The night in King's Landing was as noisy as ever.
Lynn stood on the terrace of his newly acquired manse.
It had once belonged to Petyr Baelish.
From here, he could overlook most of the brightly lit city and smell the cloying scent of cheap perfume and desire wafting from the brothel below.
Money was just a tool.
His real prize was severing the invisible web Littlefinger had woven in King's Landing over the past decade.
Seven brothels, warehouses at the docks, estates outside the city...
These weren't just assets; they were intelligence nodes, hubs of connection.
Without all this, Petyr was thoroughly crippled.
"My Lord."
A respectful voice came from behind him.
It was a middle-aged man named Robb, responsible for some intelligence work.
"It's all clear."
Robb handed over a thin piece of parchment.
"Commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt."
"The man is greedy by nature and timid as a mouse."
"Every month, he takes a full three hundred gold dragons in protection money from your seven brothels alone."
"And that's not counting the bribes he takes from other shops, gambling dens, and smugglers."
Lynn took the list.
It was densely packed with records of every dirty deal Janos Slynt had made.
Time, place, amount—crystal clear.
"Very good."
Lynn tapped his finger lightly on the name "Janos Slynt."
This was the largest armed force in King's Landing—six thousand Gold Cloaks.
Yet their commander was a dog who could be commanded at will by coin.
Such a force, in Ned Stark's hands, was a deadly double-edged sword.
If he didn't move, the Gold Cloaks were a sword hanging over his head.
If he tried to move, he would face fierce backlash from the Queen and other factions in the court.
Lynn knew very well.
Once he left King's Landing, leaving Ned alone...
This honorable Lord of the North would soon be devoured by those jackals without even bones left behind.
So, before leaving, he had to pull out this most dangerous fang for Ned and replace it with a suit of sturdy armor.
---
Inside the Tower of the Hand, the atmosphere was heavy.
Ned Stark frowned at a map of King's Landing.
The fragile balance between Queen and King weighed on his heart like a mountain.
"Lord Stark."
Lynn's voice came from the door.
Ned looked up.
Seeing Lynn, the exhaustion between his brows eased slightly.
"You're here."
"I am leaving for the Free Cities soon."
Lynn got straight to the point.
"But before I leave, there is one matter that must be resolved."
He placed the parchment detailing Janos Slynt's crimes in front of Ned.
"This is..."
Ned picked up the parchment.
With just one glance, his face darkened instantly.
"The City Watch... is rotten to this extent?"
"This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Lynn's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"You are the Hand of the King, the second most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms."
"But in King's Landing, your authority barely extends beyond the Red Keep."
"Six thousand Gold Cloaks follow not the King's laws, but Janos Slynt's orders."
"And Janos Slynt follows only the call of gold dragons."
"Think about it. After I leave, if you find evidence against House Lannister, what will Queen Cersei do?"
"She only needs to pay a few thousand gold dragons, and Janos Slynt will lead his Gold Cloaks to lock down the Red Keep without hesitation, taking you and your family..."
Lynn didn't finish, but the bloody image appeared clearly in Ned's mind.
"What should I do?" Ned asked.
"His Grace trusts you now, and he trusts me."
Lynn's gaze was sharp as a knife.
"King Robert hates Littlefinger, and Janos Slynt is a dog raised by Littlefinger."
"What we need to do now is to root out this dog who aids the wicked, along with the filth behind him!"
"In the name of the King, purge the City Watch!"
"But who will take his place?" Ned frowned.
"I have no one I can trust in King's Landing."
"You do."
Lynn tried to jog Ned's memory.
"My guards who followed me from the North. They are battle-hardened warriors, loyal to House Stark."
"Let them enter the City Watch as officers."
"Then transfer a group of reliable men from the North to completely replace the blood of the Gold Cloaks."
"This army can be firmly held in your own hands!"
"After all, Queen Cersei has no energy to spare for these matters right now; she can barely protect herself."
Ned's breathing quickened.
He looked at Lynn as if seeing this young man from the North for the first time.
He was openly handing a butcher's knife into Ned's hand!
"Will Robert... agree?"
"He will."
Lynn's tone brooked no doubt.
"His Grace values you far more than you imagine."
---
The Throne Room was filled with Robert's roar once again.
"That fat, greasy bastard!"
"He dares to do this in my city!"
Robert slammed the parchment of crimes onto the floor, his massive body shaking with rage.
"I've never liked the look of him!"
"A bald man who can't even hold a sword steady, fit to command my Gold Cloaks?"
He turned his bloodshot eyes to Ned, filled with tyranny.
"Ned! Handle this!"
"Arrest that bastard Janos! I want to take his head myself!"
"No, Your Grace."
Lynn stepped forward, his voice steady.
"Chop off one Janos, and there will be another."
"The filth of King's Landing needs a thorough cleansing."
"You only need to issue an order."
"Transfer the command of the City Watch temporarily to the Hand of the King."
"You will supervise personally, until the Hand deems this army fit to defend the King's honor once more."
Robert looked at the kneeling Lynn, then at the resolute Ned beside him, his chest heaving violently.
After a long time, he squeezed out a single word through his teeth.
"Done!"
---
The barracks of the City Watch were located near the Mud Gate.
The air was perpetually filled with the stench of sweat, leather, and horse dung.
Janos Slynt was shirtless, enjoying a massage from two serving girls.
Chilled wine and melons fresh from Dorne sat on the table.
Just then, the barracks door was kicked open!
"Who the f..."
Before Janos could finish his curse, he saw a figure in a black direwolf cloak walk in, surrounded by guards in golden armor.
It was Lynn.
And the guards behind him were escorting a grim-faced Eddard Stark.
Janos's heart skipped a beat. He scrambled up, fumbling to put on his clothes.
"Lord... Lord Hand! Ser Lynn! What brings you two here?"
He squeezed out a smile uglier than crying.
Lynn ignored him.
He simply walked to the table, picked up a piece of melon, and ate it.
Eddard Stark pulled a parchment signed by the King and stamped with the Hand's seal from his tunic, unrolling it coldly.
"By order of King Robert Baratheon the First, effective immediately, Janos Slynt is relieved of his post as Commander of the City Watch and detained pending trial!"
"The Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, shall assume temporary command and oversee the reorganization of the Watch!"
Ned's words exploded like thunder in Janos's ears.
The smile froze on his face, beads of cold sweat rolling down his bald head.
"No... this is impossible! Lord Hand, there must be a mistake!"
He fell to his knees with a thud, trying to hug Ned's legs.
"I... I am loyal to the King!"
"Loyal?"
Lynn finally finished the melon.
He wiped his hands with a napkin and threw a ledger in front of Janos.
"Lord Janos, embezzling wages, selling weapons, selling ranks..."
"Are these your loyalty too?"
Seeing the familiar ledger, Janos's face turned ashen instantly.
"Take him away. Throw him in the black cells."
Ned waved his hand in disgust.
Two guards stepped forward immediately, dragging the limp Janos Slynt out.
Lynn walked to the barracks door, looking at the confused Gold Cloaks gathering in the square outside. His voice carried across the entire camp.
"From today on, the City Watch is under the command of the Hand of the King!"
Lynn turned his head, issuing the first order to the fifty Northern elites behind him, already dressed in officers' uniforms of the Gold Cloaks.
"Arrest every officer of captain rank and above!"
"Anyone who resists, kill on the spot!"
---