Game of Thrones Iron Stark

Tony noticed the difference the moment he saw Sansa and Arya again.

They moved differently now. Stronger. The training had put real muscle on both of them, even under their dresses.

At dinner they sat on either side of him. Ned took the head of the table. Catelyn sat across from Tony. Servants brought thick barley and venison soup, a cool salad of beets with crushed nuts, spinach and plum, then honey-garlic snails. After that came fresh river trout baked in clay.

Sweet bread, pigeon pie, cinnamon-roasted apples, and lemon cake dusted with sugar followed. Catelyn ate the sweets without hesitation. She had given Ned enough children that she no longer cared about her figure.

Sansa and Arya ate fast. They had training later and weren't wasting time.

Ned watched Tony over his cup.

"How's the dragonglass mining going?"

Tony set down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth.

"On schedule, Uncle. And we got a nice surprise."

Ned raised an eyebrow. So did everyone else.

Tony nodded to Victor. The big man pulled a round shield from a case and set it on the table.

Arya grabbed it first. "This is a shield? With dragonglass set into it?"

"Exactly," Tony said. "Dragonglass and vibranium. Even Valyrian steel won't cut through it."

Ned leaned forward, interested now.

"You're serious?"

"Dead serious. The seven stars on the front match the shape of the Big Dipper. That's why I'm calling it the Seven-Star Shield. Or the Shield of the Seven, if you prefer."

Arya ran her fingers over the rough black stones. "The stars in the sky move. So this is the northern constellation. The maesters say the Seven came from the heavens, right?"

Tony smiled. "See? You're already thinking like a maester. Shireen is working toward the same thing."

Sansa looked confused. "How do you know all that?"

"Ask me again when you've got your chain," Tony said.

Ned stood and wiped his hands. "Jory. Bring Ice."

The captain of the guard handed over the great Valyrian sword. Ned looked at Victor.

"Show me what this shield can really do."

Victor stepped behind the shield without a word. Ned swung Ice in a hard, two-handed cut.

The impact rang like a bell. Victor didn't move an inch. Ned staggered back two full steps and hit the wall. Ice vibrated in his hands. So did his arms.

"Seven hells," Ned muttered. He stared at the shield, then at Tony. "Valyrian steel couldn't touch it. That's the vibranium?"

"That's it. And there's a whole mountain of the stuff under Dragonstone. I want it."

Ned's face tightened. "That's Stannis's seat. He's an honest man. Robert's own brother. Don't get any clever ideas."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm not planning to rob him, Uncle. Relax."

Ned studied his nephew for a long moment. Tony had changed fast. Too fast. Three big sellsword companies already operating across the Narrow Sea. Mark's Company. Shield Company. Avengers Company. Fifteen thousand men between them. Not Golden Company size, but dangerous all the same.

Ned had started by wanting Tony to help Robb as a maester. Now he wasn't sure what Tony wanted. The Iron Throne? Power?

Tony was laughing at something Arya said, easy and relaxed. Ned let the thought go. For now.

"Tony," he asked quietly. "Who are you giving that shield to?"

Tony met his eyes.

"Robert's picking an heir soon. You already know, don't you? Joffrey… or Myrcella?"

---

Joffrey hid in a quiet corner of the Red Keep and cried like a child.

"My throne," he sobbed. "My throne. Father and Mother… are they really going to throw me away for Myrcella?"

A soft bird call answered him. The sound of a mockingbird.

A man in a dark cloak stepped out of the shadows. His face stayed hidden.

"Your Grace," the man said smoothly. "Why don't we work together? We can take this world. Stand at the very top of the pile."

Joffrey wiped his face and looked up. "You. Lord Baelish. What are you doing here?"

Baelish smiled under the hood. "I have eyes everywhere in this city. I even know what Varys had for breakfast this morning. Wine or soup. Doesn't matter."

He took another step closer.

"We share the same problem, Prince. The same enemies. Let's help each other."

Joffrey thought of Myrcella. Of Ned Stark. Of the way everyone suddenly looked at his sister like she was the future.

He nodded once.

Baelish's voice dropped lower. "Robert's greatest strength right now is the North. And the North follows Eddard Stark. Remove him and the North becomes a pack of wolves fighting over scraps. That's when we move."

Joffrey's eyes narrowed. "And how do I take the throne?"

"You need a teacher," Baelish said. "Someone who understands how the game is really played. I'm offering."

Joffrey didn't answer right away. He studied the man in the dark cloak.

"What do you want out of this?"

Baelish chuckled softly. "I want to climb. That's all. Only chaos lets a man climb higher than he was born."

Joffrey wiped the last tears from his face. When he spoke, his voice was cold.

"Climbing high is dangerous. It gets lonely up there."