The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Distant Expedition

In the Year 301 of Aegon's Conquest, October, the onset of winter.

King's Landing. The Red Keep. The Throne Room.

A military council is in session, a council that will decide the fate of Westeros.

And will change the destinies of many individuals.

In the tides of historical change, everyone will be swept into the torrent.

King Mountain sat upon the Iron Throne, the queen's silken seat beside him empty.

Queen Jeyne was away tending to the three young dragons.

The three dragons were already capable of flapping their wings and flying dozens of meters. With effort, they could even manage to breathe out a bit of smoky fire.

The three dragons and Prince Gaven Clegane were growing up together under Jeyne's care.

Queen Jeyne had agreed with Mountain that he could be close to Daenerys, on the condition that she raise the three young dragons.

The best way to become a dragonrider, of course, was to grow up with a dragon.

Dragons are the most magical creatures with sentience, and they know who raised them and who their master is better than people do. Magical dragons are also creatures of great intelligence.

Jeyne's intention, of course, was to nurture both herself and Prince Gaven Clegane into becoming dragonriders.

Three dragons meant a need for three dragonriders.

Her Majesty the Queen, absent from the most important military meeting, felt no regret.

She had foreseen the future of the kingdom's development through Mountain's blood.

And the future for herself and her son lay in becoming dragonriders.

Dorne's Arianne Martell was a dragonrider, and the Queen of Slaver's Bay, Daenerys Targaryen, was a dragonrider. They were both Mountain's women. But Jeyne was the queen, and she could not tolerate not becoming a dragonrider herself.

Of course, most importantly, there was her son.

The world of dragons had been revived, and magical power was gradually returning with the dragons' revival. In the future, to become a king, it was best to first become a dragonrider.

Although the silken seat beside the Iron Throne was empty, His Majesty the King did not order the court officials to remove it.

The seat had symbolic meaning.

It was also Mountain's way of maintaining a sense of order among the three women.

No matter how much he favored Arianne Martell, or how inseparable he and Daenerys were in the Maidenvault, Her Majesty would always be Jeyne Westerling.

The queen's silken seat beside the Iron Throne had already made Mountain's stance clear.

The military council, deciding the fate of the kingdom, was crowded with nobles from all over the land.

Ever since the cannons had displayed their shocking power at the Blackwater, the nobles throughout the realm no longer had any doubt about the king's martial prowess and his policy of foreign conquest.

Mountain scanned the hall, and silence fell.

Nobles, ladies, maidens, and knights filled the hall, making the central aisle seem much narrower.

It was almost overcrowded.

Many nobles had come to King's Landing of their own accord. They were not courtiers of the royal family, nor had they obtained any official position in King's Landing. They rented accommodations in the city and came to the Throne Room every day to participate in the king's political councils.

The king's intention to launch an expedition across the Narrow Sea to the continent of Essos had received unanimous support from the nobles of the realm.

The nobles' ambitions had also been ignited by His Majesty the King. Many were stepping up the training of their soldiers, intending to establish themselves on the continent of Essos, conquering vast swathes of land.

The Hand, Jon Connington, had also temporarily put aside the thought of returning home. The king's invincible cannons had given him the confidence to conquer the world.

Mountain said, "My lords, the realm of Westeros will gather its forces and depart at the end of the Year 301 of Aegon's Conquest, cross the Narrow Sea, and in the early part of the Year 302 of Aegon's Conquest, officially land on the continent of Essos and launch a fully progressive war. My goal is to take the entire continent of Essos on the other side."

Mountain's words stirred the generals' and soldiers' fighting spirit, and the soldiers roared out slogans of 'Long live Westeros, long live His Majesty the King'.

Mountain continued, "This expedition will see us fighting abroad for several years, so you must all prepare yourselves mentally and settle your affairs at home in advance. My goal is to fight all the way to the distant city of Qarth, rest there for half a year, and then continue east, all the way to Asshai, the homeland of Lady Melisandre."

Asshai was at the eastern edge of the known world, tens of thousands of miles from Westeros.

Mountain's words ignited the knights' blood, and they drew their swords, pointing them to the sky, some striking their arms with them. The clashing of swords and armor created a metallic 'clack, clack' sound, and the knights, garrison soldiers, and various serjeants shouted 'Long live the King' together.

The hall was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and martial fervor.

Mountain said, "At this military council, we will proceed with the vote as usual. What are the opinions of the key members of the Small Council regarding the imperial expedition?"

Littlefinger Petyr Baelish stepped out of the ranks and said, "Your Majesty, I request to accompany the army on the expedition, to be responsible for the logistics and supplies of the royal army."

"Agreed!" Mountain said. "Is there anyone who believes they are more suitable than Lord Petyr to manage the army's logistics and supplies? If so, please step forward and recommend yourself."

Littlefinger looked back and scanned the hall. Good, no one came forward to compete with him for the position.

"Since no one has recommended themselves, then it is decided that the Chief Logistics Officer of the expeditionary force will be Lord Petyr Baelish."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Littlefinger Petyr Baelish said, bowing.

Mountain nodded to Littlefinger, signaling him to return to the ranks.

But Littlefinger did not return: "Your Majesty, I request that Harrenhal and the Godseye be returned to Lord Edmure Tully. The territory of Harrenhal and the Godseye has always been part of the Riverlands. During the civil war, I was fortunate enough to be granted the title of Lord of Harrenhal by the late king. Now that the kingdom is unified, I hope that before the expedition, the territory belonging to the Riverlands will return to its original boundaries."

Mountain stared at Littlefinger: "Lord Petyr, are you truly and sincerely willing to return the territory to Lord Edmure Tully?"

"Yes, returning things to their rightful owner is a wonderful thing."

"Are you willing to return to the Fingers and continue to be the mocked Lord of Sheepshit Isle?"

"Your Majesty, if I perform meritorious service, I believe Your Majesty will naturally grant me generous lands."

"I have no lands to give you, Lord Petyr."

"Then I will cross the Narrow Sea and take them on the continent of Essos," Petyr Baelish said with a smile. "Your Majesty, the continent of Essos lacks everything, but what it has in abundance is vast tracts of land. Our generals and soldiers will sweep across the continent of Essos, bringing them a new civilization and world order."

Mountain looked at the glib-tongued Littlefinger, admiring his shrewdness: "Lord Petyr, tell me which piece of land on the other side you have set your sights on, and I will give it priority consideration. You have done much for the kingdom, and I cannot allow the kingdom's Master of Coin to only possess a rocky wasteland for raising goats."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Littlefinger Petyr Baelish said with a slight bow.

"The construction of the logistics officer team, the selection of personnel, the grain and supplies, the warhorses and ships, and the allocation of military pay, I entrust entirely to you, Lord Petyr Baelish."

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

"Lord Petyr, I received news from Braavos that a group of extremely powerful pirates has appeared in the sea north of Braavos, led by a general wearing a dog helmet, clad in armor, with a red cloak, riding a unicorn that can move freely in the water. They are wantonly robbing passing merchant ships, repeatedly defeating the Braavosi navy sent to suppress them, and in a short time, they have threatened Braavos's proud foreign trade. Our military pay needs to be transported from the Iron Bank of Braavos. The Commander-in-Chief of Braavos, Vhassar, has requested that I ride a dragon to suppress the bandits, but I will not go. I want to send you to persuade that dog-helmeted general to surrender. Do you have the courage to go?"

"A dog helmet?"

"Yes!"

"The Hound?"

"Judging from the details in Commander-in-Chief Vhassar's letter, it is undoubtedly Sandor Clegane, the Hound. He speaks Westerosi fluently, is followed by hundreds of longships, and his flagship is like our warship. On the flagship, there is a unicorn with him."

A murmur immediately arose in the hall.

Littlefinger Petyr Baelish was equally surprised: "Your Majesty, the Hound has become a pirate?"

"In the Bay of Seals in the North, there is a strategically located island called Skagos. It is the birthplace of the magical creature, the unicorn. The ancestors of my mount, the Red Smoke Beast of Claw Isle, came from Skagos Island."

"Your Majesty, I have no confidence in persuading the Hound to submit."

"There are still two months before the expedition to Essos. Can you try? Among the many ministers, your eloquence, your mind, and your familiarity with the Hound are what I value most."

"Alright! I will go see the Hound!" Petyr Baelish said readily.

Littlefinger knew that the Hound's greatest wish was to kill Mountain; after Mountain spared his life several times, he followed the Brotherhood Without Banners to the Wall and joined the Night's Watch. In an encounter with the Others, he was ambushed and the entire army was wiped out, except for the Hound, who jumped into the sea to escape, and his whereabouts have been unknown since.

Lady Melisandre had also searched for the Hound's whereabouts in the flames, and she only saw the Hound jumping into the sea, not his death. And the section where the Hound jumped into the sea was upstream of the Bay of Seals, not far from Skagos Island.

The fishing boats of Skagos Island have been fishing in the Bay of Seals for generations, and they also exchange furs, ironware, meat, wildfire, and sea fish with Braavos and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.

Mountain knew that the Hound would rather leave him and go to the Wall to be a ranger than follow him into battle. Now that times have changed, and the Hound has gone through several lives from life to death and from death to life, will he have forgotten that hatred? Or will he be willing to follow him now?

Of the Clegane family's closest blood relatives, Mountain only has one brother, the Hound. Since he survived the great disaster and became the leader on Skagos Island, leading the island's fishermen into piracy, it shows one thing: life on Skagos Island is poor and resources are scarce.

Next, Mountain took out several letters: "My lords, the three free trade city-states on the other side, Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath, have already submitted. The governor of Braavos is Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, and Tyrion is also currently serving as the governor of Lorath. The governor of Pentos is the Tattered Prince; while Lys, Myr, Norvos, Qohor, Tyrosh, and Volantis, the six free trade city-states, are unwilling to submit, but they are willing to pay a certain amount of tax to Westeros every year." Mountain waved the letter in his hand and then handed it to his captain of the guard, Bronn, "Give the letter to the Hand to take a look at."

There was another burst of discussion in the hall.

Most nobles did not know that Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, had become the governor of Braavos and was also in charge of Lorath.

After reading the letter, the Hand, Jon Connington, said, "Your Majesty, the six free trade city-states have formed an alliance and are sending people to win over the Dothraki."

"Yes, in the letter, the governors of the six city-states told me that they have thousands of years of friendship and association with the Dothraki, and if I want to conquer them, I may encounter opposition from the Dothraki."

"Your Majesty, doesn't the city-state of Pentos have Dothraki cavalry who have already submitted?"

"Yes, but that's not the full Dothraki," Daenerys Targaryen said. "The Dothraki Sea is what the Essosi call the Dothraki Sea. That grassland is twice the size of Westeros, and many peoples live on the edge of the grassland and in the mountains bordering the grassland."

"The six free trade city-states are just bluffing. Before they surrender, they are just putting on a posture of resistance. Once our army advances, dragons fly in the sky, and cannons boom on the warships, they will submit one by one," said the Hand, Jon Connington.

"If they don't submit, we will eliminate them," a general shouted loudly. He was Mountain's captain of the guard, the Red Hand of the Burning Men - the one-eyed Tormy.

"Queen Daenerys, Princess Arianne Martell of Dorne, I would like to ask you two to be my messengers, ride dragons to persuade the six free trade city-states to surrender. Daenerys, you will be responsible for Norvos, Qohor, Tyrosh, and Volantis, and Arianne will be responsible for the remaining two city-states, Lys and Myr. If they still refuse to submit, then tell their people for me that in the first month of next year, our army will conquer these cities and eliminate all the governors and nobles in the cities. Tell those slaves, servants, and commoners that we will not kill them, we will only kill the princes, governors, and nobles."

Arianne Martell said proudly, "Your Majesty, as messengers, why does Queen Daenerys have two more city-states than me? Lys and Myr, which I am responsible for, are the two free city-states closest to us."

"Arianne, you are pregnant."

"Being pregnant means that I am two people, one more person than Daenerys," Arianne laughed. "How about this, I will be responsible for persuading the three free trade city-states closest to us to surrender: Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh."

Daenerys glanced at Arianne: "Your Majesty, let me ride a dragon to persuade the six free trade city-states to surrender. Their princes and governors are all quite familiar with me, and we have had alliances before."