The Iron Throne (Game of Thrones Apply Fic/Roleplay)

Prologue

Welcome, welcome to the very beginning of the book. Nobody's character will feature in this chapter, and apologies in advance for it being so short!
Applications are now closed, so I'm just writing this to set up the scene whilst I wait for opinions and loyalties. Enjoy!

The Old King was dying. By now he could be dead. The whole of King's Landing was in noiseless uproar, the streets crowded with people, all waiting to hear the bell of the Great Sept ring to announce the King was dead. Yet despite the masses, a silence hung over the city, more deafening and cacophonous than any crowd. It was a guillotine hanging over the final hope of a lasting peace, and when it dropped, nothing would ever be the same.

But the silence remained, respectful still for all its tension, for the King had been much loved by the people during his long and peaceful reign.

From Flea Bottom to the Red Keep, every soul in the city was thinking the same. The Long Summer is ended.

What happens now?

There was no answer to such a question. Not in the taverns or brothels, not in the markets, not in the sept of the seven. Even those inside the Red Keep could not tell. For despite his success as ruler, despite the peace he had worked hard to win and harder to keep, King Jaehaerys had one failing.

Having outlived his two sons, the King had no heir.

And although the bell was yet to sound in the streets of King's Landing, the silence was but the calm before the storm. They all knew it, despite the hushed whispers that they gave one another in a false comfort. The peace could not last without the King.

And the King was almost dead.

*

Inside the Red Keep, the chaos had begun already. Maesters and septons rushed to attend the king in their tens, and the nobles occupying the palace were already crowded into the room where Jaehaerys lay upon his deathbed, watching him as a vulture watches its prey.

There was, it had been established, no hope that the King would see the sun set. Yet he smiled and nodded even as the colour drained slowly from his face, always knowing what to say and to whom. Even reduced to a frail old man, a husk of his former glory, it was clear that he was the commanding presence in the room.

And even as he closed his eyes, the Old King knew what he was doing.

Let them play their game of thrones, he thought. And may the best man win.

The bells rang out through the streets of King's Landing. The guillotine dropped.

And the game began.

So I know that was super short at 537 words but it's just like an intro to the times and the situation when this all begins. The next two chapters are just going to be introducing the characters before the plot really begins but this was just like a little sample of what (hopefully) is to come! Don't forget to vote and comment - spam as much as you like :) - to let me know you've read it and thanks for applying!