After they crossed the Trident, the scenery changed again. Hills rolled across the Crownlands, and the villages grew more numerous. The scent of the sea hung in the air. They were drawing ever closer to King's Landing.
One afternoon, the party stopped to rest on a small hill. From there, they could see the distant horizon, where a silver ribbon glittered in the sunlight.
"What's that?" Sansa asked curiously.
"The Blackwater Rush," Jon replied. He had read books about the geography of King's Landing. "It flows past the city and empties into Blackwater Bay."
Arya climbed onto a large rock and stood on tiptoe. "Can I see the city?"
"We're still too far away," Eddard said. "But by this time tomorrow, we'll be able to see the walls of King's Landing."
The following afternoon, King's Landing finally came into view.
The first thing they saw was the Red Keep atop Aegon's High Hill, its seven enormous towers standing at the city's highest point. Then came the winding walls that enclosed the entire city.
Thousands upon thousands of houses crowded together, with streets crisscrossing like a spiderweb. Outside the walls, the Blackwater Rush flowed into the broad expanse of Blackwater Bay, where hundreds of ships of every size lay moored in the harbor.
Even from a distance, they could smell the city's distinctive odor.
Sansa's eyes widened, scarcely able to believe the sight before her. "King's Landing is so big."
Arya, meanwhile, wrinkled her nose. "King's Landing stinks."
The party pressed on until they entered the city, a place teeming with power, intrigue, and danger.
Far to the east, in the study of Dragonwing Castle in Valyria, Viserys was reading a letter.
Ever since news of Arryn's death had reached him, fresh letters had arrived from King's Landing every week. It