The Beetle and the Falcon

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Lord Rhodri sits in the Hand's Solar to meet with Piers.

[The Smith]

Piers enters with a grin on his face and sits smiling at Rhodri.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Well met, Piers. Enjoying your labors as a Kingless Hand?" Rhodri asks.

[The Smith]

"It makes the job so much easier, I will tell you." Piers japes.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Pity the Wormy Apple didn't give me the chance before I gave up the chain," Rhodri says, pouring wine for Piers and himself. "So on to business. We've got reavers and traitors and sorts of devilishly pleasant things to deal with."

[The Smith]

"Let the Reavers eat the traitors so we can move on to the devilishly pleasant." Piers replied sipping from the profered wine.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Rhodri chuckles. "I thought reavers and traitors were devilishly pleasant. Shows what different men we can be. What do you say about the Shields, Pyke, and Curious Lion? Should we care? Varner is making all sorts of noises about getting those Islands back."

"What of the outlaw lords? Any turn themselves in yet? I told Varner my army can't help him until they have each surrendered."

[The Smith]

"The Reach is leaving Pyke. Varner has those Lords wrapped around his finger, or they still have some honor in them. They are all headed towards King's Landing to surrendor. It boggles the mind how they could revolt and then turn themselves." Looking to Rhodri he adds, "Honor has always mystified me Rhodri. Do their actions make sense to you?"

"And obviously we must have Harlaw leave the Shield Islands, since we did not give him permission. He must leave, and say he is sorry." Piers shrugs.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Varner seems quite the manipulator if he can get all of them to surrender. And here I was hoping for at least one siege."

"I was the one who told him to leave Pyke; I was hoping he would do it silently, and Randal would still send off his army to taste the salt air. It would have amused me to have the Lesser Lions show up on an empty rock. Probably would have started fighting the Ironborn."

"As I said, I offered to help him drive the Ironborn off the Shields if -- and only if -- all of the rebel lords turned themselves in. That includes their Traitor on the Seastone Chair Lord Hewett."

"We'll see what comes of it. Perhaps my men will chase lordlings; perhaps the Ironborn; perhaps he'll take care of that problem himself. I find myself liking Varner, a little bit, but it is clear he is a man to keep both eyes on."

[The Smith]

"Thank your holy trees that Varner only has half the reach to work with. And I do plan on keeping two eyes and a boot on him at all times." Piers replies, "Did we cover your unholy trinity?"

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"And my response was to have one of my kinswomen bed him. Might as well tell you my cousin Anna will be marrying him shortly. Best way to keep a leash on him, as long as he doesn't treat his wives like Lord Lyas," Rhodri says.

"I think we've covered the friendly fields of the west well enough. So who do you favor for regent, anyway? Odd position to be hiring your own boss."

[The Smith]

"Anya." Piers says quickly, "Except for the troubles it may cause in my home she would be the perfect choice. She is snappish and a shrew, but she will listen to me. I have know her for a long time, so I knew her. Andrey is a wild card to me, maybe he is a good man but why roll the dice. In addition who better to care for Rickon's growth into man hood."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Really, that's interesting. Anya seems so unpredictable. I thought Andry might be a man we could better control, a good figurehead that the commons could cheer while you ran the realm. But the problem with Andry is that if he is appointed, Anya will make his life a misery...and who knows, he might fire you."

"Of course, Anya might too if you ever refuse to bed her."

[The Smith]

"Unpredictable mayhaps, but in predictable ways. Did you notice that no signs of her cheating showed until Callen gave away her son's birth rite. Then she decided to embaress him, as she was embaressed. And quite frankly I nevered expected Callen to haul her away. I did not see that in him, he always seemed weak to me." Piers says, "She can run hot, but there is enough cold in her to freeze the north. She trusts me Rhodri, and I will run the Kingdom. I can not say that those are true with Andrey."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Some will oppose her. If Manderly is toeing Bolton's line, he certainly will -- the Boltons have no love for Starks. Lord Horas dreamt of being Regent himself, and Lannister seemed to follow suit. It may take some convincing for her to be accepted."

"And what of Andry? He has not actually voiced his own desire for the role, but will he accept Anya without bitterness? Surely he remembers her humiliation of his brother."