"All right, step aside. I cannot explain anything to you. I can only say that if you want to know just how absurdly wrong you are, then follow behind me and watch."
"If you still believe that I am some so-called ancient alien god..."
With that said, Kal also lost interest in Melisandre—at least he could no longer be bothered to waste time here arguing with her.
Melisandre, who had inexplicably turned into a white-haired young girl, touched the collar around her neck. With a dazed expression, she could only walk to the side and give up her place.
Then she said softly, "The gates of Storm's End have already been opened. Now it belongs to you."
Kal dismissed her words with disdain.
Storm's End might pose a great threat to mages like Erevi—perhaps it could even defend against dragons.
But for Kal, if it truly came to it, give him a rope and he could climb over the walls alone and slaughter his way through the castle, the sort who would even catch a rat and geld it.
He did not believe Storm's End could defy reason—surely it would not even disregard the laws of physics.
Pulling on the reins, he lightly nudged the horse's belly. The white horse moved forward slowly.
Only after riding to a distance where he could speak with Stannis atop the walls did Kal finally stop again.
To be honest, this could be considered the first time Kal had ever met Stannis.
Back when he returned from the eastern continent to Westeros and arrived in King's Landing, he had never had any dealings with Stannis.
Moreover, as a secret bastard at the time, it was impossible that Stannis would have welcomed him.
Most of the time, he had been in contact with Jon Arryn.
Moreover, although he was very powerful, unless he wished to make enemies of all the nobles and the Seven Kingdoms, his status as a bastard limited him too greatly. That is why, by the time he learned of Jon Arryn's death, the Red Keep had already announced the death of the Hand to the Seven Kingdoms.
So even if he had wanted to save him then, he had had no way to do so.
Looking at this middle-aged man with a face full of weariness, Kal shook his head slightly, casting away the memories in his mind.
"Uncle Stannis, I believe you have already seen everything that just happened… surrender. I will allow you to don the black and become a man of the Night's Watch, and thus atone for your crimes."
"History will remember you as the last man of the Seven Kingdoms to take the black, and your honor will be carved into that history."
On the battlements, Stannis no longer bore the vigor he once had.
In truth, ever since the shadow assassin had failed to kill Kal last night, he had already been exhausted.
Using magic such as the shadow assassin did not come without a price. The last time he had used it to assassinate Renly, he had visibly aged.
According to Melisandre, shadows were born of light—but his flame had already burned too weak.
Melisandre had even said that he dared not risk drawing upon it again, or the fire of his life might go out.
The shadow assassin, in essence, was a spell cast using one's own soul and bloodline.
However, in order to deal with Kal in the fastest and most decisive way possible, he had ultimately still attempted to take the risk.
Unfortunately, not only did he fail this time, he himself also suffered severe backlash. The fire of his life was already on the verge of going out, as though if the sea wind blew even slightly, he too would vanish within that salty, damp wind.
And his life had only this single day left.
He would die before sunset.
Seeing that Melisandre's final attempt had likewise failed, and facing the powerful Kal, Stannis chose to accept the fate that belonged to him.
He had also heard the conversation between Kal and Melisandre just now.
On the high platform, seeing that even at this point Kal could still tolerate him remaining alive and had only granted him the chance to atone by donning the black robes, Stannis could not help but shake his head.
Looking at Kal riding the white horse below the walls, he could faintly see Robert's former brilliance in that handsome face.
Yet this bastard was a man even more dazzling than his father.
Standing upon the high wall, Stannis suddenly bowed slightly toward Kal.
"I no longer have the chance to accept Your Grace's mercy."
"But I still thank you for showing mercy to a sinner like me. I have committed countless crimes, including the sin of kinslaying. This is the punishment I deserve, and I am also fortunate that my final madness did not harm you."
No one had expected that Stannis would speak such words at a moment like this. Even Eddard Stark and Barristan Selmy, who were bound and held to one side, could not help widening their eyes as they looked at him.
Hearing these words, Kal narrowed his eyes slightly, only then noticing that Stannis's life force was already like a candle in the wind.
Perhaps because a man's words are kind when death approaches, as this moment arrived, Stannis had struggled free from his own desires and had become once again that man who, though not likable, was nonetheless impossible to deny in his sense of justice.
Faced with Stannis, who had come to his senses at the final moment, Kal also fell silent for a while.
It was precisely because of their blood ties, and because Stannis was still Robert's younger brother, that Kal could tolerate him and show him mercy at this final moment.
At the very least, Stannis should not die by his hand.
Taking a deep breath, Kal looked up.
"Speak your last words. If it is within my power, I can grant them… and," at this point Kal turned his head to look at Melisandre, who had turned into a white-haired young girl.
"Although your failure stems from your own unwillingness and ambition, that witch is also guilty. I will send her to accompany you."
At the side, Melisandre quietly listened as Kal passed judgment on her life with complete indifference. Her face remained expressionless as she calmly watched everything.
Even though the man before her might hang her or burn her alive the very next moment.
Facing Kal's question, Stannis fell silent for a moment, and his gaze could not help but shift toward Melisandre.
"No. Everything she did stemmed from her own mission—a mission she has persisted in for hundreds of years and still continues to uphold. I clearly know that not a single thing she did came from personal selfishness."
"Melisandre merely mistakenly believed that I was the reincarnation of Azor Ahai. That is why she did so many things under the influence of my ambition."
"And if from the beginning she had recognized that you were the true hero who would save the world, she would not have committed these mistakes."
"So all the sins she bears originate from me. After all, without my permission, Melisandre could not have done anything, nor would she have committed so many errors."
Hearing Stannis's evaluation of her, Melisandre raised her head to look at him, then lowered it again, not knowing what she was thinking.
Seeing that Stannis held no resentment toward Melisandre, Kal was slightly startled, but he did not pay it much attention.
Kal also knew what Stannis had said. Although Melisandre had indeed created many sins, the root cause behind them had always been Stannis's ambition.
Everything Melisandre did was merely fanning the flames.
But that did not mean she was absolved or free of guilt.
Since Stannis had taken all the blame upon himself, then Melisandre's punishment would be that the death penalty could be spared, but living punishment would be unavoidable.
"Then what about your own?"
Not dwelling further on Melisandre's matter, Kal raised his head and looked toward Stannis.
As for himself, Stannis thought for a moment, then shook his head once more.
"My crimes are unforgivable. I have no qualification to make requests."
"Your Grace, King Kal Baratheon, I acknowledge all of my crimes and willingly accept punishment."
Seeing that Stannis made no requests at all, and that even at such a moment he had not taken the opportunity to express concern for his wife and daughter, Kal did not know for a moment how to judge him.
To call him upright and incorruptible—yet he was too rigid.
But it was precisely because of that rigidity that he possessed his own persistence when facing certain matters.
Since that was the case, after thinking briefly, Kal issued his command.
"I will take back Dragonstone, including your title as Lord of Dragonstone… and Storm's End will be inherited by your daughter, Shireen Baratheon." Kal said calmly.
On the city wall, upon hearing this, Stannis was slightly stunned. He pressed his lips together but did not speak.
But Kal suddenly changed his tone.
"But only for her. The titles of Governor of the Stormlands and Lady of Storm's End will pass to Shireen Baratheon for one generation only. When she dies, Storm's End will likewise return to the royal house."
Kal's words caused Stannis to be stunned once again, and all the nobles present could not help but freeze in surprise.
In a situation like this, even if Kal stripped Storm's End and Dragonstone of everything, these nobles would not have been too surprised.
After all, everyone knew that although Kal's status was no longer something anyone dared arrogantly question, if he rose to power under such circumstances, the best way for him would be to strip the main Baratheon line of everything.
And by that time, Kal would naturally become the only main line.
What none of them had expected, however, was that Kal would allow Stannis's daughter to inherit the title of Lady of Storm's End—even if it would last for only one generation.
"…"
Above the city gate, after hearing Kal's judgment, Stannis's gaze shifted slightly. In the end, he still accepted Kal's decision.
He bowed once more toward the king below the gate, even kneeling on one knee.
"As you will, Your Grace. And I thank you on Shireen's behalf for your mercy."
After completing the salute, Stannis straightened his back. He glanced at Eddard, who had already realized what was about to happen and was looking at him with a grave expression. Rarely, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I am glad that in this final moment I did not harm you, Lord Eddard Stark. Please forgive my disrespect toward you during this time."
With that, Stannis drew the glowing longsword from his waist.
Once again he looked deeply at the army below, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, and Melisandre.
Then he turned around and looked deeply once more at the castle beneath his feet—the castle he had always dreamed of.
Stannis had always believed that Storm's End should have belonged to him.
And now, Robert's son had granted it to his daughter.
Placing the longsword against his neck, he tilted his head slightly upward and looked at the sky, savoring the feeling of the sea wind brushing against his face one last time.
With a smile on his face, Stannis drew the sword from right to left.
The flame that was already like a candle in the wind was extinguished by the wind. The figure who had awakened at the final moment and calmly accepted death fell from the walls of Storm's End, bringing a complete end to the final fate of the Seven Kingdoms.
"Demon dragon…"
Kal rode upon the white steed, listening to the final murmur carried by the wind.
"Bury him in the godswood of Storm's End. That is the final resting place of Lord Stannis Baratheon."
…
In the distant east, across the Narrow Sea and ever further eastward—from the Free Cities, along the ancient Valyrian road and continuing east—you would pass through a forest called the Forest of Qohor.
This was the largest forest on the eastern continent.
The forest surrounded the southern, northern, and eastern sides of the city of Qohor, stretching north all the way to the coast of the Shivering Sea.
Within the forest grew towering trees, their trunks as wide as city gates, their leaves golden beneath the sunlight.
Great elk and spotted tigers lived there, as well as lemurs with silver-white fur and large violet eyes.
And continuing further east, one would enter a vast grassland known as the Dothraki Sea.
The Dothraki Sea is a great grassland on the continent of Essos. It lies east of the Free Cities, north of Slaver's Bay, and west of the Bones Mountains, and it is inhabited by the nomadic Dothraki people.
Aside from Vaes Dothrak and the small portion of the Valyrian road to the west near the Forest of Qohor, there are no remaining roads, hills, or cities here.
There is only the lush sea of grass, rippling endlessly, from which the Dothraki Sea takes its name.
The grass of the Dothraki Sea is tall and thick, rolling like waves beneath the gentle wind.
More than a hundred kinds of grass grow across the grasslands, including Hranna grass, which turns the color of bronze during the dry season.
Packs of wild dogs roam the plains, as do herds of wild horses and the rare white lions known as Hrakkar.
There are also some rivers in this region, but most of the rivers in the grasslands are shallow, and they change course with the seasons. In short, wind and sand are far more common than flowing water.
In the Dothraki Sea, there is only one city—the only city.
It lies to the northeast of the Dothraki Sea: Vaes Dothrak, the ruins of an ancient city and the cultural center of the Dothraki people.
This is the "City of the Horse Lords," the only city of the Dothraki. It stands at the foot of the Mother of Mountains on the far side of the Dothraki Sea, beside the shores of a lake known as the "Womb of the World."
It is large enough to hold all the Dothraki khalasars at once, and it is governed and inhabited by slaves and the dosh khaleen—the widows of former khals.
Within the sacred city, carrying blades is forbidden, and all bloodshed and fighting are prohibited.
And today, a new life will be born here.
He is the child foretold by the prophets of the dosh khaleen. From before his birth, he is destined not to be ordinary.
For he will "ride the world's steed" and become the leader prophesied in Dothraki legend.
He will be born from the womb of Daenerys Targaryen—wife of Khal Drogo, son of Khal Bharbo, a wealthy and undefeated tribal leader of the Dothraki.
"Ah—!"
"Push, Khaleesi!"
Daenerys, who had just turned fifteen, lay within Khal Drogo's luxurious palace in Vaes Dothrak, her entire body drenched in sweat.
She cried out with all her strength. Before the witnessing dosh khaleen, before the witnessing Khal Drogo, she was determined to bring forth the child in her womb—destined to become the greatest khal in history.
The old women of the dosh khaleen gathered around Daenerys, praying for her.
"His horse will be swift as the wind, and the khalasar behind him will cover the whole earth, beyond counting. The arakh in his hand will be as sharp as the blades of grass."
"The prince will be fierce as a storm. His enemies will struggle helplessly before him. The wives of his enemies will weep tears of blood, overcome with grief."
"The bells in his hair will sing of his coming, and the 'milk men' who dwell in stone tents will fear his name."
"The prince will ride his horse—he will become the Stallion Who Mounts the World!"
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