The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 703: Cersei Loses Her Voice · The Red Keep Changes Hands · Faceless Man

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*

When the Queen Mother Cersei said she wanted Mamei to go with her and watched Connie drink the silencing potion, Qyburn judged that this wasn't the Queen Mother Cersei. If it were the Queen Mother Cersei, she wouldn't have asked Mamei and Qyburn to go together; Cersei trusted Qyburn. But this Queen Mother Cersei didn't trust Qyburn.

To be on the safe side, Qyburn turned around naturally as he left, smiling kindly and harmoniously: "Your Majesty, please bestow Connie, who can no longer serve you, upon me. I learned a mystical art of necromancy in the Citadel, and I need someone to experiment on."

"Necromancy? It sounds too evil. Scholar Qyburn, I forbid you from researching necromancy."

"As you command, Your Majesty." Qyburn was thus certain that the Cersei before him was indeed not the real Cersei, but Arya Stark. Her ability to change her appearance was unmatched in the world, something not found in the Citadel's mystical arts. According to the Citadel's books on mysticism, only the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White in Braavos could perfectly change their form in such a way.

Scholar Qyburn felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that Arya Stark was from the House of Black and White in Braavos? Was she a terrifying Faceless Man? Faceless Men have no surnames, no national hatred, and they call themselves No One. But Arya Stark, if she wasn't hired to seek revenge, would be violating her own teachings.

*

In this world, the most mysterious and unpredictable top assassins are the Faceless Men from the House of Black and White. Anyone targeted by the Faceless Men, whether king or duke, will eventually meet their end, without exception.

The Faceless Men worship the Many-Faced God, the god of death. They see death as liberation and a return. The history of the Faceless Men is even longer than that of the city-state of Braavos. There's a legendary story about the origin of the Faceless Men.

The cult of the Many-Faced God was initially born among the miserable slaves in the Valyrian mines. The slaves in the mines often rebelled, and the first Faceless Man was one of the rebels. But in fact, no one really knew his origin. All they knew was that he moved among the slaves, listening to their prayers.

People from hundreds of countries were captured and forced to work in the Valyrian mines. Everyone prayed to their own god in their own language, all praying for the same thing—liberation, an end to the pain. But without exception, no one received a response from their god. The torment continued endlessly, day after day.

Until one night, in the reddish darkness, the founder of the Faceless Men understood—all gods have their own tools, faithful men and women who serve them and carry out their will in the world. On the surface, the slaves from different countries were crying out to hundreds of different gods, but in fact, it was the same god with hundreds of different faces—and he himself believed that he had been chosen by the god of death, that he had become the god of death's tool for demonstrating miracles in this world: he would act on behalf of the god of death!

Because of this, the first Faceless Man began to bestow the "gift of death" upon those desperate slaves, a cup of black shade of the evening, which, when drunk, would allow them to leave this world without pain. Later, the Faceless Man founder's shade of the evening was not only given to those miserable praying slaves, but he also gave the gift to those slave owners, governors, earls, and even kings who wished to be liberated. Given to anyone who wished to be liberated: All men must die. Because death is a difficult gift to obtain, there is a second saying: All men must serve!

In the Faceless Man founder's view, death is merciful liberation. If a price is paid, he will agree to take the life of one person in the world, a sacrifice to the god of death. Over the centuries, the followers of the Many-Faced God have grown in number, and only the most elite among them are qualified to be called Faceless Men.

Every Faceless Man must complete very strict training: This training includes mysterious and complicated rituals, among which swordsmanship, stealth, faceless techniques, illusion, medicine, and toxicology are compulsory subjects.

When a Faceless Man has completed all of these prescribed training contents, they possess amazing abilities unmatched by ordinary people. Each of them is a master of the narrow sword, and any one of them can change their appearance at will. They are also top experts in various poisons.

As part of their training, Faceless Men need to abandon their true identities and regard themselves as "No One." They use swords, poisons, ropes, sticks, knives, forks, daggers, bare hands… and countless other ways to kill their targets. If you hire a Faceless Man to assassinate an ordinary merchant, half the price is enough to hire an entire army of ordinary mercenaries; if you hire a Faceless Man to assassinate a king, the cost is unimaginable.

Faceless Men are the most expensive assassins in the world. Their fees are staggeringly high, but once they are hired, the name is spoken, death descends, and no one can escape.

As a Grand Maester, Qyburn couldn't be said to be ignorant of the Faceless Men's situation. The Citadel has special records of all the unusual organizations in this world. Qyburn, who is obsessed with studying the Citadel's mysticism and medicine, knows that if Arya is a Faceless Man, and if she has chosen someone, it is only a matter of time before that person is doomed, and there is no possibility of a miracle of survival.

However, according to the Faceless Men's training, Arya should have worshiped the Many-Faced God, abandoned the Stark family's grievances, and become a true No One. She has no family, no surname, no friends, and no personal grudges of her own, unless someone specifically hired her to assassinate Cersei. Otherwise, according to the Faceless Men's teachings, Arya would not act out of personal hatred.

But clearly, judging from the current situation, Arya Stark is an exception in the House of Black and White!

There are exceptions to everything!

*

Qyburn and Mamei came to the back of the group. Qyburn's mind was filled with the sharp look Arya gave him at the end—he saw through Arya's true face, and Arya seemed to have seen through that he had seen through Arya—the meaning in that look was full of threat—regarding the Faceless Men's ability to see through people's hearts, Arya was outstanding. When she wasn't a Faceless Man, her dancing master Syrio Forel told her not to look at the world with her eyes, but with her heart. When a person looks with their heart, no matter how complicated the opponent's sword moves are, they can see through the opponent's reality.

Arya, who has been trained by the Faceless Men, has been reborn. That kind of invisible sharpness is her talent, just like an animal's innate instinct.

"Connie, this is medicine to treat your throat. Drink it, and the injury on your throat will heal faster." Qyburn's smile was amiable, and the old grandpa's smile was still so kind, but Cersei felt danger. She saw the smile in Mamei's eyes, a malicious smile, a gloating smile, an impatient smile… She just wanted to reach out and dig out Mamei's eyes, but she was weak and no match for Mamei.

"Qyburn, you swore an oath!" Cersei said in a hoarse, low voice. Time is the best doctor. It allowed Cersei to gradually recover some reason from the extreme fear. The glory and pride of the Lannister family also instinctively recovered a little, just like a compressed spring, under the action of time, the pressure gradually released, and the spring slowly restored.

"Connie, trust me." Qyburn's encouraging eyes and kind smile. Cersei was still hesitating, but Qyburn had already reached out and pinched her chin. Qyburn's hand was like a steel hook, pinching Cersei's chin and forcing her to open her mouth. The black liquid poured into Cersei's mouth. Qyburn skillfully closed Cersei's mouth. The fishy smell of the liquid filled Cersei's mouth, chest, and abdomen, almost making her vomit.

A bright smile appeared on Mamei's face: "Grand Maester, how long does it take for the medicine to treat throat injuries to take effect?"

"Quickly!"

"How long is quickly?"

"For those with stronger bodies, more than ten breaths; for those with weaker bodies, a few heartbeats."

"Hmm, then there's been one heartbeat now," Mamei said lightly.

Qyburn smiled and looked at Mamei: "Mamei, what kind of potion do you like? I have them all here." A mere maid actually questioned the dignified Grand Maester, which made Qyburn feel very uncomfortable. Qyburn smiled amiably, but Mamei suddenly shivered. Her face changed slightly, and she immediately shut her mouth tightly.

Cersei looked at Qyburn and then at Mamei, with an incredulous look on her face. Qyburn and Mamei's conversation frightened her and made her feel deeply uneasy. What exactly did Qyburn give her to drink?

"Qyburn," she said subconsciously, but found that there was a hard lump hanging on her throat, squeezing her voice and making it difficult to make a sound. "What did you give me to drink?" In the end, the sound was already slurred, as if the channel of sound was narrowing, and finally narrow enough that the sound could not pass through.

Qyburn looked at Cersei with a kind smile, but Cersei was already terrified: "Qyburn, you violated your oath, you will…" The last sound was completely inaudible, and all turned into a hissing sound. Qyburn's medical skills were indeed very high. In just a few heartbeats, the medicine took effect, and Cersei's throat seemed to be locked, mute! Tears appeared in her eyes. She suddenly jumped up and stretched out her hands to strangle Qyburn's neck. Qyburn grabbed Cersei's arms with both hands and forcefully pried her hands open, leaving several bloody marks on his neck.

"Connie, my underground laboratory lacks necromantic experimenters. You are disrespectful to me, and I will apply to Her Majesty to ask her to bestow you upon me for medical research."

Cersei was terrified and couldn't believe it. Qyburn was her most trusted courtier. He already knew the truth. Why didn't he save her?: "You are a demon. You will be sent to hell by the Stranger." Cersei suddenly had the courage to curse loudly, but she found that she could no longer make a sound. She heard herself shouting hoarsely, but all that came out was ah ah ah ah.

*

A few days later, Queen Mother Cersei led the Kingsguard and courtiers back to the Red Keep in King's Landing. She presided over a meeting of the Small Council and announced that she would go to the North to reward the troops and help the Mountain's coalition quickly eliminate the Others, and then return to King's Landing together to fight Daenerys Targaryen. Targaryen has three dragons. She believes that defending King's Landing cannot be without Jaime's command, nor can the Mountain and his dragon be absent.

In order to allow the Mountain and Jaime to return to King's Landing as soon as possible, Her Majesty decided to lead a three-thousand-strong army north.

This was a decision that greatly surprised the ministers. In the end, Her Majesty overruled all objections and decided to go north to Winterfell in two days.

The king, queen, prime minister, and courtiers thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be true. Everyone in the Small Council hall looked at each other in dismay.

*

Night, Maegor's Holdfast.

Queen Mother's bedroom.

Mamei came to report: "Your Majesty, Grand Maester Qyburn requests an audience."

Queen Mother Cersei nodded slightly.

Mamei withdrew, and Qyburn arrived.

Qyburn said humbly with his signature kind smile: "Your Majesty, King Tommen is still young, and Ser Jaime has already gone north to Winterfell. After you leave, Maegor's Holdfast will be controlled by Queen Margaery Tyrell, and the Small Council will fall into the hands of Prime Minister Mace Tyrell, which is not wise for King Tommen's future."

Queen Mother Cersei looked at Qyburn, expressionless: "Grand Maester, what do you think I should do?"

"Your Majesty, Winterfell needs iron-blooded warriors to resist the Others, and Your Majesty is not a warrior. The best way to help Winterfell is not to go north, but to preside over the overall situation in the palace and continuously transport military supplies to Winterfell. If Your Majesty wants to strengthen the northern coalition's forces, send a general to lead the army north."

Queen Mother Cersei stared at the humbly smiling Grand Maester: "Grand Maester, according to the recent raven letters, Winterfell will be the first to be attacked by the Others, and Daenerys Targaryen's 100,000 cavalry have only just left the Great Grass Sea and will need a month to go from the Valyrian Road to Pentos. Although Tyrion Lannister's navy and the Unsullied have arrived in Pentos, their numbers are limited and not to be feared. Before Daenerys's army has converged, I judge that Tyrion will not dare to cross the sea to attack first."

"Your Majesty, if you insist on going north, what if there are any delays or mistakes, what if the battle with the Others falls into a stalemate, into whose hands will the Red Keep fall? If Tyrion suddenly launches a secret attack, or if some of the courtiers collude with Varys, Tyrion, and Barristan, and cooperate from the inside out, and the Red Keep is controlled by Lord Puff Fish, the consequences would be unimaginable. Your Majesty, Lord Puff Fish is not a general, nor does he have the courage. He is good at planning but indecisive, and fears war and power. Once there is a change, he will not be able to defend King's Landing."

"You are worried that the Iron Throne will fall into Daenerys Targaryen's hands!"

"Your Majesty, I am completely loyal. Please think twice, Your Majesty, and do not go north easily."

Although Cersei is foolish, the Lannisters have been in the King's Landing palace for twenty years, and the pro-Lannister forces they have cultivated should not be underestimated. Once the Queen Mother moves north, people will be impetuous. Tyrion, Varys, and the fearless Barristan are all former courtiers of the palace, know all the courtiers inside, and are clear about the loyalty and ability of each courtier. Some of them have very ambiguous private relationships. It is impossible for the Red Keep not to have spies of Littlefinger and Varys.

The Queen Mother pondered in silence. Grand Maester Qyburn knew that the Queen Mother had been moved by his words. He took the opportunity to speak: "Your Majesty, in extraordinary times, I am willing to recommend several loyal and courageous courtiers to assist Your Majesty in governing the dynasty, resisting strong enemies from the outside, and eliminating traitors from the inside."

"Who are the loyal ministers?"

“The Minister of Intelligence, Bernie Crigan, holds a wealth of information but has never been truly valued by Her Majesty the Queen. If Bernie Crigan were given a more important role, we would have a thorough understanding of the enemy's situation in Pentos. There are quite a few courtiers colluding with Tyrion and Varys, and because Ser Bernie has been suppressed by Her Majesty, he hasn't reported some crucial intelligence.”

“Which military commander is worthy of promotion?”

“Baron Swinton of the Kingsguard.”

“What about the Royal Navy?”

“Recall the former Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Wagner Gall. He is currently stationed on Dragonstone and can arrive in just two days. He and Lord Gavin Westerling command hundreds of warships belonging to the Mountain, a formidable force unmatched in naval warfare.”

“Very well. Besides these, do you have any other good suggestions regarding governance?”

“Your Majesty, Lord Gavin Westerling is the Mountain's father-in-law. He has a son named Reinard Westerling. Her Majesty's Princess Myrcella Baratheon is of marriageable age. I suggest Myrcella marry Reinard, which would secure the Mountain's loyalty. The Mountain has elite troops and the continent's only dragon. In the upcoming decisive battle for King's Landing, we will need the Mountain's dragon to deal with Daenerys's three dragons.”

The Queen Mother nodded: “Grand Maester Qyburn, continue.”

Qyburn observed the Queen Mother's expression, appearing casual but actually cautious: “Your Majesty, the Mountain actually hopes to marry someone other than Myrcella. Marrying Myrcella is Master of Whisperers Mace's idea. The Mountain hopes to marry Rosamund Lannister of Lannisport. Your Majesty, with the Mountain's powerful military force and invincible dragon, facilitating a marriage between Rosamund Lannister of Lannisport and the Mountain's adopted son, Com Warner, would be the best strategy for stabilizing the kingdom.”

The Queen Mother stared at Qyburn for a long time, without saying a word.

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