iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 509: Horn of Winter

Chapter 509: Horn of Winter
"Not her?" Stannis frowned, turned his head, his deep eyes as frozen as a cold pond, staring at the blazing fire in the fireplace.

There seemed to be flames burning in Melisandre's eyes. Her deep voice carried a hint of irrepressible fanaticism, flowing like an ancient spell: "Not a woman, but a man. A man sitting on the Iron Throne, looking down at the world on earth..."

In the hall with closed doors and windows, it seemed as if an invisible giant hand was stirring. Suddenly, a strange hot wind appeared, blowing up Melisandre's blood-red silk dress.

"man………"

“That man…”

"Lord Stannis, it can only be you, and only you!"

"The one true God is guiding us in the blazing flames. The prince predicted will eventually ascend the Iron Throne!"

As she chanted, the fire in the fireplace instantly burned more fiercely, and the flames licked everything around it wantonly.

At the same time, the braziers placed throughout the hall were like awakened beasts, with flames surging out.

The torches hanging on the wall were flickering and twisting wildly. Even the weak flames of the candles were not to be outdone, jumping desperately, and the wax was flowing like tears.

The entire hall seemed to be caught up in a carnival of fire.

Melisandre slowly raised her arms, her red hair spread out and floated, flying freely in the air: "This is the will of the Lord of Light!"

Tyrion's eyes widened as he stared in shock at such a fantastic scene.

At this moment, he was deeply shocked and could only stand there blankly, watching the dance between the priestess and the flames, as if he had been in another world.

When the priestess finished her chanting and she lowered her arms, the fire, braziers, torches and candles that had been burning wildly began to jump quietly like tamed beasts, leaving only a faint light that cast mottled shadows on the walls.

Stannis remained where he was, his eyes turning away from the fire, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Believe me, Son of Fire, the Lord of Light will help you win the final victory."

"...Did you see me in the flames?"

"Tall, dark-haired, that's you."

"………Woman, you didn't see that man's face."

"It must be you, I assure you, Your Majesty."

The sound of their two voices finally brought Tyrion back to his senses from the shock. His eyes turned to the red priestess. He swallowed subconsciously, trying to calm his still wildly beating heart.

Then, he looked around at the flames that had been "partying" just now but were now extremely well-behaved.

The terrifying magic of the King's witch...

Is this Stannis' biggest trump card that makes him fear no one?

He couldn't help but walk into the fireplace, his eyes moving towards the flames inside, looking, and looking again, staring intently without moving, and then... crying.

As Tyrion closed his eyes to ease the burning in his orbs, a soft hand came upon his small shoulder.

"Only the devout believers of the Lord of Light can receive enlightenment in the flames, my lovely little lion."

The priestess' voice came from above, and Tyrion, who was gently embraced by her, felt as if he was wrapped in a hot and warm flame.

Tyrion raised his head, his body stiff, and said in a calm tone: "This is too difficult for me. Dwarfs are born mean, and no old man would like them..."

At this moment, with a clang, the thick door of the hall opened as if it was knocked open by someone, and three people strode in directly.

Tyrion turned his head and looked...

Foremost is Ser Axell Florent, Stannis's wife's uncle and second Hand of the King (Chapter 266).

The two behind are Lord Stark and Lord Bolton.

Stannis glanced at the visitors, then sat down in a chair by the fire, and stared at them coldly for a moment.

Seeing them salute, he simply waved his hand and said, "You should ask my permission before entering. This is the etiquette of an audience with the king, Ned, and Ser Axell."

Ser Axell glanced warily at the dwarf standing beside Melisandre and said respectfully, "King Stannis, you have ordered that the Lord of Winterfell be at your service at any time."

Tyrion nodded slightly at him, as if... he was wary of anyone approaching His Majesty the King, except the fire-playing priestess beside him.

Stannis nodded his chin. "That is why I did not expel you."

His slightly cloudy eyes moved, and he asked Stark: "Are you looking for me for something urgent?"

Lord Eddard's eyes were somewhat complicated. He nodded and said, "Stannis, I want to talk to you alone."

Stannis tapped the arm of his chair with his age-spotted hand. He examined the wolf and said, "I thought you were anxious to see me for an audience with your king, Eddard Stark."

Duke Eddard looked at his brother Robert, who looked like a withered man. He paused and suddenly said in a deep voice: "I have always been in doubt since we met. Is this what the God you believe in has given you, Stannis?" As soon as the voice fell, Ser Axell immediately shouted angrily: "Stark, you dare to blaspheme the great Lord of Light. This is a capital crime!"

Lord Bolton stopped him and said expressionlessly, "If you draw your sword, you will declare war on the North, Ser Florent."

Axel, with his short and fat body like a meatball, got into a posture of drawing his sword and said sternly, "How dare you threaten the king?"

Then he yelled, "Guards!"

As he shouted, the door was pushed open again, and dozens of soldiers rushed in, most of them wearing the flaming red heart emblem, and the rest were wearing gray robes of the Stark family.

The sound of dense footsteps came from afar and got closer. The two groups confronted each other and the situation in the hall suddenly became tense.

Finally, Stannis, who was sitting upright, broke the suffocating silence: "Ser Axell, take the guards and retreat."

"But………"

"Don't make me repeat the order."

Sir Axell glared at the wolf hatefully, waved his hand, and left with his men.

Stannis looked the other way. "Edard Stark, since you have no trust in me, let us talk here."

Duke Ed turned his head and nodded silently, signaling the gray robes to retreat.

Seeing this, the captain of the Stark guard, Sir Kane (Chapter 161), patted his chest and turned away with his guards.

Tyrion was about to sneak away with the others, but Stannis stopped him and said, "You don't have to leave. Since you are the king's advisor, I will give you enough trust."

Tyrion forced a proper smile and bowed. "Thank you for your trust. It is a great honor to me, Your Majesty."

Stannis stared at Stark for a moment, then said coldly, "Why are you in such a hurry to find me? Don't make me ask you the same question again."

Lord Eddard stepped forward and looked him in the face. "Tell me, Stannis, did you kill Renly? I want the truth."

As Benlang finished his words, there was a dead silence in the hall.

After staring at each other for a moment, Stannis raised his hand to stop the red priestess from speaking. He opened his thin lips and said, "Renly, he has rebelled."

Duke Ed's tense face flashed with disbelief. He clenched his hands into fists and spoke with difficulty: "You actually killed your own brother."

Stannis' voice was emotionless. "Renly has committed a capital crime. As King of the Seven Kingdoms, I have the power to punish him."

Duke Ed took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice: "He is your brother."

"But he never considered me his brother."

Stannis rose slowly. "How he regards me is of no consequence to his crime. I punish him according to the laws of my realm."

He paced with his hands behind his back and continued, "Bloodline cannot be a reason for pardon. No matter who you are, if you violate the laws of the kingdom, you must be punished."

Duke Ed's face was filled with deep disappointment: "He can wear black clothes, and he still has the power of trial by combat."

Stannis stood before the hearth, staring at the fire in silence for a moment. Then his cold voice came over: "He was not my prisoner at the time. He had an army of a hundred thousand, while I had only a few thousand soldiers."

Duke Ed said sadly: "So, you assassinated him with evil magic."

Stannis turned his head and looked over. His eyes were deep. "So, now you have enough reason to betray your lawful king, Lord Eddard Stark?"

"I will not fight alongside a kinslayer."

After saying this coldly, Lord Eddard turned around and strode away, followed closely by the Earl of the Dreadfort.

The door slammed shut, and Melisandre approached, placing her hand on the king's arm. "Sire, Stannis, it was I who killed Renly."

"A lie is always a lie. I gave the order."

Tyrion wanted to cover his ears to show that he heard nothing, but this was just a beautiful and unrealistic dream.

"Send the messenger from the Wildlings beyond the Wall to Lord Stark."

"And then there is the King's Blood..."

.........

The next day.

After the envoy from the wildlings outside the Wall left, Duke Eddard's expression became solemn.