Chapter 6

"Lord Caesar, Todd Flower is at your service at the behest of Lady Olenna," the knight proclaimed, bowing before Samwell. Behind him stood a hundred soldiers of House Tyrell, leaving Samwell visibly surprised.

He had assumed that the hundred soldiers Lady Olenna referred to would be mere levies - farmers who had abandoned their hoes to take up arms. However, upon observing the soldiers' coordinated movements and bloodthirsty demeanor, it was evident that they were the regular army of House Tyrell.

'Leather armor, long swords, shields, spears, bows and arrows... everything is available!' thought Samwell, marveling at the well-equipped elite infantry before him. With such a formidable force at his disposal, wiping out a small lord in the Barrens would be child's play. Had Lady Olenna entrusted such a mission to him alone?

Suddenly, Samwell felt as though he may have underestimated the determination and cunning of the "Queen of Thorns." However, he couldn't help but notice that the other party had clearly underestimated him as well. He was not one to be easily controlled like a puppet.

Gazing upon the soldiers of House Tyrell before him, the eagerness in Samwell's eyes could not be concealed.

He wants to let the women of the Tyrell family know what it means to be beaten with meat buns - bah bah bah, how can they scold themselves.

Once he regained his composure, Samwell examined the leader of the group of soldiers standing before him, a knight named Todd Flower. He appeared to be in his thirties, tall and weathered with a face marked by a ghastly scar that extended from his left ear to the corner of his mouth.

Samwell's attention, however, was drawn more to the knight's surname - Flower.

In the world of "Game of Thrones," bastards are children born out of wedlock. In the Seven Kingdoms, a child born to a nobleman or a lord outside of marriage is considered a bastard and is given the surname of their region with the addition of "Snow" for the North, "Rivers" for the Riverlands, "Stone" for the Vale of Arryn, "Hill" for the Westerlands, "Pyke" for the Iron Islands, "Storm" for the Stormlands, or "Flowers" for the Reach. The surname indicates the region where the child was born or where their father hails from.

In the continent of Westeros, illegitimate children are not necessarily inferior forever. They only need a decree from the king to become legitimized and gain the right of inheritance second only to direct children. In fact, some illegitimate children have even influenced the situation of the entire continent, like the former "Bloodraven" Brynden Rivers, and Jon Snow, who is poised to become a pivotal character in the plot.

Samwell was therefore curious which Todd Flower in front of him was the illegitimate son of a Riverlands nobleman.

Seeing that Samwell hadn't responded for a long time, Todd raised his head and asked,

"Master Caesar, we are all prepared. Shall we depart now?"

Samwell grinned and replied, "Not yet, I still want to recruit more people."

Todd furrowed his brows and questioned, "Do you really want to recruit more people?"

Samwell's expression turned grave as he explained, "The Red Mountain Range is teeming with wild animals, and disobedient savages. We need more people to ensure our safety."

Todd secretly cursed in his heart that the useless eldest son of the Tarly family really deserved his reputation, but he had no choice but to follow him into the city.

After a while of walking, Todd noticed that something was amiss and asked, "My lord, I thought we were heading to the mercenary camp. Are we not?"

Samwell didn't offer much explanation and simply continued walking. Before long, they arrived at the pier by the Mander River. It was noon, and the weather was scorching hot, causing most of the dockworkers to seek refuge in the shade.

Samwell turned to Todd and ordered, "Send some men to inform these laborers that I, Samwell Caesar, have been tasked by Duke Mace to venture into the Red Mountains for development. Anyone willing to follow me can sign up here. I'll take care of their food, drink, and provide them with a daily meal that includes meat. Additionally, a monthly military salary of 70 copper coins will be distributed. If they fall in battle, their family will receive a pension of five silver stags."

Todd hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "My lord, are you not being too generous to these people?"

Samwell waved his hand, showing a look of "I'm not short of money", and replied, "Only a generous lord can recruit good warriors. Soldiers, do as I tell you."

"Yes, my lord," responded the soldiers.

The news of Samwell's plan to recruit soldiers for the exploration of the Red Mountains quickly spread throughout the pier.

"One meal of meat every day? Seventy copper coins per month, and a pension for the family if you die? Is that really possible? Are you sure you heard it right?" questioned Gavin .

"Of course, it's already spread throughout the wharf," .

Gavin frowned skeptically, "Which family is named Caesar? Why have I never heard of them?"

His companion retorted, "Do you know all the nobles in the Reach? And how could it be a lie? There are hundreds of majestic soldiers standing there. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."

Gavin didn't hesitate and immediately ran over with the crowd.

  It didn't take long before almost all the dock laborers heard the news.

  Such superior treatment was enough to drive these low-level people crazy. They dared to venture into the mountains of swords and seas of fire, not to mention the Red Mountains.

  Samwell stood on a high ground, surveyed the crowd in front of him, and shouted:

  "I am Samwell Caesar, the newly appointed pioneer knight of Duke Mace! Today, I will recruit soldiers to join me in exploring the Red Mountains and opening new territories. However, not everyone can join as I have the following requirements.

  First of all, I'm only looking for men between the ages of 18 and 35." Some showed disappointment and left.

  The crowd thinned out a bit, but there were still thousands of people left.

  Samwell pointed to the distant lighthouse and said:

  "Now, run as fast as you can to that lighthouse and back!"

  Many froze in place upon hearing this, but smarter people understood that it was a means of selection and immediately ran off.

  Samwell watched quietly, and after the first group of the fastest people returned, he instructed Todd to send someone to stop the remaining people and inform them that they had been eliminated.

Afterward, Samwell roughly counted the number of people in front of him and found that there were still too many. He couldn't afford to support such a large number of soldiers, especially since they were all people from the Tyrell family. Technically, he should have obtained permission from the Duke Mace before recruiting them. But he didn't want to risk meeting with the Duke who obviously didn't like him and risk being refused.

  Therefore, he decided to directly recruit about a hundred young and strong people. Even if the Duke found out about such a small number of people, he probably wouldn't bother to argue with him. Samwell went to a high ground in front of the crowd, held his sword flat in front of his body, and ordered the remaining laborers to line up and pass under the sword.

  As people passed by with their heads bowed, Samwell would say, "Heads up ." For those who were too short to reach the sword, he shook his head and said, "Sorry, you're eliminated."

  Gavin watched from the side and soon realized that the master was using height to screen soldiers this time, and his heart started to pound . After all the people in front had passed, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

As the long sword drew nearer, Gavin felt a growing sense of despair. He knew he wasn't tall enough to pass the test, and his heart sank. But as he walked under the sword, he quietly stood on tiptoe and closed his eyes, hoping that his small gesture would go unnoticed.

  Though he knew he was taking a risk, Gavin couldn't bring himself to care. He refused to give up. Born into poverty, he had always dreamed of becoming a knight's squire, but how could a noble master ever take notice of him, a nameless outcast? When he heard that a knight was gathering a group to explore new territories, Gavin's hope was rekindled.

  He knew the journey would be difficult, but he also knew that success would bring new nobles. Naturally, he did not dare to hope to become a nobleman, but only hoped to be favored by a new knight and become his attendant.

  But now, that dream seems to be shattering again.

Gavin held his breath, waiting for fate's judgment. However, to his surprise, the knight master remained silent. He didn't dare to turn his head to look and remained on tiptoe, unwilling to give up on his dream. As time passed, his legs began to tremble, his face flushed, and beads of sweat kept dripping down. But he persisted, determined not to let his dream slip away.

Samwell noticed Gavin's cheating, but he didn't eliminate him. It was as if he wanted to see how long the young man could hold on.

The scorching sun in the afternoon was particularly vicious, and the sweat that had just dripped evaporated before it soaked the ground.

  Samwell began to feel his legs sore just by standing normally, But the young man in front of him kept on tiptoeing, his body trembling and on the verge of collapse, yet he never fell.

As Gavin began to lose consciousness, a voice akin to that of an angel finally sounded:

  "Boy, you have been recruited."

  With a thud, Gavin fell to his knees, gasping for air like a fish out of water.

  Then, he saw the knight master squatting in front of him with a gentle smile on his round face.

  "Boy, what is your name?"

  "I, I, sir, my name is Gavin!"

  "Okay, Gavin, from this day on, you will take care of my horse."

  Gavin burst into tears instantly.

  "Yes, master!"

[END]

NOTE- Who is Brynden Rivers ?

Brynden Rivers, also known as "Bloodraven," was a major character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series by George R.R. Martin and the "Game of Thrones" TV series.

He was a member of House Targaryen and served as the Master of Whisperers under King Aerys I and King Maekar I. He later became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and was responsible for recruiting and training Jon Snow.

Brynden was known for his exceptional intelligence, strategic thinking, and magical abilities. He was also infamous for his use of espionage and assassination to maintain order and protect the Targaryen dynasty.

He disappeared beyond the Wall many years before the events of the main storyline, and his fate was unknown until it was revealed that he had been transformed into the Three-Eyed Raven, a powerful supernatural being who guided Bran Stark in his journey to become the new Three-Eyed Raven.