iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 646 God's Judgment
Lead-gray clouds hung low over the sacred tree forest, as if they might collapse at any moment.

First came the rustling of branches rubbing together, which quickly turned into a wild beast's roar, whipping up the snow on the ground as a fierce wind swept in.

Green's cloak was instantly lifted up, billowing and flapping violently in the gale, making a "whooshing" sound, as if it wanted to break free from his body and fly into the sky.

Green smoothed his flowing hair, and rustling sounds filled the air as snow fell from the trees, blanketing everything in white.

But soon, the howling wind, like a giant beast being choked, suddenly subsided.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

The ancient and distant voice echoed once more: "Grinkelber...this place does not belong to you...only dragonfire...can melt the ice..."

He tilted his head slightly and gazed at the face that had been distorted by the passage of time. His gaze was as calm as a frozen lake.

"Where does your judgment come from? Can you see the future?"

A few rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and the dome woven from branches and leaves, turning into countless tiny golden spots that shimmered on the snow-covered ground like shards of a broken mirror.

He paused, then slowly approached the face: "You should have seen the three dragons awakened by the Blood Star. They were still the size of ponies, and their dragonfire could defeat the White Walkers. To be more specific... are you sure the three dragons now can defeat the Night King?"

After a long silence, the Three-Eyed Raven's voice finally rang out: "King of the Seven Kingdoms...you possess...too much knowledge..."

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" Green asked casually, then paced back and forth as he pondered.

After waiting for a long time and seeing that "he" did not respond, Green suddenly stopped and looked over: "You probably can't see the future. I'm the same as you. The future is unknown to us. So, do you still want to stick to your previous judgment?"

A cold wind howled, ruffling Green's hair once again.

"Standing still... the future is unpredictable... but at the end of my life... I observe the trajectories of all beings... for each person... there is only one destined path..."

"I can't see...your past..."

"Crab Claw Peninsula...only the trajectory from your birth to your departure..."

Green took two steps back naturally, raised an eyebrow in confusion, and said, "Didn't you already see my past?"

“Green Kleber…your knowledge…exceeds…your trajectory…”

While listening patiently, Green tapped the ruby ​​hilt of the "Lady of the Empty" sword at his waist with each of his fingers.

After waiting for a while, and seeing that the three-eyed raven had stopped making a sound, he asked, "Is that all?"

After a pause, seeing that "he" still did not respond, Green chuckled: "Congratulations, Three-Eyed Raven, for witnessing the most powerful born king in history."

"..."

"You're going to kill me... I'm not the enemy of humanity... The Night King is the enemy..."

He lifted his foot and stood before the man's face again, puffing out his chest: "To be precise, I'm considering how to convince you that I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms, and it is my responsibility to protect the Seven Kingdoms and resist the White Walkers."

He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at the face: "And you, you are trying to stop me. You have made yourself an enemy of all the living, that is, an accomplice of the dead."

The three-eyed raven responded quickly: "I am the protector of all living things..."

This time, it was Green's turn to be silent for a while before asking calmly, "But you are hindering my steps to resist the White Walkers. 'Not being able to see the past' is not an excuse. My mother merely gave birth to a king willing to take responsibility for the seven kingdoms under the witness of the seven gods in heaven."

After a long while, the aged voice slowly came: "Grimm Clyburn... because of you... the Night King came early... if it weren't for you... the dragons would have had time to grow up..."

Green countered, "According to you, why would the Night King wait until the dragons are fully grown before invading human kingdoms? To borrow your earlier words, isn't the Night King aware of the threat posed by dragonfire?"

“I am observing… ‘He’ is preparing to invade… thousands of years… since the beginning of the world…”

After a pause, Green asked with a slightly strange expression, "So, you chose to help Stannis and try to use him to drive me away?"

"Stannis can prolong... the White Walker invasion... the three dragons will grow..." "The Night King can see... the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms..."

"...He will wait..."

Is this how "God" thinks?

Looking up at the gray sky through the intertwined branches, Green suddenly asked, "Where is the Night King?"

"I don't know... 'He' is looking for me... I'm observing 'him'... 'He' will find me..."

Green's hand, which was behind his back, lightly touched his thumb and forefinger: "You should go south if you are a friend of living beings."

After a long silence, a slightly kind, aged voice rang out: "The new Three-Eyed Raven... will cross the Great Wall..."

After a pause, Green looked away: "And what about you?"

"The King of the Seven Kingdoms... he will take my place... on a new journey..."

He rubbed his thumb against his index finger, then turned to look at the face: "I'll welcome the Three-Eyed Raven at the Wall."

"He still needs to learn..."

Green nodded: "Very good. Let's take this time to deal with Stannis and 'guide' him to the Wolf Forest west of Long Lake to attack my hunting party."

"Thirteen days ago... the raven bid farewell to... Stannis..."

"Then I'll trouble you to say goodbye to him one more time. In return, I will ask the Duke of Winterfell to take good care of the weirwood trees in the North."

……

Brienne emerged from behind the cedar, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her armor gleaming with a cold, hard silver light; she was like a stone sculpture covered in frost.

"His Majesty."

Upon seeing Green, she called out to him, and he immediately went to meet her.

Brienne brushed the snow off Grimm's cloak, and he raised his chin. "Let's go back."

As we walked out of the sacred forest, snow occasionally fell from the trees, making a dull thud.

Brienne kept a half-step distance, and seeing her hesitate several times as if she wanted to say something, Green chuckled and asked, "Is there something you need, my sir?"

Brienne glanced at Green with her clear blue eyes, then immediately lowered her gaze: "Your Majesty, has something happened?"

Her voice was even lower than before, and she gripped the iron glove tightly: "You seem... not in a good mood."

Green paused slightly, raised an eyebrow, and teased her, "Your beautiful eyes can actually see into my heart?"

Beautiful eyes...

Ser Brienne moved her full lips nervously: "I... I was just guessing, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Patting her arm, Green looked up and smiled. Seeing that he was in a better mood, Brienne couldn't help but smile innocently.

Then, Green took a step, the sound of his boots crunching through the snow even and steady: "You guessed right, but the king should control his emotions."

Standing beside the king, Brienne hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, people certainly have a variety of emotions."

"Yes, that's true. After all, I'm not a statue in the sanctuary."

(End of this chapter)