iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 166 Vigilance
Maegor's Tower, the Council Chamber.

Cersei Lannister looked at the four letters written by Sansa Stark with satisfaction and ordered Varys to stamp them with Lord Eddard's direwolf seal.

The recipients of the four letters are: Sansa's mother, the Lady of Winterfell, Catelyn Tully; Sansa's brother, the heir of Winterfell, Robb Stark; Sansa's aunt, the Eagle's Nest Lady of the City, Lysa Tully; Sansa's grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun.

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"Pour me wine."

Queen Cersei took the wine glass handed by the maid, and the corners of her lips raised revealed her pride and pleasure at the moment.

She took a sip of Summer Red and said, "Thank you for your hard work, my Sansa."

Wallis stamped the seal and said with a smile: "The pure little girl has saved her father..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Queen Cersei and continued: "She is also looking forward to getting married to our King Joffrey in the Great Sept of Baelor, so that the entire King's Landing can witness her wonderful marriage."

Queen Cersei's lips curled up in contempt, but she didn't make a sound.

There was some worry in Maester Pycelle's voice: "For the sake of family ties, I hope they will make a wise decision and come to King's Landing to attend the coronation ceremony and swear allegiance to King Joffrey."

Varys held his hands and seemed relieved: "They will soon know that Sansa is under our good care and everything is safe... They will definitely be very grateful to Her Majesty the Queen Mother for her kindness..."

After a pause, Varys stood up and nodded towards Cersei, his voice full of excitement.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, you have not only put down the rebels, but now... with just a few pieces of paper and a pen, you can quickly stabilize the chaos after the death of Robert I. Your wisdom is really... I can't help but make people feel sad. I admire you."

After Varys finished speaking, the old Bachelor Pycelle glanced at Varys who was smiling, and quickly stood up and nodded.

Queen Cersei raised her chin with a proud expression: "Some victories are won with swords and spears, and some victories are won with pen and paper and messenger crows."

This is what Lord Tywin taught his children when he was at Casterly Rock, when Cersei was still a young girl.

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Queen Cersei's eyes moved and she said, "Has the wolf in the dark cell woke up?"

Wallis said: "I woke up. It is said that he is not in good condition. The jailer said that he has not touched the food. It may be that the food is too hard to swallow."

Queen Cersei sneered and said mockingly: "Is he confessing to the gods?"

After a pause, she said coldly: "Let Ben Lang taste what it's like to be hungry. Just give him some water every day, as long as he doesn't die there."

Varys nodded: "As you command, Queen Cersei."

Maester Pycelle echoed from the side: "Your Majesty, this is a good idea. A weak running wolf is always harmless."

Queen Cersei's eyes trembled slightly as she remembered Lord Eddard's cruelty and she would never let him live comfortably.

"Tell the jailer a glass of water every day."

Varys nodded again.

After a moment of silence, Queen Cersei said thoughtfully: "After Joffrey's coronation ceremony is over, it would be best to have a public trial for Duke Stark's rebellion."

Maester Pycelle pondered, and he slowly said: "It is best to have Duke Stark admit his crimes of rebellion in public. This will help establish the reputation of the new king."

Queen Cersei frowned slightly, paused, and said: "Stark is a guy who accepts death. Sansa may not be able to do this kind of thing."

Pycelle's cloudy eyes moved, and he said: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, maybe you can let the little girl meet her father, and give her a chance to change... If we promise the opportunity to wear black clothes, I think my good daughter will Convince your father."

Queen Cersei was a little moved after hearing this. She thought Pycelle's suggestion sounded good.

Varys objected loudly: "Queen Cersei, it is too risky to let the little girl meet her father."

Queen Cersei and Maester Pycelle looked at Varys at the same time.

"We can't ignore the stubbornness of the people in the North. If the father and daughter are allowed to meet, I'm really worried... Will they do something we didn't expect? For example... Farewell... For the sake of honor, Stark The Duke will never spare his life."

After a pause, Wallis added: "At that time, it will be us who are in trouble."

Pycelle said: "Your Majesty, I heard that Duke Stark values ​​his family very much."

Varys glanced at Pycelle and said, "Queen Cersei, both father and daughter are in our hands, there is no need to gamble."

Queen Cersei thought for a while and said, "Varys, tell me your method."

Wallis had a slight smile on his fat face: "That little girl should continue to maintain her innocence, and don't let her see terrible scenes... Otherwise, it would be too cruel to her."

After saying that, Wallis shook his body as if afraid.

Queen Cersei said impatiently: "That's enough, let's get to the point."

Varys shrank his neck and spoke quickly: "Queen Cersei, you can leave this matter to me, and I promise to make Duke Stark confess."

Pycelle's face was slightly dissatisfied: "Lord Varys, didn't you just say that Duke Stark was a deadbeat? Don't forget how he viewed us when he was prime minister..."

With that said, Maester Pycelle looked at Queen Cersei and continued: "Your Majesty, Duke Stark will at least care about the safety of his daughter."

Varys shook his head and said, "Maester Pycelle, this is exactly what I want to take advantage of."

Varys turned to Queen Cersei, and his smile deepened: "Isn't the charm of fear the unknown? A good father will eventually compromise for the sake of a good daughter."

The sun shone into the room, and Queen Cersei's hair was like sunshine, and her smile was mocking.

"Varys, I trust your tongue for once."

Varys smiled broadly: "Queen Cersei, thank you for your trust."

Maester Pycelle regained his sleepy look and remained silent without speaking.

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Queen Cersei tapped her chin, took a sip of wine, and suddenly snorted, "Varys, Pycelle, my late husband's two brothers haven't surrendered yet..."

With a bang, Queen Cersei put down her wine glass and continued: "Their ambitions are not small at all. Those two are our biggest enemies."

The smile on Wallis's face remained unchanged: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, at least those two people will not form an alliance. This is something everyone knows."

The bond between the Baratheon brothers is "deep" and Varys' words were echoed by Queen Cersei.

Queen Cersei glanced at Varys sideways with her beautiful eyes: "Varys, you are so clever."

Varys nodded respectfully: "Queen Cersei, I just got a little bit of your dazzling light. This is a great honor."

Faced with Varys' sweet words, Queen Cersei accepted it calmly. For her, Varys was just telling the truth and was not worthy of making her happy.

Queen Cersei's green eyes moved slightly and she looked at Pycelle: "Pycelle, please arrange for these letters to be sent out as soon as possible."

Pycelle walked over tremblingly and began to put away the letters on the table.Seeing the letter sent to the Eagle's Nest, Pycelle paused and looked at Queen Cersei with his cloudy eyes.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, should we keep the letter from the Eagle's Nest for now? I heard that the valley is not peaceful right now."

Queen Cersei frowned slightly and looked at Varys.

Varys said respectfully: "Queen Cersei, my little bird told me that because of Lady Lysa's murder of Prime Minister Jon, the nobles of the valley formed the Alliance of the Just. They said they would use all necessary means to bring the murderer to justice. Get the justice you deserve."

Pycelle nodded and continued: "I think they will seek the support of the Red Keep soon, which will be beneficial to us."

"What a ridiculous name."

Queen Cersei scoffed first, then paused and said, "Pycelle, just ignore the Eyrie for now. We'll wait for them to come."

Cersei stood up and said again: "Varys, keep an eye on Stannis and Renly."

With that, she left the council chamber surrounded by her maids and the Kingsguard.

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A week later, the Red Keep and the Black Cell.

Because he couldn't see anything, not even marking on the wall, it made no difference whether his eyes were open or closed, Duke Eddard didn't know how long he had been lying there.

Duke Eddard slept and woke up, woke up and slept again, not knowing which was more painful, falling asleep or waking up.

When you sleep, you will have dreams, dark and disturbing dreams... filled with blood and promises that cannot be kept.

When he woke up, there was nothing to do but think, but what he was thinking was more terrifying than a nightmare.

Thinking of his wife Caitlin was as painful as lying on a bed made of nettles... Duke Eddard imagined where she was and what she was doing at this moment... but he didn't know if he would ever see her again in this life.

Thinking of the children, he just wanted to cry loudly, but the tears couldn't fall... Even at this stage, he was still the Stark of Winterfell, with his sadness and rage frozen in his body.

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Time passed, and the days passed, or so it seemed to Lord Eddard.

The only sound in this place was his own breathing.In order to prevent himself from going crazy, he began to make plans and build a castle of hope in the darkness.

Robert's two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly, should be preparing their armies at Dragonstone and Storm's End respectively... Lord Beric and Ser Gladden will lead their soldiers back to King's Landing once they finish dealing with the old troops at Mount Moor... If there is no accident, Green will definitely be waiting for an opportunity outside... Once Caitlin receives the news here, she will call on the northern vassals to raise troops and go south, and the riverlands and the valley... the valley... he has not had time to judge the poison. Lysa Tully who killed Jon.

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Whenever the jailer brought him water, Duke Ed told himself that another day had passed... At first, he asked someone to tell him about the news outside, but the jailer with a rat face never paid attention. Himself, he thought the man might have no tongue.

A few days later, Duke Eddard's stomach cramped with hunger. He thought... maybe the Lannister family planned to starve him to death.

He himself denied this possibility. If Cersei wanted to kill him, he would have been chopped down in the throne room with his guards long ago... That woman wanted him alive, no matter how weak or desperate, she wanted him to stay alive. Save his life.

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There was a clanging sound, and the sound of iron chains clashing came from outside the cell. The cell door suddenly opened, and the bright light of the torch made Duke Eddard narrow his eyes.

After a while, Duke Eddard got used to the light, and he discovered a big head as smooth as an egg.

Duke Eddard murmured hoarsely: "Varys..."

Varys smiled slightly and said politely, "Good day, Duke Eddard. I haven't seen you for a few days."

Duke Eddard leaned against the wall weakly and murmured again: "Is it daytime now..."

Varys's expression showed concern, and he handed over a wine bag: "Drink quickly, Duke Ed."

Duke Ed took the wine bag with some difficulty and took several sips of it, red wine flowing from the corners of his mouth.

It's Summer Red... Duke Eddard has never liked the sweetness of Summer Red, but it tastes particularly good today.

Duke Eddard began to feel dizzy, and it took him a while to recover.

"It seems there are no Tears of Lys in it."

The content of Duke Ed's words seemed to hurt Varys: "My lord, poisoning a duke... I don't have the guts, I'm just a little person."

Duke Eddard took another swig of Summer Red, and he was in much better shape now.

"I'm just a prisoner now."

Varys consoled him: "Duke Ed, your northern border still relies on your leadership."

Lord Eddard was eager to ask questions, but he had now learned to be wary of those he didn't trust, and Varys was one of them.

Lord Eddard took a breath and said, "How is Sansa?"

Varys did not hide anything: "Queen Cersei kept Miss Sansa by her side. She asked the queen for mercy a few days ago to save you... It's a pity that you were not there, otherwise you would have been greatly moved."

Duke Ed's eyes trembled slightly, paused, and said, "Where is Arya?"

Varys shook his head: "Your little daughter escaped. My little bird has not been able to find her until now, and the Lannister people have not found her either. This is more or less the mercy of the gods."

Duke Ed was relieved that there should be no accidents at Green's place.

"Gods be merciful..."

After Duke Ed murmured, he took a sip of wine and secretly celebrated the good news.

"Where is my illegitimate son?"

"My Lord Duke, no one will pay boring attention to a lowly illegitimate child."

Duke Eddard said calmly: "Where's Green?"

Varys' eyes moved slightly and said: "Earl Green is deeply trusted by Queen Cersei, and he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Golden Robe by Queen Cersei."

Varys quietly stared at Duke Ed's face, and continued: "That half-savage noble made people in King's Landing panic. It is said that King's Landing was almost dyed red by him."

Varys was just exaggerating. In order to rectify the corruption within the Golden Robe, Earl Green had to kill people in the military camp.

After Green became the Commander-in-Chief of the Golden Robes, Varys's relationship with him became somewhat delicate, and his vigilance increased greatly.

Duke Ed did not believe Wallis' words. He said coldly: "The guilty person deserves to be killed."

(End of this chapter)