Game of Thrones: Knight’s Honor

Tumbleton had undergone a dramatic transformation in just a few months. The surrounding forests had been completely cleared, the thatched cottages of the townsfolk dismantled, and the land around the village leveled. The felled trees were repurposed to construct log cabins, and the town's layout was entirely restructured with a network of crisscrossing roads dividing it into distinct areas.

Though still in its developmental stage, it was clear from the organized road plan that Tumbleton, once completed, would rival a city like New Barrel in structure and functionality.

The people of Tumbleton, loyal vassals of House Footly for generations, showed no resistance to the reconstruction plans initiated by Nymeria.

She provided little explanation for the changes, but the townsfolk embraced the developments, as they would receive new houses and farmland. Additionally, the daily commission of ten halfpennies for participating in the town's reconstruction offered much-needed extra income for the farmers.

While the town was still being built, the old docks at the ruins of Old Tumbleton had been fully restored. The six berths were now sturdier than before, rebuilt with stone salvaged from the ruins. Around the docks, the land was cleared, and six or seven large warehouses, along with a long shed for trading goods, were constructed. Space was also designated for wagon and horse parking, though the stables and garages had yet to be built.

The area between new Tumbleton and old Tumbleton, currently serving as Lynd's temporary barracks, was carefully allocated for future roads and houses. Nymeria, however, opted against investing in construction here. Following Maester Yves's advice, she decided to sell this land to incoming merchants. This approach would not only generate revenue but also tie the merchants to the burgeoning town of Tumbleton.

As news spread of Lynd's successful restoration of the Tumbleton trade route, caravans began to trickle in. However, the longboats necessary for transporting goods were still under construction. In the meantime, Lynd purchased the merchants' supplies, incorporating food and fodder into his army's logistics and storing other goods in the barracks' warehouses.

Once the longboats were completed and tested, Lynd tasked Jon with organizing a caravan to transport the goods to Highgarden. Ten days later, Jon returned to Tumbleton with four longboats laden with Highgarden specialties. Though the upstream journey carried less cargo than the downstream trip, the profits were substantial. The sale of these goods promised considerable wealth for Lynd.

To celebrate the success, Lynd hosted an elaborate banquet. Soldiers, townsfolk, and caravans were all invited. The event served not only to mark the accomplishment but also to spread the word about the lucrative opportunities of the Tumbleton trade route. Merchants were drawn to the prospect of high profits, and many began arriving in greater numbers.

Nymeria intensified the construction of longboats and doubled the dock's size to accommodate the growing demand. Recognizing the potential, some merchants opted to rent or purchase longboats instead of selling their goods outright to Lynd. Others, unable to secure boats, stored their goods in warehouses, awaiting the completion of new vessels.

Upon returning from Highgarden, Jon reported on the challenges faced during the journey. As Lynd had anticipated, the ship encountered an obstacle at Bitterbridge, where Lord Caswell blocked its passage.

When Jon met directly with Lord Caswell, he recounted the attack he had encountered after leaving Bitterbridge. While he refrained from explicitly accusing Lord Caswell, his pointed hints left little doubt as to his suspicions. To solidify his position, Jon presented a reply letter from Lord Tyrell to Lynd, which emphasized the significance House Tyrell placed on maintaining the Mander River's waterway.

Faced with such clear implications, Lord Caswell had no choice but to allow the ships to pass. On their return journey from Highgarden, the fleet encountered no further obstacles.

This outcome left Lynd with mixed feelings. He harbored a desire to see Bitterbridge under the control of a more compliant lord, given its strategic importance to the Mander River trade. However, with Lord Caswell no longer presenting overt challenges, Lynd had no immediate justification to act and could only bide his time.

Merchants had started arriving in Tumbleton months earlier, but instead of purchasing land and constructing permanent buildings, they set up tents near the ruined barracks and began trading with the soldiers stationed there.

Though Lynd personally disliked establishments such as brothels, taverns, and casinos, he acknowledged their utility. They provided his cavalrymen with outlets to spend money and release pent-up energy, contributing to the army's overall stability.

Nymeria, on the other hand, found the situation bittersweet. To her surprise, the first tax revenue collected in the newly rebuilt Tumbleton came from prostitutes rather than from transit goods. In the Seven Kingdoms, transit taxes were typically the most significant source of income for lords. For instance, transit taxes constituted a third of all taxes collected in Bitterbridge.

However, following Lynd's advice, Nymeria had abolished the transit tax. While she didn't fully understand Lynd's reasoning—and despite Maester Yves's attempts to dissuade her with mockery—she trusted Lynd's judgment. Lynd chose not to elaborate further, confident that once the benefits of this decision became evident, Nymeria would understand its value without needing further explanation.

It had been nearly two months since Lynd had encountered Wenda the White Fawn. In that time, he had united the remaining 100-odd members of the Kingswood Brotherhood under his command, forming a covert unit akin to the Night's Watch rangers. In peacetime, they operated as bandits in the vicinity of Tumbleton, claiming the route between Tumbleton and The Roseroad as their territory. They expelled rival bandit groups to ensure the safety of caravans traveling the road.

Publicly, the narrative was that the Lady of Tumbleton paid them a protection fee to keep the trade route secure and operational.

Though Lynd appeared to be fully occupied with training in the barracks ruins and overseeing Tumbleton's reconstruction, he was far from idle. Each night, he utilized his shared vision with Glory to survey the surrounding areas, gaining a deeper understanding of the region.

Lynd also experimented with the range of their spirit link. He directed Glory to swim across the Blackwater Rush and into the Riverlands, venturing as far as the outskirts of Harrenhal by the Gods Eye. Even at such a great distance, their connection remained unbroken, as though Glory were still beside him.

Through Glory's eyes, Lynd observed Harrenhal enveloped in a dense, angry spiritual energy that shrouded the ruined castle. Despite the intensity of this energy, it contained no dragon spirits, which left Glory uninterested in consuming it. In fact, the presence of this energy seemed to repel Glory's spirit, as though its very nature was offensive, spoiling its appetite entirely.

After arriving at Harrenhal, Lynd decided against sending Glory further north. Instead, he directed it southward, and about a week ago, Glory reached Kingswood, where it encountered Spark, the Child of the Forest.

Glory's search for Spark was effortless. As soon as it entered Kingswood, Spark's treehouse rose from the ground, revealing her presence. When Spark saw Glory for the first time, she was visibly startled by its enormous size and unique appearance.

What amazed her even more was her ability to see Lynd possessing Glory. Through this connection, she was able to communicate directly with Lynd, who remained in Tumbleton. Intrigued, she asked about Glory's nature, particularly how it had become so extraordinary. Lynd was forthcoming, explaining that Glory could consume vengeful spirits, which triggered periods of rapid growth. However, he concealed the fact that Glory could also devour dragon spirits.

Despite her studies, Spark was unable to determine the full extent of Glory's abilities. She did confirm, however, that Glory's growth had not ceased, meaning that it would continue to expand in size and power as it absorbed more vengeful spirit energy.

During the day, when Lynd wasn't controlling Glory, he instructed it to remain hidden in the forest. However, Glory occasionally allowed itself to be seen by farmers and hunters, intentionally scaring them. It seemed to enjoy the reactions of terror it provoked. These encounters led to rumors of a "black monster" prowling the areas bordering the Riverlands, The Reach, the Westerlands, and the Crownlands.

When the rumors reached Tumbleton, those who had previously seen Glory recognized the descriptions and quickly identified the "black monster" as Lynd's pet. Some shared this information while drinking, but even though their accounts were consistent and supported by oaths, outsiders found the tales hard to believe.

Though Lynd avoided visiting the mountain villages and wildling tribes near Tumbleton himself, he frequently sent Glory to make appearances in those areas. The sightings left a psychological impression on the inhabitants, a tactic Lynd planned to use to his advantage when initiating contact with them.

Lynd had originally intended to advance further upstream on the Mander River to Buttock Ridge and subdue the wildling tribes there. However, the unexpected appearance of Wenda the White Fawn, along with the addition of the remaining members of the Kingswood Brotherhood, changed his plans. With their inclusion, Lynd no longer needed to expand his manpower through the conquest of wildling tribes. Moreover, the Kingswood Brotherhood proved far more effective in handling bandit gangs than the wildlings ever could be.

"Give these two documents to Scar and Bryn. The shipment they are in charge of needs to leave today," Lynd said, signing and sealing the shipping documents. He handed them to Jon, who had just entered the room, and asked, "Has the shipment of supplies for Wenda the White Fawn been handed over?"

Jon took the documents and replied, "It has been handed over, but they said there were too many smoked fish. Can we exchange it for a different food next time?"

"Then switch it to cured meat—the kind I taught you to make," Lynd instructed.

"Isn't that basically the same as smoked fish?" Jon muttered under his breath.

Lynd caught the comment and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Jon hesitated before answering, glancing toward the other side of the room where Nymeria was working. During the reconstruction of Tumbleton, Nymeria had demolished her Lord's tower house and began restoring the old castle at the top of the hill. Until the repairs were complete, she stayed in Lynd's ruined barracks and worked from his council chamber.

Lynd followed Jon's gaze and said, "That's fine, just say it! Nymeria is both a collaborator and a friend—no different from us."

Though focused on her tasks, Nymeria was listening. Hearing Lynd's words, she smiled, pleased.

Jon finally spoke. "The finance officer, Mus, has already contacted Ser Lys," he said, placing a letter on the table. "However, Ser Lys seems to have misunderstood that Bert is our prisoner and that we're demanding a ransom for him."

Lynd frowned. "Didn't Bert write to his father?"

"The letter was brief and ambiguous, which led to the misunderstanding," Jon explained, producing a draft copy of the letter for Lynd to review.

Lynd scanned the document and admitted to himself that without knowing Bert's true circumstances, he, too, might have been confused.

Curious, Nymeria came over to look at the document. After reading it, she chuckled softly.

Lynd glanced at her, then turned back to Jon. "So, what now? Has the misunderstanding been cleared up?"

"It has," Jon replied, "but Ser Lys doesn't seem convinced that Bert's situation is as good as Mus described. He wants to come here and see for himself before deciding whether to become our logistics supplier."

"That's reasonable," Lynd nodded. "When is Ser Lys arriving?"

"He's already here," Jon answered, adding with a touch of mischief, "along with Mus's letter."

Lynd froze, then let out a laugh of mild exasperation. "Why didn't you mention something this important right away?"

Jon shrugged innocently. "You told me to wait a while before saying anything."

Lynd opened his mouth to reprimand him but stopped himself. Rising from his chair, he turned to Nymeria. "As the owner of Tumbleton, it would be a bit inappropriate for you to be absent."

"I'd also like to meet this great merchant myself," Nymeria said with a nod.

Together, they left the room and headed for the docks.