The first ray of sunlight in the morning slanted in from the stained glass window above, casting a colorful light and shadow on the stone floor.
The images of Seven, Father, Mother, Warrior... are painted on the glass windows.
The sunlight passes through these pictures, breaking the shadows of the gods into countless pieces, and shines on the woman kneeling on the stone floor.
Cersei·Lannister I don't know how long I have been kneeling.
Below her knees were cold and uneven stone slabs, with tiny grains of sand embedded in the gaps between the slabs, like countless needles, piercing her skin.
A new day, another day.
She has lost count of how many days she has knelt here, time has lost its meaning here.
The only change was the bruise on the knee... from green to purple, from purple to black, from black to yellow, and then a new round of bruises covered it, and the pain became worse with every breath.
But she didn't dare to move.
Because there were two women in gray robes standing in front of them.
Their robes extend from head to toe, only a pair of eyes are exposed. The gray coarse cloth is as rough as a sack, and a knotted hemp rope is tied around the waist. Their bare feet step on the stone slabs. Their toes are deformed, yellow, and covered with thick calluses because they have not worn shoes for many years. They are very ugly.
--Silent Sisters.
"Stand up."
A voice came from above the head, and Cersei raised his head.
The one who spoke was not Silent Sisters, because they never spoke, but a young man wearing a gray monk's robe. He was as thin as a bamboo pole, with no flesh on his face, tall bones, and deep-set eyes. He looked like a walking skeleton.
He is the "mouth" of Silent Sisters, responsible for translating the oracles they receive into languages.
As for whether those "wills" were revelations from Seven, or torturous tricks thought up by those old women when they were idle, Cersei no longer had the energy to investigate.
Cersei slowly stood up with her hands on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her knees, but she gritted her teeth without making a single sound.
After staying here for so long, she finally learned one thing, that is, any show of weakness in front of Silent Sisters will lead to more "confession tasks".
In addition to handling the remains of the deceased and keeping Sept clean, Silent Sisters's duties also have to supervise the sinners who are sent to "repent".
And Cersei·Lannister, Seven Kingdoms the Queen Mother, the mother of the current king, who was once Seven Kingdoms the most beautiful woman, is now such a "sinner", but now she has even lost the right to complain.
Because she complained once three days ago, claiming that she was the Queen Mother and yelling, "You untouchables have no right to touch me."
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Then Silent Sisters asked her to kneel at the door of Sept, in front of all the civilians who came to pray, and knelt for two full hours, letting the untouchables walk past her, looking at her with gloating eyes and whispering.
"Is that the Queen Mother?"
"I heard she was caught having an affair."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how shameless."
"She is not as good as a prostitute from Street of Silk. At least the prostitute takes off her clothes after being paid."
This feeling was simply more shameful than being stripped naked in public and paraded through the streets. Cersei wanted to hit his head against a stone pillar and die!
But she didn't.
Because she wants to leave this hellish place alive, and she wants revenge!
So she learned to be patient, kneeling on the cold stone floor all day long, drinking porridge so thin that a human figure could be seen in every meal, and eating black bread so hard that it could kill a dog.
In the dead of night, Cersei would always lie alone on the hard wooden bed, staring at the dark ceiling, silently reciting the names of everyone who had harmed him.
Margaery·Tyrell.
Vito·Corleone.
And...Tywin·Lannister!
But just when Cersei thought he had learned to tolerate what others couldn't, he discovered that he was still too naive.
Because today, Silent Sisters arranged a "special task" for her today.
"Take off your shoes," said the monk.
Cersei was stunned for a moment and looked down at the soft sheepskin slippers on his feet.
This is one of the few decent items she has left. It was given to her by that bitch Margaery·Tyrell when she "kindly" visited her, saying that "Her Majesty the Queen Mother is practicing in Sept and needs comfortable shoes."
Cersei At that time, I wanted to throw my shoe on that bitch's face, but I still held back.
Because she really needs a good pair of shoes.
"Why?" Cersei couldn't help but ask.
The monk looked at her expressionlessly, then turned to look at Silent Sisters behind him.
The woman was unbelievably old, and the wrinkles on her face were as deep as knives, but her eyes were cloudy but very sharp.
She gestured a few times, the monk nodded, and then relayed. "Seven said that sins seep into the human body from the soles of the feet. You walk barefoot on the Sept stone slabs, and every step you take is stepping sins back into hell."
Cersei's mouth twitched.
Sin seeps in through the soles of the feet?
What kind of bullshit theory is this?
But she didn't refute, she just bent down obediently, slowly took off her shoes and put them aside.
Stepping on the stone floor with her bare feet, the cold feeling spread from the soles of her feet, making her shiver with coldness.
"Very well," said the monk, "Now, follow me."
He turned around and walked towards the depths of Sept. Cersei followed behind him with bare feet. Two Silent Sisters followed behind him, one on the left and one on the right, like guards escorting prisoners.
They walked through the nave of Sept and passed the statue of Seven. Father was high up, looking down at the world with eyes without sorrow or joy, and Mother opened its arms as if to welcome them.
Cersei lowered his head and looked at his toes curled up from stepping on the cold stone slabs, stained with dust and fine sand.
She remembered that when she was a child, in Casterly Rock, no matter where she went, there were carriages and sedan chairs, and no matter how bad they were, there were attendants on their backs.
Later, she married King's Landing and became the queen. The floor of Red Keep was covered with a thick carpet, which was as soft as stepping on clouds.
But now, I am walking barefoot in Great Sept of Baelor, like an extremely humble idiot Seven believer.
No, it is even more humble than a believer.
At least those fools who were stupid enough to believe that God could bless them did so voluntarily, and she was forced to do so.
"We're here." The monk's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Cersei raised his head and found that they had arrived at a small chapel on the east side of Sept.
This chapel is not big, about the size of an ordinary bedroom. The walls are painted with murals of the crucifixion of Seven. The painting style is simple and the colors are mottled and peeling off.
There is a stone platform in the center of the chapel, and a wooden cross is placed on the stone platform.
It's not Seven-Pointed Star, it's a cross.
Cersei frowned.
The symbol of Faith of the Seven is Seven-Pointed Star, not a cross. This kind of cross usually appears in some ancient branch sects and has been eliminated by the mainstream church for hundreds of years.
"What is this?" she asked.
The monk did not answer, but listened intently to the gesture of Silent Sisters behind him.
"This is the Penitential Cross."
"The Cross of Penance?"
"Yes." The monk nodded. "You have to carry it on your back and walk from this chapel to the Sept main entrance, and then back again."
"There are seven trips in total, corresponding to the seven faces of Seven."
Cersei's eyes widened.
Carrying the cross?
Seven trips?
She lowered her head and looked at the wooden cross. It was probably about the height of a person, even taller than her. The wood looked like oak, and it looked very thick.
"How much?" Cersei swallowed and asked.
"About forty pounds."
Forty pounds!
Cersei's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe what his ears heard.
I am a woman!
She grew up in Casterly Rock and was born squatting on a golden toilet. She had never done heavy work. She carried a forty-pound dry cross frame on her back seven times?
Are you damn sure you weren't sent by that bitch Margaery to kill me?
"I... I really can't carry it."
In the face of power, even as crazy as Cersei can't help but beg in a low voice, "Can you...
"Can't."
The monk interrupted her, and his tone was unquestionable. "God said that the weight of the sin is the same as the weight of the cross. If you can't carry it, it means your sins are heavier than the cross."
Cersei's lips trembled, but she knew that no matter what she said, it would be sin in the eyes of these damn lunatics.
Cheating, lying, pride, even her being born a woman are sins!
Because people's birth is always accompanied by desire, and Silent Sisters people generally believe that desire originates from women. Regarding this, they don't even let themselves go, so they choose abstinence.
Without Cersei's consent, the monk just turned around and motioned for the two Silent Sisters to come forward to help.
They don't have any nonsense...
.. Then he lifted up the cross and without any explanation, hit Cersei on the shoulder.
Cersei felt as if his shoulders were being pressed down by a mountain, and his whole body sank, almost falling to his knees.
But she gritted her teeth and stood up straight.
"Let's begin." The monk continued to order in a tone that left no room for doubt.
Hearing this, Cersei knew that he might not be able to escape today, so he had to take a deep breath and take the first step.
The cross swayed on her shoulders, and the edge of the oak wood dug into her collarbone, making her grimace in pain.
It is about two hundred steps from the chapel to the main entrance of Sept.
Two hundred steps, carrying a forty pound cross.
Cersei When he finished the first trip, he was out of breath, his forehead was covered with sweat, and the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat and stuck to his skin.
But she can't stop.
Because Silent Sisters was following behind her, like two gray ghosts urging her silently.
Then came the second and third trips...
Cersei's legs began to tremble, the skin on his shoulders was scratched, blood seeped out, and the soles of his feet were worn out, leaving vague footprints on the stone slabs.
But she didn't stop.
Because she knew that stopping would mean admitting defeat.
Admitting defeat means that she will never leave this hellish place in her life.
Time passed minute by minute.
Cersei has lost count of how many times he has walked. His head feels dizzy, his knees are swollen like two steamed buns, and the skin and flesh on the soles of his feet are even turned up. Every step he takes feels like he is stepping on red-hot iron.
But she didn't stop.
Because she knows that if she stops, Silent Sisters will definitely make her start all over again!
After these days of contact, she knew that those old bitches were capable of such things!
They have plenty of time and patience, but Cersei doesn't. If she stays here one more day, that little bitch Margaery and that damn Farmer Corleone will be proud one more day!
Can't stop!
Under the gaze of several people, Cersei gritted his teeth and moved one step at a time, completing the seventh trip.
Cersei fell forward, her knees hitting the ground, and the pain made her eyes black.
She gasped for breath, sweat dripped from her forehead and mixed with the blood, spreading a small patch of dark red on the gray-white stone surface.
Staring at the puddle of his own blood on the ground, Cersei had only one thought in his mind.
When I get out of this hellish place, I will burn this place and you damn bastards to death with Wildfire!
Burn them all to death!
There are also Margaery, Corleone, Tywin, none of them can survive!
She will use Wildfire to burn the entire King's Landing to ashes, burn it completely, and then stand in the ashes, stepping on everyone's bones and laughing loudly!
Hahaha!
Thinking of this, a twisted smile appeared on the corner of Cersei's mouth, which was probably uglier than the evil ghost crawling out of Seven Hells.
She wanted to stand up, but the cross behind her was so heavy that Cersei couldn't breathe at all, let alone stand. Her hands were supporting the ground again and again, and then she fell down. The monk and Silent Sisters just looked at the Queen Mother in such embarrassment in silence without saying a word.
On the third try, Cersei was finally about to stand up, but a certain Silent Sisters suddenly stretched out his leg and tripped her. The unsuspecting Cersei immediately fell forward.
She closed her eyes in despair.
If she fell hard now, the cross behind her would definitely break her ribs!
But the pain never came...
Suddenly, one hand stretched out from nowhere and firmly held the cross arm of the cross, while the other hand wrapped around Cersei's waist to support her.
Cersei was stunned for a moment and raised his head.
A very serious face with gray hair came into view, but she didn't recognize him.
But before she could speak, the old man's voice sounded.
"I have told you a long time ago that placing this kind of artifact of a heretical evil god in the highest hall of Seven is an insult to God1
His voice was not loud but full of force, and every word echoed clearly in the empty corridor.
Hearing this, the monk's expression changed.
He opened his mouth to say something, but the old man didn't give him a chance and continued to teach him.
"Look where this is."
The old man removed his hand from the cross and pointed to the statues of Seven on both sides of the corridor. "This is Great Sept of Baelor, the residence of Seven in the world, and a holy place built brick by brick by the sages with their blood and piety!"
"But look what you fools put here? A cross!"
As he spoke, he turned around and faced the monk and the two Silent Sisters, his eyes shining coldly under the light of the oil lamp.
"This is a relic of an ancient heretical sect. It is an evil weapon that has been personally declared by successive High Septons as "an object of inappropriate worship". It was expelled from the church hundreds of years ago. Where did you find it?"
As soon as these words came out, the monk's face turned even more ugly.
Although the two Silent Sisters behind him did not speak, Cersei noticed that their bodies stiffened slightly and the hem of their robes swayed slightly, as if they were moving uneasily.
"You let a living person carry this thing and walk around in Sept."
The old man's voice became louder and louder. "You call this confession? No, this is blasphemy! It is an insult to Seven! What did Tywin·Lannister turn Seven's palace into? An execution ground or a torture chamber?"