The appearance of Jaime Lannister instantly stirred the already turbulent atmosphere in the study.
His gilded armor reflected cold light in the candlelight, a stark contrast to the complex expression on his handsome face.
His gaze swept past Ned Stark and Varys, fixing directly on Lynn.
In his eyes, there was scrutiny, and annoyance.
And a hint of... concern? that he himself had not even noticed.
"Lysa Arryn is mad."
Jaime's voice broke the silence, carrying the arrogance and disdain characteristic of House Lannister.
"A widow who cries and hides in The Eyrie to nurse after her husband dies, what will she use to march north?"
"Her son's diapers?"
Varys's face, usually adorned with a slick smile, twitched almost imperceptibly at the corners of his mouth upon hearing this.
"Ser Lannister, that may be so, but the knights of the Vale are as loyal to House Arryn as the stones of their Eyrie."
Varys reminded him softly.
"Lady Lysa may be mad."
"But a mad woman is often more terrifying than ten sane men."
"Enough!"
A roar came from outside the door, and Robert Baratheon's bear-like, burly figure stumbled in.
His face was flushed, and he reeked of alcohol.
In his eyes, which were somewhat clouded by indulgence, poison, and alcohol, a morbid excitement burned.
"The shouting of a madwoman frightens you all so much?"
Robert looked around, his gaze finally settling on Lynn, his eyes filled with undisguised amusement.
"Perfect! I was just wondering when my good son-in-law would get a chance to show his fangs!"
The King's decree quickly spread throughout the The Red Keep.
An impromptu Small Council meeting was hastily convened in the late night, filled with the stench of wine and conspiracy.
Inside the Throne Room, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Robert sat askew on the iron throne.
He still held the huge golden goblet in his hand, as if it contained not wine, but the scepter of his rule over the Seven Kingdoms.
Cersei sat below him, a layer of frost covering her beautiful face.
When she heard Robert's decision, rage instantly flared in her beautiful green eyes.
"Are you mad, Robert?"
Cersei could no longer maintain the Queen's composure.
"You want Lynn to face the entire military might of the Vale alone?"
"Myrcella just married him today!"
"Do you want her to become a widow on her wedding night?!"
"This is Petyr's fault to begin with, and it concerns the entire Seven Kingdoms; Lynn should not bear it alone!"
"Shut up, you foolish woman!"
Robert roughly interrupted Cersei.
"This is a matter between men! What do you know!"
Robert's gaze swept over everyone present.
Lord Renly had a faint smile playing on his lips, seemingly very interested in the drama about to unfold.
The representatives of the House Tyrell kept their eyes down, adopting an attitude of indifference.
And the other vassal lords, like a group of sharks smelling blood, had eyes gleaming with excitement and greed.
They wished for this upstart, Lynn, to die under the iron hooves of the Vale knights.
That way, they could pounce and carve up his already barren Gift.
King's Landing, in its entirety, was such a huge gladiatorial arena.
Everyone was waiting to watch the show.
Robert savored this feeling of control, draining the wine from his cup and slamming the golden goblet heavily on the ground.
"Lynn!"
He roared, his voice echoing in the empty hall.
"Since the Queen has spoken, I will give you three thousand men!"
"Within a month, I want you to bring me the head of that madwoman, Lysa Arryn!"
"Don't you have dragons?"
"Aren't you very capable in a fight?"
"Go!"
"Go prove it to all of Westeros, prove it to your King!"
"That my son-in-law, Robert Baratheon, is not a coward who hides under a woman's skirts!"
He wasn't testing Lynn at all; he was pushing Lynn to his death!
He wanted to use Lynn's life to quell Lysa Arryn's anger and stabilize his tottering iron throne!
Then, Lynn's dragons would be his, and Lynn's Daenerys, the woman who could control dragons, would also be his!
Of course, there were also Lynn's properties and businesses.
Everything would be his.
This seemed like a good option too.
Mainly, Lynn was too powerful, so powerful that he constantly suspected him.
Ned Stark stood in the Hand's position, his body trembling violently.
He looked at his friend on the iron throne, whose soul had been completely corrupted by power and alcohol.
His heart, loyal for twenty years, was utterly crushed in this moment!
He remembered the days he and Robert fought on the battlefield.
But what he got in return was Robert's humiliation of his own daughter, and the murder of his son-in-law, whom he regarded as his own child!
Ned slowly closed his eyes.
A look of regret appeared on his resolute face.
And Lynn, from beginning to end, simply stood calmly.
He looked at the frenzied King on the iron throne.
He looked at the gleeful nobles around him.
He looked at the undisguised despair on Ned's face.
The dangers of King's Landing far exceeded his imagination.
He had thought that as long as he possessed enough power, he could navigate this game of power with ease.
But he was wrong.
As long as that fool, Robert Baratheon, sat on the iron throne, he would never find true peace.
After this man took the poison.
Suspicion, cruelty, foolishness, arrogance.
Far more uncontrollable than Lynn had imagined.
He was like a child holding a torch, capable of setting the entire house on fire at any moment due to his ignorance.
And he himself was the most conspicuous piece of furniture in that house.
Robert must die.
Even if he could subtly influence Robert's will, this thought took root and grew wildly in Lynn's heart.
Tywin's poison was too slow.
He might not be able to wait that long.
Lynn looked up, meeting Robert's provocative gaze, but a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
"For the Seven Kingdoms, I am willing to do anything."
... The Small Council meeting ended on a sour note.
Lynn did not return to his wedding chambers but instead walked alone onto the walls of the The Red Keep.
The night wind made his clothes flap loudly.
He looked down at the sleeping city below, his deep eyes gleaming with a cold light more dazzling than the stars in the night sky.
He just wanted to develop peacefully without war, but Robert was no longer giving him that chance.
To fight? Then let's fight!
Anyway, he had the system, so he couldn't be blamed for achieving enlightenment through slaughter.
A faint sound of footsteps came from behind him.
Lynn didn't turn around, because from the footsteps, he already knew who it was.
"Ser Lannister."
Lynn's voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the wind.
Jaime Lannister walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lynn.
He had taken off his heavy gilded armor, wearing only a white silk shirt, his golden short hair gently fluttering in the night breeze.
"You don't seem worried at all."
Jaime looked at Lynn's profile, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.
"Is worrying useful?" Lynn countered.
"Indeed, it's not."
Jaime let out a scoff.
"That fool Robert has set his mind on your death."
He paused, lowering his voice a few degrees.
"Cersei is very angry."
"I know."
"She doesn't want Myrcella to be a widow."
"I know that too."
Jaime fell silent.
He looked at the dark night sky in the distance.
A rare solemnity appeared on his usually somewhat frivolous handsome face.
He thought of Myrcella.
He remembered her as a child, following him like a little shadow, calling him "uncle" in a sickeningly sweet voice.
He remembered the light in her green eyes when she looked at Lynn at the wedding, a light he had never seen before.
That was love.
A pure love.
It was something he and Cersei had once shared.
He couldn't let that light be extinguished.
Never.
"I will go north with you."
Jaime's voice was calm.
Lynn turned, looking at him with some surprise.
"You are a Kingsguard."
Lynn reminded him.
"Your duty is to protect the King, not to go to war with me."
"What Kingsguard!"
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Jaime's face.
"I haven't been an honorable knight for a long time, have I?"
"I am the kingslayer."
"A traitor who personally killed his King."
"A bastard who can betray any oath."
Jaime turned his head, his green eyes, identical to Cersei's and Myrcella's, stared intently at Lynn in the darkness.
"I'm not doing this for you, Lynn."
"I'm doing it so Cersei isn't sad."
"Her daughter cannot lose her husband on her wedding night."
"That would be a disgrace to her as a Lannister, and a disgrace to me as well."
His motive was direct, crude, yet perfectly reasonable.
But he dared not state his true purpose.
In fact, he was protecting his daughter... Lynn looked at him.
This "kingslayer" despised by all of Westeros.
He suddenly felt that this man might not be as worthless as the legends claimed.
At least, he was a competent father.
A father who dared to defy the whole world for his child.
"Robert only gave me three thousand men."
Lynn said calmly.
"The forces of the Vale are at least twenty thousand strong."
"They will come out in full force, countless in number."
"And my wildling army's equipment is really too poor."
"House Lannister's army can march north at any time."
Jaime's answer was simple yet full of confidence.
"My father may not like you, but he would rather not see his granddaughter become a living widow."
"Tywin Lannister... he would agree?"
"He will."
Jaime showed a confident smile.
Lynn was stunned.
He looked at the matter-of-fact expression on Jaime's face, momentarily unsure what to say.
"Well?"
Jaime raised an eyebrow.
"It's better to have one more ally than one more enemy, isn't it?"
Lynn looked at the hand he extended.
He was silent for a moment.
Then, he also extended his hand, shaking his firmly.
"Welcome aboard."
"I hope your sword is more reliable than your mouth."
"Are you worried about my reputation?"
Jaime grinned, a self-deprecating smile on his face.
"I understand your concern, after all, my sword has killed a King, hasn't it."
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