Chapitre 175: Scaling of tension
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third person pov seventh moon 288AC
The footsteps of Lord Arryn echoed through the empty halls of the Sept of Baelor, along with those of the guards accompanying him. The Hand of the King found the new High Septon, dressed in dirty rags as he prayed to the Father for guidance.
The sound of footsteps caught the attention of the devout cleric, who rose after thanking one of his gods.
"Lord Hand, we appreciate your presence in the Sept of Baelor on a day when tradition does not require you to be here. How can this humble servant of the gods assist you?" said the new High Septon with a sincere smile.
"What have you done, you fool? The Prussians want your head for what you've done, and as if that weren't enough, you told your group of fanatics to besiege the Prussians... Do you want to see the kingdom burn?" Lord Arryn said with a serious expression.
"I did what was necessary, Lord Hand. What the faithful were asking for, clamoring for, and demanding. But you, the lords in your high castles, refused to listen. Those pagans you invited into the kingdom to expel the Targaryens had overstayed their welcome," the High Septon responded, maintaining his calm smile.
"And in doing so, you've turned the most powerful and wealthy lord in the Seven Kingdoms against us. Tell me... why shouldn't I hand your head over to the foreigner you so despise to calm all this down?" Arryn said, maintaining his seriousness.
"The Faith and the realm are one; one cannot exist without the other. This is the time to show unity, whether you desire it or not. That foreigner is the most powerful man in the realm because you allowed him to be, but we can still save the faithful. Not all have fallen for his lies; a large part of our flock remains in those lands, ready to rise against their oppressors and help us expel the corruption they have brought. Remember, the Faith is strong. Five great lords profess devotion to the Seven-Pointed Star, including the mighty King Robert. United, we are stronger than the pagans and their lord. If the entire realm stands together, surely the gods will grant us victory," the High Septon said, pointing to the statues of the gods.
"Hundreds of thousands will die because of your actions," Lord Arryn said.
"They will die for a just cause, and the gods will see to the protection of their own," the septon replied without changing his smile.
Lord Arryn did not answer and left the Sept of Baelor, while the High Septon began to clean the floors of the house of the gods with a bucket and a cloth.
"Have you made your decision? Should we cut off his head or mobilize the fleet to try to fight the Prussians in the Stepstones before they gather their entire fleet?" Stannis asked Lord Arryn as they exited the Sept.
"What choice do we have? If we give in to the Prussians, we keep one member of my alliance against the Targaryens, but I lose almost all the others. We'll have to end this quickly, or while we bleed, the Targaryens will return and take advantage of this weakness... I need to speak with Robert now... he won't be pleased," Lord Arryn said with a defeated look.
"I'll mobilize the sailors. In the meantime, we must send the gold cloaks to besiege the Prussians; they have nearly five thousand men within our walls and could cause great chaos if they stage a sortie," Stannis said, immediately heading to the docks.
Lord Arryn returned to the castle and went straight to speak with his king, who was drinking and enjoying the company of some young servant girls.
Lord Arryn opened the door and looked at Robert, who returned his gaze.
"Out... now," Lord Arryn said to the servants, while he waited for them to leave..
"Hey, Jon... I was having fun, there's no need to be so severe..." Robert said, concerned as he saw Jon Arryn's serious expression.
"We have a war, Robert... it's time to stop acting like a child," Lord Arryn said sternly.
Robert's eyes lit up.
"A war? Great... against whom? Ha, ha, ha! Here's my beauty. Since I gave that Targaryen bastard a good hammering, I haven't had the chance to use it again," Robert said, very pleased, and quickly went to retrieve his warhammer.
"Wilhelm von Hohenzollern," Lord Arryn said after licking his lips as if the words were very harsh.
"Are you mad? Wilhelm is one of my most loyal lords... only behind Ned and you... why?" Robert said, leaving his hammer on the table.
"The Faith has attacked the Prussians, and the Prussians want the High Septon's head," Lord Arryn replied.
"Then give it to them and be done with it," Robert said, somewhat angrily.
"Robert... believe me, I've considered it a lot, but if we lose the support of the Faith, we lose nearly all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms who follow our faith. The Targaryens will return and have all the support of the lords and septons. We're merely delaying the inevitable. We're betraying someone who has only repaid us with loyalty, yes, but this is what ruling means. You often have to do this to avoid another Targaryen madness," Lord Arryn responded, giving Robert a serious look.
"You've seen them, Jon... a Prussian noble is worth three of ours... and without even considering the Teutons, each one is a formidable warrior," Robert said, holding and swinging his hammer.
"We need to gather our lords as soon as possible. We outnumber them if we can gather all the other parts of the Seven Kingdoms, and we can end the war quickly if we force them into a pitched battle so we can impose terms on the Prussians. If we keep the High Septon in check, we might negotiate the Prussians' withdrawal to Essos before we're forced to conquer city by city," Lord Arryn said to Robert.
Robert stared at Jon for a long moment, occasionally making faces before finally letting out a sigh mixed with anger.
"Damn septon... damn Faith... summon our lords, damn it, even war becomes pointless when you're king," Robert said, throwing his hammer at his table, breaking it.
"I'll tell Pycelle to send the ravens," Lord Arryn said, leaving the room to go to the maester.
Lord Arryn took a while climbing the stairs, where Archmaester Pycelle was preparing a large number of ravens, waiting only for the order with several assistants.
"Lord Hand... I suppose you have everything ready," Pycelle said with a slight smile.
"Yes, send letters to all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms to meet with us about the Faith's problem with the Prussians," Lord Arryn said to the archmaester.
Lord Arryn dictated everything the letter should contain to Pycelle, who, with the help of his assistants, wrote several letters for the lords to call their bannermen to King's Landing.
"Lord Hand, I must ask... shouldn't we summon the traitor to appear before the king for judgment? Perhaps this could all end without bloodshed. You know, that lord is wise and might surrender without a fight when faced with the power of the Seven Kingdoms," Archmaester Pycelle said with a smile.
"We lose nothing by trying. Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, by this present message, you are summoned to King's Landing to face judgment for your transgressions against the Faith of the Seven. If you do not appear in King's Landing within fifteen days, you will be declared an enemy of the crown and the realm... send one to Maximilian as well," Lord Arryn said, dictating a new letter.
"I'll handle it, Lord Hand," Pycelle replied, quickly finishing the letter and sending it on its way.
"Burn that trash... How dare those animals? If it weren't for the generosity of our king, those beasts would still be up to their knees in filth or starving. They ignore everything we've done, simply because a power-hungry megalomaniac blames us for problems they've been hiding for decades," said Maximilian, ordering the burning of a message he had received.
"All signs indicate that the Westerosi are preparing for war. I've seen dozens of ravens leaving the castle; they must be calling all their vassals to face us. It's only a matter of time before a real siege reaches the bank. We must alert everyone living here and put crossbows in the hands of all the men, and have the women and children prepare to take on support roles in the garrison," said a Teutonic knight.
"Authorized. Open the warehouses and start training all the men within the walls immediately, and turn all the cloth into bandages and compresses for the wounded. I want guards watching the granaries at all times," Maximilian ordered.
"Send a letter to Karl von Rugen. He must not be caught off guard. If we lose naval superiority, they could open a front in the south of The Reach, leaving us completely isolated with attacks from all sides," said the Finnish commander.
"The southern defenses are strong. If the Dornish plan anything, thousands will die trying to take those fortifications. The border with the Lannisters is solid; the Teutons won't allow forces with intentions of burning the next harvest to succeed. The only place they can launch an invasion is through the north of The Reach. We must inform our king of any movements we can learn of," added a Prussian officer.
"How many supplies do we have? How long can we keep everyone inside the walls fed?" asked the Prussian diplomat, nervously pacing the room, glancing at his clothes on a chair, still stained with blood.
"We have reserves to withstand more than five years, and our water supply is connected to underground aquifers in the city. If they try to poison it, they would deny water to the entire city. Besides, we have reserves for two years, so water won't be a problem," the Finnish commander responded.
"The siege won't be an issue. They'd have to destroy almost the entire city to properly besiege us, and they won't do that. Siege machinery can't be set up in the narrow streets of King's Landing, so there will only be attempts at assaults with ladders and undermining," commented a Teutonic knight, looking at the fortress's maps.
"This fortress cannot fall... If they discover our vaults are nearly empty because everything is lent out in various projects of our king, it could trigger a severe economic collapse in several areas. Damn! We need to alert the company; the Starks might try to use their numbers against us," said Maximilian, agitated as he remembered that no warning had been sent to the Prussians in the north.
Quickly, a Finn left the room to send the message.
"Where are the rest of your men?" Maximilian asked the Finnish commander.
"All over the city. We've infiltrated much of the social fabric of King's Landing. With a single order, chaos could reign in the streets... murders every five minutes, fires every hour... perhaps a daylight assassination to draw attention?" suggested the Finnish commander.
"Have everything ready. We need to confirm our king's orders. Such chaos could help us take King's Landing quickly, not waste time with a siege that will never come," replied Maximilian.
"We'll have frequent information on what's happening outside. Let's say we control vital businesses for that kind of information. It's only a matter of time, and we'll know their plans better than they do."
"Good... good... we can still cause trouble from here. Start assembling the counter-siege machinery and make sure everyone has crossbows and bolts ready for any assault attempts on the walls," Maximilian ordered.
The orders were quickly carried out, and the Prussians prepared for a long siege. They observed the mob of fanatics gathering outside their walls; some were using axes to strike the doors, only to realize that the doors of the Prussian fortress had several inches of steel within them.
The Prussians chose not to use their valuable bolts on the population, as it would have no effect. Instead, they used the fortress's machicolations to pour boiling water onto the mob attempting to break the door with their tools.
When liters upon liters of boiling water drenched hundreds of fanatics, the mob retreated from the fortifications, leaving dozens dead and many more with severe burns. The Prussians prepared for a long siege.
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