The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 504: Royal Power and Beasts

Night, Maiden's Chambers.

The Mountain, Mace Tyrell, and Margaery Tyrell were face to face.

This was the first time he was formally discussing matters with the Tyrell family as allies, previously it had always been through Littlefinger Petyr Baelish.

Littlefinger had left King's Landing before the royal wedding, taking on the title of Lord of Harrenhal to accept Harrenhal castle and its lands, before crossing the Trident river and entering the Vale to persuade Lysa Tully to swear allegiance to the royal family.

With Littlefinger gone, the middleman for the Mountain and the Tyrell family's secret alliance was gone, so the Mountain personally paid a visit to the Tyrell family.

"Lord Mace, the Queen Mother hosted a banquet for me this afternoon in the Queen Mother's Ballroom."

"Lord Gregor, I have received the relevant news. You performed a great service in solving the poisoning case. It's fine that the Queen Mother hosted you, but she didn't even invite Margaery, which makes me feel slighted."

"The Queen Mother clearly doesn't have the Tyrell family in her eyes," the Mountain's words were as sharp as knives.

"Lord Gregor, do you have any guidance for me?" Margaery Tyrell asked obediently.

"Queen Margaery, you are too polite. I have already proposed to the Small Council to establish Tommen Baratheon as king. Ser Kevan, Grand Maester Qyburn, the Queen Mother, Prince Tommen, and myself have all reached an agreement."

"The King's coronation needs to take place in the Great Sept of Baelor. The High Septon was poisoned, and the position is currently vacant. How can Prince Tommen be crowned?" Mace said.

"A High Septon is easy to find, just elect one from the seven High Septons," the Mountain looked at Margaery Tyrell, "What I'm really worried about is that once Tommen sits on the Iron Throne, he will need to find a queen. Once a new queen is chosen, Queen Margaery, as the widow of King Joffrey, may not be qualified to live in the royal court."

Mace and Margaery exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious!

"Does Lord Gregor have any good ideas to teach me?"

"Marry Tommen," the Mountain said, "As long as you have no objections, I am willing to be the matchmaker and let Tommen marry Queen Margaery."

Mace and Margaery exchanged glances again. Mace said, "Lord Gregor, if Margaery can become King Tommen's wife, our Tyrell family will be eternally grateful."

Margaery showed no joy. She had no feelings for being queen; she cared about political interests. Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, had educated her very successfully. For the sake of family interests, personal emotional needs were not worth mentioning.

"Lord Gregor, thank you. I am very eager to be King Tommen's wife. I will wholeheartedly love King Tommen and do my best to be a qualified good wife and a good queen for the country."

"Queen Margaery, perhaps I will encounter some difficulties in proposing for you, but I believe that as long as the Clegane family and the Tyrell family are closely linked, Queen Cersei will eventually agree to your marriage with Tommen."

"Lord, the Tyrell family is the Clegane family's eternal ally," Mace assured the Mountain.

This guarantee was not binding at all!

But the Mountain didn't mind these hypocritical words.

"Lord Mace, Queen Margaery, the Clegane family is also the Tyrell family's eternal ally."

Everyone was equally hypocritical, taking what they needed, so there was no need to despise each other.

"Lord Gregor, what about the position of Hand?" Margaery Tyrell said.

"Lady Margaery, if you marry Tommen and become the queen of the kingdom, you will be able to control the still-childish King Tommen. If Lord Mace were to compete for the position of Hand at this time, it would be detrimental to your marriage with Tommen. If you become queen and Lord Mace becomes Hand, the courtiers and generals will think that the Tyrell family wants to seize the Baratheon family's royal power. My suggestion is that the position of Hand should go to Lord Kevan Lannister, and King Tommen should belong to Queen Margaery," the Mountain said.

"Lord, what if Cersei doesn't agree to our marriage?" Mace voiced his concern.

"It's simple, Lord. You just need to stop transporting grain into King's Landing, and the army attacking the Riverlands should also suspend operations. I will speak to the Queen Mother, and Queen Cersei will have to yield," the Mountain said.

Mace and Margaery exchanged glances again.

Mace said, "Alright, Lord Gregor, I'll listen to you this time."

"Before I go to Cersei to propose the marriage for you, Lord, I hope that you and I can first visit Ser Kevan Lannister."

"Oh?!"

"We will visit him, agree to vote for him to be Hand, and ask him to also agree to the marriage between Margaery and Tommen."

"That's a good idea!" Margaery's beautiful eyes sparkled, "As long as Ser Kevan agrees, or at least doesn't obstruct, the chances of Queen Cersei agreeing when Lord Gregor proposes the marriage will be much higher."

"Queen Margaery," the Mountain said, "Even if Ser Kevan disagrees, I guarantee that I can make you marry King Tommen as you wish."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Thank you for your trouble," Margaery Tyrell stood up and curtsied to the Mountain. Once she left the royal palace and lost her identity as Queen Tommen, the Tyrell family's political interests and her own status and glory would greatly decline.

"You don't need to thank me, the Clegane family and the Tyrell family are eternal allies," the Mountain said sincerely with false social words, "Queen Margaery, Lord Tyrell, I also have a small matter that needs your support."

"Lord, what is it?"

"Ser Kevan will take the Imp's position as Hand, and the position of Master of Whisperers will be vacant. I hope…"

"I will vote for anyone you recommend at the Small Council meeting without reservation," Lord Mace stated before the Mountain finished speaking.

"My brother Loras's vote will also be given unreservedly to the best candidate you recommend," Margaery Tyrell guaranteed.

"Thank you, Queen and Lord," the Mountain nodded slightly.

*

Maegor's Holdfast.

A handmaiden entered Queen Cersei's bedroom: "Your Grace, Lancel Lannister, a member of the Faith of the Seven, requests an audience."

"Tell him to wait for me in the reception room."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Cersei slowly changed her clothes, had the handmaiden apply light makeup, and after checking the time and seeing that an hour had passed, she walked towards the reception room with the handmaiden, guards, and the supervisor, Osney Kettleblack.

Outside the door of the reception room, stood several blue-robed monks, with several iron chains diagonally across their bodies, axes inserted into the chains around their waists. Several monks, led by Lancel, had seven-pointed stars tattooed on their foreheads with blue paint.

Opposite the monks, were the Queen Mother's red-robed guards, each in bright armor, with long swords, helmets, and red cloaks, glaring at the monks with hostility.

The monks were fearless, their eyes calm. But Cersei saw ruthlessness in their calmness.

Cersei entered the reception room under the guidance of the guards, and a tall figure stood in the middle of the reception room: the High Sparrow, whose origins were unknown.

Cersei's heart stirred when she saw the High Sparrow come to her door in person.

She had been looking for a force besides the Mountain, the Westerlands, and the Tyrells to use for her own purposes. She had taken a fancy to the High Sparrow's Faith Militant: numerous and fearless. Cersei could see the fearlessness of the High Sparrow's sparrows in their eyes.

Cersei sat on the high seat: "Friar, what should I call you?"

"Your Grace, I am just a sparrow."

"Friar, the laws of the Seven Kingdoms stipulate that the Faith Militant is not allowed to carry weapons. Their only weapon is 'The Seven-Pointed Star'. As a High Septon, don't you understand this?"

"The High Sparrow understands."

"Knowing the law and violating it is doubly punishable," Cersei said sternly.

The High Sparrow was fearless, his face calm. His clothes were ragged, his feet were bare, the sleeves of his gray monk's robe were torn, and his arms were exposed from the cut-off cuffs.

"Your Grace, the kingdom is in turmoil, with years of civil war, refugees everywhere, and famine and disease threatening the lives of your people at any time. The sparrows who believe in the Seven Gods have emerged to help these refugees and stabilize the national situation. From the Blackwater Rush south, the monks and nuns in the septs along the way have been brutally massacred by the Tyrell family's legions. In order to protect the most devout followers of the Seven Gods, we have had to arm ourselves with wooden sticks to resist tyranny."

"The Tyrell family's legions killed the monks in the septs?" Cersei was very interested in this. She had always disliked the Tyrell family. The Tyrell family, sitting on the granary of the Reach, hoarded grain and refused to release it, using the power of grain to control the fate of the kingdom.

"Yes, Your Grace. Our monks would have been completely killed by the noble legions returning to the Reach from King's Landing if they hadn't taken up sticks and axes. Killing monks is angering the Seven Gods. Once the Seven Gods send down divine punishment, no one can escape judgment. At that time, it will be the end of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Now that the Seven Kingdoms are stable, the rebel Renly and Stannis have been brought to justice, and the Stormlands, Dorne, Dragonstone, the Reach, the Crownlands, and the Westerlands are all vassals loyal to the Baratheon royal family."

"Your Grace, the kingdom has not achieved peace," the High Sparrow took two steps forward, facing Cersei, "The North is independent, and the war in the Riverlands is still ongoing. I saw in a prophecy that Randyll Tarly's coalition forces will not be able to capture Riverrun. The people of the Vale have not yet returned to the royal family, and Dorne has become unstable due to the Oberyn Martell poisoning incident."

"If the Tyrell family in the Reach has any dissatisfaction, they can stop supplying grain to King's Landing at any time. At that time, the refugees in King's Landing will inevitably riot. But if Your Grace approves the church to have arms, then the church's armed forces will be able to protect your people, stabilize the political situation, appease the people, and resist the rebels for the royal family. The royal family's debt of one million gold dragons to the Great Sept of Baelor can also be written off."

The High Sparrow's words made Cersei's heart beat faster!

"Friar, you are not the High Septon and cannot waive the royal family's million-dollar debt."

"Your Grace, with just a word from you, I can have the seven High Septons in the Great Sept of Baelor elect me as High Septon tomorrow. As High Septon, the first thing I will do is waive the royal family's million-dollar debt. The second thing is to appease the refugees. Even if the entire city runs out of food, there will be no more riots."

Cersei said lightly, "Friar, what word do you want from me?"

"As long as Your Grace nods and allows me to become High Septon, I will get the seat of High Septon myself."

"How will you get it?"

"I will persuade the seven High Septons to elect me as High Septon."

Cersei was silent!

"Your Grace, if you can amend the law to allow the church to have arms, the church will spare no effort to maintain the stability and peace of the kingdom."

"If you become High Septon, I want you to do two things for me."

"Your Grace, please tell me what two things?"

"First, crown King Tommen and place the crown on his head."

"This is the duty of the High Septon, within his responsibilities."

"Second, capture Margaery Tyrell and lock her in the sept's dungeon."

"Your Grace, if the monks want to arrest someone, that person must have committed an act that violates the precepts of 'The Seven-Pointed Star'."

"Margaery Tyrell and her handmaidens have an intimacy that exceeds that between mistress and servant. She is King Joffrey's queen, but she also has an improper relationship with Ser Osney Kettleblack."

"Your Grace, these are very serious accusations and require evidence. If Your Grace comes forward to testify, our sept will invite Queen Margaery Tyrell to the sept to attend a prayer meeting and then arrest her."

"I cannot come forward. She is the widow of my son Joffrey, which is against human ethics."

The High Sparrow pondered for a moment: "Your Grace, if you can get Osney Kettleblack to testify in the sept that Queen Margaery has a relationship with him, then I can find a way to arrest Margaery."

"Good! I will find a way to get Osney to go to the sept and inform the High Septon."

*

The next morning, in the Queen Mother's reception room.

Kevan Lannister, who had come on orders, could no longer calm down after hearing Cersei's words: "Your Grace, the sept will not have arms."

"I know, that was an edict issued by Maegor I, and that edict is already more than two hundred years old. It's time to amend that outdated edict."

"The sept's armed forces are a beast. Once they are released, we will not be able to control the situation. The sparrows who are loyal to the High Sparrow are everywhere, and the common people at the bottom regard them as relatives. Once the sept has legal star-shaped weapons and holy sword weapons, the High Sparrow will be another king. The kingdom's royal power will be out of control."

"Uncle Kevan, you are overthinking things. The sept's armed forces are like the Mountain. As long as you control them, their power will be our power. The sparrows and holy sword knights will be our soldiers."

"Cersei, you are too naive," Kevan called Cersei by her name instead of Your Grace, "The sept's monks are completely different from the Mountain. For the sake of interests, honor, status, and power, the Mountain will still weigh the pros and cons, and he will still fear royal power and the hearts of the people."

"The sept's monks, for the sake of faith, for the sake of the Seven Gods, and for the sake of the precepts of 'The Seven-Pointed Star', they have no pros and cons in their eyes, no fear, and no royal power at all. The king, the Queen Mother, the Hand, the royal courtiers, nobles, and knights are nothing in their eyes. The only thing supreme in their eyes is the Seven Gods. Once you agree that they have the right to possess legal arms, they can buy any weapons from blacksmiths. This will release a most terrifying beast that has no fear of royal power at all."

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