Intelligence from Beyond the Wall

"Benjen?"

Ned felt a surge of doubt. He watched his brother approach rapidly and asked, "How did you manage to return so quickly?"

Benjen did not answer Ned's question immediately upon drawing near; instead, he first bowed to King Robert.

"Your Grace!"

Robert looked at the travel-worn, weary-faced Benjen before him and almost failed to recognize him.

"Benjen, you are exhausted," Robert said, helping him up with a laugh. "Even if you wanted to see me, there was no need to rush so urgently."

"I was supposed to stay at Castle Black for at least a week."

Benjen shook his head with a bitter smile, and Ned, standing to the side, suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

He asked, "Has something happened at The Wall?"

Benjen nodded, speaking of matters that caused Ned's expression to shift drastically.

"Our rangers have discovered that the wildlings beyond The Wall have been moving frequently of late, and they seem to be trending toward unification."

"Furthermore..."

Benjen glanced at the King and the Warden of the North, his voice trembling as he said, "The rangers discovered that there are giants among the wildlings!"

"Giants?"

Ned and Robert were stunned, exchanging a look of mutual astonishment.

It was not that they disbelieved Benjen, but giants had not appeared in Westeros for a very long time; they had only heard of them in stories and songs, never having heard of anyone actually seeing one.

"Yes, giants!"

Benjen affirmed, "Ten days ago, Ser Jaremy Rykker led five rangers to investigate the matter regarding Will."

"But they ran into a large force of wildlings, and apart from Ser Jaremy, everyone else was killed by them."

"According to Ser Jaremy, he saw at least three giants within the wildling tribe."

After hearing Benjen's account, Robert scratched his head and cursed, "Seven hells!"

He recalled Jaremy Rykker, who had remained loyal to the Mad King until he took the black, and questioned, "Benjen, could it be that Jaremy is reporting false intelligence?"

Benjen shook his head wearily. "No, although Ser Jaremy is not easy to get along with, he never lies."

The King and the Warden of the North fell silent, slowly digesting the news that giants had been discovered at The Wall.

Benjen let out a soft breath; he hoped the King would make a decision to support the Night's Watch as soon as possible.

Ever since receiving Ned's letter informing him that the King was arriving at Winterfell, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had ordered him to ride through the night to reach Winterfell.

The defensive strength of The Wall was no longer what it once was.

Once the wildlings beyond The Wall joined forces with the giants to attack Castle Black, Jeor Mormont was deeply worried that they would not be able to hold it with their current manpower.

That was why he had sent Benjen to explain the current situation at The Wall to King Robert without pause, hoping to receive support from the Iron Throne.

Ned was still deep in thought, but Robert had already made his decision.

"Ned, my Hand, now it is your turn to handle the affairs of state!"

Before Ned could speak, Benjen was startled. "Hand?"

Robert laughed heartily and explained, "Just a moment ago, I appointed Lord Eddard Stark as the Hand of the King."

"Benjen, if there are any matters regarding The Wall, you can go to Ned to handle them."

Benjen was filled with a mix of surprise and apprehension.

The surprise came from the thought of his father and brother, who had both died after heading south, and he feared that Ned might meet a similar fate.

The joy came from the thought that if Ned were in charge of this matter, the support Jeor Mormont desired would likely reach Castle Black very soon.

Ned looked at Robert helplessly; had he known this would happen, he should have insisted a bit more earlier.

He turned his head toward Benjen and, after a moment of silence, said, "Benjen, go back and get some rest first; there is a banquet tonight."

"As for The Wall, I will give it serious consideration!"

Benjen naturally trusted Ned's word.

He nodded to Robert and Ned, then left the crypts with a heavy and complex heart.

Once Benjen's figure disappeared from the crypts, Ned said softly to Robert, "The defenses at The Wall are not what they once were; we must reinforce them."

"But how to provide that reinforcement requires returning to King's Landing to consult with the other high lords."

Robert spread his hands, indifferent. "You are the Hand of the King; how you handle it is up to you."

Ned shook his head speechlessly and said, "Let's go, we should return as well; the Queen is waiting."

"The Queen, the Queen—what would it matter even if the White Walkers snatched her away?"

Robert muttered acidly. He took one last deep look at Lyanna, then walked with a heavy, stumbling gait toward the way they had come.

The two continued their conversation as they walked back.

"Your Grace, you still haven't told me how Jon died."

Robert shook his head upon hearing this, "I have never seen a man's condition deteriorate so rapidly in my entire life."

With a heavy and sorrowful expression, he recounted the story of Jon's passing.

"Why, at the small council meeting only two weeks ago, I still thought he would live to be a hundred."

"But the illness he caught was like a raging fire; it burned him to ash in just two short weeks."

"I loved him so dearly!"

"We all did!" Ned paused for a moment, "Catelyn is very worried about her sister. Is Lysa doing alright?"

The corners of Robert's mouth twisted bitterly, "To be honest, not well at all."

He paused, then added, "I believe Jon's death has driven her mad."

"She actually took her son and fled back to The Eyrie."

Robert couldn't help but sigh at the thought of Jon's only son, Robert Arryn.

"That boy is sickly all day long; his health is very poor."

"I had originally intended for him to become a ward of Tywin Lannister, so that under Tywin's care, the boy might grow up healthy."

"But that woman didn't even send word; she just returned to The Eyrie on her own accord."

"Truly, sigh..."

Ned did not approve of handing Robert Arryn over to Tywin, and thinking of Catelyn, he offered an explanation for Lysa.

"She has just lost her husband; perhaps as a mother, she is afraid of losing her son as well."

"How about I take him in as a ward? What do you think?"

"My old friend, you are a good man," Robert replied, "but it is too late. Lord Tywin has already agreed to the wardship; if we were to move the child elsewhere now, it would be an insult to him."

Ned didn't care whether Tywin felt insulted or not, "I am concerned for my nephew's well-being, not whether the Lannisters are pleased."

Robert burst into loud laughter, wrapping his massive arm around Ned's shoulder and joking.

"That is because you don't have to sleep with a Lannister at night!"

Then, he turned serious and analyzed the situation for Ned, "Furthermore, if we are to reinforce The Wall, the Lannisters are absolutely unavoidable."

"You need the Gold Dragons of the Lannisters, Ned!"

Ned felt a headache coming on; he would rather go Beyond the Wall and fight a battle against the wildlings right now than go to King's Landing and haggle over Gold Dragons with the Lannisters.

"May the Old Gods have mercy on me."

He muttered to himself while carrying the oil lamp, which drew another round of laughter from Robert.

The two walked toward the exit of the crypts, weaving between the stone pillars, the hollow eyes of the dead Starks on either side seeming to follow their footsteps.

Upon reaching the exit, Robert took his hand off Ned's shoulder.

Ned handed the oil lamp to the attendant guarding the crypts, then led Robert toward the main keep.

Along the way, people were coming and going, all busy preparing for the grand banquet that evening.