303Robert woke with one of the worst hangovers he'd ever experienced in his life.
Laying limp in bed with whores under each arm, the King stared blankly up at the ceiling. He had a very elaborate, drawn-out, and serious dream, which made him question whether it was even a dream in the first place. All his dreams were filled with wine, whores, battle… and sometimes the life he'd wanted with Lyanna. It was never this, something foreboding and terrifying.
With a grunt, he woke both the whores up. The women shot out of bed, quickly dressed, and bowed, before running out of the room. Which was the norm for any whore brought into the Red Keep for the King's pleasure.
But Robert had never been this displeased in his life.
-x-
"Father, you look like you're about to fall over."
Joffrey's voice made the King stare at his son with a scowl. Joffrey immediately looked down frowning.
"Our son isn't wrong. What happened to you?" Cersei's voice made Robert turn to her. There was no care or love in her tone, just mere boredom and the blandness of making an observation.
Which was the norm for Cersei when speaking to him.
Robert grunted and the conversation ended there. Cersei was not so caring as to push a conversation for his good.
The man's eyes went to his other two children… who were not acting themselves.
The usually bubbly Myrcella was despondent and the curious Tommen did not question any of them about anything. An odd change in both his children.
They almost looked traumatized.
Had something happened to them?... Had they seen something that changed them this much?
Flashes came to him, recollection of events from his dream, of Myrcella's death and Tommen being heckled by the crowd.
He blinked the dream away.
"Boy!" Robert grunted.
Joffrey jumped in his seat and turned to his father so quickly that Robert thought for a moment that the boy would snap his neck.
Cersei was staring curiously as well, with a hint of distrust in her gaze.
"That dagger I gave you, the one with the Dragnbone and Valyrian Steel. I need it."
Joffrey looked as if he'd been did not understand why, it was just a dagger.
"Robert, if you need a new dagger surely a new one could be made for you. There is no need to take away the one gift you gave your son" Cersei spoke, her tone an octave higher than the bland tone from before.
Ah, that would explain it.
"I don't want to take it away from him, woman" Robert snapped, making Myrcella and Tommen flinch. Joffrey only looked relieved. "I only need it for a while."
"Of course, father" All too happily the boy unstrapped the dagger from his waist and put it on the table.
Robert eyed the sheathed weapon, unease growing in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed it away and rolled his eyes.
"No weapons on the table, boy" he snapped.
Joffrey quickly strapped it to his waist again.
-x-
Two knocks on the door, a declaration of who he was, and Jaime Lannister stepped into the King's bed chambers.
But he was not the only one.
Jon Arryn entered with him, the older man looking a lot older than Robert remembered him to be.
Then again, it was not a surprise.
"You summoned us, your Grace?" Jon Arryn asked.
Robert raised a hand and motioned for them to wait.
It was silent for a moment in the bed chambers, Jon and Jaime sharing a look in confusion.
Then the entry to the secret passage shifted and opened, revealing Varys.
"Your grace" the eunuch bowed deep, "the passages are clear, we may speak our minds now."
"What is the meaning of this?" Jon Arryn questioned, eyeing the eunuch with ill ease. But Robert knew that Jon already knew what this was about.
"I thought I dreamt it Jon, but it happened" Robert started. He walked to his Hand and held the dagger out by the blade. "Everything we saw is very real."
Grimly Jon took the blade and stared at the blade… at the Valyrian Glyphs inscribed along it. He passed the dagger to Jaime, who looked at it with equal grimness.
"We must act quickly before they catch word of what I plan to do" Robert growled.
"And what is it you plan on doing?" Jon asked warily.
Rober's face grew grim.
"What must be done."
A moment of tense silence passed as Jon and Jaime stared at Robert. Varys stood to the side lost in his own world.
"Your Grace, do you remember the agreement we came to?" Jaime asked, his voice tight and maybe a little afraid.
Robert gave a stiff nod.
"Myrcella and Tommen will be spared, Cersei and Joffrey die."
The relief on Jaime's face was clear for all to see.
"Then I will confess to the crime" the man declared, handing the dagger back to Jon Arryn. "You will need proof, and I will be that proof. Not even my father can fight you on this if I confess to the crime."
"Your father is supposed to be dead" Robert pointed out, slight anger in his tone. "That was agreed upon."
"And he will be dead" Jaime assured his King. "Tyrion will see to it, my brother can handle that part. But we must act fast and on the chance that my father's death comes after the imprisonment and execution of Cersei and Joffrey, my confession will stay his hand."
That made sense to Robert, who nodded stiffly.
"If I may, your Grace" Varys spoke, making Robert jump a little. The eunuch had walked up to them so silently that Robert had not noticed it. "Perhaps it would be wiser to sentence Joffey to the Watch with Ser Jaime instead of killing him. You are sparing his siblings, and this show might paint you in a better color with the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms."
"I do not have the time to play politics and please every fucker that calls himself a Lord" Robert snapped.
"You do not, but that might be better" Jon Arryn interjected. "He may be a monster and down the line, he may show that he is a monster, but for now, the boy is simply a twisted and demented boy. Send him to the Watch to be whipped into shape and become an asset for that place. Gods know the Wall needs better swords than what they have at hand."
Robert had almost overlooked that part…
"Fien fine, I'll do it" the King sighed. "We need to send men to assess the state of the Wall and come up with a plan to empower them."
"Send them when I am taken to the Wall. Two birds, one stone" Jaime suggested and Robert nodded.
"We also need to take care of Littlefinger" The King eyed Jon carefully, who looked a little stiff but not much else could be guessed about his emotions.
"I can find things to incriminate him, your Grace… and should there be a need I can always plant things to incriminate him" Varys spoke.
Robert nodded stiffly. The way the Eunuch had said it… Robert held back a shudder.
"And Lysa? What about her? She was the one to kill Jon Arryn" Jaime questioned.
"I am yet alive" Jon reminded the knight simply, a slight edge in his tone. "Without Baelish Lysa will become less of a threat… and without Robyn…"
"She will kill you faster," Varys said softly. "It was your suggestion to have your son fostered at Casterly Rock that pushed your wife further into Littlefinger's clutches, my Lord Hand. It would be wiser to make sure she does not rise to become an issue."
Jon Arryn said nothing.
"We can discuss that later" Robert waved his hand. "Varys, make preparations for taking Baelish down. Jon, make arrangements to have the bitch arrested."
Robert looked at Jaime then, the man who had a resigned look in his eyes.
"Do not think that I will forget the favor you did us, King Slayer" Robert said, for the first time the title not an insult but a compliment. Jaime noticed that with a slight widening of his eyes. "But now, we must begin."
Varys bowed and left the bed chambers through the secret passage he came out of.
The guards outside were called and at Robert's command, Jaime was arrested. The Kingsguard did not put up a fight, much to the guards' surprise.
"Make sure that bitch is arrested before she can run, and make sure that the grey rat does not inform Tywin Lannister about this before we do."
Jon left with a nod.
Robbert fell back in the seat he had been occupying and let out a miserable sigh.
"I was not cut out for this" the man grumbled, pouring himself a chalice of wine. But just as he was about to touch it with his lips, he stopped. With a frustrated growl, he slammed it back down, spilling some of its contents on the table.