Chapter 37: Mightiest Foe
Edmure Tully led me through a long winded corridor, with windows past lords of high and low birth and dozens of knights talking amongst themselves. Some among them made light of just how much threat the Lannister hosts posed, while others were grim and contemplative, casting subdued glances as we passed them by.
A few among them offered hesitant words of gratitude.
From their history, I'd learnt that the ones in power at the moment were a smart bunch of thugs, even if they hated each other.
The Tullys were sworn to an extinct House Hoare from the Iron Islands, but rose in rebellion against them as soon as given the chance. They betrayed their cunt lieges to absolute power in the form of a dragonrider, Aegon the Conqueror.
What that meant for me was that if they were anything like their ancestors, they wouldn't try to force my hand with some false sense of superiority.
"Say Edmure, what are the Baratheons up to?" I inquired curiously, hands behind my back. They were the one faction I still hadn't interacted with, alongside the Martells of Dorne and the Tyrells of the Reach."Robb's on his way here, so's the Vale. And the Lannisters are fucked beyond measure."
Edmure slowed his walk, and spoke respectfully, "...From what we know, Stannis Baratheon is still preparing. Renly Baratheon is to wed the flower of Highgarden, Margaery Tyrell, and the Reach has gathered its bannermen... They have clashed with the Lannister forces here and there. Thanks to you, there has been no Lannister presence in my lands thus far."
Ah... I clapped my hands, smiling, "Tywin got dangerously close to the Reach, didn't he?"
His countermeasure against me as a sorcerer was praiseworthy, but circling around meant that they had to skirt through the Reach at some point, which would have alarmed the Tyrells against a possible Lannister attack... since they had no real idea of my presence.
Medieval societies were flawed like that.
"Possibly." Edmure gave a small nod to the two men guarding a spiralling stairway before stepping past and gesturing for me to follow, "And I was told the host responsible for keeping the Reach in check is headed by the Kingslayer."
Huh...
It appeared as if Tywin Lannister had taken my words to be true and made it certain that the twins would be kept apart... or perhaps Jaime Lannister was an incredible battle commander, I could only make highly educated guesses.
"So what you gonna do?" I prodded curiously, flashing him a grin as I followed behind him.
At that, Edmure Tully cracked a smile, "I will wait for my nephew. We do not forget our debts, or our oaths, Lord Karl. I was told he sent you our way."
"I guess?" I cocked my head, narrowing my eyes in thought, "Sure, why not?"
Robb was actually sending me further north for his brother but I withheld that information since I was aligned with the Stark cause at the moment.
It'd be more convenient later on this way.
The Northern traditions of fulfilling oaths, respecting strength, and not trampling on those undeserving were agreeable with my own way of living. They also agreed with forcibly taking what one wanted, so long as it was warranted.
I was somewhat reminded of Lord Godfrey and his Crucible Knights.
...As always, I couldn't help but draw outrageous parallels between this place and my own homeland, much to my own disappointments.
Sighing at my thoughts, I followed behind the future Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.
Silently, Edmure led me up the stairs and stopped just before the door at the top. He put a hand along the dark metal lining the aged wooden door, then turned around to look at me, "My father is terribly ill. I request you keep this in mind."
The reason for his continuous warnings became apparent when he let me in.
Instead of the headstrong yet scheming man I'd heard of from the rivermen, I was met with a frail old man sitting on a great canopied bed, his form shrunken to the bone. Grey hair hung from a spotted, balding scalp, mingling with an unkempt beard that went to his chest.
His face was gaunt, his arms thin as the bones in them.
"Marika..." I smiled softly, "Time wasn't kind to you, was it, child?"
His frail form struck me with an odd sense of nostalgia my mind failed to place as I slowly made my way to his bedside and sat down on the wooden stool placed there.
Long ago, long before Marika locked away Destined Death, I'd seen this... in great rarity, but yes, I had seen it.
Time was a cruel foe.
"Hello, Hoster. I'm Karl." I introduced myself, gently taking the hand he'd offered in mine. I put the palm of my other hand above his, "How are you?"
His eyes turned to me, and I saw that what had once been proud blue eyes were clouded. His voice was weak, his words laboured, "Y...You're not... Vyman."
I cast a glance at Edmure over my shoulder.
"The maester." He spoke shakily, averting his gaze.
Children never could bear seeing their parents in sorrow or pain, even if their parents didn't deserve that care at times.
"No, I'm Karl." I spoke again, "I came to see you."
"I-I told him." Edmure cracked, crumbling onto a chair, "He... keeps forgetting."
Alzheimer's?
It was the name of a memory-related disease I teased Lord Godfrey with in the later years of his life, before he was banished for associating himself with a great heretic. One reason among a litany of others, all stupid beyond measure.
Before I could speak further, the aged Lord Paramount gritted his teeth, exerting what little force his body allowed him to grasp my hand... For a moment, my age allowed me to catch a glimpse of the man who'd inextricably linked his family's security to not one, but two other kingdoms.
"I know..." He spoke slowly, looking into my eyes, "Edmure, my son... spoke of you... My childr-" His words failed him as his chest heaved and he coughed violently. But, he powered through, "M-...y people... please."
Advanced age came with strange wisdom that made one more susceptible to the presence of the Divine, at least in my own experience... or maybe this was just a dying man's last bid at helping those who mattered to him.
I gently squeezed his hand in mine, "Very well, child. If that's what you would ask of me."
Even if this were to become a lie, I wasn't jaded enough to not grant a dying man some relief.
His body relaxed and fell back into his thick pillow. Edmure shot to his feet, eyes wide in horror but I held up my hand to stop him. Softly, I placed his hand on his stomach, then put a finger to his neck.
"He's still alive, just sleeping."
The heir to the Riverlands hid his face in his hand. Sighing, he sunk back into his chair so fiercely I thought he'd become part of the piece of wood.
I made my way to him quietly.
"I won't say everything's gonna be fine but... this is going to happen to all of us. Just be happy he was with you so long."
"...Even you?" He asked quietly after a long pause.
I could only smile, "Hopefully."
-
I left Edmure with his father and retraced my steps back outside the Keep of the castle, out into the Godswood of Riverrun we'd passed quickly on our way to Hoster Tully.
From my findings, I'd learnt that most castles kept one, each influenced by the dominant culture of the region, or even the house itself.
Riverrun's in particular, I noted, was like an open, lush garden, with running streams I could easily step through or even jump across. Old trees with thick trunks stood tall, with redwood ones sprinkled in between.
Their leaves rustled to the gentle breeze coming from the Red Fork to the South, and songbirds that had made nests in the trees sung their songs. I leaned down and picked up a wildflower, along with a handful of mint leaves.
It was no secret that my appreciation for nature's beauty was unrivalled, to the point where I often paused my war against the Hornsent to just sit alone in a forest, by a stream and look around.
"Messmer never did get it. Did he?"
I'd dragged the kid along at times, but the broody little thing that he was, he'd just complain or make excuses to run off to the war his mother had raised him for. That was fine, I'd stolen his spear as retribution and tossed it into a lake filled with Hippopotami the size of houses.
Quietly, I walked through the gardens, chewing on the mint one leaf at a time until I arrived at a great tree, with red leaves that shuffled quietly above an eerie saddened face carved into the trunk.
I shrugged and sat down underneath it, putting my head against the hard wood as I relished the gentle breeze.
The crow that had been following me around settled down on one of the branches, peering down at me with its beady but wise eyes.
It cried loudly as if that'd change anything.
But what happened when I closed my eyes, threw me for something of a loop.
-
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