In the understanding of Westerosi nobility, haste ant giving arriving guests the bare minimum of ti to prepare for a celebration. And the bare minimum for noblen differed considerably from the bare minimum for everyone else. In the two hours since the Stark family's arrival, he had managed to finish his outstanding business, give his instructions to the servants, change into his formal attire, and grace a number of important people with his attention.
Then the drums began to beat. They were used whenever distinguished guests arrived at a celebration, and they served as the signal for those present to take their places. The king seated himself on the throne. The Hand and the mbers of the Small Council took their positions to the right of it. The queen and her children stood to the left. The rest of the nobility ford a wide corridor, clearing the center of the throne room.
He had always found it amusing that in forming this passageway, lords openly announced which faction they belonged to. Those who supported the Baratheons stood to the right of the throne; the Lannister supporters to the left. From the diaries of previous Hands he had learned that the current scramble for power was mild by comparison with what had co before. Under earlier Targaryen kings, the Red Keep had housed no fewer than three or four factions, mutually checking one another, so that even the simplest action required elaborate maneuvering. It was fortunate that the Rebellion had rewritten the rules and swept away the other poles of power.
A feeling of pride spread through his chest when he looked to the right side of the room. At first glance the numbers on each side appeared roughly equal, but look a little deeper and it beca clear that the Baratheon party held the advantage over the Lannister party across many dinsions of power. Things had reached the point where they could ignore the lions' wishes and act as they pleased.
Unfortunately, that was not entirely the case, for three reasons. First, in the course of funding his projects, he had allowed the Iron Throne to be fitted with the noose of debt. Debts in Westeros were a serious matter, of great consequence. They would be repaid in one form or another, it was a question of prestige, but for as long as you sat as soone's debtor, the creditor held enormous power over you. Second, the Crown Prince backed the Lannister party. Prince Joffrey would beco King of the Seven Kingdoms, the future belonged to him, and lords liked to back a prospect. And third, the Baratheon party was fractured. Renly was a creature of the Tyrells, with whom a cold war was ongoing. Stannis believed himself a more fitting candidate for the position of Hand, and the middle Baratheon was a stubborn ram in the very worst sense of it. He did not concern himself with "what" or "why." Once he had decided on sothing, he would press forward to the end. The Lannisters, by contrast, had a monolithic power structure, courtesy of Tywin.
Given all of these circumstances, his room to maneuver was limited, and the only thing he could do was wait for his reforms and projects to begin generating money so that the debt noose could be removed. The North's entry into the greater ga would bring chaos to the familiar rhythms of court life. When that happened, he would have far more room to act.
No, he had not beco a thoroughgoing scher. He held honor and friendship close to him, and he intended to cover the Stark family in every way he could. Ned would not be able to survive among snakes, and his children were as yet too young to have any hope of managing it themselves.
"Lord Eddard of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North," the herald announced in a well-trained voice. "His eldest daughter, Lady Sansa Stark, future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!" When the announcent ended, the hall erupted into applause.
Ned approached the throne, gave a brief bow, and stepped to the side to let his children co forward. Sansa stood at the center, Arya and Bran a little behind her and to either side. They greeted the king. Prince Joffrey chose to step forward to et his future wife. He took Sansa's hand and said:
"My betrothed."
"My betrothed," Sansa replied, quite pleased with herself.
This produced another wave of applause. The prince led his future wife to his table. Ned moved closer to the throne and, to much laughter from the king, was quickly seized in Robert's embrace. Once the king and the Stark family were seated, the feast began. Dozens of servants began carrying out an array of dishes, soft music started up, and people began sharing their impressions with one another.
Half an hour later, when the first edge of everyone's hunger had been satisfied and the room had settled, the king rose to speak.
"Welco, for we have all gathered here for a single purpose. Long ago, House Baratheon and House Stark were to be joined together, but the cursed Dragons put an end to that. Now I am glad to announce that Lady Sansa Stark, daughter of my brother Ned in all but blood, will beco the wife of my son, Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon. When House Baratheon and House Stark are united, I will proudly declare the beginning of an era of peace and prosperity!" Convincing him to give that speech had been no small undertaking.
"And following this modest feast," not modest in the slightest, but the king was pleased to make a joke of it, "in a fortnight's ti, there will be three days of tourneys and feasting." That last announcent drew the greatest joy from those assembled.
Beneath the thunder of applause, he watched the room carefully, ntally noting every face that directed an unfriendly look toward the Starks. To his surprise, there were quite a few. The arrival of the Starks had beco a turning point in the political life of the capital. He had already received letters from nearly every major power in Westeros and beyond, all expressing their intention to attend the tourney. The Tullys would co, the Lannisters, the Tyrells, the Martells, ambassadors from the Free Cities, representatives of powerful noble houses such as the Hightowers, the Redwynes, the Yronwoods, the Royces, the Boltons, and many more besides.
In a fortnight, conspiracies and intrigues would take root in King's Landing. New alliances would form, old ones would crack and fall. So would rember old grievances and seek to settle them. Every lord would co here with his own purpose, and of the hundreds who arrived, only a few would achieve what they ca for. He had two weeks to prepare and to co out the winner.
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