LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Kingdom
Robert Baratheon was not a good king. Few in the Seven Kingdoms or at court would argue otherwise. Although he had everything a man could want and lived a life of indulgence and excess, Robert was keenly aware of one thing: he neither liked nor trusted the Lannisters. His old Hand of the King and adoptive father were both dead, leaving him uninterested in ruling and focused solely on pleasure. Yet even in his neglect of governance, he understood one fundamental truth: he could not allow the entire realm to fall into the hands of his queen's family.
A kingdom's centers of power needed balance.
And so, Robert thought of his old friend Eddard Stark, whom he had left behind in the North.
However, inviting the Warden of the North to King's Landing to serve as Hand of the King was no simple matter.
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The society of Westeros functioned under a feudal system that, while familiar in some ways, was unique in others. But there was one glaring problem—
Of the eight great families currently ruling the nine regions of Westeros, none of them, aside from Robert's own, owed their rise to the dynasty that now sat on the Iron Throne.
The rebellion that toppled the Targaryen dynasty and placed Robert on the throne had been branded "The Usurper's War" precisely because of this dynamic. The Baratheons had not so much changed the structure of the monarchy as they had replaced the Targaryens at its pinnacle. The realm itself remained much the same as it had been ever since Aegon the Conqueror first subdued the Seven Kingdoms.
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The histories of Westeros made this clear. The Starks of the North, the Lannisters of the West, the Arryns of the Vale, and the Martells of Dorne had been kings in their own right before Aegon's conquest. They were rulers in both name and fact, recognized by their vassals and wielding unquestioned authority over their domains. After Aegon's dragons subdued them, these great houses simply gave up their royal titles, swore fealty to the Iron Throne, and continued to govern their lands largely as they always had.
Meanwhile, the Tullys of the Riverlands, the Tyrells of the Reach, and the Greyjoys of the Iron Islands had been elevated during the conquest. These families had risen from powerful vassals of the defeated kings of their regions to become lords paramount in their own right. They owed their status to their timely submission to Aegon and his dragons.
As for the Baratheons, they had been brought into the ranks of the great houses only because their founder, Orys Baratheon, had been Aegon's loyal general during the conquest. Even Orys had faced significant challenges in securing his rule over the Stormlands. He had to seize Storm's End, marry the daughter of the deposed Storm King, and adopt her family's sigil, words, and traditions to stabilize his position.
Aegon's victories, while decisive, relied heavily on his dragons as weapons of mass destruction. He subdued the Seven Kingdoms but lacked the infrastructure or resources to fully integrate them into a centralized state. He settled for feudal allegiances, allowing the great houses to maintain their autonomy as long as they recognized his sovereignty.
This compromise was born of necessity, not choice. The harsh climate and geography of Westeros, combined with its primitive technology, sparse population, and underdeveloped transportation networks, made centralized governance impossible. Without a strong standing army or reliable communication, royal authority could only stretch so far. The farther a region was from the king's seat of power, the more likely it was to ignore his commands.
This is why the concept of "eradicating the roots" rarely appeared in Westerosi politics. Even if a ruling family was overthrown, the victors still had to appoint local leaders to maintain order. Attempts to replace entrenched nobles with appointed officials often resulted in those officials turning into independent warlords, defying royal authority.
Anyone who sought to break this status quo faced immense resistance, illustrating how "backward productivity constrains political development."
Three hundred years after Aegon's conquest, little had changed. The Targaryens had been replaced by the Baratheons, but the fundamental structure of the realm remained intact. Robert, as the head of the youngest and least established of the great houses, ruled from an unstable foundation. After the rebellion, he neither created new loyalist families nor possessed a weapon as devastating as dragons to consolidate his power. As a result, Robert sat on the Iron Throne but struggled to command the respect or authority needed to rule the Seven Kingdoms effectively.
It was little wonder he turned to drinking and hunting to distract himself.
Robert's predicament was a textbook case of "easier to seize a throne than to hold it." To secure his reign, he married Cersei Lannister, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful family in the realm, despite his personal dislike of her. He relied on his foster father, Jon Arryn, as Hand of the King, and strengthened alliances with the Stark and Tully families through marriage and friendship. These relationships formed a coalition of five houses—Baratheon, Stark, Lannister, Arryn, and Tully—that kept the remaining great houses, the Tyrells, Martells, and Greyjoys, in check.
This lengthy explanation serves one purpose: to clarify that the man sitting on the Iron Throne is king in title only. His actual authority depends entirely on his ability to outmaneuver and overpower the other great houses. When strong, he is the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and protector of the realm. When weak, he is merely another lord among equals and may even become a target for rebellion or invasion.
Robert couldn't simply issue a royal decree to summon Eddard Stark to King's Landing. Eddard was the ruler of the North in all but name, and their relationship was one of brothers-in-arms, not king and vassal. Instead, Robert had to visit Winterfell personally. Not only did he need to persuade Eddard to become his Hand, but he also aimed to propose a marriage alliance between their families. This would ensure that the coalition of the five houses remained intact even after Robert's death, giving the Baratheons a chance at longevity.
Though Robert was an indulgent and flawed ruler, his noble upbringing and grasp of political strategy were not entirely lacking. For this reason, he had come to Winterfell and intended to stay for a while.
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Whether it was Gary and Will, low-ranking members of the Night's Watch, or men of higher status like Waymar Royce, Benjen Stark, and Lord Commander Jeor Mormont or even the king, queen, and the Baratheons, Starks, and Lannisters he had met since arriving at Winterfell all were different from how Aegor remembered them from the screen before his arrival in this world. This made it clear to him that he had not stepped into a fictional show, but a living, breathing reality.
Fortunately, the recorded history, plot developments, and character personalities he had encountered so far still aligned closely with the stories he knew. This familiarity was his greatest advantage, allowing him to prepare and adapt his behavior when dealing with key figures.
It's worth noting that the two people who had visited his room tonight were among the most important players in this world. Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow were unquestionably pivotal characters. Judging by the original story, their development, and the sheer amount of time dedicated to their narratives, they stood at the forefront of the series, surpassing even Daenerys Targaryen in prominence.
As such, Aegor had spent considerable time studying their personalities, growth arcs, and motivations before being transported to this world. His understanding of their characters, shaped by countless analyses, was likely deeper than their own self-awareness.
Jon's decision to join the Night's Watch early, spurred by the evidence of White Walkers, was an unexpected development but ultimately harmless. For now, Jon was still just a boy with limited influence. On the other hand, Tyrion, with his noble lineage and sharp intellect, already wielded considerable power. And now, Aegor had secured the dwarf's promise of help. While it was merely a verbal agreement, Aegor's knowledge of Tyrion's character made him confident enough to place some trust in it.
Still, the situation wasn't so simple. Tyrion, for all his intelligence and status, was not the king nor the true head of House Lannister. His power and resources ultimately depended on his father, Tywin Lannister, who had excluded Tyrion from the family's core political affairs. Even if Tyrion sincerely wanted to help, there was no guarantee of success.
Moreover, according to the original plot, Tyrion himself would soon face obstacles preventing his return to the West or King's Landing.
Before Aegor could fully rely on Tyrion's aid, he would have to carefully plan his next steps.
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