King Robert wore a black velvet blouse with two evenly spaced rows of gold buttons on either side of the blouse. The crowned stag of House Baratheon was embroidered in gold thread on his chest, and he wore a black and gold checkered cloak. He held a bottle of wine in his hand, his face flushed from drinking.
Queen Cersei Lannister accompanied the King, wearing a jeweled crown. Around her neck was a large, round, evenly ruffled collar of fine silk, vibrant in color and exquisitely crafted, which made her appear dignified and noble. Only members of the royal family were entitled to wear such a silk ruffled collar.
The king was enthusiastic, the queen was indifferent.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being unable to get up," Eddard said from his bed.
"I'm fine." The king's voice was loud and clear. He had his double-breasted, fitted jacket open, revealing his protruding belly. " Ned, how are you feeling?"
"My head is still dizzy and my back hurts terribly."
"You're lucky the Mountain didn't chop off your head," the Queen said coldly.
The king glared at the queen, then sat down on Eddard's bedside: "How about a good drink?" The king shook the bottle.
"Then just a small amount."
There were no servants, no manager, and no guards in the room.
The conversation between the King and Eddard was kept secret, and Eddard's guards at the gate had been replaced by Kingsguards.
The king was delighted that Eddard would have a drink with him, and he immediately poured himself a glass of wine. Eddard took it, drank a little, frowned, and the king laughed heartily.
" Pycelle told me your condition wasn't serious and that you would fully recover with proper rest," the King said, his tone shifting to a deep murmur. " Eddard, you already know what Catelyn did at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands, don't you? She captured Tyrion Lannister."
"I know." Eddard took another small sip of his drink. "My wife is not wrong, Your Majesty. It was all my doing. I have reason to arrest Tyrion Lannister …"
"I don't care whether you're right or wrong," Robert said. "I won't allow you to do this, Ned. Do you want the kingdom to go into civil war? Listen to me, you have to order your wife to release Tyrion, and then I'll step in, you and Jaime will make up, and that'll be the end of it."
" King, Tyrion murdered my son Bran Stark, and you expect me to just let it go? Jaime ordered the Mountain to kill three of my men in the street, one of whom, Jory Cassel, was my captain. His father, Martin Caesar, followed me to the south and died by the sword of the Morning Star, 'Dawn,' and is still buried near the Tower of Joy in Dorne. Before he died, Martin Caesar asked me to take care of his son, Jory Cassel, a child I hadn't even had a chance to knight." Eddard became increasingly agitated as he spoke.
Sixteen years ago, at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, Eddard and six of his men fought a bloody battle against three Kingsguards to rescue his sister, Lyanna Stark — Robert's fiancée. Each of the three Kingsguards was renowned, with the Sword of the Morning being the most famous. In the ensuing battle, all the Kingsguards perished, leaving only two of Eddard's seven men: himself and the diminutive Holland Reed. Among them was Jory Cassel's father, Martin, who died at the Tower of Joy and was buried by Eddard alongside four of his companions.
"Northerner, you say Tyrion murdered your crippled son? Produce your evidence!" Queen Cersei said coldly.
"A Valyria dagger, held in the hand of an assassin."
"Then where is the assassin? And where is the knife?"
"The killer has been killed by Bran's wolves, and the knife is in Catelyn's hands; that is the evidence that he committed the murder."
"The assassin is dead? So there's no way to prove it? Hah, your lie is flawless. And the knife? Tyrion doesn't have any Valyria daggers. Who do you think you are? You say Tyrion murdered your crippled son, so he did?" The Queen sneered.
"Enough, woman," said King Robert. " Eddard, stop arguing. Listen to me, this matter ends here. Tell Catelyn to release Tyrion. If Lady Catelyn insists that Tyrion hired the assassin to murder Bran, I need evidence, and I also need Tyrion's defense."
"Everything must return to normal, under the supervision of royal laws. The kingdom has a Small Council and a Master of Laws. I will not allow either of you to bypass the kingdom's laws and take private action. Do you understand? I want you to uphold peace, justice, and righteousness in the name of the King and the Seven Gods. Lannister, Stark, don't cause trouble for the kingdom."
"Your Majesty, Jaime ordered the Mountain to kill three of my men simply because he wanted my wife to know about the ' Lannister ' and 'debts must be repaid,' and you want me to pretend it never happened?"
" Ned, you lost three men, while the Westerlands lost six."
"I was killed by a guard, while the Western Frontier only lost six rogue soldiers."
"Tsk tsk!" The Queen sneered. "Two lives in the Westerlands are worth less than one life in the Northerlands? And it was your men who attacked Jaime and the Mountain first, yet Jaime didn't retaliate, and the Mountain and his knights also restrained themselves. Otherwise, do you think the Northerners could have traded one life for two in the Westerlands? Tsk tsk! What are you? Catelyn kidnapped Tyrion at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands, and you attacked Jaime at King's Landing. Don't think we don't know you just came out of a brothel, drunk."
Eddard was so angry he choked, his face turned pale, and his lips trembled slightly.
" Robert!" Eddard said coldly, "You can ask Lord Baelish; he was there at the time."
"I spoke with Littlefinger," the king said loudly, almost shouting. "He said he rushed to find the capital guards before you started fighting, but he admitted that you did come out of a brothel at that time."
"A brothel? Robert, you should know who I am. I didn't drink, nor did I frequent brothels. I went there to see your daughter! Her name is Bara, and she looks a lot like your daughter when we lived in the canyon, when we were both little boys—your first daughter." Eddard's words were like knives as he spoke, glancing at the Queen. But she seemed to be wearing a mask, pale and calm.
Robert blushed. "Barra?" he murmured. "Her mother deserves to die. How could that stupid woman have thought of giving birth to the child? The hell of hell!"
Eddard said seriously, " Robert, I heard that Kingslayer and The Mountain have escaped from the city. Please allow me to bring Jaime back to face legal punishment."
The King snatched the wine glass from Eddard's hand and gulped it down. "No, this can't go on. Jaime killed three of your men, and you killed six of his. It's even. I'll allow Lady Catelyn to come to the palace and accuse Tyrion of murder, but she must provide evidence. She has no right to use vigilante justice to arrest people, do you understand, Ned? "
The Queen sneered, " Robert, I thought you were the king of a nation. How could you be so subservient to someone with the surname Stark? Legally and by marriage, Jaime and Tyrion are both your brothers. Now the Stark family has driven one away and arrested another, and all you do is stand obediently by the side, asking him if he's still in pain, if he wants to drink, and pleading with Stark to understand your predicament and make them stop. Don't you feel ashamed? I feel utterly ashamed. If it were any other king, he would have arrested Stark and beheaded long ago."
Robert's face darkened, a sign that a storm was brewing: "Woman, shut up!"
Cersei laughed shrilly: " Robert, you should wear a skirt and be a woman. I should be the one who goes into battle like a man."
The king held a wine glass in his right hand, but he still had his left. With his left, he delivered a powerful punch to Cersei's face, knocking the queen to the ground. The king's chest heaved violently, while Cersei, lying on the ground, declared with her head held high, "Well done, Robert! Thank you for this medal of honor." Her face would soon swell, but she considered the scar the highest honor.
"Then quietly put on your medal of honor. If you want more, I don't mind giving you more." Robert glared, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
The woman shut her mouth, half-lying down and half-sitting on the ground, covering her face where she had been punched.
"Guards!" the king shouted.
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Wearing a white cloak and white armor, the tall and somber Ser Meryn Trant pushed open the door and entered.
"The Queen is tired; escort her back to her room," the King commanded.
Ser Meryn Trant bent down to help the Queen up and led her out without a word.
Robert picked up the bottle and poured himself a full glass, drinking several glasses before his breathing gradually calmed down. " Ned, you saw it too... I'm not happy being king at all... This Iron Throne should have been yours or Jon's..." the king said haltingly, his expression sorrowful. "I know I'm not cut out to be king... No matter how awful she is, she's still my wife. A man shouldn't hit a woman, especially his own wife... It's fucking true!" His eyes gradually filled with tears, which Eddard found unbelievable. Eddard had never seen the king so vulnerable.
"I've always been very strong…you know that. You can barely lift my warhammer, do you admit that?"
Eddard nodded; Robert was telling the truth.
"No one can beat me, no one. But how can this fight be fought if you can't even touch your enemy?" The king looked at Eddard like a helpless child.
" Rhaegar … Rhaegar won, damn it. Ned, my warhammer shattered his black armor and pierced his black heart; he died instantly. I killed him, won honor and the kingdom, but in the end, Rhaegar still won."
The king's voice was weak and reeked of alcohol; he had drunk too much and was out of control: " Rhaegar has taken away my beloved fiancée, your sister. He has Lyanna Stark, and my reward for victory is Cersei. This is not what I wanted." The king threw his wine glass on the ground, kicked it aside, unscrewed the cork of the bottle, and gulped down the wine in one go, emptying the bottle completely.
It's time to tell Robert — that Lannister is planning to murder him. Although there's no evidence, the time has come to speak out…
" Robert, I have something to talk to you about…it's very important…"
"Enough talk, Ned, my brother. I believe you are more than my two younger brothers… but you are still against me… you are still as stubborn as ever. I'm going hunting in Kingswood tomorrow. Wait for me to come back before we talk again."
" Robert, I was gone by the time you returned from the hunt. You ordered me to return to Winterfell, have you forgotten?"
Robert stood up, swaying slightly. He tossed aside the empty bottle and steadied himself by gripping the bedposts. " Ned, take it. It's yours." He struggled to pull the heavy, hand-shaped gold badge from the inside pocket of his cloak.
Robert threw the ' Hand of the King ' badge onto Eddard's chest.
" Ned, anyway, you're my prime minister. This throne should have been yours sixteen years ago, and Jon was more suitable than me, but you two insisted on putting me on it because I killed Rhaegar. Look at the state of the country today, there's not a single golden dragon in the treasury that's mine anymore, it's all debt. Ned, my brother, put on the badge. I swear in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of House Baratheon, if you refuse, I'll personally pin this rotten thing on Jaime Lannister's chest. You decide whether you become my prime minister or Jaime becomes prime minister."