Chapter 374 Liability

  Dragonstone Island, Black Prison.

  The faint firelight shone through the old rusty iron railings, but the back half of the cell was still immersed in darkness.

  "Onion Knight" Davos Seaworth curled up in the darkness, but didn't complain.

  He knew he deserved it.

   It was a great kindness for the king not to chop off his head immediately after stealing Princess Shireen.

  Davos felt that he was able to save his life, probably because Stannis was actually grateful to himself in his heart, grateful to him for saving Shireen.

   But that doesn't save him from jail.

  The sea breeze blew in from the rock passage, bringing with it a salty and humid air flow, but Davos didn't feel cold at all.

   Dragonstone's rocky soil is hot.

   Davos leaned against the warm wall, and suddenly felt that perhaps those ancient legends were true, that there were dragons sleeping in the rocks of Dragonstone Island, and their hot flesh and blood brought warmth.

  It's a pity that they can't bring light, Davos thought idly, he didn't know how many days had passed in the darkness.

   I don't know how long the king will continue to keep him here.

   Just then, Davos heard footsteps approaching, louder and louder.

  He brushed the straw off his body, stood up and went to the railing, and saw the prison guard walking over with a bunch of keys in his hand.

   "Smuggler, the king wants to see you." The guard put the key in the lock and twisted it, and opened the prison door. The rusty hinge made a sharp sound, "Quick, come out."

  Davos walked out of the prison door, followed by two guards.

  Through the long rocky passage, Davos saw the sky again, but it was late at night, with a half moon hanging above the sparse clouds, and under the light of the night fire, the wings of the rock dragon cast huge shadows.

  He tried to tell himself that they were just sculptures, cold and dead, lifeless. Although this island once belonged to the Targaryen family, the ancient dragon king and dragon, after all, there is no king's blood to wake them up now...

   Climbing up the steep stairs, Davos walked into the Stone Drum Tower and came to the Hall of Drawing Tables.

  The king wore a plain woolen coat and sat by the fireplace looking at the night sky outside the window. The red-robed monk Soros stood on one side, and beside him was Queen Selyse Florent.

   Her cousin Arlekan Florent was there, kneeling before the King.

   "Traitor!" The queen cast an angry look.

  Davos took a few steps forward, knelt down beside Sir Aleken, and said:

   "Your Majesty, it was my idea to smuggle Princess Shirene away, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. Moreover, I disguised Her Highness the Princess at that time, and Sir Alekon did not recognize her."

   "Really?" Stannis sneered, "Aleken didn't recognize Shireen? Then why did he send a strange little girl to Caesar?"

  Davos was stunned this time, and looked at the man beside him in disbelief:

   "Sir Allerken, you handed Princess Shireen to Caesar?"

  Aleken nodded, looked at Stannis without fear, and said:

   "Your Majesty, Caesar promised to protect Princess Shireen. The only requirement is that you cancel the embargo on Dragonglass. Moreover, he also said that as long as you go to support the Great Wall, you will never attack Dragonstone Island."

   "Shall I thank you for helping me make this deal?" Stannis said through gritted teeth.

  Aleken bowed his head and dared not speak.

"Caesar is forcing you to guard the Great Wall." Queen Seris said, she didn't want to go to the extremely cold place at all, so she took the opportunity to persuade her, "And guarding the Great Wall means the end of your political career and voluntary renunciation." The Iron Throne."

  Davos retorted: "Your Majesty is not going to be a night watchman. How can you say the end of your political career."

   "What qualifications do traitors have to speak!" Queen Selyse scolded.

  Stannis also looked at Davos, with more fatigue than anger in his tone:

   "Davos, why did you betray me? Is it so difficult to be loyal to your duty?"

   "Your Majesty, what I have done is to be loyal to you."

   "Is it loyalty to steal my daughter?"

   "Yes, Your Majesty." Davos raised his head and said loudly, "As a knight sealed by you, my responsibility is to protect your reputation and glory. And it is precisely for this reason that I prevent you from burning your own daughter to death."

"Davos, you don't even know what you've done," Soros the red robe interjected, "You think you saved Princess Shireen, don't you? You're so wrong! No matter how she hides in the ends of the earth, when the cold winter When it comes, Shireen Baratheon will die like everyone else, and when the world is dark and cold, not even your own sons will be able to escape.

do you know? You have interfered with a great cause beyond your comprehension! "

"Lies!" Sir Alekon suddenly pointed at the red robe monk's nose and cursed, "You deceptive monk, what kind of **** would require a mortal to sacrifice his own daughter? Is the R'hllor you believe in a god? Or a demon?"

  Soros shook his bald head and said:

"Mortals can't understand gods, so you don't understand. Salvation requires sacrifice. The death of a child is exchanged for the lives of thousands of people. I understand that it is difficult, but sacrifice is never easy, otherwise it cannot be called sacrificed."

"That's right, I really can't understand your so-called gods. In fact, there are many things I can't understand." Aleken admitted, "But I know that if His Majesty burns his daughter to death, even if he really awakens the spirit in the stone You, the dragon, will also lose your hearts. Any knights and soldiers with a conscience will leave you."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Davos also persuaded, "When you put on the crown, you swore to protect the country and take care of the people. Isn't Shireen Baratheon counted as your people? If you even How can you protect other people when your own flesh and blood cannot protect them?"

  Stannis looked gloomy:

   "Aleken, Davos, are you laughing at me? Or are you teaching me the duties of a king?"

  Queen Selyse shouted: "Your Majesty, you should cut off the heads of the two traitors!"

   "Woman, get out!" Stannis yelled.

  At this moment, he resembles his elder brother very much.

  Seris's face was livid, but she still turned her head and left the room.

  The red-robed monk Soros hesitated for a moment, and then left.

  Stannis drew out the saber at his waist, the sword called "Brightbringer" by the red-robed monk. In an instant, a strange orange-red light filled the room.

  Davos felt the long sword swinging towards his neck, sighed secretly in his heart, closed his eyes, but did not avoid it.

  However, the expected pain did not come.

  The long sword stopped on his shoulder.

   Then came Stannis's indifferent voice:

   "Davos Seaworth, are you willing to be my Hand of the King and serve me all your life, giving me honest advice and absolute obedience, and protecting my reputation and glory?"

  Davos raised his head, his eyes shone with the joy and surprise of the rest of his life:

   "I do, Your Majesty!"

  But immediately, he hesitated and said: "But... Your Majesty, I am not suitable to be the prime minister. I come from a humble background, but I am just a smuggler..."

   "That's not right," Stannis said. "I'm also a king at the end of the road, and you and I are just right."

   After finishing speaking, he came to Aleken, put the sword on the other's shoulder, and said:

  "Aleken Florent, are you willing to be the commander-in-chief of my army, no matter the difficulties ahead, always fight side by side with me, take care of my people, and punish my enemies?"

  Sir Allerken struggled for a moment. He really wanted to escape from the doomed ship, but thinking of the salvation that Caesar said and the embarrassing situation of the Florens family, he finally nodded and said:

   "I do, Your Majesty."

   "Get up." Stannis put away his sword and ordered, "You two, immediately rectify the army. In seven days, I will lead the army north to the Great Wall of Immortality to fulfill the responsibility of a king."

   "Yes, Your Majesty!"

  (end of this chapter)