In the Baratheon army, in the main tent.
A man wearing elaborate, ornate armor entered the place. He was old, but stood upright. Half of his teeth were missing from his mouth. However, his blue eyes were as piercing as a hawk's. It was Jon I Arryn, the King of the Mountain and the Vale.
He was accompanied by Harrold Hardyng, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. If an old lord of the Vale were present, they would notice that Harrold bore a great resemblance to Jon Arryn when he was young.
Jon looked around the tent and focused his gaze on the man sitting in the main chair. At that moment, the man had bruises all over his face. His nose was broken and some teeth were missing from his mouth.
"I heard about your little fight with Rhaegar in front of both armies. You were always reckless." Jon spoke in a gentle tone; he was known in the Seven Kingdoms as prudent, calm, and wise, as well as kind and reliable. "Rhaegar finished you off."
"You should see how I left him." Robert countered Jon's words with an irritated tone. He refused to accept that Rhaegar wasn't worse off than he was.
"Speaking of which, you really saved me from fighting to the death." Robert sat powerlessly in the chair and spoke in a calm tone. Honestly, remembering the fight, a touch of helplessness appeared on his face. He shouldn't have let his anger take over his thoughts.
If he died, everything would end.
"Good that you know." Jon sat down beside his foster son and continued speaking. "At this moment, Balon is besieging Moat Cailin with his stupid pirates."
"How did that happen and how is he managing such a feat?" Robert asked, confused. Of all the Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Islands had the fewest troops; they might be excellent sailors, but they were terrible soldiers on land.
The Ironborn had always attacked the northern coast because of this and never really went deep into the North. So, knowing that Balon was actually besieging Moat Cailin was somewhat unbelievable in Robert's eyes. When did these pirates become so good as to lay siege to one of the strongest castles on the continent?
"Mercenaries." Jon replied in a calm tone. "Apparently, the Crown's loans were not paid on time and the Iron Bank decided to teach King Rhaegar a little lesson. They lent a sum of money to Balon, and he hired eight thousand sailors from Tyrosh, Myr, and Volantis."
Robert was surprised, but soon understood. The Targaryen House army was built fifteen years ago. It might seem slow, but it was incredibly fast. This kind of military power building usually took decades and even hundreds of years.
Rhaegar simply poured tons of gold into the army and trained soldiers like a madman. Not only that, but he also armed all forty thousand soldiers to the teeth. Naturally, the crown didn't have the money to build such an army in a short time.
So, loans became the only option for the Targaryen Crown.
Seeing Robert's smile, Jon spoke in an even calmer tone. "Don't be happy, this is just a small threat from the Iron Bank; they won't support our cause. Although Rhaegar has delayed payments, he has always been a good customer for the Iron Bank. It's safer to lend money to him than to us, the rebels."
Robert didn't care; anything that could hinder Rhaegar was a very good thing in his eyes. Although the Iron Bank didn't sponsor them, this threat helped Jon reach the Trident with the Knights of the Vale. This was more valuable than any mountain of gold.
"By the way, how is the Blackfyre boy?" Jon asked in a solemn tone. "Is he easy to control?"
Whether it was Jon or Robert, Aegon was simply a puppet who would die at the end of the war, that is, if they won. No one wanted a Blackfyre on the Iron Throne. Everyone would prefer a beggar to a Blackfyre.
"Easy?" Robert seemed to hear something funny. Ignoring the pain in his body, he spoke while drinking a large mug of beer. "The boy is a genius, he hides his lack of skill well, but anyone with a sharper vision notices some details."
"He was raised with the education of a prince destined to rule." Jon spoke after hearing Robert's words. "That's dangerous, we can't let the boy gain power or get allies."
"Don't worry, I have dozens of men protecting him." Robert said with a sarcastic smile. Although it was true about the protection, the main role of these men was to watch Aegon.
Jon, remembering something, looked at Robert and spoke in a solemn tone. "I heard you're having an affair with a red priestess?"
"Robert, do you really not measure your concerns? Even the craziest of men knows that you shouldn't stick your dick in a crazy woman." Jon spoke, almost rebuking Robert. He couldn't believe that Robert was actually sleeping with a red priestess.
Robert remained indifferent to Jon's lecture. His ears were already calloused from hearing so many rebukes. He and Eddard always heard Jon's shouts while growing up in the Vale. After all, they weren't the calmest boys in the world.
"The woman is useful, she has fire magic and other stupid mage things." Robert commented in a casual tone while emptying his beer mug.
"She is still a witch who burns people alive." Jon said in a helpless tone. If young people listened to the advice of their elders, they wouldn't be young. And although Robert wasn't really young, he was still young in Jon Arryn's eyes.
Suddenly, an elegant and graceful voice sounded in the tent.
"I burn only sinners, Lord Arryn."
A figure emerged from the tent entrance; it was Melisandre, wearing her characteristic clothes. The ruby around her neck seemed to glow like flames within.
Jon looked at the beautiful woman before him and understood why Robert was sleeping with her. The woman was truly beautiful. Harrold, who was behind Jon, stared at the woman with a touch of desire in his eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
Which, if you look at Melisandre, you will indeed agree with Harrold's thoughts.
"I presume you arbitrarily decide who should burn, Lady Melisandre." Jon said with a touch of sarcasm. He really didn't like the Red Faith, which burned people as if it were just another normal day of the week.
"Just as the Faith of the Seven cuts off people's heads for heresy and hangs blasphemers who speak against the Star of the Seven." Melisandre replied with an enigmatic smile and a naturally calm voice. Having lived for over four hundred years, she naturally wouldn't be shaken by the words of uncultured men.
Jon really had no way to refute Melisandre's words; although the methods were different, the result was the same. Both churches really killed with the same purpose; only the Red Faith acted with more cruelty in the eyes of others.
But Jon refused to look at the woman with a good eye. His beliefs naturally wouldn't be shaken so easily, especially by a witch who burned people alive.
Turning his gaze away from the witch, Jon looked at Robert and asked in a calm tone. "How are we in Riverrun? Is Hoster managing to contain the forty-thousand-man army of House Targaryen and Tyrell?"
Robert looked at Jon with a stunned tone and presumed that the man had not yet received the news of the heinous crime that had happened in Riverrun. "A lot has happened, but let me summarize."
While listening to what had happened in Riverrun, Jon Arryn's expression went from confusion to incredulity and then to horror. He couldn't believe that a son could actually kill his father and uncle to inherit the castle and titles.
"Shit, right at this damn moment!?" Even with all his patience, Jon couldn't help but curse out loud while throwing his cup on the floor. Losing Riverrun was terrible, as it could block the Lannister army. Not to mention Harrenhal!
"I know, the only good news is your arrival at the Trident." Robert understood Jon's feelings; losing Riverrun was terrible for the course of the war.
"No, we still have a chance." Jon shook his head and spoke in a firm tone. "I refuse to believe that Tywin can't win against two boys like Viserys and Jon Connington..."
Robert nodded his head. Despite being old, the Lion of Casterly Rock was extremely famous and an enemy no one wanted to have. He himself didn't believe that a beardless boy like Viserys could stop a giant like this.
"Now that I've arrived, let's attack the Targaryen and Tyrell Army. Balon will hold out for a while before fleeing to the sea again." Jon spoke in a firm tone; they had to gain ground and hold out until Tywin's arrival.
Which, with an army of almost a hundred thousand men, was not difficult. Neither army could really destroy the other with a relatively equal number of soldiers.
----
I'll be posting the two new fanfics tomorrow, so stay tuned, and don't forget to add them to the library and leave lots of power stones.
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince
Jujutsu Kaisen: The True King
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard