The Provenance || Jon Snow | Game of Thrones

1.05

Laughter pounding from his chest, Tyrion leans over to pick up the letter from the ground before pocketing it in his thick cloak. Eyes resounding upward, Jeor Mormont sends him a look of suspicion, but Tyrion shakes it off, certainly humoured as he remarks, "Looks like our friend finally found time to write."

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Gabrielle Baelish's skirts brush the dirty stones of King's Landing, swaying with her evident hips in the brown cloth, much the color of the city. But it's not a sight focused on--or even thought of--by Ned Stark as he walks with Petyr Baelish--the smirking Master of Coin--further into the bowels of the capital. Of course, the man notices the strange looks being sent their way and attention the female is receiving, but his mind still focuses intently on where they are going. When he'd agreed to follow Lord Baelish and his daughter on a quest for his wife, he'd somewhat assumed she would not be in this squalor. And yet, here they are.

And it gets worse when Ned Stark finally realizes the destination--Baelish's whorehouse--the man shoving Littlefinger into the front wall and locking his hand about the man's neck. Gabrielle is first struck by the man's sudden--and unexpected--violence, Ned Stark not appearing to be a man of great anger like this, but she soon recovers and is shouting in horror, "Lord Stark!"

"I thought that she'd be safest in here. One of several such establishments I own," Petyr Baelish coughs his reasoning out, but ever the stubborn man, Ned Stark does not seem inclined to listen--only trust.

"You're a funny man. A very funny man."

Suddenly, a head appears from the window above, shouting "Ned!"

Gazing up to see his wife, Ned Stark quickly drops Petyr Baelish, the man stumbling back into the wall as the Hand of the King rushes into the house without his previous anger. Gabrielle moves towards her father, laying a hand on his arm as he finally locks eyes onto her, huffing in irritation, "The Starks...Quick tempers, slow minds."

Gabrielle giggles at him, perhaps restoring the grin to her father's face, before following after him and into the house of sin.

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As Jon Snow watches his 'brothers' leave the 'armory' of Castle Black, he cannot quite find himself as hesitant to leave this place after their quick attempt at bullying him. And yet, the boy is not stupid enough to say as much to the Lannister dwarf who now watches him carefully, eyes intelligent and cunning to great extent. Jon sighs wearily, as if the weight of the world is upon his shoulders, "Everybody knew what this place was and no one told me. No one but you. My father knew and left me to rot here at the Wall all the same."

"Grenn's father left him too...outside a farmhouse when he was three. Pyp was caught stealing a wheel of cheese. His little sister hadn't eaten in three days. He was given a choice: his right hand or the Wall," Tyrion remarks as an aside, though it's more to reiterate the point of Jon's great fortune to be born in the position he was. He continues, "I've been asking the Lord Commander about them. Fascinating stories."

"They hate me because I'm better than they are." It is obvious to Tyrion Lannister that Jon Snow is still immature in his worldly inexperience, having been locked away from the real people and not privileged to the lessons of his brothers.

"It's a lucky thing none of them were trained by a master-at-arms like your Ser Rodrik," Tyrion is more obvious in his criticism this time, the boy obviously needing it, "I don't imagine any of them have ever held a real sword before they came here." He lets the silence span between them for a mere moment--a beat--before handing Jon another letter, "Your brother Bran. He's woken up. And that letter from Gabrielle Baelish...might be important."