iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 391: Rainy Season in Castamere

Joffrey's eyes were as red as blood, and he held tightly in his hand the lion's tooth sword that was already stained with blood. He stood there panting, his face looking hideous due to extreme distortion.

The repressed emotions were released, and his "abnormal" courage quickly receded like the tide, and his heart began to be occupied by deep fear.

He couldn't help but crane his neck to look down the stairs, but couldn't see clearly... He subconsciously took a small step forward, but stepped on a bloodstained stone slab. His foot suddenly slipped, and he lost his balance and fell.

After rolling down several steps, he finally managed to stop himself in panic and climbed up awkwardly.

"Hiss, damn it!"

Cursing, Joffrey stomped hard on the step beside him, then let out a cry of pain as the movement caused the pain in his body.

After a pause, Joffrey looked at his bloody hands, and the fear in his heart became stronger.

He suddenly looked towards the direction of the throne room door in panic. Seeing that there was no movement from there, he breathed a sigh of relief... but he was at a loss as to what to do.

Having regained some of his "reason", he didn't even dare to check the old lion's body. This empty and silent hall... made him feel even more creepy at this moment.

He was shaking, looking around in panic, his mind in a mess: What should he do? What should he do now? Will those red-robed people outside suddenly rush in and kill him!

Joffrey glanced quickly at the old lion lying in a strange posture below, then hurriedly walked towards the narrow stairs on the side of the Iron Throne.

At this moment, Joffrey only wanted to escape from here!

Joffrey almost trotted all the way to the second floor. After confirming that the only person guarding the king's bedroom door was Boros Blount, the cupbearer of the Kingsguard (Chapter 331), he took a step and strode over.

Hearing the noise, Ser Boros, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, opened his eyes in confusion. When he found that the person coming was Joffrey, he suddenly became alert, and his short legs bent outwards moved quickly, and he hurried over.

"Your Majesty...you...you...blood...are you injured?!"

Joffrey regained his composure a little on the way. He raised his chin proudly and said, "I am the king. Whoever dares to hurt me, this is the blood of traitors!"

Sir Boros looked horrified and stammered, "Traitor? Your Majesty, someone... someone is rebelling?!"

"Quiet!"

Joffrey kicked the cowardly Boros and shouted angrily: "Fool, if you attract the enemy, I will kill you first!"

Then, he looked around, lowered his voice slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Follow me in."

Once they were in the king's chambers, Joffrey closed the door immediately. He then squinted at Boros and said, "Could you please send Ser Mandon over quietly? Listen carefully to my orders."

Quietly? Ser Boros swallowed his saliva and moved his lips. He said, "Your Majesty, Ser Mandon is not on the throne... Where is he?"

Joffrey paced restlessly. "He is outside the throne room's main entrance. When you go to fetch him, make sure the red robes don't see you. I want to see him in secret."

"But the main gate and the side gate are guarded by men in red robes..."

Seeing the king with blood on his face looking at him fiercely, Sir Boros opened his mouth and was about to speak, but quickly stopped his clumsy excuses.

After a long silence, Ser Boros, who kept wiping the sweat off his face, suddenly clapped his hands. Before he could speak, Joffrey, who was startled, kicked him angrily.

"Your Majesty, please stop hitting me... Please forgive me... I have an idea."

Joffrey gasped and asked suspiciously, "What is it?"

"kitchen."

Ser Boros's expression was flattering. He lowered his voice and said, "There is no one guarding there. I know there is a place to crawl out."

Hearing this, there was a pause, and Joffrey suddenly chuckled: "Very good."

Then he kicked again: "Hurry up and bring Sir Mandon to me immediately!"

After Ser Boros left, Joffrey relaxed for a moment, but soon he was pacing nervously around the room, growing more and more frightened as time went on, until his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Half an hour passed before the anxious Joffrey finally heard a knock on the door.

"Your Majesty the King."

After confirming that it was Ser Mandon and Ser Boros's voices, Joffrey removed the four chains that locked the door one by one.

After the two Kingsguards entered, the heavy wooden door was closed again.

Ser Mandon glanced at Joffrey with indifferent eyes and said, "Your Majesty, are you injured? Aren't you with Lord Tywin? What happened..."

Joffrey interrupted rudely: "Tywin wants to assassinate me!"

Sir Boros exclaimed in disbelief: "Ah? Why is he..."

Joffrey waved his hand impatiently and shouted, "Don't ask so many questions. I have already executed him. He is a traitor!"

He looked at Ser Mandon and said, "Go to the Great Sept of Baelor immediately and call my mother. Ask her to come back and protect me."

"As ordered."

Ser Mandon said no more nonsense, but he paused and said, "Your Majesty, if Lord Tywin dies, the red robes guarding the throne room may be harmful to you before the Queen Regent arrives."

Hearing Lord Mandon's reminder, Joffrey's pupils shrank slightly, and he said in panic: "Yes, they are also traitors, you have to stay and protect me!"

After saying that, he paced back and forth anxiously: "But my mother must be invited as soon as possible..."

Ser Mandon's voice sounded at this time: "Your Majesty, my good friend is one of the captains of the gold cloak guard of the Red Keep. His name is Vardis Egan (Chapter 387). He may be able to protect you."

Hearing this, Joffrey paused and said angrily: "Gold Cloak? Fool, don't forget Adam Marbrand, he is the commander-in-chief of the Gold Cloaks, and he is also a traitor!"

Facing the furious Joffrey, Ser Mandon's tone remained calm: "Ser Vardis is a vassal of the Vale. He told me privately that before leaving the Red Keep, Lord Green told him to only obey the orders of the Queen Mother and the King."

Joffrey stretched out his right hand and clenched it into a fist. He said excitedly, "Very good, very good. I will reward you handsomely. Go, make arrangements quickly, Ser Mandon, quickly!"

"As you command, Your Majesty the King."

Finally, after everything was arranged, Joffrey suddenly felt a deep fatigue coming over him, and he staggered backwards.

Sir Boros quickly reached out to support him: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I am fine."

Joffrey shook his head. He knew it was because of the "wine of courage" he drank in the afternoon. He pushed Ser Boros away and said, "Prepare some water for me. I want to take a bath." "Do you want to go to the bathroom?"

"…Use the bathtub here, idiot, and stop talking nonsense. And bring me a bottle of wine."

King Joffrey has recently been particularly fond of drinking red wine from Essos. As the king's "cupkeeper", Ser Boros has naturally tasted it many times.

He hesitated for a moment and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, that wine...it's best not to drink too much..."

"I didn't ask for the wine of courage, fool," said Joffrey impatiently. "Give me the summer red."

"Okay, I'll ask the maids to arrange it right away."

"Stop, you idiot! Don't alarm anyone else until my mom comes, you stupid wild boar!"

Sir Boros stopped, scratched his face, and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will watch over them. If they don't obey my orders..."

He straightened his fat upper body, grasped the hilt of his sword with his left hand, and continued: "I will execute them all. I make sure they won't make a sound when they die."

"If you don't do it well, I will peel off your skin first, then cut you into pieces and feed you to the dogs."

Joffrey rubbed his head, waved his hand, and said, "Go and arrange it."

…………

With a splash, two well-trained maids moved almost silently and poured buckets of water into the bathtub.

Joffrey was already very thirsty, and when he received the wine jug, he could not wait to pick it up, put it directly into the spout, and gulp down the wine.

While drinking, he saw from the corner of his eye that Boros, who was guarding the door, secretly reached out and touched the roundness of the maids' backs when they passed by him.

Putting down the wine flask, Joffrey chuckled, feeling much better. "Go outside and keep watch. When my mother arrives, I will give you whatever you want."

"As you command, my generous and merciful king."

“Chuckle, chuckle…”

After a while, the bathtub was full of water. Two maids came to Joffrey with nervous expressions and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, you can take a bath now."

After taking a swig of Summer Red, Joffrey set the flagon aside and raised his arms slightly while the maid removed his stained clothing.

The maids stood aside with their heads down, while Joffrey lay comfortably in the bathtub, breathing slowly. The water was a little cold, but he felt very comfortable.

Tywin is dead, having personally executed the traitor who wanted to depose the king...

Starting tomorrow, no one can stop him from ruling the country directly...

Starting tomorrow, he will immediately start to organize the royal army...

He will personally take orders to kill all traitors who dare to resist the Iron Throne... traitors...

Thinking of this, Joffrey gritted his teeth and decided that when his mother arrived, he would kill that damn Adam Marbrand first and then skin him alive!

Joffrey's cheek muscles suddenly twitched slightly. He reached out and touched it. How dare Lord Green hit the king and humiliate him with his mother? !
He secretly swore that not only would he not let Green Crabbe go, but he would also tear down the entire Eagle's Nest to let everyone know the consequences of offending the king!
Joffrey's cheek twitched slightly again. And the Lannister dwarf... He would definitely catch that damn dwarf and chop off the dwarf's limbs with his own hands!

Joffrey raised his chin habitually, but the posture was a little awkward at this time. Mother... Starting tomorrow, his queen will no longer need a regent queen mother in the Seven Kingdoms. The king will not allow others to interfere. She only needs to be a queen mother who obeys the king's orders.

Although he killed Cersei's father with his own hands, Joffrey was not worried at all because he knew that his mother would always stand firmly on his side.

Joffrey's lips suddenly began to tremble slightly. Margaery Tyrell was also a traitor. Since his mother had never liked her, he would give her to her to dispose of as she pleased, as compensation from him.

I almost forgot about Kevan. I'll put him in the dark cell first. I'll wait until I have time...

At this moment, Joffrey's body suddenly stiffened, and his calf muscles seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand. He subconsciously wanted to straighten his legs to relieve the pain there.

But...the severe pain started from his calf and spread throughout his body in an instant. His breathing became rapid and heavy, his chest heaved violently, and veins on his forehead bulged.

Joffrey's face twisted, and just as he was about to call for help, he was pushed into the water by several hands.

Gurgle gurgle……

Water rushed into Joffrey's nasal cavity and mouth. He was instantly filled with panic and despair of being unable to breathe. He tried desperately to breathe but could only inhale more water.

His limbs struggled instinctively, but every movement seemed so weak, as if they were restrained by an invisible force.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle……

Outside the door, the maid's respectful voice sounded: "My lord, His Majesty the King is resting, and no one is allowed to disturb him."

In the room, Joffrey was lying in the bathtub with a hideous face. His wide-open eyes still showed the fear and despair of his dying moment. His purple lips were slightly open, as if he was still trying to call for help until the last moment.

…………

…………

The Great Sept of Baelor, the Queen Mother's guest room.

Cersei Lannister woke up from a nightmare. She sat on the bed, breathing rapidly, and her whole body was covered with fine cold sweat.

After a pause, she lifted the blanket, climbed out of bed without hanging, and wiped her body with a towel.

After wiping the sweat off her body, Cersei picked up the flagon and poured wine. Then she held the wine glass, walked to the window, looked at the marble square under the moonlight, and took a sip of summer red.

Nightmares continued every night. Cersei took another sip of wine, but she could not remember the scene in her dream at all. All that was left was her panicked heartbeat.

Did something happen to James?
Cersei had all kinds of guesses in her mind, but she felt that none of them were right. After standing for a while, she felt a little cold, so she drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and returned to the bed.

On the bed, Lady Tanya opened her eyes slightly, as if she felt Cersei's gaze.

"woke up?"

Lady Tanya took a breath, nodded, and said hoarsely, "Yes, your majesty."

The faces of those men suddenly flashed through her mind, including the drunkard Robert who she had sent to the seven levels of hell, and Lancel who had become a waste.

Cersei lay down slowly, and just as she was about to speak, there was a hurried knock on the door.

(End of this chapter)