Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI)

 "For a start you can get out of my chair" Lord Corlys said, his voice

 low and snarling, the look of surprise on his face rapidly giving way

 to anger.

 "Of course," he replied, levering himself up "I never wanted to spend

 my time wiping a Kings arse anyway."

 Lord Corlys replied with only a grunt, and moved warily to sit down

 behind his desk, he sat at one of the chairs before the desk, seating

 himself comfortably and arranging his clothing, diligently giving off

 the air of someone without any concerns in the world.

 "I could call my guards; your head could be adorning traitors walk

 within the hour."

 "You won't," he replied easily, not in the slightest bit worried.

 "I won't?" asked Lord Corlys, tilting his head minutely but in an

 obvious enough manner to indicate a question.

 "No, you won't."

 "And pray tell why not?"

 "Please Lord Corlys, these games are unbecoming of you, we have

 serious business to attend to, you and I. Matters of great import will

 be decided here, between us, matters that will affect the Seven

 Kingdoms for years to come."

 "Or I could shorten you by a head and be done with it?"

 "If you do, remove my clubfoot while you are at it, I've had enough of

 it dragging behind me in life, I'd rather not have it accompany me

into the afterlife. But you won't… shorten me by a head that is."

 "You are very sure of yourself for a man whose side has just lost a

 war."

 "Did we? Lose a war I mean?"

 "I think everyone in the Seven Kingdoms would agree that you have

 just lost a war Lord Strong, I'm certain that is how the Maesters will

 record it in the histories…."

 "And yet I sit here, and you have not called for your guards, that

 does not seem like the actions of someone confident in supposed

 victory?"

 "Let me see - we have dragons, and you have none, we are in

 possession of Kings Landing, we have the support of the North, the

 Crownlands, the Vale and the Riverlands. I think we have won,"

 came the smug assertion of the Sea Snake.

 "We have the Westerlands and most of the Reach, along with the

 Stromlands, unoccupied by your troops. You have a Riverlands

 devastated and scoured, whole parts of it razed to the very bedrock

 by dragonfire. Along with an empty treasury, with your House

 providing most of the coin for the Blacks for nigh on three years now,

 all your trueborn grandchildren dead and Prince Daemon's get as

 heirs to the Iron Throne. If you call that winning I would hate to see

 what you would define as losing."

 When Lord Crolys just scowled at him he added, "oh and winter has

 come, to quote your allies the Starks."

 "Do you know where I have just been Lord Strong?" the Sea Snake

 asked, anger nearly choking his words.

 "No," he replied, keeping his voice level but his eyes fixed on those

 of Lord Corlys.

"I, I have just returned from burning the body of my granddaughter,

 Princess Rhaena. Who was raped and mutilated before being killed.

 Her husband, Prince Hugh, put the torch to the pyre upon which she

 rested, the last of my trueborn grandchildren…."

 "Who will mourn for Queen Alicent, Prince Maelor, Princess Helaena,

 Lord Otto Hightower? Who will accord them their rights by the Gods?

 Who will see to the care of their souls Lord Corlys? And who will

 seek justice for their murders, just as you want justice for your

 granddaughter."

 "I swear by the Gods, Old and New Strong I'll!!!!!"

 "You'll what Lord Corlys? Subject me to endless torture? Kill me in

 some imaginative way? The very fact that I am here, talking to you

 should tell you all you need to know…."

 Silence stretched out, the tension in the air so intense that he

 thought he could hear it beginning to scream until the Sea Snake

 said, "What do you want Lord Strong?"

 "Very much the same as you my dear Lord Corlys, my life, my

 position and peace in the realm."

 "And in return?"

 "There is the question of, how shall we say…. the binding up the

 wounds of this war, and what better way than a marriage no? Prince

 Aegon shall marry Princess Jaehaera, Prince Viserys shall be the

 heir to his brother Prince Aegon until he has heirs of his body with

 his wife Princess Jaehaera."

 "I don't need you for that Strong" came the swift reply from Lord

 Corlys.

 "No, you don't, that I will admit, but what I can bring is the immediate

 loyalty of all the Houses who would dispute the claim of Prince

 Aegon to the Iron Throne."

"And just how many is that?" ah finally, a decent question from the

 Sea Snake.

 "All of them," he confidently predicted, probably a little white lie but

 sufficient for now and his purposes.

 "Can you now? And what else?"

 "There is the matter of some of the more egregious actions that have

 resulted from this unfortunate business and if pardons for suitable

 parties could be arranged, or even allowances for other parties to

 take the Black?"

 "Some, not all," came the swift reply from Lord Corlys, and neither of

 them needed to voice who they were referring to.

 He bowed his head slightly and then continued, "there is also the

 matter of the upcoming Regency of Aegon, third of his name, likely to

 be a long one."

 "No." Corlys replied.

 "You have not heard my proposals yet?"

 "I don't need to, I will assume the mantle of the Regent to King

 Aegon, SECOND of his name, for the entire period of said Regency.

 In return I would welcome your return to the fold with a full pardon for

 your actions. In addition, I will retain your services as Master of

 Whispers on the Small Council."

 He set his face to immobility instantly, now that was most interesting

 now was it not? More than he could have expected in truth, much,

 much more. So, the question was if this was a trap or a genuine

 offer, and how did he feel if it was one or the other? No matter, he

 would deal with it one way or the other, if it was either a genuine

 offer or a trap.

And Lord Corlys's ridiculous assertation that he wished to be Regent

 for the entire length of the Regency of King Aegon? Well, as his

 mother had once told him 'if wishes were horses'…..

 "Your offer has great merit my Lord Hand, I would of course require

 all of this in writing, signed and sealed by yourself as Regent to King

 Aegon, second of his name, and not as you currently are, as Hand to

 King Aegon, second of his name, before I could possibly accept…."

 "Done."

 Again, why is Corlys being so agreeable to him, and his heckles

 began to rise. He would have to investigate this further, to see what

 traps he might be walking into.

 He would have to see about making contact with that whore, the

 laughably titled Lady Misery, who had provided him with a pleasant

 diversion as she had groped and floundered as Daemon's supposed

 'Mistress of Whispers'. Now that things were returning to their proper

 place and setting, he could actually use the services of this Lady

 Misery, her network of whores and the odd bully boy and cut-throat

 would be a welcome addition to his own. He might even let the

 whore keep her life if she proved useful enough, or even just

 agreeable enough.

 "There is the matter of Prince Hugh, and his position in the light of

 recent events," he stated, assuming that he knew what the position

 of Lord Corlys would be but interested none the less. The bastard

 Prince would have to go, of that he was certain, for what had Prince

 Jacaerys been thinking? To let the baseborn, to let smallfolk, try and

 claim the unridden dragons on Dragonstone? Well, unfortunately he

 could not ask the lad what he had been thinking as he was long

 dead, but the stupidity of him! It was probably for the best that the

 lad was resting in the Strangers embrace and would never sit atop

 the Iron Thorne, for ideas like that were a sure sign of either

 madness or feeble mindedness, or maybe even both. And he knew

 that Lord Corlys could not have been happy at the bastard being

 foisted on his granddaughter, legitimized or not.

"Yes?"

 "With his marriage to your dear granddaughter tragically cut short,

 can I assume that any familial bonds you might have had with the

 bastard Hugh are no longer of concern or merit?"

 "You may not" Lord Corlys snarled, oh dear, what was the old Sea

 Snake up to now?

 "Well, Hugh is an obstacle, or he will be I fear. He is technically 4th in

 line to the Iron Throne and the Lords will never accept a bastard

 rising this high…"

 "He was legitimized by Prince Daemon as one of his get."

 "There is precedence in Andal law for the revocation of

 legitimization, said laws are still valid and were not repealed by King

 Jaehaerys, the laws involved being the actual preserve of the Faith

 of the Seven. Hugh can be stripped of his legitimization with relative

 ease, or so Lord Ormund Hightower assures me, it would merely fall

 to the Regent to not oppose the ruling from the Faith of the Seven

 that Hugh lose the name that was never his in the first place."

 "No," came the swift reply. Ah, a shame that, a real shame, but he

 tilted his head in question to see if the Sea Snake would illuminate

 him with regard to this decision.

 "Hugh is very distraught at his wife's death, my granddaughter's

 death," the Sea Snake hissed, "the, the, fucking stones on you

 Strong!"

 "I am merely pointing out what is best for the realm," he replied

 smoothly, suddenly much more interested and engaged on how this

 conversation might go, for this might actually challenge him

 somewhat.

 "Hugh retains his Targaryen name and position, that is final!"

He made no reply to this, only knowing that the Sea Snake had

 obviously decided that this Hugh lad was going to be one to the main

 props of his power, and all probably without the lad himself even

 knowing it. "And the ridiculous offer of lands made to Prince Hugh?"

 "They will be revoked, Price Hugh will have an income as a Prince,

 paid out of the royal treasury," came the even reply. Which you of

 course as Lord Regent control in effect he noted to himself.

 "Should it be required he could also be stripped of his knighthood,

 the details of which have not yet been sent to Oldtown to be entered

 into the Book of Honour by the Faith, and thus his knighthood is not

 really official as of yet…."

 "I knighted the lad…." Came the very, very angry reply from Lord

 Corlys. Very well, he would leave that as is, no sense in pushing his

 luck any further. But still, he could not leave the topic of the bastard

 Hugh just yet. "And his dragon, do you not, well fear the beast?"

 "His dragon is no threat if its rider is no more. If Hugh is smart, and

 the lad is, smart that is, he will keep his mouth shut and accept all of

 this. I will grant him a fine sounding title and office, though one which

 is meaningless and without any real power, and in due time I will find

 a suitable new wife for him."

 Well at least the Sea Snake was thinking about the biggest threat to

 them, that dammed beast Vermithor and its troublesome rider. But

 he feared that thinking was not going to be enough, he personally

 would have had Hugh knifed and been done with it, as would

 Ormund Hightower, who still might have Hugh disposed of.

 The Sea Snake's bastard Addam was obviously under sufficient

 control for him not to be a factor, or Lord Corlys would have made

 mention of him.

 "What else Strong, I doubt you came here to just barter for your

 miserable life?"

"Indeed, Lord Ormund Hightower would like the opportunity to swear

 allegiance to the Iron Throne and re-enter the fold as a loyal subject

 of said throne."

 "Does he now?" asked Lord Corlys, a wry snarl pasted on his face.

 "Yes, though I promised all the lords who currently dispute the

 occupancy of the Iron Throne, it is in reality Lord Ormund who will

 deliver on this pledge."

 "As I suspected, you are just a fucking messenger boy Strong!"

 hissed Lord Corlys, before he added "I assume that Ormund wants

 something in return, something more than just keeping his head and

 not having to freeze his stones off at The Wall for the rest of his

 misbegotten life?"

 "You suspect correct, Lord Ormund Hightower requests the position

 of Hand of the King. He feels that in light of the damage inflicted on

 the realm, of the loss of trade and the likely severity of the winter,

 that he, given his ability to deliver the Reach, and its bounty, along

 with that portion of the Royal Treasury currently residing in his care,

 should account for something….substantial…"

 "He must have an even bigger pair of stones than you Strong, and

 they must be made of fucking brass!" remarked Lord Corlys, the heat

 in his voice only partially suppressed.

 "I could not possibly say my Lord."

 "The last time I looked the Tyrell's were Lord Paramount's of the

 Reach, why does Lord Ormund appropriate the duties of House

 Tyrell for himself?"

 "House Tyrell….stayed neutral during the recent events, you know

 as well as I do that though they have the title, they lack the

 means…..of enforcing their will on their bannermen."

"I should attain House Hightower root and branch!" came the quick

 response from the Sea Snake, he replied equally quickly, "but you

 won't, you cannot in fact, and you know it. House Hightower has de

 facto control over both the Citadel and the Faith of the Seven, 'soft

 power' at its finest. Unless you want every Septon preaching against

 House Targaryen, and against Prince Hugh in particular, you will do

 Lord Ormund this honour and show how magnanimous you are in

 victory. I need not tell you what you would face if the Citadel turned

 against you?"

 "I thought you said I had not won Strong!" spat the Sea Snake in

 reply, but he did not reply, simply sitting patiently and waiting for the

 inevitable response.

 "Well, nobody ever accused the Hightower's of lacking ambition,

 that's for certain," Lord Corlys observed wryly after a few seconds of

 silence after his outburst, before he paused for a second, finally

 saying, "done."

 And with that single word he knew that the next few years would be

 perhaps the most interesting of his life as the Sea Snake and Lord

 Hightower would plot and scheme against each other. And with the

 sure and certain outcome that one would kill the other, the only

 question being who would murder who in the incessant struggle for

 power and position.

 "Oh, and one more thing, I think you would like to recover

 Blackfyre?"

 "What?!"

 "Yes, alas, during the confusion and terror, the royal armoury was

 raided, several items are missing, among them Blackfyre, it would be

 a shame for House Targaryen to lose one of its ancestral blades now

 would it not?"

 "How much?" Lord Corlys sighed; he could see the Sea Snakes face

 already pinching at what was sure to be the astronomical price he

would demand.

 "In return for full pardons signed for me and Lord Ormund, which will

 also guarantee our safety and immunity from any future prosecution

 for our respective roles during this recent unpleasantness, why only

 the cost of the parchment to write these pardons on…."

 "You are not asking for much are you?" snapped Lord Corlys.

 "As opposed to how many millions of Gold Dragons that the sword

 would cost to buy back, and could you even be certain you could

 recover the blade? For there are many in Essos who would pay tens

 of millions for such a relic…."

 "Fuck you Strong…"

 "I will take that as a yes then…." He replied, barely bothering to hide

 the smile on his face, the Sea Snake was at least being reasonable

 and understanding finally that one could indeed win and war but lose

 the peace that followed.

 "And Lord Stark, who should arrive in a few days' time?" he asked,

 curious to see what Lord Corlys would say about his erstwhile

 northern ally.

 "What of him? He will be accorded the usual respects and courtesies

 due of a Warden, and dispatched north again with all possible haste

 along with a rather large shipment of grain that arrived recently from

 Essos to feed Kings Landing, which should not now be needed as

 the war is over?"

 "Our new King, Aegon, second of his name, is most generous to his

 northern subjects. I hope he can be equally as generous to those

 Lords who support his rule."

 "I am sure he will be" came the flat reply from the Sea Snake.