The Mountain of Ice and Fire

King Robert wore a black velvet top, with two neat rows of gold buttons on either side of the chest. The Baratheon family's crowned stag was embroidered on his chest with gold thread, and he wore a black and gold plaid cloak. He held a bottle of wine in his hand, his face flushed from drinking.

Queen Cersei Lannister followed the king, wearing a jeweled crown on her head. Around her neck was a large, evenly pleated collar of high-end silk, brightly colored and exquisitely crafted, making her look dignified and noble. Only members of the royal family were qualified to wear this kind of silk pleated collar.

The king was enthusiastic, the queen indifferent.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to get up," Eddard said from the bed.

"It's okay." The king's voice was loud, and he opened his double-breasted, waist-hugging top, his stomach protruding outwards. "Ned, how do you feel?"

"My head is still dizzy, and my back hurts badly."

"You're lucky the Mountain didn't chop your head off," the queen said coldly.

The king glared at the queen, then sat down by Eddard's bed. "Want a little something good?" the king shook the wine bottle.

"Then just a little bit."

There were no servants, no supervisors, and no guards in the room.

The conversation between the king and Eddard was confidential, and Eddard's guards at the gate had been replaced by the Kingsguard.

The king was very happy that Eddard could have a drink with him. He immediately poured wine into his own glass, and Eddard took it, took a small sip, and frowned. The king laughed.

"Pycelle tells me that your condition is not serious, and you will be able to fully recover with good care," the king's tone changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Eddard, you already know what Catelyn did at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands, right? She captured Tyrion Lannister."

"I know," Eddard took another small sip of wine. "My lady is not wrong, Your Majesty. It was my intention. I have reason to capture Tyrion Lannister..."

"I don't care whether you have reason or not," Robert said. "I will not allow you to do this, Ned. Do you want the kingdom to break out into civil war? Listen to me, you must order your lady to release Tyrion, and then I will step in, you and Jaime will reconcile, and this matter will be over."

"Your Majesty, Tyrion murdered my son Bran Stark, and you want me to let it go? Jaime ordered the Mountain to kill three of my men in the street, and Jory Cassel, my captain, was among them. His father, Martyn Cassel, followed me to fight in the south and died under the 'Dawn' sword of the Sword of the Morning, and is buried next to the Tower of Joy in Dorne in the south. When Martyn Cassel was dying, he asked me to take care of his child, Jory Cassel, and I haven't even had time to knight him yet," Eddard said more and more excitedly.

Sixteen years ago, at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, in order to save his sister Lyanna Stark—Robert's fiancée—Eddard and six of his men fought a bloody battle with three Kingsguard. All three Kingsguard were famous, and the Sword of the Morning was the most famous. In a bloody battle, all the Kingsguard died, and only two of Eddard's seven men were left, himself and the little crannogman Howland Reed. Among them, Jory Cassel's father, Martyn, died in the Tower of Joy and was buried by Eddard next to the Tower of Joy with four companions.

"Northerner, you say Tyrion murdered your crippled son, please show your evidence?" Queen Cersei said coldly.

"A Valyrian dagger, held in the hand of an assassin."

"Then where is the assassin? Where is the knife?"

"The assassin was bitten to death by Bran's wolf, and the knife is in Catelyn's hand, that is his evidence of murder."

"The assassin is dead? That's dead men tell no tales? Heh, your lie is seamless. Then what about the knife? Tyrion doesn't have any Valyrian daggers. What do you think you are? You say Tyrion murdered your crippled son, so he murdered him?" The queen sneered.

"Enough, woman," King Robert said. "Eddard, stop arguing, listen to me, this is the end of the matter. Tell Catelyn to release Tyrion. If Lady Catelyn insists that Tyrion hired the assassin to murder Bran, I need evidence, and I also need Tyrion's defense."

"Everything must return to the proper order and be carried out under the supervision of the royal law. The kingdom has a Small Council and a Master of Laws. I will not allow any of you to bypass the kingdom's laws and take private action, do you understand? I want you to maintain peace, justice, and fairness in the name of the king and the Seven Gods. Lannister, Stark, don't cause trouble for the kingdom."

"Your Majesty, Jaime ordered the Mountain to kill three of my men just because he wanted my lady to know 'Lannisters always pay their debts', and you're telling me to pretend it didn't happen?"

"Ned, you lost three men, and the Westerlands lost six."

"I lost guards, but the Westerlands lost only six rogue soldiers."

"Tsk tsk!" The queen sneered. "Are two lives in the Westerlands not worth one life in the poor North? Besides, your men attacked Jaime and the Mountain first. Jaime didn't even fight back, and the Mountain and his knights also restrained themselves and didn't attack, otherwise, do you think the Northerners could exchange one for two Westerlanders? Tsk tsk! What do you think you are! Catelyn kidnapped Tyrion at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands, and you attacked Jaime in King's Landing. Don't think we don't know that you just came out of a brothel, drunk."

Eddard choked with anger, his face pale, and his lips trembled slightly.

"Robert!" Eddard said coldly, "You can ask Lord Baelish, he was there at the time."

"I talked to Littlefinger," the king said loudly, almost roaring, "He said he hurried to find the City Watch, and you hadn't started fighting yet, but he admitted that you did come out of a brothel."

"A brothel? Robert, you should know what kind of person I am. I didn't drink, and I didn't mess around in a brothel. I went there to see your daughter! Her name is Barra, and she looks a lot like your daughter when we lived in the Vale and were still little boys, your first daughter," Eddard said sharply, looking at the queen. But she was like wearing a mask, pale and calm.

Robert blushed: "Barra?" he muttered, "Her mother should die, how could that stupid woman think of giving birth to the child, Seven Hells!"

Eddard said sternly: "Robert, I heard that the Kingslayer and the Mountain have escaped from the city, please allow me to bring Jaime back to face justice."

The king snatched the wine glass from Eddard's hand and took a big gulp. "No, this can't go on. Jaime killed three of your men, and you killed six of his, that's even. I allow Lady Catelyn to come to the palace to accuse Tyrion of murder, but she has to present evidence. She has no right to use private torture to arrest people, do you understand? Ned."

The queen sneered: "Robert, I thought you were a king, but you are actually humble in front of the Starks. In terms of law and marriage, Jaime and Tyrion are your brothers, but now the Starks have driven one away and arrested another, but you just stand obediently by, asking him if he is still in pain, asking him if he is drinking, and gently begging the Starks to understand your difficulties and let them stop. Don't you feel ashamed? I feel ashamed. If it were another king, he would have arrested the Starks and beheaded them."

Robert's face was gloomy, a sign of the coming storm: "Woman, shut up!"

Cersei laughed shrilly: "Robert, you should wear a skirt and be a woman, I should be the one to put on armor and go into battle like a man."

The king held the wine glass in his right hand, but he still had his left hand. The king's left hand punched Cersei hard in the face, knocking the queen to the ground. The king's chest heaved violently, and Cersei raised her head on the ground and declared: "Good hit, Robert, thank you for the medal of honor." Her face would soon be swollen, but she regarded the scars as the highest honor.

"Then wear the medal of honor quietly, and if you want more, I don't mind giving you more honor," Robert glared, his eyes fierce.

The woman closed her mouth, half-lying and half-sitting on the ground, covering her punched face with her hand.

"Someone!" the king shouted.

Ser Meryn Trant, tall and gloomy, wearing a white cloak and white armor, pushed the door open and entered.

"The queen is tired, send her back to her room," the king ordered.

Meryn Trant bent down and helped the queen up, leading her out without saying a word.

Robert picked up the wine bottle and filled it for himself, drinking several glasses in a row before his breath gradually calmed down: "Ned, you just saw it... I'm not happy being king at all... This Iron Throne should have been yours or Jon's..." The king spoke intermittently, looking sad, "I know I'm not fit to be king... No matter how hateful she is, she is still my wife. A man should not hit a woman, especially his wife... This is really damn!" His eyes gradually filled with tears, which Eddard couldn't believe. Eddard had never seen the king have such a vulnerable moment.

"My strength has always been great... You know, you can barely lift my warhammer, do you admit it?"

Eddard nodded, Robert was telling the truth.

"No one can beat me, no one. But if you can't even touch your enemy, how can you fight this fight?" The king looked at Eddard like a helpless child.

"Rhaegar... Rhaegar won, damn it. Ned, my warhammer pierced his black armor, stabbed into his black heart, and he died on the spot. I killed him, won honor and the kingdom, but in the end Rhaegar still won."

The king's voice was full of weakness, and his mouth was full of alcohol. He drank too much wine and lost control: "Rhaegar took away my beloved fiancée, your sister. He had Lyanna Stark, and the victory reward I got was Cersei, which is not what I wanted." The king threw the wine glass on the ground, kicked it away, unscrewed the cork of the wine bottle, and drank straight from the mouth of the bottle, drinking the wine in the bottle in one breath.

It was time to tell Robert about the Lannisters' plot to murder him. Although there was no evidence, it was time to speak out...

"Robert, I have something to talk to you about... something very important..."

"Don't talk, Ned, my brother, I trust you more than my two younger brothers... But you still oppose me... You are still as stubborn as before. I'm going hunting in the Kingswood tomorrow, wait for me to come back and talk about it."

"Robert, I won't be here when you come back from hunting, you ordered me to return to Winterfell, have you forgotten?"

Robert stood up, swaying. He dropped the empty wine bottle and held the bedpost with both hands to steady himself: "Ned, take it, this is yours." He struggled to take out the heavy hand-shaped golden badge from the inner pocket of his cloak.

Robert threw the 'Hand of the King' badge on Eddard's chest.

"Ned, anyway, you are my Hand. This throne should have been yours or Jon's sixteen years ago, but you two insisted that I sit on it, just because I killed Rhaegar. Look at what the country has become today. There is not a single golden dragon left in the treasury, all debts. Ned, my brother, put on the badge. I swear in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of the Baratheon family, if you refuse, I will personally put this rotten thing on Jaime Lannister's chest. You decide whether you want to be my Hand or Jaime, you decide."

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