The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Night had fallen.

At the foot of the Cloud Mist Mountains, the Clegane army camp was quiet.

They camped at the foot of the mountains because the nights on the mountain were particularly cold, and even colder halfway up. After all, the days of approaching winter were upon them.

Inside a tent, a fire glowed, the tent of the army priestess Melisandre.

The tent flap was silently lifted, and Arya Stark slipped into the tent like a cat.

By the fire pit, Melisandre's figure was stretched long by the firelight, projected onto the tent. She had her back to Arya.

"You've come?" Melisandre didn't turn around, as if she had an invisible eye on the back of her head.

Arya paused slightly.

She moved silently, and entering the tent, she had made absolutely no noise. She was confident in her stealth, able to guarantee entering other people's rooms unnoticed, like a ghost or shadow.

"You knew I would come?" Arya's voice was indifferent, the inner fluctuation only momentary.

"I knew."

"Oh?!" Arya stopped tiptoeing, walked to Melisandre's side, and sat down.

Melisandre's mesmerizing eyes were still fixed on the firelight, and Arya also looked into the flames, but there was nothing unusual.

"What are you looking at? Lady Melisandre."

"I'm waiting for you. The nights in the deep mountains are too cold. Being by the fire pit makes me feel warm."

"Does the priestess of the Red God also fear the cold?"

"…" Melisandre didn't answer. She had a thin black stick in her hand, and she gently stirred the embers.

Melisandre still didn't look at Arya, nor did she answer Arya's question. Arya had to take the initiative and continue the conversation herself: "Madam, you know the Faceless Men are here?"

"I don't know!" Melisandre turned to look at Arya, the first time she had faced Arya directly since she entered. In her eyes, the red of the flames danced, as brilliant and eerie as stars.

"Madam was specifically waiting for me, but doesn't know the Faceless Men are here?"

"I know you have something to tell me, but I didn't know you were going to talk about the Faceless Men."

Arya and Melisandre's eyes met, and she felt that her gaze had the danger of confusing her. Red God priestesses and the like always had some mysterious and unknown things that were alarming. Arya then looked at the flames in the fire pit: "Madam, the stableman in the stables of the Inn at the Crossroads is a Faceless Man."

"Who is he here to kill?" Melisandre knew that Arya had violated many rules and doctrines of the House of Black and White. The appearance of a Faceless Man might be to deal with Arya.

"The Mountain."

"Oh!—Green Prophet Brynden Rivers does indeed have some remarkable abilities. He is penniless, without an army or territory, yet he was able to hire a Faceless Man." Melisandre's gaze moved away from Arya's face. Her tone was calm, without the strangeness it should have had. When the name was spoken, death descended; anyone who heard that a Faceless Man had come would be awe-struck, but Melisandre just didn't.

"Madam, you don't seem surprised, nor are you worried about the King you serve."

"I know that His Majesty the King will eventually be safe and sound," Lady Melisandre said.

"Did you see the future in the flames?"

"Yes. Several years into the future, I saw His Majesty the King and I walking together on the long streets of Asshai, a veiled woman drawing water from the river in a wooden bucket on the steps by the street."

"Madam, no one can escape the assassination of the Faceless Men, it is an inescapable curse."

"Any curse can be eliminated, it's just that you and I are superficial and don't know the secret to eliminating the curse. The gods have their own arrangements, and His Majesty the King is an envoy of the gods. He is the will of the gods walking on the ground."

Melisandre had a fanatical belief in the Mountain, or rather, she had a fanatical belief in the Red God. But in fact, this was very dangerous. Arya understood the Faceless Men's relentless nature.

Arya was silent for a while: "Madam, I need your help. I understand the supreme doctrine of the Faceless Men, when a name is spoken, death descends. The first Faceless Man has already left, but next time, maybe two Faceless Men will come, or three."

Melisandre's eyes narrowed slightly: "Arya, when would the Faceless Men dispatch two or more people?"

"The Faceless Men assassinate kings, governors, dukes, each time it's just one person, but this time the situation is special, because I'm by the Mountain's side, and I'm also a Faceless Man."

"Next time, they will kill you too."

"If I don't stand with them to assassinate the Mountain, I think so."

"Why didn't the Faceless Man who came this time attack you? Is he inferior to you?"

"His skills are far above me, but he certainly won't kill me, and I won't kill him either."

"Oh! Your lover."

"Assassins have no lovers, and never will."

"Assassins should be ruthless, just like your Valyrian steel sword 'Lady Forlorn' at your waist, but you and he, you just happen to have affection."

"I have no affection for him."

"The affection I'm talking about…" Melisandre gave Arya an enchanting smile, captivating all beings, "…is not the love between a man and a woman you're talking about."

"He is my mentor, all my skills, although there were other monks who taught me, but in fact, they were all taught by him personally."

"Master and apprentice?"

"Yes!"

"Your master going back, maybe it's inauspicious."

"…Won't…"

"All men must die. He let you go today, I'm afraid the doctrines and rules of the House of Black and White won't let him go."

"…Won't…" Arya's tone became weak. She hesitated, her heart wavering.

"Do you know why he told you that in the pitch-black room, the glass candles were already burning?"

"I don't know, I've never heard my mentor mention it before."

"Did the re-emergence of dragons bring about the revival of magical spells?"

"Yes."

"Glass candles are not made of glass, but cast from dragon glass. It was during the era when dragons roamed and there were many magicians, cast together by hundreds of magicians from the Magicians' Guild. That is the highest level of magical artifact, just like dragons, the most supreme magical creatures."

"Magical artifact?!" Arya learned this for the first time.

"Glass candles cast from dragon glass are the artifacts that the House of Black and White has always hoped to obtain."

"Oh? What important role do glass candles have for the House of Black and White?"

"Your mentor wouldn't tell you this for no reason. Maybe you should go to the Citadel as soon as possible to obtain the burning glass candles. There are a total of three candles. If one candle can be offered in front of the Many-Faced God, it will be the highest honor for the House of Black and White for thousands of years, and it will bring more powerful magical power and miracles to the Faceless Men."

"My mentor is hinting to me, hoping that I will go to the Citadel to seize the glass candles?!"

"You can't seize them. The scholars of the Citadel would rather smash the glass candles than let anyone take them away. The self-ignition of glass candles will make the arcane arts of the Citadel radiate extraordinary brilliance. The science of the Starry Sept in Oldtown is developing rapidly, and the archmaesters who study arcane arts are discriminated against because of the decline of magical power. When dragon glass candles burn, everything will reverse and change…"

"Just like the appearance of dragons caused magic to revive?!"

"Yes."

"I need the help of the Mountain's dragon to get to the Citadel as soon as possible."

Melisandre smiled, her expression indifferent: "Arya, since your mentor already knows about the burning of the glass candles in the Citadel, then the House of Black and White must also know. The House of Black and White must have already sent Faceless Men to the Citadel to steal the burning candles without anyone knowing. However, they don't have dragons. Taking a boat from the Free City of Braavos to Oldtown takes more than three months. It also takes time to design an approach to the archmaester in charge of the arcane academy in order to obtain the key to the underground sanctuary from the archmaester. The Faceless Men dare not make any noise about stealing the candles, but the elders of the Faceless Men, the wise men of the Pyromancer's Guild, and the high septons of the Faith of the Seven all know that there are three dragon glass candles in the Citadel, but no one knows when the dragon glass candles will burn again."

"But we don't know when the Faceless Man dispatched by the House of Black and White set off, maybe he set off three months ago."

Melisandre pondered slightly: "If possible, you should set off with His Majesty the King before dawn and arrive in Oldtown after dark. Taking advantage of the night, you quietly sneak into Oldtown, you can't let people know that the dragon has come to Oldtown. As long as the dragon is seen by people, the news spreads, it will arouse the vigilance of the Faceless Men. The burning dragon glass candles are artifacts that the Pyromancer's Guild, the Faith of the Seven, the House of Black and White, the Temple of the Moon, and the Red Temple are all looking forward to obtaining. This is a hundred times stronger than the significance of a dragon bone bow to an archer or a Valyrian steel sword to a swordsman."

"I'm going to find the Mountain now!" Arya stood up immediately.

*

The Mountain groggily got up. In his tent, there were three empty cages hanging, which were dragon cages prepared for ladies, knights, and Teague.

Tonight, the guards on duty at the Mountain's tent were the close guard Podrick, the captain One-Eye Teague, twelve Clegane personal guards, six of whom were tribal warriors from the Crab Coast Peninsula, and six were death row inmates trained by Westerlands bandits and hooligans.

The Mountain waved his hand to let the guards, Podrick, and Teague go out together. He sat on the wooden couch, his strong muscles like iron blocks: "Arya, what's the matter?"

"I need His Majesty the King to send me to Oldtown with a dragon early tomorrow morning."

The Mountain frowned slightly: "This is too sudden, are you doing this for the burning glass candles?"

"Yes, and also for your safety."

"My safety?" The Mountain frowned again.

"The Faceless Man came to the Inn at the Crossroads, and he said His Majesty's name: Gregor Clegane."

When a name is spoken, death descends!

The Mountain's grogginess disappeared, becoming very bright; the lines of his furrowed brow also disappeared, becoming flat and tense: "Blood Raven really persuaded the Faceless Man to come and assassinate me?!"

"The Green Prophet has mysterious abilities that we don't know about."

"Oh." A fierce light flashed in the Mountain's eyes. He came down from the wooden couch, his whole body as primitive as a newborn baby, "Maybe I should burn the House of Black and White and Braavos to ashes." The Mountain quickly put on his clothes.

Arya said lightly: "Your Majesty, if you really burn the House of Black and White, then there will be no solution between you and the Faceless Men. All my efforts will lose hope, and we still have a chance to reverse the situation. I need to obtain a dragon glass candle."

"Do you think glass candles can make the Faceless Men withdraw the assassination order?"

"I will use glass candles to exchange for a chance to see Bran Stark."

"You want to see Bran Stark? Why?"

"I want him to change his name."

"I don't think Blood Raven will change his name."

"He is Bran Stark, and I am Arya Stark, we are all Starks."

"He is no longer a Stark, he is Brynden Rivers, the Three-Eyed Raven killed Bran Stark long ago." The Mountain said sternly, "The pit killing plan on Dragonstone, he didn't hesitate to destroy guest right in the hope of killing me. If it was the real Bran Stark, he would never do such a thing. Duke Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Tully would never allow him to do so."

"If he is no longer Bran Stark, Your Majesty, I want to see him even more. If I get the glass candles, I can get the House of Black and White to arrange for me to see Bran. Only by seeing him can the Faceless Men's assassination order against you be cancelled. Otherwise, over time, I will not be able to ultimately protect your safety."

The tent flap was lifted, and Lady Melisandre walked in: "Your Majesty, Arya is telling the truth. I hope you can leave with her before dawn and sneak into Oldtown quietly after dark. Don't let the people of the Citadel of Oldtown know you have gone, and don't let the Faceless Men who may already be in Oldtown be alerted."

"Why?"

"Glass candles, the Citadel of Oldtown will not let anyone take them away. On the surface, the Starry Sept of Oldtown is scientifically prosperous, but in fact, secretly, they have been praying for the re-ignition of the glass candles. Their high-level archmaesters are actually all researchers of arcane arts. The archmaesters of the Citadel are very hypocritical."

In fact, the Mountain wanted to say that science is a miracle. But when miracles disappear, science becomes a channel to realize miracles.

The Mountain said: "Lady Melisandre, doesn't Oldtown have three candles?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Just let them take one out."

"They will never give it."

"They will give it." The Mountain said without doubt.

"Absolutely not." Melisandre said categorically.

"They will, I am their king." The Mountain said lightly, then raised his voice, "Podrick, Teague, get in here, I want to put on my armor."

"Your Majesty, are you going to put on your armor now?"

"Leave immediately, I want to get to Oldtown before dark tomorrow."

"Are you going to appear in Oldtown openly, riding a dragon?" Lady Melisandre couldn't believe it, her beautiful eyes widened even more.

"I am the king, why should I be sneaky." The Mountain snorted coldly, "Besides the identity of the king, I am also the most heinous villain in the Seven Kingdoms. The Starry Sept of the Citadel may not be afraid of an orderly king, but they will definitely be afraid of the Mountain, the most heinous villain in the Seven Kingdoms. The terrifying and brutal Mountain dares to do anything, and can do anything. When necessary, I am the Mountain I used to be."