Game of Thrones: I Created the Magic Web

Chapter 171: A Carnival Feast

In the long hall, cups clinked and voices mingled.

In a daze, it felt as if they had truly returned to yesterday's lively banquet.

The main doors had been reopened.

Slaves from Pike served pickled fish and roasted meats, filling every goblet to the brim.

Nearly two hundred captains and chieftains were seated once more at the long tables. Their numbers were still considerable, though not as crowded as the day before.

The finger dance performance had been canceled, but melodious music filled the entire long hall.

The music was not played by the musicians of Pike, but emanated from a gemstone. Needless to say, it was another display of that wondrous power.

Fortunately, the sound of the music masked the guests' unease, preventing it from becoming too obvious.

Yet, the music also stirred the thoughts of everyone present.

When the melody of "The Blood Cup" echoed from the gemstone, the Ironborn were all surprised and wary. It was, after all, a song celebrating the ancient Ironborn reavers.

What did King Joffrey mean by this?

The captains gazed towards the far end of the hall, where the King sat high upon the Seastone Chair, flanked by Victarion Greyjoy and Duchess Asha.

The King wore a smile.

However, after "The Blood Cup," came the melodious and somber "The Rains of Castamere."

The captains couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

The Lannister lion of Casterly Rock and the kraken of the Iron Islands were age-old enemies.

Longships had raided Lannisport more than once, and the lions had played "The Rains of Castamere" several times, severely damaging the Iron Islands.

The King was also half a golden lion, the captains realized once more.

And then came "The Misty Morning."

Some captains knew the song's background: it told the story of a mother who came to the battlefield after a bloody battle at dawn, searching for her son, her only son.

The sorrowful voice of a mature woman sang:

"Oh, have you seen my son, good ser?

His hair is the tawny brown of autumn.

He promised me he would return one day,

Our home is on Wendwater Street."

The captains looked around.

The corpses and blood within the long hall had vanished, as if they had never existed.

Whose sons were those familiar dead men?

The living knew them, even knew their mothers.

But they were dead.

Dead by sword and steam, dead by the tentacles of the sea monster, dead by the hands of the Ironborn.

The Drowned God would be angry.

But when? And how would it compare to the power in the King's hands?

After that came "Maiden, Mother, and Crone," a song praising the Seven Gods of the Green Lands.

Following closely was a similar "Song of the Seven:\

,""The Father's face is stern and strong, He rights the wrongs and judges true,

...

Seven gods made us to be, Hear our prayers and heed our plea,

Close your eyes, no more to fret, The gods watch over you, little one."

What soft and feeble lyrics, how could they inspire awe?

But still.

Was it the Seven Gods who gave the King that power?

The captains all looked towards Baylor Blacktyde, Lord of Blacktyde.

Since King Balon's failed coronation nine years prior, the Seven God shrines of the Iron Islands had all but disappeared, and only this one lord still worshipped the Seven.

Perhaps that was why the Blacktyde family had been spared entirely.

What enviable good fortune.

The captains couldn't help but wonder if they should convert to the Seven Gods of the Green Lands in order to gain King Joffrey's trust and revitalize their families.

After that was "The Dance of the Dragons."

A suite of songs composed of many narrative poems, describing the Targaryen family's civil war, from which countless glorious battles were born.

The captains seemed to relive the blood and fire of ancient times.

At that time, the Iron Islands were led by "Red Kraken" Dalton Greyjoy. He led longships to sack the entire Lannisport, taking away a large number of women, burning it to the ground, and conquering Fair Isle.

For two whole years, the Ironborn were able to plunder the coast of the Westerlands at will.

If "Red Kraken" hadn't had his throat slit by a whore, perhaps the lions would never have landed on the Iron Islands, inflicting such a terrible revenge on the Ironborn.

If it weren't for...

But there was no such thing as "if." The fact was that the Iron Islands suffered retaliation, thousands of people were killed or starved to death, and longships were burned in the harbor.

Now it was even worse.

King Balon had gathered almost all of the Iron Islands' captains, a full four or five hundred men, which meant four or five hundred longships.

But in just half a day, more than half of the longships had lost their masters.

At the same time.

The captains discovered, with either horror or excitement, that the captains of Pyke, Harlaw, and Blacktyde were almost unscathed. But the captains of Old Wyk, Great Wyk, Orkmont, and Saltcliffe had suffered heavy casualties!

Terrified captains realized they were degenerating into beached fish struggling on the shore.

Excited captains smelled something delicious.

But whether they could eat the fish depended on King Joffrey's will.

After all, they had not yet stepped out of the long hall, and those monsters clad in six-pointed stars were guarding the gate and the King's side.

Moreover, the King was not his true self, and those monsters numbered as many as tens of thousands.

Could they eat the fish?

The captains chewed on the fish, swilled the fine wine, but it was like swallowing beeswax and air, without any flavor.

Undercurrents surged, and hearts were treacherous.

After a long time, the lengthy "Dance of the Dragons" finally ended, followed by "A Thousand and One Eyes." The ambiguous song calmed the captains slightly, and they pondered its meaning.

Why play this song?

"How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? The riddle goes—a thousand eyes, and one more."

Bloodraven, Brynden Rivers.

Some recalled the news brought by the ravens: the beast that killed King Robert seemed to be a puppet controlled by Bloodraven. Was this song the King's signal for revenge?

Some focused on the phrase "a thousand and one eyes."

Bloodraven was known for his sorcery of spying on secrets.

And King Joffrey's power was definitely far beyond Bloodraven's sorcery, perhaps many times more than Bloodraven's "eyes."

So, was this song a warning, warning us to be devoted and obedient, that the King was watching?

Recalling the timing and words of King Joffrey's appearance, those who were mindful immediately became deeply convinced of this conjecture, and then lowered their heads in fear and dread, unwilling to reveal any further attitude.

Finally, there was an unfamiliar tune.

Melodious, brisk, suddenly heavy, fierce, and turbulent, like the sea turning from calm to furious rage.

When the tune ended, the storm ceased.

King Joffrey raised his goblet. In a single breath, the long hall grew silent from near to far.

"Gentlemen," Joffrey smiled faintly.

King's Landing has already had its outcome.

Euron Crow's Eye didn't make the sea monster appear in King's Landing, he just took away "Silence" and a few other longships willing to follow him.

Joffrey was a little surprised, but this was even better.

The remaining longships could be used to appease the people's hearts, and also to divide the ties between the Iron Islands families.

"All longships are incorporated into the Sunset Sea Fleet and under the protection. But to operate a ship, there must be a captain. So,"

Joffrey paused slightly, and the captains' hearts stopped beating immediately.

"Unmanned longships are all ownerless, and the captains present can go to appease the crew and select a captain. Limited to today and tomorrow only."

"For the rebirth of the Iron Islands, cheers."

Joffrey raised his cup and sipped.

Everyone either breathed a sigh of relief or flushed with excitement, instantly agreeing with the generous golden-haired King.

"Long live His Majesty!!"

Everyone drained the last drop of wine from their cups, and began the true carnival feast…

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