Chapter 32: The Queen's Quarter under Glynn's Rule
Jaime speculated about the mastermind behind the scenes, suspecting everyone.
Jaime couldn't help but ask again, "Have you guessed who it is?"
Glynn would not tell Jaime the answer; revealing it would lead to significant trouble.
A "love-addled" Jaime would choose to attack someone directly. In that scenario, Glynn, who would be seen as the "instigator," might be forced to bind himself deeply to House Lannister for his own safety.
During this period, Glynn's direct reason for choosing Cersei was that she could bring him power and gold dragons.
King Robert's bullying tactics could wear down a spirited Lancel into a timid, sycophantic youth, but such methods had no effect on Cersei.
Her mindset was: "You can curse me, beat me, and insult me, but I, Cersei, will never fear you. I look down on you. Just give me a chance, and I will have my revenge."
Her inner ruthlessness and resilience were probably one of the few virtues Cersei possessed.
As long as King Robert and Lord Jon Arryn still sat in the Red Keep, Glynn Clegane, once a model vassal of the Targaryens, would always have to tread carefully.
He also had to worry that one day they might, on a whim, remember him, still small and weak as he was.
This weakness was Glynn's disadvantage, but also his advantage.
If Queen Cersei was willing to protect Glynn, the Red Keep would not directly offend the queen for the sake of a minor lord, because in their eyes, it was not worth it.
Moreover, the temperamental Queen Cersei might clash with them regardless of the cost, so it was truly not worth it.
This was precisely the narrow space where Glynn could survive and develop.
...
Jaime was Cersei's closest and most trusted person, and his goodwill could not be ignored.
Glynn originally thought that Jaime's goodwill could be indirectly influenced through Tyrion.
Judging by Jaime's attitude the first time they met, Glynn had to admit that his attempt at indirect influence had obviously failed.
In the future, his relationship with Tyrion could not be too close, because Cersei hated Tyrion to death.
Glynn was always patient; he had the patience and meticulousness to untangle these interpersonal relationships one by one.
Glynn was very clear: he wanted to board Queen Cersei's ship, not the ship of House Lannister.
...
Glynn rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "There's no evidence. So, everything is merely our suspicion, Ser Jaime. Unfounded suspicions will only create a situation where Her Grace the Queen is surrounded by enemies."
Jaime felt a helpless frustration. "You have a point. I have to act normal, or I'll be helping the enemy."
Glynn nodded in agreement. "Ser Jaime, you already know about the plot. As long as you keep your eyes open, catching the rats in the gutters is only a matter of time. Once a conspiracy is exposed, it's no longer a threat, provided you remain vigilant."
Jaime's face relaxed considerably. "You seem very good at uncovering conspiracies."
What kind of question was that? Glynn felt that he and Jaime were truly incompatible.
Glynn knew that Jaime disliked conspiracies by nature, so he relaxed slightly. But was Jaime now questioning the darkness of his character?
Glynn had actually misunderstood Jaime's true intention.
Jaime appreciated Glynn's sharp perception, but he also worried that the young man might become infatuated with conspiratorial methods because of his cleverness. Ser Jaime felt it was his duty to prevent the young man he admired from going astray.
The two of them were simply on different wavelengths, truly incompatible.
With great magnanimity, Glynn pretended not to understand Jaime's words. A faint smile touched his handsome face as he said, "Perhaps my upbringing forged me; I have a keen sense of danger. My mother told me that for the survival of our house, she had no choice but to flee our ancestral lands with me in her arms, a newborn. The journey was fraught with peril, but whenever danger approached, I would always be the first to cry out. She said I was more useful than a sentry."
Glynn smiled and shook his head. "A dozen years ago, if Lord Eddard of Winterfell hadn't spoken up for people like us, House Clegane might have already been destroyed."
As expected, he still had to go north to fight the dead... The deeply calculating Glynn took the opportunity to subtly inform Jaime of the debt House Clegane owed Lord Eddard.
...
After sending Jaime away, Glynn roused himself and got busy again.
The Queen's Quarter connected to the outside through five main passages. Glynn took fifty of the Lannister guards Jaime had brought and divided them into five teams of ten. They set up barricades, each team responsible for guarding one exit. That very day, under the pretext of preventing the spread of disease, the entire Queen's Quarter was sealed off.
The remaining Lannister guards and Clegane household soldiers were stationed at Glynn's command post, ready for his orders.
Once the lockdown was complete, Glynn, using the queen's name, began to systematically quarantine and treat those who had already fallen ill.
To ensure the sick would cooperate with his arrangements, Glynn provided free food and medical care to the patients within the quarantine zone.
The number of sick was smaller than Glynn had imagined, just over four hundred people, not even five hundred. Glynn added a zero to the number, claiming to the outside world that there were five thousand sick, intentionally creating panic in the Queen's Quarter.
Most of the healers in the Queen's Quarter were also gathered by Glynn into the quarantine zone.
Glynn simply had a bag of gold dragons tossed to them, and with the guards' longswords gleaming in their hands, the healers were quite cooperative.
Steward Leyton was primarily responsible for spreading the word. He was the one in charge of Glynn's efforts to create an atmosphere of panic.
Under Glynn's manipulative messaging, the residents of the Queen's Quarter were all terrified, with every man fearing for himself.
After these arrangements were made, Glynn successfully implemented a curfew beginning on the evening of the second day. After sunset, no one was allowed to move about within the Queen's Quarter.
...
The fifth day of the Queen's Quarter under Glynn's rule.
Glynn sat in the command post, his brow slightly furrowed, as if hesitating over something.
So far, two hundred people were confirmed to be criminals. It would be no injustice to any of them, no matter how they ended up here.
Glynn hesitated, wondering if killing so many at once would earn him titles like "the Butcher Baron" or "Lord Executioner" in the future.
Glynn suddenly chuckled. When faced with such a task, why was he worried about his reputation?
His hesitation was brief.
Let the heads roll. King's Landing would be his own domain sooner or later. Consider it an early benefit for its future citizens. Getting rid of these villains now would improve their lives all the sooner.
...
Under Glynn's direct management, a new Watch Office was established in the Queen's Quarter.
Glynn's captain of the guard, Foley, was appointed Chief Officer of the new Watch Office, and Steward Leyton was appointed its Chief Scribe.
The original fifty or so watchmen had already been brought under Glynn's control. Not one of them was innocent.
At the same time, one hundred new watchmen were recruited from within the Queen's Quarter and handed over to Foley and Leyton, restoring order and patrols to the district.
If this Watch Office were later recognized by the Red Keep, and Glynn's appointments remained unchanged, then the Queen's Quarter of King's Landing would effectively be under his control. Even if the new office wasn't recognized, Glynn saw no reason to regret it.
Glynn was currently using extraordinary measures, like the fear of disease, to suppress the entire Queen's Quarter. The effect was remarkable in the short term, but it was by no means a long-term strategy. If it went on for too long, there would be a backlash and chaos would erupt.
Glynn lacked the personnel and energy to cultivate deep roots in the Queen's Quarter. Gaining control of it would be a small, unexpected bonus.
Perhaps Glynn would only use the Queen's Quarter as a bargaining chip; everything else was still unknown.
(end of chapter)