"We're almost there, hang on!"
The pathless, rocky mountain was exhausting to climb, and Asha was already at her limit, leaning on her brother Theon for support.
Asha looked up toward the peak. Behind a stone sheltered from the wind, she saw a thin wisp of smoke rising. "Theon, the dragons have gone to Dorne, and Lord Wright is here alone, meditating in such a place. You need to learn from him."
Theon glanced at the smoke. "When I wake up every morning to practice swordplay, you're still asleep. It's not like you saw it yourself!"
Asha retorted, "I'm a woman, and you're a man. You'll have to go to battle one day, so you need to be stricter with yourself."
"Got it." Theon pulled Asha along as they continued to climb. His sister was great in every way, but she had a tendency to mother him like their mom, and sometimes Theon just wanted to wander off on his own.
Finally, they reached the summit. It was a small flat area sheltered from the wind by a large rock. They went around it and saw two identical figures.
Both Lord Wright and Lord Renly were dressed in noble daily attire, their differently patterned robes thrown aside on a nearby stone. They were now in black pants and white shirts.
"Lord Wright, Lord Renly." Asha couldn't tell who was who and called out directly, just making sure she was looking in the general direction of the two men.
"You're here, sit down and have a drink!" Wright gestured to two small stones opposite the fire pit and tossed two water bags to them.
Theon, equally exhausted and drenched in sweat, sat on one of the stones, opened the water bag, and began to drink. Only when it reached his mouth did he realize the bag contained sweet grape wine.
Asha looked at the burning charcoal. On top of it was a large iron rack, and on the rack were several racks of ribs with bones. Wright and Renly each held several thin metal skewers, turning them with chunks of lamb, the fat sizzling as it roasted.
Theon couldn't understand why the two Lords were so leisurely, grilling meat in such a remote place.
Wright, sprinkling seasoning on the meat, spoke to them, "The Golden Company's mission is finished, and the Targaryens have been dealt with. Your task is complete."
"Thank you, Lord Wright." Asha felt a sense of relief, while Theon's heart began to fill with anticipation.
Renly added, "To restore your reputations, King Robert needs to issue an announcement. You know, the King is on a tour, so it may take longer than usual. But I guarantee you'll be treated with respect in the Stormlands."
Wright continued, "As for the Stone Steps Isles, you've seen enough in your time here. As long as you don't rob and plunder, no one will make trouble for you."
"Thank you for your mercy." Theon spoke sincerely. No matter what rewards they received, clearing their names was more important than anything else.
"Here, eat a little. I don't have much Dragon Pepper left!" Wright sprinkled seasoning on a skewer of roasted meat and handed it to them.
"Ouch!" The metal skewer wasn't glowing red but was scalding hot. Theon quickly pulled up his sleeve and grabbed it, devouring the meat eagerly. "So delicious! This tastes just like when I was a child!"
Asha, usually bold and rough like a man, was more delicate when eating. Unlike Theon, who was covered in grease, she ate small bites, careful with every piece.
Wright remarked, "But don't get too excited just yet! King Robert will clear your names, but that's only because you were secretly sent to the East as spies. The bounty on your heads will be lifted. However, the matter of Lord Harlaw's death and the Nightfall sword is still unresolved. I'll write to the Lord of the Iron Islands and the King to mediate between you both."
Asha thought for a moment. "That's already good enough. From breaking the law to becoming a personal vendetta."
"I'm not returning the Nightfall sword. It belongs to House Greyjoy!" Theon's tone was resolute.
"Haha, right! I don't support returning it either!" Renly chimed in. "We'll stop you from fighting a large-scale battle, but you're tied to Lord Harlaw's death. You'll have to make some compensation to his family!"
"They may even challenge you to a duel, and we can't stop that. You'll have to be prepared. This is the first obstacle you'll face in restoring your family," Wright added, grabbing a skewer and continuing to eat.
"Thank you for your concern, my lords. We will handle this ourselves!" Asha and Theon spoke clearly, reaffirming their resolve.
Wright then looked at them. "For deeds and rewards, Asha, you don't need to be told. You've already received what's yours. Theon, what about you?"
Wright didn't offer anything to Theon directly because his accomplishments were far less than Asha's. After counting on his fingers, Theon had only hunted down the remnants of the Golden Company, and even then, he had to share the reward with his sister.
Wright continued, "Theon, your achievements are clear. I hereby officially knight you."
Renly interrupted, "Wright! You can't knight someone while holding a skewer!"
"Haha, didn't notice." Wright set the skewer down, wiped his hands with a cloth, and with a wave of his hand, the Bloodskal Blade flew into his grip.
Next came a formal but brief knighthood ceremony. Although there were only two witnesses, Asha was already a "Lord", one rank above Theon, and Renly was also a high lord, so their witnessing of Theon's knighthood was no less significant than any other.
Once the ceremony was completed, Theon swore his loyalty to Wright, who tossed his sword aside: "Now I can officially call you Ser Theon. As for your reward, I have two options. First, I'll give you a piece of land next to your sister's territory. This land will definitely be smaller than your sister's according to the law, and you'll officially become a minor lord. Second, I can find you a position in Tyrosh to be a landed knight. Which do you choose?"
"Go to Tyrosh!" Before Theon could speak, Asha had already made the decision for him.
Theon was about to say something, but Asha continued, "My flag with the mermaid holding an axe will fly on the land, and someday, your flag with the mermaid holding the Sword of Nightfall will be there as well. Go to Tyrosh; that's where your efforts will be truly appreciated."
"I'll go to Tyrosh!" Theon made up his mind as well. Being a landed knight was not bad. In the past few days, he had seen knights under Wright's command—although they didn't own land, their families were wealthy, and they had more opportunities to gain merit.
"Then it's settled. After we return to Tyrosh, Theon, you'll head to the navy to get accustomed. Asha, you stay as well. Your land is still vacant, and you can learn something in Tyrosh," Wright said. He wouldn't let his subordinates slack off without purpose.
"Hahaha." Renly laughed from the side, watching Wright's actions.
After the laughter subsided, Wright asked the two, "Now, tell me about Ramsay and Baelish."
The siblings shared their experiences with Ramsay and Baelish, including personality analyses done by them and the Volantis intelligence officers. Of course, the incident where Theon spent the night with Ramsay was omitted. Asha had spent a lot of money hiring a woman to sober Theon up, and they both agreed to keep it between themselves.
"Scum!" After hearing their report, Renly gave his evaluation.
Wright nodded. "Indeed, scum! These two have crossed moral and legal boundaries. No one can control them."
Renly looked at Wright and said, "Hey, wasn't Ramsay considering you as his spiritual mentor, worshipping you like a god? Couldn't you use that?"
Wright waved his hand dismissively. The three others, especially Asha and Theon, were puzzled. They had seen firsthand how much Ramsay had worshipped Wright.
Wright explained, "It's useless. Don't be fooled by Ramsay' current worship of me. He's never met me in person, only heard about my heroic deeds and turned me into a nebulous god in his mind. If our analysis of his character is correct, this man, who has killed his family, eaten human flesh, enjoys skinning people, and breaks oaths as easily as drinking water—this castrated man—could easily switch to worshiping another god at any time!"
Renly said, "Hearing that, it seems like it's not worth bothering with him. Such people will bring nothing but trouble."
Wright sighed, "That's why you've all been interpreting Ramsay and Baelish as normal people. If this had happened when they were just wanted by the Seven Kingdoms, it would've been different. After everything that's happened, these two can no longer be considered human. Now, they're just two living animals."
Asha asked, "So, what should we do now? Should we release news about their whereabouts on Ny Sar?"
Wright replied, "The sky is high and the road is long! The lords who were harmed by them probably aren't interested in sending people to the Eastern Continent to hunt them down. At most, they'll hire some assassins to cause trouble."
Renly was just enjoying the spectacle. Since Ramsay and Baelish hadn't caused trouble in the Stormlands, he considered it just a story.
Now that Asha had no secret mission and didn't want to deal with those two scoundrels anymore, only Theon remained eager to rid the world of Ramsay, the disgusting castrated man.
The roasted meat was finished, and Wright's magic flared up again. A large block of ice floated to the fire. The top of the ice quickly melted, revealing various meats and vegetables inside. Asha and Theon eagerly helped with the preparations, and the four continued to roast, aiming to finish the meal.
While they were grilling, Wright spoke again. "Let the news of Ramsay and Baelish's whereabouts go public. I will also have Tyrosh, Lys, and Volantis to issue a bounty for the two."
Renly felt something was off. "Do these two really have no value left? This isn't like you, Wright."
Wright smiled. "The Seven Kingdoms, along with the three southern cities, are all after them. The other major trade city-states along the coast will likely send assassins as well. So, where can these two, already with considerable influence along the Rhoyne River, escape to?"
"Along the Rhoyne River, that only leaves Qohor and Norvos! Well played, Wright, you've calculated all the major trade city-states!" Renly realized.
Wright looked at the three and felt the need to explain further. "I never proactively plot against others. These city-states may seem far away, but due to historical reasons, they're all interconnected. Ever since the Seven Kingdoms conquered the Stone Step Isles, Tyrosh has been under constant pressure, both militarily and economically. Their goal was to drive us out! So they started plotting against me first, and I had no choice but to retaliate. But look at Lys and Volantis, they are now our staunch allies."
"You're right! Hurry up and roast the meat!" Renly pointed at the meat skewer that Wright was holding and hadn't moved for a while, then turned to the siblings, "You three have been to Essos, but I've never been. Tell me more about it—what are the Dothraki like?"
They ate and talked, and by the time the sun set, the four of them were back on their ship, heading toward Tyrosh.
---
Donnel Sarsfield was angrily scolding his dog.
"Hound! I order you to take me to King's Landing!" Donnel pulled out his longsword and pressed the tip against the black chest plate of the Hound, Sandor Clegane.
"Not a chance."
The Hound stood tall and answered decisively, ignoring the sword. He regretted coming on this trip more than anything.
Looking at Donnel, whose golden hair was blown by the wind, Sandor thought he looked more and more like Jaime, with the same lack of brains and the same flaws as Cersei. Didn't he realize that Robert wouldn't have forgotten about their family's mess? To think he wanted to go back to King's Landing? Even though Robb was away on a tour with many officials, there were still many nobles and spies in the city. If they were caught, it wouldn't be just Robb—Tywin would have his head too.
"You won't take me, huh? Fine, I'll go myself! You, you, you, and you, come with me!" Donnel, seeing that threats weren't working, began to take command of Sarsfield's knights.
The knights hesitated, slowly mounting their horses, looking back at the Hound, hoping their real leader would say something.
Donnel had snuck out of Casterly Rock, and as soon as he left the castle, a report was sent to Tywin. Tywin disliked Donnel with all his heart, but since he was his blood relative, he couldn't just kill him. Out of sight, out of mind—he let Donnel go and ordered the Hound to follow him.
Donnel was heading to Riverrun to see his mother, Cersei. Although he acted arrogantly in public, deep down he was still a child. When he saw his father, Jaime, was imprisoned, his first thought was to run to his mother for comfort.
When they arrived at Riverrun, the steward informed them that Lord Edmure had already left with guests from the Westerlands to King's Landing, and he was heading south to meet Cersei. The group was now on the Kingsroad, and they could already see the gates of King's Landing in the distance.
Seeing Donnel's stubbornness, the Hound was conflicted. He followed Tywin's orders, but Donnel was his direct descendant. Tywin had started to age, and it wasn't unthinkable that Jaime would inherit the title of Lord when Tywin died. If Sandor angered Donnel, things could turn bad for him.
"Wait!" The Hound shouted.
"What, you agree now?" Donnel smiled at the Hound from his horse.
The Hound ignored him and began giving orders to the knights. "You lot, go to the next town, find us a place to stay, and buy some cloaks. Half of us will change into the cloaks and enter the city, the rest will stay here with the gear."
"Understood!" The knights, relieved, finally had clear instructions instead of blindly following Donnel.
"I'm not wearing some tattered cloak! Ridiculous!" Donnel, still dressed in his Lannister armor, refused to change.
"You either change, or you stay here. We're going into King's Landing." The Hound's tone was sharp.
The Hound had no patience for Donnel's antics. Cersei, whose mind was even worse than Jaime's, dared to go to King's Landing with Lord Edmure. Sandor had planned to use Donnel to extract Cersei from the city quickly. If anything went wrong, both the king and Tywin's fury would end him.
Under the Hound's threats, Donnel reluctantly changed into a gray cloak and, with a dozen similarly dressed knights, entered King's Landing.
"This statue's hand was the one I had removed, haha." Donnel acted like a tourist, pointing at various landmarks in King's Landing, but the Hound didn't acknowledge him.
Donnel asked again, "Where are we going?"
"To the Lannister residence in the city. Cersei should be there."
They took back streets and winding paths until they reached the wealthy district behind Steel Street.
Seeing the guards at the mansion, the Hound removed his hood, his face serving as his identification, and they smoothly entered the residence.
"The mistress is resting. You can wait in the reception room," a blonde maid stopped them.
"Is it Lady Lannister?" The Hound asked.
The maid nodded.
With confirmation, the Hound relaxed and led the knights to the waiting area.
Donnel, however, paid no attention and continued walking toward the bedroom.
The maid blocked him again. "You can't go in!"
Donnel drew his sword and pressed it to the maid's chest. "You won't let me in? Then I'll kill you now!"
"He really will do it!" The Hound, having walked a little further, turned and said.
The maid, who worked for Cersei, knew Donnel's identity and his temperament. She curtsied and quickly stepped aside.
Donnel had no problem with his mother finding a man. She couldn't marry his father, but as a highborn lady, she had to find someone to rely on. Cersei had mentioned this to him many times, so Donnel wasn't bothered by her affair with Edmure Tully.
Of course, Edmure would never marry a widow. The nobility of the Riverlands would never accept it, but that didn't stop them from being lovers.
Donnel knocked on the bedroom door, but no one answered. He opened it and walked right in.
The bedroom was filled with the scent of various perfumes, the bedding on the bed was messy, and Cersei's clothes were tossed on the sofa nearby. Donnel closed the door carefully and began to observe his surroundings, hoping to find his mother.
From the small door on one side of the room came some noises, pop, pop, pop. Donnel smiled and sat on the sofa, waiting for his mother to finish in the bathroom.
Not long after, the bathroom door opened. Donnel tilted his head and looked over, only to find not just his mother, but also his cousin, Lancel Lannister, walking out of the bathroom.
"What is this?" Donnel stood up from the sofa, staring at the two disheveled figures.
"You, out!" Cersei, surprised by her son's sudden appearance, quickly pulled at the front of her robe and waved Lancel out of the room.
"Good afternoon, Ser Donnel!" Lancel, passing by Donnel, greeted him politely.
Once Lancel had left the room, Donnel turned his attention back to Cersei. When he briefly locked eyes with Lancel, he noticed yellow-green stains on his cousin's hair and at the corner of his mouth.
"What were you two doing in there?!" Donnel's mind immediately went to the most disgusting of possibilities, and he shouted at Cersei.
Cersei didn't respond. Instead, she walked over to Donnel, pulled him into a tight embrace, and stroked his golden hair, pressing his head against her chest. "My sweet son, what brings you to King's Landing?"
Donnel struggled out of her hold and pointed at her robe, which was loosely fastened, exposing part of her figure. "Where's Lord Edmure?"
Cersei wrapped her robe more tightly around her, the silk fabric smooth to the touch, but it loosened as soon as she let go. "Don't mention that useless fool. He came to King's Landing just to avoid me! The second day he was here, he ran off with his people to find that fat pig, Robert! What brings you here?"
She finished speaking and touched Donnel's cheek. "You've lost weight, my dear. How much hardship have you endured on your journey?"
Donnel, softened by his mother's affectionate words, forgot about Lancel and the earlier anger. "Uncle Tyrion ran away from home, and Father was locked up by that old thief, Tywin. I snuck out."
Every time Donnel referred to Tywin as an old thief, it always pleased his mother.
"Tell me everything that happened. Did Tywin treat you poorly again? I'll deal with him when I return!" Cersei led Donnel to the sofa.
Donnel then explained the situation as he knew it, adding his own assumptions. When Cersei heard the details, she became furious.
"Jaime married that Seran off to the North, to suffer, so he deserved to be locked away!" Donnel had never expected his mother to react this way when he traveled so far to seek comfort. His mood sank, and his expression faltered as he processed her words.