The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Velas Tyrell was a cripple with a special wheelchair. Many roads in Highgarden were modified to accommodate Velas Tyrell's wheelchair.

After Queen Mother Cersei arrived, Velas abandoned his wheelchair and used a cane to stand and walk.

Velas usually used a cane, but to show respect for Queen Mother Cersei, he insisted on using it constantly after Her Majesty arrived in Highgarden. After all, he had many opportunities to meet with Her Majesty every day, and it was inappropriate for him to sit while Her Majesty stood.

Captain of the Guard Aegon followed Velas, along with four family knights.

As the six of them arrived, a white-robed knight as tall as a small giant stood at the entrance of the spiral staircase. He was Queen Mother Cersei's Kingsguard, Osmund Kettleblack.

"Ser Osmund, I request an audience with Queen Mother Cersei to report important matters to her," Velas said as he stepped forward. He was gentle, refined, and a model of noble etiquette.

"Lord Velas, please wait a moment," Osmund said politely.

"Yes, Ser!"

Osmund signaled a guard to go upstairs and invite Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Velas and his party stood respectfully in front of the spiral staircase, waiting.

After a long while, Cersei appeared at the staircase entrance, with Queen Mother's Master of Whisperers, Oswell Kettleblack, leading the way, followed by Kingsguard Balon Swann and Her Majesty's four red-robed guards.

Red robes were the symbol of the Westerlands!

Velas paid his respects to Her Majesty the Queen Mother in full vassal etiquette. The two took their seats, and their respective guards stood behind them.

"Your Majesty, the Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands has come to invade. The naval power of the Reach is weak and no match for them. I will send a raven to request the Redwyne family of the Arbor to send a fleet to attack them from both inside and outside to defeat the Iron Islands fleet. Before issuing the order, I came specifically to report to Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"

Velas spoke humbly.

Cersei looked at Velas with a somewhat playful gaze. Apart from his crippled leg, Velas was excellent in every other way. He was handsome, erudite, and especially obedient. Velas was the future Duke and Lord of the Reach, and Tommen's dynasty could not do without his support.

"Lord Velas, I wish to see the battle that defeats the Iron Islands fleet."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will definitely defeat the Iron Fleet."

Captain Aegon, behind Velas, kept his eyes fixed on Cersei, of course, with the respectful gaze of a vassal's house guard. Cersei's beauty lived up to its reputation. Compared to Dorne's famous 'Little Rose' Margaery, Cersei's beauty was mature, dignified, and very charming, attracting men's attention even more.

Such a woman, mixed with a unique, supreme aura, made it easier for men to have the desire to conquer.

Aegon didn't understand why Velas was blind to Cersei's beauty. Aegon thought such a woman was hard to come by.

The two Kingsguard behind Cersei were a problem, and the five hundred Queen's Guards were also a problem, but as long as Velas was willing, Cersei could only be left in Highgarden to bear children for the Tyrell family.

It was time for Velas to make a decision. If he didn't seize Cersei now, Her Majesty might leave one day. In that case, the efforts of Lord Mace and the Hand of the King would be wasted.

Aegon stood behind Velas, his heart surging. He was more concerned than Velas himself about whether Cersei would stay and marry Velas.

Cersei and Velas were discussing the Iron Fleet in the Mander River. Balon Swann, the Kingsguard behind her, noticed Aegon. This guy from the Riverlands was always staring at Cersei with ill intentions, which was very rude. Balon thought Aegon's tongue should be cut off and his eyes gouged out. Obviously, Queen Mother Cersei failed to see the ambiguous gaze of the Captain of the Guard behind Velas.

Aegon felt Balon's gaze. Their eyes met, and Aegon saw the vigilance and concealed hostility in Balon's eyes.

Aegon lowered his gaze, choosing a 'humble' response. He was planning in his heart that he couldn't let Velas's 'milk-giving' personality continue. He had to have a meeting with Master Garth, Master-at-Arms Fothimer, and Maester Lomes, and secretly formulate and promote the 'marriage' plan without Lord Velas knowing.

Because of the Iron Islands Iron Fleet's invasion, the nobles of the Reach gathered in Highgarden, just in time to attend the 'Grand Wedding of Velas and Queen Mother Cersei'.

*

Velas and Aegon bid farewell to Queen Mother Cersei and returned to their own round tower. He ordered Maester Lomes to be summoned and asked him to send a raven to Lord Redwyne, requesting fleet support.

Lomes arrived quickly. Velas dictated, Lomes wrote the letter, and the raven was released on the spot. According to Velas's orders, half a month later, the fleet of vassal Redwyne would appear in the Shield Islands. The Shield Islands, which had fallen into the hands of the Iron Fleet, would be recaptured.

*

In the evening, Captain Aegon invited the Maester, Steward, and Master-at-Arms. The four of them gathered together for a meeting.

"My lords, we must implement the marriage plan," Captain Aegon said bluntly. "The arrival of the Iron Fleet also provides us with a perfect and legitimate reason to summon the soldiers of the Reach. Balon Swann and Osmund Kettleblack are two tough nuts to crack. I estimate that we cannot persuade them with words, but only with swords."

"Lord Velas's wedding must not be stained with blood," Maester Lomes objected.

"A few bottles of good wine can get Balon Swann and Osmund drunk. By the time they wake up, they will have been tied up," Steward Garth said slowly.

"There are also five hundred Queen's Guards, all of them elites!" Master-at-Arms Fothimer said cautiously, with a rugged face, sinister eyes, and bulging muscles.

"The five hundred Queen's Guards can be dealt with in the same way. First, serve them with fine wine and beautiful women, then two people deal with one, and capture them all," Garth said slowly.

"The nobles are gathered here. Once the news spreads, will the vassals think that we are plotting something wrong?" Maester Lomes was still cautious. "Using coercive means to control Her Majesty's soldiers, how will the vassals who don't know the truth view the Tyrell family? If there are deep-minded people who take the opportunity to get close to Queen Cersei, will the Queen say that we are rebelling?"

"We are following the orders of the Hand of the King and Lord Mace to keep Her Majesty as the lady of Highgarden. This itself is indeed somewhat improper. After we keep Cersei, Duke Kevan and Lord Mace will control the dynasty, quell the chaos, and restore peace to the Seven Kingdoms until King Tommen comes of age, and then the transfer of power will be completed," Garth said slowly.

Maester Lomes's eyes lit up: "My lords, we need the Hand of the King to publicly declare, in the capacity of 'Head of House Lannister,' that he will marry his niece Cersei Lannister to Velas Tyrell."

The fat Garth was cunning and said slowly: "It would be best if King Tommen also gave a wedding gift. In this way, the Tyrell family will be rightfully marrying Queen Mother Cersei, and our lord Velas will be King Tommen's stepfather. Miss Margaery is also Queen Tommen's queen, and the power, wealth, status, and military strength of the Reach will become the first in the Seven Kingdoms."

Once you have power, you have money. With money, you can raise professional soldiers. At present, there are not many professional soldiers in the Seven Kingdoms as a whole. Once a war starts, more than half of the soldiers come from all walks of life. A great noble's professional soldiers are generally one thousand, plus hundreds of mercenaries. Ordinary nobles have three to five hundred professional soldiers. Once a war starts and professional soldiers are needed, the nobles will spend money to hire mercenaries. In the event of a major war, militia and reserves will be used. At a word, legions of two thousand or three thousand will be formed immediately.

There are many mercenary groups in this world. It is a high-income profession for soldiers. When the Free Trade Cities across the Narrow Sea go to war, most of the soldiers come from mercenary groups. Some city-states are entirely guarded and fought by hired mercenaries.

Among the Seven Kingdoms, the most private professional soldiers who only serve a certain family are possessed by only one person, with more than 20,000 people: The Mountain, Gregor Clegane! This is a 'huge' private army that has developed imperceptibly and invisibly, a behemoth compared to the thousands of family professional soldiers of any duke.

That night, Steward Garth, Maester Lomes, Master-at-Arms Fothimer, and Captain Aegon formulated a detailed plan for the 'Wedding of Queen Mother Cersei and Lord Velas'.

*

A few days later, in Queen Mother Cersei's guest room.

It was said to be a guest room, but it was actually the duke's main fort room.

Queen Mother Cersei, with her noble status, naturally lived in the most luxurious room in the main fort. The duke's room was empty, and the luxurious room of the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna, was also empty. The Queen was no longer there, and her remains were not transported back, but placed in the Great Sept of Baelor, which symbolized royal power and status.

Olenna's granddaughter Margaery was the Queen. The Queen of Thorns was murdered at the King's wedding, and she enjoyed some noble treatment, which could better appease the Tyrell family and its vassals.

Queen Mother Cersei moved into Lady Olenna's super-large room. This was also at the request of Queen Mother Cersei herself. She did not shy away from the fact that Lady Olenna had passed away. In the palace, many rooms, "the King, Queen, Iron Throne, Maegor's Holdfast, Queen Mother's Ballroom, have all had people die in them. If you are afraid of that, the entire Red Keep in King's Landing can no longer be lived in. Even the Iron Throne, everyone wants to sit on it, but many kings have died on the Iron Throne, and several were directly stabbed to death by the Iron Throne's iron swords.

Cersei moved into Lady Olenna's room and felt a strange excitement in her heart. Lady Olenna was the true ruler of the Reach. Her maiden family was the Redwyne family—the Redwyne of the Arbor, who were extremely wealthy and powerful because they produced wine that sold all over the world, and possessed a fleet no less powerful than the Iron Islands.

The Red Keep in King's Landing needed the support of the Tyrell family to maintain the military and civilian life of King's Landing and the stability of the kingdom, while the Tyrell family needed the loyalty of the Redwyne family to maintain the rule of the Reach.

The Reach has the Mander River connecting to the sea. Along the west coast, there are countless fishing villages and towns by the sea, which are always vulnerable to attacks and raids by pirates or the Iron Islands fleet. The Tyrell family relied on the powerful naval power of the Arbor to maintain the safety of the coastline. The combined fleet of the nobles on the four islands of the Shield Islands was less than one-fifth of the Arbor fleet. The strength of the Redwyne family can be seen.

The Redwyne family had two twin brothers who were courtiers in the Red Keep of King's Landing. Cersei knew those two twins. The royal family also intentionally or unintentionally treated the two twins as invisible hostages. To control the Tyrell family of the Reach, they must first control the Redwyne family of the Arbor. The Queen of Thorns, Olenna, who controlled the Reach, came from the Redwyne family.

After Queen Mother Cersei moved into Lady Olenna's room, she felt a sense of accomplishment from the bottom of her heart. She could see in the air the face of Lady Olenna, who was proud, held her head high, and spoke sharply. She often had conversations with the invisible Lady Olenna in the air, and the Queen Mother had a victorious smile on her face.

When Velas and Lomes walked into the former Queen of Thorns's large room, they saw Cersei's signature fake smile.

Even if it was a fake smile, Velas had to admit that Cersei was beautiful and her smile was enchanting.

"Your Majesty, I recommend the family's archmaester, Lomes, to you. He is proficient in medicine, astronomy, history, geography, agriculture, cuisine, mathematics, etc... The maester is erudite, has a humorous speech, and knows everything about Highgarden. I think there should be such an archmaester to serve Her Majesty."

Cersei accepted it happily.

Cersei was a Queen Mother who enjoyed pomp and high-quality service. Indulgence was her lifestyle. Having a Highgarden archmaester who knew everything by her side would make everything more convenient and make people feel more comfortable.

Lomes bowed humbly and respectfully, the old man with an extraordinary temperament: "Your Majesty, Maester Lomes is dedicated to serving Her Majesty, and hopes that Her Majesty can have a pleasant time in the court."

"Maester Lomes, are you also proficient in medicine?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I want to test you to see if your erudition is as legendary as it is said."

"Please give me a question, Your Majesty." Lomes wanted to see how Her Majesty the Queen Mother would deliberately embarrass him. This was a very strange psychology. When you hear that someone is a master fortune teller, you always want to see the other side of the master that he doesn't know. Most people are like this.

"Maester Lomes, have you heard of Maester Qyburn?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, Maester Qyburn is now the Grand Master in the palace." Lomes hated Qyburn deeply. Qyburn's evil deeds of using living people for experiments implicated many archmaesters who were truly studying medical science, and the Citadel also initiated the strictest precepts, prohibiting any maester from studying necromancy; prohibiting any maester from using living human bodies to conduct medical experiments, and issuing a worldwide wanted order for Qyburn.

"Before Qyburn became the Grand Master, when he was still studying in the Citadel, did Maester Lomes know Qyburn at that time?"

"Yes, madam."

"Oh, what outrageous things did Qyburn do at that time?"

"Your Majesty, Qyburn is a person who was stripped of his maester's chain by the Citadel and exiled."

Cersei didn't care: "Maester Lomes, compared to Qyburn, who is better at medicine?"

"Qyburn!" Lomes said the answer that Queen Mother Cersei wanted to hear.

This was to get close to Cersei, monitor her actions, and propose at the appropriate time that Her Majesty the Queen Mother needed to find a new husband.

Cersei heard the answer she wanted to hear, and she smiled slightly.

*

ps: As usual, the owed guaranteed chapters will be paid off. The guaranteed update is 4,000 words per day in September.