Lord Raymond Darry sat tall in the saddle, his column moving steadily toward Seagard.
Every so often his eyes drifted to the rear of the formation, where three figures traveled among the servants and camp followers.
They kept to the edge, trying not to draw attention.
It didn’t work.
The one in the middle called himself Solomon Stinkfort.
Sixteen years old, brown hair, wearing a faded black noble’s robe that had clearly been washed so many times it was turning gray.
He looked like every other Riverlands small lord’s son — completely unremarkable.
No fine bearing, no pale indoor complexion, just the rough, sun-darkened look of someone who spent too much time outdoors.
His two “guards” were even worse.
Two men in their forties who moved like they had only recently set down their hoes.
They walked with hunched shoulders, constantly glancing around as if afraid of bumping into someone important.
Their armor was cracked and mismatched, and the swords hanging at their belts were so old and pitted they looked like they might fall apart if swung too hard.
If Solomon hadn’t produced a genuine Stinkfort seal and signet ring, and if Raymond hadn’t vaguely remembered his maester mentioning House Stinkfort during lessons about how not to reward loyalty, he would have assumed these three were just desperate refugees trying to scrounge food from his column.
What truly baffled Raymond was the boy’s behavior.
Since he and his two ragged companions had been allowed to travel with the column “because it was on their way,” Solomon had made no attempt to mingle with the other knights or minor lords.
Instead, every day at mealtime, he and his two guards lined up with the common soldiers, accepted the same hard black bread and thin broth, and sat right there among the men to eat.
He even wrapped up whatever bread he couldn’t finish and took it with him.
It was the most undignified thing Raymond had ever seen from someone claiming to be a landed knight.
Not even hedge knights behaved this badly.
Seven hells, Raymond thought.
If this is what passes for nobility in the Riverlands these days, we’re all doomed.
— Solomon chewed the hard black bread slowly, trying not to think about how much it tasted like sawdust.
He was riding a horse for the first time in days, and even though the animal was thin and swaybacked, it still felt like luxury compared to walking.
His legs still ached from the days they had spent trudging along the muddy roads.
We almost died out there, he thought.
By the fifth day, their food had run out completely.
Luden and Rosslyn had been skipping meals to save what little they had for him, but it hadn’t been enough.
Solomon had been light-headed, seeing spots, and seriously worried he was going to collapse on the side of the road and become the first noble in Westerosi history to starve to death on the way to swear his oaths.
Then Lord Raymond Darry’s column had appeared like a miracle.
When Solomon had stepped forward and introduced himself as the sole heir of House Stinkfort, the look on Darry’s face had been unforgettable — suspicion, confusion, realization, and finally a kind of weary amusement.
The man had laughed, told a servant to bring Solomon a horse, and ridden on without another word.
Solomon hadn’t cared.
A horse and the chance to eat regularly was more than he had any right to expect.
A young soldier riding nearby glanced at him curiously.
“What are you thinking about, Lord Solomon?” Solomon swallowed the last of the bread and wiped his mouth.
“Just wondering if the food in Deddings castle will be any better than this.” The soldiers around him burst out laughing.
“Lord Balon’s table is supposed to be fine,” one of them said.
“Roast meat and good wine every night, they say.” “And plenty of pretty serving girls,” another added with a grin.
Solomon smiled along with them.
He didn’t correct their assumptions.
These men had no idea that House Stinkfort’s granary was empty and that he was traveling to Deddings castle not out of duty, but because he and his two guards were on the verge of starving.
They also didn’t know that Lord Darry had only taken them in because he found the whole situation too ridiculous to turn away.
Solomon glanced toward the front of the column, where Lord Raymond Darry rode surrounded by his knights.
He’s a decent man, Solomon thought.
Most lords would have laughed us off the road or made us walk the whole way behind the baggage train.
For now, that was enough.
He had food in his stomach, a horse under him, and a destination.
Everything else could wait until they reached Deddings castle.