Someone had once informed on Tywin's captain of the guard, Ilyn Payne, for claiming that "Lord Tywin is the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms," and the Mad King had sent men to tear out his tongue.
Cruel as the Mad King was, that matter could indeed have been treated as either major or minor.
In the history that should have unfolded, Arya Stark's wolf had bitten Joffrey, yet the one killed had been the butcher's apprentice, Mycah.
That was hierarchy.
The laws of Westeros also carried a measure of cruelty and feudalism, and in this case, Vellon had simply wanted to die.
In all fairness, Laresa disliked Doctor Vellon intensely. His speech was so sharp and caustic that he was known as "Sour Cider."
Yet as House Hightower and the Citadel collapsed, only Doctor Vellon had still held fast to the truth in his heart.
"Now the snakes have left their holes, and the Citadel's senior ranks are all here." Gendry looked at the doctors. They represented different academic authorities and were also the Citadel's highest-ranking members. Doctors were granted the right to sit on the Conclave.
The Conclave was the Citadel's governing body, and it elected the Grand Maester.
All meetings of the Conclave were secret and took place exclusively within the Citadel, isolated from the outside world.
Every doctor possessed an ancient, heavy key made of black iron-it could open every door in the Citadel. Only doctors could possess one, and they generally carried theirs with them or hid it somewhere safe.
The doctors were responsible not only for teaching maesters, but also for deciding whether they had earned their chain links.
The deceased Vellon had taught astronomy, represented by bronze.
Of those remaining, Doctor Ambrose taught medicine, symbolized by silver. Doctor Perestan taught history, symbolized by