The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 537: Willas Marries Cersei

(Guaranteed chapter!)

*

"Mother, are you going to inspect the Reach?" Nine-year-old King Tommen was somewhat unhappy.

"Tommen, inspecting the welfare of the people is something a Protector of the Realm must do." During Robert's lifetime, Cersei often went out with Robert to inspect the welfare of the people in various places.

"Can I go with Mother?" Tommen's eyes were full of hope.

"The Reach is hotter than King's Landing, Tommen, and there are many mosquitoes at night. You are too young and will get sick."

"Is it as hot as Dorne?"

Dorne is the hottest place in the Seven Kingdoms. Warriors cannot wear armor, as they would be roasted by the high temperature. They mostly wear bare arms and thin clothing, only binding thin leather at vital points.

"Uh, not as hot as Dorne. Dorne is the hottest place in our country."

"If my sister can go to Dorne, I can go to the Reach," Tommen said.

"You can go to the Reach, but our country's royal palace cannot be without a respectable king."

"With the Hand, I can go with Mother."

Cersei squatted down, as tall as Tommen: "Tommen, you are the king now, unlike your sister Myrcella. Princess Myrcella is going to be married off, but you will always belong here. These palaces, cities, rivers, and oceans are your territory; these people, nobles, warriors, beggars, and clowns are all your subjects. The Red Keep needs a real king."

Tommen felt frustrated, but he didn't want to give up.

"Mother, can I accompany you to the border between the Stormlands and the Reach?"

Cersei considered it and said, "Okay, Tommen, Mother promises you, you can only reach Bitterbridge at most, and then you must return."

"Yes, Mother," Tommen said with a look of surprise.

*

Cersei felt very reluctant to part with Tommen, but she desperately wanted to prove herself worthy of the title of Regent. In her father Tywin's eyes, Cersei had never received praise; in the little devil's eyes, she was even more of an idiot. Her uncle Kevan also looked down on her from the bottom of his heart, thinking that she had no talent, but her mind and temper were not small.

But this matter would fully demonstrate Cersei's talent and ability. She was no stranger to inspecting the Reach. It was just that this time, she was the real protagonist. This filled Cersei's heart with a sense of accomplishment.

A simple inspection, a visit to Highgarden, and accepting the cheers of her subjects would solve the problem of food in King's Landing. Although forced, Cersei's mood was still good. After the kingdom recovered and the Riverlands' grain harvest began, she would free up her hands to severely punish Mace Tyrell for the 'humiliation' he brought this time.

In fact, the Reach was rich in products, the river water was clear, the scenery was beautiful, the food was abundant, and the nobles were polite. It was a good place to eat, drink, and have fun.

Those ignorant people would cheer as long as they saw the royal flag. In Cersei's memory, they deeply loved King Robert, who was all about 'eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling'. This made Cersei despise these people from the bottom of her heart. She thought they were ignorant and did not deserve her respect.

However, as a representative of the highest power in the royal family, Cersei knew that she must do a good job on the surface to make the people feel close.

*

The Reach has several large rivers. One of them is the main river that runs through the Reach: the Mander.

The capital of the Reach, Highgarden, is located on the banks of the Mander.

Highgarden is a huge and beautiful city built on a high hill. Many people believe that the most beautiful city in the Seven Kingdoms is Highgarden.

Highgarden is a pure white giant city, with the city walls all built of white marble. The ground and the roofs of the houses are covered with thin marble.

From the foot of the mountain to the castle on the top, there are three maze-like walls also built of white marble. People who are not familiar with it can easily get lost in it.

The people in the castle, like the Tyrell family, love art, music, and culture. Among the Seven Kingdoms, only the city of Highgarden has been praised in countless songs, which are widely circulated, and many songs have become classic musical art.

Between the first and second walls, there is a carefully constructed and managed plant maze, which grows many plants and flowers from across the Narrow Sea, and some exotic flowers and herbs from the Summer Isles in the southernmost sea.

The botanical garden is used to entertain guests and for entertainment, and at the same time, it also has a defensive function. Many people who enter it must be led by local gardeners to get out.

This botanical garden is the favorite of Willas Tyrell, the eldest son of the Tyrell family and heir to Highgarden.

Willas is a handsome man, gentle and refined, reading a thick book.

On the horizontal branches of the big tree above his head stood seven or eight falcons. These were mountain eagles from the Red Mountains, very fierce, and the overlords of the sky. At his feet lay two hounds with fur as smooth as shimmering water. Not far away, a dozen equally tall and strong hounds were playing in the grass, baring their teeth threateningly from time to time, pouncing on each other, enjoying themselves.

Falcons, hounds, and steeds were Willas's favorites and the pets he was proud of.

In the Seven Kingdoms, Willas's falcons and hounds were unmatched. If the purebred steeds from the Claw Isle had not appeared, the steeds raised by Willas would also have been the best in the Seven Kingdoms.

Willas was knowledgeable, versatile, and especially good at raising animals. He also went to the Citadel to study related breeding techniques.

Willas was born in Highgarden in the year 270 of Aegon's Conquest. This year, Aegon's Conquest 300, Willas is exactly thirty years old.

When he was a teenager, both of his knees were shattered in a duel with the Red Viper Oberyn Martell, and could not be cured, thus becoming a cripple. This incident exacerbated the long-standing animosity between the Tyrell family and the Martell family, but Willas himself was kind-hearted and never blamed Oberyn. He also maintained long-term correspondence with Oberyn because they shared a common love for cooking horse meat.

In order to encourage his frail younger brother Garlan, Willas nicknamed his second younger brother "Garlan the Gallant." Under Willas's encouragement, the frail Garlan Tyrell became a famous knight and general in the Seven Kingdoms.

Despite his disability, Willas was the best candidate for the head of the family in the eyes of the Queen of Thorns, Olenna. His knowledge, wisdom, will, and leadership were far superior to those of his father Mace Tyrell.

*

In the botanical garden, Willas was reading a book under a big tree, surrounded by flowers and green grass, as handsome as a person in a painting.

With a rustle, the falcon above his head suddenly flew up and went straight to the sky. The crow's cry rang out.

Willas looked up. In the sky, his three falcons were besieging a crow. Soon, the crow, with its excellent attack power and flight speed, was driven down and landed on Willas's outstretched palm.

Other nobles' crows deliver letters to the maester's tower. But in Highgarden, if Willas is in the castle, the crows are obediently coerced into landing on Willas's shoulder or palm. Well, the Tyrell family's crows are also used to this kind of 'fear'.

At the entrance of the botanical garden stood the captain of the guard, Ser Aegon Levelle, who was responsible for protecting the safety of the future patriarch. Dozens of knights from the Reach were scattered in the botanical garden, protecting their lord from afar. Under the protection of falcons and hounds, Tyrell was already very safe. But the family was too powerful, and Willas could not keep a low profile.

Willas took the letter from the crow's leg, crushed the wax seal and read it, his brow furrowing deeply.

The letter was written to him by his father, but the content made Willas unhappy.

His father said that the beautiful and unparalleled Queen Mother would come to Highgarden to inspect the welfare of the people, bringing royal glory to the family. He hoped that Willas would treat the Queen Mother well and win her favor. Then the Hand would send congratulations on behalf of the Lannister family and send gifts. For the sake of the kingdom's stability and the happiness of the people, the Hand and his father hoped that Willas would marry the Queen Mother Cersei and get her pregnant as soon as possible.

The letter was very long, saying some repetitive words. The overall meaning was to ask Willas to take the overall situation into consideration, marry the Queen Mother who came to Highgarden, and not let her out of the Highgarden castle until the Queen Mother had a child.

This was a disguised form of house arrest.

Willas despised the Hand and his father's actions. They deceived the Queen Mother and used political interests as an exchange condition, asking Willas to cooperate with all their will. His father said in the letter that Willas was not allowed to refute and must execute it. This was a family edict.

Willas's good mood vanished. He knew Cersei's beauty very well, but he also knew that he could not accept Cersei, who was intimate with his twin brother.

However, his father, in the name of the Duke of Highgarden, ordered Willas to treat the Queen Mother well and marry her as soon as possible.

Willas tore the letter to pieces. He threw the crow away, closed the book, stood up: "Ser Aegon!" he shouted, his voice full of anger.

Captain Aegon Levelle ran over quickly. He heard Willas's indignation, so he was very puzzled.

"Go back!" Willas said.

"Yes, my lord."

Aegon led the white steed to Willas. There were wide horse trails in the botanical garden. He helped Willas ride on the steed, and Willas led a group of people to the castle on the mountain. His falcons were flying in the sky, and the hounds were running beside him. The barking of dogs rang out.

Aegon protected his lord through the second wall, the third wall, and back to the huge castle built on the mountains.

Willas ran directly into his tower. He changed his clothes and ordered Ser Aegon to notify the steward of the family - Duke Mace's uncle, Ser Willas's great-uncle Garse Tyrell, Maester Lomys, and Master-at-Arms Ser Vortimer Crane. Willas wanted to hold a meeting to discuss how to deal with the Queen Mother Cersei who was coming to the Reach to inspect the welfare of the people.

Willas hoped to get the support of his retainers. He would treat the Queen Mother well, but he would not marry Cersei. This matter was too complicated and serious, and he could not make the decision alone.

*

Willas's residence was a beautiful and elegant round tower. While waiting for his retainers to arrive, he stood at the window overlooking his beloved castle: Highgarden within the city walls was like a green paradise, flowers blooming everywhere, gardens, pools, and man-made waterfalls dotted the entire castle.

Standing at the window of the round tower's living room, because it was located at the top of the hill, Willas could see all the manors and fields within a few leagues. The wild was full of flowers and golden roses. Many elegant and perfect buildings were built during the reign of King Mern VI Gardener, and the three ancient towers not far away were said to date back to the Age of Heroes eight thousand years ago.

In any case, even if he was not the heir to the family head, Willas would never marry Cersei.

He could not accept a woman who was intimate with his younger brother, regardless of any political interests. Even marrying an ugly old woman from the common people was better than marrying Cersei.

*

Steward Garse Tyrell was fat and slow, but he was the first to arrive at Willas's round tower.

Garse was over seventy years old and was the steward of Highgarden, serving Willas's grandfather Duke Rose, and then serving Willas's father Duke Mace. He had two bastards, Garse Flowers and Garrett Flowers.

Garse Flowers once escorted grain to King's Landing, but the Mountain ambushed and robbed the grain at night, and used Garse's mouth to pass on the news that he would attack the city in three days to Duke Tywin, but the Mountain launched a surprise attack two days in advance, catching Duke Tywin off guard and winning a great victory.

Garse brought his bastard Garse with him. He never forgot to promote his two bastards, especially liking Garse, whose body was as fat as his own.

Willas showed the letter to his great-uncle Garse and said, "Great-uncle, I refuse this marriage."

"Although the Queen Mother has been married, her beauty is famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms. I believe that many great nobles want to be intimate with her but cannot. She is still charming, Willas."

"Marrying her will damage the pride of the Tyrell family, and I myself cannot accept it. She is a woman of immoral character. People will laugh at the Tyrell family behind their backs."

"Duke Tywin has a saying, a lion does not care about the thoughts of sheep. Margaery Tyrell married Renly for the sake of family interests, married Joffrey, and is now marrying Tommen, who is only nine years old. She must be just as aggrieved in her heart. She is sixteen years old, but she is about to face her third marriage. Willas, family interests are above all else."

"I give up my right of inheritance, great-uncle," Willas said decisively.

"Ser Willas, you take your reputation and inner feelings too seriously. The Hand and Duke Mace have carefully planned the change of royal power, without killing or coup d'état, and have gone to great lengths to send the Queen Mother to Highgarden. You are the last link in their plan. If you cannot accept it, they will not forgive you. If Cersei returns to King's Landing and finds out the real purpose of this inspection, our family will have a hard time in the future. The Queen Mother will definitely take revenge madly."

"Great-uncle, I can accept anyone else."

"Changing to anyone else makes the marriage meaningless."

"I must accept it?"

"For the sake of the family, you must accept this marriage." The fat Garse said resolutely, "Willas, let's vote. Me, the family's captain of the guard Aegon, Maester Lomys, and Master-at-Arms Ser Vortimer Crane. If all four of us pass it unanimously without prior consultation, you must marry Cersei."

Willas was speechless, and a sense of sadness swept through his heart!

The steward Garris, Captain Egon, Instructor Fortimos, and Scholar Lomis were the most loyal members of the family's vassals. Whenever the family had a difficult decision to make, these four would be summoned to a meeting for discussion and voting.

"If they all support it, must I marry Cersei?!" Velas asked himself, his heart filled with helplessness and trepidation.