Chapter 240: King Eddard

Eddard rode the magic dragon flying wolf, circling the lights of the Hightower at night, with Daenerys on the back of the magic dragon Drogon, Jon Snow on the back of the magic dragon Viserion, the Magic Dragon Koi, Eagle Eye, and Viserion following closely behind.

Tens of thousands of House Hightower soldiers at the Hightower let out cheers and applause.

When the magic dragons landed on the ground beneath the Hightower, Eddard jumped off the dragon's back, his feet landing on the ground of Battle Isle.

At this time, the salt-wife Grace, the Sea Snake Corlys, and Oakfist Alyn also walked to the foot of the Hightower, accompanied by mermaid warriors and shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

Leyton Hightower, the Lord of Oldtown, Master of Oldtown, Protector of the Citadel, Lighthouse of the South, Lord of the Harbor, Count of Hightower, and protector of Oldtown, nicknamed the "Old Man of Oldtown," who had not walked down from the Hightower for decades, walked out of the Hightower for the first time in history, bringing his family to welcome the arrival of King Eddard.

Members of House Hightower and the soldiers of Oldtown stared in astonishment at the mermaid warriors, magic dragons, and shrimp soldiers and crab generals not far away.

Count Leyton Hightower was over sixty years old; he had silver-white hair, a ruddy complexion, and wore a purple-gold silk robe, with the Hightower crest of House Hightower carved from sapphires on his breastplate, and he knelt before Eddard with his family.

"Your Majesty, it is you who saved the Hightower, Oldtown, and the Reach; this kindness, House Hightower will never forget."

Eddard waved his hand to order them to rise, "The Crow's Eye has been executed, and the likes of Victarion, Asha Greyjoy, and Aeron Greyjoy of House Greyjoy have all been captured; the ironborn can no longer do evil."

Subsequently, Leyton Hightower introduced his family members to Eddard.

Rhea Florent was the fourth wife of Count Leyton Hightower and the second daughter of Alester Florent; she was fair-skinned, gentle, and moving.

As soon as Rhea Florent saw Eddard, she shed tears, "Your Majesty, you have not only saved the Reach but also saved Brightwater Keep. Brightwater Keep has been the territory and castle of House Florent for generations, yet Duke Mace stripped House Florent of its castle and territory and bestowed what originally belonged to House Florent upon Garlan."

"During this ironborn invasion, Garlan led the residents of Brightwater Keep to resist, but they were defeated at every turn, which shows that the residents of Brightwater Keep do not love Garlan at all; Garlan is nothing but a Second Son Rose that Highgarden forced upon the residents of Brightwater Keep. Please, Your Majesty, uphold justice for House Florent and have House Tyrell return the castle and territory of Brightwater Keep to House Florent."

The Old Man of Oldtown, Count Leyton Hightower, appeared very unhappy and said: "Your Majesty has just defeated the enemy for us and arrived at the Hightower without even drinking a drop of water, yet you are clamoring for His Majesty to return the territory of House Florent; what kind of logic is this?"

Rhea Florent only kept weeping, "Your Majesty, House Florent are the descendants of 'Greenhand' Garth, and the ancestor of House Florent was the brilliant 'Fox' Floris. Our family's bloodline is more ancient and noble than House Tyrell's. House Florent was bewitched by villains, which is why we stood on the wrong side during the War of the Five Kings."

"The war is over; please, Your Majesty, forgive House Florent. We are willing to use real gold and silver to redeem the territory of House Florent."

The Old Man of Oldtown, Count Leyton Hightower, apologized to Eddard with a smile: "Your Majesty, ever since House Florent was stripped of its territory and family castle, Rhea has been on the Hightower, crying all day long while looking at the lands of her home in the north."

"House Tyrell and House Florent are both my relatives; my second daughter Alerie is married to Duke Mace, and Garlan, the Count of Brightwater Keep appointed by Duke Mace, is my grandson. However, I support House Florent in taking back the territory of Brightwater Keep; after all, House Florent ruled Brightwater Keep for thousands of years."

Eddard said: "I will discuss it with Duke Mace and the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna Tyrell."

Brightwater Keep was a piece of fat meat; clearly, House Hightower did not want to sit by and watch their liege lord, House Tyrell, swallow this piece of fat meat alone, and neither did Eddard.

When Aegon the Conqueror subdued the Reach back then, he bypassed the noble-blooded House Florent of Brightwater Keep, House Peake of Starpike, House Hightower of Oldtown, House Oakheart of Old Oak, and House Redwyne of the Arbor, and chose House Tyrell of Highgarden to become the Lord Paramount of the Mander, precisely because he took a fancy to House Tyrell's origin as "mere stewards."

The Reach was rich and powerful; if it were united around an ancient and powerful noble family, it would be a major threat to the Iron Throne. Historically, House Tyrell was merely the stewards of the King of the Reach at Highgarden. With House Tyrell serving as the Warden family, many great lords of the Reach would inevitably be unconvinced. In this way, the Reach would suffer from internal strife and could only be submissive to the Iron Throne.

If Eddard sat by and watched House Tyrell take Brightwater Keep and the surrounding territories, the strength of House Tyrell would rise another level; a powerful vassal is ultimately a hidden danger to the liege lord.

Now, Count Leyton Hightower of Oldtown had already expressed his support for House Florent to take back the castle and territory of Brightwater Keep, and Stannis also supported House Florent; after all, Stannis's wife, Selyse, came from House Florent.

Even another son-in-law of Alester Florent, the Count of Horn Hill, Randyll Tarly, had implicitly expressed his hope for House Florent to return to the Reach.

House Florent was deeply rooted, and coupled with the political wisdom of Alester Florent, he was well-versed in the importance of noble marriages; therefore, his daughters and nephews were married into House Hightower of Oldtown, House Tarly of Horn Hill, and House Baratheon of the Stormlands, respectively.

If House Tarly, House Hightower, House Baratheon, and Eddard all came forward to mediate, Duke Mace would have no choice but to return Brightwater Keep.

Subsequently, the Old Man of Oldtown, Count Leyton Hightower, continued to introduce his children.

Baelor "Brightsmile" was the eldest son and heir of Count Leyton Hightower; he was graceful and handsome.

Garth "Greysteel" was the second son of Count Leyton Hightower; he was sturdy, with a stern gaze, and wore a suit of smoke-grey armor. When the ironborn bypassed Brightwater Keep and attacked the territories of House Hightower in the Honeywine river basin, Garth "Greysteel" led the Hightower soldiers to meet the enemy. He defeated the ironborn's attacks many times, but he himself was wounded in the arm by the ironborn's flying axes and was still wrapped in bandages.

Malora "the Mad Maid" was the eldest daughter of Count Leyton Hightower; she wore a grey wool dress and a straw hat, with lively eyes, looking more like a witch than a noble lady.

Malora was the aunt of Margaery and the Knight of Flowers, Loras. Lady Alerie, the wife of Duke Mace Tyrell, was Malora's younger sister.

As the eldest daughter of House Hightower, Malora had countless suitors when she was young, but they were all rejected by her eccentric temper. In the end, she remained unmarried past the age of forty, staying at the Hightower year-round to study magic books.

Malora looked at Eddard with a pious expression.

"I prayed to the magic mirror, and the magic mirror told me that a great hero would come riding a direwolf and a magic dragon to save the Hightower and Oldtown."

"King Eddard, you are the hero in the prophecy. You are simply a god-like figure."

Subsequently, Eddard and Count Leyton Hightower enjoyed roasted wild boar sprinkled with cinnamon, foie gras, black truffle, peacock meat, and other delicacies at the Hightower, washing them down with golden wine from the Arbor and blueberry wine from the North. After finishing the feast, Eddard came to the pier of Battle Isle and saw the ironborn imprisoned by the mermaid warriors by the sea.

Asha Greyjoy, Iron Fleet Commander Victarion, and Aeron Greyjoy were all locked in cages with iron chains.

Eddard told them, "The Crow's Eye is dead. I cut off his head at the top of the Hightower, and the sky-high stench tore the sky apart."

Aeron Greyjoy said indifferently, "It is a pity I could not witness this scene with my own eyes."

Victarion said, "Wolf King, we all hate the Crow's Eye. I thank you for helping House Greyjoy get rid of the Crow's Eye; as for the rest, I hate you."

Asha Greyjoy looked at Eddard, "You will use Theon to rule the Iron Islands."

Eddard nodded, "Yes, Theon is my ward. You will sail for me and fight for me. I will give the ironborn the best treatment, letting you earn more than you ever did by following the Old Way and paying the iron price."

Victarion said proudly, "Wolf King, money cannot buy my loyalty."

"Of course you will pledge your loyalty to me." Eddard smiled slightly, and Victarion suddenly felt crabs beginning to tear inside his stomach. Victarion was in agony and collapsed to the ground.

Asha and Aeron were terrified, their faces pale. Eddard said, "I killed the Crow's Eye and snatched his magic horn, Nagga, and the sea monsters; even the crabs the Crow's Eye placed in your stomachs are mine."

"If you swear your loyalty to me and prove your sincerity, I will consider removing the crabs."

Victarion cursed, "I hate you monsters who manipulate magic!"

However, in the end, Victarion chose to kneel before Eddard with Asha and Aeron Greyjoy and swear his loyalty.

Aeron Greyjoy said, "King Eddard, I saw your power on the sea; that is the power belonging to the ocean. I believe you are the incarnation of the Drowned God."

Eddard smiled, "You can say that; in any case, I have not claimed to be a god."

The next day, accompanied by Count Leyton Hightower, Eddard left Battle Isle and headed to the city of Oldtown.

Eddard, Daenerys, and Jon rode on the backs of the magic dragons. Tens of thousands of Oldtown residents gathered on both sides of the streets, cheering and shouting, while petals of roses, lilies, and laurel drifted down from the sky.

At the Starry Sept, Eddard met the High Septon.

The High Septon was a thin old man, and he said: "Your Majesty, you are as just as the Father, as merciful as the Mother, as valiant as the Warrior, as diligent as the Smith, as wise as the Crone, as pure as the Maiden, and you bring death and terror to your enemies like the Stranger."

"In King's Landing, you defeated the undead and the fallen Corpse Queen Cersei; in Oldtown, you defeated the evil ironborn king, the Crow's Eye, and saved countless followers of the Seven. People say the High Septon is the spokesperson for the Seven, but you are the incarnation of the Seven in the human world."

"Your great achievements have already surpassed Aegon the Conqueror who conquered Westeros, Jaehaerys I Targaryen who brought decades of prosperity, Daeron the Good who annexed Dorne, and surpassed any Gardener King of the Reach, King of the Rivers and the Hills, King of the Vale, King in the North, King of the Rock, King of the Storm, King of Dorne, and Iron King."

"You are the true incarnation of the Seven, and I am willing to call you King Eddard, the one and only Emperor."

Under the witness of 777 septons, septas, and countless followers of the Seven, the High Septon blessed King Eddard.

Eddard came to the Citadel by the Honeywine. On the marble steps at the entrance of the Citadel were two tall marble pedestals, on which stood two green sphinx statues up to tens of meters high. The sphinx is a monster with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a snake. One face was a woman's face, and one was a man's face.

They received a warm welcome from the Archmaesters, Maesters, novices, and assistant maesters of the Conclave.

Archmaester Anbuluosi, his rod, mask, and chain were all made of silver, signifying that he was an authority in the field of medicine.

Archmaester Perestan, his rod, chain, and mask were all made of bronze, signifying that he was an authority in the field of historical research; Eddard had once read his work, *The Study of History*.

Archmaester Anbuluosi spoke on behalf of the Archmaesters, saying: "Your Majesty, your arrival brings supreme glory to the entire Citadel. We are grateful that Your Majesty, while in King's Landing, pardoned the crimes of the former Grand Maester Pycelle. Grand Maester Pycelle served the Undead and became a disgrace to the Citadel."

Eddard said: "Grand Maester Pycelle is old and frail, with few days left. He is now under house arrest in King's Landing, responsible for writing the history of the period when Cersei, Joffrey Baratheon, and the necromancer ruled."

Archmaester Anbuluosi said: "The Citadel absolutely approves of Your Majesty's handling of Pycelle, but we have heard that Your Majesty appointed Archmaester Marwyn as Grand Maester. According to custom, the Grand Maester should be elected by the Conclave; Archmaester Marwyn is not suitable to be Grand Maester."

Soon, Archmaester Perestan, Archmaester Vilen, and others echoed this sentiment. Archmaester Marwyn had always been ostracized by the other Archmaesters of the Conclave, and Marwyn contemptuously referred to these Archmaesters as "grey sheep."

Eddard said: "Archmaester Marwyn himself does not want to be Grand Maester; it was I who had him temporarily take over the position. You are all free to choose your own candidate and send them to King's Landing."

The Archmaesters smiled one after another, and they took Eddard, Jon Snow, and Daenerys to tour the Citadel together.

On the way back to the Hightower after leaving the Citadel, Daenerys said: "The Citadel is a temple of knowledge and the center of Westeros culture. Everything here is good, except for one thing: they actually do not accept female students."

"Across the Narrow Sea, even in the slave cities, women can serve as tutors, scribes, and other roles. My handmaiden Missandei has a high talent for languages; if she received training at the Citadel, she would certainly be better than most men."

Eddard said: "My foster daughter, Lareza of the Sand Snakes of Dorne, only entered the Citadel by dressing as a man because they do not accept female students. I have the Wolf King Academy in Winterfell, and I plan to open Wolf King Academies in King's Landing, Gulltown, White Harbor, and Lannisport to cultivate talent. Women will gain the same right to education as men. One day, the Wolf King Academy will replace the status of the Citadel."

Daenerys said: "Your plan is truly perfect."

A few days later, the army of the Reach cleared out the remaining Ironborn in the Reach, and some Ironborn captains were persuaded to surrender by Asha Greyjoy and Victarion. The Ironborn longships entrenched in the Shield Islands, upon learning that the Crow's Eye had been slain, hoisted their sails overnight and fled back to the Iron Islands.

The Ironborn forces in the Reach were basically cleared out, with only a small handful of Ironborn reduced to bandits wandering the Reach.

Duke Mace, the Queen of Thorns Lady Olenna, Lord Paxter Redwyne, and other nobles of the Reach, as well as Prince Oberyn, Brienne, and The Hound Sandor who had come to the Reach to fight, arrived at the Hightower in Oldtown one after another.

Eddard handed the Redwyne twins, Hobber and Horas, over to Paxter Redwyne. These twin sons had previously been hostages of Cersei in King's Landing, but now, the twins had become Eddard's foster sons. Lord Paxter Redwyne shed tears of excitement the moment he saw his sons.

"The grace of Your Majesty, House Redwyne will never dare to forget. I am willing to send my two sons to serve as Your Majesty's squires."

"We are rebuilding the Arbor Fleet; in the future, the Arbor Fleet will be at the disposal of House Stark and Your Majesty at any time."

The Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne all sent their sons and daughters to be sent to King's Landing to serve as Eddard's foster children. Now, Eddard already had over four hundred foster sons and daughters spread across Westeros.

Lord Alester Florent also arrived at the Hightower. At first, Eddard wanted him to stay in King's Landing to assist Robb, but he could not resist his pestering and allowed him to bring the army of House Florent to the Reach.

House Florent still dreamed of reclaiming the lands and castle of Brightwater Keep; after all, without a fief, Alester Florent's title of Lord became mere window dressing.

In the magnificent banquet hall of the Hightower, the nobles gathered together.

The Queen of Thorns Lady Olenna said: "Your Majesty, in just a few short years, you have annexed Beyond the Wall, The Vale, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands, and after defeating the Undead in the Westerlands and being crowned King, you defeated the evil Crow's Eye and the damned Ironborn in the Reach. You have saved the Reach."

"I believe the Ironborn will soon surrender to Your Majesty on the godforsaken Iron Islands. I think that at such a time of national celebration, Robb and Margaery should be allowed to enter the halls of marriage. Without a doubt, we should hold a grand wedding in the Throne Room in King's Landing."

Duke Mace echoed: "The sooner the wedding, the better."

House Tyrell was finally about to welcome its first Queen, and the Queen of Thorns and Duke Mace were both hoping for Margaery to marry Robb as soon as possible.

Eddard said: "The Night King's army is stirring Beyond the Wall, and the Reach has just suffered an Ironborn invasion; the broken homeland needs to be restored. The wedding can be delayed for a while."

Lord Alester Florent walked over, "Your Majesty, I request that Your Majesty return the lands of Brightwater Keep to House Florent. House Florent is willing to pay a large sum to redeem it from House Tyrell."

The face of the Queen of Thorns Lady Olenna grew long.

"You traitor, you defected with House Florent to the Stormlands and threw your lot in with Stannis, and now, what face do you have to return to the Reach? We are discussing the marriage between Margaery and the Crown Prince Robb; what are you meddling in?"

Duke Mace said in a gruff voice: "Brightwater Keep has already been bestowed upon my son Garlan; it is impossible to return it to the Florents."

The master of the Hightower, Lord Leyton Hightower of Oldtown, spoke up.

"Duke Mace, you are my son-in-law, Garlan is my grandson, and I am the father-in-law of Lord Alester Florent; we are all relatives. Since House Florent is willing to pay to redeem the land, why make things so tense?"

Eddard said: "Lord Florent was wrong and can be punished, but House Florent has after all ruled Brightwater Keep for thousands of years. It is not quite appropriate to deprive a family of their lands because of one person's mistake."

"The Duke of the Stormlands, Stannis, is also paying attention to this matter; after all, Stannis's wife, Selyse, comes from House Florent."

Seeing King Eddard take a stance, Randyll Tarly immediately followed up.

"House Florent is indeed a family of traitors and should be punished. Letting House Florent pay a large sum to redeem Brightwater Keep and its lands is reasonable and fair."

Even Lord Paxter Redwyne spoke in mediation, and Duke Mace and Lady Olenna had no choice but to compromise.

Lady Olenna said indignantly: "Your Majesty, House Florent cannot be relied upon at critical moments! Letting them redeem the castle is not impossible, but who can guarantee whether House Florent will rebel in the future, opposing their liege lord of Highgarden, or opposing Your Majesty on the Iron Throne?"

"House Florent occupies the mouth of the Mander River. Although the main force of the Ironborn has been annihilated, do not forget that the Ironborn have a famous saying: 'What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.' The Ironborn could return at any time. In that case, can House Florent be relied upon? House Florent must pay a price."

Eddard said: "House Florent should indeed pay a price. I announce that the mouth of the Mander River will be designated as a Royal Demesne. I will build a brand new Wolf Castle at the mouth of the Mander River and send troops to garrison it directly. In this way, House Tyrell will not have to worry about House Florent."

Although Lady Olenna and Duke Mace were dissatisfied, they could only accept it. After all, they were still counting on Margaery marrying Robb and watching their grandson rule the Seven Kingdoms; they dared not oppose Eddard at this time.

Besides, thinking of the army, Magic Dragon, Naga, and Balrog in Eddard's hands, King Eddard's strength surpassed that of any Targaryen king. Opposing such a king was likely just asking for trouble.

As for House Florent, being able to get back the castle and most of their lands was enough to satisfy them; after all, without the support of King Eddard, House Florent might not have been able to get back even an inch of land.

The mouth of the Mander River fell into the hands of House Stark, which was another huge fortune.

The Honeywine nurtured Oldtown, but the Mander River, as the largest river in the Reach, had not nurtured a city, which was indeed very strange. Upon closer thought, it was also reasonable: House Florent had long been at odds with their liege lord, House Tyrell. House Florent still complained to this day that they were more qualified than House Tyrell to be the Warden of the Riverlands. House Tyrell, of course, was unwilling to develop a city in Florent territory and placed various restrictions on House Florent.

In the future, Eddard would build a city here.

As everyone was eating, a White Raven landed in the hall.

The White Raven was a type of raven sent out by the Citadel. The White Raven itself carried no information; its only purpose was to announce the change of seasons.

Winter had come.

Subsequently, a blood raven landed in the middle of the hall and transformed into the Three-Eyed Crow, Brynden Rivers.

"Your Majesty, the Night King's army has finished assembling in the Land of Always Winter and has begun to march toward The Wall."

"Winter is coming!"

Thanks to Brother Hun Tun, Yun Zhong Yue Dong De Xing Chen, for the monthly ticket, thank you for your support!

(End of chapter)