Margaery the Traitor
"What is Stannis doing! We could have chopped Balon's head off right away!" Loras said indignantly, slamming his fist on the table with tremendous force after hearing the news from King's Landing, completely ignoring the Florent standing right beside him.
"Ser Loras, watch your words!" Colin warned, but was completely ignored.
In fact, it wasn't just Loras; the lower and middle-ranking officers who had just received titles and lands for their military achievements were also unwilling to stop, not to mention those who hadn't yet received titles and lands—they were all eagerly waiting.
They were just waiting to change their fate through the minds of those so-called "Ironborn".
Rivers, Flowers, Hishan, Snow, and the second sons of various families had long regarded Great Wyk and Pyke as battlefields for establishing their merits.
Now King's Landing has stopped fighting altogether, which is unacceptable to everyone.
In fact, Colin himself was somewhat reluctant to stop, but he knew that loyalty to the family would come much faster than fighting for his own life, so he still hoped that the surrender ceremony would go smoothly.
Seeing Colin's hesitation, Jon stepped forward and said, "Lord Stark, you have accumulated enough merit to deserve a place in history books even a thousand years from now."
Colin's tone was undeniably earnest. They had finally unified the world; if anything went wrong on Jon's side, he himself would be held accountable.
But Jon could not give Euron a chance, nor could he allow the Iron Islands to remain independent and affect his Triangular Trade Plan.
Before Jon could speak, Loras couldn't hold back any longer. "Is this how my mother's matter is just left unresolved? Stannis sits comfortably in King's Landing, while he—"
Before Loras could finish speaking, Brynden interrupted him, believing that Jon would never compromise with the Iron Islands.
Jon looked at Colin and said, "Sir Colin, we swore an oath before the war to eradicate evil completely! I cannot stand by and watch these bastards wreak havoc on the Sunset Sea again decades later, leaving endless trouble for our descendants!"
Seeing Jon's resolute attitude, Colin was visibly displeased. "Your Grace, I'll reiterate, this is an order from the Iron Throne! Are you going to disobey the Iron Throne?!"
Colin invoked the Iron Throne to intimidate Jon, immediately provoking the others' resentment. They all stood up, gripping their swords and glaring at him angrily.
Jon, however, remained calm. He had already learned from Varys that Stannis had appointed him as "Master Steward of Dragonstone."
After accepting the surrender ceremony of the Iron Islands, I will have to go to King's Landing's Landing to assume my new post.
If Euron isn't killed, Jon won't feel safe staying in Casterly Rock, let alone leaving if Euron isn't dead.
Although Stannis's intentions were obvious, Jon did not want to start a war with him now; he had two bottom lines in his mind.
The first step was to bring the Iron Islands under his control and begin to use them as arsenals, thus connecting the Westerlands, North, Riverlands, and Reach.
Old Walder, needless to say, would naturally side with him.
However, this will take a long time, at least two or three years, by which time the Long Night may be about to begin.
Jon's minimum goal was to conquer the Iron Islands and settle the Free Folk from Beyond the Wall on the islands, thereby freeing the forces in the North.
It's just a pity that Euron isn't Tywin this time, so Jon has no way to stop his ravens.
He began, "I will tell His Majesty that this is a matter for the Westerlands, and I am the Warden of the West; protecting Westerlands is my primary mission!"
Seeing that Jon was determined to attack the Iron Islands, Colin somewhat lost his composure and warned, "Your Grace, don't forget your Stark name, and how you earned your title Lord of Casterly Rock!"
Colin's words immediately provoked the others' resentment. Brynden stared at him silently, Rickard looked disgusted, Sandor placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Loras, as always, was the first to speak, "Jon conquered Casterly Rock himself, but Stannis shouldn't forget how he got his throne! If it weren't for Jon, the House Lannister bastard would still be sitting on the Iron Throne!"
Loras had repeatedly offended Stannis, Colin could no longer tolerate it. He threatened, "Loras, I'm going to tell His Majesty what you said!"
"Sir Colin." Brynden had remained silent until now, stepped in front of Loras. "The Iron Islands Ironborn been wreaking havoc for millennia. The Riverlands are no exception, but these thugs are rampaging North, the Westerlands, and even Beyond the Wall. Now, a demon among them has appeared who can wield magic. If we don't eliminate them now, when will we?! We currently hold the absolute upper hand! We must prevent this threat from ever returning!"
"Yes, we must eliminate this threat completely!" Rickard said.
"To prevent future troubles!" Garlan slammed his sword into the ground.
"To prevent future troubles! To follow you, sir!" Gawen Westerling declared.
"You, you!" Colin stared wide-eyed at the group of people who stood there like iron plates, speechless.
Jon stripped Colin of his military command and then wrote a letter to Stannis, stating that he would take the Iron Islands within two months at most and hoping that Stannis would not compromise with evil.
Before Stannis and his Small Council could reach a suitable conclusion, Jon continued to escalate the matter.
He had the Citadel announce his decision to conquer the Iron Islands and eradicate the worship of the Drowned God from Westeros, including Euron's killing of his relatives and sacrifice of their blood to summon magic.
This touched a nerve with most people on a moral level, immediately garnering the support of most lords. Especially since these despicable pirates possessed evil magic, many worried that they would be in trouble if Euron were to recover.
Jon's decision was tantamount to destroying another nation, and even more so, to eradicate evil. Many riders and knights from other parts of the Seven Kingdoms expressed their desire to travel to the Westerlands and Jon Jon's army in the campaign against the Iron Islands.
Given this prevailing public opinion, Stannis, no matter how dissatisfied he was, could only wait until Jon conquered the Iron Islands before he could voice his opinion.
At the same time, Jon also sent a message to the Iron Islands, stating that he could accept a "day people" family like Gubole, allowing them to remain in the Iron Islands, but they must abandon their belief in the Drowned God and convert to the Seven.
But old Ironborn families like House Greyjoy and House Hoare, who believed in plunder, had to move out of the Iron Islands and into the Westerlands to accept their rule.
And of course, the most important point is that Euron must die.
In Casterly Rock, Alester had not received any news from the front lines about Colin or the other Florent, which made him vaguely uneasy.
With over three thousand soldiers and more than twenty ships at his side, Alester decided to personally go to the front lines to see what had happened.
But just as he was about to leave his residence for the military camp, he found that a group of Tyrell soldiers had already surrounded the place.
These were all the guards of Casterly Rock; only they could disarm themselves so quietly.
"What are you trying to do!" Alester's heart was in his throat as he questioned, both shocked and furious.
Do you know what you're doing?! I'm going to hang you!
The soldiers stared at him silently, and soon a woman appeared, surrounded by guards.
Behind her followed two cold-faced men. Alester remembered them; they seemed to be the leaders of the Mountain Clans, now the governor of New York Town.
As for the woman, she had delicate features, her brown hair was styled in a mature updo, and her noticeably protruding belly indicated that she was actually pregnant.
"Your Lord Hand."
"Madam Margaery, why are your people here?" Although he still addressed her as "Madam," Alester's voice had taken on a threatening tone.
"Your Lord Hand, they are here to protect you. Please do not misunderstand."
"Protect me? I think you're going to imprison me! I am His Majesty Stannis's Hand of the King! Attacking the Hand of the King is tantamount to treason, Margaery Stark! Do you want to be a traitor?!"
Alester pointed at Margaery and said sternly.
He was placed under house arrest here, which was almost equivalent to experiencing a mutiny! It was equivalent to completely losing all command authority.
This is exactly what Margaery, or rather Jon, wants. He wants to completely crush Euron on the front lines and destroy the almost toxic faith and ideology of the Drowned God, and he absolutely cannot be disturbed in any way.
Temporarily stripping Colin and Florent of their military command is only the first step; Alester must also be brought under control, otherwise, if he is allowed to go to the front lines, he will inevitably hinder our actions.
House Florent and Stannis share the same interests; they also want to retain the Iron Islands as a check on the Westerlands, or rather, on the entire Sunset Sea lords.
Without the Iron Islands, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, the Southern Territory, and the North would be more closely connected by sea routes, forming a more solid alliance.
This is what Jon sought, but not what Stannis wanted to see.
"Your Lord Hand, you flatter me. I am just a woman; how could I bear such a crime? Besides, attacking the Hand of the King is tantamount to treason, and you are perfectly fine now, aren't you?"
Margaery knew she was talking nonsense, but it was a risk she had to take as Jon's closest and most special ally.
"Your Lord Hand, my husband asked me to convey that after the war ends, he will give the House Florent a larger share of the credit. Please remain calm and patient in Casterly Rock."
"Calm down!? You're imprisoning me! You're committing treason! Margaery! You harlot!"
Margaery knew that members of the House Florent tended to speak recklessly when they were anxious, but she didn't care. She simply told someone to keep an eye on Alester before leaving.
She would not tolerate anyone who plotted to harm her mother getting away with it.
As long as Jon can conquer the Iron Islands and kill Euron, all the risks he has taken will be worthwhile.