Chapter 70: The Imprisoned Eddard Stark
King's Landing, the Red Keep, the third level of the dungeons
"Cough, cough, cough…"
After shifting his body slightly, the heavily injured Eddard Stark could not help but cough violently. During his arrest, he had been beaten by several gold cloaks and Lannister guards.
At this moment, Eddard felt utterly drained of strength, his body covered in wounds. Even the slightest movement caused him immense discomfort.
"Cough, cough… Who is there?!"
Though he looked wretched, certain instincts of a seasoned warrior were still etched into his bones. He quickly sensed someone approaching through the darkness.
"Heh heh, I did not expect the wounded Lord Stark to remain so alert. You truly are the man who brought down the Sword of the Morning."
"Cough, cough… Lord Varys?"
Upon hearing that soft, high-pitched voice, Eddard looked with surprise at the silk-robed eunuch slowly emerging from the shadows.
"That is impossible! The secret passages beneath the Red Keep were cleared and sealed. How did you come here?"
"Heh heh, Lord Stark, while I do not know how you discovered certain passages, the Red Keep is a castle of many secrets. And secrets, as you know, can always be created anew."
Varys maintained his usual gentle demeanor, yet his broad frame and steady composure reminded any observer that he was far more dangerous than he appeared.
"What business brings you here? Surely not to mock me. I believed that by sacrificing my honor, I could settle everything. In the end, it seems I could do nothing right."
Eddard's voice was heavy with exhaustion and bitterness.
"I have seen the price you have paid for the Seven Kingdoms. Like Lord Jon Arryn before you, you have given your all for the realm."
For a fleeting moment, Varys's words steadied Eddard's spirit. But memories of his slain household guard dragged him back into despair.
"How fares Lord Renly Baratheon?"
Eddard suddenly remembered and turned sharply toward Varys.
"Lord Renly is not in chains, as you are. Upon sensing the winds shifting, he departed King's Landing by night. The Lord Commander of the City Watch is not his man, but he did have Stormlands knights and retainers awaiting him beyond the gates."
Hearing that Renly had fled, a flicker of hope stirred within Eddard. The Stormlands lay close to King's Landing. If Renly rallied his banners and found alliance—perhaps with Highgarden and House Tyrell—House Lannister could yet be checked.
"To be honest, Lord Stark, I admire you. You placed many pieces upon the board within King's Landing. Had those sellswords not betrayed you, your family might have escaped. Lord Petyr Baelish's sigil should not be the mockingbird. A hound would suit him better. I never imagined he would watch your every move so closely."
"He covets power above all things. My fall—and my family's ruin—serve his designs perfectly. Of course he would watch us."
At the mention of Petyr Baelish, resentment flickered across Eddard's face. Jon had warned him to beware of Littlefinger. Yet Eddard had allowed himself to believe he could use the man.
"How fares my family?"
Though Eddard had spoken with Ser Jaime Lannister in uneasy accord, House Lannister had moved swiftly following King Robert Baratheon's fatal hunting accident.
When Eddard went to the Red Keep to confront Queen Cersei with the truth of her children's parentage, he was seized. Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard had arrested him on charges of treason.
When he learned Robert was dying, Eddard had not thought events would unfold so darkly. In his mind, he had chosen stability.
For the good of the realm, he had prepared to sacrifice his honor and publicly acknowledge Joffrey Baratheon as king.
But House Lannister had never trusted him.
"Heh heh, your second son, Bran Stark, and your younger daughter, Arya Stark, were moved away beforehand. Clearly, another power has intervened. As for your eldest daughter, Lady Sansa Stark—she was taken back into the Queen's custody when a septa attempted to escort her from the Red Keep."
When Varys mentioned Bran and Arya, his eyes studied Eddard carefully, searching for any reaction.
But Eddard's expression remained blank.
Varys felt a chill.
Someone had acted within King's Landing beyond his sight. For a man who prided himself on knowing every whisper in the city, that was deeply unsettling.
"Speak plainly," Eddard said at last. "You would not come merely to trade news. What do you want of me? What must I do to walk free?"
The rise and fall of fortune had stripped Eddard of hesitation. If matters continued thus, he would soon meet his end at Joffrey's whim.
"I may advise Queen Cersei on your behalf. If you confess and agree to take the black, I believe they would not risk open war with the North by executing you."
"It will not matter," Eddard interrupted. "Petyr Baelish will contrive a way to see me dead. My death ignites war between House Stark and House Lannister. That chaos is precisely what he desires."
A flash of surprise crossed Varys's eyes.
"Then tell me, Lord Varys. What other path remains?"
Eddard now regretted not heeding Jon more fully. But regret alone would not save House Stark.
"My apologies, Lord Stark. If the secret passages remained secure, I might have spirited you from the Red Keep. But now…"
Eddard recalled Jon's warning: Varys was no simple servant of peace. A man does not weave so vast a web without purpose.
"Lord Varys," Eddard said steadily, "what is your true aim? Baelish seeks power. What do you seek? Do not speak to me of the smallfolk. If Lord Jon Arryn had said such words, I might believe them. But you?"
He had only one path forward: force Varys to reveal his hand.
"…"
Varys studied him with newfound interest.
"Lord Stark… do you remember Prince Rhaegar's children?"
At the name Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Eddard's heart lurched.
For an instant, he feared Jon's secret had been uncovered.
"Lord Stark, I have long remained loyal to House Targaryen. When the Red Keep fell and Lord Tywin Lannister's men sacked the city, Princess Elia Martell and Prince Rhaegar's son did not perish as believed. The child slain by Ser Gregor Clegane was another."
Shock rippled through Eddard.
Yet Jon's earlier revelations tempered his reaction.
"Prince Aegon Targaryen has lived in secrecy across the narrow sea. He has come of age. He is educated, disciplined, and carries the blood of Old Valyria. With your support, he may yet sit the Iron Throne. And you, Lord Stark, would be remembered as the man who restored a dynasty."
Excitement colored Varys's voice, as though he could already see banners bearing the three-headed dragon rising once more above the Seven Kingdoms.
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