On Dragonstone, Stannis sat at the sandbox table in the Hall of Affairs, looking at the sand map of Westeros before him, filled with various banners, his face devoid of any expression.
The surrounding lords loyal to Stannis were also silent, their hearts filled with despair, for they knew their liege had no chance of victory, and in the near future, they might face punishments such as deprivation of their lands or exile.
"Woman, you said I was Azor Ahai reborn, wielding lightbringer, and would lead humanity against the Others, becoming the savior," Stannis turned his head to look at the calm Melisandre beside him and said, "Now tell me, how should I lead humanity against the Others? Or was your so-called prophecy from the Lord of Light a lie from the very beginning?"
As Stannis's words fell, everyone in the room turned their gaze to Melisandre. Most of the lords and nobles present, with the exception of a few who were devout followers of the Lord of Light, all worshipped the Seven Gods.
Previously, Melisandre had used the Lord of Light's faith as an excuse to do many infuriating things, such as burning those who refused to convert, and persuading Stannis not to ally with Renly and Robb Stark. Although these were not the ultimate reasons for the war's failure, they now desperately needed a scapegoat, and Melisandre was the perfect fit.
Facing the interrogation, Melisandre appeared remarkably calm. She turned to Stannis and said, "Your Grace, you have not lost yet. It is not the end; everything is just beginning. The turning point in the Lord of Light's prophecy will arrive very soon. Please wait calmly."
Lord Monford Velaryon of Driftmark was fortunate enough to survive the Battle of King's Landing, but his face was scarred by an enemy's longsword, making his handsome appearance considerably more disfigured.
Lord Monford was a devout follower of the Seven Gods, so he immediately challenged Melisandre without hesitation, "Wait calmly, witch? You say it so easily. Our provisions are not even enough for daily consumption. How can you expect us to wait calmly?"
"Please rest assured about the provisions," Melisandre smiled. "More than ten days ago, I already asked the High Priest of the Red Temple in Volantis to help purchase a large quantity of provisions in Lorath. They are now being transported by ships, and calculating the time, they should arrive today. So, everyone, there's no need to worry about provisions."
Almost at the same moment Melisandre's words fell, the guards of the Dragonstone lighthouse rushed in from outside to report to Stannis that a large number of ships were approaching, bearing the flag of Volantis.
Hearing this, everyone in the room instinctively looked at Melisandre. They recalled that since the morning, Melisandre had been in the Hall of Affairs like the other lords and nobles, never leaving, so she shouldn't have known where the fleet had arrived.
Yet, she had just mentioned the provision fleet, and the next moment, the fleet appeared in the sea monitored by the Dragonstone lighthouse. It was hard not to suspect if some mysterious magic or sorcery was involved.
"This is merely a coincidence," Melisandre proactively denied using any mysterious power. She looked at everyone and said, "This grain is enough to sustain us for a month's daily needs. We just need to wait for the change to appear."
Ser Davos Seaworth was clearly the one who disliked Melisandre the most among the group, so he pressed her, "A change? What change? When will it appear?"
Melisandre shook her head and said, "The gods' prophecies are often vague. To fully discern the content of a prophecy, even a favored one finds it difficult. All I know is that the change might happen in a few days, or it might happen very soon. So, we just need to wait patiently."
"Wait! I'm afraid I don't have time to wait," Stannis said with a gloomy expression. "Tywin has bestowed my Dragonstone and Storms End upon Linde Terra. Storms End is already in his hands, and Dragonstone is next." He then turned to Ser Goode Morrigen and asked, "Ser Goode, I want to know whose side you will take if Linde Terra attacks Dragonstone."
Ser Goode Morrigen answered directly, "Please forgive me, Your Grace, but if Prince Linde attacks Dragonstone, our Stormlands forces will likely not participate in the battle. We will neither side with Your Grace nor assist Prince Linde in attacking Your Grace."
"Traitors, all of you!" Someone immediately shouted, accusing the Stormlands knights and nobles, who all remained silent, offering no rebuttal.
"Enough!" Stannis loudly rebuked his subordinates, then looked at Ser Goode Morrigen and said, "It's good that you can speak the truth now, rather than betray me at a crucial moment! You are at least a loyal and principled man."
"Your Grace, if Lord Lynd truly comes..." Ser Goode Morrigen sighed, about to offer his advice, when a roar suddenly echoed from outside, followed by the frantic shouts of soldiers, as if they were under some terrifying attack.
"A dragon! It's the sound of a dragon," Goode was the first to react, saying, "Prince Linde has arrived."
Stannis immediately stood up and walked to the window. A huge shadow then flew overhead, and Stannis saw a massive, pitch-black dragon with veins glowing like lava soaring through the air, circling Dragonstone twice before landing in the plaza outside the castle.
Stannis's face inevitably showed a nervous expression. Lynd was surprisingly stopping outside the castle, instead of landing directly in the castle's plaza.
So, he turned to look at the pale-faced Dragonstone nobles in the room, then at the calm-faced Stormlands nobles, and finally turned to Melisandre, asking, "Do you still say that the change you speak of will appear now?"
Melisandre said very seriously, "Yes, the change will still appear. You will surely become Azor Ahai, wielding lightbringer, fighting the alien gods Beyond the Wall for the Lord of Light. This is the revelation given to me by the Lord of Light, and it is a divine oracle. A divine oracle does not change."
"To hell with your Lord of Light!" Stannis cursed Melisandre unceremoniously. At this moment, he already regarded Melisandre as a liar. He turned to his subordinates in the room and said, "Let's go! We'll go meet Prince Linde. It's better for us to meet him than for him to break in and meet us."
After speaking, he straightened his clothes, puffed out his chest, and strode out of the room. The others also followed. Although Melisandre had just been cursed, she did not show any anger. Instead, she smiled and followed behind the group, walking towards the outside of Dragonstone castle.
Soon, the group arrived at the main gate of Dragonstone castle. Stannis directly ordered the soldiers to open the gate.
"Your Grace, don't open the gate yet, stand on the Wall..." Someone immediately stopped him and advised.
Stannis shook his head and said, "No need! If Linde Terra wants to enter the castle, one gate won't stop him. Standing on the Wall would only make us look too cowardly."
After speaking, he gestured for the soldiers to open the gate, then was the first to walk out. The Onion Knight followed closely, and then the others followed suit.
By this time, Lynd had dismounted from Nessario and was standing at the edge of the plaza, looking at the castle gate. When he saw Stannis proactively open the gate and walk out, a smile appeared on his face.
"It's good to see you safe and sound, Stannis!" When Stannis approached, Lynd proactively bowed to Stannis.
"I'm not happy to see you, Lord Lynd," Stannis glared at Lynd ill-humoredly and said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't get involved in the civil war of the Seven Kingdoms? What's going on now? Have you become Tywin's dog? Thrown a bone by Tywin and come running to bite?"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"