The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Sixth Shape-shifter Varamyr

The Mountain felt a headache coming on just hearing the words 'Green Prophet'.

Jeyne Westerling also felt a strange sensation in her heart.

She had killed the Green Prophet Bran Stark in the name of blood magic.

For no other reason than that there couldn't be a living Green Prophet in the Stark family.

That was too terrifying.

Green Prophets could return to the past, see the future, and also witness events happening thousands of miles away in the present.

As long as he was willing, or given a direction and a clue, he could use it as a basis to see the secrets of many people.

Bran Stark's Three-Eyed Raven came from Bloodraven Brynden Rivers.

And Bloodraven had lived for over a hundred years, his family belonging to the Targaryens.

Bloodraven was a very ambitious person, and when his body merged with the weirwood tree and he could no longer move, he created a Three-Eyed Raven that could fly anywhere.

This Three-Eyed Raven was his eyes.

Bran had a pair of eyes from Brynden Rivers, which was a great fear for the Mountain.

Bran was no longer the Bran he once was; his identity belonged to the Stark family, but perhaps even more so to the Targaryen family.

After the Mountain became king, he could not allow a Green Prophet like Bran to exist, unless Bran could be used by him like Melisandre, but it was clear that this was absolutely impossible.

Bran had previously been controlled by the Three-Eyed Raven, loyal to the Targaryen family, and determined to help the Targaryen family seize the Iron Throne; after failing, Bloodraven abandoned control of the Three-Eyed Raven, flew out of the Three-Eyed Raven's body, and allowed Bran Stark to control the Three-Eyed Raven.

After tasting Bran's blood, Jeyne still ordered Bran to be executed in the name of Bloodraven Brynden Rivers.

Only with Bran dead could the Mountain's throne be secured from the threat of the Green Prophet.

Melisandre's statement that Quaithe's undying warlock Pyat Pree was similar to a Green Prophet touched the Mountain's thoughts, and also touched the faint guilt and unease in Jeyne Westerling's heart.

Jeyne did not feel entirely justified in killing Bran.

Bran's blood showed that Bran was Bran, no longer the Three-Eyed Raven Brynden Rivers.

But Jeyne still told a lie against her conscience, and for the sake of royal power, she ordered the execution of Bran Stark, in front of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully.

This inner unease and guilt had been in the depths of Jeyne's heart, she pretended not to think about it, pretended she had never done that thing, and just when she was about to pretend to forget it completely, Melisandre's words touched her hidden thoughts.

Doing something against one's conscience, killing an innocent person, was not a pleasant memory for a good person.

Melisandre noticed Jeyne's slight abnormality.

She looked at Jeyne with her beautiful eyes, feeling puzzled in her heart.

She knew that Jeyne was a decisive person and would never be afraid because of the arrival of a Sorrowful Man. Moreover, now that they already knew about this matter, as long as they took strict precautions, it would be difficult for the Sorrowful Man to succeed.

Although the manticore was highly poisonous, it was not a significant threat to a blood witch known for tasting poison.

"Your Majesty, we can work together to catch that Sorrowful Man," Melisandre said.

"Lady Melisandre has already notified Lady Dorea Sand, and Lady Dorea has already gone to the Royal Guard barracks to assist the guards in defending the palace," Berny said.

The Mountain was silent for a moment. "Berny, activate your little birds and patrol the entire city. Anyone from the East will have a different accent."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Madam, do you have an antidote? Perhaps the courtiers and generals need a dose."

"I have the antidote, but I need to prepare some more."

"Then let's begin."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you need the help of the maesters?"

"No, I can finish it alone by dawn."

*

Tonight, Jeyne Westerling would not be able to sleep.

She was probably unable to sleep anyway.

Before Melisandre mentioned the Green Prophet, Jeyne would sometimes dream of Bran Stark's calm face and the words he had said to Jeyne before his death: "Queen Jeyne, you have desecrated the blood god. I see your future death, it's very miserable. Like me, you seem to have no choice in this matter."

Jeyne replied, "Bran, you keep making mistakes, and this time is no exception. The Others and the Night's Watch, the Night King and the Mountain, the Iron Throne and Essos, everything is predestined, but there are also many uncertainties. Only strength and wisdom can determine everything. The Stark family and the Clegane family are now one family. Sansa is a Stark and a Westerling; I am a Westerling and a Clegane. Dragons are the highest magical creatures, and dragons have successfully bred in the Mountain's plan. The future you see may not be accurate."

A smile climbed onto Bran's face. "Your Majesty, perhaps you are right, but death is inevitable for you. Lies that desecrate the blood god will eventually backfire. Everything for the family."

From that day on, Bran's words planted a seed of shadow in Jeyne's heart.

After all, if the Green Prophet wasn't lying, his prophecies were the truth.

*

"Your Majesty, let me stay with you. I might be able to help you with detoxifying the manticore poison."

"Thank you, Lady Melisandre!" Jeyne's mood calmed down a lot. With Melisandre by her side, she felt much more at ease.

Jeyne freshened up and walked into her apothecary with Melisandre. Commander Zeri stood guard at the door.

The Mountain put on his clothes, but not his armor. He left the bedroom, came to the hall, and ordered the guards to summon the Sixth Shape-shifter Varamyr, the Spider Varys, the Prince of Tatters of Pentos, Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, and Eddard Stark to the hall.

Soon, the Prince of Tatters, Varamyr, Littlefinger, the Spider, and Eddard arrived, each with their own guards.

The Mountain sat on the tall chair covered with lion skin, waiting for them.

"Gentlemen, you should all know that the Sorrowful Man from Qarth has come to Pentos, with the goal of assassinating me."

Varys' bald head was shiny and bright, reflecting the light from the torches and red candles.

His hands were clasped inside his wide sleeves, his face was freshly shaved, and his white robe exuded perfume.

"Your Majesty, the Sorrowful Man's manticore is difficult to defend against."

"Her Majesty has an antidote for the manticore poison, but there is not much, not enough to distribute to every courtier and general. However, Her Majesty and Lady Melisandre will not sleep tonight; they are working hard in the apothecary to prepare the antidote."

Hearing that there was an antidote, the five lords visibly relaxed their tense postures, and Littlefinger audibly sighed in relief.

"Your Majesty, it takes a month for the Sorrowful Man to travel from Qarth to Pentos by sea, doesn't it?" Littlefinger chuckled.

"Lord Petyr, a month, even with favorable winds and tides, the Sorrowful Man cannot travel from Qarth to Pentos," Varys said, stroking his bald head.

"Oh! So that means the Sorrowful Man had already set off when we sent out the navy, the army, and the Volantene legions?" Littlefinger said with sarcasm.

Varys smiled. "Lord Petyr, your statement may be right, or it may not be. The Sorrowful Man does not only stay in the city-state of Qarth, just as the Faceless Men do not only stay in Braavos. They can be anywhere in the world. When there is a mission, they only need to send a message to mobilize someone somewhere. Perhaps the Sorrowful Man attacking us has been living in Pentos all along."

Varys had lived in the city-state of Lys since he was a child, and the nine Free Cities were the foundation of his wealth. He had also been to the East and the Dothraki Sea, and was very knowledgeable. Everyone believed that what he said was correct.

Eddard Stark said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, regardless of whether the Sorrowful Man lives in Pentos or Qarth, as long as he is here to attack us, it means that Qarth already knows that we are going to conquer them."

"Do we have spies among us?" A mischievous smile appeared on Littlefinger's lips.

"We do not have spies from Qarth among us, but there are Undying Ones in the city of Qarth," the Mountain said calmly.

"Undying Ones?"

"They are warlocks. Their lips and teeth turn blue because they drink Shade of the Evening for a long time. And in Qarth, the most powerful warlock is called an Undying, and among the Undying warlocks, there is a most powerful king whose name is Pyat Pree. His soul can return to the past, see the future, and see what is happening now, even if it is thousands of miles away. He is just like the Green Prophet we know. Lady Melisandre believes that Pyat Pree knows everything, but according to tradition, Pyat Pree will not interfere in our 'ordinary people's royal power, military affairs, and political disputes.'"

"Green Prophet?" Eddard thought of his son Bran Stark's unfortunate and short life.

"Yes, Pyat Pree is the Green Prophet of Qarth. I have every reason to believe that Pyat Pree has intervened in this war."

"Oh! Then the legions we sent out..." The mischievous smile on Littlefinger's face disappeared, and he became serious and solemn.

"If I am not mistaken, the Volantene legions disguised as slave traders entering the city as internal support will be completely annihilated, and Lord Redwyne's navy at sea will probably not be able to escape either."

"Your Majesty, Lord Redwyne's navy has twelve invincible cannons," Littlefinger said.

"Yes, but the enemy has more than four thousand warships, and we only have six hundred cannonballs. Cannons are advantageous for long-range attacks. Once they are ambushed and surrounded, and the enemy quickly approaches, the power of the cannons will be rapidly reduced."

The Mountain's words caused everyone to fall silent.

"What about our cavalry?" Littlefinger asked again.

"Cavalry is fast, as long as they don't enter the city, it will be difficult for the Qartheen legions to surround them. Queen Daenerys also has a dragon. I am not too worried about the Dothraki cavalry, as long as there is no fire in the city, and no one opens the gate to let them in, they are still safe."

"What if the Qartheens set up an ambush, set a fire, and deliberately lure them into the city?"

"The Qartheens would not dare to let the Dothraki into the city for a civil war. There are too many Dothraki, tens of thousands of cavalry, plus Daenerys and the black dragon Drogon. If they open the city gates, the defense of the triple city walls would lose its advantage."

Varys stroked his bald head and said, "Your Majesty, will the Qartheen royal family send envoys to Daenerys to seek peace, and then persuade Daenerys to join forces with them?"

"I don't know how Qarth plans to deal with Daenerys and her dragon. I only know that Daenerys Targaryen will never betray us."

Suddenly, the Sixth Shape-shifter Varamyr, who had been silent all along, made a gesture to be quiet, so everyone stopped talking.

"Your Majesty, I have seen the Sorrowful Man."

The Sixth Shape-shifter Varamyr could possess any bird or beast to scout out the enemy's situation. When he lived in the haunted forest in the North, he could control six beasts at the same time. This was the origin of his nickname, the Sixth Shape-shifter.

The Mountain wanted Varamyr to come to the royal palace hall to be responsible for security. With him there, he would know of any abnormalities inside and outside the palace. His hawk flew in the low night sky, and the dogs and cats in the palace were his eyes.

"Where is the Sorrowful Man?" the Mountain said calmly.

"At the Camilla Hotel."

The Camilla Hotel was not far outside the palace, and it was also a very popular brothel.

Varys' eyes lit up. "General Varamyr, how did you find the Sorrowful Man's location so quickly?"

"It's not that I only started searching when I was in the hall, but when Lady Melisandre sent someone to notify me, I had already begun a careful search of the palace. When I entered the hall, my birds, kittens, and puppies began searching for suspicious people outside the palace."

Littlefinger Petyr Baelish and Eddard Stark were all shocked.

The Mountain was also slightly moved.

Varamyr found the Sorrowful Man so quickly through his shape-shifting abilities? This was too powerful. Could it be that this kid had transitioned from a shape-shifter to a small prophet?!

Green Prophets all came from shape-shifters. When the shape-shifting ability reached a critical point, it would break through and become a small prophet. After decades of ability evolution, the most talented among the small prophets would become Green Prophets. Of course, the prerequisite was that you had to have a long enough life. Many shape-shifters who had just touched the threshold of being a prophet died of old age before they could become the most powerful Green Prophet.

*

"Varamyr, go to Her Majesty the Queen and get the antidote. After swallowing it, take a team of soldiers to capture the Sorrowful Man."

"Your Majesty, I only need the antidote. I don't need the soldiers. I can capture him alone."

"In addition to driving manticores, the Sorrowful Man is also a top assassin," the Mountain reminded Varamyr.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. He is an assassin, and I have my own helpers, and many of them," Varamyr said with a confident smile.

*

The Camilla Hotel had three floors, with bright lights and revelry that lasted all night. It was the most luxurious brothel in the city, catering to the best customers. The night patrons who entered the Camilla Hotel were either rich or noble. Many were captains and wealthy merchants from all over the world.

Varamyr came to the hotel alone.