Critical Decisions and Optimal Results

Aegon Was Seated At The Nearby Table, Even As Arianne, Tyene, and Nymeria Slept Contentedly In His Bed. Sleep Had Overcame Them Quickly, After Such A Thorough Bedding. He'd Since Called Varys To His Chambers, and The Spider Sat Beside His King. "Your Thoughts?" Asks Aegon. "Sansa Stark's A Sweet But Naive Girl, Given Time She Could Become The Greatest Player In The Game Of Thrones, Margaery Tyrell Is Beautiful, Ambitious, and An Adept Political Genius." Says Varys. "And Myrcella?" Asks Aegon. "My Little Birds Are Still Searching For Robert's Bastards, But So Far It Seems That Your Suspicions Are Unwarranted." Says Varys. "That's A Relief, Varys, What Of Lord Connington? His Illness Gets Worse By The Day, We May Need To Have Someone Else Serve As Hand Until He Recovers." Says Aegon. "The Old Griffin Is A Strong Man Your Grace, But Your Right, We Should Appoint An Acting Hand Until He Recovers." Says Varys. "Let's See How A Wolf Likes It, Summon Lord Eddard and His Family Currently In The City To The Keep, Along With The Other Would-Be Queens and Their Families Present, As Well As Lord Connington." Says Aegon. "Right Away Your Grace." Says Varys.

Aegon Sat On The Iron Throne, Arianne Stood Beside Him As Did Lord Connington. "Thank You All For Coming, I Summoned You All To Make A Special Announcement. Lord Connington, Until Such A Time As Your Illness Has Passed, You Are Commanded To Temporarily Vacate Your Position As Hand, and Spend Your Days In The Care Of The Septa's and Septons At Baelor's Sept. Therefore We Shall Be Required To Name An Acting Hand Of The King, As Well As A New Master Of Ships Following The Execution Of Our Previous Lord Admiral." Says Aegon As He Holds Arianne's Hand. "Lord Eddard Stark, My Husband-To-Be and I Would Name You Acting Hand Of The King, Do You Accept?" Asks Arianne. "My Lady, My King, I Am Deeply Honored, However I Detest The Political Games and Conspiracies Of The South, and Am Therefore Ill-Suited To Being The King's Hand In Any Capacity." Says Eddard. "It's Precisely For Those Reasons I've Chosen You Lord Eddard, Princess Arianne and I Believe You To Capable Enough To Overrule Any Political Nonsense With Your Northern Grit and Innate Strength Of Will." Says Aegon. "Then, I Must Accept Your Grace's Offer." Says Eddard,

"As For The Post Of Master Of Ships, We Would Like To Formally Offer The Post To Lord Paxter Redwyne." Says Aegon. "It'd Be An Honor and A Pleasure Your Grace." Says Lord Paxter. "Very Good My Lord, Now, Onto The Matter Of The Unfilled Crown, Egg?" Says Arianne, To Which Every Maiden In Earshot Perks Up. "After Careful Deliberation, We Have Decided To Request.......Lady Myrcella Baratheon Become Our Second Queen." Says Aegon, Noting How Every Maiden Other Than Myrcella Is Disappointed, Save Perhaps Lady Margaery, Who Seems Even More Determined For Some Reason, Aegon Makes A Mental Note To Keep Tabs On Margaery. Aegon Smiles and Briefly and Ever So Slightly Winks At Cersei, Hinting That She Was The Prime Influence In The Decision.

Connington Clearly Didn't Like Being Relieved Of His Duties, But At The End Of The Day, Aegon Was Within His Rights To Command That He Step Down Until His Illness Had Passed. What Aegon Hadn't Counted On, Was That The Very Next Day, The Old Griffin Died. Of All The Shitty Luck!!!!!!! A Funeral Was To Be Held, and He Was To Be Returned To Griffin's Roost For Burial. As Far As The Hand As A Position Was Concerned, Aegon Decided To Ask Lord Eddard To Retain It As The Fully Involved Hand, and To Also Take His Son Bran As His Own Personal Squire. Rhaenys Would Be Sent North To Wed Robb Stark, and No Amount Of Seduction Or Complaints Would Change That. Naturally The Marriage Of A Targaryen Princess To House Stark's Heir Apparent Significantly Raised House Stark's Political Profile and Their Own Status In The Southern Politics. Aegon Himself Was More Interested In Arianne, Nym, Tye, and Myrcella and Her Mother. Aegon Had "Suggested" To Lord Tywin His Son and Heir Ser Jamie Could Serve As Myrcella's Sworn Shield At Court Until The Royal Wedding, and Potentially Sit On The Small Council In Order To Better Prepare Him For The Role As Lord Of Casterly Rock.

The Lord Commander Of The Kingsguard Was Traditionally The King's Advisor On Martial Matters and His Personal Bodyguard, But Aegon Personally Favoured Ser Arthur, The Man Had Long Been His Sworn Shield and Personal Guard. Aegon Was Inclined To Have Ser Barristan Step Down As Lord-Commander In Order For Ser Arthur To Take Over, But The Old Knight Had More Experience Than Any Other Knight On The Kingsguard, So In That Particular Light, Aegon Was More Inclined In Keeping Ser Barristan As Lord Commander Of The Kingsguard. But More To The Point Aegon Felt A General, A Man Who Had Led Men, Faced The Odds and Survived, Was Best Served To Become His War Leader, His Master Of War. While Ser Jamie Had No Particular Wartime Experience, He Did Have The Skills and Reputation To Capably Lead The Royal Army, But Therein Lied The Problem, Because The Targaryen's Were Long The Royal House, They Had No Standing Army, Rebellion Was A Afterthought Until The Baratheon Rebellion and Later The Greyjoy One.

After The Greyjoy's Revolted, Aegon's Late Father, King Rhaegar, Began To Slowly Build Up A Standing Army, But The **** That Said Army Currently Was Was Not Much Better Than A Conscripted Levie. No, Aegon Would Not Stand For This, Such A Poorly Manned and Poorly Equipped Army Was No Army At All, At Best A Token Defence. Jamie Lannister, Knight Of The Realm, Former Kingsguard, The Kingslayer, Heir To Casterly Rock, That Is The Man Aegon Wanted To Run His Royal Army, To Outfit It, To Man It, To Build It Up From The Very Ashes Of The Old. From Now On, Every Noble Great House Would Be Required To Give A Standing Quota Of One Hundred Men Each Year For As Long As The Corresponding Three Winters Lasted To The Royal Army. Ser Jamie Would Command The Royal Army As His War Master, Or More Accurately Master Of War, He'd Lead The Army, Train Them, and Everything In Between.

Aegon Stood Before Jon Connington's Corpse, Alynne Waas Crying For Her Husband, and Aegon Held Her As She Did. Aegon's Eyes Vacantly Looked At Jon's Corpse, They Showed No Emotion, Even As A Single Tear Fell From His Eye. "Alynne, A Griffin Doesn't Cry, She Remains Strong." Says Aegon Gently. "What's To Become Of Me? Of The Roost?" Asks Alynne. "I've Spoken To Stannis, You Will Be Wed To Renly Baratheon, That Way The Roost Remains Yours. The Wedding Will Take Place When You Chose, Not When It's Deemed Warranted Or Convenient, But We Will Honor His Memory and His Life." Says Aegon As He Kisses Alynne's Forehead. Alynne Leaves and Arianne and Myrcella Approach Aegon. "Egg, Are You Alright?" Asks Arianne. "No, I'm Not, How Could I Be?" Asks Aegon. "I'm Sorry, I Know How Important He Was To You, To Your Father." Says Arianne. "Thank's Ari." Says Aegon As He Leaves The Sept Of Baelor and Finds Lord Stark Waiting For Him.

"Lord Stark, Has Ser Jamie Arrived Yet?" Asks Aegon. "No, Your Grace, But There's Been News, News You Won't Like." Says Stark. "Tell Me Now, I'd Rather Not Delay The Inevitable Bad News." Says Aegon As He Braces For Whatever Could Be Worse Than The **** Of Jon Connington. "House Blackfyre Has Returned, We Caught A Would Be Assassin Trying To Get Inside The Red Keep, and Upon Interrogation Revealed He'd Been Paid By A Pentoshi Magister Named Mopatis To Kill The Royal Family." Says Ned Stark. "How Did One Mercenary Get Inside The Castle?" Asks Aegon. "He Told Us and Your Really Not Gonna Like It Your Grace...." Says Stark and It Suddenly Dawns On Aegon Who Got The Merc Inside The Red Keep.