Battle of Harrenhal-The Taste of Betrayal

An army suddenly appeared behind them and annihilated the army led by Axell Florent, which means that the number of people in this army was definitely not small.

The three warlords, realizing they were being attacked from both sides, were somewhat uneasy.

Thoros simply doesn't care what these people think; he's not that familiar with Thoros.

"If Beric were still alive, who would he support?" Thoros couldn't help but wonder.

As he pondered, his gaze wandered across the hall, and suddenly he spotted a familiar face – Vargo Hoat, the former commander of the Brave Companions who had also received an award after the war.

Having received the reward, Vargo Hoat naturally chose to pledge allegiance to Stannis.

Vargo Hoat naturally noticed Thoros's gaze, but neither of them saw any expectation of victory in each other's eyes.

Soon Stannis's servants called out the names of their king, who entered the hall, followed by a burly young man whose features resembled Robert himself.

Stannis did not sit on the throne once occupied by Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who was known as the "Old King" and ruled the country for fifty-one years. Instead, he stood and told everyone what had happened.

"This enemy force isn't large; it's likely they attacked Axell's army. However, I plan to send an elite force to deal with them," Stannis said calmly, his face remaining expressionless.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to punish the rebels for you!"

"His Majesty----"

Seeing a bunch of people stepping forward to volunteer for the battle, Stannis's expression relaxed a bit. He knew he was now in a strong position. Even if he still had to fight in the Westerlands and the Reach, taking Riverlands, executing the rebels, and even subduing Jon wouldn't be difficult.

But out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw the maester in Harrenhal looking at him nervously, holding a bronze letter tube in his hand.

Stannis's heart skipped a beat, wondering if something unexpected had happened.

"Did Redwyne Fleet attack King's Landing?"

"Storm's End has fallen?"

Could it be the Red Keep?

In an instant, a dozen thoughts flooded Stannis's mind, almost overwhelming him.

He calmly took the disassembled letter tube and said softly, "Your Majesty, it's Florent."

Florent? Stannis unfolded the envelope, quickly read the message, and his face immediately darkened.

Florent has actually defected to the enemy!

When he learned of Florent's "treason," he felt a wave of despair wash over him.

He never imagined that his wife's family, the House Florent, would one day betray him.

Especially in the current situation!

Betrayed, Stannis gritted his teeth, nearly crushing the small piece of paper he was holding between his two fingers.

Anyone can betray you, but Florent cannot! Florent cannot!

Stannis roared inwardly, unaware that his breathing had become deep and rapid until the maester beside him reminded him.

When Stannis looked up, he found that many people were staring at him, but when he scanned the crowd, the nobles and lords subconsciously looked away.

Gendry, who also had blue eyes, found his king uncle's expression terrifyingly cold, even more so than when his master had looked at him when he had damaged the iron ingot.

For a moment, the only sounds in the Hundred Hearth Hall were the rustling of clothes being put on, the soft clatter of chair legs against the floor, deliberately slowed breathing, and the occasional faint cough that was being suppressed.

Everyone was speculating what news could have caused a king to lose his composure like this.

Could it be King's Landing?

Is it Stormlands?

Or is the problem in the south?

Of all the feudal lords, the nobles of the Vale were the most composed.

Since ancient times, the Blood Gate of the Vale has been the only gateway for the Vale Kingdom to the outside world, and there is no record of the Blood Gate ever being breached.

Unless Jon has a dragon, even if they are defeated, they can still escape back to the Vale and live a quiet life behind closed doors.

The nobles of Stormlands and Crownlands were in an uproar, believing that Jon's fleet might have circled around from the south and directly attacked Stormlands or Crownlands.

Faced with everyone's suspicions, Stannis showed no interest in offering an explanation. Instead, he turned to Jon Royce beside him and said, "Sir Royce."

"Your Majesty," Yorn said, also curious about what was wrong with Stannis.

"I will personally command the battle to eliminate the enemy behind our lines. You will stay in Harrenhal and keep an eye on the enemy in Riverrun and the Westerlands frontier."

Yorn didn't know why Stannis had suddenly changed his mind, but it was most likely because of that letter.

However, His Majesty the King is clearly on the verge of exploding, so it's best not to ask any questions for now.

Enraged, Stannis barely paused before rushing towards Jon's encampment.

He led almost all the cavalry in the army away; nearly eight thousand cavalrymen surged forth, more violent than the roaring waters of the the Green Fork that day.

Stannis timed it perfectly, arriving at Jon's encampment and position built on a hill just before Dawn the next day.

When he saw the black three-headed dragon banner, he was startled again. He had not seen this banner since he conquered Dragonstone. The pitch-black banner seemed to pull his thoughts back to more than ten years ago.

At that time, I was only in my early twenties, yet I could command battles for days and nights without sleep. In Storm's End, I held off Mace's army while starving, eating leather shoes and rats.

He now feels his youthful spirit slowly fading away, yet this banner has miraculously rekindled, as if he has wasted most of his life.

Frustration, anger, and many other emotions lingered in my heart.

"My lord, that bastard traitor should be arriving with his troops in person," Alexander, standing beside Stannis, gestured.

Stannis was certainly aware of this, and at the same time, he felt it made perfect sense. Based on Jon's past military tactics, leading an army across his own territory was indeed something he was capable of doing.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is on higher ground; our cavalry may not be able to break through." Suddenly, they saw a rider carrying a white flag approaching their own lines.

The rider was brought before him under the escort of Stannis's personal guards.

"Leo Tyrell greets Your Majesty."

Stannis didn't know anything about Leo Lefford; he only knew that since Stannis had revealed his Tyrell identity, he couldn't possibly have a friendly attitude.

"Is that bastard here to surrender?" Alexander, Stannis's captain of the guard, asked.

However, Leo Lefford did not answer, but instead looked at Stannis and said, "Your Majesty Stannis, our Jon wishes to speak with you."

Looking at Stannis surrounded by a group of soldiers and guards in bright armor, he made his voice as soft and unoffensive as possible.

Leo Lefford thought about volunteering to deliver the message, following Jon's instructions—to say nice things, to assure him of his safe return, and even to use some conciliatory language.

The thought of having such a caring lord warmed Leo Lefford's heart, and even the last bit of laziness in his bones vanished without a trace.

"A bastard can call himself Your Majesty? What right does he have to talk to Your Majesty?" Roland had only recently gained Stannis's favor, so of course he wanted to make a good impression now.

"Now the Westerlands, the North, the Reach, and the Riverlands all support him, just as many lords supported King Robert back then." Leo Lefford refused to back down. Although Jon could speak more leniently, it didn't mean he would allow himself to be a coward.

"Bullshit! How can a bastard be compared to King Robert?"

"His Majesty is the biological son of Crown Prince Rhaegar, so how can he be considered an illegitimate child?"

"Who can prove that Rhaegar married that North bitch?"

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me Lord Orys's parents' names? And how can you prove the rumors aren't true?"

When Leo Lefford said this, many people were stunned for a moment, as they couldn't immediately recall who Orys was.

Orys was the founder of House Baratheon, and rumors say he was the bastard brother of Aegon the Conqueror. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and the lack of Aegon's fame, many have forgotten him.

Others may have forgotten, but Stannis hadn't. But listening to the clamor around him, Stannis felt a surge of annoyance. Many had pledged their loyalty to him, yet they had never hesitated to betray him. Ultimately, however, he suppressed his emotions and asked, "What does he want to talk about? How will he talk about it?"

"We hope to sail with His Majesty and speak with him on this God's Eye."

Sailing is unlikely; neither side has time to prepare a boat. At most, they'll manage to get a small raft.

However, the small raft can create a safe distance between the two sides.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't go. It's said that when Jon was in Highgarden, he climbed onto Euron's ship by himself, defeated his sailors, and drove them all overboard. If you go—" the knight warned, having accompanied Selyse to Highgarden at the time.

"You believe that?" Stannis said dismissively. "Tell Jon that I agreed, tomorrow morning, south of God's Eye."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Leo Lefford, born of Tyrion and having served as a maester for several years, was well-mannered.

Even if Stannis wanted to cause trouble, he couldn't find a way.

Seeing him leave, Roland asked, "Your Majesty, this illegitimate son was definitely trying to delay the construction of the fortifications. Why did you agree to his request?"

Stannis glanced at Roland and said, "He's building fortifications around here, so why can't we build them too? Have Yorn send another ten thousand, no, twenty thousand men, and Vargo Hoat's mercenary group too. Send them over here as well. I want to personally finish off this bastard right here!"

Only after Stannis said this did everyone realize what was going on.

Although they didn't know what Jon wanted to do, the Twins was now in their hands, the Reach army was being held back by the Stormlands, and Jon was deep in enemy territory. Time was on their side.

They didn't know Jon was here before, and now that he's taking such a risk, leading his army deep into enemy territory, why not just finish him off here? That way, they wouldn't have to go through a major battle.

Jon wants to stall for time? Then let him stall!

Stannis gazed at the black banner from afar, a terrible storm brewing in his blue eyes. He vowed to secure his throne with Jon's head.

On the morning of the second day, Jon and Stannis stood on a raft on the surface of God's Eye, each appearing in the thin mist as the sun rose.

Stannis wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Jon seemed to have grown a bit taller.

When the two first met in King's Landing, Jon was just a tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted young man. Now, he has become much more robust and has the bearing of a warlord.

Stannis remembered someone saying that Jon had single-handedly captured an entire ship, so he wisely chose to keep his distance from Jon's raft.

The two people were about thirty meters apart, a distance that seemed impossible for a human to jump across.

Jon did have that idea, but after seeing that Stannis was able to find a fishing boat and be surrounded by seven or eight burly men in full armor, he gave up the idea.

"Your Majesty Stannis, I have come to negotiate."

"Peace talks? I'm already surprised you didn't run away, and you still have the nerve to talk to me? You traitor, I think you already planned this day back in King 'King's Landing, didn't you? That's why you're demanding Casterly Rock from me." Stannis asked.

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Wasn't my wife Margaery arranged by you yourself?" Jon smiled.

Hearing this, Stannis's expression hardened, and that feeling of annoyance surged up again.

Realizing that the other party's mood was not right, Jon said, "Your Majesty Stannis, the Long Night is coming. I hope that before any major battle breaks out between us, we can both withdraw our troops and get through the Long Night first. What do you think?"

"The Long Night? Then why did you start a rebellion? If you had stayed in Casterly Rock, would I have sent troops? If you had obeyed my orders and gone to King's Landing, would I have sent troops? Jon Snow, stop using the Long Night as an excuse, stop using your silver-haired bastard to bewitch people. I think you've been wanting to rebel for a long time, haven't you?" Stannis's words were sharp, but his expression was as if the whole world owed him a hundred thousand Gold Dragon.

Robert was the Robert refused to give him Storm's End, but Robert always seemed to take his anger out on him.

"How could that be, Your Majesty?" Jon continued his tirade. "If my child weren't silver-haired, I think I would have continued to stall and maneuver against you until you realized you were no match for me, until the passing years and the busyness of politics took away your strength, until the Long Night and the White Walkers forced you to lower your guard against me. I can only say that all of this is truly unexpected. I am younger than you; I could have easily outlasted you, if it weren't for the Long Night, if you weren't always so demanding of me—"

"Enough!" Stannis interrupted Jon. He had indeed been taking advantage of the fact that he had bestowed the Westerlands upon Jon to make demands. Davos had also privately remarked that this was not the kind of treatment one would give to a meritorious person, especially one like Jon who had pulled him back from the brink of defeat.

But he disliked the way Jon spoke to him, as if he were destined to fail.

Stannis said somewhat impatiently, "I command you to deliver Melisandre to me unharmed, and I will allow you to travel to the Wall dressed in black."

"I'm afraid it's not going to work, Your Majesty. I've already sent Stannis to Slaver's Bay; she's gone to assist the Dragon Queen, who is thousands of miles away."

"What!" Stannis exclaimed in shock, not even realizing he had taken a step back, as if unwilling to accept this reality.

"That's Daenerys Targaryen, the youngest daughter of the Mad King Aerys, Rhaegar's sister—"

"I know who you're talking about!" Stannis interrupted, steer the conversation back on track. "It was you who detained her."

Do you think I can detain her?

Stannis shuddered upon hearing this, his face turning ashen, his chest heaving violently.

Melisandre was an important pillar of her spirit. Jon's identity might be questionable, but the Targaryen princess of Slaver's Bay was not.

Her identity is absolutely legitimate; otherwise, how could she possibly marry Drogo?

His most important achievements came from defeating the Targaryen, and now the people he cared about most had joined the Targaryen, which he could not accept.

The two went back and forth like this for a long time, almost until late morning, but they didn't get anywhere.

"The reason Jon wants to negotiate with Stannis is that if he accepts his explanation for the Long Night, then all the better. Stannis' withdrawal of troops will create a barrier on the east coast to defend against Young Griff's attacks."

If they don't withdraw their troops, they can buy time for the arrival of the Reach army, preventing Stannis from launching further attacks and reducing their own casualties.

He had learned from the Raven that the Reach army had crossed the Blackwater and that the vanguard had entered the Riverlands.

All I need to do now is hold off Stannis's attack until the Reach army arrives, and that will be the time of victory.

After Stannis returned, he quickly began constructing fortifications and digging trenches around Jon's stronghold, clearly intending to trap him there.

Two days later, an army of 20,000 arrived from Harrenhal and, under Stannis's personal command, launched an attack on the hills where Jon was located.