Silver Stag

The King Is Dead & Plots Begin

[King's Landing - The Red Keep]

Ned was walking down a hallway with Kormed and Tomard.

"Your Captain of the Guards now, Kormed. I need you to ensure that -"

"Ned!" He heard someone call.

Renly suddenly appeared from the staircase behind them. He appeared to be out of breath as he approached them.

"It's Robert. We were hunting - a boar -"

Renly ran off, Ned looking shocked, followed after him, Tomard and Kormed following suit.

[King Robert's Chambers]

Robert was lying in bed, Joffrey sitting beside him, appearing devastated while gripping his hand. Cersei, Grand Maestar Pycelle, and Barristan Selmy were also in the room. Barristan's armor had blood smeared on it.

"I should have spent more time with you, shown you how to be a man. I was nevr meant to be a father." Robert told Joffrey.

Renly led Ned into the room.

"Go on. You don't want to see this."

Joffrey left, albeit reluctantly. very reluctantly leaves. Ned approached Robert.

"My fault..." He laughed weakly. "Too much wine. Missed my thrust."

Ned lifted up Robert's blanket and saw a massive bloody gash across his torso.

"It stinks. It stinks like death. Don't think I can't smell it."

Cersei looked on as Ned covered Robert back up.

Robert laughed again. "I paid the bastard back, Ned. I drove my knife right through his brain. You ask them if I didn't. Ask them!" Robert coughed a few times. "I want the funeral feast to be the biggest the Kingdoms ever saw. And I want everyone to taste the boar that got me." He told Ned before turning to the others. "Now leave us, the lot of you. I need to talk to Ned."

"Robert, my sweet -" Cersei began.

"Out, all of you!" Robert coughed again.

Everyone else left, Cersei and Pycelle doing so somewhat more reluctantly than the others, but doing so nonetheless, leaving Ned alone with Robert.

Ned sits down at Robert's bedside. "You damned fool..."

"Paper and ink on the table, write down what I say."

Ned grabbed the paper and quill and began writing.

"In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, first of..." you know how it goes. Fill in the damn titles."

Ned did as he was told.

"I hereby command Eddard of House Stark" - titles, titles - "to serve as Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm upon my death to rule in my stead, until my son Joffrey comes of age"."

Ned hesitated, before writing "my rightful heir" instead.

"Give it over."

Ned passed it to him, Robert putting his signature down on the letter before handing it back.

"Give it to the council after I'm dead. At least they'll say I did this right, this one thing. You'll rule now. You'll hate it worse than I did, but you'll do it well." A solemn paused passed as Ned regarded his friend sadly. "The girl - Daenerys. You were right. Varys, Littlefinger, my brother - worthless. No one to tell me "no" but you. Only you. Let her live. Stop it, if it's not too late." Robert told him.

"I will."

"And my son....help him, Ned. Make him better than me."

"I'll....I'll do everything I can to honor your memory."