The Redfish (Edmure SI) chapter 120

The cursed ones

Edmure POV

Harrenhal's holdings are some of the richest in Westeros, claiming vast tracts of green fertile land that reach as far as the hills of House Wode near the crownlands. Yet, it was costly to maintain and even more costly to repair. I have sunk countless gold coins, hired stonemasons, and bought materials to rebuild the immersive castle and its towers.

Harrentown was near the castle. The last time I saw it, it was a big, lively town with thousands of residents. I saw great potential in it. It could become a city one day, but not today. The town couldn't house a hundred thousand refugees, especially without using the enormous castle to shoulder part of them.

Yet, the new stones didn’t replace the old curse. The smallfolk feared to go near the castle. Many said that everyone who lived in Harrenhal eventually died. Nobody was spared from the curse, its lord, the lord’s family, and servants. Not even the residents would be spared from the curse. The superstition ran amok among the smallfolk.

“Fix this,” Lady Whent, as old as she was, was still a demanding woman who didn’t like anyone taking advantage of her. “I will not have thousands of people causing trouble in my lands because of their foolish superstitions. You brought them here, so it is your responsibility.”

“Yes, dear aunt,” I tried to be as sweet as possible not to anger her anymore. “Why don’t you spend time with your great niece and nephews while I finish what I started.”

Shella Whent wasn’t a woman who cared about the status of others. She was a stubborn woman who had already let me take advantage of her. And it was my fault that there were so many refugees from King’s Landing at her doorstep. So, it was natural for me to fix it and let her live in peace as she wished. It was a troublesome job, but the sooner I finish it, the sooner I can return to Riverrun.

Still, it felt refreshing and relaxing to concentrate on this kind of problem. I was probably getting old, feeling satisfied to do such things. In the past, I would have focused on the war with Pentos and how to care for them faster. But now, I had no desire to get involved and was more than satisfied to leave it to Oberyn. Still, it didn’t mean I wasn’t concerned about it.

The castle seemed quite empty as I walked around it. Apart from the servants and guards, there was barely anyone. Even the number of guards and servants was minimal, so one could walk through the castle hallways without meeting anyone. It was quite the contrast from the Red Keep, where you couldn’t take a step without meeting anyone.

“Lord Tully, it has been a long time,” Ser Willis Wode, the only landed knight that served Lady whent.

“Ser Wode,” I greeted the stiff-necked man. “How is your brother doing?”

“That bloke?” Ser Wode laughed at the mention of his brother. “Who knows? Probably bored to death running the household in my stead.”

“Let’s get to the work,” I change the subject quickly. “How is the security around the lands? Have you encountered too much trouble?”

“Aye, thieves and cutthroats are running wild wherever you look,” Ser Wode replied, his good mood gone. “The decent men quickly found work in farms or the town, but the others aren’t willing to accept honest work. If only we had enough men to round them up and send them to the Wall. But then again, the Night’s Watch probably won’t be able to put them all to work either.”

“If they aren’t willing to do honest work, then we are left with no choice but to force them,” I said, a plan forming in my head.

Before I could direct the rest of the refugees, I first needed to stop the crime spread by them before it got out of hand. If they started to form groups and got weapons in their hands, it would become troublesome to deal with. I didn’t need a bandit army, or worse, someone declaring themselves a bandit king and trying to wreak havoc in my lands.

The Wall already had their hands full with the Wildlings. They didn’t need hundreds of good-for-nothing men to watch over. Winter was coming, and people needed to focus on their last harvest. So, to take two birds with one stone, I will need to create prisoner camps and force them to work. Aside from the farms, the roads needed to be looked after, and wood won’t be cut by itself.

I also need to start to work on the mines in the Westerlands. There was so much work, so if I can’t hire them because they don’t feel like working, I will have to force them. It is better to cleanse my lands of criminals before the Winter comes and they start stealing supplies from my good people. I can’t let the Riverlands suffer because of my decisions.

“Well, we have enough supplies for people, so the things aren’t getting out of hand,” Ser Wode said as we made our way outside the castle grounds. “Still, there is a limit to how much we can give out for free. But I fear it will be much worse once we stop supporting them. And I fear we won’t be able to handle the fallout.”

“First, take my guards that came with me,” I said. “We need Harrenhal to have more guards and men in arms. Use men to train young men willing to serve house Whent. Start hiring more servants, too, promising to take their families to the castle. We need to end that superstition thing about curses.”

“Lady Whent won’t like it,” Ser Wode replied. “She doesn’t want unfamiliar people serving her. She already had a problem with increasing men when the war started.”

“She will have to understand her situation,” I said, but I knew I would have to talk with her later to calm her down. “And it isn’t like they will serve Lady Whent directly. The castle and towers need cleaning and maintenance. I will not have it fall to disarray after I spent so much gold to rebuild them.”

The most important thing for us to do was ensure the refugees were taken care of. Just as Ser Wode said, if they feel neglected, more and more will turn to violence. At least the existing infrastructure, including roads, public transportation, and utilities, are equipped to handle the increased demand. So, it shouldn’t be challenging to take care of them.

“Then allow me to suggest that we have a visible presence around Harrenhal. It will deter crime and assure the smallfolk that House Whent is actively securing the area,” Ser Wode replied.

It was quite a good idea. With visible guards walking around the refugee settlement, not many would dare to act violently, and situations can be resolved way faster. But even with my guards, Harrenhal didn’t have enough men to cover it. There will be places left unchecked, and pests will gather in those places.

“I will stay for a few days to see what more I can do,” I informed the knight. “But I need to return to Riverrun and see the situation over there and how things are going around the Riverlands. So, while I am here, let’s first get rid of the superstition about the cursed castle.”

I had to wonder how the people would react when a word reached them about the White Walkers if they reacted this badly to the idiotic superstition about Harrenhal being a cursed place. I didn’t want to find out and it only reinforced that some things it was better to keep out of smallfolk ears. I can only hope that we can keep it under control.

…

The worst thing about being in a position of power was the paperwork. But I had to read through the reports to formulate a plan of action. Without appropriate information, I would be left with a large margin to make mistakes. Still, it was tiring and endless work. When I finished, it was already long past bedtime for my children.

On the way to my chambers, I checked on them to see them soundly asleep. And I wanted to continue reading from where we left off, but it would have to wait. Not wanting to stay for the night any longer, I was ready to go to bed. But the sound from the courtyard got my attention. As I couldn’t get a good look through the window, I walked down to see what was going on.

I saw a few young men sparing with each other in the dim light of a torch. They were beyond drenched in sweat and covered in bruises. Yet, it didn’t seem they would stop at any time soon. They gave their all as they swung their wooden swords. Even though it was wood, the clash sounded like it came from steel swords. They sure had a lot of energy.

“If you are going to continue like this, you will wake up the whole castle,” I said from the shadows, not wanting to reveal myself. “You shouldn’t push yourself so much. It would be a shame if you were injured.”

“I don’t care,” One of them, the younger one who looked to be thirteen or fourteen, replied.

“Neither do I,” The other one, who had a bigger build but sounded as immature as the first, added. “We won’t stop until we become great knights of the realm.”

“Aye, we still have a long way to go to reach the highs of the Redfish,” The first one added, breathing heavily.

“The Redfish?” That got me surprised and interested in the boys.

“Haven’t you heard of him? I thought you could only not see with all the bandages over your eye,” The second boy asked innocently, but his words again surprised me as he could see me, though I was still in shadows. “The Redfish is the strongest knight in history, like a living legend.”

“He is even better than the Dragonknight.”

“Is that so?” I couldn’t help but smile at the comment. “But I heard the Redfish is dead.”

“Bullshit!” Both boys yelled at the same time. “Those rumors are false.”

“Aye. He is fine, and yesterday, we even heard that he has returned to the Riverlands.”

“Is that so?” I asked, walking to the boys and picking and removing my sword with its sheath from my belt. “But I say it is a lie. They are nothing but rumors. After all, nobody has seen him since he went on the war with the Greyjoys.”

“Who are you anyway?” The boys didn’t like my tone.

“I am a knight visiting Lady Whent,” I answered before pointing my sword at the boys. “And you interrupted my sleep, so be prepared for the beating. But I am generous, so how about I give you a chance to defend against me? If either of you can hit me, I will let it go.”

At first, the boys looked scared that I was a knight as they were probably some boys taking on the guard job or maybe even stable boys. Even if I broke their arms and legs, nobody would be able to say anything. So, it was understandable that they would be afraid, but I saw determination in their eyes. They seemed set on becoming knights, and a chance to spar with a real knight doesn’t come often.

They rushed at me with all they might. And I played with them. Their swings were wide but relatively fast and strong, so I felt the impact on my hands even though I could easily deflect their attacks. Their bodies were powerful, and though they looked skinny, their chests and arms were muscular. They impressed me even though I laid them on the ground in seconds.

“How old are you, boys?” I asked as they picked themselves up.

“Twelve!” Both of them yelled out.

“Where are you from?”

“King’s Landing.”

“Names?”

“Henry,” The more petite boy with brown hair answered.

“Miles,” The bigger boy with black hair answered.

“Why do you want to be like the Redfish?”

“He is the best,” Henry replied instantly.

“He is the strongest,” Miles added. “He defeated the Greyjoys twice and was knighted by Ser Barristan Selmy, the Bold.”

“Then he defeated the Kingslayer,” Henry said. “The Redfish is the strongest swordsman in the world, so we want to be strong like him, too.”

“Aye, if we could have been as strong as him, then we would have defeated the Lannisters ourselves, and then,” Miles got silent at the end of his speech.

“You are orphans?” I asked, and they nodded. “Your parents died in the fires of the King’s Landing, right?”

They nodded again with tears welling in their eyes. It was probably quite challenging for these boys to survive. Their parents died, they lost their homes, and then had to seek refuge. Who knows what they could have experienced on the way to Harrenhal? The fact that they were inside the courtyard it means they accepted work here, even though the rumors of the curse scared most others. They were probably desperate to do so.

“Prick up your swords,” I said. “What kind of squires are you resting so early.”

“But we are not squires,” The boys looked at me with confusion.

“Now you are,” I replied with a harsh voice that didn’t leave any room for them to question it. “From today onward, you shall serve me, Ser Edmure Tully, Lord Paramount of the Trident and lord of Riverrun.”