Game of Thrones: Knight’s Honor

Lynd was immediately taken aback upon hearing Nymeria's explanation. He had never imagined that she would possess such formidable power.

However, it didn't take long for him to sense that something was amiss. If Nymeria was truly that strong, how could she allow bandits to run rampant in the area? Moreover, why would she require the protection of troops sent by her father to secure Tumbleton?

Realizing the inconsistencies, Lynd mulled it over briefly before discerning the trap in Nymeria's words. With a mix of exasperation and amusement, he glanced at Nymeria, who had turned her face away to avoid meeting his gaze.

"My lady," he said, "may I ask if all 37 villages in your territory are truly under your control? Forget about conscripting soldiers—can you even collect taxes from those villages?"

Nymeria coughed awkwardly to mask her embarrassment before responding with a touch of defiance. "Those villages have severed ties with Tumbleton because of the bandits. They're not under my control at the moment, but once the bandits are dealt with, they'll inevitably fall back under my command."

"So, to put it plainly," Lynd said, directly addressing the matter, "it's not you leading troops to assist me in suppressing the bandits. Rather, it's me leading troops to help you recover your lost territory?" He couldn't help but chuckle. "May I ask, my lady, was this your plan all along?"

"Yes." Now that her intent had been exposed, Nymeria saw no point in continuing the charade. She nodded and said, "In truth, this strategy will also benefit you, Ser Lynd. It's not just me who stands to gain."

"Go on," Lynd said, gesturing for her to elaborate.

Nymeria asked, "Ser Lynd, are you familiar with how the Kingsguard eradicated the Kingswood Brotherhood?"

"Yes," Lynd replied with a nod.

"At first, the Kingsguard struggled to eliminate the Kingswood Brotherhood," Nymeria explained. "The primary reason was that the villages around the Kingswood provided them with shelter and supplies. In essence, those villages served as the Brotherhood's logistical base. Eventually, the Kingsguard altered their strategy. They began targeting the villages, winning them over with bribes and concessions. Once the villages stopped supporting the Kingswood Brotherhood, the Brotherhood was quickly wiped out."

"You're suggesting that the villages here are similar," Lynd surmised. "They provide shelter and resources to the bandits operating in this territory?"

"Not only that," Nymeria said with a wry smile, her tone betraying a hint of discomfort at the state of her domain. "Some of the villagers may seem like ordinary farmers, but as soon as they spot a caravan, they turn into bandits." Despite her embarrassment, she pressed on. "If you want to eliminate the bandits in this region, you'll inevitably have to confront those bandit villages. My involvement won't hinder that effort—it will lend it legitimacy."

Nymeria's argument was undeniably compelling, and for the moment, Lynd found himself unable to refute her reasoning.

After a moment of thought, Lynd extended his hand toward Nymeria and said, "I don't think I have any reason to refuse this kind of cooperation, my lady."

Nymeria revealed a slightly smug smile, shook Lynd's hand, and replied, "In that case, we have an agreement."

Lynd nodded. "Yes, we have an agreement. Of course, if you need to sign an oath contract with me, you can."

"No need! I never believe in oaths," Nymeria said with disdain.

The two discussed the general direction of their cooperation further. After confirming the key issue—that Lynd would take the lead in the anti-bandit operation—they left the follow-up details to Nymeria's Maester and Lynd's steward to finalize.

Upon returning from the watchtower to the camp in the ruins, Lynd relayed the details of his discussion with Nymeria to his subordinates. Although the decision had already been made, he wanted to hear their thoughts.

Bryn Rivers couldn't help but exclaim, "This Lady Nymeria is truly extraordinary. I can see the shadow of Lady Shella Whent of Harrenhal in her. Both come from fallen noble houses, and both are doing everything they can to keep their houses going."

Raul and Scar-Eyed Mitt, less familiar with high-level politics, instinctively felt the arrangement would be beneficial to them.

Bert, however, after a moment of thought, said, "I don't think all the thirty-seven villages Lady Nymeria mentioned are east of the Mander River. There should be quite a few west of the Mander River that are nominally part of Tumbleton. Now that Lord Tywin's army is operating there, if we help her recover those villages, we'll inevitably clash with Lord Tywin's forces. Wouldn't that defeat your original purpose?"

Hearing Bert's analysis, Lynd frowned, and everyone else fell into deep thought.

After a while, Bert spoke again. "In fact, we don't need to worry too much about the villages west of the Mander River."

"What do you mean? Are you saying we should abandon those villages and let the Westerlands take them?" Raul asked, clearly displeased.

"Of course not," Bert replied, shaking his head. "We should focus on dealing with the bandits east of the Mander River and the villages that have broken away from Lord Nymeria's control. Once we've recovered those villages, we can ask Lady Nymeria to write an open letter of thanks to Highgarden, praising them for sending Ser Lynd to help Tumbleton fight off the bandits and retake her villages. She could also mention, in passing, that the Westerlands' army is occupying the villages west of the Mander River, which are lands belonging to The Reach."

"I see!" Bryn exclaimed, his expression brightening with understanding. "You want to force Highgarden to take action."

Bert shook his head, about to clarify, but Lynd interjected, seemingly grasping Bert's intent. "No, he's not forcing Highgarden to take action directly. He's forcing them to write an accusation letter to the Iron Throne."

Bert nodded with a smile.

For any noble, entering another Lord's territory without authorization and occupying villages is a serious transgression. If done secretly, it might pass unnoticed, but being openly caught changes everything. Once Highgarden sends a formal complaint to the Iron Throne, even Lord Tywin, with all his power, won't escape the condemnation of the other six kingdoms. In the end, he'll be forced to recall his troops and relinquish control of the villages. The only remaining question would be the condition of the villages upon their return.

Given Lord Tywin's character, he would undoubtedly prefer to destroy the villages completely rather than relinquish them.

However, this outcome would not be entirely disadvantageous for Nymeria. Those villages had been beyond Tumbleton's control for many years, and the villagers had long since grown alienated from Tumbleton. Even if the villages were reclaimed, it would require significant time and effort to regain their loyalty—if such loyalty could be regained at all. After all, these villagers had grown accustomed to not paying taxes, and reintegration under Tumbleton's rule would inevitably impose taxation upon them.

If Lord Tywin were to render the villages desolate, leaving only the land, Nymeria could recruit free folk to settle and farm the land. These new settlers would be more likely to pledge their loyalty, having received a fresh start.

Nymeria would not be the only one to benefit from such an arrangement; Lynd, too, would gain a stable source of recruits for his forces.

In the days that followed, Nymeria led the hundred villagers she had selected to train alongside Lynd's cavalry patrols outside the ruined camp, as per their agreement.

The training itself was straightforward: the cavalry patrols focused on mounted combat and archery, targeting enemies from a distance and breaking their morale. When the enemy lines collapsed, Nymeria's warriors would charge in to finish the fight.

Though Nymeria's soldiers had been mere farmers not long ago, they were far from weak. Nymeria had deliberately trained them in the sword-and-shield techniques of the continent of Essos. While they lacked combat experience, they had already developed skills that set them apart as warriors.

After completing several rounds of cooperative training, Lynd arranged for actual combat drills involving his cavalry patrols and Nymeria's soldiers.

Interestingly, in one-on-one duels, Lynd's cavalry patrols easily defeated Nymeria's soldiers. However, when the numbers increased to teams of ten on each side, the outcome changed dramatically. Working together, Nymeria's soldiers utilized their sword-and-shield techniques to form effective battle formations, overwhelming Lynd's cavalry—provided the cavalry were dismounted and unequipped with bows.

The performance of Nymeria's soldiers was a pleasant surprise for Lynd. The challenge now lay in determining the best way to leverage Nymeria and her forces effectively.

Nymeria's contributions extended beyond the battlefield. Her knowledge of the region proved invaluable to Lynd. As the Lord of her domain, she had a clear understanding of her territory, providing detailed intelligence on the activities of thief gangs, mountain villages, and barbarian tribes. She even identified potential allies among the thieves and mountain people, though she classified the wildling tribes as entirely non-negotiable.

On this point, Lynd disagreed. While Nymeria was intelligent, well-educated, and a capable Lord, her view of the wildlings mirrored that of other noble Lords in the Seven Kingdoms—seeing them as little more than beasts.

As an outsider, Lynd understood the wildlings far better. He knew they were not inherently unapproachable. In fact, the wildling tribes that had resided in the south for extended periods were not only communicative but also open to being hired. Years later, the Imp himself would employ a wildling army on behalf of Lord Tywin.

In Lynd's opinion, a fully tamed wildling tribe might even be more reliable than ordinary hired soldiers. Wildlings, despite their stubbornness, were less likely to betray their leaders once their loyalty was secured.

After learning of Lynd's intention to conquer the wildling tribes, Nymeria looked at him with a strange expression. Bryn, Raul, and Scar-Eyed also revealed odd expressions, while Bert appeared thoughtful.

"Bert, it seems you have a different opinion?" Lynd asked, noticing Bert's reaction.

Everyone turned their attention to Bert, as his recent actions had earned their respect and acceptance.

"Yes, my lord," Bert nodded. "In fact, I spent some time with a wildling tribe a few years ago. At the time, I had injured my leg and was abandoned in the forest by my companions. If not for that wildling tribe, who saved me and cared for me until I healed, I might have died."

He glanced at Nymeria. "I think the outside world is too discriminatory toward the wildling tribes. If you trace the ancestors of the great nobles and Lords of the Seven Kingdoms, they all originated from wildling tribes. The wildlings are no different from us. I believe your idea of reconquering them is feasible."

Lynd nodded, then turned to Nymeria. "Lady Nymeria, do you know where the nearest wildling tribe is?"

"Although I still doubt that the wildling tribes can be conquered, I have no objection if you want to try," Nymeria replied after some thought.

"If you follow the Mander River upstream, there's a place called Buttock Ridge. A wildling tribe is based there. They migrated from the Riverlands over a decade ago and now number around 3,000. They typically fish and hunt for a living and rarely attack the surrounding villages. If you must choose a tribe to recover, they would be a good starting point."

"I know that wildling tribe," Bert added. "We passed near them during the previous march. Their warriors were watching us from the trees on both sides of the line, but I couldn't determine their exact numbers."

"If you plan to approach the wildling tribes, you should take Glory with you," Nymeria suggested, pointing at the Shadowcat lounging at Lynd's feet. She laughed. "Many wildling tribes worship the Shadowcat, and yours is so unique that, with some effort, it might even be revered as a holy spirit by the tribes."

Though Nymeria's words were partly in jest, they reminded Lynd of Glory's potential in influencing the wildlings.

Glory had grown significantly since leaving King's Landing. Standing on all fours, its back now reached Lynd's waist, making it comparable in size to an adult Shadowcat. Its growth showed no signs of stopping, and Lynd couldn't predict how large it would become.

Lynd had entertained the idea of riding Glory in the future, but the Shadowcat strongly resisted being ridden, even by him.

While Glory could play a critical role in the effort to recover the wildling tribes, Lynd decided against taking it immediately. The current Glory wasn't yet intimidating enough.

Lynd could sense that, after absorbing the energy of the vengeful spirits from the ruins of Old Tumbleton, Glory would soon undergo another period of growth. Based on past experiences, this phase would last around ten days.

By then, Glory would likely exceed the normal size of a Shadowcat. Coupled with its ability to alter the black-and-white stripes on its body, Lynd believed that Glory's appearance would leave a lasting impression on the wildling tribes.