iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 394 Dragonstone 2
"The fire is full of traps. You can't be sure what is now, what will be, and what is possible."

"What belongs to the future, what belongs to the present, and what belongs to the past, the Lord of Light has already made his will. Everything that mortals do on earth is guided by the Lord of Light."

Stannis and Melisandre walked in together. Davos walked forward and touched his chest and said, "Your Majesty, as Lady Melisandre can see, your nephew Joffrey is dead. All three onions are dead."

Melisandre's eyes seemed to flicker with flames. Her red eyes gently swept over the Onion Knight and said, "Your Majesty, Joffrey is the third one."

Stannis stared at the respectful Prime Minister for a moment, then said, "Davos, he is not my nephew. Although I have believed that for many years."

Then, he glanced at Melisandre: "I can count, woman."

Stannis walked along the map table, past Oldtown and the Arbor, toward the Shield Islands and the mouth of the Mander.

"Joffrey...remembered that there was a cat in the castle kitchens, and the cooks used to feed it scraps and fish heads, and one of the cooks told the boy that it was going to have kittens, and the man thought he would want one. So Joffrey gutted the poor animal with a dagger to see if it was real. When he found the kittens, he showed them to Robert, and he was beaten nearly to death."

Lord Davos looked up at the red priestess, stepped forward, and said, "King Stannis, there is a fourth onion, Tywin Lannister is dead too, they died on the same night."

King Stannis paused, ran his fingers across the tabletop, and said, "The lion is dead... Is that true?"

Lord Davos nodded slightly and replied, "The Lys merchants in King's Landing sent out ravens. They are friends of Salladhor Saan. They have no reason to lie to me."

"Tywin...Joffrey..."

After a moment's silence, King Stannis took off the red-gold crown and placed it on the table. "Will they send anyone to meet me?"

Melisandre paced closer to the map table. "They won't. Joffrey has a brother."

King Stannis gnashed through his teeth. "Tommen, yes, and they have another boy who was also the product of incest..."

Melisandre reached out her hand, and laid her slender fingers gently on Stannis' arm. She whispered, "They will crown Tommen, and he will rule the Seven Kingdoms."

"Tommen is gentler than Joffrey, but he's still a monster in the making, another leech on the kingdom."

King Stannis clenched his fist. "Now that the lion is dead, who calls the shots in King's Landing? It can't be Tommen. He's still a boy. Time is running out. Westeros needs a real man to step up."

Melisandre's body was almost pressed against Stannis. Her low and hoarse voice rang out: "Your Majesty, since there is little time left, you must save them quickly."

The fiery eyes stared up at him motionlessly. "I have fulfilled the goal of the Three Kings. Give me the boy and let me awaken the dragon in the rock for you."

Lord Davos looked at Stannis, whose brows were furrowed, and reminded him, "Edric Storm."

Stannis suddenly burst into a terrifying rage: "I know his name. Smuggler, spare me, and say no more. I hate this as much as you do, but I have to be responsible for my kingdom. This is my duty."

He looked back at Melisandre and said coldly, "Woman, swear on your life. If you lie, I promise to make your life worse than death."

"You are the one destined to stand against the Ancient Gods, as prophesied five thousand years ago. The red comet announced your arrival. You are the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, the prince prophesied. If you fail, the whole world will perish with you."

The great ruby ​​on the red woman's neck throbbed. "Give me the boy, and I will give you your kingdom, King Stannis."

King Stannis' eyes were like deep blue bruises. He stared at the red-robed woman. When he was about to speak, Lord Davos' voice sounded first: "Edric Storm is gone."

Stannis turned and stared at the smuggler. "Gone. What do you mean?"

Lord Davos looked at the king calmly. "At this moment, he is on a Lysian ship, safely sailing out to sea."

Hearing this, King Stannis' teeth creaked again: "The bastard was taken away from Dragonstone without my permission. The Lysian ship...what did those Lysian pirates want to do? They were planning to betray..."

The red woman interrupted Stannis's speculation with a soft voice: "It was not the Lyseni who did it. It was your Hand, your grace."

As she turned to Davos, her eyes flashed dangerously red. "Do you know what you have done, Davos Seaworth?"

Lord Davos lowered his eyelids: "I have fulfilled my duty."

“This is betrayal.”

Stannis walked to the window and stared out at the night. There was more fatigue than anger in his voice. "Davos, I raised you from a lowly people to a noble. Is loyalty so difficult?"

"I shall remain loyal to you forever..." Davos Seaworth had thought long and hard about what he was about to say, knowing that his life depended on it.

"King Stannis, you made me swear to give you honest advice, to protect your rights and your kingdom, to punish your enemies, and to care for your people. Is Edric Storm not one of your subjects? Isn't he one of those I swore to protect? I have kept my oath. How can I call it a betrayal?"

Staring at the smuggler for a while, King Stannis said coldly: "I never asked for this crown. It is cold and heavy on my head, but as long as I am king, I have the responsibility and obligation to take care of this kingdom. If I must sacrifice a child and offer him to the fire to save millions of people from the invasion of darkness... Davos, sacrifice is never an easy thing, otherwise it would not be called sacrifice."

He gritted his teeth and said, "Lady Melisandre, you will explain to the smugglers."

Melisandre nodded slightly. She left Stannis' side and walked closer to Davos. "Azor Ahai used the blood of his beloved wife to temper the 'Lightbringer'. A rich man with a thousand fat cows offered one of them to the gods... This is nothing, but offering your only cow..."

Lord Davos interrupted the red-robed woman's bewitching words. He looked at his "god" and said, "She is talking about cattle, but I am talking about people, your daughter's friend, your brother's bloodline."

"He is the king's son. He has the power of the king's blood."

The big ruby ​​on Melisandre's neck shone like a red star: "You thought you saved the child, didn't you, Onion Knight? You are totally wrong! No matter where you hide, when the long night comes, Edric Storm will die with the others. At that time, darkness and cold will cover the whole world, and even your own sons will not be able to escape. Do you know? You have interfered with a great cause that you cannot understand!"

The red-robed woman seemed like a burning flame. Lord Davos' back was covered in cold sweat. He exhaled secretly and said, "There are many things I cannot understand, and I have never pretended to understand them. I understand the sea and rivers, the direction of the coast, the reefs and shoals, and where there are hidden bays so that small boats can land quietly. I also understand..."

He took a slow breath and continued, "As a king, you must protect the people of the kingdom, otherwise you are not a king."

"Davos, you dare to laugh at me? Must I learn the duties of a king from an onion smuggler?"

King Stannis's face was gloomy. He drew out the Lightbringer, and its light instantly filled the hall. He should have had a haircut and a shave... Perhaps because he had been prepared to lose his life in advance, Davos found himself unexpectedly calm at this moment.

He knelt before his "god" and said, "King Stannis, if I have offended you in any way, you may chop off my head. Live or die, I will always be your loyal knight."

After saying this, he lowered his head to make it easier for the king to execute him.

"D.F.S. Very good."

Squeak, squeak, and King Stannis slowly raised his sword: "By the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men..."

Melisand's mysterious red eyes stared at the back of the Onion Knight's sparsely haired head, and the fingers of her hand hidden in her sleeve moved slightly.

Suddenly, the flame in the brazier that had been burning quietly nearby suddenly rose up and burned fiercely, as if it had been given violent life.

This sudden scene made King Stannis stop his actions, and the red-robed woman passed lightly between him and Davos and slowly approached the brazier.

"The will of the Lord of Light..."

Melisandre stared at the flickering flames, her red lips parted as she murmured, "A ship full of gold... tomorrow... when the Lord of Light warms the day... it will dock at the pier of Dragonstone... they will wear purple three-layered hats... the king and the prime minister will board the ship together..."

Her voice echoed in the empty hall, as if carrying some mysterious magic.

Lord Davos couldn't help but raise his head: "Iron Bank?"

After saying this, feeling Stannis's cold gaze, he immediately lowered his head again.

The flames in the brazier soon burned out. Melisandre turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "It is the Iron Bank, Your Majesty. The night is dark and dangerous everywhere. You shoulder the fate of the world. The Lord of Light is guiding you. The Lord of Light has arranged everything."

Stannis's eyes were penetrating. "Are you reminding me to leave the smugglers until tomorrow?"

Melisandre bowed and said, "The gloomy sky and the biting cold wind are the guidance of the Lord of Light (Chapter 305)."

…………

The next day, the sky was covered with thick haze, as if a huge gray curtain was hanging low. The faint light struggled to penetrate the clouds, but it looked so pale and powerless.

Lord Davos followed King Stannis respectfully, stepped onto the wooden planks, and boarded the Iron Bank ship docked at the pier.

They were led by a Braavosi servant into the large cabin at the stern of the ship.

There was a not-too-high step at one end of the cabin, on which was placed a long table, and behind the table were three high-backed chairs placed side by side.

It must be very impressive to sit there. Lord Davos looked away and said carefully to Stannis, who was pacing back and forth: "Your Majesty, if you are willing, I can find a chair for you."

"It's almost noon..."

King Stannis glanced at Davos. He paused, looked behind the long table, and said coldly, "It seems that they are not stopping here for the king."

Lord Davos shrugged. "They may think we are more urgent. Merchants like to play this trick, Your Majesty."

King Stannis continued to pace slowly. "Does the smuggler know the dirty tricks of the merchant?"

Lord Davos scratched his cheek and replied sincerely, "Becoming a businessman was my biggest dream until you granted me your favor."

King Stannis snorted.

As Davos was thinking hard about how to ease the awkward atmosphere, he heard the sound of a door opening from behind, followed by footsteps, and three people wearing three-layered brimless hats made of purple felt and dark purple robes walked over.

They stood beside their high-backed chairs, looked at Stannis and Davos briefly, and then sat down.

Among them, the man sitting in the middle said: "Good day, Lord Stannis Baratheon. The Iron Bank sends you greetings."

Stannis walked to the steps and stood there. He glanced coldly at the three people sitting high up. "I thought you were here to visit the king. I seem to have misunderstood your purpose."

The man on the left said, "Thank you for allowing us to dock at the dock, Lord Stannis."

The man on the right smiled politely and continued, "We are not sure whether you need the Iron Bank's services, so we did not take the liberty to ask for an interview with you."

The man in the middle said, "I think since you took the initiative to visit..."

Lord Davos frowned. He stepped forward and interrupted, "Please allow me to introduce you to Stannis of the Baratheon family, the true and legitimate king of the Seven Kingdoms."

"My name is Tychu Nestos."

Tychu nodded symbolically and continued, "As far as I know, a new king will be crowned on the Iron Throne soon. His name is Tommen Baratheon."

Stannis stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the representative of the Iron Bank, and said, "He is the bastard born of incest. He is not my blood relative, just like the dead Joffrey. They are not the legitimate heirs to the Iron Throne."

Tai Chu smiled slightly: "Yes, the Iron Bank has heard this story..."

Stannis corrected coldly, "It's not a story. It's a fact."

Tychu's smile remained. "We have heard another story, about jealous uncles who attempted to usurp the Iron Throne from their nephews, which cost the Seven Kingdoms countless blood and... gold."

Stannis gritted his teeth for a moment, then said in a cold voice, "I heard you lent gold to the bastard on the Iron Throne."

(End of this chapter)