The atmosphere at the negotiation table was tense and grim.
The fog that day seemed particularly thick as well, lingering well into the afternoon without any sign of clearing.
The air was damp and cold, making everyone reluctant to remain outdoors for long.
Everyone accompanying Freygo to the negotiations had been carefully selected.
Not one of them would leak anything that happened during the talks.
Confident in this, Freygo laid his entire plan before Viserys.
He was a man already approaching the grave, yet he could not even outmaneuver a boy barely out of his teens.
Every move he had made had only made Viserys stronger.
He simply could not accept the thought of becoming the last Sealord in Braavosi history.
The pressure that had built up inside him for so long seemed to vanish with those words.
"Viserys, you won't get a single iron coin from me!"
Freygo's voice carried across the gathering, lingering in the cold air.
There was even a hint of provocation in his tone.
If Viserys could kill him here, all the better.
The Mad Dragon would never obtain a prosperous city. All he would inherit was a ruin.
Freygo's blunt declaration made Aemon instinctively place a hand on the hilt of his sword. He glanced at Viserys from the corner of his eye.
He naturally understood that there could be no fighting during negotiations, but Freygo had deliberately provoked them.
A response would have to be made.
Clinton was an experienced politician and understood Freygo's intentions almost instantly.
If things continued this way, all the effort Viserys had put into winning over the people of Braavos would be wasted.
Freygo's reaction had indeed been beyond Viserys's expectations, but his choice was hardly surprising.
Viserys pondered for a moment before turning toward Eddard.
"Lord Eddard, do you know why I didn't treat House Stark the same way I treated the other four families?"
Since Freygo had come here merely to vent his anger, Viserys decided to ignore him.
If the negotiations could not proceed, he might as well use the opportunity to speak with Eddard.
Freygo, meanwhile, became extremely frustrated when Viserys simply stopped speaking to him.
Eddard was somewhat surprised when Viserys suddenly addressed him.
"To drive a wedge between King Robert and me? Or perhaps because..." Eddard glanced toward Aemon. "Because of Lyanna?"
"That is only part of the reason. The main reason is that King Aerys handled your father and brother poorly.
Allowing House Stark to continue ruling half the North is, in part, my compensation to your family."
Listening to Viserys, Eddard asked:
"Even if you admit now that my father and brother were treated unjustly, what good does it do?
Blood that has already been spilled can never be taken back."
When Freygo and Clinton saw Viserys actually engaging Eddard in conversation, neither of them spoke.
"No. Lord Rickard and Brandon deserved the death penalty."
"They only wanted justice for Lyanna. What crime did they commit?"
Eddard's eyes narrowed, and his voice became as cold as the winds of the North.
"My father did not abduct my mother. They truly loved each other!"
Aemon could not help interrupting.
His face tightened, his expression stubborn.
But neither Viserys nor Eddard paid any attention to his interruption. Clinton merely coughed softly as a reminder.
Viserys continued.
"Lord Rickard actively sought to expand the influence of the North southward. He sent you to the Vale as a foster son.
The Vale has always been a steadfast ally of the Targaryen royal family.
Then he arranged for Lyanna to marry Robert, forming an alliance with the Stormlands.
And he arranged for Brandon to marry Catelyn, thereby winning an alliance with the Riverlands.
King Aerys had anticipated Lord Rickard's actions long before all of this happened.
But his mental state prevented him from dealing with the situation rationally."
Viserys's emotions remained completely unaffected.
He was simply piecing together the available clues and explaining his interpretation of what had happened.
"Those are nothing more than your assumptions."
"They are assumptions, yes, but they are supported by substantial reasoning, even if the evidence is incomplete.
King Aerys's mental state was in terrible condition, so he chose to assume guilt where there was doubt.
That ultimately placed the royal family in an even worse position.
I prefer to assume innocence where there is doubt. That is why I chose to forgive House Stark for the choices it made during the Usurper's War."
Freygo finally recovered from his frustration at being ignored and hurriedly spoke up.
"Lord Stark, don't believe him!"
Viserys had no intention of whitewashing Aerys.
After all, the king's arrogance and stubbornness had been evident since his youth.
If not for the Tragedy at Summerhall, the Targaryen crown would never have passed to him in the first place.
"If you choose to return to the North, return to Winterfell, and take the black, I will allow your son Robb to inherit Winterfell."
Eddard stared directly at Viserys with his grey eyes.
The survival of his family and his own principles were colliding violently within him.
Aemon had never heard such an explanation before.
There had always been a shadow in his heart, the thought that his grandfather had killed his uncle.
Although he knew that his uncle's death had ultimately been entangled with political intrigue, hearing Viserys's explanation still made him feel somewhat better.
Seeing Eddard beginning to waver, Viserys continued.
"Lord Stark, winter is coming.
But this time, what we face will not merely be winter. It will be a Long Winter and a Long Night.
I want to end this war as quickly as possible.
I believe that compared with remaining loyal to Robert, the warning hidden within House Stark's words should carry greater moral weight."
"Winter is coming? A Long Night?"
Eddard had not even finished wrestling with the conflict in his heart when these two phrases left him even more bewildered.
"Autumn has not even arrived, yet you are already preparing for winter. You truly are a far-sighted king."
Freygo had noticed Eddard's hesitation and immediately spoke with a mocking tone.
Viserys had said everything he wanted to say to Eddard.
He rose directly to his feet and turned toward Freygo.
"Freygo, I'll consider your money already received. But a few gold dragons aren't enough. I will only leave after Robert is dead."
Hearing this, Freygo believed his plan had succeeded.
Once he returned, he would tell the common people that Viserys had received his compensation and still refused to withdraw.
That would ensure that both nobles and commoners continued supporting his resistance against the Targaryens.
There was just one thing Freygo did not quite understand.
What exactly did Viserys mean by "I'll consider it already received"?
"The greedy Mad Dragon breaking his promise is hardly surprising."
Freygo wore a victorious smile.
Sunlight fell across his face, making him look as though victory were already within his grasp.
Viserys looked at him and could not help finding the situation amusing.
Since Freygo had gambled his own reputation to deceive the people of Braavos, Viserys would simply make sure that reputation collapsed completely.
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