"Bronn, is it?"
"Can you swear before the Seven and your King that what you are about to say is the truth?"
Bronn stood still in the King's Great Hall. This mercenary of humble origins, under the gaze of the nobles of King's Landing and the kingdom's elite, not only showed no nervousness but instead exceptionally enjoyed being the center of attention.
"Yes, my lord."
Bowing slightly in response to Eddard's questioning, performing a gesture he considered appropriately polite, the newly knighted Bronn answered honestly:
"I can swear before the Seven and the King that every word I say will be nothing but the truth; otherwise, let my body be reviled, and after death, may my Soul never return to the embrace of the Seven."
"Very well, Ser Bronn of the Riverlands."
The obese Robert stood up, walked slowly to the edge of the dais, and pointed down at The Imp, questioning loudly:
"Then answer me, have you seen this man, who is but half a man's height?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
A smile played on the corners of Bronn's mouth, as if he had remembered something pleasant:
"This is Lord Tyrion of House Lannister. I once encountered him at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands."
"I must say, as an excellent Lannister, Lord Tyrion is very generous."
"To buy my seat, he paid three Gold Dragons as a reward."
As if to thank The Imp for his generosity, he even cast a friendly glance his way.
Nodding slightly, Robert looked at the solemn Eddard, then pointed at Catelyn's corpse in the hall and questioned again:
"Then, have you seen this deceased noble lady in the hall?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Without needing to think, Bronn answered again:
"This is the wife of the lord of winterfell, Lady Catelyn Tully, the eldest daughter of House Tully. I had the honor of seeing this lady on the same day at the Crossroads Inn in the Riverlands."
"Then, what was she doing at the time?"
"The Lady was sitting right behind me, but I didn't actually know her. It was Lord Tyrion who recognized her and called out her name loudly in front of everyone."
Bronn honestly recounted the scene at the time but selectively omitted the process of The Imp's verbal provocation:
"Lady Catelyn was very angry at the time, loudly questioning all the knights present whether they were loyal to House Tully and House Stark, and identifying Lord Tyrion on the spot for intending to murder her ten-year-old son."
"At that time, all the knights were filled with righteous indignation and moved to escort Lord Tyrion to Winterfell to await Your Majesty's judgment."
"And then, Bronn?"
Hearing this, Eddard Stark asked impatiently, desperate to find out exactly why his wife had died.
Logically, with the help of a group of Riverlands knights, The Imp couldn't possibly have any room for resistance. Even with the hulking Mountain by his side, he wasn't strong enough to kill dozens of knights in such a cramped space.
Moreover, Catelyn's death—looking like she had been frozen into an Ice sculpture—was simply too inconceivable, making him suspect whether The Imp had learned some evil sorcery somewhere.
"All the knights swarmed forward, surrounding Lord Tyrion's tall guard so tightly that even I couldn't squeeze in at all."
"After about seven or eight people were killed, I saw that tall guard fall in a pool of blood. Suddenly, someone behind me knocked me out with a stone, and I lost consciousness."
"When I woke up again, I was already over ten miles away."
Under The Imp's bewildered gaze, Bronn looked directly at Eddard Stark, showing no sign of lying whatsoever.
He was lying, of course. This fellow was as slippery as an eel; the moment he spotted a hint of danger in the inn, he had already fled.
However, yesterday afternoon, Arthas had found him, paid him a thousand Gold Dragons as a reward for false testimony, and knighted him.
Lying was just a routine for Bronn, who had struggled up from the bottom; breaking an oath was as trivial as drinking water. If he wouldn't lie, there was only one reason—not enough money!
...Though he didn't know why Bronn chose to lie to help him, The Imp wasn't stupid enough to expose him.
"You lie!"
Just when everyone thought the matter was coming to a close, Jory Cassel, fully armed and standing beside Eddard, drew his sword and roared.
Following his lead, more than twenty Northern knights drew their weapons, glaring at the unarmed and innocent-looking Bronn.
Lancel, standing by the hall, reacted the fastest, immediately leading ten Gold Cloaks to draw their swords and rush in, standing beside The Imp and Arthas, facing off against the Northern knights.
Beside Robert, the seven Kingsguard members, already fully replenished, saw this and also drew their longswords to protect the King. Barristan moved directly to shield Robert behind him.
The three groups of men stood in a standoff.
"By the Seven, what are you all doing? Put your damn swords down, all of you!"
Seeing this, Robert waved his fists frantically:
"This is my fucking council chamber, not the kingdom's tourney grounds!"
"If you want to fight to the death, go outside and settle it. I'll be your referee!"
Seeing this, Eddard quickly gave Jory Cassel a look, and the Northern knights resentfully and reluctantly sheathed their longswords.
"My Gold Cloaks, what are you doing? I told you to put your swords down!"
Seeing that Eddard's men had already put away their weapons while the Gold Cloaks showed no reaction, Robert angrily pointed his finger at Lancel and shouted again.
"Since Your Majesty has told you to put your swords down, put them down quickly."
Upon receiving Arthas's nonchalant command, Lancel finally led the Gold Cloaks to sheath their weapons and step aside.
"The matter is quite clear, Your Majesty."
Without waiting for Robert to react to his authority being undermined, Arthas raised both hands as if laying out the truth before everyone, speaking loudly:
"Ser Bronn's testimony fully proves that Tyrion did indeed face a personal threat from the Lady of Winterfell at the Crossroads Inn that day."
"But no one saw him kill her with his own hands."
"Therefore, I believe Lord Eddard Stark's murder charge against Tyrion is completely unfounded!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to whisper and discuss again, and the scene became quite noisy for a moment.
Some believed The Imp simply didn't have the ability to kill Catelyn after losing The Mountain, while others believed the Imp was inherently evil and it wouldn't be surprising if he possessed some unique ability.
Amidst the chaotic chatter of the crowd, Robert roared as if in great anger:
"Enough, stop the noise!"
He slowly walked down the steps, approaching his old friend whose eyes revealed a look of despair, gently putting an arm around his shoulder while his other hand gripped the hilt of Ice.
He gave it a slight tug, but Eddard held Ice very firmly, his eyes red as he looked at his wife who would never wake again, his mind in complete disarray.
"Enough, Ned."
Using a bit of force, he pulled the greatsword from Eddard's hand and comforted him in a slightly apologetic tone:
"The truth of this matter is still unclear. For now, the most important thing is to let Catelyn be laid to rest."
"Robert, I..."
Tears fell as the lord of winterfell could no longer suppress the grief and indignation in his heart, slowly walking to his wife's body and kneeling.
He took her hand again; the hand that was once warm had become incredibly cold and stiff. He leaned down to kiss his beloved's cheek, but he would never hear her call him "Ned" again.
"Sigh..."
Robert sighed softly, handed the broad Ice to Barristan beside him, and announced the result of the trial loudly:
"I declare that the cause of death for Lady Catelyn Tully of Winterfell remains unknown for now. Tyrion is acquitted."
"However, given that he remains a major suspect, he is ordered not to leave King's Landing by a single step until this matter is thoroughly investigated!"
Under The Imp's relieved gaze, Robert stepped in front of him and reminded him from above:
"As the Master of Coin of the kingdom, Tyrion."
"You should think about how to perform your duties well, instead of wandering around all day and causing me so much trouble."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Imp, in a much better mood, agreed readily, then looked playfully at the seemingly noble King before him. On him, The Imp smelled the familiar scent of Necromancy.
"It seems this fellow has been completely and utterly controlled by Arthas."
Glancing at Arthas, who had a warm smile on his face, The Imp thought this to himself but said nothing.
At this moment, Eddard, who had been half-kneeling on the ground, carefully picked up his wife's body and walked out of the hall step by step.
Seeing this, the Northern knights beside him followed their sworn lord with great reluctance.
As they passed the two of them, every one of them glared furiously at The Imp.
"It seems this won't end so easily."
After Robert had left, looking at the desolate figure of the tall man carrying his wife away, The Imp sighed.
"It doesn't matter. I have already sent letters to the Westerlands, telling Tywin to prepare for war."
"It's just a pity this fellow isn't as impulsive as Joffrey. If he had drawn his sword against you in the hall out of indignation, I would have an excuse to cut him down right now."
"When that time came, those wolf pups would surely have been unable to resist starting a rebellion."
"Unfortunately, it seems you'll have to wait a while longer to get the title of warden of the north."
"warden of the north?"
The Imp looked at Arthas in confusion, the two of them conversing in extremely low voices:
"Don't be ridiculous. Even if we conquer the North, those barbarian lords wouldn't willingly swear fealty to a House Lannister dwarf who killed their lady."
"On the contrary, with your prowess, I believe it would be very simple to subdue those fellows who only know how to roar and charge forward with weapons."
"Don't underestimate yourself, Tyrion."
Patting his shoulder, Arthas took the lead and walked out of the hall.
"If I say you are the warden of the north, then you are!"
"If anyone refuses to submit, then beat them until they do!"
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