Chapter 174: Withdrawal

Since the news of winter's approach had arrived, some time had passed.

The Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark, disbanded the assembled Northern army that was preparing to join the war and urged them to return to their homes in order to brace for the imminent arrival of the harsh winter.

The dissolution of the Northern army cast a thick shadow over the war that King Robert sought to orchestrate.

The future was uncertain.

After all, the North had always been King Robert's staunchest supporter. Now that the North had abandoned their support for the Iron Throne, the loyalty of the nobility from the other regions was even more uncertain.

During the subsequent council meeting in the throne room, the hall was brightly lit.

The Baratheon family's sigil, featuring the crowned stag, adorned the walls. The rotund King Robert sat on the cold Iron Throne.

Below, the dignitaries of King's Landing stood in a dense crowd on both sides.

Hand of the King Jon Arryn, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Barristan Selmy, the Master of Coin, the Master of Laws, Stannis as Master of Ships, and Master of Whisperers Varys were at the forefront of the crowd.

This time, it hadn't even been Jon Arryn's turn to speak as the 'anti-war vanguard.'

Eager nobles stepped forward from below, imploring His Majesty to abandon the idea of fighting across the sea.

The cost and sacrifices of waging a war across the sea were enormous, and the gains were minimal. Naturally, the nobles were not willing to engage in such a conflict.

Moreover, the news of winter's arrival had already spread.

If it were a normal winter, aside from the North and the Riverlands, the other regions wouldn't be severely affected by the cold.

The harvests would only decrease slightly, and stocking up on grain could solve the problem. At worst, they would have to halt production and stay indoors; the nobility wouldn't starve or freeze to death.

The Vale and the Westerlands were protected by mountains that somewhat shielded them from the cold winds from the North. At least, it wasn't as cold there.

However, the North and the Riverlands were vast plains where the cold air could envelop an extensive area, including King's Landing and possibly reaching the Reach, all covered in a blanket of snow.

As for Dorne, it had no issues, with the mountain range blocking winter's advance. Located at the southernmost tip of Westeros, Dorne only experienced a mild breeze.

Nevertheless, in the most affected regions, the North and the Riverlands, the people would struggle to survive the long winter without proper preparation.

Jon Arryn remained silent. As the first Hand of the King after the war, his primary responsibility was to lead the kingdom out of the quagmire of war and restore its economy.

Therefore, he had always tried to avoid warfare. However, reality did not allow him to do so.

He was well aware of the threat posed by the dragons and the need to eliminate them. But with winter approaching and the current state of the kingdom, it was difficult to wage this battle.

The elderly Hand did not know what to do in this situation.

Despite his silence, the anti-war sentiment from below continued to surge like a tide.

It was understandable that people did not want to wage war in winter.

After all, nobody wanted to return from battle to find their loved ones frozen or starved to death in the cold winds.

The Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark, the king's dear brother, had sent a letter to King's Landing explaining the situation to Robert.

Although Robert had furiously smashed his bedroom in response, the beautiful blonde queen had angrily moved to another room that night, leaving Robert alone in his ruined bedroom.

But after venting his anger, Robert had no choice but to accept the reality.

Even as king, he could not demand that the soldiers of the North abandon their families in the face of the coming winter and embark on a distant expedition to Andalos.

If Robert really did that, not only would the soldiers mutiny, but even his dear brother Eddard might turn against him.

In the end, Robert had to swallow his anger. If the Northern army couldn't come, he would gather the forces of the other six kingdoms and kill that damned Targaryen remnant.

Nowadays, the mere mention of Viserys' name made Robert's teeth itch with hatred, wishing he could devour him alive.

However, hate alone was not enough; Robert had no way to deal with him.

Viserys was hiding too far away. If Andalos and Westeros were adjacent, Robert would have long since led an expedition to scatter his ashes.

But the vast sea separating the two continents became an insurmountable obstacle.

Just as when the Andals invaded Westeros, the Andals, First Men, and Children of the Forest fought for nearly a thousand years before the Andals gained the upper hand.

Now, Robert wanted to cross the sea and deal with the enemy on the other side, but it was not so easy in a short period of time.

At the moment, Robert sat on the cold Iron Throne, watching the nobles opposing him rise like a tide. His fist clenched tightly, blood boiling with anger.

If it were just one or two nobles, Robert wouldn't mind cutting off their heads and displaying them atop the Red Keep.

But now there were too many people, almost no one wanted to send their able-bodied men to war at this time.

"Enough!"

"You fools with your asses for brains!"

Suddenly, without warning, King Robert erupted in anger, throwing the cup in his hand to the ground.

Crash—

The expensive glass shattered, striking the pleading nobles below, causing blood to flow.

The sudden turn of events left the nobles trembling and speechless.

"Dragons!"

"Viserys has dragons now!"

The corpulent Robert stood up from the Iron Throne, his fury overwhelming, his black beard bristling like steel wool, his voice thundering through the throne room.

"Shouldn't we kill the dragon in its cradle before it grows up, or do you want to wait until it's grown and burns all you worthless swine inside your castles?"

When Aegon conquered Westeros with his three dragons, he had burned Harrenhal, the supposedly 'impregnable' fortress, into a giant furnace. The stone did not burn, but dragonfire roasted the last king of the Iron Islands and the Riverlands, 'Black Harren' Hoare, along with his family within the castle.

Now, Robert angrily brought up the most famous atrocity from over 290 years ago.

The nobles below shivered, not daring to argue with the enraged King Robert.

In Robert's eyes, these nobles, each one cowering and silent, looked like a bunch of worms.

Once he had conquered King's Landing, these nobles, who had once sworn loyalty to the Targaryens, had immediately bent the knee and surrendered, praising the merits of House Baratheon and denouncing the sins of the Targaryens.

At that time, Robert had felt elated, but now he realized that if the Targaryens ever returned to power, these people would likely change their tune.

However, as Robert was venting his anger in the throne room, Queen Cersei, in the Tower of the Hand within the Red Keep, suddenly received a message from a maid.

"My father is here?"

The elegant, golden-haired woman stood up from her dressing table, looking incredulous.