The Queen's Surrender

"Your Majesty, it's just that she slept with a fisherwoman. You shouldn't have publicly flogged her."

Strickland followed behind Young Griff, his large, round head chattering incessantly, still pleading for his subordinate.

"Sir Strickland, we are now back in Westeros. This is our land, and its people are our people. You are no longer mercenaries."

Young Griff explained patiently.

Because of Martell's defection, they were unable to land in Stormlands.

Furthermore, since Harrenhal has been captured, they would have no defensible position if they landed in the Crownlands.

The only remaining option is a relatively safe Vale with natural barriers.

Young Griff led the Golden Company from Pentos to Gulltown. In Gulltown, a member of the Golden Company, a sergeant named Tristan Rivers, forcibly and violently took advantage of a fisherman's daughter.

Although everyone else thought that paying money would be enough, Young Griff insisted on publicly whipping him and confiscating one of his gold armlets as compensation to the fisherwoman.

The Golden Armband, as its name suggests, is made of gold. It is not only extremely valuable, but also a symbol of the loyalty of the soldiers of the Golden Company to the Golden Company. Such a punishment is quite severe.

However, it did have an effect; after they left Gulltown, no soldier or officer dared to harm the local people along the way.

"He is truly a king with his own opinions." Illyrio looked at the insistent Young Griff with admiration on his face, and at the same time, as if celebrating, he popped a piece of cheese dipped in white sugar into his mouth.

"Yes, just like his father Rhaegar," Connington said, looking at Young Griff.

"Haha, Rhaegar, yes." A hint of disdain flashed in the cheese merchant's eyes.

Seeing that Young Griff refused to budge on the issue of military discipline, Commander Strickland had no choice but to give up.

He has already pledged allegiance to Young Griff, which is tantamount to relinquishing command of the army.

However, while some people are unhappy, others are happy.

For example, Sister Lemore, who taught Young Griff manners and morality, greatly admired Young Griff's persistence.

Haldon, who had been teaching him, was also very satisfied.

As for Illyrio, needless to say, he saw an unyielding kingly demeanor in Young Griff, and was overjoyed.

He swallowed the cheese in his mouth, then rinsed it, and Illyrio spurred his horse toward Young Griff, who was riding a large black horse.

"Your Majesty," Illyrio said, suppressing his joy, "Lord Varys and Lord Petyr have taken control of Shireen Baratheon, the orphan of Stannis Usurper. There will be a surrender ceremony later. Would you like to make some preparations?"

"I remember Shireen being quite young, isn't she?"

"Yes, but only twelve or thirteen years old," Illyrio replied, his face still beaming with joy. After all, the Targaryen had just returned and had already received the surrender of the Usurper's descendant, which was a good omen no matter what.

"No need for anything too grand. They're just a widow and her child. Our real enemy is Jon." Mentioning Jon, Young Griff straightened his back, his expression turning serious.

Whether in Slaver's Bay or during this period, he studied Jon again and again, but he never figured out how to defeat him, nor could he grasp the limits of his abilities.

His extraordinary command abilities and near-genius strategic methods are both rare talents, appearing only once in a millennium.

Sometimes he wondered if Jon was really, as he claimed, the son of his father Rhaegar and another woman, Lyanna.

Could it be that the bloodline of ice and fire is so powerful?

Even disregarding Jon's personal abilities, his power was still quite formidable.

The North, the South, and the Riverlands were his most loyal allies, bound by blood and interests, and there was absolutely no possibility of them splitting apart.

In particular, Jon controlled all of Westeros's naval forces. If they hadn't been closer to the island, and if Jon hadn't focused his efforts on fighting Stannis in the early stages, the Golden Company wouldn't have been able to land.

To win the battle against Jon, relying on the power of the Free Cities is almost inevitable.

As Young Griff was deep in thought, a commotion and laughter erupted—"Your Majesty need not worry, we have brought Jon to you."

Young Griff turned around and saw two soldiers escorting a soldier with a red beard and wearing gold-embroidered armor to Young Griff side.

This was also a sergeant in the Golden Company, Jon Lothston.

In fact, Jon Rothsstein was among the first to know Aegon's true identity.

Several people hoped to please Young Griff in this way.

However, Young Griff remained unmoved and reined in his horse.

Seeing that he had stopped, presumably to say something, everyone stopped to listen attentively.

"Sirs, Sergeant Major, our opponent is extremely powerful and complex. First and foremost, his strength is undeniable. Everyone has heard of the Battle of the Green Fork, the Battle for King's Landing, and the fall of Casterly Rock. Any one of these battles is enough to elevate one to the status of a first-rate general. Now, he also controls the entire Sunset Sea, with the Westerlands as his kingdom, North and South as his allies. In the previous battle against Stannis Usurper, he even gained control of the Riverlands, and now he even holds sway over the Stormlands. Although he has not yet firmly established himself in these places, our challenge is unprecedented. Sirs, you must not treat this lightly."

Young Griff's words were like a north wind, cooling the burning passion in the hearts of the Golden Company soldiers. Many of them even wore constipated expressions. This time, even Illyrio couldn't stand by and watch.

Having frequently navigated the political landscape of Pentos, he understood that often one had to use a combination of coaxing and deception, and that it would be inappropriate to say these things aloud now.

What if these people back out?

Concerned for Young Griff, Illyrio quickly interjected, "Gentlemen, this time is different! We possess the impregnable Vale Kingdom, a fortified stronghold—something those defeated Blackfyre cannot match!"

Strickland looked at Illyrio and Young Griff, and for some reason felt that the two looked somewhat alike when they made certain expressions.

But upon closer inspection, Illyrio had become obese due to his love of sweets, with a round belly and neck, while Young Griff was tall and slender with silver hair and purple eyes.

Strickland shook his head, assuming he had just imagined it.

Although they believe that Young Griff. is somewhat harsh in his military discipline, they all hope to regain the throne through Young Griff and restore their family's glory, so they have no choice but to follow him to the bitter end.

"Soldiers, my family has served the Golden Company for four generations. From what I've observed, this Vale is indeed a bit eerie." Strickland deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

All the soldiers and officers looked at his large, round head.

"Strange? What's strange about it?" Illyrio didn't know what was wrong with this guy. His morale had already dropped a bit because of what Young Griff, and now he was saying something like this.

But Strickland ignored him and continued talking to himself.

"I've discovered that whichever side receives the support of the Vale Kingdom ultimately triumphs!"

"Ah?"

The crowd looked puzzled and murmured in confusion, wondering what kind of strange thing this was.

Strickland continued with a smug look on his face, "Think about which side the Vale chose when Aegon the Conqueror landed? Which side did they choose during the Dance of the Dragons? Which side did they choose during the Blackfyre Rebellion? And the War of the Usurper— "

As everyone pondered Strickland's words, they all understood his meaning.

The Vale Kingdom can be called a master of choosing sides; almost every time, whoever they side with wins.

During the War of Conquest, they chose to side with the Targaryen; Dance of the Dragons, they supported the the Blacks; Blackfyre Rebellion, they supported the Iron Throne; and during the War of the Usurper, the Vale chose to oppose the Iron Throne.

Even if there is no necessary causal relationship, the psychological boost that comes from making this choice is still very useful.

Upon hearing this, a sense of hope gradually rose in everyone's hearts. Did the Vale's support for them mean they could succeed?

As for Stannis's situation this time, Stannis didn't actually receive the Vale's full support at all, so that Stannis doesn't count.

Young Griff didn't refute Strickland's statement, after all, "Mysticism is a legitimate practice." The Vale's success once or twice could be explained by luck, but three or five times would be a different story.

And Illyrio is right, this time they have the Vale as a strong rear base, which the Blackfyre rebels of the past cannot match.

Daenerys's dragon Young Griff and Connington had also seen them; they were majestic and powerful, but they were not yet adults and could not compare to the legendary Balerion the Black Dread.

Even if Daenerys chooses Jon later, those three dragons still won't be able to enter the Vale.

In this way, they are essentially invincible; since they cannot fail, they can only succeed.

Encouraged, the troops quickened their pace and arrived at the the Eyrie at noon.

Varys and Petyr had been waiting for some time.

Selyse and Shireen, who had only been queen mothers for a month, were now prisoners.

Shireen and her mother stood in the snow, shivering uncontrollably.

In order to expose Baratheon's disgraceful behavior in front of Young Griff, Petyr specifically ordered that the mother and daughter not be dressed in thick clothes, especially Shireen, and even ordered that Shireen's shoes be removed.

A pair of slender feet stood in the snow, rubbing themselves repeatedly, hoping to gain a little warmth in this way.

When Selyse saw her daughter's blue lips, her eyes reddened, and she was filled with remorse.

She repeatedly begged Petyr to put shoes on her daughter, but he refused each time.

Your Majesty, I am protecting Shireen. Only by surrendering sincerely can we gain His Aegon Aegon's forgiveness.

Petyr said so.

Selyse had never met Young Griff and knew nothing about his character, so she could only accept Petyr's suggestion.

Baratheon can only obediently turn his belly up in an attempt to beg for a shred of pity.

Selyse looked at Shireen, her daughter standing in the snow, her feet numb with cold, occasionally sniffling.

In fact, this was not the most painful thing for a little girl; the most painful thing was that Petyr confiscated her veil.

This exposed Shireen's unsightly scars from Greyscale to everyone's view.

That disdainful gaze was more hurtful than the biting cold wind.

Shireen noticed her mother, who had pleaded for her several times, turn around and say, "It's alright, Mother, I... I won't." (coldly)

Even at this moment, Shireen didn't forget to turn back and comfort Selyse.

"My daughter." Selyse cried out in her heart, feeling immense remorse, especially for the harsh words she had spoken to her daughter in the past.

"Seven, even if you cast me into the Land of Always Winter for a thousand years, please don't punish my daughter. She has already suffered enough."

Selyse wept, but her Tears quickly dried in the cold wind.

Just then, Petyr suddenly shouted, "His Aegon Targaryen is coming!"

Those who came to greet them were all properly dressed and stood at attention, attended by servants and maids.

Petyr and Varys stood at the very front, for they were the greatest contributors to the victory.

Lysa stood beside Petyr, her arm linked with her husband 'Petyr.

She is now Lysa Petyr.

She watched with her own eyes as the man beside her gradually rose to his current position.

Now that Young Griff arrived, although he may not be able to become a regent, there is no problem for him to regain his seat in the King's Court and become the true Warden of the Vale.

Thanks to previous investments, Arryn, under Petyr's leadership, has emerged from the shadow of their initial rebellion. The killing of Stannis and the surrender of prisoners were enough to free Arryn from the shadow of being a supporter of the War of the Usurper and to make them the Targaryen' most reliable subjects once again.

Lysa nestled her head against Petyr's shoulder, feeling utterly blissful.

"The Free Cities has many mercenary groups, but the Golden Company is the most powerful, with more than 10,000 men, including 1,000 heavy cavalry and war elephants."

See their armbands? Soldiers and sergeants of the Golden Company have a habit of wearing their valuables on their person. Most of these men are descendants of lords banished from the Iron Throne, and our Aegon is their only hope for restoring their family's glory.

Petyr began to tell Lysa a rather lengthy story.

"Darling, you know so much."

Lysa puffed out her chest and nuzzled against Petyr's arm, as if trying to envelop him.

Varys glanced sideways at him, then continued looking at the group in the distance.

Their armor was gleaming and their decorations were magnificent. From a distance, they looked like warriors under the Seven, quite imposing indeed.

And the Young Griff, surrounded by them, was even more extraordinary, with silver-gold hair and blue-violet eyes that exuded an aura that attracted everyone's attention.

The black steed beneath him strides forward with its head held high, as if determined to crush all obstacles.

Just then, Illyrio rode forward and announced in a voice brimming with excitement, "Aegon Targaryen VI, Protector of the Realm of the Seven Kingdoms and the entire realm, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, has arrived!"