Everything has its cause and effect. What happened to Robert today was entirely his own fault.
Just imagine—if all the Kingsguard were like Barristan Selmy, what kind of splash could Jaime make even if he had three heads and six arms?
The purpose of the Kingsguard is to protect the king and the royal bloodline. The requirements for selection are strength, loyalty, and wisdom. At the end of the War of the Usurper, five positions in the Kingsguard needed to be filled—six, if you included Jaime, the Kingslayer. To express his love for his new wife and thank his father-in-law for his "strong support" of the new Baratheon dynasty worth hundreds of thousands of gold dragons, Robert may have also intended to use Jaime as a political hostage. Not only did he confirm the Kingslayer's position, but he also generously handed over the selection of the other five members to Cersei.
Under the watchful eyes of the world, the young Cersei couldn't just replace the entire Kingsguard with Lannisters. However, she also had no intention of doing her best to choose excellent guards for Robert. So, without consulting her father Tywin, she made her first decision as queen on her own: bypassing the North, the Riverlands, and Dorne—regions that had always had grievances or conflicts with the Westerlands—she picked from the remaining five regions: the Reach, the Vale, the Stormlands, the Westerlands, and the Crownlands. From each, she chose a minor family friendly to House Lannister and had them send a family member to the capital to serve in the Kingsguard.
A Kingsguard selected with such obvious political bias and carelessness could hardly be expected to be strong. These five new Kingsguard might be top warriors within their respective families, more than capable of working as mercenaries but they were definitely not qualified to wear white cloaks. Barristan commented on the five new colleagues: Even now, I could still cut all five of you down like slicing cheese.
Although he despised the Kingslayer's treachery, Barristan had to admit with sadness that, aside from himself, Jaime Lannister was the only truly qualified Kingsguard. While the five newcomers might not betray Robert in the internal struggle between king and queen, their combat ability and overall quality were widely recognized as the worst batch since Aegon the Conqueror founded the White Cloaks.
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Worried about Cersei's safety, Jaime erupted with an unprecedented burst of strength in desperation. Once again, it was a familiar backstab, aimed at the king he had sworn to protect. The scene of regicide sixteen years ago flashed before his eyes. Honor? Jaime muttered the word with bloodshot eyes, knowing this was something he would never obtain in this life. In front of two white cloaks, the dagger pierced Robert's back armor and stabbed into the king's flesh. But that wasn't enough. Jaime also charged forward, slamming into Robert's large frame with all his strength, knocking him down through sheer momentum. Before the king could fall completely, Jaime snatched the warhammer that had once killed Rhaegar from Robert's unprepared hands.
"You!" Arys Oakheart had relaxed for a moment when he saw Jaime fall with his sword broken. By the time he reacted, it was too late. He shouted, drew his sword, and charged at Jaime, who had just attacked the king.
...
...
Robert felt the pain in his back and the impact as he fell. His grip loosened, giving Cersei a chance to break free. The queen gasped for breath, ignoring the pain in her neck. She inhaled deeply and screamed without hesitation, "Do it!"
The sharp soprano cut through the cries of the three children and pierced through the room's doors. The battle both inside and outside the room reignited at once.
...
The warhammer is so heavy, Jaime thought. Robert was able to wield this? He really was a fearsome warrior. Oath? Jaime muttered the second word in despair. He gripped the warhammer, which was nearly twice the weight of his usual weapon, and swung it fiercely. "Out of my way!"
The two Kingsguard refused to back down. Their weapons clashed within moments of each other. Arys's sword grazed the breastplate on Jaime's chest, while Jaime's hammer dented Arys's arm guard. Under normal circumstances, Jaime could defeat the two of them without sustaining any injuries, but this time, knowing the garrison would soon arrive and determined to get Cersei out, he chose to fight with all he had. In this full-contact battle where both sides wore armor and neither dodged nor defended, the advantage of the warhammer was fully realized. Arys's arm broke, his body lost balance, and he crashed into a wooden table, collapsing to the ground and instantly losing the ability to fight.
Outside the door, hundreds of red-cloaked guards attacked the king's men the moment they heard their young lady's cry. Although the three Kingsguard were stronger than ordinary soldiers, they commanded fewer than 50 men. The so-called Royal Red Keep Guards were essentially a detachment of the city garrison assigned to protect the Red Keep. Though they wore golden cloaks, their combat ability paled in comparison to the red cloaks from Lannisport.
The king's side was at a disadvantage in both numbers and combat strength. If not for the three half-baked Kingsguard barely holding the line, they would've collapsed instantly. The three white cloaks wanted to break away from the melee to rush into the room, but they knew that if they did, by the time they returned, the courtyard would likely be overrun with only Lannister soldiers remaining.
"Kill them both!" Robert, though on the ground, refused to give up. He reached out, trying to grab Cersei's skirt to stop her from escaping, but only tore off a piece of fabric. Then he tried to pull the dagger from his back, but his body was too fat, and he couldn't reach the hilt. As he moved, the wound in his lungs tore further, and a sharp pain like a blade pierced his chest. His breathing became labored, and his powerful body rapidly weakened from lack of oxygen. His vision darkened, and he couldn't even get up.
"Don't come any closer!" Jaime touched his abdomen and saw blood but no visible wound. Unsure of how bad the injury was, he looked up, grabbed Cersei, and raised the warhammer, pointing it at Boros Blount, who was standing in front of Myrcella. "The king isn't dead yet. Watch him. I don't want to kill you."
"Don't be scared of him. He was hit by my sword—he's not your match… Stop him… Don't… let him get away," Arys gasped from the ground, his right arm nearly useless. He switched his sword to his left hand and struggled to stand.
...
If this batch of Kingsguard were the worst in history, then Ser Boros Blount was the worst of the worst. He reacted a beat slower than his teammates. When he saw Arys Oakheart knocked down by Jaime's hammer, the usually fierce but cowardly Blount lost his nerve. He raised his steel sword and cautiously stood beside Robert. Using Jaime's statement of "protecting the king" as an excuse, he stood frozen like a statue, unable to move.
Cersei waved to the three children and shouted, "Joff, Myrcella, Tommen… come with me!"
"No, stay here! You're a prince and princess—Eddard Stark wouldn't dare hurt you!" Jaime winced in pain with every word, holding his stomach as he contradicted Cersei. In truth, he didn't fully believe what he was saying, but he knew Cersei would never leave King's Landing with all three children. Wiping blood from his hands, he dragged his sister and lover, who still hadn't given up, back toward Boros. Step by step, they reached the door, opened it, turned around, and rushed outside.
Outside, the sounds of battle, shouting, wailing, and clashing steel filled the air. Chaos reigned, and it was clear that the larger force had the advantage. Preston Greenfield saw Jaime—his white cloak stained with blood—and Cersei in his grasp. He glared and shouted, "Jaime! What have you done?"
"You need to get to the stables. Without a mount, you'll never make it out of King's Landing." Jaime ignored the enemy's cries. The Red Keep was already under Stark control. Even with horses, their chances of escape were slim, but he had to try. The ground trembled as more soldiers charged toward them. He gave Cersei a hard push. "Once you find a horse, take your men through a side gate with fewer guards. Break through before they shut the city gates. Go!"
"It's not just me, it's us! I've already arranged the retreat!" Cersei grabbed Jaime's arm and forcefully dragged him toward the stables. "Potter, take half the men and hold this spot to cover the retreat. Amos, take twenty with me… Stop the man in white!"
The Kingsguard charging at Jaime with raised swords were pushed back by several spears. A dozen red-cloaked soldiers either defeated or drove off their opponents, regrouped around Cersei and the wounded Jaime, and began covering their retreat toward the stables. But from the south of Maegor's Holdfast came a thunderous sound of boots. Eddard Stark appeared at the edge of the chaos with a large force of garrison soldiers. Upon seeing the battle, he immediately quickened his pace and reached the scene in moments.
"Can you still fight? Go now. The guard at the Red Keep's sewer gate is one of mine. That gate is barely marked on the map, and Stark forgot to post a replacement. It hasn't rained in days, so there won't be any flooding. The garrison captain at the Gate of the Gods is also my man. We can escape!" Cersei pulled the wounded, death-seeking Jaime close and, at the last moment, turned and shouted, "Hold them off!"
(To be continued.)
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