"You admit your guilt and accept punishment, but you do not want to die. Then what is it that you want?" Dany asked curiously.
A faint curve lifted at Arya's lips. "If possible, I would like to take the black."
Everyone looked at each other.
Dany laughed as well. "That's a nice dream, but unfortunately, the Wall does not accept women."
"Your Grace, the Wall has more than a dozen castles. You could choose one of them and establish it separately as a women's camp. If women commit crimes, they should also have the chance to take the black," Arya said.
"Your suggestion is very good, and I will remember it. But even if such a new rule is to be implemented, it must wait until the Wall is fully repaired, until the Long Night ends, and until the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms sit together to discuss and decide it jointly," Dany said, shaking her head.
Arya wanted to say more, but the great crow on her shoulder pecked her ear lightly and said flatly, "Your Grace, Arya can put on the gray robe, swear to join the Silent Sisters, and serve the Seven Gods for all eternity."
"Holy shit!" the dwarf slapped his forehead and cursed aloud. "I've never seen such shamelessness!"
"A woman joining the Silent Sisters is no different from a man joining the Night's Watch, is it?" Jaime did not understand why his brother reacted like that. He actually thought it was very reasonable.
"You don't understand. This is surrender, tribute, and collusion!" the dwarf groaned, covering his face.
Jaime truly could not understand.
Dany looked at Arya with a strange expression. "You are willing to join the Faith?"
"I..." Arya hesitated and turned to look at Jon and Sansa. Both of them gave slight nods.
"I am willing."
Dany asked again, "Do you know what the Silent Sisters are?"
Arya thought for a moment and said, "The Silent Sisters are special septas. They serve only the Stranger and swear vows of chastity and silence.
Because of this, the Silent Sisters are also called 'the Stranger's Wives.'
They wear gray robes and cover their faces with hoods, leaving only their eyes exposed. Their daily work is mainly as morticians, preparing and arranging corpses."
Dany nodded, swept her gaze across the hall, and asked, "What do you all think?"
"In theory, abandoning one's worldly identity and status, taking vows, and joining the Silent Sisters can indeed exempt one from the death penalty," Count Farman said slowly.
"She can become a Silent Sister, just as men put on black robes to become members of the Night's Watch," said Baelor Hightower.
"The Mother is merciful. Spending one's whole life repenting to the Seven Gods can also atone for her sins," Bronze Yohn nodded in agreement.
A group of neutral nobles did not object, because this also aligned with the traditions of the Seven Kingdoms.
Joining the Silent Sisters was the final path for guilty women who did not wish to die.
"Then put on the gray robe and join the Silent Sisters," Dany said, unable to find a reason to oppose it.
The Starks visibly relaxed, while the dwarf's eyes were full of resentment.
"Well then, that will be all for today." Dany stood up, preparing to declare the meeting adjourned.
"Wait," the great crow stopped her. "Your Grace, I still have two more matters."
"What is it?" Dany asked curiously as she sat back down.
"Your Grace, although Arya has indeed caused great harm to the Westerlands and the Seven Kingdoms, punishment is necessary, but more important is making amends."
Dany looked even more surprised. "And how do you intend to make amends to the Seven Kingdoms and the Westerlands?"
"House Stark is willing to provide 500,000 tons of grain to relieve the refugees of the Seven Kingdoms and the Westerlands."
Bran dropped a thunderbolt. Sansa and Jon changed expressions first. After the lords and commoners in the hall processed it, they also cried out in disbelief.
"Seven Gods, 500,000 tons? Are the Starks bragging?"
"Isn't the North supposed to be the poorest ducal family in the Seven Kingdoms? During the Battle of Winterfell, they were even calling on the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms for supplies and knights!"
"Don't forget Sansa Stark. I heard she hid more than 300,000 tons of grain on Tarth Island. Actually it was 500,000 tons, but 200,000 tons were offered to Aunt Dany."
"Even so, that's still not enough."
"It seems Duke Jon borrowed more than 200,000 tons of grain before the Long Night."
"Hiss... they're donating it all!"
"I remember she also promised 100,000 tons to King's Landing, right?"
"Heh, didn't you hear? They're relieving refugees across the Seven Kingdoms. King's Landing is included."
"Even so, that's full sincerity. They're giving away all their grain."
The hall buzzed with discussion, while in a mental space imperceptible to ordinary people, the three Starks were arguing as well.
"Bran, you never mentioned this before." Sansa's face looked terrible. She almost exploded on the spot, but fortunately Bran understood his elder sister very well and immediately pulled a trace of her spiritual consciousness into the mindscape.
"Bran, if we hand over all the grain, what are we supposed to eat?" Jon also asked worriedly.
"In the past month and more, three million people south of the Neck have died. This news spread everywhere through Dragonstone's magical network hub, and all the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms know it. Tell me, how do you think they view House Stark?" Bran said calmly.
"Not all of them were killed by the Others, and Arya has already been punished," Sansa said.
"But public anger is hard to calm." Bran's tone carried a trace of helplessness. "Three million people, equivalent to one-fifth of the population of the Seven Kingdoms. Can you imagine how great the impact is on the people?
The Seven Kingdoms have never had deaths on this scale.
In two years, widespread famine will inevitably break out across the Seven Kingdoms. People will be starving to death everywhere. If only the Starks are still alive and still living comfortably, what do you think people will think?"
"Should we starve to death together with them?" Sansa said coldly.
"At the very least, let the Seven Kingdoms believe we are hungry just like everyone else. How many people are there in House Stark and the North combined? If grain distributed from our hands is used to relieve the people of the North, does that not count as relief?" Bran said.
"I... have other plans, not just for saving the people of the North," Sansa said reluctantly.
"If the people of the Seven Kingdoms all hate House Stark, you will never become queen," Bran said bluntly.
Sansa flew into shame and anger and directly left the "Stark group chat."
As the discussions in the hall gradually quieted, the great crow said, "Your Grace, you should still be missing one White Knight, correct?"
Dany froze.
Tyrion's mouth twitched, and he muttered softly, "I was wondering why he dared to expose all his secrets to the world. Turns out he had already planned long ago to find himself a powerful backer.
All-knowing but not all-powerful—mortals fear but do not revere such a being. Inevitably, jealousy and malice arise.
Now it's perfect. One is all-knowing, one is all-powerful. The two sides join forces, and in the end, one house dominates all. Darkness indeed. From now on, the people of Westeros can forget about ever rising again!"
"What are you talking about?" Jaime asked in confusion.
"Little Bran is finally about to fulfill his childhood dream and become a legendary knight like Barristan," Tyrion said with heavy sarcasm.
The people around them, who had been confused, immediately understood, and their hearts turned cold.
The sky had changed. After today, the Dragon Queen who had taken in the Three-Eyed Raven would become the sky above Westeros.
She was not merely a queen. She was the king above the kings of the Seven Kingdoms.
Realizing this, the nobles in the hall wore extremely complicated expressions. Deep down, they secretly hoped Tyrion was wrong, that Bran did not want to become the Dragon Queen's White Knight; or that the Dragon Queen would righteously refuse to become something beyond mortal humanity, high above all others, a being people could only look up to.
Recovering from her shock, Dany looked meaningfully at the great crow and said, "I currently have exactly six White Knights: Ser Barristan, Ser Mormont, Strong Belwas, Ser Gerold Dayne, Ser Garth, and as my personal shadowguard, Daenys."
At this point, even she found it strange.
She had never noticed it herself, but although her White Knight positions had not been filled, it was as if fate had ordained that the final place should be reserved for a specific person.
The Dragon Queen was a woman. She needed a White Knight who could follow closely by her side, someone who could even accompany her into the bath and bedchamber. Therefore, she had to have at least one female White Knight.
From the moment old Barristan met Daenys, he had already been training her as a reserve White Knight. Later, when he met Brienne, he had even considered recruiting her as the queen's female knight, because Daenys had been too young.
Once Brienne was verbally granted the title of "Iron Guard Without Cloak" by the Dragon Queen, Barristan gave up on that idea and returned to having Jorah continue training Daenys.
Five years had passed, and the little girl of those days had grown into a fourteen-year-old maiden.
Daenys had not put on the white robe only because she was part of the shadowguard and could not be too conspicuous. In truth, she was already a White Knight.
Besides Daenys, there had originally been two others who almost became White Knights. One was the Big Crab, Irius Celtigar, and the other was Quentyn Martell.
Both of them were willing to become White Knights and had even personally applied to Dany, but with Jaime as a warning example, she had not agreed rashly.
Jaime had also voluntarily asked the Mad King to let him wear the white cloak. The Mad King had agreed with malicious delight, and Tywin had completely fallen out with him afterward.
The Dragon Queen had asked old Crab, and old Crab tactfully expressed that the Big Crab was the eldest son and had to inherit the family estate. How about letting the second son wear the white robe instead?
Dany did not object, but the Little Crab did not want to give up titles and lands. The Dragon Queen had promised her vassals that based on merit, second and third sons could also be granted titles, meaning one family could hold multiple lordships.
Prince Doran had also refused the Dragon Queen for a similar reason, because by then Quentyn had become a wyvern rider and one of the Dragon Queen's capable generals. He was guaranteed to receive a title and a large tract of land.
Perhaps Quentyn himself felt being a White Knight was more glorious than being a lord, but as parents, they naturally hoped their children would establish families, careers, and continue the family line normally.
Thus, the Dragon Queen's final White Knight position had remained vacant all these years.
"Your Grace, I am willing to swear lifelong service to you, until death," Bran said solemnly.
"You have thought it through?" Dany asked, though she already knew the answer.
This was certainly not a sudden decision on Bran's part.
The great crow glanced at the tall White Knight beside the queen and said in a deep voice, "I have thought very clearly. Following in Ser Barristan's footsteps has always been my dream."
Dany leaned back in her chair and thought in silence. The hall was completely quiet, and people nearby could even hear the soft tapping of her fingers against the carved armrest.
After a long while, she said thoughtfully, "You are the Three-Eyed Raven. Joining the White Knights is a matter of too great an impact. I must seek the Mother's guidance.
Tomorrow morning, I will fast and pray in the Great Sept. Ladies and noblewomen may join me in prayer. The Mother should descend upon Fairy City."
After the trial ended, no one left. Instead, at Count Farman's invitation, they attended a large banquet with an atmosphere that was not particularly lively.
The ladies and young noblewomen were very happy, gathering together and chattering endlessly about the old cases solved today by the Three-Eyed Raven and the Mother's descent tomorrow. The Three-Eyed Raven and Arya themselves were also central topics.
But the noble lords were weighed down with heavy thoughts.
"Now that the Three-Eyed Raven has joined the Dragon Queen, what direction will the future of the Seven Kingdoms take?"
They were all thinking about this question, but none of them dared to discuss it openly.
(End of Chapter)
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