chapter 164 part 1
164. Lost Honor
The numerous Gold Cloaks stood stunned. Their commander was dead, and they clutched their longspears, unsure of what to do.
"Attack!"
Gray and red clashed, flesh and blood flying.
Lord Eddard's greatsword, Ice, slashed down. A Redcloak stumbled to his knees, his lion-emblazoned steel helm splitting in two as blood gushed down his face.
With a sharp clang, Jory Cassel barely managed to parry an attack aimed at Lord Eddard's flank. Immediately after, Ice grazed past his head, and the would-be assailant was decapitated.
Lord Eddard glanced at Jory, his Captain of the Guard, who grinned and gave a slight nod.
Jory had fought alongside his lord for years; he understood that look. Or perhaps, he simply had the same intention.
*Slash!* Jaime Lannister's first sword stroke severed a grey-clad man's arm, and his second sliced diagonally through the neck.
"Kingslayer!"
Hearing the shout, Jaime's eyes flickered. His gaze met Lord Eddard's.
Jaime stared intently at Lord Eddard, a cold smile creeping onto his lips as he strode toward him.
Lord Eddard lowered his eyes to his trembling wrist. He could no longer remember how many enemies Ice had slain... The six-foot-long greatsword had consumed too much of his stamina. His time was running out.
Their weapons clashed, ringing out again and again.
Lord Eddard's Ice carved a semicircle through the air and chopped down heavily. Jaime dared not take the blow head-on, dodging to the right in a rather undignified manner.
The exquisite flagstones of the Throne Room were already coated in a sticky layer of fresh blood. Jaime nearly slipped, stumbling a few steps.
With a crash, the flagstones where Jaime had stood were shattered by Ice.
Jaime had not yet regained his balance when Jory's longsword slashed toward him. He barely managed to parry the blade, but the back of his knee suddenly went numb, and he dropped to one knee.
Lord Eddard placed his greatsword, Ice, on Jaime's shoulder. Jory, grinning through the pain, stamped his feet.
Lord Eddard, panting heavily, said, "Jory, well done."
Jory, breathless, gasped, "Hah… hah… My lord, he ran into my foot himself! It hurts… it fucking hurts."
Jaime was fuming. He had clearly been ambushed... Who said Northerners were honest and straightforward?!
Jory cheered aloud. The remaining seven grey-clad men promptly clustered around Lord Eddard. Seeing Jaime captured, their opponents dared not continue their attack.
Jaime glanced at Ice on his shoulder, his lips curving slightly. "Direwolf," he said, "I haven't lost to you."
Jory limped over and confiscated Jaime's sword. Lord Eddard then removed Ice from Jaime's shoulder.
Lord Eddard stood his greatsword upright before him, gripping the hilt with both hands. "You are now my captive," he said.
Jaime: "..."
Lord Eddard looked around, his heart filled with grief. Too much blood from Winterfell's men had been shed today.
He looked again at the few remaining guards around him. His foolishness had gotten too many people killed; he now only wanted to bring the survivors home.
In the Great Hall, only heavy breathing remained.
"Cersei, let us leave. I promise not to harm Jaime."
Lord Eddard could only feel fortunate that he had appointed Greene Kleb as Captain of the Iron Gate. Greene had arranged a rendezvous there, and now with Jaime as a hostage, their retreat was at least assured.
At the same time, Lord Eddard felt deeply self-reproachful. He hadn't been as thorough in his planning as the young Greene Kleb.
Joffrey screamed from his high seat, "You can't let them go! Kill them!"
Cersei scoffed. "Stark, your actions now are hardly honorable."
Lord Eddard's heart ached. "Today, I have caused many deaths for the sake of honor. Let us stop."
"That's not for you to decide..."
The Kingsguard standing before Cersei parted, and Lord Eddard was instantly shocked.
Cersei smiled disdainfully. "Sansa, now only you can stop Lord Stark from making further mistakes."
Sansa stood before Cersei, watching her blood-soaked father with tear-filled eyes. Cersei's hands rested on her shoulders.
Lord Eddard panicked. He spoke in disbelief, "Sansa, why are you here?!"
Why was his eldest daughter in Cersei's hands? Had something unexpected happened? Was Arya captured too? Were Jon and Greene in trouble?
Lord Eddard's regret was unspeakable. His foolishness had endangered his children once more.
Sansa Stark choked out, "Fa-Father..."
Cersei's hand stroked Sansa's head as she urged gently, "Good child, I will bless you and Joffrey. Now, if your father will only put down his weapon, everything will be fine."
Sansa turned to look at Cersei, who nodded benignly.
Sansa's body trembled, her voice very low and cautious. "Your Grace, the Queen Regent, will you forgive my father?"
Cersei smiled. "Good child, we will be family soon."
Lord Eddard roared, "Cersei, you should not have dragged my child into this!"
Cersei's voice was cold and clear. "Lord Stark, it was innocent love that brought Sansa here. You should be very clear now on which choice is best for everyone."
The Direwolf's fury was a stark contrast to the Lioness's composure.
Cersei gently patted Sansa's shoulder.
Sansa's eyes blurred with tears. "Father, Her Grace, the Queen Regent, has already promised to let me marry Joffrey. Please, I truly love him."
When her father remained silent, she added, "Her Grace will not hold you accountable for your crimes. Joffrey and I also hope to receive your blessing."
Lord Eddard closed his eyes in agony. *My poor daughter, how could you believe a Lannister's promise?*
After a pause, Lord Eddard opened his eyes. "Cersei, I am at your mercy. Please spare my children and my men."
Cersei tilted her chin slightly. "Stark, release Jaime. Show me your sincerity."
Lord Eddard gazed at Cersei for a moment, then said, "Jory, release him."
At his command, Jory and the others immediately let Jaime go.
Jaime rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Direwolf, you finally made a clever choice."
Lord Eddard ignored Jaime and turned to Jory. "Jory, you all go first..."
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Jaime's pupils constricted. He turned his head in shock toward Cersei, seeing her hand still raised in a gesture that had not yet been withdrawn.
Stark's grey-clad men fell one after another into pools of blood. Jory Cassel looked down with difficulty at the tip of a longspear protruding from his abdomen. A mouthful of fresh blood welled up in his throat and flowed from the corner of his mouth.
The longswords of the Stark guard detail had not yet fallen, but the men were already dead.
"No!"
*Clang!* The Stark ancestral greatsword, Ice, crashed to the ground. Lord Eddard clutched his Captain of the Guard tightly.