The barracks of the City Watch had instantly turned into a slaughterhouse.
Lynn's command to "kill on the spot" was no empty threat; it was an order.
The elite Northern guards, like wolves released from their cages, pounced into the flock of Gold Cloaks who were accustomed to lax discipline.
"Do you want to rebel?!"
A fat-faced captain drew his sword, screaming with false bravado.
The only response was a simple, unadorned slash from a guard.
Warm blood splattered onto the terrified faces of the surrounding Gold Cloaks.
Resist?
Against these Northern men who had crawled out of mountains of corpses beyond the Wall?
These officers, who had climbed the ranks by flattery and bullying smallfolk, couldn't organize even a decent resistance.
Blood was more persuasive than words.
When a dozen officers' corpses lay strewn across the square, the remaining Gold Cloaks wisely threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground.
Eddard Stark stood amidst the pools of blood, his hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.
He detested this carnage.
Yet he had to admit, it was the most effective and fastest method.
He looked at Lynn's calm profile.
The way this young man handled everything was terrifyingly practiced.
Ned admitted to himself that he lacked such decisiveness.
"Drag the bodies away and dispose of them with lime."
"Notify all Gold Cloaks to assemble in the square in a quarter of an hour."
"Latecomers will be treated as rebels."
Lynn turned to Ned.
"My Lord Hand, it is time for you to address them."
---
Maegor's Holdfast.
The strongest fortress in the Seven Kingdoms was now a gilded cage.
CRASH—!
An exquisite crystal goblet from Lys was smashed viciously onto the floor, shattering into pieces.
"Fools! A bunch of useless fools!"
Cersei Lannister's chest heaved violently.
Her beautiful face was slightly twisted with extreme rage.
She couldn't understand it!
Eddard Stark!
That fool whose head was full of honor and Northern ice!
How dared he?
How dared he move against the City Watch without consulting the Small Council, without her consent?
This didn't fit his image of incompetence!
That dog she kept at the Mud Gate, Janos Slynt, was taken down so easily?
Six thousand Gold Cloaks, the largest armed force in King's Landing, changed masters overnight?
Cersei felt the world spinning.
"Lynn..."
After a long time, Cersei squeezed the name through her teeth.
She suddenly realized that everything seemed inextricably linked to this man named Lynn.
Jaime's humiliating defeat at the tourney, Petyr the fool losing his fortune...
Everything pointed to this crow from the Wall.
Originally, Eddard Stark was a brainless direwolf, posing no threat.
But now, it was different. Not only had this wolf become unrecognizable, but a venomous viper slithered by its side!
No!
I cannot just sit and wait for death!
"Guards!"
Cersei shouted anxiously toward the door.
A Kingsguard entered and knelt on one knee.
"Go, summon that man Lynn."
"I want to see him personally."
---
When Lynn walked into Maegor's Holdfast, he could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere.
The Kingsguard lining the corridor looked at him with undisguised hostility.
Their brother, Jaime Lannister, had suffered an unprecedented defeat at this man's hands.
Lynn didn't care.
With a wave of his hand, a large number of Gold Cloaks surrounded the place, isolating the Kingsguard.
Ants can kill an elephant.
Seeing the Gold Cloaks outnumbering them several times over, the Kingsguard lost their fire, standing unwillingly at a distance to watch.
Lynn pushed open the heavy oak door and walked into Cersei's chambers.
The room was incredibly luxurious, filled with the scent of expensive spices.
Cersei had changed into a black gown, her golden hair loose over her shoulders.
She didn't sit but stood by the window with her back to Lynn, looking out at King's Landing.
Her posture was elegant.
"Ser Lynn."
"I hear you butchered my dog?"
Lynn walked to the table and poured himself a cup of Arbor gold.
"Your Grace, I think you are mistaken."
"Janos Slynt was the King's Gold Cloak, not your pet."
"He was corrupt, perverting the law and staining the King's honor."
"The Hand and I were merely cleaning house for His Grace."
He emphasized the words "King" and "Hand" heavily.
"Cleaning house?"
Cersei turned slowly.
Anger surged in her blue eyes.
"What right does a crow from the North have to dictate affairs in King's Landing?"
"What did Stark give you? To make you serve him so faithfully?"
She approached Lynn step by step, lifting her chin arrogantly, trying to suppress him with her presence.
"I can give you far more than that Northern bumpkin ever could."
"Gold, land, women... whatever you want, I can give you."
"As long as you become my man."
Lynn looked at her and suddenly laughed.
"Your Grace, you seem to misunderstand the current situation."
He put down the cup and took a step forward.
The distance between them closed to an arm's length instantly.
He was a head taller than Cersei, looking down at her with bottomless black eyes.
"Right now, you should be begging me, not me begging you."
"You!"
Cersei's face turned incredibly ugly.
"Me?"
The corner of Lynn's mouth curled into a playful arc.
"I am just a knight about to set sail to hunt Targaryen remnants for the King."
"And you?"
His voice dropped to a whisper, like a devil's murmur.
"Suspected by the King, confined here as a poison woman who plotted to kill her husband and son."
"Your father is far away in Casterly Rock, your brother Jaime has become the laughingstock of the Seven Kingdoms, and your partner Littlefinger is a pauper."
Every word Lynn spoke stabbed viciously into Cersei's heart.
"What chips do you have left to bargain with me?"
Cersei's body trembled uncontrollably.
Not from fear, but from the rage of ultimate humiliation.
"You dare speak to me like this?"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Lynn countered.
He leaned closer, his warm breath almost brushing Cersei's face.
"After all, I know far more than you imagine."
"For example... about House Lannister's rather unique... family affection."
Lynn said the words "family affection" with deep meaning.
Boom!
Cersei's mind went blank instantly.
Her beautiful blue eyes widened sharply, the blood draining from her face in an instant.
He... he knows?
Impossible!
This secret, apart from her and Jaime, no third person could possibly know!
Seeing her expression of utter horror, Lynn knew his goal was achieved.
Dealing with a woman as proud as Cersei, no scheme was as effective as a truth that struck the soul.
"You..."
Cersei didn't know how to threaten Lynn.
Her biggest claws had been pulled out by him.
"Your Grace."
Lynn straightened up slowly, creating distance again, his expression returning to calm.
"My target now is just the Targaryens."
"I have no interest in participating in the game of thrones in King's Landing."
"I advise you, during my absence, to behave yourself."
Lynn gave her a deep look.
"After all, no matter how fierce the lioness, she must first protect her cubs, must she not?"
"Especially... those cubs whose bloodline is not quite pure."
---