The Iron Throne of Ice and Fire

Dragonstone Castle, Picture Table Hall.

"The Earl of Crab Claw Peninsula, Glynn Kleb, salutes you."

There were several people standing under the raised platform in the hall. Lord Stannis was sitting on the high seat. Green felt all kinds of looks and scrutiny.

Lord Stannis's eyes were obscured by the shadows of his thick eyebrows, and his calm and indifferent voice echoed in the empty hall: "Lord Greene, do you remember what I said here last time? (Chapter 98)"

Green straightened up and looked at the towering Duke Stannis: "I remember that you said you would clear up my doubts."

Lord Stannis' lips tightened and his jaw moved silently.

After a pause, he said: "Have you solved your doubts now?"

Green shook his head slightly: "Dr. Stannis, please forgive my stupidity."

After Green finished speaking, a strange woman suddenly snorted. The woman has a thin body, a slender face, protruding ears, and a sharp nose.

Her eyes were light-colored, her mouth was stern, and her voice was as sharp as a whip: "What a cunning Earl of Whispering Castle, who doesn't know that the boy sitting on the Iron Throne is Cersei's biological son? How dare you Lying under the watchful eye of the Lord of Light? Am I worthy of that slut Cersei's favorite?"

Green was indifferent to the harsh rebuke. He turned his head and looked at the Onion Knight standing beside him.

He whispered: "Ser Davos, who is this lady?"

Davos raised his eyebrows, showing a helpless expression. He glanced at Lord Stannis on the high seat, and whispered to Green: "Lord Green, you are making me very difficult."

Green raised his eyebrows and looked at Davos without speaking.

Davos sighed softly. He first bowed in the direction of Lord Stannis and then said, "This is Lord Stannis's wife, Lady Selyse."

Davos' brief introduction was met with a dissatisfied snort.

A middle-aged man stood up and said in a loud voice: "Earl of Whispering Castle, standing in front of you is the wife of Duke Stannis Baratheon, Lady of Dragonstone, descendant of Garth Greenhand, Flor. Mrs. Celis of the Lun family.”

Garth, also known as Green-Hand Garth or Green Garth, is a legendary Ancestor King and is also considered the ancestor of many families in the Reach. His eldest son Garth Gardener founded the Gardener family and became the first King of the Reach.

The Florent family is one of the powerful and ancient nobles in the Reach. Their lineage can be traced back to one of the three sons of Floris, the daughter of Garth. They claim that their lineage is closer to the Gardener family than the Lord Tyrell family. .

House Florentine firmly believes that it has priority over other houses and has the right to inherit Highgarden, so House Florentine often questions House Tyrell's right to rule the Reach.

…………

Davos shrugged his shoulders, and Green turned to the direction of the high platform. His eyes swept across a red figure, and he caressed his chest and said, "I've met Mrs. Selyse. Green Kleb would like to say hello to you."

Mrs. Celis sneered and said, "Answer my question, Earl of Whispering Castle."

Green glanced at Mrs. Celis calmly, and his voice was calm and steady: "According to the laws of the kingdom, I reserve my own opinions on all those accused before going through a formal trial."

Mrs. Celis' tone was sharp: "A small half-savage family also learned..."

"Selyse, be quiet." Lord Stannis's voice interrupted Lady Selyse's words.

Mrs. Celis said sharply: "Your Majesty, you should not interrupt me. According to the law, the nobles of the Crab Claw Peninsula are my vassals."

"His Majesty?"

Lord Stannis's voice was filled with resentment as he repeated.

He continued: "It's such a sarcastic title... What kind of king am I? Dragonstone Island, and a few stones in the narrow sea, is this my kingdom?!"

Mrs. Celis said quickly: "Your Majesty, according to the will of the Lord of Light, you are the only king of the Iron Throne."

Stannis was not as fanatical about the Lord of Light as his wife. He frowned and said, "Please make it clear to me. What I want is an army, not a blessing."

Mrs. Celis was about to speak, but was interrupted by Green's voice.

He said leisurely: "Mrs. Celis, please forgive me for being presumptuous. I have to correct you. Loyalty to the queen is a tradition on the Crab Claw Peninsula, not a legal principle."

After speaking, Green felt everyone's eyes focused on him again.

"you……"

Green shrugged calmly and added: "As far as I know, Duke Stannis has not yet declared himself king, Lady Selyse."

"you……"

After a pause, he put one hand on his chest and said, "I think it was the sound of the wind and waves outside that caused me to hallucinate."

Regardless of whether it was intentional or unintentional, Lord Green would act as if he did not hear anything the people present said about the king.

"The Lord of Light cherishes chastity and punishes corruption." A red figure said as he walked lightly towards Green.

She stood in front of Green and said: "Count Kleb, I am Melisandre, the priest of R'hllor, the King of Light."

Melisandre's figure is elegant and slender, plump and slender. She wears a long silk dress that is as bright as a bright flame. The sleeves are very long, and the top has cuts, revealing a darker blood-red shirt underneath.

"Good day, Mrs. Melisandre?"

Green glanced at the red gold necklace with a large ruby ​​embedded around Melisandre's neck, and he flexed his fingers.

"Don't worry about the title. To me, this is just a tool for me to walk in the world."

Melisandre's voice is deep, with the unique melodious accent of the Jade Sea region. She has dark red copper hair, a heart-shaped face, a pair of red eyes, and her skin is as white and smooth as fresh cream and has no blemishes.

Melisandre suddenly stared at Green, and Green seemed to see a flash of fire in her eyes.

After a pause, she gently brushed Green's breastplate with her hand and murmured: "Such pure power..."

Green: "...", he didn't like this wording.

Melisandre retracted her hand, and she and Green took half a step back almost simultaneously.

The moment the priestess' fingers touched him, Green felt as if his clothes were being stripped off. He was really worried that he would not be able to resist drawing his sword, so he backed away.

What about Melisandre? secret.

Both of them thought that their previous actions were hallucinations. After a moment of pause, Melisandre spoke softly: "Count Green, the guidance of the Lord of Light made you appear here..."

She spread her hands and chanted: "We all have to make a choice, male and female, old and young, noble or mediocre, our choices are all the same. What we choose is light and darkness, justice and evil. What we choose True God or False God.”

After saying that, her eyes stayed on Green for a while, then turned back to the platform.

Melisandre bowed lightly to Stannis on the high seat and said: "We mortals, living and dying alone, wandering in the valley at a loss. Fortunately, our compatriots gathered together to travel, and fortunately we have the true god to support us. Yiwu."

Lord Stannis nodded slightly. He stood up from his chair, walked down the steps, and stood in front of the map table. The seven kingdoms of Aegon the Conqueror's era were engraved on the map table, including all the rivers and mountains, fortresses, cities, lakes and forests... in every detail, and glowing with the luster of lacquer accumulated for nearly three hundred years.

Lord Stannis stood in front of the table and thought for a while, then waved Davos and Green over.

Green and Davos looked at each other, took steps forward, and stood on either side of Lord Stannis on the left and right respectively.

Lord Stannis frowned and said, "The only people my brother left me were Celtigar, Velaryon and Baal Aemon, but none of them are capable characters.

Besides this, Salladhor Saan, the pirate there, would bring me accounts of my recent debts, and Morosh the Myrman would talk of the tides and the autumnal winds, in order to make me cautious.

Lord Sanglas of Wonderhaven will devoutly chant blessings in the name of the Seven Gods, Lord Celtigar of Crab Island will ask me to explain which lords of Storm's End have decided to join, and Lord Velaryon of Tideshead will threaten me. I will send troops immediately. What on earth should I say to them? "

He swept his hand across the Blackwater Bay on the picture table, and continued: "I have 1,300 soldiers on Dragonstone, and another 300 soldiers garrisoning Storm's End. Besides, I have no money to hire soldiers, no The prospect of plunder or glory tempts the Free Riders to defect. What on earth should I do? I'd like to hear your advice, both of you."

Davos sighed secretly. Although Dragonstone has a long history and is impregnable, it only has a few small nobles under its control. The outer island territory under their jurisdiction is rocky, rugged and sparsely populated, which is simply not enough to provide the military strength required by Lord Stannis.

Green raised his eyes and looked at the roof: "..."

What he heard were the military secrets of Stannis' forces... He had not promised to serve Duke Stannis, and Lord Green was speechless.

Davos glanced at the distracted Greene and said thoughtfully: "Duke Stannis, your real enemy is the Lannister. They are the common enemies of you and Duke Renly. If you agree, I will recommend myself to Storm's End. Make an alliance for you.”

"Storm's End...Renly...it stands to reason that the vassals of the Stormlands should be my vassals."

Lord Stannis snorted sarcastically, and continued: "Davos, I never asked for Dragonstone. I don't want this damn place at all. I took this place because the remnants of Targaryen are here." Here, Robert ordered me to lay waste to Dragonstone.

I built a new fleet for him, defeated the enemy, and fully fulfilled my duty as a younger brother. As my younger brother, Renly should also treat me this way, but do you see how Robert thanked me later?

He made me Duke of Dragonstone, but gave the lands and taxes of Storm's End to his youngest brother. For three hundred years, Storm's End has been the hereditary territory of the Baratheon family! Logically speaking, when Robert ascends the Iron Throne, it should be my turn to rule. "

After a pause, Lord Stannis said coldly: "I will never compromise with Renly unless he promises to give up being king. Davos, we all know the ambition of that boy. Although he is my brother, if he If you dare to claim the throne, I will show no mercy...Renly!"

When Lord Stannis spat out the name Renly angrily, it was like poison on his tongue. Green, who pretended to be distracted, silently lit a candle for Lord Renly.

Davos gave no words to persuade him. Lord Stannis has a stubborn personality. Once he makes up his mind, there is no room for change.

Davos frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Duke Stannis, I heard that Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell, has raised his troops south for revenge. There is about to be a war between Stark and Lannister. If we help , you get the support of both Winterfell and Riverrun.”

"Do you support the story of the young boy avenging his father? For Ed Stark, who died at the hands of the mob?"

Lord Stannis' angry voice echoed in the empty hall: "Why should I avenge Eddard Stark? Robert loves him very much. He often said that they are brothers. I don't know how many times I have heard this sentence. over and over, but he means nothing to me.”

"Robert's brother is me, not Eddard Stark, but you can never tell from his attitude towards me that I am his biological brother. In that war more than ten years ago, I stood firm for him At Storm's End, we watched our loyal men starve to death one by one, while Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne feasted outside the city. Did he thank me? No! Robert Thank you to Stark for leading his troops to rescue us when all we had left were rats and wild vegetables."

"I was ordered by Robert to build a fleet for him and capture Dragonstone in his name. Did he hold my hand and say... My dear brother, well done, if it weren't for you , I really don’t know what to do? No! Instead, he blamed me for letting William Darry escape with Viserys and the baby, as if I had any way to stop them."

"As Lord of the Sea, I tried my best to assist Jon Arryn in running the kingdom, so that Robert could eat, drink, and gamble every day. After Jon died, did my brother appoint me as Hand? No! He completely Ignoring my self-recommendation and the recommendations of the nobles, I instead found Eddard Stark who was far away in Winterfell to offer me this honor. As a result, these two people were raped by a mere Lannister. It’s a shame to play with a woman in your hands...”

Davos glanced worriedly at the tense face of Lord Stannis, and his voice was respectful: "Duke Stannis, I have to sincerely advise you that even though you have suffered all kinds of injustices in the past, if the deceased has passed away, if Stark can work together with you, and as great as you are, he will definitely be the ultimate winner, and the kingdom of chaos will be reborn in your hands."

Davos stroked his chest and nodded, and finally said: "For your kingdom, Lord Stannis."

Lord Stannis stared sharply at Davos, who had a downcast face for a while, and said: "..., I will consider it."

Stannis frowned and thought for a while, then looked at the silent Green with his sharp eyes.

Melisandre walked over slowly, and put her hand on Green's arm: "The Lord of Light will guide Lord Stannis to the pinnacle of glory. Earl Green, assisting the King is the Lord of Light's will, please obey R’hllor’s opinion.”