court of lies | robert's rebellion

the bells

"What do you want from me?", Paxter asked dutifully.

Did Leyton had a plan or could he have fun?

"Go to Driftmark and make Jace pay for his own sins. I will send Arys to take care of Corlys. Velaryon brothers will meet their demises. In all this chaos, at leas this will give me some relief. Knowing that they have perished will be my greatest joy in a long time.", he said as if killing Jace would give life back to Garth and Atera. "Some pains will never end.", he turned his head away. "My son will always carry the memory and the pain of his lover in his heart. He loved him, I know that. We never talked but he is my son.", he pressed. "Of course I know what he felt. It did not fit to any book but it was love and it made my son more than happy and the pain will crush him down. Knowing Corlys will suffer in pain will give him something to hold onto. And my sister? My only sister, my beautiful baby sister?", he grimaced with disgust. "Jace had been spending borrowed breaths and nothing more. The only reason I didn't take his head all theose years ago was because I simply wanted to see how much deeper he could go. He dishonoured my sister, sullied her reputation, destroyed her friendships, I yearned to see her, hear her, read a word she wrote for more than a year because of him.", he spat. "In that year she spent at the Arbor, everyone thinks we quarreled because either of Rhea or Randyll but it was because of Jace, it always was because of him. As I said, there are some pains that will never end and there are betrayals that the heaviness of them will never pass.", he turned to Paxter. "Just like an ember that everybody thinks it has faded, they can get ablaze just like that and burn until there is nothing else. I will not sentence my own sister and son to this any longer, even in the expense of Baelor and Alerie, even in the expense of Malora. Revenge,", he declared. "is the answer of both. Garth can only move on, learn to live with the pain if he knows Corlys paid for it. Atera can only trust to people again if she knows those who betray her paid for it. My sister trusted you with this, so will I. Ride to the capital with the first lights, there is nothing else you can do it here."

"Atera is like the sister I never had th chance to have.", Paxter said with a small smile. "I will not let her down."

"I know that.", Leyton nodded. "She needs to do so as well."

"May I ask you a question before I leave?", he frowned and Leyton nodded.

"It was you, no?", Paxter sent him a knowing look. "Not Corlys nor Jace, but it was you, my lord, who is caused Lord Velaryon's death."

A shadow passed from Leyton's face. "Garth deals with a pain that will never end, Atera faces with betrayals that she will carry as a burden for eternity.", Paxter never seen him this dangerous before. "I have both.", he said with a dark tone. "And Lucerys Velaryon paid for it, now it is time for his sons."

*

282 AC, King's Landing

"My fellow master,", Varys called as he caught Corlys in one of the balconies, watching the sea with troubled eyes. They were not expecting him to return from Driftmark this easily. "allow me to place my condolences once more."

Corlys took an annoyed breath and turned to the man with a small smile he faked. "What is it you want, Varys?"

"We made an agreement, my lord.", he bowed dutifully. "We both had decided that Lord Lucerys, may he rest in peace, was not thinking well due to his old age and was on the verge of throwing his family legacy to the ashes and we took care of it and you have promised to agree me on some other matter when the time came."

"I was not expecting it to happen this soon.", he pointed out. "But I have no intentions to drag this out."

"I need you to make a rather long journey as you are the only one who can without drawing attention to yourself.", Varys explained with a small smile. "A cargo that you must deliver to our friends across the realm, to even things out."