Crossroads Inn

It was not until late at night that Ian and the others reached their destination.

Crossroads Inn stood at the intersection of the north-south Kingsroad and the east-west Riverlands Road and Vale Road. It was a three-story building with a white stone chimney.

To the north of the inn stood a thatched cowshed and a bell tower, while the entire property was enclosed by a crumbling white stone wall.

Its southern wing had been built on pilings above a patch of weeds. This patch had once been part of a tributary channel of the Green Fork River, and half the inn had stood over the water at the time. Only after the river changed course did it become what it was today.

Crossroads Inn had a long history. It was said to have been built during the reign of Jaehaerys I, the fourth monarch of the Targaryen Dynasty. Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne had once stayed here, so the inn was renamed Two Crowns Inn to commemorate that honor.

Later, after the inn changed hands, it was renamed Bell Tower Inn when a new bell tower was built.

Still later, Ser Jon Hayford acquired the inn and personally forged it a new sign—a three-headed black iron dragon. Whenever the wind blew, it rattled and rang, so the inn was renamed Rattling Dragon Inn.

The name Rattling Dragon Inn remained in use until the Blackfyre Rebellion, when the sign was torn down and the name was abandoned.

The Blackfyre Rebellion of 195 AC, note 1, was another civil war within the Targaryen family for the Iron Throne after the Dance of the Dragons.

At the time, Aegon IV the Unworthy, the eleventh king of the Targaryen Dynasty, legitimized all of his bastards before his death, granting his whole brood of highborn bastards inheritance rights.

On top of that, the good-for-nothing Aegon IV had stolen his queen from his own brother back then. He had always suspected that his wife and brother still carried a torch for each other, and to humiliate them, he had even claimed in his early years that his eldest son and heir, Daeron Targaryen, was his wife's bastard by his brother. Who the hell was that supposed to humiliate?

This led many nobles dissatisfied with the status quo to seize upon the matter after Aegon IV's death, questioning the legitimacy of his successor, Daeron II, and supporting Aegon IV's eldest bastard, Daemon Blackfyre, as king.

Of course, Daemon Blackfyre truly was exceptional. Not only was he handsome, but his fighting prowess was second to none. Those who had seen him fight called him the Warrior incarnate, note 2.

At the age of twelve, Daemon defeated every opponent in a tourney melee. Aegon IV acknowledged him as his son on the spot and knighted him—the youngest knight in the history of the Seven Kingdoms—then bestowed upon him Blackfyre, note 3, the Valyrian Steel Sword of the Targaryen family once wielded by Aegon I the Conqueror. From then on, Daemon took Blackfyre as his surname.

After launching his rebellion, Daemon Blackfyre inverted the Targaryen family's red dragon on a black field banner and chose a Black Dragon on a Red Field as his own sigil.

As a result, the inn's black dragon sign quickly drew the wrath of Earl Dary, the local lord and a loyal supporter of Daeron II. In fury, Earl Dary hacked down the black dragon sign, split it into pieces, and threw them into the river.

Later, Daemon Blackfyre was shot dead by Brynden Rivers's Raven's Teeth Guard during the Battle of Redgrass Field, and the First Blackfyre Rebellion he had launched ended in failure.

After that, the descendants of the Hayford family never put up a new sign, and the place became an unnamed inn.

People later simply called it Riverside Inn or Crossroads Inn based on its location.

In the original A Song of Ice and Fire, Crossroads Inn was a fairly important and iconic location, with many stories taking place there.

Therefore, Ian had initially guessed that there was a high probability this would be the agreed-upon meeting place for the players to form an alliance.

As they drew closer to the inn, Ian's heart gradually tightened.

Although he knew that his disguise was now flawless beyond reproach, and that the forces in his hands were enough to crush any player who had just started the game.

He was still nervous.

Because it was so late, the innkeeper and servants had likely already gone to bed. Even when Ian and the others reached the door, no servant came to open it or take their horses.

They could only knock themselves and wait for a response from inside.

About five minutes later, when Roar knocked for the third time, a woman's lazy voice finally came from within. Judging by her tone, she was clearly unhappy that someone had come seeking lodging at this hour.

As the voice drew closer, Ian heard the newcomer muttering curses under her breath.

They were not insulting curses, of course, merely petty grumbling and complaints.

The door was opened by a plump middle-aged woman. From her dreadful appearance, Ian guessed that she was Martha Hayford, the inn's proprietress.

The instant she saw the three of them, Martha's complaints came to an abrupt halt. She had never dreamed that the guests arriving so late would be three Gods-damned Knights.

The Hayford family had once had knights as well. Their ancestor Jon Hayford, who had first acquired the inn, had been a knight. But after the last knight of the Hayford family was slain in the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, they were now no different from commoners except for possessing a surname.

"Forgive me, my lords." Martha was badly frightened by her earlier grumbling. Just as she did not know how to explain herself, Ian spoke and ended her embarrassment.

"Prepare an empty large room for us, along with the finest wine and food you have," Ian ordered directly, as though he had never heard Martha's complaints.

"Yes, my lords. Please wait a moment." Martha breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed. She then gestured for the maid, who had only now belatedly emerged, to lead Ian and the others to their room.

Though Martha did not understand why these knights did not want private rooms with beds, instead choosing a shared large room usually meant for lower-class people, where more than a dozen or even twenty straw mats could be laid out on the floor.

She also knew it was not her place to ask. After giving the maid her instructions, she hurried off to wake the kitchen hands and have them light the stove.

Led by the maid, Ian and the others arrived at their room. At this hour, nearly every fire in the inn had been extinguished, and there was no one in the hall. If Ian wanted to determine whether any other players had arrived, he would have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest.

Ian paid the maid out of his own pocket for two oil lamps. After hanging them in the room, the entire place brightened up.

Though it was called a large room, it was not large at all.

Twelve straw mats arranged neatly in two rows occupied more than ninety percent of the room, leaving only a narrow gap down the middle wide enough for one person to pass through as a makeshift aisle.

Notes: 1. This refers to the First Blackfyre Rebellion launched by Daemon Blackfyre. Afterward, Daemon's descendants launched a total of five Blackfyre Rebellions, including the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

2. The Warrior was one of the Seven Gods in the religion of Westeros. He symbolized strength and victory and was depicted as an adult man holding a sword.

3. Valyrian Steel was a type of steel infused with Fire magic. It was light, extraordinarily sharp, and forged by the people of Old Valyria.