Loki: Storm of Swords

Chapter 32 - Investigations Underway

The journey to the Midlands of Westeros was tedious and without much excitement to speak of. People came out to greet them and went out of their way to please the Hand of the Queen and his company wherever they stayed. The inns and lesser houses offered them all the comforts they could, up to and including their wives and daughters for their pleasure. Loki initial reaction was instant disgust when a young girl entered his chamber at night and began to strip her clothes off. Loki sent her away and summoned the lord of the castle to his room. "Send me an innocent girl again, and I will remove your precious jewels and make you eat them! How dare you assume that I will betray my wife's love?!" Loki bellowed, his voice ringing throughout the entire keep. Jon had sent his woman away as well, but when he heard Loki's outburst, he had to laugh. Loki was speaking for the both of them. After that, nobody attempted to lure the two noble lords with fleshly pleasures. Money was offered instead, and Loki almost destroyed an entire household.

"Mortals are incredibly stupid," Loki stated as he sat at the head of a long, wooden table, in the great hall of House Umber. Jon was sitting next to him, and Bronn was standing behind him. The Stark men were behind them, their hands on their sword hilts, their expressions blank. Jon tilted his head to give Loki a raised eyebrow. Bronn smirked a little and coughed.

"I am mortal. Bronn is mortal," Jon pointed out.

"Yes, well, Bronn is a special kind of stupid," Loki admitted with a wink.

"You sound like my missus," Bronn said as he cracked his neck.

"Oh, you're married now?" Loki posed, glancing over his shoulder at his manservant. Bronn shrugged.

"Might as well be with the way she nags me," he answered. 

 "I nag you," Loki reminded.

Bronn nodded his head before he said, "Aye, well... you pay me." Loki snickered but they stopped talking as Lord Umber and several other nobles entered the room.

"Please be seated. We have much to discuss," Loki informed them with a wave of his hand. The lords all sat down, their nervousness apparent. Loki knew he inspired fear in the hearts and minds of all. The Queen of Westeros did not just send her Hand out willy nilly. She would only send him out for a reason. Everyone knew that Loki had only shown his face during the war whenever he needed to. Otherwise, he was behind the scenes, in the shadows. Revealing himself like this meant that something important had happened. Loki smirked and his fingers tapped together. "Gentlemen, my queen has voiced some concerns to me. The most recent of these concerns is the fact that the entire rebel force that attempted to kill her and her family. The force was under the command of the former Ser Lancel Lannister," Loki said and watched as each man reacted to these words. The range of disbelief, horror, and confusion was wonderful. Except for the expression on the face of Lord Umber. Loki's hard, green eyes focused on him, and that was when he decided that he was the pressure point he would use. 

"The Lannister curse must be ended! We will send men-at-arms to aid our queen in dealing with this crisis!" one lower noble cried out before Jon waved his hand and silenced them. 

"That is not the reason why we have come! Our queen sent the Hand and myself here to investigate. They had to have been sheltered and supplied before they made their journey south. We didn't receive a raven; no warning whatsoever was given of their approach. How is that possible?" Jon asked. All the lords became very quiet. The hall was so quiet, it was very easy to hear Bronn spit into a nearby brazier. Loki rolled his eyes dramatically at this, while Jon had to contain his smirk. 

"What are you driving at?" one of the lords asked. Loki heaved a tired sigh and stood up, splaying his fingers out on the surface of the table.

"Her majesty is afraid that one, several, or all of you, had a hand in harboring and abetting these rebels. Now... if I'm not mistaken... treason is a very serious offense," Loki hinted with a wicked smile on his face. Blood drained from all their faces, and even a couple of men stood and started to make their way to the door. Loki waved his hand and the doors were sealed closed. A few guards attempted to get in, but Loki whispered, "Sleep." Silence prevailed and Loki grinned and said, "Sit." The thumping from everyone sitting down simultaneously was loud. "Good boys," Loki said mischievously, and began to walk around the table. Jon maintained his position in his chair, and Bronn carefully rested his hands on his sword hilt. "I am the God of Lies and Mischief, gentlemen. You all remember the rumors pertaining to me that took place during the war? You all know how I treat men who cross me. Crossing the queen is crossing me, and I don't like to be crossed." Loki was standing behind two lords, and he gripped their shoulders. Bronn leaned forward so that he was closer to Jon.