Chapter 40 CHAPTER 40
Inside the Great Hall, the atmosphere turned ice-cold.
Jaime Lannister's sudden act of murder had caught nearly everyone present completely off guard.
Everyone except Garon.
The moment Jaime drew his sword, Garon had already realized that the Kingslayer intended to kill Theon immediately.
But Garon never stepped forward to stop him.
Instead, he chose to quietly watch everything unfold.
Times had already changed.
If he had not successfully become engaged to Sansa Stark earlier, Garon would certainly have overturned the table and forced Theon to expose Jaime and Cersei's scandal in order to destroy the royal marriage alliance between House Stark and the crown.
But now things were different.
Since the engagement with Sansa had already been secured, exposing the Lannisters no longer benefited him.
Garon's target had shifted completely toward Theon Greyjoy.
He intended to use Bran's accident to eliminate Theon entirely.
That was precisely why he deliberately cooperated with Tyrion earlier.
Every word had been carefully guided to pin suspicion for Bran's fall directly onto Theon.
"Although I still don't understand why Jaime could tolerate Theon discovering such a scandal and still allow him to live…"
"But once Theon is exposed publicly, I refuse to believe you can continue sitting calmly, Jaime."
"Unless you want your entire family slaughtered by Robert."
As expected, borrowing another man's hand to kill someone was smoother than he had imagined.
Even Garon himself had not expected Theon's psychological endurance to be so weak that only a few aggressive questions were enough to force him into exposing himself.
Originally, Garon had already been preparing backup plans for planting deeper suspicion into the minds of Ned and Robert if Theon stubbornly denied everything.
But now all of that was unnecessary.
Theon's own collapse simplified everything completely.
Jaime had only one remaining option.
Kill Theon before he revealed the truth.
At this moment, seeing his goal accomplished perfectly, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Garon's lips.
"Theon is dead."
"Now comes the king's judgment upon the lion."
"So what will you do next, Jaime?"
Garon watched with interest.
Sure enough, Robert finally reacted.
The king glared furiously at Jaime and roared, "Kingslayer! I ordered you to seize him alive, not kill him!"
Ned, standing at Robert's side, was equally furious.
Even if Theon truly harmed Bran, he should still have faced proper judgment after a formal trial.
Now Jaime had killed him without trial in front of everyone.
What would outsiders think?
What would Balon Greyjoy think once news reached the Iron Islands?
Everyone would only believe Theon's death concealed something suspicious.
"Garon!" Ned suddenly roared. "Seize the Kingslayer for me!"
"Yes, Lord Ned!"
Garon readily accepted the order as though he had merely been waiting for it.
He drew the longsword at his waist and stepped forward calmly.
"Ser Jaime, you violated the king's command and executed Theon without permission."
"Surrender now."
Jaime slowly turned and gave Garon a deep look.
For the first time, a trace of caution appeared in his eyes.
"The Bear Slayer…"
Jaime silently repeated the title within his mind.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he casually tossed the bloody sword in his hand beside Theon's corpse.
"Your Majesty," Jaime said calmly, "Theon resisted arrest."
"I merely made an unfortunate mistake."
"Furthermore, his plot to murder the son of the Warden of the North has already been confirmed beyond doubt."
"In truth, killing him early was merely helping Lord Ned avenge his son."
"The Hand of the King should perhaps thank me instead."
A proud smile remained on Jaime's face as though he felt no concern whatsoever about the dangerous situation around him.
"A mistake? Helping me?" Ned laughed angrily. "Theon was unarmed!"
"And you call that a mistake?"
"I think you deliberately silenced him!"
Cersei, who had been terrified that Theon might reveal the truth moments earlier, finally relaxed completely after seeing Jaime decisively kill him.
She stepped forward slightly and spoke disdainfully.
"Theon was already condemned sooner or later."
"Jaime merely executed him ahead of time."
"What is there to make such a fuss over?"
"Would Lord Stark only be satisfied if Jaime released your son's murderer instead?"
"But Your Grace," Ned said angrily, raising his voice, "Theon clearly had accomplices!"
"Who was he meeting in the Broken Tower?"
"What conspiracy did he overhear?"
"And why did he shout Jaime's name before dying?"
"Now, thanks to the Kingslayer, we know nothing!"
Cersei raised an eyebrow coldly.
"Lord Stark," she said sharply, "are you accusing the king's own Kingsguard?"
"Or are you accusing House Lannister?"
Anger flashed across Robert's face immediately.
He turned toward Cersei and snapped coldly, "Shut up."
But Cersei merely sneered.
Completely ignoring Robert's warning, she continued speaking.
"Lord Stark, do not assume that becoming Hand of the King grants you the right to slander House Lannister however you please."
"You should be grateful I was born a woman."
"Had I been born a man, I would already have challenged you on the battlefield."
Before Ned could answer, Robert's fury finally exploded completely.
He suddenly turned and slapped Cersei violently across the face.
Clap!
The crisp sound echoed throughout the Great Hall.
Cersei's head snapped sideways as loose golden hair scattered across her face.
Jaime's eyes instantly burned with rage, and he almost stepped forward instinctively.
But Garon immediately blocked his path with drawn sword in hand.
Cersei slowly straightened herself while covering her reddened cheek.
She inhaled deeply twice before lifting her head and mocking Robert coldly.
"I shall wear this as a badge of honor."
Robert showed no concern whatsoever for her mockery.
Instead, he stared at her coldly and replied,
"Then wear it quietly."
"And if you continue speaking, I'll make your honor even greater."
"Now take your brother and leave."
Cersei shot Ned a dangerous sideways glance before turning around immediately without hesitation.
"Jaime."
As she passed him, she called his name softly.
Jaime shrugged indifferently.
He bent down, picked up the sword from beside Theon's corpse, took two slow steps backward, then followed Cersei toward the exit.
Tyrion watched his troublesome brother and sister depart with an expression full of helplessness.
He clearly wanted to say something to ease the situation, but after feeling the oppressive atmosphere inside the hall, he wisely chose silence.
The Imp simply hurried after them with his short legs.
Once the Lannisters had left, Ned slowly walked toward Theon's corpse.
His expression was incredibly complicated.
For a very long time, he remained silent.
Meanwhile Robert walked over to the wine table, poured himself a goblet, and drained it in one gulp.
After drinking, he looked toward Garon and ordered,
"Bear Slayer, carry Theon's corpse out."
"And the rest of you leave as well."
"I wish to speak with Ned alone."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Garon sheathed his sword calmly, stepped around Ned, then lifted Theon's corpse onto his shoulder and strode out of the Great Hall.
Robb and Jon followed closely behind him.
"Robb," Garon asked while standing beside the wolf statue outside the hall, "where should we place Theon's body?"
Robb's face twisted with anger and disgust.
"Throw him to the dogs."
Jon also clenched his fists furiously.
"He harmed Bran."
"I wish I could tear him apart myself."
At that moment, Ser Rodrik Cassel, who had been inspecting Winterfell nearby, heard the commotion and hurried over.
"What's happened here?"
"Ser," Garon answered calmly, "we discovered the person responsible for Bran's fall."
"What?"
Rodrik froze in shock.
"Who was it?"
"Theon Greyjoy."
Garon shifted the corpse on his shoulder slightly before adding calmly,
"He confessed personally."
Ser Rodrik fell silent for several moments in disbelief.
He truly never imagined Theon would harm Bran.
"Could there perhaps be some misunderstanding?" Rodrik asked slowly, still unwilling to believe it.
But Garon shook his head firmly.
"The evidence was overwhelming."
"And he confessed with his own mouth."
"There is no misunderstanding."
Robb and Jon both nodded immediately beside him, hatred still visible in their eyes.
Ser Rodrik suddenly found himself speechless.
Finally, Garon looked toward him again and asked,
"Ser, where should the body be placed?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ser Rodrik could only raise his hand and silently point them toward a distant corner of Winterfell.