The Riverlands, Stone Hedge.
The banner of House Bracken depicted a red stallion upon a golden shield on a brown field.
House Bracken, Lord's Solar.
The Lord's solar was located on the third floor of the complex stone keep, where a fire burned brightly in the hearth.
The room was spacious and airy, with high ceilings supported by great beams of yellow oak.
The walls were covered in Myrish tapestries, and a pair of wide lattice doors opened toward the godswood.
Through the thick, diamond-shaped red glass panes of the doors, one could see the godswood of Stone Hedge.
The godswood here contained only ordinary trees; there were no weirwoods.
In the Riverlands, House Blackwood was likely the only house that still kept faith with the Old Gods.
Although House Hoare, the original builders of Harrenhal, also had some connection to them.
Lord Jonos Bracken pushed aside the map of the Riverlands on his desk, studying it again and again.
Lord Bracken was a burly man with a brown beard and brown eyes.
He had thick shoulders and arms, looking like a powerful blacksmith.
But he had no son, a fact that caused him great regret.
Lord Jonos had a bastard son and a nephew, but neither was a legitimate heir.
His gaze was fixed primarily on the lands of House Bracken and House Blackwood.
The territories of the two houses were adjacent, with the Red Fork and another small river, the Widows' Wash, flowing quietly between them.
Surrounding these lands, the two families had engaged in countless disputes.
The most recent dispute occurred during the reign of the Mad King.
When Tywin was settling a border dispute between the two houses, he favored the Blackwoods. But the Mad King, wishing to show he was different from Tywin, went over the Hand's head and awarded the disputed mill to House Bracken.
This was one of the reasons House Blackwood was furious with the Iron Throne; they were practically relatives, yet the King deliberately disgusted them.
"Looking at those lands again?" Lady Bracken asked.
Lord Jonos Bracken nodded. "Those lands, those lands rightfully belong to our family."
Lord Jonos craved all the territory on the eastern bank of the Widows' Wash, from Crossbow Ridge to Rutting Meadow, and every island in the river.
These lands currently belonged to House Blackwood. If House Bracken could seize them, it would expand their territory by nearly a quarter.
Specifically, this included Maize Mill, Lord's Mill, the ruins of Muddy Hall, Ravish Field, Battle Valley, Oldforge, Buckle, Blackbuckle, Cairns, Claypool, Mudgrave Market, Wasp Wood, Lorgen's Wood, Greenhill, the Teats, Honeytree, and all the hives.
House Blackwood called the Teats "Missy's Teats," while House Bracken called them "Barba's Teats."
Barba Bracken and Melissa Blackwood had both been mistresses to King Aegon IV, the Unworthy.
Obviously, the Unworthy loved the latter more in the end.
Barba was the mother of Bittersteel; Melissa was the mother of Bloodraven.
Between the Teats lay a village that had been a royal fief since 200 AC, a village directly under the crown.
This village was called Pennytree. Ser Arlan of Pennytree was a very old hedge knight, the master and mentor of Ser Duncan the Tall.
Lord Jonos toyed with the map. "No matter what I do, I cannot surpass Tytos Blackwood in Hoster's eyes. Since that is the case, I must consider my options carefully."
Lord Jonos rubbed his forehead. "That old trout Hoster pretends to be impartial between me and Tytos. In reality, he relies more on him. Does he think I can't see it?"
"Lord Hoster is a good man. We could introduce our daughter to young Master Edmure," Lady Bracken said with a pout.
"Shut your mouth, you foolish woman. Hoster has already played our family for fools twice. Do you think your daughter can marry into Riverrun? Don't be stupid; the old trout's standards are high. I think the successful marriages of his two daughters have gone to his head, and he is determined to find an equally prestigious match for his son. Old Lord Frey once proposed marrying his daughter to Edmure, but he was ruthlessly rejected. The old man hates him to this day. Is House Frey not wealthier than our family?" Jonos sneered.
Although they were upstarts, in terms of financial power and wealth, both Frey and Whent were superior to other houses.
House Frey could mobilize a massive number of troops in the original story, while Jonos only led five hundred men to besiege Raventree Hall after the great war.
Hoster had played House Bracken twice: first with the Blackfish's marriage, and second with Edmure's marriage.
Based on Jonos's understanding of Hoster, Hoster would only seek advantageous marriages, aiming for great lords as glorious as his two sons-in-law.
"Alright then." Jonos's wife sighed, then questioned, "Harrenhal is wealthy, but that place is haunted; it's easy to lose one's life there. And House Whent was fined a huge sum by the Iron Throne not long ago."
"I know all that, of course." Lord Jonos smoothed out the wrinkles on the map, then voiced his thoughts.
"House Whent lost a lot of money, but their development momentum is strong, and they are currently earning money to recover. What I care more about is that kid, Arthur Whent. He is young, handsome, and full of vitality; he is no ordinary person. Looking around the Riverlands, it is hard to find such a young talent. By comparison, Master Edmure is a fool with few strengths, performing mediocrely in the tourney grounds. Even if we cannot secure a marriage, we should befriend such a character. As for the curse of Harrenhal, from what I saw of Arthur Whent last time, he doesn't look like a man destined for a short life."
"Is he really that good?"
"I am not a fool; I have been a soldier for decades," Lord Jonos said with certainty. "You can wait and see; Arthur Whent will surely shine in the tourney grounds."
Lord Jonos naturally didn't consider that Tywin would one day march his armies and burn and destroy both his and House Blackwood's castles and lands.
Jonos currently only considered the value of marriage alliances and winning over young talents.
Lord Jonos and Lord Tytos operated very differently.
Lord Blackwood valued honor more; in the original story, after the Young Wolf died, Riverrun and Raventree Hall were the last places to hold up the direwolf banner.
Lord Jonos, on the other hand, was smoother and swayed with the wind; he wouldn't bleed for dead men and failed causes.
After the Red Wedding, he quickly surrendered to the Lannisters and Freys.
---
Greenhand Manor. Aside from sword and shield combat, Arthur was also learning spearmanship.
Arthur wielded a long spear, with Ser Lucas Dayne as his opponent.
Dornish spears were also famous.
Dornish throwers were a typical unit type, and the Red Viper's spear, which had yet to be seen, could be said to be unparalleled in the world.
Roote and Wode watched nervously from the side.
Roote and Wode felt dazzled; in training with sword, spear, axe, and morningstar, the talent and strength Arthur displayed left them far behind.
The two men exchanged blows, their spears darting in and out like snake tongues.
In sword skills, Arthur grew rapidly.
But Ser Lucas's seasoned spear technique still put Arthur at a disadvantage.
Arthur raised his shield, and Ser Lucas's spear drew a long line across it.
Arthur seized the opportunity to counterattack, his spear thrusting straight at Ser Lucas's midsection from an incredible angle, forcing Ser Lucas to retreat.
The two fought for a long time, and finally, Ser Lucas won by a small margin.
In terms of spear technique, the time it took for Ser Lucas to defeat Arthur was getting longer and longer, and Arthur's skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
"It seems I have to bring out my fiercest, most violent, most aggressive attacks—all the skills I have at the bottom of the box," Ser Lucas said to Arthur.
"I am also just a bit short." Arthur put away his spear, his muscles aching from the battle.
But his recovery was strong, and he craved stronger opponents.
"Not much short now. How old are you, and I am a grown man and a veteran," Ser Lucas laughed.
Arthur was undoubtedly a genius warrior.
Genius warriors often had a characteristic: they seemed born for battle.
Talented from a young age, possessing combat power beyond their years and numbers.
Like Maegor the Cruel and Daemon Blackfyre, the "Warrior Incarnate."
At twelve, Maegor could already defeat youths four or five years older than him and mercilessly teach experienced veterans a lesson in the yard.
And Daemon Blackfyre also defeated all the squires in the tourney grounds at the age of twelve.
"Before, the strongest man in Harrenhal was Harwin 'Breakbones' Strong, the strongest man in Westeros at the time. Looking at it now, you might surpass him," Ser Lucas said with great satisfaction.
Although a great teacher produces a brilliant student, the student's talent and hard work were also crucial.
The Harwin that Ser Lucas mentioned was rumored to be Rhaenyra Targaryen's secret lover.
Some believed he was the biological father of Rhaenyra's first three children—Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey.
One could only say that the families of Harrenhal had style; they had served as Hand of the King and had affairs with the Crown Princess.