Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 149 Haze
The deterioration of people’s lives outside cannot be seen from inside the castle.

But I can always hear news coming.

Outside Storm's End, because Tyrell retreated, the homeless people set up tents on the ruins again, but it rained for 20 days in the past month. The residents could not carry out the reconstruction work, and could only survive on the stored food every day. Their fields were burned when they retreated to Storm's End. They had nothing to do all day, their eyes were dull, and they mourned on the desolate land.

Some sold their catch in buckets and carts, while others flocked to nearby unspoiled towns and villages to seek a living.

Every day these towns and villages report crimes such as robbery and theft, as well as flooding and disaster refugees from autumn storms.

It is said that people began to look upon the clerks, tax collectors, and regional governors sent by Storm's End with coldness, anger, and even hatred.

They would not have blamed the lords at first, but the "survivors" rescued from the Blackwater by King Viserys and sent back with the instructions to live a good life became a bandit brotherhood after returning to the Stormlands. They hid in the mountains and forests and in various villages, telling people about their sufferings - they had finally survived the Blackwater, were rescued by the King of Dragonstone, were healed of their injuries, and borrowed money from the lord of Dragonstone to take a boat back to their hometown. They had fought for their lords and almost died in the Blackwater, and now they just wanted to go home and live a good life.

But King Stannis's roundups found ways to capture them, either to reinstate them into the army or to hang or burn them as deserters.

They said they had no choice, they just wanted to survive.

These members of the Brotherhood were scattered and wandering in the villages and towns far away from the castle in the Stormlands. They made a living by helping the villagers to build fences, collect crops, plow fields, and do farming in exchange for food. The villagers sympathized with them. Every time Stannis's search team heard the news and went there, these members of the Brotherhood would escape in advance and disappear without a trace.

Some people returned home, reunited with their families for a short time, took the money saved by their families, and fled to Tyrosh, or even to the farther continent of Essos to make a living. They waited in foreign countries for Stannis to fall and King Targaryen to conquer the Stormlands.

The propaganda about Dragonstone gradually seeped into the ears of the people everywhere through various ports. The king of Dragonstone was persuading Stannis to manage the Stormlands well and be a good king.
People would not have blamed the lord for the disasters brought by the autumn storm and their own misfortunes, but these things appeared at the same time and people unconsciously linked them together in their minds.

Especially since King Stannis is still aggressively using his call to arms to recruit troops from across the country.
If it had been summer during the time Stannis had been at Storm's End, and if the Stormlands had not recently been devastated by the autumn rains, then neither the propaganda at Dragonstone nor the Brotherhood would have led to the current situation.

In private, people began to say that King Stannis was the "Cruel Maegor" of the Stormlands. They missed Robert and Renly, and even expected the Targaryens of Dragonstone to change the status quo.

But no matter how much the rumors spread among the people, it would not affect Storm's End. This castle was impregnable and one of the strongest castles in the Seven Kingdoms.

There were enough supplies to sustain the castle's garrison for two years, and the tower was so large that it could easily hold the barns, barracks, armory, hall, and lord's rooms combined.

The castle is isolated from the outside world.

It didn't matter what the people said, they never loved Stannis anyway, as long as the vassal's supplies could be delivered to the castle, as long as the castle's sea route could still operate smoothly.

You don't have to care about anything else.

Stannis was absorbed in the map, and the commotion outside had no effect on him. He was choosing a battlefield.

The reply from Dragonstone was almost a signal for war. He had heard the news that the Dornish were heading for Dragonstone. The Lysian merchant ship of Salladhor Saan was doing business in Stonehenge and brought him the news.

This was the last message that the Lys pirate brought back to Stannis. He had lost confidence in the mercenary payment that had not yet arrived, and he didn't know when Stannis would receive the maritime tax rights that he had promised.

This pirate king personally went to Stonehenge to see the mountain that was rumored to be set on fire by a dragon, and since then he has refused to obey Stannis's orders. It is said that he plans to return to the war-torn Stepstones to be his pirate king again.

The enemy has a dragon, and staying in the castle is just waiting for death. Stannis racked his brains to think of a countermeasure.

"Your Majesty." Melisandre stood in the doorway, and Stannis sent for her.

"Read the letter." Stannis handed it to her. "Lady Melisandre, he knows your magic. He knows it! Can R'hllor still help me?" Stannis looked at her grimly. "Are you sure that your magic can hurt the dragon?"

"You are the chosen one of the Lord of Light! The Lord of Light can always help you, but your majesty, you are surrounded by believers of wooden gods. You are surrounded by darkness and chaos. The Lord of Light cherishes chastity and punishes corruption. Your majesty, great gifts require great sacrifices."

"A great sacrifice?"

"Please allow me to offer you the false god's temple and the prisoners in the prison to R'hllor. Please build a temple to the Lord of Light on your land, and the Lord of Light will summon the hands of holy fire to help you." Melisandre circled around the hearth in the king's room. "Your Majesty, I advised you to let me go north with Earl Alister because I saw in the holy fire that we are here, in the darkness! The holy fire guides me, only to see the light in the north! The holy fire also guides me. If it is impossible to go north, then I will help you resist the darkness here. Please build a sacred temple to the Lord of Light, and I can summon the hands of holy fire for you. They will fight against the evil darkness with me."

As the reinforcements from Brightwater arrived, Lord Alister was released from prison, though not reinstated as Hand. He was undoubtedly a hardcore defeatist. Alister promised Stannis that he would go to Dragonstone to negotiate and bring back peace.

Stannis and Melisandre originally wanted to take the opportunity to blend in, just like they once killed Ser Cortnay Penrose, the acting lord of Storm's End who had magical protection, to let Melisandre sneak into Dragonstone Castle and assassinate the Targaryen King with the dark shadow.

Although it is dishonorable, this is the only way Stannis can think of to defeat his opponent. He has gone far enough away from honor with the help of Melisandre, and although he has always resisted in his heart, when he really has no other choice, he can only choose R'hllor.

But with the news coming back from Dragonstone, there is no doubt that his plan has failed. The Targaryen king may even know what he has done.
Stannis began to grind his teeth. "What do you mean?"

"There is only one God, the King of Light, and now you are here, surrounded by believers of these false gods. These seven-faced gods are false gods that mislead all living beings. The King of Light originally guided you to Storm's End so that you could bless this land shrouded in darkness with his light. The night is dark and dangerous everywhere. But we did not live up to his expectations. Now the followers of the King of Light around you are decreasing, while the followers of false gods are increasing. Your Majesty, a ruthless storm is covering this land, and the warm flame given to you by God is quietly extinguishing."

Stannis frowned. "You showed me before that the darkness was in the north. Why do you say it is here, Storm?"

"The wind shifted, dark clouds rose, and in the storm, blood and darkness writhed and twisted. R'hllor showed me in the holy fire that the sea beneath us was covered with blood and darkness, an ancient and terrifying dark storm. The dark storm that was thought to have been annihilated in the old days was waiting in the wings in the war between the two true gods, revived from the ashes, and his dead body was pulsating again. Storm. Your Majesty, the ancient dark storm is gathering in your land."

Stannis clenched his jaw. "Why does R'hllor have so many enemies? Building a temple? Lady, I don't have time. Look at the letter. Viserys plans to replace me with my daughter Shireen, and he will take action at any time. He has dragons and Dornishmen. We can only wait to die in the castle. Those idiots in the Citadel think that I can hurt the dragon by building a giant crossbow. How stupid!" Stannis only asked, "Lady, let me ask you, can the great sacrifice allow your magic to hurt the dragon? Can the Lord of Light help me win on the battlefield?"

"Your Majesty, can you give me a few sacrifices so that I can pray to the Lord of Light for revelation?"

Stannis gritted his teeth. "The prisoners in the cell all deserved their punishment."

Melisandre twirled her skirt and nodded slightly, her red eyes shining: "Yes, Your Majesty."

After a long absence, in the open space outside the castle, the rear party built a pile of matches.

It was going to be a rainy day, just like yesterday and the day before yesterday.

But as the queen's party gathered, Melisandre the Red prayed over a fire lit with oil on the castle walls, and by noon, the autumn rain that had lasted for several days stopped, leaving only a few dark clouds.

The Red Woman circled the fire three times, praying once in Asshai, once in High Valyrian, and a final time in the Common Speech. Only the final words could be understood, and they said: "R'hllor! We are in darkness. Come here!"

Hundreds of the most determined members of the Hou Party gathered on the city wall, and the thick smoke from the burning turned the gloomy sky gray.

Their noises rose with the sparks from the pyre, as Melisandre led them. "Lead us out of the darkness, O God, and fill our hearts with fire, that we may serve your light."

Melisandre raised her arms. "R'hllor," she said in a clear, loud voice, "you are the light in our eyes, the fire in our hearts, the heat in our bellies. Your light is the sun that warms us by day, and the stars that protect us by night."

"Lord of Light, protect us. The night is dark and full of dangers." The staunch members of the Hou Party responded enthusiastically, their faces full of enthusiasm.

King Stannis stood beside Lady Melisandre, his teeth clenched, the spikes on his red-gold crown reflecting light as his head moved.

Stannis's royalists were deeply disturbed, but they could only watch as it all unfolded.

After the autumn rain stopped, the Houdang people began to build firewood piles outside the city.

Melisandre will hold a ceremony to pray for the Red God's revelation, and the Red God must be sacrificed. Four huge pine logs are inserted into the mud pit, and the stakes are hammered into the pit. Several other queensmen skillfully dig a ventilation hole under the pit.

Lady Melisandre's captain of guards checked the stakes, giving one a push to make sure it was secure.

The staunch members of the Hou Party were fanatically carrying out the preparations for the sacrificial ceremony, and even those who had once wavered in the Party began to gradually gather outside the city to watch the execution.

Four condemned men were driven out naked, their wrists bound behind their backs with leather cords. The youngest staggered out of the castle weeping, the other two walked over like dead men, their eyes staring blankly at the ground, and the third was a former sergeant who had been sentenced to death for raping and murdering a woman who had taken refuge in the castle after Tyrell's retreat - he spat at the queen's party with defiance. "Fuck you all, and fuck your Red God -"

One of the rear party members hit the sergeant with a spear handle, causing him to kneel on the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. When they tied him up with chains, he was still cursing: "You are the one who deserves to be fucked the most, priestess. Damn it, I have long wanted to taste you--"

A knight of the rear party said nothing, drew his sword and cut the sergeant's throat. Blood spurted out, but he was not dead yet, only a loud sound came from his throat.

He wanted to die, but that was impossible.

"Mercy!" the weeping man begged, "Let me wear black, please, please!" He was originally a merchant's squire, but in the chaos of war, he killed his master, stole his property, and wanted to take a ship to Essos to enjoy himself, but unfortunately he caught up with Stannis's army to recapture the port.

Four criminals were chained to a stake, one at a time. They were tied there as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light. Split wood and broken branches were piled at their feet, and the pile was doused with oil.

Seeing Stannis, the two deserters tied to the stake began to plead for mercy. The king listened in silence, his jaw set, and then said to the executioners, "You may begin."

Melisandre raised her arms and began to chant, "Lord of Light, hear us!"

"Lord of Light, protect us!" the queen party chanted. "The night is long and dark, and everywhere is dangerous!"

"Lord of Light, protect us!" the Hou Party members prayed, "Destroy the barbaric darkness!"

Melisandre's captain of guards stepped forward, grasping the torch in both hands. He waved it in a circle above his head, the wind making the flames burn brighter.

"R'hllor," Melisandre began to sing, "we offer you four sinful men. With glad hearts, we offer them to your holy fire, that the darkness within their souls may be consumed. Let their vile bodies burn and turn black, and their spirits may rise free and pure into the light. Accept their blood, O Lord of Light, and melt the cold irons that bind your servants. Hear their pain, and grant me revelation. Accept this sacrifice, and show me the way to victory, and your chosen ones shall conquer those who do not believe in God."

"Lord of Light, accept this sacrifice!" Hundreds of voices echoed.

The fireman lit the pile with a torch. A few wisps of green smoke began to rise, and the criminals began to cough. The blood from the throat of the sergeant whose throat was cut had not yet dried. The flames rose up and danced from the broken wood to the pillar. Soon, all four stakes were engulfed in flames.

"Mercy!" screams rang out, and as the flames engulfed their bodies, the pleas turned into long, shrill screams, trembling howls, high-pitched cries of agony.

The men of the rear party sang hymns praising the Red God R'hllor, and the screams of agony from the sacrifices echoed the hymns.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and burning flesh, and one of the bodies was still twitching, trying to break free from the red-hot chains that bound him to the stake.

The heat of the flames hit Lady Melisandre's face and she smelled the scent of cooking human flesh, but she was used to it.

Under the gloomy sky, the fire altar was like a roaring beast, drowning out the faint screams of the sacrifices, spitting out long tongues of fire and licking the humidity in the air.

The smoke grew thicker, and the crowd chanting hymns to the Hou Party began to cough and retreat.

The huge orange flames created a gust of wind pressure, blowing the nearby flaming red heart flags to flutter, the firewood hissed and crackled, and glowing flames rose from the smoke, rising high like flapping huge wings.

The priestess of the Red God began to stare intently. In the blazing flames, the flames squirmed in front of her, like a dancer, spinning, singing, and dancing.

In front of her, flickering illusions swayed in the flames. As soon as one illusion took shape, it began to melt and gradually faded into another one; the color was sometimes golden, sometimes scarlet; the shape was sometimes strange, sometimes terrifying.

Through the curtain of flames she saw a huge winged thing casting a huge shadow on the ground.

She saw a face take shape in the flames, that of Stannis.

He held high his flaming sword and led his army to fight the darkness in the snow. His flaming sword shone with a red light, so bright that it hurt her eyes. The illusion began to shatter and then dissipate.

This was a new sight she had never seen before, and the red priestess tried her best to control her body from trembling.

Yes, it was him, without a doubt.

Stannis, he is the Chosen One of R'hllor, the Prince of prophecy!

The ruby ​​at her throat burned hot, and she could feel the strength that had been suppressed by something since the beginning of the rainy season filling her body again.

flame.

Flames filled her body, extreme pain, extreme ecstasy, filling her up, burning her, the scorching flames made her feel at one point that her body was deformed.

Stannis asked her, "What does R'hllor say? Can he win?"

"I am absolutely sure, Your Majesty, victory will belong to you. I saw you in the flames holding the Lightbringer, the flaming sword of light, slashing away all darkness!"

Stannis touched the sword in his hand. It had no flame or heat, only glow, just like any other sword.

But he saw the fanatical expressions of the Hou party members during the sacrificial ceremony and the gathering of more and more onlookers, some of whom were fanatical, some frightened, and some confused.

But no matter what, one thing they have in common is that when he gives an order, they will still execute it, or at least they will not stop it.

People's hearts are still useful.

To continue waiting in Storm's End would be to wait for death, since Melisandre could gather these fanatics for him, and the fanatics could bring more loyal subjects under his wing.

Even if Dragonstone and Dorne reached an agreement now, the Dornish would not be able to attack so quickly. Moreover, King Targaryen is preparing for the wedding, and he will never send troops to the Stormlands so quickly.

Well, since the Targaryens are slow to attack the Stormlands, let him attack the Targaryens!
Stannis has no ships left. Yes. But the Lannisters gave him an example.

Attacking Shiyang Fort and the Point would attract the dragon. And he didn't even need to reach Shiyang Fort, he could just march there by land with great fanfare.

The plains of Cape Marseilles are the battlefield Stannis has chosen!
Fighting a dragon on the plains? Yes.

Is he crazy? No.

Melisandre's shadow killer is his greatest reliance. No matter what, he must lure the dragon out of the castle of Dragonstone!
[From the day I witnessed the sinking of the Proud Wind on a reef, I no longer believed in God. I swore to heaven that I would never worship any cruel god who made me witness the death of my parents. People asked me: If you don't believe in God, why do you find a new god? I asked myself this question too. I don't know much about the gods, and I don't want to care, but I know that this red priestess holds power.] Stannis Baratheon turned around and strode towards the castle, [R'hllor, Lord of Light, if I am your chosen one as the red woman said, then prove your power to me!]

(End of this chapter)