BXBX NOVEL Chapter 210: kings
The castle towering on the cliff was built with Valyrian stonework techniques. It has a unique shape. The towers are carved in the shape of dragons. There are many gargoyles of various shapes along the castle as battlements. The dragon claws protruding from the wall are torch stands, the huge dragon wings cover the blacksmith shop and armory, and the dragon tail forms arches, bridges and outdoor stairs.
Hundreds of years before Valyria\'s doomsday catastrophe came, the Targaryen family occupied the island and established a territory.
But the Dragon King family at that time didn\'t pay attention to this barren island. They didn\'t even think much of the Westeros continent. In their eyes, the Essos continent was the center of the world.
It wasn\'t until a doomsday catastrophe destroyed the Dragon Empire that the Targaryen family who fled to Dragonstone Island began to turn their attention to the Westeros continent in the west.
Dragonstone Island is barren and sparsely populated. Although it guards the throat of Blackwater Bay, it was an island that no one paid attention to before the war of conquest. After all, King\'s Landing City was just a small fishing village at that time.
After Aegon Targaryen conquered the Six Kingdoms, he established King\'s Landing as his capital, and the key position of Dragonstone Island was suddenly highlighted. Therefore, during the Targaryen Dynasty, Dragonstone Island has always been the fiefdom of the Prince of the Iron Throne.
After the War of the Looters, Robert Baratheon granted Dragonstone Island to his eldest brother, Stannis Baratheon.
Unfortunately, for this canonization, Stannis was not grateful.
Because his younger brother Renly Baratheon got a rich stormland.
After everything is compared, it is difficult to maintain a balanced mentality.
But fortunately, now the opportunity belongs to Stannis. After Ed Stark announced that Cersei\'s three children were evil, he is the first legal heir to the Iron Throne.
"Why do you say Robert is \'my beloved brother\'?" Stannis frowned. "I have no affection for him."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty." Maester Cressen was getting old and always forgot to change his words. "This is just to show respect."
"It\'s a lie." Stannis\' tone was as hard and cold as steel, "Take it away."
Maester Cressen had no choice but to pick up a quill and scribble on the parchment.
Then he cleared his throat and continued to read the letter he wrote for the king to the lords of the Seven Kingdoms:
"...The former king Robert I left no direct descendants after his death. Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella are actually Cersei Lannister and his younger brother Jaime the Kingslayer..."
Stannis interrupted again: "Ser Jaime instead. Whatever the man does, he is a knight."
Maester Cressen sighed to himself.
He knew that this was his master, serious and stubborn, with a strong sense of justice, ignorant of hypocrisy, and disdainful of lying.
But this kind of "equal treatment" cruelty will not get the enemy\'s kindness, but will only make one\'s own people chill.
Among the three brothers of the Baratheon family, Renly is the most loved by the common people, and Robert is the most convincing. Only Stannis, no one likes him.
Even his two brothers can\'t stand him.
Of course, it\'s not true that no one agrees with Stannis Baratheon\'s ruthless and almost ruthless sense of justice.
The "Onion Knight" Davos Seaworth sitting next to Maester Cressen was one of them.
During the War of the Reavers, the army of the Reach surrounded Storm\'s End, and Stannis stayed in the city for a year. His food and grass were cut off, and he almost starved to death. It was Davos who drove a smuggling ship full of onions into the city. into Storm\'s End, saving Stannis\' life.
But facing the savior, while Stannis canonized him as a knight, he still cut off the four fingers of Davos\' left hand, just because the other party was a smuggler.
"Good deeds cannot offset evil deeds, nor can evil deeds cover up good deeds, and each deed has its own retribution." This is what Stannis said to his savior at the time.
Normal people may have left angrily long ago, but Davos dedicated his loyalty to Stannis because of this, and became the loyal and brave "Onion Knight" under his command.
"...a **** born of infidelity with my brother Ser Jaime. By the laws of succession and blood, I declare today that I am the first rightful heir to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and that the king shall immediately Sworn allegiance. In the name of the gods old and new..."
Stannis spoke again: "The old and new gods changed to the red god."
Maester Cressen frowned again.
He knew that Queen Selyse Florent believed in the Red God Lord of Light, and also invited a red-robed monk named Soros to preach on Dragonstone Island every day, wielding a flaming long sword.
"Your Majesty, no one in Westeros believes in the Red God."
"There will be in the future."
"Onion Knight" Davos also quickly persuaded: "Your Majesty, I don\'t recommend you to change to the Red God to witness, after all, the nobles and commoners in Westeros only know the Seven Gods and the Old Gods."
Stannis said blankly: "Smuggler, when did you become so devout?"
"I dare not say how pious I am," said Davos respectfully. Of course, a former smuggler dare not claim to be pious. "But I still go to church every week. I also believe that the Holy Mother gave me seven Strong and strong son, it is the blacksmith who has blessed my ship for many years to return safely."
"It was your wife who gave your son, and it was the hammer-wielding craftsman who ensured that your boat would not be broken by the wind and waves. As for the one who gave you your current status, it was me!"
"Even so, you shouldn\'t change your faith at will. This will make the nobles think you are an arrogant king, and the common people may find it difficult to love you."
"When did they love me!" Stannis stood up abruptly, and walked to the south-facing window, overlooking the vast ocean, "From the day I saw the \'Proud Wind\' hit the rocks and sank, I made up my mind Determined not to worship the Seven Gods any more! Any cruel **** who sits by and lets my parents drown is not worthy of my worship!
Those monks have been nagging me all day long that all the fairness and justice in the world come from the Seven Gods, but all the fairness and justice I have seen are all done by human beings!
On the contrary, those **** seven gods will only do nothing!
So, I would rather choose this red god, at least he does show a power beyond the reach of mortals, real power. "
Davos persuaded: "Your Majesty, if you are talking about Soros\' flaming sword, please believe me, it just looks bluffing."
"No. I\'m talking about real power, the power contained in the flames!" Stannis looked sideways at the flames jumping in the fireplace, as if seeing the horrible visions again, "I need this power. "
Davos remembered the sensational news from the sky and the city. At first he didn\'t believe that someone could cut down the four white knights with a single sword, but as more and more people said so, he had to believe.
I heard that the Kingslayer was wielding a flaming red sword...
Is this the power of fire?
So, he closed his mouth.
Seeing that his subordinates stopped speaking, Stannis suddenly turned his head and said coldly:
"Immediately modify it according to my intention, and then release all the ravens in our hands!"
"Yes." Maester Cressen had no choice but to agree.
Stannis nodded in satisfaction, returned to his seat and sat down.
In front of him was the huge wooden table ordered by Aegon Targaryen, the "Conqueror" back then, on which the entire landform of Westeros was vividly engraved.
The location corresponding to Dragonstone Island is carefully designed to be Stannis\' seat.
At this moment, the entire Seven Kingdoms seemed to be under the control of this king.
—————
King\'s Landing, Red Keep.
The young king sat at the head of the imperial meeting, with a pile of cushions added under his buttocks, which allowed him to reach the table.
"The last few left." Ser Kevan Lannister saw the king\'s impatience, and promised.
Toman pursed his lips aggrievedly, but obediently held the quill with his fat and young hands, ready to sign.
Kevon handed over a piece of parchment and explained:
"This document condemns Samwell Caesar for regicide and treason, and demands that Duke Mace Tyrell immediately deprive the Caesar family of all titles, castles, and fiefs, and **** him to King\'s Landing for trial."
"I heard that Caesar has a dragon." The Finance Minister "Little Devil" Tyrion Lannister suddenly said.
Kevon nodded: "I haven\'t forgotten. However, that dragon is not easy to deal with. We don\'t have a dragon rider. We either let the soldiers kill it, or let it escape and become a wild dragon."
"It\'s too wasteful." Tyrion looked regretful.
"There\'s no way around it." Kevan shrugged, "Besides, whether this decree can be implemented depends entirely on the wishes of the Tyrell family. Now we don\'t have time to deal with this Caesar."
"That\'s right." Tyrion moved his short legs and changed his position on the chair, "Have you read the documents that Stannis sent out, uncle?"
"I\'ve seen it." Kefeng\'s mouth turned up, a little disdainful, "This guy still has the same temper, smelly and hard, it\'s impossible for him to win people\'s love like this, so there\'s nothing to be afraid of."
"Stannis is indeed not a likable guy, even his own brothers can\'t stand him. However, there should be many people in the nobles of the Stormlands who will recognize him, after all, his surname is Baratheon." Tilly Ang reminded.
"The army of the Stormlands is trapped in Dorne. The nobles may not be willing to spend the last bit of their wealth to support Stannis. They just lack an excuse to refuse. And your father has already found an excuse for them." Kevan said. He handed another piece of parchment to the king, "This document formally bestows on Edric Storm, the illegitimate son of King Robert I, as his heir, and appoints him Duke of Storm\'s End, Guardian of the Stormland."
"That\'s a good idea." Tyrion smiled and nodded, "If this Duke Edric Baratheon wants to keep his own legitimacy, he must recognize King Tommen\'s legitimacy. There is an excuse to refuse Stannis, tsk tsk, father is very clever."
"Stormland can only be dealt with in this way for the time being, and it is better not to let them form a unified force to add chaos to us." Sir Kevan put away the document signed by the king, "Now our main focus is still on Ed Star The northern powers gathered by the Khan. For this reason, the orientation of the Reach is very important."
Tyrion smiled at the king: "So I still want my good nephew to marry that \'Highgarden Rose\' as soon as possible."
"It\'s your nephew." Kevan glared at Tyrion and corrected.
"Yes, nephew, nephew." Tyrion shrugged, gave the king a teasing look, and then changed the subject, "What about my good father? Where is he now?"
"Your father has led an army to Harrenhal."
Tyrion immediately understood: "This is to block the way for the northern army to go south."
Kevon nodded, and asked again:
"Is our food all right?"
"There is a big problem!" Tyrion exaggeratedly exclaimed, "You also know the situation of the treasury. It was already hard enough to supply Joffrey\'s army before, and now we have to fight again..."
"The Lannister family will support some."
"Then there\'s no problem." Tyrion got what he wanted, with a smile on his face, but he still reminded, "However, the supply of food and grass is really not just money. Before King\'s Landing, the food was all dependent on the river bend and the river. The supply from the two places in the river, and now the land in the river has turned against Ed Stark, the half a million residents of King’s Landing and our army are all counting on the food in the river. If the marriage fails..."
"So we must ensure the success of the marriage." Kevan said, and handed another piece of parchment to the king, "Your Majesty, this document appoints Duke Mace Tyrell as Minister of Justice to attend the imperial council."
(end of this chapter)