"Lord Tywin Lannister, I presume you know well what the Lannisters have done."
"And since you have chosen not to deny it, state the terms on which you surrender."
As the calmest man and the one who could not but consider the larger picture, Eddard did not mince words; he spoke plainly so as to avoid further trouble—lest Robert actually have Tywin executed.
As he said this, his gaze swept over the lords and nobles seated and standing around.
Present were not only his Northern vassals but also nobles from the Riverlands and the Vale—those who had brought armies to join this war.
They were, moreover, parties whose interests were bound up with this conflict.
Eddard knew he must soothe the realm and balance those interests.
That was precisely what gave him a headache.
Seeing Eddard step forward to take charge, Tywin's gaze finally shifted from Robert to him.
"I am only the vanquished—what terms could I possibly have?" Tywin spoke with an undertone of mockery as he looked at the newly appointed Hand.
"If you truly desire it, I do not mind granting you your wish, Lord Tywin Lannister."
And for a lion still proud at such a moment, Eddard had no patience for indulging him.
So Tywin had to state his condition: "I only wish that House Lannister may continue, that the Lannister line not be lost to the ages."
No sooner had Tywin spoken these words than Robert, whom Eddard had restrained, could not help himself any longer.
He snorted coldly and cried out, "Do you think that possible?"
"Tywin, you are the vanquished now!"
"What right have you to bargain with me?"
"You buried the Targaryen line with your own hands—surely you have not forgotten that?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"The Lannisters at that time bore all the sins and infamy for you, stained their hands with Targaryen blood—I will certainly not forget that."
Facing Robert's roar, Tywin Lannister appeared calm, his expression betraying no ripple.
Yet the words from his mouth were like a cactus in the desert, pricking him as Robert's rough palm came crashing down.
At the sting in Tywin's words, Robert's eyes bulged, nostrils flared, and he panted heavily, glaring furiously at the old lion before him.
Tywin's words were indeed an undeniable fact.
The Lannisters had truly acted as his black gloves at that time, resolving that troublesome matter for him.
And at the same time, it cleared away the final obstacle to his ascending the Iron Throne.
But precisely because of this, all these years Robert had so feared Tywin, feared the Lannister family.
So toward Tywin Lannister now, Robert's surging killing intent bore not the slightest concealment.
"Then all the more should you know what you have done."
"For your treachery, I should have treated you as I did the Targaryens, wiping out every drop of Lannister blood!"
At his side, Eddard Stark listened to the two men's words, his brow unconsciously furrowing slightly.
It made him involuntarily recall the days more than ten years past—that absurd time, that freakishly warm winter known as the 'False Spring.'
Looking at Tywin before him, who claimed he had come to surrender yet showed not at all the demeanor of a defeated man.
The Lord of Winterfell fell silent, speaking no further.
He sat quietly, observing this old lion, pondering what he truly intended.
Yet to the King's scolding and threats, Tywin still remained unmoved.
He stood in place, lifted his head, shifted his gaze away from the King's furious eyes fixed on him, swept it once around the hall, and finally rested it upon Eddard Stark, who was silently watching him.
Looking at this Lord of Winterfell who, since their first meeting, had spoken only a few words, his golden whiskers quivered slightly, his lips parted, and he answered the King's words.
"Your Majesty, I have said you may do so—that is your right and your freedom."
"But have you thought, if you truly do this, what the cost to the Iron Throne will be?"
The corner of the lion's mouth, that never smiled, drew up ever so faintly, unremarkable, easily overlooked.
Yet in that cold voice, the chill mockery was plain.
But to Tywin's threat, Robert instead, uncharacteristically, put away his anger.
"The cost will only make me happy!"
"Tywin, do you think you can threaten me?"
"If so, then why are you standing here, in the identity of a defeated man?"
The King's mouth clearly bore a cold sneer.
"…"
Looking at the swaggering Robert, Tywin had no words to reply.
After all, the greatest failure of this scheme of his was that bastard son of Robert's who had sprung up from nowhere.
It was as if even the Seven Gods were all set against him.
That faint upward curl at the corner of his mouth slipped back down, and his once-calm eyes darkened.
"You have a fine son, but a pity he is only a bastard."
Tywin's merciless mockery.
Yet Robert cared not in the least.
"But he killed your most beloved son—and oh, I nearly forgot, your daughter as well."
"Tywin, you must admit he buried House Lannister, along with your ambition!"
For King Robert, merely speaking of Kal Stone was enough to bring him delight.
Enough even to make him, for a moment, cast aside his hatred of the Lannisters, just to gloat before the old lion.
And the effect was indeed great—instant and striking.
It forced even the usually composed face of Tywin Lannister to show a flash of fury.
Seeing matters about to go awry, Eddard cast a warning glance at the King, then stepped forth to smooth things over.
"Ahem—very well, Your Majesty, and Lord Tywin Lannister, let us end this meaningless quarrel, shall we?"
Eddard Stark had not expected the King to turn the tide in an argument by invoking his son. Finding the chance, he hurriedly cut in.
First he calmed the two men, then lowered his head to gaze down from the high dais upon Tywin.
And plainly said: "I am sorry, but I find your demand unreasonable."
Seeing Eddard Stark step forward, Tywin had no choice but to quell the anger in his heart and put the greater picture first.
His brow furrowed slightly as he raised his head to look at Eddard, his eyes clouded.
"Eddard Stark, Hand of the King—you mean I cannot even have this one request granted?"
At this Eddard pondered for two beats, then chose to answer firmly: "I have said—you know what the Lannisters have done."
"According to the law of the realm, what awaits you can only be death."
"Eddard, I never asked to live—you know what I am saying," Tywin Lannister's voice turned cold and hard.
But the only reply he received was Eddard Stark's silence.
For Tywin Lannister, the true culprit, he and Robert in fact shared a tacit understanding.
And he knew full well—only if Tywin died would Robert be at ease.
"Only the victor has the right to speak of terms," the King sneered from the side, answering Tywin's unwillingness.
At their replies, Tywin turned his head slightly to glance at the nobles present. They had stayed silent, but their eyes fixed on him brimming with killing intent.
As the defeated, Tywin Lannister was fated to be butcher's meat upon the board—of this he was keenly aware.
And those men before him were the hunters come to hound him.
As for the Iron Throne, it was now the blade poised above.
Looking at those colors that seemed to gleam with a strange light, Tywin drew in a long breath and chose to lay forth his sincerity.
"Very well, Your Majesty, and most esteemed Hand."
"I think I must show my good faith." Tywin turned back, lifting his head toward the two upon the high dais. "I can relinquish House Lannister's nominal power over the Westerlands."
"House Lannister will surrender its thousand-year honor, its titles, and its lands."
"This is my condition!"
Tywin Lannister at last laid forth his true terms.
But clearly, there was no fool among those present.
Not even King Robert Baratheon, who seemed coarse and boorish.
So what awaited Tywin was only cold laughter.
"From the moment you began this war, you had already lost everything. Tywin, I have said—you are nothing but the defeated."
"Did you think I would be merciful enough to let you still keep these things?!"
"Even a knight who loses a duel—everything he has, including himself, belongs to the victor!"
Robert sneered with scorn, dismissing the gains Tywin had laid out.
After all, once House Lannister was destroyed, all that Tywin spoke of would fall to him.
And as King, this was the rightful punishment for treason.
Eddard Stark kept silent at the side, tacitly acknowledging the King's words.
As a lord, he well understood this reasoning.
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