Earl Royce dispatched two hundred cavalrymen to escort the captured Poor Fellows to nearby Riverrun, tying them together with ropes.
After all, House Tully held the ducal title and wardenship of the Riverlands, and now the Poor Fellows had reappeared in its territory. If Duke Tully failed to handle this properly, he would likely face punishment from King Jaehaerys as well.
The other earls from the Vale accompanying Earl Royce immediately sensed danger too.
"Lord Royce, don't you think the situation in the Riverlands is growing stranger and stranger?"
"If this is merely a conflict between Earl Reyne and Lord Frey, how did the Mountain Clans and the Poor Fellows get dragged into it?"
"Exactly. I keep feeling there's someone behind the scenes stirring up trouble, someone we haven't discovered yet."
"My lord, we've already slain more than two thousand members of the Mountain Clans. Surely they won't recover their strength for quite some time. Do we still need to pursue them?"
"Indeed, my lord! I think we should fall back and hold the Trident. They'll have to pass that way to return to the Mountains of the Moon anyway. After all, Riverrun certainly won't let them through again now."
"Why not lie in wait for them? That way, we won't have to get drawn into the delicate situation in the Riverlands either."
"Hmph! Is that what all of you think?"
Though Earl Royce was advanced in years, his presence remained imposing. Faced with his challenge, the other earls immediately fell silent.
"Don't forget, we only achieved such an easy victory because Princess Danyla sent us secret intelligence."
"Can't you guess her deeper purpose in sending it to us?"
"Lord Frey and the Earl of House Blackwood are trapped in the Riverlands now. How can we stand by and let