After receiving hints from Arya and Sansa, Lord Eddard Stark finally pieced together the truth — Joffrey and his two siblings were not the trueborn children of King Robert Baratheon, but the result of Queen Cersei's incest with her twin brother, Jaime Lannister.
And then… he made a colossally stupid decision.
He went straight to Cersei Lannister and told her everything.
Not only that, he even warned her that once King Robert returned from the hunt, he would expose the secret publicly — and advised her to flee the capital while she still could.
Anyone with even a shred of political instinct would call that suicidal. In politics, in business, in war — revealing your cards to the enemy is the ultimate taboo. Cersei might have despised the Starks, but for the sake of peace and stability, she had tolerated the northern alliance, agreed to Sansa's betrothal, and been willing to coexist peacefully with Eddard.
Politics is the art of compromise — and Cersei Lannister understood that.
Eddard Stark did not.
When Aedric had watched this scene in the TV show back in his old world, he finally understood why Ned and Robert were such good friends — the two of them were a matched pair of political idiots. Both had the subtlety of warhammers. To them, "governance" simply meant charge in and swing hard.
Honestly, Aedric couldn't even blame Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish for betraying him. With a teammate like Eddard, anyone would cut their losses. Who in their right mind would gamble their life on such a hopelessly naïve fool?
So Aedric said nothing. He offered no advice.
Not because he feared being ignored — but because he knew it would be pointless. The honorable fool would have to crash headlong into disaster before anyone could clean up the mess.
And cleaning up messes, after all, was exactly what Aedric's role as a "mission traveler" was for. That's what the protagonist's stolen destiny points were paying him to do.
As for Sansa Stark — she was beyond saving.
Now completely infatuated with Joffrey, she dreamed of becoming queen, mother of the realm, basking in royal glory. Arya's warnings only enraged her. The two sisters quarreled fiercely, and parted on terrible terms.
Holding the tearful Arya in his arms, Aedric couldn't help but feel a flash of irritation toward "Little Dove."
He had once admired her transformation in the series, and had even considered teaching her the art of rulership someday. But now, seeing how she'd hurt his beloved little Arya, that thought evaporated. He would save her once, for the sake of the mission — and then wash his hands of her.
Yes… somewhere along the line, Aedric had become a bit of a sis-con.
But really, who could blame him? His "little cabbage" was far too adorable to ignore.
After soothing Arya's tears, Aedric waited quietly for the inevitable to unfold.
He wanted to see just how far Eddard would dig his own grave.
And then came the turning point.
With all hope of concealment gone, Cersei Lannister shed the last of her restraint. She gave the order to her spies among Robert's hunting party — and the gluttonous, careless king soon met with a "tragic accident."
With both the former Hand and the King himself dead in quick succession, Eddard Stark still didn't realize he was standing on the edge of a blade. He flatly rejected the plans of Renly Baratheon and Littlefinger to strike first, insisting instead on proceeding "lawfully." He would publicly expose Joffrey's false claim and proclaim Stannis the rightful heir.
And so, on the fateful day when the truth was to be revealed, Eddard led most of his household guard toward the Red Keep — refusing Aedric's request to accompany him.
Meanwhile, Sansa, still besotted, had gone to the castle early that morning to see Joffrey.
She wasn't even at home.
Aedric could only shake his head. The man's negligence was beyond comprehension. He didn't even have the foresight to lock his lovesick daughter in her room before a coup attempt. Did he really think victory was assured?
Arrogance breeds defeat, Aedric thought grimly.
Knowing the Hand's mission would end in disaster, he wasted no time. Gathering the twenty-odd remaining guards and servants at the Stark residence, he gave crisp orders: pack everything essential and prepare to leave the capital at a moment's notice.
Predictably, they mocked him.
"Who do you think you are, Jon Snow?" one of the guards sneered. "You're just a bastard. You have no right to order us around. You're no true Stark."
Laughter rippled through the room.
Aedric said nothing. He only reached out, took Arya gently by the arm, and said quietly, "Arya — tell them."
The little girl hesitated. She had been warned this might happen. After taking a steadying breath, she straightened her back and declared, "Everyone, follow Jon's orders. His commands are my commands."
With Lord Stark and Sansa both absent, Arya was the only remaining Stark in the capital — the legitimate authority within the Hand's household.
The guards exchanged uneasy looks. After a moment, a squad leader stepped forward, hesitant. "Lady Arya, shouldn't we at least wait for Lord Stark to return before we act?"
"There's no need," Arya said firmly, recalling Aedric's careful explanations of the danger. "Execute the orders now."
Bound by their oaths to House Stark, the men could not disobey.
Reluctantly, they began preparing for departure — packing supplies, feeding the horses, readying for flight.
Once the arrangements were complete, Aedric led Arya and the others into the main hall to await news.
Without hesitation, he sat down in the chair reserved for Lord Stark himself. Ignoring the uneasy stares of the others, he set the True Martial Sword upon the table before him, fingers tracing its hilt.
"Finally," he murmured in his heart. "The time has come, old friend. Today, you'll drink hot blood again."
As Arya paced anxiously around the hall, too restless to sit, Aedric merely closed his eyes and rested, calm as still water.
Time stretched thin under the weight of their waiting.
Then—
Footsteps. Rapid, panicked. Approaching fast from the courtyard.
Arya's head snapped toward the door, eyes bright with desperate hope.
But that hope turned to dread in an instant.
Her face went white. Her knees trembled.
And Aedric knew—
The war had begun.
~~--------------------------
Patreon Advanced Chapters:
patreon.com/YonkoSlayer