iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 396 Dragonstone 4
The night shrouds the earth like a huge black silk, and the twinkling stars are like bright gems inlaid in the endless sky.
In the vast open space outside the Whispering City, the bonfire was covered like fallen stars. The hot and jumping flames were intertwined together, as if it was a bridge between the earth and the starry sky, brilliant and spectacular.

Next to each bonfire, there is a whole fat sheep being roasted on a huge grill. Golden fat keeps dripping, making a sizzling sound in the flames, and the aroma of barbecue fills the air.

The long table on the side was filled with fresh fruits, steaming bread and various delicious delicacies.

Barrel after barrel of fine wine was opened one by one, and the aroma of the wine instantly filled the air.

Green was wearing golden armor and a blue cloak. Surrounded by his retainer knights and personal guards, he slowly walked among the Kleber warriors.

With his excellent memory, Lord Green tapped his chin with each warrior whose eyes met and called out each of their names.

When the chief said his name, a warrior with a body like a black bear burst into tears. With a bang, he slammed his right fist into his chest and shouted excitedly: "I will fight for you forever, until I die!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The fists from Crab Claw Peninsula began to spread, the sounds became more and more intense, and soon filled the entire venue.

Amid the distorted faces and roars of the warriors, Green walked up to the platform step by step.

At the signal from the retainer knight and the commander of the garrison, Sir Mason Baker, several soldiers on the platform immediately blew their horns.

Woo———Woo——Woo———

When the horn sounded, Kleber's soldiers gradually quieted down and all looked up at the platform.

Green raised his cup and said loudly: "My loyal and fearless warriors——"

His steady and powerful voice echoed in the night sky, as if it had the magical power to penetrate people's hearts.

"Cheers to the glory of the warriors!"

The Kleber warriors responded by raising their glasses and bursting into thunderous cheers, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

At this point, the first "Banquet of Thirty Captains (Chapter 101)" in the Kleber Territory began.

As the banquet progressed, the bonfire burned brighter and brighter, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.

On the high platform, Sir Mason quietly looked down at the jubilant crowd below, holding a glass of Crab Island red wine in his hand. The mellow wine shone charmingly under the firelight.

Sir Mason raised his head and drank the red wine in the glass. Then he exhaled slowly and suppressed the sudden heat in his eyes.

Amid the hustle and bustle, memories of the past suddenly flooded into his mind like a tide, and he couldn't help but recall the scene when Mrs. Crabbe was dying.

At that time... She held on to her last breath, and told herself in a weak but firm voice that she must protect the little master; he and Per repeated their oath over and over again, their voices trembling and resolute, just asking her to close her eyes in peace.

He remembered clearly that one of her hands was held tightly by the little master, while the other hand was held by him and Per.

The lady who single-handedly supported the glory of the Kleber family slowly closed her eyes with a relieved smile on her face.

Sir Mason picked up the wine glass that the waiter had refilled and took a sip, his thoughts still immersed in past memories.

He remembered that at that time, he felt extremely painful inside. The despair enveloped his world like a heavy haze, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

But... the sorrow of Whispering City had not yet completely dissipated, and Lord Green, who inherited the throne of lord, began to lead them... to fight, fight, and fight.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, he and Per, who was also a retainer knight, had a tacit understanding. If the lord wanted to fight... then of course they had to fight, because this was the tradition of the Crab family. At worst... they would take Lord Green and retreat to the castle. Could those mountain barbarians fly up to Crab's castle? They could only retreat in the end.

In this way, the loss of territory is inevitable, but the head of the Kleber family will grow up in the flames of war. Because, according to the teachings of his grandfather and his father, each generation of the head of the Kleber family grew up in fierce battles, and the duty of the retainer knight is to protect.

However, what is unexpected is that... as the fighting goes on... Lord Green leads them to successfully recapture the old territory of Kleber, as the fighting goes on... Kleber becomes the ruling family of Crab Claw Peninsula, as the fighting goes on... Lord Green will replace Falcon as the new master of the valley.

This time, Lord Green mobilized 20,000 Kleber longbowmen, and he was going to target the land of Trout...

Sensing the movement next to him, Sir Mason stopped his thoughts, quickly touched his chest with his right hand, and said respectfully: "My lord."

Green patted Mason on the shoulder, sat down, and said, "Pell danced a victory dance in Seagull Town (Chapter 247), and it was in full view of everyone."

"Pell?"

Sir Mason was slightly stunned, paused, and then continued: "Not being able to witness that scene with my own eyes is the biggest regret of my life, sir."

Green smiled when he heard this, picked up his wine glass and took a sip of wine, and said, "How is the food preparation going?"

Sir Mason nodded slightly and replied, "The food from Seagull Town is transported directly to Maiden Spring Town by ship, and the whole process is very smooth. As for the food from the Reach, it will be unloaded at Mermaid Port first, so it will take about 30 days to arrange for transportation there."

Green pondered for a moment and said, "The food in Seagull Town is enough for the army to use for a while. After the army has assembled in Nuquan Town, we can set off first. I will leave enough guards to ensure the safe transportation of subsequent food and grass."

"As ordered."

Sir Mason paused, hesitated, and then said, "My lord, please forgive me for being so presumptuous. The riverlands are in chaos now, and refugees are everywhere... It is difficult for our army to get supplies there, and we have only prepared one year's worth of food and grass. I am worried that the enemy will seize this weakness and use the castle to engage in a protracted consumption of our resources."

Green held the wine glass and swayed it gently. He listened patiently to Mason's words and then said slowly, "Very good, your worry is not unreasonable. This is indeed a very likely situation. If it were me, I would indeed deal with it in your way."

His brown eyes trembled slightly, and he paused before continuing, "The harvest season in the valley (Chapter 273) has ended. I will order the transfer of enough food and fodder for the army to last for a year."

Hearing this, Sir Mason stroked his chest and said, "Thank you for listening to my humble advice, my lord."

Green smiled and nodded, then he shifted his gaze to the bottom of the platform, looked at it intently for a while, and suddenly asked: "My loyal lord, how many people here followed me to fight in the riverlands?"

Sir Mason also looked down and replied, "About half of the people, my lord."

Green stood up from his chair: "Come on, walk around with me."

…………

The City Hall in Mermaid Harbour.

In front of the large desk, only the flickering candlelight on the candlestick emitted a dim and weak light.

Butler Herschel looked at the letter with the flame emblem on the wax seal for a while, then stood up and shouted towards the door, "Someone come!"

…………

…………

"The little devil stabbed the prime minister to death with his sharp nails, and then strangled the little king."

"Has the little devil been caught?"

"No, after the incident, the little devil disappeared in the smoke."

"He killed the Red Viper before!" "I heard that during the trial, the Prime Minister wanted to chop off the little devil's head. He must be taking revenge!"

"May the gods bless the new king. It is said that he is still drinking milk..."

"The Queen Mother's slut..."

"Shut up! You'll get into trouble!"

"I think the Imp will come back and he will definitely kill King Tommen."

"I heard that the little devil was not the murderer, it was the Rose of the South who killed the Prime Minister and the King."

"Shut up! Do you not want to eat Rose's bread?!"

"Yes, get out!"

"Get out! Get out!"

The Great Sept of Baelor was dark and quiet. The last rays of sunset slanted in from the high window, casting a layer of red light on the tall statues of the Seven Gods.

The scented candles around the altar flickered, and shadows gathered on the high walls and slowly, silently descended to the marble floor.

Joffrey killed his father...

Jaime Lannister entered King's Landing in the early morning, and until now... he stood motionless beside his father's coffin, his five fingers tightly gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The Kingsguard, Ser Balon Swann, walked over and whispered, "Lord Jaime, your followers told me that you have been traveling for three days and three nights. Please allow me to keep vigil for you tonight."

Ser Jaime shook his head slightly: "He is not your father. Please leave me alone."

His first-born child was a parricide who killed his father.

That year, he thrust his sword into the back of Elis II.

Now, his offspring had thrust his sword into his father's back...was this a curse from the gods when he broke his oath?
"As you command, Master James."

Ser Balon's footsteps faded away, and Jaime was alone with his father again, with only candles, crystal, and the sweet, decaying smell of death to keep them company.

He spent the whole day looking at his "sleeping" father. His legs had long been numb, but... strangely, he did not feel sad.

He asked himself, where were his tears?

Where, he asked himself, was his anger?
He told his father that it was his father who taught him that tears were a sign of weakness in a man, so it was impossible for him to cry for his father.

This morning, thousands of noble men and women came to the coffin to pay their respects to their father. In the afternoon, thousands more people from King's Landing came... They all had solemn expressions, but Jaime suspected that many of them were secretly happy in their hearts, feeling relieved about the death of the Prime Minister.

He knew that even in the Lannisters' own territory in the west, Lord Tywin was respected rather than loved, and the people of King's Landing had never forgotten the looting of the city by his father's soldiers on the day it was captured.

Among all the mourners, Grand Maester Pycelle was the saddest. He told Jaime that Tywin Lannister was the greatest figure in his memory. Although he had never worn a crown, he definitely had the demeanor of a king.

The sun had completely set, and the Great Sept of Baelor was dark and silent. All the windows above had turned pitch black, with only faint starlight shining through.

Even though countless scented candles were burning, the stench of his father's corpse became stronger and stronger, which reminded James of the battlefield after the war, when countless crows came to enjoy the feast, feasting on both the victors and the defeated.

He looked up... A flock of crows were circling above the towering vault and seven high towers of the Great Sept of Baelor. They flapped their black wings against the black night sky, hoping to get in.

He laughed...and he told his father that every raven in the Seven Kingdoms had come to pay tribute to him, from Castamere to the Blackwater, because he fed them all.

This view seemed to please Lord Tywin as well, and his smile widened.

Yes, his father was Tywin Lannister, the feared old lion, and Jaime thought his father was enjoying death at the moment.

James suddenly burst into a ridiculous laugh, and the loud laughter echoed in the cathedral.

His offspring killed his father, and now he is keeping vigil for his father. Isn't this more ridiculous than a vaudeville show?
His life is so miserable and ridiculous!

"James..."

Ser Jaime suddenly opened his eyes and blinked, as if he had fallen asleep while standing.

There was a figure walking towards him, he recognized the moving steps, it was his former favorite.

"Cersei Lannister." Jaime called slowly, as if waking up from a dream, not knowing where he was.

"James, I'm worried about you."

Cersei looked very haggard, but Jaime could tell that she wasn't here to comfort him. She was here for a purpose, and maybe she had always been doing this.

Jaime stopped looking at Cersei. He turned his gaze to his father and said, "Don't worry about me. Take care of yourself..."

A sarcastic curve appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Maybe I don't need to worry about this."

Cersei was stunned for a moment, then she walked around her father's coffin, hugged Jaime, who had a cold expression, and said very sadly: "We want to avenge our son..."

Jaime pushed Cersei away, and his numb legs made him stagger, but he gritted his teeth and stood firm again.

"He's not my son, he's a monster, and he killed our father, Cersei, he deserves to die!"

Tears welled up in Cersei's eyes, and she shrank as if she was whipped: "Jaime, Joffrey must have been deceived. He loves his grandfather. There must be a conspiracy here, otherwise how could he..."

"enough."

Ser Jaime had no interest in listening to Cersei's lies. He suppressed his anger and said, "I don't want to hear that name again, the name of that monster."

Hearing Jaime's disgust for Joffrey, Cersei's tearful face was instantly drowned in tears: "Believe me, I will find the real murderer, Jaime, you must believe me."

Believe her? How could he believe her?

Jaime's chest rose and fell slowly: "Cersei, don't mention that monster anymore. I wish I could... I wish I could... kill it with my own hands..."

He moved his lips, took a deep breath, and finally stopped talking.

"James. Please, please give me some time. I promise you... I won't mention him to you until I find the real murderer..."

Cersei wiped the tears from her cheeks and moved closer to Jaime, her slender fingers gently resting on his arm.

"My James, we must put aside our grief for now. We are the heirs of the old lion, and we must assume the responsibilities left by our father."

(End of this chapter)