Chapter 55 Horst’s Choice
The flowing water stairs "clattered" in front of the old Duke Hoster's eyes. The clear spring gushes out from the ground and flows onto the smooth mud rock stairs, like a mountain spring falling from the sky to conquer the rugged mountains. The maid stood beside her, holding the fragrant tea that Horst liked to drink. When Caitlin and Lysa were not yet married, it was often Caitlin who held the teapot next to her and watched with a smile as they played on the water stairs. Lysa and Edmure.
Horst recalled that his head seemed to be buzzing. He remembered that he would always say to Caitlin at this time...
"Did you put the honey in, Kate?" Horst asked.
The maid didn't know why, so she had to reply: "Of course, sir, madam, she is not here, sir."
Duke Hoster did not respond, just thinking about his own quiet memories. Every place in Riverrun has its own memories, such as the flowing water stairs, the castle courtyard, the godswood in the distance, or the water prison in the castle and the huge sewer outlet. ……
Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure, these three children may not know that when they are playing peek-a-boo, he already knows exactly where their siblings will be hiding. He stays in every place in Riverrun. Yes, so no matter how they like to hide or where they hide, Horst will always peek at those corners secretly and shout with a smile: "I can't find where you are hiding."
After shouting many times in a row, there are only two endings. One is that he sneaked up behind the three siblings, caught them one by one, and said: "Here they are! You are so easy to hide!", the other is that after shouting "Where are you" many times, the three siblings One after another ran out and laughed at him as "idiot"
The corners of Horst's mouth raised slightly, and the scenes in his memory bounced in his mind one by one. There were no worries, no plans, and no so-called family future.
The breeze brought the fragrance of distant flowers and filled the surroundings of Duke Hoster. The bachelor's footsteps were light and quick. Horst was already familiar with the habits of the people around him, so he turned to look over.
"Sir," the maester nodded slightly and bowed, "Mrs. Catelyn, as well as the nobles living in Riverrun, and the people in the castle, are all gathered in the main hall."
Horst nodded slightly and said softly: "Okay, take me there."
The maester immediately called to the Riverrun guards beside him. The two guards stepped forward, firmly grabbed Hoster's chair, lifted it up in the air, and walked towards the main hall.
Lord Hoster was shaken slightly, albeit slightly. The bachelor immediately stepped forward and hissed, telling the guards to be gentler. Duke Hoster looked at the front of the courtyard silently. He had to make the last contribution he could to the Tully family and the riverlands. This was for the family, for honor, and for responsibility.
……
The walls of the main hall of Riverrun are vividly painted with trout jumping out of the water of the Trident River. Coupled with the water lines on the floor, it feels like you are swaying on the Trident River.
Tyrion looked at Lady Catelyn, who arrested and imprisoned him. The latter took off her gloves uneasily, with an anxious and worried look on her face.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and squinted at the nobles in the main hall. Thanks to Edmure Tully's summons of vassals in Riverrun earlier, otherwise, judging from the physical condition of the old Duke of Riverrun, he might not be able to wait for the powerful nobles of the Riverlands to arrive in a sober time. Gee, this is Edmure Tully’s greatest contribution recently.
A scarlet war horse galloped in the golden shield. Tyrion saw the family emblem embroidered on the chest of the old noble man closest to him, and recognized at a glance that this was one of the most noisy old nobles in the Riverlands. The Blackwoods have a feud with the Brackens. The old noble man glared at Tyrion and snorted.
You hum again? Tyrion thought viciously, be careful about losing your tongue in the future... But then he thought that even people without tongues can still hum, and then looked at the other nobles gathered in the river with boredom.
The Earl of Darry City, who had stopped several times with King Robert before, also came here. Are there soldiers in that small castle? Presumably the four guards behind the Earl are all his property... Tyrion thought mockingly, the emblem of the Darry family is a farmer plowing the field. As expected, you should farm the land obediently, not just a few farmers. Put on armor and become a knight on the battlefield.
The wealthy patriarch of the Deddings family also came to the main hall with his bodyguards. Unlike other nobles, Baron David Deddings did not wear armor or a long sword, only a dagger hanging on his waist. At that time, daggers were usually installed in relatively hidden parts, but this baron wanted to let everyone know that he was a wealthy businessman who could be exploited by others. The scabbard of the dagger was a beautiful silver-gray color with a red gemstone engraved on it. No matter how you look at it, it's just a show, not war material. But this baron did not snort like the head of the Bracken family, and nodded to Tyrion when he saw him. Hey! With a little help, you will be able to live a good life in the future. Tyrion thought happily.
Count Jason Mallister of Seaside City is particularly eye-catching. Tyrion has long heard of this famous knight who has experienced hundreds of battles. His beard is cleanly shaved, his face is neat and meticulous, and he is tall and thin. His stature and thin, stern face give people a strange impression of honor and justice, which is somewhat similar to Ed Stark. Maybe they were relatives? But in Tyrion's eyes, Earl Jason is much more handsome than Lord Eddard, especially with the eagle wings decoration on his indigo helmet, although it is not as good as Jaime's knight in gold helmet and white robes. , but it’s pretty much the same.
It's just that Haijiang City is not in the hinterland of Hejian, so the battlefield may not be able to reach there. In addition, although the Mallister family is ancient and noble, it does not have much military background. More soldiers and infantry may have to stay in Haijiang City to prevent greed. of ironborn invasion. Tsk tsk, I don’t know what King Robert is doing at this time. If he had any knowledge of the king, he should quickly mediate the conflict between the lion of the west and the dead fish in the river, so as not to let the family of his good brother and wife be ravaged. Even if the war cannot be stopped, at least don't let it expand. If it expands... the Ironborn may not only infest the Riverlands, but the western coast may also become an area for plunder by these non-farming bandits.
Tyrion noticed that Edmure's summons was not useful. The Mouton family in Maidenpool, the Frey family in Twins... these families with financial resources and strong military power did not seem to respond to Riverrun. ’s call, tsk tsk, the riverlands are indeed composed of a group of united nobles.
Ser Sommer frowned and stared at Tyrion who was looking around, and whispered: "Little devil, what are you looking at?"
"I'm wondering where your dear Lord Blackwood, whom you are loyal to, has gone, why can't you see it? I have to thank him for taking care of him these days, otherwise I don't know where I will end up with this old life." Tyrion Not missing this opportunity to get information, he asked.
Sommer shook his head, "You can't see the earl. He and Master Edmure beat your brother Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, in the Golden Tooth City." He looked at Tilly provocatively. A glance.
Fool! Tyrion secretly laughed in his heart, but still responded with a smile, "I see, then I wish him a speedy return."
Sommer frowned in confusion, wondering what was going on in this dwarf's mind. Unwilling to see Tyrion's playful smile, he continued: "The 'Kingslayer''s army is vulnerable. You have to know, Lannister The dwarf. As of today, Master Edmure has led his troops to victory in ten encounters in a row. The army of the West is staying in the Golden Tooth City like a coward. Master Edmure is victorious in every battle. Sooner or later, your poor brother will have his head cut off. Take it to Riverrun!" Ser Sommer said fiercely, approaching the dwarf's ear.
Just by your words, your head will definitely be stuck in Casterly Rock Tower! Tyrion looked at Sommer's ugly face at this time, no longer feeling the gratitude for being taken care of by him before, and thought coldly in his heart.
The main hall, which was still a bit noisy, suddenly became quiet. Tyrion looked intently and saw an old man who looked like a dead tree.
Lord Hoster Tully? Tyrion looked at the old man in disbelief, as if a gust of wind could completely extinguish his last candle of life.
"Father" came out of Caitlin's mouth, but the old Duke just nodded slightly, without much movement in his eyes. This father may be extremely disappointed in his daughter, Tyrion thought silently.
Everyone knelt down on one knee, and Tyrion did not hesitate. Although even if he stood, it might not affect the perception of everyone kneeling together, he still knelt down on one knee according to etiquette. After all, the other party was the Duke and the governor of the Riverlands. Horst's chair stopped on the high platform of the main hall. The old man raised his head with difficulty and looked at everyone, but Tyrion immediately noticed that the Duke's eyes were scanning everyone, as if he was searching for something, so he moved slightly, There was a slight sound on the floor, and sure enough, the old man's eyes stayed on him.
Horst raised his fingers slightly, and the bachelor behind him said: "Please get up, everyone." All the nobles in the riverland stood up one after another.
"Earl Bracken." Horst muttered slightly.
Genos, the patriarch of the Bracken family, immediately stood up and said, "My lord, I am here."
"How long has Lord Tyrion Lannister been a guest at Riverrun?" Horst asked.
Janos glanced at Tyrion, and finally turned his attention to the maester.
The maester replied: "Lord Janos has just arrived, so I'm afraid he doesn't know about it." The maester glanced at Tyrion and continued, "Lord Tyrion has been a guest in Riverrun for three weeks, and we are doing our best to entertain him."
"Lord Tyrion." Horst put his hands on the chair handles, as if he was about to stand up.
This startled Tyrion, who quickly stood up and wanted to go forward, "Duke Hoster, you don't have to stand up, please take care of yourself..."
"These days, cough!" Horst coughed a few times, and Tyrion noticed the blood stains on his mouthkerchief. "Riverrun is a small place where two rivers meet, and it is very humid. You are a guest here, and I feel wronged. .”
"No grievance, no grievance," Tyrion replied quickly. He knew the old Duke's intention at this time, and wanted to narrow the matter down to the behavior of the guests, but I am afraid that his father Tywin would not accept this explanation. "This is my first time coming to Riverrun. I like the scenery and food here very much." Tyrion smiled at the old Duke.
"I think," Hoster looked at Tyrion, "I think you want to go home, don't you?"
Tyrion glanced at Lady Catelyn, "Of course," he turned to the Duke, "As long as the gates of Riverrun are open, I can leave today."
Horst nodded slightly.
Caitlin spoke up and said to the old Duke: "Father, this Lannister is suspected of..."
"Lord Bracken!" Hoster suddenly shouted, interrupting Caitlin, "Please... escort Lord Tyrion to Casterly Rock for me and make amends to Lord Tywin."
Genos frowned unnaturally, but still said: "As you command."
"Is this enough of an apology?" Horst asked a question that was clearly negative.
"I think," Tyrion smiled, "that should be enough."
Horst smiled helplessly, "What if I, an old man like me, go to Casterly Rock to apologize to Lord Tywin in person?"
Tyrion seemed to be stunned when he heard this. He looked at Duke Hoster in front of him in confusion. He thought that Caitlin would be sent to Casterly Rock to make amends...
"Your Majesty," Lord Jason Mallister said, "Absolutely not. You are the Duke of Riverrun, not an ordinary person, and you cannot bear this humiliation."
"Absolutely not!" Earl Bracken's voice was loud, and even the entire main hall was surrounded by echoes after he said it.
"Father!" Catelyn said, "You are not guilty, we are not guilty, the blame lies with Lannister!"
Tyrion noticed Lord Hoster frowning and lowering his head in pain.
"Lord Tyrion," Hoster looked at Tyrion again, "Can this calm Lord Tywin's anger?"
"I think," Tyrion looked at Lord Hoster, who was seriously ill and weak, "this is completely enough, my lord, my lord." Tyrion said from the bottom of his heart.
"Please go ahead with Lord Bracken," Horst said with a bleak smile on his pale face. "I will arrange some things, and I will go to Casterly Rock later to apologize to Lord Tywin."
Tyrion nodded. He looked at the dying Duke Hoster, and he couldn't help but feel a sad empathy in his heart that could only be expressed by reading tragic and legendary heroes in history books.
"No problem at all," said Tyrion, "Lord Tywin will entertain you with a feast, and the two families will be reconciled."
Today’s Chapter 2
(End of chapter)