Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 57: Renly! But Renly Wouldn’t Have Such a Big Bastard!

Standing at the bow of the ship, Margery Tyrell recalled the image from her memory: a seemingly carefree, handsome young man.

Duke Renly had slender limbs, broad shoulders, smooth, straight black hair, deep blue eyes, and a warm, gentle smile.

"Everyone says Renly was as handsome as the king in his youth, which is why so many lords were drawn to him!" Garlan reminded his sister.

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

"We can't see the Liberator's face, but his hair, eyes, and build are similar to Duke Renly's, yet he's much more solid and strong. Duke Renly was elegant and delicate, while the Liberator was robust and powerful. If he's the king's son, it all makes sense!" Little Rose's eyes lit up.

The Baratheons were known for their robust and sturdy build, much like the Stark family's **direwolf blood** and the Targaryen family's silver hair and purple eyes.

"His demeanor is also completely different from Renly's; he's a fierce and formidable warrior. Renly would groom himself, wear perfume, and joke with Littlefinger at court, but he was never a great warrior. Renly spent his mind on too many trivial things. The Wolf King under the iron mask is like the young king, with blood and warhammers always by his side," Garlan thought. Garlan was wise and perceptive and didn't have the same rose-tinted glasses for Renly that his brother did.

"How could the king have such a big bastard?" Margery felt a bit absurd. Bastardry was a crude act, an offense to marriage vows for the nobility. Especially having a bastard before marriage was an even greater violation of betrothal.

The late Brandon Stark, Eddard's brother, was very wise. He liked to chase young girls and was known as the "Bloodstained Sword", but he never left any bastards and still pursued his duty to court Catelyn Tully. Like most noble sons, the Direwolf separated his lust and duty very clearly.

"The king was always this kind of person, doing as he pleased and indulging in his desires. Even before his marriage, when he and Lord Eddard were wards in the Vale, he fathered a bastard daughter with a maid," Garlan explained.

"Even after his marriage, the king's romantic affairs didn't diminish, and he fathered Eadric Storm on his brother's wedding bed. I've heard the queen has been cleaning up after the king, murdering those poor bastards in their cradles."

"Things are getting interesting. Soon, there will be a new player at the King's Landing table!" Garlan smiled. "The Powdergrass King is older than Joffrey, stronger than Renly, and has a large following across the Narrow Sea willing to die for him. He will surely be drawn into the game!"

"What about us?"

"The King's Landing court has never had a place for roses. The family's original intention was to strongly support Duke Renly. But now, we need a position more favorable to House Tyrell. It doesn't matter who becomes king; what matters is that you become queen!" Garlan pondered. "Father dreams of his grandson becoming king, but he needs to cool down and not bet on just one horse."

The Tyrells envisioned a role similar to the Lannisters. The Lannisters wielded significant influence in King's Landing through marital alliances, and it was hard to say the Tyrells didn't have the same idea.

"But the king is still alive! A bastard," Margery hesitated. Duke Renly's ambitions were already out of line. Could there be an even bigger schemer?

"Times have changed, sister! Without dragons, it's armies, warhorses, and grain that decide the throne," Garlan comforted her.

"King Robert's throne came from war, marriage, and a warhammer, and that bit of dragon blood. Is that bit of dragon blood comparable to the Beggar King's? Robert's throne is not as sacred as the Targaryen dynasty's!"

"Even a bastard, with enough power, can have the ambition to seize the throne. Just like Daemon Blackfyre back in the day."

"Your Grace, the Tyrell family's wealth is renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms," Maester Cale also said in the room. "You might be able to get more from them."

"The Rose's wealth and grain are indeed abundant, and they've always been excluded from the court; no wonder they have all sorts of strange ideas!" The Tyrells aimed for the ecological niche occupied by the Lannisters. The Lannisters dominated King's Landing through marital alliances, and it was hard to say the Tyrells didn't think the same way.

"The Tyrells are powerful and greedy; let's leave them hanging for now," Gendry thought. "We'll still follow the original plan and sweep through the Stepstones."

Under the azure sky, the grey-and-white Wolfpack banner fluttered, and the Wolfpack fleet patrolled the Narrow Sea.

The ships of the Wolfpack fleet were very diverse, mostly riverboats and black ships donated by escaped slaves, as well as some merchant ships. The vessels were not as tall as ordinary warships, but these sailors had rich navigation experience. In the narrow waterways and wind-eroded pillars of the Stepstones, these ships sailed smoothly.

"Join the Liberator!"

"Join the kingdom without slaves!"

On the small islands in the vast sea and in the ruins of the Rhoyne River, many escaped slaves had become pirates or river pirates. After the Liberator's momentum spread, many escaped slaves brought their ships to join.

As the Myrish anxiously watched the catapults standing outside Myr, they were in a state of constant fear.

The fast ships and warships of the Wolfpack fleet suddenly launched a surprise attack on the pirates of the Stepstones, a diversionary tactic. Ordinary pirates were no match for regular troops, especially with the Wolfpack fleet's advantage in ships and manpower. The unnamed small islands had all been conquered, and the Wolfpack fleet cleared the pirates' nests, killing those stubborn pirates. The only tough nuts to crack were the two large islands, Bloodstone and Grey Gallows.

"Bloodstone and Grey Gallows Islands truly live up to their names!" Gendry watched the smoking Bloodstone Island from the ship. The Wolfpack fleet had raided the outer docks of the Bloodstone pirates, plundered their shipyards, and seized the ships, leaving the pirates on Bloodstone and Grey Gallows to fend for themselves, with hunger as their only companion.

"Your tactics are brilliant, Your Grace! Bloodstone and Grey Gallows Islands are based on stone mountains with complex fortifications. The pirates are entrenched in those deep, dark caves and tunnels. Earth and stone fortifications are relatively difficult to take down; even Prince Daemon with his dragon took quite some time," Maester Cale said.

"There's also the external environment," Gendry said. "The Three Daughters have fallen apart, and the Ironborn haven't recovered from the Greyjoy Rebellion. The Dornish are low-key and steady; these pirates don't have much external support. Without help, lacking fresh water and grain, the pirates will starve to death anyway."

"Bring my spoils up here!" As Gendry's voice fell, the Unsullied guards brought the captives up. The captives were from the pirate crews on the islands, with adventurers from various city-states. Tyroshi with purple-red hair, Lyseni with fair skin, Myrish with olive skin, and even Summer Islanders. The captives' arms were tightly bound with hemp rope, and some places had seeped blood.

"I want warships and sailors, but I don't want to pay!" Gendry said to the captured pirates.

"Damn it, the Drowned God will punish you!" A grey-haired, high-nosed pirate cursed incessantly, likely an Ironborn who had strayed to the Stepstones to become a pirate.

"Send my regards to the Drowned God!" Gendry looked at the Ironborn. Two Unsullied stepped forward and punched the Ironborn in the face. The Unsullied first cut out the Ironborn's tongue and then nailed him alive to the ship's bow.

Gendry always appreciated those with craftsmanship, but some stubborn pirates indeed had little value in being persuaded.

"These ships, this island, are now mine. You have two choices: the first is to submit and follow my orders. The second is death, like this Ironborn, to meet the Drowned God!"

The Unsullied lined up the pirates, and crossbowmen stood not far away, beginning to nock their bolts.

"King of the Narrow Sea!" One clever pirate knelt first and shouted.

"King of the Narrow Sea!" The pirates immediately shouted in unison, as if they had grasped the last straw of life.