Lord Tytos Blackwood had already lost his third son, and now his second son was dead as well. After losing two sons, and still with no guilt from the other side, he lifted his head and glared at Edmure Tully, who sat at the high seat with a smile on his face as though he were proud of himself. The resentment towards this inept and indecisive new Lord of Riverlands grew even stronger in his heart.
"Prepare your brothers' bodies and notify the Blackwood knights. We are returning to Raventree Hall!" Tytos said, then turned and left.
"Lord Tytos, aren't you staying to watch the final of the tournament?" Edmure called out to him. His voice echoed through the entire hall, but Tytos pretended not to hear, walking away without turning his head. Several knights came to clean up the bodies and carry them out.
Lord Denys Arryn watched Edmure's smiling face and exchanged a glance with Tywin Lannister. Both men shared a look of displeasure toward Edmure.
Meanwhile, Jonos Bracken, although relieved that the trial by combat had cleared Harry Rivers of guilt, still mourned the death of his nephew nd heir. He had the family knights gather the body, not wishing to go to Riverrun. He bid farewell to the three Lords and the other nobles and left with his company to return home.
The trial was hastily concluded. The Riverlands nobles, who had previously known of Edmure's reputation as a careless playboy skilled in eating, drinking, gambling, and carousing, had hoped that his succession would bring change. Today, witnessing him mediate a noble dispute for the first time, they all agreed that they couldn't expect anything from him for at least the next ten years.
With some time before the evening banquet, the nobles scattered to engage in other activities. Lord Farman of the Fair isle came to Tywin Lannister's guest chamber.
"Lord Tywin, I'd like to ask you about a matter concerning my daughter, Seran Farman."
Tywin gave a look, and his bodyguard, Ser Amory Lorch, immediately understood, going out to close the door and stand guard.
The guest room was spacious, with a screen separating the bed from the seating area. The seating area was equipped with a wine rack, sofa, and tables.
Jaime Lannister was also in the room. He poured a drink for Lord Farman. "Is there something concerning my daughter?"
Farman took the drink and replied, "Lord Tywin, Ser Jaime, after the meeting today, old Lord Walder Frey sent someone to find me, and I went to his guest room to meet him."
Both Tywin and Jaime had a bad feeling.
Farman continued, "Old Frey proposed that his great-grandson, fourth in line for the family inheritance, known as 'Black Walder' Frey, wants to betroth himself to Seran Farman."
"Don't tell me you agreed!" Jaime's expression darkened.
Farman quickly responded, "Of course not! I rejected Lord Frey's proposal by saying that my daughter hasn't reached adulthood. But he wouldn't give up and offered an equivalent dowry. If I marry my daughter to his great-grandson, he would give me silver equal to her weight."
Jaime became agitated, "He wants to buy my daughter? Does the Lannister family need his piddling amount of money? Let him dream on!"
"Jaime! Quiet!" Tywin interrupted, signaling for Farman to continue.
Farman continued, "I then rejected him again, saying that my daughter was still too young. But Lord Frey said he had many sons, and could find someone of Seran's age, or even younger. He made all sorts of excuses to keep me from leaving."
Jaime growled, "What excuse did you finally come up with?"
Farman sighed, "To my shame, I couldn't think of a proper reason to refuse him. But just then, Edmure Tully happened to visit Lord Frey, and I didn't even say a word before leaving."
Jaime, still agitated, added, "My daughter can marry anyone, but not a Frey. Even if they offer gold, we don't care!"
Farman nodded in agreement, then turned to Tywin. "Lord, while we know that Seran Farman is Ser Jaime's daughter, her public identity is still under my care. The Freys will likely continue pressuring us."
Tywin glanced at Jaime before asking Farman, "What kind of man is this 'Black Walder'?"
Jaime quickly responded, "Father, you don't mean—"
Tywin cut him off, "Don't interrupt!"
Farman, when he had gone to see Old Frey, had heard only praise, but afterward, he had asked a Riverlands noble about him. "Black Walder is thirty-five years old, short, stocky, and unmarried. There are rumors that he has had relationships with his cousins and aunts, around four or five of them."
Jaime relaxed upon hearing this. His father would never agree to such a match. He leaned back on the sofa, placing his feet on the small table, and sarcastically said, "Ha, such trash! He's not even as good as that wild boy from the North!"
"Swann, Lydden, Waynwood."
Tywin spoke, tapping his knuckles on the table with each family name.
"What are these?" Jaime asked.
Tywin looked at Jaime. "This is the family of Lord Frey's eldest son, who has made marriages and fathered heirs."
Jaime was surprised. "So many? I hadn't noticed this before."
"This is just one of Lord Frey's sons. He has 21 others like him! Over half of the nobility in the Riverlands, the Vale, and the Crownlands have Frey blood. And in the Reach and Stormlands, the Frey's influence is overwhelming!" Tywin narrowed his eyes.
Jaime remarked, "Old Frey sure knows how to produce children!"
Tywin glanced at both of them. "If Lord Frey gives the word to have Lord Tully killed, do you think these families will listen to Lord Frey or to Tully?"
Tywin wasn't concerned with appearances, wealth, or such superficial matters; rather, through today's event, he suddenly realized how enormous the Frey family had grown. With money, family ties, and power, they could easily replace the Tullys as rulers of the Riverlands, needing only an excuse—or for the last two surviving male Tullys to suddenly drop dead!
Jaime and Farman realized the severity of the situation. Farman recalled Edmure's behavior Lordier. "I think, aside from a very few loyal to House Tully, most will side with the Freys."
Jaime quickly asked, "What about the Westerlands?"
Tywin responded, "Not good! After the tournament, Jaime, your task will be to remove anyone with Frey blood from any important positions in the Westerlands—everyone!"
Jaime nodded. "Understood!"
Lord Farman hesitated. "What about Seran Farman's marriage? How should we respond to him?"
Jaime replied, "Compared to those Freys, the boy from the North isn't so bad!"
Tywin stared at Jaime. "Among the current Lords in the Seven Kingdoms, Lord Denys Arryn of the Vale is still unmarried!"
Jaime replied, "Denys is too old!"
Tywin shot back, "Is it your decision or mine?"
Jaime retorted, "She's my daughter!"
Tywin countered, "She's my granddaughter!"
Farman watched the two argue and dared not intervene.
---
The next day, Jaime Lannister had his guards summon Robb Stark to the training grounds at Riverrun.
Robb was confused when he received the summons. Why would Jaime Lannister from the Westerlands want to fight him? He couldn't understand, but after donning his armor and strapping on his twin swords, he made his way to the training grounds.
Jaime had been waiting there for some time. He wore the signature golden and red armor of House Lannister, a crimson cloak with a golden lion emblem, and his golden hair gleamed in the sunlight, making him look especially striking.
With a sheathed sword at his waist, Jaime rested his hand on the hilt as Robb arrived. Jaime wanted to see Robb's character in his own way, believing that a person's martial skill could reveal much about them.
If someone fought with wide, aggressive swings, their character was likely cheerful. If they liked to probe for openings in their opponent's style, they were cautious. A fighter who attacked on all fronts was someone Jaime would immediately cut down.
The two had no personal grudge. Robb knew Jaime was a formidable knight and asked politely, "Ser Jaime, did you summon me for a duel?"
"I've fought the Sword of the Morning of the previous generation, Barristan, and Wright Baratheon. I'm interested in all the great warriors of the Seven Kingdoms," Jaime replied.
After saying this, he drew his longsword, a faint blue blade etched with dragon words in a pattern resembling a magic circle. The hilt had a golden lion's head at the bottom.
"This must be the Valyrian steel sword from the Tyrosh auction, right? Has it been named yet?" Robb asked, drawing his own long sword and preparing for the duel.
Tyrion Lannister had purchased the sword for House Lannister from Tyrosh, with the naming rights held by the family head, Tywin. It had no name when it was returned.
"The Sun's Maiden, to commemorate my mother. I'm very pleased with the name," Jaime said, gripping the sword with both hands and adopting an offensive stance.
"A beautiful name," Robb said, now taking his opponent seriously. He drew his massive sword, which lacked a serrated edge.
Jaime observed Robb's sword. "The Sword of the Morning of this generation, Ashara, trained with you from a young age. Aren't you using twin swords?"
Robb replied, "Ashara's twin swords belong to House Dayne. My sword style was specially created for me by my master."
Jaime smiled. "Then be careful. My sword could snap yours at any moment."
He then spun his sword in the air and shifted to a defensive posture.
"I have a lot of experience fighting mages, more than you, so go ahead and make the first move. You may use magic."
At 16, he was knighted and had served as a member of the Kingsguard. Robb had heard that his master, Wright, had crossed swords with him. He nodded, not daring to slack off, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands. Lifting it over his head, he infused it with magic, and the greatsword began to glow red.
"Here it comes!"
Robb, still at least three or four meters away from Jaime, didn't charge in. Instead, he stayed in place and delivered a heavy downward slash. As the sword came down, the red glow extended along the blade.
Hum~~
The unique sound of the greatsword cutting through the air reached Jaime's ears. Prepared, he saw the direction of the strike and sidestepped. Bang! The ground where he had been standing now bore a sword mark nLordy four meters long.
"Ser Jaime, be careful. It's not over yet."
The technique wasn't just about extending the attack range and increasing power. The true essence of the swordsmanship was in using the opponent's momentum, reducing the user's own energy expenditure, and launching a continuous series of attacks.
Robb raised his greatsword again, and before Jaime could stabilize himself, another heavy strike came down.
There's no dodging this! Jaime could only block with his sword held horizontally.
Clang~~~
The distinct sound of Valyrian steel rang through the entire training ground as Jaime's legs bent under the tremendous force, struggling to block the powerful vertical strike.
Clang~~~
Clang~~~
Clang~~~
Another strike came immediately after the first, and Jaime had no time to rise or dodge. He could only hold his sword up with all his might, his legs now bent low. This was the same technique Wright had used at the Red Keep, but with added magical power, it was far stronger! Jaime's anxiety grew. If this continued, he would have to kneel before Robb!
"Are you two dueling?" a female voice called.
Robb turned and saw Seran Farman and several girls arriving at the training grounds. He immediately stopped using magic, just as he was about to speak. Jaime quickly rose and interrupted, "We're just testing the quality of this Valyrian steel sword."
With that, he flipped the "Sun's Maiden" back and forth, his eyes fixed on Robb.
"Uh, we're testing the sword," Robb replied.
He was indeed testing the Valyrian steel sword, which is why he was only using the vertical slashes. The magic book Wright had given him contained not only spells and alchemy specifically designed for him but also a sword technique with a strange name: "New Year's Swordsmanship".
The girls were still some distance away, and Jaime walked up to Robb, speaking softly. "Lately, many people have been trying to propose marriage to Seran Farman. If you don't want her to marry a Frey or some old man, you'd better talk to your father and ask for her hand on the Fair isle!"
He gave Robb a pat on the shoulder and left the training grounds.
Robb stood frozen, unable to process what Jaime meant by his words.
Though Jaime had spoken quietly, Seran Farman had keen ears and overheard. Watching Jaime walk away, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned to Robb. "Weren't we supposed to go watch the tournament?"
"Of course!" Robb replied.
---
In the tented area, near a corner where one could see the banners at the top of the tournament grounds, Little Finger, Baelish, tugged at the iron chain locked to his ankle.
The chain passed through a stone lock, with another lock securing it to Ramsey' ankle.
Ramsey was missing an ear, had lost an arm, and was also missing a part of a man. After sustaining severe injuries, he should have died, but Donnel had intentionally chained them together to watch Little Finger drag a corpse around.
Little Finger, never having encountered such a sadistic person, knew that once Ramsey died, it would be his turn. While Donnel was away, he humbly begged the knights guarding them for some medicine.
The knights, moved by their pitiful situation, reported to the Hound, and medicine was brought. Little Finger was finally able to save Ramsey.
"Water!" Ramsey woke up.
A small water pouch was brought to his lips. This wasn't a dungeon—Donnel still oversaw their meals and lodging.
"Where are we?" Ramsey, pale from blood loss, couldn't move a finger. Lying on the ground and staring at the sky, he saw Little Finger beside him.
"We've been captured again. We're still outside Riverrun."
"Ah~~" Ramsey groaned in pain as his wounds throbbed.
Little Finger quickly covered his mouth. "Don't scream! When you were unconscious earlier, you shouted, and that bastard kicked you a few more times. If it hurts, just bite down!" A branch was pushed into Ramsey' mouth.
Tears streamed down Ramsey' face as he bit into the branch, no longer crying out in pain, but muttering nonstop:
"I want revenge! I'll kill him! I want revenge!"
Little Finger dragged the chain and grabbed two wooden bowls from a stone behind him. Inside was some boiled vegetable leaf soup. He placed one bowl beside Ramsey and started eating heartily.
"Only the living have hope! I've discovered a secret about Donnel, a secret that could bring down the entire Lannister family in the Westerlands! Once your wounds heal, we'll find a way to escape."
Ramsey, hearing this, became excited, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "I want—"
"What are you two talking about?"
At the sound of that voice, both Little Finger and Ramsey' hearts skipped a beat—Donnel had arrived.