Chapter 350 The Future of the Kingdom

Stannis's eyes were deep: "Should I learn from Targaryen? Go to the other side of the strait to invite wizards like Aegon III, the 'Dragon', or pray to eggs every day like Baelor I, the 'Blessed by God', or make a dragon out of wood and steel like Aegon IV, or drink wildfire like Aerion, the 'Bright Flame', in an attempt to make myself a dragon?"

He looked at Queen Selyse coldly: "The wizard failed, Baelor's prayer was not answered, the wooden dragon was burned, and Prince Aerion died screaming."

Hearing the ridicule and doubts raised by Stannis, Queen Selyse's expression became more determined: "Their reason They failed because they were not the chosen ones of the Lord of Light. There was no red comet across the sky, announcing the fulfillment of the prophecy of the ancient book of Asshai; no one had the 'light bringer', the red sword of heroes. They also did not have the guidance of the Lord of Light..."

She spread her arms devoutly: "Lady Melisandre received the will of the true God in the holy fire... Your Majesty, only death can exchange for life."

After a solemn silence, Stannis gritted his teeth and squeezed out a cold voice: "That boy?"

"That boy." Queen Selyse took a step closer, staring at Stannis with a certain madness in her eyes.

Sir Axell also echoed at this time: "The boy."

After a pause, Stannis moved his feet, turned his back to everyone and looked down at the map of the Seven Kingdoms on the map table: "This filthy child made me hate it before he was born. His name is like a roar in my ears, as if it is a dark cloud covering my soul."

Melisandre followed and promised: "Please give the boy to me, and you will never hear his name again, Your Majesty."

Davos glanced at the red-robed woman, his lips trembled a few times, but he remained silent. It would be wiser not to speak before King Stannis made a decision.

In Stannis' silence, the priestess continued: "Give the boy to the Lord of Light, and the ancient prophecy will be fulfilled. Your dragon will awaken, spread its stone wings, and win the Seven Kingdoms for you."

As soon as she finished her words, Ser Axell knelt on one knee and raised his voice: "I ask your majesty, awaken the dragon in the stone, and let the usurpers tremble. Like Aegon the Conqueror, you will set out from Dragonstone! Like Aegon the Conqueror, you will conquer the entire Seven Kingdoms! Let the entire Seven Kingdoms feel your fire and fury!"

"I beg you the same, your majesty!"

Queen Selyse knelt on both knees in the direction of Stannis, clasping her hands as if in prayer: "Robert and Delena have polluted our marriage bed and cursed our union. This child is the filthy fruit of whoredom. Remove his shadow from my body, and I will bear many sons for you, I promise!"

She knelt over and wrapped her arms around Stannis's legs: "He is not "But he is a bastard, born of your brother's desire and my cousin's shame."

"Don't grab me, woman."

King Stannis broke free from Queen Selyse's embrace and continued, "Perhaps Robert did curse our marriage bed, but he swore to heaven that he never meant to humiliate me, he was just drunk, and he didn't even know which bedroom he entered that night."

After a pause, he sighed slightly and said, "But what does it matter? No matter what the truth is, the child is not at fault, and he is my blood."

Melisandre stepped forward, gently grasped Stannis's wrist with her slender fingers, and begged, "The Lord of Light cherishes chastity and punishes corruption, so there is no more suitable sacrifice than this. The dragon will be born from the king's blood and pure sacred fire, your majesty."

Hearing that his king had no intention of hurting the boy, Davos finally let go of the heart that had been secretly lifted.

He saw that Stannis did not withdraw from Melisandre as he did to his queen, and one eyebrow was raised.

He understood... Although both women were wearing red robes, one was old and thin, while the other was young and plump... and plump.

Blinking, Davos quickly retracted his disrespectful thoughts and lowered his eyes respectfully.

"………, I remember the first time my father took me to the Red Keep, Robert had to hold my hand. I was no more than four years old, and he was five or six. After leaving there, we both agreed that the king was majestic and the dragon (referring to the dragon bones in the throne room) was terrible."

Stannis's fingers ran across the hills of the Westerly, and he continued: "Years later, my father told us that Aerys cut himself on the Iron Throne that morning, so the Prime Minister convened a petition on behalf of the king. It was actually Tywin Lannister who impressed us so much."

He turned and looked at Melisandre: "It would be a magical thing for rocks to gain life, and riding a real dragon and soaring over the Seven Kingdoms... how..."

Hearing this, Davos, who had originally felt relaxed, had his pupils shrink. He knew him, and his "God" was actually shaken? !

He was not the only one who noticed it. In the eyes of those who encouraged King Stannis to sacrifice his blood relatives... there was a strange excitement at this moment.

No, his "god" will never shake his iron-hard heart of justice!

"King Stannis!"

Lord Davos interrupted the king, stepped forward and said, "Please allow me to give you some advice."

Stannis frowned, stared for a long time before waving his hand and said, "Lord Rainforest, if it weren't for your advice, how could I appoint you as my prime minister? Just say it."

Stannis's winter-like gaze made Davos' back sweat. He couldn't help but pray to the Seven Gods in his heart: Please give me courage...

"I don't know about dragons, let alone gods... and the queen just mentioned the curse, but I have to remind you that everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knows... Whether it is gods or mortals, kinslayers will be cursed forever. King Stannis, if you..."

Melisandre interrupted Davos with a Jade Sea accent: "Except for the Lord of Light and mortals, it is unspeakable. The ancient alien gods you are talking about, there are no other gods in the world. And the curse you are talking about is actually something that tiny humans cannot understand. "

Davos looked at Melisandre, whose lips were pursed into a red line, nodded, and said: "I admit that I am a tiny human, so please explain clearly why the boy named Edric Storm (one of Robert I's illegitimate children) is needed to awaken the dragon in the stone."

Melisandre's voice was low and hoarse: "Only death can exchange for life, and the great gift of the King of Light requires great sacrifice, Earl Davos."

Davos's forehead wrinkles deepened, and he questioned: "What is so great about a bastard child, Lady Melisandre?"

Melisandre took a few steps, and her slender fingers gently brushed across the brazier, and the flames in it suddenly jumped up.

There seemed to be flames flickering in her eyes: "He has the blood of the king in his body, and even a little bit is enough to change the situation in the Seven Kingdoms. Have you forgotten that you are also one of the witnesses?"

Earl Davos' eyes trembled slightly, and he said: "I only remember that you burned three leeches to death."

Melisandre reminded gently: "The false king of the Iron Islands died because of this."

Davos frowned and said: "Balon Greyjoy fell from the bridge and died. What does this have to do with your leeches, Lady Melisandre?"

Melisandre's mysterious red eyes suddenly looked directly at Davos: "Are you doubting the power of the Lord of Light?"

At that moment, Davos even felt that the ruby ​​on the priestess's neck suddenly burst out with flames and rushed towards him. He managed to maintain his calm on the surface with great difficulty.

His back was dripping with sweat. He had no doubt that in the cave that night... the living shadow stretched out its black hands to grab her thighs and crawled out of her vagina. He remembered it too clearly (Chapter 214).

He thought of Renly and Randyll, and he warned himself to be careful not to become the next target of the shadow.

But thinking of Stannis who had given him honor, Davos did not back down: "Even onion smugglers can tell the difference between one onion and three onions. This is a king, my lady."

Stannis sneered at this time: "Melisandre, he caught your sore spot. One onion and three onions are indeed different."

"Of course, my majesty."

Melisandre bowed slightly to Stannis and continued: "If Joffrey Baratheon and Robb Stark did not die in a seemingly accidental accident, but died under the heavy protection of the guards, "What about the next? Does this convince you of the power of the Lord of Light?"

After a moment of silence, Stannis reluctantly nodded: "Perhaps."

Queen Selyse calmly and confidently announced: "They will definitely die."

Ser Axell also announced: "Perhaps they are already dead."

Hearing this, Stannis said disgustedly: "Are you well-trained crows, taking turns to nag at me?"

He turned around: "Enough, all of you leave."

After Melisandre helped Queen Selyse to her feet, they left together; before leaving, Ser Axell glared at Davos.

After the others left, Davos approached the map table and coughed lightly.

Stannis looked up from the map, stared at the Onion Knight for a while, and said, "You should leave too."

Davos glanced at Stannis, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty, I want to talk to you about Edric Storm..."

Stannis waved his hand impatiently and said, "Smuggler, spare me, I don't want to hear about this bastard anymore."

Davos opened his mouth and said, "King Stannis, his name is Edric Storm."

Stannis's face turned gloomy: "I know his name, and I also know that he is a bastard and has a noble birth. Are you satisfied, my Prime Minister?"

Davos insisted on continuing to speak: "As long as you have seen him..."

Stannis's voice was disgusted: "I have seen him, he is very much like Robert... My brother likes to leave seeds everywhere, and he doesn't care about them after they are born. He is just one of them."

His wrinkled hands swept over the map: "How many boys and girls are there in the Seven Kingdoms? How many men and women are there? Melisandre told me that darkness will engulf all men and women and bring about a long night that never ends. Even if her prophecy is a lie, as a king, can I ignore her prophecy?"

His teeth creaked: "Her prophecy... heroes born from the boiling ocean, dragons hatched from stones... All the signs and foreshadowings she mentioned point to me. We cannot choose our fate, but I must fulfill my duties. Whether great or small, everyone must fulfill their duties. I am responsible for this kingdom."

He snorted coldly as if mocking: "She swore to see me holding up the 'Lightbringer' in the sacred fire and resisting the terrifying darkness. Davos, but I promise you that in the Blackwater River, On the map, this dazzling sword does not help me more than an ordinary steel sword. "

His eyes were fixed on the location of King's Landing on the map table: "However... a dragon is enough to turn the tide of the battle. Aegon once stood here, looking down at this table like I am now. If there were no dragons, could he still be a 'conqueror'?"

Davos still tried to persuade the king to give up the dangerous idea: "Your Majesty, everything has a price, I must remind you..."

"Enough, I know the price."

The fire flickered, and Stannis's shadow enveloped King's Landing on the map table: "If the false king is really dead... Compared with the future of the entire kingdom, what is the life of a bastard?"

…………

…………

The storm of the little devil killing the red viper alone has not subsided, and another shocking news of the seven kingdoms has reached King's Landing.

Ser Amory Lorch, who was stationed at Harrenhal, was ordered by Duke Tywin to lead more than 500 Lannister sworn knights and more than 1,200 hired free riders to pursue the Northern cavalry that harassed the eastern area of ​​Harrenhal (Chapter 340).

As a result, he was attacked by the Northern cavalry at night when he was resting near the King's Road and suffered heavy losses.

The cavalry sent by Ser Amory hastily for help, one man and three horses, delivered the news to Harrenhal the next day. More than 1,000 Lannister cavalry stationed in the city immediately went out of the city to support, but encountered an ambush by thousands of Northern cavalry during the march.

That night, the warrior group that followed Robb Stark took advantage of the chaos to break through Harrenhal.

After this battle, the Lannister cavalry in the riverlands was almost wiped out, and Ser Amory, the governor of Harrenhal appointed by Lannister, died in battle.

It is rumored that the leader of the Warriors, Vargo Hutt, was appointed as the Governor of Harrenhal by King Robb, and he led most of the cavalry to march east again and "disappeared".

So far, the Northern cavalry, who are good at charging, are hanging over King's Landing like a sword that can fall at any time.

…………

The sunshine that shines on King's Landing is warm and dazzling.

Duke Mace shook his head and sighed: "He allowed a little dire wolf to mess up the river again. Duke Tywin... he is old."

In the practice field, Joffrey's crossbow arrows shot at the target hit the target every time, and Margaery and her maids cheered for the king's bravery.

Green retracted his gaze and smiled: "If I were Duke Tywin, I would definitely ask you to teach me how to catch wolves immediately. Unfortunately, he is not me."

Duke Mace touched his beard proudly.