"Oh, dear Your Majesty, welcome back."
The King's procession was lined up neatly in the streets of Flea Bottom. Arthas walked out with Renly and Barristan, opening his arms with unusual enthusiasm to greet them.
"And of course, the esteemed lord of winterfell, our new hand of the king, Lord Eddard Stark."
While greeting Robert, he didn't forget to politely greet Eddard, whose brow was furrowed as if it would never unfurl.
"Welcome. The people of King's Landing have been looking forward to your arrival!"
His words were so smooth that even someone with Eddard's temperament couldn't find any fault, and the tension between his brows visibly eased.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty."
Before Robert could speak, Barristan, clad in white armor, walked straight to him and knelt on one knee.
"I did not receive word of your return to King's Landing, so I did not go to the city gates to meet you."
"No need for such formalities, my loyal old friend."
Robert did not intend to dwell on Barristan's apology.
This old knight's loyalty and integrity were known to all. He wasn't stupid; he could guess that someone must have intercepted the message.
However, after Barristan stood up and moved to his side, Robert glared at Renly, who was still standing behind Arthas, with a look of disappointment.
This fellow didn't even bother to greet him upon his arrival. More egregiously, he didn't even seem inclined to move, as if he had already become Arthas's lackey.
He had completely failed to live up to the expectation of acting as the acting hand of the king to keep Arthas in check.
Faced with his royal brother's glare, Renly looked around evasively, refusing to meet his eyes at all, acting like a slippery customer.
"Commander Arthas."
With a frustrated snort, Robert decided to deal with the immediate trouble first.
"Why did you summarily sentence the former High Septon of the Faith to death without notifying the Small Council!"
Seizing any excuse, the highly theatrical King began his performance once again.
In truth, he was quite satisfied with the changes to King's Landing along the way. After all, for many years, the stench and lack of security in King's Landing had been notorious throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Being able to transform King's Landing into its current state in just one month under such harsh conditions, Arthas's ability indeed satisfied him greatly.
However, ability was one thing; whether he could be used was another.
This earth-shattering change had nothing to do with him as King; he hadn't even gained a good reputation from it.
Along the way, he had only heard Arthas's name from the mouths of the people of King's Landing. There were even rumors that he was the Reincarnation of the Seven. This was far too dangerous!
"Oh, dear Your Majesty."
Facing Robert's questioning, Arthas calmly stepped aside, fully exposing Renly behind him.
"I reported this matter to Lord Renly before I took action, and he personally agreed to the trial of the fat Septon."
"Furthermore, the other party resisted arrest with violence first, so my subordinates sentenced him to death directly before the Seven."
"Isn't that right, Lord Renly?"
As Arthas spoke, he gave Renly a subtle wink.
This master of laws from House Baratheon had already been fooled into following his every word; he was the perfect shield.
"That's right!"
Seeing the other party trust him so much, the hot-blooded Renly stepped forward, standing tall as if he had done something very honorable.
"The former High Septon was corrupt and committed acts that defiled the Seven in such a sacred place as the Great Sept. He truly deserved to die!"
"Commander Arthas had my permission for this matter."
Renly's expression was solemn, and his words were righteous.
Seeing his brother defect so quickly, Robert first shook his head helplessly, then suppressed his anger to question him:
"So, my former commander Janos was also arrested under your instructions?"
"That's right!"
Since he was already in deep, even though Robert's eyes were practically spitting fire, Renly braced himself and answered loudly:
"The former commander of the Gold Cloaks, Janos, extorted the people and exploited the guards, truly bringing shame to the City Watch."
"Under my instructions, Commander Arthas quickly organized his men and struck decisively, catching this cancer of King's Landing red-handed with the loot."
"He himself has confessed to his crimes and is now held in the dungeons, ready to be sent to the North to guard the Wall at any time!"
Renly acted very tough, thinking that at worst he'd be scolded and could just run back to Storms End and never come to King's Landing again.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Robert was trembling with rage, the fat on his face quivering, his face flushed red.
"Lord Eddard Stark, my hand of the king!"
At this moment, he finally remembered the helper he had invited back from the North and asked loudly in front of everyone:
"Does Commander Arthas's behavior comply with the laws of the kingdom!"
"Your Majesty, since there was permission from the master of laws, I don't believe Commander Arthas's actions overstepped any bounds."
Eddard Stark's familiarity with the laws of the kingdom was second to no maester in the Seven Kingdoms.
Coupled with his well-known impartiality, no one could doubt his words.
However, just as Robert's brow began to furrow as deeply as his own, Eddard seemed to remember something and said in a deep voice:
"If there is anything unreasonable, it is that the trial process was flawed."
"According to the laws of the kingdom, a trial must involve a jury of seven, a point which Commander Arthas seems to have overlooked."
Eddard's words made Robert instantly excited. Having finally caught a flaw in Arthas's actions, he pointed his finger at him relentlessly:
"Did you hear that, Arthas? Your trial procedure was not in accordance with the process!"
"In other words, your trials of the High Septon and Janos were both illegal!"
Eager to strip Arthas of his authority, Robert didn't give him a chance to speak and announced loudly before everyone:
"I, Robert Baratheon, King of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Realm!"
"Hereby announce the removal of Arsath Lannister from his post as commander of the city watch and his return to the Westerlands!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire street was in an uproar.
The commoners who had come to watch the inauguration ceremony of the sewage system were all talking at once upon hearing the decision to dismiss Arthas.
As time passed, the quiet whispers gradually evolved into loud protests, and countless insults were hurled at the King.
Yet Arthas simply stood there calmly, as if he weren't the one who had just been dismissed.
He stood tall before Robert, his golden eyes staring at this man who claimed to be the Protector of the Realm:
"Do you hear that, Your Majesty?"
Tilting his head back and closing his eyes, Arthas seemed to be listening intently. His voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed full of power:
"This is the voice of the people!"
"Your decision has gone against the will of the people!"
Robert, his face grim as he listened to the cursing around him, felt for the first time in his life that his throne was truly threatened.
Reaching to the side, he pulled out Eddard's sword and shouted loudly:
"Gold Cloaks, drive these ignorant peasants back to their homes!"
For a moment, Robert, holding the longsword, felt as if he had returned to his invincible, heroic self of years past.
He thought that as King, one call to action would make the Gold Cloaks move immediately, but they only looked at each other, none of them moving a single step.
"You damn fools, will you not even obey the King's command?"
Robert was furious. The inaction of the Gold Cloaks made him, the King, look like a clown.
But before he could explode in rage, an egg from nowhere hit him right in his fat face.
Subsequently, countless eggs and small stones were hurled at the King's procession, and the entire group immediately fell into chaos.
Barristan immediately pulled Robert down from his horse and dutifully shielded him beneath him; the eggs and stones hitting his armor were harmless.
Eddard, on the other hand, snatched the longsword from Robert's hand and kept swinging it. Though nearly forty, his swordsmanship was still superb, parrying every projectile flying toward him.
"Enough, Arsath Lannister!"
While swinging the sword, Eddard shouted at Arthas:
"Have the Gold Cloaks disperse them! Do you want to be charged with organizing a rebellion?"
Seeing the scene about to spiral out of control, a playful smile flashed in Arthas's eyes, and he gave a wink to Lancel, who was guarding the street.
Receiving the signal, Lancel immediately led the Gold Cloaks to quickly form a human wall, forcibly pushing back the crowd that was about to break through the line.
"Do you see, Your Majesty?"
Arthas bowed slightly with elegance, his hands spread as if embracing the sky:
"This is the power of the people!"
"Arthas, don't you dare use these commoners to threaten me!"
Robert wiped the egg yolk from his face with force, roaring in anger. Since sitting on the iron throne, this was the first time he had been so humiliated.
"My decision just now will never be rescinded. You are no longer the commander of the Gold Cloaks."
"Get back to your Westerlands!"
Shaking his head indifferently, Arthas turned and walked away with ease, as if he had no attachment at all.
"Three days..."
Under Robert's wary gaze, Arthas slowly walked toward the crowd, but his certain voice rang clearly in his ears:
"I will only stay in King's Landing for three days."
"After three days, if you haven't come to me personally, dear Your Majesty..."
"I cannot guarantee what will happen then!"
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