Shashank_bhatt
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Chapter 73
🕑 Added 2025-10-29 10:41:36 +0000 UTCChaos ensued the moment the wall went dark, not a moment wasted by the people to digest what they saw. There was shock, horror, sadness and anger. But what dominated was the emotion of rage. Robert Baratheon broke the chair he sat upon and swore vengeance, while Robb and Jon looked ready to pounce on Joffrey as if the boy King would appear before them. Jon Arryn stared in cold fury at the reflection on the wall, while Brandon the Elder swore vengeance upon the Lannister line, cursing them in a language that made those not raging shiver in horror.
But Ned Stark sat where he was, eyes closed and head lowered. He had swallowed his pride and honour and for his daughters, he bowed to a bastard of incest, only for the creature to kill him. Perhaps Catelyn had been right, that bastards were spiteful and devilish creatures. Only when their parents were the same of course. No doubt Joffrey had gotten this tendency from his parents, the Lannister twins...
"Ned..."
The soft whimper of his wife drew him out of his thoughts and he found the woman clutching the arm of his tunic, tears free falling from her eyes.
"-"
"It's not your fault," Ned told her sternly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Catelyn let out a sob.
But it was Sansa who tackled him into a hug.
Arya and Bran joined their sister and Ned embraced his children.
Ned looked up and saw Jon and Robb to the side, angry, sad and hurting. When the boys turned to him, he extended an arm as an invite. The two joined the huddle immediately.
Lyanna watched her brother with her hands bunching up her skirt. It was all her fault in the end. Had she not run off with Rhaegar, had she simply spoken to Ned back then, or even Brandon or her father, there would have been no rebellion. Her family would have been safe and they wouldn't have died like that and if not for this opportunity that allowed then to be revived even Ned would have died in few years.
"I swear I will rip that bastard to pieces and feed him to the pigs!" Robert roared, still on a rampage as he continued to tear down anything in his path.
"That is enough" Jon Arryn stood in Robert's path now, still angry.
"He killed Ned!"
"He did."
"I will kill him, Jon!"
"You will."
Robert shook before his foster father and Hand, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white.
"We will both make sure that bastard dies. As does his mother" Jon Arryn hissed to him.
Robert's hands loosened.
No breaks were taken, the people all choosing to allow the Starks to go about their emotions in privacy. And when they were done and settled, they all sat back down to watch, horrified, red-eyed and furious.
[At Winterfell, Bran has a dream in which he can walk and sees a three-eyed raven. He then talks about this dream with Osha.]
"It had three eyes. It told me to come with him, so I did. We went down into the crypts and my father was there."
Ned perked up at the words of his son on the wall. Jon had said that Bran had the gift of greensight in his blood. Ned shouldn't be surprised because of that, but he was.
Catelyn, who clung to his arm, was equally surprised.
"Your father's not down there, little lord. Not for many years yet." Osha said
"You're afraid. Just like Hodor." Bran stated
"I'm not afraid of some hole in the ground." Osha reported back
"You've lived beyond the Wall. What are you scared of? I'm a crippled boy and I'm willing to go." Bran said
[Osha takes Bran to the crypts. She carries him with her arms while he lights the way with a torch.]
"That's my grandfather, Lord Rickard. He was burned alive by the Mad King, Aerys."
Said man let out a slow sigh. His eyes were tinged red, but no tears had fallen from them, nor would any. Rickard Stark did not show his emotions in public, not where people would see, judge and possibly use it against him. Even if he was dead. Some habits stuck even in death.
"That's Lyanna, my father's sister. King Robert was supposed to marry her, but Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped her."
"Will we change that? Tell people what really happened?" Shireen questioned her father.
"I don't know yet" Stannis answered, eyeing the silver Prince. Shireen had asked the question out loud, and the man had heard her. But Rhaegar only stared at him in silence.
"Robert started a war to win her back. He killed Rhaegar, but she died anyway. That's where I saw Father." Bran explained
"Right where my body should be buried as ordered" Ned muttered under his breath.
"You see? He's not here." Osha said
[A loud roar is heard and a shadow moves in front of them. A direwolf runs towards them; Osha falls to the ground with him. We see Shaggydog barking at them viciously.]
"That ones vicious" Brandon the Elder commented, his voice still a little hoarse from screaming curses.
"Rickon is the wildest of my children. No doubt the wolf takes after him" Ned said with a chuckle and a small smile.
Brandon stared at his brother, hand twitching to reach out to him and clasp his shoulder.
"Here, Shaggydog."
"Rickon!"
"That beast is supposed to be chained in the kennels!"
"He doesn't like chains."
"What are you doing down here? Come back up with us."
"No, I came to see Father."
"How many times have I told you? He's in King's Landing with Sansa and Arya.
"He was down here. I saw him."
"Saw him when?"
"Last night, when I was sleeping. Here, Shaggydog."
"Rickon too, what does this even mean" Ned Stark mused out loud.
"It's greenseer's ability, it looks like both Bran and Rickon have the potential to become aa greenseer" Jon Snow explained to which Ned nodded his head in understaanding.
[At the Throne Room on the Red Keep, Marillion the bard is singing a song for Joffrey and his retinue. Cercei stands by his side, while Sansa overlooks the scene from one of the colonnades. Marillion: sings.]
"The boar's great tusks, they boded ill
For good King Robert's health
And the beast was every bit as fat
As Robert was himself
But our brave king cried,
"Do your worst!
I'll have your ugly head!
You're nowhere near as murd'rous as the lion in my bed"
King Robert lost his battle and He failed his final test, The lion ripped his balls off,
And the boar did all the rest."
Robert was too furious at seeing Joffrey on the Wall to even comment on the song.
"Very amusing. Isn't it a funny song? Thank you for your rendition. I imagine it was even better received at that tavern."
"I'm so sorry, Your Grace. I'll never sing it again, I swear."
"Tell me, which do you favour - your fingers or your tongue?"
"Your Grace?"
"Fingers or your tongue? If you got to keep one, which would it be? Or I could just cut your throat."
"The boy at the very least understands how to keep the face of his predecessor" Stannis grunted.
"Joffrey's always looked up to Robert. It's no surprise he'd be furious at such a song" Renly explained.
"Every man needs hands, Your Grace."
"Good. Tongue it is."
"Your Grace, please. I won't sing, Your Grace."
"Ser llyn, who better than you to carry out the sentence? I'm done for the day. I'll leave the rest of the matters to you, Mother."
"I beg you! Please, no. No!"
[Ilyn Payne marches towards the fire to heat up his dagger. As Joffrey leaves with Meryn Trant and the Hound, he passes by Sansa. Marillion is still screaming and begging in the background.]
"You look quite nice."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Your Grace. I'm King now. Walk with me. I want to show you something."
