The Gold Cloaks froze in place, their Commander dead, their long spears clutched uselessly.
"Attack!"
Gray and red clashed, flesh and blood flying.
Duke Eddard's Ice swung, and a red-robed man stumbled to his knees, his lion-helmed steel shattered in two, blood gushing down his face.
With a clang, Jory barely blocked an attack from Duke Eddard's flank with his longsword, and then the Ice sword grazed past his head, decapitating the assailant.
Duke Eddard glanced at Jory, and his captain of the guard grinned, giving a slight nod.
Jory, who had fought alongside his lord for many years, understood that look, or rather, he had the same intention.
… … … …
Pfft, Jaime Lannister's first sword strike severed a gray-robed man's arm, and his second sliced diagonally through a neck.
"Kingslayer!"
Hearing the shout, Jaime's eyes moved, and his gaze met Duke Eddard's.
Jaime stared at Duke Eddard, a cold sneer creeping onto his lips, and he strode towards Duke Eddard.
Duke Eddard lowered his gaze to his trembling wrist; he could no longer remember how many enemies his Ice had slain… The six-foot-long Ice consumed too much stamina, and his time was running out.
The two men's weapons clashed, ringing out repeatedly.
Duke Eddard's Ice made a half-circle in the air and chopped down heavily; Jaime dared not meet it head-on and dodged to the right, somewhat disheveled.
The beautiful Throne Room flagstones were already covered in a sticky layer of crimson, and Jaime almost slipped, stumbling a few steps.
With a bang, the spot where Jaime had stood was shattered by Ice.
Before Jaime could steady himself, Jory's longsword attacked, and he narrowly parried the blow, but his knee suddenly buckled, and he dropped to one knee on the ground.
Duke Eddard's greatsword, Ice, rested on Jaime's shoulder, and Jory grimaced, shifting his large foot.
Duke Eddard gasped, saying, "Jory, well done."
Jory panted, "Ha ah… Ha ah… My Lord, he ran into my foot himself. It hurts… It really f***ing hurts."
Jaime was furious; he had clearly been ambushed… Who said Northmen were straightforward?!
Jory shouted, and the remaining seven gray-robed men retreated around Duke Eddard, while the opposing side, seeing Jaime captured, dared not continue their attack for a moment.
Jaime glanced at Ice on his shoulder, a slight curve to his lips, and said, "Direwolf, I didn't lose to you."
Jory limped over to confiscate Jaime's sword, and Duke Eddard's Ice left Jaime's shoulder.
Duke Eddard held the greatsword upright in front of him, grasping the hilt with both hands, and said, "You are my captive."
Jaime: "…"
Duke Eddard looked around, a pang of sorrow in his heart; too much blood had been shed in Winterfell today.
He glanced at the few remaining guards around him again; his foolishness had killed too many people, and now he only wanted to take the remaining ones home.
… … … …
Only heavy breathing remained in the hall.
"Cersei, let us leave, and I promise not to harm Jaime."
Duke Eddard could only be thankful now that he had appointed Greene as the captain of the Steel Gate guard; Greene had left a rendezvous point there, and now with Jaime as a captive in hand, at least their retreat was secured.
At the same time, Duke Eddard felt deeply remorseful, realizing he hadn't thought things through as thoroughly as a child.
Joffrey shrieked from the high seat, "Don't let them go! Kill them!"
Cersei sneered, saying, "Stark, your behavior now is hardly honorable."
Duke Eddard said with a heavy heart, "Today, I killed many people for honor. Let's stop this."
"That won't do…"
The Kingsguard blocking Cersei parted, and Duke Eddard was instantly shocked.
Cersei smiled contemptuously, saying, "Sansa, only you can stop Duke Stark from continuing to make mistakes now."
Sansa stood in front of Cersei, tearfully looking at her blood-stained father, Cersei's hands resting on her shoulders.
Duke Eddard panicked, speaking in disbelief, "Sansa, how are you here?!"
Why was his eldest daughter in Cersei's hands? Had something happened? Had Arya been captured too? Had Jon and Greene met with trouble?
Duke Eddard's regret was inexpressible; his foolishness seemed to have harmed his children again.
Sansa Stark choked, "Father… Father…"
Cersei's hand stroked Sansa's head, and she gently urged, "Good girl, I will bless you and Joffrey. Now, if only your father puts down his weapon, everything will be fine."
Sansa looked back at Cersei, who nodded kindly.
Sansa trembled, her voice low and cautious, "Your Majesty, will you forgive my father?"
Cersei smiled, "Good girl, we will soon be family."
… … … …
Duke Eddard roared, "Cersei, you shouldn't involve my child!"
Cersei's voice was cold, "Duke Stark, pure love brought Sansa here. You should now be very clear about what choice is best for everyone."
The Direwolf's anger and the Lioness's composure formed a Stark contrast.
Cersei gently patted Sansa's shoulder.
Sansa, with tears in her eyes, said, "Father, Your Majesty has already agreed to let me marry Joffrey. Please, I truly love Joffrey."
Seeing her father remain silent, she added, "Your Majesty will not pursue your crimes, and Joffrey and I also wish to receive your blessing."
Duke Eddard closed his eyes in pain… My poor daughter, how can you believe a Lannister's promise.
After a pause, Duke Eddard opened his eyes, "Cersei, I am at your disposal. Please spare my children and my men."
Cersei slightly raised her chin, "Stark, release Jaime. Let me see your sincerity."
Duke Eddard gazed at Cersei for a moment, then said, "Jory, release him."
Upon hearing this, Jory and the others immediately released Jaime.
Jaime rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "Direwolf, you finally made a smart choice this time."
Duke Eddard ignored Jaime and said to Jory, "Jory, you all first…"
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Jaime's pupils constricted, and he turned his head in shock to look at Cersei, seeing her hand gesture not yet withdrawn.
The Stark gray-robed men fell one after another into pools of blood. Jory Cassel struggled to look at the spear tip that emerged from his abdomen, a gush of blood rising to his throat and spilling from the corner of his mouth.
The longswords of the Stark guard had not yet fallen to the ground, but their lives were already lost.
"No!"
Clang! The Stark family sword crashed to the ground, and Duke Eddard tightly embraced his captain of the guard.
Cersei hugged the trembling, terrified Sansa, comforting her, "Good girl, don't worry, Duke Stark will be fine."
Sansa's lips trembled, unable to utter any sound. She had never liked touching the dirty Jory Cassel, but she suddenly remembered many good things from her childhood… Her heart ached so much… Could it be that she had caused Jory's death?!
… … … …
Jaime, with a complex expression, withdrew his gaze from Cersei and looked at Duke Eddard, who was sitting on the ground, holding a corpse in his arms.
Jaime sighed inwardly, took a step, and stood behind Duke Eddard.
Duke Eddard, immersed in grief, only felt a pang of pain before losing consciousness.
Jaime called two men to lift Duke Eddard, and they left the blood-soaked Throne Room with him.
Before long, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ilyn Payne appeared. He picked up the greatsword Ice and claimed it as his own.
… … … …
… … … …
After noon, without waiting for Cersei's summons, Greene Kleber led his guards into the Red Keep and arrived at Maegor's Holdfast.
Greene learned from Arya that Duke Eddard had told her and Sansa that Greene would send them back to Winterfell.
The important detail was that Sansa knew Greene was secretly helping, and he needed to confirm in advance whether Sansa had revealed this to Cersei Lannister, in order to respond to the unfolding situation.
Whether it was spoken or not, it was not a problem for Greene; he had a countermeasure. He just wanted to avoid unnecessary difficulties.
Thinking of this, Greene couldn't help but rub his head. The Stark family seemed to be his bane, increasing the difficulty of his repeated maneuvers.
Greene sighed to himself, it was just a matter of choice… Ahem, he was a lord who could juggle five balls with both hands.
… … … …
Inside Maegor's Holdfast, after one of Greene's Gold Dragons slipped into a handmaiden's cleavage, he knew Sansa's room.
"Count Kleber, no one is allowed to see Sansa Stark without Her Majesty the Queen's command."
Lancel Lannister's tone was scornful. He had changed; he had forgotten the friendship between them.
Greene glanced at the small tuft of beard on Lancel's chin; it looked ridiculous.
"Lancel, you…"
Lancel interrupted, "Her Majesty the Queen has already agreed to knight me!"
"Then what should I call you? Ser Lancel, who hasn't been knighted yet?"
Lancel's face flushed red, and his right hand gripped the hilt of the longsword at his waist.
Greene raised an eyebrow, "Lancel, are you sure? I'd be quite happy to."
After speaking, Greene's slender finger tapped the sword hilt, looking provocatively at Lancel.
Lancel: "…"
Lancel stood there, his expression changing repeatedly, finally releasing his hand from the sword hilt.
Lancel said fiercely, "Count Greene, I will report all of this to Her Majesty the Queen."
Greene rubbed his hair; he felt that Lancel had developed some psychological problems from King Robert's PUA.
Seeing Greene approach, Lancel said nervously, "You… What do you want to do?!"
Lancel suddenly remembered the scene where Greene made heads roll in the Queen's Quarter.
One of Greene's hands grabbed Lancel's shoulder, and Lancel instantly shuddered.
Why did you provoke me? Fortunately, Lord Green is broad-minded and deeply affectionate.
Greene whispered in Lancel's ear, "You wouldn't want Ser Jaime to hear about you and the Queen, would you?"
As Greene's words fell, fine beads of sweat seeped from Lancel's forehead, leaving him at a loss.
Lancel was about to kneel but was pulled up by Greene's hand.
Greene patted Lancel and said gently, "Lancel, I still think highly of you. Go open the door. I'll just say a few words."
… … … …
On the night of the tourney, Sansa dreamed of Joffrey sitting on the Iron Throne, with her by his side in a golden gown, a crown on her head, and everyone she knew kneeling before her… She felt the dream foretold her future.
Sansa was now crying for her father, her face swollen from weeping, her eyes dazed… Before Joffrey left, she had asked to see her father, but she had been frightened by Joffrey's unfamiliar behavior.
Had her father's actions made Joffrey angry? What should she do?
Queen Cersei had already agreed to pardon her father's crimes, so her father should be fine, right? Sansa then remembered the horrific scene of the Stark guards' deaths, and she became increasingly anxious.
… … … …
Creak, the door was pushed open.
Had Joffrey forgiven her, and was he coming to see her? Sansa looked over with a joyful expression, which immediately turned to disappointment.
Greene paused. The change on Sansa's small face did not escape his eyes—joy turning to disappointment… and also wariness towards him?
Sansa, deeply in love… Greene's brown eyes trembled slightly; he seemed to have guessed the answer.
Sansa took a shallow breath, silently reminding herself that she was a Duke's daughter and must not forget her manners.
Sansa forced a smile and said, "Good day, Count Greene, you look truly radiant and exceptionally charming today."
Greene: "…"
Greene ignored Sansa's polite words and, without a word, found a chair and sat down, leaning back against the chair, legs crossed.
Greene looked at Sansa expressionlessly. Whatever the reason, it was clear that the little girl in front of him didn't trust him, and he needed to change his communication approach.
Greene had meticulously arranged everything, but a flaw appeared with Sansa.
The three cooks, two stablemen, and one attendant in the Prime Minister's Tower were secretly bribed by Greene. Their task was simple: to immediately report to Duke Eddard if they saw Sansa sneak out of the Prime Minister's Tower, with a reward of 5 Gold Dragons for the discoverer. Yet, Sansa still managed to evade everyone's surveillance and quietly left the Prime Minister's Tower.
Apart from Duke Eddard's family, all the people he brought from Winterfell and those hired in King's Landing were killed. It was said that the spiral staircase of the Prime Minister's Tower was covered in corpses, and the blood-stained steps were slippery.
Greene could no longer investigate whether someone had intentionally let Sansa go, but since things had come to this, there was no need for a major fuss.
Greene wondered if Sansa, like Stannis, also possessed hidden attributes that were easily overlooked. He even considered whether to establish a special team solely responsible for monitoring Sansa's movements.
Greene sighed. He had already promised Duke Eddard that he would safely send his daughters back to Winterfell, and he naturally had to keep his word… But now, if he were to forcibly take her away… Never mind, Lord Green is omnipotent, so he'll just have to work a little harder.
"Miss Sansa, your father saved my Lioness, and I have always been deeply grateful, but why did you deliberately harm me?"
Greene's voice was cold, and Sansa was a little scared.
She said cautiously, "Count Greene, you might have misunderstood my father; he is certainly not that kind of person."
Greene nodded and said, "Yes, everyone thinks so, and I used to think so too, but he asked me to take you all away before he planned the coup… Do you still think it's a misunderstanding?"
Sansa widened her swollen eyes and opened her mouth but couldn't retort.
After a pause, she lowered her face and whispered, "I… I… I'm sorry."
Greene's lips curved almost imperceptibly, and he said, "Miss Sansa, what good is saying sorry? Gods be praised, fortunately, you weren't sent away by me, otherwise, I would be inescapably guilty."
After a moment of silence, Sansa suddenly looked up, eagerly asking, "Where's Arya?"
Greene looked at Sansa strangely, his tone tinged with a hint of anger, "Don't you understand yet? I was just a decoy. Only the gods know where she is."