Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Cersei
The sky was gloomy and gloomy, and it rained all morning. In the afternoon, although the rain had stopped, it was still covered with dark clouds, and the sun could not be seen.Even the little queen was uneasy. Instead of taking the group of chicks, guards and admirers out for a horseback ride as usual, she stayed in the virgin house all day, listening to the blue poet singing.
Cersei wasn't in a happy mood either—it only changed at dusk.When the gray sky coalesced into pitch black, and the Sweet Cersei came into port with the evening tide, Orion Weir asked to see her.
The queen mother summoned him immediately.Seeing his strides, she knew there must be good news. "Your Majesty," Wei Shui smiled broadly, "Dragonstone Island is yours now."
"Nice job." She took his hand and kissed him on both cheeks. "His Majesty Tommen will be delighted. We can also release Lord Redwyne's fleet, so that the ironborn can be driven from the Shield Islands." In the Reach, a crow is worse than a crow. Iron Seemingly dissatisfied with the newly conquered stones, the people assembled their armies and headed up the Mande River, attacking the Arbor and its surrounding islets.There are only a dozen warships left in Redwyne's territorial waters, and they have either been captured or sunk so far.The madman who called himself Euron Crow's Eye even sent longships into the Whispering Bay to threaten Oldtown.
"When the Sweet Cersei set sail, Lord Redwyne was storing supplies and preparing to return to the division." Lord Weishui reported, "It is not difficult to imagine that his main fleet is now at sea."
"I wish them a smooth journey, and the weather is better than today." The queen mother took Wei Shui to a chair by the window and sat down side by side. "Has our Ser Loras contributed to this victory?"
The other party's smile disappeared, "Many people admire him sincerely, Your Majesty."
"Many people," she looked at him inquiringly, "what do you think?"
"I have never seen a braver knight than he," said Vee, "yet he turned a bloodless victory into a massacre. A thousand were killed or badly wounded, most of our men, Your Majesty, not only ordinary Soldiers, and many knights and young lords, the best and bravest."
"And Ser Loras himself?"
"He is the one thousand and one. After the battle, everyone carried him into the city. His injuries were very serious. Due to the excessive blood loss, the bachelors did not dare to suck blood for him to heal his wounds."
"Oh, how sad. Tommen must be heartbroken. He admires our valiant Knight of Flowers very much."
"And the people," said her admiral, "if Loras dies, rivers of tears will flow from the maidens of the land."
Exactly.Think back to the day Ser Loras went to sea, three thousand commoners crowded the Mud Gate to watch, three-quarters of them women.The queen was so contemptuous that she wanted to scream and curse the sheep and tell them all Loras could give was smiles and flowers, but she couldn't—she declared Ser Loras the bravest of the Seven Kingdoms instead. Knight, and smiled as Tommen bestowed him with a jeweled sword.The king also embraced him, which wasn't part of Cersei's plan, but that doesn't matter now.Anyway, the Queen Mother was generous, and the Knight of Flowers was almost dead.
"Tell me the details," Cersei ordered, "in every detail, from beginning to end."
When Wei Shui finished speaking, the room had become dark.Her Majesty lit a few candles and sent Dorkasha to the kitchen to bring bread, cheese, and a bit of boiled beef seasoned with horseradish.During the meal, she asked Oren to tell the story again, so that the details could be remembered and recalled over and over again.
"Anyway, I can't bear to let others bring this bad news to dear Margaery," said Cersei, "I will come myself."
"Your Majesty is so kind." Wei Shui said with a smile.With a smirk on her face, the Queen Mother thought to herself.From a close look, Aureen really does not have the shadow of Prince Rhaegar.True, they had similar hair, but if the legend was true, wouldn't half the whores in Lys have the same?Rhaegar is an upright man, and this kid in front of him is just a kid who can play tricks.Fortunately, he is useful.
Margaery was sipping wine and playing with her three cousins a new game imported from Volantis in the Maiden's Chamber.Although it was late, the guards let Cersei in immediately. "Your Majesty," said the Queen Mother, "I think it's best for me to inform you personally. Oren returned from Dragonstone, and he told me that your brother has become a hero."
"I know." Margaery said lightly, without any surprise in her tone.Why should she be surprised?Loras had known this would be the end from the night she begged to lead the army.However, when Cersei told the whole story, the little queen's cheeks still glistened with tears. "Redwyne has ordered the miners to dig a tunnel under the castle, but the Knight of Flowers thinks the progress is too slow. There is no doubt that he cares deeply about the people of the Shield Islands and is eager to save them from suffering. According to Lord Vishui, Less than half a day after taking over the command, when Stannis' deputy castellan rejected the proposal of a one-on-one duel, your brother launched the general attack. The battering ram smashed through the gate, and Loras was the first to charge in. He rode into the giant In the mouth of the dragon, he is dressed in white clothes and armor, swinging the meteor hammer left and right, everyone says he is unstoppable."
Meggle Tyrell was crying. "How did he die?" she asked. "Who killed him?"
"No one could kill him," said Cersei. "Ser Loras took an arrow, one in the thigh, another through the shoulder, but he fought on, bloody and bloody. Then he was mace'd." A few broken ribs. And then...no...no, the scariest part is better left unsaid."
"Tell me," said Margaery, "it's an order."
Order?Cersei paused, and immediately decided not to spoil the current atmosphere. "After the outer city fell, the enemy fled into the inner city, and Loras pursued him. He was doused with boiling oil."
Miss Yalan's face was as pale as chalk, and she escaped from the house.
"Master Weishui personally assured that the maesters have done all possible treatment, but your brother's burns are too serious." Cersei took Margaery's hand as a sign of comfort, "He saved the kingdom." She kissed The little queen's cheeks tasted the salty taste of tears. "James will record all his heroic deeds in the white book, and the singers will sing his name for thousands of years."
Margaery broke free from her embrace, so hard that Cersei nearly fell. "He's not dead!"
"No, but the maesters say—"
"not dead!"
"I just want to share your—"
"I know what you want. Get out."
Now you finally understand how I felt on the night of Xiao Qiao's death.The Queen Mother bowed and put on the armor of a noble lady. "Dear daughter, I'm so sorry for you. Please don't be too sentimental about my leaving."
That night, Mrs. Marilyweiss did not come to bed with her, and Cersei found herself unable to sleep.If Lord Tywin was still alive, he would praise me as his true heir, heir of Casterly Rock, she thought, listening to Jocelyn Swyfer snoring softly across the pillow.Margaery would soon shed the tears she had shed for Joffrey, and Mace Tyrell would be distraught, but the queen gave him no reason to call him out.After all, hadn't she entrusted her honor to Loras?Half the court saw the Knight of Flowers knelt before her, pleading sincerely to go into battle.
After he dies, I will erect a statue for him, and give him a splendid funeral that King's Landing has never seen before.The people would love it, and so would Tommen.Poor Mace would even thank me for it.As for Mace's damned mother, the gods let the news slay her.
The next day's sunrise was a sight that Cersei hadn't seen for many years, and Tanya also appeared, claiming that she had been comforting Margaery's gang last night, drinking, crying, and talking about Loras with them.
"Margaery still thinks that her brother is not dead," said the Queen Mother, while listening to Mrs. Marilyweiss' report, changing her clothes for the court. "She plans to send her own bachelor to take care of her. Her cousins are constantly praying to Our Lady of Mercy." .”
"I will also join in the prayer. Tomorrow, come with me to the Great Sept of Baelor. We will light a hundred candles for the brave Knight of Flowers." She turned to the maid. "Dorkasha, here's the crown. Yes, the new one." This one was lighter than the old one, but the pale gold hoop was set with emeralds, which sparkled when turned a little.
"Four people brought news of the dwarf today." Jocelyn brought in Sir Osmond who was asking for an audience.
"Four?" The Queen Mother felt a burst of happy surprise.Recently, more and more people of all kinds have come to the Red Castle to meet, each claiming to have clues about Tyrion.However, four in one day was an unprecedented experience.
"Yes," said Osmond, "one of them brought a head."
"Then I'll see him first. Take him into the study." I won't be wrong this time.After waiting for so long, I should also take revenge and let Xiao Qiao rest in peace.The monks said that seven was a sacred number, and if that was the case, then the seventh head should be able to fulfill her wish.
It was a Tyroshi, short and stout, with a flattering smile that reminded her of Varys.The man's forked beard was dyed green and pink.Cersei loathes his appearance, but if his chest really contains Tyrion's head, it doesn't matter.The chest was of cedar wood, carved in ivory with vines and flowers, bordered and clasped with platinum.It is extremely expensive, but the Queen Mother only cares about the contents inside.At least, the chest was big enough that Tyrion was a deformity with a disproportionately large head.
"Your Majesty," the Tyroshi said in a low voice, bowing deeply, "you are as beautiful as in the legend. Even across the narrow sea, your peerless demeanor is still praised by people. We are also sad for your misfortune, How it must have tormented your tender heart. Yes, no one can give you back your brave son, but I hope I can at least ease your pain." He laid his hand on the cedar box. "I bring you justice, I bring you the head of VALONQAR."
This ancient Valyrian word made her hair stand on end, but it also gave her boundless hope. "The imp is not my brother, was not, and is not now," she announced aloud, "and I will not speak his name. That name belonged to a great man, but he sullied it."
"In Tyrosh we called him 'Bloodhand' because his hands were stained with blood—the king's blood, his father's blood, and some say he killed his mother, tearing out the womb with his sharp claws and being born. "
Nonsense, Cersei thought. "Probably so," she replied, "if the little devil's head is really in the chest, I'll make you a count on the spot, and give you castles and lands." Abandoned fortresses that stand desolately among burnt villages and weedy fields. "The imperial court is still waiting for my meeting, so quickly open the box."
The Tyroshi opened the box with a flamboyant gesture, and took two steps back with a smile.Inside, on pale blue velvet, a dwarf's head glared at her.
Cersei watched for a long time. "This is not my brother." She tasted bitterness in her mouth.I had so much hope, especially after what happened in Loras, I thought the gods... "This man has brown eyes, and Tyrion has one black and one blue."
"Eyes, eyes... Oh, Your Majesty, unfortunately, your brother's eyes are... rotten. I replaced them with glass...but the color just happened to be wrong, please forgive me."
This made her even angrier. "He's a bead of glass, and I've got a pretty trick on my face. Tell you, even the gargoyle statues on Dragonstone look more like imps than this guy. He's bald and about my brother's age." Twice, and where's the tooth? What's going on?"
The Tyroshi seemed to shrink back before her rage. "He had good gold teeth, Your Majesty, but we... sorry..."
"Oh, it's not time for you to say sorry. You'll regret it." I wanted to strangle him on the spot and teach him to struggle to breathe until his face turned black, like my dear son.She almost cried out.
"It's a misunderstanding, an honest misunderstanding, the dwarves look too much alike, so... By the way, look, Your Majesty, he has no nose..."
"Of course he has no nose, because you cut it off!"
"No!" The sweat beads on the Tyroshi's forehead betrayed him.
"No?" A tinge of spiteful sweetness seeped into Cersei's tone, "at least you're not too stupid to make me believe that some hired wizard made the dwarf's nose grow back. But since you A nose to the dwarf, well, a Lannister will pay his debts, Ser Meryn, throw the liar to Qyburn."
Ser Meryn Tran grabbed the Tyroshi by the arm and dragged the protesting dwarf out.After they're gone, Cersei turns to Osmund Kettleblack. "Sir Osmond, remove this head, and bring three other informants to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Unfortunately, these three idiots who claim to know the whereabouts of the imp are more useless than the Tyroshi.One of them said that the imp hid in a brothel in Oldtown and lived by pleasing men with his mouth, which was a ludicrous sight, but Cersei didn't believe it at all; The three claimed that Tyrion was playing tricks on a hill in the riverlands.To all three of them, Cersei answered in the same way. "If you can guide my brave knights to capture the imp, you will be rewarded," she promises. "Listen, it has to be the imp himself. If it is not him... well, my knights will not tolerate it." I will not tolerate the idiot's nonsense. If the report is wrong, I will cut off my tongue." As soon as this remark came out, the three informants hesitated without exception, claiming that the little devil they saw might be Another dwarf.
Cersei had no idea there were so many dwarves in the world. "Has the world been filled with these twisted little monsters?" After the last informant took her down, she complained, "How many are there?"
"Anyway, there are fewer now than before," Mrs. Merry Weiss smiled. "Can I have the honor to accompany His Majesty to court?"
"You can bear the tediousness of court, so come," said Cersei, "Robert is a fool about most things, but he is right about this one: ruling a kingdom is such a tedious job. "
"I'm sorry to see His Majesty so troubled. In my opinion, we might as well sit back and let the King's Hand listen to those silly petitions. We can dress up as maids and play in the market place and listen to what they say about dragons." The Fall of Stone Island. I know the tavern where the Blue Poet used to perform before he was hired by the little queen. I also know a magician’s cellar, where the magician can turn mercury into gold, clear water into wine, and girls into Be a boy. Maybe he can cast a spell on you and me, Your Majesty, would you mind being a man for one night?"
If I could be a man, I would be Jaime, the queen thought. If I could be a man, I would rule the Seven Kingdoms in my own name, not in Tommen's. "Never mind, as long as you're a woman," said Cersei, who she knew was the answer Tanya wanted. Queen Regent, how can I leave the government to that Harris Swyfer whose hands are trembling?"
Tanya pouted, "Your Majesty is too serious."
"Yes," Cersei agreed, "I regret it at the end of each day." She took Lady Marilyway's arm. "Let's go."
Jalabah Thor was the first to petition today. As a prince in exile, he has the highest status.I saw him wearing a bright feather cloak, his appearance was very glamorous, but what he said was a humble pleading.Cersei waited for him to finish his usual speech—it was nothing more than asking the Iron Throne to fund his army so that he could take back his hometown, Red Flower Valley Island, etc.—and then said: "Your Majesty has his own war to fight, Prince Jalabah, and there is no soldier at present. One pawn can be transferred. Wait until next year and see the situation." This was Robert's usual answer, and she decided to change it as soon as possible, and by next year, she would announce that she would never go on an expedition to the Midsummer Isles.But there is a big happy event on Dragonstone Island today, so don't affect your mood any more.
Lord Harlem of the Alchemist Guild came second, and he asked that if dragon eggs were found on the newly recovered Dragonstone Island, he would let his pyromancers hatch them. "If there were dragon eggs, Stannis would have sold them for money to support the rebellion," the queen snapped.She would have greatly disparaged the madness of the idea, that since the death of the last dragon of House Targaryen, all attempts to bring dragons back into the world had not only been futile, but had brought death, misfortune, and disgrace.
A group of merchants have asked the Iron Throne to mediate their dispute with the Iron Bank of Braavos.The Braavosi demanded immediate repayment of large sums and refused new loans.We need our own bank, Cersei decided, and the "Lanisport Vault" would be fine.Perhaps when Tommen's throne was consolidated, she would take care of it. For now, she had to order the merchants to pay the Braavosi vampires as much as possible.
The church representative was her old friend Friar Leonard.Six sons of warriors escorted him through the city, a party of seven, sacred and auspicious.The new Archbishop—or according to Yuetong, the new High Sparrow—has to meet the "seven" standard in everything he does, and even the sword belts of the knights are dyed with seven-color stripes.Moreover, the crystals adorned the pommels of the knights' swords and the crowns of their great helmets, and their shields were kite-shields, rare since the wars of conquest, and the emblems on them had not been shown for centuries: Colorful sword.Cobain said that so far, nearly a hundred knights have sworn to join the Sons of Warriors and are willing to die for it, and the number is growing every day.There are so many idiots in the world!
Most of the knights who joined were servants of princes or hired knights, but there were also a few who came from famous families, such as second sons without inheritance rights, local lords, or old people who tried to wash away their sins, even Lancel was included.When Qyburn told her that her idiot cousin had given up his newly acquired castle, land, and wife to return to the capital to join the reborn Warrior Sons, Cersei thought it was a big joke-and now, he is doing it openly. Standing in front of this group of pretending to be pious idiots.
Cersei loathed them, and she loathed the High Sparrow's ungrateful, endless harassment. "Where is His Excellency the Archbishop?" She asked Leonard face to face, "I want to see him in person."
Brother Leonard said apologetically, "His Excellency the Archbishop appointed me as his representative, and he asked me to declare to His Majesty that he was entrusted by the Seven Gods and must fight to the death against evil."
"Wrestle? How to fight? Is chastity preached in Silk Street? He thinks a prostitute will become a virgin after praying?"
"Our bodies are formed by the Father and the Mother, male and female, and reproduced from generation to generation," Leonard replied. "It is a heinous crime for a woman to sell the most sacred part of her body."
If the Queen Mother hadn't been well aware that Brother Leonard was a regular customer in every brothel on Silk Street, this pious statement would at least have left a little impact.No doubt he felt more comfortable reciting High Sparrow nonsense than mopping floors. "Don't preach to me," she told him. "The brothel owners have come and complained, and they have a point."
"What is there to hear in the words of sinners?"
"Sinners maintain the treasury," said the queen bluntly. "With the 'dwarf's coppers', I can pay the gold cloaked guards and build warships to defend the coast. Besides, there are trade problems. If King's Landing has a brothel No, the merchant ship would rather go to Duskendale City or Seagull Town than come here, understand? His Excellency the archbishop once promised me that he would maintain the peace of the market, and the kiln is an indispensable thing to maintain peace. Once people are deprived of the right to commit adultery, people will turn to rape, so from now on, tell His Excellency to stay and pray in his church, that is the place where such activities should take place."
The Queen Mother thought that Lord Gales would come to complain about the finances, but it was the Grand Master Pycelle who appeared, his face was gray, and he said in a chagrined tone that Rosby himself was too sick to get out of bed. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid Lord Gyles will soon be reunited with his noble ancestors. May the Heavenly Father judge him justly."
After Roth's death, will Mace Tyrell and the little queen force me to accept fat Gals? "Lord Gyles has been coughing for so many years, and it's only at this juncture..." Cersei complained, "he coughed through half Robert's reign and Joffrey's dynasty, and now he is dying, It can only prove that someone deliberately harmed him."
The Imperial Master Paicell blinked suspiciously, "Your Majesty? Who wants to harm Lord Gyles?"
"His heir, perhaps." Probably the little queen. "Or maybe it's the woman he offended." Margaery, Metz and the Queen of Thorns conspired, why not?Gales was in their way, after all. "Or some kind of enemy, old enemy, or even you did it."
The old man was taken aback, "Your Majesty—Your Majesty, let's think about it. I... I will cleanse the intestines, bloodlett, apply medicine, and treat Lord Gails... I will use mist soda to relieve his pain, and use sweet sleep flowers to teach him less coughing Tortured, but recently his lung cavity started to bleed..."
"Forget it, go back and tell Mr. Gales that I won't allow him to die."
"As you wish, Your Majesty..." Pycelle bowed stiffly.
Then came more and more petitioners, countless, endless, and each more boring than the last.In the evening, when the crowd finally came to an end, she and her son had a light dinner. "When you say your bedtime prayers, Tommen, remember to thank Father and Mother for allowing you to be a child. It's hard work being a king, and I promise you, you'll never like it. They're like crows pecking at corpses. Gathering around you, everyone wants to tear a piece of flesh from you."
"Yes, Mother," Tommen said with a hint of sadness in his voice.Yes, the little queen must have told him about Ser Loras.After all, he was too young. When he was Xiao Qiao's age, he probably didn't even remember what Loras looked like. "I don't mind what they say," said the son, "I am willing to accompany you to court every day and listen to petitions. Margaery—"
"—to sow discord," Cersei held Tommen to the end, "and I'll have her tongue out someday."
"You can't do that!" Tommen cried suddenly, his little round face flushed. "You won't pull out her tongue. Don't touch her! I'm the king, not you."
The queen mother was stunned, she stared at her son in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"I am the king. I am the only one who can decide whether to pluck out other people's tongues, not you. I will never allow you to hurt Margaery, never! I will not allow you to touch her."
When Cersei said no more, she grabbed Tommen by the ear and dragged the screaming boy to the door to Ser Boros Braun. "Ser Boros, your majesty is out of control. Please escort him back to his chambers and take Pate away. Today, I want Tommen to whip him with his own hands until the blood on both sides of Pate. If your majesty refuses, or If you dare to say a word of protest, you will let Qyburn cut off Pate's tongue, so that His Majesty can learn the price of arrogance."
"Yes," Ser Boros agreed loudly, glancing at the king uneasily. "Follow me, Your Majesty."
As night fell in the Red Keep, Jocelyn lit the Queen Mother's fireplace, and Dorkasha lit the candles beside her bed.Cersei opens the window to get some fresh air, and she finds dark clouds obscuring the stars. "What a dark night, Your Majesty," murmured Dorkasha.
It was dark, Cersei thought, but not as dark as the Maiden's Retreat, and even worse than Dragonstone, where Loras Tyrell was burned to the ground, and the dungeons deep in the Red Keep.The queen mother suddenly thought of Falisi, and immediately decided not to investigate further.In a one-on-one duel, how could Faris choose an idiot husband.Stokeworth Fort came the news that the Countess Tanda died of the wind chill caused by the broken hip, mentally handicapped Norris became the new Countess Stokeworthburg, and Sir Bronn took the real power.Tanda was dead, Gales was dying, and court fools were extinct at last—a month old was enough.The Queen Mother smiled and lay down.I kissed her cheek and tasted the tears.
She dreamed again of the three girls in brown cloaks, the tent that smelled of death, and the wrinkled old hag.
The old hag's tent was tall and dark as night.She really didn't want to go in, just like she didn't want to go in when she was ten, but the girls looked at each other and she had to go in.The three people in the dream are exactly the same as in reality.Fat Jenny Farman is always left behind, and it's actually a miracle she made it here; Melaya Hesband is older, bolder, and prettier, albeit freckled .Wrapped in coarse cloaks with their hoods pulled up, the three girls had sneaked out of their bedrooms and gone across the jousting ring to find the witch.Earlier, Melaya heard the maids talking in low voices, saying that this witch can not only curse people, make men fall in love, summon demons from hell, but also predict the future.In reality, the girls were biting their ears while running, and they were dizzy and out of breath when they ran here, excited and scared at the same time.It was different in the dream. In the dream, the tents in the stadium cast countless shadows, and the passing knights and servants were all made of thick fog. The girls wandered for a long time before they found the old witch's residence.At this time, the torches were all extinguished.Cersei saw the three girls huddled together, whispering to each other.Go back, she wanted to tell them, go back.There's nothing you're looking for here.She opened her mouth to yell, but no sound came out.
Lord Tywin's daughter opened the tent first, followed by Melaya, and Jeyne Farman trailed behind, hiding behind the first two girls, as she always did.
The tent is filled with scents: cinnamon, cardamom, red, white and black pepper, almond milk and onions, cloves, lemongrass and precious saffron, and rarer exotic spices.The only light came from an iron brazier shaped like a stone lizard's head, which emitted a dark green light, making the walls of the tent even colder, dead and decayed.Is this the case in reality?Cersei couldn't remember.
The witch fell asleep in a dream just like in reality.Don't pay attention to her, the Queen Mother wants to scream, you little idiots, don't wake up the sleeping witch.But she had no tongue, and could only watch as the ten-year-old girl lifted her hood, kicked the witch's bed, and cried, "Get up, we want to know our future."
"Toad" Wu Ji opened her eyes, and Jenny Farman let out a terrified scream and fled, rushing into the night without looking back.Oh, fat, stupid, docile little Janey, with a face like a doughnut, a body like a barrel, and frightened at the sight of shadows.But she is the wisest, isn't she?Jenny is still living in Fairy Island. She married a vassal under her lord brother's command and gave birth to more than a dozen children.
The old woman had yellow eyes, and there was an indescribable evil in them.It is said in Lannisport that when her husband bought her from the East with a sack of spices, she was so young and beautiful, but time and magic have destroyed her body. There is a pair of ugly green pebble-like jaws.She has lost all her teeth, and her breasts hang down to her knees. If you get close, you can smell the smell of disease. When she opens her mouth to speak, the stench that she exhales is weird and strong. "Get lost," she growled hoarsely at the girls.
"We came for the prophecy," young Cersei told her.
"Get out." The old woman roared again.
"I heard that you can foresee the future," Melaya said, "We just want to know who our future husband is."
"Get lost," the old woman roared for the third time.
Listen to her.The Queen Mother was about to cry.You can still escape.Run away, little idiot!
Ten year old blond girl puts her hands behind her back. "Give us a prophecy, or I will let my lord father whip you severely for the crime of slight insult."
"Please," Melaya begged, "tell me about the future, we're leaving now."
"A lot of people who come here have no future," said Wu Ji in a terrifyingly deep voice, sweeping her robes down her shoulders and beckoning the girls to come closer. "Come, come if you don't want to go, fools. Come, come, let me taste the taste of blood."
Melaya's face paled, but Cersei was unmoved.Why is a lion afraid of toads, especially old and ugly toads.She could refuse, she could run, she could never look back, but all she did was take Wu Ji's dagger, sliced through her thumb with the twisted iron, and then cut off Melaya's finger.
In the gloomy green tent, the color of the blood also became dark red.Seeing the blood, Wu Ji's toothless mouth trembled. "Come," she whispered, "reach out." Cersei held out her hand, and the old hag's gums were as soft as a newborn baby's, and she let the old hag suck the blood.The Empress Dowager still remembered the weird chill in that mouth.
"You can ask three questions," said the old witch after she had sucked the drop of blood, "but you will never like my answer. Ask or fuck off, it's up to you."
Let's go, the queen mother thought, don't ask, let's go.But the girl in the dream has no fear.
"When will I marry the prince?" she asked.
"Never. You will marry the king."
Beneath the golden curls, the girl's face was puckered up in bewilderment.For years she had thought it meant that she would not marry Prince Rhaegar's father, Aerys, until he died. "I'm going to be queen, right?" asked the younger she.
"Yes," Wu Ji's yellow eyes gleamed viciously, "in the future you will be the mother of the world...until another woman comes, younger and more beautiful than you, who will overthrow you and take you away. Take everything you hold dear."
Anger appeared on the girl's face, "If she dares to come, I'll let my brother kill her!" Innocent and self-willed child, she refused to stop here, she insisted on asking one last question, insisting on catching a glimpse of her future . "Will the king and I have children?" she asked.
"Oh, of course. Sixteen are his and the other three are yours."
Cersei didn't understand what that meant.The cut thumb ached and blood dripped onto the carpet.How could this be?She wants to continue asking questions, but three questions have been used up.
But the old woman didn't finish, "They will wear gold as a crown and gold as a shroud," cried the witch, "and one day in the future, when you are drowning in tears, VALONQAR will strangle your pale neck and seize you. Take your life."
"What is VALONQAR? A monster?" The golden girl didn't like this prophecy, "You are a liar, toad, stinky pig! I don't believe a word you say! Melaya, let's go, don't listen to her nonsense."
"I'm going to ask three questions too," insisted her friend.Cersei grabbed Melaya's arm, but Melaya broke away and turned to the witch. "Will I marry James?" she blurted out.
You silly girl, she asked, and the queen is still angry that Jaime didn't even know you existed.When he was young, James only knew martial arts, dog training and horse riding... and he only had her in his heart, his twin sister.
"It won't be James, it won't be anyone," Wu Ji said, "Your virginity will be taken away by maggots, little sister, your death will come tonight. Haven't you smelled her yet? She will beside you."
"We only smell you!" Cersei yelled.There was a jug full of thick liquid on the table at her elbow, and she snatched it up and threw it at the old woman's eyes.In reality, the witch who was hit screamed in a strange foreign language and cursed the two girls as they fled the tent; but in the dream, the witch's face melted into wisps of gray mist, and only the two girls remained. A long, narrow yellow eye, the eye of death.
VALONQAR will strangle your pale neck, the words echoed in the queen mother's ears, but the voice did not belong to the old woman.A pair of thick hands emerged from the mist and tightly wrapped around her neck, revealing a face overlooking her with asymmetrical eyes.No, the queen wanted to yell, but the dwarf's fingers pinched her too deeply, stopping her pointless protest.She kicked and struggled, but to no avail, and soon she also let out the frighteningly thin, frightened hiss of a son dying, like a man trying to drink up a Yangtze river with a reed.
She woke up panting in the night with a blanket wrapped around her neck.Cersei tore it apart so hard that it tore the blanket.It was just a dream, she sat panting with her breasts open, a recurring dream and a tangled blanket, nothing, nothing...
Today, Tanya had to spend the night with the little queen again, and Dorkasha slept next to her.The Queen Mother shook the girl's shoulders rudely, "Get up and go find Pai Sear, he should be at Lord Gyles's side. Bring him here immediately." The sleepy Dorkasha stumbled out of the bed, looking for clothes in a panic , her bare feet rubbed against the straw mat, rustling.
I don't know how many centuries later, the national teacher Pai Xier arrived slowly. He stood in front of her with his head drooping, his heavy eyelids kept fighting up and down, and he tried his best to restrain the urge to yawn. The necklace seemed ready to crush him at any moment.其实，从瑟曦有记忆时开始，派席尔就已是个老人了，但过去的他毕竟十分庄严：服饰华丽，行礼优雅，不怒自威，那丛大白胡子更赋予他智者的外表。提利昂要了他的胡子，长回来的是几簇稀疏、脆弱、毫不规整的胡碴，完全不能隐藏老人垂落的下巴上松垮的粉红肌肤。他是个废物，瑟曦心想，是过去那个他的残骸。黑牢，外加侏儒的剃刀，合起来摧毁了他。
“你多少岁了？”瑟曦突然问。
“微臣八十有四，陛下。”
“我想要个年轻人。”
国师用舌头舔舔嘴唇。“枢机会推举我为国师时，我才四十二。想当初，喀斯活到八十岁才被推举，艾兰多则在八十九岁，职责很快压垮了他们，两人在位均不出一年便告去世，接下来选出的是六十六岁的梅龙，但他在前往君临的路上感染风寒而死。最后，伊耿国王要学城派个年轻人，他也成为了我服侍的头一位国王。”
托曼将是最后一位。“给我药剂，助我入睡。”
“睡前一杯葡萄酒——”
“我天天喝酒，你这不长眼的白痴。我要强效药，让我不做梦的药。”
“陛……陛下不想做梦？”
“你聋了是不是？你的耳朵跟你的老二一块儿退化了是不是？你究竟能不能给我强效药，还是要逼我命令科本大人来纠正你的失职呢？”
“不，不，没必要牵扯……牵扯科本。您需要无梦的睡眠，我能提供药剂……”
“好，你走吧。”国师转身朝门口走去，太后又把他叫住。“还有一件事。学城里讲解预言吗？未来可以被预见吗？”
老人犹豫半晌，他用一只皱巴巴的手盲目地在胸前摸索，似乎要捻那已不复存在的胡须。“未来可以被预见吗？”他缓缓重复，“也许可以吧。古书中确有相应的魔法……然而陛下若是再问'我们要不要预见未来呢？'对这个问题，我会肯定地回答'不。'有的门还是永远关闭为好。”
“你出去时记得关上我的门。”她早该知道，从他嘴里得到的答案，必定跟他的人一样没用。
第二天她跟托曼共进早餐。男孩驯服多了，看来叫他惩罚佩特特别见效。母子俩吃了煎蛋、煎面包、培根及从多恩通过海路运来的新鲜血橙。儿子和他那几只小猫咪玩，瑟曦看到它们在他脚边欢乐地嬉戏，略感宽心。有我在，谁也不能伤害托曼。为了他的安全，她可以毫不犹豫地处死维斯特洛大半的诸侯和所有老百姓。“乖，跟乔斯琳一起出去吧。”餐后，她吩咐儿子。
接着她找来科本，“法丽丝现下是死是活？”
“嗯，还活着，不过，活得不太……舒服。”
“明白，”瑟曦想了一阵子，“波隆这个人……卧榻之侧，岂容敌人酣睡。说到底，他的权力根植于洛丽丝，若我们正式支持她姐姐……”
“抱歉，”科本说，“恐怕法丽丝夫人已没有能力来统治史铎克渥斯堡了。实际上，单凭她自己，连维持生命都做不到。我很高兴，能在她身上完成许多研究，但课题本身不是没有代价的。陛下，我没有违背您的旨意吧？”
“算了，没关系。”反正想挽回也迟了，索性不去多想。她死掉最好，瑟曦告诉自己，没了丈夫，她本就活不成了。嫁了个白痴丈夫，居然还倾心于他，搞不懂。“此外还有一事。昨晚我做了噩梦。”
“每个人都会时不时做噩梦。”
“梦中的女巫是我小时候见过的。”
“森林女巫？她们算什么，懂点草药知识，会接生，除此之外……”
“她不一样。当年，兰尼斯港里一多半人跑到她那儿去购买还魂药、春情丹之类的东西，她儿子原本是个富商，后来被我祖上提拔为小领主，她丈夫则是在东方做买卖时爱上她的——许多人认为，这是她施展魔法的结果，不过我觉得她大概是直接动用了两腿间那个洞吧。据说她原本不丑，后来才逐渐蜕变。我记不得她的真名了，那是又长又古怪的东方名姓，我只知道老百姓称她为巫姬。”
“巫姬……难道是巫魔女？”
“是吧？那女人从我指头上吸了一滴鲜血，然后预言了我的未来。”
“血魔法是最黑暗的巫术，也可能是最有力量的。”
此话瑟曦不愿听，“这个巫魔女的预言有板有眼，最初我嘲笑它们，然而……很快，事实证明她关于我女伴的话说得半点不差。当她做出预言时，我的女伴才十一岁，健康得跟小马驹似的，而且安安全全地生活在凯岩城中。然后她就掉进井里淹死了。”梅拉雅恳求自己的朋友别把在巫魔女帐篷中听到的事讲出去。不去谈论，便会遗忘，所有的一切都只是一个噩梦，梅拉雅说，噩梦从来不会成真。她们俩当时好小好小，这番话听起来很有道理。
“您还在为童年好友悲伤么？”科本问，“您可是为这事烦恼，陛下？”
“梅拉雅？不，我连她长什么样都不记得了。我烦恼的是……这巫魔女似乎知道我会有几个孩子，她也清楚劳勃的私生子女——在他拥有第一个孩子的若干年前，她便知道了。她保证我会当上王后，又说另一个……”比你年轻也比你美丽。“……另一个女人，会夺走所有我珍爱的东西。”
“而您决心阻止这个预言？”
这是我最大的愿望，太后心想，“预言能被阻止吗？”
“噢，当然，毫无疑问。”
"How to do it?"
“我想，陛下自己很清楚该怎么做。”
She does know.She has always known.早在那间帐篷时她就知道。她要敢来，我就让我弟弟宰了她！
不过，所谓知易行难，詹姆是无法依靠了，对方突染恶疾也不可能。该怎么做呢？dagger?枕头？毒酒？几个办法都不妥当。教老头子在睡梦中死去是一回事，如若十六岁少女莫名其妙暴毙于床，肯定会引发无数疑问。再说，玛格丽从不独睡，而即便没了洛拉斯爵士，她也有其他许多武士日夜紧密保护。
剑刃都有两面，保护她的人很可能会是毁灭她的人。只要收集到足够多的证据，到时候就连玛格丽的父亲大人也无法驳回死刑——当然，要做到这点不容易。她的情人是不会承认的，一旦承认自己也要掉脑袋，除非……
第二天，太后去院子里找到奥斯蒙·凯特布莱克，他正跟雷德温的双胞胎之一比武，究竟是弟弟还是哥哥她说不准，她从来就区分不了这对双胞胎。她看了一会儿，然后把奥斯蒙爵士叫到旁边。“陪我散步，”她吩咐，“边走边说，说心里话。我讨厌吹牛，不要再鬼扯什么一个凯特布莱克当三个好骑士了。你要知道，很多事情取决于你的回答。说说你弟弟奥斯尼，他剑术如何？”
“很不错。您见过他，他没我或奥斯佛利强壮，杀人却最麻利。”
“是吗？他与柏洛斯·布劳恩爵士相比呢？”
“酒肚子柏洛斯？”奥斯蒙爵士咯咯笑道，“他多大年纪了，四十？五十？不管活了多久，至少有一半时间是在醉酒中度过的，而且还那么胖，即便他以前能打，现在也早不行了。陛下啊，柏洛斯爵士想死的话，奥斯尼很容易成全他。可为什么呢？柏洛斯叛国？”
“不。”瑟曦说，叛徒是奥斯尼。