The Leech Lord (ASOIAF/SI) - Complete

Apart from Blount getting absolutely mullered, I also love the part where Droose adresses us about how Tyrion got what was coming to him. He's not the saint the TV show and other works of Fanfiction make him out to be.
Eh, that's less the show's fault and more a result of the human tendency to ignore / minimize the flaws of people they find fucking hilarious. And while Tyrion is most definitely an ethically dubious bastard at best, he's a genuinely amusing person none the less. From a distance anyway. Most of his fans would wind up hating his guts in short order if they had to actually interact with him personally.
 
Eh, that's less the show's fault and more a result of the human tendency to ignore / minimize the flaws of people they find fucking hilarious. And while Tyrion is most definitely an ethically dubious bastard at best, he's a genuinely amusing person none the less. From a distance anyway. Most of his fans would wind up hating his guts in short order if they had to actually interact with him personally.

While your right about people ignoring the darker sides of people they like (especially when it's not aimed at them) the TV show white washed huge parts of the books to fit stereotypes and to edit out unacceptable or simply uncomfortable content. While some of it was genuinely necessary (an underage Danaerys was never going to fly given what she gets up to) and some of the added scenes were genuinely great a lot of it wasn't replacing 'mature' with 'edgy and adult'. Not an improvement.
 
Sorry. On a relevant note I'm curious to see how Joffrey handles this. Like many children the idea of being able to have a 'father' figure and still be the one in charge has an appeal especially as it's the 'dreaded Roose Bolton lord of the Dreadfort' on the flipside however said lord has just revealed how little control he really has by butchering one of the 'deadliest' (at least in his head) men alive in a frankly terrifying display. Oh and he ruined his fun.

The question is will Joffrey give in to his natural urge to sulk and throw the odd tantrum: in which case Roose is going to be spending a looooong time down there. Or if desperation/ego and a brief flare of intelligence will convince him to pull him out and try to put him back under his thumb. After all Roose won the north for Robb; what could he do with a 'real' army?

Given Joffreys obsession with control I doubt he'll be executed as he'd have to BE there to get his thrill and after that display he won't go any where near him; chains or no chains. Cersei will naturally want him as far away as possible; she can almost certainly see Roose manipulating/educating the boy.
 
Alert: Thread Policy
Reminder #4 - This is not the TV discussion thread.
thread policy To give these words some more weight (and to avoid Droman having to continuously repeat himself), consider this a friendly reminder (and new thread policy) from your local moderation team:

If you want to discuss the Game of Thrones book or TV series when it has nothing to do with this fic, please head to the appropriate thread. Thank you.

We've added a banner to the thread to make this clear. If you want it have it removed, @Droman, just tell us.
 
Sorry. On a relevant note I'm curious to see how Joffrey handles this. Like many children the idea of being able to have a 'father' figure and still be the one in charge has an appeal especially as it's the 'dreaded Roose Bolton lord of the Dreadfort' on the flipside however said lord has just revealed how little control he really has by butchering one of the 'deadliest' (at least in his head) men alive in a frankly terrifying display. Oh and he ruined his fun.
On the other hand, Roose's display might make Joffrey look up to him even more, after he's had some time to cool down.
 
On the other hand, Roose's display might make Joffrey look up to him even more, after he's had some time to cool down.
All Droose has to do is blame it on the lack of Leeching! Like his humours got raised, as if his temper is some sort of medical condition. Seriously, that's all it would take and BOOM! Refuge in Audacity!
 
Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Rakat
In the name of God.

The infinitely Compassionate and Merciful.

Praise be to God, Lord of Existence.

The Compassionate.

The Merciful.

King upon the Day of Judgement.

You alone do I worship.

You alone do I beseech.

Guide me upon the right path.

The path of those you have graced.

Not the path of those who have called upon your wrath.

Nor of those who have wandered astray.

Amen.


Those words I spoke, not for the first time since I had found myself within the void of the Black Cells.

Nor did I suspect that they would be the last.

The first few days that had passed in the gaols had been passed without understanding of time's passing. A guard would come irregularly with gruel to feed me, an irregularity such that I could not tell the time that had passed between each.

Time grew malleable, my mind weak as I struggled to sleep amidst the chittering of rats hungry and restless enough to bite me for sustenance, warded off only by the bowls of gruel I sacrificed in an effort to ward off any chance of plague.

For a period, I thought my death was quickly coming, either by plague, rat bite or simply madness.

It was only as I prayed, prayed in the nothingness in which I was ensconced that I had struck upon the plan that I now followed.

At the next visit by my guardsman, I began to pray.

And pray.

And pray.

Not merely out of devotion or piousness, but as a measure of defiance.

A measure by which to break the undiscernable existence I had found myself in.

Islam was unique, in that praying was a more ... active endeavor than the other Abrahamic faiths. I couldn't speak to Buddhism or Hinduism, but I had memories of being at Mass, and none had ever had the complexity of the rakat. Standing up, bowing down, kneeling, prostrating...

All ordered, all in a manner that took a generally unchanging amount of time. I've lost count of how many times I'd prayed with others, and my mind idly counted off the seconds and minutes it would take.

By and large, I was usually right.

Which meant I could tell the time.

To a degree, at least. Seconds and minutes couldn't turn into hours and days immediately, but if I prayed enough, if I mentally counted off as I did so, if I paused to recount and add up those seconds and minutes into the hours and days they would become.

I didn't have water, to commit to the ritual abulations and cleanse by body.

I didn't have a carpet to at least spare myself the uncleanliness that defined my quarters.

But I had the rakat, and through the rakat I would have time.

And through time...

Through time, I had power.

Allah Hu Akbar

--

And suddenly, it no longer mattered.

As if to to cruelly strip away the power I had within my own little world, I had found myself with a visitor for the first time.

One not the biting rats that shared my quarters, nor the surly guards who brought me gruel.

No, one both far more unassuming and more powerful.

In both moniker and reality, amusingly enough.

The Spider of King's Landing.

The Master of Whispers.

"Shelter your eyes Lord Bolton," came his pleasant voice as the harsh light of his torch struck my vision "I imagine you've not seen daylight in-"

"In a month, Lord Varys. A month and some few days."

"A month and two weeks, to be specific. Still, you've managed the passing of time well in here. I take it you've seen me before at court?"

"Yes. I saw you that day in the- well, I saw you there."

"His Grace was most inflamed by your actions before the Iron Throne. You were fortunate that he did not call upon Ser Illyn to render justice."

"Justice," I echoed dully as I shifted in place on the floor of the Black Cell "Justice."

"You did murder a man in cold blood, Lord Bolton. A Kingsguard, no less."

"To call Borros Blount a Kingsguard is a comedy unto itself. Even calling him a knight might prove too farcial for most."

"I was not aware you were so ardent a servant of the precepts of chivalry."

"You may trust that I am not."

"Then why did you kill him? For the Stark girl, perhaps? Lady Sansa's father was your overlord..."

"Sometimes Lord Varys, the simplest answer serves best."

"And that would be?"

"You are free to think on it. Go and do so, and return to me another time."

"My lord?"

"I find myself tired, Lord Varys. Yours is the first company I've enjoyed in weeks, but the torchlight is doing neither my vision and my head any good."

"I ... understand, Lord Bolton. Forgive my intrusion."

"Not at all. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lord Varys."

"And I you, Lord Bolton."

"Please. Call me Roose."

To that he said nothing, only passing me a small clothsack that he held in his hand.

"Some breads and cheeses to fill your belly, and some poultices for any bites or cuts you might have sustained. I had thought to bring you a wine-skin, but I am told you do not care for spirits."

"My thanks."

With that final dismissal, he bowed and made to leave.

Before he did so fully however, he turned my way again.

"You have a few friends in court. Pray that they prevail upon the king to grant you mercy."

"Pray," I echoed back "Pray. Do I seem a godly man, Lord Varys?"

"I cannot say. You interest me, Lord Bolton."

With that he left, the flickering of his torchlight fading away as the great door closed upon me once more.

Darkness again.

Well, darkness and cheese.

And bread.

Six weeks, was it?

Six weeks.

With a sigh, I put aside the cloth sack and made to begin my prayers again.

In the name of God...

--
 
Last edited:
Ya know, Joffrey might want to consider what happens when you keep someone IN the cells for a long period.

Or at least Cersei. Here's a tip, if the second most high profile hostage dies in your care, you get Jaime's cock mailed back.
 
I do wonder what's going on in the month since Droose was thrown in the Black Cells. I thought King's Landing would be under siege by now. Either Renly is coming close or Stannis is on his way there with a portion of his brother's army if everything followed the stations of canon.
 
The religious overtones seem a bit much, i understand it but something about it in this story in that scene just seems off. Plus he's in the world of ASOIAF, where the Gods are real or at least beings powerful enough to be considered Gods. I would think he would be praying to one of them instead of our world's God.

I know it's not proven one way or the other that this worlds Gods are real but in a world of magic, dragons and demons. Believing that the Gods in this verse are Real shouldn't take a huge leap of faith.

Thanks for the chapter. Hopefully see more politicking now that Varys has told us that Roose does have allies in the court. THAT is what a want to see. Old fashioned politics where death is the outcome for playing it poorly. War and politics.... mmmmm.
 
The religious overtones seem a bit much, i understand it but something about it in this story in that scene just seems off. Plus he's in the world of ASOIAF, where the Gods are real or at least beings powerful enough to be considered Gods. I would think he would be praying to one of them instead of our world's God.

I know it's not proven one way or the other that this worlds Gods are real but in a world of magic, dragons and demons. Believing that the Gods in this verse are Real shouldn't take a huge leap of faith.

Thanks for the chapter. Hopefully see more politicking now that Varys has told us that Roose does have allies in the court. THAT is what a want to see. Old fashioned politics where death is the outcome for playing it poorly. War and politics.... mmmmm.
...except that this is Droman. Why would he, in a state of mind where he is somewhat desperately grasping out for the familiar, not reach out for what he is actually familiar with?


Moreover, point me to where prayers to Gods did anything concrete in the series?
 
Last edited:
The religious overtones seem a bit much, i understand it but something about it in this story in that scene just seems off. Plus he's in the world of ASOIAF, where the Gods are real or at least beings powerful enough to be considered Gods. I would think he would be praying to one of them instead of our world's God.

I know it's not proven one way or the other that this worlds Gods are real but in a world of magic, dragons and demons. Believing that the Gods in this verse are Real shouldn't take a huge leap of faith.

Thanks for the chapter. Hopefully see more politicking now that Varys has told us that Roose does have allies in the court. THAT is what a want to see. Old fashioned politics where death is the outcome for playing it poorly. War and politics.... mmmmm.

Being religious is not a matter of logic and searching around for what gives you the nicest free extras. You don't look around at the pantheons available to you and pick out the best one like you're price-comparing stores.
 
Last edited:
Hmm... It seems the threat of death in the dark cell of Kings Landing has made you get out of depression at least?

Because if you live one month in that hellhole while depressed, I imagine you would waste away and die because you would just give up living.
 
Back
Top