From a hired knight to a master of Game of Thrones

A night breeze began to rise.

A clearing has been created in the center of the market.

The bodies of several looters were dragged to a corner, and Seven's soldiers were putting out the remaining fires everywhere.

On the muddy ground mixed with bloodstains and rags.

Count Machi was wearing a heavy felt cloak.

The felt cloak is mainly dark green with white trim, and the back is embroidered with a black battle axe emblem on a silver background.

His face was no longer as gentle as usual.

His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and every muscle in his face was contorted with rage!

"Your Excellency."

Don Quixote stopped his horse and dismounted.

Count Mitchell turned around and his gaze fell on Don Quixote.

The knight, whom Sir Keller greatly admired, was covered in blood, and his chainmail was dented in several places.

His face was splattered with blood, but his eyes remained bright and showed no sign of panic.

Count Mitchell suppressed his anger and nodded, saying:

"Don Quixote, your performance today tells me that Sir Keller did not misjudge you!"

Don Quixote calmly replied:

"My lord, it is my duty."

"But I am outnumbered and powerless, and I cannot stop all of this from happening."

Count Mitch took a deep breath and looked around at the chaotic market.

Charred timber beams, scattered goods, and bloodstains that had not yet dried.

And from not far away came the low sobs of ordinary people.

The sights around him silenced Count Mitch once again.

His cloak fluttered in the cold wind.

The silver-based black axe flickered in the firelight and darkness, like a lurking ferocious beast.

Count Mitchell suddenly sneered, his tone still tinged with anger:

"Responsibility? Commitment? Some people don't think that way!"

At this point, he gave Don Quixote a meaningful look:

"Two free knights broke their promise; they fled without offering a single resistance!"

"Flynn, Wood!" Liam, lying heavily wounded on the ground, suddenly looked up at Don Quixote and said:

"Those two bastards deserted at the last minute!"

Don Quixote, who had noticed Liam earlier, nodded to him.

After being rescued by Don Quixote, Liam rode back to the marketplace to save people and fight enemies.

If it weren't for Liam's desperate resistance, there would likely have been even more civilian casualties at the Seven Market tonight.

Count Mitchell's anger intensified, and he said coldly:

I will utterly ruin the honor of these two!

"I will let all the lords and chieftains of the North know this! A traitor does not deserve to remain in the North!"

In Westeros, oaths are sacred covenants, witnessed by the Old Gods or the Seven Gods. Breaking an oath is not only a breach of contract, but also an offense against the gods!

Eddard Stark once said: "The most dangerous people in the world are those who break oaths."

Because they have no bottom line, they will do anything to survive.

Strict as the oath of the Night's Watch.

Once the oath is broken, death is the only punishment; any lord who captures the offender may execute him on the spot without trial.

The same applies to the rights of guests.

The right of guests is the most sacred unwritten law in Westeros.

Guest rights = eaves + bread + salt.

These three elements are indispensable; this is an ironclad rule that Westeros has inherited from its first inhabitants.

Once the right takes effect, the host may not harm the guest, and the guest may not harm the host or his family, until the guest leaves or the host explicitly terminates the right.

The Old Gods and the Seven Gods bear witness together; those who disobey will be punished by heaven.

Legend has it that those who disobey will be cursed by the rat chef:

The cook killed the prince to make pies, and was transformed by the gods into a giant white rat, destined to eat his own offspring for eternity, symbolizing "reaping what one sows and the extinction of one's bloodline."

Like the oath of the Imperial Guard.

Jaime Lannister killed the Mad King Aerys II, even in order to save King's Landing.

Even though the Lannister family behind him is one of the richest and most powerful families in the Seven Kingdoms!

He could not escape the label of "king killer," and was burdened with the infamy of "oath-breaker" for the rest of his life, despised by the world!

The oaths of mercenary knights, free knights, and mercenaries sometimes resemble a kind of credibility, and sometimes seem to be sacred vows.

At best, it means a ruined reputation and being blacklisted by employers across the continent.

In severe cases, they may be silenced by their former or new employers, or even subjected to torture as a form of retaliation to deter others.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Liam gritted his teeth and said:

"The people of the North must be made aware of the true nature of those two bastards!"

The North will not forget those who break their promises!

"Let them be despised for the rest of their lives!"

"Don't worry!" Earl Meiqi sneered.

"I will write down the crimes of those two men—desertion in the face of battle, breaking their oath of allegiance, and disregard for the common people and their lord!"

"I will send them by raven to Winterfell, Last Hearth, ... and even Karholm!"

"Let all the lords of the North see the true colors of these two cowards, and let their names be forever bound to 'Oathbreakers'!"

After saying this, Count Machi glanced at Don Quixote and Liam again, and said coldly:

"Don Quixote, you did not break your promise and came to my aid in time!"

"but……

"However, so many raiders have already approached the market, and you have not found a trace of them!"

"Your abilities truly disappoint me!"

"Liam, you're being docked a year's salary!"

"Don Quixote, go tell those free knights that you must leave Seven's territory tomorrow!"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Don Quixote replied calmly.

There was no explanation, no attempt to defend oneself.

Count Mitchell was clearly in a state of anger and was unlikely to accept any explanation from others.

Especially the explanation from an ordinary person with no status or position!

As Liam lay on the ground, watching Don Quixote ride away, he explained with a heavy heart:

"My lord, the main responsibility for this matter lies with me. Don Quixote and the others were on their rest day earlier."

"Moreover, those looters clearly planned this in advance and hid it too well!"

"The area around the market has been very calm these past few days, and we have not found any trace despite patrolling day and night!"

"They must have been lying in wait elsewhere before setting off for the market area tonight."

Count Mitch said coldly:

"So I'm only giving you a small punishment, not hanging you!"

Sir Keller, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke:

"My lord, shall we go and interrogate those prisoners?"

Count Mitch shook his head and said:

"Go ahead, and tell me the results of the interrogation tomorrow morning."

"Don't let these raiders die, but don't let them get away with it either!"

After a pause, Earl Meiqi continued:

"Keller, do you recognize any of those prisoners?"

Sir Keller thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"No, they were all unfamiliar faces, and they all seemed like nobody's business!"

Count Mitchell continued:

"Are any of the corpses familiar faces?"

Sir Keller immediately said:

"Sir, I haven't examined the faces of those corpses closely yet. I'll go check them right away and report back to you tomorrow morning!"

Count Mitch nodded: "Yes."

"My lord, do you believe these people have an unusual background?" Sir Keller said coldly, frowning.

……

PS: (Please recommend and read this!)