The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 517: All Preparations Complete

(5,000-word guaranteed chapter)

*

The next day, in the Throne Room, Kevan Lannister sat upon the Iron Throne. Courtiers, military officers, noble knights, and ladies-in-waiting were arrayed on either side of the hall. The Dornish were also present, led by Lady Laora Blackmont. House Manwoody was represented only by Ser Deakon Manwoody.

The Dornish were pleased to learn that Queen Regent Cersei had been detained by the Great Sept of Baelor. They were even more pleased to see the royal palace in such disarray.

A guard entered to report that the Great Sept of Baelor had strengthened its defenses. The previous night, the steps at the main entrance remained filled with Starry Septons and Holy Swords. Some paupers had begun to gather in the square early in the morning, possibly believing that the royal power would not simply give up. They had proactively gathered in the Sept's square to protect the High Septon in their hearts.

The Small Council convened under the leadership of the new Hand. Kevan informed everyone in the hall about the events of the previous day. His tone was grave as he placed all the blame on Cersei, explaining the reasons for the High Septon's detention of the Queen Regent and the Queen. Simply announcing such matters publicly was damaging to the reputation of both Queen Cersei and Queen Margaery. It seemed Kevan did not mind harming the honor of two generations of queens. Finally, Kevan asked everyone for suitable solutions to resolve the conflict.

The Mountain did not attend the meeting. He had taken leave, as Kevan would not value his suggestions or contributions anyway. In the previous day's conflict, the Mountain and his men had been marginalized by the Hand.

Kevan's appointment as Hand was immediately followed by signs of targeting the Mountain. Perhaps the gruesome death of Lord Tywin had not affected him enough, or perhaps his political wisdom was lacking, or perhaps he believed that keeping the Mountain away was the right thing to do.

Because the Mountain had slaughtered a number of the High Septon's Starry Septons in the square!

*

Steel Street. The Mountain and his guards.

Steel Street was a street of weapons, gathering the best weapon smiths in the Seven Kingdoms. The smiths who could open shops on Steel Street were all masters of their craft.

The Mountain entered the largest shop.

An apprentice panicked at the sight of the Mountain's towering figure. He dropped his hammer and ran towards a small room inside. Soon, the blacksmith came down from his休息室 on the second floor, bowing and scraping, extremely respectful.

There was no need to have any unpleasantness with the most evil brute in the Seven Kingdoms. If humility could keep all trouble away, then humility was worthwhile.

The Mountain's little squire, Comm Warner, handed a drawing to the smith: "Five hundred small round shields, delivered within a week."

This was a large order.

But, would the Mountain provide enough capital?

If it were a longsword, a helmet, or several sets of armor, the blacksmith could offer them for free. Five hundred small round shields, pure iron, delivered in a week, was beyond the capabilities of his smithy. He would have to sell everything he owned to give them to the Mountain for free.

The blacksmith's smile froze on his face. He had many things he wanted to say, but he only glanced at the Mountain, and all the words were stuck in his throat.

The Mountain's pressure was like a giant mountain pressing down. His arms, as thick as tree trunks, inspired fear naturally.

The Mountain spoke, his expression stern: "Master, iron shields, small round shields, edges as sharp as knives, five hundred of them, delivered in a week, how much advance payment?"

Small iron round shields, edges as sharp as knives, were shields that had never appeared in the Seven Kingdoms before. Shields came in triangular, rectangular, and round shapes. Triangular shields were preferred by infantry swordsmen, as the triangular pointed shield could be stood upright on the ground, without relying solely on arm strength to hold it up. Compared to rectangular shields, triangular shields were wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, reducing the amount of material used, and also making them lighter. The sharp angle of a triangular shield could be used on fallen enemies, with an effect comparable to a spear.

Round shields came in various forms, but there had never been iron shields with edges as sharp as knives. Shields were mostly made of wood, for lightness and to reduce costs.

Iron was expensive, iron ore was very expensive. Shields made entirely of pure iron would be costly.

The Mountain wanted five hundred iron shields, all round, with edges as sharp as knives. This was a new weapon integrating defense and offense, which blacksmiths had never forged before.

Finally, the Mountain and the blacksmith reached an agreement. He prepaid ten gold dragons, and the remaining money would be paid when the shields were delivered in a week.

The Mountain left the shield's dimension drawings. This blacksmith shop could not produce five hundred small round shields in a week, but there was no need to worry about that. Once blacksmiths received large orders, they would mobilize all the blacksmiths on the street to work together, and then settle accounts and divide the money later.

Although the blacksmiths were very afraid of the Mountain, the Mountain's performance during the Battle of the Blackwater had earned him a good reputation. Last time, the Mountain and Littlefinger Tyrion had worked together to find the blacksmiths to do things, and the treasury paid. This time, the Mountain was paying out of his own pocket.

Whether the Mountain would pay the full amount afterwards was unknown, but whether or not they could refuse this order was clearly impossible.

Then let's do it!

The week was tight, and the blacksmiths could only take turns sleeping at night to rush the work. People rested, but the work could not stop.

*

At night, the Great Sept of Baelor.

The old crone-like Septa found it difficult to fall asleep. The High Septon was audacious, detaining Queen Cersei, which made him and the other four Septons very uneasy. Monks, nuns, and Silent Sisters were equally uneasy. In history, High Septons with armed forces had brought multiple catastrophes to the development of the church. And the fanatical Starry Septons were mostly illiterate and did not know about the bloody events in history.

The old crone-like Septa and other Septons, as well as a large number of monks, were very worried that when conflicts escalated and everything was destroyed, the monks who had never participated in the High Septon's detention action would also suffer the disaster of being exterminated.

Once he thought about the future outbreak of conflicts and the clashing of swords, the old crone-like Septa could not help but envy the Warrior's Sons, who had been expelled. The Warrior's Sons had been expelled and had not violated the teachings of "The Seven-Pointed Star". If they secretly escaped, first, they were reluctant to give up their faith, and second, private defection was a blasphemy against the faith. The Septons would not do this until the last moment.

Knock, knock, knock! A polite knock sounded.

The old crone-like Septa got up. It was so late, it was already midnight, who would come to find him? If it were a Starry Septon or a Holy Swordsman, their knock would not be so polite.

The old crone-like Septa opened the door a crack, and a familiar voice came: "It's me, Septa."

The old crone-like Septa was taken aback and hurriedly opened the door, letting a person with his face hidden in a hood into the room. He poked his head out and looked left and right. No one noticed here. He hurriedly closed the door, only to realize that his heart was pounding, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

The person who came was the Warrior Septa, the sinner who had been expelled by the High Septon. If he was discovered sneaking back into the Great Sept of Baelor, both of them would not escape judgment and might be beaten to death by the enraged Starry Septons.

This matter was too important. The Warrior Septa, who had worked diligently in the Great Sept of Baelor for many years and had never made a mistake, had become a sinner who could no longer appear in the Great Sept of Baelor.

"Septa, how did you get in?" the old crone-like Septa whispered, very flustered.

"Underground secret passage."

"The situation has been very tense these days. Leave quickly, otherwise, if the news leaks, we will all be implicated by you."

"Old crone-like Septa, you are not being implicated by me, but by the High Sparrow and the little sparrows. The High Sparrow detains the Queen Regent, imprisons the Queen, opposes the royal power, and despises the Hand's authority. The root of the disaster has already been planted. Do you still want to stay out of it?"

The old crone-like Septa's voice trembled: "We do not agree with the High Septon's actions... Queen Regent, Hand, courtiers, and military officers are wise..."

"The High Septon commits crimes, practices armed faith, and dares to detain and judge the Queen Regent and the Queen. Who else does he not dare to touch? Ser Osney was beaten and his legs were broken, and he is living a life worse than death; Ser Loras is the Captain of the Kingsguard and is locked in the underground black prison. When the news spreads, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms will not watch the High Septon run rampant. Old crone-like Septa, it is time to save our faith, save our Sept, save our believers, and save ourselves! Otherwise, once the warriors of the kingdom arrive, swords and swords are merciless, and everything will be destroyed."

"Warrior Septa, what do you want us to do?"

"Be the inside help for the warriors of the kingdom." The Warrior Septa's eyes shone brightly. "It is a dead end to sink down, or to rise up and fight back, and destroy the High Sparrow with us, and win back faith and the Sept. It has come to the time when a choice must be made, old crone-like Septa."

*

The Mountain's Stone Tower, Captain Alyn, the Northerner Galbart, the young squire Comm Warner, the foster son Landon, and all the tribal chiefs and leaders of the Claw Isle gathered together to listen to the Maester explaining the location of each tower in the Great Sept of Baelor on the map, the hall, the Seven Gods Shrine, the library, the silent room, the dungeon entrance, the Septa's tower, the Queen Regent's location, and the Queen's location...

The Mountain required that everyone leading a team must memorize the area they were responsible for. The tribal leaders of Claw Isle basically did not know how to read, but it did not matter. They were not looking at words, but at graphics.

If they could not remember it once, then twice, three times, a hundred times, until they all knew it by heart.

*

Early in the morning, the Red Keep barracks.

The Mountain's heavy cavalry were all wearing chainmail, shields, and single-handed swords, practicing offensive and defensive combat on the ground. Single-handed swords were very unfamiliar to the warriors of Claw Isle. They were more accustomed to using iron hammers, poleaxes, double-bladed axes, maces, flails, heavy spears, and scimitars. But this was a strict order. Those who were not good at shortsword techniques could not participate in the secret raid. And, they would be given a major demerit by the Mountain.

Inside the Red Keep, there were many knights who were proficient in swordsmanship, and many who were proficient in single-handed swords. The Mountain invited five senior officers from the garrison who were proficient in sword and shield combat to train his heavy cavalry in ground sword and shield combat.

This scene was very strange. The instructors were polite, but the students were fierce and rude, arrogant and unruly. Their language was crude, and they did not use honorifics for the instructors. However, after three days, the instructors became accustomed to this group of people cursing while wearing armor and practicing hard with shortswords. Soon, the instructors were also doing the same. They picked up their bowls and ate, and cursed as soon as they put down their chopsticks. The noble instructors and this group of seemingly rude, but actually simple-minded, honest, and hardworking Claw Isle people became one.

Taking off their armor and clothes, everyone was the same passionate and physical. There was actually no essential difference between the noble instructors and the warriors of Claw Isle when they picked up their swords and shields.

The Mountain's heavy cavalry suddenly trained in sword and shield combat, and they trained hard every day from morning to night, as if he wanted to give up cavalry and specialize in infantry. This was a very strange phenomenon. Everyone talked about it during tea and meals. Some were vigilant, some were wary, some ridiculed, and some pondered deeply, but no one thought about what the Mountain wanted to do.

The Mountain, this kind of capricious villain, did some incomprehensible things, and the great nobles were accustomed to it.

Hand Kevan and Duke Mace also discussed it privately. Lord Mace was the Mountain's underground ally. He came to ask in person, and the Mountain told the truth. The heavy cavalry's dismounted combat skills were too poor, and they did not like to use swords. He wanted to train their swordsmanship. The sword was the common weapon of knights and nobles in this world. Those who did not know swordsmanship were not worthy of being a true warrior. And training swordsmanship, of course, started with the single-handed sword.

*

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. The Mountain's five hundred small iron round shields were all in place. The selected heavy cavalry leaders and warriors were conducting very strict sword and shield combat training in a confined space every day. During this time, Hand Kevan and the High Septon conducted multiple rounds of negotiations, but they were unable to reach a settlement agreement.

On the eleventh day, Kevan was given an opportunity to meet Queen Regent. He believed that he had not violated "The Seven-Pointed Star". In life, Kevan had always been frugal. He did not participate in gambling, and he did not develop intimate relationships outside of marriage. He was a lion living in Tywin's shadow, and his personal qualities were impeccable.

At the meeting of the important ministers of the court, the Hand overruled all objections and decided to only bring his own knight guards. When he arrived at the gate of the Great Sept of Baelor, he went in alone and met with Queen Cersei, Queen Margaery, Ser Loras, and Ser Osney one by one.

During these eleven days, every day, poor believers gathered in the square of the Great Sept of Baelor, voicing their support for the High Septon's detention of Cersei and Margaery, which was in accordance with the teachings of "The Seven-Pointed Star".

The Mountain's five hundred death warriors' sword and shield training was very successful. The warriors were all first-class fighters, not real rookies. They improved rapidly after receiving guidance from famous teachers. Their good physical qualities and well-honed combat experience enabled them to quickly master sword and shield techniques. A group of death warriors completed their training, and their speed of transforming from horsemen to foot soldiers was astonishing.

Perhaps the essence of combat is actually the same.

*

The Hand ventured into the Great Sept of Baelor. Two thousand garrison soldiers, led by Commander Bronn, lined up in the Great Sept Square to support the Hand. Unlike in the past, this time, the Starry Septons did not stand on the steps to confront them. Only poor believers also gathered in the square. Both sides obeyed their leaders' discipline, glared at each other, but did not break out into real conflict.

Just as everyone was uneasy, in the evening, the High Septon personally sent the Hand out. All the waiting soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

Osney entered the Sept, was detained, beaten, and tortured; Queen Margaery entered the Sept, was placed under house arrest; Queen Regent Cersei entered the Sept, was placed under house arrest; Loras Tyrell entered the Sept, and was locked in the black prison.

The Sept became a place that nobles and royals felt palpitations when they mentioned it.

The Prime Minister entered the Great Sept, emerging unscathed and with a courteous send-off from the High Septon.

Under the gaze of both sides' warriors, the High Septon escorted the Prime Minister down the steps. He was taller than the Prime Minister, still barefoot, and clad in a tattered grey monk's robe.

“Prime Minister, might I trouble you with a small favor?”

“Please speak, High Septon.”

Both sides loathed each other, yet remained polite and well-mannered.

“The Mountain is training his heavy cavalry in sword and shield techniques of infantry. I know it is for the day he intends to storm the Great Sept of Baelor. Inside the Sept, long-handled heavy axes and warhorses are hardly convenient. Please inform him that I am aware of his intentions, and warn him not to gamble with the lives of the Queen Mother and Queen. If he dares to attack the Great Sept of Baelor, he will be held responsible for their safety.”

Kevan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was stunned. So, the Mountain was training his heavy cavalry in infantry sword and shield techniques to attack the Great Sept of Baelor.

“High Septon, I will relay your words to the Mountain. However, I believe your judgment is mistaken. It is perfectly normal for the Mountain's men to train in swordsmanship. A warrior without swordsmanship would be ridiculed by noble knights. At various events, such as festivals or the King's Name Day, knights cannot possibly carry long-handled battleaxes.”

“High Septon, knights and nobles all wear exquisite longswords. After the warriors of Claw Isle became soldiers under the Royal banner, each warrior must learn the social etiquette of the Seven Kingdoms, study swordsmanship, and learn to wear longswords and shortswords, instead of hanging a warhammer or flail from their waist at prestigious events. It would damage the Mountain's honor.”

Prime Minister Kevan's remarks were impeccable, perfectly masking the Mountain's true intentions. His eloquence and talent were, in fact, not inferior to Lord Tywin's. It was only that in the past, with Tywin present, there was no need for Kevan.

The High Septon stared at Prime Minister Kevan, his gaze like an awl. Prime Minister Kevan remained calm, expressionless, his face like iron.

“Prime Minister, I very much enjoy dealing with you. I hope you are correct. But regardless of what the Mountain plots, please tell him I do not wish to escalate the conflict further. Everything I do is for salvation, not destruction. If you are the upright and noble Prime Minister, the Faith Militant will fully support your government affairs, assist the country in its administration, and allow the people to live better lives. The Faith Militant is not as cruel and terrible as the rumors suggest. We only punish criminals and give them the opportunity to repent and reform. The Faith Militant and the Royal Army can coexist peacefully.”

“High Septon, I completely agree with your views.” Prime Minister Kevan told lies with the same ease as he spoke the truth.