chapter 193 part 2
In the great hall, Greene Kleb's gaze swept past Brienne of Tarth (Chapter 88) in the crowd of onlookers. He could feel that she was merely an invited guest this time, and he felt a secret regret.
Brienne valued her promises, so she had come. But her heart was with Renly. Lord Greene did not make things difficult for people.
A commotion came from the distance. Greene looked over and saw Aemilia approaching slowly. Lord Greene recalled past scenes, and as he looked at this straightforward female warrior, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
After the herald's chanting ended, the hall fell silent. Aemilia knelt on one knee before Greene, her head bowed.
With a clang, Greene drew his longsword and laid it on Aemilia's right shoulder.
He spoke slowly, "In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
The longsword moved from her right shoulder to her left. "In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
The longsword returned to her right shoulder. "In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the weak and innocent."
The longsword once again fell upon her left shoulder. "In the name of the Maiden, I charge you to protect all women."
The longsword moved from left to right. "In the name of the Smith, I charge you to be strong."
The longsword moved from right to left. "In the name of the Crone, I charge you to be wise."
The longsword moved from left to right. "In the name of the Stranger, I charge you to not fear sacrifice."
Greene sheathed his longsword and said, "Arise, Ser Aemilia."
Aemilia rose. Septon Jaril walked over with a serious and humble expression and anointed her with the holy oils.
"My child, congratulations. May the Seven protect you."
The witnessing knight, Ser Marwyn Beck, spoke up, "Ser Aemilia, you need a surname of your own."
Aemilia first nodded her thanks, then looked with an expectant gaze at the ever-steady Ser Marwyn.
Marwyn smiled and nodded, then with slightly stiff movements, approached the High Septon of Crackclaw Point, who was preparing to leave. "Septon Jaril, it's a good time for us to discuss the location for the new Sept."
Septon Jaril, urged on by Ser Marwyn, hurried away. Aemilia watched their departing backs, her mouth agape.
Greene walked over, his eyes smiling. "Aemilia, Marwyn is quite busy with his duties. I can help."
Greene thought for a moment, then said, "Sorens. Aemilia Sorens."
...
The next day, Greene, accompanied by the newly anointed female knight, began to tour the western part of Crackclaw Point. At the same time, under Greene's military order, the elite soldiers and various military supplies of Crackclaw Point began to secretly gather at a newly built military port in the northern part of the peninsula. The military supplies and soldiers would be fully assembled within three months.
...
...
Red Keep, Tower of the Hand.
Inside the study, Tyrion Lannister was slumped over his desk, looking exhausted.
Tyrion had to admit that he had truly underestimated his cousin Lancel. With his "assistance," Jacelyn Bywater had quickly taken the position of Commander of the Gold Cloaks. As Tyrion's "reward," Lancel Lannister was "promoted" to second-in-command of the Gold Cloaks. It was a very good deal.
Tyrion couldn't help but smile. His sister Cersei became much easier to deal with after she found the right person... He was now quite interested in the process by which Lancel had convinced his dear sister... Poor old brother Jaime.
He thought again, did his sister really naively believe that Greene and Lancel were the same kind of sword in her hand?
The next step, besides grain, was war preparations and diplomacy.
With Greene gone, Tyrion occasionally missed him, but he also felt more relaxed in body and mind... Hmm, the Vale is a good place to retire.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
A knock sounded at the door. After receiving a reply, Varys, dressed in a light purple robe, glided in.
"Good day, my Lord Hand."
Tyrion lazily pushed away from the desk and leaned back in his chair. He smelled the scent of lavender.
He grinned. "Please, have a seat, Lord Varys."
After Varys was seated, he pulled a piece of parchment from his long sleeve and said, "The first piece of intelligence: the captain of the royal warship *White Hart* plans to weigh anchor in three days and take his ship to pledge allegiance to Lord Stannis."
Tyrion sneered, "Is it another poor child forgotten in King's Landing by Stannis?"
After a pause, he sighed. "We have so few ships. To ensure the loyalty of the other captains, I'll have to be cruel... I think they need to witness Joffrey's justice."
His eyes flickered slightly as he added, "We need to give my good nephew something to do, otherwise the Seven won't be able to bear watching."
Varys smiled and nodded slightly, making a note on the paper.
He continued, "The second piece of intelligence: Ser Horas and Ser Hobber of House Redwyne have bribed a certain side gate guard and plan to slip out of the city the night after tomorrow. The twin brothers will disguise themselves as oarsmen and leave aboard the Pentoshi ship *Moon Chaser*."
Tyrion pondered for a moment, then spoke, "My sister's guests want to slip away? If my sister loses these two valuable hostages she specifically kept, I'm afraid she'll go mad."
He looked at Varys. "I will arrange this matter myself. You must keep it secret from the Queen Regent's side."
Varys bowed slightly and said, "As you command, my Lord Hand."
He made another mark on the paper and said, "The third piece of intelligence..."
"The fourth piece of intelligence..."
"The fifth piece of intelligence..."
"The final piece of intelligence..."
...
After listening to Varys's reports, Tyrion climbed down from his chair, walked over, and brought back a wine jug and an empty cup.
Tyrion poured a cup of wine for Varys, who had been reading intelligence reports for the better part of the day.
"Lord Varys, I always feel that you harbor good intentions towards me. I am quite curious, why are you so good to me?" Tyrion asked, his gaze scrutinizing as he handed over the wine.
Varys gave a faint smile. "Lord Tyrion, you are the Hand of the King. The Master of Whisperers serves The Realm, the King, and you, does he not?"
Tyrion grinned. "Did you also serve Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark with such attentiveness back then?"
(end of chapter)