Theon trudged back to his bedroom, shut the door, and dropped onto the bed.
The banquet tonight had been one disaster after another.
He had done everything he could to run around and stir things up, only to end up looking like a complete fool.
Not only had he failed to do what Catelyn had asked, he had also managed to anger Ned and Robb.
And that damn Garon had even won the Trial by Combat!
"Why?"
"How could the gods let him be so strong?"
Whenever Theon remembered how cleanly Garon had killed Meryn Trant, a chill ran through him.
Even a Kingsguard couldn't defeat him. How was Theon supposed to fight him?
"Tomorrow, during the hunt, he'll definitely use the chance to target me again. And after what I did tonight, I've angered Robb and Lord Ned. I doubt they'll help me."
Theon regretted his choices. If only he had known, he would never have agreed to Catelyn's request.
"Should I go explain everything to Lord Ned?"
"Tell him it was all Lady Catelyn's idea..."
The thought crossed his mind for only a few seconds before he shook his head repeatedly and dismissed it entirely.
It was one thing to have angered Ned and Robb. Theon knew them well, and if he spent some time making amends, he could eventually earn their forgiveness.
But if he offended Catelyn, his life in Winterfell would become even more miserable.
"Alas, who knows when I'll be able to go home..."
Theon had always considered Winterfell his home. But now, as he looked around the bedroom he had lived in for nine years, he couldn't help feeling a wave of loneliness.
"Hm? What's that?"
As Theon brooded, his gaze passed over the head of the bed. A sheet of paper had been tucked under his pillow, one corner sticking out.
Theon froze, then reached for it curiously and unfolded the letter.
[Meet me at the Broken Tower tomorrow morning. This is of the utmost importance. Do not tell anyone. Balon Greyjoy!]
The words on the paper astonished him!
An unbelievable thought rose from the depths of his heart. Has my father come to take me home?
Theon panicked and instinctively started to get up to tell Ned.
But after taking only two steps, he stopped.
"Did something happen in the Iron Islands?"
"It must be very important, or he wouldn't have sent it this way..."
"What if I tell Lord Ned and ruin Father's plans?"
Theon's expression shifted uncertainly. He clutched the letter tightly and paced back and forth across the bedroom.
Only after the contemptuous look in Garon's eyes and the furious scolding from Ned and his sons rose in his mind did he finally make up his mind.
"I'll go see what's going on tomorrow..."
"Then I'll decide whether or not to tell Lord Ned, depending on the situation."
"If something's happened in the Iron Islands, I'll be able to go home..."
Theon's eyes filled with anticipation. Everything that had happened over the past few days had made Winterfell increasingly hard to bear.
Tonight especially.
If he could go home, it would be far better than living as a dependent in Winterfell.
Clutching the letter, Theon remembered that it said the matter was of the utmost importance. He went to the candle and silently set the paper alight.
While Theon was burning the letter, Ned and his wife, freshly bathed, were also talking about Garon.
"I never imagined that boy's swordsmanship was so impressive."
"Even a Kingsguard couldn't defeat him."
As he did most nights, Ned stood by the narrow window, gazing out at Winterfell in the dark as he spoke, still shaken by what had happened.
The events at the banquet had caught him completely off guard.
If Garon hadn't reacted quickly and taken a desperate gamble, the North would have been humiliated at the banquet.
Thinking about Theon's behavior, Ned suddenly bristled with anger.
"What on earth is wrong with Theon?"
"He kept looking for trouble with Garon at the banquet, even though I'd warned him beforehand!"
Catelyn, lying in bed, felt her heart skip a beat. She tried to make excuses for Theon. "You know about their feud."
"On the very first day Garon arrived in Winterfell, he picked a fight with Theon."
"It's understandable that Theon lost his temper this once."
"And besides, Garon won the Trial by Combat, didn't he? At least it all ended well. Don't punish Theon."
Catelyn said the outcome had been satisfactory, but inside she hated Garon with every fiber of her being.
Even in her wildest dreams, she hadn't imagined that Garon would use a Trial by Combat to turn the tables—or that he would be strong enough to kill a Kingsguard.
"Could he really be blessed by the gods?"
Catelyn couldn't accept it.
Ned didn't notice anything amiss with Catelyn. Thinking about the conflict between his ward and Garon, he sighed.
"Let Theon rest tomorrow. We shouldn't let the two of them cross paths again..."
Ned considered how to keep Theon and Garon apart the next day.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Ned came back to himself and frowned. "Who is it?"
Desmond, the servant, called from outside. "My lord, Maester Luwin is here. He says he has urgent business with you."
"Urgent business?" Ned frowned even more. The Trial by Combat at the banquet had barely ended, and now there was another urgent matter. "Let him in!"
Ned went to the wardrobe and pulled on a heavy robe. Catelyn put on her nightgown and sat up in bed.
Just then, Maester Luwin was shown in.
"My lord," he said to Ned, "forgive me for disturbing your rest. Someone left a letter for me."
Ned's expression darkened. "Someone left you a letter? Who left it? Did a messenger come today? Why didn't I know?"
"My lord, it wasn't brought by a messenger." Maester Luwin paused, then explained, "While I was dozing, someone left an exquisitely carved wooden box on my desk, where I study the stars."
"My servants said no one came in, but it must have been left by someone traveling with the king. We haven't had any other visitors from the south."
"You said it was a wooden box?" Catelyn asked, her heart stirring.
Maester Luwin nodded. "Yes, my lady. Inside was a fine lens, as well as a secret letter hidden in the bottom of the box!"
"A secret letter?"
Ned was puzzled and held out his hand. "Then let me see it."
Maester Luwin didn't move. "My lord, the letter isn't for you. It clearly says that only Lady Catelyn should open it."
Catelyn looked curious. She got up, went to Ned's side, and asked Maester Luwin for the letter.
Catelyn took it, and she recognized the sender at a glance.
"It's from Lysa!"
Ned also noticed the crescent moon and falcon on the blue wax seal. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. "Open it!"
Catelyn broke the seal.
Her eyes quickly scanned the letter. At first, she couldn't make sense of it, but then understanding suddenly dawned.
"Lysa is cautious and unwilling to take risks. When we were young, we invented a secret language that only she and I knew."
Ned asked, "Can you decipher the letter's exact meaning now?"
"Yes!"
Maester Luwin cut in. "My lord, I think it would be best if I left."
As she deciphered the message, Catelyn shook her head. "Maester Luwin, Ned and I need your judgment!"
But when she finished deciphering the entire letter, her body suddenly stiffened, and fear spread across her face.
"What does the letter say?"
Catelyn's teeth chattered. She turned to Ned and looked at him in alarm. "Lysa says Jon Arryn was murdered."
Ned's hand clenched. "By whom?"
"The Lannisters," Catelyn told him. "The queen herself!"
Ned stared at her and muttered hoarsely, "Old Gods, does she know what she's saying?"
"Of course she does," Catelyn murmured. "This letter was carefully planned and hidden."
"She must know perfectly well that if it fell into the wrong hands, she would be killed."
Catelyn gazed at Ned, pleading. "Ned, you must help her!"
Ned silently turned his back on them both and walked straight to the window, where he stood for a long time without saying a word.
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