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"Aren't you cold in those clothes, my lady?" Cole asked her.
"A fire burns in my heart, as a servant of the Lord of Light, born to withstand the cold."
"What's wrong with His Grace?" He looked directly into the witch's flaming eyes.
"The king is fine, he just needs to rest." Melisandre met his gaze steadily. "Black, purple, blue, red eyes. There are many secrets hidden in your eyes, my lord."
At this moment, Cole felt a palpitation in his heart, and he hurriedly turned away.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I saw you in the holy flames." Her foreign accent filled his ears. "I saw a shadow of blood coming from across the Narrow Sea, an enemy of the Lord. You were guided by prophecy, Lord Commander."
"How many enemies does your god have, my lady? The Seven are his enemies, the old gods of the weirwood are his enemies, and now you say this blood shadow from across the Narrow Sea is also an enemy."
"The Lord of Light has only one true enemy, one that has existed since ancient times," Melisandre replied with unwavering conviction.
"The Lord of Light has shown me things as well. I wonder if he shared them with you? Come, my lady. We should return to the castle first. If you have new prophecies, let everyone hear them together." He turned and began walking toward the castle.
"You'd best listen to her now, Lord Commander." Ser Axell Florent led several guards to block his path, his hand resting on his sword hilt.
Cole gripped the two longswords in his hands and said coldly, "You should consider the consequences of your actions."
"Seize him," Axell ordered his men.
Cole sensed the trap closing around him. He spun around, moved swiftly to Melisandre's side, and pressed his blade against her throat. "Everyone step back, unless you wish to see your red priestess's head separated from her body."
She remained calm as ever, saying casually, "Even if you kill me, you won't escape this castle alive."
The sound of armor and chains rattled as a group of guards rushed down from the castle, led by Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight. "By order of the king, everyone stand down." He approached Cole, signaled with his eyes, and said, "Please follow me, Lord Commander."
Cole studied him briefly before withdrawing his blade from Melisandre's neck. He gestured with his sword. "Lead the way, Ser Davos."
As they walked together, he asked in a low voice, "What's happening? What's going on?"
The Onion Knight remained silent.
Entering the castle, Cole noticed many hostile eyes following him.
"Traitor!" someone shouted.
Cole glanced at the man—a member of the queen's men.
Outside the Chamber of the Painted Table, the Onion Knight dismissed the guards, and his son Devan opened the door for them.
"What happened?" Cole asked again.
"Your letter was intercepted by the queen's men," Davos explained. "They believe you to be a traitor, like Alester Florent."
"Traitor?" Cole couldn't help but scoff. "Can't they understand the meaning of my letter, Davos?"
"Where is the king? Does he believe this too?" Cole pressed.
The Onion Knight sighed heavily. "His Grace remains unconscious."
Cole was shocked. "What do you mean?"
"The king suddenly collapsed in the castle a week ago."
"Why wasn't I informed?" Cole felt anger rising within him. Such important news had been kept from him. "Don't you find this suspicious, Davos?"
"At first, I thought she might have harmed the king," the Onion Knight's expression darkened slightly. "But she managed to revive His Grace once, just three days ago."
"She can induce comas and revivals at will. This is within her power," Cole told him.
"Not even the maesters can do anything for him, my lord," Davos replied.
"So what do you believe?" Cole's tone softened. "Do you also think I would betray you?"
Davos looked at him with complicated eyes. They claimed Cole was using magic to harm the king, just as he supposedly did when Renly died. Davos had once thought such accusations ridiculous, but after his experiences at King's Landing, he had come to believe there were powers beyond common understanding.
Melisandre possessed such power, and the man before him likely did as well.
It was clear who would benefit most from the king's death.
The letter Cole had sent was brief, focusing only on key points, which made it difficult to explain his intentions clearly.
After the contents of the letter became known to the queen's men, they all believed Cole was planning to betray both the king and the Lord of Light.
Looking at Davos's guarded expression, Cole could see his uncertainty.
"So you set a trap for me, and I walked right into it." He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "If I meant to betray Stannis, why would I wait until now? Tywin Lannister already offered me Storm's End."
"You brought me to the castle hoping to arrest me here, Hand of the King?" Cole asked.
Suddenly, they heard shouting outside.
"Princess, the Hand is receiving visitors. Please wait."
"Do you mean to stop us? Step aside. If you don't move, I'll personally tell Uncle Stannis that you've offended the princess." This was a young male voice.
The door burst open, and Davos entered with a troubled expression, followed by a girl and boy.
"Brother, we've come to rescue you!" Edric Storm shouted.
Worry and fear were etched across Shireen's face.
"Princess Shireen," Davos bowed.
"Ser Davos, are you going to hurt Cole?" Shireen asked timidly.
The Onion Knight glanced at Edric Storm beside her. "I would never harm your betrothed, Princess. But he must answer for his actions."
"Why are you arresting my brother? What has he done wrong?" Edric stepped forward boldly.
"He betrayed the king! He is a traitor!" A shout came from behind as Ser Axell Florent hurried in with his men. More knights and guards gathered behind him.
"Protect the Princess!" Axell ordered his guards.
Soldiers rushed into the Chamber of the Painted Table, surrounding Shireen.
Spears and swords encircled Cole.
"Surrender now, traitor."
Cole slowly moved his hand to his waist, surveying the room.
"Do you still intend to resist?" Axell challenged.
Cole smiled slightly.
Like a white shadow passing through clouds, with the wind whistling around him.
With a metallic ring, Cole unsheathed his twin swords, their blades gleaming cold as snow.
"Cole!" The Onion Knight shouted, "Don't do this!"
He raised his wrists, twirling the blades in response.
Spears thrust toward him. He swiftly cut one down and leaped aside to avoid another.
The two swords whistled through the air in his hands, moving so quickly that the eye could barely follow their deadly dance.