The Iron Throne of Ice and Fire

King's Landing, morning.

In the spacious carriage, after listening to the attendant's report, Olenna Redwin looked at Mace Tyrell and Margaery Tyrell.

The Duke of Metz was shocked at first, and then a little happy.

Margery frowned slightly, and after noticing her grandmother's gaze, she looked over.

Mrs. Olenna said kindly: "Margaery, what did you think of?"

Margaery bent her fingers and replied: "Grandma, I think this is too coincidental. As far as I know, although Duke Jon's health has not improved, his condition is not that serious. At least he should not have died suddenly."

The Duke of Metz touched his beard and interjected: "After all, he has been seriously ill. It is not surprising. It can also be said to be the kindness of the gods."

During the Reaver War, the Golden Rose family was the last to choose to surrender. Since then, they have been excluded from the Red Keep by the Royal Council headed by Duke Jon.

As the leader of the Golden Rose, Duke Metz naturally cannot like Prime Minister Jon.

This time he came to King's Landing as a prime minister candidate, and will first serve as an adviser to the prime minister.

The Prime Minister's Advisor is only responsible to the Prime Minister himself and cannot participate in the Royal Council. Of course, the Duke of Metz will not be satisfied.

Now, as soon as he entered King's Landing and heard the news of Jon's death, he might directly become the prime minister of the kingdom.

Lord Jon was a nuisance and a hindrance to him.

The Duke of Metz felt that the gods were blessing him, and what he felt now was double pleasure.

Lady Olenna looked at her stupid, smart-aleck son and wanted to crack open his fat head with a wooden spoon.

Lady Olenna took a breath and calmed down before speaking: "Duke Boar, this is not good news for you. King Robert is very close to Prime Minister Jon. He is one of the few people who can directly influence the king's decision. .

The heir of Duke Jon is still a young son. He will definitely need more allies to ensure that the heir can successfully inherit the valley and protect the family. The old lady, I also want to use this as a basis to facilitate the deal between the Golden Rose and the Arryn Valley, so that he can directly report to the king. You are recommended to take over as Hand of the King.

Originally this was the simplest and most direct way, but Duke Jon passed away suddenly. Now I have to find someone to make a deal so that this wild boar can sit directly on the Prime Minister's chair. "

After listening to his mother's analysis, the Duke of Metz's good mood was immediately dissipated.

Margaery patted the Duke of Metz's big hand and comforted: "Father, don't worry, your chance of winning is still the best."

The Duke of Metz patted Margaery's little hand back and said worriedly: "Mother, what should we do next?"

After a pause, Olenna said: "When we get to the place, Margaery and I will get off the carriage first and you can go directly to the church to express your condolences and show up in front of everyone. You have to let everyone know that you have arrived. "

Margaery turned to Olenna and said, "Grandma, do you need me to accompany father?"

Olenna waved her hand and said: "Why do you pretend in front of everyone? Our Duke of Metz is the best at it."

Although his words were sarcastic, his mother rarely praised him, and the Duke of Metz laughed.

Her father looked proud there, and when he saw Olenna's disgusted look, Margaery couldn't help but laugh.

Olenna was finally made angry and laughing by her stupid son's shamelessness.

…………

King's Landing, Tyrell's mansion.

In the afternoon, Margaery was called to the garden by Lady Oriana.

Seeing Margaery coming up with her skirt in hand, Olenna showed a touch of kindness. Seeing Margaery always reminded her of herself when she was young.

"Grandma." Margaery sat opposite Olenna.

Olenna looked at the flowers and said: "The same kind of roses, at the same time, have already bloomed in Highgarden, but they are only in bud in King's Landing."

Margaery's brown eyes moved slightly, and she heard the meaning of Elena's words.

"Margaery, the people you face in the Reach are either family members or vassals. In King's Landing, this place is completely different from the Highgarden you are familiar with. This city is full of all kinds of conspiracies, and there are many Just as bad as that little guy.”

Margery nodded slightly. She would listen carefully to every instruction from her grandmother.

"Only a steady stream of new nutrients can keep the Golden Rose alive. This is why your father values ​​King's Landing.

As long as the Iron Throne remains here, King's Landing will be the center of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Royal Council will be a place that the family cannot avoid.

The Red Castle has its own rules of the game, and the power game here is even more cruel. What you have to do is to master the rules of power here as soon as possible, which is very important for your future. "

"Grandma, I understand."

Olenna smiled kindly: "Don't be too nervous. Behind you is the golden rose. No one dares to challenge us head-on. Don't be too vigilant. Just treat it as an old woman and I am bringing my granddaughter to play. Your mission is to see more."

Margery nodded and said, "Grandma, brother Loras..."

Olenna shook her head slightly and said, "Don't bother him. He is Renly's squire, but he is also a member of the Tyrell family. I am temporarily granting his friendship.

Only Renly would dare to treat the Tyrell family as his vassals because of Loras's friendship. To say he is innocent is just a compliment.

If we want to get the support of the Tyrell family, our request is very simple. Give my granddaughter a queen's crown. At that time, the old woman could even lead the horse for him herself. "

Margery listened very seriously at first, but in the end she couldn't help but smile.

"Grandma, don't worry, I believe in my brother, he will always be our family."

Olenna nodded slightly: "So, whatever he wants to do now, let's not disturb him. That friendship is also the connection between the two families. Golden Rose will not give up any initiative."

Margaery's brown eyes flashed with light: "Grandma, I understand!"

"Our Duke of Metz is still busy for the time being and does not need our help. Some things would be better handled by us women. We need to meet Queen Cersei as soon as possible."

…………

…………

Winterfell, Lord's chambers.

A knock on the door interrupted Eddard Stark's contemplation.

"My lord, Maester Luwin is outside and wants to see you for something urgent."

[Luwin is a bachelor who serves the Stark family in Winterfell. He delivered every child of Duke Eddard. In addition, he also served as a teacher and trained all the Stark children. 】

Duke Ed glanced at his wife who was woken up, frowned, and said in a low voice, "I didn't tell anyone not to disturb her."

Today they received the news that Prime Minister Jon passed away, and his wife finally fell asleep very late.

The waiter outside the door cautiously replied: "My lord, I'm sorry, Maester Luwin insists on seeing you and is very anxious."

Duke Ed casually put on a heavy robe: "Let him come in."

Caitlin covered her mouth and blew a whistle, sat up on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin: "Ned (Ed's nickname), have you been awake all this time?"

Ed walked to the window, looked at the night sky outside, and said, "When I close my eyes, I always think of the past."

Catelyn sensed her husband's sadness and comforted him: "Grand Maester Pycelle gave him poppy milk, and he left in a hurry, so Jon didn't suffer much."

"I guess it was a last bit of mercy."

Duke Eddard sighed in a low voice, suppressing the grief in his heart.

He can't be selfish and only care about his own joys and sorrows. Caitlin also needs care and comfort.

"Is there any news about your sister and her children?"

Northern men are not good at expressing love in words, and his husband is even more typical.

Caitlin felt the concern from the man in front of her, smiled, and said: "The letter only said that they were safe and sound and had returned to the Eagle's Nest City.

I really wish they had gone back to Riverrun. The Eyrie was so tall and solitary that it had always been her husband's home fortress, not her final destination.

The memories of Lord Arryn will surely haunt every brick and stone in the Eyrie... I know my sister very well. Lysa needs the support and companionship of her family and friends most now. "

"Catelyn, your uncle is the Knight of the Blood Gate appointed by Jon. Brandon will do his best to take care of them."

[Brandon, full name Brandon Tully, Catelyn’s father’s younger brother, also known as Sir Blackfish]

After finishing speaking, after a pause, Ed added: "You can go and stay with her, take the children with you, and fill her residence with laughter and noise. That child needs the company of other companions, and your sister should not be there. Mourning alone.”

"If possible, of course I would like to go there, but... have you thought about it? If things suddenly change, will you go to King's Landing?"

Duke Ed was silent for a while and said, "I'm still thinking about it."

Running Wolf's instinct told him that this was Stark's home and he should not leave the North easily.

The alpha wolf was grieving, and Caitlin knew that it was not the right time to discuss this, so she did not continue to ask.

After a while, the door was pushed open and Maester Luwin entered the room.

Maester Luwin, a thin figure, wore a robe made of gray wool and trimmed with white velvet, which was the color of the Stark family.

Maester Luwin waited until the door behind him was closed before he spoke, then nodded and said, "Sorry for disturbing your rest. Someone left a letter on my desk while I was napping."

As he spoke, Maester Luwin took out a tightly rolled letter from his sleeve.

"It clearly says that it can only be opened by Lady Catelyn. I'm worried that it is a very important matter, so I don't dare to delay it for a moment."

Catelyn saw the Crescent Falcon crest of House Arryn printed on the letter.

She reached out to take the letter, regardless of the fact that she had no clothes on her body, and let the blanket slip down, exclaiming: "It must be Lysa's letter, I'm afraid it won't be good news. Ned, this letter contains endless sadness, I can feel it."

Duke Ed frowned and said, "Caitlin, don't panic, just open it and take a look."

Caitlin opened the letter, glanced at the content and said, "This is... a secret language that Lysa and I invented when we were young. Only she and I understand it."

Caitlin pushed back the fur and rolled out of bed.

Ed was stunned by his wife's sudden action: "Caitlin, Maester Luwin is still here."

Maester Luwin, who had already turned his head in the direction of the door, said, "My lord, I think I'd better take my leave."

Caitlin picked up a nightgown and put it on, then walked to the candle. The words on the letter were very small, and she needed the candlelight.

"Ned, every one of my children was delivered by Maester Luwin. Now is not the time for hypocritical etiquette..."

Before she finished speaking, Caitlin's body suddenly froze.

Ed noticed his wife's abnormality and walked over to support Caitlin: "Are you afraid? Tell me, what was written in the letter?"

Caitlin looked at the anxious Ed, her voice trembling: "Lysa said Jon Arryn was murdered."

"Did she say who the murderer was?"

"House Lannister."

Duke Ed instinctively felt that this was impossible: "Your sister is too sad. She doesn't even know what she is talking about."

Caitlin denied: "Lysa herself is very impulsive, but she will not joke about this kind of thing. She even wrote a secret letter to tell me that Lysa must have been extremely scared, so she hid with her son. The Eyrie.”

Caitlin stared at her husband, who remained silent, and said, "We really have no choice now. You have to go south to find out the truth yourself."

Duke Ed sighed: "The South is a place full of poisonous snakes and beasts, so it's better to avoid the wolves."

At this time, Maester Luwin said: "My lord, it can be seen from the last letter that His Majesty Robert intends for you to take over as the king's hand.

The Prime Minister holds great power, enough to allow you to find out the true cause of Duke Arryn's death. If you find out that the cause of Duke Arryn's death is indeed murder, you can bring the murderer to justice.

Even if the situation is not good, you can protect Mrs. Aylin and her young son with more than enough, and you can escape unscathed at any time. "

Caitlin added: "Ed, King Robert mentioned in the last letter that he asked you to bring Sansa with him. Don't you understand what Robert meant? He intends to let his eldest son marry Sansa."

[Sansa Stark is the eldest daughter of Eddard and Catelyn and their second child. 】

Ed finally spoke up: "Catelyn, Sansa is only eleven years old (now 298 AC in Westeros)...and I don't want my daughter to marry to the south!"

Ed's father, brother, and sister all died in the South. This is a pain that he can never erase.

As Eddard's wife, Caitlin is naturally aware of these things, but no matter how sad it is, it is in the past, and she does not want Sansa to be affected.

Caitlin's voice was a bit high: "Ed, this is the king's kindness. You can't always regard him as a good brother in the past. The king's self-esteem is everything to him.

Wouldn't it be great if Sansa might become queen one day and her children would rule from the Wall in the north to the Mountains of Dorne in the south? "

Oh, the Iron Throne!

Ed looked tired and sentimental, but Caitlin knew she couldn't hold him in her arms just yet... For the sake of her children, she had to convince her stubborn husband first.

Caitlin added: "You said you love Robert more than your biological brother. If Lysa tells the truth, do you think Robert will be safe? You know very well how vicious the Lannister is. Do you have the heart to look at Robert?" Is your erection in danger?"

Ed moved his lips, turned around with a heavy face, and faced the narrow window.

Catelyn didn't speak again, and Maester Luwin didn't say a word either. They waited silently... Eddard quietly said goodbye to his beloved North.

Dear friends, please vote!