The town of Harlowe has only one main street.
A rider in a golden cloak galloped down the street, his hooves clattering like raindrops.
The knight arrived at the Earl's castle, flipped off, and ran quickly into the hall.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Ser Sandor Clegane has captured the criminal Michael." The rider was panting, his voice booming.
A commotion broke out in the hall, which was packed with courtiers!
Many noblewomen surrounded Cersei, comforting her as if she were the center of attention, showing no sign of sadness whatsoever.
Before the king and queen could respond, another messenger arrived on horseback.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty: Lord Renly, Ser Barristan Selmy, Captain of the Kingsguard, Ser Mandon Moore, Ser Marin Tran, Ser Ilyn Payne, Ser Ilyn Payne, Lord Inspector, with one hundred King's Landing cavalrymen, have come to greet the King and Queen."
The king waved his hand without saying a word; he was in a terrible mood. The two guards who were kneeling on one knee stood up and withdrew.
The sound of galloping hooves came again, and a man in a golden robe rushed over to report.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Lord Eddard Stark has found Lady Arya Stark in a grove of trees across the river. Lord Eddard and his guards are leading Lady Arya back to town."
Upon hearing this, the king felt a sense of relief. He downed the wine in his golden cup in one gulp and cursed, "Damn it!"
The rapid clatter of hooves echoed through the street and reached the hall; Sandor Clegane, the Hound, had returned with his red-cloaked guards.
The Mountain stood among the courtiers, a head taller than everyone else; everyone who entered noticed this burly 'giant.' The Mountain felt a small unease within him. Had the Hound followed the old ways and killed Mikael, or had he captured a living person because of his earlier statement,'Slaughterers and dog breeders are the same'?
The Mountain actually hoped that the Hound would spare Mikay.
They went out to catch the kid, but failed. The kid escaped and disappeared, or perhaps he was swept away by the river while crossing it. All sorts of accidents are possible.
But the hound was loyal and brought Mikay back!
A moment later, the Hound pushed in a boy with a freckled face, red hair, and a foul odor. Cersei sprang to her feet like a taut spring and snapped at the Hound, "Hound, I told you to kill him! What are you doing bringing him back?"
The hound remained unfazed, removed his helmet, and said, "Your Majesty, Michael says he did not attack the prince."
"He hit me with a stick, a sharpened stick!" Joffrey cried out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He looked incredulous, as if he were shocked by the butcher's son's lie and couldn't believe that this despicable fellow dared to distort the truth.
The poor butcher's son, Michael, was trembling. He looked at his toes, his bare feet, the insteps of which were filthy.
"Kill him! This lowly wretch doesn't deserve to stand here!" a nobleman spat.
"Drag this man away! He stinks! I can't believe that Miss Stark would associate with such a vulgar servant!" a noblewoman exclaimed in surprise.
"Kill him, Hound. He's a liar and a vile creature; I can tell just by looking at him," a courtier shouted.
The hounds did not kill Mika on the spot, which gave Mika a glimmer of hope.
The Mountain knew his words to the Hound had some effect, but the real influence came from the Hound's own heart. This was a man whose true nature was blinded by plate armor and a longsword. And the one who had caused this blindness was none other than the Mountain himself!
The Magic Mountain hopes to correct its past mistakes!
This kind of correction is not about prayer and repentance, but about action. No words, just actions! As for the outcome, leave that to the seven gods.
The world is about to descend into chaos. The king is no longer a king, and the duke is no longer a duke. All current rules and order are merely fleeting illusions before the impending chaos.
In the Mountain's eyes, King Robert Baratheon was already dead, Eddard Stark was already dead, and Prince Joffrey Baratheon was also dead. Many people in this hall were destined for a terrible end soon, including himself. However, the Mountain, like a butterfly, was trying his best to flap his wings, hoping to create a butterfly effect that would change their fate.
When facing a dead person, or even if you yourself are a dead person, what is there to be afraid of!
Amid the commotion, Cersei's voice rose to a shrill crescendo: "Hound, I command you, kill him!"
"Immediately! Right now! Dog!" Joffrey roared. His lips curled into a stern, unapproachable smile.
"Your Majesty!" The Mountain's voice suddenly rang out, unhurried yet overwhelming everyone else, "Duke Eddard has found Lady Arya Stark. Let's wait until she arrives and then we can all verify the facts. I believe in Prince Joffrey's honor and integrity. Anyone who dares to attack the prince should be made to bow down and confess their crimes in the face of the facts, and die a death that is truly convincing!"
"Dog, you have no right to speak here!" Joffrey looked at the Mountain with a mocking gaze, his lips curling up in a contemptuous sneer.
Cersei, however, subtly tugged at Joffrey's sleeve, signaling him not to speak to the Mountain in such a humiliating manner.
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Cersei has already run into a snag with the Mountain. This afternoon, when she ordered him to capture Eddard Stark, the Mountain verbally agreed, but did nothing.
This monstrous figure was the hound of her father, Tywin Lannister, not her, Cersei's. The Mountain was different from the Hound; the Hound swore allegiance to her, while the Mountain swore allegiance to Tywin Lannister. The Mountain never knelt, not even before King Robert, and certainly not before his father, Tywin Lannister.
What Cersei didn't know was that the Mountain was already Tywin Lannister's son-in-law, bringing them even closer. Strictly speaking, the Mountain was Cersei's brother-in-law.
However, due to the decline of the Westerling family, Lord Tywin only sought to win over the Mountain and the Westerling family, and did not inform Cersei and Jaime of his adoption of Janie and his marriage to the Mountain.
In this world, the transmission of information is very primitive. If Duke Tywin Lannister himself did not use ravens to deliver the messages, these messages would be completely isolated and would take a considerable amount of time to reach the ears of any person.
King Robert had no choice but to stand up and speak. His presence was usually quite strong, but he simply didn't want to deal with Cersei; the thought of speaking to her disgusted him. Cersei had summoned all her courtiers without his permission, deliberately creating a scene to cause trouble—something King Robert least wanted to see.
The King and Eddard Stark were brothers since childhood, and the King trusted Eddard more than his own two brothers. He really just wanted to make a big deal out of it and let it go. But he was lucky that his queen wife only wanted to make things bigger and bigger, as if she hadn't been tired enough from the journey.
When the matter came to light in front of the courtiers, King Robert had no choice but to uphold Prince Joffrey's dignity and the inviolable honor of the royal family!
If it weren't for the political stability of the kingdom, Robert would have strangled Cersei long ago!
King Robert stood up and shouted, "Silence! When Lord Eddard Stark returns, I will personally question Arya Stark about the matter. Those who have offended the prince will be severely punished. But the child must not be killed until the matter is cleared up."
Speaking of goodwill, the Mountain knew that King Robert and Eddard Stark were kindred spirits. Otherwise, they wouldn't have become each other's most trusted friends and brothers. Both grew up in the Eyrie in Jon Arryn's Vale, becoming his adopted sons and receiving his education; they were both upright, kind, and honorable men! It's just that Robert's resistance to beautiful women was zero! It was his innate weakness! As for Eddard, his weakness was his inability to adapt!
A rare moment of quiet descended upon the hall. But soon, a cheerful, pleasant voice shattered the oppressive silence—Renly Baratheon and his entourage had arrived. Duke Renly was a charming man; his laughter preceded his entrance!
Mo Shan sighed inwardly: Another person destined for a tragic death has arrived!