The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Lady Jane, how are you so sure?” Arya was still in shock.

“The Mountain knows all this.”

“The Mountain?”

“The Mountain is Azor Ahai reborn, he killed the Night King.”

“...Before the civil war broke out, the Mountain did a lot of evil deeds... He was the most evil villain in the Seven Kingdoms...”

“That was when he was in a state of chaos and dementia, a very dark time. The gods may have all been dozing off then, just like there are always shadows under the sunlight.”

“............”

Arya was shocked. If Jon was the child of her aunt Lyanna, then she killed Jon's half-brother.

Among the six Stark children, Arya and Jon had a very close relationship. She had always regarded Jon as her own blood-related brother.

Arya calmed herself down. She believed Lady Jane's words. Since Jon was the only living descendant of Prince Rhaegar, from the Targaryen family's perspective, the Iron Throne's right of succession was not in Daenerys's hands, but belonged to Jon Targaryen.

Rhaegar was the crown prince, and his descendants had the right to inherit the throne.

The North had already become independent and would not compete for the Iron Throne. It was also impossible for an incestuous bastard to sit on the Iron Throne. The kingdom's power could not fall into the hands of the Lannister family, without a doubt. So, who should sit on the Iron Throne? Arya certainly wouldn't want Daenerys to sit on it. She didn't want the Targaryen family on the Iron Throne to conquer the North again, but if Jon could sit on the Iron Throne, that would certainly reassure Arya more than anyone else.

She understood Jon, she knew Jon's character was upright, just like her father Eddard.

“Lady Jane, if we nominate Jon to sit on the Iron Throne, will the Mountain and you support him?”

“Full support.”

“The Mountain will also support Jon?”

“Yes, I am very sure of that. The foreign soldiers Daenerys brought are here to plunder wealth, not to rebuild this land. They are grabbers and conquerors, and we are the true masters of this land.”

“You're right, Jon also grew up in the North, and like us, he is a person of this land. I understand him, he is upright, fair, peaceful, introverted, and honorable.”

Arya never stinted on her praise for Jon.

The world's top assassin is an emotional girl!

Arya's face glowed. She felt that she had found direction in the vortex of politics.

She couldn't stay here to control everything, she wanted to return to the North. And any king sitting on the Iron Throne could declare war on the North. But Lady Jane's words gave her direction, resolving her inner confusion and entanglement.

*

In the sky, Daenerys's voice was still echoing. She seemed to be the master of this world.

“How long is she going to shout?” Arya's tone contained a hint of contempt.

“She will leave.” Jane said indifferently.

“We must defeat her, and then help Jon onto the Iron Throne.”

“We will definitely win, without a doubt!” Lady Jane was full of confidence.

Arya noticed that Lady Jane had not shown any fear or heavy mood from beginning to end. Jane gave her a mountain-like sense of stability, which made her feel much more at ease.

Jane wasn't worried because she knew the Mountain's dragon was safe. The Mountain had passed the news to King's Landing, and Master of Information Bernie Crigan told Jane Westerling immediately. And before receiving definite news, Jane had not seen fragments of the dragon's misfortune through blood magic.

The dragon had left the North early and returned to the Cloud Mountains of the Moon Mountains, recuperating in the Dragon Cave. In the Dragon Cave, in the South, in the dragon's own nest, the damage from the cold recovered the fastest.

When the Mountain lost the dragon, who were the real allies, who were the real fierce generals, their loyalty and character were exposed.

*

Half an hour later, Daenerys finally flew away on her dragon. Hundreds of dragon-hunting crossbows were also covered with canvas again. In the evening, Jaime returned to King's Landing.

Maegor's Holdfast, Queen Mother's Hall. Jaime met Cersei.

Cersei was dressed luxuriously, with bright eyes and white teeth, but her eyes were even colder, and her arrogance was even more imposing.

This filled Jaime's heart with mixed feelings.

In this world, the person he loved the most was in front of him, but even though he had returned with a severed arm, even though all his thousand soldiers had died in battle, even though he had narrowly escaped death, Cersei still didn't show any of her former warmth or any expression of comfort, but instead seemed even more indifferent.

“Cersei, I saw Tyrion.” Jaime said. His face was full of weariness, and his hair and beard were too messy, so that he didn't have any of the glory of the captain of the Kingsguard. The way he looked with a body full of alcohol was like a beggar.

Jaime knew that Cersei wouldn't like him like this, she would only be disgusted. Cersei liked him clean, neatly dressed, energetic, while he now looked like a down-and-out person with the aura of death.

He was indeed very down-and-out!

“Hmm!” Cersei snorted softly.

“I saw two thousand warships, densely packed all over the sea. Behind the warships were hundreds of large merchant ships specially transporting most of the Dothraki cavalry. The navies of the Nine Free Cities were all persuaded by Tyrion to join them. Daenerys's total force reached 200,000, and she also has three dragons, while our reliance is first the Water Gate, and second the Mountain. Cersei, listen to a word, we cannot defeat Daenerys.”

“Are you afraid?”

“I am willing to die for you in battle, without frowning. They cannot break through the Water Gate, but they can land from Duskendale, the Stormlands, and the coastline of Claw Isle at multiple points. The geographical advantage of the Blackwater Rush estuary will not exist. And the Mountain has lost his dragon...”

“Don't forget, Master Tobho Mott has deployed hundreds of dragon-hunting crossbows throughout the city. Three small dragons only need three arrows.”

“I believe the dragon-hunting crossbows are very powerful, but Tyrion said that the dragons will only attack at night. If it is a stormy night, or a freezing cold dawn, the defending soldiers will be asleep, and the three dragons will attack from three directions, and can instantly burn down three dragon-hunting crossbow camps. As long as there is a gap in the deployment of the dragon-hunting crossbows, the three dragons will burn down the city walls at the gap, and 200,000 troops will pour in like a tide...”

Cersei sneered and looked at Jaime contemptuously: “Jaime, this is war, it's either you die or I die, there is no third option.”

“Give up the Iron Throne, return to the Westerlands, and you continue to be our Lord of the Westerlands. The Lannister's millennium foundation cannot be handed over to the Mountain.”

“The decree has been issued, Jaime.”

“Tyrion will kill the Mountain and his bandits and fierce generals, that is a decree that will not have any practical effect.”

“You want the Mountain to die?”

“The Mountain killed our father, Cersei!” Jaime's tone was heavy and tired.

“Hmph, you believed the lies that the Imp made up for you?”

“It wasn't the lies Tyrion told me, it was the Mountain himself that I asked.”

“The Mountain admitted it?”

“Yes.” Jaime emphasized his tone.

Jaime noticed that Cersei didn't have the shock she should have! She had a strange indifference and composure.

“You knew it already?” Jaime stared at Cersei and asked.

“I did know, you just told me.”

Jaime looked at Cersei, Cersei was too calm when she heard the news that her father was killed by the Mountain: “Cersei, the Mountain must die, the Westerlands must be taken back.”

“Jaime, have you thought it through?”

“I have thought it through very clearly, we cannot defend King's Landing. If we fight, we will all die. Tommen, Myrcella, the foundation of the Westerlands, will all be destroyed. But if we choose to take a step back and give up the Iron Throne, the Westerlands can be preserved, and you and the children will be safe.”

“You choose to surrender, do you think Daenerys will let you go? You killed her father.”

“I never thought she would let me go, but she will let you and the children go, and our Westerlands will still be surnamed Lannister, not anyone else, let alone the Mountain. Cersei... listen to me once...”

The throne had never had any attraction for Jaime. He entered the palace at the age of sixteen to be a Kingsguard, also to be with Cersei.

“But I will not surrender, I will choose to fight to the end.”

“We will definitely be defeated.” Jaime told himself to calm down, he said patiently, “Cersei, the Golden Company's 10,000 troops are all Daenerys's people, that is a wildfire barrel. Once the three dragons succeed in a sneak attack, just burning down one dragon-hunting crossbow camp means that a city gate will be lost, and the people of the Golden Company will launch a rebellion.”

“The Imp told you that the people of the Golden Company will rebel during the battle...”

“Cersei, the Spider Varys has been the Master of Information in this palace for nearly twenty years, he has many spies in this city, Tyrion and the senior generals in the Golden Company have contacted each other through Varys's little birds, Tyrion also sent private letters of persuasion to the courtiers, including Hand of the King Mace, Grand Maester Qyburn, and every noble in the Crownlands received Tyrion's private letter of persuasion, and most of the courtiers have replied and said they are ready to surrender.”

Cersei's face was stern!

However, she did not show the panic that Jaime was familiar with. Cersei should have shown her guilty conscience in anger and scolding when she heard this news, but Cersei didn't.

This made Jaime's sense of unfamiliarity with Cersei stronger!

Cersei had changed too much!

“We are doomed!” Cersei said with a very cold face, “The courtiers around us are all dishonorable cowards, and the Golden Company, which was disintegrated by the Mountain, has reunited and is going to betray their oaths again?”

“The Golden Company are mercenaries, they will only choose to stand on the side of the victor. The oath they swore is a joke. Cersei, listen to me once, we retreat, guard the family business of the Westerlands, and also Tommen and Myrcella.”

“Okay, I want you to give me a day.”

“Yes, Cersei.”

Jaime finally breathed a sigh of relief, he walked to the bench, took off his coat, and went to the wine cabinet to pour wine: “Cersei, I want to stay tonight.”

“No, you have to leave. Now, immediately!”

*

A rider came galloping, in white robe and white armor, the sound of horse hooves clattering, it was Ser Garlan Goodbrother of the Kingsguard.

He came to the Mud Gate camp.

The general guarding this city gate was Valentin Greigg, he was once the new commander of the Golden Company. When the Mountain appeared on the city head of Storm's End riding a dragon, he abandoned his sword and knelt down, swearing allegiance to the Mountain. After the Mountain rode the dragon north, he was incorporated into the Mountain's army by Brienne Tarth. After the army returned to King's Landing from Storm's End, Commander Balon Swann arranged for him to be responsible for defending this Mud Gate.

Mud Gate was the name the common people called this city gate, the real official name of this city gate was River Gate.

Garlan Goodbrother came to the Mud Gate barracks, without even entering the barracks. Soldiers came up to inquire, and after a while, Valentin Greigg rode on his horse and galloped towards the Red Keep with Garlan.

Soon, the two rode into the Red Keep, dismounted in front of the Maegor's Holdfast drawbridge, and walked onto the drawbridge with Garlan, entering Maegor's Holdfast.

Valentin Greigg followed Garlan into the Queen Mother's Hall, and he saw two other former Golden Company generals were also here, one was Leyton Hightower, and the other was Rowan Dalt. The Queen Mother Cersei stood in front of the chair, and Legal Counselor Lady Jane stood on her right hand side. On both sides of the hall stood the female general Brienne, the female general Zelli the Ox, General Luke of the Clegane's army, Commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces Balon Swann, Commander-in-chief of the City Watch Benlont Brown, and three other members of the Kingsguard...

As soon as Valentin entered, Cersei's eyes fell on his face: “General Valentin, give me the list of Golden Company generals who launched the rebellion, and I will not kill you.”

Valentin Greigg was stunned, and said: “Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I did not collude with the enemy...”

Cersei said: “Valentin, I have already given you a chance.”

“Your Majesty the Queen Mother, my loyalty is to the sky, the earth, the ocean...”

Halfway through his words, a sword pierced through his body from behind, piercing in from the back and out from the front chest...

Valentin's eyes widened, his whole body stood stiffly, and his throat made a hissing sound: “I... I, you... you guys...”

“We already knew that you were the leader of the rebellion.” Cersei said lightly.

The long sword was pulled out, and blood splattered from his chest! Valentin stretched out his hands, wanting to grab something, and staggered, he crashed to the ground with a bang.

Standing behind him was Garlan Goodbrother, who had brought him here.

“Leyton Hightower.” Cersei said lightly, “Are you willing to explain the details in exchange for your life, or...”

“Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I will speak!” Leyton Hightower said with a pale face.

“Good, you speak, we are listening.”

*

In the middle of the night, soldiers wearing golden cloaks appeared simultaneously in the Mud Gate barracks, the Iron Gate barracks, the King's Gate barracks, the Cobbler's Square, the Old Gate barracks, and other places. They were fully armed, holding sharp swords, and silently entered the barracks, stabbing at the sleeping people on the beds. A bloody smell permeated the tents, alarming the other soldiers. These soldiers were horrified to find that the leaders were either white-robed Kingsguard or gold-robed City Watch generals...

“Brothers, sleep, sleep, it has nothing to do with you. We are ordered by the King and the Hand of the King to kill the spies who are about to launch a rebellion.”

The next morning, hundreds of heads were hung upon the seven city gates. These heads mainly belonged to the Golden Company's high-ranking generals, centurions, and their guards. Twelve of the heads were those of royal court officials… When the news reached the Prime Minister's Tower, Lord Mays was restless, pacing back and forth in his study… He had already replied to the Imp, agreeing to be allies… Would Cersei the Queen Mother also find out about this matter…

Thank you to 【误删吾行】for the reward, grateful, handshake!