Chapter 277: Brotherhood Without Banners

Cold raindrops struck the leaves brushing against the edges of their cloaks, making a crisp "ta-ta-ta" sound. Compared to the earlier downpour that had poured like a curtain, the rain had lessened considerably. Perhaps before long, this cold late-autumn rain would cease altogether.

It was close to midnight, and a group of over twenty people had set out from the Crossroads Inn under cover of night, wandering aimlessly through the dark and damp forest.

Faced with the grumbling and confused gaze of old Perestan, Dany relented—she did not summon her dragon for rescue.

However, she made her own demands: she didn't care what they did with Brienne and the others, but neither she nor Barristan would remove their armor. Their swords could be unbelted, but only if kept in the custody of the old maester.

Given the red-nosed old man's utterly useless combat abilities, the bandits hesitated only briefly before agreeing.

Dany was intrigued by this mysterious Lady Stoneheart.

The Brotherhood Without Banners did exist in the original story, but its leader seemed to be a man—just a minor character whose name she hadn't even remembered. So she was curious to meet this Lady.

Dany was merely a "fat sheep" to them, after all—she'd helped kill off the remnants of the Bloody Mummers, so she'd earned herself decent treatment.

Brienne wasn't so lucky. The Brotherhood seemed to be targeting her specifically. Not only was her armor stripped and weapons confiscated, but her hands were also tightly bound.

Yeah, same for Hyle and Podrick.

And so, the group rode on horseback through the rain in the middle of the night, making their way through the cold, wet, pitch-black forest.

Rain soaked their cloaks as it trickled from the leaves, and the chill seeped into their very bones. Everyone seemed numbed by the cold, and not a single word was spoken during the entire journey.

They finally emerged from the forest, where the bandits led them to a riverside and ordered them to dismount. One of the bandits ran to the riverbank and shouted a few times. From the reeds, a ferry about ten meters long slowly emerged.

Then they all dismounted. All the warhorses—except for Meribald's donkey and dog—were led away. Only about a dozen bandits remained to escort them, while the rest returned along the same path with the horses.

The ferry glided over the fog-shrouded river in complete silence. At that moment, Dany was truly struck by the discipline and organization of the Brotherhood Without Banners.

Even the oars had been wrapped in thick cloth to muffle the sound—how cautious they were!

"Who is Lady Stoneheart?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Never seen her, don't know where she's from," said Hyle. "Just heard she's a cold and silent woman, loves judging the unjust and sentencing them to hang. So aside from 'Lady Stoneheart,' people also call her 'Silent Sister,' 'Mother Merciless,' and 'Hangwoman.'"

"Don't speak," growled Lem the big-bearded Lemon in a low voice. "There might be patrols on the river."

"We'll keep it down," Dany replied, uncaring whether he agreed or not. She turned to Brother Meribald and whispered, "How much do you know about the Brotherhood Without Banners?"

The old septon had wandered the Riverlands for years; he must know a lot about the group.

"The Brotherhood was founded by Lord Beric Dondarrion," the old septon said. "The Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, sent him to root out bandits harassing the Riverlands—really, it was Tywin Lannister's Bloody Mummers and Gregor Clegane."

"But not long after they left King's Landing, King Robert died, and Lord Eddard was imprisoned.

Still, Lord Beric and his men continued to carry out Ned Stark's orders, opposing the Lannisters who tormented the smallfolk. Later, even the Northerners marched south...

But the wolf pups were no saints either—they burned, killed, and looted just the same. Lord Beric treated them all alike—those who deserved hanging were hanged, those who belonged in cages were caged. He didn't care for factions, only for justice.

Because they fought robbers and protected the innocent, every village, sept, and inn in the Riverlands became a Brotherhood outpost. The entire Trident region came under their protection. The name 'Lightning Lord' struck fear into bandits and hope into the hearts of the common folk, uniting them."

—The Dondarrion sigil is a purple forked lightning bolt.

"So the Brotherhood turned into a guerrilla force of workers, peasants, and soldiers?" Dany said in surprise. "If the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms keep screwing around and plunging the realm into endless war, could this go further and become a Red Party?"

"Red Party?" The old septon nodded. "Indeed, almost a Red Party. The Riverland smallfolk have begun abandoning the Faith of the Seven and turning to the Red God, who shows them miracles time and again."

Uh, not that Red Party...

"What kind of miracles? Raising the dead?" Dany asked.

The old septon nodded solemnly, his expression complicated. He sighed. "The Lightning Lord is not invincible, and the Brotherhood has lost battles. Lord Beric has been killed many times.

As far as I know, Ser Gregor killed him at least twice—once by running a lance through his chest, another time by driving a sword through his eye socket. He's even been captured alive several times, and each time hanged. And each time, he was brought back to life by Thoros of Myr, a priest of the Red God.

When people witness such miracles firsthand, it's only natural their faith starts to shift."

Perestan couldn't help asking, "Are you sure the Lightning Lord is still Lord Beric and not someone else wearing his armor, flying his lightning banner?

Like how someone picked up the Hound's helm and everyone thought the Hound raided Saltpans?"

"Are you deaf?" Dany scoffed. "The nobles captured the Lightning Lord several times. You think they can't tell if it's the same man?

Accept reality—there are real gods in this world. Bringing back the dead is practically the Red Priest's signature divine power.

And clearly, R'hllor, the Lord of Light, has plans to invade Westeros. Otherwise, why would He waste so much divine power repeatedly performing miracles?

The local lords don't even care whether the smallfolk of the Riverlands live or die. Why would a foreign god care?"

"Could it be that He's just too kind?""Give me a break. R'hllor has another side—he's also the Shadow Demon. With that guy's greed and bloodthirst, even the Shadowbinders are deeply wary of him."

"Bang!"A bandit knocked on Dany's helmet with the sheath of his sword and sternly rebuked her, "Don't you dare slander the great Lord of Light."

He then began reciting R'hllor's prayer:"The night is dark and full of terrors, only our Lord R'hllor can lead us to the light and banish the darkness."

Dany winked at the dazed-looking Barristan and whispered with a grin,"See that? Would they be this devout if they hadn't witnessed a miracle with their own eyes?"

"Why the Riverlands?" the old maester murmured.

"And you call yourself a maester? Even a fool could answer that!"Dany scoffed, only to be surprised when Barristan, Meribald, Hyle, and Brienne all looked at her with blank faces.

Ugh, so many fools.She cleared her throat and asked,"Tell me, in all the Seven Kingdoms, which region has suffered the worst from the chaos?"

"The Riverlands."

"And which has the largest population?"

"The Reach?" said the White Knight.

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"No," Barristan said thoughtfully."Maybe not the Riverlands alone, but the wars have engulfed half the Crownlands and much of the Westerlands. If you include them, the most affected region is definitely the Trident."

"Religious movements rise among the suffering. When lords, kings, laws, and traditions fail them, the oppressed turn to gods—illusory yet all-powerful. R'hllor is cunning. That guy probably foresaw the war of the four kings—Ow!"

A Red God follower had struck her again, this time with more force.

"Don't speak ill of the Lord of Light!"The pockmarked young man's eyes burned red with fury as he even drew his sword.

"F, do you even know who I am?"*Dany turned her head, puffing with rage."Even Benerro shows me respect. And you little runts? You're not even worthy of being called Hands of the Sacred Flame! Are you kidding me?"

"I don't care about whoever this Ben-whatever is. You're not allowed to insult the Lord of Light!"The young man roared back, placing his sword at Dany's neck.

"Alright, alright, I won't say another word."Dany raised her hands in surrender. If even Benerro's name couldn't intimidate him, what else could she say?"Brother Meribald, please continue."

"Ah, Lord Beric is truly gone. He gave the fire of life to a woman who had been dead for several days. That woman is now known as Lady Stoneheart."

"Lady Stoneheart took Lord Beric's place as the Brotherhood's leader. But she's nothing like the Lightning Lord.Where Lord Beric stood for justice and protected the innocent, Lady Stoneheart stops at nothing, killing mercilessly for revenge.The Brotherhood split into two factions. Those consumed by vengeance stayed loyal to her. Those who still held onto light and hope left to continue helping the common folk."

"Bread and salt!"Brienne suddenly seemed to remember something. Her expression changed, and she shouted to "Longlegs" Jenny,"At the inn, Brother Meribald brought food for the children. We shared bread and salt with your sister. We are your guests. You cannot violate guest rights!"

"Since my lady returned from the wedding, hospitality is no longer what it used to be," Jenny sighed, staring out at the murky river."Did you see the bodies hanging by the riverbank? Some of them also thought they were guests."

"Wedding?" Dany frowned."You mean the Red Wedding? Who is Lady Stoneheart—was she there? Is she one of the northern survivors?No... She was dead for days before Beric revived her. Could it be..."

"Aren't you ashamed?"Barristan's face turned red with fury."You trample on guest rights so casually and act as if it means nothing. Do you have no honor? No sense of shame? Are you not afraid of divine judgment?"

"We have our own ways," Jenny replied coolly.

Lem donned his Hound-shaped helmet and sneered:"There is no more honor in this world. And judgment?Go to the Twins and see for yourself.Thousands of Northern ghosts wail there every night. Yet the king, the church, the Citadel, the nobles—they all ignore it, even condone Walder Frey's actions.The family that violated guest rights now thrives, becoming the new rulers of the Riverlands.If this land is already filthy, how can we, who dwell upon it, not adapt to its new rules?"

"Walder Frey should die. The Lannisters should die. The complicit church and Citadel are also guilty!"Tears welled up in Barristan's fierce eyes as he said sorrowfully,"Morality has collapsed. Courtesy has vanished. Westeros is beyond saving!"

Then, catching sight of Dany beside him, he suddenly grew fervent and shouted,"Let's go to war! Cleanse the world and bring back justice and light—!"

"Bang!"The pockmarked young man struck the old knight hard, knocking his helmet askew.

"You old geezer! No yelling!"The bandit warned in a low voice.

Barristan stared at him oddly for a long while and then muttered,"Damn... you've got guts."

(End of Chapter)

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