The next day, as planned, Lynd and Nymeria each led a hundred men to the nearest freefolk village near Tumbleton. To their surprise, the village surrendered more easily than expected. With little resistance, the villagers willingly pledged their allegiance to Nymeria and agreed to become her vassals.
This was not an isolated event. Over the next three days, Lynd and Nymeria, along with their contingent of 200 men, visited seven free villages scattered along the abandoned road. In every village, the pattern repeated itself: the inhabitants showed no resistance to rejoining Nymeria's domain and readily swore allegiance to her, embracing the opportunity to become subjects of Tumbleton once more.
Eventually, through scattered remarks from the villagers, Lynd and Nymeria came to understand the drastic change in the freefolk's attitude. These formerly staunch opponents of subjugation had been swayed by an unexpected development.
The shift was partly due to the bandits Lynd had deliberately allowed to escape. As these bandits scattered, they spread tales of Lynd's decisive victory over a coalition of 700 to 800 bandits, a feat that sent shockwaves through the region north of Bitterbridge.
In an area rife with banditry, the largest groups typically numbered no more than a hundred or two, with most consisting of only a few dozen members. The annihilation of a bandit alliance of such unprecedented size left a profound impression, conjuring memories of the Kingsguard's legendary campaign against the Kingswood Brotherhood.
What amplified the fear further was the realization that Lynd himself had led the charge. His reputation preceded him: a formidable warrior who had nearly achieved a hundred kills in the King's Landing Tournament. The bandit groups, terrified of his prowess, believed Lynd could effortlessly slaughter a hundred men on his own. Against such a legend, no small band of outlaws could hope to stand a chance, let alone muster the courage to resist.
As a result, the bandits that had been plaguing the area either hid in the mountains and dense forests, observing the situation before deciding their next move, or fled north to the banks of the Blackwater Rush to avoid Lynd's blade temporarily. Some even crossed The Roseroad and ventured into the Stormlands to make a living elsewhere.
These bandits had ties to the local villages, and their movements did not go unnoticed by the villagers. The fear and uncertainty affected the people, who perceived that the noble lords this time seemed determined to resolve the bandit problem once and for all.
Under this atmosphere of fear and panic, when Lynd and Nymeria arrived with heavily armed men and horses, the villagers dared not resist. They complied readily with whatever demands Nymeria made, unable to think of whether they could fulfill them. Their priority was to survive the immediate crisis. Perhaps, in their view, even if they couldn't meet the demands, the worst outcome would be fleeing to the mountains and becoming mountain folk.
In addition to the fear instilled by Lynd's suppression of the bandit coalition, the villagers' worsening living conditions were another critical reason for their willingness to accept Nymeria's rule. Although the villages grew various crops, their status as freefolk left them unprotected by the lords. Under the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, anyone could take their goods without consequence. This constant threat dissuaded them from fully cultivating their fields, and the little food they produced barely met their own needs.
The primary source of income for these villages was aiding bandit gangs in selling stolen goods. This was no straightforward task; stolen goods often needed to be modified, and the villages profited by managing this process. However, since the outbreak of the Usurper's War, trade along The Roseroad had dwindled, leaving the route in a semi-abandoned state. When caravans did pass through, their heavy escorts made them nearly impossible to rob.
With fewer stolen goods, the bandits had little to trade, leaving the villages with no additional income. Over the course of a year, whatever wealth these villages had accumulated was almost entirely spent, and they were on the brink of starvation. Nymeria's arrival offered them a lifeline to address their survival crisis.
"If that's the case, then I can recover all the villages without spending a single soldier," Nymeria said, her voice full of excitement upon learning the situation.
"Do you have enough grain?" Lynd asked sharply, his words like a bucket of cold water over her enthusiasm. "Before the autumn harvest, you'll need to feed them. After the harvest, they still won't have much grain left, so you'll need to supplement their supplies. In the spring, you'll have to provide seeds and pray for good weather next year. If not, you'll need to continue supporting them with grain."
Nymeria froze at his words, speechless for a long time.
Lynd pressed on, "Of course, you could choose to ignore them and let them fend for themselves. But in that case, your bad reputation will spread, and recovering other villages will become almost impossible."
Nymeria's expression turned grim as the gravity of the situation sank in. She was grateful Lynd had stopped her in time; the consequences of rushing in blindly would have been disastrous. Now, even taking care of the few villages that had already sworn allegiance to her seemed a daunting task.
Lynd noticed Nymeria's gloomy expression and said reassuringly, "You don't have to worry too much. We can address their livelihood problems through work-for-food while solving the issue of repairing the roads in the process."
"Work-for-food?" Nymeria asked, puzzled. Clearly, this concept was unfamiliar in their world.
Lynd explained, "We can pay these villages in food to repair the roads. Once the roads are restored, the docks are rebuilt, the boats are ready, and trade routes are operational again, caravans will travel through this region. These villages can serve as rest stops for the caravans. When that happens, they'll find ways to earn extra income on their own and won't need your support."
Nymeria nodded thoughtfully at his explanation before asking, "Are we still planning to visit the mountain tribes?"
Lynd shook his head solemnly. "There's no need. If those tribes surrender as easily as these villages did, we'll have a bigger problem. According to what the villagers said, even the smallest tribe nearby has over 2,000 people."
"The mountain people aren't likely to surrender so easily," Nymeria replied with a laugh. "The toughness of the mountain people here is nothing like that of the freefolk in these villages. They're far wilder. Either you beat them so badly they can't lift their heads, or you cut off their heads entirely. Otherwise, they won't submit."
Lynd studied Nymeria closely. "It sounds like you've dealt with mountain people before."
Nymeria raised the axe in her hand and said, "Six months ago, an arrogant mountain chief came to court me. I beheaded him."
Lynd was about to ask if the mountain people had retaliated for the chief's death when he suddenly sensed someone watching them. He turned his head sharply, scanning the hilltop where he felt the prying eyes.
Noticing Lynd's reaction, Nymeria glanced toward the same direction. Although she didn't see anything, she immediately understood the reason for his alertness. Raising her giant axe, she shouted, "Alert!"
At her command, the hundred sword-and-shield soldiers from Tumbleton moved swiftly, surrounding Lynd and Nymeria to protect them. Meanwhile, the Guard's Unit climbed the hill in response to Lynd's hand signal, drawing their shortbows and preparing to attack if necessary.
Moments later, the Guard's Unit returned, escorting two individuals down from the hilltop. Even from a distance, it was clear that these two were neither freefolk nor mountain people, nor did they resemble barbarians.
As they were brought before Lynd and Nymeria, the two individuals knelt hastily before speaking in unison, "Envoy, Envoy! We are envoys!"
Hearing this, Lynd and Nymeria exchanged glances before Nymeria asked in a stern tone, "Whose envoys are you?"
"Envoys of our chief," one of the men answered quickly.
"Who is your chief?" Nymeria pressed.
"Our chief is our chief," the man replied simply, revealing a limited grasp of nuance.
Nymeria, growing impatient, was about to ask again when Lynd stopped her and questioned the men himself. "What does your boss want?"
"To negotiate. Our boss wants to negotiate with Bear Hunter Lynd," one of the men said. Then, glancing between Lynd and Nymeria, his gaze settled on the taller and more imposing Nymeria. "Our boss wants to negotiate with you, Bear Hunter Lynd."
Nymeria's eyes narrowed at the mistaken identification, her irritation flaring. For a brief moment, she felt an urge to cleave the man in two with her axe. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and, through gritted teeth, asked Lynd, "Is this funny to you, Bear Hunter Lynd?"
Lynd, smiling faintly, didn't respond to Nymeria's embarrassment. Instead, he turned his attention back to the envoys. "How does your boss want to negotiate with us?"
The two envoys exchanged glances before replying, "Four nights from tonight, in the valley just outside Tumbleton."
"Valley?" Lynd and Nymeria exchanged a look, both seemingly arriving at the same understanding of where this valley might be.
The two bandits assumed that Lynd and Nymeria did not know where the valley was, so they carefully described its location. As Lynd and Nymeria had suspected, it was the same valley where the remnants of the Targaryens had once hidden.
"Release them," Lynd ordered.
The guards let go of the two bandits, who hesitated briefly before hunching over and pushing their way through the crowd. They fled quickly, disappearing into the nearest grove.
"Do you really believe they were envoys?" Nymeria asked skeptically.
Lynd replied casually, "It's not like we lost anything. They were just two bandits."
"I'm going with you that day," Nymeria stated firmly.
Lynd looked at her and nodded without objection.
Although the eight villages were successfully reclaimed, the work was far from over. Nymeria still needed to send food supplies to the villages and assign tasks for hiring villagers to repair the roads and other responsibilities.
Lynd, however, did not plan to manage these matters personally. Two days later, upon returning to his camp, he delegated the responsibilities to Bert, Jon, and Maester Yves for Nymeria. With no bandit activity reported, Lynd also handed over the daily training of the army to Bryn, Raul, and Scar-Eyed. He then turned his attention to the ruins of Old Tumbleton's castle, where Glory was undergoing its evolution.
Ten days earlier, after consuming an enormous amount of food nearly equal to its own size, Glory had fallen into a deep sleep. Through his spirit connection, Lynd could sense that significant and unpredictable changes were occurring within Glory's body.
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, he had sent Glory to the castle ruins atop the hill, posted guards around the area, and waited for the transformation to complete.
By the tenth day, Glory still had not awakened. If not for his connection with it, which assured him of Glory's condition, Lynd might have feared the worst.
However, just as Lynd returned to the camp, he sensed that the changes in Glory's body had ceased, and it was gradually waking up. The transformation caused by the energy of the resentful souls appeared to be complete.
Putting aside his other tasks, Lynd went to the castle ruins to wait for Glory's awakening.
As he had predicted, Glory's body had grown significantly during this evolution. Lying on the ground, its size now reached Lynd's waist. Standing on all fours, Glory was as tall as Lynd himself. Such a massive creature could now be considered a giant beast.
This immense size reminded Lynd of Arya Stark's direwolf, Nymeria, from more than a decade later. The legendary wolf king of the Riverlands had been similarly colossal. A large body had its advantages and disadvantages—on one hand, it could inspire fear and turn the tide of battle, while on the other, it made a creature an easier target for weapons like arrows.
However, Glory seemed well-equipped to handle such vulnerabilities. Upon examining its fur, Lynd discovered that Glory's black-and-white coat acted like soft armor, capable of deflecting certain weapon attacks. The skin beneath the fur was even tougher, likely impervious to ordinary swords.
Although the physical changes had stabilized, Glory's recovery was slow. Lynd stayed by its side for an entire day and night before it fully regained its strength. When Glory finally rose, it appeared confused by its new, larger body. Spotting Lynd, who now seemed much smaller by comparison, it hesitated before nuzzling him affectionately with its head.
But Glory had underestimated its own strength. Despite applying minimal force, the gesture knocked Lynd off his feet. Startled, Glory gazed at him with a face full of grievance, as if blaming him for not staying close.