The Pearl of Driftmark

II Lucerys' P.O.V

King's Landing, Red Keep – 121 AC

Turning six namedays brought a mix of emotions for me. On one hand, I was ecstatic about the newfound freedoms and opportunities that came with growing older. Yet, with each passing year, I found myself increasingly constrained by the expectations and scrutiny of those around me. No longer could I easily slip away unnoticed to enact my darker schemes; every move I made was subject to greater scrutiny.

The look of surprise etched upon Larys's face in his final moments spoke volumes. He had underestimated me, just as so many others did. What he didn't realize until it was too late was that there was another warg in the Red Keep. Yes, I had reclaimed my warging abilities, even though, this time around, I had not a drop of Stark blood in my body. It was a gift from the Gods, which I will forever be grateful for. I have missed the deep connection I used to have with Ghost. While the connection between a dragon and its rider is a strong bond, the ability to share a mind and a soul with your bonded partner was on another level.

So, with my warging abilities back, I did not waste a second before honing them through clandestine training sessions with the castle's resident felines. With their help, I had become a silent observer, gathering information, and weaving my own intricate web of secrets. If someone would have once told me that I would end up becoming a quasi-Mistress of Whispers, I would have laughed on their faces. But desperate times call desperate measures. It was during this time that I discovered that the theories of Larys being a warg, though they were only theories in the history books from the North, were true.

Larys's demise was not merely a stroke of luck or happenstance. It was the culmination of careful planning and calculated manipulation. I had seen through his facade, witnessed the depths of his depravity as he wielded his influence over Queen Alicent to fulfill his disturbing feet fetish. The thought of such perversion disgusted me, and I knew that I could not stand idly by while he continued to prey upon others.

As expected from a man like Larys, he had already bonded with the rats of the keep. Not that it worried me, as rats could never dream of matching cats. Slowly, but steadily I sent my feline friends to hunt down Larys' little helpers and started diminishing his spy net. How he never realized that another warg was targeting him was surprising. You would expect him to be smarter, then again, he must have grown confident on himself by being one of the few people of First Men descendance on the South.

So, when the opportunity presented itself to orchestrate Larys's downfall and cast blame upon his supposed disability, I seized it without hesitation. It was a risk, to be sure, but one that I was willing to take in pursuit of justice. And as I watched the pieces fall into place, I felt a sense of satisfaction at the horrified look on his face when Larys saw the cat's eyes turned Velaryon-blue as it pushed him down the stairs to his death.

As I reflect on my actions, I cannot help but feel a twinge of remorse tugging at my conscience. What I have done may not sit well with the ideals of honor and chivalry, but in the game of thrones, such virtues often serve as little more than folly. There is a reason so many Starks had died south the Neck. But if I am to ensure the survival of Westeros in the face of the looming threat of the Others, I must be willing to go as far as needed... well, not as far as needed. There are always limits one should never cross and I will never allow myself to become someone like Joffrey Waters of Cersi Lannister.

Though, some choices are easier than others. Killing a rat like Larys? Easy! Now, the decision to thwart Robert Baratheon's birth... not so easy. What I did weighed heavily on me because it meant condemning an innocent soul to never be born. Royce, the only son Borros Baratheon would sire and the future Lord of the Storm's End, did nothing to me or my house. He bore no guilt for the sins of his future descendant, yet I knew that the consequences of Robert's rule would be dire for the realm. His recklessness and ambition would bring naught but chaos and suffering upon the land.