"You all did very well, showing everyone the strength of our The Reach." Inside the manor House Tyrell was staying at, arranged by Duke Tywin, Duke Mace gathered all the vassals of The Reach.
The lords and knights of House Rowan, House Crane, House Fossoway of Fruitwine Hall, House Fossoway of New Barrel City, House Tarly, Hightower Family, and House Redwyne, and others who participated in this rebellion suppression, were all summoned to the manor's great hall.
Lynd was naturally one of those summoned, but unlike other knights who could only wait in the courtyard outside the hall for Duke Mace's summons, Lynd entered the hall with the patriarchs and lords of various families. Inside the hall, besides the attendants, he was the only knight.
During the banquets over these days, Lynd had already met all the lords and dignitaries from the various families present. Except for Hightower and House Redwyne, with whom he had a slightly better relationship, his relationship with the other families was merely casual. However, his relationship with the knights of these families was quite good, perhaps due to some element of idol worship.
It's no exaggeration to say that Lynd has now become the spiritual leader of the knights of The Reach. Knights from every family hold him in high esteem, especially when he demonstrates his strength while guiding them in combat techniques, which makes these The Reach knights admire him even more.
Lynd was seated in the middle of the hall, next to Randyll Tarly.
Although Randyll Tarly was the commander of the Southern Rebellion Suppression Coalition, his command was revoked after the rebellion ended. Now, Randyll Tarly is merely the Earl of Horn Hill. According to the size and strength of his territory, he can only be considered a mid-tier among the many lords of The Reach, so his placement in the middle of the queue was not surprising.
Upon arriving in Lannisport, Lynd immediately went to see Randyll Tarly, as Randyll Tarly was technically his superior.
When Randyll Tarly saw Lynd, his feelings were complex. Initially, Lynd had not left a very good impression on him, but as Lynd led two thousand cavalry on a thousand-mile raid, rescued five cities, defeated tens of thousands of enemies, and repeatedly achieved military successes, his impression of Lynd gradually changed. Especially when he learned through other channels that Lynd was strict in his military discipline and upright in character, his goodwill towards Lynd doubled.
Even after meeting Lynd in person, although Randyll Tarly maintained a business-like demeanor due to certain concerns, he greatly admired Lynd in his heart. He even secretly sighed that it would be wonderful if his son had even a tenth of Lynd's ability.
So, when Lynd was placed next to him, Randyll Tarly, with a hint of goodwill, quietly reminded Lynd, saying, "You need to be mentally prepared. Don't make a fool of yourself later."
"Huh?" Lynd was startled by Randyll Tarly's reminder and looked over in confusion, but Randyll Tarly said nothing more.
At this moment, Duke Mace also began to announce some rewards for his subordinate lords.
The rewards for military achievements in suppressing the rebellion were not directly issued by King Robert to the subordinate lords of the Seven Kingdoms. He would only reward the Duke of each region directly, according to the division of the Seven Kingdoms. Subsequent rewards would then be issued by each Duke to their subordinate vassals, and so on, down to the lowest-ranking noble knights.
As for common soldiers, they were not included in the rewards, though some generous and benevolent noble lords would distribute some rewards to them. Soldiers' main income came from plunder; whatever they plundered was theirs.
Lynd's approach, which prohibited private plunder, uniformly collected spoils of war, and then distributed a portion of them to the soldiers, was very rare.
The main reason Duke Mace gave rewards to the participating subordinate lords in advance was that he already knew how generous King Robert's rewards to The Reach were this time, so he had no more reservations and gave his own rewards in advance to show his generosity.
After Duke Mace announced that Randyll Tarly's reward was a three-year exemption from all taxes in Horn Hill and ten thousand gold dragons, all eyes in the hall turned to Lynd. He was the last person in the hall who had not yet received a reward.
"Linde Terra, step forward." Duke Mace said to Lynd with a solemn expression.
Hearing this, Lynd already had his answer in mind. He stepped forward and came to the front of the line.
"More than a year ago, when we were in King's Landing, I said that as long as someone could clear out the bandits north of Bitterbridge, I would reward him with a manor and a village. Now you have done it." Duke Mace looked at Lynd with a complex expression and said, "However, you have far exceeded my expectations. A mere manor and village are no longer sufficient as your reward."
Saying this, he looked at the people in the hall, and his gaze finally returned to Lynd. Then he took out a parchment scroll from beside him and handed it to Lynd, while saying, "I now, in the name of the Warden of the South, the Protector of the Borderlands, the Duke of Highgarden, and the Supreme Commander of The Reach, hereby bestow upon Ser Linde Terra the title of Baron, granting you the lands around Redsoil Watch in the Red Mountains as your territory. Your descendants shall inherit this Glory for generations. I hope you will continue to serve the honor of The Reach with all your heart."
"Thank you, Lord." Lynd, who was already mentally prepared, appeared very composed, though his hand trembled slightly when he took the scroll of appointment, revealing his inner turmoil.
In fact, not only was he not calm, but many of the lords present were also not very calm. Whether they had known beforehand that Lynd would be ennobled as a lord or not, they all let out exclamations of surprise.
One must know that with this ennoblement, Lynd could be said to have crossed two major social classes, from a knight, past a landed knight, past a titled noble, to become a lord with his own territory. One must know that it might take a hundred, or even several hundred, years for an ordinary knightly family to cross these two strata.
However, it took Lynd less than two years to go from a common hunter to a lord, which naturally left everyone astonished.
As the news of Lynd becoming a lord spread from the hall to the courtyard outside, the knights of The Reach who heard the news all showed complex expressions on their faces, including envy, admiration, shock, and jealousy.
Although they had all guessed that Lynd would receive a great reward when he was led into the hall by the attendant, they never imagined the reward would be so generous, directly making Lynd a lord. Even if they didn't know where Lynd's territory was or what its condition was, becoming a Baron Lord was already enough to make them feel incredible.
But then, some observant people among them quickly realized that the merit for ennobling Lynd as a Baron Lord was not for suppressing the rebellion, but for the task of clearing out bandits north of Bitterbridge. It was just that the reward for that task had changed from a manor and a village to a territory, and his title had changed from landed knight to Baron.
This made everyone even more incomprehensible; they did not believe that such a merit could earn a territory.
At this point, someone knowledgeable in geography quickly discovered that the territory granted to Lynd was not in The Reach, but in the Dorne March, specifically on the side of Dorne and the Stormlands, separated from The Reach by the Red Mountains, making it a complete exclave.
Currently, that land was entirely occupied by the lords of the Stormlands and Dorne. It was virtually impossible for anyone to establish a foothold there, build a castle, or control the territory.
After understanding the true situation of the territory Lynd received, everyone's doubts were dispelled, and their feelings of jealousy and envy also diminished considerably. In many people's eyes, it was better to receive a controllable manor and village than to obtain an uncontrollable territory.
Similar to the feelings of the knights in the courtyard, those lords whom Duke Mace had not informed beforehand, upon learning about Lynd's territory, no longer questioned Lynd's reward, and even felt some sympathy for him.
In their opinion, Lynd indeed possessed miraculous combat power, but governing a territory was not something that could be achieved by merely being powerful enough in combat. Most of them did not believe that Lynd would be able to establish himself in that chaotic land.
At this moment, Duke Mace said to Lynd again, "This is just your reward for the bandit suppression mission. As for the military merit reward for this rebellion suppression, it will not be given by me. King Robert will personally present it to you. I am not clear about the specific contents of the reward; we will only know at the celebration banquet tonight."
Hearing Duke Mace's words, all the lords were stunned, because King Robert's action was an overreach. Even if he was the King, he should not directly reward the vassals under Duke Mace for military achievements.
Duke Mace should have refused such an impolite request. However, seeing no anger on Duke Mace's face, they vaguely guessed that King Robert must have given House Tyrell considerable benefits for this matter, otherwise, no matter how weak or muddled Duke Mace was, he would not have agreed to such a thing.
Lynd was also surprised by Duke Mace's words. He had originally thought that his ennoblement as Baron and the grant of territory was the end of it, and that his military merits in suppressing the rebellion were included in it. But now, it seemed he would receive other benefits.
"Duke, the Old Lady wishes to see Lord Linde." A personal handmaiden of Olenna entered the hall through a side door, bowed to everyone, and then addressed Duke Mace.
Duke Mace clearly already knew about this matter. He nodded slightly and said to Lynd, "Ser Linde, you may go now! Do not keep my mother waiting."
"Yes, Lord." Lynd bowed and followed the handmaiden, walking towards the ladies' courtyard in the manor's backyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, Garlan, who had been waiting at the entrance, greeted Lynd. After more than a year apart, Garlan had grown considerably taller, and the baby fat on his face had disappeared, replaced by sharp features, giving him a more masculine demeanor.
"Long time no see, Lord Garlan!" Lynd was very grateful to this Duke's second son who had brought him into House Tyrell. One could say that if Garlan had not brought him into House Tyrell that day, and instead he had joined Fotimo Kleen's House Crane as he originally planned, then he might not have achieved what he has today, and the forces he commanded would not have grown so quickly.
Seeing that Lynd had not changed his attitude towards him despite his change in status, Garlan's face irrepressibly showed a satisfied smile. He then familiarly tapped Lynd's breastplate and looked at the Lost Knight's Greatsword at Lynd's waist, saying, "That's really something, I haven't seen you in over a year, and you've actually forged such a set of armor and a Greatsword. If you hadn't taken off your helmet, I wouldn't have recognized you at all."
Lynd said casually, "If you want to forge such a set of armor, I can give you the design drawings."
"Forget it, this armor looks heavy just by looking at it, let alone wearing it. Even if it's forged, it would just be a decoration. I'm not that extravagant." Garlan pouted, then turned to the attendant waiting nearby and said, "You can leave now. I will take Lord Linde to see Grandma."
"Yes, Young Master Garlan." The attendant turned and left after hearing this.
Garlan then led Lynd into the courtyard. At this time, many ladies and noblewomen from various families who had come with House Tyrell for the banquet were chatting with their companions and curiously looking at Lynd.
Garlan quietly reminded Lynd on the way, saying, "My grandma's words can sometimes be a bit harsh. Just bear with it for a bit, and it will pass."
"Understood." Lynd responded with a smile. In fact, he knew the Thorn Queen's sharp tongue even without Garlan's reminder.
"Look who's here! Our Godsworn!" As the two arrived at a large terrace overlooking the Lannisport bay, they heard an old voice rise from the crowd.
Immediately after, a group of noblewomen from different families of The Reach parted, revealing the Thorn Queen, who had previously been surrounded by everyone.
When Lynd had escorted Velas to Dorne, he had passed through Highgarden twice, but he had not met the Thorn Queen on either occasion. However, this was normal, as it was unlikely for a knight to easily meet a noblewoman.
If not for the Thorn Queen's request this time, Lynd probably would not have been able to meet her either.
The Thorn Queen was even frailer than Lynd had expected; it felt as if a gust of wind from the bay could blow her away. However, her eyes were incredibly sharp, a seasoned gaze that could see through people's hearts. Even Lynd could not hold her gaze for long.
"Good afternoon, Olenna." Lynd stepped forward and bowed to the Thorn Queen.
The Thorn Queen sized Lynd up and down, her gaze lingering on the dragon ornament on Lynd's helmet for a moment. She then said, "Good afternoon, Ser Linde Terra. Oh, my mistake, I should call you Lord Baron Linde Terra now."
Lynd replied with a smile, "Before you, it is merely a title. I believe for you, Ser, or Baron, or even Duke, are all the same."
The Thorn Queen was momentarily stunned, then began to laugh. Garlan also looked at Lynd in surprise, and the gazes of the other ladies around them all fell on Lynd. Clearly, it was rare to find someone who could speak so casually in front of the Thorn Queen.
"Come here! Child, let me see you. When one gets old, their eyes aren't good anymore; I can't see anything clearly from afar." The Thorn Queen grumbled like an ordinary old woman, saying, "They all like to stand far away, so I can't see them clearly, but they don't know that for someone who can't see well, their ears work even better. Just from the sound of their voices, I know who they are. No one can hide anything from me."
Lynd listened to the Thorn Queen's mumbles and walked in front of her.
"Quite ordinary-looking, much worse than my grandson," the Thorn Queen said, looking at Lynd and reaching out to pat his leg, "but very strong, which is good. Able to get women pregnant and have many children. Baron Terra, you haven't made any betrothals yet, have you?"
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