Deepwood Motte, dungeon.
Joel huddled within the corner of the prison cell, his entire body trembling violently. Bruises covered him from head to toe, and he remained completely unconscious.
Garon stood outside the cell in silence, observing Joel's miserable condition, while Roger, captain of the guards, stood behind Garon with one hand resting upon the hilt of his sword.
After watching quietly for a mont, Garon turned toward the nearby guard and asked coldly, "How did he end up like this?"
The guard replied awkwardly, "My lord, you previously ordered us to starve him for several days."
"Later, Lord Robert worried he might starve to death, so he instructed us to feed him once a day instead."
"As a result, during one feeding, this fellow suddenly tried to attack us, so we beat him up."
Garon glanced at the guard's unnatural expression and imdiately understood that the truth was certainly not as simple as he described.
However, now was not the ti to pursue responsibility.
"Bring a brazier over and warm him up."
After receiving the order, the guard quickly left the dungeon to prepare it.
Not long afterward, the brazier was brought inside, and Joel's condition gradually improved.
Soon, he slowly regained consciousness.
The mont he awoke, Joel instinctively clenched his fists and abruptly stood up, his face filled with vigilance and panic.
Yet the instant he saw Garon standing outside the cell, despair instantly overwheld him.
"Giant Bear Slayer…"
Joel muttered weakly beneath his breath.
As though all resistance had vanished from his body, he slowly leaned against the wall and slid down onto the ground.
Garon raised his hand and signaled for the surrounding guards to withdraw.
"It seems you recognize ," Garon said calmly while sizing Joel up before getting straight to the point. "Then you should also understand why I'm here."
"Joel, if you don't wish to suffer further, tell everything you know."
Joel forced out a bitter smile and weakly replied, "My lord, what exactly do you want to know?"
"Everything."
Hearing this, Joel's eyes darted around nervously before he cautiously asked, "If I tell you everything, will Lord Garon spare my life?"
A faint smile appeared on Garon's lips.
"That depends on whether your answers satisfy ."
For so reason, Joel suddenly felt a chill spread through his entire body.
When he looked at Garon now, he felt as though he were nothing more than a fish lying upon a butcher's board, completely at the other party's rcy.
Thus, without the slightest hesitation, he decisively sold Joffrey out.
"My lord, it was Prince Joffrey who ordered to assassinate the duke's son."
"But I hadn't even begun before your n discovered . I truly don't deserve to die!"
Joel clung desperately to his final shred of hope as he recounted everything Joffrey had instructed him to do in complete detail.
Including the reward.
When Garon heard that Joffrey had directly handed Joel a hundred gold dragons, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where is the money pouch?"
"At the ti, your lordship's n were chasing too closely. In my panic, I buried the pouch sowhere within the Wolfswood…"
Garon imdiately turned toward Roger and instructed, "Take several n and retrieve the money according to the location he described."
Roger nodded and turned to leave the dungeon at once.
Only then did Garon look back toward Joel.
"You had better not be lying to ," he said indifferently. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you understand the consequences of deceit."
Joel hurriedly shook his head.
"I wouldn't dare, my lord. Everything I said is true!"
Garon no longer wasted words on him and simply turned to leave.
However, before departing, he still instructed the guards outside.
"Give him food and take proper care of him."
"I do not wish to see another accident like the previous one."
The guard repeatedly bowed and nodded in agreent.
Garon then left the dungeon, briefly orienting himself before walking toward the North Bailey.
Soon, he intended to personally inspect Jon and the others' training progress over the past several days.
"Lord Garon!"
Hearing soone call out to him, Garon turned around and saw Maester Beckman hurrying over from the rookery.
"Maester Beckman, what's the hurry?"
Garon waited for the old maester to catch his breath before asking in surprise, "Could it be that there's progress regarding the armor-piercing arrowheads?"
Maester Beckman shook his head, took several deep breaths, and finally replied, "Not yet. It's sothing else."
He pulled several letters from his sleeve and handed them to Garon.
"Letters have arrived from the Dreadfort, White Harbor, Bear Island, Hornwood, and Oldtown. My lord should have a look."
"Oh?"
Garon looked sowhat puzzled as he accepted the letters and opened them one after another.
The letters from the Dreadfort, Bear Island, Hornwood, and Oldtown all congratulated him upon winning the trial by combat and successfully securing a marriage alliance with House Stark.
Garon was not particularly surprised by most of the letters.
Whether it was Bear Island, Hornwood, or House Locke of Oldtown, all had maintained fairly close relations with House Glover over the years.
Especially through marriage alliances.
House Glover had once married Galbart's eldest daughter to Jorah Mormont of Bear Island.
Unfortunately, she later died during childbirth, while Jorah himself eventually fled overseas after selling slaves in order to please his new wife.
Now, the current ruler of Bear Island was Jorah's aunt, Maege Mormont.
Half a year ago, Maege had personally co to Deepwood Motte to attend Galbart Glover's funeral.
At that ti, she had even expressed interest in marrying one of her daughters to Garon.
Only after learning that Galbart had already proposed a marriage alliance with House Stark did she abandon the idea.
As for House Locke of Oldtown, Sybell Locke, Garon's aunt, had married into House Glover years ago.
Although House Hornwood lacked a direct marriage alliance, Galbart had adopted Laurence Snow, a bastard connected to Hornwood, as a symbolic gesture of friendship between the two houses.
Thus, relations between the Glovers and Hornwoods had also remained extrely close.
Only White Harbor and the Dreadfort maintained relatively ordinary relations with Deepwood Motte.
"Roose Bolton… Wyman Manderly…"
Garon softly muttered the nas of the two lords while becoming increasingly curious about why White Harbor had specifically written to him.
The letter from White Harbor first congratulated Garon upon his trial by combat victory before relaying Edward Newgate's request.
"Newgate missed the royal procession?"
Garon frowned slightly before carefully considering the situation for a mont.
Then he turned toward Maester Beckman.
"Reply to White Harbor. First thank them for their letter, then…"
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Tell White Harbor to relay my order to Newgate."
"He is to garrison Moat Cailin for five months."
"If no further orders arrive after five months, he may temporarily return to Deepwood Motte."
"As for provisions…"
Garon looked southward thoughtfully before continuing.
"Ask White Harbor to provide them with food supplies and make it clear that the archers stationed at Moat Cailin are acting under Lord Eddard Stark's orders."
Maester Beckman nodded.
"Should I also handle the replies to the other houses?"
Garon smiled lightly.
"Yes. Thank you for your trouble, Scholar."
After speaking, the two parted ways, and Garon continued toward the North Bailey.
By the ti Roger returned with his n carrying Joel's buried money pouch, the sky had already begun to darken toward evening.
Garon brought Roger directly into the study and personally questioned him regarding the matter.
"My lord, according to Joel's directions, we found the money pouch buried underground."
Roger respectfully handed over the mud-covered pouch.
Garon accepted it and weighed it in his hand.
Soon, he noticed the crowned stag embroidered upon the pouch.
At that mont, a bold idea suddenly surfaced within his mind.
"What if I handed this pouch to Catelyn and inford her that Joffrey was also connected to Bran's attempted murder?"
"How would she react?"
"With her personality, she would never be able to remain peacefully beside Bran afterward."
"She might even impulsively travel directly to King's Landing to warn Ned."
Garon's gaze gradually deepened.
He understood Catelyn Stark very clearly.
She was never soone capable of calmly considering the larger political picture.
Once Catelyn left Winterfell, the only remaining Starks there would be Robb, Sansa, and the unconscious Bran.
And when the situation in King's Landing finally exploded and Robb marched south, Garon could naturally use Sansa's status to rightfully command the North.
After thinking carefully for a long while, Garon finally took out parchnt and a quill and began writing a letter.
After finishing, he carefully instructed Roger on several matters in detail.
Only after Roger fully understood everything did Garon wave his hand and order him to imdiately depart for Winterfell to deliver the letter.
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