"Benjen?"
Ned was puzzled as he watched his brother hurry toward him. "How did you get back so quickly?"
Benjen approached but didn't answer Ned's question right away. Instead, he first bowed to King Robert.
"Your Grace!"
Robert looked at Benjen, travel-worn and weary, and almost failed to recognize him.
"Benjen, you look exhausted." Robert helped him up with a smile. "Even if you wanted to see me, there was no need to rush back in such a hurry."
"I was supposed to spend at least a week at Winterfell."
Benjen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. Ned immediately had a bad feeling.
"Has something happened beyond the Wall?"
Benjen nodded and told him what made Ned's expression change.
"Our rangers have noticed that the Wildlings beyond the Wall have been unusually active lately. They seem to be joining forces."
"And..."
Benjen glanced at the king and the Warden of the North, then said with a tremor in his voice, "The rangers have also spotted Giants among the Wildlings!"
"Giants?"
Ned and Robert stared at him in shock, then exchanged a look. They could both see how astonished the other was.
It wasn't that they didn't believe Benjen. It was just that Giants hadn't appeared in Westeros for a very long time. They'd only heard of them in stories and songs, never from anyone who had actually seen one.
"That's right. Giants!"
Benjen confirmed it. "Ten days ago, Ser Jeremy Lake led five rangers to investigate what happened to Will."
"But they ran into a large force of Wildlings. Everyone except Ser Jeremy was killed."
"According to Ser Jeremy, he saw at least three Giants among the Wildling clans."
After hearing Benjen's account, Robert scratched his head and swore. "Seven Hells!"
He remembered Jeremy Lake, who had remained loyal to the Mad King and consequently taken the black. Then he asked doubtfully, "Benjen, could Jeremy have given us false information?"
Benjen wearily shook his head. "No. Ser Jeremy may not be easy to get along with, but he never lies."
The king and the Warden of the North fell silent, slowly absorbing the news that Giants had been spotted beyond the Wall.
Benjen let out a quiet breath. He hoped the king would decide quickly to send aid to the Night's Watch.
After receiving Ned's letter and learning that the king was on his way to Winterfell, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had ordered Benjen to ride back to Winterfell through the night.
The Wall's defenses were already far weaker than they used to be.
If the Wildlings beyond the Wall joined forces with the Giants and attacked Castle Black, Jeor Mormont feared that their current strength wouldn't be enough to hold it.
That was why he'd sent Benjen to explain the Wall's situation to King Robert without delay, hoping to secure support from the Iron Throne.
Ned was still considering the matter, but Robert had already made up his mind.
"Ned, my Hand, it's time for you to take care of the realm's affairs!"
Before Ned could reply, Benjen looked startled. "Hand?"
Robert laughed and explained, "Just a moment ago, I appointed Lord Ned Stark as Hand of the King."
"Benjen, you can take any matters concerning the Wall to Ned."
Benjen was both delighted and alarmed.
He was alarmed because his father and elder brother had died while marching south. He feared Ned might meet the same fate.
But he was delighted because if Ned handled the matter, the support Jeor Mormont wanted should reach Castle Black soon.
Ned gave Robert a helpless look. If only he'd known, he would have held out a little longer.
He turned to Benjen and, after a moment's silence, said, "Benjen, go get some rest first. There's a feast tonight."
"I'll give the situation at the Wall serious consideration."
Benjen trusted Ned's word.
He nodded to Robert and Ned, then left the crypt with a troubled heart.
Only after Benjen had disappeared did Ned quietly say to Robert, "The Wall's defenses are already far weaker than they used to be. We have to send more men."
"But we'll need to return to King's Landing and consult the other leading lords about how to do it."
Robert spread his hands, unconcerned. "You're the Hand of the King. You decide how to handle it."
Ned shook his head, exasperated. "Come on. We should head back too. The queen is waiting."
"The queen, the queen. So what if the White Walkers snatch her away?"
Robert muttered sarcastically. He gave Lyanna one last, lingering look, then trudged heavily back the way they had come.
As they walked back, they continued talking.
"Your Grace, you still haven't told me how Jon died."
Robert shook his head. "I've never seen anyone's condition deteriorate so quickly in my life."
His expression heavy with grief, he told Ned how Jon had died of his illness.
"Just two weeks ago, at the Small Council meeting, I thought he'd live to be a hundred."
"But his illness was like a raging fire. It consumed him in a mere two weeks."
"I loved him dearly!"
"We all did." Ned paused. "Catelyn is worried about her sister. How is Lysa?"
Robert's mouth twisted bitterly. "To be honest, not well at all."
He paused, then added, "I think Jon's death has driven her mad."
"She took her son and fled back to the Eyrie."
Robert couldn't help sighing when he thought of Jon's only son, Robert Arryn.
"That boy is sickly all the time. He's in very poor health."
"I wanted him to become Tywin Lannister's ward. With Tywin looking after him, the boy could grow up healthy."
"But that woman went back to the Eyrie on her own, without even telling anyone."
"Honestly... sigh."
Ned didn't approve of handing Robert Arryn over to Tywin. Thinking of Catelyn, he tried to speak up for Lysa.
"She's just lost her husband. Maybe, as a mother, she's afraid of losing her son too."
"Why not let me take him in? What do you think?"
"My old friend, you're a good man," Robert replied. "But it's too late. Lord Tywin has already agreed to take him in. Moving the boy somewhere else now would be an insult to him."
Ned didn't care whether Tywin felt insulted. "I care about my nephew's happiness, not whether the Lannisters are pleased."
Robert burst out laughing. He draped a massive arm around Ned's shoulders and teased him.
"That's because you don't have to sleep with the Lannisters at night!"
Then he seriously explained, "Besides, if we're going to send more men to the Wall, we can't avoid the Lannisters."
"You'll need Lannister Gold Dragons, Ned!"
Ned felt a headache coming on. He'd rather go beyond the Wall right then and fight the Wildlings than return to King's Landing and haggle with the Lannisters over every Gold Dragon.
"Old Gods, have mercy on me."
He muttered to himself as he carried the lantern, making Robert laugh again.
They headed for the crypt's exit, threading between stone pillars. The Stark dead stared blankly from either side, their hollow eyes seeming to follow them as they passed.
At the entrance, Robert took his arm off Ned's shoulder.
Ned handed the lantern to the servant guarding the crypt, then led Robert toward the main keep.
All along the way, people bustled about, preparing for the grand feast that evening.
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