Stannis Baratheon gritted his teeth and said, "Randyll Tarly…"
Although the Onion Knight maintained a respectful expression, his heart was filled with worry; his "God" had undergone many unsettling changes since coming here.
What was influencing him?
Power, or the terrifying Red Priestess? Or both?
Davos Seaworth quickly shook his head, how could a smuggler like him comprehend the greatness of King Stannis I? He shouldn't question his "God."
He spoke, "My King Stannis, as long as we take King's Landing quickly, I believe the Riverlands people will soon make a wise choice."
"Smuggler…"
King Stannis coldly called out to his Onion Knight, then continued, "Sixteen years ago, Mace Tyrell chose to be my enemy, and now…"
His teeth ground, "I will never leave him behind!"
Davos's pupils constricted, he trembled his lips and said, "Are you going to…"
Stannis's eyes were deep, "Davos, I have not forgotten."
Davos opened his mouth, advising, "King Stannis, Salladhor Saan (Davos's good friend, Chapter 203) told me…"
Stannis roughly interrupted Davos, "That pirate's head is full of fantasies about the treasure buried beneath the Red Keep; he only calculates gold! Don't let me hear his name again. If I ever have to let a Lysene pirate teach me how to fight, I'd rather take off my crown and put on the black!"
After a moment of silence, Stannis reached for his cup. It contained cool, salted water.
He drained the cup, paused, then said, "Davos, we need provisions, and my brother's provisions are at Bitterbridge."
He looked at his Onion Knight, "Smuggler, my mind is clear. Before, Melisandre foresaw Renly's destruction, seeing it as early as Dragonstone, and told my wife about it.
Many people kept urging me to go directly for Joffrey in King's Landing, but Melisandre told me… if I went to Storms End, I would win the elite of my brother's army. It has been proven that her sacred fire prophecies are never false."
Ser Davos's brows furrowed slightly. Was this why King Stannis trusted the Red Priestess more and more?
Before their last parting, Lord Green had hinted to him that everything has a price.
Stannis's aged appearance… the Red Priestess's shadow magic… Davos felt a fright wash over him, his heart filled with terror and unease.
No, this cannot be; his "God" must not continue to be misled by Melisandre!
Davos tried his best to refute the Red Priestess's sacred fire prophecy, "King Stannis, Duke Renly was originally planning to march on King's Landing to fight the Lannister. If you hadn't besieged Storms End, he wouldn't have come at all. He could have directly attacked King's Landing, and you could have waited for them to exhaust each other before raising your army."
King Stannis frowned, "I don't like useless hypotheses. Renly came, and he came to meet his destruction. The facts cannot be changed… This is killing two birds with one stone for me."
He paused, then continued, "Melisandre once saw another vision in the sacred fire. She saw Renly, clad in green armor, coming from the south and crushing my army beneath King's Landing."
He said coldly, "Undoubtedly, if I had met my brother there, it would have been me who died, not him, Ser Davos."
Davos continued to argue, "King Stannis, if she can see two different futures, then perhaps… both are false prophecies."
"You are wrong, Onion Knight."
King Stannis raised a finger and continued, "There is more than one shadow of light. Fire changes and leaps, never still, so shadows are sometimes long and sometimes short. An ordinary person can cast a dozen shadows, only some are fainter than others. You see, the future of a person is also like this. But no matter whether he casts one or many shadows for his future, Melisandre can see them."
Davos felt powerless. He wisely did not continue to argue. He knew very well that King Stannis's patience was almost exhausted, and speaking so much to him was already a sign of his "God's" favor.
King Stannis's voice sounded, "Smuggler, stand before a bonfire and see for yourself."
Davos's face was slightly embarrassed… In fact, he had secretly tried it before. He had stared at the fire, watching it flicker and change, without blinking for a long time, trying to see through it, beyond the curtain of fire… whatever was there… there was nothing… only fire… The result was that his eyes began to water.
"Davos, go prepare."
King Stannis's tall figure rose from his chair, his deep blue, almost black, eyes seemingly gazing at Bitterbridge in the Riverlands.
...
...
The Claw Isle men believed one Claw Isle man could defeat ten Valley men.
As for the Valley men? They, on the contrary, believed one Valley man could defeat ten Claw Isle men.
This claim actually couldn't be scrutinized; strictly speaking, it was a kind of "mantra" to boost their morale.
But some people firmly believed in this claim, for example… Ser Lyn Corbray, who had the Valyria steel sword "lady forlorn" at his waist.
...
Lyn Corbray, running at the front of the troop, reined in his horse. The horse stopped, rearing its front hooves high and letting out a loud neigh.
The three flying raven banners of the Corbray family of the Valley fluttered in the air. Beneath the banners was a cavalry troop, mainly composed of Corbray family sworn knights and squires, numbering nearly two hundred.
Ser Lyn was thin like a sword, with shoulder-length brown hair and a handsome face.
He gazed into the distance, sneering, "I seem to have found barbarian scouts, hmm…"
He paused, then added, "It seems there are quite a few of them!"
He pointed his riding crop forward, turning to the people behind him and mocking, "When did savages in animal skins dare to provoke Valley Knights on flat ground?!"
Ser Lyn's words made the knights laugh.
His horse paced back and forth. Ser Lyn proudly lifted his chin and declared, "My knights, I intend to teach these impolite fellows a lesson!"
Everyone echoed in agreement, but Ser Lyn's squire spoke with unease, "My Ser, our mission is…"
They were the vanguard sent by the Alliance of the Righteous. Bronze Yohn's mission for them was to monitor Kleber in Seagull Town and protect the villages near Seagull Town from Kleber's plunder as much as possible.
Ser Lyn was the commander of this cavalry troop.
...
Ser Lyn was vain and hot-tempered. Rumor had it that he was the most dangerous man in the Valley.
He waved his hand to interrupt his squire, saying disdainfully, "The savages have run out of their sheltering valleys, which has already sealed their doom! On the plains, one Valley Knight can easily kill ten savages!"
With a clang, Ser Lyn drew his sword. The ruby on the hilt of "lady forlorn" seemed to burn as he shouted, "Follow me!"
Ser Lyn spurred his horse forward, and the knights followed.
...
From a high vantage point, Greene Kleber looked down at the cavalry troop that seemed to be wriggling on the mountain below. Beside him was Ser Aempa Thorness, commander of the Thorn Legion.
Greene withdrew his gaze and said to Impa, "My Ser, this is the power of intelligence. With intelligence in hand, we can fight however we want."
Impa listened intently, repeating Greene's words in her mind to deepen her memory.
Greene's face was gentle, "You have not failed the swamp marigold cloak I gave you (Chapter 6). I am proud of you, Ser Thorness."
Impa looked up at her Lord, her light-colored lips trembling slightly. She pressed her lips together.
Greene turned to Impa, patted her arm, and said, "Go, Claw Isle Knight, test the Valley Knights with the Clayber Longbow."
Impa straightened her posture, placed her hand on her chest, and said, "As you command, Lord Green!"
...
Ser Lyn roared impatiently, "Catch them!"
Seeing the barbarian light cavalry getting farther and farther away, Ser Lyn kicked his horse's belly hard, the spurs on his boots digging deep. The stimulated horse immediately accelerated into a gallop.
By this point, many older knights had already sensed something was wrong, but they couldn't stop Ser Lyn, who was galloping ahead. While increasing their vigilance, they could only grit their teeth and follow.
The hooves of two hundred horses pounded the ground, creating a regular and powerful rhythm. As the distance closed, it felt as if the ground itself was shaking.
On a nearby hillside, nearly a thousand Thorn Legion archers, who had been ambushed for a long time, slowly drew their bowstrings under the gesture of their adjutant, Lena. The arrowheads gleamed with cold light.
As the distance grew shorter, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded.
Immediately after, the archers of the Thorn Legion released their fully drawn bowstrings.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh… The sky was filled with a flying rain of arrows, assaulting the cavalry like a gale.
A black rain of arrows descended from the sky, and the panicked cavalry fell to the ground one after another.
The sworn knights' full plate armor protected their bodies, but their horses were not spared from the arrow barrage.
Every arrow shot at them was considerably thicker and longer than common arrows. They mercilessly pierced through the squires' chainmail, harvesting their lives.
Some agile knights attempted to retaliate, but they quickly discovered that the arrows they shot could not match the range of their attackers.
The soldiers of the Thorn Legion watched with stern eyes as arrows flew towards the enemy. Their movements were uniform, each draw and release of the bowstring filled with power.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh… Wherever the arrow rain reached, it was filled with the neighing of warhorses and the wailing of Valley Knights.
Some of those hit fell to the ground instantly, while others struggled painfully, trying to escape this terrifying battlefield.
However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape the shadow-like arrow rain.
...
The battlefield was covered with the bodies of cavalry and warhorses. The air was filled with the smell of blood and death.
Lena removed her chainmail hood. She was petite, but her voice was louder than before, "Spearmen! Advance!"
Fifty Clayber Longbow spearmen marched forward in unison. Their task was to deliver the finishing blows after the battle.
Thud… Thud… Thud… Thud… Blood-red spears extended and retracted, and the wails disappeared one by one.
The spearmen moved rhythmically. Ser Lyn, who had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly got up and rolled violently towards them.
With spears above his head, Ser Lyn tightly gripped "lady forlorn" in his hand, fiercely thrusting the sword tip into the breastplate of a spearman.
The longsword was pulled out, and blood splattered.
With a flash of cold light, two Clayber Longbow spearmen fell under Ser Lyn's "lady forlorn."
Ser Lyn's eyes were bloodshot. As he was about to attack the fourth spearman, several spears pinned his body in place. Immediately after… Lena's spear directly pierced into Ser Lyn's mouth, its tip emerging from the back of his head.
...
The next day, Seagull Town Governor's Mansion.
Greene Kleber held a piece of oiled leather, gently wiping the blade of "lady forlorn."
Lord Green was in a good mood. Petyr's gifts always brought pleasant surprises; next time, he should be a little nicer to him.
Greene's good mood was not only due to the Valyria steel sword in his hand but also the surrender of the Seagull Town fleet.
The 28 warships of the Seagull Town fleet, compared to the small and fast Kleber warships… were large and powerful; they were true ocean-going warships.
The families of the fleet officers and sailors almost all lived in Seagull Town, so they didn't have many choices. To quickly and completely take over this fleet, Lord Green not only generously paid out golden dragons but also allowed the Seagull Town fleet's Commander to continue in his original position.
There always had to be a transitional period, and Lord Green was never lacking in patience.
Moreover, his Commander of the fleet was currently in Baratheon, and his heart… apparently was not yet in Kleber.
...
"Lord Green, a letter from the Red Keep." Leyton the young steward handed over the newly received letter.
Putting "lady forlorn" back into its scabbard, Greene read the Lioness of Lannister's handwritten letter, and his good mood was instantly broken.
...
...
Claw Isle, a valley northeast of Whispering City.
"Dragon… Dragon… Dragon?!" Samwell Tarly, looking incredulous, fell onto the ground.
Ser Mason Bake, standing beside Daenerys, glanced at Samwell and snorted contemptuously.
Skinny Dick Cleboe finally managed to help the wide Samwell to his feet.
Dick was panting beside him, and Samwell shyly said, "Sorry, Princess."
Daenerys chuckled, saying, "Sam, they are very well-behaved, don't worry."
The three small dragons hissed at Samwell, and he couldn't help but take a step back. Then he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, saying, "Sorry, I was truly startled. I can actually see living dragons, gods be praised."
Daenerys walked slowly, lowered herself, and reached out to touch the three small dragons, gently saying, "My children, it's time to eat."
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