“Pick some unlucky fellow to take a whipping?” Patrek Mallister teased, earning a glare from Ronald Vance.
“It is an option, though not very honorable,” Ser Brynden Tully chuckled.
“We should draw our swords and fight them!” Marko Piper shouted.
“They outnumber us,” Edmure Tully said, shaking his head.
“We would lose, people would bleed, and some might even die.
It could throw the entire Riverlands into chaos.
It isn’t worth fighting over hurt feelings.” “We could demand a trial by combat—a one-on-one fight, or seven against seven at most.
I am confident we would win,” Bronn said proudly, patting the longsword at his hip.
Edmure gave Bronn a doubtful look, but Ser Brynden nodded slightly.
“That is actually a good idea.
Edmure, what do you think?” “Using our swords should be our absolute last resort,” Edmure said, frowning as if deeply troubled.
“I would rather beg Lord Walder Frey for mercy.” “Beg Lord Walder Frey?” Brynden Blackwood asked, looking surprised.
Although Edmure had never fought in a real battle, he was one of the best fighters in the castle training yard.
He did not seem like someone who would run from a fight.
“I will ask Lord Walder Frey to let me marry one of his daughters,” Edmure continued.
“I suspect he has been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time.
Once he becomes my father-in-law, he won’t want to punish me.” The moment Edmure finished speaking, both Ser Brynden and Brynden Blackwood stared in shock, while the rest of the group burst into laughter.
Hendry Bracken let out a dry laugh.
The son of the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands was one of the most eligible bachelors in the Seven Kingdoms.
Hendry’s uncle, Lord Bracken, had only daughters and would have loved for Edmure to marry one of them.
If Edmure married into House Frey, Hendry—who hoped to inherit his family’s lands—would lose a powerful potential ally.
“Edmure, how do you really view Lord Walder Frey?” Ser Karyl Vance asked.
Edmure’s expression turned serious.
His friends watched him closely, waiting for his answer.
This was no longer just a joke among friends; it was a question from the young heirs on behalf of their families.
“It is normal for Lord Walder Frey to be arrogant, short-tempered, and overly sensitive,” Edmure said.
“Eccentric old men are common.” “House Frey is rich and powerful, but compared to ancient families with thousands of years of history, their family line is young and their bloodline is not as noble.
Their wealth does not match their status.” Edmure looked at Brynden Blackwood, Hendry Bracken, Patrek Mallister, Ser Karyl Vance, Ronald Vance, and Hugo Vance.
Their four families had once ruled as kings in the Riverlands, able to stand proud before any ruler in Westeros.
“Because his family lacks a grand history, Lord Walder often feels embarrassed in social settings,” Edmure explained.
“He believes ancient houses look down on him, and in truth, some prominent families do view House Frey as foolish upstarts.” “I can understand why Lord Walder is so proud,” Edmure paused.
“What I cannot understand is his loyalty.” The young nobles grew quiet, their expressions shifting as they listened carefully.
“Years ago, houses like Blackwood, Bracken, Mallister, Vance, and Piper answered my father’s call.
They stayed loyal to their lord and supported King Robert’s rebellion,” Edmure said.
“Meanwhile, houses like Darry, Legg, Goodbrook, and Mouton chose to fight against their liege lord to remain loyal to the old king,” Edmure noticed Tristan Legg lower his head.
“Tristan, my friend, our families have made peace.
You do not need to feel embarrassed,” Edmure said gently.
“Even though your family did not fight for my father, they stayed loyal to their king.
At least they maintained their honor.” “Yet some people have no honor at all.
They are neither loyal to their lord nor to their king.
They lack any sense of duty.” “If I had a king like that, I would worry he would ignore my hard work and sacrifice.
If I had a knight like that, I would fear he would betray me during battle.
If I had a ally like that, I would worry he would cut off my head just to curry favor with a new master.” “I could never be friends with a man like that.” It was a harsh attack, even though Edmure named no names.
His companions had mixed reactions—some smiled, some looked serious, some were confused, and others thought deeply about his words.
“May the Others take people like him!” Edmure sighed.
“We haven’t even reached the North yet, and you already sound like a Northerner,” Ser Brynden joked, breaking the tension.
The young men laughed again, though Brynden Blackwood remained serious.
The Others were dark, magical monsters from the far north.
According to legend, eight thousand years ago during a long winter called the Long Night, the Others invaded Westeros riding dead beasts and commanding an army of monsters.
The Children of the Forest and the First Men joined forces during the Battle for the Dawn to defeat the Others, driving them back into the frozen lands.
To protect the realm from future attacks, the ancestors of House Stark built the Wall, establishing the Night’s Watch to guard it.
Now, eight thousand years later, most people viewed the Others as scary bedtime stories.
People south of the Wall used their name to frighten children or curse enemies, though Northerners spoke of them more often.
As a member of House Blackwood—the only family under House Tully that still worshipped the Old Gods—Brynden did not view jokes about the Others so lightly.
He recognized the hostility behind Edmure’s words and realized the feud between House Tully and House Frey was far from over.
Brynden Blackwood saw nothing wrong with that.
House Blackwood and House Tully had been allies for centuries.
They had fought side by side in countless wars to defend their lands, shared beliefs, and freedom.
Their alliance was bound by history, honor, and deep trust.
The lively conversation over lunch helped clear away the bad mood caused by Lord Walder Frey.
However, as the group continued their journey, Edmure noticed his companions were much quieter, likely thinking over everything he had said.
Although Edmure had backed down at The Twins and let Lord Walder Frey feel victorious, he did not mind.
In fact, he was pleased with how well his plan was working.
Edmure had several goals when visiting The Twins: First, to inspect House Frey’s defenses and see if they had any capable leaders.
Second, to let his noble friends experience the high bridge toll firsthand, knowing they would realize how much it harmed trade in the Riverlands.
Third, to damage the relationship between House Frey and the other Riverlands lords.
Lord Walder already had a poor reputation, and his family was viewed as greedy upstarts.
By openly criticizing House Frey’s lack of loyalty, Edmure knew his friends would share his thoughts with their families.
This would remind the lords of old grudges from the war, isolating House Frey even further.
If he could cut off House Frey from their allies, Edmure would have far more support when he eventually acted against them, facing little opposition from the other lords.
Giving in to Lord Walder Frey was simply a move to make House Frey look more unreasonable.
When Edmure finally moved to destroy them, his actions would seem completely justified to his vassals.
Dissatisfaction with House Frey was already growing among his friends, and it was only a matter of time before it spread to their families.
The lands around House Frey were the last place where the group could buy supplies.
After leaving The Twins, Ser Brynden sent fifteen riders out in three groups to buy goods from nearby villages.
They loaded twenty-five supply wagons before entering the region known as The Neck.
The Neck is a vast, swampy wetland connecting the North and the South of Westeros.
It is the only land route for travelers moving north.
No one can farm, raise animals, or mine in The Neck.
The area is filled with thick trees, floating moss, tall reeds, rotting leaves, and deep mud pits.
The ground is treacherous, and a single wrong step off the path can cause a traveler to sink and drown in the bogs.
Travelers like Edmure and his men did not dare leave the main causeway, even camping directly on the road at night.
Only the locals, known as Crannogmen, knew which paths were safe and which were deadly traps.
The Crannogmen lived by hunting and fishing.
They were short, skilled at swimming and rowing, but did not ride horses.
Most people in Westeros misunderstood them, as the Crannogmen rarely interacted with outsiders.
Edmure knew that while the Crannogmen were not built for open combat against armored knights, they were deadly fighters in their home swamps and possessed strange, ancient magic.
Long ago, a Stark king defeated the last King of the Crannogmen, and the swamp people had remained loyal to House Stark ever since.
They were currently ruled by House Reed.
Because the Crannogmen lived right next to the Riverlands and were loyal to his sister’s new family, Edmure wanted to show them goodwill.
For several nights in a row before camping, Edmure placed gifts along the edge of the swamp near the road.
He called out into the marsh, telling the Crannogmen that friends of House Stark were passing through and leaving gifts for House Reed as a sign of respect.
The Crannogmen lived on floating wooden islands that moved through the swamp.
Even Greywater Watch, the castle of House Reed, constantly shifted location, making it impossible for outsiders—or even messenger ravens—to find.
This secrecy protected them from invaders.
Edmure could only leave the gifts and hope they reached Lord Reed.
Edmure chose practical, valuable items as gifts: iron cooking pots, fine steel daggers, hunting spears, pieces of scale armor, helmets, large jars of honey, butter, lard, barrels of dark beer, and large wheels of hard cheese—all rare goods in the swamps.
One morning, Edmure woke up to find all the gifts had vanished.
A few days later, he found House Reed’s response left right next to their camp: ten neatly stacked lizard-lion skins.