Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Ed

The visiting team poured into the gate of the castle like a shining river of gold, silver and steel.There were three hundred of them, proud vassals and knights, sworn knights, and freeriders.The icy north wind flapped a dozen golden banners above their heads, embroidered with the crowned stag symbolizing House Baratheon. There were many familiar faces to Ned in the team.Ser Jaime Lannister with the brilliant blond hair, and Sandor Clegane with the burnt face.The tall boy next to him must be the crown prince, and the misshapen dwarf behind them is undoubtedly "the little devil" Tyrion Lannister.

But the man at the head of the line, surrounded by two Kingsguards in white cloaks, looked like a stranger to Ned...until he jumped off his horse, uttered the familiar bell cry, and hugged him. Catch him, almost tearing his whole body apart, and he just recognized who it was. "Ned! Ah, it's good to see you, especially with your face purple with cold." The king looked him up and down carefully, and then laughed loudly. "You really haven't changed at all." .” If only Ned could have said the same to him.Fifteen years ago, when they fought side by side for the throne, the Duke of Storm's End was a man with a well-groomed face and clear eyes, a strong man that a girl with a spring dreamed of.He is six feet five inches tall, like a towering tower, standing out from the crowd like a chicken.When he wore battle armor and a giant helmet with two-pronged antlers on his head, he became a veritable giant.He was as strong as a giant, and even Ned could barely lift the iron spiked hammer he used to.In those days, the smell of leather and blood followed him like a lady's perfume.

Now the perfume really goes with him like a shadow.His girth has grown to be as impressive as his height.Ned had last seen the king nine years ago, during Balon Greyjoy's Rebellion.When the stag and direwolf banners flew together, the armies of the Seven Kingdoms united against the lord who had declared himself King of the Iron Islands.On the night of victory, the two stood side by side in the hall of the Greyjoy family's fallen fortress. Robert accepted the letter of surrender from the leader of the rebel army, and Ned adopted his youngest son Sean as his adopted son. After that, Robert gained at least eight stones .Although there is a mass of thick black wire beard covering his fat double chin, but nothing can cover his protruding belly and sunken dark circles.

But Robert was Ned's lord after all, not just a friend, so all he said was, "Winterfell is at your service, Your Grace." At this time, other people dismounted one after another, and the groom from the city came to take care of the horses.Cersei Lannister, Robert's queen, walks into town with her young children.The wheel palace they were riding in was a huge double-decker carriage, built of shiny oak and metal inlaid with gold, and pulled by forty horses. Because it was too wide, it had to stop outside the city gate.Ned knelt in the snow and kissed the queen's ring, and Robert embraced Catelyn as if he were his long-lost sister.Then the children were brought forward, and after being formally introduced to each other, they received approval from both parents.

As soon as the formal meeting etiquette was over, the king said, "Ed, take me to the cellar of your family, and I want to pay my respects." Ned loved him for that, and he still couldn't forget her after all these years.He called for a lantern.Everything goes without saying.The queen objected. She said that everyone was on their way early in the morning. At this time, everyone was cold and tired, and they should take a rest first. There was no need to be in such a hurry to see the dead.She said no more when she saw Robert staring at her coldly and her twin brother Jaime quietly taking her hand.

So Ned went down to the catacombs with the king he barely recognized.The spiral staircase leading to the catacombs was very narrow, so Ned walked ahead with the lamp on. "I almost thought we would never reach Winterfell," Robert complained as he went downstairs, "I've lived in the South for a long time, and I've heard people talk about my Seven Kingdoms all the time, so it's easy to forget your territory As big as the other six countries combined." "Your Majesty, I believe your journey must be very pleasant, right?" Robert snorted. "There are swamps, woods, and fields all the way. You can't find a decent inn beyond the Neck. I have never seen such a vast and endless desolation in my life, your people. Where did they all hide?"

"Maybe it's because I'm too shy to come out." Ned joked, he felt a chill sweeping up from the cellar, like the icy breath from deep underground. "In the north, the king is not seen every day." Robert snorted again. "I think I'm hiding under the thick snow! What time is it, Ned, and it's still freezing here!" The king leaned on the wall to steady himself as he went downstairs. "Late summer snowfall is a common occurrence in the north," Ned said. "I hope it doesn't bother you. The snow in late summer is usually not very heavy."

"It's not big? The White Walkers believe it!" cursed Robert. "Then how cold are you going to be in winter? I shudder just thinking about it." "Winters in the North are cold and bitter," Ned admitted, "but the Starks will get through it, haven't we all through the years?" "You should come and see the South," Robert told him, "and see it before summer is over. The fields of Highgarden are all golden roses as far as you can see. The fruit is so sweet it will burst in your mouth, and Melons, peaches, and fire plums, I guarantee you have never tasted such sweet things. You will know later, I brought some for you this time. Even in Storm’s End, when the hot wind blows, It's so hot that you can hardly move. Ned, you should see what the southern towns look like! There are flowers everywhere, and the food in the market is full; the summer wine is not only delicious, but also ridiculously cheap, just smell it The smell of wine in the market will make you drunk. Everyone has enough food and clothing, drunk and fat." He grinned and patted his beer belly with his hands. "Ned, and the girls of the South!" he cried, with a gleam in his eyes, "I assure you, when it's hot, women's reserve is gone. They'll go straight Swimming naked in the river near the castle. Even on the street, it is too hot to wear a sweater or leather jacket, so rich people wear silk short-sleeved ones, and poorer ones wear cotton ones. But as long as a sweat , the clothes stick to the skin, it is no different from taking off naked." The king smiled happily.

Robert Baratheon has always been a materialistic person who knows how to enjoy himself.He hadn't changed that, but Ned couldn't help noticing the price the king paid for his sensual entertainment.By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, into the deep darkness of the catacombs, Robert was panting and struggling to breathe, flushed in the light. "Come in, Your Grace," Ned said respectfully, and made a semicircle around the lantern.The black shadows were sneaking around, and the flickering fire shone on the stone slabs under the feet, and two pairs of granite pillars appeared on the left and right, extending to the darkness in the distance.The dead of all ages sit on the stone throne between the stone pillars, with their backs to the wall and the sarcophagus where the remains are stored behind them. "She's at the very back, next to Dad and Brandon."

He led the way, up and down the passage between the stone pillars, and Robert followed in silence, shivering from the cold below.It was always cold in the crypt. They walked among the dead of the Stark family, and their footsteps echoed in the huge mausoleum.The lords of Winterfell watched them. The statues on the tightly closed sarcophagi were engraved with their faces in life, and the huge stone carvings of howling direwolves curled up at their feet.Sitting side by side, they gazed into the eternal darkness with eyes that could no longer be seen.The walking of the living seemed to startle them, and black shadows alternated on the wall.

According to tradition, an iron long sword is placed on the knee of any stone statue that was once the Lord of Winterfell to ensure that these hateful vengeful spirits are sealed in the mausoleum and will not wreak havoc in the underworld.The oldest of these had long since corroded, and where the sword had been placed there was now only reddish-brown rust.Ned couldn't help but ask himself, does this mean that the ghosts can now roam the castle at will?The previous owners of Winterfell City were as resolute and strong as the ground under their feet. In the days when the Dragon King had not crossed the sea to invade, they did not bow their heads to anyone and proclaimed themselves the kings of the north. Ned stopped and raised the lamp. The mausoleum continued to stretch forward into the darkness, but all the places behind it were empty, unsealed, like a black hole waiting for the dead, waiting for him and his children.Ned was sick at the thought. "Here," he said to the king. Robert nodded silently, knelt down, and bowed his head. There were three sarcophagi lined up side by side. Ned's father, Rickard Stark, had a long, stern face. The sculptor at the time had mastered his charm very well. He sat down solemnly, holding his stone fingers tightly. He held the sword lying on his lap, but even the swords that poured down the country back then could not save him.In the smaller sarcophagi on either side of him are his children. Brandon was only twenty when he died, and he was brutally hanged by the "mad king" Aerys II Targaryen shortly before he married Catelyn Tully of Riverrun.His father was forced to witness the tragic death of his son the whole time.In fact, Brandon is the real heir of Winterfell. He is not only the eldest son, but also a natural leader. Lyanna was sixteen years old at the time, and she was still a girl with a childlike heart.Ned loved this sister with all his heart, and Robert loved her even more.She was supposed to be his bride. "She is much prettier than this," said the king after a moment's silence.His gaze was still attached to Lyanna's face and he couldn't bear to leave, as if this could call her back to the world.Finally he stood up, but his gait was a little unsteady due to his obesity. "Damn it, Ned, is it really necessary to bury her in a place like this?" His voice was hoarse with remembered grief. "She shouldn't be in the dark..." "She's a Stark from Winterfell," Ned said quietly. "She belongs here." "She should be buried on a hill with beautiful scenery, with a fruit tree planted on the grave, accompanied by sunshine and white clouds above her head, and bathed by wind, frost and rain." "I was with her when she died," Ned reminded the king. "She just wanted to go home, to rest with Brandon and her father." He could still hear her whispers now and then.Promise me, she called to him in that room that smelled of blood and roses, Ned, promise me.The lingering high fever sucked away all her strength, and she was as angry as a wisp at that time.But when he promised that he would keep his promise, the fear in his sister's eyes disappeared.Ned remembered her last smile, and how she had clutched his hand before she died, rose petals pouring from her palm, dark and lifeless.He couldn't remember what happened after that.When they found him, he still held her lifeless body tightly, mourning beyond words.It was said that the little marshman, Howland Reed, pulled her hand away from him in the end, leaving Ned in a daze. "I bring flowers to see her every chance I get," he said. "Lyanna has always loved flowers." The king touched her cheek, his fingers gliding gently over the rough rock face, as if caressing living lovers. "I swear to kill Rhaegar to avenge her." "You've killed him," Ned reminded him. "Only one kill," said Robert bitterly. The two mortal enemies met on the sandbank at the confluence of the three rivers, and the flames of war spread around.Robert held his iron-thorned warhammer and wore a great helm with antlers; Prince Targaryen wore black armor, and on his breastplate was a three-headed dragon with rubies inlaid as the family coat of arms, which looked like a raging fire in the hot sun.The two men fought, the waters of the Trident red under the hooves of their horses, until at last Robert's warhammer shattered the three-headed dragon from the armor of his opponent and passed through the body beneath.When Ned arrived at the scene, Rhaegar had already collapsed in the river, dying of breath; soldiers from both sides competed in the water for the ruby ​​that fell from his armor, causing splashes. "I kill him once every night in my dreams," said Robert. "If I kill him a thousand times, he'll still deserve it." Ned didn't know what to say.After another moment of silence, he said, "Your Majesty, we should go back, the queen is waiting." "Queen, queen, so what if the White Walkers take her?" Robert murmured tartly, but he staggered, plodding in the direction he had come. "Also, if you dare to call me Your Majesty again, I will definitely show your head to the public. The relationship between us is not just a relationship between monarchs and ministers." "I dare not forget," Ned answered quietly.Seeing that the king didn't answer, he asked, "Tell me about Jon." Robert shook his head. "I've never seen a man get worse so quickly in my life. To celebrate my son's name day we had a jousting and you'd think he'd be healthy enough to grow. A hundred years to live. But he was dead in two weeks, and the disease consumed him like a fire." Robert stopped by a stone pillar, just standing on the side of a long-dead Stark. In front of the tribe. "I love that old man so much." "We're all the same." Ned paused for a moment. "Catelyn is worried about her sister. Is Lysa all right?" The corners of Robert's mouth twisted bitterly, "Frankly, it's not good at all." He paused, "Ned, I think Jon's death drove that woman crazy. She has fled back home with her son I didn't want her to do that. I planned to adopt him to Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock. Jon has no brothers and only one son. How can I let a woman How about raising him alone?" Ned would rather give the child to the snake to raise him than to Lord Tywin, but he didn't say it.Some old wounds never heal, just a few words, and they will bleed again. "She has just lost her husband," he said cautiously. "Perhaps the mother is afraid of losing her son again, and the child is still young." "Six years old, ill all day long, this kind of person is the new Duke of the Eagle's Nest, the gods forgive me." The king cursed, "Duke Tywin has never adopted a son before, Lysa should feel honored. Lannis The Te family has a long history and great influence, but she didn't even think about it, and didn't get my permission, so she left quietly while the moon was dark and the wind was high. Cersei almost got angry." He deeply He sighed deeply, "Do you know? The child was named after me, Robert Arryn. I swore to protect him, how could his mother just secretly take him away like this?" "How would you like me to adopt him?" Ned said. "Lysa should agree. She was very close to Catelyn when she was young, and she will feel more at home here." "My old friend, you are a good man," replied the king, "but it is too late. Since Lord Tywin agreed to adopt, it would be an insult to him if he transferred the child to another place." "I care more about my nephew's happiness than about the happiness of the Lannisters," Ned said. "That's because you don't have to sleep with the Lannister women at night," laughed Robert, a laugh that echoed in the vaults and reflected off the vaulted roof, a white thread in a thick black beard. "Oh, Ned," he said, "you're just as serious as ever." He put a huge arm around Ned's shoulders. "I would have talked to you about this in a few days, but Since you mentioned it, let's talk about it now. Come, let's go." They walked towards the exit of the catacombs, weaving between the stone pillars, the empty eyes of the Stark dead on both sides seemed to follow their steps.The king still put his arms around Ned: "You must not be able to figure out why I have only come to Winterfell now after so many years." Ned did have a few possible guesses, but he didn't say them. "I see, do you want to come and be my company?" He pretended to be relaxed and said, "Or it's because of the Great Wall of Impossibility. Your Majesty, you must go and have a look on the wall, and then talk to the defenders. The Night's Watch isn't what it once was, Bunyan said..." "I'm sure I'll have a chance to talk to your brother face to face soon," Robert said. "As for the Great Wall, how long has it been there? It's more than 8,000 years old, so it should be fine for a few more days. I have more I have something important to tell you. The current situation is tense, and I need a reliable right-hand man, just like Jon Arryn. He is the Duke of the Eyrie City, the Guardian of the East and the Prime Minister. To find a suitable It's not easy to find a replacement." "His son..." Ned began. "His son will inherit the dukedom of the Eyrie, and all the taxes from the lands under his command," interrupted Robert. "That's all." Ned was taken aback, stopped in astonishment, turned to face the king, and blurted out: "The Arryn family has served as the guardian of the Eastland for generations, this is a hereditary position." "I'll think about giving him back when he's a man," said Robert, "but I'm thinking about this year and the next few years first. Ned, a six-year-old boy can't command an army. " "This title is only an honorary title in peacetime, so let the child retain this title. Even if it's not for him, it should be for his father who has dedicated his life to the country." The king was not very happy when he heard this, and pulled his hand back from Ned's shoulder: "Jon is his duty to do his best, and he should have been loyal to his king. Ned, I am not an ungrateful person, and you should be the last Clear. But that child is not his father, and a young child will never be able to govern Dongfang." His tone eased, "I don't want to talk about this, I have more important things to discuss with you, and this time I don't allow you to talk to him. I argue." Robert squeezed Ned's elbow tightly. "Ned, I need your help with something." "Your Majesty, I will always be at your disposal." Although he was worried about the king's next step, he had to say so. Robert didn't seem to be listening to him at all, and continued, "Thinking of the years we spent together at the Eyrie...Damn, what a time! Ned, I hope you can Stay by my side again, I hope you can go south to King's Landing to discuss state affairs with me, don't hide alone at the end of the world, useless." Robert looked into the darkness in the distance, suddenly like a Stark Said melancholy: "I swear to you, sitting on the Iron Throne and governing the country is a thousand times more difficult than taking the throne. Legal arbitration is a tiring business, and liquidating the treasury is even more troublesome. And those endless Common people, I sit on that goddamn iron chair all day listening to them complaining, my brain is numb and my ass is sore. Everyone asks for money or land or legal arbitration. It's all bullshit But my ministers and ladies are not much better. I'm surrounded by idiots and sycophants, Ned. It's driving a man crazy. They're either befuddled or lying on purpose. Sometimes I sleep, I wish we had lost the battle at the Trident. Ah, I don't mean we lost the battle, it's just..." "I understand," Ned said softly. Robert looked at him. "Old friend, I think only you can understand." He smiled. "Lord Eddard Stark, I will make you Hand of the King, the Hand of the King." Ned dropped to one knee.He wasn't surprised. Why else would Robert have traveled all the way north for that reason?The former prime minister is a prominent and important position in the seven kingdoms. He will issue orders on behalf of the king, exercise authority, control the three armies, and administer justice.In the event of the king's absence, illness, or other unexpected events, he will even sit on the Iron Throne and rule the country directly.Robert had put the kingdom in his hands. And this was the last thing he wanted. "Your Majesty," said he, "I am afraid I am not qualified enough for such an important post." Robert let out a happy grunt of feigned impatience, "If I really thought of you, I would have retired you long ago. I intend to let you run the country and lead the army to fight, and what about me? Eat, drink and have fun It's fun to whore." He patted his stomach, and said with a smile: "You know the proverb about the king and the prime minister, right?" Of course Ned knew. "Kings dream," he said, "Prime Ministers dream." "A fisher girl I slept with told me they had a better analogy for their lower-middle-class folks: the king eats, the prime minister shits." As soon as these words came out, he raised his head and laughed wildly, echoing through the darkness, while the dead in Winterfell in all directions seemed to be watching with disapproval.When the laughter died down, Ned remained on one knee, his eyes lifted. "Damn it, Ned," the king grumbled, "will you laugh with me anyway?" "Some say it's so cold here in winter that if you laugh, your voice freezes in your throat until you choke to death," Ned said quietly. "Perhaps that's why we Starks have so little sense of humor." .” "Come with me to the south, and I will make you smile again," the king assured him. "Since you have helped me get this damned iron chair, help me keep it. We are destined to govern side by side." The country. If Lyanna is still alive, we should be married brothers by now, brothers worthy of the name. Hehe, fortunately, it is not too late, I have a son, you have a daughter, my little Joe and your Sansa It will bring the two together, just like Lyanna and I did back then." This proposal really startled Ned: "But Sansa is only eleven years old." Robert waved his hand impatiently: "I'm old enough to get engaged, and we'll wait a few years before getting married." The king smiled, "You bastard, stand up and say yes." "Your Majesty, this is the highest honor and joy." Ned replied, and then he hesitated, "But I am too caught off guard, can you give me some time to think about it? I want to tell my wife..." "Okay, okay, of course it's okay, go talk to Caitlin and think about it." The king reached out, patted Ned's hand, and pulled him up. "Don't teach me to wait too long, you know I have no patience." For a moment, Ed Stark was filled with a kind of fear that the rain was about to come. After all, the cold Northland really belonged to him.He looked around at the stone statues and took a breath of the cold air from the tomb.He could vaguely feel the gazes of the ancestors beside him, he knew they were listening, and he knew that winter was coming. ※※※※※※※ ①Sworn knight: A knight who sheltered under the door of other nobles and swore to serve him, so it is called a sworn knight.Most of them are minor nobles with the title of knight but no fief.