Only a few hours had passed since the news from Westeros arrived, but the atmosphere inside the palace in Astapor had completely changed.
Tristan stood before the large map, his eyes fixed on Westeros.
Robert Baratheon was dead.
Ned Stark was a prisoner in King's Landing.
And Sansa was being held there.
As for Arya…
She stood behind him without saying a word.
Since the news had arrived, she had barely moved from her place.
She stared at the map as if she were trying to find a road connecting Astapor to the capital.
Jon approached her.
"Arya."
She did not answer.
"Arya, look at me."
She turned toward him.
Her eyes were filled with anger and worry.
"My father is there."
Jon said calmly:
"I know."
"They're going to kill him."
Jon did not answer immediately.
He knew her words were true.
He also knew that time was not on Ned's side.
Arya grabbed Jon's arm.
"We have to do something."
Jon looked at Tristan.
Tristan was still standing before the map.
Jon said:
"Tristan."
He did not turn around.
"We need to talk."
Tristan turned.
Tyrion was there as well, sitting at the table with his cup set aside.
Tristan said:
"I know what you want."
Arya said:
"Then help us."
"It isn't that simple."
Jon stepped forward.
"My father is in the capital."
Tristan looked at him.
Jon was not speaking of Ned merely as a man from the North.
He was speaking of the man who had raised him.
The man who had been more like a father to him than anyone else.
Jon said:
"He is my uncle."
He paused.
"He raised me since I was a child."
Then he looked at Arya.
"And he is her father."
He clenched his fist.
"I won't leave him there."
Tristan said:
"You know that the capital isn't a place you can simply walk into and take someone out of."
"I know."
"The City Watch is there."
"I know."
"The Kingsguard."
"I know."
"And the entire city is under Lannister control."
Jon said:
"I'm going anyway."
Tyrion interrupted:
"And that is exactly why I think we should think before we do anything."
Jon looked at him.
Tyrion said:
"Don't worry. I'm not saying we should abandon Ned."
Then he looked at Tristan.
"I'm saying that rescuing him should be an operation, not an act of recklessness."
Arya said:
"Then help us make a plan."
Tristan remained silent.
He knew it would come to this.
He knew the news about Ned would change everything.
But he did not want to start a war with Westeros yet.
Not before he finished building his power in Astapor.
Not before he dealt with Yunkai and Meereen.
And not before he knew exactly what awaited them in King's Landing.
He said:
"If we save Ned, we won't be able to return as if nothing happened."
Jon said:
"I don't want to return as if nothing happened."
Then he said:
"I just want him to come out alive."
Tristan stared at him for a long moment.
Then at Arya.
She was waiting for his answer.
Finally, he said:
"All right."
Arya raised her head.
"What?"
"We'll save Ned."
Her expression changed.
But Tristan raised his hand.
"On my terms."
Jon asked:
"What terms?"
"We will not send the entire army to King's Landing."
"Why?"
"Because that would turn a rescue operation into an open war."
Then he continued:
"And we will get Ned and Sansa out together."
Arya said:
"Sansa too?"
"Yes."
"My sister is in the capital."
"We're not leaving her there."
Arya nodded.
But Tristan was not finished.
"And you will not go alone."
Jon looked at him.
"I won't allow you to enter the capital by yourself."
Jon said:
"I didn't ask to."
"I know."
Then Tristan looked at Arya.
"And you will not act on your own either."
She opened her mouth to object.
But Tristan interrupted her:
"I know you want to save your father, but entering the capital without a plan will make you a prisoner alongside him."
Arya fell silent.
Then she said:
"All right."
Tyrion smiled.
"Excellent. It seems we're finally talking reasonably."
Tristan looked at him.
"Do you have a plan?"
Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"Of course."
"Speak."
Tyrion placed his hand on the map.
"First, we need to know exactly where Ned is, who is guarding him, when his execution will take place, and how we can get Sansa out of the palace."
Then he added:
"And most importantly… we need to know who we can trust inside the capital."
Jon asked:
"Do you have someone?"
Tyrion smiled.
"Not yet."
Then he looked at Tristan.
"But I know where we can start."
At that moment, the system appeared.
Tristan's expression changed.
A blue window appeared before him, invisible to the others.
[New Mission!]
[Mission Name: Blood of the North]
His eyes stopped at the name.
Then the details appeared.
[Main Objective:]
Rescue Eddard Stark from King's Landing and get him out of the city alive.
[Secondary Objective:]
Get Sansa Stark out of King's Landing.
Then another message appeared:
[Additional Requirement:]
Both Eddard Stark and Sansa Stark must survive the rescue operation.
Tristan read the words in silence.
Then the reward appeared.
[Reward:]
Dragonstone — Full ownership granted to the host.
His eyes stopped.
Then additional details appeared.
[Dragonstone will become a base under the host's control.]
[The castle will be connected to the host's defensive system.]
[Unlocks a transportation gate between Astapor and Dragonstone.]
Tristan's eyes widened slightly.
A transportation gate.
This was not merely a reward.
It was something that could change the rules of the game.
If he could travel between Astapor and Dragonstone, the distance between Essos and Westeros would no longer be the problem it once was.
Then another reward appeared.
[Military System Storage Unlocked.]
[The host will be able to purchase equipment, weapons, and armor for his army using system points.]
Then the final message appeared.
[Additional Reward:]
[Unlocks the ability: "Commanders' Bond."]
Tristan read the details.
[Commanders' Bond: Grants the host's subordinate commanders the ability to share a portion of their strength, physical ability, and endurance with their soldiers during battles.]
Tristan raised an eyebrow.
This ability was different.
It would not merely increase his personal strength.
It would make his army stronger.
He looked at Jon.
Then Arya.
Then Tyrion.
He could not tell them about the system.
But the reward made the decision easier.
Tristan said:
"We're going."
Tyrion said:
"I knew you would say that."
"But we're not leaving yet."
Jon looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I want information first."
Astapor began to move.
Tyrion sent Tristan's orders through the network of spies he had established during the previous two months.
The instructions were clear:
Find Ned's exact location.
Find out when his execution would take place.
Locate Sansa.
Determine the number of guards.
Monitor the movements of the royal forces.
Identify the city gates.
The harbor.
And anyone who might be able to help them.
At the same time, Jon began preparing a small group.
He did not want an army.
He wanted men he could trust.
He selected some of the best warriors.
Men from the Unsullied.
And warriors from Astapor.
But Tristan stopped him.
"You won't take too many."
Jon said:
"I need men."
"You'll take enough."
"How many?"
"We'll decide after the information arrives."
Jon asked:
"What about Arya?"
Tristan looked at her.
She was standing beside the door.
"She'll come."
Jon looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Tristan said:
"But she will not go alone."
Arya raised her head.
"I can take care of myself."
Tristan said:
"I never said you couldn't."
Then he added:
"But this is not an ordinary mission."
"I know."
"Then prepare yourself."
Arya smiled for the first time since the news had arrived.
Several days passed.
On the morning of the fourth day, one of the spies arrived.
He entered the palace hurriedly.
He bowed before Tristan.
"My lord."
"Speak."
"We have confirmed information."
Tyrion approached.
"About Ned?"
"Yes."
The man said:
"Eddard Stark is being held in the cells beneath the Red Keep."
Jon's jaw tightened.
"Is he alive?"
"Yes."
Jon breathed a sigh of relief.
But the spy continued:
"They are preparing to put him on trial."
Tyrion asked:
"When?"
"We don't know the final date yet."
"And Sansa?"
"She is being held in the palace."
Arya asked:
"Is she all right?"
The spy looked at her.
"She is alive."
But Arya was not satisfied.
"Did you see her?"
"Yes."
"Was she injured?"
"No."
Arya closed her eyes for a moment.
That was enough.
Then the spy said:
"But there is a problem."
Tristan looked at him.
"What is it?"
"The capital is under heavy surveillance."
Tyrion said:
"Because of Ned."
"Yes."
The man continued:
"And the Lannisters expect someone to attempt a rescue."
Tyrion smiled.
"So they have started thinking."
Tristan said:
"That is good."
Jon looked at him.
"Good?"
"Yes."
Tristan said:
"Because they are expecting a direct attack."
He looked at Tyrion.
Tyrion immediately understood.
"While we won't attack directly."
He smiled.
"Now I like the plan."
Over the following days, Tristan and Tyrion began developing the plan.
It would not rely on brute force.
The goal was to enter and leave without turning the capital into a battlefield.
Tyrion said:
"We have three options."
He pointed at the map.
"The harbor."
Then he pointed toward the city gate.
"The land gate."
Then toward another area.
"Or we enter disguised as merchants aboard one of their ships."
Jon asked:
"Which is better?"
Tyrion said:
"That depends on how many men we're taking."
Tristan said:
"We won't take more than necessary."
Jon said:
"I want to be with Arya."
Arya said:
"And I want to be with you."
Tristan said:
"You will be together."
Then he looked at Tyrion.
"And you're coming with me."
Tyrion smiled.
"I was afraid you were going to leave me behind in Astapor."
Tristan said:
"I need you."
"That is the nicest thing you've said to me since we met."
Jon laughed.
Even Arya smiled.
But the laughter did not last long.
Another spy entered.
"My lord."
Tristan said:
"What now?"
"We have received new information."
"Speak."
"King Joffrey wants Eddard Stark executed."
Jon froze.
Then he asked:
"When?"
"The final date has not been announced yet."
But Tristan understood.
They no longer had much time.
That night, the four of them met again.
Tristan.
Jon.
Tyrion.
Arya.
Tristan said:
"We leave in three days."
Jon said:
"Three?"
"Yes."
"That's too long."
"It's not long enough."
Then he continued:
"We need a ship, identities, men, information about the guards, and a way out."
Jon said:
"What about our army?"
"It stays here."
"But if something happens?"
"It won't."
Then Tristan looked at Tyrion.
"I'll make sure Astapor is protected."
Tyrion said:
"I'll prepare everything."
Jon looked at Arya.
"We'll get our father out."
Arya said:
"We'll get our father and sister out."
Jon corrected her:
"Our father and Sansa."
Arya smiled.
"Yes."
Tristan looked at them.
Then he said:
"We leave no one behind."
After the meeting, Tristan remained alone in the hall.
He opened the system again.
The mission appeared before him.
[Mission: Blood of the North]
[Objective: Rescue Eddard Stark.]
[Objective: Get Sansa Stark out.]
[Status: In Progress.]
He looked at the reward.
Dragonstone.
The transportation gate.
The weapons storage.
The Commanders' Bond.
The rewards were not merely new powers.
They were the beginning of a different era.
Dragonstone could become his first base in Westeros.
From there, he could build a new sphere of influence.
But before anything else…
He had to save a man who had not been part of his original plans.
A man Jon regarded as a father.
And a man Arya knew as her father.
Eddard Stark.
Tristan closed the system.
Then he raised his eyes toward the window.
Outside, his dragons flew above Astapor.
The world was changing quickly.
In the east, Yunkai and Meereen were preparing for what was coming.
And in the west, the Iron Throne was drowning in blood.
Now he stood before two paths:
Build his empire in Essos…
or intervene in the struggle for Westeros before it truly began.
His decision had already been made.
He would save Ned.
He would get Sansa out.
And after that…
Tristan would decide where the empire would go.
But before he could leave, one final message arrived from one of his spies.
Tyrion opened the message and read it.
Then his expression changed.
"Tristan."
He turned toward him.
"What?"
Tyrion raised the message.
"There is something else."
"What?"
Tyrion said:
"It seems someone in King's Landing knows we're coming."
Silence filled the room.
Jon looked at Arya.
Then at Tristan.
But Tristan simply smiled calmly.
"Then we'll change the plan."
He placed his hand over the map of Westeros.
"They won't know where we're coming from."
The journey to King's Landing had already begun.
But this time…
Tristan would not be going as a visitor.
He would be going as a new power, taking its first step into the struggle for the Iron Throne.