Chapter 187: The Young Aunt

The Westerlands, Oxcross Forest.

This is a massive primeval forest, covering an area as large as two earldoms; it starts from the territory of Cornfield in the east, borders the lands of Red Lake and Old Oak in the south, reaches the Sunset Sea in the west, and the Ocean Road runs straight through it.

As one of the gateways to the Westerlands, the defensive level of Oxcross Forest cannot compare to mountainous areas like Golden Tooth or Deep Den, but as long as the Ocean Road is blocked, enemy troops will wander about the forest like headless flies until the soldiers lose the confidence to invade the Westerlands.

At this moment, deep in the forest, at a junction on the Red Lake Road, a small military camp is rapidly taking shape.

Twenty peasant soldiers wearing worn-out chainmail and pointed helmets are turning felled trees into barricades to intercept enemies passing by on horseback, while the remaining nearly thirty men are setting up tents, stoves, and makeshift stables; they even had the leisure to build a latrine so the commanding Knight could be a bit more decent.

The accompanying farrier is shoeing the Knight's horse, and a young man bearing the white-and-black manticore crest is staring at the farrier.

"Why does shoeing a horse make you feel comfortable?"

The young man's uncle, Knight Garlan Tyrell, asked.

He is the head of the Landed Knight House Luo Qi; after being summoned by his liege lord, he brought nine adult men from the village under his jurisdiction, along with his nephew Luo Qi, plus forty newly conscripted armed peasants provided by House Crakehall, to guard this junction.

Their Task is to monitor this junction, intercept scouting parties of a few or a dozen men, and report any potentially arriving large forces to Oxcross.

"I don't know either, perhaps clearing away useless debris makes me feel that this world is still worth saving," Luo Qi replied.

He is a very melancholic person, and the recent situation has made him even more anxious.

The Dragonrider's army of twenty thousand has already pressed near Silverhill in the eastern Westerlands, and the Reach army is gathering at Red Lake in the south; if nothing unexpected happens, the people of the Westerlands and House Lannister will encounter their most humiliating moment in three hundred years within the next month or two.

What is worse is that the Westerlanders' allies, House Arryn of the Vale, are remaining still, House Bolton of the North is unable and unwilling to head south to lend a hand, and the Golden Company in the Stormlands is far beyond reach.

Luo Qi is very confused; the situation has already collapsed to such a point, why do the lords at Casterly Rock, especially Lord Kevan who is in charge of the liege family, not surrender?

Although he is not very clear on history, he vaguely knows that as long as a noble surrenders, the King generally will not make things difficult, at most sending the primary culprits to the Wall or exiling them to the eastern continent.

After the farrier branded the glowing red horseshoe onto the trimmed hoof, Luo Qi suddenly lost interest in this activity.

He straightened up and turned to his uncle, "You tell me, why is Lord Kevan still persisting? Could it be that we really have a turning point? Or is it that the nobles firmly believe the enemy cannot reach deep into the Westerlands?"

Garlan, who is short but extremely sturdy, looked at his nephew's dejected face for a good while before answering:

"Our House Luo Qi are just warriors raised by the nobles; whatever the lords tell us to do, we do as required. Besides, do you still want to figure out Lord Kevan's thoughts? Do you have that kind of brain?"

The farrier who finished shoeing a hoof, however, spoke his own thoughts to the unfamiliar Knight uncle and nephew.

"This Ser, I think it's this logic: when killing a pig in the village, it's just one knife, because the pig is already raised in the pigsty, but when killing a stray dog, you still need to give it some benefits, lure it over, and then find a way to tie the dog up; if you can't lure it over, there's no way."

"In the current situation, if we surrender directly, we are the pigs in the pigsty, left to be slaughtered by the King and the Reachmen. But if we resist for a while, perhaps we can really fight for a way to survive."

The dark-skinned farrier chuckled, revealing his yellow teeth, before continuing his work.

Having listened for a good while, Garlan directly raised the horsewhip in his hand and lashed it toward the farrier assigned to him by House Crakehall.

"So you're the only one who understands, right? I, a dignified landed Knight, still need you to lecture me on logic?"

He moved fast, and the farrier had no time to react, taking a heavy lash to his body.

But when Garlan raised the whip again, he found he could not strike down.

"Uncle, what he said is still somewhat reasonable, can you not be so barbaric?"

Luo Qi reached out to stop Garlan's action, then muttered to himself:

"Since the result is still surrender, why don't both sides just show their strength, instead of dragging along tens of thousands of troops, and only talk after testing each other?"

Garlan, who looked down on commoners, did not make things difficult for his nephew; he grunted, "Why think so much? When the horse is shod, we will go east to take a look. I heard the Reachmen's vanguard has already moved north from Red Lake; we not only need to intercept, but also understand the movements of the nearby armies."

As a Knight, his dutiful thought was not wrong, but it would never be implemented.

At least three hundred armored Reach elite Cavalry suddenly burst out from near the small path on the southeast side, ignoring the obstruction of the forest, and launched an attack on this small camp.

"They came so fast!" Garlan was both shocked and furious; his horse's shoes were not yet finished, making it inconvenient to run away.

He asked angrily: "Are the horseshoe nails in?"

"Done, done," the farrier who had just taken a lash replied repeatedly; although the last horseshoe only had one nail in it, he still lied that the work was finished.

"Excellent, nephew, you lead the soldiers to hold the camp, I will go to report to Oxcross."

After speaking, Garlan did not care about his subordinates who were already in chaos, and directly vaulted onto his horse, galloping wildly toward the west.

Luo Qi, however, had no intention of holding the camp; he glanced at the Cavalry group just dozens of paces from the camp, knelt down on the spot, and at the same time shouted to the peasant soldiers behind him:

"All kneel properly, let the lords from the south count us easily."

Seeing that one Knight had already fled and his own legs could not outrun the Cavalry's warhorses, the vast majority of the peasant soldiers knelt down on the spot, and the few remaining hesitant people also knelt before the Reach Cavalry for the sake of the iron spearheads.

Garlan Tyrell lifted his visor, glanced at the Westerlands Knight who had fled far away, and ordered:

"Hanway, you take ten Cavalry to chase him down; you must kill that man, do not let the news leak."

The Tyrell Cavalry officer who was pointed out, although doubtful about whether he could catch up, still executed the order.

As for Garlan himself, he dismounted and began to ask Luo Qi in detail about the Westerlanders' defensive matters.

Such scenes were still playing out in various parts of Oxcross Forest; what the Westerlanders did not expect was that Garlan's speed in resolving the Ironborn incursions was much faster than they had imagined.

……

King's Landing, Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast.

This is the master bedroom on the fourth floor, originally the room of Queen Regent Cersei, which was assigned by King Arthur I to his wife Sansa to use.

Of course, Cersei's dresses and clothing that filled an entire storage room, as well as boxes full of gold, silver, jewelry, and ornaments, were all inherited by Queen Sansa.

Although Sansa felt this was not very decent, like picking up trash.

At this moment, the pregnant Queen is lying on a daybed, looking far at the scene outside the balcony.

Two weeks ago, her husband Arthur I had already gone to the Westerlands to pacify the still-rebellious Lannister and their vassal families, leaving her alone with the massive group of servants in Maegor's Holdfast.

Thump, thump, thump!

Footsteps sounded, and Brienne of Tarth walked in, "Your Grace, the cook Hannibal asks if you need a piece of lemon cake at dinner? So he can prepare in advance."

Hannibal is a cook in King's Landing who was discovered by the King for his skill in making pastries and cakes, and was hired as the pastry chef for Maegor's Holdfast, specifically to make lemon cakes for Queen Sansa.

"Bring a piece, the days of pregnancy are so boring, and the new Maester Gormon won't let me go out to exercise……"

Compared to a few months ago, Sansa's face is much rounder now, and she looks much fuller as well.

She suddenly remembered something, turned her head, and asked one of her personal guards:

"By the way, at what age do you plan to marry? A woman should always find a reliable husband; it is better to settle down."

She felt that the most correct thing she had done since coming south was finding a capable husband.

Although Arthur marrying another wife made her very dissatisfied, the thought that she had become the mistress of the Red Keep and King's Landing, and even the Queen of the entire Seven Kingdoms, dispelled much of that dissatisfaction.

At least Margaery is as embarrassed as I am; doesn't she also share a husband with others? Queen Sansa comforted herself this way.

Brienne of Tarth bowed gracefully, then replied: "Your Majesty, some women's battlefield is marriage and childbirth, while others' is riding and killing. I think I am the second type of woman."

This Lady of Tarth's previous suit of armor had become tattered, so Queen Sansa, having a little money in hand, ordered a suit of black Iron Armor to be crafted for her.

Now that Brienne lowered her visor, no one would fear she would be seen as a weak woman.

Among the existing Kingsguard, it is known that Loras Tyrell is a defeated opponent of Brienne; although Sandor Clegane says with his mouth that he can beat her, judging by his behavior of delaying any fight with Brienne, The Hound likely cannot beat her either.

Added to the fact that Balon Swann cannot beat Loras, and Arys Oakheart is not as good as Balon Swann, Brienne is vaguely already the number one guard of Maegor's Holdfast.

With such a guard, and with Sandor there too, except for her husband Arthur, Sansa was certain no one could use force against her in this building.

"You actually have the same hobbies as my sister Arya..."

Sansa smiled, just wanting to chat for a moment, but suddenly saw her female guard's expression change drastically.

"What is it? Did someone fly into the balcony?" the Queen asked with a smile.

She thought Brienne was joking with her.

But a coarse, heavy breathing sound dispelled her thoughts.

Queen Sansa, who had just thought she was safe enough in Maegor's Holdfast, slowly turned around and saw one of the greatest threats of her life.

A black Dragon head emerged from the balcony, the dragon's eyes two pools of black-tempered red, the dark red light emitted chilling the heart.

It looks fiercer than the Alduin her husband has, Sansa thought secretly.

Afterwards, the Dragon flew lower, revealing the female rider on its back to the Queen and Brienne.

This was a young girl beautiful beyond words.

A cunning yet gentle look swirled in her purple pupils; the dust on her face could not hide her skin as white as congealed fat. Against the backdrop of the black Dragon, a faint radiance seemed to emerge around the girl.

"This square fortress is Maegor's Holdfast, right?" Daenerys Targaryen asked the two people in the room.

She was also observing the two people in the room; the beauty on the daybed looked like a noblewoman, and the tall woman beside her wore Iron Armor, appearing to be a female guard.

She must be one of the nephew's wives! The witty Daenerys Targaryen guessed the truth.

Sansa, who could be counted as one of the beauties of The North, was still jealous of this woman's appearance, but Brienne beside her had already reacted.

She first walked quickly to the Queen's daybed to protect her, then replied: "Yes? May I ask if you need something?"

"That's good!" Daenerys Targaryen threw her small bundle onto the balcony, then slowly arched her body, stepped on the dragon's head, and jumped into the room.

"This is also my home. You are Sansa, right? By seniority, I am your aunt."

The Dragon Queen walked swaggeringly toward the round table, picked up a cup, poured herself some of the liquid in the pot, and then tilted her head and gulped it down.

"Aunt?" Sansa, who had sat up, looked surprised; she now learned from southern noblewomen at all times to coil her hair.

"You don't look older than me!"

As the beautiful girl walked, Queen Sansa had already measured the girl's height.

About to the tip of her own nose.

"Why is it sour plum juice?" Daenerys Targaryen muttered in a low voice, then looked at Sansa, who was still sitting on the daybed.

"Are you referring to age or seniority? I am older than you in both. An aunt comes from thousands of leagues away to see you, and you are still sitting there without moving? At the very least, you should get me a hot meal!"

The more she looked, the more something felt off, so she looked directly at Queen Sansa's small belly.

"Are you pregnant?" As someone who had been through it, Daenerys Targaryen was already very experienced.

Only eccentric pregnant women would keep sour or spicy drinks and food on hand.

Sansa and Brienne looked at this overly familiar, beautiful girl, not knowing what to say.

After a moment of hesitation, the Queen noticed the silver hair and purple eyes.

"Are you Stormborn Daenerys Targaryen?"

The Dragon Queen said dissatisfiedly: "You only just realized? Aunt is angry. First, go have the kitchen make me a meal, then call the nephew over; I have important matters to discuss with him."

"The first thing is no problem, but my husband is not in the Red Keep now; he is not even in this vicinity, but in the far west."

Sansa rang the bell to summon a maid, ordering her to prepare a meal for the guest that could be considered either lunch or dinner.

The Westerlands, River Road.

The King, having finished handling the second wedding, was leading his army to rush to Sarsfield.

The western section of the Golden Road was already filled with traps set by the Lion's army, making it unsuitable for a large army to attack, so this army circled around again, first entering the Riverlands from the valley near Hornvale, then crossing the shallows of the upper Red Fork to the west, and finally entering the Westerlands from Golden Tooth.

Beside the King, Prince Oberyn, Maester Qyburn, Tyrion Lannister, and several others were discussing matters of the gods.

This was a topic brought up by Arthur I; although everyone did not understand why the King loved to chat about these things, there were many who pandered to him.

"My personal view is that there are no gods in this world. The so-called Old Gods are merely a collective term for all Weirwood trees. As for the Seven, they are just gods invented by the Andals to stabilize their rule. Other gods, such as the Weeping Lady of Lys, the Rhoyne of the Rhoynar, the Black Goat of Norvos, and the Many-Faced God of Braavos, are all similar to this."

Qyburn, who advocated atheism, said this.

PS: Seeking recommendation tickets and monthly tickets.