While Lynd observed the people in the tavern, the Dornishmen who were reveling and drinking inside the tavern also stopped, their gazes unanimously turning towards Nymeria Footly, and then they all stood up to salute.
Perhaps because Nymeria Footly's figure was too tall, blocking Lynd behind her, the people in the tavern didn't see him for a while until they saluted and looked up, then they saw Lynd walking out from behind Nymeria Footly, and expressions of surprise appeared on their faces.
The reason for their surprise was exactly the same as Nymeria Footly's surprise when she saw Lynd earlier; Lynd's attire was somewhat peculiar, with a person wearing four swords, two of which were knight's longswords, and these two longswords were even hanging at his waist.
If Lynd hadn't been tall enough, these two knight's longswords would probably have dragged on the ground.
However, among these people, the surprised expressions of a few after seeing Lynd were not due to Lynd's attire, but his identity.
The few Dornishmen who recognized Lynd gathered beside the young leader's ear and whispered a few words, seemingly introducing Lynd's identity. The young man's eyes lit up after hearing it, and he looked at Lynd as if he had found some new and interesting toy.
Although the voices of those few Dornishmen were very low, Lynd could still vaguely hear some of the content with his extraordinary hearing, but since they were speaking the Dornish language, he couldn't understand it at all.
As soon as Nymeria Footly entered the tavern, she walked straight to the young man and directly questioned him: "You suddenly came here because you knew Lord Tywin was going to act against me, didn't you?"
"I heard some news, but it wasn't certain, but now I'm somewhat certain." The young man lazily straightened up from his armchair, then looked at Lynd and said, "Bear Hunter Lynd, the name I've heard most in the southern taverns recently. Did Lord Tyrell order you to come here? He's also interested in this land."
"My orders were only to suppress bandits, Prince Oberyn." Lynd replied naturally.
The Red Viper was not surprised that he was recognized; what surprised him was Lynd's overly calm attitude towards him.
"How many men did you bring?" Unsure if she was worried that the Red Viper would make things difficult for Lynd, Nymeria Footly took a step back, blocking him, and asked the Red Viper.
The Red Viper pointed to the Dornishmen in the tavern, counting about twenty or so.
Nymeria Footly frowned and said, "You only brought this many people, how can you help me deal with the invaders?"
The Red Viper shook his head and said, "No, I didn't come to deal with the invaders. I came to knock you out and take you south by boat if necessary."
Nymeria Footly yelled angrily at the Red Viper, "I won't go to Dorne! I am the Lady of Tumbleton, Footly."
"An Lady who can't even protect her own territory?" The Red Viper scoffed, then his expression turned serious and he said, "You should know how important the location of Tumbleton is. It's right at the junction of the Westerlands, The Reach, and the Crownlands, and not far from the Stormlands and the Riverlands. No king would want this place to be ruled by a powerful lord, so after the Dance of the Dragons destroyed Tumbleton, it has never been rebuilt. Did the House Footly not want to rebuild it? No, the surrounding great lords wouldn't allow it to be rebuilt."
Nymeria Footly couldn't help but yell, "If that's the case, then let it remain abandoned!"
"You don't need to shout at me," the Red Viper pointed in the direction of King's Landing and said, "Your enemy is over there, my cousin!"
"Shut up! I am Footly, not Martell!" Nymeria Footly roared with extreme displeasure.
The Red Viper looked calmly at Nymeria Footly and said, "You have Dornish Martell blood in you, from the day you were born. No matter how much you deny it, you can't change that fact."
The Red Viper's words seemed to touch a raw nerve for Nymeria Footly; her expression immediately darkened, and her anger quickly receded, replaced by icy eyes and tone: "Get out! Now, all of you, get out of my territory! I don't need you to do anything for me. I just want you to leave my territory immediately and go back to Dorne."
The Red Viper could tell that Nymeria Footly wasn't just talking; she genuinely wanted to drive them away. His lazy demeanor instantly vanished, and he became much sharper, like a venomous snake raising its head.
The surrounding Dornishmen also stood up at this moment, all placing their hands on the weapons at their waists, as if they would act against Nymeria Footly at the Red Viper's command.
Seeing this, Lynd didn't think much of it. He crossed his arms, gripping the hilt of his swords at his waist, maintaining the starting stance of the Banished Knights's swordsmanship. Since he intended to use Tumbleton as a base, he naturally needed to do something for the Lady of Tumbleton.
The moment Lynd placed his hand on the sword hilt, the Red Viper's attention shifted from Nymeria Footly to Lynd, because at that moment, he instinctively felt danger, a kind of danger he had never experienced before, as if death would descend upon him if he made even the slightest unusual movement.
It wasn't just the Red Viper; every Dornishman in the room felt the threat of death, but they couldn't clearly feel the source of the danger like the Red Viper could.
Conversely, Nymeria Footly, who stood in front of Lynd, did not feel the threat of death from Lynd. She was only somewhat puzzled by the tense expressions on the faces of the Red Viper and the Dornishmen.
The Red Viper did not act, but instead raised his hand as a signal. The surrounding Dornishmen, seeing the Red Viper's gesture, also sighed in relief, removed their hands from their weapons, and then silently walked out of the tavern one after another.
After all the Dornishmen had left, the Red Viper stepped out, but as he passed by Nymeria Footly, he paused, looking up slightly at his giantess of a cousin, and said, "You'd best not use the people hidden in that valley. They've been watched from the beginning. That's Jon Arryn's bait. If you dare to directly contact them, King's Landing will have a reason to act immediately, unlike now where they can only act covertly even if they want to." He paused, then added, "I'll leave a troop near Bitterbridge. If you..."
"No, there's no 'if.' Even if I die, I will die in my own territory." Nymeria Footly interrupted the Red Viper, stating firmly.
The Red Viper said nothing more and walked away, but as he left, he looked again at Lynd and at Honor, who was baring her teeth at his feet.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" After the Red Viper left, Nymeria Footly gradually calmed down. With a gloomy face, she turned to look at Lynd and said ungraciously.
Lynd calmly said, "You haven't agreed to let my men be stationed in your territory. I need an answer from you so I can decide what to do next."
Nymeria Footly said dismissively, "Is House Tyrell planning to annex my territory this way? By clearing out bandits?"
"Of course not." Lynd shook his head and said, "If House Tyrell truly wanted to act against you, they wouldn't need to do anything at all. They could just wait for things to escalate here and then come out to uphold justice, after all, House Tyrell is your liege lord, and if I recall correctly, there are collateral branches of the House Footly serving in Highgarden. If something were to happen to you, then it would be a matter of course for House Tyrell, as your liege, to support a collateral branch of the House Footly to inherit Tumbleton."
As he spoke, a bold idea suddenly formed in Lynd's mind: perhaps House Tyrell really would use this method to deal with Tumbleton in the future, because in his memory, Tumbleton had almost disappeared a decade or so later. Even if it sometimes made some noise, it was only in conjunction with House Tyrell.
If Nymeria Footly was still the Lady of Tumbleton at that time, she would absolutely not have done that. Moreover, with Nymeria Footly's stature and appearance, it would be impossible for her to remain completely unknown a decade or so later; at the very least, her reputation should be comparable to that of Brienne the Beauty. Therefore, Nymeria Footly might have already died by then.
Nymeria Footly didn't notice the subtle change in Lynd's expression; instead, she was seriously considering what Lynd had said.
Although she was only Prince Lemony's bastard daughter, Prince Lemony, adhering to Dornish tradition, cultivated Nymeria Footly no less than any male descendant. This gave Nymeria Footly extremely high political cultivation and wisdom, and she quickly analyzed that everything Lynd said was highly likely to happen.
Lynd looked at Nymeria Footly and said in a deep voice, "Please rest assured, even if such a thing were feasible, Lord Tyrell is unlikely to do so."
Nymeria Footly questioned, "Why wouldn't he do that? You're not Lord Tyrell, are you?"
Lynd explained, "Maester Lomys, the Lord's advisor, once suggested a marriage between you and the Lord's second son, Garlan Tyrell, but it was rejected on the grounds that you have Dornish blood."
Nymeria Footly turned and glared at Lynd as if a raw nerve had been struck, as if she would throw Lynd out if he said one more word.
However, Lynd was unaffected and continued, "But in my opinion, that was just an excuse; the real situation should be a concern."
"A concern?" Nymeria Footly asked, puzzled, "What concern? Dorne?"
"Of course not, it's the Iron Throne." Lynd explained, "Lord Tyrell spent a year clearing up the impact he caused during the The War of the Usurper to regain the Iron Throne's trust. If he were to occupy such an important place as Tumbleton at this time, how would King Robert view it, how would Lord Tywin view it, how would the Stormlands view it, how would the Riverlands view it? The rose is too delicate; it needs careful nurturing. So, the House Tyrell is the last one you need to guard against right now."
Nymeria Footly listened to Lynd's analysis, remaining silent for a long time before scrutinizing Lynd with a hint of a strange gaze, asking, "You seem to be only a hunter by origin. Why do you know all this?"
Lynd smiled and said, "You're not the first to ask me that question, but I don't want to answer it anymore, because for everyone who asks me that question, I come up with a different story. Too many stories lead to too many loopholes, and while this won't cause me any trouble, it will still have some negative effects."
"You trust me that much? You even tell me these little secrets. Aren't you afraid I'll spread them?" Nymeria Footly asked, somewhat puzzled.
"These things aren't important, and it doesn't matter if they get out. Besides, if you spread them, who would believe you?" Lynd looked calmly at Nymeria Footly and said, "As for why I'm saying all this, it's because I think partners should be more frank, especially since I might be stationed here for several years to come."
"Are you so sure I'll agree to you establishing a base here?" Nymeria Footly looked down at Lynd, saying.
"I can't think of a reason for you to refuse." Lynd shrugged.
Nymeria Footly gazed at Lynd for a long time and said, "I need to think about it."
Lynd bowed his head slightly and said, "That is your right. If you decide, just send someone to let me know."
With that, he turned and walked out of the tavern, but stopped at the doorway, turning to Nymeria Footly and saying, "Prince Oberyn just told you not to contact those people in the valley. That's a very good suggestion; I also think it's a deliberate trap."
"I know." Nymeria Footly replied calmly.
Lynd observed Nymeria Footly's reaction; he felt that Nymeria Footly had probably suspected the purpose of those people's existence for a long time, which was why she hadn't contacted them despite being so close to their hiding place.
Seeing this, Lynd said nothing more, stepped out of the tavern, mounted his horse, and rode away from Tumbleton.
This impromptu trip to the ruins of Old Tumbleton was extremely fruitful for him, as he not only made contact with the Lady of Tumbleton but also met the legendary figure, the Red Viper.
Soon, Lynd rode out of the wooden palisade walls of Tumbleton and was about to head towards the dense forest where his men and horses were stationed, but he suddenly pulled on the horse's reins, stopped, dismounted, turned to look at a small hill nearby, and asked the Red Viper, who was standing there and had probably been waiting for a long time, "Prince Oberyn, it seems you were waiting for me. Is there something you need?"
The Red Viper pulled out the steel spear stuck beside him, walked down the hill, and as he walked, he said, "I mainly have two things. One is that I want to know if you mean harm to Nymeria Footly, and the other is that I want to know if the first swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms lives up to his reputation."
Lynd was stunned, and asked in confusion, "The first swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms? How do I not know I have such a title?"
"A title given to you by your admirers, after all, it's rare for a legendary figure to emerge among the low-born commoners." The Red Viper chuckled, then looked at Honor at Lynd's feet and said, "Is that the gift the female Shadowcat in the story gave you?"
"Yes." Lynd nodded.
"A very beautiful little fellow." The Red Viper said with a hint of envy.
Lynd reached out and stroked Honor's head, agreeing, "Yes, he's a beautiful little fellow."
The Red Viper came before Lynd, looked at him, and said, "Although this is my first time meeting you, I think you're a man of honor. Now I ask you, will you harm Nymeria Footly?"
"Of course not." Lynd replied directly.
The Red Viper and Lynd stared into each other's eyes for a long time before he slowly said, "I believe you, Bear Hunter." With that, he took a few steps back, twirled his spear, and said, "Then let's begin the second matter! Fight me."
---
If you can, support me on pa treon:
Pa treon. com/ RightTranslations (No spaces)
Up to 50 chapters ahead.
You can also support by leaving a review