The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“You are a cruel madman. Your lies about not indiscriminately killing Qartheen people are exposed by your own butcher's knife. The awakened Qartheen will not yield and will eventually rise up in revolt,” Duke Landon Carroll said.

“Guards, tie up Duke Landon Carroll. If he dares to say another word, cut out his tongue,” the Mountain said indifferently.

Missandei, Hero, and five Khals rushed forward. Missandei's spear gave him an advantage, and he took the lead in knocking Landon Carroll down. Hero kicked Landon Carroll in the stomach, and the Duke's body immediately curled into a shrimp.

“Don't hit him, tie him up,” the Mountain said.

The five Khals' fists and feet brushed past Landon Carroll's body, not causing him any harm.

A rope was thrown over, and one Khal's knee pressed on Landon's chest, immobilizing him. Another Khal crossed Landon's hands around his own neck, and another quickly tied Landon's hands together at the back of his neck, followed by his feet.

Everyone stood up, and Duke Landon Carroll was tied on the ground, his arms crossed, strangling his own neck, making it difficult for him to breathe, his face painful and distorted.

During the binding, the Khals' hands and feet were not clean, causing Landon Carroll to suffer a lot of hidden losses.

Jon Targaryen couldn't stand it anymore. He was disgusted that Earl Baelish Cordozo was being given important positions, while Duke Landon Carroll, who had come to question the new king for the sake of House Hoare's bloodline, was about to be beheaded by the Mountain.

In Jon's opinion, at least Duke Landon Carroll was a truly loyal man, willing to sacrifice his life for his old master. He was more worthy of respect than the other twenty-two colleagues.

Jon stood up: “Your Majesty, Duke Landon Carroll is having difficulty breathing. I am worried that before Queen Hoare arrives, he will suffocate from lack of air.”

“Let him die then, I don’t want to hear his nonsense. He’s a vicious man who incites others, fabricates rumors that I will kill the Hoare family bloodline, a treacherous villain. I will chop off his head and impale it on the city gate for public display.”

“Your Majesty, if I can persuade Duke Landon Carroll to stop talking nonsense, can you give me a chance to untie him? He is a loyal man, worthy of our respect.”

“Jon, can’t you see? He’s not even afraid of death, how could he listen to you?”

“Your Majesty, I want to try.”

The Mountain looked at Jon and nodded.

Jon Targaryen walked to Landon Carroll, squatted down. Landon Carroll's face had turned blue. The Khals' binding was professional and cruel, crossing his arms around his neck and then forcibly tightening his hands at the back of his head. This was a punishing rope torture that made it impossible to move or breathe.

Jon squatted in front of Duke Landon: “Duke, if you stop moving and cursing, and speak properly, I will untie you.”

Landon Carroll was having difficulty breathing, and was on the verge of fainting, but he could hear people's conversations clearly. He couldn't speak, so he nodded.

This was the first time he had experienced this kind of rope torture, and he couldn't stand it for long.

Jon Targaryen drew his dagger and cut the rope. Landon regained his freedom and curled up on the ground, breathing heavily.

Jon stood up: “Your Majesty, Landon’s words are not rumors, but rather a direct request for verification before Your Majesty. He is the former Prime Minister of King Hoare, loyal to the Hoare family. His questioning and verification require rare courage and boldness, which others cannot compare to.” Jon glanced at the twenty-two new political colleagues, and this glance caused the twenty-two nobles of Qarth to avoid eye contact with him.

“Jon, what do you want to say?” the Mountain asked in a deep voice.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to spare his family for the sake of Landon’s loyalty.”

“No, I want to kill the entire Carroll family,” the Mountain said decisively.

“Your Majesty……”

“Commander Jon, you have said too much today,” the Mountain raised his voice and shouted.

This shout was like a muffled thunder, and the Mountain's echo rumbled throughout the hall: You have said too much today… too much… much… …

The hall fell silent all of a sudden.

The Mountain and Jon looked at each other, their gazes like two swords blocking and defending in the air.

Soon, Jon made a gesture of avoidance: “Your Majesty, his family is innocent,” he said sullenly, then returned to his seat, his face very ugly. The five Khals burst into laughter, their contemptuous eyes sweeping across Jon's face and body.

In the eyes of the five tall, burly, and wild Khals, Jon was just a well-behaved little pretty boy. If the King and Queen were not present, they would have mocked and teased Jon, and would not have hesitated to knock this silly youth to the ground and hold an arakh to his throat.

Daenerys Targaryen's small hand rested on the back of Jon's hand, and then patted it gently.

Jon gave Daenerys an awkward smile, indicating that he was fine, and then he saw Daenerys's slightly bulging belly in his peripheral vision.

If it weren't for this close-range oblique view, Jon wouldn't have been able to see that Daenerys's belly was slightly protruding outward, as if she had eaten too well and gained a little weight, her belly was fat.

But this was certainly not a fat belly. Daenerys had always maintained a very good figure and beautiful appearance. This—should be—pregnant?

Jon looked sideways at His Majesty the King. Next to His Majesty the King sat the petite Queen Jeyne. His eyes swept past Jeyne and landed on the Mountain.

Daenerys and the Mountain reconciled and surrendered. The Mountain helped Daenerys regain Slaver's Bay and helped her return to the Queen's throne. The relationship between the two was that of husband and wife in reality, but not in name. However, this was an open secret. Daenerys and Princess Arianne Martell were both the Mountain's women.

This was the most fashionable trend among the Westerosi nobility. Among the nobles, except for his father Eddard Stark and his wife, everyone basically had their own mistresses and lovers.

Suddenly, a voice caused Jon, who was in deep thought, to stand up instinctively and respond: “Yes, Your Majesty!”

It turned out that the Mountain was looking at him and calling his name.

“Commander Jon, lead a team of guards to Lady Hoare's palace and invite her over. I want her to personally execute the Carroll family.”

“Your Majesty……” Jon’s face straightened, and he was about to speak, but the Mountain interrupted him decisively: “Commander Jon, execute the order. Do you want to disobey?”

Jon’s face flushed, he looked at Arya, looked at Daenerys, and lowered his head: “Yes, Your Majesty.”

*

Duke Landon cursed loudly: “The Mountain, you are massacring the innocent. The gods are watching your evil deeds in the sky. You will die a miserable death. Everyone you have killed innocently will come to claim your life, you……”

The Mountain waved his hand, Missandei stepped forward, and the spear pressed against Duke Landon Carroll's chest. Duke Landon Carroll's face was livid, his chest heaving, but he still closed his mouth.

He already had the will to die. Perhaps he hoped to see his family and Queen Hoare one last time before he died. He gasped heavily, his eyes staring at the Mountain coldly and fiercely.

“Duke Landon Carroll, if you speak again, I will kill Commander Jon Targaryen, who untied you. He admires you very much and respects you very much, but you repay kindness with hatred and plan to kill him. You are a very shameless and despicable villain.”

Duke Landon Carroll opened his mouth angrily, but did not make a sound.

Just now, Jon untied him, spoke up for him, and wanted to save his family from this tyrant's hands. He couldn't kill the calm and kind-hearted young man because of his momentary outburst.

Indeed, he couldn't repay kindness with hatred.

He swept his eyes over his twenty-one colleagues, all of whom had knelt down to the tyrant and sworn allegiance, and had also been given official positions by the tyrant. They were all spineless, but Landon Carroll did not scold them. He understood these people's choices, because if they didn't want to die, they had actually been forced into a corner by their petition.

The new king in front of him had promised not to kill any innocent Qartheen people, as long as no one violated the law or actively attacked anyone else. But he suddenly killed the Magisters, killed the Undying, and completely destroyed the Scorpion Gate and the House of the Undying. This guy was a tyrant.

Landon Carroll came to question, hoping to persuade the new king to spare Queen Hoare's family and save a bloodline for the Hoare family, but things changed too quickly. Before he could formally petition, his impulsive words had pushed things to a point of no return.

This was something that Duke Landon Carroll had not anticipated at all. His greatest weakness was his impatience.

*

Lady Hoare arrived at the King's council hall accompanied by Jon.

It seemed that she had adjusted her emotions on the way from the West Palace to the East Palace. She looked calm and composed, with a smile on her face, showing dignity, grace and elegance.

“Your Majesty the King, Your Majesty the Queen,” she knelt down, her attitude humble, with the same etiquette as ordinary people, but her movements were full of education and demeanor.

“Please rise, Madam,” the Mountain said indifferently.

He addressed Queen Hoare as Lady Hoare in front of the old ministers of House Hoare. Everyone knew what this meant. The new king's promise that House Hoare would continue to rule Qarth was just one of his tactics. In fact, the new king wanted to control Qarth himself.

Duke Landon Carroll was also a master of tactics. He could understand the Mountain's purpose in doing all this. He didn't want to encourage the Hoare family to really take power, but only hoped that the new king could keep his promise not to kill innocent people and give the Hoare family a way out.

Lady Hoare stood up: “Your Majesty, can I have a few words with Duke Landon?”

The Mountain nodded.

Lady Hoare walked to Landon Carroll and said in the Qartheen dialect: “Duke Landon, Commander Jon has explained everything to me on the way here. I am very grateful for your loyalty, but you have really misunderstood His Majesty the King. He will not kill the Hoare family, and our family's bloodline will continue.”

“Your Majesty the Queen……”

“Don't call me Your Majesty the Queen anymore. King Hoare was killed by Master Pylori. The new king killed Master Pylori, which can be regarded as revenge for the King. Qarth is not the Qarth it used to be. All the people and soldiers in the city have chosen to submit, and so have we. The new king wants me to take the children to the continent of Westeros. The ship is ready, and I will also marry Queen Jeyne's uncle, Rover Spicer, after arriving in Westeros. He is the commander of the King's Landing royal guard.”

Landon Carroll was speechless……

In his judgment, the King was definitely going to kill Queen Hoare and the three children of the Hoare family, but he didn't. This was a very common form of marriage among nobles. This method had nothing to do with love, only with politics.

From the current point of view, this may be the best choice.

“Is the Mountain’s word… trustworthy?”

“Do you believe in God?”

“Of course, Madam.”

“We have all sworn in the name of our family's honor and the gods, and I also believe in Queen Jeyne. Queen Jeyne and I will be family in a few months.”

“Your Majesty the Queen… please forgive me for failing to protect the royal inheritance and dignity… and from now on, I will no longer be able to serve Your Majesty the Queen and the princes and princesses…” Landon Carroll knelt down, hugged Lady Hoare's legs, and cried bitterly.

Queen Hoare comforted him with kind words.

The twenty-one Qartheen nobles who had sworn allegiance to the Mountain all had tears in their eyes.

Suddenly, the outside was noisy, and there were constant cries. Soon, a group of people were driven in. There were men, women, old and young. The men's faces were sad and angry, and the women were all crying, but they were clean and tidy, and there were no scars on their bodies.

The Carroll family members were escorted in, nearly a hundred people, including family members and servants.

No one was injured or beaten. Although the women were crying pitifully, it was only because they didn't want to die.

This was the reason why the Mountain sent Ser Jorah Mormont and Grey Worm together. Jorah Mormont was a true knight and would not allow Unsullied soldiers and Dothraki cavalry to bully these unarmed people, especially women, children and old people. He would protect these people and take care of their faces.

“Duke Landon Carroll, what else do you have to say?” the Mountain said coldly.

Duke Landon Carroll stopped his emotions and wiped away his tears when he heard the voices of his family members. He regained his pride: “Your Majesty, I was wrong. I choose hanging.”

“Do you also represent the choices of your family members?”

“…………” Landon Carroll suddenly suffocated.

Lady Hoare said: “Your Majesty, I beg you, spare Lord Landon. He is the only courtier I recommended to you. Once he swears allegiance, he will not violate his oath. I have announced that I have terminated the relationship between him and me as lord and vassal in the name of House Hoare. He is free and can swear allegiance to any king.”

Recommending usable courtiers to the Mountain was an agreement between the Mountain and Lady Hoare. The Mountain needed local Qartheen people to participate in government affairs. He needed capable subordinates.

“Oh, did you give him a letter of recommendation?” the Mountain asked Lady Hoare.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Mountain looked at Landon Carroll: “Duke Landon, Lady Hoare gave you a letter of recommendation, why don't you take it out?”

“Your Majesty, my oath of fealty is to House Horn, not House Clegane.”

“Oh, very well. If you kneel before me and swear fealty, and become my Prime Minister, I will pardon your crimes and spare the lives of everyone in House Carroll. The choice is yours.”

Lady Horn's eyes glistened slightly. She nodded to Landon Carroll. “Lord Duke, let this be the final command the Horn Royal Family gives you. I, in the name of the Horn Queen, command you to kneel before King Clegane and swear fealty.”

All the weeping women of House Carroll stopped sobbing, their tear-streaked faces turned expectantly towards Landon Carroll...