White Walkers? Maester Aemon must have gone senile!
Robert Baratheon chuckled derisively, crumpling the letter in his hand. "This must be his ploy to lure the tiger out of its mountain lair! The Night's Watch indeed! He just can't let go of his own family!"
Listening to Robert Baratheon's merciless mockery, Ned Stark's face was filled with worry.
"There have indeed been many wildlings in the North attempting to breach the Wall in large numbers, preparing to cross south!"
Ned Stark frowned, uneasy. "The Umber family, Lords of Last Hearth, have sent word requesting military aid!"
Winter Is Coming—this house motto has been troubling Ned Stark recently.
Westeros's long summer was too long, so long that it almost made people forget winter.
However, years of continuous warfare meant that not much grain had been stockpiled in the North for winter.
Some time ago, the Citadel also sent a letter warning that this year's winter would be exceptionally cold and long.
This couldn't help but make Ned Stark worry.
Wolves going south have never had a good end!
If not for the Four Kingdoms' alliance—one prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer—he would never have gone south again for the Iron Islands rebellion!
Since his return from the Tower of Joy in Dorne, his mind was no longer on the battlefield.
He had no choice but to carefully raise the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, naming him Jon Snow, hoping he would live a peaceful life.
When he left, Jon Snow was still an infant in swaddling clothes; now, he must be able to walk!
"Don't worry, brother. You helped me secure the iron throne, and I won't fail to help the North!"
Seeing Ned Stark remain silent, Robert Baratheon clapped his childhood brother heartily on the back and promised.
Hearing this, Ned Stark couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
He naturally trusted his brother's promise.
Ever since coming south, he had been constantly worried about Jon Snow's safety.
King Robert going to the North himself? What a joke!
Hearing this, Ned Stark trembled.
If the truth about Jon Snow's identity were to leak out, he would surely be killed by a furious Robert Baratheon!
If the two were to meet, and Robert Baratheon grew suspicious, wouldn't that be disastrous?
Fortunately, Ned Stark had subtly inquired in letters to his wife, Catelyn Tully, about the appearance of this "bastard" Jon Snow.
Although Catelyn Tully's letters were full of resentment, she ultimately did what a noble lady should.
In the letters, Jon Snow did not have the conspicuous silver hair and purple eyes like his father; otherwise, Ned Stark would have had a huge headache!
"No,"
Ned Stark quickly shook his head, saying in a deep voice, "They are merely wildlings; once the Northern army returns, they can be wiped out in an instant!"
As is well known, the kingdom had endured several devastating wars, and even the wealthy House Lannister was stretched thin, let alone the Lords of the Stormlands, who had been occupied by those pirates from the Iron Islands for many years.
"Hehe, why be so polite between brothers?"
Robert Baratheon picked up his goblet and laughed heartily. "Although I am a king who has won almost every battle, when it comes to politics, it's truly a headache!"
"A greedy, stubborn Old Lion, plus that smelly rock Stannis Baratheon in the latrine, they're practically driving me crazy!"
At this point, Robert Baratheon couldn't help but look around.
Seeing that the lioness Cersei Lannister was not in the The Red Keep, Robert Baratheon finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As someone who had accepted help, he didn't want to argue with his queen.
"That madwoman is just as crazy as her father!"
Robert Baratheon grabbed his good brother's hand and complained incessantly.
"Honestly, I'd rather be a great general fighting on the front lines than a king who constantly compromises for gold dragons!"
Robert Baratheon complained with a helpless expression.
Only today did he truly understand the helplessness of a king!
Originally, he was full of anger at the actions of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen, cursing him as an incompetent monarch.
Now, actually sitting on that iron chair himself, he realized how helpless a king truly was!
The nascent Baratheon Dynasty faced external threats from the Iron Bank, internal rebellion from the Lord of Dorne, and nobles who feigned obedience while undermining him, with decrees barely extending beyond King's Landing.
"Anyway, we won't have a chance to cross the Narrow Sea to exterminate the descendants of the evil dragon in the next few years, so why don't you take me with you to the North to hunt some wildlings for fun!"
Before he finished speaking, Robert Baratheon picked up his warhammer with both hands, smiling proudly.
Looking at the warhammer Robert had wielded for many years, Ned Stark frowned deeply.
This trip for Robert Baratheon was definitely not as simple as an outing.
In the air, Ned Stark seemed to smell a hint of danger.
What in the North could possibly interest Robert Baratheon?
The next moment, an alarm bell rang in Ned Stark's heart: "Robert, Maester Aemon is your great-granduncle!"
For a king to dare to kill a Grand Maester of the Night's Watch, who protected the Seven Kingdoms, would be a grave sin for which he would be condemned by everyone in the Seven Kingdoms.
After all, Viserys Targaryen was still developing on the other side of the Narrow Sea!
Wouldn't that push everyone's loyalty to the other side of the Narrow Sea?
"What are you thinking?"
Hearing this, Robert Baratheon's face darkened.
He had ascended the iron throne as a branch of the Targaryen royal bloodline.
In other words, although some called him a usurper, ultimately, it was an internal struggle for power among royal family members!
It should be known that Maester Aemon was an elder who had voluntarily given up the iron throne!
If Robert Baratheon were to kill Maester Aemon, not only would he offend the Citadel in Oldtown, but he would also directly undermine the legal basis of his own royal authority.
"I just want to understand the mystery of dragon eggs hatching!"
Robert Baratheon nervously pointed to the row of dragon eggss being roasted by charcoal fire beneath the iron throne and explained, "After all, besides that evil dragon Viserys Targaryen, perhaps only the knowledgeable and revered Maester Aemon would know!"
Even so, his face remained terribly grim.
For years, the news of the Hatchling Dragon hatching had lingered in his mind like a nightmare.
He had personally inspected Harrenhal in the Riverlands and gazed across the wildfire-scorched wheat fields.
Everything warned him that if he didn't eliminate Viserys Targaryen soon, he would surely face the dragons' wrath in the future.
Yet, as a descendant of the Targaryen Family bloodline, he simply couldn't hatch a Hatchling Dragon!
"I am a Baratheon, I also have Targaryen Family blood, I can also hatch dragons!"
Robert Baratheon clenched his fists and said coldly.
Clearly, he gave Ned Stark no chance to refuse.
"The Old Lion will be Hand in King's Landing to coordinate, Stannis Baratheon will go to Dragonstone to train the navy, Renly and Godfather Jon Arryn will assist young Joffrey in King's Landing. It's settled then!"