Arthur quickly finalized the location for the Mountain Corps' garrison with Franklyn and re-signed the distribution contract.
Tucking away the map marked with the garrison's boundaries, Arthur asked, "Can you contact the chieftains of the nearby wildling tribes?"
Franklyn shifted his gaze from the contract to Arthur. "I can, but they aren't as easy to communicate with as we are."
Dagos Manwoody added, "You've dealt with wildlings. You should know they call themselves 'Free Folk' and swear never to kneel to those who live in stone houses."
"I've always been curious—how exactly did you conquer the wildling tribes of the Torrentine valley?"
As the Lord of Kingsgrave, Dagos's territory, apart from the flat road through the Prince's Pass, mostly consisted of hills and mountains that overlapped with the territories of multiple wildling tribes.
He frequently dealt with wildlings and even negotiated with their chieftains. He knew well that conquering them was far harder than simply killing them all.
Arthur laughed. "Dealt with them? The Vulture King's crown is still sitting in Starfall's treasury."
"As for how I conquered them... there are many reasons, but privately, I sum it up with two key points."
"One is demonstrating the ability to utterly annihilate them."
"The other is leading them to a better life."
"Sounds easy. Doing it is the hard part." Franklyn put away the contract and stood up. "Alright, it's getting late. I've prepared a welcome banquet for you."
Only then did Arthur notice the twilight outside the window. As a guest following the host's arrangements, he left the reception hall. Guided by a servant waiting outside, he walked through a long corridor, bypassed a courtyard planted with common Dornish lemon and fig trees, and arrived at a tower with a picturesque view.
In the guest room of the tower, Penrose had already made the bed and prepared a large tub of hot water.
Arthur was still wearing his riding attire—shirt and breeches. Given the sweltering Dornish heat, his undershirt was soaked with sweat, and he definitely needed a change of clothes.
After scrubbing himself clean, Arthur changed into fresh Dornish silk robes and asked, "Where is Lady Nymeria?"
"She should be in the keep's garden," Penrose replied. "There's a training yard there too. My sister and Edwin are keeping her company. Do you wish to find her, my Lord?"
"Never mind. She's probably incredibly busy right now. Come with me to the banquet hall."
Arthur had learned from the Old Falcon that Dagos and his sons were invited to discuss marriage alliances between their children. In other words, someone was trying to steal Nymeria's lovers right out from under her nose!
He was too busy enjoying the drama to intervene. He certainly wouldn't go looking for trouble by inserting himself into that situation.
Arriving at the banquet hall, he heard a fiddler tuning his strings, the notes disjointed.
Many of Skyreach's vassals and landed knights were already there, chatting in groups of twos and threes.
"Did you see the thousand soldiers camped below the slopes flying the Starfall banner? I've never seen such a disciplined army."
"Don't you know? That's the Mountain Corps built single-handedly by the 'Sword of the Morning,' Ser Arthur."
"During the conflict with the Reachmen, it was Ser Arthur who led them over the Red Mountains, annihilated a cavalry force of over three hundred from Amberly, and captured Earl Rogers alive."
"Ser Arthur has been named Governor of the Dornish Marches. It looks like he brought his army here to move against the wildlings of the Red Mountains near the Prince's Pass."
Arthur glanced around, found a secluded spot, and climbed the stairs to a side balcony on the second floor where the fiddler was stationed. He didn't attract much attention.
"Governor, what song would you like to hear?" The young fiddler evidently recognized Arthur and asked eagerly. "The Iron Lances? The Burning of the Ships? Or perhaps The Bear and the Maiden Fair?"
Arthur was surprised the fiddler knew so many Northern tunes. Actually, he wanted to hear the famous The Rains of Castamere, but neither Dorne nor the North cared much for a song praising Tywin Lannister.
"Can you play The Hammer and the Anvil?"
"It would be my pleasure, my Lord."
As the fiddler drew his bow, a stirring melody flowed from the instrument.
Arthur listened to the chatter below while enjoying the tune. The young fiddler played surprisingly well.
After three or four songs, the sky had turned completely dark. The candelabras on the long tables in the banquet hall were all lit. The Old Falcon and Dagos had entered one after another. Arthur saw Lady Nymeria take her seat on the dais, looking around as if searching for someone.
He asked the fiddler, who was playing his heart out:
"Are you sworn to Lord Franklyn?"
The fiddler immediately understood the implication and looked excited. "I am only temporarily hired by him to play for this banquet."
"If you wish, you can come to Starfall later. I will hire you long-term."
Having said that, Arthur descended from the balcony and took the seat next to Lady Nymeria. He asked knowingly, "What were you looking around for just now?"
"Where have you been all this time?" Nymeria asked.
Arthur pointed toward the fiddler. "Afraid of disturbing your... business, I've been listening to music on the second floor."
Nymeria gritted her teeth. "So, your talks with that old buzzard went smoothly?"
Arthur raised his glass to acknowledge Earl Dagos Manwoody, who was toasting him with his two sons, and replied:
"Both the Old Falcon and Earl Dagos are willing to support me as Governor of the Dornish Marches."
Nymeria huffed and pinched Arthur's thigh in a fit of pique.
At this moment, servers began bringing out dishes to the dais: long green peppers stuffed with cheese and onions, lamprey pie, honey-roasted capon, and honey-roasted goat stuffed with raisins, onions, mushrooms, and dragon peppers.
Under the influence of the fragrant food and the Summerwine and peach brandy, the noise in the hall reached a crescendo.
Just then, Earl Franklyn tapped his golden goblet. The crisp sound was completely drowned out by the din.
It wasn't until Ser Mason, the master-at-arms, roared "Silence!" that the crowd gradually quieted down. Even the servers stopped in their tracks.
"To the Governor of the Dornish Marches, Ser Arthur! Cheers!" The old man's voice was surprisingly resonant, echoing under the stone vault.
"Cheers!" Hundreds of voices responded simultaneously, the sound nearly lifting the roof.
"To success in the upcoming campaign against the wildlings of the Red Mountains! Cheers!"
When Arthur raised his cup and looked at the hall, he saw almost everyone raising theirs. Dagos even nodded specifically to him.
"To the resumption of Amber Peach Wine sales! Cheers!"
The final toast elicited a round of laughter and applause.
After downing three cups, Arthur looked at Franklyn with new respect. The dry, uninteresting old man actually had a knack for livening up a banquet.
Afterward, Arthur drank with all comers, sharing cups with many guests present. He spent particular time with Dagos's two sons, Dickon and Mors Manwoody.
Arthur could sense their adoration. Whether for his identity as the "Sword of the Morning" or his feat of leading the Starfall army to crush the Reachmen, they worshipped him, their words filled with the highest praise.