iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 424: Beneath the City
"What do you mean the time is not yet ripe?"

The High Sparrow sighed and said, "The following answer is related to your misunderstanding of the sparrows. Your Majesty, churches everywhere have been looted and burned, and even the Silent Sisters have been killed. They are all crying... However, the King and his knights are unable to provide the proper shelter. For the sake of the suffering brothers and sisters... As the Archbishop, I can only act with caution."

Cersei's tone was impatient: "Give my son your blessing, and I promise that Tommen will stop the violence immediately."

The High Sparrow shook his head slightly. "How can he stop it? Will he send knights to protect every brother and sister on the road? Will he send soldiers to guard our cathedral from burning?"

"The kingdom is at war, and His Majesty the King needs manpower to quell the rebellion, but he cannot temporarily mobilize so many knights and soldiers." The lion's primary enemy is the rose, and Cersei has never considered wasting manpower to protect useless people.

It would be better for the sparrow to take sticks and axes and die together with the robbers who plundered the temple, so that... her son's kingdom would be at peace.

Cersei's clear green eyes moved slightly, and she continued, "Don't your sparrows have sticks and axes? They can defend themselves for the time being, and the war will soon be over."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. The poor sparrow had to take up arms to defend himself."

As he spoke, the High Sparrow sighed again: "The laws of King Maegor I strictly forbid them to use force. Her Majesty the Queen Mother should be well aware that the pardon decree disarmed the church."

Cersei's eyes suddenly moved. Perhaps she could take the church's armed forces for her own use... If she used this axe well, she would have the final say on the rules of the game in King's Landing, and she could use sparrows to deal with roses.

Roses versus sparrows, no, it would be Roses disrespecting the Seven.

If she drew her sword on the sparrow, at the right time, she could legitimately expel the rose from the Red Castle.

If the sparrow managed to make the rose look dirty, the rose would not be able to stay in the Red Castle.

The first step to destroying Highgarden is to pluck every rose in King's Landing.

Cersei pointed to the warrior altar made of red marble and said, "Look, what does your god hold in his hand?"

The corners of the lioness' lips curled up slightly, almost imperceptibly. Once the sparrows lost their usefulness, she would have many good reasons to disperse this group of beggars armed with sticks and axes.

The High Sparrow looked in the direction Cersei pointed and said, "It is... the sword."

Cersei raised her chin slightly, looked down at the short old man in front of her, and said coldly: "Isn't this the guidance of the Seven Gods?"

The High Sparrow seemed hesitant. "But the laws of Maegor the First..."

"The king now is Tommen I."

After saying this, Cersei paused deliberately, waiting for the High Sparrow to take the bait.

The High Sparrow did not disappoint Cersei. He said excitedly, "The rebirth of the armed order...is a response to our untiring prayers for three hundred years. Your Majesty, the warriors will once again wield shining swords to cleanse the evil in this sinful country. If Your Majesty allows me to rebuild the ancient Order of the Holy Sword and the Order of the Star, every good man and woman in the Seven Kingdoms will be grateful and will support your son as the King of the Seven Kingdoms."

Cersei did not act too anxious. Allowing the church to arm itself was just a small surprise. She did not forget the real purpose of her visit today.

Damn drunkard, all the debts he incurred from his life of debauchery on the Iron Throne finally fell on her head!

Looking at the old man who could hardly hide his excitement, Cersei said directly: "High Septon, the situation is difficult now. King Tommen would be grateful if you could forgive the debt owed by the royal family to the church. As far as I know, the royal family's debt to the church is about one million gold dragons at this moment."

The High Sparrow frowned. "One million, six hundred and seventy-seven gold royals. This amount of gold is enough to buy bread to feed the hungry, and to rebuild a thousand churches."

Cersei snorted and asked, "Do you want gold? Or do you want to abolish Maegor's sealed laws?"

The High Sparrow pondered for a while, then shook his head helplessly. "Without weapons, the bread given to brothers and sisters will eventually fall into the hands of villains. Well, as you wish, the church will forgive the royal debt and bless King Tommen. Under the care and favor of the gods, the Warrior's Son will escort me to see the king soon. At the same time, my sparrows will learn from the ancient poor gatherings to protect the suffering people in all parts of the Seven Kingdoms."

After hearing this, Cersei straightened her skirt and said, "I will write the pardon as soon as possible, have His Majesty sign it, and stamp it with the seal of the Council of Kings."

The High Septon put his palms together and looked up at the dome: "The Seven Gods bless His Majesty, long live King Tommen, let the villains tremble!"

Cersei also looked at the colorful dome, a hint of pride passed across her lips, "Old lion, did you see that?" With a little trick, she made the sparrows that troubled King's Landing become her bargaining chip against the roses, and also reduced the debt of one million gold dragons for the royal treasury.

Cersei's heart leaped with delight as the High Sparrow himself escorted her out.

But the lioness's joy did not last long, because when her carriage was passing through the city, she encountered Margaery Tyrell and his entourage who were riding back to the city.

Margaery rode on a white horse, and behind her followed a large group of knights, guards, and servants, most of whom carried baskets filled with freshly picked flowers.

People nearby gathered on both sides of the road, cheering enthusiastically for Margery, and she responded with a sweet smile.

Cersei orders Qyburn to watch Margaery around the clock, and he tells her that Margaery stirs up a frenzy among the untouchables wherever she goes, and that Margaery does her best to give back and speak cordially to the untouchables.

Recently, whenever Tommen saw her, he would tirelessly beg her for permission to follow Margaery to do charity for the people... Of course, she would not agree to let the young Tommen come into contact with those extremely hungry untouchables because it was too dangerous. The incited mob would not care whether you were the king or not (Chapter 173).

The result was that Tommen was unconvinced and unhappy with his mother's kindness... The lioness couldn't help but clench her fists. This was the result of Margaery's mischief. She was trying her best to make Tommen dissatisfied with his mother.

If it were her eldest son Joffrey, he would be able to see through the conspiracy behind Margaery's smile and teach her to recognize her place, but unfortunately Tommen is very stupid and naive.

Cersei thinks of the golden hand coin that Qyburn found (Chapter 391)...Yes, Rose knew that Joffrey was not easy to manipulate, and they fell for Tommen's cowardice. They all deserved to die!
As the lioness burned in the carriage, Margaery rode up to pay her respects, then rode beside the carriage and said, "The flowers in the Royal Forest are very beautiful, Queen Mother."

Margaret was wearing Rose's dark green riding suit, with a blush of joy on her face, and her brown curly hair was draped over her shoulders, slightly blown by the wind.

She added, "You should have come along. Oh, just think what a wonderful afternoon we would have. There were flowers everywhere, and chestnuts... We roasted a lot on the way back to town."

Cersei failed to force a smile. She said stiffly, "I don't have time to ride in the woods and pick flowers. I have a kingdom to rule."

"One kingdom, Queen Mother? Then who will rule the other six?" In the face of Cersei's stiff expression, Margaery laughed cheerfully, "Oh, please forgive my joke. I know very well the heavy responsibility you have. In fact... I can share it with you. I can definitely do something for you. At least, even if I just pretend, I can put an end to the rumors that you and I are competing for the throne."

How dare this little rose challenge the lion in person? Cersei snorted coldly and said, "That's what the rumor says? How stupid! I never considered you as an opponent. You are my son's fiancée and the future queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

"I'm glad you said that. Oh, can you allow me to take Tommen with me next time? His Majesty will like it. The forest outside the city is really beautiful."

The dull little rose seemed not to hear the sarcasm in her words. Cersei said contemptuously, "Robert loves the forest, too."

Cersei remembered how, in the early days of her marriage to Robert, he had repeatedly pleaded with her to go hunting with him, but she had always declined, because the king's hunting time was when she could meet Jaime.

Golden day, silver night... Of course, this is a dangerous game. Not only are there many eyes and spies in the Red Castle, but the key is that no one can be sure of Robert's intentions and no one knows when he will come back.

However, the danger made their pleasure even more exciting.

Cersei added: "Danger is often hidden beneath a beautiful appearance. Don't forget, my late husband lost his life in the woods."

Margaery gave Cersei a pursed smile. "It is very kind of the Queen to worry about me, but I have guards to protect me. I am absolutely safe."

The green eyes met the brown eyes, and Cersei couldn't help but smile sweetly at Margaery when she thought of her own arrangements.

"The Queen Mother has such a lovely smile." Margaery also responded to Cersei's sweet smile.

"Well, I just thought of something interesting."

"Oh? What made you so happy? Can I share this joy?"

"You will share. I promise. You will."

After saying that, Cersei pulled down the curtain, blocking Margaery's view.

Yes, now that the Church of the Seven is under her control, she only needs to "find" enough witnesses, just like the last dwarf trial.

…………

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Riverrun is a triangular castle, facing the river on two sides. There is a large man-made moat on the west side connecting to the land. When attacked, the sluice gates can be opened to release water to fill the entire moat, turning the castle into a small island surrounded by water on three sides, making it indestructible.

Ser Davon, who besieged Riverrun, adopted the same approach as Jaime (Chapter 221), and camped the Lannister army in three places: on the north bank of the Tumblestone River, on the south bank of the Red Fork, and on the west bank of the moat.

Sir Davon had organized a tentative siege and a fierce siege, and then... he was desperate. He found that many lords in the west began to refuse to participate in the next siege.

"You seem troubled, my cousin?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Sir Davon quickly looked up from the map, blinked his eyes, and after seeing who it was, he said in disbelief: "Oh - you are James? James!"

"Jaime, haha!" Sir Davon shouted excitedly, strode over and gave Jaime a bear hug.

Separating their bodies, Ser Davon looked at James and said, "You've lost weight, and you've grown a beard?!"

Sir Davon had a thick hedge of sideburns that grew all the way down his chin, and a head of tangled yellow hair, from which a snub nose and a pair of piercing hazel eyes could be seen.

James said with a tone of disdain: "Compared to you, my razor is nothing. I killed three horses on the road and had no time to shave. What about you? Tsk, was your razor stolen by Blackfish?"

"I swore to avenge my father (Staver Lannister, who was killed in the battle with Robb's army, Chapter 236) and never shave my face... But unfortunately, the good lady of the Frey family (Chapter 375) deprived me of the right of revenge."

Sir Davon shrugged and said, "It turns out that I like these furs, and a few more furs can keep you warm, ha!"

Jaime patted Davon on the shoulder and said, "I am taking the Kingsguard out for some training. Come, Ser Balon Swann, please come and meet the Warden of the West, Ser Davon Lannister."

"Welcome to the hunting grounds of lions and trout, White Knight!"

Then, Ser Davon approached Jaime and whispered, "My cousin, don't mention that title. I am still surprised by it."

Jaime spread his hands and said, "My Kingsguard brother needs a steaming hot tub and delicious food right now. Please help me arrange for him first."

He smiled, patted Sir Baron's arm, and said, "Go and rest first."

Only Jaime and Davon were left in the tent. They sat at the table covered with a map, and Ser Davon poured Jaime a glass of wine.

Ser James took a sip of his wine and said, "Davon, I need to know the exact situation."

Davon leaned back in his chair, took a big sip of wine, and replied, "Tully has accepted death and become a coward. I launched two attacks and lost hundreds of people, while Tully's soldiers only suffered dozens of casualties. Many lords in the West have complained to me. The title of Protector of the West has become a joke. For the time being, I can only let Blackfish sit in the castle while we sit outside the castle."

He took another sip of wine, and then continued: "Yesterday, I met Aunt Gina and Lord Aemon (Aemon Frey, Gina Lannister's husband, Chapter 376) who had just arrived at the camp on the north bank of the Tengshi River. The lucky Lord spent the whole night chattering about instructing me how to attack the city, but he didn't mention the Frey army's joint attack on the city at all."

He scratched his messy hair irritably, and continued, "And there is Duke Kleber who proclaimed himself the savior of the Riverlands. The envoy I sent was almost humiliated. Right... look at this..."

He stood up and went to the other side to get a letter, handed it to Jaime, and said angrily: "This is the letter I received this morning. Lord Crabbe ordered the Lannisters to give up the camp on the south bank of the Red Fork. Do you know how perfunctory the reason he gave was, Jaime? He said he wanted to supervise my siege there! He treated me as a servant to be ordered around at will. If Lord Tywin and Lord Kevan were still alive, who would dare to humiliate the Lannisters like this?!"

(End of this chapter)