The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Jaime smiled and took a big gulp of wine, which dribbled down his chin onto his chest.

“Tyrion, ensure Cersei and the children’s safety.” Jaime’s eyes held profound meaning.

Tyrion looked into Jaime’s eyes and understood that Jaime had a death wish.

“Jaime…”

“Tyrion!” Jaime smiled, having also understood Tyrion’s gaze. He decided to speak plainly, “I killed Daenerys’s father, Aerys Targaryen, right next to the Iron Throne in the throne room. I pierced him with my golden sword. My hatred with Daenerys surpasses even that of the Mountain. Do you think your queen will pardon me? I am the Kingslayer.”

“Jaime, you did that for…” Barristan Selmy coldly questioned. However, he didn’t finish his sentence, merely starting before being rudely interrupted by Jaime.

“Ser Barristan, if it happened again, I would still choose to kill the Mad King.”

Barristan’s face was unpleasant, turning cold and hard. He said in a deep voice, “Jaime, you swore an oath. You are a Kingsguard. Kingsguards cannot judge the king’s actions; we can only execute them unconditionally.”

“Go execute your mother.” Jaime looked at Barristan and laughed. “I am the Kingslayer, and you are the most honorable knight in the Seven Kingdoms. But Barristan, why did you kneel and submit to Robert? Why? You should have committed suicide to follow your king in death. That’s the path you should have chosen.”

Barristan Selmy’s face immediately turned very ugly.

Jaime continued to rub salt into the wound, staring at Barristan’s neck, which was flushed red with shame, and said with a smile, “Ser Barristan, the people of the Seven Kingdoms believe you possess the highest honor of a knight. The commoners and nobles admire, revere, and praise you. They say you are true steel, but in my eyes, you’re just a complete idiot, and so was the Sword of the Morning.”

“Why do you say that?” Barristan’s face was ashen, his hand on his sword hilt. “You cannot insult the Sword of the Morning. He was the one who knighted you.”

“Why do I say that? I don’t need a reason. I’ll say it if I want to. Are you going to kill me? Ser Barristan, then do it! Let me test how sharp your sword is!”

Barristan said coldly, “Jaime, you’re drunk!”

“I’m drunk? The Mad King was the one who was drunk. He ordered his pyromancer prime minister to ignite wildfire, burying large amounts of it beneath King’s Landing, intending to blow up the entire city and bury hundreds of thousands of people with him. I drew my sword, first stopping the prime minister and killing him, then chasing after the Mad King. As he hid behind the Iron Throne, I stabbed him in the back. I killed the Mad King…” Jaime poured himself wine, drank it in one gulp, and then coughed loudly. After a long while, he said intermittently, “Ser Barristan, is the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in King’s Landing more important, or the Mad King’s orders? You tell me.”

Barristan Selmy was stunned!

Varys’s smile froze and disappeared.

“The Mad King also wanted me to kill my father and put his head on a pike for him. Kinslaying is forbidden by the Seven Gods, Barristan. If the Mad King ordered you to kill your father, your entire family, your siblings, what would you do? Would you resolutely commit kinslaying? But you believe in the Seven Gods, and in their faith, kinslaying is an unforgivable sin.”

Barristan stammered, speechless.

“Ser Barristan, would you choose kinslaying or choose to disobey? If you didn’t execute the Mad King’s orders, you swore to him in the name of the Seven Gods. What would you do, Ser?!” Jaime smiled.

Dozens of generals on the deck were silent!

Tyrion Lannister, who prided himself on his wit and cunning, was also speechless. He had a good relationship with Jaime, but this was the first time he had heard Jaime tell the truth about the kinslaying.

Theon Greyjoy said, “Kingslayer, who knows if you’re telling the truth or lying?”

“Of course you wouldn’t know. In my eyes, the Greyjoy family has always been the lowest of bastards. Is raiding better than tilling? Then should all those who till die? If tilling should die, then no one would till, and everyone would raid. Who would they rob then?” Jaime stared at Theon contemptuously, filled with disdain and mockery.

Theon’s face turned pale.

“This is a fucking world. I look down on all of you, and I look down on myself.” Jaime smiled. “Varys, I hope the queen you choose to serve won’t do the things the Mad King did. If she slaughters a city for the throne, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, then how is that any different from the Mad King blowing up King’s Landing with wildfire?”

Varys walked over, like a cat, “Ser Jaime, it seems I don’t understand you at all.”

“I don’t understand you either, Lord Varys. You served as Robert’s master of whisperers for sixteen years, but you betrayed him in the blink of an eye. Congratulations on finding a new master and holding a high position here—Tyrion, send a fast ship for me. I’ll rush back to King’s Landing first, hoping to persuade Cersei to give up resistance and relinquish the Iron Throne. But…” Jaime’s gaze swept across the generals on the deck, “I’m not confident! If persuasion fails, gentlemen, then we can only meet on the battlefield.”

*

Kyu!

A dragon’s roar rang out over King’s Landing, accompanied by this golden and jade sound, a wave of killing intent descended from the sky.

Kyu kyu kyu!

Three more reverberating and solemn sounds, like three giant bells made of gold and jade crashing in the sky. The guards on the city walls looked up and saw three birds the size of pigeons—of course, they weren’t birds, but three dragons high in the sky.

Everyone looked up at the sky, their faces filled with fear.

On the streets of the city, all the pedestrians and passing soldiers stopped together, looking up at the sky… In the orphanage of Flea Bottom, orphans and old people stood in the courtyard together, looking up. The noise from just now completely disappeared, as quiet as the dead of night… At the Blackwater River port, the soldiers on hundreds of warships looked up together, every pair of eyes wide open… Hundreds and thousands of workers and patrolling soldiers at the docks stopped together, looked up, and gazed at the sky…

In the Tower of the Hand, Maegor’s Holdfast, White Sword Tower, Maidenvault, Throne Room, and on the walls of the Red Keep, everyone stopped what they were doing. People who were talking stopped speaking and looked up at the sky together…

In the sky, the three dragons were initially as big as pigeons, but in the blink of an eye, they became the size of eagles. Two heartbeats later, they became as big as small horses, and after another breath, they became giant flying beasts the size of elephants.

The black dragon, white dragon, and bronze-green dragon appeared together, hovering in a triangular formation over King’s Landing. Daenerys rode on the back of the black dragon, aloof and unmatched, invincible.

No general issued an order to defend, no military whistles, no horns. Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Balon Swann, was rapidly ascending the city walls. Commander of the Garrison, Bronn, was already on the city walls, his hand on his sword hilt, his face grim. The herald was by his side, but he did not issue an order to defend…

At the Blackwater River Royal Navy port, many generals stood on the bows of their warships. The archers on board had already formed ranks, bows in hand, but there were no further actions.

At the Mud Gate, Dragon Gate, King’s Gate, Red Keep Square, and the square of the Great Sept of Baelor… Dragonbone ballistas had their covers removed. Brienne, Zelli, Luke, Tob Mott, Gendry Clegane, and dozens of other generals were on standby, ready for battle. The soldiers喀喀喀 rotated the winches, and the dragonbone ballistas looked up at the sky together, each arrow taut……

Daenerys’s dragons were only four years old. Although they looked as big as elephants, they could not withstand an arrow from a dragonbone ballista. As long as the target was aimed at, an arrow could kill a dragon when it swooped down to breathe fire.

It was daytime, the sunlight was good, and the visibility was excellent. The entire low altitude of King’s Landing was within the intersecting range of the dragonbone ballistas.

However, as if both sides had a tacit understanding, the defending generals did not sound the horns, and Daenerys only flew and circled in the air, without any hint of attack.

Even so, the atmosphere in the entire city was extremely tense, and many soldiers’ hands were trembling slightly!

Dragons, dragons that had disappeared for hundreds of years, suddenly appeared, flying over King’s Landing. Everyone could see them very clearly—the dragons’ heads were ferocious, like demons from hell; the dragons’ scales were like armor, each scale reflecting light. The black dragon, white dragon, and bronze dragon brought only unparalleled shock to the defending generals, soldiers, and civilians……

Daenerys’s voice rang out in the sky above King’s Landing: “Generals and soldiers of King’s Landing, citizens of the entire city, I am Daenerys Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone born amidst storms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, Queen of Meereen, Breaker of Chains, I am the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, King of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. I have come to liberate you. The Iron Throne should not be sat upon by incestuous bastards, but by a dragon person with the blood of the dragon.”

In the Queen Mother’s Ballroom of Maegor’s Holdfast, Cersei and Jane watched Daenerys circling in the sky through the window. Cersei said, “Lady Jane, the Targaryen dragons are indeed a big problem.”

“Queen Mother, you should order the announcement of the recognition of the North’s independence. As for the three dragons, Queen Mother need not worry too much. We have dragonbone ballistas. As long as Daenerys dares to lower her altitude to attack, the dragonbone ballistas will shoot down her dragons.”

Cersei turned to look at Jane’s solemn eyes: “Madam is right, the matter of the kingdom recognizing the North’s independence must be done immediately.—Meme!” Cersei shouted loudly.

The maid Meme immediately came in, walking silently, like a cat. This was their basic skill.

“Queen Mother, please instruct.”

“Immediately go with Ser Garlan Tyrell to see Grand Maester Qyburn. Tell the Grand Maester that he should conduct a national announcement in King’s Landing with Lord Hand Mace, King Tommen Baratheon recognizes the independence of the North.”

“Yes, Queen Mother.”

“After the announcement is completed, let the Grand Maester release the ravens to tell the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms that the Iron Throne officially recognizes the independence of the North.”

“Yes, Queen Mother.”

The maid Meme and the Kingsguard Garlan Tyrell hurriedly left Maegor’s Holdfast to go to the Citadel to see Grand Maester Qyburn.

The Iron Throne announced the bestowal of the Westerlands to the Mountain two days ago and made a national announcement. Two days later, it again made a national announcement recognizing the independence of the North. Even the maid Meme was confused by Queen Mother Cersei’s series of actions, but she was not qualified to question them. If she showed even a little bit of abnormal expression, she would honorably become a medical research specimen in the Grand Maester’s basement.

In the sky above King’s Landing, Daenerys maintained a certain altitude, controlling three dragons alone, flying and circling in the sky, and reiterating her long titles and persuasion to surrender again and again.

This trick was actually very powerful.

Persuading surrender with dragons greatly shook the morale of the King’s Landing soldiers.

The pressure brought by the three dragons was like substance, and the words of persuasion were like knives stabbing at the will to defend. If the Mountain had dragons, the morale of the soldiers would not be so low, and if the Iron Islands had not been taken by Daenerys, the morale would not be so depressed.

“She is disintegrating our morale.” Cersei said.

“The soldiers of the Golden Company who were scattered and reorganized are the most easily incited.” Lady Jane also said.

Cersei stared silently at Daenerys flaunting her power in the sky: “Madam, when will Lord Mountain’s army arrive in King’s Landing?”

“One month later.”

“We cannot hold out for a month.”

“Yes, the soldiers of the Golden Company may defect before the battle, and the ironborn of the Iron Fleet may be the first to flee. They want to rush back to the Iron Islands to save their families; Lord Mace’s fighting spirit has also been shaken. In several meetings, the words he said were more and more negative.”

“This time, after Lord Mace sees Daenerys’s three dragons, he will be even less motivated.” Cersei’s tone turned cold.

“Arya.” Jane directly called her real name. There was no one else in the Queen Mother’s Ballroom. The guards and maids were outside the thick oak doors. “Can you assassinate Daenerys within a month?”

“It is easier to assassinate her only after she enters the Red Keep. In the sky and at sea, I cannot approach her.”

“However, Daenerys has a fatal weakness in politics.”

“What weakness?”

“Jon Snow is the rightful heir to the Targaryen family.”

Arya had been looking at the dragons in the sky, but when she heard this, she suddenly turned around: “Madam, what did you just say?”

“Jon Snow’s mother is Lyanna Stark, and his father is Rhaegar Targaryen. They are legally married. Rhaegar secretly divorced Princess Elia Martell before marrying Lyanna. The High Septon of Oldtown was their wedding officiant, and their wedding location was in the Tower of Joy in Dorne.”

Arya stared at Jane, as if she was seeing her for the first time.

“Arya, we can now release the rumors and spread them throughout the city, first politically shaking the legitimacy of Daenerys Targaryen’s inheritance. Think about it, between Jon Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen, who would you support to sit on the Iron Throne?”

“Who can prove that Jon is a Targaryen?”

“Lord Eddard Stark, the High Septon of Oldtown, the Green Seer Bran Stark. In the Starry Sept of Oldtown, the documents of Rhaegar’s divorce and marriage have always been preserved.”