When Lynd left Vortimer's tent, his head was still spinning, and he even canceled his original decision to test Honor's abilities. After returning to his tent, he lay on the bed, unconsciously stroking the Honor beside the bed with one hand, and resting the other hand behind his head, his mind pondering the things Vortimer had just said.
The reason Vortimer thought that Lady would fancy him was entirely because Nymeria had once offered a courtship condition: only those who defeated her were qualified to pursue her.
Nymeria's strength, however, was universally acknowledged as formidable. Since she was sixteen, she had participated in various Tournaments as a mysterious knight more than once and had won many championships. The few instances of her defeat were only when she encountered powerful opponents like Arthur Dayne, Sword of the Morning and Barristan the Bold.
When Nymeria first set the condition, many knights went to challenge her, but without exception, they all ended in failure. Moreover, after these knights failed, Nymeria would take a piece of their accessory and hang it on the gate of Tumbleton. Over time, no knight dared to challenge her again.
After all, challenging Nymeria, even if one won, only gained the qualification to pursue her, and failure meant losing face and greatly diminishing one's reputation. So, those knights, after a little consideration, knew how to choose.
What's more important is that at first, Nymeria still held back against challengers, but later, perhaps Nymeria grew annoyed, she no longer held back. Almost every challenger died by her hand. The deterrent force formed by the deaths of over a dozen knights was enough to scare many people.
However, in Vortimer's opinion, although Nymeria was powerful, she was still far inferior to Lynd, so challenging Nymeria should not be a problem for Lynd.
In addition, Vortimer also mentioned that Nymeria might be connected to the bandits formed by the Targaryens remnants entrenched north of Bitterbridge, because Tumbleton, with fewer than twenty guard soldiers and no city walls, had never been attacked by bandits in the past year. So, if Lynd could take down Nymeria, then completing Lord Tyrell's mission would be much easier.
Although Lynd had never considered the idea of a marriage alliance, it must be said that Vortimer's proposal still made his heart pound. After all, if he really followed Vortimer's suggestion, his ultimate gain would not just be a landed knight, but a true lord who governed a territory.
Furthermore, he could use the special geographical location of Tumbleton to control the vast area north of Bitterbridge, east of the Tumbleton Mountains in the Western Regions, west of Kingswood, and south of Blackwater Rush, becoming a significant great lord.
But all of this was based on him not having a golden finger. Now that he had a golden finger, he didn't need to gain power and status through marriage so early. He was only fifteen years old and had enough time to get what he wanted.
However, this did not mean that he did not value Nymeria. In fact, he felt that LadyNymeria was the key to him completing that mission with the least cost.
Just as Lynd was thinking about how to make good use of Nymeria, Garlan lifted the curtain and walked in from outside, and without further ado, asked Lynd, "Ser Lynd, are you troubled by military expenses and manpower?"
"Yes, Lord Garlan," Lynd sat up and admitted.
"My father's reward to you after you won the Tournament has not been given to you yet. Now is the time," Garlan said, handing him a rolled parchment.
Lynd unrolled it and saw that in addition to a reward of three thousand gold dragons, the most important content written on the paper was his official appointment as the captain of the cavalry team.
In this appointment letter, Lord Tyrell increased the number of the ten-man cavalry team to one hundred, and the commission for these one hundred men would be fully covered by House Tyrell for the next two years. As for his authority as the captain of the cavalry team, it also increased significantly, such as being able to recruit cavalry nearby, independently decide targets for attack, and so on, practically handing over the right to wage war to him.
However, these so-called rewards were not without restrictions. He had to accept the bandit suppression mission for the area north of Bitterbridge to get these rewards, and all the powers related to the cavalry team captain were limited to the area north of Bitterbridge and south of Blackwater Rush. Once he left that area, he would only be an ordinary cavalry team captain.
Although there were many restrictions, it must be said that such conditions were already very good for him.
Three thousand gold dragons alone already far exceeded the rewards other lords would give. After all, not every lord could offer tens of thousands of gold dragons as prize money for a champion like King Robert.
Moreover, most lords would not even give any reward to their own family's Tournament champion. In their opinion, you had already gained honor and prize money in the Tournament, so why should you expect more rewards from me? As for the position and power of a cavalry team captain, don't even think about it.
Compared to that, House Tyrell could be said to be extremely generous.
"If I accept this bandit suppression mission, what other support will the family give me?" Since the conversation had reached this point, it would be a bit excessive for Lynd to continue to hold back, so he asked.
"Tax exemption," Garlan, clearly prepared, said, "Before you complete the bandit suppression mission, you can supplement military expenses through trade, and during this period, you will have tax exemption. I believe this is enough to fill the military expense gap."
Lynd smiled, "If I can never complete the bandit suppression, will I have tax exemption forever?"
"Of course not," Garlan shook his head and said, "If you don't complete the mission within five years, the mission will be automatically canceled, you will be transferred back to Highgarden to join the Lord's Guard, and your authority as cavalry team captain will be revoked."
"Within five years? That's enough," Lynd said with extreme confidence, then curiously asked, "Was this bandit suppression mission prepared specifically for me?"
"No, it was prepared for Lord Vortimer, but Lord Vortimer refused, believing you were more suitable," Garlan explained, "Later, we analyzed it and also felt you were more suitable, as there's no shadow of other noble lords behind you..." Perhaps feeling that this was not appropriate to say in front of Lynd, he immediately changed the subject, saying, "The summoning of knights just now was merely a formality, so that no one would think House Tyrell is biased after you accept the mission."
Although Garlan had revealed all the hidden conditions, Lynd still did not immediately agree, but instead thought calmly.
Garlan did not urge Lynd, but stood by, looking at Honor, who was honestly lying beside the bed, wanting to reach out and stroke Honor's fur, yet also feeling a bit worried and scared.
After a while, Lynd seemed to have thought it through and said, "Lord Garlan, please help me reply to Lord Tyrell. I accept the bandit suppression mission."
Hearing Lynd's words, Garlan's face also broke into a smile, and he did not linger there, turning to leave. However, as he reached the tent entrance, he suddenly turned back and said to Lynd, "Lord Vortimer must have mentioned Nymeria to you, right? I think this should be a good opportunity for you."
Upon hearing this, Lynd raised an eyebrow, stared at Garlan, and said in a deep voice, "You wouldn't be worried about having to marry Nymeria, would you...?"
"How could that be?" A hint of embarrassment appeared on Garlan's face, and he quickly denied it, then said with a serious expression, "I just genuinely think you and she are a good match."
After speaking, he didn't give Lynd a chance to question him, and lifted the tent flap and ran out.
As Lynd agreed to Garlan, the ownership of the bandit suppression mission was no longer in suspense. Many people mocked Lynd for being carried away by the title of Tournament champion, waiting to see his twenty thousand gold dragons go to waste.
Lord Tyrell did not announce the rewards and tax exemption that Garlan had presented that day, but instead wrote them as a secret order and gave them to Lynd. The only thing announced was the decision to expand the cavalry team to one hundred men.
In fact, the expansion of the cavalry team was already considered public knowledge, just not officially announced, so the nobles and knights in the camp were not surprised, and they also believed that even if the cavalry team was expanded to one hundred men, it would not change the difficulty of the bandit suppression mission.
Because he had already received a hint from Vortimer, Lynd had already selected the cavalry personnel for the expansion. Scarface Mike and those who had paid money earlier were all recruited by Lynd and formed into a team, led by Scarface Mike.
Although this was very different from the cavalry they wanted to become, they did not dare to question Lynd for deceiving them, but instead obediently followed Lynd's arrangements.
As for the remaining people, Lynd chose all scouts, archers, and hunters who knew how to ride a horse.
Everyone was puzzled by Lynd's choice, because in their opinion, Lynd should have chosen free riders or mercenary cavalry who were proficient in horsemanship and skilled with various weapons.
They all believed that Lynd had made a random choice for the cavalry team because he had not learned relevant military knowledge. Therefore, fewer and fewer people in the camp believed that Lynd could complete the bandit suppression mission. Everyone was waiting to see Lynd's embarrassed appearance after he failed and fled back to Highgarden in disgrace.
Vortimer also found him that night because of this matter and taught him some military knowledge. Although he studied diligently, he did not use it in the matter of forming the cavalry team, but still formed the cavalry team according to his own method.
On the contrary, Garlan trusted him very much, believing that he must have his own ideas to form the cavalry team in this way, and also persuaded Lord Tyrell not to interfere in this matter, telling Lord Tyrell to wait for the results.
Although the cavalry conditions Lynd offered were very low, they were not fully met, still lacking more than twenty people, because not all scouts, archers, and hunters knew how to ride a horse. Most people had never ridden a horse in their lives, and even if they had, they could only make the horse move slowly. Once it galloped, their bodies would sway from side to side, eventually falling off the horse.
For this reason, Lynd had to recruit suitable candidates from outside. Lord Tyrell did not say anything about this, seemingly having listened to Garlan's advice.
At this time, there were still many mercenaries and free riders in King's Landing who had not left. After learning that Bear Hunter Linde was recruiting cavalry, they eagerly rushed to House Tyrell's camp, and soon more than a thousand people gathered. Among these more than a thousand people, there were some famous figures, such as Brynden Rivers, the archer champion of this Tournament.
Lynd naturally would not refuse an archer of Brynden Rivers's caliber joining the cavalry team, but he was very curious. Brynden Rivers had just won the archery championship and should not be short of money, and he was also good friends with Lord Blackfish of Riverlands. Going to Riverlands should have more prospects, so why would he choose an ordinary cavalry team like his?
Brynden Rivers did not explain in detail, only saying that he had done something dishonorable and had been exiled by Lord Tully. If Lynd had not been recruiting cavalry, he might have taken a ship to leave Westeros and settle in a city of the Free City States Alliance across the Narrow Sea.
Although Brynden Rivers did not explain the situation, from the fact that he had to leave Westeros, it was not difficult to see that the dishonorable thing he had committed was probably very serious, and his joining Lynd's cavalry team was more about using House Tyrell's name to protect himself.
Although Brynden Rivers joined with a purpose, it didn't matter to Lynd. He only needed the person to be useful.
Perhaps because too many people came wanting to join House Tyrell's cavalry team, these people had completely surrounded House Tyrell's camp, causing Lord Tyrell to worry about the situation getting out of control.
So, without informing Lynd, he directly announced that the number of the cavalry team would be increased by another hundred. But secretly, he also had Garlan find Lynd and tell him that for the additional hundred men, House Tyrell would only provide half of the salary, and the other half would be Lynd's responsibility.
Lynd naturally would not refuse this. For him now, expanding personnel within the budget was a case of the more the merrier.
Although the cavalry team was expanded to two hundred men, it did not mean that Lynd only recruited two hundred people. In fact, Lynd also recruited a bankrupt merchant named Mus from across the Narrow Sea to serve as the cavalry team's financial officer, and more than twenty logistics personnel such as stable hands and leatherworkers were also recruited.
He had not yet fully staffed his team until House Tyrell officially set off to return to Highgarden. For this, he could only stop and slowly supplement his staff along the way.
Because everyone did not believe that Lynd could complete the bandit suppression mission, even though House Tyrell's knights admired Lynd's personal strength, not a single one was willing to voluntarily join his cavalry team.
When Lynd left King's Landing with House Tyrell's large contingent, he left Mus, the newly recruited financial officer, in King's Landing to find horse merchants who could provide a large number of warhorses, and to purchase an additional three hundred warhorses.
In addition, Varys also gave Lynd a gift before he left King's Landing. This gift was a topographical map of the Tumbleton area, and the map also marked the hiding places of several large bandit groups and their member numbers, among other information.
The importance of this map to Lynd was self-evident. Without this map, he might have needed several months to gather local intelligence, but now these few months were saved, and he could complete the clear-up mission more quickly.
It's unknown if it was Varys's mischievousness, but on this map, he also marked Tumbleton, and below it was the name Nymeria.