On the ship bound for Dragonstone, Boros Blount, Meryn Trant, and Preston Greenfield leaned against the railing, clad in their uniform Kingsguard armor with white cloaks draped over their shoulders. They sipped wine while gazing at the sea.
There wasn't much to see — the sky was dark, with only the moonlight reflecting off the water. They were outside for fresh air and to drown their frustrations with drink. Sent to this forsaken place after the king and queen's quarrel, none of them were in high spirits.
"I wonder when we'll get to return to King's Landing."
"Depends on when the queen manages to climb back into the king's bed."
"The king's never short on women; might take a while."
The waters of Blackwater Bay, between King's Landing and Dragonstone, were calm, and no fishing boats were in sight.
Preston, the shortest of the three, turned slightly to face the sea, keeping the other two from noticing the tremble in his hand holding the wine cup. Uneasy, he mumbled along to their conversation.
"Hey, doesn't that small boat look suspicious? It seems to be heading straight for us."
A sharp-nosed black boat was approaching swiftly. As it drew nearer, they could make out two figures standing at its bow.
"Is that Wright Baratheon and the Onion Knight, Davos Seaworth? Are they here to greet us?"
The Onion Knight, Davos, had risen to prominence a few years earlier during the siege of Storm's End. Smuggling in a large supply of onions had earned him Stannis's gratitude and a knighthood. His fief, however, was a barely notable castle at Cape Wrath, so insignificant it barely appeared on maps.
Other nobles often mocked Davos's smuggling past, but he embraced it. When his house's crest was registered by a maester, he made it a black ship with a single onion on its sail, turning his nickname into a badge of honor.
Wright, who wasn't a strong swimmer, had turned to Davos, whose smuggling ship was fast and reliable. As a loyal bannerman to Stannis, Davos was the natural choice for this task.
When the two ships drew close, Wright leaped from Davos's deck. Mid-air, he conjured an ice sword with magic. The three Kingsguard, dulled by drink, didn't react in time. Boros was decapitated before he even realized what was happening.
Wright landed steadily in front of Preston and Meryn. Boros's head hit the water with a splash, his headless body collapsing onto the deck. The four sailors on board froze in terror.
Meryn quickly drew his sword. "What are you doing, Wright? Killing a Kingsguard is treason! Do you want to be judged by the king?"
"Ah, gentlemen, we meet again. As for the king," Wright smirked, "he's already sentenced everyone on this ship to death. I'm just here to carry it out."
Without another word, Wright thrust his sword at Meryn's neck. Years ago, Meryn and Boros had struggled even in a two-on-one fight against Wright. Now, with Boros's head lost to the sea, Meryn knew he had no chance. He rolled backward onto the deck in a desperate attempt to escape.
Meanwhile, Preston didn't even look back. Stripping off his armor as he ran, he dove straight into the sea.
Meryn rolled twice before trying to get back up, but Wright was already upon him. An ice sword pierced through the gap in his armor at the waist, pinning him to the deck.
"Ahhh!" Meryn's screams of agony echoed, loud enough to alert the handmaidens below deck. Voices of inquiry rose from the cabin.
Face-down, Meryn's lower body was encased in growing ice. He could no longer feel his legs and flailed in vain, slashing wildly behind him with his sword.
Wright conjured another ice blade, stepping calmly behind him. He pinned Meryn's flailing hand underfoot, and with a single swing, Meryn's head rolled to the side.
Standing by the railing, Wright motioned to the four sailors on board. Instantly, their terror-stricken expressions vanished. They drew hidden crossbows and daggers and rushed into the cabin. Moments later, screams from women echoed from below deck.
Wright watched Preston Greenfield struggling to swim in the sea. Shortly after, the four sailors returned to stand beside him.
"How many people were in the cabin?"
"Nine," the oldest sailor reported.
"That checks out. Get on the other ship and chase down the swimmer."
The sailors peered into the water, nodded at Wright, and leapt onto Davos's smuggling vessel one after another.
Using alteration magic, Detec Life, Wright scanned the cabin to confirm there were no signs of life — only a few scurrying rats.
Cersei and Jaime's incest birthed illegitimate heirs, and the Kingsguard loyal to Cersei guarding her chambers were fully aware. The handmaidens knew even more. Whether or not you helped Jaime and Cersei escape, harboring traitors leaves no innocence on this vessel.
The smuggling ship was now heading toward Preston, about thirty meters from Wright's position. Wright took two steps for momentum, leaping off the shattered railing. The force of his jump splintered the wood into pieces. He soared nearly ten meters through the air before using wind magic to glide gracefully onto Davos's ship.
Davos barely registered what had happened; to him, it seemed Wright had simply flown aboard.
Standing on the smuggler's deck, Wright brought his hands together, conjuring a fireball the size of a barrel. Instead of launching it immediately, he infused it with wind magic, causing it to spin violently.
"Boom!" The fireball crashed into the other ship, blowing a gaping hole in its hull. Flames erupted, scattering burning debris like falling meteors onto the surrounding sea. Water poured into the hold as the ship began to sink.
Wright did not stop. He conjured three more fireballs in rapid succession, each striking the vessel. The fiery explosions lit up the night sky, illuminating the nearby waters. Within seconds, the ship was reduced to wreckage, its remains sinking into the depths. Only burning fragments of wood floated on the surface, glowing like embers on the dark sea.
The four sailors, who were actually Davos Seaworth's sons, stood in stunned silence, their jaws agape.
The smuggling ship reached Preston Greenfield. Realizing escape was futile in the vast expanse of the ocean, Preston stopped swimming and bobbed in the water. He shouted desperately at Wright:
"It was me! I helped Jaime and Cersei escape! Cersei said she only argued with the king — I know nothing else! I have a property in King's Landing filled with gold. It's all yours! Wright, please spare me! For the sake of—"
An ice spear shot through Preston's mouth, exiting the back of his skull.
"Turn the ship around," Wright commanded the sailors. "The money in his house is yours. Ask around, and you'll find its location."
Cersei's disgrace could not be allowed to spread. Wright personally ensured there were no survivors.
Davos and his sons' loyalty was unquestionable, and their tight-lipped nature, honed by years of smuggling, made them the perfect accomplices. Killing three Kingsguard and the queen's handmaidens wasn't something they would question. All they needed to know was that the secret death sentence had come from the king himself, and their loyalty to him was enough.
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A week later, a raven, previously sent by renly, arrived at the Magic School, bearing a message from Renly. Upon receiving it, Wright sought out Robert and Stannis.
In his chambers, Robert raged, waving the letter furiously.
"He wants to spare Jaime Lannister's life, strip him of his Kingsguard position, and send him back to the Westerlands? That dog's son Tywin dares to make demands of me?"
"If Tywin agreed to everything immediately, he wouldn't be Tywin," Stannis remarked. Though he despised Tywin, he admired the man's administrative prowess and had long sought to emulate his style during his tenure as Hand of the King. Yet, despite his efforts, Stannis's methods always bore his own distinct stamp.
Wright cast Calm Mind on Robert to soothe his anger and then said, "Tywin has already conceded to four of our demands. Regarding the executions, he has agreed to Cersei's and her three children's deaths, but he insists on sparing Jaime.
"If Jaime dies, his youngest son — a dwarf — will be his only heir. At that point, Tywin would fight to the bitter end. I think we can agree to this condition as long as Cersei and her children are dealt with."
"I agree," Stannis and Renly said in unison.
Robert pondered for a moment and didn't object. "Years ago, I had a verbal agreement with Eddard for Joffrey to wed Sansa. But now he's turned out to be a incestuous bastard! Joffrey Waters! Bah! I think you, Renly, could be a good match for her."
Renly immediately protested. "Brother, you and Eddard are practically brother's. That makes me Sansa's uncle, and that's entirely inappropriate."
Robert thought about it and conceded. Dropping the subject, he continued, "Inform Tywin that Jaime Lannister must remain in King's Landing as a hostage until Tywin's death. Only then can he be released from the Kingsguard and return to the Westerlands to inherit. If he doesn't agree, we go to war!"
A raven flew to Casterly Rock once more, and Tywin's reply came swiftly.
After negotiations, terms were finalized: Tywin would secretly execute Cersei and her three children. Renly will brought the Mountain with him when he returned to King's Landing. Robert, ultimately swayed, agreed to allow Jaime's return to the Westerlands — but only because Tywin sweetened the deal by offering an additional 500,000 gold dragons.
Now, with the additional payment, the total compensation amounted to 1 million gold dragons. Tywin couldn't produce that amount at once and would need years to pay it in full.
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Sorry for the missing chapter. I think webnovel deleted, but i don't know why. But nevermind.
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