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Chapter 40

The truth

Edmure POV

Kingslayer didn't look good, he was dirty, and his face was blue and black from the beating I gave him in the battle. Even though it wasn't the darkest cell in the dungeons, it wasn't a place suitable for someone of noble blood. It was a dirty dark cell, with only a bed and bucket.

"I could have won," It was the Kingslayer's first words to me.

"Maybe, but you have lost, so did your father."

"What happened to my father?" He asked with concern.

"He left you. He ran away from the North forces. He left you to die."

"It's a lie."

"Believe what you want, but you are here, and your father is at King's Landing."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"But I do," I told him.

Dismissing the guards, I was alone with the Kingslayer. Nobody could overhear us. I took the paper I had prepared beforehand, a pen, and ink, giving them to the Kingslayer. He looked puzzled about what I wanted him to do.

"Write your confession about your relationship with your sister and the true nature of the royal children."

"And why would I do something like that?" The Kingslayer asked.

"Don't you care about your children? You have lost. The Lannisters are all alone, with no one to rely upon. It is only a matter of time before we take the King's Landing."

"So, what does it matter to you that I would write the truth?"

"Now your children are considered royal, trueborn. For the future, I would have to kill them."

"They just children, innocent children."

"So were the Targaryen children. You know how that ended up."

"You wouldn't dare," He yelled in a fury.

"The things I would do for the love for my family, you can't even imagine. If I must, I will be crueler than your father. But I wouldn't have to do these things to them if they were just bastards. They would have no power, no influence, or blood to inherit a lordship. They would be just children."

"What would you do to them if I confess?"

"Little Myrcella would be married to some knight in some remote keep. Sweet Tommen would become ward to some lesser lord and serve him as his knight in the future. Joffrey would join you to the Wall. Think about it, write the truth and be a father just for a moment. Take care of your responsibility."

"Why do you care for the truth so much?"

"The truth is the most powerful weapon in the war fought with the lies. You already lost the battle. Help me in ending this war."

"His victory of your will be short-lived," He told me and threw the paper and pen back at me.

"There always will be a next one," I replied to him. "Think about it, think about your children, don't they deserve a better life? A better future? I will come back later for your answer."

With these words, I left and, on the way, ordered to double the guards on the Kingslayer. I ordered that he be watched day and night.

…

"The bastard is the heir to the Throne?" Arianne's reaction wasn't surprising after hearing the truth.

"As you see, all of it is written there."

"I am not blind, Edmure. He is Lyanna's son. The war, my cousins' deaths were his fault."

"No," I raised my voice. "He wasn't even born when your aunt and her children died. You know that too."

"Why don't you take the Throne? I know that you can do that."

"And make you the Queen? It would be best to hide your true intentions, dear."

"Well, I still have a lot to learn, but wouldn't you want me to be your Queen?" She smiled and got close to me, caressing my hair.

"Too bad, but I would love you the most if you stayed a princess, my princess," I smiled at her crumbling face. "Think about the future. I have no royal blood, and you little. Our children will always be questioned if they have the bloodline to hold the Throne. The Targaryen loyalist is still in hiding. They would always be torn to us. Now, if a Targaryen took the Throne, they would join us. We wouldn't need to worry about Daenerys Targaryen beyond the sea. We can live in peace."

"Are you afraid of a little girl? Her brother is dead. What is there to fear of her?"

"What of her children? They would always scheme and try to take what they think is rightfully theirs. Do you want Axel, Geralt, and Elia to be in danger all their lives?"

"Don't say it. I love my children as much as you do."

"Then help me, we don't need the Throne. We still are the most powerful couple in Westeros. Our children will rule Dorne and Riverlands. Who would dare to stand against us? Isn't that enough? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in the court, fearing the dagger in the dark. Fearing that someone might poison my children."

"I hate you for using our children like this. Fine, I will support him and make sure that neither my father nor uncle doesn't kill him. But if something would happen to him, I will sit on the Throne with you or without."

She didn't say anything about her cousins. I have to make sure that Jon doesn't get close to them. Well, that is the best I can get from her for now.

"That's all I am asking."

"How are you going to convince other lords to support him?"

"If I could convince you, I can convince anyone."

"Edmure, you need to be serious if we are doing this. You can't throw away everything you worked on for just a gamble."

"There is nothing much I can do. The boy will have to prove himself. All I can do is give him a push. I will tell how he is the only man that can sit on the Throne."

"The only man? Don't be foolish. Stannis is accomplished and has most right to sit on the Throne."

"Yes, so I will make sure that everyone else would think otherwise. I will make it sound that there is no other choice. You know me, I have my ways with words. And those who won't believe me, let's just say that Lannisters are desperate and have plenty of gold. Nobody would be surprised if assassins so to happen to kill my allies."

"I hope you are right, but never forget loyalties can change at any moment. You need to be careful."

"I will, my princess. We need information on Stannis and Renly, how many men they have, what are they planning."

"We need a new informant, dear," Arianne told me.

"New? The old has already died?" I asked.

"He asked for too much."

"Well, he died sooner than I thought. Are people are getting more foolish or something. He could have earned so much gold in this time of war. Did he say something before he died?"

"Yes, he had information on the secret dragon and his accomplices. He said that the dragon was working with a Kraken. With Viserys death, I don't think we need to worry about it."

A secret dragon and a Kraken? Was he talking about Balon Greyjoy? No, Varys shouldn't see any value in allying himself to someone like Balon. It is probably Euron. He is more dangerous than anyone else, and I don't know much about him to predict his actions. I will have to send some spies to the Golden company to see what they are doing.

…

My father was put on the funeral pyre boat. In some ways, I was shocked that he died so soon. He was always supportive of my actions. When I thought he would be skeptical and dismiss me and my ideas as youngsters foolishness, instead he would ask me further questions and support me.

I knew he would have supported me now too, and I could only regret not showing him, my love. Now I realized how much he meant for me in this moment of solemness. He was someone that I could rely on on the hardest of the days.

As Robb pushed the boat to the river, I took the bow with shaking hands. Lighting the arrow on fire, I aimed, letting go of my breath and steadying my hands. I let the arrow fly. It hit the boat, lighting it on fire, and I couldn't look at it, so I turned away.

Finding my sister, I held her hands. They were shaking more than mine. It was a truly hard time for her. I couldn't do much but be here for her.

"Edmure, the Lords are asking of meeting to discuss," Before uncle Brynden could finish his words, Cat interrupted him.

"Can't they wait? My father just died."

"Tell them that today they should rest. Everyone should drink, eat and drink more. The war will continue tomorrow."

…

The Kingslayer was sitting on the bed. I could see that he had not slept well for days. I deduced from the food left on the plate that he hadn't eaten much. Looking at his eyes, I saw that he didn't like seeing me.

"Time's up, Kingslayer," I told him. "I need for you to confess."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"You know I could have tortured you, but I didn't think it would work on someone like you."

"You would be right."

"You know what, I don't need your confession. I will kill everyone you ever know. I will kill Joffrey as he sits on the throne. I will push little Tommen out of the tower where he will be hiding. I will poison sweet Myrcella and strangle your sister. Your father will be hanged, and your brother will be beheaded. Your uncle and cousins will die by my sword one by one. And every time they look at me with terrified eyes, pleading for mercy, I will tell them that it was your fault. I will tell them that you refused to save them."

"You bastard, you wouldn't dare."

"Do you want to try me? Are you thinking of yourself as a hero, not telling the truth? No, you are nothing but a failure. You failed your duty and killed your king. You threw away your honor and slept with your sister. How many people have to die for you? Ten thousand, hundred thousand, half a million, before you feel guilty. You are nothing but a man who kills his king, a king he promised to protect. You are a failure, Kingslayer."

"I saved them," He yelled out and stood up. "I saved them all."

"Who did you save?"

"The people of the King's Landing. The mad king wanted to burn them all with wildfire, but I killed him before he could give the order. I did my duty to the people."

"And? Do you think of yourself as a heroic knight now? Lannisters have lost more than fifteen thousand men already. They all died for your lie. How many mothers have lost their sons, how many children won't be able to see their father, how many? And for what? Because you couldn't keep your cock in your pants. How many more will have to die for you?"

He didn't answer me and sat down on his bed. I could see his eyes shaking. He had a heart of a knight. At least he wanted to believe he had it. I only need to push him a bit more. If that doesn't work, then I will have to break him.

"Will you let your children pay for your mistakes, ser Jaime Lannister?" He again looked up at me. "Don't you want to start it all over? You can confess, and you be able to serve the Night's Watch. You will have a purpose once again. You can regain your honor. That is the only way. Tomorrow, before the lords of the North and Riverlands, tell the truth and let this war come to an end."

With those words, I left him be. I didn't have time to torture the truth out of him, and even if I did, who would trust a broken man's words. There would be too much doubt left behind.