Chapter 138: You Will Be My Queen

(The assassination target in the previous chapter was Hendry Bracken, not Daniu Gendry; it was a typo, I beg for everyone's understanding.)

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Arthur held Sansa's small hand, taking the initiative.

He knew Sansa was quite calculating, but he hadn't expected her to demand a promise from him at this very moment.

Yet, thinking about it carefully, it was reasonable; the men of House Stark were ostensibly reduced to Jon Snow, who was still in the Night's Watch, Winterfell had been burned, and the North Army heading north was blocked at Moat Cailin.

The House Tully of Riverrun she could rely on was in a state where her uncle looked like he was about to pass away, her great-uncle Blackfish was advanced in years and didn't have many years left, and her aunt's House Frey was not a kind lot; once all the men of House Tully were dead, it was hard to say into whose hands Riverrun would fall.

Sansa pulled her hand back from Arthur's, then turned her back to him, her voice trembling slightly:

"If you marry me, Harrenhal will be your rightful ancestral seat, and then Riverrun, which my great-uncle manages, will also support you. Lord Tytos of Raventree Hall follows House Tully, so your Riverlands King kingdom can be unified. Making me your Queen is in your best interest."

Judging by Sansa's slightly nervous appearance, she must have thought this over repeatedly before saying it.

Arthur turned her by the shoulders, making her face him directly.

"Between you and me, talking about interests is vulgar. You will be my Queen, the first Queen married under the witness of the gods; if I become the Valyria Emperor in the future, you will be my Empress. I swear this to the Valyria gods."

To put Sansa at ease, Arthur made a somewhat imprecise oath.

The Valyria gods had no requirements regarding marriage; brothers and sisters, uncles and nieces, uncles and nephews could all marry, and taking multiple wives was not an issue.

If Arthur were to restore the long list of royal titles like Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and Andal, and believe in the Faith of the Seven, he indeed could not marry multiple wives at the same time.

This was because during the Targaryen Dynasty, the church had rebelled in various places due to Maegor I taking multiple wives; later, the "Old King" Jaehaerys I reached a reconciliation with the church, promising that the dragon family would not take multiple wives in the future, and the church allowed them to marry within their close kin.

Of course, the surface factor of that rebellion was Maegor taking multiple wives, but in reality, it was because the royal family had harmed the interests of the Hightower family of Oldtown.

The situation at the time was that the Hightower family held the Citadel in their hands and could influence the election of the High Septon, and the Oldtown under their jurisdiction was the continent's cultural center, religious center, largest city, and largest port.

The dragon family was busy building King's Landing, which threatened Oldtown's status as the largest city, and the strong-willed Visenya and her son Maegor plotted to take the control of the church and the Citadel away from the Hightower family; moreover, Maegor's first wife came from the Hightower family, and his taking multiple wives caused the lord of Oldtown to lose all face.

After the conflict intensified, the Faith of the Seven, under the instructions of the Hightowers, began to organize the Faith Militant to rebel, and the wealth accumulated by Oldtown over thousands of years was used to fund the Faith Militant in various places and the minor lords who joined the uprising.

After Visenya and Maegor passed away one after another, the rebellion continued, but the "Old King" who came to power later had much more flexible methods; he won over the great lords of various regions and dealt heavy blows to the forces supporting the church. Although the Hightower family was extremely wealthy, they could not withstand the expenses of decades of war, so the two sides reconciled.

The Old King took the opportunity to choose a Septon named "Avon" who supported him to be the High Septon, completely grasping the church power in his hands, and began to intervene in the affairs of the Citadel, such as the Iron Throne being able to change the granting of maester chains.

The Hightowers were helpless and endured it for the time being; when Jaehaerys I passed away, they began to divide the dragon family, sparking the Dance of the Dragons, which caused most of the dragons to die during that period.

To summarize the Hightowers in one sentence: they are the most insidious family on the Western Continent, and their ancestral seat, the Hightower, hides the secrets of the legendary race from before the Dawn Age, the "Dragon-Keepers".

To be honest, if Arthur wanted to incorporate the entire continent into his kingdom, there were quite a few targets for political marriage, so he had to bypass the constraints of the Faith of the Seven and take a few more wives.

Regarding this, his plan was to change his royal title to Valyria Emperor when taking his second wife, and claim that he believed in Valyria gods like "Balerion" and "Vhagar".

In that case, the lords who believed in the Faith of the Seven and the Old Gods should not have many objections.

Moreover, the current "Fatty" High Septon had been burned by Stannis and the red priestess Melisandre, so the followers of the Lord of Light should not allow the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing to elect another High Septon, so the Faith of the Seven was still a scattered mess.

(Because people believe that the person holding the position of High Septon is the spokesperson for the gods in heaven, he is no longer an individual, and thus has no secular name; for the convenience of distinction, prefixes like Fatty, Stonemason, etc., are often added.)

"My true dragon, I am starting to believe in love." Sansa's eyes were slightly red, and she couldn't help but lean on Arthur's left shoulder.

With this oath, her hanging heart was put at ease.

The Riverlands King hugged the young lady of Stark tightly and whispered: "If it weren't for the need to defend against the invasion of the Westerlands people and to restore order in the countryside of Nan'an, I would immediately prepare the wedding for you, in Riverrun or Harrenhal, whichever you choose."

This was the truth; Arthur had long wanted to get close to Sansa.

"Since you are busy managing the country, you don't need to worry about the wedding." Sansa rubbed her forehead against her lover's neck, "I will arrange our wedding."

The two were deeply in love, starting to say cheesy pickup lines that would make one blush, and occasionally hugging and kissing each other.

Until a servant knocked on the door in front, notifying them that Ser Brynden invited the two to dinner.

Only then did the Riverlands King and Sansa, who had tidied up her appearance, walk out of the room to have dinner in the hall.

It was already night, and a full afternoon had passed since Arthur arrived at Riverrun.

He didn't know he could actually say cheesy pickup lines for three or four hours, such as "You are my blue moon," "From now on I can only address you as 'you' (formal), because you are on my heart," "Facing you, I am good at 'undressing' (a pun on 'understanding')," and so on.

Of course, Sansa didn't understand the pun about "being on the heart means 'you' (formal)," but she was still very moved.

The nobles having dinner together also included Blackfish, Roslin Tully and her maternal brother Benfrey Frey, the eldest son of the Earl of Raventree Hall, Brynden Blackwood, Hendry Bracken, the Jeyne Bracken sisters, as well as Lyman Darry, Clement Piper, and others brought by Arthur.

Edmure's body had been unable to get out of bed, so dinner was handled in the bedroom.

Everyone could see that Sansa was blushing the whole time and her eyes were fixed on Arthur, which made Blackfish look at Arthur like a father-in-law looking at a son-in-law, getting angrier the more he looked.

In the entire hall, except for Sansa, many people were not on good terms with Arthur, so he buried his head in eating, preparing to find another opportunity tomorrow to discuss with Blackfish the matter of the Tully family assisting in the defense of the Pinkmaiden territory.

It was just unexpected that after dinner, Blackfish approached him first.

"Sansa asked me to help you; tell me, what do you want to do by coming to Riverrun?"

After the servants cleaned up the hall, Blackfish and the Sworn Knights of Riverrun, such as Desmond Grell, negotiated with the Riverlands King and his nobles.

"I want to ask the Tully family to help Lord Piper defend his territory; Pinkmaiden has been burned to ruins, and Clement has no troops in his hands."

Hearing that Sansa had interceded, Arthur went straight to the point.

With Golden Tooth held by the Riverlands people, as long as the narrow river valley between the Red Fork and the Westerlands mountains was blocked, the Westerlands Army would have to run along the Golden Road to the upper reaches of the Blackwater River first, and then head north into the Riverlands.

Therefore, Arthur brought Lord Piper to Riverrun, hoping that the Tully family would lend some troops, and combined with some new recruits that could be gathered in the Pinkmaiden territory, there should be no problem defending the river valley.

A trace of doubt appeared in Blackfish's deep blue eyes, "Do you know the movements of House Lion?"

Arthur shook his head.

These days, he, Clement, Tristan, and others were busy sending people to villages and towns in the Riverlands to spread rumors about the "Dragonrider" and gathering some minor lords with strength to participate in the Great Council, so he didn't know much about the situation in other regions.

So Blackfish and several Sworn Knights explained the basic situation of the Westerlands and the continent to him.

Regarding the Westerlands, in order to seize the opportunity, Tywin had already sent merchant ships to transport four thousand of the Bolton army along the sea route to the Last River in the North; after landing there, they could reach Moat Cailin after a short march to the east.

"Tommen has officially appointed Roose Bolton as Warden of the North; it is said that Lady Dustin has sent thirty-five hundred men, preparing to join Bolton's rebel-suppression army," Desmond said.

"After the White Harbor cavalry seized Hornwood, they have also headed south; Lord Manderly has sent many infantry to take over Moat Cailin from the Ironborn. In that case, a decisive battle will unfold near there, with both sides having about seven thousand troops; it is hard to judge the outcome."

Blackfish pointed to the map and expressed his opinion.

But the civil war of the North people could not affect the situation of the continent.

After the decisive battle outside Casterly Rock, the main force of House Lion rested for a period of time until Duskendale was in an emergency, so Tywin sent Kevan, who was returning north, to lead ten thousand of the main force of House Lion along the Golden Road straight to King's Landing.

Desmond said: "Since Jaime was snatched back again, Tywin has confined him to Casterly Rock; it is said that the old lion is not doing well, and Tommen has also ordered the removal of Ser Jaime's Kingsguard status; it looks like the old lion wants the eldest son to inherit the Warden of the West."

During the decisive battle, Tywin sent men to rescue his son first, only then ordering the cavalry to launch a sneak attack on the North Army from the rear.

As for the status of the Kingsguard, although the white cloak's vow is also until death, after Qiao Fo Li Da Di dismissed "the Bold" Barristan and successfully reformed the ancestral system, Tywin followed suit, allowing Tommen to be relieved of the white cloak status of his "uncle" Jaime.

Regarding King's Landing, after Stannis burned a High Septon, in order to appease the vast number of followers of the Seven, he only imprisoned the Most Devout, and the Baelor Targaryen Sept was also closed; the conflict between the Lord of Light and the Seven was forcefully suppressed by him.

In fact, Er Lu is not a fanatical religious believer; his wife is.

Stannis's attitude toward the Lord of Light has always been to use it if it can be used for him, and to stay away from it for the time being if it cannot.

Hearing this, Arthur asked, "Then did Er Lu curse anyone after burning the fat High Septon?"

The status of a High Septon is similar to a Warlock and may also possess magic; after being burned, they can still curse people, but the effect is not as obvious as King's Blood or dragon blood.

"Naturally, it's the false king Tommen, as Stannis believes," Desmond said.

Arthur nodded, indicating that he understood.

The next step is the moment to verify whether the High Septon had magic; if Tommen dies suddenly in the coming period, then the Seven are true gods, and if not, then the Seven might be false gods fabricated by the bishops, or they have already fallen.

After stabilizing the conflict between the two religions, Stannis began to attack Duskendale in the north.

"I heard that the Reach Army has also moved north, and their vanguard cavalry has already entered the Kingswood, and it will only take five or six days to reach King's Landing," said a strange Knight.

"If that's the case, the Riverlands can have a period of peace, and I will have the time to deal with the affairs of the Riverlands," Arthur sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Several Baronies in the Hedong Diqu have been devastated by the Westerlands Army, a considerable number of Landed Knights who followed their superior lords have died in battle, and the castles of dozens of minor nobles have been ransacked by Amory Lorch, which has caused the rural order in the Hedong Diqu to begin to collapse.

You must know that the basic order at the village level is maintained by the Village Chief, Landed Knights, and Baron-level nobles, while higher-ranking Viscounts have Circuit Courts (which are actually for tax collection) and do not personally resolve the trivial matters of commoners.

Without those who directly maintain order, coupled with the impending long winter and the severe shortage of food, some rural areas are already in a jungle state where the weak are prey to the strong.

"The Riverlands will not be peaceful either; perhaps to contain you, the Westerlands side has sent out another army, which has already passed through Deep Den, and it looks like they will repeat what they did in the western Riverlands in the southern Riverlands," Blackfish ruthlessly shattered Arthur's fantasy.

Baron Clement was shocked by this, "How many men do they have, and where are they preparing to enter the Riverlands from?"

This was also what Arthur wanted to ask, and a Knight answered this doubt for them.

After the decisive battle with the North, Tywin sent men to conscript soldiers to the limit in the more populous Oxcross, Cornfield, and Red Lake, obtaining another 3,500 soldiers, plus the 3,000 New Army from Lannisport, and the 500 men of Janos Bracken, totaling a 7,000-strong army, preparing to invade the Riverlands from near Stoney Sept on the upper Blackwater River.

Desmond said: "You are very familiar with their Commander; it is Janos, who was recently appointed as Riverrun Protector. Tywin also knows that Stafford is a waste, so he only let his cousin oversee the army and coordinate between Janos and the Westerlands Army officers."

Troubles really come one after another.

"I can pull that peasant army from Harrenhal over, plus the Frey army in Willow Wood, as well as the soldiers of various minor nobles, and I can scrape together six or seven thousand men; it looks like we will have to fight a fierce battle."

The number of New Army soldiers trained by Dickon, the sharpshooter Anguy, the Dornish spearman Da Qi, and others has reached more than 3,200. Although the soldiers who joined later have not undergone much training and their combat effectiveness is a bit low, the enemy has the same problem, so it is a fightable battle.

The Frey family has 3,000 soldiers active in the Hedong and lake areas; if the war breaks out a little later, The Twins could send more soldiers.

This part of the enemy is still easy to deal with.

"We at Riverrun can also send... 500 men, and I will lead them personally to participate in this campaign," Blackfish stated.

After the decisive battle at Casterly Rock, the Fish-Wolf Coalition only had 2,000 men left, with about 1,000 Northmen, and the rest were Riverlands Soldiers.

At that time at Golden Tooth, Arthur ordered the 500 men who did not belong to the Tully or Blackwood families to stay behind to guard the city, and the 500-plus men from these two families followed him back to Riverrun.

Since Blackfish took over here, a new round of conscription has begun throughout the territory to cope with the upcoming struggle, plus 200 Si Ta Ke Bu Bing, so the military strength of Riverrun is much higher than 500 men.

However, the Tully family does not recognize Arthur as a self-proclaimed king, and being able to send men to participate in the war is already giving enough face to Sansa Stark.

Arthur found it difficult to force anything.

"I sincerely thank Ser Brynden; the people of the Riverlands will not forget your contribution."

"I heard that the area near Stoney Sept has been very lively recently; some detachments of the Brotherhood Without Banners could not contact their Lord Beric and ran there, a dog appeared in Stoney Sept with a little boy, the female knight also went to join the fun, and that ghost of High Heart has also come out to be active," Desmond said a lot, and finally made his request, "Why don't I take men there, and Ser Brynden stay behind to guard the city."

Blackfish looked at his Master-at-arms with his blue eyes, "That works too; I have to take care of my nephew and keep an eye on Sansa to prevent anyone from abducting Miss Stark."

PS: Seeking recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)