put his house and his family above all others. Being his grandson Hadrian could be relatively assured that the man would be his loyal man.

Baelish and no desire to battle with Tywin politically or otherwise and if his suspicion proved true Baelish may need to retreat from Kings Landing. But if he did so then his ability to manipulate things would be greatly hindered. This might have to be a necessary loss. Petyr looked over at a map of Westeros that was hanging on the wall and imagined the political and theoretical battle lines of the future. The Vale was very easy to defend and if he retreated there his only opponent would be Lord Royce. The man was a powerful Lord and had been holding the Vale together ever since Jon Arryn had left to be Robert's Hand. However he would be a much easier opponent than Tywin Lannister.

'Yes. I think that I should start making moves to retreat to my dear darling Lysa. I'm sure she will welcome her lover with open arms after all. Once I'm there I'll be able to avoid Hadrian and Tywin's forces. I can then turn various Lords of the Vale to my purpose.' Baelish continued to stare at the map organizing his future plans. 'I think I shall slip away right before the coronation. That should give me plenty of time to disappear, and I'll be able to start turning Lords to my side while Lord Royce is in the capitol'

TSKL

Down by the south eastern tip of Dorn several ships built in the style of the Iron Islands swiftly cut across the sea headed towards the Crownlands. Several banners could be seen from shore, the most prominent being the banner of House Greyjoy itself, but the banners of Lord Blacktyde and Lord Harlaw were also present. In the front of the leading ship you could just make out the figure of a person standing atop the prow against the backdrop of a cloudless sky and bright blue sea. She was tall for a girl with a lean frame and short black hair and eyes. She had a thin face with a sharp nose and somewhat thin lips. Her skin was tanned and chafed by the wind from her years at sea. She wore a chainmail hauberk and hardened leather pants tucked into salt stained leather boots. She had a plain longsword on her left hip and a long dagger tucked into her belt. This woman was Yara Greyjoy captain of the Black Wind and Balon Greyjoy's chosen heir.

Yara scowled and threw her finished apple core out into the sea and watched as a gull swooped down and grabbed it just at the surface. Watching several other gulls crowd around and fight with each other over the morsel she allowed her thoughts to drift hoping to alleviate her frustration. Her father had sent her on the mission to go to King Landing and make the appropriate noises and words with the new King. This was to, in Balon's mind, make all the land bound Lords trust in their loyalty. However Yara knew they would see it for the farce that it was. She had only heard about the kind of man Prince Hadrian was supposed to be, but even these rumors told her that he was very much a Lannister. If this was true then the man would no doubt see through her father's shitty ploy and immediately take action to prevent yet another Greyjoy rebellion. As if they haven't lost enough in the last one.

She personally had no desire to rebel against the crown. Oh she understood her father's hatred, but felt none of it herself. She firmly blamed her father for the loss of her older brothers in the last war. Of course she would never voice this opinion aloud and she was proud to be a Greyjoy and firmly believed in paying the Iron Price. She did however believe there was more to be gained by working with the new King than against him. This was her true mission. It was part of why she brought lords who she knew sympathised with her own beliefs; instead of the men her father had suggested. Lords Harlaw and Blacktyde both believed that there was more to be gained in peace than war. Especially since she had read them the raven letter she had received, from the Prince himself no less. This letter had basically said that he needed loyal Lords of the Iron Islands to work with him on an endeavor that would gain them much. This would usually put most lord's off immediately, thinking it would not take into account their own beliefs. The Prince however had explicitly mentioned allowing the captains to gain from this through the Iron Price. This had been enough to gain her interest and the interest of the Lords who sailed alongside her. There was also the minor detail that the Prince had hinted at supporting her rise to the salt throne over her father or her brother Theon.

Seeing as the Prince was known to be an honest man, Yara planned to meet with the man and have it out to try and determine his true intentions towards the Ironborn. She was sceptical though as she always was. She had not been a successful pirate for the last four years by being a complete fool and she knew that the capitol was a nest of rats. She would meet their new King and judge the man herself. That meeting alone would determine their interactions going forth. If what he said and promised pleased her and allowed for her traditions to be satisfied she could quite easily work for the man against her father, and was even quite eager to do so.

'Three more days Prince Hadrain. Then we will have our talk. We will soon see what kind of King you will be' Yara thought with the almost permanent glare on her face.

TSKL

Oberyn Martell lay back in a hammock he had set up on the deck of his ship as it sailed to Kings Landing. To the outside world he was sleeping without a care in the world. The hammock swaying with the tilt of the ship and the wind tossing his dark hair all over. In reality Oberyn was thinking furiously about what his goals were and in the last words his brother spoke to him before he left Sunspear.

His brother, Doran Martell, was once again crippled by his gout and unable to handle the travel required to make it to the capitol. So he had asked Oberyn to go with his daughter Arienne instead. Arienne was thrilled to travel outside of Dorne and had constantly asked questions about the lands they passed. Enough to drive Oberyn to actively avoiding her. The purpose of the trip was for Arienne to pledge the loyalty of House Martell to the soon to be King Hadrian Baratheon.

Now there was a name that caused only confusion in Oberyn's heart and mind. In his heart he and the man himself were even. This was principally due to the man delivering Ser Gregor Clegane like a roast pig to the Martell family. In fact, if Oberyn's focused he could still hear the man's screams. For a week he and the other Martells had employed every method imaginable to torture the man for the brutal murder of his dear sister Elia. It was sweet delicious revenge. The man was even now still alive, but only just. In fact just before Oberyn had left for this little mission he had just finished flaying all the skin from the man's back, and then cauterizing the entire wound by throwing him onto a heated metal plate. The man would be fused to the metal for what remained of his days. Oberyn thought those might already be over as his brother was growing bored of playing with the man.

In his mind was where things became clouded. Oh he didn't care much one way or the other for Hadrian and his siblings, but there was still one man who Oberyn had a fierce hatred for. That was still very much alive. Tywin Lannister was the Lord in charge of Ser Gregor Clegane and Oberyn held him partially responsible for the man's actions. This however is where the issue occured. If Oberyn was to take any action against Tywin Lannister it was effectively an attack against Hadrian's family. When Oberyn put himself in Hadrian's position he knew there would be no choice but to attack back in turn further destroying any chance of peace between their two houses. On top of this Doran and Arianne themselves didn't care one way or another about Tywin, and he knew they both now believed the issue to be resolved.

Before Oberyn could sink further into his thoughts he was interrupted by a very familiar weight laying down next to him in his resting place. Opening a single eye he smiled down into the beautiful face of his partner in life Ellaria. He looked into her dark eyes always so bright with the inner fire that first drew him to her. When she spoke her voice was soft and seductive.

"What are you thinking about so deeply that you did not notice my approach?"

Oberyn sighed before wrapping the woman in his arms and pulling her close to him. Enjoying the feel of her body pressed up against his. "I was thinking about my issues with the members of house Lannister." He heard her sigh in annoyance and held back his laugh. She was very tired of this subject. She too believed that all issues between the Lannisters and the Martells should now be settled so that their children could hopefully be raised in a time of peace.

"My love I know your heart still aches for Elia, but the future of house Lannister had done much to alleviate the grudge we had against them. Beyond bringing the dead back from the grave there is little else he could do." She spoke again quickly before Oberyn could interrupt her, "I understand you also hold Tywin Lannister partially responsible for the actions of that beast. But my dear you can quite easily hate the man and yet continue to live and allow for yourself to move on." Oberyn just groaned in frustration. It was the same argument around and around and he knew in his mind that it was correct. But his heart still ached for his dear sweet sister.

"Dearest heart if you take action against Tywin Lannister you would have to make sure to take out all his family as well because if you do not they will rally every loyal house they have against you. You would also be an oathbreaker due to the fact that Hadrian delivered the actual perpetrator right to our doorstep. If you did this I feel even your brother would not support you. You would become a worse man no better than the man who killed your sister." She said, finishing softly with a worried tone in her voice.

That last comment above all others sent a shock straight through Oberyn's body. His first reaction was to be angry and strike out against his own lover before he stopped himself and realized that his hatred and anger was beginning to consume him. He took a moment to search himself for where his anger came from and realized that it came from the fact he had never grieved over his sister. Ever since her death he had longed for revenge and justice, but never had he allowed himself to grieve. They had been born very close in age and grew up as best friends. Her death had destroyed one of the pillars of his world.

He looked down into the dark eyes of the woman he loved and saw understanding. 'What have I ever done to deserve a woman such as this.' He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her brow and held her close looking north and west, the direction of Kings Landing. 'When we arrive I will find her grave and I will say my goodbyes. I will grieve for my sister and her children. Then I shall see in what direction my desires lay.'

TSKL

Hadrian looked down on the fifty men and women standing before him. He was sure this would set tongues wagging all over Westeros, but before him was an entire group of Bastards. He didn't mean that as an insult it was quite literal. Every single person was a Storm, Sand, Flower, or any of the other common names given to lordly bastards throughout the kingdoms. Jon had done very well on the mission he had given him. He had found 47 of Baelish's establishments and with Varys' connections Hadrian only had to add two more to that list. He was very proud of his friend and told him so. Even though Jon turned down any reward Hadrian was having something made for the man anyway. Something he would probably need quite quickly if Hadrian had any ability to guess about the current political climate of Westeros. Looking out into the crowd he could quite easily pick out the bastards that had more than likely been sired by his father. Mostly because they stood a full head above any of the others, even the women. In fact from what he could see the only women present were bastard children of his father. Hadrian shrugged that observation off not really caring much about that observation. He would give them a chance to rise above their station and if they grasped it with both hands he would gladly reward loyal service.

He looked over to Sandor and the five trainers he had hired to work with these men and women to train them up into actual soldiers. Though this was just the start eventually scores of trainers would work for him training hundreds of soldiers a day. That was the future though for now this is what he had for the beginning of his Iron Guard. Turning Hadrian nodded to Jon who stood on the platform beside him in one of the larger training yards of the Red Keep. Over on the side Hadrian had already gotten a barracks built where his current recruits would sleep for now. On the ground in front of the platform lay several chest and large piles under cloth. At Hadrian's nod Jon spoke up to get the crowd's attention.

"Listen up all of you!" Jon shouted. For several minutes he repeated himself until finally everyone was paying attention.

Hadrian stood forward dressed in a black gambeson and hardened leather pants and boots. His sword at his side and his hair loose down to his shoulders. He looked down on the group before him carefully picking the words he wanted to use.

"I thank all of you for coming here today. Rather than waste your time and mine I'll get right to it. Jon here," Hadrian waved to his friend beside him, "found and gathered all of you together for a purpose. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I wanted to gather together a bunch of bastards when most Lords spit at the very mention of your names. Mostly it's because I don't give a shit who your parents are, or where they come from. What matters to me is that I believe all of you deserve the chance to make something of yourselves. Most of you are laborers, guards, and the lucky few craftsmen. My purpose for gathering you has already been explained, but I'll repeat it for you. I am putting together a military force and for this force I need soldiers. That in and of itself is not necessarily difficult to acquire. As Prince, and soon enough King, I can raise the levies and get men together but that kind of army is not the one I'm looking for. I'm looking for an army that can march against forces outnumbered four to one and pull off crushing victories. I'm looking for an army of professional soldiers similar to the forces of my Grandfather Tywin Lannister. I'm looking for an army that can go toe to toe with Unsullied or the Golden Company and crush them into the dirt." Here Hadrian paused making sure he had all of their attention before he continued.

"I've gathered you here because I need officers to lead that army. I need commanders who will follow orders in seconds during the heat of battle. I need commandeers who can see an opportunity and take it, in order to deliver victory. I gathered you to offer you the opportunity to train you to become these officers. I will pay you, cloth you, arm you, teach you, and feed you. I will offer you the potential for advancement. For reward for valiant service. I will give those lucky few who give me there all the potential of nobility and advancement in this world to a higher station, or any other reward you may desire that is within my power to give. Of course you will have to earn all of this. I will work you hard. I will demand the best. Most importantly I promise to you I will never tarnish your honor. I will never command you to sack villages or to slaughter women and children. You will be professional soldiers, and you will show the world what those words mean!" Hadrian took a moment to observe the people before him and those who had gathered at his impassioned words. He even saw other lords and ladies looking out their window or on their balconies listening and watching.

"If this is something that you feel up to. Please walk over to Sandor Clegane over on my right and make your mark." He watched as all those before him seemed to shake themselves before the vast majority walked over and formed several lines before the table in front of Sandor and the other trainers. However not all decided to take him up on his offer. Fifteen to twenty of them gave a small bow and walked out through the exit. Hadriann shrugged internally; he knew he would never get all of them. 30 was plenty for his future goals. At least for now. Walking off the platform Jon followed him to the piles and chests that lay before it. Hadrian went through with Jons help and unveiled the standard weapons and armor that would be the kit of his new army.

Every soldier would wear hardened leather pants and boots with black plate greaves and shin guards. On their chests they would wear a chainmail hauberk over a yellow gambeson. Over this chainmail each soldier would wear plate armor pauldrons and a chest plate. Reinforced leather gloves and vambraces would protect their arms with a black barbete similar to Hadrians own but much more plain. With this they would be armed with a fifteen foot long heavy spear and a standard steel arming sword., but for now they had wooden practice versions. Their last piece was probably the most important though. It was a slightly shorter tower shield standing at four feet tall. Easily large enough to cover a man in formation. It was the additions to the shield that made it so different. On the bottom were three long spikes. Each shield also had a two six inch diameter half circle on the right side which was for the soldiers to put their spears through when aligned in formation.

As his recruits walked back over Hadrian and Jon worked together to help them put on the armor and adjust each set to fit the individual. Eventually Sandor and the five other trainers walked over and helped them finish the process. Hadrian looked up and watched them walk around getting used to the weight and feel of the armor and the shield when attached to their bodies. "Alright gather up! This armor is yours. If it gets dented, scratched or broken it is your responsibility to see it fixed here at the castle blacksmith for now. In the future you will personally take it to the armorers associated with your unit. This kit is your responsibility. You will be taught to care for and clean it. And you will be taught how to use it to the best that we can train you. Now line up! Ranks of ten, three deep." The soldiers quickly got into organized rows and with only a little shuffling were set up into formation. He nodded to Jon to get them started as the tainers spread out alongside Sandor to start drilling them in their basic movements. This was important for them to understand the importance of their shields and the reasoning behind the alterations that had been made to it.

Hadrian saw Ser Barristan standing over to the side watching with interest and he walked over to the man. They both turned to watch as Jon started to call out orders.

"Guard! Interlock shields!" It took a moment, and in the future it would be much more fluid, but each rank of the soldiers organized their shield into the interlocking patterns and each created a black iron wall of heavy armor with two spers sticking out. The third rank's spears were held up. In the future the ranks after five would be archers or other support troops.

"Plant Shields!" Each rank slammed their shield into the ground burying the spikes to the base of the shield. Hadrian watched a single silver eyebrow go up on Ser Barristan's face. The legendary knight turned to look at him in question and Hadrian just waved him forward. The knight grabbed several nearby gold cloaks and ordered them to try and break through the shieldwall. The standard guards threw themselves repeatedly against the joints of the shieldwall, and even bunched together to focus their weight. No matter what they tried the wall of shields didn't even budge. Harian just grinned at the sight. Oh sure he had stolen the idea from several ancient armies from his life before, but that didn't mean he couldnt use it now. Shield walls weren't a new idea either. The Lannister forces fought in a very similar manner. However the key was in the length and durability of the spikes.

Together he and Tyrion had found a man in the employ of the Brave Companions who professed himself an intelligent man and a scientist of sorts. They had put him to the test to design the shield to function in this manner. He had done an excellent job. Hadrian had several other ideas from the armies of his old world that he was going to set the man to working on. The most important being better ships. Armies could travel much faster than across land. The ability to bring armies about at greater speeds would always be valuable, and Hadrian planned on having the best tools to do so.

When Jon, Sandor, and the other trainers broke up the soldiers into smaller groups to work on their individual skills with the sword and spear. Ser Barristan walked back over to Hadrian and watched them for a while before he spoke.

"My Prince, I will admit to being impressed. Their armor and equipment is not rare and should be easy to supply in adequate numbers. Their individual skills and their abilities as a unit will improve in time. However, with the simplicity of the tactics it seems you plan to employ; it should not take much longer than three months to have soldiers trained up to an acceptable level. If as you said you plan to have these men and women be the officers of your force how many soldiers will each officer lead?" Ser Barristan asked, trying to get an idea of the Iron Guards future.

Hadrian turned and asked, "you mean eventually yes, not currently?" At Barristans nod he continued. "Each unit of 20 will be led by a sergeant, each group of 100 led by a captain, and each group of 1000 led by a commander. Five, 1000 man companies will form an army with a single general or Lord in overall command. For the Crownlands I plan to have 10,00 men total."

"The supporting forces?"

"There will be 1000 ranged units and 1000 heavy cavalry with each army. Depending on their purpose those cavalry can be switched out with siege elements when their target is a castle or city," Hadrian said. "The lords who owe me allegiance in the Crownlands will add to the heavy cavalry and light infantry with ranged support to form smaller faster moving forces."

"So 3000 heavy infantry and 2000ranged and heavy cavalry. I would assume that your siege elements will be similarly organized?" Ser Barristan asked, giving Hadrian his full attention now. "When do you plan to have this completed?"

Hadrian thought over Ser Barristan's question for a moment bringing up his and Tyrions finances and their estimates on recruitment added Ser Barristan's estimate on training time. "In a year's time I plan to have one full army with siege support. Since I will be King by that point I would estimate that I can arm, garrison, and train two army's a year. However if I can fix the Kingdom's debt I can very quickly improve on that number. With the massive amount of people in the city who would jump at the chance for a constant wage. I don't think I will have any issues with finding volunteers."

Ser Barristan did not respond for a moment; he just watched the training soldiers in the yard before he spoke up again with a weary sigh. "So I'm not the only one who sees war in our future. I had hoped after the Greyjoy rebellion I would not have to see another war in Westeros."

"I understand Ser, but there are too many enemies on the horizon for me not to prepare as soon as I am able. I do not hope for war, but I will be prepared to fight it." Hadrian said this with a grim set to his eyes staring out over the city.

The two men stood lost in thought as they tried to imagine how the future would play out before Hadrian snapped himself out of his morose thoughts. With a sigh he clapped the older knight on his shoulder before saying, "come on my friend we have a small council meeting to get to." Ser Barristan nodded and followed his Prince out of the yard and up into the tower of the Hand.

TSKL

Margaery had been watching Hadrian as he drafted, armored, and showed off his Iron Guard idea to the rest of the court. From her position high above the yard she could see that Ser Barristan was impressed. She looked out across the hold, and could see her grandmother watching from their apartments as well. She wasn't exactly surprised that her grandmother seemed a little worried. The Reach could boast one of the largest armies in Westeros at 90,000 soldiers with about 30,000 of those soldiers being heavily armored knights. This huge amount of knights theoretically allowed them to crush the combined forces of any two kingdoms added together. However, she could easily see, with the knowledge her grandmother had pounded into her head, that this formation and tactic would completely halt the charge of any cavalry force. If she was any judge of military tactics she also believed it would be quite effective against standard infantry forces as well. So her grandmother was understandably worried about this new formation becoming the standard and invalidating much of their military strength. Margaery, though understanding her grandmother's position, did not share this view. The way she saw it, Hadrian was telling all of Westeros that he would be a strong able King and was willing to hold the Kingdoms together. Weather through alliances or military might.

"A rather impressive concept is it not?"

Margaery almost jumped over the balcony in shock as she spun around and saw Lord Varys and Lord Tyrion standing behind her both looking down into the courtyard with their own critical gaze.

"Indeed and hopefully it will be effective even when outnumbered. For that is what we designed the army to do. It was created to fight forces that would be much larger and grind them into the dirt." Lord Tyrion said turning away from the balcony and refilling his wine glass before taking a seat at the small council table.

As Margaery tried to get her heart back down from in her throat she spoke up slightly out of breath. "My Lords, I beg your apologies. I had no idea you had arrived."

"Yes you made that rather apparent, Lady Margaery." Lord Varys said with a small smirk in her direction as he joined Tyrion at the table.

Before Margaery could do more than glare in the man's direction Grand Maester Pycelle shuffled into the room. He threw a quick glance to Tyrion, but seemed quite surprised at her presence. "Oh dear. Lady Margaery what are you doing here?"

"That will be answered shortly Grand Maester please take your seat as it is almost time to start." Came the grim voice of Lord Stannis Baratheon as he strode into the room. Margaery had not been around the man very much, but everything she had heard seemed to be true from her quick observation. He was tall as all Baratheon men seemed to be. He was bald but had a close cropped salt and pepper beard on his face. His face was closed off and grim. However that seemed to change minutely as Hadrian walked into a room led by Ser Barristan. It seemed the man actually had a good amount of true affection for his eldest nephew.

"Ahh Hadrian, I'm glad you're early. A rather interesting display in the courtyard below don't you think?" The man asked his voice a deep baritone that seemed to convey only the slightest amount of amusement. Apparently Hadrian had caught it, he just grinned unashamedly as he walked around the table in her direction.

"I would call it sending a message Uncle." His voice was light and cheery , but the dark undertone to his words was impossible to miss. However as emerald green eyes met hers she couldn't help but smile as she saw the open affection the man had for her. Lord Stannis just grunted in reply as Ser Barristan took up a guard position by the door.

Hadrian walked up to her and with a gentle caress grabbed her hand into his own and brought it softly to his lips. "My Lady, thank you for coming."

Margaery just smiled back as he tucked her arm into his and led her towards a seat next to his Uncle Tyrion. "Of course my Lord." She allowed herself to be led to the seat and thanked Hadrian with a sincere smile before looking at the other Lord's reaction to her presence. Tyrion, Varys, Stannis, and Ser Barristan seemed completely fine with it and showed no outward reaction other than Ser Barristan giving her a polite nod. Pycelle however seemed scandalized but before he could speak she caught Hadrian sending the man a glare and he settled down. Hadrian sat in the chair at the head of the table reserved for the King and directly to her right. The position of Hand was of course empty for now until after Hadrian's coronation when she assumed Tywin Lannister would resume the position.

They all got comfortable and waited for a while with Stannis becoming obviously more annoyed as time progressed until finally twenty minutes late Renly Baratheon waltzed into the room before he was halted by the irritated glare of his nephew and older brother.

"My apologies. I was held up by other business." The man said eyes downcast unable to meet his family's eyes. Finally Hadrian nodded his assent and waved the man to his seat before he looked at the others sitting at the table.

"Has anyone seen Lord Baelish or are we to be held up for a full hour without his presence?" Hadrian's dislike of the man couldn't be more plain if he tried and only Renly looked distinctly uncomfortable as his words.

"I'll ask the guard to fetch him immediately, my Prince, but in the meantime I believe we should get started." Ser Barristan said in a calm voice before putting actions to words.

"Very well," Hadrian said with an irritated sigh.

"So first things first. Margaery is here at my invitation and she will more than likely be joining all council meetings in the future. She has quite graciously taken control of many of my domestic projects and she has so far done an excellent job with them. Because of this she will join us here to inform us of any issues or information she believes we should be aware of." Hadrian said, meeting the gaze of the other Lord in the room.

Margaery couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride at his words. It was one thing to congratulate her in private as he had done many times. It was another thing entirely to proclaim his faith and support for her efforts in front of the ruling council of Westeros. However she did not let this distract her from her observations of the other men in the room. Of all of them only Pycelle and Renly looked surprised. The other men were obviously expecting this. Both seemed ready to protest until they were silenced once again by Hadrains glare.

"Now as to issues with the Kingdom, First I believe you all received my letters informing you of the impending arrival of Yara Greyjoy. The reason I asked her here is for her to meet with Stannis and I. The purpose of our meeting is to gain her allegiance to the crown. Especially since Varys has caught signs of Balon Greyjoy wanting to be his own king once again." Margaery watched as Tyrion rolled his eyes and Pycelle pretended to be disturbed by the fact. Again only Renly looked surprised and Margaery was starting to think that Garlan would be a far greater Master of Laws.

"Our plan is to offer to her and any Lords she can bring with her dominion over the Stepstones. There are several reasons for this. First the Ironborn live by their iron price. Since they will have to take these lands from the pirates and smugglers that currently inhabit them their traditions will be respected. This will also triple the amount of arable land the Iron Island can lay claim to. I feel this will help settle many of their citizens and hopefully make them less restless. However I will ask them to stop their raiding. I intend to tell them that all raiding in the future will cease or the Ironborn will be put to the sword." Hadrian continued before anyone could interrupt them by saying. "There is also the fact that this will remove a massive bandit element from our eastern shore. This will improve the safety of the citizens in the Reach, Dorne, and the Stormlands greatly." Hadrian took a moment to stress those last words and Margaery found herself evaluating the idea and coming up rather ambivalent about it. It would benefit Westeros overall, and it was at least an attempt at peace with the Ironborn. It was worth a try she supposed although she did not hold out much hope.

"I feel we cannot undervalue the benefit we can gain by having several Lords of the Iron Islands, and its prospective heir, owing their prosperity to the crown more than to Balon Greyjoy." Lord Tyrion said speaking up looking thoughtfully into his goblet.

"I doubt those bastards will ever give up their raiding, but it's an attempt that we might as well try. I'll go along with it I suppose." Stannis said grimacing at the idea of the entire ordeal.

Margaery watched to see if any of the other Lords would speak up, but none did and Hadrian continued. "Very well then this is what I will present to Yara Greyjoy. Anyone have anything else?"

"Your grace I have information on a matter from the Reach." The quiet tones of Varys' voice spoke up and Margaery paid very close attention since it had to do with her homeland. Receiving the Prince's go ahead Varys explained the situation. "Lord Randyl Tarly has recently sent an offer of betrothal to Lord Tyrell to wed his daughter Talla Tarly to Ser Loras. This is not unexpected, and given the recent marriages between the Hightowers, Redwynes, and the Tyrells would be a good match. Pairing his youngest son with the daughter of his greatest general would ensure their loyalty. However Lord Tyrell found the idea laughable and made a great insult upon house Tarly calling his daughter a 'worthless harlot' among other things."

At this point Margaery wanted to start bashing her head into the table at how much of an idiot her father was turning out to be. He had already insulted Lord Tarly during the rebellion when he took credit for Lord Tarly's victory. This insult was just the latest in a long list and Margaery was truly worried that the lords of the Reach would not stand for this much longer. Before she could get lost in despair though Varys' words came back to her. "...believe that there may soon be a civil war within the Reach itself. This of course would damage our position since the armies of the Reach would be unreliable to call upon. This further weakens our position against other threats that may arise. These include but are not limited to the Ironborn, the Freys, the Boltons, and Euron Greyjoy."

"We may need to pick a side if it devolves into war unless we believe remaining neutral would be the best course?" Tyrion said speaking up while shooting glances towards Margaery and Renly.

"Well of course we will side with the Tyrells! I myself will raise my banners to ride to their aid!" Renly shouted looking offended that Tyrion would even suggest they not support the family of his lover.

"It is not that simple for many reasons. The first being that the Lords have legitimate complaints against Mace Tyrell. The second is that it has always been the policy of the Royalty to let the Lords handle disputes between houses on their own terms unless they ask for our aid. The only ones who can get involved easily is their Lord Paramount. Any of the other Kingdoms would only be allowed to interfere if either of the houses called for aid from other kingdoms. I know for a fact that Prince's Doran and Oberyn do not like Lord Tyrell and could potentially be swayed to align with Lord Tarly. This is not a black and white issue and we need to be aware of all the sides in this conflict." Hadrian said speaking up while glaring down his youngest uncle into silence.

"I have no sympathy for the Tyrells but the Reach is one of the largest Kingdoms geographically. We could form another Kingdom from the Reach lands." Stannis said gruffly, looking at a map of the Reach that he had lain on the table. Margaery couldn't believe they were talking about this. This was her family! Sure her father was an idiot,but that did not mean they all deserved to be put to the sword.

"Stannis, I need you to work with Varys and try to figure out what the various houses in the Reach will do. Who they will side with and what their combined military strength is. However I refuse to let war be the first choice." Hadrain turned to her and she could see the apology in his eyes about the current situation. It did little to make her feel better but she did appreciate it. "Do you think it would be possible to convince your father to step down and allow Willas to rule early? This could save the entire situation from devolving into conflict."

Margaery appreciated that Hadrian was trying to prevent any issues with her and himself. As well as trying to keep the peace in the lands that were her home. However, he did not know her father like she did. "My Father is a stubborn fool of a man. He loves his family, but I doubt he would willingly give up his seat to my eldest brother. Undoubtedly he will not see the issue that he is creating until it is just before him. By that point the Tarly army will be camped outside Highgarden. Now unsurprisingly I would want to support my father, but I do think the grievances of the other Reach houses need to be addressed." She caught Hadrians eye as she finished and saw his sympathy. He was probably one of the only people who could understand her feelings towards her father. He was also ashamed of his father's behavior while still loving the man since he was his father. She felt much the same.

"If there is no way to avoid the conflict then we will need to decide how we are going to influence it. Do we send aid? And if so who to? Do we ignore the entire campaign and then help the survivors recover? We need to make a decision because from what I know of Lord Tarly he will not take such insult lightly." Lord Tyrion said with his deep voice in a thoughtful tone.

"We will obviously support the Tyrells against all opponents! Why are you even discussing this?" Renly said becoming angry. Turning to Hadrian he stood and started to shout, "your own betrothed is a Tyrell! How can you not support the family you may be marrying into! Fuck the politics they are our friends! So what if Lord Tyrell insulted a noble house he is the Lord Paramount he can act how he wishes! It is your duty to rally to the aid of your houses regardless of…" It was obvious Renly had had enough however Margaery was surprised when Stannis stood and struck his own younger brother knocking him to the ground. Everyone was silent and watching the drama play out though Margaery could see that the only one who was not angry at Renly's behavior was Pycelle. Even she thought he had gone too far. Hadrian was soon to be King he could not afford to not think of the political ramification so of his actions.

"I have never been more ashamed to be your brother." Though Stannis was famous for his calm and dour manner Margaery could see the man was visibly shaking with rage. "This man who you feel you are allowed to shout and curse at without the slightest bit of decorum is your Prince soon to be your King. He is also your nephew. Your family, and you feel you can demand the actions he will take. I know you rarely think of the consequences of your actions, but we all must do so. It is our duty as members of this council." Margaery was impressed with the loyalty Stannis was showing to his nephew, and judging by Tyrion and Hadrian's smile they were quite glad for it as well. She wondered what Hadrian had done to gain the man's loyalty. It took her a minute but she remembered a rumor that went around that Stannis' only daughter. Had suffered from Greyscale when she was young, and Hadrian had apparently found a way to cure and treat it.

Coming back to the present she watched as Stannis manhandled Renly into his chair as blood was starting to pour from his nose. "Now you sit in this chair and keep your mouth shut while we try to keep the realm together." As Stannis resumed his seat everyone took a moment to let the air clear before Hadrian cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Thank you Uncle. Do you and Varys have an idea of the allegiances of the Reach?" Hadrian said, wanting to get the conversation back on track.

"Yes my lord we have a good idea. We believe that the majority of houses in the Reach will declare neutrality. However we are very confident that houses Hightower and Redwyne will side with the Tyrells if he calls for aid. This is of course due to Lady Olenna being a Redwyne and his wife being a Hightower. Other than that we don't feel any of the other notable houses will side with the Lord Tyrell. Worryingly the side supporting Lord Tarly will be much stronger. Houses Rowan and Ashford will likely jump at the chance to ally with a strong campaign from Lord Tarly. Lord Stannis believes that house Caswell will also side with Lord Tarly." Varys said as he pointed out the locations of the different houses on a map of the reach. Then Stannis picked up the conversation.

"If our estimates are accurate the forces led by the Tyrells will be crushed. There are several reasons for this. The first and most important is that Lord Tarly is an excellent military commander. Better than any other in the Reach. The second is that the Tarlys will likely have a much larger army. If only the Hightower's and Redwynes side with the Tyrell's they will have a force of approximately 20,00 men. The Tarly's Rowans, Ashfords, and Caswell's however, will likely have around 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers. That's if Lord Tarly even gives the Tyrells a chance to call their banners. The Hightowers and Redwynes are very far away from Highgarden compared to the other houses. If he strikes hard and fast with only standing forces then the Tyrells will have a force of maybe 5,000 against 15,000." As Stannis pointed out the military position of the various houses and what their situation was, Margaery realized that there was no way her family could actually win the battle against lord Tarly.

"That is a rather bleak outlook for house Tyrell." Tyrion said blandly.

"Indeed it is." Hadrian said, looking thoughtful. "I will send a letter to Lord Tyrell informing him that he will not be able to rely on support from any other houses if he lets this erupt into rebellion. I will also send a message to Lord Tarly asking him to be patient. I will also tell him that if it does erupt into war he is not allowed to execute anyone. If he does so then we will lead a force in retaliation. What do you all think of this?"

"May I please send a letter to my family asking them all to come to the capitol? Everyone except my father that is. I understand he is at fault here, but I do not want my mother and brothers to suffer for his idiocy." Margaery said first looking towards Hadrian for permission. She could do it anyway, but she really did not want to upset the ruling council of Westeros.

"Your mother and father are in Highgarden currently. Lord Tyrell's two eldest sons are both on their way here for Hadrian's coronation. I do not think there would be any issue with you sending a letter to your mother asking for her to visit you here." Lord Tyrion said looking towards her with sympathy. She received nods from the other Lords and a smile from Hadrian as she started writing the letter. Hadrian also wrote his and they handed them to Pycelle to send on later.

"Next there are two laws I want to present to you all here that I would like passed and enforced throughout the seven Kingdoms." Hadrian said as we got up and passed out two sheets of paper to everyone present. Margaery was given Hadrian's copy to read over.

"The first as you can see outlaws the worship of the Red God R'hollor, and places a ban on any of his followers preaching in the Kingdom. I know that normally the crown takes no official position on religion other than you may worship as you wish. However, I will not allow the spread of a faith who believes in sacrificial burning of innocent women and children like they do every day in Volantis." Margery was actually somewhat surprised by the anger in Hadrian's voice. Though when she thought about it she found the concept of burning people alive horrible and fully supported the idea of banning these horrible practises in their lands. It seemed that the other lords all agreed with the idea and she was shocked to see the open anger on the face of Lord Varys.

"The next is a law that I feel will be quite controversial. However I believe it will be worthwhile. In the North and Dorne women may become the heads of their houses. This has been their way for centuries and there has never been an issue from it. I rather like this idea. Sure women are not as able as men on a battlefield at least on average. But that does not mean they are incompentent Ladies or administrators. So I propose we pass a law very similar to allow for the Lords to pick who their Heir will be. Whether that be a son or a daughter that is up to the individual lords." Margery actually saw Hadrian glance at Stannis who had been staring at his nephew the entire time. This law would greatly aid him since he had only been able to have a daughter. With this she would be allowed to inherit his name and be the leader of his house. This one went to a vote, and only Renly and Pycelle voted against it. This left Hadrian, Stannis, Varys, and Ser Barristan all voting in support. So this law too would pass even though Renly looked very upset. Margery imagined he had hoped to inherit Stannis' holding from his daughter when he died and was upset at the loss.

The next hour was quite boring compared to the first Margaery thought. It was mostly deciding on taxes and allocations of funds. As well as various trade deals with the other Kingdoms for raw materials to rebuild Kings landing and start the construction of several garrisons throughout the crown lands. There was also money set aside for the upkeep of the Kings Road. Finally when the meeting was over everyone went their separate ways with Renly storming from the room, and the other Lords giving her and Hadrian a polite goodbye. Ser Barristan left the room after a glance from Hadrian though Margaery was sure he was waiting outside.

"My lady, I am very sorry that…" Margaery refused to let the foolish man speak further and interrupted him with a finger on his lips before he could continue. She couldn't help but giggle at the man's face as he looked very shocked.

"I understand my Lord. I do and I am not just saying that. My Father is acting the fool and honestly a match with Tala Tarly and Loras is really a very good idea and would strengthen the Reach overall. I am not happy with my Father's decision in this and I can't imagine Willas and Garlen will be thrilled about it either. You are just trying to keep peace in the realm and by sending that message to Lord Tarly, warning him to not execute any prisoner in the dispute, you are doing more than most Kings would ever do. I also understand that you cannot interfere with military support. If you did the other Lords Paramount would start to wonder if you would interfere in their own internal affairs. This is the only thing you could do to try and minimize the damage caused if it does lead to war. I do not hold you at fault for that and thank you for allowing me to remove my mother from the situation." Margaery smiled at the look Harian was giving her. She could easily see the appreciation for her in his eyes even if he remained silent. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for bringing me into the Small council. Even if I do not have an official seat being able to present my reports directly will aid me greatly."

"Of course Margaery," he said as he stood up and took her arm into his, leading her from the tower. When they left Ser Barristan predictably followed behind them as he led her back to the Tyrell apartments in the main keep.

She leaned into his body enjoying the feel of him next to her. His arms had to be as thick as her legs. She felt herself grow hot and struggled to control her expression wanting to let her passion overwhelm her. 'Not here wait till tomorrow. You can play with your food when the two of you are alone.'

When they separated Margaery immediately went to find her grandmother on the balcony still watching the soldiers below. She asked her grandmother to sit and explained to her the situation she was presented with in the Small Council meeting. Her grandmother was less than pleased.

"Damn that man can he not make a fool of himself for even a month without me constantly watching his every move." The vitriol in her grandmother's voice was unsurprising to Margarey who quite agreed with her.

"It seems not Grandmother, but what shall we do? The other Lords are adamant that this is a Reach matter and don't want to interfere. Though I feel Renly will do something. What that will be I have no idea."

"Do not worry my dear this is a problem that I will try to resolve. I plan to rip the man a new one over this, and I imagine Willas and Garlan will feel much the same." Her grandmother said, patting her hand comfortingly. "I am glad you got permission for the family to shelter here during the interim though."

TSKL

As soon as Hadrian separated from Margaery the genial look on his face dropped and it took everything he had not to immediately ride out and rip Lord Tyrell in half. The man was an absolute moron and with all the issues that were emerging in the world Hadrian did not need the armies of the Reach weakened in any way. Quickly walking into his personal office he was unsurprised to see Varys waiting for him there. Walking into the room he pressed a rune carved onto his desk that created a privacy field in the office and walked over to his personal vault. Grabbing a large bag of gold he threw it on the desk before Varys. "I want you to hire whoever you must to in order to kill Mace Tyrell."

Carys stared at him for a long time which allowed Hadrian to cool down his anger. He stood and waited for Varys to make a decision on the topic before finally the spymaster nodded in agreement. "This is probably the best way to keep peace in the Reach so I will agree with the idea. However if you want the greatest chance of success I will need to contact the Faceless Men."

Hadrian suppressed his shiver of fear at the very idea before walking to his vault and tripling the gold Varys had available. "Whatever you need my friend I cannot afford for the Reach to become a warzone. There are too many enemies at home and abroad." Varys merely nodded and the bags disappeared into his sleeves as he left with a small bow. Hadrian sat down and poured himself a glass of Arbour Red. His old self was far to noble and naive to ever do something like order an assassination. Hadrian had long ago determined to live this life separate from his last, and in this world he had mostly been raised by Tywin Lannister. A man who would do almost anything if it protected his family or empowered his house. In this world you could only be so noble before practicality became more important. He would feel some guilt over killing the father of his soon to be wife, but he would get over it.

TSKL

Myrcella stared up at the canopy over her bed. She had been trying for a long time, but found herself unable to sleep. Her thoughts were just too wild. The coronation of her brother, her future separation from her mother, the friendship she was building with Margaery, and the lessons she had with her and Lady Olenna. All of this was swirling around in her mind and making sleep an impossible goal. Sighing in annoyance she got up and threw a robe over her underthings and left her room to go wandering and maybe take a walk through the garden. She did for a while, but she had long ago memorized every inch of this garden so it did not provide the distraction she hoped for. However, the night was warm and the full moon looked quite beautiful. She knew one of the Kingsguard was following her at a distance, and when she glanced back she saw the silver hair of Ser Barristan standing at a respectful distance, as always. She still thought the great knight should protect her brother, but she accepted it. Thinking of her brother she looked up and saw the light coming from his rooms and figured he was up working late. Determined to see that her brother sleeps for once, and secretly glad for the chance to boss him around she quickly went up to the royal apartments.

However as she got closer to her brother's room she heard a strange noise from her mother's down the hall. Changing course she followed the sounds that were getting louder and started to worry. It sounded like her mother was in pain as she kept crying out. Worried she ran forward and threw the door open. That was when her mind shut down. In front of her she could see through her mother's sitting room into the bedroom beyond where the sight of her mother naked on top of her uncle Jamie shocked her. Her own mother was having sex with her uncle. Horrified and wishing she had never seen this she bolted from the room tears pouring down her face. She didn't realize where she was going until she ran into her brother's room past his table, and into his office where he was working. She threw herself across the room and started sobbing into his shoulder as her brother, who was clearly worried for her, held her and started trying to comfort her.

She relished the comfort her brother had always provided her. It was into his room she had run when she had nightmares and couldn't sleep. It was his room she had run to when Joffrey was mean and hurt her feelings. He was always there strong and dependable telling her that she was safe and that he would always protect her. She needed him right now more than ever as what she saw spilled out of her mouth. She didn't feel his body tense; she didn't notice the flash of anger across his face. All she felt was Hadrian picking her up and holding her in his arms just being there for her as always.

TSKL

Hadrian was glad that his beautiful sister seemed to finally fall asleep. He had been so very worried about her when she burst into his office tears running before she almost apparated into his arms. Her pain filled sobs tore at his heart, and when the reason behind her tears came out he struggled to hold in his anger. Did he not tell them to be careful? Did he not give them leniency? Did he not guard their secret? Now one of his greatest fears was realized. His beautiful younger sister had found out and she would never be able to forget. He set aside his anger for now in order to comfort his sister and waited until she calmed down, and eventually she cried herself to sleep. He carefully picked her up and walked into his bedroom tucking her in just as he had done many times when she was small. He loved his youngest siblings. It was for them he would tear apart continents and boil the sea. Now that his sister was safe and asleep he let his anger take over. Turning he quietly closed the door to his room and grabbed his sword from his office. Walking from his room he saw Ser Barristan who he calmed and asked to guard his sister. Leaving his rooms he headed towards his Mother's. There was no way he couldn't tell his sister about her birth now. She was far too smart to accept his excuses. She would figure it out. His sister's peace of mind was destroyed and there were two people responsible. He had given them many chances, but this was the last straw. He would show his Mother and Uncle the meaning behind the words 'Ours is The Fury.'