The Mysterious Employer

The surging river swept toward Riverrun with the force of a landslide and tsunami, roaring deafeningly beneath its walls.

The thunderous roar echoed between heaven and earth.

"Gods!"

The Lannister-Frey soldiers had been fighting bravely to storm the castle, but the sudden flood left them dumbfounded.

Their eyes widened round, filled with disbelief, as though they could not accept what was happening before them.

Their mouths hung open, as if the unexpected calamity had scared them witless.

They stared blankly at the raging waters, their weapons slipping unconsciously from their hands, as though they had glimpsed the embrace of The Stranger.

Shrill cries tore through the sky. They scattered in panic, yet had no idea where safety lay.

But in the blink of an eye, the river swallowed the soldiers beneath the castle walls. They struggled desperately in the raging current, yet were as tiny and helpless as ants.

Water sprayed everywhere. Mixed with mud and debris, the river battered Riverrun's walls without cease, and the soldiers' morale had long since collapsed before nature's overwhelming might.

The heavy clouds overhead slowly parted, and a ray of golden sunlight pierced the gloom like a sharp blade.

The golden radiance gradually spread, revealing the battlefield's true appearance beneath its former grayness.

The waters below Riverrun shimmered and glinted with golden light, like a flowing Milky Way.

Beyond the battlefield, Daven Lannister tugged on his reins, calming the restless warhorse beneath him.

Jaime Lannister stared toward Riverrun, the veins in his neck throbbing before he painfully looked away.

Then Ser Daven's voice came. "My cousin, the weasel is here."

Rapid hoofbeats drew near. Emmon Frey, whom Ser Daven had made drink an entire bucket of wine the night before, rode up before them.

Emmon Frey's clothes and hair were in complete disarray.