Chapter 186 Death
The afterglow of the setting sun pierces through the clouds and sprinkled the golden light on the top of Skyreach City.
The rising black smoke destroyed this beautiful sunset view, the scattered stones and rubble at the top of the city, as well as the broken weapons and armour, were even more out of place.
Not to mention the mutilated bodies.
The air was filled with a pungent stench, the vultures and crows circled over, they couldn't wait to enjoy the feast of flesh and blood.
They eat losers as well as victors, commoners as well as nobles, and in this regard, these scavengers who symbolize death are all the fairer.
Under the ravages of war for nearly two months, Skyreach City has lost its former tall and majestic style. The city wall has become a strange colour under the blood and flames, and a section near the city gate has collapsed. In the meantime, the corpses were stacked together layer upon layer, forming a bloody hill.
It's too scary to look at.
When "The Rose of Highgarden" Margaery Tyrell came to Skyreach City, what she saw was such a terrifying scene.
"You better wait in the camp." Garlan Tyrell moved his body quietly, blocking his sister's sight, and kindly persuaded her.
Margery took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat, but the air she inhaled had a weird smell, which made her almost vomit.
"No, I'm going to have a look in the city." Margaery's face was pale, but she still insisted.
Garlan sighed, pointed to the bouquet of roses in his sister's hands, and said,
"Smelling the fragrance of the flowers will make you feel better."
Margaret did not refuse this suggestion, she held the bouquet a little higher, placed it under her nose, and continued forward.
Garlan led the way ahead, trying to avoid the corpses on the ground, but found that it was almost impossible.
In fact, the dead bodies are not the worst. What is truly terrifying are the wounded who are still breathing. They groaned dying among the ruins, as if they were sounds from hell.
"Is there no one to treat them?" Margaery stopped in front of a wounded soldier wearing a Reach army uniform.
The wounded soldier's throat was pierced by an arrow, and blood gushed out of his mouth unstoppably. He stretched out his bloody hand as if he wanted to grab the corner of Margaery's skirt.
"A maester will come to treat the wounded." Garlan pulled his sister back half a step, but said in his heart that this person was hopeless, "Let's go."
Margaery put a rose in the bloody hand.
A smile appeared on the face of the wounded, no longer struggling, no longer resisting death.
Margaery continued walking, her eyes red.
By the time she entered Skyreach City, the bouquet of roses in her hand had already been delivered.
"What will you present to His Majesty later?" Garlan said, "Forget it, if you don't offer it, don't offer it, that king is not worthy."
Margaery asked in a low tone:
"I heard that the Skyreach city was captured once more than 20 days ago, but because of His Majesty's order they withdrew the troops..."
"Yes. That king is a joke!" Garlan face was a little grim, and then he looked at his sister with more worried eyes, "Margaery, I think Father asked you to come this time because he wants to marry you to the king. If you don't want to, you can safely refuse! I will definitely support you!"
Margaery smiled but remained silent.
The city was lit with flames, there were faint and sporadic shouts of killing. It seemed that the Dornishmen hadn't completely given up their resistance.
When the two climbed to the top of the city, they heard the voice of King Joffrey:
"...Where is the Red Viper? Has anyone caught the Red Viper? I will cut off the head of that dishonest bastard!"
" Your Majesty, the soldiers are still searching in the city, and results should come soon."
"Make them hurry! Don't let the Red Viper getaway! Or I'll have their heads off!" "
"Yes, Your Grace," Ser Barristan Selmy replied perfunctorily but did not convey the order.
Joffrey waved his horsewhip triumphantly as if he was planning to give a wise order when he heard Duke Mace say: "Your Majesty, my daughter Margaery is here."
Joffrey turned around after hearing that. What he saw was a girl wearing a dark green cloak walking over. She had a delicate face, gentle eyes like a deer, a rose embroidered with gold thread on her chest. Her tall and enchanting figure was fully revealed while walking.
"Your Majesty." Margaery pulled up her skirt and bowed her knees, "Congratulations on conquering the Skyreach city." "
"My conquest." Joffrey said proudly with his hands on his hips, "I conquered this city! "
"Yes, Your Majesty." Margaery smiled sweetly, "Your achievements and great valour are unparalleled."
Joffrey nodded in satisfaction, and said to Duke Mace,
"Lord Mace, you have a sensible daughter. "
Duke Mace's old face bloomed like a chrysanthemum: "Your Majesty, what do you think about making her your queen?"
Margaery body trembled slightly upon hearing this.
But she didn't say anything, just lowered her head, as if she was shy.
"My queen?" Joffrey was stunned for a moment, then looked up and down the girl in front of him, and nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, she is very beautiful and sensible, better than Sansa from the Stark family ."
"Great, Your Majesty!"Duke Mace said impatiently, "I wonder when you plan to get engaged?"
"Just five days later, it happens to be my name day. I'm going to hold a banquet in Skyreach City, to celebrate this great conquest!"
"As you wish, Your Majesty, we will..."
The Duke Mace was flattering when he heard the sound of arguing from the stairs not far away.
It appeared that Ser Barristan Selmy, Captain of the Kingsguard, had stopped one.
"He's your king!" Barristan stopped Robar Royce at the foot of the stairs, warning, but then lowered his voice, "Don't do anything stupid."
"So what about the king?"
Ser Robar said, His body covered in blood, and he shouted with red eyes, "He is responsible for all the soldiers who died in the temple!"
"Who's there?" Joffrey asked from a distance.
Barristan pushed Robar away and scolded him:
"Take a shower and change clothes before you come to see me, now just calm down."
After speaking, he signalled the soldiers to take Sir Robar away.
"Your Majesty, it is Sir Robar of House Royce." Barristan turned around and replied.
"What about the others?"
"He has been fighting for days and is not decent enough, so he doesn't want to be rude in front of you. However, he brought the good news that Prince Oberyn has died in the Temple of the Seven."
"The Red Viper is dead ?" Joffrey laughed, "Okay! Very good! How did he die? Who killed him? I will reward him heavily!"
"He died in a duel with Samwell Caesar, Baron of Eagle Island. "
"Caesar?" Joffrey thought for a while, and got some impressions, "I remember him, he is the champion in King's Landing Tourney, right? Let him come to meet me, and I will personally reward him!"
"Your Majesty, Lord Caesar was wounded in the duel with the Red Viper, he is still in a coma."
"Well, let's wait until he wakes up." Joffrey waved his hand indifferently.
"Did he get stabbed by the Red Viper's spear?" Margaery asked suddenly.
Ser Barristan nodded gravely.
"There must be poison on the Red Viper's spear!" Margaery exclaimed, "A maester who is proficient in poison must be sent to heal him!
" Silver." Joffrey ordered, and then he put the matter behind him and said, "Okay, let's discuss my name day banquet, does the castle of the Fowler family have a large enough hall?
Duke Mace replied with a smile: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the Fowler family once claimed to be the kings of the cliffs and the sky, and the castle was built according to the royal family's specifications, which is enough to hold a grand banquet."
"That's good. " Joffrey nodded in satisfaction, and then looked at Margaery, "Lady Margaery, what do you want for this banquet? Lady Margaery? LadyMargaery?"
The king called several times, Only then did she come to her senses: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, the horrors of the battlefield really frightened me..."
"Well, women should stay away from war." Joffrey was rarely considerate, "Go back to the camp to rest. By the way. See my mother and tell her that we are going to be engaged."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Margaery bowed her knees, then went down from the tower, straight to the camp of the Reach Army.
My knight, are you all right?
Margaery walked quickly, looking for the double-headed eagle flag in the camp.
But the more anxious she was, the more she couldn't find it.
The camp of the Reach Army was too big, tents sprung up all over the mountain like mushrooms after a rain, and the flags of various colours fluttered in the wind, making people dazzled.
She couldn't find the flag of Eagle Island after searching for a long time. , Fortunately, she saw a red-gold fox on the ermine flag of Brightwater keep and trotted over quickly.
Led by the Florent family knights, Margaery finally found the camp of the Caesar family army.
"How is Baron Caesar?" Margaery asked anxiously, panting and rushing into the tent.
At this time, three maesters had gathered in the tent, and one of them replied:
"Lady Margery, Lord Caesar's wound is poisonous. We have already cleaned up some carrion, but the poison still seeped into the internal organs. Unless we know what the poison is, Only then can we prescribe the right medicine. Otherwise..."
"I'll interrogate the Dornish captive!" Knight Lucas Dayne strode out immediately.
But no one had any hope for this. How could those Dornish captives know what kind of poison the red viper used?
What's more, even if you know it, you may not be able to cure it.
Some poisons have no cure.
Margaery still had a glimmer of hope and asked: "If we don't know what the poison is, is there no way to cure it?"
"We can try to bleed with leeches and see if we can get rid of the toxin in the blood..."
"Does it work?"
"Just try..." The maester was obviously not confident about it.
"Is there no other way?" Alekyne Florent asked in a serious voice.
Although Dickon Tarly escaped back, he was hit by an arrow in the back and couldn't make it through. If the big nephew in front of him died too, Alekyne was worried that Earl Randyll would draw his sword and cut himself off after returning.
There was silence in the camp.
"I have a solution." At this moment, a voice with a unique accent from the Asshai region came from outside the tent, low and sweet, with a convincing magic power.
"Who's there?" Alekyne asked.
The guard's voice came: "My lord, it's a red witch who claims to be from Asshai."
"Please come in." Alekyne is now willing to try any means to save his nephew.
As soon as the words were finished, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and a tall and graceful woman walked in.
She was dressed red from head to toe.
She was wearing a red robe that was as bright as a flame, the wide open sleeves almost reached the ground, revealing a darker blood-red shirt underneath. She wore a red gold collar with a huge ruby embedded in her throat.
Her hair was also red, but not normal red, but a polished deep copper colour, her eyes also red, as if there were flames beating inside.
Only the skin of the whole body was white, like fresh milk, white and smooth.
"My lords, my name is Melisandre, and I am Red priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, who is also known as the red god in Westeros."
Melisandre bowed.
Aleken doesn't care about the Red God or the King of Light, he only cares about one thing now: "You said you can save him?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"The blessing of the Lord of Light. "
May After Melisandre finished speaking, she came to the bed with graceful steps and bent down.
Slowly her flaming red lips kissed the wound on Samwell's shoulder.
[END]