King's Landing at Midnight

Chaos was a ladder. Petyr Baelish liked—or was good at—creating chaos and profiting from it.

Every time he caused chaos, Petyr managed to strengthen his own position.

What was his goal? Or was this just a move made on a whim?

Normally, when Lord Jon summoned Gryn, a descendant of the Dragon House's exemplary old retainers whom he had been suppressing, Gryn would surely panic and immediately seek help from Queen Cersei.

Queen Cersei had always resented Lord Jon's monopoly on power. Given her nature, she might even seize this as an opportunity to make a scene.

From Queen Cersei's perspective, it would be: "You dare lay a hand on my man? I've finally caught you in the act! This opportunity's landed right in my lap—I can't let it go!"

With Queen Cersei's poor political instincts, even if she later realized Petyr Baelish was behind it, she might secretly thank him.

Queen Cersei could make a big fuss, but she couldn't possibly win anything from Lord Jon.

Queen Cersei was no match for Lord Jon, and she would never reflect on her own mistakes. She would only blame the people around her, especially Gryn.

Just as Tyrion had said when explaining Queen Cersei's nature to Gryn, when she liked you, she liked you intensely—but once she hated you, she hated you even more.

There was a good chance Gryn's favorability would drop to zero.

He probably wouldn't be in danger of losing his life. More likely, Gryn would be driven out of King's Landing and made a laughingstock.

Boss Cersei couldn't be counted on in this situation.

That was the disadvantage of Gryn's low political standing.

In Petyr's eyes, even if the truth came out afterward, a country baron struggling to protect himself wouldn't dare seek revenge—and wouldn't have the power to do so.

Petyr probably thought he was more likely to remain quietly hidden in the background, able to protect himself whether things went left or right.

If Petyr understood Gryn, he would have been more cautious and his schemes more sophisticated.

He wouldn't have resorted to such a move so readily, or put himself directly in the line of fire.

Petyr had treated Gryn as a harmless little pawn he could sacrifice whenever he pleased.

He'd been underestimated!

Gryn stopped his train of thought. "My dear friend, Tyrion, I need your help."

Tyrion's expression turned serious. "What do you want to do?"

Gryn began by thanking him. "I don't have my own intelligence network in King's Landing. I need Lannister intelligence. I want to see Petyr Baelish tonight."

Tyrion agreed to Gryn's request without a moment's hesitation, then asked, "Will there be bloodshed? If things get out of hand, it'll put you at an even greater disadvantage. My advice is..."

Tyrion paused before continuing. "You could find an excuse to stay away for a while. You may be in charge of the Queen's Kingswood Hunt, after all. I'll go see Jaime first thing tomorrow morning and settle things."

Gryn shook his head slightly. "I won't deny that it's a good idea. Maybe if enough time passes, the important people will forget about someone as insignificant as me."

Gryn took a sip of Summer Wine, then went on. "Maybe I can avoid it this time, but as long as I'm Queen Cersei's steward, there will always be people looking to target me."

Gryn sighed softly, a cold glint passing through his eyes. "I still need to meet with Lord Jon. Crabb won't forget how he looked after us."

The mood grew a little heavy, but Tyrion's face broke into a smile. "Aha! You taught me that saying. Right, now I remember—Petyr's picked a fight with the wrong man!"

Gryn smiled. "The worst-case scenario is that you'll only be able to visit me on my lands from now on. I have Marigold Ale and mermaids there. You'll like it."

"Lord Gryn, I'm actually rather skeptical about the mermaid stories..."

Late at night, all of King's Landing had fallen asleep.

Wearing black leather armor, Gryn leaned against the outer wall and gazed up at the stars.

In the courtyard, Anguy silently approached a guard. He struck without warning, clamping one hand over the guard's mouth and pressing the other against the back of his neck. With a sharp twist, the guard slumped to the ground.

That was the fifth guard Anguy had taken out.

When he was done, Anguy mimicked a birdcall, signaling Gryn outside.

Hearing Anguy's signal, Gryn climbed over the high wall and slipped into the courtyard.

Anguy came up to Gryn and whispered, "My lord, we've dealt with the three guards in plain sight and the two hidden ones. Our men have already taken their places."

Gryn's household soldiers really weren't suited to this kind of night raid. Fortunately, Anguy, the naturally gifted archer who had recently joined them, was good at it. Otherwise, Gryn would have had to do it himself.

Gryn decided to bring in another group of the Survey Corps. They were suited to this kind of work.

Anguy added, "Once we're inside, unlike out here, it'll be easy to wake the guards. I suggest we climb in through the window..."

Gryn glanced up at the third-floor windows. "Petyr's actually spending the night here. He really is cautious."

Gryn didn't think Petyr Baelish had guessed that he would suddenly "pay him a visit." This was simply a habit born of Petyr's nature.

Someone like Petyr, who enjoyed creating chaos every day, wouldn't have a fixed residence.

Gryn turned to Anguy. "You and I will go up. The others will keep watch."

Lying asleep in bed, Petyr Baelish suddenly felt a breeze.

His eyelashes trembled, then his eyes flew open.

Petyr sat upright and stared at the two figures in his bedroom, a brief look of confusion in his eyes.

Petyr jolted in alarm, a fine sheen of cold sweat breaking out across his back.

Gryn gestured for Anguy to light a candle, brightening the room.

Petyr squinted, then, once his eyes had adjusted to the candlelight, said, "You're... you!"

Gryn pulled over a chair without a care, then set it beside the bed with a thud.

Anguy silently walked over and stood by the bedroom door.

Gryn sat down. "I was so delighted by your gift, Lord Petyr, that I couldn't resist disturbing you in the middle of the night. You must be thrilled."

Thrilled? More like terrified.

Petyr forced down his panic and gave him an elegant smile. His voice was hoarse. "I would have been more pleased if Lord Gryn had visited during the day."

Petyr spread his hands. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put on a robe."

Gryn was a little surprised, too. Petyr was so cautious, yet he slept completely naked.

Cautious people were usually insecure and generally didn't sleep naked. Perhaps years of smooth sailing had made Petyr feel more confident.

Gryn made a courteous "please" gesture, utterly unconcerned.

Petyr had just begun to relax when he noticed the gleaming dagger that had somehow appeared in Gryn's hand.

Petyr put on a black robe. "I've heard of you. You're an exceptionally talented young man. I've been hoping to find an opportunity to meet you."

Petyr curled his lips into a smile and continued, "Now we've met, and we're friends. I'd be more than happy to help a friend."

Gryn gave him a faint smile. "There's a chair over there. You can sit across from me."

Dangerous. I can tell this young man is still deciding whether to kill me.

And where are my guards? How did he get in here?

Though Petyr was panicking inside, he kept up a calm exterior. Following Gryn's words as naturally as he could, he pulled over a chair, straightened his clothes, and sat facing Gryn.