Chapter 206: Dangerous Thoughts

Yesterday Samwell had sent someone to notify them in advance so when they arrived outside the castle, He saw his family waiting for them.

"Sam!" A girl in a crimson dress threw herself into Samwell's arms.

"Talla." Samwell hugged his sister back, feeling the wonderful connection of blood.

Talla said with tears in her smile.

"You have grown taller and lost weight and look at me, I've also grown and am already a big girl!"

"I also heard stories about you, you are a great hero!"

Samwell rubbed his sister's head and laughed. "It's really hard to say whether a hero or villain ."

"A hero!" Talla declared firmly.

"You killed a false king! Everyone knows it!"

"They all know it, but they won't necessarily admit it."

Seeing the confusion in her sister's eyes, Samwell didn't explain much and introduced her to Margaery.

The two embraced affectionately and kissed each other's cheek.

Talla's big eyes rolled back and forth between her brother and Margaery, as if she was holding back something and wanted to ask, but she couldn't ask out of politeness.

"By the way, brother, I heard that you hatched a dragon. Is it true?"

"It is true. But that naughty girl went hunting in the woods again, I will introduce her later."

"Okay!"

"Father and mother are also fine."

"Is it?"

Samwell's expression dimmed. "Dickon's body should be escorted back..."

"The body? Brother, what are you talking about?"

Talla was full of doubts. "Although brother was seriously injured, he's not dead."

This time it was Samwell's turn to be dumbfounded.

"No, not dead? You're saying Dickon is not dead?"

"Of course, he didn't die."

Talla looked at her brother with strange eyes.

"He was just seriously injured and was coming back with the army. When Mother heard about him, she was very worried, so she went with some Knights to bring brother personally."

Samwell was pleasantly surprised and didn't know what to say.

He immediately realized that the red priest Melisandre's resurrection might have worked! But how come there is such a long delay?

Lord of Light, don't you have a good internet connection?

Samwell complained wildly in his heart, with a joyful smile on his face.

"That's great! Maybe I heard the wrong news."

Talla gave her brother a blank look and led them into the castle.

Lord Randyll Tarly was waiting for them in the hall.

He was still the same, wearing a crisp grey velvet dress, with a calm face and deep eyes.

Samwell took Margaery forward and bowed.

After exchanging pleasantries, Earl Randyll asked his daughter to entertain Margaery and said to his son, "Come with me."

The two came to the small room next to the hall, and Earl Randyll said in a reprimanding tone, "You did a stupid thing in the Skyreach city."

Samwell knew his father was talking about him killing Joffrey.

Indeed, although he was a false king, killing him in full view would do more harm than good. However, that was only for political reasons. But what if you could hatch a dragon with the blood of a king?

"Father, my dragon was actually hatched with Joffrey's blood."

Randyll's eyes fluctuated for a while, and then he opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask something but found it difficult.

After struggling for a moment, he finally asked, "Using the king's blood can hatch dragons?"

"Yes, the king's blood, the fire sacrifice, and the red comet. This is the method of hatching a dragon that I discovered from an ancient scroll handed down from Asshai."

Earl Randyll stared at his son, wondering if he believed this set of rhetoric.

After all, in the eyes of the nobles of Westeros, only the blood of the Targaryen family can hatch and tame dragons.

Samwell looked at him and secretly prayed to his father not to ask any more questions...

Fortunately, Earl Randyll didn't get entangled in this matter, maybe he didn't know how to continue asking. It's better not to open some doors.

However, Earl Randyll found another problem: "It was foolish to take away Margaery Tyrell."

Samwell immediately replied, "If I can get the Tyrell family to recognize this marriage, what about it?"

"Are you sure?"

"You have to try to know."

"Could it be that Father, you are sure of victory before every battle?"

Earl Randyll said nothing, just staring at his son with those deep eyes.

Samwell stared at him without giving an inch.

After a long while, Earl Randyll twitched his lips, not sure if he was smiling. "Just one dragon, especially a young dragon, cannot make the Tyrell family willingly marry Margaery to you."

Samwell breathed a sigh of relief. He heard the meaning of help from his father's words and immediately asked earnestly, "What can you do?"

Earl Randyll did not answer immediately but asked instead, "What do you want to do? How much do you know about the current situation?"

"Eddard Stark has made it clear that he supports Stannis Baratheon as the legal heir to the Iron Throne, and Tywin Lannister should have issued an order to withdraw troops, but I don't know if he has reached a peace agreement with Dorne..."

"Reached." Earl Randyll gave a slow nod.

"Really?"

Samwell was a little surprised at the efficiency of the old lion.

He had been on the road for a while and couldn't receive the news in time.

"What conditions did the Lannister family offered ?"

Earl Landau said in a deep tone, "Tywin sent two people to the Martell family."

"Which two?"

"Gregor Clegane and Renly Baratheon."

Samwell frowned when he heard that. "Sending 'the Mountain' I can understand, that's a great gift to the Martell family, but Renly?"

Earl Randyll then recounted everything that happened in Sunspear.

"It was Tywin who murdered Renly!"

Although Samwell was shocked after hearing this, he immediately guessed the truth of the matter. "The old lion poured this basin of dirty water on the Martell family."

"I think so too," Earl Randall nodded in agreement with his son's point of view.

"But the Martell family can't justify this because they killed 'the Mountain' in public, and Renly was poisoned to death in Sunspear. How does this make people believe in Martell's innocence?"

Samwell frowned and asked, "Didn't Eddard Stark send a messenger to the Second Army? Why didn't Renly take precautions at all?"

"He did, but the messenger from the Lannister family arrived first."

Samwell sighed to himself, but after thinking about it, it wasn't really surprising.

After all, what happened in Skyreach was a truly earth-shattering event for the Lannister family, and their messengers would definitely hurry to tell the old lion the news as soon as possible.

And the messenger from the north was obviously not desperate, only seen as delivering letters to potential allies, so it's normal for them to be late.

Unfortunately, Duke Tywin caught this mistake and dealt with it decisively.

The Martell family had to bow their heads to the Iron Throne to protect themselves, and it also eliminated the Lannister family's biggest rival.

Renly Baratheon, despite being the youngest brother of the late King Robert, posed a greater threat to Cersei's offspring than his elder brother Stannis Baratheon.

Renly's fief, Storm's End, the old nest of the Baratheon family, could organize a significantly larger army than Stannis. In the early days of the "War of the Five Kings," Renly was the most powerful "king" and had the support of the Reach, with more than 100,000 soldiers. He had one with the highest chance of sitting on the Iron Throne.

But after that, Renly was killed by Stannis and Melisandre's shadow, and the army under his command fell apart.

Samwell thought that Renly would cause great trouble for the Lannister family, but he didn't expect that Duke Tywin would eliminate this threat even faster than in the original book.

Duke Tywin had a keen eye and first got rid of the person who posed the greatest threat to him.

This realization startled Samwell, and he immediately asked about the armies in the Riverlands, the Vale, and the Stormlands.

He wondered if the old lion would let these potential enemies go.

"The troops in the west were already withdrawing. In advance, Tywin set fire to the food and supplies of the other three regions and handed over all the captured cities and fortresses to the Dornishmen," Earl Randall explained.

"The old lion is truly ruthless!" Samwell sighed but then changed the topic. "But he underestimated Prince Doran. The Dornishmen may not be willing to become the lion's blade against the enemy."

"Prince Doran's stance is indeed variable," Earl Randall admitted, but he reminded his son,

"But don't forget who killed the 'Red Viper.' Even if the Martell family may not be willing to submit to the Lannisters, they will surely see you as an enemy."

Samwell tightly frowned, unable to refute.

"The current situation is very favourable for the Lannister family," Earl Randyll concluded.

"The Reach, under Duke Mace's promise, has agreed to marry Margaery to Tommen Baratheon. Once the Western Territory unites with the Reach, Eddard Stark and Stannis Baratheon stand little chance."

Indeed, the Western Territory and the Reach were the two most powerful and wealthiest regions in the Seven Kingdoms. Their union would be a force to be reckoned with.

"So, if I don't want to see the lion seize power, I really have to marry Margaery," Samwell said.

"That's right," Earl Randyll nodded.

But then he coldly reminded his son, "You have to know that from the Tyrell family's perspective, once Margaery marries Tommen, it's almost a sure-win situation. Why would they give up the queen and come to help a minor baron like you?"

Samwell argued, "It may not be to help me but to help Stannis Baratheon reclaim the rightful Iron Throne. Once the Riverlands bend the knee to Stannis, the Lannisters will have no chance."

"What good would Stannis sitting on the Iron Throne do for the Tyrells?" Earl Randall questioned again.

"Stannis is already married, and it's impossible for him to marry Margaery. Moreover, his wife's surname is Florent."

Samwell remained silent.

Although the Florents of Brightwater Keep were vassals of the Tyrells, they had always resisted being subordinate to them.

They openly and secretly claimed that after King Garth the Gardener's death, they, not the Tyrells, should inherit Highgarden.

With Stannis' wife coming from House Florent, it was unlikely that the Tyrells would support him in his claim for the Iron Throne.

Samwell had to admit that it would be challenging to gain the Tyrells' support.

But he couldn't give up so easily.

"Father, House Tyrell doesn't have to rule the Reach," Samwell said.

Earl Randyll gave his son a deep look upon hearing this and said, "Your idea is very dangerous."

Samwell smiled knowingly. Earl Randyll only mentioned the danger of the idea, not that it was wrong.

[END]