Half a month later.
King Robert's royal escort finally arrived.
The visiting procession poured into Winterfell like a mighty river of gold and silver and steel.
The cold northern wind lashed at dozens of golden banners held high overhead, each embroidered with House Baratheon's crowned stag.
Bright armor, a forest of spears, banners blotting out the sky—an imposing spectacle.
The royal escort carried itself with overwhelming pomp. Some country folk along the roadside, never having seen anything like it, dropped to their knees in fright and shouted, "Long live the king!"
…
Domeric stood beside Lord Eddard and his family, studying the newcomers.
The man with dazzling blond hair—who might as well have "handsome" written across his face—was unmistakably the Kingslayer of House Lannister: Ser Jaime Lannister.
Nearby was another large, powerfully built knight in ash-gray armor, wearing a helm fashioned into a dog's head. Sharp cheekbones, heavy brows, and the left side of his face was burned.
The Hound—Sandor Clegane, one of the most terrifying fighters in all of Westeros.
When he was a boy, Sandor had been shoved into a brazier by his brother, the Mountain, for stealing a toy. The fire ruined his face and planted two things in him for life: terror of flame, and a hatred for his brother so deep he dreamed of killing him with his own hands.
And there was a small dwarf as well. No need to guess—Tyrion Lannister, the Imp.
As for the arrogant young man with his chin in the air and contempt in his eyes, that had to be "the eternal emperor" himself: Joffrey.
King Robert swung down from his horse. With two Kingsguard behind him, he strode forward and bellowed in a voice like a warhorn:
"Ned! It's good to see you!"
He spread his arms and hauled Eddard Stark into a crushing embrace.
Eddard looked hard at his king—and his friend.
A thick black beard like iron wire hiding his jaw. A belly that bulged. Dark hollows under the eyes.
The invincible warrior of old had become a fat man, and the smell of leather and blood had been replaced by the perfume of noblewomen.
A bitter sight.
"Your Grace—Winterfell stands ready to serve."
At that, the rest of the party dismounted as well.
Lord Eddard kissed Queen Cersei's ring, while Robert embraced Catelyn as if he were hugging a long-lost sister.
The two households traded pleasantries as they walked toward the castle's reception hall.
"Ned, is that your son?" King Robert pointed at Domeric, puzzled. "He doesn't look anything like you."
"Your Grace, that is Lord Roose's eldest son—the heir to House Bolton of the Dreadfort…"
"Oh. A Bolton whelp. No wonder he looks familiar—same eyes as his father."
Robert smiled at Domeric with an oddly genial warmth. "Your father is a brave commander with a good head on his shoulders. He fought well in the old war…"
Truth be told, if Robert hadn't been king, he might've been a fine general—majestic, and still capable of winning people with sheer force of presence.
Shame he ever took the Iron Throne.
"Your Grace is too kind," Domeric said modestly.
"And he is also the betrothed of my eldest daughter, Sansa," Eddard added. "They were formally pledged not long ago."
"What?" Robert blurted, caught completely off guard.
"What is it, Your Grace?"
"I was planning to wed my Joff to your eldest girl," Robert said, then slapped his own forehead. "No matter. You've still got another daughter, don't you?
Come—let me see her!"
Eddard hesitated. Robert hadn't forgotten. He'd written about such a match long ago.
"Arya. Come here."
Eddard couldn't refuse the king.
"K-king… Your Grace," Arya said, clearly uncomfortable under so many eyes, her voice small.
Robert studied the girl: slight and quick, with the Stark gray eyes and brown hair.
A lively, wild thing—small in body, but with something fierce in her bones.
For a heartbeat, Robert seemed to see Lyanna Stark in her—the woman who had once haunted his heart.
"Like her. Gods, she's like her!"
Robert clapped his hands, yanked Prince Joffrey forward, pointed at Arya, and boomed to the crowd:
"Joff—from today on, she's your betrothed!"
For an instant, everyone froze, stunned by how sudden it was.
Joffrey went completely blank.
Queen Cersei was struck dumb—then forced out, "Your Grace… should we not consider this more carefully?"
People turned as Cersei stepped between the king and the others, lifting her skirts as she moved.
Golden curls. Green eyes. Three children behind her, yet her figure was still graceful—wrapped in an ornate court gown that made her pale skin seem almost luminous.
Proud, willful, ambitious—convinced she had political genius—Cersei worshiped her father Tywin and tried to imitate him. In truth, she lacked his patience and depth: too much cruelty, not enough wisdom.
"Woman—out of the way," Robert snapped. "Who said you had any right to speak here?"
"I am Joffrey's mother," Cersei said. "I have the right to be consulted on his marriage."
"Shut your mouth. Did you not hear me?" Robert barked. "It's decided. No one changes it."
Cersei tried to push again, but under Robert's icy stare her body trembled. She glared at her husband—years of neglect and contempt threatening to crack something inside her.
Just then, Jaime Lannister reached out and took her hand, warning her silently not to do anything foolish.
In the end, Cersei lowered her skirts—along with her pride.
And King Robert, as if none of it mattered, strode on, still hauling Eddard Stark along at his side…
-
-
-
-
GAME OF THRONES: SECRETS BENEATH THE DREADFORT
🏰🩸 GAME OF THRONES: SECRETS BENEATH THE DREADFORT 🩸🏰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📢 DARK SECRETS RISE IN THE NORTH! 📢
Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort has 30 chapters ahead available on Patreon! 🐺🩸
Beneath the Dreadfort, old horrors stir.
Power, bloodlines, betrayal, northern cruelty, and buried secrets wait beneath one of the most feared castles in Westeros.
❄️ The North remembers.🏰 The Dreadfort hides.🩸 And some secrets should have stayed buried.
Uncover what lies beneath before anyone else does.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🛑 ALSO AVAILABLE ON PATREON:
🌃 Cyberpunk: Dogtown Legend🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless👩👦 Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator🤖 My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔗 Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon Name: SrMagnus🐦 X / Twitter: https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ The novel with the most Power Stones gets more chapters first!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━