Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Madman

2 hours to dawn, King’s Landing

The entire city had been thrown off the bed. A fire seemed to have been kindled by the sound of angry shouts and thunderous rampaging of hooves. Its cause? Red Keep.

The number of guards charging in and out of the castle’s gates could have been easily mistaken as a preparation for some war. Such was the chaos. It had all started with an ear-piercing cry of a guard, calling for arms and swords. Or had he been praying to the seven gods, shouting for mercy? Impossible to say in the confusion that had ensued then.

Jon Arryn, the Hand, had been kidnapped. All had got to know soon. It was hard to hide such a shameful fact when a guard’s throat had been cut open, and the absence of the man himself. Even more humiliating was the identity of the kidnapper. Oh, yes. The guards weren’t looking for a nameless person. The kidnapper was none other than the newly hired page, Arlen Stone. Though some had indeed pointed out a doubt.

How could a mere boy have kidnapped an old man from his chambers and disappeared without getting noticed by the patrolling sentries?

The question, along with many other details like the absence of Lysa Arryn when this event had taken place, got buried among the hubbub. And why not? The King had never been more furious. Jon Arryn wasn’t only the Hand, or an empty post, of the court. The king himself had been fostered under the old man’s care in his youth. It had been a long time since King Robert Baratheon had shown his wrath. None wanted to see the drunk king angry; that was plain.

Unaffected, but not oblivious, to all this, Kai thrust his sword into another rat as it tried to approach the old man. The stench of the filth was unbearable, but it wasn’t the first time for Kai to hide within them. He was more worried about the old man sprawled beside him. Jon Arryn wrinkled his nose at Kai, a long piece of cloth tying his ankles together.

“You can’t presume to continue this folly,” the Hand said. “Eventually, Robert will send the guards into the sewers too. I know the man, boy. I know him.”

Kai cracked the stiffness out of his neck. It almost seemed Jon Arryn’s words had entered from one ear and out from the other. “This I know, my lord,” Kai agreed. “Eventually, the king would send his guards down. But they won’t find us here.”

“This is wrong,” Jon Arryn pleaded. “If I wanted to survive the assassination by hiding, I would have done it already. Why do you think I had gone to the trouble to hire someone like you? My place is near his majesty. He is surrounded by enemies, and without me, they will eat him alive.”

Kai weighed the old man’s words. Maybe he’s right, Kai thought. But what kind of fool cares about another at the cost of his life? What does it have to do with me who would eat alive whom? My mission had said nothing about King Robert.

“You are a just man,” Kai said, frowning. “Yet, I must do my duty as well. You have hired me for seven days. I must see that no harm would befall you, even if you don’t like the method, I am afraid.”

“You… you…” Jon Arryn stuttered. “You nutcase!”

“I have been called by this name before.”

“You… You maniac!”

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“Oh, that word brought back memories.”

“You… You… You bedlamite!

“That’s new!” Kai said, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know why you are so against it, my lord. Whatever I am doing, I am doing it for you. I want you safe, at least more than your wife.”

That brought an angry, shameful blush on the Hand’s freckled face. Kai could feel the hurt in his eyes mixed with loathing. Both for his wife, and some for Kai. “It’s a few hours to dawn,” Kai commented, ignoring the stare. “Why don’t we talk about the secret, then?”

Jon Arryn gasped. Kai’s eyes widened too, but his reason was different. The moment he had mentioned the secret, the Abnormality Limiter had lighted up in front of his eyes. Its dark color seemed to stand out from the filthy darkness of the sewer around Kai. And the dip at its end was even more conspicuous.

Almost 10%, Kai thought, guessing the dip in the bar. Careful! I must be careful now.

“What… what secret?” Jon Arryn whispered, his breath resisting to come out. “What do you know?”

“Haha!” Kai laughed, trying to brush off his tension. “Well, isn’t it obvious, my lord? A person of your status hires a guard, and that too a sellsword under a false guise. You fear assassinations. And you don’t look like an insane person for you to hallucinate such things. What else could it be, other than a secret that can bring down mortal danger on you? Ah, yes! And on your family. That too. You are a family man, of course.”

Kai’s chuckle brought him nothing but scorn from Jon Arryn. But it also made the vanishing color of the Abnormality Limiter to a halt. When Kai saw it refilling little by little, he smirked.

“Know your limits,” Jon Arryn said, his tone sharper than ever. “You already stand to lose your head for kidnapping me. If you keep on with this farce about some secret, don’t count on me to plead for you once it’s all over. Fear Arlen, if you have not lost your wits entirely. Fear the king’s justice.”

Kai looked at Jon Arryn. He nodded, making Jon Arryn smile in relief. What Kai said next brought a roar out of the old man, which echoed for long in the long tunnels.

“What was the name again?” Kai mumbled, squinting his eyes at the arching roof. “Yes! Robert Baratheon. I have learned another person named Robert, my lord. And he happens to be your only son. I beg you. Tell me the secret, otherwise, I will unite the father and son by bringing him here piece by piece. I promise.”

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AN: Following things are available on Discord now

1. Robert Baratheon (reference with image)
2. Robert Arryn (reference with image)
3. King's Justice (reference with image)

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