Chapter 109

  Chapter 109 As High as Honour

  Walking into the room, Samwell could feel a rush of heat.

  It was already hot in Dorne, but now, the servants also lit the fireplace.

  But even so, the blazing heat could not bring warmth to Duke Jon. His face was pale, purple lips, covered with a thick quilt and shaking occasionally.

  "lord duke, we are here?" Margaery came to the bed with a sad face and leaned over to ask.

  But Duke Jon didn't look at her, but stared at the door until he saw Prince Oberyn, and then said hoarsely:

  "Oberyn..."

  Hearing this name, the weeping lady Lysa jumped up like an electric shock, and shouted:

  "Get out! Who let you in! You murderer! Get out! Get out!"

  Seeing that the scene was about to become chaotic again, Samwell shouted:

  "Quiet!"

  Lady Lysa stared at the young baron with wide eyes, as if in disbelief that he was yelling at herself.

  Before she could speak again, Samwell said quickly: "Everyone, please be quiet, the Duke is talking."

  Sure enough, after everyone quieted down, they heard Duke Jon's voice:

  "My... Lysa is tired... let her leave...to rest..."

  "Jon! What are you talking about?" Lysa cried and threw herself on the bed, "I'm not going anywhere, I want to stay with you all the time!"

  Duke Jon seemed to be saying something again , but all were drowned in the sharp cries of his wife.

  Samwell spoke again, and said to the knights of the Arryn family:

  "You all heard the order from the Duke, why are you still in a daze? Lady Lysa is too sad, let her leave and rest."

  The knights looked at each other, and finally stepped forward to carry Madam Lysa away.

  "Mother! Mother!!" The Duke's son began to cry again.

  So Samwell spoke again and asked the knights to simply take him away.

  The room finally fell silent.

  Duke Jon cast a grateful look at Samwell, and then turned to the door: "Oberyn ... come here..."

  Prince Oberyn came to the bed under the watchful eyes of all the knights of the reach ,he tried to use the the most sincere tone said:

  "Lord Jon, please believe me, I will never poison you!"

  "I... believe you..."

  Prince Oberyn was overjoyed when he heard that. Thinking of it, the Duke actually said such a thing.

  Duke Jon stared into Prince Oberyn's eyes, and said intermittently:

  "Back then... I owed you fairness...now... I will pay you back...but...I hope...you can also give me...I think I want...peace..."

  Prince Oberyn understood what Duke Jon meant, and his expression changed for a while.

  He suddenly remembered that when he was greeted on the pier before, he had ridiculed Duke Jon for only making others the price of peace.

  At that time, Duke Jon responded that he, too, could die for peace.

  Prince Oberyn hadn't believed it at all, until now.

  Although he himself knew that he hadn't poisoned him at all, did Duke Jon really know?

  Even his own niece couldn't believe his innocence, let alone anyone else.

  But Duke Jon chose to pardon him.

  Just to prevent the situation in Dorne from collapsing.

  Prince Oberyn was rebellious all his life, and he rarely admired anyone, but now, looking at the dying hand of the king in front of him, he couldn't restrain a surge of respect in his heart.

  "Okay, I promise you."

  Duke Jon was obviously relieved, and his eyes searched the crowd again until he saw Natalie who was shrinking behind Samwell:

  "Nata..."

  "The Duke called you. ' Samwell pushed the little girl to the bed.

  "Lord." Natalie dared not approach Prince Oberyn.

  But Prince Oberyn said in a deep voice, "Kneel down."

  "Huh?" The little girl was startled.

  It wasn't until Samwell whispered something in her ear that she timidly knelt down before Prince Oberyn.

  "I, Oberyn Martell, brother of Doran Martell, in the name of the Sunspear, acknowledge the inheritance of Natalie Dayne, daughter of Ashara Dayne, to Starfall, from Starting today, she will become a vassal of the Martell family, the Earl of Starfall City."

  After hearing this, Natalie realized that she had finally been officially recognized by the Martell Family and became the Earl of Starfall City.

  "Natalie...miss..."

  Hearing Duke Jon's voice, Natalie turned her head quickly: "lord duke, what other orders do you have?"

  "Please don't...block...Martell...family two...guests to...leave..."

  Natalie nodded quickly: "Okay, my lord, I will not make things difficult for the two guests of the Martell family."

  Hearing this, Duke Jon's whole body relaxed, as if his wish had finally come true.

  "Please let... my wife... and the child... come in..."

  Everyone hurriedly retreated, letting Lady Lysa and her son come in to say goodbye to Duke Jon.

  Crying filled the room again.

  Samwell looked at the old duke on the bed with a complex expression, with mixed feelings in his heart.

  He knew that Duke Jon's actions just now were aimed at quelling this dispute, and more importantly, eliminating possible conflicts in the future.

  Maybe the old duke has realized that he has become a pawn of some conspirators to disrupt the situation, or maybe he doesn't know anything, but only knows that he must do so.

  Even if it might allow Prince Oberyn, the "murderer" who killed him, to go free, he must do so.

  Only in this way can the current dispute between Reach and Dorne will calm down, and greater conflicts will not break out, and even shake the stability of the Seven Kingdoms.

  "Everyone, please be quiet!" Margaery voice came next, "Lord Duke seems to be talking about something again."

Everyone fell silent again, and finally heard Duke Jon's weak voice repeating continuously:

  "... ...honour ...as high as...honour ..."

  As High As Honor.

  This is the family motto of the Ayrin family.

  It is also the persistence of this old Duke all his life.

  Samwell suddenly thought of the other four words that Duke Jon kept chanting in the original book before his death—

  "The seed is strong".

  When he was reading the book, he was actually very puzzled. Duke Jon clearly had the opportunity to tell the truth before he died, so why didn't he tell King Robert directly that his queen cheated on her and gave birth to three children who were not his real heirs. These four words were like a riddle.

  Now he finally understood.

  Duke Jon couldn't bear to destroy the glory he had held on to for half his life.

  If he told the truth directly, with King Robert's fiery personality, he would definitely kill the queen and the three evil-born children, and even lead the army to attack the western border.

  And Will the Duke Tywin in the Western Territory will wait to die?

  Therefore, in the original book, Duke Jon would rather bring this secret to the grave—even if he died because of this secret—he could not bear to see the situation of the Seven Kingdoms that he had painstakingly supported collapse.

  It was the same now, even if he thought that Prince Oberyn might be the murderer who killed him, he would let him go in exchange for peace.

  This is Duke Jon's persistence, and this is his honour .

  Although in Samwell's view, this peace may not be as Duke Jon wishes.

  Now the situation in the Seven Kingdoms seems to be calm, but in fact, the undercurrent has long been turbulent.

  There are exiled members of the Targaryen royal family who are always thinking about taking back the Iron Throne, while there are careerists from all walks of life fanning the flames for fear that the world will not be chaotic.

  Duke Tywin of the Western Territory is ambitious and wants to return to King's Landing. Prince Dorne thinks about revenge and even restores the Targaryen dynasty all day long. The king's younger brother has also coveted the Iron Throne for a long time.

  As for the major nobles of the Baratheon dynasty—in the alliance of fish, wolf, deer and eagle, Duke Hoster Tully, the fish family, is dying of terminal illness. He tends to be separatist, and doesn't want to pay attention to the affairs south . The brothers of the deer family are not in harmony, and the boss Robert Baratheon himself is a king who doesn't care about things.

  The core person who has really maintained this new dynasty all along, and can even be said to be the pillar supporting the rule of the Iron Throne, is the Eagle of the vale, Hand of the King, Duke Jon Arryn.

  If he dies like this, the situation of the Seven Kingdoms will immediately become precarious.

  Petyr Baelish "Littlefinger" hit the nail on the head.

  "...high...such as...honour ..."

  Duke Jon kept repeating these words.

  It's a pity that he regarded honour above all else all his life, but in the end he was assassinated in the most disgraceful way.

  And the peaceful situation he tried his best to maintain during his lifetime may gradually fall apart with his death.

  In Game of Thrones, after all, there is no place for honour.

  "As high as honour!"

  Duke Jon uttered a high-pitched voice, and then fell into dead silence.

  Then came the cries of Lady Lysa and her son, Robert.

  All the nobles bowed down to express their condolences with mournful faces.

  Maester Gilmore turned and walked out of the room quickly to the aviary.

  Not long after, ravens flapped their wings and flew into the night sky, scattered in all directions.

  They would carry word of the death of Lord Jon Arryn, Hand of the King, throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

  Black wings, black message.

  Under the moonlight, the summer seawas as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the stars in the night sky. They are like the eyes of the gods, watching the vicissitudes of the world coldly and indifferently.

  Only they have never changed.

  Walking out of the hot and sad room, Samwell stood in the gloomy courtyard for a long time, but what he was thinking at this moment was not the ingenious calculation of a certain conspirator, nor the war and bloody fire that was about to sweep across the Seven Kingdoms, but It was the cry of Duke Jon before he died.

  The motto that the old man interpreted all his life overwhelmed all the noises of conspiracies and tricks, resounded through the starry sky, and lingered for a long time—

  "As high as honour."

  (End of the first volume)