1857 AC, King's Landing, Red Keep

"And we are now entering the royal wing of the Red Keep, traditionally the left side contained the quarters of the Queen or Queens and younger children, while the right side was reserved for the King, his closest staff as well as the chambers of the crown prince once he had reached a suitable age. This custom predates the start of the Baratheon rule in 283 and is most likely a direct result of the Targaryen dynasty's custom to marry their siblings…"

Hedda only listened with one ear as she passed another group of tourists in the Red Keep. Since the castle had been opened for visitors 15 years' prior the number of visitors had grown each year. Many were interested how their monarchy had started out and the interest had only increased since they had the specialized exhibitions that concentrated on one aspect of royal living for a year before another topic was chosen. But right now nothing of that mattered, the conservators that had been working on the King's Chambers for weeks now had discovered a hidden passage with another room and inside that room they had found several documents and books. From the exited call, she had received today at five AM, at least one of the books was a personal journal of a Baratheon King, they hadn't been able to date it yet but according to her colleague Dr. Jeyne Marsha the font predated anything she specialized in and so was at least 600 to 700 years old. The book they concentrated on right now was in a very fragile state and as one of the only experts in reading long since outdated fonts Hedda would be one of the first to see and hopefully translate it.

"Dr. Barath?" a voice ripped her out of her thoughts.

Hedda looked up and smiled at the young man that was nervously wringing his hands.

"You are Edwin, right? One of Dr. Marsha's interns."

"Yes, Dr. Barath. If you would come with me? They already scanned the first fifteen pages for you to translate."

"Is it possible to view the book itself?"

"Yes, but nobody is allowed to touch it other than the scanning experts. Dr. Marsha said that if they hadn't moved it into the climate controlled lab instantly after they found it, it would have probably fallen apart within hours of the discovery."

Hedda felt herself pale, that would have been devastating, "Right, so the scans?"

"Are here, Hedda", Jeyne Marsha called form somewhere in the back of the room they had just entered.

"Hello, Jeyne!" Hedda said with a smile, "So did you find something else while I flew in?"

"No, just that the signature on the bottom of the first page really does include the name Baratheon and the usual phrase of King of the Andals, etc., we couldn't date it yet because there are no numbers on the paper."

Hedda took the first page into her hand and hummed before she smirked, "There are, actually. Until 523 they used to write out the numbers in text instead of just using the numerical system."

"Huh… so there is a date? That will make things easier. And here I thought we would have to go through the whole royal registry to find the owner of the book. Post-Tully-Frey civil war is so much easier to identify."

Hedda snorted, "If you say so. I wouldn't know what to do with all those Walders and Edwiles around 1200, it is a miracle that you can even distinguish between them."

Jeyne just smirked and Hedda finally turned her complete attention to the pages in front of her, they were a bit grainy but that was to be expected, hopefully one of the IT crowd could improve the pages in the next few days, such scans were always killer on her eyes.

The first page was surprisingly unadorned, not a single illumination present, which supported Jeyne's theory that this was a personal journal instead for official memoirs that were intended for the royal library. Her eyes wandered further down to the signature and she paused at the elegant first word… that couldn't be. Her eyes wandered back up at the top of the page where the date was written in clear ornate letters that were so typical for the time around 300.

"I need pen and paper." Hedda said impatiently.

She had hardly finished the sentence when Edwin already pressed said utensils into her free hand, the boy was proving to be quite useful.

Absentmindedly she sat down on the next free chair and let her mind translate the words in front of her until on the college block to her right stood, "364 AC, King's Landing, the King's Chambers".

"Jeyne… if that is what I think it is, the journal could be the find of the century." Hedda said slowly while her eyes traveled down to the signature on the bottom.

"Explain."

"364. That's the date the third Baratheon King came into power. Orys Baratheon, first of his name."

"What does the signature say?" Jeyne asked rushed.

Hedda's eyes traveled downwards again, really concentrating this time and yes, the word hadn't changed with reverence she read the whole signature in her mind. It said King Joffrey Baratheon, First of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm.

"This is the Journal of King Joffrey." She finally whispered into the room, "We found the journal of the King that reigned during the Return of the Long Night and cemented the Baratheon rule for the next 1500 years."

XXXXXXXXX

364 AC, King's Landing, the King's Chambers

Today with a heavy heart I bid farewell to the woman that has been my companion, my advisor and one of my constants in life since our wedding day 64 years ago, she now rests in the ground and no longer will I find comfort in her. Her presence and counsel always a steady one, through good times and tragic ones. She had just become my wife when the kingdom was on the verge of being lost forever in snow and ice and her example kept the Southern parts of the Kingdom intact while all the able warriors were in the North fighting for humanity's survival, she stood by my side when the last remains of the Targaryen line threatened to reclaim their former kingdom. She was also present when peace reigned in our lands, when our children learned to walk and run in the halls of the Red Keep, found spouses of their own. She paced beside me, anxious as our second oldest daughter nearly was taken from us in childbed. Comforted me when my brother fell at the hand of rebels. It was her that counseled me when hard decisions loomed and it was her soothing hand that made the weight of sovereignty bearable. Her's and Jon's, oh how a grieve for them. For they both have been taken from me within the same year and now I stand alone at the head of our kingdom and feel bereft of all my joy and happiness. Only my sense of duty and sheer stubbornness lets me continue day by day, I see the worry of my children in their eyes and actions. They treat me like I will vanish on them any moment now. And maybe that is the fate that awaits me in the weeks and months to come, to slowly loose the last strength of my limbs until the Stranger will finally take me away from this place. It is a thought that balms my heart, because that would mean to be once more united with Jon and Margaery, but I cannot give in, not yet when I still have one last task to fulfill.

With growing unease, I note that the so venerated Maesters at Oldtown have started to adjust the events of my reign in a nearly utopian narration. Gone are the mistakes I made in my reign, gone are the hunger and thirst, the blood and the sickness, only the glory and honorable deaths are left. Nothing of the cravenness in my own ranks, instead the only ones that were craven were my enemies. Men and women that stood opposite me are demonized into fantasy. I cannot abide this farce, I simply cannot. So in these last days before the Stranger takes me too I will attempt to give an account of my life, the events that shaped me and my rule. This account will also contain the private details, the hidden ones, thoughts, reasons and reactions, things that would never find their way into the King's official vita. Things that would raise the hairs of any septon or septa alive. It amuses me that there is talk of awarding me sainthood for the deeds throughout my life. If the High Septon knew what things were happening behind doors since the days of my youth, he would rescind the honor posthaste. Alas he will never know, at least not in my life or even hundred years from now. I intend this account to be hidden away in one of the secret chambers of the keep. Maybe it is a fanciful idea but I imagine some young lad or lass five hundred or more years from now stumbling across the hidden passage and finding my memoires. And if after he or she read it only one more person knows what really happened I will be satisfied.

King Joffrey Baratheon, First of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm.