Dawn painted the sky in hues of fire and ash.
Outside the tower, the battlefield was a grave of broken vows. Ned's men buried the fallen with silent hands. Arthur Dayne, now awake but defeated, watched from the shadows, bound and wounded.
> "You should kill me," he said to Köinzell.
The elven swordsman cleaned his blade slowly.
> "Perhaps. But I won't. You're no longer a threat… And your legend has already died."
Eddard approached, cradling the infant. His voice was quiet.
> "We'll ride for the North. Tell no one of this. Not Robert. Not even my own wife."
Howland Reed nodded. "We keep the secret."
Köinzell stared into the rising sun, golden eyes reflecting the future.
> "The game has already begun. And this child is one of its final pieces."
Eddard turned to him. "Will you come with us?"
Köinzell shook his head. "Not yet. My path is not yours. I will walk the world and watch from the shadows."
> "And when the time comes… I will return."
He walked toward the crags, his cloak flaring behind him like a storm.
> "Remember," Köinzell said, glancing back once. "The world you know is just the surface. Beneath it… ancient powers stir."
He vanished into the rocks, leaving behind silence.
Eddard looked down at the child—Aegon. Jon. Snow.
> "I'll protect you," he whispered.
> "Even if it costs me everything."