Bringing the Dawn

XX.

Catelyn Tully Stark

Kings Landing, 300AC

The capital was exactly as she had remembered it. When she stepped off the ship in the harbour with the towering red form of the Red Keep above her, the air stinking of stale piss and shit and perfume from people walking around to disguise their noses from the stench. Catelyn made sure that her auburn hair was covered with her black scarf, tying it tightly underneath her neck so none would escape, the rest of it braided and tied in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. It had been a very long time since she had last set foot in King's Landing, but nothing had changed other than how incredibly busy it was.

To think three hundred years ago all there was to this place was a singular fortress made of wood and brick. That fortress had been Aegon I base alongside Dragonstone as he planned his conquest across the remaining Kingdom's. Now, where that stood was a giant castle he had commissioned but did not live to see completed, the work being finished by his second son Maegor to Visenya. There were so many secrets to the seat, and no one alive knew about them. The third King of all the Kingdom's killing everyone who had worked on the castle so its secrets would remain hidden. Yet her little girl had found one of its many secrets, and a small pit of pride entered her at this.

Arya had always been an inquisitive child. Wild, but definitely inquisitive. Both her and Bran knew Winterfell inside out. For all she knows, they had found a way to enter the collapsed parts of the crypts below the castle. Her girls and husband were literally a few metres from her currently, but she couldn't see them right now. She is here solely to seek out Varys and to find out his intentions. Nerves were eating her up inside, bringing all her political knowledge to the forefront. This was going to be nothing shy of difficult. If she speaks a single word wrong she may potentially be the catalyst for everything.

She kept her hood down as she walked, already knowing that the man would know she was here. Nothing went past him, ever. Well, apart from one time, but he knew about that now. It was borderline hilarious that Eddard had managed to fool the Spider with the truth. And would've continued to do so had Jon not blurted it out at Castle Black where a brother spent a night with a whore in Mole's Town who happened to be one of his birds. No word had been sent from Robb in regards to it, but he didn't have much say in that matter as much as it bothered her. The brother's fate was now solely up to Jeor Mormont and whoever else ran the shots there. Knowing their vows, he was probably executed. Although she doubted Jon thought about that part yet.

Aye, it was true he was learning quickly and was proving to be a capable player. But a capable player isn't going to win the game. Catelyn stopped at some stalls along the way to get some food into her, not wanting to chance getting some in an inn considering she was very recognisable. Tully colouring was rare outside of her family, and there was no doubting she would stick out like a sore thumb. With this thought, she pulled her scarf around her head more, using it both as a disguise and as a way to ward off the beating sun above her. Heat was nothing new to her considering the Riverland's usually had decent weather, but it was nothing in comparison to the Crownland's. Right now, Jon would be heading towards Starfall, probably well on his way to Lannisport by now. At least he'd be getting a couple of thousand men behind him there considering there were people there who were in on it.

This angered her slightly, that Ned had made them aware of the truth more than a decade before she had been told. But perhaps they already did as they were involved in it all. Ashara being one of Elia's Ladies in Waiting and Arthur being a part of the Kingsguard her own cousin was the Lord Commander of. Well, technically Oswell had been her mother's cousin, but she still considered him as such. He'd taken the position when she was still a little girl and didn't remember him much. But the few memories she held of him were pleasant. It ate away at her that it may have been Ned who struck the killing blow on him. If it were a simple fight then there was no doubt he would have stepped aside and let someone else take him down as their marriage did make him related to the Knight, but it wasn't a simple fight.