Chapter 18 Chapter 17 Ed

"Master, I found her." Ned stood up immediately. "One of ours, or one of the Lannisters?" "Jory found it," answered Vayon Poole, his steward. "The lady is unhurt." "Thank goodness," Ned said.His men had been looking for Arya for four days, and the queen's men had been out at the same time. "Where is she? Tell Jory to bring her here at once." "I'm sorry, my lord," Poole told him. "The gate guards are Lannisters. They informed the queen when Jory brought her in, and she was taken straight to the king..."

"Damn the woman!" Ned strode toward the door. "Go to Sansa and bring her to the living room. She may be required to testify at that time." He walked down the stairs of the tower in a rage.He had personally led the search for the first three days, and had hardly slept a wink since Arya's disappearance.By this morning, he was heartbroken and tired, and he was almost unable to stand still.But now he was burning with anger, and his whole body was full of strength. Someone called him across the castle grounds, but Ned was too busy to pay any attention.He wanted to run away, but no matter what, he was always the prime minister, and the prime minister had to maintain a certain dignity.He was well aware that all eyes were on him, and whispers were going around about what he would do.

The castle and its surrounding grounds are modest, and lie south of the Trident, only half a day's ride from the river's edge.Previously, the royal convoy came to the castle uninvited and became the guest of the lord of the city, Sir Raymond Darry, while searching for Arya and the butcher's brother along both sides of the river.They are truly uninvited guests.Ser Raymun lived under the king's peace, but his family had fought under Rhaegar's dragon banners at the Trident. Sir Mont hadn't forgotten.Now the king's team, the people of the Darry family, the Lannister family and the Stark family are all pouring into the small castle, and the tense atmosphere can be imagined.

The king had called up Ser Raymun's drawing-room for business, and Ned had found them there.When he rushed into the room, it was already full of people.It was too crowded, he thought, and if there weren't so many people, he and Robert would be able to settle the matter calmly in private. Robert's face was serious, and he straddled Darry's high seat at the end of the long hall.Cersei Lannister and her son stood beside him.The queen put a hand on Joffrey's shoulder.The boy's arms were still covered with thick silk bandages. Arya stood alone in the middle of the hall, with only Jory Cassel for company, every eye on her. "Arya," Ned called out.He walked toward her, his boots clanging on the stone floor.She cried out as soon as she saw him, and then burst into sobs.

Ned got down on one knee and took her in his arms, and she was shaking. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" "I know," he said.In his arms, she was really thin and small, just a scrawny little girl.It's hard to imagine that she could cause such a big disaster. "Are you hurt?" "No." Her face was muddy, and tears left pink marks on her cheeks. "Just a little hungry. I ate some wild berries, but nothing else." "We'll get you something to eat right away," Ned assured her, and he rose to face the king. "What do you mean?" He looked around the hall for friendly faces, but there were very few of them except his own.Ser Raymond Darry had no expression on his face, Lord Renly had a half smile, no one could tell what he was thinking, and old Barristan looked grave.The rest were Lannisters, and naturally hostile.The only lucky thing was that Jaime Lannister and Sandor Clegane were leading the search party to the north bank of the Trident at this moment, so they were not there. "Why didn't you notify me when you found my daughter?"

He was speaking to Robert, but Cersei Lannister spoke first. "Presumptuous! How dare you speak to the king in that tone!" Hearing this, the king moved. "Stinky woman, shut up." He scolded, and then sat up straight, "Ned, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare her, but I just wanted to bring her here first, and it would be better to get this matter over with. " "What the hell are you referring to?" Ned's voice was frosty. The queen strode forward. "Stark, you know it yourself. You wench and the pig butcher joined forces to attack my precious son, and her wolf nearly bit off his arm."

"That's not it," cried Arya. "She only bit him once, and it was because he bullied Mycah first." "Joffrey has told us all about it," said the queen. "You and the butcher's apprentice beat him with sticks, while you let the wolf bite him." "It's not like this." Arya's tears were about to fall again, and Ned quickly reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "That's right!" insisted Prince Joffrey. "They besieged me together, and she threw Lion's Tooth into the river!" Ned found that he was not looking at Arya as he spoke.

"You lied!" Arya yelled. "Enough!" roared the king, rising from his chair, his voice full of exasperation.There was silence all around, and he said to Arya, bearded and staring, "Son, tell me what happened now, tell me exactly what happened, tell me honestly. You know it is a heinous crime to deceive the king." Then he turned to his son, "Of course it will be your turn when she finishes speaking. Before that, keep your mouth shut." As Arya began to tell the story, Ned heard the door open behind him.He glanced back to see Vayon Poole walking in with Sansa.They stood silently at the back of the hall, listening to Arya.When she spoke of throwing Joffrey's sword into the Trident, Renly Baratheon couldn't help laughing, and the king bristled, "Ser Barristan, please escort my brother out, before the He half laughed."

Lord Renly stopped laughing. "My brother is very thoughtful. I can find my way." He bowed to Joffrey. "You can tell me later how a dry nine-year-old girl beat you with a broomstick weapons, and threw them into the river." As the gate closed, Ned heard him say, "What a Lion's Tooth." Then he laughed again. Then it was Joffrey's turn to speak of his very different version, and he was very pale.After the son had finished speaking, the king stood up heavily, wishing he could get away as soon as possible. "What do you tell me to do? He says one thing and she says quite another."

"They weren't the only ones there," Ned said. "Sansa, come here." Ned had heard what happened from Sansa the night Arya disappeared, and he knew what had happened. "Tell us what happened." His eldest daughter stepped forward hesitantly.She wore a blue velvet dress with white trim, a silver chain around her neck, and her auburn hair was brushed back to shine.She winked at her sister, then at the prince. "I don't know," she said, through tears, as if trying to run away. "I don't remember, it happened so fast, I didn't see it..."

"You bastard!" Arya yelled.She flew at her sister like a sharp arrow, knocking Sansa to the floor, kicking and punching. "Liar, liar, liar, liar." "Arya, stop!" Ned yelled.Her feet kept kicking as Jory pulled her away from her sister.Ned lifted Sansa, who was pale and trembling. "You're not hurt?" he asked.But she just stared at Arya blankly, as if she didn't hear. "The girl is as wild as her filth," said Cersei Lannister. "Robert, she must be punished." "Seven Hells," cursed Robert, "look at her, Cersei, she's a child, what do you want me to do? Whip her through the streets? Damn it, it's just kids fighting, now it's all right , with no serious consequences." The queen was furious. "Little Qiao will have scars on her hands for the rest of her life." Robert Baratheon looked at his eldest son. "Keep it, then, and perhaps it will teach him a lesson. Take care of your daughter, Ned, and I will take care of my son." "It is my pleasure, Your Majesty," said Ned, relieved. Robert was about to go away, but the queen would not stop. "And what about the wolf?" she called to him. "What about the beast that ravaged your son?" The king stopped, turned around and frowned, "I forgot about that damn wolf." Ned saw Arya tense in Jory's arms, and Jory said hastily, "Your Majesty, there is no sign of that wolf." Robert didn't look displeased. "Can't find it? That's fine." The queen raised her voice: "Give me the wolf skin, and I will reward you with a hundred dragons!" "That's an expensive fur," muttered Robert. "I'm not interested, bitch. You can buy it with your bloody Lannister's money." The queen looked at him coldly, "I didn't expect you to be so stingy. I thought the king I married would quickly find wolf skins to make my bed." Robert's face darkened, and he said angrily: "There are no wolves, and the bed is covered with wolf skins. Do you think I can do magic?" "Who says we don't have wolves?" said Cersei Lannister.Her tone was very quiet, but there was a triumphant light in her blue eyes. It took them a while to understand what she meant, and when they did, the king shrugged displeasedly. "As you please. Tell Ser Ilyn to do it." "You mean it, Robert?" Ned protested. The king was in no mood to argue any further. "Come on, Ned. That's all. The direwolves are feral, and if you don't get rid of them, your daughter will suffer as much as my son. Get her a dog, and she'll be happier." At this moment, Sansa finally understood what the king meant, and she looked at her father with panic in her eyes. "He didn't mean ladies, did he?" She saw the answer in his face. "No," she said, "don't kill the lady. A lady doesn't bite, she's the best..." "The lady wasn't there," cried Arya angrily. "You don't bully her!" "Tell them to stop," Sansa begged, "tell them to stop, please, it's not a lady who bites, it's Nymeria, it's Arya who bites, don't let them do it, it's not a lady, don't Let them hurt the lady, and I will tell her to be obedient, I promise, I promise..." She finally couldn't help crying. All Ned could do was hold her tight and make her cry.He looked across the hall to his old friend Robert, who was closer than flesh and blood. "Robert, for my sake, and for your love for my sister, don't do this. I beg you." The king looked at him for a long time, then turned to his wife. "Cersei, you're damned," he said bitterly. Ned rose softly from Sansa's embrace, and suddenly all the exhaustion of the past four days came back overwhelming him. "Do it yourself, Robert," his voice was icy cold. "a." Robert gave Ned a dull look, then walked away without a word, with heavy steps.There was a dead silence in the hall. "Where's the direwolf?" Cersei Lannister asked impatiently, as soon as her husband left.Prince Joffrey stood beside her smiling. "My lord, the wolf is chained outside the gate," Ser Barristan Selmy replied reluctantly. "Sir Ilyn Payne..." "No," said Ned, "Jory, take the girls back to the room, and bring the Ice." Every word was galling, but he had to say it. "If she must die, I will do it myself." Cersei Lannister looked at him suspiciously. "Lord Stark, do you want to do it yourself? What trick do you want to play? Why do you want to do it yourself?" All eyes were on him, and Sansa's eyes were the most hurtful. "She comes from the north, and she will die like a northerner, and she will never die at the hands of a butcher." With the raging anger in his eyes and the echo of his daughter's weeping in his ears, he left the hall and found the little direwolf where the wolf was tied.Ned sat beside her for a while. "Lady," he tentatively called her name.He hadn't paid much attention to the names the children had given the pups, but now that he had done so carefully, he knew right away that Sansa had gotten it just right.She is the smallest, most beautiful, and most docile wolf in the whole pack.She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he couldn't help stroking her thick gray hair. It wasn't long before Jory sent "Ice". When he was done, he said, "Choose four men, and send them to escort the body back north, and bury her at Winterfell." "Send it all the way north from here?" Jory was a little surprised. "All the way back north," Ned repeated. "That wolf pelt is out of the question for a Lannister woman." He dragged his exhausted body towards the tower, intending to take a good night's sleep, but he bumped into Sandor Clegane and his men who finished their search mission and charged into the castle on horseback, shouting.On the back of his steed hung something heavy, wrapped in a bloody cloak. "Prime Minister, I didn't see your daughter." "The Hound" hissed on the horse, "but we found her little pet, and it was not in vain." He reached out to sweep the bag, and the cloth bag fell heavily In front of Ned. Ned stooped to draw back his cloak, wondering how he would tell Arya later.But it was not Nymeria that was wrapped in Brie, but Mykay, the butcher's younger brother.His whole body was covered in dried blood, the wound stretched from his shoulders to his waist, and his whole body was almost split in two by a heavy blow from top to bottom. "You rode after him," Ned said. The Hound's eyes seemed to glow from the bottom of his hideous dog helmet. "Not because he loves to run," he smiled, looking into Ned's face, "but he can't run fast enough."