chapter 174 part 1
Chapter 174: Bread and Blood, Part 3
A surging sea of people, overwhelmed by hunger and desperation, shoved and trampled each other, sweeping in like a tidal wave. To them, starving and having lost all reason, the High Septon, too corpulent to move quickly, became an impossible-to-ignore target. The High Septon and his accompanying Septons, along with the Gold Cloaks and Redcloaks at the very front, were swallowed by the surging human tide.
"By the gods!"
"Who will save us?!"
"Stop those peasants!"
The nobles on the stands who had come to witness the Stark trial cried out in alarm, and chaos instantly erupted. The direction leading into the Great Sept of Baelor and towards the Silent Sisters was packed with heads, while going east led to Flea Bottom.
Glynn crabbe glanced at the crabbe Bluecloaks beside him and shouted, "Assemble! To the north!"
"Queen Regent Cersei, hold onto me!"
Glynn suddenly swung the sword in his hand, swatting away an unknown object flying towards them. With a flick of his blue cloak, he covered Queen Cersei.
"Follow me!" Glynn led a few guards, marching quickly forward.
***
Under Queen Cersei's orders, Eddard Stark received only a bowl of water and an occasional rock-hard black bread each day. These provisions were barely enough to keep him from starving to death in the black cells. His hands were bound behind his back again. Although the accompanying guards were no longer in sight, Eddard Stark had no strength to escape in the chaos. He lay on the ground, unable to get up, feeling both despair and a strange relief… Perhaps ending his life this way, compared to being beheaded by a Lannister, would be somewhat more honorable.
Lord Eddard was quickly surrounded. He watched helplessly as the mob stripped off his grey velvet tunic, embroidered with the white wolf sigil. Lord Eddard foresaw his end, filled with extreme despair. He would rather be beheaded by a Lannister.
"No!" The Wolf kicked desperately, wanting to fight to the death. He didn't want to become a stripped corpse.
A middle-aged man with a grimy face whispered in his ear, "House crabbe never forgets."
Lord Eddard's movements froze. His pupils constricted, and his taut body instantly relaxed, allowing them to lift him. Lord Eddard mumbled, "Honor never dies," then everything went black, and he fainted.
***
Glynn roared, "Lancel, draw your sword!"
Glynn shoved aside Lancel Lannister, who was trying to hide beside him, and continued forward. Cersei Lannister had originally been holding Glynn's arm, but now she was practically clinging to him.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
One… two… three… Glynn's sword rose and fell, blood splattering, and his feet never stopped moving. The panicked nobles and soldiers gradually gathered around.
***
Thump! Monton Waters's corpulent body, wielding a large round shield, slammed into the crowd, and blood seemed to explode on the spot.
"Lord Glynn!"
Monton picked up the greatsword Ice from the ground and threw it over. Glynn reached out and caught the hilt perfectly. The Valyrian steel blade was as dark as smoke. A fine sword!
Lord Glynn was quite practical. His requirement for a sword had always been that it be heavy and sturdy. He didn't want the trouble of a nicked or broken blade right after joining a battle. Glynn naturally knew that a Valyrian steel sword wouldn't have such worries, but they were simply too rare. For an ordinary person, the weight of Ice wasn't suitable for prolonged combat… Glynn gave it a simple swing. Not bad!
The helmet's visor had only a narrow slit, which greatly hindered his vision. Glynn pulled down his visor. He first lowered his gaze to Queen Cersei. She, at least, still maintained her composure… The Lannister lioness seemed unafraid; she was brave, and that was very Cersei. Glynn then glanced at the chaotic surroundings. He raised his sword with one hand, the tip of Ice pointing to the sky.
"Protect the Queen! The brave fear nothing!"
"Protect the Queen! The brave fear nothing!"
"Protect the Queen! The brave fear nothing!"
Many Redcloaks and Gold Cloaks had already gathered around, gradually steadying their formation. They shouted loudly along with Glynn, dispelling their uncontrollable fear.
"The brave shall triumph!"
"The brave shall triumph!"
"The brave shall triumph!"
***
Ser Boros Blount of the Kingsguard, looking panicked, hid behind his sworn brothers. His position was actually safer than Joffrey Baratheon's.
"Coward."
With a thud, Ser Boros was kicked to the ground by Glynn.
"Mother!"
A pale-faced Joffrey quickly spotted Queen Cersei approaching from behind, as if she were his savior.
"Joffrey!"
Queen Cersei released Glynn and tightly embraced her son, who had leaped into her arms. But not long after, Queen Cersei's brows furrowed. She pushed Joffrey away, gripping both his shoulders.
"Joffrey, you are the king. The king must triumph."
Glynn glanced briefly at something on Joffrey's face, and his eyebrow twitched. At that moment, Lancel appeared beside Glynn, his clothes stained with a considerable amount of blood. Lancel's face showed excitement, and his voice trembled, "Glynn, I killed an enemy." After speaking, he showed Glynn the blood-red longsword in his hand.
Glynn suddenly felt that Lancel needed to leave King's Landing for a while, like Jaime. Perhaps that would help him return to normal. As for now… Lancel's thought process could only be described as peculiar.
"Lancel, stay close to me!"
"Oh… alright!"
***
A cold glint flashed as Ice swept through, leaving a bloody void in its wake. The icy light flared. After Glynn slashed the greatsword a dozen times, the mob, which had lost all reason, finally plunged into extreme panic. Glynn's shining gold armor had turned scarlet. The spot where he stood seemed to have become hell on earth… Amidst all kinds of heart-wrenching screams, the crowd rushed away desperately, as if driven mad. Those in front wanted to flee backward, while those behind, unaware of the situation, still pushed forward. Soon, a fierce conflict erupted.
Queen Cersei and Joffrey followed closely behind Glynn, with Lancel guarding their flank.
"Keep advancing!"
"Advance! Advance! Advance!"