Game Of Thrones... With A Twist

A Game of Thrones - Chapter 8

"Is there someone in your service whom you trust completely?" Baelish asked Ned. 

"Yes." Ned answered. 

"The wiser answer was no, my lord. Get a message to this paragon of yours – discreetly. Send him to question Ser Hugh. After that, you might want him to visit a certain armourer in the city. He lives in a large house at the top of the Street of Steel." Baelish informed Ned calmly as he stood before the Lord of Winterfell, bringing their walk to an end.

"Why?" Ned asked. 

"I have my observers, as I said, and it's possible that they saw Lord Arryn visit this armourer several times in the weeks before his death." Baelish informed the Stark of Winterfell.

Ned looked down somewhat as he reluctantly admitted, "Lord Baelish, perhaps I was wrong to distrust you."

"Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse." The Hummingbird of the Fingers disagreed before he walked away with that sly smile eternally on his face, leaving Ned with the information he had to act on... and the certainty that there were eyes watching him wherever he went in this snake-pit of a city.

<An hour later, Tourney Grounds, Outside King's Landing, The Crownlands...>

One Ser Hugh of the Vale, not a particularly bright young man, was busy counting the distance of the joust with his feet one by one. "... 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29..." 

"Ser Hugh?" A voice called, but the newly anointed knight only raised his hand as he continued counting, ignoring the Northerner completely.

"30, 31, 32..." "Ser Hugh!" Jory Cassel called louder with some irritation at being ignored, causing the somewhat lanky knight to turn around and finally give him his attention. 

"As you can see, I'm busy." The man who primarily wore blue snapped at the Norther captain of the Stark household guard.

"I'm here on behalf of Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King. I'm the captain of his guard." That certainly caught Ser Hugh's attention... but not in the way that Jory would have preferred.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name, Ser..." Ser Hugh trailed off. 

"No 'ser'. I'm not a knight." Jory said as he walked up to the man. 

"I see. Well, it just so happens that I am." The Valeman spoke smugly before continuing his count, much to the quickly wearing patience of Jory Cassel.

<An hour later, The Street of Steel, King's Landing, The Crownlands...>

"He said he'd be glad to talk to the Hand himself. He's a knight, you see." Jory informed Ned as both men rode on their steed within the crowded Street of Steel.

"Ah, a knight." Ned stated sarcastically. 

"They strut around like roosters down here. Even the ones who've never seen an arrow coming their way." Ned said with distaste to the Knights of Summer that were the southron knights.

Jory looked around warily before he spoke, "You shouldn't be out here, my lord. There's no telling who has eyes where." 

"Let them look." Ned said dismissively and fearlessly to the possibility, accepting it as a risk that he would just have to take.

Dismounting his horse, Lord Eddard Stark walked towards the residence of Tobho Mott, a blacksmith that had been trained in Qohor, who lived in the one of the largest houses in the Street of Steel.

<Minutes later, Tobho Mott's Shop, Street of Steel, King's Landing, The Crownlands...>

"The former Hand did call on me, my lord, several times. I regret to say he did no honor me with his patronage." The blacksmith answered Ned's queries.