The Mountain of Ice and Fire

When Jaime left King's Landing for Dorne, he didn't take many men with him. Bronn and Podrick Payne were his main assistants.

He had just secretly left Dorne with Princess Myrcella when a mutiny broke out in Sunspear. Princess Arianne, with the help of Oberyn's daughters, launched a coup and seized power, sending Dornish warships to pursue Jaime. Jaime successfully evaded them by splitting his forces.

Jaime abandoned ship in the waters off Storm's End and landed with a hundred men, traveling overland back to King's Landing. During this time, he received news that Cersei was also returning to King's Landing from the Roseroad, so he met her near the edge of the Kingswood in the direction of Bitterbridge. Shortly after, a raven arrived from King's Landing, reporting that the Mountain had killed Randyll Tarly on the Kingsroad, two days' ride from King's Landing, intending to attack the city and capture Kevan. In this urgent situation, Jaime obtained Cersei's consent and led Bronn, Podrick, and a hundred Red Cloaks back to King's Landing overnight, hoping to prevent the Mountain from besieging the city.

King's Landing was in a state of emergency. Commander of the City Watch Benlont Brown, Master of Laws Ilyn Payne, Lady Laura Brax of Dorne, Ser Penrose Brax, and Ser Decon Manwoody were stationed at the Gate of the Gods. Outside the gate was the Mountain's cavalry encampment.

Within King's Landing, more than three hundred Dornishmen were under house arrest. With the Mountain attacking the city, Kevan mobilized the Dornishmen. Lady Laura Brax of Dorne led her heir Penrose, and Ser Decon Manwoody, who inherited the title of Earl after Lady Jenny killed off his family, all participated in the defense of the city.

Kevan had persuaded Tommen Baratheon I to join him in defending the city walls when the Mountain attacked.

The Royal Navy had already defected, claiming to be acting under the orders of the Master of War, the Mountain, to blockade the Blackwater Bay. Five thousand naval warriors, led by Master of Whisperers Burney Clegane and Commander of the Navy Waggener Gahlau, surrounded the Mud Gate and the King's Gate under the banner of 'Capturing the traitorous Hand Kevan and pledging allegiance to King Tommen'.

The Mountain's main force was still marching rapidly on the Goldroad. Even so, the Mountain's forces already had the upper hand.

The Gate of the Gods was defended by more than two thousand two hundred soldiers; the Mud Gate by one thousand soldiers; and the King's Gate by one thousand soldiers. However, the main force of naval warriors waiting for the Mountain's order to attack the city already exceeded five thousand. And the Mountain's thousand cavalry were all absolute elites.

On Dragonstone, Earl Westerling led two thousand Westerling soldiers, and two thousand men from the Claw, totaling four thousand. News came that they were only one day away from reaching the Blackwater Bay harbor and would participate in the Mountain's siege.

In the two days that the Mountain had been holding back, Kevan had sent ravens, ordering the main forces of the Westerlands and Reach alliance in the Riverlands to march back to King's Landing with all speed. He also ordered the nobles of the Crownlands to gather their forces as reinforcements. Many nobles of the Stormlands received the Hand's order, instructing them to quickly assemble their forces to rescue King's Landing.

However, the Stormland nobles faced a difficult hurdle in gathering their forces: the Blackwater Rush ford and the waters upstream and downstream were all controlled by the Royal Navy warships. Moreover, the Storm's End nobles were loyal to House Baratheon and not close to House Lannister. The Storm's End nobles who received the Hand's order remained silent and watched, with none gathering their forces.

The Mountain wanted to kill the 'traitorous Hand' Kevan Lannister and pledge allegiance to Tommen Baratheon I. But whether Tommen was a Lannister or a Baratheon was a complex question in the minds of the Storm's End nobles. They had been defeated by the Mountain, suffered heavy casualties, and their vitality was greatly damaged, making them unable to fight again. The forces they could gather were even worse than those of the Westerlands, only a few thousand, mostly militia.

Some of the Stormland nobles still remained loyal to Queen Shireen. Those who could leave had already left with Queen Shireen. Those who couldn't leave outwardly swore allegiance to the Iron Throne, but were not close to it in their hearts.

The Storm's End nobles were filled with hostility towards both the Mountain and Kevan in the King's Landing mutiny. They were happy to see the Mountain and Kevan fighting each other, hoping they would both be severely injured and die together.

Master of Laws Mace Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers Loras Tyrell, Ser Hyle Hunt, formerly under Randyll Tarly, and dozens of Reach knights were stationed at the Mud Gate and the King's Gate, resisting the Royal Navy warriors outside the city. They held the advantage of the high and wide city walls, but they no longer had confidence in victory.

The Royal Navy fleet's sudden 'defection' was a heavy blow to Mace Tyrell. And worse news came: the Dragonstone fleet was rushing to King's Landing to reinforce the Mountain. The fleet would appear in the Blackwater Bay waters either tonight or tomorrow… But the main force of House Tyrell was still on the distant Kingsroad, and even marching with all speed, they would not be able to reach King's Landing within fifteen days…

*

Night. The Gate of the Gods.

A flame, like a shooting star, drew a perfect arc and shot into the city walls. In the dark night, this rocket was very bright, attracting the attention of the soldiers on the wall, as well as the attention of the citizens in the city.

Rocket!

Was the Mountain planning to attack the city with fire?

The soldiers and citizens were all alarmed and uneasy. The citizens who saw this high rocket were all panicked and frightened.

If a fire broke out, it would be a disaster for the entire city.

During the Battle of Blackwater, Stannis attacked the city, and the Mountain saved the lives of the entire city. It was also the Mountain who brought troops from Harrenhal and distributed bread to the city's people. In the Great Sept of Baelor, the Mountain fought Oberyn and killed the poison-using Oberyn, demonstrating the justice of the Seven Gods' judgment. This pushed the Mountain's prestige to the extreme. If he launched a fire, it would inevitably burn down the homes of King's Landing residents, and also burn down the supreme prestige he had worked so hard to build.

With a 'poof', the rocket landed right on the street, not on the roof. Behind the Gate of the Gods was the Street of the Gods, which crossed through Cobbler's Square. There were still many refugees in the square. A dozen citizens hurried forward to put out the fire. One of the men picked up the rocket and saw that it had no arrowhead. The oil-soaked cloth on it quickly burned out.

"Look, there's something tied to the tail of this arrow."

"It's a letter." More people gathered around.

Suddenly, the refugees exclaimed. Another rocket crossed the city wall. The rocket that flew very high was very beautiful. The flame quickly weakened in the air. When it fell with a 'whoosh', only a little red spark remained.

The arrow hit the ground, bounced up, and the flame had already gone out. A citizen stepped forward to pick it up and shouted, "Brothers, there's no arrowhead. This arrow has no arrowhead."

"What's tied to the tail of the arrow?" A woman's voice.

"It's a letter. Who can read? What does it say?"

"Another flying arrow fell, and there's also a letter tied to it."

"I said, the Mountain wouldn't set King's Landing on fire. He's not that kind of person. Several of my fellow villagers are spear-soldiers in the Mountain's army," a man shouted loudly.

"The carpenter and stonemason from our village have all joined the Mountain's army!"

"My brother is a horse groom in the Mountain's army. If I hadn't broken my leg, I would have joined the Mountain's legion and become a sword-sharpening worker."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

In the night sky, the beautiful rockets bloomed again. The flames quickly weakened in the air. When they fell to the ground, they were almost extinguished. And the locations where they landed were all open streets without houses. There was no doubt that this was a carefully designed route.

Every arrow had no arrowhead, and every arrow's tail had a letter tied to it.

"Hey, God, there's a copper penny in this letter!" A voice rang out, surprised and delighted.

"Really? How is that possible?" Many people asked in unison.

"It's true. There's something hard in my letter too. Haha, it's a copper star!" Someone shouted with joy.

A copper star was a small amount of money. It could buy several black breads and a bowl of brown soup.

"Really, the Mountain is giving us money."

"You're so damn lucky."

The street became lively!

"Everyone, can anyone help me see what's written in the letter?"

"Who can read? Go find a wise man to read the letter."

"I can read!" Someone lit a torch, someone lit a candle.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

More rockets flew in the night sky, falling in front of everyone's eyes.

The news that copper pennies and copper stars were found in the letters spread quickly. Many citizens seemed to emerge from underground, and patrolling soldiers who heard the news also appeared on the streets…

Night rockets were more likely to attract everyone's attention. Wrapping a copper penny or a copper star in a letter, with the biggest prize being a silver stag, was a small trick that could spread the news in the letter to the whole city faster.

This was the Mountain's strategy. The citizens and soldiers of King's Landing had never heard of wrapping copper stars in letters.

This also allowed Kevan, Tyrell, and others to see the different wisdom of the Mountain.

In just a short while, the citizens in the Gate of the Gods area were in an uproar. The rockets in the sky were like performing fireworks. The rockets that fell had letters tied to them, and maybe there was a copper star that made your heart beat faster!

*

The same thing happened at the King's Gate, the Mud Gate, the Lion Gate, the Old Gate, the Dragon Gate, and the Iron Gate. The rockets were dazzling, but they were quickly burning out in the air. The places where they fell were all open spaces, either squares or streets. Every arrow had a letter tied to it. If you were lucky, the letter would contain a copper penny or a copper star.

Small money, big luck, and big happiness.

The Mountain's rocket letters, the Mountain's goodwill, through small rockets and small money, were conveyed to the soldiers and civilians of the entire city in the fastest, happiest, and most benevolent way.

The news spread like wind. Every letter on every arrow wrote the same thing: the city will be attacked the day after tomorrow. Only the traitorous Hand Kevan, who colluded with the Iron Islands rebels, will be taken. The Mountain's soldiers pledge allegiance to King Tommen, love the defending soldiers, and treat the citizens of King's Landing kindly. One day later, soldiers, please lay down your weapons. Citizens, please close your doors at home to avoid accidental injury. Remember, remember.

*

Prime Minister's Tower.

"Prime Minister, the Mountain will attack the city the day after tomorrow. Tonight, rockets shot into the city, disrupting the morale of the army," his father-in-law Harres Swyft said in a low voice.

In his hand was a letter written by the Mountain to the soldiers and civilians of the entire city.

This letter looked ordinary, but it was actually very powerful and full of killing intent.

Kevan looked out from the window of the Prime Minister's Tower and saw rockets crisscrossing in the direction of the Iron Gate and the Mud Gate.

Rockets were crisscrossing at all seven gates of the city.

The Mountain had cavalry, and the horses were fast. The cavalry outside the city was not afraid of the infantry inside the city going out to challenge them. They blatantly shot arrows into the city in front of the gates.

The entire city of King's Landing was awakened by these rockets. There was a lot of noise from the people, like the noise in a daytime vegetable market.

Kevan, in the Prime Minister's Tower, could hear the noise of the entire city in the air. The Mountain clearly stated in the letter that he would attack the city the day after tomorrow. The voices of the people made it difficult for the entire city to be quiet in the night. This was destined to be a sleepless night.

"Father, please take a small team to Maegor's Holdfast."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

"Bring Grand Maester Qyburn from Maegor's Holdfast here. If he doesn't come, forcibly escort him here."

"Prime Minister, what if Queen Margaery and King Tommen stop you?"

"In extraordinary times, do extraordinary things. I will explain the situation to the King and Queen."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

"If Qyburn is in the White Sword Tower, have the soldiers kill him directly."

Harres Swyft's heart stirred. It turned out that the Prime Minister had murderous intentions towards Grand Maester Qyburn.

"Grand Maester Qyburn, he…"

"He, like Burney and Waggener, is one of the Mountain's men."

Harres was shocked.

Grand Maester Qyburn was actually one of the Mountain's men?! If it was true, the Mountain's scheming was too deep. When did he become so shrewd? And how did he win Qyburn's heart?

"Prime Minister, the Mountain will attack the city the day after tomorrow. How do we resist?"

"We can't defend King's Landing, but why must we defend King's Landing? We only need to defend the Red Keep. The Mountain has a weakness: he doesn't dare to force Tommen Baratheon I to die. If the Red Keep falls, we can still hold Maegor's Holdfast."

Harres Swyft suddenly understood, "Prime Minister, in this way, we can hold out until Queen Mother Cersei returns to King's Landing."

"Cersei is ignorant, short-sighted, and can't distinguish between loyalty and treachery. She won't be of much help to us, but Jaime may bring us a turning point. As long as there is enough time, the Westerlands and Reach alliance in the Riverlands will arrive in King's Landing, and then we won't be afraid of the Mountain."

"Yes, Prime Minister."

*

Harres ordered the soldiers to guard the White Sword Tower in all directions. He took two soldiers up to the White Sword Tower and asked the court apprentices. They replied that the Grand Maester was not in the White Sword Tower.

Harres didn't believe it. He looked in every room and indeed there was no Grand Maester Qyburn. He asked the apprentices and they said that the Grand Maester had gone to Maegor's Holdfast.

Harres led the soldiers to Maegor's Holdfast. The library, the Maester's chambers, the Queen's room, and the King's room did not have Grand Maester Qyburn. He asked the court steward and the King and Queen, and the answers were consistent: Grand Maester Qyburn had gone to the dungeons.

There was a laboratory in the dungeons where Grand Maester Qyburn used death row prisoners to conduct medical research, which was a very important place.

Harres led the soldiers to the dungeons and entered the underground laboratory. However, the Grand Maester was not in the underground laboratory. The jailers and the captain all said that Grand Maester Qyburn had just left the underground black prison laboratory and returned to the White Sword Tower.

Harres went to the White Sword Tower again. The apprentice on duty told Harres that the Grand Maester had not returned to the White Sword Tower at all. He suggested that Earl Harres go to Maegor's Holdfast to take a look.

Meanwhile, in the Kingswood, Jaime Lannister, Bronn, and Podrick led a hundred soldiers through the forest, torches in hand. Jaime had received Kevan's urgent letter: the Mountain would attack the city in two days. Jaime had only two nights and one day left.

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