The Mountain of Ice and Fire

A scholar's apprentice hurried in, first paying respects to the Queen Mother, then bowing to Willas, and finally saluting his teacher, Lomys: "Teacher Lomys, a letter from King's Landing."

Lomys took the raven letter, examined the wax seal bearing the Hand of the King's emblem, and handed it to Willas.

Willas accepted it, but without looking at it, he put it in his pocket and smiled faintly at Cersei.

"A letter from King's Landing? A letter from Lord Hand Kevan?" Cersei recognized the emblem on the wax seal.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Why not open it and take a look?" Cersei assumed the letter from King's Landing was likely related to her. At the very least, the Hand of the King would mention her in the letter. After all, she was the Queen Mother, Protector of the Realm.

Willas's smile revealed a hint of awkwardness: "I wouldn't dare disobey Your Grace's orders." Willas took out the wax-sealed letter, about to break the seal and read it, when Cersei chuckled: "Lord Willas, I was only saying. A private letter is best read in private."

Cersei still held a certain level of respect for Willas. Willas treated her well, and the people of Highgarden were decent. As the Queen Mother, pressuring someone to read a potentially private letter in public would be inappropriate and disrespectful.

Willas grew even more awkward. Should he read the letter or not?

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed outside. Captain Aegon arrived, and Balon Swann, after seeing Queen Mother Cersei nod, allowed the panting Captain Aegon to enter.

Balon harbored animosity towards Aegon. He had seen Aegon look at Cersei with ambiguous eyes on multiple occasions, which made him want to punch Aegon.

Aegon entered and knelt on one knee: "Your Grace, Lord Willas, the Iron Fleet on the Mander is retreating."

"All of them are retreating?" Cersei was surprised.

Willas Tyrell was equally surprised. Together, they walked towards the window. Highgarden was built on a hill, and the main keep was at the very top, offering a panoramic view of the Mander and the plains on the opposite bank.

On the Mander, countless warships were heading towards the open sea, their banners fluttering in the wind.

"A complete withdrawal, or a trick?" Cersei asked Willas.

"Your Grace, I need to understand the situation before I can make a judgment."

Cersei nodded. Her long, pale neck made her look even more alluring.

Willas looked at Captain Aegon: "Rise, Captain."

Aegon stood up, ignoring Balon Swann's dagger-like gaze.

"Captain, what is the situation with the other Iron Fleet war camps along the Mander?"

"My Lord, we have received news that the camps along the Mander are all withdrawing. The Ironborn have left the small ports at the mouth of the river, and the Ironborn on the Shield Islands have released all their prisoners. They have loaded most of their wealth and all their grain onto the ships and are gradually withdrawing."

Cersei watched the rows of ships rapidly leaving on the Mander: "Lord Willas, it seems the Ironborn are genuinely retreating."

"Yes, Your Grace. Perhaps there are Ironborn spies in our city. Victarion Greyjoy, the commander of the Iron Fleet, likely received news that the Redwyne fleet was coming to reinforce us."

Cersei shook her head: "The Reach is rich in resources, with a suitable climate, fertile land, and bountiful harvests every year. Yet the Ironborn come and go as they please. Highgarden cannot pin its hopes on the Redwyne fleet. It takes at least half a month to get here from the Arbor. By that time, the Ironborn will have received the news and fled into the sea, leaving no trace."

"Your Grace is right. I will build docks and ports on the Shield Islands and at the mouth of the Mander, construct a hundred warships, and train five thousand sailors."

"A hundred warships? I saw at least several hundred Ironborn warships on the Mander."

"Your Grace, a hundred warships are enough to keep the Ironborn out of the Mander. We will not fight the Ironborn on the open sea. We only need to guard the mouth of the Mander."

"Just defense?" Cersei thought disdainfully of Willas.

"If Your Grace orders it, all the fleets of the Reach will follow the Royal Fleet to attack the Iron Islands," Willas retorted softly.

These words stirred something within Cersei.

Why couldn't she do what Robert and Eddard had done?

Cersei was determined to inherit the spirit of her father, Tywin!

Looking at the Lannister family now, Jaime was useless, only wanting to be with her, lacking ambition. Tyrion had been executed and deserved his death. Her uncle Kevan had always disrespected Cersei, looked down on her, and constantly tried to force her to relinquish her power as Protector of the Realm. If she could gain Willas's support, why couldn't she order the Iron Islands to be taken?

The Iron Islands' independence was an act of rebellion in itself.

Cersei said, "Lord Willas, how many warships can you assemble right now?"

"Highgarden has fewer than ten warships left, all of which have avoided the Iron Fleet and gone to Bitterbridge upstream on the Mander. The Redwyne family can provide two hundred and seventy warships."

Cersei's mind raced. She had always wanted to prove herself capable. The Iron Islands were in rebellion and would be conquered by her.

This thought filled Cersei with excitement.

Cersei said, "The Royal Fleet has nearly a hundred warships, the Mountain's Dragonstone has dozens, Lannisport in the Westerlands has dozens, and Gulltown in the Vale has more than twenty. I will order the mustering of all warships from Gulltown, Dragonstone, King's Landing, Oldtown, the Arbor, and Lannisport, all to assemble at Lannisport. Then, I will have the Master of War, the Mountain, lead the force to take the Iron Islands, forcing the Ironborn to kneel and surrender, and submit once more."

Willas had not expected his words to ignite such ambition in the Queen Mother: "Your Grace is wise. I suggest first notifying the Hand of the King, so that the Hand can issue a royal decree, summoning the navies of the Seven Kingdoms to assemble in the Westerlands and then attack the Iron Islands."

Cersei wanted to issue orders directly herself and was unwilling to go through Kevan, who felt distant to Cersei.

"Can't it be done without the Hand's decree? The Seven Kingdoms have a Master of War, with the Mountain in charge of military affairs and the Hand in charge of political affairs."

Willas's heart stirred. The Queen Mother trusted the Mountain so much? It sounded like the Queen Mother preferred the Mountain to be in charge of the Seven Kingdoms' military, thereby weakening the Hand's power.

The Hand of the Seven Kingdoms exercised all the king's powers, including military, political, trade, livelihood, personnel, taxation... Everything in the kingdom was handled by the Hand.

Queen Mother Cersei certainly seemed to have an unpleasant relationship with her uncle. No wonder Kevan wanted Highgarden to confine the Queen Mother and arrange a marriage with her.

Willas said, "The Mountain has won many great victories. He is a rare and fierce general, and he is the best choice to lead the army to attack the Iron Islands. Whether Your Grace orders it directly or the Hand of the King manages it, House Tyrell will wholeheartedly remain loyal to the royal family."

Willas was cunning and refused to say whether he was loyal to Hand Kevan or Queen Mother Cersei, instead saying he was loyal to the royal family.

The royal family was a collective, not referring to any one individual.

Cersei was not satisfied with Willas's answer. She wanted to hear Willas say he was loyal to her, just like Maester Qyburn, the Mountain, Oswell Kettleblack, and others who had sworn allegiance to her personally, not to some royal family.

Cersei was about to speak plainly, stating that she needed Willas to swear allegiance to her personally, when a messenger arrived, reporting that the scholars' tower of Highgarden had received a letter addressed to the Queen Mother.

Soon, Queen Mother Cersei received a long letter.

The letter was wax-sealed, with the emblem of the red viper beast and ice sword.

This was the Mountain's family emblem.

Cersei took the letter, broke the wax seal, and unfolded it. It was a long letter filled with writing.

"Lord Willas, please return for now. I need to read the letter first."

"Yes, Your Grace!" Willas left with the captain and guards, leaving only Scholar Lomys behind. He was the Queen Mother's temporary Grand Maester here.

Cersei read some of the contents of the letter, her brow furrowing, and her displeasure growing more severe. She did not finish reading the letter and looked at Grand Maester Lomys beside her.

"Maester, please return to the scholars' tower. I want to be alone for a while."

Lomys did not understand why. He was there to serve the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother was asking him to leave.

What kind of letter was the Queen Mother reading?!

Judging by the wax seal, it was a letter from the Mountain.

Lomys had no choice but to stand up and take his leave.

Once the people of Highgarden had left, Cersei's expression became extremely unpleasant.

Balon Swann and Osmund Kettleblack looked at Cersei with some concern.

Cersei said, "Generals, please come over and look at this letter the Mountain wrote to me."

Balon and Osmund approached, and Cersei handed the letter to Balon, who unfolded it and read it with Osmund. The more they read, the more shocked and angry they became…

"The Hand of the King actually colluded with the Ironborn to attack the Westerlands," Balon said in disbelief.

Osmund said, "Look at this passage the Mountain wrote. Euron Greyjoy dreams of entering the palace to become an official while also protecting the Iron Islands' independence from the Seven Kingdoms. I can't understand what this person is thinking. Did the Hand of the King really condone the Iron Islands' current independence?"

"The Mountain has defeated Euron Greyjoy, and Euron Greyjoy's forces have collapsed. About ten thousand people surrendered to the Mountain and became the Mountain's prisoners," Cersei said, pointing to that passage in the letter with her long, white finger.

Balon Swann had fought alongside the Mountain in the Battle of the Blackwater and had witnessed the Mountain's skill in battle. He did not doubt the Mountain's letter.

Osmund Kettleblack, however, had many doubts about the contents of the Mountain's letter: "Your Grace, when the Mountain left the Red Keep in King's Landing, the Hand of the King did not ask him to return to the Westerlands, but to go to Riverrun in the Riverlands to persuade them to surrender."

In the letter, the Mountain wrote clearly about Hand Kevan's collusion with Euron Greyjoy, intending to use Euron Greyjoy's strength to eliminate the Cleganes. The Mountain accused Hand Kevan of committing treason and requested that the Queen Mother issue an order allowing him to lead troops back to King's Landing to 'cleanse the court'.

The Mountain's request was dire. Duke Tywin had angered the Mountain, and the Mountain had attacked King's Landing at night, breaking through the city gates, capturing Tywin, and ultimately causing Tywin to die without a burial place.

Balon Swann and Cersei both knew what would happen if the Mountain led troops back to King's Landing. His target this time was Kevan.

The Mountain would definitely kill Kevan!

"Your Grace, do not agree to the Mountain leading troops back to King's Landing. The Hand's alleged treason cannot be judged solely on his word," Osmund said sincerely.

"Osmund, I believe everything the Mountain said in his letter is true," Cersei said coldly. "On the Mander, the Iron Fleet suddenly withdrew completely. Why? Because Euron Greyjoy had been defeated by the Mountain. Victarion, like us, had also received ravens from the Westerlands."

Osmund was persuaded by Cersei's analysis.

On the Mander, the Iron Fleet had indeed withdrawn suddenly. From the windows here, one could still see the vast Iron Fleet withdrawing on the Mander.

Cersei believed the contents of the Mountain's letter because Cersei, Tyrion, and Hand Kevan had once formulated a plan to kill the Mountain. That plan involved joining forces with the Dornish, with the Dornish naval fleet secretly landing in Lannisport and cooperating from within and without to kill the Mountain in the Westerlands.

That plan had completely failed. Their ally, Martell, had plotted to poison the king and the Queen of Thorns at the royal wedding, and he had been killed by the Mountain in a duel. The alliance between the Lannister and Martell families had vanished.

Tyrion had planned to use a knife to kill the Mountain.

This time, Hand Kevan had conspired with Euron Greyjoy behind Cersei's back, also using a knife to kill. It was just a pity that Kevan's plan had been leaked, and the Mountain had learned of Euron Greyjoy's military actions in advance. Euron Greyjoy had been defeated by the Mountain, a crushing defeat!

Cersei had been completely kept in the dark about the battle in the Westerlands. Kevan had used a knife without consulting Cersei.

Now that the plan had failed, Euron Greyjoy had been defeated, and the Mountain had written to Highgarden, requesting that the Queen Mother allow him to lead troops into King's Landing to arrest the 'traitor' Kevan Lannister.

Balon Swann and Osmund both looked at the Queen Mother, not knowing how the Queen Mother would reply to the Mountain.

If the Mountain's accusation of 'Kevan's treason was established, if Cersei replied agreeing to the Mountain leading troops into the city, Kevan would certainly be beheaded by the Mountain.

From the Mountain's letter, Cersei also saw her position. The Mountain was so fierce, the number one villain in the Seven Kingdoms, but before retaliating, he would still write a letter to seek her consent.

"Ser, what do you think I should reply?"

"Let the Mountain provide evidence and notify the Hand of the King to prepare for battle," Osmund said.

"Unless the Tyrell family supports the Hand of the King, the King's Landing garrison cannot stop the Mountain's attack," Balon Swann asserted.

"There is one person who can fight the Mountain," Osmund said: "Randyll Tarly."

Randyll Tarly, a famous general of the Seven Kingdoms. When the Mountain was still a boy, Randyll was already famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms for commanding battles and winning victories.

Cersei's surname was Lannister, and Kevan was also a Lannister. Between the Mountain and Kevan, Cersei chose to side with Kevan.

"We must immediately release the ravens, telling Kevan about the urgency of the matter," Cersei decided. "At the same time, I will write a letter to appease the Mountain first, buying as much time as possible for Kevan."

Balon and Osmund both nodded.

As the three were plotting a reply, a guard hurried to knock on the door and brought another letter. The wax seal on the letter was still the red viper beast and ice sword.

This was a letter that would change the fate of the kingdom!