The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Edmure Tully didn't command much respect among the older generation of Riverland noble lords. His father, Hoster Tully, shone with immense prestige among the Riverland nobles, and his uncle, Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, was another beacon of brilliance.

However, he himself enjoyed great support among the younger generation of nobles and had excellent personal relationships with the young Riverland noblemen.

For instance, Brynden Blackwood, the future heir to House Blackwood, was as close to Edmure as a brother.

Normally, Edmure was constantly surrounded by more than twenty Riverland noble youths. They hunted, frequented brothels, drank, brawled, reveled, patrolled the borders, competed in tournaments and archery contests, and so on. This time, disarming the Mountain was another outrageous act he orchestrated with his good friends.

Watching the once-arrogant Mountain forced to disarm and remove his plate armor, Edmure and his brothers laughed heartily, extremely pleased with themselves, as if they had conquered the world through force and strategy.

Edmure had severely humiliated the Mountain, a man whom no one in the Seven Kingdoms dared to provoke. This was a major event that would resonate throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and his name would eclipse those of his father, Hoster Tully, and his uncle, Brynden Tully. Such a delightful occasion naturally called for celebration.

Thus, the Kneeler's Inn was filled, both upstairs and downstairs, the riverfront cabins built over the water, the several pavilions along the riverside road, and even the open space outside the Kneeler's Inn's gate were all packed with tables. When there weren't enough tables, they used traveling cloaks spread on the ground.

In areas where there was oil on the ground, officers from the army dug ditches and pumped water from the well, flushing the oil into the Red Fork River.

Camp followers and wandering singers were brought into the hall. Edmure and the noble youths each embraced one or two prostitutes, and the wandering singers strummed their harps. The soldiers sang lewd and vulgar songs, and barrels of wine were brought up from the inn's cellar one after another. Rows of wine bowls were set out, and the aroma of wine and meat quickly filled the inn.

Amidst his revelry, Edmure also sent out scouts to keep a close watch on the Mountain and his party from afar. If the Mountain and his group committed any violence along the way, they would immediately report back, and they would pursue them again, arresting the Mountain on legitimate charges and sending him to Lord Harroway's Town to be judged by His Majesty the King according to the law.

After a night of revelry, Edmure and his noble brothers were all thoroughly drunk. When he woke up from his drunken stupor, it was already noon the next day.

When Edmure, feeling weak and unsteady, got up and went to the hall, his noble brothers were much the same, all bleary-eyed and just getting up, their spirits and energy in poor condition.

Attended by officers, Edmure washed up and dressed. The owner of the Kneeler's Inn was already very familiar with Edmure and his group of young nobles, and immediately brought hot soup and delicious food. The noble youths began to eat around the table, and the accompanying wandering singers plucked their harps, singing newly composed songs about the Mountain's disarmament, causing Edmure and the others to burst into laughter.

"Report!" A guard shouted at the gate.

Edmure looked towards the gate with a smile and said, "Enter!"

A fully armed scout entered and knelt on one knee: "Reporting, Ser Edmure, last night the Mountain and his men exchanged two good horses for bread and wine from the villagers in the first village. They didn't linger and continued west."

"Did they engage in forced buying or selling?"

"No, my lord!"

"The Mountain is remarkably large and has a fierce face. In the rumors of the Plains fire, the people said they saw the Mountain leading the team setting fires. His appearance has spread throughout the streets. Even if he enters the village to exchange horses for food, the villagers are still willing to trade with him?"

"My lord, the Mountain did not enter the village. One of his small subordinates named Bonifer went into the village to exchange for food and wine."

"Oh!"

"My lord, early this morning, the Mountain and his men used several more good horses to exchange for some very tattered saddles from the villagers and had horseshoes fitted for the horses at the blacksmith's shop."

"Did they engage in forced buying or selling?"

"No. In every exchange, the villagers gained a great advantage."

"Oh, hahaha, it seems that my warning to the Mountain has worked!" Edmure laughed, extremely pleased with himself.

His group of noble youths all laughed, everyone in a good mood with hearty appetites.

"Ser Edmure, if the Mountain and his group continue to exchange warhorses for food and wine like this, by the time they reach the Golden Tooth in the Westerlands, they will only have the horses they are riding," Brynden Blackwood laughed loudly.

"They will even have to rely on warhorses to exchange for horse feed! To exchange for a straw bed to sleep on for the night," Edmure lowered his voice, his eyes darting around, feigning a secret whisper, "This is the Mountain's secret, do not spread it, lest his honor be damaged. Originally, the Mountain could have robbed all the way without anyone daring to say a word, but whenever he wants to lose his temper, he will think that there are our scouts watching behind him, and once he violates my rules, we will howl and chase after him, which is a life-threatening matter for the Mountain."

Brynden Blackwood also lowered his voice, looking very secretive and vigilant, and said, "Being killed is something the Mountain cannot accept, so it is still safe and secure to honestly listen to Ser Edmure's words."

The group of noble youths all nodded, exchanged secret glances, and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter together.

"My lord, the Mountain and his men are traveling day and night, heading west. They will probably cross Riverrun before tonight, cross the Red Fork River, and go to the west bank of the Red Fork River!"

"Continue to monitor them until they cross Riverrun and cross the Red Fork River."

"Yes, my lord!"

The scout warrior got up, turned around, and walked out. Soon, the sound of horses' hooves was heard outside, quickly fading away.

*

Midnight.

Riverrun, the capital of the Riverlands – at the south gate – on the docks by the Red Fork River – Ser Edmure Tully's voice shouted to open the gate.

The four soldiers guarding the city gate were awakened from their sleep. Not daring to neglect their duty, they knew that their young lord liked to play and often returned late at night or left early in the morning. They quickly opened the city gate and came to the steps to greet the young lord.

On the docks at the city gate, dozens of dark figures jumped off several small fishing boats. They waded through knee-deep water and instantly reached the city gate steps. The one in the lead was very tall, like a moving mountain. Before the four soldiers who came to greet him could react, they were each killed with a single punch.

Dozens of dark figures drew out all kinds of knives – kitchen knives, wood axes, rusty longswords, and chipped machetes. These were all exchanged for warhorses from the villagers on the west bank of the Red Fork River. Of course, they also included a few dilapidated small fishing boats. Several brothers seized the longswords of the soldiers who had been killed and untied their short knives and daggers. These people did not say a word, and led by the giant figure, they headed straight for the inner city on the silent and deserted streets.

The sky that Edmure pierced has fallen!

*

ps: 4 updates, the last 3 hours of the end of the month, please vote for full subscription. I wish you all a happy New Year! (I haven't had dinner yet while coding. ^_^ ^_^)