Eddard woke up to find himself lying on a very soft bed, his whole body aching as if someone had been holding him down and pounding every bone in his body, the aftershocks of which still trembled within his bones.
The Mountain's unparalleled power filled Eddard with terror just thinking about it!
Courage comes from fear, he told himself.
Sure enough, those words seemed to have a magical power. A force arose within Eddard, making him feel as if he was shedding his fear and becoming calm.
He made a sound, similar to a groan after a serious illness.
"My lord, you're awake?!" It was Grand Maester Pycelle's voice.
Eddard opened his eyes, but the intense light forced them to close again.
Whoosh!
The sound of the curtains being drawn came, and the bright light in front of me dimmed.
"Your Grace, how are you feeling?" Grand Maester Pycelle asked cautiously.
Eddard opened his eyes again, and this time they felt much better.
"I... am alright." Eddard took a deep breath, his vision flashing before his eyes: flashing swords, torrential rain, splattering blood, and screams echoing in his ears.
"You were rescued by Lord Petyr and the City Watch. Jaime and the Mountain have already fled King's Landing." Grand Maester's voice trembled, sounding old and frail, as if Pycelle would collapse at the next heartbeat.
"They…killed my…guards," Eddard said, a strong desire for revenge burning within him.
"Yes, my lord, the king is furious, and Kingslayer and the Mountain have fled in terror. My lord, let me help you up first and give you a bowl of poppy milk to soothe your pain."
"Poppy milk?" Eddard didn't want to drink this stuff; he knew that drinking too much of it would make people dull.
"My lord, you need a drink. Your back armor was shattered by the Mountain's greatsword, and I need to see how you react to the drink. I'm afraid the Mountain's power might have shattered your internal organs. But so far, you seem to be doing well." Grand Maester began to pant, as if speaking these words had exhausted all his strength.
"Alright, I'll give it a try." Eddard actually felt okay, except for the intense pain in his back. He was probably injured by the impact of the Mountain's greatsword. With the Mountain's strength, if he had used the blade, he would have been sliced in two. The Mountain must have used the back of the sword to send him flying.
He launched a sneak attack from behind, then used the momentum of his charging horse to strike with his sword, using it as a club to sweep himself into the air.
The feeling of weightlessness while flying in the air was an unforgettable experience for Eddard Stark.
The power of the Demon Mountain is terrifying.
Even if you use the back of a sword, if you hit him squarely, his spine will definitely break.
This reminded Eddard of Bran Stark of Winterfell: both his legs were broken, and he could no longer stand. If his spine had been broken, he would have been bedridden for life. Both father and son were victims of Lannister.
He survived only because the Mountain showed mercy, using skillful force to send him flying. Even so, he still felt pain all over his body. He was a burly man, and the impact of falling from the air and crashing onto the stone slab was not pleasant.
Eddard finished a bowl of poppy milk, and he felt he wanted another bowl.
For the first time, he found poppy milk incredibly delicious. But he controlled his thoughts; he knew all too well that poppy milk shouldn't be consumed in excess, as it was bad for both the body and the mind.
"My lord, are you feeling alright?" Grand Maester Pycelle asked cautiously.
"I...want to eat something more!" Eddard was hungry.
"Oh!" Pycelle visibly relaxed. "Sir, you've been unconscious for several days, so wanting to eat is a good sign. But I won't allow you to eat right now. Ask your captain to get you some water. Drink some hot water first to calm down before you eat."
"Alright!" Eddard's mouth tasted bitter. "My captain…" He found his throat tight, but he didn't want to show his emotions in front of Pycelle, so he forced a fake smile. Jory Cassel had already fought his way through, and the Mountain and the others hadn't stopped him. When he realized he wasn't free, he reined in his horse and was then killed by the Mountain's hounds. In that instant, at least three swords and five spears pierced Jory's body. Then more swords fell. Eddard had never seen such bloodthirsty soldiers before. Will and Hayward froze, while the swords and spears continued to stab and stab.
A pack of crazed soldiers, like a pack of wild dogs tearing apart Shadow Lynx.
His captain, Jory Cassel, died trying to come back to save him! This made Eddard feel extremely guilty!
Elin walked in, and Eddard realized that Elin had become his new captain. The captain that Grand Maester Pycelle was referring to was Captain Elin.
Elin helped Eddard up and slowly fed him two bowls of hot water.
Eddard felt incredibly comfortable, yet his eyelids were so heavy he could barely lift them; the poppy milk had worked. When Eddard awoke again, Elin was still by his side. Following Grand Maester Pycelle's instructions, he gave Eddard some liquid food. Eddard didn't vomit or experience any discomfort, and his bowel movements were normal, without any blood. This indicated that he hadn't suffered any internal injuries that were difficult to heal.
Eddard understood that the Mountain had controlled his strength, delivering a devastating blow while sparing his life. But it was actually extremely dangerous; Eddard narrowly escaped death and returned home.
The Mountain's precise control also made Eddard uneasy.
Elin said, "My lord, Jori, Wel, Haihua… I have entrusted them to the Silent Sisters and asked them to escort the three brothers back to Winterfell. They are from the North and should be buried in their homeland."
"You've done a great job, Elin. And my two daughters?"
"They've all done very well. Sansa prays for you every day, sir. As for Arya, she's very angry. I've never seen her so angry…uh…angry. She has a fiery temper, you know that, sir. I had to forbid her from going out and have a dance teacher dance with her every day before she slowly calmed down."
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days!" Eddard said with deep emotion.
This made Elin extremely nervous: "My lord, throughout King's Landing, the whole city is buzzing with rumors that Lady Catelyn has captured Little Devil. I'm afraid something else might happen, so I've deployed all my men to patrol around the Prime Ministers Tower day and night."
"You did well, Elin. We need to be more careful. The Mountain and Jaime may be hiding somewhere in the city watching us, ready to hurt us again. This may only be the beginning."
"My lord, Jaime and the Mountain have already escaped King's Landing, so there's no need to worry about that anymore."
"oh!"
"The King has ordered a citywide search for Jaime and the Mountain. Varys reports that Jaime and the Mountain have indeed left King's Landing."
"Then we need to be careful. Tell Manager Vayon Poole to pack our things quickly, we need to get back to Winterfell as soon as possible."
"My lord, the king has ordered that we are not allowed to pack our belongings or leave King's Landing without permission. He wants you to see him immediately after you wake up."
"I will not go," Eddard said firmly. "Go tell the king that I am unwell and unable to get up."
"Yes, sir." Elin bowed and withdrew.
The butler, Vayon Poole, entered and administered the prescribed medication to Lord Eddard. Had Eddard known the dark side of Grand Maester Pycelle — that he had interrupted Jon Elin's treatment when his condition improved, and watched Lord John die—he certainly wouldn't have dared to take Grand Maester Pycelle's medicine.
After taking his medication, Eddard lay down to rest again. When he woke up this time, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease and renewed energy.
Captain Elin, who was guarding the door, also came in: "My lord, the King has arrived. He said you were unable to rise to see him, so he came to see you instead." Elin paused for a moment, "Accompanying the King is Her Majesty the Queen, my lord."