When Jason said this, the lords in the room visibly relaxed. They couldn't hide their smiles. Nothing made them happier than the thought of hiding safely behind the tall Wall, far away from the terrifying army of the dead.
Jason looked at them with disgust but kept quiet.
The old, fierce Northern clan chiefs had died with Robb Stark at the Red Wedding. This new generation of young lords, who had only just inherited their titles, clearly lacked courage.
They're useless trash, Jason thought. He made a mental note not to count on these men to govern the North for him in the future.
The war council had been frustrating, but the final result was acceptable to Jason.
Truckloads of reinforced concrete and sandstone building materials were continuously transported from the modern world. Under the command of the masons, tens of thousands of soldiers began construction on the decoy city, located just outside the trap and close to the Wall.
The inside of the city was left empty. Only the tall, wide walls mattered.
The square walls were ten meters high, 500 meters long on each side, and four meters wide at the top. It was easily wide enough for thousands of defenders to stand and fight.
Jason wanted to build it even bigger, but the drone reconnaissance team reported bad news. The army of ghouls was getting closer to the Wall. They were now less than 300 kilometers away. At their pace, they would swarm the Wall in ten days.
Thankfully, the drones Jason brought from the modern world were simple to operate. He taught the ranger teams how to use them, and after some practice, they mastered the magical flying machines.
With these drones, the rangers could scout from a safe distance, accurately tracking the ghouls' movements without being detected.
Time was running out. To finish the walls, Jason had to order all soldiers to join the construction effort. This combined the soldiers and the Free Folk into a labor force of nearly 70,000 people. With a constant supply of materials, the four city walls grew visibly taller every day.
While the North frantically prepared for the army of the dead, King's Landing was celebrating.
Today was the royal wedding. His Majesty, King Joffrey Baratheon, was marrying Margaery Tyrell, the daughter of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and Duke of the Reach.
The entire city was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Hundreds of thousands of residents flocked to the streets, jamming the roads. Everyone stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, trying to get just one look at the beautiful and kind Margaery, their new queen.
Margaery Tyrell wasn't just beautiful; she was intelligent.
From the moment she arrived in King's Landing with her father and grandmother, the "Queen of Thorns," Margaery began acting like a queen. She didn't hide in the Red Keep; she went out among the commoners, listening to their problems and helping solve them.
Most importantly, she brought large quantities of grain from the Reach and gave free bread to the hungry, saving many from starvation.
Feeding the half-million residents of King's Landing had been a massive problem since the war began. The war consumed money and food, and merchants were too afraid to travel to the Riverlands to buy grain. This led to a severe food shortage in the capital.
That is, until Lord Tywin, acting on Joffrey's behalf, forged an alliance with House Tyrell. Joffrey would marry Margaery (who had briefly been queen to the "pretender" Renly Baratheon), securing the alliance between the Lannisters and Tyrells.
With the support of the wealthy Reach, a steady stream of grain flowed into the city. Food prices finally dropped, and the common people were no longer starving.
Margaery used her beautiful face and her kind, humble nature to connect with the poor. Her popularity soared, and she quickly won the love of the entire city.
When the Queen Mother, Cersei Lannister, learned of this, she was furious.
"That little b**ch," she seethed. "She's far more scheming than she looks. Going out to meet those... pariahs... in spite of her noble status. She's doing it deliberately! She's demonstrating against me!"
Ever since her father, Lord Tywin, had marched into the city and taken control as Hand of the King, Cersei had been completely isolated from power. She was just a woman in the palace with the empty title of "Queen Mother" and no real authority.
For Cersei, who craved power, this was unbearable.
Now, this scheming Tyrell girl was about to marry her son, become queen, and steal the love of the city. Cersei had never been loved like that. It drove her mad with jealousy.
Her father had stripped her of all influence, and she was helpless. Cersei had tried to push Jaime into a high-ranking position on the council, hoping to control power through him.
But Jaime—that idiot, with his head full of nothing but swords—wanted no part in the court's responsibilities. It made Cersei gnash her teeth in frustration.
For the past month, sounds of shouting, cursing, and smashing objects were often heard from the Queen Mother's chambers. The servants in the Red Keep trembled, terrified they would do something wrong and face her wrath.
Lord Tywin was, of course, aware of his daughter's tantrums, but he didn't care. In Tywin's mind, Cersei was arrogant and foolish. It was her stupidity that had thrown Westeros into chaos in the first place. Now that things were finally stable, Tywin would never let her near political power again.
The palace garden was set up for the wedding feast. The great nobles of the Reach and the Crownlands were all in attendance. The celebration was lively and grand.
Joffrey led Margaery, beautiful in her white wedding dress, into the garden as the guests applauded and offered blessings.
Lord Tywin used the opportunity to speak with his vassals from the Westerlands and the important lords from the Reach.
An earl from Old Town, at the southern tip of the Reach, approached Tywin, holding a wine glass. He looked worried.
"Lord Hand," he said quietly. "I heard a rumor that the wildlings... that they were taken north by that foreign count to fight ghouls at the Wall. Is this true?"
He leaned in closer. "The maesters at the Citadel are warning that a great change is coming. They say the Red Comet was an omen. And now, we hear news from across theNarrow Sea. They say the Targaryen girl has three living dragons. All this news... it's disturbing."
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