By the time Hullen reached the king's hunting camp, it was already the afternoon of his second day away from King's Landing.
After riding hard for two straight days, Hullen did not even have time to drink a mouthful of water before anxiously following the soldiers into the woods in search of the king.
After nearly an hour of searching, he finally caught sight of Robert.
"Your Majesty!"
Hullen shouted hoarsely, drawing the attention of Robert, who was just about to twist open a wineskin for a long drink.
Somewhat drunk already, Robert lowered the wineskin and snapped, "Damn it, keep your voice down. Can't you see I'm hunting?"
Hullen no longer cared about the king's scolding. He rushed forward and relayed everything Ned had instructed him to say.
"Your Majesty, the Hand sent me to urge you to return to King's Landing at once."
"The Hand's wife has taken the Imp. Lord Tywin of the west has already raised his banners to seek revenge."
"Ser Jaime clashed with the Hand in the city. They nearly came to blows."
"And there was a petition from the smallfolk. They say Gregor Clegane slaughtered villages. The Hand has already sent men to arrest him…"
Ignoring his parched throat and aching tongue, Hullen poured out everything that had happened in King's Landing over the past few days.
Those gathered around the king were stunned.
Renly said in disbelief, "Has Catelyn lost her mind? She actually seized the Imp? Is she trying to start a war with the west?"
Clarity returned to Robert's eyes as he cursed, "Seven hells, I run all the way out here and still can't get any peace."
"Damn it, Ned. Can't he keep his wife under control?"
He swept his gaze around, clearly annoyed. "Pack up. We're returning to King's Landing."
Robert was about to toss the wineskin to his squire Lancel when he noticed Hullen's dry, exhausted face and handed it to him instead.
"You've been riding in a hurry. Have a drink and wet your throat."
Hullen accepted the wineskin gratefully and followed Robert and the others back toward the camp.
He twisted it open and took a huge gulp.
Instantly, an extremely harsh, burning taste exploded in his mouth like wildfire. Hullen spat it out at once and began coughing violently.
"Cough, cough…"
Hearing the sound, Robert said irritably, "Slow down. No one's stealing it from you."
Hullen forced himself to suppress the coughing and did not dare drink again, thinking silently to himself, 'The king is hunting, and he's drinking liquor this strong? Isn't that dangerous?'
Nearby, Lancel noticed Hullen's intense reaction, his heart jumping into his throat.
When the king showed no other reaction, Lancel finally relaxed a little and could not help shooting Hullen a glare.
Hullen was busy wiping himself down and did not notice the look.
The group moved quickly toward the camp.
They had gone only a short distance when a boar with long tusks burst out of the nearby woods, blocking their path.
Seeing the boar, Robert's anger flared at once. With drunken eyes, he roared,
"Damn it, even a boar dares block the king's path? All of you, stand back. I'll kill this beast myself!"
Seeing Robert in such a state, Renly tried to dissuade him. "Your Majesty, let me and the others take care of it."
Robert bellowed, "Shut up. I said stand back!"
Renly had no choice but to wave the others away.
Robert took a spear from a soldier, shook his head, trying to clear it a little, then charged straight at the boar.
Robert's approach enraged the animal at once.
It let out a threatening roar, blood-red eyes locking onto Robert, then lowered its head, curved tusks aimed straight ahead.
In the next instant, its powerful legs exploded with force, tearing up turf as it charged directly at him.
Robert laughed loudly and crouched in place, bracing himself.
The moment the boar lunged at him, he thrust the spear toward its right eye.
But the violent movement, combined with the alcohol, caused the boar to double in his vision. By the time Robert realized what had happened, the spear had already gone wide.
"Damn it…"
Adrenaline surged. Robert's eyes cleared as he threw himself to the right with all his strength.
It was too late.
The boar screamed as one tusk tore into Robert's belly and the other pierced clean through his right thigh, lifting him as it charged forward.
Renly's face went pale. "Quick, help the king!"
The archers behind them scrambled to draw and aim, ready to shoot the boar and save the king.
But in his agony, Robert's fierce will flared.
One hand braced against the tusk lodged in his body. Gritting his teeth through the tearing pain, he forced himself upright.
His massive frame blocked the boar's vision. The beast instinctively thrashed its head, trying to fling him off.
At that critical moment, Robert raised the spear and drove it with all his strength straight into the boar's right eye.
In an instant, he roared in fury, pouring every ounce of strength into the thrust, the spear punching through the boar's skull.
Boom!
The boar staggered forward two more steps before collapsing heavily to the ground.
At the same time, Robert crashed down as well.
He let out a horrific scream that sent Renly and the others running to him in panic.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?"
"Damn it, do I look all right to you?"
Even grievously wounded, Robert still had the strength to curse. "Hurry up and pull these damned tusks out of me!"
Renly glanced at the tusks embedded in Robert's belly and right leg and said softly, "Brother, endure it…"
He had the men steady Robert's body and then wrenched the boar's tusks free.
Accompanied by a heart-rending scream, Robert finally lost consciousness.
"Quick, stop the bleeding!"
The group scrambled in chaos. After barely stemming the blood, they hoisted Robert up and rushed him back to camp.
Soon after, a carriage left the camp at full speed, racing toward King's Landing.
The carriage traveled day and night. On the road, Robert briefly regained consciousness once, only to faint again under the torment of pain.
At last, by the evening of the second day, they entered King's Landing.
At the same time, along a garden path in the Red Keep, Varys was reporting news from across the Narrow Sea to Ned.
More than a dozen Stark soldiers were scattered around them, alert to any suspicious eavesdroppers.
"My lord Hand," Varys said, "Ser Jorah reports that the Targaryen remnant, Daenerys, has married a Dothraki khal and is now with child."
He drew a report from his sleeve and offered it to Ned.
Ned did not take it. He looked coldly at Varys. "Why are you telling me this?"
Varys seemed not to notice the rejection and explained with a smile, "My intelligence network serves the king."
"Before leaving to hunt, His Majesty specifically instructed me that if there were news from across the Narrow Sea, I was to inform you.
He hoped you would agree to eliminate the Targaryen remnant."
Ned's expression darkened. "Eliminate? On the basis of a few words from you, you want me to send men across the Narrow Sea to murder a fourteen-year-old girl?"
Varys's smile did not change. Seeing Ned refuse the report, he slipped it back into his sleeve.
"My lord Hand, do you doubt my information?"
"Leaving aside the fact that Ser Jorah would not dare deceive me, I also have my little birds."
Ned interrupted impatiently. "I know about your little birds. Do they watch the entire world?"
Varys's eyes flickered. "Watching the whole world is a task for the gods alone. I merely follow the king's orders to observe certain important people."
"For example, within this Red Keep, some people have already begun to move."
"Move?" Ned stared at the enigmatic Varys. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Varys folded his hands into his sleeves and said slowly, "I am only reminding you, my lord, that our master of coin cannot be trusted."
Anger flared in Ned's chest. "You spy on me?"
Varys was about to explain when a servant running wildly in the distance caught his attention.
A few breaths later, the servant arrived, drenched in sweat, shouting urgently, "M-My lord Hand, the king has been gored by a boar. He urgently summons you. Please go at once!"
In an instant, both Ned and Varys changed color.
They gave up all other concerns and hurried toward the king's bedchamber.
A great upheaval, beyond anyone's expectations, had begun.
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