What if Ned Stark Demanded a Trial By Combat

what if Ned Stark demanded a trial by combat let's explore the depths of it in the video no I did warn you not to trust me Ned can only stare out in shock as the last of his men are slaughtered he doesn't trust himself to breathe as he looks back at Littlefinger and then at the queen standing before him in minutes the throne room is secure and Ned is brought to his knees as he looks up at the queen and Joffrey kill him I command it in due time my child first the traitor must confess do this and I guarantee we shall be merciful Ned glances around at the room watching the men surround him most have their swords drawn and ready to hack him apart as soon as the command is given but some don't have their weapons out and it is them who has Ned's attention among them is Sir barriston and then he makes a desperate gamble is this really how you wish to start your Reign boy to become a tyrant on your first day silence you wished to usurp my son before that you allowed your wife to kidnap my brother I and he was set free after a trial do you speak of Injustice but deny me the same right if I'm to be punished then I demand a trial by combat the room goes silent as they all look at him Joffrey is seething and and his Knights look ready to finish the job but Cersei is furious slowly she growls and nods her head fine then if you wish to die with stealing your hands so be it unless you can find a fool willing to die for you I'm that fool what no get back sir do you not value that white cloak of yours sir this trial has the King as a defendant it would be improper to have a member of the King's Guard Champion against him begging your pardon your grace but it seems like Joffrey is not King yet and the accuser is also speaking on behalf of the king though you ripped apart that punishment it is still the king's words as a King's Guard I am obligated to defend them very well then if it is truly treason then you shall share Ned Stark's grave the crown names jimie lanister as its Champion the trial shall commence once he arrives in the meantime you can get comfortable in the black cells the remaining King's Guard grabs Ned and leads him away but as he leaves he glances at barriston who offers him a grim nod in truth this is little more than a stay of execution and does little to Halt the chaos Beyond Tywin and the north still war in the riverlands while The baratheons Gather their strength no one dares approach King's Landing leaving net alone in his cell sir barriston is also confined in his Chambers in the White Tower but both accept this with quiet dignity holding their heads High until one day a horse comes riding into the city bearing a golden armored figure with golden hair Ned is roughly led to the throne room by the guards where sir barriston is armored and armed in front of him is Sir Jamie whose usual Swagger is gone replaced with a flicker of uncertainty and Grim determination stuck this does not need to end in blood confess your crimes and we'll let you take the black it is not I who needs to confess sir but you seeing as there will be no peaceful resolution both Fighters draw their swords and circle one another the hall is silent save for the distant crackle of torches and the steady breathing of the two Warriors the king Slayer moves first fainting to the left before slashing right in a blur however the old Knight sees this movement and steps back pushing the blade back and countering with a back swing that forces sir Jamie to retreat this is only for a moment though as he advances yet again advancing in a rapid series of strikes his eyes don't leave sir barriston as he thrusts and slashes at him his movements are fast and his technique perfect but barriston the bull checks each one with methodical Grace beads of sweat form on his head as the old Knight tries to hold him back if this continues he knows he will be worn out as he turns one final slash barriston reverses and thrusts his sword out it bounces against Jaime's breastplate but the blow is enough to Rattle him his next strike comes out clumsily as he lunges barass in Sid steps delivering a punishing repost that forces the young Knight back now it is his turn to go on the offensive advancing in a slow but methodical attack that leaves Jamie on the defensive unused to being the one having to protect himself he begins to falter and Sir barriston thumps his breastplate more and more each one a warning commanding that he yield frustration flashes in Jim's eyes he steps in launching a powerful overhand swing but barriston meets it head on their swords clashing above their heads but barriston pivots suddenly knocking Jaime's blade wide and Landing a brutal Pummel strike to his ribs jimie staggers gasping barriston does not hesitate he drives his sword right above the gorget into Jaime's throat the entire room goes silent as they see the king Slayer fall save for barristan's strained breaths Cersei leaps to her feet her face going pale as she stares at the blooded ground she clutches Joffrey tightly while pyel announces that Ned Stark is deemed innocent in a trembling voice Ned wastes no time ordering that all of them are to be seized the gold cloaks hurry to obey and detain pel Joffrey Cersei Littlefinger and their household word is sent to Stannis urging him to return and claim his throne in the meantime Ned continues to act as Regent ruling in his stead he orders Littlefinger and pisel to be executed for their part in the coup the King's Guard bearing sir barriston are all dismissed and word is sent to taiwan's bannermen as Joffrey no longer sits on the throne they will be considered Outlaws rebelling against the crown that is unless they take their levies and March them home hearing this the bannermen are quick to retreat Their Fear of losing their seats briefly overriding Their Fear of Tywin Lannister soon The Old Lion is left with only a handful of retainers and a few thousand men these are easily defeated by Roose Bolton while Rob Stark chases Jaime's host out of riverrun by the time Stannis arrives Ned has managed to create some semblance of order within the capital allowing Stannis to take the throne in relative peace the Lord of Dragonstone regards Ned coly giving no compliments but thanking him for his help in backing his claim they proclaimed Joffrey a bastard born of incest and use gendry's image as proof of this showing how a Baratheon should look with the Lannister forces shattered no one can challenge this notion however that does not mean that the realm is entirely at peace in the South renley still gathered his host and managed to gain the allegiance of the tyrells rather than be discouraged by their victory over the Lannisters renley is now fully committed to fighting with Joffrey removed he can now press his claim and more importantly after abandoning Ned Stark renley knows he will likely be stripped of his titles putting him in a position where he has no choice but to fight Stannis has no qualms about this either and begins Gathering his banners to fight with the crownlands under his control he begins raising new levies and is joined by the northmen and riverlords who pledge allegiance to him after hearing of Ned's actions to their surprise a few Western Lords also pledged their allegiance eager to prove their loyalty by getting back into the king's good graces among them is tyrian Lannister who hopes to ensure the survival of his house he offers what remains of lannis port's levies and the surviving Knights of the West in exchange for being named ruler of Castle Iraq Stannis seeing the wisdom in bolstering his numbers grudgingly accepts but even with this combined host they number perhaps 55,000 still less than reny's estimated 80,000 soldiers but rather than wait for renley to advance into the crownlands and threaten King's Landing Stannis instead marches South to face him in his territory Riders are sent ahead by Adam marbrand and the Blackfish raiding and pillaging the territories of the storm lands these Riders Pro their worth by defeating several picket forces some managed to reach deeper striking at towns providing supplies that feed reny's Army forcing him into action they are reinforced by men commanded by Mage Mormont and Godfrey fairing to fight the advanced Force commands by Loris Tyrell this battle is hard fought the Tyrell Knights crash into the Stark and Riverland line but they are met with a wall of Spears and Pikes the northern archers seasoned from battles in the riverlands Reign arrows upon them from behind Hedges and wooden Stakes meanwhile stannis's Vanguard commanded by Sir godre launches a brutal assault on the stormland levies scattering them and forcing Loris to retreat however that is just the beginning stormland infantry begins to infiltrate the same towns they had just liberated sneaking in and ambushing garrisons there forcing them to battle for each one meanwhile Randall tarley leads a small force of picked Cavalry to strike hard at The Battered westermen already exhausted they are scattered around bronze gate and many decide that their Oaths are fulfilled and Retreat home however Stannis manages to win over some reachmen particularly those of house Florent who raise rebellions in the reach but these are minor actions and none of this compares to the final battle that takes place in summer Hall the storm lenders are the first to arrive there and waste no time trying to secure it led by guyard Morgan and Lord easterm mon they begin fortifying the ruined Castle as they work though the Raiders of Brandon Tully spot them and launch a harassing run this was just meant to Skirmish with them and disrupt their work but this soon devolves into a full battle as the men Sally out and attack the Raiders a scout manages to escape and inform Rob and Ned who leads his troops there Stannis orders their entire Army to rush there as renley also gets word and begins organizing his defenses however in his hurry he outpaces his army and only has 15,000 men which he forms up in the high grounds this proves to be a brilliant move as it leaves Stannis and his troops fighting in an uphill battle battle facing the Pikes of the Rebels the initial attack flounders back and the men are driven back leaving the northmen and westermen to conduct a fighting Retreat however the right flank is less secure as the ground is rockier allowing the rivermen to make more progress here Stannis commits his crown Landers reinforcements from both sides begin to trickle in strengthening their position and feeding men into the meat grinder however reny's position initially appears unassailable on the left his men continue to drive Ned Stark's forces back back while the right although struggling is at least stable renley himself rides at the head of his army cutting down foes with ease his bright armor of beacon on the battlefield however the young Knights on the left begin to get over eager and drive the Northman back descending the hill and opening up a gap one person who notices this is Sir barriston rallying whatever many he can he rushes into the Gap and hurries to assist the Left Flank by hitting the storm lenders and reachmen from the rear chaos soon spreads and Men throw their weapons down and surrender seeing this Rob Stark rallies his men by greywind by his side the northmen summon another burst of strength and Rush forward this time with their forces being beaten from two sides the line collapses and the westermen rush up the hill to assist the flagging Crown Landers seeing the battle lost many of the reachmen break and flee those surrounding renley find their escape cut off and throw down their weapons renley realizing defeat attempts to Rally his forces but his commanders urged him to Retreat he refuses as he fights his horse is struck by a northern spear sending him crashing to the ground his batterman attempt to save him but they're overwhelmed before renley can rise he finds himself surrounded by crownland and Riverland soldiers it's over brother I suppose it is renley is taken prisoner and marched back to King's Landing in Chains the tyrells sensing the winds have changed quickly bend the knee to Stannis to preserve their influence Loris Furious at the loss of his beloved renley nearly challenges Stannis to a duel but is restrained while renley rebelled against the crown Blood Ties spare him from death and Ned Stark convinces him to be exiled to the wall renley knowing he has no other choice accepts his faith with the bitter smile the tyrells are not spared this and are stripped of their lordship over the reach which is instead transferred to house Florent when they protest this citing how the Lannisters will rule the westerlands Stannis reminds them that Tyrion and his westermen fought for Joffrey who at the time was technically the legal Heir meanwhile renley was never in line for succession and they joined him purely out of self-interest and he cannot forgive that with renley defeated and the reach subdued stannis's claim is unchallenged the war is over and a fragile peace Reigns over Westeros in the quiet times Ned broaches the topic of Daenerys Stannis had fulfilled Robert's dying request to call off the reward on daenerys's head though he disagreed with it the last their spies have heard she managed to make her way to kth where she is an honored guest there are even some claims that she is accompanied by three dragons that she has hatched this is troubling news as dragons haven't been seen in over a century but as they receive word from the knight's watch that there is growing trouble Beyond the Wall of wildlings and white walkers Ned can't help but think this is a sign he recalls how he saw a dead Stag and direwolf before being visited by Robert this pushes him to make a radical suggestion perhaps Daenerys may be pardoned and allowed to return to the Seven Kingdoms you would pardon her a Targaryen a claimant a threat a child she has done nothing wrong are we to punish her for her father's crimes for the sins of a dead King I'm not punishing anyone I did as you asked and honored my brother's wishes and remove the bounty on her head she is free to live her life so long as it is not here and what life is that a life of running from those who wish to Curry favor for you by taking a head a life of hardship and begging and what happens when she lands on our Shores with fire and blood on her lips will you still defend her then that is why we can nip this problem in the bud I do not ask to Crown her I ask for Mercy give her an opportunity to renounce a claim that would put the matter to rest the realm will not accept a queen they did not with inera and they will not with her and yet her claim led to the dance of dragons a war that set the realm of Blaze and if we make her an enemy by casting her aside there is more at stick than the throne status the Night's Watch has sent word the wall is threatened a greater war is coming if Daenerys can be an ally we should not turn her away this is the will of Rola the cold Rises creeping ever closer ice and darkness you will need fire to drive it back three dragons have returned to the world do you think that is meere Chance silence follows the candlelight waivers as if uncertain of its own strength I did not trust her and I will not suffer another Pretender to my throne but if she swears filty then perhaps but make no mistake Stark you will be responsible for her actions if she betrays us if she turns her dragons against Westeros then you will answer for it you will accept the consequences I will Stannis nods and sends word for an ambassador to be sent to Daenerys sir barriston volunteers for this task heading to karth by ship when he arrives he finds Daenerys in the home of one of the city's greatest merchants zaroo and daxos there she tries to gain support to retake the Iron Throne by raising an army and Gathering warships that is why it comes off as a surprise when barriston visits her at zaro's Palace with these terms at first the young Queen can barely believe it and sjora urges her not to trust him though Daenerys can see the sincerity in the Man's eyes she considers the terms carefully Stannis is willing to relinquish Dragonstone to her and give her control of the narrow sea and crack claw's point if she publicly renounces her claim to the throne and swears an oath to the old gods and the new as well as the Lord of Light that she will serve the Iron Throne At first she scoffs at these terms finding them unacceptable but despite her efforts to gather allies they bear little fruit the only ones who offer anything close to supports are the house of the undying and zarod daxus but both of them seem to cover her dragons even more a part of her is tempted truly tempted to accept this offer it would allow her to return home without having to fight after the horrors and difficulty she's experienced in OS the chance to return home without a fight is a fine Prospect before I give my answers tell me S biston what sort of man is this stennis I hear he is the usurper brother to bend my KNE to him would be to acknowledge the actions his brother did to mine I would know first is he worth it is he just and kind and honorable Your Grace if you are looking for kindness then you are looking at the wrong man but as to Justice you will find a man no more fair than him he is as different to Robert as Icees to fire to speak the truth he is a difficult man but one I am proud to serve under then I shall swear allegiance to him a few more terms are discussed such as what shall be done with daenerys's followers a pardon to jordal Mormont where her dragons shall be kept and a few other issues all of these are handled by the end of the week daera sails home alongside sir barriston returning to the Seven Kingdoms for the first time in 13 years Stannis greets her with cool courtesy thanking her for accepting his offer and saying how he does not wish to fight with her Ned Stark is a bit warmer but Daenerys feels A Rush of anger as she regards him she recalls vas's stories about how Ned Stark was among those who took King's Landing though he does not seem like the cruel Savage man that she grew up hearing she cannot bring herself to remain close with him for long instead they focus their efforts on Daenerys renouncing her queenship as expected Stannis wishes for this to be public and has it take place in the new Temple of rer to leave no doubt of what will happen the grand Hall of the newly constructed Temple of RAR is bathed in the glow of fir light that casts great Shadows over the assembled Lords and Ladies at the center of it all stands daas Targaryen who does not let herself be intimidated though she holds herself with quiet dignity there is no mistaking the tightness in her jaw as she glances over the deas where Stannis stands beside him are melisandra and Ned Stark who give quiet nods of encouragement daer is targaryan you stand here today not as a queen but as a woman given Mercy but for Mercy to be granted there must be peace and for peace there must be no mistaking who rules the Seven Kingdoms I agree I daera Stormborn of House talarian do hereby renounce any claim to the Iron Throne of Westeros I will not take up arms against King Stannis barathon nor will I seek to press my family's claim murmurs Ripple through the hall some look relieved others is skeptical but no one speaks against her then it is done in exchange you will be taken to Dragon Stone you will have your lands safety and standing among the nobility and in time I will see to it that you are wed into a house of worth however little does anyone know that Stannis and Ned have already discussed this and raised the possibility of wedding Rob Stark to Daenerys they are of the same age and will secure her future but more importantly it ensures security house Stark is a major house so no one may claim it is beneath her station but Ned is perhaps the only great Lord who will not plot against Daenerys it plates the former Queen while neutralizing her ability to offer her hand to secure alliances it is a bold plan but one Ned sees the lodge again though he is still not fully sold on it Rob's betral to house Frey is of little importance to Stannis as he points out that this was made under duress for an act that house Frey should have given free though Lord Frey protests Stannis coldly warns him that he should consider himself fortunate he's allowed to remain Lord of a castle as important as the twins at all one Lord who watches these proceedings is Varys disguised as a simple Merchant he slips out and begins writing to his comrade alyo mentus about these developments though he appears calm in truth he is trying to hide his frustration these changes have put a serious wrench in their plans none of this was supposed to happen they had wished for Daenerys to eventually return to Westeros however she was supposed to return to a claim in chaos and ruins one ripe for the targaryens more importantly she was supposed to return alongside the other great Valyrian the black dragon Aon Blackfire to rectify this plan will take time and looking for the next great opportunity but as Varys leaves the temple and walks among the small folk he can sense the uncertainty in their eyes as they regard this structure smiles to himself perhaps the opportunity will not be far off Westeros is a land filled with exciting stories and possibilities and we love exploring them if you want to accompany us on this journey across the Seven Kingdoms and Beyond then please like share and subscribe to our Channel