Chapter 139 - Leaving King's Landing (IV)
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 14:45:24 +0000 UTC“When there is misery, death and chaos, religion is an essential pillar for controlling people.”
- High Sparrow, The Voice of the Seven on Earth.
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“Your Grace.”
Littlefinger approached the king, who was standing next to Tywin. They were both eating in silence around the fire.
“What happened?” Robert asked, biting into a piece of roast chicken thigh. His blue eyes fell on Petyr.
“Lord Varys has disappeared.”
Petyr reported the information with an unusual look on his face, as if he didn't even believe what he was saying. He hadn't expected Varys to flee at that very moment. Like a conspirator, he smelled another conspiracy in the air.
Robert's eyes narrowed, taking on a cold, deadly glare. Being abandoned by your own subordinates was not a pleasant feeling.
“He left a letter for Your Grace.”
Littlefinger handed over the letter.
Robert opened it and read the contents. There was only one sentence on the paper:
"Your Grace must not underestimate the people. We are an indomitable, relentless and voracious force of nature. What you and Tywin have done will come back ten times worse in the future."
Robert muttered, a touch of sarcasm shining in his eyes. He had hoped that Varys had betrayed him for something more significant, but as he read the letter, he felt like laughing.
What could the commoners do against him? What would they do in the face of an army of hundreds of thousands of armed soldiers? What could the people accomplish holding nothing but old hoes and scythes?
Robert wanted to find Varys and ask him these questions, waiting for the answers to come from the eunuch's mouth. But after reading the letter, he lost all interest in him.
Throwing the letter into the fire, Robert watched the written sentence burn to ashes.
"What foolishness." Grumbled the king before going back to eating, as if he didn't care what had just happened.
However, neither Chataya nor Robert himself could have imagined that things would take a completely different turn.
When the people realized that there was no one above them to impose laws, the city was plunged into a sepulchral silence for long hours. But the silence was soon broken by the bandits, who took the opportunity to loot everything they could, including the Great Sept of Baelor itself.
Robberies, fights, murders and rapes, everything that could happen happened, with no one to stop the crimes. This awakened the population, who realized that the king had abandoned King's Landing and all the citizens of the city.
In a matter of a single day, the people locked themselves inside their homes and stockpiled as many supplies as possible. The merchants, driven by greed and oblivious to the imminent danger, raised food prices by the hour, amassing fortunes in no time.
However, the people could accept oppression for a while, but they would never accept it forever. There would always be someone who would rise up to fight it, and along with them, others would also rise up to fight.
That's exactly what happened.
Holding anything that could be used as a weapon, the people broke into the warehouses of the rich merchants and stole all the food. Not only that, they killed the merchants and cut off their heads, placing them in the square for all to see.
It wasn't just the merchants who died, but also their families. It didn't matter whether they were men or women, old people or children, they were all massacred by the people's anger, fury and resentment.
However, once the example had been set, the massacre spread. People no longer cared about morality or any other principle. Food and survival were all that mattered. Houses were invaded, women raped, and horror overtook the city.
With no one to stop the carnage, things got worse and worse, until, at the end of the day, everything stopped with the arrival of night.
“By the gods, these people are mad.”
Alayaya commented with a horrified expression at the brutality that had taken place in just one day. If it hadn't been for her mother's brothel being naturally robust and the fact that they were armed to defend themselves, she could have imagined the tragic fate that would befall them.
“They were abandoned without food. In the face of death, what does it mean to kill and rape to satiate one's own evil desires accumulated over a lifetime?”
Chataya hugged her daughter and spoke in a calm tone, her dark eyes fixed on Myrla. She had personally seen the girl kill three men with a small dagger. Although they were untrained men, it was still impressive, considering that she was a woman without great physical strength.
“Remember, Alayaya: people are thinking animals, driven by an insatiable greed for all that is valuable and luxurious. Never underestimate the desire in a person's heart.”
Chataya didn't miss the opportunity to teach her daughter, who was generally innocent when it came to matters like this.
Alayaya nodded. She had personally seen three men break into a house and drag a girl out into the street, raping her right there, without anyone caring. The scene had horrified her.
Fortunately, Myrla had intervened and killed the three of them, ensuring that no one dared break into Chataya's brothel.
Just as Chataya was about to continue teaching her daughter, she looked out of the window and saw torches being lit in the middle of the street. Men and women, dressed in white and armed, could be seen in the flickering light of the flames. The seven-pointed star was beautifully embroidered on each of their chests.
Chataya's face became completely solemn when he saw these men and women. A deep fear appeared in his eyes.
“The Militant Faith.”
Her whisper sent shivers through his body. She knew the chaos was over, but another threat, even worse, had begun.
Myrla's face also became serious. Before coming to Westeros, she and all her sisters had received training that included memorizing the coats of arms of the noble houses and the history of House Targaryen. So she knew exactly what the Faith Militant was.
But Chataya and Myrla were wrong. These were not members of the Faith Militant, but The Sparrows, poor commoners who had sworn allegiance to the Faith of the Seven.
The Sparrows were led by a man called High Sparrow, a fervent devotee and considered a saint in the eyes of the believers. Seeing the chaos taking over the city, High Sparrow knew that this was the perfect opportunity to rally the faithful and exterminate the infidels, finally purifying King's Landing once and for all.
“Kill the thieves, rapists and murderers.”
The voice echoed firmly. At the head of almost two hundred people, an old man wearing a simple gray robe, without a trace of opulence, gave his order.
“Yes, Your Holiness!!!”
The title, which belonged only to the High Septon, came out of the mouths of the faithful without any hesitation.
If the thieves, rapists and murderers were cruel, the men and women of the Sparrows were true monsters in human skin. Mercy didn't exist in their dictionary, at least not for the infidels.
What was the simplest way to purify the world?
If Kinvara were asked this question, she would answer without hesitation:
“Fire.”
The Sparrows invaded the homes of the thieves, rapists and murderers, dragging them into the town square.
The commotion naturally attracted the attention of the people, who came out of their homes to see what was happening. When they saw the members of the Faith of the Seven arresting the criminals, the crowd gathered in the square, curious.
What followed was a horror show.
The thieves, rapists and murderers were burned alive in front of everyone. But the people didn't care. On the contrary, they watched with pleasure as the men were consumed by the flames.
The same people who had previously been against burning others alive now applauded as they heard the agonized screams of the condemned.
“Burn those bastards! They killed and raped my wife!!!”
A man shouted, his voice filled with hatred and rage.
First there was one, then another. Soon, everyone was calling for the bandits to die in the most painful way possible.
“My people, I am the High Sparrow, and I will bring the justice of the gods to infidels and sinners!”
The man spoke in front of the bonfires where the condemned were burned alive.
“Join me so that this barbarity never happens to other families again! Be truly devoted to the gods and you will receive the greatest of all riches: getting close to the Seven!” His voice rose above the screams of agony.
“Long live the gods!!!”
“Long live the High Sparrow!!!”
“Death to sinners!!!”
The High Sparrow's words were answered by a crowd inflamed with hatred and anger.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face. He knew that this was only the beginning.
He would make the world truly pure.
“A truly pure world...”
He murmured, his eyes shining with unwavering fanaticism.
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Note: Today is my birthday, my 24th birthday, I'm getting closer and closer to 30!!!
