King's Landing.
When this heart of Westeros first fully appeared before Lynn, the first smell he detected was a stench.
A complex odor, a mixture of tens of thousands of people's excrement, rotting fish, the sour smell of tanned leather, and cheap spices, fermented in the humid air, almost suffocating.
After entering the city gate, the Kingsroad became a crowded dirt street.
Ragged commoners mingled with brightly dressed merchants, Guards, and prostitutes, forming a noisy and chaotic tableau of life.
"It smells awful here!"
Arya wrinkled her little nose tightly, her face full of disgust.
The King's Landing she had imagined was the magnificent royal city from the bards' songs.
Not this giant, filthy slum before her.
The hundred men from the North under Lynn's command also seemed out of place.
They rode silently, gripping their weapons, warily surveying the crowds who cast curious or hostile glances their way.
The stern and formidable aura about them contrasted sharply with the bustling market noise of King's Landing, causing the surrounding crowd to instinctively make way for them.
Passing through the stinking Flea Bottom, the procession finally reached Aegon's High Hill.
The Red Keep, that massive fortress built of red giant rocks, finally revealed its formidable and majestic full appearance.
At the gates of the Red Keep, Lynn and his party were stopped.
"Who goes there!"
The Gold Cloak's tone carried the arrogance typical of capital residents.
Lynn dismounted, ignoring the Guards, and only directed his gaze to a man on the wall wearing a captain's insignia.
"The Night's Watch, by order of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, has urgent matters to discuss with the Hand of the King, Lord Eddard Stark."
The captain, seeing Lynn and his disciplined company behind him, and noticing the two longswords at Lynn's waist, which were clearly not ordinary, did not dare to be negligent and hastily sent someone to inform.
Not long after, Eddard Stark appeared at the city gate with a few Guards.
He was thinner and darker, with an unconcealable weariness in his brows.
When he saw Lynn, a complex emotion flashed in his gray eyes.
But it was quickly masked by the solemnity characteristic of a lord.
"Lynn." Ned's voice was as steady as ever.
"Father!" Arya cheered, jumping off her horse and flinging herself into Ned's arms like a little bird.
Ned held his daughter tightly, a genuine smile finally appearing on his face.
He patted Arya's back, then his gaze returned to Lynn.
"Follow me."
He didn't ask another question, simply led Lynn through the heavily guarded courtyards and directly into the Tower of the Hand.
In the study of the Tower of the Hand, the moment the heavy oak door closed.
The authority of the Warden of the North and Hand of the King that Eddard Stark carried, like a punctured balloon, instantly deflated completely.
He tore open his collar, pacing back and forth in the room in irritation.
His usually composed face was now filled with frustration and anger.
"Lynn! Do you know what I've been through this past month!"
Ned was practically roaring, his voice kept extremely low, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.
"I, Eddard Stark, Duke of Winterfell, Warden of the North!"
"I've had to visit brothels every day! And those stinking blacksmith shops!"
"Just yesterday, to inquire about a bastard, I had to stay in a room with a prostitute!"
"By the Mother, I swear I didn't do anything, but the feeling... it was like my honor was thrown in the mud and trampled repeatedly!"
He clutched his hair, looking on the verge of a breakdown.
"The Small Council, I haven't attended a single meeting!"
"That Petyr Baelish, he looks at me like I'm some idiot from the North!"
"That eunuch Varys, he always smiles sinisterly whenever he sees me!"
"I'm going crazy! All of King's Landing thinks I'm a fool who neglects state affairs and only knows how to drink and carouse!"
Ned stopped, slammed his fist on the table, and looked at Lynn with a face full of pain.
"My honor, the honor of House Stark, is almost completely lost because of me!"
Lynn listened to his complaints quietly, his face expressionless, simply pouring himself a glass of water.
Only when Ned had finally vented did he slowly speak.
"Lord Ned, have you heard of 'the seed is strong'?"
Lynn had green vision, and could tell if anyone was eavesdropping with a quick scan.
Now he was emboldened.
Ned's eyes sharpened.
"Of course, I don't think Jon Arryn would leave such a phrase without reason."
"I secretly followed Jon Arryn's footsteps and found several of Robert's bastards."
"One of them, an apprentice at a blacksmith shop, is named Gendry."
Lynn picked up the thread, guiding Ned.
"That child... he looks exactly like Robert when he was young, doesn't he?"
"Black hair, blue eyes, stubborn as an ox."
As Lynn spoke, he picked up the book 'The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms' from Ned's desk, which Jon Arryn had been reading before his death.
"This book records the bloodline inheritance of House Baratheon for hundreds of years."
"Every Baratheon, no matter who they marry, their descendants always have black hair."
Ned seemed to understand something, his voice carrying a subtle tremor.
"Black hair... always black hair."
He looked up, staring intently at Lynn.
"But Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen... they all have golden hair."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
The clamor of King's Landing outside the window seemed to be isolated in another world.
Ned's breathing grew heavy, his honest eyes filled with shock and fury.
He finally understood.
He finally understood what "the seed is strong" meant, which Jon Arryn had left before his death.
He also finally understood.
Why his foster father, and also his dearest friend, would suddenly die in King's Landing!
"They are not Robert's children."
Ned's voice was as cold as the ice of the North.
"They are Lannisters."
"Little lions in deerskins!"
"That's right."
Lynn nodded.
He knew Ned had been enlightened by him.
"So, Jon Arryn had to die."
"Because he discovered this secret, which was enough to overturn the entire kingdom."
Ned's body trembled slightly with anger.
"Cersei... Jaime... how dare they!"
"Should I tell Robert?"
"If I tell the truth, will it cause any serious consequences?"
Ned suddenly stood up, and though angry, still questioned Lynn first.
"To tell or not to tell makes little difference." Lynn shook his head.
"Tell Robert that his Queen betrayed him, that his three children are bastards, the product of her and her own brother?"
"Do you think a king engrossed in alcohol and women would believe you, the 'neglectful' Hand, or his Queen with whom he has shared a bed for over a decade?"
"You have no evidence, Lord Ned."
"Your accusations will only be seen as slander against the Queen and the Prince."
"At that time, you will not only fail to save Robert but will also drag the entire House Stark, and even the entire North, into an abyss of no return."
"The Lannisters will retaliate against you with madness."
Lynn's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Ned's rage.
He slumped back into his seat, his face filled with pain and struggle.
"Neither speaking nor staying silent is an option!"
"Then... what should we do?"
"Continue your performance, Lord Ned."
Lynn's lips curled slightly.
"Continue to play your role, let those people think you can't find anything, and be completely disappointed in you."
"Next, you just need to leave everything to me, and give me your full support!"
Lynn stood up and walked to the window, looking at the tourney grounds being set up in the distance.
"But before that, I need an identity."
"An identity that allows me to move freely in King's Landing, that makes those important figures look at me with respect."
Ned followed his gaze, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"The Hand's Tourney is the best stage."
Lynn turned around.
"I want to participate in the tourney."
"What?" Ned thought he had misheard.
"You? A Night's Watch? You're not even a knight, how can you participate?"
"So, I need your help."
Lynn walked up to him, his gaze burning.
"I need to get an entry qualification."
"The champion of the joust can receive a knighthood from the King."
"I want to win this tourney in front of all the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, earn the title of First Knight, and gain Robert's favor."
Ned was stunned by Lynn's words, which were so bold as to be almost insane.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't utter a single word.
To win the Hand's Tourney held in King's Landing?
The finest knights of the Seven Kingdoms were gathered there!
Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer; Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers; Sandor Clegane, the Hound... which of them wasn't a renowned strong man?
Lynn, a Night's Watchman who killed wildlings beyond the Wall, by what right?
"This is too crazy." Ned murmured.
"Crazy?" Lynn smiled.
"This is just the first step of the plan."
"Once I get my identity, we can begin the second step."
"While gathering evidence, we... divide our enemies."
"There are many lions in King's Landing, but not all of them are Lannisters."
Lynn looked at Ned's shocked face and slowly stated his ultimate goal.
"I want to make the Lannisters, in King's Landing, forsaken by all."
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