As the distance continued to shrink, Rostislav also clearly saw who the approaching person was: Edward Wessex, the Anglo-Saxon noble from Hungary.
The Prince was quite surprised by his arrival. Edward's visits to the Prince's court were always very regular; for five years, he had never deviated from this routine, yet now he had.
The noble was now wearing a cloak, his saddle bulging, and he even had weapons, looking as if he was about to embark on a long journey, and the knights behind him were similarly dressed.
The Prince also recognized this group of people; they were all Hungarian nobles under Edward's command who had settled in Rus'.
His expression was quite serious, which was rare for this noble who was usually always cheerful. This also made Rostislav serious; when his uncle by marriage became serious, it usually meant something major was happening.
"Edward, what's with your attire?"
Rostislav inquired about Edward's purpose. What was he doing, setting out on a long journey like this?
"Prince, let's find somewhere to talk. I have something very important to tell you."
Edward scanned his surroundings, then he saw a tavern not far away and invited Rostislav. The Moscow Prince readily accepted, as it was clear Edward had something to convey.
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The dining hall of the tavern they chose was well-ventilated and well-arranged, with a row of large wooden barrels on one side and a stove with a burning fire to ward off the cold on the other.
On normal days, tavern workers would run around the hall carrying food, and the owner would pour beer at the counter, with neatly stacked brown beer mugs on the counter.
This tavern was called Anlun Tavern, Anlun being the owner's name. Because it was located opposite the Moscow St. Sophia Cathedral, the tavern's business had always been good, never lacking customers for dining and lodging, and the owner had earned a lot of money.
When the current Anlun first arrived here, he was just an ordinary person, but now he had become a big tavern owner and had even installed glass in his tavern. He was very satisfied with his current life.
Whenever he saw the dining hall full of people and the guest rooms packed with guests, the owner would be very excited, because that represented flowing gold and silver. He was now even planning to upgrade the tavern's facilities to attract more noble guests and earn big money.
However, these were all past scenes. Today, the Prince's personal guards burst in and drove away all the customers, then threw the owner a bag full of grivnas. Then, the trembling tavern owner and his staff watched as the Moscow Prince entered with a group of nobles.
And through the glass, the owner saw the Prince's personal guards standing densely outside the door.
The tavern owner immediately served these nobles the best food in his establishment, fearing that any dissatisfaction on their part would lead to him being blamed.
He brought out the best Bulgar wine, the best white bread, and also served roasted lamb, seasoned with spices, and finally, pastries he had custom-ordered from a pastry shop.
Originally, he had planned to enjoy these himself, but now he could only offer them to the important figures. However, the important figures' minds were not on these foods at the moment.
Rostislav and Edward sat at a separate table, and as their conversation deepened, Rostislav's expression became increasingly serious.
"Is the situation in Hungary truly so dire?"
"That's how it is. Civil war has already begun. I must go to assist King Andrew. This is my responsibility as a kinsman and a beneficiary."
From Edward's words, Rostislav understood the cause of it all: Edward had received a letter of appeal from King Andrew.
The situation in the land of the Magyars had been volatile these past few years. King Andrew's health had worsened since he suffered a stroke a few years ago, and the Magyars had been whispering about the succession to the throne for a long time.
King Andrew's brother, Duke Bela, had been restless for a long time, and now he was even more eager to act. This Arpad noble's ambition for the throne had never faded.
King Andrew had already crowned his son, Solomon. To do this, he did not hesitate to submit to the Empire, which had been encroaching on Hungary, becoming a vassal of that young Emperor, and even securing a marriage alliance for his son with an imperial princess.
After resolving external issues, the next step was to resolve internal ones, and the biggest obstacle to Solomon's succession was none other than the King's brother, Duke Bela.
King Andrew invited Duke Bela to a banquet, intending to test whether he had intentions of usurpation, and if necessary, to use a trick like five hundred axemen to capture this unstable brother and place him under house arrest. However, Duke Bela, warned by a friend, sensed that something was amiss and decisively chose to flee.
And once he fled, he went to Poland. He had previously helped the Piast dynasty suppress the Polish uprising and had married the daughter of King Kazimierz.
However, the King of Poland was no longer Kazimierz, but the young warmonger Bolesław. Rostislav had heard of the reputation of this recently ascended King of Poland; ambitious was the best description for him.
Facing such an opportunity to perform on the political stage, this King of Poland did not let it slip. He dispatched a full thousand Polish Knights to Duke Bela's command.
Now Duke Bela had led this army into Hungary, and the Magyar nobles were increasingly wavering, with people constantly coming to pledge allegiance to this Arpad noble, abandoning the monarch on the throne.
The reason was very simple: Andrew's submission to the Empire to secure his son's throne had greatly displeased the Magyar nobles.
They had never forgotten the Empire's interventions and wars, and the countless atrocities committed on their territory.
And Andrew, on one hand, mobilized the royal army, and on the other, moved closer to the border between Hungary and the Empire. The imperial army had already been dispatched to support the Emperor's new vassal.
Both sides were now at loggerheads, gathering all available forces, and Edward was naturally summoned.
And whether out of gratitude or kinship, he had to agree, so he gathered all the forces in his territory, raising five hundred men, and prepared to go to Hungary.
From those words, Rostislav understood what a major event this was. It could be said to be the largest international conflict in decades, with Hungary, the Empire, and Poland all involved, and his intuition told Rostislav that his uncles would not be absent either.
"I understand, Edward. Take the army recently trained in Moscow with you. Emperor Andrew is also my uncle by marriage; I must also contribute."
Rostislav's words were sincere. Andrew had also married his grandfather's daughter, and was also his elder, so providing help was only right and proper.
"Thank you very much, Prince."
Edward was very surprised by this help, and then grateful. He didn't have to participate in this matter, yet he was sending out his own forces.
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