Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 228 The Seven Gods' Whip
On the tenth day after the landing, 100,000 swallows were packed into 1,000 cages and placed into freight wagons, and the long convoy set off from King's Landing toward the Dothraki camp.

A few hours later, the convoy arrived at the camp, and Lajalo personally came out to receive the goods. He observed the small birds fluttering in the cage with great interest.

“Very good.” Rahalo nodded in satisfaction. “Your efficiency is higher than I expected. It seems the people of King’s Landing still care about their king!”

"Can you release them now?" James stared at him.

“Of course.” Rahalo waved his hand. “Release them!”

Da Zhuang accepted the order and left. Then, he picked up Joffrey as if he were carrying a cage of chicks, and lifted him up in an arc in the air before he landed in James's arms.

Jaime stepped forward to support Joffrey, feeling the man tremble. Three days of imprisonment had taken a toll on the pampered king. His blond hair was disheveled, his cheeks sunken, his eyes vacant, and he reeked of a nauseating odor.

“Uncle?” Joffrey weakly raised his head, a glimmer of clarity flashing in his eyes before being instantly replaced by madness.
"Kill them! Kill all the barbarians! I'll cut off their heads! Especially that Sothlos man, he tried to eat me!"

"I am the king! I am the king!" He first sobbed, then burst into tears.

A deep sense of helplessness welled up in Jaime's heart. The child was terrified. "Take him back to the city," Jaime instructed Bronn, who was accompanying him, then looked at Laharo. "You've got what you wanted."

After returning to King's Landing, Joffrey fell ill.

The whip marks flared up, the wounds festered, he began to have a high fever, and became delirious. Even in his coma, he kept cursing, as if he were still in a nightmare.

Cersei stayed by her son's bedside day and night, tears never ceasing in her eyes. Her precious child, her king, had become like this.

“He’ll be alright.” The Grand Maester cradled Joffrey’s head, fed him a cup of poppy milk, and continued to comfort the Queen. But Cersei could tell that he wasn’t sure if Joffrey would survive either.
...

outside the city.

That night, 100,000 swallows were divided into thousands of cages and transported back to King's Landing. The warriors filled each cage with hay, pine resin, and strips of linen, and then set them ablaze.

Swallows have a natural instinct to return to their nests.

When the cage was opened, the birds, ignited by the flames, rushed out of the cage and flew into the sky to return to their nests.

Their lair is located in King's Landing.

The starry sky was obscured by a dark flock of birds, their bodies still tinged with fire, twinkling like countless shooting stars, the sound of their flapping wings mixed with screams echoing through the night!

The soldiers guarding the city wall were the first to notice this strange phenomenon.

A huge cloud of fire rolled in from the sky, like a messenger from hell descending to earth!
"My God! What is that?" a soldier asked, pointing to the sky, his voice trembling.

James looked up and instantly understood everything.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "That devil Lahallo! Quick! Sound the alarm!"

The bronze bells of the Red Keep rang urgently. Cersei was keeping vigil by Joffrey's bedside when she heard the bells and rushed to the window to look out.

When she saw the flock of firebirds that blotted out the moon in the sky, her heart turned cold.

"No…!!"

She watched helplessly as the swallows, trailing long, fiery tails, swooped down, heading straight for the rooftops of King's Landing.

At this moment, she finally understood Rahalo's true intentions.

Grand Secretary Pachel saw this apocalyptic scene, and the parchment in his hand fell to the ground.

"Seven levels of hell! This is divine punishment..."

Of the 100,000 firebirds, although some were too badly injured and fell into the street, at least more than half landed precisely in their nests.

Rooftops, windowsills, attics, warehouses...

Although important buildings such as the Red Castle are made of stone, even the sturdy castles have a large amount of wooden structure inside.

The beams, floors, door and window frames, and stairs are all made of dried oak and pine. To make matters worse, most of the rooms are fitted with wooden siding, tapestries, and curtains.

The flames spread down the eaves, and soon the doors and windows began to burn. The flames licked at the stone walls, searching for anything flammable.

"The Maeger House is on fire!" someone shouted. Then, flames burst in through the windows, igniting the curtains and tapestries inside, and the falling ashes set fire to the furniture and wooden floors.

The oak beams supporting the room creaked painfully in the high temperature. The load-bearing beams burned through, and the entire floor collapsed with a roar, smashing the floor below.

The swallows landed in the stable.

Hay, wheat straw, and horse feed—these flammable materials instantly burst into flames, and the warhorses broke free of their restraints, neighing and galloping through the fire.

The houses of ordinary people were almost all made of wood, and even the few stone buildings had a lot of wooden sheds built on the outside.

Swallows landed on the eaves, and fires broke out almost simultaneously along the entire block. Houses collapsed one after another like dominoes.

"Fire! Help!" Cries of alarm echoed throughout the city.

The warehouse contained a large quantity of flammable goods, including oil, alcohol, and textiles. Swallows flew into the warehouse, and a huge explosion resounded throughout the harbor. Fireballs rose into the sky one after another, and even the ships docked at the pier were ignited.

King's Landing was besieged, and the people inside the city were unable to fetch water.

Worse still, the streets were piled high with garbage and dead leaves that no one was cleaning up, which became perfect ignition points.

The fire spread rapidly, turning the entire capital of King's Landing into a sea of ​​flames. Countless fire dragons roamed the streets, and black smoke billowed into the sky, obscuring the moon and stars.

The Red Keep looked eerily dark in the firelight. Cersei held the ailing Joffrey in her arms, gazing desperately at the firelight outside the window.

She knew that the Lannisters' rule was over.

"My son."

She gently stroked Joffrey's face; his skin, which had been burning hot, was now as cold as ice.

Joffrey's eyes widened, his pupils dilated, his once emerald green eyes now a grayish-white, and his arms hung limply at his sides.

"my king."

Cersei had already cried all her tears, and kissed his forehead one last time.

Just then, Jaime burst into the chambers, his blond hair charred black. "Cersei! We have to go!"

Smoke kept pouring in from the windows, it was very choking, mixed with screams and cries for help, and the rumbling of buildings collapsing.

The whole city was burning.

Cersei didn't turn around; she continued to hold Joffrey, gently rocking his body.

“He’s dead,” she murmured. “Our son is dead.”

Jaime walked up to her and saw the state of Joffrey and Cersei, his heart breaking.

He gently patted Cersei's shoulder. "The Dothraki will be storming in soon. We can't stay here."

“I’m not leaving.” Cersei hugged Joffrey tightly, nuzzling her face against his. “I can’t leave him behind.”

Another explosion rang out outside, shattering a window and sending shards of glass flying everywhere. A wave of heat followed, carrying the acrid smell of burning glass.

Jaime knelt down, placed his hand on Cersei's shoulder, and looked into her eyes. Her makeup was already ruined.

“Joffrey is gone,” he said softly, “but Tomman is still alive. We must go and save Tomman.”

Cersei's body stiffened. She looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Yes, Tommen! Where is Tommen?"

“In the Great Cathedral,” James said. “I’ve sent men to fetch him, but there’s still no word.”

Cersei looked at Joffrey in her arms, kissed his cheek again, and gently released him.

“Let’s go.” She stood up, her voice becoming firm.

(End of this chapter)