Chapter 201: Leaving King's Landing
Alaric planned to escape with Sansa and Arya.
For the others, he merely provided some gold dragons and tokens, instructing them to seek refuge on their own within the Free Trade Bank in King's Landing.
Taking only two girls was much more convenient than taking a large group. Arya was skilled in riding, and Sansa could ride with Alaric.
This arrangement made it difficult for ordinary pursuers to catch up to them.
As long as they moved swiftly, even the most threatening archers wouldn't be able to catch them in time. Besides, the Seven Kingdoms didn't boast many skilled mounted archers.
With the help of the two girls, Alaric quickly donned his armor in just two minutes.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to take the evidence collected by Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark regarding the real father of Robert's three childrens.
In the original story, this evidence no longer existed, and the fact that Joffrey Baratheon was the son of Cersei and Jaime Lannister ultimately became nothing more than rumors.
On one hand, the Lannister family held absolute power, and on the other hand, all evidence had been destroyed, with no witnesses left.
However, this time, Alaric would make full use of this evidence.
In the stable, Alaric tied Arya to a horse, mounted his own horse, and secured Sansa behind him before setting off.
The first step to escaping King's Landing was to get out of the Red Keep.
At this moment, as their horses had just set off, they were spotted by guards within the Red Keep.
However, due to the sudden death of the king and the subsequent upheaval, the Lannisters hadn't yet secured control over the defenses of the Red Keep, which presented an opportunity for Alaric and the others.
Amidst the shouts of guards behind them, the two horses and carriage careened through the Red Keep, all the way to the gate.
At this moment, the Lannisters, who had just secured Eddard Stark, received news from the guards who had hurriedly entered the hall: Tower of the Hand.
Two horses and a carriage were attempting to break out of the Red Keep, and the guards couldn't stop them in time.
Moreover, the two girls on horseback were Eddard Stark's daughters, and leading the charge was the champion of the tournament, the Silver Knight.
This news infuriated Joffrey Baratheon, now the king, and his mother Cersei. They hastily ordered the Kingsguard and the city watch to pursue and capture them at all costs.
However, they faced a dilemma. Who would confront the Silver Knight, Marcyl Hayford?
Ordinary knights would likely be bested by him at first sight.
However, among the strongest warriors, Jaime Lannister had gone to aid his father, Tywin Lannister, in leading troops, and Ser Barristan Selmy, second only to him in the Kingsguard, didn't entirely stand with the Lannisters.
Gregor's head had been smashed by Marcyl during the fight, rendering him incapacitated. In other words...
"The Hound." Sandor Clegane stepped forward, volunteering to lead the pursuit of the escaped Eddard's family.
As the pursuers departed, Cersei glared fiercely at Eddard, taunting, "It seems our esteemed Hand of the King had planned his escape route long before the coup."
Joffrey cursed vehemently. He had harbored resentment toward Marcyl for a long time.
Because of this man, his little toy no longer adored him.
Gregor he dispatched had been crippled by him, and when he attempted to use his princely status to subdue him, the man joined Eddard Stark's cause.
Since Robert and Eddard had a strong relationship, it left Joffrey with no power over him.
For the proud and narrow-minded Joffrey, this was a great grudge.
Eddard remained silent, but he breathed a sigh of relief. His daughters wouldn't have to suffer the same fate as him.
Meanwhile, Alaric had arrived at the gates of the Red Keep.
Though ordinary guards knew nothing, the captain responsible for guarding this crucial point had long been bought off by the Lannisters.
Seeing the charging horses and the carriage behind them, he immediately understood. He loudly ordered the guards to raise the portcullis.
The clanking of chains echoed, and just as the drawbridge was about to be raised, despair filled Sansa and Arya's faces.
Yet, Alaric remained calm.
He picked up his dragonbone longbow from his side, releasing the reins with his other hand, and effortlessly nocked an arrow while still on horseback.
He didn't even need to aim; the steel arrow shot out like a meteor.
Alaric's dragonbone bow was heavy. With a resounding clang, the arrow struck one of the chains, severing it into two pieces.
The next moment, the other chain holding up the drawbridge was also cut, causing it to crash down with a thud, rendering it unable to be raised again.
This heroic act dumbfounded the guards on the battlements. They watched helplessly as the group passed through the gates and made their way out, utterly stunned.
In reality, the Red Keep wasn't far from the harbor.
They only needed to traverse Flea Bottom, come down the mud road, proceed to Fishmonger's Square, and then pass through the river gate known as Mud Gate to reach the docks.
In Flea Bottom, the carriage stopped at the entrance of a branch of the Free Trade Bank.
Due to the numerous obstacles in the city streets, the cumbersome carriage slowed their progress.
The Stark household servants entered the bank one by one, assured by Alaric's tokens that they would be hidden.
Meanwhile, Alaric continued unabated, trampling pedestrians and knocking over stalls along the way. No one dared to stand in their path. Alaric charged all the way to the Mud Gate.
The guards stationed there were bewildered, but they dutifully stepped forward to intercept.
However, Alaric dashed toward the gate, his spear swift as a dragon, scattering the formation of several guards.
He slew two guards and trampled another, leaving the rest in disarray as he escaped through the gate.
When the Hound and his pursuers arrived, all they saw was chaos.
What further enraged him was the sudden outbreak of fires in King's Landing.
The fires started in Flea Bottom, where the cramped streets were lined with wooden houses. These structures were now ablaze, and the flames were spreading beyond the slums.
He had to abandon the pursuit and focus on extinguishing the fires. If they were allowed to continue, they might engulf half of King's Landing.
This was, of course, orchestrated by Alaric's people in advance, to sow chaos in King's Landing, preventing the Lannisters from mobilizing their fleet to blockade the city's harbor and Blackwater Bay.
He didn't want to reveal his true power in King's Landing.
If he unleashed his powerful spells, all pursuers would be dispatched easily.
However, if he did so, his formidable magical abilities would be exposed to the nobles of King's Landing, likely alerting them to Daenerys's power.
Additionally, Sansa and Arya might demand that he rescue Eddard.
Then, would he rescue him or not?
Although saving Eddard was a trivial matter, the cost might be that the Starks would no longer be at Daenerys's disposal.
Appeasing Sansa and Arya might lead to trouble for Daenerys. It wasn't ideal.
Regardless, Alaric had finally set sail with Eddard Stark's two daughters, bound for Pentos on a merchant ship.
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