Chapter 282 Entering the City
At dusk, the dusk bell rings.
All things are resting from work, and the common people are closing their stalls and closing their shops, and are preparing to go home.
The servants of the Red Castle were busy. Normally at this time, they would be preparing to bathe and change the royal family's clothes, tidy up the room and wait for them to go to sleep. But their work may be even busier at this time, because the ringing of the bells in the Cathedral and the Red Fort does not just mean telling the time.
The bells ring continuously, ringing several times.
The church echoed the call and rang the huge bell in front of the statue of Baelor I.
Barristan stood there, his long sword pressed against the bricks of the Red Keep. The servants hurried past him, casting dark glances from time to time.
But what they were secretly looking at was not Barristan, the legendary knight, but Jaime Lannister, who was kneeling in front of him, silently seeking judgment.
The name "Kingslayer" passed through the minds of others, but it was only as hurried as walking.
"Parricide".
This is louder.
No one dared to look at them longer, they just cursed or prayed in their hearts and left without looking back.
"I" Barristan felt like strangler's poison forced into his mouth, he was speechless, he was speechless.
"Mad King" Aerys, King Robert, Prince Tommen, Queen Mother Cersei.
During his long tenure as a member of the Kingsguard, the royal family was murdered one after another.
"Seven Gods," Barristan had no choice but to pray. He lowered his head and looked at James. The latter's expression did not seem to be as guilty as imagined, but more calm and relaxed.
"I have no right to judge you, except to spurn and..." Barristan finally stopped talking. He did not hear James' self-defense. He only knew that he had done these things. A few days ago, he had persuaded himself for violating the oath of the Kingsguard. Taking off Sir Osmund Oakheart's white robe, now he personally killed the Queen Mother, who was still his biological sister.
Barristan turned around, his white robe gently brushing in front of James' eyes, "The Prime Minister, Lord Attis Arryn, will arrive here soon. Let him and the king judge you."
"Or."
He turned his head again and took a deep look at James.
Jaime nodded slightly, knowing what Ser Barristan was referring to.
He wished he had taken matters into his own hands.
Just like Barristan had looked at himself or Ed Stark had looked at him countless times before.
Barristan didn't say anything, sighed slightly, and left without looking back.
James smiled, put down his golden mask, stood up, and looked out the window.
The dusk is dim, but very warm, grand yet cozy.
The long scars were covered by the light, and the golden hair was flying.
I won't die for a while, Jaime thought, thinking of Tyrion, of Rose, and of the unresolved wildfire issue.
Before the time came, James whispered to the sun, talking to the God of Death.
The bells stopped ringing, and the hawks hovered over King's Landing, roaring loudly, and their loud sounds echoed, breaking into the sunset that enveloped everything.
At the same time, outside King's Landing, the golden robes of the Gods Gate stared blankly at the long queue in the distance, saw the crescent falcon flag fluttering in the wind, and then stood up and beat the military drum.
"Boom boom boom!"
The city gate opened wide, and the valley cavalry filed in. The infantry quickly cleared the way and occupied both sides of the road. Their spears stood upright and they looked directly at the houses on the street.
Anda Royce, who was camped in the royal territory, mobilized a team of more than a thousand people from the military camp to be responsible for escorting the duke into the capital. Attis himself was already in the carriage, and the carriage was swaying. He closed his eyes and said nothing. Endure this city filled with stench.
He still remembered that he said that King's Landing was beautiful, but now it seemed like a bad joke.
Robert Royce and his personal guards also arrived at the city gate, and the banner of the Royce family slowly advanced behind the Crescent Falcon. "Duke Attis," Robert called from the side of the carriage, "the king has not responded to your request for an audience."
Attis nodded slightly. He had already been informed of the king's strange behavior through the Golden Eagle's message. This actually made his desire to enter the Red Castle more urgent. It was not that he didn't understand the reason behind the change.
Robert coughed slightly and handed a note into the carriage.
A piece of text in the Common Language of Westeros was scrawled on it, and a unique golden falcon sealing wax was pressed on the lower right corner of the paper.
It's the style of Golden Eagle, Attis thought. All actions are full of ritual. Even a note must reflect his style, showing off without losing its flamboyance.
The note read: "The pyromancer has taken control, the wildfire has been lifted; James has strangled the Queen Mother, and the lioness is gone."
Attis breathed a sigh of relief, with no emotion on his face. He opened the curtain and said to Robert:
"The king's military camp is ready to leave. Tell your brother Anda that the Lannister gates have been in operation for too many years and should be replaced long ago."
Robert said softly, turned the horse's head, and ran towards the back of the convoy.
Attis glanced lightly, and the streets for the army to pass gradually narrowed. The civilians along the way were closing their stalls and closing their shops, but their curiosity prompted them to stretch their necks to see where this army came from.
To this day, most people in King's Landing still believe that Joffrey is the savior of King's Landing, who prevented the army of evil uncle Stannis from occupying King's Landing.
Except for the small number of merchants and mercenaries in the city, as well as those who often go out to port, they know that the valley cavalry raid was the turning point of the Battle of the Blackwater River.
But this cannot be the focus of public opinion. After all, only the church and the Red Fort have the right to explain.
The journey was uneventful, the Red Keep was within easy reach, and the Lannister golden lion banner still stood side by side with the Baratheon banner.
It was time to change, and Attis made no secret of his ambitions.
This should be a fact, a recognized fact, a fact accepted and used by everyone in the Seven Kingdoms.
The Kingsguard were waiting in front, and Queen Margaery stood at the gate of the Red Keep, with the rose emblem of House Tyrell embroidered on her chest.
Ser Barristan Selmy, Ser Mandon Moore from the Vale, and Ser Balon Swann, who had lost the archery contest to Ungay, all stood beside the queen.
Attis got off the carriage, approached Margaery, and nodded slightly.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, Attis Arryn has come to King's Landing to take charge of the royal council and attend the funeral of Lord Tywin."
Margaery stretched out her hand, "Thank you for your hard work. Your Majesty and I have been looking forward to you coming to preside over the kingdom."
Attis kissed the hands and looked behind the queen, "It seems that the king does not welcome me very much."
"No," Margaery responded calmly without any panic in her eyes, "The king is ill and is recuperating."
Attis nodded, "I hope this will not affect the holding of the state funeral. Besides," he smiled slightly, "there are too many ceremonies to be held in King's Landing, including your wedding to the king, and my wedding to Princess Myrcella. Wedding.”
Margaery rubbed her fingers together, clenched her fist lightly, and said with a smile on her face, "Everything will go as planned. With you as the hand of the king in Westeros, everything will go well."
"I hope so."
Attis stopped talking and just lowered his head slightly, "Although the king is ill, I'm afraid I still have important things to do in King's Landing."
"What?" Margery blurted out. She was actually very nervous at this time. Without her smart brothers by her side, and her grandmother was not around, it was too difficult to deal with it alone.
"I'm afraid this matter shouldn't alarm the king. Naturally, the queen doesn't need to know about it. Just know that this is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. After all, everything is supported by the Royal Council." Attis chuckled and said to Barristan and others The Kingsguard said well and entered the Red Keep.
Just in time, Margaery smiled and thought to herself, there are still a lot of difficult things in the Red Castle that need you to deal with.
The valley soldiers behind them poured in one by one. The flag of the Crescent Falcon blocked the setting sun, leaving sections of shadow on the ground.
Barristan looked at Margaery, who shook her head slightly and ignored the arrangements of these personnel.
(End of chapter)