"My Lord, The Imp seems to have ordered someone to take down the northerners' heads," Rosso said.
"Oh, I didn't expect my young friend to have such a giant's heart. Such compassion is truly rare among the Lannister," Littlefinger also saw this scene. But it was The Imp's kindness that was destined to make him out of place in House Lannister.
"The Imp is not a giant; you are," Rosso said dully.
"Hahahaha," Littlefinger laughed. "I am not a giant; I am merely a clever man skilled at climbing. Chaos, I seek opportunity in chaos. If there is no chaos, we can create chaos."
Rosso looked at Littlefinger. For one person's desire, he dragged everyone into war. What did Littlefinger think of those poor people, the civilians who died in the war?
"Go about your business, Rosso. The Imp has left."
"Yes."
After everyone had left, only Littlefinger remained in the empty room. Littlefinger touched the mockingbird emblem on his chest.
"King's Landing is not my territory; the Vale is. I can search all of King's Landing and not find a single person with a mockingbird crest sewn on their chest, but that doesn't mean I, Petyr, have no friends in the city," Littlefinger murmured.
Littlefinger's hand continued to move downwards, where there was still a crude scar, the gift of the wild wolf.
Littlefinger recalled that duel. Although the current battle for King's Landing was terrifying, it was not as profound as his war in Riverrun. That was the gift of his coming of age; from that day on, he had killed the Boy within him.
The images of Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully were vivid in Littlefinger's mind, as if it were yesterday.
Brandon's unruly face was like a northern wolf, Catelyn's red hair like a fire in his heart, and he could still smell the fishy scent of Riverrun's water. It was a battle between a man and a Boy.
In the lower courtyard of Riverrun. Littlefinger wore only a helmet, breastplate, and chainmail, and Brandon also removed most of his armor. At the time, Littlefinger pleaded with Catelyn for a token, but Catelyn refused.
When Catelyn tucked her handkerchief into the wild wolf's hand, Littlefinger's heart broke. It was a pale blue handkerchief she had sewn herself, embroidered with Riverrun's leaping trout. Catelyn was, after all, the daughter of a great Lord; she had been betrothed to the wild wolf and was quite happy about it.
Catelyn pleaded with the wild wolf: "He is just a foolish Child, but I love him like a brother. If he dies, I will be very sad." Her fiancé heard her, looked at her with his calm grey Stark eyes, and promised to spare the life of the Boy who was madly in love with Catelyn.
But how could Littlefinger be a match for the wild wolf? The duel ended as soon as it began. The adult Brandon forced the still-teenage Littlefinger to retreat steadily. The wild wolf was tall and robust, with exceptional swordsmanship. They retreated from the castle courtyard all the way to the waterside steps, his assault fierce, swords raining down. Brandon beat Littlefinger, making him stumble, covered in wounds.
"Surrender now!" the wild wolf cried more than once, but Littlefinger always shook his head, stubbornly continuing to fight. The shouts of that year still seemed to echo in his ears. Finally, in water up to his ankles, Brandon made his decisive move. He swung his sword fiercely in a backhand strike, piercing Petyr's breastplate and leather, cutting through the soft flesh beneath his ribs. The wound was so deep that Catelyn thought it must be fatal.
Littlefinger fell in a pool of blood, gazing at her, murmuring "Cate," while bright blood gushed from between his gauntlets.
"It hurts so much! Catelyn didn't even look at me."
Brynden's sword brought Littlefinger crashing down from the clouds of reality. He was an adopted son of House Tully, but that was only a reward from Lord Hoster, like a dog or a horse by the roadside, because his father had saved Old Hoster during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. Riverrun was not his home; he was just an unknown person from the Fingers Peninsula, a servant dependent on House Tully.
Littlefinger recuperated for two weeks before he had the strength to leave Riverrun. To say 'leave' was really to say he was driven away. As soon as his strength was slightly restored, Lord Hoster sent people to put Littlefinger into a sealed sedan chair, carrying him back to the windswept, rugged rocks of the Fingers Peninsula, to his birthplace, to continue his recovery.
Hoster forbade Catelyn from visiting, while Lysa bustled about, and during this time, she became pregnant and was forced to miscarry. As for Edmure, he also visited, but Littlefinger refused to see him. Edmure had served as Brandon's assistant in the duel, and Littlefinger said he could never forgive him.
Catelyn might have forgotten all this, but Littlefinger never did.
"This world turned me into a clown, so I will climb to the very highest peak, to the pinnacle of power. Stark, Tully, Arryn, these great Lords—the wild wolf is dead, Arryn is dead, and Hoster is also going to die. But look, you great figures are dead, and I am still alive."
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