Jaime's face darkened, and he nearly exploded.
If you hand her over to him, how am I supposed to explain this to Cersei?
"Since this matter has come to an end, we won't intrude any longer."
Brynden Tully pumped the brakes again, asking, "Jaime, will you return with me to Riverrun?"
Jaime declined politely, "No, Ser."
Daeron nodded inwardly in approval.
As expected of the "God of Pure Love," Jaime Lannister.
He was probably plotting to ride post-haste back to King's Landing to see his sister Cersei.
Brynden frowned. "Lysa has been waiting for you all this time."
"I fear I must disappoint Lady Lysa's kindness."
Jaime knew exactly what was going on.
If not for the guidance of his idol, the "Blackfish" Brynden, he wouldn't have given the big-chested, empty-headed Tully girl the time of day.
Hearing this, Brynden sighed inwardly.
He had seen early on that the boy had no interest in his niece Lysa.
So there was nothing more to discuss.
Before the uncle could say anything more, someone else lost their patience.
Brandon Stark said unhappily, "Lysa has waited for you for so long. Even if you don't fancy her, you should go back and say a proper goodbye."
He actually quite liked that busty girl.
Unfortunately, she was his fiancée's sister.
Jaime glanced sideways, disdainful. "I wondered who was speaking. Turns out it's you, the loser."
"Boy, you just got lucky once."
Brandon's face turned gloomy.
Jaime: "Give you another ten years, and you still won't catch up to me."
What a good show.
Daeron rubbed his chin.
From their back-and-forth, he pieced together the cause of the conflict.
Not long ago, Brandon had taken men to Riverrun to visit his fiancée, where he encountered Jaime, who was honing his swordsmanship with the "Blackfish."
The Lion and the Wolf clashed as soon as they met.
Clearly, the ultimate winner was Jaime.
He was only 14, four years younger than Brandon, yet he had already mastered Life Energy. Coupled with his tricky and ruthless swordsmanship, even a veteran like Brynden acknowledged his strength.
Brandon, inferior in skill and lacking mastery of Life Energy, was easily unhorsed, losing face in front of his fiancée's family.
For the proud and arrogant Brandon, this was completely unacceptable.
"That's not certain this time, boy!"
Facing his opponent's contempt, Brandon clenched his fists, emitting a wild aura from his entire body.
Life Energy!
Daeron looked sideways, thinking, No wonder he dares to challenge him again. He came prepared.
"Then I'll play with you."
Jaime was interested.
But before the two could fight, Lord Walter intervened.
"Tch." Jaime curled his lip.
Daeron's thoughts turned, and he spoke up. "I heard the eldest son and daughter of House Stark and House Tully are betrothed. I wonder when the wedding will be?"
Brynden answered, "In another two years, when my niece Catelyn turns 18."
"I see."
Daeron made an "Oh" sound.
Counting from the time of menarche, the usual marriage age for noblewomen was 13 to 14. Occasionally, those who hadn't found a suitable match would wait until 16.
Catelyn was already 16, yet she had to wait another two years.
Was Duke Hoster hesitant about joining the Four-Power Alliance?
Or did he look down on the poverty of the North and want to keep his daughter at home to enjoy life for two more years?
The former was highly probable.
Daeron knew what was up and smiled. "Tully and Stark are both pillars of the Seven Kingdoms. With two Great Houses assisting, the realm will surely become stronger and more prosperous."
As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face.
Hearing this, Brandon patted his chest and said, "My father guards the North precisely for the prosperity of the Seven Kingdoms."
Though he said this, he muttered inwardly.
The intentions of the Four-Power Alliance were unclear.
As the eldest son of House Stark, he knew exactly what it was for.
Colluding with each other to resist the Mad King together.
Even his trip south this time wasn't just to visit his fiancée, but to go to the Eyrie in the Vale to deliver a letter to Lord Arryn.
The Tourney at Harrenhal was set for the coming year.
The four houses had agreed to support Crown Prince Rhaegar at the tourney, backing him to replace the Mad King's rule.
Once Rhaegar ascended the throne, the four houses would advance and retreat together, fighting for greater benefits.
Daeron: "I know."
But to others' ears, these words carried a deeper meaning.
Jaime realized something was off.
It was common knowledge that House Whent was a die-hard supporter of Crown Prince Rhaegar.
Why is Daeron here?
Before, the King favored his second son, and Daeron was merely a potential threat to Rhaegar's succession.
But after the dragons hatched, the situation reached a turning point.
In the eyes of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, Daeron and Rhaegar were rivals of equal stature, destined to be incompatible like fire and water.
"House Whent defected?"
Jaime made a bold guess.
People always thought he was a brute who only knew how to fight, but that wasn't true.
The fairest assessment of him would be a generational talent.
To be worthy of this title, one must possess at least super intelligence and super martial prowess.
It was just that his martial prowess was too high.
Usually, when he encountered a problem, his super intelligence would tell him it was time to use his super martial prowess.
While Brandon was scratching his head in confusion.
Brynden rolled his eyes secretly, seriously doubting his brother Hoster's judgment.
"Wild Wolf" Brandon had quite a reputation, but he was a complete brute.
The collusion between the four dukes was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Yet Brandon thought Prince Daeron was just exchanging pleasantries with him. What an idiot.
"We must be going."
Brynden didn't want to stay a moment longer and bid farewell.
Daeron stood up to see them off.
Walking into the front courtyard, the two hatchlings were sharing a goat.
"You have created a miracle."
Even with Brynden's cold heart, he couldn't help but stop to take a look.
At the castle gate.
Daeron thought it over and asked, "Ser, if a fish can eat its fill on the surface of the lake, why does it drill deeper into the mud underwater?"
Brynden pondered for a moment.
Then, he gave his answer: "When winter comes, to survive the cold, the fish can only drill deeper underwater to find a bite to eat."
"What if the sun rises?"
"Two suns?"
Brynden's words were sharp, just like his hawk-like eyes.
Daeron paused, then laughed. "Ser, it was a pleasure talking with you."
"My honor."
Brynden led his warhorse and cracked a darkly humorous joke. "I know the special crops Lord Owen sells come from your hand. I bought one at a high price. If there are more special crops of the same quality, please do me a favor."
"No problem."
Daeron agreed readily.
Soon, the group rode away.
Daeron remained where he was, mulling over the content of the man's last sentence.
He had taken out thirty melons to be auctioned and sold in the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands respectively.
Ten melons for the Riverlands.
Three were sold to Lord Tytos at a low price, three to House Tully, and the rest were sold individually to houses like Bracken and Frey.
He remembered Lord Owen saying he sold three to House Tully.
But Brynden claimed he bought one separately.
"So, Duke Hoster bought two melons and didn't share with his brother?"
Daeron grasped the key point.
Brynden certainly wouldn't lie.
That proved there was a rift within House Tully.
Just like the competitive relationship between him and Rhaegar, Duke Hoster and his brother Brynden were also at odds.
He remembered.
The reason Brynden participated in the War of the Ninepenny Kings was that he didn't want to be ordered around by his brother; he wanted to earn his own legacy.
Later, he followed his niece Lysa to the Vale to serve as the Knight of the Gate.
It wasn't that he didn't love his brother or value his family.
On the contrary, Brynden had always lived by his house words.
House Tully words: "Family, Duty, Honor!"
In the "War of the Five Kings" of later generations, Brynden was still fighting bloody battles despite his old age.
"If there's a disagreement, I can work on it slowly."
Daeron looked far ahead.
Even a nest of trout fought amongst themselves, let alone the coexistence of the Falcon, the Stag, the Wolf, and the Fish.
The wavering House Tully was the biggest flaw in the Four-Power Alliance.
Daeron mused, "Perhaps 'The Blackfish' Brynden can be a good start."