After leaving the Red Keep, Lynd made his way to the residence he had purchased in King's Landing. Along the way, many who had survived the Great Spring Sickness knelt and paid their respects, expressing their gratitude.
Although it had been the Faith of the Seven who treated the sick in King's Landing, everyone knew where the medicine had come from. Naturally, their gratitude toward Lynd ran deep—so much so that they had even requested his statue be placed in the Sept of the Seven.
Lynd's residence was located right beside the Red Keep, pressed up against the city wall. It consisted of two three-story houses, along with a courtyard and garden. Just next to the residence was an arched gate leading to Blackwater Bay. During the day, the gate remained open, allowing the nobility living nearby easy access to the bay for leisure. But at night, three heavy iron gates would shut it tight to prevent anyone from sneaking into the city.
However, ever since Janos Slynt became commander of the City Watch, that gate had become a major route for smuggling contraband. The gatekeeper, Long, appeared to be one of Janos's most loyal men, but in reality, he was one of Lynd's own agents planted in King's Landing. This was one of the main reasons Lynd had purchased the residence.
Another reason was the hidden passage that connected directly to the Red Keep's secret tunnels—allowing Varys to visit Lynd at any time, just as he was doing now.
"Did Jon Arryn really die in an accident?" Lynd asked directly as soon as he saw Varys, who had been waiting inside the room for some time.
"No," Varys shook his head. "If it had only been an accident, Lady Lysa wouldn't have fled back to the Vale with her son."
"Then who killed him?" Lynd asked. "Queen Cersei? Or Littlefinger?"
"I don't know," Varys replied with another shake of the head. "Though Lord Jon had begun to suspect Queen Cersei of certain things, he hadn't found any solid evidence, so he hadn't truly threatened her yet. As for Littlefinger, what happened between him and Lady Lysa was actually something Lord Jon tacitly allowed—perhaps even arranged himself. So I don't think he would've had a reason to kill Lord Jon over that."
"What?" Lynd was stunned. He asked in a low voice, "Lord Jon allowed Littlefinger and his wife to…"
"Yes," Varys said, wearing a perplexed expression. "Lord Jon was a man who valued honor above all else. He had become... incapable long ago, and he feared Lady Lysa might take a lover and cause a scandal that would damage House Arryn's reputation. So he chose a lover for her himself—someone he could control—so there'd be no risk of an uncontrolled affair turning into a disgrace."
"The miscarriages Lady Lysa suffered over the past few years…" Lynd continued.
"They were caused by Lord Jon himself. He only meant to find her a lover, not..." Varys trailed off mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something. Then, in a low voice, he asked, "You're saying... because Lord Jon made Lady Lysa miscarry, she grew resentful and wanted him dead? That Jon Arryn died by her hand?"
Lynd didn't answer right away. He fell into thought, then asked, "What exactly caused Lord Jon's death? Was any poison identified?"
"No," Varys replied, shaking his head again. "Not any poison I know. I was with him when he died. The way he died was very... very... I can't put it into words. But I could feel that he had been poisoned."
"Even you don't recognize the poison?" Lynd frowned and muttered.
Before serving as Master of Whisperers under Aerys II, Varys had survived the chaotic underworld of Pentos, rising from the bottom to the top—so much so that even the Iron Throne had taken note of him. He had encountered assassination methods and poisons far beyond the knowledge of most. If even he couldn't identify this poison, then there was only one possibility: the poison that killed Jon Arryn didn't come from the Free Cities or the Seven Kingdoms—it came from somewhere else entirely.
That thought reminded Lynd of past intelligence reports suggesting that Littlefinger had once been in close contact with the Faith of the Doom. If he had obtained some kind of mysterious and deadly toxin from them during that time, it wouldn't be out of the question.
Lynd shared his suspicions with Varys, who nodded thoughtfully and said he would investigate the matter.
As he was about to leave, Varys suddenly paused and turned back to Lynd. "Lord Eddard has taken over the investigations Jon Arryn left unfinished. He's moving too openly—too boldly. Many eyes are on him. He's in constant danger. I think you should try to talk to him. King's Landing is not Winterfell."
Lynd shook his head. "You overestimate me. I don't know Lord Eddard that well—I can't convince him of anything. And with his character, even if King Robert tried to talk him down, I doubt he'd listen."
"A pity. He's a good man," Varys sighed before turning and leaving.
Once Varys had gone, Lynd changed into plain clothes, took two attendants with him, and left the residence. He walked along the city walls toward Flea Bottom.
The Great Spring Sickness had wiped out most of Flea Bottom's poor, leaving the place nearly deserted. But in just a year, it had become overcrowded again. Farmers, debtors, and fugitives from all over the Seven Kingdoms had gathered there. Most had only intended to stay temporarily, hoping for a better opportunity elsewhere. But temporary had turned into permanent; transients had become residents.
The people of Flea Bottom often said the place held a strange magic, conjuring an invisible rope that tied itself to everyone who entered. The longer someone stayed, the thicker the rope became, and the harder it was to break free—until eventually, they became part of Flea Bottom itself.
"I'm looking for the Great Sparrow," Lynd said after entering Flea Bottom, tossing a few copper stars to a child nearby.
Upon hearing this, the child immediately led Lynd and his companions through the maze-like alleys of Flea Bottom, eventually bringing them to a small fountain surrounded by a ring of low, shabby buildings.
The path to the fountain was packed with people. They sat quietly on the ground or leaned against the walls, their eyes fixed on a raggedly robed Septon by the fountain, listening intently as he preached the teachings of the Seven-Pointed Star.
Lynd didn't interrupt. He stood to the side and waited for the sermon to finish.
Not long after, the old Septon stopped speaking. His followers brought out several large pots filled with boiling wild vegetables and fish. The impoverished faithful who had gathered quietly lined up, holding bowls and jars, waiting in an orderly queue to receive their share of food.
While distributing the food, the old Septon noticed Lynd and his attendants. Even though they were dressed modestly, their clothes still stood out among the ragged poor. It was hard not to notice them.
But when the Septon got a clear look at Lynd's face, surprise flickered across his features. He had clearly recognized him. Yet he didn't set aside what he was doing to greet him. Instead, he turned away and continued to serve the gathered faithful with full attention.
After the last believer received their food, the Great Sparrow finally set down his ladle, walked over to the fountain, and washed his hands and face. He adjusted his tattered Septon's robe before stepping in front of Lynd, bowing respectfully.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lord Chosen One."
"I'm glad to meet you as well, Great Sparrow," Lynd replied, studying the devout man before him.
In his past life, watching the series, Lynd had thoroughly disliked the Great Sparrow, dismissing him as a power-hungry religious zealot. But after arriving in the world of ice and fire and ordering investigations into the Great Sparrow, Lynd found him to be quite different from the schemer he'd imagined. This was a man of true faith, a man of compassion.
Think about it—when the Great Sparrow emerged, it was during the War of the Five Kings. The entire system was teetering on collapse. Everyone was caught in a race to the bottom. Etiquette had crumbled, morals had decayed, and the lives of the common folk were unbearable.
The Great Sparrow must have seen the root of this chaos in the nobility. So, once he gained power, he did everything he could to suppress the nobles and uplift the commoners. Whether it was arresting the Little Rose or Cersei, his goal was to strike at noble authority. Cersei's walk of atonement utterly shattered the prestige of the nobility across the Seven Kingdoms, showing the people that the nobles were no different from them. It carried the spirit of why not us?
Whatever his intentions truly were, the Great Sparrow's actions—caring for the poor, cleaning up corpses, distributing food, reforming the Faith, suppressing the nobility, and reestablishing a moral order—might well be the most just in the entire world of ice and fire. That was why Lynd had come to Flea Bottom to meet him.
"Lord Chosen One, what brings you here?" the Great Sparrow asked directly.
Lynd replied, "I'm going to provide you with enough food and funds."
The Great Sparrow blinked, then asked, "And what do I owe in return?"
"Nothing. Just continue doing what you believe is right," Lynd said with a shake of his head. Then he took out a necklace—Dragonglass carved with Dragongram runes—and handed it to the Great Sparrow.
"When you're troubled, wear this. It'll help calm your mind, but don't wear it for too long. If you ever need help, bring it to the Miracle Merchant's Guild in the city."
The Great Sparrow hesitated briefly, then accepted the gift, carefully placing it in his pocket. Still puzzled, he asked, "Lord Chosen One, why are you helping me like this?"
Lynd smiled.
"When everyone else is looking up at the dragons in the sky, you're the one looking down at the ants beneath your feet. That makes you interesting—and worth helping."
...
With that, he left the stronghold without another word to the still-bewildered Great Sparrow.
On his way out of Flea Bottom, Lynd didn't return to his residence. Instead, he headed toward Silk Street to find Tyrion Lannister.
He had been closely following Robert's journey to King's Landing to recruit Lord Eddard as Hand of the King, and had arranged for regular updates through his informants.
He noticed that perhaps due to his presence, several things had changed. Jaime and Cersei hadn't dared to indulge themselves on someone else's turf, and Tyrion hadn't gone to the Wall with Benjen.
But some events remained the same. Bran still fell from the tower and lay unconscious. Jon still chose to join the Night's Watch. Sansa and Arya still traveled south with Lord Eddard. Lady still perished along the way.
Lynd could feel it—the War of the Five Kings... no, now perhaps only Four Kings, would still come. Things had changed, but not completely.
As he walked out of Flea Bottom, lost in thought, a noise in a nearby alley caught his attention.
A few vagrants had cornered a young girl in the alley, clearly intending to snatch her and sell her to a brothel. But the girl held a thin-bladed sword, warning them off in Common Tongue, her strong northern accent unmistakable.
The moment Lynd saw her, he recognized who she was. He signaled to his attendants.
A few of his attendants—members of the Chosen's retinue—moved in and easily dealt with the would-be kidnappers, then brought the girl over to Lynd.
Lynd looked at her and said, "Miss Arya Stark, King's Landing isn't Winterfell. There are far too many people here, all kinds of people. If you run around recklessly, they'll eat you alive. And I don't mean that figuratively—I mean literally."
"You know me? Are you one of the nobles in King's Landing too?" Arya asked, clearly unfazed by the warning, eyeing Lynd with curiosity instead.
"I do know you. But back then you were still very young—you probably wouldn't remember me." Lynd reached out and patted her head. Arya tried to dodge, but wasn't quite fast enough.
Lynd turned to his attendants. "Take her back to the Red Keep. Hand her over to Lord Eddard."
"No! I just managed to sneak out—I'm not going back!" Arya quickly stepped back, face full of resistance, eyes darting as she searched for a way to escape.
Looking at the bold little girl, Lynd couldn't help but chuckle.
"In that case, stay with me for now. Once I'm done with my business, I'll take you back myself."
Then he gave another instruction to an attendant—to inform Eddard Stark, so the lord wouldn't worry.
Arya hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, I'll go with you. By the way, you know my name—but I still don't know who you are."
Lynd smiled.
"My name is Lynd Tarran."
Arya froze, then quickly realized who he was. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him, momentarily speechless. All she could do was quietly follow behind Lynd as they made their way toward Silk Street.