Chapter 43

The Neck,
Just moments later...

“A raven from the Stormlands. The last Lannister men having yielded in Storm’s End to Lord Gendry Baratheon, Grey Worm has commenced a forced-march of the Unsullied toward our camp, with the Dothraki riding ahead and guarding his flanks. He has rewarded the bastard and his bride from the Westerlands who aided in the capture of the Mountain, per the bounty granted by Your Graces, and has convinced them to serve the realm in this war as well,” Varys informed each of them.

“What’s this bastard’s name, anyway?” Dany asked out of pure curiosity.

“Camren Hill, Your Grace. He is now wed to one Ashlyh Waters, evidently also a bastard, but from the Crownlands herself,” Varys answered, waiting to see if anyone drew the right conclusions now.

“That name ... not his, but hers, where have I heard it?” Tyrion stroked his beard as he thought aloud, “I believe that my brother, Jaime, would remember it.”

“Yes, I’m sure that he would,” Ser Jorah quipped, “speaking of things past ... my wife, Lady Lynesse Hightower, has left her paramour and seeks to be reconciled to me. She is now in the camp, in fact. I have, I admit, used her carnally, but can you blame me? I am not prepared to wed her again, however, and have decided to treat her as a concubine and bastard-born at that, with the name of Lynesse Flowers.”

“I cannot say that I am surprised. She seemed to regret leaving you, at least when I forced her to do her own walk of atonement in Oldtown. Mostly, though, I think that she wishes to benefit from your rise. Her loss, no doubt of that. Your other, nobler qualities, in spite of your flaws, those she does not seem to appreciate. Just take care. Do not let her drag you down, Ser Jorah. We need your head in this war, waging it with us,” Dany expressed her concerns along with some hope, however small, that Lynesse could ever reform her ways.

“Well, she made little attempt to hide her true motives, certainly not convincingly, at least. In any case, as to this fellow, his bride, and the Mountain, how best to use them all? Perhaps offer the man a knighthood should he fight for us against the Dead? According to this report, he claims to be of House Reyne, a bastard of their family. I didn’t know that any Reynes were left, bastard or not! Wasn’t that the point to the ‘Rains of Castamere’?” Ser Jorah agreed now.

“It’s also quite evident that the Mountain should be inducted into the Night’s Watch and forced to fight the Dead with his dying breath. Think what use we might make of him, and if he should betray us, well, he can still serve as dragon fodder. Though with Qyburn’s experiments, he could well be poisonous to even them. I don’t believe that my Queen here would appreciate that,” Jon was quick to amend his remarks about the Mountain for fear that he wouldn’t be safe dragon food.

“I have to say that the idea of a knighthood is good, but let me do the job ... in time. In the meantime, let’s have him serve as my squire. I’m a Lannister, the new head of my house. The new Warden of the West. He’s from the Westerlands, albeit as a bastard of House Reyne. As my own squire, he can earn his way to knighthood, sooner or later, and enter my service. I have a need of such a man,” Tyrion proposed, feeling more confident now that he knew that he would have the chance to procreate and continue the family line.

“That’s an excellent notion! A knight should, ideally, begin as a squire. I speak as a knight myself, of course. And you don’t have Podrick Payne anymore, after all. He now serves under Brienne of Tarth. This is a very good idea! His bride should be honored that her husband is a squire to the Hand of the King and Queen of Westeros! That is a noteworthy honor, isn’t it?” Ser Jorah agreed.

“Oh, here’s another raven ... with a message from King’s Landing. Ser Bronn has the liberty of naming Rendal the new King’s Justice and Raina the new Chief Gaoler. He has also made his own wife, Bernadette, the unofficial Mistress of Whispers. It’s good that he’s filling up the various gaps in our government, wouldn’t Your Graces say?” Varys added now.