The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 512: Margaery Caught in the Net

(2 updates, today's guaranteed chapter. There's one more update before 10 PM tonight.)

*

The next day, the Throne Room.

Ventriloquist Bernie wasn't visiting the Throne Room for the first time, but this time was completely different from all the previous ones.

He was excited,亢奋(kang fen), dreamy, and a little bit incredulous.

Two years ago, he was just trying to win the appreciation of noble lords and ladies at their banquets with his ventriloquism skills, just to get a hot meal.

His greatest life ambition used to be joining a comedy troupe and becoming a clown. Traveling around, making a hard living. And of course, getting close to beauties everywhere he went.

If someone had told him two years ago that he would make a fortune in this life, he wouldn't have believed it even if they beat him to death.

The great turning point in his life began after he followed the Mountain.

In just over two years, he had gone from an ordinary commoner to a position as a key minister before the King in the royal palace—changing the fate of the Bernie family and achieving unprecedented glory, all starting today.

And he didn't even have a last name yet.

If he said that out loud, he would be looked down upon by the nobles!

But the Mountain had promised to grant him knighthood and the Clegane name after today.

He already regarded himself as Bernie Clegane!

The new members of the Clegane family now included an absolute talent in the intelligence system.

Today, Bernie was wearing a set of clothes made entirely of the highest quality silk, in no way inferior to those of any great noble. Embroidered on his lapel was the Clegane family crest: the red smoke beast and the ice sword! On his chest, on the left side, he wore a silver red smoke beast and ice sword family crest.

The silver crest glittered.

Bernie was very afraid of being looked down upon by other nobles.

When he was a rogue, he didn't care what he wore.

I'm a rogue, who am I afraid of?!

Now he had to act like a proper minister before the King—the Minister of Intelligence—a prominent position even higher than other courtiers and generals.

Bernie was worried about embarrassing the Mountain.

His knighthood and the Clegane name had not yet been truly obtained.

Like the executioner Dunsen, Sweetmouth Ralf, the neurotic artist Polliver, the archer Anguy, his adopted daughter Julie, and Big Head Chiswyck, Bernie's loyalty to the Mountain was thicker than blood. His parents gave him life, but the Mountain gave him glory and honor.

His life was worthless, and Bernie had no other thought than to sell it to the Mountain.

There were many people around the Mountain as loyal as Bernie.

Among his legion soldiers, there were countless fanatics like the refugee couple Norris and Anna, who had been recruited.

The Mountain's entire guard, a hundred-man team, every warrior was absolutely loyal to him.

Among the larger force of about twenty thousand soldiers: whether it was the more than eight thousand new and old soldiers on the Claw Peninsula, or the nearly five thousand soldiers in the Mountains of the Moon, they only had the Mountain in their eyes. To the Mountain, these soldiers were all like fanatical warriors.

Standing beside the Mountain, the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Wagner Gahl—the tribal chief of the Gahl tribe on the Claw Peninsula—saw Bernie's nervousness.

Wagner Gahl was a rough man who never cared about the gazes of nobles, but he was very different from Bernie. He was the eldest son of the tribal chief and had been 'pampered' from childhood, being cultivated and treated as the future tribal chief. His self-confidence and sense of superiority were much stronger than Bernie's, and his foundation was deeper.

He nudged Bernie: "Don't be nervous, little dwarf. The Mountain doesn't allow cowards by his side." Wagner pointed to the neatly arranged noble courtiers. "They all fear the Mountain, and they fear us." He leaned over and whispered, "We are all wolves, aren't you, little one."

Bernie's nervousness was real, but his rogue-like cunning and laziness, and his self-elevating mental fortitude were also outstanding.

"Big guy, I've never known what nervousness or unease is. I'm not afraid of anything," Bernie said proudly. His two small hands twisted gently, clearly showing his inner nervousness.

The royal courtiers, the Queen Mother, the noble generals, the knights and ladies, row after row, team after team, were all impeccably dressed and had noble demeanors. This kind of pressure was nothing to Bernie, who came from the streets, when he was standing behind people, but once he stood in front of people, in an important position, he felt the invisible pressure.

From ordinary commoner to minister before the King, from street thug to noble, Bernie needed time to adapt!

*

At the same time, Queen Margaery Tyrell, accompanied by her family's knights, was heading to the Great Sept of Baelor in a sedan, with servants carrying gifts.

Along the way, Queen Margaery's sedan was greeted by cheers from the people.

Since entering King's Landing, she had never stopped doing charity, distributing bread, and helping orphanages. Her reputation grew day by day, and her popularity among the people had far surpassed Cersei's. She was the most positive image of the royal family and was deeply loved by the poor.

Queen Margaery Tyrell arrived at the Great Sept of Baelor, where monks and nuns were already standing in front of the Mother's Gate to greet her.

Who enters from which gate is a matter of importance.

Margaery was the queen of Joffrey I, and she was qualified to enter from the Mother's Gate.

The original sept monks and nuns mainly came to greet Queen Margaery. The High Septon, the High Septa of the Crone, the High Septa of the Maiden, the High Septon of the Smith, and the High Septon of the Stranger all greeted Queen Margaery in front of the Mother's Gate.

The High Septon of the Stranger usually does not come out to greet believers, as the Stranger represents death and foreshadows misfortune. Queen Margaery Tyrell had given advance notice that she was holding a prayer meeting for the late Lady Olenna today, so the High Septon of the Stranger came out to greet her as well.

Some members of the Poor Fellows also came to greet Queen Margaery, many of whom were new believers who had joined the group and had received help from Queen Margaery before the High Sparrow entered King's Landing, receiving grain, bread, and milk.

Ten Warrior's Sons greeted Queen Margaery with knightly etiquette, dressed neatly and fully armed. The only difference between them and real warriors was that their scabbards and armor were decorated not with family crests, but with seven-pointed stars.

The five High Septons and the Warrior's Sons respectfully welcomed Queen Margaery into the Sept of the Seven, where they would pray for the soul of Queen Margaery's grandmother, Lady Olenna, and then lead Queen Margaery to see Lady Olenna's resting place.

In the Sept of the Seven, Lancel led a hundred-man team of Poor Fellows under the statue of the Father. When Queen Margaery arrived, Lancel did not come forward to greet her, but looked at Margaery calmly and indifferently.

Margaery was slightly surprised. She did not expect that Lancel would become so cold and rude after becoming the leader monk of the Poor Fellows.

Margaery was the widow of the late King Joffrey I, with a noble status. In the past, even the High Septon would personally come out to greet her at the gate.

Margaery did not see the High Sparrow in the Sept of the Seven, and she was very polite and well-mannered, so she refrained from asking.

In this occasion, Margaery hoped that the High Septon could personally pray for Lady Olenna!

Perhaps the High Septon had other more important matters and was not in the Sept. The new High Septon, who had the Poor Fellows and the Warrior's Sons, seemed not amiable at all, giving Margaery the feeling that he was full of sharp iron edges.

With the five High Septons guiding her to pray for Lady Olenna, Margaery suppressed the displeasure in her heart. She maintained her usual elegance and manners.

Under the guidance of the High Septa of the Mother, Margaery first lit candles for the Seven Gods.

The first candle was lit for Lady Olenna, and the second candle was for herself.

Few people light candles in front of the statue of the Stranger. Margaery was not taboo, and she lit a candle for herself in front of the statue of the Stranger.

The Stranger: a synonym for the god of death.

Generally speaking, candles lit in front of the Stranger are lit for others, and rarely for oneself. When Sansa was tortured by Joffrey, she often lit candles for Joffrey in front of the Stranger, praying that Joffrey would be taken away by the Stranger and die miserably. Her prayers came true, and perhaps the Stranger heard Sansa's prayers.

After Queen Margaery lit the candles in turn, she passed in front of Lancel, and she gave Lancel a smile. Lancel was expressionless, staring at her with hostility.

Margaery was slightly embarrassed and uneasy. She could see that the members of the Poor Fellows beside Lancel were full of hostility towards her.

This alerted Margaery.

However, the family knights were just outside the Sept, and as a queen, no sept monk dared to be rude to her. She believed in the Seven Gods, was sincere in her heart, and was fearless.

Under the guidance of the High Septa of the Mother, Queen Margaery ascended the altar and began to sing hymns under the guidance of the nuns, praying for Lady Olenna, so that her soul could rest in peace.

In the process of doing the ceremony, Margaery became more and more uneasy. She found that members of the Poor Fellows and knights of the Warrior's Sons had come to the doors everywhere.

This place in the Sept of the Seven seemed to have become a military stronghold. The members of the Poor Fellows and the knights of the Warrior's Sons were all carrying weapons.

Inside the Sept, the monks never carried weapons before.

After the High Sparrow came, everything changed.

Only four family knights came in with Margaery, and the four knights were required to put down their weapons before being allowed to enter. In addition, there were a dozen maids.

A hundred-man team of family knights were outside the gate of the Sept.

When did a prayer meeting in the Sept require the gray-robed monks of the Poor Fellows to be armed with sticks and guarding all sides?

This atmosphere was very disturbing.

Margaery had to comfort herself, pretending not to notice anything unusual, calmly singing the hymns, and calmly completing all the rituals. Surrounded by the monks and nuns, Queen Margaery whispered to the High Septa of the Mother: "High Septa, why are the monks of the Poor Fellows and the knights of the Warrior's Sons crowding the doorways? This is really disturbing. Inside the Sept, I can't feel the sacred atmosphere anymore."

The High Septa of the Mother responded in a low voice: "Queen, please follow me through the back door. I also feel that something is wrong. Since the High Septon came, I have heard that bloody trials are often conducted in the Sept at night."

"Trials?"

"Yes, the High Septon's Poor Fellows and the knights of the Warrior's Sons, I don't know where they caught people from. They conduct trials in the underground black prison and then declare those people guilty according to the laws of the Septenary Scripture."

"What will happen to the guilty?"

"Some are hanged, some are beheaded, some are exiled, and some are whipped."

The High Septons, monks, and nuns who prayed and performed the ceremony for Queen Margaery were all the original monks of the Sept. Almost no warrior monks brought by the High Sparrow participated. They just watched covetously, blocking every doorway of the Sept of the Seven, as if they were not monks, but warriors.

"High Septa, please take me away from here." Queen Margaery became deeply uneasy. "Maybe I'm thinking too much, but this situation is something I've never seen in the Sept."

No matter what the situation, it's best to leave first.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The High Septa of the Mother decided to take Margaery to her High Septa's building, and then go out through the secret passage first.

*

The five High Septons never dared to ask about the armed forces under the High Septon, and the High Septon would not let them know the details. However, in the same Sept, news cannot be completely cut off.

Since Queen Mother Cersei gave the High Septon armed power, the High Septon has been interrogating commoners, soldiers, knights, barons, noble ladies, and ladies in his tower every day. It is said that thieves, rogues, and shopkeepers will be brought back by the monks of the Poor Fellows for trial.

Almost everyone who is favored by the Starry Warriors of the Poor Fellows and brought back is found to have their unforgivable sins upon interrogation. According to the laws of the Septenary Scripture: anyone who steals, prostitutes, gambles, drinks, rapes men, rapes women, has intimate relations with the same sex, is unfaithful to marriage, or swindles, or lies and wastes, is a sin, the lighter one repents, donates money to redeem the sin, and the heavier one is hanged.

The terrifying things that the five High Septons, monks, and nuns heard were happening every day. The rapidly developing members of the Poor Fellows, in addition to distributing food, doing charity, and performing rituals for others, went out every day to discover and arrest criminals, and then bring them back to the Sept for severe trial.

*

After the ceremony, Margaery, under the protection of the five High Septons, monks, and nuns, went to the High Septa of the Mother's tower. But when they left the Sept of the Seven, they were stopped by Lancel.

"Respectable Queen Margaery, the High Septon is waiting for you in his tower. He has some questions to verify with Her Majesty," Lancel said politely, but his tone was as cold as ice.

"Monk Lancel, please tell the High Septon that we will go to the High Septa of the Mother's tower first, and I will take Queen Margaery to the High Septon's tower later," the High Septa of the Mother said, seeing that things were not right.

Lancel ignored the High Septa of the Mother. He made a gesture, and four members of the Poor Fellows came out, pushed away the High Septa of the Mother, and came to pull Margaery.

Four knights of the Tyrell family stepped forward, and one knight didn't say a word, punching one monk down, followed by kicking another monk. Another knight pointed his finger at the monks of the Poor Fellows and shouted sternly: "Back off, this is the Queen of the late King Joffrey I, who dares to mess around?"

Puff!

A muffled sound!

A bright short knife pierced into the ribs of this knight from the side. The knight couldn't believe it, standing still. The second and third short knives stabbed into the knight's abdomen.

When Margaery's scream resounded through the Sept of the Seven, her four knights fell down, each of them stabbed seventeen or eighteen times.

The four knights were only wearing light armor.

Even if it wasn't light armor, but plate armor, here, four people couldn't kill their way out.

The Star Warriors of the Poor People's Assembly, aside from their wooden clubs, were each equipped with a personal short knife. This was after the demonic mountain's night raid on Holy Church Square, where they killed hundreds of Poor People's Assembly warriors and retreated with ease. The Archbishop had issued a strict order that every warrior of the Poor People's Assembly must be equipped with a new combat weapon: a short knife!