In the eyes of the people of the north, beyond the neck, it is all the south, and they are accustomed to call it the south. The southern kingdoms of the northern population include the Riverlands, the Vales, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, the Riverlands, and the Dorne.

In July, one of the southern countries of the country, the river land, has a lot of rain, which causes the Trident River to rise sharply, and it is the season for the freshwater fish harvest in the river area. The freshwater fish of the Riverlands also supplied the nobles of the royal realm and King's Landing, which had a population of nearly a million.

King's Landing has hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, and because it is the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, the floating population eventually surpassed the old town of the Southern Tyrells and became the first in the Seven Kingdoms. After more than ten years of rapid development, Heishui River Port has gradually become the most prosperous and lively place in the country, where goods from all over the world can be found here. King's Landing's Old Town was home to the rich and powerful, with luxurious villas, and many governors, princes, and kings on islands in the sea had their own secret villas in King's Landing's Old Town.

King Robert's decree of a national joust has flown to every corner of the Seven Kingdoms, and although the contest is on September 1, vassals in many places have to walk for about two months on the road. In addition, after coming to King's Landing, it is indispensable to meet the king, visit old friends, and prepare for the competition. As a result, all over the country, along the way, from the northernmost northern realm to the southernmost Dorne, the nobles have hit the road.

A nobleman has at least several knights around him, and there are many kinds of knights: knights of the family, knights of oaths, and knights of freedom. Each knight had at least two or more retinues. Generally, the retinue of knights is about five people, and some propertied knights are rich and powerful, and the retinue is more than a dozen people.

After Caitlin Tully and Eddard Stark were separated in Littlefinger's brothel by the Blackwater, she and her only attendant, Rodric Kesso, the head of Winterfell, instead of taking the boat by water, headed north along King's Road.

A few days later, after leaving the king's territory and entering the jurisdiction of the riverland, the two dared to breathe a sigh of relief. The letter to his father, Horst, had already asked Littlefinger to help release the raven, and according to Eddard Stark's intentions, the letter asked Duke Horst to say that he was seriously ill and to trick Edmure back from the West first.

Eddard believes that the honor of the Westerlings is credible, and that the Mountain may not be as ruthless as it is rumored, as evidenced by the fact that he spared the hound's life in both duels, but the ruthlessness of Lord Tywin of Castle Rock is chilling, and Edmure's entry into the Westside was a great mistake.

Caitlin didn't want to aggravate his father's worries when he was sick, but the matter was urgent, and the Lannisters made frequent moves, secretly poisoning Jon Arryn and murdering Bran Stark, Edmure is the heir of the Riverlands, and it is best to be cautious.

Caitlyn wanted to see her father, but she couldn't, Bran in the North was still in bed, Robb was still a teenager, Rickon Stark was only three years old, and the conspirators couldn't guarantee a second murder, so she hurried back to Winterfell. In the matter of her younger brother Edmu, she also has more than enough heart and strength, so she can only fulfill her responsibility to remind her father.

After entering the King's Road in Riverland, I walked for a few days, and it rained heavily every day. Along the way, you will encounter wine sellers, fruit merchants, prostitutes, artisans, wandering singers, bards, bakers, and so on. King's Landing will be a harvest season for all kinds of small traders and vendors, and it will also be a great time for them to feast their eyes.

In addition, jazz, knights, mercenaries, thieves, thieves, comedians, and magic clowns also increased on the road. Rodrik Kesso was a skilled swordsman, but he was old, his hair and beard were gray, and he was too fat to move. The more people flock to King's Landing, the more unsafe the road becomes. At Rodric's suggestion, Caitlin puts on a hood so that no one will recognize her. But even if Catelyn didn't wear a hood, none of the vassals in the Riverlands recognized her as she! she became an ordinary woman soaking wet and covered in mud.

After a few more days of walking, Caitlyn met many of the nobles of the Riverlands along the way, all of whom were heading south to King's Landing. Many nobles don't know Catelyn, she was a teenage girl when she was in Riverrun, and now she has been away from Riverrun for sixteen years, and the little girl has become a mother of five children, plus Catelyn's hood covers her head, every time a nobleman comes with a knight's retinue, she and Rodrick avoid the roadside, and no one recognizes her as Catelyn Tully - the eldest lady of Duke Horst of Riverrun and the wife of Duke Stark of the North.

The heavy rain made it difficult for the people to travel, and when the two came to the crossing of the Trident River, they encountered heavy rain. It was a crossroads, north to Winterfell, to the south to King's Landing, to the west to Riverrun, where Lady Caitlyn grew up, her second home, and to the east was her sister Lysa Tully's domain: the Bright Moon Mountains, a basin plain surrounded by mountains: the Vale.

The rain was so heavy that there was a hotel at the intersection that Caitlyn was familiar with, and she had been familiar with the hotel's proprietress since she was a child. Duke Horst often took Caitlyn on horseback when she was a child, and the hotel at this crossroads was a favorite place for her father, Host, to drink, which made Caitlyn, who followed her father everywhere, familiar with this place.

Caitlin remembers the hostess's name: Martha Hyde.

They entered the hotel, where there were exactly two rooms left, and the worst of the two: under the clock tower. It would be noisy, and the bell would be a tool to inform people to come out of the room to eat, and the sound would be deafening. But there is no way to do it, because of the heavy rain, the hotel is full. Moreover, Martha Hyde, the proprietress with gray hair and fat body, swept her eyes over Caitlin's face, and she didn't even recognize her. Back then, Martha loved to make rose cake for little Caitlyn, and the two of them talked very well, and she loved Caitlyn very much.

No one recognized Catelyn, which made Catelyn feel safe. The hotel's dining room was filled with swords-wielding knights, mercenaries, knights, and retinues, many of whom looked unprovoked.

Caitlin and Rodric went into their room to change their clothes and didn't come out until it was time to eat, which would make them safer.

The steaming meal was served, and Rodric waved away several of the singers, not willing to pay a silver coin to listen to their screams. When he was concentrating on accompanying Mrs. Caitlyn to deal with the delicacies in front of him, the door of the hotel in the distance was kicked open, and a brutal voice called in: "Boss, hurry up and arrange for someone to help us feed the horses, our Lord Lannister wants the best room, immediately send someone to boil hot water, our adults are tired of walking, let's take a hot shower first." ”

Footsteps sounded, and a group of four people entered the dining room, an old man in the black shirt of the night watchman, his expression was calm, like a quiet sword!

Two swaggering minions guard a dwarf who has just reached their waist: the little demon Tyrion Lannister. He had a big head, his neck was almost gone, his head was resting directly on his shoulders, and his two ill-intentioned eyes were black and blue.

The proprietress Martha Hyde hurriedly greeted her and said with a smile: "My lord, I'm really sorry, there are no rooms anymore, damn heavy rain, plus the king's jousting conference, my small hotel is full, I'm really sorry, my lord!"

Tyrion Lannister smiled, letting everyone's eyes sweep over his small body, he was used to people's strange stares at him: "Boss, my two men just sleep with the horses, and as for me, you can see that I don't need much of a room." He grinned. "The half-occupancy must be the smallest, I can assure you of that, so as long as the fire is warm and there aren't too many fleas in the straw, give me a little place." ”

Martha Hyde said in an embarrassed and anxious tone: "My lord, I can't help it, it's all caused by this martial arts competition, plus the heavy rain, there are already too many people in the store to talk ......"

"Alright, I'll figure it out myself!" the little devil took out a golden dragon from his pocket, threw it up, caught it, bent his fingers, and catapulted into the air, catching it, even Caitlyn, who was sitting in the corner of the room, could see that it was shiny gold, "Who wants to make extra money? I'm sure there will be smart people, won't they?"

A freerider in a faded blue cloak staggered to his feet, looking like he had drunk a lot of alcohol and couldn't speak well: "If you don't dislike it, sir, you'll be in my room." ”

"You're smart," the little devil tossed the gold coin, and the freerider reached out in the air to catch it. "Your skills are not bad, and your swordsmanship must be extraordinary. The dwarf turned to Martha Hyde, "Boss, the room problem is solved, and in terms of food, I think you should be fine, right?"

A golden dragon, three months' salary for an ordinary soldier, was spent by the little devil like this. When he saw the prostitute he liked, he was more generous.

"Your Excellency, you can eat whatever you want. "The hostess assured.

The little devil looked over table by table, hoping to scout the dishes of this hotel first: "My subordinates can eat the same things as these people, but the portion is doubled." As for me, roast a bird, chicken, duck and pigeon for me, and then a pot of your best wine. He looked at the man in black, who was as quiet and sharp as a sword, "Recruiter Euron, do you want to eat with me?"

"Okay, my lord, I'll eat with you. Euron replied.

The gnome looked around, eyes of different colors and sizes rolling, and Catelyn was too late. The dwarf smiled and strode over, "What an unexpected surprise, Mrs. Stark. He said, "I'm sorry I couldn't see you in Winterfell." ”

Stark...... Ma'am?" said Martha Hyde gruffly, looking at Caitlin and finally recognizing who she was, "Forgive me for my rudeness, ma'am...... Forgive me, I should have been blind in those eyes, and I didn't recognize you!" Martha Hyde hurried up, took Caitlyn's hand, and kissed the back of her hand.