The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Ellaria Sand shrieked, falling backward, caught by several Dornish noble widows...

Countess Laura Braemont stared, eyes wide, as the Prince's head flew into the air...

The Mountain's ice sword was so sharp, the strike so fierce, that Oberyn's head soared high...

Thousands of bright eyes stared at the scene...

Even the clatter of Oberyn's broken spearhead on the marble floor couldn't draw people's gazes away...

The Imp's mismatched eyes, one black, one green, one large, one small, stared at Oberyn's airborne head, his mouth forming a huge O. He certainly wouldn't have any appetite for noodles and ale at Old Ode's on Silk Street anymore...

A shower of blood rained down on the plaza, speckling the ground red...

Ser Deakon Manwoody, who had been tossing spears to Oberyn, dropped a bundle of spears and sprinted after the soaring head...

As the head landed, the plaza erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts...

The pent-up grief of over twenty aggrieved families was released. Many nobles surged into the plaza, kneeling before the Mountain in gratitude...

The Mountain was a Duke, the highest of knights; the Mountain had avenged them!

If not for the Mountain, as everyone had just witnessed, Oberyn's spearmanship was so superb that few others could have prevailed... If someone else had judged Oberyn, he might have escaped punishment...

The Mountain is the Mountain!

Penrose Braemont and a Braemont family servant rushed out to seize Oberyn's unyielding corpse...

Cersei stood up, her face flushed with excitement, a smile blooming like a flower on her face...

Jaime Lannister felt heavy-hearted, without joy. He looked at the Imp, whose expression was somber. With Oberyn dead, he couldn't escape his sentence. He didn't like being a fugitive with a crime hanging over him, but the Mountain had told him that if he fled across the Narrow Sea with the accusation of poisoning Joffrey, he would gain someone's favor: Daenerys Targaryen.

The Mountain wanted the Imp to forge an alliance between him and Daenerys.

The Imp couldn't understand how the Mountain would achieve an alliance with Daenerys, but he complied because agreeing to the Mountain was the only way to survive. He also had his blood taken by the Mountain and swore a poisonous oath at the Mountain's request.

Taking blood didn't necessarily have any effect, nor did it necessarily involve dark magic, but it would certainly create some shadow and doubt in the person's mind.

To survive, the Imp abandoned his pride.

As for those oaths, the Imp could swear a hundred a day. Whether those oaths were effective, he didn't know. Would he himself abide by the oaths? He didn't know either.

But regardless, he only had one head, and once it was chopped off, it couldn't grow back. The Imp knew that much.

Duke Mace and Queen Margaery excitedly called out Lady Olenna's name. Her blood feud had been avenged, which brought them comfort, but they didn't thank the Mountain...

The blood on the Mountain's longsword dripped clean, the light on the blade like autumn water, the sword body as dark as smoke.

"The Mountain is so cunning," Kevan Lannister whispered to Jaime, his tone strange.

"He had a special breastplate placed in his chest area," Jaime said. "His forward momentum caused Oberyn's spear to break outright."

"But what if Oberyn hadn't stabbed the Mountain's chest, but the Mountain's abdomen?" the Knight of Flowers said.

"There are no ifs. Oberyn lost. The Seven made a righteous judgment. He is guilty. He is the poisoner," Cersei said coldly.

The Dornishmen put Oberyn's head and body together, preparing to carry them away.

Cersei raised her hand, summoning Ser Bronn Bont, the former master-at-arms of Casterly Rock—"Ser Bronn, seize all the Dornishmen. Oberyn's body is ours as well."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Jaime stared at Cersei in astonishment.

Cersei said coldly, "Ser Jaime, I want you to set out for Dorne tomorrow, bring back Princess Myrcella, and then we'll release the three hundred Dornishmen. We'll also sew up Oberyn's body, give him the finest coffin, and send the Kingsguard to escort him back to Dorne."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

Cersei hadn't discussed it with Jaime beforehand, which made Jaime feel very uncomfortable.

But for their shared daughter Myrcella, Jaime decided to obey.

"As you command, Your Grace."

"I want you to bring Myrcella back without fail. After you depart, I will write a letter to Prince Doran. After you and Myrcella are safely on board, send me a raven, and we will send the Knight of Flowers to escort the Dornishmen and Prince Oberyn's body back to Dorne."

Cersei planned to send Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, to 'escort Oberyn's body' back to Dorne.

Doran would release his hostages first. Only when Jaime and Myrcella were safe would Cersei release her hostages.

Previously, Littlefinger's plan to exchange Rosamund Lannister for Myrcella when he went to attend Myrcella's wedding to the Dornish prince had fallen through.

The Imp and the Red Viper's plot to destroy the Mountain and the Clegane forces from within and without had also failed.

Many of the Imp's plans and various government affairs that he had formulated since becoming prime minister, but had not yet implemented, had also failed one by one.

When the Knight of Flowers escorted Oberyn's body back to Dorne, Cersei hoped that the Dornishmen would kill the Knight of Flowers out of anger, which Cersei thought would be a delightful pleasure. As long as the Knight of Flowers died, Jaime would be the commander of the Kingsguard.

Clang!

Amidst the cheers of thousands, the Mountain sheathed his ice sword and came before Cersei to report.

The Mountain had extremely high prestige in the hearts of the soldiers and the people.

During the Battle of the Blackwater, the Mountain had saved the lives of everyone in the city; it was also the Mountain who brought bread at the same time as he brought troops from Harrenhal.

In the deafening cheers of the entire audience, the Mountain did not kneel before the Dowager Queen Cersei.

Ever since King Robert, he had seen the king without kneeling.

Robert was a boorish king who didn't care about tedious etiquette and didn't quibble with boors like the Mountain.

This had cultivated the Mountain's habit of not kneeling even when facing Joffrey I. Now that Joffrey had been poisoned, and Cersei was regent, holding the highest power in the Seven Kingdoms, the Mountain, while very respectful in front of Cersei, still did not kneel.

Cersei didn't mind the Mountain's 'personality.' Two generations of kings could tolerate the Mountain not kneeling, so could she.

"Your Grace, the Seven have made a fair and impartial judgment. Prince Oberyn Martell is guilty of poisoning the king, Lady Olenna, Miss Sansa, and over twenty nobles, noblewomen, and ladies-in-waiting."

"Duke, your chest... are you alright!"

"I'm fine, Your Grace." The Mountain took out a fine breastplate from inside his chainmail, with a shallow dent in the middle.

Everyone was shocked to see it. One was for Oberyn's superb spearmanship, and the other was for the Mountain's ingenious protective thinking.

"Are your arms and shoulders alright?" Cersei decided to show concern for the Mountain's injuries to close the distance between her and the Mountain. The Mountain was truly too good of a knife to use.

"Minor injuries, not worth mentioning!"

"No, Oberyn is known as the Red Viper, I'm afraid there is snake venom on the tip of the spear, Duke, you must not be careless, in case of poisoning, it will be too late, I don't want Jenny to come and cry to me for someone, Grand Master Qyburn!" Cersei said.

Grand Master Qyburn, who was at her side, lowered his head slightly, stepped out quickly, a smile on his face, and said respectfully: "I am here, Your Grace."

"Immediately check Gregor's wounds, be careful of poison on the Red Viper's spear."

Cersei wasn't someone who would care about people, but she knew how to win over the Mountain.

As long as the Mountain was loyal to her, no one in the entire palace would be afraid of her.

Whether it was Kevan, who had always been dissatisfied with her, or the Tyrell family, who had been secretly placing people to expand their power, or the arrogant nobles of the Crownlands, as long as she had the Mountain, she would have nothing to fear.

Grand Master Qyburn immediately bowed: "As you command, Your Grace. -- Duke, do your wounds itch, do they feel hot? Do you feel any abnormalities in your body?"

Snake venom?

The transmigrated Mountain had already made all preparations. The potion that Jenny had prepared for him, he had been carrying with him since Crabs Claw Peninsula. At the start of the duel, regardless of whether there was poison on Oberyn's spear, he had drunk the potion that Jenny had prepared for him.

Poison, for blood witches, even if they drank the Tears of Lys, they would be unharmed.

"There are no signs of poisoning in the wound!" the Mountain said.

Cersei was still not at ease: "Duke, please come with me, to the Sept, let Grand Master Qyburn test you for poison first. The bishops in the Sept are also proficient in detoxification, I will have them come and take a look together." Cersei's concern made Jaime feel uncomfortable.

"As you command, Your Grace." The Mountain and Qyburn bowed together.

The leaders and cavalrymen of Crabs Claw Peninsula came behind the Mountain, everyone's faces filled with arrogant arrogance, as if they had killed Oberyn.

If it weren't for Her Grace the Queen Mother in front of them, they would have already grabbed the Mountain and thrown him into the air.

The Mountain was a god of death, stay away from him. But he was the King of Crabs Claw Peninsula, and was actually very close to the leaders and warriors of the peninsula tribes. The peninsula warriors were barbarians among nobles, and barbarians didn't have as many tedious etiquettes and strict hierarchical rules as noble civilizations.

Suddenly, there was a clamor in the plaza. The guards surrounded all three hundred Dornishmen, confiscated their few weapons, and snatched Oberyn's body. Commander Bronn Bont gave an order, and the Dornishmen, mostly women, were all taken away by the guards amidst weeping.

Countess Laura Braemont was no exception. She was the only surviving family head among the eight families from Dorne who came north to King's Landing. Oberyn's lover, Ellaria Sand, had already woken up, and her eyes were terrifying. She longed for revenge. Everyone here must die. As soon as she returned to Dorne, she would do everything to persuade Prince Doran to launch a war against the Iron Throne.

The Imp was also rudely taken away by the jailers!

Oberyn had failed in the trial by combat, the Imp's guilt was established, and he no longer had the freedom to go to Silk Street to drink and eat noodles.

The black cells under the Red Keep were his only destination.

The Kingsguard cleared the way in front, Cersei led Prince Tommen in the middle, the Kingsguard protected her and the Mountain, Grand Master Qyburn, Ser Kevan, Duke Mace, Queen Margaery, Master of Ships Wagoner Gall -- everyone walked into the Great Sept of Baelor together. The seven High Septons came up to greet them, respectfully inviting Her Grace the Queen Mother and Prince Tommen inside.

The Mountain's guard also followed closely behind the Mountain.

When he decided to enter King's Landing, the Mountain had asked the warriors of his guard to stay close to him. He told his sworn followers that King's Landing was the most terrifying place, and every royal courtier could be our enemy. Whether inside the Red Keep or on the city streets, swords must not leave hands, and people must not be alone. Wherever the Mountain goes, the brothers go, and we must not be careless.

Even in the most sacred place like the Great Sept of Baelor, the Mountain was very cautious.

This was a good habit, a good habit that could make people live longer!

At Cersei's request, the Grand Master and the seven High Septons treated the Mountain's wounds and tested him for poison. The injuries were minor, and there was no poison, which made Her Grace Queen Mother breathe a great sigh of relief.

"Lord Gregor, you have done a great service, tell me, what reward do you want to receive?"

"Your Grace, I hope the country is stable, and the war ends as soon as possible. King Joffrey is already dead, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. I implore Your Grace to make Prince Tommen the new king."

The Mountain's suggestion was exactly what Cersei had in mind.

The royal courtiers all felt strange in their hearts and felt very surprised that the Mountain didn't even ask for credit!