"Why must it be foreign knights?"
"I don't know the reason, but that's exactly what Ser Wylde instructed. If you're willing to take on the task, I can take you to meet them tomorrow."
"Take us to meet them?" Alarm bells rang in Ian's mind. He shot Rore a glance, signaling him to close the door.
This was far too suspicious. A knightly alliance, formed to eradicate a bandit group not even mentioned in the original story, had instructed the proprietress of the Crossroads Inn to keep an eye out for "foreign knights."
Given the nature of players appearing out of thin air, at this point in time, they would be considered "foreign knights" no matter where they went. This made Martha's entire story seem like a trap designed to lure other players.
Though it was unlikely that any player could establish such a large faction on the very first day, the so-called landed knight alliance was merely Martha's claim—Ian hadn't seen any proof of it.
Perhaps this was just a fabricated tale spun by some player setting a trap, meant to lower their targets' guard.
At Ian's signal, Rore promptly rose and shut the door.
"What? Ser Lucian?" Martha was taken aback, giving Rore a strange look. "My lords, if you have... needs, we have many fine girls here. I can wake them up right now."
"Relax, we have no interest in you or your 'fine girls,'" Ian said with a light shake of his head. "What I'm interested in are those knights you mentioned."
"Ser Wylde and his men?"
"Yes, Wylde, or whatever they call themselves," Ian shrugged. "Where are they?"
"Ser Wylde and the others? They're all at the estate of Ser Varys Wydell."
"The Wydell family's estate?" Ian was momentarily stunned. He had assumed the other party was also in this inn and had been preparing to strike first.
Unexpectedly, Martha said they weren't here and even provided a specific name.
The Wydell family was one he had heard of—a knightly house sworn to House Harrenhal of the Riverlands. Their lands were indeed not far from here. Their sigil was three white boars on a yellow field, and their house words were "Untouchable."
The Ser Varys Wydell Martha mentioned would, in the original story, later assist Catelyn Tully in arresting Tyrion Lannister at this very inn and escort them to the Vale.
"That's right. Ser Varys' estate lies on the border between the Riverlands and the Crownlands, less than half a day's ride from here," Martha quickly added.
"And when you said you'd take us to them tomorrow, you meant to their estate?"
"Exactly. Ser Wylde instructed me to gather as many foreign knights as possible within a week." Martha nodded, readily divulging everything she knew. Though she didn't understand why, she instinctively felt a sense of pressure from the knight before her.
"I hope you're not playing games with me." As he spoke, Ian pondered the possibilities.
"Games? Forgive me, my lord, I don't quite follow..."
"Do you know this Ser Wylde?"
"Of course. Ser Wylde Reg is the local lord—how could I not know him?" Martha replied hastily.
Local lord? I thought this place belonged to House Darry...
No, while historically this was House Darry's territory, after the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, much of their lands were confiscated. It seemed the crossroads had since been granted to House Reg. The original story did mention a knightly house by that name in the Riverlands.
But experience told Ian that the more plausible something sounded, the more likely it was fabricated by a player.
"You're lying!" Ian slammed the table abruptly, spinning a new tale on the spot.
"My lord, what do you mean?" Martha's face was a picture of confusion and fear.
"We're here to hunt down a fugitive who fled King's Landing—a bandit who sets traps to ambush and kill other knights under the guise of offering quests!" Ian watched Martha's reaction closely as he spoke.
"Eh?" Martha blinked. "But you just said you weren't busy... If you have other tasks, I won't disturb you further?"
"Not long ago, they murdered one of House Lannister's knights in a King's Landing tavern—a young knight beloved by the Queen," Ian continued, ignoring her. "The Queen was furious. She's offered 50 gold dragons for the fugitive's head, and 100 silver stags for any valuable leads."
"Oh!" Martha let out a sharp cry, then quickly covered her mouth.
"We tracked him to this area. If he arrived, it would've been today. Have you seen anyone like that? If you can provide truly useful information, I'll split the reward with you." As he spoke, Ian stacked 20 gold dragons one by one on the table.
"Today, you say?" Martha's eyes gleamed as she stared at the gold, swallowing hard.
"So you have seen him?" Ian narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, no, no! I haven't seen anyone like that today," Martha reluctantly tore her gaze from the gold, shaking her head in disappointment before quickly adding, "But I can help you ask around, Ser Lucian!
"I know many people—the most well-informed folks here are all old friends of mine. Give me a little time, and if they're in the area, I'll have answers for you by noon tomorrow. And not just here—I can help you search the entire northern shore of the Gods Eye! As long as they've entered this region, I can find clues!"
"Oh, oh! That's right," Martha seemed to remember something she'd overlooked. "What does the fugitive you're chasing look like? Perhaps you could describe him in more detail—it'd help me assist you better."
So I was just being overly cautious? Seeing Martha's reaction, Ian finally dismissed his suspicions and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
If Martha's earlier words had truly been fed to her by a player, she would've immediately betrayed them to claim the gold on the table—not promised to help him investigate tomorrow.
Alright, since Ser Wylde and his men aren't players, their requirement to recruit foreign knights must have some other reason, and I can safely accept their task...
Wait, hold on—did I miss the point here?
What exactly did Martha just say?
(End of Chapter)