The Redfish (Chapter 10)

New friends and plans

Samwell POV

After few days of staying at the Harrenhall, Ser Edmure ordered us to prepare to leave. He was a strange man, he didn’t order me around, ser Edmure prepared his own horse, he put his own armor.

He would do some exercises every morning, never missing it. But he didn’t look like a great warrior. He was a lean, clean man. As he would wash himself every opportunity, he got, but his hands were hard.

He has told me that my training will only genuinely start after getting back to Riverrun. I never cared for swords, never was I good at them. Father would always yell at me and be angry when I made a mistake in my training. After a few tries, I gave up, I didn’t want to make my lord father angry, so I thought it was better not to train at all.

Lord father didn’t get angry at me anymore. Now he would only yell at my mother. He would only look at me disapprovingly or not even look at me at all. It felt like I didn’t belong in my home, so I wasn’t despondent about leaving.

“Well, boy, don’t stand around, get your pony and let’s go.” Ser Patrek told me.

He spoke loudly but with a smile on this face. At first, I thought that he was like every knight, prideful and arrogant, but he was more. Ser Patrek moved with confidence in every step. He wasn’t a great warrior. He said it himself that there was nothing to fear for him as long as he was close to ser Edmure.

“The Redfish would see an enemy before we could even know that there was one.” Ser patrek told me one night. “He is like a brother to me. I know he would give me his breath if I was drowning, if I was dying on my knees. I know he would be the one who would rescue me.”

It was weird, they didn’t look that close, but then I could catch their banter once in a while. No matter how much ser Edmure complained, he would always smile and even laugh with ser Patrek.

Other guards weren’t as close, but they would joke around and sing. Ser Edmure wouldn’t engage in their conversations but would listen to them. It was more fun traveling than I thought it would. No one is showing me any disapproval or is angry with me when I make a mistake.

Ser Edmure even bought me a book, so I could have something to read. This was nice.

Edmure POV

It was Patrek’s idea to take a detour through the Vance and Piper lands. We should make some new friends, he said. I agreed with him. Giving them a visit was fine with me, and I wanted to see them anyway.

So we were riding towards Pinkmaiden. It belonged to the house Piper. I didn’t know much about the current head of the house, just that he had a son of similar age as us.

On the way, we stopped at Acorn Hall and Wayfarer’s Rest, where Patrek was smitten with the young granddaughter of the lord, Rhialta Vance. It was fun to watch him stumble on his words and make a fool of himself sometimes.

Afterward, we left for the Pinkmaiden, the seat of the house Piper. Lord Clement Piper greeted us graciously. Ser Marq Piper, the son, and heir of Lord Clement, was one year older but was more hotheaded than me. He was fine and good to talk with, but he would speak without thinking.

Patrek made quick friends with the young knight. And now, both of them would annoy me. After staying here for a few days, I decided we should leave. Our next destination was Atlanta, the seat of the house Vance of the Atranta.

It took longer than expected to arrive there. We only stopped at two towns on the road. But the weather wasn’t very nice, as rain poured day after day. So when we finally reached Atranta, we were overjoyed.

Lord Norbert Vance was glad to host us in his seat of Atranta until the rain stopped. We stayed there for a week. Roland Vance was my age, but that is where our similarities end. He was mischievous and liked to make fun of everything, but as he was the oldest, we spend most of our time with him.

Samwell befriended the youngest son, Jon. Both of them liked to read and had a thirst for knowledge. To not separate them, I offered Lord Norbert to ask my father to foster the young Jon. I didn’t see much of a problem, as it wasn’t that far away, and Jon was of that age. Seeing his son’s friendship, after he agreed if it was okay with my father.

After the rain had stopped pouring, we left for Atranta for Riverrun. Once we reached it, Patrek would go for Seagard, so we decided not to hurry, as we stopped in every village and by the river to fish. But it was almost a year in our travels, and it was time for both of us to come back home.

Hoster POV

It seems that every time I see my son, he grows more than I could have expected, finally, back home after his journey around Westeros. Even if I didn’t like that he took the young Samwell Tarly as his squire, but it was already too late to decline. I had no wish to partake in the conflict of the reach.

After ser Patrek Mallister has left, my son devoted himself to learning and training. He worked with me most of the time. There was much of the work to be done. As the marriage with Martells was confirmed, we were given contact with the merchants of the free cities.

It wouldn’t be much on its own, but we planned to get the North to trade with them too. We might see the most extensive merchant network in the known world. With us in the center of it all, new towns need to be built, the roads fixed, and security guaranteed.

“Maybe we could hire sellswords? There are Stormbreakers and the company of the Rose who are descendants of the Starks and our own house,” Edmure asks.

“They left Westeros almost three hundred years ago,” I explain to him. “Most of them won’t even know from what house they have come, but we could contact them. They are one of the better and more trustworthy sellsword companies.”

“It is better than just start a new military force on our own,” Edmure tells me. “If some sellsword companies agree to work with us, we could then make a few trustworthy leaders into landed knights, who would serve us.”

“It isn’t a plan without merit, but it would cost us much. It is hard to say if any competent leader would even want to serve us indefinitely,” I respond with my thoughts. “And remember, even if their lineage comes from our won house, they are still sellswords. They work for gold. If there is any chance for them to betray us, they will do it.”

“It’s no different than any other lord in Westeros,” My son remarks with a chuckle. “Still, there might be some old leaders who would want to set their children on a better path.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But we still need to have our own force, we could trust with our lives,” I tell him. “You always should be prepared for the worst. If this venture goes half as good as we want it to, then Lannisters and Tyrells won’t sit idle. They will want a piece of it too, and if they can’t have it, they won’t want us to have it.”

“There will be benefits for all the Westeros, if we want it or not,” Edmure says. “Well, if there is more, why would anyone stop at less.”

“Yes, it seems you started to grasp the peculiarities of politics,” I praise him. “There isn’t much we can do to Lannisters as they have too much grasp on the Iron Throne, but it doesn’t mean we can’t hinder them.”

“It isn’t just about other kingdoms. We need to watch for our own bannerman. Many would want to have more influence,” My son says.

“Yes, the sad truth is that we don’t hold that much of the power to others, even in our own lands,” I agree with him. “But with your travels and visits to Riverland lords gives us a chance to have better ties with them. In truth, most lords will follow us, but they are minor lords, and if we fail in any way, their alliances will change too.”

“So we can’t fail,” He says with a determination in his voice.

“We can’t,” I agree. “And we won’t. These plans will bring our house to new highs.”

“So, what is our first move?” he asks.

“First, we need to secure the roads and towns,” I answer him.

“Why are we thinking just about roads? We have rivers floating all around our lands. With some tweaks here and there, we could build passages that even bandits wouldn’t be able to much about merchants traveling on them,” Edmure gives his ideas.

“It is possible with few dams, we could make the water shallow in some places to cross, we wouldn’t need to build more bridges,” I give my own ideas.

“Talking about bridges, we should talk about Freys,” He remarks. “They will be a problem if they decide to not let western riverman travel through Twins or charge them for too much. It would be disastrous not speaking about Lord Walder Frey once he dies. Many of his children and grandchildren won’t have anywhere to go. There will be infighting, to who what lands belong.”

“Ah, you’re right. With other houses backing, the Riverlands itself might become ablaze with a civil war,” I agree with a sigh. “But ser Stevron is the rightful heir, and he will be.”

“What about the Lannister side or Rosby side? Do you think they will be satisfied with this kind of outcome?” He asks, concerned.

“We won’t interfere until they make any moves. Our honor will not let us,” I answer him.

“Honor? Do you think others will care about our honor?” Edmure asks with a raised voice.

“Don’t dismiss it so quickly, boy. Maybe most families throw it away at their convenience, but we are of house Tully. Honor is what makes us. Without it, we would be just common bandits,” I respond to him. “The only thing above honor is family. There will come a time when for a family, you will have to forsake your honor, abandon your duty, but never dismiss them so easily.”

“I spoke without thinking, my apologies,” He says to me, lowering his head.

“It’s enough for today. You should rest, check on your squire,” I dismiss him.

Emure will be a great lord, but he still is just a boy now. There are many things he has to learn first.

Edmure POV

Sorry father, but what I have to do is for our family, even if you don’t see it. I know that if Freys continue to hold that much power, our family will never be truly safe. It is something that must be done.

“Edmure, you come to practice?” Ser Desmond asks as I enter the courtyard.

“No, it is time I start teaching my squire. If you don’t mind, could you call for him?” I ask him politely.

“Of course,” He replies and, with a slight bow, leaves.

Looking around, I pick up a couple of weapons. Swords, spears, axes, and so on. There are many things I need to think about, and I still don’t have a plan for the coming winter. I need to think of how to buy dragonglass from Stannis without questioning why I need it. The Wall has to be strengthened, and North prepared.

“You have called for me, ser?” Samwell asks me after coming to me.

“It is time for your lessons in fighting,” I tell him. “Pick up a weapon you want to start with. We will go through all of them until we find what you are most suitable for.”

After looking around, he picks up a spear first. In a way spear is the best weapon, but it does have some shortcomings.

“Very well, now come at me, with an intent to kill me,” I order him.

He charges at me, pointing his spear at my gut, but as he gets near me, he closes his eyes. Sidestepping out of his way, I trip him.

“Get up, never close your eyes, even if you are frightened,” I tell him. “Look at the danger with open eyes.”

“I am sorry, but it’s just scary to me,” He apologizes to me.

“It’s okay. Come at me again,” I order Samwell again.

After few more tries, he became covered in dust and dirt. I gave him few moments to catch his breath and then choose another weapon. This time he chose an ax. It is good at close quarters and against shields, but you needed to get close, which was difficult for Samwell.

“I know you are afraid. It’s okay. We all fear something. It could fear getting hurt or fear of hurting others,” I console the boy after he failed again to keep his eyes open. “You won’t be a great warrior like your father wishes.”

“I am sorry,” He again apologizes with lowered head.

“You didn’t let me finish. There are few truly great warriors. Some are born with fast reflexes, some with excellent built. With their intensive training, how could they not become great knights and warriors? “I explain to him. “But it doesn’t mean that you can’t be a good knight. You are smart. You might not be strong or fast as others. But you don’t need to be. You can be more intelligent than them. Read them like you read your books, learn what they have to offer to you.”

“Can I truly do so?” He asks me.

“Who knows? Maybe you can, perhaps you can’t,” I respond to him. “But I will help you to find out. What do you say, another round?”

“Okay,” He nods and readies his ax again.

That is how I spend the rest of the day. Going Through all weapons with Samwell. It will take years before he can be any good with any of the weapons. It is fine, there is no need to hurry.