The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Your Majesty, Bran the Seer, I believe any military action is risky before the Mountain is killed,” said Tyrion Lannister.

The Sealord smiled, his face plump. “Dwarf, you don’t know that we have covenants and agreements with Pentos. Pentos must not have its own city guard or its own navy. If it dares, Braavos will strike it.”

“Your Majesty, what better way do you have when the Mountain comes to retaliate with a dragon?”

“The Seer has already told us how to resist. We will hide underground, half-man.”

Sweet Trystane Sand said, “Your Majesty, the Targaryens once attacked Dorne with dragons, but were ultimately defeated by us Dornishmen. In the end, they had to shake hands and make peace, and through marriage, we swore allegiance, but Dorne’s military, political affairs, and taxation remained completely independent. Dorne was only politically subservient. And our way of defeating the Targaryen dragonriders was to hide underground. Once the Targaryen soldiers entered Dorne, they would be attacked by us from all sides. And once the dragon arrived, we would quickly hide underground.”

“The Mountain is not a Targaryen,” the Imp said dismissively. “Miss Trystane, the Targaryens came to conquer Dorne, they didn’t want scorched earth. But the Mountain would definitely not mind burning the Titan of Braavos, one of the world’s nine wonders, collapsing the palace into molten slag, and destroying all the Braavosi arch bridges. The huge shipyards, military camps, all the buildings, the Mountain would burn them all. He is the Mountain, Trystane Sand! When hundreds of islands of Braavos are engulfed in flames, the entrances and exits of the underground tunnels will be blocked by flames and molten stone. Believe me, Your Majesty, that would definitely be the end of Braavos.”

Bran Stark, who was always as calm as an ancient ice peak, had a ripple in his eyes.

The Sealord’s smile gradually stiffened!

Doctor Ivoran’s relaxed smile also gradually disappeared.

Roose Bolton said softly, “Ser Tyrion, according to your idea, we just watch the Mountain’s hand seize Pentos?”

“If the Mountain wants to seize Pentos, I think let him seize it. All our current military actions and plans should be focused on how to kill the Mountain, instead of paying attention to any other trivial matters.”

“But we don’t have the support of the Iron Bank, we can’t hire the Faceless Men.”

“Then we should find a way to solve the problem of the Iron Bank, instead of slaughtering the Second Sons, severely damaging the Dothraki cavalry, and the Stepstones pirate fleet. If we really do that, the Mountain’s dragon will attack the Braavos city-state one night. Everything here, the buildings on hundreds of islands, will be burned down. The Iron Bank and the House of Black and White may not escape the doom. Maybe, we will provoke the mad attack of four dragons.”

The failure of the Dragonstone plan to kill the Mountain made the Imp unwilling to repeat the same mistake. He insisted on his point of view.

“I agree with Tyrion Lannister’s opinion,” Jaime Lannister said. “First step, assassinate the Mountain; second step, send troops to eliminate the Mountain’s remnants.”

The Sealord’s gaze swept across the faces of the Imp, Jaime, and Roose Bolton, and finally, his gaze fell on Bran Stark’s face.

Bran said lightly, “I accept Ser Tyrion Lannister’s opinion. I will not kill the Mountain’s Second Sons, Dothraki, and pirate fleet to avoid angering the Mountain, lest Braavos suffer the Mountain’s mad retaliation, but I will make Prince Isidro of the Second Sons, the leader of the Dothraki, and Donnel of the Donnel fleet, and Steven Clegane all die unexpectedly.”

“Killing a few generals, the legions are still there, will not provoke the Mountain’s mad retaliation. He just needs to send confidants to control the Pentos city-state again,” Bran Stark said.

“What do you think of this method, half-man?” the Sealord said, looking at the Imp.

“I think the best strategy to deal with the Mountain is to be patient and secretly promote the assassination plan.”

“Tyrion, the Iron Bank needs to see our value and ability,” Roose Bolton said lightly. “I agree with Bran Stark’s plan to kill the Mountain’s several leaders in Pentos.”

“Okay, it’s decided,” the Sealord said heavily. He was interested in the Imp and felt that this dwarf seemed to be a talent.

“Your Majesty, we need you to introduce us to the manager of the Iron Bank.”

“You may not need me to introduce you to the manager of the Iron Bank,” the Sealord said. “The Seer has the means to kill the leaders sent by the Mountain to Pentos, why can’t you use the same method to try to kill the Mountain?”

“My Three-Eyed Raven cannot approach the Mountain. Even if my raven controls someone in a dream, it cannot hide it from the three wizards and one Faceless Man beside the Mountain.”

“There are three wizards beside the Mountain?”

“Yes, two blood mages, one Red Priest, plus one Faceless Man. It is almost impossible for anything with dark magic power to approach the Mountain. That is even more risky than killing the Second Sons, Dothraki cavalry, and the Stepstones pirate fleet.”

Once the dark magic power is detected and attacked, it will backfire. If the Three-Eyed Raven is killed, if Bran’s consciousness fails to escape in time, Bran will most likely go mad. If someone controlled by Bran in a dream is detected and killed, if the person who detects it is a wizard or a Faceless Man, or an Other, there is also a certain chance of backlash against Bran.

“To make the Mountain lose his composure and create chaos, why not avoid the Mountain? Bran can attack the Mountain’s wife, Jeyne Westerling. I heard that Jeyne is still pregnant. If you use magic power to cleverly kill the Mountain’s wife and child, hehe, the Mountain will definitely be very painful,” Ramsay Bolton chuckled.

“Jeyne Westerling is a blood mage. Beside her, there is also a skinchanger who can simultaneously control three direwolves, a shadowcat, a snow bear, and a mountain eagle. He comes from the Land of Always Winter north of the Wall. The wildlings call him Varamyr Sixskins. He is a skinchanger genius. Currently, on the entire continent, no skinchanger’s ability can surpass him. The Three-Eyed Raven and any other puppets with magical aura cannot approach him and Jeyne,” Bran said lightly.

The Sealord felt a chill in his heart!

The Mountain had so many capable people around him, which he had never expected.

Such a person, with a dragon, after seizing Pentos, would he come to attack Braavos? The Sealord had already received Bran’s warning, but he refused to believe it. No one could challenge the entire Essos continent. He was once deeply convinced of this, but now, his confidence was shaken.

A Faceless Man was willing to follow the Mountain to protect him, and a skinchanger genius from the Land of Always Winter also chose to follow him, as well as a Red Priest and a blood mage… Even if the Mountain could not take the entire Essos, even if that guy eventually suffered a miserable defeat, his attack on the nine Free Cities after he took Pentos was inevitable… “Bran, I will introduce you to the manager of the Iron Bank,” the Sealord said slowly.

In order to defend Braavos, rather than having to spend money to hire the Faceless Men to deal with the Mountain in the end, it was better to let Bran bear this debt. This was a very simple arithmetic problem.

“Thank you, Sealord,” Bran said lightly, his goal achieved. “Your Majesty, in the northwest sea of the Braavos city-state, there is an island called Skagos. A creature once originated on the island: the unicorn. The unicorn is a magical creature, the king of land running, but he is also good at water. The horn on the unicorn’s head is the magic material used by the Valyrian Empire’s mages to make the Dragon Horn. If you can happen to have a unicorn horn, and I happen to know how to make the Dragon Horn. The sound of the Dragon Horn can produce a magical power of closeness, control, and command to the dragon.”

The eyes of the Sealord and Doctor Ivoran lit up at once.

The Imp Tyrion Lannister and Jaime Lannister, Roose Bolton, Ramsay Bolton, and the two Sand Snakes were all surprised. They were following Bran and heard this news for the first time.

Everyone was surprised and delighted!

Bran continued, “Skagos Island is difficult to approach. There is only one place to land, and the rest are covered with reefs and complex currents. Any ship that approaches will be smashed to pieces. Now, one of the leaders on Skagos Island is our old friend, his name is Sandor Clegane, the Hound. He and the Mountain are brothers and mortal enemies.”

“The Hound is still alive?” Jaime Lannister was very surprised.

“The Night’s Watch military operation at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea was completely wiped out, but the Hound jumped into the sea and went downstream, and was rescued by a fishing boat from Skagos Island. The Mountain once asked Lady Melisandre to search for the Hound’s life and death through the flames. Lady Melisandre only saw Skagos Island in the flames, but she failed to interpret the true meaning of Skagos Island. There was only Skagos Island in the flames, not the Hound.”

“Do you all know that Hound?” the Sealord asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty, we all know him.”

“That’s easy. My navy generals are very familiar with the water conditions near Skagos Island. We also have merchant ships that have been to Skagos Island and traded salt and food, as well as cloth and ironware with the natives on the island. - Seer, are you sure there are still unicorns on Skagos Island?”

“Maybe there are still unicorns, but they are all in the deep mountains and forests, which cannot be reached by manpower. But in the hands of the natives, as long as you pay a high price, you can buy the treasured unicorn horn.”

The Sealord was overjoyed. Bran’s gift made him very satisfied: “Warriors, which of you is a familiar friend with that Hound? I want to invite you to go to Skagos Island with my merchant ship. We will get the unicorn horn and then make the Dragon Horn.”

“Your Majesty, Sandor Clegane, the Hound, was once a vassal of the Lannister family and also a subordinate of my sister for many years. I am willing to go to Skagos Island to see the Hound,” Jaime said.

The Sealord’s fat face showed a bright smile. He was a king who showed his emotions: “Bran, if you bring me the Dragon Horn and teach me how to use it, I will definitely guarantee that you will get the support of the Iron Bank’s continuous gold coins.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. There is no doubt that Your Majesty will get the best Dragon Horn in the world and the most magical playing skills,” Bran assured.

The Sealord’s fat face smiled with many wrinkles: “Doctor Ivoran, go and invite Justin Constance, the manager of the Iron Bank, to the palace for a banquet. Tell him that I have prepared his favorite monkey wine and sour fruit from the eastern cities.”

The Imp looked at Bran. Bran was as calm as a mountain, with indifferent eyes.

Was all of this in Bran’s calculations?

And will Arya Stark, the Faceless Man beside the Mountain, be the opponent of the Faceless Man sent by the House of Black and White?

*

King’s Landing, the Red Keep, Maegor’s Holdfast, the King’s Hall.

“Arya Stark.” The Mountain looked a little solemn.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

In the huge throne hall, there were only the Mountain and Arya.

“I have something very important to discuss with you.”

“Your Majesty, you are too polite,” Arya said, looking at the burly Mountain, her expression relaxed and casual.

“My courtiers and military generals all hope that I can unify the Westeros continent and unify the North.”

The relaxed and casual look in Arya’s eyes completely disappeared: “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“Uh, if I allow the North to be independent, it is not conducive to the submission of Dorne, the Vale, and the Iron Islands… Some things… Some difficulties.”

“When is Your Majesty planning to send troops?”

“Send troops? Never!”

Arya frowned!

“Sansa Stark is my brother-in-law, and Edmure Tully is also my brother-in-law. The Clegane family, the Tully family, and the Stark family are already a family connected by blood.”

“Hmph, then how exactly does Your Majesty want to unify the North? Use Sansa as a hostage to force my father to submit?”

“No sending troops, no forcing. Arya, I hope to unify peacefully.”

“What if the Stark family doesn’t agree?”

“Uh, then temporarily maintain the status quo.”

“Temporarily?”

“Yes, I will talk to Duke Eddard Stark at Sansa Stark’s wedding.”

“So you still want to threaten with force?”

“There is absolutely no such thing as force, Arya.”

“Mountain, if my father is not willing to return to the Iron Throne again, I hope you can respect him.”

“I will respect him, Arya, and I also respect you very much. Otherwise, I would not have openly and honestly discussed this matter with you alone.”

“You are my friend, Mountain, but not my king.”

“Yes, Arya, you are also my friend. Here with me, you are not the Faceless Man that everyone fears. But, can you understand the meaning of political unification that I said? If political unification, it can only bring absolute benefits to me and the North.”

“No bad points at all?”

“Absolutely not.”

“There is no absolute in the world.”

“But this matter is absolutely not.”

Arya took two steps back and re-examined the Mountain: “Tell me about it, big guy.”

“You won’t be interested. I will only talk to your father, Duke Eddard.”

“Oh, then why are you telling me now?”

You are my friend, and out of friendship and sincerity, I must inform you beforehand, lest you suspect me of coercing your father upon hearing the unified news. I have an enemy named Bloodraven Brynden Rivers, a greenseer who has lived for over a hundred years. After his body decayed, he used trickery to seize Bran Stark's body and soul. He is extremely terrifying. He has gone to Braavos, and Braavos has a Faceless Men assassin organization, so I need your protection even more, Arya Stark.