Night air in the capital felt thick with betrayal. Ned Stark marched toward the royal apartments with Link following three paces behind. Gold Cloaks lined the corridors but they moved aside with cold looks. They recognized Link now. He was the man who had disrupted the Queen's dinner.
[Status Alert: Hostility Rising]
[Status: Mental Fatigue Moderate]
"Wait here" Ned commanded outside the King's heavy oak doors.
"The Queen is inside My Lord" Link warned. "She will use your honor as a weapon."
"I have no choice" Ned replied.
Ned entered the chamber. Through the heavy wood Link heard Robert's booming voice filled with drunken rage. The King was shouting about assassins and shadows. Then came the soft melodic voice of Cersei. She was weaving a story of Northern aggression and secret plots.
Link stood perfectly still. He focused his senses. He heard soft footsteps approaching from the opposite end of the hall.
[Status Alert: Combatant Approaching - Jaime Lannister]
The Kingslayer appeared around the corner. Jaime wore his white cloak of the Kingsguard over golden armor. He looked at Link with a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity.
"The boy from the rafters" Jaime said while stopping ten feet away. "You have caused quite a stir. My sister is convinced you are a demon sent by the Old Gods to ruin her evening."
"I am just a guard doing a job" Link said while resting his hand on his hidden hilt.
Jaime laughed. The sound was bright and dangerous. "A job? You think standing outside a door is a job? You stopped a poisoner and hunted an assassin in the dark. That is the work of a knight or a killer. Which are you Link?"
"Whichever the moment requires" Link replied.
Jaime's eyes flashed. He moved with a speed that Link barely tracked. In an eye blink the Kingslayer had his hand on the hilt of his own golden blade. "I should kill you now. It would save everyone a great deal of trouble. The King would be angry for a day and the Hand would weep for a week but the game would be simpler."
"You could try" Link said.
Load
Link reset thirty seconds.
He was back standing by the door. Jaime appeared around the corner again.
"The boy from the rafters" Jaime started.
Link interrupted him. "The wine was poisoned Jaime. Your sister is trying to kill the King you swore to protect. Does that bother you at all or is the white cloak just for show?"
Jaime stopped mid-stride. His smug expression vanished. He stared at Link with narrowed eyes. "You have a very dangerous tongue for a servant."
"I have eyes that see the truth" Link said. "You love your family but Robert is your King. If he dies tonight because you stood here talking to me his blood is on your golden hands."
Inside the room a glass shattered. Robert's voice rose to a roar. "I will not hear it Cersei! Ned is my brother!"
The door flew open. Ned Stark walked out with his face pale and grim. He looked at Jaime and then at Link.
"We leave" Ned said. "The King has ordered a hunt. He wants to clear his head. He leaves at dawn and he has forbidden me from coming."
Link felt a jolt of alarm. The hunt was the fixed point where Robert would die.
[Quest Updated: Prevent the Royal Hunt]
[Status: Critical Danger]
…..
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction. I'll be realising 4 Chapters a day.
Also I'll be still 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!