The king galloped on his black warhorse. Eddard had no choice but to follow helplessly behind him. Only after his head cleared did Eddard notice that two Kingsguard knights were following the king with a dozen or so guards: Ser Boros and Ser Meryn.
Eddard said nothing more and simply rode after the king. But he soon noticed something unusual about the two White Knights.
Eddard did not know either man well. He was familiar only with the fearless old knight Barristan and knew Jaime the Kingslayer, who had disgraced the White Knights' name. But since he was going to King's Landing, Eddard had to take a closer look at these two future colleagues.
Ser Boros was an ugly man with a broad chest and short, bowed legs. He had a flat nose, sagging cheeks, and a wretched mop of graying hair. He wore heavy white velvet and snowy armor, fastened with a golden lion brooch whose eyes were red gemstones.
Ser Meryn had downcast eyes and a rust-colored beard. His attire was even more lavish: finely wrought white scale armor worked with gold thread, a tall golden helm crowned with sun rays, gleaming iron armor at his knees, throat, hands, and feet, and a heavy woolen cloak adorned with a golden lion clasp.
"Lions. Both of them lions." Eddard noticed the golden lion emblems on both men. To call it coincidence would be stretching coincidence too far. Besides, only House Lannister indulged in such extravagance as golden lions. Eddard arrived at an even more troubling suspicion: these two men also owed their allegiance to House Lannister.
Surely Robert doesn't trust House Lannister that much? Eddard was startled. Gold could outweigh far too many things. Counting the Kingslayer, three of the White Knights leaned toward House Lannister. That was no good omen.
But Robert was not a man who listened to advice, and Eddard said nothing more. Years ago, Ser Barristan Selmy had urged the king to strip Jaime of his white cloak, but the king had refused.
The king and Eddard charged through Winterfell's gates, galloping side by side. They soon left Winterfell behind and entered the lush expanse of low hills. Even after they had put some distance between themselves and the guards, the king did not slow down.
The king and Eddard crested a low hill. The king stopped to wait for Eddard, his face flushed and his spirits soaring.
"Gods damn it, it feels good to ride out in the open like a man. I'm telling you, lumbering along like an aurochs will drive a man mad," Robert shouted. He had never been patient. "Look at Cersei's wheelhouse, creaking and groaning... if that damned thing breaks another axle, I swear I'll burn it and make Cersei walk."
Eddard smiled. "I'd gladly light the fire for you."
"I still want that life. The two of us roaming the world as hedge knights, finding some farmer's daughter or tavern girl to warm our beds."
"That would be pleasant," Eddard said. "But we have responsibilities... the realm, our children, our wives..."
"You were never young," the king muttered. "Except that once. What was that girl's name again..."
"Her name was Wylla." Eddard frowned. "I don't want to discuss it."
The two continued exchanging pleasantries.
"Yesterday, Earl Varys sent a man from King's Landing with a letter," the king said, drawing a sheet of paper from his belt.
The eunuch's name also filled Eddard with disgust. Varys had once served the Mad King and now served Robert.
Eddard felt deeply uneasy. He feared the letter concerned that accusation, that it contained news about Lady Lysa.
But after opening the letter, Eddard breathed a sigh of relief. It was not about Lysa, but about Gendry and Daenerys.
"Gendry is keeping Daenerys well protected, but they haven't married yet. Do we need to send a gift ahead of time?" Eddard asked.
"A gift." The king frowned. "You missed the more dangerous words in there: warships, longbowmen, legions. Three legions poised to strike. These aren't oddballs, they're actual armies."
"That is indeed a problem," Eddard said carefully. But Stannis's accusation came back to him, along with the golden lions among the White Knights. Compared with the enemies across the Narrow Sea, did the enemies in the Red Keep deserve more attention?
"How about sending a good knife across? One man with courage can do more than an army," the king said with a frown.
"Your Grace, they're only children, and one of them is your own child. Surely we cannot slaughter innocents like Tywin Lannister? They say Rhaegar's little daughter was crying her eyes out when they killed her. Rhaegar's son was only a babe in swaddling clothes, yet Tywin's men tore him from his mother's breast and smashed his head in," Eddard said.
"Children? He's no son of mine. He's a traitor. He's thrown in his lot with the remnants of the dragons to make trouble for me," the king said. "But kinslayer is an ugly name, so I've chosen to send men to kill only those two remnants of the True Dragons. I need you, my old friend."
"Even so, rather than commit an appalling murder, I would prefer to muster our fleet, as we did when we defeated King Balon," Eddard said.
"Appalling?" the king roared. "What the Mad King did to your brother and your father-think of their terrible deaths. That was appalling. And Rhaegar, how many times did he rape your sister? Once, or hundreds of times?" The king quieted his horse, then bellowed in fury. "I'll kill every last Targaryen. Wipe them all out. I'll make them die out as completely as their dragons, then piss on their graves."
Eddard fell silent for a while. He knew he could not contradict the king in the heat of his anger. Still, he gathered his courage. "There's one of them you cannot kill, isn't there? Besides, I would wish our victory to be more honorable."
"Honorable?" The king frowned. "At least you've said something useful. You're even willing to command a fleet for me. But, my old friend, do you know how much money is in the treasury now?"
"How much?" Eddard asked cautiously, bracing for the worst.
"We owe three million gold dragons. Or perhaps five or six million. I've forgotten the exact amount. You know I don't like counting coppers." The king spread his hands. "So I don't have many good options. Assassins are cheaper. If we muster armies and build warships, that would cost countless gold dragons. How long would I have to wait?"
Eddard stood as though frozen in the wind. The figure of five million gold dragons made his head feel ready to burst. Had all the mountains of gold and silver left by the Mad King vanished?
Chapter 96: The king's empty promises
"Your Grace, did I hear you correctly?" Eddard asked again. The North had always been a barren land, and five or six million gold dragons was an astronomical sum that even someone as exalted as the Duke of Winterfell could not imagine.
A fine set of mail, a gorget, greaves, and a full helm cost only a handful of gold dragons or more. Even for a knight of high standing and renown, a ransom of three hundred gold dragons was a generous, fair price. That was to say nothing of how much food those gold dragons could buy, how many pumpkins, how much corn and wheat.
How could Jon have allowed the king to squander so much? Eddard suddenly thought of Duke Jon. It seemed even Jon had been unable to curb the king's recklessness. The former Hand of the King had certainly been careful with money, but His Grace had likely not always listened to wise counsel.
Eddard had long known the king was consumed by worldly pleasures, but he had never realized he had sunk this far. Women, wine, hunting, tourneys-everyone knew the king loved laughter and revelry.
"Don't look at me like that, Eddard. You know anything involving finances, farming seasons, or laws gives me a headache. I hate counting coppers most of all," the king replied. "I only spend the money. Who knows why the figure has become so frightening? You'll have to ask Littlefinger for the details."
Ned was utterly dumbfounded. "Your Grace, forgive my bluntness. Aerys Targaryen left mountains of gold, silver, and treasure. How could you let the treasury fall into such a state?"
"Tourneys, hunts, fine food-making the world laugh always takes a little gold, Eddard," the king said without a trace of shame. "When you reach King's Landing, I'll give the tourney champion tens of thousands of gold dragons. A king cannot lose face."
"Leave the tourney aside for now. Who lent us all these gold dragons?" Eddard's head was buzzing as he asked cautiously.
"My wife's family is our biggest creditor. The rest are quite a mixed bunch. Littlefinger really is good at finding money. He also went to House Tyrell, the Iron Bank of Braavos, a few Tyroshi trading houses, and the Faith," the king said without the slightest concern.
What a dreadful mess. Eddard increasingly felt that going south was a mistake. The royal family's chief creditors and a decadent king meant the Lannisters could expand their influence at will. Gold was enough to buy far too many people's loyalty. Eddard might be the king's old friend, but the northerners had built no foothold in King's Landing.
Lysa's secret letter and Stannis's secret letter hung over Eddard's heart like two dark clouds. But the king's brazen indifference frightened him even more. Poor Robert spent every day and night in the lions' embrace.
The White Knights did not seem trustworthy either. The Kingslayer's continued presence among them had already stained their honor. Besides, Eddard could not be certain how many more White Knights served the queen.
"Your Grace, for the realm's well-being, you cannot keep spending so recklessly," Eddard urged. He could not remain silent. This was his loyalty to his old friend.
As for Stannis's accusation, Jon's death, and the illicit relationship between the queen and her brother, Eddard had already resolved to confront House Lannister. But he would have to proceed slowly in exposing the truth.
"Enough, enough." The king waved impatiently. "I didn't come to hear you preach. Since you don't like assassins, let's discuss fleets and war."
"We should have acted years ago, but Jon was as mean-spirited as you and wouldn't let me do it. And I foolishly agreed. Then some fucking Pentoshi peddler hid the brother and sister behind his walls and set a crowd of eunuchs in pointed hats to guard them. Now he's sold them to a traitor."
"Lord Arryn was a wise Hand of the King," Eddard said.
"They say the Twin Cities Alliance has raised a hundred thousand men and three or four hundred warships," the king said uneasily. "If Jon had heard that news, hah!"
"We have fleets and armies too," Eddard said. "And the slave masters of Lys and Volantis are unlikely to let them expand unchecked."
"Whatever happens, we must prepare ahead of time. Eddard, gold dragons, fleets, intelligence, armies-I trust you."
"The North is at your command," Eddard replied. In truth, he was more concerned about the Lannisters. Perhaps they should settle the turmoil inside the Red Keep first rather than wage war abroad. If he too went to command at the front, the king would be left even deeper among the lions.
The king answered with considerable unease. "It's not as simple as you think, Eddard. The fleets of the Free Cities cannot be underestimated. They've already occupied the Stepstones. As for that traitorous boy joining with the dragon remnants, that marriage is a vicious joke. Don't forget those traitors who still call me Usurper behind my back, who once fought beneath the Targaryen banners. They're keeping still now, but give them an opening and they'll be eager to take my life and my son's."
"Even if he does come, we can drive them back into the sea!" Eddard said. "But you must appoint a new Warden of the East."
The king stressed his words. "I'll say it again. That Arryn boy is a babe, still suckling at six years old. I know he's your nephew. But now I hear the horns of war. The Baratheon traitor, the Targaryen remnants, the sellswords and slaves of the Free Cities are all itching for a fight. I'm not mad enough to give a sickly little child command of a quarter of the realm's armies."
Eddard sighed. The wardens commanded and organized the armies of their respective regions, and theirs was an honorary hereditary office. Now the king was giving that title to someone else. Duke Jon had been deeply loved in the Vale. To House Arryn's bannermen, this would be an insult to their house.
Eddard continued, "But someone must serve as Warden of the East. If Robert Arryn is not fit for the task, let one of your brothers take over. Stannis proved his ability during the siege of Storm's End. I believe he would do well."
At that name, King Robert frowned before replying slowly. "Stannis has his own duties. Once war breaks out, he'll have to command the Royal Fleet."
"Those duties do not conflict, do they?" Eddard said cautiously. He had long known that the royal brothers did not get along, but with war approaching, Stannis was more dependable than anyone else.
The king's expression betrayed his thoughts, turning displeased. "The position is already filled!"
"Jaime Lannister, isn't it?" Eddard spoke the name. He hated the Lannisters.
"Yes!" the king answered after a long hesitation.
"The Kingslayer," Eddard said. Lysa Tully's warning seemed confirmed in that moment, and Eddard reminded himself to be more cautious. "In ability and courage, he may indeed be qualified. But Lord Tywin is the hereditary Warden of the West, and sooner or later Ser Jaime will return to inherit. Command of both east and west should not be concentrated in a single house."
Eddard had more he wanted to say. This was half their military strength, not to mention an insult to House Arryn.
"I think you're worrying too much, old friend," the king said stubbornly. "Lord Tywin is in good health. Jaime won't inherit Casterly Rock anytime soon. No more of this. What's done is done."
"Let's discuss military arrangements instead. You'll serve as Hand of the King, Jaime as Warden of the East, and Stannis as Master of Ships. Littlefinger and Renly have good relations with House Tyrell. That gives us people to oversee our fleets, soldiers, and food," the king added.
"But their pay." Eddard's expression also grew displeased. The king trusted House Lannister far too much. "The treasury has no gold to wage a war."
"Others may not have gold, but this war is also for my wife and children, so it's only right that Tywin should contribute more. Besides, our enemies across the sea won't find it so easy to land. What you need to do now is oversee everything for me, as Jon did. Once Lord Tywin sees the enemy's fire and blood, he'll naturally offer us his gold." The king patted Eddard's shoulder.
"Your Grace, forgive me for speaking plainly."
"It's not as though I can stop you," Robert grumbled. They rode through long, tawny grass.
"Do you perhaps trust House Lannister too much?"
"Tywin is my father-in-law. Jaime is my wife's twin brother and a sworn knight of the Kingsguard. His life, death, honor, and disgrace are all bound to me."
Eddard looked at the king. Those old events had wounded him deeply.
Ser Jaime had sworn to protect the king with his life, only to cut the king's throat with his sword.
When King's Landing fell, it was House Lannister's Roaring Lion that flew above the battlements, not the Crowned Stag. The Lannisters had taken the city through deceit. The slaughter of the babes by Tywin's men had been even less honorable.
"He once sat on the Iron Throne," Eddard said, summoning the last of his courage. "The Mad King lay in a pool of blood, and the dragon bones on the walls gazed coldly down at him. Lannister men were everywhere. Ser Jaime wore bright golden armor beneath the white cloak of the Kingsguard, with a golden sword. I still remember that sight vividly. He sat on the Iron Throne, towering above the warriors around him, beneath his lion-faced visor, looking so imposing, so triumphant!"
"Everyone knows that!" the king complained.
"All this over such a little thing? He was only seventeen then, still a child." Yet the king laughed heartily. "I can't distrust him just because he sat on the Iron Throne for a moment. He's done every task I've given him well. Without the Lannisters' contribution, our throne wouldn't have come so easily."
"Enough, Eddard. Once your daughter and my son marry, we'll be one family. Then we'll all get along, and I imagine Lord Tywin won't remember that sour face of yours."
"As you command!" Eddard said.
"Stop looking so glum. Once the war ends, I'll go riding and chasing women again, and you can set this kingdom in order for me. Stannis will watch the fleet, and Jaime will guard the east. Once our children marry, everything will be settled." The king smiled, but his smile only made Eddard feel more helpless.
Chapter 97: The anticipated landing site
Dragonstone had a famous Round Table Hall. The Map Table inside had been built by Aegon the Conqueror and depicted all of Westeros. It was a symbol of royal power and conquest.
Gendry also had a Map Hall in Wolf's Den, but there was no Map Table inside. Instead, a vast map of the Known World hung on the wall. Gendry could not help admiring the Myrmen as the world's finest craftsmen. The map tapestry woven by the Myrish artisans was exquisite. Not only were the regions of Westeros depicted with great accuracy, but the castles and sigils of its various houses appeared on it too.
An oval table stood in the Map Hall, with the senior leaders of the Twin Cities seated around it. Gendry had designed a well-developed, clearly organized structure; after all, he had no shortage of talented people under his command. With the meeting convened, the Map Hall was filled.
Handsome Man was the Treasurer, Qyburn oversaw intelligence, and Old Man Arrow Maker served as an adviser. Long Spear, Steel Fist, and Black Billy commanded the Wolf Pack Company, while Grey Wolf and the former commander of the Long Spear Company led the Free Army. Brown Ben and Jorah managed the Second Sons Legion. Grey Wolf also headed the Household Guard. Harris and Moloz oversaw the Stepstones Fleet and the Twin Cities Fleet. Although Brown Ben also managed the Dothraki light cavalry, they preferred to take their orders from Gendry.
"The king has gone to Winterfell. He will certainly bring Lord Eddard south with him," said the white-haired Maester Qyburn.
"Lord Eddard hasn't come south in nine years," Handsome Man said. "This time, at the king's request, he has no choice but to leave Winterfell."
Jorah still felt uneasy at that name. Years ago, after the scandal of his selling poachers into slavery came to light, Eddard had traveled all the way to Bear Island to sentence him to death. Seeing the danger, Jorah had fled with his Hightower wife.
"When it comes to dealings with Lord Eddard, Jorah knows the most," Qyburn said, inviting Jorah to speak.
"To be frank, Lord Eddard is neither as imposing nor as handsome as his elder brother Brandon was. He always wears a solemn expression, and outsiders sometimes find Duke Eddard cold. But Lord Eddard is deeply loved in the North. His steadfast devotion to honor and his fair, strict handling of affairs have earned him the respect and affection of many northern houses. Still, if Lord Eddard goes south, it may not be a good thing," Jorah said. Though he had fled, he still respected Eddard.
Jorah's words brought a certain stillness to the room. Everyone waited for his assessment.
"Northerners belong in the North. If they go south, there will likely be clashes, especially since King's Landing is the most chaotic place of all. Besides, when the war began years ago, Lord Eddard already despised House Lannister's deceit and betrayal," Jorah said sadly. The clash between north and south was much like his own bitter love.
"Whatever the case, the king may have gone to seek Duke Eddard's help in preparation for a war against us," Handsome Man said.
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