Chapter 136 - Leaving King's Landing (I)
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 23:55:09 +0000 UTC“The pain of betrayal is the most efficient way to turn a man into a demon.”
Varys the Spider looked at the King sitting on the Iron Throne, while the shadow hid his furious features.
-------
Crowlands - King's Landing
Sitting on the Iron Throne, Robert I Baratheon watched his court with a calm, deep gaze. His blue eyes could not have been more indifferent. Everyone was present in the throne room, including Tywin Lannister.
Unlike a year and a half ago, the first king of House Baratheon had changed dramatically. The fat had disappeared from his body, revealing a robust and strong figure, visible even under the brown doublet with golden lines.
Who stood before everyone was no longer the Fat King, but the man who had become known as the Trident Demon.
“How are we doing?” Robert asked with a cold, distant tone.
Tywin gave Robert a deep look. After discovering Eddard Stark's betrayal, Robert seemed like a different person. He had become distant and cold, with an easily irritable mood. It wasn't just once or twice that servants had been killed because of the king's whims and anger.
However, Tywin didn't care about that. What was the life of mere commoners in the face of the war that would decide who would rule the continent?
The Lord of the Rock couldn't help a flash of anger appearing in his eyes. All the plans he had prepared in the North had disappeared with the destruction of House Bolton. The sword he had placed over the head of House Stark had vanished in the face of the dragon's crimson flames.
Tywin only hoped that the plot he had hatched with Walder Frey would succeed. At the same time, he couldn't help noticing that many of his allies were subtly distancing themselves from the Crown. And he knew exactly why.
The letters written by Roose Bolton.
When he remembered those damning letters that had traveled the continent exposing the conspiracy, Tywin felt an intense desire to kill Roose with his bare hands. The revelation contained in those messages was a severe blow to the confidence of his vassals, allies and potential supporters.
He really wanted to revive Roose Bolton just to kill him again. Tywin had no idea how the Targaryen King had managed to force Roose to write letters that effectively sealed the destruction of House Bolton.
Now, Tywin could foresee the extreme difficulty in regaining the trust of certain noble houses, and even more so in convincing them to fight in a war that was destined to be lost.
If he knew that the idea for all this had come from his own son, he might faint with rage.
“A fleet of at least a thousand ships has been sighted heading north,” Varys replied, causing everyone to show helpless expressions. A thousand ships represented an enormous force, capable of carrying at least eighty thousand men.
Knowing the ninety thousand in the Reach and the fifty thousand in the North, the number of the Targaryen army was worrying, to say the least. There was practically no way to stop an army of that size without a truly powerful castle.
“Dragonstone has also been conquered by Queen Daenerys Targaryen, and we've lost control of Blackwater Bay,” Varys continued, pouring out one piece of bad news after another.
Everyone's gaze, including Robert's, fell on Stannis. The man, who was supposed to be in Lannisport, had returned to King's Landing after hearing the terrible news about House Baratheon of Dragonstone.
Looking at Varys, Stannis asked with a cold, murderous tone: “How are my wife and daughter, Lord Varys?”
“According to the spies on Dragonstone, both are well and being treated with dignity. Even Lady Shireen has become friends with Queen Daenerys,” Varys replied in a calm tone, looking at Stannis with a slightly mysterious gaze.
Stannis' mood was complicated. He remembered the day he asked his brother to attack Queen Rhaella at Dragonstone, fourteen years ago, when House Baratheon won the war and toppled House Targaryen from the Iron Throne.
But at that moment, he, who considered himself an honorable man, felt as if he had been punched in the stomach when he thought of the actions of the girl whose life he had once wanted to hunt down and destroy. Stannis would rather Daenerys took revenge than treat his wife and daughter with dignity; at least then he would have a good motivation.
“That's a good thing, it shows that the king and the two queens don't plan to destroy House Baratheon,” Renly, Robert's younger brother, said, incredibly relieved. He felt hopeful that he would survive in the face of the dragons coming from the north.
However, his words made everyone look at him with contempt. In that year and a half, all Renly had done was indulge in carnal pleasure and drink like there was no tomorrow.
Renly's behavior was no different from someone enjoying every last minute on earth. In other words, he didn't even have the courage to fight or even resist in the face of the coming war
“Lord Renly forgets that the queen is a woman and has treated another woman, of a similar age and ill, with kindness and tenderness,” Varys said, looking at Renly with a look that was kind, but which, in fact, was the look one would give an idiot.
Varys' words were obvious to everyone. Daenerys had felt sorry for a sick girl of a similar age, but she wouldn't feel sorry for a strong, grown man.
“Lord Renly forgets that the queen is a woman and has treated another woman, of a similar age and ill, with kindness and tenderness,” Varys said, looking at Renly with a look that was kind, but which, in fact, was the look one would give an idiot.
Varys' words were obvious to everyone. Daenerys had felt sorry for a sickly girl of a similar age, but she wouldn't feel sorry for a strong, grown man.
Ignoring the trash that was the king's brother, Tywin spoke with a strong and calm tone, but incredibly solemn and slightly murderous: “With Blackwater Bay under the control of House Targaryen, King's Landing could be attacked at any moment.”
If this were a normal war, Tywin wouldn't be so solemn. King's Landing had never once fallen to any army; even he had to attack from within to conquer the city. But in the face of dragons that could fly, the thick, powerful walls were nothing more than a cage.
“We have to leave the city and go to Lannisport. Casterly Rock is a castle inside the mountain, with internal tunnels. Even if Balerion were to revive, he couldn't melt an entire mountain,” Tywin said without any reluctance to leave King's Landing. What was a city when faced with the chance of victory?
“That's impossible.” Stannis was the first to speak out against Tywin's proposal. “Abandoning King's Landing means admitting we're losing. Our morale, which is already low, will plummet like never before. Our soldiers will hesitate, and there could be riots.”
Stannis' concerns were valid in everyone's eyes, including even Tywin, but the Lord of Casterly Rock himself found it irrelevant at that moment.
“Cut off the rebels' heads and win a few battles, and morale will rise again. But if we stay in King's Landing, we'll be defeated as soon as a dragon lands on the wall and the knight opens the gates,” Tywin reaffirmed in a calm tone. He didn't see retreating as shameful. Losing a battle didn't mean losing a war.
Tywin's words hit everyone like a war hammer. The man was right: when the gates opened, the battle would take place inside the city, and when it did, it meant that they had lost the war. The city couldn't feed so many people and an army. And without food, the people would rebel and help the enemy in exchange for a piece of bread.
“We have to conquer the Riverlands as soon as possible. House Targaryen's army must come from somewhere, and that place is the Twins. Once they reach the Riverlands, they'll be able to attack the surrounding kingdoms without any worries,” Littlefinger said at that moment, expressing his opinion.
Tywin looked slightly surprised at the Master of Coin, but nodded. As Littlefinger had said, House Targaryen would come through the Twins to reach the Riverlands.
“The Crown Fleet is already in Lannisport along with my army. Both are ready to leave,” Tywin declared.
Robert, who had been silent until now, looked at Varys and asked. “What did Balon say?”
The king's voice was cold, but incomparably powerful.
Varys bowed to Robert and answered in a respectful tone. “He wants the Riverlands to rejoin the Iron Islands under the control of House Greyjoy. Currently, he has crowned himself as King Balon IX Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands, Lord of Pyke and the Salt.”
“Filthy squid!”
“Traitor!”
“How dare he? He's only alive because the king allowed him to live!”
As soon as Varys' words rang out, angry voices echoed throughout the throne room.
Robert narrowed his eyes and showed a strong murderous intent.
He really hadn't expected Balon to be so bold, even after losing to him once again.
However, Robert mocked Balon's actions in crowning himself king. Did Balon really think he could be king when he, the King of the Iron Throne, was in danger of losing the throne? Did Balon really see himself as a descendant of the Grey King to fight dragons with his stupid fleet of ships?
Littlefinger, who was listening to the whole discussion, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
“Three kings... Things are getting more and more interesting,” he thought with a cold smile.
He wanted more chaos. Enough chaos to make him climb the ladder to the highest peak.
Yes, it was a dangerous game, but he was willing to play Game of Thrones.
Comments
Scott
Facts.
Vrati
He is a smart man but his ambition and arrogance is bigger than his intelligence.
Scott
Little Finger is such a moron, Aenar is going to burn him to ashes along with the rest of his enemies.
