The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 844: Daenerys Escapes – Arya Justifies Herself

Night. Maegor's Holdfast. Queen Jeyne Westerling's Queen's Ballroom.

– Though called a ballroom, it had become the Queen Mother's council chamber during Cersei's time. The hall, capable of accommodating over a hundred dancers, had been redesigned into a high-end establishment with bars and gathering places for nobles to hold meetings and small parties, except for the dance floor which was still preserved.

Jeyne sat in the bar, with Boros Blount reporting confidential matters to her.

"Your Grace, Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Messalina, and Daenerys Targaryen have quietly left the Red Keep through the bronze gate, heading towards the Iron Gate."

"Were they disguised?"

"Yes, Jorah is a stablehand, Missandei and Messalina are servants, and Daenerys is wearing a guardsman's uniform."

"Did they bribe the guards at the Maidenvault?"

"According to my little birds, Daenerys thanked the soldiers for their loyal protection during the day and treated the guards of the Maidenvault to drinks. Captain Bronn enjoys his liquor. Missandei, having served the slave masters of Slaver's Bay for a long time, also has some tricks up her sleeve."

"Did they drug the wine?"

"I believe so."

"Lord Boros, Daenerys fears I will harm her, so she's traveling at night. What do you suggest?"

Boros Blount smiled, "Your Grace, my little birds are following them all the way."

"Your little birds probably can't follow them all the way."

Boros smiled mysteriously again, "Your Grace is right. My little birds will tail them until they leave the city, and once they are out of King's Landing, others will follow them."

"Others?"

"Yes, others who are more skilled and mysterious than the little birds."

"Oh? Who are they?"

"Beggars, wandering poets, traveling singers, mercenaries, whores, carters… the silent and mysterious Silent Sisters, monks, or sorcerers. Their identities are diverse."

"The Stranger?!" Jeyne felt a slight tremor in her heart.

"Yes, Your Grace, the Stranger."

*

The Stranger, the most mysterious and unknown intelligence organization in Westeros. No one knows who the leader of the Stranger is, and no one can truly understand the Stranger's secrets. The world only knows that as long as you can afford it, you can buy any information you want from the Stranger. However, this kind of organization is as elusive as clouds, and very few people can contact them.

The Stranger is also one of the seven gods in the Faith of the Seven, forming the state religion of Westeros along with the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Crone, the Smith, and the Warrior. The statue of the Stranger in the sept is neither male nor female, yet androgynous, neither human nor like humans, unknown and unknowable. His half-human, oval face is black, his eyes are two stars, forever hidden under a hood, his face is the face of death. The Stranger symbolizes death and the unknown, symbolizing the foreigner who wanders here from afar, eternally exiled. No one sings praises to the Stranger, and few believers worship him, but usually wanderers associate themselves with the Stranger. In the doctrines of the faith, the Stranger is responsible for guiding the dead to the afterlife. And the Silent Sisters in the sept are often called the wives of the Stranger.

The Silent Sisters wear grey robes, covering their faces with scarves, leaving only their eyes visible. They are the only race that can talk to the dead. The Silent Sisters travel all over the continent, and they have missions unknown to outsiders: either fulfilling a vow somewhere at the behest of someone, or fulfilling a wish for the dead somewhere. The Silent Sisters do not speak to people wherever they appear. Their accommodation and meals on the journey are generally free. Even the most savage and fierce mercenaries and bandits will put away their swords when they encounter the Silent Sisters. People in this world, whether nobles or bandits, by common consent, will not treat the Silent Sisters maliciously.

In the House of Black and White in Braavos, there is an altar dedicated to the Stranger. The followers of the Many-Faced God believe that the Stranger is the name of the Many-Faced God in Westeros.

*

Jeyne was a little surprised. Boros Blount had some kind of connection with the Stranger organization, and it seemed that this connection was not superficial.

"Boros, I've heard that as long as you give the Stranger money, you can buy any information you want. Is the rumor true?"

"Your Grace, the Stranger organization is very powerful and spread throughout our kingdom, but it is not magical enough to know any secret in the world. But they do know secrets that many people cannot know. Their ability gives me the feeling of being a seer."

Jeyne's heart stirred again.

A seer?! Jeyne thought of the name of a seer who had once plotted to kill the Mountain, but the plan failed.

"Boros, I heard that the Stranger in Westeros and the Faceless Men in Braavos have a very secret internal connection. Do you know the specific situation?"

"I don't know, Your Grace. The Strangers I know take money to do things. Once they accept employment, their loyalty to the client's instructions is like their faith in the Stranger. The Faceless Men have a doctrine called, 'Name spoken, death comes.' And the Stranger also has a similar doctrine. As long as they accept a commission and receive the client's money, they will definitely go to find out the most accurate information. The Faceless Men reap lives, while the Stranger never kills."

Jeyne pondered slightly, her mind racing, and she instantly thought of many questions. She did not believe in the Stranger's principle of never killing. She believed that since the Stranger had to probe the most secret secrets, it would inevitably kill people, but certainly not using the Stranger's face and name.

"Boros, dealing with such a mysterious organization as the Stranger still requires great caution. The Green Prophet Brynden Rivers has gone to Braavos, and he harbors deep hostility towards us. The pit murder plan on Dragonstone has already given us a bloody lesson. There has always been a rumor that the Stranger organization on our continent is a branch of the Faceless Men organization in Braavos."

"That may not be the case," Boros Blount said with a very certain tone, but with an uncertain meaning.

"Oh?!" Jeyne's bright eyes stared at Boros' face. Boros' loyalty was beyond doubt. He and his wife, Zerilda, were granted their current status and glory by the Mountain. Boros even had the Blount surname now, he had become a member of the Clegane family.

"Your Grace, regarding some secrets of the Stranger, because of some prior promises and transaction rules, it may not be convenient for me to tell Your Grace. The thing I am most worried about now is that Daenerys is probably about to leave the city gate. Do you need me to send someone to capture them back, or should Your Grace send General Varamyr ahead?"

Varamyr—the most famous skinchanger among the free folk of the North—can control six beasts at the same time to fight for him. The mountain eagles in the sky and all kinds of small birds can become his eyes and ears. As long as Varamyr takes action, everything can be solved quickly and perfectly. The Stranger is only responsible for stalking and probing information. They will not capture anyone for the client, nor will they kill anyone for the client.

"Just let the Stranger follow them. There's no need to catch them back," Jeyne said lightly. A strange thought arose in her heart. The Stranger was mysterious and valuable, but Boros was able to hire them to tail Daenerys and her party. How much would that cost? Or, did Boros not need to pay?

The prices of the Faceless Men and the Stranger are very expensive, of course, the price of the Faceless Men is sky-high, which the Stranger cannot compare with. But being able to hire the Stranger is also an extremely expensive fee.

Jeyne Westerling's words stunned Boros Blount. Daenerys was fleeing King's Landing, and the Queen, who was determined to capture Daenerys during the day and send her to the Gillyflower Academy to be tortured and humiliated, was actually saying that there was no need to capture them back?!

Boros suspected he had misheard?!

But looking at the Queen's expression, there was nothing wrong or unusual. This made Boros involuntarily lick his lips, a small detail reaction to his inner anxiety. "Your Grace, if Daenerys escapes successfully, when the King returns, how should we explain to the King?" Boros Blount's worries overflowed from his words.

"You don't have to worry. Go to the Maidenvault and wake up the drunken Bronn with cold water, and have the guards tie him up and hang him on the bronze gate of the Red Keep."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"You don't have to deal with the other drunken and derelict soldiers. Report to Prime Minister Jon and let the Prime Minister deal with it according to the law."

"Your Grace, if this matter is reported to the Prime Minister, I am afraid that Prime Minister Jon will personally deal with Bronn."

Jeyne pondered for a moment. There was indeed this trouble. Prime Minister Jon was stern and impartial and would definitely severely punish Bronn.

"How about this, go tell Prime Minister Jon, tell him that neither I nor the King want him to cut off Bronn's head. Bronn is a useful talent, and his loyalty is trusted by both me and the King."

"Yes, Your Grace. If Prime Minister Jon sends Commander Rolph Spicer to lead troops to capture Daenerys?"

"Then tell him not to bother. Daenerys is not running away, she is going to chase after the King."

Boros' mouth opened into an unclosable O shape.

"Daenerys will not run away, she will choose to fight me. What happened during the day completely angered her. She feels that her life will be very unsafe if she stays in King's Landing, so she decided to sneak out to find His Majesty the King. In Westeros, she believes that His Majesty the King is the only one who can keep her safe."

"…What if… what if… Your Grace… you are mistaken…"

"I won't be wrong. Daenerys will not abandon her dragons. Her dragons are in the Mountains of the Moon, with His Majesty the King's dragon, Sheepstealer. Also, she is a rare and strong-willed woman. She will never forget the humiliation I gave her today," Jeyne smiled slightly.

"…Oh…"

*

Morning. Sunlight sprinkled on the ground like gold. The wind blew on people's faces, with a cold, sharp feeling. The sunlight seemed to have no warmth at all. In Winterfell in the North, it was already a day of heavy snow.

On the King's Road heading north. The Mountain and Arya Stark galloped forward together. Behind them was the mighty Clegane Household Guard. The hooves of thousands of the finest warhorses pounded densely on the road, like thunder, causing the bluestone road of the King's Road and the nearby ground to tremble slightly.

The Mountain rode on Red Smoke, and Red Smoke slowed down so that the soldiers could keep up. Each soldier had two of the purest bred warhorses from Crackclaw Point. And the centurions and squad leaders each had three horses.

Melisandre rode on a warhorse, her red robe fluttering, as beautiful as a fairy.

"Arya, do you have anything to say to me?" The Mountain asked Arya beside him.

Arya glared at the Mountain with her sharp eyes. Her warhorse tried hard to run, but it could barely keep up with Red Smoke's speed before it even exerted its full strength.

Arya's eyes had already answered the Mountain. She had nothing to say to the Mountain.

The Mountain smiled, "Arya, on the night of Daenerys' banquet for me, you and Lady Melisandre went to the Alchemists' Guild. Do you have anything to say to me?"

"No!" Arya frowned slightly. Obviously, she had no interest in talking to the Mountain.

"There should be," the Mountain reminded Arya again.

"Mountain, I used your face, but I didn't do anything bad, and I didn't hurt your honor. I have a sense of propriety," Arya said seriously.

The Mountain chuckled dumbly, "Arya, you used the Faceless Men's disguise skills to dress up as me and talk to the Archmaester about the secrets of fire, and you dare to say so righteously that you didn't hurt my honor?"

"I did all this to protect you. What did I do wrong?" Arya's tone rose slightly, and her brows furrowed again and again. Impatience also appeared in her eyes. She was not impatient with the Mountain, she was impatient with the snitch. "Who told you, my great King, was it Lady Melisandre?"

"What do you think?!"

Arya looked back at Lady Melisandre. Lady Melisandre immediately noticed the unkindness in Arya's eyes. She tilted her head slightly, and her beautiful eyes showed an inquiring question.

"If it wasn't Melisandre, then who was it?" Arya questioned the Mountain.

The Mountain laughed loudly. It was clear that Arya had overstepped the rules, but now it had become that she was right and the Mountain was wrong.

"Are you going to deal with the snitch?" The Mountain asked.

"I just want to know who the villain is so that I can stay away from him in the future."

"It's the Archmaester."

Arya was stunned. She was speechless. This answer was completely unexpected to her. Then she flicked her whip, and with a crisp snap, her warhorse shot out, running in front of Red Smoke.

The whip cracked in the air, but it did not hit the horse. Although Arya felt embarrassed, she still did not want to whip her warhorse.

The Mountain squeezed his legs slightly, and Red Smoke understood. It exerted a little force and easily caught up with Arya. Red Smoke and Arya's warhorse moved forward side by side.

"Arya, you underestimated the Archmaester. You dressed up as me and asked him about some secrets of fire. He already saw that you were not me, but he still answered all your questions. Do you know why?"

"…………"

"He believes that your future will be amazing! He is willing to help you!"

"…Oh…" Arya shrugged. "Has your interrogation ended? My King!"