The corpse of Ser Andar Royce lay not far away, blood still gushing from the wound on his neck, staining the cobblestones beneath his feet an ominous crimson.
His eyes, wide open in death, stared straight up at the sky.
As if silently questioning the Seven Gods.
Why was the end of honor such a vile death?
Edmure was trembling all over, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, making soft "clacking" sounds.
He wanted to beg for mercy, to say he would obey any command, just to survive.
But just then, the words from his father's letter seemed to sear into his mind.
[Edmure, remember our motto.]
[Family, Duty, Honor.]
[Do not let the banners of House Tully be stained with the blood of the innocent.]
Edmure's gaze slowly shifted from the young, lifeless face of Ser Andar Royce to the face of his sister, twisted by madness.
Family?
For the sake of a dead man, she was willing to put her own brother to death, forcing the entire family to pay the price for her insanity.
Duty?
As the Mistress of the Vale, she personally murdered a sworn vassal loyal to her, merely to establish authority.
Honor?
With the basest sneak attack and betrayal, she defiled House Tully and House Arryn, trampling honor beneath her filthy feet.
Edmure suddenly stopped shaking.
The chill that originated in his bones was replaced by a hotter emotion.
It was rage.
The rage of being deceived.
The rage of a relative being harmed.
And the rage of House Tully's dignity being trampled!
He, Edmure Tully.
He had been a useless failure his entire life.
He couldn't shoot straight, he wasn't good at fighting, and he wasn't particularly clever.
He had always lived under his father's harshness and the shadow of others' brilliance.
But now, he was the lord of riverrun.
He was the legitimate heir upon whom his father had placed his final hopes in his dying words.
He could not allow his father's final wishes to be tarnished.
He could not let the trout banner of House Tully be shamed in his hands!
"Kill me then."
Edmure's voice was quiet, even carrying a hint of fear, but every word was crystal clear.
Clearly, he had made up his mind.
Edmure met Lysa's astonished eyes.
"What are you?"
"A shameless whore!"
"Even if I die, Riverrun will not be ruled by you!"
"Do you think everyone in House Tully is as foolish as you?"
Edmure straightened his back.
In that moment, Lysa seemed to see the shadow of "The Blackfish" Brynden in him.
"After I die, Brynden Tully will inherit Riverrun."
"He is still a Tully, and the most valiant warrior in the The Riverlands."
"He will avenge me, he will avenge Ser Andar Royce, and he will avenge all the innocents you have harmed!"
"He will lead House Tully's vassals to drive you and your deluded knights of the Vale completely out of our lands!"
"Lysa, you will face the wrath of the entire The Riverlands! The full wrath of your uncle!"
"Just wait for your death!"
Edmure practically roared the last sentence.
He felt more powerful than ever before.
The fear of death was no longer so terrifying in the face of his resolve to protect his family's honor.
He was ready.
To use his death to ignite the flames of vengeance.
Since Lysa arrived at Riverrun, Hoster had died, and if he followed Hoster's footsteps, Lysa would certainly become the primary suspect.
The Tully motto was everyone's first impression.
Family always comes first, that was something even a seven-year-old knew.
No matter how vicious a person was, surely they wouldn't commit patricide?
How much of an animal must one be to commit such a heinous act!
Even the maester had noticed that something was wrong.
It was just that because Lysa was Hoster's youngest daughter, the maester dared not consider that possibility.
Not only did the maester not dare to think about it, but no one had considered it at all.
Even the deceased Hoster himself never imagined that his own daughter would deliberately smother him!
As a father, who would deliberately guard against his own daughter?
If he had known Lysa would be so wicked, he would never have allowed her the chance to be alone with him.
He thought Lysa had something important to discuss, dismissed the servants, and that moment of carelessness resulted in his death.
One could only say that Hoster blindly believed that his teachings to his children would work.
Edmure thought.
If he died, and that death deepened everyone's suspicion of Lysa, then everyone would fully see her true face.
Sacrifice himself to save the family.
This trade was truly worthwhile.
However, contrary to Edmure's expectation, Lysa did not fly into a rage as he had imagined.
She merely stared at him blankly, as if looking at some strange new species.
A few seconds later.
"Heh..."
A soft chuckle escaped Lysa's lips.
Immediately afterward, she burst into loud laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.
The laughter was sharp, grating, and filled with undisguised mockery and pity.
"Hahahaha... My foolish brother..."
"I didn't realize you had such backbone."
"It seems my words just now didn't frighten you."
"I underestimated you. You've grown up; you've changed a lot since childhood."
Lysa laughed until she bent over, tears streaming down her face.
"Your uncle? Brynden Tully?"
"Do you think I would truly fear that stubborn old man?"
"Do you think that if you die, he will smoothly inherit Riverrun, and then lead those 'loyal' vassals you speak of to seek vengeance on me?"
Lysa straightened up, looking at Edmure with the eyes of someone watching an idiot.
"Edmure, when will you finally grow up a little?"
"Do you still think this is a heroic epic sung by a traveling bard?"
"Where the righteous knight ultimately defeats the evil sorcerer?"
"So naive."
The smile slowly faded from Lysa's face.
It was replaced by an eerie expression that sent shivers down Edmure's spine.
"Did you think I would travel all this way to Riverrun without making any preparations?"
"Edmure, my dear brother."
"If you had been afraid of death just now and agreed to my demands, you might not have had to suffer what comes next."
"After all, you are my own brother. If you were obedient, I would have less trouble."
"But you insist on being so defiant."
"In that case, don't blame your sister for being heartless."
"This is all your own doing."
Lysa raised her hand and clapped twice softly.
*Clap. Clap.*
The crisp sound of the clapping was jarringly loud on the quiet riverbank.
A rustling sound came from the woods behind them.
Edmure subconsciously looked over, his heart sinking violently.
Over a dozen knights escorted an old man who slowly emerged from the trees.
The old man was gaunt, his back hunched, and he wore a luxurious robe embroidered with the twin towers sigil.
On his face, which resembled dried orange peel, a pair of small eyes glittered with cunning and greed.
Even from a distance, Edmure seemed to smell the decaying odor of age and conspiracy clinging to him.
Walder Frey.
lord of riverrun.
The wealthiest, most sprawling, and most despised lord in the The Riverlands.
Why was he despised by everyone?
Because during the War of the Usurper, Walder Frey's army was the same as Tywin Lannister's.
He only arrived late to the battlefield after the rebels had won the decisive Battle of the Trident River.
His liege lord, Hoster Tully, therefore called him "The Late Lord Frey."
This clearly mocking and insulting nickname spread, and Walder resented it to this day.
Even though Hoster was now dead, he still had not forgotten the humiliation Hoster inflicted on him.
If Lynn had been present, he would certainly have known.
Even in the early stages of the War of Five Kings.
Edmure Tully had already rallied his vassals to fully support Robb Stark's march south to attack King's Landing, but only Lord Walder remained silent, once again slow to answer the summons, just as before.
Because The Twins's strategic position was crucial, and the northern army had to pass through it for supplies, Robb was forced to negotiate with Walder, promising a marriage alliance in exchange for support.
Old Walder was calculating, vengeful, and a true petty man!
Unfortunately, Robb, blinded by love, broke his oath.
This caused the already petty Walder Frey to defect directly to the enemy.
This ultimately led to the Red Wedding, and House Stark's complete descent into decline.
Walder Frey?
Why was he here?!
Edmure's mind instantly went blank.
A thought more terrifying than Lysa abruptly surfaced in his mind.
Old Frey ignored the corpse on the riverbank and the tense atmosphere.
He simply walked slowly over to Lysa.
His cloudy old eyes brazenly swept over Lysa's body, which was still full of feminine charm, and a repulsive smile spread across his lips.
"Heh heh, my good lady, it seems you've settled everything?"
His voice was old and raspy.
"Of course."
Lysa seemed completely unfazed by his rudeness, even casting him a flirtatious look.
"Now, it's time for you to fulfill your promise, Lord Frey."
"Promise?"
Old Frey let out a high-pitched laugh.
"The men of House Frey never default on anything, and they never let go of anything that belongs to us."
His gaze finally fell upon the dumbfounded Edmure.
The look was not that of gazing upon a lord, but rather inspecting livestock ready for slaughter.
"This kind of trash inheriting Riverrun?"
"He is far worse than his father."
Old Frey smacked his lips, making no attempt to hide his disdain.
"It doesn't matter, though. As long as he is obedient, Riverrun will still be his—at least outwardly."
Edmure was utterly stunned.
Lysa... she had actually conspired with Walder Frey!
What exactly did she promise this old creature?
Could it be... "You... you sold Riverrun to him?!"
Edmure shrieked in disbelief.
"Sold?"
Lysa scoffed.
"Don't use such ugly words, brother."
"We call this cooperation."
"Lord Frey will fully support me."
"And I,"
Lysa's eyes glittered with greed.
"Will have my son, the legitimate heir to the Vale, Robert Arryn, marry one of Lord Frey's granddaughters."
Edmure felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the top of his head.
He understood.
He understood everything.
This was not simple revenge at all.
This was a complete and utter conspiracy!
A massive plot aimed at overthrowing the entire The Riverlands, including the rule of House Tully!
Through the marriage alliance, Lysa gained the support of House Frey.
House Frey was the most powerful vassal in the The Riverlands.
Their defection was enough to plunge the entire The Riverlands into division and civil war.
And House Frey, through this marriage, would extend their reach into the isolated Vale!
Their descendants would possess "House Arryn blood," and also the right to inherit The Eyrie!
In this way, from now on, outwardly it would still be the The Riverlands and the Vale.
But secretly, the two powers would be a single entity!
Madmen!
These two were absolute lunatics!
If Edmure knew that Robert Arryn's blood contained none of Jon's lineage, he would be even more shocked!
Now, his trusted uncle Brynden, and the vassals of House Tully he relied upon... all seemed so fragile before the behemoth that was House Frey.
This was all because Hoster's severe illness had caused power to continuously slip away.
House Tully now was nothing more than a hollow shell, impressive only in appearance.
Once war broke out, the The Riverlands would run with blood.
And the ultimate victors would only be these two devils standing before him!
"Now, my foolish brother,"
Lysa walked up to him, looking down at him with the smile of a victor.
"Do you still think your death can achieve anything?"
"Do you still believe I would let you die so easily?"
"If you die, my good uncle will naturally inherit Riverrun."
"But, as long as you live, he has no claim to the inheritance, and he will never be the legitimate heir!"
"Did you truly think I was foolish enough to let you die so easily?"
Lysa reached out and gently stroked Edmure's cheek, just as she had when he was a child.
"You will live. I will ensure you live well."
"I want you to witness my ultimate victory."
"Lord Walder has already prepared an ambush."
"If you do not cooperate, he will give the order, and the men of House Tully, completely unprepared, perhaps even sleeping naked, will be hacked to pieces by fully armored and armed Frey soldiers."
"Please do not question his strength; you know this well."
"Therefore, you will yield."
"You will announce an alliance with me, in your capacity as the lord of riverrun."
"You will call upon all the vassals to join our united forces."
"And then..."
Lysa's smile became sweeter, but her words grew more venomous.
"You will also welcome a magnificent wedding."
She turned sideways and glanced at the leering Old Frey behind her.
"Lord Frey has so many lovely and beautiful daughters and granddaughters; surely one of them is worthy of you, my dear brother."
"You will become the most glorious son-in-law of House Frey, dedicating everything you have to the alliance between our two families."
"I truly didn't want this."
"House Tully is still my home, after all. If you cooperate, House Tully will not only have knights fighting for me, but it will also be easier to summon the other vassals."
"Killing all of you does me no good whatsoever."
"So, brother, you must be obedient, cooperate with me, and make House Tully fight for me."
"By the Seven Above, I promise that after the victory, I will forgive you all."
Edmure Tully felt as if he could hear the sound of his own heart shattering.
Killing a man, and crushing his spirit too?
Lysa's conspiracy with House Frey was likely fully prepared and ready.
While House Tully was entirely unprepared!
If he refused to cooperate, Lysa would throw caution to the wind and slaughter House Tully completely!
But if he cooperated with Lysa, then the Tullys might still survive.
He knew Lysa had no credibility, but his life was currently in her hands. Did he have a choice?
He knew that at this point, House Tully was already a name without substance.
Whether he cooperated or not, House Tully was finished!
Afterward, he would be controlled by Lysa and Walder, slandered and defamed at their whim.
In the future, he would even bear the infamy of patricide, treason, or inviting the wolf into the fold.
Becoming the eternal shame of House Tully.
He would watch helplessly as his home was divided by these two devils, watching his people wail in the flames of war, yet be powerless to stop it.
Although Edmure was foolish, he still cared deeply for his smallfolk.
"No... No!!"
Edmure let out a desperate roar.
A look of fierce determination flashed in his eyes.
There was still a chance now!
If Lysa died, all the conspiracies would fall apart!
Edmure, like a cornered beast, suddenly broke free from his bonds when Ser Vadis was not paying attention, and lunged toward Lysa.
He was going to kill this monster!
Even if he died, he would drag her down to the Seven Hells with him!
However, before he could reach Lysa, a sword hilt smashed heavily into the back of his head.
*Thud!*
The world instantly plunged into darkness.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, he heard Walder Frey's gleeful, high-pitched laughter.
"Heh heh, it seems our new lord needs to learn some manners..."
"Don't worry, Lysa, I'll make sure he gets used to his new role."
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