Inside the great hall, the atmosphere turned murderous, dropping to freezing point.
Jaime's sudden act of killing caught everyone present off guard.
Everyone except Galon.
The moment Jaime drew his sword, Galon had already realized that Jaime had decided to kill.
Yet Galon did not step forward to stop him. Instead, he chose to stand by and watch quietly.
Times had changed.
If he had not already been betrothed to Sansa, Galon would have flipped the table without hesitation and forced Theon to expose Jaime and Cersei's scandal, shattering the royal family's plans for marriage with the North.
But now that his engagement to Sansa was secure, overturning the table would only harm his own interests.
Galon's target had shifted as well.
From Jaime and Cersei, it became Theon. He intended to use this incident to eliminate Theon completely.
Galon had deliberately cooperated with Tyrion in order to pin the crime of harming Bran squarely onto Theon.
'I don't know why Jaime tolerated Theon living after discovering his disgrace,' Galon thought coldly, 'but if Theon were truly exposed, there's no way you'd be able to sit still, Jaime.'
'Unless you want your entire family slaughtered by Robert.'
As it turned out, using another's hand to kill was even smoother than Galon had expected.
He had not anticipated that Theon's mental resilience was so poor that a few sharp words were enough to force him into blurting out the truth.
Galon had even considered what he would do if Theon stubbornly denied everything and how he might plant seeds of suspicion in Ned and Robert's minds.
But now, none of that was needed. Theon's own words had simplified everything.
Jaime had only one path left.
Kill Theon before he could speak any further.
At this moment, seeing his goal achieved, Galon's lips curved slightly in a satisfied smile.
'Theon is dead. Now comes the King's judgment of the lion. So, what will you do next, Jaime?'
Galon watched with keen interest.
Sure enough.
Robert finally reacted, staring at Jaime in shock and fury as he roared, "Kingslayer! I ordered you to capture him alive, not kill him!"
Standing at Robert's right, Ned was equally furious.
Even if Theon truly had attempted to murder Bran, judgment had to be passed before punishment.
Now that Theon had been killed without trial, what would others think? What would Balon of the Iron Islands think?
They would only believe that Theon's death was highly suspicious.
"Galon!" Ned shouted angrily. "Seize the Kingslayer at once!"
"Yes, Lord Stark," Galon replied readily. Drawing his sword, he stepped forward. "Ser Jaime, you disobeyed the King's command and executed Theon without authorization. Surrender immediately."
Jaime turned around and looked deeply at Galon, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.
'The Bear Slayer …'
He silently recited Galon's title in his heart. Then, without hesitation, he tossed the sword in his hand beside Theon's corpse.
"Your Majesty, Theon resisted arrest. I merely struck him down by accident."
"Besides, Theon's crime of murdering the son of the Warden of the North is beyond doubt.
I merely executed him in advance to avenge Lord Stark. The Hand should be thanking me."
He wore an arrogant smile, as if he felt no concern at all about the situation before him.
"An accident? Avenging me?" Ned laughed in anger. "Theon was unarmed. You expect me to believe you killed him by accident? You killed him deliberately!"
Cersei, who had been worried Theon might expose the truth, finally relaxed when she saw Jaime kill him cleanly.
She stepped forward slightly and said disdainfully, "Theon was going to be executed sooner or later. Jaime merely killed him early. What's there to make such a fuss about?"
"Do you expect Jaime to spare the man who murdered your son just to make you happy?"
"But Your Grace," Ned raised his voice, "he had accomplices!"
"Who was the person he coupled with? What were they plotting? Why did he call out the Kingslayer's name before dying?"
"Thanks to the Kingslayer, we now know none of this!"
Cersei raised an eyebrow. "Lord Stark, are you questioning the King's Kingsguard? Or are you questioning House Lannister?"
A flash of anger crossed Robert's face as he turned sharply. "Silence!"
But Cersei sneered and ignored him. "Lord Stark, don't think becoming Hand of the King gives you the right to slander House Lannister at will."
"You should be glad I'm a woman. If I were a man, I would challenge you on the battlefield without hesitation."
Before Ned could respond, Robert's fury finally exploded.
He turned and slapped Cersei hard across the face.
Slap!
The crisp sound echoed through the hall. Cersei's head snapped aside, her hair falling loose. Jaime surged forward in anger, but Galon blocked him with his drawn sword.
Cersei covered her face, took two deep breaths, then slowly lifted her head and sneered at Robert.
"I will wear this as a badge of honor."
Robert answered coldly, "Then wear it quietly. Say another word, and I'll grant you even greater honor."
"Now take your brother and get out!"
Cersei shot Ned a dangerous look, then turned and left without hesitation.
"Jaime!"
She called his name as she passed him.
Jaime shrugged, bent down to pick up his sword, stepped back twice, and followed Cersei out.
Tyrion watched his troublesome brother and sister leave, his face full of frustration.
He wanted to explain a few things, but seeing the atmosphere, he knew there was no place for him to speak. In the end, he could only waddle after them.
Once the Lannisters were gone, Ned walked to Theon's corpse, his expression complicated, and stood there in silence.
Robert poured himself a cup of wine and drained it in one gulp.
Afterward, he looked at Galon. "Bear Slayer, take Theon's body away."
"And the rest of you, leave as well. I have matters to discuss privately with Lord Stark."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Galon replied. Sheathing his sword, he stepped around Ned, hoisted Theon's corpse onto his shoulder, and strode out of the hall.
Robb and Jon followed close behind.
"Robb, where should we put Theon's body?" Galon asked as they passed the statues in the hall.
Robb's face twisted in disgust. "Throw him to the dogs!"
Jon spat angrily, "He tried to murder Bran. I'd like nothing more than to cut him into pieces!"
At that moment, Ser Rodrik, who had been inspecting Winterfell, heard the commotion and strode over. "What's going on here?"
"Ser, we've caught the one who harmed Bran," Galon said.
"What?" Ser Rodrik was shocked. "Who was it?"
"Theon Greyjoy," Galon replied, shifting the corpse on his shoulder. "He confessed with his own mouth."
Ser Rodrik fell into stunned silence.
He could hardly believe that Theon would murder Bran.
"Could there be some misunderstanding?" he asked hesitantly.
Galon shook his head. "The evidence is conclusive, and he confessed himself. There is no misunderstanding."
Robb and Jon nodded fiercely in agreement.
Ser Rodrik was left speechless.
"Ser," Galon asked at last, "do you know where the body should be placed?"
In the end, Ser Rodrik could only hurriedly point Galon in a direction.
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