The Riverlands, Stonehall Town.
After a sniping battle against 200,000 wights.
Atop the bell tower of the sept.
"Without even a proper fight, our Neck defensive line has already been declared lost," Barristan said helplessly as he looked down at the ruined streets below.
It had been three days since Euron's trial. The Dragon Queen had arrived at Stonehall Town, a mountain settlement at the border between the Riverlands and the Westerlands.
Relying on Drogon's supersonic flight, Daenerys had not rested for a moment these past days. Wherever large groups of wights gathered, she would appear.
At supersonic speed, Drogon could fly over 1,200 kilometers in an hour. Within two hours, she could reach nearly any castle south of the Neck.
Because of this, the situation in Westeros had not collapsed despite the fall of the Westerlands.
There was no major road for armies between Stonehall Town and the Westerlands, but there was a steep valley between Stonehall Town and Deep Den. Humans could not pass through it, but it did not hinder the wights.
So what exactly was Deep Den?
There were three main roads connecting the Westerlands to the outside world. The River Road connected to Riverrun in the Riverlands, and the city guarding it was the Golden Tooth. Daenerys had already won a great victory there, beheading over 300,000 enemies.
The Ocean Road connected the Westerlands to Highgarden in the Reach, and the city guarding that route was Crakehall. After the Battle of Disaster Fort, Daenerys had flown there, chasing wights along the Ocean Road for thousands of kilometers into the Reach, where she eventually encountered King Euron and was delayed there for over a week.
At Longtable Hall in the Reach, Daenerys released Margaery, burned Pyelle, imprisoned King Euron, and beheaded Euron's brother.
The last route connecting the Westerlands to the outside world was the Gold Road, which ran from Casterly Rock to King's Landing. The city guarding its entrance was Deep Den.
In short, for the wights to leave the Westerlands, they could not avoid the three roads: the River Road, the Gold Road, and the Ocean Road.
Now, Daenerys was clearing the wights that had left the Gold Road, with Stonehall Town, the site of the "Battle of the Bells," serving as her temporary base.
Previously, she had thought it was mere coincidence that the Battle of the Bells occurred in Stonehall Town. But after traveling back and forth several times over the past half month, she realized the town was far from ordinary.
To the west lay the Westerlands, to the east the Crownlands, to the north the Riverlands, and to the south the Reach.
It had the feel of a place contested from all sides. In fact, before coming to Stonehall Town, Daenerys had already passed over it several times from the sky.
"The Neck defensive line is indeed in an awkward position, but it's not entirely useless. If we truly abandon it, the million wights in the North would rampage south into the Riverlands without restraint," Daenerys comforted the old knight.
The Neck defensive line had been established jointly by Barristan and Brynden "Blackfish."
Forces from the Twins, Dragonstone, House Reed of the Neck, and House Stark of the North had invested significant manpower and resources to build a 50-kilometer defensive line at the exit of the Neck, with a total force of 20,000 troops.
However, a 50-kilometer defensive line did not mean a continuous wall or camp. In reality, only the causeway through the Neck had several layers of earthen and wooden fortifications. The surrounding swamps were guarded merely by wooden watchtowers.
After a pause, Daenerys continued, "But the function of the Neck line has indeed diminished. Leaving 5,000 troops there is enough. The remaining 15,000 can be reorganized into five sled-mounted volunteer units of 3,000 each."
Barristan thought for a moment and said, "Establish volunteer outposts across the Seven Kingdoms. Whenever large groups of wights appear, you can rush there and lead nearby volunteer units to eliminate them.
Instead of the current situation, where volunteer units from the Westerlands and the Reach are too far from Stonehall Town, forcing you to rely on the valuable Dawn Knights."
Daenerys nodded. "We can assess each castle in the Seven Kingdoms based on its size, wall height, garrison strength, and population, then assign a safety rating.
Choose the lower-rated castles as volunteer bases. These units will both protect those castles and clear wights within a 500-kilometer radius."
Barristan hesitated. "It's a good plan. To some extent, it shifts us from completely passive defense to limited active offense.
But Your Grace, traveling thousands of kilometers every day, won't it be too exhausting and dangerous? What if you encounter the Cold God while fatigued?"
"Your concern is valid. Having the Dawn Knights defend the cities while I command from Dragonstone would be the safest approach.
But plans can't keep up with changes. The unexpected fall of the Westerlands has made the supposed year of safety before the return of the White King no longer safe.
If I don't act now, the danger will be even greater when the Seven Kingdoms are full of the dead," Daenerys said helplessly.
Westeros was a cesspit, that was true. The people of Westeros were not her subjects, that was also true. The current state of the Seven Kingdoms was entirely the fault of the nobles themselves, also true.
But the Cold God would not argue about right or wrong. If Daenerys did not save Westeros today, tomorrow the Seven Kingdoms would fall. The more wights there were, the deeper the world would sink into cold and darkness. The Cold God's authority and power in Westeros would grow, putting Daenerys at a disadvantage.
If the enemies were orcs instead of wights, she would never have come to Westeros.
The more people orcs killed, the greater their own losses, allowing her to wait comfortably. But with wights, the more they killed, the stronger they became. Waiting would mean certain death.
Hearing Daenerys mention the fall of the Westerlands, Barristan thought of the culprit behind the current situation.
He asked softly, "Your Grace, Arya Stark has been captured for nearly half a month now. When will she be tried?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Daenerys asked curiously.
"Brynden 'Blackfish' is concerned," Barristan replied.
"Don't you know my schedule these past two weeks? I've been clearing wights almost every day. I've been too busy," Daenerys said.
"The Blackfish once wanted to join the Warrior's Sons, but after the disaster in the Westerlands…" Barristan said with pity, "Edmure Tully, his son, and his wife all died at Casterly Rock. The Tully family is left with only him. It's quite tragic."
Daenerys frowned. "Does Brynden want Arya to pay with her life for his nephew?"
"Arya is also his granddaughter," Barristan said awkwardly.
"Be direct," Daenerys said impatiently.
Barristan looked at her and said slowly, "The Blackfish hopes to choose a male heir from the Starks to inherit the Tully title and lands. But he can tell that you seem to have your eyes on the Riverlands."
"If the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms had such sharp awareness of the Long Night crisis, the situation would be very different now," Daenerys said sarcastically.
Barristan said awkwardly, "It concerns family inheritance…"
"Tell me, Ser. I'm working nonstop, today in the Westerlands, tomorrow in the Riverlands, then the Reach has problems the next day. I've killed more wights than everyone else in the Seven Kingdoms combined. Surely I should get something in return?
I don't care much about the reward, but I don't want to work for nothing," Daenerys said.
"You are not working for someone else. You are the ruler of this land. I dare say that in the Seven Kingdoms today, aside from Stannis himself, every noble would support you as queen.
These past days, you have saved countless lives. You are truly fulfilling the duty of Protector of the Realm. The Iron Throne should belong to you," Barristan said with burning eyes and firm conviction.
"The Iron Throne fell into a cesspit and is covered in filth, you know?" Daenerys said with disgust.
"The throne itself is not important. Even if you sit on stone steps, the people kneeling before you will still recognize your kingly bearing," Barristan said seriously.
"I never expected to hear flattery like that from you," Daenerys said, smiling.
"I'm not flattering you. I'm telling the truth," the old knight said, his face reddening.
His sincerity made the Dragon Queen laugh even more, until he turned his head away in embarrassment.
After laughing for a while, Daenerys said, "Go tell Brynden 'Blackfish' that Riverrun will always belong to House Tully. This is my promise to him and a reward for his contributions during the Long Night.
He can choose whoever he wishes to inherit the Tully legacy. I will ensure his will is respected, but I won't interfere.
However, how much land the Tullys will have left, or whether they can reclaim their ducal title, I cannot guarantee. The Tullys have no ties with House Targaryen, and there are even old grievances."
Like the Tyrells of Highgarden, the Tullys had already lost their title as Lords Paramount of the Riverlands.
It had been stripped by Tywin.
Even Riverrun had changed hands.
For Daenerys to promise its return was already a great favor. Asking for more would be unreasonable.
Barristan nodded and sighed. "Having the ancestral castle is enough. The Tullys no longer have the strength to protect greater interests."
"Let's hope they think the same," Daenerys said meaningfully.
"They? You mean the Starks?" Barristan was not foolish. "Does Lady Sansa want the Riverlands? Has she not given up on the Iron Throne?"
"Go ask him," Daenerys said, gesturing toward the courtyard below.
Stonehall Town got its name from a stone-built sept in the town.
The sept was built on a hill, and at its base stood a low but sturdy grey-stone manor.
At that moment, Daenerys stood atop the sept's bell tower, chatting idly with Barristan while overlooking the legendary town that had changed the fate of the Targaryen dynasty.
Just then, the dwarf led several people through the grey-stone manor toward the sept on the hill.
"Your Grace, this is Bell Girl."
In the sept's guest chamber, the dwarf pushed a rough-looking young woman in her early twenties before Daenerys and said with a grin, "Guess who she is?"
The woman was of medium height, with thick black hair loosely hanging behind her head. Her square face was not beautiful and showed signs of hardship. Her skin was rough and sallow.
As Daenerys looked at her, she also studied Daenerys, her eyes filled more with curiosity than fear.
"Your Grace, you're very beautiful," Bell Girl said with a grin.
Daenerys smiled faintly. "What's your name?"
"My name is Bell Girl. My mother was a prostitute at the Peach Inn. During the Battle of the Bells, she slept with King Robert. She said I'm his child.
To commemorate that battle, she named me 'Bell Girl,'" she said, lowering her head slightly in embarrassment.
Daenerys was startled, though she did not react strongly. She turned to the dwarf and said coldly, "At a time like this, you still have the mood to visit prostitutes?"
The dwarf waved his hands repeatedly. "No, I met her in town. You can ask her and Septon Nocamp if you don't believe me."
Septon Nocamp nodded gently. "Bell Girl came to the sept and happened to meet us."
Daenerys's expression softened. She asked Bell Girl again, "Did you come to see me?"
(End of Chapter)
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