The hotel was packed with people, including quite a few free riders and mercenaries, numbering fifty or sixty, with more than twenty drawing their swords and pointing them at the Imp and his two henchmen.
Most people did not draw their swords.
This gave the little devil the confidence to convey his message.
Not everyone is loyal to their lord; most people are more loyal to gold when there is gold to be had.
Of course, Tyrion knew perfectly well that his father wouldn't generously spend large sums of gold for him, but saving his life was the priority. Unable to deny Tyrion's Lannister blood, Lord Tywin had no choice but to raise him and uphold his honor. This was a question tied to Tywin's pride, a question with only one answer, one that couldn't be changed.
When Tyrion announced that the messenger would gain Lannister friendship and gold, people were not concerned with gaining Lannister friendship, but rather with obtaining Lannister gold.
The imp's gaze swept across the area, and he deduced that at least three men were eager to make their move, heading west to report to the West and obtain the gold as soon as Lady Caitlin left the hotel.
Tyrion noticed that only two of the Freys moved, but since the leader didn't, he sat back down.
"Well done! Maybe the first one to send a message for me will be that Frey bastard!" Tyrion grinned, revealing a wide smile. It seemed that even the combined might of the Tully and Stark families couldn't sway the Freys.
The Lannisters' motto, "Hear my roar," is even more deeply ingrained than their maxim. Everyone knows the consequences of offending the Lannisters. Of course, if the Lannisters have made a promise, they have never reneged on it.
This is the honor that Lord Tywin has worked so hard to protect!
Lady Catelyn said, "The Tully and Stark families remember the great help of all the knights and warriors. Now I would like to ask a few knights to help me escort this prisoner to Winterfell. The Stark family will be very grateful!"
Two mercenaries, wielding longswords and pointing them at the Imp, loudly agreed to help Lady Caitlin escort the Imp. Knights from the River House also expressed their willingness to go, along with three soldiers from the Brecken House and some fools that the Imp considered to be willing to go.
These fools will surely receive another great reward from the Lannisters after the Starks, only it won't be gold.
A thin, dark-skinned mercenary was the most eager. He came forward and searched Imp and his followers, taking their swords, daggers, and short knives. He earned the praise of the fat old man in Winterfell. When the mercenary's hand touched Imp's arm, Imp felt that the man's hand was as hard as black stone.
"What's your name, mercenary?"
"Bron!" the mercenary replied expressionlessly.
"You're in for a rough time, Bronn. Haven't you heard the saying that Lannisters always pay their debts?"
"I've heard of it, so you have to pay for that young Stark with your life. You've committed murder, sir. You must pay your debts."
"I hope your sword is as sharp as your mouth."
"My sword is ten times sharper than my mouth, half-man. If you keep babbling, I'll cut off your swords and shove them down your throat, if Lady Caitlin agrees."
"You'll regret this, Bronn, I promise you!" The little devil raised his head, his words laced with threat and his gaze malevolent.
Whoosh!
Bronn's companion, Chigan, put a hood over the Imp's head. Then, a rope was pulled down from the Imp's shoulders, diagonally across his waist, and then around his shoulders again, binding the Imp tightly. Then the Imp's body suddenly felt light as he was lifted up, it was unclear whether it was Bronn or his companion.
Catelyn's voice rang out as she asked the landlady for food, wine, a raincoat, and horse feed. She was making no effort to set off for Winterfell immediately despite the torrential rain.
*
The Westerlands. In Lord Tywin's study. Tywin and Grand Maester Porter.
On the desk was a letter from Cliff City.
Duke Tywin read the letter over and over again without saying a word, his expression unwavering.
Grand Maester Potter read it several times. He looked at Lord Tywin's face, unable to discern any psychological change or emotion in the Duke, so he could only whisper, "My lord, I think what the Mountain said... makes some sense."
Lord Tywin Lannister closed his eyes and remained silent for a long while. He then picked up the letter. The letter contained simple words: The Mountain believed that if Edmure was not released, it would prematurely provoke a war between the two countries. Although Horst was ill, his heart was not, and he would surely launch a war before the King's Tournament. Furthermore, the Westerlands' open detention of Edmure would cause the King to side with the Riverlands, which would inevitably change the Witch's Great Prophecy.
Grand Maester Potter didn't know what the witch's great prophecy was, but he did know that the Westerlands were holding Lord Edmure of the Riverlands. If Lord Horst sent a letter to King's Landing before the Tournament of Kings, it would cause public outcry against the Westerlands. If the king ordered his release, would the Westerlands release him? If they didn't, the issue would escalate to the level of 'treason,' which would be detrimental to the Westerlands from any perspective.
In peacetime, what reason would the West have to detain Earl Edmure? Grand Scribe Porter couldn't think of one.
Furthermore, it is even more unreasonable to continue detaining Edmure after his engagement to the Westerling family.
"Your Grace, Edmure, who is drunk and confused enough to climb into the bedroom of the second daughter of the Westerling family, is not enough for the Westerlands to take him seriously."
"Sir, whoever controls Edmure controls the Riverlands," Lord Tywin said calmly.
"It's...uh...peacetime now!"
"Noble conflicts have never ceased, but the Mountain is right; it's the national tournament now. The Mountain's pretext for detention was neutralized by Edmure's engagement. I didn't expect Edmure to actually get engaged to Eleanor; he should have remained defiant. Moreover, Edmure persuaded Eleanor's mother, that lowly spice merchant's daughter, who must be eager to shove her daughter into Count Edmure's arms. How old is that little girl?"
"Eleven years old, sir."
The witch prophesied that King Robert would die while hunting after the tournament, which coincided with the time when the headmasters of Westeros would leave the classroom. The Mountain believed that detaining Edmure despite their engagement would alert Lord Hoster and trigger a war, which would likely alter the witch's prophecy, causing the headmasters of Westeros to participate in the war in the Riverlands and the Westerlands instead of hunting in the Kingsguard. This could result in the headmasters remaining in the classroom, a situation that would be disastrous for the Lannisters of the Westerlands.
The person who could rightfully command the Seven Kingdoms was someone that Lord Tywin Lannister feared, and anyone would fear such a person, and that person was naturally King Robert.
The longer Robert, the homeroom teacher, stays in the classroom, the more likely the incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei will be exposed. Once it is exposed, and the king is still alive, it will be the end of the Westerlands.
"Sir, the Mountain's vision this time is far-sighted and wise."
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"A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan" is a philosophical saying that Demon Mountain has been familiar with since childhood. Demon Mountain is unwilling to change the trajectory of this world's development because he would not know what tomorrow will bring. He hopes to stay within a predictable and controllable framework.
His suggestion struck Tywin Lannister as very reasonable, and he inwardly agreed with the Mountain's opinion. However, the Mountain's profound insight made the Duke feel subtly uneasy. Not alert or wary, but rather a sense of unease.
The Duke preferred to give orders to the Mountain after considering everything himself, rather than having the Mountain advise him on how to do it.
For the first time, he had the feeling that the Mountain seemed to see things more deeply than he had ever seen—for the first time!
"My lord, the Mountain is a wise man who possesses the light of the seven gods. He is brave and skilled in battle, and he is also resourceful. If I were an enemy of the Western Region, I would feel an even greater fear."
Yes, isn't it exactly what the Duke himself wanted to make the Mountain both brave and resourceful?
"The maester is right. Write to the Mountain and ask him to send Edmure and Eleanor back to Riverrun to visit Duke Horst, and send the noodle-making and milk sterilization techniques from the West in my name."
The technology for making noodles originally belonged to the Demon Mountain, while the Duke monopolized the technology for making snow salt. As for the milk sterilization technology, Edmund has already spent 300,000 gold dragon coins.
"Yes, sir."
"Tell the Mountain that Edmure is a womanizer and a drunkard, that's his weakness. He also has another weakness: he's very loyal. Have the Mountain and the Westerling family treat him well, teach him milk sterilization techniques and noodle-making techniques, and also dispel Duke Horst's suspicions about us. After the tournament, invite Edmure to visit the Westerlings again with the promise of a marriage alliance with the Westerling family," said Duke Tywin.
"Yes, sir!"
Whether King Robert would die at the Kingsguard hunt after the tournament, as the witch had predicted, and thus, with the blessing of the Seven, the incestuous calamity between Cersei and Jaime would be averted, was something Tywin Lannister wasn't entirely sure of, but he patiently decided to wait and see.
If Robert dies, Joffrey will be the heir, and he is a Lannister in appearance and blood, inside and out.
*
Cliff City.
The Mountain, Jenny, Erinya, Edmure, Julie, Leonard, Polliver, Rover, and others set off for Riverrun. Edmure and Erinya were going to Riverrun to visit Duke Hoster. If the Duke was alright, they would go to King's Landing with the Mountain and the others to participate in the Grand Tournament. If the Duke was truly ill, Edmure would stay behind to care for his father.
Two ladies and a maid rode in a carriage, while the rest of the soldiers rode on horseback. The entire group marched eastward, carrying the golden lion banner of House Lannister, the silver trout banner of House Tully, the white seashell banner of House Westerling, and the black three-dog banner of House Clegane.
Edmure managed to escape and rode alongside Irene's carriage, feeling grateful to the young girl. Irene said that if Edmure wanted to back out of the engagement now, she would cooperate with him, but for now, she asked Edmure to cooperate with her.
Edmure looked at the vast procession, a sense of感慨 (gan3 kai3, mixed feelings) running through his mind. If he hadn't feigned an engagement and had instead stood his ground, what would he have faced next? Looking at the mountain-like figure of the Demon Mountain, Edmure felt a cold sweat run down his back.
But, is it really true that no one is guiding or helping this eleven-year-old girl?