The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Is it Bran or Bloodraven?

Catelyn Tully's gaze was wary; she sensed the unusual atmosphere.

Several of the Mountain's generals, each with a distinctly cruel face, fixed their eyes on Bran Stark like daggers.

Arya Stark, Jon Targaryen, Sansa Stark, and Raynald Westerling stood beside Bran.

Standing beside the Mountain were Queen Jeyne Westerling, Prince Doran Martell of Dorne, Daenerys Targaryen, the Dragon Mother from across the Narrow Sea, Lady Melisandre, the Red Priestess, and Lady Dorea Sand, a priestess from the Claw.

Edmure Tully and his wife, along with Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, stood on Bran's right-hand side with several Riverlands knights as attendants.

Catelyn gently grasped Edmure's hand: "Ned—". Ned, a pet name between husband and wife!

Edmure squeezed Catelyn's hand, signaling her to remain calm, relaxed, and maintain her composure.

"Your Grace, what is happening?" Eddard Stark asked in a deep voice.

The Mountain looked at Eddard, then at Bran, his gaze calm, and said, "Bran, perhaps you should explain."

Bran, with an equally calm gaze, looked at Eddard and Catelyn: "Father, Mother, some things you may have already heard, and others you may not know…"

"What has happened, Bran!" Catelyn walked over and grasped Bran Stark's hand.

"Mother, there are some matters between His Grace and myself that need to be clarified in your presence and before everyone…"

"What needs to be clarified?" Catelyn Tully was fiercely protective of her son, her gaze toward the Mountain filled with protectiveness.

"Mother, listen to me. I once violated guest right with the purpose of killing the then-Duke Gregor Clegane and his group of trusted generals."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Catelyn was shocked, her face instantly changing color.

Bran's words alone were enough to warrant a death sentence.

His Grace the King was present, and Bran, without hesitation, violated guest right to kill the King?!

"Mother, three months ago, Daenerys came from across the Narrow Sea with a hundred thousand Dothraki cavalry and the powerful navies of the Nine Free Cities to attack Westeros, aiming to seize the Iron Throne. They first captured Lord Gregor's Dragonstone, then used Dragonstone as a base for their invasion of Westeros…" Arya said.

Jon continued Arya's words, still serving Eddard and Catelyn as their son: "Mother, King Gregor's dragon was wounded by the Night King during the battle of Winterfell. The septons of the Great Sept of Baelor and Lady Dorea Sand confirmed that the dragon could not recover from its wounds. This news quickly reached Dragonstone. Upon learning that King Gregor's dragon would soon perish, Daenerys launched an attack on Westeros. However, His Grace and his dragon suddenly appeared in the sky. The dragon defeated the Dothraki cavalry attacking Duskendale and then burned the warships of the Nine Free Cities at sea."

The Mountain said, "Lady Catelyn, my dragon forced Queen Daenerys Targaryen to halt the war and choose peace talks. So, I took the courtiers and generals of King's Landing to participate in the peace talks held by Daenerys on Dragonstone. After the peace agreement was reached, Queen Daenerys held a banquet, and during that banquet, Bran poisoned the food and drinks and placed wildfire beneath the Dragonstone fortress. The goal was to kill me and my generals on Dragonstone."

"Mother, Father, the plan to massacre the guests on Dragonstone was implemented and arranged by me, without Queen Daenerys's knowledge. When the wildfire exploded and the poison took effect, King Gregor received help from the dragon and escaped Dragonstone, returning to King's Landing," Bran summarized himself.

"Bran, was the Dragonstone massacre plan truly plotted and schemed by you?" Eddard asked, his face ashen. His gaze turned to Daenerys, unwilling to believe that this was solely Bran's plan. Such a plan required the assistance of many, such as burying the wildfire and poisoning the food. Bran could not accomplish this alone.

Eddard was still unaware of Bran's abilities, nor did he know that Bran had secretly gathered the Boltons of the North, the Sand Snakes of Dorne, and the soul control of the Three-Eyed Raven, along with a prophetic ability as powerful as a demigod.

Jon slowly said, "Father, Mother, my friend Samwell Tarly, more than a dozen of the most loyal and brave Night's Watch brothers, and Ygritte, the Free Folk warrior from the North, all died in the Dragonstone wildfire explosion. I testify that the Dragonstone massacre was arranged and plotted by Bran alone; he kept it hidden from Daenerys and me."

"Months ago, I set out from the North with the Night's Watch brothers, going with Bran to Dragonstone to meet Queen Daenerys, hoping to persuade her to withdraw her troops and bring peace to Westeros. But as soon as we disembarked, Queen Daenerys ordered me and the Night's Watch brothers to be imprisoned. Because of my Targaryen blood, Queen Daenerys released me from the dungeon and gave me freedom, which spared me from the massacre plan designed by Bran on Dragonstone. Daenerys's actions in arresting me stemmed from Bran's persuasion of Daenerys using the Three-Eyed Raven, leading her to accept the suggestion to arrest me. The Targaryen family has a tradition of internal marriage; Bran hoped I could marry Queen Daenerys and continue the family line, but I refused."

Catelyn Tully stared at Bran Stark, breathless and in disbelief.

"Bran, is what they are saying true?" Catelyn Tully's hand trembled slightly, her lips turning bluish-purple, her face extremely pale, like the weakness of a patient recovering from a severe illness. If Bran had truly become such a terrible person, she would be unable to protect him.

"Mother, the Bran at that time was not me. It was Bloodraven Brynden Rivers, a descendant of the Targaryen family, a greenseer. He combined himself with a weirwood tree beneath a mountain on the edge of the haunted forest, his body unable to move again, and created a Three-Eyed Raven that could enter people's dreams. That Three-Eyed Raven found me and asked me to go north to find him, to learn from him, to inherit the legacy of the seer, to resist the Others from the eternal winter lands of the North. When I was learning the abilities of the seer, my person and soul were completely controlled by the Three-Eyed Raven. The me at that time was Bran's body, Brynden Rivers's soul."

Catelyn Tully and Eddard Stark were completely stiff, unable to speak.

Bran's body, Brynden Rivers's soul—this sounded bizarre and unbelievable!

However, Bran had changed when he returned to the North from the lands of eternal winter. He was unsmiling, cold as ice, always staring at the sky, for a long, long time, silent and unmoving. At that time, he called himself a seer and predicted some things.

Eddard looked at the Bran before him. Was this still the Bran of House Stark?

The Mountain slowly said, "Lord Eddard, Lady Catelyn, for the safety of the kingdom and my own personal safety, I must determine whether the current Bran is Brynden Rivers or Bran himself. Bran fled to Braavos and persuaded the Iron Bank and the Sealord to hire Faceless Men to assassinate me? After being opposed by Arya, he plotted to set fire to the House of Black and White, aiming to kill Arya Stark. Daenerys and I rode dragons to Braavos in the Mountains of the Moon to rescue Arya Stark, saving her from being killed by Bran."

Eddard and Catelyn were dumbfounded, unable to move.

Bran would even harm Arya?!

"Arya, is what His Grace is saying true?" Eddard asked hoarsely.

"Yes, Father," Arya replied.

Catelyn's mind reeled, the scene before her swaying. She quickly steadied herself, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. She thought of a loophole: "Your Grace, Queen Daenerys, how did you know Arya was in danger in Braavos when you were in the Mountains of the Moon?"

"Madam, I saw Arya's danger in the flames; it was a divine revelation from the Red God. The night is dark and full of terrors, and only the Red God is the one true god," Lady Melisandre said in a singsong voice.

Silence filled the hall.

Everyone felt heavy and oppressed, except for the Mountain's generals, who watched Bran intently, ready to devour him at any moment.

"Your Grace, how will you determine who the current Bran truly is?" Eddard said calmly.

His son had committed too many capital offenses, even wanting to kill Arya for disobeying him. This was unacceptable to Eddard. His gaze towards Bran no longer held warmth but carried the icy chill characteristic of the Northmen.

"There is a way, a way that Bran himself proposed, and I accepted his suggestion," the Mountain said solemnly.

"What way?" Lady Catelyn's voice trembled.

"Madam, I am the heir to my grandmother, the witch Maggy the Frog. Our blood witches can discern the secrets of the blood owner through their blood. If Bran is Brynden Rivers, I can see the truth by tasting the blood. If he is not, I will also know."

"Can this work?" Lady Catelyn was unwilling to believe it.

"In the names of the old gods and the new, in the name of the Blood God, prophecies through blood have never failed," Jeyne said softly.

"Madam, witness in the name of the Red God, what Lady Jeyne says is true!" Lady Melisandre stood by Jeyne's side.

"In the name of the Blood God, to seek the truth and obtain divine revelation, there has never been a false word," Lady Dorea Sand said coldly.

Wizards and priests swore in the names of gods and their faith, the most important oath of all, without exception. Everyone in this world valued oaths made in the name of God more than laws; they were even more binding.

Eddard and Lady Catelyn chose to trust Queen Jeyne.

Finally, Lady Catelyn looked at Arya.

She had fully understood that Arya was a Faceless Man in these past few days. She also knew that Arya was the foreordained Elder of the House of Black and White, with a respected position and possessing mysterious magical powers and unparalleled assassination skills.

Catelyn's gaze towards Arya contained inquiry and help! Instinctively, she still wanted to protect Bran Stark.

Arya said, "Mother, let Queen Jeyne test Bran's blood so that His Grace can also rest assured. If Bran is our Bran, it will clear Bran's suspicions and prevent any rift between the North and the Iron Throne."

"Mother, I proposed this method, please don't worry. I am Bran Stark, the blood will not lie!" Bran comforted Lady Catelyn.

The courtiers and generals crowding the room understood the whole story; they were eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Littlefinger, Bernie (the mimic), Grand Maester Qyburn, and others had stern expressions. In their hearts, the Starks having a terrifying seer was a capital offense. Whether the seer was Bran or Brynden was not important.

However, Queen Jeyne had sworn in the names of the gods. What would the result be?

Littlefinger looked at His Grace the King. What was His Grace doing? The world could not allow someone like Bran to exist. A knife, a devoted assassin, could solve the frail Bran. Why make it so complicated, putting himself in a passive position?

Assassination could solve this problem cleanly! Littlefinger decided to talk to the Mountain after this was over. However, Littlefinger did not know that no assassination could escape Arya Stark's notice. If she discovered the truth of the assassination, it would bring terrible consequences and disaster to the royal family. What assassin could hide from Arya's investigation without leaving a trace? The risk was too great!

Queen Jeyne stood up and said, "Lord Eddard, Lady Catelyn, if you agree, I will take a drop of blood from Bran."

"Your Majesty, begin," Eddard Stark said. If his son had been corrupted, and deserved to be beheaded, he would not stop it.

Queen Jeyne looked at the Mountain, who nodded. Jeyne took out a silver needle from her bosom and very quickly pricked Bran's arm. When she pulled it up, the needle's tip was stained with Bran's blood.

Everyone quieted down. At that moment, it seemed that all sounds in the air had completely stopped.

Jeyne touched the silver needle to her lips, her tongue gently licking it, and the blood on the silver needle entered Jeyne's mouth… Everyone stared at Jeyne; the final result would come out soon.

Bran also stared at Jeyne, his expression calm, but he was secretly nervous.

He was a seer, but also a mortal. He was a demigod, but even gods had unpredictable uncertainties.

The Mountain looked at Jeyne, equally nervous: Was Bran truly Bran? Or Brynden?

Bran? Bloodraven? Or was Bran Bloodraven, and Bloodraven Bran?

Jeyne Westerling closed her eyes slightly. After a while, she opened her eyes and slowly wiped away the blood from the silver needle. Everyone looked at Queen Jeyne, waiting for her to speak the truth of the divine revelation.

"In the names of the old gods and the new, in the name of the Red God, he is Bloodraven Brynden Rivers," Jeyne said slowly, word by word.

Bran's originally calm eyes suddenly lit up strangely. He looked at Jeyne and slowly revealed a smile.