Barristan Selmy rested for only a very brief period within the utopian safety of Sow's Horn before aggressively setting off on the final leg of his journey toward Harrenhal.
Because Roman Rivers had entirely seized absolute control over the northern Crownlands, he had actively deployed his massive civilian engineering corps to completely, flawlessly renovate the ancient Kingsroad spanning the region.
Not only had Harrenhal's engineers utilized a highly advanced, rapidly curing alchemical concrete—meticulously developed by Maester Tom and his massive team of scholars—to perfectly pave the muddy roads, but they had also aggressively constructed a massive network of fortified waystations directly along the route.
To brilliantly facilitate the hyper-efficient, secure transportation of civilian refugees, massive trade goods, and Vanguard troop deployments, Roman had strategically connected the primary highways with massive regional castles like Antlers and Sow's Horn, establishing heavily guarded, subsidized post stations at regular intervals.
This highly advanced, flawless infrastructure profoundly facilitated Barristan's travels. He could effortlessly find a safe, heavily stocked rest stop to resupply his provisions after merely a few hours of riding. There were even massive, clean inns situated directly along the Kingsroad that offered hot baths, fresh food, and secure lodging for a meager copper coin.
Consequently, Barristan managed to effortlessly arrive at the sovereign borders of Harrenhal in less than a week's time.
However, upon finally arriving at his destination, Barristan abruptly realized he fundamentally could not find the massive front gates of Harrenhal. Utterly bewildered, he was forced to stop his horse and actively ask a passing merchant for directions.
"Pardon me, good ser," Barristan asked politely. "Is this massive settlement truly Harrenhal?"
The wealthy traveling merchant looked slightly confused by Barristan's question. After carefully examining the old man's travel-stained cloak, he offered a warm, understanding smile.
"Ah, ser, you must clearly be a refugee from out of town! Yes, this is indeed Harrenhal."
"Harrenhal?" Barristan blinked in profound disbelief, looking around. "But Harrenhal absolutely does not look like this. I vividly remember the desolate, empty lands directly beneath its massive walls from my youth."
"Of course, of course!" the merchant laughed warmly. "This is absolutely not the primary fortress itself; this is the massive, sprawling boomtown built directly beneath the castle walls! A catastrophic, apocalyptic conflict has violently broken out across Westeros, and Harrenhal is officially one of the absolute few genuinely safe, incredibly prosperous, and easily accessible havens remaining. Therefore, tens of thousands of terrified people have actively chosen to risk their lives to come here and seek absolute political asylum under Lord Roman."
The merchant pointed toward the endless rows of beautiful stone homes. "The original Harrentown was completely, logistically overflowing months ago, so the massive influx of refugees began frantically building desperate wooden shacks outside the city limits. But Lord Roman is incredibly kind-hearted! He aggressively subsidized the massive construction efforts, providing endless gold, heavily advanced tools, and skilled manpower to actively build beautiful, insulated brick houses for absolutely everyone. What you are currently staring at is the massive, newly constructed residential district. The primary gates of Harrenhal's main castle are a few miles further down this paved avenue."
The traveling merchant cheerfully mapped out the highly complex, paved route for Barristan, enthusiastically detailing the massive, free public facilities currently operating within the lower towns.
After graciously thanking the merchant, Barristan actively decided not to immediately ride to the castle gates. Instead, he intentionally lingered in the massive, bustling town to meticulously observe the local societal conditions. The local commoners inherently knew best whether a lord was genuinely righteous or a cruel tyrant, and Barristan—who had spent decades helplessly stationed in the rotting slums of King's Landing—understood this cynical political principle better than absolutely anyone.
As he observed the city, Barristan noticed that thousands of strong, healthy young men were actively marching in massive droves toward a single, highly organized central plaza. Profoundly curious, Barristan tied his horse and quietly followed the massive crowd.
Upon arriving at the massive plaza, the old knight discovered that the Harrenhal Vanguard was actively conducting its seasonal military recruitment. The massive crowd of eager civilians desperate to take the grueling physical examinations had already gathered into a massive, densely packed sea of humanity, violently surging forward like the dark, relentless waves of Blackwater Bay.
In all his decades of military service, Barristan had absolutely never witnessed a civilian population so fiercely, enthusiastically desperate to join an army. He also noticed dozens of incredibly strong, heavily muscled young men actively weeping loudly by the roadside.
Upon carefully inquiring, Barristan was deeply shocked to learn that these physically flawless young men had been strictly rejected by the Vanguard recruiters simply due to a minor lack of educational qualifications or a failure to pass the strict psychological evaluations. This completely shattered Barristan's medieval worldview; such incredibly strong men would be highly, desperately sought after as prime arrow fodder in absolutely any other Westerosi military, yet the Harrenhal Vanguard aggressively refused them.
However, after Barristan covertly approached a recruitment board and carefully read Lord Roman's highly advanced, revolutionary military requirements and the massive, unprecedented benefits offered to the Vanguard soldiers, he profoundly understood the absolute reason. He finally comprehended exactly why Roman's army could flawlessly, constantly win massive victories against overwhelming odds, even on battlefields where the Dragon Lord was not physically present.
"Absolute meritocratic equality between officers and common soldiers... massive agricultural tax reductions for active service... heavily subsidized, permanent financial compensation for crippled veterans... guaranteed retirement pensions... absolute legal protection against noble abuse..." Barristan read the parchment, his voice trembling.
"So that is it!" Barristan whispered, a profound, overwhelming wave of realization washing over him. "So that is the brilliant truth! No wonder the common people of Harrenhal are so fiercely, fanatically willing to risk their absolute lives for Lord Roman! No wonder the Vanguard achieves such apocalyptic military success! If those arrogant, blind fools sitting in the Red Keep possessed even a fraction of Lord Roman's profound, brilliant awareness, the bleeding people of Westeros would absolutely not be suffering in this catastrophic state today!"
In that profound moment, Barristan felt the massive, suffocating surge of bitter anger and disillusionment entirely dissipate from his exhausted heart. Suddenly, he absolutely could not wait to see Roman Rivers.
In Barristan's highly experienced, honorable view, Roman Rivers was now the absolute only true, legitimate king remaining in Westeros. He was the only ruler fundamentally capable of violently bringing true justice, absolute prosperity, and permanent peace to the bleeding continent.
Barristan immediately left the massive plaza and practically sprinted across the perfectly paved town directly toward the massive gates of Harrenhal.
When he finally arrived at the massive, towering, cream-colored gates of the inner keep, Lord Roman Rivers, Fili, and Lady Shella Whent were already standing proudly in the courtyard, actively waiting for him.
Lady Shella stepped forward gracefully. "Ser Barristan the Bold. It is an absolute, profound honor for House Whent to officially welcome you to Harrenhal! We have been actively anticipating your arrival and would deeply love to invite you inside for a grand feast."
Roman offered Barristan a highly respectful, warm nod, and the group slowly began walking into the massive, awe-inspiring interior of Harrenhal.
Barristan was instantly, profoundly struck by the sheer, terrifying scale and flawless, bustling activity of the massive inner squares. However, having just actively witnessed the utopian miracle of the lower towns, he was no longer profoundly shocked by Harrenhal's highly advanced infrastructure. Such massive, architectural wonders were incredibly common throughout Roman's sovereign territories; naturally, the capital fortress itself would be vastly superior.
However, Old Barristan remained deeply, tactically puzzled. "Lord Roman, if I may boldly ask... how exactly did you know I was actively traveling to Harrenhal today?"
Roman laughed warmly, a deep, rumbling sound, and pointed affectionately at the blonde girl standing beside him. "This is Fili, my brilliant personal seneschal and chief of intelligence. Lady Fili successfully tracked your highly covert movements days ago, and I naturally deduced you would come here to find me. So, I aggressively ordered the kitchens to make advanced preparations."
Barristan respectfully glanced at Fili, who blushed slightly and shyly half-hid behind Roman's massive, armored frame.
Old Barristan vividly remembered the terrifying intelligence briefings regarding Fili. According to Lord Varys's most desperate, heavily encrypted spy reports in King's Landing, this seemingly innocent blonde girl absolutely, flawlessly controlled the terrifying, continent-wide flock of talking Apostle ravens.
The Spider was profoundly, utterly terrified by her flawless intelligence capabilities, and the frantic Small Council in the Red Keep had actively dubbed her "The Raven Queen."
If House Lannister's absolute most wanted, apocalyptic threat was the Dragon Lord Roman Rivers, then their definitive second most wanted, highly lethal target was Fili.
Without Fili's brilliant, flawless administrative mind, rapidly uncovering the massive, dark secrets of the Red Keep and effortlessly exposing Tywin Lannister's massive military deployments would be fundamentally impossible.
Barristan had recently heard massive rumors on the Kingsroad that the starving people of King's Landing had actively initiated a second, vastly more violent riot directly because he had been exiled, and they were now aggressively, violently attacking anyone wearing Lannister crimson.
Currently, the cruel, psychotic Joffrey sat illegitimately upon the Iron Throne, while the brilliant, honorable Roman Rivers ruled Harrenhal. Barristan had helplessly watched vastly too many innocent people die entirely because of the Red Keep's absurd, arrogant orders, and he had now personally witnessed the profound, utopian prosperity actively thriving under House Whent's absolute rule.
Barristan profoundly understood that Roman Rivers was the legendary, true lord he had been desperately searching for his entire life—the absolute only man genuinely worthy of his sacred loyalty.
Therefore, right before they officially entered the massive banquet hall, Barristan suddenly stopped Roman and Lady Shella. Without a single word, the old knight reached over his shoulder and violently drew the massive, magical Spellblade that Roman had forged for him.
The heavily armored Vanguard Ironmen aggressively surrounding Lady Shella instantly gripped their halberds, preparing to violently intercept a perceived threat, but Roman immediately, calmly raised his gauntleted hand, strictly ordering his guards to stand down.
Barristan solemnly knelt on one knee. He held the massive, glowing sword respectfully in his hands, resting the razor-sharp tip perfectly upon the polished marble floor. The old knight looked up, his voice echoing with profound, absolute sincerity.
"Lady Shella. Lord Roman," Barristan spoke heavily. "I loyally served the usurper Robert Baratheon, and I shamefully served in King's Landing directly alongside the oath-breaking Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister. I actively stood by and worked alongside entirely corrupt, honorless bastards. That is my permanent, shameful stain, and I fundamentally possess absolutely no intention of making cowardly excuses for my past."
"But after I was violently stripped of my white cloak and aggressively hunted like a dog by the Lannisters, the blinding fog of duty before my eyes suddenly, entirely cleared. I profoundly realized that I absolutely must find a true, honorable leader, and proudly offer my life and my blade to his cause!"
Barristan paused, his aged, yet still incredibly robust and powerful body trembling involuntarily with profound, overwhelming emotion.
With thick tears actively welling in his proud eyes, the old knight bowed his head. "I humbly beg Lady Shella and Lord Roman to grant me this single, final chance. I wish to permanently remain in Harrenhal and swear my absolute, eternal service to you!"
No sooner had Barristan finished his profound, sacred vow than Roman aggressively stepped forward. The massive Dragon Lord reached down and firmly, respectfully pulled the legendary knight directly to his feet.
"It is my absolute, profound honor to be recognized by Ser Barristan the Bold!" Roman declared loudly, his voice echoing across the courtyard. "House Whent has actively taken in bleeding refugees from across the entire continent, and we are in dire, desperate need of truly honorable, highly skilled talents to help our people overcome this apocalyptic chaos. It will be a massive, divine blessing for the starving people of Westeros to have Ser Barristan actively riding beside me."
Roman firmly clasped Barristan's shoulder. "I, Roman Rivers, hereby swear a sacred oath to the Old Gods and the New! I will permanently honor this profound pledge, and I will aggressively, fearlessly march forward alongside Ser Barristan to violently forge a prosperous future for the people of Westeros!"
Barristan tried desperately to hold back his tears, his jaw clenching tightly, absolutely not wanting his profound emotional state to spoil the solemn, highly sacred occasion.
Roman merely laughed heartily, a brilliantly warm sound, and aggressively pulled the legendary, tearful Kingsguard into a massive, profoundly respectful embrace.
In the absolute following week, the massive, highly publicized news of Barristan the Bold's sudden appearance in Harrenhal—and his explicit, absolute pledge of eternal loyalty to House Whent—violently spread across the entire continent of Westeros like wildfire.
Absolutely all the arrogant, warring nobles were completely, profoundly shocked by Barristan's unprecedented political choice, while the millions of starving commoners across the Seven Kingdoms began to violently, openly question whether the cruel boy Joffrey possessed absolutely any legitimate qualification to sit upon the Iron Throne.
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