The Neck was not a beautiful or appealing place to Devan Seaworth. It was not a place where he wished to be. It was a place he wanted to leave.

The rain never stopped it felt like. Grey clouds constantly hung in the sky. His boots were never dry and his hair was frizzy. Maybe he should have let his mother cut it as she had wanted.

The biggest issue to Devan was obviously the food shortage. The Neck had depleted all their food stores during the siege and was therefore reliant on the food the Baratheon armies brought with them. It was enough to feed everyone but they had to ration it to make sure. Suffice to say, Devan was not fond of food rationing. He needed to be able to eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Which was often.

He laid on the dock outside Greywater Watch. Feeling like he was wasting away from starvation. Trying to ignore the sprinkling rain around him, the buzzing mosquitos, and the threat of crocodiles. Devan still had problems sleeping at night since the faces of men who had died by his sword during the battle haunted his dreams. So he intended to try to get some sleep now on the dock instead.

Why couldn't Lord Baratheon have married a woman from the desert instead? Although deserts were awfully hot and full of sand that would fill his boots. Also, there were snakes and scorpions.

He was bored. There was no one here for him to talk to, and Devan loved to talk. But talking is no fun if no one listens.

He missed Brynda. She always listened to him when he went on about things. And Devan could go on about things forever. Or she kissed him to shut him up. Devan liked kissing even more than talking so he didn't mind.

He missed his brothers. Stannis was good to talk to since he rarely said much himself. He usually just nodded and came with comforting words if needed, just like Mathos used to do. And when Devan tired of trying to be a responsible adult he still enjoyed roughhousing with Steffon. Wrestling, playing chase, and climbing trees were still simple pleasures to him.

He even missed his mother. She always made sure he was properly fed and that his boots were dry. How was he expected to handle such things without his mother? And Marya always listened to his complaints, even if she sometimes slapped him if she considered his grievances stupid or petty.

Suddenly his wallowing was disrupted by someone kicking his side. He looked up to see Gendry standing over him.

"Dev, what are you doing out here?" he asked. "We're waiting for you in the hall."

Devan jumped up quickly. He had been too caught up in his own misery to remember that they were supposed to have a council meeting to discuss what to do now that the war was over.

"I'm coming," he said grumpily. "Hopefully we'll get out of this damn swamp soon."

***

"We can't trust the king. I know that now. He won't help us, he won't help anyone," Howland announced to the people gathered in the hall.

The words woke Devan up. He sat up straight in his chair to pretend he hadn't been sleeping. The movement was too swift though and he almost toppled backward. As he tried to save the situation he grabbed Ser Swann's shoulder to tilt himself back. Everyone in the room looked at him as he swayed.

"Sorry..." he said, as Gendry looked at him in despair. "Please go on, Lord Reed."

The plan was for the Baratheon armies to stay in the Neck for a few weeks longer to help Howland reinforce their defenses. This plan didn't appeal to Devan, but he didn't really have a say in the matter. So instead he had laid his head down on the table to catch a nap. Discussions around palisades, weaponry, and armies had quickly lulled him to sleep.

But this utterance piqued Devan's interest. His father served that king. And even if Devan hadn't forgiven his father he knew Davos was a good man. He wouldn't serve a king he didn't believe in.

"I can't tell you everything, because it might put you in danger," Howland continued. "But I hope you all believe me and my daughter when we say this. We can't trust him, and we can't follow him."

"So what can we do?" Ser Swann asked, looking adoringly towards Howland.

Ser Swann and Lord Reed had basically been inseparable since they arrived in the Neck. Spending their nights talking to each other for hours on the dock, and Devan was quite sure he had seen them retreat to Lord Reed's bedroom together one night. Apparently, they knew each other from before, from when they rebelled against the crown and put Robert Baratheon on the throne. And even though they not long ago had fought against each other those memories meant more.

"We can build support against him, and we can try to defend ourselves and each other. But we need to be careful. We don't know who we can trust. Things are happening in the kingdom, things the king might be behind. There's a lot of things in motion."

Howland pulled a letter from his jacket.

"This arrived from the Westerlands yesterday," he said. "Casterly Rock has fallen. The Iron Fleet took it from Tyrek Lannister."

"It was only a matter of time before someone took the castle from that poor boy," Ser Swann said. "Barely any armies and only one leg..."

"Can we do something?" Gendry asked. "I owe Tyrek for giving me Storm's End without a fight. Although he did try to marry me to his non-existing sister. And he did mess up the lock on my bedroom door... and for some reason, there are child drawings all over the walls of one of the other bedrooms."

Lock or no lock, Devan would certainly think twice before he entered Gendry's bedroom unannounced when they got back. Gendry and his wife spent most of their time locked into the dock house these days, and the sounds coming from there made it no secret what they were doing.

Despite having been caught up in siege against him for several years Devan did think fondly of Tyrek Lannister too. Tyrek had held the castle because he had to but it always seemed like he tried to keep the fighting to a minimum so few lives were lost.

"You would need a fleet to help him," Howland replied. "Since the Iron Fleet is stationed out in the bay defending the castle."

"I don't have a fleet," Gendry replied. "But I would still like to offer him my support if I can. Where can I find him?"

"No one knows where he is," Howland replied. "He and his wife escaped the castle, but haven't been seen since. They're not with his mother's family, the Marbrands, or with his wife's family, the Tarly's."

"I think I know where he might be," Meera said. I would start looking for him in the Eyrie."

"Why would he be there?" Gendry asked his wife.

"Because Robin is there," she replied. "They're... friends I think. We traveled with them to the Cross Roads Inn after the meeting in the capital. They bickered and fought but in the end, I think they became friendly. At Highgarden Robin let Tyrek surrender when he could have vanquished him. But he didn't. He let him live. I think would Tyrek trust him. Perhaps more than anyone else."

Howland nodded, it seemed to make sense to him. "But can anyone trust Lord Arryn?" he asked. "After what he did at the capital. He let the king kill his father-in-law, he gave the king his armies and walked away. He might be on the king's side. Or he might just be... as slow-minded as the rumors told he was as a child. It's unfortunate he's the only air Jon Arryn produced."

"I trust Robin Arryn," Gendry said. "I talked to him when I was in the capital. He gave me something from my father. He promised to be loyal to me and I believe him. And he didn't seem slow-minded. Young, inexperienced, and immature perhaps, but not slow."

"Not slow, but perhaps easy to trick," Meera said. "I think the king tricked Robin somehow. He used his youth against him and forced him to give up those armies."

"The king is just as young himself," Ser Swann said.

"He might look it young," Meera replied. "But he's not... he's ancient. He knows more than any of us. That's why he was elected, wasn't it?"

"That's what Tyrion Lannister claimed," Howland said with a sigh. "Bran's our memory, he knows everything that has happened and will happen. And we listened."

"I spoke to Tyrion when I was in the capital," Meera said. "I don't think he believes in the king anymore either."

"Can we trust his word?" Gendry asked. "Tyrion's the hand of the king. He sent his cousin to die."

"I think so," Meera replied. "I think just like us he realized his mistake too late. And now he's trapped. No one trusts him anymore. Not even his own family."

"Someone should go to the capital," Howland said. "To talk to Tyrion, and try to find out more about what the king is up to. Is there anyone in the capital we trust?"

That's when Devan Seaworth spoke up. He saw an opening to get out of this damn swamp and to get home to Storm's End sooner than expected. To get home to Brynda, his brothers, and his mother.

"My father," he said. "My father serves under the king. I trust him. Lord Baratheon trust him."

Gendry nodded as Devan spoke. "I do," he said. "I trust Davos with my life. He would tell us what he knows, and he wouldn't betray us."

Howland looked at Devan, a bit befuddled by his sudden eagerness to speak up. It seemed like he didn't think very highly of Devan. Which was probably to be expected since he had just fallen asleep during a council meeting.

"I can go there and talk to my father," Devan said. "I'll find out what he knows. And I'll try to talk to Tyrion Lannister if I can. Then I can go home to Storm's End after that."

Gendry gave him a worried look. "You need to be very careful, Dev," he said. "You don't know what the king can do. Don't do anything rash."

"I wouldn't, Lord Baratheon," he said. "You know I wouldn't do anything to risk not getting home to Brynda and my family again."

"I trust you, Dev," Gendry said. "And I think it's a good idea for you to go to the capital. You should leave as soon as possible."

Devan would leave the next morning for the capital. He would get out of the swamp he despised so much. He would talk to Tyrion Lannister. And he would come to regret it bitterly.