As usual, Marsha Hyde, the owner of the Crossroads Inn, wiped down the tables, arranged freshly baked pastries in the display case behind her, and instructed the servants to feed the guests' horses.
"Sir Tabbeck, leaving so early? The morning fog is still thick; this isn't a good time to travel." Seeing a knight-like figure descend from upstairs, Marsha spat out a chewed piece of tobacco, took a fresh one from her pocket, tossed it into her mouth, chewed a couple of times, and asked with blood-red teeth and a chilling smile.
Though a regular at the Crossroads Inn, Sir Tabbeck still couldn't stand the inn owner's demeanor. He ignored Marsha's question, simply tossed two silver stags onto the table, and strode out of the inn.
Marsha was long accustomed to such reactions from guests; it was precisely the effect she desired—money, no trouble, no fuss. She skillfully picked up the silver stags, dropped them into her pocket, then loudly called out to the servant who had just finished feeding the horses, telling him to take the boots and clothes, cleaned of mud last night, to the guests' rooms upstairs.
Recently, there had been a noticeable increase in knights traveling on the King's Road, Riverlands Road, and Moonlight Mountain Road. Some were heading south to King's Landing to see the legendary wights, while others, having seen the wights in King's Landing, intended to go north and join the Night's Watch.
Marsha also wanted to go to King's Landing to see the legendary wights, but she would be heartbroken if she missed the chance to earn money for a moment's curiosity.
Her inn, after all, was the last one on the north side of the King's Road. From her inn, continuing north to the Wall, there wasn't a single decent inn along the way. Those heading north either had to seek lodging with farmers in roadside villages or stay in those dreadful, dilapidated rural shops.
Therefore, those hot-headed knights who decided to go north to the Wall and join the Night's Watch would certainly stay a night at her inn, spending all the money they had. For this, she specifically hired some prostitutes to stay at the inn, to serve those knight sirs, and by taking a commission from each prostitute, she could also make a fortune.
As time passed, the knight sirs sleeping upstairs also came down one after another. Marsha immediately directed the inn's servants to serve the knights the freshly prepared food from the kitchen. When the knight sirs were leaving, she cut the pastries from the display cabinet and gave them to the knight sirs to eat on their journey. She believed that everyone who tasted her handmade delicious pastries would become a returning customer.
This busy period continued until noon. All the rooms in the inn were now empty, and downstairs, only a dozen knights and their squires were seated. They were merely passing through, resting, and would not stay overnight.
The servants and prostitutes each chose a few rooms to clean. This wasn't because they were diligent and enjoyed cleaning, but because those careless knight sirs always left something behind in the rooms, which allowed the cleaners to earn extra money.
Marsha spat out the chewed tobacco from her mouth, replaced it with a new piece, then carefully calculated her recent income in her ledger. She wondered whether to renovate the inn, as its interior hadn't been renovated in over a decade, or to reinforce the wooden piles beneath the inn, since some guests had complained that the building felt like it was shaking when they slept.
"Or perhaps just build another inn next door?" A new thought surfaced in Marsha's mind.
Just then, a quarrel pulled her from her thoughts. She saw that the knights, who had been fine moments before in the hall, were now divided into two sides, glaring at each other with swords drawn, some with their hands already on their sword hilts.
When she took over the inn, to avoid offending those she shouldn't, Marsha had diligently studied the complex noble crests. Although a long time had passed, she could still identify the knights' origins by their crests.
Judging by their crests, the two groups now at loggerheads were, on one side, from Frey of The Twins, and on the other, from House Rowan of The Reach. Some other knights were holding prostitutes and watching the commotion, even intentionally moving tables to clear an area, making it easier for them to fight later.
"Sirs, please, I beg you, don't fight inside the inn! You can fight outside, there's plenty of open space out there." Marsha skillfully ducked behind the counter, poking out half her head, and pleaded repeatedly with the knights, even though she knew her pleas would be useless, but appearances must be kept.
"Shut up, you Frey weasels! How dare you claim to fight alongside Lord Linde? Uttering Lord Linde's name from your filthy mouths is the greatest blasphemy against him!" Several young and handsome knights angrily rebuked the Frey knights.
Facing the contemptuous rebuke, the Frey knights' faces also turned exceptionally ugly. One of them loudly declared, "Am I wrong? During the Iron Islands rebellion, Lord Stivren led the army from The Twins and fought alongside Lord Linde Terra, even assisting Lord Linde in capturing Warwick and Cliff Rock City. And what about your House Rowan? You merely followed behind the Iron Throne's army, picking up scraps, and your House Rowan wasn't even mentioned at the victory feast in Lannisport."
"How dare you insult House Rowan like that!" The Rowan knight immediately became furious and finally couldn't help but draw the sword from his waist.
"Kill him! Kill these weasels!" In the Riverlands, House Frey had a terrible reputation; no one liked them. So, upon seeing the Rowan knight draw his sword, some people eagerly started to egg them on.
"No! Don't let anyone die here!" Marsha, hiding behind the counter, couldn't help but shout. This wasn't because she was afraid to see dead people, but because the bloodstains left behind by dead people were very difficult to clean up.
The Frey knights also drew their swords, aiming their tips at their enemies without showing any weakness. A fierce battle was on the verge of breaking out.
However, at this moment, a knight who had been watching the scene suddenly seemed to sense something. He told the prostitute who was egging him on to be quiet, then listened for a moment and said loudly, "Everyone quiet, listen."
This knight seemed to have some authority. When he spoke, the surrounding knights and squires who had been egging them on also quieted down, and even the two opposing groups stopped.
Everyone now heard rumbling sounds coming from outside, as if something heavy was repeatedly striking the ground. Then they noticed that the drinks on the tables were trembling slightly, and the entire inn building was also shaking slightly.
The knight who first noticed the anomaly immediately pushed the prostitute sitting on him away, stood up, and ran outside the inn. The others also scrambled to run out, and soon the inn hall, which had been crowded moments before, was empty.
Marsha was also stunned by the sudden change, not understanding what had happened, but she could feel the building shaking, as if it could collapse at any moment. So, without thinking further, she stuffed her money pouch under her clothes and ran out of the inn. The other servants and prostitutes also rushed out.
When they ran out of the inn, they found that the knight sirs who had rushed out earlier were all standing by the roadside, turned into stone statues, looking north along the King's Road.
When they, filled with curiosity, also stepped out from the shelter of the inn building, walked to the roadside, and looked north, they too, like these knights, were completely frozen in place. Some of the more sensitive prostitutes even couldn't help but scream and then fainted.
They saw that on the King's Road, a group of giants, nearly as tall as the inn building, were walking towards them. They were dressed in huge clothes sewn from animal hides, and in their hands, they carried tree trunks. As they walked, they used the tree trunks to pound the ground, which was how the previous rumbling and ground vibrations were produced.
"Giants! These are the giants Lord Linde subdued Beyond the Wall!" Someone immediately identified the giants' origin, and at the same time, their gaze shifted to the knight riding a giant warhorse at the front of the giant procession.
The knight wore exquisite armor and had two Greatswords at his waist. A giant beast followed beside him. Such prominent features made it very difficult to mistake him.
As Lord Linde approached with his giant subordinates, all the knights quickly tidied their clothes, then one by one, they puffed out their chests and stood solemnly by the roadside, watching Lord Linde with grave expressions.
"Lord Linde, I am Beorht Rowan of House Rowan."
"Lord Linde, I am Lyonel Frey of Frey."
"Lord Linde, I am Tygett Marbrand of House Marbrand."
When Lord Linde arrived before them, they all bowed to him, then spoke over each other, reporting their names and identities. The scene appeared somewhat chaotic, a stark contrast to the orderly and solemn sight moments before.
Lynd seemed to have encountered such a scene before. He did not dismount but remained seated on his horse, nodding in greeting to these knights, but he did not stop and simply led his people past them.
Moreover, the knights did not feel slighted. On the contrary, they felt that Lynd's nod in return was already the greatest respect he could show them. Each of them was emotionally stirred, and as they watched the giants walk past, they no longer felt afraid; only awe remained.
However, as the column of giants passed them, they noticed that behind the giants, there were hundreds of knights and their squires. From the crests on these knights and squires, it was not difficult to see that they all came from different families. Many of them had even left the inn that morning, intending to go to the Wall to join the Night's Watch.
Soon, clever individuals realized that instead of going north to join the Night's Watch, it would be better to directly pledge allegiance to Lynd. In the future, they could still achieve great deeds and be remembered in history, and they wouldn't have as many restrictions as the Night's Watch.
With this thought, some of the knights who had originally intended to go to the Wall changed their minds and joined the following procession. Only a few strong-willed individuals remained steadfast in their original decision.
Lynd was well aware of the thoughts of the knights following him. Aside from a few hired knights, most of these knights were second sons, third sons, or even bastards—noble descendants from various families of the Seven Kingdoms who had no inheritance rights.
Although these knights had weaknesses such as wavering resolve, Lynd still needed their participation because the knowledge and abilities they possessed far surpassed those of common hired knights and wandering knights.
In the past one or two years, although Lynd's reputation had grown increasingly, making him the most legendary figure in the Seven Kingdoms, for some unknown reason, not many noble knights were willing to actively pledge allegiance to him. The vast majority were hired knights and wandering knights.
Hired knights and wandering knights were fine for combat, but they were far less suited for governing a region.
Currently, knights under Lynd's command, such as Brin-He Wen and Wise Rowan, who possessed some governing ability, had all been fully deployed to various regions by Lynd. Yet, even so, there were still many positions lacking suitable personnel, requiring one person to hold multiple roles.
Although this kind of multi-tasking would not cause major problems in the short term, in the long run, one person holding multiple positions would not only affect their work efficiency but also grant them excessive power, potentially leading to unforeseen issues.
Therefore, Lynd had always been looking for ways to fill the personnel vacancies.
He had once considered recruiting maesters from the Citadel to serve as principal officers for various departments, but this idea was not only opposed by Nameria, but even Moroa declared it the most foolish idea she had ever heard—this was the first time she and Nameria had the same opinion on something.
Their opposition stemmed from the fact that doing so would undermine the power structure of the Seven Kingdoms. Maesters were only meant to assist nobles; allowing them to become principal officers would be tantamount to seizing noble power, which was the greatest taboo in Westeros.
Leaving aside whether any maesters would be audacious enough to accept Lynd's appointment, even if a maester did accept, it would bring Lynd no benefit whatsoever. All the surrounding lords would ostracize Lynd; even Green Valley City, Black Harbor, and Weil City, which had already signed alliances with Lynd, would likewise distance themselves from him, because Lynd's actions would be challenging the entire nobility of Westeros.
Therefore, before setting off for the Wall, Lynd had already decided that upon his return from the Wall, he would immediately dispatch people to post recruitment notices in various castles of the Seven Kingdoms and the Free City States Alliance across Across the Narrow Sea, to recruit capable knights and nobles. He figured that active recruitment would be more effective than passively waiting for people to pledge allegiance.
However, it seemed there was no longer a need to post recruitment notices, as this journey Beyond the Wall had truly elevated him to a status equal to that of legendary heroes. In the future, a large number of true noble knights would undoubtedly come to pledge allegiance to him, and the knights currently following him back to Summerhall were the best proof.
After Lynd's giant contingent crossed the Trident River, he encountered more and more knights. Most of these knights chose to follow behind Lynd, heading south together, even though Lynd never once mentioned recruiting these knights into his service.
By the time Lynd arrived in King's Landing, his retinue of knights had grown to over five hundred, totaling more than a thousand if squires were included, an imposing sight that resembled a complete army.
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