The chamberlain's voice was bright, impassioned, and full of vigor.
The rewards, ennoblements, and promotions due from this war were announced one by one before the court.
Even Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon—the King's two brothers and Lords in their own right—each had a share of their own.
And as one reward after another was declared, the crowd's gaze naturally shifted toward Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, and toward the Master of Coin beside him, Kal Stone.
But the chamberlain's list had already been read to the end. Returning it into the Hand's keeping, he withdrew from the hall.
Having listened in boredom for quite some time, Robert finally straightened with renewed interest.
Eddard met his eyes, and they both nodded slightly.
On the other side, Stannis Baratheon, watching the wordless exchange between the two, also turned his gaze toward Kal Stone.
His expression did not look pleasant.
Renly Baratheon, meanwhile, gave two cold laughs at the side—it was unclear whom he was mocking.
"Regarding the rebellion of the former Warden of the West, Lord of Casterly Rock, and Shield of Lannisport, Tywin Lannister, together with House Lannister's conspiracy to usurp the throne and their reckless warmongering that laid waste to lands far and wide—"
"The King now issues the following judgment."
The Hand rose to his feet and declared in a loud voice.
That opening line alone made the hundreds gathered in the hall hold their breath; all manner of complex gazes fixed upon Eddard Stark.
After speaking, he turned his head toward King Robert upon the Iron Throne.
The King propped his chin on his hand and gestured for the Hand to continue.
Receiving the signal, Lord Stark drew a deep breath and steadied himself.
"In the name of King Robert the First of House Baratheon, judgment is hereby passed upon House Lannister of the Westerlands: all lands and titles are to be stripped, all honors abolished, and all property belonging to House Lannister confiscated."
"Yet, in consideration of Tywin Lannister's repentance at the final hour and his wise choice to surrender, and given that the lords of the Westerlands were coerced by their liege lord, the Warden of the West, Tywin Lannister—"
"The King, in his mercy, decrees that no further punishment shall be pursued against the other Westerland houses that took part in this war. However, all losses caused during the war shall be compensated according to the laws of the realm."
Eddard Stark began with a thunderclap of a pronouncement.
And with those words, House Lannister was, at that very moment, stripped of everything.
At least for now, in law and in right, the Lannisters possessed nothing at all.
Once the most exalted of the noble houses of Westeros, they were reduced to a family bearing only the name Lannister—and not even counted among the nobility anymore.
From this moment on, one could say that the Lannisters were mere commoners.
In the crowd below, listening to Eddard Stark's judgment, Tyrion Lannister—the only Lannister present—wore a grim expression.
He was witnessing with his own eyes how his house, once the most prosperous and powerful in all Westeros, had fallen to utter ruin.
As one who had lived it himself—and as a Lannister—his heart was heavy with conflicting feelings.
An involuntary, self-mocking smile even crept across his face.
He lowered his head, his eyes reddening uncontrollably, tears welling within them.
But the victors upon the high dais and the Iron Throne would show no pity for such a wretch.
Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, continued to pronounce the rewards due to the victors.
"Yet no realm may go a single day without a lord, and the Westerlands are no exception."
"Therefore, in view of the merits and honors displayed on the battlefield by the current Master of Coin and Warden of the East, Ser Kal Stone—"
"In the name of King Robert the First of House Baratheon, Ser Kal Stone is hereby invested as the new Warden of the West, Lord of Casterly Rock, and Shield of Lannisport!"
"As for the former title of Warden of the East, it shall now pass to the Lord of the Eyrie, Robert Arryn!"
Hearing the declaration of his reward and investiture, Kal was not surprised.
There are no walls through which the wind cannot pass; Kal had already received some word of the King and the Hand's ultimate decision regarding the Westerlands.
But even had he not, it would not have mattered—for merely by reasoning, Kal could already guess that what was due to him would not escape his grasp.
And Kal also knew that he was far from the only clever man present.
He understood clearly that, although the Iron Throne had indeed taken the Westerlands into its own hands, to the present Iron Throne it remained a scalding hot potato.
As King, Robert could not possibly hold such a rich and powerful domain in his own name.
At the very least, none of the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms would wish to see House Baratheon—already ruling the Iron Throne, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, and Dragonstone—gain yet another great territory out of thin air.
Such greed would shatter the realm's balance and stir unease among lords throughout the Seven Kingdoms—particularly in Dorne, the Reach, and even the Riverlands.
After all, even the mighty dragonlords of House Targaryen, who once commanded more than a dozen dragons, had never possessed so many lands directly.
They had only nominal overlordship over those territories.
Therefore, for Robert, it was impossible to swallow the Westerlands whole.
Nor could he divide them.
Yet this land could not be handed to the North or to House Stark either.
Indeed, by merit, the Starks of the North and the northern lords who had fought in this war all deserved a share of the reward.
But even setting aside whether House Stark had the means to hold the Westerlands—
The North already possessed one-third of the realm's territory. Were it to gain the Westerlands as well—
The effect would be the same.
After all, the Stark family was currently ruled by the honest and upright Eddard Stark.
But before him, the Stark family had not always been made up of men like him.
Leaving aside the distant Kings in the North—
Even the blood of the Direwolf itself, to the elders who had lived long enough, was something they understood all too well.
The true Starks were never gentle creatures.
Thus, Robert could not possibly be so foolish.
Nor could Eddard Stark be so greedy and at the same time so stupid.
After all, if Robert truly dared to do such a thing, then perhaps as long as Eddard Stark still lived, Robert Baratheon would remain King upon the Iron Throne.
But should Eddard Stark die—then who could say?
At that time, whether it would be a wolf or a stag sitting upon the Iron Throne would depend on whose fist proved the stronger.
Yet neither could the Westerlands be given to his brother, Stannis Baratheon.
House Baratheon could not be allowed to grow stronger, least of all Stannis.
Robert himself had already been balancing the power of his own house, for he knew well that his brothers—and the storm lords under them—were not kindly men.
He himself had started the Rebellion with his own hands, defeated Rhaegar Targaryen, and overthrown the Targaryen dynasty.
Yet after becoming King, he lost control over his ancestral power base and severed his own foundation.
That was why, after ascending the throne, he chose to make Storm's End—his family's inheritance—pass to his younger brother Renly Baratheon, who had done nothing of merit, rather than to Stannis Baratheon, who had earned distinction.
And he sent Stannis, the one who should have rightfully succeeded to their family's seat after Robert's coronation, away to Dragonstone with his own hands.
This was not a matter of whim.
Creating discord between his two brothers while keeping himself in the middle to maintain control—that had always been his design.
Just as he had chosen to make Cersei Lannister his queen, using the power of House Lannister to buttress his own confidence in ruling the Seven Kingdoms.
The main reason behind all this was Robert's wariness—without an heir, the ones who posed a direct threat to his kingship were his two brothers.
After all, they shared his blood, and by law, they shared his claim.
Therefore, when all was considered, there was truly only one man fit to become Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock.
By merit, he was beyond reproach—saving a collapsing realm, turning back a surging tide.
Had it not been for Kal Stone's desperate charge at that critical moment, seizing King's Landing back from Lannister hands by force, it was unimaginable how the war between the Iron Throne and House Lannister of the Westerlands might have ended.
As for the powers watching eagerly across the Narrow Sea, it was still uncertain whether the shadows of the Targaryen remnants lurked among them.
Yet at the very least, within the Seven Kingdoms, those men of ambition would, at this crucial moment, weigh carefully who among them could bring the greatest benefit.
Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Kal's actions, from another perspective, forcibly preserved Robert and House Baratheon's rule over the realm.
With such merit, no reward would be too great.
And that was merely the justification on the surface of achievement.
As for the deeper and more decisive reason—it lay in Kal Stone's awkward yet special identity.
As Robert's bastard son, his position was indeed an awkward one.
Yet at this very time, it was also perfectly fitting.
At present, he was not yet a legitimized bastard—his name was still Stone, and he held no lawful claim to the Iron Throne.
But it could not be denied that Kal bore Robert's true blood—beyond all dispute.
Between him and Robert existed a bond of closeness born from blood itself.
And precisely because Kal Stone had not been legitimized, his current relationship with King Robert was, in fact, the most suitable one possible.
As a bastard without lands, without entangling alliances or vested interests, and yet bound to Robert by kinship—
Kal was the most fitting choice to receive this greatest prize of war on the King's behalf.
Such an arrangement served the best interests of both Robert and the Iron Throne.
Robert understood this well, and so did Eddard Stark.
There was no disagreement between them on naming Kal as the successor of the Westerlands.
Thus, naturally, Kal became the greatest beneficiary of this entire conflict.
At the same time, this man who had once been but a landless knight now officially possessed lands of his own and became a true noble.
From this day forth, others would address him as Lord Paramount.
Once he chose a new name for his house, it could be added thereafter.
As Eddard Stark's words fell silent, Kal—who had been sitting calmly in his place—rose under the gaze of all.
With an even expression, he turned and strode forward to stand before the Iron Throne, beneath the seat of King Robert.
Before him stood the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, who had just finished reading the decree of appointment and investiture.
Looking upon Kal Stone's composed face, Eddard's eyes showed a trace of complexity. He then stepped aside to give Kal a clear path to face the King directly.
Kal drew the gilded longsword at his waist and set it upon the ground beside him.
Then he knelt upon one knee and bowed his head.
"Kal Stone, at your service!"
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