"Mufasa, it's best we don't get involved in the affairs of the Free Folk and the ironborn. Strictly speaking, they don't belong to the Seven Kingdoms," Tyrion said.
"The Iron Islands don't belong to the Seven Kingdoms? Uncle, are you joking?" Mufasa looked at Tyrion in surprise.
Tyrion had already finished his business and came before Mufasa. Standing, he was taller than Mufasa sitting. Mufasa had to tilt his head slightly to look up into his eyes.
"Ever since the Iron Islands lost all their mainland territories, they've been removed from the list of the Seven Kingdoms," Tyrion said.
Although the ironborn were once powerful, from Bear Island to the Shield Islands, the entire western coast of Westeros belonged to them.
Even The Riverlands were theirs.
However, after Harren the Black died, the glory of the ironborn was gone forever.
Their most recent resurgence was nine years ago, when King Balon gathered rebels, Qyburn plotted, and Victarion personally commanded the burning of the Lannister Family fleet in Lannisport.
But in the end, King Robert assembled a coalition army, trampled the Iron Islands, and captured Pyke.
"Alright, I'll listen to you this time. But since the ironborn are involved in slave trade, they need a good beating. Tell grandfather to send a singer to the Iron Islands to sing 'The Rains of Castamere'!" Mufasa said.
"The rains of Castamere, they say, fall on high walls, but no one sings anymore. The Rains of Castamere, the bloodline of House Reyne,
has flowed into the river with the rain."
Mufasa had once heard 'The Rains of Castamere' played on a cello. How to describe it? It was very imposing, yes, very imposing.
It had a feeling of destroying enemies.
"Release these two Free Folk!" Mufasa commanded.
A'guda untied the hemp ropes from their wrists, but instead of leaving, the two prostrated themselves before Mufasa, speaking in the Old Tongue that Mufasa couldn't understand.
"What are they saying?" Mufasa asked.
"They say they don't plan to return Beyond the Wall because a hidden danger has arrived. They also say that since I can follow you, they wish to follow you too."
"So that's it, but what use do I have for them?" Mufasa scratched his head.
The two nuthers started chattering again.
"They say they can lead you to the tomb of an ancient King-Beyond-the-Wall. There are treasures inside."
"King-Beyond-the-Wall!" Mufasa pondered for a moment.
The King-Beyond-the-Wall still held significant weight, a status equivalent to the King in the North.
"Alright! I doubt they dare to set a trap for us. Let them lead the way."
After A'guda spoke, the two nuthers kowtowed to Mufasa in gratitude.
"Didn't you say you were Free Folk? Why are you kowtowing?" Mufasa asked.
"Get up, get up!" Mufasa immediately helped them both to their feet.
After a hearty meal, the two nuthers led the way. Mufasa and his companions rode on Heraka, following them into Beyond the Wall.
Beyond the Wall is vast, and many areas beneath the surface are rich in iron and coal.
However, the Free Folk lack the ability to mine them.
So Mufasa's compass failed, and they couldn't distinguish north, south, east, or west.
Fortunately, the Free Folk have an innate strong sense of direction. They led Mufasa and his group deep into a mountain range within the Frostfangs.
Looking at the cave entrance blocked by a huge boulder, Mufasa thought, 'Did this King-Beyond-the-Wall not choose his burial site well? Is it this obvious?'
"A'guda, ask them if this is truly the tomb of the King-Beyond-the-Wall?" Mufasa asked.
Soon after, A'guda replied, "Indeed, Lord Mufasa, they both say that King-Beyond-the-Wall was from the Nuther tribe, and the location of his tomb has been passed down within the tribe."
"Then let's go in and take a look!" Mufasa walked up and pushed the boulder, but it wouldn't budge. He wasn't discouraged. He called Heraka, tied one end of a rope to a protrusion on the boulder, and the other end around Heraka's neck.
Heraka began to pull backward with all his might, and a gap appeared in the cave entrance, large enough for a person to pass through.
Mufasa immediately stopped Heraka.
"That's enough, Heraka! Wait outside. We'll go in. Have the two nuthers lead the way, A'guda."
A'guda said something to the two nuthers, but they both looked uneasy and dared not enter.
"Mufasa, they say this is an ancestral burial ground, and their descendants cannot enter, but you outsiders can," A'guda said.
Mufasa didn't blame them after hearing this. After all, perhaps that was their custom.
"Alright! Melisandre and I will go in together. You two stay outside," Mufasa said.
He was also taking precautions, as these two nuthers were indeed a bit unusual.
Mufasa and Melisandre walked through the gap, Mufasa holding a torch.
Melisandre held several pieces of wood.
"This cave is really strange, exceptionally large. It doesn't seem naturally formed."
Mufasa saw traces of artificial grinding, though very crude, as if it had been worn down little by little.
"Ser Mufasa, there's a fork ahead!" Melisandre suddenly said.
"Huh, how did you know?"
Mufasa turned around and saw Melisandre, her eyes burning like flames. There seemed to be two diverging paths in her gaze.
"You?" Mufasa looked at her with surprise and uncertainty.
"Recently, my magic has increased. I don't know why, but the wave of magical revival has also accelerated! I can feel that 'it' is about to appear."
Mufasa understood that the 'it' she spoke of referred to the Red Comet.
"This means Daenerys has already come into contact with the dragon egg."
In Pentos, Daenerys still married Drogo, but this time Khal Drogo only had twenty thousand soldiers. He was ambushed by several other Khals outside Vaes Dothrak.
He lost half his soldiers. However, he was still the most powerful Khal among the Dothraki.
"His Screaming Warriors don't seem as numerous as I thought!" Viserys, having learned the total strength of Khal Drogo's forces from Jorah Mormont, somewhat regretted marrying Daenerys to him.
"Your Grace! Khal Drogo is still the most powerful Khal. Look, even though he was ambushed, his whip is still intact, which means he won," Illyrio said with a smile.
They were currently sitting at Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding feast.
Daenerys received many gifts, among which Illyrio's dragon egg was her favorite.
After all, as a descendant of the Targaryen Family, she couldn't possibly dislike a dragon egg..
Daenerys held the dragon egg, unable to put it down. Suddenly, a magical orange cat came to her mind.
"Blood and fire are one, blood for blood. Rebirth through fire."
However, she still didn't know what this meant.
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