The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Where is Cersei?”

“Cersei is Arya Stark. The real Cersei became her handmaiden. Maester Qyburn's drugs control Cersei. Mountain, it was your help that made Arya. She has finally become the person she always wanted to be.”

Cersei is indeed Arya!

This was within the Mountain's expectations.

When the news of 'name spoken, death descends' reached the North, the Mountain guessed that Cersei was no longer Cersei, but Arya Stark.

The Faceless Men have the ability to become anyone. Arya Stark has finally returned after completing her training!

Arya, in Cersei's name, had her father-in-law, Earl Gavin, transport a hundred golden statues from the Lannister family's Hall of Heroes to the Isle of Gods in Braavos. This news shocked the Mountain and he didn't want to believe it. Her order for Earl Gavin to take over the gold of Casterly Rock was actually a deliberate way for the Mountain to make a fortune. Perhaps she was repaying him for taking care of her at Harrenhal back then.

Arya is a loyal and righteous kid. Although she is a Faceless Man, she has a name, a surname, and a face.

This made the Mountain feel an overwhelming sense of intimacy, as if he had heard good news from an old friend he had known for many years and showed a knowing smile.

He and Arya had formed a friendship that transcended age at Harrenhal.

Both of them had good memories of that life experience.

“Bran, I didn’t help Arya,” the Mountain shrugged. “She is where she is today because she exchanged her life and pain for it.”

“Mountain, in the 298th year of Aegon's Conquest, you recognized Arya's identity in Harrenhal and took Arya by your side to take care of her. After the Faceless Men appeared, you also suggested that Arya go to Saltpans. She successfully took a boat to Braavos in Saltpans. All men must die, all men must serve.”

The Mountain stared at Bran Stark in silence: Bran knew these details, which made the Mountain feel strange, even though the Mountain was mentally prepared.

Bran Stark was looking at the sky in the godswood. He sat in his wheelchair, looking up at somewhere in the sky, his expression calm, like the silent ice and snow on the ground.

“Bran, have you ever had the experience of walking down the street without clothes on?”

Bran Stark withdrew his gaze from the sky and landed on the Mountain's face.

“Standing in front of you, that’s how I feel right now,” the Mountain exhaled. “If you know all the secrets, what’s the point of life? If it were me, I would feel bored. And, I might feel unsafe. Knowing other people’s secrets will make that person feel uneasy.”

“No one can know all the secrets, not even the gods can do it. I am not a god, I am just a greenseer. Mountain, you are not an ordinary person either. Do you feel uneasy facing me?”

Would the Mountain feel uneasy?

Yes, and no!

He shrugged and shifted the sharp topic: “Then are you Brynden Rivers, or Bran Stark?”

Bran's gaze shifted from the Mountain's face: “I am the Three-Eyed Raven. I am most of the memories of this world.”

He didn't answer the Mountain's question, but it could be said that he had already answered the Mountain's question.

“Oh, Bran, then please tell me, what will the future world be like? Who will eventually sit on the Iron Throne?” The Mountain didn't hide his desire to know. The trajectory of the world has changed too much, and many things in the future have become uncertain.

Bran's gaze shifted from the sky to the Mountain's face, and then slowly from the Mountain's face to the depths of the forest: “Hodor!” he shouted loudly.

A voice of response came from the depths of the godswood, and tall Hodor ran out of the forest with a simple and honest smile on his face. Hodor was an old kennel worker of the Stark family. After Meera Reed left Winterfell, Hodor took over Meera's job of pushing the wheelchair.

Soon, Bran Stark left the Mountain with his back.

“Bran, can we win the Battle of Winterfell?” the Mountain's voice chased after him.

Bran didn't even turn his head, but Hodor smiled honestly. The master and servant walked into the depths of the forest and disappeared.

In front of the Mountain were three weirwood trees, and behind him were three hot spring pools bubbling with heat. Northerners call weirwood trees "heart trees". The bark of the three weirwood trees was as white as bone, and the leaves were dark red, and the shape of the leaves was like a human palm. The leaves of the three trees were lush, like a thousand blood-stained palms stretched out in the air. Each weirwood tree had a human face carved on its trunk, with deep eye sockets full of dried red tree sap, strange in shape, full of vigilance and sorrow. The faces on the trees were older than Winterfell itself. Eddard Stark once told the Mountain that the faces on these heart trees were carved by the children of the forest, the original inhabitants of the continent, during the Dawn Age, before the "First Men" crossed the Narrow Sea.

If Winterfell is already eight thousand years old, then the age of these three heart trees is probably already ten thousand years.

The Mountain looked at the end of the path where Bran disappeared. He knew that the children of the forest could observe themselves through the eyes of the people on the weirwood tree, and similarly, Bran could see everything he did in front of the tree through any pair of eyes on the three weirwood trees.

Bran can see secrets, but he can't see people's hearts. This is a weakness of Bran that the Mountain thought of after facing Bran.

If the Mountain was willing, he could say some words that Bran liked to hear in front of the weirwood tree, and do some acts of closeness to the Stark family. Bran would see all of this and form memories of the Mountain. When facing a greenseer who can spy on what you are doing, you can actually do completely opposite things to deceive his eyes.

Facing the three ten-thousand-year-old weirwood trees, the Mountain felt some emotion in his heart.

The Stark family's children are all good. Robb is a military genius. He has won every battle he commanded in the civil war.

Innocent and pure Sansa grew up quickly after experiencing suffering. Her intelligence and potential are immeasurable. She is fully capable of ruling a territory. She is a bright pearl that can bloom at any time. Her unfortunate experience is just a stain on the pearl.

Arya is even a member of the most powerful assassin organization in the world. The title of Faceless Man already explains everything. Bran's words were well said. Arya has become the person she always wanted to be.

Bran Stark's achievements are more of a perfect combination of destiny and talent. He became a greenseer and inherited all the memories and skills of Bloodraven Brynden Rivers. He is no longer a person in the simple sense. He is also a three-eyed raven that can fly anywhere to see the facts.

The only unfortunate one was Eddard's fifth child, Rickon Stark. When he and Bran were being chased by Ramsay Bolton, in order not to be caught by Ramsay in one fell swoop, the two brothers went their separate ways. Hodor, Bran, and Summer went one way, and the spearwife Osha and direwolf Shaggydog protected Rickon and went another way. Bran, who eventually fled to the Wall, met Jojen and Meera and was safe, while Rickon, who fled in the opposite direction, was captured by Ramsay, taken to the Dreadfort, and eventually died a tragic death.

The Mountain looked up at the sky. This was the beginning of the second month of the 301st year of Aegon's Conquest. At the beginning of the fourth month, the short transitional autumn passed, winter came, and the Others attacked, and the Mountain had made all preparations.

The Mountain quickly walked out of the godswood and returned to his guest room. Melisandre was waiting for him. She was his accompanying priestess.

“Bran Stark was here just now. He has something to tell you.”

“Oh?” the Mountain said casually. But he clearly noticed the vigilance rising in his heart. This feeling made him understand that he was actually afraid of Bran.

“He suggests that you personally fly to Dragonstone and negotiate with Daenerys Targaryen. Don’t send Jon Snow.”

“Oh?!” The Mountain was greatly surprised. “Didn’t Bran say why?”

“No. If you want to know why, he said you can go ask him.”

“Oh!” The Mountain calmed down. The meeting contact with Daenerys was in progress. He was waiting for the news to be sent back. “I have more important things to do first.”

He issued an order. Soon, four handsome Claw Isle purebred horses galloped out of Winterfell and headed south to King's Landing. The rider leading the way was Podrick Payne from the Westerlands. On his back was a gift carefully prepared by the Mountain for Arya: a Valyrian steel narrow sword suitable for women: Lady Forlorn.

The Mountain changed the hilt and scabbard, and had Master Tobho Mott penetrate the sword with ultramarine pigment, so that no one would recognize that this sword was the ancestral sword of House Corbray of Heart's Home in the Vale.

The unique skill of penetrating pigments into precious swords, only Master Tobho Mott in the entire continent can do it. Oh, no, now there are two people who can do it: Mountain’s adopted son, Ser Gendry Clegane.

A precious sword is given to a hero, and flowers are given to a beauty.

In the Mountain's heart, Arya is both a hero who can receive a precious sword and a beauty who can receive flowers.

He knew that Arya would attack the Stormlands and kill Aegon VI, Jon Connington, Septa Lemore, Homeless Harry Strickland, Archmaester Ebrose, and Duckling Rolfe.

Name spoken, death descends, unchangeable!

But Arya is not a pure Faceless Man in the true sense.

The Mountain knew that if it were the original trajectory of the world, Septa Lemore and Archmaester Ebrose were both truly good people, and Jon Connington never killed innocent people, even though he had become very cruel after being a mercenary for five years. But killing enemy soldiers and killing innocent people are two different things.

*

King's Landing, Maegor's Holdfast.

Prime Minister Jon Connington, wearing the Hand of the King badge on his chest, led a hundred-man team into the Red Keep, but only two personal knights entered Maegor's Holdfast with him.

One of the knights was named Black Balaq, from the Summer Isles, with a head of black hair and skin as black as the night. The Summer Isles are the southernmost known archipelago, and the skin of the people on the islands is uniformly as black as night. Black Balaq is a sharpshooter and the commander of Aegon's Golden Company archers.

The other knight was named Ser Bennet Belmore, a sergeant, who used a longsword and was proficient in swordsmanship. He had a face full of thick sideburns and a fierce appearance. He was an exile from the Reach.

Black Balaq and Bennet Belmore stood behind Jon. Jon sat down, and across the table from him sat Dowager Queen Cersei. As an important figure sent by Aegon to the Red Keep for negotiations, after entering the Red Keep, Jon neither saw Prime Minister Mace Tyrell, nor King Tommen Baratheon I and Queen Margaery Tyrell.

Behind Dowager Queen Cersei stood two white-robed and white-armored Kingsguard: the three triplet brothers from House Goodbrook of Hammerhal on the Iron Islands: Gormond Goodbrook and Glendon Goodbrook.

Next to Dowager Queen Cersei sat the kingdom's Master of Laws, Jeyne Westerling. Behind Jeyne stood two unusually tall and mighty female generals: Zelgra the Bull, and Brienne of Tarth.

Jon Connington released more than six hundred hostages from the Stormlands before he got the opportunity to negotiate with Dowager Queen Cersei.

After the news that Dowager Queen Cersei had 'bankrupted' herself and hired the Faceless Men spread, Aegon Targaryen and Jon Connington did not dare to take it lightly. They made great efforts and finally won a chance to negotiate.

“Jon, you killed Roland Connington’s mother, wife, son, and daughter. They are also your family. How dare you step into the Red Keep?” Cersei said coldly.

“Your Grace, we have released more than six hundred hostages.”

“There is one more person you must release, otherwise we cannot negotiate today,” Jeyne Westerling said lightly.

“Release who?”

“Lord Selwyn Tarth, the Evenstar of Evenfall Hall.”

“Lady Jeyne, I am in the Red Keep now. To release Lord Selwyn, I need to wait until I go back.”

Brienne behind Jeyne came up. She took out paper and pen and gently placed them in front of Jon: “Lord Jon, please write a raven letter to let Aegon VI release Lord Selwyn Tarth first.”

Jon looked at Brienne: “Are you Brienne Tarth?”

“She is!” Lady Jeyne said lightly, “Jon, after you write the letter, Aegon VI will be able to receive your letter at Storm's End in an hour.”

Jon looked at Cersei: “Your Grace, I am here to negotiate a suspension of the declaration of war with you.”

“If you don’t release Lord Selwyn first, the negotiation will be canceled.” Cersei’s voice was very soft, but extremely firm, and there was no room for bargaining.

“Your Grace wants to declare war?” Jon sneered, “Before I came, the Dornish legions had already garrisoned the borderlands, ready to attack the sparsely populated Reach; our envoys also contacted Daenerys Targaryen a few days ago. Daenerys will marry Aegon VI, and her dragons will fly to King’s Landing at any time. Her hundreds of thousands of Dothraki cavalry and tens of thousands of navies, eight thousand Unsullied, will cross the Narrow Sea at any time. Your Grace, Roland brought your letter when he came to Storm's End. You hoped that we would temporarily stop the war. You said that the human race cannot have a civil war at the critical moment when the Others are attacking the North. After consideration, we accepted your proposal—taking the overall situation of the life and death of the human race as the most important thing. Are you going back on your word now?”

“Not going back on my word, just a small request: release Lord Selwyn Tarth first.” Dowager Queen Cersei stared at Jon with murderous intent. Few people can look Jon, who has a majestic temperament, in the eye. Many warriors dare not, but Cersei’s sharpness cannot be suppressed by Jon’s aura at all. Cersei is actually an extremely sharp sword.

Seventeen years ago, Jon had seen Cersei. At that time, Cersei was still a sixteen-year-old girl, as beautiful as the sun.

“Sign a truce agreement first, and then release the person. I guarantee to you in the name of the Seven Gods and Jon Connington’s honor that once the truce agreement is signed, I will immediately release Lord Selwyn Tarth.”

Cersei and Jeyne exchanged a look. Jeyne glanced at Brienne, who drew her longsword with a clang. A flash of cold light, and the blade pierced Black Balq's body, entering his chest and emerging from his back.

Benedict Beesbury had barely drawn his sword halfway when the swords of the Gubler twins and Ser Bull Zeller were already pointed at his head, chest, and throat.

"Jon, first release Lord Selwyn Tarth, then sign the truce," Cersei said, raising her wine glass and taking a delicate sip.

Jon snorted coldly, "Cersei, do you not want a truce? If I can't return, the Stormlands will become a living hell. Aegon VI will burn and slaughter every city one by one. While the Others attack Winterfell in the North, Daenerys's army, the Golden Company, and the Dornish legions will simultaneously attack the Reach, the Crownlands, and King's Landing."

Jeyne glanced at Benedict Beesbury, who, despite being held at bay by three swords, still looked fiercely menacing. She nodded slightly, and the swords of Ser Bull Zeller and the Gubler twins plunged down together.