The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 167: Sudden Change

Sitting in the Prime Minister's Tower, Eddard Stark couldn't help feeling annoyed when he thought of Robert's attempt to smooth things over.

Although the Lannisters were unable to do anything to him under the protection of the large shields of the Wall Camp, the thought of being chased away in a panic made him feel a nameless fire in his heart.

However, the flame soon died down as Eddard remembered why Lannister had done what he did - his wife Catelyn had kidnapped Lannister's Imp.

Eddard didn't know why Catherine did this, which hurt him a lot and made him extremely passive, but as a husband, he had to protect his wife, so when Robert asked whether it was Catherine's idea or his to kidnap the little devil, Eddard answered without hesitation that it was his idea.

This also became the reason why Robert tried to smooth things over. "Since your wife kidnapped someone's brother, and they didn't do anything to you when they attacked you, I think the matter is almost over. However, we can't just leave the Kingsguard alone when they leave their post without permission. Eddard, send a messenger to Casterly Rock and ask him to come back. Then let my old father-in-law pay a fine for his son."

After saying this, Robert went off to hang out somewhere unknown.

Ed felt very upset about this, but what could he do? It had already happened.

Since he chose to take the blame for Catherine, he naturally had to bear the backlash of this matter, so even if he was depressed about being attacked, he had to work hard.

There is no news from Catherine, which is also very worrying. There is also the reaction of Lord Tywin. All these things added up are too overwhelming.

A few days ago, Eddard sent Robert's illegitimate children away and asked them to return to their hometown to gather their troops. Although Robert had prepared a team for his children, it was still more credible to gather a team of people they were familiar with, at least it would be better - this was not Robert's instruction, but his, and their travel expenses back were also paid by Eddard.

Robert wanted to send these young people to the East irresponsibly, but Eddard didn't want to do that and asked the young people to prepare more - although it might be of no use.

However, the circle that Robert's illegitimate children lived in before was too low, either in brothels or taverns. I'm afraid that except for the noble illegitimate son and Mia who has been in and out of the Eyrie for many years, there are probably no other people who can be found. But it's better to have someone than nothing.

After dealing with the issue of illegitimate children, the trouble in this regard is not over yet, because there is a very tricky rumor in King's Landing - that is, none of Robert's three children are his.

A long time ago, news about the adultery between the Lannister siblings spread in King's Landing, but no one took it seriously.

Since the great economic development, many pornographic pamphlets and outrageous rumors have been popular in King's Landing. These things have portrayed the bigwigs in the direction of sexual perversion. Various outrageous descriptions are one after another. Stannis once wanted to abolish these things, but ultimately failed. With the lesson of the Lord High Admiral, all Eddard can do is pretend not to see it, so as not to increase his workload - yes, after staying in King's Landing for a long time, he has also learned to play dumb. He has to play dumb, otherwise he will be exhausted.

But this time it was different. This time the rumors were very credible. They suspected that the king's children were not his own for only one reason - that was that no matter what color their wives' hair was, the children born to Baratheons would always be black.

This shocked Eddard. He thought of Robert's illegitimate children, all of whom had black hair, and the golden hair of the king's three children, as well as the black hair of all the Baratheons he had seen. It was really hard not to think in that direction.

Under the influence of this kind of thinking, Eddard could no longer regard these as unfounded rumors. He personally consulted many books, and the results made Duke Stark look gloomy. As long as the books involved the continuation of the Baratheon family bloodline and family characteristics, they all mentioned the family's generations of black hair without exception.

Faced with this evidence, Eddard was extremely conflicted. Should he tell Robert the news? Or did Robert already know about it and was just playing dumb?

Yes, again. After working in King's Landing for so long, Eddard could see what his old friend was like now.

Robert is now very good at playing deaf and dumb. He simply pretends not to know about many troublesome things, or throws the troubles to him to do. Eddard has also learned to play dumb and throw the troubles to his subordinates.

But even so, Ed is a responsible noble after all, and no matter how much he pretends to be stupid, he won't pretend to be stupid too much. In fact, except for the most tedious things, Ed will not pretend to be stupid for anything else.

Therefore, Robert's evasive attitude made Eddard want to quit and return to the North. This guy was spending all day drinking and carousing, while he had to work day and night. So why didn't he go back to his wife and children?
He was not obsessed with power, nor did he have any yearning for the rich and gentle South. He missed Winterfell in the ice and snow more, and this longing became stronger the longer he was away.

If it were the old Eddard, he would definitely give up and return to the North without hesitation, but now, after Catherine kidnapped the little devil and completely complicated the situation, he couldn't leave.

Right now, all parts of Westeros are gathering troops and food for His Majesty the King's expedition. Given the current situation, if his resignation as Prime Minister is interpreted by someone with ulterior motives, it might make the situation even more tense, which is a scene he does not want to see.

But how to deal with the matter at hand was also extremely tricky. After thinking about it, Ed decided to put aside the honor and responsibility in his mind. Since Robert wanted to play dumb, he would just play dumb with him.

There was no way Varys would not tell him such an important thing. He had already seen how powerful the eunuch's intelligence network was. There was no way this rumor would not have reached Robert's ears.

After finally solving the problem that had troubled him for so long, Ed threw the pen in his hand onto the table as if to vent his anger, walked to the window, and looked at the Red Castle outside.

When Eddard first arrived in King's Landing, he looked out the window and saw all kinds of spies everywhere. During that time, he felt that he was under surveillance every moment and didn't sleep well. However, after he took control of the power in his hands, he drove these people away with the help of Du Long.

At first, Ed was not used to Du Long, this civil servant who was always by his side to assist him and teach him how to act, but now he finds this person very interesting, and Ed finds that his loyalty is not so much to himself as to the position of Hand of the King.

To be honest, Ed didn't like the civil service system, but he was very comfortable with this phenomenon. In Ed's opinion, this was how a government should operate in an orderly manner, rather than being filled with nepotism and personal loyalty - of course, he also understood that even in this civil service system, Du Long's situation was extremely rare.

As prime minister, the appointment of new officials would go through his hands, and Ed found many interesting clues in this. Although the civil servants made various alterations in the information, the connection between many new officials and old officials could still be seen.

As long as he is still the prime minister, Du Long will be loyal to him. This is what Ed has been sure of during this period of time. When he thinks that he will not be able to enjoy Du Long's service after leaving office, Ed feels a little uncomfortable.

Not only him, but the two children also like him. Sansa likes this uncle with elegant manners and orderly behavior. Duron always speaks and acts in an orderly manner, and is also knowledgeable. Eddard has seen his daughter's admiration more than once, as well as her anger after being ridiculed by Arya. Arya was not interested in this "sissy" at first, but after Duron found a water dancer teacher for her and gave her a water dancer suit that fits her body shape, Arya's attitude immediately changed.

Eddard had to admit that this man's ability was the best among those he had ever met. If he had not been sure that this man would not leave King's Landing, Eddard would have wanted to take him to Winterfell to serve the Stark family.

Just as Ed was feeling melancholy, the door was suddenly pushed open with a burst of hurried footsteps, and his captain of the guard, Jory Cassel, walked in with a look of urgency on his face, which made Ed's heart tighten immediately. He knew Jory, and if something fatal had not happened, this man would never be so panicked.

The information he said immediately made Ed lose his temper, "Lord Ed, His Majesty the King is in a coma!"

"What? What's going on? Take me there right now!"

Eddard grabbed his sword belt and buckled it around his body, then rushed out of the room. Jory would not bring false news, so if he said Robert was in trouble, it must be trouble. Eddard walked very fast, with long strides, and Jory had to trot to keep up with the Duke and tell him what happened.

In short, Robert was in a daily car race and unfortunately collided with other players. The scene was very tragic. However, no one was worried about the king's safety, because Robert had escaped from such accidents easily several times, and this time was no exception. Robert rolled over and left the most dangerous place. He also stood up and waved to the audience around him, and the people responded with countless cheers.

However, just after Robert walked into the venue and left the sight of the people, he suddenly fell to the ground. The points on his body where the main force had been applied quickly swelled up with frighteningly large pustules, and the king fell into a coma.

After this happened, the Kingsguard and the Stag Guard immediately dispersed everyone in the backstage and took control of those who had seen the king fall. They then sent the king back to the Red Keep and asked the scholars from the Citadel and the Cathedral to rescue His Majesty.

When Ed walked down the Prime Minister's Tower, he immediately saw that the Wall Guard Battalion had assembled three hundred soldiers in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Tower, with Du Long standing next to them. After learning what had happened, the Prime Minister's secretary immediately gathered all the soldiers of the Wall Guard Battalion in the nearby military camps.

This made Ed nod subconsciously. At this sensitive time, it was necessary to control the military force in their hands. Whether it was to block the news or to curb some crises in the bud, the help of soldiers was needed - however, this was only the most superficial reason. When Ed saw the appearance of these soldiers, the biggest feeling in his heart was peace of mind.

At a time when Robert is likely to die, military force is the bargaining chip for the next action. Only with soldiers in hand can one get to the table.

However, he certainly could not bring the soldiers from the Wall Guard Camp to the king now, as that would be tantamount to forcing the king to abdicate.

Eddard jumped on his horse and asked the soldiers of the Wall Camp to carry out the blockade of the part of the Red Keep that they were responsible for, while he went to where the king was.

Along the way, Eddard saw that the Antler Guards were on full alert, and even he was stopped and questioned. These diehard Baratheons were in great agitation because they didn't know whether the king was alive or dead, but their long-term training made them stick to their posts.

Passing through the Horned Guards, Eddard came to the room where Robert was. The captains of the Kingsguard and the Horned Guards were guarding the door. They said that the king was receiving treatment inside, and Grand Maester Pycelle and Healer Myr were inside, and no one was allowed to enter now.

Varys was the first important official of the kingdom to arrive. When he saw Eddard coming, he saluted him respectfully and then looked towards the king's room with concern. This was the first time that Eddard saw any emotion other than that sweet smile on the eunuch's face.

Important officials of the Iron Throne also gathered here one after another. Not long after Eddard arrived, Renly Baratheon arrived. His face was full of concern for his brother, but Eddard always felt that the emotion was a little fake.

Merryweiss and his Myr wife also arrived. Compared to Merryweiss who was sitting there at a loss, his Myr wife was obviously more proactive. She kept moving among the crowd and chatting with all kinds of people to get information.

The last one to arrive was the Lannister woman. She was wearing an ordinary golden-red robe. Behind her were several knights with the surname Lannister. Several of the king's children were also there. The Lannister woman's expression was very dull, as if the man lying inside was not her husband.

As for the children, the two younger ones were full of worry and fear, but Joffrey's expression had a complexity and entanglement that Eddard didn't know why. However, Eddard didn't look at them for long.

Looking at Cersei, Eddard couldn't help but frown, but in the end he said nothing. Even as an outsider, he knew how bad the relationship between Cersei and Robert was.

Before any news came out from inside, everyone could only wait here. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the door opened, and as soon as Grand Maester Pycelle and Myr physician Curtius came out, a group of people came forward to inquire about the king's condition.

"My Lords, generally speaking, the condition is stable now. We have cut open the king's abscess and cleaned out the pus inside. His Majesty's high fever has now subsided." The doctor announced. Most of the people present couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at this news, but a few people led by Ed didn't feel that way because the doctor didn't say whether the king was out of danger or not.

"Lord Eddard," Pycelle continued, "the king summons you."

"Okay." Ed said subconsciously, and then immediately walked in to see his old friend and good brother. This made others want to go in as well, but they were all ruthlessly blocked outside.

Walking into the room, Eddard finally saw King Robert. Just as he had thought, the King, who had been said by the doctor to be in better condition, was still in a very bad condition.

Robert's face showed an incorrect flush, and he was breathing heavily continuously. The servants kept wiping the king's sweat, but the next moment more sweat immediately poured out.

"What a shame, Ned, that it has come to this," Robert gasped. "Damn the Stranger, and my damned body, that it should all come to a head at this time, just before I start another war."

Eddard felt very uncomfortable when he saw Robert's appearance. Words of comfort came to his lips but he couldn't say them. He had to sit next to Robert and asked, "What's going on?"

"Damn it, all my old injuries and illnesses have come back. Why not earlier or later, but at this time?" Robert complained, and then he paid the price for his fierce words. He began to gasp for air, and his face showed an extremely painful expression. "The doctor only relieved the symptoms temporarily. Whether I can survive or not will depend on the will of the Seven Gods tomorrow. But he also said that among the seven, the Stranger is most likely to come to me, which means that I am almost certain to die. Ha, I didn't expect it. So, Ned, do what you should do."

A deep sadness lingered in Eddard's heart. It was the first time he saw Robert so weak and uttering such weak words.

He understood what Robert said should be done. Since the king's future fate depends entirely on the will of the Seven Gods, the king must also prepare for his own death.

"If I'm unlucky - fuck you, just let Joffrey inherit the throne. I know the rumors outside, and I was going to investigate slowly, but - ah, damn, it hurts again - now I don't have that chance. Even if Joffrey has problems, for the sake of future stability, I can only acknowledge him. But, regarding the investigation, my old friend, you must continue and protect my illegitimate children. If things are really that bad, they will be needed at that time. If everyone is unwilling to accept my illegitimate children, then let Stannis come."

Robert's face was very gloomy when he spoke. In Eddard's impression, even when he received the news that his parents were drowned, Robert did not show much sadness on his face. He did not like to show too many such emotions on his face.

Ed suppressed his sadness and worry and wrote it down on the prepared paper.

"As for the rest, proceed as planned. The war machine has already started. It must devour flesh and blood to survive. So, Ned, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. I'm sorry to put all this on you, but now I can only rely on you."

It's nothing, Robert, it's nothing, Eddard said in his heart. He just hoped Robert would recover, but the world is always full of disappointments.

"Well, write my will. My seal is right there, take it and stamp it after you're done. I've just asked Pycelle to pass on the order that all government affairs will be handed over to you from now on. Ah - it starts again, Ned, you go out first, I want to use that thing to sleep for a while."

After Robert finished speaking, he grabbed the poppy milk on the table and drank it all. Eddard glanced at his old friend who had drunk the milk, and finally walked out silently to face the difficult future.

If Robert could survive, everything would be a small problem, but if Robert really left as he said... then everything that followed would be a storm for Lord Stark.

(End of this chapter)