Chapter 219 - 219
THANK YOU
Nathan Partington
Ismael
Ethan Byrne
gamers
Toros Silver
V For Vanguard
Flamehazer 43
cameron ward
Attmay33
For supporting my Patreon or Buymeacoffee
Support me and read advance chapters at my patreon or buymeacoffee
5 Chapters for 1$
10 chapters for 3$
20 chapters for 10$
35 chapters for 20$
50 chapters for 30$
buymeacoffee.com/Shashankbhatt
Patreon.com/Shashank_bhatt
_________________________
[CASTLE BLACK COURTYARD]
[The Rangers train in the yard. A horn blows JON SNOW, GRENN, "DOLOROUS" EDD TOLLETT, and their party enter. The men in the yard greet them, including SAMWELL TARLY. JON and SAM hug. ALLISER THORNE and JANOS SLYNT enter on the platform above.]
"I forgot he was there" Tyrion muttered. Another thing he didn't have to do by pulling the stunt he did, spend the rest of his life with Janos Slynt!
[JON finishes greeting OLLY. They all look up. GHOST barks.]
"This is no place for wild beasts. Lock him away or I'll let Hobb throw him in tonight's stew."
"Just a place for criminals, not a place for beasts loyal and in Fighting condition" Lyanna grumbled under her breath, arms folded over her chest.
[CASTLE BLACK HALL]
[The Night's Watch is gathered for a meeting. From the floor, JON addresses ALLISER THRONE who sits at the elevated table with JANOS SLYNT. First Builder YARWICK also sits at the head table.]
"It makes sense a slimy bastard like Slynt would make it up by licking feet and ass" Tyrion muttered. "Guess even hard men like Ser Alliser eventually gave in to flattery."
"Janos Slynt may be a corrupt man, but he was captain of the City Guard. No doubt the man knows how to fight" Jaime pointed out.
"Mayhaps" Tyrion shrugged. He doubted it. Probably got up there because of ass-licking and flattery too.
"Mance's army was closing in on Craster's Keep when we left. We saw their campfires from Osric's Hill. They'll reach the Wall before the next full moon. We need to prepare."
"I'm surprised you didn't ride over and say hello. The King beyond the Wall is your old friend, isn't he?"
"We should seal the tunnel. Plug it with rocks and ice. Flood it and let it freeze."
"And how would we range north?"
"We wouldn't."
"Coward. You would cut off our legs, pluck out our eyes, leave us cowering behind the Wall hoping for the storm to pass?"
"Barely half a thousand men now stand on the wall, what else does he intend to do? Open the gates and spread their asses to get fucked by the Wildlings?" Brandon the Elder scoffed.
"He's a military man, probably intends to die fighting. Load of good that would do for the rest of the realm" Ned muttered.
"Maybe they should let the Wildlings pass" Catelyn muttered. "Let them sweep down the North and slaughter the Boltons and all their supporters" she finished vindictively.
Brandon the Elder snorted.
"I didn't take you for a vindictive and violent woman, Catelyn."
"They killed my family" Catelyn shrugged.
Brandon smirked.
Ned brought his wife closer and held her close.
"We can't defend the gate against a hundred thousand men."
"This castle has stood for thousands of years. The Night's Watch has defended her for thousands of years. And in all those centuries, we have never sealed the tunnel."
"IN all those years the Watch did not have as few men as they have now" Rickar Stark grunted, "nor were they full of green boys and criminals who'd run at the first of danger."
"Have you ever seen a giant, Ser Alliser? I have."
"The bars on those gates are four inches thick. Cold-rolled steel."
"They won't stop them."
"Remind me which order you belong to, Lord Snow."
"The stewards."
"If bringing in rank and order now of all time is his excuse for not listening to a man who has been in the enemy camp and knows the strength of the enemy, then the Watch is doomed with a leader like that!" Renly argued with a frown. It wasn't a matter of just the North now, those numbers still existed from the time they had come from and were equally a danger to them in their time as they are in the future. He needed to worry for his own sake.
"Are the stewards responsible for maintaining the tunnel?"
"No."
"Who would that be?"
"The builders."
"Ah, the builders. First Builder Yarwyck, Lord Snow here recommends sealing the tunnel, leaving us unable to carry out our duties as sworn brothers of the Night's Watch. Do you agree with him?"
[YARWICK pauses.]
"No."
"Given your deep knowledge of the Wildling army, Lord Snow, you and Tarly will take night duties atop the Wall until the full moon."
"They don't believe him," Robb said angrily. "They deserve to get slaughtered then, every last one of them."
"No" Jon sighed. "No, they don't believe me because they don't trust me, don't trust that killing the Half Hand was a plot. They think I'm still with the Wildlings and am trying to cripple them. They don't have the proof to kill me or they would have."
"That does shit to change my opinion" Robb muttered.
[BATHING ROOM, STORM'S END, NIGHT]
[MELISANDRE lies in the bath. After knocking, SELYSE BARATHEON enters.]
"I didn't mean to disturb you, my lady."
"Isn't it supposed to be the Queen? For her to be simpering like this" Renly said with disgust.
Stannis felt something similar at this moment, disgust and anger. She was behaving below her station.
"I just wanted to speak with you before we left."
"Could you bring me that vial over there? The blue one."
[SELYSE reaches for a vial, but MELISANDRE stops her.]
"No, no, no. Not that one. You don't even want to touch that one. Next to it. That's the one."
"I want to know what's in there" Bran muttered.
"Nothing good if the witch is afraid of it" Sansa said to her brother.
"It could be something amazing and miraculous!"
"When has the red witch shown us anything amazing or miraculous?"
Bran conceded that there was nothing good in there.
[SELYSE brings over the vial and MELISANDRE shakes some into the bath. She sighs.]
"When I looked into the flames this morning, the Lord spoke to me. He said, "Tonight, you will have your last good bath in a long while. Make it count." A joke. Not a very good one, I'm afraid."
"Don't beat yourself up, my brother and good sister are not known for their humour" Renly drawled almost playfully.
Stannis rolled his eyes.
"It was. I- humour isn't my strength."
"That's because most jokes are lies and you're devoted to the truth."
"If they're lies, my lady, aren't they best avoided?"
"Not always."
[MELISANDRE leaves the bath and walks to the potions]
Robert stopped himself from staring like a lecher. That woman was a curse.
"Most of these powders and potions are lies. Deceptions to make men think they witnessed our Lord's power."
"To think she'd admit to it" Varys chuckled. Charlatans hardly did something as such.
"She has her claws in deep. She doesn't need to play with her anymore" Rhegar reasoned.
Varys nodded his acceptance. A good theory. But he half agreed. She had her claws in deep, but the confession was so she could dig them deeper. Varys had been around the warlock long enough to know that.
"Once they step into his light, they will see the lie for what it was- a trick that lead them to the truth. A pinch of this powder in a bonfire will send a flaming column screaming towards the sky. And this one creates a black smoke that will make the bravest man piss himself with fear. And a drop of this in any man's wine will drive him wild with lust."
"Do you think it's what she used on you?" Shireen asked her father.
Stannis had no answer for it. Maybe she had, or maybe he'd grown so desperate that he'd done it. Either way, he wasn't sure, because this future version of him was not so known to him.
[MELISANDRE puts on her robe.]
"No act done in service of the Lord can ever be called a sin. I thank God every day for bringing you to us. And Stannis to you. He wants to bring Shireen with us. I think that would be ill-advised. My daughter has heretical tendencies, as you're well aware. I don't know if her doubt is real or simply meant to spite me, but whichever the case, she should stay home."
[MELISANDRE takes her hand.]
"I understand how you feel. But that is impossible."
"Why?"
[MELISANDRE AND SELYSE look into the fire]
"You don't need powders and potions, my queen. You don't need lies. You are strong enough to look into the Lord's light and see his truth for yourself. However harsh it is. However hard for us to understand. You don't need my help, but I will need yours soon. When we set sail, your daughter must be with us. The Lord needs her."
Shireen gripped her father's hand tightly as dread coiled inside her. The witch meant to burn her too, she knew that's what the woman meant.
She looked up at her father, who held her hand firmly. He wouldn't allow it. Her mother might, but her father would never allow it. She knew her father would stop such a thing the moment it was suggested.