Celestial Hymn 50 (Patreon)

Celestial Hymn

Chapter 50

-VB-

Ginnungagap.

I finally remembered where this was from. It was from the light novel Overlord, and was, as the Nasuverse would classify it, an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. Or, in this universe’s terms, a unique out-of-context existence that invalidated all local magic because nothing could harm it. Hell, I tried chipping it using my Sorcery and it did nothing.

As far as I can determine, Ginnungagap as a whole existed as a fundamental aspect of existence and thus anything within existence could not harm it because things inside existence could not harm the foundation of that existence.

And this was a game item that had been materialized by the Celestial Forge. It was a reminder once again that I, for all of my internal monologue and thoughts about my own power, was small and insignificant with the truly powerful beings out there.

Unfortunately, I had duties to see to and thus left my new godly weapon to greet the first Lord Paramount to reach King’s Landing.

Lord Stannis Baratheon.

I met him at the docks where he had a small squadron of warships dock. While it might sound intimidating, everyone knew that it was nothing in comparison to my own ship that he must have heard of.

Stannis looked at me with that regular resting bitch face of his and then grunted. “I’m still not sure what your plans are,” he began. “But I suppose throwing your weight around … on behalf of  Myrcella … makes your position clear.”

“Whatever do you mean, Lord Stannis?” I asked with a faux smile. “I’m just irritated by it all.”

Stannis snorted. “Yes, and that is the point of all this, isn’t it? You, who grew up as a commoner, find the Game of Thrones to be nothing more than an annoyance in your life and threatened and manhandled all of the important Lord Paramounts to come and take part in the Great Council when all but one of us had a vested interested in the status quo.” Then he glared at me. “If this wasn’t me repaying the favor for my daughter’s treatment, then I would have never agreed to it.”

I wondered if that was how he truly felt or if it was what he was saying to save face.

This being Stannis, he probably meant that as factually as it came across.

“Then it is good that I had a favor to call upon,” I smiled genuinely. “It would be a tragedy for me to fight the one lord that I truly respect.” Especially since he was the only one to actually consider me as an acquaintance and not a lesser lord to ignore.

Stannis grunted again.

“Then let me show you and your men to your-” I began as I spun around.

“Lord Marris~!”

I paused and turned back, and found myself looking at Shireen of all people. I glanced at Stannis and saw the man sighing like he had the weight of the world on him.

Well, wasn’t this a surprise?

-VB-

Shireen met with Myrcella, and despite the political tension in the background, the two of them hit it off rather quickly and didn’t cause any problem (for me). Stannis, on the other hand, now had to add a few more considerations to his own calculations.

And, that very evening, we dined at the same table. Shireen, Stannis, Myrcella, Tommen, and I ate from our own plates with a few side dishes, which I had brought in myself. The dinner, however, was a trap that I’d set up.

While the “kids” of the “family” talked at their end of the table, Stannis and I talked more in-depth about what our future plans.

“So you would oppose it on those grounds?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “The throne belongs to the Baratheons, and as the oldest Baratheon alive, the throne belongs to me.” He paused and then hesitated. “What … is your opinion on your current betrothal?”

The news about Tommen and Myrcella being bastards and not the king’s children had gone out already (spread by both Renly and Stannis), which meant that they were the least likely to get the throne with the Great Council coming to session.

Which worked fine for me. It would give them - especially Myrcella - less of a reason to stay and more reasons to come with me when I eventually left Westeros.

“I was never after a royal marriage,” I replied with a smile. “She is a sweet and kind girl. I would be happy to marry her when she is of age.”

“And Tommen?”

“... Myrcella might be sad but I am not going to force him to join me. As he is of Tywin’s blood, he does have somewhere to go, even if it might not be for the best. But I will ultimately respect Tommen’s decision on the matter.”

“He is but a child.”

“And you would be surprised what a child can do if you sit them down, get the mood right, and explain everything calmly.”

He grunted and then took a -.

My hand snapped out and stopped him from eating the broccoli that hadn’t been touched so far.

Stannis froze when my hand stopped his wrist and his fork from pushing that broccoli into his mouth.

And the trap that I had set up had been sprung, not for Stannis and Shireen but for someone else.

“Lord Marris?” he asked calmly.

“Poison,” I whispered.

He slowly set the fork down. “... You are sure?”

“You can smell it.”

He did.

And growled.

It took him no more than ten seconds to come to the same conclusion as I had.

I did not want him dead. Myrcella did not have the power and influence to order something like this. Moreover, she had been a victim of assassination via poisoning.

Stannis heard the news, too, and connected the dots.

“You never found the poisoner or the person who ordered it.”

“No,” I smiled. “But now that I found the poison again, in our food-”

“In yours-?!” His eyes froze and then he snapped towards the teenagers.

Who had, as one, not eaten their vegetables.

“Don’t worry about their food. I made theirs personally with ingredients I gathered over in Brownspear.” He relaxed. “Our dinner, on the other hand, was prepared by three different groups,” I began quietly. “And if you didn’t forget, then I brought the food in myself.”

Stannis looked at me. “You did this deliberately.”

“Yes. I now know who poisoned Myrcella the first time and who might have ordered it.”

-VB-

A/N: BUH! You thought I was going to completely ignore the poisoning, didn’t you?!