Chapter 256: The First Snow in King's Landing

"Okay, the North fought well. I didn't expect that boy to have some Targaryen spirit. I thought that even if the field battle was won, Winterfell would have to enter the siege stage, and I wouldn't be able to capture it at all."

Viserys couldn't help but smile as he held the battle report describing the process in detail.

Whether that spirit was inherited from Daemon Blackfyre, who was known as the "Warrior of the World" at the time, or from the Targaryen family, it is still the blood of Targaryen.

"This nephew is quite recognized." Daenerys commented lightly as she rocked the crib in the room.

"Ahem," Viserys paused and suppressed his smile, "There is also a secret report here, do you want to see it?"

Daenerys was curious: "What?" She stood up and went over to take the thing in her hand.

When she read the content, Daenerys was horrified: "When did you place intelligence agents in Aegon's team?"

Viserys shook his head: "I just gave a few riders who are seeking progress the power to pass information to me."

Daenerys couldn't help but said: "Isn't this following Varys's old path? Don't you hate him very much?"

Viserys disagreed: "The vacated power vacuum must be filled. It's either a 'little bird' or a 'crow with a thousand eyes'. I have to try my method first. Don't worry, I didn't give them too much power." ”

Viserys was referring to the "Secret Folding System" of a certain dynasty. In short, no matter what the system was, these things existed to allow the king to obtain enough information, eliminate the information gap with the local government, and make himself the person with the most information.

At the same time, the essential power of the king and ministers in Westeros belongs to the king, so the combination actually gives a sense of deja vu.

Daenerys knew what Viserys meant, and she read the letter carefully: "When Jon Connington was resting after the war, he threw something into the lake south of Torrhen Square while drinking from his horse. Is there anything worth saying about this?"

Viserys explained to her: "Jon Connington took that thing privately from the cargo in the cabin of Aegon's ship that Illyrio arranged for to go north. It was originally hidden by Illyrio in the ginger candy given to Aegon."

Daenerys was curious: "What is it?"

"A key," Viserys said. "Looking at the shape, it should be a key that can be taken directly to Braavos and open a certain 'iron vault' safe. Jon Connington cut the key into two sections and threw it away. ”

"Illyrio, Aegon, and Jon Connington" Daenerys tried to piece together the clues.

"If the three people you mentioned are discussed together, there should be three different versions. Each of them has a different truth. Now that Jon Clinton has lost the key, it means that he has made a choice."

"Did you ask someone to pick up the key?"

"I won't pick it up. I can guess what the key can open. But Jon Clinton, I don't think he necessarily knows what the key represents. I dare say that if he knew what was there, he would definitely hesitate and never do it. So decisive. But that thing has no meaning to me. I can't take care of everything. I have to leave some trouble for future generations, and maybe it will be involved in a legend in the future. "

Daenerys looked at his wicked smile and continued to ask: "What's in the safe that the key can open?"

"A dragon egg, a Valyrian steel sword - Blackfire, and maybe some treasure."

Daenerys was curious: "How do you know that you have other sources of information, and how did you investigate so thoroughly?" Now that she has gained supernatural power, she and Viserys took time to go to Valyria a while ago. A dragon egg, a corrugated steel sword—even the famous Black Fire Sword could no longer shock her.

Not to mention a "black fire", even if Aegon the Conqueror himself and his dragon Balerion come to life now, they will not pose any threat to Viserys's current status.

Viserys smiled: "There are some things I just know."

"Is it because you have entered into that kind of [conceptualization]?" Daenerys's eyes widened, "Can gods really be omniscient?"

"There is no omniscient god." Viserys did not answer directly, "But I have a few more sources of information."

Daenerys didn't go into detail and just chatted with him: "Although the war in the North and the river has come to an end, it remains to be seen whether we can keep up with the pace of our preparations in the jurisdiction. Time is running out."

Speaking of which, it was a coincidence that the wars between Hejian and the North ended only about three or four days apart.

Of course, Aegon won the battle in the north, and with the Manderly family stabbing him in the back, Roose Bolton was defeated and outflanked in the Tomb of the First Men. The coalition forces pursued vigorously, making sure not to let a messenger reach Winterfell faster than the coalition forces could move.

As the fighter opportunity was fleeting, Aegon and Sansa briefly discussed and directly appointed Dustin and Ryswell, who had only surrendered at the last moment. Aegon himself led a group of soldiers and horses pretending to be Roose the Routine, and with Dustin and Ryswell's troops, they rushed to Winterfell in a rout.

With the big news of Roose Bolton's defeat and Mandalay's defection, he falsely opened the gates of Winterfell. Although the little skinned Ramsay Bolton was talking at the last moment, Ramsay heard that the people in Aegon's tribe were speaking the dialect of Winterfell instead of the dialect of the Dreadfort. He realized that it was a fake city, but the city gate was not closed in time. , was caught off guard by the influx of coalition forces.

Ramsay actually still has a thousand soldiers and horses in his hands - 500 Boltons and 500 Freys. Originally, he could still stand a fight by defending Winterfell, but unfortunately he had no chance to resist.

As for the war on the other side of the river, it is said that it will end even faster than the war in the north - but it is worth mentioning that the Mandalay family has not actually heard the news of the destruction of the twin rivers in the river, but Weiman Man Following the situation, Dele saw that he had to make a choice. Thinking that he still had two direct granddaughters, he decided to sacrifice his last son and heir in order to preserve the family. But later I heard that the Twin River City in Hejian was destroyed and all the prisoners were rescued, which was considered a blessing.

But they said that Edmure and Arya could not attack the Twins for a long time.

"Mrs. Stoneheart" was determined to make amends. She went to the Twins City with her true identity and asked to confront Old Frey. She wanted to find out who betrayed the oath and who betrayed first. who.

You can imagine the scene. A bloody Caitlin, resurrected from the dead, like a ghost from hell, appeared on the battlefield, stood under the Twins, and brought Arya's coalition forces and Frey's defenders to the battlefield. What a terrifying mental shock.

And it was Caitlin's terrifying appearance. The ninety-year-old, frail old Walder stood at the top of the city and only took one look. He was so frightened that he immediately screamed and ordered the city to shoot arrows.

Catelyn was shot into a hornet's nest and a sieve under the city.

But she was snatched back by the soldiers, and less than half a moment later, the bloody "Mrs. Caitlin" appeared again at the city gate, demanding an explanation.

Walder Frey Sr. was so frightened that he suffered a stroke on the spot and died that night.

As soon as Old Walder died, the Twins fell into chaos. Groups of sons and daughters lost their backbone, and although the heir Edwin Frey used to be quite imposing and ruthless, when he took over as the city lord in this situation, he was confused and at a loss, and in the end he could only decide to keep it secret. , continue to defend.

And on the second night after Old Walder died without mourning, chaos suddenly broke out in the castle.

The news of Old Walder's death was finally leaked in the castle. Frey, who was dissatisfied with Edwin, directly connected with the surrender faction of the Frey family and some soldiers seeking survival, and kidnapped Edmure's pregnant wife Rose. Lin Frey and a large number of prisoners from the Red Wedding directly seized the castle on the other side of the Twin River City that was in contact with Edmure's siege army.

While they were shouting and pleading with Edmure to give the Frey family a way to survive, they were engaging in a civil war with the diehards led by Edwin in the middle of the river.

The situation was urgent at that time. Edmure Tully chose to listen to Blackfish's advice to prevent these crazy Freys from jumping over the wall to kill Edmure's pregnant wife and prisoners. He agreed to some of the requirements and let Frey, who was crying for surrender, open the city gate.

So just like that, Edmure led his troops into the western fortress of the Twins City without losing any blood. Not only that, he also occupied part of the central bridge of the Twins City and Edwin Foley together with the Freys who begged for their lives. Thunder combat.

As the saying goes: Strong fortresses are often breached from within.

Seeing the flames burning in the middle of the bridge at night in the Twins, Arya reacted quickly and immediately mobilized troops to beat drums outside the east fortress of the city in response to the siege.

This time, without any prior communication, Edmure and Arya formed a wave of internal and external cooperation.

Twin River City, which had been besieged for several months, was captured overnight.

However, Edmure and Arya had disagreements about how to deal with the Frey family and those Frey who Edmure agreed to let them live in desperation. As for Caitlin-Arya took old Frey's head and part of it. The heads of the Frey family's Scarlet Wedding participants and the northern captives from the Red Wedding were handed over to her, and in the name of the Guardian of the North, she asked her mother Catelyn to take these things north to help Sansa regain Winterfell as soon as possible.

Edmure agreed.

What Catelyn did earlier forced Edmure and Arya to find a way to move her away.

Originally, when the city was destroyed, Caitlin wanted to take the entire Frey family to die in the Twins - she felt that she should have been dead long ago and should die here. But in the end, the situation in the north was still unclear at that time. This lady, who was not very smart but always felt that she had a good sense of the overall situation, was persuaded to go north first.

There is nothing else in the Frey family. What stands out is that there are many people.

How to deal with this family and the surrenderers will be the next headache for Edmure and Arya.

This matter is very complicated to deal with. Although the wedding of Edmure and Roslin Frey was full of blood and betrayal, on that night, a crystallization actually occurred. Among the Freys who begged Edmure to survive, who Know which of them were involved in that infamous wedding

After being a duke for several months, Arya also gradually understood: for a ruler, fighting and killing on the battlefield are the simplest things. It is rare to always be in the midst of various interests and hatreds, as a family. Representative, the lord of the land, her choice seems to be contrary to Ruyi's grudges.

To be honest, Arya has enough reasons to convince herself that she wants the entire Frey family to pay the price with their lives and kill them all, leaving no chickens or dogs behind. Uncle Edmure may have some resistance in his heart, but Arya only needs to return to the North. What happens to the situation in Hejian and the political situation? What does it have to do with her?

It is natural for Stark to avenge his family, and he can even win over the hearts of the people in the north. Even some of the river lords are eager to see the Frey family wiped out.

But politics is complicated. During this battle, Arya experienced three soul-washings.

At first, she was full of anger and hatred, and vowed to slaughter every Frey.

But later, as the war became stalemate and the princes could not die to attack the city, she took a step back when she joined Edmure, wanting to kill only the main culprit and let the Frey surrender.

Later, her mother Catelyn killed the captives, forcing the entire army to continue to stalemate for her momentary pleasure and quarrel with the Frey family. She began to wonder whether she could capture the Twins before the time advertised by King Targaryen. Did she forget that at first, she just wanted to go north to the Wall to find her illegitimate brother Jon Snow?

Then now, some people in the Frey family used Edmure's wife and captives as conditions to survive, and Edmure agreed to it as the Duke of the River. What should I do to find a way to satisfy everyone?

A long time ago, Arya couldn't understand. Why did her father Ed talk about going south to fight, talking about King's Landing, and talking about Robert's claim to the throne, his expression was complicated and deep. Now, Arya seems to have a vague grasp of her father's feelings. The victory on the battlefield is not the end of everything. After the celebration, there are still various complex problems and contradictions.

At a certain moment, Arya felt that she understood why King Robert was scolded in the "open letter" of King Targaryen.

She was thinking, and Robert must be thinking: if everything in this world could be as simple as fighting on the battlefield, as simple as a tournament.

Her father must have faced a similar situation, Arya thought, but his choice must be different from Robert's, so they parted ways, so her father was frowning all day in King's Landing.

Recently, she heard a gossip from the Hound. Her father had a big fight with King Robert in the throne room in King's Landing, because Lord Tywin offered the bloody children of Rhaegar to Robert. Her father thought it was not honorable, but Robert thought it was to cut the grass and uproot it. If Tywin didn't do it, would Robert do it himself? So her father left King's Landing alone and went south to find Aunt Lyanna.

She asked the Hound what he meant by gossip at this time?

The Hound only said: "You are the Duke of the North, you should set off immediately to return to your damn North to find your sister who may have been fascinated by the son of Rhaegar!"

About a day later, Edmure found her: "I found Robb's body. The Frey family originally buried him in a mass grave outside the city, but after King Targaryen wrote the North's Union Letter, they moved him to a forest. But his head... Arya, I know the tradition of the Stark family. Do you want to take him back to the North?" Robb's head was sent to King's Landing by the Frey family.

Arya hesitated. She felt tired of all the things after the war. She couldn't help thinking: "If it was my father, what would he do at this time?"

"Uncle." Arya paused and said, "Yes, I should go back to the North. I should take Robb back to Winterfell and go home."

"Arya"

"No need to say more, uncle. When we say goodbye, I hope we are relatives."

They tacitly did not talk about the Freys who surrendered to Edmure.

But Edmure couldn't help but say: "When you pacify the North, I will settle the river. I will personally lead people and a group of Night's Watch criminals in black to help you at the Wall."

Arya replied: "Thank you, uncle. I'll get ready and leave the day after tomorrow."

Edmure looked at this little niece who was only twelve years old, and didn't say anything else. He just stood by the Green Fork River with her silently, watching the endless rushing river.

——

King's Landing

Jaime, with a sad face, was summoned back to this stinking city again. He entered from the Gate of the Gods, and the gold cloaks cleared the way for him, driving away the noisy people, so that he could ride his horse directly to the Red Keep of Aegon's High Hill.

Warriors with seven-pointed star marks could be seen patrolling the streets from time to time, walking along Sister Street into the slums leading to Flea Bottom or Muddy Road.

Jaime squinted his eyes, and those warrior sons and gold cloaks seemed to have secretly divided the patrol territory. The gold cloaks appeared on the streets, while the warrior sons appeared in the slums.

The public security was better than expected.

It may also be that Jaime did not go to the southern gates and ports, which were said to be the most strictly patrolled.

When he arrived at the Red Keep, Jaime was at the gates and walls, and he could see with his naked eyes that the defense of the Red Keep was much more than when he left.

He even saw Boros Brawne in white robes guarding the inner gate of the Red Keep.

When he entered the inner court, there were many more strange knights in strange clothes among the defense.

Until he entered the throne room, Jaime did not see Osmund Kettleblack, the White Guard who seemed to be trusted by Cersei before.

In the throne room, Jaime saw Cersei, who was nervous and bandaged with her hands and legs.

"You're back, Jaime, that's great."

"Who are they?" Jaime looked at the Queen Mother Cersei with a bad face. There were several tall men with dark and dangerous auras in their helmets, and their eyes could not be seen. "Whose subordinates are these?"

"They?" Cersei waved her hand, "Don't worry about them, they are protecting me."

Jaime asked: "Where are the Iron Guards? Isn't this the duty of the Iron Guards?"

"At this time, the Iron Guards have become untrustworthy, Jaime." Cersei's eyes were a little crazy.

Jaime seemed to see the shadow of an old friend in her, and he frowned.

Cersei called him: "Come here, Jaime, I miss you so much these days. You should stay in King's Landing and accompany me in the future, okay?"

"What's wrong with you?" James stepped forward, wary of the strange knights around him.

Cersei waved her hand: "All go down." The few strange and dangerous knights were silent and left Cersei without any doubt.

James watched them leave.

Cersei suddenly let out a conspiratorial whisper: "She's back. I know it's her. She's here to take everything away from me."

"who?"

Cersei said fiercely: "Her! Margaery Tyrell!"

James asked: "Sister Margaery, isn't she a nun at Baylor Cathedral?"

"Sister! No, she is a bad woman!" Cersei bared her teeth. "She is in contact with Tommen. She thinks I don't know. I know everything!"

James looked at her and asked helplessly: "What's going on?"

"Tommen has been in and out of the church frequently these days, and Margaery is the one who receives him. That damn old man, the Archbishop, actually secretly joined forces with Tyrell! I'm so stupid, I didn't discover this earlier, and let him take the son of a warrior The team pulled up."

"." James looked at her, not knowing what to say. He was stunned for a long time and asked, "Then what do you need me to do for you?"

"James, I want to expose the conspiracy of the Holy See, I need an army, I need your army. You and Osforli, go to the church with me, that damn old man doesn't listen to me, I want a new bishop. And "Margaery" Cersei's eyes grew cold.

"Since you have doubts." James didn't know what to say. He felt that Cersei was going crazy under the pressure. "Just don't let Tommen go to the church."

"No, Tommen is the king! He is disobedient!" Cersei became sad. "The bishop installed Lancel beside him."

"Who? Cousin Lancel?"

"No, he is not your cousin. He is crazy. He now considers himself the son of a warrior. The Archbishop arranged for them to protect Tommen, but he actually wanted to snatch Tommen away. I know their plot very well, so I asked Osmund to I killed a few people and drove them away. But Tommen resented me, and the sect's armed forces had a problem with me. But I did it for Tommen's sake, and I did it all for him!"

James wanted to face-palm. These days, he could hear rumors about King's Landing from time to time when he was out. Now when he came back, he saw that Cersei was not just making stupid moves, she was just fooling around. It was a miracle that no riots had occurred in King's Landing so far.

James prevaricated: "Cersei, don't worry, I'll go talk to the High Bishop. No one can take Tommen away from you and me."

Cersei smiled: "Okay, okay, I feel relieved with your words." She stood up with a rosy look on her face, "Jaime, come, I want you."

James felt that she was losing her mind, so he refused: "It's an emergency, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes, it's an emergency."

James saw the dark circles on her face and her bloodshot eyes: "How long have you not slept?"

"I can't sleep, James, I can't sleep without you here to protect me."

James replied to her as if he was comforting a girl: "I'm back, I'll protect you, how about you go and rest for a while first?"

But Cersei refused, her eyes widened: "Go deal with the Archbishop and Margaery first!"

"I'll help you go to rest first."

Jaime managed to send Cersei back to the bedroom, who was not sure whether her words were nonsense, and then walked out the door.

Soon, Cersei's intelligence chief Qyburn found him: "Ser Jaime, the Queen Mother asked me to assist you."

James looked at him. The look of the man who had healed his injured hand now made him feel extremely disgusted: "I know, but wait, I have something else to do, and we will talk about everything after I come back."

Coburn said anxiously: "Sir, the Queen Mother has an order——"

"I know!" James interrupted him, with a bit of coldness in his eyes, "I said, wait until I come back to talk about everything."

Qyburn shrank and answered, "Yes." He stopped talking, moved out of the way, and watched James leave.

James first went to the captain of the Kingsguard's room, changed his clothes, and then moved to the Prime Minister's Tower. The place was now vacant, so Jaime walked directly in and arranged for his Lannister guards to hold the door.

Not long after, James saw a man poking his head near the stables.

"Sir Adam?"

The man immediately leaned out and greeted him: "Sir Jaime!"

"Thank you for your hard work." James stepped forward to help the visitor, "Come on, change your clothes and go to a safe place to speak."

The so-called safe place is the godswood in the Red Keep.

Only there, the grounds are spacious enough that peepers and eavesdroppers can be easily spotted.

James and Adam were like two connectors, strolling into the sacred forest.

James was the first to ask: "What have you found out about wildfires?"

Adam Malbrand had been the commander-in-chief of the Golden Robes for a while. Through this relationship, Jaime arranged for Adam to secretly enter the city these days to inquire about information in King's Landing, especially to investigate the wildfire that Cersei secretly planted in King's Landing.

Sir Adam said: "The Pyromancer Guild is very difficult to trace now. The Queen Mother has killed many people, and most of the surviving Pyromancers are hiding in Flea Bottom. Moreover, the surviving Pyromancers seem to have a more complicated connection. I dare not rush rashly." Reach out to them.”

"Not found?"

"No, I still found some clues, but I found that there are still people checking, and the location I found has been processed."

"Who's checking?"

"Son of a warrior."

James was stunned for a moment: "Them?" All kinds of information were connected together, which seemed to explain why there were no riots in King's Landing despite Cersei doing so many things.

"Yes," Sir Adam continued, "but according to my observation, they did not find all the locations. The Queen Mother killed many people who knew about it. The burial method was very hidden, even in the cracks in the sewer walls and sewage pools."

Jaime felt strange to Cersei, the person he loved deeply seemed to be one with the demon and madman in his memory.

"How did the Warrior's Son know?"

"I don't know." Sir Adam paused, "But..."

James asked: "What's going on?"

"A while ago, when I was investigating, I found that someone was secretly using the alchemist's guild hall at night. The hall was a large maze of cold black stones. I couldn't investigate in depth, so I could only observe the entrance and exit from the outside. I found that many pyromancers were in use. It will quietly continue to produce large quantities of wildfires, and then these wildfires will enter the Flea Bottom from the sewers of Silent Sister Street, and will eventually be turned into 'wine' by a merchant, flow into the port, and then enter the Blackwater River through the merchant ships in the port. River Trade Road. From what I have seen these days, there is a large amount of 'wine' that can fill a river boat every day, passing through every checkpoint in King's Landing, and finally disappearing into the Blackwater River.

I can guarantee that there is assistance from the Sons of Warriors here. Every time they return, the ship will bring back a large amount of food. The food is received at the Mud Gate in the name of a certain chamber of commerce, and full tax is paid. Finally, it flows into the Street of the Silent Sisters. . "

Who is buying wildfire in bulk?

"Is it a Targaryen?" Jaime wanted Adam Malbrandt to investigate the wildfire Cersei buried in King's Landing. Who knew that Adam actually discovered the secret of the Targaryen's massive purchase of wildfire. It sounds like the Warrior's Sons and the Targaryens have secretly come to something.

Sir Adam replied: "I'm afraid so."

James subconsciously asked: "Why does he need so many wildfires when he has a dragon?"

Sir Adam replied without thinking: "I guess they are preparing to fight against the White Walkers. Hasn't Targaryen been promoting this, the 'Fight against the White Walkers'?"

James took a deep look at his childhood friend, the loyal Ser Adam Malbrand, whom he had a close friendship with since the days of Casterly Rock, and wanted to read his thoughts from his thick eyebrows and big eyes: "Do you want to say what?"

Adam looked back: "I'm stating my guess, James."

James was silent for a moment and did not discuss the matter in depth. Instead, he asked: "What's going on with Cersei and the Holy See?"

Adam replied: "The Queen Mother ordered the killing of several warriors' sons of warriors. Osmond Kettleblack did it. That's all I know."

"Looks like I have to find this Kate Black."

Adam glanced at James and said, "You can't find him. He left King's Landing."

"How do you know?"

"I have an informant who saw him change into mercenary clothes and get on a ship heading to Braavos."

"Braavos, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but Jaime, I heard that your brother Tyrion is now in charge of a logistics ship with Braavos in the Night's Watch."

"Good boy, is he a captain?" James smiled subconsciously, but soon realized something was wrong. All this seemed to have a meaning, and he asked, "How do you know so much?"

Jaime's heart is cold, Cersei's feelings towards Tyrion

"My informant—" Adam said.

James looked at him suspiciously: "How does your informant know so much?"

Adam spread his hands: "I just pay, James."

The godswood soon fell silent.

After a long time, James asked: "Adam, regardless of your status, as a friend, is there anything you want to say to me?"

Adam was silent for a long time, and finally said, "James, I can be your William Darry."

James laughed in surprise: "You are William Darry, then who am I?" Mad King Aerys, or Queen Layla?

Adam stopped talking.

Suddenly, a piece of ice crystal swayed in the air, swirled in the wind, and landed on James' face.

James looked up. The trees in the godswood were bare and silent, with black branches stretching toward the sky, while white snowflakes were slowly falling from the infinitely high sky.

James murmured: "Is it snowing?"

Ser Adam said: "The crow has come to the Citadel, winter is here."

Suddenly, James asked softly: "Adam, when you just said 'anti-White Walkers', do you want to have a fight with those legendary ghosts on the battlefield?"

Adam was speechless for a moment, looked at James' expression carefully, and then answered seriously: "I'm not sure, James."

James fell silent, watching blankly as the white snowflakes fell on the white robe he had just put on, and on the muddy ground covered with rotten leaves.