Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

Immediately, the banquet hall was bustling with activity, filled with the clinking of glasses and lively conversation, when a piercing metallic clang was heard.

clang--

"Ok?"

"what happened?"

Everyone in the banquet hall suddenly stood up and looked toward the source of the sound.

However, they then discovered that a small incident had occurred at some point. The usurper's Kingsguard captain stood there, holding a broken sword, while the female knight had her Valyrian steel sword against his neck.

Mia's use of her Valyrian steel sword certainly made her victory dishonorable.

But Viserys's willingness to gift a precious dragonsteel longsword to his subordinate speaks volumes.

Barristan Selmy looked somewhat somber, perhaps still troubled by Viserys's words and caught in a wave of self-doubt.

In the end, he did not agree to continue the sword duel, but instead used the excuse of feeling unwell to leave hastily in a daze.

The minor incident at the banquet did not cause much of a stir.

After all, they didn't know the specifics of what had happened, and simply assumed that it was a contest between two Imperial Guards from opposing camps.

The female knight beside His Majesty emerged victorious, defeating the old knight whose hair had turned white.

The banquet then concluded.

Barristan left the meeting early due to illness, leaving Littlefinger without any other Iron Throne spies around him.

Soon after.

Littlefinger appeared outside Viserys's study, led by a guard.

“Your Majesty, I have been instructed by Queen Cersei to mediate the conflict between the Targaryens and the Lannisters.”

Chapter 372 Cersei's Sincerity

Women's intuition is indeed very sharp. Cersei has a strong sense of crisis. Even when her husband and brother thought things were still under control, she became deeply anxious.

Pentos is located directly opposite King's Landing. The two giant cities are separated only by a narrow sea. If only the straight-line distance is considered and travel time is not taken into account, Pentos is even closer to King's Landing than the Neck is.

The remnants of the Targaryen now command an army of over 60,000 in Pentos, along with elephants, weapons of war, and three dragons, and are eyeing Westeros with predatory intent.

They could easily turn King's Landing and its hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to ashes.

It all depends on whether Viserys wants to become the 'Ash King' and lead his Burning Legion to destroy the Seven Kingdoms.

For the seven kingdoms now beset by internal and external troubles, perhaps the only thing that can stop Viserys from leading his army across the Narrow Sea is his own supply problem.

With such a large army, supplies must keep pace; an army marches on its stomach.

Since his return, Viserys has focused primarily on logistical support; otherwise, if supplies for the long-distance expedition were to run into trouble, the consequences would likely be disastrous.

The conflict between the Targaryens and Lannisters, strictly speaking, had little to do with Cersei herself; it was the work of her father, Lord Tywin Lannister, and her brother, the Kingslayer.

Cersei has always been a serious looks-obsessed person. When she was a young girl, she was captivated by Prince Rhaegar's appearance and temperament, and even had a great chance of marrying him.

Unfortunately, King Aerys II rejected Tywin Lannister's marriage proposal for his daughter Cersei.

Even in Viserys's memory, Cersei seemed to still have feelings for her brother Rhaegar many years later.

After she became the Regent and took real power, she appointed Orion Vieille, the illegitimate son of Tidehead Island, as an admiral, simply because he looked somewhat like Rhaegar, which reminded her of the perfect prince who existed in her girlish dreams.

"Mediate the conflict between the Targaryens and the Lannisters?"

Viserys sat behind his desk, his fingers interlaced. The study was brightly lit, and his violet eyes reflected the light.

This statement was unexpected.

His gaze fell on Littlefinger, and he looked him up and down briefly before letting out a cold laugh and speaking.

“Lord Baelish, you should know that this is impossible.”

“What kind of ‘adult’ am I before His Majesty?”

Littlefinger, however, maintained a respectful smile and spoke humbly.

In the context of class divisions in Westeros, "sir" is a common term for nobles, from dukes to propertied knights. Littlefinger's family fiefdom, though small, is still considered noble.

Although the king was the highest-ranking noble in the country, he was not suitable to be called 'sir' and instead had a higher-ranking title.

Nobles must respect the king, but that does not mean the king can look down on nobles who have sworn allegiance to him.

Viserys's address to Petyr Baelish as "Littlefinger," a nobleman of the Fingers, is technically reasonable, demonstrating his excellent royal upbringing and manners; however, in this context, it is undeniably somewhat ironic.

However, the silver-haired youth ignored Petyr Baelish's words and continued speaking in a cold voice.

"The Lannisters betrayed their king."

"Loren Lannister, the last Lannister King of the Rock, was defeated in the War of the Wildfire against Aegon. Loren knelt before Aegon and begged for surrender, willing to relinquish his title and pledge eternal allegiance to House Targaryen for generations to come."

"Lord Baelish, could you translate what it means to have eternal loyalty?"

Petyr Baelish was somewhat speechless at Viserys's question.

House Baratheon was a usurper who betrayed his king, and the families who helped the usurper rebel were also breaking their oaths.

"Eternity...is forever..."

Little Finger took a deep breath, his voice a little hoarse.

"forever?"

"That's right, eternity is forever."

"But the Lannisters betrayed the eternal vow of their ancestors."

"Moreover, the Lannister family has committed unforgivable and heinous crimes. My nephew Aegon, my sister-in-law Princess Elia Martell, and countless people in King's Landing were slaughtered and massacred by the Lannister family..."

The candlelight flickered in the ornate study, casting the shadow of the silver-haired youth on the wall. He did not stand up, but his five fingers on the table gradually clenched into a fist, indicating that his emotions had been slightly affected and fluctuated.

But whether it was mostly an act or genuine emotion, only Viserys himself knows for sure.

“I really like the Lannister’s widely circulated informal motto, ‘Lannisters always pay their debts.’ I’m curious what price the Lannisters are willing to pay to settle this blood debt?”

Viserys took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then asked, word by word.

But actually, many years ago, when Viserys and his mother were still on Dragonstone, Viserys made an oath to his mother, Queen Leila. Now, apart from his earliest followers, probably no one knows anymore, Viserys had sworn an oath to his mother, Queen Leila.

He knew that if he ever led his army back to Westeros, he would make the Lannisters pay for their crimes in blood. Kevan Lannister, who died at his hands, was just the beginning.

Petyr Baelish, facing Viserys's calm yet piercing gaze, broke out in a cold sweat once more.

A person's aura is often related to their status; even a beggar with a powerful aura would find it difficult to intimidate a nobleman.

Sitting on the throne, Viserys truly held the power of life and death over Petyr Baelish, and at this moment, every word he uttered was incredibly stressful for Littlefinger.

"Her Majesty the Queen is willing to make great efforts to mediate the conflict between the two families."

Then Petyr Baelish spoke, his voice strained.

He was already somewhat regretting taking on the role of Cersei, but there was nothing he could do about it; it was an extremely important step in his future planning.

If he bets correctly, he will rise to prominence and become the true Baelish 'Lord'.

"Sincerity?"

Viserys remained calm as he picked up a book he planned to read that evening.

He had told Littlefinger to save time and think carefully about what he wanted to say, but now that so much time had passed, he was getting impatient. He didn't think Cersei would be willing to show any 'sincerity'; she was just a self-righteous little woman.

However, Petyr Baelish then spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"Her Majesty the Queen's sincerity is herself..."

"What did you say?"

Viserys, who was about to close the door and see his guest out, was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

Then he looked up at Littlefinger, who had uttered such a startling statement, and then heard the other person continue speaking.

"And the head of Jon Arryn, Duke of the Vale and the usurper's prime minister."

Chapter 373 The Corpse Boat

Viserys was indeed taken aback by Littlefinger's startling words from afar.

Meanwhile, in the Allied Forces' rear headquarters in the Twins, King Robert Baratheon of the Seven Kingdoms was fast asleep on the bed, embracing a naked Frey daughter.

He was unaware that his head was already covered in a green meadow, and that his wife had even slept with his greatest enemy while he was still alive, intending to take their child to find another father.

However, he might find some solace in the fact that Viserys doesn't have a habit of driving large vehicles and isn't particularly interested in other men's wives; he always considers himself still just a teenager.

While it might sound tempting for the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms to willingly climb into bed with him, considering Cersei's past actions, that thought would likely be quickly dismissed.

While Cersei's actions were certainly excessive, Robert was never one to be trifled with either.

He repeatedly claimed that the only woman he ever loved in his life was Lyanna Stark, the daughter of the Stark family, who possessed the blood of the 'wolf'.

However, he had a daughter born out of wedlock while he was in the valley, and even after the engagement, he never stopped visiting prostitutes, not even once.

Even Lyanna herself told her brother Ed, 'She was certain Robert loved her, but she couldn't prevent him from falling in love with other women in the future.'

Robert and Cersei, after becoming kings, did not change their ways and frequently went out to visit prostitutes.

Therefore, neither Robert nor Cersei are law-abiding citizens; they're just juggling multiple relationships, and they're all equally adept at causing trouble for each other.

It's no wonder that Cersei had to prepare early and find her own way with her two children; this woman valued her children more than anyone else.

Cersei may have already sensed the danger in King's Landing, given Jon Arryn's recent investigation.

Because winter had arrived, Jon Arryn dared not lay a hand on her, for the old prime minister still possessed reason.

Having missed this opportunity, Cersei, focused solely on self-preservation, lacked any sense of the bigger picture and wouldn't consider the alliance or the White Walkers; she would only strike first to eliminate her adversaries.

As for why she wanted to throw herself at Viserys, it's because 'Light of the West' was very confident in her appearance.

She has golden hair and beautiful eyes. Although she has given birth to two children, the years have not left a trace on her.

Some have compared her to Lyanna Stark, the enigmatic Prince Rhaegar, arguing that while Lyanna was indeed beautiful, the 'Torchlight' could not compare to the 'Rising Sun'.

However, besides her appearance, what's more important is that she can't lose her status as queen. She already thoroughly enjoys this feeling of being second only to the emperor, and she would go crazy if she lost power and the spotlight.

...