~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter! Your votes keep this climbing. Thanks!
Everyone was stunned.
They looked at the young king wearing his crown, a cruel smile playing on his lips, eyes filled with bafflement and disbelief.
Had he lost his mind?
Had a boar gored him too?
Or was his brain already ruined?
Earl Lynn,the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Myrcella's husband, the very first among the nobles to stand in the Iron Throne's hall, in front of all the great lords, pledging his support for Joffrey's claim to the throne.
That act had been a powerful endorsement, carrying the weight of Ned Stark as Warden of the North and Earl Lynn as King-Beyond-the-Wall. It had risked everything—the North's honor and strength, to secure what looked like a smooth transfer of power.
But what did Joffrey do?
The first thing he did after claiming the crown wasn't to soothe his strongest ally or reward his loyalty.
Instead, in front of everyone, without warning, he humiliated Lynn's future father-in-law,Ned Stark, by dismissing him from the Hand of the King.
Burning the bridge behind him?
No. The river wasn't even crossed yet, and he was already tearing down the bridge.
This was no longer mere stupidity. It was madness.
Cersei Lannister felt her blood run cold as darkness swirled before her eyes.
She wanted to scream, to rush forward and clamp a hand over her son's foolish mouth.
But inside this solemn, sacred Sept, beneath the watchful eyes of the Faith of the Seven, she was powerless.
She could only watch.
Watch as Joffrey destroyed a perfect hand of cards with one reckless move.
It was over.
Everything was finished.
What would Lynn think of this?
He would see it as an insult and a betrayal by the Lannisters.
Given Lynn's temper and cunning, he would surely exact a painful price on House Lannister.
All eyes instinctively turned to the other focal point of the whole event.
Ned Stark.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Warden of the North's face didn't flush with anger or humiliation.
He just stood quietly, his sharply chiseled features calm like the frozen lake outside Winterfell.
Even beneath that calm, there was a hint of relief, a faint but unmistakable lightness, and even a trace of disbelief mixed with joy.
Angry? Why be angry?
He was almost overjoyed.
No longer the Hand.
Finally, he could return home to the North with a proper reason.
He had been wondering how to persuade Joffrey to let him go back. After all, as the Hand, running the kingdom was his priority.
But when sleepiness hit, Joffrey,the so-called genius, just handed him a pillow.
Finally, no more being the damned Hand of the King.
No more carrying that suffocating promise on his shoulders.
Robert, my brother.
Look.
It's not that I'm breaking the vow.
It's that your beloved son personally pushed me out of this position.
I have no choice.
I am free.
Ned slowly lifted his head and met Joffrey's defiant gaze.
He said nothing in protest, showed no anger. Instead, with the utmost formal courtesy, he gave a slight bow.
"As you command, Your Grace."
Those four words were spoken with extraordinary calm.
But they struck Joffrey's face like a sharp slap.
That calmness and composure made Joffrey's carefully planned humiliation look like a childish farce.
At that moment, Lynn stepped forward from the crowd, walking slowly.
Everyone's hearts leapt.
What would he do?
Would he lose control? Draw his sword?
Would he immediately withdraw his support and turn the coronation into a joke?
Cersei tensed so hard she nearly fainted.
She feared Lynn might expose the truth.
But Lynn did nothing rash.
He simply walked over to Ned and bowed slightly to Joffrey as well.
"The King's will is the law of the land."
Lynn's voice rang clearly throughout the vast Sept.
"Now that Your Grace has made his decision, we shall obey it."
With that, he turned to Ned Stark, a relaxed smile breaking across his face.
"It seems you can finally lay down your burden."
"The air in King's Landing is damp and foul. I imagine you've long missed the dry, cold, crisp winds of the North."
Ned looked at Lynn and smiled too.
It was a genuine smile, free of pretense and weight.
"Yes, I miss my hearth and my wife."
They spoke like that, casually, as if no one else were in the room.
As if this place wasn't the heavily guarded Great Sept of Baelor, but some tavern in Winterfell.
From beginning to end, Ned didn't once glance at Joffrey.
That thick disregard, as if the boy didn't even exist, cut far deeper than any angry words.
It was like a stake piercing the swelling bubble of Joffrey's royal ego.
How dare he.
Joffrey's face flushed a deep purplish red in an instant.
He wanted to roar, shout at the Kingsguard to drag the insolent man who dared ignore him out for execution.
But the fury surged and faded too fast.
He could only watch helplessly as Lynn and Ned, surrounded by Northern guards, turned calmly and strode out of the Sept.
Two resolute, unfazed backs were all they left behind.
And the nobles' hall was full of calculating, meaningful looks, none kind.
*
The Red Keep, King's chamber.
"Smash!"
A crystal wineglass shattered violently on the floor.
"You idiot! You hopeless fool!"
Cersei finally exploded.
Like a lioness enraged, her beautiful face twisted in anger.
"Do you even realize what you've just done?"
"You've driven away our only,and strongest—ally by your own hand!"
Joffrey flinched at his mother's fury.
But royal dignity made him stand tall immediately.
"You dare yell at me?"
"I am the King! I dismiss whoever I want!"
He stiffened his neck, roaring bravado.
"Ned Stark is Lynn's father-in-law. Insulting him is slapping Lynn in the face!"
"How do you expect the other lords to see this?"
"And you actually let Ned leave with a clean slate!"
"He'll definitely return North to prepare war against Lysa!"
"You could have kept him tied to court duties, then later showed mercy and royal forgiveness, allowing the eager Ned to go home."
"Ned values honor. At that time, you'd have earned a huge favor from him!"
"But you? You not only missed that chance—you sent him away angry!"
Cersei shook with rage, trembling even more visibly than when Lynn had tormented her.
She jabbed a finger into Joffrey's nose, every word squeezed between clenched teeth.
"Why do you think he supported you?"
"Because he loves you?"
"Because you're a natural king?"
"No! Because of what he gains!"
"And you, fool, told him in the stupidest way possible that you're unfit!"
"He'll kill us, Joffrey!"
"He'll crush us like insects!"
"And then he'll support Stannis, or Renly, or maybe sit on that throne himself!"
Fear filled Cersei's voice.
No one knew Lynn's terror better than she did.
That man's wit and cunning didn't seem of this world.
Every clash with Lynn ended badly for her, defeated, tormented from midnight onward.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━