*
"Pretty Boy" Albin's face twitched, but he eventually reined in the dissatisfaction that was almost written all over it.
They are no weaker than any knight I know, the young wandering knight couldn't help but think to himself. No, in terms of martial arts alone, all the knights I know are like children facing adults in front of these three guys who are even younger than me.
Did they really kill someone?
Hyena Kane quietly watched Rhaegor swing his sword into "Green" Robin's throat, and with a slight twist, he severed his head. The remaining rabble of the Green Brotherhood were no match for the well-equipped youths with warhorses. Almost in the blink of an eye, the bandits were completely wiped out by the repeated charges of the three warhorses.
"Is that black-haired kid really Duke Tarly's bastard?" Old Knight "Scarface" Jaime, full of surprise and uncertainty, edged closer to Hyena Kane. The three of them hadn't accepted Count Clinton's employment. Although Lord Roland offered a high price, the experienced Jaime and Kane found something amiss.
Too many people.
Too many people had gathered at Griffins Roost. Jaime even saw several familiar faces, which could only mean one thing: the war Lord Roland Clinton was preparing was on a large scale. And the seasoned Kane had also learned Lord Roland Clinton's destination from a well-informed mercenary knight.
The three knights just wanted to earn some money safely and leave; they had no intention of crossing the sea to fight in the Stepstones. So, at Kane's instigation, the three knights decisively chose to slip away.
Of course, no one would care about the departure of three small mercenary knights.
After the army assembled, the Stormlands' war chariots eagerly began to rumble. Duke Boros Baratheon led seven thousand troops gathered at Storms End southward. In the army was also Lord Boros's young son—this boy, born in winter, was frail but had thick, night-black hair. Scholars asserted he wouldn't survive the winter, but he stubbornly lived until the arrival of summer.
Now, Boros hoped to let this child, named Royce Baratheon, truly thrive on the battlefield.
The Silver Fleet had leased two hundred large sailing ships to him for transporting troops, and Lys's fleet was also en route. Shipbreaker Bay, next to Storms End, was riddled with reefs and prone to high winds and waves, making it impossible to support a large fleet. So Boros's planned departure points were the ports of Weeping Town and Stonehelm, south of Mistwood.
However, none of this concerned Rhaegor and his companions for the time being.
Looking at the rapier in his hand with some confusion, Rhaegor thought to himself: Can a rapier actually cut off a human head? He seemed to realize something and quickly examined the rapier, and indeed, he found traces left where gems had once been inlaid on the rapier, traces that were unnoticeable without close inspection.
Here, here, and here, more than one type of gem had once been inlaid. Rhaegor suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
It's a Star Singer.
Valarr had told him the names and characteristics of all the Valyrian steel swords and Valyrian steel armor in the cellar, and he had seen those weapons and equipment with his own eyes.
But he had worn it from Dragon Nest City all the way to the Kingswood, and it wasn't until he used it to cut off the bandit leader's head that he noticed the sword's extraordinariness. Legan and Ailarion cleaned up the remaining bandits and came closer. Although they were young, they had seen blood, which was also part of their training. When Legan was twelve, he returned to Kaer Morhen and personally led a small team to clear out bandits in the mountains; that was his first kill.
He did vomit profusely, but quickly adjusted.
Ailarion was much earlier; he witnessed his father swinging a sword and cutting people while still in swaddling clothes, and after growing up, he participated in real battles at Aslan Rondell's request. Unlike Legan, who took a long time to adapt, Ailarion was a born warrior.
He had no unusual feelings about killing.
Rhaegor suddenly remembered Daniela's unusual behavior when she gave him this sword.
I was so stupid, really. Rhaegor closed his eyes in annoyance. He remembered Daniela's urgency when she gave him this sword, and her nervousness as she kept peeking at Hofa and Valarr.
Thank you, Daniela.
Rhaegor opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the three wandering knights. Not only him, but Legan and Ailarion also noticed that someone was secretly watching them while they were eliminating the Green Brotherhood.
Ailarion urged his warhorse forward, raising his shield to block in front of Rhaegor.
"Come out, gentlemen," Legan shouted. His hand, however, remained on the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed on the direction from which he had just seen the glint of a sword.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, we mean no harm." Hyena Kane, raising his hands, swayed on his warhorse and emerged from the forest. Beside him, "Scarface" Jaime and "Pretty Boy" Albin slowly walked out, leading their respective warhorses. Unlike Rhaegor and his group, these poor fellows didn't have enough money to buy packhorses; their equipment had to be worn at all times or carried by their only riding horse.
So when Albin saw the three packhorses standing obediently beside the three youths, and the sets of armor he had seen before on them, his eyes were filled with envy and desire. Rhaegor recognized the three men at first glance as the three wandering knights he had seen in the Stormlands. Ailarion had taught the young man a lesson, and then they had pooled their money to buy a bag of fruit wine from Legan. At second glance, he saw the mixed emotions of greed, envy, and longing in Albin's eyes.
Indeed.
Rhaegor nodded, turned his horse, called his companions, and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment," Hyena Kane's eyes shifted, and he said loudly.
"May I ask if you have something to say?" Legan turned back, looking coldly at the wandering knight. He knew Rhaegor's habits; in this situation, he should be the one to speak.
"My apologies, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last time." Hyena Kane bowed slightly, saluting from his horse. "I am Kane, Kane Muddle." The middle-aged knight introduced his name with some pride: "Others also call me Hyena."
Muddle? Rhaegor frowned. A former King of the Riverlands? He quickly searched for the family name in his mind. The Muddle family was a very, very ancient family. Legend has it that the First Men's Muddle family once built magnificent castles on the banks of the Blue Fork and ruled the Trident River basin for a thousand years from there. They were the last rulers of the Trident River who believed in the Old Gods, and the most powerful First Men kings, until the fated time arrived.
The Andals, wielding iron swords and riding warhorses, crossed the sea. They sailed longships, navigating upstream along the Trident River and its three tributaries, fighting under the leadership of their chieftains.
The small kingdoms along the river were swallowed one by one. During the "Night of the White Woods," the Children of the Forest emerged from the hollow mountains, commanding hundreds of wolves to pounce on the Andal camp, tearing hundreds of enemies to shreds under the new moon.
The Bracken family of Harrow Fortress and Blackwood family of Ravenswood set aside their past grievances and united against the enemy in the Battle of Bitterbridge, but they were shattered by the charge of seven hundred and seventy-seven Andal knights and seven monks.
King Tristifer IV of the Muddle family, along with his Children of the Forest allies, fought against the invading Andal kings. He won ninety-nine battles and cut off the head of Roland Arryn II, King of the Vale, displaying it in his castle.
But in the hundredth battle, the great "Hammer of Justice," Tristifer IV, fell on the battlefield, besieged by seven Andal kings. His heir, Tristifer IV, was an incompetent idiot. He was powerless to unite his subjects and could only watch as his magnificent castle was destroyed by the Andals, and his own head was cut off and impaled on their spears.
Thus, his realm and family were destroyed. Since then, only one Muddle has appeared in records: "Mad Poet" Marko Muddle, who resisted the Storm King during the Storm King's rule of the Riverlands.
Rhaegor looked at his shield. Indeed, his simple shield bore a golden crown adorned with emeralds.
"Ser." Kane knew Rhaegor must be a knight, and coupled with his powerful martial prowess, this usually lackadaisical fellow appeared exceptionally calm at this moment. He also knew his lineage must be very noble, the reason being the hunter on Rhaegor's shield.
He's a Tarly, or at least has Tarly blood in him, Hyena Kane told himself. House Tarly is one of the foremost great nobles in the South of the Realm now. Even a bastard of House Tarly is not someone ordinary mercenaries like them can provoke, let alone...
Kane knew Rhaegor's name.
Legan Silver Blood.
Silver Blood is the surname for bastards from the Borderland Principality, especially those with Valyrian blood. They abandoned their original surnames like Flowers, Storm, and Sand, and adopted Silver Blood. Of course, many bastards still haven't changed their surnames.
After all, no matter how you change it, you're still a bastard.
Legan is a Valyrian name. Kane couldn't help but wonder in his mind which Tarly's bastard Rhaegor might be, considering his age.
"I'd like to ask if you still need companions?"
Rhaegor tilted his head, seeming to try and see clearly what he was thinking.
"Scarface" Jaime quickly explained: "Ser Legan, we are heading to Harrenhal. Prince Viserys has commissioned Duke Kermit Tully to organize a tourney there to select a new master for Harrenhal. We just wanted to confirm if you and your squires intend to participate."
The old knight paused: "If possible, we would like to follow you." He looked at Rhaegor's equipment, not bothering to hide his intentions.
Rhaegor, however, fell into thought.
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