The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 207: Taking the Blame

Beside the Blackwater Rush, a three-story brothel.

A hand with a deep, scarred wound; a gleaming, sharp knife, the knife stuck in the table.

Eddard Stark could hardly believe that he had been away from home for only two months, and Bran Stark, who had fallen from the broken tower and was in a coma, had almost been killed with this knife.

The assassin first set fire to the library tower, attracting everyone to put out the fire, and then sneaked into Bran's bedroom to kill the boy in a coma. But the boy's mother was by the bed, and she fought desperately with the assassin, grasping the knife that was stabbing at her child. The child's direwolf came at the sound and bit the assassin's throat.

So, the child's mother carried the murder weapon south to find her husband, to tell him that there was a dark force targeting the Starks. Perhaps Bran had seen something before falling into a coma, and someone was determined to put him to death, not even sparing the child in his unconscious state.

The knife was exquisite, the handle decorated with intricate gold filigree, and the blade was made of Valyrian steel. Valyrian steel was the sharpest and most durable steel in the world, but the forging method had been lost. Every Valyrian steel sword passed down was a unique treasure, impossible to replicate. The forging of Valyrian steel had become extinct.

This short knife was exquisitely crafted, longer than an adult's palm, shaped like a dagger, and of considerable value.

Ordinary people could not afford this knife, and even if they had the money, they could not buy it.

A good knife should match the status of a noble.

The deeply wounded hand, with the bone visible, was the right hand of Lady Catelyn Tully, and she had brought the knife.

"Who does this knife belong to?" Eddard asked, more to himself than anyone else. He was furious, but now was not the time for anger. Someone in Winterfell wanted to murder his son Bran, who was in a coma, and his wife was injured as a result, and it was Bran's wolf that he had raised that saved him.

"Mine!" Littlefinger's right corner of his mouth curved slightly upward, a half-smile, "This knife is mine!"

"Lord Petyr, I am grateful to you for settling my wife in, but I must now investigate the murderer who wanted to use this knife to murder my son Bran. Please don't make such jokes, okay?"

"It is indeed mine," Littlefinger drew the sharp knife from the table, testing the blade lightly with his finger. "I lost it to Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, in a wager during a tournament."

"The Imp's knife? Why would he want to murder Bran?" Eddard did not believe it. The Imp spoke venomously when he was a guest at Winterfell, but Eddard thought his words were very reasonable. He had more affection for the Imp than for Cersei and Jaime.

"Who can understand what the Lannisters want to do? Unless you secretly capture the Imp and force him to tell the truth, who would dare to touch the King's brother-in-law without any evidence?"

"This knife is the evidence!" Eddard said sternly.

Littlefinger chuckled. "Lord Eddard, how can you prove that this knife belongs to the Imp? You want me to testify? Forget it, I would rather be killed by you now than testify. It wasn't the Imp who went to kill, but an assassin, and the assassin has already been bitten to death by a wolf, so there is no proof; second, even if I come forward to testify that this knife belongs to the Imp, who can prove that the Imp ordered the assassin? The Imp can just say that my knife was lost, my knife was stolen, I don't know anything, and he can push the matter away completely. At that time, I will be thrown into prison by the King for making accusations, and the Lannisters will soon come to cut off my tongue and then cut off my head. I lose my life, and you reap complete failure. This terrible idea of having me testify against the Imp is really brilliant."

Eddard pondered for a moment. "Lord Petyr, I need a room. I need to be alone with my wife for a while."

"No problem, but I have to charge for doing things here, that's the rule."

"We'll just talk for a while."

"Then, uh, for Lady Catelyn's sake, okay!"

Littlefinger and Ser Rodrik left the room.

Eddard and Catelyn embraced tightly!

"My lady, the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn and sent someone to murder Bran in Winterfell. You must return to Winterfell immediately to protect the children. As soon as you get home, immediately send a letter in my name to Heman Tallhart and Gabbert Glover, ordering them to each send one hundred archers to defend Moat Cailin in the Neck. Two hundred archers are enough to prevent any army from passing through the Neck to the north. Have Lord Manderly hasten the repair of the defenses of White Harbor and ensure that the garrison is sufficient. Also, keep a close eye on our ward, Theon Greyjoy. If war breaks out, we will desperately need his father's fleet. The Iron Islands can attack multiple cities in the Westerlands by sea."

"War breaks out?" Catelyn's lips trembled. She had never personally experienced warfare. During the War of the Usurper sixteen years ago, Eddard hastily married her and then led his army south. She stayed in the North, and then two months later she discovered she was pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to Robb. When she raised Robb to be one year old, the war in the south ended, and Robert and Eddard were victorious. Robert sat on the Iron Throne, and Eddard returned home in glory and lived a life of love with her for fourteen years.

Eddard held Catelyn tightly. "Don't be afraid, my dear. Unless the Lannisters have the military strength of the entire country behind them, they would never dare to attack the North, but we must prepare for the worst. The King is still unaware. I must play this fool's masquerade, my dear. I must stay here to find evidence of the Lannisters' murder of Jon Arryn..."

Eddard felt a little unable to continue. He knew it was too dangerous, and a slight carelessness could cost him his life, but he had the King, the King was his greatest support. The King was on his side, and he prayed that this had not changed from sixteen years ago. "The King is the supreme arbiter of the law. When I find out the truth, I will visit Robert. He is the brother I grew up with. We joined forces to wipe out the Targaryens back then, and we can wipe out the Lannisters again."

Lady Catelyn only wanted to return to the North with Eddard. She was worried about the safety of her daughters and husband, but she did not say anything, because the murdered Jon Arryn was like Eddard's own father. He had deep feelings for Jon, and it was absolutely impossible not to let him avenge Jon. Jon was also King Robert's foster father, and he also had deep feelings for Robert.

Catelyn could not speak. Her heart was filled with fear, but she still gave her husband a firm nod.

"There is one more thing, very important. Since the Lannisters are dealing with us, they will also secretly deal with the Tullys. On your way back, when you pass through the Riverlands, tell Father to order Edmure to return to the Riverlands immediately. Edmure is a filial son. If he hears that his father is critically ill, he will rush back to Riverrun immediately, regardless of everything."

*

While his sister and brother-in-law were worrying about their nephew Edmure in a brothel on the Blackwater Rush, Edmure was in Castamere with the Mountain. Within the Westerling lands, milk cows from all over the territory were continuously driven to Castamere. Castamere was a large city, a once very glorious seaside city, but after the family declined, the city was unable to repair it for nearly a hundred years, and more than two-thirds of it was abandoned. The Mountain and Jeyne used these abandoned places to house the dairy farmers, and ordered the people living there to repair their houses and work half a day every day to repair the city walls for free.

Soon, a climax of repairing city walls and houses was set off in Castamere, because those who participated in the repair could live in the city for free for two months without paying any rent.

Every day, the milk squeezed from the cows was continuously sent into the Earl's large warehouse. Jeyne and Maester Ysilla were responsible for disinfecting the milk with dozens of female workers, according to the modern pasteurization method taught by the Mountain, processing the milk to 60 degrees, not exceeding 70 degrees, and maintaining it for half an hour. The bacteria were killed, beneficial bacteria were retained, and pathogenic milk was turned into healthy milk, which was provided to more than a thousand professional soldiers, hundreds of Westerling family nobles, knights, generals and centurions, servants, workers, and officials to eat every day.

Edmure and his hundred guards followed the Mountain and drank fresh milk here for seven days, ate milk cheese, milk bread, milk noodles, milk cake, and various delicious snacks made of milk and other materials, and no one had a poisoning incident. Outside the Westerling lands, cases of illness and death due to drinking milk were slowly increasing.