The Mountain of Ice and Fire

In the afternoon, the sunlight spilled over Castamere like gold.

Lady Jeyne arrived at Castamere with a large entourage. The city gates were wide open, and all the citizens and soldiers had come out. The underground city was deserted. Soldiers lined both sides of the city streets, leaving the central avenue clear for Lady Jeyne and her party to enter. The citizens packed the avenue from the city's edge all the way to the outside of the city gate, vying to welcome their supreme liege lady: Jeyne Westerling.

Lady Donna and her people were also in the densely packed crowd at the city gate. Lady Donna felt the people's enthusiasm like a roaring fire. In her life, she had never seen a lord so fervently loved by their citizens and soldiers, not even in books had she read such a tale.

The entire city's population and soldiery had come to welcome Lady Jeyne's arrival, and deafening cheers of 'hurrah' echoed throughout the city, resounding through the blue skies above Castamere.

By Lady Jeyne's side were Sansa Stark, with her bright eyes and dazzling beauty; Doerte Quentina, the blood witch from Crackclaw Point; and the leaders of over forty tribes from the Mountains of the Moon, including the rock-black Koen; Zira, with her necklace of human ears; the skinny Gonshore; and the Red Handed, one-eyed Timaeus of the Scorched Tribe, and the fiercely evil Shagga, who looked like a giant bear wearing human skin.

Among these 'oddly shaped' and eye-catching generals, Lady Donna noticed an unremarkable centurion of guards: Luke.

Luke – the brother of Chiswyck Bighead, alone with his sword, had blocked Lady Donna's knights on the streets of Lannisport, forcing her to go to the Clegane Bank to exchange her gold dragons for paper money, otherwise, she could forget about taking spices and rouge out of Lannisport.

Donna had a deep, unforgettable impression of the unglamorous Luke!

*

"Lady Jeyne!" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, at the gates of Castamere, after the city guard general introduced her from the crowd, Lady Donna actually knelt on one knee, kissing Lady Jeyne's hand, just as a vassal would before their lord. "Please forgive my past ignorance and arrogance, Duchess. Please allow me to follow you, to serve at your side, let me be your humble attendant."

Old Hobson watched, dumbfounded, in disbelief.

Lady Donna had led them hundreds of miles from Lannisport, just to kneel before Lady Jeyne at the gates of Castamere, and in public.

Lady Donna's two family knights, eighteen family soldiers, and four attendant maids were all stunned.

What about the lady's honor and the family's reputation? Did she not want any of it? Was she crazy or ill? This morning, when touring the underground city of Castamere, Lady Donna had clearly been fine, her words and actions all normal.

Jeyne Westerling was equally surprised and astonished – Donna had always prided herself on her position as the acting castellan of Casterly Rock, after all, Casterly Rock was the capital of the Westerlands, the ancestral home of the former Warden of the West, Lord Tywin Lannister, and a symbol of the Lannister family's authority – but today she had suddenly appeared in Castamere, suddenly knelt, and suddenly humbled herself to a speck of dust. Was she out of her mind?

"Lady Donna, you are too kind. Your appearance is my greatest surprise," Lady Jeyne maintained the dignified etiquette of a duchess, not letting anyone see the astonishment in her heart.

Lady Doerte, with her black teeth, coldly watched Donna, her eyes filled with deep wariness and caution. What did this noblewoman, known for her pride, indifference, and stupidity, want to do? She would have to take her blood to test it.

Sansa Stark's surprise was written all over her face. She knew Lady Donna's background very well. What had stimulated this lady to the point where she no longer cared about the dignity of House Swyft and House Lannister, kneeling before Lady Jeyne and asking to become her follower?

She was a Countess!

Noble children becoming attendants was a means for nobles to connect and deepen alliances, but Lady Donna was no longer a child. She was currently the sole representative of House Swyft and House Lannister.

Lord Harys Swyft, the head of House Swyft, had been shot and killed in King's Landing by Julie Clegane, the Mountain's adopted daughter. Steffon Swyft, the heir of Cornfield, had been beheaded by an impersonator, Bernie the mime, posing as Tyrion Lannister on Dragonstone in King's Landing. As for House Lannister, Tywin and Kevan were both dead. Kevan's heir, Lancel Lannister, had been forced to go to the Wall and become a member of the Night's Watch. The next in line, Martyn Lannister, had been beheaded by the Clegane forces as a sacrifice when Euron Crow's Eye attacked the Westerlands.

Both House Swyft and House Lannister currently had no legitimate heirs alive. House Lannister had three members, but the Imp was ostensibly dead, Jaime was the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and Cersei was a woman married into House Baratheon. She had been strictly prevented by Kevan from inheriting Casterly Rock. Strictly speaking, Cersei was no longer a Lannister. Lady Donna was currently the sole representative of the two great houses, and the honor she represented was the honor of both families.

But Lady Donna actually knelt before Lady Jeyne at the gates of Castamere and asked to follow her?!

Sansa Stark could not believe it!

The noble etiquette education she had received could not comprehend Lady Donna's actions. Either Lady Donna was no longer normal and needed a maester to see her, or Lady Donna had another sinister motive. Was she trying to gain Lady Jeyne's favor through humility and servility, get close to her, and then harm her?

Having experienced Cersei's teachings and multiple tribulations during the court coup, the young girl's naivety had long faded away. Cunning and intrigue had become sharp swords honed beneath her beautiful appearance.

Sansa Stark did not believe Lady Donna's 'surrender' in the slightest. Such humility, such servility, was not something a countess could do. If she did, then she must have a very powerful plan.

Regardless of Sansa's conspiracy theory, Lady Doerte's vigilance, Old Hobson's disbelief, or Lady Jeyne's psychological shock... none of this affected the discussions and enthusiastic chatter of the soldiers and citizens of the Mountains of the Moon. Some simple citizens believed that Lady Donna, like them, had love and loyalty for Lady Jeyne.

The tribespeople's words were straightforward, rude, and vulgar, and they valued the family's reputation and honor, which the nobles valued, less than a beast's hide. Fortunately, most tribespeople did not speak the Common Tongue well, and the Westerlanders could not understand their mountain language, which spared Lady Donna and Lady Jeyne a lot of embarrassment.

*

At night, Castamere became a city that never slept, with both the underground city and the above-ground city brightly lit. Torches burned fiercely, and copper candlesticks were filled with white candles the size of children's fists. The densely packed candles burned, dispelling the darkness with the torches, and everywhere was bright.

Jeyne held a banquet to welcome Lady Donna's arrival. In addition to the tribal leaders from the Mountains of the Moon, all the nobles from the northern territories of the Westerlands and their wives came to accompany her.

The northern Westerlands, starting from House Westerling's the Crag, north to the border by the Westerlands sea hundreds of miles away, east to the town of the Mark two hundred miles away, and south to the border two hundred miles away, had all been connected by the Mountain into one piece. Almost all the northern nobles had been subdued by the Mountain when Lord Tywin was still alive. In that conflict, Lord Marbrand, the castellan of the Mark, had lost his right hand. However, the northern nobles' oaths of allegiance were formally made after the people from the Mountains of the Moon officially moved into Castamere and Tarbeck Hall.

The Mountain brought his troops to the door, regardless of the size of the noble, and conducted sincere cooperation negotiations with the nobles in each place. Finally, he connected all the land in the north into one piece and unified it under the Mountain's planning and management. It was clearly stipulated and uniformly managed which land would grow wheat and which hillside would be used for grazing. The nobles were also forced to swear allegiance to the Mountain, and then, with unwilling hearts, became members of the Mountain's forces in the north.

The Mountain did not pay attention to the little awkwardness in the hearts of the northern nobles. He knew that once the silk business was established, and they made a lot of money, the little awkwardness they were forced into at the beginning, and the hostility buried in their hearts, would all disappear. In fact, when the silk village was built, and the nobles knew the real purpose of the Mountain's domineering behavior of unifying and planning the land, their hearts were already active. When the handsome Westerlands youths returned with the girls from the Rhoyne and settled in the silk village, all the nobles saw in their eyes was glory and gold. Their initial awkwardness and grievances, as well as their hidden hostility towards the Mountain, had long since disappeared.

When Lady Jeyne came to the north and entered the silk village to settle the returned handsome Westerlands youths, the northern nobles received the news and all took the initiative to come and greet her. When Lady Jeyne was in the silk village, these nobles and ladies were also there. When Lady Jeyne came to Castamere, these nobles and ladies followed all the way, carefully accompanying her and constantly flattering her.

Jeyne held a banquet at night to entertain Lady Donna, who had requested to follow her, and many ladies came to accompany her. The ladies were all dressed in silk and satin, warbling like swallows, a beautiful sight.

The entire northern part of the Westerlands had fallen into the Mountain's control; all the northern nobles had sworn allegiance to the Mountain.

The Mountain's position as Warden of the Westerlands was justified!

The night banquet began, and first came the appetizers: salad. As a prelude to the formal meal, this was a platter salad consisting of beet greens, spinach, raisins, crushed nuts, pecans, fennel bulbs, and cheese shavings. The salad was exquisitely made, with bright colors and a rich, sweet aroma. It was the craftsmanship of Lady Jeyne's accompanying chef.

The men at the neighboring tables had already started a noisy drinking contest.

The accompanying ladies only symbolically tasted a little, and then the salad was taken away, and the maids brought hot, round rolls and sliced bread. The bread plates were served with butter, jam, and honey.

The soup was the third course, with thick barley venison soup, carrot and ham bacon soup... Even the clear soup had a lot of vegetable and meat particles in it, and the aroma of meat was strong and the steam was steaming. After this soup, the banquet was officially considered to have entered the real dining time.

Then, a stream of main dishes was served, and the women only tasted a little of each before putting down their chopsticks. Because of Lord Tywin's 'wood for iron' order, the Westerlands nobles had long learned to use chopsticks, which was a new fashion popular among the nobles.

These dishes, which had hardly been touched, were taken away from the ladies' tables like flowing water, and then new dishes continued to be served, including steaming crab meat, fragrant cooked pumpkin, and butter-baked quail, roast rabbit and lamb dripping with golden yellow oil... Lady Donna kept expressing her gratitude to Lady Jeyne, saying that the food she had eaten before was not even half as delicious as this meal.

Lady Donna's favorite main dish was honey-glazed roast chicken.

Because of the disastrous defeat in the war, the northern nobles had not seen such a scene for a long time. Dishes were served one after another, and even tasting one or two bites of each dish was enough to fill them up.

The squires and the tribal generals from the Mountains of the Moon had also entered a heatwave of drinking contests. All kinds of dishes piled up on the table. Unlike the elegant ladies' tables, the men's tables were covered with plates stacked on top of plates, with tempting leek-baked wild beef, venison, and other delicacies...

Sansa quietly slipped out of the ladies' table and hid at the table of the tribal generals' wives to eat her favorite lemon cakes and bear meat, which were the tastes of her childhood in Winterfell.

In the heat of the banquet, a dish was served that made the noble ladies scream: locusts!

The tribal leaders from the Mountains of the Moon and their wives cheered. Shagga, who was as strong as a bear, stuffed locusts into his mouth by the handful, crunching loudly. The squires at the same table were stunned and then laughed, but no noble was willing to try a bite.

Of course, the noble ladies' locusts were also passed to the tables of the tribal generals, and in their place was exquisite lamprey.

After Sansa slipped back to the main table and sat down next to Lady Jeyne again, the main courses were finally finished. Next were all kinds of pastries and desserts. Although the ladies had only tasted a little of each dish elegantly, they were all full. After the pastries and desserts, there were all kinds of fruits that had been washed until they were sparkling: apples, grapes, peeled and sliced bananas, sherry, chilled blueberries, and so on... Finally, the ladies' side officially ended after serving fruit juice drinks, while at the men's tables, some had slipped to the floor, and some were still drinking...

Lady Jeyne had Sansa and Lady Donna switch places, and had Lady Donna sit next to her: "Lady Donna, some family vassals in Cornfield and Casterly Rock are still resisting Clegane paper money..."

"Madam, after I return, I will order my family vassals to accept Clegane paper money without any resistance. I will also help Madam promote the benefits of paper money and ensure that Clegane paper money is the only currency circulating in the Westerlands."

"Thank you, Madam. In addition, some vassals in Cornfield and Casterly Rock have only declared their territories, citizen registration, and number of people to us. In terms of taxation and government orders, they..."

"Madam, I will ensure that all my vassals pay their taxes in full and that there will be no more delays or excuses for Madam and Lord Mountain's government orders," Lady Donna assured Lady Jeyne. "I am also very willing to provide the inner harbor of Casterly Rock for Lady Jeyne and Lord Mountain to use. It is more convenient to unload iron ore from Casterly Rock than in Lannisport. There is too much cargo in Lannisport, and I am willing to open the inner city harbor of Casterly Rock for Madam and the Duke to use to help Lannisport relieve the pressure."

Lady Jeyne did not know what to say for a moment. She could only maintain an elegant smile and express her appreciation for Lady Donna's strong assistance.

Lady Donna had become very strange, very flattering, and very humble. Strictly speaking, she had the face of a villain and could not be trusted.

Jenny looked at Lady Dalti beside her. They understood each other's intentions and decided to secretly obtain Lady Dona's blood for verification.

“Lady Jenny, regarding silk, the Western trade, and the bank and paper money plan, can the Swyft family follow you...?”

“You want to work with the Cleganes in trade and business?”

“Yes, Madam, please give the Swyft family a chance. The Swyft family and all its vassals will wholeheartedly support our Warden of the West and swear to follow Duke Gregor to the death.” Lady Dona looked into Lady Jenny's eyes and said softly, “Madam, in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of the Swyft family, I swear allegiance to you and the Duke, until death!”