Cliff City, Main Castle, Earl's Study.
The group consists of eight people: Edmure, Earl Gavin, Lady Hibel, Jenny, Eleanor, The Mountain, and Leonard.
Apart from Edmure, there was no one else in the room.
Father Gavin, mother Sybil, eldest brother Leonard, second daughter Jenny, youngest daughter Eleanor, and son-in-law The Mountain.
Edmure's hundred guards have all been left behind. They have learned of their master's absurd behavior, and virtually none of them have drawn their swords in resistance.
Given the Mountain's infamy and fighting prowess, resistance would mean certain death. — This is a consensus among all.
"Lord Edmure!" Earl Gavin's face was grim. "The Westerlings are an ancient family that values honor above all else. You are protected by the privilege of guests, and we treat you with the utmost respect. But your despicable behavior is still unbelievable to me."
"I can't believe it either, sir, I really did drink too much." Edmund was full of shame.
"How did you get up to the third floor of the main castle?"
"I don't know, I only know that I was walking with a lot of people, all together."
"Father, there's no point in delving into the details," the Mountain said calmly. "Sir Edmure must marry Eleanor."
"...No...this is too absurd..." Edmure had no confidence in front of the Mountain, and he stammered nervously as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Let's get engaged first, and then get married once Eleanor is better," the Mountain said without room for argument.
"…I think…we should hear Eleanor's opinion…" said the nineteen-year-old elder brother, Leonard. "Sir Gregor…we should listen to Eleanor's voice first."
Eleanor lowered her head, staring at her toes, looking like a child who had done something wrong. —In truth, she was just a child!
"Don't force Eleanor to make a statement here; you're humiliating her," Jenny said bluntly to Leonard.
"Jenny, Eleanor will have her own ideas. She'll be an adult soon, at most a year," Leonard said. "She's the one involved. She can choose not to answer or speak, but we need to give her a chance to speak."
"I... will not... marry anyone else!" Elena's voice was barely audible.
Edmure felt as if he had been struck hard in the chest; his body trembled, and his face instantly turned pale.
"Alright, that's enough, Lord Edmure. You either stay and leave after the engagement, or you can forget about leaving," the Mountain said calmly.
"Not leaving? Demon Mountain, are you trying to kill me?"
"No, your life is your own to decide. You are protected by the sacred power of guests. Westerlings are an ancient noble family that adheres to the rules of propriety. Lord Edmure, you have taken Eleanor's virginity, and your freedom is temporarily up to us to decide."
"Do you want to keep me locked up forever, Lord Mountain?" Edmure's anger surged.
"Not forever. I'll keep you locked up until Irenea comes of age, you two get married, and then you'll be free," the Mountain said. "This is the best way to preserve the honor of the two ancient families, the Tully and the Westerling. My sister is young and beautiful. When she's thirty and in the prime of her youth, you'll be a wretched old man. Think about it, Edmure, you've gotten a fucking steal."
"No, I have to leave today. I need to go back to Riverrun to see my father; his condition has suddenly worsened." Edmure pulled out a letter and threw it on the table.
The Mountain grabbed the letter and lit it on the candle. Edmure stared in disbelief as his father's letter turned to ashes.
"My wife Jenny can heal. If you get engaged, we'll be family. We'll not only escort you back, but we'll also help heal your father," the Mountain said. "If you don't agree, I'll lock you up right now."
"I will not agree to this marriage. I can make amends for my mistakes, Earl Gavin, Mrs. Sybil. How much?"
The Mountain reached out and grabbed Edmure by the chest, gently lifting him off the ground. "Stop humiliating the sacred honor of the Westerling family with gold dragon coins, boy. This isn't a business transaction; it has nothing to do with money." He slammed Edmure to the ground. "Guards, lock Edmure in the dungeon."
*
The road from Golden Tooth City to Brand City is a mountain road through towering mountains, and there are many mountain bandits.
A troop of Riverlands guards marched along the mountain road, carrying the silver trout banner of House Tully. The sound of horses' hooves approached, and Chris, the newly promoted Riverrun instructor, shouted, "Form ranks!"
The guards from Hejian drew their longswords, and a chilling aura suddenly emanated from them.
A group of men burst out from around the corner, a large banner fluttering in the wind, bearing the image of three black dogs—the banner of the Clegane family.
The soldiers, clad in gleaming armor, resembled wolves and tigers, surrounding a towering, armored behemoth: Gregor Clegane, the Mountain.
choke!
Chris sheathed his longsword and spurred his horse forward.
"General, where is Lord Edmure?"
"He's in Cliff Rock, getting engaged to Irene, the second daughter of the Westerling family. Just hand over the carriage to me," the Mountain said.
Two carriages, each containing 300,000 gold coins.
Chris and his brothers looked at each other in bewilderment.
This news came as a complete surprise, without any warning.
Edmure, that prodigal son, is getting engaged to a daughter of the Westerling family.
How old is the second daughter of the Westerling family? What does she look like? Is she stunningly beautiful or simply captivating? Did she win the heart of the discerning Edmure at first sight?
The incident happened suddenly and the situation was unclear, so Chris dared not comment on the young city lord's marriage.
Before leaving, the Duke said that the 300,000 gold dragons were a minor matter, while Lord Edmure was of utmost importance. However, after meeting with the Mountain, Lord Edmure was nowhere to be seen!
The suddenness of the events was astonishing and perplexing.
"My lord, I have been ordered by Duke Horst to deliver these 300,000 gold dragons to Lord Edmure."
"Nonsense!" The Mountain snorted, suddenly reaching out and lifting Chris off the horse, placing him across its back, face down on the yellow earth, back to the sky. "Get the carriage down!"
Behind the Mountain was Rover Spicer, the fierce general of Cliffrock, Jenny's uncle, with a grotesque broken nose; another tall and fierce general was Polliver Clegane, bald, whose right cheek twitched when he was excited, and his right eye blinked slightly, clearly a mentally unstable patient.
The two immediately drew their swords, and the hundred cavalrymen behind them drew their swords with a clang!
Sword energy crisscrossed, cold light flashed, and longswords fell like a forest!
The fifty guards of Benliu City all had their hands on their sword hilts, their eyes wide open, but none of them dared to draw their swords.
The Mountain's descent into Riverrun, the capture of Duke Horst, the slaughter of Sir Arnhem, the defeat of three renowned generals from the Seven Kingdoms by himself at Red Fork Beach, and the unparalleled bravery of shattering Ilyn Payne's horse's head with a single punch are all unforgettable.
They dared to be angry but dared not act!
Two carriages carrying 300,000 gold dragons sped away, their wheels creaking in the distance. The Mountain, carrying Chris, stood imposingly at the rear, one man bringing up the rear: "Brothers, go back and tell Duke Horst that Lord Edmure is enjoying fine wine, food, and beautiful women at Rocky Hill. He's now my brother-in-law, and after the wedding, he'll return home with his beloved wife and concubines. Please, Duke, have no worries about raising your army. By the way, Rocky Hill has received the King's decree to hold a national tournament on September 1st at the arena outside King's Landing to celebrate the new Prime Minister's inauguration. The winner will receive 40,000 gold dragons, and the second-place winner 20,000. The winner of the group close combat will receive 20,000 gold dragons, and the archery winner 10,000. I will be traveling south to King's Landing with my brother-in-law, Lord Edmure, to participate in the tournament. If you wish to bring Lord Edmure back, then we'll meet in King's Landing."
call!
The Mountain threw Chris into a drainage ditch below the main road, laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the valley, turned his horse around, and rode away! His terrified figure disappeared around the corner, while Chris, who had scrambled out of the ditch in a disheveled state, and the fifty Riverrun guards remained frozen in place, not moving an inch.