iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 664 Dazzling Light
May death wash away your sins and grant you peace...

Stannis was buried on the spot amidst the deep and solemn chants of the accompanying Seven Gods monks.

As the funeral drew to a close, most of Stannis's soldiers knelt down on one knee, their knees striking the frozen ground of the North with a series of resounding thuds.

They petitioned King Grimm I to remain at the camp, guarding Stannis's tomb and becoming its caretakers.

King Green was a generous man and granted the request, providing the loyal warriors with ample thick tents, cured meat, black bread, and strong liquor.

As for the remaining few Stannis soldiers, Green allowed them to wear black and arranged for them to be sent to the Wall.

Green was a romantic king.

Before leaving, he hired hunters from the Wolf Forest to pick rare winter flowers and instructed them to offer them at Stannis's grave.

Green was a benevolent king, and he instructed the natives of the Wolfwood to take good care of Stannis's tomb keepers.

.........

……

Two days later.

Claybery's army finally emerged from the Wolf Forest and set foot on the King's Road.

After continuing for more than an hour, the outline of the previously set up camp began to emerge, with unmelted icicles still hanging from the edges of the tents, like a silent welcoming guard for the team.

Green's horse let out a low neigh, its front hooves gently pawing the ground, cracking the thin ice on the road. The Imperial Guards following behind him also tightened their reins.

Green gazed at the long column, fatigue like a thin layer of frost covering the faces of every soldier.

The march through the Wolf Forest had exhausted the Clayberse soldiers. If they were to fight in the north... the dangerous enemies would not only be the White Walkers and wights, but also the thick snow and cold winds that could wear down an army.

Greene judged that the Southern soldiers needed to undergo advanced cold-weather training in advance to adapt to the Northern environment as quickly as possible.

After all, even Raveneye could summon hurricanes at sea and severely damage Redwin's fleet, so the legendary White Walkers must be even more difficult to deal with.

Tap-tap—tap-tap—

The rapid sound of horses' hooves grew louder as a banner embroidered with marigolds fluttered rapidly in the wind, and the messenger carrying the banner rode up on horseback.

Upon reaching them, he dismounted, knelt on one knee, and announced loudly, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Highgarden and the Duke of Winterfell request an audience."

Green's gaze shifted, and his exceptional eyesight allowed him to make out the faint outlines of green and gray flags in the distance.

He thought for a moment and said, "Let's ask them to come over."

It didn't take long.

The banners of the Wild Roses of Highgarden and the Wild Wolf of Winterfell fluttered in the wind as the figures of Prime Minister Mace in golden armor and Duke Eddard in black leather armor appeared.

"Oh, my Majesty, I can finally rest easy knowing you are safe and sound!"

Prime Minister Mays’ cheerful voice rang out, and the two of them dismounted and strode toward where Green was.

"After the Duke of Winterfell and I discovered the anomaly, we immediately led our army south in pursuit... Stannis is a madman..."

As the Prime Minister of Mayes rambled on about his "meritorious service in providing aid," Duke Ed raised his grey eyes slightly and looked at the new king of the seven kingdoms—Gren I—on the saddle.

At that moment, the other person's gaze also happened to shift over.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and the man who had saved the Stark family gave him a gentle smile, just as always.

Memories flashed through his mind... Benlang's serious face couldn't help but curl slightly at the corner of his lips. Then, under everyone's gaze, his gray cloak billowed, and his tall body knelt on one knee toward the king.

"Your Majesty King Grimm I, Winterfell is at your command."

Seeing this, Greene jumped off his horse and personally helped the Duke of Winterfell to his feet. He looked at him for a moment and said, "It's been a long time, Duke Ned. Welcome back to the Seven Kingdoms."

Duke Ed's lips moved slightly: "Thank you for your patience and tolerance, Your Majesty."

"Please just call me Green in private..."

……

Seeing King Green and Duke Ed so intimately, a hint of jealousy flashed across Prime Minister Mays's fat face, which was not far away.

Clad in full armor, he awkwardly stepped off his horse by stepping on the back of the Rose Guard, and then strode towards the two of them.

Prime Minister Mays made quite a commotion, and Green and Ed stopped their pleasantries and couldn't help but look over.

Meeting their gazes, Prime Minister Mays laughed heartily: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! You have personally ended the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms and brought peace and prosperity to them."

Green smiled faintly and patted his arm: "I've heard about your achievements at the Wall, and congratulations, my Prime Minister."

Upon hearing Green's praise, Prime Minister Mays couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth turning up, but then suddenly sighed, "It's a pity that Stannis escaped."

This was his greatest regret; otherwise... if Stannis hadn't escaped, his art of war would have been renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, placing him among the ranks of great generals.

Saddened that the Seven Kingdoms had no more wars to fight, Prime Minister Mace forced himself to cheer and asked, "I just ran into Stannis's soldiers. Did he really attack you? He's a madman."

Duke Ed also turned his gaze towards him, and Green answered calmly and directly, "I buried him in the Wolf Forest."

"..."

After a pause, Prime Minister Mayes seemed to come to his senses, looking somewhat incredulous: "So fast?! No, I mean... uh... I'm not questioning whether Stannis is really dead?"

When he spoke, he didn't even care about the elegance that belonged to the Duke of Highgarden.

For some reason, he couldn't accept this outcome for a moment. That smelly, hard guy was gone just like that?!

He thought—at least a small-scale but exceptionally fierce bloodbath would break out, and in the end, Stannis would fall into the arms of Stranger under the witness of the Seven Gods.

And he himself will at least be one of the witnesses recorded in this "true history".

Now, he doesn't even have a chance to make up for his regrets!
Thinking of this, Duke Inflatable Fish's mood instantly plummeted; his path to becoming a renowned general was probably truly over...

The other side.

Upon confirming Stannis's death, Duke Eddard couldn't help but sigh for Robert; both of his friend's brothers were dead.

House Baratheon is considered...

After a slight pause, Duke Ed opened his mouth, then hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with Stannis's child...?"

Green raised his hand to interrupt Ed, patted his arm, and said gently, "Don't worry, I promised Stannis that his daughter will grow up peacefully on Crab Claw Peninsula."

Looking at Grin, who displayed such exemplary chivalry, Ed solemnly bowed with his hand on his chest.

Although the honor of the Seven Kingdoms has been tarnished by war and trampled by intrigue, Ed believes that under Grimm's rule, it will eventually shine brightly once more.

(End of this chapter)