A true knight

Under the laws of Westeros, as long as a house had no male heirs, a woman could inherit its entire estate.

But Davion immediately dismissed the thought.

Who had time to raise a little girl like this?

In just a few years, Daenerys Targaryen would ride her dragons across the Narrow Sea and attack!

The Riverlands would only grow more chaotic then. A little girl from House Vance would be of no use at all!

Then there was nothing to be done. House Vance was destined to vanish into the river of history!

At that thought, Davion leaned his upper body out of the carriage window and waved at the figure standing before the gates.

"Goodbye, Lord Kalen."

Then the carriage slowly pulled away from Grey Stone Keep.

Karyl Vance stood where he was, the cold bodies of his father, Raymond, and his elder brother, Elton, lying at his feet. Their blood had long since soaked the ground beneath him.

His eyes were hollow, his heart utterly cold.

He knew his own life had entered its final countdown.

As Davion's carriage approached Harrenhal, Ser Vereword and Pia were peering out from the battlements.

Harrenhal had long since lost its former glory. Reduced to its present state, it had almost no dealings with other nobles.

Any unfamiliar figure could bring mortal danger.

At the sight of the unfamiliar carriage, the two immediately ran down from the walls and hurried toward the gates.

In his haste, Vereword snatched up a spear without a spearhead from beside him and watched the carriage warily.

Only when the carriage stopped and Davion poked his face out of the window, a faint smile on his lips, did Vereword and Pia finally relax.

"My lord, where... did this carriage come from?" Pia asked, looking puzzled.

Davion did not answer immediately, merely beckoning to them.

"Get in. We can talk inside the carriage. Ser Ward, throw away that broken spear of yours! This carriage is too small to fit it."

Vereword froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Pia. Both climbed into the carriage looking bewildered.

The carriage started moving again, slowly passing through Harrenhal's broad, deep gateway.

There were no guards on either side of the gates.

No one remembered when Harrenhal's population had begun to dwindle.

Once, there had been enough gate guards to form a squad. Now they could not even muster enough hands to open and close the gates and raise and lower the drawbridge.

In the end, they simply left the drawbridge down and the gates open all day, having long since abandoned any attempt at defense.

There was nothing left in this ruined castle for anyone to covet anyway.

Inside the carriage, Pia's gaze immediately fell on the little girl in the corner.

"My lord, you still haven't answered my question."

Pia lowered her voice, her gaze wandering over the little girl, full of confusion.

"And this little girl... what's going on with her?"

Davion's lips curled slightly into a meaningful smile.

"It's nothing much. There was just some internal strife in House Vance!"

"I heard that Raymond Vance's second son-I don't know whether he went mad or something clouded his mind-actually killed his father and elder brother with his own hands!"

"That is, Lord Raymond and Ser Elton."

"What?!"

Vereword and Pia cried out together, shock written all over their faces.

Davion put on just the right amount of regret and shook his head gently.

"I was shocked when I heard the news too!"

"I'm the Earl of House Whent, and House Vance's liege lord. With such a tragedy happening to people in my domain, I certainly couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"So I went to Grey Stone Keep again."

"Fortunately, Karyl Vance knew what was good for him. Not only did he repay every bit of money he owed me, he even gave me this carriage!"

As he spoke, he raised a hand and pointed at the little girl in the corner.

"On top of that, he sent his own younger sister to serve as my maid."

"Huh?"

Pia and Vereword both gaped, the shock in their eyes slowly turning to disbelief.

No one knew better than Vereword what House Vance was like.

And Pia knew Davion's temperament inside out.

The last time Davion had met with House Vance, they had been at daggers drawn. Davion had been badly injured, and Vereword had nearly lost his life.

How could things have taken such a dramatic turn this time, with something so outrageous happening?

Davion secretly laughed to himself at their stunned expressions.

Yet his face remained perfectly serious.

"Never mind you two not believing it. I could hardly believe it myself at the time."

"But the facts are right before your eyes. The carriage, the girl..."

He reached into the money bag beside him and scooped out a handful of glittering gold dragons.

"And the gold dragons!"

"These are all perfectly real!"

"Wow, so much money!"

Dazzled by the gold before her, Pia instinctively covered her mouth. Her eyes filled with astonishment, and even her voice trembled a little.

Vereword had never been much of a thinker. He was straightforward by nature, and after hearing Davion's words and seeing the gold dragons with his own eyes, his doubts vanished at once. He believed Davion completely.

In truth, what Davion had said was not exactly a lie. He had merely tampered with a few details.

But none of that mattered.

The gold dragons were what mattered most.

Davion lowered his head and counted out a hundred gold dragons, then handed fifty of them to Pia.

"Pia, from today onward, you're Harrenhal's chief steward! These gold dragons are yours to manage. Use them to handle the castle's affairs, and ask me for more when they run out!"

"R-really, my lord?"

Pia took the gold dragons, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She was so excited that she stammered.

"But I... I'm too stupid. I don't know anything. I'm afraid I won't do a good job and will let you down."

"Don't be modest, Pia."

Davion waved a hand.

"I believe you can do it well. As it happens, I've brought back a helper for you too. From now on, this little girl will be under your charge."

Watching Pia grow too excited to speak, Davion thought to himself:

There were so few people left in Harrenhal. They called it a castle, but it was really no different from a ruin! What skill did it take to manage a ruin?

Davion turned and handed the remaining fifty gold dragons to Vereword.

Vereword glanced at the gold dragons, then looked away without hesitation, fixing Davion with a resolute gaze.

He refused respectfully.

"My lord Earl, what are you doing? I cannot accept these gold dragons."

Davion looked at him with a hint of approval in his eyes and slowly nodded.

"You truly are an upright knight, Ser Ward!"

"Even with our House Whent so fallen and struggling so badly, you've stayed by our side and kept your oath. No amount of money could buy such loyalty!"

"These gold dragons are merely a small repayment for your loyalty, a little reward."

"Of course, compared to your loyalty, these gold dragons are not worth mentioning!"

"But as your liege lord, not only have I failed to give you a good life, I've made you suffer hardship alongside me and left you covered in wounds. I truly feel terrible about it."

"So you must accept these gold dragons!"