Chapter 143: Summoning Vassals
"Why save me? Are you from the North?" Jaime Lannister was half-lying in the carriage. He took the wineskin from Odis and drank a great gulp, only to erupt in a violent fit of coughing.
"Farther north than the North, Ser Jaime. I am one of the Free Folk," Odis said, pulling a stick of dried meat from his pack and chewing on it.
"A wildling? What is a wildling doing in Winterfell?"
"We are the Free Folk," Odis corrected him, ignoring the question. "Perhaps you should show me more respect. I did save your life, ser."
"Very well, my dear Mr. Freeman, why save me?" Jaime coughed again, spitting a wad of bloody phlegm onto the floor of the carriage.
"Damn me, to think the infamous Kingslayer would ask such a question. I saved your life, ser," Odis said with a vague smile. "When I return you to Casterly Rock, Lord Tywin will have to thank me with your weight in gold."
"Return to Casterly Rock?" Jaime suddenly grew agitated. "No, no!" he raised his voice. "My… my sister is still in Winterfell! Ah!" He tried to sit up, but the movement tore at his wound, and a low scream escaped his lips. "I have to save her. I have to save them."
"Them? Which them?" Odis asked, feigning confusion.
"That is…" Jaime paused. A flicker of realization, of hope, crossed his face as he looked at Odis. "If you can get me out of Winterfell, surely you can help me save my sister. And theirs… right?"
He tried to rise again but failed. He was too grievously injured to even move. If he wasn't, he never would have allowed this wildling to drag him away from Winterfell, away from his beloved Cersei and their children.
"Don't move," Odis couldn't help but warn him, seeing fresh blood seep through the crude bandage wrapped around Jaime's torso. "Not if you want to live."
"Help me," Jaime said, ignoring the pain. "As long as you can save my sister and my nephews—" He broke off, his heart shifting. He abandoned the pretense. "—my children. Save my children, and I swear I will give you the largest castle in the West. I will make you the most prominent of earls, and your family will…"
"The Free Folk do not kneel, ser," Odis interrupted. "And besides, it is too late."
"Why is it too late?" Jaime asked, startled. He glanced around wildly, but there was no sign of any pursuers.
"After the hunting party returned to Winterfell, Robert Baratheon listened to Catelyn's tale," Odis said, his voice flat. "And he beat the queen to death."
"Lies," Jaime shook his head, unwilling and unable to believe it was true. "Lies. You've been with me since we fled the castle. How could you possibly know what happened within the city walls?"
"My eagle sees everything, ser," Odis replied.
"You want me to believe in magic?" Jaime felt a hysterical laugh bubble up, but he could not force it out.
"And now, Robert has taken up his sword and is heading for the royal apartments, while Lord Stark desperately tries to stop him," Odis continued, as if Jaime hadn't spoken.
"Joff… Myrcella… Tommen…" Though Jaime still refused to believe in such things as magic, the names made the color drain from his face.
***
"Stop! Are you mad? The Kingslayer escapes, so you take your rage out on the children?" Eddard Stark yelled, catching up to Robert.
It had been far too easy. Ned was still as strong and light on his feet as he had been in his youth, but Robert Baratheon—once the greatest warrior in the Seven Kingdoms, the man who had smashed Prince Rhaegar's dragon-crested helm on the Trident—was now as fat as a pig. He had just beaten a helpless woman to death, and he was already drenched in sweat.
"Take it out? Damn it all!" Robert's voice was still a thunderous roar, a faint echo of the promise he had screamed across the riverbank: *Rhaegar, I will tear you to pieces.*
"Isn't it obvious enough, Ned?" Robert bellowed. "Those three bastards should not be in this world! Lysa wrote to Cat for help, said her lord husband was murdered because he discovered the Lannister secret… Now we know what it was! This pair of whores and oathbreakers! That was their secret! Don't forget, Ned, Jon Arryn was your father, too!"
"I have sent every horse I have to hunt down the Kingslayer. Give me the honor, and I will kill him with my own hands. But the children are innocent! This very morning at breakfast, they called you father." Eddard did not realize that his plea was only fanning the flames of Robert's fury.
"Innocent? Ned, you and your damn honor. When that bastard Jaime pushed your Bran from that tower, did you think then that the child was innocent?"
The barb struck a painful chord, and Ned's face darkened, but he held his ground, standing firm in Robert's path.
"Do not harm the children," he said, his voice iron.
Robert and Eddard stared at each other for three long minutes.
"Gods damn you, Ned. I am your king," Robert finally said, lowering his sword. "Why are you always right?"
Perhaps Robert himself did not know that, deep in his heart, he had wanted Eddard to stop him. They were his children, after all. And while Joffrey was as vexing as Cersei, Myrcella and Tommen were good, sweet children. His children.
"If your cavalry captures Jaime and brings him to me, I will kill him myself."
"I fear Lord Tywin will not stand for it," Ned reminded him.
"It is I who will not stand for it!" Robert snorted. "If your riders fail to take him, have your maester send a raven to Casterly Rock. Tell Tywin Lannister to hand over his son, or I will crush his precious Rock to dust."
"Lord Tywin will never hand over his only son." Ned began to say, then remembered the dwarf and corrected himself. "His eldest son and heir. A war is inevitable. We must summon the lords of the realm now."
"Then do it. Send word to Riverrun, to Highgarden and Sunspear. Send word to my brothers, and to the Eyrie as well. I'll wager Lysa can't wait to call the banners of the Vale and avenge Jon Arryn."
"Do it, Maester Luwin," Eddard said, turning to the maester of Winterfell.
"My Master of Seals is in Winterfell. You may get the royal seal from him," Robert added.
"Your Grace," Luwin said with a slight bow to Robert, then looked to Eddard. "My lord." He departed quickly.
"Then it's settled, Ned. You are the Hand of the King. The entire army of the realm must be under your command. Only then will I rest easy. And I will not allow you to refuse me!"
"My sword is yours, Your Grace," Eddard said. "The North will fight for you."
***
"The good news," Odis said, his gaze returning from the sky to the lost and broken man in the carriage, "is that Lord Eddard successfully dissuaded the king from harming the three children."
Jaime couldn't help but let out a shuddering sigh of relief, though the bleakness in his expression did not fade.
"The bad news is that Robert has ordered the summoning of vassals from across the kingdom to prepare for a campaign against the Westerlands."
"Conquer the West?" Jaime was stunned for a moment before the realization sank in. "Because I escaped? Perhaps I should have died with Cersei."
"You should be avenging her. Taking back your children. Do not forget who you are. You are the Kingslayer. Killing kings is your specialty," Odis interrupted in a mocking tone. "You slew Aerys Targaryen. Why should you fear Robert Baratheon?"
"Revenge? What revenge can I take? The Westerlands are strong, but we cannot face six kingdoms alone! Once Robert's army marches, we will surely be defeated…"
"I have a proposal," Odis cut in again. "If you can help me convince Lord Tywin, then the West might at least have a chance to survive."
---
⭐ $5 Tier – Early Access!
Stay 50 chapters ahead of public releases on RoyalRoad, Webnovel, and Scribble Hub.
Latest available chapter: 194.
⭐ $10 Tier – Super Early Access!
Stay 110 chapters ahead of public releases on RoyalRoad, Webnovel, and Scribble Hub.
Latest available chapter: 254.
📖 Chapters are uploaded as soon as they're completed, so you'll always stay ahead of the curve.
💖 By joining, you'll be directly supporting the story while enjoying exclusive early access.
🔗 Patreon link is in My Profile/About.
⚠️ Please select your membership carefully, as I have multiple novels ongoing.
🍎 If you're on Apple, consider subscribing through your browser instead — it's cheaper for you, and I'll receive payments faster.