Link dragged himself toward the servant entrance, his breath hitching in his chest. Every step felt like a dagger made of ice was being driven into his ribs. He had held the Hound for long enough, but the cost was etched in red across his vision.
[Status Alert: Health 15%]
[Status: Internal Bleeding - Moderate]
[Warning: Mental Fatigue Critical - "System" Stabilizing...]
Inside the Tower, the silence was deafening. He climbed the back stairs, leaving a faint trail of crimson on the cold stone. He reached the heavy oak doors of the King's solar just as a roar erupted from within.
"You dare?" Robert's voice was a physical force, shaking the dust from the rafters. "In my own house? Under my own nose?"
Link pushed the door open. The scene was frozen in time. Ned Stark stood by the table, the alchemist's ledger open. Lancel Lannister was a heap of trembling gold silk on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Cersei stood near the hearth, her face a mask of porcelain perfection, but her fingers were digging into the wood of her chair until her knuckles were white.
"Robert, please," Cersei said, her voice a calm, chilling river. "Ned Stark has been obsessed with my family since he arrived. He has tortured this poor boy into a confession. Look at him! He is broken!"
"He isn't the only one who's broken," Link rasped, leaning against the doorframe.
All eyes turned to him. Link was a ruin, covered in soot, blood, and the grime of the Alchemist's Quarter. He looked at Robert, ignoring the Queen's murderous gaze.
"The ledger was not taken by force, Your Grace," Link said, his voice a dry wheeze. "The Master Alchemist surrendered it when he realized the Hand of the King was there to see the truth. The entries for the 'Strongwine Essence' are in the Alchemist's own hand. Delivered to Lancel Lannister. Paid for by the Queen's personal treasury."
Robert looked back at the book. His thick finger traced the line: Three vials of Essence. Triple strength. For the King's Hunt.
"You wanted me dead," Robert whispered. The fury was gone, replaced by a cold, hollow realization. "The boar wasn't the hunter, Cersei. You were."
"I did what I had to for our children!" Cersei erupted, her composure finally shattering. "You were a shadow of a king! A drunken, whoring ruin who was leading this house to its grave!"
SLAP.
The sound echoed like a smith's hammer. Cersei was thrown to the floor, her lip split. Robert stood over her, his chest heaving.
"Ned," Robert growled. "Call the guards. Not the Gold Cloaks. I want your Northmen. I want them in the hallways, at the gates, and in her chambers."
"The Lannister army is at the gates, Robert," Ned warned, his voice grim. "Tywin is already marching."
"Let him march!" Robert screamed. "I am still the King! And I will have her head for this!"
[Quest Updated: Arrest of the Lioness]
[New Objective: Prevent the Lannister Coup]
[Status: A New Timeline has been Forged]
Link felt a surge of triumph, but the System's warning flared again. He knew the lore. Cersei was never more dangerous than when she was caught. She didn't look defeated; she looked like someone waiting for a signal.
Link looked out the window. In the distance, a single red flare rose from the top of the White Sword Tower.
"The Kingslayer," Link whispered. "He's not at the gate. He's already inside."
…..
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction. I'll be realising 4 Chapters a day.
Also I'll be still releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!