A/N: Axel takes stock and then decides to do some investigating himself.
-x-X-x-
Flying high in the sky over King's Landing was rapidly becoming one of Axel Baratheon's favorite pastimes. Right up there alongside working extra hard to put babies in both of his Queens every night… and every morning… and sometimes after midday meals, if they were all feeling up to it.
A soft chuckle leaves Axel's throat, an easy smile on his lips as he gazes down at the city below and the lands surrounding it. It truly is a spectacular sight, made all the better by the accomplishments of the past several weeks.
First and foremost, he was officially married to Sansa Stark and Arianne Martell at long last. They were now Queens of the Seven Kingdoms, and he'd had a pair of ornate, more comfortable seats permanently set up in the throne room on either side of the Iron Throne so that they might sit with him while he held court whenever they liked.
On top of that, a representative of the Iron Bank had arrived just in time for the wedding and Axel and Stannis had come together to haggle with 'Lord Tycho' in order to settle the Crown's debts with the Iron Bank. In the end, it had taken about a quarter of Euron's treasure trove of Valyrian Steel to make things good with the foreign bank but that was a small price to pay for no longer having ANY of his father's debt hanging over his head.
He still had more Valyrian Steel than he really knew what to do with too. Which left the question of how to use the treasure trove. It might have seemed like giving a Valyrian Steel Sword to each of his Kingsguard would be a no brainer, but there was one problem with that… Meryn Trant. Axel was honestly tempted to just do away with the man, but he was a King, not a tyrant. And the Kingsguard were supposed to serve for life.
Instead, he'd figured out something of a middle ground. Rather than give his current Kingsguard Knights each a Valyrian Steel Sword, Axel had ultimately assigned a Valyrian Steel Sword to each of the seven positions in the Kingsguard. It was a minor distinction but nevertheless an incredibly important one, making it so that each blade was to be held by the position, not the men who inhabited them.
However, just because someone was named to the Kingsguard did not mean that they were automatically allowed to wield the Valyrian Steel Sword tied to their position. Instead, Axel had come up with several challenges designed to test the members of his Kingsguard in a number of different ways to ensure they were truly worthy of the right to wield Valyrian Steel.
Only once they passed every challenge he set before them were they allowed to wield their position's specific Valyrian Steel Sword. Otherwise, the blades would remain on the walls of the White Sword Tower, enshrined in their places until such time as they were earned by their potential wielders.
So far, three of his Kingsguard had passed all of their challenges, Ser Sandor and Lord Commander Arys among them. Three more were well on their way to earning the right to wield their own blades… and only a certain Meryn Trant was truly struggling to prove himself worthy. Exactly as it should be.
It was good, but at the same time Axel couldn't deny that it was strange having a surplus in the treasury for the first time since he'd become King. Not to mention a… mostly functional Small Council as well.
Stannis was serving well as Hand of the King, and Davos was still doing a perfectly competent job as Master of Ships. Such a good job, in fact, that Stannis had the Seaworth Family watching over Dragonstone for him, with Lord Davos splitting his time and the Royal Fleet between King's Landing and the island seat. At the same time, Lord Beric had taken up his position as Master of Laws and so far wasn't doing a half bad job either.
The new Master of Coin, Tyrion Lannister, meanwhile, had arrived in King's Landing just in time to attend Axel's wedding, and then by all accounts he'd gotten right to work. If the dwarf chafed under the scrutiny he was currently experiencing, he did a good job of hiding it. Indeed, so far he seemed to be doing quite well in his new position, even if everyone was watching him like a hawk.
Axel knew by now that Tyrion wasn't a bad man in spite of his deformities. But living in the shadow of all the damage Baelish had done would certainly be a struggle for him. Still, it was a struggle he'd chosen, ultimately. Axel had to respect that in the end.
Finally, there was the new Grandmaester, Marwyn the Mage. Axel's first encounter with Grandmaester Marwyn had been… interesting to say the least. The man wasn't anything like Pycelle had been. He was at least twenty years younger for one… but also, he felt less like a scholar and more like a brawler at first glance.
He had a thick neck and a strong jaw, along with enormous hands, a broad chest, and a hard belly. His nose had also clearly been broken more than once, and his hands had calluses on both the fingers and knuckles. If not for his short, squat figure, he could have probably been a knight… but alas, that apparently wasn't to be.
And then there was his personality…
-x-X-x-
"Well met, Axel Baratheon, The Unburnt, Kraken Slayer, Blessed of the Seven, and Avatar of the Warrior."
Marwyn had tilted his head to the side and smirked.
"Shall I go on?"
Axel had looked back at him with narrowed eyes, taking in the Grandmaester's mean looking mug for a long moment before snorting derisively.
"You're not what I was expecting of a Grandmaester. Nor an Archmaester, for that matter."
Smiling wickedly had revealed that Marwyn's teeth were stained a dull red for some reason.
"Heh. No, I suppose not, Your Grace. I had to call in quite a lot of favors to get this appointment. The Citadel doesn't like me very much, all told."
Surprised, Axel had tilted his head to the side.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Marwyn had just shaken his head in response.
"Same reason they don't like you very much, my King. Because they don't like things they can't understand or control."
That… Axel had grunted, eyes narrowing once more.
"Then why would they appoint you, exactly?"
Again, the Grandmaester had grinned.
"Like I said, I called in a lot of favors. I don't mind telling you that the Conclave, where they pick the new Grandmaester, is silent and anonymous voting. So all I had to do is go around to everyone who owed me something ahead of time and demand that they vote for me."
Axel blinked, while Marwyn's grin widened.
"None of them were willing to admit to one another that they owed me anything, see? But they also figured that I couldn't possibly have enough support anyways. So they didn't bother chatting with each other ahead of the vote either. They all figured they could repay me without their singular votes meaning too much. Heh. In the end, I won by a landslide… and the grey sheep are all too full of pride to nullify the results and hold another vote just yet. Might be that they get it into their heads to recall me eventually though. We'll just have to wait and see."
That had made Axel frown, even as he'd turned the Grandmaester's words over in his head.
"And why exactly did you spend all of your… favors on getting this appointment, Grandmaester?"
Leaning on his Valyrian Steel Rod, Marwyn had just chuckled.
"Simple, Your Grace. What you can do… there's nowhere I'd rather be right now than here in King's Landing, studying you."
Stiffening up at the time, Axel had growled in response.
"Is that right?"
Far from being intimidated though, Marwyn had shaken his head, still grinning rather madly.
"You needn't fret, Your Grace. I'll keep my distance. Watch from afar. Still, something tells me that you yourself don't know everything about what you can do. If you wished to run your own experiments with my help… well, you know where to find me. And better me than any of the other Archmaesters. I'm not likely to try and further test the limits of your immunity to poisons without your express permission, after all."
Now that had truly alarmed Axel. Not for his sake, but because the implication at hand was of something that could only be described as conspiracy. He'd stepped up to Marwyn then, not even to truly intimidate him, but rather to make it clear that he wasn't about to let the other man walk away without answers.
"Explain. Now."
The smile had dropped off the newly appointed Grandmaester's face and Marwyn had straightened up to his full height, even as that left him still having to crane his thick neck back to look Axel in the eye.
"All I can really say is this, Your Grace… the Citadel has been working towards their perfect representation of the world for a mighty long time now. And it's not a place where magic is allowed to hold sway. I would ask that you look back and really question… was every poisoning you experienced during your childhood REALLY the work of Cersei Lannister alone?"
That question had shocked Axel just long enough for Marwyn to mutter something about him 'being around to talk more later' before stomping away.
-x-X-x-
Needless to say, that encounter had been more unsettling than Axel had been fully willing to admit at the time. So much so that he hadn't spoken to the Grandmaester alone since.
He probably would eventually, if only because Marwyn was right that he didn't fully understand everything about himself and part of him DID want to learn more. However, for the moment at least, Axel would rather just take a moment to breathe.
Of course, he couldn't entirely rest easy. Not when the position of Master of Whispers remained vacant. Like he'd mentioned to Stannis, the Master of Whispers seat on the Small Council was not always filled. In fact, throughout the last three hundred years of history, the position had been vacant plenty of times.
… Then again, peace was never a guarantee. He'd thought they were at peace when Baelish bombed the Small Council Chambers and Euron Greyjoy declared war on the Seven Kingdoms. To be fair, that was then and this was now.
Axel didn't believe there was a single Lord in the entirety of Westeros who would dare to rebel against him anymore, not after everything he'd done. Especially not with the Faith and the smallfolk all but venerating him as a living god as well.
Any Lord who tried to start something at this point would be more likely to have their soldiers turn on them in order to appease Axel, rather than chance having to fight him. Especially after how badly blind loyalty had gone first for the Stormlands and the Reach during Renly's rebellion, and then for the Iron Islands during Euron's war.
But just because Axel was confident that no one in the Seven Kingdoms was likely to try anything… didn't mean there weren't those outside of the Seven Kingdoms who might try something.
Frowning now, Axel looks down at his city from where he's flying high above it. Then, he starts to descend towards the Red Keep. He might not have a Spymaster at the moment, but he could still make inquiries of his own, right?
It only takes a few words to have Thoros of Myr summoned before him. Axel considers doing it in the throne room at first but ultimately decides against it. Instead he just has the Red Priest brought to a small room for a private one-on-one chat.
Apparently, Thoros had been a drinking buddy of Axel's father once upon a time, so in recognition of that, Axel thought he would… be as gentle as he reasonable could be.
Although, as far as first impressions go, he has to admit that Thoros… doesn't leave a very good one. The man is fat, shaved bald, and wearing flapping red robes that are so old they're tattered and sewn back together in several places. The original red of the robes is also starting to fade out, leaving an almost pinkish shade instead.
Thoros looks downright nervous to be in Axel's presence as well, despite having quite the reputation as a fighter. Of course, to be fair, he's probably heard the same things that everyone else has by this point. Not to mention Axel's connections to the Faith of the Seven likely make him anxious, since he follows another religion entirely.
"A-Ah… Your Grace… you summoned me?"
Axel nods sharply before gesturing to the table… where a pitcher of wine and a pair of goblets rest.
"I did, yes. I had some questions for you, Thoros of Myr. Please, have a seat and feel free to pour yourself a drink."
As expected, the Red Priest's eyes light up at the offering. He's well known for his love of drinking. Apparently, it's just as strong as his love of fighting and women. It's not surprise that the rotund man quickly sits and pours himself a cup of wine before giving Axel an appreciative nod.
Axel is kind enough to let Thoros swallow his first gulp before asking his most pressing question.
"Tell me Thoros of Myr, has the Lord of Light talked of me in the fires? Has he ordered you to act against me or try to harm me in any way?"
Thoros freezes in place, choking on his own tongue for a moment since he doesn't currently have any wine in his mouth. Then, he shakes his head most vehemently.
"N-No Your Grace! Most definitely not! Why… what would make you ask such a thing?"
He watches the other man carefully for any sign of deceit for a moment… but he doesn't see anything. Smiling thinly, Axel hums.
"Never mind that. They say a Red Priestess travels with Daenerys Stormborn and that she helped the last Targaryen hatch the first dragons seen in decades. Have you exchanged any letters with this Red Priestess?"
Again, Thoros shakes his head.
"I-I have not… does this Red Priestess have a name, Your Grace?"
Axel frowns. Unfortunately, while he's sure that she does, he doesn't know it. Varys had never given him that. As well, Thoros once again seems to be telling the truth as far as he can tell.
"Never mind that as well. You've received no letters from her or any other members of your faith? And you've had no messages from your god about me, one way or the other?"
Swallowing nervously, Thoros shakes his head a third time.
"No, Your Grace. I have not. I… I am quite sure that R'hllor has no enmity with you either. After all, he is the God of Flame and Shadow and you are The Unburnt! Even if you follow the Seven, your trial with the wildfire should still mean something, even to those of us in the Red Priesthood!"
Huh. Axel really didn't get the sense that Thoros was trying to deceive him, or that he held any animosity towards him either. If there were schemes against his person, this man was not part of them. Honestly… what a relief.
Letting a broad smile spread across his face, Axel inclines his head towards the older man.
"Thank you for answering my questions, Red Priest. You make take the rest of the pitcher with you on your way out. Go with my blessing."
Thoros' eyes light up and he hurries to grab the pitcher from the table, bowing profusely and almost spilling it in the process.
"M-Many thanks, Your Grace! You are truly a King among Kings!"
Axel huffs in amusement at that, watching the other man all but flee the room. So that was Thoros of Myr. Hmph, a far cry from what his reputation as a brave madman with a flaming sword painted. Still, the conversation had been quite the enlightening one, as well as a relief. In just a few short minutes, he'd managed to ascertain that the Lord of Light seemingly had no designs on him in the same way the Drowned God did.
Heh, who needed a Master of Whispers, really? Axel Baratheon could just do it all himself!
-x-X-x-
He'd lied to the King. Oh fuck, he'd lied to the King. It doesn't really settle in until Thoros is already away from the Red Keep, drinking directly from the pitcher of wine he'd been allowed to take with him. But when it finally hits him, it hits hard, his hands shaking.
To be fair… he hadn't lied outright. No, rather… Thoros had simply told a few little lies by omission. Technically, everything that had come from his mouth HAD been the truth. After all, the King had simply asked if he had spoken to R'hllor about him, or if he'd exchanged correspondence with anyone over in Essos!
And the truth was he hadn't! On both counts! Mostly because, well… Thoros hadn't dared look in any flames since Robert Baratheon had died in that nasty wildfire explosion. He… he hadn't communed with R'hllor in many, many months now. Thoros had been avoiding it for quite some time, unable to even look at a torch without feeling a trembling fear start to overcome him.
Everyone thought he was some incredible warrior with more bravery than any other ten knights combined. But the truth was, Thoros… was a coward. It was all the drink, really. It was only when he got really, really drunk that he could fight with one of his many cheap swords set aflame by wildfire.
Except, even getting drunk hadn't given Thoros the confidence to use wildfire in quite some time. Not after what happened to Robert and his heirs… and then also what had happened to Axel and his Small Council.
There had also been a few letters from Essos that Thoros hadn't told the King about. But then, Axel had been very specific! He'd asked if Thoros had exchanged letters with a Red Priestess! Which he hadn't… because Thoros had thrown away every letter he'd received without reading them or even so much as opening them!
He was… he was a Red Priest in name only these days. And he had no desire to gaze into the flames or communicate with any of his fellows back over in Essos ever again, if he could help it.
So yes, he'd told the King a few lies by omission. But… it was probably fine. After all, who would be stupid enough to fuck with Axel Baratheon at this point, right?
-x-X-x-
A/N: Haha yeah, who indeed…
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