The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The old Thenns of the Burning Men were also in Creegan Village, but not in the hall.

Before Melisandre arrived, a military meeting was being held in the hall, and the old Thenns had no right to participate. He and his two wives were doing a daily tour of the new Creegan Village. Whether it was the stables, the training grounds, the wheat workshops, the noodle workshops, or even the public toilets and weapon shops, the three old people couldn't get enough of them.

From Castamere to Tarbeck Hall, then to Silk Village, then a day trip to Lannisport, and now a daily tour of the new Creegan Village, the three old people lived in surprise and excitement every day, feeling as if they were in a dream.

The orderly construction of the new Creegan Village could only be compared to Silk Village. The old Thenns had never seen such village planning, workshops and wells, public toilets and underground sewage pipes in their life, and had never heard of them before.

These were absolutely not available in other cities, and even in King's Landing, there was no such clean and tidy place.

In the main hall of Creegan Keep, the Mountain took the opportunity to propose getting help from the Burning Men, hoping to first conquer the dragon Sheepstealer, worshiped by the Burning Men in the Mountains of the Moon. This sentence shocked everyone in the hall.

The secret of the Burning Men was thus completely revealed in the Creegan Legion.

The one-eyed Thenn already knew Lord Mountain's plan in advance. Lady Janei had found him and told him about the legitimate possibility of conquering Sheepstealer. The one-eyed Thenn was the new generation Red Hand, and after listening to Janei's plan, he was completely impressed by Janei's perfect plan.

But he still had his father above him, and his father was the Red Hand with the highest status in the entire tribe. Such an important matter was not up to the one-eyed Thenn to decide.

But he could assist! Lady Janei had already told him the perfect plan, which made the one-eyed Thenn feel excited and full of expectations.

When the Mountain proposed wanting the support of the Burning Men, the one-eyed Thenn knew it was his turn to appear.

"Lord Mountain, the faith of the Burning Men cannot be desecrated by outsiders. This is the rule. The holy objects sacrificed by the Burning Men are not dragons. That is a secret that our people swear to keep and cannot be told to outsiders," the one-eyed Thenn stood up and said respectfully.

The Mountain stared at Thenn like a giant god, but Thenn was not afraid.

Melisandre was very excited. There was still a dragon in this world? She had never seen any prophecies about the dragon in the Mountains of the Moon, but the Mountain knew. Could it be that the Mountain was really the reincarnation of Azor Ahai?!

The long night is long and full of dangers. When the stars weep blood and winter comes, in the long night, a hero will rise up with his sword, holding the Lightbringer, slaying the Night King, ending the Others, and saving the people from danger. This person is the Lightbringer Azor Ahai reincarnated from the Age of Heroes.

Could it be that the Mountain is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai? Otherwise, why would he know so many secrets: the dragon crystals under Dragonstone on Dragonstone Island; the dragon Sheepstealer in the Mountains of the Moon that outsiders don't know about.

Wights are afraid of fire and burn to ashes when ignited. And dragons are the sons of the Red God and the essence of fire. A dragon will be the nemesis of the Others. No matter how many wight warriors the Others have, a dragon will sweep the wight army. The Others, who have lost their wights, are few in number, and dragon fire is also the nemesis of the Others.

Since there are still dragons in the world, it is natural that the Red God has prepared them to deal with the Others. There is no doubt about this! Melisandre firmly believed in this.

She first mistakenly believed in Stannis Baratheon. She saw Dragonstone in the flames, traveled tens of thousands of miles to Dragonstone Island, and worshiped Stannis Baratheon as the true king, but facts proved that she was wrong. Stannis Baratheon was killed by the Mountain. Perhaps, it was the true king who killed the false king.

"What is the faith of the Burning Men?" Melisandre asked the one-eyed Thenn coldly.

"We believe in the Fire God."

"I am a Fire God wizard, and I will guide your faith."

"You are a Red God priest." Thenn's one eye shone brightly.

"The Red God is the Fire God. R'hllor is the God of Shadows and the God of Flames." Melisandre walked to the one-eyed Thenn, "Draw your sword, general."

The one-eyed Thenn hesitated slightly. He looked at Lady Janei, who nodded slightly to him, so Thenn drew his sharp sword.

Melisandre's snow-white and tender hand held the sharp blade, but the blade did not cut her palm. Thenn was surprised and looked closely. It turned out that Melisandre's hand did not really hold the blade, but there was still a slight distance. If it weren't for the close distance, he wouldn't have noticed.

Melisandre chanted words, all with strange pronunciations, beautiful, mysterious, but no one could understand. Suddenly, with a bang, Melisandre's palm burst into flames. The flames flowed like liquid, and with a whoosh, flowed all over Thenn's sword. Except for the hilt, Thenn held a flame sword that flickered with seven colors.

The one-eyed Thenn was taken aback and had no doubts about Melisandre. If she wasn't a fire wizard with this ability, what else could she be? A wizard's respect for her faith surpassed life. Melisandre was arrogant and invincible, and she couldn't desecrate her faith.

The one-eyed Thenn knelt on one knee: "Lady Melisandre, please forgive my ignorance."

The corners of Melisandre's mouth rose slightly, as if a trace of pity was clinging to the believers: "Children of the Fire God, who is your chief?"

Janei told Melisandre the situation in a timely manner: "Lady Melisandre, Thenn is the new generation Red Hand of the Burning Men. The older generation Red Hand is his father, Thenn."

Red Hand!

So the leader of the Burning Men is called the Red Hand!

And the names of the two generations of Red Hands are both Thenn!

Melisandre immediately understood.

Lady Janei's words were very timely, which helped her grasp the situation and maintain the wizard's supreme dignity in the hearts of the believers.

If the wizard didn't know anything about the tribe leader's title, it would seem that she didn't have enough background.

"General Thenn, where is your father? I want to see him."

"Old Thenn is in our new Creegan Village, Lady Melisandre," Janei said. Things were proceeding as she expected. She gently guided everything to progress as naturally as flowing water.

Next, all that was needed was a final push, and everything would fall into place.

"General Thenn, I want to ask you to do something for me."

"Please instruct, madam." The one-eyed Thenn had both Lady Janei's previous guidance and Melisandre's demonstration of the fire wizard's ability. He had no other thoughts and was wholeheartedly focused on helping Lady Janei's plan succeed, which would be a great achievement.

"Go to the village and ask your father Thenn to come to the hall. I have important matters related to the tribe and the human race that need to be discussed with him."

"Yes, madam." Thenn stood up. The sword had turned red, and the hot flames were roasting his skin, but Thenn was unaware. His left eye was dug out and burned in the fire to show his courage. Sacrificing to the Fire God with one's own body part was a symbol of the Burning Men's warriors. The more precious the sacrificed organ, the more it proved one's loyalty and bravery.

This was exactly what made the other tribes in the Mountains of the Moon unable to understand and fear!

If you have any sense, you'd better not mess with someone who dares to dig out his left eye and burn it!

Thenn strode out of the hall, and several warriors from the Burning Men stood up and bowed to Melisandre, using the tribe's etiquette.

Melisandre nodded one by one as a response.

The Mountain remained silent. He longed to get a dragon. It seemed that Melisandre was willing to assist in anything in order to fight against the Others. If there was a dragon assisting in the army fighting against the Others, the chances of winning would be too great. Daenerys' three dragons were still small, only three years old this year, while Sheepstealer was already two hundred and fifty years old and had fought against dragons and the most elite legions. Sheepstealer fought in the Dance of the Dragons, and his opponents were mostly dragons and dragon riders.

"Gregor, with Melisandre's assistance, I have a way to make old Thenn unable to refuse your help," Janei whispered in the Mountain's ear.

The Mountain did not speak immediately. He looked at Janei, and his emotional eyes had already explained everything.

"Did you see a prophecy?" the Mountain said in a low voice.

"Gregor, besides God's prophecies, there is also human wisdom in this world," Janei responded in a low voice.

"You have always been smarter than me." The Mountain immediately praised his wife. The Mountain never hesitated to do this.

Janei smiled slightly: "Gregor, your inventive wisdom is above mine."

In the hall, several warriors from the Burning Men drew their weapons. They communicated with Melisandre in their local language, which Melisandre couldn't understand at all, but she could understand what they meant. She saw Melisandre reach out and hold a blade, uttering strange and beautiful syllables. Although everyone couldn't understand them, they all knew it was a spell.

In the sound of the spell, they heard a bang, and Melisandre's hand and those swords burst into flames at the same time. Her jade-white hand was in the flames, looking whiter and brighter, like a priceless white jade.

A gasp of admiration rang out in the hall.

Outside, the sound of horses' hooves rang out. Young Thenn rode a horse and brought old Thenn back.

The sound of horses' hooves stopped abruptly at the door. Young Thenn jumped off the horse, picked his father directly from the horse's back, held him in his arms, and strode into the hall.

"Lady Melisandre, this is my father, the Red Hand of the Burning Men. Father, this is Lady Melisandre, a fire wizard. She has important things to guide us, and this matter is important to the Burning Men and the human race."

Young Thenn put his father on the ground. Old Thenn stood still, his eyes widened, looking at the flame swords held by several warriors of the Burning Men. Lady Melisandre was absolutely beautiful and charming, and one hand holding the sharp sword was unharmed in the flames, as bright as white jade.

"Madam!" Old Thenn knelt on one knee, bowed and saluted, with a humble attitude.

Melisandre stood on the spot, motionless, accepting the old man's great gift. Her head was slightly tilted, and flames were jumping and burning in her charming pupils.

With a whoosh, the flames on Melisandre's palm went out, and the flames on the flame swords of several Burning Men warriors also went out. In the air, there was a faint wisp of green smoke, which disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Several swords had been burned red by the flames and emitted scorching heat.

Melisandre signaled old Thenn to get up from the ground: "Thenn Red Hand, I am the fire wizard Melisandre. I already know that you believe in the Fire God and that the fire holy object that you constantly sacrifice is a dragon. His name is Sheepstealer."

"Yes, madam."

"Thenn Red Hand, do you know the North?"

"I know, madam."

"Do you know the Wall?"

"Of course I know, madam."

"Beyond the Wall in the Land of Always Winter, the Others have awakened and gathered a large number of wight legions. They have already captured Eastwatch-by-the-Sea on the east side of the Wall and may be attacking Castle Black. If the Wall falls, the North will be destroyed, and the Others will lead the wights south. In the winter, we will all be killed by the Others and become warriors in the wight legion. The human race has reached a critical moment of life and death and needs the warriors of the human race to unite and fight in the North. The warriors of the Burning Men will all go north, and Lord Mountain will also go north. If we are defeated, Westeros will be unified by the Others, and on the Iron Throne, in the winter and long night, a Other King will sit."

Old Thenn's eyes widened and his mouth opened and couldn't close!

There was a dazed look in his eyes. He looked at his son, and young Thenn nodded to him. He looked at the Mountain, and the Mountain nodded to him.

"Thenn Red Hand, I, the fire wizard Melisandre, in the name of the Fire God, want you to tell us the secret of Sheepstealer."

The hall was quiet, and a falling needle could be heard!

Everyone's eyes were fixed on old Thenn, and everyone was nervous and expectant.

Everyone wanted to know the secret of the dragon. Very much wanted to know.

The old man's face twisted for a while: "Madam, according to our tribe's oath, the secret of Sheepstealer can only be passed down from the Red Hand to the next generation of Red Hand. The person who knows the secret of the dragon must be a tribesman of the Burning Men, and must be the tribe's inherited Red Hand. Madam, please forgive me, I will not break the oath. This inherited oath has been passed down for one hundred and seventy years, and eleven generations of Red Hands have kept the oath firmly, and will continue to pass it down."

Although the old man's voice was not firm, his words were extremely firm.

"Father, the Others are attacking, we need the power of the dragon. This is a very critical period. Lady Melisandre is a fire wizard, she in the name of the Fire God…"

"Shut up!" Old Thenn suddenly shouted sharply.

The one-eyed Thenn was stifled.

Melisandre was stunned!

The old man's words adhered to the faith oath, and she was also a person with faith. She could not and could not refute it.

Melisandre looked at Janei!

Janei had paved the way for her in the previous conversations, and everything had fallen into place. At this time, it was time for her to help. Melisandre couldn't figure out whether Janei could help, but she instinctively looked at Janei.

Janei said: "Old Thenn, does the Burning Men want to become the number one tribe in the Mountains of the Moon and become famous in the world, and from then on be rich, respected, and admired?"

Old Thenn did not respond. He looked at Lady Janei. This was the lady he respected the most, but he would not break the oath, there was no doubt about that.

"Old man, will you accept Lord Mountain to join the Burning Men and become the next generation of inherited Red Hand?"

As soon as these words came out, the hall was extremely quiet. Although there were more than a hundred people, it was like an empty house with no one.

The Mountain was overjoyed, but his face was still cold and hard as iron.

With a wife like this, what more could one want in this world?!

Old Thenn looked at Janei in astonishment, so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Several warriors from the Burning Men were overjoyed, ecstatic, but could only restrain themselves.

Melisandre also felt a sense of relief. The difficult problem that she couldn't easily solve was resolved with a single, gentle sentence from Janny.

Melisandre's peerless face revealed a captivating smile, her entire face radiating a glow as if it were aflame.

Everyone heard the one-eyed Timett say, "Lady Janny, if the Mountain is willing to join the Burned Men and become a member of our tribe, we would be overjoyed. It would be the supreme honor of the Burned Men. Father, what is your opinion?"

Old Timett's heart churned with excitement. For the tribe to have the Mountain as a member and to pass the Red Hand on to him as the next generation, could there be anything more glorious? Of course, there was—absolutely not!

The question was, would the Mountain, with his noble status, humble himself to swear allegiance to the small Burned Men and become one of their members? Would the Mountain agree to Lady Janny's words?

Old Timett's gaze turned to the Mountain. His heart surged, unable to contain himself. If the Mountain was willing to swear to become a member of the Burned Men, he would definitely pass the Red Hand on to the Mountain, without considering anyone else.

The Mountain's gaze met Old Timett's, and their minds connected. They both understood each other's thoughts. The old man worried that the Mountain would not condescend, but the Mountain never cared about such superficial titles.

He seemed to see himself on the frozen soil of the North, riding the land-running king, Red Smoke Beast, while above him, a giant dragon that blotted out the sky was flying!