Marketing strategy and planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing strategy and planning - Assignment Example Until recently, the business of the business has been simply considered to be just ‘business’, but now, it is more than that and it should be able to contribute to social justice, community welfare, economic development and quality of social life as well. This piece of research paper explains the underlying concepts and modern aspects of corporate social responsibility in relation to the evaluation of social responsibility efforts made by three major companies, namely Apple Inc, Johnson & Johnson and Nestle. Corporate Social Responsibility The importance and the role of corporate social responsibility have been increasing continuously in the business contexts within the last few years and this is very evident from the fact that 90% of the fortune 500 companies have explicit social responsibility initiatives (Bueble, 2009, p. 1). CSR is discerned from three words, namely Corporate, Social and Responsibility, covering the relationship between corporations and the societies in relation to how they both interact. To be more specific, it includes the responsibilities that are inherent in the relationship between the corporate and the society (Werther and Chandler, 2006, p. 6). According to Kotler and Lee (2005, p. 3), corporate social responsibility is a commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and by contributing corporate or business resources. Business activities or community well-being efforts that are already mandated by the law or are generally accepted as moral and ethical are exempted by the term ‘discretionary’. The idea behind the concept of CSR is that all business organizations and their leaders must consider the impact of their decisions and activities on the community as a whole and they must be able to assume certain responsibilities that are expected of them. The social responsibility of a business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary expectations that the soci ety has of the organization for a given period of time (Sims, 2003, p. 43). A business organization is not only expected to meet customer needs and wants, but also to satisfy customer needs and wants in a way that are corresponding to the legal, ethical, social, moral and discretionary expectations of the customers and all other stakeholders. As part of the social responsibility, a business should be able to improve social life of the general public, foster economic development of the nation, improve the quality of the life of its people and enhance social and community well-being of the society at large. In order a business to be socially responsible, it has to fulfill the rules and regulations that are entrusted to them by the legal system and responsibilities that are expected of them by the society, function according to the ethical and moral aspects that the business has to meet. Pearson and Robinson (2004, p. 50) emphasized that there are basically four elements of the social commitments involved in the CSR, they are economical, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. Holme and Watts’ view on CSR Many different views and definitions on

Evidence of Bergman’s Rule in Indigenous Inhabitants of Different Climates Essay Example for Free

Evidence of Bergman’s Rule in Indigenous Inhabitants of Different Climates Essay From a layman’s point of view, Bergmann’s Rule could be quiet evident in the differences of anatomical physiques of people near the equator and inhabitants of the arctic region. Nordic and Eskimos have relatively larger body mass than the indigenous peoples of the Congo or Papua New Guinea. There are other noticeable differences as well. One of these is postulated by Allen’s rule which states that populations of a geographically widespread species living in warm regions will have longer extremities (arms and legs) than those living in cold regions. On other species, Peter Mayhew came up with the following finding that for bird species, there was a pattern on the variables associated with latitude and body size, though not ubiquitous, that would reinforce Bergmann’s Rule (Mayhew, 2006, p. 70). References Rittner, Don and MacCabe, Timothy L. 2004, Encyclopedia of Biology, New York H. Allen Orr Testing Natural Selection, Scientific America January 2009  ¦ Volume 300 number 1 Scientific American, Inc. , 415 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10017-1111. Copyright  © 2008 Ruff, C. B. 2002, Variation in human body size and shape. Annual Review Anthropology 2002; 231:11–223. Lewin, Roger, 2005 Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction. 2005 Blackwell Publishing Limited, p. 69 Mayhew, Peter, 2006. Discovering Evolutionary Ecology 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, p. 76.

Classification Of Facility Layout Problems

Classification Of Facility Layout Problems The purpose of this literature review is to explore the general facility layout problem, the dynamic facility layout problem, the models that have been used to represent the facility layout problem and the algorithms that solve the models,. Classification of Facility Layout Problems Determining the most efficient arrangement of physical departments within a facility is defined as a facility layout problem (FLP) (SMTF Ghomi et al, 2011). Over the period of several couple of decades, FLP have been studied by several researchers to a significant extent for establishing optimum and universal method to solve the problem and a large variety of solution procedures based on algorithms have been proposed. Facility layout problems are classified into two categories, static facility layout problem (SFLP) and dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP). Static facility layout problem (SFLP) The static facility layout problem (SFLP) is the determination of the most efficient arrangement of departments within a facility with scope of improvement only within the layout boundary. The facility can be manufacturing plants, administrative office buildings, or service facilities,( Alan R, jin et al 2005). The static facility layout problem (SFLP) approach generally assumes that flow between machines, product demand, and levels of product mix are constant during the planning horizon. Dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP) When material flow assumes varied path between departments during the planning horizon, the problem becomes the dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP). Under a volatile environment, demand is not stable. It changes from one production period to another. To operate efficiently under such environments, the facilities must be adaptive to changes of production requirements. From a layout point of view, this situation requires the solution of the dynamic layout problem (DLP). (Adil, Turkay et al 2005) Tree representation of the layout problems Essential feature of layout problems are characterized in tree representation diagram as shown in fig. Tree representation of the layout problems (Amine,henri et al 2007) Algorithms for Solving facility layout problems There are two types of algorithms for solving facility layout problems. One is heuristic algorithm and another is optimal algorithm. Heuristic algorithms These algorithms provide a solution which possibly might not just be the best fit for the problem. A good heuristic approach usually produces the best solution for most of the small problems. A heuristic algorithm works towards an optimal solution but ends its search when it finds a good enough solution. As computation increases, these algorithms will approach the optimal solution. The purpose of the heuristic algorithm is not to find the best or optimal solution but to find an acceptable solution in an acceptable amount of time using an acceptable amount of computer memory. Heuristic algorithms can also be classified as construction algorithms and improvement algorithms. Construction algorithms In Construction algorithms layout is constructed from the beginning and facilities are assigned to a site, one at a time, until the complete layout is obtained. (andrew, et al 1987). The plant layout software using a construction type algorithm will first construct a solution in an open floor area from raw data. The algorithm basically takes relationships between activity areas into account and generates a block layout. Their basic approach is to find a starting point or initial activity placement and then add the remaining activity areas according to certain rules. In some algorithms the rules are similar to Muthers vowel letter sequencing (A-E-I-O-U-X) for closeness relationships. Three well known examples of construction algorithms are CORELAP, PLANET, and ALDEP. CORELAP Computerized Relationship Layout Planning (CORELAP) is a construction algorithm and was developed by Robert C. Lee. It is the oldest construction algorithm based on Richard Muthers manual procedure of converting the Relationship Chart into a layout. The basic inputs required by CORELAP are the relationship chart and the area requirements of each department. CORELAP begins by calculating the total closeness rating (TCR) for each department where TCR is the sum of the numerical values assigned to the closeness relationships (A=6, E=5, 1=4, etc.). A disadvantage of CORELAP is that it has problems when an attempt is made to fix departments in a certain location. CORELAP does not take into account the building and is dependent on the layout arrangement. It is useful for new plants where the objective is to determine new building design and not for buildings that are already in existence.( Altaf et al 1995) ALDEP Automated Layout Design Program (ALDEP) was developed within IBM and was presented by Jerrold Seehof and Wayne Evans. It was first published in 1967. ALDEP has the same basic data input requirements as CORELAP. It differs from CORELAP in using the Total Closeness Rating for placement of departments; ALDEP selects and places departments randomly. CORELAP attempts to construct the one best layout while ALDEP constructs many layouts and rates each layout and thus leaves the final decision of selecting the appropriate layout to the facility designer. Advantages of using ALDEP include rectangular or square layouts. It is also capable of handling facilities with up to three floors and provides the capability to fix departments in a certain location and to include docks, elevators and stairwells. The disadvantage of ALDEP is that it randomly picks departments for consideration in the layout process. Hence, ALDEP should be executed several times to assure that the layouts generated are the b est layouts. The best layout will eventually generated will be presented to the facility designer for selecting the most appropriate and feasible layout. PLANET Plant Layout Analysis and Evaluation Technique (PLANET) is another construction type algorithm. It uses the same input requirements as CRAFT. PLANET is flexible in that it will accept material flow data in three formats and that there are three different layout construction phases available. The three phases that are available to generate a layout are as follows: The first phase involves the translation of the input data so that it is useful to the algorithm in PLANET. The second phase involves the selection of the order in which the departments are to be considered in the layout. The third phase involves the determination of the placements of the departments when they are considered for the layout (placement priority from the highest to the lowest is 1 to 9). PLANET converts the materials flow information from either a from-to cost chart, a from-to chart or a penalty chart to a flow-between cost chart. This is done by adding the values in both directions between departments and then entering the sum for the flow in each direction. The basis for the PLANET selection algorithms are the flow-between cost chart and placement priorities The advantages of using PLANET are that it is very flexible in allowing inputs such as materials flow data to be entered in three formats and having three methods in constructing a layout. The disadvantages with PLANET are that in its conversion of inputs to a flow-between cost chart, it considers the closeness relationships between departments but conceals the direction of flow among departments. This may result in layouts that have a considerable amount of backtracking among the departments. Improvement algorithms An improvement algorithm always begins with an initial layout. The algorithm exchanges department locations until a layout is found that cannot be improved. The quality of the layout generated depends upon the initial layout and the ability of the algorithm to exchange multiple departments at a time. The basic approach of improvement algorithms is to minimize transportation cost or movement cost by reducing the distance on the most traveled routes. Popular examples of improvement type computer routines are COFAD, CRAFT and BLOCKPLAN. CRAFT Computerized Relative Allocation of Facilities Technique (CRAFT) was the first improvement type algorithm used in computerized facilities design. CRAFT was developed in 1964 by Armour and Buffa. CRAFT begins with an initial layout that is entered by the analyst. The layout is evaluated, and pair wise exchanges of departments are made to try to improve the layout. Layouts are evaluated on the minimization of material flow cost between departments. Pair wise exchanges are only made between departments that are of equal size or have common boundaries. CRAFT can handle up to 40 departments and is preferred by many over CORELAP and ALDEP due to its evaluation of layouts. CORELAP and ALDEP minimize the quantity of flow between departments and maximize closeness ratings, while CRAFT minimizes the cost of flow between departments. The initial layout utilized by CRAFT restricts the boundaries of all layouts generated from it. CRAFT does not work well with departments having unequal areas beca use it is unable to shift the layout to allow nonadjacent departments of unequal areas to be exchanged. (jin et al 1996) used CRAFT to solve the failure-to-fit problem by changing the size and/or shape of the departments in a systematic manner without the help of humans COFAD Computerized Facilities Design (COFAD) is a modification of CRAFT. COFADs algorithm first tries to improve the initially inputted layout by a procedure that Is similar to CRAFT except that COFAD is capable of considering straight line as well as rectilin2ar distances between departments being considered for interchange. This is useful for materials handling systems that use conveyors that do not have to follow aisles in a rectilinear fashion. COFAD then determines the cost of performing each move using the feasible materials handling system alternatives available. This is dependent on the type of material handling system chosen (ie. fixed path equipment such as conveyors or mobile equipment such as tote carts). COFADs next function is to use the above move costs to determine a minimal cost of materials handling system. The disadvantages of using COFAD are that the sensitivity analysis within COFAD only considers variations in the total flow volume for a predefined product mix and doe s not evaluate changes in product mix. (Vic Kichodhan et al 1990) BLOCKPLAN BLOPLAN stands for Block Layout Overview with Computerized Planning. A computer routine which allows the use of random, construction, and improvement type algorithms is BLOCPLAN. It was developed by Dr. Charles E. Donaghey, Chairman of the Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Houston. BLOCPLAN is an interactive program used to develop and improve both single and multi storey layout BLOCPLAN is a departmental location system that includes random, construction and improvement type algorithms for developing layouts It is a simple program which generates good initial layouts due to its flexibility based on several imbedded options. It uses both quantitative and qualitative data to generate several block layouts and their measure of fitness. ( Pinto, et al 2007). BLOCPLAN can display a layout graphically on the screen. The inputs that are required are: the no of department (maximum 18) The Names of the departments, their corresponding areas, and a relationship chart. The chart relationship format is the same as suggested by Mather in his Systematic Layout Planning procedures. Once the relationship chart has been entered, BLOCKPLAN then displays a relationship vector of Code equivalent Score. The purpose of this is to allow the facility designer to indicate the importance attached to the rating of the relationship chart, BLOCPLAN needs to use some quantifiable factor to rake decisions when it generates and scores layouts. It uses the CES vector to assign a numeric value relationship chart. The default CES vector values are 10, 5, 3, 2, 1, 0, and -10. This means that has A rating is worth 10, an E rating is worth 5 and so on. .An X rating is worth -10. The facility designer can also set his/her own values if desired. (Vic Kichodhan et al 1990) The procedure that BLOCPLAN uses to generate layouts is that it first determines an Importance Rating (IR) for each department in the layout. The rating is the sum of all the relationship scores for each department, using the CES vector values. Second, a menu for the facility designer is displayed. The options are: Random Layout. Layout Algorithm. Improvement Algorithm. Adjust Relationship Information. Manually Insert Departments. Review Saved Layouts. Stop. Save Problem Data Selecting option one, Random Layout, will cause layout to be developed without regard to the relationship chart. The Departments will be located randomly in one of the eighteen zones that the software has generated. BLOCPLAM divides the building layout in to three tiers, with three zones per tier. Each zone can be further divided into its left and right side giving the possible eighteen zones. BLOCPLAN randomly selects one of the eighteen locations for each department and assigns it to a particular location. After all the departments have been assigned a location, the software proceeds to draw the layout. It looks at the departments that are located in Tier 1 up to six departments can be located in Tier 1. The total required area of a tier is the sum of all the areas for the departments located in that particular tier. Each department is drawn in proportion to its area and the departments are rectangular in shape. If a department with a small area is the only one located in a tier, it will be drawn as a long narrow department stretching across the entire layout. BLOCPLAN continues with this procedure for all the tiers. The layout generated is scored by the scoring algorithm based on an adjacency criterion. The CES scores for departments that share a common boundary in the layout are summed and then divided by the sum of all the positive CES scores from the relationship chart. A score of 1.0 indicates that all good relationships in the relationship chart have been satisfied in the layout Selecting option two, Layout Algorithm, will cause the software to make available to the facility designer a layout algorithm. The algorithm places departments that have high IR scores in the center of the layout and then surrounds them with departments with high relationships. Departments with an X relationship are separated as much as possible. This method of locating the departments produces layouts that are better than the random process. Selecting option three, Improvement Algorithm, will cause the software to try to improve on a layout that has been saved in memory. The improvement algorithm interchanges each pair of departments in the layout and then displays its score before moving to the next interchange when the facility designer hits the Return Key. The number of interchanges is the combination of the number of departments taken two at a time. For example, for ten departments there will be forty five interchanges. The optimum layout can be obtained by using option two, Layout Algorithm, and then using this option, Improvement Algorithm, to improve on the previous saved layout. Selecting option four, Adjust Relationship Info, allows the relationship information to be changed. The facility designer can change the relationship information and the CES scores that were originally entered. This allows the effects of changes in the relationship chart to be evaluated Selecting option five, Manually Insert Departments, will allow the manual placement of departments in the layout. Each department can be manually placed in the desired tier and zone. This is the same as fixing a department in a layout The advantages of BLOCPLAN are that it is a useful tool to facility designers in that layouts can be generated or evaluated, the effects of changing the values in a relationship chart can be analyzed, and it only requires a microcomputer as opposed to a mainframe to operate. Although the processing time varies with the number of departments that have to be located, the limitation of BLOCPLAN being able to only handle eighteen departments limits the processing time to a reasonable amount. The disadvantages of BLOCPLAN are: BLOCPLAN can only handle layouts with eighteen departments or less. BLOCPLAN can only store twenty layouts in memory. All the layouts are displayed on the screen within a rectangular drawing that has a horizontal length of 6.75 inches and a vertical height of 4.75 inches regardless of the number of departments in the layout or their placement in the layout. Simulated Annealing Algorithms Simulated Annealing (SA) is a method based on Monte Carlo simulation, which solves difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The name comes from the analogy to the behavior of physical systems by melting a substance and lowering its temperature slowly until it reaches freezing point (physical annealing). Simulated annealing was first used for optimization by Kirkpatrick et al. (1983). In the numerical optimization framework, SA is a procedure that has the capability to move out of regions near local minima. SA is based on random evaluations of the objective function, in such a way that transitions out of a local minimum are possible. It does not guarantee, of course, to find the global minimum, but if the function has many good near-optimal solutions, it should find one (George D. et al 2002) Simulated annealing was also used in General Facility Layout Problems (GFLP) considering facilities areas, shapes and orientations or in Machine Layout problems (MLP) considering machines pick-up and drop-off points (Leonardo Chwif et al 1998). SA was also used for dynamic facility layout problems for solving the problems for arranging and rearranging (when there are changes between the flows of materials between departments) manufacturing facilities such that the sum of the material handling and rearrangement costs is minimized (Alan R et al 2006). Wang et al (2001) developed a model to solve the facility layout problem in cellular manufacturing system. In the model, they assumed that the demand rate varies over the product life cycle. The objective function was to minimize the total material handling cost and solve both inter and intra cell facility layout problems simultaneously. Simulated annealing heuristic for the DFLP with budget constraint, and show the effectiveness of this heuristic on a set of numerical experiments (Ramazan et al., 2010). Artificial Neural Networks Neural networks are a potent method of optimization which relies on developing systems that exhibits self organization and adaptation in a similar, though basic, manner to the way in which biological systems work. A kind of artificial neural network model has been implemented for computation to solve a wide variety of discrete combinatorial optimization problems. A neural expert system is an interactive classification system with justification capability. This system begins with the knowledge representatives from a set of training examples, learns through representatives, and then develops the capability to correctly classify new cases based on learned knowledge. This classification capability makes the proposed neural expert system generate a conceptual construction layout in the form of the learned symbolic knowledge resonant to the input layout requirements. ANN can be a system comprising N ÃÆ'- N neurons based on an artificial two-dimensional maximum neural network for an N-facility layout problem. ANN algorithm has given improved solutions for several benchmark problems over the best existing algorithms (Kazuhiro Tsuchiya et al 1996). The annealed neural network combines characteristics of the simulated annealing algorithm and the neural network for rapid convergence of the neural network, while preserving the solution quality afforded by simulated annealing (Yeh, 2006). This have also found implementation in solving the facility layout problem Genetic Algorithms GAs came to the fore in the 1960s, through the work of Holland for solving many industrial and service sector problems that proved extremely difficult to solve with the available methods known at that time. The main contribution of GAs is solving optimization and search problems by providing a solution which is not the optimal one but which is nevertheless a good approximation to the optimal one. As a result of the enormous increase in the capacity of computer technology, applying GAs, in recent years has become more and more well-known, since the problem of the cost of using computer facilities which might have arisen, is in reality only a minor one (A.Gomez et al 2003). With cyber technology gaining impetus software based on GA have been developed for problem solving. An improved hybrid genetic algorithm (IHGA) was developed to use a robust local improvement procedure as well as an effective restart mechanism that is based on so-called shift mutations and applied to the well-known combinatorial optimization problem and quadratic assignment problem (QAP) (Alfonsas Misevicius et al 2004). Extensive computational experiments for solving quadratic assignment problems using various variants of a hybrid genetic algorithm were carried out (Zvi Drezner et al 2008). Simple tabu and modified robust tabu as improvement algorithms in a hybrid genetic algorithm are superior than other tabu searches (concentric tabu, ring moves, all moves, robust tabu) (Jasmit singh kochher et al 1997) outline a GA based algorithm for solving the single floor facility layout problems for equal and unequal size department. (Ming-Jaan Wang et al 2005) is focus on the unequal areas department facilities layout problem, and implements analysis of variance (ANOVA) of statistics to find out the best site size of layout by genetic algorithm. The dynamic plant layout problem (DPLP deals with the design of multi-period layout plans Although an optimal solution method based on dynamic programming is available, it is not practical for large DPLPs and heuristics based on genetic algorithms can solve large DPLPs. (Jaydeep Balakrishnan et al 2003) extend and improve the use of genetic algorithms by creating a hybrid genetic algorithm and a computational study is carried out to compare the proposed algorithm with the existing genetic algorithms and a recent simulated annealing algorithm. An important methodology in facility layout problems that can be used to gauge current and emerging trends in new design objectives and methodologies that address combinatorial optimization aspects and presents a state-of-the-art review of the application of the Genetic Algorithm (GA)(Kundu A et al 2010) NP-hard problem of arranging a number of facilities on a line with minimum cost, known as the single row facility layout problem (SRFLP) and to solve this type of problems permutation-based genetic algorithm (GA) is used. (Dilip Datta et al 2011) Tabu Search Algorithm TS technique is a meta-heuristic search that is used to solve the combinatorial optimization problems TS, is usually dominated by neighborhood solutions in searching for an optimal solution. Unlike the GA, it is highly dependent on the values of the algorithms control parameters. TS is based on flexible memory structures in connection with strategic restrictions and aspiration levels as an approach for exploiting solutions. The search begins when the parameters are chosen and a feasible solution to the problem is generated. The main parameters of TS technique are the neighborhood size, the size of tabu list, the aspiration criteria and stopping criteria. The operator that can be altered in order to generate neighborhood solutions is move. This operator can place each element to move from its location to any other location in the solution. From move, a set of neighboring solutions is generated through a pre- defined change to the current solution. Then the best solution is selected from the current set of neighboring solutions and this becomes the new current solution. Again, a new set of neighboring solutions is generated from the new current solution and the process repeats itself until the stopping criteria are met. (Lou Y. Liang et al 2008). There are two new reaction strategies for the tabu search algorithm. The first strategy treats the tabu search algorithm as a target system to be controlled and uses a control-theoretic approach to adjust the algorithm parameters that affect search intensification. The second strategy is a flexible diversification strategy which can adjust the algorithms parameters based on the search history. These two strategies, combined with tabu search, form the Self Controlling Tabu Search (SC-Tabu) algorithm. The algorithm is implemented and tested on the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP). The results show that the self-controlling features of the algorithm make it possible to achieve good performance on different types of QAP instances. (Nilgun Fescioglu-Unver et al 2011) Two extensions were suggested and tested for concentric tabu search for the quadratic assignment problem to include more permissible moves (Zvi Drezner et al 2005). The optimal solution for special case of Single Row Facility Layout Problem (SRFLP) was proposed through a theorem by Hamed Samarghandi et al in 2010. He proposed a new algorithm based on tabu search for the SRFLP and suggest computational results of the proposed algorithm on benchmark problems show the greater efficiency of the algorithm compared to the other heuristics for solving the SRFLP. Slicing tree based tabu search heuristic for the rectangular, continual plane facility layout problem (FLP) had been designed with procedure to calculate the layout corresponding to a given slicing tree on the basis of bounding curves (Daniel Scholz et al 2009). These layouts are slicing structures which are able to contain empty spaces to guarantee that stringent shape restrictions of facilities are kept. Due to these features this approach is better suited for practical use than so far existing ones. Graph Theory Graph theory (Seppanen and Moore, 1970) can be used as a means to create good layouts based on the flow matrix. A relationship diagram can be drawn as a weighted graph with the nodes signifying the departments and the edges representing the flow between the department pairs. The dual of this graph is a block diagram layout. Graph theory approach, relationships (or flows) among facilities can be represented by a (relationship) graph in which vertices denote facilities and edges denote existence of flows or relationships between facilities. A requirement for existence of a block layout satisfying the relationships represented by a graph is that the graph be planar. A graph is planar if it can be drawn in the plane and each edge intersects no other edges and passes through no other vertices. The relationship graph may not be planar. A planar sub graph of a relationship graph is called a maximal planar graph (MPG) if no edges can be added without making the graph no planar. The dual of a (primal) planar graph can be constructed by placing a dual node in each face of the primal planar graph and by joining vertices corresponding to two faces (in the primal graph) that share an edge in their common boundary. (Here, faces are regions defined by a planar graph.) The dual of a planar graph is planar as well. (J-Y KIM et al 1995) Russell D. Meller et al 1996 tells about developing a layout in the graph-theoretic approach requiring the following three steps: (1) Developing an adjacency graph from department relationships (which departments are adjacent), (2) Constructing the dual graph of the adjacency graph (represent departments as adjacent regions having specific boundaries), (3) Converting the dual graph into a block layout (specifying departments with regular shapes and specific areas) Graph theoretic approaches were also used to handle the unequal area block plan. In these approaches a block plan is constructed as the dual of a planar graph where nodes represent spaces and links represent required adjacencies. While it is always possible to construct a block plan from a planar graph which meets the given adjacency requirements between spaces and between spaces and the outside area, the resulting plan may not meet size and shape requirements imposed on each space. Constructing a block plan that meets size and shape requirements is a nontrivial problem. (Robin S. Liggett et al 2000). Other industrial problems like furniture production line designing were also solved using graph (Wilsten and Shayan 2007). The main problem concerned with applying graph theory to facilities layout is the conversion of the dual graph to a block layout (S. A. IRVINE et al 2010) gives a new method of producing a planar orthogonal layout or floor plan of a set of facilities subject to adjacency and area constraints. It improves upon previous approaches by accepting any maximal planar graph representing the adjacencies as input. Simple selection criteria for choosing the next facility to be inserted into the floor plan are used. Further, any sensible orthogonal shape for the facilities in the resulting floor plan can be generated. Optimal algorithm During the 1960s considerable research was done in developing optimal algorithms. Optimal algorithms find the best solution. However they are not practical due to limitations on computer time and space. Some optimal algorithms are classified as given below. Quadratic Assignment Model The quadratic assignment model (Koopmans and Beckman 1957) represents the problem of locating numerous facilities that required material flow between them. The name QAP was given because the objective function is a second degree function of the variables and the constraints are linear functions of the variables. The objective function maximizes the revenue gained by assigning the departments to a location, less the cost of the material flow between the departments. The mathematical model of the quadratic assignment problem (QAP) is: The integer variable, Xij is equal to 1 if department i is assigned to location j, otherwise the variable is equal to 0. The constant aij is the area required for department i to location j and fik is the material flow between departments i and k, and Cjl is the cost of material flow between location j and l. The first constraint ensures that each location will be assigned exactly one department and second constraint ensures that each department will be assigned to exactly one location. Layouts generated using the quadratic assignment models are often used as a tool in formulating a final layout. The QAP takes into consideration the material flow between departments, however, the model operates under the assumption that all department areas are equal which in many cases is impractical to presume. For this reason, the layout generated by the quadratic assignment problem often serves as a starting point for developing a final layout. (Ekrem Duman et al 2007) used the quadratic assignment problem in the context of the printed circuit board assembly process. (A.S. Ramkumar et al 2008) concentrates on multi-row machine layout problems that can be accurat

recruits :: essays research papers

The Army announced yesterday that it missed its recruiting goal for the fourth consecutive month, a deepening manpower crisis that officials said would require a dramatic summer push for recruits if the service is to avoid missing its annual enlistment target for the first time since 1999. The Army will make a "monumental effort" to bring in the average 10,000 recruits a month required this summer, said Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, head of the Army's recruiting command. An additional 500 active-duty recruiters will be added in the next two months -- on top of an increase of 1,000 earlier this year. The Pentagon is also considering asking Congress to double the enlistment bonus it can offer to the most-prized recruits -- from $20,000 to $40,000 -- and to raise the age limit for Army active-duty service from 35 to 40, he said. "The challenge is one of historic proportions," Rochelle said, acknowledging that he is not sure whether the traditional summer surge in Army recruits will take place, or how large it might be. Violent, long deployments to Iraq and a sound job market at home have combined to reduce what the Army calls the "propensity to enlist" -- the percentage of young Americans willing to consider Army service -- which dropped from 11 percent last year to about 7 percent this year. "What I don't know, in all candor, is how the reduced propensity will dampen" the recruiting prospects of summer, Rochelle said in an interview. "I wish the summer period were about twice as long." The Army's recruiting difficulties are only expected to grow. "Next year promises quite frankly, given the size of our entry pool, to be an even tougher fight," he said. "God forbid a downward trend" in the willingness to serve, he added. The Army missed its May active-duty recruiting goal of 6,700 by 1,661 recruits, pushing the shortfall for fiscal 2005 to 8,321 -- or more than a month's worth of recruits. The shortfall would have been 37 percent if the Army had not lowered its May goal. Overall, the Army has sent 40,964 enlistees to boot camp, and has four months to nearly double that figure to reach the 80,000 goal for this fiscal year. Army, Navy and Marine Corps reserve forces also missed their goals for May. Army National Guard enlistments for the month fell short by 29 percent, Army Reserves by 18 percent, Marine Corps Reserves by 12 percent and Navy Reserves by 4 percent, according to figures released yesterday by the Pentagon.

Political Economy Essay

Approaches to study of Politics Falls under Political Science We’re made to do the impossible Summary 1 paragraph will do. Provide the insight -Data -Theory used -approach used – use other references to prove your point 3 x 5 Surname all caps first name email address mobile number On approach deals with different meaning of politics Political Science What is Politics & its scope ? Banned words Politics is dirt Politics is nothing more than a means of rising in the world Samuel Johnson Systematic organization of hatred Henry Adams Art of governing mankind by deceiving them. Isaac D’Israeli BASIS of POLITICS Intellect and Will Man Capable of Thinking Politics as a rational activity Man has the capacity to think and realize his wants, needs and interest which are potentially in conflict with others’ wants, needs, and interests. Man cannot survive on its own. He needs someone else Politics as a social activity 2 or more persons Politics as a social activity 2 or more persons Associate with society Politics is concerned with social dynamics. POLITICS AS THE ART OF GOVt What concerns the state Study of government and exercise of authority Authoritative allocation of social values Framework Definition does not provide David Easton Authoritative binding to all Allocation done by the government Social Values anything held important by society budget allocation, privatization, elections Henry Mayo 3 characteristics that separate the political from non-poitical Politics is focused on the governing function through which are: Limitation on Easton on Mayo’s concept of Politics POLITICS DOES NOT ONLY HAPPEN IN THE GOVERNMENT POLTICS AS PUBLIC AFFAIRS State DIFFERENCE OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS PUBLIC PRIVATE State Civil Society Institutions of the State ( apparatus of government, infrastructure, economy, taxes Autonomous bodies (family, kinship groups, private businesses, trade unions Funded at the public’s Expense Set up and funded by individual citizens Responsible for the collective organization of community life Responsible for the satisfaction of own interests rather than the interest of the larger society. Private with this definition EX: RH Bill It should not be affair of the government. Public Sphere vs Private Sphere Restricted to the acitivites of the state itself and the responsibilities that are properly exercised by public bodies Politics should not meddle on personal affairs and institutions. POLITICS AS COMPROMISE & CONSESUS A daily activity in which differing interests within a given unity of rule are conciliated by giving them a share in power in proportion to their role in the welfare and the survival of the community Bernard Crick Everything will just be fine – for no matter big or small the dispute is, at the end of the day we will just arrive in a compromise. Assumption: Conflict is inevitable Resolving conflict through compromise conciliation and negotiation, rather than violence and coercion. Not limited to government POLITICS IS INEVITABLE LINKED TO THE PHENOMENA OF CONFLICT & COOPERATION Politics as master science. Why Make use other things to make things in order. Existence of rival opinions- conflict People recognize that they have to work with others cooperation Hannah Arendt- Acting in Concert Otto Von Bismarck- Politics is the art of the possible. POWER AS POWER & DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES What is power? X has power over Y insofar as Robert Dahl X is able, in one way or another, to get Y to do something That is more to X’s liking And which Y would not otherwise have done. Faces of Power As decision-making – you shape there decisions As agenda setting – You are preventing the person to make a decision As thought control- You are imposing your preference in an indirect or subtle way. Definition of Politics through POWER and allocation of resources FIND THE FOLLOWING QUOTES OF FAMOUS SCIENTISTS Adrian Leftwich- Politics is at the heart of all collective social activity, formal and informal, public and private, in all human groups, institutions and societies. Harold Lasswell Politics is, in essence power: the ability to achieve a desired outcome, through whatever means. Kate Millett â€Å"Politics is a power-structured relationships, arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another. â€Å"POLITICS†- as the constrained use of social power. Robert Goodin & Hans- Dieter Klingemann Constrained because there are already laws establish. Politics takes place in all social activities; politics happen at every level of social interaction Politics concern production, distribution and use of resources in the course of social existence. -Ability to achieve a desired outcome, through whatever means . Approaches to the study of Politics Ontology- the nature of being Epistemology- How do you know what we know? Theoretical – concept & idea Empirical- Evidence, observation History- both theory and experience Methodology- How do we exactly know what we know MAKE A MATRIX OF THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES USING THE FOLLOWING: Nature Ontology Epistemology Methodology Studying Politics requires that we use approaches Approaches presecrbies different ways of studying politics Approaches tell the researcher: Ontology Epistemology Methodology Approaches are lenses in which you see the world In politics Normative Institutional Behavioural Discourse Analysis State-Centered Pluralism Elitism Marxism Brief History of its Development -Philosophical Tradition -Empirical Tradition -Scientific Tradition -Recent Developments Rational Choice Public Choice Discource.

Racism affects everybody Essay

This is shown in the movie ‘Australia’, how everyone can be affected by racism. Many different ways of racism towards people in the movie ‘Australia’. A few of the main characters that are affected in the movie is Nullah, The Drover, Lady Ashley. The people that are being most affected in the movie would have to be the indigenous, that’s because the time the movie was set in, was when the white australia policy was happening, so pretty much every Australian was being racist towards aboriginal people. Racism is problem that everybody is affected in the world today. In the movie Australia, all the aboriginal people was being well behaved, did everything they was told and followed the rules. Even then people was still be racist towards them. Some of the ways racism was shown in the movie was how the aboriginals wasn’t allowed in the pubs, also Neil Fletcher was using Daisy for sex and didn’t show any respect and also beat her and his son up. So pretty much all the Australians in this time period was against all indigenous people and all japanese because at the time australia was at war with japan and japan ended up bombing darwin. Nullah in the movie was a half cast, so he wasn’t fully aboriginal or australian, he felt left out because he wasn’t black or white, he was only a creamy colour. He was like this because of Neil Fletcher using his mother for sex. Nullah and his mother wasn’t treated with any respect at all and both of them was also beat up, it was because Neil fletcher played a big part in being racist towards Indigenous people. A good example of racism towards Nullah is when he is about to get on the ship to the mission and a young australian boy was yelling to him and saying â€Å"Creamy† and kept saying that to Nullah. Near the end of the movie Nullah wants to go ‘walk about’ with his Grandfather. If you go on this ‘walk about’ It means you become a man, it’s part of the aboriginal tradition, even though Nullah isn’t a full blooded aboriginal, he still wants to keep live by his aboriginal culture and follow the aboriginal tradition and become a man through the true aboriginal way. The reason all this racism was happening towards the aboriginal people was because of the government. They had made a policy in the australia called the white australia policy, this policy wanted australia to only have fully white blooded australians in australia only. The half cast kids like ‘Nullah’ was sent to a mission to learn about the christianity and how australians live, the other reason they were sent there is because australian people wasn’t proud of having sex with aboriginal women and then they didn’t want half cast kids in the public because it would remind them of what they did with those aboriginal women and they didn’t want that. So the government made missions where, the half cast kids were taken from their families by the police and wasn’t allowed to see their families again. The kids that were taken when they were are now called the stolen generation. The two people in the movie that weren’t being racist towards aboriginal people was The Drover and Lady Ashley, this was because they both had a connection with the aboriginal people in the movie, The Drover’s partner in the movie was an aboriginal and The Drover felt like he was an aboriginal and thought that people treated him like one. He also sticked up for his partner at the pub, this shows how close Drover was to his partner. Lady was close to aboriginal people because of Nullah’s mother dying and she took up mothering for Nullah, this made a strong connection between them. When Neil Fletcher was beating up Nullah Lady Ashley stepped in and protected Nullah. In conclusion, It doesn’t matter if someone is being racist towards an individual, it will affect other people to. Even all the years ago, when the white australia policy was taking place, the racism towards the aboriginals and the stolen generation, It is still affecting most of Australia today and a lot of people are sorry to the stolen generation because what the government did was very wrong and it didn’t take not long to see what they done. Racism still happens today everywhere and it does affect everyone.

Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essays

Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essays Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essay Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essay Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Author: Heidi Heffron-Clark ENGL112ON_AC: Composition Professor: Julie  Joki Talk about a hot topic! Marijuana and the discussion surrounding full legalization of the substance in the United States, has been creating a stir for many years now. Some people feel that there is no need to legalize another drug and take the risk of allowing it to get into the hands of children or people that may not be exposed to it if were not legal. Others say that if we legalize marijuana, it’s the start of a slippery slope that might lead to attempts to legalize other drugs. To the contrary, there are also many people, myself included, that feel that the risks of legalizing marijuana in the United States are minimal compared to the potential benefits. Legalizing any drug is going to come with a lot of debate and resistance, but the great benefits of legalizing this particular drug need to be seriously considered, and there has never been a better time to do so. Amazing health benefits that include both preventing illnesses and treating symptoms of diseases, economy boosting benefits resulting from legalization, regulation and taxation and the fact that it has been successfully legalized in other countries all lead to the conclusion that the legalization of marijuana in the United States is the right thing to do for the sake of the entire country! One of the greatest reasons to consider legalization of marijuana would be due to the immense medicinal benefits that marijuana provides. Medicinal marijuana is beneficial in the treatment and prevention of many different illnesses including, but not limited to, cancer, Tourette’s, OCD, Multiple Sclerosis, Seizures, Migraines, Glaucoma, ADD/ADHD, Crohn’s, and Alzheimer’s. If marijuana were legalized and regulated, people suffering from any of these illnesses would have an alternative to current medications with horrible side effects. It could also be something that is eventually covered by insurance or available affordably over the counter, saving people a great deal of money on their already expensive health care costs. One of the deadliest diseases that could potentially reap considerable benefits from the legalization of marijuana is cancer. Cancer treatments and medications tend to have horrific side effects. One of those side effects is the extreme nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy, radiation and other anticancer drugs. Cancer patients usually receive antiemetics to help control the nausea and vomiting but there really is no single solution to reduce those symptoms in all patients. Antiemetics in multiple combinations seem to work well for some; however some doctors and scientists believe that THC (the active marijuana constituent) may be the best treatment for many others. The U. S. FDA has already approved the use of THC for treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy in patients who have not responded to the standard antiemetic drugs (National Cancer Institute, 2000). If we have already considered certain levels of THC to be legally acceptable, why not look further into the benefits of what a broader scale legalization could do for the medical field and suffering patients? In addition to nausea and vomiting, other common symptoms in cancer patients are the loss of appetite, loss of desire to eat, and incomplete absorption of nutrients which leads to anorexia and/or cachexia. â€Å"Maintenance of body weight and adequate nutritional status can help patients feel and look better, and maintain or improve their performance. It may also help them better tolerate cancer therapy† (National Cancer Institute, 2000). THC can help counteract the loss of appetite and desire to eat, which in turn could help the patient not only feel better, but potentially tolerate the treatments better as well. Although we will probably never be able to cure all diseases, if marijuana helps aid in treatment or helps slow down the progression of certain illnesses, isn’t it worth legalizing? Temple University researchers have been studying more effective ways to treat multiple sclerosis utilizing synthetic cannabinoids based on the chemicals found in the marijuana plant. Their research focuses mainly on the cannabinoids that are found in both the human body and the marijuana plant in an effort to help control the activation of the human body’s immune cells. Controlling and calming the body’s immune system is a key factor in fighting MS. ‘This is a totally new approach to treating this disease,’ says Adler, director emeritus and senior advisor for CSAR and Laura H. Carnell professor of pharmacology research. ‘These cannabinoids hold enormous potential, and that’s encouraging since we’re limited in options when it comes to preventing or reve rsing MS’† (Temple University, 2009). The use of marijuana not just as a way to ease pain but as a way to actually slow down the progression of a disease like MS and to help build the body’s immune system to better fight the disease is an amazing benefit that should not be taken lightly. In addition to helping treat cancer and prevent MS, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, the primary pathological marker for Alzheimers disease. Their study results have shown that THC â€Å"‘may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimers disease’ that would treat ‘both the symptoms and progression’ of the disease†(Scripps Research Institute, 2006). In fact, their research has found THC to be considerably more effective than some of the currently prescribed, FDA approved drugs for Alzheimer’s treatment. Furthermore, marijuana has also been linked to successful treatments for migraine headaches, ADD, ADHD, seizures, Tourette’s syndrome, and PMS related symptoms. Not only has it been successful in the treatment of these illnesses, in some cases, it’s actually less harmful than the current legal, approved, and prescribed medications being used to treat them. If the fact that it’s currently considered an â€Å"illegal substance† was taken out of play and some random doctor or scientist suddenly discovered marijuana and let the public know that it contained chemicals that had all of the above medicinal benefits (with very few side effects), it would be legalized, regulated, and distributed immediately – as it should be! Medicinal benefits aside, the legalization could not only financially benefit our country, in a time when we desperately need financial benefits, it would actually help assist in the decriminalization of the drug. Why not ake the money, power and control over this substance away from the criminals in this country and give it to the working class, the FDA, and the local and federal governments? One immediate benefit would be the creation of jobs and income for working class citizens, and farmers. The legalization of something like marijuana would probably be regulated and distributed similar to the way tobacco is in the United States. Currently in the US, tobacco farm managers earn approximately $66,000 per year (which breaks down to an hourly wage of about $32/hour) and there are over 3600 of them employed nationally (My Majors. om, 2010). I am positive that there are people in our country right now that would be more than willing to take a job that pays that kind of salary. In addition to the farmers, there would obviously be jobs created in the cultivating, manufacturing, and distribution of the marijuana plant. The creation of thousands of stable jobs within our country would only help our current economic state! In addition to the immediate economy boost that job creation would provide, consider the fiscal benefits to the regulation and taxation of marijuana! We already tax tobacco and alcohol at incredible rates, why not add marijuana to the â€Å"pot† as well? If taxed according to our current tobacco laws, the US could stand to make a great deal of money off of this maneuver. In 2010, tobacco cigarette pack sales in the US were 14. 7 billion and the tax revenue from those cigarette sales was $16. 5 billion (Tobacco Free Kids. org, 2011). Any country’s economy would jump at the chance to add an additional $16. 5 billion annually but our country is so far in debt currently that it would be fiscally irresponsible to not consider this. Not only would this kind of annual taxation help eliminate our immense debt, it could potentially help keep the government from raising income taxes or making controversial fiscal cuts elsewhere. Enough about the outstanding health benefits and fiscally responsible economic benefits, let’s talk about regulation and control of this substance and the benefits that would create for our society. One of the main arguments for not legalizing marijuana is because it would create easier access for children to get it or it would get in the â€Å"wrong† hands. The problem with that argument is that children already have access to it and it’s, for the most part, only in the â€Å"wrong† hands. Legalizing marijuana would mean regulating it. Regulating it would mean controlling it. The government would have control over who can legally produce marijuana, who can legally distribute marijuana, and who can legally purchase and consume marijuana. If there were laws in effect similar to those of tobacco and alcohol there would be legal ages and legal limits of amounts that you could have and still be considered safe and able to operate a motor vehicle. If it were regulated like prescription drugs, there would again be legal ages, dosage recommendations/restrictions, and warnings about usage. Left as it is now, illegal and without controls, it actually endangers the public rather than promoting public safety. Complete prohibition of marijuana gives all the control of its production and distribution to criminal entrepreneurs, such as drug cartels, street gangs, and drug dealers who add harmful chemicals to it and push additional, more addictive and harmful illegal substances. It also promotes the use of marijuana in inappropriate settings, such as in automobiles, in public parks, or in public restrooms. â€Å"A regulatory scheme for marijuana that is similar to the scheme†¦for alcohol would be favorable compared to the present prohibition. Ideally, such a regulatory scheme for marijuana would maintain the existing controls that presently govern commercial alcohol production, distribution, and use – while potentially imposing even stricter limits regarding the commercialization, advertising, and mass marketing of the product† (NORML. org, 2010). If we put the regulation and control of this substance in the â€Å"right† hands, then we will be able to create rules and regulations that would be much more beneficial than just leaving the laws the way they are which gives all the control to the â€Å"wrong† people. Health benefits, economic benefits, regulation and control in the appropriate places are all important reasons to consider legalization of marijuana in the United States, but we aren’t the first country to be weighing these options. There are actually other countries that have benefit from the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana and have been doing so for years. If it can be successful in other countries, then there is no reason why the United States cannot make it successful as well. For many years, other countries have had much more liberal laws (if any at all) against drug use and these countries have had much success in their â€Å"war on drugs† by using such laws. Countries such as Canada, Germany, Israel, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Luxemburg, Australia, Great Britain, India, and the Netherlands have all successfully been able to regulate and control the use of drugs in their country. Most have led to much lower rates of children under the age of 18 possessing or using drugs, lower drug related crime rates, and overall lower possession and use of drugs among adults. Interestingly, the European country with the most liberal drug laws also has seen some of the greatest success from its drug laws, or lack thereof. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E. U. The U. S. as long championed a hard-line drug policy, supporting only international agreements that enforce drug prohibition and imposing on its citizens some of the worlds harshest penalties for drug possession and sales. Yet America has the highest rates of cocaine and marijuana use in the world, and while most of the E. U. (including Holland) has more liberal drug laws than the U. S. , it also has less drug use (Time. com, 2009). Clearly, our current system isn’t working. Our complete prohibition and extremely strict penalties have l ed to some of the highest drug use in the whole world. I think it’s about time we stop thinking that we have this all figured out and start learning from the success of other countries. Considering other countries’ success rates combined with the immense medical benefits in both the treatment of symptoms and the prevention of diseases and the potentially huge economic benefits that legalizing marijuana in the United States would provide; there really is nothing left to debate. The United States of America would be foolish to not legalize the use of marijuana and start reaping the benefits of it immediately! REFERENCES 6 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC. (05/13/2011). Retrieved 08/14/11 from ProCon. org web site: http://medicalmarijuana. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID=000881 Boonn, Ann. (06/28/2011). Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids State Cigarette Tax Rates amp; Rank, Date of Last Increase And Related Data. Retrieved 08/14/11 from Tobacco Free Kids. org web site: tobaccofreekids. org/research/factsheets/pdf/0099. pdf Cleaver, Hannah. (2002). Marijuana Chemical Eases Tourette’s Symptoms. Excerpt from Reuters Health retrieved 08/14/11 from Prevent Disease. com web site: ttp://preventdisease. com/news/articles/marjuana_tourettes. shtml Leveque, Dr. Phillip. (06/30/2008). Marijuana Vs. Migraines: Modern Medical Miracle. Retrieved 08/14/11 from Salem-News web site: salem-news. com/articles/june302008/leveque_migraines_6-30-08. php Marijuana Chemical May Slow Multiple Sclerosis. (05/12/2009). Retrieved 08/14/11 from insciences organisation web site: http://insciences . org/article. php? article_id=4963 Marijuana Use in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients. (12/12/2000). Retrieved 08/14/11 from National Cancer Institute web site: cancer. ov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/marijuana Marijuana’s Active Ingredient Shown to Inhibit Primary Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease. (08/09/2006). Retrieved 08/14/11 from The Scripps Research Institute web site: scripps. edu/news/press/080906. html Miron, Jeffrey A. (06/2005). Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States. Retrieved 08/14/11 from Prohibition Costs. org web site: prohibitioncosts. org/mironreport. html NIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana. (11/2011). Retrieved 08/14/11 from National Institute on Drug Abuse web site: drugabuse. ov/infofacts/marijuana. html Real World Ramifications of Cannabis Legalization and Decriminalization. (03/05/2010). Retrieved 08/14/11 from The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws web site: norml. org/index. cfm? Group_ID=8110#de crim Szalavitz, Maia. (04/26/2009). Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?. Retrieved 08/14/11 from Time. com web site: time. com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00. html Tobacco Grower Career Information. (2010). Retrieved 08/14/11 from MyMajors. com web site: mymajors. com/careers-and-jobs/Tobacco-Grower

How to Reverse-Outline Your First Draft

How to Reverse-Outline Your First Draft How to Reverse-Outline Your First Draft How to Reverse-Outline Your First Draft By Mark Nichol You know that producing an outline is an effective strategy for helping you organize your writing. Whether the content is a novel, an interview, a review, or any other form of prose, preceding the actual writing with some sort of framework a hierarchical vertical list, a bullet list, an interconnected web of words or phrases provides a structural scheme. But have you ever used a reverse outline? A reverse outline is an evaluative tool you create after you’ve written the content. Although any kind of outline is suitable for this task, for your first reverse outline, use the traditional roman numeral/roman alphabet structure. If you’re reverse-outlining a novel or an essay of more than a few pages, start with a single chapter or a section so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Number each paragraph. On a separate sheet of paper, or in a new online file, list the main point (I), followed by the ancillary points (A, B, C). Rinse and repeat, on or in a single document, for each paragraph. Once you’ve completed the outline, review it and determine whether a paragraph is weighed down by more than one point, whether the points you’ve identified are the ones you want to emphasize, and whether any points are superfluous or misplaced. In addition, consider whether the outline’s organization, and by extension the chapter or article’s organization, reflect your intentions. If not, decide whether you need to revise your intent or the output. (Hint: It’s much easier to adapt a topic or a thesis statement to a piece of writing than the reverse.) Reverse outlining helps you reorganize not only paragraphs but also the entire work. On a paragraph level, determine whether you need to combine, divide, insert, delete, or move. For the work as a whole, revise as necessary to build an argument or carry a narrative. Repeat the process as necessary for a longer piece and if, for example, an extensive article has five sections that you’ve reverse-outlined in as many steps, reverse-outline the whole article as well. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesComma Before ButHow Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

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.