In the eyes of the Northerners, everything beyond the Neck Marshland is the South, which they collectively refer to as the Southern Lands. The Southern Lands, as understood by the Northerners, include the Riverlands, the Vale, the Kingslands, the Stormlands, the Reach, and Dorne.
In July, the Riverlands, one of the southern lands, experience abundant rainfall, causing the Trident River to swell dramatically, making it the season for a bountiful harvest of freshwater fish. These freshwater fish also supply the nobles of the royal domains and the city of King's Landing, with its nearly one million inhabitants.
King's Landing had a population of hundreds of thousands. As the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, its transient population eventually surpassed that of the old town of the Tyrell family in the south, making it the largest city in the Seven Kingdoms. After more than a decade of rapid development, Blackwater Harbor gradually became the most prosperous and bustling place in the country, where goods from all over the world could find buyers. The Old Town of King's Landing was the residence of the wealthy and powerful, filled with luxurious villas. Many governors, princes, and kings from the islands across the Narrow Sea had their own secret villas in the Old Town of King's Landing.
King Robert's decree for a grand tournament had reached every corner of the Seven Kingdoms. Although the tournament was on September 1st, many vassals would have to travel for approximately two months. Furthermore, upon arriving in King's Landing, they would need time to meet the king, visit old friends, and prepare for the tournament. Therefore, nobles from all over the country, from the far north to Dorne in the south, were setting off.
A nobleman would have at least several knights by his side. Knights were also divided into several types: family knights, sworn knights, and free knights. Each knight had at least two attendants. Generally, a knight had around five attendants, but some wealthy and powerful knights had more than a dozen.
After Catelyn Tully and Eddard Stark parted ways at Littlefinger's brothel on the Blackwater, she and her only squire—Roderick Caesar, the headmaster of Winterfell—no longer traveled by boat, but instead headed north along the Kings Road.
Several days later, after leaving the royal domain and entering the Riverlands, the two finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief. Littlefinger had already helped release ravens into the letter to their father, Hoster. Following Eddard Stark's instructions, the letter instructed Lord Hoster to feign serious illness and lure Edmure back from the Westerlands.
Edmure believed that the honor of House Westerling was credible; the Mountain might not be as cruel and ruthless as rumored, as evidenced by his spare of the Hound's life in both duels; but Lord Tywin of Casterly Rock was chillingly ruthless, and Edmure's entry into the Westerlands was an absolute blunder.
Catelyn didn't want to add to her father's worries while he was ill, but things were urgent. The Lannisters were making frequent moves, secretly poisoning Jon Arryn and murdering Bran Stark. Edmure was the heir to the Riverlands, so it was best to be careful.
Catelyn longed to see her father, but she couldn't. Bran in the North was still in bed, Robb was a teenager, Rickon Stark was only three, and the conspirators might attempt a second murder. She was anxious to return to Winterfell. As for her brother Edmure, she felt powerless to do anything about it, only able to fulfill her duty of reminding her father.
After entering the King's Road in the Riverlands, we traveled for several days, each day in heavy rain. Along the way, we began to encounter wine merchants, fruit vendors, prostitutes, craftspeople, wandering singers, bards, bakers, and others heading south to King's Landing. The King's Landing Grand Tournament would be a bountiful season for all sorts of small vendors, and a wonderful time for them to feast their eyes on the spectacle.
Besides, knights, mercenaries, thieves, robbers, comedians, and magicians clowns also appeared on the roads. Roderick Caesar was a skilled swordsman, but he was old, his hair and beard were gray, and he was too fat to move nimbly. The more people flocked to King's Landing, the more dangerous the roads became. Catelyn, on Roderick's advice, put on a hood to avoid being recognized. But even without the hood, none of the Riverlands vassals recognized her! She appeared as an ordinary woman, soaking wet and covered in mud.
After traveling for several more days, Catelyn encountered many Riverlands nobles along the way, all heading south to King's Landing. Many of the nobles did not recognize Catelyn. When she was in Riverrun in the Riverlands, she was just a teenage girl. Now, sixteen years had passed since she left Riverrun, and the girl she once was was now a mother of five. With Catelyn's head covered by a hood, whenever nobles came by with their knights and retinues, she and Rodrik would step aside, and not a single person recognized her as Catelyn Tully—the eldest daughter of the Duke of Horst in Riverrun and the wife of the Duke of Stark in the North.
The heavy rain made their journey difficult, and when the two reached the ford of the Trident River, they were caught in a downpour. It was a crossroads; to the north lay Winterfell, to the south King's Landing, and to the west Riverrun—where Lady Catelyn grew up, her second home; to the east lay her sister Lysa Tully's territory: the Moon Mountains, and a basin plain surrounded by mountains: the Valley.
The rain was so heavy. There was a hotel at the crossroads that Catelyn knew very well; she had known the hotel's owners since she was a child. When Catelyn was a child, the Duke of Horst often took her riding all over the Riverlands. This hotel at the crossroads was her father Horst's favorite place to drink, which made Catelyn, who had traveled with her father everywhere, very familiar with the place.
Caitlin still remembers the landlady's name: Martha Hyde.
They entered the hotel, where only two rooms remained, and they were the worst ones: beneath the clock tower. It would be very noisy; the clock was used to call people out of their rooms for meals, and the sound would be deafening. But there was nothing they could do, because the hotel was full due to the torrential rain. Moreover, Martha Hyde, the landlady whose hair had turned white and whose figure had become plump, didn't recognize Caitlin as her gaze swept across her face. Years ago, Martha loved to bake rose cakes for little Caitlin; the two got along very well, and Martha adored Caitlin.
No one recognized Caitlin, which actually made her feel safe. The hotel's dining room was filled with knights, mercenaries, nobles, and their retinues, many of whom looked quite menacing.
Caitlin and Rodrik went into their room to change into clean clothes and didn't come out until it was time to eat, which would make them feel safer.
Steaming hot food was served, and Rodrik waved away several singers, unwilling to spend a single silver coin to listen to their cacophony. While he focused on helping Lady Catelyn enjoy the delicious meal, the hotel door in the distance was kicked open, and a rude voice shouted, "Boss, quickly arrange for someone to feed our horses! Our Lord Lannister wants the best room. Send someone to heat water immediately; our master is tired from walking and needs a hot bath."
Footsteps sounded, and a group of four entered the dining room. Among them was an old man dressed in the black robes of a night watchman, his expression calm, like a silent sword!
Two haughty servants guarded a dwarf who barely reached their waists: Tyrion Lannister, the Imp. He had a large head, almost no neck, and his head rested directly on his shoulders; his two malevolent eyes were one black and one blue.
The landlady, Martha Hyde, hurriedly came forward, smiling apologetically, "Sir, I'm so sorry, there are no rooms left. This damned rain, coupled with the King's tournament, has made my little hotel fully booked. I'm so sorry, sir!"
Tyrion Lannister chuckled, letting everyone's gaze sweep over his small frame. He was used to the strange looks people gave him. "Boss lady," he said, "my two men and their horses can sleep together. As for me, you can see I don't need a big room." He grinned. "Half a person's space is always the smallest, I can assure you of that. So, as long as the fire is warm and there aren't too many fleas in the straw, a small place will do."
Martha Hyde's embarrassed and anxious tone: "My lord, I really have no choice. It's all because of this martial arts tournament, plus the torrential rain, the shop is already overflowing with people..."
"Alright, I'll figure it out myself!" The little devil took a gold dragon from his pocket, tossed it overhead, caught it, flicked his finger, and launched it into the air again, catching it once more. Even Caitlin, sitting in the corner of the room, could see that it was gleaming gold. "Who wants to earn some extra money? I'm sure there will be smart people, won't there?"
A free rider in a faded blue cloak staggered to his feet. He looked like he had drunk quite a bit and spoke incoherently: "Sir, if you don't mind, please make do with my room."
"You're very clever," the imp tossed a gold coin, which the free rider caught in mid-air. "Your skills are not bad either; your swordsmanship must be exceptional." The dwarf turned to Martha Hyde. "Landlady, the room problem is solved. As for food, I think you should have no problem, right?"
A gold dragon, equivalent to three months' pay for an ordinary soldier, was spent by the little devil just like that. He was even more generous when he saw a prostitute he liked.
"Sir, you can have whatever you want to eat," the proprietress assured him.
The imp looked at each table, hoping to scout out the hotel's menu: "My men can eat the same things as these people, but in double the portions. As for me, roast a bird for me first—chicken, duck, pigeon, anything will do—and bring me a jug of your best wine." He looked at the man in black, as quiet and sharp as a sword, "Euron, the Recruiter, would you like to eat with me?"
"Alright, sir, I'll eat with you," Euron replied.
The dwarf's gaze swept around, his eyes, of varying colors and sizes, darting about. Catelyn quickly turned her head away, but it was too late. The dwarf smiled and strode over. "Mrs. Stark, what a pleasant surprise," he said. "It's a shame I couldn't see you at Winterfell."
"Stark… Madam?" Martha Hyde said gruffly. She looked at Catelyn and finally recognized her. "Please forgive my rudeness, Madam… Please forgive me, I should gouge out my eyes, I didn't recognize you!" Martha Hyde hurried over, took Catelyn's hand, and kissed the back of her hand.