Game of Dragonborn.

Chapter 71 - Betrayals and Ambitions 01.

[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Westeros.

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"Finally, we arrived in King's Landing... I've never been so happy to smell the stench this city has to offer," Robert Baratheon, the King of Westeros, remarked from atop his horse as they caught sight of King's Landing, following a month's journey since departing Winterfell.

"..." Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, rode beside him in silence. Surrounded by royal guards and Stark soldiers for protection, the man made no comment.

This city seemed to haunt Lord Stark. The slaughter wrought by the Mad King still echoed in his mind: his father and brother killed in such a cruel manner... The anger Eddard carried within him had not lessened over the years. He had never wanted to be Lord of Winterfell; that was his older brother's place. But fate has an ironic way of assigning roles.

He remembered marching into King's Landing after defeating Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident, seeking vengeance for the injustice committed against his family. When he entered the city, it was already taken by the Lannisters. They had sacked King's Landing, supposedly in the name of the rebellion. Eddard walked through the halls of the Red Keep, horrified, until he reached the Throne Room. There, he found King Aerys dead, stabbed in the back. Jaime Lannister, the young knight of the Kingsguard, sat on the Iron Throne, his sword still stained with blood.

"Did you kill him?" Eddard had asked, his gaze cold and distrustful.

"Yes," Jaime replied without hesitation, though his tone betrayed a certain distaste. "It was necessary..."

No matter what Jaime said afterward, Eddard could never accept the knight's betrayal, though he understood the Mad King needed to be stopped. The Kingsguard was sworn to die for their king, and Eddard called Jaime the Kingslayer. The image of Aerys lying dead in such a manner never left his mind.

Even with his hatred for the Targaryens, Eddard had condemned the murderers of Elia Martell and her children. He protested, unable to accept such acts, but nothing was done to punish their killers.

The last time he had been in King's Landing was after rescuing his sister, Lyanna. She was dying, and he couldn't save her. That memory led his thoughts back to Jon, who had disappeared a month ago after Eddard found him in Winterfell.

The memory of his nephew had been a persistent source of headache in the past month. He recalled how Jon had wounded him and his wife, Catelyn, in a brutal manner. Jon had used a kind of sorcery Eddard had never imagined existed. First, there was his age, far greater than it should have been.

The things Jon did after revealing he was Lyanna's son would never be forgotten. Catelyn had been hysterical when she awoke, but she hadn't witnessed the things Eddard had endured, and he hadn't told her. After all, he'd be deemed mad.

Jon's vengeful words echoed in his mind every night. Eddard dreamed of wars that ravaged all of Westeros. He saw dragons flying through the skies, burning thousands of people.

In other visions, he saw Jon himself—a nightmare where Jon, alongside an army, fought against various houses: Tyrells, Lannisters, Arryns, Tullys. Thousands died on the battlefield. Eddard watched the chaos unfold, standing on the battlefield as men screamed at him. He looked at his banner, the Stark sigil, advancing against the enemy while his body moved on its own—all against a single foe.

There he was, facing troops amidst the chaos that engulfed all sides, as men shouted, horses fell, and a bloodbath ensued.

Ned—or whoever he was in that moment—saw a man stand out, wielding a battleaxe in one hand and a Valyrian steel sword in the other, while Jon advanced mercilessly against his enemies, cutting down anyone in his path.