Chapter 13 The Stables at Harrenhal
A young blond nobleman walked out of the tailor shop.
He was wearing a dark purple hunting coat made of fine brocade and velvet, with a shawl made of silver thread and soft red gold hanging from his left shoulder. The two kinds of high-quality fabrics, lining and surface, are displayed with distinct layers.
Around his waist was a gold-plated belt striped with flowers, and an exquisite Lannister heraldic sword hung from it.
It is said that this set of hunting clothes once belonged to a certain sworn knight of the He'an family, but now it is sold in this tailor shop that directly belongs to Mrs. He'an. It can only be said that it is an unpredictable fate.
Since the He'an family confederated Harrenhal in 281 AC, the He'an family was once one of the most prominent families in the Riverlands and the most powerful vassal in the Riverlands.
In the year they captured Harrenhal, Lord River'an held a grand tourney here, and the then crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen (Dragon Mother's eldest brother) won the jousting championship. .
But then he galloped past his wife, Princess Elia of Dorne Martell, and placed the crown of winter snow roses, symbolizing the 'Queen of Love and Beauty', at Storm's End. A huge scandal arose on the lap of Lyanna Stark, who was betrothed to Lord Robert Baratheon (now King on the Iron Throne).
Soon afterwards, Lyanna was suspected of being kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar. Lyanna's father and brother were killed in the hands of the 'Mad King' Aerys Targaryen II because they wanted to seek justice for this.
The following year, in 282 AC, the "Usurper's War" broke out, which changed the structure of Westeros. Lord Jon Arryn, Duke of the Eagle's Nest, raised the flag of rebellion and elected Robert Baratheon as the leader of the uprising. Together with the Stark family in the north, the Tully family in the riverlands and the Baratheon family in the stormland, it took two years to overthrow the Targaryen dynasty that had ruled Westeros for nearly 300 years.
The He'an family of Harrenhal lost most of their power because they mistakenly sided with the royalists.
To this day, the ruler of Harrenhal, the Countess of Riveran, can only activate a small part of the halls of Harrenhal, and her troops are only a few hundred men.
The many weapons, armors, clothing, and jewelry that once belonged to the knights and ladies of the He'an family are now sold in these properties that directly belong to the Countess of He'an to subsidize the He'an family's increasingly inadequate finances. .
In order to buy this well-fitting hunting coat and that belt, Ian spent 5 gold dragons and 180 silver deer foreheads, praising the old blacksmith.
In short, in order to make his image look more like a real aristocrat, Ian has spent most of his money.
Therefore, he also needed to find a good horse and became a little stretched.
After leading his horse to the stables of Harrenhal, Ian began to think about whether it was possible for him to borrow a good horse from Lady Hean's stable master by virtue of his status as a Lannister noble knight.
After all, the Lannister family, as the richest family in Westeros, has always had the motto that "Lannister debts must be repaid." As long as they offer a higher return, they might be able to borrow a good horse.
After revealing his identity as a Lannister knight to the stable guards, Ian successfully obtained permission to enter the stables to visit.
Walking into the empty stables of Harrenhal, Ian suddenly felt a sense of loneliness in his heart.
It was a very large building in itself, and judging from its area and the number of horse troughs, it could have accommodated perhaps a thousand horses.
But now it seems that less than one-tenth of it is still in use. About 30 horses are kept in a corner, which is the final proof that the He'an family of Harrenhal still exists.
Ian once visited the stables of an ancient castle in Europe. According to the tour guide, there used to be special rooms in the stables to store special hunting coats, riding boots, wine, vinegar, olives, oil ointments, etc. There were also special rooms The rooms were used to store horse armor, heraldic horse robes, hunting bows and other weapons.
In the area dedicated to the war horses, there is not only high-quality wheat for food, but also a slot for placing oil lamps. Every winter, the stable steward will light oil lamps to heat the war horses.
Such a stable is more like a small military camp. The noble knights can complete their equipment in the stable at any time and can also rest inside.
However, here, these functions have obviously been lost.
Ian's arrival attracted the attention of a groom who was pouring water into the manger. He quickly stopped what he was doing and trotted all the way to Ian.
"Hey, that home, sir," he had just opened his mouth and recognized Ian's extraordinaryness from his clothes, so he quickly changed his words, "I'm sorry, sir, this is the private stables of the Countess of He'an. Outsiders are Off limits.”
"Of course, I know where this is, but I still came in, didn't I?" Ian deliberately turned sideways, seeming to be observing a brown tame horse next to him. In fact, he was displaying the side of his sword hanging on it. I gave it to the groom, hoping he could see it clearly.
"Oh, yes, Sir." The groom responded blankly, and then he remembered that there was a team of guards outside the stable, and the knight in front of him still came in, which meant that the other party had actually obtained it. license?
"I am Ser Lucien Lannister, son of Ser Damion Lannister." Ian made up an identity for himself. When facing natives who are not players, he can play more freely. .
"I wonder what your orders are when you come here, Sir?" The groom immediately asked respectfully as soon as he heard Ian's name.
Although he had never heard of Ser Lucion Lannister, this did not stop him from bowing his head to the knight.
"I want to keep my horse with you temporarily," Ian did not reveal his purpose directly. He pointed to the tamed horse he was holding, "Of course, I will pay for it."
"Of course, Sir, this is my honor. I promise to take good care of your horse." The groom quickly agreed. It is one of their jobs to help the passing noble knights take care of their horses, and usually the knights pay a high fee. Maintenance fees for horses.
"At the same time, I also need to borrow a horse from you." Ian said at this time.
"Of course, no problem, Sir, please take a look." The groom reached out and led Ian to the stable. He did not doubt that the Sir was a liar. After all, his own horse was also left here, right?
"I'm going to Maidenpool for William Mouton's hunt," Ian said, eyeing the horses in the fence.
Most of the horses here are just ordinary riding horses, and there are only a few truly large war horses.
Soon, he fell in love with one of the white horses.
Ian visually estimated that its shoulder height was over 1.65 meters. Compared with it, the river horse he was holding, which was less than 1.4 meters tall at the shoulders, could only be described as petite and cute.
"That's it, how about it?"