A Gentle Breeze | Jon Snow | Game of Thrones

Chapter Eighteen

"More wine?" Tyrion asked as Podrick, Tyrion's new squire poured more wine into Lord Janos' goblet. 

"Damn it, boy!" Janos yelled as Podrick accidentally spilled some. "Apologies, my lord." He said.

"Leave us Podrick. I believe we know how to pour our own wine." Tyrion ordered, and he left."That's your new squire?" Janos asked, seemingly ridiculing the boy, however tyrion was rather fond of the squire.

"I could've found you a proper lad." He boasted.

"Myself, I prefer the improper ones." tyrion said, taking a sip of his wine.

In that moment, Zephyr walked into the room as elegantly as ever, "My apologies, my lord, Uncle." And sat down opposite to Lord Janos at the table.

"No problem at all, my princess. It's an honour to be having dinner with you." Janos said, kiss-assy.  He then took a sip of his own wine,"mmh, It's a good red. Dornish?"

"You know your wines, my lord." Zephyr said, her kind features wearing a soft smile. "That I do."

Janos sighed, "A fine dinner, my lord, my princess."

"Call me Tyrion, please." Her uncle stated. "I'm sure you're getting used to fine dinners, now that you're a lord."

"Maybe I'll hire this cook of yours." Janos joked.

"Wars have been started for less." Zephyr said, laughing. This was going all according to plan.

"I heard there was some trouble in Lord Baelish's brothel the other night." Zephyr started as she and Tyrion shared a knowing look.

Cersei has been giving orders left, right and center to have all of King Robert's bastards killed, even the babes. Zephyr wondered how long it would take for her mother to order a kill  on her once all the known bastards were gone. This meant she couldn't stay in King's Landing for much longer. She'd have to run away soon, but she didn't quite know when yet or where she'd go.

Janos hummed, "Nasty business. Had to be done."

"Yes, of course." Tyrion agreed, "The city Watch must keep the peace."

"Only, we hadn't realized peace depended on killing babies." Zephyr said it as casual as a walk on a tuesday morning as she took a sip of her wine. "Orders are orders." Janos retorted, becoming defensive.

"Quite right, especially the Queen's orders." Tyrion shot back.

"I never said they were the Queen's orders." Janos said.

"No, but who else would want to kill my Father's bastards?" Zephyr spoke up, the soft smile on her kind features gone. There was nothing kind left. The naive, happy and stupidly positive the Kingdoms once knew was entire gone. She died along with King Robert, and her Kindness was gone once Ned Stark's head was too.

"She's always been a jealous woman." Tyrion commented and he toasted with his niece, both sipping their wines simultaniously. 

"You know your sister better than I do." Janos told Zephyr's uncle.

"You've heard the awful rumors about my brother and my sister?"

"I don't listen to filth." Janos quickly said, immediately growing uncomfortable with the situation.

"That's good of you, but you have heard them." Tyrion said "I suppose people who do believe that filth consider my wonderful niece or even Robert's bastards, if she were to pass away or - get murdered - to be better claimants to the throne than Cersei's children."

"Joffrey is my King. The rest doesn't interest me." Jonas said stubbornly.

"We appreciate your loyalty." Zephyr said as the lord drank his wine, "Tell me, when your men slaughtered Ned Stark's men in the throne room, did you give the order?"