The Vessel of Ambition

Varys was bald and had no beard, but he was tall and strong.

When Young Griff saw him, he couldn't help but find it strange that he wasn't wearing a hat in such cold weather, letting the snowflakes fall on his shiny head and melt into tiny water droplets.

He himself didn't wear a hat to show off the legitimacy derived from his silver hair; it's unclear what Varys' purpose was.

Feeling that Young Griff was looking at him, Varys smiled back, and Young Griff nodded slightly in return.

Illyrio mentioned several times that Varys was a major contributor to their conquest of the Vale.

There was something else that puzzled Young Griff: Varys and Illyrio always looked at him with the same kind of appreciative, elder-like gaze.

Even now, he could see a strange sense of satisfaction in Varys ' eyes. He didn't dislike the feeling, but he was still somewhat uncomfortable with it.

He then looked at Petyr, Petyr Illyrio completely different.

His face and beard were very clean, and the cane made Young Griff recognize him quickly.

He told Young Griff to be wary of this guy no matter what.

In particular, you cannot trust him.

Young Griff nodded to him, while glancing out of the corner of his eye at his severed brass hand and the cane beside him.

Lysa supported him from the side.

Young Griff also already knew that Petyr had conspired with Lysa to murder Jon Arryn.

This is absolutely terrifying, and we must be wary of people like this.

Although Young Griff harbors a simple sense of justice, it doesn't mean he lacks common sense.

Given the current situation, it is not the right time to take action against Petyr.

During this time, Varys had told Young Griff everything Petyr had done, one by one.

For example, someone who plots to murder Eddard Stark and Stannis while simultaneously seeking power for themselves is someone you have to be wary of.

As for Lysa, Young Griff didn't care as much. Although he didn't know Lysa, he could see that all-too-familiar look in her eyes.

Every Maiden who had ever seen Young Griff was infatuated with him, and now Lysa had the same look in her eyes, which sent a chill down Young Griff, after all, this woman was almost twice his age.

No matter how outstanding his appearance, Young Griff would not be tempted. He understood his duty and knew he could not do such a ridiculous thing under any circumstances.

As for Selyse and Shireen ----

This mother and daughter shivering in the cold wind doesn't exactly inspire the satisfaction of revenge.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy lasting peace and prosperity. Petyr Baelish, Lord of the Fingers, Baelish his allegiance to you."

"Lady Lysa Baelish of the the Eyrie pledges her allegiance to you."

Varys pledges his allegiance to you----

The three knelt on one knee in the snow, taking turns to submit to Young Griff.

Following the three were a group of Vale nobles. After accepting their submission, everyone's attention turned to Selyse and her daughter.

Petyr had the mother and daughter rehearse the scene before they were presented as prisoners.

Petyr herself played the role of Young Griff, ensuring that the mother and daughter were respectful enough to win Young Griff's favor.

Petyr coughed lightly, as if signaling to Selyse and her daughter.

After receiving Petyr's signal, Selyse led her daughter by the hand to the tall, handsome Young Griff.

The mother and daughter were filled with fear; they had absolutely no capacity for appreciation.

"Your Majesty, the wife of Stannis Baratheon the Usurper and her daughter Shireen Baratheon surrender to you," Selyse said, kneeling deeply in the snow.

"Shireen Baratheon submits to you."

Just then, the snow seemed to fall even harder, landing on the shoulders and backs of the mother and daughter, and on Shireen's ebony black hair as if covered with a layer of frost.

The white snow covering the black hair seems quite fitting for the current situation.

The mother and daughter pressed their hands, red from the cold, into the snow; this was something Petyr had taught them.

"I, the Protector of the Realm the Seven Kingdoms and the whole realm, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, accept your surrender," said Young Griff Aegon the Conqueror, recalling the scene when he accepted the King in the North, Torrhen Stark, the King of Surrender.

However, this widow and her child could not bring much of a victorious air of a king, so they were somewhat disheartened.

He knew a little about Selyse and Shireen. Take Shireen for example, a little girl who was only twelve years old and also disabled, she was a complete puppet.

She was also caught in a situation against her will, and for some reason, Young Griff even felt that he and she had some similarities.

It's just that I was swept along by fate.

The others, oblivious to the change in Young Griff's expression, offered their congratulations upon witnessing this scene.

Even though Illyrio, and especially Varys, knew that Young Griff was still a long way from becoming the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, they still felt a sense of accomplishment in the face of the current situation.

At this moment, Petyr spoke up, "Your Majesty, it's a pity that the Usurper was cursed by the Seven; either his bloodline was corrupted or he fell ill. Otherwise, I think it would be perfect to have Shireen as your maid."

"That's a good idea, but it's really too ugly," Strickland chimed in.

"Excellent, excellent! Our Majesty wants the Queen as his maid!" said a soldier who had just been punished. "It's a pity she's too ugly; it would make people lose their appetite, and making His Majesty lose his appetite is a grave offense."

His words are quite intriguing, leaving one unsure whether he was warning Shireen and her daughter or complaining about how harsh Young Griff had been in punishing him.

"Your Majesty—" Selyse felt her heart bleeding as she listened to the undisguised insults directed at her daughter.

As for Shireen, she was like a little rabbit locked in a cage, trembling all over as it was observed and teased.

When Shireen was very young, her uncle Renly once said that she was so ugly she would rather be dead.

This incident caused Shireen immense psychological trauma.

Stannis is bad at comforting people, and Selyse isn't exactly a strong-willed person either.

The humiliation of her appearance left Shireen to lick her wounds alone.

With so many people making fun of her appearance, she felt a buzzing in her ears.

However, the next second, Young Griff did something that surprised everyone. He took off his black cloak and draped it over Shireen, saying, "From now on, you will be my handmaid."

"Your Majesty, she's so ugly. If the madam brings me another one like her, I'll beat her up too."

"His Majesty?"

Everyone was baffled by Young Griff's actions. With so many women in the Vale, couldn't they find a pretty one? Why would he do something like this?

Bringing a disabled maidservant would be beneath the king's dignity.

"Your Majesty, Shireen knows nothing! Please, spare her!" Selyse knelt before Young Griff, wailing, the snow clinging to her body and sticking to his legs.

Selyse couldn't understand why Young Griff wanted her poor daughter to be his handmaid, and instinctively thought that he wanted to humiliate or even torture her daughter.

"She's just a maid; you don't need to worry about her."

"Just a maid?"

"It's your good fortune, ugly daughter, to be a maidservant to His Majesty. Don't be crying here." Before Young Griff could say anything, someone immediately stepped forward to reprimand Selyse.

Young Griff remained unmoved, and patiently explained, insisting that Shireen be his handmaid.

The others thought that since Selyse and her daughter posed no threat whatsoever, they should indulge Aegon's little whims. After all, Shireen had been queen for a few days, so it wouldn't be a bad thing for Young Griff to use her as a handmaiden.

After the surrender ceremony concluded, the group was finally able to proceed to the the Eyrie, a castle built almost as if on a natural barrier.

As they climbed the the Eyrie, the group felt more and more that it was an absolutely impregnable fortress, displaying its strategic importance in the most unadorned way.

Not only are there winding stairs, but there are also hanging baskets that require people to be transported up like radishes.

It was impossible to transport all ten thousand-plus Golden Company soldiers up there; Connington selected elite and core troops to go to the the Eyrie.

In Varys's plan, the Golden Company needs to take over the defense of the entire the Eyrie.

Returning to the the Eyrie, its strategic importance is second only to Casterly Rock.

However, Casterly Rock has changed hands, but the banner of the Moonhawk still flies above the the Eyrie.

Upon arriving at the main hall of Casterly Rock, the group was forced to confront their enemies and challenges.

"Our opponents haven't chosen to occupy King's Landing or Crownlands yet, but they have occupied Harrenhal and Stormlands, clearly intending to dump this population burden on our shoulders."

Varys spoke first.

"We have almost no fleet now; if we did, we could reclaim the Crownlands," Connington added.

"Jon's forces are truly formidable, almost several times ours. Perhaps we should consider recruiting more mercenary groups to serve us?" Strickland also offered his opinion.

Everyone offered their own perspectives, but all of their suggestions were flawed.

The army from the Riverlands was stationed at Harrenhal, blocking the route for the main army from the Vale to launch an attack.

Without a fleet, the Vale would certainly be easy to defend and difficult to attack, Jon would have to pay a heavy price to get in. However, the difficulties they would face in getting out would also be extremely high.

The current situation seems to have reached a stalemate.

"Your Majesty," Varys said, "When the Usurper seized the Iron Throne, Robert squandered his wealth and borrowed over 1.5 million Gold Dragon from the Varys Iron Throne. Knowing Jon Snow as I do, he certainly won't take on this loan. If we can guarantee the Iron Bank that this loan will be repaid, we can at least secure enough funds for the war effort."

"My God, a million five hundred thousand Gold Dragon could kill me. How did Robert manage to spend so much money?"

"The Golden Company only makes around 100,000 Gold Dragon per raid, I think. The most I ever made was less than 200,000 Gold Dragon," Strickland muttered.

"How can I take out a loan from the man who killed my father! Isn't that a disgrace?" Young Griff almost instinctively rejected Varys's offer.

After all, he couldn't accept this emotionally.

People around him had told him about his mother, Elia, many times.

It's incomprehensible to anyone that someone would have to bear the debts of their enemy after such a deep-seated blood feud.

Varys, Illyrio, and Connington exchanged a glance. They understood Young Griff's feelings, but they needed help; otherwise, how could they possibly defeat Jon?

They all thought that Young Griff was still acting somewhat impulsively.

Petyr, standing to the side, didn't care what they were up to; what he cared about was why he hadn't seen the Dragon Queen.

Without dragons, wouldn't it be wishful thinking for these people to defeat Jon?

At this moment Illyrio spoke up, "Your Majesty, as the son of Rhaegar Prince Rhaegar, we understand your feelings. However, we need allies now. If we are lucky, we can obtain a fleet from Braavos. With a fleet, we can bypass Harrenhal, cross the Trident River, and seize the Crownlands and the Iron Throne."

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's not easy without a fleet. Everyone is looking forward to the day when we can return to our homeland and rebuild our families," Strickland echoed.

Young Griff looked around at the people talking amongst themselves, bewildered by their attempts to dissuade him. "Robert killed my father, why should I pay for his debauchery? Don't we have any other choice?"

Young Griff's voice echoed in the hall, sounding like a question or an accusation.

For a long time, no one responded to his words; all that could be heard was the rustling of clothes and a slightly embarrassed cough.

"Besides, who will pay for this? Won't it be the people of the Seven Kingdoms?" Young Griff looked at Sister Lemore in the crowd, as if asking for help, or perhaps expressing his own doubts.

She clearly taught herself to cherish the people, but how could she expect the people to pay off her debts?

Sister Lemore didn't know how to answer at that moment, or perhaps silence was sometimes an answer as well.

He felt as if he were being carried forward by an invisible force, a force that was the expectations, goals, and even ambitions of everyone around him.

And I am merely a vessel for this power.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Young Griff glanced at Shireen beside him out of the corner of his eye. Shireen had been freezing in the snow for a long time, had her head down, and whether out of fear or for some other reason, she could be heard sobbing faintly.

He finally understood how that feeling of shared suffering arose.

Although these people have pledged their allegiance to me, their ultimate goal is to restore their families, not because of my personal charisma.

I, too, am not in control of my own destiny.

"Your Majesty, I think I may say a few words." Illyrio sighed; he found the boy had been taught to be a little too kind. "This money was not entirely paid for by the people of the Seven Kingdoms."

"It wasn't funded by the people of the Seven Kingdoms?"

Everyone was puzzled, after all, which of the Seven Kingdoms' lords didn't live off the blood and sweat of the common people?

"As long as you work hard to govern the country, develop trade, and improve the lives of the people, wouldn't it be enough for you to take a portion of what you've earned?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, once you reclaim the Seven Kingdoms, you can strive to become a king like Jaehaerys I. You are still young, and you have the opportunity to bring fifty years of peace and tranquility to this country. For the common people, peace is the greatest wealth."

"From my efforts—" Young Griff gave a wry smile, but still agreed with Illyrio's suggestion. Illyrio said that in the end, they might not necessarily have to have as many as 1.5 million; they only needed to have a little more than Jon, and optimistically, it wouldn't exceed one million Gold Dragon.

Finally, they decided to send Varys and Illyrio to Braavos and the Three Daughters Kingdoms respectively, to see if they could garner some outside assistance.

Besides going to the Three Daughters Kingdoms, Illyrio also needs to go to Sunspear. He needs to ask those Dorne folks what's going on with this last-minute change of plans!

The others remained in the Vale to prepare for the upcoming war, gathering supplies and provisions.