The aroma lingered on his tongue for a long time.
Joffrey rinsed his mouth with wine again and again, but the pleasant, sweet taste felt as if it had penetrated deep into his soul, rich and mellow.
Yet, he would rather have tasted something sour, bitter, or spicy.
As far as he knew, people shouldn't eat people, at least not in the physical sense.
It was all the Lizard-Lion's fault; this creature shouldn't have a sense of taste.
This feeling was too bizarre.
He had never expected his last impression of the King to be so delicious and temptingly decadent. It was almost like gnawing on the materialized power from the King's body, real yet magical.
Power had a taste.
Perhaps due to this association, he couldn't even control the Lizard-Lion to restrain itself slightly, only watching it frantically tear at the King's body.
There was no turning back from the King's death.
From that moment on, he knew clearly that he had completely transformed.
No matter how the future unfolded, having stepped onto the stage, he had completely lost his way back. Once he put on the crown, he would never be able to take it off peacefully.
The King.
"King Robert I of the Baratheon family has passed away. May he rest in peace."
Everyone, from Queen Cersei downwards, showed sorrowful expressions, and many loyal subjects who loved the King wept aloud.
The King's body was covered with a golden banner, and blood had soaked through the banner in many places, creating dark red patches. Undoubtedly, the King had not died peacefully.
Eddard stared blankly, feeling as if it were a nightmare.
It had been just an ordinary day. One moment, Robert was showing off his strength, his laughter echoing through the entire forest, and the next, he encountered such a monster and ended up like this.
Was this not a nightmare?
A Lizard-Lion had appeared in the Riverlands, and it was stronger and larger than any seen before.
Eddard instantly realized the danger. He tried his best to protect his good brother, but that damned wild boar blocked him for a few breaths.
Just a few breaths, but it was the difference between life and death.
By the time Eddard and half the soldiers got past the bloody wild boar and rushed towards the King, all the soldiers there were already lying on the ground. Robert's body was being tossed around in the monster's long mouth, blood and flesh constantly dripping.
Only then did Ser Barristan and others finally appear behind them, but it was already too late for anything.
Ruby Ford, where Rhaegar met his end, had ultimately become Robert's burial place. Was this a joke played by the Gods on the world? Or was it punishment for the Usurper?!
A heavy, cold piece of steel suddenly pressed down on Eddard's heart, making him almost unable to grip his sword hilt. The fire of revenge became his last and only motivation.
He led the charge towards the Lizard-Lion.
The ferocious monster now knew fear. It immediately dropped Robert's damaged body and, with a flick of its tail, ran towards the river, but its speed was far slower than when it attacked.
Eddard quickly caught up, using his Longsword to slow the Lizard-Lion down.
Barristan and Jaime and other Knights quickly joined the fight. More soldiers tacitly surrounded the Kingslaying monster, the combat area was small, and them charging in would only cause trouble.
The ordinary soldiers suddenly became a group of spectators.
The monster was still roaring, the King's body lay quietly on the riverbank, violently impacting people's minds, brutally forcing the truth into their heads.
A beast had killed the King!
Who could have imagined it? They were starting to believe the absurd parts of the legends.
The battle went very smoothly.
The enraged Knights displayed their greatest skills.
The monster, on the other hand, had completely reverted to a beast driven only by instinct, pointlessly wasting its strength.
It was easily lured by the Longsword used as bait, lunging left and right, charging forward, sweeping its tail backward, but all in vain. The only thing it could touch was the sharp blade.
Deadly threats were everywhere. It didn't dare to focus on attacking a single enemy, only crawling back and forth in the small circle, wary of everything.
It wanted to activate the power within its body, but there was no response at all, as if it had never existed.
Aside from its unusual size, it was no different from when it was in the Neck, only slower in speed and more sluggish in reaction.
Suddenly, it shook its head and let out an angry, painful roar. One of its eyes was gone!
The Knights seized the opening.
A gilded Longsword thrust straight into the Lizard-Lion's remaining eye. With just one thrust, thick, cloudy fluid burst from the Lizard-Lion's eye.
Its roars became louder and more frantic.
The dark Valyrian Greatsword was immediately thrust all the way down its throat through the Lizard-Lion's wide-open mouth. The sharp sword tip broke through the hard scales on the back of its head, pinning the Lizard-Lion's mouth shut.
It couldn't help but roll around, trying to get rid of the steel in its mouth.
But more Longswords then sliced open its vulnerable underbelly, cutting through muscle and churning up the even more fragile internal organs.
It collapsed on the riverbank, ceasing its struggles.
The dust settled.
The boar didn't escape, the kingslaying Lizard-Lion was dead, and the King's revenge was taken, but was there even a shred of happiness in that?
Not a single person smiled.
Eddard had lost his soul. He didn't refuse Jory Cassel's support, just stared blankly as the soldiers covered Robert with a banner, pulled his "Ice" from the Lizard-Lion's mouth, and tidied up everything on the riverbank.
Only now, with the group back at the Inn at the Crossroads and King Robert's mourning ceremony about to end, could Eddard still not let go.
Was this not a nightmare?
Eddard truly wished he could just sleep and wake up to hear Robert's laughter again, to see that familiar face, even that unrecognizably fat belly was so missed.
But everything around him reminded him that it was over.
The era of King Robert, who had personally hammered Rhaegar to death, was over. Robert, secretly called the "Usurper" by some, had left the world and returned to heaven.
He heard countless people praying to The Gods for His Majesty the King to rest in peace.
But Eddard knew his good brother, Robert, hated resting the most. Telling him to rest in peace was a torment worse than going to hell.
"May The Gods grant him love and laughter, and the joy of fighting for justice."
Robert, are there fine wines and wars in heaven? Is Lyanna there too? Say hello to her for me. May we eventually reunite.
"Lord Hand." Ser Barristan walked over.
"The situation was urgent then, but now... it's over. His Majesty's departure is a great sorrow and disaster for the Seven Kingdoms, and the reasons behind it may not be simple. Please take a look at these messages."
That's right. I am the Hand of the King. Robert wanted me to help him govern the country. I must take on the responsibility. The Seven Kingdoms cannot fall into turmoil again.
Even if only for Robert, for his children.
Eddard buried his grief deeper, accepting the wooden box from Barristan with a blank expression.
Bran quietly approached his father.
Bran didn't know if he was more sad or more relieved. In that situation, he had thought his father was going to die, but the outcome was much better than he had imagined.
Only one King died.
But he also understood his father's feelings at this moment. If the King were replaced by Robb, no, it was better not to replace him.
He also grieved for Your Highness.
Having lost his only father, Your Highness must be very sad.
It was all the messenger's fault. If the letter had arrived even half a day earlier, King Robert would have been fine, and none of this would have happened.
Bran stared at his father reading the letter, wondering what his father's reaction would be.
Bloodraven is truly hateful!
His father suddenly clenched the letter, his eyes swirling with a color Bran couldn't understand. "Bloodraven..."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 777+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------