Chapter 196: The Clash of Kings, Frost Dragons, and the Hunt at King's Landing

In the camp of the Westerlands Army at Golden Tooth, Tywin's face was ashen.

"Eddard hatched two more magic dragons at Harrenhal? Is that true?"

Jaime looked grim. "Yes. Cousin Cleos Frey received a letter from his cousin; the Freys, along with the nobles of the Riverlands, The Vale, and the North, witnessed the birth of the magic dragons. The one hatched from the Vale dragon egg is called Eagle Eye, and the one from the Riverlands dragon egg is called Koi."

Cleos Frey's mother was Jaime's aunt Genna Lannister, and his father was Emmon Frey, the second son of Lord Walder; thus, Cleos Frey was half Lannister and half Frey, and he maintained close ties with the many Freys at The Twins.

The news brought by Ser Kevan was even worse. "The spies we sent to the Riverlands have all sent back the same report: at Harrenhal, Eddard not only hatched the magic dragons Eagle Eye and Koi, but also griffins. Seven griffins in total. The septas in the Riverlands and The Vale have begun to proclaim that the griffins and magic dragons are miracles of the Seven."

In Tywin's golden eyes, the rage burned even brighter. "Griffins? Those lions that can fly? Our House Lannister sigil is the roaring lion; does this mean that next, we must face not only magic dragons but also griffins?"

Jaime stroked his golden hair. "I recall that the sigil of House Connington of Griffin's Roost is a griffin. These creatures only appeared in songs and fairy tales; weren't they extinct long ago?"

Ser Kevan sneered. "What is there to be surprised about? We once thought giants, skinchangers, giant eagles, and magic dragons were all extinct, yet now haven't they all appeared? I heard Eddard found the griffin eggs in The Vale; The Vale has always had legends of a Griffin King."

Tywin sighed. "Giant eagles, giants, griffins—these strange, ancient threats combined do not equal the magic dragons. Previously, Eddard only had one magic dragon, the direwolf, and I dreamed of a dragon-slayer who could kill it, so we could offset the Stark advantage."

"Now, the Starks have three magic dragons. How are we to fight? Back then, Aegon the Conqueror, with his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, had only three magic dragons, and he conquered Westeros."

Jaime said, "Father, there is no need to be so pessimistic. Aegon and his sisters had Vhagar, Balerion, and Meraxes, which were among the largest magic dragons in the history of Westeros. The dragons the Starks have are two that just hatched; they are likely the size of hounds. Only the magic dragon direwolf hatched at Winterfell poses any real threat."

Tywin said coldly, "True, the Stark magic dragons are hatchlings, but Eddard now possesses the support of the North, the Riverlands, and The Vale. Not only is Eddard's territory larger than ours and his population greater, but he also holds a weapon as lethal as magic dragons. Why is it that Eddard hatches magic dragons as easily as hatching chickens?"

Ser Kevan said, "I have spoken with some Maesters, and they all say that magic has returned, that the resurgence of spiritual energy has caused creatures like magic dragons, griffins, and giant eagles to all return."

Tywin stared at the map before him, his gaze lingering on the mountains of the Westerlands.

"Lannisters have plenty of gold. Had I known, I should have attempted to purchase some dragon eggs. Do you think there could be dragon eggs in the Westerlands?"

Ser Kevan thought for a moment. "In the past, members of the Targaryen royal family often traveled through the Westerlands with their magic dragons; it is possible they could have laid dragon eggs there. I remember that Jaehaerys I Targaryen's sister Rhaenyra married Ser Andrew Farman; she was bisexual and possessed a collection of beautiful pets, the most favored of whom was Elissa Farman."

"Elissa Farman later followed Princess Rhaenyra to Dragonstone. She stole three dragon eggs from the princess's mount, the magic dragon Dream Fire, and fled by sea. After escaping to Braavos, she sold the dragon eggs to the Sealord of Braavos and used the money to build herself a galleon, beginning her own great voyage."

Jaime smirked. "Uncle, that was over a hundred years ago, wasn't it? A hundred years later, Braavos still has no magic dragons; it seems this Elissa Farman deceived the Sealord back then. Those three dragon eggs never hatched."

Ser Kevan said, "Who can say for sure where those three dragon eggs went? However, recently many ports have been circulating a rumor that Daenerys, the sister of the Beggar King Viserys, has hatched three magic dragons on the continent of Essos."

Tywin clenched his fists. "This is truly a feast for magic dragons, but unfortunately, we are the prey. The Lannisters must have their own magic dragons. My grandsons Joffrey Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, and Myrcella Baratheon all carry the blood of House Targaryen; as long as the Westerlands hatches a magic dragon, we will have Dragonlords."

Jaime looked at Tywin with pity, thinking, "Father, those grandsons of yours are my own seed; they have nothing to do with Robert, and naturally, they have inherited not a drop of Dragonlord blood. Moreover, you refuse to send troops to rescue King's Landing; if King's Landing falls, your grandsons will not survive."

Suddenly, Jaime realized this was a good opportunity to persuade Tywin to march on King's Landing. He said, "Father, Cersei, Tyrion, and Tommen, Myrcella, and Joffrey are all in King's Landing. If you want your grandsons to become Dragonlords, you should immediately send troops to rescue King's Landing."

Tywin glared at Jaime, his expression as if he were looking at an idiot. "The Riverlands has assembled fifty thousand troops from the Riverlands and the North, and I hear Canyon Knights are gathering toward Riverrun. If I divide my forces to rescue King's Landing, Brynden Tully and the little wolf cub Robin will surely attack the Westerlands immediately."

"How many times must I say it? I will not divide my forces to rescue King's Landing; it is too far away, and I cannot reach it. Cersei and Tyrion must protect themselves. I left them enough gold and men in King's Landing; they should be content."

Ser Kevan said worriedly, "Speaking of King's Landing, some terrifying rumors have recently arrived, saying that King Robert has been reborn, and that Rhaegar Targaryen has also returned from the grave to serve Queen Regent Cersei in King's Landing. The common folk are even whispering that Cersei has become a Corpse Queen, employing an undead sorcerer and worshipping a terrifying Dark God."

Tywin said contemptuously, "Such nonsense is surely a rumor spread by Eddard, Renly Baratheon, or Stannis, as shameless as the lies they spread before about Jaime and Cersei's affair; it is not even worth discussing."

Jaime still refused to give up on rescuing King's Landing. He said, "Golden Tooth is easy to defend and hard to attack; leaving ten thousand men to hold the Golden Tooth pass is sufficient. The enemy cannot break through."

Tywin said gloomily, "If the enemy were ground troops, that would be true, but do not forget that Eddard has giant eagles and magic dragons. They could easily bypass the mountains and Golden Tooth from the air to attack the Westerlands directly. If we wait for Eddard's magic dragons to grow, our chances of winning will be even lower. The Lannisters must hatch their own magic dragons."

Jaime said helplessly, "We don't even have any dragon eggs."

Tywin thought for a moment. "Since Elissa Farman once stole dragon eggs from Dream Fire, and Dream Fire once lived on Fair Isle, I believe there may be dragon eggs on Fair Isle. I will order the Fairman to search for them. Furthermore, I will send letters to Lannister friends in the Free Cities to purchase dragon eggs at a high price."

Ser Kevan looked at the letter in his hand. "According to intelligence from the Riverlands, Eddard has sent men to restore Stoney Sept and is building Wolf Castles at High Heart and the Ruby Ford. Relying on Riverrun of House Tully, the cities of Vance and Wayfarer's Rest of House Vance, and Pinkmaiden of House Piper, Eddard is establishing military colonies and building arrow towers and defensive fortifications everywhere."

"The number of troops in the Riverlands Tri-River Army has already exceeded twenty thousand. The Tri-River Army, along with the Northern Winter Wolves and the Vale Falcon Army, has become Eddard's standing army."

Tywin stared at the map. "It seems Eddard intends to develop the Riverlands for the long term. I will not sit idly by; I will take the initiative."

Ser Kevan frowned. "Ravens from the Iron Islands report that King Balon has crowned himself and has already dispatched the Iron Fleet to attack the Wolf Castles along the Northern coast. Once the Northern coast falls, Eddard will have to divert troops to deal with the Iron Islands; wouldn't it be better to attack Riverrun when their forces are depleted?"

Tywin tapped the map with his right index finger. "I originally intended to do the same, but now Eddard is sending troops to rebuild Stoney Sept; in the future, that will be a bridgehead threatening the northern mountains of the Westerlands."

Jaime was dismissive. "The border of the Westerlands near Stoney Sept is all high mountains and ridges; the enemy cannot break through."

Tywin snorted. "The Rockborn, the Northern Mountain Clans, the Cave Dwellers, and the Night Runners under Eddard are all skilled in mountain warfare; furthermore, even the mountain clans of The Vale have joined Eddard's ranks, and Eddard has giant eagles and magic dragons. I will order the lords of the Westerlands near Stoney Sept to prepare longbows and heavy crossbows to strengthen their defenses."

"I will send out light cavalry to raid the villages of the Riverlands as much as possible, destroy their military colonies, and unleash the Brave Companions, letting Vargo Hoat, the Mountain, and Amory Lorch spread terror in the Riverlands. At the same time, I will send assassins to Harrenhal to slay the dragons."

Jaime said in astonishment, "Slay the dragons?"

Tywin said, "The magic dragons have become Eddard's tool for uniting the hearts of the people; the soldiers of The Vale, the North, and the Riverlands are all cheering and shouting for the magic dragons, their blood boiling. We must eliminate the hatchlings at Harrenhal while they are still small; otherwise, once Koi and Eagle Eye are grown, the Westerlands will have no choice but to kneel to the magic dragons again. Worst of all, the master of the magic dragons this time has changed to a direwolf."

Ser Kevan said, "Which assassin will you send to carry out the dragon-slaying plan?"

Lord Tywin thought for a moment. "Send the Golden Lady!"

The blonde, blue-eyed Golden Lady was almost as beautiful as Cersei. She claimed to be a beast tamer, but according to Jaime's observations, the Golden Lady was more like a Forest Witch. She could easily charm sparrows, wolves, and other animals, and she had a male lion as her mount.

Before long, Jaime brought the Golden Lady to Lord Tywin's tent. Lord Tywin said, "I intend to send you to Harrenhal to slay the dragons. Whether by poison or Dark Magic, kill the hatchlings Eagle Eye and Koi for me, and it would be even better if you could eliminate those seven griffin hatchlings as well. When you return after completing the mission, I will reward you handsomely. Do you have the confidence to complete this task?"

The Golden Lady wore a pink silk gown that outlined her perfect figure, and she revealed a charming smile.

"Lord Tywin, griffins and magic dragons are miracles reborn in this world. The best approach would be to let me use magic to charm them so that the magic dragons and griffins fight for you."

A flicker of excitement flashed in Tywin's golden eyes. "You can charm magic dragons?"

The Golden Lady said, "I must admit, magic dragons are different from other animals, but I can attempt to charm them."

Lord Tywin said gloomily, "Attempt? That means you are not certain? On the battlefield, one must avoid anything uncertain. Since you are not certain you can charm the magic dragons, then go to Harrenhal and cleanly eliminate the magic dragons and griffins for me."

The Golden Lady said, "Do you know why Eddard chose to hatch the magic dragons and griffins at Harrenhal? Because Harrenhal is adjacent to the Gods Eye, and the Isle of Faces in the center of the Gods Eye possesses a Weirwood forest where the power of the Old Gods is unprecedentedly strong. My magic is difficult to cast there; I cannot kill the magic dragons and griffins at all."

Tywin was deeply frustrated. "Must I just sit here and wait for the Stark magic dragons to grow?"

Ser Kevan, standing to the side, said, "Lord Tywin, according to reports from spies in The Reach, Stannis defeated Renly at Bitterbridge, and Renly has fled toward Highgarden. I feel that Renly's Reach empire has begun to collapse; House Tyrell will certainly not follow Renly, this loser. We can strive for the support of The Reach."

"With the army of The Reach, The Reach and the Westerlands can attack the Riverlands together. Once Harrenhal is taken, the magic dragons will all belong to us."

Tywin thought for a moment. "The wealth of The Reach combined with the wealth of the Westerlands far exceeds that of The Vale, the North, and the Riverlands. Kevan, your plan is worth attempting."

A sharp glint flashed in the Golden Lady's eyes. "Lord Tywin, the sparrows I sent to scout The Reach have brought back news: the Lannisters can find powerful magic in The Reach. Do not forget, all the forbidden books of magic are in the Citadel of Oldtown."

"Please send me as an envoy to Highgarden; I will certainly win the support of the Tyrells and The Reach for Lord Tywin."

In The Reach, Green Valley, this was the castle of House Meadows on the Rose Road. Being close to the Stormlands, Lord Ewood Meadows, under the persuasion of Lord Alester Florent, abandoned King Renly of Highgarden and defected to King Stannis.

The soldiers of House Meadows and House Fossoway played a key role during the battle at Bitterbridge; it was the soldiers of these two Reach noble houses who ambushed Bitterbridge, blocking Renly's army on the east bank of the Mander River, which was followed by a massacre.

Subsequently, Randyll Tarly, Ser Loras, Brienne, and others from The Reach side recaptured Bitterbridge and halted Stannis's advance, but Renly's army was utterly defeated that night.

In the Battle of Bitterbridge, many Reach nobles and Knights loyal to Renly were captured, and Stannis ordered all these prisoners to be thrown into the dungeons of Green Valley.

Hostages are very useful bargaining chips; over the next few days, Hand of the King Alester Florent used several noble hostages to pry open the gates of many castles in The Reach, successfully persuading these nobles to abandon Renly Baratheon and defect to Stannis.

Among them were Lord Titus Peake of Starpike, whose House Peake sigil is three castles on an orange field; and Lord Orton Merryweather of Longtable, whose House Merryweather sigil is a golden cornucopia overflowing with carrots, apples, leeks, turnips, and colorful fruits.

House Peake was once one of the most powerful noble houses in The Reach, with ancestors being the husband of Floris the Fox; at its peak, House Peake possessed three castles: Starpike, Whitegrove, and Dustonbury.

Among these, Dustonbury was originally a castle of House Manderly. Over a thousand years ago, House Manderly of the Mander River basin was powerful and had already influenced the Gardener King who ruled The Reach at the time; House Peake held a grudge against House Manderly, so House Peake helped House Gardener exile House Manderly.

As a reward, House Gardener bestowed Dustonbury upon House Peake, and House Peake suddenly possessed three castles—Starpike, Whitegrove, and Dustonbury—a unique existence even in the prosperous Reach.

Having lost their home, House Manderly had no choice but to begin a miserable life of exile; they wandered throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and about nine hundred years ago, House Manderly arrived in the North and was accepted by House Stark, the King in the North.

House Stark enfeoffed House Manderly at the Wolf's Den at the mouth of the White Knife to defend against the invasions of the Sistermen pirates and the King of the Vale; at the mouth of the White Knife, House Manderly built New Castle, modeled after their ancestral castle in The Reach, Dustonbury.

In the following centuries, House Manderly used the wealth they had accumulated in The Reach to help the Wolf's Den develop into a city.

House Peake, which drove away House Manderly, flourished for several hundred years during the era of the Gardener Kings; holding three castles, House Peake frequently intermarried with House Gardener, House Hightower, House Florent, and other Reach houses.

However, Aegon the Conqueror extinguished the bloodline of the Gardener King of The Reach at the "Field of Fire," and The Reach and Highgarden fell into the hands of the "mere stewards," House Tyrell; House Peake had always looked down on House Tyrell and never intermarried with them, so the two houses had no kinship, and the status of House Peake in The Reach began to decline.

During the era of Daeron II, Lord Gormon Peake supported the Blackfyre Rebellion; after the Blackfyre Rebellion was suppressed, House Peake's three castles, Dustonbury and Whitegrove, were confiscated by the Iron Throne, leaving only Starpike.

In the hall of Green Valley, the Onion Knight Davos and the Red Cloak Melisandre stood together beside Stannis, watching Lord Titus Peake of Starpike and Orton Merryweather of Longtable swear fealty to Stannis.

Among the brightly dressed nobles of The Reach and the Stormlands, Stannis appeared very plain; he was always in wool clothes and breeches.

Lord Titus Peake said: "Your Grace, House Peake will follow Your Grace to eradicate all rebels; after the war ends, House Peake hopes Your Grace can return Dustonbury and Whitegrove to House Peake, as those were originally the castles of House Peake."

Lord Orton Merryweather said: "Our House Merryweather of Longtable will oppose those rebels who support Renly. Our house had many fiefs confiscated during the era of Aerys the Mad King; I hope that after the war ends, Your Grace can return those fiefs to us."

Stannis's jaw tightened, "You swear oaths, saying you want to help me oppose traitors, but please remember, you were following Renly just yesterday. Prove your loyalty first!"

The Onion Knight noticed that the eyes of Lord Peake and Lord Merryweather were both confused; Renly was always polite and smiling, while Stannis was always overly stern.

Stannis waved his hand immediately, signaling everyone to withdraw, so Lord Alester Florent led the nobles of The Reach and the Stormlands out of the hall.

Only the Onion Knight and the Red Cloak Melisandre remained in the hall to accompany the King.

Stannis began to grind his teeth, "These are the Reach nobles that Lord Alester Florent won back for me; in my view, they are all just fence-sitters!"

The Onion Knight said: "Your Grace, they have a chance to prove their loyalty. In any case, winning the support of a few Reach houses is a victory for Your Grace; Renly's supporters will become fewer and fewer."

Stannis said: "Lord Peake is eager to restore his castles; if I cannot satisfy him, he might just defect to Joffrey, defect to the Lannisters. Lord Peake's wife is a Lannister, from a cadet branch of the Lannisters; as for Orton Merryweather, his wife is from Lys, and I hear she is an ambitious woman."

"Sir Jon Fossoway, who abandoned Renly and surrendered to me earlier, has a wife who is the own sister of Lord Mace, Jena Tyrell; logically, Sir Jon Fossoway should be loyal to Highgarden and Renly unto death, but when the Stormlands army approached, Sir Jon Fossoway still defected along with House Fossoway."

The Onion Knight said: "I heard that Lord Mace let his second son, Garlan, take over Brightwater Keep, and this Lord Garlan's wife is also from House Fossoway."

Stannis said gloomily: "You are right; look, the Reach nobles who defected to me almost all have kinship with my enemies. They are intertwined and think that by sticking together they can resist the King's orders. To some extent, they are right; after all, the King cannot root out these nobles entirely."

Melisandre said calmly: "Your Grace, Renly no longer poses any threat to you; I have already foreseen the downfall of Renly in the holy fire, and before long, the Reach nobles will abandon him."

"What Your Grace should guard against are the enemies in King's Landing; I saw it in the holy fire, a storm of death is brewing and may sweep across the land at any time."

In The Reach, at Highgarden, Lady Olenna Tyrell arrived at the castle hall, supported by guards on her left and right.

The luxurious Highgarden hall was covered with a Myrish carpet, and a mural of Garth the Greenhand hung on the wall.

Lord Mace Tyrell sat sulkily on an oak chair in the hall, clutching a crumpled letter in his hand. Sir Loras stood to one side in his rose armor, and Olenna asked her grandson Loras, "Where is King Renly?"

A flash of sorrow passed through Loras's eyes, "His Grace is very sad; he has nightmares every day, and every day he does nothing but drink and sleep. Neither I nor Margaery can comfort His Grace."

Lady Olenna said crossly: "Of course he has nightmares if he sleeps in the middle of the day. Renly is not prepared to be King at all; he lost to the Lannisters at the Westerlands' Oxcross, and was beaten to a pulp by Stannis at Bitterbridge."

Loras said indignantly: "Grandmother, I will not allow you to speak of King Renly that way. He led the army in person at the time and nearly died on the battlefield; at that time, I, Brienne, and His Grace were all squeezed into a small boat, and many of His Grace's personal guards and squires were scrambling to squeeze onto the small boat, and the boat was about to capsize. I had no choice but to draw my sword and kill many squires."

"Squires and personal guards like Joss, Donald, Barrak, George, and Bill served around Renly every day; Renly saw me kill them with his own eyes, and that is why he is heartbroken; this proves he is a kind-hearted person, does it not?"

Lady Olenna's toothless mouth squeezed out a smile, and she stroked Loras's shoulder to soothe him, "Loras, do not be agitated. Go and protect your King! King Renly needs you."

Sir Loras left with a look of anger; the smile on Lady Olenna's face vanished, and she turned to Lord Mace, "King Renly is all smiles and thinks he has charm, but he is not fit to be King; he knows nothing about governing or marching to war, and spends all day fooling around with a group of handsome squires. Such a person cannot dominate Westeros in these chaotic times."

Lord Mace Tyrell tightened his grip on the letter, "Mother, perhaps you are right. After Renly's disastrous defeat at Bitterbridge, House Peake of Starpike and House Merryweather of the Painted Table Hall have all defected to Stannis. The nobles on the border between The Reach and the Stormlands all have the risk of defecting. It is all that traitor Alester Florent who persuaded these houses to surrender to Stannis."

Lady Olenna's face was gloomy, "Renly's territory in The Reach is getting smaller and smaller, and more and more castles and lords are turning to Stannis. I heard that once Stannis conquers The Reach, he will bestow Highgarden upon Florent and make House Florent the Lord Paramount of the Mander and Warden of the South."

After Lord Alester Florent took his house and the Reach's eastern army to defect to Stannis, Renly confiscated House Florent's castle, Brightwater Keep, and transferred the castle and fiefs of House Florent to Lord Mace Tyrell's second son, Garlan; Garlan suddenly became a high-ranking great lord of the Seven Kingdoms.

House Tyrell's fiefs had expanded significantly, yet in the end, Florent was actually going to take away Highgarden.

Lord Mace Tyrell said with a bitter face, "I heard Stannis is determined to attack The Reach; he has always held a grudge because I and Lord Paxter Redwyne besieged Storm's End back then."

Lady Olenna's maternal family came from the Redwyne House of the Arbor, and Lord Paxter Redwyne was her nephew; she said hurriedly: "Lord Paxter is leading the Arbor Fleet to attack the Stormlands. Now that we in The Reach have been utterly defeated in land battles, it is meaningless for the Arbor Fleet to attack the Stormlands; send a raven immediately to send a letter to Lord Paxter, telling him to return with the fleet."

Mace Tyrell nodded like a bobbing goose, "I will order the Maester to do it immediately."

Olenna said gloomily: "Back then, when Renly married Margaery at Highgarden and was crowned King, he boasted that he could bring Tyrell the first Queen, and bring Tyrell more territory and wealth; and what was the result? The Reach army, under Renly's leadership, was defeated time and again, and Tyrell's vassals defected to Stannis one after another."

"Fortunately, Lord Randyll Tarly led troops to hold Bitterbridge; otherwise, even more Reach nobles would have defected to Stannis."

"Someone has to tell Renly that his dream of being King has been completely shattered; House Tyrell cannot continue to follow such a loser."

Lord Mace Tyrell's eyes widened, "But our Margaery has already married Renly. I want my daughter to be Queen. Only when Margaery becomes Queen and gives birth to a King of Tyrell blood will no one in The Reach dare to mock the steward bloodline of House Tyrell."

Lady Olenna said disdainfully: "I heard that King Balon has crowned himself King on the Iron Islands; I just don't understand, how can someone declare themselves King in that godforsaken place, the Iron Islands? These days, there are too many Kings; if you want Margaery to be Queen, it doesn't have to be Renly."

"King Renly is now overcome with grief; he drinks every day. If His Grace were to die in his feather bed due to grief and alcoholism, no one would be surprised."

Lord Mace stroked his chest, "Mother, do you mean to assassinate King Renly?"

Lady Olenna patted Lord Mace's bald head, "Is your brain full of mush? I said King Renly might die of an accident; who mentioned assassination? In any case, once Renly dies, Margaery will be a widow."

At this, Lord Mace understood Lady Olenna's hint.

"Margaery is the jewel of Highgarden; after Renly dies, we can go find the next King. I heard that the Wolf King Eddard sits on the territory of the Riverlands, The Vale, and the North, and holds a powerful army; sooner or later he will wear a crown. His son, the Young Wolf Robb, is brave and skilled in battle, and he is only a year or two younger than Margaery; why don't we send an envoy to marry into House Stark?"

Lady Olenna said: "The Wolf King Eddard has not yet declared himself King; let's wait until he is crowned King! The Reach must remain strictly neutral; let's drive Stannis out of The Reach first."

"Anyway, there are plenty of Kings these days; Kings are as worthless as turnips. As for which King my Margaery will marry, it depends on which King can win the heart of the Rose."

Lord Mace Tyrell said: "King Joffrey in King's Landing is a few years younger than Margaery; although rumors say Joffrey is the seed of Cersei and Jaime's illicit affair, he occupies the Iron Throne after all."

Lady Olenna rolled her eyes at her son and said bitingly: "Can you use your brain? King's Landing has already been surrounded by Stannis; I heard people are dying in King's Landing every day, and Joffrey might die before Renly. With so many people in King's Landing, they actually can't threaten Stannis; let the people of King's Landing be taken by the Others!"

King's Landing, the bright moonlight shone on the streets of King's Landing.

Tyrion followed Varys to a dilapidated courtyard below Visenya's Hill; the mercenary Bronn and the squire Podrick Payne stood guard beside Tyrion.

King's Landing was starving everywhere; since the siege of King's Landing, the entire city could only rely on a little pitiful food brought in by smugglers, and everywhere there were sallow, emaciated people and corpses lying dead.

The common folk all loathed the Lannisters; to prevent being recognized by the people and inviting unnecessary trouble, Tyrion deliberately used his hood to cover his face.

After entering the room in the courtyard, Varys lit the tallow candles in the room, and only then did Tyrion notice that the room was filled with people.

Varys said, "These are knights who believe in the Seven; there are seven of them in total. They are extremely indignant at Queen Cersei's act of burning the royal sept and the godswood, so they ran to the Baelor's Sept to request the High Septon to condemn Cersei's actions and call upon the knights to kill Ogbeta."

"The High Septon has always played deaf and dumb. Since no one is standing up against the Shihou Serxi, I have no choice but to organize these good knights to finish off Ogbeta and save the people of Westeros and King's Landing."

These were all hired knights wearing worn-out armor, each one sallow and gaunt. Varys had never been a believer in the Seven, but he would utilize the faith of the Seven to deal with dark enemies.

In the corner of the room sat a warrior wearing smoke-gray armor; from that burned face and the dog-head helmet under the arm, Tyrion immediately recognized it was The Hound, Sandor Clegane.

Tyrion smirked, "The Hound, why are you not in the Red Keep, guarding your master Joffrey?"

Sandor said in a rough voice, "Ever since Joffrey's scalp was torn open by Eddard's giant eagle, leaving a terrifying scar, Cersei has been jealous and hateful toward me. She sent the fire-user Nurus to protect Joffrey and told me to get lost. That's fine, anyway, everyone in the Red Keep says Cersei is no different from a corpse; I have no interest in working for the Shihou Serxi."

Varys said softly, "Sandor is currently trapped in the city and cannot get out, so I hired him to assassinate the necromancer Ogbeta for us."

Tyrion frowned, "If it were a real fight with blades, Sandor could chop off Ogbeta's head with one sword stroke. However, this necromancer masters dark magic; we have all seen that he can manipulate corpses. Robert the Death Storm and Prince Rhaegar were both Ogbeta's masterpieces. Can a necromancer be killed?"

Varys shrugged, "When I was young, I lived in Myr and Pentos and often came into contact with some sorcerers. People say that sorcerers use spells to counter a warrior's sharp sword; their spells have a chance to control a warrior, but once a warrior chops off their head, a sorcerer will die just the same."

The Hound said irritably, "What difference is there between slaughtering the likes of Ogbeta and killing a pig or dog? It only takes one clean strike to butcher him. After killing him, you must find a way to help me get out of the city; I want to leave King's Landing."

Tyrion said, "You are leaving King's Landing, where are you going?"

Sandor said, "I heard the Red Viper Oberyn went to the Riverlands to join the war; he wants to kill my older brother. In this era where the dead can walk, who knows how much longer my brother Gregor can live? I am going to the Westerlands; my brother, the Mountain, is still waiting for me to slaughter him!"

Hatred is the only reason The Hound Sandor stays alive; could it be that this same power is what sustains Robert the Death Storm and Prince Rhaegar?

Tyrion said, "When I was in the Red Keep, I always wanted to figure out what exactly Cersei and Ogbeta were doing in the Red Keep. They seem to be particularly interested in the dragon bone left in the Red Keep by the Targaryen family."

Varys revealed a sugary smile, "My little birds happened to overhear some little secrets in the secret passages; Ogbeta is attempting to use the dragon bone to resurrect an ice dragon."

Tyrion widened his eyes: "Resurrect an ice dragon?"

From a young age, Tyrion had been obsessed with magic dragons; he had read every book about magic dragons, and regarding knowledge of dragons, Tyrion was even more proficient than some Maesters.

When Tyrion first arrived at the Red Keep in King's Landing, what he loved most were those giant dragon skeletons hidden in the secret passages. Originally, these dragon skeletons were displayed in the Throne Room; after Robert sat on the Iron Throne, he could not stand the gaze of the dragon skeletons' empty eyes, so he ordered all the dragon bones to be moved into the secret passages of the Red Keep.

Tyrion liked those skeletons; sometimes he would bring prostitutes to have fun inside the mouths of the dragon skeletons. Balerion's skull was the one that shocked Tyrion the most, capable of swallowing a mammoth in one bite.

If Ogbeta resurrected Balerion, then for all living things in Westeros, it would definitely be a catastrophe. Three hundred years ago, Aegon the Conqueror rode the magic dragon Balerion, burned Harrenhal with fire, and ended the bloodline of House Hoare; in the Reach, Aegon and his sisters brought three magic dragons to the Field of Fire, ending the bloodline of the Gardener House, the Kings of the Reach.

Three hundred years ago, no one could resist the magic dragons; only the Dornish shot down Queen Rhaenys's mount, Meraxes, at Hellholt. Three hundred years later, the chances for Westeros are even slimmer, because these are resurrected ice dragons.

The only thing worth rejoicing about is that the Red Keep only has the "Black Dread" Balerion; Queen Rhaenys's magic dragon Meraxes died in Dorne.

Years later, Queen Wisangniya Huanghou's magic dragon Vhagar participated in the Dance of the Dragons. In that famous duel of the "Battle Above the Gods Eye," the "Kinslayer" Prince Aemond rode Vhagar to duel his uncle, Prince Daemon, the "Prince of Flea Bottom," who rode the magic dragon Caraxes. In the end, both Dragonknights and the magic dragons fell and plunged into the Gods Eye.

If Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes—the three most terrifying and famous magic dragons—had their dragon bones all in the Red Keep and were resurrected by the necromancer Ogbeta, then humanity's odds of winning would be very low.

It is estimated that Ogbeta will focus on attacking those regions that possess dragon bones in the future; every time a dragon bone is resurrected, it means one more ice dragon.

Tyrion was very curious; there are dragon bones of the two behemoths Vhagar and Caraxes at the bottom of the Gods Eye. Could this be the reason why Eddard has been stockpiling troops at Harrenhal? To keep the necromancer from resurrecting the magic dragons from the bottom of the Gods Eye?

Or perhaps the "Green Men" organization on the sacred Isle of Faces is also watching the dragon skulls at the bottom of the Gods Eye? The Great Other and the Old Gods are both gods of the North; presumably, this is another contest between deities.

Perhaps the only hope is the magic dragon flying wolf in Eddard's hands! I heard Eddard is bringing that magic dragon in the Riverlands to fight the Lannisters; that is a growing magic dragon, far from being as terrifying as an adult magic dragon. Will it be a match for an ice dragon?

Varys took out a bag containing obsidian arrowheads and torches soaked in tar.

"According to the intelligence provided to me by my little birds, Ogbeta has been wandering to Silent Sisters Street every night these past few days. He seems to be observing the Baelor's Sept on the hill, or perhaps he is looking for something. He does not bring any guards, so we have a chance to assassinate him. When the Wolf King Eddard was in King's Landing, he once told me that the undead fear obsidian and torches the most."

Tyrion frowned, "White Walkers fear obsidian, wights fear fire. However, Robert the Death Storm and Prince Rhaegar clearly belong to neither wights nor White Walkers; I believe they are undead. As for Ogbeta, he is a necromancer, a wildling from Beyond the Wall; do you think obsidian and fire can deal with Ogbeta?"

Varys said helplessly, "We have to try! Once we assassinate Ogbeta, the new Commander of the City Watch, Ser Jaremy Mallister, will help us regain control of the Red Keep."

Clearly, the eunuch lacked understanding of the necromancer; Tyrion was somewhat worried that this assassination mission would fail, but fortunately, they had the support of the City Watch.

The former Commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt, died in the King's Landing riots; his head was smashed by the mob. Tyrion and Varys together promoted "Ironhand" Ser Jaremy Mallister; he is an upright man. Back then, Ser Mallister participated in the war to quell the rebellion of King Balon; he lost a palm in the war and replaced it with an iron hand.

If they could kill Ogbeta and rely on the Gold Cloaks to regain control of King's Landing and the Red Keep, Tyrion might be able to save Cersei's soul; the Shihou Serxi was clearly cursed by dark magic.

Cersei hated Tyrion, and Tyrion had no affection for his sister either, but Jaime loved Cersei. Even for Jaime's sake, Tyrion was willing to save Cersei's soul.

Once Cersei was controlled, Tyrion would control King's Landing; he would purge the walking dead in the city of King's Landing and let the souls of Robert the Death Storm and Prince Rhaegar find rest.

At midnight, the Imp Tyrion, Varys, The Hound Sandor, the mercenary Bronn, the squire Podrick Payne, and seven knights lay in ambush together in the courtyard on Silent Sisters Street.

Tyrion leaned out to look at the street; he noticed that there were many more urns on the deserted street, and some houses were covered in crows; the atmosphere appeared exceptionally eerie.

The necromancer Ogbeta finally arrived; he hunched his body, holding a skull scepter in his hand, walking along the street lined with urns on both sides.

When Ogbeta walked to the middle of the street, The Hound, Tyrion, Varys, and Bronn rode out with the seven knights, surrounding Ogbeta in the middle.

Ogbeta revealed an evil smile toward Tyrion, "Little Imp, didn't you say you wanted to be a devout servant of the Great Other?"

Tyrion said indignantly, "Fuck your Great Other; I have nothing to do with your dark deity."

Varys said, "Ogbeta, the people of King's Landing are indeed vain and greedy, and have many shortcomings, but they are living people after all. Yet you delusionally want to turn King's Landing into a city of death. Your conspiracy will not succeed. You destroyed the royal sept and the godswood, desecrating the New and Old Gods; these knights who believe in the Seven will send you to hell together."

The Hound said in a rough voice, "I am no knight, but I am still happy to chop up this necromancer."

The seven knights and The Hound, along with Bronn, drew their swords in unison.

Ogbeta sneered, "The mantis caught a cicada, thinking it could feast to its heart's content, never expecting that a yellow bird was standing behind it!"

The skull scepter in the necromancer's hand emitted a streak of blood-red light; from the urns on both sides of the road, bursts of black smoke emerged, condensing into Silent Sisters with blood-weeping eyes, as well as skeleton warriors wielding bone shields and holding bone swords.

Tyrion and Varys were both stunned; the two could only rush out of Silent Sisters Street under the protection of The Hound Sandor, Bronn, and Podrick, while the seven knights behind them were all killed by the Silent Sisters and skeleton warriors.

Above Riverrun, Eddard rode a giant eagle, carrying the magic dragon flying wolf, and landed on the city walls.

All the soldiers and servants of Riverrun, as well as the soldiers of the North and the Riverlands in the camp outside Riverrun, were cheering and shouting for Eddard.

Robb, Lord Hoster, and Edmure Tully welcomed Eddard's arrival together.

After Lord Hoster took the medicine Eddard gave him, his body had recovered quite a bit; now he could walk with the help of a cane, and Edmure had even arranged for two young squires to take care of Lord Hoster day and night.

The direwolf Night-walker walked on the ground, following Theon, Roose Bolton, and others, arriving at Riverrun. As soon as Night-walker saw Robb's wolf Grey Wind, it was very affectionate, and they licked each other's fur.

Hoster took Eddard's hand, "Eddard, you not only won back my daughter Lysa for me, but you also made the North, the Vale, and the Riverlands unite together. In troubled times, as long as we are united, no enemy can do anything to us."

Eddard asked about the war situation, and Robb said, "After we started building military colonies in the Riverlands, Lord Tywin could no longer sit still. He sent the Brave Companions, the Mountain, Amory Lorch, and other mad dogs to pillage everywhere in the Riverlands; the territories of House Piper, House Tully, and House Vance have all been attacked."

"Prince Oberyn the Red Viper took his Viper Group to hunt down the Mountain and Ser Amory Lorch; the Lightning Lord and the Red Priest Thoros are focused on dealing with the Brave Companions; Brynden the Blackfish leads the cavalry and manages to kill many enemies every time. Our army has the giant eagle, skinchangers, and giants cooperating, so the enemy's pillaging is very limited."

Edmure said excitedly, "Eddard, when will we directly attack the Westerlands? Our army has the numerical advantage; we should immediately attack Golden Tooth."

Although his brother-in-law was already over thirty, his combat experience was still too little, so Eddard said: "Golden Tooth is the Moat Cailin of the Westerlands; Duke Tywin's main force from the Westerlands is stationed at Golden Tooth, which is where they have chosen to fight the decisive battle. If we attack rashly, we will inevitably suffer heavy casualties, and I will not be fooled."

"Edmure Tully, I want you to focus on the household registration work in the Riverlands; how is it progressing?"

The household registration system in the North had achieved success, and Eddard decided to promote this system to the newly conquered territories in the south; now, the Vale and the Riverlands had both begun to count the household registrations of their residents, which would allow for better taxation and conscription in the future.

Edmure Tully said: "I have mobilized many Septas, Maesters, and younger sons of nobles to complete the household registration work together. However, I still yearn more to serve in the army."

Eddard patted Edmure Tully on the shoulder, "No, you need to help me manage the territory; you do not need to worry about military matters."

Currently, the military power of the Riverlands and the Vale was firmly controlled in Eddard's hands; Edmure Tully was his brother-in-law, so loyalty was not an issue, but his ability was lacking, and Eddard did not want him to mobilize the army without authorization during the war.

Maester Vyman of Riverrun walked over, holding a letter in his hand.

"Wolf Prince, a Raven has arrived from Seagard; the ships of the Iron Islands are sailing in large numbers toward the North, and Lord Jason Mallister suspects that the enemy intends to attack the North."

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(End of this chapter)