The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 896: Edmure Has Thorns in His Heart

One month later. The West. Casterly Rock.

From afar, Duke Edmure Tully, riding a tall horse, saw the majestic city walls and the dense array of banners fluttering on them.

"My lady, the city walls are much higher than before!" Edmure said to Aelinor Westerling in the carriage.

"Edmure, Casterly Rock was completely renovated a year ago. When you came a few years ago, there were many collapsed areas in the city walls, but they have long been repaired. My elder brother, Reynard, has heightened the original city walls by several feet and newly built crenellations, arrow slits, and murder holes. The number of soldiers in Casterly Rock has also increased from the original five hundred to the current five thousand."

"I heard that the territory has also expanded a lot. How much exactly has it expanded?"

"Four years ago, with the help of my brother-in-law, Father not only recovered all the original territory but also expanded it by two hundred and fifty miles to the north, and seventy miles to the east and south. The north reaches the sea, and the east and west are adjacent to the borders of Castamere and the halls of House Tarbeck."

"Oh, are those lords convinced?" Edmure was a little surprised. Casterly Rock had expanded so much in such a short period. After the Mountain became king, the Westerling family had indeed risen to prominence.

Aelinor Westerling chuckled from inside the carriage. "Edmure, the Westerling family of Casterly Rock never seizes by trickery. Our family motto is 'Honor, Not Honors.' We never bother to do dishonorable things."

"My lady, are you saying that the lords on those lands voluntarily submitted to the Westerling family?" Edmure said with a smile, his laughter filled with irony.

"That's exactly right!" Lady Aelinor replied calmly.

Edmure laughed heartily.

The captain of the guard, Norris Clegane, said, "Duke, according to what I know, the lords near Casterly Rock did voluntarily submit to the Westerling family."

Edmure chuckled. "Norris, I naturally know that what my lady says is true. I'm laughing at those lords for being petty people who cling to the powerful. I'm afraid there aren't many loyal and brave men among them. The Mountain became king, there are dragons flying in the sky and red smoke beasts on the ground. He is also a divine envoy, a messenger of light, and the Clegane army is strong. The Mountain is also the Master of War for the Seven Kingdoms. The small lords near Casterly Rock used to take advantage of the Westerling family's decline, each trying to profit. Now that the situation has reversed, they are all turning with the wind, voluntarily wagging their tails to be dogs. Heh heh, the people of the northern part of the Westerlands don't have as much integrity and loyalty as my Riverlands vassals."

Edmure's words were not without sarcasm.

"Duke, the Riverlands vassals are indeed loyal and brave, such as House Frey of the Twins. They trampled on guest right and brazenly plotted the Red Wedding. If it weren't for His Majesty, the Stark family of the North and their most loyal vassal generals would have been killed. Among them was your sister, Lady Catelyn Tully," Aelinor said with a slow chuckle.

Edmure Tully's breathing immediately hitched.

"And Harrenhal, which used to belong to the Riverlands, is now the territory of Littlefinger Petyr Baelish. The God's Eye, with its first-rate fish resources, has also become a large piece of fat meat in Littlefinger's territory. The Riverlands vassals are brave and loyal, but unfortunately, Duke Edmure was unable to keep Harrenhal, which originally belonged to his vassal's territory."

Edmure's face turned pale, Harrenhal was a thorn in his heart. In fact, it wasn't just Harrenhal, but also House Mooton of Maidenpool. House Mooton had already married one of the Mountain's adopted sons, and Lord Mooton had formally proposed to Edmure that he would submit to the Mountain's royal territory. This matter made Edmure so angry that he couldn't sleep for days.

House Mooton of Maidenpool was also a thorn in Edmure's heart.

Edmure didn't think that his authority wasn't enough to subdue House Mooton. He believed that the Mountain was secretly supporting Lord Mooton, which was why he resented the Mountain.

After entering the territory of the Westerling family of Casterly Rock, whenever Edmure mentioned the Mountain, he didn't use honorifics, nor did he call him His Majesty the King, but directly called him the Mountain with a playful tone.

After being rebuffed by Aelinor, Edmure choked with anger, but he couldn't lose his temper. He said with a forced smile, "My lady, after Sansa's wedding is over, I will naturally ask the Mountain to return Harrenhal."

And of course, House Mooton of Maidenpool. House Mooton swore allegiance to House Tully and is a vassal of House Tully. He must not allow Lord Mooton to defect to the Mountain. Maidenpool has never been a royal territory, never before, and of course, it cannot be when Edmure is in charge.

"Duke, if you call my brother-in-law the Mountain to his face in Casterly Rock, you will definitely not get Harrenhal back," Lady Aelinor asserted.

"Hehe, my lady, although the Mountain is now king, according to Sansa's seniority, I am his elder; according to your relationship, I am also his brother-in-law. The Tully family and the Clegane family are already one family, blood is thicker than water. I call him the Mountain out of brotherly closeness, and there is no disrespect to him."

"Edmure, the Mountain is already the great and respected King—Duke—the three free trade city-states of Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath across the Narrow Sea have all submitted to him. The most powerful khals on the Dothraki Sea have also been conquered by him alone. He is greater than all the previous Westerosi kings. My dear husband, I think it's best if you address him as His Majesty the King in public and in private."

The captain of the guard, Norris Clegane, was originally one of the Mountain's sworn men. The Mountain had selected him from the refugees in King's Landing as a spearman and trained him to grow in battle. His loyalty to the Mountain was unwavering. He thought to himself: Duke Edmure, His Majesty the King has been in many wars, but the Riverlands has not sent troops to follow him, nor has the Duke ridden his warhorse and fought alongside His Majesty like other lords. Compared to other lords, the Riverlands has made no contribution to the establishment of the new kingdom. We are approaching Casterly Rock, and the Duke is talking about King Gregor Clegane with ridicule and jest in public and in private. I advise you to address him as His Majesty the King.

However, as a captain protecting Aelinor, Norris Clegane was a vassal of Duke Edmure, and to avoid suspicion, he didn't express his inner thoughts.

The sound of horses' hooves sounded behind them. A general with a black fish badge on his chest rode up on a thin horse. He had come specifically to warn Edmure. Along the way, Edmure had been disrespectful to the Mountain. Now that they were approaching Casterly Rock, he had better be careful.

"Edmure, in Riverrun, we can call the Mountain by his name behind closed doors, but now that we have entered Casterly Rock territory and are about to enter the city, you are a duke. Don't call him the Mountain anymore. He is our King. No matter how close and friendly your relationship is, and no matter what dissatisfaction you have with the Mountain, respect and courtesy will reflect the Tully family's noble upbringing and honor."

Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, Duke Edmure's uncle, was also the most militarily talented general in the Riverlands. He and Tywin Lannister rose to fame in the same year for fighting the pirates of the Stepstones as youths.

Edmure had been afraid of his uncle since he was a child. Seeing his uncle's cold and stern expression, he felt a hint of timidity in his heart.

Edmure laughed to cover up his embarrassment. "Uncle, my lady, Ser Norris, I call His Majesty the King the Mountain as a joke of closeness, and there is no disrespect. Now that we are near the city, I will naturally use respectful language and dare not be frivolous."

The sound of horses' hooves sounded ahead, and a group of people came quickly. At the head was a large flag with six white seashells on a yellow sandy background, which was the Westerling family's coat of arms.

The young general leading the way was a young boy with a childish face.

When the boy saw the Tully family's trout banner in the approaching group, he was extremely happy. He spurred his horse and rushed towards them. The family knights and soldiers, fearing that something might happen to their young lord, followed closely on both sides.

The boy with a childish face was Jeyne Westerling's youngest brother: Rolam Westerling.

"Sister! Sister!" the little guy shouted from afar.

Hearing the shout, Aelinor lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw a group of cavalry rushing towards them. The boy at the head was her younger brother, Rolam. A look of joy bloomed on Aelinor's beautiful face.

Soon, the cavalry arrived. Rolam Westerling first paid his respects to Duke Edmure and said polite words of welcome, then rode his horse to Aelinor's carriage and jumped directly from his horse onto his sister's carriage. His horsemanship was superb, and it was clear that a real equestrian master had taught him.

The two siblings chattered in the local language of Casterly Rock in the carriage.

After a long separation, the two siblings were extremely affectionate!

The group continued to move forward. A dragon's roar came from the sky. The Riverlands generals and Duke Edmure looked up together and saw three dragons flying in the sky—at the head was a black dragon, with a white dragon on the right and a bronze dragon on the left. These were Daenerys's three children, but now all three children had their own dragonriders. The black dragon was Daenerys Targaryen; the white dragon was Dorne's Princess Arianne Martell; and the bronze dragon's dragonrider was Jon Targaryen.

The Riverlands soldiers were all dumbfounded when they saw the three dragons flying through the sky, and they were shocked by the dragons' magnificent appearance. Most of them had not had the opportunity to get close to a dragon.

The Mountain's dragon was not seen in the sky.

The appearance of the three dragons in the sky meant that the three dragons' owners were all in Casterly Rock. They had arrived here earlier than Duke Edmure to attend Sansa Stark and Reynard Westerling's wedding.

*

Aelinor Westerling watched the shadows of the three dragons flying away, her mouth open and unable to close it.

"Sister, eldest sister has been back for fifteen days," Rolam said secretly in his sister's ear.

"Oh?!" Aelinor heard something in her brother's words.

Jeyne Westerling returning to Casterly Rock from King's Landing in advance to prepare for her eldest brother's wedding was not strange, nor was it a secret, let alone a surprise. It was perfectly normal, but her brother's tone had an irrepressible excitement.

What secret did Rolam want to say?

Aelinor looked at her brother. Sure enough, her brother couldn't hold back. "Sister, eldest sister brought back three little dragons."

"Three little dragons?" Aelinor was both surprised and delighted.

"Yes, the day before yesterday, under eldest sister's guidance, I personally fed the three little dragons roasted meat once. I even reached out and gently touched one of the white striped, gold-spotted little dragons. He was really too beautiful."

Aelinor almost exclaimed, "Heavens, do all three little dragons belong to eldest sister?"

"No, sister said that brother-in-law is too busy after becoming king and doesn't have time to take good care of the three little dragons, so she is temporarily feeding them."

"Heavens, if all three little dragons belonged to eldest sister, wouldn't you and I be able to get one each?"

"Sister, that's what I thought at the time? But sister said that the dragons belong to brother-in-law, and she doesn't dare to give them away casually."

"Surely one of the three dragons belongs to eldest sister's child. I heard that that guy is very strong. Three dragons need three dragonriders, so there are still two dragons that need dragonriders."

"Sister, please intercede for me with brother-in-law. I want to feed a dragon and grow up with it. I want to become a dragonrider, and let the dragon slowly accept me while feeding it."

"Okay, but I don't know if brother-in-law will listen to me."

"Brother-in-law will." Rolam glanced at Edmure beside the carriage and whispered, "Brother-in-law loves you the most and used a trick to successfully marry you to the Duke of House Tully, hehe! Hehehe!"

Aelinor's face turned stern. "Get lost!"

Rolam was startled and immediately jumped off the carriage, skillfully flipped onto his warhorse, sang something to his sister and brother-in-law, and galloped towards Casterly Rock.

Chiu!

A dragon's roar that pierced the sky and earth sounded melodiously. Instantly, the sounds of all things in the world disappeared, and it was uniquely filled with this dragon's roar with infinite majesty.

Everyone looked up, and the warhorses under their crotches retreated and pawed restlessly.

A huge dragon like a golden-red cloud appeared in the sky. They came from the high clouds and headed towards Casterly Rock. The dragon quickly reduced its altitude, and the people watching upwards saw two figures on the dragon's back.

As if in the blink of an eye, the dragon was even closer, and they could see the outlines of the dragonrider's figures. In another heartbeat, everyone saw the faces of the people on the dragon's back clearly, and the sky was completely gone from the people at that moment. A huge black shadow enveloped the team.

"Brother-in-law!" Edmure shouted. He saw clearly that one of the people on the dragon's back was actually his brother-in-law, His Majesty King Ed Stark.

And the other one, naturally, was His Majesty King Gregor Clegane.

Ed Stark on the dragon's back had not yet responded, and Edmure's voice was heard again: "His Majesty the Great King Gregor Clegane, Edmure pays his respects to you!"