The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 750: The Two-Man Traitor Team

Night. King's Landing, the Red Keep. Maegor's Holdfast. The servants' back courtyard.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone was politely knocking on the door.

Doyle, the stableman, was a mute, unable to speak, but his hearing was sharp. He climbed off his wife, Conny, and wrapped a loincloth made of colorful feathers around his waist to cover his private parts.

People from the Summer Isles had two characteristics: first, they were particularly dark-skinned, and second, they liked to use colorful bird feathers as ornaments.

Doyle went to the door and opened it.

Queen Mother Cersei and her handmaiden, Mela, stood at the door. The Kingsguard knights, the Clegane brothers, were clad in white robes, longswords at their waists, standing behind the Queen Mother.

Doyle was taken aback and immediately knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and didn't dare breathe loudly.

His strong body was bare, his thick neck was short, and the muscles on his back were full. With any movement, the muscles of his body bulged.

"Doyle, where is Conny?"

Doyle didn't dare to look up. He was a mute and couldn't speak, so he pointed back at the dark bed.

On the bed, Conny wrapped her snow-white body in a quilt. Ever since she had been married to Doyle by Queen Mother Cersei, she had become silent and timid, often crying silently and suffering from nervousness, frequently seeing illusions. In her illusions, there was Lord Tywin, Ser Jaime, the Imp Tyrion Lannister, a demon... and even Highgarden's Willas Tyrell...

As Conny's nervousness worsened, she received Doyle's boundless love. He didn't want Conny to lift a finger for anything he could do. And at night, Doyle's energy was always infinitely abundant, each time forcibly taking Conny from discomfort, resistance, and rebellion to the clouds, finally making her scream.

Conny put on her clothes and came out, trembling.

"Conny, are you satisfied with the marriage I bestowed upon you?" Queen Mother Cersei said softly.

"Thank you, Your Grace, I am very satisfied." Conny was trembling slightly.

The maids and servants were all afraid of Her Grace the Queen Mother.

"Oh, come with me, I have something to ask you."

"Yes, Your Grace."

*

The Queen Mother's chambers. The two Kingsguard knights—the Clegane brothers—stood to the left and right. The chamberlain, the chief maid, and members of the Royal Guard were all waiting in the corridor outside.

A while later, Grand Maester Qyburn and Minister of Justice Jeyne Westerling arrived. Grand Maester Qyburn was alone, but Jeyne was accompanied by generals and guards. The two generals were both female: Brienne of Tarth and Serella Sand. The guards were led by Captain Lucan.

Brienne, Serella, and Lucan carried longswords, wore armor, and were accompanied by thirty Clegane's men.

As a result, the corridor outside the Queen Mother's chambers was crowded with people.

Grand Maester Qyburn and Minister of Justice Jeyne entered the Queen Mother's chambers and arrived in the Queen Mother's luxurious room.

There were two people in the room: Queen Mother Cersei and her handmaiden, Conny.

"Greetings, Your Grace." Qyburn bowed to Conny.

Conny looked at Qyburn, her expression complex, but her fear could not be concealed. Conny was afraid that Qyburn would take her to the basement to perform human dissections. She dreaded contributing to Qyburn's medical research.

"She's afraid of you, Grand Maester Qyburn." Queen Mother Cersei said lightly.

"Lady Arya, don't make fun of me. I have always been respectful and loyal to Her Grace." Grand Maester Qyburn said with a smile.

"Arya, you summoned us here tonight, and Cersei is here too. What's your plan?" Jeyne cut to the chase, disliking false pleasantries.

"Lady Jeyne, the Mountain killed the Night King in the North and saved us Northerners once again. He has done great kindness to the North and great service to the survival of mankind, but he has not received any reward from the royal family." Arya said, "This is unfair. I invited Cersei here today to discuss how to reward Lord Mountain."

"Arya, I'm just a puppet. There's no need to be so hypocritical, is there? It doesn't matter whether I attend this meeting or not." Conny's eyes flickered.

Arya said lightly, "Daenerys Targaryen has taken the Iron Islands, and Asha Greyjoy has sat on the Seastone Chair on Old Wyk. The Iron Islands now have two leaders: Governor Qyburn, appointed by the Red Keep, and Asha, Queen of the Iron Islands, appointed by Daenerys. Cersei, do you want Tommen Baratheon to sit on the Iron Throne, or Daenerys Targaryen?"

Conny's face was pale! She felt that every word Arya said was like a knife.

Who sits on the Iron Throne? It's not up to Cersei to decide now. Her face is Conny's face, and her current identity is the wife of the mute stableman, Doyle. And Grand Maester Qyburn, the person she relies on and trusts the most, is the most unreliable.

Arya continued, "Daenerys' fleet has already appeared in the seas off Dragonstone. I received news from the Master of Whisperers, Beron, that the Imp has persuaded the nine Free Cities to join, raising a fleet of fifteen hundred warships. Currently, the Imp's fleet is more than twice the size of ours. Asha has captured the families of the soldiers of Earl Qyburn's fleet. The morale of the Iron Fleet has dropped to its lowest point and is affecting the confidence of the entire King's Landing garrison."

Conny's face changed!

Jeyne and Grand Maester Qyburn were silent! Obviously, they already knew this news.

"The Mountain is the Master of War, an important minister of the Small Council. We need the Mountain's Clegane men, as well as the joint forces of the North, the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands. The only person who can summon the legions of these four lands is the Mountain. The Battle of Winterfell in the North pushed the Mountain's prestige to the peak of the Seven Kingdoms. As long as the Mountain leads troops to resist the enemy, the morale of the King's Landing garrison will greatly increase." Arya slowly took out a parchment scroll. "This is the Mountain's reply to me. He wants the royal family to bestow the Westerlands upon him first, and then he will summon the legions to the south."

"The Westerlands are Lannister territory."

"If the Lannisters have the throne, there's no need to want the Westerlands, is there?" Arya said coldly.

The throat of the fake Conny, the real Cersei, tightened!

"Arya, it may not be appropriate to bestow the Westerlands upon the Mountain so rashly. The nobles and people of the Westerlands will resent it. In the Westerlands, at least half of the nobles and people are still loyal to the Lannisters. This will forcibly create a hidden split in the Westerlands," Grand Maester Qyburn said slowly.

"I have an idea," Jeyne said after a moment of silence.

"What idea?" Arya asked.

"The Mountain and I will adopt Myrcella Baratheon as our foster daughter, and Queen Mother Cersei will let Myrcella Baratheon inherit Casterly Rock. Myrcella will stay by my side as a handmaiden."

It was common practice among nobles for children to be adopted as foster daughters and sons and then become handmaidens and guards. In this way, Jeyne would control Myrcella Baratheon. Myrcella would be the lord of Casterly Rock, and Jeyne would also control Casterly Rock.

Casterly Rock was the capital of the Westerlands. In time, the Cleganes would be able to infiltrate every aspect of Casterly Rock, then control Casterly Rock, and then expand to the entire Westerlands.

In the Westerlands, the Lannister family had two major territories: the first was Casterly Rock, and the second was Lannisport. The Mountain had already taken Lannisport, and the castellan, Rosamund Lannister, had been betrothed to his foster son, Comm Warner. In order to prevent Comm Warner from dying in the great battle against the Others, the Mountain sent Comm Warner to follow Davos Seaworth to be responsible for shipping supplies, and he did not participate in the Battle of Winterfell.

Arya said, "Lady Jeyne, your method is very good, but will the Mountain accept this way of controlling the Westerlands? I feel that the Mountain wants to control the Westerlands legitimately and openly. He wants a public decree from the royal family."

"I'm afraid this may not truly allow Lord Mountain to control the Westerlands," Grand Maester Qyburn said.

"Lord Mountain's character is such that he won't be afraid of the nobles who are loyal to the Lannisters being disobedient," Arya said. When she was fleeing in the Riverlands in 299 AC, she had a brief intergenerational friendship with the Mountain, and she understood the Mountain's tough character.

Since the Mountain had proposed wanting the Westerlands, he must have also considered the opposition of the Westerlanders who were loyal to the Lannisters. But he certainly didn't care at all.

Jeyne Westerling said, "Then send a raven to the Mountain, respecting his original intention. If the Mountain wants a decree from the royal family, then please let Her Grace the Queen Mother fulfill it."

Conny said, "Jeyne, you are my father's foster daughter, my sister..."

"Yes, Cersei, I am your sister, so we still support Tommen as king, not others. We have not made things difficult for Myrcella. Arya has not killed you with a sword either, but you killed all the Stark family's guards, servants, nuns, and livestock."

Jeyne was referring to the coup d'état launched by Cersei in 299 AC. The people and livestock of the Stark family of Winterfell were spared none, and Cersei ordered them all to be slaughtered.

"There's no need to send another raven to the Mountain. The Imp's fleet will soon be all over the Blackwater Rush harbor, densely packed and invisible at a glance. If Lord Mountain doesn't come, I believe our naval fleet will collapse at the first touch," Arya said, "Queen Mother Cersei, please immediately write the order by hand, and I will affix the Queen Mother's seal. Grand Maester Qyburn will immediately send the order to the Mountain and announce it to the whole city. In addition, the announcement should be signed with the names of the King and the Hand."

"Not consult with Lord Mace beforehand?" Qyburn's eyes flashed.

"No need!" Arya said decisively.

"Alright!"

Arya looked at Cersei: "Cersei, will you write it yourself, or will Grand Maester Qyburn write it for you?"

"If Her Grace is not in a good mood, I guarantee that I can write in the exact same handwriting as Her Grace, and no one will be able to tell the authenticity," Qyburn said with a smile.

"Arya, Qyburn, Jeyne, I will listen to your arrangements, but please give me the dignity of a noble. I can't be with a stableman from the Summer Isles, absolutely not. Arya, please restore my face and voice too. I swear, I will listen to you. Let us work together to eliminate Daenerys and the Imp first. We can discuss future matters later. I fully support the North becoming an independent country. If the Mountain wants the Westerlands, I also agree to give it to him."

Jeyne said, "Arya, we need to give Cersei the respect of a noble. You can keep her by your side, but don't let Doyle touch her again."

"Alright, I will send a maid to tell Doyle that Conny has been executed. Cersei, I will give you a new handmaiden identity and a new face. As long as you are obedient, you will have the opportunity to see Tommen and Myrcella every day."

"Thank you, Arya! Thank you, Jeyne! Thank you, Grand Maester!"

*

The Tower of the Hand.

Mace Tyrell said in surprise, "What? Queen Mother Cersei bestowed the Westerlands upon the Mountain?"

"Yes, Lord Hand. The announcement will be made tomorrow, and Her Grace's order has been issued," Qyburn said with a worried look.

"She's crazy!" Mace stood up abruptly. "I can't believe your words. The Westerlands are the Lannister family's millennium-old foundation."

"Daenerys' three dragons have come, and more than one hundred thousand Dothraki riders have come. Who can resist? The commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Balon Swann, can't even appease the hearts of the soldiers. Soldiers in Earl Qyburn's fleet have been deserting non-stop. In addition, the Imp has persuaded the nine Free Cities to join. The newly joined fifteen hundred warships and Theon Greyjoy's fleet of two thousand warships, the vanguard fleet of five hundred ships has reached the outer seas of Dragonstone. Do you want the Westerlands or the throne? Queen Mother Cersei has made a choice," Qyburn sighed.

Hand Mace was speechless!

"Cersei is not the king. Her orders and announcements are also invalid."

"The orders and announcements all have the King's seal and the King's signature." Qyburn shrugged, his face full of regret.

"Impossible!" Mace blurted out.

"Why? I saw it with my own eyes."

Mace was at a loss for words!

His daughter, Margaery Tyrell, had not mentioned this matter to him, so he knew that Cersei had made this decision behind Tommen's back. But the fact that the Queen secretly told her father, the Hand, about the King's words and deeds could not be said in front of the Grand Maester.

"Lord Hand, Queen Mother Cersei has placed her hopes on the Mountain, but if Daenerys wins, what should we do? Be burned to ashes by dragon fire?" The Grand Maester's eyes flickered, wandering, and his eyebrows and eyes contained a smile.

"Die in battle, never surrender," Mace said righteously.

But Grand Maester Qyburn knew that if the city was breached and the Mountain was defeated, Lord Mace would be the first to surrender.

A pufferfish was never a person with backbone.

"Yes, never surrender." Grand Maester Qyburn looked admiring.

He had received a secret letter from the Imp, who wanted him to be an internal collaborator and promised that after Daenerys sat on the Iron Throne, she would give Qyburn a dignified position as a court scholar in the royal family, a large sum of money, and would continue to support his medical research and occult experiments.

Although the final battle had not yet taken place, Grand Maester Qyburn had already prepared to surrender. He was here to remind Lord Mace, hoping to team up to surrender. If he could persuade the Tyrells to surrender as a group, he would first make a great contribution in front of the Dragon Mother and the Imp.

The Dragon Mother was Her Majesty the Queen, and the Imp was Her Majesty the Queen's Hand: Lord Hand.

The Imp hoped that Qyburn could persuade Mace Tyrell to defect together and act as an internal collaborator.

Mace Tyrell sat down: "Grand Maester Qyburn, do you think the Mountain can kill Daenerys like he killed the Night King?"

"Lord Hand, the Mountain was able to kill the Night King because he had the dragon sheep stealer. But now, the Mountain has lost his dragon, but Daenerys has three rapidly growing dragons. The Mountain is brave and invincible, but he can't fly into the sky to fight dragons."

"Although the Mountain has lost his dragon, Master Tobho Mott built dragon-killing ballistae."

"That's right, but what if a siege battle happens in the pitch-black night? Dragons can see us in the sky, but our warriors can't see the dragons. If it's a windy and rainy winter night, with no warning at all, and the soldiers are all asleep, three dragons suddenly burst out of the darkness and attack the dragon-slaying ballista camp, I'm afraid the soldiers won't even have time to put on their clothes, let alone load the crossbows. Three dragons would burn down the entire dragon-slaying ballista camp in a very short time."

Mace Tyrell was speechless, his face pale, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead and the tip of his nose...

"...We...have to strengthen our vigilance...!" Mace heard his own voice murmuring.

"My Lord, we can defend for a day or two, but we can't be vigilant every day. With a slight oversight, if dragons suddenly attack from the sky, we won't be able to resist. Littlefinger was our prime minister, and inside and outside the royal court, I bet he has people informing him. That missing Bronn is one of his henchmen. That guy must be in the city, and already one of our tens of thousands of soldiers."

Mace gaped, and after a long while, he said, "Don't we have any other way to deal with Daenerys and Littlefinger?"

"Yes, unless the Mountain has a dragon. Only a dragon can deal with a dragon." Qyburn sighed deeply, "But you and I both know, Lord Mace, the Mountain's dragon is no good!" He approached Mace and lowered his voice, "My Lord, I have secretly received news that the Mountain's dragon is already dead."