Chapter 213 - Chapter 343: Er Lu Wants to Surrender?

"Dany, have you decided to give up the Iron Throne?" Old Aemon asked hesitantly.Atop the Wall, to the east of the gate, there stood an old wooden shed, once built by the Night's Watch in earlier years—a structure not unlike a cattle barn, used during night shifts to shield men from the wind and rain. Now, short of manpower, it had been abandoned for many years.At the moment, Balerion lay curled up inside the dilapidated shed, while Dany and Aemon sat side by side upon the dragon's soft and resilient wing membrane.It was like chatting on a couch.Resources were scarce among the Night's Watch. Dinner was far from luxurious, and there were no entertainments. After eating a piece of steak, Dany excused herself and ascended the Wall.Aemon followed her up."Why do you say that? I have dragons, magic, and dozens of Valyrian steel swords. From every angle, my odds of victory should be the greatest," Dany said.Aemon said with concern, "I watched closely as you fought the White Walkers last night. Valyrian steel swords are to them what iron swords are to armored knights—they can do damage, but only with well-placed strikes, and even then, you need to break through their armor first.Dragonfire works, but its efficiency is too low. Their ice armor and ice swords can even block fireballs. It's terrifying.But Lightbringer is different. It's a divine weapon forged by Azor Ahai specifically to combat the White Walkers. I suspect Stannis could cut through their ice swords and ignore the magic protection of their ice armor—just like a Valyrian blade slicing through wooden weapons.I have another theory: only Lightbringer can kill the Night King. Ordinary weapons can't end the Long Night. Otherwise, Azor Ahai wouldn't have gone through so much just to forge a single sword."Dany fell silent.The old man's words were far from nonsense—they made a lot of sense.Azor Ahai didn't end the White Walkers in a single sweep. He fought them for many years—legend says the Long Night lasted a generation. There were both victories and defeats, but he never managed to truly end it.Eight thousand years ago, Valyria didn't exist yet, so naturally, there was no Valyrian steel. Aside from dragonglass, there was a magical metal known as "dragonsteel." It's uncertain exactly what kind of steel it was, but its function was similar to Valyrian steel—it could slay White Walkers.As a prophesied hero and savior, Azor Ahai couldn't have lacked a dragonsteel weapon. And yet, he insisted on forging a new sword, even sacrificing his own wife in the process.With such a heavy price paid to forge Lightbringer, the sword must possess a powerful function—one particularly effective against the Night King.Dany had only ever seen Game of Thrones. Until now, she believed that with her Valyrian steel weapons, the Night King would be no match.Seven White Knights, three of her bloodriders, little assassin Danys, plus herself playing the role of mage—everyone clad in Valyrian steel armor, wielding Valyrian swords. Once they found their target, eleven armored warriors riding dragons would descend from the sky to surround the Night King, with the little assassin sneaking in from the shadows.Surely this kind of teamwork was far superior to Arya's solo sneak attack?But Dany realized—in this real world—there was no way Arya could ever sneak up on the Night King. No matter how good a Faceless Man's stealth skills were, they were useless against White Walkers. They didn't perceive the world through normal vision.A simple example: many wights don't even have eyes, yet their empty sockets still glow with a ghostly blue light, and they can still find living people.White Walkers and wights can sense the breath, body heat, and life force of the living—whether they have eyes or not doesn't matter.Forget hiding your presence—even if Arya used her "Wind Step," she couldn't evade the perception of even an ordinary White Walker.That's a real problem.Knowing how to kill the final boss should have been the greatest cheat code for any time traveler who had watched the show—but it turns out, this "cheat" was fake.Dany almost fell into a fatal trap."You think the Lightbringer in Stannis's hand is the real one?""It looks exactly like the one described in the books—its blade shines with a magical glow, so dazzling that no one can look directly at it. Its heat makes it hard for anyone to even get close," Aemon replied.Dany shook her head. "No, the flickering glow is real, but it's not hot.""But we all saw it—when he swung the sword, the flame ignited the giant's fur!" Aemon frowned."Heh..." Dany seemed to recall something and covered her mouth as she chuckled."What is it?" Aemon asked, puzzled."Old man, did you happen to notice the difference in the way he and I ate?" Dany asked with a restrained smile."There wasn't much difference. Your dining etiquette was both proper. Stannis was raised in a noble household, so it's natural for him to know royal manners. As for you, Dany—that's even more impressive.You grew up wandering the streets and never received a proper noble education, yet now you exhibit the finest royal bearing—truly a born ruler," the old man said with warmth and admiration in his eyes."You've never seen what I looked like when I just came out of the Red Waste," Dany rolled her eyes playfully and said with a grin, "When I first met Ser Barristan in Qarth, the look on his face was priceless—he actually cried out in disbelief, 'What kind of wild girl is this?'So, to show him the regal power of House Targaryen, I called down my three dragons and had them spit fire at his old squire.""Guess what? He immediately thought I was badass and said I had the bearing of a born ruler.""Uh..." Aemon's expression twisted."Your Grace, that's a bit of an exaggeration. When did I ever call you a wild girl?" said the White Knight standing guard at the shed's entrance, sounding displeased."You never said it with your mouth, but your eyes said it loud and clear.""Hahaha..." Aemon burst into cheerful laughter.Dany laughed along for a while before turning serious again. "I wasn't talking about etiquette. When the roast lamb was just served, the brown gravy was still sizzling—how would you eat it?"Aemon's expression stiffened as he realized something. "Wait for it to cool... and even then, eat it while blowing on it—it's too hot. Stannis, like any ordinary person, fears being burned by high heat.""How about me?" Dany asked with a smile."You popped it straight into your mouth without the slightest hesitation—almost as if it were cool to begin with," old Aemon muttered.Barristan chimed in at once. "Her Grace simply isn't afraid of the heat. In fact, she loves to eat her meat while it's still sizzling. She says it stays softer, juicier—almost bursts apart and melts on the tongue.""So the Light-bringer may look ablaze, yet it isn't truly that hot," Aemon said, frowning.Dany's eyes flashed. "We still have those three captive Others. Let him test the sword on them tomorrow and we'll see.""And if Light-bringer truly is the only weapon that can harm the Other-King—what then?" Old Aemon fretted."If Stannis can end the Long Night, fine—let him be king. A man who saves the world is surely worth a crown." Dany spoke as though it were nothing."Dany, House Targaryen's roots are in Westeros," Aemon said wistfully."I never said we'd abandon Westeros altogether." Dany's smile turned sly. "If we can't be kings, we Targaryens can still be dukes. I mean to claim Dragonstone and part of the Trident. No matter who sits the Iron Throne, our house will hold a vast domain.""Er—can you even do that?" Aemon was stunned."Of course. Being a duke in Westeros is almost more comfortable than being a king." She laughed, then asked, "Maester, are you familiar with Brynden Rivers?""Why bring him up? Brynden's been dead for many years," the old scholar said, puzzled."He isn't dead. Far from it—he's become a greenseer.""What?!" Dany's revelation hit Aemon and Barristan like a thunder-clap; both men cried out."Brynden lives on as the three-eyed crow, hidden somewhere beyond the Wall.""That's impossible—he's decades older than I am," Aemon murmured."Do greenseers die like ordinary folk? The man I fought yesterday afternoon was Brynden himself. He tried to seize my mind, to steal my dragons, and he openly admitted who he was." Dany recounted her encounter with the three-eyed crow in detail."Brynden does have the blood for it. His mother was a Blackwood, an ancient Riverlands line—kings before the Andal invasion and, south of the Neck, the last house to keep the old gods and their heart-trees.""No wonder his spies were terrifying. Even Aegon dreaded them, and no one ever traced his web," Aemon said, enlightened."If he's of Targaryen blood, why stand against Your Grace? Merely because you're not 'the prince that was promised'? Absurd," Barristan said."From cheek to chin he bears a wine-red birthmark shaped like a crow. The Blackwood banner is a black crow on red; that earned him the name Bloodraven."Through the hole in the roof, the old man gazed at the moon like a silver plate and told all he remembered of Brynden Rivers—a hero tinged with sorrow."…This isn't even a choice. As Robert's heir, the throne is mine by law, by right!"While Dany pondered Brynden's nature, Stannis's low curses drifted from the west.Then came the smith Donal's pleading voice. "She has dragons, my lord. You've no hope. Bend the knee before the breach is beyond repair. Support her claim to the Iron Throne, and at least Storm's End will remain in Baratheon hands. Robert started the Usurper's War and paid for it with his life. You are not Robert, you share no blood feud with her—why die for that iron chair?"Dany and Aemon exchanged a look; they had never imagined the one-armed smith would counsel surrender.Dany hesitated. Taking a man like Stannis as a vassal felt… troublesome.Ah—she was flattering herself; the stag was iron-willed."I never asked for this crown," Stannis said, touching the fiery-edged band of red-gold upon his brow.At the banquet of two kings he had been every inch a monarch—rich garments, crown gleaming—while Dany wore polished mail and a loop of thick braids, no crown at all. Aside from a jeweled three-headed‐dragon circlet the Qarth pyromancers once sent her—and which gathered dust in the treasury—she'd forged none. Yet astride a dragon, no soul doubted she was queen."Gold on the brow is cold and heavy, but it is my burden. Robert was my elder brother; after his death, the throne is mine to bear. Joffrey and Tommen were never Robert's get. And the Others—you have seen them. The Long Night comes. As the prophesied one, I must save millions from the dark. That is my destiny!" Stannis's jaw clenched; the twisted mask of his face burned with iron resolve.Whatever look the smith wore, Dany's cheek twitched."Robert seized that throne from her father—it is not your burden. Even if you are the promised prince, kneeling to her changes nothing. Lose your life, and how will you be anyone's savior?""I will bow to no one.""You bent the knee to Robert."(End of chapter)