The Red Lion

Alexys entered the tavern in the late afternoon on her second day of staying at King's Landing. She was wearing a long dress of black lined with red, the quality of which could have suited a lady of some minor house. After ordering a glass of Arbor gold, she took a seat in one of the empty tables and sipped from it.

They were each served by a buxom woman who brought their drinks relatively quickly, though she spent several minutes on the way back to the kitchen flirting with a number of men sitting at a table in one corner. Each man wore red and black livery, though instead the dragon sewn onto the breast of their surcoats had only one head instead of three. They were clearly household knights, and after several minutes it became apparent that they all served one of their number, an older knight with black hair that was greying slightly, and a closely trimmed beard. He laughed heartily at a joke one of his knights had told, and though he appeared somewhat intoxicated his eyes missed nothing as they scanned the room.

The two Arryn household knights that served as Alyssane's escort remained off to the side, a polite distance away so as not to eavesdrop, but close enough to intercede to protect her from the cutthroats and bandits that they seemed to assume were lurking beneath every table.

"It is, is it not?" Alysanne replied, raising her own glass of hippocras. "It is only my first night in King's Landing, but I can see why it has a reputation now. The streets are filled the most interesting things!"

Alysanne briefly studied the old, bearded knight, before turning back to Alexys.

"Oh, just the shops and... well, there are so many tradesmen from all over the world! I've never even heard of some of the places they were from. I even saw some Ibbenese, though the gods know how they walk around in our weather wearing such big coats."

She took a sip, then smiled. "Alysanne, by the way."