Maegor's Holdfast, Queen's Ballroom.
Queen Cersei sat at the head of the long table, with Jaime and the stewards seated on either side.
At first, Gryn had been somewhat interested, but as he listened, he couldn't help growing bored and letting his mind wander.
"At recent feasts, Summer Wine from Dorne has been appearing more often than Arbor wine."
"Yes, Summer Wine is becoming increasingly popular."
"Ladies in King's Landing now almost all own a Highgarden off-the-shoulder gown."
"Mm, Highgarden jewelry is popular with the ladies too."
"Indeed. I hear Lord Janos bought an entire chest of Highgarden jewelry to please his new lover."
[Lord Janos, whose full name was Janos Slynt, was the Lord Commander of the City Watch, also known as the Gold Cloaks.]
"Which poor girl is it this time? Can anyone stand that frog face of Janos's?"
"He looks like a wine barrel."
"Is Janos still extorting Gold Dragons from his men?"
"Of course. You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
"There's no helping it. He has King Robert's deep trust and commands six thousand Gold Cloaks."
"Those poor girls."
"He can only seduce bastards. What legitimate daughter would want the son of a butcher?"
"Not necessarily. I hear..."
"You said it yourself: you only heard it. So it's a rumor."
The stewards' discussion had veered into gossip, and Jaime gave a timely cough.
Gryn had revised his opinion of his colleagues somewhat. Listen closely, and there was quite a bit of useful information to be gleaned. They also doubled as the Queen's fashion advisers.
Jaime spoke up. "Let's continue our previous discussion. Her Grace has always taken the Iron Gate when traveling to the King's Landing hunt. This time, we must not change the route."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Since the stewards' meeting began, Queen Cersei spoke for the first time. "Why has everyone gone quiet? Are those commoners still spreading rumors?"
Lancel glanced around and said, "Following tradition will prevent a great deal of trouble. The rumors are spreading fast. If we rashly change the route out of the city, we'll play right into their hands and sully our Queen's reputation."
A satisfied smile curved Queen Cersei's lips. "Lancel, go on."
Lancel nodded and clenched his fist. "We have only eight days. I recommend punishing the rumor-mongers severely. Only when heads are rolling will people understand that our noble Queen must not be slandered."
From where Gryn sat, he could see that Lancel's leg was trembling slightly after he finished speaking.
Was he just trying to please Cersei? Or was this actually Cersei's own idea?
Jaime firmly disagreed. "There are nearly twenty thousand commoners in the Queens Quarter, Lancel. How many heads do you think we'd need to cut off before the rumors stopped? And how would we quell any riots that might result from the killings?"
Jaime's gaze was intimidating. Lancel didn't dare meet it and looked away.
Jaime and Lancel's reactions left Cersei unable to hide her disappointment and anger.
"Come to think of it, why is that filthy, stinking place called the Queens Quarter?"
"Exactly. It's one of the poorest districts in all of King's Landing."
Everyone present knew where the name Queens Quarter came from. They were only making conversation to ease the tense atmosphere.
Queen Cersei picked up the thread. "I asked a maester about it. Hah. One of Aegon the Conqueror's queens once drank a bowl of water offered by a commoner there."
"Oh, so that's how it got its name."
"How shameless of them. The Queen drank a bowl of water there, and they named the place the Queens Quarter. Aegon was with her at the time, wasn't he? Why not call it the Kings Quarter?"
"The precise truth doesn't matter. It's just that the name is easy for ill-intentioned people to exploit."
"Indeed. Disease is spreading in the Queens Quarter, but they've directed their accusations at our Queen. They actually claim that Her Grace's lack of mercy brought the disease."
"The hunting party... the Queen's carriage will certainly pass through the Queens Quarter. I'm afraid that could spark a riot, endangering Her Grace and damaging the Queen's standing in King's Landing."
"Something is bound to go wrong. These rumors came out of nowhere, and they're aimed directly at Her Grace's Kingswood Hunt."
Cersei tilted her head slightly toward Jaime. "Merciful Ser Jaime, do you have any good ideas?"
At Cersei's words, Jaime's brow furrowed. "According to the information I received today, the mood in the Queens Quarter is very bad. If blood is spilled... there's a strong chance of a widespread riot."
Cersei seemed to have lost patience and didn't want to hear any more excuses. She interrupted him. "Tell me the actual solution."
Jaime didn't seem bothered by Cersei's reaction. He smiled. "Throw them some Gold Dragons. It's the quickest way. A thousand or two should be enough."
A thousand or two Gold Dragons?!
Gryn, who had been quiet the whole time, perked up.
He noticed that Cersei was clearly tempted by the idea. A true Lannister.
Gryn decided it was time to step in—for the sake of Crabb's impoverished smallfolk.
He gave a light cough to draw attention, then stood and addressed Queen Cersei. "Your Grace, forgive my presumption, but I have a suggestion."
Cersei seemed to think highly of the newly arrived Lord Gryn. She nodded warmly and even gestured for him to speak while seated.
"Lord Jaime's suggestion is quite good, but I must remind you that you've overlooked their appetite the next time around—or the time after that."
Jaime gave Gryn a sidelong glance but said nothing.
Didn't everyone say Jaime had the spirit of a great knight? Why did it feel like he was always picking on me?
Gryn continued. "Actually, I agree with Lord Lancel's suggestion."
Lancel's eyes gleamed as he looked at Gryn, making Gryn shiver inwardly.
Hearing Gryn support Lancel's plan to cut off heads, Jaime's gaze grew intimidating once again.
Gryn shot Jaime a sidelong glance in imitation. "We also can't overlook the Queen's return journey after the Kingswood Hunt. Wouldn't she have to pass through the Queens Quarter a second time?"
Everyone nodded slightly.
"The rumors are the first problem. I actually think they're the easiest to solve."
Nobody mocked him. The others appropriately wore puzzled expressions.
"Since they're rumors, they already have a weakness. We can spread a bigger rumor to weaken or even erase the ones that are harmful to Her Grace."
The stewards mulled over Gryn's words, then let out cries of admiration.
Lancel's sparkling eyes seemed fixed on Gryn. "Ser Gryn, for example?"
Gryn smiled first, then gave Lancel a sidelong glance with his brown eyes. "A secret affair between King Robert and Lord Jon?"
After fifteen years of oppression, Gryn, who had proclaimed himself the Warden of Crackclaw Point, was sworn enemies with Lord Arryn.
Gryn winked after he finished speaking, and everyone immediately took his words the wrong way.
For a moment, the honorable Jaime thought of all sorts of things, as if trying to judge whether Gryn's words were true.
Jaime shook his head, casting aside the strange notions Gryn had led him to entertain.
And so did everyone else.
It was worth mentioning that targeting King Robert and Lord Jon in the Queen's Ballroom was politically correct, because it would make Queen Cersei happy.
"This is the first way to deal with the rumors. We can discuss exactly what rumor to use. I was just giving an example."
Oh! The stewards were eager to hear more.
Before you continue