Skin Cancer Essay - 1529 Words

Skin Cancer Skin cancer is a disease that can affect any one. Skin cancer includes many types that can be classified as severe or superficial. Consequently, treatement of skin cancer depends on the degree of severity a person has. In the following paper, we will shed lights on the types of skin cancer and its causes. Finally, we will investigate how to treat the different types of cancer and how to avoid it. Skin cancer is a term used to describe cancer in skin tisssues. The skin is made of several layers. Skin cancer is classified according to the layer it develops in. Skin cancer is classified according to the layer it develops in. The epidermes is the skin’s outer layer and is made up squamous cells, basal cells and melanocytes†¦show more content†¦It develops in the melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin that gives the skin its pigment or color and protects tissues from ultra violet radiation. Dark skinned people have more melanin than light skinned people do. For this reason, Melanomia is more frequent in light skinned people. (â€Å"Detailed description â€Å", 2000, P.2 Now that we know different types of skin cancer, it is important to know the causes for this disease. The first one is the environmental pollutants that we are exposed to such as coal, tar, and radium. Exposure to ionizing radiation such as x-rays also cause skin cancer (â€Å"Theoretical Causes†, 2000, P.6). The other cause is the degree of pigmentation of the skin. Individuals with the highest risk are people who live in sunny places and people who have fair skin. The areas of the body that are the most exposed to sunlight are the areas of the face and head. Here, cancer is more likely to develop. (Bair, 1991, P. 368). The third factor that plays a major role in causing skin cancer is the Ozone layer. It helps protect people from ultraviolet radiation. However, the ozone layer is shrinking and this is due to man-made products like sprays and combustion of cars that are emitted in the atmosphere. This process is allowing more ultraviolet penetration to the earth thus increasing risk of skin cancer (Bair, 1991, P. 367,368). Ultraviolet radiation are the chief causes for skin cancer because the UV radiationShow MoreRelatedSkin Cancer1352 Words   |  6 Pagesare not taking skin cancer seriously after knowing its significance. Skin cancer has been a growing problem in the United States and millions of people have suffered from it every year. The three most common skin cancers are Melanoma, Basal cell, and Squamous cell, which can cause bumps, sores, growths, etc. Skin cancer is a deadly disease with many causes, but the advantage is that it can be prevented. Problem/Definition Skin cancer is a disease where cancer (malignant) cellsRead MoreEssay On Skin Cancer1814 Words   |  8 PagesSkin cancer is a very real and common health problem for Australians, with 2 in 3 developing this deadly disease by the age of 70 (Lynch, 2006). â€Å"Due to the Australian climate and lifestyle, as well as a predominantly fair skinned population, skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in Australia,† (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000). For the most effective prevention against skin cancer, it is recommended that a combination of sun safety measures are met; slip, slop, slap,Read MoreSkin Cancer Essays629 Words   |  3 PagesSkin Cancer What is it and how to prevent it Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers. There are three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. In this presentation I plan to discuss a little about each of these cases as well as tell ways to prevent and treat them. The first most common skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma. This cancer develops in the basal or bottom layer of the epidermis, which is the top layer of the skinRead MoreLiterature Review On Skin Cancer2421 Words   |  10 PagesLiterature Review Skin cancers have become increasingly prevalent over the last 30 years, with 87,000 new melanoma diagnoses per year in the United States (American Cancer Association, 2016). With regards to skin melanoma, medical professionals struggle most with the diagnosis rather than the treatment (Ferris et al., 2017). Therefore, it is important for the medical community to focus on diagnosis- related struggles. Pigmented Lesions and Routine Dermopathy There are various types of pigmentedRead More Melanoma (Skin Cancer) Essay1411 Words   |  6 PagesUV-B rays from the sun lead to premature aging of the skin, as well as the possible formation of skin cancer, know as melanoma. An appearance of a tan is actually a stage of burning and damage to the skin. Although a tan may be desirable to many, the fact remains that more people need to be educated on the dangers of the sun’s harmful rays, and the possible health complications of overexposure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three main types of skin cancer. These are malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma,Read MoreIncidence Rate Of Skin Cancer1095 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract: Incidence rate of skin cancer are increasing day by day. Skin cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer but detected earlier can save the life time of the human being. An automated screening system is introduced to identify the presence of skin cancer in advance. In this paper, texture distinctiveness lesion segmentation algorithm is used. Experience and training-based characteristics of back propagation neural network is used with texture distinctiveness lesion segmentation algorithmRead MoreSkin Cancer Essay1118 Words   |  5 PagesTopic: Skin Cancer Thesis: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States but is highly curable if detected early and treated properly. Specific Purpose: to inform the audience about the different kinds of skin cancer and what preventive measures you can take to protect yourself from skin cancer. I. Introduction A. Do you know that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States; two million people are diagnosed annually. B. Skin cancer is theRead MoreSkin Cancer Essay1178 Words   |  5 PagesSymptoms of Skin Cancer The Causes and symptoms of Skin Cancer While tanning beds and extreme use/exposure to UV rays are ways to get skin cancer, there are also various other ways to get it. Many don’t know that genetics and traits can actually play a huge role in developing this dangerous disease. They also don’t know that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. today. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation more people over the last 300 years have had skin cancer than all ofRead MoreEssay about Skin Cancer and Expert Knowledge1495 Words   |  6 Pagesbody are both a source of material risk, from cancers, and a symbolic risk, such as being pale and unhealthy looking (Carter and Jordan, p. 76). This example shows how expert knowledge in the form of medical advice tells us to keep our skin covered so as to prevent exposure from the sun that could cause skin cancer, and how this is interpreted by society using the cultural practice of booking holidays and how they balance the material risk of skin cancer with the symbolic risk of getting a tan inRead MoreSkin Cancer : A Significant And An Increasing Health Problem Worldwide1638 Words   |  7 Pages Arjun Ramakrishnan Morgan State University Skin Cancer April 28, 2016 Health Education 103.001 Abstract Skin cancer is becoming a significant and an increasing health problem worldwide. The main cause of this type of cancer is due to the damage done by the Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sun. There are many other causes and behaviors which contribute towards skin cancer. Protecting the skin from sun by wearing appropriate clothing, a sunscreen with appropriate sun protection

Plant Tour Report Example

Essays on Plant Tour Report Lab Report Ford Camacari Plant Tour Report Section Major Ford Camacari Automobile Assembly Plant Company Summary Ford is a public company based in United States. The plant is located at the end of a tropical rainforest in a place called Camacari in Brazil in northern state of Bahia. Ford is arguably one of the most dominant car manufacturing companies in the world. Besides the 14 percent market share in Brazil, Ford shares a sizeable proportion of automobile market industry in the world especially in United States. It is the fourth largest in car manufacture in the world. Truly, the plant has very high standards of cleanliness. All the sections of the plant are impeccably clean. Workers are well dressed and smart. The automation system has made it possible to decongest the plant therefore maintaining cleanliness. Other sections such as the cafeteria, port, and walk sides are clean. There are no noticeable emissions from the plant thus maintaining environmental cleanliness. The plant is strategically placed in Camacari, Brazil for economic reasons. The primary reason is that it is much more expensive to produce one unit of a car in U.S than in Brazil due to differences in costs of labor and other input costs. The port gives the plant a great advantage with regard to water transport to interior Brazil and other countries as well. Plant Efficiency Perhaps what makes the Camacari efficient, economical and successful is the adoption of near-supplier strategy. Suppliers such as Llear and Visteon are positioned as a periphery to the plant. This way they can supply their products directly to the production line. This reduces costs of production and increases efficiency. Just in time tools such as robots makes this possible. All the supplies of the plant are available at the right time at the right place. This is because the suppliers have integrated their supply output lines directly to the production line. Many suppliers supply their products directly to ford. Currently, Ford has close to 850 long-term suppliers. Such a large number could be due to the number of components needed to make a car. The major ones include Llear Corporation and, Visteon. Llear Corporation supplies seats and related accessories as well as electric system. Visteon supplies interiors, lighting, controls, and climate electronics among others. This makes it important for these main suppliers to be fed directly to the assembly line since their supplies make a sizeable proportion of the complete car. As of 2010, Visteon, one of the main suppliers of Ford Camacari, had almost 27, 000 employees. For the three months ending December 2010, Visteon recorded $ 1887 million dollars net sales in products and services hence making it to be a large company on the globe. Visteon has suppliers too and they include Taiho kogyo, Fegomat, TGK among others. Visteon manufactures a wide variety of automobile components. Some of the major components supplied to Ford Camacari include interiors, lighting components, and powertrain controls. Plant Modernization Ford Camacari is arguably one of the most advanced automobile manufacturing plants in the world. Its automated production line is said to be the most flexible since it can produce five different types of vehicle platforms at the same time on the same production line. Robots do most of the assembly and few workers are needed. Ford Camacari has a very efficient and advanced flexible manufacturing system. This is evidenced by the fact that the plant is able to produce five different vehicle platforms at the same time on the same assembly line. Many automobile manufacturing plants such as Toyota in Japan have adopted lean manufacturing concepts. Ford Camacari has adopted lean manufacturing and this is evidenced by the automation of the whole plant and having suppliers integrated in the production process thereby improving the overall utility of the plant. The plant is well laid out with the entire auxiliary sections placed strategically near the plant. The port, collection point, cafeteria, and suppliers are well located on the whole layout plan.

Comparative between Oedipus and Lord of the Flies Free Essays

A person’s goals and ambitions often times do in fact interfere with the people around them. If someone is so determined to fulfill their dreams they often times do whatever it takes to do so, some people may even turn into a whole new person. Two characters from two different pieces of literature who face this struggle are: Oedipus from the play ‘Oedipus’ by Sophocles and Ralph from the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparative between Oedipus and Lord of the Flies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Oedipus’ goal of seeking the killer of Lauis and finding out the truth about his life and Ralphs goal of survival and getting off the island both conflict with he others around them. Oedipus was very determined to figure out the truth about who killed King Lau’s and the truth about his life and who his real parents were. The people around him kept telling him that he was the one who murdered Lauis and the woman, Jocasta that he was married to was in fact his biological mother and his father, who he had killed was Lau’s. Oedipus of course could not face the truth and accept the fact that everyone was right so he was determined to keep seeking the killer. Oedipus talks to the blind prophet, Teresias about the truth and he ells him the same thing that everyone else has been telling him all along, that his mother was his wife and the man he killed was Lauis and Lauis was his father. ‘You are the cursed polluter of this land’ ‘ (pg. 38) and again Oedipus disagrees with him, Teresias then calls him blind because he could not face the truth. This causes interpersonal conflict because the both of the men then start insulting and fighting with each other. â€Å"When you prove me wrong then call me blind† (pg. 8) Oedipus and Teresias argue and Oedipus says to him when you can prove me wrong about ctually killing Lau’s and that He and Jocasta were actually my parents then you can call me blind to the truth. Before Oedipus accepts the fact that everyone was right he asks questions about where and when Lauis was killed because he ensures that it is actually the truth before he tells everyone he knows. (Did you no t say that Lau’s was killed in a place where 3 roads met? † (pg. 46) . Oedipus makes himself look bad for not listening to what people say and Just listening to himself and telling himself that nothing was true when it turns out it did. Oedipus then cannot live with himself for illing his biological father and then having a relationship with his mother so he then makes a decision to claw his eyes out and become blind because he was blind to the truth all along anyways. Oedipus cannot live with what had happened in his life so he claws his eyes out because after all he was blind to the truth after all. Before he does so he states † To a land of exile; brother as it shall be shown and father at once, to the children he cherishes , son and husband to the woman who bore him. Father- killer and father-supplanter† (pg. 38) basically meaning that he knew he done wrong nd that everyone was right, but he was a good man through it all. Overall, someone goals can on fact cause a person to have conflict and arguments with society around. Not only does Oedipus’ goals interfere with society around him in the play ‘Oedipus’ by Sophocles but also in the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding. The character Ralph has a goal and desire of surviving to live on the island and also being rescued trom the island. This struggle ot the character, Ralph causes contlict wit n the other boys on the island because after being on the island, isolated from family and friends hey basically change into other people or as they call themselves†animals†. They try to put order and rules in on the island for everyone to follow so they can at least be a little civil. Everyone agrees to put Ralph in charge on the island but after a while of taking orders from him the boys separate, Ralph needed to rules to ensure survival but everyone eventually turned on him for it. â€Å"There was a ship out there, you said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out! † (pg. 4) This quote is said by Ralph to the boys. Jack, another one of the boys on the island had a team of boys with him and heir goal was to keep the fire going on top of the mountain Just in case there had to be a ship out in the ocean, they were hoping there would be one out there so that the smoke from fire would inform the men /women from the ship that there were people on that island, but of course Jack did not complete this task, instead he and the boys went hunting, that is all they cared about it seemed. Ralph gave each and every boy a job on the island and to be fair, they all had to finish them, but that is not the way it went down. Ralph noticed no one was doing their given task so he got mad. Been working for days now and look! And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished† (pg. 51). One of the boys, Simon had some medical problems with having seizures, one night they got bad and he ran out of the woods uncontrollably, he could not talk right, the other boys ran after him like a pack of wild animals, they had â€Å"mistaken† him for the beast that they thought had been on the island, the boys unknowingly killed him brutally, stabbing him continuously. Afterwards Piggy and Ralph realized that it was ot the beast that they had killed, it was actually Simon, they felt nothing but guilt, they felt that they could have been more cautious. Piggy tried to get rid of the guilt by saying they were under pressure because they were scared but they both knew that was not the case. â€Å"Don’t you understand,Piggy? The things we did. † (pg. 173) Ralph talks about the things they did, referring to the death of the boy, Simon, you can tell that they felt guilt. l wasn’t scared, I was – I don’t know what I was† (pg. 173). Here Ralph states that he knew they were not scared of the thing that popped out of the oods, that turned out to be Simon, he knew that that was not the reason why everything went wrong,deep down they all knew that it was because of how much they changed and turned into savages from being isolated on the island with nothing. In comparison of the two works, they both have similarities in t erms of society being affect by a specific character. How to cite Comparative between Oedipus and Lord of the Flies, Papers

Concepts of Marketing Marketing Managers

Question: Discuss about the Marketing for Concepts of Marketing for Marketing Managers. Answer: Introduction The concepts of marketing are widely used to describe the communication channels between the customers and the company. The study of the market and its trends provides detailed characteristics to the marketing managers. The deep analysis of the market is essential, especially when a company is opting for market penetration or stepping into a new market segment. In this report the marketing blueprint of Tesla Motors is discussed. The company is venturing into the Australian market and hence the marketing blueprint is prepared. The situational analysis of the company is done, from a marketing point of view. The objectives of the marketing promotion plan in the new target market, are laid down and detailed strategies for the penetration in the new market is carried out. The last part of the report deals with the media and the allocation of the budget. Background Tesla Motors is an automotive company, which manufactures, designs and sells electric vehicle power train, electric cars, and various battery products (Tesla Motors, 2016). The company started its operations in the year 2003 and the headquarters of the company is located in California, America (Tesla Motors, 2016). The net income of Tesla was US$-888 million in the financial year 2015 (Tesla Motors, 2016). The company generated annual revenue of US$4.04 billion in the year 2015 (Tesla Motors, 2016). The primary competitors of the company include Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jaguar and others (Tesla Motors, 2016). The market share of the company was and the gross profit of the company was in the year 2015 (Tesla Motors, 2016). Figure Name: Financial Performance of Tesla Motors Source: Tesla Motors, 2016 The widespread popularity of Tesla was possible due to the production of Tesla Roadster, which was the first fully electric car in the sports car segment (Liu et al., 2014). The second vehicle of the company was Model S, a luxury sedan, which was fully electric. The following cars of the company, which came on the market, was Model X and Model 3 (Tesla Motors, 2016). The cars of the company are highly successful and appeal to the super rich target audience. The global sales of Model S crossed the 100,000 milestone, in the financial year of 2015 (Tesla Motors, 2016). The Model S was the worlds best selling car in the plug-in electric vehicle in the year 2015 (Yilmaz Krein, 2013). The company has sold over 125,000 electric cars across the world, since the inception of the first Tesla Roadster, in the year 2008. The company is not only a manufacturer of automobiles, but also manufactures equipments for office battery charging and home battery charging (Tesla Motors, 2016). The company has installed a series of high powered Superchargers, which are spread all over Europe, Asia and North America. Tesla operates a unique program known as Destination Charging Program, which enables restaurants, shops and others to offer fast, custom made chargers to their esteemed customers (Stringham, Miller Clark, 2015). The vision of the company is the creation of the most compelling car company, in the 21st century, by the transformation of the world vehicles to electric cars (Tesla Motors, 2016). The mission statement of the company includes the safety of the customers as its highest priority and accelerates the transition of the world to electric cars (Tesla Motors, 2016). The company strives to offer a full range of affordable electric cars, for each and every customer (Tesla Motors, 2016). The CEO of the company, Elon Musk, wishes to see Tesla Motors, as an independent automaker. He has a dream of offering electric cars to the average customers, at an affordable price. Tesla has laid down certain marketing goals for the accomplishment of the companys objectives (Yurynets Tomyuk, 2014). The primary marketing goal is the generation of demand for its own vehicles and the creation of long term brand awareness among the target customer base. The company aims to manage its corporate reputation in the most efficient way. The company strives for excellent management of the existing customer base so that there is generation of sufficient customer referrals and the company enjoys customer loyalty (Yurynets Tomyuk, 2014). Tesla is a customer friendly company, which incorporates customer inputs into the mainstream process of product development. Situational Analysis The emergence of electric vehicles is rapid in the entire world. It is expected to occupy around 35% of the global car sales within the year 2040 (Forbes.com, 2016). There would be a dramatic revolution in the market of electric cars. There are various forms of electric cars like plug in hybrids, advanced gas electric hybrids and battery electric vehicles (BEV) (Pollet, Staffell Shang, 2012). The electric car industry is expected to grow phenomenally and the reason for this growth can be attributed to positive environmental impact of the electric cars (Verzijlbergh et al., 2014). The electric cars emit zero emissions into the space, unlike the emissions from gasoline powered vehicles. The power required to charge these vehicles are also produced from specific sources, which are zero emissions sources in nature. The various sources are hydrogen, geothermal, solar, wind and others. Market Demography of Australia Australia has committed to the global transition towards an environment of zero emissions, with a goal to achieve the decarbonisation strategies, by the year 2050 (Jotzo, 2015). The country strives to achieve this mission by an approach of continued economic growth as well as current technologies that are available. The government of Australia aims to focus on the transport sector for lowering the level of emissions (Byrnes et al., 2013). The demands of hybrid electric vehicles are increasing at a fast rate and the market of electric vehicles is bound to increase in the near future. The Australian automobile market is booming as the country spends the highest amount of financial funds in product launches and lead generations, as depicted in the below figure (Terada, 2014). Figure Name: Social Media Advertising Spending by Australia Source: Byrnes et al., 2013 Demand Analysis There is a growing market of electric cars, with a number of car manufacturers opting in (Johnson Rose, 2013). There are new electric cars by the car manufacturers like Chevrolet Bolt from General Motors, Nissan Leaf and others (Yilmaz Krein, 2013). The demands for the electric cars are fair in Australia, as the country strives for addressing the issues of increasing fuel security. The country is vulnerable to disruption to the fuel supplies of the transport industry. The country believes that the increased use of electric vehicles as well as biofuels, would reverse the import issues of transport fuels (Johnson Rose, 2013). It would also lower the costs, improve the air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the IEP compliance gaps (Johnson Rose, 2013). There would also be increased employments and an increase in the demand of locally produced electricity, which results in increased economic benefits. SWOT analysis The SWOT analysis is an effective tool for the formulation of suitable marketing strategies (Ayub et al., 2013). It helps the marketing managers to decide the marketing pathway he should follow in order to get the best results. The suitable marketing strategy would help the company capitalize the opportunities available to them, using all its strengths. Strengths There are some major positive characteristics of Tesla in the electric car industry (Weiller et al., 2015). The company has cutting edge recent technology like battery technology, vehicle design and power train technology. The company offers exceptional products and excellent performance of the vehicles. Tesla has a progressive corporate leadership strategy and strong brand name reputation in the market (Weiller et al., 2015). The company enjoys good reputation among its customer base and is fortunate enough to receive positive feedbacks from the press. The company has an innovative business model as well as innovative sales network. Tesla enjoys a strong access to the capital markets and a strong capital base (Weiller et al., 2015). Weakness There are several weaknesses of Tesla (Park et al., 2014). The product ranges of the company possess a high cost structure as there are no economies of scale. The brand recognition of the company is limited and the electric vehicle market is in a nascent stage. There is a wide range of customer concerns revolving around the electric vehicle market like scanty charging stations. Opportunities Tesla has got welcoming Australian market, which is ready to embrace the electric car industry, with open arms (Rimmer, 2014). The Australian electric car market has significant barriers for entry in the electric car industry, which inhibits the entry of the new companies. This minimizes the level of competition of Tesla (Rimmer, 2014). The country has rising customer awareness regarding the environmental benefits of electric cars. The rising cost of gasoline products makes the consumer opt for alternative sources of power. There are global concerns for energy means and dependency on fossil fuels, which makes the electric cars, an attractive alternative (Rimmer, 2014). The Australian Government is favorable for the electric car manufacturers and support the adoption of electric vehicles, by tax breaks, grants, low interest loans and others (Rimmer, 2014). Threats The management of Tesla should take into account the threats that could arise, when they start their operations in Australia (Barmore, 2013). There can be a significant increase in the number of competitors operating in the same industry. The competitors can be large automobile manufacturers and may provide major breakthrough products, which make use of vehicle battery technologies (Barmore, 2013). There can be an increasing number of substitutes in the Australian market such as ethanol fueled vehicles, natural gas vehicles and other non-electric vehicles, which are fuel efficient. Current competition Tesla would be facing stiff competition from both direct as well as indirect competitors operating in the electric car market (Porter Heppelmann, 2014). The areas in which the company enjoys competitive advantage are the luxury sedan markets and premium sports car category. The competitive advantage of Tesla includes superior technology, brand recognition, first mover market and innovative product lines (Porter Heppelmann, 2014). The indirect competition comes from car manufacturers like Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, BMW and others. These competitors enjoy a loyal clientele. Tesla should concentrate in focussing on its competitive advantage and perform aggressive marketing activities to capture a considerable portion of this market share. Marketing Promotional Budget of Tesla Tesla holds less belief for incurring expenditure for advertising in print ads and commercial ads. They are more inclined towards road shows and events like car shows, for the purpose of promotion of their products (Perrin, 2015). The company believes in educating the customers about the unique products of the company in order to create a buzz all around. The customer believes the positive word of mouth to bring all kinds of customers. Figure Name: Promotional Budget Plan of Tesla Source: Tesla Motors, 2016 Competitors marketing promotional budget and sales analysis The competitors adopt a wide mix of marketing promotional activities for their products. They have well defined budget plans for the smooth functioning of their products. The luxury car manufacturer Jaguar, spent a whooping $8m for an advert featuring British actors Mark Strong, Tom Hiddlestone and Sir Ben Kingsley (Forbes.com, 2016). The duration of the advert was one minute and it was considered as a mini movies named British Villains Rendezvous (Forbes.com, 2016). Figure name: Promotional Budget of BMW Source: Forbes.com, 2016 The above figure shows the promotional budget allocation of BMW. It shows that BMW allocates the major chunk of the budget to TV promotions followed by promotions in the radio channels. The company also utilizes other promotional media like magazine, outdoor medium the direct mail channels. Target markets The initial target market of Tesla comprised of upper class business executives and aristocrats who were looking for a high value luxury car (Hardman, Shiu Steinberger-Wilckens, 2015). The target market included males, who was looking for sports cars in the luxury car segment. They preferred to try a new genre of cars- motor car. The current target audience in Australia includes successful entrepreneurs and high end business executives, who are green friendly and tech savvy (Hardman, Shiu Steinberger-Wilckens, 2015). They are early adopters and wealthy, whose income bracket puts them in the upper class segment. Market positioning analysis Tesla should strive to position itself in the high value luxury sedan market, which is considered as a niche market (Pinkse, Bohnsack Kolk, 2014). The company should highlight its competitive advantages and use them rigorously in their promotion campaigns. The marketing manager of Tesla should identify the cars unique sales proposition (USP) (Pinkse, Bohnsack Kolk, 2014). The USPs should be well communicated to the customer so that the customer can feel the true worth of the products. The customers in Australia should perceive Tesla as attractive, reliable, high tech and environmentally friendly mode of transportation (Pinkse, Bohnsack Kolk, 2014). The price of the cars is not cheap yet it was cheap as compared to other high value sports car in the market. Marketing Plan The primary objective of Tesla for the period 2016-2017 should focus on increasing the number of vehicles, which are available to the customers (Wills, 2014). The company should strive for the creation of consistent, focussed and suitable marketing promotion strategy. The company should address the four main groups, which includes the companys customers, industry analysts, press and the inhouse retail sales team (Wills, 2014). Tesla should create a robust global advertising strategy as well as an advertising strategy suitable for the Australian market (Wills, 2014). It should focus on modern advertising strategies like pay per click advertisements on various websites, applications of media suitable for the target demographic population and others (Wills, 2014). It should also consider the traditional advertising methods like product placement in various automobile outlets. Tesla should also focus on out of the box specialized advertising strategies like Car Expo (Wills, 2014) . The company should engage in events where they can display their innovative vehicles. The events may include road shows, public events and others (Wills, 2014). The company can partner with the influential car journals or magazines like Motor Trend, Wheels Magazine or Car and Driver (Wills, 2014). The company can initiate partnerships with the green energy corporate campaigns so that they can promote the benefits of electric driven vehicles and promote the concept of driving green. Tesla should engage in partnerships with various governmental programs for encouraging the adoption of electric driven vehicles as well as reinforcement of various local and regional incentives, which are available to the buyers of electric vehicles (Wills, 2014). The marketing tactics of the company should focus on the quality of the cars. The company should make the customers visualize the high value of the cars. The high end car manufacturers should give their customers enough reasons to brag (Wills, 2014). The company should strive to make innovative products with better designs. The company should focus on the development of highly selective advertising strategy. The advertisements created by the company should be memorable and should focus on quality rather than quantity (Wills, 2014). Media and Budget Allocation The social media is a powerful tool for the purpose of lead generation and customer engagement. The use of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram should be utilized fully for the purpose of promotion of the high end cars (Rodrik, 2014). There is a tendency of the premium customers to scroll through the social media platform several times a day. They often share their purchase experience on the social media platforms. The potential buyers also consults the social media platforms before their car purchases. Tesla can make use of this and extensively promote their car brand in the social media platforms (Rodrik, 2014). The company can keep a significant amount of funds for the social media marketing. Tesla can make use of the budgeting methods for better allocation of the budgets. The various budgeting methods include Unit of sales method; Objective and task methods and Percentage of Sales (Rodrik, 2014). The percentage of sales method is the most commonly used methods and it relates the advertising expenses directly to the quantity of products sold. Figure name: Budget Allocation of Tesla Source: Rodrik, 2014 The marketing budget allocation should be preceded by the alignment of the marketing goals with the strategic goals of the company. The predetermined growth of the company should be directly proportional with the amount of investment for the marketing activities. It is also important to have written documentation of the marketing strategies, which would make the allocation of marketing budget easier. The companys budget allocation for marketing purpose should be identified before developing a detailed budget allocation plan. The complexity of the budget would depend on the identified marketing budget. The marketing managers should determine the amount of budgets to be allocated in each marketing activity. The above diagram gives a sample idea of the budget allocation of the company. The budget allocations shows the highest amount of budget allocation in the website design and maintenance, which presents a first impression of the company to its potential customers. The highest amount of the funds is also provided to two other marketing modes like tradeshows/events and email marketing. The other modes of marketing in which the budget allocation is done, starting from highest to lowest, are Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay per click, Direct mail, public relations, telemarketing, social media, automation, print advertising and virtual events or webinars. Conclusion The marketing is an important function of an organization as it deals with important components of a product like brand image, market positioning, profit making and the brand value of the product. It is the duty of the marketing manager to develop, plan and implement a suitable marketing plan, which would be best suited to the target market. A marketing function performs an important job role, who looks after a variety of product related features such as market segmentation, market positioning, budget allocation, demand analysis, analysis of the competitors and others. The manager also looks after the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of a product. Tesla is venturing into the Australian market and has taken initiatives to promote its products well in the new market. This report helped in the preparation of the marketing plan after studying the market demographics of Australia, the new market of Tesla. This report would help the marketing managers to plan a nd streamline their marketing activities. References Ayub, A., Razzaq, A., Aslam, M. S., Iftekhar, H. (2013). A conceptual framework on evaluating SWOT analysis as the mediator in strategic marketing planning through marketing intelligence.European Journal of Business and Social Sciences,2(1), 91-98. Barmore, C. (2013). Tesla Unplugged: Automobile Franchise Laws and the Threat to the Electric Vehicle Market.Va. JL Tech.,18, 185. Byrnes, L., Brown, C., Foster, J., Wagner, L. D. (2013). Australian renewable energy policy: Barriers and challenges.Renewable Energy,60, 711-721. Forbes Welcome. (2016).Forbes.com. Retrieved 26 May 2016, from https://www.forbes.com Hardman, S., Shiu, E., Steinberger-Wilckens, R. (2015). Changing the fate of Fuel Cell Vehicles: Can lessons be learnt from Tesla Motors?.International Journal of Hydrogen Energy,40(4), 1625-1638. Johnson, M., Rose, G. (2013, October). Electric bikescycling in the New World City: an investigation of Australian electric bicycle owners and the decision making process for purchase. InProceedings of the 2013 Australasian Transport Research Forum(Vol. 13). Jotzo, F. (2015). Australias post-à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2020 emissions commitment: considerations and comparisons. Liu, Y. E., Kang, Y., Wu, H., Chen, C., Hon, E. (2014). Tesla Motors Inc. Case Synopsis. Park, J., Rast, J., MacDoughall, T., Nitti, B., Sinton, D., Geissler, A., Roseli, K. L. (2014). Marketing Plan for Tesla Motors Model S. Perrin, D. G. (2015). Privatization, Creative Commons and Open Source.INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY, 1. Pinkse, J., Bohnsack, R., Kolk, A. (2014). The Role of Public and Private Protection in Disruptive Innovation: The Automotive Industry and the Emergence of Lowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Emission Vehicles.Journal of Product Innovation Management,31(1), 43-60. Pollet, B. G., Staffell, I., Shang, J. L. (2012). Current status of hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles: From electrochemistry to market prospects.Electrochimica Acta,84, 235-249. Porter, M. E., Heppelmann, J. E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition.Harvard Business Review,92(11), 64-88. Rimmer, M. (2014). Tesla Motors: Intellectual Property, Open Innovation, and the Carbon Crisis.The Australian National University College of Law, Canberra. Rodrik, D. (2014). Green industrial policy.Oxford Review of Economic Policy,30(3), 469-491. Stringham, E. P., Miller, J. K., Clark, J. R. (2015). Overcoming Barriers to Entry in an Established Industry.California Management Review,57(4), 85-103. Terada, T. (2014). Australia and Regional Integration Politics Among Japan, the United States, and China.USJI Voice,1. Tesla Motors. (2016).Teslamotors.com. Retrieved 26 May 2016, from https://www.teslamotors.com Verzijlbergh, R. A., De Vries, L. J., Dijkema, G. P. J., Herder, P. M. (2014). A Note on System Integration to Support a Renewable Energy System. Weiller, C., Shang, A., Neely, A., Shi, Y. (2015). Competing and Co-existing Business Models for Electric Vehicles: Lessons from International Case Studies.University of Cambridge. www. cambridgeservicealliance, org. Wills, J. B. (2014).Government Clean Air Regulations and Tesla Motors(Doctoral dissertation, San Jose State University). Yilmaz, M., Krein, P. T. (2013). Review of battery charger topologies, charging power levels, and infrastructure for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on,28(5), 2151-2169. Yilmaz, M., Krein, P. T. (2013). Review of battery charger topologies, charging power levels, and infrastructure for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on,28(5), 2151-2169. Yurynets, O. V., Tomyuk, O. J. (2014). Multi-level marketing strategy for competitiveness ensuring of automobile enterprises.

One Stair Up” by Campbell Nairne Essay Example

One Stair Up† by Campbell Nairne Paper Essay A â€Å"One stair up† by Campbell Nairne The fragment describes how two youngsters, representatives of the working class, Rosa and Andrew, went to the cinema. We see them in the hall of the cinema, after that observe them in the showing room. There is relatively little action in this story. The author’s attention is mainly focused on the details, so that we could see, smell and feel everything that surrounds the main characters. The text can be described as partially narrative and partially descriptive. The exposition is rather long. The author’s aim is to plunge us into the atmosphere of the luxurious salon: we can even hear the â€Å"soft whirring of fans† and â€Å"a cup grate on a saucer†, feel the â€Å"hot darkness† and draw a realistic image of the showing room. The complication begins with the Rosa’s question â€Å"This a comedy? † Now our attention is fully devoted to the leading characters, depicted skillfully by the author. Campbell Nairne reveals the nature of his characters through actions, details, dialogues, and, mostly, through showing their thoughts. He uses interior monologues to build up the thought patterns of both the main characters. We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up† by Campbell Nairne specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up† by Campbell Nairne specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on One Stair Up† by Campbell Nairne specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The tension grows as we â€Å"hear† what Rosa thinks of Andrew, because her thoughts come in strong contradiction to his ones. The culmination takes place when Andrew breaks out, â€Å"forgetful in his excitement†. Full of delight, he wants to share his impressions with Rosa, but meets only cold misunderstanding. He starts making excuses to her, looking abject and miserable. The denouement lies in the sharp answer of Rosa. The elements of the plot are ordered chronologically, the story ends on the sour note, but the end of the story is not clear-cut and conclusive. It gives the reader much room for suggestion, forces himher to fancy a possible reaction of the young man and the further development of the relationships between Rosa and Andrew. The plot is of minor importance in this story, if we compare it with the work of mind, feelings and emotions. We pay attention to what the characters think rather than to what they do. The author speaks first in his own voice and presents events in the third person singular, but there are moments when we realize that the author’s words are substituted by interior monologues of the youngsters. Nairne uses such a device to make his story a remarkable insight into human character. What is also characteristic of the story is that we cannot fully trust the narrator’s judgment, as he sometimes speaks with irony. A vivid example of it is the description of the forthcoming attraction â€Å"Mothers of Broadway†. The author mixes the quotations from an advertisement with his own remarks, which are even more swelling and exaggerative than the advertisement itself. He says â€Å"The film seemed to have smashed all records†, and we have to doubt deeply, whether he is speaking frankly. Next to this pompous review of the film Andrew’s comment follows: â€Å"Not much good, I expect†. Here we can observe a complete change in the point of view, and, accordingly, in the atmosphere. The mask seems to have been removed, and the emphasis in the episode turns great. Now let us examine the characters in details. Except for the main ones, Andrew and Rosa, we also meet â€Å"a trim girl in a chocolate uniform with blue pipings’, which ‘silently emerged, glanced at the tickets and admitted them†. The author pays attention only to her appearance and actions. On the contrary, we find nothing about the look of the main characters. And it’s not by chance: in this particular fragment their look has no significance. We explore only their inner world, knowing nothing about the outer, and it doesn’t prevent the characters from being round and full-blooded. They are fully believable, and as in real life, sometimes act inconsistently. In the best way it can be seen in the ending of the story, when Rosa’s retort â€Å"was uttered before she had command of it†. Another example concerns Andrew: he promised himself he would keep silent during the film, because Rosa had forbidden him to talk to her in a cinema. After that he broke the promise and it led to their tiff. The two heroes are faced with the problem of misunderstanding; moreover, an inner conflict, associated with Rose’s inner world, domineers from the very beginning of the story. â€Å"It pleased her to be seen in the dress circle, even with Andrew†. The detachment â€Å"even with Andrew† shows us that she doesn’t enjoy his company. Finally, her attitude to him is voiced in her thoughts: she supposed him to be stupid, just â€Å"a big hulking kid† and looked at him with contempt. Her irritation grew and the inner conflict turned into an external one. The roots of the conflict between the characters lie in their different attitude to things, different tempers and motivations, and particularly, in their attitude to cinema. Rosa’s attitude is much more serious than that of Andrew. For him it was just a sort of fun. He was going to â€Å"enjoy himselfâ€Å", and nothing more. But for Rosa it was a way to go one stair up in the world, may be even the means of self-development. Moreover, it was not by chance that she â€Å"surveyed the dim amphitheatre in the hope of recognizing some of her acquaintances†. She wanted to be seen in the dress circle and to keep the track of events. The title of the story is a suggestive one. It helps us to single out the main idea of the story: some people are not content to live in obscurity, and their aim is to go one stair up in the world by any means. Now let us see what helps this story to affect our feelings so deeply†¦ In the given fragment the author uses a wide range of stylistic devices. Here are examples of epithets (â€Å"voluptuous (stillness)†, â€Å"rapid-fire (drama)†, â€Å"soft (whirring)†, â€Å"hot (darkness)†), metaphors (â€Å"a shower of stars†, â€Å"a shaft of white light†), metonymy â€Å"young bloods†, simile (â€Å"a carpet that yielded like springing turf†). He also exploits ellipsis â€Å"This a comedy? †, â€Å"You see all right? † to imitate the colloquial language and to show the low education level of the speakers. To render the peculiarities of the thought stream, he uses simple syntactical constructions, many one-member nominative sentences (â€Å"Custards all over the place†, â€Å"Oh, yes, a stick of dynamite. ), rhetorical questions (â€Å"Where was it going to put that? †), exclamatory sentences (â€Å"Oh, this was good! †). Personification is used throughout the text (â€Å"pot-plants and palms leapt up†). The extract I thought — it was quite funny, you know — I mean, people laughed. I wasnt the only one. But if you dont like it — is especially remarkable. It sounds unconnected, the same idea is repeated twice (â€Å"I thought †¦ I mean†). The speech is interrupted: hesitation pauses are shown with the help of the dashes. Evidently, poor Andrew had a lack of words. Moreover, aposiopesis is used. All these expressive means show us how great was the extent of the boy’s confusion, and unwillingly the reader’s heart fills with sympathy for him. No doubt, he author has a fine and remarkable style, everything seems to reflect the feelings of the heroes, and as a result, the events emerge in our mind in the most realistic way. The reader is immersed deeply into the life of those two youngsters: we see, hear and feel the same as they do. We get access to their thoughts and judgments, we can easily put ourselves into their shoes. And we realize that there are so many Rosas and Andrews among us†¦

Social Media Networks Impacts on Political Communication

Social Media Networks Impacts on Political Communication Introduction Social media networks have greatly influenced political communication in modern society. Its impact on political activities and governance is especially profound. In the book, the Internet Imaginaire, Patrice Flichy says the development of the internet (social media) is among the most revolutionary processes in modern society (more specifically because the internet has become a super-highway of information).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Networks’ Impacts on Political Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From the increasing importance of the internet, today, Flichy argues that most politicians have only joined an ongoing trend of designers, business executives, and individuals (among others) who have resorted to use social media as a technical utopia for advancing their goals. Since many people have accepted the internet as their main communication paradigm, the internet h as become widely successful in changing how politicians interact with their subjects. In sum, Flichy argues that the internet has been widely successful in politics because it transforms the interaction between leaders and their followers. From an emphasis on the Middle East political space, this paper focuses on explaining the impact of social media in the UAE political life by exploring if social media networks make leaders more visible and transparent. To have a practical understanding of this issue, this paper focuses on the social media activities of UAE’s foreign affairs minister, H.H. Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Through an analysis of his Twitter account, this paper proposes that social media networks make political accountability easier and friendlier, as it increases the visibility and transparency of political leaders. However, to understand this fact, this study first explains how social media has created a new way to represent political leaders in the UAE. A New Way to Represent the Political Leader in the UAE Culture The social media presence of Abdulla Bin Zayed draws significant inferences from the works of Louis Marin, in the book, the King’s Portrait. Marin largely borrows from the experiences of King Louis XIV in portraying the image of a politician as an immortal onlooker (through the transformation of politicians from theological bodies to immortal political figures). Flichy contextualises this transformation through his understanding of the power that most politicians enjoy in transforming themselves to political relevance today (through social media). Marin explains the same situation, although from a historical perspective, by saying that the transformation of politicians to political relevance (through the internet) is a symbol of absolutism.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Absolutism represents a poli tical order that redefines the meaning and status of representation by redefining the configurations of power. Broadly, Marin’s work shows how politicians achieve social control through art. The relationship between politics and art is unfamiliar for most political studies, but it symbolises the interaction between aesthetics and kingship. This relationship also stems from the interaction between state, God, and the truth. A complete symmetry of these three aspects of governance stems from the absolute achievement of sovereignty and power. Most literatures that have explored the impact of social media in the UAE political space have chronologically shown that the growth of social media has led to a shift of its use from a social paradigm to a political and civic paradigm. Recent events surrounding the Arab spring and the increased influence of civic movements in the Arab world have especially supported this change. The influence of social media in the UAE political space asso ciates with several political and social factors, like the acceptance of divergent political views, the support of social and political changes, people’s empowerment, and the influence of social media on people’s views of the society. Across the Arab world, social media use has however introduced political change in different measures. Particularly, social media has had a huge impact on how political leaders interact with their followers. A key issue that manifests here is persuasion because it explains how political leaders interact with their followers. The role of social media in persuading people to follow a leader is a departure from the traditional role of social media as a tool for collecting signatures, or for advocating a social or political cause. Nonetheless, every political leader has a distinct reason for using social media. An analysis of Sheikh Zayeds Twitter page shows that the uses of social media are highly dynamic (even though it should primarily inc rease the level of interaction between political leaders and their followers). Therefore, today, social media serves to provide a more intimate/personal access to political leaders. For example, people know Sheikh Zayed more intimately through random tweets. For example, one tweet (which appears on his Twitter page) says, â€Å"Read my piece on how Sheikh Zayeds childhood and early youth shaped his character as a leader.†Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Networks’ Impacts on Political Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such tweets offer a personal insight into the life of the political leader. Despite providing a personal touch to political leadership, social media also provides a platform where people can be entertained and informed about political events. For example, in Sheikh Zayed’s Twitter account, there is a lot of information regarding the dangers of driving, the importance of eating healthy, personal inspiration (among other factors). In sum, social media has helped to package political leaders differently, by presenting them as multifaceted individuals with a more personal touch (than before). This platform gives them visibility in their public lives. Too Much Visibility While social media offers immense advantages to businesses, political institutions, individuals, and political leaders, it also has its disadvantages. A common disadvantage is too much visibility. In the past, visibility was mainly limited to the presence of individuals on one location and at a specific time. However, with the development of social media communication, people do not have to be at the same place and at the same time to be visible; online presence gives them this visibility. This new form of visibility has a huge impact on the relationship between visibility and power because it may destroy or build the reputation of politicians. However, smart political lea ders seek the services of third parties, like public relations (PR) firms, to manage this new level of representation and exploit it to their advantage. Usually, such political leaders use this platform to create a strong support base for their political causes. Relative to the above assertion, Abdulla Bin Zayed uses his visibility on his Twitter page to create a strong support base for his official duties. As the minister of foreign affairs, Abdulla Bin Zayed uses his Twitter account to communicate positive issues about the UAE. For example, his Twitter account has the following tweets, â€Å"Abu Dhabi is the worlds fourth favourite city, ranked behind only New York, London, and Paris.† â€Å"American University in Paris receives anonymous donation from UAE in honour of late educator.† These tweets report positive issues (such as security, development, tourism, and charitable matters) about the UAE and some of its cities. A positive portrayal of the UAE also complemen ts his role as an ambassador for the government (especially in his capacity as the minister for foreign affairs). Depending on the contextual framework, too much visibility may be a positive and negative thing for social media users. For example, for political leaders, too much visibility is a positive thing because political leaders are public figures and the higher their visibility, the better they achieve political effectiveness. Even though some political leaders use social media for the right reasons, the proper management of increased public attention may expose such leaders to new risks.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More New risks create new areas of fragility for political leaders because even though the smart ones manage this visibility to their advantage, they cannot have an absolute control over social media issues. Therefore, their efforts to exploit social media may still work to their disadvantage. The public may however enjoy increased political transparency through social media. Increased Transparency in the UAE Political Life – A Social Media Analysis The role of social media in increasing the level of transparency in the political life of the UAE largely stems from its influence in determining how people share information (its implication on governance is usually very profound). Social media therefore introduces new risks and opportunities for the UAE political space because on one hand, political leaders may use this platform to influence people’s perceptions, but on the other hand, the same platform has greatly empowered the people to question and criticise political activ ities in the country. Therefore, through an angry blog or tweet, someone can easily tarnish the name of a political leader. While many political leaders have understood these inherent risks and opportunities, they cannot afford to be complacent. Increased transparency is therefore one issue that political leaders cannot wish away. While traditional communication channels included extreme barriers of bureaucracy and lack of access to political leaders, social media has broken down these barriers and made leaders more accessible to the electorate. This way, the electorate finds it easy to question their leaders. In turn, the leaders have become more accountable and transparent in their political and professional activities. A tweet from Abdulla Bin Zayed’s account confirms the above assertion because it contains evidence of public complaints and responses to such complaints (increased accountability). For example, one person said, â€Å"believe it or not; they called to tell m e that they credit the money back based on my complaint.† This tweet shows an interesting dynamic of social media communication in politics because it highlights a seamless communication between the electorate and political leaders. In the past, this type of communication was one-sided (from the political leaders to the electorate). A transformed communication framework outlines one aspect of Flichy’s argument (in the book, the internet Imaginaire) that captures the essence of this paper redefining information sources. Through a constructivist model, Flichy says the transformation of communication (through the internet) means that information does not have to originate from only one source. Instead, people may interact freely without experiencing the traditional communication barriers held by politicians and mainstream media. This assertion largely explains the nature of information in the Twitter account of Abdulla Bin Zayed because most of the content (tweets) appear ing in his pages do not necessarily originate from him. The potentials that social media and other internet platforms hold for politicians create a huge bulk of the arguments presented by Flichy because he says that the internet has helped politicians to transform mask utopia to liberal ideology. This argument mentions the role of social media in transforming the political causes of some US politicians, such as Al Gore, who used the internet to transform mask utopia to liberal ideology. Nonetheless, evidence of unbiased information sources of interaction also exists between other Middle Eastern leaders and their subjects. In sum, this level of interaction shows that social media has greatly increased the level of transparency in political governance in the Middle East. Conclusion After weighing the findings of this paper, we can affirm that social media networks increase the level of political accountability and transparency in the Middle East. Evidence from Abdulla Bin Zayedâ€℠¢s Twitter account also shows that social media has helped to package political leaders as more humane, fun, and entertaining. However, the main goal of a political leader, in using social media, is to persuade their followers to be more familiar with their thinking. As leaders strive to achieve this objective, they should use the increased visibility they get through social media to advance their ideologies and relate better with their followers. Marin says that the proper use of social media may immortalise the relevance of political leaders because they can re-invent themselves this way. Comprehensively, smart political leaders identify the right types of conversations (that promote their cause) and engage their audiences accordingly. This attempt should be followed with extreme persuasion because the value of social media exists here – persuading the electorate.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Fortyseven

â€Å"Promise me, Ned,† Lyanna’s statue whispered. She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood. Eddard Stark jerked upright, his heart racing, the blankets tangled around him. The room was black as pitch, and someone was hammering on the door. â€Å"Lord Eddard,† a voice called loudly. â€Å"A moment.† Groggy and naked, he stumbled his way across the darkened chamber. When he opened the door, he found Tomard with an upraised fist, and Cayn with a taper in hand. Between them stood the king’s own steward. The man’s face might have been carved of stone, so little did it show. â€Å"My lord Hand,† he intoned. â€Å"His Grace the King commands your presence. At once.† So Robert had returned from his hunt. It was long past time. â€Å"I shall need a few moments to dress.† Ned left the man waiting without. Cayn helped him with his clothes; white linen tunic and grey cloak, trousers cut open down his plaster-sheathed leg, his badge of office, and last of all a belt of heavy silver links. He sheathed the Valyrian dagger at his waist. The Red Keep was dark and still as Cayn and Tomard escorted him across the inner bailey. The moon hung low over the walls, ripening toward full. On the ramparts, a guardsman in a gold cloak walked his rounds. The royal apartments were in Maegor’s Holdfast, a massive square fortress that nestled in the heart of the Red Keep behind walls twelve feet thick and a dry moat lined with iron spikes, a castle-within-a-castle. Ser Boros Blount guarded the far end of the bridge, white steel armor ghostly in the moonlight. Within, Ned passed two other knights of the Kingsguard; Ser Preston Greenfield stood at the bottom of the steps, and Ser Barristan Selmy waited at the door of the king’s bedchamber. Three men in white cloaks, he thought, remembering, and a strange chill went through him. Ser Barristan’s face was as pale as his armor. Ned had only to look at him to know that something was dreadfully wrong. The royal steward opened the door. â€Å"Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King,† he announced. â€Å"Bring him here,† Robert’s voice called, strangely thick. Fires blazed in the twin hearths at either end of the bedchamber, filling the room with a sullen red glare. The heat within was suffocating. Robert lay across the canopied bed. At the bedside hovered Grand Maester Pycelle, while Lord Renly paced restlessly before the shuttered windows. Servants moved back and forth, feeding logs to the fire and boiling wine. Cersei Lannister sat on the edge of the bed beside her husband. Her hair was tousled, as if from sleep, but there was nothing sleepy in her eyes. They followed Ned as Tomard and Cayn helped him cross the room. He seemed to move very slowly, as if he were still dreaming. The king still wore his boots. Ned could see dried mud and blades of grass clinging to the leather where Robert’s feet stuck out beneath the blanket that covered him, A green doublet lay on the floor, slashed open and discarded, the cloth crusted with red-brown stains. The room smelled of smoke and blood and death. â€Å"Ned,† the king whispered when he saw him. His face was pale as milk. â€Å"Come . . . closer.† His men brought him close. Ned steadied himself with a hand on the bedpost. He had only to look down at Robert to know how bad it was. â€Å"What . . . ?† he began, his throat clenched. â€Å"A boar.† Lord Renly was still in his hunting greens, his cloak spattered with blood. â€Å"A devil,† the king husked. â€Å"My own fault. Too much wine, damn me to hell. Missed my thrust.† â€Å"And where were the rest of you?† Ned demanded of Lord Renly. â€Å"Where was Ser Barristan and the Kingsguard?† Renly’s mouth twitched. â€Å"My brother commanded us to stand aside and let him take the boar alone.† Eddard Stark lifted the blanket. They had done what they could to close him up, but it was nowhere near enough. The boar must have been a fearsome thing. It had ripped the king from groin to nipple with its tusks. The wine-soaked bandages that Grand Maester Pycelle had applied were already black with blood, and the smell off the wound was hideous. Ned’s stomach turned. He let the blanket fall. â€Å"Stinks,† Robert said. â€Å"The stink of death, don’t think I can’t smell it. Bastard did me good, eh? But I . . . I paid him back in kind, Ned.† The king’s smile was as terrible as his wound, his teeth red. â€Å"Drove a knife right through his eye. Ask them if I didn’t. Ask them.† â€Å"Truly,† Lord Renly murmured. â€Å"We brought the carcass back with us, at my brother’s command.† â€Å"For the feast,† Robert whispered. â€Å"Now leave us. The lot of you. I need to speak with Ned.† â€Å"Robert, my sweet lord . . . † Cersei began. â€Å"I said leave,† Robert insisted with a hint of his old fierceness. â€Å"What part of that don’t you understand, woman?† Cersei gathered up her skirts and her dignity and led the way to the door. Lord Renly and the others followed. Grand Maester Pycelle lingered, his hands shaking as he offered the king a cup of thick white liquid. â€Å"The milk of the poppy, Your Grace,† he said. â€Å"Drink. For your pain.† Robert knocked the cup away with the back of his hand. â€Å"Away with you. I’ll sleep soon enough, old fool. Get out.† Grand Maester Pycelle gave Ned a stricken look as he shuffled from the room. â€Å"Damn you, Robert,† Ned said when they were alone. His leg was throbbing so badly he was almost blind with pain. Or perhaps it was grief that fogged his eyes. He lowered himself to the bed, beside his friend. â€Å"Why do you always have to be so headstrong?† â€Å"Ah, fuck you, Ned,† the king said hoarsely. â€Å"I killed the bastard, didn’t I?† A lock of matted black hair fell across his eyes as he glared up at Ned. â€Å"Ought to do the same for you. Can’t leave a man to hunt in peace. Ser Robar found me. Gregor’s head. Ugly thought. Never told the Hound. Let Cersei surprise him.† His laugh turned into a grunt as a spasm of pain hit him. â€Å"Gods have mercy,† he muttered, swallowing his agony. â€Å"The girl. Daenerys. Only a child, you were right . . . that’s why, the girl . . . the gods sent the boar . . . sent to punish me . . .† The king coughed, bringing up blood. â€Å"Wrong, it was wrong, I . . . only a girl . . . Varys, Littlefinger, even my brother . . . worthless . . . no one to tell me no but you, Ned . . . only you . . . † He lifted his hand, the gesture pained and feeble. â€Å"Paper and ink. There, on the table. Write what I tell you.† Ned smoothed the paper out across his knee and took up the quill. â€Å"At your command, Your Grace.† â€Å"This is the will and word of Robert of House Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and all the rest—put in the damn titles, you know how it goes. I do hereby command Eddard of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King, to serve as Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm upon my . . . upon my death . . . to rule in my . . . in my stead, until my son Joffrey does come of age . . . â€Å" â€Å"Robert . . . † Joffrey is not your son, he wanted to say, but the words would not come. The agony was written too plainly across Robert’s face; he could not hurt him more. So Ned bent his head and wrote, but where the king had said â€Å"my son Joffrey,† he scrawled â€Å"my heir† instead. The deceit made him feel soiled. The lies we tell for love, he thought. May the gods forgive me. â€Å"What else would you have me say?† â€Å"Say . . . whatever you need to. Protect and defend, gods old and new, you have the words. Write. I’ll sign it. You give it to the council when I’m dead.† â€Å"Robert,† Ned said in a voice thick with grief, â€Å"you must not do this. Don’t die on me. The realm needs you.† Robert took his hand, fingers squeezing hard. â€Å"You are . . . such a bad liar, Ned Stark,† he said through his pain. â€Å"The realm . . . the realm knows . . . what a wretched king I’ve been. Bad as Aerys, the gods spare me.† â€Å"No,† Ned told his dying friend, â€Å"not so bad as Aerys, Your Grace. Not near so bad as Aerys.† Robert managed a weak red smile. â€Å"At the least, they will say . . . this last thing . . . this I did right. You won’t fail me. You’ll rule now. You’ll hate it, worse than I did . . . but you’ll do well. Are you done with the scribbling?† â€Å"Yes, Your Grace.† Ned offered Robert the paper. The king scrawled his signature blindly, leaving a smear of blood across the letter. â€Å"The seal should be witnessed.† â€Å"Serve the boar at my funeral feast,† Robert rasped. â€Å"Apple in its mouth, skin seared crisp. Eat the bastard. Don’t care if you choke on him. Promise me, Ned.† â€Å"I promise.† Promise me, Ned, Lyanna’s voice echoed. â€Å"The girl,† the king said. â€Å"Daenerys. Let her live. If you can, if it . . . not too late . . . talk to them . . . Varys, Littlefinger . . . don’t let them kill her. And help my son, Ned. Make him be . . . better than me.† He winced. â€Å"Gods have mercy.† â€Å"They will, my friend,† Ned said. â€Å"They will.† The king closed his eyes and seemed to relax. â€Å"Killed by a pig,† he muttered. â€Å"Ought to laugh, but it hurts too much.† Ned was not laughing. â€Å"Shall I call them back?† Robert gave a weak nod. â€Å"As you will. Gods, why is it so cold in here?† The servants rushed back in and hurried to feed the fires. The queen had gone; that was some small relief, at least. If she had any sense, Cersei would take her children and fly before the break of day, Ned thought. She had lingered too long already. King Robert did not seem to miss her. He bid his brother Renly and Grand Maester Pycelle to stand in witness as he pressed his seal into the hot yellow wax that Ned had dripped upon his letter. â€Å"Now give me something for the pain and let me die.† Hurriedly Grand Maester Pycelle mixed him another draught of the milk of the poppy. This time the king drank deeply. His black beard was beaded with thick white droplets when he threw the empty cup aside. â€Å"Will I dream?† Ned gave him his answer. â€Å"You will, my lord.† â€Å"Good,† he said, smiling. â€Å"I will give Lyanna your love, Ned. Take care of my children for me.† The words twisted in Ned’s belly like a knife. For a moment he was at a loss. He could not bring himself to lie. Then he remembered the bastards: little Barra at her mother’s breast, Mya in the Vale, Gendry at his forge, and all the others. â€Å"I shall . . . guard your children as if they were my own,† he said slowly. Robert nodded and closed his eyes. Ned watched his old friend sag softly into the pillows as the milk of the poppy washed the pain from his face. Sleep took him. Heavy chains jangled softly as Grand Maester Pycelle came up to Ned. â€Å"I will do all in my power, my lord, but the wound has mortified. It took them two days to get him back. By the time I saw him, it was too late. I can lessen His Grace’s suffering, but only the gods can heal him now.† â€Å"How long?† Ned asked. â€Å"By rights, he should be dead already. I have never seen a man cling to life so fiercely.† â€Å"My brother was always strong,† Lord Renly said. â€Å"Not wise, perhaps, but strong.† In the sweltering heat of the bedchamber, his brow was slick with sweat. He might have been Robert’s ghost as he stood there, young and dark and handsome. â€Å"He slew the boar. His entrails were sliding from his belly, yet somehow he slew the boar.† His voice was full of wonder. â€Å"Robert was never a man to leave the battleground so long as a foe remained standing,† Ned told him. Outside the door, Ser Barristan Selmy still guarded the tower stairs. â€Å"Maester Pycelle has given Robert the milk of the poppy,† Ned told him. â€Å"See that no one disturbs his rest without leave from me.† â€Å"It shall be as you command, my lord.† Ser Barristan seemed old beyond his years. â€Å"I have failed my sacred trust.† â€Å"Even the truest knight cannot protect a king against himself,† Ned said. â€Å"Robert loved to hunt boar. I have seen him take a thousand of them.† He would stand his ground without flinching, his legs braced, the great spear in his hands, and as often as not he would curse the boar as it charged, and wait until the last possible second, until it was almost on him, before he killed it with a single sure and savage thrust. â€Å"No one could know this one would be his death.† â€Å"You are kind to say so, Lord Eddard.† â€Å"The king himself said as much. He blamed the wine.† The white-haired knight gave a weary nod. â€Å"His Grace was reeling in his saddle by the time we flushed the boar from his lair, yet he commanded us all to stand aside.† â€Å"I wonder, Ser Barristan,† asked Varys, so quietly, â€Å"who gave the king this wine?† Ned had not heard the eunuch approach, but when he looked around, there he stood. He wore a black velvet robe that brushed the floor, and his face was freshly powdered. â€Å"The wine was from the king’s own skin,† Ser Barristan said. â€Å"Only one skin? Hunting is such thirsty work.† â€Å"I did not keep count. More than one, for a certainty. His squire would fetch him a fresh skin whenever he required it.† â€Å"Such a dutiful boy,† said Varys, â€Å"to make certain His Grace did not lack for refreshment.† Ned had a bitter taste in his mouth. He recalled the two fair-haired boys Robert had sent chasing after a breastplate stretcher. The king had told everyone the tale that night at the feast, laughing until he shook. â€Å"Which squire?† â€Å"The elder,† said Ser Barristan. â€Å"Lancel.† â€Å"I know the lad well,† said Varys. â€Å"A stalwart boy, Ser Kevan Lannister’s son, nephew to Lord Tywin and cousin to the queen. I hope the dear sweet lad does not blame himself. Children are so vulnerable in the innocence of their youth, how well do I remember.† Certainly Varys had once been young. Ned doubted that he had ever been innocent. â€Å"You mention children. Robert had a change of heart concerning Daenerys Targaryen. Whatever arrangements you made, I want unmade. At once.† â€Å"Alas,† said Varys. â€Å"At once may be too late. I fear those birds have flown. But I shall do what I can, my lord. With your leave.† He bowed and vanished down the steps, his soft-soled slippers whispering against the stone as he made his descent. Cayn and Tomard were helping Ned across the bridge when Lord Renly emerged from Maegor’s Holdfast. â€Å"Lord Eddard,† he called after Ned, â€Å"a moment, if you would be so kind.† Ned stopped. â€Å"As you wish.† Renly walked to his side. â€Å"Send your men away.† They met in the center of the bridge, the dry moat beneath them. Moonlight silvered the cruel edges of the spikes that lined its bed. Ned gestured. Tomard and Cayn bowed their heads and backed away respectfully. Lord Renly glanced warily at Ser Boros on the far end of the span, at Ser Preston in the doorway behind them. â€Å"That letter.† He leaned close. â€Å"Was it the regency? Has my brother named you Protector?† He did not wait for a reply. â€Å"My lord, I have thirty men in my personal guard, and other friends beside, knights and lords. Give me an hour, and I can put a hundred swords in your hand.† â€Å"And what should I do with a hundred swords, my lord?† â€Å"Strike! Now, while the castle sleeps.† Renly looked back at Ser Boros again and dropped his voice to an urgent whisper. â€Å"We must get Joffrey away from his mother and take him in hand. Protector or no, the man who holds the king holds the kingdom. We should seize Myrcella and Tommen as well. Once we have her children, Cersei will not dare oppose us. The council will confirm you as Lord Protector and make Joffrey your ward.† Ned regarded him coldly. â€Å"Robert is not dead yet. The gods may spare him. If not, I shall convene the council to hear his final words and consider the matter of the succession, but I will not dishonor his last hours on earth by shedding blood in his halls and dragging frightened children from their beds.† Lord Renly took a step back, taut as a bowstring. â€Å"Every moment you delay gives Cersei another moment to prepare. By the time Robert dies, it may be too late . . . for both of us.† â€Å"Then we should pray that Robert does not die.† â€Å"Small chance of that,† said Renly. â€Å"Sometimes the gods are merciful.† â€Å"The Lannisters are not.† Lord Renly turned away and went back across the moat, to the tower where his brother lay dying. By the time Ned returned to his chambers, he felt weary and heartsick, yet there was no question of his going back to sleep, not now. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die, Cersei Lannister had told him in the godswood. He found himself wondering if he had done the right thing by refusing Lord Renly’s offer. He had no taste for these intrigues, and there was no honor in threatening children, and yet . . . if Cersei elected to fight rather than flee, he might well have need of Renly’s hundred swords, and more besides. â€Å"I want Littlefinger,† he told Cayn. â€Å"If he’s not in his chambers, take as many men as you need and search every winesink and whorehouse in King’s Landing until you find him. Bring him to me before break of day.† Cayn bowed and took his leave, and Ned turned to Tomard. â€Å"The Wind Witch sails on the evening tide. Have you chosen the escort?† â€Å"Ten men, with Porther in command.† â€Å"Twenty, and you will command,† Ned said. Porther was a brave man, but headstrong. He wanted someone more solid and sensible to keep watch over his daughters. â€Å"As you wish, m’lord,† Tom said. â€Å"Can’t say I’ll be sad to see the back of this place. I miss the wife.† â€Å"You will pass near Dragonstone when you turn north. I need you to deliver a letter for me.† Tom looked apprehensive. â€Å"To Dragonstone, m’lord?† The island fortress of House Targaryen had a sinister repute. â€Å"Tell Captain Qos to hoist my banner as soon as he comes in sight of the island. They may be wary of unexpected visitors. If he is reluctant, offer him whatever it takes. I will give you a letter to place into the hand of Lord Stannis Baratheon. No one else. Not his steward, nor the captain of his guard, nor his lady wife, but only Lord Stannis himself.† â€Å"As you command, m’lord.† When Tomard had left him, Lord Eddard Stark sat staring at the flame of the candle that burned beside him on the table. For a moment his grief overwhelmed him. He wanted nothing so much as to seek out the godswood, to kneel before the heart tree and pray for the life of Robert Baratheon, who had been more than a brother to him. Men would whisper afterward that Eddard Stark had betrayed his king’s friendship and disinherited his sons; he could only hope that the gods would know better, and that Robert would learn the truth of it in the land beyond the grave. Ned took out the king’s last letter. A roll of crisp white parchment sealed with golden wax, a few short words and a smear of blood. How small the difference between victory and defeat, between life and death. He drew out a fresh sheet of paper and dipped his quill in the inkpot. To His Grace, Stannis of the House Baratheon, he wrote. By the time you receive this letter, your brother Robert, our King these past fifteen years, will be dead. He was savaged by a boar whilst hunting in the kingswood . . . The letters seemed to writhe and twist on the paper as his hand trailed to a stop. Lord Tywin and Ser Jaime were not men to suffer disgrace meekly; they would fight rather than flee. No doubt Lord Stannis was wary, after the murder of Jon Arryn, but it was imperative that he sail for King’s Landing at once with all his power, before the Lannisters could march. Ned chose each word with care. When he was done, he signed the letter Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King, and Protector of the Realm, blotted the paper, folded it twice, and melted the sealing wax over the candle flame. His regency would be a short one, he reflected as the wax softened. The new king would choose his own Hand. Ned would be free to go home. The thought of Winterfell brought a wan smile to his face. He wanted to hear Bran’s laughter once more, to go hawking with Robb, to watch Rickon at play. He wanted to drift off to a dreamless sleep in his own bed with his arms wrapped tight around his lady, Catelyn. Cayn returned as he was pressing the direwolf seal down into the soft white wax. Desmond was with him, and between them Littlefinger. Ned thanked his guards and sent them away. Lord Petyr was clad in a blue velvet tunic with puffed sleeves, his silvery cape patterned with mockingbirds. â€Å"I suppose congratulations are in order,† he said as he seated himself. Ned scowled. â€Å"The king lies wounded and near to death.† â€Å"I know,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"I also know that Robert has named you Protector of the Realm.† Ned’s eyes flicked to the king’s letter on the table beside him, its seal unbroken. â€Å"And how is it you know that, my lord?† â€Å"Varys hinted as much,† Littlefinger said, â€Å"and you have just confirmed it.† Ned’s mouth twisted in anger. â€Å"Damn Varys and his little birds. Catelyn spoke truly, the man has some black art. I do not trust him.† â€Å"Excellent. You’re learning.† Littlefinger leaned forward. â€Å"Yet I’ll wager you did not drag me here in the black of night to discuss the eunuch.† â€Å"No,† Ned admitted. â€Å"I know the secret Jon Arryn was murdered to protect. Robert will leave no trueborn son behind him. Joffrey and Tommen are Jaime Lannister’s bastards, born of his incestuous union with the queen.† Littlefinger lifted an eyebrow. â€Å"Shocking,† he said in a tone that suggested he was not shocked at all. â€Å"The girl as well? No doubt. So when the king dies . . . â€Å" â€Å"The throne by rights passes to Lord Stannis, the elder of Robert’s two brothers.† Lord Petyr stroked his pointed beard as he considered the matter. â€Å"So it would seem. Unless . . . â€Å" â€Å"Unless, my lord? There is no seeming to this. Stannis is the heir. Nothing can change that.† â€Å"Stannis cannot take the throne without your help. If you’re wise, you’ll make certain Joffrey succeeds.† Ned gave him a stony stare. â€Å"Have you no shred of honor?† â€Å"Oh, a shred, surely,† Littlefinger replied negligently. â€Å"Hear me out. Stannis is no friend of yours, nor of mine. Even his brothers can scarcely stomach him. The man is iron, hard and unyielding. He’ll give us a new Hand and a new council, for a certainty. No doubt he’ll thank you for handing him the crown, but he won’t love you for it. And his ascent will mean war. Stannis cannot rest easy on the throne until Cersei and her bastards are dead. Do you think Lord Tywin will sit idly while his daughter’s head is measured for a spike? Casterly Rock will rise, and not alone. Robert found it in him to pardon men who served King Aerys, so long as they did him fealty. Stannis is less forgiving. He will not have forgotten the siege of Storm’s End, and the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dare not. Every man who fought beneath the dragon banner or rose with Balon Greyjoy will have good cause to fear. Seat Stannis on the Iron Throne and I promise yo u, the realm will bleed. â€Å"Now look at the other side of the coin. Joffrey is but twelve, and Robert gave you the regency, my lord. You are the Hand of the King and Protector of the Realm. The power is yours, Lord Stark. All you need do is reach out and take it. Make your peace with the Lannisters. Release the Imp. Wed Joffrey to your Sansa. Wed your younger girl to Prince Tommen, and your heir to Myrcella. It will be four years before Joffrey comes of age. By then he will look to you as a second father, and if not, well . . . four years is a good long while, my lord. Long enough to dispose of Lord Stannis. Then, should Joffrey prove troublesome, we can reveal his little secret and put Lord Renly on the throne.† â€Å"We?† Ned repeated. Littlefinger gave a shrug. â€Å"You’ll need someone to share your burdens. I assure you, my price would be modest.† â€Å"Your price.† Ned’s voice was ice. â€Å"Lord Baelish, what you suggest is treason.† â€Å"Only if we lose.† â€Å"You forget,† Ned told him. â€Å"You forget Jon Arryn. You forget Jory Cassel. And you forget this.† He drew the dagger and laid it on the table between them; a length of dragonbone and Valyrian steel, as sharp as the difference between right and wrong, between true and false, between life and death. â€Å"They sent a man to cut my son’s throat, Lord Baelish.† Littlefinger sighed. â€Å"I fear I did forget, my lord. Pray forgive me. For a moment I did not remember that I was talking to a Stark.† His mouth quirked. â€Å"So it will be Stannis, and war?† â€Å"It is not a choice. Stannis is the heir.† â€Å"Far be it from me to dispute the Lord Protector. What would you have of me, then? Not my wisdom, for a certainty.† â€Å"I shall do my best to forget your . . . wisdom,† Ned said with distaste. â€Å"I called you here to ask for the help you promised Catelyn. This is a perilous hour for all of us. Robert has named me Protector, true enough, but in the eyes of the world, Joffrey is still his son and heir. The queen has a dozen knights and a hundred men-at-arms who will do whatever she commands . . . enough to overwhelm what remains of my own household guard. And for all I know, her brother Jaime may be riding for King’s Landing even as we speak, with a Lannister host at his back.† â€Å"And you without an army.† Littlefinger toyed with the dagger on the table, turning it slowly with a finger. â€Å"There is small love lost between Lord Renly and the Lannisters. Bronze Yohn Royce, Ser Balon Swann, Ser Loras, Lady Tanda, the Redwyne twins . . . each of them has a retinue of knights and sworn swords here at court.† â€Å"Renly has thirty men in his personal guard, the rest even fewer. It is not enough, even if I could be certain that all of them will choose to give me their allegiance. I must have the gold cloaks. The City Watch is two thousand strong, sworn to defend the castle, the city, and the king’s peace.† â€Å"Ah, but when the queen proclaims one king and the Hand another, whose peace do they protect?† Lord Petyr flicked at the dagger with his finger, setting it spinning in place. Round and round it went, wobbling as it turned. When at last it slowed to a stop, the blade pointed at Littlefinger. â€Å"Why, there’s your answer,† he said, smiling. â€Å"They follow the man who pays them.† He leaned back and looked Ned full in the face, his grey-green eyes bright with mockery. â€Å"You wear your honor like a suit of armor, Stark. You think it keeps you safe, but all it does is weigh you down and make it hard for you to move. Look at you now. You know why you summoned me here. You know what you want to ask me to do. You know it has to be done . . . but it’s not honorable, so the words stick in your throat.† Ned’s neck was rigid with tension. For a moment he was so angry that he did not trust himself to speak. Littlefinger laughed. â€Å"I ought to make you say it, but that would be cruel . . . so have no fear, my good lord. For the sake of the love I bear for Catelyn, I will go to Janos Slynt this very hour and make certain that the City Watch is yours. Six thousand gold pieces should do it. A third for the Commander, a third for the officers, a third for the men. We might be able to buy them for half that much, but I prefer not to take chances.† Smiling, he plucked up the dagger and offered it to Ned, hilt first. A Game of Thrones Chapter Fortyseven â€Å"Promise me, Ned,† Lyanna’s statue whispered. She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood. Eddard Stark jerked upright, his heart racing, the blankets tangled around him. The room was black as pitch, and someone was hammering on the door. â€Å"Lord Eddard,† a voice called loudly. â€Å"A moment.† Groggy and naked, he stumbled his way across the darkened chamber. When he opened the door, he found Tomard with an upraised fist, and Cayn with a taper in hand. Between them stood the king’s own steward. The man’s face might have been carved of stone, so little did it show. â€Å"My lord Hand,† he intoned. â€Å"His Grace the King commands your presence. At once.† So Robert had returned from his hunt. It was long past time. â€Å"I shall need a few moments to dress.† Ned left the man waiting without. Cayn helped him with his clothes; white linen tunic and grey cloak, trousers cut open down his plaster-sheathed leg, his badge of office, and last of all a belt of heavy silver links. He sheathed the Valyrian dagger at his waist. The Red Keep was dark and still as Cayn and Tomard escorted him across the inner bailey. The moon hung low over the walls, ripening toward full. On the ramparts, a guardsman in a gold cloak walked his rounds. The royal apartments were in Maegor’s Holdfast, a massive square fortress that nestled in the heart of the Red Keep behind walls twelve feet thick and a dry moat lined with iron spikes, a castle-within-a-castle. Ser Boros Blount guarded the far end of the bridge, white steel armor ghostly in the moonlight. Within, Ned passed two other knights of the Kingsguard; Ser Preston Greenfield stood at the bottom of the steps, and Ser Barristan Selmy waited at the door of the king’s bedchamber. Three men in white cloaks, he thought, remembering, and a strange chill went through him. Ser Barristan’s face was as pale as his armor. Ned had only to look at him to know that something was dreadfully wrong. The royal steward opened the door. â€Å"Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King,† he announced. â€Å"Bring him here,† Robert’s voice called, strangely thick. Fires blazed in the twin hearths at either end of the bedchamber, filling the room with a sullen red glare. The heat within was suffocating. Robert lay across the canopied bed. At the bedside hovered Grand Maester Pycelle, while Lord Renly paced restlessly before the shuttered windows. Servants moved back and forth, feeding logs to the fire and boiling wine. Cersei Lannister sat on the edge of the bed beside her husband. Her hair was tousled, as if from sleep, but there was nothing sleepy in her eyes. They followed Ned as Tomard and Cayn helped him cross the room. He seemed to move very slowly, as if he were still dreaming. The king still wore his boots. Ned could see dried mud and blades of grass clinging to the leather where Robert’s feet stuck out beneath the blanket that covered him, A green doublet lay on the floor, slashed open and discarded, the cloth crusted with red-brown stains. The room smelled of smoke and blood and death. â€Å"Ned,† the king whispered when he saw him. His face was pale as milk. â€Å"Come . . . closer.† His men brought him close. Ned steadied himself with a hand on the bedpost. He had only to look down at Robert to know how bad it was. â€Å"What . . . ?† he began, his throat clenched. â€Å"A boar.† Lord Renly was still in his hunting greens, his cloak spattered with blood. â€Å"A devil,† the king husked. â€Å"My own fault. Too much wine, damn me to hell. Missed my thrust.† â€Å"And where were the rest of you?† Ned demanded of Lord Renly. â€Å"Where was Ser Barristan and the Kingsguard?† Renly’s mouth twitched. â€Å"My brother commanded us to stand aside and let him take the boar alone.† Eddard Stark lifted the blanket. They had done what they could to close him up, but it was nowhere near enough. The boar must have been a fearsome thing. It had ripped the king from groin to nipple with its tusks. The wine-soaked bandages that Grand Maester Pycelle had applied were already black with blood, and the smell off the wound was hideous. Ned’s stomach turned. He let the blanket fall. â€Å"Stinks,† Robert said. â€Å"The stink of death, don’t think I can’t smell it. Bastard did me good, eh? But I . . . I paid him back in kind, Ned.† The king’s smile was as terrible as his wound, his teeth red. â€Å"Drove a knife right through his eye. Ask them if I didn’t. Ask them.† â€Å"Truly,† Lord Renly murmured. â€Å"We brought the carcass back with us, at my brother’s command.† â€Å"For the feast,† Robert whispered. â€Å"Now leave us. The lot of you. I need to speak with Ned.† â€Å"Robert, my sweet lord . . . † Cersei began. â€Å"I said leave,† Robert insisted with a hint of his old fierceness. â€Å"What part of that don’t you understand, woman?† Cersei gathered up her skirts and her dignity and led the way to the door. Lord Renly and the others followed. Grand Maester Pycelle lingered, his hands shaking as he offered the king a cup of thick white liquid. â€Å"The milk of the poppy, Your Grace,† he said. â€Å"Drink. For your pain.† Robert knocked the cup away with the back of his hand. â€Å"Away with you. I’ll sleep soon enough, old fool. Get out.† Grand Maester Pycelle gave Ned a stricken look as he shuffled from the room. â€Å"Damn you, Robert,† Ned said when they were alone. His leg was throbbing so badly he was almost blind with pain. Or perhaps it was grief that fogged his eyes. He lowered himself to the bed, beside his friend. â€Å"Why do you always have to be so headstrong?† â€Å"Ah, fuck you, Ned,† the king said hoarsely. â€Å"I killed the bastard, didn’t I?† A lock of matted black hair fell across his eyes as he glared up at Ned. â€Å"Ought to do the same for you. Can’t leave a man to hunt in peace. Ser Robar found me. Gregor’s head. Ugly thought. Never told the Hound. Let Cersei surprise him.† His laugh turned into a grunt as a spasm of pain hit him. â€Å"Gods have mercy,† he muttered, swallowing his agony. â€Å"The girl. Daenerys. Only a child, you were right . . . that’s why, the girl . . . the gods sent the boar . . . sent to punish me . . .† The king coughed, bringing up blood. â€Å"Wrong, it was wrong, I . . . only a girl . . . Varys, Littlefinger, even my brother . . . worthless . . . no one to tell me no but you, Ned . . . only you . . . † He lifted his hand, the gesture pained and feeble. â€Å"Paper and ink. There, on the table. Write what I tell you.† Ned smoothed the paper out across his knee and took up the quill. â€Å"At your command, Your Grace.† â€Å"This is the will and word of Robert of House Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and all the rest—put in the damn titles, you know how it goes. I do hereby command Eddard of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King, to serve as Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm upon my . . . upon my death . . . to rule in my . . . in my stead, until my son Joffrey does come of age . . . â€Å" â€Å"Robert . . . † Joffrey is not your son, he wanted to say, but the words would not come. The agony was written too plainly across Robert’s face; he could not hurt him more. So Ned bent his head and wrote, but where the king had said â€Å"my son Joffrey,† he scrawled â€Å"my heir† instead. The deceit made him feel soiled. The lies we tell for love, he thought. May the gods forgive me. â€Å"What else would you have me say?† â€Å"Say . . . whatever you need to. Protect and defend, gods old and new, you have the words. Write. I’ll sign it. You give it to the council when I’m dead.† â€Å"Robert,† Ned said in a voice thick with grief, â€Å"you must not do this. Don’t die on me. The realm needs you.† Robert took his hand, fingers squeezing hard. â€Å"You are . . . such a bad liar, Ned Stark,† he said through his pain. â€Å"The realm . . . the realm knows . . . what a wretched king I’ve been. Bad as Aerys, the gods spare me.† â€Å"No,† Ned told his dying friend, â€Å"not so bad as Aerys, Your Grace. Not near so bad as Aerys.† Robert managed a weak red smile. â€Å"At the least, they will say . . . this last thing . . . this I did right. You won’t fail me. You’ll rule now. You’ll hate it, worse than I did . . . but you’ll do well. Are you done with the scribbling?† â€Å"Yes, Your Grace.† Ned offered Robert the paper. The king scrawled his signature blindly, leaving a smear of blood across the letter. â€Å"The seal should be witnessed.† â€Å"Serve the boar at my funeral feast,† Robert rasped. â€Å"Apple in its mouth, skin seared crisp. Eat the bastard. Don’t care if you choke on him. Promise me, Ned.† â€Å"I promise.† Promise me, Ned, Lyanna’s voice echoed. â€Å"The girl,† the king said. â€Å"Daenerys. Let her live. If you can, if it . . . not too late . . . talk to them . . . Varys, Littlefinger . . . don’t let them kill her. And help my son, Ned. Make him be . . . better than me.† He winced. â€Å"Gods have mercy.† â€Å"They will, my friend,† Ned said. â€Å"They will.† The king closed his eyes and seemed to relax. â€Å"Killed by a pig,† he muttered. â€Å"Ought to laugh, but it hurts too much.† Ned was not laughing. â€Å"Shall I call them back?† Robert gave a weak nod. â€Å"As you will. Gods, why is it so cold in here?† The servants rushed back in and hurried to feed the fires. The queen had gone; that was some small relief, at least. If she had any sense, Cersei would take her children and fly before the break of day, Ned thought. She had lingered too long already. King Robert did not seem to miss her. He bid his brother Renly and Grand Maester Pycelle to stand in witness as he pressed his seal into the hot yellow wax that Ned had dripped upon his letter. â€Å"Now give me something for the pain and let me die.† Hurriedly Grand Maester Pycelle mixed him another draught of the milk of the poppy. This time the king drank deeply. His black beard was beaded with thick white droplets when he threw the empty cup aside. â€Å"Will I dream?† Ned gave him his answer. â€Å"You will, my lord.† â€Å"Good,† he said, smiling. â€Å"I will give Lyanna your love, Ned. Take care of my children for me.† The words twisted in Ned’s belly like a knife. For a moment he was at a loss. He could not bring himself to lie. Then he remembered the bastards: little Barra at her mother’s breast, Mya in the Vale, Gendry at his forge, and all the others. â€Å"I shall . . . guard your children as if they were my own,† he said slowly. Robert nodded and closed his eyes. Ned watched his old friend sag softly into the pillows as the milk of the poppy washed the pain from his face. Sleep took him. Heavy chains jangled softly as Grand Maester Pycelle came up to Ned. â€Å"I will do all in my power, my lord, but the wound has mortified. It took them two days to get him back. By the time I saw him, it was too late. I can lessen His Grace’s suffering, but only the gods can heal him now.† â€Å"How long?† Ned asked. â€Å"By rights, he should be dead already. I have never seen a man cling to life so fiercely.† â€Å"My brother was always strong,† Lord Renly said. â€Å"Not wise, perhaps, but strong.† In the sweltering heat of the bedchamber, his brow was slick with sweat. He might have been Robert’s ghost as he stood there, young and dark and handsome. â€Å"He slew the boar. His entrails were sliding from his belly, yet somehow he slew the boar.† His voice was full of wonder. â€Å"Robert was never a man to leave the battleground so long as a foe remained standing,† Ned told him. Outside the door, Ser Barristan Selmy still guarded the tower stairs. â€Å"Maester Pycelle has given Robert the milk of the poppy,† Ned told him. â€Å"See that no one disturbs his rest without leave from me.† â€Å"It shall be as you command, my lord.† Ser Barristan seemed old beyond his years. â€Å"I have failed my sacred trust.† â€Å"Even the truest knight cannot protect a king against himself,† Ned said. â€Å"Robert loved to hunt boar. I have seen him take a thousand of them.† He would stand his ground without flinching, his legs braced, the great spear in his hands, and as often as not he would curse the boar as it charged, and wait until the last possible second, until it was almost on him, before he killed it with a single sure and savage thrust. â€Å"No one could know this one would be his death.† â€Å"You are kind to say so, Lord Eddard.† â€Å"The king himself said as much. He blamed the wine.† The white-haired knight gave a weary nod. â€Å"His Grace was reeling in his saddle by the time we flushed the boar from his lair, yet he commanded us all to stand aside.† â€Å"I wonder, Ser Barristan,† asked Varys, so quietly, â€Å"who gave the king this wine?† Ned had not heard the eunuch approach, but when he looked around, there he stood. He wore a black velvet robe that brushed the floor, and his face was freshly powdered. â€Å"The wine was from the king’s own skin,† Ser Barristan said. â€Å"Only one skin? Hunting is such thirsty work.† â€Å"I did not keep count. More than one, for a certainty. His squire would fetch him a fresh skin whenever he required it.† â€Å"Such a dutiful boy,† said Varys, â€Å"to make certain His Grace did not lack for refreshment.† Ned had a bitter taste in his mouth. He recalled the two fair-haired boys Robert had sent chasing after a breastplate stretcher. The king had told everyone the tale that night at the feast, laughing until he shook. â€Å"Which squire?† â€Å"The elder,† said Ser Barristan. â€Å"Lancel.† â€Å"I know the lad well,† said Varys. â€Å"A stalwart boy, Ser Kevan Lannister’s son, nephew to Lord Tywin and cousin to the queen. I hope the dear sweet lad does not blame himself. Children are so vulnerable in the innocence of their youth, how well do I remember.† Certainly Varys had once been young. Ned doubted that he had ever been innocent. â€Å"You mention children. Robert had a change of heart concerning Daenerys Targaryen. Whatever arrangements you made, I want unmade. At once.† â€Å"Alas,† said Varys. â€Å"At once may be too late. I fear those birds have flown. But I shall do what I can, my lord. With your leave.† He bowed and vanished down the steps, his soft-soled slippers whispering against the stone as he made his descent. Cayn and Tomard were helping Ned across the bridge when Lord Renly emerged from Maegor’s Holdfast. â€Å"Lord Eddard,† he called after Ned, â€Å"a moment, if you would be so kind.† Ned stopped. â€Å"As you wish.† Renly walked to his side. â€Å"Send your men away.† They met in the center of the bridge, the dry moat beneath them. Moonlight silvered the cruel edges of the spikes that lined its bed. Ned gestured. Tomard and Cayn bowed their heads and backed away respectfully. Lord Renly glanced warily at Ser Boros on the far end of the span, at Ser Preston in the doorway behind them. â€Å"That letter.† He leaned close. â€Å"Was it the regency? Has my brother named you Protector?† He did not wait for a reply. â€Å"My lord, I have thirty men in my personal guard, and other friends beside, knights and lords. Give me an hour, and I can put a hundred swords in your hand.† â€Å"And what should I do with a hundred swords, my lord?† â€Å"Strike! Now, while the castle sleeps.† Renly looked back at Ser Boros again and dropped his voice to an urgent whisper. â€Å"We must get Joffrey away from his mother and take him in hand. Protector or no, the man who holds the king holds the kingdom. We should seize Myrcella and Tommen as well. Once we have her children, Cersei will not dare oppose us. The council will confirm you as Lord Protector and make Joffrey your ward.† Ned regarded him coldly. â€Å"Robert is not dead yet. The gods may spare him. If not, I shall convene the council to hear his final words and consider the matter of the succession, but I will not dishonor his last hours on earth by shedding blood in his halls and dragging frightened children from their beds.† Lord Renly took a step back, taut as a bowstring. â€Å"Every moment you delay gives Cersei another moment to prepare. By the time Robert dies, it may be too late . . . for both of us.† â€Å"Then we should pray that Robert does not die.† â€Å"Small chance of that,† said Renly. â€Å"Sometimes the gods are merciful.† â€Å"The Lannisters are not.† Lord Renly turned away and went back across the moat, to the tower where his brother lay dying. By the time Ned returned to his chambers, he felt weary and heartsick, yet there was no question of his going back to sleep, not now. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die, Cersei Lannister had told him in the godswood. He found himself wondering if he had done the right thing by refusing Lord Renly’s offer. He had no taste for these intrigues, and there was no honor in threatening children, and yet . . . if Cersei elected to fight rather than flee, he might well have need of Renly’s hundred swords, and more besides. â€Å"I want Littlefinger,† he told Cayn. â€Å"If he’s not in his chambers, take as many men as you need and search every winesink and whorehouse in King’s Landing until you find him. Bring him to me before break of day.† Cayn bowed and took his leave, and Ned turned to Tomard. â€Å"The Wind Witch sails on the evening tide. Have you chosen the escort?† â€Å"Ten men, with Porther in command.† â€Å"Twenty, and you will command,† Ned said. Porther was a brave man, but headstrong. He wanted someone more solid and sensible to keep watch over his daughters. â€Å"As you wish, m’lord,† Tom said. â€Å"Can’t say I’ll be sad to see the back of this place. I miss the wife.† â€Å"You will pass near Dragonstone when you turn north. I need you to deliver a letter for me.† Tom looked apprehensive. â€Å"To Dragonstone, m’lord?† The island fortress of House Targaryen had a sinister repute. â€Å"Tell Captain Qos to hoist my banner as soon as he comes in sight of the island. They may be wary of unexpected visitors. If he is reluctant, offer him whatever it takes. I will give you a letter to place into the hand of Lord Stannis Baratheon. No one else. Not his steward, nor the captain of his guard, nor his lady wife, but only Lord Stannis himself.† â€Å"As you command, m’lord.† When Tomard had left him, Lord Eddard Stark sat staring at the flame of the candle that burned beside him on the table. For a moment his grief overwhelmed him. He wanted nothing so much as to seek out the godswood, to kneel before the heart tree and pray for the life of Robert Baratheon, who had been more than a brother to him. Men would whisper afterward that Eddard Stark had betrayed his king’s friendship and disinherited his sons; he could only hope that the gods would know better, and that Robert would learn the truth of it in the land beyond the grave. Ned took out the king’s last letter. A roll of crisp white parchment sealed with golden wax, a few short words and a smear of blood. How small the difference between victory and defeat, between life and death. He drew out a fresh sheet of paper and dipped his quill in the inkpot. To His Grace, Stannis of the House Baratheon, he wrote. By the time you receive this letter, your brother Robert, our King these past fifteen years, will be dead. He was savaged by a boar whilst hunting in the kingswood . . . The letters seemed to writhe and twist on the paper as his hand trailed to a stop. Lord Tywin and Ser Jaime were not men to suffer disgrace meekly; they would fight rather than flee. No doubt Lord Stannis was wary, after the murder of Jon Arryn, but it was imperative that he sail for King’s Landing at once with all his power, before the Lannisters could march. Ned chose each word with care. When he was done, he signed the letter Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King, and Protector of the Realm, blotted the paper, folded it twice, and melted the sealing wax over the candle flame. His regency would be a short one, he reflected as the wax softened. The new king would choose his own Hand. Ned would be free to go home. The thought of Winterfell brought a wan smile to his face. He wanted to hear Bran’s laughter once more, to go hawking with Robb, to watch Rickon at play. He wanted to drift off to a dreamless sleep in his own bed with his arms wrapped tight around his lady, Catelyn. Cayn returned as he was pressing the direwolf seal down into the soft white wax. Desmond was with him, and between them Littlefinger. Ned thanked his guards and sent them away. Lord Petyr was clad in a blue velvet tunic with puffed sleeves, his silvery cape patterned with mockingbirds. â€Å"I suppose congratulations are in order,† he said as he seated himself. Ned scowled. â€Å"The king lies wounded and near to death.† â€Å"I know,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"I also know that Robert has named you Protector of the Realm.† Ned’s eyes flicked to the king’s letter on the table beside him, its seal unbroken. â€Å"And how is it you know that, my lord?† â€Å"Varys hinted as much,† Littlefinger said, â€Å"and you have just confirmed it.† Ned’s mouth twisted in anger. â€Å"Damn Varys and his little birds. Catelyn spoke truly, the man has some black art. I do not trust him.† â€Å"Excellent. You’re learning.† Littlefinger leaned forward. â€Å"Yet I’ll wager you did not drag me here in the black of night to discuss the eunuch.† â€Å"No,† Ned admitted. â€Å"I know the secret Jon Arryn was murdered to protect. Robert will leave no trueborn son behind him. Joffrey and Tommen are Jaime Lannister’s bastards, born of his incestuous union with the queen.† Littlefinger lifted an eyebrow. â€Å"Shocking,† he said in a tone that suggested he was not shocked at all. â€Å"The girl as well? No doubt. So when the king dies . . . â€Å" â€Å"The throne by rights passes to Lord Stannis, the elder of Robert’s two brothers.† Lord Petyr stroked his pointed beard as he considered the matter. â€Å"So it would seem. Unless . . . â€Å" â€Å"Unless, my lord? There is no seeming to this. Stannis is the heir. Nothing can change that.† â€Å"Stannis cannot take the throne without your help. If you’re wise, you’ll make certain Joffrey succeeds.† Ned gave him a stony stare. â€Å"Have you no shred of honor?† â€Å"Oh, a shred, surely,† Littlefinger replied negligently. â€Å"Hear me out. Stannis is no friend of yours, nor of mine. Even his brothers can scarcely stomach him. The man is iron, hard and unyielding. He’ll give us a new Hand and a new council, for a certainty. No doubt he’ll thank you for handing him the crown, but he won’t love you for it. And his ascent will mean war. Stannis cannot rest easy on the throne until Cersei and her bastards are dead. Do you think Lord Tywin will sit idly while his daughter’s head is measured for a spike? Casterly Rock will rise, and not alone. Robert found it in him to pardon men who served King Aerys, so long as they did him fealty. Stannis is less forgiving. He will not have forgotten the siege of Storm’s End, and the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dare not. Every man who fought beneath the dragon banner or rose with Balon Greyjoy will have good cause to fear. Seat Stannis on the Iron Throne and I promise yo u, the realm will bleed. â€Å"Now look at the other side of the coin. Joffrey is but twelve, and Robert gave you the regency, my lord. You are the Hand of the King and Protector of the Realm. The power is yours, Lord Stark. All you need do is reach out and take it. Make your peace with the Lannisters. Release the Imp. Wed Joffrey to your Sansa. Wed your younger girl to Prince Tommen, and your heir to Myrcella. It will be four years before Joffrey comes of age. By then he will look to you as a second father, and if not, well . . . four years is a good long while, my lord. Long enough to dispose of Lord Stannis. Then, should Joffrey prove troublesome, we can reveal his little secret and put Lord Renly on the throne.† â€Å"We?† Ned repeated. Littlefinger gave a shrug. â€Å"You’ll need someone to share your burdens. I assure you, my price would be modest.† â€Å"Your price.† Ned’s voice was ice. â€Å"Lord Baelish, what you suggest is treason.† â€Å"Only if we lose.† â€Å"You forget,† Ned told him. â€Å"You forget Jon Arryn. You forget Jory Cassel. And you forget this.† He drew the dagger and laid it on the table between them; a length of dragonbone and Valyrian steel, as sharp as the difference between right and wrong, between true and false, between life and death. â€Å"They sent a man to cut my son’s throat, Lord Baelish.† Littlefinger sighed. â€Å"I fear I did forget, my lord. Pray forgive me. For a moment I did not remember that I was talking to a Stark.† His mouth quirked. â€Å"So it will be Stannis, and war?† â€Å"It is not a choice. Stannis is the heir.† â€Å"Far be it from me to dispute the Lord Protector. What would you have of me, then? Not my wisdom, for a certainty.† â€Å"I shall do my best to forget your . . . wisdom,† Ned said with distaste. â€Å"I called you here to ask for the help you promised Catelyn. This is a perilous hour for all of us. Robert has named me Protector, true enough, but in the eyes of the world, Joffrey is still his son and heir. The queen has a dozen knights and a hundred men-at-arms who will do whatever she commands . . . enough to overwhelm what remains of my own household guard. And for all I know, her brother Jaime may be riding for King’s Landing even as we speak, with a Lannister host at his back.† â€Å"And you without an army.† Littlefinger toyed with the dagger on the table, turning it slowly with a finger. â€Å"There is small love lost between Lord Renly and the Lannisters. Bronze Yohn Royce, Ser Balon Swann, Ser Loras, Lady Tanda, the Redwyne twins . . . each of them has a retinue of knights and sworn swords here at court.† â€Å"Renly has thirty men in his personal guard, the rest even fewer. It is not enough, even if I could be certain that all of them will choose to give me their allegiance. I must have the gold cloaks. The City Watch is two thousand strong, sworn to defend the castle, the city, and the king’s peace.† â€Å"Ah, but when the queen proclaims one king and the Hand another, whose peace do they protect?† Lord Petyr flicked at the dagger with his finger, setting it spinning in place. Round and round it went, wobbling as it turned. When at last it slowed to a stop, the blade pointed at Littlefinger. â€Å"Why, there’s your answer,† he said, smiling. â€Å"They follow the man who pays them.† He leaned back and looked Ned full in the face, his grey-green eyes bright with mockery. â€Å"You wear your honor like a suit of armor, Stark. You think it keeps you safe, but all it does is weigh you down and make it hard for you to move. Look at you now. You know why you summoned me here. You know what you want to ask me to do. You know it has to be done . . . but it’s not honorable, so the words stick in your throat.† Ned’s neck was rigid with tension. For a moment he was so angry that he did not trust himself to speak. Littlefinger laughed. â€Å"I ought to make you say it, but that would be cruel . . . so have no fear, my good lord. For the sake of the love I bear for Catelyn, I will go to Janos Slynt this very hour and make certain that the City Watch is yours. Six thousand gold pieces should do it. A third for the Commander, a third for the officers, a third for the men. We might be able to buy them for half that much, but I prefer not to take chances.† Smiling, he plucked up the dagger and offered it to Ned, hilt first.