"Lord Greatjon", did you come all this way just to make peace?" Cole casually fiddled with a small wooden turtle sculpture on the table.
"My lord, this is merely a simple misunderstanding," Greatjon" replied. "Elton Estermont never intended to be your enemy. He is Stannis's grandfather and your kinsman. In the Stormlands, we have a saying: 'There is no hatred between blood.
' I have always been reluctant to see kinsmen kill each other, and I've even written letters to persuade both Stannis and Renly." His eyes conveyed a sense of helplessness and sorrow.
Cole turned the turtle with his index finger. "Do you know what Elton Estermont called me in his letter?" He sneered. "'The bastard of the Night's Watch, the damned usurper.' He never regarded me as a kinsman." Cole then asked, "What sort of identity do you think would be worthy of Estermont's noble 'turtle' bloodline?"
Greatjon" Swann thought contemptuously to himself: At least not like you. In the arrogant Swann's eyes, Cole was just a low-born upstart who had gained power overnight. If he were Stannis, he'd be willing to marry his daughter to a Lannister dwarf before marrying her to such a lowly bastard.
"My lord, you know that old people sometimes get things muddled," Earl Swann said, forcing a smile to mask the contempt in his eyes. "Perhaps the letter was just a mistake he made after his eyesight dimmed. You should forgive Lord Estermont; he is already seventy years old."
How could the Eye of Time not see through his disguise?
"Do you know how long a turtle lives, Lord Swann?" Cole shook the wooden sculpture in his hand. "I once read a book—I can't recall which maester wrote it. He claimed that a turtle's lifespan is two or even three times that of a human. And through his observations, he found that the older the turtle, the wiser it becomes."
"That's truly an interesting book, my lord. But personally, I believe a maester's duty is to serve the master of the castle."
"What a maester should do depends on how the Citadel teaches them," Cole said, placing the wooden sculpture on the table. He stood up and took Winter Night from its hanger. "And I am merely a knight, my lord. I am loyal to Stannis, and I know who my lord is. Why don't you come and see for yourself?"
He walked towards the tent flap, and Earl Swann also rose abruptly. The two walked out of the main tent. Tents were neatly arranged around it. When Greatjon" Swann had first entered the camp, he'd been observing it. Now, as Cole led him slowly, he noticed the strict layout; not a single prostitute or traveling merchant was in sight.
Cole reached out to stop a passing soldier and asked him, "What's your name?"
The soldier saluted. "General, my name is Dilu."
Cole patted his shoulder. "Good. Now tell me, do you know why we came here?"
The soldier glanced hesitantly between them. Cole gave him an encouraging look. "Speak. No one in this camp will fault you for your words."
"It's to kill the traitors in the Stormlands."
"Traitors?" Earl Swann exclaimed in surprise.
Cole offered him a small smile. "When I was in Storm's End, I swore to my soldiers that I would never return until the traitors were dead." His eyes filled with murderous intent.
The palpable threat made Greatjon Swann feel a chill run down his spine.
"Will you break your oath, Lord Greatjon?" Cole asked him.
Greatjon looked at the soldiers watching them and forced a smile. "Only villains and eunuchs enjoy breaking their oaths, my lord."
Cole nodded in agreement. "It seems Lord Swann already knows my answer," he smiled.
"My lord, why don't you reconsider?"
"Do you think I'm a villain?" Cole's sharp gaze swept over him.
Greatjon" shook his head. "I have no such intention. Before leaving Stonehelm, I received a letter from the Royal Council. His Majesty the King asked me and other Stormlands lords to meet the Kingdom's fleet sailing from the west coast.
As far as I know, the fleets from Lannisport and Casterly Rock have already reached the mouth of Dorne. My lord, why don't you think about this carefully before making a decision?"
Cole sneered. "Has the Swann family of Stonehelm now become a vassal of the Crown?"
Greatjon's face suddenly flushed. "Don't trouble yourself with that. I know to whom I am loyal when I am in power. I also know who the real Baratheon is, sir."
Cole simply tilted his head. "I hope the gods think so, my lord."
"Then please allow me to leave," Earl Swann said.
"Please."
Swann snorted coldly, then turned and departed. Cole narrowed his eyes, staring at his back. As expected, he had come on behalf of the Lannisters. It seemed old Tywin didn't want him to simply wade through this muddy water.
A Difficult Choice
Things had become tricky. With Tywin's intervention, Cole had to consider whether to press his attack. Lord Swann had already revealed the Lannister threat to Cole. The fleets from Casterly Rock and Lannisport were at the mouth of the Dornish Sea.
The Isle of Estermont had been requisitioned as a temporary port for the fleet. If Cole wished to continue his offensive, he would have to weigh his own strength.
If he chose to fight, the Lannisters would never miss such a clear opportunity. Almost all the main forces of Storm's End were currently here. If the Lannisters seized this moment to destroy his army, Cole would no longer pose a threat to them. This was a dilemma.
The border lords who supported Cole would not agree to his withdrawal. If he advanced, he might face a joint attack from the Rainwood rebels and the Lannister army.
Furthermore, the battlefield would be at sea, where his forces were weakest. A defeat could lead to utter failure, and he might even be unable to defend Storm's End in the end.
If he retreated, he might return to Storm's End safely, but the border lords who had surrendered to him would undoubtedly cause trouble or betray him. At that point, he would be caught in a complicated struggle over the claim to Storm's End, which was exactly what the Lannisters desired.
Cole paced inside the tent, his mind a jumble. He cycled through various response plans and predicted their potential consequences. His gaze unintentionally fell upon the book on the chair. That page detailed the War of the Ninepenny Kings during the reign of Aegon V. A name caught Cole's eye, and he gently picked up the book.
He shook his head and smiled slightly.
[He rushed into the Golden Company alone and successfully killed the last Blackfyre, "Maelys the Monstrous," in single combat] — Fearless Barristan Selmy!
What was he afraid of?