"Take him away. 💢😝 ♝🍪"
After Petyr's body was carried away, Lady Catelyn let out a low sob.
Gryn Crabb stood silently to the side until Catelyn's trembling stopped before speaking, "Madam, would you like some wine or hot tea? It would be my pleasure."
After hearing this, Catelyn couldn't help but smile slightly. She wiped away her tears, took a slow breath, and turned around.
Lady Catelyn shifted her feet, lightly kissed Gryn's cheek, and looked tenderly at the young man before her with her moist eyes, saying, "Thank you for your help, Lord Crabb."
Gryn gave a slight bow. "At your service, Lady Stark."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've heard that the Ironborn of the Iron Islands have invaded the North. Excuse my intrusion, but when did you arrive at the Eyrie?"
Upon hearing that something had happened at home, Catelyn's attention was immediately drawn. " Greyjoy?"
Gryn nodded slightly and said, "Theon, the adopted son of Lord Ned Greyjoy, betrayed the North. Rumor has it... if your husband hadn't arrived in time (Chapter 210), Winterfell would have been occupied by the Ironborn."
Lady Catelyn looked slightly flustered. " The Gods, how could this happen... my children..."
"Madam, I believe your husband will protect your children, so please rest assured," Gryn said, extending his hand to invite Lady Catelyn to sit down.
After they were seated, Gryn instructed a waiter to pour wine for Lady Catelyn, saying, "Madam, please try the sour wine from Crackclaw Point. It's quite sour, but according to the Whispers tradition, it's an essential drink for entertaining distinguished guests."
Lady Catelyn nodded slightly, took a sip, and then the Tully lady couldn't help but furrow her brow.
The sour wines from the Crackclaw Point were much more sour than she had imagined, and Lady Catelyn inwardly marveled at the winemaking skills of the First Men.
Although it was very sour, Lady Catelyn couldn't help but take another sip, and had to admit... it was somewhat special.
"I went south before my eldest son, I was..." Perhaps because she was caught off guard, or perhaps because of the warmth she felt from Gryn, Lady Catelyn spoke candidly about her journey to the Vale as if they were having a casual chat.
As she spoke, Lady Catelyn felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, as if they were very, very heavy.
She tried to stay awake, but the scene before her became increasingly blurry, and then she unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.
Lady Catelyn's breathing became lighter, and Gryn, who was standing beside her, reached out to support her as she slumped into the chair.
The next day, as dawn broke, the eastern sky gradually turned a pale white, casting a faint golden hue over the surrounding mountains.
A carriage slowly made its way along the winding mountain road, its wheels creaking as they rolled on the muddy ground. Behind it... the outline of the Bloody Gate gradually blurred.
Dozens of Swamp Marigold Banner fluttered in the wind before and after the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Lady Catelyn, nestled in a warm blanket, blinked and smiled slightly, seemingly still lost in a sweet dream.
Between Storm's End and King's Landing lies the straight Kingsroad, and with Stannis's army being almost entirely cavalry, he arrived at the south bank of the Blackwater Rush ahead of his fleet.
Although he led nearly 20,000 troops, his warhorses and twelve-foot-long spears were no match for the vast, deep waters of the Blackwater Rush and the high stone walls of King's Landing.
Stannis camped on the south bank of the Blackwater Rush, forced to suppress his anger and helplessly await his fleet.
Stannis's teeth chattered. " Melisandre, I want to know where Ser Imre has taken my fleet."
Before the Red Priestess could speak, Davos Seaworth, Lord Earl of the Rainwood and Hand of the King of Stannis, said respectfully, " King Stannis, the winds are currently from the south, and the recent sea conditions have been unfavorable, requiring the fleet to frequently change sails and oars. I estimate that Sir Imre will arrive in two days at the earliest, and at the latest... three days."
Melisandre's deep, hoarse voice rang out. "My king, I have foreseen the fleet beneath the Red Keep in the Sacred Fire, at Dawn three days from now."
Stannis's chin twitched silently as he said, "My Hand of the King, give the order to have everyone prepare as many rafts as possible to cross the Blackwater Rush. Don't let them sit idle."
"Yes, King Stannis." Count Davos nodded in acknowledgment, then raised an eyebrow and glanced at the red-robed priestess.
Melisandre chuckled. "Earl Davos, I can help too, if you need it."
" King Stannis, if Lady Melisandre continues to stay by your side, future victories will be called the victory of the Red Priestess, not yours."
As the Hand of the King, Davos had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "People will say you got to the Iron Throne because of her magic."
Three days later, the Blackwater Bay was turbulent. Ser Imre Florent, Commander-in-Chief of Stannis's Royal Fleet (Chapter 233), gazed at the Red Keep, which stood atop Aegon's High Hill. The black building was close to the lemon-colored sky, and below it lay the mouth of the Blackwater Rush.
The unpredictable wind rattled the sails, and Ser Imre gave the order from the Fury: "Lower the sails! Lower the masts! Oarsmen, take your positions!"
Awooooo.
The rumbling war horns traversed the sea, their hoarse and deep cries carrying the fleet commander's orders from ship to ship.
"Lower the oars!"
"Form ranks!"
Upon receiving the order from the Fury, the oarsmen of the fleet beat their drums in unison. The booming drumbeats resembled a large yet gentle heartbeat; with each beat, the oars moved a fraction more, in perfect unison.
Sir Imre showed a disdainful look. The hastily assembled fleet of the young king consisted of fewer than 50 dilapidated ships, which his captains jokingly referred to as children's toys.
Their fleet was four times the size of the Lannister ', and he organized it into ten battle lines, each consisting of twenty warships.
Ser Imre's tactics were as follows: the first two columns would clear the river and destroy the Lannister fleet, followed by ships that would first disembark a large number of archers and spearmen to King's Landing, and then join the battle on the Blackwater Rush. The smallest and slowest ships would be placed at the rear to transport Stannis's cavalry from the south bank to the north bank. The last column of the fleet would remain at Blackwater Bay to prevent the Lannister from hiding their warships on the shore and launching a surprise attack on their rear.
The sea was filled with a cacophony of sounds, including roars, shouts, the trembling of horns and drums, and the clatter of thousands of oars striking the water.
The current at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush was strong and rapid. Through the surging white foam and the rhythmic pounding, the signal for a general attack came from the foredeck of the Fury.
Awooooo, awooooo.
"Speed up!" the captains roared.
At the oarsman's command, the drumbeats quickened, and the oarsmen immediately increased in speed, their tips swirling across the water.
Hey--Pfft.
Hey--Pfft.
Hey--Pfft.
On the ship's deck, infantrymen struck shields with swords, while archers swiftly nocked their bows and drew arrows from their quivers.
The war drums pounded wildly, the oars rose and fell, and the first rank of ships cut through the waves and entered the Blackwater Rush.
The Red Keep boasts fortified steel structures, massive towers, and thick red walls. The cliffs below are rocky and steep, dotted with moss and thorns... It seems to sit atop a high hill, watching Stannis's fleet as it enters the Blackwater Rush like a ferocious beast.
When Stannis's fleet entered the Blackwater Rush, the Lannister fleet, following Tyrion's orders, began to retreat upstream.
Stannis's massive fleet seemed to stretch to the horizon. As more and more ships entered the Blackwater Rush, the distance between them grew closer and closer, and their formation became increasingly dense.
Suddenly, dozens of burning pitch cans shot off the Red Keep, trailing long fiery tails, and flew down into the river in parabolic arcs.
The river swallowed most of the asphalt fire pots; only a portion crashed onto the ship's deck, exploding and scattering sparks.
A second wave of attacks, mixed with flying arrows, followed immediately, throwing the soldiers on the ship into chaos.
The House Baratheon Crowned Stag and the House Lannister Lion a red background fly high atop the battlements of the Red Keep.
Asphalt flaming barrels rained down, and flames filled the surface of the Blackwater Rush River, accompanied by screams and shrieks.
On the south bank of the Blackwater Rush, under the Flaming Heart Banner, a large army is lined up, and soldiers are dragging crudely made wooden rafts into the water.
From the smoke on the other side, Stannis's ship, near the riverbank, lowered its gangplank. Archers who disembarked raised their bows high to keep their strings dry and waded haphazardly into the shallows. As they rushed into the narrow shoal, stones rained down from the city walls, mixed with arrows and spears, and soldiers near the walls fell one after another.
Suddenly, the Gold Cloaks cavalry appeared. They charged down the riverbank, their warhorses' iron hooves splashing water as they pounded the shallows. The knights charged into the archers' ranks, rampaging like wolves pouncing on a flock of sheep, leaving a trail of blood and gore.
The infantry rushed to the scene, using spears and battle axes to fend off the cavalry charge, buying time for the archers to regroup.
On the hilltop of Visenya's Hill, the bright sun shines on the seven crystal towers of the Great Sept of Baelor, making them sparkle brilliantly.
Behind the city wall, giant catapults emerged, one... two... three... and they all rose up.
Hundreds of head-sized stones climbed high into the sky and then plummeted down, either splashing up huge waves or piercing the decks of ships, turning people into pieces of bone and flesh.
The river water rushed into the large hole smashed into the ship, and groups of soldiers fell into the river. The living struggled to survive, the dead floated silently, and soldiers wearing plate armor or chainmail sank to the bottom of the river immediately, dead or alive, and never moved again.
Suddenly, a flash of green light caught Sir Imre's eye, flew forward, and landed on the port side. In an instant, he seemed to see a nest of emerald Viper hissing as they rose, thrashed, and burned.
" Wildfire!" Cries of despair and fear rose and fell in an instant.