NIP #320 - Chapter 54: The North Has Not Forgotten (Part 2)
#320 - Chapter 54: The North Has Not Forgotten (Part 2)
Tywin stared wide-eyed at Arya before him, inwardly marveling at how quickly she had regained her balance. However, the missed opportunity could not be recovered, and time was of the essence. Given his deteriorating physical condition, if he didn't fight with all his might, he might die today. He had to give it his all!
And so, Tywin gritted his teeth, focused intently ahead, and charged towards his enemy once more, shield first, like a fierce tiger.
Facing the oncoming opponent, Arya showed no fear. She swiftly drew the incredibly sharp short sword from her waist, ready to meet the attack. In an instant, they clashed. Tywin's longsword thrust straight at her, but Arya, with her nimble agility, dodged the blow, and swiftly moved behind him to launch a counterattack.
Quick as lightning, Arya gripped her short sword with both hands, attacking from both sides. First, with the thin blade of 'Needle' in her left hand, she precisely severed the tendon behind Tywin's left knee. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, she thrust the short sword in her right hand, piercing his right shoulder, the blade lodging firmly in his shoulder joint!
This series of movements was fluid and seamless. In the blink of an eye, Tywin was severely wounded and unable to retaliate. Now, with all four limbs disabled, he could no longer stand and eventually collapsed to the ground. Despite this, Tywin still tried to struggle to his feet, but repeated attempts ended in failure.
The numerous gruesome wounds on his body continued to bleed, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow for the nearly seventy-year-old Tywin. Seeing that all was lost and there was no hope of recovery, he stopped wasting his energy on futile resistance, and simply lay on the cold ground, gasping for breath as he begged Arya for mercy: "Girl, stop torturing this old man... Just give me a quick death!"
Arya approached Tywin, kicking his longsword far away. Then, she said softly, "Lord Tywin, I want you to know that in the last moment of your life, you saw a Stark smiling as you died!" The thin 'Needle' sliced through his trachea. Cutting the throat without damaging the arteries wouldn't cause immediate death. But Tywin still struggled in agony, trying to reach out and grab something to stop his fading life force, but all in vain. Because at this moment, the air he could inhale was extremely limited, and the diaphragm could no longer properly control blood flow and breathing. In the end, Tywin could only breathe his last in extreme pain and despair, slowly ceasing all movement.
Arya stood there quietly, motionless, watching Tywin. She had thought that after completing her revenge, she would feel immense joy and satisfaction, but now her heart was strangely calm. Perhaps it was because she had experienced too many life and death separations, or perhaps this revenge had been rehearsed in her mind countless times, so when it truly arrived, it was not as exciting as she had expected.
After a long while, Arya slowly crouched down and reached out to touch Tywin's carotid artery. After confirming that he had completely stopped breathing, she pulled the short sword out of Tywin's back and carefully wiped off the remaining blood. After doing all this, Arya silently put away her weapon, turned around, and left behind the cold corpse and the shocking crimson stains on the ground.
She slowly turned around and walked heavily towards the bed, not even glancing at Shae's body.
She reached out and took the Hand of the King badge, a symbol of power and status, from Tywin's clothes, clutching it tightly in her hand. Then, she walked to the desk, randomly pulled out a few sheets of paper, and quickly wrote several pages of documents. After finishing, she gently placed the badge on the sealing wax and pressed down hard, leaving a clearly visible mark.
After doing all this, she silently left the Hand's chambers and carefully closed the door. When she reappeared before the people, she had changed into a castle servant's uniform, and her original black hair had become a dazzling gold. At this moment, she was like a stranger, her face revealing a composure and calmness beyond her age.
And so, Arya quietly walked out of the Hand's Tower, the guards at the bottom not noticing anything unusual about her. She smoothly passed through the Traitor's Walk and arrived at a semi-circular low tower. This tower was called the Tower of the Hand, because it housed the entrance to the dungeons.
On the top floor of the Tower of the Hand, there were some special cells, usually used to confine people of status and rank, such as knights and nobles. Eddard and Tyrion had also been imprisoned here in the later stages of their confinement.
The true entrance to the dungeons was located on the ground floor of the tower. In fact, the dungeons were built directly below the tower, closely connected to the building above. The passage into the dungeons consisted of a sturdy iron gate and another dilapidated, mottled gray wooden door, creating a sense of gloom and horror. Between the tower and the Traitor's Walk were not only the chambers of the Chief Gaoler and the High Septon, but also the residence of the King's Justice.
The King's Justice was the King's personal executioner, whose mission was to carry out the death sentences handed down by the King sitting on the Iron Throne or the Hand acting on the King's behalf. To be qualified for this role, one had to possess qualities that inspired fear, and Ser Ilyn Payne certainly fit the bill perfectly - many prisoners were already scared out of their wits simply by catching a glimpse of his corpse-like pale face.
Generally, executions were carried out in public by beheading. In addition, the King's Justice was also responsible for managing the Red Keep dungeons and supervising the Chief Gaoler, the Deputy Gaoler, the lower guards, and the jailers. As for the management of various affairs within the dungeons, reports had to be submitted to the Master of Laws. However, Ser Ilyn Payne had his tongue cut out by Aerys II and could not speak. Other tasks had already been handled by dedicated personnel, so the only thing he needed to do was swing his sword and chop off heads. Because of this, almost no one wanted to approach him, and his room was also very remote.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The door was knocked heavily. Ilyn Payne opened the door impatiently, glaring at the person in front of him, his face full of displeasure. Standing before Ilyn Payne was a castle servant wearing bright red clothes. His dazzling golden hair seemed to say that he came from the distant Westerlands. Since Cersei became Queen, there had been more and more Westermen in the Red Keep.
Although it was already late at night, Ilyn Payne was annoyed at being disturbed for no reason, but he also knew that if it wasn't for something urgent, the other party certainly wouldn't have done this.
The castle servant respectfully took out a scroll of paper and handed it to Ilyn Payne, saying, "Ser Ilyn, this was sent by the Hand of the King, please be sure to personally read and acknowledge receipt." Ilyn Payne didn't think much of it and reached out to take the scroll. He saw that the scroll was prominently marked with the red Hand of the King seal. However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the warrant, the scroll suddenly slipped from the servant's hand.
Ilyn Payne's full attention was instantly drawn to the warrant, and his body instinctively leaned forward to pick up the fallen scroll. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a flash of silver, followed by a sharp pain in his chin. The servant in front of him had launched a surprise attack! Before he could react, he was plunged into darkness, completely losing consciousness.