บท 11: -Chapter 10-

-Chapter 10-

"CONNINGTON!" the king bellowed at the forefront of the procession on a horse that threatened to break at any moment under the weight of the hefty king.

I sighed and cast an apologetic glance at Cersei before kicking my black stallion into motion, and once I reached his side, I said, "Your Majesty?"

"I've realized we don't really know each other, even though House Baratheon is the overlord of your house, seven hells my wife probably knows you better than I do HAHAHAHA," he said, bursting into laughter.

I nodded politely and said, "There's not much extraordinary to say, my name is Ronnet Connington, son of Ronald Connington, a man who fought in two wars for House Baratheon."

It was perhaps reckless, but I wanted him to know that I was aware of what he had done and that I hadn't forgotten anything. I wasn't arrogant enough to think I could beat him in a war, but I wanted him to know that he had created all the shit I was going to bring with me.

"House Connington, a house of brave men, but your uncle reduced your house's name to nothing, the moment he chose to rebel against his overlord," he said, ready to get angry just by mentioning House Targaryen.

"That was a different time, the Targaryens have been overthrown," I said, trying to close the subject before having unnecessary troubles.

That didn't seem to satisfy him because he said, "Speak plainly, if you have something to say don't be like a frightened maiden, I won't have you executed for saying what you think."

I took a small breath and said, "I understand that you might think so, but honestly, I don't believe my family betrayed its oath. Asking a lord to choose between his overlord and his king is truly foolish because either way, he'll betray one of the two. My uncle honored his oath to his king, the supreme overlord of the kingdom, and was exiled for it. But my father joined you at the Trident when you didn't even have the numbers for that battle, and the reward you offered him was his head and that of his entire family. I find that honestly petty on your part."

"And what would you have done in their place?" he said, frowning.

I laughed and said with overflowing confidence, "I would have won. The loss of our lands and our wealth allowed me to understand an essential truth, regardless of the truth, justice, or even the honorable thing, the winner will always be the king, and the loser the thief."

He burst into laughter and then said, "I like you, Connington."

"It's an honor," I said in a more respectful tone.

"I heard you fought for me in the Iron Islands," he said suddenly.

I smiled and tapped the sword at my hip, saying, "It's one of the many gifts I kept from my little expedition, along with a small scar on the upper chest."

The king frowned, and I said, "This is Griffin's Heart, a Valyrian steel sword made from Red Rain."

"Shit, even I don't have one," he said.

I rolled my eyes and said, "As if you needed one, everyone knows you prefer to crush rather than slice."

He laughed heartily and then said, "I must admit you're right. I can't do it anymore, but when I was young, oh how strong I was. You remember, don't you, Ser Barristan?"

The latter smiled awkwardly and then said, "Of course I remember, you could swing a hammer with a head twice the size of yours."

"And that's all you talked about?" Cersei said, skeptical.

"Essentially, after that, he mocked your brother a few times, but that's it," I said, summarizing the content of our conversations to Cersei.

"It's strange that he's trying to get close to you now," she said.

"Probably he feels the wind changing and his power diminishing over time while yours only grows," I said, even though I knew why she was truly worried.

I never revealed the fact that I knew the true nature of the bond between Cersei, Jaime, and her three little lions because firstly, I didn't know if she would simply execute me or if she would trust me enough to tell me one day.

Today, the more the days advance, the more I know that even though she cares a lot about me, she has established a boundary between us, and now I also knew where our relationship had to stop. As I had promised her, I will continue to be faithful to her until she shows the worst of herself.

"Don't worry about it, we'll arrive at Winterfell tomorrow, and in two weeks, we'll be back at the capital," I said, seeing her trying to unravel all the hidden thoughts the King might have had for approaching me now.

She smiled superficially and then left. I sighed because the more time passed, the more problems piled up, and the more I found the mad queen who plunged the entire continent into a bloodbath that lasted nearly a decade.