The City Watch barracks became a slaughterhouse.
Lynn's order—"Kill anyone who resists"—wasn't a threat.
It was a command.
The Northern elite were wolves unleashed on a flock of lazy sheep.
"You dare rebel?!"
A fat centurion drew his sword. His voice cracked with fear.
A Northern blade answered.
Warm blood splattered across the horrified faces of the gold cloaks around him.
Resist?
Against men who'd crawled out of the corpse-piles beyond the Wall?
These officers—who'd climbed the ranks through flattery and bullying smallfolk—couldn't even organize a defense.
Blood spoke louder than words.
When a dozen officers lay dead in the courtyard, the rest of the gold cloaks threw down their weapons.
Knelt.
Ned Stark stood in the blood.
His hand gripped his sword hilt.
He hated this violence.
But he couldn't deny—it was the fastest, most effective way.
He looked at Lynn's calm profile.
The young man handled this with terrifying ease.
Ned knew he didn't have that kind of resolve.
"Drag the bodies away. Dispose of them with lime."
"Notify all gold cloaks. Assemble in the courtyard in fifteen minutes."
"Anyone late will be charged with treason."
Lynn turned to Ned.
"Lord Hand. It's your turn to address them."
Maegor's Holdfast
The strongest fortress in the Seven Kingdoms.
Now a gilded cage.
CRASH.
A Myrish crystal goblet shattered on the floor.
"USELESS! All of you!"
Cersei Lannister's chest heaved.
Her beautiful face twisted with rage.
She couldn't understand.
Ned Stark.
That fool with his head full of honor and Northern ice—
—how dare he?
How dare he move against the City Watch without the Small Council's approval? Without her approval?
This wasn't like him!
Janos Slynt—her dog in the Mud Gate—arrested just like that?
Six thousand gold cloaks. King's Landing's largest armed force. Changed hands overnight?
Cersei felt the world spin.
"Lynn..."
She finally forced out the name through clenched teeth.
She realized.
All of this—all of it—led back to that crow from the Wall.
Jaime's humiliating defeat at the tourney. Petyr's bankruptcy.
Everything pointed to Lynn.
Before, Ned Stark had been a brainless direwolf. No threat.
But now?
Now the wolf had a viper at his side.
She couldn't just sit here.
"Someone!"
A Kingsguard entered. Knelt.
"Bring me that man. Lynn."
"I want to see him myself."
The Viper Enters the Lion's Den
When Lynn entered Maegor's Holdfast, the air was thick with tension.
The Kingsguard lining the corridor glared at him.
Their brother—Jaime Lannister—had been crushed by this man.
Lynn didn't care.
He waved his hand.
Gold cloaks swarmed the entrance. Surrounded the Kingsguard. Cut them off.
Numbers matter.
The Kingsguard saw they were outnumbered. Backed down. Watched from a distance, seething.
Lynn pushed open the heavy oak door.
The room was lavish. Thick with expensive incense.
Cersei wore a black gown. Her golden hair fell loose over her shoulders.
She stood by the window. Back to him. Gazing out at King's Landing.
Elegant.
"Ser Lynn."
"I hear you killed my dog."
Lynn walked to the table. Poured himself a cup of Arbor gold.
"Your Grace, I think you're mistaken."
"Janos Slynt commanded the king's gold cloaks. Not your pets."
"He was corrupt. He stole from the crown. He stained the king's honor."
"The Hand and I were simply cleaning house."
He emphasized king and Hand.
"Cleaning house?"
Cersei turned slowly.
Her blue eyes burned.
"You're a crow from the North. What gives you the right to meddle in King's Landing?"
"What did Stark offer you? To make you so loyal?"
She stepped closer. Chin raised. Trying to dominate him with presence.
"I can give you far more than that Northern oaf."
"Gold. Land. Women. Whatever you want."
"Just become mine."
Lynn smiled.
"Your Grace. You don't seem to understand the situation."
He set down his cup. Stepped forward.
The distance between them closed to an arm's length.
He was a head taller. Looked down at her.
His black eyes were bottomless.
"Right now, you should be begging me. Not the other way around."
"You—!"
Cersei's face went ugly.
"Me?"
Lynn's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"I'm just a knight about to sail across the sea. To hunt down Targaryen remnants for the king."
"And you?"
His voice dropped. A devil's whisper.
"Suspected of trying to murder your husband and son. Confined here."
"Your father is in Casterly Rock. Your brother Jaime is the realm's laughingstock. Your partner Littlefinger is broke."
Each word was a dagger in Cersei's heart.
"What leverage do you have left?"
Cersei's body trembled.
Not from fear.
From rage.
"How dare you speak to me like this?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Lynn leaned closer. His breath warm on her face.
"After all, I know far more than you think."
"For example... certain unique bonds within House Lannister."
He said "bonds" with deliberate weight.
BOOM.
Cersei's mind went blank.
Her blue eyes widened. Blood drained from her face.
He knows?
Impossible.
No one knows. Only her and Jaime.
Seeing her horror, Lynn knew he'd hit the mark.
Against someone as proud as Cersei, no scheme worked better than the truth.
"You..."
Cersei didn't know how to threaten him.
Her claws had been clipped.
"Your Grace."
Lynn straightened. Stepped back. His face calm again.
"My target is the Targaryens."
"I have no interest in King's Landing's power games."
"I suggest you stay quiet while I'm gone."
He looked at her.
"After all, even the fiercest lion must protect her cubs."
"Especially... cubs with questionable bloodlines."
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