His father, his brother, his sister… Eddard Stark had bid farewell to many of his closest relatives. They had been gone for a long time, and every time he thought of them, his heart would still be filled with unspeakable bitterness.
Robert, his good friend, his brother… Another close relative was about to leave him. Eddard closed his eyes in pain, his heart aching.
Winter is coming… Duke Eddard opened his eyes. It was not yet time for him to wallow in sorrow. His gaze gradually sharpened.
The maid was carefully wiping Robert's face. Duke Eddard gazed deeply at his sleeping old friend, as if to engrave Robert's image deeply into his heart.
After dealing with matters here, he would immediately leave King's Landing, a city filled with painful memories. He would mourn his old friend in the Godswood of Winterfell.
Duke Eddard turned around and asked Pycelle, "How much longer can he live?"
Pycelle replied with a somber expression, "Prime Minister, I will do my best to treat him, but the King's injuries are too severe. I can only alleviate his pain. The rest… is up to the gods. May the gods be merciful."
Although he knew the answer, Duke Eddard still felt a pang in his heart when he heard the reply.
"Take good care of the King."
Duke Eddard gave the instruction and strode towards the door. Before opening the door, he couldn't help but look back at his old friend on the bed.
Gods bless… Duke Eddard withdrew his gaze.
Outside the King's bedchamber, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard stood faithfully on guard.
Duke Eddard said, "Ser Barristan, Robert has just drunk milk of the poppy. No one is to disturb his rest without my permission."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Ser Barristan, old but still strong, seemed to have aged a lot. "I have failed in my sacred duty."
Duke Eddard recalled earlier times… When hunting wild boars, Robert, with his spear in hand, would always stand his ground without flinching, often cursing loudly as the boar charged, only to pierce it accurately and cleanly with a single thrust when it was almost upon him.
Duke Eddard reached out and patted Ser Barristan's arm, saying, "Ser Barristan, the King has already told me the reason… Even the most loyal and brave knight cannot stop a drunken Robert."
Ser Barristan still couldn't forgive himself: "When we flushed the boar out of its lair, King Robert was already too drunk to stand steadily, but he still told us to stand aside, and I foolishly obeyed the order."
Renly spoke with a sorrowful expression, "No one can disobey my brother's command."
Duke Eddard silently patted Renly, who strongly resembled Robert. He was right; no one could have stopped Robert then, not even himself if he had been there.
Varys stepped forward from behind Duke Eddard. He first bowed slightly before speaking, "Ser Barristan, I am somewhat curious… Who gave the King this wine?"
Barristan frowned and said, "King Robert drank from the wineskin he carried with him."
Varys clasped his hands together, a strange smile appearing on his face. "Then I am even more curious. Could one wineskin make King Robert unsteady? His capacity for drink is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms."
As Varys's words fell, those present couldn't help but frown. This was indeed a point of suspicion.
Before anyone could ponder further, Barristan explained, "Varys, His Majesty certainly drank more than one bag. As long as he asked, his attendant would give him a new one. I didn't count the exact number, but I know it was a lot."
Varys nodded, his smile becoming natural. "What a good boy, loyal to his duty. King Robert will never lack for wine."
He continued, "Ser Barristan, could you tell me which attendant was with him that day?"
Before Ser Barristan could speak, Duke Renly's eyes flickered, and he said, "Varys, the attendant that day was Lancel of Lannister."
Varys first nodded to Duke Renly in thanks, then sighed, "So it was him. King Robert's new attendant, Ser Kevan Lannister's son, Duke Tywin's nephew, Queen Cersei's cousin.
Lancel is a strong boy. I truly hope this good boy doesn't blame himself too much. Children are always very vulnerable in their innocent youth, and I can certainly relate to that."
Everyone certainly believed that Varys had also been young, but they all doubted whether the Spider had ever been innocent.
The others said no more and left one by one.
They walked in silence. As Duke Eddard was nearing the Prime Minister's Tower, Renly's voice reached him.
"Ned."
Duke Eddard stopped and looked over. Renly was still wearing bloodstained clothes.
"Renly, you need to rest."
Renly shook his head with a bitter expression. "I'm not in the mood yet."
Duke Eddard patted Renly reassuringly and asked, "What do you need me for?"
Renly glanced around and said, "Ned, I'd like to speak with you alone."
"Alright."
Duke Eddard trusted Duke Renly greatly and agreed without hesitation, then waved his guards away.
Renly leaned closer to Duke Eddard and said, "Ned, does the sealed will concern the regency? Did my brother appoint you Protector of the Realm?"
He lowered his voice and continued, "Ned, I have thirty personal guards, and other knights and noble friends. Give me an hour, and I can give you a hundred men."
Duke Eddard stared at Duke Renly for a moment, then asked, "Renly, what do you need a hundred men for?"
Duke Renly said eagerly, "Ned, to strike first, of course! Act immediately, while everyone is still asleep."
Duke Eddard's expression grew somewhat cold. He frowned and asked, "Renly, what are you trying to do?"
Duke Renly didn't notice Duke Eddard's unusual demeanor. His eyes gleamed with an excitement Duke Eddard couldn't comprehend.
"We must take Joffrey from his mother as leverage. Whether you are the Warden is irrelevant; whoever holds the King can command the Seven Kingdoms.
We also need to hold Myrcella and Tommen. As long as Cersei's children are under our control, she won't dare to act rashly.
Ned, then the Small Council will recognize you as the Regent of the Seven Kingdoms and appoint you as Joffrey's guardian…"
Duke Eddard interrupted coldly, "Renly, Robert has not yet drawn his last breath. The gods may yet spare his life. If Robert passes, I will immediately convene the Small Council, make the will public, and discuss the succession."
He paused, then looked at the now unfamiliar Renly, and added, "I will not shed blood or commit the crime of forcibly dragging frightened children from their sleep in Robert's final moments."
Duke Renly froze for a moment, his face flushed with urgency. "Ned, this is no time to delay. Cersei certainly won't sit idly by. If you don't act preemptively, once Robert dies, it might be too late, and our situation will become very dangerous."
Duke Eddard didn't want to argue further. "Then let us pray Robert does not die."
Duke Renly, unwilling to give up, urged again, "Ned, this is no time for self-deception. We know Robert's condition very well. We absolutely cannot sit and wait for death!"
Duke Eddard said coldly, "Renly, sometimes the gods are merciful."
Duke Renly gazed at Duke Eddard, gritting his teeth. "Ned, Lannister will not be merciful to us."
With that, Renly flung his cloak and strode away.
"In the game of thrones, you win or you die."
Back in the Prime Minister's study, Duke Eddard remembered the words Queen Cersei Lannister had spoken to him in the Godswood that day before she left.
Duke Eddard couldn't help but wonder if refusing Renly's proposal was truly a wise move.
Duke Eddard had no interest in power struggles, and using children as bargaining chips was even more despicable to him. If Cersei refused exile and instead resisted, as Renly speculated, then he would need far more than Renly's hundred men; it would be nowhere near enough.
Duke Eddard had brought over 50 men from Winterfell, 20 of whom he had sent to the Riverlands to apprehend bandits. He now had only about 30 men. In normal times, these men would be sufficient to serve as guards for him and his two daughters, but now they were completely inadequate.
There were at least 300 Lannister Red Cloaks in the Red Keep… Duke Eddard thought of the children living with him in the Prime Minister's Tower.
How would Cersei choose? Regardless of her choice, Duke Eddard decided to send the children back to the North first. He would not let the Stark direwolves be in danger.
Knock knock knock knock, after a hurried knock, without waiting for Duke Eddard's reply, Jory, usually so composed, pushed the door open in a panic.
"My Lord, King Robert Is dead!"
Duke Eddard's tall frame swayed, and Jory quickly stepped forward to support his lord.
Damn it! He hadn't even had time to pray for Robert, his friend closer than a brother, in the Godswood, and Robert was gone forever.
Renly hadn't been wrong. In truth, everyone had known Robert wouldn't survive the night, and Duke Eddard knew it too.
After a moment of silence, Duke Eddard slowly began, "Jory…"
The Direwolf could not succumb to grief. He had his old friend's heavy trust.
"Jory, have Caine hire a ship, as quickly as possible."
"Arrange for someone to fetch the Archbishop. Our King needs him. Leave matters there to Duke Renly for now."
"In my name, close all gates of the Red Keep. No one is permitted to leave or enter without my consent."
After Duke Eddard finished giving his instructions, Jory left as hurriedly as he had arrived.
Duke Eddard sat quietly at the desk for a moment. He pulled out a blank parchment, smoothed it, dipped his pen in ink, exhaled, and began to write with his quill.
To King Stannis of House Baratheon:
Upon receipt of this letter, your brother, Robert I, will have passed away. He was injured by a wild boar while hunting…
Duke Eddard finished writing the reason for Robert's serious injury and paused his pen.
Stannis was the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne. He must come to King's Landing as soon as possible to sit on the Iron Throne and rule the kingdom.
Duke Eddard's quill began to move again.
After carefully crafting the letter, Duke Eddard signed at the end: Protector of the Realm, Hand of the King, Duke of Winterfell, Eddard Stark.
After writing the letter, Duke Eddard felt a sense of relief. His regency would be very short. The new King would appoint a new Hand, and then he could return to Winterfell.
The thought of returning to Winterfell made him temporarily forget the pain of losing his friend. He wanted to hear Bran's laughter again, to go hawking with Robb, to watch Rickon play and frolic. He wanted to hold his wife tightly in his arms and sleep soundly.
His current task was simply to stabilize the situation before Stannis arrived in King's Landing.
Stabilize the situation… Thinking of this, Duke Eddard became alert. He absolutely could not ignore the possibility of Cersei's resistance. Out of honor… he also could not leave trouble for Stannis.
Stannis would surely come with the Dragonstone army. If Cersei and the three children had not yet fled by then… He understood Stannis's nature; Cersei and the three children would all be doomed to die… He couldn't give Cersei any more time. At least the three children were innocent.
He had 30 men. 10 of them would need to escort his children to leave first, leaving him with 20 men.
Adding Renly's 100 men, they would only have a total of 120 men, while the Lannister Red Cloaks numbered over 300.
Duke Eddard thought of Grenn. That boy had over 200 Blue Cloaks.
Duke Eddard quickly abandoned the idea of contacting Grenn… Grenn, however excellent, was still a child. He already served Cersei, and he shouldn't be forced to make such a difficult choice at such a young age.
It was already commendable that Grenn had been helping him out of his inner honor. What he should do now was to keep Grenn out of it, to prevent him from being implicated because of Cersei once Stannis sat on the Iron Throne.
Duke Eddard would ensure Grenn and his Blue Cloaks stayed away from the turmoil.
As for… whether Grenn would betray him, Duke Eddard had not considered that possibility at all.
Knock knock knock knock, a knock at the door interrupted Duke Eddard's thoughts.
"My Lord, Earl Janos Slynt requests an audience," Caine's voice came from outside the door.
Outside the Prime Minister's Tower, Grenn saw Janos Slynt leave, then strode towards the Prime Minister's Tower.
Duke Eddard looked at Grenn, who had arrived late at night, with a hint of surprise.
"Is something wrong?"
Grenn, clad in armor and holding his helmet in his left hand, walked to the desk and said, "Duke Ned, the atmosphere outside is very unusual. You have too few Northern guards left. You need my guards."
Duke Eddard looked at Grenn's concerned face, his heart filled with comfort.
"Grenn, something has happened in the Red Keep. I hope you leave King's Landing first thing tomorrow morning and go to… you go to Riverrun for me. Um… my wife's father is not in good health, and I consider you like my own child, so please visit him for me."
Grenn sighed inwardly. He was silent for a moment, then spoke, "Duke Ned, there are no secrets within the Red Keep. This is something everyone knows."
"Damn it!"
Duke Eddard couldn't help but curse under his breath.