Chapter 151: Whose is Casterly Rock?

Harrenhal, Flowstone Yard.

The Reachmen with noble titles, including the captives, were all brought to observe Alduin, who had grown much larger in size.

Compared to half a year ago, the ridges on its back were even sharper; seen from afar, it looked as if it were draped in a layer of pitch-black Iron Armor.

In Arthur's own estimation, Alduin's size had gone from that of a large goose at birth to that of an adult Chinese alligator.

Although still in its juvenile stage, this growth rate was already terrifying; in the coming decades, Alduin would still pass through its adolescent and young adult stages, during which its growth in size would remain astonishing.

Even when a Dragon enters adulthood, it will continue to grow slowly until death.

Alduin's juvenile size, combined with its tail which was half again as long as its body, and its wingspan which had already reached five meters, carried considerable pressure as it circled above the crowd.

Among the onlookers, there were cowards who were frightened from time to time.

"Seven Gods, is this really a dragon only a few months old?"

"Its dragging tail looks more like a steel whip; I really want to know what the experience of having it shoved up one's ass is like."

"If you want to try it, you can; I reckon the Dragonrider would be very happy to trade one thrust for the allegiance of a Viscount family."

"Listen to what you're saying; even a giant couldn't withstand such a behemoth."

The crowd discussed it heatedly.

Previously, when they heard the Dragonrider had a dragon hatchling, most of the Reach lords were dismissive, believing a single bolt from a Crossbow could finish off that dragon.

But when Alduin was truly flying before them, these well-informed Jiaodu lords had to admit that they had been ignorant and ill-informed.

Duke Mace Tyrell's performance was even worse than his vassals; at Arthur's signal, Alduin had flown to within half a meter above the head of the Reach's liege lord.

This caused the Lord Pufferfish to shrink back in fear, legs buckling, as he hid behind others; fortunately, the Reachmen still cared enough about his face to let him successfully squeeze to the back of the crowd.

"What do you lords think?" Arthur beckoned for Alduin's claws to land on his shoulders; he did this to enhance the visual impact.

Fortunately, his strength was sufficient to support a dragon standing on him.

If it were another year or two, the positions of the two would have to be swapped.

Everyone knew this question was directed at the Reach's liege lord, so they stopped talking one after another and let out Duke Mace Tyrell, who had been hiding behind the crowd.

The slow-witted Lord Pufferfish was stunned for a long while before replying:

"If I had seen this dragon two and a half months ago, I would have certainly led the entire The Reach to support you, but I have already betrothed my daughter to King Tommen, and my son Loras will also take Queen Regent Cersei as his wife. You also know that the faith of the Seven Gods does not allow for the breaking of a marriage, even a betrothal that has not yet been sworn cannot be violated, so..."

His form of address for the Riverlands King had changed, and his tone had become respectful.

Breaking a marriage is considered oath-breaking, and Knight culture is based on the faith of the Seven Gods, so the Reachmen value this very highly.

"I thought it was something major." Arthur smiled lightly, first lifting his hand to let Alduin fly away, then walking to Duke Mace Tyrell's side.

"I have conclusive evidence that Tommen is dead, so Margaery does not need to honor this betrothal. Moreover, it is said that Cersei persuaded Loras to become a member of the Kingsguard; I don't need to explain what that implies, do I? The two oaths you care about most cannot be fulfilled because of the Lannisters' meddling; the responsibility lies with them, not with you."

During the march north, Arthur had also been closely monitoring the situation in King's Landing, so he knew about Cersei making the Knight of Flowers a member of the Kingsguard.

Cersei, who thought she was as clever as her father Tywin, believed this would allow her to escape her betrothal to Loras, but this just left House Tyrell with no psychological burden regarding oath-breaking.

Although intelligence said that the Reachmen had obtained three seats on the Small Council.

But this was a condition Arthur could also afford.

The Riverlands King's Small Council didn't even have a single person on it.

Duke Mace Tyrell looked at Arthur's handsome face, "To be honest, you do have the temperament and appearance of a Targaryen, and you also have a claim to the Iron Throne, but the direction of the entire The Reach is not something I can decide. I must listen to the opinions of all the lords, Jiaodu, and Landed Knight, and only after satisfying the majority of them can I make a decision on behalf of the Reachmen."

He was speaking useless nonsense.

The head of the Rose family was the Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell, also known as Olenna Redwyne; Mace's wife came from House Hightower. The Redwyne Jiaodu Paxter was Mace's cousin, as well as his brother-in-law.

With this kinship, the three families in the front line of The Reach held together, having an overwhelming advantage over the second and third-tier families who were fighting alone.

So it was only necessary for the Rose family to make a decision, and the other Reach families would follow.

Arthur knew this was because his offer was too low; he waved his hand to dismiss everyone.

"The Riverlanders take the guests and leave; I have a few words to say to the Warden of the South alone."

After the irrelevant people had walked far away, he took Duke Mace Tyrell to the vicinity of the bear pit in the center of the castle, and then they began to talk.

"In the end, what you want is the position of a Queen, as well as as many Small Council seats as possible; what I can give is no less than what Cersei and Tywin can."

Looking at the history of war in all of Westeros, examples of winning against the odds only existed during the Aegon the Conqueror period; the rest were all about pulling connections with major nobles, and then making the family and troop numbers of one's own camp far exceed the enemy's.

So if he could win over the strong and well-equipped The Reach, Arthur's strength would be greatly enhanced, and he would not be far from the Iron Throne.

Duke Mace Tyrell frowned, "I heard you are preparing to marry Lady Sansa Stark, then the position of Queen..."

Arthur had already thought of an excuse for this.

"I believe in the Valyria gods; taking a few more wives is not blasphemy."

Lord Pufferfish stared straight at Arthur, who was a head taller than him, and only after a long time did he say: "But my daughter is a devout believer in the Seven Gods; she can only marry one husband."

"No problem!" Arthur spread his hands, "After Margaery marries me, she will only have one husband, which does not violate her faith; for the sake of the peace of the kingdom, I take a few more wives, which does not violate my faith. Think carefully about whether this makes sense."

Duke Mace Tyrell was dumbfounded, blinking his eyes for a long time.

"I must consult with my mother before I can decide; before that, I think the Reachmen will not be your enemy."

Arthur helplessly rubbed his forehead, "You are a man of forty or fifty years old; can you not even make a decision on this little matter?"

He was completely convinced by the mama's boy Mace.

The two discussed for a long time and finally reached a concrete agreement.

After the Queen of Thorns agreed to defect to Arthur, the Riverlands King must immediately declare his claim to the Iron Throne, change his royal title to King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, and marry Margaery as his Queen. Before that, Arthur must ensure Mace's personal safety and a decent life.

He could not win over all the Reachmen in a short time, so Arthur ordered someone to find a room for Duke Mace Tyrell that matched his status; after imprisoning him, he began to deal with some trivial matters of the farmers outside the city in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths.

Petitions from subjects easily triggered the system's Task, so the blue light screen lit up three times in a very short time.

【Ensure all farmers in Harrentown have a cotton robe for the winter】

【Build a Sept of the Seven Gods】

【Drive away the ghosts wandering outside the city】

The first two tasks were easy to do; the Riverlands King only needed to order his subordinates to complete them.

The third task is quite interesting.

Arthur summoned Hayley, who was in charge of the order of the displaced peasants, the mercenary Bill, and others; after inquiring in detail, he finally understood what was going on.

After he ordered the transplantation of that massive Weirwood tree in Harrenhal, a forest witch appeared outside the city.

Because this tree was truly too large, the existing ships could not transport it to the Isle of Faces, so the tree was left somewhere outside the city, and the forest witch was also lingering beside the tree.

She had previously wandered near a high mountain in the Riverlands, a place known as High Heart, and she was also called the Ghost of High Heart.

The peasants were ignorant and believed this strange-looking old witch was an omen of misfortune, so they petitioned the nobles to expel her.

Arthur gladly accepted this petition, then took a squad of soldiers out of the city and went directly to find this forest witch.

……

King's Landing, Red Keep, Tower of the Hand, small council chamber.

Cersei watched the seascape outside the window alone; at her feet, fake Tommen was sitting on the ground, licking a piece of candy frantically.

Kevan, whose hair had already turned gray, walked in quickly; behind him, Tyrion Lannister had to jog to keep up with his uncle's pace.

After the two Lannisters entered, the guarding Kingsguard Meryn Trant and Balon Swann walked out and closed the heavy door.

"Calling us both here so urgently, has some major event occurred?"

Because he had jogged the whole way, Tyrion was covered in sweat; he panted as he asked his older sister.

Cersei turned her head and, with a cold face, handed the note in her hand to her uncle Kevan, who had approached.

As for Tyrion Lannister, he walked to the cupboard by the wall and stood on tiptoe, preparing to take a cup.

After reading it, Kevan's expression changed drastically; he was about to tell his nephew, but seeing Tyrion Lannister's struggling figure, he walked to his nephew's side and took down the wine cup that Tyrion Lannister could not reach.

"Your father, my brother, Duke Tywin has passed away."

Tyrion Lannister, who had just retrieved the wine flagon from the table, froze, then continued his action of pouring wine.

"I am a bit sad; please allow me to use wine to cover up my indescribable feelings."

As he spoke, he raised the wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

Tyrion Lannister's feelings were indeed indescribable, but mostly they were not sadness.

Cersei looked at her younger brother with disgust; if not for their uncle being present, she would certainly have mocked him severely.

Kevan, however, paid no mind to his nephew's behavior; after resting his chin on his hand and pondering for a moment, he said, "The letter says my brother left Casterly Rock and the Westerlands to Jaime, but the Rivermen have captured him, and there is no one in charge at Casterly Rock, so I must return immediately; on one hand to prepare for my brother's funeral, and on the other to temporarily establish order in the Westerlands."

Tyrion Lannister was greatly shocked upon hearing this; he walked to his uncle's side, jumped up to snatch the note, and read it carefully.

"Impossible, this is impossible. Jaime is a Kingsguard and cannot inherit private property. I am the rightful heir to the Westerlands and Casterly Rock."

Ever since his older brother was taken in as a white cloak by the Mad King Aerys II, Tyrion Lannister had always been the sole heir to Casterly Rock, and he had regarded Casterly Rock and the Westerlands as his own from beginning to end.

Previously, when Tywin had Tommen order the removal of Jaime's Kingsguard status, Tyrion Lannister had felt something was amiss, but because there had been no precedent, he had not taken it to heart.

"Since the establishment of the Kingsguard, there has been no precedent for withdrawal, so Jaime still cannot inherit the Westerlands and Casterly Rock; they are mine, mine!"

Tyrion Lannister held the wine cup and waved his small hands to express his angry feelings.

"Who says there is no precedent?" Cersei's voice also became angry. "My son Joffrey once dismissed the aged and frail Barristan. The wise and mighty Joffrey reformed the corrupt system, so Ser Jaime's right of inheritance is not a problem."

This was a muddled account.

By logic, the oaths of the Kingsguard and the Night's Watch were the highest level of Sacred Oath, and once made, they could not be revoked.

But since Qiao Fo Li Da Di drove away Ser Barristan, there had been two or three incidents where the king ordered an oath to be changed.

In the common view, the king was one level lower than the gods, but because the king was the person with the greatest secular power, the king's order to change an oath could also count for something, and thus a conflict arose.

The general practice was that this matter still had to be discussed by the great lords and the bishops before it could be determined.

But now the Seven Kingdoms were in turmoil, and there were no conditions to convene such a meeting, so the parties involved had to make the choice themselves.

Tyrion Lannister took a deep breath. "You know best how much Jaime yearns to be a Knight; wearing the white cloak was his lifelong dream, so I think he must be allowed to choose for himself whether to be a Kingsguard or inherit Casterly Rock."

He and his brother had a fairly good relationship, and thus they had confided their true feelings to each other.

Tyrion Lannister knew well that Jaime would never want that stone city, and since he had previously been established as the heir to Casterly Rock and the Westerlands, Jaime would not fight him for it.

If Jaime were allowed to choose for himself, Casterly Rock would likely still be Tyrion Lannister's.

"This matter must follow the law of inheritance; I will not allow you to act recklessly." Because it was an ancestral system reformed by her son Joffrey, Cersei defended this point vigorously.

She turned to her uncle Kevan again. "I will trouble you to make the trip to the Westerlands; although the alliance between the Reachmen and us is temporarily preserved, the situation is still very dangerous, so I will not go."

Kevan was accustomed to following the commands of his brother Tywin, and now he was accustomed to listening to his niece.

He nodded and said, "It is already afternoon; between tonight and tomorrow morning, I will finish handling all the military affairs and major matters in King's Landing, and I will set off for the Westerlands around tomorrow afternoon; I will not delay."

Although Stannis had fled the capital in a sorry state, with the support of the nobles of the Stormlands, he soon gained a firm foothold on the south bank of the Blackwater River.

He even dispatched a unit of Cavalry to raid the Reachmen's grain transport convoys in the Kingswood, which made the food supply in King's Landing unstable again.

Kevan prepared to walk out the door of the small council chamber, but suddenly stopped and asked Cersei:

"The Tarly family's lands are known for their richness but are extremely small, so Randyll has a bit of a complex about land; this time Garlan obtained Brightwater Keep, which made him very unhappy. I think we can let him lead troops to recover the northern regions such as Duskendale, Rosby, and Rook's Rest, and then grant him a piece of land in the name of military merit; what do you think?"

"You handle these matters as you see fit; I trust in my uncle's ability." Cersei had no objections to his proposal.

After Kevan left, the sister and brother began to stare at each other, until Tyrion Lannister could no longer hold back and roared in a low voice:

"I preserved this kingdom for you; without me handling it, our alliance with the Reachmen would have fallen apart half a month ago."

Fake Tommen was a matter Tyrion Lannister had single-handedly accomplished, so he considered himself to have saved his sister Cersei and stabilized the Lion-Flower Alliance.

"But not many people know about this." Cersei's gaze toward her younger brother grew increasingly cold.

Tyrion Lannister said alertly, "There are still a few people; Ser Flyn and the guards at Lannisport..."

"Do you think I would be that stupid? They have already sunk into Blackwater Bay; now, the only two people who know this secret are you and me."

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(End of this chapter)