Chapter 37

I returned to the Red Keep in a hurry after that change, eager to see how quickly the news of the new Lord Reaper, Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, reached King’s Landing. Of course, people would assume that it had nothing to do with me, because after all, how quickly could I have traveled to Pyke and back? Surely, not even I, the mysterious Knight Inquisitor, Master of Laws, and Lord Commander of the City Watch, could possibly have flown like a raven to a distant holdfast on a salty rock from the capital of all Westeros, let alone a round trip!

I was met by Ser Jeffary first, of course, who smiled rather suspiciously, unsure of where I had been, though never guessing the truth for the aforementioned reasons. He clapped me on the shoulder and followed me into the White Sword Tower, where King Jaime wanted to confer with me for some reason. One could only guess as to his purpose, but I had my suspicions. If I was correct, I would soon need a new deputy in the City Watch, but I would have a man in the Kingsguard. My man, no less, connected to me by the sharing of blood.

“Greetings, Lord Waters, Ser Jeffary. I regret the necessity of stealing a Gold Cloak, but think of it as an exchange of cloaks. The Gold for the White. Ser Jeffary, I ask that you take the same oath of fealty to me that I once took to a different King. Though admittedly, I hope for a very different level of fulfillment of said oath. Then again, I have no plans to burn anyone with wildfire. I already have a rebellion on my hands. I don’t need that kind of trouble.

“In any case, we need two new Kingsguard, and frankly, we need a new Lord Commander. That last part can’t be you. It must go to the most senior surviving White Cloak instead. Ser Boros Blount, in fact, who is standing here with us. The other spot will likely go to one of the many Frey grandsons or bastards, whichever Lord Walder wishes to give us. He will be happy enough to be rid of them.

“This much, however, we can do. We can and will make you, Ser Jeffary, a Knight of the Kingsguard. First, however, you must choose a surname and take your oath of fealty to me as your King. Bend the knee, boy,” King Jaime rambled a little as he finished writing out the rest of his own page in the Book of Brothers.

No doubt, his entry read, “ascended the Iron Throne upon the death of his nephew, King Tommen Baratheon, as nearest kinsman.” Of course, the Kingsguard vows were supposed to be for life, but the dismissal of Ser Barristan Selmy had set a precedent for it to be possible to end short of death. That was to say nothing of the fact that other vows of the Kingsguard had been frequently broken, particularly the one about chastity.

As if reading my mind, King Jaime coughed, “please repeat the vows of the Kingsguard, and try to do better at keeping them than did your King when he was himself a White Cloak.”

Ser Jeffary, answering, said, “I take the surname of Stalwart, for I shall endeavor to prove thus to my King.

“I swear to ward the king with all my strength, to give my blood for his.

I swear to obey His commands and keep His secrets.

I swear to defend His honor and serve at His pleasure.

I will never flee, nor falter in my duty.

I shall take no wife, hold no lands, and father no children.

I pledge to His Grace my life and honor, until the day that I die.”

“Arise now, Ser Jeffary Stalwart of the Kingsguard. May you live up to said name. Since you will take no wife and father no children, you shall surely be the last as well as the first of your house. Take your place in the Kingsguard and receive your White Cloak, as well as seeing your name entered into the Book of Brothers. Hand over your Gold Cloak, as you will have no further need of it,” King Jaime approved his first ever White Cloak, personally sworn to him.

I naturally feared that Ser Jeffary would indeed be loyal to King Jaime first, given his vows, but then I recalled the hold that I had over the man. My blood still coursed through his veins. My vampire blood, no less. My vixens were all abed by now, but I stood there in the light of day, due to my ring, the Ring of Amara. One way or another, I would bring the Kingslayer down. I swore it to myself then and there. I simply had to find the time and place for it.

“Well, I don’t suppose that you’ve heard the news yet, but here it is. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater has seized the Salt Throne with seven hundred sellswords and slaughtered both Lord Balon Greyjoy and his brother Euron Greyjoy. He has assumed the titles of Lord of Pyke and Lord Reaper of the Iron Islands. I doubt that he’ll last, but he might surprise us all. It does raise some interesting questions, of course,” I now informed Jaime, Ser Boros, and Ser Jeffary, as well as Lord Randyll Tarly, who just arrived in his capacity as Hand of the King and Master of War.