The Mountain of Ice and Fire

*

“Lancel? How long has it been?” Jaime stood up.

“Not long,” Tyrion said.

Should he tell Jaime about the Queen Mother and the other two brothers? Tyrion decided not to. One had already been smashed to death by the Mountain, and the other was now the captain of the Queen Mother's guard.

“I’m going to Maegor’s Holdfast,” Jaime said.

“Now?” Tyrion stood up. “Aren’t you going to wash your hair, shave, take a bath, and change your clothes?”

“No need.” Jaime pushed open the door and strode down the spiral staircase.

Tyrion came to the outer corridor, and Jaime had already descended to the second floor, appearing in the courtyard.

Bronn laughed, “Half-man, you did the right thing. If he killed Lancel, what would your uncle Kevan do? The Lannister family is really interesting!”

“Blackwater Knight, even if I didn’t tell Jaime, he would find out sooner or later,” Tyrion shrugged. “I’m mainly worried that he would go back tonight and run into Lancel in the Queen Mother’s bedroom. Then he wouldn’t be able to accept it and would cause a big problem. Now, by telling him in advance, his anger will gradually be brought under control on the way to Maegor’s Holdfast.”

“That makes sense.” Bronn laughed, mockingly, “In this regard, you are indeed like a giant.”

*

Several days later, on the south bank of the Blackwater, the Kingswood.

A white-robed general with blond hair and blue eyes, a slightly thin face, clean-shaven, handsome and mighty, wearing golden armor under his white robe, and a helmet and a long sword at his waist, also with golden scabbard and hilt.

The horse blanket under his crotch was also woven with pure gold thread, glittering with gold, showing wealth and glory.

Behind him was a red-robed general, also with blond hair and blue eyes, strikingly handsome.

The two generals had similar facial features!

The general in front looked more mature and restrained, while the general behind looked younger and more energetic.

They sped past one tree after another, galloping south.

The young general behind couldn't bear it any longer. They had been running for a long time and were far enough into the Kingswood, but it seemed that the general in front had no intention of stopping.

“Ser Jaime!” the young general behind called out, “Where exactly are we going?”

The general in front slowed down the horse's speed, and finally the horse slowly stopped, panting, and he looked up, focusing on a straight sentinel tree.

The trunk of the sentinel tree was as straight as a spear, and the treetop could not be seen when looking up, as it was blocked by dense branches and leaves. In the higher part, a horizontal branch as thick as an arm extended.

Jaime jumped off his horse. There was a package hanging on his saddle. The young general behind saw Jaime take out a stack of rope loops. Jaime threw the other end of the rope loop over the horizontal branch, grabbed the head of the rope loop and tied it to another tree next to him, and then tied a knot on the hanging rope. He tried the size of the tied noose with his neck, which was slightly too big.

The young general frowned, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt uneasy. He couldn't calm down, and his voice became panicked: “Ser Jaime, what are you doing?”

“You certainly know what I’m going to do, my dear cousin—Ser Lancel Lannister.” Jaime narrowed the noose a little and said with a smile.

Lancel felt a chill down his spine and immediately turned his horse's head. Snap, the horse whip hit the horse's buttocks hard. The horse was in pain and fled forward as if flying.

“Lancel, brother, for the sake of our common ancestry, I’ll let you run half a league first.” Jaime said lazily, as if talking to himself, “If you can escape today, I’ll let you go!” He slowly flipped onto his horse, gently clamped his legs, and the warhorse shot out.

In the dense forest of the Kingswood, two warhorses galloped like the wind, one in front and one behind. The young general in front kept looking back, desperately whipping his horse to escape, with a panicked expression; while the general behind was expressionless, looking relaxed. He didn't whip or kick his horse with spurs, and closely followed the young general on the right side. After a while, the distance between the two sides was about ten horse lengths.

“Brother, I was passive. I didn’t intentionally go to the Queen Mother’s bedroom.” Lancel shouted to Jaime, who was getting closer and closer.

“Then who was the active one?” Jaime’s indifferent voice.

“The Queen Mother, the Queen Mother forced me! I’m just a little attendant of hers. If she has a request, I dare not refuse.”

“Okay, now the Queen Mother is also ordering me to kill you. If you want to blame someone, don’t blame me.” Jaime replied indifferently.

As he spoke, the distance between the two sides was shortened to five horse lengths.

Jaime only needed to kick his spurs lightly to catch up with Lancel, but he didn't. He liked this feeling of chasing. The more frightened Lancel was, the more comfortable and happy he felt.

“Brother, give me a chance.”

“What kind of chance do you want?”

“Give me a chance to live.”

“What’s the reason?”

The distance between the two galloping warhorses was shortened again, only three horse lengths away. Jaime shortened the distance just to make it easier to talk to Lancel. He didn’t like shouting to speak.

“I’m your brother, we are both Lannisters.”

“Because you are my brother, you shouldn’t have done such a thing to humiliate me. Cersei can only belong to me alone.”

“Calm down, I wasn’t the active one… The Queen Mother doesn’t only have me as a man. She came to me after you were captured because I look a bit like you.”

Jaime was expressionless. The long captivity and the harsh environment of the Wall had made him emotionless. “Besides you, who else does the Queen Mother have?”

“I’ll tell you, you give me a way out. Brother, I’m still young!”

“Speak quickly!” Jaime shouted.

“Osmund Kettleblack. He and his brother Osney Kettleblack serve the Queen Mother together. Initially, the Queen Mother dated them under the pretext of going to the Great Sept of Baelor for sacrifices.”

“I only saw Osney Kettleblack become the captain of the Queen Mother’s guard. What about Osmund?”

“During the Battle of the Blackwater, Osmund was thrown off the city wall and killed by the Mountain.”

Jaime gently clamped his legs, and the warhorse understood, suddenly rushing forward, catching up with Lancel Lannister. Jaime reached out to grab Lancel’s back. Clang, Lancel drew his long sword first and slashed back.

Jaime retracted his hand, and Lancel’s long sword missed. He retracted his sword and stabbed towards Jaime’s neck.

Jaime tilted his head, avoiding this stab.

Lancel turned left, taking the opportunity to run away.

Jaime drew his long sword, which was a golden sword glittering with gold.

The hardness of a golden sword cannot compare to that of steel, but Jaime’s sword was not pure gold.

Lancel shouted, “Jaime, the person you should kill is Cersei, not me. You and Cersei did wrong things and have no honor. What face do you have to kill me?”

Jaime didn’t say a word, and the spurs on his boots kicked into the horse’s belly. The warhorse was in pain and went berserk, its hooves drumming like rain. Lancel was so frightened that his soul flew away. He lowered his body and frantically whipped his warhorse. Snap snap snap, snap snap snap, the sound was endless, and the warhorse galloped like an arrow in the dense forest.

Soon, Jaime’s horse caught up with Lancel’s warhorse again. The two horses were side by side, and the two swords clashed. There was a dense sound of chopping and blocking, ding ding dang dang. Suddenly, with a loud clang, Jaime knocked away Lancel’s long sword, reached out and grabbed Lancel from the horse. Lancel had no choice but to beg for mercy. Jaime slammed the hilt of his sword into his cousin’s temple. With just one blow, Lancel fainted…

*

Lancel was dizzy and felt a particularly bad headache, as if it had been split in half.

“Lord Bishop, he’s awake.” A strange voice said in his ear.

Lancel couldn’t think. He opened his eyes. The light in the forest was dim and not dazzling. He found himself surrounded by a group of ragged barefoot people, with a rope around his neck.

“Untie his rope.” A voice said majestically.

“Yes, Lord Bishop.”

The rope around Lancel’s neck was untied, and someone was helping him up, pouring cold water on his face.

Lancel gradually regained his sanity. He remembered that it was Jaime who put the noose around his neck and hanged him. At the last moment of losing consciousness, he heard Jaime’s horse hooves leaving.

Lancel’s headache was somewhat relieved. He felt the pain in his neck. The rope had left deep marks on his neck.

A large hand pressed on his head, a very rough but powerful hand. A hymn-like recitation rang out above Lancel’s head. Gradually, with the words of the recitation, Lancel’s headache, the pain in his neck, the fear, confusion, and tension in his heart were all relieved. He didn’t know when the recitation ended. When he realized it, all the pain had disappeared, and his heart had gained unprecedented peace.

Lancel stood up. Standing in front of him was a very tall man with thin cheeks and cold eyes, like the edge of a knife.

This was an elderly man with gray hair and deep wrinkles on his forehead and the corners of his eyes. He was wearing a simple, plain wool knee-length tunic and was barefoot, staring at Lancel.

“Are you the Bishop?”

Lancel didn’t see any symbols of the sect on this person’s clothes.

“I’m not the Bishop, I’m the High Sparrow. Would you like to be a little sparrow?”

“Sparrow?” Lancel felt puzzled. He looked around. All around were men of different ages, wearing gray robes, barefoot, and with messy hair. They were all ragged, like a group of beggars.

Lancel’s gaze passed over the crowd on the right and saw a long line of carts parked not far from this group of people. The carts were all filled with corpses, and the corpses had many wounds and blood on them.

“We are going to King’s Landing. The ones who died on the carts were monks and nuns of the Holy Church who were slaughtered along the way by the noble soldiers returning to the Reach. We need to uphold justice for this chaotic world in the name of the Seven Gods,” said the Bishop, who called himself the High Sparrow.

“Are you the Bishop of the Seven Gods?”

“Yes, I am also a High Sparrow. In this chaotic world, whether noble or commoner, everyone’s life is as small and fragile as a sparrow. Young man, it was the Seven Gods who saved your life. You are also a sparrow who cannot control your own destiny at all. Only by joining the church and becoming a devout monk can you gain true peace and redemption.”

*

At the same time, the Riverlands. Outside Riverrun.

Although the water of the Red Fork River was rising sharply, the water level in the river was falling every day.

Across the Red Fork River, the Mountain’s men were resting on the south bank.

The walls of Riverrun were full of trebuchets. The trebuchets were high above and could throw stones to the other side of the river. To cross the river by ferry to attack Riverrun, one must first avoid the rain of stone bullets. But even if they avoided the rain of stone bullets, the soldiers had no foothold under the city. The steep city walls were in the water, and the rising river water completely submerged the only city gate embankment. But even if the flood receded completely, revealing the embankment outside the city gate, the small area could not accommodate the attacking army.

Riverrun was a huge triangular castle built in accordance with the terrain of the delta. The castle was surrounded by water on three sides, and no siege equipment could be set up outside. To take Riverrun, a forced attack was impossible. Either there was internal strife in the city, or the city was besieged until it ran out of food, or the city lord gave up defending the city and actively surrendered.

Currently, there were two people in charge of defending Riverrun, Brynden “Blackfish” Tully and Duke Edmure Tully.

The Mountain shouted across the river to Riverrun: “Duke Edmure Tully, I am the Mountain. How is my little sister Elenya Westerling? Is she well?”

“The Mountain, are you here to attack Riverrun?” Edmure Tully shouted.

“No, Lord Edmure, I have always been a friend of Riverrun.”

“Then what do you want to do by leading the army here?”

The Mountain looked at his army of more than six thousand people and more than six thousand civilians, and sixteen hundred grain carts. He shouted, “The Clegane army is returning to the Westerlands, passing through the Riverlands, my lord.”

*

The vassals of the Riverlands were constantly defeated by Randyll Tarly's army. Blackfish decided to hold Riverrun and not fight anyone. In order to save every soldier, Riverrun did not even send out scouts, but only rotated the city defense soldiers day and night, strictly guarding against the arrival of the enemy.

Riverrun was crowded with civilians from the Riverlands seeking refuge. This caused a very serious problem: overcrowding. If the siege lasted for more than a year, Riverrun would collapse due to food shortages.

*

“Lord Mountain, since you are passing through the Riverlands, then leave quickly,” Edmure Tully said.

“How is my little sister? You were formally engaged to her. I want to see my little sister to be at ease.”

Edmure looked at his uncle Blackfish beside him. Whether the Mountain was a friend or foe, although there had been some hints from Eddard Stark, they were not sure in their hearts. But whether they were friends or foes, the consensus was not to let the Mountain cross the river and enter the city.

The Riverlands' predicament was caused by being isolated and helpless: the North was overwhelmed, just having recovered Winterfell, and the morale of the army and the people was like the destroyed city walls, all waiting to be repaired; Lysa Tully of the Vale was the same as before, not only not sending troops to rescue, but not even letting go of a single raven sent to the Eyrie for help.

Brynden Blackfish Tully nodded to Edmure.

“The Mountain, you wait. I will bring Elenya Westerling to the city wall, and you can ask her yourself if she has suffered any grievances in Riverrun.”

“Then when will you hold the wedding with her?” The Mountain asked.

Edmure Tully choked!

The Blackfish beside him also stared at him coldly!

Edmure and Elenya's marriage began at Casterly Rock. Edmure respectfully got engaged, and after Elenya entered Riverrun, she gained the affection of Duke Hoster. She brought solace and joy to the old duke's last two years. However, even after Duke Hoster's death, Edmure kept dragging his feet, unwilling to acknowledge a formal marital relationship with Elenya.

It's been two years since I last saw the little girl. The Mountain believes she must have grown into a graceful young woman. Calculating the time, she's thirteen this year, just wondering if she's had her first moon blood yet.

As long as Elenya is safe and receives the Tully family's courtesy, the Mountain is relieved.

Although Edmure is lustful, he's very proper and not bad-hearted at all—the Tully family are great nobles, and the Blackfish, Catelyn, and Duke Hoster, their characters are far better than the Mountain's own.

Soon, Elenya appeared on the city wall. Even across the Red Fork, the Mountain could clearly sense that the little girl had grown taller in the two years since he last saw her. Standing beside Edmure, she looked every bit the daughter of a great noble house.

"Little sister, have you been wronged? Have you ever thought about coming home?" The Mountain said.

"Brother-in-law, I'm very well here. The soldiers and the people respect me. It's been two years, and I miss home very much, brother-in-law. How are my parents?"

"Little sister, everything is fine at home. Father is managing Dragonstone for us, training naval warships; Mother and little brother are at Casterly Rock. Sister Jeyne recently won a great victory in the Crownlands, killing over a thousand of the enemy. She must be leading the Clegane army back to Clegane's Keep in the Westerlands now."

"Oh! Brother-in-law, you and sister are both remarkable. I've heard many heroic tales of you in Riverrun."

"Those aren't just tales, they're true," The Mountain laughed.

"Brother-in-law is so good at fighting. So, is brother-in-law here to attack Riverrun this time?"

"No, we're just passing through. I'm returning to the Westerlands."

"Passing through?"

"The warriors of my Bright Mountain range are willing to relocate their families from the mountains to settle in the Westerlands, so we're borrowing the road through the Riverlands, passing through Riverrun. I have absolutely no intention of attacking Riverrun."

"Is that so? The Riverlands are currently under attack by the Reach and Westerlands allied forces. Most of the vassal lords have either surrendered or been killed. Does brother-in-law have any good way to help us?"

"Little sister, if Duke Edmure Tully acknowledges marrying you, then we'll be family, and I'd be willing to take action to resolve the Riverlands crisis for my sister and brother-in-law. Whether it's war or peace, I'll stand on the side of our own people."

Elenya looked at Edmure Tully beside her: "Your Grace, why don't you pretend to agree to marry me first, and then we can get my brother-in-law's help? The people of the Riverlands have already suffered too many casualties. We need allies, and we need to end this war as soon as possible."

Edmure looked troubled!

His uncle, Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, snorted heavily, extremely dissatisfied with Edmure.

This dissatisfaction wasn't about wanting Edmure to yield to the Mountain, but rather that Edmure had acted improperly while drunk, doing something dishonorable to a young girl, then after getting engaged, he went back on his word, procrastinating and prevaricating, always hoping to break off the engagement. He was truly unworthy of being the upright Duke of the Tully family.

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