Riverrun had a bright, clear garden.
In the middle of summer, a hundred flowers filled the air with sweet scents, and flocks of birds sang loudly.
Edmure’s mother, Minisa Whent, loved to spend time here when she was alive.
After she died during childbirth, old Lord Hoster often sat here, unable to let go of her memory.
Edmure used part of the garden to test and grow better crop seeds.
Still, he kept most of its original layout, even if it meant sacrificing extra farm space.
He did this because the garden held special memories for his family and served as a place of worship for two different religions.
Right next to the garden was the Godswood, where the First Men had prayed to the Old Gods.
Inside stood a weirwood tree so old that no one remembered when it was planted.
It had white bark, red leaves, and a sad face carved into its trunk—a sacred tree that acted as a witness for the Old Gods.
Edmure’s sister, Catelyn, and his brother-in-law, Lord Eddard Stark, had been betrothed under a weirwood tree.
Followers of the Old Gods call these trees “heart trees” and believe no one can tell a lie in front of them.
Although the blood of the First Men ran through House Tully, Edmure’s ancestors had converted to the Faith of the Seven generations ago.
They built a sept with seven sandstone walls in the garden right beside the Godswood.
Brought to Westeros by the Andal invasion, the Faith of the Seven was the official religion of the Seven Kingdoms.
It was deeply connected to the realm’s laws and culture, shaping the morals of daily life.
The tradition of knighthood also came from the Seven, as every knight had to be anointed with holy oil and blessed in their name.
Edmure did not believe in the Seven.
In fact, he doubted all the gods of Westeros, noting that the Seven were the only ones who had never performed a clear miracle.
Even so, on the night before his journey, Edmure went to pray in the Sept of the Seven to ask for a safe and smooth trip.
While the Seven had never shown real power, their church was well-organized and its teachings were deeply rooted in the people’s minds.
Showing respect to the Seven made Edmure more popular with his followers and easier to rule.
After leaving the sept, Edmure walked into the Godswood alone.
Bronn had little interest in the Seven and knew even less about the traditions of the First Men.
He was happy to relax by the fire inside the sept, watching through the stained glass as Edmure disappeared into the trees.
“Honorable Children of the Forest, wise Greenseers, great Old Gods, I am Edmure Tully, a descendant of the First Men.
Please hear my prayer,” Edmure spoke quietly.
“Magic is returning, the Others are waking in the north, the Lord of Light has come from across the sea, and war is brewing in Westeros.
People will soon fight and kill their own kin.” “To protect the innocent and keep the peace, I need your help.
Please lend me your power.” Edmure knelt on one knee before the heart tree, looking at the face that wept red sap, and repeated his prayer in a low voice.
The Children of the Forest were the original inhabitants of Westeros.
They possessed magical powers, such as controlling the minds of animals and seeing the future through dreams.
They worshipped the Old Gods—nameless spirits that lived in the rocks, earth, and trees.
When the First Men came to Westeros, they accepted the Old Gods.
A few of these men gained magic like the Children of the Forest; these people were called “wargs.” Legend said that out of a thousand followers of the Old Gods, only one was born a warg.
And out of a thousand wargs, only one became a “Greenseer”—a powerful leader who could command nature, view the past, and see the future.
Today, belief in the Old Gods had faded.
Most of their followers lived in the North or beyond the Wall.
The Children of the Forest had not been seen in years and were widely believed to be extinct, while stories of Greenseers were treated as bedtime tales for children.
But Edmure knew the Children of the Forest and the Greenseers were still real.
They lived hidden in caves far beyond the Wall, places he could not reach right now.
The only way to contact a Greenseer was through a weirwood tree, as a Greenseer could project their mind into the trees to see what was happening around them.
Since turning nine, Edmure had visited the weirwood tree and the sept every month.
Every six months, he traveled to the island at the center of the Gods Eye lake to offer a sacrifice to the heart tree, leaving wine, honey, and oil as gifts of respect.
Ten thousand years ago, the Children of the Forest and the First Men had signed a peace treaty on that island.
They carved faces into a large grove of weirwood trees so the Old Gods could witness the deal, naming the place the Isle of Faces.
A group called the “Green Men” was formed to protect the island ever since.
Edmure prayed under the tree and left gifts on the island to gain the help of the Greenseers.
Unfortunately, he had never received a sign, and he still did not know if the Green Men actually existed.
The gifts he left always disappeared, but he could not tell if they were taken by wild animals or real people.
Still, Edmure’s efforts earned him respect among the common people.
House Tully supported religious freedom, and his respect for both faiths made his subjects feel that their beliefs were valued.
After waiting in the quiet Godswood with no answer, Edmure did not give up.
Contacting a Greenseer was hard, but a Greenseer could easily find him—perhaps by sending him a message in a dream.
Finally, the day of departure arrived.
Edmure set off with Marko Piper, who was traveling from Pinkmaiden in the southwest and stopped by Riverrun on his way.
Joining them were Tristan Legg and Robb Paige, two young nobles from smaller families who lived at Riverrun.
Marko was as hot-headed as his bright red hair.
He whipped his horse to gallop at full speed, making Edmure worry the horse would slip in the slush.
A broken leg would be bad enough, but a broken neck would be fatal.
After much convincing, Edmure finally got Marko to slow down and ride in the carriage.
The group traveled along the River Road, a wide, flat highway running east to west.
In less than two days, they arrived at an inn called The Kneeling Man.
It was one of the busiest inns in the Riverlands, located on the south bank of a bend in the Red Fork river.
The lower floor was made of grey stone, the upper wooden floor was painted white, and the roof was covered in slate.
The guest rooms stretched out over the water to connect to a private dock.
Next to the inn were the stables, and behind them was a small garden with apple trees and a vine-covered gazebo.
Years ago, the last King in the North, Torrhen Stark, marched his army south.
When he saw the massive dragon-led army of Aegon the Conqueror, he surrendered his crown at this very spot.
The inn was named after that event, and its wooden sign still pictured a kneeling king.
Hendry Bracken was already waiting at the inn, as his home at Stone Hedge was nearby.
Soon after, Ronald Vance, Hugo Vance, and Karyl Vance arrived.
By evening, all the young nobles from south of the Red Fork had gathered together.
Everyone wanted to spend the night indoors before crossing the river, but the inn was too small for fifty people, and its stables could not fit over a hundred horses and mules.
Edmure decided they would camp outside by the road like an army on the march, setting up guards to watch over the supply wagons.
They still made good use of the inn.
After everyone warmed up by the fire and washed with hot water, the indoor rooms were given to Ser Brynden Tully, young Hugo, the older members of the group, and a few weaker travelers like the doctor and merchants.
Outside, a dozen leather tents were pitched in the field next to the inn.
Several large bonfires crackled in the dark.
The young men gathered around the fires, eating food cooked in the inn’s kitchen: dried mutton with carrots, fresh fish soup, and roasted onions.
To drink, they had warm beer boiled with sugar and dried dates.
Edmure had suggested the warm drink.
It was sweet, rich, and warmed a cold body right away, quickly making him popular with his companions.
The night was dry, though the moon was hidden behind thin clouds.
The yellow reeds on the riverbank swayed in the chilly wind, thin ice formed along the edges of the Red Fork, and the deep river water flowed steadily past.
The young men sat close together by the fire, eating, drinking, and laughing.
No one complained about the cold; instead, they enjoyed the wild experience of camping outdoors.
Edmure was not a wild partygoer, but he did not ruin the fun either.
He ate slowly, spoke little, and let his friends take center stage with their jokes and stories.
After dinner, Edmure picked up several large stones from the riverbank and heated them by the fire.
Once they were hot, he carried them into his tent—which he shared with three others—and tucked them into the bedding.
Their beds were built on the ground using a layer of small branches, covered with a straw mat, two sheepskin pads, and thick wool blankets.
It was a bit hard to sleep on, but it was almost as warm as staying inside the inn.
At dawn, Bronn woke Edmure up to stand guard for two hours alongside his tentmates.
After feeding night grain to the horses and mules, Edmure reheated the stones in the fire, went back to his tent, and slept comfortably until morning.
After crossing the wide, shallow Red Fork, the group headed toward Ravenswood, the seat of House Blackwood.
There, they were joined by Brynden Blackwood, who shared the same name as Edmure’s uncle.
Lord Tytos Blackwood invited the group into his castle for a feast, but Edmure sent his uncle to handle the social visit instead.
Ser Brynden’s high status made sure the host did not feel insulted.
Edmure also explained honestly to his friends that he did not want to burden the castle during the middle of winter.
The group camped outside the castle walls for the night.
Three days later, they passed through Fairmarket, bought extra supplies, washed up, and crossed the Blue Fork river.
They continued north toward Seaguard to pick up the final member of their group: Patrek Mallister, the only son of Lord Jason Mallister.
After declining Lord Mallister’s offer to stay at his castle—just as he had done at Ravenswood—Edmure led the full group toward the Green Fork ferry.
This would be the final river they crossed before leaving the Riverlands for the North.
The Green Fork, Blue Fork, and Red Fork all meet in the southeast to form a massive river called the Trident, which flows into the Narrow Sea.
At this crossing stood two stone castles on opposite banks, connected by a large stone bridge.
The river below ran deep and fast.
They had arrived at The Twins, the twin fortresses of House Frey.
Edmure’s chance to inspect his enemy’s stronghold had finally come.