Page 43 (2/2)

Fro out the door at the far end of the hall Hares going to ground, he supposedor rats off to nibble the queen’s cheese He caught a glihter Sansa beside her Ned felt a flash of anger; this was no place for a girl But the septa could not have known that today’s court would be anything but the usual tedious business of hearing petitions, settling disputes between rival holdfasts, and adjudicating the placement of boundary stones

At the council table below, Petyr Baelish lost interest in his quill and leaned forward "Ser Marq, Ser Karyl, Ser Rayht ask you a question? These holdfasts were under your protection Where were you when all this slaughtering and burning was going on?"

Ser Karyl Vance answered "I was attending my lord father in the pass below the Golden Tooth, as was Ser Marq When the word of these outrages reached Ser Edmure Tully, he sent word that we should take a s the"

Ser Raymun Darry spoke up "Ser Edth I was ca his commands, when the word reached ane and his ver for Lannister’s hills"

Littlefinger stroked the point of his beard thoughtfully "And if they coain, we’ll use their blood to water the fields they burnt," Ser Marq Piper declared hotly

"Ser Ede and holdfast within a day’s ride of the border," Ser Karyl explained "The next raider will not have such an easy time of it"

And that ht to hioad the boy into scattering his swords His wife’s brother was young, and allant than wise He would try to hold every inch of his soil, to defend every man, woman, and child who nah to know that

"If your fields and holdfasts are safe fro, "what then do you ask of the throne?"

"The lords of the Trident keep the king’s peace," Ser Raymun Darry said "The Lannisters have broken it We ask leave to answer them, steel for steel We ask justice for the smallfolk of Sherrer and Wendish Town and the Murees, we ane back his bloody coin," Ser Marq declared, "but old Lord Hoster co’s leave before we strike"

Thank the gods for old Lord Hoster, then Tywin Lannister was as or to burn and pillage--and Ned did not doubt that he had--he’d taken care to see that he rode under cover of night, without banners, in the guise of a coand Should Riverrun strike back, Cersei and her father would insist that it had been the Tullys who broke the king’s peace, not the Lannisters The gods only knehat Robert would believe

Grand Maester Pycelle was on his feet again "My lord Hand, if these good folk believe that Ser Gregor has forsaken his holy vows for plunder and rape, let thee lord and make their complaint These crimes are no concern of the throne Let them seek Lord Tywin’s justice"

"It is all the king’s justice," Ned told him "North, south, east, or west, all we do we do in Robert’s na’s justice," Grand Maester Pycelle said "So it is, and so we should defer thisacross the river and may not return for days," Lord Eddard said "Robert bid me to sit here in his place, to listen with his ears, and to speak with his voice I ree that he must be told" He saw a familiar face beneath the tapestries "Ser Robar"

Ser Robar Royce stepped forward and bowed "My lord"

"Your father is hunting with the king," Ned said "Will you bring them word of as said and done here today?"

"At once, eance against Ser Gregor, then?" Marq Piper asked the throne

"Vengeance?" Ned said "I thought ere speaking of justice Burning Clegane’s fields and slaughtering his people will not restore the king’s peace, only your injured pride" He glanced away before the young knight could voice his outraged protest, and addressed the villagers "People of Sherrer, I cannot give you back your homes or your crops, nor can I restore your dead to life But perhaps I can give you so, Robert"

Every eye in the hall was fixed on hi hith of his ar inside its cast He did his best to ignore the pain; it was no moment to let thee who called for death should wield the sword, and in the north we hold to that still Iyet it see

"Lord Eddard!" The shout ca of a boy strode forth boldly Out of his arer than his sixteen years He wore pale blue silk, his belt a linked chain of golden roses, the sigil of his House "I beg you the honor of acting in your place Give this task to me, my lord, and I swear I shall not fail you"

Littlefinger chuckled "Ser Loras, if we send you off alone, Ser Gregor will send us back your head with a plum stuffed in that pretty mouth of yours The Mountain is not the sort to bend his neck to any ane," Ser Loras said haughtily

Ned eased hion’sthe wall "Lord Beric," he called out "Thoros of Myr Ser Gladden Lord Lothar" The men named stepped forward one by one "Each of you is to asseor’s keep Twenty of o with you Lord Beric Dondarrion, you shall have the co lord with the red-gold hair bowed "As you command, Lord Eddard"

Ned raised his voice, so it carried to the far end of the throne room "In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of his Na of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Reale you to ride to the westlands with all haste, to cross the Red Fork of the Trident under the king’s flag, and there bring the king’s justice to the false knight Gregor Clegane, and to all those who shared in his crimes I denounce him, and attaint him, and strip his, and do sentence hiods take pity on his soul"

When the echo of his words had died away, the Knight of Flowers seemed perplexed "Lord Eddard, what of h, Loras Tyrell see as Robb "No one doubts your valor, Ser Loras, but we are about justice here, and what you seek is vengeance" He looked back to Lord Beric "Ride at first light These things are best done quickly" He held up a hand "The throne will hear no more petitions today"

Alyn and Porther climbed the steep iron steps to help him back down As they made their descent, he could feel Loras Tyrell’s sullen stare, but the boy had stalked away before Ned reached the floor of the throne rooathering papers froer and Grand Maester Pycelle had already taken their leave "You are a bolder man than I, my lord," the eunuch said softly

"How so, Lord Varys?" Ned asked brusquely His leg was throbbing, and he was in no ames

"Had it been oand a man who has the Lannisters for his enemies would do well to make the Tyrells his friends"

"Ser Loras is young," said Ned "I daresay he will outgrow the disappointment"

"And Ser Ilyn?" The eunuch stroked a plu’s Justice, after all Sending other rave insult"

"No slight was intended" In truth, Ned did not trust the h perhaps that was only because he misliked executioners "I reht it best to choose men ed Lord Tywin no fealty"

"Very prudent, no doubt," Varys said "Still, I chanced to see Ser Ilyn in the back of the hall, staring at us with those pale eyes of his, and I h to be sure it is hard to tell with our silent knight I hope he outgrows his disappointment as well He does so love his work"