i have no rival.

the serrett lord chooses to not partake in the tourney this time. adrian has, of course, trained in the various skills displayed at such events but it is not like his skills are anything special. it is his skills of the mind that stand out more, his wits sharper than most. the young man is just like his father in that way, preferring to outsmart rather than outmaneuver in a battle. his silver tongue could talk him out of almost anything, he is pretty sure. adrian turns to his sister as the battle below turns especially bloody. he smirks and chuckles to himself, as it is a man of the west who is besting a man of the north. good, as it should be, he thinks to himself. he looks over at katherine, sips his wine then opens his mouth.

"you know, i bet 50 gold dragons that he would win... they all said no, a northman will always best a westerlander. seems they were wrong," he laughs.

it is about damn time. eleanore is now happily married, their new queen of the west. or at least, he’s pretty sure she is happily married. the only problem is that she needs to produce a son for the king, but all adrian can do now is hope that it happens. if he were a religious man, he would pray to the gods but he is not. besides, he’s not sure if they would listen to him if he tried.

now there is the matter of aurelia. unmarried for far too long, though not as long as eleanore. she still is quite youthful and of prime age to give a lord children, as would be expected of her. but whom? that is the question that has been plaguing his mind. until he finally looked upon his options and settled on one.

theomore westerling. master of laws, another member of the same council he sits upon. making him a perfect candidate for his little sister. which is why he calls this meeting, to propose the matter to the lord.

“my lord,” he greets him as he approaches and takes his seat. “i appreciate you joining me on such short notice but this is important.”

"my children, if you could believe that. my eldest could go on for ages about his history lessons, recounting them to me as if i hadn't suffered them myself once. and my daughter, though she's young, still has quite a lot to say."

✯

      ORBS OF BLUES AND GREENS REMAINED  locked on the fabrics one of her ladies held out to her, curious optics studying the different patterns and shades even as her doors opened and especially as her brother walked into the room. ill manners, perhaps, but she knew her brother better than he himself and she would do well to remind him that he had little power if any over her now. the game had changed. something that adrian serrett, maybe, struggled to remember himself. she loved him, of course, as a sister should. but her brother was cold and calculating, even she knew.

         ❝ brother. ❞ the golden haired woman echoes, all but hearing the smirk in his greeting. gaze flickering over to his features for a moment if that and… there it was. the mighty adrian’s signature smirk. as though he had won it all. maybe he had. she does not linger, finally glancing back to the fabrics and running nimble digits over the shade of coral, her own signature smile on doll like features stretches in gratitude as she affirms her choice. ❝ that will do nicely, my lady, thank you. ❞ 

         she watches as the lady folds the fabrics gingerly, nodding before thanking her and making her exit. it is then, and only then, that her gaze falls back onto her brother and she watches him carefully - appearing as though she isn’t because that is what serretts do. they watch, they study, they size up, they calculate, they observe in silence and appear to do anything but.  

         ❝ fine. ❞ comes her curt response, head tilting delicately before motioning to the sitting area of her assigned quarters and moving to sit herself. ❝ though, i somehow doubt that this visit of yours has anything to do with my settling into the reach. ❞ the queen adds, hands neatly folding on her lap. ❝ out with it, adrian. his majesty, my husband and i have plans for later. as you well know, the king is not particularly fond of waiting. ❞ 

.

his sister may be queen, but that changes nothing in the way that he sees her. she is queen, yes, but a consort. any power she holds over him now is merely an illusion, at least as far as he is concerned. adrian pays her the respect that is due both as his sister and as queen consort, but never does he nor will he see her as above him in any way.

he does not pay any attention to the others in the room. they are insignificant and therefore require none of his attention. he is here to see his sister and queen, and that is all.

their relationship has never been one that is particularly close and warm, so it is no shock that her responses are curt. does she see herself as better than him now? is that it? the thought annoys him, but he doesn’t let it show. adrian is a master at masking and showing others only what he wants them to see.

"she won't." he can't say the fear hasn't crossed his mind, though, given her age. while she is not some old spinster, she is certainly not as young as she could be. from what he knows, the women tend to have more complications as they age. "she is a serrett, a good woman of the west and she will do her duty."

adrian serrett did not much like the reach. he never has. he did not much like anywhere but his own home in the domain of the lions, of course, but there is something especially grating about the reach. he can’t quite place his finger on it. perhaps it is the holier than thou attitude that ran rampant here. oh, how he despises the faith and the hold it has on these people.

that is no matter though. he has requested a meeting with his sister, the queen. it has been some time since they’ve talked, since he has spent so much of his time doing the task that tyland had asked of him. making himself useful to his king. his sister, though she is the queen, has never been much of a priority beyond what she could do to serve his own interests.

there was a part of him that cared for her, sure, but it never outweighed that desire to use her as a pawn. of course she was happy to play that part, seeing as she’s always had an infatuation with the king. how easy it had been to move her along the board as he wished.

“sister,” he greets her, that familiar smirk on his lips. he wears it almost always, only letting in fall in situations that call for it. maybe there is some part of him that is genuinely happy to see her, though. “how are you finding it here?”

his blue eyed gaze falls downward, looking to her belly. it does not appear swollen, though he hopes it is simply obstructed by her dress. she needs to give the king a son, soon. if they are being frank, she is getting old. her biological clock, as they say, continues to tick. getting pregnant will only get harder from here. just as quickly as he had looked, his eyes are meeting hers again. undetectable.

♔

within all the different nobles that called the westerlands court their home, though that term was always taken lightly considering one small slip and one would find themselves upon the executioner’s platform, there had always been something about lord serrett that had genuinely unsettled individuals of the court; made the most ambitious of courtiers hesitate before pursuing a possible marriage with the king’s own goodbrother to be. who would not want to put their daughter in such a position? 

perhaps it was because it only took one look within striking blue hues to see that there was something alight and alive within them.

there was an obvious first stop. the place with the highest density of population within the lands of the west, the stronghold of the city, the very place the men returned after destructing the idolatry of the krakens. “you will start with the sept of lannisport.” the sept of lannisport was the biggest sept in the realm, with no doubt the most amount of visitors, pilgrims and worshippers, with the main septon coming from oldtown’s faith. 

“allow the people to see you come with the kings peace, and if they have nothing to hide, there is no reason to put up resistance.”

there were seven gods to the faithful, and only the gods knew what would be done to the heretics; and yet to the lord of silverhill, gold itself was his god. it was through gold and through coin did he find salvation in his soul, it was in the pursuit of money did he find himself willing to fall to his knees in prayer and worship. 

the lion king knew that his master of coin would put the heads of the gods themselves upon spikes should they have come across and threatened all he ever stood for; would have turned upon the gods as they walked amongst the hills of andalos if he had ever gotten the chance.

and the lion king was entirely fine with that. he did not need holy men; he needed holy men who bent the knee. he needed holy men who understood what it was to use the faith and religion to keep a hold on the masses. “perhaps, though we cannot count on them to see reason.” tyland would not await on them to see reason, for they were smallfolk who were easily brainwashed and had been for hundreds of years by the greed and gluttony of oldtown. they would need to see for themselves, in what would be a public display.

there was a slight pause, and the king rested a hand upon the side of his chair. “ensure it is viewed as nothing but a mere inspection and observation, for now. in the coming weeks, you will return and order a handover of all valuables and items.”

.

“of course, your grace,” he replies. the sept of lannisport is closest, and makes the most sense. begin with such a hub and the word will eventually spread before he can reach the others. strike enough fear into them and they will warn the next sept to be entirely truthful, lest they lose their head for lying to the king and his messengers.

yes, with peace. of course they would call it peace, but it does not mean the people would see it as such. no doubt they would become nervous, especially those in the faith who know good and well that their wealth is far greater than they would let on. they would resist, he can feel it. and deep down, adrian serrett craves a bit of chaos. maybe part of him is hoping for that resistance.

“i hope that to be true.” no he doesn’t. he will say it though, as it is the right the to say. he knows not all of them will resist but the ones that hide behind a veil of righteousness will. and far too many men of the faith are mere pretenders.

he nods his head. the smallfolk have never truly understood the world they live in, and they never would. then again, what reason did they have to? their lives are often simple ones, why bother trying to get behind the curtain and see the way this all really works? ignorance is bliss, as they say. “unfortunately,” he sighs.

♔

There was little space for lines between family and subjects to blur in the court of the Lion King, where even family were subjects and nothing more; it was important for such firmness and high expectations to be rolled out across the entire Court of Casterly, even those at the very top of it. Lord Adrian Serrett had accompanied his father to Casterly Rock many summers ago, and though it had not been friendship that had been sparked between the two men, it was something more respected than that within the Westerlands - respect itself. 

Running in similar circles, he found his hardened emerald gaze looking upon the man who wished to have no rival often, time and time again -a clear inclination of his ability to scale the court and step over those who tried to associate themselves closely with the family.

“I am aware of the of the task I am asking you to complete.” The man knew of the funds of the Court, Lannisport, the various settlements settled around the noble houses of the West; and yet to look into the wealth of another institution itself would take more time. It was entirely possible they would resist at first, claiming the Faith to be an independent establishment within the West that did not answer to the crown - if anything, the King was counting on it. That arrogance to spin the story of the Master of Coin being unable to undertake his duties as a result of the greed of the Faith. How far they had all come. “Should these establishments give you trouble, ensure it is seen. Remain calm.”

The realm was in a stronger position than ever before; with new islands taken under their control, he would continue to strengthen it internally now, cutting off any inclination of loyalty toward any that was not him or the name Lannister. The common people could choose whether to fear for their lives and the lives of their children, or their souls at risk of being damned due to the speeches of the High Septon - they needed to make a choice. “Considering the sheer number of years they have been left to amass their fortune, I would assume so.” But assumptions were not proof. He needed proof to act.

“All items of value and items considered as wealth are to be confiscated and returned to the Royal Treasury in time; the Gods have no need for gold.”

.

pools of blue meet the glimmer of pure emerald. to sit here, face to face, eye to eye, with the king was a privilege. one he certainly does not take lightly. and soon enough, their families would be bound through marriage. how proud he is of dear eleanore for making it as far as queen. a position she has always deserved, being close with tyland for years. things are as they always should have been.

especially with this new change. adrian never had any use for the gods. what he’s done, it is attributed to his own hard work. it can be attributed to the work his family has done to rise so far as an important house in the region. he would never dare to say that what he has, is by the grace of the gods. fuck the gods. his success is his own.

“of course, your grace.” adrian has always had the ability to remain calm in tense situations. it is honestly what makes his presence.. unsettling, at times. how he can smile coolly when faced with conflict. it is certainly a skill, as far too many fall victim to their own anger. a mistake he so rarely makes.

“perhaps if the faith’s greed is exposed, the people might see reason.” it is no secret that many have resisted this change. but the have gone unchecked for far too long, allowed to lead lives of luxury for far too long. truly, the man admires his king for finally making a step to correct it. if the other monarchs were smart, they would do the same. but they aren’t.

"you mean to blame me for a woman gone mad?" he scoffs. "she had traitor's blood, it was always going to turn this way. sooner or later, i knew she would crack. i don't regret a thing, i would never change what happened."