Chapter 608: The Death of Robert

Robert Baratheon was no more.

In the duel, he was defeated by the younger and stronger new king. Sometimes, the rules of mankind mirror the law of the jungle among animals—survival of the fittest.

After successfully seizing the Iron Throne, Robert did not earnestly govern the realm beneath his feet. Instead, he quickly succumbed to decadence, squandering recklessly, and ultimately met his end in a duel of kings on the battlefield.

With a single stroke, Viserys shattered his warhammer, much like his turbulent yet grandiose life, and with a backhand thrust, pierced Robert's chest, ending his life as his body fell into a pool of blood.

Yet, before Robert's last breath, Viserys chose to reveal the truth to him.

The goddess he had yearned for did not fancy him; his so-called love was but a pitiful unrequited affection. Even worse, his beloved eloped with another, bearing a child for him.

Of course, it was a simple choice.

Between a coarse man known for his drinking, whoring, and foul mouth, and a prince with a face capable of capturing the hearts of maidens across the Seven Kingdoms—graceful, talented, and a martial arts expert.

On horseback, a knight unmatched across the realms; off horseback, a harpist playing tunes that could bring one to tears.

It was an easy choice for anyone, especially if they were Lyanna Stark.

Before the sword pierced through Robert's chest, he did not believe Viserys' words. Yet, as the sword tore through his chest and Viserys whispered the truth into his ear, Robert turned his gaze towards a confused brown-haired young man.

He saw a familiar reflection on the young man's face.

Jon Snow's eyebrows were delicate, his eyes lively, much like the girl who stole his heart at first sight. She too had such a pair of grey eyes.

The contour of the young man's face was strikingly similar to his eternal foe, especially when he turned his face sideways.

Without Viserys' reminder, the careless Robert might never have noticed that his good brother Eddard Stark's bastard bore the perfect blend of Rhaegar and Lyanna's features.

This was the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna!

Seeing this child, Robert finally believed the truth Viserys had told him. The belief he had held all along crumbled. The Targaryen family he had relentlessly pursued to exterminate did not kill Lyanna; the real culprit was he himself.

Rhaegar and Lyanna were truly in love, while he was merely an irrelevant passerby. Upon realizing this, Robert's body shivered involuntarily, perhaps due to a muscle spasm before death, or the unbearable anguish of the truth.

His eyes were filled with blood, and his mouth spewed blood that stained his beard. His gaze was fixed on Eddard Stark standing on the platform.

Ned's expression was complex. He took a deep breath and lowered his head, unable to meet Robert's gaze.

Viserys did not reveal the truth to mock Robert; he had a certain respect for him. Robert had shown no retreat in the war against the White Walkers, bravely resisting the army of the dead, fulfilling a king's duty. He was a worthy opponent.

In the end, Viserys assured Robert that he need not worry about what lay behind him; his wife and children would be taken care of.

"Cough, cough—"

As Robert Baratheon lay on the ground, his chest heaved like a broken bellows, coughing up blood.

He heard Viserys' words and, using the last of his strength, turned his head to look at a boy standing behind Viserys' seat on the platform.

The boy had black hair, blue eyes, a round and honest face, and a sturdy physique. He was holding a wine jug, pouring wine for Queen Arianne, unaware of Robert's gaze upon him.

"Gendry."

As an incompetent father, Robert learned the boy's name from Viserys.

For some reason, he was willing to believe that Viserys wasn't deceiving him.

A man who had but a breath left.

And Robert could tell at a glance, this was his son, a spitting image of him when he was young.

Subsequently, Robert watched the bustling figure of the boy on the platform, mumbling his name, perhaps regretting not treating his bastard and their mothers better on his deathbed. After all, this was his true flesh and blood, whereas Joffrey and Myrcella were someone else's children.

In his final moments, Robert's pale lips trembled, whispering a thank you to Viserys in a voice so faint he himself could barely hear, then took his last breath, his eyes finally closing.

Robert Baratheon died on the dueling ground, yet the arena fell into a solemn silence, with no nobles or commoners of the Seven Kingdoms cheering, only the silence of death prevailing.

Whoo—

Then, someone initiated applause, followed by everyone else rising to their feet, clapping.

The applause was for the spectacular duel, for the victorious King Viserys, and also to bid farewell to King Robert Baratheon.

Viserys withdrew the sword from Robert's chest, cleaned the blood off with a silk cloth, and threw it on the ground. He then handed Twilight back to his squire, Robb Stark.

"Robb."

"Your Grace."

The red-haired young man received Viserys' sword, holding it earnestly in his arms, watching as King Robert's corpse was placed on a stretcher.

"What does Robert's story teach us?"

"I—I don't know."

Robb Stark hesitated, then after a thoughtful pause, still found himself at a loss.

"Sycophants meet an untimely end."

"Remember, never be a sycophant."

"Give Robert Baratheon a dignified burial."

Viserys patted the young man on the shoulder, reminding him once more before turning to leave.

The death of the former King Robert Baratheon on the dueling ground symbolized the conclusion of the public trial that spanned half a month.

His body was buried on a small hill outside King's Landing facing the sea, but the drama left behind at the scene of the public trial had yet to end.

There was a lot of chatter about the self-exposure of former Queen Cersei, but the most pitiful were the two children.

The council argued whether Joffrey and Myrcella should bear the name Lannister or Hill, or Waters, and it was certain that the Baratheon name would be stripped as neither was King Robert's child.

Had the Lannister family still held power, they might have fought for the children's name rights.

But now, with the Lannister family extinct and Jaime and Cersei having never made a sacred vow before the gods, the children were products of an illicit affair.

In the end, according to the principle of bastards bearing the name of their place of birth, Viserys issued a royal decree stripping Joffrey and Myrcella of their titles as prince and princess, and their Baratheon surname. They were renamed Joffrey Waters and Myrcella Waters.