The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 742: Mountain Attacked · Dragon's Life in Danger

(Reminder: Students who are eating or have cleanliness obsessions may experience brief discomfort while reading this chapter.)

*

The Mountain looked at Jaime. Jaime didn't see any surprise or discomfort in the Mountain's eyes, which made Jaime's heart sink. The Mountain's changes were really... a bit too much.

The Mountain's composure reminded Jaime of his father Tywin's words: Lions don't consider the feelings of sheep!

Faced with Jaime's questioning, the Mountain was aloof and as steadfast as a mountain! Jaime's words were like a breeze, obviously unable to stir up waves on the sea.

But Jaime still wanted an answer!

Jaime's character was the kind of reckless courage that Littlefinger Tyrion despised!

But it was precisely this character that allowed Jaime to lead armies, possessing the ability to make soldiers willing to die for him. His few words could make warriors' blood boil, and then they would charge into battle, brave and fearless.

Jaime himself was the same, brave and fearless!

Facing the Mountain, who was like a giant, Jaime's gaze didn't waver for a moment.

"Jaime, you killed the Mad King Aerys Targaryen," the Mountain said in a deep voice. This was his answer, completely unrelated to Jaime's question.

Jaime's murder of King Aerys earned Jaime the infamous name 'Kingslayer', despised by the commoners and nobles of the Seven Kingdoms.

As soon as the Mountain spoke, Jaime knew that the Mountain had killed his father Tywin, and what Lancel Lannister had said to him was true. It was the Mountain who killed his father at the Crossroads Inn at the Trident, along with his father's hundred attendants, and then 'framed' the northward-bound 'Brotherhood Without Banners'.

If the Mountain hadn't killed Tywin, the Mountain would definitely be angry and deny it. But he was calm, suddenly mentioning Jaime killing Aerys Targaryen.

Jaime got his answer, and he turned to leave!

"Jaime," the Mountain said, "Why did you kill the Mad King Aerys Targaryen? You were his Kingsguard, you swore an oath that no matter what the situation, regardless of life, death, or belief, the only person you were loyal to was your king. You lived for him, you died for him."

Jaime stopped in his tracks!

This was also the reason why he was ridiculed and looked down upon. He had sworn an oath, but he broke it, he killed his own king, the golden sword piercing the king's body from behind.

Jaime continued to leave, but the Mountain called his name again: "Jaime!"

Jaime stopped, slowly turned around, faced the Mountain, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

If the Mountain wanted to kill him to silence him now, then so be it! The Mountain didn't have Ice on his back, and he wasn't wearing armor. As long as he stabbed the Mountain's chest, or chopped at his neck, wrist, or thigh, any major blood vessel, he would die from excessive bleeding...

Tonight was a night of revelry, no one would come here. The Mountain had drunk a lot of wine, while Jaime had only drunk that small basin. What he said about vomiting twice wasn't true. He had been prepared.

"Jaime. If you could do it all over again, would you still choose to kill King Aerys Targaryen and bear the infamy of the Kingslayer?"

"I would!"

"Me too." The Mountain swayed, spewing a mouthful of wine.

Jaime's voice was as cold as the ice of the North: "Mountain, my father has lost his honor, put on the black, and is keeping his promise to go to the Wall."

The Mountain chuckled: "Jaime, then why did you kill Aerys Targaryen?"

Jaime said lightly: "Mountain, at the time, I heard Aerys Targaryen order his pyromancer prime minister to ignite the wildfire under King's Landing, he was going to blow up the entire King's Landing. I stopped the pyromancer prime minister. You buried so much wildfire under Winterfell, I believe a large part of it came from the wildfire material buried under King's Landing back then. The Pyromancers' Guild has secret maps of wildfire material burial sites. In the Battle of the Blackwater, you and Tyrion didn't use much wildfire material."

"You're right, Jaime, most of the wildfire in Winterfell is the wildfire that was buried under King's Landing back then."

"Mountain, after I killed the pyromancer prime minister, I went to see King Aerys Targaryen, he ordered me to chop off my father's head and bring it to him as proof of my obedience. Amidst Aerys's mad curses, my golden sword pierced Aerys's body. I killed the Mad King and his pyromancer prime minister, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in King's Landing, and then they all despised me, they gave me the 'elegant' nickname of 'Kingslayer'."

"But you knelt before Aerys. When the Sword of the Morning draped the white cloak over you, you swore in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of your family—you swore that no matter what happened, no matter what the situation, you could not betray your king."

"I never believed in gods, Mountain."

"You don't believe in gods?"

"I believe there are gods, but I never trust any god. In my eyes, all gods are shit."

The Mountain chuckled!

In a world with gods, the Mountain heard someone say for the first time that those gods were just shit!

He found that he liked Jaime's honesty!

Jaime had no reverence for gods!

"Mountain, when I was a child, one night during my father's ceremony to worship the Seven Gods, I pissed in the sacred oil of the Seven Gods. The statues of the Seven Gods stood on the high platform looking at me, and I looked at them, they didn't move. Later, my father made me deceive Tyrion, telling him that his legal wife was actually a prostitute, she married Tyrion because the Lannister family was very rich. My father then had a battalion of soldiers line up with spears pointed at Tyrion's wife, and Tyrion and I stood beside them watching, he and I didn't move, just like the statues on that altar. After these two things, I experienced many more things, and I bore the infamous name of Kingslayer. These things piled up together made me understand what gods really are. Gods are shit. I don't like shit at all, let alone believe in a pile of two piles or even seven piles of shit. Do you like shit? Mountain!"

The Mountain shrugged: "Jaime, gods at any time, will never care about the feelings of ordinary people, nor will they care about the life and death of ordinary people. They exercise their will on earth through their servants."

"Mountain, I have no fondness for shit or flies that like the taste of shit. Tell me, my father has put on the black, and he is on his way to the Wall, why did you still kill him?"

"You really don't understand your father, Duke Tywin Lannister." The Mountain's breath reeked of wine, it was very unpleasant, but Jaime didn't move, as if he didn't feel anything.

"Jaime, you've also been a member of the Night's Watch. Duke Tywin will have three months of recruit training after arriving at the Wall. Recruits who fail after three months will be allowed to leave by the Night's Watch. Duke Tywin and his hundred guards will certainly not meet the requirements of recruit training, they will leave as required.

"After Duke Tywin leaves the Wall, the first thing he will do, of course, is to kill me first, and then slaughter my family and soldiers. Your father—he is the famous Duke Tywin of the Seven Kingdoms, and a Lannister always pays his debts. The Rains of Castamere is sung throughout the Seven Kingdoms, he will never show mercy to me.

"If someone must kill me, I will definitely kill him first. That's war, Jaime. If it happens again, I will still kill your father and never let him go. Just like you wouldn't let King Aerys Targaryen go, you and I have no choice. Even if it happens again, you and I would still do it."

Whoosh!

In the darkness, the whistling sound of an arrow's iron arrowhead tearing through the air suddenly rang out. The Mountain and Jaime both tensed up. Jaime thought it was the Mountain's people, but the Mountain thought it was Jaime's people. Jaime raised his sword in defense, but the Mountain had drunk too much and was slow to react. With a thud, an arrow came and struck the Mountain's left cheek.

The Mountain roared, as if a thunderclap had sounded out of thin air. People within a few miles could hear it: "Jaime, you dare to ambush me?"

"It wasn't me!" Jaime shouted. He turned and rushed straight to where the sound of the bowstring came from. It was a dark place, where grain, fodder, armor and military supplies were piled up.

"A Lannister always pays his debts." A voice rang out far away in the darkness. The man succeeded with one arrow and immediately fled. His voice was sharp and high-pitched, and the Mountain was certain he had never heard this voice before.

*

In the middle of the night, inside the Mountain's tent.

Under the candlelight, Arianne Martell, wearing soft armor, a long sword and a short knife at her waist, fully armed, waited by the Mountain's couch. She looked at the Mountain, who was breathing steadily, without blinking. She was completely sober, her eyes shining, as if she had just realized who the Mountain was.

When she heard the news of the Mountain's attack, Arianne was already drunk, but suddenly, her drunkenness disappeared, cold sweat covered her body, and she felt fear in her heart. Until she saw the Mountain and heard Lady Dalt say that she could detoxify the poison, she suddenly felt relieved... and then she was surprised to find that her fear wasn't fear, she was worried about the Mountain's safety...

But how could this disgusting thing happen? How could it happen to her?!

*

Outside the Mountain's tent, the night was dark and the dripping water turned into ice, as cold as a knife. The Clegane soldiers guarding the tent breathed out frost.

"Ser Landon Garner, this is Duke Eddard Stark. Please step aside, we are here to see Lord Mountain." Harris Moran, the captain of the Northern Royal Guard, said in a deep voice.

Harris Moran was ordered by Robb to take a hundred men to the underground to protect the Queen Mother and Queen before Robb entered the main castle. The king died in battle, but the captain of the Royal Guard was fortunate enough to save his life.

"I'm sorry, Ser Harris, the situation is special now, no outsiders are allowed to enter the tent." Landon Garner said lightly, "Brothers, whoever dares to force their way in, kill him."

Clang, clang, clang!

A series of longswords were drawn, standing upright, shining with cold light.

Eddard Stark said: "Ser Landon, I'm here to see how Lord Mountain's injuries are. I have no malice, Lord Mountain has done great kindness to the North. He was shot by a hidden arrow, I am very worried."

"I'm sorry, Lord Eddard, I can't let you in."

"Okay, I'll wait outside the tent."

"Then please stay further away from here." Landon Garner's tone was as cold as ice, with obvious hostility towards Eddard Stark.

"Young man, even the Mountain himself wouldn't dare to be so rude to Lord Eddard. I want you to step aside." Captain Harris Moran said sharply.

Swish!

Landon Garner's longsword was drawn, stabbing Harris's throat fiercely with one sword.

A great force knocked Harris away, Eddard Stark stood in front of Harris: "Ser Landon, your father is injured, I understand your feelings, we will leave now."

The curtain was lifted, and Lady Dalt Quentyn came out, lowering her voice: "Landon Garner, step back; you, all of you put away your swords. Lord Mountain has just fallen asleep, whoever makes any more noise will be dealt with according to military law."

Landon Garner silently stepped back, and the soldiers sheathed their longswords one by one, closing their mouths tightly.

"Lady Dalt, is the Mountain alright?" Eddard Stark asked softly.

"Lord Mountain has just fallen asleep, the arrow has a very powerful poison. The archer's purpose is very clear, to kill our lord."

The Clegane soldiers guarding the tent all looked at Eddard and his party as if they were awls.

"Was the poison neutralized?"

Lady Dalt Quentyn nodded slightly, the person who used the poison obviously didn't know the power of the blood witch: "The Mountain needs to rest now, Lord Eddard, you go back."

"Yes, Madam. When the Mountain wakes up, please send someone to tell me as soon as possible."

"...I will... Lord..." Lady Dalt Quentyn suddenly hesitated.

"Madam, if there is anything difficult, tell me, I will do my best to solve it." Eddard said earnestly.

Lady Dalt approached Eddard and whispered in his ear, "...There is one thing... the Mountain's dragon..."

Eddard's heart trembled, someone else attacked the Mountain's dragon? With poison?

"Lord, let's talk in private." Lady Dalt whispered.

The two came to a secluded place, Eddard's guards protected them on all sides, far away.

"What's wrong with the dragon?" Eddard didn't ask this question, he looked at Dalt, his eyes said this question.

"...The dragon was hit by the Night King's ice spear, his life is not long... we can't save him... and the dragon belongs to Lord Mountain..."

"How could this happen?" Eddard's voice changed.

"...The monks and I have done our best..." Dalt Quentyn said astringently.

Eddard stared at Lady Dalt: "You... you and the monks haven't dared to tell the Mountain about his dragon...?"

"...Yes... Lord... we won, the Mountain killed the Night King, he needs the victory celebration and supreme glory, not the pain of losing the dragon... he was injured again tonight, although the poison has been removed, the arrow wound on his face is very serious, in this case, if he knew his dragon wouldn't live long..."

Eddard Stark was dumbfounded, unbelievable.

Clearly the dragon had woken up, looked like it was in good condition, had eaten a dozen sheep, and had barely flown a few circles, but who would have thought that the dragon was actually dying.

"How long can the dragon live?"

"A month, or ten days."

Eddard Stark's breathing stagnated! His face became unusually ugly, as if someone had punched him hard in the face. After a long while, Eddard said in a low voice: "Madam, after the Mountain wakes up, he needs to recover his body well. I will tell him about the dragon. I will find the most suitable time..."

"...Thank you, Lord..."

"About the Mountain's attack tonight..."

"It has nothing to do with Jaime, it's someone else."

"Who?"

"Lady Melisandre and the generals are investigating, and I believe the real culprit will be known by dawn tomorrow."

"Please notify me immediately if you have any news, Madam. The Mountain saved my life, and he also saved the lives of the Northmen. The North is the Clegane's most trusted ally. House Stark fully supports the Cleganes."

"...Yes, the Mountain told me that he trusts you, Lord Eddard. But about the dragon..."

"I will only speak of it to the Mountain himself. I will keep it a secret until the Mountain knows. Please rest assured, Madam."

*

Eddard Stark strode away from the tent area occupied by the Mountain's legion, his guards in tow. Along the way, the Clegane legion had already resumed their armed patrols. The sentries' gazes towards Eddard and his party were like nails.

The atmosphere of the revelry night became tense due to the Mountain being shot. In many tents where drinking games were being played, the Westerlands soldiers overturned tables upon hearing the news. The Mountain's sworn men were already gathering, their emotions agitated. Fortunately, most of the others were too drunk, and most of the Mountain's fierce generals, such as Anguy, Polliver, Chiswyck the Great, Raff the Sweetling, Dunsen the Hangman, and all the leaders of the Mountains of the Moon and Crackclaw Point, were all dead drunk, fast asleep and unable to get up. Otherwise, a bloody conflict might have erupted tonight. The most crucial thing now is for the Mountain to be unharmed and wake up safely.

Even with Lord Eddard's esteemed position and high reputation, he was turned away by the Mountain's adopted son, Landon Garre, who would not allow him to enter the Mountain's tent. He had hoped to see the Mountain for a moment.

Who exactly was it, hiding in the darkness, who shot the Mountain with an arrow, the arrowhead of which was specially poisoned with deadly venom?

What did Jaime say to the Mountain before the Mountain was shot? Why did they choose a deserted and remote place to talk?

Although it is now midnight, Eddard knew that dawn would break before long. The Mountain's bandit generals would awaken one by one from their drunken stupor, and that would be a terrifying wildfire store, requiring only a spark to ignite!

He hoped that Lady Melisandre could find the real culprit before dawn, but above all else, that person must not be a Northerner.

Thanks to [Chau534] [One Path Below Ten Thousand Paths Above] for the reward, thank you, handshake!