The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Bran can't ask the Faceless Men to act.” Arya said.

“Bran can't, but the Green Prophet Brynden Rivers definitely has his own ways.”

“Definitely?”

“Okay, I admit it's an assumption. I have a principle in doing things: prepare for the worst and get the best outcome. I hope you can remember this sentence.”

Arya Stark seemed unmoved: “The Mountain, if the Faceless Men really come to King's Landing, the one who should be most worried shouldn't be you, but me.”

“Oh?”

“You are the king, hiring the Faceless Men to assassinate the king of Westeros. That money can help you rebuild a kingdom. As for me, after leaving the House of Black and White, I have violated almost all the Faceless Men's precepts. I have used the name Arya Stark again, instead of No One; I used my skills to assassinate Cersei, which is personal revenge that the House of Black and White does not allow; if we want to kill, we must obtain the corresponding reward. If it is for justice, then we must release a person who is bound to die after killing one person, to maintain the balance of life and death to the Red God.”

“Red God?”

“Yes, the Red God!”

“The Red God Melisandre believes in?”

“Yes, the same god.”

The Mountain looked at Arya: “Melisandre has no swordsmanship or strength, but she can walk 20,000 miles alone unharmed. Her power should not be underestimated. And the danger will double when a beautiful woman walks on the road.”

“Red God priests have their own magical powers and protective skills.”

“Maybe you should communicate with Melisandre. I hope you can become stronger, Arya.”

Arya understood the Mountain's gaze: “The Mountain, the skills of the Red God priests are secret and will not be easily passed on to others.”

“You are not someone else, you are Arya Stark, a Faceless Man who believes in the Red God.”

Arya didn't hold any hope: “The Mountain, how much influence do you have over Melisandre?”

“If you agree, I am willing to try.”

“Agreed!” Arya said concisely.

“Good! — Ser Barristan Selmy, go and invite Lady Melisandre.” The Mountain shouted towards the door of the hall.

Soon, the captain of the Kingsguard, Barristan Selmy, pushed open the door of the hall, and Melisandre, radiant and radiant, stood at the door. She lived in luxury and had a good life in King's Landing.

“Lady Melisandre, I received news that the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White will come to King's Landing to deal with Arya Stark. I don't want anything to happen to Arya. Can your flames help her see the prophecy?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Your protective skills are magical powers, can you…”

“My shadow assassin needs the power contained in the blood of the royal family.”

The Mountain looked at Melisandre, rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscles like iron blocks, and he drew out a small knife: “Melisandre, do you have a blood bag?”

“Blood bags are always on my body.” Melisandre smiled like a flower blooming. Under the backdrop of the big red robe sleeves, her face was also rosy and charming.

The Mountain's knife slashed on his wrist, and blood flowed out: “Melisandre, if you need blood in the future, ask me for it, and don't sacrifice living people to the Red God again.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

“Madam, are many witchcrafts different in form, but in essence, they are actually connected, just like gods have a thousand faces.”

“The night is long and dangerous everywhere. Only the Red God is the only true god in the world.” Melisandre said as if singing. She didn't answer the Mountain's question.

The Mountain shrugged, wiped the blood off the knife with one hand, and inserted the knife into the sword belt.

Fresh red blood flowed continuously into Melisandre's blood bag. This time, the amount exceeded the amount she took with leeches ten times.

“I will provide you with royal blood, teach Arya to use shadow guards.”

“Is this an order, my king?”

“This is a request. If the Faceless Men come, none of us will be safe.”

“But I didn't see the prophecy of the Faceless Men coming in the flames.”

“Blood Raven is in Braavos.” The Mountain said in a deep voice. He didn't know if Blood Raven would hire the Faceless Men, but only by preparing for the worst can he get the best results. In Braavos, the three most feared forces are: the Faceless Men, the Iron Bank, and the Sea Lord.

The Mountain, who is afraid of death, would rather guess wrong than be careless.

Melisandre put the blood bag in her arms contentedly: “Arya, the night is long and dangerous everywhere. Do you believe in the Red God?”

“The god of death we believe in is also called the Thousand-Faced God, but we all know that it is actually the Red God. The starting sentence of all Faceless Men's magic spells is to pay tribute to the Red God.”

Melisandre looked at Arya Stark. She actually saw Arya's prophecy in the flames, but she couldn't say it, or, she didn't dare to say it. The prophecy in the flames made Melisandre dare not believe it, and she was afraid that she would misunderstand it again.

Out of awe for the prophecy of the flames, Melisandre would also deliberately get closer to Arya and teach her some of her skills to make her stronger. The gods they believe in have different words, but whether it is the god of death worshiped by the Faceless Men, or the Thousand-Faced God, they are actually the same god: the Red God! The Red God's starting sentence in the magic spell has already explained everything.

“Arya, would you like to go to my stone house?”

“I would be happy to, Lady Melisandre.”

*

Maiden's Quarters.

“Your Majesty, the Mountain is outside the door, please come out.” Missandei said.

“What's the matter?”

“General Bronn didn't say.”

“Okay!”

A moment later, Daenerys and Missandei walked out of the Maiden's Quarters. Outside the door of the Maiden's Quarters, stood the Mountain and his Kingsguard, as well as a royal guard led by Bronn. The Iron Guard wore white robes, and the Guard wore gold robes, with distinct colors.

Daenerys no longer had military generals by her side, nor did she have the three maids she used to have. Only Missandei followed her.

Jorah Mormont became a groom in the King's Landing garrison. As a groom, he was not qualified to approach the Maiden's Quarters, nor did he have the opportunity to get close to Daenerys Targaryen again. Daenerys's Iron Guard captain, Barristan Selmy, returned to his hometown and lived an anonymous life.

“Your Majesty.” In public, Daenerys was very respectful to the Mountain. In the Maiden's Quarters, she and Missandei both called him 'the Mountain'.

“Your Majesty, I am going to the Alchemist's Guild to invite you to see the wildfire results of the Grand Maester.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A sedan chair carried by four people was parked at the gate. The Mountain gestured, Daenerys opened the curtain and sat in it, while the Mountain rode the Red Smoke Beast. The accompanying generals and soldiers all rode horses. With an order, the sedan chair was lifted by four tall and strong soldiers, not on their shoulders, but lifted by hand, to the height of a person's waist.

The Mountain was in the front, and the group slowly walked out of the Red Keep.

Missandei walked, following beside the sedan chair. As long as Daenerys opened the curtain, she could talk to Missandei. Through the curtain, the two could also talk freely.

The Mountain used to have three horses when traveling, one horse for riding, one horse for carrying his shield and armor, and one horse for changing rides. After having the Red Smoke Beast, there were no horses accompanying him when not in battle. The Mountain, who was made king, wore less steel plate armor. Under the king's dress was a fine close-fitting chain mail, and under the chain mail was specially boiled leather. Chain mail plus leather, even the sharpest swords could not seriously injure the Mountain in an emergency.

Along the way, the Kingsguard guarded on both sides, and behind them were Bronn and his royal guards.

Since the start of the civil war, the Mountain has been invincible and always charged ahead. After becoming king, he became more cautious and careful. Even when traveling in King's Landing, he was accompanied by the Iron Guard and the Royal Guard. Once out of the city, in addition to the Iron Guard and the Royal Guard, there were also his Clegane personal guards of five hundred people.

With such strict protection, even a heavily paid assassin could not get close.

The person with the highest martial power is the most afraid of death, and the tallest and most burly giant is the most cautious.

Among the group, there were also two special women, one was the Red God priestess Melisandre, and the other was Arya Stark, the king's appointed personal guard. The two rode horses beside the Mountain, just like two flowers accompanying a beast in human skin.

Along the way, the common people loved the Mountain and cheered and paid tribute to the Mountain along the way.

Whoever gave the people food was their benefactor. The people's hearts were that simple. After the Mountain sat on the Iron Throne, he had to deal with complicated government affairs every day. Often, after the people who came to ask for help finished speaking, his decision was made, without any procrastination or any embarrassing moment. No matter if they were bullied by the most respected nobles, or if powerful merchants deducted their wages, the Mountain always said one sentence, let the people who asked for help bring Bronn to find that guy, and then solve the problem on the spot with force.

Nobles who beat the people, whether they were earls or barons, would be beaten by Bronn in the same way. Big merchants who deducted wages would not only be ordered to pay wages, but would also be brutally beaten by Bronn, and would also be fined one hundred times the wages to the national treasury.

No king of Westeros in the past had ever handled government affairs in this way. This was the barbaric method of a street gangster managing territory, but it was crowned with the supreme legitimacy of royal power.

The Mountain's approach made the arrogant nobles and wealthy tycoons who were accustomed to it very dissatisfied, but it won the hearts of the people in the city. The first case of the Mountain sitting on the Iron Throne to deal with the case of a high-ranking noble raping a groom's daughter spread throughout the city within a day. Earl Bishop was almost beaten to death by Bronn, and he would never be able to get close to women for the rest of his life, but this brutal treatment was considered by the earl's scholar to be a violation of the law, and was also condemned by other nobles in the royal territory, but it won the hearts of the people. After the news spread throughout the city, the people of the city took to the streets to support the king, and Bronn also changed from a brutal king's lackey to a hero in the mouths of the people.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Daenerys felt the people's love for the Mountain, which reminded her of the happy moment when she was supported by the people in Slaver's Bay and called 'Mhysa'. In Slaver's Bay, the Mother of Dragons was the 'Mhysa' of all the people. All the people believed that Daenerys was their mother, the Mother of God sent to Slaver's Bay to save them.

Daenerys suppressed the slave owners with the toughest means, forcing the slave owners to submit with force, but because they did not submit willingly, too many subsequent bloody events occurred. People who submit, the submission in their hearts is the seed of their rebellion.

Daenerys opened the curtain, and the Mountain's tall back was in front of her. She couldn't believe that the Mountain could be so loved by the people. How could a brutal and terrifying person win the hearts of the people? Unless he was not brutal or terrifying. But this 'Mountain turning good' cognition made Daenerys feel a distortion in her heart, and it was difficult to adapt. This made her feel very uncomfortable, twisted to the point of discomfort, and it felt like there was a crab pinching in her stomach.

The Mountain rode the Red Smoke Beast, moving forward at a walking pace, accepting the tributes from the people on both sides. He knew very well in his heart that the more popular support he received, the more he would be hated and feared by some nobles and wealthy tycoons who violated the law. But he liked this way, dealing with the nobles' habitual barbarity and cruelty towards the common people in an absolutely simple and violent way. This did not conform to the law's preferential treatment of the nobles, but it conformed to his reputation as the chief evildoer of the Seven Kingdoms. He was still the brutal Mountain. The only difference was that he became the king, and every time he took action, it was not a forced seizure, but had a legitimacy to maintain justice and the dignity of the kingdom's laws.

The nobles committed the crime first!

In a short period of time, the Mountain gained a new title that was secretly circulating among the nobles and wealthy merchants: Violent King!

*

The Grand Maester heard that His Majesty the King had arrived in person, and hurriedly came outside the gate to greet him.

As the Grand Maester who fought side by side with the Mountain in the Battle of Winterfell in the North, he had not only respect for the Mountain as the king, but also the camaraderie of comrades. The people who believed the most that the Mountain was the son of God were the Grand Maester and the Seven Gods believers who possessed magical powers.

The more people who believe in mysterious powers: wizards, grand masters, nuns, and alien people - the more they believe that the Mountain is Azor Ahai reincarnated.

The Mountain got off the Red Smoke Beast, came to Daenerys's sedan chair, opened the curtain, and stretched out his hand to invite Daenerys out of the sedan chair. Daenerys's hand was placed in the Mountain's giant hand, just like a piece of snow-white jade was placed on a black plate.

Daenerys's beauty was like a light, giving the gate of the Alchemist's Guild a special and different brilliance.

The Grand Maester led the way in front, leading the Mountain, Daenerys, Melisandre, Arya, Barristan Selmy, Bronn and others into the guild hall. Members of the Kingsguard and the Royal Guard guarded the guild gate on both sides.

“Grand Maester, has the wildfire bomb succeeded?”

“Your Majesty, I hope our experiment can meet your requirements.”

“Oh, that's fast!”

“With Your Majesty's order, the Alchemist's Guild dares not go all out.” The Grand Maester said humbly, but there was no humility in his tone.

The Mountain and the Grand Maester looked at each other, and they both had a tacit understanding and laughed at the same time.

Daenerys noticed that everything in this Alchemist's Guild was brand new, which made her feel strange, because she knew that the Alchemist's Guild had existed for at least three hundred years.

“Grand Maester, is this a newly decorated guild?”

“Yes, His Majesty the King paid for the renovation. That was a lot of money. His Majesty the King ordered hundreds of the best craftsmen in the entire royal territory to renovate our guild in a very short period of time. The tables, chairs, furniture, cups, plates and dishes we use are all new.”

"The Pyromancer's Guild played the biggest role in resisting the Others. Their contribution is even greater than mine. It's just that everyone is more focused on my killing the Night King, and they've overlooked the immense contribution of the Pyromancer's Guild. I'm paying to renovate the Guild and add some furniture and daily necessities. Compared to the Guild's enormous contribution to saving the entire continent, it's really insignificant. The Grand Maester is my teacher," the Mountain said humbly.

Daenerys felt the crabs in her stomach pinching again, but this time, the pain was much lighter.

Whenever Daenerys noticed how different the Mountain was from the rumors, an invisible crab would pinch her stomach hard.