Chapter 113: The Secret Passage to the Red Keep

To Queen Regent Cersei's relief, her son Joffrey was not as impulsive as she had anticipated.

He was merely fierce in his words, with no intention of leading troops out of the city to engage in a desperate battle against the North-Riverlands Coalition.

This allowed her to heave a sigh of relief, her heart finally settling.

After concluding matters in the Throne Room, Joffrey I, the Small Council, the Queen Regent, and the others moved to the adjacent council chamber to begin seriously discussing how to defend against the "rebels" outside the city.

After listening to enough of Master of Whisperers Varys's trivial reports, Joffrey yawned, then stood up and announced:

"As King, I have other important matters to attend to; you may handle the bandits outside the city yourselves. Once they are defeated, I shall order salt to be sown upon the farmlands of the Riverlands and the North as a reward for their rebellion."

Then, he left with The Hound and five other members of the Kingsguard.

Cersei watched her son with gratification, "He truly is a wise king."

As long as Joffrey did not cause trouble or interfere in major military and political affairs, Queen Regent Cersei felt her son was the best.

Varys watched the young king depart with oily, vigilant eyes; he had learned of the King's new hobby from his informants, the Little Birds:

Arranging animal skulls in his chambers.

Beasts, birds, fresh, or stale—as long as it was an animal that could catch the King's attention, he had them all.

This was not a good omen.

Even the Mad King Aerys II did not have such perverse habits.

Varys, who kept his hands tucked in his sleeves at all times, turned his head only to find the Master of Coin, Baelish, staring at him with a smile.

Cersei also withdrew her gaze, but seeing the two high officials of the Small Council "exchanging glances," she gave a light cough.

"My four lords, let us begin."

By custom, the Small Council usually consisted of seven members: the Hand of the King, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, the Master of Coin, the Master of Laws, the Master of Ships, the Master of Whisperers, and the Grand Maester.

But because the new Hand of the King, Tywin, and the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Jaime, were still fighting the "rebels" in the West and Riverlands, and the Master of Laws, Renly, and the Master of Ships, Stannis, had both declared themselves kings, only three courtiers and the Queen Regent were in attendance.

However, considering the enemy forces outside the city, the Queen Regent ordered Janos Slynt, commander of the King's Landing City Watch, to participate in the Small Council as well.

The bald Janos Slynt was participating in such a high-level meeting for the first time, and thus appeared quite flustered.

At Queen Regent Cersei's signal, he began to report on the defensive situation within the city.

"Before the rebels completely surrounded the Gods Gate, Iron Gate, and Old Gate, a total of two thousand four hundred and fifty soldiers from the Crownlands houses had arrived. The number of the King's Landing City Watch has also exceeded six thousand five hundred, and this figure is still increasing rapidly; it is expected to reach eight thousand in about ten days."

Upon learning that the coalition on the eastern front had entered the Crownlands via the Kingsroad, Cersei had sent out a call to arms to nearby Crownlands nobles in the name of Joffrey I.

Lord Gyles Rosby of Rosby, the Stokeworth family of Antlers, and the Stanton family of Rook's Rest had all sent some soldiers, but only two thousand four hundred-odd had arrived.

This made Cersei very angry, but trapped in King's Landing, she could do nothing about these Crownlands nobles who were half-heartedly complying with her orders.

Fortunately, there were over five hundred thousand commoners in King's Landing, and there was no shortage of adult males capable of wielding weapons, so the manpower for defending the city was barely sufficient.

Varys then reported another matter, "The rebels outside the city total over sixteen thousand; twelve thousand are Northmen, primarily the forces of the Stark, Bolton, Karstark, and Amber houses, and over four thousand are Riverlanders, primarily the two thousand eight hundred infantry of the Frey house. It is worth mentioning that His Majesty's own brother, Lord Tyrion, is also among the Riverlands Army."

Because she held the title of Queen Regent, Cersei was also addressed as "Your Majesty."

"Do you expect me to send men to save him? We barely have enough people to defend the city." The Queen Regent clearly expressed her view.

"Your Majesty." Lord Baelish opportunely changed the subject, "We must consider the people in the city; grain merchants, in order to reap greater profits, have begun selling wheat, pumpkins, and potatoes at ten times the price, and the nobles are also complaining that they cannot buy wine to drink."

Due to King's Landing's incredibly chaotic drainage system and the fact that the water from the Blackwater River was undrinkable, commoners and nobles with even a little money used low-alcohol wine as their daily beverage.

Being unable to buy wine meant that the nobles would have to drink the foul-smelling, dirty water from the gutters just like the commoners.

"There is no need to discuss such trivial matters here." Cersei clasped her fingers together, resting her elbows on the long table, "You only need to ensure the food supply for the City Watch soldiers."

Clearly, the issue of the commoners' meals in the city had not garnered the Queen Regent's attention.

Next, the five discussed the details of the defense in depth until Cersei was satisfied.

When the meeting ended, the Queen Regent uncharacteristically sat until the last, then walked out of the council chamber with the Grand Maester Pycelle, who was feigning decrepitude.

No one knew what the two of them had whispered about.

Outside the city, the coalition's central command tent.

Lord Herman Tallhart of Torrhen's Square had finally clarified the general situation on the western front.

After Robb marched south to Riverrun, the four thousand-odd remnants of the Westerlands detachment led by Kevan retreated to Golden Tooth, then Kevan had Jaime lead troops to hold this pass leading to the Westerlands, while he took men to Lannisport to take over the New Army being raised by Stafford.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Westerlands east of the Red Fork was closing in on the western Riverlands; due to Tywin's injuries, they were not moving quickly.

This allowed Robb to catch a whiff of a strategic opportunity.

So, he sent Cleos Frey to feign peace negotiations, while sending his mother, Lady Stark, south to Bitterbridge to secure an alliance with Renly.

The King in the North himself took five thousand five hundred cavalry and four thousand Riverlands soldiers to attack Golden Tooth in the south, intending to first wipe out Jaime's forces, then have a grand showdown with Tywin—who had crossed the Red Fork—in the western Riverlands to seize the final fruits of victory.

But after Robb left, Edmure, whose injuries had improved, suddenly felt that the site of the decisive battle should not be in the western Riverlands, so he summoned all the troops that could still respond to Riverrun's call, intending to intercept the main Westerlands force near Wayfarer's Rest.

Lord Tallhart, who was stationed at The Twins to monitor the Frey house, also responded to the Young Wolf's uncle's order and marched south with six hundred men.

Then, he was sent to deliver the message to the coalition on the eastern front.

"We are the army of the King in the North and are not under the command of the heir to Riverrun." Roose Bolton flatly and clearly rejected the order to return to reinforce the western Riverlands.

Based on the Leech Lord's understanding of Lady Stark and the Young Wolf, if they could take King's Landing this time and rescue the two Stark girls, his successive defiance of the orders of the King in the North and Edmure would be of no consequence at all.

Lord Tallhart nodded, "If that is the case, then there is no need for me to return to report; I shall stay and join the siege as well."

Lord Bolton agreed to this, then continued to assign the tense preparations for the siege and assault.

The more elite Stark soldiers were responsible for blocking the River Gate, King's Gate, and Iron Gate, while all the Riverlands soldiers were sent to block the remaining four gates: the Gods Gate, Old Gate, Dragon Gate, and Lion Gate.

The soldiers of the Deepwood Motte and Karstark houses were given the task of felling trees and collecting timber; many of them were accustomed to dealing with wood year-round.

The remaining five thousand-odd men were responsible for constructing large siege engines and defending against potential enemies on land.

"Barring any accidents, within two weeks, we will take King's Landing; by then, news of a great victory on the western front will also arrive, and that will be the most glorious moment for us Northmen." Roose Bolton, contrary to his usual self, said in a loud voice.

It was evident that his spirits were quite high.

Encouraged by him, the Northmen nobles in the tent were in high spirits, many of them howling, preparing to slaughter their way into the Red Keep to avenge their late liege lord, Eddard Stark.

But Arthur clearly sensed something was wrong; the three thousand-odd men of the Bolton house had always been treated as a reserve force, and any direct combat had nothing to do with them.

After the tasks were assigned, the group left the large tent and began to carry out their military duties.

Arthur prepared to leave with several Riverlands nobles, but he saw Innes Frey quietly slipping toward Marquess Bolton.

Just then, Robett Glover, who was walking with his head held high, passed by and saw Arthur turning his head; he looked back as well and sneered.

"What is it, do you know the inside story?" Arthur leaned toward Robett and asked in a low voice.

"What other inside story could there be? Lord Bolton's wife has passed away, and the Frey family has plenty of unmarried young ladies; isn't this just a match made in heaven?" Robett whispered the gossip in the same manner.

Arthur nodded, indicating he understood.

Although he did not know if the Red Wedding could still happen in this current timeline, Herman Tallhart leaving The Twins and the marriage alliance between the Bolton and Frey families were both bad omens.

Walking out of the tent, the Riverlands nobles discovered that Count Tallhart was waiting for them.

"I forgot to tell you one thing. When I passed through Harrenhal, I also relayed Lord Edmure's orders to Ser Marq Piper there. His injuries having improved, he decided on the spot to lead his troops to respond to the call of his liege lord's family, taking over six hundred soldiers from various families toward the western Riverlands. The heirs of Count Bracken were also taken away by Ser Piper. The peasant army organized by Lord Arthur is still guarding that place, however."

After Herman Tallhart finished speaking, he turned and left.

This news made Arthur feel uneasy for a long while.

Marq Piper already had a good relationship with Edmure, so it was only logical for him to go to the western Riverlands.

But given Edmure's soft heart, he likely could not bear to see Tywin's massive army cross the Red Fork and ravage his own people, so the various river crossings would inevitably become the focal points of the struggle between the two sides.

It was feared that not many of the nobles and soldiers summoned by Riverrun this time would survive.

Arthur had a good impression of the straightforward Marq, but he had no way to change the course of a battle hundreds of leagues away.

He could only wish the still-injured Marq good luck.

Returning to his own small camp, he saw Arya feeding apples to the giant wolf.

After Nymeria was captured, this terrifyingly large Direwolf had been kept in a cage; fortunately, Arya was able to soothe her, so no trouble had been caused.

The Qohor Mercenaries, Riverlands family soldiers, and Mountain Clans under Arthur's command were mostly amazed that "Ary" could interact with the giant wolf, because normal people would be roared at just by walking near the cage, yet this little boy could get along well with the wolf.

Seeing Arya, he suddenly remembered something.

According to the original plot, this Lady Stark should have escaped King's Landing from a cellar in the Tower of the Hand at the Red Keep.

Since she could get out, she could likely get back in.

This was very important.

If Arthur could bring top warriors like Hosteen Frey, Raymond Darry, and Harys Hornwood, he could break through the Red Keep and King's Landing in one fell swoop.

One had to know that the Red Keep itself was a massive fortress; with just these sixteen thousand men, even if they took King's Landing, they might not be able to take the Red Keep.

Thinking of this, Arthur walked to Arya's side and called out to her: "Ary, come here, I have something to instruct you."

He did not want to walk near the Direwolf. Because Nymeria had been caught by him, she was very hostile toward Arthur and would start baring her teeth and growling the moment she smelled his scent.

Her attitude was far worse than her owner's.

Called over, Arya stuffed the half-eaten apple that the giant wolf didn't want into her pants pocket, then turned and walked toward this handsome and dashing Riverlands noble.

Because of the education her father Eddard had given her since she was young, and having suffered hunger in King's Landing, she cherished food very much.

"Is something the matter, my lord?"

Arthur gripped Arya's shoulders. "It's not convenient here; let's go into my tent to talk."

The two walked to Arthur's tent, and after Bracken ordered the sentry mercenaries and the servant Meidan to stay away, they went inside.

Arthur asked in a very low volume: "You once slipped out of King's Landing from a cellar in the Tower of the Hand or somewhere in the Red Keep; can you recall that route?"

A flash of confusion crossed the face of the round-faced, simple-looking Arya, then she immediately returned to normal.

"My lord, what are you talking about? Ary doesn't understand!"

Seeing that this little girl still wanted to pretend, Arthur thought for a moment and said: "Your sister, Sansa, she is a Northern lady without much guile. Given Joffrey's personality, she must be living a miserable life, perhaps living in fear every day. If you recall the route, I can lead men to rescue her."

He knew that although Arya did not like her somewhat vain and infatuated sister very much, she still valued her family deeply.

Using the name of saving her sister was enough to make her reveal the route.

Mentioning her sister, Arya suddenly froze for a few seconds, then stared at Arthur, seemingly making up her mind.

After a few breaths, she whispered: "I, Ary, am just an ordinary person who happened to know a small path leading to the Red Keep. As for any sister, that is all nonsense from you, my lord."

Seeing that Arya still wanted to keep up the pretense, Arthur did not expose her. "Right, you are my cupbearer Ary. Now, can you tell me about that small path?"

After the two reached a tacit agreement, Arya roughly described the small path hidden in the sea cliffs of Aegon's High Hill.

The Red Keep was located on Aegon's High Hill, one of the three hills within King's Landing, and was surrounded by the sea on three sides, making it extremely difficult to capture.

With this small path, they could break through from inside the Red Keep.

Of course, Arya, who was not certain exactly where the path was, suggested that she could take Arthur to find it at night to confirm the exact location.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)