Chapter 238: Judgment in the Hour of the Wolf, Subduing the Fire Demon

During the Dance of the Dragons, Duke Cregan Stark became the Lord Regent for the young King Aegon III. During his brief regency, he conducted the Great Judgment, executing a series of criminals; that period was known as the Hour of the Wolf.

Now, amidst the roars of dragons and direwolves, Eddard Stark has been crowned King, sitting upon the Iron Throne as the supreme King of Westeros. For those who committed evil crimes in King's Landing, what awaits them is the judgment of the direwolves.

At this very moment, Cersei, Joffrey, the Kingslayer Jaime, Tywin, Kevan, and others in the dungeons await the Wolf King's verdict.

However, the most pressing matter for Eddard is to announce the members of his Small Council.

In the Throne Room, crowded with nobles, Eddard wears a crown and sits upon the Iron Throne.

"The Griffin Hand, Jon Connington, shall become my Hand of the King."

Jon Connington steps out from the crowd and kneels on one knee.

"I shall not fail this mission!"

Appointing Jon Connington as Hand was the result of a compromise between the Stark faction and the Daenerys faction.

The subordinates of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys, come mostly from Essos across the Narrow Sea, similar to the Brotherhood Without Banners, the Unsullied, the Stormcrows, and the Second Sons. Their members hail from all over the world: Yunkai, Astapor, Meereen, Yi Ti, Qarth, the Summer Islands, Lys, Myr, Tyrosh, Pentos, Braavos, Volantis, Qohor, Norvos, and others.

The Dothraki cavalry, who have followed the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys, since the Dothraki Sea, are authentic nomadic people of the grasslands.

Many of these people are setting foot on the land of Westeros for the first time.

The Golden Company possesses many descendants of Westerosi exiles, many of whom were losers in the Blackfyre Rebellions and the War of the Usurper. Their ancestors lost their fiefs and castles for participating in rebellions and were forced into exile. Some are even descendants of ancient kings.

There are several descendants of the Peake family in the Golden Company; they are descendants of "The Kingmaker" Criston Cole. There are also several members of the Peake family. At its peak, the Peake family held three castles: Starpike, Dustonbury, and Whitegrove. Later, the Peake family participated in the Blackfyre Rebellions multiple times, and their castles were confiscated one after another; now, only Starpike remains.

The Griffin Hand, Jon Connington, was the Lord of Griffin's Roost before his exile. The Mad King Aerys confiscated his title and castle. After Robert Baratheon overthrew the Targaryen Dynasty, the Connington House was reduced to Knighted Landed Knights, and the title and castle fell entirely into the hands of his cousin, Ronald Clinton. After Ronald died, it passed to Ronald's son, Red Roland Clinton.

The Mudd family—their ancestor was the King of the Rivers and the Hills, "The Hammer of Justice" Tristifer, who once ruled the Riverlands. However, the castle from the time the Mudd family reigned as kings had long since become Stoney Sept, which has now been rebuilt by the Starks and become one of the Wolf Castles of the Riverlands.

Many members of the Golden Company have never been to the Seven Kingdoms and dream of taking back the castles that belonged to their ancestors. However, these castles and fiefs already have new masters. The mercenaries under Daenerys, the Dothraki, and the slaves liberated by Daenerys from all over the world also dream of occupying a piece of land in Westeros and becoming lords.

This doomed Daenerys's claim to the throne to be opposed by noble lords across Westeros. Therefore, Daenerys and Eddard reached an alliance, agreeing that House Stark would claim the throne and Daenerys would marry her nephew Jon.

After Eddard claims the throne, he will conquer lands in Essos for Daenerys and liberate the slaves. Daenerys and Jon will possess their own vast fiefs in Essos, and Daenerys's followers will also win wealth and land.

The Griffin Hand, Jon Connington, was a supporter of the Targaryen family during Robert's Rebellion. He was a confidant of Prince Rhaegar and later became an exile, but he was not a direct loyalist of Daenerys. He initially supported Prince Aegon, but after the identity of Young Griff as Prince Aegon was debunked, Jon Connington began to distance himself from Young Griff and support the Starks.

Jon Connington was once a supporter of the Targaryens and nearly extinguished the flames of the rebel army at the Battle of the Bells. Appointing him tells those exiles returning to Westeros that as long as they support Stark rule and possess true talent, even if they were once enemies of Eddard, they can rise to high positions.

Subsequently, Eddard, on the Iron Throne, announces the second member of the Small Council.

"Robb is my Heir; he will serve as the Master of War, controlling all defense from Dorne to Beyond the Wall."

Military power is the most important thing. Eddard appoints his heir Robb as Master of War, firmly controlling the armies of the North, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands. In the future, the Stormlands, Dorne, and the Reach will also be successively incorporated into the Stark defense system.

Subsequently, Eddard announces.

"Tyrion will become my Master of Coin, and Varys will serve as the Master of Whisperers."

Eddard does not trust Varys at all; this appointment surprises even Varys himself.

Varys says in a syrupy tone: "I once served King Aerys, King Robert, and the tyrant Joffrey. I did not expect to have the good fortune to serve King Eddard."

Eddard says: "The Master of Whisperers must be insidious and cunning, pervasive in every corner; who is more suitable than you?"

In fact, after the recovery of spiritual energy, followers of the Lord of Light can peer into distant situations by gazing into flames, the ghosts of the Children of the Forest can interpret dreams to predict the future, and skinchangers can use birds and beasts to scout. Varys's intelligence trade is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct, and Eddard does not count on the disloyal Varys to provide any valuable intelligence.

In the future, Eddard will hand over intelligence work to his son Bran. Bran, following the Three-Eyed Raven, has already shown the potential of a Green Seer. He can easily control animals to obtain intelligence, and even see the past and predict the future through trees.

Everything Varys says must be taken with a grain of salt. Varys claims to be from Lys; in Westeros, his status as a foreigner is beyond doubt.

When at Harrenhal, Eddard noticed that within the Brotherhood Without Banners, there were skilled craftsmen from all over the world. The technology brought by these craftsmen, once rooted in large cities, would be a stable source of tax revenue.

Moreover, mercenary groups like the Golden Company, the Stormcrows, and the Second Sons are experienced, the Dothraki are excellent cavalry, and the Unsullied legion is the ace among infantry.

Appointing Varys to continue as Master of Whisperers is to tell those foreigners who followed the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys, to Westeros that even if they come from foreign lands, they have the opportunity to become high-ranking officials of the Small Council.

Grand Maester Pycelle once served the Shihou Serxi and served as a lackey for the Lannisters for years. Now Pycelle has been sent to the dungeons, and the Citadel Conclave has long since stripped Grand Maester Pycelle of his chain. Now the position of Grand Maester is temporarily vacant, and Eddard decides to have Archmaester Marwyn fill it temporarily.

Archmaester Marwyn says: "The position of Grand Maester is elected by members of the Conclave, Your Majesty. I have always been ostracized by other archmaesters at the Citadel. If I let that group of bookworms vote, they would never choose me as the next Grand Maester."

Eddard says: "Archmaester Marwyn, you have always been a member of my think tank. Now, the Reach is being attacked by Euron Greyjoy, and the Oldtown Citadel is one of Euron's targets. At this time, counting on the Citadel Conclave to elect a Grand Maester is clearly too late. You just serve as Grand Maester for the time being."

In the future, Eddard plans to cultivate his foster son Sam to be a Grand Maester. Sam has a close relationship with Eddard's children, especially with Jon, with whom he is as close as a brother.

Eddard announces the appointment of Renly Baratheon, Lord Mace Tyrell, and Prince Oberyn of Dorne as advisors to the Small Council. In this way, he can win over the nobles of the Stormlands, the Reach, and Dorne.

Varys says: "Your Majesty, shall we rebuild the City Watch and the Kingsguard?"

Eddard says: "During the period when the undead eroded King's Landing, the City Watch, the Gold Cloaks, transformed into the Black Cloaks, lackeys of the Great Other. As for the Kingsguard, they have completely degenerated into tools for the Shihou Serxi to slaughter the followers of the Seven. There is no need to rebuild the Kingsguard or the Gold Cloaks."

"I announce the establishment of the Royal Guard in King's Landing. Ser Barristan, The Hound, Brienne, Jory Cassel, and the Knight of Flowers, Loras, shall be the commanders of the Royal Guard."

The main force of the Royal Guard will be composed of Stark personal guards, completely controlling King's Landing.

Roose Bolton says softly: "Your Majesty, Cersei and Joffrey turned King's Landing into a city of the undead. Tens of thousands of residents were brutally murdered. It is time to punish these dark slaves of the undead."

Hundreds of nobles shout together: "Punish the traitors, punish the dark slaves!"

"Severely punish the Lannisters!"

The sea witch Grace says: "Your Majesty, the crimes committed by Joffrey and Cersei should indeed be severely punished, but not every Lannister is a lackey of the undead."

"In fact, Ser Jaime has tried to assassinate Ogbeta many times. If Your Majesty is willing to spare the lives of Jaime, Tywin, Kevan, and others, then my Mermaid Legion will be at your disposal. I will follow Your Majesty to fight against the Night King and the undead."

The sea witch destroyed the dark altar, causing the dark magic of the Great Other in King's Landing to diminish sharply. When the army arrived at the gates of the Red Keep, she opened the gates and surrendered. She is a hero in humanity's victory over the undead. Moreover, the Admiral Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon and Alyn of Hull, whom Grace resurrected, are both legendary navigators. Possessing two legendary admirals, plus the Mermaid Legion, can strengthen Eddard's naval power.

Previously, Cersei and Joffrey persecuted the followers of the Seven in King's Landing; the Lannisters had completely offended the Church and the followers of the Seven. After losing the Westerlands, the Lannisters no longer pose any threat, and there is no need for Eddard to kill them all.

"As long as Jaime, Kevan, and Tywin are willing to take the black, I can spare them."

The Red Viper, Prince Oberyn, says: "Tywin brutally murdered Elia and her children back then. The innocent people who died at Tywin's hands are countless; he should be killed!"

Eddard says: "Tywin has lost everything. Letting him linger on and die of old age on The Wall—isn't that more cruel than beheading?"

The Red Viper, Prince Oberyn, ponders for a long time: "That seems to be the logic. Let Tywin rot at The Wall!"

Eddard says: "Myrcella and Tommen are innocent; I will adopt them as my foster daughter and foster son. As for Cersei and Joffrey, their hands are stained with the blood of the innocent. They are as evil as The Mountain and Vargo Hoat. Such people—I must cut off their heads."

The sky is overcast. In front of the ruins of the former Baelor's Sept on Visenya's Hill, tens of thousands of King's Landing citizens flock to the top of the hill to watch the execution of Cersei and Joffrey.

Joffrey has wet his pants; he cries and wails all the way, while Cersei's expression is cold.

The crowd curses "whore," "bastard," and "undead king," throwing rotten vegetables and stinking eggs at Cersei and Joffrey.

Eddard holds the greatsword Ice.

"Before you die, do you have any last words?"

Joffrey Baratheon wept and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to spare me. I am willing to take the black, I am willing to be your foster son, even your grandson will do, spare me!"

Eddard swung Ice, severing Joffrey Baratheon's neck; the pus-filled head fell to the ground and rolled, and the commoners immediately began to trample Joffrey Baratheon's head frantically, until The Hound Sandor retrieved the head and impaled it on a lance to display it to the public.

Cersei watched all of this coldly.

Eddard said, "Cersei, do you have any last words?"

Cersei smiled bitterly, "No golden crown, no golden shroud, no woman from the prophecy. Maggy the Frog's prophecies were all lies!"

"Stark, do it! The Great Other will surely resurrect me, and I will be reborn Beyond the Wall. When that time comes, I will kill every one of your children to avenge my son Joffrey Baratheon!"

Ice severed Cersei's neck, blood stained the earth, and a plume of black smoke and foul stench shot into the sky.

The heads of Cersei and Joffrey Baratheon were impaled on lances, and crows pecked out their eyes and began to feast on their skin.

The Kingsguard heavyweights Rustu, Black Kong Tabit, Meryn Trant, Boros Blount, and others were all executed, because they had once helped Joffrey Baratheon, Cersei, and the necromancer execute innocent followers of the Seven.

Grand Maester Pycelle was spared his life because he was old and frail with little time left, and Eddard ordered Pycelle to compile the atrocities committed by Cersei and the necromancer during their rule of King's Landing into a book.

Tywin, Jaime, and Kevan donned the black, and under the witness of the New and Old Gods, the people of King's Landing, and nobles from various regions, they announced they were renouncing their fiefs and wealth to join the Night's Watch.

The people of King's Landing hated Tywin to the core, because Tywin had once bloodied King's Landing and caused the deaths of many innocent commoners, and Tywin's daughter Cersei and grandson Joffrey Baratheon had brought endless disaster to King's Landing; the people spat on Tywin's face one after another, and the lion lost his former majesty, appearing like a sick cat as he silently endured it all.

Eddard said, "Now that the Night King's army will soon attack The Wall, your joining the Night's Watch will surely allow you to contribute your own strength."

"You can certainly try to escape, try to take back the Westerlands, but I can tell you that if you continue to be my enemy, your end will be even more miserable."

"The treatment of Myrcella Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, Lancel Lannister, and others depends on your performance at The Wall."

Tywin, Kevan, and Jaime put on the black, and the Black Brother Yoren used golden iron chains to lock Tywin, Kevan, and Jaime, escorting them all the way to The Wall.

Eddard looked around at the nobles.

"We have defeated the necromancer of King's Landing, yet Westeros remains fraught with crises. Euron Greyjoy and his ironmen are ravaging The Reach, Stannis is entrenched in the Stormlands and the islands of the Narrow Sea, and the Night King is stirring Beyond the Wall with his army of wights."

Greatjon Umber said in a rough voice, "Your Majesty, Euron Greyjoy and Stannis have usurped the throne; we should take advantage of the army gathering at King's Landing to quickly destroy Stannis, then destroy Euron Greyjoy, unify Westeros, and then head north to The Wall to defend against the Night King."

Tyrion said, "The Night King is the greatest threat, Euron Greyjoy is the second greatest threat, and as for Stannis, I believe he is a potential ally who can be won over."

Quaithe, wearing a red lacquer mask, said, "Stannis's red priestess Melisandre blindly interprets the intentions of the Lord of Light. Her resurrection of the Balrog was a mistake, because the Balrog's power far exceeds that of humans, and the red priestess Melisandre has not realized the danger of playing with fire."

"Now that Stannis and the Balrog are south of the Blackwater River, the Balrog must be controlled, otherwise, the Balrog may make humanity pay a heavy price."

On the south bank of the Blackwater River, Stannis looked toward King's Landing from horseback, his face tense.

"Eddard has actually crowned himself king. By what right? The Starks were merely Kings in the North."

Melisandre said lightly, "Eddard relies on the right of the Conqueror. He now controls the vast territories of the North, The Vale, the Westerlands, and the Riverlands; The Reach and Dorne have allied with the Wolf King Eddard, and even the Mother of Dragons Daenerys is willing to submit to him."

Stannis began to grind his teeth, "I have always regarded Eddard as an ally against the undead. Now, Eddard has captured King's Landing and immediately crowned himself king; this is betrayal!"

The Balrog Gros came before Stannis, his entire body churning with flames.

"Your Majesty Stannis, we only need a surprise attack, and we can destroy Eddard."

Stannis frowned, "Tell me your plan."

The Balrog Gros said, "The Dark Temple and Dark Altar of King's Landing have been destroyed, the power of the Great Other is rapidly fading, and the power of the Lord of Light is unprecedentedly strengthened here. I can use the power of the fire element to destroy King's Landing with volcanoes and earthquakes; in this way, the Wolf King, the Mother of Dragons, and their nobles will all die."

Stannis widened his eyes, the Onion Knight was restless, and even Melisandre was greatly surprised.

Melisandre said, "Balrog, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Stannis said gloomily, "To kill one Wolf King, I must let hundreds of thousands of people in King's Landing be buried with him? If volcanoes and earthquakes destroy King's Landing, the Dragonpit, Flea Bottom, the Red Keep, and everything else become ashes, do you want me to rule a land of charred flesh and ash?"

The Balrog Gros revealed an evil smile, "Your Majesty, those who die will all be resurrected by me as fire slaves, including the magic dragons! Just imagine, the Wolf King, the Mother of Dragons, Tywin, and the nobles from everywhere all kneeling before you, pledging their loyalty to you; your kingdom will be incomparably stable."

Melisandre was so frightened her mouth fell open, the large red ruby at her throat flickering on and off; Melisandre could hardly believe the Balrog's plan.

The Onion Knight could no longer listen, "Your Majesty, I warned you long ago that the Balrog is an evil and fallen creature. The Balrog's plan is even more evil than the plan of the necromancer Ogbeta; Ogbeta sacrificed living people, but the Balrog is directly sacrificing the living souls of an entire city."

Stannis glared at the Balrog.

"I don't want to hear your evil plans anymore; destroying a city is too terrifying. The Onion Knight is right, you are as evil as the necromancer Ogbeta."

The Balrog gave a cold hum, "Stannis, if it weren't for me blocking the army of the dead for you, you would have died at Storm's End long ago. Without you, I can still carry out my plan."

Stannis said angrily, "You are becoming more and more presumptuous."

Melisandre smiled ingratiatingly, "Your Majesty, the Balrog has killed too much these past few days, and his head is a bit hot, which is why he said these outlandish things. Please forgive him, Your Majesty!"

Stannis said, "Guards, drive this Balrog away!"

No one moved, and the Onion Knight only then noticed that the knights around them were all fire slaves, resurrected by the Balrog.

Even the flame knights resurrected by Melisandre, such as Dengken Jueshi, the Dragonfly Prince, Aegon V, and Jenny of Oldstones, had become puppets of the Balrog.

The Balrog grinned hideously, "Stannis, I am the true King of Flame. Melisandre misled you; she made you think you were the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, but in fact, you are not at all, and that Lightbringer of yours is just a burnt-out sword!"

Stannis was furious; he drew Lightbringer and slashed at the Balrog, but the Balrog spat out a mouthful of flame, and Lightbringer melted instantly; Stannis was so frightened he could only retreat.

Melisandre pulled a flame dagger from her sleeve and stabbed at the Balrog; the flame dagger sank into the Balrog's body and quickly melted, and the Balrog grabbed Melisandre's neck with his hand, causing Melisandre to fall to the ground in pain.

The Balrog said triumphantly, "Melisandre, you awakened me, so you count as my mother, but the strength of you red priestesses is far from being my match."

Melisandre said indignantly, "You are a tool of the Lord of Light; how dare you defy the will of the Lord of Light?"

The Balrog let out a hideous laugh, "I am the Balrog, he is the Lord of Light; why should a demon kneel and submit to a lord? Melisandre, you are truly the most self-righteous red priestess I have ever seen!"

The Balrog closed in on Stannis, and the Onion Knight drew his sword, shielding Stannis.

"Don't touch my King!"

The Balrog smirked, "Smuggler, you have the title of a knight but are not skilled in swordsmanship; on the strength of that, you dare to block me? Perhaps you want to taste the flavor of roasted onion?"

At this moment, Eddard appeared in the sky above the Blackwater River riding a magic dragon, with Daenerys on the back of Drogon and Jon Snow on the back of Viserion beside him.

The koi, the wolf, and Viserion flanked from the south, the magic dragons attacking the fire slaves on the ground with dragonfire; the fire slaves screamed as they died, and the Balrog could only dodge.

The heat was stifling, dragonfire was everywhere, and the Onion Knight and Melisandre took the opportunity to protect Stannis and escape to the riverbank.

Eddard rode on the back of the wolf, stroking the Weirwood Bracelet, and a Weirwood Forest appeared in the sky, with terrifying human faces staring at the Balrog with blood-red eyes.

The Element Power surged; the metal element of the armor and weapons of the tens of thousands of troops in King's Landing, the wood element of the Stormlands and the Kingswood, the water element of the Blackwater River, Blackwater Bay, and the Narrow Sea, the fire element of the magic dragons, and the earth element of the vast land all besieged the Balrog, and the fire element on the Balrog's body was sucked away by Eddard's Weirwood Bracelet, causing the Balrog to begin to weaken.

The dragonfire of the koi, Eagle Eye, the wolf, Viserion, and Drogon struck the Balrog; at this moment, the temperature of the dragonfire exceeded that of the Balrog, and the Balrog screamed repeatedly as his body was dismembered, burst, and melted, his soul flying into the sky.

Eddard drew the greatsword Ice, froze the soul of the Balrog, and sealed the Balrog's soul into the greatsword Ice.

The Magic Dragon flying wolf landed before Eddard, and Stannis was confused.

"You killed the Balrog?"

Eddard said: "The Balrog's soul is now sealed by me into the ancestral Stark greatsword Ice; the Balrog, the fire slaves, and the Lieyan Zhanshi have all become my subordinates. They are constrained by the Element Power and will be loyal to me from now on."

Ice emitted a flash of fire, a flame spewed out, and the Balrog knelt before Eddard.

"Your Majesty, your servant, the Balrog Gros, is willing to serve you."

The Lieyan Zhanshi Dragonfly Prince, Dengken Jueshi, and Aegon V knelt down together with the army of fire slaves and shouted in unison.

"King Eddard! King Eddard!"

Stannis, Melisandre, and the Onion Knight were dumbfounded and shocked.

Stannis took off his crown and placed it at Eddard's feet.

"Melisandre misled me, making me think I was the reborn Azor Ahai. People should not use power they cannot control. The Balrog has taught me a lesson."

"Eddard, you are simply a god on earth. Since a god is willing to be king, I am naturally happy to give up the crown. Your Majesty, I am willing to swear allegiance to you. The Stormlands, Storm's End, and the islands of the Narrow Sea, including Dragonstone, are all yours!"

Eddard helped Stannis up.

"Stannis, you will always have a place in my hearth and hall."

"I appoint you Duke of Storm's End and Warden of the Stormlands."

Melisandre said: "King Eddard, could it be that you are the legendary Azor Ahai, the prince that was promised?"

Eddard said: "I have never believed in prophecies. Archmaester Marwyn once said that prophecy is a treacherous woman; just when you think you are enjoying her pleasure, she will suddenly bite off your manhood."

"I only believe that man can conquer heaven."

After possessing the Balrog, Eddard's fire Element Power surged; the Balrog would be of great use in the fight against the Undead.

At the same time, Eddard took the Stormlands, the islands of the Narrow Sea, and everything around King's Landing.

Eddard took Stannis, the Onion Knight, and Melisandre back to King's Landing.

Bran saw the legendary Dengken Jueshi and Aegon V and said excitedly: "In Old Nan's stories, Aegon V was once the squire of Dengken Jueshi, traveling through other kingdoms; they even visited Winterfell!"

Eddard said: "Maester Aemon of Castle Black is the older brother of Aegon V; he is already over a hundred years old."

Margaery walked over in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, the Raven brought news that the Ironborn army of Crow's Eye has begun to besiege Highgarden, and Highgarden is in imminent danger!"

Thanks to Radiation Wasteland Old Popsicle, -CD, Chi Didi, Nonsense Talker, Polar Wolf Fang z, Karljia, Zhu Cheng Linyu, 20220830052652985 for the monthly tickets, and thanks to 20221120202252021 for the tip, thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)