novelraw Chapter 172: Someone to Protect (IV)
Chapter 172: Someone to Protect (IV)
Chapter 172: Someone to Protect (IV)
*****Forgive me for the delay, dear readers. I am currently working as an errand boy and the Christmas period is... simply hell.
I will try to publish a new chapter for Christmas and New Year. Once the war of Santa's assistants in the pay of Amazon is over, I will resume at the usual pace.
Happy Reading!
P.S. Tip for readers.... Never get too attached to the pets of the Asoiaf world.
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POV: Benfred Tallhart
Silk Road, Kings' District, near the mansion used to house House Lannister.
The morning after a Lady and Knight of the Riverlands met (Five hours before the start of the tournament)
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Dawn had recently broken. The fourth dawn in a row in which Benfred headed towards his pageboy duties. Towards the momentary abode of the cramped, fierce, and not sympathetic Old Lion.
At least, for that short stretch of road from Tallhart Manor to the Lannister Manor, besides the aromas of hot brioche and fresh spices hovering in the air, the boy could enjoy the company of his brother Duncan. Moments with his brother were becoming increasingly rare, and they would become even more so in the future...
Benfred didn't want to leave his home, his family and his twin sister. Even Maester Qyburn's boring lessons he would miss.
Soon, the boy would have to leave for Casterly Rock, to the unknown lands of Leo. While his sister, Eddara, would head with the Martell delegation to the Water Gardens. For as long as he could remember, Benfred and Eddara had never been apart from each other for more than a day...
The duo headed at a leisurely pace down the back road, well escorted by eight Tallhart's men and a lame dog, Bark, his faithful new best friend. So named for his shaggy brown coat that, when placed near an oak trunk, could blend in almost perfectly with the shrub.
"Duncan..." his brother turned to look at him, "Yes, brother?"
"Do I really have to go to Casterly Rock...? I don't want to be that man's page. Lord Tywin is not a good person. He is stiff, ruthless, opportunistic and haughty. And every time he looks at me, he makes me feel more like a bag of gold of his own than a human being." Said the ten-year-old, making his brother and the whole escort stop.
"Mh, mh... Ahaha! Yes, it's true; it is. But you forgot the adjectives 'Cunning' and 'Cold' in the description. Pff...Ahaha!" Replied his brother laughing to himself.
"Look at me being serious...! So? Do I really have to...? If you interceded on our father, I'm sure you could convince him-" Duncan interrupted.
"It was me who persuaded our father and mother to send you and Eddara to apprentice in the Westlands and Dorne, Benfred..." The younger brother was shocked, almost finding it hard to believe. Duncan had always been overprotective of the twins, almost competing with their mother. But, no... it had to be a lie.
"You are lying... You just want to take the blame from our father. Look, all of Torrhen's Square has heard the hysterical screams of our lady mother." After his father Helman and Duncan returned from their expedition to the Iron Islands, Torrhen's Square welcomed all the Tallhart heroes returning from the war with a feast. An evening of celebration was marred by a night of screaming and crying from the patronal chamber.
"I'm not lying... I'm the one who had one of the worst nights of my life that day. Did you not notice that Lady Myra did not speak to me for over a week?" Duncan replied.
"Y-you?! B-But, why? Why do you want to send us away?" Benfred asked, his breath short and his eyes beginning to grow moist. The boy started to feel betrayed and rejected by his landmark. Duncan reached out and placed his cold hands between his cheeks and neck, putting aside his playful grin.
"I don't want to send you away, Benfred. 'I must'... I am sure Maester Qyburn has explained to you the political importance of a protg among the various Houses of Westeros." Benfred nodded, straining to hold back his tears. Then his brother continued:
"House Tallhart, the North, indeed all of Westeros needs your contribution to keep the peace. Your and our sister's contribution will bring enormous benefits to the continent, and I am not speaking of mere 'Hostages'...
On the surface, Lord Tywin Lannister may be a harsh and unpleasant person, but he is also one of the best minds in Westeros. A Lord who has led his Household and all Seven Kingdoms to stability and greatness for years. I want you to stand by the man for as long as he serves. Serve him, obey orders, listen, observe, study, and learn from him as much as possible.
One day, Torrhen's Square will be yours. It will be up to you to safeguard the future of our House." So explained Duncan, throwing him a second shocking revelation, to say the least.
"No...! Torrhen's Square is up to you! You are the eldest son and heir of our father! I don't want-" Benfred's groans were interrupted a second time.
"I am travelling a different road, brother. A perilous road, full of pitfalls and uncertainties. And I am certainly not immune to death..." Benfred sobbed, and his brother added immediately: "Difficult to kill me and hard to die, yes... but not impossible. Moreover, it is very likely that one day, not too far from this, I will marry Dacey Mormont.
My place will be in Barrowton or Mormont Keep, and my sons and daughters will be the heirs of House Mormont. So, yes, it is almost a given that you may become the next Master of Torrhen's Square."
Then Duncan asked, 'But will you be worthy? Will you do what must be done to prove yourself worthy in taking on the destiny of hundreds of thousands of subjects? People who will call upon you in their time of need? Who will need a guide they can count on?"
Benfred faltered, answering on first instinct, "I... I don't know..." Duncan smiled, answering in turn, "a good answer." His brother withdrew his hands and stroked his head, tousling his neatly combed hair. "Nah! Stop! It took me half an hour to fix it!"
The dog's muzzle approached his struggling master, licking his hand. Benfred dodged the saliva-soaked rebuke.
"No! Good, Bark. Sit!... Sit!" The dog looked at him in confusion, then threw himself down on his stomach, waiting for cuddles. "No, Bark! I said sit! No scratching! And no chicken tonight!"
This time the dog reacted by standing back up and wagging his tail animatedly with his mouth open, waiting for the succulent reward.
"No, Bark! I didn't mean you'll get the chicken...! Phew... Forget it and follow me." "Woff! Woff!" replied the dog, starting to run around the group.
"I note with pleasure that the training is going well... Do you wish Bark to stay in my care while you stay at Casterly Rock? I am good with animals. When you return, you will have a real trained guard by your side..." Asked his monster brother as they resumed their journey.
"No! Bark stays with me! Don't you dare go near my dog!" Duncan laughed for a while and then said.
"Go on... Give it a try and guess." Insisted Tywin Lannister.
"I... I guess you ignored his pleas and had Desert Hare put down anyway, my Lord." So replied the boy with a hint of newfound determination.
"Wrong... I went along with my son's wishes.
I forced Jaime to watch the needless agony of that poor pony day after day...
It took nineteen long days before Jaime found the courage and the stomach to do 'in person' what had to be done." Then, the Great Lion tore away the boy's first veil of false bravado.
Now, the little master was afraid... Afraid of what Lord Tywin might command.
However, after a few seconds of caressing and glancing at his own animal, Benfred Tallhart enacted:
"Bark is my responsibility. A lesson my brother wanted me to learn... A burden that only "I" and no one else has the duty to carry." The boy forgot the appellation 'My Lord', but for this time, Tywin let it pass. The Great Lion's curiosity had just been piqued.
"And what lesson would the witty and wise 'Bloody Snow' like to convey to you by entrusting that worthless being...? I am all ears." The boy dodged yet another provocation from the Lion. Then, regaining composure and looking him straight in the eye, the page calmly replied:
"Ever since I can remember, I have been enchanted and envious of my brother's heroic deeds. I dreamed, and still dream that one day I might become worthy to stand by his side, to share in the same excitement as the most acclaimed Hero in all the North... To be part of history, to imagine that one day bards would also sing of me and my deeds and that somewhere in the world, there would be another child lover of stories and tales to hear them.
...Eight moons ago, after the foiled Ironborn invasion at Bear Island, my brother returned victorious and triumphant to Torrhen's Square. On the evening of the celebration, I asked Duncan what it felt like to take the life of a defeated enemy...
The answer came hours later when the manor was asleep in the middle of the night.
My brother woke me and dragged me forcefully from my room to the kennels. I remember every moment and every word that was spoken... Duncan grabbed a puppy aside in a corner, held a dagger in my hand and said:
["This is the reject of the litter. The beast has a malformed paw, his mother and brothers do not recognise him, and he will be of no use to Torrhen's Square. His fate is already sealed. Master Kennel will put him down tomorrow at first light... But I want you to do it."] I asked him why I would do such a despicable thing, and he replied:
["You asked me what it felt like to take the life of a defeated enemy. It's not something I can explain in words... you have to experience it for yourself."] Duncan continued to encourage me to kill the cub. I tearfully pleaded with him not to make me do it and to spare the creature... and so, my brother said:
["Many have died at my hands, Benfred... When I take life from another human being, however unexpected or conscious, however swift or slow it was, a moment before the end comes, the feeling I feel is what you are feeling now... It hurts. It is a dull but ever-present pain. The faces of the fallen, suffering and defeated, haunt me in my dreams almost every night.
That feeling of pain...that constant torment diminishes after each life taken. The day that it stops hurting will be the day that "the Hero of the North" becomes a monster to be put down."]
Duncan gave me a choice: to "do what had to be done" or "take responsibility",... And that I should learn an important lesson from it. Bark has always been my responsibility since that night, my Lord."
Tywin carefully scrutinised the acerbic, overly sensitive boy in silence, with no hair on his stomach but still some glimmer of potential, and asked:
"Why do you think your brother made you take on that dead weight over there?"
"That's it... I'm still not sure. I believe Duncan wanted me to understand the burden of taking or sparing a life... A choice that, sooner or later, every self-respecting Lord must make." The Great Lion nodded slightly, explaining in turn:
"Any lord might show mercy to a traitor or criminal, sparing his life under the sound of his tears and promises. A man on the verge of death is prepared to do or say whatever is necessary to survive, but when the threat of the blade or the slipknot is far away and out of sight, who will guarantee that that same man will not commit further rebellious acts or crimes against your House or the people you have sworn to safeguard?
To spare the life of a guilty man might cause the death of innocents... And at that point, you will be part of the guilt of those crimes yourself." The boy nodded, showing a hint of respect, and his eyes shot with anticipation for the verdict.
"... You may keep that beast for nineteen more days. 'But', after that time, if your animal does not prove perfectly trained or masterfully obedient to its master's wishes, you will be forced to do what must be done... 'In person' and in 'My Presence'." The boy trembled at the onerous ultimatum he had just issued. But the Great Lion was not yet finished:
"Until further notice, you will continue your usual assignments in the morning, and in the afternoon, until the sun goes down, you will join the field classes with the other squires... You will have to hone your 'Trainer-of-Useful-Dogs' skills in the spare time left to you, Page...
Now, you may have my breakfast served, have a hot bath prepared, bring my clothes, and inform Master Brice that I desire his services in precisely two hours." The scion of Torrhen's Square gnashed his teeth slightly and clenched his fists, but restraining the impulse of hostility, the page unwillingly spat out a: "It shall be done."
The boy turned with a jaunty bow towards the door of the solarium.
"Page...!" the infuriated ten-year-old boy turned at yet another call.
"It shall be done, 'My Lord'... From now on, whenever you forget to appeal to your Lord properly, you must pay the token of a thrashing. To receive or to give... Your choice." Tywin directed his gaze towards the dog.
"... Yes, 'My-Lord'. With your permission, 'My-Lord'." The boy replied, carefully articulating each word. Tywin granted the nod of dismissal.
"Let's go, Bark." The little beast obeyed the command and followed his master, the boy brimming with pent-up fury.
The Great Lion stood watching calmly and stone-faced as his furious and humiliated protg exited the solarium.
Left alone, Tywin prepared to take a rich sip of lukewarm water with fresh wedges of lemon. Still, before doing so, the Great Lion scrutinised the transparent contents of his golden cup, observing in detail a thin wedge of lemon shaped oddly like a shield.
The lion's lips arched slightly in a nostalgic arch, filled with distant memories of his childhood... When he, too, had been a page under the sour and pretentious tongue of King Aegon V and the annoying iron hand of his Sworn Shield...
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End Chapter.
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