"Robb, although the Imp is looked down on by House Lannister, he is still one of their own.
If you recruit him, isn't that like inviting a hungry lion into a sheep pen?"
Watching Tyrion and the others leave, Theon was the first to lose his patience.
"Heh. He didn't agree, did he? Have people spread the word about this."
"So you weren't sincerely trying to recruit him after all. I understand. I'll take care of it now."
I was sincere, and I hoped he'd agree. What a shame!
Watching Theon's expression relax, Robb sighed inwardly.
Outside the Great Hall, Yoren hurried over to Tyrion, who was walking with his head bowed in thought. "Lord Eddard's son is no simple man! I could tell he was serious when he tried to recruit you just now.
You've always been looked down on. Shouldn't you be happy that someone values your talents?"
"Mm, I could tell he was sincere too. That's exactly why I can't be happy!
I can't shake the feeling that there's more to this than meets the eye. He seemed to know me very well. Just now, he even said with certainty that he'd be my best option when I reached the end of my rope.
The North will surely prosper under his rule. But whether that's good or bad for the other six kingdoms, I can't say!"
Tyrion murmured pensively, then scratched his head, troubled by his lack of information, and said to Yoren,
"Ah, why are we thinking so hard about all this? Let the noble lords play their power games. We'll go enjoy the adult games we like.
Heh heh. I said I'd treat you well at the Black Castle. Come on, Lord Yoren!"
That day in Winterfell, a dozen ravens flew off with letters bound for various places. The workers in the brothels received another generous reward in silver stags, while the common folk in Winterfell Market went about their lives as usual.
In King's Landing, Ser Rodrik rode slowly into the crowd. He passed through the Old Gate, ancient and weathered, narrow and congested.
Entering King's Landing again after so long, Ser Rodrik looked at the bustling crowd and halted his horse in the middle of the street, wondering how he might find Lord Eddard and report the situation discreetly.
"Ser Rodrik, Lord Eddard sent me to tell you to come with me to meet him!"
A soldier wearing a golden-dyed, thick woolen robe beneath black armor rode up to him and spoke in a low voice.
Hmm?
Looking at the City Watch soldier—commonly known as a Gold Cloak—Rodrik asked quietly, still unsure. "The Hand of the King, Lord Eddard?"
The soldier nodded to confirm, then turned his horse and led the way. Rodrik thought for a moment before riding after him.
They hadn't gone far left from the Old Gate when they turned onto Street of Silk, the famous red-light district.
The street was lined with brothels of every sort, from high-class to low-class. Young sex workers in sheer garments stood along both sides, displaying their shapely figures without a care.
Ser Rodrik had seen every kind of thing in his many years. His face impassive and eyes straight ahead, he followed the soldier leading the way.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of a high-class brothel, a two-story building made of stone.
They walked openly through the front entrance, and the soldier leading them stopped outside a room on the second floor.
Rodrik pushed open the door and found Lord Eddard waiting in the lavishly decorated, exotic-looking room with a handsome, refined middle-aged man.
"Lord Eddard, Lord Baelish, Lady Catelyn asked me to..."
Rodrik greeted the two men as soon as he saw them. He knew the middle-aged man beside Eddard: Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin.
"Catelyn asked Lord Baelish to help arrange for us to meet here."
Eddard glanced at Baelish beside him and explained briefly.
Rodrik, who had served Eddard for a long time, knew very well that his lord disliked Baelish.
"Lady Catelyn didn't mention this when I set out."
Rodrik nodded at that, though he sounded a little puzzled.
"Ravens are faster than people. I only received Catelyn's letter a few days ago. I couldn't possibly refuse her request!"
Baelish paid no mind to Eddard's expression and spoke with a smile.
"All right. What did Catelyn want you to do?"
Eddard had no desire to stay in the same room with Baelish any longer, so he asked directly.
"Lord Eddard, someone used a Valyrian steel dagger to try to murder Brandon.
So Lady Catelyn thinks Brandon's fall from the Broken Tower wasn't an accident."
In response to the question, Rodrik spoke plainly.
"An attempt on Brandon's life? ... A dagger made of Valyrian steel is extremely rare. It should be fairly easy to trace."
After hearing Rodrik's account, Eddard considered the dagger as a lead and spoke quietly.
"Eddard, there's no need to investigate. I'm the only person in the Seven Kingdoms who owns a Valyrian steel dagger."
"You?"
"Yes. But on Prince Joffrey's Name Day, I lost it to Tyrion Lannister."
"Tyrion Lannister?"
Hearing the lead Baelish had provided, Eddard repeated Tyrion's name thoughtfully.
"By the way, how are things in Winterfell? What does Robb think of this?"
The war had not yet begun when Rodrik left Winterfell. Hearing Eddard's question, he replied, "Winterfell is being governed well by Robb. He told Lady Catelyn that the matter wasn't so simple, and that they shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"Good. Let's not jump to conclusions so quickly. We'll keep investigating.
Rodrik, thanks for all your effort. Take this letter back to Winterfell for me and give it to Catelyn."
"As you command, Lord Eddard!"
Eddard handed Rodrik the letter he had been carrying. The two men then left the high-class brothel, Baelish seeing them off with a smile.
Once the two men had disappeared around the corner, Baelish's expression darkened instantly. Biting his lip, he considered how to handle what came next.
After thinking it over for a long while, Baelish decided that his plan was sound and nodded to himself before heading upstairs.
He wrote a secret letter to his lover, Lysa Arryn, who was far away at the Eyrie.
After spending two days in Winterfell, Tyrion and the other three presented Robb with a design for a special riding saddle, then prepared to set out for King's Landing.
When he saw the design, Robb secretly admired Tyrion's inventive talent.
Worried that something might happen to Tyrion on the way back to King's Landing, Robb offered to send a group of Winterfell cavalry to escort them.
But for some reason, perhaps because Tyrion didn't want to become too entangled with Robb, he firmly declined the offer.
Robb remembered that Catelyn was still in Winterfell. He had also repeatedly stressed to Ser Rodrik that they couldn't jump to conclusions until they had enough evidence to identify the culprit.
So Tyrion shouldn't run into any trouble at the Crossroads Inn.
At noon that day, Tyrion and the other three set out from Winterfell for King's Landing.
Thanks to Will of the Old King for the generous tip of coins. Thanks to Weijiaw, Still Naked, reader 20190514170006278, I Am Aju, and Raphael Cantis for the monthly tickets. And thanks to all the dear readers for voting every day and following the story!
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