As the sun rose, its first golden-red rays pierced the horizon, spreading warmth across the land.
A massive host had gathered outside Riverrun. The banners of the Iron Islands, the Riverlands, and the North snapped in the morning wind, ready to march for King's Landing.
At the very last moment before the order to move out, Euron Greyjoy appeared leisurely at the flap of his tent, as if he had just taken a morning stroll. Moments before, he had been in distant Sunspear, quietly slipping from Elia Martell's warm embrace.
Using the miraculous power of the ring, a single thought carried him across thousands of miles, returning him silently to his quarters in Riverrun. He seemed to carry the unique, slightly arid warmth of a Dornish morning, now mingling with the damp breeze of the Riverlands.
Euron blended into the formation with a composed expression, as if he had never left.
With commands from King Quellon, Lord Hoster, and Lord Eddard, the grand delegation of three major powers finally set foot on the Kingsroad, bound for the capital.
---
In King's Landing, when Robert heard that Ned and Euron's party was close, he lit up like a child with a new toy, clamoring to ride out and greet them personally.
Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, tried helplessly to dissuade him. "Your Grace, you are the King of the Seven Kingdoms now. It is improper for a king to ride to the gates to greet his subjects. It breaks protocol."
Robert waved a dismissive hand, his booming voice echoing in the Red Keep's hall. "The coronation hasn't happened yet, so I'm not really King! Besides, they are my friends, brothers who bled with me on the battlefield! I can't wait to have a drink with them and catch up!" He slapped his broad chest, his tone impatient with the tedium of governance. "And staying in this damn Red Keep, doing nothing but watching you argue and signing papers—I'm dying of boredom! Going out for a ride is better than anything!"
In the end, the future King appeared at the gates of King's Landing with a retinue.
Flanking him were the only two remaining Kingsguard—the respected "Bold" Barristan Selmy and the golden-haired Jaime Lannister.
When Ned and Euron came into view, Robert laughed loudly and spurred his horse forward. He gave Ned a bear hug that nearly suffocated him, pounding his back, then turned to Euron with equal enthusiasm, arms wide. "Hahaha! My brothers! You're finally here!"
His genuine joy and lack of pretension instantly transported the three back to the days of camaraderie and shared vengeance on the battlefield.
After exchanging hearty greetings with Robert, Euron turned his gaze to the solemn old knight beside him. "Ser Barristan," he greeted calmly. "It's been a long time."
Barristan Selmy's expression remained as tranquil as a lake. He nodded slightly, his steady voice devoid of resentment. "Indeed. Since my defeat under your twin blades at the Trident, I have remembered every day clearly."
Euron smiled, adding a touch of modesty. "I had the advantage. You had been fighting continuously and were exhausted."
Barristan shook his head firmly. His knightly honor refused such excuses. "No, a loss is a loss. Making excuses is for cowards. Your skill with twin blades has reached perfection; few in the world could match it." He paused, a faint glint of past glory flashing in his eyes. "If I were ten years younger..." He left the sentence unfinished, but the regret for the passage of time and lost prime was evident.
Euron smiled faintly, radiating confidence, while thinking inwardly: Even in your prime, I would still win!
Robert wrapped a thick arm around Ned's shoulder, his voice booming as he joined the conversation, pulling everyone back to the rebellion. "Hahaha! Speaking of the Trident, that was a battlefield of a hundred thousand men! Blood and flesh flying everywhere, a giant meat grinder! Every step forward meant stepping on a corpse..."
They stood at the gates of King's Landing, talking about the war that changed the fate of the Seven Kingdoms as if no one else were there, recalling thrilling scenes one by one.
Standing behind and to the side of Robert, Jaime Lannister's emerald eyes dimmed as he listened to their impassioned recounting.
He had missed every one of those spectacular, history-defining battles. The only thing he did during the entire rebellion was stand like a gilded ornament beside the Mad King Aerys, day after day, listening to his insane ravings.
Finally, when King's Landing fell, he pierced the heart of the King he had sworn to protect with his life—from behind.
This act, which he saw as decisive in ending tyranny and saving the city, earned him not praise, but a lifelong, scornful title—"Kingslayer."
The heavy humiliation and lonely lack of understanding felt piercingly cold amidst the others' reminiscence of glory.
---
Deep in the night, a chamber in the Red Keep was brightly lit, the air thick with the scent of ale and wine.
Robert, Ned, and Euron sat around a massive fireplace, amber liquid sloshing in their cups with their animated gestures.
Half-drunk, the topic naturally stayed on the blood and iron of the past.
Robert, voice booming, waved his cup describing the fateful blow at the Trident. Ned quietly added details about the movements and sacrifices of the Northern army. Euron laughed about the Ironborn's madness on the battlefield and their dominance at sea.
Of course, they didn't spare the Lannisters, who joined the fray only after the outcome was decided, entering the city by trickery at the last moment with their forces intact. Nor did they forget the Tyrells of Highgarden, who sat on the fence from start to finish, offending no one.
Firelight danced on their faces, sometimes excited, sometimes nostalgic.
Robert and Ned occasionally drifted into older memories, talking about their youth as wards of Jon Arryn at the Eyrie. Stories of training and causing trouble together made Robert burst into nostalgic laughter, diluting the heaviness of the war talk.
When the topic inevitably turned to the upcoming wedding, the joy on Robert's face vanished instantly, replaced by profound pain and rage. He slammed his cup onto the table, splashing wine.
"Rhaegar! That damned dragonspawn bastard!" he roared like a wounded lion. "Killing him ten thousand times wouldn't be enough! He destroyed everything!" His heart still bled for Lyanna Stark, and he was filled with resentment and resistance toward this political marriage with the Lannisters.
Ned watched his friend's suffering. His lips moved, the truth almost escaping—"But she loved another... and..." Yet, the heavy secret turned into a silent sigh, pressed back into his heart.
In that instant, Euron and Ned's eyes met briefly, almost imperceptibly. The exchange was so fast it seemed like an illusion, and then both returned to normal expressions.
Euron raised his cup at the right moment, steering the conversation away from the taboo subject.
Swirling the amber liquid, he asked seemingly casually, "Robert, do you remember Stoney Sept?"
Robert froze, then burst into loud laughter that made the candle flames flicker. "Of course I remember! That was a sorry state! That old fox Jon Connington launched a surprise attack at night, and I was chased into Stoney Sept like a rabbit hunted by hounds!" His eyes shone with memory. "They were searching the town like madmen, but they never guessed I was hiding right under their noses..."
A genuine smile appeared on Ned Stark's solemn face. "I remember too. The bells were ringing wildly. When we charged into the town, my heart sank, thinking you were dead or captured. Who knew you'd suddenly jump out from a street corner, full of energy, and cut down four or five Connington knights?"
Euron added the key detail at the perfect moment. "Not a street corner. The Peach. A brothel."
"Right, right! The Peach!" Robert laughed even harder, slapping his thigh. "I was hiding in there, drinking ale, a girl in my arm, watching Connington's men running around like headless chickens through the crack in the window. I was anxious about why you hadn't arrived yet, but also found the scene damn funny!"
Euron watched Robert immersed in the memory and calmly dropped the real point. "Do you remember Allyria?"
"Allyria of Stoney Sept?" Robert's smile faded slightly as he recalled. After a moment, he nodded solemnly. "Of course. If she hadn't risked hiding me in the attic crawlspace, feeding me daily, cleaning and bandaging my wounds... maybe Robert Baratheon would have died in that brothel." His tone carried rare gratitude. "If I get the chance, I must repay her properly..."
Euron's voice remained calm, but it hit like a boulder in a still lake. "No need to wait for a chance. After you left, she was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter. To remember you, and the Battle of the Bells, she named the girl Bella."
Ned: "..."
Robert: "..."
The air seemed to freeze. The firewood crackled in the hearth, illuminating Robert's face, which had instantly become extremely complex.
Euron continued as if discussing the weather, ignoring their silence. "We happened to meet her when passing through Stoney Sept this time. I thought you should know, so I brought them along to King's Landing. When you have time... go see them. It's your blood after all. They need to be settled; we can't let them stay in a brothel."
Robert opened his mouth, then gave a sheepish laugh and took a large gulp of wine. Clearly, the fearless warrior had not expected a fling from years ago to leave behind a bastard daughter.
Ned lowered his voice, his Northern caution evident. "This matter... best not let Cersei know. I hear the jewel of House Lannister doesn't exactly have a mild temper."
Robert snorted heavily through his nose, radiating the unquestionable arrogance of a King. "Just a woman. Even if she's plastered in Gold Dragons, so what? Can she control Robert Baratheon?" He waved a large hand as if sweeping away all constraints. "Besides, I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms now!"
Euron raised his cup at the perfect moment, a smile like the sea breeze spreading across his face, dissolving the tension. "Well said! Let us drink to freedom," he turned to Robert, laughing, "and to our King!"
"Cheers!"
"To the King!"
The three looked at each other for a moment, then burst into knowing laughter.