"Nonsense!" the Mountain roared. "How can I allow you to tarnish the honor of the Prince and Queen while I am here!" He plunged his dagger into Bernie's chest.
when!
A loud bang!
Sparks flying!
The Kingsguard captain, who at the age of ten dared to challenge the prince at the tournament with his face covered, drew his longsword, gripped it with both hands to enhance his strength, and narrowly parried the Mountain's dagger.
Enraged, the Mountain abandoned Bernie and pointed his dagger at Barristan Selmy: "Sir, I'm disciplining my servant, it's none of your business! Apologize to me and I won't kill you."
Clang clang clang!
A chorus of swords being drawn rang out as three Kingsguard guards simultaneously drew their swords: Ser Manden Moore, Ser Maryn Tran, and Ser Jaime Lannister, all pointing their blades at the Mountain.
The code of conduct among the seven Imperial Guards: advance together, retreat together, live together, and die together!
Captain Barristan Selmy was openly threatened by the Mountain, and his three comrades immediately drew their swords, the three longswords gleaming coldly, pointing at the Mountain, united in their hatred of the enemy!
The Mountain chuckled, sheathed his dagger, and spread his massive hand towards the assembled nobles, saying, "Very well, Kingsguard, knights among knights, do you four intend to fight me together? Heh, fine, I'm not afraid! So, are you going to face my bare hands with your four swords, or wait for my sword to be brought in? Blackstone, bring my sword!"
"Yes, sir!" the cavalrymen under the Demon Mountain Banner outside the gate immediately shouted.
"Enough!" King Robert roared, "Stop it, all of you!"
The king is furious!
The four Royal Guards immediately circled their longswords, faced the king, knelt on one knee, planted their swords on the ground, and looked down at the ground, not daring to move again!
The Demon Mountain still stood, and even when the king was angry, he did not kneel.
"Bernie, come with me!" the Mountain said.
Bernie's back was almost broken when he was thrown to the ground. He was terrified and couldn't get up for a while, his face contorted in pain!
"Mountain, kill him!" Joffrey shouted. "The dwarf is lying, kill your dwarf!"
The Mountain glared at Joffrey, who was so frightened that he choked on his words and couldn't utter another one.
The Mountain strode toward the crumbling Bernie, but a figure stepped forward to block his path—Duke Eddard Stark. The Mountain stopped, glaring at Eddard Stark with eyes full of murderous intent and threat.
Captain Jori Caesar of the Northern Guard rushed forward to help Bernie up, while the elite warriors of the North—Halwin, son of Stable Master Hulun, Elin, Hayward, Harris Moran, and others—rushed forward to protect Bernie.
"Ser Gregor Clegane, I think His Majesty the King has something to ask your squire Bernie!" Eddard Stark said in a deep voice.
Eddard Stark's martial skills were below those of a top-tier swordsman but above those of an ordinary knight, but his stubbornness was renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms as one of the best. He was the kind of stubborn man who could not be subdued by force!
The Mountain glanced behind Eddard Stark and saw that all the warriors of the North were staring at him, none of them showing the slightest fear!
The North is a frigid place, and following a lord with such a stubborn temper as Eddard, the servants were undoubtedly all influenced by Eddard's personality, each of them as hard-tempered as the frozen ground of the North.
Magic Mountain felt that the time was right, and his performance was a natural success; if he continued, he would really ruin it!
He laughed heartily, took a step back, and said with a stern warning, "Bernie, watch your mouth. You know the consequences if you dare to say anything reckless!"
Bernie said tremblingly, "Lord Mountain!"—This was very impolite; "Mountain" was a derogatory nickname given to Ser Gregor Clegane by others, and it was inappropriate for a subordinate to call his lord by his evil name "Mountain" in such a setting—"Lord Mountain, to be honest, the Seven have given permission!"
"Fine, as long as you tell the truth, I won't hold it against you, in the name of the Seven Gods!" Demon Mountain said sternly. He didn't care about his subordinates' habitual use of his derogatory nickname and had never held it against them!
As if with a click, the Mountain's 'cunning scheme' was locked in place with this conversation with Bernie. After openly 'betraying' Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey, he could then legitimately bring Bernie back to his side—in the name of the Seven, as long as Bernie was 'telling the truth'.
"As long as you tell the truth, I won't hold it against you, in the name of the Seven!"—The Mountain shouted with unwavering conviction. Having made sure Bernie understood his intentions clearly through his tone and eyes, the Mountain looked at Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey, his meaning unmistakable—the Mountain had no doubt that the prince and queen were telling the truth!
King Robert roared, "The Mountain, do not threaten Bernie. Duke Eddard, bring Bernie before me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duke Ed replied respectfully. While his martial arts skills weren't top-notch, his temper was undoubtedly the most unyielding!
"Hmph!" Demon Mountain snorted angrily, which was his response to the king's reprimand.
He strode back to the ranks of courtiers, his face full of anger, and a large space immediately cleared around him: nobles, ladies, courtiers, and knights all stepped aside.
*
"Bernie, tell the truth, I protect your safety in the name of the King; but if you utter a single lie, I will punish you severely!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After receiving the "hint of communication" from his idol, The Mountain, Bernie finally realized that if he ever had any mature or immature ideas again, he would never again urge The Mountain to step in, because that would be digging a hole for himself!
His original intention was simply to see if Lord Mountain would say a word. Lord Mountain could ignore him or say a word; it was all up to Lord Mountain to decide. It was that simple. But who knew that Lord Mountain would push him out and put all the blame on him, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.
This kind of self-serving tactic is worth learning, but it must be used on others, not on yourself! If Bernie knew the Mountain liked to play this game, he wouldn't be ashamed even if he were beaten to death. From now on, if it doesn't concern you, stay out of it and pretend to ignore it completely!
"Your Majesty, I witnessed the entire incident," Bernie said.
"You're lying!" Joffrey roared, his handsome face contorted in rage. "There's no such person on Ruby Beach."
"I was herding horses behind the bushes!" Bernie said. His ventriloquism was unparalleled, and his words were naturally eloquent. Once he calmed down, his small mouth smacked and popped, clear and bright enough for everyone present to hear clearly, although his voice still carried a slight tremor from the excitement of his emotions!
"Dwarf, who can prove you let your horses graze behind the bushes!" Queen Cersei said coldly. "Even your lord, Ser Gregor, was completely unaware, how could you possibly know?"
Queen Cersei's ability to use psychological suggestion is incredibly powerful. By mentioning the Mountain's name, she was subtly warning Bernie to be careful what he said, or else the consequences would be unimaginable!
The Mountain will tear him to pieces!
Eddard Stark was upright and tough, and he didn't mince words or resort to underhanded tactics, but that didn't mean he didn't understand Queen Cersei's 'hidden meaning'. He said calmly, "Bernie, in the honor of the king and in the name of the Seven, speak the truth!"
King Robert stared at Bernie as if he wanted to roast him for a snack.
"In the honor of the Seven, in the name of the old and new gods, I swear to tell the truth. The situation was that I was lying in the grass behind the bushes, tending Lord Mountain's three warhorses, when I saw Lady Stark the Younger and a barefoot red-haired boy playing fencing on the beach. Then the Prince and this..." Bernie pointed to Sansa, "Then the Prince and this Lady Stark the Elder rode up. The Prince considered it a great disrespect for his servants to attack Lady Stark the Younger, so he dismounted, drew his sword, and was about to teach the Butcher Boy a lesson. The Butcher Boy was terrified and dropped his stick. The Prince decided to punish the Butcher Boy, so he used his sword to carve words on the Butcher Boy's face."
Bernie didn't feel any fear at first, but with each sentence he spoke, the chill in his back deepened. When he got to the part about the prince carving words on the butcher's face, he found himself almost unable to continue.
The King, Duke Eddard, the Queen, the Prince, the Mountain, the Kingsguard, the Minister of Justice, the Royal Inspector… all those bastards looked horrible. "I've done something terribly wrong," Bernie heard his own voice warning him in fear.
"And then?" the king asked softly, his tone sending chills down one's spine.
Bernie wasn't sure if the king was angry with him, or with the queen and the prince. He was unsure, and he was terrified...
"later..."
Queen Cersei suddenly erupted in fury: "Dwarf, lying dwarf, dwarfs are all untrustworthy demons."
The Queen grabbed a golden wine glass from the table and smashed it at Bernie's face!
Snap!
The wine glass smashed into Bernie's face, splashing golden wine everywhere. Bernie staggered, and a wave of regret surged through him like the Great Wall.
Eddard pulled Bernie aside, using his body to separate Queen Cersei from Bernie.
King Robert stared intently at Queen Cersei: "If you keep this up, get out!"
Queen Cersei sneered: "Robert, it is your son who has been bullied and injured, yet you side with outsiders and believe the lies of a dwarf. What kind of father are you?"
Robert raised his hand, and Cersei met his face with unwavering courage.
Robert slowly lowered his hand and said, "I'm not going to argue with you now. Bernie, what happened next?"
Bernie dared not speak; the feeling of being hit on the face by a golden cup was not pleasant.
"Where's your evidence?" Lord Renly, the Minister of Justice, chuckled, his expression relaxed and amused, as if he had just watched a high-level farce. "Your name is Bernie, right? Enough with the small talk. Since you're on Arya's side, that means your story is the same as hers, tsk tsk." Renly glanced meaningfully at Bernie's red cloak. He was already convinced Bernie was doomed, either by the Queen or by the Mountain. "Then let me see your evidence, the evidence that proves you witnessed everything in the bushes. Show it to me!"
"Show it to me! You damned dwarf! You lying bastard! Show me the evidence!" Joffrey roared, gritting his teeth, his handsome face contorted.