After what seemed like hours of bowing and kneeling and repeated declarations of allegiance, Gendry stood in new robes that had arrived in his room that morning. There was no note but he noticed the stark embroidered in the lining of the cloak even though it was no bigger than a slice of carrot.

His leathers had been sewn so they clung to his muscles arms and made him look like a Lord. He was still used to scratchy tunics that had been mended so many time's with his clumsy stitching that it was more patchwork then the original cloth. It all smelled different. Gone was the familiar smell of ash and smoke. It was if his former life had been washed from him.

He had sworn his allegiance twice. Once as Lord of Storm's End, then as Lord Paramount of the Stormlands and Warden of the South.A place he could only point to on a map.

He was reminded of his inadequacy on both occasions as he stumbled through his words, which unlike others who either knew it by heart or read from an elaborate scroll, his had to be spoken in short sentences for him to repeat.

He had been placed next to the Hand of the King and Ser Brienne, who had been named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Whilst one would not stop talking, the latter sat stiffly, barley touching the food on her plate and staring around the room.

"I was wondering what you were planning for the rest of the evening Gendry? Can I call you Gendry as Lord Baratheon is a bit of a mouthful when you've had a skinful and a half of the finest Dornish red, which I notice you have hardly touched! This will not do! For Lannister's love their wine!" He beckoned over a serving girl and gestured for her to fill up both their glasses.

"Now, after the coronation feast have you got plans? Why I'm sure half the women in this room would love to warm your bed tonight, and some of the men if that's what you are into! Your uncle Renley had one of the most beautiful wives in the kingdom but-"

"Perhaps we should not speak of those who are no longer with us Lord Hand." Brienne interrupted.

"But there's hardly any of them left! Why my brother Jaime for instance! I blame myself of course. Should have left him chained up. Perhaps he wouldn't have been crushed that way..." he went silent for a moment and stared at his already half empty glass

"Still, I would appreciate if you came to the Tower of the Hand tonight, before you leave. I believe you will find it instructive, and as Hand of the King it's one step away from an order from our newly anointed King so that's settled. Pod! More wine!"

Upon hearing his name from a nearby table, Podrick Payne looked up from the girl on his lap to his former master. He smiled apologetically and placed her onto the chair next to him and approached the table where two of his former masters were sat.

" Yes, Lord Tyrion?"

" Ah Pod! I am so glad you didn't perish. I still need to know about those ladies from the buttery! But, alas, with present company it may need to keep to another occasion. Come, pull up a chair! It is time for a game of cups!"

"If you will excuse me, I wish to take a watch around the room. Podrick, please take my seat."

Brienne pushed back and stood up.Her plate hardly touched and eyes shining, only Podrick took much notice.

Gendry was too busy looking at the dais table. King Bran the Broken First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Six Kingdoms, sat with a sister on each side. The Prince of Dorne was sat on Arya's other side. She was wearing a gown of moss coloured green velvet, her hair plaited like the Queen of the North's. Needle hind at her side on a thick silver chain and Gendry has to swallow his jealousy that someone else has made that for her.

She looked like a queen. He thought. The green reminding him of the forests they passed through on their escape from Harrenhall and when they accompanied the Brotherhood. He thought back to Tom of Sevenstreams and the song he sang about a forest lass and a featherbed. He hoped to take His forest Lass to His featherbed soon, but she seemed far more interested in whatever the Dornish Prince was telling her. He watched as she laughed, her hand going over to his as she muttered something to make him laugh in return and Gendry gripped his thigh, squeezing with all his might to hide his anger. He wished he could go to the forge and hammer at a sheet of metal until he was exhausted.

He wished Davis was sat with him but he had been sat with Yara Greyjoy amongst others he didn't know.

Lord Robin Aryan had also sat on their table for a while, as Warden of the East and Lord of the Vale but had had tired of the festivities and had gone to see if he could find dragon skulls in the crypts below.

"Pod! Tell Gendry about the Buttery girls! He is looking far too glum for a newly appointed Lord Protector!" Tyrion cackled

"I was actually hoping to slip away... I have some work I need to finish before we all start to leave." He grumbled but Pod clapped him on the back and laughed

"Not tonight My Lord! Tonight we are going to introduce you to court life!" Pid grinned

"I don't think that I-"

"Nonsense! As Hand of the King I would find it a great insult if you declined! Come! Let's go now before I am too drunk to walk.".

"I said that I'd-"

"All in good time Lord Baratheon! You forget, I knew your father and have much to tell you! Pod, bring wine! Let us go!" Tyrion began to push Gendry sidewards as Pod pulled him up

"Don't we have to say goodbye to the King?" He asked

"No, not at a feast, come before other people want to join us!"

Gendry furrowed his brow but follows all the same, fighting the urge to look back at Arya. He caught the eye of a few ladies of the court as well as two or three serving girls, including one who licked her bottom lip at him and winked.

"This way! We have much to discuss!"

Tyrion called as he skipped down a corridor towards the Tower of The Hand.

Sansa saw Tyrion and Podrick lead a bewildered Gendry out through a side door. She waited a moment before turning to her brother and whispering behind her goblet

"They've gone."

"Good. He must know the truth."

"Arya will go mad when she finds out."

"Arya has her own secrets to hide."

Sansa shifted uncomfortably in her own seat. Tonight, Arya would do more for House Stark then either of them would like.

"I share your feelings, but it is the only way."

"I wish it wasn't." She muttered.

"Now it is just the three of us, Podrick please station yourself outside of my door and let no one in, not even Sansa."

"Yes, My Lord." He gave a quick bow of his head, stole a glance at Gendry and departed.

His guard now up, and aware he was alone with a Lannister, his hand went to the hilt of his sword, he cursed himself for giving in and leaving his hammer behind.

"Relax, Gendry. I presume I'm ok to call you that?"

"Why am I here?" Gendry hit back

" We need to talk. Please, take a seat."

Gendry didn't move, he stared down at Tyrion who raised his hands in defeat.

"I am unarmed. There is no one here but the two of us. Podrick is merely outside to stop anyone coming in who may notice we have gone.

"Why should they care?" His hand relaxed slightly but retained a light grip on his sword

"A good few people would care about what I am about to say. I had hoped you would already know but as you have not sought me out to ask questions, I have deduced that you are still unaware of your parentage.

"I'm a bastard of a fat King and a tavern wench. I didn't ask for any of this so if you've dragged me here to have a go at me and tell me how I should behave I'm going back to the feast."

"Do you not find it hard, sitting there and watching her flirt with another?"

"Who?" He replied quickly

Tyrion raises his subtle before shaking his head and turning to sit down

"We have taken great pains to hide Arya's night time visits, but there are those who wish the Starks harm."

"I thought the Lannister's hated Starks?"

"I was married to Sansa. It was never dissolved but then it was never consummated so I say we are both in different yet similar situations. We both want to protect two women who do not want to be protected. Who watched their father beheaded on the orders of my deranged and bastard nephew. Please sit. We may have all night or not long and it's been hard to get you on your own."

"Why should you want to talk to me?"

"Because I did something many years ago, on the orders of a father despised me that you need to know about."

"I don't understand."

"If you don't feel comfortable sitting then I'll just come out with it. I had hoped we would both be a bit drunker than this but there we go." Tyrion cleared his throat

"I'll just come straight out with it."

Gendry waiter as Tyrion reached for a goblet of wine that had sat already poured for him

"Your father, as you now know, was Robert Baratheon, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms. Your mother was not a tavern Wenzhou but a cruel and evil woman. I know this because she terrorised me from the day of my birth."

Gendry's face was twisted with confusion.

"I don't understand, how did she know you? She worked in a Tavern, we used to live in the Riverlands when I was small she said, then brought me down South to find better work."

"No. That was a lie."

"No. That's why I was Gendry Rivers before all this."

"A lie to protect you from anyone who would know the truth. The woman who raised you was not the woman who birthed you."

"What? That's not- no. You've got me confused with someone else, with one of the King's other bastards."

"You are 23 yes?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Your mother had blonde hair? She also had a scar on her neck didn't she? My brother Jaime saved her from being killed and found her a job at a Tavern frequented by Kingsguard where he paid extra gold to make sure she would be safe and looked after. He wasn't to know it wasn't reaching her and she was being used for other reasons."

"She said she fell and cut it."

"Not true. An innocent girl, Jaime said when he told me of her. Left home at 13 and hitched a ride to Kingslanding hoping for a better life."

"So you knew her, so what?"

"That woman was not your mother." Tyrion breathed a loud sigh.

"Your real mother was Cersei Lannister."