Grand Maester Pycelle prescribed some medicine for Margaery and then left.
Mufasa and Myrcella stayed and ate dinner at Margaery's house.
After Margaery put on the Buddha Amulet Mufasa gave her and took the Calming Medicine, she fell asleep.
Mufasa took the statues of the seven back to The Red Keep.
However, Mufasa did not notice that the statues of the seven had changed; the original seven humanoid statues had turned into seven non-humanoid entities.
They mostly resembled octopuses, possessing many tentacles, large heads, bulging eyes, and scale-like coverings on their skin. In short, they definitely did not look like the statues of the seven found in normal churches.
When Greatjon Umber of House Umber, Chief Ranger Benjen Stark of the Nights Watch, and Ser Alliser Thorne arrived in King's Landing, The Great Council officially began.
During the council, different lords held varying views. Some planned to proactively deploy troops Beyond the Wall, such as Earl Yohn Royce, who wanted to lead the Knights of the Vale Beyond the Wall to kill the Others and avenge his son.
Yohn Royce received support from the Nights Watch and the Northern Lords, as they also did not want the Others and the Wildlings to come south of The Wall.
Some were proponents of fleeing, and Mace Tyrell was one of them, having grown increasingly fearful of the unknown enemy in recent days.
He even spoke of preparing to lead his entire family to seek refuge on the Continent of Essos.
Mace Tyrell's plan aroused dissatisfaction among many Lords of the Reach.
Earl Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill requested permission from King Robert to fight, hoping to lead the army north along the Kingsroad to attack the Wildlings and Others Beyond the Wall.
"His Majesty King Robert, and all the Lords, we have received intelligence regarding the Others!"
Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands stepped forward and said.
"Balon, what intelligence have you received?" Eddard Stark asked.
"The Others cannot swim. Perhaps we can use this fact."
That the Others cannot swim was something Balon and his people learned while trading slaves with the Wildlings.
Although the Others bring cold when they appear, they do not have the ability to freeze rivers.
Unless the weather itself turns cold, freezing all rivers and seas, the Others cannot attack islands or cities located in the middle of rivers, such as Riverrun or the Isle of Faces!
"Is it true that the Others cannot swim?" Lord Redwyne asked. His territory is The Arbor, located in the southwest corner of the Continent of Westeros, famous for its wine production.
"That's right, the Others cannot swim. We confirmed this with our Wildling friends," Balon said.
"Then how should we utilize this fact?" Renly asked.
"Only a minority of people live on islands. Most of us live on the mainland. We can't just abandon all the land and huddle on islands waiting to die!" Lord Renly said.
"If we could imitate the Children of the Forest shattering the Arm of Dorne in ancient times, and shatter The Neck, separating the entire North from the South, we would be safe," Baelish stood up and suggested.
"With all due respect, Lord Baelish, your suggestion is chaotic rhetoric aiming to divide the Seven Kingdoms," Benjen Stark said.
"The North is part of the Seven Kingdoms. Without The North, is there still a need for the Seven Kingdoms to exist?" Benjen Stark asked.
This discussion happened every day and would not yield results quickly.
During the discussions of The Great Council, Mufasa forged two more valyrian steel swords, selling one to Renly and one to The Red Viper.
At North Sea Kindergarten, Mufasa and Gendry were still forging valyrian steel swords; this one was for Ser Loras, who had already given Mufasa a deposit.
"Flame Enchantment, Evil Scatter!"
"Icy blade, fiery heart!"
"Object of evil slaying, must not be touched!"
"Touch it and die, leaving no corpse behind!"
Mufasa chanted the spell, and Charcoal Fire Dragon Colt breathed flames. Gendry swung the hammer.
After quenching, a dense mist of water vapor rose, and then a valyrian steel sword was successfully forged.
Waiting outside the smithy were Ser Loras and his sister, Margaery.
Since Margaery came to North Sea Kindergarten that one time, she frequently visited, seemingly enjoying telling stories to the children.
Every time she came, she brought lots of food, drinks, clothes, and toys.
Now, her image was deeply ingrained in the hearts of these children.
"She is a beautiful, kind older sister." That's what most of them thought.
Although Mufasa knew she was putting on a show, he didn't say anything.
"Ser Loras, this sword is yours!" Mufasa handed the still-warm valyrian steel sword to Ser Loras the Knight of Flowers.
He excitedly took it and swung it a few times in the air.
"It's truly light! The balance is excellent! And it's incredibly sharp!" Loras said after testing the blade.
"This is a masterpiece that can only be forged using ancient techniques combined with skilled craftsmanship," Mufasa said.
Mufasa looked at Margaery beside him; her expression had returned to normal, still charmingly delicate. She seemed to have recovered from her thalassophobia.
"Mufasa, I have something to tell you!" Margaery said, her face serious.
"What is it?" Mufasa asked.
"It's like this, Mufasa, a singer in our household died," Loras said from the side.
"What does that have to do with me? Are you asking me to attend the funeral feast? Surely not?" Mufasa curled his lip.
"It's not what you think?" Loras and Margaery were speechless.
"His death was suspicious!" Margaery said.
"For a while before he died, he kept talking about statues."
"It seems to be the same statue I saw deep under the sea when I was ill," Margaery said.
"Statues?" Mufasa asked.
"Yes, the statue's head was like a gigantic octopus, covered in writhing dark green tentacles. The ends of the tentacles had glowing suckers and spiral serrations;
its torso resembled a reptilian giant, covered in bronze scales etched with twisted patterns, secreting thick mucus. Wrinkled, membranous wings grew on its back, their edges shimmering with phosphorescence. Its four limbs were thick, ending in obsidian claws, and its tail bone spurs coiled upwards," Margaery described.
She recalled the unspeakable, terrifying deep-sea monster she had seen in her dream once more. Immediately, her face turned pale, and she collapsed forward.
Mufasa quickly caught her.
"Are you alright, Margaery?" Mufasa asked.
She shook her head. "Every time I recall it, it plunges me into fear. That is absolutely not a god, but a demon-like existence! Its power can rival that of a god, capable of dominating the world."
"You are overthinking things. Go back, take a few more Calming Pills, and get some sleep! Stop thinking about that thing," Mufasa advised.
"But it's not just Margaery and the deceased singer; many musicians, maesters, and monks in King's Landing seem to have seen that mysterious entity in their dreams. Some have even conversed with It," Loras said.
He also learned from Renly that one of his maesters had fallen into a state of madness, obsessively worshipping that octopus-headed monster.
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