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Barth's Whisper: HOTD SI Ch.8
🕑 Added 2025-07-13 19:21:10 +0000 UTCChapter 8 As the Old King strode towards the Small Council chambers, he found his retinue joined by an unlikely group of people as Alysanne
Chapter 8 As the Old King strode towards the Small Council chambers, he found his retinue joined by an unlikely group of people as Alysanne
Chapter 8 As the Old King strode towards the Small Council chambers, he found his retinue joined by an unlikely group of people as Alysanne
Chapter 8
As the Old King strode towards the Small Council chambers, he found his retinue joined by an unlikely group of people as Alysanne stood at the entrance of the main hallway, with a few of the maids behind her.
And even at this age, Jaehaerys could not help but smile at the sight of his wife as he raised a brow.
“I did not know that you would be joining us for the day,” he added, even though he had expected this. And the ever-sharp Queen raised a brow as she joined him.
“Does my presence displease the King?” she asked softly as the King shook his head.
“As if it ever could,” and despite their troubles, even an entire lifetime seemed too short a time to spend with her, as Balon, arriving behind them, greeted her.
“Is he here?” she asked her son, and he had spoken those very words some time ago.
“Yes,” Balon nodded, and holding the council meeting at such an early hour was a test from him, as he sought to discern his councillors’ natures and vices as men often given to the pleasures of flesh and gold often had trouble waking up so early.
“Good,” she added, and Jaehaerys himself had never been more eager for a Council Meeting in years, and as he reached the Council Room, the guards threw open the doors as Jaehaerys strode into the room.
His eyes scanned the familiar faces and stopped at the newcomer, who wore a white cloak, similar to what the Septas wore, but this one was paler and a yellowish white, which only heightened his familiarity with his long-lost father.
It had been years now, but it felt to him as if he was staring at Barth himself once more, and the words almost slipped out of his mouth before he stopped himself and walked to his chair, as Alysanne followed suit.
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GALEN—The Healer
House Hightower. The Beacon of Old Town and the Guardians of the Citadel. They were one of the oldest and most powerful families in the realm.
Old Town was the oldest city in the land, and although the capital continued to grow at a rapid rate, the truth was that it may never compare with the well-planned and historic city of Old Town.
The Hightowers wielded great influence through the Citadel, which was more than just a place of learning and teaching. It was a little kingdom with its own plots and politics, and his presence had become a great hindrance to the powers that be, which controlled the ancient order.
He had uncovered no great plot or conspiracy, but his inquisitive nature and his prodigious rise had put many of the old guard at risk, and so as he refused to bend himself to the rules of the Order, he found himself booted from the place.
And as pious and generous as he was, Galen was not so forgiving as to give up an opportunity for a sweet revenge. Specially, if it cost him nothing and allowed him to help more people.
So, before his first council meeting, Galen found himself poring over old tomes, maps, and ledgers as he spent day and night working on his first proposal.
A hospital—more specifically, a teaching hospital, one that not just treated ailments but also allowed one to train new healers and experiment on new techniques.
It was a grand proposal, for no such place existed anywhere at all, and so he had to draw inspiration from various things, and though there was a chance that his proposal might be rejected, he would not know for sure until he put it forward.
So, after another toiling night, he rose up at dawn so that he could head to the castle, and as he left his humble abode, he found two castle guards stationed outside watching the giant man standing there nervously.
“You are up early,” he questioned Morro, and the large man grunted.
“As if I could trust these men to guard you,” Morro whispered, and Galen was elated that his lessons had begun to take hold, and the former slave could finally speak in a civilised manner.
“Who would dare harm me?” he japed as he pointed at the pin on his cloak.
“I am one of the King’s counsellors,” but that did not matter to Morro, who insisted on following him as the retinue of four walked rode towards the castle. And the city had just begun to wake up from its slumber, and the various merchants and shop owners were bringing out their wares.
A few eateries were offering food as the city awoke from a peaceful night of rest.
The castle, though, was long awake, for the Red Keep rose with its King. The Old King may be old, but he remained dutiful as ever and began his day at dawn, and so as he entered the palace Halls, a slew of servants came upon him and led him to the Small Council Chambers.
Galen stood outside the gate for a second, wondering in a small corner of his mind how many times his own father had stood here at this very door, before he pushed the thought out of his mind and entered the room.
And a few faces were already present in the room, including the Master of Coin, the Grand Maester Elysar, and the ever hateful Otto Hightower.
“Good morning, my lords, Grand Maester,” Galen greeted them as was due, and saw a few raised brows and several wondering gazes.
“Ahhh! Healer Galen,” and it was aged Maester who spoke first, and Elysar was old and frail, with the Conclave expecting his demise soon. His replacement had already been decided and would arrive any day now.
“I did not know that you would be joining us today,” and Galen smiled at the aged man.
“I am the King’s servant, just like you. Of course I would come,” and it was the second son of Old Town who cut in.,
“You call yourself a servant of the Crown, yet none have seen you in the castle for days,” and it seemed to him that House Hightower had not yet forgotten about him, or perhaps this grudge was more personal than he had thought.
“Well, the King gave me his leave,” and that was a silent shup up call.
“So you are our new member?” and it was the Master of Coin. Lord Beesbury, who added, and for all intents and purposes, seemed rather respectful.
“Yes, my lord. I am Galen, a humble healer from the city,” and unlike Otto, the man smiled.
“I wouldn’t say humble. Half the castle has been dying to meet the man who saved the Princess’s life,” and so the rumors had spread already.
“They say you performed a miracle and brought her back from the Stranger’s grasp,” and he smiled.
“Well, rumors do have a habit of turning wil...” but before he could say anything more, the door to the council chamber was thrown open, as they all rose from their seats, for the King was here.
And he was not alone.
Despite his age, Jaehaerys’s steps were powerful as he strode through the gates with his trusted hand to one side, and the Queen to the other. Galen was surprised by her presence, and he was not the only one, as the King walked to his seat at the head of the table.
The servants moved quickly and put a smaller chair beside the King’s own chair for the Queen, as Prince Balon joined in, and the King finally sat down, and the rest of them followed him.
Those amethyst eyes landed on him, for he still stood at the far end of the table.
“Ahh, so you are here,” the King began, and he nodded.
“Of course, your grace,” and he saw a hint of a smile as the King motioned towards the seat at the far end of the table.
“Sit then, so that we may begin this Council,” and as he sat down, he saw all the lords reach for the marbles on the table and put them down on the table, as if to show their attendance. His was brown and old, and he had an inkling that it had once belonged to a man whose blood ran through his veins.
He was the last person on his side, where the Prince stood right beside the King, with his leal servant, Otto, standing behind him.
“For the first matter of business, I must sadly inform you all that we must seek a new Hand,” and those words caused quite a ripple in the air, as many eyes turned towards the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Ryam.
“Ser Ryam has offered his resignation from the duty, and I have chosen to accept it. He has served me well for years, but the duties of the hand are perhaps too much to bear for one who also holds the title of Lord Commander,” and he doubted that he had offered his resignation, but in this way the King was protecting his servant’ who stood up and gave a bow.
“I am grateful that you chose me for this honor, Your Grace,” and it was the Queen.
“You have served us well, good Ser, and I pray to the Seven that you shall continue to do so for years,” and with that, the cup bearer, a small boy he could not identify, began to move around and pour wine.
Galen, though, stopped him with a small shake of his head as he made to pour some for him.
“I would like to hear your counsel on potential candidates to replace Ser Ryam, when we meet again,” and this would cause quite a stir in the capital, for which man had not dreamt of power or gold, and there were few men more powerful in the realm than the King’s Hand.
“Of course, your grace,” the Council chorused, and he wondered if this was all a ploy and the King was doing this as a show, and had already made his mind.
For the choice was obvious to him, given the King’s age. His son and heir, Prince Balon, had served as a loyal Master of Laws for years and was the perfect choice to replace Ser Ryam.
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself as the Council Meeting progressed. It was his first time sitting on a Small Council, and so he watched as the King questioned laws, settled disputes, and inquired about treatises, all the while one seat on the table remained empty.
The seat that belonged to the Master of Ships—Corlys Velaryon.
The Sea Snake had resigned rather unceremoniously when the King had replaced his wife and child from the succession with Prince Balon and his sons, and ever since that time, the two Houses remained distant.
Angered as he was, the King chose not to replace the Sea Snake, hoping to one day reconcile over the matter.
The Council Meeting lasted for hours, and the Queen sought his advice a few times, which he provided cautiously until they had completed all the day's agendas.
“Is that all?” the King questioned, clearly weary from hour after hour of sitting and talking.
“No,” and the Queen added, as she turned her gaze towards him.
“I believe our new Counsellor has something to add,” and the Conciliator turned towards him, and asked away.
“Is that so?” and Galen knew that he could hide no more.
“Yes, your grace,” and he rose from his chair as he pulled out the rolled sheets of paper and handed it to the King’s cup-bearer.
“What is this?” the King questioned, as he was handed the proposal.
“Your grace, you appointed me as the Master of Health so that I may heal your subjects and protect them from disease and death,” and the Queen agreed.
“Yes, for a long time now I have stressed upon this council the needs of the Common people and how they lack the opportunity to see a proper healer and are subject to the cruelty of quacks and thieves,” and he wondered if she was being too obvious with her support, as the King began to skim over his proposal.
“Tell me you have a plan to remedy this,” the Queen implored, and if she was giving him the opportunity, he would take it.
“I believe I do,” and with that, he motioned towards the papers in the King’s Hand.
“I believe that the Crown should build a place that focuses solely on healing and the the study of healing. A place where people from all over the continent can come to see a reliable, trusted, and qualified healer who may treat their wounds and ailments,” and it was the Grandmaester who spoke up.
“But such a place already exists, young healer,” he began, and though he may hold some liking for Galen, the man was a Maester first and foremost and would defend his order to the bitter end.
“You yourself studied at it for years to learn your craft. The Citadel serves exactly this purpose,” and indeed it did, and all eyes were on him now as his rather bitter experience of that place rose back up in his mind.
“Yes, but the Citadel also serves a dozen other purposes. The Maesters learn not just healing, but histories; they learn about different tongues, about the histories of Essos and beyond. I wish to create an institute that focuses solely on healing, one that would allow us to gather the brightest minds in one place so that they may make new discoveries that could help thousands if not more,” and the papers began to exchange hands, as the King passed it to his Queen until it was Otto Hightower who spoke up.
“Your grace, may I?” the Hightower man asked, and the King nodded.
“Yes, Ser Otto, speak your mind,” and the aide of the Prince raised a brow.
“Your grace gathering the sickest people of the realm in the capital would only propagate plague and disease throughout the city. Noble idea it may be, it is entirely unfeasible, for there are other institutions that serve this exact purpose,” and with that, he glanced towards him.
“The Citadel serves as a centre of healing, while the Septs spread all over the land alleviate the burden of the masses,” and the King raised a brow.
“Ser Otto does make a good point,” and he shook his head.
“Most Septas know only the mere basics about healing. And few commoners have the ability to see a Maester, your grace. Against the risk of disease and plague spreading, there are measures that we can take to avoid that,” he argued against the King.
“The city is expanding rapidly, your grace, thousands flock to the capital to secure a future for their families. Disease and Plague will come regardless of whether we build this institute or not, I believe it would serve the Crown well to prepare for such conditions on our own time before the we reach a place where we are forced to.”
“Such an idea, I believe, would incur a great cost,” added Lord Beesbury.
“Yes, but only initially, and I have made some calculations at the end,” and the master of Coin skimmed ahead as the Queen cut in.
“The cost is irrelevant. As the King and Queen of the realm, it is our duty to see that the tour subjects are hale and healthy,” and she seemed genuine in her concern.
Alysanne was not called the good Queen without reason, and all eyes turned towards the King, who continued to gaze at him.
“I shall give it some thought,” and that was all he could hope for as the King stood up, and they all followed suit.
“I believe we are done for the day,” and as the counsellors began to file out, Galen took a deep breath and was about to leave when another voice called him out from behind.
“Healer Galen,” and he turned around and saw the Prince Balon standing there.
“Yes, my Prince,” and the man eyed him down before he spoke up.
“The Queen has summoned you to her solar....”
For praise or warning?
Only time would tell.
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Comments
IceAir
Time to play the Great Game and assassinate Otto
FallenMetalGod
Thank you. It seems like Galen is diving headfirst into the deep end of things, which is never a good thing. However, it appears that he held his own, which is a good sign. Great job, as always, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.
