"God of Magic! God of Magic! God of Magic! The greatest mage under heaven, the god of all mages!"
While Erlu was still in a daze, he heard another earthshaking roar rise from the surrounding crowd.
This time, they were no longer shouting "God of War," but had switched to "God of Magic."
Still half-conscious, he looked around and immediately realized whom they were calling. Melisandre was riding the same wyvern as he was, and at this moment she was sliding down along the wyvern's fleshy wing.
"God of Magic! God of Magic! God of Magic!"
Watching the two almond-eyed maidservants beside the Dragon Queen wave their little fists and scream themselves hoarse with twisted expressions, Erlu was completely confused.
Melisandre was confused as well.
"What are they shouting?" she asked in puzzlement.
Jon climbed down from the back of Richard of the Pockmarked Face's wyvern and walked over to Erlu. Hearing the red-robed woman's question, he immediately explained, "The agreement between His Majesty Stannis and Her Majesty Daenerys to challenge the Night King together beneath the Wall is now known to everyone.
"Everyone deeply admires His Majesty Stannis's bravery. Considering that His Majesty has fought in wars all his life and won far more battles than he has lost, they respectfully call him the 'God of War.'
"As for Lady Melisandre, her astonishing sorcery is well known, so she has earned the title 'God of Magic.'
"Add to that the great Lord of Light, R'hllor, and it becomes 'God of War, God of Magic, and God King' challenging the Night King beneath Winterfell.
"This is destined to be a legend passed down for tens of millions of years, so as legendary heroes, you naturally need resounding titles."
Legendary hero Erlu's face twisted.
Legendary hero Mel frowned blankly.
"You said everyone knows?" Erlu glared, grinding his teeth.
Jon rubbed his nose awkwardly. "To boost morale, I sent ravens to inform all the lords of the North."
"You let the entire North know?" Erlu snapped, his teeth clenched.
"No," Jon lowered his eyes, not daring to meet Erlu's nearly flame-spitting glare. "Winterfell is in dire straits. We need the support of all the nobles in the realm.
"Spiritual support and material support, both are necessary.
"So in the letters asking for aid, I also explained the legendary event of the Three Gods battling the Night King."
Erlu's whole body trembled.
If he had not come and instead insisted on attacking King's Landing, what would the people of the Seven Kingdoms think? This was forcing him to come to Winterfell and take the hit head-on. Even if Erlu was willing to fulfill his duties as king and savior, being schemed against like this still filled him with pent-up rage.
"Where is Sansa?" the Dragon Queen asked as she walked over, breaking the awkward silence.
Jon let out a sigh of relief and hurried forward a few steps, escaping Erlu's furious stare. He explained, "It's several thousand kilometers from Winterfell to the Eyrie. After flying for more than ten hours, she felt unwell and couldn't return immediately. She's currently resting in the Vale to stabilize her pregnancy."
Daenerys fell into thought.
Both Rickon and Sansa had avoided the decisive battle of Winterfell. That was probably no coincidence.
"Why did you bring so few people?" Daenerys turned her gaze back to Erlu.
Erlu had thirty wyverns, yet only five had come this time.
"My Hand of the King will represent me in launching the campaign against King's Landing," Erlu said without concealment.
Nor could he hide it, since Dragonstone was right next to Duskendale.
The group talked as they walked toward the guest chambers.
After entering the ground-floor sitting room, everyone took their seats in a circle by the fireplace according to rank and status.
Jon then helped Erlu explain the situation in Duskendale.
Although Erlu was prepared to die in battle, he certainly did not want to die.
Moreover, he was wearing King Aegon's Valyrian steel armor, had the Red Priestess supporting him, had dragons and the Dragon Queen clearing the skies, and had the Three-Eyed Raven hidden nearby to carry out or block assassinations. He felt that even if he did not win this battle, he would not lose his life.
That being the case, Erlu naturally did not want to give up the Iron Throne that was almost within his grasp.
So he wisely split his forces in two. A small detachment marched north to reinforce Winterfell, while the main force of the wyvern legion was entrusted to the Hand of the King, who would lead them south to conquer King's Landing.
Huh, this kind of dual-front strategy felt very familiar.
Daenerys immediately realized why. Erlu's plan to seize the Iron Throne was exactly the same as King Aegon's strategy back then.
She sighed inwardly, hoping he would have a different ending.
Seeing the Dragon Queen lost in thought, her expression changing several times, Erlu clenched his teeth and said in a deep voice, "What, you don't agree with me taking King's Landing?"
Daenerys snapped back to herself and frowned as she spoke her true thoughts. "Given the current situation, this is not the time for civil war. We should unite all human forces, form a united front against the Others, and face the great catastrophe that has already arrived together."
"Such naive words shouldn't come from your mouth. Do you think Cersei and Euron are people who care about the greater good?" Erlu said coldly. "Allying with them would harm the united front against the Others far more than destroying them."
"Heh, have you forgotten what I told you atop the Wall about the 'way of kings'?" Daenerys gave a strange smile. "Everyone has value. It just depends on how you use them. And when you use someone, you don't necessarily have to trust them."
Erlu looked at her deeply and asked, "I heard from Jon that Hearth Home fell and that Karhold also encountered the Others, but Karhold wasn't harassed because Sigorn Thenn offered sacrifices to the Cold God?"
The topic shifted abruptly. Daenerys froze for a moment before nodding and saying solemnly, "I was just about to inform you all. Sigorn Thenn sacrificed his newborn son, and this is only the beginning.
"One year from now, Sigorn must provide the Others with male infants at a ratio of one per thousand people in his territory."
"Hiss!" Jon, Erlu, and Melisandre all turned pale.
"This precedent must not be set!" Stannis snapped, his face iron-dark with anger. "One Karhold is not frightening. What is frightening is if all the nobles follow Karhold's example.
"For instance, Cersei and Euron. If they learn what happened at Karhold, they will certainly imitate it. If even King's Landing, with its population of five hundred thousand, falls the same way, then the Seven Kingdoms will truly be finished."
So this is why you were in such a rush to attack King's Landing? It does sound lofty enough, but when you decided on that attack, Jon had not yet brought the news of Karhold back to the Eyrie, had he?
Daenerys shot Stannis a sidelong glance and said solemnly, "Your concern is entirely reasonable. That is precisely why we must kill one to warn a hundred, and use the harshest possible means to cut off any chance of imitation."
"The harshest means. Kill one to warn a hundred." Jon's bearded face went deathly pale. He cried out in shock and anger, "You slaughtered Karhold?"
"Slaughtered it? Killed everyone in Karhold?" The Northern lords around them changed color, and the looks they cast at the Dragon Queen now carried three parts resentment and seven parts fear.
This was exactly the reaction I had anticipated.
Daenerys sneered inwardly, but her face remained calm. "What slaughter? I merely went to confirm what exactly had happened in Karhold.
"After that, out of righteous indignation, I cut off one of the Earl of Karhold's hands.
"As for how Sigorn and Karhold itself should be dealt with, that is naturally for the King in the North, Stark, and his liege lord, Stannis, to decide. I have no intention of overstepping my bounds."
Then she turned to Stannis and Jon beside her and asked sincerely, "You two tell me. How should they be dealt with, and who should carry it out?"
Jon's long-suffering face twisted into a tight knot.
You clearly went out with the winged dragon legion, with forty Valyrian steel guards in attendance. Such a show of force was not for punishment?
Before leaving for Karhold, I even heard you harshly threatening the Northern lords: mankind and the Others were irreconcilable enemies; everyone must choose, black or white, and once a choice was made, the price of that choice had to be paid.
With slogans so resounding and action so decisive, you ended up merely gathering information?
Jon felt deeply uncomfortable.
The great battle of Winterfell was imminent, yet the first case of surrendering to the Others had already occurred. It was devastating to morale. Even if the Thenns had truly been wiped out, or Karhold razed to the ground, it would have been cruel, but still lawful and justifiable.
But slaughtering nobles, and even the people of their fiefs, was something the King in the North absolutely could not do.
"Your Grace, what do you think should be done?" Jon tossed the scalding hot potato to Stannis.
The Dragon Queen had said one thing very correctly. Stannis was the king to whom the people of the North swore loyalty.
Such a grave matter ought to be handled by the king.
Stannis did not hesitate in the slightest. He swept a cold gaze over the assembled Northern lords, his voice hard as iron. "Execute Sigorn of the Thenns and Alys Karstark. Strip the Thenn family of the title of Earl of Karhold. As for anyone who participated in, witnessed, or had knowledge of the sacrifice to the Others, regardless of number, execute them all as well."
He truly feared no one's hatred for being too harsh.
He dared to burn even the Dragon Queen's own nephew and stab even a saint. Why would he fear the so-called resentment of the Northern nobility?
It had to be said that Stannis showed far more resolve than Daenerys and Jon.
If anything, his sense of responsibility went too far. The moment Robert died, he had taken it upon himself to shoulder the duty of King of the Seven Kingdoms, utterly unconcerned with whether others accepted it or not.
"Hiss…" Even though Stannis's punishment was ten times lighter than razing the city, a wave of frightened inhalations rose from beside the hearth.
Jon opened his mouth, wanting to plead for Alys Karstark, but when the words reached his lips, he found he could not speak them.
Stannis noticed Jon's hesitation and asked, "Do you have a different opinion?"
Jon shook his head and asked instead, "Who will carry out this task?"
Stannis glanced at the Dragon Queen. Seeing that she did not volunteer, he immediately felt a trace of displeasure.
I am not a fool. I know you do not want to play the villain. But since I am already taking full responsibility, why are you unwilling to make even a small sacrifice?
Jon cast an ingratiating look at the Dragon Queen and urged her tactfully, "Someone with the ability and authority to carry out the punishment swiftly can only be you."
"No, no, no," Daenerys said, shaking her head repeatedly. "In Westeros, I can at best be considered the Prince of Dragonstone. Since when does the Prince of Dragonstone meddle in the internal affairs of the North?"
The massacre of Karhold would have been a bucket of filth. Killing Sigorn and Alys was only a cup of filth. The Dragon Queen kept herself clean and would not even touch a single speck of it.
Melisandre's eyes flickered. She cast a subtle glance at the pockmarked Richard standing behind Stannis and smiled. "King Stannis is merciful and rejected the decision to slaughter Karhold. The people of Karhold ought to be grateful.
"Therefore, Sir Richard can be sent to Karhold to announce His Grace's decree to all there.
"Then he can call upon the innocent knights and smallfolk in the city to carry out His Grace's judgment."
Stannis frowned and turned to look at his knight, hesitating.
The pockmarked knight, however, was all smiles. He thumped his chest and vowed, "Your Grace, I will bring you the heads of Alys Karstark and Sigorn of the Thenns!"
Daenerys looked back and forth between the red-robed woman and the knight of the flaming red heart, and understanding slowly dawned on her.
Melisandre knew of the pockmarked knight's past deeds.
After a moment's thought, Stannis rose and walked up to the knight, lowering his voice. "Watch your wording. Say that the verdict has not yet been decided and that you are to bring Sigorn and Alys to Winterfell to stand trial.
"The others can be set aside for now. At present, we only have the capacity to deal with the ringleaders."
He gave the knight a meaningful look. "Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand completely!" Richard nodded solemnly.
"Remember, you only need to bring them back to Winterfell." Stannis finally let out a breath.
As it turned out, Stannis knew when something could be done and when it could not. Melisandre knew faces, and even more so hearts. She fully grasped the flaming red heart knight's character and manner of acting.
Only the pockmarked knight himself understood nothing at all.
The next morning, Jon announced grimly to everyone that Sir Richard had failed to bring back the heads of Sigorn and Alys. Instead, his own head had been mounted on a pole before the gates of Karhold.
(End of chapter)
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