On the dirt road outside Daintings City, dust swirled, enveloping the returning army in the distance. Arthur, on horseback, stood on a small hill, his gaze piercing through the dust and landing precisely on the Vance Family's sigil: a green dragon on a white field, with a white tower on a black field.
The army's banners were tattered, the soldiers dejected and weary, their armor caked with mud and grime. Their marching formation was sparse and disorganized, completely lacking the imposing presence they had when they set out.
Arthur turned his head to look at Lyman Leicester beside him. The old man was mumbling to himself, seemingly conversing with some ghost in the air.
He wasn't sure if he could rouse the old man's senses, but he tried speaking anyway: "Lord Lyman."
"Lord Norbert Vance has returned."
Receiving no response from the old man, Arthur sighed and turned to look at the approaching army, estimating their numbers. The allied army that had departed had over four thousand men, but now, following Norbert Vance, there were probably less than two thousand.
Those Riverlands lords—House Blackwood, House Brinken, House Frey—having learned of Seaguard's fall and the relief army's defeat at the city gates, had likely all rushed back to their own territories.
Arthur wheeled his horse around and galloped down: "Lord Lyman! It's time to go!"
"We're going to welcome Lord Norbert Vance!"
Lyman Leicester stopped his soliloquy, his vacant eyes turning to Arthur, and then he silently followed. The two spurred their horses, without the slightest hesitation, riding directly into Norbert Vance's chaotic and noisy encampment, which was in the process of setting up.
Inside the Vance Family's command tent, Norbert Vance was frowning at a map of the Riverlands. His grizzled hair was somewhat disheveled, and his luxurious robes were stained with dust.
When he saw Lyman Leicester and Arthur enter, the weariness on his face instantly froze, replaced by an obvious embarrassment.
Not long ago, in an allied military council, he had flatly rejected the proposal to help Lyman Leicester retake his family's castle. Yet, unexpectedly, he had later learned that the younger man had helped him retake the Ironborn castle, which had a garrison of four to five hundred men.
But Norbert Vance was, after all, an old lord who had dominated the Riverlands for many years. He quickly put on a warm, beaming smile, stepped forward, and opened his arms to embrace old Lyman.
If one didn't know what had transpired between them, one would only find his voice so resonant and sincere: "Lyman, my old friend!
I heard! I heard of your heroic feat in retaking your castle!"
"Upon hearing this news! I am truly happy for you!"
Lyman Leicester merely tilted his head, staring at the top corner of the tent, his lips moving as he mumbled to himself, as if counting the patterns on it, completely ignoring Norbert Vance's outstretched hand.
Norbert Vance's arm hung awkwardly in mid-air, and he had no choice but to sheepishly withdraw it, turning instead to Arthur.
This time, the expression on his face was no longer embarrassment, but pure shock: "Little Suleiman? How are you and Lord Lyman still here?"
"Aren't you returning to your own castle?"
In his understanding, Seaguard had fallen, and the main Ironborn army had already entered the Trident River, their movements unknown. Any rational lord, at this moment, should immediately return to his own territory, reinforce his walls, and prepare for a potential attack at any time.
Would this young man truly be willing to disregard his own territory and property for the sake of a liege lord's land and possessions, whose fate was unknown?
Westeros, no... when did the Riverlands produce such... a loyal subject?
Arthur did not miss the fleeting shock in Norbert Vance's eyes. The time for performance had come. He bowed slightly and, with an incomparably solemn, even somewhat tragic tone, replied to the old man before him:
"Lord Norbert, my liege Lord Balon Deddings is still missing, and Lady Roslyn and her children are still praying day and night in Daintings City."
"At such a time, abandoning a liege lord's family and returning to one's own territory to seek temporary peace is not the act of a sworn vassal."
What did I hear... Norbert Vance's gray eyes stared intently at Arthur's face, trying to find even the slightest hint of falseness or pretense on that young face, but he failed.
He only saw Arthur's clear and open eyes, and the loyalty in his tone seemed to emanate from his very bones. The Riverlands truly had such a loyal person. Whether this young man was truly foolish or merely putting on an act, at least in his words and actions, he had already occupied an unimpeachable moral high ground.
"Alas." Vance sighed heavily, turned, and walked back to the map, adopting an appearance of exhaustion.
He pointed to the fallen Seaguard on the map: "I presume you already know the news from the front lines."
"But I truly didn't expect that among the unit that left Seaguard to assist in the pursuit, there were still people who dared to return to rescue in a time of crisis."
"I heard that many lords who were halfway there were unwilling to return for support."
"Only Lord Tytos Blackwood, and your Lord Balon Deddings, along with a few other lords, gathered an army of no more than three thousand, yet dared to turn back and counterattack the Ironborn army besieging Seaguard."
He shook his head, filling his words with disappointment in his allies and helplessness at the situation, continuing to speak in a complex tone mixed with admiration and regret.
"My pursuit army has disbanded. Those from the various families, as soon as they heard that Seaguard had fallen and the Ironborn had won a great victory, ran faster than rabbits."
Arthur listened quietly, and only after he finished speaking did he ask: "Then, what does the Lord plan to do now?"
This question was direct and crucial, but it perfectly suited Norbert Vance's intentions.
Norbert Vance answered without hesitation: "Although my mission was to pursue the Ironborn, the situation has now changed."
"The main Ironborn force that entered the Trident River has disappeared, and continuing to pursue this small band of scattered Ironborn is meaningless. I plan to immediately return to my territory, Yalan City, to strengthen its defenses."
He added to Arthur in the tone of an elder advising a junior.
"I advise you, too, to return to your own land as soon as possible. Ironborn longships are extremely fast; in less than a week, you'll be able to see longships on any river."
His meaning was clear: the situation was deteriorating, and moreover, Seaguard had already fallen. What was the point of pursuing this band of Ironborn? The war ended here. He was going home, and they should all go home too.
However, Arthur slowly shook his head. His voice was not loud, but it was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, as he uttered one word:
"No."
Norbert Vance's eyes widened, and the air in the tent instantly froze.
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