The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Lady Jeyne said, "Gregor, even if Lord Petyr is here giving orders, he might not be able to mobilize the Vale's true armies. Some nobles will likely try to preserve their strength by feigning compliance, sending farmers and militiamen to fill the ranks instead of their own trained soldiers."

"Whoever doesn't come will be killed," the Mountain said blandly.

"You are not the Warden of the East and cannot directly kill Vale nobles. It's against the law and disrespects Lady Lysa Arryn, Lord Robert Arryn, and the Protector of the Vale, Lord Petyr."

"I am the Master of War for the realm, with the authority to mobilize the Vale's armies."

"You have the authority to mobilize troops, not to kill. If you do that, your honor will be tarnished, and people will not be convinced to follow you."

The Mountain snorted. "My lady, in the face of the life-and-death of the entire human race, what does my own petty infamy matter?"

"Even if you don't care about your reputation, it's still against reason. Gregor, what if Lysa Arryn is trying to preserve the Vale's strength by preventing some nobles' armies from answering your summons? You would be killing the wrong people if you rashly killed those who disobey."

Littlefinger was secretly alarmed. Lady Jeyne's words had implications. Did she want the Mountain to kill Lysa Arryn directly and then take command of the Vale?

Littlefinger was the Mountain's man, having been forced to swear fealty. Shouldn't the Mountain order him to handle anything in the Vale? Why wouldn't the Mountain go through him to kill people? That didn't make sense. Were the Mountain and Jeyne warning him? Would they kill him if he didn't perform well?

Any smart person wouldn't do that. He was just a glove for the Mountain, protecting the Mountain's hand from getting hurt.

But the Mountain killed without blinking. He wasn't an ordinary military commander. If that was really the case, he wouldn't have any ability to fight back!

Littlefinger suddenly felt like he was in a pit of snakes, a chill running through him, his heart in turmoil. He knew he had to be more careful and cautious from now on and not be arrogant. Lady Jeyne's shrewdness and ruthlessness were perfectly concealed by her beautiful appearance.

The Mountain said calmly, "My lady, if Lysa Arryn is obstructing me, I will make a special trip to the Eyrie to visit her after the matters in King's Landing are settled. If she dares to disobey my military orders and only sends me remnants and old soldiers, then she is guilty of treason."

"Even for treason, you can only arrest, not judge or punish, unless you get authorization from the King or become the Warden of the East. Gregor, I suggest you apply to the King for authorization when you go to King's Landing. As Master of War, you should have the power to not only arrest traitors but also to judge and punish them. When necessary, exercise the right of beheading on behalf of the King."

Littlefinger and his captain, Russell, felt a chill rise in their hearts, their fingertips feeling slightly cold.

Lady Jeyne was beautiful and pure, but her words were full of killing intent and iron-blooded ruthlessness, making people tremble!

If the King really authorized the Mountain, then the Mountain would have a universal pass to eliminate any political enemies. Anyone who didn't please the Mountain could be labeled a traitor and executed immediately!

"Yes, my lady, I will remember your suggestion!" the Mountain said in a deep voice. He turned to look at Littlefinger, who suddenly felt like a clumsy stone or a fish on a chopping board. The conversation between Lady Jeyne and the Mountain could be seen as a direct warning to him, or it could be seen as being said entirely for his benefit!

Littlefinger's body turned cold. He had never felt this way before!

Was it because he said, 'I received Lord Gregor's order to mobilize the Vale's army to the north, but Lady Lysa Arryn refused,' that he received this warning? But he had already said that the lady had been persuaded and the Vale's army had been mobilized.

The Mountain and Jeyne had indeed heard Littlefinger's hidden meaning in his first sentence. He would mobilize the army, but it definitely wouldn't be the elite.

With Littlefinger's brains, how could a Lysa Arryn become a stumbling block to his control of the Vale? Littlefinger had the Mountain supporting him on the outside. The 'League of the Just,' composed of the eight major Vale nobles who opposed Littlefinger the most, had already been dissolved by the Mountain, and the leader, Bronze Yohn Royce, had been killed by the Mountain and Littlefinger together. The heir of House Royce's Runestone had become the Mountain's foster daughter and, under the Mountain's arrangement, had become the wife of Landon Garin, a knight in the Mountain's service.

If there really was a problem with the mobilization of the Vale's army, it must be because Littlefinger wasn't putting his heart into it and had other ideas.

With Littlefinger's brains, he now understood very well that the Mountain, Melisandre, and Lady Jeyne in front of him were not easy to fool or prevaricate. A misstep could lead to their deaths.

Killing, that was the most important thing.

Littlefinger was resourceful and had deep schemes, but his only shortcoming, and also his fatal weakness, was that he didn't have his own army, his own fists, or his own sword. He couldn't directly kill his enemies, nor could he defend against others' swords.

Littlefinger couldn't solve problems with violence. In a dark and bloody era, this was a major taboo.

Violence couldn't solve all problems, but it could solve the people who created problems!

The Mountain liked violence, and Lady Jeyne wasn't weak either.

Obviously, there was no conflict that couldn't be solved by chopping off the other person's head with a sword!

Melisandre's red eyes had been staring at Littlefinger. At this time, she suddenly said, "Lord Mountain, Lysa Arryn is Lord Petyr's wife, Lord Robert Arryn is Lord Petyr's ward, and Lord Petyr is the Protector of the Vale. Even if Lady Lysa Arryn refuses to send out the real army, there is no need for you and the lady to worry. Lord Petyr is a smart man who knows what's important. I trust my judgment. He will not disappoint Lord Mountain and Lady Jeyne. Just a word, Lord Petyr, I am Lord Mountain's accompanying priestess. I have sworn fealty to him."

Littlefinger had always been puzzled by the relationship between Melisandre and the Mountain. Now, Melisandre seemed to have completely seen through him, saying it directly and hitting his heart, which greatly surprised him again.

According to Melisandre's meaning, could it be that the Mountain had subdued Melisandre, rather than Melisandre bewitching the Mountain?

Facing the unsettling Melisandre, Littlefinger forced a smile and said, "Lord Gregor, Lady Jeyne, Lady Melisandre, there will indeed be some resistance to the Vale's assembling of an army. Some great nobles are unwilling to send troops, and some great nobles are only willing to send some militiamen while leaving the family knights behind. Lysa Arryn is short-sighted and selfish. Her sister Catelyn once wrote to her asking her to send troops north, but she refused; during the civil war, Eddard Stark also wrote to her asking her to send troops to fight the Westermen, but she also refused… But I will definitely solve all the problems and troubles. Lord and Lady's orders, Petyr has never disobeyed."

Littlefinger said that Lysa Arryn refused to help her sister and brother-in-law, making a small defense for himself. It wasn't that he wasn't doing his best, but that Lysa was indeed obstructing him.

The Mountain finally nodded slightly, his tone softening. "Lord Petyr, this time, for the survival of the human race, we will have to trouble you! We can't do without your help."

"For the survival of the human race, I will do my best, my lord," Littlefinger said with emotion. In fact, he had no feeling for the survival of the human race. Being able to say an empty slogan with considerable emotion was also one of his skills.

*

"Lord Gregor, can I send out raven letters with Maester Pegg right now? We are leaving for King's Landing early tomorrow morning, and I only have half a day now," Littlefinger said.

Maester Pegg, who sent the Queen Mother's letter, was stationed at the military camp in the Mountains of the Moon. Generally speaking, those well-trained ravens sent by the court to the Mountain would first find Pegg.

Pegg came from the court!

He was the 'tax supervisor' sent by former Hand of the King Kevan Lannister to the Mountain's side, but on his first day with the Mountain, he was subdued by the Mountain with a combination of kindness and power.

The Mountain said, "Maester Pegg, cooperate with Lord Petyr. He needs ravens to send messages to the Eyrie."

"Yes, my lord." Maester Pegg and Maester Hallis had already become the Mountain's loyal maesters. Pegg came from the court and was a man of former Hand Kevan; Maester Hallis came from Casterly Rock and was a man of Lord Tywin.

*

The Eyrie, sunset. A raven flew into the window of the maester's tower. The maester took the letter, looked at the wax seal, and did not dare to neglect it. He immediately sent it to Lady Lysa Arryn's room. The lady broke the wax seal, unfolded the letter, looked at it, was stunned for a moment, and suddenly became furious: "There are Others in the North, why should the Vale people send out all their troops? The Vale's army is only to protect the Vale, and certainly not to protect the North."

"My lady, what did Lord Petyr say in his letter?" Singer Marillion stepped forward and gently put his arm around Lysa's shoulder. This wandering singer was handsome and refined, had a talent for singing, and was deeply loved by Lysa Arryn.

"Petyr wants the Vale to send out the most elite soldiers and generals. He must have been forced to say this by the Mountain. When he left, he wanted me to take this opportunity to send out people who disrespect us, not knights and nobles with strength."

"My lady, can I help you look at the letter?"

Lysa Arryn handed the letter to Marillion. Marillion put his arm around the fat Lysa, looked at the letter, and said in surprise: "My lady, Lord Petyr said that he saw the dragon with his own eyes."

"So what? Even the Targaryen family wouldn't dare to ask us like this."

Marillion advised: "My lady, the situation has changed. Lord Petyr said that if we don't send out all the elites, the Mountain will personally visit you at the Eyrie. The order has been issued that anyone who disobeys the order will be beheaded by order of Lord Petyr."

"The Vale is the Arryn family's, and the vassals and soldiers are also the Arryn family's. If we listen to the Mountain's order to send out all the elites, then who will protect us?"

"My lady, many people in the Vale have seen the dragon," Marillion reminded.

"So what, the Mountain has no right to demand that I must send out all the elite soldiers. I will give him at most three thousand real soldiers, and then three thousand militiamen. Most of the soldiers and knights have to stay to protect our Vale."

*

Clang!

A dragon's roar that resounded through the heavens was like a god striking a giant bell in the sky.

In King's Landing, on the streets, on the city walls, on the rooftops, on the balconies, and in the houses, everyone looked up at the sky. Although people in the houses could only see the ceilings, it did not prevent their instinctive upward gaze.

This was a strange sound that people had never heard before. The sound was very loud, very loud, and the echo reverberated between heaven and earth for a long time...

Everyone was surprised and suspicious!

At Blackwater Bay, people on hundreds of docks stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky together. On the royal warships and merchant ships, people also looked up in astonishment...

In the Red Keep of King's Landing, the courtiers and soldiers, servants in Maegor's Holdfast, the Tower of the Hand, the Tower of the White Sword, the Sept of Baelor, the godswood, all looked up...

In Maegor's Holdfast, the Queen Mother was stunned in her room, the wine glass in her hand frozen in the air...

In the King's hall, King Tommen and his uncle Jaime looked at each other, their expressions astonished...

…………

In the northern sky, a small black spot appeared on the pure blue sky. The black spot was rapidly enlarging. In just an instant, the black spot became the size of a mountain eagle. In a daze, the mountain eagle turned into the size of a lion. Most people were still looking for the source of the strange sound. The shadow the size of a lion suddenly lay across the sky, turning into a giant flying bird the size of an elephant...

As a result, everyone saw the huge strange flying beast.

What kind of bird was that? No one had ever seen it!

Huge wings, and a flashing golden-red reflection, the giant bird was rapidly decreasing in altitude, flying towards King's Landing, and its size was also rapidly increasing, from an elephant to an even larger monster. Soon, people saw the true appearance of the giant bird, a long neck, a ferocious head, wings spread like two red clouds, a long tail, scales flashing with sunlight...

The whole city was in an uproar! Everyone was shocked, and there were voices shouting: Dragon, dragon, that's a dragon!

The form of a dragon, the nobles had seen in books.

In King's Landing, there were many high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. People were knowledgeable and, at a glance, knew that the flying beast was the extinct dragon.

On the city wall, the soldiers exclaimed, the centurion blew the military whistle, and in the barracks, the soldiers quickly assembled, and the sound of archers running was rustling.

The King's Landing City Watch was facing a formidable enemy!

In the Red Keep, the windows of the Queen Mother's ballroom in Maegor's Holdfast, the windows of the King's living room, and the windows of the courtiers' stone fortresses all showed figures, looking out at the sky, and many people were exclaiming - dragon, dragon, dragon, a red dragon.

Sheepstealer was not red, but yellowish-red with golden scales.

At Blackwater Bay, on merchant ships, mercenaries and Blackwater Fleet soldiers were all urgently assembled, and the generals ordered to take out bows and arrows and prepare to shoot.

"There's someone on the dragon's back," someone shouted.

On the street, people fled one after another, all running with their heads down. Dragons were legendary magical creatures, invincible to human power. The sudden appearance of a giant dragon made everyone panic and fear. The cries of children and the screams of women rang throughout the city...

A voice sounded like a giant bell, and like thunder came from the sky: "Citizens, soldiers, and generals, do not panic, I am the Mountain!"

Thank you [Canglan Yuyu] for the reward, thank you very much for your support, handshake!