The next morning.
The East Gate of Winterfell was once again filled with a large number of armored knights mounted on warhorses, holding lances adorned with the Direwolf banner.
Rain and Snowball, carrying their riders, slowly walked to the front of the knight formation.
The leading knight was Theon, wearing a gleaming black plate armor. His helmet was exquisite, and the center of his breastplate was subtly etched with the Greyjoy kraken, but on his shoulders was a silver-gray cloak embroidered with the Direwolf.
Joffrey could read the struggle in his heart.
"Rain won't slow down. Theon, you guys try your best to keep up. I hope we can all get there before Bloodraven attacks."
Joffrey waved at him. "We'll go ahead!"
Rain shook his thick mane and bolted out of the city gate. Snowball let out a dissatisfied howl and followed closely behind.
Theon watched silently as the giant beasts rapidly disappeared from sight. He turned back to look at the hundreds of knights in their bright armor, feeling a sense of excitement and pride. He then looked up.
Robb on the gatehouse nodded heavily at him, and Lady Catelyn also cast a look of expectation.
Theon raised his right arm and waved forcefully. "Depart!"
The iron knights streamed out one after another.
The sound of hooves gradually faded, and Winterfell fell silent.
But for a castle in broad daylight, it was a little too quiet.
Winterfell remembered everything from the past. Since the War of the Usurper ended, this was the first time it had seen the humans within it so quiet and worried.
Hopefully, nothing would happen.
...
It had been more than two days since they left Winterfell.
Tyrion was still reminiscing about the slippery Ros, finding it hard to imagine that a person's body could expel so much water.
Praise the Gods. Creating women with clean water, how did they come up with that? What a genius!
Tyrion loved the wonderful power called "Healing Magic" even more. What man could refuse its temptation?
He was even more curious about how many types of magic Joffrey possessed.
It must be far more powerful than the magic he had already shown. No wonder his actions were so aggressive and crude.
"Good nephew, will the King see the contents of that letter?"
Joffrey returned with an inscrutable smile.
He knew what he was doing.
The average speed of a Raven on a long flight was only four to five hundred kilometers per day. It would take four to five days for the letter to arrive, which would be shortly after the action in King's Landing, when the King and others would still be unaware.
This left a lot of room for maneuver.
After routinely scouting the King's convoy and confirming that everything was normal, Joffrey focused all his energy on the Red Keep.
Controlling the situation in King's Landing remotely was not easy; he had to be careful at all times.
He activated the Runes, his "eyes" jumping back and forth between the countless locations he had set foot in within the Red Keep, searching for valuable targets.
Ha! Joffrey narrowed his eyes and smiled. His luck was good today.
He had caught a big rat.
Inside the sealed Throne Room, the Spider and the Mockingbird were whispering in front of the Iron Throne.
Petyr Baelish was playing with a silver Mockingbird badge, his shrewd gray-green eyes fixed on the gloomy and majestic Iron Throne.
"Varys, we've joked for so long, it's time to speak our minds."
The Spider followed the Mockingbird's gaze. In the dim space, the cold Throne transformed into a crouching beast, ready to devour all the human flesh and blood that was tempted by it.
"Power," the Spider sighed, "so fascinating, yet always lurking with danger. It truly makes one love and fear it."
The Mockingbird chuckled lightly. "My Lord Varys, what do you have to fear? In this game of power, you have long been in an invincible position."
The Spider was not arrogant. "No matter how beautifully the web is woven, it will collapse at a touch when it encounters a Lion or a Fire Dragon."
"Speaking of which," the Mockingbird shook his head, "Lord Varys's news didn't come true. The male and female Dragons are nowhere to be seen. Everyone was happy for nothing."
The Spider moved his leg and finally made it clear. "Wasn't this your doing, my lord?"
The Mockingbird's eyes widened. "How could you think that?! This is simply the most ridiculous rumor. I cannot accept it!"
It was too normal to suspect Littlefinger when something happened.
The Spider sighed. "If it truly wasn't you, then, I'm afraid we are all in danger."
"What do you mean?"
"My Lord Petyr, think about it. Who asked you to send someone to Pentos to buy Dragon Eggs, who sent the Attendant to accompany them and disappear with the two Fire Dragons, and who left his lover in the Red Keep, inexplicably making the Hound return to King's Landing early?"
The Spider added, "You wouldn't not know who the current Prince of Dragonstone is, would you?"
The Mockingbird remained silent.
Joffrey Baratheon. Had he become smarter? Was it him who intercepted Lysa's Secret Letter? Had he discovered me?!
The Spider looked uneasy. "Since he is capable of such things, how much do you think he knows, how much power has he gained, and how will he view us two diligent servants beneath the Throne?"
The Mockingbird murmured, "Could it be that those new faces active in the city recently are all his people?"
He had thought these were all Tyrion's moves, a hidden piece of the Lannisters, but the black hand behind it was actually him?!
The Spider's voice was urgent. "More than that, many of my little birds have smelled danger. Those people are likely to make a big move soon."
Who else in King's Landing could they take action against? Both of them understood.
The air fell silent.
The Spider and the Mockingbird were both calculating their positions and power, trying to convince themselves to trust the insidious fellow beside them.
Trust, ha, who could have imagined this scene before today? But the immense danger forced them to tolerate each other, to endure the risks brought by this fragile alliance.
The Mockingbird spoke first. "He is not the Prince."
The Spider smiled. He knew Petyr believed him, which also proved his own guess was correct. The matter in Pentos probably had nothing to do with Petyr.
The Spider whispered, "He is not the Prince. We have a responsibility. The King should know the truth within a week."
The Mockingbird, born for power, calmly shook his head.
"It's too late."
With the enemy identified, the Mockingbird saw through the main threads within a few breaths.
Could the Prince's identity bear the weight of arbitrarily disposing of the Hand of the King in King's Landing? The King probably wouldn't live to see the truth.
The Mockingbird couldn't help but praise, "A meticulous plan. King's Landing acts first, followed immediately by the King encountering an accident, while he is still far away in the North. Based on the King's travel time, it should be these two days!"
The Spider seemed disbelieving. "That fast?"
The Mockingbird appeared quite relaxed. "There's enough time to prepare. With you and I working together, what threat can those naive little fellows in the city pose?"
"As for what comes after," the Mockingbird sighed, "we'll just have to take it one step at a time."
The King's side was beyond saving, but he was confident he could make good use of the massive chaos that would follow and climb to a higher position through it.
The Mockingbird greedily eyed the front, the Iron Throne within reach.
The Spider frowned. "There are also the Lannister guards, and the King's Landing City Watch aren't all friends."
The Mockingbird ascended the steps of the Iron Throne, one step, two steps.
He stopped before the Throne at the highest point, turned around, and looked down at the Spider below. "Little birds may not be good at fighting, but I have some brave friends."
The Spider smiled fawningly. "That would be for the best."
Neither of the two players backed down.
What could Joffrey say? Ignorance truly breeds fear.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 777+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------