Chapter 2: Chapter 2 - The Wolf In Stag's Clothing II
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It was impossible to lose all that fat in one month, nor did Robert (Eddard) have any delusions that he could. But getting in better shape was an attainable goal. Getting used to the hammer, and once again fitting in his armor was possible.
On the fifteenth day after his shocking resurrection, Ser Barristan Selmy arrived at Storm's End. The man believed it was an elaborate trick, or perhaps a plot to kill him. However, once he read the letter he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
The handwriting matched, and the various little details in the letter were only known to him and King Robert. So he rode non-stop and arrived at the Storm's End.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ser Barristan waved the letter in Ser Cortnay's face. "Has that Red Woman inflicted you with madness?"
Cortnay didn't respond to the provocations. "Follow me and see for yourself."
Having no other choice, Ser Barristan silently followed the Castellan deeper into the castle. To his surprise, he failed to find any Baratheon soldiers patrolling the hallways. The place was extremely dark and desolate, not even the servants were there.
He wondered if death awaited him ahead.
"Enter this room, Ser Barristan." Cortnay opened the door and gestured. "He wishes to speak with you alone."
One hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, Ser Barristan walked into the room. Right away, he searched the room with his eyes, lavish and huge. The grunting sounds of a man quickly grabbed his attention.
Tall, broad-shouldered, massive body, shoulder-length hair, and fat. He glanced at the shirtless man swinging the warhammer of Robert Baratheon.
"You dare run away from your duty, Ser Barristan?" Robert boomed as he continued to swing the warhammer. He stood there shirtless, his belly still bulging but slightly less than before. As for his beard, he had cut it off and left only a stubble.
Ser Barristan's eyes went wide. It wasn't easy to mimic someone's voice. He considered himself old, but he knew his ears weren't wrong. "Y-Your Grace?"
"Hah!" Robert finally slammed the warhammer on the stone floor and left it standing there. He turned around to face the finest Knight. "Is that how you stand before your king?"
Thud!
Ser Barristan quickly took to the knee. "Y-Your Grace… How is this possible? I saw you… W-What happened?"
Robert sighed. The past fifteen days were enough to come up with a plausible theory. "My survival is what happened—My body was declared dead before it went cold. Thrown into the coffin before I could take my last breath. Buried into the crypt here!"
Ser Barristant shivered at the revelation. It meant Robert was buried for a few weeks at least. The man standing before him had almost returned from the dead. "Your Grace, Pycelle had chec—"
"By the Seven, I'll have you executed for taking that traitor's name! He's a lapdog of the Lannisters!" Robert bellowed angrily. "Ned… My brother… Why didn't you honor my word?"
Calm… I must remain calm. He had to remind himself. This body is too quick to anger. I am Robert Star… Robert Baratheon.
"I was outnumbered." Ser Barristan gazed up at Robert's face in utter shame. "Queen Cersei tore the letter, Your Grace. Lannisters had control of the City Watch. Lord Baelish betrayed Lord Stark, himself placing the knife at the throat."
"That whore! That bastard!" Robert cursed, but it was merely the truth. "Joffrey is no son of mine."
Ser Barristan felt his heart skink. He had heard the rumors plenty, and being so old he had seen enough too. Jaime Lannister was under his command and he had been aware of the occasional disappearance of the Knight at night. "T-The rumors…?"
"True!" Robert boomed. "Before I fell into a trance, Ned had revealed the truth to me. That whore birthed her brother's demon spawns—not mine! All three of them! Jon knew and was killed… Ned found out and got killed!"
Forgive me for lying through your mouth, Robert. I need this man's loyalty.
Ser Barristan's shoulder slumped as his head fell too. He felt deceived by the bastard who had no claim on the throne. He felt ashamed of not standing by Lord Stark. "I… I failed to honor my oath, Your Grace. I shall accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
"Ride with me to King's Landing in a month! I'm taking my throne back and cleaning the filth from the Red Keep!" Robert ordered and turned back to pick up his hammer. "Until then, come and spar with me. I've been silent for too long... no more."
Ser Barristan looked at Robert's back and felt somewhat excited. He had seen Robert in action in the past, and now seeing him swing the hammer with such devotion and resolution—Was this the return of the Demon of the Trident?
"As you command, my King."
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Dragonstone,
"What do you make of this?" Stannis handed the raven he had just received from Storm's End. "Renly's scheme?"
The Red Priestess standing by his side took the parchment and read it carefully. Her unblemished face maintained a cold expression, yet her red lips seemed to smile. As if she saw through it, she shook her head. "It's real… One of ours found him and brought him back. The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Stannis frowned. "So Robert is alive."
"And blessed." The Red Priestess added.
"This makes everything worthless! Robert must learn the truth about Cersei and those bastards!" Stannis, always a stern man, made up his mind. "I shall meet him in Kingswood."
The Red Priestess added nothing. This was an unforeseen event even for her. She needed answers. She needed her lord's guidance before taking another step.
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As the month came to pass, Robert donned his antlered armor, appearing like a giant. He mounted a large black stallion, his warhammer hanging beside him.
Behind him, fifty knights mounted their horses, albeit none of them held any House Baratheon sigils. Or else, even getting into the city would become challenging.
"The men are ready, Your Grace." Ser Barristan remained beside his king, armed to the teeth in an armor almost similar to a Kingsguard.
Robert gave a nod and swung the reins of the horse. A little after the fifty of them left Storm's End, another army of five hundred men exited the castle and began marching northward, avoiding the Kingsroad as much as they could.
Since the Kingsroad started from Storm's End itself, it wasn't hard to hide the presence of fifty men. Once Robert entered Kingswood, he led the men away from the road that cut through the forest and traveled East by the riverbank of Wendwater River.
Soon they arrived at the point where the river connected with one of its tributaries.
"Halt!" Robert bellowed at the sight of activity up ahead. "Arms ready!"
Robert slowed the pace and approached ahead. He noticed some smoke rising from a tent, barely noticeable with so many trees around. Eventually, he saw a few tents by the river and armored men guarding the surroundings.
"Stannis!" Robert bellowed before the guards could see him coming. He lifted the visor off his helmet, revealing his Baratheon features.
Stannis' men became agitated and formed a close formation with their swords and spears out, forming a wall in Robert's way.
He'll see through me if I'm not careful.
"Seven hells, is that how you treat your brother?" Robert gave off anger with that roar.
Just then, the guards began moving aside, making way. Soon after an almost bald man came out followed by a ripe woman in all red.
Robert frowned seeing the Red Priestess. The rumors were true, he reckoned. "Since when did you start entertaining wenches?"
Stoic and unashamedly plain, Stannis stopped a few meters away from Robert's horse. He stared at his elder brother's face, trying to see if this was really him or an imposter. But in his heart, he knew this was the real deal. Ser Barristan beside him didn't leave room to argue.
"How did you survive?"
"I was never dead, Stannis. I was in a deep slumber, buried in the crypt alive." Robert answered, avoiding glancing at the Red Priestess.
Stannis merely nodded and waved at his soldiers behind to lower their weapons. "Your return is a welcome sight. A bastard born of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister now sits on the throne, Your Grace."
However, Stannis failed to receive the shocked or angered reaction from Robert. "You already know?"
"Ned told me before I fell into a trance. I tried to right the wrong by appointing Ned as the regent…" Robert replied and glanced towards the direction of the Red Keep. "That whore…"
Stannis finally saw the look of rage and it soothed his heart. "What's your plan, Your Grace?"
"I'd love to see my hammer meet their skulls. But that would leave the old lion with his pride intact." Robert spewed venom with his words. "I want the Lannisters to bleed and beg. Follow me into King's Landing. I'll need men to rid the city of this Lannister plague."
Crack!~
"Attack!"
"Kill Stannis… Robert?!"
Out of nowhere, a dozen or so armored men appeared out of the woods. Their swords out, their horses charging forward, bodies fully armored. But they stopped on their own before they could even reach Stannis and the others.
"Is that really you?!"
Robert sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Renly, you damned fool!"
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