iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 437: Under the Rushing City 14
Green tapped the tabletop with his slender fingers several times and said, "Sir, what is your status now? A messenger from Lannister or a member of the Kingsguard?"

Baron Swan was slightly startled, and said, "Duke Green, my identity is always a member of the Kingsguard."

After a pause, he added: "I come here on the orders of Ser Jaime, Captain of the Kingsguard."

"Good answer."

After saying that, Green left his chair, went to the wine cabinet to pour wine, and said casually: "So, what is the purpose of Lannister calling this war meeting and inviting me to participate in it?"

Green picked up the two glasses of wine, one in each hand, and walked to Baron. He asked jokingly, "Tell me, what is their conspiracy?"

Ser Balon was a strong man, young, brave, and polite... Many people privately rumored that he was one of the few knights who had not tarnished the honor of the Kingsguard.

Sir Baron took the wine glass from Green in a daze and said, "I think... there is no conspiracy."

Green's expression suddenly became serious: "You promise?"

"I..." Sir Baron moved his lips, not knowing how to answer.

At a signal from Green, Ser Brienne left with her guards, leaving only him and Ser Balon in the tent.

At this time, Sir Baron finally thought of a proper reply: "Dear Duke, you may not trust me, but you can trust Sir James' honor. Please rest assured of this invitation."

Green's eyes moved slightly. He stared at Baron for a moment and sneered, "You want me to believe in the honor of the King Slayer?"

Ser Balon's face showed anger, but he did not dare to lose his temper in front of the famous general of the Seven Kingdoms. He responded stiffly: "I am not qualified to judge Lord Jaime's honor, but I admit that he is one of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms."

"Another good answer." Green sighed a little, a smile appeared on his lips, and then said: "It seems that you like James very much."

Sir Balon straightened his chest and said, "He taught me sword skills and how to lead an army in battle. He is like my teacher... I respect him and I worship him."

Green laughed and paused, then he looked directly at Baron. "Then you are definitely willing to die for James, sir?"

Sir Baron hesitated for only a moment, then shouted back, "If it does not violate my honor, of course I am willing!"

He also looked directly at Green: "My Lord, the moment I put on the white robe, I was determined to sacrifice for honor."

Green rubbed his head as if he had a headache, and sighed: "Ser Jaime is the captain of the Kingsguard, but he continues to keep people like you in the Kingsguard. If you answer like this, I can settle some things with peace of mind when I return to King's Landing... After all, Jaime and I are good friends, and I can't make things too difficult for him."

Sir Baron clenched his fists and said, "Duke Crabbe, please forgive me for rejecting your humiliation. If there is nothing else, please allow me to..."

Green interrupted Baron and said, "How can it be humiliating? I am just telling the truth."

"I definitely didn't..."

"Hear me out."

Green's voice was cold: "Your brother, the heir of Stonehelm (Stormlands), Donal Swan."

Upon hearing his brother's name, Sir Baron, who had just been full of anger, froze where he was.

Green continued, "I heard that your brother swore allegiance to four kings in succession, Renly, Stannis, Joffrey, and Tommen... I admire him very much because he is still alive and the Swen family is safe."

He pointed his index finger at Balon. "And you, the brother of a man without any honor, put on a white robe and stood beside the king... I wonder, if your brother joined the rebellion again one day and led his army into the throne room, what would you do? As a member of the Kingsguard, how would you choose between the king and your family? Would you become the second regicide?"

When Green finished speaking, Sir Baron couldn't help but take a step back and said loudly: "This is too crazy, it can't possibly happen!"

Green stared at Baron and said, "But this kind of thing happened to Ser Jaime, whom you admire, didn't it? And he chose to kill the king."

"Do not."

Ser Balon shook his head and said firmly: "I swear on... my sword, my honor, and my father's name that I will never betray my king!"

Step~step~
Green took a few steps and came to Balon. "That's nice, but how can I trust you? Don't forget that your father... Lord Gunarian Swann once betrayed the Targaryen King. And... as far as I know, when Stannis and Renly rebelled, his Stonehelm chose to wait and see. Does that count as a betrayal to Joffrey?"

Sir Baron's forehead was covered with cold sweat: "Duke Green, my brother is my brother, and I am me...my father...he is not waiting and watching, he is sick, so..."

He tried to straighten his chest, his voice unable to conceal his panic: "Moreover, the Kingsguard swore not to be granted land, not to marry, not to have children, and only to be loyal to the king."

"I want to believe you."

Before Baron's tension eased, Green continued, "But how can I trust the king's safety to you...who comes from such a family? Sir, this is the truth. I hope you can understand my dilemma."

Ser Balon could not help but argue: "But...but...Lord Tywin has forgiven my family, Lord Green, and King Joffrey has also pardoned my father and my brother!"

"But they have fallen into the arms of the gods."

Green returned to the table, picked up the wine glass, took a sip of summer red, and continued: "In the past, Duke Tywin protected the king. Although I sometimes don't understand some of his decisions, he is the king's grandfather. I believe he will protect his king."

He sighed softly: "As everyone knows, a tragic accident happened in the Red Castle, which allowed the young Tommen to sit on the Iron Throne. As his former teacher, I have the responsibility to protect him, at least... eliminate the unreliable people around him. Also, as one of the Dukes of the Seven Kingdoms, I have the obligation to punish those families who have committed betrayal in order to maintain the prestige of the Iron Throne."

Green raised his glass to the pale-faced Sir Balon and said, "Strip your title, land, and castle, or behead them, or wear black clothes... Only when those who betrayed the kingdom receive the due punishment can the troubled Seven Kingdoms usher in true peace, White Knight."

Ser Balon could not help but stagger and said, "No, no, your actions will only make the Seven Kingdoms more chaotic... Stonehelm has been pardoned, I... I will petition the king..."

Green's chuckle made people tremble with fear. "Baron Sven, I don't think you are so naive as to think that you can stop me. Or... I want to execute a traitor, what does it have to do with you?"

Sir Baron stepped forward and said in a sad voice: "No, please believe me. My lord, my father is loyal, I promise. My brother... he also repents of his past mistakes every day, he will never betray again, I can swear on his behalf." In the solemn silence, Green looked at him, a trace of pity flashed across his face.

"Sir, I have witnessed your heroic performance in the tourney and heard of your bravery in the Battle of King's Landing. If it were not for the Iron Throne..."

After a pause, he sighed again, his tone full of sincerity: "I am being honest with you because I hope you can understand the true situation of your family and yourself as soon as possible. Only in this way can you have a chance to save Stonehelm and your family."

The desperate Sir Baron seemed to have caught the only light: "You mean..."

Tread~tap~tap~
Walking over slowly, Green reached out and grabbed Baron's shoulder. "Everything has a price. If you want to protect your beloved family, can you also be willing to sacrifice yourself? When you can only choose between honor and family, what will you choose?"

…………

…………

The Reach, Shield Islands, Oakenshield Island, Earl Hewitt Town.

Located above the harbor in Earl Hewitt's town, Hewitt Castle is small but sturdy, with thick walls and oak doors embedded with iron nails, reminiscent of the family's ancient coat of arms: an oak shield with nails on blue and white diagonal stripes.

At this time, the gates of Hewitt Castle were cut down and burned, and the sea monster flag of House Greyjoy was flying high on the green tower. Ironborns with spears and axes walked on the city walls.

"We won rocks, trees, and junk, plus the hostility of the Rose family!"

"The ones who should be worried are the Rose Family! Can they defeat the sea monsters in the deep sea? We took their shields and smashed them to pieces."

"But I hear that the sons of the Duke of Rose are preparing for war, and soon all of the Reach will be gathered against us."

"The Rose's Army? Maybe they can show off their power on land, but in the sea, sea monsters reign supreme!"

"Yes, it was His Majesty Euron's intention to gather the Rose Army. Otherwise, why would he order us to release the ravens from Hewitt Castle?"

Amidst all the noise, Aeron Greyjoy (Crow's Eye's younger brother) and Captain Newt, who were walking in front, stopped. In front of them was the castle's hall...where a noisy banquet was being held.

Captain Newt was a sturdy man with bow legs and long arms. He looked ahead and said gloomily, "The Crow's Eye sent us to deal with the fleet of Oakenshield Island, while his men occupied castles and villages, taking away all the property and women there, and we didn't even get a decent booty!"

Aeron Greyjoy was tall and thin, dressed in black robes made of coarse linen, and his long hair and beard were studded with seaweed.

He spoke slowly: "Newt, if you don't want your tongue cut off, you should learn to be silent."

Captain Newt scoffed, "And I'll be a member of the Serenity crew?"

Aeron turned his head and glanced at the captains behind him, and said, "His Majesty promised me that in the next battle, his men will deal with the enemy fleet, and looting the castle will be left to us."

Captain Newt shrugged. "Then the next enemy's castle must be well defended. I don't believe the Crow's Eye would be so kind. What about you? Lord Aeron, do you believe him?"

The sea breeze blew, revealing Aeron's black eyes and hooked nose under his long hair: "I only believe in the Drowned God."

"Actually, I'm curious about what the ironborn will choose when they can only choose the same thing as the Drowned God or the gold."

Everyone laughed, but they immediately quieted down at Iren's indifferent gaze.

"Let's go, Euron is not a patient man, don't keep him waiting too long."

The hall of Hewitt Castle was filled with chiefs and captains loyal to Euron, and they had new decorations on them, such as jewel rings, pearl and agate necklaces, and swords.

They were showing off to each other how many enemies they had killed and how much spoils they had won... drinking, shouting, and pushing and shoving.

"Don't look at it anymore. Just find a seat and sit down." After saying that, Yilen found a seat under the platform and sat down casually.

According to Aeron's status, he could sit on the high platform, but he didn't want to be too close to the Crow's Eye.

The banquet was rich in food, including fine wine from Oakenshield Island, half-cooked roast beef with blood, stuffed duck, and buckets of fresh crabs.

The maids pouring wine were all dressed in fine wool and rich velvet; they were the wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law of Count Hewitt.

Hosuo Harlo (the leader of Harlo Island and the Glittering Tower, he belongs to a branch of Asha's uncle's family) was sucking on a bone. Seeing Aeron sitting next to him, he spat out the bone in his mouth and said, "Lord Aeron, you are finally here, look..."

He pointed his finger at a place and said, "That's the wife of Count Humphrey Hewitt. Although she's a little old and a little fat, she's still quite charming. The man who should protect them is following the Duke of Rose in the Stormlands to attack Storm's End. If the news here gets out and he knows that the women of the Hewitt family are serving the Ironborn, I'm really worried that he will be furious to death on the spot."

Iren glanced at Chief He Suo and said, "This is the arrangement of the Crow's Eye."

Chief He Suo grinned: "He knows that the Iron Races haven't snatched a noblewoman from the Green Land as a concubine for many years."

A Salt Concubine is a mistress in the tradition of the Iron Islands. An ironborn can have multiple Salt Concubines at the same time, but is only allowed to have one ironborn wife who was born and raised in the Iron Islands, called a "Rock Wife (not a typo)".

Aeron looked away and said, “The Crow’s Eye may be hoping that the rose will grow more iron thorns so that the sea monster will bleed more.”

Chief He Suo leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Before I set out with Crow's Eye... Chief Rodrik (Asha's uncle, Chapter 413) specifically told me to be careful in the Green Land. He only allowed me to plunder gold. This is really an embarrassing order."

Aeron's dark eyes moved slightly: "Are you going to betray Chief Rodrik?"

Chief He Suo spread his hands and said, "I'll tell you another secret. Your niece doesn't know that her uncle ordered me to follow Crow's Eye."

After a pause, Iren said calmly, "He made this arrangement to protect Asha. Hoso Harlo, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

(End of this chapter)