Ned struggles as Hand of the King.
EDDARD II
Ned shook his head in disbelief. Littlefinger had brought him a resume of the Crown's debts. The situation was worse than he feared. The creditors of the Crown were listed according to the amount Robert owed them. At the very top was the Lord of Casterly Rock, to who the Realm owed three of the six million golden dragons of its debt. Then came Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, the Iron Bank of Braavos, Lord Leyton Hightower and many more. Most were bannermen of the Tyrells and the Lannisters.
Ned still couldn't believe Robert had brought the Realm to the brink of bankruptcy. His childhood friend had always been fond of fight, wine and women, but with Jon Arryn to advise him, Ned thought his excesses could be kept under control. It seemed he was wrong. The Crown's debts were so huge that Ned didn't see how they could reimburse them. He tried to corner Robert into a meeting with Littlefinger, to explore possible options in order to bring back the finances in good state, but Robert escaped every attempt he made. Ned was stuck with the Master of Coin for hours as a result, trying to figure out a way to erase the Crown's debts. Littlefinger had produced sufficient evidence that the revenues had doubled since the beginning of Robert's reign, but despite this and the large amounts of gold the Mad King left behind at his death, the financial situation only got worse as Robert emptied his coffers, then began to spend money he didn't have. The recent concession of the Crown concerning some taxes in the Westerlands and the Reach didn't make things better. Littlefinger said he could still find some new revenues, but that wouldn't be enough. Ned needed to talk to Robert about reducing the expenses of the Crown, if Robert ever wanted to talk about it.
Jory came inside. The Master of Laws wanted to talk with him. Ned let him come in. Ser Kevan Lannister was a man of average stature with blond hair turning grey. Ned didn't know the man very well. They seldom met, one of the few times being the Sack of King's Landing when the Targaryen children's dead bodies were presented to Robert. The knight was much younger back then, closer to Ned's actual age. Ned hadn't found the man disagreeable at the time. He had even offered his sympathies to him once, for his father and brother's deaths, and Ned thought he remembered seeing him not looking very proud when they the dead children were presented in crimson cloaks. At his arrival in King's Landing, the man had welcomed him with decency and he fulfilled his duties very well. He even came to apologize personally for the accident with the wolf, saying this should never have happened. Still, Ned was careful about him. He was a Lannister, so he may have had a role to play in Jon Arryn's death, and Ned had been informed later by both Littlefinger, Varys and Pycelle that he replaced Renly at his office after the Lord of Casterly Rock demanded that a Lannister be named on the small council. Robert can no longer choose his advisors, and the Lannisters force him to expel his own brother for one of their own.
"My lord Hand," the knight said as he entered the solar.
"Ser Kevan. Please, sit." The Lannister knight accepted the offer. "Do you have something to report to me?"
"Well, a few people already arrived for your tournament."
"This is the king's tournament. Putting my name on it doesn't make it mine."
Ser Kevan ignored the remark. "There won't be enough room in the city for everyone. We have problems to expect. Janos Slynt is already asking for more men in the City Watch."
"Is it necessary?"
"Useful, maybe. Necessary, I wouldn't say so. And of course, if we hire more gold cloaks, we'll have to pay them."
Ned sighed. More expenses. "What do you think we should do?"
"We have the red cloaks, and your household guards. Let's send them to assist the City Watch during the tournament. It won't cost anything to the royal treasury."
"Very well, we'll do that."
Ser Kevan's face took a concerned look. "Lord Stark, I think I should warn you to not trust Janos Slynt."
Ned frowned. "Why is that?"
"Because the man is corrupted."
"Corrupted?"
"Yes, my lord. Since I arrived, I kept a close look on the gold cloaks. Most of them give a part of their wages to their Commander."
"What? Why would they do that?"
"The Commander hired his gold cloaks with that condition. If the men are to hope to keep their place in the City Watch, they must pay their part. Most of them. And the officers pay even more."
"How could you let that happen?"
"I've only entered in charge recently, my lord Hand. It was Lord Renly who chose Janos Slynt."
"I apologize, ser." Renly. It had been a long time since Ned saw him. Renly had never been a soldier like his two brothers, but Ned remembered him as a kind young man with good manners. He didn't think Renly would have allowed something like that to happen.
"You must know, Lord Stark, that this practice existed before Janos Slynt. It was already in place in the time of my brother's tenure as Hand. He kept it within certain limits, but I'm afraid King Robert and Lord Renly weren't as concerned about this situation as they should be. Slynt went farther than anyone else we can remember. Varys believes over half the men in the City Watch are paying for a gold cloak."
"This is unacceptable. Janos Slynt must be replaced."
"The tournament is very soon, my lord. It would do no good to place a new Commander at the head of the gold cloaks. We will need someone with experience. Janos Slynt is corrupted, but he's not incompetent either."
"You want to keep this man to lead the City Watch, after everything you told me?"
"It might be the lesser evil. His successor would certainly do the same than he did for years, and most of the officers owe their rank to him. We would need to purge the City Watch entirely for this to work. Jon Arryn himself tried to have the man dismissed, but the two witnesses he had were found killed the day before he brought them before the king. And I'm afraid his Grace is aware of the situation, but he doesn't want to do anything."
"Why?"
"He fears Slynt's successor could be worse. I didn't come to ask you permission to remove Slynt, my lord. I merely wanted to warn you against him. Don't take what he says as granted."
Ned managed to maintain an impassive face, or so he thought. Where was he? A place where bribery was standard and no one did anything against it. "Thank you, Ser Kevan. Is there something else?"
"No. I only came to tell you this."
"Very well. You may leave." As the knight stood up and headed for the door, Ned thought about something. "Ser, were you there when Jon Arryn died?"
"No. I was on my way to King's Landing. I was told he was dead the day I arrived." His expression turned regretful. "I know you were his ward at the Eyrie. I'm sorry. He was a good man."
He seemed sincere. Ned tried to see any trace of Tywin Lannister in his brother, but right now he couldn't see any. All he could see was a man who offered his sympathies.
"Was there…" Ned tried to find the right way to ask. "Was there something strange about his death?"
"That depends what you mean by strange, my lord."
Ned sighed. "I can't shake the feeling that he died very suddenly. I knew Jon. He was old, but he was also in very good health."
"Indeed, but people die of fever every day. Lord Arryn was old, his constitution wasn't what it was before, and he had a lot on his shoulders. My brother himself resigned because of health problems. A shame he died so quickly. When you die slowly, you have the time to say goodbye to those you love. Lord Arryn didn't have that chance. Is that all, my lord Hand?"
"Yes, ser, you may go."
The knight bowed, but he added something else before he left. "If you want to know more about Jon Arryn's last hours, you should ask Pycelle. He was the one who tried to treat him."
Ned was alone in his solar again. He would need to ask the Grand Maester about this later. So far, his efforts to find out something about Jon Arryn's death had been in vain. Most of his household had left when his wife went back to the Eyrie. He couldn't trust anyone on the small council. Ser Kevan was a Lannister, so he couldn't share his thoughts with him, which was quite problematic since he was the Master of Laws and responsible of the justice in King's Landing. He didn't trust the Spider and Littlefinger a single second. Pycelle may be the one he distrusted the less, but even so, Ned didn't know what to think of the old maester. Now he just learned that he had to be careful with the Commander of the City Watch.
He turned his attention back to the reports he had before him. The tournament was causing him headaches. He tried to talk Robert out of it, but his friend didn't want to listen. And to add to everything else, Sansa hated him for her direwolf's death, and Arya had a sword hidden under her bed. Ned had prepared a surprise for her. He hoped she would like it.
Ned could barely recognize Robert. He spent his days inside his rooms, drinking and whoring and eating. No wonder he became so fat. The young man full of life who Ned had known during the war was only a shell of who he had been. He let Sansa's direwolf be executed without lifting a finger, just because his wife asked him. Ned knew what really happened. Sansa told him the whole story when he visited her after the accident. It didn't start well her betrothal with Joffrey. Lord Tyrion told him at Winterfell that he was sending his daughter into a horrible marriage. Was he right, just like when he warned Ned that the king would propose Joffrey to marry his eldest daughter? Lord Tyrion Lannister was the uncle of the prince. He surely knew him. The prince lied. But Robert proposed him to marry his son to his daughter. What could he do against that?
Later, at the meeting of the small council, the discussion was mostly about the preparations for the tournament. The Realm was going bankrupt, the gold cloaks were corrupted, the Hand of the King may have been murdered, and here they were, discussing a tournament. Pycelle brought them a reprieve when he talked about reports he received recently.
"The maesters of the Citadel say that most observations indicate that days are growing shorter. It seems this long summer is coming to an end," he said with his quivering voice.
"Winter is coming," Ned said, repeating his house's words. "Do we have enough food in reserve to last through winter."
"If this winter lasts less than five years, yes," Littlefinger answered.
"And if it's longer?"
"We'll have fewer peasants."
Ned wanted to slam his fist on the table. That's what Brandon would have done. "That's not something we can allow. This summer lasted for nine years. I want granaries to be full. Buy more crops."
"We don't have the money."
"You found money for a champion's purse, you can find money to feed the people," Ned replied harshly. The Master of Coin turned his attention back to his ledgers and took notes. "Is there anything else?" No one spoke. "Good."
Ned left the small council chamber as quickly as he could. His place wasn't here. His place was in the North, beside his wife and his children, at Winterfell. That's where he was the most useful. He would find out what happened to Jon Arryn, and then he would probably head back north. He was beginning to reconsider the arranged marriage between Sansa and the prince.
"Lord Stark." The wheezing respiration of the Grand Maester couldn't be mistaken. Ned turned to face him, the Iron Throne only a few feet from him. "I meant to give you this earlier. So forgetful these days. A raven from Winterfell this morning."
Ned took the scroll and began to unroll it while hearing the clicking sound of the chains as the Grand Maester walked away.
"Good news?" Yes, but he wasn't about to divulge it to Littlefinger. He didn't know if he hated his presence more than he hated the Kingslayer's presence. Ever since Ned arrived, Ser Jaime had been looking for trouble with him, always provoking Ned. He certainly hoped that Ned would take the bait and draw his sword against him, but he wouldn't give that satisfaction to the Kingslayer. Ned finished to read the message. Bran had woken up. However, his legs were now useless. Luwin said he could never walk again. It was expected. At least, he was alive. "Perhaps you'd like to share it with your wife?"
"My wife is in Winterfell," Ned informed Littlefinger, as if the Master of Coin didn't know it. At least Bran had his mother to watch over him.
"Is she?" With a smirk, he walked past him. "If you want to see her, follow me."
Ned didn't trust Littlefinger at all, but he decided to follow him all the same. He would get to the bottom of it. Why did he say Catelyn was here?
They had to make quite a long way through the streets of King's Landing. On their way, the Master of Coin told Ned that his wife had arrived in King's Landing yesterday and he kept her hidden for her safety, somewhere no one would think to look for her. Finally, they stopped before a place where Ned never went.
"I thought that she'd be safest in here. One of several such establishments I own."
Ned tackled Littlefinger to the wall of the said establishment. Did he really bring him here all this way to visit one of his brothels? "You're a funny man. Huh? A very funny man." He would show him how funny it was.
"Ned!" He never thought he would hear this voice here. He looked up and saw Cat looking down on him from the balcony, along with many other women. He let go Littlefinger's throat and ran into the brothel. Inside, he fell upon his master-at-arms.
"Ser Rodrik?"
"My lord, your lady awaits you upstairs," the knight said.
Ned had to go through a common room where young girls were pressed against their lovers and three floors before he found his wife behind a closed door, all alone. She ran into him immediately when he entered and embraced him fiercely.
"Cat, what are you doing here?" Ned asked in wonderment.
"I'm glad you recognized her." Littlefinger had followed them and closed the door behind him.
"What is she doing here?" Ned's voice was angry. "Why did you bring her here?"
"No one will think to look for Catelyn Stark in such a place. I own the place, which allowed me to arrange everything."
"He helped me, Ned," his wife explained. "He's a friend."
"Why are you here? Is it Bran?" No, that couldn't be. He just received news of their son.
"Yes, but not the way you think."
"Perhaps you should tell her the news," Littlefinger suggested.
Ned hated to be told what to do by this man, but he was right this time. Catelyn had to know. She almost burst into tears when he told her Bran had woken up, but of joy and not of grief. After she composed herself, she asked him if Luwin reported anything Bran would have said when he woke up. He didn't remember the maester mentioning anything about this in the message. He gave it to Cat so she could read it herself. She sighed at the end.
"He may not have trusted a raven with this information. I'll have to ask once I'm back at Winterfell," she said.
"Why wouldn't he trust that with a raven? What shouldn't he say?"
"Let me explain to you. It will be quicker this way."
She told him everything, from her suspicions concerning Bran's fall to the attempt of murder and their journey to King's Landing. Littlefinger had told her about he problems they met on the road and the direwolves.
Ned put his hand on his chin and rubbed it. "Why would they try to kill Bran? He was sleeping, and he's only a boy."
"I think he saw something he wasn't supposed to see. I don't know what, but I think that's what happened. Someone didn't want him to wake up. I think the Lannisters are behind this," she said.
"The assassin used this dagger, my lord." Ser Rodrik Cassel showed him the weapon. Ned unsheathed it. The blade was made of good steel, but what brought the attention was the green pearl at the pommel and the silver handle it was made of. This was no common dagger. Only someone rich could own it.
"I saw that dagger, many months ago," Littlefinger declared. "At Prince Joffrey's name day. There was a tournament. He received the dagger as a present, then he placed a bet on it during the final tilt on Ser Jaime, like half the court. I bet a lot of money me too. Imagine both our surprise when the Knight of Flowers unseated the Kingslayer. I lost my money, and the prince lost the dagger."
"Who did he lose it to? To who belonged this dagger?" Ned asked.
"Tyrion Lannister. The Imp, and the Lord of Casterly Rock."
Anger flared inside Ned. "He comes at Winterfell, asks me to give him my son as a ward and tries to kill another. Why?"
"There's no way to know. Your wife told me about your doubts concerning Jon Arryn's death. Maybe this could have a link, and maybe not."
"I must go back to Winterfell," Cat said. "I must speak with Bran and know what he saw there."
"You won't be able to come back. The next time you try to sneak into King's Landing in secret, I may not be able to stop the Spider from whispering it to Ser Kevan or the queen."
"It doesn't matter. I'll go to Robert and tell him what happened," Ned declared.
"You realize, I hope, that the mere suggestion that the queen's brother tried to kill your boy would be considered treason."
"We have proof. We have the blade," Catelyn opposed.
"Which Lord Tyrion will say was stolen from him. The only man who could say otherwise has no throat, thanks to your boy's wolf."
"The Lannisters are still in the North. Lord Tyrion has gone to visit the Wall. We could arrest him on his way back."
"And Robert will order you to release him immediately."
"What if Bran could testify?"
"The king will never give more weigh to a boy of ten than to the Warden of the West, and you'll have broken the sacred law of the guest rights by arresting Lady Lannister while she was welcomed under your roof and shared your bread."
"They broke the guest rights themselves by trying to kill my son," Ned declared.
"Maybe, but you don't have enough proof of that."
"When I go to the king and tell him…"
"The king will not listen to you, Lord Stark. He will not want to listen."
"Not want to listen? I don't think Robert will let go the attempt to kill a child."
As he said that, Ned realized that he didn't believe it himself. Robert had let Cersei Lannister have the death of Sansa's direwolf, just because she wanted it. He had turned away from this, allowing the Lannisters to do as they wished, just like with the Targaryen children fifteen years ago.
"I think you should sit. Both of you," Littlefinger said. He indicated chairs to them. Ned and Cat both took one. "It would be better that you are sitting while I tell you this." Littlefinger sat as well and folded his hands. "Robert Baratheon IS NOT the king."
"What are you saying?" Ned asked, uncappable to believe what he just heard.
"And Cersei Lannister is not the queen either. Right now, the most powerful man in Westeros is Tyrion Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, and his wife, Lady Margaery Lannister, is the most powerful woman in all the Seven Kingdoms. They are king and queen of Westeros in practice if not in words. Robert cannot allow to have them against him. His wife is Lord Tyrion's sister and his three children are his nephews and niece. Pycelle has been loyal to the Lannisters ever since the time Tywin Lannister was Hand, Ser Kevan sits on the small council, and I'm afraid Varys is closer to the Lannisters than he is to everyone else. I know he sent a secret message by rider to the Lord of Casterly Rock not long after Jon Arryn died. The Lannisters control the government of the Realm, and they have the might of the Reach behind them. There is even talk actually about marrying the Princess Myrcella to Ser Loras Tyrell, the heir to Highgarden. This would make the ties between the Lannisters and the Tyrells stronger than ever and strengthen their hold on the Crown."
"I don't think Lady Margaery had any part in this," Catelyn said. "The assassin thought I wouldn't be here when he came to kill Bran. She knew I spent all my time with him. She can't have sent this man."
"Maybe, but how well do you know Lady Lannister, Cat?"
"I know her well enough. She's spent more than a month in Winterfell."
"Margaery Tyrell is the granddaughter of Olenna Tyrell, Lord Mace's mother, also known as the Queen of Thorns. She's the one who truly rules Highgarden and she educated her granddaughter herself. The two are the most dangerous among the Tyrells. They hold Lord Mace's balls in their hands, if you permit me this small obscenity. I have met the Lady of Casterly Rock when she came to King's Landing. She's much more dangerous and cunning than appearances let appear. She and her husband didn't get abrogation of taxes and a seat on the small council from Robert with kind words, and believe me when I say she played a major role in that. And she's entirely loyal to her husband. If you accuse the Lannisters in one way or another, both the Reach and the Westerlands will declare war against you."
"They wouldn't dare," Ned said.
"They would. They have the means for it. Their coffers are full while Robert's are empty. They can muster enough men and enough ships to conquer each of the Seven Kingdoms one by one, or to face them all together. They can buy the loyalty of lords from the other kingdoms, and get the Iron Islands on their side if need be. The king cannot allow a conflict with them. You know how indebted he is towards the two families. If you come to him only with a dagger and the word of child, he will turn you down."
Ned had to admit that Littlefinger was right, as much as he loathed to admit it. Robert wasn't the man he used to be.
"What if we arrived with more proof, something indisputable, that proves without any doubt that the Lannisters are behind Bran's attempted murder, or behind Jon Arryn's death?" Ned's wife asked.
"He may do something then, but only then. Right now, you don't have enough proof, and the more you will dig into this, the riskier it will get for you. My counsel is to drop the knife in the river and forget that it was ever forged," Littlefinger declared.
Ned regarded the man coldly. "Lord Baelish, I am a Stark of Winterfell. My son lies crippled, and may have died along with Catelyn if it wasn't for a wolf's pup found in the snow. If you truly believe I could forget that, you are as big a fool now as when you took up sword against my brother."
"A fool, maybe, yet I'm still here, while your brother is dead. I would rather not join him if I were you."
"Petyr. We need your help," Catelyn told him. "You must help us to uncover the truth. You're the only one who can help us here. The king is in danger. We can't let the Lannisters act against him."
"I don't believe it is in their intentions, for now, to harm or overthrow Robert. I think they rather like him as a king. Our good Robert is practiced at closing his eyes to things he would rather not see." Again, Ned had no reply to this, because he knew this was the truth. "They won't openly declare war against the Crown, not if Robert is no threat for them. As long as our king keeps drinking, eating and whoring his way to an early grave, the Lannisters will let him quiet while they rule the Realm. Robert will keep his crown and his head if he stays quiet about all this, and so will you."
"In the meantime, the Lannisters will keep plotting in the dark, corrupting men to their cause and sending assassins against unharmed boys. I can't let that happen, Lord Baelish," Ned said, more serious than he had ever been. He stood up. "Robert asked me to come here because he needed my help. He rode for months to ask me to become his Hand. I will not let him down, and I will not let the Lannisters murder people and endanger my king's life."
"Petyr, please," Cat pleaded once more. "My son was almost killed. My two daughters and my husband are here. They are in danger. I beg you. Help us, for me, if it's not for my family or for the king."
Littlefinger stayed quiet for a moment, looking at Cat in a very serious way, thinking. Then he smiled, sadly, fondly. "I've never been able to refuse you anything. It is a fool's task, but I'll try to keep you safe, Lord Stark." He said the last words while looking at Ned.
"I won't forget this. You're a true friend."
"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain. But the Hand and I should now return to the Red Keep, before our absence is noted. The last thing we need is someone suspecting your presence in the capital. They will learn about your son's fate soon enough and wonder where we are."
"He's right," Ned agreed. He never thought he could agree so often with Petyr Baelish within a single day. "You should go now, before someone can suspect anything. Ser Rodrik, prepare the horses."
The knight went to his task. Littlefinger rose from his seat. "I will go now. It would be better if we didn't come back together. Safe journey, Cat."
Ned accompanied his wife outside a moment later. The day was getting darker, evening was coming. "Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal," Ned told her when they left the brothel. "They must raise a hundred bowmen each and send them to Moat Cailin. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his defenses at White Harbor, and see that they are well manned. And from this day on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy. If there is war, we shall have sore need of his father's fleet, and make sure that he doesn't side with the Lannisters."
"You think there's going to be war?" Catelyn asked, fear plain in her voice and on her face.
"I hope not, but after what Baelish said… We must take precautions. I won't be unprepared if the Lannisters and the Tyrells declare war upon us. Do you really think Lady Lannister had nothing to do with that?" he asked after a moment.
Catelyn sighed. "I know Baelish is well informed, but… I don't see her trying to kill Bran. She wouldn't have sent an assassin knowing I was there. It makes no sense. She probably ignores everything. Her husband may be lying to her. Maybe if we told her the truth…"
"No, that's a risk we can't take. The Lannisters cannot suspect we know they are behind the failed assassination. Lady Lannister would tell her husband and it would make things worse. Let them leave Winterfell unharmed. Once they'll be south of the Neck, they won't pose any threat in the North."
"I must go and see my father before."
He had forgotten that. "Of course. Go to Riverrun, before it's too late. Send my instructions to Robb by a raven there, and warn your father about all this. But make sure he does nothing stupid."
Cat laughed. "Something stupid? You're the one who nearly killed poor Littlefinger." He joined her in her laugh. They were holding their hands now.
"He's right. I can't do anything without proof."
"And if you find the proof?"
"Then I bring it to Robert… and hope he's still the man I once knew. You watch yourself on the road, huh?"
His wife bowed her head. "I wish I could see the girls."
"It's too dangerous."
"Just for a moment," she pleaded. Ned wished he could grant that, but children talked and he couldn't take the risk of anyone knowing that Catelyn had come here. She covered her departure from Winterfell with the pretext of visiting her lord father, but they couldn't blow it up.
Ned had to shake his head. "Until we know who our enemies are…"
"I know they did it, Ned. The Lannisters. In my bones, I know it."
"Are you truly sure Lady Lannister has nothing to do with that?" he asked again.
Cat hesitated. "I know she didn't. Her husband did this. She probably knows nothing of it. Let me take the dagger with me. If I meet her, I can show it to her and prove that her husband is conspiring against the Crown."
"If we are to believe Baelish, she's loyal to him."
"She doesn't know her husband. She never met him before their wedding. She doesn't know the truth about him. We have to tell her. If we could convince her, the Lannisters would lose the Tyrells' support."
If the Tyrells weren't with the Lannisters on this, this would make things a lot easier. They would hesitate to attack Robert without the Reach at their side. "Are you really sure?" he asked her again.
"I am, Ned. Let me talk to her. Let me convince her. We must reveal the treachery of the Lannisters to the light of day."
"Not yet." He thought for a moment. "But maybe it's worth the risk, with Lady Margaery. The Lannisters will be aware soon that Bran is alive. At worst, it will be like Littlefinger said and the Tyrells will remain with the Lannisters, but if it's not the case… It might be worth the risk." He took the dagger from his belt and gave it to his wife. If he found proof that Jon Arryn was dead, he wouldn't need the dagger. "Be careful."
They shared a strong embrace and a very long kiss. Then she broke it, climbed on her horse and rode away, sending him one last long look that said so much. After sixteen years of marriage, he loved her more than ever, more than he could ever imagine, and tears threatened to leave his eyes as he saw her disappear far away. He hoped he would see her again, once all this was over.
So, Littlefinger is trying to spread havoc like always. His conversation with Ned and Catelyn is quite similar to the show, but it is also a little different, because this time he is accusing the Lord of Casterly Rock himself. We will see in future chapters if Catelyn follows the instructions of her husband.
The passage I liked to write the most in this chapter was the discussion between Kevan and Ned. I remember only one fanfiction I read where Ned had interactions with Tywin's brothers, and it was quite interesting to see. The only thing Ned had to blame Kevan for was that he always followed his brother's orders, and Ned found out that they had many common points. He actually appreciated Kevan. I will explore the dynamic between these two further in the future chapters that will take place in King's Landing.
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Next chapter : Tyrion
