King's Landing, the Red Keep, the Small Council Chamber.
The majestic seat belonging to the King was, as usual, empty.
Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, sat at the head of the long table. His gaze swept over every high lord present as he announced:
"His Grace has gone hunting in the Kingswood and will be absent from this meeting. We shall begin today's session."
The lords exchanged knowing glances.
King Robert's absence from the Small Council was the norm. If he were to suddenly appear here one day, that would be the true surprise.
"Ahem..." Grand Maester Pycelle cleared his throat and tidied the scrolls brought by ravens from all over the realm. His snow-white beard, which hung down to his chest, trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Regarding the conflict between the Reach and Dorne...
"Following the issuance of the royal decree, Highgarden and Sunspear have begun to restrain their bannermen and are disbanding their levies.
"The instigators of this dispute, Earl Paxter Redwyne and Ser Arthur Snow, the Sword of the Morning, are both on their way to King's Landing in response to the summons."
Jon Arryn asked, "My Lords, what are your thoughts?"
Renly Baratheon toyed with his silver wine cup, a smile on his lips. "I suspect my brother only ran off to hunt in the Kingswood because no one dared disobey the King's command, leaving him with no place to swing his warhammer."
"Lord Renly always hits the mark." Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin, chuckled softly.
"It is precisely because of His Grace's valor and renown that this dispute was quelled so easily. If Highgarden and Sunspear had truly gone to war, the realm would not only bleed but also spend vast amounts of gold."
The two exchanged a few more witty remarks until they were interrupted by Stannis Baratheon's cold expression and the increasingly loud grinding of his teeth.
Jon Arryn raised a hand to signal for silence. "This matter is not over, my Lords. The conflict has merely been temporarily shelved, not resolved.
"We must deal with the two parties involved properly to completely quell this dispute."
"We should thoroughly investigate whether the accusations against Paxter Redwyne and Arthur Snow are true," Stannis said, his cold voice like an iron sword scraping against stone.
"Then punish them for their crimes according to the laws of the realm."
"As Grand Maester, I must offer loyal counsel to the realm." Pycelle patted his round belly with one hand and stroked his long beard with the other.
"For common criminals, it is indeed right to punish them according to the laws to show justice. However, when it involves disputes between major lords of the Seven Kingdoms, we should offer appropriate leniency and mediation. Only then can the realm enjoy long-term peace and stability."
"Everyone knows that the Reach and Dorne have been fighting since ancient times. Mediation will be difficult," Petyr Baelish said, putting away his smile. His slender fingers gently twisted his neatly trimmed goatee.
"In a dispute, one side represents justice, and the other must be evil. We must help the side of justice uphold fairness."
"Oh?" Varys asked in his soft, powdery voice, wearing the sycophantic smile characteristic of a eunuch. "Lord Petyr, which side do you believe is just?"
Petyr didn't answer directly but sighed.
"As the Master of Coin, I am responsible for the realm's treasury. I trust everyone knows the treasury is heavily in debt. I worry about it day and night.
"Part of the realm's revenue comes from wine tariffs, and Arbor vintages account for a large portion of that.
"Furthermore, the taxes collected annually from the port of Oldtown and the tributes paid by Highgarden are vital sources of income for the Crown.
"Dorne, however... since their integration into the Seven Kingdoms, they have decided for themselves how much tax to pay to the Iron Throne. The Red Keep only conducts informal supervision, and there are certainly no wine tariffs to speak of."
"Even Lord Petyr worries about gold?" Renly teased, his smile undiminished.
"Everyone says Lord Petyr has the ability to rub two gold dragons together and produce a third."
"Lord Renly flatters me." Petyr rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in front of everyone, then opened his empty palm.
"Everyone focuses on my ability to conjure a third dragon, but they forget that without the first two, even if I rubbed my fingers until sparks flew, I couldn't produce a third."
Jon Arryn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Petyr Baelish, whom he had personally promoted to replace Gyles Rosby as Master of Coin, made a valid point.
The treasury was deep in debt, and the taxes from the Reach were a crucial component of the royal income... but honor compelled him to judge both sides impartially.
Still, it was worth hearing which way the Small Council members leaned.
He knew Stannis's character—he would act according to the law. Renly had always been close to the Tyrells of Highgarden; recently, Jon had even heard some unsavory rumors about Renly and the Knight of Flowers, Loras.
Petyr had just made his stance clear.
That left the Master of Whisperers and the Grand Maester. Their positions were still unclear.
Thinking this, Jon looked at the Master of Whisperers, who had spoken little since the meeting began. "Lord Varys, do you have any intelligence on Earl Paxter and Ser Arthur?"
"I do, my Lord," Varys replied hastily in his soft voice.
"According to my little birds, a few days before the attack on Ser Arthur Snow's lands, half of the Redwyne Fleet's warships left port, their destination unknown.
"At the same time, Lord Paxter's cousin, Ser Desmond Redwyne, also disappeared."
Petyr frowned at the eunuch, suspicion flashing in his eyes. "And what of Ser Arthur Snow's side?"
The intelligence revealed by the eunuch clearly favored Arthur Snow. He didn't understand why the eunuch would side with Snow. Weighing the Reach against Starfall, it was obvious which side to choose.
Could this eunuch have uncovered some intelligence I'm not aware of?
Varys continued, "Wildlings obviously aren't capable of capturing Ring or taking so many Reach lords prisoner. Those were all Ser Arthur's doing.
"However, as stated in the letter we received previously, learning that his lands were invaded and vital property burned, his retaliation is somewhat understandable...
He paused. "Besides that, what's more interesting is that Ser Arthur has completely mastered the wildling tribes of the Red Mountains in the Torrentine valley. He has even begun building septs in the mountains to spread the Faith of the Seven.
"House Blackmont, located in the upper Torrentine, now obeys his commands as well."
Jon Arryn turned his gaze to the last council member who hadn't stated his position. "Grand Maester Pycelle, what are your thoughts on these two?"
"Er... well..." Pycelle hunched over, looking suddenly much older.
"Bastards are products of lust and lies, but the title 'Sword of the Morning' has been passed down since the Dawn Age. I am unsure, my Lords.
"I think we should wait until both parties arrive at the Red Keep and question them face-to-face before passing judgment."