Game of Thrones: Holy Flame King

Chapter 500 Green Vision

 “Lord Robert is resting.”

 Scholar Kemen said respectfully.

This bachelor, who has served the Arryn family for more than ten years, is thin and has thin hair. A heavy bachelor's necklace hangs around his slender neck, which makes people worry that it will be broken.

"But your Majesty wants to see him," said the knight, "go and wake up the Duke."

Bachelor Ke Meng hesitated for a moment and said:

“The child is in very bad health and may find it difficult to accept the news of his mother’s death.”

 “But he will know sooner or later,” said the knight.

 “But he is only eight years old…”

 “He is the Duke of the Eyrie and the lord of the Vale.”

Scholar Kemen sighed worriedly, and had no choice but to pull the iron ring and enter the door.

The room was dark, and the only sound of someone sniffing in the dark was heard.

"Mother?"

 “I am Kemen, Your Majesty the Duke.”

 “Kemen, do you have sweet milk? I want to drink it.”

“Sir, you just drank, um, sweet milk.”

 “But I still feel uncomfortable, give me another drink.”

"No, sir. You can't drink too much sweet milk. Get up quickly, Caesar is here and wants to see you."

"No! I want sweet milk!" cried Lord Robert in a shrill voice.

Ke Meng walked to the window in the dark and opened the curtains. The dim sunset shone in, and the small diamond-shaped glass panes were blurred by frost.

"No! Don't open the window!" Duke Robert shouted even more fiercely, "The sun is so dazzling! My head hurts!"

Maester Cormon turned around and looked at the Duke of the Eagle's Nest on the bed with pity.

The owner of the valley was covered with a woolen blanket from the waist down, with no clothes on. His skin was pale, his hair was as long as a girl, his hands and feet were pitifully thin, his chest was soft and sunken, his belly was small and flat, and his eyes were always red and sticky.

"Okay, okay, sweet milk. As long as you get up and get dressed, I will prepare it for you." Bachelor Kemen had no choice but to agree.

“Really?” Robert stopped quarreling and wiped his drooping nose with the back of his hand. “I want two glasses of sweet milk.”

"Okay, two drinks." Bachelor Colmont knew that he could not refuse, and he could not let the Duke get sick when he met the king. "My lord, is there any bleeding from your nose?"

 “No. It’s just a little itchy.”

Maester Colmont stared at his nose for a long time, until the other party shouted impatiently, then he clapped his hands to call the maids in.

While they were dressing the young Duke and tidying up the space in the room, Maester Colmont mixed two glasses of "sweet milk" and gave Robert to drink them.

It was only now that the Duke of the Eagle's Nest settled down and stopped complaining that he had a headache.

 “Where is my mother?”

Scholar Kemen didn’t know how to answer this question.

 In his opinion, the young Duke was actually a pitiful man.

Although he has a bad temper and is extremely stubborn, Bachelor Kemen knows that this child has been weak since he was a child and suffers from epilepsy. He just lost his father not long ago, and now he is about to lose his mother...

“You will know when you go to the hall.” Maester Colmont held Duke Robert’s hand and walked out.

The cold wind howled outside the house, as if the gods were sighing endlessly.

Snow is piled up in the courtyard, and countless icicles hang down from the spire, like twinkling crystals.

 But Duke Robert's face was pale and his eyes were red. Fortunately, his hands did not shake.

Maester Colmont just hopes that the Duke can survive the period of meeting the king without getting sick.

Entering the hall, the heat from the fireplace hit his face, and Duke Robert breathed a sigh of relief.

 He searched for his mother in the crowd, but apparently without success.

 Fortunately, he still knew etiquette and did not make any noise. Instead, he stepped forward obediently and saluted the king on the high platform:

 “Dear Your Majesty Caesar, welcome to the Eyrie.”

"Robert." Samwell looked down at the gorgeously dressed but shaky child below, "I have news for you."

 “Please speak.”

“I have helped you find the real culprit who killed your father, Duke Jon, and she has received the punishment she deserves.”

"The real murderer of my father?" Robert raised his head in confusion, "Isn't it the Red Viper?"

"No. The Red Viper is just a scapegoat. The real culprits are 'Littlefinger' Petyr Baelish and your mother. They conspired to poison and kill your father. Just now your mother also admitted it herself, and all the knights in the hall also You can testify.”

Duke Robert opened his mouth wide, as if he was listening to a fantasy. When he came to his senses, he immediately started making a fuss:

 "Impossible! Impossible! You lied to me! I want my mother! Give me back my mother! Give me back my mother..."

Robert screamed and fell with a thud, then his limbs and torso twisted and arched, accompanied by violent convulsions.

Maester Colmont quickly stepped forward to hold the Duke down and stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.

 The knights of the Aylin family looked at this scene with complicated expressions.

It was no secret that Lord Robert was frail and sick, and no one could feel at ease when such a child became Lord of the Vale.

However, some people secretly looked at the king on the high platform, thinking about the reason why the other party deliberately stimulated Duke Robert and made him fall ill in public.

 After a while, Duke Robert became more stable under the comfort of Maester Colmont, but his eyes were dull and his body still twitched from time to time.

 “Take him down to rest,” Samwell ordered.

 The maids carried the Duke and left the hall.

Some people thought they had guessed the king’s intention and immediately stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, given Robert Arryn's physical condition, he may not be qualified for the position of Duke of the Eyrie. Therefore, for the sake of the stability of the valley, I hope you can remove him from the title and let a more suitable person take the position."

 Samwell glanced at the speaker expressionlessly and asked:

 “Who do you think is a more suitable person?”

 “In the line of succession, of course, Sir Harold Hutton.”

Although it seems very strange for a knight from the Hatton family to inherit the title of the Arryn family, according to the order of succession, it is really the case.

Lord Jon Arryn married three times, but his first two wives failed to give him any children, so his nephew Albert Arryn was always considered the heir to the Eyrie until Mad King Aerys beheaded him. His head.

Then the Reaver War broke out, and another heir of Duke Jon died on the battlefield.

 Fortunately after the war, Old Duke Tully of Riverrun married his eldest daughter Lysa Tully to Duke Jon in order to strengthen the Fish Wolf and Eagle Alliance.

 After experiencing many miscarriages, Lady Lysa finally gave birth to Robert Arryn with difficulty.

If the child is removed from the title, the inheritance can only be chosen from the collateral bloodline.

 At that time, Duke Jon's sister married into the Waywood family and gave birth to eight daughters and one son.

 However, the boy was kicked in the head by a horse and died when he was three years old. Smallpox claimed the lives of two girls.

The remaining six daughters had the same ill-fated fate. Some contracted smallpox but survived but were left with serious scars. They could only go to the monastery to die alone. Some were seduced by mercenaries and kicked out of their homes. Some were infertile for life. were snatched away by the savages in the Moon Mountains. Only the youngest daughter was married to the Hatton family under the Waywood family and gave birth to a son, Harold Hatton.

　　Although this person’s surname is Hatton, from the maternal lineage, he is the first heir to the Duke of Eagle’s Nest City.

　　When Duke Tywin Lannister was in charge of King's Land before, he wooed the Waynwood family and appointed Countess Anya Waynwood as the guardian of the valley. In fact, the real purpose was for this Harold Hatton.

However, after Samwell came to power, he had removed Lady Anya from her position and handed over the position of guardian of the valley to Earl Anda Royce.

 So, the smart knight didn’t know that he was flattering the horse’s leg.

"What mistake did Robert Arryn make? So serious that I should strip him of his title?" Samwell asked coldly.

“Your Majesty, I am just worried that if something happens to Duke Robert...”

 “Then wait until the stranger actually comes to the door,” said Samwell.

Now everyone finally understood the king's intention, and no one dared to say anything anymore.

 Samwell continued:

"And haven't I already appointed Lord Andal Royce to be the guardian of the valley? Before Robert Arryn comes of age, he will be in charge of the authority of the valley. Maester Colmont, send a bird to Runestone City to ask Lord Andal to do it as soon as possible. Come to the Eagle's Nest City."

 “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And how did you treat Lord Robert’s epilepsy?”

"I usually give him milk of sleeping poppies, and I bleed him every few days. When the situation is bad, I add some sweet sleeping flowers to the milk. The Duke likes this sweet milk best."

 Samwell raised his eyebrows and said:

“Is it Petyr Baelish ‘Littlefinger’ who taught you to give Robert the sweet sleep flower?”

"How do you know?" Academician Kemen raised his head in surprise, "Yes, Your Majesty. It was Lord Petyr who taught me a very useful method. Of course, I also know that the Sweet Sleeper Flower is poisonous, but it is indeed very effective. Great to soothe Lord Robert's condition. And every time I am careful to only add a small amount..."

 Samwell curled his lips and said:

“Have you forgotten what Petyr Baelish did to Jon Arryn? And you expect him to take care of Robert Arryn’s health?”

Scholar Kemen’s face suddenly froze.

 Samwell continued:

"From now on, sweet sleep flowers can no longer be used. Bloodletting must also stop. Poppy flower milk can be given to Robert Arryn, but the dosage must be controlled. Epilepsy itself is not fatal, but it is needed during the attack. Just let someone take care of him and don’t let him hurt himself.”

After hearing this, Bachelor Ke Meng looked embarrassed and said hesitantly:

"But...Your Majesty. What if the Duke insists that I give him the Sleeping Flower? He can't live without that thing now..."

"This is exactly what Littlefinger wants," said Samwell. "You must help Robert Arryn get rid of these harmful things, otherwise he will never live long."

 “Yes, Your Majesty.” Bachelor Ke Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, every time the Duke was given that "sweet milk", he would be frightened.

Moreover, he also saw that the king was obviously more willing to let Robert Arryn continue to be the Duke of the Eyrie than Harold Haddon, who was backed by the Waynwood family.

Of course, this Duke is just a puppet, and the one who really holds the authority in the valley is actually Earl Royce.

 He is the person the king truly trusts.

 After explaining some more matters, Samwell waved everyone to leave.

However, Bran Stark did not leave.

 He looked at the king and asked:

“Your Majesty, how do you know that the real murderer of Duke Jon was Lady Lysa?”

Samwell smiled slightly, but did not answer the question. Instead, he asked:

 “Can’t you fly freely in the long river of time? Haven’t you found the answer?”

"You overestimate me." Bran shook his head slowly, "I can't fly 'freely'. I can only have some green dreams. I can see some things in the past and future in my dreams, but they are only fragmentary fragments. , not all.”

 “Green Vision?”

 “Yes, that’s what the children of the forest call them.”

 Samwell looked at the other party with interest and asked again:

“Have you ever been to the catacombs of Winterfell in your dream?”

 “No.” Bran shook his head slowly.

Seeing the doubt in Samwell's eyes, he added:

 “I like to climb high, not drill underground.”

Samwell smiled noncommittally, not sure if he believed this argument, but he did not dwell on it, and instead asked:

“You also know that a dragon egg was stolen in King’s Landing. Tell me, did you see a picture of it in your dream?”

“Your Majesty, is this why you insisted on bringing me to King’s Landing?”

"Yes." Samwell nodded, "At least that's one of the reasons."

Bran's eyes glowed green, and he didn't know whether he was remembering or entering the so-called green dream.

Samwell's pupils shrank slightly, and the powerful spiritual power spread out in the void like an octopus, as if trying to catch some kind of fluctuation.

 After a moment, Bran's eyes returned to their original blue.

“Your Majesty, your dragon egg was stolen by a young man.”

“Oh?” Samwell pressed. “Describe his appearance.”

"Yes." Bran described the scene he saw in the Green Dream, but added, "Your Majesty, there are traps and fogs in the Green Dream, which can only be used as a reference."

 “I understand.” Samwell nodded thoughtfully.

The young man described by Bran just now is surprisingly the son of the Sea King from Braavos—

 Bruce Antalion.

But the matter itself is full of weirdness, not to mention that he is wary of Bran Stark, or Bran Stark who is controlled by the "Three-Eyed Raven", so this answer is really only Can be used as a reference.

  What is the real situation, he still has to verify it himself.

"Go back and rest early." Samwell said, "We will set off early tomorrow. We should be able to reach King's Landing before dark."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bran bowed, then called Hodor and asked him to carry him out of the hall.

Samwell watched quietly as the two figures disappeared outside the door, his gray eyes gradually glowing green, and finally turned into emeralds.

 (End of this chapter)