Pre-Chapter A/N:I think at this point, we just have to accept that I will inevitably show up with two chapters a week. As for when those chapters show up, I think it's best I not make any particular promises. If you haven't already, I recommend turning on notifications for my stuff so you can see when new stuff drops right as it drops. A More chapters on my patreon(https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga)— same username as here and link in bio.
XXXXX-EARLY 110 AC
"You can't pretend like you don't know what's going on forever," Laeana said, walking into the room in Bloodstone I had converted into a full-time study. So much progress in so little time, and most of it stood to be undone thanks to one fool.
"Pretending? I'm just thinking," I said.
"Thinking. That's why you're hiding here and you've refused to see either Uncle or Bernard all day."
"They both have advice they want to give. Each of them thinks they're right— and both of them are right in their own way," I said.
"How? I think it is pretty cut and dry."
"Not necessarily. Allan did the act, yes. I don't think there's any doubt that he raped the girl. The same way there is no doubt that her brother knocked out several of his teeth and kept going even long after the soldiers intervened."
"So? He just had his sister raped."
"You think I don't understand that? If anyone dared touch you, I'd remove their head and dare the gods to say anything about it. But I have the power to declare myself above the law. They do not. The brother will have to face the punishment for assault. Maester Bernard will try to tell me that it is a bad idea. And then there is Uncle Vaemond's take on things."
"His take?"
"He will not want to see Allan punished. Because there is another dimension you fail to consider. Allan is a newly promoted Captain. One of the best sailors Vaemond has under his command, and the girl is a former slave. Not even two years ago, and she would not have been able to complain if a freed man had raped her. It would not even have been considered rape where she came from," I said.
"So because she used to be a slave, you're going to let him get away with raping her?"
"No. I never said I was going to follow either path, but Vaemond will argue in favour of this one. And he will have a point. The sailors are the backbone of the Stepstones. There is no group of people more important. They bring us food, resources, and as of recent, gold, from selling our products abroad. Their loyalty is important, and they have taken this matter up on their shoulders. They will see punishing Allan as making a decision on their worth. And even the former slaves are watching. Just like you, they feel the boy is just in his actions and will see any punishment I mete out as proof of their lower status."
"So you would have the sailors think they can get away with just raping anyone?" she said, ignoring the rest of what I'd said, and I narrowed my eyes. Of course.
"I probably should have asked Ben to send you back as well," I said. She inhaled, nostrils flaring.
"He wouldn't dare. And neither would you have dared give the order if you know what's good for you."
"I thought you were coming here as a neutral, but you have your mind made up on what I should do as well."
"Of course I do. Of course. He raped her, Laenor. Imagine I was the one. Yes, you are making a decision on the worth of the sailors, but so what? They can't just rape people. No matter what they do for our economy."
"And if they decide they don't like that? Stop working? It doesn't matter how much we want to be good or that we want the world to be better, we have to live in the world that exists. And in this world, worse things have happened without consequence. If he was a Lord and the girl had been his smallfolk, it would have been distasteful, but not even the King could call it a crime, and the Captains, for good or ill, have begun to see themselves as Lords."
"Good thing you are the Lord here and not them," Laena said stubbornly, clinging to it. And the thing was that I agreed with her. No matter how I gamed it out in my mind, there was no version of this that did not lead to Allan being castrated and/or sent to the wall. I just needed a way to do it without causing a certain catastrophe. And I also needed to make a decision on how the Stepstones worked.
"A very good thing, but at present, there is very little difference in how the Captains have been treated, and how minor Lords are treated back in Westeros. A few of them have even been placed in charge of whole islands," I said. It wasn't an accident by any means. Directly controlling so much and being in charge of every single thing was a daunting enough task for a place with existing systems. Here, where there wasn't anything to work off of, it was much better to have them serving that role than it was for me to have to travel across the domain multiple times a day to see to every little thing.
"He raped the girl, Laenor. He forced himself on her."
"I did not forget," I said.
"It sounds like you have. Because I can't see what you are still thinking about. Crime is crime. Doesn't matter who does it," she said. And that was a naive way of seeing things. But then again, it could be a useful one.
"Fine then. Want me to do something? I'll go do something."
I stood up and marched to the door before swinging it open. "Have the prisoners brought before me in the throne room." Ben just nodded. He hadn't said anything about it, but there was probably no doubt as to just who I was talking about.
"What are you—"
"You'll find out when I do it, sister," I said, turning around and heading to the throne room. She was right to some extent. Crime is crime. But it wasn't enough for me to think so— for justice to be done, it has to be seen as having been done.
—
I sat on the throne, and it clearly did not take long for word to spread in this place. Even before the prisoners were brought from the cell, people had already begun to troop into the throne room— most of them Captains who had quarters in the castle proper while other lodgings were still being built in the port town.
I did not say any words to them. They would hear my will when the man, Allan, arrived. And when the boy who had struck him appeared as well. In the end, it took what felt like ten minutes for Ser Ben to appear with both men being led behind him. Both of them chained. Uncle Vaemond walked in right after them, looking far more disheveled than was proper.
Someone with his position ought to have been more careful about his appearance. He practically ran towards my position on the throne, and made to speak. I shook my head once, telling him without saying it out loud that he was not to approach. His expression was far from pleased, but he at least had the good sense to know not to question me in front of so many of our people.
"Captain Allan of the Black Rose, you stand accused with the rape of one Myrilla of the Isle of Bloodstone, subject to House Velaryon and due all protections, rights, and duties incidental thereto. How do you plead?" I began, not bothering to waste any time beating around the bush.
The man looked around, clearly lost for words— probably too dim to even understand the situation. Vaemond walked back towards him, whispering some words in his ears, and only then did the man understand just what he was being faced with.
"Not guilty, my lord," he said.
"The plea is noted," I said before turning to the other man.
"Kysaro of the Isle of Bloodstone. You stand accused with grievous assault with the intention to kill one Captain Allan of the Black Rose. How do you plead?" I said next.
The Lyseni man, to his credit, did not need nearly as much prompting as Allan had.
"He raped my sister, my lord," he spoke, voice sounding like silk to my ears. I gave him another look. A longer look. I could see it. The effeminate build, the control over his body movements and voice. I could believe the report that said he and his sister had been whores back on Lys before they had been taken from their bankrupt owner and added to the thousands of others I had received as part of my peace treaty.
"I asked how you plead, Kysaro. Either guilty, not guilty, or not guilty with cause shall suffice," I said, studiously meeting his gaze and not turning to see the frown Laena was sending my way.
"Gu- guilty, my Lord," he said, still sounding unsure. Laena, clearly having had enough, marched to him and began to whisper.
"Not guilty with cause," he said next, amending his earlier statement. I nodded like it was completely normal for two members of my family to be so obviously advising two opposing parties in a dispute.
"And what is that cause?" I asked. He made to speak, but Laena's mouth was at his ear again. Did she have to stand so close? It wasn't like Vaemond was going to be listening in to try to suss out her strategy or anything like that.
"Aggravation, my Lord," Kysaro said next. I nodded, silently wondering if I should have brought a piece of parchment or something to note this down. Of course, turning to my side showed Bernard had arrived at his usual position and was beginning to set up.
I gestured for him to scribe the proceedings and waited until he had finished his set up before I spoke again.
"Where is the complainant?" I asked, turning to the crowd. Laena said something to one of the serving girls and in a matter of minutes, a girl walked forward. Fuck.
I could see Laena's eyes harden as she gazed upon her. Probably in a similar way as mine did. The girl had silver hair and bright purple eyes. And I used the word girl very consciously. She could be no older than six and ten. And that was me being generous. There was a grace in how she took every step even as it became clear that she was doing all she could to make her limp less than obvious. Every step clearly brought her some sort of pain. She was the blood of Valyria. And this animal had dared to lay his hands on her. Of course he had. He'd probably done so particularly because she was the blood of Valyria.
There was no race of peoples in this world that could compare to ours when beauty was the quality being measured. It was a surprise even that the girl had been sent here at all. If the Lyseni had any choice about it, they would probably have kept someone with her looks. I guess that went to show that my demands had hurt them somewhat.
"Are you Myrilla of Bloodstone?" I asked, beginning the inquest.
"Yes, my lord."
"Indeed. Did this man rape you?" I asked, pointing straight at Captain Allan.
"Yes, my lord." The whispers in the hall intensified at that.
"Tell me what happened."
"He-he asked me for some mead, my Lord."
"Mead?"
"My brother makes the best mead in all Bloodstone, my Lord," she said, and it was difficult to hear anything other than pride in her tone.
"I see. So he came to buy mead from your home. What happened then?"
"When I went inside to bring him the mead, he followed me, my Lord. And then he— he—"
"No need to give me specifics, Myrilla. That is enough."
"What is your defense, Captain Allan?"
He turned to Vaemond who whispered in his ear. Whatever Vaemond said seemed to be something he did not like because he shook his head abruptly.
"Nay, I'm no liar. I fucked the girl, yes. But that is what whores are for," he said, and I could see Vaemond take a visible and very meaningful step back, basically retreating and declaring he wasn't involved in this. I resisted the urge to facepalm. I didn't know whether what I felt was rage or wonder. Rage at the words I had just heard him use after raping a child, or wonder as to how a person could be so stupid.
Vaemond had probably told him to deny it. Westerosi law said that rape couldn't be punished on the uncorroborated testimony of a single woman. Few things could actually be punished with what the Westerosi believed was flimsy evidence. If he had gone that route, he might have actually survived this.
"Really? She is a whore, is she? And what did you pay her for her services?" I asked. Laena looked incensed at the question. So did the girl's brother. It must have seemed to them that I was accepting this foolishness. It must have seemed so to the foolish man as well. He swelled up, no longer quite so hunched in his chains.
"With my seed, my lord. She will surely birth a strong son. A captain in the Velaryon fleet for sure." The pride in his voice was sickening.
I hummed, nodding my head along to his words, trying not to show my rage.
"Maester Bernard, I apologise for my ignorance, but can you inform me of the going exchange rate for seed to gold."
"No such exchange exists, my Lord," Bernard said, and it took until then for most of the watching crowd to get what I was saying as it was only then that they began to laugh.
"So what did you pay her in gold, Allan?"
"My Lord?" Now there was confusion. Just a few more steps and he'd realise just how fucked up he was.
"I asked what you paid her in gold, Allan. Maester Bernard just said seed can not converted to gold."
"I did not pay the whore any gold, my Lord," he said.
"So that makes you a thief and a rapist then," I said.
"Ho-hold on, my Lord."
"No. I don't think I will. You said she was a whore and that was why you forced yourself upon her. But then you also say you did not pay her. That you did it without her consent means you raped her, Allan. And since you say she is a whore and you did not pay before taking her services for yourself, that makes you a thief."
"No that's not what I—"
"That is very much what you said. Now speak no further else I remove your tongue," I said, and the man went mute immediately.
Good. I'd only ever seen one tongue removal back on Driftmark— a bard had made a lewd song about Mother, and Corlys had removed his tongue right in the throne room for all to see— and it had been far from pretty.
"Now, you Kysaro. I will hear the evidence against you," I said, turning to the other man.
"Tell me what happened, Allan?" I said, directing the question to the other man.
"My Lord, he came to me on my ship. Just barged in all rude-like. And he just attacked me like a savage animal. He was lucky he caught me by surprise, though. Else, I would have dealt with him as I ought to. He jumped on me and kept punching and punching," he said.
"And can anyone corroborate this?" I asked.
"My lord?" he asked, eyes shifting with confusion. I sighed.
"I mean can anyone confirm you are telling the truth?" I clarified.
"Yes, my lord. All my sailors saw the attack."
"Noted. Now Kysaro, I will hear your cause for which I should not find you guilty."
The man moved to speak, but Laena hushed him, stepping forward in his stead.
"He found his sister laid flat bleeding from her cunt when he returned home. Once he found out who had done it, he could see nothing but red and rushed into the attack. Of course, he is very sorry for the attack and if he had been in his better sense. He would not have done it. He will swear that he will never do it again," she said, clear, succinct, persuasive.
"I see," I said.
I waited a few seconds in silence so it seemed I was thinking. In truth, I had decided my course of action long before I had even walked into this room. But the presence of rights was just as strong as their existence in and of itself. It was just as, if not more important that justice be seen to be done as it was for it to be done in truth.
"I have come to a verdict," I said.
"Kysaro of Bloodstone, I find not guilty with cause of aggravation. As penance, you shall spend seven hours cleaning the streets of Bloodstone. One hour a day for a sennight." I watched the man breathe a sigh of relief even as Laena burst into a bright smile that she sent my way.
"Captain Allan. I find you guilty of the crime of rape. Now as for your sentencing, you can choose to either lose your balls or your head."
"Nay, I demand a trial by combat," he said. I laughed. I actually laughed at the demand.
"A trial by combat is a right due to either Lords or Knights. Last I checked, you were neither. Now your head or your balls, Allan? You've wasted enough of my time."
A/N: Chappy done done done. Just a look at how things are proceeding in the Stepstones by zooming in on one situation. Next six chapters up on patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/Oghenevwogaga)(same username as here and link in bio), support me there and read them early.