Chapter 12: Eddard II

Lord Eddard Stark and King Robert Baratheon ride horses and reminisce. Eddard receives a letter.

Location:

• South of Winterfell

Characters Present:

• Alyn: I have no idea who this is. I’m guessing a member of Eddard’s household guard.

• Lord Eddard Stark: Lord of Winterfell. Married to Catelyn. Father to five or six Stark children, Tony Stark not included at this time.

• Robert Baratheon: King of Westeros. Some in the Seven Kingdoms still call him Usurper. Being a King is doing the opposite of wonders to his overall health and fitness.

• Ser Boros

• Ser Meryn

• Dozen unnamed guardsmen.

Recap:

Alyn wakes Ned. King Robert wants to go horse riding, and talk about “matters of state.” They take off and leave the Kingsroad and the Kingsguard. Once the sun rises, Robert stops and Ned stops next to him. Robert complains about the wheelhouse and threatens to burn it and make Cersei walk. Ned offers to light the torch.

Robert talks some more about leaving his family (and entourage) behind and going off to live as vagabond knights. Ned reminds him about duties to their wives and the realm.  Robert grumbles and complains. Robert talks about women he’s banged and enquires about Jon Snow’s mother. They discuss it for a bit, Ned would rather not speak of it, Robert calls him prickly but doesn’t press any further.

Ned points out the Barrows of the First Men. Robert give Ned a letter that came from King’s Landing. The letter is from Lord Varys, and says that Daenerys Targaryen has wed a Dothraki horselord. The information comes from Ser Jorah, and Ned does not think highly of Ser Jorah. We find out some of Jorah’s history – tried to sell poachers as slaves and ran away when Eddard came for his head.

King Robert wants to kill Daenerys. Eddard reflects upon Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens, remembering how Tywin Lannister presented Robert with the bodies of Rhaegar’s wife and children. Eddard left Robert and rode south to fight the last battles of the war alone. They did not reconcile until after Lyanna’s death.

King Robert rants about killing Targs. Eddard tries to calm him. They discuss the likelihood of the Dothraki coming to Westeros to take the Throne back. Robert is concerned that many in the Seven Kingdoms still call him Usurper.

Ned redirects the conversation back to choosing a Warden of the East. After some discussion, Robert reluctantly tells Ned that he has already promised the title to Jaime Lannister. This is a bad idea. Eddard tells Robert why he does not trust Jaime, and it’s (IMO) kind of stupid. Jaime Lannister sat on the throne after the throne was won for Robert. Also the fact that the Lannisters took the city by treachery is not cool with Eddard.

Ned worries some more and they ride off, leaving the reader with this quote.

Quote

A man could not always be where he belonged.

Characters Named but not actually present:

• Cersei: Queen. Twin to Jaime Lannister. Likes Jaime Lannister a lot.

• Becca: One of Robert’s “women.” Black hair and big sweet eyes.

• Wylla: Ned tells Robert that she is Jon Snow’s mother and would rather not speak of it.

• Baelor the Blessed

• Lord Varys: In Kings Landing, king’s master of whisperers. Serves Robert but also served King Aerys Targaryen. Eunuch.

• Lysa Arryn

• Ser Jorah Mormont: Of Bear Island, in the North. Fled to Pentos to escape the king’s justice after selling poachers as slaves.

• Tywin Lannister: Father of Jaime and Cersei. Presented the bodies of the dead Targaryen prince and princess to Robert.

• Jon Arryn: Fostered Robert and Eddard at the Eeryie. Dead.

• Lyanna: Eddard’s sister. Robert’s betrothed. Dead.

• Rhaegar: Prince of Westeros, married with two children. Dead.

• Aerys Targaryen: Previous king of Westeros. Dead

• Brandon Stark: Eddard’s brother. Dead.

Other Locations Mentioned:

• Pentos

• Bear Island

• Tyrosh

• King’s Landing

• The Trident

Thoughts:

On the show, Eddard and Robert have the conversation about Jon Snow’s mother over breakfast. In this chapter, they stay on their bikes horses the entire time. I get why they changed it, working with animals is difficult and tricky to film, etc. But it was still nice to realize that Robert CAN still ride a horse.

Jaime sitting in the throne with his sword across his lap! I never noticed that before. In Eddard I, we learned that the statues in the crypts of Winterfell have swords across the laps. It’s also a “guest rights” thing, I don’t remember where we learned that. So Jaime was denying Eddard guest right to the throne room. Or something.

Varys worked for Aerys! Why is he still alive?

He had lived his lies for 14 years.

Eddard is really not okay with killing kids. Eddard is an OK guy. I mean, yeah, there was that beheading in the first chapter. But he’s not okay with killing children. So he’s got that going for him.

I wonder if Wylla knows that she’s Jon’s mother.

This is the second Eddard Stark chapter. His first chapter was also just him talking to Robert and giving the reader some backstory.

I don’t really know how Jaime Lannister can be Warden of the East, when he’s also Kingsguard. I thought Kingsguard had to hold no lands or titles, never marrying or producing heirs. Am I wrong?