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Chapter 33

Escape

Eddard POV

It was my mistake. If only I had said the truth to Robert the moment I found about it. I should have ridden to him and told it. But I waited for him to come back. I wanted more evidence, and I delayed. Now Robert had returned as a corpse. There was nothing for me to do anymore. I have failed.

It was in the book, all along. The seed is strong. Jon Arryn warned, but nobody understood, nobody listened. It was so obvious. I didn't want to believe it at first, but now the truth didn't matter anymore. Robert is dead. He has fallen from his horse, they say. I doubt it.

"Lord Stark, I ask you again to surrender," Lord Baelish asked me. It is more of demand than anything else.

"I wonder," I reply to him. "Do you remember what happened last time, when a Stark died in King's Landing?"

"It was a different time, different king," Baelish responds.

"One king falls, another rises," I tell him. "Do you think the boy will stay a king for long?"

"It isn't for me to decide those things, Lord Stark," Baelish replies. "Surrender, and I promise to leave your men alive."

"I don't believe you will," I reply to him. "Tell me, had I any chance to win?"

"You should have gone home while you could, Lord Stark," Baelish tells me.

"You know the truth, don't you?" I ask. "You should have, as I didn't even have a chance to see the King before you surrounded the Tower."

"You conspired to deny the birthright of Joffrey Baratheon. You should have expected this," Baelsih informs me.

"My lord, the passage is secured," Jory informs me in a quiet voice that only I could hear.

"I won't wait any longer, Lord Stark. It is your last time to surrender," Baelish tells me.

"If I surrender, I will be used as a hostage against my son. I can't let that happen." I reply to him and then turn back to Jory. "Burn down the Tower."

"As you wish, my lord," Jory responds and takes a torch.

I took a last look at the Tower of the Hand. If only I had not been so evident in talking to servants about the time of birth of royal children. Of course, Cercei would have found about it. She didn't even care to take a risk and ordered my capture when it was confirmed that Robert had died. Now I had no choice but to run.

"Jory, Harwin, you will come with me," I order them. "The rest of you, go in groups of three and run for all the gates of the city."

"Aye, my lord," My men, who have come with me, answer.

"I am sorry. You had to follow a foolish lord like me," I tell them and take one last look at their faces. "It was an honor to have you by my side."

"It was our honor, my lord," They reply.

The fire started to spread, from curtains to tables and chairs. The tower will burn in no time at all. Once we entered the passage under the Tower, the fire was over our head. Edmure has found this passage. It wasn't as old as I expected. The walls didn't look brittle, and the passage was exceptionally clean for it to be hundreds of years old.

We exited at the Chataya's brothel. One by one, all my men were gathered there. The brothel was empty, or it at least seemed like that. All of us had our cloaks on, hiding our faces and bodies, and left to the streets.

I knew most of them wouldn't survive, but I couldn't save them. I led Jory and Harwin to the harbor, along with the shadows of the streets. King's Landing was in chaos. Men in gold cloaks ran everywhere. I could hear screams for help from all directions.

Through the Flea Bottom, we went. People here hid in their shacks or crevices in the walls. Nobody dared to come out and check what was happening. Just when we left this place and entered the harbor area, five men in Gold cloaks. stopped us

"Who's goes there?" One of them asks, and I put my hand to the handle of Ice.

"Show your faces," Another orders us.

"Why are you even asking? We should kill them," A portly-looking man says. "The king said to kill all suspicious men."

"The King is dead," The first man replies.

"Does it matter? We were paid to kill them all. Maybe one of them is Stark. Do you know how much gold we get bringing his head to the King?" The portly-looking man responds, and the first man then turns to face him in disgust.

"Show your faces," The first man tells after turning back to us, and I do as he asks. It would be hard to fight with obscured sight.

"Dark hair, grey eyes," The portly man says. "It seems we are going to be rich boys."

I drew my sword, but before I could even swing it, the first man who talked to us stabs the portly man. The other looked at him with surprise. It was too late for them to do anything, as Jory and Harwin pierced them with their swords. My sword killed the last man. After that, I turned to the first man.

"Go," He tells us.

"Why?" I ask.

"I still remember what happened last time a Stark was killed there," He answers. "I remember my mother being raped and killed at the sacking. Now I have a daughter. I do not wish for history to repeat itself. So go, and please don't come back."

After saying that, he turns back and leaves. I didn't have time to question him more, and we went on our way too. The harbor was the only place where I could find a way to escape.

…

A man with greedy eyes was waiting for us at his shop. He only took a glance at us and told us to follow him. I didn't let go of the hilt of my sword. We went to the basement of the shop. It was a dark and dusty place, filled with human-size stone statues of animals.

The shopkeeper went to an owl statue and opened it from behind. I looked at the sight, surprised. I have never seen an empty stone statue. How could that be possible? How can a man carve inside of the stone?

"Go inside. The Gold cloaks will come here at any moment," The shopkeeper tells us. "In the past few weeks, since ser Edmure left the city, I saw some man lingering at my shop. They know that ser Edmure was here, so they will come looking."

"Very well," I agree with him.

After squeezing inside the owl statue, the shopkeeper closed it. There were two small holes for me to see through. I saw Jory and Harwin getting inside a fox and dog statues. There wasn't much space inside to move. The shopkeeper left afterward.

I had to trust him. Edmure has left a letter explaining that his man would help me escape if there is a need. Staying in the dark, I could not help but think. My thoughts went to dark places as I wondered about the actions of others.

Renly came to me the moment he heard of Robert's death. After I refused him to capture the children and work together, he ran away. I don't know if Cercei captured him or not.

Baelish, for the longest of time, tried to befriend me. I knew he was a suspicious man, so it wasn't surprising that he controlled the Gold cloaks and tried to capture me. But, that portly looking man told us that if I were killed, he would be rewarded. Why? Didn't they need me alive? It didn't make sense unless it wasn't Cercei who ordered it.

What about Stannis? I had to tell him the truth. He is the rightful king now. But why has he not shown himself in King's Landing even when I asked him? He didn't reply to any of my letters. Unless he knew, of course, he knew. It was him who went with Jon Arryn to check on the bastards.

But if he knew, why has he run away? It can be as simple as he was afraid. He was a man hardened by wars. He starved himself for almost a year for his brother. Now he was afraid of Cercei. It didn't sound like him. If he knew the truth, why has he not told anyone?

Has he abandoned Robert? I heard that they didn't have good relations with each other. Stannis should have known I was in King's Landing. He could have asked for my help, but he didn't. Then does it mean he wanted for this to happen?

Robert was still young. He could have married another woman and had a son. But then Stannis wouldn't be the heir anymore. Has he planned for the death of his brother? With Robert gone and me revealing the truth, he would be the new King. What this what he wanted all along?

Those thoughts didn't leave me. One doubt after another piled in my mind. It weighed me down. Was I to make such a man the new King. A man who would abandon his brothers, who would better watch the city burn rather than forgone his right. But he was rightful King, now that Robert is dead.

Damn it all. Why have you gone to that hunting? Why didn't I go with you, Robert? It was my fault. I let you down, didn't I, Robert? What should I do now? I asked, but I knew that nobody could ever answer me. Only I had to make the decision. Decisions that could doom Westeros.

Who else could be the King, if not Stannis? Renly was an idealistic man who fought with words. I didn't doubt his abilities in times of peace. He would be a good king, but could he take the throne? I doubt it. What other option did I have? I couldn't leave Joffrey to do as he wished.

Jon, he was rightful heir too. But he is just a boy. Wait, is that why Edmure asked for him. Did he know it too? Edmure has taken action against Lannister for a long time. Has he known the truth all along?

He used me all this time. Ha, who hasn't used me at this time. What a fool I am. Edmure foresaw this. That is why he asked for Jon, and I gave him. Why shouldn't I? It was for Jon's future. Why shouldn't I have trusted him? Edmure brought fortune to the North. It was more prosperous than ever.

"Stop wasting time. Lead the way," I heard a voice coming to the basement.

"As I said before, there's nobody inside," The shopkeeper's voice was heard too.

A light has shone through the basement. From the holes in the statue, I could see men in gold cloaks going inside. Their torches were lighting over the shadows. Looking at every corner and after not finding anything turned back.

"As you can see, there's nothing there beside my statues," The shopkeeper tells them.

"Why do you have those weird statues anyway?" A voice I recognize asks, it was Janos Slynt.

"To sell, of course, why else?" The shopkeeper answers. "In a couple of days, they going be shipped to Braavos. Sealord likes to collect that kind of things."

"I wonder what would happen if they were broken," Janos says.

"Then you could tell your King why Sealord of Braavos is furious with him. Those statues were already paid for, and they were waiting for them to be picked," The shopkeeper informs everyone.

"We know you met with Edmure Tully before. What are you hiding?" Janos asks.

"I am a merchant, with contacts to Braavos and other cities of Essos, ser Edmure was very interested in them," Shopkeeper answers. "Now you see, there's nobody. Are you going to harass me more, or are you going to leave?"

"Fine," Janos says and pushes away the shopkeeper before leaving.

The shopkeeper went after them. After that, I relaxed. The day was long, and in many ways, painful. Once I closed my eyes and relaxed, darkness engulfed me.