Chapter 28: What Exactly Do You Want?

"Janos, this is not a matter for you to concern yourself with," Tytos remarked, scanning the at least one thousand Bracken soldiers.

"Heh." Janos nodded at Edmure from across the two houses' soldiers, then turned to the people of Raventree Hall, "Arthur is my nephew; I am certainly going to handle this."

Tytos weighed the situation and felt his side still held the advantage; at the very least, the Brackens would not dare start a war in front of the Tullys.

So, he took a hard line: "What, your reach is so long that it stretches from Stone Hedge across the Red Fork all the way to me? I have already confirmed this matter with the Riverrun Protector family and reached an agreement with the principal party, Arthur. Do you intend to go to war with me?"

Janos was clearly over fifty, with a wrinkled face and thinning hair, yet at this moment, he revealed a childlike smile.

Seeing this smile, Arthur felt a bit strange, and only then did he realize it was the kind of smile one has when suddenly struck by a wicked idea.

"Your Blackwood House has a lot of nerve," Janos scolded, "daring to speak of going to war with me in front of Lord Edmure, a thing strictly forbidden by the Protector family."

Edmure looked at Lord Janos and immediately felt a headache coming on.

Just when things had been settled, a troublemaker suddenly popped up.

Now he had to worry about whether the people from Raventree Hall could return to their home castle alive.

The crux of the matter now lay with Brynden; as long as this heir to Raventree Hall was released, there would be no need for Stone Hedge to continue causing trouble.

Because House Bracken had no sustainable logistics here, they would not stay long.

He decided to find a breakthrough through Arthur.

Thus, Edmure spoke up: "Ser Arthur, I highly approve of your pursuit of justice for the smallfolk, and since you previously agreed to my proposal, I believe that as an upright man, you will surely keep your word."

Arthur also understood the current situation.

As long as Brynden was in his hands, he could negotiate for more benefits.

He was just about to refuse when he saw Janos's old face winking at him.

Arthur understood; the Lord of Stone Hedge wanted him to agree to Edmure's words.

This was a bit difficult to handle.

But Stone Hedge was his greatest backer, and he could not ignore their wishes.

After looking back and forth between Edmure, Janos, and Brynden several times, he finally made up his mind.

"I keep my word; I will release Brynden after receiving three thousand Gold Dragons."

Edmure breathed a sigh of relief, "You are a man of high moral character."

Although Tytos did not know what game House Bracken was playing, this was the outcome he wanted, so he agreed as well.

The situation was volatile; it was better to get his eldest son back first.

They had brought nearly two thousand Gold Dragons when they left Raventree Hall as a logistical guarantee for emergencies.

The Tullys had likely brought Gold Dragons too; pooling them together would be enough for three thousand.

So, he sent someone to communicate with Edmure to discuss whether they could borrow money.

In a short while, two large cowhide bags were placed on the ground in front of the Brackens.

Lord Janos designated two men to help Arthur count the money.

"Well done, child," this distant uncle patted Arthur on the shoulder, "this is what you deserve."

"I heard you fought with extreme bravery and killed one of their high-ranking officers for the sake of a smallfolk; I imagine the ancestors of the Brackens and your parents would be proud of you for becoming a qualified lord."

"Three smallfolk," Arthur corrected him.

Although he now had three thousand Gold Dragons in hand, according to his agreement with Hendry, he had to compensate Stone Hedge for the loss of nearly four hundred soldiers.

But this was clearly impossible.

Because Arthur could not come up with that much money.

Janos seemed very happy right now, so it might be possible to negotiate.

"My Lord, Hendry told me the compensation for one dead soldier is one hundred; isn't that too harsh?"

"Call me uncle." Janos found Arthur pleasing in every way right now, "Don't mind his words; I am the master of Stone Hedge."

Upon hearing this, Arthur felt there was hope, "Then how should I compensate for your losses?"

Janos pondered for a moment and said, "How about this: for every person dead, you compensate one Gold Dragon."

Arthur let out a huge sigh of relief, and just as he was rejoicing, he heard more good news.

"You also performed meritorious service in battle; considering you caused such great damage to Blackwood House, I have decided to reward you: every one of their soldiers who died by your hand will earn you one Gold Dragon."

Arthur nodded, his impression of this uncle improving even further.

In this way, he would only have to pay them two or three hundred Gold Dragons.

Compared to the three thousand coming in, it was a mere trifle.

The time spent counting money always passed quickly; a soldier reported that the total of three thousand was correct.

"Ser Arthur, you should fulfill your promise," Lord Tytos reminded from afar.

Arthur nodded, signaled the soldiers in front to move away, and then used the dagger he carried at his waist to cut the ropes of Brynden and the others.

"You will regret this," the heir to Raventree Hall dropped these words and turned to leave.

The taut string in Tytos finally relaxed; his eldest son was finally back.

Edmure was no longer distressed; this Janos was quite reasonable after all.

He thought of how this lord had visited his father a few days ago, while no one from Raventree Hall had come to pay respects to their liege lord, and thus he suddenly grew fond of the Brackens.

But the next second, this thought of Edmure's was changed by the ruthless reality.

The soldiers surrounding Arthur and Lord Janos grabbed Brynden again and pressed him hard onto the ground.

"How dare you!" Tytos was furious, "Arthur, what is the meaning of this? You're reneging after getting the money?"

Arthur was just about to clear his name when he was interrupted by Janos beside him.

"Sigh, you cannot frame a good person; my nephew Arthur Bracken has absolutely nothing to do with this matter."

The master of Stone Hedge stood with his hands on his hips and laughed out loud, "Brynden is in my hands now; Arthur released him first, so he didn't renege, you see."

Edmure's expression was uncertain; he did not know what this powerful vassal of the Riverlands meant.

However, it was clear that if Janos wanted to cause trouble, the Tully soldiers present could not stop him.

Tytos was so angered that he did not speak for a long time, and the few top-tier nobles beside him did not dare to interrupt.

The scene unexpectedly fell into silence.

Arthur felt a bit awkward, but it did not matter; he had avenged Daren's wife and the other two, cleared the debts of Stone Hedge, and even obtained three thousand Gold Dragons.

He could slip away right now.

But a strong desire for gossip made him stay to see what kind of tricks this uncle could pull.

After a long while, Tytos finally asked, "What exactly do you want?"

He asked listlessly, as if he were too angered to recover.

"Ten thousand Gold Dragons," Janos's voice was clearly much more cheerful, "I just said it."

"Our total savings in Raventree Hall are less than ten thousand, and we just took out three thousand; where would we have the money now?"

Janos was even happier, "You can borrow money; House Frey, Seagard, which family cannot produce ten thousand Gold Dragons? You must understand, if money is gone, it can be earned again, but if your eldest son is gone, he is truly gone."

Tytos made a bitter face and looked to Edmure for help.

Although Arthur felt this uncle was very malicious, seeing the Count of Raventree Hall suffer a setback was inexplicably satisfying.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

I typed on the keyboard for half the day today, my fingers are a bit sore, and my writing speed was a little slow.

(End of this chapter)