The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Over three hundred Stone Crows warriors stormed in like a whirlwind, hacking at anyone they could find.

Axes, spiked maces, flails, longswords, spears, sabers, iron chains—they had every kind of weapon imaginable.

Shagga and Conner were like two grim reapers, their heavy axes crushing people and their armor in a single blow.

Bronn, without a word, charged towards Bob.

Bob decisively turned and ran!

Bronn pursued, and just as Bob was about to escape through the side door, Bronn roared and hurled his longsword, hitting Bob squarely in the back. Bob and the other soldiers had not anticipated a major battle tonight, and he was only wearing light leather under his cloak. The sword pierced his back, and he fled with the weapon still embedded.

Bronn relentlessly chased him down, quickly catching up. He grabbed the hilt of the sword in Bob's back and pushed with all his might, impaling him.

Bob collapsed.

Bronn withdrew his sword, and Bob bled profusely, convulsing. Bronn turned back, re-entered the hall, and with sweeping cuts, slaughtered several more men.

A one-sided massacre unfolded in the hall.

Three knights and two centurions bravely stepped forward to fight, but they were overwhelmed by Shagga and Conner leading the mountain warriors, who hacked, stabbed, and slashed them to death.

Dozens of spearmen crumbled at the first contact!

"Drop your weapons, and I'll spare your lives!" Bronn shouted.

Clang, clang, clang!

The soldiers dropped their spears.

Clang!

Sparks flew!

Bronn's longsword deflected Shagga's heavy axe, just as the latter was about to cleave the trembling Maester Franken in two.

"Shagga, come with me to kill Falys. I am Lollys's lawful husband. With Falys dead, Lollys will be the heir to Stokeworth," Bronn declared loudly.

He made sure the maester and soldiers in the hall heard him!

Regardless of Lady Tanda's schemes, Bronn was indeed Lollys's legal husband. The royal wedding at King's Landing had been witnessed by Maester Franken and Captain Bob, among others.

Shagga also remembered the Mountain's words: kill Lady Tanda and Falys, and Lollys would be the heir. And since Bronn was Lollys's husband, Stokeworth would then fall into Bronn's hands.

Littlefinger had said the same thing to Shagga, but Shagga remembered the Mountain's words more clearly.

At the infamous crossroads inn in the Riverlands, Shagga had been picked up and thrown by the Mountain, leaving a lasting impression.

If Bronn gained control of Stokeworth, and Littlefinger controlled Bronn, then the reality was that the power of the great House Stokeworth of the Crownlands would no longer belong to Cersei, but to Littlefinger.

And if the Mountain helped Littlefinger obtain the power of Stokeworth, then, according to the trajectory of the previous world, Littlefinger would become Prime Minister to Daenerys Targaryen, and the Mountain was unwilling to be at odds with Daenerys. After all, the Dragon Queen was a liberator of slaves, with ideas ahead of her time, which aligned with the Mountain's values as a transmigrator. Moreover, winter was coming, and the Dragon Queen's power was a crucial force in the fight against the White Walkers.

When Daenerys arrived on her dragon, if she wanted to harm the Mountain, then Littlefinger, as her Prime Minister, would be required to repay the debt… A Lannister always pays his debts, and the Mountain believed in Littlefinger's character, and Littlefinger had the resolve to repay that debt!

Varys, Illyrio, and Littlefinger would all be by Daenerys Targaryen's side. Varys would become her intelligence chief, Littlefinger her Prime Minister, and Illyrio had always been Daenerys's financier. The Mountain hoped to use these three people to help Daenerys understand his desire for peace—although it would be a long time before Daenerys invaded Westeros, it was better to be prepared!

*

After the remaining people in the hall surrendered, Bronn, Shagga, and Conner led their fierce mountain men out of the side door. Shagga hacked down several servants before Bronn could ask where Lady Tanda and Falys had gone. They followed and exited through the back gate of the castle.

It turned out that Lady Tanda and Falys, surrounded by their family soldiers, had left Stokeworth through the back gate and ridden towards Rosby Road from the stables.

Stokeworth and Rosby were not far apart, and Lady Tanda was the aunt of the Earl of Rosby.

But the Earl of Rosby was not at his castle; he was in King's Landing, and King's Landing was about to face a major battle. The Earl of Rosby's main forces were all in King's Landing, leaving only a small guard behind, just like at Stokeworth, where the total number of soldiers and knights left behind was just over a hundred.

Rosby was an old and sickly earl, and his second wife was Lady Tanda's niece. The Earl of Rosby himself was even older than Aunt Tanda. Littlefinger was not afraid of the coughing, wheezing, and trembling Earl of Rosby. The Earl of Rosby was old and weak, and he was no match for him, whether on horseback or on foot.

Shagga and the others returned to the hall through the back gate, rushed out of the hall through the main gate. The Stokeworth soldiers at the gate had long been killed by them, and more than a dozen brothers guarded over three hundred warhorses.

With a shout, Bronn leapt onto a horse. Shagga and Conner followed suit, and the three hundred mountain warriors swept away like a whirlwind, thundering onto Rosby Road.

Inside the castle, even though chaos reigned, Bronn's carefree and plump fiancée, Lollys, was still snoring soundly.

Bronn took the lead, longsword in hand, pursuing closely. Lady Tanda and Falys usually traveled in comfortable carriages. This time, in their haste to escape, they were forced to ride horses, but their horsemanship was far from excellent. The soldiers' horses were moving forward, but their horses only wanted to go backward.

If they rode even a little faster, Lady Tanda would fall off. Falys was better, being younger. To save her life, she clung tightly to the saddle, and with the help of the soldiers, she managed to keep up with the soldiers' speed after a while.

Lady Tanda, like Lollys, was also overweight and had almost no experience riding horses. It was also nighttime. Although Rosby Road was wide and straight, she was a countess and a member of the Crownlands nobility. When had she ever fled for her life on horseback at night? She was being desperately carried away by thirty soldiers, which was truly unbearable.

Bronn whipped his horse mercilessly, and the warhorse flew. Seeing that they were about to reach Rosby Castle, and having already heard shouting ahead, he yelled, "Lady Tanda, don't go! Your son-in-law is here to take you back."

This shout sounded like a thunderclap in the ears of the panicked and fleeing Lady Tanda. Her limbs went weak, and she fell backward. The soldiers quickly reined in their horses, narrowly avoiding trampling the lady.

Tanda fell from her horse, her heart aching, her pelvis shattered, and her screams were earth-shattering.

Falys, concerned with saving her own life, ordered the soldiers to abandon Lady Tanda and escort her to escape quickly. The soldiers hesitated for a moment, then the sound of hooves thundered behind them, and a large group of people was catching up. The mountain warriors shouted wildly, rushing forward like demons reincarnated.

With a shout, the group continued to flee, escorting Falys. They were not going to Rosby Castle. A hundred-man team at Rosby Castle could not stop these barbarians. So Falys decided to go to King's Landing to find Queen Cersei to resolve the matter.

Bronn caught up, saw Lady Tanda screaming on the ground, dismounted, and gently helped her up: "Mother, where are you hurt?"

"…I…my bone is broken…Ooh…ooh…ooh…be gentle…be gentle…be gentle…"

Bronn decided to be gentle with his mother, so he applied force, and Lady Tanda fainted from the pain.

Shagga led his brothers up, and Bronn said, "Leave twenty brothers here for me, and the rest of you go after Falys. You must kill her."

So, Shagga selected twenty brothers to stay, and then Shagga and Conner led the majority of the brothers, wielding battle axes, and chased after them!

Bronn, riding his warhorse and carrying the fat, unconscious Lady Tanda, rode quickly, with twenty brothers following behind him. They all returned to Stokeworth. The castle gates were tightly closed, and Bronn shouted, "Maester Franken, open the gate! Lady Tanda has fallen from her horse and is unconscious. Hurry and provide aid. If you don't open the gate, I'll break down the castle, and you'll all die!"

The castle gates opened, and Maester Franken, the stable master, and more than a dozen spearmen came out empty-handed. Bronn dismounted, picked up the unconscious Lady Tanda, and quickly entered the castle. Everyone helped frantically, carrying the lady into the tall maester's tower.

Bronn came out of the maester's tower and counted the number of soldiers in the entire castle. There were thirty-two soldiers, and one centurion with a sword wound to his right arm and waist.

Bronn shouted: "Brothers, I am Lady Lollys's husband, legally and rightfully. I am also the Prime Minister's personal guard. We are all one family, so don't be afraid of me. Now that Falys has fled and Ser Balman Byrch is dead by duel, my wife Lollys Stokeworth is the heir to the castle. You must obey the orders of the new lord, be loyal and united, and do your jobs well. I will not mistreat any of you. If anyone harbors ulterior motives, sorry, don't blame Bronn for cutting off his head."

The crowd looked at each other. The centurion and the steward echoed his words, and none of the thirty-two soldiers dared to stand up and object.

The capable knights had all been killed by Bronn and Shagga, and the rest were kitchen stewards, stable masters, officials, ordinary soldiers, and one wounded centurion. Facing Bronn and the dozen or so fierce mountain men behind him, no one dared to stand up and oppose Bronn.

"Brothers, who is the castle steward?"

"…I am…Lord…Bronn!"

Bronn felt very comfortable hearing the title 'Lord'!

"What is your name?"

"Hubbard Hall, my Lord!"

"Hubbard, arrange for people to clean the hall. Make a list of the brothers who died and give it to me tomorrow. We will give them a proper burial and take good care of the families of our brothers and give them generous pensions!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

"Who will take me to Lady Lollys's room?"

A maidservant tremblingly came out and led Bronn into Lollys's room. Bronn lit a candle, and in the candlelight, the fat Lollys snored, her eyes wide open, sleeping soundly. This made Bronn hesitate for a long time by the bed, but in the end, he decided to stay and sleep with Lollys.

She was his legal wife!

Bronn came out and arranged for the sixteen mountain brothers to rest in the rooms on either side of Lollys's bedroom, and sent four brothers to stand guard. Then he bolted the doors of his and Lollys's room, placed his swords within easy reach, and lay down fully clothed.

*

At dawn, the Hound knocked on the door of Queen Cersei's chambers.

Cersei had not been sleeping well; she was suffering from insomnia. Littlefinger and the Mountain were living in the Red Keep, and she didn't dare to meet with her cousin Lancel. After the riot in King's Landing, she no longer went to the Great Sept of Baelor, feeling unsafe. As a result, she was also cut off from her meetings with the Osney and Osfyrd brothers.

Every time Cersei had a rendezvous with the two brothers, she would make an excuse to visit the Great Sept of Baelor, then put on an ordinary brown traveling cloak and sneak out to meet a hired knight: perhaps Osney, or perhaps Osfyrd. But because Littlefinger was interfering more and more with her power and actions, Cersei had lost her rendezvous with the Osney and Osfyrd brothers.

"Your Grace, Queen Regent, Lady Falys requests an audience."

Lady Falys? Lady Tanda's eldest daughter and heir.

The maidservant opened the door and led Lady Falys to Cersei's bedside. Cersei saw a noblewoman with disheveled hair, dirty clothes, torn high-end silk clothes, bloodstains on her face, abrasions on her elbows, limping, with a panicked look in her eyes, and a miserable expression.

Cersei was stunned!

"Your Grace, save me!" Falys knelt down—or, more accurately, collapsed.

Cersei was speechless!

"Bronn killed Ser Balman Byrch."

Cersei's mouth fell open in disbelief.

Bronn alone killed Ser Balman Byrch in Stokeworth? How was that possible? What were the family guards and soldiers doing?

Cersei was immobile!

"Mother fell from her horse while escaping and was captured by Bronn. Stokeworth has fallen into Bronn's hands."

Cersei was struck by lightning, dumbfounded, like a statue.

"At night, a group of unknown people came and helped Bronn attack Stokeworth. I risked my life to escape. A centurion put on my hood and cloak to distract the assassins, so I could escape. Please, Your Grace, save me and help me kill Bronn."

Cersei looked at Falys, her eyes full of horror.

How could things have turned out like this?

In her opinion, killing Bronn was a simple matter: a knight, a knife, and a stab during a handshake. Why had Tanda, that idiot, made such a mess? She couldn't understand or believe that things had turned out this way.

How was it possible?

Even on the road, Lady Tanda's knights and soldiers could have killed the lone Bronn. How could Bronn have killed Ser Balman Byrch instead? That guy was much bigger than Bronn!

Cersei immediately realized that she couldn't let this mess burn her.

Littlefinger was clever, no doubt about it. And there was the Mountain, who was determined to maintain internal stability within the city.

"You want me to send troops to Stokeworth to kill Bronn?" Cersei asked hoarsely.

"Yes, Your Grace, please send troops immediately to help me retake Stokeworth!"

Heh, Lady Tanda and Lady Falys were truly more trouble than they were worth.

Even if she wanted to retake Stokeworth, Queen Cersei couldn't openly send troops! But this idiot was asking Cersei to send troops immediately.

Send troops?

The generals of the City Watch who were loyal to Cersei had all been purged by Littlefinger in the name of 'volunteering to join the Night's Watch', and these people even had signed documents that were unanimously approved by the Small Council.

The Imp is always meticulous, and the dwarf has that bit of cleverness.

Let the Kingsguard lead the Western guards to attack Stokeworth?

Forget about getting past the Mountain; even if the Mountain supported it and pretended not to care, Cersei wouldn't be foolish enough to do that.

In doing so, all the disadvantages would point to Cersei. Furthermore, the Queen Mother's plot to trick the Hand's personal guard into killing would also be exposed, which is bad news that Lord Tywin would never want to hear.

"How did Bronn kill Ser Balman Byrch?" Cersei asked, her mouth full of bitterness.

"Duel, a trial by combat!"

Cersei's vision went dark! She screamed in her heart: Idiots, idiots, idiots, a family of idiots! If you want to kill a sellsword, just kill him, but you had to have a trial by combat?!

After a long while, Cersei regained her composure. She looked at Falyse, who was crying on the ground, with pity. "Madam, I will send troops to attack Stokeworth as soon as possible, help you take back the castle, and behead Bronn. Rest assured," Cersei said softly, comforting her.

Lady Falyse raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Cersei with gratitude.

Cersei's smile suddenly disappeared, as if she were a different person, as cold as ice: "Ivelyn, take Lady Falyse out and arrange for her to rest in the guest room. Immediately send someone to call Maester Qyburn to help the lady heal her injuries."

*

ps: For 7 consecutive days, 2 updates every day, 9 am and 2 pm! I hope to complete it, after all, I still have other things to do!

Thank you 【Maple512】【金小衙内】 for your support, thank you, handshake!