When it was over, he said, “Choose four men and have them take the body north. Bury her at Winterfell.” – “All that way?” Jory said, astonished. – “All that way,” Ned affirmed. “The Lannister woman shall never have this skin.”
AGOT 16 – EDDARD III (GRRM)
POV character Eddard Stark 3
Chapter (AGOT) 17 / 73
Chapter (ASOIAF) 17 / 344
Summary
Arya was found after 4 days and Eddards biggest fear is, that she was found by the Lannisters but his steward tells him that it was in fact Jory, the Stark’s captain of guards. Sadly the guards brought her directly to the king and Eddard rushes to save her. He finds the king in a crowded room and thinks that this may not be good as he would have preferred to settle the affair in private.
Arya is crying and Ned demands to know why she was not brought to him. Cersei snaps back, but Robert apologizes and says he did not intend to scare the girl and only wanted to be done with the business quickly. The queen confronts Arya that Mycah and her beat Joffrey with clubs and Nymeria, the wolf, bite in his arm. Arya denies that and says Nymeria only protected her, but Joffrey repeats the false story.
The king orders both of them tell their story and reminds them that lying to a king is a crime. Arya has to start. Renly starts to laugh, when Arya admits that she thrown “Lion’s Tooth” into the Trident and is escorted outside by Barristan. After Joffrey told his (very different) story, Sansa is called as witness. She says that she can not remember, much to Arya’s anger.
Robert wants to close the case and tells Ned to disciple his daughter as he will see to his son, but queen Cersei insists on a punishment, at least for the wolf. To Robert’s not very well hidden delight, Nymeria was not found with Arya. Cersei promises a big bounty if somebody brings her the skin. And in addition she reminds Robert, that there is still a wolf in the camp. Robert orders to kill him, although Ned, Arya and Sansa argue against it.
Robert orders the king’s justice Payne to do it, although Ned demands that he does it himself. It seems that Ned and Robert’s relationship is severely damaged in this moment. Eddard decides that he will execute the king’s order himself, a move that even deepens Cersei’s mistrust.
After Lady is dead he orders his men to send the corpse back to Winterfell and bury her properly in the north. In this way Cersei Lannister will not get the skin (as she demanded). At his way back he meets Sandor Clegane who found Mycah, rode him down and killed him without mercy.
Thoughts
- Eddard chapters are always on the shorter side of this, strange. Is it because Eddard is such a “dry” man that GRRM does not write any unnecessary descriptions?
- As we know the whole scene out of Sansa’s description we know that Joffrey is lying. This helps the reader to (at least) put Sansa in the “more reliable” narrator corner (at least for the moment).
- What had happened if Sansa told the truth? A very nice what if. I assume Cersei would have brought Robert to break up with Ned, who would have gone back to the north.
- Get her a dog, she’ll be happier for it.
I think this is the quote for all Sansa/Sandor shippers. I think you read to much into a throwaway line. - “She is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher.”
A badass-line here by Ned. For all of Stark-fans and northern loyalists out there. And that he denies Cersei the skin by giving Lady a honor guard is awesome as well.
My Song of Ice and Fire 
