Chapter 11 Chapter Ten Davos

He came out on deck, with Tidehead shrinking in a long line behind him and Dragonstone rising from the sea ahead.A wisp of gray smoke drifted from the top of the mountain, marking the location of the island.Dragon Mountain was not safe this morning, Davos thought, or Melisandre was burning something. The "Dance of Shayara" traveled through the Blackwater Bay, passed the throat, and sailed against the wind, thinking of Melisandre all the way.At the head of the Cape Marseilles stood the Horn of the house of Bar Ammon, and its watchtowers burned like fires, reminiscent of the great ruby ​​in the throat of a red woman.The world rose and set, and the clouds were the color of her whirling silk robe.

She was waiting for him on Dragonstone, in all her beauty and power.She has her god, her shadow, and his king, and he has nothing.So far, the Red Priestess seems to have remained loyal to Stannis.But in fact, she was the one that dragged him down like a man drags down a horse.Fascinated by her dreams, she rode him to power and sent my children to the fire.I want to dig out her heart alive and sacrifice it with fire.He touched the excellent Long Reese dagger given by the captain. The captain treated him well.His name is Corian?Susman, with Salado, the owner of this ship?Like Sann, from Lys, with the usual light blue eyes of Lysians in his thin, weather-beaten face.This man has been trading among the Seven Kingdoms for many years.When he learned that it was the famous Onion Knight that he had fished out of the sea, he immediately gave Davos his cabin and clothes, found him a new pair of boots of about the same size, and insisted that the former smuggler enjoy his Delicious - just not great.Davos' stomach couldn't handle snails, eels, and other seafood favorites of Captain Corian's, and he spent the whole day vomiting and diarrhea after his meal, staggering on his stomach on the railing.

As the oars moved, Dragonstone grew bigger and bigger.Now Davos could see not only the outline of the mountain, but also the great black stone castle with its gargoyles and dragon towers.The bronze prow of the Dancing Shayara cleaves waves like outstretched wings.He leaned his weight on the railing, thankful that there was something to support him. The ordeal he experienced before made him very weak. If he stood for too long, his legs and feet would tremble. Sometimes, he coughed uncontrollably, and even coughed up bloody saliva .It's all right, he told himself, the gods would never kill me with disease, since they saved me from fire and water.

Hearing the heavy drumbeat of the oarsman, the fluttering of the sails and the creaking rhythm of the wooden oars, he could not help but return to his youth.The same voices that had stirred fear in him on so many smoky mornings--they heralded the coming of old Ser Treymont's Sea Guard, Aerys?King Targaryen has no mercy on smugglers. Everything is like a world away.It was all before the onion ships, and before the siege of Storm's End, and before Stannis cut my fingers short; before the war, and before the red comet, and before I changed my name to Seaworth and became a knight.Before Lord Stannis raised me.He made me.

Captain Corarian told him that Stannis' hopes had been shattered the night the Blackwater burned.With fire ahead and Lannister forces outflanking him, capricious vassals turned against him by the hundreds when he needed it most. "The ghost of King Renly has been seen," said the captain, "leading the lion's vanguard, left and right, his green armor gleaming ghostly in the wildfire, and his antler helm burns with golden flames." Renly's ghost.Davos wondered if the sons would come back as ghosts too.I have seen too many strange things in the sea, so what is so strange about ghosts? "Is there no one doing their duty faithfully?" he asked.

"The ones who have not defected are a minority," said the captain, "and most of them are queens. We have put many people with foxes on board. Of course, many more people have to stay on the shore. At present, Lord Florent is the queen. prime minister." The mountain grew higher and higher, surrounded by pale smoke.The sails were singing, the drums continued to beat, and the oars moved smoothly. After a while, the port appeared in front of us.How empty it was, Davos thought, remembering how every wharf was packed with boats, moored and swaying by the jetty, before we set off.Today's best berth by Salado?Thorn's flagship, the Valyrian, occupies the former home of the Fury and her sister ships.The ship is also surrounded by hull painted Reese ships.He searched in vain for any sign of the Lady Maria and the Sea Spirit.

Before entering the harbor they furled their sails and proceeded only by oars.When the cable was tied, the captain walked towards Davos, "I ask you to meet my prince." Davos tried to answer, but a cough broke out, and he grabbed the railing and spat out. "The king," he gasped, "I must go to the king." Find the king, and you'll find Melisandre. "No one can see the king," Corian?Susman said firmly, "Salado? Sann will explain it to you. Come on, go see him first." Davos was too weak to protest.He can only nod. Salado?Thorn was not on the Valyrian.They found him a quarter of a mile away on another pier, taking stock with two eunuchs in the hold of a pot-bellied Pentos freighter, the Harvest.One of the two eunuchs carried a lamp, and the other held a wax board and a stylus. "Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine," the old pirate counted intently as Davos and the captain descended into the cabin, today in a burgundy coat and tall bleached leather boots with silver vines. leaf pattern.He uncorked a jar, sniffed it, sneezed, and said, "Coarse grain, second-rate quality, my nose is not lying. Also, there are forty-three jars written in black and white on the list, and the others Where are you going? These Pentosians, don't you think I can't count?" He looked back at Davos, and stopped suddenly. "Oh, oh, wait, is it pepper or tears that blind my eyes? Stand Is the Onion Knight before me? No, that's impossible, my dear friend Davos died in that burning river, that's what everyone says. Why, why does his ghost come to haunt me?"

"I'm not a ghost, Sarah." "Not a ghost? My onion knight has never been so thin and pale as you." Salado?Thorn squeezed his way through the spice jars and cloths and hugged Davos warmly, kissing him on both cheeks and then on the forehead. "It's warm, it's warm, my dear sir, your heart is still beating. Is it true? The sea swallowed you in and spit you out again?" Davos thought of Patchface, Princess Shireen's retarded jester.He too sank into the sea and went mad when he got back to shore.Am I crazy too?He covered his mouth with his gloved hand and coughed, "I swam down the iron chain and was washed onto the Mermaid King's Spear. If the Dance of Shayara hadn't happened to pass by, I'm afraid I would have died there."

Salado Sann put one arm around the captain's shoulders, "Well done, Corian, you will be rewarded handsomely. Mezzomach, good eunuch, take my old friend Davos to the captain's cabin and fetch him Some mulled wine with cloves, I don't like the sound of his coughing. Remember to squeeze lime juice into it, and get the cottage cheese and a bowl of split green olives we just counted! Davos, I'm done with the good captain Just come to you, can you forgive me? Remember, don't eat up the olives, I will be angry!" The elder of the two eunuchs led Davos into a large and luxurious cabin amidships, with thick carpets, stained glass windows, and huge leather chairs where three Davos could comfortably sit.The cheese and olives arrived quickly, along with a glass of steaming red wine.He held it in his hands and took a sip gratefully, the warmth spreading in his chest, which was comforting.

Salado Sann arrived quickly, "You have to be tolerant of wine, my old friend, these ignorant Pentosians, even if they dye the water purple, they will believe it." "It warms the chest, anyway," said Davos. "My mother used to say that hot wine is better than poultices." "In my opinion, you'd better put some medicine on it. Staying on a rock for so long, oh my gosh! Yes, what do you think of this beautiful chair? Look, he has a fat ass !" "Who?" Davos asked, over a drink of hot wine. "Illyrio, Mopatis, tell you, he is like a bearded whale, and these chairs are made to his figure, though he seldom leaves Pentos. Indeed, in my opinion, Fatty sits comfortably on anything because he has his own cushion."

"Have you got the Pentos ship?" Davos demanded. "Pirate again, my prince?" He put the empty glass aside. "Oh, I don't say good things when I come back. What's the good of being a pirate? Salado? Isn't Sann suffering enough? Wrong, wrong, I'm just collecting debts. Oh, I'm already rich in theory, yes, But in reality? Hey, Sarah is a reasonable person. He didn’t ask for gold coins. He just asked for a piece of fine parchment. On it was the autograph of Lord Alister Florent and the former Prime Minister. The seal of the king. Hey, I have become the governor of Blackwater Bay. No one can cross my territorial waters without my permission. You see, this ship is regarded as smuggling, so I have every right to confiscate it," the old pirate said with a grin, "I am a good person, but I didn't cut off other people's fingers, huh? What's the use of a few fingers? Ships and goods are valuable, and people, people can pay the ransom, isn't it too much?" He glanced sharply at Davos. "You're not well, my dear friend. You're coughing. . . and you've lost weight, and you can see the bones through the skin. And, alas, your little pouch for your finger bones . . . " Davos habitually touched the leather bag that no longer existed. "I lost it in the river." My lucky charm. "The battle on the river was terrible," Salado?Sann became serious, "Even in the bay, it's scary to look at." Davos coughed up a few mouthfuls of phlegm, and then coughed again. "The Black Beth and the Fury caught fire first," he said hoarsely at last. "Are all ships lost?" There was a little hope. "Some of them are not burning, like the Duke of Stephen, the Jenna, the Quick Sword, and the Laughing King, etc., they are upstream, avoiding the shit of the alchemist. But the chain is up, and they still can't get away. In the end, a few surrendered, most of them went up the Blackwater River, off the battlefield, and were scuttled by the crew themselves, so as not to fall into the hands of the Lannisters. I heard that the Jenna and the Laughing King are still doing work on the river There are robbers, scare, who can say for sure?" "Where's the Lady Maria?" Davos asked hurriedly, "Where's the Sea Spirit?" Salado Sann put his hand on Davos' forearm and squeezed it, "No, no, unfortunately, my friends, Dale and Allard, they are good guys... There is one thing that can comfort you —Your little Devan was rescued by us. Brave boy, they say he would never leave the King's side." Feeling dizzy, he let out a long breath.I had never dared to ask Devan before. "Mother of Mercy, I must go to him, Sara, I must go to him!" "Yes," Salado?Thorn said, "In my opinion, you should sail to Cape Wrath too, to meet the wife and the two little ones. Anyway, you need a new ship." "His Grace will give me ships," said Davos. The Lysian shook his head. "Boats, Your Majesty has none, and Salado? Sanendo's. The king's ships are all burned on the river, but I have lost none. You will have new ships, my old man. My friend, you'll sail for me too, won't you? Just sneak into Braavos, Myr, or Volantis in the dark of night, and come out laden with silks and spices, unnoticed. , we will all get rich." "You have been good to me, Sara, but my allegiance is to the King now, not to your purse. The war is still on, and Stannis is still heir apparent to the Iron Throne by the laws of the Seven Kingdoms. " "As far as I'm concerned, since the ships are all burned, there's no law at all. Besides, your king, well... I'm afraid you'll find him changed. After the fiasco, he can't be seen, She nestled in the Stone Drum Tower by herself. At present, Queen Selyse and her uncle, Earl of Alister, are in charge of the government together. Fascinated by stamping, look, my beautiful parchment is included! Oh, it looks very grand on the surface, but in the end this is just a small kingdom, poor and desolate, and the most important thing is that there is no money, no Money! Hehe, I can’t even pay the honest and loyal Salador Sann what he deserves. Our kingdom has to be defended by the few drowned knights I rescued and my brave crew. It's sad." A painful cough forced Davos to bend over.Salado?Sann stepped forward to help, but was stopped by him with a wave of his hand. It took a while before he recovered. "No one?" he gasped. "What do you mean, Your Majesty, he never sees anyone?" Even to his own ears, the sound was muffled, and the cabin swirled around dizzily. "Except for her," Salado?Thorn said Davos knew who he meant without asking. "My friend, you are so hard on yourself. I see, what you need now is a bed, not Salado Sann. Yes, a bed, a pile of blankets, a hot compress for the chest, and More mulled wine." Davos shook his head. "I'm all right. Tell me, Sarah, I must know about this. Has Your Majesty seen no one but Melisandre?" The Lysian stared at him suspiciously for a long time before continuing reluctantly, "Yes, the guards will stop everyone, even including the queen and his little daughter, and the food sent by the servants has never been touched." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I've heard strange things. You see, there's a great fire in the mountain, and Stannis and the red woman went down to see it. It's said that there are shafts and secret stairs leading to the inner part of the mountain. In that hot place, Only she's safe. Why, these horrors are told all day long, and I'm too old to eat after hearing them." Good Melisandre.Davos couldn't help shaking. "It's all the Red Woman's plot," he said. "She's punishing Stannis for deserting her by devouring us with fire; she's trying to make the king think he can't get the world without her witchcraft." The Lysian picked a plump olive from the bowl. "It's a commonplace, my friend, and it's been said a lot lately. If I were you, I wouldn't speak so loudly. Dragonstone is full of queens, oh yes, they have sharp ears. , the knife is sharper." He put the olive into his mouth. "I have the knife too, a gift from Captain Corian." He drew the dagger and placed it on the table between them. "I'll use it to cut out Melisandre's heart—if she has one." Salado Sann spit out the olive stone in one gulp. "Davos, oh, good Davos, no joke." "I'm not kidding. I'm going to kill her." Let's hope ordinary weapons can kill her.Davos wasn't sure about that. He had seen Master Cressen sneak poison into the wine, and they both drank it, and the maester died, but the red girl was safe.However, the dagger was inserted into the heart... Didn't the singers say that demons can also be killed by cold weapons? "You're out of the question, my friend." Salado?Sann warned him, "Stay in the sea for a long time. I think you haven't recovered yet. The fever has burned your brain. Okay, okay, go to bed and rest for a while, and wait until you feel better." Wait until the determination is weakened?Davos rose to his feet, feverish and dizzy indeed, but that was all right. "You are a capricious old slicker, Salado Sann, but on the other hand, you are also a good friend of mine." The Lysian stroked his silver-white pointed beard, "That means you will be with your good friend, right?" "No, I'm leaving." He coughed and said. "Let's go? Where are you going? Take a good look at yourself! You're coughing, trembling, and looking so weak, where are you going?" "To the castle. To my own chambers. To my son." "Go see the red-robed woman?" Salado?Sann said suspiciously, "She's in the castle too." "Yes, and her." Davos retracted the dagger into its sheath. "You smuggler who bought onions, you turned into an assassin? You are sick, you are sick, you can't even hold a dagger, what are you trying to do! Do you know what will happen if you are caught? Let me tell you, you Burned by the enemy on the river, traitors burned by the queen on the island. She called them 'servants of the dark', how pitiful, but the red-robed woman sang her praises before the stake." Davos was not surprised.I know, he thought, and I know without him telling. "Lord Sanglass," he said, "Both sons of Herbe? Sir Lambton." "That's it. They are all burned to death, and you will be burned to death. If you can kill her, you will be burned to death by the queen's people in revenge; if you can't kill her, you will be burned to death by her. She will shout Song Yong, watching you scream and die. Wake up, you just narrowly escaped death!" "That's why I cannot linger for a moment," said Davos, "I will end Melisandre of Asshai and all her works at once. Why did the sea spit me out? Sarah, you are like me Knowing Blackwater Bay, no sane captain would risk shipwreck to cross the reefs of Mermaid's Spear. The Shayara's Dance should never have been there." "It's about the wind," Salado?Sann insisted aloud, "A headwind, that's all. A headwind blew her south." "Who's blowing that? Sara, cough... Mother is talking to me." The old Lysian blinked, "Your mother is dead..." "It's the Mother! She gave me seven sons, and I let them burn her, and did nothing. She was talking to me, and she said: 'We call the flames'. No, I call the shadows. In That dark night, I was the one who rowed for Melisandre, and drove her into Storm's End, releasing the shadows." It still appeared in nightmares from time to time, grasping the bleeding thigh with its skinny black hands, wriggling and crawling A distended belly. "She killed Maester Cressen and Lord Renly, and brave Ser Cortnay Penrose, and my sons. Someone will come to her." "Someone will go," Salado?Sann said, "Yeah, that's it, somebody's gonna go, but not you. You're as weak as a child, how can you fight? Stay, I beg you, come on, let's have a little home chat , eat more, and then, then maybe we sail to Braavos and hire a Faceless Man to do it, how about that? But you, no, no, you have to sit down and eat." How can he do this?He's making it hard for me, Davos thought wearily, and that's hard enough in itself. "My stomach is full of vengeance, Sara, and there is no room for anything else. Let me go, and for the sake of our friendship, wish me luck and let me go." Salado Sann stood up eagerly, "In my opinion, you are not my real friend. Think about it, when you die, who will bring the ashes to your wife and tell her that she has lost her husband and four children?" A son? Only sad old Salado? Sann! But do what you will, brave Mr. Knight, and run to your grave! Let me collect your bones and give you the rest Children, so that they can be put in the little pouch and tied around the neck!" He waved his ring-laden hand angrily. "Go, go, go, go, go." Davos didn't want to leave like this. "Sarah—" "Go. Or stay. It's better to stay, but you can go if you want, go." he's gone. The Harvest's journey to the castle gates was long and lonely.The streets by the docks, once crowded with soldiers, sailors, and civilians, were now empty and desolate; where once they ran among squealing pigs and naked children, now there were only scurrying rats.His legs were as limp as pudding, and for the third time he was bent over by coughing and had to stop to rest.Nobody reached out to help, nobody even peeked behind the windows.All doors and windows were closed, and more than half of the house was mourning.Ah, ten out, one back, Davos thought, and my son is not the only one to die.May Our Lady have mercy on all. The gates of the castle were also tightly closed.Davos pounded his fist on the iron-studded wooden door.No one answered.He switched to kicking, again and again.Finally, a crossbowman appeared in the tower above, looking down from between two tall gargoyles, "Who?" Putting his hands to his mouth, he threw back his head and called, "Ser Davos? Ser Seaworth beseeches His Majesty the King." "Drunk? Go away, don't bother." Salado?Sann had warned him.So Davos changed his strategy. "Then, please let my son come out. His name is Davan, and he is the king's servant." The guard frowned. "Who did you say you were?" "Davos," he called, "Onion Knight." The head disappeared for a moment, then came back. "Go away. The Onion Knight was killed on the river, his boat burned." "His ship was burned," Davos agreed, "but no one is dead, just standing here. Is Jeter the captain of the Gate Watch?" "Who?" "Jet? Bradbury. I know him well." "I've never heard that name. It's likely he's dead." "And what about Lord Zitherine?" "I know that. He was burned to death on the Blackwater River." "Where's Will Crookedface? Where's Hal the Boar?" "Dead, all dead," said the Crossbowman, with a sudden look of disbelief on his face. "Wait here," he said before disappearing again. Davos waited patiently.Dead, all dead, he thought gloomily, remembering Hal's fat white belly under his greasy coat, remembering the long scar on Will's face from the fishhook, remembering the way Jeter took off his hat to the lady— ——No matter facing five people or fifty people, regardless of noble or low birth, he always pays respects so politely.Some were drowned, some were burned, and my sons and thousands of others went to hell to guard the king. While he was in a daze, the crossbowman suddenly came back, "Go around to the assault opening, we will let you in." Davos obeyed.He didn't know the guards leading him, but they carried spears and had the flowered fox emblem of the Florent family embroidered on their chests.Unexpectedly, they sent him not to the Stone Drum Tower, but through the arched dragon's tail door, down to Aegon's Garden. "Wait here," their leader told him. "Does His Majesty know of my return?" Davos asked. "How do I know? I told you, wait." With that, the man left with his spearmen. Aegon's garden was filled with the pleasant scent of pine, and tall black trees rose from all sides.There are also wild roses and towering thorn bushes, and cranberries grow in the muck. Why did they bring me here?Davos didn't understand. There was the soft ringing of bells and the laughter of children nearby, and the jester Patchface jumped out of the bushes, staggering and running amok, and Princess Shireen followed closely behind. "Stop," she yelled at him, "Ah Ding, stop for me." The Fool actually stopped short when he saw Davos.He hopped up and down on one foot, and the bells on the tin bucket antlers rang, ding, ding, and he sang, "The jester's blood, the king's blood, and the maiden's thigh bleeds, chain your guest, my lord, and chain your bridegroom." Ah, I know, I know, oh oh oh!" Shireen almost caught up with him, but when he finished he hopped over the bracken and disappeared into the woods, and the princess gave chase.Davos couldn't help laughing at this situation. He coughed into his glove when another small figure rushed out of the bushes and hit him right on top of him, knocking him to the ground. The boy fell at the same time, but got up immediately. "What are you doing here?" he asked, patting the dust, the kid's jet-black hair falling to his neckline, his eyes startlingly blue. "You shouldn't be in my way when I'm running." "That's right," agreed Davos, "I shouldn't be in the way." He struggled to his feet, only to have another fit of coughing. "Uncomfortable?" The boy held his hand and pulled him up, "Do you want to be called a bachelor?" Davos shook his head, "It's just a cough, it will be fine in a while." The boy believed it. "We're playing Beauty and the Monster," he explained, "and I'm the monster. It's a childish game, but my cousin likes it. What's your name?" "Davos? Ser Seaworth." The boy looked up and down suspiciously. "You're not lying, are you? You don't look like a knight." "I am the Onion Knight, my lord." The blue eyes blinked, "The one driving the black ship?" "You know the story?" "Before I was born, you sent fish and onions to my Uncle Stannis in Storm's End, easing the siege of Lord Tyrell. Yes, I know." The boy straightened up. "I am Edric Storm," he announced, "son of King Robert." "Yes, of course you are," Davos expected.The boy had the famous florent ears, but the hair, eyes, jaw and cheekbones all bore the mark of Baratheon. "You know my father?" Edric Storm asked. "I met your uncle many times when I visited the palace, but there was no dialogue." "Father taught me how to fight," said the boy proudly. "He comes to see me almost every year and fights with me. Last year on Name Day, he gave me a warhammer as a present, exactly like his own! Just a smaller size. Pity they won't let me bring it from Storm's End. Did my Uncle Stannis cut off your finger?" "Only the last knuckle. The fingers are still there, just shorter." "Show me." Davos took off his gloves, and the boy studied them carefully. "He didn't cut off your thumb?" "No," said Davos, coughing. "No, he left me his thumb." "He shouldn't have cut off any of your fingers," the boy judged. "It's bad behavior." "I'm a smuggler." "Yes, but he can't live without you smuggling fish and onions for him." "Lord Stannis knighted me for the onions, and cut off my fingers for smuggling." He put the gloves back on. "My father will not cut off your fingers." "You are right, my lord." Yes, Robert was not like Stannis, the boy was like him, and like Renly.Thinking of this, he became anxious. Just as the boy was about to speak, he heard footsteps.Davos turned around and saw Yasser?Sir Florent came along the garden path with a dozen guards.Guardsmen wear padded tunics with the Lord of Light's flaming heart embroidered on the chest.Queen's man, Davos thought, suddenly coughing again. Ser Axell was stocky and stocky, with a barrel-like chest, thick arms, bent legs and thick ears. As the queen's uncle, he had been acting castellan of Dragonstone for ten years.He knew that Davos was trusted by Stannis, so he was quite polite to him, but this time he said in a cold and rude tone, "Ser Davos, it is a miracle you didn't drown." "The onion will float, Sir, are you here to take me before the King?" "I have come to take you to the dungeons." Sir Axell waved his men forward. "Catch him and take the dagger, he intends to kill our noble lady."