While the rough King Robert was keeping Queen Cersei under control, Glyn Crabb needed to find a way to rise.
If he went to her in person, the proud Cersei Lannister would most likely look down on the Crabb family, often mocked as "half-savages."
The raven letters were only a first step. What truly mattered was finding the right chance to show his skill and strength.
–
Most of Crackclaw Point was wild and barren, filled with swamps, forests, and dark valleys.
Every shadowed valley there had its own lord, and both lord and people trusted no outsiders.
The people of Crackclaw Point were mostly descendants of the First Men. Long ago, when the Andals tried to take the land, they were blocked at every turn.
When the people of Crackclaw Point were not fighting invaders, they killed each other instead. Family feuds were as deep and dark as the mountain swamps.
At times, a hero would bring short-lived peace, such as Clarence Crabb, the legendary hero of House Crabb. But once he died, everything returned to chaos.
During the War of Conquest, Aegon the Conqueror sent Visenya Targaryen to bring Crackclaw Point under control and take them as direct vassals. From that day on, Crackclaw Point remained fiercely loyal to House Targaryen.
–
Glyn Crabb handed the finished letter to the steward, Herschel.
After a moment of silence, Glyn ran his long fingers through his dark, shoulder-length wavy hair.
About one hundred miles east of Whispers Town, slightly to the north, lay a wide stretch of land far better for farming than most of Crackclaw Point.
That land once belonged to House Crabb's ancestral stronghold, The Whispers Castle. According to Steward Herschel, the harvest from that land once supported a thousand elite warriors and secured the Crabb family's total control over nearby regions.
After the Usurper's War, under pressure from both inside and outside, Glyn's mother led the remaining retainers to a safer military fortress, later renamed Whispers Town.
More than ten years had passed. Whispers Castle was now in ruins, and House Crabb had long since lost control of that land.
–
"Surana, my mother must have suffered greatly back then," Glyn said softly.
"My lord, even now, I still feel fear when I think of it," Surana replied. "In the beginning, the lady slept with two swords. The longsword was for sudden attacks by mountain clansmen. The dagger was kept for herself."
Glyn laughed quietly. "She truly was strong."
Even Surana, who usually kept a stern face, showed a small smile. "The lady passed away in peace, my lord. You were her greatest pride."
After chatting with Surana for a while, Glyn thought carefully about her final, indirect words once she left.
Harvest season was approaching. The mountain clans nearby had silently turned their eyes toward House Crabb, now weakened by the loss of its lady.
Everyone was poor, but compared to others, the Crabb farms had always stood out.
The timing was perfect.
The lord of Crabb lands was now only a young boy who had long lived under his mother's protection. For once, the mountain clans had united. If they didn't raid him, who would they raid? They believed victory was certain.
Surana was not worried about the battle itself.
House Crabb had two sworn knightly retainers passed down through generations: Per Pell and Massen Baker.
For hundreds of years, House Crabb had trained the most loyal retainers imaginable.
Because of the dangers of Crackclaw Point, House Crabb kept over two hundred standing soldiers, all seasoned fighters.
Among them were twenty men in full plate armor, each able to face ten unarmored mountain clansmen.
Surana had followed Glyn's mother through many battles. She was fast and deadly, said to be unmatched with a dagger.
What Surana truly feared was Glyn's youth and passion. This would be his first time leading troops alone. If his blood ran hot and he charged ahead, he might die outside the walls.
House Crabb had only one heir left. If anything happened to Glyn, everything under the Crabb banner would collapse quickly, and House Crabb would disappear into history.
Glyn really wanted to tell Surana, I'm careful. I won't act recklessly.
But a lord must always show courage, so such words could not be spoken.
Since his arrival in this world and the completion of his transformation, Glyn noticed his body improving every time he woke up—stronger in every way.
And his sword was already eager for battle.
Glyn, with a mature mind, kept warning himself that this was only one of the many illusions caused by his strengthened body.
You are a lord. You have soldiers. Stay calm—don't act recklessly.
–
Apart from a cousin three years older than him, who had been married for four years already, House Crabb had only Glyn left. For an old noble house, this was extremely dangerous.
The Crabb lands were never peaceful. The lord often had to lead his men into battles, big and small.
With Lady Crabb gone, Glyn Crabb, as a lord of Crackclaw Point, would now live the same life as his ancestors—war after war, without end.
Being a lord on Crackclaw Point was a high-risk job.
What if the last Crabb died by accident?
Anyone with a little sense would feel uneasy. People's hearts would become unstable.
House Crabb held a hereditary baron title.
But because of the family's awkward position in the realm, Glyn's marriage was indeed a problem. He was neither high enough nor low enough to match easily.
Normally, a fifteen-year-old like Glyn should at least be engaged.
Surana understood that a lord's marriage was never just about love. The cause and outcome of the Usurper's War constantly warned nobles not to let emotions cloud their judgment.
So in Surana's view, even an illegitimate child would do. Glyn needed an heir, even if noble customs and laws had to be ignored.
It was not a curse upon Glyn, but a way to calm the people.
With an heir, the lord's future would become far easier.
Surana had one son and one daughter. Her eldest son was sixteen, already married, and learning under Steward Herschel.
Her younger daughter, Kaleya, was thirteen and had come of age a month ago.
She was healthy, good-looking, and most importantly, trustworthy.
Surana had watched Glyn grow up and knew he was not cruel or ungrateful.
Although bearing an illegitimate child was not honorable, for the current Crabb lands, it would be a service.
The child could not inherit the Crabb name and would instead use the bastard name "Waters," but would still carry Crabb blood.
At the very least, such a child would be given a farm and live a life without worry for food or clothes.
She would live better than most women—more than enough for a lifetime.
Everyone would benefit.
–
Since he now lived here, Glyn could only follow local customs. He was grateful that he had fully absorbed the memories of the original body.
With those memories, his daily words and actions would not stand out too much. Change would come naturally.
As a former loyal servant of the dragons, he could not leave behind obvious weaknesses.
Under the Faith of the Seven, standing out too much could easily earn the label of heresy. Followers of the Seven were everywhere in Westeros.
Thirteen years old…
Glyn leaned back in his chair, raised his eyes, and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
The conflict with his inner values was too strong. This could wait.
–
After several days of quiet counting, Glyn found that his direct subjects numbered around two thousand. Most lived by hunting, with farming as a secondary means.
About a thousand people lived around Whispers Town, with the rest spread across ten villages of different sizes.
One village lay south of Whispers Town by the sea, with a population of about two hundred, living by fishing.
It was called Fishing Village. The name was bad—it needed to be changed.
At the very least, "village" should become "port."
Once things settled down, he would go there himself to inspect it and make plans.
The lord was poor. He needed many gold dragons.
–
Knight retainer Massen Baker, who had set out three days earlier, was following Glyn's orders to inspect and count all blacksmiths, carpenters, and other craftsmen in the territory.
Steward Herschel had already begun arranging empty rooms.
All strength within the lands would be gathered. Production would be centralized, labor divided, skilled workers trained, and preparations made to build workshops for cold weapons.
The Crabb lands had abundant high-quality yew forests. Training everyone into longbowmen as early as possible would give them the advantage.
But elite longbowmen needed more than good aim. They required strong discipline, and Glyn knew this would take time.
His first goal was to mobilize all available strength based on current power, raise troops as fast as possible, and crush the nearby mountain clans to create a safer environment for development.
Most of all, they were simply too poor.
For now, Glyn decided to temporarily change the family motto to: "Taking by force is better than slow farming."
Once they were rich, he could change it back.
(End of Chapter)