Chapter 14 Don't You Trust A Lannister To pay His Debts ?
"It's, it's...." the groom looked in the direction of Ian's finger and stuttered, "Oh, Sir Knight, that is Lady Herian mount, a tall river horse. A high quality war horse bred from cross breeding with the Dornish sand horse, which is famous for its endurance, is twice as expensive as an ordinary war horse!"
The price of a war horse is about 20 times that of an agricultural horse, 10 times that of a draft horse, and a domestic horse. 3 times, that is to say, the price of the horse that Ian wants to borrow is about six times that of the horse that Ian keeps here.
"This is just right for me, isn't it?" Ian smiled instead, "You know, i can't go on a hunt without a good horse. I am here to win the favor of Miss Elano."
"Sir, this is not okay, I have no right to make this kind of decision, I must ask the steward for this kind of thing," the groom shook his head quickly.
The groom's voice was too loud, which alerted another younger groom who was working at the manger on the other side. Hearing the words, the man also ran over quickly. He didn't speak in a hurry, just looked at the two of them, as if he hadn't understood the situation yet.
"I'm just borrowing a horse, what are you yelling for?" Ian frowned, "As for Mrs. Herian's mount? How old is Mrs. Herian? Can she still ride a horse? What's more ridicules is a tall war horse like this. At her age, Mrs. Herian would fall down while riding a donkey, so do you really think she can ride a tall war horse like this?"
"Of course, this Mrs. Herian can't ride a war horse. Her last horse was never ridden by her from the time it was selected to the time it died of old age. But Mrs. Herian doesn't have to ride a horse. for her to have her own war horse, this is the main stable of Harrenhal's, as the lady of Harrenhal's she must have a strong and beautiful horse fitting her image".
"I'm only borrowing it for a week. I will return the horse immediately after the hunt. If there is any problem with the horse during this period, I will compensate it for the original price. Haven't you heard that A Lannister must pay its debts."
"Sir, please don't embarrass me."
"Besides, isn't my horse still with you? This horse has been with me for many years. By the way, you don't really suspect that I want to cheat you do you?" Ian added in heart if you did then you have guessed it."
"Okay, I won't embarrass you. You can report to the stable steward now. I'll wait for you here." Ian took out a golden dragon, "By the way, tell him that this is my reward for borrowing the horse."
The young groom who had been standing nearby silently seemed to finally react and walked up to Ian.
"Sir, the steward is not in Harrenhal at the moment, but I think he will definitely agree after learning that you want to borrow the horse, so I will take you to try the horse first, and we will report to him later." He smiled flatteringly at Ian.
The old groom looked at him doubtfully.
"Leave everything to me, father, don't worry about it." The young groom shook his head at his father.
The Countess of River'an is old and has no heirs. Harrenhal has not held tourneys and hunts for countless years, and the horses in this stable have hardly been used.
Because the lord didn't care, the stable master didn't even bother leave their houses to inspect the stables in recent years. Only he and his father worked here.
The knight will return the horse in a week. Who can find out in such a short time? As for Sir not returning the horse? How can it be? Lannister debts must be paid! Even a three year olds know this! Golden dragon? nah this is not about the money? I just want to do this to make it convenient for the knight. It doesn't matter whether i get the golden dragon or not!
"As you wish," Ian said as if he didn't care, but he was relieved in his heart. If he really asked the other party to find the stable manager, he might have to give up the white horse and borrow an ordinary war horse.
Although that doesn't affect his disguise as 'a certain Lannister Knight', it's not that perfect after all.
Ian threw the gold coin into the air, and the young groom quickly caught it. After examining it carefully, he put it into his pocket.
"This way, sir." The young groom smiled happily and pulled out Mrs. Herian horse.
Because it had already been sitting the stable and being feed and washed by humans for a long time, it had a fairly docile personality. Ian relied on his intermediate riding skills to tame the horse, which had no resistance, in just one minute.
"My good old man," Ian, who was riding on the white horse, looked back at the old groom who was still struggling, "I promise you, if I can be lucky enough to win the favor of the Countess of Elano this time and marry her daughter. I will be the Lord of a rich and nice town, I will have you come to Maiden Spring Town and be the stable master, hahaha."
After saying that, Ian left the stable on his horse in a swaggering manner.
The guard outside the door just glanced at him and made way for him without any questioning.
It wasn't until Ian disappeared from their sight that a guard suddenly spoke and looked at his companion: "Did you feel that the knight became taller when he left?".
"What nonsense is this?" The companion failed to understand the meaning of his friend words.
"No, it's nothing," the guard scratched his head, "It's probably an illusion."
Of course, Ian didn't know the guard's doubts. He turned back to the inn where he started, bought two jugs of ale and a portion of dry food there, and then left Harrenhal through the north gate and embarked on a journey to Salt Farm Town.
To the north of Harrenhal is a large area of fertile farmland. It is precisely because of this fertile land that the owner of Harrenhal was once considered the richest man in Westeros.
If it weren't for the curse, this would be the most ideal fiefdom in Westeros.
After passing through winding streams and sun drenched fields, Ian's eyes began to see rolling hills and low bushes. He slowed down slightly and continued to move towards the King's Road.
According to Ian's original estimate, it would take him three days to reach Yanpan Town, but after changing the horse, if he hurried on, he could shorten the trip to one and a half days.
Of course, he wouldn't do that after all a horse with a speed of 40 kilometers per hour can indeed run 40 kilometers in one hour, but it can only run less than 60 kilometers in two hours. If it wants to run 100 kilometers, it will take 5 to 7 hours, and this has to be Horses that have been trained for a long time.
If this horse usually lives a leisurely life, it will basically be at the end of its strength here. If it continues to run for another 20 kilometers, it might be killed.
Although the horses in Mrs. Herian stable have innate advantages in blood, eat the best food, and receive the best care, Ian does not dare to overestimate their actual amount of exercise.
Therefore, Ian's best choice is to let him trot at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour while taking adequate rest, and try to reach Yanchang Town before the sun sets tomorrow.
Anyway, Yanchang Town is a port town, and the entire town is not enclosed within the city wall. He does not have to worry about being blocked by the city gate when he arrives in the middle of the night.
At noon, Ian rested for a while in the woods beside the King's Road and had a piece of white bread for lunch. During this period, he only used ale to moisten his throat twice.
He didn't want alcohol to affect his thinking in this world where he could fight at any time.
What? You ask him why he doesn't drink water?
In this era where there is no custom of boiling water before drinking, he would rather choose this low alcohol ale, at least he can guarantee that it is a clean liquid.
After a short break at noon, Ian embarked on his journey again.
Not interested in admiring the scenery along the way, Ian just walked north silently.
Suddenly, Ian pulled the reins sharply, looked towards the end of the road, and murmured:
"Finally it's here".