Chapter 358 Death of the King
Stannis's pupils dilated instantly.
Crowned Stag...
Baratheon?
Really Renly's man?
He knew it was very possible.
Because in his heart, apart from Count Selmy, the only one who could send someone to kill him was his good brother Renly.
Others don't have so much energy on this territory.
He wanted to say something.
But something was stuffed in his mouth.
A pungent smell that made him nauseous rushed into his mind all the time.
At this time, Stannis saw another group of cavalry, surrounded by a middle-aged man wearing a thick long cloak.
They came to the open space between the soldiers and their prisoners.
Majesty, chill.
Stannis broke out in a cold sweat.
No one is not afraid of death.
No matter how much he is a smelly stone in a latrine, there are times when he is afraid of breaking into pieces.
Such as now.
The king, who was lying in the mud, bowed his head to the unknown noble.
No matter what, once someone sees his face.
will all be recognized.
I heard the soldiers with their swords full of blood shouting to the noble who had just arrived:
"grown ups!"
The person coming was none other than Astan Selmy.
This guy just started giving orders to kill.
Later he felt that this was inappropriate.
The soldiers rushed into the village to kill, and it was easy for Stannis to escape.
The king was always astute in this regard.
So, he changed his mind and ordered the soldiers to ensure the siege at the same time.
Arrest people first and then talk.
Give them some illusion that they can survive, and the attacking team on our side can also die less.
Reduce the risk of some overturns.
The Earl of Harvest Hall has a cautious mind.
The final result showed that this was an extremely correct decision.
There are at least two hundred long swords in this village to resist them.
In this blind situation, dying in a sneak attack in the dark may cause him to lose a lot of troops.
However, when his cavalry only killed a small number of people, the rest only collected their weapons and brought them to the entrance of the village to gather.
The intensity of the resistance suddenly faded away.
Stannis, who was knocked unconscious, is now here, quietly waiting for this noble man.
arrangement of their destiny.
Stannis wanted to look up and see who this guy was who planned all this.
However, a real fear clamped down on his neck, preventing him from raising his head at all.
If exposed, death is likely.
But the next moment, he heard what the newly arrived noble said to all of them:
"Lift your heads."
This voice was cold and ruthless, but strangely, it also contained a hint of excitement that could not be concealed at all.
Stannis was sure that he had never heard this voice, or that he had heard it before but forgot about it.
The face hidden under the helmet was dark.
The nobles sitting on their horses looked like ghosts.
At this time, there were still some ignorant people who wanted to find a way out and said loudly:
"Let us go quickly, we are Stannis's guards and allies of your Majesty Renly!"
I don’t know whose subordinate he is.
He called Stannis by his first name, but when he arrived at Renly's place, he had to address him as your majesty.
It's interesting.
The one who answered him was the soldier who was closest. He kicked the soldier to the ground with a flying kick.
"shut your mouth."
The soldier said coldly.
Neither denying them nor denying myself.
Seeing this scene, those who still wanted to open their mouths were all convinced.
The shining sword is right in front of you, if you try to fight these guys again.
If you don't protect it well, your head may be gone.
Seeing that the scene finally calmed down, Count Astan Selmy, who had not dismounted, gave the order:
"Go and separate the villagers from these people."
The soldiers who received the order agreed and immediately rushed towards the crowd kneeling on the ground.
We are all soldiers.
It is really easy to distinguish farmers from soldiers.
Soon, Stannis was dragged to the ground and brought to the pile of soldiers because of his close-fitting armor.
In the dark night, no one noticed that the old man huddled next to them was their king.
After they were completely separated, Count Astan Selmy signaled to a few people around him.
These guys nodded and walked towards the group of villagers.
They had all met Stannis several times.
Even Stannis's face is covered in mud, and he can still recognize it.
The reason for doing this is to avoid accidents.
After all, there are hundreds of people. If we attack them all at once, there is no guarantee that no one will take advantage of the chaos and run out.
Stannis must die here today.
This is the bloody letter of surrender handed over by Lord Arstan Selmy for the entire Selmy family and Aegon Targaryen, who bet on them.
This matter must be done without leakage.
Soon, these people walked out from the crowd of villagers.
Returning to Count Astan Selmy, the leader whispered to him:
"Earl, it's confirmed, he's not in it."
His brows furrowed slightly, one option was eliminated, and then he was left among this group of soldiers.
But what if there is none?
The pressure suddenly increased.
"Now go identify those people, remember, look carefully!"
Astan Selmy almost said this through gritted teeth.
These guys quickly agreed.
He trotted towards the group of soldiers.
Watching them examine their faces one by one, some soldiers have come to their senses.
Are you here to find Stannis?
If that's the case...
Some people's minds become more alive.
It's obvious that Stannis, the boss, is going to die just now.
Most of these people were born on Dragonstone Island and several nearby islands.
To them, Stannis had brought harm to them and their family.
Even if he could escape back to Dragonstone, he would not get any good results.
Now, if I could turn from darkness to light, maybe I could do something for the family.
In the future, you will also receive a generous reward.
Don't expect ordinary soldiers to be so central to the king himself.
Responsible to the superiors, they are first the soldiers of their respective families, and then the subjects of a certain duke or king.
Stannis hid at the end of the line, trying to avoid every glance that was thrown at him.
He didn't know if he could avoid it.
At this time, his last chance of luck no longer existed.
He is now completely convinced that these guys are here to find him.
You must not be discovered by them.
However, when he finally couldn't help it, he looked up to see where the guys responsible for identification were.
His face was shrouded in the moonlight emerging from the clouds.
Suddenly, more than three voices sounded at the same time.
"Look, that's Stannis!"
"Stannis is there!"
"Are you looking for Stannis? I will take you there, as long as..."
Each of these sounds was like pulling a knife into Stannis's heart.
Although he had some premonitions, Stannis still couldn't believe that such a thing actually happened.
He raised his head and looked in the direction of the voices.
Under the eye contact, Stannis did not see even a trace of guilt in those eyes.
There is only the unconcealable enthusiasm for his head, or for their own future.
These people are crazy!
Stannis was afraid.
This was an emotion that rarely appeared for him, a tough and stubborn person.
Now, he just wants to find a sword, pierce the throats of these betrayers, and then run away.
However, he was stared at by countless eyes with various emotions.
Stannis's throat rolled hard, and he knew that he had finally been discovered.
He wanted to stand up like a king, and then rebuke these people who tried to attack him, the true king.
Maybe, it can really be like the legend.
In front of the true king in this world, all betrayers will be inspired to throw away their swords and kneel down to surrender to him.
Someone did come towards him.
But not by admitting his guilt to him.
Because, this man raised the sword in his hand.
The sharp sword blade gave off a silvery luster in the moonlight.
A cold feeling appeared on Stannis' neck.
He seemed to be able to feel that his carotid artery was being compressed by that thing, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
The chin covered with mud was slightly raised.
Stannis was shaking and unable to speak a word.
He saw clearly that this was the nobleman who was surrounded.
Trying hard to see that face clearly.
But it was night at this time, and this person's back was turned to him.
"Who are you?"
Stannis finally forced his difficult voice out of his dry throat.
He wanted to know the answer to this question so much.
Astan Selmy did not disappoint.
He knew Stannis himself.
Seeing that pale face that didn't look human at all under the moonlight, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
If this net is used, the big fish will be caught after all.
He grabbed Stannis by the collar and dragged him out of the crowd.
Stannis's "guards" watched this scene indifferently.
It was as if what was being dragged away was a corpse.
The king's feet kept kicking in the mud.
Count Astan Selmy's actions were too rough.
The hard collar choked him so much that he couldn't breathe.
Wait until Astan Selmy drags Stannis to the entrance of the village in full view of everyone.
This once majestic king now has a boot on one foot that has been lost to no one knows where.
Barefoot, I was taken to the square that was still dry.
Stannis tried to struggle, but he had no strength left.
Only then did he see clearly Astan Selmy's face full of ferocious smiles.
For a moment, Stannis realized who he was.
"Astan Selmy? It's you!"
Stannis was shocked and angry.
Did Harvest Hall really take action against itself?
But why, wearing the clothes of the Baratheon family.
The word "framing" inevitably entered Stannis's mind.
In an instant, he realized that the man in front of him was not loyal to Renly at all.
Otherwise, there would have been no need for him to use Renly's uniform as a cover.
"It's me. Why, you seem surprised, Lord Stannis."
The smile on Astan Selmy's face grew wider.
What does it feel like to be an earl and execute a king.
"Are you... the descendant of that evil dragon?"
Stannis asked shakily.
Arstan Selmy knew he was talking about Aegon Targaryen.
Anyway, everyone in front of me is already dead.
Then you might as well admit it openly.
So he nodded and smiled:
"Yes, I am standing under the red dragon flag on a black background. Did I surprise you again, Your Majesty Stannis?"
Every word "Your Majesty" is a huge mockery to Stannis.
Ever since the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms came, this word suddenly became worthless.
What's more, is not respect, but contempt.
Seeing Stannis silently made Arstan Selmy feel bored.
So, he decided to end this bloody night to avoid a long night and many dreams.
Stannis was led to the entrance of the village and fell to his knees.
His head was lowered, facing the wooden board with two antlers nailed to it at the entrance of the village.
True, there were only two antlers, but now, there is a deer head, and here it is.
With dry lips, Stannis was still a little confused.
It was really hard for him to accept that death was coming like this.
The instinct to survive triumphed over dignity.
"Please...let me go..."
Stannis's low cry for mercy reached Astan Selmy's ears.
Let you go?
What about my Selmy family?
Astan Selmy drew the sword from his waist.
He leaned down and whispered in the ear of Stannis, who was already shaking like chaff:
"Your Majesty, be more decent and save the last bit of dignity for yourself."
After saying this, he no longer cared about Stannis's reaction.
Because he pulled out a wad of cloth and stuffed it into Stannis' mouth.
After doing all this, he raised the long sword in his hand and started his performance:
"Everyone, have you seen this dirty guy at my feet?"
"He! He is the tyrant in this world, the false king Stannis Baratheon!"
The soldiers who came with him all knew about it.
However, the villagers of Lujiao Village were in an uproar at this time.
They just knew that a group of domineering guys broke into their home, all armed with swords, and they couldn't afford to mess with them.
Who knew it was Stannis Baratheon.
The villagers' eyes with various emotions were fixed on the poor man kneeling in the dust, and it was difficult to connect with the majestic and heroic king in their impressions.
"Now, I! Your lord, Arstan of House Selmy, represents my king, the only true king of Westeros, the incomparably glorious His Majesty Renly Baratheon."
"I will carry out His Majesty's will in front of you, and send this false king who caused the bloodshed of your father and brother and the turmoil in your homeland to the seven levels of hell, and let him repent for his crimes forever and ever!"
"Look, I will transform into the sword in the hand of His Majesty Renly Baratheon and chop off the head of the false king!"
Astan Selmy raised the sword in his hand high.
The moonlight shines on it, as if it has been coated with a layer of silver-white paint.
Stannis squirmed wildly.
He wanted to hide.
However, his feet and hands were tied, and his mouth was stuffed with a coarse cloth.
His already weak body was unable to resist.
"Goodbye, Your Majesty..."
Those were the last words he heard.
Then, his perspective flew up, and then rolled back and forth on the ground.
When his world finally stopped, he saw his dead body on the ground.
The world fell into darkness.
