"Why does it have to be a foreign knight?"
"I don't know either. But Ser Wilder gave the order. If you're willing to take the task, I can take you to them tomorrow."
"Take us to them?" Jon Snow felt a sudden jolt of alarm. He shot a look at Rohr, signaling him to close the door.
This was way too suspicious. Just to wipe out a gang of thieves — a gang that didn't even appear in the original story — a group of knights had joined forces and asked the innkeeper of the Crossroads Inn to keep an eye on "foreign knights."
Everyone knew that players, who showed up out of nowhere, were often called "foreign knights" at this point in time. Martha's entire story sounded like a setup — a trap meant to catch other players.
Sure, no player could build such a powerful group on the very first day of the game. The so-called Alliance of Property Knights was something only Martha had talked about. Jon hadn't seen anything himself.
Maybe this was all a trick, made up by a player trying to make others lower their guard.
At Jon's signal, Rohr immediately stood and closed the door.
"What are you doing, Ser Lucien?" Martha looked surprised. She gave Rohr a strange glance and said, "Sirs, if you're in need, we have many good girls here. I can wake them up for you."
"Don't worry. We're not interested in you or your good girls," Jon shook his head lightly. "I'm interested in those knights you mentioned."
"Ser Wilder and the others?"
"Yeah, Wilder, or whatever his name is. Where are they?" Jon asked, shrugging.
"Ser Wilder and the others are staying at Ser Willy Ward's manor right now," Martha answered.
"The Ward family's manor?" Jon was stunned for a moment. He had thought they were here at the inn, and he was ready to strike first.
He didn't expect Martha to say they weren't even here — and she even gave a specific name.
Jon had heard of the Ward family. They were knights loyal to House Whent of Harrenhal. Their lands weren't far from here. Their family crest showed three white dogs on a yellow field. Their words were "Unswerving."
As for Ser Willy Ward, in the original book, he helped Catelyn Tully capture Tyrion Lannister at this very inn and escorted him to the Vale.
"Yes," Martha continued, "Ser Willy's manor sits right on the border between the Riverlands and the Crownlands, less than half a day's ride from here."
"And when you said you'd take us to them tomorrow, you meant you'd take us to their manor?" Jon asked.
"Yes. That's what Ser Wilder told me. He ordered me to gather as many foreign knights as I could within a week," Martha nodded quickly, speaking very cooperatively. She didn't know why, but the knight before her made her feel a strong sense of pressure.
"I hope you're not playing any tricks on me," Jon said, thinking about the possible dangers.
"Trick? I'm sorry, Ser, but I don't understand what you mean."
"Do you know Ser Wilder personally?" Jon asked coldly.
"I do. Ser Wilder Reg is the local lord. How could I not know him?" Martha replied at once.
Local lord? Jon frowned. He remembered this area used to belong to House Darry.
But no — after the fall of the Targaryens, most of the Darry lands were taken away. It seemed the Crossroads Inn area had been given to the Regal family afterward. He vaguely remembered the original book mentioning a knightly house called the Regal family in the Riverlands.
Still, his instincts told him that the more realistic something sounded, the more likely it was a lie spun by another player.
"You're lying!" Jon suddenly slammed the table, making up a new story on the spot.
"What are you talking about, Ser?" Martha looked frightened and confused.
"We're here to hunt down a fugitive who escaped from King's Landing," Jon said sharply. "He's a robber who lures knights into ambushes by pretending to issue missions!"
"Eh?" Martha blinked in confusion. "You just said you weren't busy. If you have an important task, I won't disturb you anymore."
"Not long ago, they killed a knight from House Lannister in a tavern in King's Landing," Jon Snow said, ignoring Martha's reaction. "A young knight, deeply loved by the queen."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The queen was furious. She placed a bounty on the fugitive — fifty gold dragons for his capture, and one hundred silver stags for any valuable clue."
"Oh!" Martha gasped and quickly covered her mouth.
"We tracked him all the way to this area," Jon went on. "If he came this way, it would have been today. Have you seen anyone suspicious? If you can give me a good lead, I'll share half the bounty with you."
As he spoke, Jon began placing gold dragons on the table one by one — twenty in total.
"Today, you say?" Martha's eyes lit up as she stared at the shining gold coins, swallowing hard.
"So you have seen someone?" Jon's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Oh, no, no! I haven't seen anyone like that today," Martha said quickly, though her eyes lingered on the gold with clear regret. Then she hurried to add, "But I can help you find him, Ser Lucien!"
"I know a lot of people," she said eagerly. "And my old friends know even more. Give me a little time. If that man is anywhere nearby, I can find out by noon tomorrow! Not just around here either — the whole north shore of Divine Eye Lake. If he's entered this area, I'll get a clue!"
"Oh, right," Martha suddenly remembered something. "Do you have any more details about this fugitive? Any features or marks? It would really help me track him down."
So... am I the enemy of everyone now?
Seeing Martha's reaction, Jon finally let go of his doubts and laughed coldly to himself.
If Martha had really been trained by another player, she wouldn't have hesitated to betray them for the gold dragons already lying on the table. Instead, she was still trying to help find someone by tomorrow.
Good. That meant Ser Wilder and the others weren't players either. Their plan to recruit foreign knights must be for some other reason — which meant Jon could accept their mission.
Wait a second... did I miss something?
What did Martha just say?
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