Chapter 197: Trouble for Eddard Stark

Since agreeing to Robert's request and becoming the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark found that the entire King's Landing was shrouded in thick mist, leaving him the wolf from the North feeling somewhat inadequate.

As the current head of House Stark, Eddard inherited the family's commitment to honor and justice. 

His steadfast dedication to honor and his fair and just demeanor earned him the respect and affection of many northern houses. 

However, King's Landing was a world apart from Winterfell, filled with deceit and intrigue. 

While Eddard was confident in his abilities on the battlefield, he found himself at a loss in the political game of King's Landing, unsure of when to advance and when to retreat.

This feeling lingered since he began investigating the death of the previous Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, who was also Eddard's foster father. The shadow of suspicion loomed over him.

First came the arrival of his wife, Catelyn. It was Lord Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin and former foster son of Eddard's father-in-law, who secretly arranged the meeting between Eddard and his wife. 

Eddard couldn't bring himself to like Baelish due to his past infatuation with Catelyn.

According to Catelyn, their son, Bran Stark, was attacked and nearly killed after Eddard's arrival in Winterfell. 

The assassin was executed on the spot, leaving behind only a dagger. 

Baelish claimed the dagger belonged to Tyrion Lannister, another son of Tywin Lannister and brother of Cersei and Jaime Lannister.

This accusation was serious because the Lannisters and Starks were among the most powerful houses in the Seven Kingdoms, guarding the Westerlands and the North, respectively. 

Such an assassination attempt could lead to another war engulfing the Seven Kingdoms, similar to the one fifteen years prior.

Despite his reluctance, Eddard reluctantly accepted Baelish as an ally due to his help and his past relationship with Eddard's wife. 

With Baelish's assistance, Eddard began investigating Jon Arryn's death. 

During this process, Baelish uttered a cryptic remark: "Not trusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you got off your horse."

During the investigation, Eddard discovered that Jon had died suddenly, despite being in good health before. This led him to believe that Jon had been murdered. 

Jon had been secretly investigating Robert's bastards, meeting some of them in person. 

He had also met with Robert's brother, Stannis, in secret and had planned to send his son to Dragonstone to be fostered by Stannis.

However, their relationship had always been distant, leading the investigation into a dead end.

Furthermore, things took a turn for the worse when Gregor killed a young knight from the Vale during a subsequent tournament. 

This knight was an important witness in Eddard's investigation, but now, he had been silenced by the Lannisters' men. 

Unlike team events, the weapons used in knightly duels were usually blunted for training and rarely caused fatalities, casting a shadow over his investigation.

However, there was some good news.

During the tournament, Eddard was pleased to see that his two daughters, who had not been getting along, had reconciled. 

Additionally, he gained a formidable ally in the tournament—a knight from the Free Cities who had won three championships. 

The only concern was that this knight was quite handsome, and Eddard's daughters seemed overly enamored with him.

Nevertheless, on the night after the tournament ended, Varys, the Master of Whisperers, secretly met with him and revealed a shocking conspiracy: Queen Cersei was plotting to kill the king.

Before the tournament, King Robert had expressed a desire to personally participate in the melee, but Cersei vehemently opposed it. 

Varys claimed that Cersei was attempting to goad Robert into participating in the melee to ensure his death would appear as an "accident."

Though this sounded absurd, Eddard had to admit that for someone like Robert, who prided himself on his martial prowess, such provocation might indeed be effective.

Varys then assured Eddard of his loyalty to the realm and revealed that Cersei's fear of him stemmed from Robert's unwillingness to harm him for any reason. 

He also exposed the varied intentions of the king's advisors: the Kingsguard were merely figureheads, Robert's brothers harbored ambitions for the throne, Grand Maester Pycelle cherished his position, Baelish cared only for himself.

Jaime Lannister was the queen's brother, Ser Barristan Selmy was solely dedicated to his honor, Ser Boros and Ser Meryn served the queen, and the rest were undecided.

In other words, the only person truly on Robert's side was Eddard, his Hand and longtime friend.

When Eddard inquired about Jon Arryn's death, Varys revealed that he had been poisoned with a substance called the Tears of Lys. 

According to Varys, it was administered by a knight from the Vale who was now deceased, supposedly acting on behalf of House Arryn.

However, regarding Cersei's conspiracy, as it was only speculation, Eddard couldn't bring it to the king's attention, leaving him to ponder his next move with caution.

At this moment, Eddard even considered sending his two daughters back to Winterfell temporarily.

Yet, as he returned to his chambers in the Tower of the Hand, he was greeted by a heartwarming scene.

His third daughter, Arya, dressed like a boy, was practicing swordplay under the guidance of his new sworn sword, Marcyl Hayford. 

His second daughter, Sansa, sat nearby, smiling as she watched them, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

The scene warmed Eddard's heart, and even though he reluctantly accepted the close relationship between Marcyl and his daughters.

Especially considering Marcyl's origins from Essos and lack of ties to House Lannister—he knew he could trust him. With his daughters' safety at stake, Marcyl's skills were crucial.

As for himself, he knew he had to quickly uncover what Jon Arryn had been searching for before his death. He had a hunch that this secret held the key to everything.

Unbeknownst to him, in the North, his wife, Catelyn, on her way back to Winterfell, had encountered Tyrion Lannister and captured him in a bold move.

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