The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 81: Jani Slays Dani

Flour Street. The pleasure house.

“Lydia, I want Santia too.”

The beautiful Lydia's eyes sparkled: “Ian, two people, double the money.”

“Shh, shh, shh, on top of double the money, I'll add another double.” Ian was radiant, his generosity overwhelming.

Lydia giggled, she shouted out to the open door: “Santia, Ian wants you too.”

“His little body, he can't even handle you, and he wants me? Can he afford it?!” A charming voice called back.

“Ian promised to pay double the double money!”

“Where's his money? I want to see the money first.” Santia turned out from the doorway, her almost infant-like body glowing like satin.

Ian revealed a big, proud smile, took out a gold dragon from his pocket, and then another. The two gold dragons clinked together in his hand, a crisp and pleasant sound.

Lydia and Santia had never seen Ian so generous, nor had they ever seen Ian so rich. Ian was a gambler, a thief, a rogue, and also a small-time thug under Bernie. He was an utter pauper.

“Today is the happiest day of my life, the brothers are all celebrating, and my celebration is to come here and have both of you.” The thin Ian's eyes sparkled, as if he had encountered the greatest joy.

“We sisters all know, everyone is drinking to celebrate because Mountain has become king.” Lydia stripped herself to her most natural state, curling up on the bed like a kitten.

“It was divine guidance, the bastard king and the High Septon had the same dream at the same time, the Seven Gods showed the divine will through the dream, the prophecy told the bastard and the High Septon that Mountain is the true king of Westeros.” Santia giggled silently as she walked in. She came to Ian, wrapped her arms around Ian's neck, hanging all her weight on him.

“Lydia, Santia, I work for Bernie, and Bernie is loyal to Mountain, and Mountain is now the king, haha, hahaha, all the brothers in the city are in high spirits today, all kinds of wine in the city are sold out. There are so many drunkards on the streets. I, Grandpa Ian, will soon be able to find a job in the court. I've always been on the side of King Gregor Clegane.” Ian said proudly.

Ian's pride and self-importance were palpable, as if the next moment, Gregor Clegane I would personally come to invite him to be a chief minister.

Lydia and Santia both giggled.

Ian had also drunk too much, today, the sisters in the pleasure house, seemed to have not met a man who wasn't drunk.

*

Blackwater Rush, the port. The Sea Bird merchant ship from Pentos.

“Hey, Prescott, where are your workers? My spices, flour, and cloth need to be moved into the city immediately.”

A burly, tree-like bare-chested man stood on the gangplank getting off the ship, looking back at the plump captain in brocade clothes: “Captain Meron, starting today, the Sea Bird won't have any porters for three consecutive days.”

“No, no, no, you can't do this, Prescott, I paid you a deposit a week ago.”

“So what? We want to celebrate the man from Crackclaw Point sitting on the Iron Throne.”

“Hehehe, what does Mountain sitting on the Iron Throne have to do with you? You're just laborers for life, I want you to gather your men and get to work immediately, Prescott.” The captain's tone became stern.

Foreman Prescott looked at the captain with disdain: “Captain Meron, we are all from Crackclaw Point. Mountain is also from Crackclaw Point, he put on the crown in the Great Sept of Baelor today, aren't you going to allow us to celebrate?”

“We have an agreement, Prescott.”

“So what? You can terminate the contract, but see who dares to move your goods into the city today. The porters on the Blackwater Rush port docks are all from Crackclaw Point, captain. If you want to unload smoothly and return to Pentos, you better go into the city and have fun for three days first.”

After speaking, Prescott strode away.

Captain Meron opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, he watched Prescott leave with his own eyes. He looked around, seeing the sailors, porters, and maids on the large and small cargo ships also disembarking. And on the hundred or so docks, groups of three or five men and women sat on the ground in circles, they were drinking and singing. Some were even using wooden barrels and pottery basins as percussion instruments, banging and clanging randomly.

“Captain, I think we should go into the city and find a pleasure house.” A hired knight shrugged and said to Captain Meron.

*

On the streets, children were running, shouting: “Mountain is the chosen one, divine guidance from the Seven Gods, Mountain has become king, Mountain has become king.”

Cobbler's Square was crowded with people, mostly commoners, men and women, old and young, they were huddled together discussing, some girls linked arms and danced a harvest dance, and someone next to them played a rhythm for them with wooden barrels or hands. On the other side, hundreds of men were crowded together talking about something, and from time to time, bursts of loud laughter erupted from the crowd.

The taverns on Steel Street were filled with loud, boisterous blacksmiths, they were all bare-armed, muscles bulging, discussing the short history of the blacksmith king Gendry Baratheon, and they were even more enthusiastically exaggerating and embellishing how the blacksmith king voluntarily gave the throne to Mountain because of a dream oracle, as if they had slept with the blacksmith Gendry Baratheon I last night.

Mud Gate Square, the guards of the seven city gates, the Red Keep guards, the Maegor's Holdfast guards, the Clegane Legion stationed at the seven city gates, the Vale Legion, the Royal Navy fleet in Blackwater Rush port, the Clegane fleet, the Iron Islands fleet, the Redwyne fleet, and other places were all filled with clamorous voices, soldiers, knights, and generals were all discussing, with one topic: Mountain put on the crown in the Great Sept of Baelor, and this national event that had not been announced in advance was said to be guided by the same dream oracle received by Gendry I and the High Septon.

The news was sudden, and it came quickly, as if in just a heartbeat, the news of Mountain's sudden coronation in the Sept had spread to every corner of the city. And this news, because it was corroborated by the bells of the Great Sept of Baelor, no one among the hundreds of thousands of citizens and tens of thousands of soldiers in the city suspected that the rumors were false. People spontaneously celebrated, the wine merchants throughout the city quickly sold out their stockpiled wine, and the pleasure houses were flooded with excited patrons.

The entire King's Landing seemed like a wild beast suddenly aroused and in heat.

*

The Red Keep. The throne room.

Daenerys stood in the hall, a hint of doubt flashing in her purple eyes: “Mountain has become king?” Her voice was full of disbelief. This was too sudden.

“It seems that way, Your Majesty.” Jorah Mormont said. Jorah's expression was equally surprised.

The news was brought back by the royal herald.

As soon as Mountain was crowned in the Sept, Littlefinger stood up and ordered the royal herald to announce the news throughout the city, and the Red Keep naturally received this shocking news.

When the herald shouted loudly in front of the bronze gate of the Red Keep, the guards on the city walls were equally surprised.

The news was like the wind, perhaps even faster than the wind, possibly in just an instant, the news of Mountain's coronation spread throughout the Red Keep.

Daenerys and her party, who were waiting in the throne room for the king and prime minister to return, also heard the news.

After Daenerys was captured by Mountain with a trick, she never expressed submission to Mountain, although she surrendered, she said that the only person she was willing to submit to was the king, never Mountain. Her resistance and hostility towards Mountain stemmed from Mountain's deception of her.

Mountain had given her a long speech and proposed a peaceful truce, she had agreed, and then, just as she was letting her guard down, she was captured by Mountain with a 'handshake' and lost her freedom. Her legions were also subsequently controlled and forced to submit.

This was not a true defeat, nor was it a voluntary surrender, it was just Mountain's trickery succeeding, which made the strong-willed Daenerys unconvinced in her heart.

Only in the face of Mountain's brutality and bloodlust did Daenerys reluctantly agree to surrender to Mountain in order to prevent her loyal soldiers from being slaughtered.

“How could this be?” Daenerys said subconsciously.

“Your Majesty, Bran said that Mountain would become king. His ambition is to conquer two continents, if he doesn't become king, what if the new king doesn't agree with his conquests?” Barristan Selmy, the fearless, said calmly.

“He first usurps the Iron Throne, seizes absolute power, and then fully attacks Essos?” Daenerys said. Daenerys's mind was not stupid, she just lacked luck.

“I think so, Your Majesty. Mountain is a scheming trickster.” Barristan Selmy concluded about Mountain, “Gendry I must have been forced to abdicate, in the name of God.”

*

The Great Sept of Baelor.

The complicated and extremely tedious final ceremony of crowning the new king.

Mountain stood on the altar.

On his left stood Gendry Baratheon, and on his right stood the avatar of the Seven Gods: the High Septon.

Below the altar, courtiers, military generals, nobles, ladies, and maidens were crowded.

Mountain wore a crown, standing in the middle of the altar like a giant. The High Septon wearing the seven-pointed crown next to him looked like a clown. The muscular and burly Gendry was just a half-grown boy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I didn't know that today's divine guidance ceremony was to crown me, I'm still... a little at a loss... this is too surprising and... confusing... uh... in the short time I walked from under the altar to the altar, I've been thinking about whether I should accept this crown...” Mountain's eyes swept across the audience, and under his mighty temperament, a rare look of hesitation appeared.

“Your Majesty, in the Battle of Winterfell in the North, was the Night King killed by you?” Littlefinger said loudly.

Mountain stared at Littlefinger, without answering.

“Your Majesty, you exposed the secrets of Cersei and Jaime's incest in the palace, forcing the false king Tommen I to flee, these are all your merits.” Bernie Clegane said.

“Your Majesty, the long night is long and treacherous everywhere. You can refuse the throne, but you cannot refuse divine guidance. Without the protection of the gods, you cannot kill the Night King, nor can you be victorious in every battle. Dragons and unicorns all serve you as their master, these are not powers that mortals can achieve.” Lady Melisandre said lightly.

“Your Majesty, congratulations on becoming the new king of Westeros.” The High Septon announced loudly.

So, Gendry Baratheon knelt on one knee in front of Mountain: “Your subject Gendry congratulates Your Majesty on ascending the throne.”

This was a signal, probably someone had taught Gendry beforehand.

So, under the altar, except for the nuns and monks, everyone knelt on one knee together, and under the lead of the High Septon, everyone said together: “Congratulations to Duke Gregor Clegane on ascending the throne.” The sound was thunderous, echoing through the hall.

“Please rise, ladies and gentlemen, ladies, knights, maidens, and warriors.”

Everyone got up, there were too many people, the armor of the military generals and guards rubbed and collided, the sound was clanging and thunderous.

Mountain scanned the audience, the hint of hesitation from just now had disappeared, completely invisible.

“Ser Gendry Clegane.” Mountain said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gendry knelt on one knee again.

“You are of Baratheon blood, the rightful heir to Storm's End, according to the kingdom's laws and traditions, Storm's End is yours. Your title is no longer Ser, but Duke.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, let us congratulate Duke Gendry Baratheon of Storm's End.”

Wow!

Applause thundered in the hall!

*

Jon Targaryen did not applaud, he was at the very back of the crowd, watching all this coldly.

Mountain had become the king of a country just like that, as false as a dream. Would Mountain order the conquest of the North after becoming king?

If Daenerys and Bran were telling the truth, how could a crazy ambitious man who wanted to conquer two continents tolerate the independent kingdom of the North?

Three hundred years ago, the King of the North led his troops south to fight Aegon Targaryen the Conqueror, and when the dragon appeared in the sky, the King of the North immediately knelt down and submitted. To this day, there is still a famous inn in the place where the King of the North knelt down and submitted: the Kneeling Man at the Red Fork in the Riverlands!

The Kneeling Man is famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and it has been around for three hundred years.

Mountain, who possesses dragons and unicorns, cannot be resisted by Stark of the North. The natural barrier of the North, Moat Cailin, is just a formality for dragons.

Jon Targaryen's black eyes stared at Mountain, his expression heavy, without joy.

*

On the altar, Mountain's voice continued: “In the 298th year of Aegon's Conquest, the kingdom broke out in civil war, the flames of war spread throughout the country, the lives of the people became difficult, and the territories and property of the nobles also suffered huge losses, I announce that all the nobles and people of Westeros, from today onwards, are exempt from taxes for one year.”

Under the altar, applause thundered, and cheers rose one after another.

This tax exemption made the nobles very happy.

“Your Majesty, after years of war and turmoil, the kingdom's treasury is already empty.” Finance Minister Littlefinger stepped out of the ranks and said loudly.

“If the national treasury is empty, we will find our own way. In the Seven Kingdoms, who doesn't know that Lord Petyr only needs to grind a gold coin, and one will turn into two.” Mountain faced the ministers: “Ladies and gentlemen, am I right?”

“Yes!” All the nobles answered together, and laughter rang out.

Littlefinger smiled, not the familiar narrow smile, but a wry smile. This made everyone truly happy and joyful.

The Mountain raised his hand, and the noisy cheers of the entire arena immediately ceased, becoming completely silent. This pleased the Mountain greatly. "I hereby announce, in the name of the Seven Gods, that all criminals in the national dungeons are to be pardoned. All death row inmates will join the legion and be trained as soldiers."

The Minister of Justice, Jeyne Westerling, said, "Your Majesty, there is still a group of surrendered prisoners in the throne room, led by the false queen Daenerys Targaryen. How does Your Majesty intend to judge them? Will you pardon them and give them freedom, or will you judge them for their crimes of invasion?"

"Lady Jeyne, you are the Minister of Justice. I would like to hear your opinion."

"Incorporate her subordinates and behead the false queen Daenerys Targaryen!"