Chapter 125

"I did not know that the walls of Dreadfort were this tall." He commented absent mindedly as he craned his neck to look at the tall towers surrounding the castle "Nor that there was a moat around it."

"There wasn't." Mance replied, not offering anything more on the topic and he didn't ask for more.

The Portcullis was already down so after a strict identification check, they were allowed to enter the Castle, which was once again, filled with Weirwood trees.

The whole tree with the face thing would have looked creepy if it not so peaceful and calming to his soul.

In fact, after entering the Castle made, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder that he didn't even he had.

"How do you feel?" Mance's voice brought him out of the stupor and he realized that the Carriage had stopped a while ago.

"I…" how do you explain an experience like this? He truly had no idea.

"Yeah. I know the feeling too." Mance said and he could only nod back at the older man.

"Let's… meet with this Lord of yours shall we." He said with a smile and climbed down from the surprisingly comfortable Carriage.

He would have to ask Lord Bolton for a carriage like this. Travelling in the carriage was unlike anything he had experienced before. In fact, he had a feeling that the Carriage might have spoiled him for horses in the future.

But when they climbed down from the Carriage, instead of finding Lord Bolton waiting for him in the Courtyards, he found…

Varko. The man who defeated his brother not once but twice in single combat in the past few Tournaments down in Kings Landing. The man who won the melee 5 times in a row. The man who refused the a Knighthood because of his faith in the old gods. The man who had declined King Robert's offer to join the Kingsguard time and time again because of his unwavering loyalty to Lord Bolton. And the man who was the undisputed greatest swordsman in 7 Kingdoms and someone who was said to equal Ser Arthur Dayne himself.

Yes. That Varko.

He had a feeling that he should feel insulted that Lord Bolton himself did not came to welcome him but how could he when the Greatest Warrior in the 7 kingdoms has been sent to greet him.

"Lord Tyrion. Welcome to Dreadfort." Varko said as a beautiful maid came forward with a plate of salt and bread.

As Tyrion took and ate the bread, partaking in the guests right, he wondered how Lord Bolton got hold of such a beautiful maid. And beautiful she was. More beautiful than even his own sister thanks to the pleasant smile she was wearing.

And not only beautiful but also curvaceous and well mannered.

King Robert would love to have a maid like her in the Red Keep.

But he had important things to pay attention to right now.

"Varko… I do not see Lord Bolton anywhere. I hope he is in good health." He asked cautiously. The matter of the Lord of a Great house being absent to even welcome the son of Lord Tywin could be seen as a huge insult.

Not by him of course. He was more than happy to have Varko invite him in Lord Bolton's place. But other people might not look at it the same way if they heard of this.

His father would definitely not.

"Unfortunately, Lord Bolton has gone to attend to a personal errand and won't be able to meet you for the time being. In fact, I am not even sure when he'll return to Dreadfort. But despite his absence, Lord Bolton has ordered us to treat you with the full hospitality of Dreadfort. Please come inside and make yourself comfortable."

A lord who is absent from his own castle.

He wondered if Lord Bolton has gone to have a meeting session with the old gods or something.

As absurd as the thought was, he was surprised to find that he didn't find it to be totally unbelievable.