The atmosphere in the throne room burned with the heat of Robert's deafening roar.
Ned Stark felt the world spin around him.
He looked at Lynn in disbelief, then at Robert, whose face was flushed with excitement.
Madness.
It was all madness!
A Night's Watchman trading the assassination of Targaryen orphans for a spot in a tourney.
A King ecstatic over the proposal, promising lordships and castles without hesitation.
King's Landing was a hundred times more absurd than he had ever imagined.
"Good! Good lad!"
Robert's massive hand slapped Lynn's shoulder again, heavy enough to send a lesser man stumbling.
But Lynn stood firm as a rock, not moving an inch.
"I like your spirit!"
Robert's eyes shone with appreciation.
"Unlike these soft-bellied cowards who only know how to count coppers!"
He shot a glance at the pale-faced Ned, then waved his hand expansively.
"From now on, you have free rein of the Red Keep!"
"Take the best armor from the armory, the finest destrier from the stables! Whatever you need!"
"I'm waiting to see what kind of storm a wolf cub from the North can raise in the lists!"
Robert's promises brought Lynn's plan full circle.
His objective for this trip was accomplished.
---
In the solar of the Tower of the Hand.
The moment the door closed, Ned could no longer suppress the turmoil in his heart.
He grabbed Lynn by the arm, his honest grey eyes filled with pain and accusation.
"Lynn! How could you agree to that! How could you trade the lives of two children like they were cattle!"
"That is Viserys and Daenerys! They are just two children exiled from their home!"
Ned's voice trembled with emotion.
He couldn't believe the man he trusted would make such a cold-blooded deal.
Lynn looked at him calmly, letting him vent.
Only when Ned's voice faded did he speak slowly.
"Lord Stark, do you think I care about a knighthood?"
Ned blinked.
"Those two children may be pitiable, but that so-called 'Beggar King' Viserys is in Pentos right now, planning to sell his sister to a Dothraki horselord with forty thousand screamers."
"Forty thousand Dothraki."
"You know better than I what kind of savages they are."
"Once they cross the Narrow Sea, what do you think will become of Westeros?"
"The villages of the Riverlands, the towns of the Westerlands, even the lands of the North—all will be turned to ash."
"By then, it won't be two children dying. It will be thousands upon thousands of innocent smallfolk."
"Am I killing, or am I saving?"
Lynn looked straight into Ned's eyes.
"I am protecting you. I am protecting House Stark. I am protecting the North. And I am protecting the entire realm!"
Ned looked incredulous.
"But they don't have ships!"
"And even if they cross, we can throw them back into the sea!"
Lynn shook his head.
"My Lord, you seem to forget."
"I have the gift of foresight."
"I have seen with my own eyes a Targaryen riding a dragon, turning all of King's Landing into an inferno!"
Ned's expression turned to horror.
"What? Dragons?"
Lynn was satisfied with Ned's reaction. He nodded.
"Yes. Dragons."
"And not just one. Three!"
"They will slaughter the people of King's Landing without a shred of honor."
"And to prove my words are true,"
"I will bring back those three dragon eggs myself."
"If I fail, my head is yours to take."
"You should understand better than I what three dragons mean."
Seeing Lynn speak with such certainty, the color drained from Ned's face, leaving it ashen.
He let go of Lynn's arm and stumbled back two steps.
Aye.
He had only seen two Targaryen orphans, forgetting the catastrophic potential they represented.
It was no secret that Targaryens could bond with dragons.
As Warden of the North and Hand of the King, his duty was to protect the realm.
To sacrifice two Targaryens for the sake of the kingdom... was justifiable.
The thought made him feel a surge of self-loathing.
"But... there is only one true dragon... that girl, Daenerys..." Ned made a final, weak protest.
"My target has always been Viserys."
Lynn said plainly.
"That poor girl is just the currency he is using for his trade."
"I promise I will not harm her."
"I only want Viserys's head!"
This assurance finally shattered the last line of defense in Ned's heart.
He was silent for a long time, then let out a long sigh, seemingly aging ten years in an instant.
"I understand."
"Whatever you need, I will support you fully."
He no longer had the strength to discern the right or wrong of Lynn's plan. He could only choose to believe.
Because in this viper's nest of King's Landing, Lynn was the only person he could trust.
---
That afternoon, Lynn was settled into a secluded tower within the Red Keep.
The environment was quiet and heavily guarded, exactly as he wished.
Arya pestered him for a while, but was soon fetched by Ned to return to the Tower of the Hand for her dancing lessons with Syrio Forel.
The little girl looked back three times with every step, reluctant to leave, finally making a face at Lynn before departing satisfied.
Lynn was left alone in the room.
He sat by the window, the smile fading from his face.
Looking at the bustling city of King's Landing, his gaze pierced through the stone and crowds, across the sea, toward the distant East.
Daenerys.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Once she was sold to the Khal, everything would become irreversible!
He opened his attribute panel.
[Remaining Experience: 588]
"System, upgrade 'Skinchanger' skill."
[Consume 10 Experience Points to upgrade "Skinchanger (Novice)" to "Skinchanger (Proficient)"?]
"Yes."
[Skinchanger (Proficient) 1/10]
[Consume 100 Experience Points to upgrade "Skinchanger (Proficient)" to "Skinchanger (Mastery)"?]
"Yes."
[Skinchanger (Mastery) 1/500]
[Remaining Experience: 378]
A stream of profound, mystical information flooded his mind.
It gave Lynn a deeper understanding of how to wield his Spirit and skinchanging abilities.
Lynn locked the door, ensuring he would be safe from disturbance, then sat cross-legged on the bed.
He closed his eyes, condensing his terrifying 25 points of Spirit to their absolute limit.
This time, Lynn's target was not any corner of Westeros.
It was across the Narrow Sea. The Free City of Pentos.
A name, a blurred image, surfaced in his mind.
Daenerys Targaryen.
He softly whispered the name.
Hummm—
Lynn's consciousness was launched violently!
The entire world instantly shattered into billions of bizarre fragments!
It was a hundred times harder than invading Jaime's mind!
Endless oceans, roaring storms.
The grievances of the drowned dead from countless ages turned into a violent turbulence in this spiritual ocean, trying to tear his foreign consciousness to shreds!
Lynn held fast to his mind, his Spirit transforming into a small boat, struggling through the raging sea.
He didn't know how long passed.
The soul-tearing pain finally receded.
He snapped his "eyes" open.
The first thing he felt was warmth.
He was immersed in warm water, scented with the fragrance of exotic flowers.
He "saw" a pair of slender, pale arms gently moving through the water, pushing aside floating petals.
Lifting his gaze slightly, he saw a luxuriously decorated bathhouse. The walls were pink marble, and the air was thick with steam and sweet perfume.
He had succeeded.
He was in Pentos, inside Daenerys's body.
Just then, a soft female voice came from outside.
"Princess, it is time to prepare for the meeting tonight."
Meeting tonight?
Lynn's heart sank.
The meeting with Khal Drogo!
Damn it!
Lynn forced himself to stay calm, controlling the frail body to stand up from the bath.
The exquisite, water-slicked form glistened in the sunlight.
Servants filed in, drying "him" with soft silks and dressing "him" in a nearly transparent purple gown.
Lynn didn't resist. He knew now was not the time.
He needed an opportunity. A chance to be alone with this body.
---