Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

Chapter 76 The Day of Revenge

Arthur's party left Starfall City and boarded the Starfire, the Dane family's ship bound for Old Town.

The name "Spark" might trigger PTSD in the residents of Oldtown.

After all, it was "Spark" Samwell Dane who led an army of 10,000 to conquer Oldtown back then.

The captain and sailors treated Arthur with great respect, not only because of his status and position, but also because of his brotherhood with Sir Oswell, the "Sword of the Morning."

Count Alain and his sister, Miss Aria, both have a good impression of Arthur.

If Harrenhal could form a marriage alliance with Starfall City, it would be a case of losers banding together.

To be fair, Arthur had seen quite a few beautiful girls, including young Rose, Lynne Hightower, and Ariadne Dayne.

There were also several girls from Count Brecken's own family whom he had not yet met.

The Tyrell family didn't care about the little steel Arthur had, and were determined to marry their daughter into the royal family.

As for Lynne, although she is beautiful, this young lady is better suited to "Big Bear".

"Oldtown nerd" Layton himself doesn't care much about his children, let alone the resources of the Hightower family.

In terms of distance, Count Genos Brecken's territory was closer, but the Brecken family was quite complicated; Count Genos also had a nephew and an illegitimate son.

There's no need to rush into a marriage alliance. Marriages in Westeros typically happen later in life, and the marriages of heirs are handled with even greater care.

Women in general marry around the age of twenty. Commoners tend to marry even later.

There were also sons of great lords like Edmure, Arianne, and Velas who were still unmarried at twenty-five or twenty-six, seeking a suitable marriage alliance.

Those who marry in their teens or even as infants are almost always driven by power, such as Joffrey and Margaery's marriage.

Arthur called his newly upgraded team into the captain's cabin and began a new round of personnel arrangements.

Arthur himself, Arthur's tutor, scholar, and squire.

Arthur's hired knights: "Apple Eater" Rosso Brun, "Flying Pig Knight" Clatton Songr, and Tritimo the young son of the Dragonstone Naval Guard Commander during the Mad King's era.

Arthur's yellow-robed retinue looked very spirited, clearly the kind of well-trained warriors.

The personnel arrangements had already been roughly made before, and this is now the official order.

"Sir Lucas, my swordsmanship instructor and right-hand man. Bachelor Cobb, my military scribe, skilled in medicine, ravenology, and astronomy and climatology."

"Very, Lucas Jr., Raleigh, my squires. Very Ward is in charge of intelligence and mediation, Lucas Jr. is in charge of finances, and Raleigh is in charge of weapons and equipment."

Arthur first clarified the division of labor within his inner circle, which could be considered a match of their professional expertise.

House Riveran doesn't have many distant relatives, unlike House Tyrell, House Lannister, and House Frey who rely on kinship.

The only people we can rely on now are the ones Arthur has promoted.

"clear."

"clear."

"As for the three of you," Arthur said, looking at his three hired knights, professional henchmen, "after we return to Harrenhal, I will promote you to commanders. Rosso will be in charge of training the cavalry, Craton will be in charge of training the longbowmen, and Tritimore the Younger will be in charge of the longship fleet."

Rosso, Clattenburg, and Tritimor Jr. said solemnly, "We will be your loyal knights until the end of our lives."

There was no way around it; Arthur had given them just too much.

Without Arthur's help, the three of them would still be eating dirt in a flea-infested nest.

No lord or propertied knight had ever treated them with such courtesy and respect.

Eating He'an's food and wearing He'an's armor, they naturally have to serve Arthur with their lives.

This is a win-win situation, as the River An family lost many good knights in the previous Battle of Trident River.

In addition, the He'an family is declining in number, and what they lack now is mid-level military officers.

Looking at these men, Arthur realized that if King Baron's brain was still working out the same old logic, his main battlefield would be the West, and the Riverlands would be his secondary battlefield.

With the elite troops forged by Arthur, we can deal with the invasion.

As for the plea for military assistance, Earl Merissant and Earl Brecken would certainly be happy to respond.

"I smell war," Coburn thought.

Qyburn looked at Arthur's "Dark Knights," Arthur himself being the most dazzling rising star of the Seven Kingdoms.

Furthermore, the fierce warriors under Arthur's command are not merely bodyguards; these knights will ultimately bring swords and fire.

I just don't know where these flames will be poured.

But Coburn didn't think much of it; after all, he was just a bachelor, and bachelors only needed to obey orders and follow their experimental sites.

Moreover, given Robert's current power, the Seven Kingdoms are unlikely to go to war.

0000

Dorne, The Gardens of Water.

The Flowing Gardens is Dorne's most beautiful detached house and the place that Doran cherishes most.

Doran and his brother "Oberyn Martell" stood side by side on the balcony, looking at the blood orange tree in the courtyard.

Doran was thin and frail, while Oberyn Martell was Dorne's most formidable warrior.

The blood oranges emitted a sweet and fragrant aroma.

"The oranges smell wonderful," Doron said.

"Blood smells better, the blood of vengeance," Red Viper said, frowning.

"I also crave the taste of blood, but now is not the time. I can only speak to you here; Sunspear is probably crawling with spiders and fleas." Doran sighed. "Dorn has the smallest population of the Seven Kingdoms. The Young Dragon King exaggerated our army's numbers in his books to boast of his achievements. But that's not the truth. Our army is too small; courage cannot replace numbers."

"I understand," Red Viper sighed.

He was a passionate and fiery person, but all he could do for now was wait.

"Alright, I'll tell you a secret," Doran said mysteriously to his younger brother. "You know that green-haired girl in the Flowing Gardens? She's the daughter of Lord Tyrosi. And in her letter to me, the Lord mentioned something interesting: recently, the number of raiding longships in the Controversial Lands and the Stone Steps Islands has decreased significantly; they seem to have disappeared without a trace."

Dorne had a very close relationship with his third daughter.

The Flowing Gardens will also contain the children of Tyrothy, the governor of the Free Trade City.

Not to mention, Doran himself married a noblewoman from Norfos in the Eastern Continent.

"That's truly rare. But those iron-types can't change their nature, you mean?" Red Viper looked at her brother.

"That's right." Doran nodded. "King Baron may be planning a major operation. And we will be the best observers."

Red Viper took a deep breath. Dorne's coastline was so barren that the Ironborn disliked landing there; they would definitely target the same old places again.

"He can't be that crazy, can he? Robert already has an heir and so many troops." Oberyn Martell said incredulously.

"Humans can't understand the actions of a madman," Doran shook his head. "So we just have to wait and see how much of a splash Baron will make."

"Fine." Oberyn Martell curled his lip. Even though he hated Robert and the Lannisters, he didn't think it was time to make a move.

"Do you have any news to share with me?" Doran asked.

Oberyn Martell was Doran's most trusted right-hand man, and the two brothers worked together seamlessly.

Above the officials Doran had placed in Sunspear City, he added Oberyn Martell, while Doran's successor, Arianne, did not wield much power.

"A young guest has arrived in Starfall City, Arthur Hoan, the heir to Harrenhal, who even defeated Dark Star in a duel," Red Viper said.

"Arthur Hoan, 'Bat Knight,' 'Dark Knight,' supposedly a rising star who distinguished himself at the tournament on Dragonstone, praised by Robert and Jon Arryn. Even the Dark Star can't compare? That kid is a ruthless swordsman even you admire." Doran showed an interested expression.

“The Dark Star doesn’t lie; he’s so arrogant. I never imagined someone so exceptional would emerge from a place like the Riverlands.” Red Viper rubbed his hands together with interest. “More importantly, his grandfather was a staunch supporter of Rhaegar, Doran. Those men were humiliated and punished by Jon Arryn.”

"No, Harrenhal and those people are too close to King's Landing. We cannot risk our friendship because of yesterday."

Doron shook his head.

Doran is extremely cautious and never takes risks easily.

Even with the Viserys siblings, he merely observed rather than offered any assistance.

"Alright," Oberyn Martell sighed. "So we have no allies, while Robert has allies everywhere."

"Waiting is painful, but we can only wait for the enemy to show a weakness first, for the Grand Alliance to fall apart. There was something else that happened on Dragonstone, which you probably know: Robert and Florence's girl had an affair on his brother Stannis's wedding bed, and the girl got pregnant."

"Well, I just hope my day of revenge isn't too far off." Red Viper chuckled self-deprecatingly.