Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 43 - Womanly Whispers

Loki listened to the whispers in Kings Landing as he walked through the crowded streets. The people were starving and irritable. Ever since Joffrey started the war with the Starks, supplies had been staggered at best. Very few deliveries and trains arrived in the city, and that was partially Loki's fault. He had been to all the merchants, and paid them to take their goods elsewhere. Loki was starving the city, making the people skittish, and the nobles antsy. Loki had basically lit a stick of dynamite, and tossed it into Joffrey's lap. Loki wanted the people angry at the court, and he wanted them to blame Joffrey for them being hungry. Loki sidestepped a drunk, and then dodged piss as it was dumped from an upper window. That is what I miss about Asgard. Even the peasants were cleaner than these, Loki thought to himself. A second later, Loki cocked his head to one side, as he heard the march of soldiers coming his way. Stepping into a side alley, he made his journey via another, back route. Once out of sight of normal people, Loki sprinted. The puddles he crossed would only whisper his presence as he passed. The beggars would look up, but by the time they had focused their eyes, Loki was gone. A few minutes later, Loki was at the back door of a pleasure house. He could hear the laughing, and love making from the windows above. The scents of sweat, wine, and perfume also wafted by him, and he pulled his hood further down his face. Rapping on the door, he got the attention of a cook from within. The fat man glared at the cloaked and hooded lankier man, and put his hand on his hip.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice angry and gruff.

"Good morrow, sir! I would crave your indulgence. Please tell Ros that Ser Green is here to see her," Loki said. The cook frowned and shook his head.

"That is something you take up with Lord Littlefinger," he ordered, and he started to close the door. Except Loki stuck his foot out and wedged it open.

"That's not the type of time I was speaking about," Loki said, and he held out six gold coins. The cook's eyes widened, and his expression changed visibly. The cook tried to grab them, but Loki jerked his hand back. "I need to see Ros." He put emphasize on every word, until the cook nodded his head. Loki gave him the money, and the cook let him in the back. Loki crept through the halls, passing occupied rooms, ignoring the raunchy sounds from within. Loki sighed though when he heard a woman singing a man's name. She's lying. If it was me, she would mean everything she's saying, Loki thought to himself.

I see you have a high opinion of your skills, Frigga said in his mind. Loki paused at Ros' door, and glared.

I'm insulting Odin when I say this: you both only had one son, Loki countered. That was when he got a headache. Low blow. Loki knocked on Ros' door, and the red head Northerner answered a second later. She was wearing a loose, silk pink robe; which was open to expose a great deal of cleavage. Her hair was down in red ringlets around her face, and she twirled one on her finger.

"Ser Green! I'm pleased to see you again," Ros greeted, gripping Loki by his collar and pulling him into the room. She closed the door and tried to press a kiss to his lips, but Loki was able to turn his head in time, and she got his cheek instead. Ros got a hurt expression on her face, but Loki shook his head.

"I'm not here for that kind of interaction. What news do you have?" Loki asked, giving her ten gold coins for her trouble. Ros indicated her bed, and Loki sat down. She poured him some wine and joined him a moment later.

"Lord Baelish is working on a deal with the merchants and traders. He's negotiating to pay them from the treasury and having them bring their goods by ship into Kings Landing. Since the land route seems to be closed off to them," Ros said. Loki stroked his chin and thought about it. He had strangled their supplies, and food was limited. Loki had created a strained situation, just what he wanted.

"By ship, eh? When is this shipment supposed to come in?" Loki asked Ros. The prostitute crossed her legs, revealing bare skin to the god. Of course, she did not get the reaction she was used to getting from men. Loki simply drank his wine.

"Are you sure you're a normal man?" Ros queried. Loki glanced at her and put his cup down.

"Please answer my question," he pushed. Ros pouted and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"It's supposed to come in tomorrow. Enough food to feed the city for a couple of months," Ros responded. Loki could not have that. The people praising Joffrey for providing them with food? Out of the question!

He glanced back at Ros and smiled as he said, "Thank you for your time, my lady. I'll be seeing you soon. Until that time..." Loki tapped her forehead, and Ros forgot the entire conversation. She shook her head and looked up at Loki as he rose to his feet.

"Ah, Ser Green! Anything in particular you want this evening?" she asked, slowly removing her robe. Loki shook his head, waving his hand.

"I've already got what I came here for. Thank you though for the offer, Ros," Loki said. He winked at her as he opened the door and left her chamber. Ros licked her lips as he closed the door behind him. Loki slipped down the halls, going to the one place that had all the information he needed. Fazing through the door of Petyr Baelish's private office, Loki looked around. There was a lounge seat, large enough for four people to sit there comfortable. A desk was against the wall, and Loki made for that instantly. His fingers hovered over the papers as he used his magic to reveal their contents if they were turned over. As he suspected, nothing of extreme import was on the desk. It would be in Baelish's binder, the one he always carried with him. Loki still searched through the drawers, and he found a painting of Sansa inside one of them. It was rather small, in a hand held frame. Loki almost crumpled it. The man was truly incorrigible! However, Loki put it back, not wishing Baelish to suspect that his things had been rifled through. As if he knew Loki was thinking of him, Loki heard Baelish's voice approaching his office.

"I want today's records and transaction list brought to me immediately. Also, the list of orders that I need to approve," Petyr Baelish said. Loki smirked. He did need Petyr's signature on a few things. Just for legal purposes of course. Loki vanished from his office just as he opened the door. Petyr Baelish cocked his head to one side as he glanced around the room. After a second of observing, he entered, shutting the door behind him. He walked the distance from the door to the desk, and sat down. He was going through his binder, studying all the figures for the day, when there was a knock on the door. "Enter!" he called. A servant walked in and bowed to him slightly.

"Forgive me, my lord, but here are the requests for the orders," the man said. Baelish waved him over, and the servant approached. Placing the papers on the desk, Baelish gave them a cursory examination. Seeing that they were requesting new wine, silk, and incense, he signed them quickly, putting his mockingbird seal on them. Handing them back to the servant, he waved the man away without a second glance. "Good night, my lord," the slave said, closing the door softly behind him. Baelish raised his head and glanced in the direction the servant had gone. He frowned slightly, and went back to his papers.

Sansa was already in bed by the time Loki returned to the portis satis tuto. He went straight to his study, and placed the merchandise orders on the desk. He grinned at them. To the eyes of Petyr Baelish, he had signed something he was used to signing. But, when Loki waved his hand, all ink, except for Baelish's signatures, reformed into something completely different. They were now titles and deeds. One document legally transferred the rights and property of all his pleasure houses to Ser Loki Frostborn. Another stated that Harrenhal (which Joffrey had made Petyr Baelish lord of not too long ago) was now his land and title. The final document was a renouncement of any and all other possessions, endowments, and entitlements in any event of disgrace or death. That covered any other knighthoods he might receive while in Joffrey's service. Loki snickered and put the letters away in his desk. "Thank you, Baelish. It was a pleasure doing business with you."