Chapter 43: Tower of the Hand (Conclusion)
Chapter 43: Tower of the Hand (Conclusion)
A schemer doesn't like another schemer.
Glyn did not want to accept.
Lord Jon Arryn was resolute in his desire for Glyn to leave King's Landing.
It was now mid-September of 297 AC in Westeros. According to the original plot, there was still about half a year until Lord Jon Arryn's exit from the stage.
If he delayed things reasonably, could Glyn drag it out until then?
One could say that Glyn's perfectly good plan had been ruined by Petyr Baelish.
Glyn had kept Petyr alive for two important reasons.
The first reason was that Glyn needed Petyr to conspire with Lady Lysa Arryn to bring about Lord Jon Arryn's end.
The second reason was that Petyr's petty actions had forced Glyn to confront Lord Jon Arryn prematurely. Glyn had restrained his killing intent so that Petyr would be the one to solve the trouble he had stirred up. This would minimize the cost, which was precisely Glyn's motive for "visiting" Petyr that day.
A man as shrewd as Petyr would know what to do next to best serve his own interests.
Would Petyr secretly plot revenge against Glyn afterward? Glyn would not be a passive player, waiting for someone to make a move before he parried and struck back in a series of exchanges.
That was not Glyn's nature. Whether Petyr's actions were intentional or not, the moment he crossed Glyn—a man as unyielding as an iron plate—he was already on Glyn's kill list.
After Lord Jon Arryn was out of the picture, assuming no major changes, Glyn would not be foolish enough to let Petyr live to see the new year.
The reason for this prerequisite was that one of Glyn's feet was already in the game of thrones. In the game of thrones, there are no permanent enemies. A player of the game must always be flexible.
…
To be ennobled as the Protector of the Peninsula would naturally be excellent, but Glyn and Lord Jon Arryn were not of equal standing. A transaction between unequals could never be fair.
Glyn did not even want to hear the details of Lord Jon Arryn's deal.
Glyn shook his head, his tone sincere. "I am very grateful for your high regard, my lord. But to hold the title, one must first bear its weight. My abilities are not yet worthy of the name Protector."
Lord Jon Arryn was suddenly reminded of his youth, when Robert Baratheon had told him about a very slippery, hard-to-catch fish in the Stormlands. What was its name again…
Lord Jon Arryn pulled his thoughts back from his memories and spoke, "Perhaps once you complete the task I have for you, you will be worthy of the title Protector."
The helplessness born from Lord Jon Arryn's pressure was unbearable for Glyn.
Glyn forcefully suppressed the killing intent that flashed through his heart.
Glyn felt that, compared to the outwardly amiable Lord Jon Arryn, the outwardly domineering Queen Cersei was actually quite endearing.
At this moment, Glyn particularly missed his boss, Cersei.
…
Glyn deliberately wore a conflicted expression and said listlessly, "My lord, so long as it does not violate the honor of House Clegane, I will hear you out."
Lord Jon Arryn did not like Glyn. The task he planned to assign him would surely not be something everyone would be happy about. Glyn left himself some leeway in his reply.
*You're weak, yet you have the gall to speak to me of a noble's honor?* In Lord Jon Arryn's view, Glyn, with his history of crime, possessed no honor.
After a moment's pause, Lord Jon Arryn spoke. "You know that two young dragons of House Targaryen survived, do you not?"
After speaking, Lord Jon Arryn stared at Glyn without blinking.
Glyn first shook his head subconsciously, then his pupils dilated and contracted sharply.
After a moment of silence, Glyn sighed. "Lord Jon, the war is long over. A victor has already been decided."
Lord Jon Arryn spoke with the stubbornness of an old man, "As long as the dragon's bloodline…"
The perceptive Glyn suddenly sensed the prying eyes of a third party.
Glyn abruptly rose from his chair. "Forgive my rudeness, my lord, but is there a third person in this study?"
Lord Jon Arryn, who had been about to reprimand Glyn for the interruption, also realized something was amiss. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
Glyn nodded, took a few steps to a corner of the study's back wall, raised his hand, and knocked on it a few times with the back of his hand.
Although he could not hear any difference, Glyn said with certainty, "It's roughly this position. I suddenly felt the presence of a third person."
Glyn had no reason to play such a joke on him. Lord Jon Arryn rose shakily to his feet and called out, "Guards!"
The moment Lord Jon Arryn's voice fell, the study door banged open, and four Gold Cloaks entered in a hurry.
After entering, the Gold Cloaks drew their swords one after another and prepared to approach Glyn.
Lord Jon Arryn waved his hand. "Go check the wall by the young baron. Inspect it carefully."
Glyn stepped aside, letting the four Gold Cloaks tap and knock against the wall.
They inspected it for quite some time. Just as Lord Jon Arryn was about to lose his patience, one of the more observant Gold Cloaks pointed to a very inconspicuous spot and said, "My lord, the seam here isn't right."
Lord Jon Arryn glanced at the perfectly calm Glyn and gave a decisive order, "Go fetch hammers. I want this knocked open."
One of the Gold Cloaks left the study and returned with two large hammers.
Once they had the hammers, the Gold Cloaks swung them at the wall.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The heavy blows of the hammers kicked up a large cloud of dust.
With a crash, a large section of the wall fell inward.
As the dust settled, a narrow space was revealed.
After coughing for a moment, Lord Jon Arryn's expression turned ice-cold. "No wonder there are no secrets in the Red Keep."
Glyn felt it was time for him to leave. He turned to Lord Jon Arryn and said, "My lord, I will take my leave now."
Lord Jon Arryn's gaze did not leave the revealed hidden compartment; he simply nodded.
Just as Glyn was about to reach the study door, Lord Jon Arryn's voice came from behind him. "Young baron, you will be duly rewarded for what happened today."
Glyn had no choice but to stop, turn, and bow.
"Also, with your intelligence, you should have understood my meaning. I will give you one month. When the time comes, I want your precise answer."
…
Outside the main entrance of the Tower of the Hand.
The first thing Glyn saw as he walked out of the Tower of the Hand was a weary-looking Tyrion.
Behind Tyrion stood a group of fully-armed Lannister Redcloaks, about twenty in number.
Montun and Anguy immediately moved closer to Glyn.
Anguy said in a low voice, "My lord, they arrived right after you went in."
Hearing this, Glyn nodded slightly and walked towards Tyrion. "Good day, Lord Tyrion."
Tyrion squinted. He first gestured for the Lannister Redcloaks to leave before speaking. "You came out too early. What a pity. A little later, and you could have appreciated the ferocity of Knight Tyrion and the roar of the lion."
Glyn smiled faintly, lightly patting Tyrion's arm to express his gratitude.
Tyrion smirked. "You should be thanking Jaime. I can't command the Redcloaks. This was Jaime's arrangement."
Glyn smiled and said, "They both deserve thanks. Had I known the lion was outside, I would have given the old lord a couple of punches."
Tyrion let out a laugh. "I like your metaphor. It seems today's meeting went rather smoothly?"
Glyn shrugged. "I bought a little time."
Tyrion reached out and patted Glyn's thigh. "That's good news. We can take our time and think of a solution. The two cleverest minds in King's Landing are right here. Relax."
Tyrion then said with a grin, "My dear sister actually invited us to lunch together. I'm overwhelmed by the honor. This is all thanks to you. Your skills are extraordinary; you've served her very well, hehe."
Glyn: "..."
(end of chapter)