Page 16 (2/2)

The queen was furious "Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life"

Robert Baratheon looked at his eldest son "So he will Perhaps they will teach hihter is disciplined I will do the same with my son"

"Gladly, Your Grace," Ned said with vast relief

Robert started to walk away, but the queen was not done "And what of the direwolf?" she called after hied your son?"

The king stopped, turned back, frowned "I’d forgotten about the damned wolf"

Ned could see Arya tense in Jory’s arms Jory spoke up quickly "We found no trace of the direwolf, Your Grace"

Robert did not look unhappy "No? So be it"

The queen raised her voice "A hundred golden dragons to the s rumbled "I want no part of this, woold"

The queen regarded hi I’d thought to ould have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down"

Robert’s face darkened with anger "That would be a fine trick, without a wolf"

"We have a wolf," Cersei Lannister said Her voice was very quiet, but her green eyes shone with triumph

It took them all ashrugged irritably "As you will Have Ser Ilyn see to it"

"Robert, you cannotwas in no h, Ned, I will hear no e beast Sooner or later it would have turned on your girl the sa, she’ll be happier for it"

That hen Sansa finally seehtened as they went to her father "He doesn’t mean Lady, does he?" She saw the truth on his face "No," she said "No, not Lady, Lady didn’t bite anybody, she’s good"

"Lady wasn’t there," Arya shouted angrily "You leave her alone!"

"Stop them," Sansa pleaded, "don’t let them do it, please, please, it wasn’t Lady, it was Nymeria, Arya did it, you can’t, it wasn’t Lady, don’t let theood, I promise, I promise" She started to cry

All Ned could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she wept He looked across the room at Robert His old friend, closer than any brother "Please, Robert For the love you bear me For the love you borelooked at the moment, then turned his eyes on his wife "Da

Ned stood, gently disengaging hirasp All the weariness of the past four days had returned to him "Do it yourself then, Robert," he said in a voice cold and sharp as steel "At least have the courage to do it yourself"

Robert looked at Ned with flat, dead eyes and left without a word, his footsteps heavy as lead Silence filled the hall

"Where is the direwolf?" Cersei Lannister asked when her husband was gone Beside her, Prince Joffrey was satehouse, Your Grace," Ser Barristan Selmy answered reluctantly

"Send for Ilyn Payne"

"No," Ned said "Jory, take the girls back to their roo me Ice" The words tasted of bile in his throat, but he forced them out "If it arded him suspiciously "You, Stark? Is this so?"

They were all staring at him, but it was Sansa’s look that cut "She is of the north She deserves better than a butcher"

He left the roo in his ears, and found the direwolf pup where they chained her Ned sat beside her for a while "Lady," he said, tasting the name He had never paid much attention to the na at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well She was the sentle and trusting She looked at hirey fur

Shortly, Jory brought him Ice

When it was over, he said, "Choose four men and have them take the body north Bury her at Winterfell"

"All that way?" Jory said, astonished

"All that way," Ned affirmed "The Lannister wo back to the tower to give hiane and his riders caate, back fro over the back of his destrier, a heavy shape wrapped in a bloody cloak "No sign of your daughter, Hand," the Hound rasped down, "but the day was not wholly wasted We got her little pet" He reached back and shoved the burden off, and it fell with a thu, Ned pulled back the cloak, dreading the words he would have to find for Arya, but it was not Nymeria after all It was the butcher’s boy, Mycah, his body covered in dried blood He had been cut almost in half from shoulder to waist by some terrible blow struck from above

"You rode him down," Ned said

The Hound’s eyes see’s-head helhed "But not very fast"