Chapter 25: Lord Eddard! I Wish to Speak with You Alone
Westeros, King's Landing, The Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast
Maegor's Holdfast is named after Maegor the Cruel, its builder and the third king of the Targaryen dynasty, Maegor I. It serves as the residence for the royal family and is essentially a castle within a castle.
It is a massive square fortress, protected by high, thick walls and a dry moat filled with iron spikes.
After the castle was completed, Maegor I ordered the execution of all the masons who participated in its construction to keep the castle's secrets hidden.
Since a mysterious fire broke out in the Tower of the Hand upon the death of the old Hand, Jon Arryn, the new hand of the king, Eddard Stark, has been living in Maegor's Holdfast since his arrival in King's Landing.
Although Eddard had already learned much about the future from his nephew Aegon Targaryen—who was raised as his bastard—things were still difficult.
After Robert Baratheon arrived at Winterfell, Eddard helplessly discovered that there were many things he simply could not resolve, or even prevent from happening.
Take the matter of coming south to King's Landing; when a King requests a marriage alliance, no matter which noble of the Seven Kingdoms is involved, they can only agree with haste.
Thus, even as the Warden of the North and Duke of the North, Eddard could only suppress his discomfort and agree to King Robert's request for a betrothal.
Knowing what might happen to his children in the future, Eddard specifically brought Bran and Arya with him when he headed south.
Bringing Bran was mainly to give Arya a companion, partly to prevent him from becoming that 'three-eyed crow' nonsense in the future, and partly to ensure Arya wouldn't clash with that Lannister bastard.
Although Eddard had ordered his guards to keep a close eye on his younger son and daughter, Joffrey Baratheon somehow still managed to get into a conflict with Arya.
In the end, the same events as before unfolded: the Queen and the hand of the king argued before the King.
To appease the Queen, Robert Baratheon—the man who once feared nothing—ultimately succumbed to the overbearing power of House Lannister.
The result of this incident was that Eddard personally killed Arya Stark's Direwolf, Nymeria; he did so because the Queen demanded the execution of the guards Eddard had sent out.
Unable to bear letting his loyal guards go to their deaths, Eddard could only cast the blame onto the Direwolf. Since Jon had mentioned that Arya's Direwolf would cause chaos in the Riverlands and that Arya was the one who acted...
Eddard used this method. Although his youngest daughter still hasn't spoken to him, Eddard had already found a fencing master for Arya.
"Whew..."
After placing the letter on the table, Eddard rubbed his brow with a headache. Sometimes knowing too much is a form of torture. Although he had been dropping hints to Robert during this time about being cuckolded...
The fat King had absolutely no reaction. Since Eddard had no maester available in King's Landing, he had brought Maester Luwin from Winterfell.
The purpose was to send and receive secret letters that only members of House Stark could inspect. To increase information security, the correspondence between Eddard and Catelyn used a secret code.
These matters were discussed before Eddard headed south. Before leaving Winterfell, Eddard had already arranged for his trusted guard and master-at-arms, Rodrik Cassel, to head south disguised as a merchant.
Rodrik would hire hedge knights in the Riverlands to accompany him to King's Landing. In case of an accident, Rodrik Cassel and the others would take Eddard's children away in advance.
At that time, Eddard's three children would not return to the North, but would take a ship to Myr to join Jon. However, earlier today, Eddard received a very bad piece of news.
A message came back from the 'Wolf Pack' in far-off Myr saying they hadn't waited for the galleon named the 'sea fox' at the docks. Furthermore, the current commander of the 'Wolf Pack,' Rodrik Snow, sent back word.
He stated that Myr never intended to recruit workers from Westeros because most of the workers they used were slaves; those greedy workshop owners would not spend money to hire inexperienced people.
"I hope he's alright!"
After saying this, Eddard began to think about subsequent issues. If Jon was missing, then Bran and the others would have to choose a new extraction point.
The Vale is Littlefinger's territory. If they went north, ships would surely stop in the Vale. As for the Stormlands and Dorne in the south, Eddard didn't even dare consider them.
Stannis and Renly are both unreliable, and the safety of the Stark children wouldn't be guaranteed. Dorne was even more unthinkable; Eddard already had a rift with House Martell.
Moreover, going to Dorne would likely mean passing through The Stepstones, at which point Eddard might lose all contact with them at once.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Just as Eddard was feeling a headache, someone suddenly knocked on his bedroom door.
"Come in!"
As the wooden door creaked open, a young man with a build similar to Eddard's entered the room. Upon seeing the man's appearance, Eddard couldn't help but frown.
The man was his captain of the guard, Jory Cassel, a loyal member of House Cassel and one of the people Eddard trusted most.
Right after receiving the news of Jon's disappearance, Eddard had sent him out to find his uncle Rodrik Cassel's contact.
But the man had returned only a few minutes after leaving, which made Eddard feel inexplicably nervous.
"Lord Eddard, I wish to speak with you alone!"
"You!?"
Hearing that somewhat familiar tone, Eddard's heart began to pound violently, because the voice was not the one he was familiar with.
"Who are you!?"
Just as Eddard was about to question him, Jory Cassel made a shushing gesture, then walked straight toward the fireplace and pointed there.
"Uh... Heward! Wyl! You two guard the door. No one is allowed in. If someone from the King's side comes, tell them to wait!"
Though shocked beyond measure, a calmed Eddard ordered the guards to watch the door. He then stepped quickly toward Jory Cassel and asked with a complex expression:
"How do you know there's a secret passage here? Who are you, really?"
As Eddard spoke, his hand habitually glanced at the greatsword leaning against the table—Ice, the ancestral blade of House Stark, reflecting a strange light in the sunshine.
"Long time no see, my dear uncle!"
After confirming that the voice coming from Jory Cassel's mouth indeed belonged to Jon, Eddard's tense nerves relaxed.
But seeing Jory Cassel's familiar face, Eddard didn't know what to do, as he was very resistant to such strange methods that resembled sorcery.
Though Eddard followed the old gods, the education he received from childhood was that of a knight influenced by the Faith of the seven.
"Is this also a strange ability you learned under the influence of that 'three-eyed crow'?"
Eddard asked Jon.
"Have you forgotten what I told you before?"
Jon didn't answer Eddard's question directly, but said this while pointing at the fireplace.
"I've already had this place checked in advance. Maester Luwin specifically tested it; there are no secret passages or hidden compartments here."
"That's not necessarily true!"
Jon's non-committal tone made Eddard a bit annoyed, but soon, he was stunned into place by Jon's actions.
He saw Jon reach into the empty air before him, and then Eddard saw a valyrian steel longsword with a black hilt and red gemstone accents.
"This is... dark sister? Where did you find it? Wasn't it rumored to have disappeared at The Wall? Did you go to The Wall during the time you were missing?"
"Not really, I just used the same method to go to The Wall. It seems it's right here!"
While speaking, Jon thrust the sword into a certain spot beside the fireplace.
"Pfft... Crack..."
Under Jon's strange force, the hollow brick wall instantly shattered into a small hole, and Eddard, hearing the noise, walked directly over.
"It's right here! My dear uncle, you're still not cautious enough. Tell me, how many secrets have you spoken of in this room?"
Jon's question snapped Eddard out of his daze. Thinking of his confident assertions just now, Eddard's face turned slightly red.
"I only told Maester Luwin about the arrangements for Rodrik, and you... uh... Jory. Is there a problem?"
"Let them leave first! King's Landing is no longer safe. Order them to organize a trade mission with the destination being The Stepstones. I've already established a base there. I've arranged a guide on Tarth, and I'll give them the signal when the time comes."
After hearing Eddard's description, Jon felt somewhat helpless. It seemed his 'uncle' really wasn't cut out for intrigue.
Jon felt that the battlefield was the most suitable place for him. After all, he wasn't raised to be an heir; he simply couldn't grasp the kind of scheming required of a family patriarch.
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