The Hunt Begins

The next day, early in the morning.

Garon climbed out of bed right on time.

After tidying his appearance and dressing, he hung his longsword at his waist and headed out the door.

Today, Garon was to serve as a guide, joining Robert, Ned, and the others for a hunt in the Wolfswood.

As luck would have it, just as Garon was about to head toward the stables, Tyrion stepped out of his room, looking hungover.

The two exchanged smiles, then nodded in greeting.

Garon stopped in his tracks and made small talk, "Lord Tyrion, why are you up so early? Are you going hunting as well?"

Tyrion let out a yawn, "I have no interest in hunting. I have an appointment with Maester Luwin today to borrow a few books."

Garon's eyes darted, and he smiled, "I'm heading to the stables, and the path to the Maester's Tower is on the way. Why don't we walk together?"

Faced with Garon's invitation, Tyrion agreed without much thought.

The two chatted as they walked.

"Last night's Trial by Combat truly opened my eyes."

"A member of the Kingsguard, and he was no match for you."

"I'd bet that if you went to King's Landing, those noble ladies would be knocking on your door in the middle of the night."

"Even the girls in the brothels of King's Landing wouldn't charge you a single coin!"

Tyrion trotted along on his short legs, teasing Garon.

For some reason, although they had only met a few times, the polite attitude Garon showed him made Tyrion feel a subtle sense of respect.

In the past, he had only ever felt such respect from his brother, Jaime.

Because of this, a sense of inexplicable fondness for Garon grew in Tyrion's heart.

Garon raised an eyebrow and quipped, "It's a good thing I haven't gone to King's Landing yet, or wouldn't the big shots who run those brothels hate me to the bone?"

Tyrion laughed out loud, finding Garon more and more to his liking.

"You can rest easy on that front. The man who owns the most brothels in King's Landing is our Master of Coin, Lord Petyr Baelish."

"He has a hundred ways to squeeze Gold Dragons out of you."

When Garon heard the name of Littlefinger, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

He led Tyrion into the corridor while joking, "Lord Tyrion, you seem to hold quite a grudge. It sounds like Lord Petyr has squeezed quite a few Gold Dragons out of you."

"Well, his girls are certainly uninhibited."

"But I suppose I got a taste of that myself yesterday here in The North!"

Tyrion shook his head, his face flushed as if he were recalling his activities with the girls.

"Oh, shit, now I feel like having another go."

Garon was rendered speechless.

"Just a joke. I'm really just going to the tower to find some books; to be honest, I'm quite interested in the legends of The North."

"Things like the White Walkers, the Giants, and so on."

Noticing Garon's speechless expression, Tyrion shrugged and explained his plans for the day.

"Maester Luwin certainly won't disappoint you."

"The North may lack many things, but rumors of White Walkers and Giants are endless..."

As they spoke, the two walked for a few more minutes, and soon the Maester's Tower came into view.

Garon stopped and bid Tyrion farewell.

"Lord Tyrion, the Maester's Tower is just ahead. You can just head up the stone steps."

"We can talk more tonight."

Tyrion nodded and smiled, "I wish you a pleasant hunt. You must show me your spoils this evening."

Garon agreed and watched Tyrion walk away.

Once Tyrion's figure disappeared up the stone steps of the tower, he headed along the other side of the corridor toward the stables.

About seven or eight minutes later.

Garon finally arrived at the stables.

By now, the grooms had already led out the fed horses, and some were even leading them toward the training grounds.

The King was of noble status and would naturally not deign to visit the stables himself; they would mount their horses at the training grounds and then head through the Hunter's Gate to hunt in the Wolfswood.

Garon looked around and quickly spotted his guard in the corner of the stables.

"Master Roger!"

He strode over, and Roger and the other four hurried over upon hearing him.

"Lord Garon!"

Garon nodded slightly. "Let's go. We shall head to Hunter's Gate to await the King and Lord Ned!"

He called out, took the reins from a nearby groom, and swung onto his horse.

Roger and the others mounted their horses as well, following Garon toward Hunter's Gate.

In just a short while, Garon and his party appeared before Hunter's Gate.

He pulled on the reins to halt his horse, gazing out at the unchanging Wolfswood while silently calculating the time in his mind.

Soon, the sound of hooves rang out, and the figures of King Robert, Ned, and their party appeared before Hunter's Gate.

"Haha, isn't this our champion of the Trial by Combat?"

Robert pulled his reins, stopping his horse before Garon, and laughed. "The Wolfswood is Glover territory, but I trust you won't let me return empty-handed today."

Garon replied, "I certainly won't disappoint Your Majesty!"

"Good, good, good! Today, I shall see if your archery and horsemanship are as impressive as your swordsmanship!"

"Hyah!"

Robert let out a hearty laugh and spurred his horse toward the Wolfswood.

Joffrey and the vassals and knights of House Baratheon also swung their whips, following the King.

Ned called out, "Let's go, we should keep up!"

Immediately, the men of Winterfell spurred their horses and gave chase.

Behind them, a large group of servants and cooks followed, hauling wine and food toward the designated location.

Garon flicked his reins, riding side-by-side with Robb.

He scanned the hunting party and noticed that neither Jaime nor Theon were among them.

Jaime is sticking to the original plot, staying behind to exercise with Cersei.

As for Theon...

It seems he has already begun acting according to my expectations.

Garon glanced back at Winterfell, a strange sense of anticipation welling up within him.

The show is about to begin!

The corners of his mouth curled upward, and he whipped his horse again, picking up speed.

Seeing this, Robb assumed Garon was eager to show off before the King again, and his own competitive spirit flared.

"Garon, shall we have a contest today?"

"Let's see who can bag the most game!"

Garon snapped out of his thoughts and laughed heartily. "Very well! And what is the prize for winning?"

"If you win, I'll tell you a secret about Sansa!"

"And if you lose..."

Robb pondered for a moment before saying, "I haven't decided yet, so let's just say you'll owe me a favor!"

Garon heard this and agreed without hesitation.

"It's a deal!"

"Robb, you're going to lose!"

"Haha..."

Just as the King rode out of Winterfell, Bran was struggling to climb the stone wall.

By the time he reached the top of the wall, the hunting party was already out of sight.

Bran's gaze fell upon the Broken Tower, which offered a wider view, and after a moment of hesitation, he began to climb again with all his might.

Inside the Broken Tower, Theon appeared on the ground floor, acting furtively.

Seeing that no one was around, he snuck toward the top of the tower.

Not long after Theon went up, Jaime and Cersei arrived as promised.

The two glanced around, and seeing no one, they began to embrace without a care in the world.

They climbed higher and higher as they went.

Cersei's suppressed moans began to echo near the Broken Tower.

A fine show was about to begin.