Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Chapter 63

King's Landing.

I stood at the window of one of the rooms of the Red Castle and watched as the tournament of the Hand was almost at an end, or rather, half of it. Due to the onset of dusk, and the sun was already setting over the horizon, the remainder had been postponed until the next day.

It included knights' duels and the second part of the general fight with some differences, that is, if today the fights were fought in the saddle and in teams, tomorrow - every man for himself and without horses. As I heard, the king is an ardent fan of this kind of competition, and so the organization obediently adjusted to his orders.

However, it wasn't the tournament that was the reason for my visit, even if it seemed rather ordinary and not particularly interesting to me, but a few people I wanted to talk to. This included only six people, which was quite a lot, and one of which was Oberyn.

He made good on his promise, choosing the highly unlikely but only way to preserve his life and exact revenge at the same time. The bond between the Starks and the Martells formed by Oberyn's move will play a deterrent role for him, and he will need one, for he will be tempted, very tempted. And if he remembers and accepts my words, all will be well, but if not... Well... So be it.

The next moment the door to the room opened. I didn't have to turn around to recognize the man, for his aura said more than words.

- "Good evening, Ned," I said with a smile on my face as I turned and looked at my guest, "You look very tired."

- "Solomon? What are you doing here?" Ned said in a clearly tired but surprised tone, as if he couldn't believe I was here, and then he locked the door and walked inside, "How did you get into the Hand's office?"

Ned Stark looked exhausted, not physically, but mentally, as if he had been through a very hard and long battle. The movement of his body was slow and sluggish, the black circles under his eyes looked like abysses, absent-mindedness and loss of concentration were evident, and his gaze hovered somewhere else. But there was concern in it, and I could just about make out what it was about.

- "You're not happy to see me?" I let out a chuckle and opened my arms for a hug.

- "Sorry about that, too much to do at the new place," Ned smiled, and then we shared a brief friendly hug. Then he sat down at his desk and poured himself some water from a pitcher in the room, "A lot has happened since you left, and there's so much I want to tell you, but I realize you're here for a reason."

- "Don't bother. Kinvara told me most of it, but you're right. I'm here for a little while and for business," I said calmly and looked out at the streets bustling with life, "I'd like to hear about your current affairs in the capital, though."

- "I thought you knew about everything because of your magic."

- "Partially, but still, please," I insisted, "And you can talk freely. Nothing will leave your office during our conversation."

- "Well... If that's the case," Ned sighed, taking a couple of sips, catching exactly what I was asking, "There are only two things bothering me at the moment, and neither of them is better than the other. Both are very confusing, secretive, and require a massive investigation that will definitely not be good for the safety of my daughters and people."

- "But still, you're doing it, because you can't do it otherwise, I suppose?"

- "Yes," Ned nodded assuredly, "John's murder and the queen's children. Both of these cases affect the whole kingdom, and as Hand, it is my duty to find answers and punish those responsible. It is my duty."

I nodded briefly.

Ned realized that sooner or later he would come to the truth, but there would be consequences. If the previous Hand was killed, he might be killed as well, and there was extremely obvious leverage in the capital as his daughters. That was about the assassination, but what about the queen's children and her treason against the king? Here things were much more complicated.