Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 63: The Bastard and the Mercenary

"That whore is mixing with the mercenary captain from Myr!" King Robert slammed his fist down on the council table with a thunderous bang. Even though he was fat and crude, he was still the king. "Before long, that bitch will be popping out a litter of bastards who'll come across the Narrow Sea to take revenge on us! And that fool Viserys—am I making myself clear? I want them dead!"

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"It's just a girl and a mercenary captain's game, Robert. They're not even married yet," Jon Arryn said, his voice steady. He was old but still hale, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a hooked nose.

"Am I supposed to just sit and wait?" the king demanded. "It was because of you that I missed my chance to have them assassinated back then."

"What's the story with this mercenary captain?" Renly asked deliberately, dressed in green that made him look even more handsome and dashing.

"That mercenary king is related to you, my lord Renly!" Varys replied softly, twisting his powdered hands.

"That's just bizarre. Me and a mercenary captain across the Narrow Sea?"

"Varys, let me spell it out," Duke Jon said.

"Robert, that mercenary captain is most likely your bastard!" Duke Jon stated firmly. "His build, his past, his temperament, his battle frenzy, and his eyes and hair!"

"What a coincidence. Just as the mercenary king rose to power, an apprentice went missing from the blacksmith shop in King's Landing. Gendry, the son of a tavern wench, dark-haired and blue-eyed, a handsome young man with a lot of strength, was sent to be an apprentice by some bigwig! Until one day, the boy perhaps discovered some big secret and fled King's Landing," Varys said dramatically.

All eyes turned to the king, and the room fell silent. If the king's bastards were discovered by Cersei, they would be silenced forever.

"Scandal! This is an explosive scandal!"

"Wait, do I even have a son that big? Gendry?" King Robert was taken aback. He had no idea how many women he had slept with, let alone how many bastards he had fathered, and he didn't care about these children.

"Too many coincidences, and it's not a coincidence anymore, Robert," Duke Jon said. "It was probably in 283 AC, the year we won."

"It's your child, Robert! Back in 279 AC, when you were seventeen and living in the Vale with Eddard, you had your first child!"

"So you're saying it could be?" King Robert thought for a moment but couldn't make sense of it. He had sown his wild oats everywhere—Storm's End, King's Landing, the Vale, the Westerlands—but he never paid attention to these children, except for his first bastard daughter, Mya.

"By the Seven, I can't just bring this boy back from across the Narrow Sea to see if he's my bastard," the king said, his face turning red. "Even if he is my bastard, he's already mixed up with the dragon's spawn and is a traitor to House Baratheon."

"This is getting bizarre. My brother's bastard, the last of the Targaryens, and if you add the Golden Company, the remnants of the Blackfyre rebellion—this is like a restoration alliance!" Renly laughed.

"Enough!" Stannis said sharply, glaring at Robert. The king's bastard had caused big trouble. "We have to face their threat head-on. As the saying goes, bastards are the children of lust and lies, growing faster than others, with blood that runs wild and treacherous. Myr is just across the sea, and that big fleet will bring the Targaryen remnants back sooner or later!"

The lesson of the Blackfyre Rebellion was right in front of them. It seemed that the Baratheons might also face a threat of a bastard rebellion, especially mixed up with the remnants of the Targaryens.

"I can't wait for them to set foot on our shore and leave these troubles for Joffrey! And who knows how many loyalists are waiting for the dragon's return?" King Robert cursed. "By the way, keep this from Cersei for now. I don't like that stupid woman chattering away all the time. She's so annoying."

Duke Jon looked at the generous king, wanting to say something but holding back. Stannis had told him a secret that kept him awake at night.

"Should we attack them?" Stannis emphasized. He had no intention of sending troops for now. The source of chaos was in King's Landing, inside the Red Keep. "We do have a fleet, but it needs time to be ready, and I can't lead it myself. Killing my kin is a big sin!"

Varys smiled slyly. "If sacrificing one person can save millions, then one person's welfare is nothing compared to millions."

Lord Renly added, "Viserys and his sister should have been killed long ago, but you listened to Duke Jon."

"But Daenerys and Robert's child are just kids! They're probably not even sixteen or seventeen yet. It's immoral!" Duke Jon said.

"We have to kill all the Targaryens!" the king roared.

"Kill them!" Lord Renly added.

"We have no choice," Varys murmured. "What a pity."

Duke Jon felt outnumbered. Maybe it was time to call in someone, Eddard.

"Your Grace, fighting on the battlefield is honorable. But murdering children is not. Besides, one of them is your son. Even if he's a bastard, it raises suspicion. Please forgive me, but I support Duke Jon's approach," Ser Barristan declared.

Grand Maester Pycelle cleared his throat for several minutes. "My order is dedicated to the welfare of the realm, not just the ruler. I served King Aerys loyally, just as I serve King Robert now, so I have no ill will toward his daughter. But let me ask you—how many soldiers will die in the wilderness if war breaks out? How many villages will be burned? How many children will be torn from their mothers' arms and killed by swords?" He twirled his long white beard, looking weary and compassionate.

"If killing Daenerys could save thousands of lives, wouldn't that be wiser, even kinder?"

"Kinder," Varys said. "Oh, Grand Maester, well said. Indeed, if the gods in heaven slip up and give Daenerys Targaryen a son, a legitimate child of Baratheon and Targaryen blood, then the kingdom will be doomed to bloodshed."

Littlefinger spoke last, but in a different tone. "My lords, perhaps words can be sharper than swords! I can take my silver tongue across the Narrow Sea, and maybe my words can bring that wayward child back with Daenerys and her brother!"

"Bring Daenerys back," Ser Barristan said, looking at Littlefinger.

"With gold, with rewards, with titles. See if young Gendry is willing to come back," Littlefinger cleared his throat.

"You're thinking too simply!" Lord Renly scoffed. "Gendry has Myr and the Disputed Lands, Daenerys' claim, and if he gets the Golden Company's support, he'll have the power to cause us real trouble. What do you have to offer him, a piece of land, some gold?"

"It's worth a try, Lord Renly! Your nephew might just be confused, and I'll win him over with smiles and gifts!" Littlefinger said firmly. "If my plan fails, then we can prepare poison and assassins. The key is, what gifts do we offer?"

"Gold, a castle!" Robert's face turned red. "I won't make him part of the royal family, and I won't negotiate with a traitor! No matter what, I am his father!"