The Great Hall of the Red Keep was a cavern of flickering torchlight and oppressive heat. Hundreds of lords and ladies sat at long trestle tables while the scent of roasted swan and spiced wine filled the air. On the surface it was a celebration but to Link it felt like a battlefield where the weapons were smiles and subtle insults.
Link did not sit at the tables. He wore the drab brown tunic of a palace servant over his leather armor with his blackened short sword hidden beneath his heavy cloak. He moved through the shadows of the stone pillars while keeping his eyes fixed on the high table where the Starks and Lannisters sat in a tense line.
"You move like a ghost" a voice whispered.
Link turned to find Ros standing behind him. She was carrying a silver tray of wine goblets and her face was flushed from the heat of the hall.
"I am a ghost today" Link replied. "What have you heard in the kitchens?"
"The Queen's man was down there earlier" Ros said while leaning in close. "The one they call Lancel. He was very interested in the flagon of wine meant for the King. And Ser Ilyn Payne is standing behind the throne like a shadow of death. Something is wrong Link."
Link looked toward the throne. Ilyn Payne the King's Justice was a terrifying man with no tongue and a face like a skull. He stood motionless with the Greatsword Ice, Ned's own sword resting near him.
Suddenly Link's interface pulsed red.
[Warning: Assassination Attempt Imminent]
[Target: Ned Stark]
Link's eyes darted across the room. He saw a servant approaching Ned with a pitcher of dark red Arbor wine. The servant was pale and his hands were shaking. As the man reached for Ned's cup Link saw the flash of a small vial hidden in the servant's palm.
Load
The world snapped back sixty seconds.
Link was standing by the pillar again. Ros was just about to speak. He did not wait for her. He moved through the crowd with a speed that defied the heavy air of the hall. He knew he could not just tackle a servant in front of the King without a reason.
He waited until the pale servant was ten feet from Ned. Link stepped out from behind a pillar and stumbled directly into a passing page who was carrying a tray of empty pewter mugs.
The crash was deafening. Pewter rattled across the stone floor and a wave of movement rippled through the nearby tables. The pale servant startled by the noise jumped and dropped his pitcher. The wine spilled across the floor and the small vial he was holding shattered against the stone.
A faint acrid smell rose from the spilled liquid.
"Clumsy fool!" a Lannister captain shouted at Link.
Link ignored the insult and looked at the floor. The wine was bubbling slightly where it touched the vial's contents. Ned Stark looked down at the puddle and his eyes went wide. He was a veteran of many wars and he knew the smell of poison.
The pale servant turned to run but Link was faster. He stepped into the man's path and caught him by the throat while slamming him against a stone pillar.
"Who sent you?" Link hissed.
The servant's eyes were full of terror. He looked toward the high table but before he could speak a crossbow bolt thudded into the pillar an inch from Link's head.
[Status Alert: Sniper in the Rafters]
[Status: Mental Fatigue Moderate]
"Assassins!" someone screamed.
The Great Hall erupted into chaos. Knights drew their steel and ladies shrieked as they scrambled for the exits. Robert Baratheon stood up and roared for his guards while Cersei sat perfectly still with her eyes fixed on Link.
Ned Stark was on his feet with his hand on his dagger. He looked at Link and then at the bubbling poison on the floor.
"Link get down!" Ned shouted.
Link dived behind the pillar as a second bolt whistled through the air. He looked up into the dark wooden rafters of the hall. He saw a shadow moving, a man in dark leathers.
I cannot let him get away Link thought. If he dies I lose the link to the Queen.
…..
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!