chapter 104 part 2
The pirate captain leaned on the railing and roared arrogantly, "Who do they think they are? I'm the king of this sea! Bring the ships in!"
By the time both sides could see each other clearly, the sea had calmed down slightly.
"Furl the sails! Prepare for boarding action!"
"Furl the sails! Prepare for boarding action!"
At roughly the same time, the captains on both sides issued the same command.
...
On the other ship, Montun put on his great helm. "Anguy, the wind and waves are still strong. Don't get too close to the edge, be careful not to fall off."
Anguy's sharp gaze scanned the surroundings as he nodded. "Montun, I've more or less adapted to the ship's swaying. It's just that the ship is too narrow. You're the one who needs to be careful."
Montun pulled down his visor, chuckled, and said in a muffled voice, "Have you thought about who you want to marry yet?"
Anguy had indeed been warmly welcomed by the women in the Clegane territory, especially after he couldn't resist defeating a few of the spearwives who, in his eyes, looked overly robust.
Though popular on the surface, Anguy actually held an unspeakable bitterness in his heart.
Anguy wanted to change the subject and said suddenly, "Montun, why do I get the feeling... you've been avoiding Lord Glyn recently? Don't you usually like following the Lord the most?"
Montun tried to scratch his head, but his fingers hit the cold helmet, so he brought his hand back down.
Montun's vacant eyes looked at Anguy as he said, "Anguy, I haven't noticed. You must be mistaken."
With that, Montun turned his gaze to the approaching pirate ships in the distance, raised his round shield, and said, "I'm heading to the front."
The ship was still rocking violently, but Montun's steps were exceedingly steady.
Anguy looked suspiciously at Montun's stout back, then withdrew his gaze.
There was still some time before the boarding action would begin. Anguy carefully checked his crossbow one more time.
...
...
Red Keep, Throne Room.
A mocking curve appeared on Queen Cersei's lips, her tone icy, "Jon Arryn, not only has your health failed, but you've also gone senile along with it?"
Cersei's words seemed to freeze the entire Throne Room.
Facing the various gazes focused on her, Cersei arrogantly raised her chin and let out another cold snort.
Jon Arryn couldn't help but clench his fist, his voice laced with a warning, "Queen Cersei, this is the Small Council, not your bedchamber!"
After speaking, an itch in the Hand's throat made him break into a fit of coughing.
Petyr hurriedly stood up and walked over, but Jon Arryn waved him away.
Queen Cersei, who had been greatly angered by Jon's mention of her "bedchamber," now saw the Hand's unusually wretched state with her own eyes. Her mood instantly brightened.
After finally managing to stop coughing, Jon Arryn leaned weakly against the back of his chair, looking like a helpless and frail old man.
Would Cersei sympathize with the weakened Hand?
Cersei never sympathized with the weak. She would only gloat over their misfortune and kick them while they were down. To simply stand by and watch without offering help would be a great act of mercy on her part.
Queen Cersei looked at Jon Arryn and said leisurely, "Is Lord Arryn interested in my bedchamber? When did this start? Hand of the King, you've rarely managed to pique my curiosity."
"You!"
Lord Jon's chest heaved. "Queen Cersei, do not tarnish my honor at will!"
Queen Cersei said coldly, "Only a coward would make a great show of locking down King's Landing for his own safety. Next time, I'll gift you a skirt."
Facing the suspicious gazes from those around him, Jon Arryn felt he was about to spit blood from anger. How could the old lion, Lord Tywin, have such a daughter!
Cersei, of course, was unaware that Jon Arryn was using the investigation of the secret tunnels as a pretext. His true purpose was to lock down King's Landing in advance to control the situation after the issue of the royal bloodline was revealed.
Cersei thought old Jon was frightened by the discovery of the secret tunnels, and that was why he was making such a big fuss.
According to Cersei's guess, the Hand's actions were those of a coward.
The words that angered Jon Arryn the most were not Cersei's offer of a skirt, though that statement was certainly not without its sting.
It was mainly Cersei's suggestive phrasing; the Hand felt he was only now truly realizing Cersei's licentiousness. And this was the queen he had personally chosen for King Robert.
Everyone knew there were no secrets in the Red Keep. Did she not care about her own reputation?
Of course, Cersei was not someone who didn't care about her reputation.
It was just that Queen Cersei's chief officer, Glynn Cleber, had set a rather bad precedent... In Cersei's view, if anyone dared to slander her, she could just send Glyn to make their heads roll. She rather missed that feeling.
I, Cersei Lannister, have never known fear!
...
The other lords could not intervene in the confrontation between the Hand and the Queen, except for the King's own brother—Renly.
Renly very much wanted to help Jon Arryn, but he couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
On one hand, House Baratheon was naturally close to Jon Arryn. On the other, Renly had once plotted to remove Cersei Lannister from her position as Queen and make Margaery Tyrell the new queen. This would not only strike a blow against the Lannisters' power but also gain him the support of House Tyrell.
Unfortunately, the plan had just begun when... Jaime went on a mad spree, scattering Gold Dragons and investigating everywhere like a madman. This forced him to temporarily halt his actions and cautiously redirect all leads to the Riverlands.
A conspiracy, after all, is a dark thing. Everyone uses them, but no one likes them. If it were accidentally exposed, it would tarnish the honor of House Baratheon.
Faced with Jaime's wild fists, Renly had to back down for the sake of the bigger picture.
The plan he and his confidants had schemed over for so long had just started to show some effect, only to end like a child's game.
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Renly suddenly burst into loud laughter. His laugh carried a heroic spirit, much like King Robert's.
Renly used his own method to ease the tension, "Your Grace, you may not know Lord Jon well. He has never understood humor. My brother Robert could never stand that about him either!"
As Renly's words fell, the others chuckled along.
Cersei snorted lightly and said no more. It wasn't that Renly's words had any particular effect.
Renly's mention of King Robert carried an implicit warning. He was reminding her of the special and deep bond between King Robert and Jon Arryn, telling Queen Cersei not to push too hard.
The arrogant Cersei did not notice the deeper meaning in Renly's words at all. She just felt nauseous looking at Renly's face, which so resembled a young Robert.
Cersei loathed everything and everyone related to King Robert!
Misunderstandings can sometimes be a beautiful thing... At that moment, Renly suddenly felt that although Cersei was a bit willful, she knew when to advance and when to retreat at crucial moments. If she hadn't been born a Lannister, she would have been a qualified queen.
Renly's smile was carefree as he continued, "Your Grace, since you have suddenly joined the Small Council meeting, I imagine it must be for some important matter! Shall we discuss your business first?"
After speaking, Renly looked toward Jon Arryn.
*Renly is still too young...* Jon Arryn sighed inwardly but showed no reaction, merely nodding slightly.
Cersei looked at Renly's smiling face and couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly.
"Hand of the King, I've heard that due to your health, Petyr is now acting on your behalf to perform the duties of the Hand (information heard from Glyn). Are you planning to groom Petyr as the successor to the Hand of the King?"
(end of chapter)